Vox 114 Technology Podcast

Key Topics: Y2K – 20 years later. What was it like going through it, and were we worried that our toaster would go Terminator on us? Drones: Flying them, crashing them, and are they worth the money? The world’s first mobile computer, and first smart phone. Network Security: Understanding the most dangerous threats, protecting your network, and effectively educating your users to “look it before you click it”. The importance and benefits (especially in SMB) of finding and relying on select vendors and partners. 

Key Topics: Time management: In IT, especially in SMB and mid-market companies, being responsible for the many hats of responsibilities can be daunting. Brad shares with us how he manages to keep up with the never-ending incoming requests, and shares his top processes for staying organized, and still finding time to think and plan a head to keep your network stable and secure.  Tips for safely and smoothly deploying new software patches, and network updates: Anyone who has suffered through a failed or struggling new software release understands the importance of this topic. “AAA’ video games are notorious for this issue with persistent connection and lag issues.          So how do you avoid these issues that frustrate your users, and possibly jeopardized your position? Brad discovers these unforeseen issues before they cause anyone a headache, and accomplishes this by, ·       Utilizing a virtual infrastructure to run testing environments to monitor and fine tune his hardware utilization and resource allocation. ·       Multipoint testing – hit it from anywhere and everywhere. Internal, external, RDP, web, etc… ·       Document everything, stay available, and be fast to react on launch day.  Steps for Vetting new solutions and vendors: Anyone in IT understands the never-ending onslaught of new vendors pitching their solution as the best thing you could ever do for your network. How do you vet vendors, and solutions quickly and effectively to ensure you are not wasting time and getting the most bang for your buck.               Evaluate the backend experience, what is their support like, where is it based, and how far “above and beyond” are they willing to go for you? Request and speak with multiple references from parallel businesses and peers. Understand that “month end promotions or savings” are in actuality not restricted to month end at all, so take your time and do your research before making your ultimate decision. Advice to newer IT professionals: ·       Understanding the big players who basically run the world of IT ·       Where is the industry evolving and what specialties and verifications are going to provide the highest ROI and compensation over the next 5-10 years? ·       Enjoy it. You can’t make a living simply by doing what you love, but you also can’t make a life by doing what you hate. So let your passion guide you when choosing your role. Biggest security threat facing business networks today: The most dangerous threat today, is malware attacks which predominately come in the form of phishing attacks, which is why it’s critical to use a layered security approach to cover every data points your information touches. The challenges and benefits of security compliance. Effectively educate your users on best practices and their personal responsibility “Get them to look deeper” to help find the small nuance differences that indicate a malicious email.

Key Topics: Moving buildings from an IT perspective. Keeping your users up and running. Strategic planning and an intimate knowledge of your network and the other pieces that are in play to give yourself the ability to step back and view the move from a holistic level to deal with unexpected issues or delays. The Human Equation: The Critical Strength of being good with people. Being able to properly communicate your technology plan at the level of your audience, CIO, boss, users, and stakeholders can understand. Navigating a Microsoft licensing audit. It happens to the best of us, and may be one of the more enjoyable experiences, so how do we navigate it to an quick closure? The importance and benefits of finding and building a strong network of people and partners to rely on.  Some clever ways to utilize Microsoft Teams. The biggest security threat facing a business network today.