Aldridge Blog
Quick reads to improve your IT strategy
Most Recent Posts
Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) vs. Traditional Network Ownership
For decades, IT leaders have defaulted to the same model for network infrastructure: purchase the hardware, deploy it, and maintain it until the next refresh cycle forces another round of upgrades. It’s familiar, but familiarity doesn’t equal efficiency. With...
How Microsoft Teams Clocks Over Half a Million Meeting Minutes Every Minute
Microsoft Teams has become one of the most widely used collaboration platforms in the world, powering meetings, chats, and document sharing for organizations of all sizes. But just how much time do we collectively spend in Teams meetings? Spoiler: Every day, Teams...
Avoid Surprise IT Infrastructure Costs with Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)
Most businesses know their network hardware won’t last forever. But what catches many off guard is just how expensive and disruptive a network refresh can be. The costs pile up quickly—new equipment, installation, configuration, and lost time. And by the time...
Building Excel Dashboards for Leaders
Dashboards in Excel provide a powerful solution for financial leaders, CFOs, and analysts to visualize and interpret data efficiently. What is a Dashboard in Excel? An Excel dashboard is a visual representation of key metrics and data insights presented in one...
The Latest Wave of Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft continues to push the boundaries of AI-powered productivity with its latest updates to Microsoft 365 Copilot. With over 150 new features and 700+ product updates this year, Microsoft has been focused on addressing the challenges many of us face in our daily...
5 Advanced Excel Functions You Should Know
Excel is helpful for payroll analysis by leveraging powerful functions like SUM, SUBTOTAL, SUMIF, COUNTIF, and XLOOKUP. These formulas can help you analyze employee payroll data efficiently, even if you're starting from scratch or managing a simple spreadsheet. ...
Quick Financial Forecasting in Excel
Forecasting is a critical aspect of financial planning and analysis, enabling businesses to anticipate future trends based on historical data. Excel's built-in forecasting tools make this process more accessible and efficient. What is the Forecast Sheet Feature? ...
Analyzing Data with Pivot Tables in Excel
Pivot Tables allow you to summarize, analyze, and present large datasets in a meaningful way, making it easier to spot trends, compare values, and create customized reports. What is a Pivot Table? A Pivot Table is a tool in Excel that enables you to quickly...
Why You Should be Using ‘Named Ranges’ in Excel
One of the most powerful yet often underutilized features in Excel is Named Ranges. Named Ranges offer significant benefits, especially when dealing with complex datasets and formulas. What Are Named Ranges? Named Ranges in Excel allow you to assign a name to a...
Microsoft 365 App Exploit: Aldridge Cybersecurity Advisory
Recently, we've helped several organizations respond to a string of fast-paced phishing attacks. While phishing isn't new, the speed and tactics of these attacks were noteworthy. Instead of simply exploiting compromised accounts, the attacker installed malicious...
It Security
How Aldridge Responded to a Supply Chain Attack
In late June 2025, security researchers uncovered a sophisticated supply chain attack targeting ConnectWise’s ScreenConnect platform. Threat actors abused a technique known as Authenticode stuffing to disguise malware as a trusted, digitally signed component of a...
How One Manufacturer Cut IT Server Costs by 400%
A growing U.S. manufacturer was operating on an aging, overly complex IT environment managed by a single internal engineer. Over time, unmanaged growth led to server sprawl, rising costs, and increased risk, with little documentation or oversight. When a new CFO...
Top Attack of 2025: 3rd-Party Account Compromise
Organizations are investing heavily in technical safeguards, user training, and layered security strategies. That’s a good thing. But as your defenses improve, attackers are adapting. In 2025, the leading tactic we’re seeing isn’t about breaking into your systems...
Microsoft 365
Launching Microsoft Copilot in Your Organization: 3 Essential Steps
Launching Microsoft Copilot in your organization takes some planning and execution. We’ve broken down the process into three key steps to ensure a successful deployment. Launching Microsoft Copilot in Your Organization: 3 Essential Steps Step 1: Assessing Potential...
Microsoft 365 Copilot: Low Cost, Low Risk AI
Companies are always seeking ways to boost productivity, cut costs, and drive revenue growth. Microsoft Copilot might be the answer—a cost-effective, low-risk AI tool. Microsoft Copilot: Low Cost, Low Risk Data Privacy Unlike other AI tools that utilize public...
Microsoft Copilot: AI-Powered Software vs. Traditional Tools
The way we interact with software has undergone a remarkable transformation. Gone are the days of rigid interfaces and steep learning curves. Instead, we find ourselves in an era where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is integrated into our digital tools, changing the way...
It Consulting
Evolving Cyber Threats We Are Seeing in 2025
The world of cybercrime is always changing, and in 2025, threat actors are more strategic and dangerous than ever. While their goal remains the same (make money), the methods have become more aggressive, layered, and damaging. Wire Fraud: The Silent, Costly Threat ...
How Microsoft Teams Clocks Over Half a Million Meeting Minutes Every Minute
Microsoft Teams has become one of the most widely used collaboration platforms in the world, powering meetings, chats, and document sharing for organizations of all sizes. But just how much time do we collectively spend in Teams meetings? Spoiler: Every day, Teams...
Don’t Miss Our Most Popular Articles
How Aldridge Responded to a Supply Chain Attack
In late June 2025, security researchers uncovered a sophisticated supply chain attack targeting ConnectWise’s ScreenConnect platform. Threat actors abused a technique known as Authenticode stuffing to disguise malware as a trusted, digitally signed component of a...
How One Manufacturer Cut IT Server Costs by 400%
A growing U.S. manufacturer was operating on an aging, overly complex IT environment managed by a single internal engineer. Over time, unmanaged growth led to server sprawl, rising costs, and increased risk, with little documentation or oversight. When a new CFO...
Top Attack of 2025: 3rd-Party Account Compromise
Organizations are investing heavily in technical safeguards, user training, and layered security strategies. That’s a good thing. But as your defenses improve, attackers are adapting. In 2025, the leading tactic we’re seeing isn’t about breaking into your systems...