Cyber Security Awareness Month, Trivia Challenge, Articles, News, and more!
 
 
October 2020 -  Newsletter
 

Hello {"ANONYMIZED":"2023-04-26"},


Happy Halloween!


As October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, our team has highlighted some of the latest threats impacting organizations on a massive scale. Due to the pandemic, the cyber ghosts and goblins have been using new tricks to impact a record number of organizations. Learn more by reading the updated threat reports in this issue of the VNET Newsletter. 


We'd like to thank everyone who signed up for the beta of the VNET App last month. We've been hard at work configuring the client experience and we've enrolled many of you into the system already. Stay tuned for a follow-up from your VNET sales representative for next steps to schedule a demonstration of the portal. 


VNET newsletter subscriber, George W. spotted our invitation to enter for a chance to win a $25.00 gift card from U-Pick6 in our September newsletter. He was the lone entry and our winner! Make sure to read our entire newsletter to find our next giveaway!


In VNET Fiber news, this month we mailed out just over 200 postcards to residents that have homes who are now eligible for VNET Fiber service. Our fiber expansion efforts have been going extremely well and we are currently building to several new neighborhoods with others coming online in 2021. 


As election season is upon us, (in case you were not aware :), don't forget to vote on November 3rd!


Have a safe and Happy Halloween!


–The VNET Team

 
 
 
Don't Fall Victim to Cybercriminals
 
Cybercriminals are continually evolving their techniques and COVID-19 has created a huge opportunity for hackers to take advantage of a remote workforce. 

As security concerns are increasing, organizations need to understand how to protect against the next cyber attack and appropriately allocate resources to keep your team secure. 

VNET offers a wide range of security products and best practice to keep your employees and corporate data secure. 

Contact the VNET team for a Risk Free Security Scan so that you do not fall victim to the next cyber attack.
 
 
 
Smart Phone


Is your smart phone bringing you down?

 

 

To say this has been a rough year is a vast understatement. I find myself taking a step back and evaluating how I feel on an emotional level, and perhaps you are too. If you discover you’re in a bad place at times, it could be that you, like the average American, are spending approximately four hours per day on social media platforms, according to one study.


Like a slot machine, the design of the apps we use for social media are designed to make them habit forming as our brains release dopamine as we swipe and scroll through the snappy interface revealing a constant stream of new content and information. Swipe down to discover what’s new *so excited!*

 


VNET Radio Podcast - Remote Working

 

 

Each month, VNET tackles a new technology topic for our monthly podcast, VNET Radio.


This month Matt Wiertel and Allan Carpenter discuss some of the opportunities and challenges that remote working has presented to organizations during the pandemic. 


Not into podcasts? You can also listen to us LIVE on iHeart Radio AM1400, or listen via the iHeart Radio App. Click below for the Live Broadcast schedule, embedded podcast, blog, and instructions on how to subscribe via your favorite podcast platform.

Available on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.

 
 
Planning for the New Office Normal
 
As the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way we work and live, organizations of all sizes are reevaluating their technology and work plans for the "new normal". Many of us have been working remotely since March without the comforts of the office. How has your organization adjusted to the remote working pros and cons? What are your plans for the future and is remote working beneficial to your team?
 
 
 
Playlist of the Month
 

Everyone deserves a Good Hair Day even if you are working from a home office! Put on your favorite headphones and get down to some bangers from the best EDM, rap, and pop artists of today. Highlights include "Nah Nah Nah" from Presidential Candidate Kanye West, "Over Now" by Calvin Harris featuring The Weeknd, and "Not Too Far" from GAWVI.

Don't forget to follow us on Spotify to keep up with the latest playlists. If you have a playlist to share with us, let us know and we might feature it in a future email!

(Cover Photo Credit: James M. Corbett and Christina Corbett)

 
 
 
Game of the Month
 

Among Us (2018)

Join your crewmates in a multiplayer game of teamwork and betrayal!

Play online or over local wifi with 4-10 players as you attempt to hold your spaceship together and return back to civilization. But beware... as there may be an alien impostor aboard!

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar recently made headlines for live streaming a session on Twitch to some 439,000 concurrent viewers. That's the future of politics, folks.

Available on: Steam, iOS, Android

 
 
Movie of the Month
 
The Way Back (2020)
Jack Cunningham was a HS basketball phenom who walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he may get one last shot at redemption.

The movie is rated R for language and adult themes.

Available on: HBO Max, Streaming, and Redbox






 
 
 

Keeping Up with Microsoft Teams

Teams usage surpasses 115 Million Daily Active Users
Many organizations quickly adopted Microsoft Teams to enable their remote work strategy at the start of the pandemic. With Teams usage up 50% since earlier this year, Microsoft continues to add new features to the platform to improve usability and compete with its rivals Zoom and Google. 


We have highlighted a few of the new features below and have provided a link to a more in depth roadmap that showcases the advances coming soon to the Teams Meeting, Meeting Rooms, and Calling experiences. 


Are you currently using Microsoft 365 but not leveraging Microsoft Teams for chat or video collaboration? Do you plan to use more video focused solutions to engage your employees or clients?


Contact the VNET team today for a demonstration of Microsoft Teams to maximize your existing Microsoft 365 investment and reimagine your meeting room spaces.



Microsoft Teams - New Features


Notification settings have a new look
Check out the new notification settings in Teams. The updated organization makes it easier to find the exact notifications you want so you can keep track of the activity you care about. To access, go to your profile picture > Settings > Notifications.

Take a peek at your meetings
View meeting details from your calendar without opening the meeting. All you need to do is hover your cursor over the event in your calendar and a brief summary of details will pop up for you to read.

Speaker name added to Live captions
Live captions are now able to attribute the name of the speaker when generating captions during a meeting. Live captions is currently available in US English only.

New keyboard shortcuts
For improved accessibility in Teams, there are two new shortcuts. To start a new conversation, type Alt+Shift+C on PC and Opt+Shift+C on Mac. To reply to a thread, type Alt+Shift+R on PC and Opt+Shift+R on Mac.

New attendee audio option for meetings
Meeting organizers can now disable attendee mics to prevent them from unmuting during a meeting. In Meeting options, go to Allow attendees to unmute and switch the toggle to Yes.

 
VNET 30 Years Trivia Question of the Month
 
VNET (formerly known as SOFTEK / Velocity.Net) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. This month's question is: Where was SOFTEK's first office located?
 
Submit your answer to marketing@velocitynetwork.net for a chance to win a $25.00 gift card to Calamari's!
 

121 West 10th Street • Erie, PA 16501 • United States • Click here to unsubscribe.