NetSupport is delighted to announce the launch of Google Classroom integration in its award-winning classroom management solution, NetSupport School, at ISTE 2019!

As schools continue to heavily invest in edtech, NetSupport remains focused on ensuring schools maximise its use and benefits by keeping it simple. According to research by PwC, only 10 per cent of 2,000 teachers surveyed reported feeling secure in their abilities to incorporate “higher-level” technology into their classroom, while 52 per cent of teachers report that the biggest barrier to more effective use of technology is a lack of time to integrate digital materials and tools into their lessons.

Such research shows there are still many teachers who are not confident using technology with their classes and, for these people, it can create a high level of anxiety that becomes a barrier to them being able to use it successfully – while, for others, it simply takes too long to set up.

NetSupport School is an all-in-one multi-platform solution for engaging with students in any digital classroom, with features ranging from screen monitoring and student management to a wealth of assessment and teaching tools. NetSupport School is built on a foundation of easy-to-use functionality that engages students and boosts learning outcomes. Its latest integration with Google Classroom expands its simplicity when connecting to students’ Chromebooks by providing “ready to connect” class lists direct from Google Classroom – and, as a by-product, saving even more valuable teaching time.

Al Kingsley, MD of NetSupport, explains: “We understand that, as a teacher, you want quick, easy and reliable access to tools that work in the classroom. And for those teachers already using Google Classroom, we wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to access their SIS data and maximise their teaching time, while also reducing any associated tech stress by keeping it as simple as possible.”

Used by over 18 million users in over 90 countries around the globe for the last 30 years, NetSupport is the leader in classroom instruction technology.

To find out more about NetSupport School, visit Booth 1936 at ISTE 2019, or visit www.netsupportschool.com for a 30-day free trial.

However he is hitting a little snag, since the demise of BECTA 10 years ago the DfE has little information on what goes on regarding technologies in schools.

Because of this, he has asked both ourselves and ANME to seek out 4 volunteers each to help him get the information they need to enable the govt to get a better idea of the challenges faced by IT departments in schools.

The volunteers we require must be from English schools only and initially you will be asked to give some feedback on the functions you provide within your schools i.e. backups, email administration, managing users etc.

This will be run from within a forum we are to create here on EduGeek under the supervision of Tony and he will be able to let those selected what is required over each step.

If you wish to put yourself forwards, please email apply@edugeek.net and we shall get back to you as soon as possible.

This feedback is very important and will go a long way to getting information up to the UK Governmental levels as to the challenges faced by you all.

NetSupport has 3 special offers for you!

NetSupport is celebrating 30 years of providing award-winning school IT solutions! To kick-start our celebrations, we're not just offering one special offer; we're providing three incredible offers so you can pick the one that suits your needs best: from effective school-wide IT management and safeguarding, to supporting teachers with classroom management and instruction tools, or boosting emergency procedures with school-wide alerting.

Offer 1

Network and IT Management plus Safeguarding tools for only £3 per device!

Offer 2

Network and IT Management plus Safeguarding tools and Classroom Management features for only £4 per device!

Offer 3

Network and IT Management, Safeguarding, Classroom Management and School Alerting for only £5 per device!

Click here to find out more about these offers.

Offers are based on a 12 month subscription and available to new and existing UK and Ireland customers only. Order on or before 22nd of January 2019.

PaperCut MF: unbeatable printing for Google for Education schools

 

PaperCut – one of the industry’s leading print management providers – recently became a Google for Education Premier Partner, giving Google schools and universities their most complete printing experience yet.

It’s an exciting development – not just for educational environments using Chromebooks and/or Google tools, but for all Google organizations. So let’s dive into a few of the great integrations already available for customers using PaperCut’s flagship solution, PaperCut MF.

A key feature of PaperCut’s Google offering is their BYOD solution Mobility Print, which lets users print easily from any device – Chromebooks included.

Better yet, it only requires a one-time app install on the device, easily done by a student or staff member themselves.

Detecting printers automatically, it also lets sysadmins/IT technicians say goodbye to printer drivers for managed devices, BYOD devices, and mixed environments (Chrome OS, macOS, Windows, Android, and/or iOS).

The best bit, though? Every print job is fully identified and secured thanks to the powerful quota, reporting, and print archiving capabilities of PaperCut MF. There’s also Secure Print Release, which authenticates jobs at the printer to keep them in the right hands.

On top of easy Chromebook printing, PaperCut MF also lets users scan directly to Google Drive. Rather than scanning a doc to your email, then sending it to your Google Drive, its Integrated Scanning with Scan to Cloud Storage feature lets you cut out the middleman and scan to any Google Drive of your choosing. Much better.

Finally, rounding out the PaperCut/Google package is secure LDAP. Our favourite feature of the bunch, secure LDAP lets you sync and authenticate users directly from G Suite or Cloud Identity.

It’s a complete dream for sysadmins/IT technicians, given they only need to manage a single user database. And speaking of, don’t forget the users: they can log in to any PaperCut interface with their trusty and easily recalled Google credentials.

So there you have it! The choice cuts of PaperCut’s excellent print management offering for Google organizations. Keen to find out more, or get PaperCut MF where you work? Head to their Google for Education page.

NOTE: This article was provided to EduGeek by our sponsor PaperCut regarding their new partner status with Google.

The NetSupport Black Friday offer is available to claim for the next 8 days!

From the 19 - 26th November 2018, buy any new NetSupport solution and get free maintenance for 6 months.

Our award-winning solutions include Network and IT Management, Multi-platform Classroom Management, an Emergency and Alerting solution, Multi-platform Remote Control, and Helpdesk and Ticketing.

NetSupport’s solutions are developed with hundreds of schools and businesses across the world and by taking the time to listen to customer feedback, we ensure our award-winning solutions help them to manage their technology with ease, whilst saving them time and money. That’s why we have over 17 million users and have won over 250 awards.

In addition to gaining a fantastic solution, with NetSupport maintenance you get priority technical support from the NetSupport team, as well as access to all the latest features and product updates – ensuring your solution is future-proofed!

For more details on their upcoming Black Friday offer, click here.

In recent times there have been a number of threads on this esteemed site where good users have compared their office workstations.

Some of you are lucky devils indeed and boast powerful hardware to run your day to day admin tasks. Others are veritable paupers, suffering from old processors, limited memory and, astoundingly, no Solid State Drive!

To this end. We at ICT Direct have decided to host a winter competition. We’ll be offering lucky winners upgrades to their current hardware which should, in theory, give you a little more respectability in the personal office tech stakes.

