In fact, the reality is quite the opposite. Many employees, and more than a few managers, regard this essential business support service as “annoying,” “slow” and “only heard of when something is going wrong.”

This is not because of any personal issues that employees might have with the IT team — it is simply that they only interact with this part of the business when they are having a problem. Quite often frustration rises when things aren’t fixed instantly — when the simple reality of the situation means they can’t be.

Don’t hate the IT team, hate the substandard tech they have at their disposal

When it comes to business IT and desk-side support services many issues reappear time-and-again causing employees to get frustrated with their IT and/or the people responsible for maintaining it. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most hated aspects of IT and desk-side support in the modern office environment.

#1 The Deskside Support is Helpless

You might be the king of your day-to-day job, but nothing makes you turn into a pauper quicker than when your IT system crashes or your device stops working (which always happens at the worst time!).

When this happens, you look to the IT desk-side support team as your knights in shining armor riding in to save the day. Yet when they arrive, you discover that they will have to take over your device and “have a play around” to figure out the problem.

This can take a long time, and time is a precious commodity. Sitting around watching IT support perform tests on your device frustrates workers and gives the impression that the IT team doesn’t know what they’re doing. The reality is many of these problems require these “exploratory” tests to be carried out to identify the problem before it can be fixed.

You wouldn’t be frustrated with a Doctor performing tests to identify why you’re feeling under the weather.

#2 IT Projects Never Seem to End

IT infrastructure is under constant monitoring, revision and improvement. Patches and updates are necessary in order to keep the business secure.

Add to this the unplanned IT issues — failure, lost, damaged items — and you should begin to understand why IT desk-side support can sometimes take time to resolve. Even worse is what most of us have experienced at some point — twiddling our thumbs and watching our device under the control of the remote IT support team when you need to be working on that report, proposal or other important document/ project. This wasted time leads to lost productivity in the workplace and reduced employee morale.

#3 Employee On-Boarding with No IT equipment on Day One

Anyone who has gone to work in an office as a new starter in the last decade will understand the frustration of the “new employee IT onboarding process.”

Even though you’ve had months of interviews and your agreed start date is not a mystery or unexpected, imagine the frustration when you walk through the door for your first day feeling confident, but nervous and your computer is not fully set up for use.

Instead, you end up sitting around watching your new colleagues get stuck into the work they want to be doing, while you’re waiting for your computer to be fully configured. Praise Be for that “team lunch” will help break up the monotony of the first day.

The configuration of IT assets should be completed before the first day. It should be waiting for them from day one.

#4 Hardware Refresh Cycles

Getting a new, improved, more up-to-date device should be a day of joy for workers as you say goodbye to your slow, unreliable equipment that looks like it has just arrived from the late noughties.

One client I worked for actually embraced the embarrassment of how old its IT equipment was by naming its most ancient range of hand-me-down laptops as “Heritage Laptops.” I did think that what would come next would be a UNESCO “World Heritage” badge stating the equipment was now considered “IT equipment of significant historic value.”

This process of switching from an old to a more modern device is not just simply handing over a laptop for a new one. The new device still has to be configured and cloned to your settings and then tested to make sure everything is running smoothly — which can lead to new problems.

For the business, these processes are a short-term pain for the long-term gain. However, for employees, it can be seen as a dull, unnecessary experience that some will actively avoid, preferring to stay on older, slower, less secure devices.

A new, user-friendly system is needed to make this process smoother and simpler for employees to be a part of, and it needs to be much more convenient than it currently is.

#5 Where is my order?

It used to be that work IT and desk-side support was far better than what we had at home. Some of us might even be old enough to remember a relative or parent proudly coming home with a wonder of technology which they had “borrowed from work.” Much to the amazement of the family.

Nowadays this has completely changed. Each of us carries a super-computer in our pocket and uses seamless “omnichannel” services provided by retailers. Whether this is from tech giants like Amazon or Apple to luxury brands like Burberry or even high street names like Argos. With each of them, whenever you place an order you are presented with a wealth of information about where your item can be collected, when it will arrive, and whether you want to delay arrival — right down to the name of your delivery driver.

Take this experience back to the workplace and you are met with the “black hole of IT.” Every time you order IT equipment it disappears into the ether. You might get a confirmation notice, but how often do you receive an update on how the order is progressing, or how you will eventually collect your item? Do you know the name of the person in your IT support team working on this order?

