If you read our weekly notes, you already know we like to keep things real. Some weeks a hot tech topic writes itself. Other weeks, like Steve admitted in the latest newsletter, it is harder to guess what will be most useful for you to read. So let’s fix that together. Consider this your open invitation to help set our editorial calendar for the coming months. Tell us what you want to learn, which headaches you want to get rid of, and which wins you want to repeat.
You can hit reply to the newsletter or email steve.hanes@vintageits.com with your wish list. To make it easy, we pulled together a menu of topics customers ask us about most. Skim the ideas below, pick your favorites, and add your own. We will build deep, practical posts around the winners and share clear next steps you can put to work the same day.
Day-to-day support: what great service looks like
There is a world of difference between getting by and getting ahead. Many Austin teams ask us to compare IT Support and Helpdesk Services with Fully Managed IT Services and Co-Managed IT Services. They want to know what each model covers, how to share responsibilities with an internal team, and how response times really work.
If you want more on this, tell us which questions you want answered first:
- What does onboarding look like for a managed helpdesk, from ticket intake to escalation paths and after-hours coverage
- How co-managed environments split duties for patching, endpoint health, and monitoring
- How Computer Support differs when you add proactive maintenance rather than waiting for a break fix moment
- What service levels we recommend for fast-moving professional services firms with seasonal spikes
We can turn this into a series with checklists and sample service scorecards you can borrow.
Strategy at the leadership level
A lot of readers want help turning business plans into tech plans. That is where IT Consulting and Strategy (vCIO Services) shines. You tell us your targets for the quarter and the year. We map systems, timelines, and risk to those goals and then keep you honest with measurable milestones.
Potential posts here:
- The five conversations a vCIO should have with your leadership team every quarter
- How to build a two-year modernization roadmap across IT Infrastructure Management, cloud adoption, and license rationalization
- How to present the budget and the risk story to a board or owners group without jargon
If you want the leadership angle, say the word and we will write it with templates you can reuse.
Cloud, but practical
Cloud is not one thing. It is a set of choices. For many of you, Microsoft Azure Cloud Solutions are the backbone. For others, Private and Hybrid Cloud Solutions are a better fit because of data gravity or compliance. Some teams ask about Desktop as a Service (DaaS) for secure remote work. Others want a clean plan for Office 365 Solutions and Management to keep collaboration smooth and secure.
Tell us what would help you most:
- A plain-language guide to Azure cost control and rightsizing
- When to choose DaaS vs. traditional VDI for security and user experience
- A blueprint for Office 365 governance, including retention, access reviews, and role-based controls
- How to phase in hybrid cloud without breaking line-of-business apps
We can build how-to posts with screenshots, decision trees, and side-by-side comparisons.
Backup, continuity, and the day you hope never comes
Every leader wants to sleep better. That starts with strong Managed Backup Solutions, clear Disaster Recovery Planning, and a tested Business Continuity Strategy. We can go deep on planning, failover, and testing. We can also show how Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery fits when you have people in different locations with different workloads.
Suggested directions:
- How to design recovery objectives that match real downtime costs
- The difference between backup, high availability, and true disaster recovery
- How to run tabletop exercises that reveal gaps before real trouble
- A sample continuity runbook for executives and a technical runbook for admins
If you want real-world examples of recovery timelines and pitfalls we see, say so and we will include anonymized lessons learned.
Security that keeps pace with threats
Security questions never slow down. Many of you ask for clarity on Cybersecurity Threat Detection and Response, Data Encryption and Endpoint Security, Network Security and Firewall Management, and the messy world of Email Security and Phishing Protection. We can also cover Ransomware Protection and Recovery, since that is still the most common nightmare scenario.
Possible topics to vote on:
- How to prioritize controls using a simple maturity model that small teams can manage
- The five reports your leadership should see monthly to gauge cyber health
- Building a layered defense that covers identity, devices, networks, and cloud
- Modern email defense that blends filtering, DMARC, user training, and incident workflows
If there is a recent threat you want unpacked in plain English, ask. We will break down the what and the so-what, then give steps to reduce exposure.
Compliance without panic
Austin organizations face a growing list of rules. Healthcare groups live with HIPAA. Manufacturers in federal supply chains see CMMC and NIST 800-171. Retail and professional services worry about PCI where cards touch the process. Many nonprofits handle sensitive donor data and want to do the right thing even when a specific regulation does not apply.
We can write a practical series on Compliance Services that answers:
- Where to start if you have never run a gap assessment
- How to map controls to tools you already own and where to add new ones
- How to build a reasonable evidence trail and a cadence for audits
- What to train, how often, and how to prove it
Tell us which framework you want first and we will prioritize it.
