ANTHONY BARTOLO
How to: Enable Customer Lockbox in Office 365 P18
JOHN DATHAN
Reliable, yet quick to adapt: How businesses can be both at the same time P.22
March/April 2016 VOLUME 7 NUMBER 2
INSIGHT FOR TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS
WHERE ARE COMPANIES IN THEIR
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Your whiteboard, reinvented. Imagine you could see and write on the whiteboard when you’re not in the meeting room. With BrightLink Pro, you can. Collaborate in real-time, whether you’re in the room or across the world. Keep writing, without stopping to erase; just add digital pages. When the meeting’s done, share the notes instantly through email or a USB thumb drive, so nobody has to take a picture. BrightLink Pro turns any flat surface interactive; you don’t need a computer or software to use it. Just turn it on and see how easy it is to reinvent your whiteboard. Take a product tour now at epson.ca/movingforward. Or contact an Epson collaboration specialist about introductory offers including our 1st-Time Buyer program. 800-374-7300. EPSON is a registered trademark and EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. BrightLink is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. Copyright 2014 Epson America, Inc.
Contents
Vol 7 No 2 March/April 2016
www.itincanadaonline.ca
DEPARTMENTS
4 Editorial 6 News
Our roundup of news stories
10 Security Shelf 18 How to FEATURES
8 Where are enterprise companies in their hybrid cloud journey? 11 Get with the scan: new Canon scanner punches above its weight 14 HP PageWide Pro MFP 577 dw printer - a must for SMBs 16 Email marketing isn’t dead - 4 tips to increase open rates and drive engagement 17 Building a resourceful IT department
8
19 The latest episodes of WRLWND Radio 20 For data protection: mirroring alone doesn’t cut it 22
Reliable, yet quick to adapt: How businesses can be both at the same time
23 The new normal: Adopting the millennial mindset
COVER STORY: Where are companies in their hybrid cloud journey?
Online Extras: www.itincanadaonline.ca Missed an issue? Misplaced an article? Visit www.itincanadaonline.ca for a full archive of past IT in Canada Online issues, as well as online extras from our many contributors.
March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 3
EDITORIAL INSIGHT FOR TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS
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All roads lead to the cloud In less than a decade, it seems cloud technologies have somehow taken over the conversation in business, government, the education, healthcare, entertainment and whatever space there might be left. If you are reading this, your organization is probably mulling over, mapping out, realigning or rethinking its cloud strategy. In this edition of ITinCanada, you’ll find a recent survey conducted by computer storage company EMC Corp., and cloud services firm VMware Inc., which is a must-read if you happen to be contemplating an IT strategy transformation or cloud implementation. The survey of more than 660 EMC and VMware customers provides critical insights into how enterprise companies view cloud technologies, what are the key areas of their organizations they believe will be benefitted by a cloud implementation, what are their main points, and what are the factors obstructing transformation. Eric Jacksch, columnist and security expert, discusses the advanced persistent threats and the dangers they pose to your data. But he also provides some tips on how to protect the most precious asset in your organization. Eric gives us the lowdown on some of the most popular data encryption tools in the market. He talks about the pros and cons of these, prices and applications of these products so that you can decide if they’re appropriate for your needs. In recent weeks, the ITinCanada staff has been ramping up on its product testing operations. Marcello Sukhdeo, had the opportunity to try out the HP’s SMB-focused multifunction printer the HP PageWide Pro MFP 577 dw. This is a machine you definitely would like to consider if you’re looking for an office printer that’s fast, easy to use, has great printing capabilities and has multiple connectivity options as well. There are more product reviews to browse through in this edition. Our growing number of subject matter bloggers are really making their presence felt in this edition. Michael Murphy, vice-president and country manager for Citrix Canada, digs deep from his long leadership experience in the technology industry to provide readers with some advice on how to build a truly resourceful IT department. John Dathan, vice-president for strategy and business development of the enterprise group at HP Enterprise Canada, discusses how IT departments can deliver reliable, steady service, while being flexible and agile enough to adjust to customer demands. Mike Johnson, technical writer at Rocket Software, explains why mirroring is not enough to protect corporate data. Mike also provides some advice on how to properly backup data. Does it look like the people your company is hiring are getting younger each year? Are the habits and working ethos of these new cohort or workers a puzzle to you? Eva Schoenleitner, vice-president of marketing for Sage North America, will help you decipher the “millennial mindset.” In order to remain competitive, she says, IT departments need to learn how to fully harness the strengths of the millennial workforce. Enjoy the issue. J. Richard Jones Editor-in-Chief
4 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
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IN THE NEWS
By Marcello Sukhdeo
Cloud storage for Canadians gets even better - unlimited from Amazon.ca
With our digital lives growing at a phenomenal rate, storage of our data is becoming an increasingly important aspect in our daily activities. Where can we store our photos, videos, files, documents, movies and music, is a question that we face from time to time as we max out our storage solutions either on physical drives or even in the cloud. An unlimited cloud solution would be a great option to have and that’s exactly what Amazon hopes to provide.
Recently Amazon.ca announced their unlimited cloud storage solution with Amazon Cloud Drive for Canada. This solution comes with two new unlimited storage plans that can securely store all our data so we can access it at anytime and from any device. Both plans offer an affordable flat annual rate along with a free three-month trial. With the Unlimited Storage Plan you can store an endless number of photos, videos, files, documents, movies and music at the annual
rate of $59.99, which works out to about $5.00 per month. The other option is the Unlimited Photos Plan and as the name suggests, this offers cloud storage for photos only. But not to worry, if you select this plan and do have a few files like documents and videos that you would like to store, then Amazon has you covered. With this plan you get 5GB of additional storage to store your files. This plan is for $11.99 per year and if you do the math, it works out to be just a loonie per month. “Most people have a lifetime of birthdays, vacations, holidays, and everyday moments stored across numerous devices. And, they don’t know how many gigabytes of storage they need to back all of them up,” said Josh Petersen, director of Amazon Cloud Drive. “With the two new plans we are introducing today, customers don’t need to worry about storage space—they now have an affordable, secure solution to store unlimited amounts of photos, videos, movies, music, and files in one convenient place.” The Cloud Drive is available as a download to install on your computer or you can even get the app from the Amazon Appstore, Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Tech Giants in a plot to stop Trump Top tech CEOs, billionaires and some elite members from the Republican Party had a private meeting in early March to concoct a plot to stop Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, according to an article from the Huffington Post. The shakers of America met at a private island resort off the coast of Georgia for the American Enterprise Institute’s annual World Forum. This forum was closed to the press but according sources the item at the top of the agenda was how to stop Donald Trump. Those that were in attendance include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google co-founder Larry Page, Napster creator and Facebook investor 6 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
Sean Parker, and Tesla Motors and SpaceX Elon Musk. From the Republican side, those that attended were Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell, political guru Karl Rove and House Speaker Paul Ryan to name a few. The highlight of the forum was a presentation made by Rove. He talked about Trump’s greatest weakness which is that voters are having a very hard time envisioning him as “presidential” and as somebody their children should look up to. But Trump was not the only topic on the agenda. According to sources there was a fierce debate between GOP Sen. Tom Cotton and Tim Cook on cell phone encryption. This is not surprising given the ongoing court battle between the FBI and Apple.
