As administrators and educators finalize plans and return to school this fall, an increase in educational technology is inevitable. Whether an in-person, hybrid, or fully-online return to school is planned, districts have learned valuable lessons from the Spring of 2020 and have obtained new levels of technological experience. However, supporting schools and their educational needs and expectations in a rapidly changing environment can significantly stress many departments – specifically the IT department.

Nearly sixty percent of teachers and administrators surveyed by Ed Week said their opinion of educational technology has grown more favorable due to the increased usage of technology during the coronavirus closures. Survey findings attributed the prevention of negative feelings to the significant role that school IT Help Desks likely played.

The increased workload for school IT departments is staggering. One district’s IT Help Desk reported an increased daily call volume increasing 800% during building closures, demonstrating just how critical the role of an accessible, experienced IT support system is for successful remote learning.

In the Spring of 2020, nearly 9 out of 10 teachers reported spending more time troubleshooting technology issues and, in many cases, devoting possible instructional time to managing technology challenges. Hopefully, some of those learning curves will have leveled off by now. As technology continues to evolve to meet demands, IT staff must continue to devote time to teaching other staff members, parents and students how to interface with the changes.

This is only one side of a multi-faceted issue, though. Recent polling by College Reaction/Axios of 800 college students showed that more than three-quarters of students felt distance learning was worse or much worse than in-person classes. From tech issues to distractions, motivation to lack of in-person interaction, college students struggled with understanding and succeeding educationally with a fully-online learning model.

Yet, schools with esports teams – teams of students that play a multiplayer video game competitively online for spectators and in tournaments – tout student engagement, college skills, future career opportunities and positive social engagement. Esports may be a consideration for schools as they strive to increase engagement, teamwork, and a form of socialization.
Mulling over all of these aspects begs the question, are schools - including public, private, and cyber schools - prepared to provide the best virtual learning options for their students? Obviously, the desired answer is a resounding yes, as countless hours of work and preparation have been poured into this very issue. For some schools though, the curveballs of unexpected or unanticipated technology hurdles may require additional support.

Intrada Technologies has years of experience planning and successfully achieving our clients’ goals. Think of us as an instant expansion of your IT department. From training and compliancy to network support and security, from hardware and software purchasing to live streaming events, we have the experience and expertise to meet and exceed expectations for your school’s technology needs.

Contact us today to learn more about how Intrada Technologies can assist your school’s technology needs by calling 800-858-5745.

One of the most popular Cloud platforms for businesses is Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365). This platform has changed how we work, allowing companies to become mobile and increase productivity. Licensed as a monthly or annual subscription, it offers a suite of online services, including email and secure communication tools.

Intrada Technologies has extensive experience with the management of Microsoft 365 configurations. We can explain the benefits and challenges that will help you decide if it is the right move for your business.

Intrada’s deployment and management of Microsoft 365 environments come with many different configurations to maximize user productivity. We work with clients to explain the Cloud's benefits and challenges to ensure clients are making the right decision. We also want to ensure that clients understand the difference between Cloud and on-premise servers, including usage, access, security, productivity, compliancy, and price.

Many vendors push Microsoft 365 as the solution, but we want to make sure it’s the correct solution at Intrada. Our position is to educate our clients to understand both the positive and the negative related to Cloud. We run a hybrid solution for most of our clients to deliver the best solution to meet their individual needs.

Benefits
Microsoft 365 has some incredible features that make mobile, remote, and multi-location configurations more productive.

Flexibility
Do some of your staff work from home? Do you have team members that travel a lot? Do you have multiple office locations? With Microsoft 365, employees do not need to use the standard cubicle office desktop to access files. Because they are stored on the Cloud, they can be accessed from a smartphone or a tablet--basically anywhere!

Customization and real-time collaboration
Microsoft 365 offers much more than the classic applications we are all familiar with, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. SharePoint, for example, allows online collaboration between teams. Employees and groups can also work together using classic applications while making and viewing edits in real-time. With the auto-saving feature, time can be saved, and productivity can be improved.

