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Leveraging the Cloud in the Modern Workplace

If you feel a bit “hazy” when it comes to understanding “the cloud,” you’re not alone. While many businesses have adopted cloud solutions in recent years, some leaders still have questions about what the cloud actually is and why they should use it.

In simple terms, the cloud refers to servers accessed over the internet that host applications and store data. Rather than storing data on local servers or personal devices, cloud computing allows you to access these apps and files from any internet-connected device.

There are a few types of clouds:

  • Public clouds that serve multiple customers (e.g. Microsoft 365, Dropbox)
  • Private clouds used by a single organization
  • Hybrid clouds that combine public and private elements

At Now Micro, we help clients implement cloud infrastructures to give them greater access, robust security, and more control. Moving to the cloud gets technology out of your way so you can stay focused on business priorities.

Other ways cloud technology is beneficial include:

  • Increased accessibility: The ability to access files and tools from anywhere on any device not only accommodates a hybrid work schedule, but also increases collaboration.
  • Scalability: You can easily add/remove features and users based on needs, rather than overpaying for unused capacity.
  • Enhanced security: Reputable providers invest heavily in security measures and best practices. Our team helps configure tools properly to keep your data safe.
  • Greater efficiency: Cloud providers handle maintenance and updates, freeing up your IT staff. Solutions also tend to be more user-friendly.

Now Micro helps you implement a cloud-based infrastructure, giving you unparalleled access, robust security and greater control in your environment. Moving the infrastructure to the cloud pushes technology out of the way so you can focus on your job.

If you have questions about moving infrastructure or workloads to the cloud, Now Micro has the expertise to help. Our core competencies around implementing cloud solutions include Office 365, Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, Teams, OneDrive, Power BI, Cloud PBX, Intune, and more.

With the right guidance, you can transition smoothly to the cloud and gain all the advantages it offers. Contact our Professional Services team to get started!

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Maximizing Your Microsoft Investment

Jon Anderson, Now Micro Senior Systems Consultant, answered some questions to help our customers get the most out of Microsoft.

  1. What are some hidden gems or underutilized features of Microsoft’s products that companies should be aware of?

One of the most valuable products that I regularly see being underutilized is the Microsoft Defender suite of tools. Organizations that own A3 / E3 licensing can take advantage of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 1, which includes several useful tools for securing devices. Organizations that own A5 / E5 licensing can further take advantage of Microsoft Defender for Endpoint with the Plan 2 license. Also included are tools like Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps and Microsoft Defender for Office 365.

There are also several products beyond the Defender suite of tools that I commonly see being licensed but underutilized or not used at all. Always on VPN, Windows Update for Business, Remote Help (for educational organizations), Conditional Access, Intune, Autopilot, and more. All the products in this list are included at some level in an A3 / E3 license.

2. How can organizations optimize their licensing to fully leverage Microsoft products capabilities?

I recommend reviewing the list of Microsoft licenses that are owned by the organization. Look at the list of features that are included in the license and determine if there is value in implementing any of the features that are currently unused. It is possible to apply different levels of licensing to multiple groups of users and/or devices. I’d recommend evaluating which features are required by the users / devices in the organization and purchasing the appropriate licenses to match the feature requirements.

3. How should companies determine which Microsoft apps/services are most valuable for their specific needs?

I recommend taking advantage of the trial licenses that Microsoft offers. Most of the licenses Microsoft offers are available to use in a trial mode. This allows for evaluating the features of the license without having to purchase it. Trial licenses can be a great tool for evaluating a feature in your own environment. If a longer period is needed to evaluate a product, another option is to buy a small number of licenses. Once the project is ready to move forward at a larger scale, more licenses can be purchased.

4. What are the biggest mistakes you see companies make when implementing Microsoft solutions?

The most common mistake I encounter is a rushed or incomplete implementation of a product. Often, a project may be started without a thorough understanding of the product or a clear goal for the end state. The result of this can be a product that does not work as expected and may require significant effort to fix or re-implement. My recommendation is to spend the time to learn about the product prior to implementing it in a production environment. A Microsoft partner (Now Micro) can also be a great resource to help get a product configured right the first time.

5. How can companies keep up with the rapid pace of innovation from Microsoft? What’s your advice for staying current and training employees on new Microsoft products?

Microsoft has an extensive library of free product documentation available online. Microsoft has also published many free training courses on a wide variety of topics. In addition to these great resources, there are also many Microsoft Tech Community blogs that are worth following. Finally, I’d recommend looking for active user groups in your area. A user group can be a great resource for both learning and networking.

