We want to address the fact that you may have a system that does an effective job at capturing information, but there may be a component that you don’t even realize you’re missing. It’s called the “why” factor.

In the enterprise space, ERP packages like SAP and Oracle take over the function of recording the sales order, supporting processes needed for delivery, invoicing and accounting. However, they may be missing components that clue companies into the “why”, relating to missing commitments or lack of performance that shows up in a KPI (key performance indicator).

RSA Corp  has addressed this void for clients by developing software analysis tools and applications that tie into ERP systems. In one case, it involved a job shop manufacturing facility that used RSA’s app to utilize the information coming out of the ERP to grade the prior day’s job performance. In another case, it was to develop an analysis tool to determine why commitments were being missed and shipments weren’t meeting their schedule. you can find more information on this case by reading the blog “Mary Had a Custom App, Custom App, Custom App!“. Regardless of what app or ERP you’re using to support your core business operations, if you’re not measuring it, you could be missing out on a major “what” – MONEY!

Is this how you track your inventory? THERE IS A BETTER WAY! Give Fido a break and spend a little time investigating the benefits you’d receive from improving your inventory accuracy.

If you need to track inventory, whether stored in multiple locations or as it moves through your manufacturing process, immediate knowledge of the location of each unique piece reduces your costs. Not knowing where your inventory is detracts measurably from your bottom line by contributing to increased labor expenses because of inefficiencies in locating items and/or the need to overstock items to account for this or for manufacturing delays.

The good news is, your problem has most probably been seen before…and therefore there’s a known solution. The challenge is in bringing that solution to you in a manner that works with your existing ERP or operational systems. For that, the most expedient approach may be to engage a partner who can not only “see” your problem and its solution but also knows how to tie that solution into your existing applications.

For a really unique approach to one customer’s problem, read this RSA Case Study to see how customized inventory tracking allows inventory to be visible at all points in time.

If you’ve survived the last five years with the recession and business stagnation, chances are you’ve already implemented, completed, or attempted several improvements to your business processes and have come to realize that continuous improvement is crucial to surviving in the current business environment.

You might now be at the point of knowing what you’d like your new process to look like but be struggling with how to implement it. Improvements based solely on changes to manual processes are much easier to implement than those that require changes to automated systems. Yet in many cases, the big wins come from automating repetitive clerical tasks or augmenting knowledge worker tasks with automated support processes.

In many instances, “extending” the capabilities of your ERP or other operational system establishes the base of significantly reducing the clerical labor and providing the leverage you’d like to gain. The question is how to deal with the technology of your ERP.

What you might not have considered is combining outside eyes with in-house expertise to develop the tools you need to move to the next level. In teaming key members of your staff, who understand your current work flow and your business rules, with a partner, who has the analysis and development expertise to augment the capabilities of your existing system, you can often have the best of both worlds; the reliable backbone services provided by your ERP as well as custom capabilities for those few instances where your processes are not fully supported by your existing system.

Many of these extensions are lightweight, but have impactful results and allow you to recoup your cost within weeks. Here are a few differences we’ve made for our clients by extending their systems: ERP/Application Extension Successes.

Agile processes provide visibility, flexibility, and early results through adaptive planning, evolutionary development, iterative delivery, rapid and flexible response to change.

Are you curious how others are implementing this?   Are you looking to transform your team or process?  How can you leverage Agile to bring value to your business?

The first step in making this transition is to educate yourself and your teams (development teams, managers, and stakeholders) on the benefits and processes of Agile through Agile training.  Talk to others who have successfully made the transition, and learn how to avoid potential pit falls.

Here at RSA Corp, we have implemented Agile Scrum as our core software development methodology.  Starting in January, we will be kicking off a series of webinars focusing on Agile Scrum processes, implementation and benefits.

If you are interested in making this transition or learning more about Agile Scrum, RSA Corp can help.

We welcome you to attend the Houston Agile Conference on January 20 and21^st 2012, to meet and network with our very own Kim Payne, certified Scrum Master and ALN Houston board member, and other Houston area Agile leaders and businesses who are successfully making the transition.

For more information or to register, click the below link:

http://agileleadershipnetwork.org/page/houston-leadership

Technical support is typically divided into multiple tiers that can also often be referred to as levels.  Most IT departments have accepted the practice of dividing their support analysts into 3 tiers/levels of support.  Tier 1 Support Agents deal with the majority of incoming calls to the help desk and create the trouble ticket that is to be analyzed/resolved.  Higher level (more complex) issues will be escalated to a Tier 2 (and possibly Tier 3 if necessary) Support Analyst.  Let’s talk about each tier individually and breakdown the functions of each.

Tier 1 Support

This is the 1^st line of defense and typically these Tier 1 Support Agents are the technicians responsible for gathering the users’ information, documenting the issue, and creating the trouble ticket for tracking/quality assurance purposes.   The more experienced Tier 1 analyst will also handle instances related to basic troubleshooting, password resets, application/internet navigation, and they will go over the basic troubleshooting techniques in order to determine what department/group should be assigned the issue.  Tier 1 analysts are generally young in their career/entry-level with typically 1-3 years of experience in IT.

If after the initial troubleshooting done by the Tier 1 Agent the issue cannot be resolved, the ticket will be escalated to a Tier 2 Support Analyst for more detailed diagnostics.

Tier 2 Support

These more experienced Support Analysts will start by reviewing the information and preliminary steps taken by the Tier 1 Support Agent.  Tier 2 Support Analysts are more experienced and generally have 4-8 years of IT Support experience, and many will be pursuing advanced certifications to strengthen their abilities.  They can quickly assess the situation based on this information provided and move towards resolving the issue.  At this level, more in depth troubleshooting occurs. These Analysts will have a more complex understanding of your specific hardware/software, network connectivity, and software related issues.  Due to their multiple years of experience troubleshooting/resolving similar technical issues on a daily basis they have experienced a wide variety of technical issues making them more familiar with how to resolve complex problems.  The Tier 2 team will utilize multiple types of diagnostic tools in order to take appropriate actions to fix the problem quickly.  This may include diagnostic testing, software analysis, software repair, hardware repair/replacement, and utilizing remote control tools to take over your system for the purpose of finding the root cause (and therefore a solution) to the issues a customer is experiencing.  If the Tier 2 Analyst has exhausted all their resources and the problem still persists, or if they determine it is an issue that they do not have the necessary level of access to resolve…they will then escalate the problem to a Tier 3 Analyst.

Tier 3 Support

The Tier 3 team is typically made up of more senior engineers that are specialized and often times they serve as the department’s SME (subject matter expert) on a particular area of the corporate IT infrastructure/software product suite.  These engineers are often highly certified holding accreditations like the MCSE, CCNA, CCNP, CISSP, and many others giving them a much more in depth understanding of how to manipulate and troubleshoot certain hardware/software issues in order to determine a solution.  Tier 3 Engineers are often called on to troubleshoot new/unknown issues with a particular device or application.  The average experience level for a Tier 3 Engineer is usually 10+ years allowing them an extensive background working with the hardware/software that is causing the issue.

The life of a trouble ticket can be unpredictable and sometimes even a simple situation like a username/password issue can lead to uncovering complex root issues that caused the problem in the first place.  The end result is always to resolve the issue as quickly as possible with as little downtime for the customer.  Utilizing the 3 tier support system allows a team to determine the proper course of action through a proven approach.  It can be frustrating at times, but rest assured that your issue is important and the IT Support Team is actively troubleshooting/analyzing this event.  They are not only working to solve the immediate problem for you fast and efficiently, but to hopefully ensure it doesn’t happen again to you or anyone else within the organization.

First of all, if you haven’t heard of SCRUM, it’s not soap residue.  It’s an agile process for developing software.  It’s totally different than the traditional waterfall development where all the business analysis is gathered up front, the prototypes are designed and the product is built to specifications that hopefully haven’t changed since the beginning of the project.

What makes SCRUM work for businesses?  To keep it simple, it cuts out the waste, speeds up development, testing and delivery.  It also improves the quality of the product with less rework needed because the client plays an integral role and is kept very close to the project.

Look familiar? It’s too bad there isn’t an electronic way to organize and manage your significant documents. Oh Wait!….There Is! Customized document management systems add value to your business by cutting costs, improving office efficiency and increasing overall productivity.

Beyond that, the installation of a separate full blown stand-alone document management system may be overkill if your problem is focused on the management of a specific document type such as material test reports or the product safety sheets associated with your inventory or manufactured goods. Many ERP systems provide the ability to link documents to operational records. What they lack are the mechanisms to scan, classify, and automatically establish the necessary links.

The field of document management can span solutions ranging from providing a simple electronic filing cabinet to the most sophisticated data extracting, workflow, record retention and automated disposition system. Thoughtful analysis of what brings value may very well reveal significant cost benefits and productivity improvements as a result of the implementation of simple and straight-forward process improvements such as the integration of a document management system with your ERP or other operational support system.

If integrating with your ERP, you should expect these benefits:

• Ensure the safe sharing of proprietary information among individuals and between collaborating departments by setting user permissions for each document

• Reduce costly administrative filing tasks by reducing paper piles and reclaim office space by eliminating filing cabinets

• Improve efficiency by providing access to important information from within your existing operational system

• Improve ability to search for documents and the associated items in your inventory

• Reduction in the time and labor spent tagging, categorizing and indexing your current documents and the reduction or elimination of the costs of time spent searching for misplaced folders

Alistair Cockburn, one of the initiators of the agile movement in software development, introduced this concept of learning in his book “Agile Software Development.”