There will be a grand prize to be won in week six in addition. A lovely HP Z420 workstation for one lucky winner to show off all their technical prowess on. See the picture below for full specs.

In the finest traditions of EduGeek competitions past, we’ll be asking for your professional contact details (Via PM or email) in exchange for entry. We’ll also be asking you to post your current specs in the thread for all to see, along with some reasons as to why YOU deserve to be a winner. You can argue on a personal level, or you can seek sympathy because your machine is just THAT bad! Crucially, you must make it funny! The more amusing, entertaining, or downright silly your attempts, the more likely it will be that we assign you a coveted bonus entry into the grand draw!

So prepare your wit, design your memes, write that short story, compose the theme song & record the music video that this competition NEEDS and get your entries in pronto!

For rules and instructions on how to enter please click here

IS Decisions are proud to introduce one of our leading products, UserLock, to the EduGeek community.

UserLock is a versatile suite that provides educational organizations with a protective layer at the forefront of their Windows Active Directory network to help secure access for students, teachers and faculty.

If you’re responsible for IT security at a school, college or university, we don’t envy you. Educational organizations represent a repository of so many valuable data types (personal information, payment information, health records, cutting-edge research data, etc.) which makes them a leading target for attacks.

In your challenging IT administration and support roles, not only do you need to keep out the external threats to your network; you also need to ensure that you protect against users sometimes poor understanding of IT security. Often, attempts to encourage users to change their behaviour is challenging, despite tireless efforts on promoting security awareness in your schools and workplaces.

What’s more, the traditional culture of education promotes the free exchange of ideas, whilst the instant access to information benefits the academic aims and goals of any educational institution.

IT teams need to find appropriate ways to balance academic openness whilst securing the appropriate access users should have.

Striking this balance between an open, yet secure network remains a challenge. IT professionals need help to identify when any kind of threat actor (external or insider) attempts to strike and do so in a way that does not inhibit the day-to-day activities of faculty, staff, and students.

Spotting the attacker in education

Spotting an attacker is difficult, they often use compromised user credentials to access any and all data available to that account which means that the attacker is simply accessing whatever data the user already has permission to.

In these situations, how are you supposed to spot inappropriate access when it's already been defined as authorised?

Individuals working against your institutions typically fall into one of three categories:

• Malicious Users – These are already authorised users that have shifted their loyalty from the education institution to themselves and are engaged in some kind of inappropriate activity (such as undermining network security, data theft, etc.) that benefits themselves over the organization
  
• Compromised Users – These are the unwitting participants in phishing and social engineering scams. They take the bait and help to infect endpoints with malware that may be the attack (as in the case of ransomware) or simply provide a backdoor for further actions by online criminal groups
  
• External Attacker – Today, this is more likely to be a member of an organized group than a lone attacker. These attacks leverage hacking, social, malware, and other techniques to create a way into your network. Once inside, they work to take on one or more sets of elevated credentials to provide them with greater access and an ability to move about the network in an attempt to locate valuable data
  

In most cases, the only way to really tell if an account has been exploited, is a malicious insider or an outside attacker, is by allowing them to perform actions (such as launching applications, authenticating to systems, accessing data, etc.) and determine whether their actions are inappropriate.

Given that the majority of your userbase does not act the same way in the next class – let alone the next week or month – it makes more sense to spot the malicious account by looking at leading indicators of threat activity, rather than waiting for the effects of said activity.

One of the most accurate indicators is one that no malicious insider or external threat actor can get around – the logon.

Stopping threats at the logon

The simplest and most common action beginning almost every attack is the logon. Nearly all attacks require a logon using recognised internal credentials. Network resource access (file shares, email, VLE etc.), external access via VPN, remote desktop access, and more all share the common requirement of a logon.

Logon management makes the logon itself a scrutinized and protected event. The ability to successfully logon (and remain logged on) becomes more than just whether the right credentials are used.

A logon management solution will detect suspicious access attempts based on customized and granular logon policies that are set for that particular account. It will act accordingly - either denying or approving the logon - and alert IT (or the appropriate user themselves) if stipulated.

No logon, no threat

Some of the potential scenarios that are can now be prevented include:

• Genuine but compromised logins from exploited users are now useless to malicious insiders or would-be attackers
  
• Careless user behaviour such as password sharing, shared workstations left unlocked or logging into multiple computers simultaneously can now be prevented
  
• Access to any data/resource is now always identifiable and attributed to an individual user. This accountability discourages an insider from acting maliciously and makes all users more careful with their actions
  
• Suspicious activity is flagged and allows IT departments the chance to react instantly.
  
• Users can be notified with tailor-made message and alerts – including alerts on their own trusted access. Informed employees are another line of defence in the security of your networks
  

Whilst no technology can completely eliminate the chance of an attack, there is a way to drastically reduce the potential risks. Logon management offers greater control for admins to restrict various careless user behaviours, as well as encouraging good practice is adopted through alerts and notifications delivered to the end user.

On a Windows Active Directory network this is achieved with the logon security solution UserLock.

Please click here to read the case study.

To help schools and Trusts manage their technology with ease and make their budgets go further, NetSupport, the market-leading provider of award-winning education software solutions, is offering an exclusive deal on its school-wide IT management solution, NetSupport DNA.

Special offer

For only £4.50 per device* (on a subscription basis), your school can gain award-winning toolkits to help save time and money, increase leaning outcomes and boost security.

• Network and IT asset management tools to help Network Managers effectively manage your school’s IT assets from one central place
  
• Classroom management and instruction tools to help Teachers and TAs leverage the full value of technology-led learning with dedicated assessment, monitoring, collaboration and control features
  
• eSafety and Safeguarding toolkit providing proactive and reactive tools to help DSLs and Safeguarding staff maintain a safe learning environment while supporting digital citizenship
  

*To claim this subscription offer, order on or before 16th November 2018. Schools based in UK and Ireland only.

Click here to learn more and claim the offer

A special offer to celebrate Geek Pride Day!

Everyone is a geek at heart – whether you geek out about the latest Star Wars film or the new Perk Recombobulator in the online game ‘Fortnite’, we all have something we are passionate about.

At NetSupport we are true geeks when it comes to EdTech – we love it!

And so, to celebrate our passion for technology in education, we have a special Geek Pride offer… for 1 week only, if you buy NetSupport Notify with 12 months maintenance (from £1 a licence), you get an extra 6 months maintenance for FREE.

