Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Small to Medium Business with ChatGPT

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The implementation of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning for small to medium businesses is becoming more accessible all of the time. Still, for many people, the concept of AI has remained something of an abstract idea. 

For most people engagement with AI usually forms part of a larger system- AI as part of an overall device or as part of a larger service. For example voice assistants within our phones or home smart speakers; and much of the cloud-based software that we use daily is implementing AI in some way. 

Recently, controversy has pushed AI Art to the forefront with the ability for people to generate complex and detailed artworks using just text prompts using platforms such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion.  

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One recent breakout service- ChatGPT, has garnered a lot of attention for its accessibility and ease of use. You simply log-in (free of charge) and start interacting with the AI with simple text. For example:

Write a blog article about ‘5 top tips to save with our accounting service’ 

Or

Write an article about skincare for an audience in Newcastle NSW

Or

Write a program outline for a 2 hour mindfulness workshop

If you are wondering how AI can save your business time and money then try it out- the results will amaze you! While implementation into your current systems and software is possible through APIs, the web interface has no tricky coding language or prompts to learn. It is a great way to test out the use of artificial intelligence for your businesses content creation.

Does this remove the need for experts and content creators? We don’t think so, but it does give your team the capacity to create more content without adding extra business resources. 

The results from ChatGPT and others can be a little hit and miss and most content will require some tweaks and adjustments but it can provide an excellent starting point for busy teams.

At the time of writing, Google has just announced its own ChatGPT rival Bard which is also worth a look.

It is an interesting time to be involved in technology- let us assist you in navigating the tech landscape and grow your business by getting in touch today!

We asked ChatCPT to tell us about itself, This is what it had to say:

Hybrid Work: Approaches for Business

Providing an insight into hybrid work strategies for organisations navigating the new normal. Drawing on recent research investigating the impacts of hybrid work—& suggested approaches for your business into the future.

80% of managers expect more flexible work arrangements post-pandemic

Microsoft Annual Work Trend Index Report

Foster a holistic approach where all work functions come together reimagining how you engage with your customers, empower your employees and optimise business operations—all while cultivating innovation.

Geniosity will help you get the most out of hybrid work at your business — get in touch for a free consultation. 

Microsoft Teams for Business

By Daniel Smith

Collaboration software is getting better all of the time and Microsoft Teams is steadfast becoming the tool of choice. We are spoiled for choice in a market saturated with chat and collaboration tools (not a bad problem to have).

One of its obvious strengths is the integration into the overall Microsoft ecosystem. By 2019, 91 of the Fortune 100 companies was already using Microsoft Teams*.

The unified platform allows smooth integration with employees, content and tools – all in the same place where you are already working. When implemented successfully, the boost in efficiency will be felt throughout you workplace; as companies move to be more mobile, global, and social.

With the average employee spending 80 percent of their work time collaborating with others, the importance of a seamlessly integrated communication tool should not be underestimated.

By now, in 2022, most people have experienced at least one meeting in Microsoft Teams. This communication tool has become synonymous with remote work collaboration.

For some organisations though, their use of Microsoft Teams stops there – with that excellent video communication component. This only scratches the surface in terms of what Microsoft Teams can do. A whole host of plugins, spaces automations and workflows can be implemented to make your work easier and more streamlined.   

If your business is not using Microsoft Teams, then it should be; and if you are using it, are you using it to its full potential?

Fortunately, the days of emailing around different versions of the same spreadsheet are fading away as more and more companies embrace true, collaborative teamwork. 

World Data Privacy Day – 28 January

World Data Privacy Day – 28 January

Today, January 28, is World Data Privacy Day. Started as an educational initiative to raise awareness for businesses and users about the importance of protecting the privacy of their personal information online, the scope has grown over the years. 

This is a great opportunity to learn more about protecting your data, whether it be for business, family or personal situations. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has this excellent resource site about How To Stay Safe Online if you, or someone you know, needs a refresher. It is an excellent resource to send around your business.

Take a look at these extra resources and our recent security related articles below for some more information and remember to stay safe online!

