What to do When Microsoft Stops Supporting Windows 7

Many businesses around the world are impacted every time a piece of software product reaches its end of life, mainly when we're talking about an operating system such as Windows. Back in 2014, when Microsoft ended support for its popular Windows XP, 40% of all computers around the world were directly affected.

Not upgrading the system on time will leave it vulnerable to all sorts of cyber attacks and security concerns. Nevertheless, there are several reasons why some businesses are still hard pressed to change their systems. On the one hand, it could be because updating/upgrading computers can be a time-consuming process - mainly if we're dealing with small to mid-sized organizations.

At other times, it's because the business is running on legacy systems and software that only work on older operating systems. There's also the possibility that the hardware, itself, is old and they can't handle the requirements needed for the upgrade. Then, there's also the issue of training employees to use the new software. All of these will bring added expenses and disruptions that small to mid-sized organizations may avoid undertaking.

Nevertheless, those operating on Windows 7 should know that Microsoft will terminate its support on January 14, 2020. And while this may still seem like a long way away, it leaves little room for a comfortable transition to a new operating system as well as figuring out the next course of action. So, with that said, what are the options for those using Windows 7?

The Extended Security Option

If you, somehow, find yourself past the due date on January 14, 2020, and are still using Windows 7, Microsoft is offering businesses three more years of extended security for them to come up with a plan for transitioning to newer software or hardware.

However, this program comes at a cost, which can be paid on an annual basis. The pricing is by the total number of devices, starting from $50 per device in the first year, moving to $100 in the second year, and finally to $200 in the third. Do, however, keep in mind that, if you're planning to exercise this option, you must do so from the beginning. Microsoft will not allow you to buy in years two or three if you haven't been in the program from the start.

Upgrading or Replacing Your System

When transitioning to Windows 10, there are several options available to you. If you already have a relatively new computer, you can either choose to upgrade Windows 7 into Window 10 or wipe everything by doing a clean install.

The second option is generally more preferred since the system will have a better overall performance than the first option. The clean install route, however, is also more time-consuming as you will need a backup of your data, as well the download and installation of programs.

There's also the option of buying a new computer with Windows 10 already installed. It is the preferred option if you have an older PC that's unable to support the new systems.

Takeaway

It's safe to say that the faster you start on this road, the better and less expensive it will be. That's unless you want to keep your old system, but at the cost of not being connected to the internet. Together with Managed Solution, you will experience a fast and seamless transition to the new system.

end-of-life

The Toughest IT Roles to Fill in 2019

It's no surprise by now that IT leaders have ever greater responsibilities concerning strategic business tasks and various digital transformation initiatives. But with added responsibility comes other operational challenges such as the hiring of top talent with the necessary skills to put those initiatives into practice.

Increasing operational efficiency, cybersecurity, leveraging IoT devices, cloud adoption, and integration, are some of the most pressing issues that CIOs and other IT leaders need to address. These initiatives, among others, are dictating the current trends in the talent market.

What Are the Toughest Roles to Fill in IT?

Delivering in most IT initiatives these days requires a heavy focus on cybersecurity and risk management. It's precisely these areas that CIOs struggle the most to find qualified personnel. Next, come cloud services, integration, multi-cloud management, and overall cloud architecture. Cloud computing, as a whole, provides tremendous potential for flexibility and scalability, particularly in a disrupted or uncertain global economy.

Other areas that see a tough time hiring top talent are enterprise architecture, DevOps/Agile process, automation, and IoT implementation. Below is a list of the senior hardest roles to fill in IT in 2019.

  1. Security and risk management
  2. Cloud services and integration
  3. IoT (connected devices, sensors)
  4. Enterprise architecture
  5. Multi-cloud management
  6. Automation and robotic processes
  7. Cloud architecture
  8. DevOps/Agile processes

The Scramble for IT “Unicorns”

With so many organizations undergoing digital transformation, it's no wonder that there's fierce competition for top talent or IT “unicorns,” as we like to call them. Companies have started adopting all sorts of strategies to attract these unicorns with varying degrees of success.

Some companies have adopted some extreme hiring strategies in this attempt. And while they may make some sense on paper, in practice they can prove disastrous. On the one hand, some businesses create an endless stream of applicants going in and out of the organization. They hope that this massive influx of applicants will inevitably result in some that are worth keeping. The problem is that this high turnover rate will not only increase costs but will also drop company morale.