By Nestor Arellano
The FBI gets ‘third-party’ help in cracking iPhone security The row between Apple and the Federal Bureau of Investigation appears to have come to an end with the announcement by the FBI that it has managed to recover data from the iPhone of the San Bernardino, Calif. gunman without the help of Apple. The current row may be over, but are we seeing the beginning of a more heated battle against government investigation agencies and tech companies in general? More to the point – now that authorities have managed to crack the iPhone’s security, should you be worried about the security of your personal data in your mobile device? Apple had been resisting for weeks a court order issued in February directing the company to write a new software program to would allow investigators to access the iPhone belonging to slain gunman Syed Rizwan Farook. Farook together with his wife shot dead 14 people in a San Bernardino office party in December. The couple was later killed in a gun battle with police. The FBI contends that it needed to access the data in Farook’s phone in order to determine if there were other people working with the couple and if they were targeting others. Farook’s wife, Tashfeen Malik, had pledged allegiance to ISIS on social media at the day of the attack. Top officials of several high-profile tech companies have supported Apple CIO Tim Cook’s position that developing a software to unlock Farook’s would put the security of other iPhones in danger.
IN THE NEWS has been using the services of the Israeli-based company Cellebrite to break the protection on Farook’s iPhone. The new site contacted Cellberite, but the company did not respond. “Cellberite, considered one of the leading companies in the world in the field of digital forensics has been working with the world’s biggest intelligence, defence and law enforcement authorities for many years,” Ynetnews said. “The company provides the FBI with decryption technology as part of a contract signed with the bureau in 2013.”
Apple’s response In response to this recent development, Apple issued a statement saying: “From the beginning, we objected to the FBI’s demand that Apple build a backdoor into the iPhone because we believed it was wrong and would set a dangerous precedent. As a result of the government’s dismissal, neither of these occurred. This case should never have been brought.” Apple said it will “continue to increase the security of our products as the threats and attacks on our data become more frequent and more sophisticated”. Can authorities now easily unlock any iPhone? Not necessarily, according to the BBC. The FBI was originally seeking a new software version from Apple to prevent Farook’s iPhone from deleting its data if too many wrong passcodes were used to access the phone. This week authorities said they had access some data stored in Farook’s phone, but they did not mention what method was used to accomplish this.
The BBC report mentions how data might be taken from an iPhone using acid and lasers. Apple has recently updated its iOS software. This would mean new security fixes have been made. If a recent flaw has been detected, that bug may have been fixed. Where does this leave the public? While the particular row between the FBI and Apple appears to have dissipated, we now enter a sort of vague situation that raises more questions than answers. Now that U.S. investigation authorities have the ability to weaken the security of an Apple device, will it be inclined to use it in other cases as well? In order to protect its reputation, Apple will now have to rush to plug the security hole created by the FBI-sponsored exploit on its product. When this happens and authorities need to gather evidence from a mobile device, there is nothing stopping them from approaching a third-party again. If so, then we’re back to square one, or an escalating game of one-upmanship. It’s highly unlikely that this will be the last time federal authorities will use a third-party to unlock a device. There is, at least, a dozen of cases where the Department of Justice is seeking court permission to unlock iPhones to aid in the investigations. Throughout all this, the losers may, in fact, be consumers. Ironically, in pursuing the public interest, the FBI may have contributed to the weakening of the security mechanisms of a mobile device which stores people’s private, personal information.
The third party Eileen Decker, federal prosecutor of California, said the FBI had received assistance from a “third party.” “It remains a priority for the government that law enforcement can obtain crucial digital information to protect national security and public safety, either with cooperation from relevant parties or through the court system when cooperation fails,” she said in a statement. While Decker did not identify the third party, the Israeli news site Ynetnews.com, identified the firm as a Cellebrite. Ynetnews said the FBI March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 7
COVER STORY
By Nestor Arellano
WHERE ARE ENTERPRISE COMPANIES IN THEIR
HYBRID CLOUD JOURNEY? Digital transformation in the enterprise is well underway but a majority of organizations still have to map out their hybrid cloud journey, according to a recent global survey. 8 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
COVER STORY
R
egardless of geography or industry, most organizations reported wanting to improve their IT service strategy to run IT like a customerfocused business,” according to the State of IT Transformation report released by computer data storage company EMC Corp. and cloud services firm VMware Inc. However, while 90 per cent of organizations agreed it is important to having a documented IT transformation strategy and roadmap, more than 55 per cent of firms “admitted to having nothing document,” the report said. The survey polled only more than 660 EMC and VMWare customers around the world, however, the findings could be useful to any organization contemplating an IT strategy transformation or cloud implementation. The survey provides some vital insights into how many enterprise firms view cloud technologies and where they are in their transformation journey as well as what are the factors holding them back. Kevin Roche, president of global services for EMC said the participants shared “very common gaps and target goals” to deliver IT services more efficiently. Customers that “enthusiastically adopt hybrid cloud strategies” tend to experience significant cost savings and are those that are “making the most progress towards their digital business objectives,” he said. “Most organizations indicated they want to have a hybrid cloud architecture for their production applications within the next 18to 24 months, with 90 per cent reporting they are in the evaluation or proof-of-concept stage,” according to EMC. “In terms of vir-
tualization, nearly every participating organization reported wanting to reach between 80 to 100 per cent in computing, storage, and application virtualization.” Participants said they want to automate platform delivery so that they can develop software faster. However, more than 80 per cent reported lacking a scalable, infrastructure-independent application framework.
Here are some industry highlights: • Healthcare participants identified the most opportunities for IT transformation in their organizations • Retail firms were top performers in desktop virtualization with the top 20th percentile reporting above 60 per cent of desktops virtualized. Majority of their applications were built on a scalable, infrastructureindependent application framework • Telecommunications firms led in network virtualizations with the average business reporting they achieved 40 per cent in network virtualization • Financial services firms scored above average in most areas of their IT transformation initiatives with 40 per cent having a fully-supported, documents IT transformation strategy and roadmap • The top 20 per cent of government organizations reported over 20 per cent of production apps in a hybrid cloud and nearly 100 per cent of computing and applications virtualized As many as 68 per cent said their firms take 6-12 months or more to complete a new application development lifecycle. Most firms want to get this down to just a few weeks.
