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8 ways to prep your Windows PC for disaster

July 24, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

CrowdStrike reminded us last week just how fragile our computers are when it took down critical systems around the world with a buggy software update July 19. And while most companies are currently laser-focused on the notion of software failure, a computer blue-screening at boot is just one of many disasters that could befall it. Your computer could fall into a ravine, get taken out by a lightning strike, or just randomly refuse to turn on one day.

It’s difficult to prepare for outages like the one CrowdStrike caused, though many businesses will likely be moving away from CrowdStrike’s security software after the latest debacle. However, there are some things you can do to keep your PC protected and prevent different types of problems from taking it out of operation.

Want more advice for making the most of your PC? Check out my free Windows Intelligence newsletter to get three things to try every Friday and free in-depth Windows Field Guides.

Windows prep step #1: Back up critical files regularly

PCs come and go. Your laptop or desktop computer might just not turn on one day — it does happen. That’s why it’s critical to have up-to-date backups — and ensure you have multiple copies.

There are many ways to back up files. You might rely on an external drive using the File History feature built into Windows or another backup utility. You could use a cloud backup service that automatically uploads backups to online storage. Even having your files in a cloud storage service — Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or whatever else — is solid a way to ensure your data will outlive your PC.

Windows prep step #2: Know how to access troubleshooting tools

The buggy CrowdStrike update could be fixed from Safe Mode. That’s true with many buggy updates: Windows has a built-in way to boot into a recovery menu that gives you a lot of options for straightening out problems.

Windows will normally boot straight to this menu if your PC is having trouble starting up. You’ll see a blue “Choose an option” screen, and you can select “Troubleshoot” to access a wide variety of troubleshooting options. For example, you can uninstall updates, use System Restore to roll back software changes, and boot into a Safe Mode environment where you might be able to undo what went wrong.

In some cases, your computer might boot, but not work right. To access the recovery menu, just press and hold down the Shift key while you click the “Restart” option — for example, you might click “Restart” after clicking the power button on the lock screen, in the Start menu, or on the Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen.

Windows prep step #3: Create a recovery drive (or a full installation drive)

If things go really wrong, you might not be able to boot to that recovery menu at all. In this case, you can boot from a recovery drive to find the same troubleshooting options. Or, you can boot from a Windows installation drive to find both the troubleshooting options and a way to reinstall Windows and start over.

A recovery drive — or perhaps a full Windows installation drive — is a convenient thing to have in a pinch. If you have a USB drive lying around, you can create one easily using the “Create a recovery drive” tool built into Windows. Microsoft will also help you create a Windows 11 or Windows 10 installation drive: Just download the appropriate tool from the Download Windows 11 or Download Windows 10 website.

Windows 11 USB setup — Your USB drive must be at least 8 GB in size if you want to turn it into a Windows 11 installation drive.

Chris Hoffman, IDG

Windows prep step #4: Be prepared to restart from scratch

For quick recovery, you should be prepared to restart your PC from scratch. You might have to reset it or reinstall Windows to get it working again. Or, perhaps your PC’s hardware has given up the ghost and you’ll need a new PC.

How quickly could you get up and running again on a fresh Windows system? It’s a good idea to note down the applications you use and the critical settings you always change. Perhaps you can export your settings from the applications you use and be prepared to import them after setting up a new Windows installation. If you rely on browser bookmarks, it’s a good idea to sync those using your browser’s sync feature or at least export a copy and be ready to import it again if you need to. (You might be able to quickly install your applications with Winget.)

Make whatever notes and arrangements work for you. The more prepared you are for an emergency, the faster you’ll get back up to speed.

Windows prep step #5: Ensure your PC’s storage is encrypted

Ideally, your PC’s storage is securely encrypted. This will protect your personal files and data if someone else gets their hands on your computer.

This is useful if a thief swipes your PC. But it’s also useful if your PC breaks. Let’s say your computer becomes unbootable, and its storage is unencrypted — if you send it off for repair or dispose of it, people will be able to get your data. If it’s encrypted, you don’t have to worry about unauthorized access to your files.

Most modern Windows PCs support “Device Encryption,” which will encrypt your PC’s storage — but only if you sign in with a Microsoft account. Here’s how to check whether your PC supports Device Encryption.

