Without contest, Microsoft Outlook has been the cornerstone of my professional development. It was not always that way; before breaking into the world of IT, I used Outlook indifferently within various jobs. I read and replied to internal company emails without much thought about what it could do for me beyond that.

We are happy to announce that Systems Engineering is an official member of the elite Apple Consultants Network (ACN). As an Apple Consultants Network partner, Systems Engineering (SE) can now deliver Mac Operating System (OS) technology support services, in addition to its existing enterprise IT solutions. SE will be able to meet the needs of Northern New England companies currently juggling mixed operating systems environments, a growing trend for today’s businesses.

The world of hyperconvergence is relatively new, bringing forth a new approach to technology that should not be ignored. As Information Technology (IT) is ever-changing and continuously becoming more streamlined and sophisticated, it's important for businesses to stay "in the know" on the latest and greatest and to understand if it's the right 'next step' to take. To fully meet the needs of the ever-evolving and more tech-savvy clients businesses serve, it's a 'must' to have what IT takes to keep them satisfied. So, what is hyperconvergence and what does IT do?

To begin, let's define three popular infrastructure architectures:

• Distributed: A complex architecture where multiple components, typically in various locations, work together to achieve a common goal.  In this case, servers or compute, disk storage, and network switches may be spread across racks, rooms, or even a campus.
• Converged:  This architecture groups together separate IT components into a single, optimized computing package.  While compatible, each component needs to be managed separately. All components including compute, storage, and switching are part of a highly standardized or referenced architecture and are typically deployed in a single rack.
• Hyperconverged: An architecture that is similar to converged as it is a consolidation of multiple IT components into a single package similar to a rack server; however, the components cannot be used separately.  In this case, to add either compute or storage capacities, you must add additional units.  Another big difference between the systems lies in the management.  A hyperconverged system can be managed from one central location.

Moving to the Cloud means different things to different organizations. Similarly, offering a cloud solution means different things to different vendors. At this point, you probably have some portion of your business running ‘in the Cloud.' The most common place we see organizations adopting the Cloud is with Software as a Service (SaaS), which includes Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce.com, and any number of line-of-business applications hosted by a provider in the Cloud.

Systems Engineering’s (SE) Lunch & Learn "Information Security Evolution and the Modern Network" was recently held in Bangor and Portland, ME and Nashua, NH.  This event covered cybersecurity, its current state, how threat intelligence has grown, and an overview of the evolving layers of security. 

It’s no revelation that the age of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) computing is here and has been for some time. Whether it's with a smart phone, tablet, or smart watch, BYOD is a convenient way for today's workforce to stay connected. Recent surveys show that BYOD adoption, as a business tool, presents a company as more attractive and a "must-have" for millennial-generation job applicants.