Blog
From Challenges to Improvements As the saying goes April Showers Bring May Flowers. Better yet, the IT hurdles of 2020 brought much needed improvements in technology today. As we all know, the dark days of 2020 caused much chaos and angst across the world. It affected industries and people in a myriad of ways. The […]
It’s that item on your to do list that you often ignore and say you will do later – software updates. Not only may you be missing out on the latest improvements, but you can create a major security risk for your organization by ignoring these updates. One of the largest data breaches on record […]
Securing or Hardening Securing or Hardening aims to protect and secure your IT infrastructure against cyberattacks by reducing the attack surface. The attack surface is all the different points where an attacker can to attempt to gain access or damage the equipment. This blog is focused on securing Servers and storage. The goal of server […]
According to IDC research, businesses are prioritizing resiliency and agility as foundational elements of their IT strategy. They want more visibility, cross-platform control, better data management, and protection from the edge to the core. While consumption-based models are playing an increasingly important role in powering those goals to accelerate digital transformation, many business leaders are […]
Downtime costs businesses an average of $84,650 per hour. A natural disaster or cyber-attack can result in weeks of downtime for a business that’s not prepared, delivering a massive financial blow. Even worse, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 40% of small and mid-sized businesses never reopen after a natural disaster, and an additional […]
Hewlett Packard Enterprise recently started transitioning their support offerings from HPE Foundation Care and Proactive care to HPE Pointnext Tech Care. This new service goes beyond problem identification and resolution by helping customers get the most from their HPE technology. New innovations include fast multi-channel access to product-specific experts, an AI-driven digital experience, and general […]
More Changes In preparing for this version of my blog, I went back and read the April 2020 version in which I talked about Microsoft introducing or renaming their Microsoft 365 product line. I started off that blog making light of the “Bizzaro World” I lived in at the time. The Covid-19 Pandemic was just […]
Centrally Manage Your Maintenance Contracts Maintenance contracts are supposed to deliver peace of mind. Yet, when you have dozens of contracts with various vendors – all with different renewal dates, they can quickly become a headache. We work with our customers to identify what hardware, users, vendors, and services are covered, as well as those […]
Growth in Hybrid Cloud It is probably no surprise to anyone reading this that the move to Hybrid Cloud is picking up pace. IT organizations are moving data and workloads offsite for protection or to expand resource capacity more dynamically without increasing their capital spend. Of course, protection and capital management are just a couple […]
Feeling of Uncertainty I know a professional blog site is not usually where you will see personal revelations about the author’s current state of mind. I am going to go against conventions and tell you where I am in life. I am somewhat trepidatious about what the future holds. Now I know that to some […]
Microsoft Product Life cycle A typical Microsoft product life cycle lasts 10 years from the date of the product’s initial release. The end of this life cycle is known as the product’s end of support. This means Microsoft will no longer provide updates or support of any kind. End of support can result in vulnerabilities […]
How Does Yoga Compare to Your IT Health Check? Whether you have practiced the art of savasana or not, you will soon understand how sweet the benefit of laying still can reboot your whole system. I know what you’re thinking, “I can lay still, I can sit and do nothing!” When I started practicing yoga […]
Teams for Consumers In a world of quarantines and remote work, apps like Microsoft Teams and Slack have become more useful to businesses than ever. Fostering collaboration and communication is so important to keeping employees engaged. These apps have soared in popularity since working from home became the norm rather than the exception. After months […]
Bizzaro World Welcome to April 30, 2020. The NFL Draft kicks off in Las Vegas tonight. Can you believe they are building a stage in the Bellagio fountains? The Vegas Golden Knights are entering the second round of the NHL Playoffs on there way to Stanley Cup. The Cleveland Indians have started the season on […]
Microsoft OneDrive Microsoft OneDrive has become one of the most useful tools in the Office 365 suite. It is being used by more companies every day. Between the robust feature set and the constant updates, it is easily on par with other cloud storage solutions. It is offered as part of every Office 365 plan. […]