If your PC doesn’t — or if you choose to sign in with a local account and not a Microsoft account — you should seriously consider setting up BitLocker encryption. This will require a Windows 11 Professional or Windows 10 Professional license. That’s likely an upgrade you’ll need to pay for, which is why Device Encryption is likely the better option for most people.

Windows device encryption — With Device Encryption, Windows 11 Home and Windows 10 Home users finally have a built-in way to encrypt the storage on their PCs.

Chris Hoffman, IDG

Windows prep step #6: Have a backup computer waiting in the wings

If you rely on your computer for work, it’s a good idea to have a backup computer at hand. If your normal computer won’t turn on one day, you can switch to your secondary computer and immediately get up and running.

This doesn’t really mean you need to buy a new computer. You may well have one lying around; an older Windows 10 PC will work just fine. But it’s a good idea to set that computer up ahead of time: Install the applications you use regularly and configure it to your liking. Then, you’re not stuck if there’s ever a problem with your primary PC.

Windows prep step #7: Use a surge protector

A surge protector is important to protect your computer from power surges. A downed power line during a storm could result in a power surge and could damage your PC. That’s what a surge protector is for — it takes the hit instead of your sensitive electronics. It’s worth investing in a decent surge protector and plugging your PC into there rather than directly into an electrical outlet.

Windows prep step #8: Don’t depend entirely on online services

The CrowdStrike bug crippled a lot of infrastructure, with many systems down. That’s why I \ don’t like depending exclusively on applications that require an internet-connected service to access your data.

For example, Notion is a great note-taking tool many organizations use. We use it at The Intelligence for our company-shared notes. But it requires an internet connection and isn’t designed to be used offline. I personally use OneNote for my own individual notes — while it syncs online, I can always access my notes offline. Even if Microsoft’s systems go down — or, more likely, if my internet connection goes down — I’ll still have access to my notes.

It’s a good idea to audit the services and tools you use. Do you have any critical tools that require an internet-connected service to function? If so, consider switching to something more robust.

And yes, you need antivirus

You probably already know you need to use antivirus software — luckily, decent protection is built right into Windows itself thanks to Windows Defender. But if you act on the above points, you’ll have a much more robust computing setup in case of emergency.

Want more timely PC tips? Come check out my free Windows Intelligence newsletter — I’ll send you three things to try every Friday. Plus, get free Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides as soon as you sign up!

Nerdio enables remote work across the Canadian wilderness for the Government of Alberta

July 23, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

In this case study, Deryck Webb from the Government of Alberta (GoA) explains how Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and Nerdio enabled employees to access workspaces from anywhere across the most remote parts of Canada — particularly vital for those involved in critical services, such as wildfire management.

Originally relying on on-premises Citrix and VMware solutions, GoA found Azure Virtual Desktop to be a more robust, cost-effective alternative as part of its Microsoft 365 licensing. By partnering with Nerdio, GoA was able to streamline its Azure Virtual Desktop deployment, providing seamless access and improved user experience for over 3,000 monthly active users.

The intuitive Nerdio platform enabled the GoA team to efficiently manage virtual machines and optimize resource allocation, creating a secure and reliable remote work environment, while Nerdio’s advanced analytics and Auto-scaling features allowed the organization to save up to CAD $36,000 monthly on AVD storage.

3 ways Nerdio simplifies Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop operations and management for IT

July 23, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

With the evolution of the cloud, cloud services are becoming broadly accessible and are a more viable option to deliver virtual desktops from the cloud. However, many organizations also struggle with the transition to the cloud due to the new skills required and a different approach to infrastructure and operations. Nerdio changes the game by simplifying and enabling efficient and effective operational tooling through automated deployment and configuration features, streamlined setup, and cost-effective running of cloud environments.

Greater visibility of cloud costs

Managing cloud costs effectively is a significant challenge for many organizations. As they transition to cloud-based solutions, they often find their budgets spiraling out of control due to a lack of visibility and understanding of their cloud spend. Without the correct building blocks in place, these companies exceed their cloud budgets and fail to optimize their resources properly, leading to inefficiencies and unnecessary expenses. Nerdio Manager for Enterprise addresses these pain points by providing comprehensive control, confidence, and visibility into cloud spending:

Sophisticated reporting and real-time analytics: Nerdio’s intuitive dashboard provides insights into overall cloud expenditures and expert guidance on how to achieve additional savings in real time.
Advanced Auto-scaling: The platform fine-tunes resource allocation, adjusting up or down as needed to ensure that you only pay for the resources you’re actually using. This dynamic scaling capability not only optimizes costs but also ensures that the necessary resources are available when needed.

