Lifeguard IT

In this episode of Lifeguard IT, we're joined by Vishal Ganeriwala, Sr. Director of Product Marketing at Citrix, to discuss what's on the horizon in 2020.   We talk about:   - The importance of creating a positive employee experience - How Lakeside and Citrix are providing value with Windows Virtual Desktop - Balancing security and end-user experience - A Citrix fact that may surprise you   Website: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lakesidesoft LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lakeside-software/

We're back!   Ben Murphy joins for a pre-Ignite 2019 interview to talk about what's new with Windows Virtual Desktop and the Lakeside partnership.    Going to Ignite? Catch Ben's session on WVD in the Hub: https://myignite.techcommunity.microsoft.com/sessions/83770?source=sessions   Website: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lakesidesoft LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lakeside-software/

Learn how to make the most of your Citrix Synergy experience with this preshow podcast.   Kyle Davies, Distinguished Architect at CDW, Citrix Technology Advocate, and creator of Mr. Tech Talk joins us to share his tips on building your schedule, networking, and navigating the show. We also talk about the sessions Kyle will be hosting as well as hot Citrix news and best practices for monitoring Citrix solutions.   Don’t forget to stop by the Lakeside booth to say hi and enter to win a Star Wars drone!   Time stamps: Intro and WVD 0-6:09; Synergy prep 6:10-18:04; Citrix cloud 18:05-22:14; Citrix breach and SaaS adoption 22:15-31:24; Becoming a CTA 31:25-35:26; Best practices for Citrix monitoring 35:27-52:04; Kyle’s plans for Mr. Tech Talk and outro 52:05-59:17   You can find Kyle at www.mrtechtalk.com and @kdavies1988 on Twitter         Questions? @Lakesidesoft on Twitter or drop us a line at lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com   Thanks for listening!

Learn to speak fluent WVD in under 26 minutes.   What’s all this WVD hubbub about? Microsoft’s Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) offering is officially in preview and is set to launch during the second half of 2019. If you’re behind on your WVD news, entirely new to the subject, or just wanting a refresher, we’ve got you covered in this comprehensive, back-to-basics episode. We also explain Lakeside’s free WVD assessment offering and how to determine which workloads are a good fit for virtual desktops as well as Windows 10 multi-user mode.   Time stamps: Intro 0-1:55; What is WVD? 1:56-7:00; Who is WVD right for? 7:00-12:27; Citrix and Samsung partnerships 12:28-14:53; Getting started with the WVD preview 14:54-18:07; Lakeside’s WVD assessment 18:08-25:33   WVD preview: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/virtual-desktop/   WVD set up: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Windows-IT-Pro-Blog/Getting-started-with-Windows-Virtual-Desktop/ba-p/391054   Free WVD assessment: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/assessments/wvd   Overview of the Lakeside and Microsoft partnership: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/windows-virtual-desktop-public-preview-free-tool-determine-if-wvd-right-you   Citrix Managed Desktop preview: https://podio.com/webforms/21439703/1489365   Azure pricing: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/reserved-vm-instances/; https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/pricing/details/virtual-desktop/   Questions? @Lakesidesoft on Twitter or drop us a line at lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com

"Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change" is the theme of this year's International Women's Day. While discussions of why women comprise just 20-30% of the tech workforce are nothing new, as technology continues to exert more influence over our lives, there is a growing urgency to bring more diverse voices into its creation. As Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, puts it, "Innovation and technology reflect their designers and makers."   This episode features Enit Nichani, VP of Marketing at IGEL and Jan Mach, Sr. Technology Consultant at Lakeside. It is hosted by Heather Bicknell, Product Marketing Manager at Lakeside and Patricia Diaz, Head of Product Marketing at Lakeside. We discuss how we arrived in the tech field and why we've stayed as well as our perspectives on why the number of women in IT is so low and what needs to change.   More on IGEL: https://www.igel.com/ More on Lakeside Software: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/ Twitter: @IGEL_Technology, @Lakesidesoft   UN International Women's Day statement: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2019/3/statement-ed-phumzile-international-womens-day-2019 The Pixar short that tackles office 'bro' culture: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20190221-the-pixar-short-that-tackles-office-bro-culture Women in technology statistics: https://smallbiztrends.com/2018/03/women-in-technology-statistics.html Women and minorities in tech by the numbers: https://www.wired.com/story/computer-science-graduates-diversity/   We're hiring: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/careers