Adversely, others have done the complete opposite. Their approach is to look at every hire as a sort of diamond in the rough that, with enough time and investment, will turn into a top performer. This strategy, however, often results in precious resources being squandered on employees that don't have the capability or willingness to excel.

There is no one-way-fits-all approach, but neither these strategies nor higher salaries and benefits alone are the way to go. All of these can prove to be quite costly and ineffective in an overly competitive job market.

When to Hire and When to Outsource

CIOs need to take the idea of outsourcing very seriously if they wish to remain competitive. Some areas should include full-time, in-house hires, as much as possible, particularly regarding data analytics, AI/ML, and CX/UX design, or any others that prove to be vital to an organization's success.

Other fields, however, are changing and innovating too fast to keep up with and upskilling employees may be a too costly endeavor. Such areas include things like security, automation, and cloud architecture. Even though they are essential; they are better off in the hands of trained professionals. They have access to a large body of skill sets through an entire help desk and a team of engineers/solution architects. And let's not forget the costs associated with salaries, benefits, and other in-house costs such as workstations, etc.

IT leaders should decide which parts of their processes should be in-house and which should be outsourced, depending on the company's individual needs and goals.

How Can CIOs Build Relationships With Their Board?

With the proliferation of technology and it's disruptive effects on the business environment, CIOs should be key players in the decision-making process of any organization. Despite their importance, many CIOs find it challenging to engage directors in a strategic dialogue on even the most critical issues.

Unsurprisingly, one of the main reasons is the lack of technical expertise, information, and understanding of what digital transformation is and how it works. Nevertheless, regular interactions between tech leaders and board members will increase the chance of strategic talks in matters of growth opportunities and digital innovation.

How to Form Critical Connections

Bridging this gap is essential, and a combination of both buttoned-down and informal conversations are needed to boost the board's technology literacy and, ultimately, set a clear tech agenda.

It's important to remember that board members will pay closer attention when discussing how tech can drive productivity, innovation, and growth, rather than cyber security projects. Staying clear away from tech jargon is also critical to success, with CIOs having to pay attention to what information they present to the board so that everyone understands it.

One-on-ones with board members, preferably in less formal settings, such as over lunch or coffee, can help bring the conversation to each's level of tech literacy. For added credibility, CIOs also need to confer information regarding risk and operational resilience by backing up their claims with facts and figures. These provide an enhanced level of transparency and credibility needed to put everyone on the same playing field. Still, it's far more critical that board members understand the business benefits than the technical details of any project undertaken by the CIO.

How to Enhance These Relationships

More and more businesses install CIOs or other similar leaders with technical experience. Unfortunately, however, very few board seats are up for grabs, with only 10% of S&P 500 companies having a tech subcommittee and only 5% with an appointed technologist on the board.

This trend only reinforces the need for CIOs to build and maintain strong relationships with board members through frequent and effective communication. Ongoing dialogue with the board will help them understand the changing dynamics of the business landscape.

Practical strategies that CIOs can employ in boosting their relationships with the board include the following:

How IT Creates Business Value

With the almost incredible strides that technology has made over the past two decades, IT leaders are quickly becoming critical players in fueling business transformation. But with the nearly overwhelming amount of technology introduced daily, it's even hard for CIOs to know where to invest their attention.

Even though the tech market is expected to slow from 4.5% in 2019 to 3.8% in 2020, due to economic uncertainty, the growth gap between business and back-office tech is expected to narrow. This trend is, in large part, to many companies' efforts to reduce operating costs and preserve profit margins.

Also, the driving forces behind increased tech spending still exist. These include things like the adoption of cloud, artificial intelligence, improved analytics tools, back-office tech, as well as CX-oriented technologies.

If you haven't invested already, here is how IT creates business value for your organization.

Tackling IoT Data

Many companies today can capture and analyze data, but very few have the necessary infrastructure to deploy and manage IoT applications based on that data. As edge computing becomes more sophisticated, businesses require efficient storage and processing capabilities that can collect, analyze, and act on that data. A priority of every IT team is to develop the right platform that can do this and maximize the business value of IoT.

Eliminating Old and Irrelevant Data Metrics

A lot of organizations still operate on siloed data, the ever-present spreadsheets, and multiple versions of the same data. By defining and using a data analytics platform that can deliver actionable and data-driven intelligence across the business, companies can retire half, if not more, of its legacy reports.