Based on what we’ve seen across our existing client base, Nerdio Manager’s Auto-scaling can easily save you up to 75% on Azure compute and storage costs.

Simplify management and optimize productivity

Managing and scaling Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) can be a complex and time-consuming task, particularly given the limited native management tools available in Azure. Organizations often struggle with scaling and require a robust solution to deploy at scale with the IT resources you have in-house.

Additionally, companies migrating from Citrix or VMware expect comprehensive management capabilities, which are often lacking in the native Azure platform. This gap necessitates highly skilled technical resources to architect, build, deploy, and manage their AVD environments.

Nerdio Manager for Enterprise simplifies the entire process under one comprehensive management tool. With Nerdio, even IT generalists can build, deploy, and manage Azure Virtual Desktop environments efficiently thanks to these product features:

Image management: Nerdio automates, manages, and schedules critical but mundane tasks, freeing up IT teams to focus on other essential duties. This automation not only saves time but also reduces the risk of human error.
Rapid deployment: You can deploy Azure Virtual Desktop environments within a few hours or connect to an existing environment in as little as 10 minutes with minimal manual intervention. Nerdio’s intuitive interface streamlines the provisioning of virtual desktops, making the process quick and efficient.

The automation built into Nerdio Manager for Enterprise ensures you can scale and manage your virtual desktop environments effectively in 20% of the time it would normally require.

Secure and protect

Ensuring the security and protection of your Azure Virtual Desktop environment is crucial for business continuity. Downtime can have significant financial repercussions, making robust disaster recovery and security features essential. Nerdio Manager for Enterprise enhances the security and resilience of your Azure Virtual Desktop deployment, providing advanced tools to safeguard your virtual desktop infrastructure:

Disaster recovery (DR): The dynamic Auto-scaling previously mentioned can also be leveraged for DR. This functionality ensures that your resources can scale up or down in response to demand fluctuations, maintaining operational efficiency and minimizing downtime. By dynamically adjusting resources, Nerdio helps organizations avoid the substantial financial losses associated with prolonged outages.
Role-based access control (RBAC): The RBAC feature ensures that permissions are tightly managed inside Azure, giving users access only to the resources necessary for their roles, thereby enhancing overall security.
Secure deployment model: Nerdio Manager for Enterprise is deployed as an Azure application directly in your own subscription. This ensures that sensitive management operations are conducted within the customer’s own controlled and secure Azure infrastructure, further enhancing the security of the AVD environment.

Nerdio offers comprehensive security and protection features, ensuring that your AVD deployment is both resilient and secure while minimizing risks and potential financial losses.

Whether it’s troubleshooting technical issues, optimizing performance, or navigating licensing requirements, Nerdio’s comprehensive suite of tools and features helps IT teams of all sizes maximize their AVD investment while driving operational excellence and fostering a more productive workforce.

Explore Nerdio Manager for Enterprise on your own in our self-guided demo.

Taxes on digital services on the agenda at G20 meeting

July 23, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

Finance ministers from the G20 countries are meeting this week in Rio de Janeiro to discuss, among other things, whether a global tax on digital services should be introduced.

Eight of the countries — France, India, Italy, Canada, Spain, Great Britain, Turkey and Austria — have chosen to introduce taxes on their own that primarily affect American technology companies such as Amazon, Apple, and Google.

The US, for its part, has threatened to respond by imposing tariffs on everything from French champagne to Italian handbags, according to Reuters.

With US President Joe Biden announcing over the weekend that he does not intend to run for re-election in November, concerns have grown about whether his successor intends to stick to a possible agreement.

Apple is putting everything into AI smartphones

July 23, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

Apple is going for broke with AI smartphones and plans to put its best chip inside its entire range of iPhones and iPads, all to support Apple Intelligence, a tipster has claimed.

While it is important not to read too much into a single, unsourced, unverified claim, and while the real-world implementation of the plan might differ from the speculation, Apple does have everything to play for.

The shift to AI is real and it is happening

That’s because if it does manage to stake space at the cutting-edge of the AI device replacement wave, it should accelerate its growth in market share. This is why Apple intends to put the soon-to-ship A18 chip inside all iPhones, starting with the iPhone 16 series this fall and next year’s iPhone SE.

