Tech news you may have missed Oct. 28–Nov. 3

New Microsoft 365 deployment tools, making OneDrive work on your iPhone, and a new Cranefly backdoor lead the top news for this week.

In another week of intense world news, you may have missed these tech stories. Thank goodness we’re here to remind you. Making your Apple devices play nice with OneDrive, a new Excel function and a new way attackers communicate during their campaigns lead the best technology stories TechRepublic had to offer this week.

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5 common mistakes to avoid when using Microsoft OneDrive with Apple devices

OneDrive is the cloud storage offering that underpins Microsoft 365 home and business editions. There are Apple-specific versions of the app that can be used on your iPhone or Mac. But, beware of these pitfalls in naming conventions, access and syncing to ensure all of your files are stored exactly as you intend.

Erik Eckle explains the best practices and tools for running OneDrive on your Apple devices. Read the full list here.

Best data preparation software of 2022

Artificial intelligence in all its forms underpins so many of the processes that run a modern business, and proper data preparation is the best way to keep the AI working at peak condition. Finding the right tool for your organization’s particular data preparation needs means taking into account what you’ll do with your data. With such an important role in the company, you need to get this right.

Aminu Abdullahi has analyzed the data preparation market and highlights the best software options for your business. Read the full list here.

How to use the new TEXTSPLIT() function in Microsoft Excel

Excel power users, rejoice! The spreadsheet tool has released TEXTSPLIT(), which replaces and eclipses the TEXT TO COLUMN feature. This incredibly powerful function can split text with multiple delimiters and will split results into both columns or rows.

Susan Harkins gives a full explanation of the differences between TEXTSPLIT() and TEXT TO COLUMN, examples of how you can use this powerful function, and provides a demo file for convenient testing. Read the full tutorial here.

Cranefly uses new communication technique in attack campaigns

Symantec has reported the observation of a new malware communication technique over IIS log files. These files contain strings that don’t exist in regular IIS logs. These strings can decrypt and save a new .ashx file that includes either a previously known backdoor or a previously unobserved backdoor called Trojan.Danfuan.

Cedric Pernet unpacks the threat and provides some ways to detect it. Read the full analysis here.

How to use the new Microsoft 365 deployment tools

Change is inevitable, even for well-loved operating systems. It may be time for you to upgrade to Office 2019 before security releases end in April 2023. If the lack of security patches can’t convince you to make the switch, the new Microsoft 365 deployment tools and features may help you make your decision.

Simon Bisson explains how to use the new tools, including the new Servicing Profiles. Read the full explanation here.