LSeven Solutions Blog

Managed services - what are they? The short answer, other people managing the IT systems that you rely on every day to be productive and accomplish your tasks. In essence, they are a freedom from dealing with the troublesome and time-consuming parts of leveraging technology. You may have heard this much about managed services before, but have never been given a deeper understanding of what they entail. That is precisely what we aim to accomplish below.

Time hasn’t been kind to the password. It’s continuously put down as one of the least secure methods of protecting systems. It’s not due to any fault of the password, though. People just have a hard time remembering long and complex passwords. To aid in security, it’s recommended that you use some sort of multi-factor authentication. While some users prefer easy SMS message two-factor authentication, there are actually many different types of multi-factor authentication available.

It’s time to be realistic and admit that the office can be an extraordinarily distracting place. Constant meetings and discussions, phones ringing, and emails hitting the inbox can all seem overwhelming. With so much going on, how can you get the most work done while still remaining in contact with your co-workers?

You don’t need us to tell you that Microsoft has an extensive library of software products aimed at all kinds of businesses. But, of course, nothing good can last forever, and old solutions eventually give way to more versatile or efficient versions. When this happens, Microsoft stops supporting older software in order to provide better features and experiences to users of more recent versions.

After it reaches a certain age, Microsoft software gradually moves from a mainstream support period to an extended support period. The main difference is that Microsoft continues to provide security patches and updates, but no longer takes requests for new features or non-security fixes. Once a software reaches its end of life, however, Microsoft ceases to provide security patches and updates, putting anyone still using this software at risk. Therefore, as a business owner, it’s your responsibility to know when your software expires, and how to upgrade it to a more recent version.

The following Microsoft products reached their end of support date on April 12th, 2016. Be sure to check with your IT department or the friendly technicians at L7 Solutions to see if you’re putting your infrastructure at risk through their continued use.

From Mainstream Support to Extended Support

• Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization 2.0
• Microsoft Fable III for PC
• Microsoft Lync 2010
• Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendant
• Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee
• Microsoft Lync 2010 Group Chat
• Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Enterprise Edition
• Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Group Chat Software Development Kit
• Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Software Development Kit
• Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Math 4.0

From Extended Support to End of Life

• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
• Microsoft Customer Care Framework
• Microsoft Customer Care Framework 2005
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 for Embedded Systems
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition for Itanium-based Systems
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard X64 Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Workgroup Edition
• Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2006
• Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition
• Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition
• Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition
• Microsoft Visual J# 2005 Express Edition
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Standard Edition academic license
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Architects
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Developers
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Software Testers
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Test Load Agent
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the Microsoft Office System
• Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition
• Windows Embedded for Point of Service
• Service Pack 3 for Windows Embedded for Point of Service

Your organization can’t afford to let unsupported software run on your workstations. If a hacker were to exploit a known (or unknown) vulnerability in any of these programs, your troubles could just be starting. If you suspect that any of your mission-critical software solutions are approaching their end of life, or have already expired, don’t waste any more time. To learn more, contact L7 Solutions at (954) 573-1300.

The introduction of new and exciting technologies keeps changing the ways people interact. Innovations such as email, instant messaging, and the development of mobile devices are now turning out to be just fundamental steps to a more connected planet. The Internet of Things is set to turn human civilization on its head. What does this shift mean for the immediate future?

Listening to the radio is a great way to pass the time during your morning commute, especially if you don’t have a CD player or an auxiliary port in your vehicle. While listening to the radio, you might hear a catchy tune that you want to look up later. Now, thanks to various smartphone apps and technology solutions, you can do it while listening to the song.

2015 was a brutal year for major corporations, as one by one they fell victim to hacking attacks. Major organizations like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Anthem, and even the United States Office of Personnel became victims of major hacking campaigns. A fact that’s often lost amongst these details is that not all hackers use their skill for evil actions, even if they are still illegal.

When running a business, you can’t always upgrade your technology to the latest and greatest equipment or software every time something new comes out. Yet, you also don’t want to be left behind, which would be limiting to your growth and mobility. Moving forward can be a daunting task, especially if you haven’t revamped your IT strategy in some time. Paying attention to the details is an important part of avoiding potential roadblocks with your future IT strategy.

Sometimes you might write an email to someone who you’ve never emailed before (perhaps you scrawled down their email while on the phone or at an event), and questioned the authenticity of your recipient’s email address. Those who use email frequently know all too well what this feels like. It makes the most sense to first make sure that you have the right email address before sending a message.

It looks like Mac users won't be getting a break from malware as another trojan is breaking out on OS X. In February, malware known as Flashback infected around 600,000 Macs. This month a new trojan called SabPub is making its rounds.

Social media has revolutionized the way people communicate online. Social media is where discussions are had and information is shared. Over the past few years, the world has seen a remarkable shift in the way people socialize and it is not going away.

If you've used a USB flash drive or other USB devices like cameras, smartphones, and external hard drives, you've probably seen Windows request you to safely remove the device as opposed to simply unplugging it from the PC when you are done. How important is this? Very.

Voice over IP phone systems revolutionize voice communications for small businesses by providing plenty of big benefits. VoIP uses the Internet to send signals as opposed to standard telco phone lines. Let's go over a few major benefits that businesses see when they switch to VoIP.

Most people might not realize this, but a Microsoft Word Doc can retain a lot of information pertaining to the history of the document, your personal information, annotations, and other invisible elements. This can be a huge security risk! Read on to learn how to remove that extra information.

When traveling with your trusty laptop or tablet, it's pretty common to find publicly accessible Wi-Fi networks that you can connect to, enabling you to surf the web. Where ever you are, whether it's a coffee shop, hotel, airport, or anywhere else, it's important to be safe about public surfing.

"Almost 40% of enterprise network bandwidth is being consumed by recreational or non-business applications [facebook, linkedin, youtube]"
~Blue Coat Systems Survey

More companies are blocking video streaming sites such as YouTube and Netflix to improve productivity at work..

Techies get pretty excited over neat new gadgets and integrating them into day-to-day life, so when we heard about Sony's new SmartWatch, it caught our attention. Will smart watches become the next thing in the not-so-distant future or will they become flops like New Coke and Betamax?

We can't stress how important data backup is for businesses. Backup is so important that March 31st is World Backup Day, a day for people and businesses to observe the importance of backing up data regularly.

Read on for World Backup Day's excellent Infographic.

"As a business owner, when should I worry about implementing data backup for my company?"

The answer comes in the form of another question, "How much do you value your business?"

Does your Wi-Fi require a secure password to allow users to access your network with their mobile devices? And no, the word "password" is not a suitable password. If your wireless network is easy to gain access to, you are opening up your sensitive data to anyone within range.