Adopting AI and ML

AI and machine learning are vital aspects of digital transformation. A comprehensive and integrated data environment is an essential component for robotics, AI, and IoT, that can get all the information out of dissipated documents and into a single source that's always up-to-date. Such an environment makes it possible to get real-time information on schedules and budgets, as well as to make the company more flexible and resilient to future economic uncertainties.

Improve Customer Experience

Customers today judge a company based on the experiences they offer. CX is more important than the price or the product itself. IT teams should focus their attention using data to create an easy-to-read customer profile, which will then be used to generate a unified customer experience for every individual. It will provide them with a consistent and contextualized customer experience across all channels and touchpoints. Such CX will be able to deliver higher rates of trust, customer satisfaction, retention, and higher profitability down the line.

Catering to the Mobile Workforce

Customers, partners, and employees all expect anytime-anywhere access to information. Although very few businesses are prepared enough to embrace the proliferation of wireless devices in the modern workplace. Telecommuting and cross-departmental collaboration are at an all-time high and are only expected to get larger. It demands more flexibility in terms of when, where, and from which devices; employees do their work. Unfortunately, many companies do not have the necessary wireless infrastructure to cater to this mobile workforce. The IT department will be vital in keeping up with this demand.

Security and Costs 

Data breaches and other forms of cybercrime have never been more prevalent. Then, there's the matter of compliance to various governmental regulations such as the EU's GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), etc. IT leaders and departments can implement solutions and leverage technologies that tackle security threats and manage regulatory compliance issues, saving companies on costs.

It can also help manage to spend across the organization by deploying the right technologies. One of the most significant issues in this regard are the costs associated with added services when businesses buy their own SaaS tools. IT can determine what's needed and what's not, to mitigate unnecessary spending.

How to Ensure Your IT Services Provider is Actually Giving You What You’re Paying For

The managed services provider (MSP) sector is expected to reach $256.5 billion by 2021, up from $166.7 billion in 2017 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5%. Demand for MSPs is expected to grow at an almost exponential rate, particularly among SMBs. The reason for this is that managed services providers offer an array of different services, all designed to improve the development and function of business applications, data storage, and cybersecurity, among others. Through all this change, you need to make sure that your MSP is giving you what you pay for.

In an ever more technological and digitally dependent business environment, companies must choose the IT Service Provider that will best work for them. This means that it should be able to maintain smooth operations, innovate new functions, and provide the right services needed for your organization to get its job done effectively and without interruption.

What is an IT Services Provider and How Do You Benefit?

Before you can make sure that your IT Service Provider is providing you with everything you need, you must first know what IT Service Providers are and what benefits they offer. For starters, managed IT services exist to enhance or replace an internal IT department, which will help you free up resources by using a third-party contractor.

In many cases, these services will be provided via the cloud, which will give you much-needed flexibility. This flexibility means it can either be operated independently or in conjunction with on-premises computing services.

For an entrepreneur, it's often difficult to admit that there's a skills gap within your organization. But the truth is you may need to bring someone with expertise to help take your company to the next level. Nevertheless, there are several reasons why you should.

Filling Organizational Gaps

Since every company is composed of different people with different talents, the gaps an IT Services Provider will be able to fill will depend on each organization. It's always a good idea to assess your current employees and take note of any gaps in your talent pool.

Like your own company, IT Service Providers will also tend to focus on just a few areas of expertise. A reputable IT Service Provider will always work to understand what gaps in your organization will need to be filled, and they will recommend a solution or refer you to someone who can. You may, for instance, have a competent and experienced IT staff that's perfectly able to manage your day-to-day tasks.

But as your organization grows, you may not be able to hire for specialized areas quickly enough. Whether you need to get a new CRM off the ground or do a full security overhaul before launching a new service, an IT Service Provider will definitely come in handy.

Whenever You're Overwhelmed

If your organization is growing in its sales, marketing, and support staff, the IT department is often overlooked and overwhelmed. When the IT staff is doing its job, and everything is running smoothly, it's easy for management to overlook the exact impact that company growth can have on IT. When scaling your company, partnering with an IT Service Provider will be of great benefit.

This is most true when your organization offers seasonal products or services that put additional strain on the IT department at certain times of the year. By augmenting your staff with an IT Service Provider , you can give them a breather and allow them to keep everything running as it should without any unexpected issues coming up during times of growth or high demand. Your IT Service Provider partner may be able to help you better prepare for these times.

Staying On Top of Technology

staying-on-top-of-technology

Another major benefit of partnering with an IT Service Provider is always being on top of the latest trends in technology. Even the best and brightest IT professionals can't keep up with every new piece of tech or advancement. Together with an IT Service Provider , you will have someone who can react to most changing trends and technologies on the market.

