Our Newsletter - Q4 2024

How the Arnet team is more efficient with meeting minutes, to dos and customer meeting preparation

Earlier this year, the Arnet team deployed MS Team’s Premium and M 365 Copilot. The meeting recap feature alone is worth the ROI regarding the monthly cost.

With multiple weekly meetings, the Intelligent Recap automatically captures meeting topics, can identify the speaker, recommended “To Dos” and owner, and generate AI-powered notes. In the past, we would spend around 20-30 minutes to write up meeting minutes, edit them and then send the notes out. Now we edit the AI generated notes in around 5-10 minutes and share them with the team.

We also have the same efficiencies with improved communications with our customers and external partners.

During a MS Teams meeting, we asked our customer’s key IT leader to do a task; let’s call him John Doe. He did not push back; but we had positive back and forth on who was responsible for completing it and the first take. The Intelligent Recap feature appropriately assigned the task to John Doe and priority, simply from recorded transcript. With no formal analysis, we feel that the meeting recap is around 85-95% accurate on the first capture. Per Forester, Teams Premium’s Intelligent Recap can help organizations save time and money on meeting minutes, which can contribute to a projected return on investment (ROI) of 108-360% over three years.

MS365 Copilot can search and index a user’s e-mail. When we send the AI meeting minutes, this adds to the prep material for said customer. Our team can ask Copilot to prep for a monthly or quarterly meeting; Copilot searches e-mails, IM, recorded Teams meeting, documents between Arnet and a specific customer etc. We create more targeted agendas, identify critical projects and questions and simply be more effective with our customers’ time and focus.

MS365 Copilot continues to add value to years of tribal knowledge in SharePoint sites, OneDrive, e-mail and instant messages in MS Teams.

To gain efficiency with meeting minutes, improve internal and external meetings, and gain insights from data in your Microsoft 365 suite of products with AI; we are happy to share knowledge AI based tools we use daily.

Three IT Tips for your Business

Multi-Factor Authentication

Email remains the prime target for cyber-attacks. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a free and effective solution that every business should adopt to enhance cybersecurity.

Typically, MFA is activated through your mobile device, which receives a confirmation code via text or an authentication app. This code must be entered when prompted by the account you're logging into. By adding this extra layer of verification, stolen passwords alone are no longer sufficient for unauthorized access.

MFA is also recommended for cloud-based logins. Many banking institutions, cloud ERP, and CRM platforms have already integrated multi-factor authentication.

MFA can be implemented individually or across an entire company. To maximize protection, making MFA mandatory for all staff and any software deemed a security risk is highly recommended.

Password Creation: Best Practices

From mobile devices and email to bank accounts and business software, a password is your first line of defense. To truly protect your data, you need passwords that are tough to crack. As new information emerges, best practices for password creation evolve. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) offers updated guidelines based on the latest research.

Here are some key steps to follow when creating passwords:

• Use a password manager: These apps securely store all your complex login information. By remembering one master password, you can generate and manage numerous complex passwords with ease.
• Keep passwords private: Sharing passwords or writing them down in obvious places, like under your keyboard, compromises your security.
• Avoid common passwords: Stay away from easily guessed passwords like "Password123" or "123456789."
• Add special characters: Include characters like @, #, $, % to strengthen your passwords.

Opt for long passwords: The longer, the better. Consider using a passphrase, such as the title of your favorite book or a movie quote and mix in capitalization and punctuation.

Keep those digital fortresses secure! What's next on your list?

Email Phishing Awareness

Email phishing attacks are the top cause of data breaches. These attacks use emails that appear legitimate to trick recipients into actions that expose sensitive information. Some emails contain links to fake sites that request login credentials, while others include attachments that unleash malicious code when opened.

Watch for these signs of a phishing email:

• Intimidation and threats.
• Unrealistic or urgent demands.
• Poor spelling and grammar.
• Slight variations to known addresses (e.g., gooogle.com).
• Links to websites requesting login information.
• Requests for sensitive information.
• Unexpected attachments, especially those labeled as invoices, tracking info, etc.

Stay vigilant with these steps:

• Check the sender's address for spelling errors that signal fraud.
• Never open unexpected attachments.
• Never click on links in an email; instead, use a search engine to find the official site.

When in doubt, call the sender to verify the email's legitimacy.