Behind The Wires -- ESI's Technology Blog

Xerox Color By Words: Color Me Impressed

2012-01-10T12:09:00.004-05:00

Color By Words makes adjusting the color on your prints easy. With Color by Words you use natural language to adjust and refine the color on your prints. The Color by Words technology is part of more of our printers and multifunction devices. One of the latest products to have Color by Words is the WorkCentre^® 7500 family. Using Color by Words allows you to adjust the color of the prints without affecting the original file.

There is a website where you can demo the Color by Words on pictures we provide or you can upload your on picture and try the process on your own picture. The demo shows you just how you can manipulate the color through the use of simple natural language instructions chosen from a few simple pull-down menus.

Data Center Security and HP Flex Networking Technology

2011-11-15T10:03:00.002-05:00

ESI & HP will be hosting 3 events next week across the state of Virginia focusing on HP TippingPoint Technology. HP is a leading provider of security and compliance solutions for modern enterprises that want to mitigate risk in their hybrid environments and defend against advanced threats. HP TippingPoint & Networking Experts Bill Hicks & Glenn Ewing will be staffing the event.

Tailor-Made Networking Solutions: ESI’s Networking Strategy

2011-07-27T15:11:00.001-04:00

When it comes to shopping for a solution to fit a company’s specific technology needs, it can be difficult to find a vendor whose products fit all of their requirements. When customers work with ESI, they don’t have to compromise. Because we work with multiple vendors, we offer our customers the best solutions to all their needs. We match their needs to the appropriate vendor instead of forcing their needs to fit a vendor’s offerings.

For networking solutions, ESI is certified to sell four different networking vendor’s products – Cisco, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Brocade and Meraki, a wireless only vendor. As a general rule, our lead in the networking arena is with Cisco Systems switches, routers, firewalls/VPN products, Wireless LANs and identity based systems (NAC). We do acknowledge, however, that other vendors have excellent products with unique features that can make them a viable alternative to a Cisco-only solution. This is true, especially in an economy where customers are trying to do more with less.

CISCO SYSTEMS, INC.

Cisco’s strategy is to assist customers in achieving a single-vendor solution by offering everything from the server (Cisco UCS) to the Data Center Network (Nexus and MDS), through the core and edge of the network (Catalyst) and out to the desktop (Unified Communications and Collaboration). This Cisco utopia comes with a price tag, but when integrated properly, it can act as a cohesive system with “one number to call” support. This eliminates the finger pointing that can occur in multi-vendor networks. Most existing Cisco customers agree the stability and reliability they receive is well worth paying a little more.

HEWLETT-PACKARD

HP saw Cisco spreading out into their domain with Cisco’s introduction of their Unified Computing System (UCS) in March of 2009 and set out to expand their networking product line by acquiring 3Com/H3C last April (2010). Now, HP has declared war on Cisco and is aggressively attacking the network infrastructure and data center markets with a combination of their ProCurve products and 3Com/H3C products. At first glance, the 3Com acquisition put both companies on equal ground, covering almost identical markets. HP also has storage solutions, however, and since the acquisition, they have announced discontinuing development on their IP Telephony product line (3Com VCX). Another product that came with the 3Com acquisition was TippingPoint Intrusion Prevention System (IPS). This is a highly rated IPS, which has won many speed and functionality awards through the years.
The third networking vendor ESI supports is Brocade. Unlike Cisco and HP, Brocade is content with a pure networking portfolio (no telephony or servers) and focuses on High Performance switches and routers at a reasonable price.

BROCADE

Similar to HP, Brocade stresses a conformance to standards and away from proprietary protocols. Brocade’s product line includes Core and access layer switches, which have very high throughput numbers, and Data Center networking, which include Fiber Channel switches, converged (FCoE) switches and pure IP Ethernet switches for iSCSI connectivity. Brocade also introduced what they call an Ethernet Fabric Switch (VCX) last year that combines concepts from Fiber Channel fabric switches and IP based Ethernet switches and support a new IETF standard called TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links). This layer 2 protocol supports load sharing and millisecond failover on redundant paths, eliminating the need for Spanning Tree.

MERAKI

Finally, in the Wireless LAN market, ESI has picked up Meraki Wireless products that have Cloud-based controllers, rather than the customer having to purchase individual controllers depending on the number of AP’s they have at a site. For SMB customers, this is a very cost effective solution and allows them to get into 802.11 a/b/g/n at a reasonable price. Meraki works great for small remote offices.

The bottom line for ESI’s customers is that our design engineers can craft a solution based on a customer’s specific needs, rather than trying to fit a single vendor’s product capabilities into their environment -- therefore, saving money and optimizing a solution for them.

ESI’s Business Development Manager, Jim Tucker, has been in the industry for more than 25 years, spending time at Hewlett-Packard, 3Com, Cisco and Brocade before coming to ESI. He has been with ESI for the last year and a half and works with the sales team to drive networking business across all of the ESI offices, as well as managing part of the sales staff in the Virginia Beach office.

Network Scanning 101

2011-06-24T09:37:00.005-04:00

ESI's Remote Operations Center (EROC)

Network scanning is an integral function that allows the sharing of digital documents among several users within a company. Hardly any company is without the technology. It can be helpful to understand its components to grasp how it works (or why it isn’t working). The purpose of this article is to explain some of the most primary components of network scanning. A few major factors to be briefly discussed in this article are how the network environment, server settings, folder settings and user rights affect the effectiveness of your network scanning.

NETWORK ENVIRONMENTS

Network environments vary by company. An environment consists of several components including a type of network, domain setup (multiple domains, if required) and an IP scheme.

The type of network can be either peer-to-peer (P2P) or server-client networks. A P2P network is fairly common in the church environment. It is comprised of several computers on the same network that interact independently and do not report to a local server.

The server-client network is exactly as it sounds. It is several PC’s on one network, all communicating through a server which usually contains all the print drivers and shared folders.