Viruses, Ransomware & Phishing, Oh My! Part 1

Threats to computer systems are constantly evolving and getting more advanced, while also causing more serious problems. In the early days, it was enough to have a basic antivirus program on your computer that would stop viruses and malware from affecting your computer…

Read More »

Viruses, Ransomware & Phishing, Oh My! Part 2

Ransomware is something that has been in the news a lot lately. As more of our systems and services have an online component, criminal syndicates are creating ways to take advantage of this for financial gain. A ransomware program has the ability to gain access to a system and spread, it works away in the background of a device and, in essence, can lock you out of your data by encrypting it or even moving it…

Read More »

Viruses, Ransomware & Phishing, Oh My! Part 3

Phishing attacks attempt to trick you into providing hackers or scammers with your information. This might be your passwords, bank details or personal information. A phishing attack often arrives in the form of an email with a clickable link. The email may look like a legitimate email from a friend or trusted company or it could look like a simple link to a shared file…

Read More »

Streamline Microsoft Office 365

The top automations and actions that will save you time in O365.

There are stacks of options for automation within the Microsoft 365 eco-system. Automation allows you to set up a process that runs automatically to reduce manual processing and repetition.

Microsoft Power Automate is an excellent cloud program in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Previously called Microsoft Flow, Power Automate allows you to create actions that will save you time.

There are also other great automation options around, outside of the Microsoft eco-system such as Zapier, Tray.io, and Integromat. These can still be integrated with Microsoft 365.

We have put together a quick list of 5 quick and easy automations to get you started.

1. Save email attachments in Outlook to OneDrive

This is fairly simple time saver which automatically saves all of the attachments sent to your Office 365 Email address to a folder in OneDrive for Business. A few tweaks, would allow you to change the folder locations to even sort into folder by date or by sender.

Automate it!

2. Save email attachments from Outlook.com to Dropbox

Similar to the above automation, this one takes attachments received at your Outlook.com email address and saves them to Dropbox. Follow up additions could see you add an email or notification to another email address such as Gmail.

Automate it!

3. Create a task in Planner when a new email arrives in a shared mailbox

This is a handy automation that triggers when an email arrives into a shared mailbox. Let’s say that your company has a customer service or support email address and when an email is received, a task is created in Microsoft Planner with a due date after a specified time. This could be used to create a support ticket for follow up by staff. Assign a due date of how long you would like, say 48 hours to have the issue actioned or resolved. 

Automate it!

4. Email me with a list of upcoming Calendar events

This automation is rather clever, you can schedule it to run whenever is best. It analyses the following week in your calendar, looking for events, flights, hotels, weather information and locations, and sends you a handy summary via email.

Automate It!

5. Email yourself new Tweets about a certain keyword

Easily track tweets containing specific keywords on Twitter, according to your interests. You will get an email every time that your keyword is included in a tweet. This could be a good way to track your brand specific keywords or just keep up on the latest #CatVideos 😺

Automate it!

So, there are a few automations to get you started, but as you can imagine, the options are basically endless. Take a look at some more templates on Microsoft’s Power Automate site.

Get more tips through our mailing list!

Working from Home Securely

Keeping Your Company Data Secure for Remote Work

The last couple of years has seen some big changes in the way that we work and communicate. Both technical advancements and the need for people to work from home has made for quick uptake of group work, online communication and collaboration software. Of course, it was always heading that way but COVID became something of an accelerator. It is being widely reported that the ways that we communicate in our personal and business lives, are forever changed.

With the added advantage of remote communication and shared files comes an added risk for the security of data and information. Managed correctly though, you can have your communication cake and eat it securely too (apologies for the bad pun 😉). We take a look at a few ways to ensure that your staff and data are safe for remote work.

General Security Principals

Hopefully by now, you have had the time to settle in to some processes and procedures that allow for your team to work uninterrupted from any location. General security is a must whether people are working remotely or on-site. Setting up those baseline configurations, processes and procedures around security are always critical to the running of an effective business.

Some businesses that have not correctly setup their IT infrastructure can be at risk of security breaches. When a single security issue can be enough to expose all of your client data, leak intellectual property or leave your system open to attacks and damage, it is of the utmost importance that you are protected.