While the entries here are not exhaustive, they do show the versatility that IT Service Providers can bring to an organization. That said, if you're currently working with a managed services provider, it's important to evaluate their services and make sure that they're providing you with everything you're paying for.

Below are several questions to ask yourself and make sure that this is the case.

Is My IT Service Provider Looking After My Best Interest?

For you to get the most out of your relationship with your IT Service Provider  they must take several preventive steps to provide a comprehensive IT service. One way of knowing if this is the case is their pricing model. If your IT Service Provider is operating on a break-and-fix pricing model, they're not likely to be doing everything in their power to prevent issues from occurring.

A mutually agreed monthly fee, on the other hand, will be far more effective in incentivizing your IT Service Provider to fix issues once and for all. After all, if they fix the problem right the first time, it will be less likely that you'll be calling them repeatedly, making both of your businesses more productive overall.

Overages are also a sign of a somewhat similar symptom. If they're charging you extra on a regular basis, they may not be doing the most to ensure that issues will not arise again in the future. Some of these companies may only be doing quick fixes so that you call on them regularly. A truly professional IT Service Provider will try to get to the root of the problem, fixing it once and for all. Not only will this work better for all parties involved, but it will also strengthen their long-term relationship.

Does My IT Service Provider Delivering All the Services I Need?

As we said previously, every managed services provider will have to specialize in several industries and areas of expertise. This will help them be more focused and provide better quality services as a result. Nevertheless, there are a few key elements that you should expect.

Do We Have an SLA in Place?

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a contract between you and your service provider, detailing all the expectations and obligations of your relationship. To get the most out of your collaboration, you will need to have an SLA in place. Since this document will act as a blueprint for your service provider, it will also protect your organization's assets and reputation.

The SLA will ensure that you are on the same page in terms of standards and services. Likewise, if the service provider fails to meet its obligations, there can be serious repercussions for your organization. The SLA should include the consequences if the performance standards and obligations are not met. Any monetary penalties should assist your organization if any losses were incurred.

Also, as your business evolves, you will have to make sure that your IT Service Provider will be able to evolve and scale alongside you. If you are not happy with the services they are providing, you need to make sure that you are not locked into a long-term contract. Make sure that your IT Service Provider offers month-to-month contracts with guaranteed SLAs.

Do They Respond Quickly and Effectively?

There are many IT Service Providers out there that simply don't have the manpower to respond quickly to every request. In some cases, they don't even have enough people on the job as needed to resolve the issues effectively. Another way to determine whether you're dealing with a qualified provider is to see whether your provider has a team of skilled professionals. Be sure they rely on any one individual to get the job done every single time.

A larger workforce means that they have a more diverse skill set that can handle a larger pool of potential issues. Likewise, it means that they can serve you around the clock.

Does My IT Service Provider Deliver Quality Expertise?

Even though all IT Service Providers will claim to be experts, some will provide you with more expertise than others. One way of determining this is to see how many of your provider's team members are at your disposal, meaning whether you have full team support or just one member trying to solve all of your problems. With full team support, you'll also have access to redundancy. This means that if your dedicated expert is out sick, there is somebody else to step in.

Other factors may influence the quality of their services as well. For starters, you should ask how current is your IT Service Provider staff's IT skills. Do they have updated cloud and security tech knowledge? Their location is important as well. Whether they are local, national, or overseas can affect your security and compliance. If they are not local, it will be increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to make onsite visits if needed.

Does My IT Service Provider Keep Me Secure and In Compliance?

IT security should be at the top of every business owner’s list of priorities. Regardless of whether you're working with an IT Service Provider to outsource help desk or more advanced cloud or security work, you must understand their security practices and policies. If they're overseas, are they still in compliance with all of your local regulations?

Being in compliance means that you have taken the necessary measures to ensure that you comply with all regulations that regard your industry, location, and other similar factors. Without the right measures in place, hacks and data breaches will result in financial or data loss, both having serious consequences for your company and its reputation. Your IT Service Provider should be able to help you with this.

Look for an IT Service Provider who specializes in IT security and compliance, putting it at the top of their list of priorities. Partnering with the right managed services provider will bring you plenty of benefits such as lowering costs, enhancing your internal team's abilities, and driving more business value, among others.

