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Kansas City Data Center and Internet Hub Reviews Cabling in Colocation Cabinets

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:49:03 +0000

By: Darren Bonawitz

One of the often overlooked issues in colocation cabinets is cabling. When a company is hurrying to move equipment into a facility, cable management is not usually at the top of its list for concerns. IT staff members are more worried about just getting their infrastructure operational rather than focusing on the aesthetics of the cabling in their cabinet(s). Even if the cabling is managed effectively day one, it is very common to see a gradual “rats nest” develop over time as equipment is added or replaced.

Cable management is more than about cosmetics though, and a lot of IT professionals have come to appreciate the value of clearly labeled and organized cabling. What a lot of people fail to consider is the effect cabling can have on proper equipment cooling. That may sound odd, but visualize for a moment a tangled web of cables at the back of a cabinet. What happens is the cables each take up a certain volume of space and effectively reduce the path for hot air rejected from equipment to properly exhaust out the back of the cabinet.

Hot air that should have been easily transferred to the hot aisle now becomes trapped within the cabinet and then recirculates. This causes in-cabinet ambient temperatures to rise and can lead to equipment temperature increases and possibly even unnecessary failure.

Renewable Centers Running on Renewable Energy

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:18:54 +0000

By: Darren Bonawitz

Many companies are turning to renewable energy to power their facilities and decrease their carbon footprints. With data centers being one of the largest users of energy, turning to renewable energy may be in the near future. But is this plausible? Renewable energy must first scale to accommodate data centers to meet their power requirements. Secondly, renewable energy must be cost-effective solution for data centers because even one center per kilowatt hour (kWhr) higher in a data center is a considerable strain on profits. Finally in order to rely solely on renewable energy it has to be a reliable option.

We won’t get there without research and baby steps in the right direction, coupled with innovation incentives to entrepreneurs and researchers to keep driving them towards creating better solutions.

To learn more about data centers and renewable energy visit datacenterknowledge.com

Kansas City Data Center, 1102 GRAND, Features Umzuzu

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:03:40 +0000

By: Darren Bonawitz

Here is a special feature about Umzuzu, detailing who its clients are, how it is associated with 1102 GRAND and why it does business in Kansas City.

Company Description: Umzuzu – We are Cloud Brokers specializing in Google Apps and the Google Solutions Marketplace. We help companies eliminate on premise hardware.

Who are its clients: Any business currently using email. Commonly we help people migrate off legacy platforms like Exchange 2010.

How it is associated with 1102 GRAND: We use the flexible bandwidth resources of 1102 GRAND to migrate large volumes of data to the cloud. When faced with a client that has low bandwidth to their offices, we copy the data locally, then “sneaker-net” it over to 1102 GRAND where it can be liberated to the cloud.

Why Kansas City: Cost of living. Entrepreneurial hotbed of activity.

Best Part of Doing Business in Kansas City: The community isn’t so large that you get lost. You can grow your reputation and live on it. The same names often come up, you get to know the people in town that can get a job done.

Benefits of Working in Kansas City: BBQ. Interesting diversity of culture and food in the KC area. The professional landscape is diverse as well, from manufacturing to professional services, it is hard to pigeonhole KC into a particular market (like aviation for Wichita.)

Kansas City Data Center & Internet Hub Reviews Disaster Recovery Tips

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:37:26 +0000

By: Darren Bonawitz

With the first hurricane of the season already here and gone, 1102 GRAND, Kansas City’s Data Center and Midwestern Internet hub, reviewed disaster recovery tips for companies at risk for earthquakes, hurricanes, blackouts, wildfires, tornados, ice storms, or the most common disaster risk of them all – people themselves.

Here are tips for disaster recovery.

