In the 2017-2018 school year, the Technology Services team I was part of at Hartford Union High School (HUHS) delivered 0% network downtime! It was a great achievement and was always the outcome we were striving for. In our case, it gave students and staff uninterrupted access to digital tools … Read More
Using Aruba ClearPass for Network Access Control [Use Cases].
Organizations today love the idea of anywhere, anytime connectivity, but in their rush to get everything connected, often ignore the need for secure Network Access Control (NAC). In this article, we show you how you can use Aruba ClearPass to identify, control and respond to common network access issues and … Read More
How to Run Windows Applications on Chromebook.
Running Linux and Windows applications on Chromebook isn’t an issue for most organizations – why would it be? The whole point of Chromebooks is that they’re tied to Google’s ecosystem of web-based applications and backend systems. The hardware, software, services, deployment, and management cost you a lot less than the … Read More
We’re hiring another Sr. Network/Server Consultant
WE ARE GROWING – AGAIN! Here is an opportunity for experienced Sr. Systems Engineers and Sr. Network Consultants to join our team in the Greater Milwaukee area. The primary responsibility is to provide networking/server support services for our customers. A strong candidate will be able to provide on-going technical support … Read More
We’ve moved to new offices in Brookfield.
It’s our biggest migration to date – not data, desks! Source One Technology has moved from Waukesha to Bishops Woods, Brookfield! Get in touch if you’d like to discuss how we can help you save time and money on frustrating network and computer issues, or if you just want to … Read More
12 Dos and Dont’s at Christmas for trouble-free IT.
It’s the holiday season—many of us have already given thanks, and some of us are now celebrating with friends and families. Some of us fortunate enough might be busy donating money and/or volunteering our time to help those less fortunate. As always, we need to remain vigilant for individuals who … Read More
A Simple Guide to Fixing Business IT Problems for Small Business Owners.
Fixing business IT problems can be a regular source of pain for many small business owners. Technology is great when it’s working, but can soon become a time and money drain otherwise. Despite the fact that worldwide IT spending was flat in 2016, it still totaled approximately $3.41 trillion. That’s … Read More
Malware Evolution or in Other Words “All Your Data Are Belong to Us.”
It’s a twist on a popular internet meme based on a phrase from the classic arcade game, Zero Wing. Only, in this case, it’s not a game. It’s your data – your files and documents. It’s your pictures and your videos. It’s your finances. It’s your life. It’s worth more … Read More
Finding out ALL the Public Gmail IP Address Ranges.
If you’re like most firewall administrators, you dislike the idea of opening up port 25, 465, and 587 for outbound traffic to the -entire- internet. Doing so can result in your organization’s public IP address getting blacklisted in a hurry if any of your internal devices get infected with malware, … Read More
Hiring yet another Sr. Network/Server Consultant
WE ARE GROWING! Here is an opportunity for experienced Sr. Systems Engineers and Sr. Network Consultants to join our team in the Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha areas. The primary responsibility is to provide networking/server support services for our customers. A strong candidate will be able to provide on-going technical support … Read More
Building a Nonprofit IT Security Plan for Data, Systems and Processes.
As if running a nonprofit organization, raising money and helping the community isn’t enough of a struggle. Every nonprofit must worry about hackers targeting their computer network. Charities are extremely vulnerable for a variety of reasons. Volunteers rarely go through deep background screenings. Employees and volunteers use personal emails for … Read More
Continuous Improvement in IT Service Delivery for Education.
In this article, Director of Technology Services, Nathan Mielke, walks you through how his team at Hartford Union High School (HUHS) have adopted an attitude of continuous improvement to transform IT service delivery at the school and have pushed end-user approval over and above 90%! IT can sometimes be the … Read More
Managed Services Providers (MSPs): What They Do and Why You Need Them.