But to make the most of it, you will need to ensure that your IT Service Provider is giving you what you're paying for. Do your due diligence and choose the best managed services provider that suits your needs and minimizes your risks.

What Should a CIO Strategy Look Like in 2019?

With the current technological revolution sweeping through all aspects of conducting business, the role of the CIO has never been greater. Increasing customer value and improving the IT delivery at scale, velocity, and affordability should be at the top of their priorities in 2019.

Some areas of the business that need to be given special attention by CIOs need to include customer and employee experience, digital business services, and ecosystem microservices. Besides, many IT leaders should spend some time finding ways to reduce interdepartmental friction as well as wasted resources. It is crucial for them to identify the company's barriers to improvement and tackle them as fast as possible.

One common issue presents itself in the form of budgets. While the IT department's costs and expenditures are growing exponentially with every passing year, the allocated budgets remain steady and linear. It's for this reason why CIOs need to teach other department heads and those in key leadership positions about the present digital transformation as well as the investments needed to achieve it.

Sean Ferrel, Managed Solution Founder states,“Technology has moved from the core to the floor. CIO’s should worry less about tools at the core of their environments and focus more on users, apps, productivity and overall process that happens in the floor of their business. Most business owners are getting more involved in technology decisions and many of those focus around gathering valuable data and figuring out what insights that data gives us to get an upper hand on the business. While some might use the terms IoT, Machine Learning, BI or even AI as the new norm, we see a world of data that’s disconnected and in many ways “gold” to the business. That being said, getting out of the day to day world of building the ship and finding the treasure is what we as IT leaders should be focused on.”

So, what should a CIO strategy look like in 2019?

What Needs to Change

Before going into what investments are needed, we must first analyze the things that need to change within the organization for those investments to take hold. These changes can classify into two main categories.

On the one hand, there are personnel changes. These will include changing the perspective within the company about the importance of future IT investments. Some examples include things such as getting managers on board with the idea by making use of data. Similarly, increasing customer focus both internally and externally. They can enable the digital inclusion, equity, and accessibility of all relevant parties. And also, driving innovation to increase the relevance of IT and allowing strategy alignment.

From an organizational change perspective, CIOs need to tackle tech debt and increase their digital footprint. Making way for automation, supply chain digitization, and DevSecOps should also have priority. Phasing out the data center, modernizing governance, and improving data analytics and quality need to be on this list as well. Last but not least, CIOs need to focus their attention on cybersecurity, GDPR compliance, data protection compliance, and other such security solutions.

Some of these changes can be tackled more at a time. Reducing the tech debt, for instance, is about replacing old, monolithic systems with more secure and customizable counterparts.

What Are the Investment Priorities?

Like we said in the beginning, customer-centricity is the key to success. The digital environment offers both a way to engage with the audience and deliver a superior experience across the entire customer journey. Be it financial institutions, healthcare providers, nonprofits, or governmental agencies; all stand to gain from better customer engagement.

To achieve it, however, flexibility is critical. By moving away from project-based episodic deliveries and towards continuous integration, companies can also begin to build trust across the organization and between IT and other departments. By focusing on the customer, everyone will be working toward a common goal and results are sure to follow.

Regarding investments, CIOs should focus on improving security and digital transformation, as a whole. Transitioning to the cloud and focusing on IT continuity are also aspects that should be invested in. Considering the right kind of talent, be it through leading, training, or better hires, is always a plus. Companies can also benefit here by accessing managed services from remote partners. Application upgrades and getting more value from past investments will also prove worthwhile.

Conclusion

All of these issues presented here can differ and should take precedence based on every company's unique needs. Nevertheless, CIOs should prioritize their resources on people, security, and digital transformation to align themselves better with the customer's expectations. Together with Managed Solution, you will be well on your way there. Contact us today for a free consultation!

Windows Server 2008 End of Life – Now What?

It's no surprise that technology is evolving with every passing day and Microsoft servers are no exception. A decade has passed since the shift from 32-bit to 64-bit happened, and now we're witnessing the era of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more.

But as this technology has evolved so much over the past decade, Windows' SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2, as well as the Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2, will stop receiving extended support come July 9, 2019, and January 14, 2020, respectively.

What this means for users is that they will no longer receive regular security updates. And while this may not seem like much, it's important to remember that cyber attacks are becoming more and more sophisticated and dangerous, wreaking havoc on businesses, big and small.

And while the 2008 family of Windows products did hold their own, it's time to move on to the most current versions. In doing so, you will experience better overall performance and efficiency, as well as an increase in systems security and continued compliance with governmental regulations such as the European Union's GDPR.

