Why you should upgrade to iOS 10.3

Apple is constantly looking for ways to improve user experience in their iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices. And while some updates get lost in the crowd, the iOS 10.3 is an update you can’t miss. The update, which took over seven beta versions to develop, offers bug fixes and new features, including:

Find my AirPods Since the new wireless headphones are so small and easy to misplace, Apple released the Find my AirPods feature.

To track your AirPods, simply open the Find iPhone app and look for “AirPods” under your list of Apple devices. From there, you can see where your AirPods are located on a map and even make them emit noise, provided you’re within a certain radius of the bluetooth earphones.

Siri updates With iOS 10.3, Apple’s digital assistant can now understand and perform more voice requests. With electronic payment apps, you can request Siri to automatically pay bills and track your account status. If you have Uber or other ride hailing apps installed, you can schedule a lift simply by asking Siri, “I need a lift to .” You can even check your car’s fuel levels and lock status with automaker apps.

Apple Maps The newly updated Maps can now display hourly weather updates for your destination and even track the location for your parked car, in case you’ve forgotten where you left it in a crowded lot.

Apple File System (APFS) One of the biggest changes in iOS 10.3 is the introduction of the APFS, a system that controls how data is stored and retrieved. This new file system replaces the 20-year-old HFS+, which was originally designed for devices with floppy drives! Unlike its predecessors, APFS saves 1-7 GB of storage space, provides better data backups, supports easier file recovery, offers data encryption, and is optimized for Flash/SSD.

Security updates Meanwhile, iOS 10.3 has received much needed security updates. iPhones and iPads will now actively warn users if they have 32-bit apps installed and request that they update to more secure 64-bit versions.

Additionally, Apple has secured around 100 vulnerabilities, including a bug which allowed cybercriminals to spam Safari users with an endless stream of ‘Cannot Open Page’ pop-ups unless they pay the attacker an iTunes gift card.

Although iOS 10.3 didn’t offer any revolutionary built-in applications, it did make some nice quality-of-life adjustments for iPhone 5, 6, 7, and iPad users. Knowing Apple, we think more optimizations will be rolled out until the big iOS 11 update, but until then take the time to enjoy more storage space, better security, and the new Siri voice commands.

If you want the latest Apple developments, contact us today to be the first to know!

What will happen without Windows Vista?

As the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” Microsoft is saying goodbye to its 10-year-old operating system, Windows Vista. This means that from April 11th onwards, Windows Vista users won’t be receiving essential security and software updates. How much will this affect small- and medium-sized businesses?

Windows Vista Launched worldwide on January 30th, 2007, Windows Vista has been Microsoft’s operating system for home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs and even media center PCs. This version came with a bunch of new features such as Aero, an updated graphical user interface; Windows Search, a new search function; as well as Windows DVD Maker, a new multimedia tool. Vista aimed to increase communication between machines on a home network, with peer-to-peer technology that simplifies file sharing.

Windows Vista criticism Not too long after its release, the operating system came under fire from both the users and the press. Initially, Vista aimed to improve the state of security, the main criticism its predecessor -- Windows XP -- received. There were commonly exploited security vulnerabilities and overall susceptibility to malware, viruses, and buffer overflows. According to Net Applications, Windows Vista has less than 1 percent of global market share in terms of PC operating systems. Despite that, Windows 10 is doing extremely well, boasting over 400 million devices running on it.

Will computers still function properly? Essentially, yes, but they will be susceptible to viruses on account of Microsoft discontinuing security updates. On top of that, Internet Explorer 9 won’t be supported either, meaning surfing the web with this browser could possibly expose you to even more vulnerabilities. Microsoft also warned users that certain apps and devices would not work with Vista, as software and hardware manufacturers are optimizing services for newer versions of Windows.

What’s the next step for your business? We recommend that you upgrade to Microsoft’s latest operating system: Windows 10. But before doing so, check the software and hardware specifications of your PCs, since they might not be able to handle Windows 10. If that’s the case, users can opt for a Windows 7 upgrade as an alternative.

Keeping up with the latest technological innovations might be a tedious task, but it’s also an imperative one. To ensure the future of your small- or medium-sized business, you’ll be needing IT that works for you and not the other way round. For more information on Windows operating systems, feel free to get in touch with us today!

Free Windows 10 upgrade for SMB’s

SMB stands for small- and medium-sized businesses, not Sorry Microsoft none of your Business. To clear up this misunderstanding, Microsoft has decided to offer Windows 10 upgrades to SMBs that previously refused to update. If you’re still unsure about it all, you can decide after reading this.

“They’re extending the free upgrade to this segment of customers to help them get to Windows 10,” said Wes Miller, an analyst at Direction on Microsoft, specializing in complex licensing rules and practices. Much like the 12-month upgrade deal that ended last August, this offer applies to personal computers running on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. The only difference is, the offer is exclusive for businesses that have subscribed to one of the Windows Enterprise plans.

According to Nic Fillingham, a small business product manager: "Customers subscribed to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and E5 as well as Secure Productive Enterprise E3 and E5, can now upgrade their Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs and devices to Windows 10 without the need to purchase separate upgrade licenses."

The Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and E5 subscriptions are priced at $7 per user per month and $14 per user per month, or $84 and $168 per user annually. Unlike Microsoft's historical licensing -- which permanently licensed the operating system on a per-device basis -- the E3 and E5 subscriptions are per-user licenses, and payments must be maintained to run the OS. This was introduced to target customers that didn’t want to sign a long-term volume licensing agreement.

In order to qualify for a Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5 subscription -- which are delivered through a CSP (cloud service provider) -- devices must already be running on Windows 10 Pro. SMBs could upgrade their devices for free last year if those devices ran older Windows 10 versions, and SMBs can upgrade the devices they newly acquire this year if those devices are already equipped with Windows 10 Pro.

"When the CSP originated, the only qualifying OS was [Windows] 10 Pro Anniversary Update," said Miller. "You had to be on 10 Pro. So, if you missed the consumer upgrade window, you would have to buy the underlying 10 Pro license." It’s this license that Microsoft is giving away to customers subscribing to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5. The acquired license is “perpetual” and will be tied to the specific device. “This means the license will not expire or be revoked if the customer chooses to end their Windows cloud subscription in the CSP program," added Fillingham.

Since the upgrade is considered a subscriber benefit, a PC upgrade might be needed -- from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 10 Enterprise -- and if the user isn’t already covered by an E3 or E5 subscription, an additional $7 or $14 monthly is needed to run the system. Miller stated that the likeliest reason Microsoft brought back the free upgrade was to get more people onto the User Subscription License (SL). Providing upgrades from older editions makes more of a customer's PCs eligible for use under the SL model of E3 and E5 (which is licensed per user, not per device). Another motivation could be to promote a partner-centric CSP.

Microsoft has officially confirmed the Windows 7/8.1-to-Windows 10 Pro upgrade offer is a permanent addition to the benefits for subscribers to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and E5, and not a time-limited pitch. If you’re still hesitating or would like to ask some more questions, feel free to give us a call anytime!