6 Reasons Your Company Needs a Chief Productivity Officer

When it comes to in the workplace, businesses have turned to their CIO. It’s actually been that way for the last 30 years or so. But that position is becoming less relevant thanks to the migration of business applications and storage to the cloud.

1. CIO and IT positions have evolved.

2. Streamlines multiple departments.

3. Manages your virtual team.

4. Evaluates existing productivity tools and apps.

5. Analyzes small data.

6. Greater business competitiveness.

What to look for when hiring a CPO.

• Strong communication skills including verbal, non-verbal cues, written skills, and the ability to listen.
• Strong judgement and decision-making skills to ensure that they’ll be a good fit for your organization.
• The ability to handle and resolve problems.

Yeo & Yeo Technology is proud to have secured another two-year contract with the Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan (REMC) to sell Ergotron products during 2019 and 2020. Beginning January 1, 2019, the REMC contract allows us to provide special, pre-approved, bid pricing to schools, local and state government entities, and teaching hospitals.

The benefit for these organizations is that they can purchase from this contract without having to go to bid. All approved entities can make a purchase by visiting the REMC website and finding the Ergotron products they wish to purchase.

YYTECH began exclusively offering Ergotron’s ergonomic solutions to clients in June 2016 and has been a REMC-awarded vendor since January 2017. President Jeff McCulloch said offering health-focused Ergotron products is a great complement to the services provided by YYTECH.

“We have seen, internally and externally, how Ergotron products increase productivity and improve the lives of our own employees and clients,” McCulloch said. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Ergotron and REMC.”

What is REMC?

The REMC Association of Michigan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides leadership for educational organizations across Michigan. Since 1990, schools that have REMC contracts have saved over $865 million on and products that improve the classroom learning experience.

Learn about the other solutions we provide educators and government entities.

If your organization has been considering upgrading to an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution, here are 10 reasons that might be a good idea. 

1. Real-time information
When you’re not utilizing an ERP system, there are going to be times when your decisions are based on your best guess. An ERP system helps you make better educated decisions, based on real-time data.

2. Best practice implementation
By adding an ERP system, organizations are able to learn best practices for different industries, as they add clients. This creates better efficiency. 

3. Improved Visibility
Want to know when an order has shipped? ERP systems allow for instant visibility. 

4. Faster closing of month-end
Automatically process transactions and generate your audit trail and reports. This instantly can improve your month-end closings and can help flag any anomalies.

5. Increase client satisfaction
ERP systems provide improved inventory and shop floor visibility. Keep your clients happy by improving your visibility, which improves accuracy.

6. Controlled costs
Calculate and control your costs and have an accurate picture of product cost and margins.

7. Better operational efficiency
ERP systems can help you plan your production more efficiently and reduce unnecessary wasted time.

8. Accurate records
An ERP system will help uniform your data. This ensures that your records are more accurate. 

9. Balance
Know your supply vs demand. Reduce or increase inventory as needed.

10. Reduce lead time
Better scheduling and accurate records ensure focus on priorities. This leads to shorter lead times.

Yeo & Yeo Technology’s Business Applications Group specializes in Sage 100 ERP. Contact us today to learn more!

1. Cyberattackers are on the prowl — and your business is a target.

If you have a business network, hackers and cybercriminals want access to it. They know you have valuable proprietary secrets. They know you have employee Social Security numbers they can sell to identity thieves. They bet that if they hold your network hostage, you might be tempted to pay their ransom. Some don’t want money or information — they just like to vandalize your servers and cause chaos. Lists of vulnerable companies are traded on the Dark Web, and bots are pinging random servers, looking for easy marks.

2. You can’t predict where they’ll strike.

There are dozens of possible attack vectors for hackers to choose. For example, it could be a portable or mobile device your client uses to connect with your business. Spoof emails can contain malicious attachments that might slip through antivirus software. Your server firewalls may have an unseen hole in their defenses. A device connected to your office network may never have had its default password changed. Or maybe a web application you trust was exploited and infected.

3. Printers are a pushover.

Your network printers may look innocent, but they are among the most easily exploited devices in business today. Print jobs are sent to printers constantly, and they are connected to your company WLAN and your employees. And that’s connected to the Internet and your customers. This alone makes them a prime cyberattack vector. Unfortunately, breaking into unsecured printers is so simple that even fledgling hackers can do it.