Here are some other findings:
80%
want to standardize services in business-focused catalog with a self-service portal and to increase automation to improve IT service delivery
77%
expressed desire to provision infrastructure resources in less than a day (more than half reported it currently takes between one to four weeks to do so)
87%
said they rely on yearly allocation-based recovery, or project-by-project recovery of It cost; only five per cent are able to bill the business for services consumed at an advertised price
88%
said they want to use automation to track the resources each business unit is consuming; 70 per cent said they have gaps in their ability to track IT resources consumption across the business “What the survey results are telling us is that IT organizations want to improve the way they are able to help their customers,” said Denise Partlow, director of product marketing, cloud professional services at EMC. “But they have some gaps that they want to close.” One such concern is the lack of hybrid cloud documentation and roadmap, she said. “If you don’t have a plan and metrics, it becomes very difficult to measure progress and benefits,” she said. “It has to be a topdown mandate to get everyone onboard the transformation strategy.”
March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 9
SECURITY SHELF
STORING SENSITIVE DATA
C
riminals and spies target data stored on computers and portable storage devices. Storing sensitive business or personal information unencrypted on these devices is negligent, yet this remains a common practice. Combating advanced persistent threats is complicated, but simple security solutions are readily available to protect against physical data theft. Apple’s FileVault, which is included in the OS X operating system, provides free full disk encryption. Upon boot, the user is prompted for his or her passphrase. If the user forgets the passphrase, a disk recovery key can be used instead. It’s simple, effective, and transparent to the user. Microsoft’s equivalent feature, BitLocker, is included in Windows 10 Professional, Enterprise, and Education editions. BitLocker tends to be more difficult to activate, in some cases requiring tweaking via the command line. As a result, some enterprise customers resort to third-party management utilities. Once configuration hurdles are overcome, BitLocker provides effective and unobtrusive disk encryption. 10 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
Protecting the computer’s internal storage is an essential first step. External storage also deserves careful consideration. USB storage devices are often targeted because users generally want their most important files with them, and the theft may not be immediately detected. “We know that smaller devices like notebooks and tablets have always been prime targets because they’re easy to steal, and notebooks from professions like finance or medicine carry data of exponentially greater value for the bad guys and elevated financial damage for the victim,” said Walter Fiorentini, Marketing Manager at Apricorn. Fiorentini pointed out that while the cost of data breaches continues to rise, secure solid state storage has become less expensive. For example, the Aegis 240GB Secure Key 3 was US $369 last year and is now US $299. The 30GB version is down to US$149 from$199. A larger portable product, the 1TB Fortress SSD was$829 a year ago, and now retails for $699. From a security perspective, the Aegis line of products is hard to beat. Instead of entering a passphrase on the computer keyboard,
By Eric Jacksch
where it could potentially be compromised by malware, users enter a PIN directly on the storage device. Fiorentini suggests that “the best practice for sensitive data handling is to keep it off of your computer and store in on a separate encrypted external drive that is software-free and shares none of its security parameters with the host.” That is good advice, especially since users can eject the drive when not using the data. I tested and wrote about the Aegis Secure Key 3 last year (http://itincanadaonline.ca/ index.php/columnists/eric-jacksch/1331enter-the-pin-and-plug-it-in) and the device quickly became my preferred way to carry sensitive information. For the last two weeks, I’ve been testing the product’s big brother, the Aegis Padlock DT USB 3.0 desktop drive. Unlike the very pocketable Secure Key 3, the Padlock DT is not intended to be portable. The 4.5” x 7.2” x 1.5” FIPS-140 Level 3 encrypted drive features an aluminum case, PIN keypad, USB 3.0 cable, and power supply. Like the Secure Key 3, the product is very easy to use. It took longer to crawl under my desk and plug in the power adapter than it did to create the master PIN and start using the drive. The user experience is terrific: Enter the PIN followed by the unlock button and the drive is ready for use. Pressing the “cancel” button returns the drive to the locked state. There is no need to unplug the drive from the PC. If the USB cable is unplugged, or the computer turns off the hard drive after a period of inactivity, the DT automatically enters the locked state. Users and administrators can leverage this functionality to keep desktop storage secure. The 4 TB Aegis Padlock DT USB 3.0 Desktop Drive retails for $379, making it a bargain for anyone who stores sensitive data on their desktop.
BUSINESS
By Nestor Arellano
GET WITH THE SCAN: NEW CANON SCANNER PUNCHES ABOVE ITS WEIGHT
T
he new imageFORMULA DRM160II from Canon will allow you to quickly and easily scan your documents with time to spare, and it has other perks, as well. Throughput and accuracy are among the DR-M160II’s key strengths, but a suite of built-in software extends the machine’s capabilities beyond basic scanning and provides users flexibility in handling, transmitting and storing document files.
Small footprint, big throughput The DR-M160II can scan up to 60 pages per minute or 120 images per minute at 200 dots per inch, both in simplex or duplex. It’s also small, taking up roughly 10”x10” of space when it is closed. Unfolded, the 7.05 lb. machine’s dimensions are 9.09” x 11.02” x 9.76”. Not only will you not need to find room to house the DR-M160II in your office, but you won’t need to find room for it in the office budget, either. Retailing at just $1,008, the DR-M160II out-performs and out-prices its competitors. Canon’s user-friendly design, reliable item handling and intelligent image processing in the DR-M160II offers end-to-end options for capturing and converting documents as high-res images. The DR-M160II’s automatic document feeder can actually load up to 60 sheets in different shapes and sizes and scan materials in one run. It can automatically detect the size of documents it scans even when you feed it a batch of different-sized documents with various paper stocks. The unit can scan material from 2” to 8.5” wide and up to 118.1” long. Like other Canon office scanners, the DR-M160II can also scan business cards, including embossed
cards such as debit and credit cards. The scanner is compatible with PC and Mac computer systems, and bundles ISIS and TWAIN drivers, allowing for easy integration into any office environment.
Feeding without the jam Canon also gets a thumbs-up for designing a very straight path for paper sheets to run through the DR-M160II. This way paper jams are averted, even when documents with irregular sizes or folds are fed through the machine. Occasionally scanners can pull up two sheets of paper at the same time which results in documents getting jammed and even crumpled between the rollers. The DR-M160II avoids double feeds by using ultrasonic waves that detect if two pages are being fed at the same time. If material does get stuck, you can press the double feed release button. Doing so will adjust the feeder and free the document. This way, documents do not get destroyed midway through a scan.
