IT support services in recent times have been nothing but revolutionary. The technology landscape has continued to evolve as the sector gets dominated by record-breaking cloud-based applications, commonly referred to as SaaS, or software as a service, applications. While revolutionary ideas are great, the application can prove daunting.

When you’re searching the internet for Microsoft licensing or IT providers for your business, you’ll likely come across many who have a little Microsoft Partner logo on their websites like ours on the BEMO website:

A Partner. You know you need one but...do you find yourself sitting there wondering “what does being a Partner actually mean?”

Around this same time last year, we started receiving the ESU phone call. IT Professionals from SMBs to Enterprise levels were asking "Where can I get Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU)? I need it now!" This year, the ESU phone calls have been flooding in as well with customers wondering how to continue support for Windows 7 in year two of three of ESU. While many of those customers are settled in already with ESU for 2021 safely secured, you might still be wondering if the Windows 7 ESUs are right for you and if so, what to do. So, here is everything you need to know about Windows 7 ESU: What it is, why you need it, how to get it and how to install it (plus, a few ways to jump to Windows 10).

It's hard to believe it has already been 3 months since I joined BEMO as our Customer Success Manager. Prior to joining the team, I worked for the tech giant that is Microsoft for nearly a decade! In my time with them, I wore many hats, including multiple interim Program Manager roles at HQ in Redmond, WA for both the Windows and Office 365 teams. My final role was special: Cloud Technical Expert. "Why was it so special?" you ask? Not only did I get the honor of being be one of the first people in the role, but I also helped to create it! I've been lucky to have a great career filled with different roles and settings so let me share the highlights and differences between working for a partner like BEMO versus working for Microsoft.

Today, we use passwords to restrict access to and protect most, if not all, of our electronic computing devices (computers, tablets, cell phones and all remote computing services). Passwords have been a solid standby for...well, forever, but now, we find ourselves moving forward, perhaps towards a password-free society. As we evolve from exceedingly limited connectivity (think snail mail) to the most connected society (think FaceTime, Teams, etc.), so do the technologies that propel us at near-immeasurable speed to get there. Change comes when we eschew the current norms and look toward the future to create a cohesive, cost-effective and seamless authentication experience for all. In this post, we'll discuss the pros and cons of new password approaches, like passphrases and password managers and evaluate the hurdles towards a passwordless future.