The concept of “Shu Ha Ri”, is a Japanese martial arts concept that applies to the practice of learning, from beginner to the level of mastery. He wrote about three levels of practice: learn, detach, transcend and how we can apply them to our learning experiences.

Shu-Ha-Ri is a way to think about the levels of learning that we progress through as we gain knowledge about something.   The idea is that as in order for a person to master something they need to pass through three stages of growth.

• Shu: This is the beginning stage of learning where we follow and mimic the steps of others.    They focus on doing the task with knowing or worrying about the “why”.  This is a period of coping without adaption.

• Ha: The intermediate stage is the point the we begin to branch out. We gain knowledge of the “why” and start integrating what we have learned into our practice.

• Ri:  The mastery stage is a stage of continuation.   We aren’t  learning from other people anymore. We are learning from own experience and practice. We are able to adapt what we learn to their own experiences and circumstances.   This is also referred to as a state of flow, around some particular practice.

In my experience, I found this to be a true path when learning most anything.  First we start out by imitating and following, and then we move on to fluent mastery.

For example, a child learning to talk imitates the words other people in their lives are speaking not really fully knowing the meaning.   But then learning happens and the child begins to associate the word with real meaning, even though they only know how to use those words in a limited context.    Then more leaning happens (mastery) as the child begins to take the words they know and apply them to other contexts as they experience them.

However, I find myself at many different levels of learning for on a variety of differ things.    I can be a “Shu” on one practice, and “Ha” and “Ri” at others.   By the way, I feel like I have more “Ha” practices and very few “Ri” practices.

I am defiantly in the “Shu” stage on my golf game.  Just following the steps of my instructor, but still not really understanding the why’s of things like technique, club # , and such.  As compared to Roy Mcllroy’s performance at the U.S. Open, which undoubtedly classifies his practice as “Ri” (mastery).  (I don’t normally watch golf, but that was an exciting game!)

I will mostly likely never be a “Ri” at golf, so you might not want to pair up with me on the course if you’re looking to win.   But I am striving to get to “Ri” in my knowledge of other practices, such as team building, agile development, and intrinsic thinking.

So where do you find self in “Shu Ha Ri”?

You can find out more about this in Alistair’s book: Agile Software Development.

Here’s a great technique that helps in determining project feature priority.  Agile/Scrum manifesto is based on the premise of working on the high value items first.  These may be the features that bring the highest ROI, a matrix of complexity / risk vs. value, market value, etc.   Whatever the determining factor is, the prioritization of these value features is important in order to ensure that those value items are delivered first.

Story mapping is a process of defining the features/functions that you want your project to accomplish and organizing them in a way that makes the most sense (by process, menu option, user role, etc).  This provides the team, with a “big picture” view of the project as a whole.

We use this in conjunction with our “Product Backlog” (Agile/Scrum requirements list), prioritized list of user stories (requirements / features) for the team to implement.   This works well for our Sprint Planning, but doesn’t show a big picture view of the project.

This big picture view project helps in the definition, organization and prioritization of user stories (requirements / features).  It provokes communication and provides a clear path to the high value user stories.

How does it work?

Write down all the features you would like to have as a result of the project on to sticky notes (one on each).    With the help of a facilitator, classify each into groups (by process, menu option, user role, or etc.) that make the most sense.

Take different color sticky notes and write the group name for each   (one on each). Then arrange all of the features, underneath each group note, sticking them on the wall in rows/columns as the logical arrangement naturally occur.   Feature sticky notes can be moved around, as the team makes sense of the emerging flow.

Once complete, the Story Map gives a high-level view of all features and allows the team to make better decision about the high value feature sets.   The set of high value features becomes the “Minimum Marketable Feature Set”, the set of feature that most be implemented to make this project successful.   Now you know where to start!

The Story Map then becomes a boundary object, providing a mechanism where different points of view converge and enables a shared understanding to be formed. But most of all it helps in defining, reinforcing and communicating the project vision.

Happy mapping!

Since I am not proficient in all technology trends, the rising popularity of virtualization was not something I could quickly wrap my head around. When I hear the word “virtualization” I think of “virtual reality” games and training. Wikipedia’s definition of “virtual reality” is: “a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world”. So I then deducted that “virtualizing a server” was something along the lines of using a virtual server to do the job of a physical server when the physical one was not available. While I was happy with my conclusion, I had to know if I was right. I sat down with Doug Cottle, one of our Technical Analysts, and grilled him on the topic. It turns out, my assumption was fairly correct, and I got even more information on virtualization which I am glad to now share with you.

THE “INTERVIEW”

Christine:

Doug, there’s been a recent buzz in the business world about server virtualization. What does it mean to virtualize a server?

Doug:

Virtualizing a server is basically taking a physical server and creating an electronic version of it or a Virtual Machine.  A physical host server is setup that can run multiple Virtual Machines.

Christine:

Ok, so what are the major advantages of virtualization?

Doug:

Virtualization offers many advantages over running independent physical machines.  Many times software is spread across multiple servers not because of resource limitations but to avoid conflicts between the applications.  By virtualizing the servers you can run multiple servers from a single physical box.  For example: Instead of buying a physical server for Microsoft Exchange and another physical server for Blackberry Enterprise Server you can simply buy one server and set it up as a VM Host, then run the virtual instances of both the Exchange and BES from the single host.  Fewer physical boxes results in lower equipment and operation costs as well as conserving space through consolidation.  Virtualization also offers companies a way to implement redundancy without purchasing additional hardware.  Other benefits include: Simple backup and disaster recovery solutions, aid in testing and development, and to centralize server administration.

Christine:

Why do you think it is becoming such a hot topic now?

Doug:

Hardware resources (processing power/memory) have increased faster than software resource demand.  It makes sense economically to Virtualize.  Virtualization is a cost effective solution that has many great benefits and is easier to implement now than ever.

Christine:

Hmm, that is really interesting. Are there any disadvantages though that people should be aware of before virtualizing?

Doug:

Aside from requiring new skills that the current administrator may not have the biggest drawback to virtualization is a single hardware failure can bring down multiple servers.  If you have a VM host running four of you main production servers and the motherboard dies, your four production servers are now dead as well.  Of course with redundant systems in place it would not be an issue.  Having a single point of failure for multiple servers is probably one of the biggest items to be taken in to consideration when planning to virtualize.  Doing your homework during the planning phase will definitely pay off years down the road.

This “interview” with Doug really helped me fill in the gaps of my understanding of virtualization. I hope you feel better informed as well.

If you have any questions or would like further information about virtualization, please visit RSA Corp or email us at info@rsacorp.com.

When talking “technology” among you colleagues and friends, who comes to mind as the man that started it all?  Would it be Bill Gates? Steve Jobs? Or maybe in your circle of friends it’s all about Linus Torvalds?  Well, in honor of Father’s Day, let’s think back even farther.  Back to the real “Father of Computers” and the man that in many ways really is the one that is truly responsible for kicking off this progression that has led to where we are today.  I’m talking (of course) about Charles Babbage.  He was given the title “Father of Computers” in 1970 by Daniel Halacy.

Charles’ life’s work was to create a machine (Difference Engine) that would replace the need for a person to perform the painstakingly tedious task of manual calculations.  At the time, it was a low-level mindless job function performed by a team of people referred to as “computers” because their sole job duty was to add and subtract (to compute) data.  It was terribly inefficient and there were many errors in the calculation.  Charles believed that a machine could be built to accomplish this task and replace the need for a large staff of unskilled workers performing basic addition and subtraction, and that the machine could be relied on to perform these computations more accurately at a much faster rate.  This (for all practical purposes) was the first time a machine would be referred to as a “computer”.  This was the mechanical offspring that earned Babbage the title “The Father of Computers”.

Charles Babbage gave birth to this idea.  He spent his life designing and redesigning this “Difference Engine” (mechanical computer) and it has gone on to develop quite a life of its own.  Did he know the impact this would have on the world?  Did he know that his mechanical offspring would go on to create the ideas and new offspring and one day there would be computers carried around in people’s pockets more powerful than anything ever imagined at the time?

As a father, I can’t imagine all the ways my babies will grow up and impact the lives around them.  I try to instill my values and ensure they are happy and healthy in childhood with (of course) the hopes that one day they grow up and realize all their dreams in life.  Every parent wants their child to succeed. We want them to grow and develop a great life in adulthood; but can we really imagine the impact our children will have on the world 20 or 30 years from now?  We would like to imagine we will still be around to see our babies grow to their full potential in adulthood and see the wonderful life we created making a positive impact on our world.  This unfortunately wasn’t the case for Mr. Babbage.  His Difference Engine would not be completed until 1991 (120 years after his death) and its first computation successfully returned a result with 31 digits, far more than the modern calculator.  He is quoted (referring to this Difference Engine) as saying, “Another age must be the judge” because he did not have the parts, nor the technology, to see his designs to completion.  The designs he created went on to form a life of their own and have, in turn, flourished and thrived to spawn advancements in technology far beyond his wildest dreams.  The basic architecture of Babbage’s machines is not much different than a modern computer.  The data and program memory are separated, operation was instruction based, the control unit could make conditional jumps and the machines had a separate I/O unit.  So in many ways, that he himself probably didn’t completely realize, he designed a machine that would become the basis for the modern computer and change the world forever.