NetSupport Notify is a solution specifically designed to help schools boost their communication and support their emergency and lockdown procedures. Using NetSupport Notify, schools can deliver one-way alerts and notifications to desktop users and large information panels in halls and foyers. Alerts automatically take screen focus, meaning they can’t be hidden, ignored or saved for later. The notifications can even be targeted to select groups and scheduled for maximum impact.

To claim this special offer click here.

Remember to order on or before the 31st May 2018.

Webinar starts on Tuesday 1st of May at 2:30pm

Whether your computers are brand new or a decade old, installing CloudReady provides unparalleled speed, simplicity, and security without hardware limitations and allows you to transform old hardware into Chrome devices. Join Google for Education and Neverware to learn more about how to transform your organisation's devices and repurpose old kit. Will from Neverware and James from Google will cover getting up to speed with Neverware, the types of hardware you can use it on as well as answer any questions you have at the end of the webinar.

Watch the stream (starts 2:30PM) at:

If you have any questions please post below or in this thread

This two-day conference explores the effect that artificial intelligence and machine learning will have on education and society. The conference will take place at Wells Cathedral School and will bring together experts and thought leaders from both the education and technology sectors. It is aimed at heads, principals, CEOs, governors, educational senior leaders, IT administrators, systems managers, technicians and anyone interested in driving the future of education.

Speakers already confirmed for AIConf. include Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor, University of Buckingham; Miles Berry, Principal Lecturer in Computing Education, Roehampton University; Professor Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner Centred Design, UCL Knowledge Lab; and Dale Lane, Watson Developer, IBM. We have also just signed up another keynote speech - students and staff from the Plymouth School of Creative Arts will be joining us to discuss their experiences of using Realizeit’s adaptive learning system.

"In the early summer of 2016, certain that 'learning begins outside your comfort zone', Plymouth School of Creative Arts became one of the very first schools to begin to explore how AI in the form of a subject agnostic intelligent adaptive learning platform (initially populated with maths content) could be used to help learners to develop knowledge and understanding of a depth and quality that was better than would otherwise have been possible.

In this keynote school leaders, teachers, learners, IT professionals and parents will address the questions: What is working? What is missing? Above all, what is next?."

Exhibitors include iSams, Wonderhub, Diagenesis, Engage by Double First, Firefly Learning, Century Tech, My School Portal and Pretty Curious, among others – Diagenesis will be showcasing their robots at the conference.

The AIConf. website will give you more information about the speakers, the programme and the setting for the conference.

We would be delighted if you would consider joining us at this inaugural event.

Ticket prices: Two-day ticket £250+VAT, one-day ticket £165+VAT - to book your tickets and take advantage of our 2 for 1 offer with an added 10% discount, please click here and use the code EDUAI when you book.

Win a ticket for AIConf

The AIConf. has also very kindly offered EduGeek the chance for two members to win tickets to what promises to be an amazing and informative event.

To enter click on this link and create a thread with AI as the title and you will be entered to win a ticket, we shall announce the winners in a week or so.

Read the flyer: AI Conf Flyer.pdf

Before we list the results of the EduGeek Bett 2018 draw below, we’d just like to thank you all for coming to visit us on our stand with ICT Direct last week.

It really was a pleasure to see you all in real life and, when possible, sit and have a chat, especially those who we got to meet for the first time this year and others of you who we see far too little of for one reason or another.

We hope that you all had a great time at Bett, and the pizza went down well 😊

We do have to apologise for the slight delay in doing the raffle, this was due to our finding that one of the prizes may not have worked as well as advertised and we had to find a suitable replacement.

So, without further ado, let’s get it done!

Firstly, we have a great prize here, the choice of either a Ubiquiti Networks UAP-AC-LITE WLAN Access Point, which is going to improve the wi-fi in the house or a EdgeRouter ER-X and the winner chose the UAP-AC-LITE, the winner is… @Davidp234

(The choice was there in case their home setup didnt have use for one or the other)

Secondly, and rather appropriately, given it’s just after Christmas, a Fitbit Charge 2 fitness wristband has been won by… @PurpleTurkle

The third prize is an amazing SteelSeries Apex M400 Gaming Keyboard which goes too… @MicrodidgitUK

Next up is a very desirable SteelSeries Sensei 310 gaming mouse which now belongs too… @GiggleKitteh

And last, but by no means least, is a Google Home Mini which is going to wing its way to... @Kearton

A hearty congratulations to all of our winners!

Just so all of you who could not make it to Bett this year don’t feel left out, we shall also be holding a raffle especially for you next week.

There will be more on this later, but from all of us on the stand in London this year we'd just like to say thank you, and we hope to see at least some of you again at our annual EDIT Conf in May (dates/venue TBC).

Cheers

The EduGeek Bett 2018 crew

(We had planned to give away some Pie streamers but we replaced them with the unify kit as we found a few potential wifi issues with them and we didnt want to supply a dud)

Now our live stream is up and running we are to raffle off five prizes which, we are sure, will make up for you’re not being able to make it to Excel.

To enter all we need you to do is to watch our live stream and look for a ‘keyword’ in the video description.

Once you have seen the word then please post it in this thread here with the title of each day, e.g. Thursday: EduGeek Comp Entries

You can enter once each day we are streaming.

We shall announce the observant winners next week.

NOTE: Sadly this competition is only available to our UK members

1 x Invizbox. A tiny internet security device with a huge raft of features.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]41029[/ATTACH]

• Small, Discrete, Fits in your Pocket or leave it running at home!
  
• Protect all of your devices, 24/7 when at home and when out and about with nothing to install.
  
• Access your favourite TV, sports and media content you can’t currently reach with our fast, secure, reliable VPN service.
  
• Block ads without installing anything.
  
• 2 Months VPN included.
  
• Recharge your portable devices.
  
• Extend your Wifi network.
  
• Easy setup.
  
• Enhanced Tor experience for premium subscribers.
  
• Elevates insecure HTTP to secure HTTPS where possible.
  
• Optional Windows10 “tracking domain” blocking.
  
• Secure auto updates.
  
• Fully Open Source! Nothing to hide means peace of mind for everyone.
  

4 x EduGeek Travel Mugs + Badges and Lanyards Sets

[ATTACH=CONFIG]41030[/ATTACH]

These are a special for live stream viewers only, you can't get a set of these on the stand! Each mug set consists of:

• 1 x (large) EduGeek metal travel mug with secure cap
  
• 1 x EduGeek lanyard
  
• 1 x EduGeek 2018 colours badge
  
• 1 x Limited edition EduGeek BETT 2018 rainbow badge
  

So, keep your eyes peeled and get posting

Happy New Year to you all.

