It's that alert on your desktop—the "upgrades available" indicator when you check your computer. Or when your smartphone tells you that it's going to update later while you're sleeping, and you defer it to another time. What if you miss an email or a text? You think to yourself; you don't need to do that update; your phone is working fine. Well, unfortunately, that thought is incorrect. You very much need that update.

Recently, President Biden met with leaders in the private sector as well as those in education to discuss the need to address cybersecurity threats to the nation and efforts needed across the board. The increase in incidents and the ongoing threat of attack transcends all invisible borders that we put on humans or businesses. In other words, cybercriminals don’t care about your race, religion, income, or the industry that you work within. Data is valuable to them, and they will obtain it however is necessary. This meeting was held to unify efforts so that collectively we are fighting the battle against hackers with the hope of having a more significant impact. The outcome of the meeting was as follows…

The overwhelming theme of this year’s virtual Microsoft Inspire 2021 conference was that Microsoft is fully committed to being the very best partner they can be to their partners. Satya Nadella started the conference with a powerful keynote acknowledging that Microsoft has gotten where it is today solely because of its partners and that it will only continue to grow if its partners are also growing. Every major takeaway from the conference carried along this theme, yet concepts ranged from security to reduced costs to higher functionality. Below are what we believe to be the most impactful takeaways from Microsoft Inspire 2021.

The three largest network morning news shows are often what Americans have on in the background as we get ready for work or school. You’ll find the headlines, pop culture, and maybe some shopping bargains from time to time. They generally cover the top stories of the day but are not known for their likelihood to consistently address the hard-hitting stories in detail. If cybersecurity is on the docket, it typically is in reference to a retailer being breached or something that would affect the public like the Colonial Pipeline ransomware story – and only because we saw people filling plastic bags full of gasoline as a result of the breach. That part was more newsworthy than the breach itself. You’ll get the general story, but it’s the fallout that is usually more interesting. Rather than a headline of “RANSOMWARE PAID,” you’ll instead see “LONG LINES AT THE STATION AS PEOPLE FILL MILK JUGS WITH GASOLINE!”

Working from home, for many of us, it was fun while it lasted. For others, we couldn't wait to see it end. Now that we are reopening life as we knew it, people are scrambling to get back to the office. Many are eager to escape makeshift dining room desks that compete with family life and chaos or crave the social interaction and other structures that office environments provide. You might be in a combination situation, where you put in hours both at home and in the office. Either way, we are all going back, whether you are ready or not.

Just as it seemed we might be seeing clear skies ahead in terms of the pandemic; another dark cloud began to rise on the horizon. The Colonial Pipeline breach hit the news, and many people started to panic. We were all too familiar with the uncertainty of the future, and last year’s toilet paper rush was replaced with people filling gasoline in plastic containers of all sorts and sizes.

An Interview with Pendello Solutions President, Mike Jackson

These past twelve months, we have seen a massive change in the way we work. These changes were forced upon us by a global pandemic. For the most part, most of us could continue doing business largely because of the drastic changes in technology. I was able to sit down with Pendello Solutions President, Mike Jackson, and get his take on the changes in technology year over year.