Next time you’re talking “technology” with your friends and coworkers, see how many of them can actually recall who holds the title “The Father of Computers”.  Remind them that it was the designs and ideas of Charles Babbage that really started it all.

Happy Father’s Day to you, Charles  Babbage, and to all of you great dads out there!

Lean production techniques, just-in-time delivery and reengineered corporations have forever changed the rules of logistics management. Having what’s needed, when needed, and in the appropriate quantities has become more difficult and complex. And for those companies providing logistics services, the competition to attract and keep customers has done everything but become simpler.

Logistics is about service. Competition is no longer restricted to delivering the best and most cost effective form of warehousing, packaging, shipping, local delivery or other contracted services. Providers are now judged on how well their business models and back-office systems conform to and support the needs oftheir customers.

LogicSmart’s analysis of their clients’ needs led them to venture beyond the services they traditionally had been providing. Their industry knowledge and deep insights into the needs of their clients allowed LogicSmart to recognize areas where they could engage to significantly improve their clients’ processes; and in turn, gain both a competitive advantage and bind their clients more tightly through the uniqueness of their new service offering.

Many of the shipments handled by LogicSmart originate in plants in mainland China resulting in the need to track the shipment from the initial trucking company to export packing to maritime transport to US customs to intermodal trucking and potentially through a US over the road trucking firm to the final receiving dock.

To allow their customers to track these shipments, LogicSmart developed a specialized data acquisition and display application. LogicSmart’s application allows their customers to provide information on shipments to be tracked and the carriers that are being used. LogicSmart’s application then logs onto the web sites of each carrier in the logistics pipeline and acquires information on the shipments being tracked. This information is aggregated and stored in a database. Another component of the application presents the customer with current status and location of their shipment.

LogicSmart’s application simplifies tracking shipments. Two shipments can leave the same manufacturing plant bound for the same destination at the same time but using entirely different carriers and yet LogicSmart’s application provides the same information on both shipments. LogicSmart’s application provides a straight forward approach to simplifying a very complex process and eliminates a large amount of manual effort in tracking goods from plant to final destination yielding more timely, accurate and usable information.

The benefit to LogicSmart is that they have been able to attract additional customers due to the value their customers assign to being able to more easily track their shipments as they cross the globe and pass from one transportation firm to another.

*We are using the name “LogicSmart”, as the actual company name is being omitted for the purpose of this story.

Let’s face it…everyone these days has a website.  It is estimated that over 75% of the worlds small to medium sized businesses currently have an active website.  These websites contain vital data to run the business, account numbers, client contact information, financial data, and an extensive amount of data that can be used for malicious reasons.  Even if your most sensitive data isn’t “out there” on the internet, these websites allow access to the systems on your network that DO house this data.

There was a time when hackers and identity thieves would prey on larger corporations going after a guaranteed target to find the information they needed, but today that is not the case. Small to medium sized businesses are a common target because more times than not these companies have the most accessible holes in their system for a hacker to exploit.  Even seemingly “secure data” can be accessed through other vulnerabilities in the system using wide variety of methods.  How secure are you?

If your company is connected to the internet you are exposed to some degree.  Security is so often overlooked, but with a recent increase in high profile cyber-attacks, companies are starting to realize how important their networks’ security really is.  The scary part is how vulnerable most companies are even when they think they have a fair amount of security already in place.  Unfortunately, security is often times one of the things we don’t realize how important it is until it is too late and how important it is to have frequent security audits/updates.

There are generally two scenarios to get targeted for an attack.

One is for an individual to decide they want to attack you.  There is not much you can do to stop this from happening, but there is definitely a lot you can do to prevent them from being successful.  With this type of attack, the attacker is more likely to take steps in order to minimize discovery.  The attacker could be an ex-employee, a competitor, or simply seeking revenge on your company.  Without an experienced administrator, this type of attack could easily go unnoticed.

The other scenario, and probably the most common, is to have a vulnerability in your network that is exposed by scanners.  Computers are constantly scanning the internet looking for machines that have unpatched vulnerabilities.  Basically…someone starts a program, when the program gives them results they use the information to exploit the system.  It takes no high level skill to perform this method which is what makes it so dangerous.  Often referred to as “script kiddies” in the industry, users can gain unauthorized access to a remote system without the high level of knowledge typically associated with hacking.  Once access is gained, damage is highly likely.  The attacker is doing it for fun. Their personal gain is the excitement, so there will be no regard for damage the company experiences as a result.  This is not only an issue for large corporations.  Many of these “script kiddies” aren’t hacking for any general purpose other than for bragging rights to their friends, so it doesn’t matter what size of organization or what damage they do.  Many small to medium sized businesses find themselves the victim of an attack such as this one because they don’t think they would be targeted.  That’s just the point though…everyone is a target and a potential victim and these cyber-attacks are becoming more and more frequent with small to medium sized businesses as the intended target.

Cyber-attacks cost companies, of all sizes, substantial amounts of money every day.  Unlike physical property, stolen digital data can be rapidly duplicated so the damage cannot be ‘undone’ by recovering the data.  The moment it is stolen there is NO getting it back, merely getting back one of the many copies of it.  The way in your system and to your data could be anything; a user account that was never disabled, common passwords, improperly configured wireless access point, a lost or stolen laptop, etc.

How are you handling your security?  Do you have a reputable partner with the proven experience finding (and correcting) these security holes in your network?  These attacks happen every day and if the proper measures aren’t in place along with the proper ongoing maintenance it is only a matter of time before your security has been breached.  There are many reputable firms that can perform the necessary security audits to find the holes before an unscrupulous hacker finds his or her way into your network to cause immeasurable mayhem.  RSA can provide security auditing services and the proper network management to ensure these vulnerabilities are exposed and corrected.  Even if you have an internal IT Team managing the network it is very advantageous to allow a 3^rd party to offer an unbiased opinion into how secure things really are.

Here are some of the basic guidelines.  Doing these things will help keep your information secure, but these are just the basics.

• Use strong passwords (alpha-numeric, 8 character minimum)
• Rotate passwords on a quarterly basis
• If a user doesn’t need specific access, don’t grant it
• Keep all security patches up to date
• Have a good firewall that is properly configured and keep it updated regularly
• NEVER use unsecured wireless
• Have Anti-Virus on ALL machines

Security is not just about the products in place, it is about the processes being followed and the attention to detail when auditing your network for vulnerabilities.  Having the proper processes in place will not only keep you ahead of the competition, but constantly monitoring your security keeps you one step ahead of the “bad guys” out there looking to wreak chaos for no other reason other than personal satisfaction.  So ask yourself…“ How secure are we, really?” Then call RSA Corp for a security audit and to ensure that your network is performing with the best security possible.  We can be your partner to keep you one step ahead of the competition.

Join RSA Corp, friends, and colleagues at this fabulous Agile Workshop by Mac Iver Group, LP on Monday, June 6th.

Duration: One Day

Class Size: 8 to 24 persons

Come Take An Agile Journey

Then this workshop is for you. Whether you are a project manager, business analyst, developer, tester, architect, product manager, team leader, business manager, quality control analyst, or simply “agile curious” this workshop is your chance to get some hands on experience with agile practices. Come roll up your sleeves and jump into a day of activities, exercises, and interactive discussions that will let you touch and feel agile practices and take them out for a spin.

The solution to Mary getting in trouble in the nursery rhyme, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, is obvious and apparent; just don’t take that little lamb to school!  Sometimes problems in business seem as obvious and they are easy to fix.  Other times, not so much.  A manufacturing client of ours had an issue meeting commitment deadlines and getting their product shipped.  With RSA’s help, our client in the below, rewritten nursery rhyme was able to pinpoint the areas in the process that were causing the issue and utilize the custom app that we wrote for them to monitor production daily and meet their commitments.

Just as Mary got in trouble for taking her lamb to school in the nursery rhyme, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, our client kept getting complaints from their customers because their shipments were not arriving on time. They turned to RSA to help them understand why they were missing their commitments and why their shipments were not meeting their schedule.

RSA Corp was glad to provide the solution to their problem. RSA developed a customized application for that examines each completed work order, analyzes promise verses completion dates, reviews the logic of how the product moves through the environment, and then determines why the commit date was not met. With our help, the client is able to identify WHY their business isn’t running smoothly and can take immediate action to correct it.

Mary Had a Custom App…

Client had a shipment date, 

Shipment date, shipment date,

Client had a shipment date,

They often couldn’t meet.

And every time they missed a date,

Missed a date, missed a date,

And every time they missed a date,

They had to face the heat.

They needed help from RSA,

RSA, RSA,

They needed help from RSA,

To get them back on time.

We made an app to show the way,

Show the way, show the way,

We made an app to show the way,

Their goods moved through the line.

And so they saw where they went wrong,

They went wrong, they went wrong,

And so they saw where they went wrong,

With timing on the floor.

Production now moves right along,

Right along, right along,

Production now moves right along,

And makes it out the door.

“Can a custom app help me too?”

Help me too? Help me too?

“Can a custom app help me too,”

Smart businesses do cry.

“Yes, they can help business improve.”

Business improve, business improve,

“Yes, they can help business improve,”

Is RSA’s reply.

Kim Payne, Senior Project Manager at RSA Corp, discusses improvements on logistics and inventory tracking, especially for the Marine Industry and other similar industries.

Kim Payne, Senior Project Manager at RSA Corp, explains how customer portals adds business value.

