Mar 25, 2020 | Staying on Top, Uncategorized, UpstateVibe365
by Derek Davis, President & CEO, Intelli-Net of SC
Prior to this year, IT service providers have worked with businesses to develop robust “disaster recovery” plans… meaning how will a company react and 
survive during an extended outage or security event at the corporate office. The paradigm of “disaster recovery” has been flipped on its head since February 2020. We are no longer just talking about what happens when there is an outage at the office. Now, we are talking about the need for converting your office to a remote workforce.
What should businesses do now? And, what should businesses consider going forward?
The ability to communicate effectively is of utmost importance. Phones, email, collaboration, and chat across secure channels allow people to work remotely while still keeping touch with their co-workers and management.
Modern VOIP phone systems should have the ability to employ “soft phones” running on iOS, Android, or on a laptop; call forwarding to mobile phones; voicemail-to-email, etc.—so employees are always available to each other and customers and suppliers.
Collaboration tools like Microsoft TEAMS, Google Hangouts, SLACK, and others allow employees to remain in close contact with each other, enabling document collaboration, white boards, video and voice calling. Tools like these are excellent whether workers are all in the same building together—or working remotely.
If you are a Microsoft customer, TEAMS is likely included in your Office365 subscription. Likewise, Hangouts may be included with your Google G-Suite account. We steer people away from public chat applications like Facebook Messenger because they don’t offer the same security protocols as enterprise applications.
Email has been a highly critical business communication tool for many years—however, as the email systems companies use are becoming more cloud-based, the need for backups of these systems has become more critical. Companies that still use in-house email servers certainly back those up regularly… but those companies that have moved to cloud-hosted email systems should consider a third-party backup of those systems.
Can’t we just use a VPN? What about Quickbooks?
IT service providers can provide access to the company’s computer network through traditional methods like a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The pitfall of this strategy is that an employee’s “home computer” may not have the necessary security posture to allow access to the corporate network. With a VPN, if an employee’s home computer has a virus or malware, that could easily jump to the corporate network. In cases where an employee is using their personal home computer to attach to the company’s network, we often use a portal that allows remote access without letting the home computer attach to the network.
Once a user’s VPN or remote portal is activated, they can log onto company resources and largely work with full capability as though they are in the office.
One pitfall of using a VPN is that some applications just don’t work well across a VPN. Quickbooks is one of those applications. We require that folks running Quickbooks remotely have a VPN or portal connection to the network, but also that they “remote” into a computer that is still on premises so that Quickbooks’ company file isn’t corrupted.
Isn’t “The Cloud” supposed to allow us to all work from anywhere?
The Cloud … for all its promises, many companies still cannot function without on-premise servers, databases, and applications running. Some of the capabilities of applications running on Cloud-based systems are amazing… but many line-of-business applications don’t port over to Cloud-based systems easily… and many companies are reluctant to spend money on a monthly bill for these services. So we still have a long way to go.
What about security?
Regardless of whether or not your computers are managed by an centralized IT service—or if they have a managed antivirus system and other protections—CyberSecurity issues are still a huge issue, and we can spend many hours talking about the pitfalls of employees unknowingly causing security breaches by clicking on the wrong place.… Suffice it to say—when working from home, your security awareness needs to be highly sensitive. If something doesn’t seem right, it is always best to err on the side of caution.
From a corporate perspective, security also involves protecting corporate assets. This may sound trivial, but things like customer lists, contacts, and sensitive documents belonging to the company can suffer a loss of security with workers accessing that data from remote locations. Not only can accidents occur, but disgruntled employees have much more time to siphon off company information when they are not inside the four walls of the company’s offices. For that reason, many companies impose much stricter security requirements on employees as they work remotely. You should expect that anything the company provides to you is owned, monitored, and maintained by the company … and that would include tracking documents that are moved to personal storage devices, emailed off the company email systems, phone conversations, etc. Most companies have a detailed policy in place that explains that the assets that are provided by the company belong to the company and shall not be abused.
If your company needs help during these troubled times—please contact us. We are happy to go over some of these recommendations and strategies with you.
Mar 18, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365
This week’s newsletter is different from the usual one—because, while it’s true that there is something happening in the Upstate 365 days a year, right now what’s happening is people are staying home and playing board games rather than going out. They’re working from home, schooling from home, eating takeout at home. The events we usually promote in the UpstateVibe365 newsletter are cancelled or postponed, and we thought about whether we should even send one out.
But then we decided to highlight acts of kindness, the ways we are helping each other, and the things we can do to help when we don’t know how.
People who know me on social media know that a lot of the things I share fall into two categories: silliness and what I like to call “humans being beautiful.” No matter how awful things are in the world, there are always stories to be found of humans being beautiful to one another, and that is certainly true in these unprecedented times of social distancing due to COVID-19 and the economic consequences that go with that.
Sure, you hear stories of people fighting over toilet paper and bleach, and I’m sure it is not a fun time to be an employee at Costco or Walmart right now. Opportunities to come together in the ways people do after a natural disaster or other tragic event are limited by social distancing. The things you can think of to help your neighbors and community feel so small.
