General

There is no one-size fits all for equipment, but we have several best-practices we recommend to ensure your environment is supportable and reliable. This is a general list, but your business may have more stringent requirements that we will bring up with you over time. In addition to any recommendations below, we recommend all equipment either has an active next-business-day replacement or better warranty or a spare is kept on-site at all times.

While not a strict requirement for service, failure to meet these baseline standards may result in security, stability or suitability issues for your business.

Computers

We recommend laptops and desktops with the following minimum specifications and an active warranty from the manufacturer.

• Current Generation Intel Core i5 or i7 Processor, or Within 4 Prior Generations
• We do not recommend or support Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon ARM processors at this time until they are compatible with all applications (see note below)
• 16GB RAM (memory) preferred (8GB RAM in some circumstances)
• 500GB Solid State Drive (SSD) for storage
• Windows 11 Professional or better (all new machines)
• Windows 10 Professional version 22H2 will be supported through Microsoft’s end of support on October 14, 2025
• Windows 8.1 is no longer supported since Microsoft support ended January 10, 2023
• Windows 7 is no longer supported since Microsoft support ended January 14, 2020

We do not recommend the non-Professional versions of Windows (sometimes referred to a Home) for business use.

Because Microsoft has only recently released support for Snapdragon ARM processors on its Copilot+ PCs, some applications, including important functional and security applications, have not yet updated to be compatible with this new hardware architecture as it requires additional work from the application vendors to provide this support for some applications (others will work with the Microsoft compatibility layers). We are actively working to confirm compatibility plans with vendors to be able to support this new Windows on ARM platform in the future, but we don’t recommend or support these systems for business use until all necessary applications are fully supported.

Where Apple Mac laptops and desktops are supported and allowed by business and software requirements and organizational policies, we recommend the use of systems with Apple Silicon processors. Specifications will vary by intended use case.

Servers

Servers should be selected to be suitable for the customer’s business needs and software requirements. We recommend a minimum of RAID and redundant power-supplies. Servers should run an operating system and applications currently under vendor support, and the life expectancy of the server (a default of 5 years is normal) should be considered when choosing an operating system in order to ensure support and updates are available at least through the server’s expected lifetime. Servers should have active next-business-day warranties to minimize the risk of extended downtime and unexpected repair expenses.

Please note the following Windows Server support end dates, subject to change by Microsoft, for your convenience:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2022 Mainstream Support is through October 13, 2026, with extended security updates available until October 14, 2031.
• Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Mainstream Support is through January 9, 2024, with extended security updates available until January 9, 2029.
• Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Mainstream Support is through November 1, 2022, with extended security updates available until November 1, 2027.
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 Mainstream Support was through October 9, 2018, with extended security updates not available past October 10, 2023.
• Windows Sever 2008 R2 and all previous versions are no longer supported or updated by Microsoft.

Microsoft’s Product and Services Lifecycle Information page is the official reference site for the above determinations.

Internet Service

We recommend at bare minimum a business-class broadband Internet connection, but this may not be suitable for all purposes. If Internet is required for primary business operations, we recommend at minimum redundant broadband services with one of them being a business fiber circuit. Dedicated fiber circuits may be preferred to meet some requirements.

Battery Backup (UPS)

We recommend all servers and critical network infrastructure have appropriately sized battery backups that are regularly tested and maintained.

Security

We recommend all authentication used in the business comply with Current US-Cert Guidelines for Password Management. For convenience they have been copied below:

• Use multi-factor authentication when available, in the most secure version available.
• Use different passwords on different systems and accounts.
• Don’t use passwords that are based on personal information that can be easily accessed or guessed.
• Use the longest password or passphrase permissible by each password system.
• Don’t use words that can be found in any dictionary of any language.
• Use a well-known password manager to generate and fill unique passwords whenever possible.

We recommend the use of account lockouts, separate accounts per user, secure password storage, audit logging and the timely disablement of disused accounts. When access outside of the office or over a VPN is not required, we recommend locking down access.

We recommend periodic security awareness training for anyone who has access to critical business systems or software.