Box.net and Today's Enterprises

I think that by now, many of you out there have been using Cloud storage like Box.net, dropbox, and others...they can be an invaluable tool for most.  Personally, I have a ton of PDFs that I need to access at a moment's notice for non-work-related things...and Box.net has been my savior.  I was first introduced to them last year when I received my HP Touchpad (RIP WebOS), and they offered a 50GB account for those of us who had one.  Now, they're on every device and I use them for all documents I need to access easily.

To my surprise at lunch today, I read on the Box.net blog that they just raised $125 million to invest in their infrastructure, grow overseas, and do more for their users.  Based on that, now is the time to start looking at the cloud for business storage.   Using iPads for your salespeople?  How about a place where they can store all of their documents securely, and access them when needed?  That's just a simple example, but I am seeing it used more and more frequently.

Is the cloud right for you?  Let's talk about it...while I can't obviously help you with Box.net, I can help you understand how things like Cloud Controllers for Wireless and Wired networks will save you money...how putting your disaster recovery far far away & replicating data to it will save your bacon after a disaster...the list goes on.

Let's talk cloud.  I'm here waiting to talk to you...

Happy to be back!

Howdy everyone!  Hope you enjoyed the posts from the road...some were pre-recorded, some were posted when I had a few minutes and internet access, but mostly I spent two weeks resting my mind and opening it to experiences.  Every single place we stopped at on the trip, I had been to back in the 1980s.  It was amazing to see that not much had changed at the national park level, but watching my family's homestead in Wyoming change was interesting.  Who'd have thought in 25 years the creekbed would move 50 feet?  Very strange indeed. :)

But like the title says, I'm happy to be back this week...and while I"m getting things caught up (on a conference call right now listening to a client and manufacturer chat about their product) through the mountain of email over the past few days...but I wanted to take time to post this and share a few pictures from my trip.

Ahhh...the Tetons. :)



Pinedale, WY - Rendezvous Pagent, celebrating the fur trappers who opened the western territories in the 1830s.



Dinosaur National Monument - Yup...we got to touch real dinosaur bones! :D



"Take a picture of yourself, Mike...they'll like that."  Sorry, I tried to blur it more. :)



My second-favorite part of the trip...Mesa Verde.  We hiked down there with the tour group...worth the look to walk in history!



This is a Kiva, religious center for the ancient pueblo indians (Anasazi).



Let me know what I can do for you in the meantime.  Look for more posts to come!

Best Wishes!

 

Addendum: Since some people are fussy about wording...the term "dinosaur bone" is inaccurate.  They were "fossilized dinosaur bones" ...and I hated to burst their bubble, but YES we were allowed to touch them.  You normally are not allowed to touch them in museums, but you can at Dinosaur National Monument for the $10 for 7 day entry fee. :)

Smartglass is the future...

I had a chance to see a little bit of Smart Glass when I was a special guest of Microsoft's Expert Zone at E3, and the more I read about it...wow, just wow.  This isn't just a piece of MS software that lets you manage tv and gaming.  This is really a companion for everything to do with your Xbox, computer and tv set.  It works with all devices, iOS, Android, Windows...and is going to likely change the way you watch TV and play video games in the future.

When I say companion that's pretty much what it is.  One of the examples was while watching an episode of Game of Thrones, the unit displayed a map of the show's world, and relevant information.  A character comes on screen, their background becomes available to read.

This is what Microsoft wants...the Xbox console to be the center of entertainment in your living room.  For many of us it already is, and even they've started announcing that more movies and music are downloaded and played on the Xbox than games.  I know, I remember when Tivo was cool and everyone got one...but I've always said that first gen tech while being neat, always gets blown away the second time around. :)

Kingston SSDs on sale this month!

Some of my clients who purchase these and memory cards may have already got this chart from me, but it's a worthwhile glance if you've ever been interested in adding more SSDs to your environment.  Kingston makes these great kits to help you replace your laptop's hard drive with an SSD, and then make that old hard drive and exterior backup unit.  Pretty sweet, yes? :)

While the below are my prices for my clients, I'm sure if you asked your rep nicely, they'd cut you the same deal. :)