And yet—people do help, in acts of kindness that are big and small, and they add up. I’m a huge fan of Mr. Rogers, and one of my favorite quotes from him is one you’ve no doubt seen in times like this: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping’.”
Here in the Upstate, people and organizations are helping. They are finding ways to show kindness to their neighbors, in their community, and to perfect strangers. Whether it’s making sure kids who rely on school lunch programs have something to eat or neighbors offering to run errands for their elderly neighbors, they are helping.
We want to hear your stories of kindness. Do you know of a person or an organization who is doing something to be a helper? Can you share a link to a program that is helping? As long as this social distancing continues, we want to highlight those people, so please email me your stories, your links.
No matter what else gets cancelled, kindness will not be cancelled. And even if events aren’t happening and museums and venues are closed, there is still something happening in the Upstate 365 days a year. Kindness is happening.
Pass it on.
by Sharon Purvis, Ten at the Top’s Director of Outreach and Special Projects
Mar 4, 2020 | Staying on Top, UpstateVibe365, Young Professionals in the Upstate
Jessica Miserendino
Developing a successful and fulfilling career takes years of intentionality and patience. The journey demands boldness, drive, and the faculty to find the joy in your day-to-day work. For better or worse, there’s no direct formula or pathway, but rather innumerable opportunities to advance yourself each step of the way.
An often overlooked resource when it comes to professional growth actually comes from outside the workplace. When looking for that next stepping stone in your career, consider getting involved within your community to take advantage of all of the professional and personal growth development options available. The Upstate is brimming with opportunities for personal growth that may be outside one’s normal work environment. Volunteering with local nonprofits is a great way to fulfill personal passions and goals, contributing to an overall sense of purpose and growth. Moreover, representing your company by serving on a nonprofit’s board can create networking opportunities and open doors to sharpen your leadership experience and public speaking.
Ken Peterson
Many also find that it’s helpful to surround themselves with like-minded individuals. Within your company, you may choose to find a mentor who can help you navigate your organization, as well as the ins and outs of the industry. As someone who has more experience than you, your mentor can help ensure you’re on the right trajectory, introduce opportunities for growth, and advocate on your behalf.
Others find that it’s helpful to speak with people closer to their own age. That’s one reason companies in the Upstate have recognized the benefits of young professionals groups, or community- or company-sponsored groups that allow for social engagement, professional development, and community involvement. These groups afford their members growth opportunities, allowing collaboration and creativity to flourish as each individual member is encouraged to contribute to the overall goal of the group. For example, Ten at the Top hosts an annual event called Pique that facilitates a gathering of Upstate young professional groups in order to “pique their interests for impacting our community and region.”
Not only do community engagement groups and mentorships like these allow you to strengthen your professional skills, but they provide a way to explore your interests. In doing so, you may discover passions or talents you weren’t aware of. They may inspire you to pursue an advancement you weren’t sure was right for you, or even to forgo a pay increase and move laterally within your company to develop a new skillset. In some cases, people may even switch industries in order to advance themselves and follow their passions. Regardless, exploring opportunities for growth requires a level of vulnerability and a leap of faith, but keep in mind that personal fulfillment should grow alongside professional advancement.
It’s also important to realize that not all companies have defined career paths, and in navigating yours, don’t wait for it to be outlined for you. Be clear with your managers about what you want, but don’t rush into a role just because the pay is greater or the title more “impressive.” Understand from your managers and mentors how they got to where they are, and meanwhile, become an expert in the job you have. If you fail to focus your energy in the right place, you may tarnish your reputation in your own role.
As you work to advance yourself, remember that your career isn’t just about the destination. Remain open to new possibilities and unexplored avenues, be bold in your dreams and your asks, and remember that the people most apt to help you are in your own backyard and workplace.
For more details about Pique, click here.
Ken Peterson is Senior Director of Human Resources at Greenville-based ScanSource, Inc. with 18 years of Human Resources experience and 12 years of Operations experience. He will be serving as a panelist at this year’s Pique young professional conference.
Jessica Miserendino is Import Manager at Duncan-based AFL and serves on the board of directors for Ten at the Top. She has also served as Professional Development committee chair for AFL’s Young Professionals group for the last 3 years.
Feb 26, 2020 | UpstateVibe365
The month of March is Upstate International Month, with events across the Upstate celebrating various aspects of cultures across the world—from food to 
film to festivals. The events range from large ticketed events at the Peace Center and other venues to smaller, more intimate gatherings, so there’s something for everyone to explore.
All told, there will be around 100 events hosted by 50-60 businesses and organizations throughout the month of March. The host organizations partner with Upstate International, using the UI branding and theme (“Fun on a Global Scale!”) for their events, which UI then promotes.
The events are meant to highlight the beautiful diversity that exists among various cultures around the world, but Upstate International as an organization exists, in part, to shine a spotlight on the ethnic diversity that exists right here in the Upstate.