You already know that you can get your e-mail by logging into a website on the Internet. What if you could also get word processing, spreadsheet or presentation software as well? Instead of installing Quickbooks and maintaining the database on a server located at your office, why not login to ClarityAccounting or Quickbooks Online and have access to your data from anywhere, anytime, within minutes? The ability to run a business with your entire server structure online is the embodiment of cloud computing. No more servers to install, manage, update or upgrade.

Leave behind the expensive software for which you purchase a license for each of your computers and instead pay for only what you need. One employee could work using the same software from any computer they choose without having to purchase and install the software on any of the computers. This saves potentially thousands of dollars in software licensing alone.

Server functions will become a thing of the past. File servers and backup systems are being replaced by companies like SugarSync, OpenDrive and Mozy. These services allow you to save to their server online as if it were a server in your office. If you need strictly backup services for your company, you could employ services from companies like CloudReplica. If your onsite server goes toes up, the operation will failover to the CloudReplica service. Once you have your server back up and running, you can replicate the entire system from CloudReplica to your new box.

Cloud computing is the future of IT. The technological advances in networking have closed the gap in long distance communications and makes real-time, offsite processing a reality.

All businesses use a core set of technologies to support their business operations.  Larger businesses generally support several functional areas ranging from operational functions to accounting. Businesses rely on these technologies to increase their efficiency and improve their ability to scale and grow the business.  Many smaller and mid-size businesses rely on a core application, such as Quickbooks or Peachtree, to initially support their accounting, billing, and invoicing functions. However, the areas of the business which give rise to the need to create an invoice are often handled manually using spreadsheets and word documents.

So, what are the options when businesses reach the threshold and recognize that what is being used today won’t support the processes required for the business volume they hope to be achieving in the near future?  There isn’t a single clear cut answer for every organization, but there are several common considerations that should be examined in order to determine what is right for your company.

1. One very good option is to purchase off-the-shelf software built for your type of business.  When buying off the shelf, you should plan on implementing new processes that fit the software you are purchasing in order to obtain the maximum benefit.  Be aware that one size does not often fit all, so in more cases than not, you will need some level of customization to fill any gaps in the functionality you need to support your business operations.  It is important to go through a software selection process before making major investments in technology for your business. We recommend using a vendor who does not resell any off-the-shelf software. Instead, use a vendor who is familiar with the industry in which your business is engaged, who has an understanding of businesses processes and who is familiar with multiple types of software used to service your industry.  This allows your business to gain an unbiased opinion of multiple packages, the functionality within those packages, and how well they may suit your business.  It also allows for a gap analysis of each software and what customizations and integrations may be needed in order for it to be most effective for your company.
2. Another possible course is to augment your current software to provide better support for key processes.  Changing processes in any business is hard, so if you are pleased with your core software and there are few or no limitations to its supporting your future growth, it makes sense to investigate having software extensions designed and integrated with your core software to support your other key processes.  These areas can include mobile technology, integration of one or more of your current packages with a custom application designed to fill in the gaps, and web applications that further support your external employees and/or clients.
3. When it’s your processes that make your business unique and valuable to your clients, you don’t want to change your business processes to align with software. Or, if your business processes include multiple specialty industry segments, a custom application should be considered.  Custom applications capture unique processes across organizations, create a way for the company to work together to increase operational efficiencies on every level, and provide real-time visibility to clients via reporting tools.  If you are outgrowing your current system and are considering a custom application, make sure to use vendors who understand your industry, can analyze processes, and who have a track record of providing solid custom tailored software solutions.

Regardless of whether you decide to build or buy, make sure key stakeholders are involved in the entire process and engage a steering committee in your company to assist in making key decisions throughout the process.  Your level of commitment to providing information and working with vendors determines the success of your project.

My previous post reviewed the basics of virtualization and a brief history lesson.  I also included the basics of the cost benefits of incorporating a virtual environment at your business.

To briefly recap, make sure you look through your expenses to see if it’s the right fit, before taking on any project of this level.  I would highly recommend getting a professional (like RSA Corp) involved who has the experience to make sure your implementation goes smoothly.

So let’s start with some of my recommendations.  I’ll start with the desktop level, so you can have some experience under your belt before moving to the server level.

First, let’s take a look at some of the things you will need:

• A working computer with a lot of RAM.  On a desktop, a virtual machine will share the memory with the operating system.

• Extra disk space to use with your new VMs.  On-board hard drive space is ideal, but a USB drive will work in a pinch.

• ISO files of the operating systems you wish to install.  ISO files are digital copies of the operating system, which historically were used to burn a copy of the OS directly to a DVD/CD for installation in another computer.  In the virtual world, ISOs can sit in a centralized store, so you don’t have to find them later.  Linux distros are commonly delivered in this format.  Windows ISOs can be downloaded from Microsoft (be sure you have the license key), or you can use a tool like MagicISO Maker to create your own (many of these tools charge a nominal fee for the program).
  • If you are not comfortable creating an ISO (or can’t find them), but have the original Windows CD/DVD, you can use that as well – just be sure you don’t lose it.
  • A bit of patience – this is a new way of doing things.

Here are some great programs to start on your path to virtualization:

Next up:  Taking the dive into server virtualization… bring a wetsuit….

One of the most exciting developments in recent years is the concept of virtualization.  Once thought of as a tool for the large enterprise, recent developments have made the possibility of running multiple computers on one physical host affordable and attractive to the SMB market.

First, a history lesson…..

The concept of virtualization began back in the 1960s, when IBM started working with the concept of running multiple processes on the same equipment.  Powerhouse machines easily cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars, and an idle computer could be extremely costly to maintain with no benefit.  To get the biggest bang for their buck, IBM engineers found a way for a computer to do multiple jobs at once; a mainframe computer could calculate a budget and collate a customer list at the same time, and the processor would have a much shorter downtime.  Many of these concepts were incorporated into new chip designs, but largely the concept changed into the concept of “multitasking”, which we use to this day.  (AT+T advertises that on the iPhone, you can surf the Internet and talk on the phone at the same time, but I haven’t found much of a use for it yet.)  The concept of virtualizing a computer largely faded in the 1980s and 1990s, as computers became more affordable, and we didn’t worry as much about system idle time (not downtime, where your IT guy runs around like his hair is on fire).

Fast forward to today – the year 2010 (or is    that the temperature here inTexas?), when we are  once again trying to maximize our computer  investment.  Computers are still a cheaper    resource compared to their distant IBM  ancestors, but they are more critical than ever.    In 1965, if your computer crashed, you called the  repair team, and your employees moved on with  their work – it was mostly manual anyway.  In  2010, if your computer crashes, that team member comes to a screeching halt – if the server crashes, your whole business comes to a screeching halt, and the costs start adding up.

In addition (and I’ve seen this with more clients than I’d care to admit), growing business got into the issue of “server creep” – they outgrew a server, or needed one for a new initiative, and simply bought another one.  Before they realize it, they are supporting six or seven individual servers, on different hardware, all draining the same amount of power, and slowly increasing the power demands on the business.  The electric bill goes up, the heat from the additional servers go up, and before you know it, money is being thrown at electrical upgrade, air conditioning, and space.  A short-term decision suddenly became a costly maintenance item.  Take a large company like HP, Coca Cola, or even the US government, and the costs start increasing into the millions.

Then came virtualization, a way for one powerful machine to act as many smaller machines.  Large companies could shrink down their farm of servers to a few boxes, and run faster, using every last bit of processing power available to them.  In large environments, the cost savings was immediate, and easily justified the big dollars paid to the virtualization companies to take advantage of this new technology.

However, the smaller companies didn’t have as big of a benefit, and many wrote it off altogether.

Until VMWare came along, and turned the industry on its head.  Again.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s look at the benefits and risks of a VM environment, in general:

• Maintenance cost – Maintaining a server is a costly exercise.  Taking out the usual maintenance (updates, service packs, log reviews, etc.), the cost of electric for a typical server is about $520/year, and puts off about 1700 BTU/hr in heat.  In an environment with six servers, for instance, the cost is $3120/year, and averages about 10,200 BTU/hr in heat, which you need to keep chilled.  Take that same environment, put in a highly reliable and beefy server, and you can reduce the costs to $2180/year for electric, and only 7,160 BTU/hr to keep chilled – your AC isn’t working as hard, and you will get more life out of it.  These are very rough numbers for examples; every situation is different, and they are actually on the low side of the potential savings.

• Management cost – Servers need to be maintained.  Routine servers can be accessed through an SSL, RDP, VNC, or other connection for maintenance, but what if you need to restart the server?  Before I got involved in virtualization, if we had a server crash, I would need to drive two hours to our colocation facility, research and fix the issue, and drive two hours back – I lost four hours each time the server crashed.  In a virtual world, that 4-hour round-trip affair is gone – as long as I can get into the physical host (the beefy server running my virtual machines), I can restart the servers easily, and usually faster than the old-fashioned hardware reset.

• Decreased downtime – I addressed the major issue with downtime above, but here’s another example – let’s say my server got a virus (happens to the best of us, sorry), and crashed my system.  On a traditional system, I would need to pull backups and restore from the tape archives, a dicey and time-intensive process; if it doesn’t work, I need to reinstall the server from scratch.  In the virtual world, I can fall back to a previous “snapshot” of my server, and have it up and running in minutes.  If, for some reason, the snapshot fails, I can reinstall prepared images of the server to cut down on the rebuild time – instead of staring at a computer for an hour waiting for the software to reload, I can have my server back up and functional with a few clicks.