With Christmas been and gone and a glorious new year of challenges ahead, all of us at GDPR in Schools would like to take time to thank you for the conversations, feedback and support you have shown over the last 8-9 months. There have been a lot of changes and updates during that time with what is happening with GDPR and there is still a considerable journey to go.

As we enter the second week in Jan we see the next reading of the Report Stage for the Data Protection Bill in the House of Lords. We have seen amendments come and go, and there are still ideas to be worked on. A perfect example is the proposed code of practice for age-appropriate websites and whilst there is a consultation on draft guidance around Children and GDPR, it doesn’t really cover schools in a relevant way.

EdTech suppliers are reporting that they still have a lot of work to do as well. This is both a good and bad thing. It shows how switched on so many of them are to the scope of what needs to be done, but also delays some of the key tasks that schools need to do. By continuing to work with BESA, we are pushing for more suppliers to publish where they are at, and keep schools updated. Whilst at BETT we will be hosting conversations with data processors, as this is where many will feel the pinch and pressure.

And talking about BETT, we are pleased to say we will be there all week, working with various partners on their stands follow us on twitter @GDPRinSchools for updates on where we’ll be and when. It will be a good opportunity for Q&A sessions and we hope we can help you out.

As part of this, we would like to say thank you to all the loyal EduGeek members who have already signed up with us. If any existing EduGeek member has signed up and paid for 3 years, then we are extending your licence on your first school. We won’t count the first year starting until 1st April 2018.

Also, if any existing member (as of 11.59pm Wednesday 3rd Jan 2018) signs up for a 3-year deal between now and 31st Jan then we will honour the same offer. All you need to do is drop myself, @GrumbleDook or @Mel_GDPRiS a PM with your school name, postcode, DfE Number and who you purchased through, we will get you sorted.

Get NetSupport DNA with NetSupport Notify for only £4 per device, per year!

This special offer provides schools and Trusts with the complete solution to manage technology in the classroom and across the school, while safeguarding students and enhancing emergency communication policies – all across multiple platforms.

What does the offer include?

IT Asset Management tools: Technicians gain features to effectively track, monitor and manage IT assets across a school or Trust, from one central point.

• Hardware/Software inventory and licensing
  
• SNMP device discovery and monitoring
  
• Internet and application metering
  
• Endpoint security
  
• Energy monitoring and power management
  
• System-wide alerting
  
• Powerful Remote Control and PowerShell
  
• Plus much more!
  

Classroom Management: Teachers gain dedicated assessment, collaboration, monitoring and control features to leverage the full value of technology-led teaching and learning.

• View and control students’ screens
  
• Digital journals of key content
  
• Testing and assessment tools
  
• Internet metering and control
  
• Real-time instruction tools
  
• Integration with OneDrive
  
• Plus much more!
  

Safeguarding tools: Safeguarding Leads gain proactive and reactive safeguarding tools to help maintain a safe learning environment – without the dependency on their IT department.

• Safeguarding alerts
  
• Keyword and phrase monitoring
  
• Student ‘Report a concern’
  
• Track ‘at risk’ student activity
  
• Application and web metering
  
• Plus much more!
  

Desktop alerting and messaging tools: Schools gain tools to deliver one-way alerts and notifications to desktop users that cannot be skipped, ignored, or saved for later – further supporting emergency policies and lockdown procedures.

• Send ‘full screen’ messages
  
• Send targeted alerts to selected groups or all users
  
• Customise alerts with your branding
  
• Includes alert sounds
  
• Flexible delivery options and scheduling
  
• Full reporting and tracking
  
• Plus much more!
  

To claim the offer, click here or, to try the solution for yourself, please use our free 30 day trial. Order on or before 23rd November 2017 to claim offer.

PLUS… when you buy any NetSupport solution up until 31st December 2017 (including ones on offer), you are automatically entered into a prize draw to win a TrilbyTV licence for your school for a year*.

For more information, please contact our team today on 01778 382270 or sales@netsupportsoftware.co.uk.

Alternatively, message the NetSupport team on EduGeek and they will be happy to help:

@Matt_NetSupport

@Emma_NetSupport

@Samantha_NetSupport

@Tom_NetSupport

@Katie_netsupport

For any other questions feel free to PM Al at @Al_NetSupport

*The prize draw closes on the 31st of December 2017 and the winner will be announced on 5th January 2018.

As many of you will know, NetSupport DNA provides schools and Trusts with the complete solution to manage technology in the classroom and across the school while safeguarding students.

>IT technicians gain IT asset management features to effectively track, monitor and manage IT assets across a school or Trust;

>Teachers can access our award winning classroom management tools to leverage the full value of technology-led learning.

>Safeguarding Leads are provided with proactive and reactive safeguarding tools to help maintain a safe learning environment.

Back by popular demand, EduGeekers can buy NetSupport DNA for just £3 per device, per year.

Key features include:

• Hardware/Software inventory and licensing
  
• SNMP Device discovery and monitoring
  
• Internet and application metering
  
• Endpoint security
  
• Energy monitoring and power management
  
• System-wide alerting
  
• Safeguarding Keyword monitoring & Concern reporting
  
• Build and developed for true multi-site support
  
• Powerful Remote Control & PowerShell
  
• Software Distribution
  
• Fully customisable operator roles with standalone safeguarding access
  
• Classroom management with Ofsted assessment tools
  
• Windows focused solution with inventory apps for other platforms
  
• A stable and reliable solution, backed up with responsive Tech Support
  

This special offer is only available for new customers. Order on or before the 24th July 2017.

Try the solution yourself using our free 30 day trial or contact our team today on 01778 382270 / sales@netsupportsoftware.co.uk for more information.

Alternatively, message our team on EduGeek: @Al_NetSupport, @Matt_NetSupport, @Emma_NetSupport, @Samantha_NetSupport, @Tom_NetSupport and they can help.

[PAGE]Background and symptoms[/PAGE]

Quite a few of you have been looking for some kind of guide and information on this quite serious threat to our networks, so in true EduGeek fashion, here is an article on what we know and what steps you can take.

NOTE: We will be updating this article when we find out any extra information. This article also has links to patches and possible methods of deployment. Check out this thread as well.

Click Here to get notifications of article updates.

Background:

On Friday the 12th May 2017, it was started to be reported that systems in several of the UK’s National Health Service regions and several other major corporations using a variety of Windows based systems had been hit by a cryptolocker ransomware called WannaCrypt, which had encrypted their files and left a pay now message on users screens.

