Message from General Computer Development 

We, GCD, wanted to share an amazing experience that reflects and recognizes the hard work we do for our community, including partners and customers. GCD received a nomination  for Tech Company of the Year in Prince William County, Virginia. 

Even though GCD did not take the win, the fact that we were nominated felt very special. We are now TOP 3 in Tech Companies for the county and that is a very good accomplishment. It is said that, in business or in personal affairs – we should all celebrate our victories, big or small, and this is one to be proud of.

We want to thank our family and friends for their support throughout this journey. To our partners and customers, whom we consider part of the GCD team, thank you for your trust since the beginning. 

And last, but not least, a big thanks to all the individuals who currently work and those who have worked at GCD in the past. It is because of your work, efforts, and contributions that GCD is expanding its good reputation as a trusted company in tech solutions coupled with excellent customer service.

Thank you for believing in GCD, and giving us a PLUS to continue to learn, grow and become a better company. A bright future lies ahead for GCD. 

1. 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. 

2. 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.

3. 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. 

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