SERVER SETTINGS

When it comes to domain setup, the key piece of information is to verify that the device is programed and talking to the correct domain. If there are several domains, some of the newer devices will allow you to program more than one domain.

An example of multiple domains is as follow: We are ESI (ESI.net), and we also communicate with our parent company Global Imaging Systems (ES.Global-Imaging.com). Global Imaging Systems also communicates with Xerox (Xerox.com). When you think about it, we interact independent of one another; however, sometimes there may be an instance for which ESI has to use one of the parent domains to set up communication.

IP SCHEME

The IP scheme is the next piece of the puzzle for the network environment – and the most common contributor to errors. It is common for a Helpdesk Specialist to receive a call from a customer reporting that they cannot scan email or scan to a folder. After doing research, the Specialist will find that the IP scheme has been changed. Usually, when an IP scheme changes, it is due to a router or server on the network that was replaced. When the router or server is replaced, the settings are not configured to match the setting from the old device that is being replaced.

Without going into great detail, an example of the IP scheme issue would be a machine programmed as a 10.x.x.x address and a router expecting a 192.168.x.x network address. When it comes to IP schemes, IPs can be broken down in to little sections to separate the network (subnets). Most corporate companies use this setup to help differentiate the locations of computers and devices. If the copier is located on one subnet (10.1.x.x) and the server is located on another (10.2.x.x), you have to verify that the machine can still talk to the server from the other subnet.

SERVERS, FOLDER SETTINGS & USER PERMISSIONS

Servers and folder settings incorporate user permissions. The information on these three subject areas will be combined in this article since they are interconnected. The server settings can be the name of the server (IP if the name will not resolve), types of scanning that are allowed and the users with permissions. The name of the server can be found by right clicking “my computer” and selecting “properties.” The scanning type usually allows for a Server Message Block, also known as SMB, which is the most common scanning protocol used on the devices. Another type of scanning protocol is File Transfer Protocol or FTP. The permissions can be set to “allow/denied” and “read/write,” based on the user’s permissions on the network.

The folder settings are similar. Next, the folder has to be shared. If the folder is not shared, you will not be able to access it on the network.

Lastly, the permissions come in to play. If the user is not allowed to see the folder, they will not be able to scan to the folder. The user usually needs “read/write” access to use the scan feature to its full potential. Most companies create a user that is universally used in the devices (copiers/printers) to alleviate administrations of an account per machine.

Author’s Note: I hope this document provides you with some information to consider when setting up network scanning. One major factor that I did not touch on is the operating system of the computer. That may be a future article as each operating system (OS) is different. Again, this is for basic knowledge. To have walkthroughs on setting up accounting, please refer to the manufacture’s knowledge base, as each device is different.

Billy Tabor has been an ESI employee since 2007. He presently is on the Print Technology Group’s (PTG) Connectivity/Network team as a Helpdesk Specialist to support all ESI customers from ESI’s Remote Operation Center (EROC), where he utilizes remote software and knowledge to help customers over the phone for quick service. He also worked as a shop technician for ESI and previously held a position at a major college in the Hampton Roads area to support software in a computer lab.

"The Marvel of Inkjet Design:" The Mach 5

2011-05-31T11:10:00.010-04:00

WHAT IS THE MACH 5?

Earlier this month, ESI's mailing division received its first order of RENA's Mach 5 address printers, which were recently debuted by RENA, a Neopost USA brand that is a leader in direct mail technology.

The printers contain revolutionary technology, which is exclusive to the Mach 5, that is being described by its manufacturers as the "marvel of inkjet design" and allows for the printer to perform at twice the speed and one-third the cost of toner-based printing systems.

The Mach 5 is designed to print on envelopes, post cards, mailers and more. The technology that makes the Mach 5 the most advanced address printer is its Memjet printhead. It is comprised of five independent channels (cyan, yellow, magenta, black and black) packed into a single print bar. This fixed head concept brings real productivity to full color printing without sacrificing quality. The five channels have 70,400 nozzles for true, sharp 1,600 x 1,600 dots per inch (dpi). Capable of six inches per second at this dpi and 12 inches per second at 1,600 x 800 dpi printing, the RENA Mach 5 offers real world production speeds of 9,000 pieces per hour.

JUST WHAT CAN A MACH 5 DO?

It can print on just about anything to give your envelopes or letters a professional, personalized touch and help brand your company or product.

Company Corporate Logo

The Mach 5 prints high resolution trade quality company logos quickly and inexpensively on many types of paper including Bond, Laser, Linen & Coated Stocks for affordable and easy to customize letterhead. Ideal for affordable short runs when offset doesn't make sense.

Return Address

The RENA Mach 5 prints high quality fonts and text at high speed for applications such as the return address with full color logos on envelopes, flats, cards and letterhead.

Invitation and Greeting Cards

The RENA Mach 5 prints the high quality formal invitations and envelopes for events such as weddings and reunions in full high resolution color and deep saturated black fonts and creative cursives. It prints high resolution graphics and text at high speed, ideal for the short run production of holiday cards with variable data such as address and colorful family holiday pictures in one pass.

Barcoding and Addressing

The RENA Mach 5 can print USPS barcodes and addresses from various mailing applications for producing high volume and higher than expected response direct mail including company logo, barcodes, return address, permit and graphics all in one pass.

Postage

The RENA Mach 5 can print paid postage in the form of Prepaid Postal Permit (in dazzling color for higher response) or downloadable variable or static postage provided by PC postage providers.

Invoices

The RENA Mach 5 can print variable data and trans-promotional messages in one pass in high quality high resolution color for items such as invoices, statements and customer notices at industry leading costs per piece.

Shipping Labels

The RENA Mach 5 prints vibrant color shipping labels and information for delivery on cut sheet labels at high speed in high resolution color. Digital color means no setup cost and low volume customized labels are now economical.

