Most businesses still have boxes of paper documents in unlocked rooms, manual processes eating up hours each week, and employees doing repetitive tasks that technology could handle in seconds.

In this episode, Brandon sits down with Scott from James Imaging to break down what digital transformation actually looks like on the ground - not the buzzword version, but the real one. They cover how businesses can identify where their workflows are breaking down, why the push for "going paperless" often stalls before it starts, and how workflow automation applies to businesses of every size - including yours.

Scott brings 34 years of experience helping companies move from paper-heavy, manual processes to smarter, more efficient systems. He shares real examples from the field, including a compliance issue hiding in an unlocked room and a 64-year-old skeptic who became a true believer after just two months.

In this episode:

• What "going paperless" actually looks like in practice
• What workflow automation actually means for a small or mid-sized business
• ow to identify process bottlenecks before they become bigger problems
• Why document management isn't just for large companies
• How to handle employee resistance to change
• The "land and expand" approach to getting wins without overwhelming your team

Whether you're running a 5-person office or a 500-person operation, this one will make you look at your daily processes differently.

🎙️ IT Unplugged is brought to you by M2 Technology - IT that's approachable.

Listen to IT Unplugged:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Wherever you get your podcasts

https://youtu.be/aEMfEo-YZvk

📞 920-362-6869 | m2.technology/get-in-touch

Rebecca, Vice President of Talent Development at New North, joins Brandon to talk about what it actually takes to grow a regional economy — and why workforce development, entrepreneurship, and technology all have to work together to make it happen.

New North covers 18 counties across Northeast Wisconsin with a team of six. They're running industry alliances, launching leadership academies, recruiting transitioning military veterans to the region, and figuring out how to prepare a workforce for jobs that don't fully exist yet.

This one is grounded in the real challenges facing Wisconsin businesses — the IT worker shortage, the demographic cliff, and why telling kids about career opportunities only works if the adults in the room actually understand them first.

Topics covered:

• What New North is and how regional economic development actually works
• The New Digital Alliance and New Construction Alliance — and why businesses collaborate instead of compete
• The construction leadership academy: moving skilled tradespeople into leadership roles
• The digital mentorship network keeping talent in Northeast Wisconsin
• The IT worker shortage — and why you can't solve a talent problem without engaging the talent
• Youth apprenticeships, externships, and why teacher externships might be the most underrated tool out there
• New North Hires Heroes — 98 veterans relocated, nearly 350 individuals brought to the region
• How New North is approaching AI when the landscape changes faster than any training program can keep up

Connect with New North: New North — https://www.thenewnorth.com

Listen to IT Unplugged: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Wherever you get your podcasts

Questions about IT or cybersecurity for your business? https://www.m2.technology/get-in-touch or call 920-362-6869

David Zey has spent his career at the intersection of IT leadership, application development, and startup consulting. Today he's an Engineer in Residence at TitletownTech — the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft-backed innovation hub — where he's been running manufacturers and growing businesses through the Microsoft AI Co-innovation Lab in Milwaukee.

In this episode, Brandon and David get into the real-world AI use cases that are actually moving the needle for manufacturers — not "I made an email" ChatGPT stuff, but quoting automation, compliance acceleration, and capturing institutional knowledge before it walks out the door. They also dig into when you should hire inside versus bring in outside help, what Wisconsin's data center buildout means for the region's future, and why the rate of change is becoming a competitive advantage on its own.

This one goes deeper than most — from startup risk profiles to whether AI is making creative thought more disposable. Worth the full listen.

Topics covered:
• How David's consulting background across enterprise, SMB, and startups shaped Zeytech
• Why startups are "any other business compressed" — and what that means for technology decisions
• TitletownTech, the Microsoft AI Co-innovation Lab in Milwaukee, and what the 4-day prototype sprint actually looks like
• Real AI use cases in manufacturing: quoting automation, compliance routing, and knowledge capture
• The workforce knowledge problem — and how AI can act as an institutional memory system
• Build internal AI capability vs. bring in outside help: what David actually recommends
• Over 250 AI use cases reviewed in a year — what patterns keep showing up
• Fractional expertise, long-term partnerships, and why Zeytech's model is harder to market but more fulfilling
• Wisconsin as an emerging tech hub — data centers, corporate ecosystems, and what's coming
• The philosophical side: is AI making creative thought disposable?

Connect with David Zey:
Zeytech — https://www.zeytech.com
TitletownTech — https://titletowntech.com

Listen to IT Unplugged:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Wherever you get your podcasts

Questions about IT or cybersecurity for your business?
https://www.m2.technology/get-in-touch or call 920-362-6869

If you've ever gotten off the phone with your IT provider and thought "that was useless," this episode is going to feel very familiar.

In Episode 53, Brandon and Mike from M2 Technology break down the most common reasons businesses end up unhappy with their managed IT providers - and why the same issues keep coming up over and over.

They cover what changes when VC money enters the MSP space, how support ticket triage systems create friction that discourages people from even calling, the scope-of-work games that lead to surprise invoices, and why hardware markups erode trust faster than almost anything else.

The conversation is honest and pretty direct - because Brandon and Mike are having it with real businesses every week, and the frustration they're hearing is real.

If any of this sounds like your current situation, it might be time to find out what a different kind of IT relationship looks like.

Reach out to M2 Technology at www.m2.technology

Ben Kvalo built a gaming career most people dream about: working on Borderlands 2, NBA 2K, and major franchises at 2K and Blizzard. Then he left Netflix to start Midwest Games in Wisconsin.

