Archive for July, 2021

No more ransomware project

July 28th, 2021

The No More Ransom project celebrates its fifth anniversary today after helping over six million ransomware victims recover their files and saving them almost €1 billion in ransomware payments.

No More Ransom is an online portal launched in July 2016 as a public-private partnership created by law enforcement and industry leaders (Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, the National High Tech Crime Unit of the Netherlands’ police, McAfee, and Kaspersky).

Today, the No More Ransom project includes 170 partners worldwide, including BleepingComputer, who joined the project in 2018. https://www.nomoreransom.org/

“The decryptors available in the No More Ransom repository have helped more than six million people to recover their files for free,” Europol said.

“This prevented criminals from earning almost a billion euros through ransomware attacks. Currently offering 121 free tools able to decrypt 151 ransomware families, it unites 170 partners from the public and private sector.”

No More Ransom 2021
Image: Europol

How does it work?

No More Ransom aims to help victims recover their encrypted files, raise awareness of the ransomware threat, and provide ransomware victims and the general public with direct links to report attacks.

To get a decryptor, you have to upload two encrypted files and the ransomware note via No More Ransom’s Crypto Sheriff, which will try to match them against a list of available decryption tools.

Should a match be found you will get a link to a suitable ransomware decryptor that comes with detailed instructions on how to unlock files.

When no decryptor is available, you are advised to check again for a match in the future since new unlock tools are added to the database regularly.

Ransomware victims are advised to never pay as this will finance the criminals future attacks but, instead to take measures to both prevent and to lessen the damage of such attacks:

  • Regularly back up data stored on your computer. Keep at least one copy offline.
  • Do not click on links in unexpected or suspicious emails.
  • Browse and download only official versions of software and always from trusted websites.
  • Use robust security products to protect your system from all threats, including ransomware.
  • Ensure that your security software and operating system are up-to-date.
  • Be wary while browsing the internet and do not click on suspicious links, pop-ups or dialogue boxes.
  • Do not use high privilege accounts (accounts with administrator rights) for daily business.
  • If you become a victim, do not pay! Report the crime and check No More Ransom for decryption tools

credit – https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/no-more-ransom-saves-almost-1-billion-in-ransomware-payments-in-5-years/

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Posted in Security and Compliance

e-invoicing in KSA and Dubai – does your system meet the requirements? Ask Synergy Software Systems.

July 16th, 2021

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The Kingdom announced e-invoicing for resident companies, which was published on December 4, 2020. e-invoicing will become mandatory for tax payers from December 4, 2021.

The aims of the e-invoicing mandate are to provide more transparency, and enhance consumer protection and anothee benefit of e-invoicing implementation is the readability of the invoice formats

. Companies registered in Saudi Arabia should immediately start updating or changing their systems and processes to support issuance of e-invoices. This may be a little challenging. However, the key to successful implementation is to start early.

Note that Dubai has also announced similar legislation.

If you need to upgrade or change your system or to .add additional functionality to your systems to comply with the invoicing mandate then please contact us 009714336589

On this blessed occasion of Eid, we wish you and your family good health, wealth and prosperity. And don’t forget to take a reflection on you and your business this Summer.

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Posted in Corporate Perfomance Management, Dubai and regional news, Dynamics 365, e procurement, General Synergy News, Infor Financial solutions, Microsoft Dynamics Ax, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sunsystems and Vision, Technology

July 14th, 2021

SQL Server 2017 doesn’t have service packs, only cumulative updates, so this release marks something a little special: the Silver Anniversary.

For the first time, a single version of SQL Server has had twenty-five consecutive cumulative updates.

Get it here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/kb5003830-cumulative-update-25-for-sql-server-2017-357b80dc-43b5-447c-b544-7503eee189e9

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Posted in Uncategorized

GDPR _ Microsoft’s Windows diagnostic data processor feature is GA

July 13th, 2021

Microsoft introduced a new capability in some of its products to help organizations ensure their compliance with data privacy regulations, in particular the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The “Windows diagnostic data processor configuration” became generally available this week, Microsoft announced, It’s enabled in certain Microsoft tools, namely “Desktop Analytics, Update Compliance, Microsoft Managed Desktop, and the Windows Update for Business deployment service,” .

Data Controller Oversight
Windows collects diagnostic information, and organizations have had rather non-transparent ways of limiting what gets collected. They can just select a pre-set data collection level. Microsoft’s current data collection levels include “Diagnostic Data Off” (previously called “Security”), “Required” (previously called “Basic”) and “Optional” (previously called “Full”). Organizations that use the Windows Update service to keep systems patched need to use the Required option. These nuances, and more, are described here https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/configure-windows-diagnostic-data-in-your-organization#enable-windows-diagnostic-data-processor-configuration

Microsoft is positioning the Windows diagnostic data processor configuration capability, as being equivalent to having data controller oversight as required by the GDPR.