Elimination of onsite server needs
Because files are stored on the Cloud, the need for onsite servers are reduced or eliminated.

Subscription-based = Money-saving
Because you only pick and choose what applications work best and decide how long to use them, it is easy to project our monthly or yearly costs. You select the plan you need without a multi-year commitment. Most companies are used to purchasing a license and running it for years, but now software companies prefer to charge monthly. Moving to the Cloud will require a new budget model.

However, now you will have a monthly cost for each employee and an exact list of tools used to complete that job function. You also will have the latest Microsoft versions and no extensive software upgrades. And if you need to downsize, turn off that license. There is typically around a 3-year price comparison for the outright purchase versus a monthly purchase for those who still prefer to purchase a license. You can even buy licenses and purchase only Cloud collaboration features.

Added Security Features
When moving to the Cloud, the security of your data is always a concern. With Microsoft 365, some added security features include mobile device management, threat intelligence, and encrypted emails. Mobile device management allows your IT department to have full control over your business’ mobile devices. Threat intelligence offers a proactive approach to cybersecurity, not reactive. Encrypted emails make sure no one other than the actual recipient can read your email.

Challenges
While there are many benefits to Microsoft 365, there are some challenges.

Data privacy
Although additional security features have been added, you aren’t entirely in control of your data privacy. When employees are working remotely, employers do not know what they are truly doing. Additionally, how do businesses know their data is protected if it can be accessed from anywhere? A lack of complete control over who can access your company’s sensitive information is one of the many security concerns with switching your data storage over to the Cloud.

Intrada’s management of a Microsoft 365 configuration employs the latest security standards, including dual authentication, archiving, and backups. We can also monitor all data transmissions and exchanges, providing a complete history and accounting for company digital assets, supporting all compliancy standards. Ensuring clients' data is secured, and compliant is our priority.

Employee Productivity Monitoring
One of the fastest-growing challenges companies are facing related to the Cloud, and remote users is productivity. Are remote users actually working? Intrada uses a product to provide our clients with user-activity monitoring for both the remote and on-premise users.

This tool not only provides productivity reporting but also monitors for behavior changes in employee activities. Managers can monitor user computer usage and productivity with viewing dashboards and reports.

Compatibility issues
Let’s say you did your due diligence in researching options, and you are ready to purchase Microsoft 365 for your business. After your subscription is confirmed, you then come to realize your current system is not compatible with Microsoft 365 and is outdated.
Before you decide to take the plunge, we always recommend speaking with IT professionals (like Intrada Technologies’ staff), so you don’t have to deal with unnecessary headaches like this.

How can Intrada help?
Intrada Technologies views Microsoft 365 as a potential tool in your productivity toolbox. While it may work for some businesses, it may not work for others. For a free technical assessment, contact us today at (570) 321-7370. We would be happy to explain the benefits and challenges in more detail so you can decide if it is the right move for your business.

Computer Basics Explained: What is the Cloud?

Now more than ever, at work, at home, everyone is talking about the Cloud. And no – not the type of cloud you learned about in elementary science class.

When defining computing terms, a visual example can help wrap your head around a specific concept. With that said, let’s picture this…a local storage facility in your hometown. The storage facility, in computing terms, is the Internet. The storage units together make up the Cloud.

Benefits of the Cloud

Have you ever worked on a document for hours, forgot to save it, and the power went out? Or have you ever experienced the notorious ‘black screen’ and were unable to access any files off your computer? Losing information you have worked on for hours is frustrating. The Cloud can help prevent this from happening, which is why it has become so popular.

The Cloud allows anyone to store and access data and programs via the Internet instead of their own computer’s hard drive. Therefore, you could view files from anywhere, not just from your corner office desk.

One of the most popular Cloud platforms is Office 365. This platform has changed how we work, allowing companies to become mobile and increasing productivity, accessibility, and security. The Cloud offers many features like multi-user file access, auto-save features, and the ability to share files with individuals outside your organization, like clients or customers.

Cloud Concerns

While the Cloud has its benefits, it has its challenges, specifically security concerns and license creep (better known as an IV drip).

