Microsoft Will Soon End Support for Windows 7. Now What?

End of support is fast approaching for Windows 7 and Office 2010. Is sticking with Windows 7 worth the risk? How much will it cost? What does this mean for your company? Check out this article to explore these questions. Contact silicon power solutions to #GetModern.

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The Total Economic Impact™ of Microsoft Azure SQL Database Managed Instance

According to Forrester, Microsoft Azure SQL Database Managed Instance has the best ROI, with a migration payback in six months or less and a potential 212% ROI over three years. Additionally, Azure's intelligent database offers dynamic scalability that enables your database to transparently respond to rapidly changing requirements, and you pay only for the resources you need, when you need them. Azure works with your on-premises investments so that customers use their same skills when they migrate, using familiar tools and features. All of this, along with easy and free migration tools, makes Azure the best fit option for your cloud needs.

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Digital Transformation in the Oil & Gas Industry: Combining Azure Cloud-Based Services

Our third Lizo video shows how utilizing Cosmos DB, SQL Database and Cache for Redis is advantageous for a company managing large volumes of data. The outcome: increased operational efficiencies and improved visibility in predictive maintenance. Watch this video for another quick look at how Azure drives business results!

Customer Story: Think Up Consulting | Most Productive

Think Up Consulting is a business built on collaboration. Its 39 team members--known as Thinkers--spread their time across as many as 11 projects each. Seamless communication is a must for creating customized solutions for every Think Up customer. With Microsoft Teams, Thinkers can easily access the tools they need from the platform. The company creates new channels for each project, so Thinkers can keep project-specific conversations and files organized and accessible. Since adopting Microsoft 365 Business, the company has quickly shifted much of its communications to Teams. Through Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Business, Think Up has streamlined communications across the organization, improving productivity. To learn more, contact us at silicon power solutions to #GetModern.

Exposing the Top 4 Myths of Cloud Security

One in five organizations have lost customers as a result of a cyberattack. Nearly 30% have lost revenue, with the average cost of a single data breach reported to be $4 million. At the same time, 74% of IT leaders say security concerns hold them back from moving to the cloud. What about you? Get the real story. Here are four common myths about cloud security and facts about the Microsoft cloud.

View: Exposing the Top 4 Myths of Cloud Security

It's 2020. Do You Know Where Your Digital Future Is?

In most of our homes, we utilize and depend on the cloud in multiple ways every single day—think online banking and shopping, social media, email and doorbell video cameras. "It might be the first time in history that our habits at home have outpaced how we function at work," writes Tyler Bowman in his Forbes article, "It's 2020. Do You Know Where Your Digital Future Is?" Bowman addresses three main lingering concerns in the corporate world, including generational divide. "Millennials are driving a market disruption that many CEOs are grappling to embrace," Bowman adds, however, that this difference does not need to result in irreconcilable work practices and values. His suggestions for embracing the disruption support his main point, which is it's just a matter of time before our cloud utilization at work catches up to our already existing cloud dependency at home. Read this article for interesting perspective on the corporate cloud in 2020 and beyond.

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Increase Productivity and Security with Windows and Office

With the end of support for Windows 7 and Office 2010 fast approaching, your company's sensitive data is at risk -- a risk compounded by the skyrocketing number of employee devices. Confirming this trend are findings from the World Trade Report and a Kaspersky Lab Study showing 50% of small businesses have suffered a data breach costing an average of $120,000. Without the right tools, how would your company respond to a major breach? Going modern with Microsoft can help. Specifically, it enables you to increase productivity and security, while reducing costs. This infographic provides more industry trends and customer stories. Check it out to better understand the risks and why Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Business are the right solutions to address them.

View: Increase Productivity and Security with Windows and Office

SQL Server and Azure SQL Database GDPR Guidance Paper

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in European law on data protection and privacy in the European Union and the European Economic Area. It also addresses the transfer of personal data outside of these areas. To meet General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements, Microsoft has implemented technical (tooling) and organizational measures (processes) to ensure that data processing is in accordance with GDPR privacy regulations. The actual path will be different for every organization, but general resources are available in a Service Trust Portal that Microsoft has created for customers to get started. This white paper provides a good overview of GDPR and includes many links to sites with more specific information for associated topics. Contact us if you have questions!

View: SQL Server and Azure SQL Database GDPR Guidance Paper

4 Proven Ways To Accelerate Your Growth From Startup To Thriving SMB

More than 446 million records were exposed in over 1,200 data breaches within the SMB space in 2018. How secure is your business? Check out this article for four tips to accelerate business growth and remain secure.

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Why the cloud? Why Microsoft Azure?

Is the cloud secure for my apps? Which apps make sense to run in the cloud? Can I trust my business-critical app to a cloud vendor? You want to head to the cloud, but naturally you have questions. You may also wonder why customers choose Microsoft Azure for their cloud migration. One reason is unparalleled innovation: you can maximize your productivity with fully managed services such as App Service, Azure SQL Database, and global on-demand Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Your focus should be driving your business priorities instead of worrying about running data centers. Want to know the other reasons to choose Azure? Have questions? silicon power solutions is ready to help you!

View: Why the cloud? Why Microsoft Azure?

Customer Story: Think Up Consulting Overview

When Think Up Consulting, a brand strategy and change management firm, introduced Microsoft Teams, it was a big shift for the organization from a collaboration standpoint. They brought file sharing, team chat and project management together using Teams as the main hub for each project. With Teams, Think Up is creating a central hub, and with Microsoft 365 Business, they have a complete unified solution. By adopting Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Business, Think Up customers have the reassurance and confidence of security. We can help you do the same. Contact us to learn more.

Digital Transformation in the Oil & Gas Industry: Collect and Monitor Sensor Data

At oil and gas facilities, data from sensors and cameras must be collected, analyzed and visualized economically in order to keep operations running smoothly. Watch this Lizo video to see how the Power BI application allows remote decision-making—significantly reducing overhead cost and achieving operational efficiency.

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Don't let the upcoming end of support for Windows 7 and Office 2010 put productivity and customer data at risk. Go modern with Microsoft to unlock and foster better collaboration, remain secure and reduce costs. Subscribe now to learn how Microsoft can help you go modern with advanced security and device management capabilities that increase productivity and safeguard business.

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Customer Story: Think Up Consulting

Think Up Consulting is a young, fast-growing agency based in Greenville, South Carolina. The agency specializes in brand strategy, change management and strategic consulting to help global brands make deep, lasting connections with customers. For Think Up, the ability to ensure seamless communication and reliable security while maximizing productivity are musts. To support these priorities, the company chose Microsoft 365 Business to streamline internal processes and dramatically reduce the number of emails employees send. A forward-thinking company, Think Up continues to explore and adapt new technology to help increase employee efficiency and better meet its customer's needs. We can help you do the same. Contact us to learn more.

Lizo | Transformation in the oil & gas industry: data analysis and visualization

Data. There's a lot of it, and it's everywhere. Azure cloud services helps organizations manage all aspects of their volumes of data. Here is an example of how a company in the oil and gas industry could utilize Azure Cosmos DB for data acquisition and Power BI for rich analytics with real-time insights. Through partnering with Microsoft, a company like Lizo would be able to actualize their vision of next-generation data analysis and visualization. Watch this and look for additional Lizo videos to demonstrate the capabilities and power of Azure!