Where do we go from here.....Up!

There is quite a bit of uncertainty in the world today and I think that fear has definitely got a stronghold on society. With my new venture Secure Technology Partners, I knew it would be challenging in this difficult economy, but I still feel very strongly that the savings that I can provide an organization, far out weights the expense for the new technology.

With that being my number one sales tactic, or shall I say motivator, to get people to speak with me, I am very surprised right now at the number of people who would rather sit still, than make any changes. Now is the time to be looking to new technologies that will provide not only a better level of service, but also a cost savings over the way that you are currently doing business.

I heard a story today of an old friend of mine up in the northeast. He sells a new type of furnace/heating system that auto repair shops would use. The concept is pretty simple, use the old motor oil from the oil changes to heat the building. It does sound a little bit environmentally unsound, however they have figured out how to make it be environmentally friendly. The saving with this system is very significant. In one auto dealer alone, the savings would be over $25,000 per month. It would seem that it would be an easy sell..... Not exactly.

Nobody, will move forward. We are like a herd of deer in the headlights waiting to get run over. This is not the same set of principles that this country was founded on, and certainly not the same set that made this country strong. I must say that it is time to get out of the funk and start living again. We, as individuals, cannot control what happens to the economy, but collectively, if we started to think positively that we can get out of this mess, we will.

We need spirit, and drive and passion, NOW! Let's look at what we are doing and if you answer NO to the question, "Am I doing the best that I can do", then it is time to make a change. Find something we do well in each project or assignment we are tasked to do and start there.

We are unstoppable with the right attitude. Let's get there and show the world how it's done!

Have a great Day!

Microsoft Windows on Shaky Ground?

I just finished reading an article in Wired Magazine: "Netbooks Offer a Chance to Challenge Windows' Long Reign', by Priya Ganapati. The article speaks about the new wave of computer devices called "Netbooks" and how that the race to provide an operating system that will work on them may cause a crack in the Microsoft Windows OS armor.

This new breed of notebook has been downsized from it's bigger brothers, and generally sport smaller displays, hard drives and memory. Because of this, Window's operating system (XP & Vista), does not work well, or does not work all together. Windows was designed to run on full featured devices and it cannot scale down to meet the netbook's reduced spec's.

Windows does not appear correctly because of the smaller displays. The Windows' icons designed for larger displays do not fit well and to manipulate the icons with the smaller keyboards becomes tricky. The limitation of RAM and disk size is also a factor when trying to run Windows.

As a result of this new "Netbook" market, software developers are racing to deliver what could be the predecessor to Windows as we know it. JoliCloud and MSI are the leaders in this race to see who can be the dominate the Netbook OS. Who ever wins could be setting the direction until the next evolutionary change takes place. If either one of these vendors were to become dominate were their new operating OS, is preloaded on netbooks, they could have a substantial windfall.

I also read in another article in Macworld Magazine that Apple has insinuated that the iPhone was the first in the future of Web devices for them. Possibly a larger I phone that could serve as an internet device with a larger keyboard?

Well of course Microsoft has not been quite on the subject. They are spreading their FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt)! Microsoft is stating that Windows 7, the next release of Windows, would be optimized to work on the scaled down systems.

Whoever wins this race could be setting the direction of computing in the future. The rewards will be huge if they can pull it off.

Customer Service - A Positive Experience

I know that everyone has had their own experience with customer service, but I wanted to let you know about something that happened to me recently. I have always been into photography, but I never did much with the pictures that I took. Occasionally I would print one or email one to somebody, but that all changed back in December.

I decided it was time to start doing something with my pictures, so I bit the bullet and purchased Apple Aperture to work with the photos a little. After loading the application and then importing all my photo's I realized that many were duplicated. Not just many but THOUSANDS!! I have no idea how this happened but sure enough, I was out of disk space!! I purchased an external drive and copied my library to the new drive. That freed up the drive on my laptop. But then how do I get all the dups deleted on the external drive?

Well, I Goggled and found a program called dupeGuru - Picture Edition from Hardcoded Software. It was relatively inexpensive and there was no physical way, probably in my lifetime, that I would be able to go through 56,000 photo's looking for dups. So I purchased this app and now I was on my way... Right? Well not exactly, because of the volume of photos, I was pushing the limit on what could be scanned. I started the scan and three days later it through up its arms and Quit!

I contacted support via email, and within a matter of minutes, I received an email from Virgil Dupree. He provided me some instruction on possible causes to make the program stop. So I tried it again and four days later it quit again, once again contacting Virgil and asking for help. Again immediatly I receved a response to my inquiry with a couple of other things to try. I started the scan again and about two days into it, my machine was accidentally turned off...... Operator Error!! So trying what I thought would be my last time. I started the program and off it went. Three days later it died in the scan! Wow, what could I do to get these files removed? Email back to Virgil.