This episode isn't your typical gaming interview. We get into the business mechanics of publishing games, why video games might actually extend your life, and what it really takes to leave corporate security behind. Ben breaks down the analytical side of risk-taking, why even failed founders come out ahead, and how he's building a publishing company that supports indie developers across the Midwest.

If you've ever had an idea you're too nervous to pursue, Ben's approach to testing concepts and building systems will give you a framework to think differently about that leap.

New games from Midwest Games include Tomb Water, The Legend of Baboo, and Floor is Wet from Wisconsin's Pyramid Lake Games.

Want to discuss your business technology strategy? Reach out to M2 Technology at m2.technology or call 920-362-6869.

Wisconsin businesses face an unprecedented challenge: the labor force is shrinking while demand grows. In this episode of IT Unplugged, Brandon sits down with Laura Strickland, Partner Success Manager at Carex Consulting Group, to uncover the shocking reality behind Northeast Wisconsin's labor market. (Check out September's LMI Report: https://www.carexconsulting.com/resources/labor-market-insights-september-2025/

What You'll Learn:

Why Wisconsin job openings dropped from 268,000 to 137,000 (and what this really means)
The 6 million worker shortage coming by 2032 - traced back to 1970s birth rates
How to build vs buy vs rent talent in today's competitive IT market
Essential upskilling strategies that boost retention and cut hiring costs
Why IT unemployment sits at 2.9% while national average exceeds 4%
The truth about software development job postings vs AI/cybersecurity demand

Key Topics Covered:

Labor market index insights and what a 60.9 score means for businesses
Northeast Wisconsin's innovation boom and talent retention strategies
Building local talent through CSAs, technical colleges, and apprenticeships
Hiring adaptable employees over perfect skill matches
ROI of employee upskilling vs external hiring costs
Transparent hiring practices that improve candidate-company matching

Laura breaks down Carex's labor market insights report, revealing why traditional hiring approaches no longer work in today's talent-scarce environment. Learn practical strategies for workforce planning, from identifying upskilling needs to creating competitive advantages through employee development.
Whether you're struggling to fill IT positions, planning workforce strategy, or wondering how AI fits into the labor shortage equation, this episode provides data-driven insights and actionable solutions for Wisconsin business owners.
Special focus on IT professionals: Discover why certain tech roles are abundant while others face scarcity, and how smart companies are adapting their hiring criteria to find hidden talent in unexpected places.
Subscribe for weekly insights on business technology, workforce strategy, and the future of work in Northeast Wisconsin.

Are remote IT workers really more productive, or is it just hype? In this episode of IT Unplugged, Brandon and Ben dive deep into the remote work debate that's dividing the tech industry.

What You'll Learn:

Why 18% of IT jobs are fully remote (and why that number might surprise you)
Real cybersecurity risks of remote work - 75% of IT professionals say companies are MORE vulnerable
Generational differences: How Gen Z approaches remote work vs Millennials
The truth about productivity - can you really focus while watching kids?
Essential security tools every remote IT worker needs (VPN requirements, avoiding public WiFi threats)

Key Topics Covered:

Remote work productivity myths vs reality
Managing different employee types in distributed teams
Cybersecurity challenges with remote IT teams
Generational workplace attitudes and authority issues
Building effective remote IT culture
Public WiFi security risks and Pineapple attacks

Whether you're an IT manager considering remote policies, a cybersecurity professional worried about distributed teams, or just curious about the future of tech work, this episode breaks down the complex reality of remote IT work beyond the hype.
From basement home offices to coffee shop security nightmares, we cover what really works (and what doesn't) when your IT team goes remote. Plus, candid insights on hiring self-motivated employees and the challenges of managing across generations.
Security Focus: Learn why remote work makes companies 75% more vulnerable to cyberattacks and the essential tools to protect your business.
Subscribe for weekly IT insights that cut through the noise and give you actionable business technology advice.

Manufacturing insurance Wisconsin | Risk management consultant | USI Insurance Services | Business insurance broker advocacy

Is your insurance broker truly advocating for you? In this episode of IT Unplugged, we sit down with Stephanie Lee, Senior Risk Management Consultant at USI Insurance Services, to discuss how manufacturers can tell if their insurance partner is working in their best interest.

Stephanie shares her unique journey from 13 years in logistics and supply chain consulting to becoming a trusted insurance advisor for Wisconsin manufacturers. Her insider knowledge of manufacturing operations gives her a distinct advantage in identifying risks that other brokers might miss.

Key Topics Covered: • How to evaluate if your insurance broker is truly advocating for your business • Why manufacturing risks are different from other industries • The interconnected nature of supply chain vulnerabilities • Using data analytics to make informed risk management decisions • Breaking away from relationship-based insurance decisions • ROI analysis for insurance investments and loss prevention • Supply chain risk assessment for manufacturers • Property and casualty insurance challenges for difficult risks • Business interruption coverage and downtime costs

What You'll Learn: Stephanie explains how USI leverages proprietary data from thousands of clients to benchmark your coverage against industry peers. Instead of relying solely on relationships, modern insurance consulting should provide hard facts and analytics to support recommendations.

Learn why "insurance finds you" rather than the other way around, and how Stephanie's background in warehouse assessments, automation, and system integrations now helps her protect the very assets she once helped companies invest in.

Perfect for manufacturing business owners, risk managers, and anyone evaluating their current insurance partnerships. Discover how data-driven insurance consulting differs from traditional relationship-based approaches.

About the Guests: Stephanie Lee brings unique expertise combining supply chain operations knowledge with insurance risk management. Her experience spans logistics consulting, business solutions, and now comprehensive risk assessment for Wisconsin manufacturers.

Connect with M2 Technology for comprehensive IT solutions supporting your manufacturing operations.

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