Blue Ridge Technology

Earlier this year a new type of Wi-Fi showed up on the block. It’s better, faster, and flashier than other Wi-Fi standards, but what exactly is a Wi-Fi standard? And what is Wi-Fi 7 exactly? Most importantly, does your business need to upgrade to it? We’ve got answers to all these questions in this week’s post. What Is Wi-Fi 7? Wi-Fi 7 is the newest Wi-Fi standard, also known as IEEE 802.11be. It’s the seventh generation of Wi-Fi and was just formally launched in January 2024 as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7™ from the Wi-Fi Alliance®. It promises to bring substantially higher speeds, better connectivity, and all sorts of other benefits compared to the last generation (Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6e), like lower latency, support for using multiple simultaneous bands, and seamless support for a new National Security & Emergency Preparedness (NSEP) service. There are tons of other really technical updates and upgrades over previous generations of Wi-Fi, including better use of a wider set of frequencies a...

RIP Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012 Is Almost Dead. Here’s What You Need to Know. Microsoft recently announced that two of its most popular business products, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2, are reaching end-of-life status. That’s a big deal if you’re still using Windows Server 2012 anywhere in your business. In today’s post we’ll explain what this end of support announcement means, what the implications are for your team, and what you need to do in the next couple of months. Windows Server 2012 Reaching End of Support: What It Means First up, what does this announcement mean? Simply put: on October 10, 2023, Microsoft will no longer support Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2. That means that if something goes wrong, Microsoft will not help you anymore. Of course, servers running this OS went out of warranty years ago—so what we’re really talking about is if something goes wrong in the OS itself . Every piece of software and operating system has fla...

Windows 11 optional update: Why it’s better to wait Microsoft recently announced an optional update to Windows 11. It isn’t the first one, and it won’t be the last. If you’re an Apple user (whether at home or at work), you might know about Apple’s relatively famous beta program, where users can try out the next version of iOS, iPadOS, or MacOS before it’s released. These optional updates and betas promise new, exciting features. But is it a good idea to install them on your work devices? Quick answer: almost always no. Here’s what you need to know about these prerelease updates — and how you can make sure your work machines stay up to date safely. How Windows Updates Work in Windows 11 Before we explain why the optional update usually isn’t a good idea, we need to explain how Windows Updates work. With older versions of Windows, the Windows Update utility had quite a reputation. It’d take over your computer, sometimes for hours at a time, to install an update to the operating system. U...

Updates Can Be a Pain, but not as Painful as a Breach! Over the years, Microsoft has developed quite a reputation surrounding its Windows updates. It seems like every week there’s something new popping up and saying “Update me now, please!” When it’s not Windows itself or other core Microsoft 365 apps, it’s some other software tool you rely on to get work done. If your business isn’t using endpoint management (more on that later), then it’s up to every single PC user in your organization to make sure their machine is up to date. And, unfortunately, Microsoft makes it easy enough for them to cheat, thanks to that “later” button that’s always popping up. (Admit it; you’ve probably used it, too. So have we, and we do this for a living!) Thankfully in recent years and releases, Microsoft has slowed the pace of its security updates and made many of them happen behind the scenes, without any user action needed. But you still could be in danger from un-updated devices — even if everyone on yo...

As an SMB leader, you know the challenges of budgeting and forecasting all too well. Certain areas of your business are trickier than others, too, with complicating factors and uneven or spiky costs. IT hardware spend is one of these challenging areas for many SMBs — especially those that keep all their IT planning and procurement in-house. Whether you’re going it alone or working with a managed IT partner, check out these strategies for simplifying and managing your annual hardware budgeting process. 1. Know What’s Due for Replacement By Planning Out Your Hardware Lifecycle If you’re like most business leaders, you’re used to a steady stream of complaints about hardware. Sometimes those complaints have to do with training or other issues, but sometimes the problem really is that the person’s computer is just too old and slow. But how do you keep track of what to replace when? By planning out your hardware lifecycle in advance. For most businesses, this means replacing every employee’s...

Don’t pull the trigger just yet! In June 2021, Microsoft announced that a brand-new version of Windows was coming later in the year. While the tech press was expecting some sort of update, a full-fledged new major release of Windows was a surprise. But as we’ve all learned more about Windows 11, we’re growing more and more excited about the release. Your business will likely benefit from moving to Windows 11, but, in true Microsoft fashion, the rollout is going to be a bit complicated. Here’s what you need to know about the coming Windows 11 update — plus what you might need to do to get ready. When Is Windows 11 Releasing? Technically, it’s already here (as of October 5, 2021). Just not for everyone, all at once. Microsoft is taking a phased approach to the Windows 11 rollout, which makes a lot of sense in some technical ways, even if it’s going to frustrate some customers and users. In a nutshell, here’s what’s happening. Very recently purchased computers will get an automatic update...