It needs to do so to ensure new devices all support Apple Intelligence, including new features not yet announced. (Apple Intelligence currently requires an A17 Pro chip inside an iPhone to run, or M-series processors inside Macs.)

Apple knows that the future of Apple Intelligence, as with any other product, relies on it delivering great customer experiences. That means it doesn’t want people using its service to have experiences hampered by older devices. The company has previously clarified that the computational power required to run Apple Intelligence on device requires the best-available chip.

Diverting company resources

The company also seems to understand what’s at stake. It already seems to be cancelling some of its R&D projects, (including Apple Car) and scaling back on Apple TV shows to divert dollars into AI research. That represents the importance the company, once thought to lag the industry, now places on the sector and likely echoes the scale at which it is pivoting to build support for AI inside all its products, hardware, software and operating systems.

Apple has been following the road toward AI for many years. Siri was just one facet of that trip, data detectors in iCal/Mail another, while the move to dump Intel in favor of AI-friendly Apple chips replete with their own Neural Engine all help show its embrace of AI has been intentional.

On the back foot (slightly)

What caught Apple by surprise was the speed with which OpenAI’s Chat GPT was adopted. My hunch is the company planned to continue to deploy machine intelligence/AI across its products in an intentional way over a longer time period.

But the success of generative AI (genAI) caused Apple to accelerate its own journey, which means bringing all its products up to speed, not just to cope with what Apple Intelligence will do from iOS 18 on, but what it will be able to achieve in four years’ time. To get to that point, Apple must leapfrog some of its technologies, and the M4-powered iPad Pro (set to be followed by other M4-equipped Macs later this year) can be seen as evidence of that.

But still with cards to play

The new A18 processor inside the upcoming iPhone range will presumably provide another big leap forward in computational capacity. That’s going to be essential to support Apple’s on-device vision for at least some Apple Intelligence features.

It is also worth noting that the A18 will simply build on the big lead the company still enjoys in terms of chip performance compared to rivals. This competitive edge is one Apple must exploit. AI is a profound and world-changing technology and the hype around AI PC and smartphone sales will not turn out to be entirely meaningless.

This is an inflection point at which new competitors appear, old empires fall, and new problems and opportunities emerge. Apple has lived through such points before. Today, it is leaning into everything it has already done to build a raft on which its survival depends.

Meanwhile, we get faster iPhones.

Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.

Apple is putting everything into AI smartphones

July 23, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

Apple is going for broke with AI smartphones and plans to put its best chip inside its entire range of iPhones and iPads, all to support Apple Intelligence, a tipster has claimed.

The shift to AI is real and it is happening

Diverting company resources

On the back foot (slightly)

But still with cards to play

Meanwhile, we get faster iPhones.

Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.

Miro launches Intelligent Canvas

July 23, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

In what it called its biggest product update since the company’s founding in 2011, Miro has launched Intelligent Canvas, an AI-driven platform designed to help teams manage their entire innovation lifecycle.

“In many cases, the tools designed to make us faster are actually slowing us down,” Jeff Chow, chief product and technology officer at Miro, said in a July 17 blog introducing the platform. “We blow all our energy figuring out how to work or where to work instead of actually doing work. Teams can’t get on the same page and decision-making is disconnected. Innovation is supposed to feel like a sprint towards a shared goal. The reality is more like death by a thousand cuts.”

The Intelligent Canvas, he said, should improve the user experience via new AI capabilities, new workflows, interactive experiences, and scalable templates.

AI everywhere

The Intelligent Canvas, powered by Miro AI, features agents known as AI Sidekicks that Miro said provide domain experience when needed, participating on the board like any other team member. The initial set includes Product Leader, Agile Coach, and Product Marketer.

“And we’re not doing this alone,” Chow wrote. “We’re partnering with industry experts like the Product Marketing Alliance, the world’s biggest product marketing community, to harness their specialized knowledge around the craft of launching new products and building marketing campaigns for Miro customers.”

In addition, the core toolbar gives access to generative AI (genAI) features, providing AI prompts to help users create documents, user stories, and diagrams using their work on the canvas by, for example, turning a series of sticky notes with customer feedback into user stories.

A simplified new UI

Miro also announced it has simplified its user interface, adding Spaces to help organize information from multiple boards, as well as third-party documents, in a central hub accessible from any board.