The answer to all these problems = Automation

One thing each of the above issues has in common is that at some point they rely on a human touchpoint in the process to get anything done.

Whether this is calling a member of the IT support desk, waiting for IT support to make an office visit, or waiting for engineers to finish configuring your machine before you get it back, much of the problem-solving within business IT is done in front of the employees.

This no longer needs to be the case! Automation paired with the use of consumer systems like Smart Lockers, can remove many of the pain points within IT projects. The impact is quickly realised as the IT team has time back to get on with important business-changing projects and employees have the ability to self-serve/ self-solve their own IT issues.

Hassle-Free, Headache-Free IT Support

IT infrastructure will always be a key component of any modern office or business environment, which inevitably means that IT support will always remain a part of employees’ lives.

Much has been made about AI and automation removing the need for human interaction within the workplace, but rather than replacing IT support staff outright, automation using Smart Lockers removes the mundane, time-consuming and repetitive tasks.

The wider workforce now benefits because their IT problems get fixed much quicker, in fact, research has shown that Smart Locker requests are up to 95% faster than traditional deskside support teams; the three-day average wait time is now down to mere minutes.

Moreover, it also removes the headaches of sitting around for hours at a time while an issue is resolved. It also plays heavily into the reputation of employers if they can automate a lot of repetitive processes, presenting a business in which ongoing, recurring IT issues are a thing of the past.

Glen McCarty serves as the Consulting Director at Velocity Smart Consulting, bringing to the table a career spanning two decades as a seasoned IT transformation specialist.

The post Five Common IT Issues Everyone Hates at Work appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Specifically, workers experienced the personal benefits of flexibility that remote and hybrid work models offered during shutdowns. Many employees won’t or don’t want to go back. The percentage of these workers is likely to remain at high levels, and an employer’s ability to accommodate remote or hybrid work may now largely determine whether a worker takes a job or even remains with a company.

That is obviously a game-changer for recruiting and retention. It also increases the challenges of effectively managing a host of remote devices and the many workers using them. Potential impacts include infrastructure reliability, network availability, data accessibility, and, above all, IT security, but investments in robust technology to manage and support flexible work practices will ensure companies can remain responsive and secure.

A Remote Environment = Increased Threats to Security

As critical as it has been, remote work has significantly exposed companies to cybersecurity threats; these are the top risks to all organizations today. Yearly data breach totals remain high and show evidence of escalation: 1,175 in 2018; 1,108 in 2019; 1,872 in 2020; and 1,862 in 2021.

The risk is compounded not only by vulnerabilities in technology but also by human error. As evidence, Deloitte reports that 47 percent of remote individuals fell victim to phishing attacks while working at home. The average cost of a data breach enabled by a remote worker was $137,000 in 2022. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence are further increasing the number and severity of security threats, and this is why it is critical to get all aspects of IT support right.

By their very nature, hybrid work environments demand that organizations have a better awareness of risk and an even tighter grip on their data, devices, and processes to remain operational and secure. Historically, employees are the weakest link in the security chain. When employees work off-site, and often with personal devices, they lower the vulnerability threshold so much more.

Related: Choosing the Best Video and Audio Devices for WFH Setups

Because of the increased threat environment, many organizations are stepping up security investments and employee training, alongside establishing strict practices around sensitive data encryption for every device and ensuring backups are completed at different locations. Remembering that data not requiring daily access should also be removed from the regular data pool and stored where it can be retrieved when needed is also a good tactic.

Fortunately, organizations were not blind to increased security risks during the pandemic, and many put new measures in place and increased employee training. Still, many organizations have yet to modify their infrastructure to meet the new security and support challenges. Flexibility and agility are urgently needed, and many systems can’t provide either.

The solution is having a secure remote control platform that can handle a widely dispersed workforce while scaling and delivering support as required, regardless of location. Ideally, it should be easy to use, cloud-based, and have security at its heart.

 Security Features That Make a Difference

For a COO of an international company, ensuring the IT security for a hybrid working environment is a high priority, helping to safeguard network and data security, ensure uninterrupted operations and constant productivity and create a positive employee experience.

Our company has provided remote device management software for education and corporate settings for over 30 years and, with that, we’ve seen and adapted to the changes in risks and cybersecurity threats.