Accurate scans Have you noticed that sometimes your scans are a bit on the dark side or a bit heavy on certain colours? Well, the background smoothing function on the DR-M160II will analyze images for background colour content. It adjusts the image’s jagged edges and solidifies background colours to enhance viewing clarity. Once you’ve scanned your documents, the DR-M160II’s impressive bundled feature set provides you with the flexibility to perform additional image enhancements. The OCR software converts scanned text into digital files which give users the ability to easily search for specific documents using keywords or phrases. It’s great for keeping
anything from family recipes to important contracts in order. In a busy law office or business, workers no longer need to thumb through binders of files in search of an invoice. You can actually effortlessly search through hundreds of invoices and locate a specific name or account in a matter of minutes. Canon’s CaptureOnTouch software allows users to share or send documents to multiple destinations. This bundled software also allows users to save to various file formats such as PDF, JPEG, TIF, BMP and PowerPoint. CaptureOnTouch is ideal for organizations with dispersed workgroups that collaborate and share documents in the cloud. CaptureOnTouch enables documents to be scanned directly to third-party cloud applications such as SharePoint and Evernote. Canon also bundles Kofax’s Virtual ReScan and Nuance’s eCopy PDF Pro Office software tools with the DR-M160II, providing users with more flexibility to choose the software that fits their needs (at no additional cost). The Canon DR-M160II is available at local retailers across Canada. The main selling points of this high-quality scanner are its ability to handle various types of documents, produce clear and accurate scans and allow users the flexibility to manipulate scanned images, and save as well as send documents to multiple destinations in various file types. The DR-M160II’s small footprint is ideal for small workspaces, but its advance features and ability to handle large volumes make it a perfect fit for most office environments. If time is at a premium in your office and you’re often rushed when scanning, the DR-M160II will help you cut through your workload in no time. March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 11
SECURITY SHELF
By Eric Jacksch
CHROMEBOOK for international business travel
International business travellers are increasingly concerned about cybersecurity, and rightly so.
12 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
I
n addition to potentially intrusive border searches, travelers have to contend with insecure hotel WiFi connections, malicious hotspots, surveillance by hostile governments, and theft. A frequently suggested control to reduce these risks is the use of a clean laptop for travel. Some organizations re-image Windows-based notebooks for each trip. While there are advantages to using a familiar operating system, another option is a Chromebook. I have tested different
approaches over the past few months, but before jumping into security, it is important to consider hardware and software. At around $450, the Toshiba Chromebook 2 CB-30 is equipped with an Intel Celeron processor and 2 GB of RAM. When surfing the web with multiple tabs, the CB-30 experience resembles an entry-level PC. The screen is reasonably bright, but I find it slightly too reflective in bright light. Overall, it is a decent computer for the money. Dell was kind enough to lend me a
SECURITY SHELF SOME AIRLINES OFFER IN-FLIGHT INTERNET CONNECTIVITY, AND IT MAY THEREFORE BE POSSIBLE TO LOG IN TO THE CHROMEBOOK, USE IT DURING FLIGHT, AND POWERWASH PRIOR TO LANDING. HOWEVER, IF INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IS NOT RELIABLE, THIS SCENARIO COULD RESULT IN LOST DATA OR AN INABILITY TO USE THE CHROMEBOOK AT ALL. Chromebook 13 with an Intel i3 processor and 4 GB of RAM. Currently retailing for over $1,000, the Chromebook 13 is more expensive, but offers significantly better performance and a gorgeous display. It looks, feels, and runs like a business-class PC. Dell also offers a lower cost Celeron version. All Chromebooks run the ChromeOS operating system from Google. Lower-end devices tend to become sluggish when multiple browser tabs are opened; higherend Chromebooks are built on the same hardware as mainstream Windows-based notebooks at similar costs. ChromeOS’s primary strengths and weaknesses both arise from the operating system being built around the Chrome browser. The operating system boots lightning fast and is as intuitive as a web browser. Resetting a Chromebook to factory defaults, including securely removing all data, is quick and painless using the PowerWash feature, but an Internet connection is required to log in for the first time. Organizations that use Google for Business are in luck. As expected, Google Mail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and other browser-based apps work flawlessly. Microsoft Office 365 also works well, allowing web-based access to mail and the online versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Those who primarily work online when travelling may find a Chromebook meets their needs. Many will also enjoy the simplicity and reliability of the operating system. On the other hand, travellers who regularly use their notebook without an Internet connection will find the Chromebook frustrating at best. With Google’s offline file synchronization, it is possible to edit documents offline. However, should a serious operating system or authentication issue occur, the Chromebook effectively becomes a paperweight until connected to the In-
ternet. Since it is not possible to install the Microsoft or Apple productivity suites on a Chromebook, those who make use of time on aircraft to edit documents may not find it suitable. Prior to leaving on each trip, I used the PowerWash feature to return the Chromebook to factory defaults. Because ChromeOS enforces mandatory encryption, and the PowerWash feature deletes all accounts and associated encryption keys, this step ensured that no personal or business data remained on the Chromebook. Upon arrival at my destination, I powered on the Chromebook, entered my Google Apps credentials, completed the two-factor authentication, and within seconds I had access to my email and files stored in Google Drive. Since I often write in Google Docs, I was able to compose and file my column with ease. I also was able to access notes using the Evernote app. On a few occasions the Chromebook lost Internet connectivity, but I kept working and Google Docs synced when connectivity was re-established. Using the beta Secure Shell app, I was also able to load SSH keys from an Apricorn Aegis encrypted USB device and connect to remote servers via SSH. VPN continues to be a weak point for ChromeOS, but I eventually created a working .onc file and was able to establish an OpenVPN connection back to my office. Before checking out of the hotel, I again used the PowerWash feature to erase all data from the Chromebook and powered it down. This process confirmed I could cross international borders with a clean laptop, and still be able to work from my destination. However, the drawback was that I could not work offline during flights. Some airlines offer in-flight Internet connectivity, and it may therefore be possible to log in to the Chromebook, use it during flight, and PowerWash prior to landing.
