As described in CMS Wire, in November 2014 the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program gave the Department of Health and Human Services its "Authority to Operate" stamp of approval for Office 365. According to Microsoft, this was the first cloud-based email and collaboration service to obtain a FedRAMP authorization. For those who aren't as familiar with the government edition of Office 365, it's a cloud-based email and collaboration suite that "offers U.S. public-sector customers a cordoned-off data center infrastructure just for them," writes Juan Carlos Perez in a contribution to PC World.

You can add attachments to include one or more files with any email message you send, however, you have more choices with Office 365. When you add an attachment you can choose a file from your computer hard drive, but how do you send an attachment as a link using OneDrive? Well, this awesome feature is very easy to do. Is it possible to collaborate on email attachments? Yes, it is! If you choose a file that you have in OneDrive for Business, you can send it as a link. When you send a link, not only will you prevent clogging up other people’s inbox, but the recipients can automatically given permission to edit the file which is perfect for collaboration. When we collaborate in the cloud, there is only one file to keep track of which is perfect for version control.
Check out how easy it is:

In today's business environment, staffing can feel like a revolving door, which is especially frustrating when you consider the costs of turnover—both hidden and evident. What if you could alleviate the rising cost of employee turnover? Don't underestimate the importance of your onboarding plan.

10961 Automating Administration with PowerShell

About this Course
If you’re an administrator using Microsoft products and you aren’t using PowerShell to automate, you should highly consider this class!  

In today's age of technology, there are virtually no limits when it comes to collaboration and communication tools. Despite this, however, communication can still get lost in translation. As a result, organizations are experiencing a lag in productivity and a delay in meeting deadlines among teams. While streamlining internal communication is often easier said than done, opening the lines of communication can ultimately help build stronger teams and improve your company as a whole.

As many of us already know, migrating to Microsoft SharePoint presents the risk of low user adoption. In our experience, we’ve seen resistance and a big mind shift with the concept of using metadata in SharePoint instead of the traditional folder structure. Most end users are comfortable with folders. After all, “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”  This cultural shift doesn’t come easy and requires continuous education and training.

How do you protect cells on a spreadsheet so that people can only select certain cells? How do you protect cells within a spreadsheet so other people can’t delete your formulas? Gain control of your spreadsheets! The best way is to protect your cells by unlocking them. Check out how to first unlock cells and then protect the sheet with a password. Then, users only have the ability so select the cells that you decide.

Take this Employee Mileage Reimbursement Form, for example. We only want staff members to be able to enter their name, month, commute miles, and other specifics about the expense submission. We don’t want them to be able to select cells that include formulas…only constant values that pertain to them. Once protected, the best practice is to save this document as a template. 

For today's overworked business environment, there is an increased room for error when it comes to maintaining accurate data. Fortunately, there are tools and techniques for managing data integrity in Microsoft Excel, keeping business users and employees efficient, compliant and happy. Let's take a look at four time-saving tips that will make your daily tasks more manageable.

For many, Microsoft Excel can be a bit intimidating in the breadth of its applications. Because of this, managers often find themselves watching their teams take up huge amounts of time trying to understand formulas and learn how to sort data properly. While it will always take time to analyze data, there are a lot of tools and settings you can take advantage of to make the process more streamlined.

When it comes to software training, you can run into some particular snares that go beyond issues in presenting the information. For one, your audience might simply be less adept or lack confidence when it comes to technology, making it more difficult for them to take in the information even if you use a great training module. When you're working with beginners, it's necessary to take the time to understand their needs and train in a way that benefits them in particular.

Studies have shown time and again that it costs less to provide ongoing training to current employees than to hire new ones. An article in Chron discusses this relationship, stating: "The type of training necessary to bring an employee up to speed also impacts costs. On the job training, where workers perform their tasks and learn as they go, is relatively affordable, while lengthy induction training—the training you provide for workers before they’re ready to begin job functions—can incur higher costs." But even if you and your colleagues have embraced this concept, the effort to lower training costs doesn't end there. For many, virtual training is a cost-effective solution.

This is a step-by-step guide that will assist with migrating AutoText specifically from Microsoft Word 2003 to Word 2010. Migrating AutoText will save you, or more specifically, your users a considerable amount of time because they will not need to reenter their AutoText entries.

Since IT specialists already wear many hats, you likely won't have time to build an entire training platform from scratch yourself. While it's not impossible to create a virtual-training system internally, you can also reach out to a software vendor for prepared videos or work with a company that specializes in creating custom training modules geared toward a particular objective. Whichever way you choose, we've culled some tips to help you keep your colleagues in mind.

As much as we believe in the benefits of initiating training programs, we know that sometimes it's easier said than done. Since no two employees are the same, it can be tricky to balance providing them with additional tools and giving them the personal attention they require. On top of that, you have budgets to consider and other tasks that need your attention, so you have to introduce a system in which you're not spending all of your time training. Self-training is often a useful solution to this conundrum, as growing and learning can provide a more impactful sense of satisfaction among your employees than money alone.

Occasionally, dates or names won’t merge correctly into a spreadsheet. There are extra spaces, for example, and you may want to get rid of them. How do you clean up your spreadsheets quickly? Use the TRIM and SUBSTITUTE functions. Trim blank spaces and substitute text or blanks with something different and clean up hidden characters!