1. Ensure you disaster recovery plan is flexible and scalable

2. Right size the solution to meet requirements and budget

3. Don’t assume – establish requirements with management

4. Prioritize recovery initiatives to meet company objectives

5. Document, document and document some more

6. Do not forget about redundancy with passwords – store them offsite too

7. Schedule semi-annual or annual requirement reviews

8. Disaster recovery is not “set it and forget it” – test regularly

9. Disaster recovery is more than just data – think through all facets of operations

10. Ensure at least two team members know each recovery procedure

Kansas City Data Center, 1102 GRAND, Features Information Technology Kansas City

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:22:55 +0000

By: Greg Elliott

Information Technology Kansas City (ITKC) offers a valuable service to the Kansas City community, so I would like to take the time to share some details from their website about the organization.

ITKC is a program of the Enterprise Center of Johnson County focused on building a strong IT community within the Kansas City metropolitan area that consists of organizations that provide or use Information Technology.

ITKC offers an array of programs and services that aim to educate, entertain, provide networking opportunities and increase the visibility of local expertise to the Kansas City region. The programs and services include:

Networking events for IT professionals, managers or executives

IT technical and business seminars

Best practices roundtables and discussions

Site tours

Directory of IT service and training providers

ITKC does not cater to only one type of company, but believes small to well-established businesses can benefit from the programs and events it offers. Participants of past events have included engineers, managers, executives and financial and sale professionals.

ITKC’s mission is to energize, unite and nurture the regional Kansas City information technology community. It builds upon the strengths of many companies, small and large‚ to help enable a center of IT excellence in the Midwest. It is the gateway to the IT community and provide a leadership resource for the metro area.

So if you are a KC IT professional and have not checked out ITKC, we encourage you to do so. Actively participating in groups such as this, helps build a strong IT community in Kansas City.

To learn more about ITKC visit www.itkc.org

Kansas City Data Center & Internet Hub Hosts Golf Tournament for Technology Companies

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:09:14 +0000

By: Darren Bonawitz

1102 GRAND, Kansas City’s Data Center and Midwestern Internet Hub, hosted its 5th Annual Technology Golf Tournament at Deer Creek Country Club Tuesday, June 8, 2010 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. The event was organized for technology companies and IT professionals who wanted to reconnect with colleagues and network.

Bill Cameron, Director of Engineering Services at ATNI, and one of many participants said, “”We enjoy the trip from Denver to Kansas City for the golf tournament. We like networking with new people who are leaders in the technology business and who want the industry to grow. The core community we have done business with through 1102 Grand have always be reputable and reliable.”

Rex Schick, owner of K&W Underground, has sponsored many of 1102 GRAND’s events over the years and said, “1102 GRAND does an excellent job connecting the technology community and other related businesses. It helps us stay connected to our current customers and meet new potential customers. We like to show our support by sponsoring events important to this group.”

1102 GRAND is a Midwestern carrier hotel and network neutral collocation facility specifically enhanced with the infrastructure to host and provide services to an array of global network operators including carriers, service providers and enterprise customers who demand highly secure and connected, customized solutions for their core networking equipment. 1102 GRAND offers a wide array of collocation options including cabinets, cage space, suites and space for private data centers, all of which are connected to a carrier neutral Meet Me Room, housing carriers and service providers including AT&T, Level (3), Verizon Business, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communication, and Qwest.

Kansas City Data Center, 1102 GRAND, Features Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C.

admin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:20:29 +0000

By: Darren Bonawitz

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. Here is a special feature on Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C. about who it is, who it serves, how it’s associated with 1102 Grand, and why Kansas City!

Company Description: Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C. (MHM) is a national independent CPA firm – 3rd largest in Kansas City and 8th largest in the country – that is dedicated to providing high quality audit and attest services including: Financial Statement Audits, SAS 70 Audits, Employee Benefit Plan Audits, Reviews and Agreed Upon Procedures. They are guided by their core values of competence, integrity, respect and value, and with more than 30 locations nationwide, they are a nationally recognized alternative to the Big Four.

Who it Serves: While MHM provides services to a variety of industries and companies, their primary focus includes mid-sized and growing companies (public and private) in the construction, nonprofit, life sciences, manufacturing, financial institutions and other professional services industries.

