Tech for Thought

I was so tempted to go back to my Blackberry 7100 the other day. I was tired of how my Droid paled in comparison to my Blackberry for efficiency.

The ability to make phone calls quickly, to email quickly, easy phone dialing and being able to look up information quickly.

I know…. I know…. Android and iPhone make the Blackberry look like a high functioning calculator in comparison. Browsing the web, cool apps and high resolution screens.

Me? I bought a windows 8 phone because I had to. I consult for a living. 90% Windows/Microsoft. It was important to follow Steve Ballmer and Microsoft with their “all in” philosophy. Agree or not.

When I got my windows 8 phone it didn’t take long to realize I found the best of both worlds.

The tiles and the ability to size them based on importance is awesome, using my thumb instead of my index finger to select item and the “people” focused workflows. I’m buying into the whole concept. The process for day to day tasks seems so logical and thought out.

Thank you Windows 8 phone! Primarily, for preventing me racing back to my Blackberry. And for restoring the basic ease of use I cherish, with the flash and fun of a 2012 smart phone.

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services

http://www.passkeyinc.com @passkeycs

A friend of mine asked for a good knowledge sharing tool.  I said “OneNote” almost before he finished his sentence.

I was in love with OneNote before I got my Windows 8 phone.  Even with the Android app.  Now it’s an even better on the run. What do I love about OneNote?

Easy integration
Plenty of right click-send to OneNote options
Drag a file and display the printout
Screen shot/clippings
Organization
Sync to a Live account for sharing-mobile access
Search, search, search!!

The search engine absolutely blows away our current knowledgebase.  If you are looking for a knowledgebase, I would look first at OneNote.  It’s pretty amazing!

Written by Bret Erickson or Passkey Computer Services

www.passkeyinc.com @passkeycs

Pretty scary when a company as large as Allied gets hacked and data is compromised.  Remember Insurance Companies have way more information than many other business, because it can store SSN, previous addresses, VINs, children and spouses names, valuables, other properties and possessions.  The mother load for an identity thief.

I have done a ton of searching trying to find out what happened.  I can’t find much.  I’m guessing more will come out once the FBI is done with their investigation.  As always I can’t recommend enough:

* Are all your systems patched?  Do you know that for sure?  Is it managed and monitored.
*  Is your backup rock solid and monitored?  Offsite?  Tested?
*  Is everything that leaves your office with data encrypted?
*  Are your passwords changed routinely?  Do you share passwords?
*  Do your computers automatically lock after time?
*  Are all mobile devices password protected and capable of “remote wipe”?
*  Do you have a business grade firewall?  Do you update it?  Is that monitored?
*  Do you have unprotected ports allowed in through your firewall?
*  Do you change default passwords on routers, firewalls, etc?
*  Do you have good physical security?
*  Do you have an alarm?
*  Do you have a written security plan and signed acceptable use policy?
*  Do you have a data breach insurance policy and an incident reaction plan?

I have barely scratched the surface of a typical security audit checklist.  But it’s my opinion that if you don’t have all of the above satisfied, you are taking huge risks.  Especially if you have sensitive data.

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services

www.passkeyinc.com @passkeycs

I had a great talk with one of my partners the other day.  She brought up a great point I thought I would share.  This is not a sales pitch.  Just solid advice in my opinion.

With all the phones, tablets, advances, Windows
XP being retired, Windows 8, Office 2013 and Office 365 and on and on.
Everyone should be tripling their IT budget…  Unfortunately, most will be
hoping to cut it in half!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the room to make major increases in IT budgets?  I acknowledge that probably won’t happen for most.  But whatever we do with all the talk of “cloud” and that “IT is easier now”.  I wouldn’t be sharpening my pencil just yet.  Not this year at least.

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services

www.passkeyinc.com

Well.  Haven’t posted for a long time.  My goal is to get back into it!

It’s official.  Every tech here runs Windows 8/Office 365 and Office 2013.  It came with some hurdles but for the most part, we love it.  To complete it all last night I picked up a new HTC 8x.  Windows 8 mobile.  The integration with OneNote/Office 365 is amazing.  And honestly the ability for it go out and link you Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts is a little frightening!  Like the all knowing eye.  I promise to post more as we immerse ourselves in these new Microsoft products and direction.

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services  www.passkeyinc.com

Very well written article by Jason Hiner.  If you’re in IT, this is one to read.  Short and to the point but great thoughts about where to focus.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/the-future-of-it-will-be-reduced-to-three-kinds-of-jobs/8717

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services  www.passkeyinc.com

Amazing. Technology has always moved fast. But doesn’t it seem like the last 6 months have gone into overdrive? So many people trying to get into the cloud game in so many ways, it’s hard to know what will stick. Office 365 seems ready to take over the world, but no public folders?? That’s a huge selling point for Exchange. That’s why Comcast’s hosted Exchange never really took off. Dropbox, the server killer, but would you really put your secure documents in a replicated folder in the cloud like that. Hosted VDI (virtual desktop technology), all the rage at the two major tech events this week. But then how would a major organization handle servers, put them with the provider too. So their entire organization could go down at once. What if it’s a provider wide outage? Could you have you company down for a couple of days? Tablets are the future, goodbye desktops? It’s really moving at a breakneck pace, and it’s hard to know what to do, and what will come to be the standard of tomorrow.

My thoughts? Many of these new technologies will be both fun and game changing for smaller companies and home users that don’t rely heavily on technology. Being able to utilize solutions that would have been completely out of reach financially.  For the 1-6 user environment, home and business, I buy it, 100%.  For the businesses that need technology to keep their employees functioning, leadership needs to be very careful.  Jumping after the latest solutions, to avoid a capital investment, without considering the long-term results, both overhead and productivity, is dangerous.  It not only could affect technology and finances, since the day-to-day of the business is so driven by automation, it could affect the very success or failure of the business.

More ramblings to come.  Have a great Labor Day!!

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services  www.passkeyinc.com

One thing that really got me pumped up about the “big announcement” yesterday, was the group Instant Messaging feature. So many times at my business we want to IM with more than two people. More than a one to one conversation. Add video to that it’s even cooler. This announcement, if it works well, could bring Facebook evene further into the business world. fun to watch.

Anyone use a good group IM tool they can share? I hear GTalk will do it if you’re logged into the web site. Haven’t checked it out yet though.

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services  www.passkeyinc.com

If you search the Internet you see 20 years. What do you think? 12? 15? 17?

How long do you let your computers go before you replace them?

I think I like 17. You’re 85 at 5 years old….and really starting to milk it from there.

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services  www.passkeyinc.com

Check out this great article by Dan Schroeder on Information Week’s site.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/global-cio/compliance/231000966

SAS 70 Is Dead: Hello Better Cloud Governance?

I love how he talks about ” transcend the checkbox”, and that so much of what SAS 70 is about needs to be revisited. That so many consumers view SAS 70 as a seal of approval. A bulletproof endorsement. He points out that’s far from reality.

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services  www.passkeyinc.com