Many things cause a business owner to have
nightmares — at the top of the list is a computer failure that stops operations
in its tracks. Unfortunately, no company is immune to the threat of data failure. Recently,
for retail giant Target, the fear became a reality as nearly every register in
all stores throughout the United States went down.
Fortunately, the system outage only lasted two hours. But, that two hours of downtime cost Target roughly $50 million in lost sales and caused their stock shares to drop by two percent. In reality, Target’s ability to go from a catastrophic outage to getting back online in such a short time is a huge accomplishment. With significant IT infrastructure in place to respond, the company could investigate the problem, determine that there had been no data breach, and reboot all systems to full operation quickly. For the company, assuring that no data had been compromised was vital. In 2013, a data breach affected 41 million customers and resulted in a legal settlement costing them millions.
How you protect your data is critical to the success of your business — no matter your size. For a health organization, your data includes detailed medical and insurance information. There are endless client files and records for law offices, financial planners have high-level access to sensitive financial portfolios, the list goes on. No matter the industry, data is critical. In many cases, data security methods are heightened by legally mandated regulations like HIPAA and PCI.
Be Prepared
So, how do you protect your company from
cybersecurity threats and data failure? Target spends hundreds of millions of
dollars each year. The key is to find an affordable technology partner who you
can trust. As seen in the Target event, data issues and cyber attacks don’t
only happen during business hours. You have to be prepared to respond
24/7. At
Now Micro, we make it a priority to be available when the need for help arises.
Our service desk technicians answer the phone live 24 hours a day. But
that is only a tiny piece of your Cyber Security response plan. Most of our
work occurs before disaster strikes. We help ensure that you have up-to-date
systems needed to prevent an attack or data failure and back-ups in place when
an attack occurs.
Your Industry Needs
Although all industries need comprehensive data and cybersecurity infrastructure, the needs vary depending on the types of data stored and industry-specific regulatory requirements. Here is a shortlist of how Now Micro customizes our services to serve the cybersecurity needs of different industries:
Manufacturing
We protect your intellectual property — the core of your ability to be profitable for the long term — and put in place processes to ensure the reliability of manufacturing operations.
Healthcare
HIPAA and other compliance requirements are critical in the healthcare industry. We address these needs and ensure brand protection, secure connectivity, and offer a unified security platform.
Small and Midsize Businesses
Each small and midsize business has its own unique needs, with expense management a key factor. Therefore, we provide affordable options, giving you access to the same level of expertise that large companies have at their disposal.
Retail
In a retail operation, the ability to continually process transactions without hiccups is critical. We help you ensure the reliability of your POS system while also assisting with compliance needs.
Law & Finance
Legal and financial institutions/advisors need to secure sensitive data and are subject to intense compliance regulations. We help ensure all needs are met and a backup system in place to allow recovery in the event of a data attack or failure.
Ready to Serve
Information technology and cybersecurity are
overwhelming topics, but they don’t have to be. Click here to learn more about our comprehensive IT and Cyber
Security services. Give Now Micro
a call today, and we can work together to define a plan that meets your needs
so that you can relax knowing that your business is well cared for.
Now Micro has recently launched a new vlog series called What’s in the Lab. This series features Bernard Carter, Chief Technology Officer, going over various players we have in our lab. Our innovative digital signage & IoT solutions and services help customers from a range of industries better procure, deploy, manage and secure their visual communication devices.
Our first video covers the Lenovo ThinkEdge SE30, a rugged media player built to face the most hostile environments. The SE30 also uses the latest 11th Generation Intel® processors that run Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning to deliver the insights you need. The unit is also fanless and can function in a thermal range of -20 – 60C.
Stay tuned to our YouTube channel every Thursday for the next 4 weeks to see how our solutions and services can take your IoT beyond the edge!
To learn more about Now Micro and our purpose-built digital signage and IoT solutions, visit https://www.nowmicro.com/.
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 who have hundreds or thousands of devices under
their supervision.
DICE is available in three versions with the base package
included at no charge with every device purchased from Now Micro. Customers may upgrade to two paid versions
that include additional features outlined in the table below. Pricing is based
on device count and administer access.
DICE
DICE+
DICE Complete
Dashboard
Real time device status
Geotracking devices
Order information
Driver information
Remote device support
Device information
Graphic adapter information
KVM
Warranty lookup
Monitor detection
File System
Open API
Usage information
Console
To learn more about Now Micro and DICE, visit nowmicro.com.