Digital experience monitoring solutions empower IT with data and analytics to understand the intersection between end users and technology. With this knowledge, IT can act to better align technology to user need, solve problems proactively, quantify the business value of new technology investments, address the root cause of performance issues, and boost end-user experience.     In this episode, we interview Ryan Purvis, CIO of HiLo Maritime Risk Management about how he's used and found value in SysTrack as a digital experience monitoring tool.    You can get in touch with Ryan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryanpurvis or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanpurvis/    Follow Lakeside: https://twitter.com/lakesidesoft   Subscribe to our blog: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog   Send us your questions! Ask us about IT, tech news, our show, or anything you want. Email us at LifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com. Send us the IT conundrums that have been keeping you up at night—we'd love to help.   If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review. We appreciate your feedback.   Thanks for listening!

What's next for workplace AI, messaging apps, remote work, and Windows management? How will Gen Z entering the workforce change expectations for IT? In this episode, Heather and Linda discuss trends shaping the future of work in 2019.    You can read the predictions Heather wrote for VMblog here: "From AI to Gen Z: Five Predictions on the Future of Work in 2019" http://vmblog.com/archive/2019/01/17/lakeside-software-2019-predictions-from-ai-to-gen-z-five-predictions-on-the-future-of-work.aspx#.XF3MclxKhaQ   ***   Hey you! Send us your questions! We will be featuring listeners’ questions in an upcoming episode. Ask us about IT, tech news, our show, or anything you want. Email us at LifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com. Send us the IT conundrums that have been keeping you up at night—we'd love to help.   If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review. We appreciate your feedback.   Stay in touch on Twitter @lakesidesoft, @Heather_Bick, @LindaTsao94   Thanks for listening!

In this episode, we ask Ed Wegryn, our VP of Engineering, six of the most common questions he gets from job applicants. We cover company culture, what it’s like to develop SysTrack, what qualities Ed looks for when hiring software engineers, and more.    Are you or someone you know looking for a new opportunity in software engineering? Lakeside Software is seeking creative and self-driven engineers to join our growing R&D team in Ann Arbor, Michigan.     Learn more about this opportunity on our blog:    https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/engineering-lakeside-software-jobs-ann-arbor   https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/spotlight-what-new-start-says-about-working-lakeside    Find our current listings here: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/careers     ***    Hey You! Send us your questions! We will be featuring listeners’ questions in an upcoming episode. Ask us about IT, tech news, our show, or anything you want. Email us at LifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com. Send us the IT conundrums that have been keeping you up at night—we'd love to help.    If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review. We appreciate your feedback.    Stay in touch on Twitter @lakesidesoft, @Heather_Bick, @LindaTsao94    Thanks for listening!   

As 2018 comes to a close, we're reflecting on some of the biggest end-user computing and tech stories of the year.    Ben Murphy, Director of Applied Engineering at Lakeside, joins us to discuss the ongoing saga of the Meltdown and Spectre exploits, shifting global sentiment around data privacy, the new Microsoft, industry trends, and more.   References   Meltdown/Spectre: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/intel-chip-flaw-using-digital-experience-monitoring-assess-meltdown-and-spectre-patch Meltdown/Spectre testing: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/research-performance-impact-meltdown-and-spectre-patches-terminal-server-%E2%80%94-and-association Citrix rebrands: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/19/citrix_new_strategy_and_rebrand/ Microsoft's changes to Windows: https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/30/17179328/microsoft-windows-reorganization-future-2018 GitHub acquisition: https://news.microsoft.com/2018/06/04/microsoft-to-acquire-github-for-7-5-billion/ FSLogix acquisition: https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/19/microsoft-acquires-fslogix-to-enhance-office-365-virtual-desktop-experience/ Windows Virtual Desktop: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/lakeside-software-partners-microsoft-windows-virtual-desktop-azure-what-means-you GDPR: https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-gdpr-europes-new-privacy-law-and-the-future-of-the-global-data-economy Amazon and VMware partnership: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-amazon-and-vmware-are-building-one-cloud-for-both-platforms/ Amazon and Apple $1,000,000,000,000 valuation: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/08/thats-trillion-with-a-t-apple-hits-market-value-of-1-trillion/ Amazon's new HQ: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/05/technology/amazon-second-headquarters-split.html SysTrack 8.4 release: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/what-aiops-introducing-systrack-84 Cisco acquires Duo: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/08/heads-up-2fa-provider-duo-security-to-be-acquired-by-cisco-ugh/ IBM buys Red Hat: https://www.wired.com/story/ibm-buying-open-source-specialist-red-hat-34-billion/ AI painting sells for $432,500: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/arts/design/ai-art-sold-christies.html   ***   Hey You! Send us your questions! We will be featuring listeners’ questions in an upcoming episode. Ask us about IT, tech news, our show, or anything you want! Email us at LifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com. Send us the IT conundrums that have been keeping you up at night—we'd love to help!   If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review. We appreciate your feedback!   Stay in touch on Twitter @lakesidesoft, @TheBenMurphy, @Heather_Bick, and @LindaTsao94.   Thanks for listening!