Security Concerns
When employees are working remotely, how do employers know what they are truly doing? How do businesses know their data is protected if it can be accessed from anywhere? A lack of complete control over who can access your company’s sensitive information is one of the many security concerns with switching your data storage over to the Cloud.

License Creep
License creep, also known as your monthly Cloud IV drip in the computing world, is another concern.
All the Cloud providers have made the customization of your account easy. It is also easy to add services. Need more disk space? Press a button. Need another account? Press a button. Before you know it – your monthly costs associated with using the Cloud turns into a lot more than you budgeted – hence the term IV drip (it slowly adds up).

How can Intrada help?

While Intrada Technologies is not PRO-Cloud, we look at it as a tool in your productivity toolbox and we can help you do the same. We are very experienced in the management of the Cloud and, specifically, Office 365 configurations. We can explain the benefits and challenges so you can decide if it is the right move for your business. For a free technical assessment, contact us today at (570) 321-7370.

Now, more than ever, organizations are engaging larger audiences using live streaming technologies. Not only can you reach more people with your messages, but all activity is tracked with real-time measurements. Live streaming also gives the ability for remote attendees to be included.

Most people can capture a video on a mobile device, but the audio/visual quality may suffer. Live streaming requires detailed planning, production, and technological know-how to ensure your event goes off seamlessly.

Intrada Technologies has years of experience planning and successfully achieving our clients’ audio/visual, event management, and web streaming goals. From small to large events, we have anticipated needs and proactively supported clients locally and nationally.

Intrada’s Approach to Live Event Streaming

Level 1
Our team visits your site and live streams your event. We test lighting and sound and use technical know-how to live stream on the platform (Facebook/YouTube) of your choice.

Level 2
Intrada takes on a greater role and works with your team to plan out your event. We hold pre-event calls as well as take on the role of directing, producing, and managing your virtual event.

Why consider live streaming (or live event streaming)?

Live streaming an event has many benefits, including a greater reach, engagement, future audience views, and can grow your website traffic. While offering more visibility, it also gives your event a longer shelf life.

Online video consumption is one of the most popular internet activities worldwide. With 93.7% of businesses using Facebook and over 2 billion users accessing YouTube’s website monthly, live streaming makes sense.

Intrada’s Live Streaming

Ribbon-Cuttings
Live streaming a ribbon-cutting allows additional customers to join the celebration. Intrada Technologies has successfully live streamed several regional ribbon cuttings over the past few years.

The footage that is streamed tells a story of growth, stability, and introduction to a prospective client and, over time, will provide a historical value on a platform available to everyone. The video can be viewed again, not just a memory framed in an office lobby.

Conferences
Rotary International District 7360, covering parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland, hosts a youth exchange conference each year. Intrada has been charged with live streaming the event on Facebook since 2018.

At the conference, foreign exchange students supported by the schools in the district, present a program for attending Rotarians. Each student is involved in singing, dancing, performing, or speaking.   Livestreaming the event allowed 2,000 views in over 30 countries, in addition to the 400 people attending.   Family members were able to see loved ones and send messages via Facebook Live. Over the next several weeks, views and shares exceeded 10,000 expanding the program's reach 25 times. Rotarians were able to share this event with others interested in Rotary's exchange program.  

Educational Seminars
For attendees unable to attend educational seminars, Intrada has partnered with organizations to stream short synopses of content. We refer viewers to sections of the client’s website for more information. These videos can be archived and viewed at a later date.

Start Streaming with Intrada

With two decades of experience creating and delivering key messaging, Intrada Technologies manages the creative process for our clients and provides the technical production of live event streams. The live streaming process begins with speaking with Intrada’s seasoned and knowledgeable team.

After defining the target audience and event scope, our team builds the entire production configuration, including onsite audio and video needs.

Live streaming is one of the most powerful and cost-effective delivery platforms your organization can have in its digital media toolbox. Give Intrada a call to obtain a free estimate and discuss our live event streaming process.

