Happy Friday! Here’s what’s on deck this week: the one button on your router you should never press, the difference between a modem and a router, a fake Amazon order that only wanted a phone call, your team’s security score, the two Copilots in Microsoft 365, a quiet way to keep your phones charged when the power goes out, and our first Featured Nonprofit of the Month.
Thank you for reading. Stay safe out there.
– Brad Otto
Tip of the Week
That little pinhole button is NOT a restart button
Most modems and routers have a tiny recessed “reset” button, usually on the back or bottom. It looks like the thing you press to turn it off and on again. It isn’t. Pressing and holding it does a factory reset: every setting your network depends on is erased, and the device acts like it just came out of the box.
We saw this firsthand this summer. A client’s whole building lost internet. That was the provider’s outage, not theirs. While waiting, someone pressed the reset button on their router. That evening, every other business in the building came back online. Theirs didn’t. We came in on a Saturday, restored the router from our saved backup, and put a “do not press” label on it.
If your internet goes down:
• Check whether neighbors or your provider are also down before touching anything.
• To restart, unplug the power cord, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back in. Leave the pinhole alone.
• Call P3C first. We can often see what’s wrong remotely.
IT Vocab of the Week
Modem vs. Router
They often sit side by side with blinking lights, but they do two different jobs.
• Modem: Your connection to the outside world. It talks to your internet provider over the cable, fiber, or phone line coming into the building. No modem, no internet.
• Router: Your traffic cop on the inside. It takes that one internet connection and shares it with every computer, phone, printer, and Wi-Fi device in your office. In a business, it’s often also your firewall, deciding what gets in and what stays out.
Some providers hand you a single box that does both. In most business setups, the router is a separate device that P3C configures and manages, which is why a factory reset on it hurts so much. All that setup lives on the router.
Easy way to remember it: the modem brings the internet in; the router passes it around.
Cybersecurity News
Real or test? Two coworkers, two suspicious emails, two right answers
Last Friday, two employees at the same client each reported a suspicious email within about an hour of each other.
The first one wasn’t sure about a message, so she deleted it and asked us. It turned out to be one of our simulated phishing tests. She passed with flying colors, and told us she was glad she “still has her whits.”
The second one was the real thing. It was a fake Amazon “order processed” email saying payment had already been taken from the account on file, and that any changes had to go through a support phone number. Our coworker didn’t open the attachment, moved it to Junk, and let us know. We confirmed it was malicious and removed it from his mailbox.
That second email had red flags everywhere:
• The sender: an “Amazon” order email from a random Hotmail address. Amazon doesn’t email you from Hotmail.
• “Dear Valued Customer”: the real Amazon knows your name.
• Panic by design: “Payment has been collected.” The goal is to make you react before you think.
• “Call this number”: this is the real trap. There’s no bad link to click. The scammer wants you on the phone, where they’ll talk you into giving up card numbers, account access, or remote control of your computer.
Because these emails don’t contain a malicious link, they can sometimes slip past email filters. That’s why you’re the last line of defense.
The lesson: you can’t always tell a test from the real thing, and you don’t need to. Handle every suspicious email the same way: don’t click, don’t call, and report it. If something looks off with an order, go to Amazon directly through the app or by typing amazon.com yourself, never through the email.
Working With P3C
Your team has a security score. Here’s how it works.
Remember the employee in this week’s Cybersecurity News who spotted our simulated phishing email? She didn’t just pass a test. She raised her score.
Through P3C’s security awareness training program, every person on your team gets an Employee Secure Score. Think of it like a credit score for cyber habits:
• Points up when you spot and report a simulated phishing email, or complete additional training.
• Points down when you click a link in a simulated phishing email.
The tests look just like the real thing, because the real thing is what we’re training for. Clicking a test link isn’t a disaster. It’s a lesson that costs you a few points instead of your bank account, your email, or your company’s data.
Here’s what our best clients do: they make each employee’s Secure Score part of their annual performance review. It’s a real, measurable number. A manager can sit down with a staff member and show exactly how they’ve improved their security habits over the year, and with it, the company’s overall security. It turns “be careful with email” into something people own. Protecting the company becomes part of the job, not an afterthought.
