Inland Productivity Solutions

Inland Productivity Solutions Inland Productivity Solutions is the Inland Empire's premier provider of business network support an

Inland Productivity Solutions is the Inland Empire's premier provider of business network support and design, business phone systems including VoIP, remote data storage, disaster planning and recovery, and IT support and consulting.

Some businesses feel like they’re constantly dealing with IT problems.A system slows down or something stops working. Pe...
05/28/2026

Some businesses feel like they’re constantly dealing with IT problems.

A system slows down or something stops working. People report it, wait for it to be fixed, and then carry on until the next issue appears.

But others rarely seem to have those disruptions.

What’s the difference?

It comes down to the way they approach their IT…

If your team uses Android devices for work, this is worth noting.Security researchers have identified a new strain of ma...
05/27/2026

If your team uses Android devices for work, this is worth noting.

Security researchers have identified a new strain of malware, known as TrustBastion, that can capture highly sensitive data, including PINs, login credentials, messages, and even banking activity.

What makes it particularly concerning is how it spreads.

The app presents itself as a security tool, prompting users with warnings that their device is at risk. Once installed, it downloads malicious components, often from trusted platforms, making it harder to detect.

It then requests extensive permissions, including Accessibility access, which allows it to read screen content, capture input, and overlay fake login screens.

The result is the potential for account takeover, financial data theft, and broader business risk, especially for organizations that rely on mobile access to email, cloud systems, or financial platforms.

There are a few simple but critical precautions:

Only install apps from the official Google Play Store.
Be cautious of apps requesting deep system permissions without clear justification.
Limit Accessibility access to trusted and necessary applications.
Do not assume that software hosted on reputable platforms is automatically safe.

Mobile devices are now a critical part of the business environment and should be managed with the same level of security as any other endpoint.

When was the last time your organization reviewed the apps and permissions on company devices?

For organizations that rely heavily on Microsoft Teams, even small improvements can have a meaningful impact on daily pr...
05/25/2026

For organizations that rely heavily on Microsoft Teams, even small improvements can have a meaningful impact on daily productivity.

Several upcoming updates are designed to improve meeting experiences and streamline collaboration.

One of the more notable changes is the ability to hide the meeting control toolbar.

This is the toolbar typically displayed during meetings with options such as mute, camera, screen sharing, and leave. Users will soon be able to hide this interface entirely, providing a cleaner view and more available screen space.

This is particularly useful when presenting detailed content, reviewing spreadsheets, or working through complex information where screen clarity is important.

The setting is not limited to a single session. Once enabled, the preference carries across future meetings.

Users do not lose functionality when the toolbar is hidden. It can be quickly restored by moving the cursor or using the Tab key, and keyboard shortcuts such as mute continue to work as expected.

While simple, this change makes the meeting environment less intrusive and more focused.

Another improvement is being introduced to the image viewing experience within Teams.

When multiple images are shared in a conversation, users will be able to view and scroll through them in a single interface. The viewer will also display the original message header, allowing users to quickly navigate back to the context in which an image was shared.

This reduces time spent searching through conversations to locate specific content.

There are also updates designed to improve consistency across devices.

Recently used emojis will now sync between Windows and mobile devices. Although a minor change, it helps reduce friction for users who rely on consistent communication patterns across platforms.

For more technical collaboration, enhancements are being made to code sharing within Teams.

Updates include improved keyboard navigation, the addition of line numbers, and easier selection of programming languages for syntax formatting. These changes simplify discussions around code and help reduce ambiguity when referencing specific sections.

Individually, these updates may appear incremental. Collectively, they contribute to a more efficient and user-friendly experience.

When collaboration tools become easier to use, productivity tends to improve without requiring significant changes in behavior.

From a practical standpoint, enhancements that reduce friction, improve visibility, and streamline interaction often deliver the greatest long-term value.

The key consideration is which of these improvements will have the most impact within your organization, whether that is cleaner meeting interfaces, faster navigation, or more effective collaboration.

There has been some confusion recently around a new behavior in Windows 11 when accessing storage settings.You may have ...
05/21/2026

There has been some confusion recently around a new behavior in Windows 11 when accessing storage settings.

You may have noticed that when navigating to Settings > System > Storage, a permission prompt now appears asking, “Do you want to allow this?”

This is intentional.

Microsoft has introduced a security change that triggers a User Account Control, or UAC, prompt when accessing the Storage section within Settings.

UAC is designed to prevent unauthorized or potentially harmful changes by requiring explicit permission before making system-level modifications.