4. You can’t afford to be complacent.

A recent survey found that only 16% of IT industry respondents think printers are at high risk of a security breach[1]. One of the reasons for this complacency about print security is that IT teams are typically focused on protecting other endpoints, like desktop PCs and mobile devices. But the potential impact of printer-based intrusions shouldn’t be ignored. A single unsecured printer could leave your entire network of connected devices vulnerable to attack, which can have dire business consequences.

5. Take control with HP Print Security Solutions.

Start safeguarding your business now with the world’s most secure printing from HP[2]. As an HP Silver Partner, Yeo & Yeo Technology can show you how HP printers protect five key areas of printer vulnerability:

• HP Sure Start — A secure boot process that validates the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). If it detects a corrupter version, it replaces it with a hardware-protected copy.
• HP secure whitelisting — Validates firmware and notifies IT of any issues.
• HP Runtime Intrusion Detection — Monitors devices and halts operations for reboot if malware is detected.
• Intuitive Policy Editor— Continuous assurance of security policy settings helps correct non-compliant devices.
• Security information and event management system — Real-time threat detection and analysis protect data in transit.

Contact the IT specialists at Yeo & Yeo Technology, an HP Silver Partner, today at (800) 607-1446 for details about the advantages secure HP printers can bring to your organization. Or check out the new infographic, “Defending the Digital Workplace with Print Security.” 

[2] Based on HP review of 2016 published security features of competitive in-class printers.

© 2018

According to Spiceworks’ Annual Report on IT Budgets and Trends, 89 percent of businesses will increase their IT spending in 2019. We have identified four key things to consider when planning your organization’s IT budget.

1. Software and Equipment Updates
Staying current is vitally important. Hackers are always finding ways to exploit software and steal information. Making room in your budget for security upgrades is critical. While some, such as Microsoft Office, automatically push out updates and patches, it’s important to stay on top of third-party patching for Windows devices. Third-party patches from Adobe, Google Chrome, Java or Flash should be easy, but can be a hassle. Investing in patch management software will help keep you secure while saving time and resources. Even with IT staff in place, it can be daunting to keep track of every update and patch. If you are not monitoring updates 24/7, consider a Managed Services package. Don’t forget all other devices, servers, printers and peripherals that require continual monitoring too. For a monthly fixed fee your IT infrastructure is proactively monitored and maintained.

2. Security Awareness Training
Ransomware and malware continue to be major threats for business owners and IT professionals. Education is a key factor in prevention and Security Awareness Training is a cost-effective way to train employees to notice warning signs and stop an attack before it strikes. Training will reveal your employees’ phish-prone percentage (many industries are around 30 percent) and, after one test, can lower the percentage by 13 percent.

3. Microsoft Solutions
Microsoft is continually updating and adding new features to Office 365. Office 365 was designed to be scalable and grow with your organization. If you’re planning an expansion or merger, Office 365 allows users to pay for exactly what they need with predictable costs and fewer licensing hassles.

4. Outdated Hardware 
Outdated hardware is the most significant driver of IT budget increases for businesses in 2019, according to the Spiceworks report. Every year it’s important to consider the state of your hardware (and software) to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and security. Consider the following:

• Do your PCs and servers still have enough storage space?
• How old is your current hardware?
• Are your network and devices running slow?

If you would like to learn more about planning your IT budget or YYTECH’s suite of services, contact us today!

While most businesses have strong antivirus software in place, too many overlook the security vulnerabilities of their office printers. If not adequately protected, peripheral devices can be an open gateway for hackers and cybercriminals. Let’s review some common printer security issues.

Why you should be concerned

According to one study, 99% of companies surveyed experienced malicious code attacks in 2016[1]. More than 50% of IT managers say their printers are vulnerable to cyberhackers, and more than 75% admit they’re likely already infected with malware [2]. But, while 80% of companies surveyed said IT security was important, only 59% felt the same about print security[3]. Because a large percentage of security breaches in offices have been tracked back to an unsecured printer, it’s obvious that networked print devices are prime targets.

How printers are vulnerable

Hackers know office printers are weak links. Access is often secured only with a default password like “admin.” WiFi access is left unconfigured and ports are unprotected. Once hackers are in the network, they can really do damage. Data may not be encrypted, or encrypted poorly, so hackers can intercept and read documents in transit on the network.

Hackers who know what to look for can also intercept documents printed by employees remotely or from home. Insider thieves can simply steal documents when employees leave them sitting in paper trays too long. More sophisticated attackers get around common malware protections to corrupt a device’s Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) and even alter its firmware. 