Some of the key remote control features that companies should consider include:

1. Secure Web Gateways

Secure web gateways are ideal for managing remote employee connections and provide extra security, regardless of location. The gateway logs all activity and can provide additional insights into which computers were attempting to connect, allowing IT teams to see whether unauthorized attempts are occurring.

2. Security Keys

As the name suggests, security keys enable remote users to connect only if they have the same security key as the client. These are encrypted passcodes and must match for connections between machines to be permitted.

3. User Acknowledgement

Implementing user acknowledgment is an effective way to guard against connection attempts from unauthorized devices. This simply means that when delivering remote support, an employee must explicitly accept the IT team member’s connection request before they can connect to the device.

With these things and more in place, maintaining a secure and productive hybrid working environment should be stress-free and, dare I say it, easy.

Matt Jones is the chief operating officer of NetSupport. He has spent his entire career helping corporate IT departments manage their networks and devices.

The post Keeping Your Hybrid Workplace Secure appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Security Operations Centers (SOC) and Beyond

As businesses focus on business continuity and situational intelligence, IT integrators with a holistic approach are increasingly being asked to extend their expertise beyond the peripheral systems that they are deploying — into the Operation Centers that manage the systems. This natural expansion emphasizes the growing need for a comprehensive approach that combines security, operational functionalities, infrastructure and AV considerations within the enterprise.

C-Level Recognition of Platform Solutions

A significant shift is occurring in the C-Suite with chief information officers (CIOs) recognizing the value of adopting platform solutions over point solutions for visual displays serving core enterprise operations. Enterprises are increasingly seeking integrated platforms that go beyond individual applications, thus providing a unified solution for all visual display needs. This shift reflects a desire for comprehensive solutions that streamline operations and enhance overall efficiency.

Rise of Data Dashboards in Enterprise

The rise of data dashboards in the enterprise is fueled by the growing need for effective metrics measurement and tracking. In this landscape, operational benefits play a crucial role, allowing businesses to manage content on any screen without relying on expensive and unsecure thin client PCs or USB drives, eliminating the need for significant manual intervention in content updates. Users can securely and centrally manage content directly from their web browser, presenting a more efficient and secure approach.

This trend is underpinned by the demand for integrated solutions that seamlessly connect with leading technologies. Notably, these data dashboards fully integrate with key applications like Power BI and Tableau as a single source, ensuring automatic, persistent and secure authentication to dashboards, charts and reports.

The aggregation of multiple charts as a source facilitates the secure distribution of operational data to relevant teams and stakeholders. This not only highlights the importance of technological compatibility but also underscores the broader trend of fostering informed decision-making through streamlined and secure data management.

Software-Defined Solutions versus Hardware Limitations

The paradigm of hardware-based point solutions is becoming obsolete as software solutions gain prominence. The ability of software solutions to seamlessly integrate with various industry-leading technologies provides a level of flexibility and scalability that hardware-based solutions struggle to match. This shift marks a departure from the limitations of hardware-centric approaches to a more agile and interconnected future.

The Significance of 8K Solutions

The advent of 8K solutions adds a new dimension to AV/IT integration. As display resolutions continue to evolve, the demand for higher quality visuals in enterprise environments is driving the adoption of 8K solutions. This shift is not just about increased pixel density; it’s about providing a more immersive and detailed visual experience that enhances collaboration and decision-making processes.

AV Integrators Embracing IT Protocols

On the flip side, AV integrators are gradually embracing IT protocols and solutions designed for the digital age. Software-defined solutions built for IT — standardized over networks — are gaining traction. While the adoption may be slower due to the historical reliance and subsequent familiarity that hardware solutions provide, the industry is witnessing a transformative shift towards embracing more agile and adaptable software-defined solutions.

In conclusion, the convergence of AV/IT is reshaping the landscape of enterprise operations. From organizational restructuring, to the demand for comprehensive platform solutions, and the adoption of software-defined approaches; the trends in AV/IT integration indicate a paradigm shift towards a more interconnected, data-driven and technologically advanced future for businesses.

As the industry continues to evolve, staying abreast of these AV/IT integration trends is imperative for integrators seeking to provide modernized enterprise-class solutions to their clients.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on March 15, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

Jamey Miles is VP Channel & Strategic Accounts at Userful.