It has been widely reported that the WannaCrypt malware has been developed after leaks from the American NSA, who had detected the exploit, were made public via a whistle-blower on Wikileaks.

Systems Affected:

This malware can affect ALL unpatched Windows systems which are actively running the SMBv1 service/protocol.

Systems only running SMBv2 and above are (currently) unaffected although it has been reported by the likes of Kaspersky that their analysis shows that SMBv2 was also used: https://securelist.com/blog/incidents/78351/wannacry-ransomware-used-in-widespread-attacks-all-over-the-world/

As far as we can tell though Microsoft and others are still saying only v1 was used. Please exercise your own discretion until the full facts are known.

As it stands we are still assuming v2 and v3 are safe.

Operating systems affected (include variants thereof):

Windows 2000

Server 2000

Server 2003

Server 2008

Server 2012

Server 2016

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows 7

Windows 8/8.1

Windows 10

Symptoms:

Very easy this one, essentially a user will logon and be presented by this screen and once it appears your pc should be disconnected from the network and wiped. Usually by that point your files have been encrypted so a backup at that stage is relatively useless. The longer the machine is on the network the more likely it will spread to other machines that have not been patched.

Video example:

Chances are this will be the first (and unfortunately last) sign that anything is awry and once you see this the only thing you can do is to shut down your systems and isolate the systems affected and check your backups.

[PAGE]Method of attack & what to do if your infected[/PAGE]

Method of attack:

WannaCrypt works by spreading itself via the SMBv1 protocol/service in Windows. This is an older service in Windows which has been around for many, many years and has been superseded by SMBv2 and SMBv3 which are unaffected.

The SMBv1 (Server Message Block) service was designed to provide shared access to files, printers and a variety of inter systems communications across networks.

WannaCrypt exploits a flaw in in this to spread itself.

In fact, Microsoft have been asking for some time that users (who do not have any legacy systems which use this) turn off SMBv1 on their servers and desktops and highlighting the dangers of leaving it in place: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/filecab/2016/09/16/stop-using-smb1/

It is still not known how WannaCrypt was introduced to the affected network but the following methods have been suggested:

1. A link in an email
   
2. A link in a web browser
   
3. An infected machine being introduced to the network
   
4. An infected portable storage device being plugged in
   

Actions on Discovery:

Due to the rapid spread of this malware we are going to assume that you all have your individual emergency plans in place and should follow them.

However, given the speed that WannaCrypt spreads it may be that additional caution is exercised and that reimaging and restoring from backups is the safest option and physically isolating portions of your network may be necessary.

[PAGE]How to remove SMBv1 from your systems[/PAGE]

How to remove SMBv1 from your systems

To save time, and to ensure that you get the correct information in one place, Microsoft have provided this one-stop article as to how to disable/uninstall SMB (jn all its flavours) on Windows and Windows Server platforms.

Note that this article covers the following platforms and Windows 8.1, 10 and Server 2016 are covered near the bottom:

How to disable SMBv1 on Microsoft O/S's

Another Article: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/filecab/2016/09/16/stop-using-smb1/

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some filtering products can have issues when SMBv1 is disabled on servers. Also Mac access to shares requires 10.9 Mavericks to support SMBv2

Disabling SMBv1 and some possible deployment methods:

NOTE: This has been taken from http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows/184209-nhs-hit-hard-ransomware-wannacry-patching-10.html and the above article.

Microsoft list of known SMBv1 required apps and services

Please use caution and test fully and read the above articles. EduGeek has not tested the methods below and sadly we cant be held responsible (although we aim to provide accurate information)

This section will be updated with new information as we get it.

Startup SMB Client Powershell Script (Windows 8.1, Windows 10):

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName smb1protocol -NoRestart

Startup SMB Client Script (Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012)

sc.exe config lanmanworkstation depend= bowser/mrxsmb20/nsi
sc.exe config mrxsmb10 start= disabled

SMB Server's

Disabling SMBv1 on SMB servers have slightly different instructions for certain O/S's below:

Windows 8 (not 8.1) and Windows Server 2012:

Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB1Protocol $false

Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008:

Powershell 2.0 required:

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServ  er\Parameters" SMB1 -Type DWORD -Value 0 -Force

Registry:

Registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\LanmanServer\ParametersRegistry entry: SMB1

REG_DWORD: 0 = Disabled

REG_DWORD: 1 = Enabled

Default: 1 = Enabled

Windows 8.1, Windows 10:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName smb1protocol -NoRestart

Windows 2012 R2, and Windows Server 2016:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName smb1protocol -NoRestart; Remove-WindowsFeature FS-SMB1

SCCM (for clients):

NOTE: I dont have SCCM here to test, please report any issues in the comments box below.

Tutorial Article: https://www.techwhisperer.ca/2017/03/04/disable-smb1-with-powershell-and-sccm/

Also the steps below may work:

1. Create an empty package
   
2. Command line should be: Powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -file \\{UNC PATH TO YOUR SCRIPT.ps1}
   
3. Share permissions should allow "Domain Computers" read access or the script cant run
   
4. Deploy to collection
   

H/T: FN-GM & https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1369218-how-use-sccm-to-run-powershell-script-on-user-s-pc

SCCM Compliance Report Tutorial: http://larsenconfigmgr.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/wannacry-patch-compliance-report.html?m=1

Worth a read:

We would recommend checking out the mega thread on EduGeek: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows/184209-nhs-hit-hard-ransomware-wannacry-patching.html where people are posting thoughts in experiences disabling SMBv1 and info is posted regularly.

[PAGE]Windows Patches[/PAGE]

Windows Patches:

WSUS:

Patches are listed in a variety of KB's.

Current OS info:

"->" denotes the update on the right supersedes the update on the left.