KINGSTON Q3 SSD SALE
Model Name	Part #	PC Mall SKU	Price
SSD V200 Series Standalone	SV200S37A/64G	8918502	$69
	SV200S37A/128G	8918520	$109
	SV200S3/256G	8918501	$319
SSD V200 Series Notebook Bundles	SV200S3N7A/64G	8918513	$77
	SV200S3N7A/128G	8918512	$119
	SV200S3N/256G	8918511	$269
SSD V200 Series Desktop Bundles	SV200S3D7/64G	8918510	$79
	SV200S3D7/128G	8918503	$121
	SV200S3D/256G	8918521	$221
SSD KC100 Series	SKC100S3/120G	8875936	$169
	SKC100S3/240G	8876800	$319
	SKC100S3/480G	8877676	$739
SSD KC100 Bundles	SKC100S3B/120G	8877370	$179
	SKC100S3B/240G	8877371	$327
	SKC100S3B/480G	8877372	$769
SSD V+200 Series	SVP200S3/60G	8985180	$77
	SVP200S3/90G	8985177	$121
	SVP200S3/120G	8985184	$133
	SVP200S3/240G	8985179	$245
	SVP200S3/480G	8985176	$555
SSD V+200 Series Bundles	SVP200S3B/60G	8985183	$99
	SVP200S3B/90G	8985178	$133
	SVP200S3B/120G	8985181	$147
	SVP200S3B/240G	8985290	$233
	SVP200S3B/480G	8985182	$555
SSD V+ Gen 3 Series (1.8" drive)	SVP180S2/64G	8212633	$127
	SVP180S2/128G	8212632	$225
	SVP180S2/256G	8212631	$427
SSD HyperX Series	SH100S3/120G	8813895	$219
	SH100S3/240G	8813978	$411
	SH100S3/480G	9053410	$889
SSD HyperX Series Bundles	SH100S3B/120G	8813991	$233
	SH100S3B/240G	8814006	$429
	SH100S3B/480G	9053411	$887
SSD HyperX 3K Series	SH103S3/90G	9084748	$133
	SH103S3/120G	9084745	$153
	SH103S3/240G	9084746	$333
	SH103S3/480G	9084747	$677
SSD HyperX 3K Series Bundle	SH103S3B/90G	9084752	$155
	SH103S3B/120G	9084749	$175
	SH103S3B/240G	9084750	$333
	SH103S3B/480G	9084751	$733

Nerds to Geeks!

While I'm not a fan of the nickname "geek" because of its negative derivation, this site is a great place for any techhead or IT manager.  Now while I'm pretty tech savvy, this site goes above and beyond the average user...in an attempt to bring us up to a higher level of understanding.

Tips, tricks, code snippets...everything useful for what we all do every day.  Take a look and enjoy.

Now, that said, this post was pre-recorded before I left.  With some hope I've posted some pictures already of what we've been doing for the past week.  Wyoming is a beautiful place, and I've always felt everyone should come here at least once to experience true quiet. :)

Peace! :)

Howdy from Merna, WY!

Hello everyone!  I know I promised some pictures when I had a moment...and it seems like after a whole week I'd have some for you.  Actually, Shawna managed to snap well over 700 pics so far (my card holds 7000), and we'll probably shoot another 1200 in the next week too. :)  Here's a couple of them for you:

[caption id="attachment_719" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A badass in his 60s. Washakie took on a younger and stronger Crow chief (big robber) and tore his heart out. When someone says "get off my hunting grounds" they mean it![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_718" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Named for the actions of Chief Washakie during the battle[/caption]





Take care everyone! :)

 

 

Mac users paying more than PC users? [Op/Ed.]

I was thinking back to when this story broke, and all of the media was in an uproar at Orbitz for charging more to Mac users.  I understand, but I don't sympathize.  Call me a cynic or an apple-fanboi hater, but if someone buys an Apple laptop or desktop, they're paying more for the item than a comparable unit from another company...and the business mindset says, "well if they're going to pay extra there, let's charge them more for this other product too!"   Is it unfair? Yes.  Is it unexpected?  Oh heck no.

Apple users pay more for their accessories than PC users do, because of the perception that Apple is a premium product.  Most assuredly not because those items are of the same quality.  However, because that's been going on for so many years now, Apple users are just used to the price increase.  For them to not expect that to bleed into other markets is just as unreasonable as Orbitz doing what they did.

I often tell clients that they'll almost always get what they paid for.  Maybe not this case with Orbitz, but if the "Apple premium" is going to start affecting everything else you buy...maybe their products aren't the case as well.

Symantec's Backup Exec 3.0 Appliance

Good morning on this great Thursday!  As I'm writing this before I leave, currently I should be finishing up my visit to  Yellowstone, and driving down highway 287 on  the Eastern Side of the Wind River Mountains.