However, if Internet connectivity is not reliable, this scenario could result in lost data or an inability to use the Chromebook at all. So the second scenario I tested was using a dedicated Google account for travel. Like other trips, prior to leaving I used the PowerWash feature, but then logged in using my travel account. This account is configured for privacy, including turning off Google’s search and location histories. I delete any email received to the account and empty the trash. The only data is in Google Drive, where I share a few folders with my main Google Apps account. I also enabled Google Drive’s offline mode so that Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drawing files would be stored locally on the Chromebook. While less secure than travelling with a totally clean Chromebook, this approach facilitated writing offline. I could access selected files, such as other articles I had recently written, and by creating new files in the shared folder they would automatically be available to my primary account. This compromise meant that a very limited amount of data would be stored on the Chromebook while crossing the border. At my destination, I tested two options for accessing my primary email. The first was simply to open an incognito window in Chrome and log in to my primary account. Once logged in, clicking through to Google Drive opened another incognito tab, from where I could file my column by sending it as a .docx file from Google Docs. This approach worked reasonably well as long as I remembered that the mail icon in ChromeOS would open my travel account, not my primary one. The other option I tested was to create a second user account on the Chromebook, log in with my primary address, and then log out and delete the user prior to catching my return flight. Compared to laptops running Windows, OS X, and Linux, Chromebooks offer better security, but at the cost of reduced functionality. Travellers who require applications not supported by ChromeOS, work extensively offline, or travel to destinations without reliable Internet should consider other options. But those who can work with what ChromeOS does provide should seriously consider a Chromebook for international business travel. March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 13
SOLUTIONS
By Marcello Sukhdeo
HP PageWide Pro MFP 577 dw printer – a must for SMBs
P
rinters have always been an integral part of any business. With the rapid advancement of technology, manufacturers are always upgrading and introducing new lines of printers to match the needs of users. In keeping with this trend, HP is set to release its new line of printers over the next few weeks. One of the printers that will be introduced shortly is the HP PageWide Pro MFP 577 dw. This multifunction printer (MFP) has a whole host of functions and technological capabilities to keep users connected and make the printing process less painful. Over the past few days we’ve tested and used
the 577 dw as the main printer in our department to see firsthand what it has to offer.
PROS
• Great speed • Good quality • Fast two-side scanning • Easy to use • Many connectivity options
CONS • Slightly off the orientation scanned copies
Printer specifications The HP PageWide Pro MFP 577 dw printer weights about 55 lbs and measures 20 inches wide, 16 inches deep and 18 inches
high. It comes with a power cord, installation disks, installation guide, Ethernet cable and a box with four ink cartridges. Due to the weight of this printer it is advisable to have two persons to help with the lifting and unboxing. It is recommended that a stable desk be used to place the printer on during setup. You should not move the printer after setup as this could damage the cartridges. Unboxing and setting up the printer took approximately 30 minutes. Of this time, the printer utilized about 20 minutes to initialize the cartridges. It’s important that you allow this step to take place after inserting the cartridges as it will result in the best print quality, speed and reliability for the printer.
Setting up was fairly easy; just follow the instructions on the 4.3 inch CGD (color graphics) IR touchscreen display to select language, your country, date and time. A great set up feature is the option to select whether you want to self-manage the set up process or use the IT managed option. The IT managed option provides settings that might limit or change the printer’s capabilities. This is ideal for IT administrators. Setting up of the cartridges was fairly easy as well. Simply follow the directions on the printer to match the colour of the cartridges. The printer has two trays, the side tray which holds up to 50 sheets for both letter and legal size paper. Tray 2 has the capacity for 500 sheets.
The 577 dw comes with both wired and wireless printing options. It includes a USB port for connecting to a computer, Ethernet connection for wired LAN, Wi-Fi and NFC. We’ve tested the wireless printing option only and it worked fairly smoothly. Just to add here, there is a timeframe of about 10 to 15 seconds that the printer takes to wake up after not being used for a short period of time. As such, upon sending a document to print you will need to wait that period of time for it to print. 14 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
SOLUTIONS This printer functions as a copier, scanner, printer and fax machine. We like the option of apps, which is available through the touch panel. With the apps function you can download and print forms like graph paper or calendar directly from the printer. Other options include private printing and the ability to connect to your Google drive account. The later option can greatly benefit small businesses that are using Google drive to store files.
In using this printer we were amazed at the quality of a photocopied document, finding no difference between it and the original. The option to scan an ID card without manually flipping the paper over to get the other side is a great addition to this printer as well. The options to scan to email, network folder, sharepoint, USB or directly to a computer are also available. One downside we noticed is that scanned files from our computer are slightly off line. We like the single pass, two-sided scanning feature that can produce up to 46 impressions per minute. This is a great time saver.
Printing can be done from your computer, USB, smartphone or by using your NFC enabled devices. What stands out for this printer is the speed and quality of the prints. It averages about 70 pages per minute, thanks to its PageWide technology. The PageWide technology uses printheads so rather than moving across the page, like inkjet printers, the printheads are stationary and work similarly to laser printers by imaging and printing the entire page in one quick pass. With security being top of mind today, HP has invested in its security infrastructure for this line of printer. Features include a password protected embedded web server for secure browsing via SSL, encryption and firewall configuration. The bottom line, the HP PageWide Pro MFP 577 dw printer provides laser-like printing with high quality and energy efficiency. It is fairly easy to use and comes with a great set of features including fast two-sided scanning, security and connectivity options. The verdict: this is a good choice for medium sized businesses with a heavy print workload. The HP PageWide Pro MFP 577 dw retails for $899.99 and will be available in Canada starting on April 4 at HP’s retail partners including Staples and Best Buy
and other commercial partners.
Other specifications
Mobile printing capability • HP ePrint • HP Mobile Apps • Google Cloud Print v2 • Apple AirPrint • Mopria-certified • Android Plug-in • Windows 8 and 10 • Windows 10 Mobile • Chromebook
Compatible operating systems • Windows 10 • Windows 8 • Windows 7 • Mac OS X v10.6 • Mac OS X Lion • Mac OS X Mountain Lion • Linux (hplip.net)
Paper handling input
• photo (glossy, gloss, soft gloss, satin, matte, other inkjet photo) • envelopes • labels • cards • specialty papers (glossy brochure, matte brochure, tri-fold brochure, Hagaki, greeting cards, other inkjet specialty paper)
Scanner type • Flatbed, ADF • Scan file format
Scan File Type supported by Software: • Bitmap (.bmp) • JPEG (.jpg) • PDF (.pdf) • PNG (.png) • Rich Text (.rtf) • Searchable PDF (.pdf) • Text (.txt) • TIFF (.tif)
• 500-sheet input tray • 50-sheet multi-purpose tray
Scan resolution, optical
Paper types
To learn more, check our http://itincanadaonline.ca/index.php/reseller/1580-videoreview-hp-pagewide-pro-mfp-577-dwprinter.