Virgil, immediatly responded back that he had written a new version that would speed up the scan. I tried and again it failed. To be honest, at this point I was ready to give up with the software, but because Virgil was so responsive, and helpful I continued to try again. Well this time, after only two days it quit. Again I email Virgil, and I could tell that he was out of suggestions.

He told me to try again and send the logs, which I did. About a day later he sent me another version to try. Two days later it quit. I think at this point Virgil was ready to give up, as I would have, if he did not have a suggestion. But low and behold after only 24 hours, my photo library is down to 23,ooo photo's without dups!! Yeah!!

Long winded way to say, there are still people out there, who are willing to and want to help. I have had some very bad experiences over the last few months: AT&T, Direct TV, Delta Airlines to name a few. They will do what ever they can to avoid taking your call. Have you tried to navigate some of the Voice Response Systems? I think most are designed to get you to hang up before you get someone on the phone. But I must say that Virgil's demeanor and desire to fix the problem gave me the confidence to keep trying.

Thanks Virgil, I appreciate all your help!! Keep up the Great work. And for all the rest of you, if you need an application to scan for duplicate files, check out dupeGuru!!

When is Apple Going to Get Serious

I don't understand why Apple has not gone after the business/enterprise market in light of all the changes in the industry over the last 12 months. I think that this a perfect time for Apple to spread its wings and get with the program.

I have seen Apple come from a startup to the producer of fine computing machines over the last 30 years. The OS took a side step a few years back and is based on Unix. The Laptops Apple is producing are getting smaller and more powerful. The iMac, whose concept, surely was copied from the Gateway Profile (don't know why it didn't work for them), has taken off. Applications are, for the most part, no longer an issue of compatibility. The iPhone has had overwhelming success in both the business and personal sectors. So why not go after the corporate market?

I have heard different reasons as to why, but I am not sure I understand. I have heard of the expense it would take to put a support group in place. I have heard that consistance of components can be a problem, and I can think of a few more, but is that really what is holding Apple back.

It seems that the corporate world is just begging to be tapped, in all industries. Not just the Ad and Media companies are allowing Mac's in the door these days. In just about every organization I have been to over the last year, I have seen Macs. So what's up?

Maybe it is time to take a hard look at this market. In times such as these that most economies are shrinking, Apple could lead the charge to reverse the flow. Think what it might do for the shareholders!

I for one, would love to take a stab at selling Apple products into the Corporate world. I must admit that I am still trying to use all the features on my MacBook, but it has not swayed me back into the world of the evil empire. And with Microsoft missing a beat with Vista, what better timing could there be.

Come on Apple Give it a try, I think that you will like what you will find out there.

Agemain’s Laws of Prudent Thinking - (ALOPTs)

I read this list in response to a post that someone had submitted regarding the role of the "to be hired" Fed CTO. While I don't agree with everything on the list, I do believe that as a Technology Consumer, you should take into consideration what Agemain said; however, I feel that when this was written, the IT industry as we know it today was not around. The evolution that has taken place over the last 30 years, has dramatically changed the industry in a very positive way.

The idea that you can start a technology company in a garage and become an idustry leader is a relatively new phenomina (although I am sure Henry Ford would disagree). Startups are popping up everyday with a new piece of technology to add to the mix. If you close your eyes for a minute you will miss the addition of thousands of new products. The evolution has also taught us that the components have got to work together.

Back when this was written, vendors provided solutions that had closed architechture. If you were going to make something that would enhance the production of an existing system, you had better have a relationship with the system vendor.

So while I do agree with much of what was written, I must say that the point that strikes home the most is #7. I think this is the most important point on the whole list, and one that IT consumers should heed. A good vendor is one that puts your goals an objectives first. Your success is a direct reflection of their success. A good vendor knows that if you are successful with your project they will be successful in their job.

Read and enjoy, I am sure you will have a comment!!

