Message from General Computer Development 

Is it time to upgrade? Smart reasons for businesses to think about upgrading

A website upgrade can be a big boost for a your business. The lifespan of a good website is 3 to 6 years, but this should not be the main reason to upgrade. The big factor should be engagement with your audience. Here are some smart reason to upgrade:  

1. Your website is a representation of your brand and values

Having an upgraded website sends a message, it lets your audience know that you business is healthy, looking ahead, and ready for new customers. If you use modern website elements to engage with your audience, it will leave a strong impression

2. Make your website easier to use and navigate

Your website has about 5 seconds to make an impression before a user navigates away. It must be well organized and your content must be easy to understand with clear and well-placed calls to action. Take a quick scan at your current site, if you find yourself getting lost or it takes more than a few seconds to find information, an upgrade is needed. One more thought: Mobile-friendly websites are now a requirement. 

3. Introducing a new service or product

Got a new service or product to showcase? Upgrading to a new website gives you a chance to re-arrange the priority of your services and gives room for the new products to have the spotlight. Use your sales data to re-organize placement of your services and products.

4. Stay competitive in your industry

Your website lifespan depends on your specific industry. When upgrading, the latest design trends need to be incorporated (considering your budget) to keep your brand fresh and connect with new customers. Check out the websites of your competitors and compare them to your own during the upgrade process. 

GCD recently upgraded its website and we are currently working on upgrades for existing and new customers. 

1. Alert issued by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued and alert to U.S. businesses to prepare themselves for a potential cyber-attack related to the Ukraine situation. 

The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Agency (CISA) has issued a “Shields Up” warning, and has asked that all organizations, regardless of size, adopt a heightened cybersecurity posture. 

Some of the actions are listed below:

• Leverage multifactor authentication to restrict access to known-trusted source

• Rigorous patch-management to remediate known vulnerabilities

• Quickly respond to zero-day threats as they emerge

• Utilize advanced machine-learning and artificial intelligence capabilities to detect patterns of activity pointing to potential intrusions by bad actors

• Step up threat-hunting efforts to identify the presence of bad-actors on the network

• Validate backups are working and recoverable

You can help us by being our eyes and ears and reporting suspicious activity. While we have strong controls and tools in place to keep your environment protected, sometimes things slip through. 

Please stay vigilant and report issues to the GCD team that are suspicious in nature, especially phishing and text scams. 

2. Office 365 and LinkedIn Integration

The Office 365 and LinkedIn integration improves productivity and networking, allowing users to gather key insights and connect with other professionals. Users will be able to see their colleagues' LinkedIn profiles when in a one-on-one chat. 

3. Forms integration with Bookings

Organizations using the Microsoft Bookings app in Teams for virtual visits can now collect information from attendees and be able to securely share it with the staff while maintaining industry specific compliance requirements (such as HIPAA). Microsoft Bookings app in Teams will be integrated with Microsoft 365 Forms to support end to end (Pre-visit) workflows for virtual visits.

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