For most organizations, IT is ‘plumbing’ – you know you need it, and it needs to work, but you’d rather not have to roll up your sleeves to work out how to flush your caches or fix that data leak! Managed Services Provider’s (MSPs) are technology consultants who take away … Read More
7 Computer Network Security Risks and How to Deal with Them.
Infiltration into your core business network could be devastating for any sized business, particularly small businesses. Ransomware freezes the system, holding it hostage for a fix. Viruses corrupt data and destroy entire databases throughout a computer network. Spyware steals company secrets or uses personal data. Any one breach can compromise … Read More
Cloud Computing Services: Migrating Systems to the Cloud
Here’s a scenario where Cloud Computing Services can provide value-add for your company… Imagine a small Milwaukee video production company’s editor filtering through a network of drives, looking for the right clips to complete a teaser video for his new client. Burning the midnight oil to complete a project due … Read More
Is Cyber Insurance a Necessity or a Luxury?
Many of us view insurance as a necessary evil. We loathe paying the premiums, but we all deal with it at some point—whether it’s health insurance, car insurance, homeowners/renter’s insurance or some other type of insurance. Add one more type of insurance to the list, now there is cyber insurance … Read More
If you missed BrainStorm 2017…
If you’re responsible for the IT in schools, the BrainStorm 2017 K20 Conference is a ‘must attend’ event. We’ve been going for the last few years, and as well as getting to share what we do with attendees, BrainStorm is also a great place to learn about what’s keeping IT professionals … Read More
Have we made Desktops and Desktop Support too Complicated?
Once upon a time, desktop support was the entry-level echelon of the IT infrastructure ladder. The mapping of drives, checking of cables and maintenance of printers was considered to be the perfect area for junior staff to cut their information technology teeth. Career progression moved you further towards the “back” … Read More
Windows Deployment Services and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit – Part 2
In my previous article, Windows Deployment Services and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit – Part 1, we discussed the differences in the ideal deployment scenario, versus the reality and challenges faced while rolling out new images. Furthermore, we also took a trip down memory line to highlight what it used to … Read More
Windows Deployment Services and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit – Part 1
In this two-part article, I will be highlighting the benefits of having the “right” Microsoft Windows Deployment technologies setup within your environment, along with Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) to simplify your client operating system deployments. This series will list the important Microsoft technologies that need to be in place to … Read More
Is Application Virtualization now a necessity?
Microsoft’s move to Windows 10 and Server 2016 puts enterprises into a state of “perpetual migration” that brings a whole raft of challenges to enterprise IT departments, including taking into account whether Application Virtualization is now a necessity. In a previous article, I discussed this state, and some of the … Read More
10 effective ways to minimize the risk of ransomware
Ransomware is a type of virus/malware that restricts access to an infected computer (by encrypting the files), and requires the person pay a ransom to the malware operators to remove the restriction and gain access to those files again. Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds (and expensive), and it’s … Read More
Configuring Secure LDAP using a 3rd party Certificate Authority
Some of the documentation that is available out there for configuring Secure LDAP on a Windows server is rather sketchy at best, or in some cases, it’s just really old and doesn’t necessary apply to newer Microsoft Server operating systems. The following information below can be used on a Windows … Read More
Bearing gifts at the Catholic Educators Convention
Getting the latest technology into the classroom is a perennial problem for schools because of tight budgets and shifting priorities. So when Source One Technology got the opportunity to sponsor this year’s Catholic Educators’ Convention (CEC), we jumped at the chance to make life a little bit easier with a … Read More
Windows 10 Migration – Dealing with the Paradox of “Perpetual Migration”
When planning your Windows 10 migration, it is crucial to understand the new concept of “servicing branches”. Most Windows 10 clients without complicated application sets are intended to be serviced by Current Branch for Business (CBB). Essentially, CBB allows a single deferral of new versions, resulting in an eight-to-twelve month … Read More
Sharing our experience of Professional Development with MAPA.
