SEP Tips Articles

We’re curious people by nature. And we love to teach others what we’ve learned. So explore our blog to gain fresh insights from our expertise in areas ranging from culture to AI.

SEP Named a Best Places to Work Company for 14th Consecutive Year

SEP has once again been recognized as one of Indiana’s Best Places to Work for the 14th year consecutive year.  The statewide survey and award program evaluates participating organizations and honors those with the highest levels of employee satisfaction and…
Read Full Post
running an effective meeting

Keep Your Team Organized with the ART of an Effective Meeting Checklist

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no escaping meetings. Thankfully, it doesn’t take much to transform a meeting from a waste of time into a purposeful gathering. Laying the groundwork before, running the meeting efficiently, and knocking out action items after the meeting can make all the difference. At SEP, we follow a framework called […]
Read Full Post
Facilitator at the whiteboard in a lean coffee meeting

A Super Simple How-To Guide for Running Lean Coffee Meetings

Almost every time I facilitate Lean Coffee meetings, someone will follow up afterward to ask, “What was that meeting style called? Can you share a ‘how-to’?” Well, I didn’t have one. And a quick Google search, like “how to run a lean coffee meeting,” only leads to long articles, hard-to-parse explanations, and companies trying to […]
Read Full Post
close up of person typing on keyboard on laptop

How to Write a Support Ticket Your IT Team Will Love

Hi! 👋 I’m Kishan, a Junior Systems Administrator at SEP since 2022, and I know a thing or two about support tickets. One of the exciting parts about my job is helping SEPeers solve issues that may arise from the services and technologies they are using. An essential component of a modern IT department is […]
Read Full Post
Figma logo

10 Figma Shortcuts to Improve Your UI Design Proficiencies

Though most shortcuts in work are ill-advised or perceived as lazy, some have proven otherwise. As Figma has exploded in use amongst many in the design field these last few years, almost all SEP’s designers have adopted this tool in their own unique way. Like artists, designers have their own approach to the pieces they […]
Read Full Post
Photography 101 with Adam Sturm

Photography 101

I might be the Marketing Graphic Designer at SEP, but I do MUCH more than just design. Part of my role at SEP is to help visually show our brand. One of the ways we do that is through photography! While most companies stick with stock photos, we love to show you the faces of […]
Read Full Post
Shift Key

Transferable & Soft Skills: The Unjustly Unsung Heroes of Software Development

“If you don’t figure out what you want to do for a career, you will fall behind in life.” I can remember hearing this loaded statement as early as 8th grade. Which, looking back on it, is about the equivalent of attempting to teach a dog new tricks as a squirrel scampers about in its […]
Read Full Post
Floppy Disc on a desk.

Think Software Maintenance is Expensive? Here’s Why It’s Worth the Investment.

The world of software and software development moves at lightning speed. Every day, new tools are introduced. Languages and frameworks are upgraded. App store requirements change. Operating systems are updated. New hardware is announced. So, what happens if the software world evolves but your software codebase doesn’t? Development Tools Chain Reaction Development tools continue to […]
Read Full Post
security lock symbol over person typing on laptop

5 Tips to Strengthen Your Computer Security and Online Presence in 2023

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center 2021 Data Breach Report, there were 1,862 data breaches in 2021. While 2020 saw a total of 1,108 data breaches. AKA computer security is no joke! But where do you even start? SEP’s Junior Sys Admin team compiled their top tips for Computer Security Day. See our top five […]
Read Full Post

Friday’s 13 Tips to Overcome Design Workshop Facilitation Nerves

Facilitating design workshops can oftentimes feel as scary as Friday the 13th. The nerves that build up moments before meeting with a client can feel the same as the nerves I would get as a kid while watching the classic 80’s slasher film as Jason skulked around Camp Crystal Lake. In both scenarios, I was/am […]
Read Full Post