People frequently use self-service for consumer tech—why should it be any different under corporate IT?   Repeat, low-level incidents like password resets and printer woes cause daily frustration for end users and help desk staff. These friction points sap productivity on both sides, which is why organizations have implemented various strategies to move the point of resolution closer to the end user. But before we can realize the benefits of IT self-service, we must ensure that it’s implemented in a way that’s valuable and friendly to the end user. Afterall, self-service only works if someone uses it!    In this episode of Lifeguard IT, we discuss the components of effective IT self-service (including planning, design, and communication) with a focus on improving end-user experience. Later, we talk about our favorite tech gift options for this holiday season.   Learn more: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/proactive-it-support-strategies-level-0-support-right-you   ***   Hey You! Send us your questions! We will be featuring listeners’ questions in an upcoming episode. Ask us about IT, tech news, our show, or anything you want! Email us at LifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com. Send us the IT conundrums that have been keeping you up at night—we'd love to help!   If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review. We appreciate your feedback!   Stay in touch on Twitter @lakesidesoft, @Heather_Bick, and @LindaTsao94.   Thanks for listening!

As large organizations ramp up their Windows 7 to 10 migrations, Microsoft has started rolling out new options for tackling common migration roadblocks.   In this episode, we cover what some of those new options are, including Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD). We also discuss some of the popular reasons why IT pros have been hesitant to upgrade and offer our perspective on how to make migration easier.   Ben Murphy, Director of Applied Engineering at Lakeside, joins us for the discussion. You can read his take on WVD on the Lakeside blog: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/lakeside-software-partners-microsoft-windows-virtual-desktop-azure-what-means-you   Links   https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/windows-7-windows-10-migration-who%E2%80%99s-migrated-and-what%E2%80%99s-holding-businesses-back   https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/10/half-of-enterprise-machines-run-windows-10-as-windows-7s-end-of-life-looms/   https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/11/intel-cpus-fall-to-new-hyperthreading-exploit-that-pilfers-crypto-keys/   https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/10/helium-implicated-in-weird-iphone-malfunctions/   https://www.wired.com/story/keep-pace-moores-law-chipmakers-turn-chiplets/   ***   If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to leave a rating if your podcast app allows you to do so. Positive ratings and reviews help others discover the show and would help justify the purchase of another mic :)   Thanks for listening!   You can connect with us at lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com and at @lakesidesoft on Twitter. Send us the IT conundrums that have been keeping you up at night—we'd love to help!   https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/

Are you using big data as an excuse to not talk to your end users? Big data and analytics tools have made it possible for IT to resolve and prevent issues without involving the affected party, but that doesn’t mean there’s no longer a need for dialogue between end users and IT.   But unlike collecting system metrics, gathering meaningful qualitative feedback can be difficult: How can you get people to respond in a constructive way? Who has the time to analyze tons of survey results? However, it’s IT’s responsibility to ensure that end users are having productive—and positive—experiences with their computers.   Means of gathering subjective responses such as surveys can play an important role in uncovering latent issues and explaining user behavior. They can also help IT judge the success of OS migrations, VDI, or other projects that affect end-user experience.   In this episode, we’re joined by Joe Davis, Sales Enablement Specialist at Lakeside, who shares his expertise in crafting surveys that work. Joe previously worked for a company that specialized in B2C surveys. Later, Heather quizzes Joe and Linda on tech headlines to see if they can pick out which one is false.   For more on surveys, check out our research on what information IT decision makers are using to measure the effectiveness of new technologies: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/74-it-leaders-collect-end-user-feedback-what-are-they-getting-it   ***   If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to leave a rating if your podcast app allows you to do so. Positive ratings and reviews help others discover the show and would help justify the purchase of another mic :)   Thanks for listening!   You can connect with us at lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com and at @lakesidesoft on Twitter. Send us the IT conundrums that have been keeping you up at night—we'd love to help!

