Lifeguard IT

As large organizations ramp up their Windows 7 to 10 migrations, Microsoft has started rolling out new options for tackling common migration roadblocks.

 

In this episode, we cover what some of those new options are, including Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD). We also discuss some of the popular reasons why IT pros have been hesitant to upgrade and offer our perspective on how to make migration easier.

 

Ben Murphy, Director of Applied Engineering at Lakeside, joins us for the discussion. You can read his take on WVD on the Lakeside blog: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/lakeside-software-partners-microsoft-windows-virtual-desktop-azure-what-means-you

 

Links

 

https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/windows-7-windows-10-migration-who%E2%80%99s-migrated-and-what%E2%80%99s-holding-businesses-back

 

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/10/half-of-enterprise-machines-run-windows-10-as-windows-7s-end-of-life-looms/

 

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/11/intel-cpus-fall-to-new-hyperthreading-exploit-that-pilfers-crypto-keys/

 

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/10/helium-implicated-in-weird-iphone-malfunctions/

 

https://www.wired.com/story/keep-pace-moores-law-chipmakers-turn-chiplets/

 

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If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to leave a rating if your podcast app allows you to do so. Positive ratings and reviews help others discover the show and would help justify the purchase of another mic :)

 

Thanks for listening!

 

You can connect with us at [email protected] and at @lakesidesoft on Twitter. Send us the IT conundrums that have been keeping you up at night—we'd love to help!

 

https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/

Are you using big data as an excuse to not talk to your end users? Big data and analytics tools have made it possible for IT to resolve and prevent issues without involving the affected party, but that doesn’t mean there’s no longer a need for dialogue between end users and IT.

 

But unlike collecting system metrics, gathering meaningful qualitative feedback can be difficult: How can you get people to respond in a constructive way? Who has the time to analyze tons of survey results? However, it’s IT’s responsibility to ensure that end users are having productive—and positive—experiences with their computers.

 

Means of gathering subjective responses such as surveys can play an important role in uncovering latent issues and explaining user behavior. They can also help IT judge the success of OS migrations, VDI, or other projects that affect end-user experience.

 

In this episode, we’re joined by Joe Davis, Sales Enablement Specialist at Lakeside, who shares his expertise in crafting surveys that work. Joe previously worked for a company that specialized in B2C surveys. Later, Heather quizzes Joe and Linda on tech headlines to see if they can pick out which one is false.

 

For more on surveys, check out our research on what information IT decision makers are using to measure the effectiveness of new technologies: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/74-it-leaders-collect-end-user-feedback-what-are-they-getting-it

 

***

 

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to leave a rating if your podcast app allows you to do so. Positive ratings and reviews help others discover the show and would help justify the purchase of another mic :)

 

Thanks for listening!

 

You can connect with us at [email protected] and at @lakesidesoft on Twitter. Send us the IT conundrums that have been keeping you up at night—we'd love to help!

Everyone knows that October is the spookiest month and what’s spookier than someone hacking your accounts or spying through your webcam? We’re here with recurring guest star and Lakeside dev Avery Dews to help keep the ghouls away with 7 personal cybersecurity tips:

 

Tip #1: Rely less on your memory to encourage better password hygiene

 

Tip #2: Provide false answers to “security questions”

 

Tip #3: Stop and think before giving away your information

 

Tip #4: Follow your data trail

 

Tip #5: Store sensitive data locally

 

Tip #6: Consider what could happen to your device while you are away

 

Tip #7: Make security easy whenever possible

 

Password manger comparison shopping guide: https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp

Personal cybersecurity guide: https://medium.com/@nickrosener/an-in-depth-guide-to-personal-cybersecurity-be98ba47c968

Pew research: http://www.pewinternet.org/2017/01/26/americans-and-cybersecurity/

Links mentioned:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-laptop/secret-service-says-laptop-stolen-from-agents-car-in-new-york-idUSKBN16O2EH

https://xkcd.com/936/

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/11/21/prince-william-photos-password/

https://lifehacker.com/use-your-password-manager-for-security-answers-too-1829498257

Tech picks:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/9/17955596/soundcloud-pay-indie-artists-premier-monetize-program

https://www.wired.com/story/us-weapons-systems-easy-cyberattack-targets/

https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2018/10/elon_musk_donates_480k_to_flin.html

 

Send your top tips to [email protected]

Twitter @lakesidesoft

www.lakesidesoftware.com

The latest version of SysTrack is HERE and we can't wait to talk to you about it! In this episode, we cover new SysTrack features, including self-service functionality, experience feedback sentiment scoring, IBM Watson training, new integrations, and SysTrack AIOps. Later, we discuss Microsoft's new passwordless authentication and rant about the rise of e-scooters.

For More Information:

AIOps demo video: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/resources/videos/systrack-aiops-overview

What Is AIOps? Introducing SysTrack 8.4: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/blog/what-aiops-introducing-systrack-84

Tech Picks: 

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/09/microsoft-offers-completely-passwordless-authentication-for-online-apps/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/09/24/hospital-er-reports-percent-spike-visits-involving-e-scooters

Email questions and suggestions: [email protected]

Connect with us on Twitter: @lakesidesoft, @heather_bick, @lindatsao94

What is need-based procurement and what can it do for your VDI environment? In this episode, hosts Heather and Linda discuss how a user-centric right-sizing approach can improve end-user experience with VDI and better align IT resources with business value.