Windowed Envelopes

The RENA Mach 5 can print on previously laser printed or regular windowed envelopes since it does not use heat to print the items and will not affect the print already on the piece nor melt the window of an envelope. Ideally suited, it is perfect for items that need to be printed over that have been through a Laser printed machine, or windowed envelope of any size or type.

Information, images and video courtesy of RENA USA. Visit http://www.renausa.com/mach5/index.html to find out more information.

ESI is a dealer of RENA products. Please contact Jeff Weirich for more information at (757) 271-1324 or jeff.weirich@esi.net.

Jeff Weirich has been the General Manager of Mailing Sales for two years at ESI. Most recently he worked as a consultant in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Previously, he was in executive sales management for the Neopost Hasler Group, covering the Mid-Atlantic, Tampa and Southern California regions.

ESI Sponsors Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

2011-05-23T15:06:00.019-04:00

As a local company, ESI takes great pride in the communities in which it is located. ESI actively seeks out opportunities to contribute resources to maintain the quality of the community and positively impact its surrounding environment.

Earlier this year, ESI contributed its resources to the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The show gifted the Hill Family of Virginia Beach with a re-constructed home. During the re-construction phase of the project, ESI donated a large office workspace to the design and build teams. Additionally, ESI donated a variety of technology equipment and resources to the Hill family.

The show aired on April 24.

ESI is proud to be a sponsor of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

In addition to Hampton Roads, ESI has locations in Roanoke, Richmond, Hampton, Lynchburg, Manassas, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington D.C.

10 benefits to metered mail

2011-01-24T16:34:00.006-05:00

Companies, businesses and organizations – no matter how large or small – continuously seek new ways to gain a competitive edge and increase their bottom lines. A solution to both objectives many may not realize is metered mail. Metered mail allows anyone to gain an edge by appearing more professional or prominent and increasing readership. Additional benefits can include more secure business practices, speeding up the course of business and cost recovery. Below are 10 ways metered mail can help anyone achieve the goals set for their business.

To find out more about how Electronic Solutions, Inc. (ESI) can help you reap the benefits of metered mail contact ESI’s Director of Mailing Sales Jeff Weirich at (757) 217-1324 or jeffrey.weirich@esi.net.

1. Convenience - One of the most appealing benefits of metered mail is that it's like having a branch of the post office open 24 hours a day in your own office. Metered envelopes are sealed, stamped and stacked in one efficient operation to provide you with the automation to get daily and peak mail out the door on time every day.

2. Tele Meter Setting - Our TMS system allows you to replenish the postage supply in your meter with a simple 90 second phone transaction, eliminating time-consuming trips to the post office to stand in line for stamps. ESI offers a variety of convenient options for transferring funds to your meter.

3. Postage Savings - Independent studies have consistently proven that you can decrease postage costs by as much as 20 percent by using a complete office mailing system. Electronic scales offer precise weighing, and postage meters allow you to print the exact denomination that you need. Stop applying two stamps when you need some amount in between one stamp or two stamps or trying to manage multi-denominational stamp inventories, which is virtually impossible to avoid excessive waste when using.

4. Increased Security – Meter “stamps” don’t exist until you print them. By eliminating stamp inventories you'll never have to worry about lost or damaged stamps. An added benefit is that your postage dollars are safer in a lockable meter as opposed to a cluttered desk drawer.

5. Cost Accounting - Most ESI meters include a cost accounting feature that allows you to accurately track postage expenditures for multiple different accounts. Accounts can be assigned to different departments, individual users, clients, etc. A mailer can see exactly how every postage penny was spent, which allows for easier budgeting and reconciliation.

6. Package Compatibility - A postage meter can also produce self-adhesive metered tapes for packages, flats and tubes. These larger items, and others like them, often appear messy when "wallpapered" with stamps. Using a meter helps the package look neat and professional and accurately posted every time.

7. Faster Mail Service - Metered mail is treated as business mail and is handled with a higher priority. It is already dated, postmarked and cancelled when it arrives at the post office. It requires fewer steps in the handling process. Additionally, dated, metered mail must leave the receiving post office before midnight of the date shown. As a result, it arrives 24 hours faster than stamped mail ensuring important business correspondence will yield quicker results; for example, more efficient billing that results in improved cash flow. All this is done for the same dollar being spent now.

8. Professional Image - Using metered mail makes a statement about a business. Often, an envelope is its recipient’s first impression of a company. Metered mail projects a neat, professional image and creates a favorable impression. It can make small companies look larger and larger businesses appear more prominent.

9. Free Advertising - A postage meter allows you to print an advertisement on an envelope promoting a company, such as a corporate logo or product image. Digital meters also support custom text messages that can print next to the postage. Turn mail into miniature traveling billboards promoting a company or favorite cause wherever the mail goes. Envelope ads and text lines also encourage its recipient to open it and read its contents, which increases readership and response rates.

10. Free Postal Consultation - When doing business with ESI, you will receive free postal consultation. A Postal Systems Consultant will be readily available to give suggestions to help minimize postal costs, help you better understand confusing postal regulations and assist you in more efficiently preparing your mail.

Sharpen Your Competitive Edge

2010-11-29T12:41:00.000-05:00

A successful marketing campaign begins with a written plan. It will help you remember details, make it easier to share ideas with your team, and provide a record for future reference.

Start your plan with the desired outcome and refine it as you work through the following steps.