Everyone knows that October is the spookiest month and what’s spookier than someone hacking your accounts or spying through your webcam? We’re here with recurring guest star and Lakeside dev Avery Dews to help keep the ghouls away with 7 personal cybersecurity tips:   Tip #1: Rely less on your memory to encourage better password hygiene   Tip #2: Provide false answers to “security questions”   Tip #3: Stop and think before giving away your information   Tip #4: Follow your data trail   Tip #5: Store sensitive data locally   Tip #6: Consider what could happen to your device while you are away   Tip #7: Make security easy whenever possible   Password manger comparison shopping guide: https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp Personal cybersecurity guide: https://medium.com/@nickrosener/an-in-depth-guide-to-personal-cybersecurity-be98ba47c968 Pew research: http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/01/26/americans-and-cybersecurity/ Links mentioned: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-laptop/secret-service-says-laptop-stolen-from-agents-car-in-new-york-idUSKBN16O2EH https://xkcd.com/936/ https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/11/21/prince-william-photos-password/ https://lifehacker.com/use-your-password-manager-for-security-answers-too-1829498257 Tech picks: https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/9/17955596/soundcloud-pay-indie-artists-premier-monetize-program https://www.wired.com/story/us-weapons-systems-easy-cyberattack-targets/ https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2018/10/elon_musk_donates_480k_to_flin.html   Send your top tips to lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com Twitter @lakesidesoft www.lakesidesoftware.com

The latest version of SysTrack is HERE and we can't wait to talk to you about it! In this episode, we cover new SysTrack features, including self-service functionality, experience feedback sentiment scoring, IBM Watson training, new integrations, and SysTrack AIOps. Later, we discuss Microsoft's new passwordless authentication and rant about the rise of e-scooters. For More Information: AIOps demo video: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/resources/videos/systrack-aiops-overview What Is AIOps? Introducing SysTrack 8.4: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/what-aiops-introducing-systrack-84 Tech Picks:  https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/09/microsoft-offers-completely-passwordless-authentication-for-online-apps/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/09/24/hospital-er-reports-percent-spike-visits-involving-e-scooters Email questions and suggestions: lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com Connect with us on Twitter: @lakesidesoft, @heather_bick, @lindatsao94

Digital experience monitoring--what is it good for? In this episode, we cover the basics of DEM, including how it's different from APM, what its primary data sources are, and what use cases it supports. For more, download our white paper on how DEM can help IT optimize end-user productivity: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/resources/white-papers/digital-experience-monitoring-optimal-end-user-productivity

Join us for the 1st anniversary episode of Lifeguard IT! We define and discuss workspace analytics, which is a framework for IT decision-making that analyzes end users, business processes, and technology.  Time Stamps: Workplace vs. Workspace 4:45; Workspace Analytics 10:15; Workspace Analytics Solutions 22:02 Links: Five Ways to Distinguish the Workplace from the Workspace: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/5-ways-distinguish-workplace-workspace Just what is a "workspace"?: https://www.brianmadden.com/opinion/Just-what-is-a-Workspace 21 Must-Attend VMworld 2018 US Sessions for EUC Pros: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/21-must-attend-vmworld-2018-us-sessions-euc-pros Email: lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com Website: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/ Twitter: @Lakesidesoft; @LindaTsao94; @Heather_Bick Visit Heather at VMworld US where we'll be giving away a Nintendo Switch! Booth 1468

What is need-based procurement and what can it do for your VDI environment? In this episode, hosts Heather and Linda discuss how a user-centric right-sizing approach can improve end-user experience with VDI and better align IT resources with business value. Links: https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3877270 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/science/chemistry-virtual-reality.html https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/09/can-andy-byford-save-the-subways  