Links:

https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3877270

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/science/chemistry-virtual-reality.html

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/09/can-andy-byford-save-the-subways

College students and recent graduates: this one's for you. 

For this episode of Lifeguard IT, we recruite Avery Dews, backend software developer at Lakeside Software, to share his experience studying computer science engineering at the University of Michigan. We also ask him about his post-college job search and internship as well as what his first year at Lakeside has been like.

This is a great episode to share with anyone you know who is interested in becoming a software developer. You'll also get the inside scoop on what it's like to work at Lakeside. 

Time stamps: Intro; 4:32 College; 11:42 Job Search; 20:31 Working at Lakeside; 35:24 Tech Pick of the Week; 1:01:49 Outro

Tech picks: 

https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/25/17501074/venmo-debit-card-mastercard-now-available

https://www.wired.com/story/the-rise-of-dna-data-storage/

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252443455/Younger-employees-main-culprits-for-security-breaches

Questions and episode suggestions: [email protected]

To apply: https://www.lakesidesoftware.com/careers

Twitter: @lakesidesoft

In this episode, Heather and Linda discuss benchmarking methods and benefits, including Collective Intelligence Benchmarking (CIB) tools that assist in establishing baselines for internal or external comparisons. Later on in the episode, they share current tech news, including how Uber wants to use AI to identify drunk ride-hailers and how tech companies and conservationists are teaming up to use IoT to protect elephants and rhinos from poaching.

Links:

www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2018/34855/benchmarking-your-email-metrics-post-gdpr-cleanse

www.theverge.com/2018/6/8/17441554/uber-drunk-passenger-ai

arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/06/rhino-iot/

In this episode, we interview Ray Ross, a former AP US History teacher and current Global Director of SIs at Lakeside, about his career path and how he landed in IT. Ray shares anecdotes from his beginnings at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) as well as career advice for those just starting out in the tech industry. Later, we discuss the concept of continuous improvement and how to apply it in IT. 

Questions and topic suggestions can be sent to [email protected].

Open offices are office layouts where cubicles are retired, and employees are placed in close proximity—a move that businesses hope will improve innovation, transparency, and collaboration while also reducing real estate costs. Open offices have their fans (large tech companies in particular), but critics worry about privacy as well as decreased productivity caused by excessive noise and other stimuli. 

So, for today’s episode, we thought we’d look into the good, the bad, and the ugly of the open office concept to see how much power IT really has in influencing employee perception of the workplace. How much can IT, by listening to user needs and monitoring end-user experience, affect the success of the open office?

Time Stamps

"The Good" 2:50

"The Bad" 9:35

"The Ugly" 26:35

Solutions 32:50

What Can IT Do About It? 38:40

Tech Pick of the Week 46:10

www.theverge.com/2018/5/15/17357368/google-wifi-feature-device-home-struggling-connect

www.theverge.com/2018/5/11/17346122/youtube-take-a-break-notifications-google-digital-wellbeing

www.wired.com/story/google-and-the-rise-of-digital-wellbeing/ 

Resources & Articles Mentioned

https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/16/17020246/apple-park-headquarters-employees-injury-glass-doors-design 

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/313034 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/work-blog/2014/sep/29/open-plan-office-health-productivity 

https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-open-office-trap 

https://blog.strongproject.com/how-cal-newports-deep-work-concept-will-influence-office-design/ 

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/05/how-to-muffle-open-office-noise/559979/ 

https://theoutline.com/post/4509/open-office-sexist-study?zd=1&zi=qo3gfulo 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-small-business/wp/2018/05/15/is-your-open-plan-office-promoting-sexism/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6465a57f0eb8 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2018/05/16/open-plan-offices-loud-distracting-and-ripe-for-sexism/?utm_term=.5c461c38b34c 

http://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/212741/open-office-floor-plan-work.aspx 

https://hbr.org/2018/01/sgc-research-when-moving-to-an-open-office-plan-pay-attention-to-how-your-employees-feel 

https://hbr.org/2016/10/how-microsoft-used-an-office-move-to-boost-collaboration 

https://www.zdnet.com/article/optimising-the-smart-office-a-marriage-of-technology-and-people/ 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-01/everyone-hates-the-open-plan-office-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-that-way 

https://www.bisnow.com/san-francisco/news/office/elizabeth-pinkham-88220 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/30/google-got-it-wrong-the-open-office-trend-is-destroying-the-workplace/?utm_term=.86c46b3ef215 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/06/business/the-office-gets-remade-again.html 

Contact

Twitter: @lakesidesoft, @Heather_Bick, @LindaTsao94

Hosts Heather and Linda explore the definitions of the terms "user" and "end user" and offer their thoughts on when to use each. Later on in the episode, they discuss articles on wearables in healthcare and smart home privacy concerns.

Episode Links:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/30/an-open-bar-for-beta-testers

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/05/fitbit-wants-to-more-easily-give-data-to-doctors-with-google-partnership/

https://gizmodo.com/the-house-that-spied-on-me-1822429852