STG IT Consulting Group

07/22/2026

Growing a company isn't just about hiring more IT people.

When companies grow quickly, most people assume the biggest challenge is keeping the technology running.

According to this article, that's only part of the story.

Scaling IT in a high-growth company is really about building systems and processes that can grow with the business. The companies that struggle aren't always the ones with bad technology, they're often the ones where documentation is scattered, approvals are inconsistent, and every employee has their own way of doing things.

That really stood out to me because it's something we see with businesses of every size.
Technology can absolutely help your business grow.

But if the underlying processes are messy, adding more software (or even AI) usually just helps you make the same mistakes faster.

Whether you're a team of 10 or 500, investing time in good documentation, security, onboarding, and repeatable processes pays off far more than constantly chasing the newest tool.

Growth is exciting.

Growing in a way that's sustainable is even better.

Building the Plane While Flying It

07/21/2026

Google Meet just got a little more helpful. Yay?

Have you ever left a meeting thinking... "I know we talked about that... but I have no idea where I wrote it down."

Google is continuing to improve its "Take notes for me" feature in Google Meet by giving admins and users more control over how automatic meeting notes are created and managed.

This is one of those AI features that I think people will actually use.

Instead of scrambling to type notes while trying to participate in the conversation, AI can create a summary of the discussion, key decisions, and action items for everyone afterward.

Of course, there are still some things to think about:
- Should every meeting be recorded?
- Who has access to those notes?
- Are sensitive conversations being summarized by AI?

Like most AI features, the technology is impressive. The important part is making sure it's configured in a way that makes sense for your business.

Personally, I'm excited to see these kinds of updates. They're less about replacing people and more about removing the little annoyances that eat away at our workday.

arrow_back Back July 16, 2026 New Google Meet 'Take notes for me' settings for admins and end users Google Meet Rapid Release Scheduled Release To help users remember to capture notes for meetings when it’s most valuable, we’re updating the admin and end user settings that let them pre-configure...

07/20/2026

Is AI accidentally replacing the people it learned from?

Here's an interesting (and controversial) conversation happening in the AI world.

A recent report suggests that AI music generator Suno may have scraped large amounts of YouTube content to help train its models, adding to the ongoing debate about where AI companies get their training data. The issue isn't just music, it's raising bigger questions about creators, ownership, and whether public content should be fair game for AI training.

If you're a business owner, content creator, or anyone who regularly posts online, it's worth paying attention.

Every blog post, podcast episode, YouTube video, or social media post contributes to the internet's knowledge. Increasingly, that same content may also help train the next generation of AI tools.

That doesn't automatically make it wrong, but it does make the conversation more complicated.

Creators want to be credited (and compensated). AI companies argue that learning from publicly available information is similar to how humans learn.

I don't think we've reached the final answer yet.

One thing is certain: the conversations around copyright and AI are only going to get louder as these tools become more capable.

What do you think? If you publish content online, should AI companies need your permission before using it to train their models?

The hacker used an employee's credentials to access source code, which revealed how Suno scraped decades of audio.

07/17/2026

Here's one of those hard pills to swallow, AI isn't being held back by technology... it's being held back by us.

One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that companies aren't adopting it because the technology isn't ready.

According to this article, that's not really the problem.

The bigger issue is that many businesses still have messy processes.

I mean really think about it.

If your approvals happen over email, documents are stored in six different places, nobody follows the same workflow, and everyone has their own way of doing things... AI isn't going to magically fix that.

In fact, it'll probably highlight those problems even more.

The businesses getting the most out of AI aren't necessarily using the most advanced tools.

They're the ones that already have clear processes, organized information, and a good understanding of how work gets done.

Before asking, "What AI should we buy?"

It might be worth asking, "Do we actually have a process AI can improve?"

Sometimes that's the harder question.

https://hubs.la/Q04plP_00

07/16/2026

"Can you build us an AI Assistant?" Absolutely. But here's what that actually means.

We've had more and more businesses ask us about building a custom AI Assistant. And we're happy to do it! It's actually one of our offers.

A lot of the time, most people picture something like ChatGPT, but trained on their business.

And that's exactly what it can be.

The part that surprises people is that the hardest part usually isn't the AI.

It's everything around it.

Questions like:
- Where does your company information live?
- Is that information organized and up to date?
- Who should the AI have access to?
- What should it be allowed to do?
- How do you make sure confidential information stays confidential?

A good AI Assistant isn't just a chatbot. It's a secure tool that understands your business, connects to the right information, and actually helps your team work more efficiently.

When it's done right, it can answer internal questions, help write proposals, summarize meetings, find documentation, assist with onboarding, and automate repetitive tasks.
If it's done wrong... it becomes another tool nobody uses.