What’s on Your Mind? 2020 IT Needs It’s 2020, the holidays are over and you’re back to managing your organization’s IT needs in support of their core initiatives. So, what’s on your mind? For many of our Clients, this can be summed up by three questions: Are we adequately protected against Ransomware and can […]
What’s on Your Mind? 2020 IT Needs It’s 2020, the holidays are over and you’re back to managing your organization’s IT needs in support of their core initiatives. So, what’s on your mind? For many of our Clients, this can be summed up by three questions: Are we adequately protected against Ransomware and can […]
In today’s fast- paced environment, it is easy to forget about your hardware support and renewals. With a maintenance and support agreement in place, your organization can avoid costly outages and loss of productivity and time. This enables you to focus on more strategic business objectives. When You Renew Remember, when […]
In today’s fast- paced environment, it is easy to forget about your hardware support and renewals. With a maintenance and support agreement in place, your organization can avoid costly outages and loss of productivity and time. This enables you to focus on more strategic business objectives. When You Renew Remember, when […]
History of Windows Updates Microsoft Windows has been a staple in the PC industry for over 30 years. Who can forget the oldies but goodies (not including server or mobile versions): • Windows 1.0 – 2.0 (1985-1992) • Windows 3.0 – 3.1 (1990-1994) • Windows 95 (1995) • Windows 98 (1998) • […]
Microsoft Office is a product everyone knows, and it has been a household name for decades at this point. Office 365 is the slightly lesser well-known cloud version of office. It was a massive step forward for Microsoft at its release. Over the past 8 or so years, Microsoft has been fine-tuning the […]
Didn’t you just love the music from the 80’s? Of course, I did! That was the era in which I got to dress in my neon clothes and put as much Aqua net as possible to my hair and party like its “1999”! Just like the great Janet Jackson said in her famous 80’s […]
What is HPE GreenLake? According to IDC, by 2020, consumption-based procurement in data centers will account for as much as 40% of enterprises’ IT infrastructure spending. Businesses today expect rapid access to resources that allow them to pay for only what they use. This allows businesses to not only be competitive in today’s market but […]
Why Choose Microsoft Office 365? There are thousands of blog articles written about Office 365 each year. Here are just a few: Top 10 Reasons to Migrate to Office 365, Top 10 Reasons to Not Migrate to Office 365, Top 10 Migration Strategies for Office 365, Top 10 Office 365 Myths Debunked, and 15 […]
Over the past decade, we have seen Microsoft evolve from the company that makes Windows to one of the top three tech giants, and the second largest cloud services provider behind only Amazon. While Microsoft has been a giant in the industry since the 80’s and 90’s, market share for their Windows operating system has […]
Do you have control of your Office 365 data? Do you have access to all the items you need? The typical reaction is, “Microsoft takes care of it all.” Microsoft takes care of quite a bit and provides a great service for their customers. However, Microsoft’s primary focus is on managing the Office […]
In April of 2015, Microsoft officially launched Skype for Business. Microsoft’s instant messaging and conferencing program has become more and more useful over the years, making it easier to do things like share documents, give presentations, and video chat. One benefit that more companies are using or looking into using is utilizing Skype to […]
Most organizations choose basic, enhanced, or premium support for the first three years of a hardware purchase. It is standard operating procedure for many IT organizations to purchase the warranty coverage alongside new hardware. However, these services can be added at any time via custom support contracts with your vendor. Hardware Warranty vs. Business […]
Cloud computing has definitely impacted how most enterprise IT Departments are managing their overall IT architecture. Businesses are constantly reevaluating what infrastructure will work best for their environment. Is it private cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud? What are the differences between these types of clouds? All three options provide similar benefits, including cost-effectiveness, performance […]
Cloud computing has definitely impacted how most enterprise IT Departments are managing their overall IT architecture. Businesses are constantly reevaluating what infrastructure will work best for their environment. Is it private cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud? What are the differences between these types of clouds? All three options provide similar benefits, including cost-effectiveness, performance […]
(Drum roll, please!) Citrix has announced LTSR! What is LTSR? Long Term Service Release. LTSR is all about stability and supportability when it comes to ongoing maintenance and support. I’ll let Citrix take the intro on this one: “As a benefit of Software Maintenance, Long Term Service Releases of XenApp and XenDesktop enable […]