Worst-case scenarios

You can imagine the potential risks to your business if hackers gain access to your data. Even a single data breach can be mind-blowingly expensive if it leads to identity theft, stolen trade secrets, or a loss of product licensing[4]. If employee or customer personal information is stolen, personal lawsuits and litigation could result. If the company is under strict compliance regulations regarding information security, hefty fines because of a data breach could follow. If industry trade journals and other media spread news of a data breach, the company’s reputation could take a big hit. It’s little wonder that according to the U.S National Cyber Security Alliance, 60% of small companies that suffer a cyberattack go out of business within six months[5]. Right now, there could be skilled cybercriminals probing your business for network printer vulnerabilities.

What you can do

Protecting your business data assets from skilled printer hackers can be a big challenge. Yeo & Yeo Technology can provide expert assistance and the latest security solutions. As an HP Silver Partner, we deliver the best-in-class security features of HP print devices that offer unprecedented levels of protection:

• Continuous updates: Keeps existing printers current with the latest security technologies
• Run-time intrusion detection: Constant monitoring of firmware and memory, automatic rebooting when anomalies are detected
• Self-healing: 24/7 scanning for malware attacks on BIOS, restores if corrupted
• Whitelisting: Checks firmware at startup to ensure that it’s authentic HP code

Contact the proactive IT specialists at Yeo & Yeo Technology today at (800) 607-1446 to discover how HP Print Security solutions work to provide the best protection from the threat of cyberattackers. Or check out the new infographic, “Defending the Digital Workplace with Print Security.”

[2] Ponemon Institute, “Annual Global IT Security Benchmark Tracking Study,” March 2015.

[3] IDC, “The Business Value of Printer Security,” Nov 2015.

[4] IDC, “User Perspectives on Print Security”, doc #US40612015, Nov 2015.

[5] http://www.denverpost.com/2016/10/23/small-companies-cyber-attack-out-of-business/

We know how important it is for small companies to look utterly professional–right down to their business documents. The right tools can help them seem a lot bigger than they actually are.

In this video from Microsoft, watch as entrepreneur Trevor Cressey and his team take advantage of more than 100 customizable invoice templates in #Office365 to show their customers a polished, professional look. They can easily customize their invoices using built-in themes and colors. And they can add their own logo and business information for a “pro” appearance that’s on a par with any global corporation.

Yeo & Yeo Technology can help you show the world a professional face too. Contact us to find out how.

© 2018

Complete Your 2018 Security Risk Assessment and Plan for 2019

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires that practices participating with Medicaid and Medicare conduct an annual Security Risk Assessment (SRA) of their healthcare organization. The required SRA ensures your organization is compliant with HIPAA’s safeguards. Healthcare providers looking to maximize their reward from the Quality Payment Program are also required to complete an annual SRA.

Beware of the penalties if your organization does not comply. If you do not report an SRA from the 2018 year, a 5% Medicare penalty will be applied in 2020, and the proposed noncompliance penalty for the 2019 reporting year is a 7% Medicare penalty in 2021.

To help you fulfill your annual HIPAA requirements by year end and maximize your investment in the required assessment, Yeo & Yeo and its affiliates have partnered to provide an SRA that is budget-friendly, efficient and useful. Our assessment covers all 72 HIPAA security safeguards and functions as a beneficial tool for organizations looking to develop stronger data security measures.

• Proof of HIPAA compliance
• Detailed, customized report including all compliance documents
• Identification of potential risks and vulnerabilities in confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic patient information (ePHI)
• Comprehensive tool to develop a risk management plan
• Complimentary findings analysis review
• Less invasive than traditional assessments and requires minimum assistance from your staff

Contact us today for a quote on your annual Security Risk Assessment.

Maya Angelou once wrote, “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.” In this article we’ll take a look back in time to understand the trends and breakthroughs that have led us to the era of Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI).

Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) is an IT framework that combines computing, storage and networking functionality into an appliance. HCI systems provide computing, networking and storage functionalities through the same server-based resources or nodes, which creates a simple, easy to manage, single resource pool. HCI nodes combine to create clusters or pools of shared capacity, memory and computing power. These clusters are infinitely scalable and managed via a single interface, making HCI easier to support.

So how did we get here? HCI is the intersection of a few trends, scientific ‘laws’ and the maturation of the underlying and enabling .