• Conservation of resources – When virtualization was first introduced, the concept was to maximize the use of the processors.  As I gained more servers, I had more servers with idle time – some servers would be at full load, and some would be at 10% load if I was lucky (especially with Web servers).  With a beefy server, my processer will be utilized more, and if Server A uses more than I planned, a few button clicks can give that server another processor, more memory, or whatever it needs.

• N-level flexibility – Higher-end servers get better parts, just like an Infiniti will have better parts than a Hyundai (was thinking Yugo, but I didn’t want to date myself).  More parts means more options.  Need a dedicated Ethernet port for a server?  No problem, the big server has four, and only one of them is being used right now.  Need more memory/processors?  Just click here.  Need to configure three machines on a VLAN, and the fourth in a DMZ?  Use this wizard.  The possibilities are only bound by the server, but this is a much better server than you’ve used in the past.

• Ease of transfer – Congratulations, you’ve used your server for three years, and Bob Johnson just got the biggest account of his life, so your business just doubled overnight.  Under the old system, you would have to add more servers (more cost, more heat, etc).  Under virtualization, you can over-spec your VMs (not really recommended, but a short-term band-aid), and when your new server comes in, just move the files from one server to the next.  Nothing has to change except when you want it to change.

• Sandbox – My kids have spent hours in the sandbox, or on the beach, playing with new ideas on castle construction and sand-shovel irrigation projects.  When they’re done, Mother Nature erases their projects, and makes it ready for the next little dreamer.  VM sandboxes are the same – you can test out the new server, toy, etc., in an isolated mode, and do virtually anything you want – when you’re done, click Delete, and the VM is gone.  Much better than hoping the old desktop in the back of the broom closet can run Exchange 2010 before you have to install it live for the entire company.

And now, the risks:

• Costs – High-end servers are pricey.  Just be sure to figure the ROI over the length of the usable life (no more than four years – I prefer three).

• Single point of failure – If a virtual server dies, a few clicks restarts it.  If your physical host dies, you’re dead in the water.  Large companies have failover configurations to prevent this.  We recommend a failover configuration, but realize sometimes it’s just not feasible.  Just be sure to get the warranty coverage – Dell offers some great coverage on their servers (for the record, I’m not a Dell fan, but I have to recognize excellence when I see it).

• UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) – Maybe you held off on getting the backup battery.  Don’t even think about it with a virtual server.  While the system is very resilient, the VMs themselves are nothing more than files, and you want to be sure they are shut down properly.

• Management tools – Do a search on the Internet, and you will find a virtual cornucopia (I bet a friend of mine I could use that word in conversation) of information and trialware of programs to manage your network; some are free, most cost money.  Be careful when looking at these programs – many of them are bloatware that you will never use, and mimic some of the tasks you can do for free.

There are some tools to get you started on your way to the world of virtualization, but I would recommend discussing your needs with a computer professional before signing that big check.  You can also start on your way with virtualization now with some of your old equipment, to get you familiar with the benefits and caveats of a virtual environment.

Next time – a couple of my VM recommendations, and things to consider on your new path.

Mike Molenda, Senior Technical Consultant at RSA Corp, lists ways to check if you are indeed addicted to the internet.

Mike Molenda, Senior Technical Consultant at RSA Corp, shares some tips on what basic, but high-level, aspects to consider when trying to keep your computer safe.

Episode #16 – Holly Gunn, Marketing Manager at RSA Corp, reminds businesses of the importance of social media, not just for finding prospects, but for building your brand, driving website traffic, and establishing and nurturing business relationships.

Episode #14 – Stephen Sweeney, COO at RSA Corp, explains how Green IT, the recent major technology trend, saves businesses money by conserving their resources and making them more efficient.

The decision whether or not (or when) to upgrade is complex and dependent on many factors. Upgrading operating systems can create a competitive advantage, increase productivity and reduce administrative overhead. Alternatively, upgrading can cause compatibility issues with core applications, reduce productivity and significantly impact budgets and the bottom line. Due to mixed reviews of Vista, many businesses have chosen to delay upgrading to the controversial operating system and are waiting for Microsoft to either fix it or produce something better. The immediate positive reviews of the recently released Windows 7 beta are encouraging, but should you bet your business on it?

Windows 7 is looming on the horizon. It’s hard to believe, but Windows XP first arrived in 2001. XP is a good OS and a significant improvement over Windows 2000 in many business-relevant ways. This was especially evident with the release of service pack 2 and its improved networking and security capabilities.

Businesses have been riding the XP train for eight years, despite Vista being available for some time now. Hesitation exists because upgrading can be a headache, and there’s the often-stated mindset that you should never opt for the first release of a Microsoft OS. Whatever the reason, many businesses wait until Microsoft has “worked the bugs out.” I‘ve often heard the belief that the best way to adopt new OS releases from Microsoft is to let someone else do its beta testing.

Like it or not, the XP train is reaching the end of the track. Support officially ended for XP in April 2009, with extended support until 2014. That means no more updates and no more free support from Microsoft duration. It also means you cannot buy a new PC installed with XP, and the legal ability to downgrade from Vista to XP will no longer be an option. So one way or another, decision makers are going to face a choice of operating systems that will not include XP.

It is not all bad news though.

I’ve been using Windows 7 both in beta and release candidate for several months on both my home PC and my corporate laptop. I use my laptop as both a desktop replacement at the office and as a mobile workstation for multiple client-site use.

How 7 Works and Plays in the Enterprise and in Multi-Client and Remote Use

1. Simpler and faster networking – Network browsing is fast and efficient, unlike Vista where long lags can occur when clicking on a network drive. Wireless configuration and reconnecting to existing networks is more streamlined and easier to achieve.

2. User account control – In Vista, UAC was unmanageable, whereas 7 is unobtrusive. I eventually ended up turning it off in Vista, which did nothing for security.

3. Faster boot times – In all but a few cases where a user was using a stripped-down version of XP on a fast computer, 7 still boots faster. Unlike XP, which seems to get slower over time, my laptop still boots as fast as it did the day I installed 7. I’ve experienced this on platforms ranging from an older Pentium M 1.6 and a more current Centrino Dual Core.

4. Faster and easier install – I’ve smoothly installed 7 on eight different devices. No muss, no fuss, no drama. My greatest fear of driver availability on my production laptop has been laid to rest. When Microsoft released Vista, it introduced new driver architecture primarily for the graphics and sound subsystems. The difficulty of finding drivers early in an OS release is legendary. With 7, I’ve only encountered a handful of devices, mostly older printers, for which I have failed or had to search to find drivers. Where 7 drivers were not available, typically Vista drivers worked. Only one device has failed to work properly – an older Tektronix Phaser printer. Windows 7 included drivers are extensive. What’s more impressive about the availability of drivers is that I installed the 64-bit version instead of the more common 32-bit.

5. Blue Screens – Lots of blues with Vista, not one in 7. Your results may vary, but consider I currently have three different VPN clients and a host of diagnostic applications on my machine that do interesting things to the IP stack of my laptop.

Points in Favor of Windows 7 for the Enterprise

• Ability to remove Internet Explorer 8 and use other browsers exclusively
• Improved network browsing and searching speed and capabilities
• Improved troubleshooting and remote support capabilities
• Improved file browser over both XP and especially over Vista

Included apps (Paint, Notepad, Calculator) are greatly improved in both function and look and feel. Windows 7 is vastly better than Vista and has proven itself robust and usable for both home and business. If you have the opportunity thru purchasing new equipment or reloading an existing machine, pick up a copy of 7 when it hits the market (October 22, 2009) and give it a try.

If you’ve had a chance to work with Windows 7 beta..what are your thoughts?

Scrum has been around for nearly 20 years but has recently gained ground as a front-runner in the agile methodology practice group. Due to its approach to project requirements and fast iterative development cycles, Scrum will gain even more popularity as businesses are adopting lean processes, streamlining controls and cutting out waste. It brings a faster, more complete development modules and project owner involvement to ensure that current and future business goals are met.

Scrum is a value-driven management agile methodology that focuses on delivering small incremental batches of requirements within some given time frame and budget. One goal is to realize business value (ROI) on deliverables as soon as possible so businesses can make more informed decisions for future Scrums.

Scrum vs. Traditional Development Methods

Scrum methodology concentrates on incremental release cycles of useable deliverables. Requirements are placed on a product backlog list, which are then detailed into the Scrum backlog and pulled into a release for work. Project owners have full control over the backlog list and the priority of the work that is schedule to be done in each release. The release dates and budget for each Scrum iteration or sprint remain fixed, while the requirement (scope) remains flexible.

“Flexible scope” is a scary phrase for any project manager. In reality, when a project begins with high-level requirements and scope, the result is often different from the start. Throughout the project, the requirements are revised, changed and sometimes even removed.

With the Scrum methodology, both the cost and time for each iteration are fixed, ensuring budget and schedule control, while the project owner controls requirements (scope).

The process starts out with a backlog of requirements that the project owner prioritizes. Then, the project team decides how many requirements can be placed in a Scrum sprint. Requirements are further detailed and placed on the Scrum backlog. This is a just-in-time process for feeding into the Scrum sprint. It’s recommended that sprints run 1-3 weeks, depending on the needs of the project. The point is to keep them small, delivering working product frequently.

This allows for ROI to be recognized sooner than with traditional methods. Waterfall methods do not make ROI apparent until closer to the project end, which in some cases can be years. This makes Scrum a fiscally advantageous methodology for long-term projects.