Why it matters: most cyberattacks start with a person, not a computer. Firewalls and email filters catch a lot. But as this week’s fake Amazon email showed, some still get through. A team that knows what to look for is your last line of defense.
Want to see how your team is scoring, or get everyone enrolled? Email support@p3ctech.com and we’ll review your setup.
The AI and Automation Minute
Copilot Chat vs. Copilot Business: same name, very different tools
Last week, a client’s employee was using Microsoft Copilot for a work task when it told him the system was too busy and suggested he upgrade. Sound familiar? There are two “Copilots” in Microsoft 365, and most people don’t know which one they have.
Copilot Chat (free with most Microsoft 365 business plans)
• A secure AI chat assistant, great for drafting, rewriting, brainstorming, and research questions.
• It can’t see your work: your emails, Teams chats, meetings, and files are off-limits unless you paste or upload them yourself.
• It’s available when Microsoft has capacity. That’s where the “too busy” message comes from.
Copilot Business (a paid add-on to your Microsoft 365 license)
• Built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
• It knows your work. Ask it to “summarize what the client said about the project this month,” and it can pull from your emails, meetings, chats, and files together.
• Priority access, so no “too busy” message.
The easy way to remember it: Copilot Chat answers your questions. Copilot Business understands your work.
One important catch: Copilot Business can see everything you have access to. If your file permissions are messy, for example an old salary spreadsheet shared with “everyone,” Copilot can surface it. Clean up permissions before you turn it on.
Not sure it’s worth it? For last week’s client, we set up a one-month Copilot Business license that expires automatically, so he can try it on real work before anyone commits. Email support@p3ctech.com if you want to do the same.
Want to go deeper on using AI safely at work? Visit ai.p3ctech.com for our free AI Acceptable Use Policy and the book Beyond the Prompt.
Product of the Week
EGO POWER+ Nexus Escape 400W Inverter (PAD5000)
Ready.gov recommends every household build an emergency supply kit. If you already own EGO lawn equipment like I do (yes, I’m a big fan), you already have the batteries. This inverter turns your mower, blower, or snow blower batteries into a quiet, fume-free power source.
Charge your phones, run a laptop, or keep your modem and router going when the power goes out. It uses 400 watts of clean pure sine wave power that’s safe for electronics, with an AC outlet, USB-C and USB-A ports, and a built-in light. There’s no gas, no noise, and it’s safe to use indoors.
Heads-up: battery and charger are sold separately.
As an Amazon Associate, P3C Technologies may earn from qualifying purchases.
Featured Nonprofit of the Month
Kettle Moraine Figure Skating Club
Right here in West Bend, the Kettle Moraine Figure Skating Club (KMFSC) teaches kids and adults to skate. The club runs the Learn to Skate USA program at the Kettle Moraine Ice Center, supports skaters as they test and compete, and puts on an annual ice show that’s a highlight of the season for local families. It’s run entirely by a volunteer board elected by its members.
P3C is proud to support KMFSC. I’ve been involved with the club for years, from helping run the Learn to Skate program to the technology behind its registrations, website, fundraiser websites, email communications (including securing that email), and sponsorship program.
The club is looking for business sponsors right now. Yours truly even designs custom, business-professional ads for some of the club’s sponsors to run in the ice show program. Here are two examples:
Want to put your business in front of local families? Become a sponsor at sponsor.kmfsc.org. Thinking about skating lessons this winter? Visit kmfsc.org.
🔐 One tip for small nonprofits: volunteer-run groups store a surprising amount of sensitive data, like member names, kids’ birthdates, emergency contacts, and payment info. Volunteers come and go every year, so remove access when someone steps off the board, and make sure every admin account uses two-factor authentication.
Know a local nonprofit we should feature? Email support@p3ctech.com with “Nonprofit nomination” in the subject.
Nomination guidelines:
• Must be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
• Must serve the communities where our clients live and work.
• No political campaigns or advocacy groups.
• P3C makes the final selection.
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