Newsletter 2013.11

 
 
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Welcome to the METHOD IT Newsletter for November 2013

SharePoint Success Stories

Did you know that Microsoft SharePoint is used by 78% of Fortune 500 companies and powers 50% of all corporate intranets?
To discover just how SharePoint can be leveraged to meet diverse business needs, check out these case studies of ten very different organizations who use SharePoint in some unexpected ways.
The recently released SharePoint 2013 introduces a redesigned, clean, touch-friendly interface and a raft of new and improved features. Find out more in our overview of the benefits of SharePoint Server 2013.

MS Office Remote Access Hacking Threat

Microsoft is asking users to be vigilant and take precautions against a newly discovered exploit which could allow hackers to remotely take control of Windows computers. PCs running various combinations of Windows and Office are predominantly at risk. Find out now if your systems are vulnerable.

Tips & Tricks

What's a Zero Day Exploit?

Often mentioned in IT news headlines, security bulletins and the details of software updates or patches, exactly what are ‘zero day exploits’? Just what kind of threats do they pose, and how can you protect your organization from them?
Read More »

Sayonara Laptop

Could you get by with no notebook and just a tablet as your main portable device? Find out in this step-by-step guide.
Read More »

The Real Lifespan of Hard Drives

It’s a question that’s usually met with all kinds of vague, anecdotal answers, but in a fascinating blog post this month, Backblaze have come up with some interesting, solid stats and pretty graphs on how long the average hard drive really lasts, and how much more prone to failure they become over time.
Read More »

News from the Web

iTunes Donations for Philippine Typhoon Relief

Following the devastation caused in the Philippines by Super Typhoon Haiyan, Apple have set up a system whereby you can make a donation to the Red Cross through iTunes. 100% of your donation will go towards disaster relief efforts.

Microsoft Boosts Office Web App Features

Microsoft has just released another new round of changes to its Office 365 Web Apps. Group collaboration on documents is now possible in the Word and Excel web apps, with all changes visible in the browser in real-time. Other updates bring the web apps closer still to their desktop counterparts.

IT Giants Offer Hackers Cash for Bugs

Under ‘The Internet Bug Bounty‘, a new program sponsored by tech companies including Microsoft and Facebook, hackers could be awarded thousands of dollars for finding flaws in ‘the Internet’, Open SSL, Python, Ruby, PHP, Apache, Rails, Perl and others while remaining anonymous.

The Google Barge Mystery Solved

Over recent months, mysterious Google-owned ‘barges’ made of multiple shipping containers appeared in US docks in Portland, Maine and San Francisco. Much speculation was made regarding the barges’ purpose, from floating nightclubs to research facilities to datacenters. Google finally revealed them to be interactive showrooms where people can learn about new technology. More details and images of the unique structures in this slideshow.

So Long Winamp!

Those of you who’ve been listening to mp3s since the late 90s – early 2000s will no doubt be familiar with Winamp, at one time the go to music player for Windows. The sad news is Mike the Llama is going to live on a farm in the country. Yes, Winamp is officially being laid to rest on December 20. Get the final version while you still can.