6. For companies invested heavily in Microsoft, what does their IT/infrastructure roadmap need to factor in?

The cloud. Microsoft has been heavily pushing most of their product and service offerings into Azure, and I don’t see that trend changing or slowing down anytime soon. I recommend evaluating the tools and processes in your organization that currently rely on traditional on-premises resources to see if there is a path forward to the cloud.

Inquire with Now Micro to learn how we can support your technology efforts with our team of expert consultants.

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Streamlined Device Refreshes with Now Micro

Leveraging Customized Services to Simplify Purchasing, Provisioning, and Management.

Device refreshes allow organizations to take advantage of the latest technology and improve security, productivity and user experience. But for many companies, going through the process poses numerous hurdles.

At Now Micro, we understand those challenges and offer a partnership to make the process easier for our customers. We make device refreshes easy through our customized purchasing, provisioning, and ongoing management.

Tailored Purchasing

We start by understanding your specific needs and goals. Do you need laptops? Tablets? A mix? What applications and software will be required? Any specific security protocols?

Armed with this knowledge, we curate the ideal mix of devices purpose-built for your organization. Our experts handle procurement, leveraging our strong vendor relationships to get you the best pricing and products.

Streamlined Provisioning

Getting new devices deployed can eat up IT resources. We direct ship configured equipment right to your end users, ready to go out of the box. This includes imaging, software installation, security protocols, and any other customization.

Our imaging services save you time and effort while ensuring your new devices are optimized for your environment.

Ongoing Management

We also offer ongoing asset management to keep your technology up to date and secure. This includes order and device information, warranty lookup, open API, device monitoring, user editable fields, geotracking, IoT device management, and more.

With Now Micro as your device refresh partner, you get a tailored, turnkey experience. We handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on your core business. Contact us today to learn more!

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Windows LAPS: Keeping Your Organization Secure

Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS) is a feature that automatically manages and backs up the password of a local administrator account on your Azure Active Directory-joined or Windows Server Active Directory-joined devices. This solution is one of the most effective ways to protect administrator passwords and prevent unauthorized users from accessing systems or data that they shouldn’t. 

With Windows LAPS, passwords are automatically randomized and updated on a routine basis, so that no two users ever have the same passwords and that passwords don’t become stale and more vulnerable to hacking. This investment in security is crucial for protecting your organization’s data and ensuring peace of mind. This new version of the tool can be configured with Microsoft Intune and can store passwords in Azure Active Directory. 

At Now Micro, we understand the importance of keeping up with the latest technological advancements to help organizations take advantage of new programs. That’s why we stay on top of the news and partner with IT experts to ensure our clients have the most up-to-date hardware and software. 

Contact us at Now Micro to learn more about how we can help your organization take advantage of Windows LAPS and other cutting-edge technologies. Our team of experts can help implement the tool, making it super easy for our customers and their IT staff to manage and maintain security.
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Higher Education’s Future: Embracing Technology for a Better Learning Experience

The future of higher education is exciting as we strive to create a better learning experience for students. Technology plays a crucial role in offering new and innovative ways to enhance the educational experience.

The Challenge: Higher education today faces many technological challenges but with the right guidance, these can be navigated successfully. Some of the challenges include:

These issues have prompted a reevaluation of traditional approaches to education. Universities often depend on experts in the field to guide them in their hardware & software needs, ensuring their investments are effective.

Tech’s Role Today & Tomorrow: Technology is already being used in higher education to improve the learning experience through online courses, virtual classrooms, and digital resources. Exciting emerging trends are:

Investing in Technology for Higher Education: University IT budgets are increasing to support the adoption of new hardware and software. This investment is crucial for improving students’ and educators’ higher education experience.

The Benefits: Embracing technology in higher education can bring many benefits including:

  • Increased accessibility
  • Flexibility in schedules and learning styles
  • Personalization of the learning experience
  • Effective messaging and retainment of information

In summary, embracing technology in higher education is essential for creating a better learning experience for students. Having the correct and most up-to-date hardware is the first challenge. While keeping up with tech innovation can be tricky, partnering with IT experts who stay on top of the news makes it easier. Let’s embrace technology and shape the future of education together!

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Mastering Cybersecurity: Protecting Your Business from Evolving Threats

In today’s digital landscape, protecting your business from cyber threats is essential. Here are 5 efforts that will significantly enhance your cybersecurity status and minimize the risk of attacks. Let’s explore practical advice and best practices to safeguard your business against malware or other cyber-attacks.

