2020 has been a year of change. For better or worse, we have seen a great deal of transformation. When we heard that Channel Futures was altering their judging criteria for the prestigious MSP 501 list, we were intrigued. As a five of five year winner of this prestigious award, we were eager and hopeful the new criteria would incent us as well as other MSPs to push themselves to the next level. We were pleasantly surprised. To take a look at how this has changed, let's first examine what the MSP 501 is and the original judging criteria.

As states start to reopen, we are positive that we will never forget these “Stay at Home” times we are experiencing. We were almost instantly thrust into this unknown situation where our work and home are entirely intertwined. With "Stay at Home" orders in place, we are experiencing more enforced restrictions than we have ever known in the United States. It is an interesting time to reflect on how work has changed and learn from these changes. It is essential to understand how these adaptations allowed us to continue to collaborate and what seemed to keep our teams positive and efficient.

Yesterday began a new trial as now entire families are now at home attempting to work, learn, and do their best to stay sane. Challenging is an understatement to describe what our country and the entire world is currently dealing with. So we wanted to take a little time and let you in on a couple of new tools that may help your new "normal" workday function a bit better. As you are attempting to conduct meetings out of a home that resembles a 3-ring circus, these tools can hopefully bring a bit more professionalism to your remote office.

Consistency is the name of the game, and when it comes to naming, Microsoft is King. Unfortunately, with such similar names as Office 365 and Microsoft 365, there is a great deal of confusion on the differences between the offerings. This month, we will compare and contrast Office 365 vs. Microsoft 365. We will break down the high-level differences between the two Microsoft offerings, the difference in pricing, which product will benefit your business, a glossary of terms involved with both offerings, and an essential Q and A regarding both Microsoft 365 and Office 365. Today, we will stay high-level and look and the key differences between the two Microsoft offerings.

The definition of “Team” is a group of players forming one side in a competitive game or sport. That is precisely what Microsoft Teams is, a group backing you up and helping you compete in this "game" called life. There are so many aspects of Teams that can help you get that winning edge. One point is that it brings all of your functions together into one centralized location to help with ease and efficiency. There is a multitude of examples of this within Teams. One shining example is the ability to integrate all of your external apps alongside your Microsoft apps within one centralized location; your Teams home experience.

Audio conferencing is a non-negotiable in today’s workplace. Today, more than 70% of the professional work-force works remotely at least one day per week. Because so many employees are working outside the office, the logistics of meetings has changed drastically. Many organizations have used audio and video conferencing for quite some time, although the options for conferencing haven't incorporated our current applications. This is why we are so excited about the improved functionality of Microsoft Teams Audio Conferencing.

Last week, CES 2020 came and left, but while here, enthralled us with new technology announcements. We saw Alexa in just about every device from toothbrushes to cars and witnessed some of the most advanced headphones/hearing devices. We saw smarter smart TVs, mind-blowing laptops, and even some of the silliest, most ridiculous solutions which no-sane person needs. As always, the week of CES is a week we greatly anticipate, and fortunately, it has yet to disappoint us. Let’s take a look and a few releases that we saw last week.