Set campaign goals – Be specific about what you want to accomplish. Think in terms that can be measured. Consider both short and long term goals.
Know your market – Leverage the resources that are available. Take field trips, conduct informal focus groups, join networking groups and industry trade associations.
Understand the competition – What is the added value that your company provides? If you cannot compete on price, make sure you emphasize your other strengths.
Target your audience – Who do you want to respond to your campaign? What is their motivation? How will this affect your campaign’s offer, method of contact, message, and call to action?
Identify the offer – Come up with a compelling offer that will appeal to your target audience. The greater the appeal, the greater the response.
Craft your message – Focus on the benefits of your product instead of just listing its features. How will the product or service you provide make life easier for your target audience?
Select the method of contact – Figure out the best way to reach your target audience. Ad, post card, door hanger, phone call, email, social media, etc.
Work out the timeframe – Work backwards from the date of your promotion. Factor in lead time for production, writing, design, budgeting, training, and planning. Expect delays.
Determine your budget – Ask for quotes from several different suppliers. Ask them for ideas and tips to help your budget go event farther. Consider which services you will do in-house (such as printing) and which will be outsourced (such as graphic design).
Launch the campaign – Double-check all campaign materials. On the day that your customer communications begin, check on the deployment to ensure that everything goes as planned.
Measure your success – Plan to identify metrics and measure results from the start of your campaign. Share your results and what worked well with your entire team. Track each lead to ensure that customers receive the proper follow-up.

Give your materials a big advantage and stand out from the crowd. Nothing differentiates the look-and-feel of your collateral materials like color printing. Make every impression more measureable with rich, vibrant color.

Contact me for more information on our comprehensive line of color printers and color multifunction devices. I can be reached at (757) 497-8000 or marketing@esi.net.

Veronica Gerken
Director of Marketing
Electronic Systems, Inc.
www.esi.net

The Budgetary Impact of Your Print Choices

2010-11-09T15:52:00.000-05:00

One of the key developments to occur in the printing and imaging industry since the advent of network connected copiers has been the development of two very different ways in which copier/multifunction devices (MFD’s) and single-function printers have been approached.
The initial reaction to the connected copier/MFD was to point all prints to these centralized workgroup devices and minimize the pages coming off of the single-function devices. Investments were made based upon assumed changes to workflow that would maximize the use of less cost devices. Through this approach, copier/MFD leases and per-page support costs were used to understand the total cost of ownership on these larger devices. But, the smaller and more frequent investments in toner, break/fix, and new replacement printers continued to simply be the “cost of doing business”.
Purchasing departments have done a great job of ensuring that organizations are finding the best price on toner and have a reasonable service partner to support their needs. However, saving a couple of dollars on a toner cartridge does not mean that customers are actually leveraging their current technology in terms of a larger cost-management strategy. Many have overlooked the need to address the fleet of printers that has grown exponentially while the “big” decisions were being made on the copier/MFD’s.
Managed Print Services (MPS) represents the opportunity to begin to connect the copier/MFD world with that of the single-function printing devices. The same benefits that have been built into how customers support their fleet of copier/MFD’s (consolidated monthly billing, usage reports, true understanding of TCO, one vendor for all needs) is available and can provide a huge savings both operationally and fiscally to any organization without a fully-defined print strategy.
ESI’s approach to MPS is focused on two tiers of value. The first tier is the most critical in our current financial climate – providing all supplies and services needed to support the single-function device while providing a measurable cost savings. This first tier allows the customer to leverage their total buying power to ensure that they are getting these deliverables at a competitive rate while streamlining the internal administration that goes into supporting this piece of their operation.
The second tier is designed to deliver all the data and detail that can be tracked, trended, and analyzed through the first tier to provide detailed feedback and recommendations on inefficiency, redundancy, and operational impact. Much like the metaphor in which a patient sees nine different doctors for nine different medical conditions and none of them realize that all of it points back to one central problem, committing to one vendor that can deliver on all of the key components of the first tier ensures that a consolidated print strategy can be developed, rather than treating each component as their own separate issue. Understanding volume trends by type of device, ensuring devices are not being under/over-utilized, and knowing how the copier/MFD volume is handled in spatial relation to that of the printers, allows for true management of these assets and their significant associated costs.
By putting the copiers/MFD’s on the same per-page type cost understanding as the printers, change is measurable and definitive. End-users can be aware of the budgetary impact their print choices have on their organization. Technology can be used more in line with the manufacturer’s rating, thereby increasing the life of your investments.
For more information about Electronic Systems’ Managed Print Services, please call me at (757) 497-8000.
John Perrotta, Managed Print Specialist

Getting Started with an MPS Goal In Mind

2010-07-28T14:48:00.001-04:00

Starting a managed print initiative inside your organization can be quite a large bear to get your arms around. Most companies we work with have multiple copier/MFD vendors, non-concurrent lease dates, a handful of supply vendors, and a mix of internal and external support processes. Too often the main objective is managing the costs of the larger, more ‘noteworthy’ pieces of equipment, and accepting the fact that getting rid of personal printers is an objective that end-users respond to with frustration. This approach hampers efficiency and leads to a lack of uniformity in the organization’s goals.

How do you overcome these challenges? How do you develop a plan to analyze and assess your print processes, put that within the context of organizational goals as a whole, and thereby create a clearly defined print strategy that you can implement and manage?

The first step is always about the goals. You’ve heard copier folks talk about what we think your needs should be, but it’s important that you as an organization define your goals from the outset. You don’t want the vendors’ normal business process to take over.

From there, assessing your current methods for meeting your needs is just as important as understanding your needs. Rather than designing something from the ground up, it’s crucial to look at the assets you already have to figure out how to maximize their effectiveness. You may find desktop machines that are being used to print far above their thresholds, and workhorses that are printing a mere 50 pages/month. Most of the time, you have the assets to realize some level of increased efficiency without investing in new hardware. Usage, productivity, proximity, and cost impact are the key things to stay focused on.

The best part of all this is that you don’t have to do all the work yourself. You’ve had copier folks fighting over your business for years looking for something that would give them a leg up on the competition. Since the end goal of the vendor is to do such a bang-up job in assessing the needs and crafting a solution that you have no reason but to do business with them, you’re able to get an expert’s time and expertise at no cost. The only thing we’re going to ask for is the opportunity to win the business if we provide you a solution that follows your objectives and provides some measure of cost-savings.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to think too far down the pipe. Identify your true areas of need and concern, and your vendor can help you analyze the environment in that context. Long term efficiencies then become a whole lot easier to plan and design. These steps not only bring plenty of savings, but they’ll be able to frame everything going forward in a way that makes it much easier to understand the ROI of investing in software solutions and hardware. We just have to get our arms around it first.

