How can growing MSPs navigate today's staffing challenges?
Over the last two years, the rise of remote working and increased digitalization across private and public sectors has increased demand across the MSP ecosystem, giving many businesses the opportunity to grow.
However, these opportunities can also bring significant challenges. For instance, it’s crucial to balance the needs of existing clients with the time and resources required to successfully onboard new ones. Some organizations find they are so focused on meeting and exceeding the expectations of their current customers, that it can limit their ability to expand -- with an inevitable knock-on effect on growth. And when teams are already at capacity, the idea of adding to their workload can seem like an impossibility.
Reducing digital friction for a better employee experience
IT departments added a stack of tasks to their docket when remote and hybrid working became the norm. While initial purchases of video conferencing and business communication subscriptions were temporary fixes, they were not the only long-term solutions necessary to provide the seamless digital experience employees needed to carry out their roles.
The pandemic has strengthened the need to improve the digital experience business case for organizations that wish to increase employee engagement, satisfaction and retention. Employees, so used to having immediate responses from their home-use apps, have come to expect the same instant feedback from workplace technology but in many cases are not getting it.
Download MX Linux 21.1 'Wildflower' now
MX Linux ranks number one for popularity over on DistroWatch, but truth be told, I do not know anyone that uses the distribution regularly. Don't get me wrong, it is a fine operating system, but it really isn't anything special. Quite frankly, the distro's need to exist is questionable at this point, but whatever.
Despite the rather negative opening paragraph, I am pleased to tell you that the newest version of the operating system is ready to be downloaded. Huzzah! Given the codename "Wildflower," MX Linux 21.1 is a rather ho-hum point release. The developers share the changes below.
Microsoft is launching Windows Autopatch to keep enterprise Windows 10 and Windows 11 installations updated
Later this year, Microsoft will launch a new service called Windows Autopatch which will help users update their software.
The free service will help enterprise customers obtain Windows 10 and Windows 11 quality and feature updates, drivers, firmware, and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise updates. Microsoft is due to launch Windows Autopatch in July, and the company had provided information about how it will work.
Microsoft won't give you any more security updates if you don't upgrade Windows 10 version 20H2 in the next month
Microsoft is putting the squeeze on anyone who is hanging doggedly on to an old version of Windows.
The company is ending support for Windows 10 version 20H2 in just a few short weeks, meaning that anyone who fails to upgrade will no longer receive security updates. Microsoft would, of course, like users to upgrade to Windows 11, but this is not the only option.
Too much information? How endless knowledge searches hold your organization back
Data volumes have skyrocketed in recent years, and Statista estimates that 59 sextillion bytes were generated in 2020 -- more than twice the amount generated in 2017.
What are we doing with the vast quantities of knowledge available to us? In most cases, as businesses, absolutely nothing. Only .5 percent of knowledge collected by organizations is used or analyzed, and less than half (.25 percent) plays any part in business decision-making.
4 steps to improve FinOps and cloud cost optimization
What’s the optimal way to manage cloud finances, one of the core disciplines of a FinOps practice?
The answer largely relies on automating efforts, but many FinOps practitioners haven’t taken full advantage of opportunities available to them or of the savings available to their organizations. According to a report from the FinOps Foundation, a Linux Foundation non-profit trade association focused on codifying and promoting cloud financial management best practices and standards, nearly half (49 percent) of the more than 800 respondents (with a collective $30+ billion in annual cloud spend) had little or no automation of cloud spend management.
The increasing importance of Cyber Threat Intelligence
Globally, the cyber threat level to organizations remains high and the current situation only serves to highlight this further. To this point, any organization that has substantial gaps in its cybersecurity capabilities is operating at risk, and when the threat landscape changes, as it has now, so we become more aware of the vulnerabilities that we have carried for some time and the need for better Cyber Threat Intelligence.
Two major cybersecurity events of the past 12 months really showcase the requirement for CTI in network security operations -- the SolarWinds software supply chain attack which broke at the start of 2021 and the Log4j vulnerability response process that occurred at the end of 2021. Both of these incidents highlight the need to rapidly gain situational awareness, contextualize vast amounts of information being shared, and prioritize remediation of significant threats.
You might want to move the taskbar in Windows 11, but Microsoft doesn't think it is important
There is a lot to love and a lot to hate about Windows 11, and the Feedback Hub is a great way to see just what it is that users are unhappy with. Something that crops up time and time again is the fact that it is not possible to move the taskbar to the side or top of the screen as it was in previous versions of Windows.
Some members of the Windows 11 development team recently took part in an AMA session which was predominantly about Windows 11 productivity and collaboration. The question of the unmovable nature of the taskbar was raised, and it seems that Microsoft views being able to move the taskbar as being much less of a priority than many users do.
Following the preview of new PowerToys Peek utility, Microsoft releases feature-packed PowerToys v0.57.2
Earlier this week we learned about a prototype PowerToys utility called Peek which is set to bring a macOS-style Quick Look feature to Windows 11. There is no word on when this handy tool will be added to the PowerToys suite but in the meantime, there is a new update to install.
With the release of PowerToys v0.57.2, Microsoft introduced an important number of tweaks, changes and new settings for utilities including PowerToys Run and AlwaysOnTop. There is also a key change to FancyZones for Windows 11 users.
Sonnet launches Allegro Pro USB-C 8-Port PCIe card for Mac, Windows, and Linux
Believe it or not, some modern desktop computers don't have any USB-C ports, and for those that do, many only have one or two of the ports. Thankfully, if you have a free PCIe slot in your machine, you can easily add more.
A new card from Sonnet takes adding USB-C ports to another level. Called "Allegra Pro," it offers an impressive eight external Type-C ports all running at USB 3.2 Gen 2 speed (10Gbps).
Where will enterprise AI go in 2022?
If the pandemic was a stone, then the wave of digital transformation in its wake is a reverberating echo. 2020 and 2021 saw traditionally slow adopters of new technologies, from the largest financial institutions to local libraries, exploring new ways of providing digital-first experiences in a socially-distanced world. Artificial intelligence was of course decades in the making, but COVID pushed its proliferation to a point that has fully blossomed in the past two years.
Whether you’re a newcomer to the world of AI or its long-term champion, uncertainties both familiar and new continue to impact this ever-shifting landscape. There are, however, a few assurances to count on as AI’s trajectory progresses throughout the year.
70 percent of organizations use a vulnerability assessment tool
A new study from Netwrix reveals that 70 percent of organizations use a vulnerability assessment tool, but not always for the reasons you might think.
Rather than to ensure compliance, 70 percent say the primary reason for purchasing the tool is the need for proactive security measures. In addition 76 percent of those who don't yet own a vulnerability assessment tool and plan to acquire one in the near future for the same reason.
Windows 11's upcoming Smart App Control security feature has a major issue
At its Windows Powers the Future of Hybrid Work event earlier this week, Microsoft revealed various new features that are coming to Windows 11. As well as additions such as tabs in File Explorer and folders in the Start menu, the company revealed a lot of upcoming security features.
One of the security highlights is Smart App Control, which works like an enhanced version of the SmartScreen filter already found in Windows. It will help to block malicious apps, but there is a serious downside that will put off a lot of people.
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