From the “Configure Windows Diagnostic Data” document:

The Windows diagnostic data processor configuration enables you to be the controller, as defined by the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for the Windows diagnostic data collected from your Windows devices that meet the configuration requirements.

According to a European Union glossary entry, “the data controller is the party that, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.” The glossary entry adds that “the actual processing may be delegated to another party, called the data processor.”

It seems that Windows diagnostic data processor configuration capability is mostly conceived as a means for organizations to become compliant with the GDPR with regard to their customers. It’s also an assurance about Microsoft’s data collection practices.

Now generally available, the Windows diagnostic data processor configuration further empowers you to manage your organization’s diagnostic data. It provides you familiar tools to support data subject rights, including managing, exporting, or deleting data stored securely in your Azure tenant. It also lets you benefit from our technology without compromise.

The capability also helps organizations to elete data should they get a customer request to do so, which is also a GDPR prerogative. The customer, in GDPR lingo, is known as the “data subject” in such cases.

Handling data subject requests happens though “the admin portal,” according to a note in this “Windows 10 and Privacy Compliance” document.

Prerequisites to Using Diagnostic Data Configuration
There are prerequisites to using the Windows diagnostic data processor configuration capability, which is just supported on devices using “Windows 10 Pro, Education or Enterprise editions, version 1809 with July 2021 update or newer.” In addition, the Windows devices “must be joined to Azure Active Directory.”

The Windows diagnostic data processor configuration capability just applies to data collection by Windows components. It doesn’t apply to the apps running on top of Windows, which have their own data collection practices.

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Posted in Microsoft, Security and Compliance, Technology

Skype for Business Online retires on July 31, 2021 -time to migrate to TEAMS

July 8th, 2021

Skype for Business Online retires on July 31, 2021,

We recognize that customers have been working hard to complete their Skype for Business Online-to-Teams transitions by the retirement date. Some customers are going to face significant challenges to finish by July 31, 2021. We also understand the hurdles the past year has presented for organizations worldwide and the increased reliance on communication and collaboration platforms like Skype for Business Online and Teams to ensure business continuity.

Microsoft-assisted upgrades to Teams.. Read  guidance about Microsoft-assisted upgrades for information about what to expect.

After they’ve been scheduled for a Microsoft-assisted upgrade, Skype for Business Online customers will be able to request a three-month extension of the Skype for Business Online service to help address any remaining technical or organizational readiness issues. Customers can submit requests through the Teams admin center and can expect a response within three business days. Read the latest blog post to learn more.

.(he retirement of Skype for Business Online and corresponding assisted upgrades do not affect the Skype consumer service, Skype for Business Server products and Skype for Business Online operated by 21Vianet (China Sovereign Clouds Instance).)

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/upgrade-skype-teams

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Posted in Microsoft, Teams collaboration remote access

Power apps new pricing from 1 Oct 2021

July 1st, 2021

Microsoft announced today pricing and licensing updates to Power Apps.

To make the platform more accessible, whether customers are getting started with a small number of users or deploying at scale across the organization, it is reducing the price of the Power Apps per user and per app plans.  Al, Power Apps per app plan entitlements will also be simplified.

The following Power Apps licensing changes will go into effect on October 1, 2021:

  • The Power Apps per user plan will be priced at $20 per user/month, a decrease from the previous price of $40 per user/month. The plan will be available across Microsoft’s commerce channels – Volume Licensing (VL), Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) and web direct – without license minimums or other purchase requirements. Plan entitlements remain unchanged, including the ability for users to run unlimited apps and portals.
  • The Power Apps per app plan will be priced at $5 per user/app/month, a decrease from the previous price of $10 per user/app/month. Like the per user plan, the per app plan will also be available across the same commerce channels without license minimums or other purchase requirements.

    Simplified entitlements for the per app plan will let users run one app or access one portal, in contrast with the current entitlement of two apps and one portal. This approach more directly aligns with the plan’s intent of providing flexibility for customers seeking to license users one app at a time. Customers with existing per app plan subscriptions purchased prior to Oct 1, 2021 will maintain the current entitlement for the duration of their agreement term.

In the interim prior to October 1, availability of the Power Apps limited time, promotional offers is being extended. Beginning today, July 1 and running through September 30, eligible customers interested in taking advantage of reduced pricing can select from these promotional offers: The Power Apps per user and per app plans are currently available for $12 per user/month (minimum purchase of 5,000 licenses) and $3 per user/app/month (minimum purchase of 200 licenses), respectively. Offer availability and other conditions may apply.

 Power Apps portals login capacity was also recently available at a reduced price for eligible customers purchasing large volumes of sessions. This includes the addition of limited time offers for capacity tier 4 (25,000+ logins/month) and tier 5 (100,000+ logins/month), which joined the existing offers available for capacity ranging from 100+ to 5,000+ logins/month. With these limited time offers, Power Apps portals login capacity is available for a price as low as $12 per unit/month for tier 5 capacity. Minimum unit quantities and other conditions may apply.

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Posted in Dynamics 365