Here’s a look into the trends that lead to HCI.

In the late 1990s, higher processor performance from Intel and Linux/open source adoption created the first major building block of HCI, storage virtualization. As storage virtualization improved, it led to server virtualization fueled by companies such as VMware. In 2011 we saw the emergence of converged infrastructure where core aspects of a data center — storage, compute, networking and server virtualization — are combined into a single chassis. Finally, in 2014 we started to see the emergence of Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, which further consolidated data center elements into a single appliance with software-defined functionality.

Now onto the laws, trends and general postulations that predicted and predicated HCI .

Our collective knowledge is always growing. Buckminster Fuller created the “Knowledge Doubling Curve” in 1982; he noticed that until 1900, human knowledge doubled approximately every century. By the end of World War II, knowledge was doubling every 25 years and he postulated that by 2000, human knowledge would double every year. Current estimates say that we’re getting close to the doubling of knowledge every 12 hours. This increasing volume of knowledge translates to massive amounts of data that must be stored, correlated, made readily available to customers, and ultimately mined for value.

We know that Moore’s law is the observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years, which means that chip performance, and hence computing power, will increase roughly along that same curve. Moore’s prediction proved accurate for several decades, but the growth rate started to slow in 2012. Although not technically a law, Moore’s observation still holds true in that computing power is increasing every year.

A 2005 Scientific American article titled “Kryder’s Law” observed that magnetic disk areal storage density was then increasing very quickly. The pace of increased disk storage density was much faster than the two-year doubling time of semiconductor chip density posited by Moore’s law  –about every 13 months. While Kryder’s growth rate predictions didn’t hold up over the long haul either, the general trend that storage density is increasing yearly remains true.

Still with us?

Let’s sum it up: Knowledge (i.e., data) is increasing yearly, compute power is also increasing, and so is storage capacity. One thing that isn’t increasing is space, as in the available physical space, in your data center. Which is why you need systems that can handle more data and provide more computing power in a compact form factor.

Since these trends will continue to grow, you’ll also need a solution that scales easier as your needs increase. This solution is Hyper-Converged Infrastructure. HCI can lower infrastructure total cost of ownership by requiring less hardware, thereby lowering your data center footprint, which results in lower power, cooling and maintenance costs. HCI nodes and clusters are infinitely scalable — just add another node to increase resources. Hyper-Converged Infrastructure is the next phase in the evolution of the data center and can help you meet your IT needs now and grow with you into the future. Check with your Lenovo business partner to see if HCI is right for your business.

Having a strong password associated with your QuickBooks file is important for two reasons:

1. It will help keep external hackers from accessing your financial information.

2. It will keep internal staff members from accessing information.

It’s easy to get your head around number 1 but what about number 2? Yes, there are those rare times when an employee may not be as trustworthy as you had hoped. And he or she may be able to view or even manipulate data in QuickBooks, simply because of a weak password or because it was shared. There also may be data you don’t want certain staff members to see.

Layers of Security

Besides just requiring a password to get into QuickBooks, Intuit has extra layers of security for users. One layer requires a person attempting access to QuickBooks to verify that he or she is authorized to use the file. Another has to do with credit card information. If a user stores customer credit card data in QuickBooks, or has the “credit card protection” feature turned on, a password must be created to get into the software.

The final layer is for the administrator of the account. QuickBooks will notify the admin if other users haven’t set up a password. The admin will have the ability to recommend other users create a password or the admin can assign a password to a user.

Here are other security tips to ensure data safety:

• All users should have a password for their QuickBooks desktop file.
• Users should choose a strong user name and password. Use unique combinations of letters, numbers and characters (such as $ and %) in a password — not basic words that can easily be found online or in the dictionary.
• Users should protect all personal information. Don’t share a user name and password with others or let colleagues sign in with your information. Make sure to use different passwords for each account.
• Users should be using the latest version of QuickBooks or on versions released within two years back. Those versions have the most up-to-date security features.
• What if a user needs to share a QuickBooks file? It’s recommended he or she use a secure method such as the Accountant’s Copy File Transfer (ACFT) service, when sharing QuickBooks files.

So, yes, passwords can be a pain to come up with and update. But the real problems will begin if your data is hacked or money is stolen from your business. So, keep things easy. Make your passwords difficult.