  1. Strong Access Controls: Control access to systems and data with strong passwords, regular password changes, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). Apply the principle of least privilege to limit access. Regularly review and revoke access for employees who no longer require it.
  2. Up-to-Date Software and Systems: Keep operating systems, applications, and firmware updated with the latest security patches. Enable automatic updates and maintain an inventory of software and hardware assets to promptly address vulnerabilities.
  3. Robust Security Solutions: Invest in comprehensive security solutions, including firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, antivirus/anti-malware software, and email filters. Configure and update these solutions to match evolving needs.
  4. Employee Education and Training: Educate employees on cybersecurity best practices, such as identifying phishing emails, safe browsing habits, and password security. Foster a culture of accountability and encourage prompt reporting of suspicious activities.
  5. Incident Response Planning: Develop an incident response plan to minimize the impact of a cyber-attack. Define roles, establish communication protocols, and regularly test and update the plan to align with emerging threats.

Protecting your business from cyber threats requires a proactive and multi-layered approach. By implementing these efforts, you can significantly enhance your cybersecurity position. Remember, cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and staying informed and proactive is essential to safeguarding your business.

At Now Micro, we offer a variety of solutions to help you achieve cyber security and tackle the 5 tips above. Reach out to see how we can help!

Stay secure, stay safe!

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Transforming K-12 Education: The Power of Technology in Schools

Technology plays a huge role in the k-12 school system. It’s important to understand this role to create the best educational experience for students and teachers. The ever-changing world of technology brings some pretty cool opportunities.

Technology Helps Online Learning. One of the most evident applications of technology in K-12 education is online learning. Through online platforms and tools, students can access educational materials and resources from anywhere. This flexibility empowers students to learn at their own pace. Whether it’s watching educational videos, participating in virtual discussions, or completing interactive assignments, technology facilitates a dynamic and engaging learning environment.

Digital and cloud-based applications have revolutionized the way students interact with course content. Platforms like Kahoot, Quizlet, and Seesaw have gained popularity due to their interactive quizzes, flashcards, and collaborative features that promote active learning and student engagement. Teachers can easily create and share educational materials, monitor student progress, and provide personalized feedback through these platforms. The use of such applications not only enhances student learning but also makes the educational experience more enjoyable and interactive.

Perks of technology in school:

  1. Catering to diverse learning styles. Whether it’s visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners, technology provides various tools and resources to accommodate different learning preferences.
  2. Accessibility. With digital resources, students can access educational materials anytime and anywhere. Technology breaks down geographical and schedule barriers, allowing students to learn beyond the classroom.
  3. Expanded resource availability. Teachers can incorporate multimedia elements such as videos, interactive simulations, and virtual field trips into their lessons, enriching the learning experience.
  4. Increased Assessment tools for teachers. From online quizzes to automated grading systems, technology streamlines the assessment process and provides timely feedback, enabling teachers to monitor student progress effectively.

Advantages of Cloud-based technology in K-12:

  1. Remote configuration of devices. IT administrators can easily manage and maintain devices in a school setting, ensuring smooth operations.
  2. Controlled access levels on devices. Technology allows for the monitoring and control of content accessibility, ensuring students are exposed to appropriate materials.
  3. Enhanced security measures. Cloud-based technology provides robust security measures to protect sensitive information and mitigate potential risks.
  4. Information sharing. Facilitates the seamless sharing of information and resources among teachers and students, promoting collaboration and fostering a sense of community within the education ecosystem.

The use of technology in K-12 education aims to create an exceptional educational experience for both teachers and students. From online learning to digital applications and cloud-based technology, the integration of technology offers numerous perks. As technology continues to advance, it will undoubtedly play an increasingly pivotal role in shaping the future of K-12 education.

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Now Micro Inc Honored on the 2023 CRN Tech Elite 250 List

Mendota Heights, MN (April 11th, 2023) – Now Micro Inc. announced today that it was named to the 2023 Tech Elite 250 list by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company.

This annual list features leading solution providers of all sizes across the U.S. and Canada that differentiated themselves by achieving the highest level and largest breadth of certifications and specializations from key technology vendors in the infrastructure, cloud, and security spaces.

“We are honored to be recognized as a CRN Tech Elite 250 company,” said Patrick Finn, President of Now Micro, Inc. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team in staying at the forefront of the ever-evolving IT landscape, and our commitment to providing our customers with innovative technology solutions that drive their success.”