BARRACUDA SHOP

2010-07-22T10:23:00.006-04:00

For the past 22 years I have been an Account/Sales Manager in the IT Industry. I have seen Microsoft start their networking venture, and I have witnessed numerous dotcoms and other start-ups come and go. However, for the past seven years, one IT solutions vendor has stood out prominently from the myriad competitors: Barracuda Networks.

I have had the pleasure of selling the Barracuda Networks product line, which includes: SECURITY SOLUTIONS Spam and Virus Firewall, Web Application Firewall, Web Filter, PureWire Web Security Services, IM Firewall, the NETWORKING SOLUTIONS Load Balancer, Link Balancer, SSL VPN, Next Generation Firewall “LAYER 7 Technology”, and finally their STORAGE SOLUTIONS Message Archiver, Backup Service.

Barracuda’s value-oriented sensibility, coupled with their fast ROI and extremely low total cost of ownership, is making them the logical choice for smart IT shops everywhere.

Barracuda Networks’ customer support is outstanding! Imagine calling a help line with no queuing menus and always being able to reach a live, highly skilled and well-versed engineer who has not been out-sourced overseas. PRICE VALUE, coupled with a brilliant product line-up and feature set, is what is so very appealing about this upbeat manufacturer out of California.

Recently, I spent a day in training with Barracuda, learning more about their full product line in discussion with their management. Not one person, out of the 40 conference attendees, looked disinterested the entire day. Barracuda held our attention from 8:30AM to 5:05PM, with an energy that comes from believing in what you are selling, personal passion, and a great product line.

As a Value Added Reseller that takes Best of Breed solutions very seriously, it is pleasantly surprising how well Barracuda products perform year after year within my client set. Clients fall in love with the interface of their first Barracuda product, typically a Spam Firewall, and then figure out that all of the product line has the same interface feel. I have watched client after client become a BARRACUDA SHOP and smile as they greet me years later, knowing that they had made a proper long-term decision.

How long will it be before you add a Barracuda Network solution to your line-up?

Greetings from the Trenches of Information Technology Service Delivery

2010-07-14T11:57:00.002-04:00

This is the first of what will be a series of posts discussing the challenges of IT service delivery and the steps to overcome them.

My experience and passion are centered on metrics, process improvement, and Information Technology Infrastructure Library best practices, or ITIL for short. (As an aside, ITIL is the most widely accepted methodology for managing IT from soup to nuts. I am ITIL certified and conduct training on the side—it’s that cool.)

My goal with these posts is to provide you with everything from the simplest to the more complex frameworks to effectively and efficiently manage your IT services and operations. Here, “effectiveness” means how well the services are delivered and “efficiency” means what it costs to deliver them.

At the risk of sounding conceited, I can honestly say that there are always opportunities for IT service delivery improvement, both in how well and for what price you deliver your services. To this day I am frequently disappointed at the IT operations I see around me, and much of what I will write about are the tips and best practices which are so infrequently acted (because we get back to work and get caught up in the day-to-day tactical world of IT services).

Like any advice, my advice is free and worth what you paid for it—that is, worth absolutely nothing—unless you use it.

In short—and to get you thinking—if you don’t measure IT you don’t know how well you are doing. The dumbest thing I ever heard anyone say (and it was a CIO L) was “I don’t need metrics; I know my people are busy.”

Yeoch!

Join me (set yourself up to get alerts for new posts) as we openly discuss the paradigms we all face in IT service delivery and (what I think are) simple steps to vastly improve your operations.

Norm, signing off.

Welcome (Back) to ESI's Tech Blog!

2010-06-30T13:34:00.000-04:00

After a long hiatus, our contributors have returned to share their insights into technological trends and advances in printing and copying, mailing systems, and IT. Our goal here is to tackle the issues that our customers face every day in their businesses, and help them make informed decisions when choosing products and services to meet their needs. We hope that our readers find our information relevant and timely, and we look forward to hearing feedback about recent posts, as well as suggestions for future topics.

Before we launch into the first post of our revitalized blog, we’d like to introduce you to our contributors. These are the people behind the posts, and this is the experience they’ll be bringing to the table each week:

John Perrotta is responsible for overseeing the Managed Print Services (MPS) offering at ESI. MPS is a program designed to analyze a business or organization’s total paper output and provide a complete document management solution that includes devices, supplies, parts and maintenance, workflow solutions, and fleet right-sizing. John will address the different aspects of creating a winning MPS solution, and also discuss printing and copying generally along the way.

Norm Lyster is ESI’s Vice President of Service in the Information Technology Group. His specialty is the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, a comprehensive set of concepts and procedures designed to help businesses measure and improve their IT operations, development, and service management. Norm will discuss different frameworks used to confront challenges in the IT field, as well as IT best practices and tips that any business can learn from.

Jeff Weirich is the General Manager of ESI’s Mailing Division. His passion for the field extends to all aspects of mailing, including mailing devices and software, postal regulations and work sharing programs, and the integration of mail, printing, and IT within businesses. Jeff will explore how businesses can save time, money, and manpower on mailing, and share news from the mailing industry.

Brenda Finlayson is ESI’s Corporate Recruiter. She will take a look at the employment process with a focus on sales positions, and offer advice to candidates looking to begin or advance a career in sales.

Our goal is to have one new entry each week, and we hope you’ll check in regularly. Welcome aboard!

Green IT – Eco and Budget Friendly Solutions – Power Efficient PCs

2009-08-25T13:24:00.000-04:00

With all of the hype that has been created lately around energy efficiency and reducing power consumption, many people may feel overwhelmed with the task of greening their organization’s IT. As with any technology there are of course many different elegant solutions for a more energy efficient IT organization. However, there are also some very basic things that can be done that can really impact your energy bottom line.