How it is Associated with 1102 GRAND: We provide SAS 70 services to 1102 GRAND.

Why Kansas City: MHM’s roots in Kansas City can be traced back to 1954 when Ernest D. Mayer opened a small accounting practice. After years of steady growth, Mayer Hoffman McCann’s tax practice merged with CBIZ, Inc. in 1998 while MHM began to focus strictly on audit and attest services, and continued to acquire other independent CPA firms across the country. Even though MHM quickly became one of the Top Ten accounting firms in the nation, they recognized Kansas City as both a strategic location and strong foundation for the company, so remained in the area and established it as their national headquarters.

The Best Part of Doing Business in Kansas City: There is such a vast amount of different businesses and industries in the Kansas City area, that as a Consultant, we learn so much about how these businesses operate, what their target market is, where they can improve, etc. We can then help them by applying the services our company provides or introducing them to others that can assist.

The Benefits of Working in Kansas City: I have lived in Kansas my entire life so helping small, medium and large sized businesses locally is very rewarding.

The Economic Incentives to Living in Kansas City or the Metro Area: There are a lot of areas you can reside in Kansas City that are safe and have great schools and not have to pay a premium to live there. I think convenience is also a big factor as you can get around the city without having to wait in traffic for the most part.

Kansas City Data Center Reviews Midwest Disaster Recovery: USA Today Predicts Extreme Hurricane Activity in 2010

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:06:06 +0000

By: Darren Bonawitz

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday it predicts an “active” to “extremely active” hurricane season this year. Coastal companies would be wise to turn to, or at least seriously consider, the Midwest for their data center disaster recovery solutions. Unfortunately, memories fade as time passes, and that means that the destruction from events such as Hurricane Katrina often are overshadowed by more recent events such as the economic turbulence which caused jobs and budgets to be slashed at many companies. Those companies and people directly affected by Katrina may find it more difficult to forget, but it is easier for those not directly impacted last time even though they are still at risk for future hurricane disasters. So whether your company has never had a disaster recovery plan or you started to develop a plan but shelved it due to budget cuts, now is the time to revisit the discussion and act. If NOAA’s prediction is correct, you will be glad you made the investment.

According to www.usatoday.com , “federal forecasters predict anywhere from 14 to 23 named storms to form in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.” This is the highest prediction made by federal forecasters since 1998 when they began to issue hurricane forecasts.

(READ MORE)

Greg Elliott, Director of Business Development, Was Interviewed by Stallard Technologies

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 22:07:41 +0000

By: Darren Bonawitz

During an interview with Stallard Technologies, a data partner of 1102 GRAND, Greg Elliott reviewed why the company has a working relationship with Stallard Technologies.

“Our main job at 1102 GRAND is to provide a carrier neutral place for providers to connect their networks and to do the behind the scene connections that need to take place in order to make all of those networks work,” said Elliott.

Stallard Technologies is an Internet retailing company based in Overland Park, Kansas. It specializes in buying and selling quality new and used Dell servers and workstations, as well as EqualLogic and EMC storage devices and Cisco network appliances.

At Stallard Technologies, it is your personal shoppers. It works aggressively to find the best available values on business networking hardware, so you can accomplish your networking goals effectively, efficiently and under budget.

It deals strictly with reliable vendors and top quality products, and will make sure that you are getting what you expect, no surprises. It knows the importance of building relationships, and is committed to providing you with the best combination of hardware value and service available anywhere, online or offline!

Stallard Technologies, has its own staff of trained and qualified technicians. It manages complete diagnostic checks on all our products. Performance of products has the Stallard Technologies seal of Approval and Warranty.

1102 GRAND April IT Networking Event Photos at Boulevard Brewery

admin — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:55:04 +0000

Posted By: Darren Bonawitz

I want to share a few photos from our April 1, 2010 IT Networking Event at Boulevard Brewery.