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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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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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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/.

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Saving Money with a Managed Service Provider – By the Numbers

In previous blog posts, we have explained that working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can help your company save money. But what does that mean? Below we will prove how MSPs will help your bottom line by the numbers.

  1. A recent IBM research report states that almost 27% of organizations outsource to reduce costs. 
  2. A McKinsey Global Institute study states outsourcing IT services reduces costs by 60% in the US. 
  3. An MIT Sloan Management Review study witnessed a drop of $121.14 million in non-IT operating costs as IT outsourcing increased to $96.14 million
  4. As per a Deloitte study, 64% of the companies consider cost-savings as the primary factor driving them towards outsourcing.

Outsourcing is the way to go if reducing costs is on your mind. But, you must be clear that it is more than just that. A cost-saving-focused approach to outsourcing is good, but you cannot disregard the other pros of outsourcing. It can save time, offer you the latest tech stack, let your managers focus on the core functions, and much more.

Outsourcing is undoubtedly the future, and if you need to stay competitive, working with Now Micro can take you to new heights. Now Micro’s goal is to provide services and solutions for every aspect of your technology needs. We have got you covered from end-users to enterprise data centers and up to the cloud.

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6 Benefits of Moving to a Cloud-Based Infrastructure

What is the cloud?  

The cloud refers to servers that run on the internet rather than a local physical server. This system allows you to access data remotely. A few examples of cloud services are Google Drive, Apple iCloud, and Microsoft OneDrive, to name a few.  

What is a Cloud Infrastructure? 

A cloud infrastructure is much like a physical/on-prem infrastructure. A Cloud infrastructure mimics things like servers, switches, storage, etc. Computing, networking, storage, and virtualization make up a cloud infrastructure.  

What are some of the benefits of a business moving to the cloud? 

  • Increased Security 
  • Cost Savings 
  • Disaster Recovery 
  • Reduced Risk 
  • Collaboration across teams 
  • Better Accessibility 

Increased Security 

One of the most beneficial aspects of the cloud is security. Unfortunately, no matter who you are, you are at risk from hackers, malware, phishing, and other cyber-attacks. Moving to the cloud can add an extra layer of support for your important data.  

  • When you store a file in the cloud, your files are encrypted, which means the files are difficult for cybercriminals to access.  
  • The cloud provides consistent and regular patches, reducing malware infection risk. 
  • When a business has critical data, it is far safer to keep that information off-site.  
  • With the cloud, it is easier to maintain compliance requirements. 

Cost Savings $$$ 

Cost is a significant factor when businesses decide to move to the cloud or not. Therefore, looking at the initial cost of making the migration and all the benefits of a cloud-based infrastructure is essential. For example, 98% of organizations say a single hour of downtime costs over $100,000 https://www.the20.com/blog/the-cost-of-it-downtime/#:~:text=According%20to%20Gartner%2C%20the%20average,hour%20at%20the%20higher%20end.  

Disaster Recovery  

Disasters happen; we all know that. Unfortunately, downtime for a business can be one of the most costly challenges a company faces because it leads to a loss of productivity, revenue, and reputation. With a cloud-based infrastructure, your business can recover far quicker than you can if a physical server fails. 

Reduced Risk 

When your data is stored in physical hardware like a computer or server, it is at a greater risk of loss. For example, if the server fails or the computer dies, you might not be able to get your data back. Things like viruses, age, and natural disasters can all cause hardware to malfunction. In addition, they can also be lost or stolen, posing a security risk.  

You can access your data from any computer anywhere when you store your data on a cloud-based server.  

Collaboration across teams 

The cloud allows employees within the same organization to share information and collaborate on documents or other important company data. For example, with SharePoint, four employees can be working on the same document simultaneously, and the most recent version will be saved and accessible to all employees who have access.  

Better Accessibility 

Since the start of the pandemic, many businesses have decided to allow their employees to work from home part-time, if not 100% of the time. The cloud enables employees to access their company’s network from anywhere. In addition, they can access critical files and data from anywhere, increasing productivity and efficiency.  

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5 steps to securing identity infrastructure

According to Microsoft, in Azure Active Directory, there are 50 million password attacks daily, yet only 20% of users and 30% of global admins are using strong authentications such as multi-factor authentication (MFA). Attackers who get control of privileged accounts can do tremendous damage, so it’s critical to protect these accounts. Read our checklist to learn more:

Strengthen your credentials
Strengthen your credentials by enabling strong authentication, banning commonly attacked passwords, implementing expiration rules, protecting against leaked credentials, adding resilience against outages, and implementing AD FS extranet smart lockout.

Reduce your attack service area
Reduce your attack service area by implementing cloud authentication, blocking legacy authentication, blocking invalid authentication entry points, implementing privilege access management, and restricting user consent operations.

Automate threat response
Automate threat response by implementing sign-in and user risk security policies, integrating Microsoft 365 Defender with Azure AD identity protection, and setting up monitoring and alerting.

Utilize Cloud Intelligence
To utilize cloud intelligence, your organization should monitor Azure AD, Azure AD Connect Health in hybrid environments, Azure AD Identity Protection events, apps, and consented permissions.

Enable end-user self-service
Implementing self-service password reset, self-service group and application access, Azure AD access reviews, and automatic user provisioning will create efficient ways for end-users to secure your organization’s identity infrastructure.

Now Micro Professional Services

Systems Management
We create a simplified desktop and data center management experience for your robust, complex, and heterogeneous environments. Through configuration and automation of systems management tasks, we allow you to keep control of your complex IT business, whether it is on-premises, in the cloud, or across the country.


Cloud Productivity
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.


Identity Management
Our identity management solutions help you create simplified synchronization between identities on-premises and in the cloud while allowing administrators to monitor user access and behavior.

