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The time for planning has ended. Microsoft will no longer provide extended support for Windows 7. While Extended Security Updates (ESU) may be available for Professional and Enterprise editions of Windows 7 (for a maximum of three years from January 14, 2020), this option will come at an increasing cost to organizations.

Trends in Information Technology are continuously changing and, as a result, organizations are having to adapt to those changes. Let's look at the most prominent IT trends that are showing up today. 

Over the past several years, the demand for cloud infrastructure services has quickly grown with recent revenues reaching well over $23.6 billion, up 93% from the previous year.  Recognizing this, Microsoft has made massive investments in data centers all around the world to become the leader in the global public cloud services market, along with having the most comprehensive set of compliance offerings of any cloud service provider.

At Systems Engineering, employees are our number one resource.  Our success depends on our dedicated and skilled staff who share our values and contribute to our vision.  The Systems Engineering Spotlight gives a brief but revealing look at one of our valuable members.

In the coming year, how will your organization be less vulnerable to security threats, remain in compliance, and continue to receive the latest product support?

Quick answer: Upgrade.

Review the chart below and ensure that your Microsoft products are not about to expire. The chart quickly points out some significant end-of-life/support dates that are on the horizon for some of the more popular Microsoft products, including Windows 7, Exchange 2010, and Office 2010. 

It seems these dates are far out, but in reality, upgrade discussions should begin now in order to prepare appropriately. By applying upgrades before products fall out of support, your business will be less vulnerable to security threats, remain in compliance, and continue to receive the latest product support.

First, I want to thank you, our customer, for your continued partnership with Systems Engineering. As the world of technology gains in business importance and the demand to operate securely and productively remains a competitive differentiation, we appreciate more now than ever the trust and confidence you put in our team.

At Systems Engineering (SE), our success depends on the efforts of our employees.  We strive to attract and retain talented, dedicated, and skilled staff who share our values, contribute to our vision, and take pride in our clients' success.

If you’ve been in or around information technology (IT), you are most likely familiar with Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC). If not, maybe you've heard of its subscription-based cloud-delivered model, unified communications-as-a-service (UCaaS). Gartner breaks UCC into six broad communication functions:

Assuming you have your network security basics in place, there are a few cybersecurity solutions that are relatively inexpensive that many businesses have yet to include in their cybersecurity war chest. These tools help you stay ahead of the cyber criminals and provide additional protection to reduce your business' chance of a breach. If you do nothing else with your cybersecurity strategy in 2019, be sure to put these security safeguards in your budgets this fall as they will provide tremendous value for the investment:

Preparing budgets for the upcoming year includes planning for any products that will be reaching end-of-life/support. According to Spiceworks, the need to upgrade outdated IT products will be a big focus for many businesses in 2019. For businesses up to 500 seats, replacing end-of-life products is the top driver of new hardware, software, services purchases, and cloud solutions.