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How to Choose the Right IT Partner (Before It’s Too Late)

How to Choose the Right IT Partner (Before It’s Too Late) Choosing the wrong IT partner doesn’t always look like a disaster at first. Sometimes it looks like slow response times, patchy security, or finger-pointing when things go wrong. Until...BAM, you’re hit with a breach, outage, or unexpected bill. Here’s what to look for before that happens. 5 Red Flags Your IT Partner Isn’t Cutting It: They’re reactive, not proactive.If you only hear from your IT partner when something’s broken, it’s already too late. A solid IT partner is constantly working behind the scenes to prevent issues, not just fix them. You’ve outgrown them.What worked for your company 5 years ago probably isn’t cutting it today. If your partner hasn’t adapted with you, or worse, hasn’t challenged you to grow smarter with tech...it’s time to move on. They can’t talk business.Tech should align with your goals. If your partner can’t ...

Kristy Mossoian2025-07-18T15:01:42+00:00

Mergers & Acquisitions Chaos, Meet IT Clarity

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are exciting, on paper. In reality? Mergers and acquisitions are often chaotic, disruptive, and full of technical landmines. From incompatible systems to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, one thing is clear: companies can’t afford to wing their IT during a transition. We partner with organizations during mergers and acquisitions to bring clarity, stability, and strategic technology consulting when it matters most. Why IT Matters (Way More Than You Think) During M&A Most mergers and acquisitions hinge on finances and operations, but fail or stagnate due to overlooked tech issues. Here's what can go wrong: Conflicting platforms and data structures Missed security gaps during due diligence Downtime during system consolidation Compliance and regulatory risks Lost institutional knowledge These risks are more than just inconvenient. They can stall deals, lose customers, and destroy internal trust. What You Actually Get with M&A Tech Consulting Your IT partner shouldn't just keep systems online, ...

Kristy Mossoian2025-06-09T14:12:42+00:00

Navigating the 2024 IT Budget Trends and Predictions

As we step into 2024, the landscape of IT is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Businesses are not just using technology; they're becoming inseparable from it. This integration presents new challenges and opportunities, especially in the realm of IT budgeting. At Red Level, we understand the importance of staying ahead of the curve. In this blog, we'll explore the 2024 IT budget trends and how they might impact your IT budgeting decisions. Emerging Technology Trends: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning AI and ML continue to be at the forefront of technology innovation. In 2024, expect to see these technologies becoming more accessible and integral to business operations, from customer service automation to advanced data analytics. Cybersecurity Reinforcement With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated, investing in robust cybersecurity measures is not just advisable; it's imperative. The budget for cybersecurity needs to be more comprehensive, covering everything from advanced threat detection to ...

Kristy Mossoian2023-12-05T16:07:06+00:00

Language and Artificial Intelligence Challenges

What article on artificial intelligence is complete without a linguistics joke? An esteemed professor of linguistics addresses his 101 class. "In English, a double negative is a positive. In Russian, a double negative is still a negative. But there are no languages we know of, where a double positive can be a negative." A kid in the back row scoffs, "Yeah, right." As machine learning becomes more commonplace every day, we encounter more obstacles. This article will explain some of the issues faced by companies analyzing Big Data sets, and the unusual challenges endemic to training machines to understand language, the written word, and how we communicate with each other. First, you need data Finding the right data is the first critical issue. Why? Several reasons, but here are some top ones. Humans make mistakes. One of those mistakes can be choosing the wrong dataset to begin with. Not choosing ...

Red Level2023-02-16T16:01:20+00:00

Nine Ways to Ensure Your Company is Protecting its Employees

We all know the basics like hand-washing and social distancing, so let’s cut to the chase and talk about some topics (and solutions) you might not have considered. 1. You can’t change human behavior, but you can nudge it. The employee who was a germaphobe before quarantine began will likely continue to be the safest employee. The employee who throws dishes in the sink without washing them, and leaves empty containers everywhere will not likely change their behavior. Nothing will change here. Solution: That doesn’t mean you can make it easier for employee safety. Many companies are putting touchless hand sanitizer stations (like this one) at all entrances and in the shared dining areas. Others are requiring temperature checks upon entering. This means staff trained in taking temperatures are required and that can be a significant investment in resources. 2. Don't bother with "Who's at risk?" assessments. Why not? Because every employee who is ...

Red Level2023-02-16T16:01:21+00:00

Excel Automation Add-In

Today we are going to cover Excel Automation Add-In which allows you to set your own User Defined Functions. Now, before we jump in, I had a desire to write functions using C#. And I wanted them to be deployable, so not just linked to an excel macro worksheet. With those two requirements, there are a few ways to write Excel Add-Ins which allow User Defined Functions (UDF’s). There are COM add-ins, Automation Add-ins, and XLL Add-ins. For the sake of not using a library to build the XLL Add-In, I was sitting between using a COM Add-In or an Automation Add-In. When researching, I discovered Automation Add-Ins are simpler to set up initially, and also are extensible to the full feature functionality of a COM Add-In. Thus I settled on building an Automation Add-In. Now, to dig into how to get the ball rolling. Getting Set Up Firstly, you’ll ...

Red Level2023-02-16T16:01:26+00:00

Labor Day Closure

In recognition of the upcoming Labor Day holiday, Red level will be closed on Monday, September 3rd. But you are never alone. For emergency technical support call 248-412-8210. We wish you a happy, relaxing day filled with family and friends, doing whatever you enjoy most. Our offices will reopen on Tuesday, September 4th.

Red Level2023-02-16T16:01:35+00:00

Red Letter IT Newsletter – August 2018

Let's take a look at these 5 quick but important IT stories you should know about: MICROSOFT EVENT: Office 365 Summit Recap We assembled a team of experts to share best practices on security for Office 365 with tech leaders from around Metro Detroit. TECH NEWS: What's The "Power" In Microsoft's Power BI (Business Intelligence)? An impactful cloud-based tool that transforms a company’s data into rich visuals for its employees so they can focus on what matters. BLOG: Phishing Scam Target Travelers And Hotels Cyber-criminals will take advantage of any situation that separates people from their money. RED LEVELER SPOTLIGHT: James Graff Loves A Good Quest"What was great about it was that I was able to save them money and time, and that freed up resources for other IT investments." SECURITY AWARENESS BREAKFAST: Educating Metro Detroit On The Latest Threats And Trends In IT Security Listen to the news today and your almost afraid to turn on your ...

Kristy Mossoian2023-02-16T16:01:35+00:00

Office 365 Summit Recap

We had a packed house at the new Microsoft Technology Center downtown for our Office 365 Summit. We assembled a team of experts to share best practices on Security for Office 365, PowerApps and Microsoft Stream with tech leaders from around Metro Detroit. Keeping data and identities secure is a top priority of all businesses large and small. In the past the primary way of securing data was to introduce a firewall on the front end of the network and install Anti-Virus protection on the end points. This may have worked in the past but malicious attacks are getting more and more sophisticated and data thieves are getting more creative in their approach to steal data and compromise identities. There have been many reports in the news lately of large data breaches against well-known reputable companies. One method that hackers and data thieves use is phishing. A hacker will impersonate a valid ...

Red Level2023-02-16T16:01:35+00:00

Happy New Year from Red Level

Red Level’s offices will be closed on Monday, January 2nd, but you are never alone. For emergency technical support please call 248.412.8210. We wish you a very happy New Year filled with family, friends and football! Thank you, The Red Level Support Team 248.412.8210 support@redlevelnetworks.com

Red Level2023-02-16T16:01:48+00:00

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