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6 Ways to Have an Effortless Summer BBQ

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6 Ways to Have an Effortless Summer BBQ

Here comes summer and it couldn’t be any warmer here in the Valley of the Sun. With summer temperatures sure to soar into the hundreds, we recommend you set aside a few weekends for relaxing by the pool. Hosting a fun family BBQ is a great way to endure the summer sun.

1.  Protect yourself from the flames of summer with a sturdy apron. Staying safe from the heat of the grill is just as important as staying safe from the sun.

Apron – Mason Brown by The Spice & Tea Exchange $45.99

2. Shake down for some well grilled meat with these great flavors. Bring that restaurant quality steak to your home kitchen.

Griller’s Shaker Gift Set by The Spice & Tea Exchange $38.99

3. Pick up the slack with this great array of utensils. You’ll need more than just your average kitchen tongs to do battle with the fiery flames on the grill.

BBQ Tool Set – 3 PC by The Spice & Tea Exchange $29.99

4. Stay prepped and ready for anything. A mess, a spill or a bit of dirt can be gone in a flash if you have a towel on hand.

Tea Towel – Renew Denim by The Spice & Tea Exchange $9.99

5. Add some spice to the sea with a set of spice shakers. You’ll seem like a well seasoned chef right of the high seas.

Fisherman’s Shaker Gift Set by The Spice & Tea Exchange $38.99

6. After you have finished showing off your masterful cooking and grilling skills, sit back and relax with a nice cup of your favorite homemade iced tea. Fresh and delicious can be just a few minutes away.

Infuser- Tea Nest by The Spice & Tea Exchange $15.99

All these products are available from The Spice & Tea Exchange. They offer more than 140 spices, over 80 exclusive hand-mixed blends, 20+ naturally-flavored sugars, an array of salts from around the world, and more than 40 exotic teas. The Spice & Tea Exchange uses the eCommerce platform Magento to process its online store.

Magneto is an eCommerce platform recently bought by Adobe that is helping businesses like theirs manage their orders and buying process. Magento takes all your website’s needs and puts them into the same experience. No matter what you decide to do this summer, keep us in mind. Here at Crimson Agility we can help you keep your Magento site in tip top shape. Whether you need an upgrade or just a bit of help we’ve got you covered, so call us and relax poolside this summer.

Until next time, let’s get social!  Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and on Linked In.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crimson Agility Team

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Why Use Two-Factor Authentication?

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Why Use Two-Factor Authentication?

Using the web can be rewarding, but with those rewards come some risks. We’re all connected on the internet, and with that connectivity we are at risk from malicious actions and attempts to gain access to our sensitive information. In E-Commerce we apply best practices to protect companies and individual buyers from these potential security risks. Magento Two-Factor Authentication (TFA) allows for all users to secure their information from cyber attacks.  This authentication method works by attaching specific accounts to a users personal device which adds an additional layer of confirmation for the online service, and peace of mind for the individual logging in. Protecting users from fraud protection is only one of the benefits to using this method. It also provides a way for technology novices and experts to better safeguard their account information. Here are some of the best Magento extensions and tips that can protect your website and your customers from potential attacks.

Improved Security

Strong passwords are a great place to start, but hackers still have methods to crack even the most creative of passwords. Two-Factor Authentication adds a physical action to logging in by incorporating a device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or token. A one time code is generated and delivered to the user in the form of an SMS or automated call that cannot be hacked. 

Lower Customer Service Cost

Using a Two-Factor Authentication can help curb the cost of customer service issues. Auth0 states from an HDI study that 35-40% of service calls are related to password resets. By implementing TFA you can effectively eliminate password reset calls from getting to customer service. TFA can save the company money and resources by reducing low tier issue calls and keeping customer service focused on other, more important, issues.

Reduce Online Fraud

There have been a recent slew of data breaches recently. Large companies like  Facebook, Yahoo, and Target have suffered from successful cyber attacks exposing hundreds of millions of customers personal information.  It becomes apparent that data breaches could happen to any company. This is why companies like Gmail, Apple Pay, PayPal, Evernote, Dropbox, and LinkedIn have moved to Two-Factor Authentication. It prevents sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. However, the protection of data can be left in the right hands, every company should be proactive and take it upon themselves to protect their customers from potential threats online.

How to Better Protect Your Users?

You can start taking action by using Magento Two-Factor Authentication extensions on your E-Commerce store. Some extensions that are already in use: Google Authenticator, U2F Devices, Duo Security, and Authy. Become proactive and don’t wait to react to cyber threats. Empower yourself and your customers to bring cyber security into the physical world by using TFA.

Security and staying updated is essential for any eCommerce experience. Let us here at Crimson Agility handle your Magento and eCommerce questions. Contact Crimson Agility today to see what would work for your security needs.

Until next time, let’s get social!  Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and on Linked In.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crimson Agility Team

The Top 5 Best Places to Hike in Arizona

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The Top 5 Best Places to Hike in Arizona

We all need a little time spent outside of the office and there is no better place to go than the great outdoors. Much of what is Arizona used to be volcanic. These long dormant volcanoes are now part of the many scenic hiking trails scattered throughout the state. With so many great places to visit, you may have to limit yourself to just a few. That is why we’ve put together a list of our top 5 favorite places to hike in Arizona.

1. The Grand Canyon

One of the natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon draws millions of people to the stunning nature preserve in northern Arizona. With breathtaking views from a mile above the Colorado river it is no wonder so many people choose to make the all-day hike from rim to rim. Here, the weather can change drastically between the rim and the basin, so you will need to be prepared for both extremes and the even colder temperatures that come at night.