© 2018

Bring the power and flexibility to your IT infrastructure with Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solutions from Lenovo and Nutanix. Lenovo HX Series appliances powered by Nutanix software are fully integrated, turnkey solutions that eliminate complicated setup, integration, and operation, solving the challenges faced by growing or large organizations.

In this infographic we’ll look at the top reasons to deploy hyperconverged infrastructure for enterprise applications including:

• Faster Time to Value
• Predictable performance
• Predictable performanceBuilt-in resiliency and protected data
• Faster development
• Non-disruptive upgrades and simpler scaling
• Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and higher ROI

Learn more about Hyperconverged Infrastructure and how it can help your business by reading the Lenovo infographic below.

View Infographic

Be Cyber Savvy. It’s a Shared Responsibility

1. Never trust an email and remember your training to think before you click.
   
2. Practice good password management.
   
3. Use mobile/personal devices safely – set a pin, maintain updates, click only from trusted sources, do not save or share sensitive data.
4. Use public wireless hot-spots wisely and be aware of who could be lurking over your shoulder.
5. Never leave devices unprotected/unattended in public.

Protect client data.
At Yeo & Yeo, we take our clients’ data security seriously. We have reasonable measures in place to keep client data secure. You can do the same for your organization by remembering to:

• Use client portals and encrypted email when sending sensitive data.
  
• Keep clients’ (and personal) sensitive data off your local computers and mobile devices.
  

• Do you train your staff?
  
• Do you have policies and procedures in place?
  
• Have you completed a security audit recently? 

Additional cybersecurity-related articles can be found here

Cybersecurity Statistics

More than $1 million is lost every minute to cyber-crime. That staggering stat comes to us by way of RiskIQ who published new research showing that despite businesses spending roughly $171K every minute on cyber security, $1.1M is lost to cyber-crime.

Their research found that every 60 seconds:

• 1.5 organizations fell victim to ransomware attacks, with an average cost to businesses of $15K
• A new site appeared running the CoinHive cryptocurrency mining script
• Four potentially vulnerable web components were discovered

It also found that a new phishing domain appears every five minutes, and a new site running the CoinHive cryptocurrency mining script was detected every 10 minutes.

In an email to Info-security, security author Raef Meeuwisse said that cyber crime continues to be a profitable industry, and cyber-criminals continually evolve their tactics to remain one step ahead of the average cyber-security function.

He said: “Cyber-crime and cyber-security co-exist in a constant cycle of innovation. As one particular criminal trend towards a particular technique increases, so the security functions create or strengthen the required defenses.

“However, it is evident at both the level of personal and organizational cyber-security that spending is usually too low. In fact, most of these cyber-criminals are not going after the hard targets with great defenses, they are targeting the low-hanging fruit – and there is still far too much of it.”

RiskIQ CEO Elias Manousos said, “Leveraging the latest research as well as our own global threat intelligence, we’re defining the sheer scale of attacks that take place across the internet to help businesses better understand what they’re up against on the open web.”

Remember that your employees are your last line of defense against a cyberattack. 

We live in a world where change is the only constant. As data volumes explode and customers’ response times shorten, we need IT systems that can meet those challenges now and grow with us into the future, and it’s intelligent software that provides that path.

We carry software-defined phones, drive (or ride in) software-defined cars, so why should our data centers be any different? The software-defined data center (SDDC) marks the next evolution in infrastructure and data center automation architecture.

This analyst report from Gartner defines what an SDDC is, talks about which business models and projects are best for an SDDC implementation, examines risk mitigation strategies and talks about the skills needed for a successful SDDC. It will help you decide whether an SDDC is right for your organization and guide your decision-making process as you evaluate SDDCs. If you are thinking about SDDC, Software Defined Storage or Hyperconverged Infrastructure, read on to learn more about the what, where, how and why of the Software Defined Data Center.

This report will help you:

• Learn about software-defined data centers
• Understand SDDC attributes and taxonomy
• Determine I&O skills refresh and cultural shift required
• Establish an SDDC when the business case makes sense
• Identify the business models and IT projects that get the most value from an SDDC
• Know the required characteristics to make SDDC possible
• Plan to mitigate the top risks of an SDDC project failure

View The Report

Every so often, takes a giant step forward. Think back to the first time you saw a smartphone or used a tablet. Those were huge advances in the world of . As the devices we use continue to advance, so too must the security we use to protect our information. The types of threats that lurk over the internet are making similar, giant, advances.

