Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
07 - 30 - 10
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.
07 - 02 - 10
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
06 - 25 - 10
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
- 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
06 - 18 - 10
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.
06 - 10 - 10
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.
06 - 03 - 10
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)
05 - 20 - 10
By: Greg Elliott
1102 GRAND (www.1102Grand.com), a Midwest Internet Hub and Collocation Facility, and CPI Communications (www.cpitelecom.net), co-hosted a lunch and tour for the Kansas City Association of Call Center Professionals (ACCP)
ACCP is a professional, non-profit association whose members represent customer contact organizations and the vendors who support them. Membership consists of organizations of all sizes, from a variety of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, financial, outsource, legal, technology, staffing and more. The company has first and third-party focused members, including telemarketing, call centers, collections, customer service facilities, help desks, client retention, etc.
1102 GRAND shared the benefits that a carrier hotel can offer:
Clients can benefit by moving dialers and server equipment to a collocation facility to reduce current infrastructure and overhead costs at the on-site data center.
Clients can take advantage of the many carrier/provider options afforded at a carrier hotel, giving them flexibility as their business model changes or grows.
Many carriers/providers have PoPs at carrier hotels, saving costly voice and data loop/access charges in most cases.
CPI Communications shared the benefits that a carrier neutral telecommunications provider can offer clients:
CPI Communications will thoroughly research a client’s data and telecommunication connectivity needs and offer solutions from multiple carriers. The prices they quote come directly from the carriers and are the same as or lower than what a client would receive if they contacted the carriers directly.
CPI Communications manages the solution within the selected carrier from the start to implementation. They talk directly with the technicians, order writers, testers, engineers and any other individuals involved with providing the solution.
The best part to clients, CPI Communications service is free!
After the lunch, ACCP members embarked on a guided tour of 1102 GRAND’s collocation areas including private cabinets, cage space, and the 1102 GRAND Network Operations Center.
Thank you to the KCACCP for visiting 1102 GRAND!
05 - 13 - 10
Posted By: Darren Bonawitz
I want to share the recent event calendar of summer training courses for SecureSkills hosted by Fishnet Security. The first upcoming event in Kansas City is the National F5 Networks Course from May 17-21, 2010.
04 - 13 - 10
11 - 30 - 09
By Greg Elliott
I’ve had many discussions with people involved in the software and IT industries and the topics that usually come up are:
-Where can I find good employees?
-Where can I find other software or IT Professionals to network with?
-Is there an organization that has resources that can help my software or IT company?
My answers to these questions are, “yes,” through the Software and Information Technology Association of Kansas (SITAKS). I was able to visit with Miriam Ubben, president of SITAKS, and here’s what she had to say about this worthwhile organization.
Q: What is SITAKS all about?
A: The Software and Information Technology Association of Kansas was launched in June 2008 to provide support to Kansas’ burgeoning software and information technology (IT) industry. SITAKS is a corporate membership group designed to support Kansas’ 3,200 software and IT companies, as well as companies with large IT departments. We provide state level advocacy, workforce development, capital formation and management level education and networking to our members. You will find value in SITAKS membership if your company has an interest in building connections and establishing your presence within the software and IT sector.
Q: What impact has SITAKS had on the IT Community?
A: The SITAKS membership has grown to 100 member companies in just 18 short months. During this time, SITAKS has hosted over 30 educational and networking events that have brought together software/IT executives that are now leveraging each others’ products and services.
Many of our events center on helping to improve your bottom line. Our events are customized to the software/IT management environment and include such topics as utilizing state and federal R&D tax credits for software development, protecting your company’s IP, securing federal contracts and tapping into state funding programs.
Next February 2010, SITAKS is hosting the first annual Kansas Technology Awards featuring awards in nine categories. This event is designed to bring prominence to our member companies and the sector. We are also rolling out our state legislative platform in December, 2009 which focuses primarily on improving the business environment for software and IT companies.
Q: What opportunities are there to become involved with SITAKS?
A: In addition to attending events and board participation, members have the opportunity to serve on the following SITAKS committees: 1) Public Policy Committee; 2) Workforce Committee; 3) Events Committee; and 4) Membership Committee. Committees meet monthly and provide networking opportunities and an opportunity to provide direction to the organization.
Thank you, Miriam, for taking the time to share about SITAKS! Feel free to contact me via email at Greg@1102Grand.com for questions about SITAKS. Let me know if there are other topics you would like to see discussed here at Nfrastructure EXchange, and I would be happy to look into it. We are currently working on topics that delve into the Healthcare IT and Call Center verticals. Stay tuned!
SITAKS Bio
The Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC)*, as part of its mission to promote technology based economic development, launched SITAKS on June 11, 2008 to support Kansas’ software and information technology companies. SITAKS is located in Lenexa, KS at the Enterprise Center of Johnson County. Current members include small to large companies. Founding companies include Garmin, Freightquote, LSI, DSI, Perceptive Software, Deloitte, cBIZ and 1102Grand. Membership is based on number of employees in your company. Visit www.sitaks.com to learn more and to become involved!