First, when updating PCs or servers, make sure that they are low power or energy efficient. All of the major vendors including HP, IBM and Dell carry Energy Star labeled equipment. Energy Star equipment is designed to run more efficiently in active, sleep and standby modes. An Energy Star PC uses 15-20% less power overall than standard models. When deploying the equipment, make sure that all of the power-saving features are used. Set the PCs to enter standby or hibernate after 30 minutes of inactivity. For more dramatic power efficiency set the monitors to sleep after 5-20 minutes. Another easy way to reduce the energy requirements for individual PCs is to restrict the use of screen savers. This can be a power drain since it is requiring the monitors to stay active when the PC is not in use.
These simple techniques can save anywhere from $25-$75 annually per PC. This expense may seem nominal when looking at individual devices but can quickly add up. For example, by activating the Windows power management features on 75,000 PCs, GE IT managers were able to save $2.5 million dollars annually (www.energystar.gov). .

Ensuring that PCs receive updates is a priority when implementing the power save initiative company-wide. Configure client computers to apply software patches and updates as soon as computers become available on the network. Otherwise, Windows Task Scheduler can wake up sleeping computers for updates. Scripts distributed via Active Directory allow network administrators to centrally manage these "scheduled tasks." With Wake-on-LAN activated, a network administrator can wake up sleeping computers at any time in order to perform on-demand software patches or updates. (www.energystar.gov).

Most vendors are now making energy efficiency and power conservation a priority in updated product versions. Take for example Microsoft, which has included power management tools front and center in the upcoming Windows 7. For more information on how to use the power management features in Windows 7 go to http://blog.enterpriseitplanet.com/green/blog/2009/01/how-to-manage-windows-7-power-settings.html.

When trying to tackle the huge undertaking of greening the IT organization, starting slowly by better utilizing the resources you already have can make the task seem a little more achievable.

ROI Vendor Comparison Score Card

2009-08-14T15:03:00.003-04:00

So the big project looms in front of you and everyone has their favorite value added reseller. The president wants ABC because of the 10 year golfing relationship. The CFO likes BCA because of the low pricing and the great way BCA works with purchasing. The CTO likes the Technical expertise of CBA, he/she feels they have the best grasp on the integration of the technical but not the best people skills. The IT department can help smooth the rollout with the company.

You are saddled with a decision that can cost you your job if not handled properly…How do you turn this into an objective smart decision with qualifiers that rate all parties involved? How do you pull the political influence out of the decision and create a far better environment for all parties involved?

An ROI Vendor Comparison Score card of course... ”This tool provides a single page scorecard for comparing vendors across 14 weighted factors. It generates an overall score for each vendor along with a risk assessment based on the weighting of the factors; Nucleus Research”

Factors on the referenced Spread sheet;
“Track Record, Profitability, Experience, Customer Driven, Market Awareness, Sales Perception, Capabilities, Compatibilities, Project Risk, Past Success, Reference Check, ROI, Payback, Implementation”

The following link from Nucleus Research will take you to the spreadsheet that intelligently weighs all these factors and gives a score for your next winning business partner engagement.

http://nucleusresearch.com/research/roi-tools/nucleus-research-roi-vendor-comparison-scorecard/

Please download the file and work with the pull downs on the spreadsheet.

Remember indecision is one of our greatest enemies.

What Will This Cost Me?

2009-08-10T15:37:00.002-04:00

There are some IT solutions that end up costing more than a business owner might want to spend. At first there might be some surprise.

“What gives?!” They exclaim. “This is more than the other quote I’ve received by _____ dollars.”

A good account manager crafts a solution that fits a need. A great account manager assumes the role of ‘trusted advisor’ and considers past, present, and future data. They partner with an organization to look at all options.

What’s been tried before in the past? How did it turn out? What is working currently? What isn’t? Where does XYZ Company plan to be in 1 year? 3 years? 5 years? Are there plans to open a new office? Are there plans to downsize? How many more employees are expected to be added?

Sometimes budgets are all one has to go on. But it’s important to understand that some of the best solutions cost more.

There are few things more fulfilling than having someone tell you how thankful they are for you and your solution because, since a particular event happened, they were prepared. The real question is not if I can afford this or that solution, but:

“What would it cost me not to go with this solution?”

People Don’t Care…Or Do They?

2009-07-13T10:05:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard the phrase: “people don’t care what you know until they know that you care?” Well, this applies to everything, ESPECIALLY sales.

Salespeople get a bad rap because they’ve earned it. Here are some of the thoughts that run through a typical salesperson’s head:

“What kind of commission will I get out of this deal?”

“How quick can I get out of this meeting?”

“When will this person stop talking so I can tell them all about my solution?”

People pick up on that.

Fortunately for anyone who’s in a position to buy an IT solution (or any solution, for that matter) there are salespeople who care. In fact, most likely, these are the reps consumers tend to do business with on a regular basis. Meanwhile, their competitors scratch their heads wondering why.

It’s human nature.

People want someone to listen. They want someone to care. They’re tired. Most people don’t like their job and they are just trying to make it through another day, another week. Change that. Break the monotony and breathe life into the mundane routine. People will remember.

ESI hires great people who love what they do, are good at it, and genuinely care for people. When we ask, it’s because we’re interested. When we recommend something, it’s because if it were our business and our money, it’s what we would do. There aren’t too many technology companies that have been around since 1980. There aren’t many who are committed to customer satisfaction like we are. We’re one of them.

Peter Nossal

Going Green

2009-07-13T08:02:00.000-04:00

Going “Green”, ”Green Practices” and “Becoming Sustainable” seems to be everywhere right now and the data center is no exception. The past decade has seen tremendous growth in data, number of devices on the network and the administrative time it takes to manage all of these devices. As the cost of energy keeps increasing, utility costs are no longer an afterthought when purchasing new services. All companies and organizations today are facing rising power and management costs with little idea of how to control this upward spiral.

