May 24, 2024 - This week’s notables

Infrastructure & Support  

As we reported last week, the support tasks have been low-key, which means our IT systems are working well... or at least no one has complained! So, we've been using this calm period to work on some ongoing projects with Viva intranets and domain migrations.

Unfortunately, we have seen an uptick in sophisticated phishing attempts across multiple accounts this week. Please be vigilant in identifying recognized senders and think twice before providing your credentials when prompted!

This week we also attended part two of a Microsoft Lighthouse webinar series, and we're very impressed with how much Microsoft has improved this tool. We're excited to use Lighthouse more in our support infrastructure.

Also, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is releasing revision 3 of NIST 800-171 Cybersecurity Guidelines for Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). This update affects contractors and organizations that work with the federal government. We help our customers meet these regulations and will evaluate how this revision changes the existing documentation and policies we have implemented. We'll also use this opportunity to leverage cybersecurity assessment tools that come with some Microsoft 365 licensing.

Devices 

We recently installed two WatchGuard Wi-Fi access points for a client. This project involved replacing an outdated access point with two new AP-130 devices to improve speed and bandwidth. Before the replacement, we measured Wi-Fi speeds of 7 Mbps. We configured the devices beforehand, which simplified the on-site installation and setup. After we set up the new network, Wi-Fi speed increased to almost 300 Mbps. We will finalize the placement of the devices in a few weeks – meanwhile, we’re asking staff about their Wi-Fi experience with the new access points. Once we ensure signal coverage is satisfactory, we will mount the aps on the wall. In addition, we have become authorized sellers of Microsoft Surface devices! This will enable us to access the new generation of AI PCs, including the Surface, which is the first one we can offer. Surface Laptop 6 is out on the market, and if you’re looking to take advantage of faster AI solutions, give us a shout.

Information Radiation

We’re working on an intranet migration project – helping a customer move from their on-premises legacy SharePoint 2010 intranet to SharePoint Online with Viva Connections. As with other Viva Connections intranets we’ve configured, the end users will access the new intranet directly from Teams (and can also access it directly via SharePoint). Viva Connections provides two types of landing page experience – the default Viva Connections Dashboard with customizable cards; or the designated SharePoint intranet site. We’ve encountered a problem with the usual path to set the landing page but are working through it and happy with the progress on the SharePoint site itself.

Operations & Growth

In this week’s Operations & Growth discussion, we reflected on an article by the founder of a partner company that created a Dynamics 365 app for Microsoft license resellers (you may be surprised to learn that license resale can be a very challenging business!). The article is titled “Navigating Challenges: Why I Pivoted the Business.” As a micro-business with employees who have an entrepreneurial mindset, this resonated with us, and gave us a chance to acknowledge the real difficulties of a small business in a shifting market and the possibility of failure.

It’s comforting to know that these difficulties are not exclusive to any one business and that it is normal and healthy for a business to evaluate its direction and adjust when (or, hopefully, before) it is needed. Also, this is often hard, requiring time and patience.

What kind of pivots have you had to make, either in personal or professional life? We’d love to hear from you, if you’ve got a story to share!