The post Top AV/IT Integration Trends Shaping Enterprise Operations in 2024 appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The Crisis of Convergence: OT/ICS Cybersecurity 2023, which is available for free download, “details diverse intensifying challenges, including growth in attacks via Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) models, exploitation of supply chain vulnerabilities and prevalence of state-sponsored hackers and other politically motivated actors in the wake of geopolitical issues,” according to the company announcement.

TXOne Networks surveyed 405 key information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) security decision-makers from across multiple global markets and sectors including automotive, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, chemical, general manufacturing, oil and gas and transportation in September 2023.

The Crisis of Convergence: OT/ICS Cybersecurity 2023 “distills the survey findings, alongside extensive TXOne Networks threat research from 545 cybersecurity incidents around the world in 2023,” according to the company announcement.

“The threat landscape has intensified significantly in the industrial manufacturing and critical infrastructure sectors, leading to destructive events, economic losses, and potential risks to human safety,” reads the TXOne Networks report, which was produced in collaboration with Frost & Sullivan.

“Organizations emphasize the protection of critical OT assets as a top priority, with data security being a key investment area within their OT security budget allocations,” the report says. “Organizations are also seeking to invest in strengthening the resilience of their technological infrastructure and are turning to innovative approaches like Cyber-Physical Systems Detection and Response (CPSDR), which integrates OT expertise across various domains.

“This enhances OT security posture and resilience against evolving threats, enabling organizations to better protect their operations and ensure resilience in the face of a constantly changing threat environment,” according to the report.

More About the TXOne Networks Cybersecurity Report

The Crisis of Convergence: OT/ICS Cybersecurity 2023 explores a range of topics relevant to contemporary OT/ICS cybersecurity:

• Ransomware threats
• OT system maintenance and Information Technology (IT) integration concerns
• Nation-state cyberattacks and implications
• Dedicated teams for OT and Industrial Control System (ICS) security management
• OT/ICS cybersecurity investment
• New regulations and standards propelling OT/ICS defense
• Supply-chain Integrity

“The Crisis of Convergence: OT/ICS Cybersecurity 2023 is the result of a thorough research and technical analysis that is aimed at delivering up-to-date insights into the global threat landscape and the tactics that malicious actors employ to launch attacks,” says Terence Liu, chief executive officer (CEO) of TXOne Networks, in the announcement.

“The findings are clear,” he says. “Organizations must move well beyond regulatory compliance in their OT/ICS cybersecurity strategies if they are to successfully adapt for the constantly evolving threat.

“Safeguarding the availability, reliability and security of revenue-generating operations will depend on new governance structures, enhanced team and technical capabilities, integration of advanced threat detection and response into cybersecurity frameworks and risk management across the supply chain,” says Liu.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Security Sales & Integration on February 16, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post Rising Ransomware, Supply Chain Disruptions & Geopolitical Issues Complicate Cybersecurity appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Be sure to also check out the slideshow, below, for more information on the products.