Every organization uses a firewall to protect themselves from outside threats. Now, Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) are being deployed to thwart attacks in a more sophisticated way. According to Gartner, NGFWs are defined as deep-packet inspection firewalls that move beyond port/protocol inspection and blocking to add application-level inspection and intrusion prevention, and bring intelligence from outside the firewall. That is a pretty daunting definition. To have a better understanding of this description, let’s look at the differences between a traditional firewall and an NGFW.

The traditional firewall has two main functions. First, the traditional firewall controls traffic allowed to enter and exit a point inside a network. Second, traditional firewalls have Virtual Private Network (VPN) capabilities. When you look at the functionality of an NGFW, you have to break down the features of Unified Threat Management (UTM). The features under the UTM are what make NGFWs worth the investment. The added features of UTM consolidate multiple network security functions into one device. In addition to the functionality of the traditional firewall, NGFWs feature: 

• Integrated Intrusion Prevention System
  
• Advanced Threat Protection
  
• Application Control
  
• Web Filtering
  
• Antivirus
  
• Antispam
  
• Antimalware
  

UTMs are designed to cover the entire threat network and provide the ability to stay ahead of the latest vulnerabilities.

All of this information is great and sounds technical, but let’s get down to the bottom line: Is an NGFW right for you? The reality is NGFWs are the best and most efficient way for small and mid-sized businesses to manage the latest security threats. Threats like ransomware, CryptoLocker, CryptoWall and zero-day attacks are continuously evolving. If your organization needs to stay HIPAA- or PCI-compliant, NGFWs provide the extra security measures that help meet those requirements.

There are still many places where traditional firewalls are a good fit. However, it’s important to know that many traditional firewalls are reaching their end of support. If you’re looking for an end-to-end solution, considering an NGFW might be the next logical step for your organization.

Designed for easy deployment and manageability, the Lenovo ThinkAgile SX for Nutanix integrates state-of-the-art Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series appliances, premier Lenovo networking and management infrastructure into a turnkey, virtualization-ready system. Lenovo ThinkAgile Advantage provides comprehensive life cycle support and end-to-end case management.

Are you looking to boost your business efficiency and agility? Is your data center showing its age, unable to handle current growth rates, and unable to deliver the performance required by applications such as big data, analytics and mobility? Are you looking to reduce the cost and complexity of your IT environment while increasing performance?

Hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) combines software defined storage, compute and networking functionality into a simple, easy to use appliance. HCI can help you:

• Improve storage utilization
• Provision faster
• Improve staff productivity
• Reduce downtime while improving application availability
• Improve compute utilization

Learn more about Hyperconverged Infrastructure and how it can help your business by reading the IDC infographic below.

View Infographic

Well … it’s been a good run.

Possibly the most widely-used operating system – Windows 7 – is finally being phased out. On January 14, 2020, Extended Support will end for Windows 7 (Service Pack 1). However, another operating system, Windows Server 2008, will precede Windows 7 to the island of misfit software a day earlier, on January 13, 2020.

So, what does this mean? What happens after Extended Support has ended? I’ll break it down for you.

First, we should distinguish between the two main types of support from Microsoft: Mainstream and Extended Support.

Mainstream Support

Mainstream Support is the first phase of the product lifecycle. At the supported service pack level, Mainstream Support for products and services includes:

• Incident support (no-charge incident support, paid incident support, support charged on an hourly basis, and support for warranty claims)
• Security update support
• The ability to request nonsecurity updates

Note: Enrollment in a maintenance program may be required to receive these benefits for certain products.

Both Windows 7 and Server 2008 have been out of Mainstream Support since January 13, 2015.

Extended Support

The Extended Support phase follows Mainstream Support for business, developer, and desktop operating system products. At the supported service pack level, Extended Support includes:

• Paid support
• Security update support at no additional cost
• Nonsecurity-related updates require Extended Hotfix Support to be purchased (per-fix fees also apply)

Extended Hotfix Support is not available for desktop operating system consumer products. More details are available here.

Note: Microsoft will not accept requests for warranty support, design changes, or new features during the Extended Support phase.

• Extended Support is not available for consumer, consumer hardware, or multimedia products.
• Enrollment in a maintenance program may be required to receive these benefits for certain products.

From <https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14085 >

What happens next?

Now that we have that out of the way, allow me to break this down so it’s a little easier to understand.

