June 2024
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The Windows 11 updates make changes to the operating system in order to offer up more recommended apps – which you may not want. To disable this, go to Settings | Personalization | Start, then turn off the toggle for Show recommendations for tips, new apps, and more.
The new Lock screen feature is a bit buggy and can’t be edited. You may want to disable it.
Work with the OneDrive web app when offline. Files must have been synched and stored in the local cache to be accessible. Test it before relying on it.
Microsoft Teams will introduce a feature to create avatars from photos using AI technology.
QuickBooks has stopped offering basic and standard Payroll. This can have a big impact on QB Desktop users with multiple companies or many employees.
“QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic and Standard are no longer offered.
If you’re currently on one of these products, you’ll be moved to QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Enhanced.
You’ll see a notification in QuickBooks and get an email about 30 days before your annual renewal date.
You’ll need to consent to the subscription change in QuickBooks.
Fee changes
Your fees will update the next time you’re billed.
- Base subscription fee: $55.00 monthly or $550.00 annually
- Employee fee: $6.00/month per active employee
- Direct deposit fee:
- Employees: unlimited direct deposits are included in the employee fee
- Contractors: $1.75 per direct deposit”
You can use QB Desktop 2023 Pro Plus + Enhanced Payroll until 2026.
In some cases, it may be cheaper to convert to QB Enterprise Gold, which supports unlimited employees.
Breakthrough promises secure quantum computing from any PC someday.
How does a quantum computer work?
Verizon added Comcast’s Peacock to its streaming subscription hub and plans to offer YouTube Premium at a discounted rate with myPlan subscriptions.
AI
“Copilot+ PCs leverage powerful processors and multiple state-of-the-art AI models, including several of Microsoft’s world-class SLMs, to unlock a new set of experiences you can run locally, directly on the device. …access to the most advanced AI models, Copilot+ PCs will enable you to do things you can’t on any other PC. Easily find and remember what you have seen in your PC with Recall, generate and refine AI images in near real-time directly on the device using Cocreator, and bridge language barriers with Live Captions, translating audio from 40+ languages into English.”
Most new Windows + Copilot PCs have an ARM CPU, which will have some expected incompatibilities with some software designed for an Intel/AMD processor. Intel has its own x86-x64 processor that has an NPU that will make it work with Copilot.
What is an NPU: the new AI chips explained.
An NPU, or Neural Processing Unit, is a dedicated processor or processing unit on a larger SoC designed specifically for accelerating neural network operations and AI tasks.
Dell Introduces Copilot+ AI PCs
New laptops: XPS 13, Inspiron 14 Plus, Inspiron 14, Latitude 7455 and Latitude 5455.
Recall keeps a log of activity and screenshots which can be used for AI queries. Description and Details from Microsoft. Security concerns: Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature for Windows 11.
More security concerns about Recall. Recall requires AI support built into the hardware, and it will be available only with Windows 11.
Knowledge Cutoff Dates and Internet Search Abilities of Top Online AI Models.
AI tools are built by feeding them large amounts of data so they can mimic patterns. Most have data up to a few years ago, limiting inquiries.
SECURITY
Ticketmaster (Live Nation) hacked. The breach affects more than half a billion users.
Emails, phone numbers, addresses, and some financial details.
Dell breached, customer data stolen.
Data includes the customer’s physical address and Dell hardware and order information, including service tag, item description, order date, and related warranty information. No financial data. Beware of phishing scams.
The Post Millennial website hack leaked subscriber data, impacting 26 million people.
WEBTPA, a company that assists health care insurers, disclosed a 2023 data breach.
Data could include “name, contact information, date of birth, date of death, Social Security number, and insurance information.”
Data breach at medical giant Cencora exposes info from multiple drug companies.
The companies lost customers’ full names, postal addresses, health diagnoses, medications, and prescriptions.
Sav-Rx data breach affects 2.8 million.
Data exposed includes patients’ names, dates of birth, social security numbers, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, eligibility data, and insurance identification numbers.
Ransomware gang targets Windows admins via PuTTy and WinSCP malvertising.
Be careful when downloading commonly used programs, and ensure you get legitimate software from a trusted source.
International police operation takes down ransomware networks.
Their website: www.operation-endgame.com
HUMOR
TORIAN GROUP
Prices for the workstation agents we use for managed services will increase from $6.50 to $7 starting in July.