College students and recent graduates: this one's for you.  For this episode of Lifeguard IT, we recruite Avery Dews, backend software developer at Lakeside Software, to share his experience studying computer science engineering at the University of Michigan. We also ask him about his post-college job search and internship as well as what his first year at Lakeside has been like. This is a great episode to share with anyone you know who is interested in becoming a software developer. You'll also get the inside scoop on what it's like to work at Lakeside.  Time stamps: Intro; 4:32 College; 11:42 Job Search; 20:31 Working at Lakeside; 35:24 Tech Pick of the Week; 1:01:49 Outro Tech picks:  https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/25/17501074/venmo-debit-card-mastercard-now-available https://www.wired.com/story/the-rise-of-dna-data-storage/ https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252443455/Younger-employees-main-culprits-for-security-breaches Questions and episode suggestions: lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com To apply: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/careers Twitter: @lakesidesoft  

In this episode, Heather and Linda discuss benchmarking methods and benefits, including Collective Intelligence Benchmarking (CIB) tools that assist in establishing baselines for internal or external comparisons. Later on in the episode, they share current tech news, including how Uber wants to use AI to identify drunk ride-hailers and how tech companies and conservationists are teaming up to use IoT to protect elephants and rhinos from poaching. Links: www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2018/34855/benchmarking-your-email-metrics-post-gdpr-cleanse www.theverge.com/2018/6/8/17441554/uber-drunk-passenger-ai arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/06/rhino-iot/

In this episode, we interview Ray Ross, a former AP US History teacher and current Global Director of SIs at Lakeside, about his career path and how he landed in IT. Ray shares anecdotes from his beginnings at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) as well as career advice for those just starting out in the tech industry. Later, we discuss the concept of continuous improvement and how to apply it in IT.  Questions and topic suggestions can be sent to lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com. 

Open offices are office layouts where cubicles are retired, and employees are placed in close proximity—a move that businesses hope will improve innovation, transparency, and collaboration while also reducing real estate costs. Open offices have their fans (large tech companies in particular), but critics worry about privacy as well as decreased productivity caused by excessive noise and other stimuli.  So, for today’s episode, we thought we’d look into the good, the bad, and the ugly of the open office concept to see how much power IT really has in influencing employee perception of the workplace. How much can IT, by listening to user needs and monitoring end-user experience, affect the success of the open office? Time Stamps "The Good" 2:50 "The Bad" 9:35 "The Ugly" 26:35 Solutions 32:50 What Can IT Do About It? 38:40 Tech Pick of the Week 46:10 www.theverge.com/2018/5/15/17357368/google-wifi-feature-device-home-struggling-connect www.theverge.com/2018/5/11/17346122/youtube-take-a-break-notifications-google-digital-wellbeing www.wired.com/story/google-and-the-rise-of-digital-wellbeing/  Resources & Articles Mentioned https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/16/17020246/apple-park-headquarters-employees-injury-glass-doors-design  https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/313034  https://www.theguardian.com/money/work-blog/2014/sep/29/open-plan-office-health-productivity  https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-open-office-trap  https://blog.strongproject.com/how-cal-newports-deep-work-concept-will-influence-office-design/  https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/05/how-to-muffle-open-office-noise/559979/  https://theoutline.com/post/4509/open-office-sexist-study?zd=1&zi=qo3gfulo  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-small-business/wp/2018/05/15/is-your-open-plan-office-promoting-sexism/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6465a57f0eb8  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2018/05/16/open-plan-offices-loud-distracting-and-ripe-for-sexism/?utm_term=.5c461c38b34c  http://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/212741/open-office-floor-plan-work.aspx  https://hbr.org/2018/01/sgc-research-when-moving-to-an-open-office-plan-pay-attention-to-how-your-employees-feel  https://hbr.org/2016/10/how-microsoft-used-an-office-move-to-boost-collaboration  https://www.zdnet.com/article/optimising-the-smart-office-a-marriage-of-technology-and-people/  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-01/everyone-hates-the-open-plan-office-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-that-way  https://www.bisnow.com/san-francisco/news/office/elizabeth-pinkham-88220  https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/30/google-got-it-wrong-the-open-office-trend-is-destroying-the-workplace/?utm_term=.86c46b3ef215  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/06/business/the-office-gets-remade-again.html  Contact lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com Twitter: @lakesidesoft, @Heather_Bick, @LindaTsao94