And to let users focus better when using advanced features, new modes reveal only the essential tools required for the task at hand. The first offering is Diagramming Mode, which Miro said will be available across all plans. More modes are coming soon, though the company did not set a date.

Flexibility

Five intelligent widgets, built with the new Canvas software development kit, are data- and context-aware, and communicate with each other to “speed up certain actions and get teams into the habit of creating on the canvas together.”

The current list includes: dot voting — colored dots that users can place on objects on the board to vote on them; polling, which lets users create polls directly in a board or template; people, which triggers context-sensitive actions when users drag and drop a user avatar on a project component; story points, used to add estimates of resources or timing for a job; and counter, which totals the number of assigned story points to help with capacity planning.

In addition, a dozen intelligent templates bring together AI features, interactivity, and integrations with other tools to allow users to create workflows for functions such as sprint planning, road mapping, product planning, team capacity planning, cloud infrastructure optimization, and more.

With more than 50 new features on the horizon, Chow said Miro is “going to be thoughtful when it comes to rolling them out.” Regular new releases and updates will arrive over the next couple of months, and “we’ll be listening hard to feedback along the way.”

Miro launches Intelligent Canvas

July 23, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

The Intelligent Canvas, he said, should improve the user experience via new AI capabilities, new workflows, interactive experiences, and scalable templates.

AI everywhere

A simplified new UI

Flexibility

Google abandons plans to drop third-party cookies in Chrome

July 23, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

As a major update to Chrome’s new cross-site tracking protection policy, Google announced that it is no longer considering dropping support for third-party cookies.

Third-party cookies, which refer to the cookies that are set by a website other than the one a user is currently visiting through embedded content like advertisements, social media widgets, or tracking pixels, were earlier intended to be phased out gradually by the end of 2024.

“Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time,” Anthony Chavez, vice president for Privacy Sandbox, said in a blog post.

The phasing-out plans were made in favor of introducing Privacy Sandbox APIs that were intended to replace traditional third-party cookies and other tracking mechanisms.

Tracking is still allowed at discretion

Google Chrome’s Privacy Sandbox is an initiative designed to enhance user privacy while continuing ad-supported web access. The Privacy Sandbox consists of a set of privacy-preserving APIs designed to reduce cross-site tracking and protect user privacy by eliminating third-party cookies.

Rather than completely pulling support for the third-party cookies, according to the update, Chrome will now allow users to choose whether they want to experience web browsing within the Privacy Sandbox setting or continue to have traditional cross-site cookies activated.

“It remains important for developers to have privacy-preserving alternatives,” Chavez added. “We’ll continue to make the Privacy Sandbox APIs available and invest in them to further improve privacy and utility.”

Users will have this option on top of another privacy elective Google rolled out in July 2023, “Enhanced Ad Privacy”. The feature was rolled out as part of Chrome version 115 and allowed for interest-based advertising without tracking individual users across websites. The feature is partially available and has had mixed responses.

Multiple backtracking on cookies drop

This isn’t the first time Google has gone back on its promise to completely phase out third party cookies. The company has previously postponed plans of cookies lockdown in June 2021, and later in July 2022.

One of the pressing reasons for the delay is time. Google, reportedly, needs more time to test out the Privacy Sandbox settings. “The most consistent feedback we’ve received is the need for more time to evaluate and test the new Privacy Sandbox technologies before deprecating third-party cookies in Chrome,” Chavez said in a July 2022 blog post.

Chavez had also said postponing aligns with Google’s commitment to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to ensure that the Privacy Sandbox provides effective, privacy-preserving technologies and the industry has sufficient time to adopt these new solutions.

It is important to note, that while other updates outlined postponing of hammering down third-party trackers, the latest update, instead, hints that tracking may still exist as an option as the company pushes for privacy. “We expect that overall performance using Privacy Sandbox APIs will improve over time as industry adoption increases,” Chavez said. “At the same time, we recognize this transition requires significant work by many participants and will have an impact on publishers, advertisers, and everyone involved in online advertising.”

Google abandons plans to drop third-party cookies in Chrome

July 23, 2024 / Security – Computerworld

As a major update to Chrome’s new cross-site tracking protection policy, Google announced that it is no longer considering dropping support for third-party cookies.

The phasing-out plans were made in favor of introducing Privacy Sandbox APIs that were intended to replace traditional third-party cookies and other tracking mechanisms.