Merrick Sloss, Author at Bellwether Technology

Employee Spotlight Series: Nathan Raby

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

Nathan Raby: Bellwether’s back-up expert with a passion for sports-writing and podcasting Meet Nathan Raby, a Data Assurance Engineer who joined in June 2012 and has become Bellwether’s in-house security and back-ups guru. When asked why he has stayed at Bellwether for so long, Nathan explained one key component: leadership that listens. “The Company wants to change and grow, and they want their employees to be happy.” Nathan went from a level-1 help desk technician to his current post as the de facto back-up expert on the security team by having open and honest conversations with his manager, who saw […]

Help Desk Services: A Work from Home Necessity

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

Effective help desk services are critical during this time of increased remote work. Employees can no longer ask the person sitting next to them for help. Instead, they have to figure out a solution on their own or contact the help desk. Unfortunately they are often underwhelmed by the response that they get. Help desk are often understaffed and overworked, so they focus on closing tickets quickly rather than end user satisfaction. Often companies have their own help desks, but aren’t able to provide those teams with adequate training and support. This results in internal help desks that are often […]

New Orleans IT Company Celebrates 40 Years of IT Excellence

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

Largest New Orleans IT Company built on service, growing with cybersecurity expertise NEW ORLEANS, LA (August 5, 2020) – New Orleans IT company Bellwether Technology will mark its 40th anniversary of exceptional IT service to the Gulf South on August 1st. Delivering IT support services to over 100 businesses and organizations in Louisiana and beyond, Bellwether’s team of 60+ professionals with over 400 years of combined IT experience enables their clients to excel by expertly applying and managing technology. Founded August 1, 1980, Bellwether has remained a constant leader in the New Orleans IT services market. An early adopter […]

Social Distancing: Learn to Maintain Your Same Productivity Standards

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

The world is adapting and reacting. With companies asking staff to practice social distancing in response to the current pandemic, both employees and managers realize the challenges ahead to ensure business continuity. While the phenomenon of “social distancing” addresses the immediate issue, practicing social distancing might not work for businesses in the long term if they do not learn to maintain productivity standards. That is to say, the dramatically changed office landscape has shifted businesses to a new paradigm, which has raised concerns about the productivity standards. From managing human-to-human interaction to structuring a typical workday under quarantine, everything heightens […]

Improved Remote Meetings: Get the most out of the gear you already have

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

Best practices for Remote Meetings Before you run out and buy an ultra HD camera and noise cancelling headsets, try these remote meetings tips to get the most out of the equipment that you already own. Tip #1. Test every earpiece & microphone combination. Microsoft Teams makes it easy to make a test call. Try every device that you own. You may be surprised by which [one performs best. It turns our that the wired earphones and mic that came with my Samsung Galaxy S6 sounded better than my two bluetooth devices. My laptop’s microphone also performed nicely. You can […]

Productivity Tips That Work for Tech Enthusiasts

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

Applying a Technology Edge There is no denying that technology has been driving improvements and innovation across different global industries for decades. Although the adoption of many technological solutions may seem disruptive at first, they are essential investments that help enterprises gain an edge. Regardless of the size, information technology helps businesses or companies remain competitive and relevant in their markets. Unfortunately, not all businesses, such as mid-sized companies and startups, are able to provide their employees with tech tools to help gain a competitive advantage. While the high cost of dynamic IT landscape is the major hurdle for many, […]

Infographic: 8 Cybersecurity Work From Home Tips

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

Work from home is the new normal. For many, it is likely to continue to some degree long after the COVID-19 crisis. Here are 8 cybersecurity work from home tips to protect yourself digitally. Feel free to download and distribute this infographic. Click to Download

5 Things Your IT Department Should Be Doing Right Now

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

COVID-19 has presented your IT department with a great opportunity After spending the last few weeks managing work-from-home requests, it is time for IT departments to take advantage of empty offices and quiet networks. Often times, important items are overlooked or put off, because of concerns over user impact. Here are 5 things your IT department should be doing right now. 1. Virtual Cleanup Review user accounts, group policy objects and Active Directory. Get current on all software, firmware, and bios technologies. Perform any maintenance that was postponed because it would require a device to be rebooted. Review configurations. Test […]

Pandemic Tests Cloud Services

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

COVID-19 is now a global pandemic. Millions of people are affected as countries go on lockdown to halt the spread of the disease. Many employees are forced to work from home. That’s why there’s a sudden surge in demand for cloud services worldwide. Can the web infrastructure survive this pandemic, too? Even before the pandemic, many companies were already turning to online productivity and collaboration tools for their business. While projections on how long this pandemic will force people to stay in their homes vary, it is certain that for the next month or so, cloud usage will continue to […]

Clarifying the CMMC Timeline

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Merrick Sloss

Version 1 of the much anticipated Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework was release by the Pentagon on January 31. Many news outlets are reporting that, “All DoD contractors must be certified by 2025.” This is a correct statement, but a misleading timeline. Starting in June of 2020, all newly issued RFQs will require CMMC compliance (likely level 1 or 2) in order to receive the Federal Contract Information required to participate in the bidding process. Since multi-year Federal contracts are limited to 5 years, by 2025 all DoD contracts will have cycled through under the new rules, making this […]