• Plain paper (light, intermediate, midweight, heavy, extra heavy, prepunched, recycled, bond, other inkjet plain paper)
• Up to 1200 dpi
March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 15
BUSINESS
By David Borrelli
EMAIL MARKETING ISN’T DEAD 4 tips to increase open rates and drive engagement Optimize your deliverability
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T
ime and time again, I’ve heard business experts say that ‘email is dead.’ Yet it’s still something we check when we first wake up in the morning, on our commute, in between personal appointments, and when we’re relaxing on the couch. ‘Long live email’ better encapsulates our reliance on this now a fundamental form of communication. And for marketers, email marketing continues to be a great way for businesses to both attract and retain customers -- if it’s done correctly, of course. Last year, Econsultancy released its 2015 Email Marketing Industry Census which discovered that email continues to be among a leading channel for delivering ROI for businesses. Here are four ways to ensure that your email marketing efforts are hitting the mark in 2016: 16 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
First things first -- make sure you’re compliant with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). If you’re not, it can be a very costly mistake. Now that we have that out of the way, don’t purchase email lists from a third party. Chances are you’re not the only company that has purchased this list, so you can only imagine the massive quantity and the questionable quality of materials the end users on these lists are receiving. Take the time to curate your own list. It may be a bit more labour intensive, but it will pay massive dividends in the end. Also, internet service providers have started to keep a close watch on the engagement levels of your subscribers, which can impact your sender reputation. You need to keep a very watchful eye on your Hotmail, MSN, and Gmail clients. You’ll gain a good understanding of why your emails aren’t being opened/engaged with and can adjust accordingly.
Make sure your copy is clean and your offer is relevant
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Your email subject line is the first thing your customer will see. Therefore, it’s the most important piece of copy you will write. Read the subject line with a critical eye — does it feel like spam to you? Perhaps most importantly, would you open this email if it arrived your inbox? Also, it’s no secret that consumers respond positively to personalization. Accenture found that 95 per cent of millennials say they want their brands to court them actively, and customization is just the way to do this. Have you put their name at the top of the email or
in the subject line? Have you analyzed the customer data available to you and are you offering the promotions/coupons/special offers that will interest your target?
Automate your Marketing
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The best way to ensure your sales and marketing teams are connected, and to provide a personalized and seamless experience to your prospects and customers is by using marketing automation. Solutions like Pardot enable businesses to blur the lines between marketing and sales and streamline both sales and marketing funnels. Not only does marketing automation effectively engage with your customers, it helps you generate and identify leads, and can increase your sales revenue.
Keep a Pulse on Your Data
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Keep a close eye on your engagement rates to determine whether or not you’re sending communication that your audience wants to receive. By using a CRM tool and using the information it collects on these contacts, you’ll always be able to send them communications/information that will resonate best and pivot quickly if you’re not hitting the mark. Additionally, a CRM tool can also boost your email marketing efforts, helping you efficiently manage all the customer data you collect. Email marketing still has a place in 2016 — however, you can’t just “set it and forget it.” Marketers have to be just as engaged as they hope their targets will be. David Borrelli is the general manager commercial sales for CRM platform company Salesforce Canada.
BUSINESS
By Michael Murphy
BUILDING A RESOURCEFUL
IT DEPARTMENT C
anada is facing a bit of an identity crisis. The resources that our country was built upon are stressed and there is a direct economic impact. This domino effect will more than likely affect the bottom line of many Canadian businesses – a fact that we hear about daily in the news. Businesses are left with two options: batten down the hatches to weather the storm or find alternative ways to make the business thrive. For inspiration, look no further than Canada’s leader. Earlier this year at the World Economic Forum, Prime Minister Trudeau made a comment that businesses across the country should consider: “My predecessor wanted you to know Canada for its resources. I want you to know Canadians for our resourcefulness.” To create a successful company, organizations need to breed a resourceful ecosystem and there is no better place to start with than with IT. One way for IT to demonstrate its resourcefulness is by investing in technology that delivers multiple benefits. Investing in
enterprise mobility through desktop and application virtualization, for example, can provide a number of positive benefits that will help stretch dollars and maximize investments. Here are a few ways that enterprise mobility can benefit a business: Flexibility – There is no such thing as one size fits all. Enterprise mobility enables organizations to give employees the flexibility they crave via the option to choose from a variety of devices and the freedom to work from anywhere. With desktop and application virtualization at the core of IT’s digital workspace strategy, the company will be positioned to adapt to the changing way people work, optimize investments and respond to current and future workforce demands. Security – The demand for 24/7 security protection from employees’ risky online habits and outsider threats – is rising. Outsider threats are lurking everywhere, at all times but employees want any device, anytime and any location access. This conflict requires IT departments to create a hybrid architec-
ture that walks a technical and operational tightrope. To avoid costly and reputationdamaging security issues, desktop and app virtualization centralizes Windows apps and desktops in the datacenter rather than on local devices. This allows IT to securely deliver the virtualized apps and data that employees demand while still ensuring top-of-the-line security. Elevate HR – A key asset to any company is its talent. Enterprise mobility technology enables virtual meetings and remote access to data which allows for collaboration amongst team members, regardless of location. This means that HR is no longer confined to the local market when searching for the best talent; they can expand the talent search nationally or globally, hiring the best person for the job. Mobile enterprise technology may also help to retain current talent, as employees will have the benefit of a flexible workspace. Reduce Costs – Real estate is a massive fixed cost for organizations. They may be investing in large corporate offices that don’t suit the modern needs of the business. Hoteling or unassigned workspaces are made possible through technologies such as desktop and application virtualization and MDM and can help streamline office space, reducing costs by allowing organizations to scale down to an office size that makes sense for a number of employees that will be physically present in the office at any given time. With enterprise mobility delivered through a single IT implementation as the pillar of the IT infrastructure, businesses will be primed to take advantage of the economy when the needle swings back the other way. Michael Murphy, is vice president and country manager, Citrix Canada March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 17
HOW TO
By Anthony Bartolo
HOW TO:
Enable Customer Lockbox in Office 365
S
ecurity is always top of mind for IT Professionals. With more people demanding access to data (via smartphones, tablets, etc), IT Professionals have been challenged in providing secure seamless access. Some have been looking to cloud services to address this need but require assistance as to where to begin. The first question usually asked is: “Who really has access to my organization’s data stored in the cloud?” IT Professionals, and the organizations they support, understandably want to have full control in regards to who has access to their content stored in in the cloud. Office 365 provides a great first step of security enablement strategies.