It can be easy to assume that your system is secure as you have not experienced any problems (that you are aware of). Any business owner or manager is all too familiar with issues that occur with handover of tasks and changes in employees. Business moves quickly and as you company adapts, it is a given that some things will be missed or corners may have been cut. Businesses with a small number of staff who started with ad-hoc IT setups or which have experienced rapid growth may have holes in their security and not even know it.

One basic foundation is to ensure that all of your software is updated promptly to the latest version, especially updates with security patches. The latest software versions on all devices will ensure you are safe against current known threats. Having an automated system in place for security upgrades to automatically run at the correct time is important. People often begrudge having to update their passwords but scheduling changes of passwords regularly can save you some issues down the track. Just be sure to avoid bad passwords like password, computer and qwerty.

Cloud Solutions

The move to cloud computing brings a whole new world of collaboration and the ability for an improved workflow. Many companies have moved their on-site servers into the cloud by migrating their data, files and email into a service like Microsoft 365. By moving to the cloud, data is easily accessible and working from anywhere becomes a simpler concept once setup properly.

You need to ensure that you have a good Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) software, for protection against online threats such as viruses, which offers protection on all of your devices and compliments the protection offered by your cloud provider. For companies that still have the requirement for some on site files such as backup you can look to an integrated approach. Different regions also have data and privacy protection laws around where you are allowed to physically store client information. Microsoft allows for you to set specific server locations to meet this requirement.

With a cloud solution like Microsoft Office 365 your staff are able to work directly in a browser with options for desktop versions of software available too. You can set up a bespoke solution that ensures data security and protection.

Extra Protection

As a part of a complete data security approach there are plenty of solutions that will increase your protection. With people working from home or on portable devices it is wise to implement some rules around where files are stored and how they are accessed. If you have a workforce using some of their own devices, you want to ensure that you retain access to all of the work files. Extra processes such as 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) require staff to verify their details upon login through an extra app.

Rolling out a password manager across your company for sharing logins that are used by multiple staff will ensure passwords are up to date and secure. Platforms like LastPass, 1Password and Dashlane all offer an excellent product but there are also bespoke solutions available. Some even offer a browser plugin that allows for staff to login without revealing the actual password to them.

There are a range of extra steps that you can take to increase security, for more information take a look at our 3 part series on computer threats in the digital age, Viruses, Ransomware & Phishing, Oh My! or drop us a line.

If you would like to learn more about how protected your business is, get in touch with us for a free introductory security audit.

The Silicon Shortage

What does the chip shortage mean for your business

You probably already know but the world is going through somewhat of a silicon chip shortage. It has been affecting auto-makers, appliances, LED lighting and of course electronics such as TVs, smart devices, desktops, printers, laptops and some accessories. Shortages are expected to last until 2023 and perhaps beyond.

What has Caused the Shortage?

The shortage has been caused by the perfect-storm of factors including COVID delays and adverse weather at different places around the world. Supply became greater than demand and manufacturers have found it hard to keep up.

So what does that mean for your business?

If you have not already been affected then you need to start planning for your business. As the range of affected products is quite broad across consumer electronics and technology, if you are considering purchasing or upgrading equipment in the next few years, it is best to plan early. Get in quickly to secure the equipment you need to grow your business.

We are currently seeing most major supplier’s stock levels being impacted in some way. Some popular products have a wait time of up to 3-6 months. You need to be building that delay into your planning.

Luckily there are key products that we sell in all of the main categories that are in stock now. Get in touch today to find out what products we currently have in our warehouse or take a look at the Geniosity Online Store to see stock levels on computers, printers, scanners, networking or displays.

Stock levels are subject to change quite quickly, so get in touch to secure something today!

Further Reading

What the global shortage of computer chips means for you – ABC News

Chip shortage is starting to have major real-world consequences

Why the chip shortage drags on and on… and on | Ars Technica

Global semiconductor shortage explained | CarsGuide

From Ford trucks to Xbox, the chip shortage is still causing problems – Vox

4 Critical Industries Affected by the Chip Shortage