If you are using an administrator account, you can approve the prompt and continue as usual.

However, in environments where users operate under standard accounts, which is common in business settings, access to the Storage panel may be restricted unless administrative credentials are provided.

In practical terms, Windows is adding an extra layer of control around storage management.

The Storage section allows users to delete files, manage drives, and remove system data. Without appropriate safeguards, these actions can lead to accidental data loss or system instability if performed incorrectly.

This additional prompt also provides a small but meaningful barrier in scenarios where an unauthorized individual gains local access to a device. While it is not a complete security solution on its own, it contributes to a layered defense strategy by reducing easy pathways for misuse.

From a business perspective, this is a sensible change.

Most organizations do not require general staff to have unrestricted access to system-level storage controls. Limiting this access helps reduce the risk of accidental damage and supports overall system stability.

One challenge is that this change was introduced without significant visibility. For users encountering it for the first time, the prompt can feel unexpected, especially if the process was previously seamless.

It also introduces an additional step in what was once a straightforward task.

There is currently a minor inconsistency as well. Some temporary file cleanup options, particularly those related to older Windows updates and drivers, are no longer visible in the Storage interface. These can still be managed using the traditional Disk Cleanup tool, and it is likely that Microsoft will address this in future updates.

Overall, the shift reflects a broader trend toward prioritizing security over convenience, particularly in areas that can impact system integrity.

For organizations reviewing their internal practices, this also raises an important consideration. Ensuring that users operate with the appropriate level of access remains a foundational element of effective security.

The key question is whether standard user permissions are consistently enforced across your environment, or if administrative access is still being granted more broadly than necessary.

If most business owners were asked where their biggest security risks exist, the answers would typically include email, ...
05/19/2026

If most business owners were asked where their biggest security risks exist, the answers would typically include email, passwords, or remote access.

Very few would point to Excel or PowerPoint.

However, Microsoft Office applications remain one of the most common entry points for attackers.

Microsoft has recently released an updated security baseline for Microsoft 365 Office apps, introducing stronger default protections behind the scenes.

A security baseline is essentially a set of recommended secure configuration settings. When applied by IT administrators, these baselines help harden Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office applications against modern attack methods.

This latest update places a strong emphasis on reducing risks associated with legacy components and external connections.

For example, in Excel, spreadsheets that attempt to refresh data from external sources will now be blocked if those sources do not meet security requirements. Instead of updating automatically, users will receive an error.

Malicious actors often embed harmful external links within spreadsheets. Preventing automatic connections to untrusted sources removes a common attack vector.

In PowerPoint, support for OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) content is being disabled. While OLE has legitimate use cases, it has also been widely exploited. Phasing out this legacy functionality further reduces risk.

Additional updates across Microsoft 365 Office apps include:

* Blocking documents that attempt to use non-HTTPS web connections
* Disabling outdated graphing components that are no longer widely used
* Turning off legacy add-ins such as the classic OrgChart
* Preventing fallback to older, less secure network protocols

These changes reflect an ongoing shift away from legacy technologies that attackers commonly exploit.

One important consideration: these enhanced security settings are not automatically enabled in all environments. They must be deployed by an IT team using Microsoft’s Security Compliance Toolkit.

The key question is not just whether Office applications are up to date, but whether they are configured to meet current security standards.

When was the last time your organization reviewed its Office application security settings?

Confidence in business technology often comes down to whether you know what’s happening behind the scenes.Could you answ...
05/18/2026

Confidence in business technology often comes down to whether you know what’s happening behind the scenes.

Could you answer a few simple questions about your backups, security settings, and how quickly systems could recover if something went wrong?

It’s surprisingly common for businesses to rely on software that’s no longer supported.Not because anyone chooses to tak...
05/15/2026

It’s surprisingly common for businesses to rely on software that’s no longer supported.

Not because anyone chooses to take a risk.

More often, the software has been around for years. It works, people are familiar with it, and replacing it never quite reaches the top of the priority list.

But at some point, the company that created it stops maintaining it. From that moment on, security gaps aren’t fixed and new weaknesses aren’t patched.

The software may still appear to work exactly as it always has. But the protection behind it has disappeared.

Our latest guide explains what unsupported software means for a business, why the risk grows over time, and how to find out if any of your systems have reached that stage.

One of the most common challenges in growing businesses is not technical capability, but visibility into internal expert...
05/13/2026

One of the most common challenges in growing businesses is not technical capability, but visibility into internal expertise.