STEP 1: ENABLING CUSTOMER LOCKBOX
5 minutes, 34 seconds
3. In the Service settings page, navigate to Customer Lockbox 4. Slide the toggle to On to enable lockbox requests
Customer Lockbox provides Office 365 administrators with control over their organizations data. This solution can address situations where Office 365 Administrators need explicit control, in rare instances, when a Microsoft engineer is needed to access said data to resolve an issue. The process to enable this is as follows:
18 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
STEP 2: APPROVE OPEN CUSTOMER LOCKBOX REQUESTS 1. Navigate to the Office 365 admin center
1. Sign in to Office 365 with the required admin account 2. Navigate to the Office 365 admin center 2. Go to Support > Customer Lockbox Requests 3. View all issued support requests 4. Select Approve located beside the desired customer lockbox request and select Yes to accept
At this point, should the Office 365 Administrator not be able to resolve and issue via troubleshooting, they can initiate a Microsoft support request.
NOTE: Select Deny located beside the desired customer lockbox request should the request need to be disabled. Access is automatically revoked should the request is not approved or denied in the span of 12 hours. Once approved, the Microsoft support engineer receives the approval message and proceeds to login to Exchange Online to address the specified issue. The customer lockbox request is closed once the issue is fixed and access is then revoked. Customer lockbox can be enabled via a Office 365 E5 plan or via a separate customer lockbox subscription on any Office 365 Enterprise plan.
PODCAST
By Marcello Sukhdeo
The latest episodes of
WRLWND RADIO Ransomware, Apple and Unlimited Cloud Storage In this episode, we’ll take a look at an unlimited cloud storage solution, and ransomware, is it coming to a theatre near you? And we will close off with Apple, is Apple going to be the next BlackBerry? Listen here: http://itincanadaonline.ca/index.php/clevel-insight/cloud/1581-ransomware-apple-andunlimited-cloud-storage
Health risks from gadgets, Google’s new landline service and Samsung’s latest phones In this episode, we’ll take a look at how our personal devices are creating health risks for us, also, we’ll look at Google’s new landline service. That’s right, Google is bringing landline back into style in the modern age. And we’ll close the show with Samsung’s newest smartphones, how are they faring with today’s expectations? Listen here: http://itincanadaonline.ca/index.php/clevel-insight/cloud/1581-ransomware-apple-andunlimited-cloud-storage
Hack the Chromebook to earn big, a new approach by cyber criminals and the Sky X9E super computer In today’s episode, we’ll talk about a new approach that cyber criminals are using to find their way into our computers, also will be joined by a guest who will share his thoughts on a mobile super computer. And, how would you like Google to pay you $100,000 … well if you’re good hacker that is, stay tune to hear more. Listen here: http://itincanadaonline.ca/index.php/clevel-insight/security/1572-hack-the-chromebook-toearn-big-a-new-approach-by-cyber-criminals-and-thesky-x9e-super-computer
IBM Security Expert talks about Ransomware attacks In this episode, we’ll hear from Paul Lewis, a seasoned expert in Canadian, US and International privacy and security issues currently focusing on healthcare, security and privacy leadership at IBM Canada. Paul will talk about the recent ransomware attacks on hospitals and what Canadian organizations can do to prevent such attacks. Listen here: http://itincanadaonline.ca/index.php/clevel-insight/security/1561-ibm-security-expert-talksabout-ransomware-attacks WRLWND Radio is now available on iTunes and Stitcher. Subscribe today. March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 19
CONSUMER
FOR DATA PROTECTION: MIRRORING ALONE DOESN’T CUT IT
20 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
By Mike Johnson
T
his is a very good question. Below, you will see exactly why mirroring alone doesn’t cut it for complete data protection. It makes sense why individuals are confused about all of this. After all, mirroring to another system or site provides a full backup copy of data, which can, in turn, be restored anytime...correct? Well, this is not entirely accurate. In fact, believing this way sets the stage for a potential problem regarding the process of restoring. Many companies mirror their data to another system, but actually want three copies of their data, with the third being a transportable one. Clients want this data to be store on portable media so they can take it with them anywhere. This way, there is increased flexibility to restore to various data centers, should they find one to be full. Another important point in regards to mirroring is the fact that during the mirroring process, data that is corrupted will get mirrored as well. This third copy not only offers a portable solution but a corruption free copy of the data as well. The good news is, the undefiled data allows clients to restore from a backup that was created prior to any corruption taking place. Here are a few real-life examples what will help explain why mirroring alone is not enough to protect data. Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the South in 2005, causing great damage to not only physical structures such as homes, roads, and buildings but also to virtual structures as well. A heartbreaking example of this was when a particular company lost
CONSUMER
both of their relied upon sites during this disastrous storm. Why did this company lose everything? They were relying on their main site, which was located in New Orleans, along with their mirrored site, which was located in Alabama, and both sites were destroyed during Katrina. This close proximity in mirroring offers a perfect situation for data loss. Best practices regarding the mirroring process state that there must be an east-west practice. In other words, the mirrored site must be east of the primary site. If this point was put into practice, it is likely that at least one site would have survived. Another example of the folly of simply depending upon mirroring happened in 2011 at Google. A particular technician was fixing a problem in Gmail. This resulted in an accidental deletion of over 100,000 accounts, and they were ultimately gone forever. Why? Because Google depends mostly on mirroring, and this technician’s mistake hit all mirrored sites as well. Here is an example of a big time “oops.” Google apologized for their mistake, but obviously, even the best apology cannot bring data back after it’s lost. Here is the main point in all of this: mirroring is NOT enough to offer complete data protection! Mirroring can only do so much! It is important that consumers view mirroring in the appropriate light so they won’t expect more of the process than the process can offer. Mirroring is great on many levels. In fact, it need not be criticized for what it does best, which is creating a smooth canvas for continuity in operations. The fact is, mirroring cannot offer historical recreation of data, thus, we must not depend upon it to do so. In the event of
needing to recreate data, mirroring places the responsibility upon the programmer, who may ultimately fail at providing appropriate safeguards for their application due to human error. The other point to keep in mind is that mirroring is not a frugal process. The more money-saving alternative might be to limit mirroring to the most important storage groups while backing up less critical applications. In summary, mirroring is not all sufficient when it comes to protecting data. In fact, it is simply one small piece of the puzzle towards data protection. Clients must consider a supplemental backup and recovery plan along with mirroring, in order to avoid recovery issues. Major mainframe environments should pay close attention to this point as highly critical data is stored in these particular environments for banks, and insurance and government agencies. Here are some steps to help create a suitable backup and recovery plan: Switch to automated for point-in-time products that replicate data.
MIRRORING IS GREAT ON MANY LEVELS. IN FACT, IT NEED NOT BE CRITICIZED FOR WHAT IT DOES BEST, WHICH IS CREATING A SMOOTH CANVAS FOR CONTINUITY IN OPERATIONS. THE FACT IS, MIRRORING CANNOT OFFER HISTORICAL RECREATION OF DATA, THUS, WE MUST NOT DEPEND UPON IT TO DO SO.