“As we enter into the 8th consecutive year of our month-long celebration each March, we are delighted by the continuing participation of our regular event hosts while excited by new partnerships and new events,” says UI executive director Tracie Frese. “The longevity of our UI Month is proof of its value.”
This year’s kickoff fundraising event is a sold-out international murder mystery night, “Murder on a Train” on February 28th—but even if you didn’t manage to snag a ticket to that event, there will be plenty of opportunities to celebrate UI Month.
Here is a sampling of the events:
Check out Upstate International’s calendar for a full listing of all of the UI Month events, as well as the UpstateVibe365 calendar.
Feb 19, 2020 | UpstateVibe365
There’s really no bad time to spend time with a good book, but this time between the holidays and spring feels like a particularly good time—and what could be better on a dreary day than browsing in a cozy bookstore?
In a perfect world (well, my perfect world anyway), every small town would have a bookstore and people would support those bookstores. The predictions that independent bookstores would go the way of the dodo in the age of Amazon and downloadable audio and e-books aren’t coming true for now, which is a good thing, because those locally owned bookstores are an important part of a vibrant community.
Alas, every town in the Upstate does not have a bookstore, but there are a handful of great independent bookstores in the area that are well stocked with a curated selection of books and staffed with knowledgeable booksellers.
In Easley, Poor Richard’s Booksellers occupies the building where the original public library was housed and has been serving the Easley community for more than 30 years. Their Facebook page is worth a follow for the quirky book-related memes mixed in with the announcements of new releases and other book news.
M Judson, situated in the thick of things in downtown Greenville, right on South Main
An author event at M Judson
Street, a block away from the Peace Center and across the street from Soby’s, is a book lover’s oasis. Billing itself as “more than a bookstore”—“a literary hub, a cultural lifestyle,” M Judson hosts a variety of events, from book signings to story hours to regular songwriters’ showcases.
Contrary to its name, Fiction Addiction offers a full range of books—yes, there is plenty of fiction, but also children’s, business and finance, biography and memoir, art, Christian fiction,
Fiction Addiction’s “Book Your Lunch” event
and more. Tucked into a strip mall off of Congaree Road in Greenville behind the Haywood Mall, it might be easy to miss, but it’s worth the trip to check out their large selection or one of their events.
A different kind of book proposal inside Hub City Bookshop
In downtown Spartanburg, there is Hub City Bookshop—one of a very few nonprofit bookstores around, housed in the Masonic Temple building on West Main Street. It, along with Hub City Press, is under the parent organization of Hub City Writers Project. The Hub City Press books are on display in the front of the store, but it is very much a full-service bookstore with a wide selection of titles. They, too, have a variety of events for readers and writers.
Is a good used bookstore more your thing? There are plenty of those in the Upstate too! Here is a sampling:
by Sharon Purvis
Feb 12, 2020 | UpstateVibe365
We’re halfway through Black History Month, but there are still plenty of events across the Upstate celebrating the achievements of our African American citizens, bringing to light little-known pieces of history, and not shying away from the fact that there is still work to be done to achieve racial equity.
As part of Black History Month, Greenville News is commemorating the 50th anniversary of school desegregation in Greenville County through February 17th with a series of articles that you should definitely check out for a variety of perspectives on that momentous occasion.
Aside from events that are happening this month, the South Carolina Office of Tourism offers the Green Book of South Carolina, created by the S.C. African American Heritage Commission, with more than 300 African American heritage sites across the state, from historic churches and schools to museums and historic districts. Users can search by category, by map, or by a list of locations, or they can choose themed tours.
African American Heritage Sites
Here in the Upstate, there are plenty of heritage sites listed in the Green Book of SC, but a couple that are definitely worth a visit are the Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum in Seneca and the Benjamin Mays Historic Site in Greenwood.
Completed in 2015, the Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum, named for the woman whose property was purchased for the museum, was conceived to tell the story of African Americans in Oconee County and around South Carolina. The motto of the museum is “Honoring the Past—Elevating the Future,” and the mission, in part, is to “honor the lives, accomplishments, contributions, diversity, and struggles of African Americans and their ancestors.”
The current exhibit at the museum is “521 All-Stars: A Championship Story of Baseball and Community,” based on the book of the same name, chronicling the Gamecock baseball league of Rembert, SC, made up of African American players. (For more about black baseball leagues, check out The Other Boys of Summer, a film that is being screened in various locations in Spartanburg on February 17th-18th.)
Benjamin Mays, the 6th president of HBCU Morehouse College, was born to sharecroppers in Epworth, in southern Greenwood County. From those humble beginnings, he went on not only to a career in higher education, but also to distinguish himself as a Civil Rights leader. His childhood home was moved from Epworth to Greenwood, where it is part of the Benjamin E. Mays Historic Preservation Site. The other buildings on the site include a museum with photographs and collections of Mays’ writings and speeches and the original Burns Springs one-room African American school, also from Epworth.
Check out our calendar for more Black History Month events across the Upstate!
