This article is in no way trying to promote hate or xenophobia, but when we are to ask which country the world hates on so much the most these days, it has got to be China. For one, the country is believed to be the birthplace of the Wuhan virus, which has since the start of the year infected thousands (if not millions already) of people throughout the world, brought the world economy to a freefall, and is set to change the way everyone in the world lives day to day. The pandemic happened in the middle of a trade war between the United States and China, which has since then been aggravated with the turn of events. Finally, if all of those things are not enough, China has not stopped in pursuing some aggressive actions in its territories and borders, with military clashes between the Chinese and Indian militaries in their shared borders in late June, as well as the Chinese government taking on a firmer stance in Hong Kong.

In the world of technology where China has become …

As every working person has been adjusting to the new reality of everyone in quarantine due to the COVID19 virus, working from home has changed from being an exception to becoming the norm.  There are those of us who have done years in the office, reporting five to six days a week, who are so used to printing documents or manage important data through filing cabinets and in and out trays and thus will have to struggle a bit with dealing with data and information. With this new norm, we may need to embrace email and messaging document hacks.  Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be too long ago when you had to adjust to document and email management hacks in the office, so you should also be on your way to adapting to your own best practices in managing documents. Who knows, you’ll get your own system up and running efficiently soon, if you haven’t already.

Adapting to email and IM attachments

Since you are now working remotely, you do not have the luxury of printing important documents or storing them …

The entire world is currently in the throes of the COVID19 pandemic, affecting all facets of our lives. Governments of various countries have imposed lockdowns that have affected companies and office workers, making them miss their offices more. Financial institutions have concluded that the world economy will be on its worst depression since the Second World War. So many people are still being tested positive of the virus, and there seems to be no end in sight as the possibilities for a cure and a vaccine are still months, if not years away.

But then, the government can only hold their lockdowns as long as they can. China has already lifted its lockdown on Wuhan, believed to be the epicenter and origin of the virus, while reporting that its national economy will be contracting for the first time since the 1980s. Other “early adapter” countries like Japan and South Korea still demand their people to maintaining social distancing and prohibit public assemblies but have already allowed people to go back to work. This the question among people is, what will …

With most of the employed world currently now working at home to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, apps and programs that make remote work easier have become household names. One such program is Zoom, a platform that facilitates video conferencing. However, with the rise of its popularity, many concerns about its security have also emerged. In just the past month since state and national governments started imposing lockdowns, the number of Zoom downloads has increased by more than 500%. High-profile personalities such as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have been known to use the platform as they are on quarantine to attend video conferences.

However, many sectors have also expressed concern regarding its use, with online security experts questioning its security features and doubting the safety of users’ data in the platform. New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, has already demanded the company to inform the public of measures it had taken for security concerns to be addressed and whether the sudden ballooning of its users is something the company can cope with. Zoom announced then that all its …

Because of the threat of COVID-19, companies and governments have found themselves implementing what can be considered as the largest work-from-home experiment in recorded human history. Many praise remote work as a great solution, as it allows employees to still work while still distancing themselves from each other during this uncertain time in what is seen as a responsible move to prevent the further spread of the virus. So, while most companies were in the primary stages of considering work-from-home policies only a few months ago, now it seems that they have been forced by circumstances to realize them. But even before the COVID19 pandemic forced this arrangement upon almost the entire world, there have already been enlightened groups that have embraced the benefits of remote work.

But then of course, like anything else, working from home also presents a number of challenges. Because employees are not supervised, productivity may be sacrificed. Moreover, cybersecurity can be a huge challenge, since the networks of employees working from home may not be as fortified as those in the office, making them a …

With the coronavirus pandemic severely affecting healthcare organizations, you would think that cybercriminals would tone down on wreaking havoc on them. A lot of them have actually promised to stop their activities for the meantime until the situation improves, with some of them even offering free service for organizations that have been mistakenly encrypted. But then, there are still some gangs who are not promising anything, with one of them actually threatening to take their actions further especially to big pharma sites, as these organizations allegedly take advantage of the public panic to rake in more profits. For these, let’s take those promises with a bit of salt, shall we?

With most computer system and information technology specialists of companies working from home (unless some of them are actually staking out in their offices for the entire lockdown period), the risks companies face of getting cyber attacked is especially high.  When there is no one in the office to physically asses their systems, the response time of these IT people to any threat will be greatly affected. So, unless all …

By now, you may already be staying home so that you and your family can be spared from getting sick of the COVID19 virus. With staying at home during this lockdown period, that means you would need to work from home and do everything indoors, so you need to make sure your house is lockdown ready.

Do you have your groceries to last you at least an entire month? Do you have your first aid kit ready? Are all your previous bills settled already? Do you have copies of all your important work documents? Have you installed all the programs and apps needed for you to successfully telecommute? Most importantly, is your internet speed reliable?

Internet speed would prove to be the most important thing aside from food in this lockdown not only because will people try to work from home, which will require a stable internet connection, but also because they will be reliant on the world wide web for the most updated news about what’s happening outside their homes and for their sources of entertainment. From streaming video …

As one American state after another has started to tell all their citizens to stay at home and be safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, people are depending on their home Wi-Fi for just about everything – from telecommuting to entertainment. After all, the priority now is to contain the COVID 19 situation; so as not to let it affect more people, people should not let themselves be exposed to the virus.

And it is in this light that reliable internet speeds will be of utmost importance so that people can still work from home, be updated with the latest information, and continue to be connected with family and friends. It will be no surprise that internet service providers will be overwhelmed in the coming days, if not weeks. But is there anything you can do to keep your Wi-Fi fast from your end? True, not all of us are tech experts, but the tech experts themselves say that we can do some slight tweaks to make sure that our Wi-Fi experience is maximized.

Lamps and other gadgets – stay away …