2024 TNT Commercial Winners

Audio Components

Lenbrook
Bluesound Professional BCS300 In-Ceiling Pendant Speaker

Audio Distribution Systems

Listen Technologies
ListenWIFI

Automation Software

Nanolumens
NanoSuite

Digital Signage Hardware

LG Business Solutions
LG MAGNIT 4K 136-inch Micro LED Display

Digital Signage Software

Samsung Electronics
Samsung VXT

Video Monitors

Sharp Electronics Corporation
PN-LC2 AQUOS BOARD Collaboration Displays

Installer Loudspeakers

Renkus-Heinz
OmniBeam

Display Mounts

Chief
Tempo Flat Panel Wall Mount System

Projector Mounts

Tempest
Fly

Network Management Solutions

Samsung Electronics
SmartThings for Business

Power Conditioning, Surge Suppression and Energy Solutions

Nice
Nice DC-12 IP Smart Power Manager

Project Management and Design / Web Software

XTEN-AV LLC
X-VRSE by XTEN-AV 

Conference Projectors

Christie
Christie 4K860-iS

Specialty AV Cables or Connectors

Pure Fi
Pure Fi Pro HDMI 2.1 Active Optical Cable

Audio Conferencing Components

Crestron Electronics, Inc.
Crestron Flex Pods

Cameras

Jabra
Jabra PanaCast 50

Collaboration

Barco
ClickShare Bar Pro

Interactive Whiteboards

LG Business Solutions
LG CreateBoard with ChromeOS Flex certified slot-in OPS

Videoconferencing Components

Crestron Electronics, Inc.
Crestron Videobar 70

Video Streaming Solutions

Epiphan Video
Pearl Nexus

Category Cable Distribution

Valens Semiconductor
VS6320: HDBaseT-USB3 Extension IC

Coax Video Distribution

ZyCast Technology, Inc.
U5 Single Channel 4K (HEVC) Encoder Modulator with Simultaneous RF and IP Out

IP Video Distribution

Audinate
Dante AV-H

Matrix Switchers

BZBGEAR
BG-8K-1212MA | 12×12 8K Matrix Switcher w/ Audio De-Embedder

Videowall Hardware

Planar
Planar DirectLight Pro Series

Videowall Software

Samsung Electronics
Samsung Signage Setup Assistant

To see a list of all entries, click here!

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on January 31, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post 2024 Top New Technology (TNT) Awards appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Productivity plays a huge role in a company’s financial health. Recent data from McKinsey & Company shows that productivity has barely grown in the U.S. (1.4%) since 2005. They also estimate that boosting U.S. productivity represents a $10 trillion opportunity.

Few teams feel the effects of unproductive work quite like IT. Their teams are typically small, and yet their work is overwhelming and mission-critical to keeping businesses moving forward. For instance, countless SaaS applications are now integral to the operations of every company, and yet one, often lean team is responsible for their upkeep and management.

That makes IT operations a potential bottleneck. Unsurprisingly, according to Evanta (a Gartner company), CIOs say increasing efficiency and productivity are top priorities for 2023.

The Manual Trap

SaaS applications, from project management, CRM and collaboration to MarTech and expense tools, are inseparable from our daily work. And our IT stacks are continuously increasing, with companies worldwide using an average of 130 apps in 2022.

My experience in the IT space has taught me that most IT teams still manage SaaS applications manually, attempting to track their licenses, users, and renewals via spreadsheets and provisioning/deprovisioning access to applications one by one. These bandwidth-crunched teams are wasting valuable (and expensive) time completing important yet mundane and repetitive tasks that are humanly impossible to keep up with – and, therefore, prime candidates for an automation-driven productivity boost.

The Onboarding/Offboarding Bottleneck

Two of the most time-intensive IT operations are onboarding and offboarding employees from SaaS applications.

Consider this scenario: A company is growing rapidly, hiring to fill the gaps they have across their organization to keep up with the high volume of work required to hit their increasing targets. Maybe they bulk-start new employees on one specific day, every two weeks.

If they have five employees starting on that day, IT first needs to receive the information that those employees are starting. They need to learn what departments those employees will work within and what tools are required for their roles. From there, they must provision access to those applications per employee and application. Endless Slack messages, clunky application backends and likely incomplete information eat up their day.

By the time they finish provisioning that group of new hires, the next group is likely just about to start. Any failures along that scattered onboarding process create a less-than-ideal onboarding experience and derail a new employee’s initial productivity.

On the flip side of this process is offboarding employees.

Manual offboarding requires IT to work with a departing employee’s manager to learn what apps they used (a less than scientific endeavor, particularly when you consider that many employees subscribe to apps on their own without others’ knowledge), and then manually deprovision them from every application. Beyond the time sink for IT, there is also a risk factor — failing to deprovision an employee from even one could leave sensitive company information accessible.

While handling these critical tasks in this manner is inefficient, it’s also indicative of the wasteful nature of manual IT operations. IT pros are highly technical and talented. Having them spend their time on tedious tasks distracts them from working on higher-value projects.

Related: ChatGPT-Like Microsoft 365 Copilot Will Be Coming to Microsoft Productivity Apps

Increase IT Productivity Through Automation

Gartner predicts that by 2025, 70% of organizations will implement structured automation to deliver efficiency, an increase from just 20% of organizations in 2021.

Despite that, Torii’s  survey of over 200 IT professionals found that less than half of respondents have fully automated most tasks, and only 13% reported great success with automation.

So what’s stopping IT from automating? Time: 58% cite insufficient staffing or time as significant challenges in automation implementation. It’s a chicken and egg scenario.