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Many versions of your historical backup ought to be made, in order to facilitate restoration from any time frame, and without corruption of data.
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A transportable copy of your backup should be obtained. This way, you can use it anywhere.
4
Ensure recovery granularity is in place. This will allow a restore to occur from.
Mike Johnson is a technical writer for Rocket Software. He writes on topics like data protection, backup monitoring, and reporting software. He holds a Bachelor of Science Management degree from DeVry University. March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 21
BIG DATA
By John Dathan
RELIABLE, YET QUICK How businesses can be TO ADAPT: both at the same time
M
ore than ever, IT departments of Canadian enterprises are feeling under pressure. While their mandate is to deliver stable, reliable services, they also need to be flexible and agile enough to adapt to new customer needs and emerging opportunities. Reconciling the two needs can place a strain upon IT professionals, as they must ensure their organizations’ legacy systems can keep pace with the forces of disruption and innovation. In a recent survey, Hewlett Packard Enterprise spoke to 300 business and IT executives on how they are responding to the rapidly changing IT landscape. Two-thirds of executives said their organizations are facing more pressure than ever to keep ahead of their competitors. Another 37 per cent are under pressure to avoid getting disrupted by new entrants in their space. To keep up with these mounting challenges, businesses need to build and maintain IT infrastructures that will allow them to be agile enough to respond to new customer needs, while continuing to provide them with the reliable services that make up their core offerings. To do this, they will need to rely upon composable infrastructure. Composable infrastructure is built to support a particular workload or application, just as that workload was built to solve a specific business need. It allows IT leaders to leverage repeatable templates, pulling together an exact combination of compute, storage, and fabric resources, as well as firmware and software that are best suited for that workload. Composable infrastructure also enhances reliability, since any actions that affect the infrastructure are now tested thoroughly before deployment to live in a production environment. Additionally, this disaggregation of the physical infrastructure – compute, storage, and networking – enables higher 22 / IT in Canada Online March/April 2016
degrees of efficiency by ensuring there are no stranded resources.
HPE Synergy 5 Rack Configuration Basically, leveraging composable infrastructure allows developers to treat hardware infrastructure as code. They can move resources around and allocate them where they’re needed most, allowing new workflows and infrastructure to be provisioned, configured and monitored centrally. This enables businesses to free up compute, storage, and network fabric resources, disaggregate them into pools for other deployments, all under programmatic control. The end result is faster time to value for development, testing, and production teams, which ultimately helps businesses bring new services to market quicker. “Businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to compete and deliver value to customers without investing in infrastructure that is flexible enough to meet their needs,” said Dave Frederickson, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development at Long View Systems. “With composable infrastructure, busi-
nesses can get exactly what they need from their IT infrastructure to solve immediate problems. For example, if a customer wants to implement a specific application, they only use the compute and storage resources they need to run it, saving them time and money,” Frederickson said. “The benefits of this practice are now becoming clear to all kinds of enterprise organizations, whether their infrastructure is located in their data centre, the cloud, or a hybrid of the two.” As adopting composable infrastructure will be a leap for some Canadian organizations, Hewlett Packard Enterprise believes that customers will get the best results by partnering with a vendor that can provide guidance for the optimal use of automation in their environment. It can be easy to pilot a technology, but having the right expert consultation, holistic enterprise-grade support, and tools is critical to utilizing infrastructure automation on a larger scale. John Dathan is Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Enterprise Group, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada. You can follow John on twitter @JohnDathan.
BIG DATA
By Eva Schoenleitner
THE NEW NORMAL: Adopting the millennial mindset
A
mong the many lessons, we learn as we grow up is to respect our elders; it’s engrained in our subconscious from a young age and sticks with us well into our formative years. When we enter the workforce there is no question that we each want to prove ourselves, and along that process, we make time to learn as much as we can from those who’ve come before us. But as we grow as a person (especially within the IT space), does this old adage begin to create more harm than it does good? My first two blogs in this three-part series on staying competitive in 2016 have bounced between the future – the importance of business agility – and the present – the important role the IT department will continue to play. With this final blog let’s take a look once more towards the future; towards the millennials currently in the workforce and those set to enter it in the coming years. The old adage will remain present in today’s society, but there are certainly areas in which the older generations can learn from the youth.
Let the young teach us There is a great line in the third installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy that perfectly encapsulates the argument for millennials. In a scene where Batman attempts to gain an upper hand on his antagonist Bane by fighting him in the dark, Bane responds: “You think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it.” Remember – the millennials grew up with new technologies all around them,
they learned to swipe an iPhone before they learned to tie their shoelaces. As a result, they communicate differently, and work in new ways using interactive platforms, such as SnapChat and WhatsApp to stay connected, and are leveraging these technologies in their business settings to drive higher collaboration and greater convenience in their work processes. To stay competitive, the IT department must fully harness the strengths of the millennial workforce, a workforce that tends to lead the way in early adoptions. Young adults (ages 18 to 29) are the most likely to use social media – fully 90 per cent do – and chances are high that they’ve played around with the latest social/digital tools making the rounds. Tap into the millennial early adopters and help the IT department get ahead of the competition. The easiest part is that you won’t have to look too hard to find them. Millennials, who were born between 1980 and the mid-2000s, are now the largest generation in North America and are quickly replacing the retiring Boomers. In fact, by 2020, millennials will comprise about 50 per cent of the working population. They will soon make up a sizeable segment of your employee base as well as your customer base, which is why it is important to adapt your business to cater to their needs and expectations to support optimum work performance. Adoptions might mean transforming office spaces to include more open spaces, fewer conference rooms, and an emphasis on enabling mobility. It can also entail another evaluation of your target marketing strategies to ensure they are optimized for influencing this new and emerging audience of millennials. While millennials have been depicted as
flighty or non-committal, there are tangible, measurable advantages of working with this generation; they’re technically savvy and they’re not afraid to show it. You may not understand their electronic music or their use of emoji, and they may not get why “vinyl is the only way to listen to music,” but a sharing of the minds from a technology perspective can only make your business better. All in all, businesses and the IT industry can benefit a great deal from fully harnessing the strengths of the millennial workforce. Achieving this will require understanding how they think, how they communicate, what’s important to them, and what technologies need to be incorporated into the workspace to support their unique work style. Such considerations will be critical to retaining your core group of employees and to staying relevant in the market with your business offerings. Eva Schoenleitner is the vice-president of product marketing at Sage North America. In her spare time, she writes about technology trends and best practices. March/April 2016 IT in Canada Online / 23
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