Well, there’s good news! Once a device is on the network, it can be managed for efficiency and you can get an accurate idea of what it’s costing you per year to operate. Companies like Cisco, Johnson Controls, Microsoft and Google are creating hardware and software that allows all of your systems – HVAC, refrigeration, fire and security, as well as your IT infrastructure to perform in the most efficient means possible. The result is a system that integrates all your building equipment and organizes operational information in the most logical way imaginable and delivers it where and when you need it.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10454/index.html

http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/publish/us/en/products/building_efficiency.html

http://www.microsoft-hohm.com/

http://www.google.org/powermeter/

ROI a call to action

2009-07-06T14:32:00.002-04:00

In this economic maelstrom that we are all suffering through, proper timing on IT projects has become even more critical to a company’s survival. When do you fall off the fence with that Data Center downsize or that PC Refresh? Does the fence feel like it is 20ft high? Everyone has become so concerned about job security that no one wants to risk making the wrong decision; they have become frozen—afraid to take action. While it may seem the safer course in the short term, failing to make timely upgrades can be quite costly in the long term.

Calculating the true cost associated with a project requires realizing the price of doing nothing. Standing in front of the proverbial train, blinded and paralyzed by that light, can cause you to lose critical money and the opportunity to get ahead of your competitors through neglected business efficiencies. Many projects offer short ROI’s, and then the efficiency of the new technology helps your company save critical bottom-line dollars. Have your trusted consultants develop an ROI within their project proposals and fully explain the ramifications. Leverage consultants with the critical decision makers and bring in their expertise to help build your business case.

Funding projects and discussing critical business strategic plans has become a full time job. Where is the line drawn on your own efficiencies? Bring in the expertise! CFO’s start grumbling and purse strings snap shut when projects are not well defined. Companies with vision, who partner and invest, will come out ahead and on top of local or national competition in this volatile market. How are you going to prepare for your next IT project?

10+10=5 ?

2009-07-02T09:29:00.000-04:00

One of the big buzz words that keeps coming up is deduplication. Data back up and business continuity is a focus for everyone. If you want to maximize your existing assets deduplication technology can stretch your dollar further. The term refers generally to eliminating duplicate or redundant information. In computer data storage it is also known as capacity optimization or single-instance storage. In the field of mathematics it is known as factorization.
This is an important new technology in the struggle to control data as well as its potentially explosive growth. The average file disk volume can contain thousands or even millions of duplicate data objects. The end result of duplicate files and data being stored across all storage tiers is inefficient utilization of resources.
Hard drive space keeps coming down in price, but it is still not free. Everybody is concentrating on using their existing space as wisely as possible. Deduplication dramatically reduces the amount of disk storage needed to retain and protect enterprise data by identifying redundant files and data as they are being stored. Some of these solutions provide a storage footprint that is 10x-30x smaller, depending on the solution, than the original data considered through a myriad of different methods that are mathematically way beyond my understanding. Backup data can then be efficiently replicated and retrieved over existing networks for streamlined business continuity and consolidated tape operations.
There are three specific benefits to this solution that provide an immediate impact.
Efficiency: By eliminating redundant data objects and referencing just the original object, an immediate benefit is obtained through storage space efficiencies.
Cost Benefit: Reduced initial storage acquisition cost, or longer intervals between storage capacity upgrades. Management Benefit: The ability to store “more” data per storage unit, or retain online data for longer periods of time.

Get off my Cloud: Interest in private clouds grows?

2009-06-28T07:53:00.002-04:00

Virtualization continues to receive attention in enterprise organizations wanting to reduce IT costs and create a more flexible, efficient and automated applications workload environment. A lot of companies are looking to private cloud computing as the next logical step.

It’s important to understand what cloud computing is. The best definition I found is; a computing capability where the architecture surrounding clusters of computers is separated from the applications using it and a software and server framework (usually based on virtualization) provides clients scalable utility computing capabilities to elastically provide many servers for a single software-as-a-service style application or to host many applications on a few servers.

To put it in laymen’s terms, Private Cloud architecture allows you to leverage your infrastructure centrally through virtualization so you can allocate resources as needed.
From low-cost servers topped by powerful new virtualization capabilities to more-flexible provisioning and management solutions, these new hardware and software solutions are readily available for individual businesses to deploy in-house, as well as leverage externally.

So in the end we all ask…….. What does this mean to me and my business?
Since your servers now ebb and flow as needed by user demand, you can increase server utilization rates from 5-15% to up to 80%, reduce power costs by 80% and simplify network management. This will allow you to minimize or better allocate your physical server count along with the maintenance cost for that hardware.

Cost savings is definitely a major part of any IT planning but business continuity is another concern for companies that makes private cloud computing an attractive solution. With the dynamic architecture you’re creating failover and disaster recovery across your network therefore reducing your downtime and increasing productivity to your customers.

In fact, the irony in today's cloud computing phenomena is that many of the piece-parts that make the cloud possible are more affordable than traditional data center systems.
The first step when thinking about deploying private cloud architecture is it must be supported by a mixture of total cost of ownership (TCO) and return on investment (ROI) analyses based on an honest self-assessment of your priorities, skills and requirements.

Whether you’re for or against private cloud computing it is something to look into as we will delve deeper into what solutions are out there and what the industry experts are saying about them.

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity—Do you have a plan?