The only way forward is through investing in tools that help manage their SaaS stack, that also include intuitive automation capabilities.

Investing in any old automation, won’t cut it either. In the context of IT, how that automation integrates and interacts with your SaaS stack is key.

Solutions such as SaaS Management Platforms, with automation built-in, provide the visibility IT needs to understand their SaaS stack and associated users and costs, as well as with the actionability required to manage it.

For the onboarding/offboarding bottleneck, this means automatically discovering and surfacing every application in use at your company, first and foremost. From that point of centralized visibility, you can create workflows that automate previously time-intensive tasks (and eliminate the chance of things falling through the cracks) to free up your IT staff’s time (and improve results).

For example, the system can detect which department new hires work in and automatically provision access to the applications they’ll require. Equally for offboarding, when an employee leaves — since you’re aware of every application they’re utilizing, the same platform can automatically deprovision them once triggered by your IDP or HRIS.

These are just small examples of the automation opportunities for IT, but when you compare them to the manual alternatives, it’s easy to imagine the productivity gains you can garner.

As companies continue looking to save costs, greater productivity could fit the bill — as it improves the value of every dollar spent.

By better using time, you’ll enable your organization to optimize resource use and focus on the objectives that drive revenue. Those that invest in productivity now stand to earn more from the efficiency gains of the future.

The post Now’s The Time to Focus on IT Productivity appeared first on My TechDecisions.

“With the increase of people working remotely — either in hybrid or fully remote environments — the demand on AV/IT teams is more important than ever,” says Annette Sandler, Director, Live Content, U.S./Canada, AVIXA, producer of InfoComm. “Our enterprise IT program at InfoComm will help ensure AV and IT teams work together and stay ahead of the curve.”

On Wed., June 14, “Network Convergence and AV System Optimization” will give an informative overview of everything related to on-site corporate networks. Led by Nyere Hollingsworth of Grainger, attendees will learn how to speak a common language with their technology partners and ensure their systems can reliably operate on a converged network.

Also, on Wed., June 14, Peter Lurie of Microsoft will lead a session on the security of private meeting spaces in “Hacking Conference Rooms: Are Your Rooms Secure?” Data leaks about projects, mergers, layoffs, and more are often due to conference room hacks. Lurie will help attendees identify where risks come from and show how to mitigate any potential vulnerabilities.

On Thurs., June 15, Scott Josephson of Google will lead “Supporting Videoconferencing at Google” to give a high-level overview of how the company can continuously upgrade its videoconferencing technology. Attendees will learn how to apply these tactics and solve similar problems at their organizations.

In addition, the Technology Innovation Stage (booth 2260) will host a trend forecasting session on enterprise IT. It will bring together a panel to discuss how emerging technologies are bringing true network convergence within reach, opening that path toward unified, data-driven AV/IT management. On Wed., June 14, join Rachel Bradshaw of Caster Communications, Mehryn Corrigan from Microsoft, Nyere Hollingsworth from Grainger, Frank Padikkala of Audinate, and Jennifer Steinhardt from Shen Milsom & Wilke.

For the full schedule of Enterprise IT sessions, visit infocommshow.org/event-info/enterprise-it.

InfoComm will also host a show floor tour led by Jose Mozata of Freeman Solutions on Thurs., June 15, from 10-11:30 a.m., focused on the latest networking and cloud technologies developments.

To register for InfoComm 2023, visit infocommshow.org.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on June 9, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience

The post InfoComm 2023 to Bridge AV/IT Gap with New Enterprise IT Program appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The pandemic brought more urgency to the need for modernization, as it shifted how we think about what technologies are needed to support the way employees engage with their organizations.

One half of the equation is existing UC systems — employee hardware, audioconferencing technology, video capabilities, and collaboration software — that have slowly improved over the last two years as IT teams came to understand how to support employees and encourage collaboration. The other half is how enterprises prepare meeting spaces for the change in workflow that the post-pandemic landscape provides.

The way that employees collaborate has shifted, and the systems they need to ensure effective communications should conform to the new work environment. As enterprises move into the next “phase” of pandemic life, businesses will need to look at their IT and UC systems to determine what they need to modernize for a more successful and sustainable hybrid future.