Now Micro is excited to announce Bernard Carter’s promotion to Chief Technology Officer. After working for the last year and a half as the Vice President of Technology, he will continue leading our commitment to innovating device lifecycle management for our partners.
Bernard Carter has a track record of success in infrastructure, security management, and software development at Fortune 500 companies and in the public sector. In 2013, Carter started working for Now Micro. Under his leadership, his teams have successfully developed hardware and software solutions for IoT, digital signage and device lifecycle management.
How is this new role different from your previous?
BC: My previous role was Vice President of Technology. This new position reflects our changing role with our customers from procuring devices to really being an integral piece of the device lifecycle management journey. The concept is a message we have been communicating to our customers for years, but I do think this new role really doubles down on Now Micro’s commitment to be part of the journey/solution and moving beyond a transactional relationship to true partnership.
Anything you would like to plug about DICE?
BC: Our official launch of DICE 4 is next month. I am beyond excited about this release as it reflects feedback from our customers, consultants and technicians. Having a team to bring all of it together is a distinct privilege for me as it reflects the trust the organization has placed in us building our future with customers.
What are you looking forward to in this role and for Now Micro in general?
BC: Leading a focused technology organization has always been a dream of mine. My team at Now Micro really gets that technology is more than buying a box- the effectiveness of our technology really has a huge human component, and that value is reflected in this organization and our mission. I am also looking forward to eventually meeting with customers face to face again and having some time to build technology demos/talks to share.
Chromebooks stored in Now Micro’s warehouse in St. Paul, MN
The 2020-2021 school year has been one of the most innovating and challenging times in educational technology. According to a survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, 80% of households with school-age children used online resources for distance learning in 2020, so having the right equipment is essential for quality education. Schools, and also businesses, are having to react quickly to procure, customize and distribute technology to their users. For many districts and universities this is an impossible feat without the support from Now Micro.
Over the next month, Now Micro will procure, warehouse, customize and distribute more than 30,000 Chromebooks to students and educators. Flexibility in our warehouse and production processes, combined with highly trained technicians, allow us to produce roughly 1,000 units a day in our Saint Paul, MN facility.
The imaging center at Now Micro
As a Certified Google White Glove service provider, Now Micro manages the enrollment and configuration of Chromebooks on behalf of the schools. This service saves K-12 schools and universities time, money and organizational headaches and allows them to focus on education.
The Now Micro Certified White Glove Services for Chromebooks include:
Enrollment of the device to the customer domain
Enterprise enrollment and validation
Application of network configuration settings
Wireless Configuration (Wi-Fi SSID and Pre-shared key)
Management Console Training
Now Micro Imaging services:
Populate custom fields in the Google Chromebook Management Console with your required data
Assign devices to the correct organization unit
Utilize Now Micro’s DICE Portal to allow you to see all of your devices combined with purchasing and hardware data in an easy to use, exportable format
Now Micro staff working on Chromebook customization
To learn how Now Micro can help your organization meet its technology needs, visit https://www.nowmicro.com/ or contact Marty Linden, Vice President of Sales at martyl@nowmicro.com
Evaluating Services and Hardware for Remote Collaboration
What Should You Consider?
Events in early 2020 forced nearly every industry to reconsider at least some part of how their employees communicate and collaborate. Some organizations had a high level of maturity with collaboration and conferencing tools, while others made hasty decisions on tools and hardware to prevent disruptions in the workforce.
Looking back six months’ later, even if some miracle technology ends the global health crisis tomorrow, the idea of working remotely is most certainly a cat running free of its proverbial bag. As IT decision makers and admins, it is time to look back at the solutions and decisions we made at the beginning of the year and ask the following questions…
Are our users empowered or hindered by our communications and collab tools?
Are the services and solutions we spun up the best fit and return on investment?
Are the services and solutions secure and compliant?
Have we been able to integrate our existing apps and services into our new solutions?
Do our users have the right hardware and peripherals to leverage the services?
In this blog post I would like to highlight a common crossroad that most organizations find themselves at. I hope to dissect the most popular tools and services on the market and hopefully get the reader to consider somethings they may have not otherwise.
What Kind of Tool Am I Looking For?