While all of the effects of COVID-19 have yet to be seen, the challenges for both large and small businesses are significant. Staying abreast of the constant changes and the impacts to your industry while keeping your business afloat can be all-encompassing.

As a small business, Intrada Technologies understands. We can help.

Intrada Technologies takes our partnership with clients seriously. Intrada Technologies was founded to build ongoing, trusted, collaborative relationships with clients through our full-service web development and network management services. We will be there when you need us.

Our commitment to our clients and to exceeding their expectations led us to develop a vital resource – the Situation Response Process.

When situations arise, it can be difficult to ascertain the best steps to take. The natural inclination is to take a step back. Intrada’s Situation Response Process encourages our staff to lean in with assistance and forward-thinking recommendations when clients are in distress.

The Situation Response Process helps Intrada and our clients best move through all phases of a situation and is incorporated into every one of our agreements. Intrada Technologies works hard to ensure our clients have what they need to run with maximum efficiency and reliability. Our goal is to help your business succeed.

This overview will provide insight into how Intrada Technologies’ Situation Response Process actively supports our clients, enabling them to respond quickly and proactively when an issue arises.

The Phases

The Situation Response Process flows between five phases: Initial, Maintenance, Transition, Resolution, and Evaluation. Every response differs because each client and circumstance have their nuances, but the process is a reliable framework for Intrada and our clients’ staff to build upon.

If your organization has a situation arise, Intrada Technologies will walk with you through each phase. The Service Response Process will allow you to respond quickly and consistently across all Intrada-serviced platforms for the best potential outcome.

Initial Phase

Unexpected events, crises, and emergencies spark confusion and present the challenges of incomplete or scattered facts, high-strung emotions, and possible media interest. Acknowledging the event and wisely sharing appropriate, factual information quickly through various channels builds trust in your organization’s credibility.

“There is no second chance to get it right in the initial phase of a crisis.” Barbara Reynolds, CDC

Intrada Technologies’ Situation Response Process activates when our staff becomes aware of your business’ issue – whether pre-crisis or at impact. Our owners are notified quickly and assign staff to help. We immediately reach out to collaborate with you and your staff to understand the situation, anticipate your needs, and provide support.

Intrada offers assistance with message development and enables you to distribute your message rapidly through the Internet, network, and social channels. Auditing existing communications, digital platforms, and marketing campaigns for revisions is promptly recommended and handled. Technology assets and configurations are reviewed to ensure prevent or minimize any service interruptions. Our Help Desk team is alerted and stands ready to aid your staff and launch a Disaster Recovery Policy check, if necessary. With your team’s input, our staff develops a Maintenance Response Plan to guide the next phase of the Situation Response Process.

Maintenance

During the Maintenance Phase, organizations seek to contain the situation, gain their public’s understanding, listen to get feedback, and respond with correct information or recommendations.

In implementing the Response Plan, Intrada’s staff strategically focuses on your web, IT and network challenges, empowering your business to both share and gather information. Verifying that all your digital and communication channels are updated, our team ensures you obtain the data you need and your customers receive your messages. Marketing and communication needs continue to be monitored and revised as needed.

While your organization is continuing to assess and address the event, our team’s diverse, technical know-how is at work utilizing the cutting-edge technology resources to create effective solutions and prepare for the next phase.

Transition

As the situation winds down, your business must transition from maintaining to thriving. Transitioning must be handled with care to prevent missteps. Using clear messaging through all your communication channels, set your audience’s expectations about the organization’s next steps and what to expect during the transition.

In the Transition Phase, Intrada Technologies helps our clients connect with customers to build excitement and generate momentum through updated communications, positive messaging, fresh images and content. Technology assets and configurations are reviewed again to minimize or prevent any service interruption. Help Desk team members identify the best process to transition your staff and communicate needful information to complete the phase. Targeted ad campaigns are scheduled to grow visibility and business interest.

Resolution

As operations return to a new normal in the Resolution Phase, Intrada will continue to support your organization’s web development, network management and technology needs. All systems’ functionality will be confirmed, messaging honed, platforms primed and digital marketing scheduled to invigorate your new focus.

