On April 27, 2017, StoredTech invited local IT leaders and business owners into its Collaboration Center for Beers and Gears, an event designed to bring people together and show off the latest IT solutions for communications and collaboration. With a focus on integrating Microsoft Office 365 and Avaya phone systems, it was a ‘dramatic’ evening as the company’s engineers pulled out their acting skills in a live skit. The ‘actors’ showed how cloud-based collaboration tools can help multiple remote individuals work seamlessly together to solve real-life problems for their customers. While based on a fictional scenario at an airport, the functions are shown in the skit – video conferencing, file sharing, multi-way calls, and find me/follow me chat – are usable in common business settings. Many of the features used in the skit are already available to Microsoft Office 365 customers, such as Skype for Business. Adding an Extreme Network and Avaya phone system expanded the capabilities and exponentially increased the communication and collaboration potential. Or, as Alan VanTassel said, “helps customers get more out of their IT investment.”   VanTassel talked about the company’s rationale for hosting Beers and Gears. “At StoredTech, we like to call ourselves your IT Advisor. Because, with new technology coming to market all the time, it can be challenging for business owners or IT leaders to stay competitive and ahead of the curve. With events like this, we can deliver the information you need to make educated decisions for your business.” During the demonstration, Doug Gillson, vice president of infrastructure, talked about what the latest updates to Office 365 and Avaya phones can do for customers. “This is an exciting time for businesses as new, enterprise-quality tools are becoming available in realistic, small business pricing packages. These cloud-based platforms offer impressive flexibility as more and more of you work from home, on the road, or are growing through remote offices. What’s important tonight is to see that increased productivity and team collaboration is already at your fingertips.”  After the live demonstration, guests enjoyed food and drink from Coopers Cave Ale Company as they tried out the programs themselves at various hands-on stations. Interested guests learned about how to apply the tools to their unique business as they engaged with StoredTech’s engineers and vendor partners from Avaya, Extreme Networks, and Plantronics, an audio communications equipment company.