2009-06-25T16:47:00.002-04:00

One of my customer’s was recently faced with a “disaster”. At around 11:00 on a busy weekday morning, one of their core switches blew up. Their network was unavailable. Their phones were down. Business came to a standstill. They have several locations throughout the area, and fortunately those offices computers and phones were still working. But they could not access email or some critical business applications. So, how could this have happened? Well, nobody usually expects that a switch will blow up. This one in particular had a catastrophic issue with the supervisor module-not a common problem. The real problem was that the component was just over 5 years old, the maintenance ran out just over a month ago and they did not have a spare. So what did they do? They ran out to a retail store to buy a few new switches that they daisy chained. This allowed them to get back up and running until they could get a new core switch replacement.
GREAT! Problem solved, right? Well, at least temporarily. Fortunately, they were down only until about 4:30 that afternoon. However, it certainly raised a lot of questions. Most importantly, how much did the down time cost them, and how can they ensure an event of this type won’t happen again?
Let’s look at the cost. There are so many factors to consider. For example, how much money did they spend on the temporary switches? How many employees were not able to perform their job duties? They now have X number of employees sitting around doing “busy” work, instead of selling and billing customers, etc. How much did that 5 ½ hours of downtime really cost them? And what about the perception of their current and potential clients who have called in to them who could not get through?
It is a human tendency to look on the bright side of things and ignore “disaster recovery” because it seems like an unlikely event. But even a “disaster” like this one can take its toll.
I will be talking about different aspects of disaster recovery and business continuity in my upcoming blog entries…tune in next time.

Generalists Are Back In Fashion!

2009-06-22T09:10:00.006-04:00

What’s the Advantage of Being a Generalist?

In this age of IT specialization, why should clients deal with a proven IT generalist over a “point product solution” specialist?

I think some IT departments shy away from generalists, because they are well, generalists. The assumption is that generalists can’t be as knowledgeable as a specialist on a given solution. While possible, in the case of a competent broad line reseller with professional engineering and technical support in-house, it just isn’t the case.

In fact, an IT generalist, if blessed with professional depth in the team, provides the same or better service as a component of a total solution. In an IT world where seemingly simple changes in one aspect of an environment or solution can have incredibly disruptive effects on systems as disparate as phones and plant security, a generalist is far better equipped to support multi-faceted, best-of-breed solutions, across the entire network spectrum.

Generalists, by supporting a multitude of interdependent solutions, are actually better positioned to assist their clients. Generalists design, support, and focus on total outcomes because they can’t be singularly focused on point solutions only.

Quite simply, competent generalists are more likely to design and implement solutions that work right in today’s complex multi-vendor environment.

Forget Traveling…Meet Me Online!

2009-06-18T10:38:00.006-04:00

How to increase your cost savings and productivity through online meetings

Take one worker, fly them to meet with a client, and fly them back. Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well let’s add the expenses involved - $300 flight, $75 hotel room, $50 other expenses…and that’s being conservative. It’s no secret that most businesses are cutting back on expenses. Companies can rarely afford to throw around $400-$500, even in the name of “client management.” Unfortunately, these cuts also hurt our efforts in the name of business expansion and client acquisition.

A new solution to consider: online collaboration, using a product such as Cisco WebEx or Citrix GoToMeeting. For a fraction of the price, you can sit across the table with Bill from Buffalo, Dana from Dallas, or Steve from Sacramento. In many ways, online collaboration allows us to travel more. Meet with more clients, expand business, and target new markets. Also increase the quality and quantity of client interactions and qualify new business leads with online collaboration.

Stay away from the planes and hotels and consider online collaboration, with a product such as Cisco WebEx or Citrix GoToMeeting. Over-salted peanuts, cramped flights, and stuffy hotel rooms sold separately.

Green IT – Eco and Budget Friendly Solutions

2009-06-11T10:11:00.004-04:00

You might think that in today’s economic climate there would be little room for budgeting to make IT infrastructure more environmentally sound. However, it is quite the opposite. By focusing on energy reduction through a variety of methods, companies are able to dramatically reduce the costs of running the data center and consequently make room in the budget for things that may have been on hold until post recession.

The Environmental Protection Agency reported that the amount of energy consumed in IT departments has doubled since 2000 and is estimated to double again by 2011 despite conservation efforts (www.earth2tech.com). In fact, 50 cents of every dollar spent on hardware now goes toward power and cooling. This expense weighs heavily on IT budgets, particularly since many companies now allocate this cost directly to the IT department. Previously, facilities departments often times just picked up the bill without discerning where the costs were incurred.

The Green IT initiative is rapidly gaining momentum as more and more vendors are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon. There are so many options available for reducing your energy consumption from energy efficient hardware and virtualization software, to intelligent monitoring systems. A little up front budget planning to incorporate these tools can reap substantial benefits in the long term ROI. So the question is not if your organization can afford to go green, but if your organization can afford not to.

In the following weeks I will discuss some different ideas on how you can reduce energy expenditure and your organization’s carbon footprint as well as increase cost savings in within the IT department….Stay tuned for next week when I discuss energy efficient hardware.

Windows 7 Release date announced!

2009-06-10T08:12:00.002-04:00

Windows 7 will be released to the general public on October 22, 2009. The latest version of the perennial operating system looks to be a winner from my early experience. I have worked with W7 since the public beta was released and I upgraded my everyday work laptop to the Release Candidate the day it was released to Microsoft’s partners. I was using Vista Ultimate 64bit on a HP Professional Mobile Workstation with 4GB ram. The performance difference is night and day between Vista and Windows 7 and several driver compatibility issues are now gone. Even with a 64bit O/S I thought there might be some issues but I have not experienced any. I am also running W7 on an older ToughBook with 1.5GB of ram and it is running much better than the XP Professional install I upgraded.

What is VDI?

2009-05-28T21:11:00.003-04:00

There has been a lot of buzz recently about VDI or the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. VDI in the simplest form is, the ability to present the networked user with a desktop from a central location, usually the data center. This technology has been around for many years in several forms including Microsoft's Terminal Services and Citrix's MetaFrame products. The newest versions of virtual desktops have further reduced the server footprint to a point where dozens of desktops can run utilizing the same processing and memory that only a few required previously. Products from Citrix, VMware and Microsoft are or will soon be available to fill the VDI landscape.

Welcome to ESI's Technology Blog.

2009-05-28T20:50:00.000-04:00

As Virgina's leading technology company it stood to reason that we would create a technology blog. This site has been created to communicate topical information about technology trends to our valued customers. Feel free to contribute on this forum. It is intended to be a fresh medium for the timely communication of information.