Mark Schilling
TLDR: Shadow AI happens when employees use unapproved AI tools (like free versions of ChatGPT) to get work done faster, inadvertently risking your company’s private data. To lead effectively in 2026, you don't need to ban AI: you need to provide secure, enterprise-grade alternatives, establish a clear AI policy, and educate your team on why…
TLDR: Digital transformation isn’t really about software—it’s about people. If you lead with a clear “why,” build internal champions, and plan for the human “ugh” factor, your Microsoft 365/SharePoint rollout gets a lot smoother. And when you treat your IT provider like a strategic partner (not just a ticket machine), you keep momentum long after…
TL;DR: In 2026, “tech people” vs. “non-tech people” is a myth—every role touches systems, data, and security. Hire for digital fluency (not just “nice” or “organized”), interview for curiosity + security mindset, and upskill the team you already have. A solid IT partner helps you build the environment and training so your people can actually…
TLDR: If you’re the “final yes/no” on every IT decision, you may be accidentally turning yourself into a bottleneck—and your team will stop bringing you ideas. The fix isn’t learning every acronym; it’s shifting from gatekeeper to facilitator, managing outcomes (not tasks), and leaning on a true IT partner who translates risk and ROI into…
TLDR: Key person risk is what happens when your business depends on one person (usually “the tech guy”) for critical systems, passwords, and know-how. If they leave, get sick, or burn out, you can face downtime, security gaps, and expensive scrambling. The fix is simple (not easy): document processes, cross-train, and build redundancy—often by pairing…
Let's talk about something that's keeping business owners up at night, and it's not just the threat of cyberattacks anymore. It's the very real possibility that when you need cyber insurance most, you won't have it. Or worse, you'll think you have it, only to discover your claim gets denied because you failed an audit…
Let’s be honest for a second: running a law firm is a lot like spinning plates while riding a unicycle. You’ve got court dates, billable hours, demanding clients, and a mountain of discovery documents that seems to grow faster than potholes in a Northwest Indiana spring. In the middle of that chaos, "IT security" often…
You know that sinking feeling when your cyber insurance renewal questionnaire lands in your inbox? The one that’s 47 pages long and asks questions like “Do you maintain centralized log management with real-time SIEM integration?” and you’re thinking, I barely know what half these acronyms mean. Here’s the hard truth: cyber insurance carriers are no…
Here's a question that probably won't shock you: How many times has someone on your team said, "I'm not really a computer person," and you just… accepted it? Maybe it was during onboarding. Maybe it was after their third ticket asking how to attach a file to an email. Either way, you let it slide…
Ever had one of those mornings? You walk into the office, coffee in hand, ready to crush your to-do list, only to find that the server has decided today is its retirement day. Suddenly, your "to-do" list is replaced by a "who-do-I-call" list. You scramble to find the number of that IT guy you used…
Picture this: Your superintendent is standing on a job site in Hammond, trying to pull up the latest blueprint revision on their tablet. The connection keeps dropping. Meanwhile, your project manager in the Munster office needs to share a critical change order with the subcontractors who are already pouring concrete in Chicago. And your estimator?…
Let me guess: your data is "backed up to the cloud," so you're all set, right? Not so fast. I've had this conversation with dozens of small business owners across Northwest Indiana, and it usually goes like this: "Oh yeah, we're good, everything's in Microsoft 365" or "We use Dropbox, so we're covered." And look,…