Industry-specific guides
Some problems are universal. Others are very specific to your world. We get frequent requests for content tailored to:
- IT Services for Healthcare including EHR performance, secure messaging, and device isolation
- IT Support for Law Firms with a focus on confidential data, remote depositions, and predictable billable uptime
- IT Solutions for Nonprofits from grant reporting to volunteer access that changes weekly
- Government and Public Sector IT Services where procurement rules, records retention, and resilience intersect
- IT for Professional Services such as finance, accounting, and insurance firms that need strong identity controls and client trust
Want us to write the first draft of your next technology policy with industry specifics baked in Tell us which sector guide should lead the way.
Behind the scenes at Vintage IT
Steve asked if you enjoy hearing about our staff and the people behind the tickets. If that is a yes, we will share more stories from the field. No drama, just honest accounts of problems solved and lessons learned.
Ideas we can publish:
- A day in the life of a helpdesk engineer during a severe weather event
- How our project team moves an office in a single weekend without breaking continuity
- What it takes to manage a complex firewall change window safely
- The path from intern to senior engineer and what that means for quality
If you like the human side, tell us which roles you want to hear from first.
Austin business spotlights
We are proud to be part of the Austin business community. If you want more local stories, we can feature short spotlights on the trends we see across Central Texas and how local companies are adapting.
Possible themes:
- Hiring realities for IT talent in Austin and smart ways to balance in-house roles with partners
- What fast-growing firms get right about scaling systems and security early
- Lessons from leaders who turned a security incident into a stronger culture
If you would like your organization featured, reach out to Steve. We will be respectful of privacy and approval.
A sample editorial calendar based on reader feedback
To show how this can look, here is a simple draft calendar that mixes breadth and depth. We will tailor the details once we hear from you.
Week 1
Practical guide to Co-Managed IT Services for growing Austin teams. When to keep specialized tasks in-house and when to lean on a partner. Includes a responsibility matrix template.
Week 2
Security health check for busy firms. A fast maturity assessment across Endpoint Security, patching, identity, and Email Security and Phishing Protection. Includes a monthly reporting template.
Week 3
Cloud decision workbook. Choosing between Microsoft Azure Cloud Solutions, Private and Hybrid Cloud Solutions, and Desktop as a Service. Includes a cost and risk comparison checklist.
Week 4
Resilience without confusion. A plain-English deep dive on Managed Backup Solutions, Disaster Recovery Planning, and Business Continuity Strategy Consulting. Includes a tabletop exercise guide.
Week 5
Compliance that sticks. A starter playbook for HIPAA, CMMC, PCI, and NIST 800-171 with a focus on evidence gathering and training. Includes an audit prep tracker.
Week 6
Industry spotlight. IT Support for Law Firms and how to maintain confidentiality with modern collaboration tools. Includes a sample access control policy.
Week 7
Ransomware realities. Prevention, detection, and Ransomware Protection and Recovery steps that align with cyber insurance requirements. Includes a claims coordination checklist.
Week 8
Office 365 in the real world. Governance, retention, and access hygiene as your team grows. Includes a lifecycle workflow for onboarding and offboarding.
If this mix looks right, say so. If you would rather see a different sequence, tell us and we will adjust.
How to vote and how to contribute
We want this to be the most useful IT blog in Austin for small and midsize organizations. The fastest way to make that happen is to tell us exactly what you want.
Three quick ways to weigh in
- Email Steve at steve.hanes@vintageits.com with your top three topics and preferred format. A sentence or two is perfect.
- Reply to the newsletter you received. Your response goes straight to the team.
- Send a short story. If you have a challenge you want us to solve in print, share the outline. We will anonymize details if needed.
What happens next
- We will tally the votes weekly and publish the results
- We will start writing the top picks right away
- We will credit reader ideas at the end of each post when permission is given
Why your input matters
Technology is not an end. It is a lever for your goals. The right article at the right time can save you hours of research, protect you from an avoidable incident, or help you make a clean, confident decision. By steering our topics, you help us focus on issues that move the needle for Austin businesses and nonprofits, from uptime and security to compliance and growth.
Your requests also make our writing sharper. When you tell us you want a deep dive on firewall rules for segmented networks, we skip the fluff and show you the steps. When you ask for a budget-friendly path to modernizing legacy systems, we design options that meet real constraints. When you ask for clarity on Government and Public Sector IT Services, we translate procurement language into actions you can take.
Pick your topics. Pick your formats. Tell us what you want to see first. Send a quick note to steve.hanes@vintageits.com and we will get to work. If you have a colleague who would benefit from practical IT guidance, share this post and ask them to vote too.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for trusting us with your technology questions. And thanks in advance for shaping the next chapter of the Vintage IT Services blog.