Patrick Lencioni's book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, clearly shows that Trust is the basis for developing high performing teams.  Until this is addressed, it will be difficult for any team to achieve consistent and repeatable results. Unfortunately, some managers attempt to achieve results by imposing various controls on their employees which ultimately reduces productivity and team spirit.

Status is now a communications tool in your office, not something to brag about!  What we are talking about is the usage of the Status setting in Teams (or other products) to effectively communicate during the Work From Home (WFH) world we are transitioning to.

The hidden gem of Microsoft Office, OneNote has your digital note-taking needs covered. This piece of software is essentially a digital notebook in which you can organize or visualize your ideas using text, video, audio, and other multimedia sources. See what you’re missing out on by exploring this powerful app. Organize your digital notebook While […]

Fire, flood, storm, and other disasters can lead to power failure and productivity loss. Using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for computers ensures you never lose unsaved work, but without the internet, you’re practically crippled. To avoid that dilemma, we highly recommend using UPS for your networking equipment, including cable modems, wireless access points, and […]

Microsoft’s Office 365 Workplace Analytics gives teams a better perspective and control over their members’ productivity. Using the data gathered by the tool, managers can create effective strategies to improve employee engagement and output. How does Workplace Analytics work? A paid add-on to Office 365 enterprise plans, Workplace Analytics extracts behavioral insights from data gathered […]

Identifying opportunities in all areas of business is vital for growth. However, one area that’s often overlooked is technology. Although it’s tempting to adopt an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude with IT, conducting regular technology business reviews is necessary if you want to achieve your business goals. A technology business review reveals […]

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.

Surface is comprised of Microsoft’s top-of-the-line laptops and tablets built with touchscreen capabilities, allowing them to integrate with Office 365 in even more efficient ways than previously possible. Here’s what to look forward to. Audio transcription in Word This new feature allows audio files to be uploaded into Word, which will then be broken down […]

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.