Migrating to Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure is a cloud-computing software that provides users with software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS). It's capable of supporting different programming languages, Microsoft-specific tools, and frameworks, as well as third-party applications and systems.

You can take this end of support offered by Microsoft to its Windows Server 2008 and an opportunity to transform and modernize your application stack by moving it to the cloud. To help with the transition, Extended Security Updates will be available for three more years after the end of support deadline. It will give you more time to plan your path, which includes upgrading to newer versions of the software.

Upgrade On-Premises Environments

As for the apps and data that you use on-premises, it's best that you upgrade to the latest version of Windows Server and SQL Server. It will provide you with the best available security and the possibility for innovation.

Keep in mind that today's server infrastructure is hyper-converged. These types of solutions will deliver far better security features, as well as to boost overall performance at a cost-efficient rate. By making use of the Windows Server Software Defined solutions as your data center or Azure Stack as a hybrid cloud solution, you can take advantage of these benefits.

As for the on-premise servers that will require more time to upgrade, you can take advantage of the Extended Security Updates for three more years, at a cost. This option, however, is only available for users who have a Software Assurance or Subscription licenses under an Enterprise Agreement. These can be purchased annually to cover only those servers that will require the updates as you continue your migration to Azure.

A better alternative is to start this process as soon as possible and not wait until the last minute to do so. This way, you can avoid paying the extra cost for the continued protection. Together with Managed Solution, you can make this happen seamlessly and with no interruption to your day-to-day process.

end-of-life

How IoT Is Benefiting Business and IT Departments

The Internet of Things (IoT) is on a fast track to change pretty much how the entire world operates. The IoT market is seeing a boom by improving the supply chain management to defining the concept of a so-called smart home and everything else in between. Estimates point to an enterprise IoT expenditure of over $520 billion by 2021. It is more than double what it was in 2017.

Also, over a third of all companies are seeing an added 1,000 "shadow IoT" devices attached to their networks. Shadow IoT means that employees are bringing their smart devices to work. Statistics also show that nearly half of businesses already use digital assistants (Amazon Alexa, Google Home, etc.) and smart TVs in the workplace.

The financial, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics sectors are seeing the most use of IoT integrations. Nevertheless, IT departments across all spheres of business are implementing it into their systems.

Predictive Maintenance

Even though predictive maintenance is usually associated with manufacturing, you can also use it in the data center, such as for hard drive read-write heads. Similarly, machine learning can predict if one or more servers are about to go down. It means that its workload can be relocated in time, while the server is taken offline, repaired or replaced, so there will be no operation interruptions or the risk of data loss.

Reducing Costs

The IoT also benefits businesses by improving their overall energy efficiency. Several years ago, Google began making use of information collected in its data centers to improve energy consumption. It managed to reduce its cooling costs by 40%. Also, expect further improvements as these systems, aided by machine learning, will become even more efficient with additional data. Many other companies, in different industries, can follow in Google's footsteps and use machine learning to lower their energy consumption costs.

Virtual Assistants

Many IoT devices and smart virtual assistants are becoming ubiquitous in the office. And aside from them streamlining how employees navigate the digital environment, they are also helping with the physical one as well. These devices can predict when employees need something, even before they ask. If, for instance, staff members have to pass through an access control mechanism, a wearable smart device could automatically open the door when they walk up to it. These also help improve security.

For some healthcare organizations, for instance, the Weka Smart Fridge will come in handy. This portable IoT-enabled fridge will automate vaccine storage and dosage dispensing. It also includes remote monitoring, ensuring that the vaccines are at the right temperature, as well as inventory tracking.

Improving Conference Rooms

Another means by which IoT helps businesses optimize their processes in the modern workplace is to indicate which conference rooms are available and ready to use. Even if a reservation-style system exists in many organizations, it doesn't guarantee that each of them is in use. So, instead of having employees run around the building looking for a vacant room for an impromptu meeting, IoT devices can recognize which rooms are unoccupied.

Some technologies can measure phone signals or use infrared tools to detect if or how many people are in any area. By using radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, companies can also tell who the individual occupants are. Depending on the size of the business or the industry they are in, this implementation could prove quite useful.

Takeaway

While these are only a few examples of how IoT is benefiting businesses in the 21st century, the limitations are set only by one's needs and imagination. If you want to learn more or are looking to leverage these technologies, contact one of our trained specialists. Managed Solution is at your service!