While Windows 7 is in Mainstream Support, Microsoft will provide full support, updates/patching, and will release quality of life (QOL) improvements such as changes to user interface, performance tweaks, etc. Most Microsoft products stay in Mainstream Support for three to five years.

Once in Extended Support, Microsoft will support your software, but only for a fee. However, even if you are in the Extended Support phase, it does not guarantee you support, as you may have noticed above in the notes, “Enrollment in a maintenance program may be required to receive the benefits for certain products.” Once Extended Support has ended, Microsoft’s solution for any problem regarding these operating systems will essentially be, “upgrade your operating system.” Even if you are willing to pay, these agreements are reserved for large enterprises with thousands of PCs and a large checkbook.

But that’s just the beginning. The need to upgrade isn’t only because Microsoft won’t provide tech/incident support for your operating system, it’s because they won’t patch it either. If you noticed, January 14, 2020, is on a Tuesday. This happens to fall on the infamous Patch Tuesday for that month. Simply, this means that after that date, Windows 7 and Server 2008 will no longer receive security updates and patching, so any security flaws found or left behind on January 13 will not be patched. If you leave these machines on your network, you could be leaving a door open for a slew of cyber threats.

Start planning for upgrades now

So why are we bringing this up now? January 2020 isn’t as far away as you think. Some users may not have any systems with these operating systems, while others may have hundreds. Just like any other business expense, you don’t like the ones that come unexpectedly. The time to start planning and budgeting your upgrades is coming up fast.

When it comes to maintaining a disaster recovery plan for your organization, the 3-2-1 Backup Rule is the gold standard. For many years, we have worked with clients to implement effective disaster recovery plans, and we live by this rule to keep their data protected.

What is the 3-2-1 Backup Rule? Simply put, organizations should make three copies of their data available on two different media, with one stored offsite. While it sounds easy enough, many organizations don’t follow it. Like anything else, you still need to focus on the details to ensure your data can be recovered.

Why isn’t one backup enough?

Imagine that you keep your original data on one device, and its backups are on a second device with the same characteristics, and their failures are statistically independent. For example, if device #1 has a probability of failure that is 1/100 (and the same is true for device #2), then the probability of failure of both devices at the same time is:

1/100 * 1/100 = 1/10,000

This means that if you have your primary data (on device #1) and two backups of it (on devices #2 and #3), and if all devices have the same characteristics and no common failure causes, then the probability of failure of all three devices at the same time is:

1/100 * 1/100 * 1/100 = 1/1,000,000

For this reason, having more copies of your data means you will have less risk of losing data during a disaster. In short, if your data is important to you, be sure to make at least two backup copies.

Use two different media types

Copies of your data should always be on multiple device types. Media storage options include tapes, external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, CDs, DVDs, or even floppy disks, or on two internal hard disk drives in different storage locations.

Keep one data source offsite

If your office were to be hit with a disaster, like a fire or a tornado, having multiple backups in one location would not do you any good. By keeping the data replicated offsite, you significantly increase your recovery percentage.

If you would like to learn more about how YYTECH can help your organization implement the 3-2-1 Backup Rule, contact us today.

Some information in this article was excerpted from the veeam.com blog.

Meet Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series

ThinkAgile HX Series integrates Nutanix software onto Lenovo’s highly reliable and scalable servers to dramatically accelerate time-to-value and reduce infrastructure maintenance time and costs. Get extreme reliability, dependable security, extensive and predictable scalability, simplified management, and faster time-to-value. 

1. Simplify IT infrastructure: ThinkAgile HX Series helps break down IT silos to dramatically reduce server, storage and virtualization complexity in data centers of all sizes.
   
   
2. Reduce costs and accelerate time-to-value: The flexible building block of fully integrated and tested compute, storage, and preloaded virtualization management software enables easy scale-out clusters to support your business growth, while reducing your data center footprint.
   
   
3. Deliver greater reliability: The success of deploying a hyperconverged solution depends on reliable server platforms that play a larger role. Hyperconverged systems consolidate servers, storage, and virtualization into one virtual structure, easily managed in scale-out clusters through a single interface.
   

• 1000 Series is optimized for remote office/branch office (ROBO) deployments.
  
• 2000 Series is optimized for smaller deployments (small and medium businesses (SMBs))
  
• 3000 Series is optimized for compute-heavy applications
  
• 5000 Series is optimized for storage-heavy workloads.
  
• 7000 Series is optimized for high-performance environments.
  

If you are interested in learning more about the Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series, contact YYTECH today.