Waterfall methods often result in systems that no longer provide the expected value because they’re out of date by the time of delivery or are in a never-ending mode of change. Scrum value-driven management helps to avoid these issues by quickly delivering high-priority requirements (as denoted by the product owner), which allows the product owner to revaluate the benefits of each requirement and adjust as needed.

Would faster delivery and ROI be factors in making a decision on a project methodology?

With the flood of people flocking to Twitter these days, it can be daunting to try and figure out who’s worth following and who isn’t. Here is my list of 25 Houston business tweeple that inspire, bring laughter, have influence and are just plain cool (in no particular order).

1. @astro_mike – Mike Massimino
NASA astronaut, mission specialist for STS-125

2. @drrbradley – Dr. Richard Bradley
Emergency physician with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

3. @BillWhiteforTX – Mayor Bill White
Son of San Antonio schoolteachers. Husband, father. Successful businessman. Mayor of Houston, winner in Profile in Courage Award. Candidate for U.S. Senate.

4. @baldheretic – Jay Lee
Helpline columnist for the Houston Chronicle, creator and host of Technology Bytes. Folk musician and shameless shutterbug.

5. @marc1919 – Marc Nathan
Web 2.0 Angel Investor & Technology Startup Incubator. Houston Technology Center.

6. @waterdesign – Heather Loftiss
Branding Goddess, designer lady, mom, wife/business partner, incoming AAF-H Branding Czar, gardener and photographer. Isn’t that enough?

7. @growth_coach – Jared Polak
I’m passionate about helping my community achieve success and balance in their lives

8. @Bukowsky – Jeff Flowers
To Build a Better World, You Must Start in Your Own Community.Web Developer. Graphic Designer. Social Media Guru.

9. @TheMoleskin – Kelsey Ruger
Senior-level software architect, web and UI designer. Passionate about creative thinking, training and employee development. VP at Pop Labs

10. @Jaseone – Jason Bainbridge
Geek, wanna be photographer, cyclist, beer & coffee lover! IT guy.

11.@JennTex – Jennifer Texada
Communications Program Manager at M. D. Anderson focusing on Social Media and stuff like that.

12. @she_eats – Katharine Shilcutt
Web editor for the Houston Press. Lover of food and beer. Probably of you, too.

13. @ericaogrady – Erica O’Grady
CXO Peanut Butter Media

14. @CoffeeGroundz – JR Cohen
I am a strong cup of coffee and by night I am a Belgium beer. We are your local cheers! #SupportLocal #GrowTogether

15. @lmayes – Laura Mayes
Who doesn’t want to write in 140 characters? Also wrote the upcoming book Kirtsy Takes a Bow (October 2009) And I helped found Kirtsy.com. Hooray! Etc.

16. @gracerodriguez – Grace Rodriguez
Ayn brand | social media consultant . community builder . creative . writer . speaker . activist . advocate | into : art . film . music . design . strategery

17. @imelda – Imelda
Wife, mom, computer geek from houston, texas who loves to take photos!

18. @TheBloggess – Jenny
Good Mom/Bad Mom blogger for Houston Chronicle

19. @Freebies4Mom – Heather
I blog at Freebies4Mom.com to help everyone save money with freebies, coupons, giveaways, sweepstakes, and money-saving tips

20. @Cosmopolitician – Monica Danna
Event planner + PR gal + social media maniac + houston fanatic + design lover + dance freak

21. @dsilverman – Dwight Silverman
Techblogger, computer columnist, blog editor @ Houston Chronicle | chron.com. Co-host of Technology Bytes radio show. Computer book author.

22. @MistyKhan – Misty Khan
Mommy, wife, family girl. Outlook, sales, & marketing consultant. entrepreneur, runner, wine lover, dog lover. Jewish Conservative #TCOT

23. @eschipul – Ed Schipul
Some guy from Houston who does web stuff with a bunch of other web people. Schipul Web Marketing.

24. @EstherSteinfeld – Blinds.com PR
PR gal, NotAllCEOsAreJerks.com Founder, Correspondent for The Business Makers Show, lover of Interior Design, buttermilk biscuits, cockapoos, & dance

25. @alangham – Arthur Langham
Programmer, Ironman finisher, Desert Storm veteran, font snob, and grammar nazi.

**Those of us tweeting from RSA Corp
@RSABoss – CEO
@scsweeney – COO
@Jrockross – Managed Services Manager
@scottgondesen – Client Relations Director
@HollystarPR – Marketing Manager

I couldn’t possibly include everyone that’s wonderful, so…who are your favs?

Companies continually seek new ways to go green with efficiencies, recycling and building improvements. How can IT help make business more eco-friendly? For companies with applications running on multiple servers, virtualization is a great way to maximize computing resources, reduce power consumption and eliminate server room expansion.

Virtualizing your server environment allows you to consolidate multiple server instances onto one piece of hardware, allowing for better utilization of computing resources and reduced energy for cooling and power.

In a business climate where IT is forced to do more with less, virtualization reduces maintenance and administration of hardware while increasing flexibility in continuity and disaster recovery. A virtualized server environment allows IT to work on issues without interrupting key operations. With more and more telecommuters and employees working on weekends, IT has less time to fix issues without affecting productivity.

After consolidating resources, donate or resell hardware to learning and training facilities in your area.

On Tuesday Apple held the iPhone 3.0 event. The event announced the roadmap for the 3.0 firmware for the iPhone, iPod touch and whatever comes next (maybe a netbook or tablet?) With more than 100 new features, this release is definitely the biggest yet. That’s right; it’s bigger than the 2.0 release, which announced Exchange ActiveSync.

Even with the release of more than 100 new features, the focus of the event was really for the developers. Apple finally launched the push notification service, which coders have been clamoring for since they hinted at it a year ago. Apparently, there were some scaling issues, but the service is ready to go.

Apple decided the push service was the path to pursue because the phone doesn’t allow apps to run in the background. The idea behind that thought is…background apps affect battery life and phone performance. Push notifications allow you to close a chat program mid-conversation but still receive updates. Then, it allows you to reply when ready even though the app is not running.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a beta copy of the iPhone 3.0 firmware update the day it was released. Early adoption rules! After doing some breathing exercises and removing the grin on my face that went from one ear to the other, I got a chance to play with the new firmware Apple will release in June to bring the iPhone back to the forefront of mobile technology.

It’s strange to run an Apple beta release. It feels sort of the way an out of body experience might feel. It’s very alien to run Apple hardware that has glaring issues. Nonetheless, Apple was able to add hundreds of new features without compromising the useability of the device.

Highlights

Cut, Copy and Paste
Finally! You can now cut, copy and paste between applications. If you want to text someone a URL from Safari, now you can.

Spotlight
Like OS X, the entire phone is indexed so you can search across almost everything. If you enter a search term, such as “Jack,” your phone searches the iPod and returns your My Morning Jacket tunes, Jack Black’s contact info, emails, notes…anything with Jack in it.

Landscape
Finally, you can type emails on a big, touchscreen keyboard. The way the Lord intended! SMS and notes too.

MMS
Not really a big deal to me, but apparently MMS matters to someone…

It’s kind of funny that a handful of times I’ve thought to myself, “You know this phone is great, but I wish it did [insert feature here].” It seems like everything I’ve thought of, so did they.

This definitely puts the iPhone back out in front in the smartphone race. This includes the Palm Pre, especially with rumors of possible Palm Pre production issues and the patent suit pending by Apple over multi-touch. It was seen as the iPhone’s only real threat (even though it may seal Palm’s fate Palm Pre: Chronicle of a Death Foretold).

It’s only a matter of time before you’ll be able to edit Word and Excel documents, making it a real corporate contender.

For a complete feature list and more than everything you wanted to know about the 3.0 release, check the excellent coverage at Gizmodo: iPhone 3.0 OS Guide: Everything You Need to Know.

Another entry from the why didn’t we think of that before? department is Microsoft’s quiet addition of the “Fix it” button to a handful of Knowledge Base (KB) articles.

According to Microsoft, this is the first step in improving Windows Error Reporting, which is the annoying box that pops up either after an application crashes or Windows itself implodes.

The vision is…when you send the error report to Microsoft, you may get a suggestion for a one-click fix it. So far, Microsoft says that more than 75,000 customers have tried it out since December 2008, and 95 percent said it solved their problem.

I have two thoughts about Fix it.

I love the idea, in principle, but where was this when I was running Windows 98?

On the other hand, Microsoft KB articles can be difficult to understand. Often an article can describe an issue extremely similar to yours, but meant for a different operating system or software version. In desperation, inexperienced users might run the fix and end up causing more problems in the end.

Also, some KB articles involve editing the registry. If the Fix it button changes my registry and my PC becomes a paper weight, how can I fix that? Hopefully there has been some type of discussion at Microsoft regarding this subject.

Maybe that’s why it’s been a quiet deployment, sort of a live beta. Use with caution!

Now if they could just click a button and fix Vista, oh wait Windows 7 is coming….

If you haven’t seen the pictures yet, you’re missing out. Unless you work for the Department of Transportation, they’re really quite humorous. Hackers have taken it upon themselves to warn motorists of zombie attacks.

Several hacker sites listed instructions on how to change the text in common construction signs around the country. One of the first cities affected was Austin, Texas. Signs touted “Zombies ahead!” or “Zombies in Area! Run.”

This has spawned a rash of sign tampering across the United States. In Indiana, “Raptors Ahead” appeared on one sign warning motorists about the dangers of a possible encounter with the calculating pre-historic killing machine.

