Insights & Guidance
Practical advice on Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Adoption and Training for Canadian businesses.
Page 63, 1994: Thirty Years of Building Ahead of the Curve
Three decades of building, from a 1994 island BBS to today, and the events page and mailing list I run on Microsoft 365 for Business at zero monthly cost.
TL;DR This week, an old friend sent me a link to a .pdf scan of the 1994 Salt Spring Island business guide, and there I am on page 63, running a bulletin board system (BBS) out of a spare room at 28.8 kilobits a second.
Why "Just Use Gmail" Stops Working When Your Business Gets Serious
Your business email address is a trust signal, and a free email service sends the wrong one. The people you want to work with read it before they read you.
57% of the Team Had Never Opened the AI They Already Pay For
Most of the team I trained had never opened the secure, governed AI that ships free with their Microsoft 365 licence. Here is why, and how to fix it.
Ottawa Crafted a World-Class AI Strategy. Main Street Is Still Waiting.
Canada's AI for All is an excellent strategy with one gap: direct adoption dollars for small business. A leaner, CDAP-style fix and local AI pros.
Why I Replaced Google Search With Microsoft 365 Copilot
A client texted me at 23:13, fed up that AI summaries have buried the real sources in Google. My answer: I switched to Microsoft 365 Copilot two years ago.
Tales from the Crypt: Your Software Subscriptions Have Vampires and Zombies
Every software subscription and cloud services review we run finds 10-30% in savings. Three true stories of zombie licences, vampire subscriptions, and shadow IT.
Queue Smart: Giving ER Patients Their Time Back
How we built Queue Smart, an ER patient communication platform that shows queue position, estimates wait times, and lets patients leave while keeping their spot
Why Microsoft 365 Is the Only Choice for Canadian Small Businesses
Microsoft 365 costs less than Google Workspace, scales from solopreneur to enterprise, and includes tools most businesses never knew were included.
The Microsoft 365 for Business Training Nobody Ever Got (And Why We Start There)
Why we always run a Microsoft 365 for Business fundamentals workshop before discussing Copilot, and what happens when people finally understand the platform.
5 Signs Your Business Is Ready for AI Adoption
Not sure if your business is ready for AI? Here are five clear indicators that it's time to explore what AI can do for your operations.
RPA vs. Traditional Automation: What Canadian Businesses Need to Know
Robotic Process Automation and traditional automation solve different problems. Here's how to know which one your business actually needs.
How to Build an AI Adoption Plan That Your Team Will Actually Follow
Most AI initiatives fail because of people, not technology. Here's how to create an adoption plan that gets your team on board and keeps them there.