If you've been thinking about building an AI Assistant but aren't sure where to start, we'd be happy to have that conversation. Sometimes all it takes is mapping out your workflows to see where AI could make the biggest impact.

Email us at [email protected] and let us know this is something you're considering.

07/15/2026

Another massive data breach... this time involving driver's licenses

At this point, it feels like every week brings news of another major data breach. TBH, I know it's exhausting seeing "news" like this, but it's important we see these and understand breaches, hacking, and all things cybercrime can happen to anyone.

This latest one reportedly exposed millions of driver's license numbers, along with other personal information.

The frustrating part is that there's often very little individuals can do to prevent these incidents. You didn't just lose your information, it was entrusted to an organization that got compromised.

So what can you do?

If you're notified that your information was involved in a breach:
- Pay close attention to unexpected emails, texts, or phone calls.
- Monitor your financial accounts and credit reports.
- Be cautious of anyone claiming they need to "verify" your identity after a breach.

Cybercriminals love using news like this as an excuse to launch follow-up scams.

The breach itself is bad enough.

The phishing attempts that follow are often where people get hurt a second time.

The cyberattack targeting a U.S. insurance giant is the largest known breach of driver's license numbers so far in 2026.

07/14/2026

Another reminder that no organization is "too big" to get hacked

Oxford University has reportedly experienced its second data breach in just over a month.

When we hear stories like this, it's easy to think, "Well, that's a university."

But universities are actually a lot like large businesses. They manage thousands of employees, students, contractors, research projects, financial systems, and decades' worth of sensitive information.

In other words... they're incredibly complex environments.

The lesson isn't that Oxford did something uniquely wrong. It's that cybersecurity isn't something you check off a list once a year.

Threats evolve every day. Systems change. New vulnerabilities are discovered. Attackers don't care whether you're a university, a law firm, or a 20-person business.

Good security isn't about never having an incident.

It's about making it difficult for attackers, detecting problems quickly, and having a plan when something does happen.

Tokyo police on July 6 arrested a 15-year-old boy who has admitted to using AI-powered ChatGPT to build a program that forcibly deleted 46,000 accounts on anime streaming service “Bandai Channel,” sources said.

07/13/2026

Uh oh... The phishing emails are getting smarter

For years, we've told people: I've personally been telling my customers and the people around me "Don't click suspicious links."

And for the most part, the people are at least more suspicious of those suspicious links.

Now attackers have figured out a way around that.

Researchers are seeing a rise in what's called device code phishing, where victims are directed to a real Microsoft login page instead of a fake one. They enter a legitimate device code, thinking they're signing into Microsoft, but they're actually authorizing an attacker's device to access their account. No fake website. No stolen password. Just social engineering using Microsoft's own authentication process.

That's what makes this attack so convincing.

If your company uses Microsoft 365, Outlook, or Teams, it's worth knowing that not every phishing attack looks like a poorly written email anymore. Some use legitimate Microsoft services in ways they were never intended.

The biggest takeaway? If someone unexpectedly asks you to enter a code or "verify your account" for a meeting or shared document, pause for a second. Ask yourself whether you initiated that request.

Sometimes the safest click is the one you don't make.

07/10/2026

I'd love to hear your thoughts on AI Assistants...

I'm curious.

Have you thought about using an AI Assistant in your business?

Not just ChatGPT for the occasional email or brainstorming session... I mean an AI assistant that's actually connected to your business. One that can help answer questions about your processes, organize information, draft documents, summarize meetings, or even automate repetitive tasks.

If you haven't, what's holding you back?

Is it:
- You're not sure where to start?
- You're concerned about security?
- You don't know if it's worth the investment?
- You're worried your team won't actually use it?

We're seeing more businesses become interested in custom AI assistants, but everyone seems to have different questions before taking the leap.

I'd genuinely love to know...

If someone could build an AI assistant specifically for your business, what would you want it to do?

Or, if you haven't considered it yet, what would it take for you to feel comfortable giving it a try?

07/09/2026

Chrome extensions are getting more scrutiny (dw, I think that's a good thing)

Quick question...
How many Chrome extensions do you have installed right now?
Five?
Ten?
Twenty?

Most of us install extensions to make life easier and never think about them again.

Google recently announced new policy updates for the Chrome Web Store that are designed to improve security and increase accountability for extension developers.

That's important because browser extensions can often see a surprising amount of information:
- The websites you visit
- Data you type into pages
- Browser activity
- Sometimes even access to business applications

The vast majority are perfectly safe.

But every so often, we hear about malicious or abandoned extensions being used to collect data or distribute malware.

It's a good reminder to spend five minutes every few months cleaning out extensions you no longer use.

Your browser is where most of us work these days. Keeping it tidy is just as important as keeping your computer updated.

The Chrome Web Store is announcing a series of updates to our Developer Program Policies to enhance user privacy and provide clearer guidance on data collection transparency.