According to one of the hacker sites, the ADDCO machines are easily editable. The default passwords are rarely changed by crews. If they are, you can reset them to defaults with a simple key combination.

After I stopped laughing, this made me think of the importance of physical security and implementing security best practices. If you have default passwords left on any of your network gear, you could be vulnerable to zombie attacks as well.

If all you have is a padlock protecting your servers, how much would it really take for someone to break in and change your marquee?

Just when you thought Palm was out of the smartphone battle, it comes back firing with a touchscreen salvo, which appears to have its crosshairs directly on Apple’s iPhone.

It’s the Palm Pre…

The talk of CES 2009, the Pre is poised to bring Palm back towards the front of the pack. It sports a new operating system, dubbed WebOS. Like the iPhone and Android, the Pre is easy to develop for because most of the apps can be written in Java, HTML or CSS. From the demos I’ve seen, the screen redraws are extremely smooth.

In the screenshots below, you get an idea of WebOS. Check out the home screen; the phone screen; and call screen with reminders, a missed call, a text message and a song playing.

Palm offers immediate alerts without having to close a screen. The above image displays what Palm calls “cards.” You can move through applications quickly with cards. For instance, flipping from calendar to maps to photos to emails is easy as turning a card.

An interesting concept about the browser is that it displays the actual Web page and not just a screen capture like the iPhone. Mobile Safari has to reload the page when selected, whereas the Palm browser brings up the actual page already loaded.

One of the coolest new features of the Pre is an accessory. Palm is offering touchstone as an optional accessory. Touchstone is an inductive charger/cradle that allows you to charge the phone by placing it on the “puck.”

Another great feature from the why hasn’t someone done this before department is something Palm calls Synergy, which is essentially a contact aggregator. It pools your contacts from all your accounts and social networking sites like Gmail, Outlook, Facebook, Twitter, AIM, etc. and combines them into database or “stacks.” It also does its best to reduce duplicates in these stacks, keeping your contacts organized.

Palm’s Pre is set for release in mid-2009, with exclusive sales through Sprint. For all you ever wanted to know about the Pre, check out Palm’s “Pre view” press release.

Since the 80s, your operating system choices have been Windows, maybe Apple if you were daring, or Linux if you were the type who likes to tinker. We all know who the clear winner has been. Windows has dominated the OS landscape since it released Windows 95. However, Microsoft’s reign may be coming to an end. The next war for platform dominance is upon us…it’s your Web browser.

It may seem far-fetched, but if you’ve ever used Gmail or Google Docs, you’ve already sampled the idea of running applications directly in your browser and may not have even realized it.

In May, Google announced Google Gears, which is a plugin that helps websites run more full-featured, application-style pages through a browser and includes the ability to use them offline. The thinking is…with Gears you should be able to run any type of application without having to install the app on your desktop. This includes anything from a word processing app (Google Docs) to email (Gmail or MySpace messaging) to video. It’s still a work in progress, but the early results are promising.

Gears works on several platforms, but Google felt it needed a multi-threaded platform that could throttle these Java virtual machines (JVM) and separate them within the browser. The thought being, if one of these JVMs started running away or wanting to crash, Chrome (Google’s new Web browser) could shut it down before it brought down the whole browser.

Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer users can appreciate that. Enter Chrome. Google markets the new browser as a fun, new, easy way to surf the Web, but hidden under the fluff is a sleek weapon with purpose. The perfect example of form meets function. Google produced a Web browser to accentuate Gears features and make Web applications that use Gears scream, like Google Docs and Gmail.

At first thought, I wondered why Google would try to undercut all of its work on the development of Firefox, an open source browser by Mozilla. Google is the largest financial contributor to the popular Mozilla browser. It was only after I started digging into the concepts behind Chrome that I started to understand, Google is taking direct aim at Microsoft Windows and Office.

Imagine the ability to run the exact same application – whether at home or at work, online or offline, on Windows, Mac or Linux – and have the exact same look and feel no matter which operating system you are running. For example, if you use Google Docs on your Windows PC at the office and save all your work, go home and fire Google Docs on your Mac, you have the same exact look and feel. Same menus, everything. Once again, Google excels in making the simply impossible, simply doable.

This concept puts pressure on the industry titans to make stable, lean operating systems, because that will be the basis for PC purchases going forward. Asking yourself, “Will this machine run my office suite?” will be a thing of the past. The question will be, “Which Web browser should I run?”

Google isn’t the only company working on these rich Internet applications (RIA) and plugins. Adobe and Mozilla are also working on their own offerings, which would offer the same type of experience.  Each flavor is a little different, but the ideas are mostly the same.

Most of these new tools leverage AJAX, a Web development platform, which can asynchronously retrieve server data in the background without requiring a refresh. This makes an RIA seem more like a desktop application because it refreshes data in real-time. You can read more about Adobe Air, Google Gears and Mozilla Prism, and in some cases see them in action. For a good demo on Gears, sign up for Google Docs, choose offline settings, install Gears and take a test drive. If you have Gmail account, sign up for Docs under your settings menu.

Harry S. Truman once demanded, “Give me a one-armed economist.” Evidently his economic advisers couldn’t offer straightforward answers, beginning a string of caveats with “On the other hand…” Trying to make sense of the range of Houston 2009 economic predictions brought this quote to mind.

Reported in yesterday’s Houston Chronicle, economist Barton Smith of the University of Houston’s Institute for Regional Forecasting paints a bleak picture of the Houston economy in 2009. He describes an “energy cushion,” essentially high prices of oil and gas, which has insulated Houston from the greater U.S. economy and without which the Houston economy will look and behave like the rest of the U.S. Clearly, that would not be good for Houstonians.

In the same article, the Houston Chronicle shows us an alternate view from economist Dana Johnson of Comercia Bank. He points out that Houston is less susceptible because our housing market is not as artificially inflated compared to the rest of the country. Perhaps Houston area consumers will remain more confident. (Consumer confidence… lack of confidence is a negative feedback loop when in an economic recession; excess of confidence is one cause of the problem in the first place, i.e. scarcity of thrift.)

I’m not an economist, however, I do follow economic developments. As such, I’d like to point out that the Houston economy was quite robust in March 2007, a month where oil dropped below $60 a barrel. We should take some measure of comfort in that. Regardless, we know that dramatic price decreases often result in producers reducing supply by dialing back production. Reducing oil and gas production negatively affects the labor and suppliers. Watch rig counts and production levels.

In addition, the difference between $60 and $145 is some amount of dollars expected to flow through to local companies as profits that, to some extent, were reinvested in the local economy. We lack that today.

Of greater concern, though, is the future of long-term projects and other capital investments made by energy industry participants. We have to ask ourselves, which business decisions were made that rely on high energy prices for net present value (NPV) positive results? What projects were initiated during the run-up in the price of oil through July 2008 when oil topped $145 a barrel? Which (not whether) of those projects will be put-on hold or abandoned?

It sounds like I’m talking myself into a bearish position. The Greater Houston Partnership seems to agree in their November economic report.

Let’s see some comments. Thanks for reading.

If you spend any time on your cell phone and are in the market for a new Bluetooth headset, go buy the Aliph Jawbone 2 right now. I had been burned by Motorola and Plantronics on my last two purchases. Weak signal, bad battery, etc. I did some homework on this one though. I knew a couple of people who bought the original and loved it, but were just unhappy with the size (The original was twice as big).

I bought this little guy when I evacuated for Hurricane Ike, because I knew I was going to be on the phone a lot in the following weeks. What a good investment. It’s already paid for itself.

Here’s what separates the Jawbone from the rest:

Jawbone eliminates real-world noise better than any other headset because it’s the only one that can accurately separate speech from ambient noise. It uses patented NoiseAssassin technology that incorporates a Voice Activity Sensor (VAS) and advanced DSP algorithms developed for the U.S. Department of Defense.

The VAS is able to detect very accurately when you’re talking and capture the frequencies of your speech even in the presence of noise. It works in conjunction with the NoiseAssassin algorithms and Jawbone’s two microphones to accurately model the noise environment–and then aggressively eliminate it.

And it really works. There’s a little rubber button that your cheek vibrates when you talk. When you’re not talking, it cuts off the microphone, drastically improving call quality. I quizzed several callers in noisy situations, and so far, no one has been able to tell that I’m in my car or at a pub, or wherever!

These numbers are tested:

*When you’re headset is out of range from your phone, it turns off automatically to conserve battery. Awesome feature! CNET reviewed the original Jawbone as the highest rated Bluetooth headset, with concerns about only its size and awkward ear shape. The Jawbone 2 has addressed these issues with a more lightweight design and improved ear comfort.

Check out this video demonstration from www.us.Jawbone.com…

The Aliph Jawbone 2 will run you between $94.99 and $121.95, and definitely worth it.

What other headsets are working for you? Have you experienced Jawbone and gotten the same results?

Being exposed to Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) lately, I’m afraid I’m coming down with a fever, hot flashes and jumpy legs. I suggest you all stay away from me, or you might come down with the “sickness” too. The name Windows Management Instrumentation implies a 21st century Gestapo organization that quarantines computers and people in a vacuum of space and time.

