IT Security for 2017
Comments Off on IT Security for 2017
January 4, 2017
Old Hardware that Won’t Quit
At the end of December, everyone looks to the trends for the coming year. Let’s summarize what everyone else is saying. In 2017, more IT managers will virtualize and more operations will move to the cloud. Security is going to be not just a concern, but also a full time position for larger IT operations. Around the office, you are going to have to figure out if you really want hook up your new “smart” refrigerator to the same network where you keep your inventory and accounting records.
Comments Off on Old Hardware that Won’t Quit
December 27, 2016
Putting LTE-Advanced to Work
Pepwave has shipped MAX BR1 mini with LTE-A. Other Pepwave and Peplink cellular devices that are LTE-A capable will follow. LTE-A is not just another incremental step, but the beginning of the next wave.
Comments Off on Putting LTE-Advanced to Work
December 20, 2016
Connectivity Implications for Coming Technology
In October of 2016, Gartner issued a report on the direction things will take in 2017. The vision is forward looking, examining what will come and begin to develop. They break it into three broad categories, Intelligent, Digital, and Mesh. They include Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Machine Learning, Intelligent Things, Adaptive Security Architecture, Virtual and Augmented Reality, and Digital Twins. They all have implications for today’s connectivity planning.
Comments Off on Connectivity Implications for Coming Technology
December 13, 2016
Someone Else’s Server
According to Forbes Tech contributor Louis Columbus, “U.S.-based companies are budgeting $1.77M for cloud spending in 2017. He is so excited about it he suggests we Tweet this information, twice. There’s lots of chatter about the shift to cloud computing, and certainly, there will be profits made offering cloud services. Is it a revolution or just a change of location?
Comments Off on Someone Else’s Server
December 7, 2016
That Scary Closet
Old IT hardware has a habit of multiplying. One afternoon during a system upgrade, you put last year’s server in the back of a maintenance closet. Before you know it, the mop bucket ends up in the hallway because the closet has become the IT graveyard. Most businesses avoid thinking about the closet, storeroom, or warehouse full of old IT hardware. Unused servers, switches, and routers are the dust bunnies of the IT world. Everyone knows they’re there, but no one want to talk about them.
Comments Off on That Scary Closet
December 2, 2016
Rethinking End-of-Life
In IT, the words End-of-Life loom large. A manufacturer can designate a product end-of-life for no other reason than they are no longer supporting it. Manufacturers describe products as EOL long before the end of their usable service. Even the Wikipedia definition clarifies; EOL indicates, “the product is in the end of its useful life (from the vendor’s point of view).” That would be the same vendor hoping to sell new hardware.
Comments Off on Rethinking End-of-Life
November 30, 2016
Eliminate Shipping Damage
Do a google search for “damaged package” and you will find hundreds of photographs of carelessly packed shipments destroyed in transit. We have all received shipments from major on-line resellers with questionable packaging—sensitive equipment thrown loosely in a box with an air pillow that doesn’t quite fill the empty space. Packing is just one of the concerns when you buy on-line, even from trusted sellers. When shipping electronics, packaging is critically important, which is why Frontier Computer Corp. maintain our own, in-house department for packing and shipping.
Comments Off on Eliminate Shipping Damage
November 21, 2016