LaSalle Consulting | TechKnow Advisor
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| May 2015
In this issue…
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Greetings!
Spring is finally here and we are beginning to see a welcome break from the cold. Spring always feels like a time of renewal and rejuvenation. It is also the perfect time to renew one’s focus in the area of technology. Our technology focus has been shifting continuously towards cloud computing. Cloud computing is red hot today, yet there is still much confusion about what it is and the benefits it brings. Cloud computing may seem like a new technology but it has in fact been around for years. LaSalle Consulting has been deploying hosted email services such as Microsoft’s Office 365 email service for over fifteen years.
You’ve probably heard that cloud computing can save your business money, improve security and productivity, and accelerate revenue – but is it true? These benefits can be obtained using cloud computing services, but only through careful selection and proper implementation.
Cloud computing services allow access to resources only when they are required and only for as long as they are needed. They can provide storage space, online backup, and updated software without having to worry about hardware and software obsolescence.
Please contact us if you are considering using cloud tools to save money or improve productivity.
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Maximum Message Size Increased in Office 365 |
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For those of you who are Microsoft Office 365 email users we continue to have good news!
Microsoft recently announced the addition of a new feature to Office 365. In the past, emails sent or received through Office 365 were limited to 25 MB. Now, administrators have the option of setting the maximum size of messages anywhere from 1 MB to 150 MB. The default maximum message size remains 25 MB. The Office 365 team realized that some people prefer a larger or smaller setting than what has been available in the past. Microsoft explains:
“Want to go wild and allow everyone to send and receive 100 MB size messages? Go for it. Want to restrict students in your school from sending messages larger than 5 MB, while the faculty can send up to 50 MB? No problem. We have you covered.”
One caveat we see regarding large message sizes is that most email providers will not accept such large emails. Gmail, for instance, allows users to receive emails up to 25 MB. Thus, a 150 MB emails could likely only be received by an Office 365 user whose administrator has set an equally high maximum message size.
Nevertheless, having the option of a customized maximum message size may be appealing to some Office 365 users. Please click here to learn more about the new feature. Also, if you are not an Office 365 email user, you may want to consider switching to this reliable, secure and affordable solution. Please contact a LaSalle Consulting Partners representative to learn more about how Office 365 may suit your organization’s needs.
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3 Tips for Using a Tablet to be Productive Everywhere in the Office
used with permission from Microsoft at Work |
| Although many of us have laptops and other mobile devices, or can log in to work from a home desktop, we overwhelmingly spend most of our time in the office. That doesn’t mean, however, that we spend all of our time at our desks. In fact, middle managers and executives spend between 35 percent and 50 percent of their time away from their desks and in meetings. We don’t usually think of being “mobile” in the office, but that’s what is happening when we’re out of our chairs. So the question is, how do we improve our in-office productivity while in meetings or moving between them?
Use your computer only when needed
Kimberly Engelkes, strategic program manager at Microsoft, has this to say about computers and meetings: “Being productive in a meeting can be challenging. Having your computer or tablet open can seem rude, or like you aren’t paying attention.” And avoiding the temptation to let your attention wander can be difficult even for the most iron-willed in an unexciting meeting. |
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Methods for Searching Your Email in Outlook 2013
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| Do you have thousands of emails stored in your Outlook account? Do you sometimes need to find the one email from five months ago that mentions the access key for a software program you didn’t think anyone was still using?
We all have times when we need to dig through the haystack of email to find the needle. This can be very challenging even if you carefully manage emails with folders and categories.
Here are some tips for searching your Outlook email! |
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Planning for Windows Server 2003/R2 End of Support
used with permission from Microsoft |
| On July 14, 2015, Microsoft will end support for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2. Organizations that fail to migrate from Windows Server 2003/R2 before this date will be out of compliance with certain existing business standards and possibly expose themselves to vulnerabilities.
Fortunately, migrating to a supported server operating system can help you mitigate these risks and deliver valuable benefits and efficiencies that are not available in Windows Server 2003/R2. To take advantage of this opportunity, your organization will need a clear understanding of the different on-premises and cloud migration options available. |
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Skype for Business is Here—and This is Only the Beginning
used with permission from Microsoft Office Blogs
by Zig Serafin |
| Enabling people to connect with one another is central to Microsoft’s mission to reinvent productivity and help people make the most of every moment. For us, connecting people means delivering experiences capable of conveying all forms of human expression—verbal, written, visual and emotional. In today’s modern workplace, productivity will increasingly be centered on conversations, whether in writing, in person, via phone or video conference call. People need communications tools that allow them to express themselves in the most natural and approachable way possible, and that work the way they do—fluidly across locations and devices.
Together with our customers and partners, Microsoft has transformed enterprise communications. Over 100 million people now use Microsoft Lync to communicate for work, with 79 percent of U.S. enterprises currently using or planning to deploy Lync for telephony. With Skype, we’re the preferred choice for consumer communications too. Skype revolutionized the way people connect with friends and family. Today, Skype sees 50 billion minutes of traffic every month—one third of the world’s long distance traffic—and over 50 percent of Skype users now come in over video. |
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Firm News |
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►Representatives from LaSalle Consulting Partners will be attending Microsoft Ignite this May. The largest and most comprehensive Microsoft technology event, Ignite will take place in Chicago, IL over a span of five days.
The event will be a chance to connect with IT leaders from around the world and stay up-to-date on the latest technologies and innovations. We look forward to testing the latest technologies, receiving hands on training from experts, and exchanging ideas with peers from around the globe.
►The plaintiff personal injury law firm of Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle, P.C. has retained LaSalle Consulting Partners for technology services and ongoing support.
►The Law Offices of Mark A. Schramm has retained LaSalle Consulting Partners for technology services and ongoing support.
►LaSalle Consulting Partners accepted Microsoft’s invitation to become a member of the Microsoft Partner Research Panel (MSPRP). The panel allows a limited number of Microsoft business partners to have our voices heard regarding ongoing research studies within Microsoft. Microsoft management, development groups, and business teams participate in the panel.
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LaSalle Consulting Partners, Inc.
200 W Madison St | Suite 940 | Chicago, IL 60606
312-361-3326
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LaSalle Consulting Partners, Inc. provides the information in this newsletter purely as a public resource of information which is intended, but not promised or guaranteed, to be correct, complete, or up-to-date. This newsletter is not intended to be a source of solicitation of legal advice nor should it be the sole basis for technology decisions. The reader should therefore not consider this information to be an invitation for a consultant-client relationship, should not solely rely on information provided herein, and should always seek the advice of competent counsel especially related to HIPAA compliance matters before making decisions or taking any actionscompliance matters before making decisions or taking any actions |
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