I can see the movie preview now…

Movie Preview Guy: In the future, societies pivot between billions and billions of worlds inside entities and relationships…
Ilene, receptionist at CIM, a big futuristic corporation: (With a big smile) Good morning Mister Peacembodied.
Peacembodied, big wig at CIM: Good morning Ilene.
Movie Preview Guy: People, interfaces and devices are not what they seem…
Big wig: Ilene, Could you please schedule an emergency meeting with the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF)?
Movie Preview Guy: In a future where the DMTF controls all interoperability interactions between man and machine, something is missing and lost forever in our distant past…
Big wig: Also Ilene, I would like you to arrange the resurrection of Bill Gates from cryogenic freeze. I want him to be a part of this meeting.
Movie Preview Guy: Only one man backed by billions of dollars, on a mission for exposed continuity, can save humanity’s need for technology. Your neighborhood is not safe. Lock your doors or kiss yourself goodbye. Bill Gates is Mr. AND Mrs. Interoperability!

MR. AND MRS INTEROPERABILITY COMING SOON TO YOUR FUTURE SOCIETY

If you are not there, you might as well be dead… and if you are not dead… you at least should not be breathing.

Disclaimer:
Anyone with a heart condition must leave the room.

All jokes aside, here is a little background on WMI…
WMI is Microsoft’s answer to basically every application that needs to communicate with any version of a Microsoft application, regardless of the operating system version. The goal of the common information model (CIM) and WMI is to expose the data about all applications on the computer(s) that need to communicate with each other (i.e. other computers inside a network or devices exposed on the network).

This provides additional functionality to the user, whether or not the user is even aware they’re in direct contact with the computer or another computer. The WMI is the vessel (or bidirectional message) that allows the calling application to communicate with the CIM. Think of the CIM repository as a SQL container (or database), because that’s almost exactly what it is.

The WMI also departmentalizes the exposed application into methods or tasks, which can be performed by user interfaces and extend a user-friendly namespace to be called from the .NET language.

Just like any other relational database, child parts of the exposed namespace can be interfaced with. The CIM repository is called from the WMI via a standard language called WQL (WMI Query Language). Sounds familiar? Well it is. It is based on T-SQL and follows almost the same rules and structure all developers are familiar with. This decreases development time due to the fact that all WMI components are housed in the same place and can be called using the same language.

This call is similar to an order placed by phone or fax to a restaurant, with all the directions needed to complete the order. The WMI places the order and picks it up after the chef (CIM) verifies that it has the ingredients for WMI. Just like placing an order, you go through all the things you want in your order and how you want the order prepared. This is very similar to custom APIs. Sounds great doesn’t it?

BUT…I’ve experienced problems when the WMI (Mr. and Mrs. Interoperability) calls in an order for something that’s not available, but the CIM expects it to be.

Goes like this…
Caller: What do you mean you are out of cheese!? You deliver pizza right?

I’ve had two problems related to this issue. One problem occurred when subject matter expert attempted to install SQL server and the CIM repository seemed to be missing, causing the installation process to expect “a pizza with CHEESE.” The pizza company was no longer there to answer the call and make the pizza. The second issue I experienced was related to credential issues.

I support Microsoft and value what they are trying to do, but have Mr. and Mrs. Interoperability created a one dimensional environment that prevents and forces us to communicate with only one restaurant with a limited menu? What are your thoughts and experiences with WMI?

Check out this VMware video on its Infrastructure 3 solutions. It shows you how you can give people access to your virtual environment, how to provision new servers, how to protect the environment against failures and how to load balance the workload across multiple servers.

Virtualization technology has been around since the heyday of the mainframe era – the period of massive back-office computing rooms.  However, virtualization has gained increasing popularity over the last few years as companies seek to enhance their return on investment (ROI) from computing hardware while decreasing associated costs such as data center power, cooling and support costs.

By leveraging virtualization, businesses reduce IT costs associated with complex computing environments.  Vmware, the virtualization powerhouse, describes it as such…

“Virtualization essentially lets one computer do the job of multiple computers by sharing the resources of a single computer across multiple environments. Virtual servers and virtual desktops let you host multiple operating systems and multiple applications locally and in remote locations, freeing you from physical and geographical limitations. In addition to energy savings and lower capital expenses due to more efficient use of your hardware resources, you get high availability of resources, better desktop management, increased security and improved disaster recovery processes.”

Virtualization transforms hardware – including the CPU, RAM, hard disk and network controller – into software, creating a virtual machine running its own operating system and applications like a personal computer.

The introduction of virtualization technology presents a number of opportunities for driving capital and operational efficiency beyond the benefit of safely hosting different server roles on one piece of hardware.  RSA Corp harnesses the power of virtualization to better manage IT capacity, provide better service levels and streamline IT processes by leveraging the VMware virtualization solution.

Dramatic benefits of virtualization technologies include:

• Increased utilization rates for servers (A 60-80% utilization rate versus 5-15% in non-virtualized hardware)
• Cost savings of more than $3,000 annually for every workload virtualized
• Ability to provision new applications in minutes instead of days or weeks
• An 85% improvement in recovery time from unplanned downtime
• Faster testing of patches and other critical updates

By disconnecting the software environment from its underlying hardware infrastructure, virtualization aggregates multiple servers, storage infrastructure and networks into shared pools of resources, which can be delivered dynamically, securely and reliably to applications as needed. This pioneering approach enables organizations to build computing infrastructures with high levels of utilization, availability, automation and flexibility using building blocks of powerful servers.

Comparison of “Static Computing” vs. “Virtual Computing”:

Looking for someone to help manage your virtualization initiatives…RSA Corp can help!

If you had told business owners ten years ago that in 2008 they would be able to have business e-mail, contacts, calendar and tasks available on their mobile phones, your standard response would have been, “why?”  Also, you would have been tossed out as some sort of IT snake oil peddler.

Ten years ago, the general population didn’t even know about e-mail. But with the evolution of these standard business tools and leverage of even faster-evolving mobile phone technology, the future is now.

When choosing the right mobile solution for your business, you have options with important differences between them. There are two major players offering mobile office-synchronization solutions. *The Apple iPhone® is an emerging player in this market. It just recently released firmware 2.0, which has true push-sync capabilities similar to the industry leaders. This could definitely make it a viable option soon.

The current leader is Research in Motion (RIM), makers of the BlackBerry® platform. The second most popular is Microsoft Windows Mobile®. Just like personal computers, Windows Mobile devices are made by several different manufacturers.

BlackBerry was the first enterprise-class mobile solution, and that’s the reason it’s still number one. RIM has taken baby steps towards improving the product since its inception. The devices have gotten smaller and software has become extremely robust. A major benefit of BlackBerry is its experience.  From day one, the software was designed with enterprise in mind — making security, scalability and management the foundation of the system.

For businesses with more than five but less than 15 devices, RIM offers Small Business BlackBerry Server, which gives much of the same functionality as the full enterprise entry with fewer licenses. The full console is still available to manage all devices, including the ability to remotely wipe lost devices, set policies and control exactly what gets synced and how.

In spite of its dominance, RIM’s offering has drawbacks. Network outages have knocked out BlackBerry services on several occasions, most lasting for hours. A few hours on rare occasions may not sound like a big deal, but when you come to depend on your BlackBerry as a tool, it can seem like life or death.

Another drawback is the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) software. It’s an extra expense to incur. Factor the recommended yearly support, and it can become quite expensive. BES can be finicky. Even RIM recommends running it on a separate server (not every business has an extra server lying around).  I have seen heavy calendar users experience issues due to the complexity and sheer volume of their traffic. If you can live with these limitations, BlackBerry is an otherwise excellent and mature solution.

Windows Mobile is the other alternative. With the advent of this solution, companies are no longer chained to BlackBerry as the only mobile option. Microsoft uses existing technology built in to Exchange Server, which is slightly modified, to “push” e-mail out to Windows devices. The solution was dubbed Exchange ActiveSync with DirectPush technology. Microsoft eliminated the need for third-party software or servers, only requiring some minor configuration changes and purchasing an SSL certificate for your domain (sometimes optional). Setup can be a little complicated, but once everything is configured, it’s a reliable and native option.

Because ActiveSync and DirectPush are newer technologies, the devices are catching up to BlackBerry’s market share. Most Windows phones are bigger, but make up for it by performing the functions of a Pocket PC. The trade-off in size allows you to edit Word and Excel attachments on the fly.

However, the battery life of Windows devices leaves a little to be desired, partly because of the way DirectPush works. Microsoft has also addressed the issue of security by allowing administrators or users of lost or stolen phones to remotely wipe all data from the Pocket PC through Exchange. With Exchange 2007, users can wipe their devices from the webmail client, which is accessible from any global Web browser.

Last but not least, the wild card entry from Apple. As of the World Wide Developers Conference in June, Apple has shipped six million units. The new iPhone 3G sold more than one million units in the first three days, following the July 2008 release.

Let’s put that into perspective:

• Apple has shipped 7 million iPhones in the past year
• RIM has shipped 5 million BlackBerrys in the previous three years
• iPhone searches on Google are occurring 50 times more than any other mobile solution

I just recently got the chance to demo the direct push feature on the iPhone, after waiting more than a year. I must say, it’s impressive. It works much the same as the Windows solution. If you have an Exchange Server, you can type a few keystrokes and start synching. E-mail reception and contacts synching are instant. One drawback is that it’s possible to view Word, Excel and PDF files, but not edit them, yet.

Consumer demand makes purchasing phones for businesses more complicated than other technology. Apple’s Web site currently states, “Corporate customers contact AT&T.” From what I can tell, this phone is not ready for prime time. The fans are out there and growing. Only time will tell if Apple has what it takes to capture the market, but it certainly cannot be ignored. What do you think?