Let us look at the functionalities that logically separate each tool. Most tools are not limited to a single functionality, so evaluating what each tool can do and whether you can leverage the functionality now or in the future is important.
Conferencing/Meeting Solutions
Conferencing solutions have been a staple in the professional world for over a decade. However, many organizations found a drastic increase in the number of users that required a meeting/conferencing tool to do their jobs in the early months of 2020. What defines a conferencing/meeting solution?
Dial-in conferencing
Video and audio meetings
Screen sharing
Meeting chat
Presentation
Collaboration Tools
While conferencing/meeting solutions can certainly fall in the realm of collaboration, more purpose-built apps for team collaboration are available. Some of the features common to tools built for collaboration are…
Persistent chat
Integrated file shares
Document/file co-authoring
Shared notes
Shared application within a collaboration tool wrapper
Whiteboard Persistence
PSTN Calling Services
Working remotely can present a challenge to organizations reliant on a on premise resources for telephony. Ideally, we do not want to be back hauling our VOIP calls through the VPN to our network only to go out to the end destination. Cloud PBX options have matured rapidly over the past five years. It is not uncommon to find a VOIP solution integrated with other collaboration tools. Example of PSTN calling services are…
Cloud PBX – Place calls over the public switched telephone network (Hard or Soft Phones)
Cloud Voicemail
Hunt groups
What Should You Considering When Selecting a Conferencing/Collaboration Tool?
Whether you are evaluating a new or existing tool, it is important to identify what considerations will be most pertinent to your choice. Those considerations can act as a filter and help you to identify which choice may or may not be right for your organization.
Current Ecosystem
What tools are you already leveraging? Does your organization have familiarity with a vendor already? Is there existing cloud infrastructure you can leverage in the new tool?
How will the tool be used? Considering how existing tools are being used and how they may be used in the future can help you narrow in on the appropriate choice.
Who will be using the tool? Most organizations do not have the luxury of a single business unit with similar user types. Often tools that are a good fit in one department, may not lend themselves to another. Taking stock of the needs of each business unit can inform your selection
Pricing/Licensing
How much is the tool going to cost? The pricing a vendor may offer is only a piece of the total cost. It is important to consider if any other tools can be retired as the new tool is put in place. An addition in licensing for one tool may result in an elimination or reduction in the licensing for another.
Do you already have licensing or partial licensing? Many vendors such as Microsoft or Google package total or partial licensing for these tools with licensing you may already own. It may be possible to pilot or even rollout a new tool with no additional licensing cost.
Organization Culture
How willing are your users to adopt a new tool? The tolerance of change is something varies drastically from organization to organization. Communication, training, and evangelism for technology changes can be the difference between grateful productive user and confused reluctant users.
What is it going take to manage the tool? Fortunately, the labor investment to manage most cloud tools is minimal when compared to legacy systems of the past. However, it is important to consider configuration and troubleshooting when factoring management costs.
Comparing Conferencing Solutions
Let us look at some of the most popular conferencing solutions. How do they stack up?
Comparing Collaboration Tools
In contrast to the conferencing solutions, a good collaboration tool should be the hub of your organizations business units. Features like document co-authoring and integrated file shares have been around awhile but are more important in a remote collaboration scenario. Collaboration tools can also act as a single pane of glass for files, chats and the apps your users need to access.
Google
Persistent Chat = Google Rooms
File Share/File Collaboration = Google Drive, Document Coauthoring
Notes = Google Keep (collaborative?)
App integration = Support through third party apps like Zapier
Slack
Persistent Chat = Slack Channels – Public and Private
File Share/File Collaboration = File sharing through channel attachments
Notes = no
App integration = no native support
TEAMS
Persistent Chat = Teams Channels – Public and Private
File Share/File Collaboration = O365 groups backend – Included SharePoint Library for each Team/Channel, Document Coauthoring
Notes = OneNote Shared Notebooks
App integration = Prebuilt app integration for most apps. Free app development tools for customs apps
Hardware and Device Considerations
In 2020 we are lucky to have a multitude of services to enable remote workers and drive collaboration even when we are apart. After we have done our evaluations and made our choices, how do we make sure our users are getting the best out of the tools we have provided? How do we make sure we are putting our best foot forward to our clients?
