Mark Rickner

Recent Posts

7 Reasons Why Everybody Loves a Good Webinar [Sample Included]

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  September 16, 2020  /  Webinars, KLS, Training   —   No Comments ↓

Webinars are short, focused training seminars that take place over the web. Depending on the subject matter, we find that webinars are often preferred by many end users over traditional classes.

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Tags: Webinars, KLS, Training

How to Hold Open Meetings During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  April 20, 2020  /  Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams   —   No Comments ↓

Many organizations are moving to Office 365 and Teams (Microsoft’s solution for chat, messaging, conference calling and collaboration) as they deal with the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

For most, holding meetings online is a simple task among colleagues that both know each other and have had access to formal training or experience using online applications, like Teams, Zoom or Go to Meeting. For organizations required to hold formal Open Meetings, available to the public, that task becomes more complex.

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Tags: Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams

Work from Home with Office 365 & Microsoft Teams

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  March 9, 2020  /  Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams   —   No Comments ↓

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is encouraging citizens to find out how their workplaces and schools are planning for the current Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, including options for working from home.

What would you do if tomorrow you were unable to go to your office?

Microsoft Teams with Office 365 is a great option; it provides users with the ability to collaborate, share files, make voice calls and even host meetings all without having to leave home.

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Tags: Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams

KnowledgeWave's Professional Development Leadership Program

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  September 16, 2019  /  KnowledgeWave Courses, Team Leaders / Managers   —   No Comments ↓

How does your organization promote “Leadership”?

If you are like most organizations staff that rise to leadership self-select through performance that is largely based on inherent leadership skills. Everyone has heard the phrase “born leaders”, but is this really the best way to create a culture of leadership?

Many times, people are put into leadership positions and simply succeed or fail based on their own ability to build leadership skills.

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Tags: KnowledgeWave Courses, Team Leaders / Managers

5 Ways the Microsoft Team Responds to Security Threats

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  August 27, 2019  /  Microsoft 365, Security   —   1 Comments ↓

Security is front and center at Microsoft, and rightfully so with now more than 180 million active users of Microsoft Office 365. Even the strong are susceptible to security attacks. The Microsoft Security Team has an extremely sophisticated threat response system in place that allows them to identify and solve security issues quickly.

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Tags: Microsoft 365, Security

Office 365 for Law Firms: Beyond Outlook, Word & Excel

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  June 24, 2019  /  Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams   —   No Comments ↓

Office 365 provides a range of applications that will change how you work, communicate and collaborate. Many law firms will initially make the move to the Office 365 platform because it is the most recent version of Microsoft Office. At some point, users begin to realize there is a lot more to Office 365 then the standard applications they are use to using. Many new features in Office 365 can be and should be leveraged to increase productivity and efficiency.

While, this post does focus on using these features in a law firm setting, these new tools can be used by any business, organization, school or non-profit, to increase workflow optimization. The following are just a few of the important Office 365 applications and features that will benefit any size firm:

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Tags: Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams

Windows 10 Pro vs. Enterprise for Banks & Credit Unions

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  May 13, 2019  /  Windows, Software Rollout / Deployment / Migration   —   No Comments ↓

As a financial institution, you have immense responsibilities with regard to customer privacy. Your customers trust you with their most sensitive financial information. Using the wrong Windows OS could compromise this trust and expose sensitive information. However, knowing which operating system to choose can be a challenge with all the options available – should you choose Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise? Here are a few pros and cons of each version to help you make the right choice for your banking company:

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Tags: Windows, Software Rollout / Deployment / Migration

Technical Class: MS 20698 Installing and Configuring Windows 10

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  May 22, 2017  /  Windows, KnowledgeWave Courses, Training   —   No Comments ↓

KnowledgeWave is now hosting sessions for Installing and Configurating Windows 10, Microsoft Course, MS 20698. We anticipate offering this (and other Windows 10 classes) each month through 2019.

This is an authorized Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) course and is eligible for Software Assurance (SA) Voucher redemption.  Please contact a KnowledgeWave representative at 800-831-8449 to enroll. Seating is limited. 

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Tags: Windows, KnowledgeWave Courses, Training

Getting Started with Desktop and Application Virtualization

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  May 16, 2017  /  MSP, IT   —   No Comments ↓

Smaller companies, like yours, are making the jump to virtualization every day. Though the technology has been around for decades, newcomers may have trouble knowing where to begin given the vast array of virtualization possibilities.

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Tags: MSP, IT

The Role of the vCIO in Organizational Leadership

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  November 28, 2016  /  MSP   —   No Comments ↓

Like many other MSPs, your vCIO service has been maturing over the last couple of years. And like many other MSPs, you probably had a number of missteps and wins during its development.

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Tags: MSP

Managed Services: Training for Your Team vs. Training for Your Clients

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  November 2, 2016  /  MSP   —   3 Comments ↓

As a Managed Services Provider you know the importance of keeping your team up-to-date on the latest technology. Your customers expect you to be their CIO, IT Director and in many cases their Help Desk for any and all issues (formally covered or not).

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Tags: MSP

Shiny Object Syndrome Aside, Office 365 Exchange Online is Worth a Look

Posted by Mark Rickner  /  September 22, 2016  /  Microsoft 365, OneDrive   —   No Comments ↓

Everything that glitters is not gold. But sometimes it is. If you have ever experienced "Shiny Object Syndrome" (Objectivius Shinium Syndromus) you know that for each recommendation for change that produces gold, there are just as many that do not hit pay-dirt.

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Tags: Microsoft 365, OneDrive