LSeven Solutions Blog

Many students are taking advantage of online education, yet there are some pitfalls that can hold students back; namely, the lack of face-to-face interaction and assistance from the instructor. Now, artificially intelligent teaching assistants might be able to offer some reprieve to this issue.

It’s nice to do something and feel good that you’re the one doing the work. This DIY approach provides you the satisfaction that you’re doing the job yourself, and that you’re doing it right. If you’re the kind of person who gets nervous about others handling tasks, you fully understand how stressful it can be to have someone you don’t know or trust working on important initiatives; particularly working with your company’s technology.

Chances are that if you’re using a smartphone, you’ll have your WiFi turned on as often as you possibly can. This helps to keep data hogs (applications that use a ton of your monthly allotted mobile data) at bay. However, not everyone has the convenience of an Internet connection at all times, particularly while you’re out of the office. Here’s how you can limit the damage done by your favorite smartphone apps.

In light of a recent zero-day vulnerability discovered with Adobe Flash, along with the wide adoption of the alternative rich media player HTML5, Google has put into motion plans to stop supporting Flash for its popular web browser, Google Chrome. By all accounts, this move may be the final nail in the coffin for the Internet stalwart, which means that your business should cease using it.

Ten years ago, 3D printing was nothing but a long shot that the average consumer knew nothing about. Nowadays, printing parts with 3D printing technology for machines and some consumer goods is not only common, it’s growing more popular. All types of industries, including manufacturing, have found that 3D printing is a great way to incorporate modern technology into their current workflow.

Have you ever been in a situation where you’re watching your inbox, waiting for a response that probably isn’t coming? This is a problem that’s all too common, and it’s because the average business owner could very well be stymieing their own progress by sending emails that are too long, too wordy, or even too brief. A study by Boomerang suggests that there are four ways to make emails more viewer-friendly.

Upgrading technology is a sure way to improve the efficiency, security, and productivity of your company’s operations, but is there a point when upgrading one’s tech can go too far? As much as you hear us sing the praises of upgrading, we have to admit that there’s a point when you can have too much of a good thing.

Remember that blender you got last holiday season that you let collect dust in the closet for a month? Maybe you decided to open it to view the instruction manual, then put it away since you would never, ever, actually use it. The only thing is, now that you actually want to use the manual, you can’t find it. Thankfully, the Internet, once again, is here to save the day, in the form of the online electronic manual.

The advantage of Facebook is also its disadvantage: the fact that you’ve likely got a large variety of people on your friends list. While this works out great for networking, it may mean holding back on posting a personal opinion if it isolates or offends someone you’re friends with. To get around this social dilemma, Facebook allows you to hide your status from one or more friends. Here’s how to do it.

In a bizarre reminder of why security best practices are so critical to the world of IT, it has been reported that one of the largest collections of hacked and stolen login details are currently making the rounds in the Russian black market.

A short time ago, cloud computing was a resource that was only taken advantage of by organizations that could afford to virtualize and manage their hosted platforms. Nowadays, many businesses, including startups, are using cloud computing for their organization’s primary computing functions. As this enormous shift happened, many of the world’s largest companies have pushed their cloud platforms forward to offer secure storage, software deployment, and even communications for organizations that are either just starting out, or are looking to reduce their capital computing and support costs.

You can tell when a workstation might need an upgrade if it’s slowing down, or if the machine is so absurdly slow that you can barely accomplish your daily tasks with it. One of the easiest ways you can improve the quality of your workstation is by increasing the amount of RAM.

Microsoft Office 365 offers many different solutions that allow your employees to be able to do their jobs, keep everything organized, and communicate efficiently. Although, it can be tricky to select a good Office 365 plan for your business. To help streamline operations, the Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium edition offers a versatile selection that can meet any needs your business may encounter.

Every organization has mission-critical systems that they rely on in order to function, and the IT technician is responsible for keeping them running. Modern technology and best practices have given rise to a new way of managing business technology, one that knocks the traditional break-fix IT out of the water.

Security is a hot-button issue for all types of businesses, but cyber security is such a complex subject that it’s difficult to jam-pack its many intricacies into one blog article. Sometimes understanding just a few ways to improve your business’s security practices can be a significant benefit for your organization.

Business owners who spend a lot of time on the road, like during a commute or on a business trip, understand how difficult it is to use smartphones while driving. Despite the fact that it’s illegal in many places, some people refuse to put down their phones and concentrate on the task at hand: driving. Doing so puts not only themselves, but everyone else on the road at risk of an accident, which can lead to expensive insurance payments and vehicle maintenance costs.

Ransomware is still on the rise, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation has labeled it as one of the biggest dangers to businesses of all kinds. Compared to other methods of spreading malware, ransomware has a unique return on investment that keeps hackers wanting more. One new variant of ransomware uses a phishing attack that’s tailored to your real-world address, which is exceptionally concerning for victims.

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.

Years before Steve Jobs stood up on the stage in San Francisco and proclaimed Apple had brought you the future, the future he spoke of was already being developed, and in some cases utilized already by millions of people around the world. Cellular phone technology had been around for some time by 2007, but the iPhone, set in motion a mobile revolution.