
By Greg Elliott, Director of Business Development at 1102 GRAND
How often do you hear: I wish there was more IT talent available? I hear it on a weekly basis when I am visiting with clients and contacts from all sizes of companies, both in the Kansas City region and across the country.
I was talking with our friends at Centriq IT Training, and they mentioned they are having an IT Career Fair next Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
This is a great opportunity to meet 50-75 IT candidates face-to-face…and it’s FREE for employers!
For more information and to register click here.
Good luck to both IT candidates and companies participating!
Posted By: Darren Bonawitz, principal of 1102 GRAND
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I believe cloud computing has a place in today’s market, but I still firmly believe it is more buzz than reality. I’m not saying that it does not exist because of course it does and some are doing it very well. Instead, I am merely saying that it still represents a very small portion of the market although I expect cloud computing to grow once it evolves. Until then, I still stand by the fact that most companies are best suited for a hybrid collocation model (primarily collocation with certain elements in a hosted or cloud environment).

According to a Data Center Knowledge Article, “Go Daddy & The Power of Uncloudy Infrastructure,” “Cloud computing has provided exciting new opportunities for developers and start-ups, and is gaining meaningful traction with enterprise customers. But for the moment, cloud computing’s mindshare is bigger than its market share. As of June of 2010, Tier 1 Research estimated that cloud computing represented 2 percent of the IT infrastructure market. Even if it has doubled in size over the past year – as suggested bydata shared by Amazon- that still suggests market share of about 5 percent.”
“IDC has somewhat higher estimates, saying cloud represented 5 percent of IT spending in 2009 and will increase its share to 10 percent by 2o13. That would still leave 90 percent of IT spending focused on other delivery methods.”
Posted by: Darren Bonawitz

1102 GRAND is a proud member of the founding committee of StartKC, an organization which works to make Kansas City an entrepreneurial and small business center. StartKC is a resource partner for many local entrepreneurs. Join StartKC and Thinking Bigger Business Media for GrowFEST on September 23 at 6:00 pm. This event will feature eight growing companies which are making innovative changes in their fields. The event will allow entrepreneurs to collaborate and connect with local peers, managers, and professionals.
Find more information and register here.
Posted by: Darren Bonawitz
Interested in meeting other technology professionals in the area and making lasting connections? Kansas City IT Professionals will host a networking event at 6:00 pm on September 21 at The Well. This happy hour is a wonderful opportunity to engage in conversation with other Kansas City technology professionals. Kansas City IT Professionals aims to build connections between local technology businesses and IT professionals.
By: Darren Bonawitz
Here is a special feature about Stallard Technologies, Inc. detailing who its client are, how it’s associated with 1102 GRAND and why Kansas City is the place to do business.
Description about the company: Stallard Technologies, Inc. buys and sells new and pre-owned Dell servers, workstations, and storage solutions. Customers can choose from 30 different models at 40% – 60% savings over new equipment. Dell certified technicians re-configure the equipment to your exact specifications and conduct a 20 point inspection of each unit. A FREE one year STI Limited Warranty is included with each system. Save Green, Go Green, Stallard Technologies.
Who are your clients? Stallard Technologies works with small businesses to Fortune 500 companies in the US and all around the world. We can ship from one computer part to 2000 Dell servers(Germany) at a time.
How is your company associated with 1102 GRAND? We share many mutual customers by providing the IT hardware that 1102 GRAND host and maintains.
Why are you in Kansas City? The company was started by James Stallard out of his father-in-laws garage in Overland Park, Kansas in January 2003.
What is the best part of doing business in Kansas City? Friendly, hard working people who desire to do things with excellence.
What are the benefits of working in Kansas City? Good place to raise a family and great quality of life.
What are the financial or economic incentives to living in Kansas City or the metro area?Reasonable cost of living and good business opportunities.
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.