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How to Equip Your Office for Hybrid Work

The ongoing pandemic is changing the way companies are structured. Remote work adds flexibility to workers’ lives and protects them from COVID-19, while in-person work allows staff to communicate nuances and socialize. Companies are now offering their employees the best of both worlds: a hybrid office. Read our top 4 tips on providing the right technology for a smooth transition into hybrid work.

Hoteling Stations

The new hybrid office system can look different for every company or for different departments within one company. For example, not all employees work on the same day in many companies, so to save space, a company could opt to have unassigned desks, also known as hoteling. Pairing hoteling with seamless workstations makes for a great hybrid office that saves space and money.

Invest in seamless workstations

After working the last two years at home, many employees have perfected their home technology to be able to work exactly how they want. However, with hybrid schedules, going back and forth between home and the office can be quite the hassle if you’re bringing things like laptops, headsets, and charging cables back and forth. A way to solve that challenge is to invest in seamless workstations for assigned desks or hotel stations. The arrangement can look different depending on each company’s needs. The setup used at Now Micro allows staff to bring only their laptops and plug them into monitors, which connect the laptop to charging, a wireless keyboard, and a mouse.

Conference Room AV Setup

Some days employees may choose to be in the office, while others work remotely. However, that doesn’t mean meetings have to only occur in person on only by video. Simply adding a small media player, a display on the wall, a web camera, and a speaker/microphone can equip conference rooms to help teams collaborate no matter where they are working.

Borderless Data Center

Storing company data can be challenging when employees are based in many locations. A solution to this is the borderless data center. The borderless data center is a hybrid cloud concept that brings the basic tenants of cloud computing to the brick-and-mortar data center for seamless application operation. Disaggregating the traditional physical infrastructure through a cloud-enabled Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) facilitates a software-defined, unified system combining all the elements of a conventional data center: storage, compute, networking, and management into a cloud infrastructure on-premises with lower costs, more control, and improved security.

Office setup and workplace culture are not going back to the way things were before. Therefore, it is essential to adapt to the times and equip offices that push us towards a more innovative future. Now Micro and its partners are here to help your office transition to a hybrid office. To learn more, visit nowmicro.com or email sales@nowmicro.com.

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Now Micro Expands to New Location

Now Micro rang in the new year with a ribbon-cutting at our new headquarters in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. Just a short drive from the previous address in Saint Paul, the new facility accommodates a growing services organization, expands warehouse and production capabilities, and caters to a new hybrid workplace culture.

Hybrid Office

The move to a larger facility coincides with changing workplace dynamics driven by the pandemic. Thanks to today’s technology, most organizations can now accommodate both remote and hybrid work models. Accounting for accessibility, uptime, and security is essential for successful remote or hybrid environments, but it can be difficult for organizations to adjust quickly. As a result, IT departments and organizations have had to change strategies to manage PCs and peripherals, data centers, collaboration technologies and provide sufficient help desk support for end-users. 

We built our new facility with a hybrid workplace in mind. Permanent offices and cubes are available to anyone who chooses to be in the office. Hoteling cubes and workspaces are open to employees who split time between working remotely and in-office. Microsoft Always On VPN technology keeps our sales team securely connected to our ERP systems as if they were in the office. While Microsoft Teams has been in place for some time, it is now our primary communication tool. The use of video in calls has increased substantially.

Digital Signage

Having digital signage engineers on staff has been a big help in deploying visual communications throughout the building. There are 15 displays installed throughout the building, with the majority focused on tracking business metrics in the warehouse and manufacturing space. In addition, the displays in the front office serve to greet customers and provide real-time performance metrics to our sales team.

Solutions

Now Micro has embraced these changes to lead by example and help accommodate customers in this different work world. As a result, demand for our services has increased. So we’re here to answer the challenging questions:

1.    How can my organization successfully provide technical support if no one is in the office?

2.    Where do my end-users go if they need troubleshooting on their devices?

3.    How do I solve connectivity issues with an end-user’s home Wi-Fi network? 

4.    How can I keep track of my organization’s devices when users’ offices are across the state or country?

2022 is off to a great start at Now Micro. We are excited about our new facility, a new hybrid-work environment, and a new skill set to give our customers additional support to enable their digital transformation.

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Five Reasons Why SMBs will invest in an MSP in 2022 

As times change, business owners need to adapt. Here are some reasons why an SMB may be considering an MSP

1. Modernizing IT 

As SMBs move to modernize their IT, they don’t have the expertise to keep up with the complexities of managing and maintaining their IT environment.

2. Employee Growth

Despite the pandemic, many organizations are growing rapidly. But unfortunately, some can’t keep up with the growth. For example, they can’t continuously upgrade and install the number of endpoints, onboard new employees, or educate them on the best security practices.  

3. Not enough IT support

Many SMBs do not have an internal IT employee, and one of their employees must take it on as an extra job responsibility which decreases productivity. If they do have an IT employee, they often are faced with more pressure than they can handle alone.

4. Outside threats

 Over half of businesses have faced some type of financial cyberattack in the last year; most SMBs don’t have the resources to combat these risks internally.

5. Compliance

Compliance is a tricky concept for most SMBs. Working with an MSP can help them adhere to the often changing regulations.

Since most businesses rely nearly entirely on the internet to perform their day-to-day operations, an important goal for SMBs is to strategize and prioritize digital transformation. Unfortunately, this is no small task and can be very overwhelming for SMBs. However, a Managed Service Provider can take on the entirety of IT management, allowing them to mitigate risk, get the best return on their technology investments, and educate their employees.

If you are interested in learning more about how Now Micro can help you manage your IT more effectively, or you’d be interested in receiving a free network assessment, reach out to Sydney Ellison at sydneye@nowmicro.com or check out our website.