Let’s explore considerations for enterprises looking to modernize aging systems, the challenges faced when trying to achieve this. and solutions to present a secure and modernized workplace.

Steps for IT Modernizing Aging UC Systems

Organizations seek technologies to solve for communication and collaboration challenges, but the first step should be to consider how the technology will fit within the workspace.

Consider what an office space today is used for and what technologies are needed to create a well-used space. For example, if you are setting up a meeting space for hundreds of employees to gather in-person, consider setting up screens around the room for visibility regardless of seating location. If you are setting up a meeting space for hybrid meetings, consider implementing technologies and designing room layouts that encourage equitable interaction among colleagues.

The methods to achieve equitable and reliable means of collaboration vary across industries depending on the required levels of in-person vs. remote work. It’s critical for IT teams to evaluate the needs of your organization and industry to determine the best path forward for modernization. A boardroom at a hospital may benefit from a more traditional roundtable in a conference room, whereas a higher education facility would likely prefer a U-shape table with a large screen at the front of the room.

Long before you even think of things like furniture, consider how you intend to meet, whom will be in person vs. remote, the content, the number of participants, and even lighting. The first step to modernization is determining “how” your organization works, and then you can dive into the technologies needed to achieve a successful workplace.

Addressing the Challenges of Modernization – Evaluating Space

Every enterprise requires its own version of flexible office space, but the challenges remain similar. The three main challenges when it comes to modernizing systems to create valuable spaces are the element of time, the use of budgets and determining the types of spaces needed.

• Time: Evaluating aging technologies and implementing new ones takes time. This is often time that organizations do not have as they must work quickly to create spaces that work well for employees with differing needs. When implementing new technologies, set realistic expectations from the start. Ensure teams are aware of the time needed to create usable spaces.
• Budgets: While overall budgets are increasing, IT spend is decreasing. While it can be tempting to compromise on technology to ensure the correct number of spaces, modernized technology is the key to effective meeting spaces and engaged employees. Without audio and video, a room is just a room that lacks collaboration tools. This can impact employee retention, recruitment, culture and engagement.
• Evaluating Space: The spaces that once enabled effective collaboration no longer hold the same value. The days of a two-person huddle room are over, as employees have figured out how to meet among themselves remotely. This means that it is more important than ever for organizations to consider what spaces they truly need to succeed (e.g., town halls, exclusively for remote meetings, executive roundtables, sales training seminars, etc.).

The Future of Functional Office Space

The future office space is one that can easily be reconfigured for various needs. With modernized systems, this is a room that can adapt at the push of a button — from one meeting to the next.

Enterprises must take the time to evaluate what technologies are standing in the way of future success and what technologies are needed to move the organization and its employees forward. To help reach these conclusions, ask these questions within the organization:

• What rooms need to get built?
• What is the most effective way for your team to collaborate?
• How many onsite team members do you have? How many remote?
• What is the content to be discussed in the meeting?

These are the questions that should be asked well ahead of any space planning or system design. How your enterprise works needs to be the lead consideration in all aspects of the spaces you are designing — room shape, acoustics, adjacency to other spaces, seating, displays, microphone and loudspeakers.

With these considerations in mind, the process of modernization comes down to the simple selection of secure technologies that meet the needs of the organization.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on April 20, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

Troy Jensen is senior manager of global accounts at Shure.

The post Revolutionize the Future of Work by Modernizing Your Aging Systems appeared first on My TechDecisions.

That individual, Jack Teixeira, was an IT worker for the Air National Guard, working as a Cyber Defense Operations Journeyman, according to an affidavit that was unsealed Friday. That role, essentially a junior security system administrator tasked with supporting IT systems, included access to sensitive compartmented access and other highly classified programs.

The information disclosed in the leaked documents included details on the U.S.’s ability to deeply spy on both adversaries and allies, as well as detailed information about ground movements of troops in Ukraine.

With the help of a Discord user, the FBI was able to identify the Discord account and discover Teixeira’s identity, including his address. They easily discovered that Teixeira was employed by the U.S. military.

U.S. agencies were able to access logs of documents accessed by Teixeira and compare them with what was being posted on Discord and when. In addition, U.S. agencies that monitor searches conducted on classified networks discovered that Teixeira used his government computer to search classified intelligent reporting for the word “leak” as the story began to make headlines.