One key area is evaluating the devices these tools will be used on. We have all been in a meeting where we could not see or properly hear some of the participants. While sometimes that can be the fault of the service itself or downstream network issues that are out of our control, we can prevent issues that may arise from outdated or legacy devices. The way we approach collaboration has changed, so it follows that the devices we collaborate on will be changing as well.
Video
Are the integrated camera’s in our devices sufficient?
Sensor quality?
Low light quality?
Presentation worthy?
Changes in lighting equipment?
Audio
Integrated microphones and speakers can be problematic
Do your users need to be mobile while collaborating/conferencing?
Headsets or conference speakers?
Custom Solutions
As collaboration services integrate themselves into our day to day, looking for ways to improve our interaction with them is a natural next step. Luckily the choices for purpose-built hardware that pair with almost any service are increasing every day.
Conferencing Room Hardware
High quality conferencing hardware dedicated to a specific space
Microsoft Teams and Zoom Solutions (Surface Hub, Zoom Rooms)
Audio and video solutions
May include whiteboards or touchscreens
Mobile Collaboration Stations/Bars
Cheaper alternatives to dedicated room setups
Does not have to be a dedicated to specific space
Offers more options for conferencing and presenting space
In summary, It’s important, as we push into a new collaboration paradigm that we make sure we select the appropriate tools to enable collaboration but we are also providing the proper training, support and hardware to get a full return out of our investments.
No matter the umbrella a solution is placed under- IoT, visual communications, or embedded, endpoints are driving more use cases in the real world while also generating and processing ever increasing amounts of information. Generating data shouldn’t be the end goal, the insights and action generated is key to driving value. While traditionally, this data may be uploaded and processed in cloud based infrastructure, Edge Computing changes this pattern in key ways by performing latency sensitive and data intensive computation local to the source of data to drive additional capabilities while containing cloud infrastructure costs.
Several common types of solutions can benefit from Edge Computing. Video analytics is an example of a workload that can cost prohibitive to use in cloud driven infrastructure from a bandwidth and resources perspective. Not sending constant video frames to cloud infrastructure greatly reduces the necessary cloud infrastructure to support the workload. Moving video analytics to an edge computing device also unlocks additional capabilities by lowering latency, including customizing messages to the audience and providing attribution in Digital Out of Home (DOOH) communication applications.
Other data driven, real-time and response applications that can show significant benefit from edge computing: • Container application platform • Content caching • Rapid device provisioning and restoration
Now Micro has built a number of solutions on our existing Visual Data Device (VDD) and Edge Cluster platforms: • ImageSync – A high performance and secure file synchronization and system imaging/provisioning solution • Edge Cluster – A compact, high performance platform for containerized applications
We consider these solutions only the beginning of the possibilities of Edge Computing. There are numerous application specific workloads that can benefit from low latency and high performance computing on-premise. We look forward to working with integrators, ISVs and end customers to help design and build these future looking solutions.
For further Information • To view our full range of IoT/Digital Signage devices: https://nowmicroplayers.com • High performance Visual Data Device specification computing appliances – https://nowmicroplayers.com/Solutions/VisualDataDevice • Our new container optimized container workload device: https://nowmicroplayers.com/Embedded/Product/DMPN-7i3-i5-i7-Cluster
This post is the second part of a two-part series on configuring and deploying the Microsoft Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS). The first post covered the steps needed to configure Active Directory to support LAPS. That post can be found here . This post will cover the steps needed to enable the LAPS functionally on devices. Continue reading “Configuring LAPS (Part 2)- Configuring and Deploying Group Policy”
Have you ever had a deployment or maybe a security change that happened with no one noticing? Maybe you’re working with a team and someone accidentally deployed to the wrong collection. We all have busy schedules, it’s not easy stay on top of changes or deployments in Configuration Manager. Therefore, we need to take advantage of the built-in status system. This post will walk you through creating a status filter rule that sends an email whenever a security setting is created, modified, or deleted in ConfigMgr. Continue reading “Email Notification for Security Changes in ConfigMgr”
A Look at How to Deliver a Rich and Cost Effective Video Wall Project
Video walls are digital signage installations that comprise more than a single display. Content is typically displayed seamlessly across the displays, providing a large format and immersive experience that can deliver diverse types of content. While videos and informational overlays are a popular content choice, they can also be utilized to show multiple zones of mixed types of content. Continue reading “Captivating a Crowd”
