Posted on

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!

Learn more here:

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

Top 4 Windows 11 Interface Updates

Microsoft has launched the all-new Windows 11, bringing users some much-needed improvements and updates. Take a look at the top 4 interface updates on Windows 11:

Overall Interface

The Windows 11 interface will soon rival the design world’s beloved MacOS interface. Features include a cleaner, minimalist design with rounded corners and light, pastel shades.

Start Button

Since Windows 95, the Windows Start Button has always been in the lower-left corner. On Window’s 11, it will now be placed at the bottom center of the screen. This is one of the most significant changes in interface and navigation, allowing the start button to be more visible.

Taskbar

When Windows 11 first rolled out, users found the taskbar not as configurable as Windows 10, and some customization needed to be done. Since then, Microsoft has made some changes making the taskbar more manageable. For example, users can decide whether the taskbar shows more of their chosen pins, recommendations from the software, or the default combination of both. Users can also view the full taskbar on 2nd or 3rd monitors and choose the size of the taskbar.

Microsoft Teams Integration

Microsoft Teams is essential for productivity with the continued importance of remote work. Microsoft Teams will be located in the Windows taskbar, allowing the app to be more integrated than before. This is comparable to Apple’s FaceTime app in macOS, where launching video calls is easy to navigate. As always, Microsoft Teams will be available on Mac, iOS, Android devices, and Windows PCs.

Now Micro is ready to deploy devices that are compatible with Windows 11 for your organization. Visit our website or reach out to our Senior Systems Consultant and Windows expert, Jon Anderson at jona@nowmicro.com to learn how you can integrate Windows 11 into your network.

Posted on

How to prevent laptop battery swelling and explosion

Now Micro’s Technical Services team has seen an uptick in hardware repairs involving rechargeable laptop batteries swelling. Swollen batteries are caused by an overflow of current inside the battery’s cell, generating heat and gas to build up and potentially burst into flames. You may have heard of cases like that involving cellphones on airplanes where the DOT banned specific models. Battery swelling is becoming a common issue because laptops and cellphones are getting slimmer, and therefore, batteries are getting smaller and have less room for current flow.

Here are ways you can prevent your laptop battery from swelling and exploding.

Don’t leave your device connected to a charger all day.

Leaving devices plugged in for extended periods cause the battery to overcharge. Most rechargeable batteries are supposed to discharge and recharge in a cycle, so constantly connected batteries can’t reach their capacity. If you’re working remotely, remember to unplug your laptop at the end of the day.

Replace your device battery if it’s broken or not performing efficiently.

If a battery becomes damaged, for example, by dropping your device or spilling liquid, the battery may have difficulty working correctly. If the battery is old, it may also start underperforming. You may try to find a solution by just charging the battery more, but as we said before, the battery can overheat when it’s overcharged. All batteries get old over time, so it’s a great idea to replace them.

Use the correct charger.

Finding a cheaper version of your laptop’s charger may seem like a savvy money saver but having the wrong charger can cost you in the long run. Make sure you find the right charger with the same power output for your device to run smoothly.

Upgrade your laptop when it’s out of warranty

Laptop manufacturers are constantly upgrading the battery functions of their devices. In 2021, we’re seeing a trend of “smart charging” features in new devices. These devices will maintain battery or stop charging once the battery is at or around 95% when plugged in. Now Micro can help you find the right laptop for your organization that fits all your charging needs.

Store the device in a cool, dry environment

Keeping your laptop safe and secure will help it last longer and prevent accidental damage. While working remotely, it can be tempting to laying on the couch or in bed with your laptop, but this can cause the laptop to overheat. Try using a lap desk with a built-in fan instead to prevent your computer from overheating.

Be sure to treat your device with care. Now Micro is always here to help with hardware repairs for your organization’s devices. Learn more about Now Micro’s Technical Services here.

Posted on

Now Micro Launches Device Management Software, DICE

Now Micro, known for its expertise in computer hardware and services, introduces DICE, a software solution that helps organizations manage computing devices from the time of purchase and throughout the lifecycle of the product.

Last year and continuing today, the rapid shift to remote learning and work from home environments created challenges for IT departments, specifically in the areas of asset management, system security, and tech support. Almost overnight, organizations had to purchase, configure and deploy computing devices to support an increased number of remote employees, students, and educators.  With this, came all the associated technical support challenges ranging from hardware malfunctions to internet connectivity and general usage challenges such as logging into Zoom calls.  

“You’d be surprised how many organizations are tracking device information in spreadsheets.  DICE not only puts real-time device data at their fingertips but allows for remote troubleshooting and restoration, saving time and eliminating costs associated with shipping a device back for repair,” says Bernard Carter, CTO at Now Micro.

Previously, organizations might have used numerous spreadsheets and invoices in different places to keep track of purchases and separate software to enable remote technical assistance. Now Micro recognized the need for a software solution that enables quick access to device information through a centralized, real-time online portal.  Streamlining device lifecycle management activities is crucial for organizations that have hundreds or thousands of devices under their supervision.

DICE is available in two versions with the base package included at no charge with every device purchased from Now Micro.  Customers may upgrade to the paid version that includes additional features outlined in the table below. Pricing is based on device count and administrator access.

DICE DICE Complete
Dashboard Device Monitoring
Order information IoT Device Management
Device information Import & Manage Assets
Warranty lookup DICE Live – Real Time Status
Open API User Editable Fields

To learn more about Now Micro and DICE, visit nowmicro.com/dice.