Today marks the last day that Microsoft will provide updates for the Windows 7 operating system.  Depending on who you talk to, your computer may burst into flames OR it may continue to work perfectly for the next several years.  Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of that debate, the following three points are REALLY what the end of Windows 7 means:
Operating system updates are no longer optional
Like all your favorite cloud-based applications, you can't opt out of the changes that are made.

If your business and technology planning are out of sync, it may be time for a technology phase shift.  Fortunately technology capability is not cumulative, skipping some steps is allowed!  The services-first, app-first approach to technology planning can enable much higher productivity without a huge lag in implementation or capital expenditure.

The DIY (do it yourself) movement has taken off with the advent of social media.  Pinterest runs an entire business off of it!  The two biggest drivers of DIY are saving money, and being creative.  Neither of these are good reasons to DIY your corporate technology!  The number of businesses that are STILL taking a DIY approach to technology planning and support is surprising, and costly.

MFA is no longer optional in today's threat landscape.  Over three YEARS ago we started talking to our Clients about utilizing MFA, as passwords are no longer keeping your information safe.  The number of IT providers that STILL do not ENFORCE this critical security configuration is very surprising.

The first step to improve your business productivity is to understand the three illusions executives have about internal IT versus outsourcing.  These illusions are reinforced by unsophisticated technology providers, vendors what want you to use their (on-premise) products, and internal IT's need to stay employed.

Netflix has changed the way we consume video content, and grown into a streaming giant.  A key to their success was knowing what parts of the business to outsource, and which ones to keep in house.  Starting in 2008 they shifted their infrastructure over to a partner, and unplugged their last corporate datacenter in 2016.  The biggest benefit is their increased agility due to having the "operational load" of running ALL their technology shifted to an outside partner.

Congratulations, you are part of a growing business that is about to make an acquisition!  All the financials are thoroughly reviewed, corporate culture is synergistic, and everyone is excited.  Did anyone do a technology capacity and alignment review?  Nah, we will let the "IT folks" figure that out later, no big deal….except that it is.

Large technology companies are masters of consolidation, think Microsoft, Salesforce, Apple.  They watch new technologies emerge from other groups, and then either buy or replicate that functionality.  Over time all the various DIFFERENT technologies you needed to accomplish a goal now show up under a single integrated application from a single vendor.

Email is the defacto communication standard in business today.  This is interesting considering the first email sent was in 1971, and the fax machine has come and gone since that time.  Email continues to be useful in the business environment, BUT it time to consider alternatives for many scenarios.

If what physical device you are using determines what applications and services you have access to, it's time to reevaluate your technology setup!  It still surprises me at the number of organizations still dependent on VPN, local file shares, and legacy applications.