This simple entry is to talk about Symantec's entry into the backup appliance game, the BE 3600.  This current unit features more Ethernet interfaces, two new tabs in their Manage menu in the UI: Reboot/Shutdown, so you can do that from the interface, and the console is also available in multiple languages.

Really the key here is the BE software integrated with the device already.  If you enjoy Symantec's software, this device will make you happy.  Not to mention it's cost effective compared to other solutions, so it'll appeal to that as well.  What's key to me is that this little guy is a DR device more than anything else, and that solution compacted down is the true reason to purchase it.  With many companies still struggling with Disaster Recovery solutions, Symantec has presented one that's cheap, readily available and easy to use.  That's always a win in my book. :)

HP Blade Bonanza!

Howdy folks!  Normally I don't throw out sales stuff on here because this is an informational blog...but deals like these are hard to not want to share on a global scale.  HP's BladeSystem C7000 enclosure is cutting edge in my opinion, and the fact that they want to give it to you free is also a great thing.  This follows the same great promotion they've been doing for a couple months, only now these are for the G8 units.  (IBM did something similar last year, and I'm hoping they follow through in Q3 & Q4.)  Take a look and if you're interested, contact your rep! :)

Magic Quadrant changeups

Good morning everyone!  "Virtual Mike" here with some interesting news about Gartner's new magic quadrant for Wired & Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure.  (That's a mouthful for Wired & Wireless networking.)  While some folks don't subscribe to Gartner's rankings & listings, they almost always have a point to make.  Because of Consumerization of IT, CIOs and IT Directors are looking for and needing solutions and not just equipment.  The quadrant shows just how many visionary players are out there, and how they're pushing forward.  The Leaders will always be the leaders, but with companies like Meraki & Aerohive leading the pack on the technical side of things, those are the companies you should be paying attention too.

I've been talking about Meraki for years now, and I"m going to toot my horn and say I was right about them.  These guys are looking to a future where wireless anywhere is easy, managing your internal devices is easier and free, and the software that manages your network should be as easy to use as possible, so you're not wasting time trying to figure things out!

The Aerohive products look similar to Meraki's, and I'm looking to see what more in-depth that they can do.  Maybe one of you all can investigate them for us and report back?  What do you say, my fellow Dragontech Lords? :)

If you want to free trial Meraki's products (any of them) click here and talk to them.  They don't sell direct, so they won't hassle you...they'll know you know me here at Dragontech and have me bother you. ;)

Apple & Google have broken the US Patent system...

I can't say it any better than this article does.

If people want to point fingers and complain that corporate america has too much power...watching them "abuse the patent system as an Anti-competitive tool," is par for the course.

Rodney King said it best, "can't we all get along?"

Meraki M60 Review (link)

For those of you who have expressed interest in the Meraki MX series (Security Appliance), here's a review from our friends over at Vaulter.com

Pretty comprehensive and this looks pretty cool. :)

http://vaulter.com/?p=1496

PC Mall Event: Secure Mobility Summit 2012

Howdy folks!  I'm fresh off of the end of the quarter, and after recovering from the 4th of July holiday (nothing like being around mortar rounds being fired off) I wanted to get this over to all of you.

PC Mall is holding their Secure Mobility Summit on August 24 at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles hotel.  This free event is loaded with seminars all day that will allow manufacturers to give you the information about Secure Mobility that you're going to need in the coming months.  As I've said many times before, the Consumerization of IT has hit us and it's time to get involved now before you start taking punches to the face that you aren't ready for.  We'll have Seminars being held by Cisco, Microsoft, Trend Micro, Apple, Symantec and VMWare for free.  All you have to do is register, and you can attend.

Now kicker #1.  We're also offering a special paid hands-on workshop on Apple - iOS deployment, being run by none other than Dr. Robert Kite, Director of Apple, Mobility & Consulting Services for PC Mall Services.  (some information:  Prior to joining PC Mall, Dr. Kite was a consulting engineer for Apple and he is the Author of the Xsan 2 Administration and the Mac OSX Security and Mobility V10.6 certification books.)  This training will be $99 until July 20, and after that it will be $229.  It will cover all aspects of deploying iOS into your environment from planning to installation & management.

Did I mention all attendees will receive a free Apple TV? :)

Interested in going?  Just click here, or you can contact your rep here at PC Mall to sign you up.

Now, as many of you know I'm going to be on vacation for some time over the next few weeks.  No worries...there will be posts going up from myself and Thaddeus as often as possible, and I"ll be having some things I've already written and are ready to go, pop up as well.

Take care and talk to you soon.  (If you're my client you're gonna hear from me today or tomorrow I promise!)