Now Micro, Inc. has a 30 year history of delivering best-in-class IT services to our customers. With a team of highly skilled and certified IT professionals, we are committed to staying ahead of the technology curve, continuously updating our knowledge and skills, and delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to achieve their business objectives.

As a recognized CRN Tech Elite 250 company, Now Micro, Inc. is well-positioned to continue delivering top-notch IT services to our valued customers. Our technical expertise, combined with our customer-centric approach, will continue to be the driving force behind our success as we strive to exceed our customers’ expectations and help them achieve their business goals.

Coverage of the Tech Elite 250 will be featured in the April issue of CRN Magazine and online at www.crn.com/techelite250.

About Now Micro Inc

Founded in 1993, Now Micro goes beyond the edge to help customers procure, deploy, and manage computing assets. With a blend of purpose-built hardware, factory automation and partnerships with industry giants including Intel, HP, Dell and Lenovo, Now Micro is uniquely positioned to help customers maximize investments in technology. www.NowMicroplayers.com illustrates Now Micro’s focus on purpose-built media players for use in digital signage, video wall and edge IoT. Now Micro further differentiates itself with complementary services designed to reduce deployment costs and improve customer experience. Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Now Micro partners with OEMs, IT and ProAV resellers and public sector government and education customers.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solutions providers and end users. Back by more than 40 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com

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Stable Diffusion on Form Factor Devices

In the tech news, you may have heard of the trend of using AI to create images from text. Many different models do this, but the newest model, Stable Diffusion, has released its code and model weights publicly, unlike previous proprietary text-to-image models like DALL-E and Midjourney which are only accessible via the cloud. Developed by Stability AI, CompVis LMU, and Runway, Stable Diffusion can run on most consumer or commercial hardware equipped with at least 8GB VRAM.

Chief Technology Officer of Now Micro, Bernard Carter, has made a vlog series using Stable Diffusion on OpenVINO with various hardware. Watch the videos below to learn more about this emerging technology.

NUC11ATKPE Stable Diffusion on OpenVINO

Utilizing the CPU on a NUC11ATKPE (Atlas Canyon) NUC to run Stable Diffusion via OpenVINO.

NUC12DCMi9 Stable Diffusion on OpenVINO CPU Only

Utilizing Stable Diffusion on OpenVINO to run text-to-image prompts with only the Intel CPU in a Dragon Canyon NUC.

Now Micro DMP-4010X Stable Diffusion on OpenVINO

Running Stable Diffusion on an 18-core Intel Xeon processor via OpenVINO

To learn more about utilizing our OEM embedded devices and services, visit https://www.nowmicro.com/purposebuilt

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World Teachers’ Day: How technology can make teachers’ lives better

Teachers are essential to schools and student learning. They impart academic knowledge and social and emotional tools that boost students’ long-term life outcomes. In addition, teachers inspire future generations of leaders and innovators that shape our society.

Technology can ensure teachers have the right tools and expertise to do their jobs. In our ever-growing digital world, it’s also essential for teachers. Here is how IT administrators can guarantee the technology is used intentionally in the classroom

1. Technology is not the end-all-be-all solution, but it can be a solution to various problems.

There are many challenges in education that all have different solutions. One can’t just throw new laptops or tablets into a classroom and expect it to be a utopia. However, technology can help solve more minor issues, as shown in the table below.

ChallengeTechnology Solution
Communication with parents and students is unorganized and confusingA classroom site can help a teacher streamline all communication and be a resource for parents and students
Illness or weather keeps causing students to be absentProviding laptops or tablets so they can still do their work at home
Students are at different levels in the curriculum, and it’s hard to give everyone attention.Virtual learning tools allow teachers to make lessons that actively engage students at all learning levels. (More here: https://ozobot.com/blog/27-tech-tools-teachers-can-use-to-inspire-classroom-creativity)

2. Investing in training and support is essential.

Each teacher comes into each school year with unique skills and knowledge related to technology. IT administrators should provide training and support on new technologies they implement to guarantee that teachers can use them successfully. Also, if teachers have any questions, there need to be resources or people available to help answer their questions.

3. Testing technology will ensure that it works, is used, and increases learning.

IT education administrators must continually monitor technology performance to ensure that implementation and training are worthwhile. Every school or classroom runs differently, so what works in one may not work in another. The fun of technology is that there is always something new out there or improvements to existing technology that could help, so IT administrators should always research new classroom tools.

To learn more about education solutions from Now Micro, visit https://www.nowmicro.com/.