Directive Blogs

Multitasking is a common thing for today’s workers, and so is having multiple tabs open in your web browser. You might even have multiple different apps running simultaneously, which can make you feel like you have to constantly close one window to open another. Well, no more. You can use Smart Windows (also known as Snap Windows) to place two or more side-by-side and enhance your productivity.

Today is the first day of the post-Windows 10 era, and if you are still running a PC with the popular operating system, trouble could be ahead if you don’t make a move immediately. In today’s blog, we will talk about your options going forward. Let’s get right into it.

While data might be the new currency, your own business’ data might be a bit too messy to make full use of. You might be paying to store it and protect it, but you’re not doing as much with your data as you’d like. Here’s how businesses find themselves with these “data graveyards” and why it essentially functions like a debt rather than an asset.

The sun is setting on an era. On October 14, 2025, Windows 10 will officially reach its end of support. For millions of users worldwide, this marks a significant turning point, prompting questions, concerns, and perhaps a touch of nostalgia for an operating system that has served faithfully for a decade.

So, what exactly does end of support mean, and what should you be doing now to prepare? Let's dive in.

As you should be aware by this point, the Windows 10 operating system is reaching its end of support on October 15 of this year—meaning that it will no longer receive updates of any kind afterward, including critical security updates. What you may not know, however, is that Microsoft is following suit and pulling Office support around the same time.

With new tariffs on imports looming and Microsoft ending support for Windows 10 in the near future, now is the time to reconsider your organization’s hardware needs. 

While it might feel convenient to wait until the last possible moment, there are compelling reasons to act sooner—both for cost savings and to avoid future system vulnerabilities. We break down why these changes matter and how you can protect your business by upgrading now.

Windows 11 features a robust desktop environment with a lot of neat tricks and customizations to work more effectively. Controlling your Windows desktop experience can enhance productivity and streamline the way you interact with your computer. In today’s blog, we give you four tips to help you customize and manage your Windows environment more efficiently.

Windows Defender is Microsoft’s own antivirus solution, and it comes bundled with Windows, so it’s confusing to think that a business would need to pay for it, right? Well, there are actually two separate products called Defender, with a big difference between them.

Microsoft's cybersecurity vulnerabilities have been making headlines recently. These lapses in security are causing concern for customers worldwide. The impact of these vulnerabilities is far-reaching. It affects network security and increases the risk of data breaches, causing somewhat of a ripple effect.

AI has unquestionably emerged as the standout technology of the year, and it was only a matter of time before Microsoft entered the arena with its own enterprise-ready AI platform. The introduction of Microsoft CoPilot has sparked a fair amount of confusion and left many questions unanswered, so today our aim is to shed light on what CoPilot is and explain the value you can expect to get out of the new Microsoft AI.

You know that a software has made its mark when its name becomes synonymous with the type of software it is. For instance: PowerPoint.

This element of Microsoft 365 is well-known enough to often be used as a catch-all phrase for any presentation software. Less well-known, however, are some of the cool features and functions that PowerPoint has to offer. Today, we’re sharing a few of these features with you.

Over the past several years, it has come to the attention of people in various industries that there is going to be a time, very soon, where the data that needs to be stored is going to outweigh our ability to store it. Microsoft, in a collaboration with the University of Southampton in England has taken aim at this very problem and has come up with some innovative solutions. 

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a bit controversial at the moment, but there can be no denying that it will play an important part in the business world in the years to come. In fact, many organizations are seeking to expand their AI offerings and capabilities, including notable companies like Microsoft. Here are some of the solutions Microsoft is offering businesses in terms of AI.

Both Microsoft and Google offer work profile solutions that are designed to separate personal and professional use on mobile devices. These profiles are commonly used in enterprise settings to enhance security and manageability while allowing employees to use their personal devices for work-related tasks. Here's an overview of work profiles from Microsoft and Google.

The end of support for Windows 10 is scheduled for October 14, 2025. While that is a couple of years away, it's crucial to start strategizing for the future now. After this date, Microsoft will cease providing technical assistance, security updates, and bug fixes for the operating system. This means that continuing to use Windows 10 beyond that point could expose users to security risks and performance issues.

With the release of the 2023 edition of their annual Work Trend Index report, dedicated to exploring the topic of Will AI Fix Work?, Microsoft took a deep dive into the impact that artificial intelligence will have on the workplace in the future. This report ultimately resulted in three major conclusions, which we felt we should help amplify and contextualize.

Microsoft’s operating systems have been around for a long time, and since Windows 95, Microsoft has published free utilities that can help users make slight adjustments to their operating systems to suit their needs. Microsoft PowerToys are even available now, and we want to explore what they can do for your business, as well as how you can acquire them.

Since the Windows 95 operating system, Microsoft has been separately publishing 15 free utilities to add significant capabilities intended to help a user make some small tweaks and adjustments in a relatively safe way, as compared to what would otherwise be necessary to make these changes. Microsoft PowerToys are still available today, so let’s discuss what some of them can do…and how you should go about getting these tools, if so you choose.

We all have forgetful moments when we misplace things like our car keys and wallet. Sometimes, we can even forget basic things like where we saved an important computer file. Thankfully, Windows understands these moments of forgetfulness and they’ve made it relatively easy for users to find what they’re searching for.

A lot of the time, user productivity is just about getting down to business. Sometimes, however, there are simply just too many different tasks to complete and it can bog down the production process. One way that users can use Windows to help them manage tasks is through the use of virtual desktops. Users can utilize multiple desktop experiences to separate the myriad of things they need to do. For today’s tip, we tell you how to utilize multiple virtual desktops in Windows 11.