Windows 8.1

KB4012216->KB4015550->KB4019215

Windows 7

KB4012212

KB4012215->KB4015549->KB4019264

Vista

4012598

Windows 10

KB4012606->KB4019474

KB4013198->KB4019473

KB4013429->KB4019472

Server 2008

KB4012598->KB4018466

Server 2008 R2

KB4012212

KB4012215->KB4015549->KB4019264

Server 2012

KB4012217->KB4015551->KB4019216

Server 2012 R2

KB4012213

KB4012216->KB4015550->KB4019215

H/T:

Legacy OS info: KB4012598

Windows XP, Vista, 8, 2003 and 2008 can download the individual patches via Windows Update or directly from:

Windows Update Catalogue

Other O/S's see the below KB and click the blue links on the left to show the relevant patches:

ms17-010

Direct Download Links:

Legacy O/S's:

Windows XP: http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/csa/csa/secu/2017/02/windowsxp-kb4012598-x86-custom-enu_eceb7d5023bbb23c0dc633e46b9c2f14fa6ee9dd.exe

Windows Server 2003 (x86): http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/csa/csa/secu/2017/02/windowsserver2003-kb4012598-x86-custom-enu_f617caf6e7ee6f43abe4b386cb1d26b3318693cf.exe

Windows Server 2003 (x64): http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/csa/csa/secu/2017/02/windowsserver2003-kb4012598-x64-custom-enu_f24d8723f246145524b9030e4752c96430981211.exe

Windows Server 2008 (x86): http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/02/windows6.0-kb4012598-x86_13e9b3d77ba5599764c296075a796c16a85c745c.msu

Windows Server 2008 (x64): http://download.windowsupdate.com/d/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/02/windows6.0-kb4012598-x64_6a186ba2b2b98b2144b50f88baf33a5fa53b5d76.msu

Supported O/S's

Security only updates unless stated:

Windows 8.1 (x86): http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/02/windows8.1-kb4012213-x86_e118939b397bc983971c88d9c9ecc8cbec471b05.msu

Windows 8.1 (x64): http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/02/windows8.1-kb4012213-x64_5b24b9ca5a123a844ed793e0f2be974148520349.msu

Windows 10 LTSB - NOTE: Cumulative security update

Windows 10 (x86): http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/03/windows10.0-kb4012606-x86_8c19e23de2ff92919d3fac069619e4a8e8d3492e.msu

Windows 10 (x64): http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/03/windows10.0-kb4012606-x64_e805b81ee08c3bb0a8ab2c5ce6be5b35127f8773.msu

Windows 10 1511 (Anniversary Update) - NOTE: Cumulative security update

Windows 10 1511 (x86): http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/03/windows10.0-kb4013198-x86_f997cfd9b59310d274329250f14502c3b97329d5.msu

Windows 10 1511 (x64): http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/03/windows10.0-kb4013198-x64_7b16621bdc40cb512b7a3a51dd0d30592ab02f08.msu

Windows 10 1607 (Creators Update)

Windows 10 1607 (x86): http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/03/windows10.0-kb4013429-x86_delta_13d776b4b814fcc39e483713ad012070466a950b.msu

Windows 10 1607 (x64): http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/03/windows10.0-kb4013429-x64_delta_24521980a64972e99692997216f9d2cf73803b37.msu

Windows Server 2012: http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/02/windows8-rt-kb4012214-x64_b14951d29cb4fd880948f5204d54721e64c9942b.msu

Windows Server 2012 R2: http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/02/windows8.1-kb4012213-x64_5b24b9ca5a123a844ed793e0f2be974148520349.msu

Windows Server 2016: http://download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2017/03/windows10.0-kb4013429-x64_delta_24521980a64972e99692997216f9d2cf73803b37.msu

Most of the patches above are also integrated into cumulative updates Microsoft rolls out each month so you may already be covered if you have recently patched your systems.

For some years now there has been a large range of devices on which you can use a Windows operating system on, but since the demise of netbooks, small, highly portable, inexpensive laptop based devices are not amongst them.

Admittedly the whole netbook situation got a bit silly towards the end with them increasing in size, power and capacity until they morphed right back into laptops once more.

To fill this vacuum, Chromebooks appeared. Again, they were small, inexpensive and tied to a relatively lightweight OS (as netbooks were with Windows XP), but like their predecessors have now started to bloat with bigger form factors and more powerful hardware reflected in higher prices.

But Microsoft is back, or to be more precise, their partners are; with a raft of smaller, affordable and well featured devices designed to provide users with lightweight, portable platforms that can be taken into environments where larger devices such as laptops would be an inconvenience (think school trips).

Over the next few weeks, we are to be provided with the first wave of these from Microsoft partners to review for you.

This, the HP ProBook x360 11 G1 EE (I’d like to think that HP is getting their model numbers easier to understand but it appears to is still work to be done) the first and we can’t wait to get to grips with it in daily use.

To make this more real, I’m going to use this as my ‘at home’ device which I usually reserve for my Dell XPS 13 and used for Office 365, light image editing and a few other ‘random’ tasks running on top of Windows 10 Professional.

The ProBook x360 is a device focused firmly on the education market and can be operated in several form factors, laptop, tablet and desk operated touchscreen.

The thing that strikes you immediately on handling the ProBook x360 is the amount of toughened plastic used in the build. Pretty much all the external build actually, but this is no bad thing for classroom use I think.

It feels well-built and uses sturdy two tone (on this model) plastic panels which should help greatly with cleaning and preventing dings and gives it a robust feel overall. The upper plastics don’t feel cheap however and are quite smooth (apart from the lid which has a rather nice embossed ‘dash’ finish) which should assist greatly in keeping them clean. The underside of the laptop is textured, presumably to help with handling.

After a few days use I was quite taken as to how rugged it felt in day to day use with the solid chassis leaving you in no doubt that it has been well constructed. One point to note however, is that whilst the screen is 11.6” the chassis is actually closer to that of a 13” device

The other thing that grabs your attention on opening the screen for the first time is the lens in the keyboard rest which looks quite out of place. Until you put it into tablet mode that is, where it then becomes the front facing camera.

I also noticed that all the operation controls such as the power button and volume rocker are mounted on the sides, again, this is to assist in operating it in tablet mode without having to fold it back again to perform certain tasks.

The keyboard is a chiclet type and responds well when typing and is just large enough to be operated by an adult without the key clash you sometimes got with smaller form factor keyboards.

It is also designed so that when in tablet mode the keyboard (when placed on a flat surface) does not make contact with the surface because of four (very) small rests on the edge of the chassis.

Unlike some other 3-in-1 devices the screen on the x360 does not rotate to allow the keyboard to be hidden behind the screen.

This is also complimented but an all in one 4-point Elan multitouch clickpad which is of a decent size for the chassis and has the active left and right corners for ‘clicking’ actions. In testing I really have found no issues at all with this and it proved to be responsive and accurate.

The ProBook x360 does weigh in on the heavy side when compared to devices such as the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 with it coming in at around 3.19lbs compared to the Surface’s 1.61lbs. Much of this however is due to the larger chassis (with all the extra connections) and keyboard but in tablet mode feels comfortable enough when held for long periods.

