As we all can feel, there are many pressures on families and individuals these days. This is especially true for military members returning to civilian life. Service to their country is coming to an end, and a new set of challenges is set to begin. One former Air Force veteran, Dave Hickey of West Gardiner, ME, lived through those challenges. The personal pressures he experienced upon returning home inspired a noble decision. Dave determined he would help make that transition a bit easier for other returning veterans.  

The prevalence of video conferencing is changing the way we conduct business. As we adapt to this new meeting practice, cybercriminals are adapting as well. The recent surge in use of cloud-based video conferencing technologies creates opportunities for cybercriminals to reengineer their phishing tactics.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most school districts have moved to remote learning, leaving many disadvantaged families without means to stay connected and informed. Access to personal computers and internet service are critical for students to continue remote education. To respond to this unprecedented need in the community, Systems Engineering is stepping up our longtime partnership with PCs for Maine (now known as give IT. get IT.) Together, we have embarked on an ambitious plan to provide low-cost or no-cost laptops and desktops to disadvantaged families across the state of Maine.

A new detailed research report released from IntSights, a threat intelligence firm, reveals the cyber threat impact of COVID-19 to global business. It seems that a list of Zoom user credentials was found on the dark web.

Systems Engineering has helped many of our customers migrate to the Microsoft Cloud, which now enables a highly distributed workforce, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We want to make sure you are aware of Microsoft's stance and preparedness activities specific to COVID-19. Below, Microsoft has detailed a high-level outline of key focus areas.

With the heightened awareness around the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we would like to share how Systems Engineering has prepared to handle potential upcoming challenges, as well as how you should be thinking through your approach. Over the years, we have worked with a number of our clients to develop Business Continuity Plans, applying critical thinking to how they would handle a pandemic scenario. These organizations are generally going to be better prepared to handle the uncertain path ahead. 

05.01.20 UPDATE:  Beginning Thursday, May 21, 2020, Systems Engineering will be moving forward with our patching service changes. We initially scheduled these for March, but then delayed as we all adjusted to working from home due to the pandemic. Our patching service changes are in response to Microsoft's new way of servicing Windows, which you can read more about in this blog post.

Beginning Thursday, March 19, 2020 May 21, 2020, Systems Engineering will be enhancing our patching services. Before we communicate these enhancements, it's essential to understand the motivation behind them. Our patching service changes are in response to Microsoft's new way of servicing Windows known as Windows as a service.