Evaluation

Following the implementation of the Situation Response Process, your staff and Intrada will debrief with an honest evaluation of what worked, lessons learned, and ways to improve the process. Insights will be documented and filed for future reference.

"When a crisis hits, a positive outcome often depends on how well you have prepared and with whom you have partnered."

Conclusion

Intrada Technologies’ goal remains the same with the development of the Situation Response Process - to exceed our clients’ expectations. Through ongoing, trusted partnerships, we are prepared to create cutting-edge technology service solutions and deliver outstanding customer experiences to support you in any phase of your business’ life.

Is your Information Technology or Development partner reaching out to you with these proactive solutions during a crisis? Contact us today to learn more about a collaborative relationship with Intrada Technologies for your web development, IT, and network management needs.

While the new normal for many of us consists of working remotely, homeschooling our children, and only leaving our homes for essential items, taking a moment to relax is necessary for our mental health. Here at Intrada we thought, why not send out a puzzle? Who doesn't like puzzles?

Take a break, grab a cup of coffee or tea, and try to successfully finish our puzzle. You may notice some familiar faces. Click here to begin assembling.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Together, we will get through this.
-The Team at Intrada Technologies

Since the middle of March, many of us have been working remotely due to COVID-19. Whether located in the corner of your family room, a closet, or on your kitchen island, our new commute times are now seconds and the new business attire is quite comfortable. However, our new workstations may not be as quiet as they were before and interruptions are inevitable.

While we are adapting as best as we can, adjusting to a new virtual office does come with challenges. Intrada Technologies suggests approaching our new normal by assessing these challenges proactively, rather than reactively.

Virtual Office Adjustment Tips

1. Your new office normal should begin with a discussion with family members about work privacy.
   This discussion should prevent unauthorized access to screens, ensure the confidentiality of work-related phone calls, and lessen the likelihood of confidential files and documents being read. Think carefully about where you set up your workspace so you can be productive and efficient, while also following your company's policies. When you close up shop for the day, be intentional about closing windows on your screen and gathering documents into a folder where others will not accidentally see something they should not.
2. Just because you are home does not mean you are available at any request.
   Be realistic as you discuss your availability with both family members and your employer. Be honest with family about your work requirements and what you need from them. Then, listen to their needs. If children are involved and your partner/spouse also has a job, make compromises to best meet everyone’s needs and respect responsibilities. Following your family chat, discuss your new goals and preferred schedule management with your employer. This will help diffuse resentment and appropriately set expectations on both sides. Not being on-call with family members should be included in the preceding work privacy discussion. Set expectations and follow them.
3. An office should be an area where you can easily focus.
   If you do not have children, the kitchen island may work for your situation. If you do have children, being in the middle of the room with the most traffic may not be ideal unless your super power is ignoring things. Remember the old real estate adage about the best place to buy – location, location, location. Choose wisely. Then, set up the workspace that works for you.
4. Document Sharing Recommendations
   Intrada Technologies encourages those working remotely to use a business account/configuration for sharing documents, not personal accounts. Some options include Google Drive – Business, Microsoft Office 365 with SharePoint and Dropbox Business.
5. Video and Audio-Conferencing Software Options
   Intrada has used GoTo Meeting for several years with much success and we recommend it. Zoom is another option, but this new conference calling platform has been in the news a lot with how they are handling security. Overall, Zoom is fine to use and a great tool, but remember, as with any platform, you must protect meeting access to prevent the hijacking of meetings.
6. Follow a schedule
   Most experts recommend following a schedule like you typically would if your commute was not ten feet. Structure and productivity go hand-in-hand. Make your bed. Shower. Get dressed. Eat breakfast. Try to make the new routine to work as normal as it was before the change of scenery.

How can Intrada Help?

Intrada Technologies is a full-service web development and network management company with a focus on creating ongoing, trusted partnerships with each of our clients. We make sure our clients have what they require to run their businesses with maximum efficiency and reliability, as many of their needs are mission-critical.