Insider Risk Management 

This is a perfect example of why organizations need to take insider threats and securing highly privileged accounts very seriously.

According to a recent Microsoft report, the average organization has about 12 insider risk events each year, with about one-third of organizations reporting an increase in their insider risk event occurrence in the past year.

Microsoft’s report, “Building a Holistic Insider Risk Management Program,” also identified IT professionals as the most associated with being at risk for abusing or leaking data. IT was far and away the most identified with 60% seeing IT as highly at risk. Second was finance and accounting at just 48%.

“This makes it all the more important to ensure that the security and IT teams investigating insider risks have strong auditing and approval controls in place, to make sure that their actions are in the best interest of the organization,” the company said in the report.

Another recent report from insider risk management provider Code42 finds that companies with an insider risk management program in place saw a 32% increase in data loss incidents, and 71% expect data loss from insider events to increase over the next 12 months.

The report, the culmination of a survey of chief information security officers (CISOs), found that 82% of CISOs say data loss from insiders is a problem for their organization.

Insider events have devastating effects on organizations, with 79% of cybersecurity executives saying they could lose their job from an unaddressed insider breach. In addition, security leaders said insider risk was the most difficult type of threat to detect, according to the report.

In this case, it’s more than just jobs and a company’s reputation at stake–it could be someone’s life.

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The San Francisco-based company bills the mobile device management (MDM) solution as more accessible and cost-effective, but also scalable and customizable for the specific needs of an organization without having to pay additional fees.

According to FleetDM, the MDM solution has out-of-the-box support for macOS, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS, and it can be configured to share data across teams and can be integrated with third-party platforms and DevOps processes via a REST API. That allows IT engineers and admins to run queries, access data and customize application development and delivery processes.

In addition, FleetDM’s new solution provides bidirectional transparency so end users have visibility into what is being monitored to help establish employee trust.

The company says the GitOps-driven consensus model enables close collaboration among security, developer and operations teams while ensuring a secure roll out of dedicated write operations.

The Fleet MDM solution also features bring-your-own capabilities for scripting and packaging tools to enable IT to use the tools the regular tools to ensure organizational requirements are met.

A closed-loop feedback on deployments means IT never needs to worry about whether the configuration made it to the machine, the company says.

According to FleetDM, an intuitive dashboard features one-click visibility and control, enabling IT to  manage devices from any location or platform. It enables automatic enrollment of new employees with Okta or any identity provider, IT management of software updates and patching with any software manager (Puppet, Munki, Chef, etc.), disk encryption (for macOS) using Apple FileVault, remote locks and wipes and includes all of the CIS critical security controls for Mac and Windows.

The company also says the solution supports multiple user accounts and in-depth activity auditing so teams can share data across different departments without security risks or privacy concerns.

In a statement, FleetDM co-founder and CTO Zach Wasserman says Fleet is built for programmatic automation, and automating audit logs with third-party platforms like Splunk becomes easier with Fleet.

“In addition, other platforms let you push updates to computers and turn on disk encryption, but if you want to see whether it actually worked you can’t – there’s no feedback mechanism for that and no way to see what’s actually happening,” Wasserman says. “With Fleet, you can say, ‘Turn on FileVault,’ and then run a query that says ‘how many computers have FileVault turned on?’ and you’ll see that it was 100% successful.”

According to the company, Fleet is based on the open source project osquery, co-developed in 2014 by Wasserman, then working at Meta. Wasserman co-founded Kolide in 2016 and created Fleet, an open source platform that made it easier for enterprises to use osquery. The Fleet community took over maintenance of the open source project in 2019, with Wasserman serving as lead maintainer. Wasserman partnered with FleetDM CEO Mike McNeil in 2020, announcing the transition to a stand-alone entity in November of that year.

In a statement, McNeil says Fleet is built for results and gives both security and IT teams the tools and features they need.

“We empathize with the leaders we speak to everyday who are stuck having to choose between out-of-the-box legacy MDMs or building their own on-top of a hodgepodge of unsupported open-source libraries,” McNeil says. “We built Fleet to bridge this chasm. We first built a battle-tested open-source platform that security teams trust, and then layered on top of it the configuration and APIs that IT teams want to see. We see the future of IT being unlocked by a devops mindset, and we aim to be at the forefront of that revolution.”

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