A frequent question arises: “Who in the organization knows how to handle this?”

As teams expand to 15, 30, or more employees, there is no shortage of talent. However, when a specific need arises such as a data protection question, a Power BI report, or a client onboarding adjustment, it is not always clear who is best positioned to take ownership.

Microsoft Teams is introducing a new feature designed to address this gap.

Users will be able to list their skills directly on their Microsoft 365 profile card within Teams. When selecting a colleague’s name, their skills will be visible alongside their role, providing additional context beyond a job title.

This moves beyond traditional labels such as “Accounts Manager” or “IT Technician” and instead highlights practical capabilities such as:

Contract negotiation
Cybersecurity audits
Excel automation
Client presentations
HR compliance

This enhancement allows managers to identify the right individuals for specific initiatives more efficiently. It also helps employees discover expertise across the organization that may not be immediately visible and gives individuals greater control over how their strengths are represented.

Microsoft describes this feature as a way to make it easier to learn about colleagues and build more meaningful connections within the natural flow of work.

In many organizations, the knowledge required to solve problems already exists. The challenge is that it is often difficult to locate.

This update will be available in Teams for both Windows and macOS and aligns with a broader effort to make the platform more practical for day-to-day use.

As organizations grow, informal knowledge sharing becomes less effective. In smaller teams, roles and capabilities are widely understood. As headcount increases, that clarity decreases, creating friction and slowing down ex*****on.

If Teams evolves into a lightweight internal skills directory, it has the potential to reduce that friction and improve overall efficiency.

However, the success of this feature will depend on user adoption. For it to remain valuable, individuals will need to keep their profiles accurate and up to date.

From a business perspective, the key consideration is whether tools like this can surface hidden expertise and improve collaboration or whether incomplete data will limit their effectiveness.

Technology is involved in almost every part of running a business.Yet it’s surprisingly rare for anyone to pause and loo...
05/12/2026

Technology is involved in almost every part of running a business.

Yet it’s surprisingly rare for anyone to pause and look at the bigger picture and the technical details.

These simple questions reveal whether IT is genuinely helping the business move forward or only ticking along in the background…

There has been some attention-grabbing coverage recently suggesting that printers are “no longer supported” in Windows.I...
05/11/2026

There has been some attention-grabbing coverage recently suggesting that printers are “no longer supported” in Windows.

If you have seen those headlines, it is worth clarifying the situation.

Your printer is not about to stop working.

Microsoft has confirmed that it will no longer publish new V3 and V4 printer drivers through Windows Update. While that may sound concerning, the change is part of a planned, gradual transition rather than an immediate disruption.

To provide context, a printer driver is the software that allows a computer and printer to communicate. Without it, the two devices cannot function together.

Many printers have traditionally relied on V3 or V4 drivers, which represent older driver models. Microsoft announced as early as 2023 that these models would be phased out over time.

The key changes taking place now are as follows:

Microsoft will stop publishing new V3 and V4 drivers through Windows Update
Printers that already use these drivers will continue to function normally
Users can still install drivers directly from the manufacturer, such as HP or Canon, when needed

Windows is not removing or disabling existing printers. Devices will continue to operate as expected.

At the same time, Microsoft has been encouraging a shift toward more modern printing standards. Windows 11 already includes built-in support for Mopria, a widely adopted printing standard introduced around 2014. Many newer printers are compatible with Mopria, allowing for a plug-and-play experience without additional driver downloads.

This approach reduces reliance on third-party driver packages and simplifies ongoing support.

There are several milestone dates to be aware of:

January 2026: Microsoft stops publishing new V3 and V4 drivers through Windows Update
July 2026: Windows will begin prioritizing the newer built-in IPP driver automatically
July 2027: Third-party driver updates through Windows Update will largely be restricted, except for security-related updates

It is important to note that vendor-provided installation packages will still be supported. If a printer manufacturer provides a driver through its own website, it can still be installed and used without issue.

For businesses, this change is less about immediate disruption and more about long-term planning. Organizations that rely on older printers may want to review their environments, not because devices will suddenly fail, but because aging hardware can become more difficult to manage and secure over time.

This shift serves as a reminder to evaluate whether existing equipment aligns with current support models and security expectations.

In practical terms, the key question is not whether printers will stop working, but whether older devices would create operational challenges if they failed or required replacement.

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132 N Euclid Avenue Suite A
Upland, CA
91786

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 5pm
Thursday 7:30am - 5pm
Friday 7:30am - 5pm

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+19099814500

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