Our unique, collaborative partnerships allow us to provide our clients with the assurance that we will be there when they need us. From API development with websites to Voice Over IP (VoIP) for remote or softphone solutions to security and compliancy management to cloud hosting to equipment and software sales, we are here to help. Give us a call. Intrada Technologies – Exceeding Expectations.

Hackers want your mobile phone number. This scam is new and quite simple. Hackers find out your mobile phone number and as much information as possible.

Once hackers steal your number, they contact your mobile phone company and make service changes. This gives them access to your calls, texts, and more. Scary! Depending on your configuration, they would be able to access your cloud drives, dual authentication codes, email, and reset passwords.

What can you do to protect yourself? Intrada Technologies recommends the following:

1. Do not share your mobile number on public, social media sites, or unknown websites.
2. Use strong passwords. Intrada recommends coming up with a “code” on how you create your passwords. This code provides a process of how you use different passwords for different sites but following a “code” so you can remember the password. For example- maybe all your online utility sites will start with an animal name, utility, address, and unique character. If that is the case, your electricity password might be FishblubPPL220*.
3. Contact your cell phone company to require confirmation for SIM swamp, number porting, or password reset.
4. Do not keep password files on your mobile device.

If you see your phone unexpectedly has changes to “Emergency Calls Only” status, contact your mobile phone company immediately. This is what happens when your number has been transferred to a different device.

If you have fallen victim to this type of scam, you need to alert your financial institutions and take standard steps to combat identity theft.

For more information, please contact the Help Desk at Intrada Technologies. We are here to help.

With the increase of employees working remotely, email scammers are getting creative. If you receive any emails in question, please contact the Intrada Help Desk before clicking on links or providing personal information.

This is an email received by Intrada from “Intrada” but not sent from Intrada. This is called spoofing. The email looks like it is from Intrada, but the actual sending server is in New York City - more specifically, 101 Avenue of the Americas – 10th Floor.

What is Spoofing?

Spoofing is when a spammer uses information like a shared email address (sales@company.com) or a contact usually found on a company website or online. Spammers will “spoof” that information and send to other email addresses also found on a company website to trick users into providing information, mobile phone numbers, account information, or additional private information.

Intrada uses the latest firewalls to help prevent these scams from ever hitting your inbox. On average, 56% of all email received by Intrada is spam, blocked by our firewalls; only 21% of incoming email is delivered. Other email is tagged for review or quarantined for user review. What spam firewalls cannot prevent is a user clicking on a link and providing personal information on an external website.

Intrada will not email you asking you to fill out personal information on a website form. Links that are sent to you asking for personal information is a red flag and should be checked by our Help Desk.

Please contact us if you think you have been spoofed by a scammer. We are here to help.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way we live and the way we work. Unless your organization has been deemed essential, you and your colleagues are likely working remotely. That means more audio and video conference calls, emails, and designating a specific place in your home as your new office.

Remember, just because you are working from a remote location does not mean you left the responsibility for following all the company network and privacy policies at the office. Every employee should ensure all company and customer information is kept confidential and secured per company policy and procedures. It does not matter if you’re sitting at a desk in your family room or at your kitchen island.

Your new office normal might require a discussion with family members about work privacy. This discussion should prevent unauthorized access to screens, ensure the confidentiality of work-related phone calls, and lessen the likelihood of confidential files and documents being read. Think carefully about where you set up your workspace so you can be productive and efficient, while also following your company's policies. When you close up shop for the day, be intentional about closing windows on your screen and gathering documents into a folder where others will not accidentally see something they should not.

If you have questions or concerns related to remote work, contact the Intrada Help Desk for more information by calling 800-858-5745.

MailChimp is a popular web software used for sending email blasts. Included in this post are details about each tab of MailChimp and how to use them to send effective emails to your clients.

LinkedIn is more popular than ever. Proper use of this social media can expand your professional network as well as promote your business. This article has the details as to why you should have a LinkedIn for yourself and your business, as well as tips to optimize your profile for maximum impact.