It also comes well supplied with connectivity options, in particular two full size USB 3.0 ports, dual band Intel AC Wi-Fi, Gb ethernet (Realtek), a full sized HDMI connector, 1 x USB ‘C’ connector (data/phone charge only) and a MicroSD card slot.

The ethernet option alone should make management and setup of the x360 easier than similar sized devices that come fitted with Wi-Fi only.

The 11.6” Intel HD driven 1366x768 10-point touch screen compliments the form factor very well without it seeming to cramp the working space as the smaller screen would present problems with a much higher resolution, especially when used as a tablet.

The only issue I found is that the display isn’t the most vibrant I’ve come across and the colours initially appear washed out. You can correct this by using Intel’s display app but it is very hard to get the colours looking brighter without overdoing the hue and saturation.

The HDMI port allows you to output in 1920x1080 to an external monitor/display which also has the strange effect of switching the device display to 1080 as well, an option not available when working standalone.

In this mode it also highlights how difficult it would be to work on such a small screen at a higher resolution.

The screen is also quite reflective at angles which could cause problems in highly lit rooms although I didn’t have any real issues with it in general use.

The BIOS offers all the usual options as well as the ability to set boot and BIOS passwords, so make sure you secure these before you issue them!

In daily use I found it to be quite capable of the tasks it was designed for but is definitely not a machine that you can throw intensive tasks at - HD video editing for example – due to its lower power processor, the 4 core Pentium N4200, which is there to ensure that battery life is kept to a maximum (again important if you are to be using it to screencast to a whiteboard/screen for long periods) whilst still remaining usable.

And for tasks such as graphic editing (I used Windows Ink in Office + Krita to test) it comes supplied with a battery driven stylus which is secured with a ‘sticky loop’ similar to that of the Microsoft Surface. I find this isn’t the best option as the adhesive does not seem to last for long and would much prefer to have either a slot or magnetic based method of securing it. Again though, this kind of thing does tend to increase costs, but at least the stylus is provided as part of the package and not as an additional purchase.

In day to day Office use it was more than adequate for any tasks I had to perform (Outlook, Word, Excel etc.) so should be fine for everyday teacher use.

So, how much does the x360 cost?

This is a brand new model and has launched as part of the Microsoft partners ‘affordable devices’ push into education but we cannot get UK pricing on it yet.

However, after seeing the education prices listed in US$ on the recent Microsoft InTune webcast on EduGeek it would appear to be positioned between £250 - £300 but please contact your re-sellers for more accurate pricing.

PassMark:

As expected, the x360 was not exactly a powerhouse in operational performance with PassMark returning the following results:

CPU Mark – 1315.3

2D Graphics – 280.6

3D Graphics – 512.2

Memory Mark – 934.2

Disk Mark – 2888.0

Crystal Disk Mark:

Battery Life:

Battery life was one plus point however with its 41 Wh Li-Ion pack providing just over 5 hours life when we played a 2.5 hour HD video (from the hard drive), 1.2 hour YouTube streaming video whilst doing some routine Office tasks on it at the same time.

Summary:

After a weeks use I have to admit that I got to like it as a daily use machine. It did all the jobs I asked of it fine and without complaint however, when it came to doing higher end tasks I did have to wait to use my office PC.

The look and design of the x360 also grew on me and just like a similar sized ultrabook it was a very handy size when it came to day to day carrying around and portability (also very well sized for putting in a normal bag rather than a dedicated laptop carrier).

The battery life, thanks to the lower powered components and resolution screen was very good I thought and certainly better than any of my laptops.

As a home device there are certainly better devices out there, but as a device deigned to be used in the classroom by teachers and pupils alike, it certainly ticks a lot of boxes, especially in the usability and battery life department, but for more specialised tasks that require a bit more grunt you will still need dedicated machines of a higher spec, but if you want a Window 3-in-1 laptop that is light, portable and has the potential to last a working day on one charge then I think you should add it to your shortlist, how it survives the classroom experience though is one that only time will tell.

Specs (as provided in the tested laptop):

• CPU: Intel Pentium N N4200 (4 Cores @1.1Ghz to 2.5Ghz)
  
• RAM: 4GB DDR3L
  
• Storage: Sandisk 128GB SSD
  
• Screen Size: 11.6” 1366 x 768 Intel HD Graphics 505
  
• Networking: Realtek Gb Ethernet, Intel Dual Band AC Wi-Fi 7265, Bluetooth 4.2
  
• Ports: 2 x USB 3, Headphones, 1x USB type ‘C’ (data only), HDMI, ethernet, micro SD card slot
  
• Cameras: 720p user camera, 1080p front facing camera (certain models only)
  
• Security: TPM 2.0, Kingston lock slot
  
• Weight: 1.45Kg
  
• Dimensions: 20.79 x 30.24 x 1.99cm
  

Product page URL: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/laptops/product-detail.html?oid=13414389#!tab=features

*Please note this device is not listed with the rest of the other devices in the same family as of the time this review was published.

.

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As we like to say and many have you have already found out, there really is no better time to change!

My own personal highlight was the Surface Studio. We had been aware that they had made great efforts to obtain on of these for the show and I was very happy to see one present and being demonstrated by guest artist Tony Harmer from Adobe.

This is another piece of hardware which demonstrate very well the direction Microsoft wants their consumer hardware to head.

With an i7 processor, 28 inch 4500 x 3000 10 point touch tilt adjustable screen used in conjunction with the new Surface Dial it makes a very convincing reason to move away from having separate PC and graphic tablets for high end graphic work to a single capable device.

Affordable Devices

One other set of items which could have easily been overlooked is the launch of a range of affordable Windows 10 based devices.

These are aimed very much at the end of the market where power is not as important as functionality and with a price range to suite many pockets.

With small form factors that go from the basic laptop design to tablet based models incorporating Windows Ink to allow students to write directly on devices they are designed to provide a viable alternative to Chromebooks.

These may be a great way for primary schools to equip classrooms on a budget or larger schools to provide recommendations to parents for viable low cost solutions to compliment BOYD infrastructures.

We have found out since BETT that some of these devices were pre-production models but will be available in the near future. We’ll keep tabs on these and let you know more about them when they hit the markets.

Surface Hub

Another, often lesser seen, member of the Surface range was also present on the stand, the Surface Hub. This Windows 10 powered interactive screen incorporates Office, Skype and a raft of features which are designed to make this a powerful addition to environments where collaboration and interaction is a must such as class and meeting rooms.

With great hardware specs and a choice of 55 or 88 inch screens (both these sizes have different HW specs), built in 1080p camera + microphone and Windows Ink compatibility, these screens are a great addition to the right environment.