2. Sedona

Like the Grand Canyon, the red rock mountains of Sedona are both striking and memorable. The contrast of red rock jutting out from the lush pine forests can take your breath away. A popular spot to visit is the Devil’s Bridge, a nearly freestanding tower of stone. The hike to the stone bridge can go from hot to chilly as you move into the shade of the buttes. Another great spot is Bell Rock which is an easy walk to the top.

3. Camelback Mountain

Named for its appearance, Camelback Mountain is one of the most accessible hiking spots in Phoenix. It is in the center of the urban sprawl making it a great spot for a quick early morning hike. From the top, it has spectacular views of the city scape and the other smaller hiking spots sprinkled throughout the valley. If you plan on experiencing the dramatic colors of an Arizona sunset, there is no better place than from atop Camelback Mountain.

4. Superstition Mountain

Located to the east of the Phoenix Valley are the majestic Superstitions Mountains. The remnants of long dormant volcanoes, they possess a unique appearance and an interesting past. These mountains are known for their many jutting red rocks and superstitious legends. The most famous story is of the Lost Dutchman Mines, a gold mine worth over 2 million dollars that has been lost for centuries.

5. Humphrey’s Peak

If you’re looking for a challenge, head north to Humphrey’s Peak, the highest point in Arizona and home of some fantastic views. This is a high difficulty hike and not for the light of heart. It can be a long hike to the top where the total elevation is 12,633 feet. Stay aware of other hikers as you make your journey and come prepared for the difficult terrain.

 

No matter what height you aspire to Biofreeze can help you reach it. For the past 25 years, they have been helping people overcome their pain with their pain relief formula that comes in a variety of convenient forms such as spray or gel. It’s fast acting, long lasting, and powerful enough to keep you going.

To manage their online store, Biofreeze uses the eCommerce platform Magento. Magento is an eCommerce platform recently bought by Adobe that is helping businesses like theirs manage their orders and buying process. Biofreeze has customized Magento to fit their unique needs through their partnership with Crimson Agility, a Magento services firm. Crimson Agility is a full service Magento services firm with in-depth knowledge of the Magento platform and e-Commerce as well as years of industry experience and successful implementations.

If you are also interested in using Magento contact us to see how you can make the switch

Until next time, let’s get social!  Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and on Linked In.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crimson Agility Team

Why You Should Upgrade to Magento 2.3

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Magento has announced that as of January 2020, Magento 2.2 will no longer be supported. This means new versions will no longer be released for any Magento 2.2 instance, whether it’s security updates or bug fixes. With this news, you should be looking to upgrade to Magento 2.3 in the near future. In this post, I will explain the major differences between 2.2 and 2.3, and why you should be upgrading. There are many minor bug fixes and security updates that have happened in the changelogs for 2.3, but I will be mainly focused on the major changes: new functionality and major security improvements.

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source 2.3 comes with quite a few new features, such as Multi Source Inventory, PWI, declarative schema, GraphQL, and many others. In this section we will go in-depth for each one.

Multi-Source Inventory

Multi Source Inventory (MSI) allows merchants to have multiple different warehouses, brick and mortar stores, or distribution centers, and ship from each one depending on which location has the product ordered in stock and even which warehouse is closest to the shipping address on the order. This can help decrease not only shipping times, but also shipping costs.

PWA Studio

Progressive Web Apps (PWA) Studio allows for developers to create a much more intuitive mobile application and can increase performance on mobile devices immensely. In 2018, over 52% of all web traffic came from mobile devices, so having a performative, intuitive, and attractive mobile website is vital in today’s day and age.

GraphQL

This is more of a developer’s tool, however it’s incredibly useful. This allows much quicker and easier manipulation of databases. When used correctly, it can send and receive database information much more efficiently than the standard MySQL system that Magento 2.2 uses 

Declarative Schema

This is another developer tool but is also really helpful for Magento when releasing new security patches. Declarative schema allows developers to declare how they want the database to be structured without having to maintain an upgrade or install script in the module. This means that Magento can make database schema changes in patches, which wasn’t previously possible. 

Magento Commerce

Magento Commerce has all of the Magento Open Source changes, along with a few extras. In this section we will go over a few of the improvements that aren’t included in the Magento Open Source Version.

Page Builder

One of the most impressive improvements in Magento 2.3 thus far is the page builder. This has vastly improved the CMS content development and makes it extremely easy for merchants to set up their static content without the need of a developer.

CMS Improvements

In situations where you use the WYSIWYG editor but the page builder isn’t available, the WYSIWYG editor has also had some great improvements. If you’ve used the Magento 2.2 WYSIWYG editor, you have probably noticed a plethora of icons, many of which are hard to understand. In 2.3 they streamlined the WYSIWYG editor to look much more simplistic and easier to understand.

 

There’s a multitude of reasons to upgrade to Magento 2.3. Due to a SQL injection vulnerability found in 2.3.0, we highly recommend skipping 2.3.0 and upgrading straight to 2.3.1. If you are already on 2.3.0 and haven’t applied the patch to fix the vulnerability or upgraded to 2.3.1, upgrade immediately. For those of you currently on 2.2, due to Magento dropping support of 2.2 as of January 2020, it’s best to upgrade soon. We can help you upgrade to 2.3.1 as well! Just contact us here so we can get started. 

Have you heard about our new webinar happening on June 20th? We are going to be discussing about B2B commerce and using Magento 2.3 It will begin at 9:00 AM

Until next time, let’s get social!  Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and on Linked In.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crimson Agility Team