(Drum roll, please!) Citrix has announced LTSR! What is LTSR? Long Term Service Release. LTSR is all about stability and supportability when it comes to ongoing maintenance and support. I’ll let Citrix take the intro on this one: “As a benefit of Software Maintenance, Long Term Service Releases of XenApp and XenDesktop enable […]
What Is Azure Site Recovery? Business outages are caused by natural events and operational failures. Organizations need a business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) strategy that keeps apps and data safe and available during both planned and unplanned downtime. It also needs to be able to recover those apps and data to normal working […]
What Is EMS for Office 365? In this mobile-first, cloud-first era, questions around security dominate the conversations about moving to the cloud. EMS provides an identity-driven security solution that offers a holistic approach to security challenges by not only protecting the organization but also identifying breaches before they cause damage. How Do […]
What Is EMS for Office 365? In this mobile-first, cloud-first era, questions around security dominate the conversations about moving to the cloud. EMS provides an identity-driven security solution that offers a holistic approach to security challenges by not only protecting the organization but also identifying breaches before they cause damage. How Do […]
Though not a new phenomenon, ransomware has made some serious headlines this week. With the recent wave of Ransomware attacks, it is becoming increasingly important for organizations to protect themselves and their sensitive data. There are different types of ransomware. They can target any PC users – whether it’s a home computer, endpoints in […]
Studies show that employees are increasingly using their personal devices for more than personal use. 66% of employees use personal devices for work purposes. 52% of information workers across 17 countries report using three or more devices for work. 90% of enterprises will have two or more mobile operating systems to support in 2017. […]
Examples of Software Asset Management in action. Example: What has been common practice, for as long as licensing vehicles have been around, has been a licensing model tied to discount levels via volume purchasing. The more you buy, the more you save. In most cases, from a purely discount perspective, it’s tough to […]
By definition, Software Asset Management (SAM) is a business practice that involves managing and optimizing the purchase, deployment, maintenance, utilization, and disposal of software applications within an organization. To many of our customers, SAM is associated with software compliance, software audits, risk mitigation, risk analysis, and cost savings. All of these ring true. […]
The Evolution of Software Asset Management Years ago, Software Asset Management (SAM) was a novelty, as there was very limited visibility around the benefits SAM brought to clients. Probably the easiest way to capture this scenario was almost like selling a bike without a helmet. The client would begin their journey via the licensing vehicle. […]
Securing productivity, collaboration and enterprise data is critically important as organizations digitally transform. Microsoft is committed to delivering a new approach to secure this transition, as evidenced with the announcement of their new Secure Productive Enterprise offering. Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS) provides an identity-driven security solution that offers a holistic approach to the security challenges in […]
Beyond The Role of Reseller and Implementer In the past 10 years, the evolution of technology has continued to accelerate every year at a dizzying pace. It is now more challenging than ever before for IT leaders to develop and implement technology strategies for their organizations without the help of outside resources. There are simply […]
Colorado Business Owners – Minimize IT Brain Damage in 2017 I am the founder, CEO, and majority owner of an IT Solutions Company (Zunesis, Inc.) headquartered in the great state of Colorado. I am so grateful for the success we have had over the years and also for the many fellow employees who have shaped, […]
Denver just got hit with a huge snow storm, and there’s plenty more where that came from this winter. I noticed while slipping and sliding my way to work yesterday that there were very few other cars on the road – unusual for 8 a.m. on a Tuesday. That’s because in today’s world of technology, […]
Denver just got hit with a huge snow storm, and there’s plenty more where that came from this winter. I noticed while slipping and sliding my way to work yesterday that there were very few other cars on the road – unusual for 8 a.m. on a Tuesday. That’s because in today’s world of technology, […]
Cloud Solutions or On-Premise? It’s a question our customers are asking more often, and it is undoubtedly one of the biggest trends in the IT industry right now. For on-premise, there is more to consider than how much new hardware/software is needed to put a solution into place. And for cloud, there is more at […]