Having worked with schools for over 10 years, Source One Technology was invited to share its experiences with Milwaukee Archdiocese Principals Association (MAPA) members this last Friday. MAPA provides professional development to principals in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and works closely with the Office for Schools. The bi-annual event, attended … Read More
Regional Settings for Shared Mailboxes in Office 365 / Exchange Online
I recently jumped in to assist a client experiencing multiple problems that occurred during a migration to Office 365. As I was working to correct and complete the implementation of their new environment, I noticed the time was off by a few hours when accessing some shared mailboxes in Office … Read More
3 Successful Keys to IT Asset Management
Whether you’re a small business, a large enterprise, or anything in between, having at least a basic IT Asset Management (ITAM) process can help streamline the process of planning, deploying and supporting your IT infrastructure. In this article, we will discuss each of the three major components you should focus … Read More
Housekeeping: Active Directory DNS Scavenging
In nearly every environment I’ve walked into, especially those that are more mature (read: older), DNS contains a plethora of stale entries, whether statically configured and forgotten about or dynamically registered, but never deleted or scavenged. Most of those environments could benefit from implementing Active Directory DNS Scavenging. For some … Read More
Summer server racks for schools
Earlier this Summer, our friends at Newport Network Solutions asked if we’d be interested in taking 12 HP and NetApp server racks in nearly brand new condition off their hands. The racks would have cost from $1,499 to $2,499 new and were in excellent condition. Having worked with schools and … Read More
Sponsoring the Catholic Educators Convention in Milwaukee – 10/14/2016
Source One Technology is pleased to announce that we are stepping up to be a Platinum Sponsor at the Catholic Educators Convention this October the 14th in Milwaukee, WI. This event is geared towards professional development for educators and school improvement initiatives. Please make sure to stop by our booth … Read More
802.11ac wireless: Channel Bonding, MIMO, Spatial Streams, and Beamforming
This article was written by Robert Edwards, HP Aruba Systems Engineer and posted with author’s permission. For this tech tip I’d like to define 802.11ac wireless RF terms that we throw out a lot but never really define. MIMO – (Multiple Input/Multiple Output) Unlike traditional/old 802.11a/b/g radios, which use single-input … Read More
How to check the size of your VMware core dump Partition ESXi 5.5 and 6.0
The other day I had both my VMware 5.5 U2 host servers that were part of a VMware HA cluster –CRASH- with a PSOD at nearly the same exact time. Luckily it happened on a weekend and the outage wasn’t even noticed by users. My first steps in figuring out … Read More
Managing performance issues in Office 365
Office 365 has been upon us for a while, and represents one of Microsoft’s big pushes (alongside Azure) towards their “cloud first, mobile first” model. Rather cynically, of course, it also represents their move to locking users and data into a subscription-based model, with all of the recurring revenue that … Read More
What makes an excellent desktop support technician?
Just about any company needs someone to provide desktop support from time to time. Finding the best people for the job, however, isn’t always simple. Many businesses pick their IT technicians without much thought, and that can lead to huge problems, delays, and disappointments. When choosing the lifeline for your … Read More
Simplifying business operations with server virtualization
Organizations can gain numerous financial and operational benefits by employing a thoughtful server virtualization strategy. Today, we will focus on just a few of those benefits. It wasn’t too long ago that many people looked at virtualizing servers in the production environment with great trepidation. There were legitimate fears over … Read More
Adding functionality to the Active Directory Users and Computers console
Frequently, I find myself and other IT support personnel needing to quickly gain access to remote systems, run scripts against remote systems, or remote controlling computers for troubleshooting purposes. I typically head straight to the command line or run the related Active Directory administration tool directly; however, if the task … Read More
How to deploy HP MSM wireless – a step by step guide
Having trouble understanding the cumbersome and lengthy installation and setup guides provided by HP when it comes to setting up and deploying an HP MSM controller-based wireless solution? Take a look at this how-to document written by Source One Technology to help you better understand the necessary steps for successfully … Read More