You can find out more here: https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-surface-hub/en-gb/product-specs and see a demo here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRLDRQePY1o

Demonstrations

As always with much of Microsoft’s stand, there are many hidden or less seen activities hidden amongst the hustle and bustle and we caught up with a very impressive demonstration by US teacher James Burke of how Excel can be used to store and map the effects of an earthquake on a tower block.

It’s very impressive and well worth watching, especially considering how he constructed most of his instruments from ‘things’ found around the exhibition hall.

Announcements

Microsoft also had some very big announcements to make at BETT too. These not only cover the devices we have mentioned above but the long awaited launch of facilities such Intune for Education amongst others.

Intune for Education

This exciting new addition to the Microsoft Education canon is an Azure cloud based classroom management solution which allows schools to schools to easily integrate and manage Windows 10 based devices with a minimum of fuss.

This covers everything from device configuration, app management and roll out (via the Windows Store), Office 365 for Education Integration

You can see a brief overview here...

...and hopefully we shall be getting a webinar on this sorted out in the near future.

School Data Sync (SDS)

School Data Sync allows schools to create online classrooms via an automated process.

It does this by importing data from school MIS/SIS systems to Office 365 which will allow them to set up classrooms which match up with the schools timetable matching students to lessons automatically. Previously SDS was available only in limited areas but is now on general release

You can see an explanation demo here: https://mix.office.com/watch/25zihj9digv2

And more in-depth information can be found here: https://sds.microsoft.com/

Network managers and school technical staff can sign up for free deployment support for a limited time here: http://aka.ms/sdsconfirmation

Minecraft Education Edition V1.0

This new update finally introduces a whole raft of new features to Minecraft including:

• A global pause button for the classroom
  
• Text to speech for in-game communication
  
• An improved UI
  
• The ability for teachers to upload worlds to Docs.com for easier sharing
  

Also quietly announced was an increase in Minecraft Education Mentors to 60 in 19 countries around the world to assist teachers with how to use Minecraft in the classroom more effectively.

You can see find mentors and communicate with them via the Minecraft Education site here (you do have to register to contact them): https://education.minecraft.net/community/connect-with-others/

BETT has always been a place where Microsoft makes its big announcements regarding the new technologies and products we will be seeing in the next 12 months, and this year was no different.

We shall be working very closely with Microsoft in keeping you all up to date about these as and when they occur and will be hosting an batch of webinars with Microsoft to allow them to let you all know about these as well as giving you the opportunity to ask them questions directly.

Watch this space!

In the meantime, if you want to keep up to date with the education side of Microsoft we can highly recommend utilising these resources:

• Microsoft in Education Blog: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/microsoft_in_education/
  
• Microsoft UK Schools Blog: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/ukschools/
  
• #thefeed (Microsoft Education UK’s online newsletter):
  
  

To enter simply create a post titled "Monday" using this link: EduGeek Comp Entries

Read more about the prizes at: EduGeek @BETT Live Stream Competition

Those of you that entered during the BETT show have extra chances to win.

Now our live stream is up and running we are to raffle off five prizes which, we are sure, will make up for you’re not being able to make it to Excel.

To enter all we need you to do is to watch our live stream and look for a ‘keyword’ in the video description.

Once you have seen the word then please post it in this thread here with the title of each day, e.g. Thursday: EduGeek Comp Entries

You can enter once each day we are streaming.

We shall announce the observant winners next week.

NOTE: Sadly this competition is only available to our UK members

1 x Invizbox. A tiny internet security device with a huge raft of features.

• Small, Discrete, Fits in your Pocket or leave it running at home!
  
• Protect all of your devices, 24/7 when at home and when out and about with nothing to install.
  
• Access your favourite TV, sports and media content you can’t currently reach with our fast, secure, reliable VPN service.
  
• Block ads without installing anything.
  
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• Elevates insecure HTTP to secure HTTPS where possible.
  
• Optional Windows10 “tracking domain” blocking.
  
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• Fully Open Source! Nothing to hide means peace of mind for everyone.
  

4 x EduGeek Travel Mugs + Badges and Lanyards Sets

These are a special for live stream viewers only, you can't get a set of these on the stand! Each mug set consists of:

• 1 x (large) EduGeek metal travel mug with secure cap
  
• 1 x EduGeek lanyard
  
• 1 x EduGeek 2017 colours badge
  
• 1 x Limited edition EduGeek BETT 2017 rainbow badge
  

So, keep your eyes peeled and get posting

Here we go! We are very happy to announce that in partnership with Microsoft Education we are to bring you a whole 12 months of Windows 10, Server 2016 and related product goodness, all with the aim of informing, educating and helping you with the more technical aspects of these products.

These will take to the form of focused threads (in-depth looks at particular issues involving you all), webinars, seminars and other ‘things’ which we are working on (more on those as and when they are ready!).

The purpose of this new long running feature is to ensure that you can better support the Microsoft products that you are currently using and the ones you may be using in the near future with the additional help from Microsoft themselves.

The first focused thread was the Set Up School PCs APP and will start with us giving you an overview of how to perform this particular task.

From there it will turn into a conversation with yourselves about these areas and products.The webinars we have planned will cover a whole raft of subject areas and, once again, will be two way conversations often with an expert from Microsoft to hand to help you out with the more complex questions you may have. These webinars will be announced once we have some firm dates and subjects nailed down.

So, please join in and together we'll iron out some of the niggles you may be having whilst informing you about some of the things you may be using in the future.

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Microsoft School of the Future

 

As some of you may have been aware, earlier this year some of our members very kindly donated some of their time and expertise to helping Microsoft in developing their upcoming School of the Future strategy via a whitepaper.

This strategy aims to leverage some of their existing technologies whilst integrating some new ones to give schools’ a whole raft of ready-to-go tools to enable schools to roll out and manage their Microsoft software and infrastructure in conjunction with third party apps to make teaching and learning a lot easier and accessible in the classroom.

These technologies include:

• Azure
  
• Windows 10
  
• Office 365
  

We are very happy to announce that this paper is now available for download here via EduGeek and should make essential reading for all of you who are looking at moving to Azure or upgrading your networks to take advantage of the new cloud technologies Microsoft are introducing.

You can download the School of the Future whitepaper by clicking the link below but please be aware that when you register to receive this document, your registration data will be shared with Microsoft as the document sponsor.

You may then receive a follow up, just to get some feedback or see whether you need any help in getting started.

Microsoft respects your privacy. Please read the Microsoft Privacy and cookies statement here