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The global chip shortage is still raging on and it’s effecting more business sectors than you might expect. As a technology provider we’re certainly feeling the pinch when it comes to ordering hardware for our clients. The delays have challenged us to get creative with our clients and we’re coming up with interim solutions until hardware makes it in.

As an IT provider ourselves we have some thoughts - okay a lot of thoughts - on what makes a good one.

It’s an unfortunate fact that many of our clients came to us after being failed, sometimes catastrophically, by their previous provider. While we service a large portion of the Central California area, we know many readers fall outside this region and we thought it would be helpful to provide a printable and online capable checklist for the top 9 things to look for in an IT provider.

Speaking in absolutes is not usually a good idea, but in the case of data storage we feel the onus is on us to speak plainly – and it’s the plain truth that your data is safer in the cloud.

It’s natural to be hesitant to move everything into the cloud, especially when it really wasn’t that long ago in the grand scheme of things that all data was stored in filing cabinets.

Microsoft finally has an official release date for their first operating system release in six years, it will be released October 5th, 2021. Windows 11 will be a free upgrade to Windows 10 users – if you’re not already a Windows 10 user we urge you to upgrade while it’s still available and free.

We’ve been on a roll lately discussing the changes and products being rolled out by Microsoft this year, primarily Windows 11 which should be launched this fall. Last week Microsoft announced a price increase to their ubiquitous business products, Microsoft 365 and Office 365.

Office has been a business staple since it’s launch in 1989 (although Word predated the Office grouping of products quite a bit, launching in 1983). The original launch set was Word, Excel and Powerpoint but the product line up has exploded since then including other must-have features such as Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and more.

While it hasn’t been made official yet, all sources seem to indicate an October 2021 release of Windows 11 is eminent. That date would track with previous release schedules and merges nicely with the big feature updates that always occurs around that time for mainstream Microsoft products.

Your relationship with your IT person can be a somewhat fragile dichotomy, sure you’re friendly with them and they’re probably a great person (you chose/hired them after all).

But for many small business owners they couldn’t really tell you what this person does beyond making the computers “work”. You hired them for their skills and those skills should exist outside the realm of what you could manage for your own IT (though many owners try).

So, if they quit, you’re suddenly in the lurch.

If you’re not aware, phishing is another word for scams perpetrated over email. It was coined in 1996 and was first associated with hackers attempts to steal America Online (AOL) accounts, and it has not slowed down since then.

As of 2021 most hacking attempts are phishing scams, the phrase is meant to evoke the image of a hacker literally fishing for their victims by baiting a hook which in this case is a credible looking email from a place you might actually do business from, a colleague or a family member.

As we mentioned in our last post, Windows 11 is coming and with its announcement also came with the announcement of what’s being dubbed “Teams 2.0”.

In preview builds right now appearance wise Teams 2.0 is very similar to the Teams you’re used to using.

On July 14, 2021, Microsoft held their annual Inspire summit, a conference for Microsoft partners to be given inside information about what the year ahead will look like in the world of Microsoft products and how they can leverage changes and features for their clients.