Hosts Heather and Linda explore the definitions of the terms "user" and "end user" and offer their thoughts on when to use each. Later on in the episode, they discuss articles on wearables in healthcare and smart home privacy concerns. Episode Links: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/30/an-open-bar-for-beta-testers https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/fitbit-wants-to-more-easily-give-data-to-doctors-with-google-partnership/ https://gizmodo.com/the-house-that-spied-on-me-1822429852

IT Service Management (ITSM) is an approach to designing, implementing, and managing how IT is used within an organization. Optimizing service desk operations is important in ITSM, as the service desk represents the primary point of contact between users and IT. In this episode, we take you through five strategies for delivering better service and improving ITSM.  Episode Links: https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17241710/google-cyark-partnership-vr-virtual-reality-preserve-historical-sites https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17241996/uk-ai-government-report-lords-ethical-leadership

In this episode, hosts Heather and Linda discuss the relationship between end users, technology, and productivity and what IT can do about it. The discussion spans three main productivity trade-offs: the benefits of digital transformation vs. the time it takes to learn new skills; increased cybersecurity concerns; and how technology shapes our ability to focus. Later on in the episode, we introduce a new segment, "Tech Pick of the Week," where we share and discuss tech news of interest, including a cat robot for lonely people, Microsoft's changing focus, and machine learning's taste for ramen. Episode Links: https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3869915 https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/technological-innovation-hurting-productivity-by-jeffrey-frankel-2018-03 https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/5/17201646/fribo-robot-social-lonely-young-people-home https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/30/17179328/microsoft-windows-reorganization-future-2018 https://news.microsoft.com/2018/03/29/satya-nadella-email-to-employees-embracing-our-future-intelligent-cloud-and-intelligent-edge/ https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2018/4/2/17189736/google-automl-vision-machine-learning-ramen

In this episode, hosts Heather and Linda discuss famous Stephen Hawking statements on technology, including parallels between computers and organic life and the implications of AI.

In this episode, we turn our focus to what it's like to work in IT. Heather interviews co-host Linda about her experience as level one help desk support at a university. What challenges did her customers face and how did Linda help resolve them? What aspect of the job would she have automated if she could? How is the help desk like an emergency room? Send us your answers to those questions or your own help desk stories at lifeguardIT@lakesidesoftware.com!

In this episode, co-hosts Heather and Linda discuss the Quantified Self movement and how similar concepts can be applied in IT to deliver continuous end-user experience improvements. Articles mentioned: https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/24/16926350/apple-watch-series-2-fitness... http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2055207616689509

In this episode, hosts Heather and Linda are joined by Ben Murphy, Director of Applied Engineering at Lakeside Software, to talk about the cybersecurity threats known as Meltdown and Spectre. Ben shares his initial findings on CPU load differences pre and post applying patches against the threats (time stamp: 6:40) and we discuss what that could mean for VDI users. Finally, we close out with some suggested steps IT admins can take to protect users and mitigate performance impacts.

In this episode, hosts Heather and Linda interview Ryan Purvis, a digital workplace strategist with 14 years of experience in the banking and real estate industries. They discuss the ideal state of enterprise user experience, how to get there, what GDPR means for IT, and what the future of work could look like.

In this episode, hosts Heather and Linda discuss implementing and using Microsoft Teams with special guests Dan Salinas, VP of Americas Sales and Business Development at Lakeside, and Kaushal Mehta, Senior Program Manager at Microsoft.

In this episode, hosts Heather and Linda share their solar eclipse experiences and follow-up thoughts from last episode's Cortana discussion. Lakeside's Product Marketing Manager, Patricia Diaz, joins to talk about UX design and the process of updating a website. From there, the discussion turns to end-user experience as an IT concept, focusing on three main questions: (1) What is it? (2) How can you measure it? and (3) What are the benefits?

In the first episode, hosts Heather and Linda discuss the depreciation of MS Paint and their Windows 10 user impressions. Special guest and Director of Applied Engineering at Lakeside Software, Ben Murphy, joins in to explore the current state of Windows 10 from an enterprise IT perspective.