Agemain’s Laws of Prudent Thinking (ALOPTs) *1
1) The surest way to make the new system cost more than the old is to pioneer the wrong thing.
2) The surest way to blow a computer budget or lose in poker is to throw good money after bad.
3) He who leans too far into the future will fall flat on his face.
4) It is not against the law for a peddler to puff his product. Beware of salesmen giving technical advice.
5) Beware of consultants trained in only one brand name. They will recommend the product that they know how to install and support. When a person only knows how to use a hammer, their solution to any problem looks like a nail.
6) A big advertising budget has no bearing on product quality. It just makes it more expensive. An advertisement does not have to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Reference law 4 above.
7) A Corporation has no soul. It depends upon the common ethical values its employees bring with them to the workplace. Choose vendors you can trust and stay with them. Judge vendors by their deeds, not their words. Treat ethical vendors as an asset and they will serve you well. Exploit them and they will go away. Unethical vendors will exploit you and betray your trust when it suits their best interests.
8) When faced with major technological change, speak softly and carry a big staff.
9) A successful project requires three things: A vision, a sponsor, and a champion. The vision gives us a target. Once we know where we want to be, we can plan how to get there and know when we have arrived. The sponsor pays the bills. The champion cheers us on, keeps us on course, and advocates our cause. If you think that technical competence and money are all that is required, see rule number 1.
10) What is worth doing well is usually worth doing poorly at first. A 90 percent solution that we can manage now is better than a 100 percent solution that never gets started.
11) Pace yourself. Do not try to do everything at once. He who tries to swallow an elephant will choke on its tail.
12) Do not use more people on a single task than necessary and do not mandate impossible deadlines. Putting ten technicians in a phone booth does not fix a telephone in one-tenth the time it takes one technician to do the job.

1 Agemain was the keynote speaker of the third annual automation conference of the American Bankers Association. This was the time when the banking industry was making serious investments in mainframe computer technology for back office automation, especially check processing. At that time, Agemain was the CEO of the Chase Manhattan Bank. I was covering the show for 3M Company. His remarks are at least 40 years old. Although technology changes like a whirlwind, people don’t change much. His advice is as applicable today as it was back then.

P2P Software Releases Blueprints of Marine One

I just finished reading an article in InformationWeek, by Tim Wilson, regarding the leaking of Blueprints on Marine One, President Obama's helicopter, " P2P Leak Exposes Sensitive Data On Marine One". It amazes me to see the continued lack of visibility by System Administrators and Security Administrators into the endpoints on their networks.

It seems to me that if someone had been paying attention to what was on their machines, this problem could have been easily been eliminated. BigFix, a Security Configuration tool, among other things, could have instantly detected the P2P application on the endpoint as soon as it was launched. In addition to identifying the offending machine, BigFix, would then remove it, if it was instructed to do so. SIMPLE!!

Another tool that could have been used, is just about any decent NAC solution. In it's pre-connect interrogation, a "Total NAC" solution, would have identified the P2P software and prevented the offending machine from having access to the network.

I am not sure what the total price tag would have been for the offending company to implement either one of these solutions. However, I can bet you, that once the name of the offending company is released, they would most likely pay Ten Times the amount, to have prevented this breech. In addition, I can say with almost 100% certainty, the salesperson from BigFix was there to pitch the BigFix solution, and most likely, explained how this type of breech could be prevented.

I know that it is difficult to listent to all vendors claimes of their solution, however sometimes, it pays to do your homework.

The Role of the Fed CTO

In a recent article in InformationWeek, "Down to Business: What Obama's CTO Should (And Shouldn't) Focus On" Bob Preston discusses the role of the "to be appointed" Federal CTO. His first question is do we need one? My response is yes. I have worked with several branches of the DOD and civilian agencies in the past. Each one is operated based on it's own culture. The general practices of one agency are not necessarily the practices of another. Initially this may seem like a very logical and good system, because all agencies and departments are not the same. However, I think that there is a lot of redundancy in this system and that because of this, there is also a lot of waste.

As a country we should put running the government as efficiently as possible as one of the top priorities of the new administration and the American public. So why create a new position at the top? This certainly would cost more right? Well I say not exactly. If someone can unify all these systems and look forward enough to get all the systems to work together..... in the future, it would create efficiency. Infrastructures could be shared, and of course streamlined because now agencies would be using the systems together.

Certainly there would be areas where the benefits of sharing could not be applied, as in specific applications to run the business, but much of what is out there at the foundation of the agency networks could be used cooperatively. What is used by the Department of Treasury is not what is being used by the Department of Interior or The Internal Revenue Service. All use their own systems, infrastructure, and of course applications. Why could not forcing these different agencies to work more cooperatively create efficiency? I strongly believe it can!!

I have read several articles and interviews with industry visionaries regarding their view of the role of the Federal CTO and the one common thread is to eliminate the redundancy and "Stove Piped" infrastructures that exist. Let the information that needs to flow between the agencies be shared. Do not recreate information because one agency is using one application verses another. What a waste of time and space!!

There are many different opinions on how the Fed CTO position should be modeled. In the InformationWeek article by: Chris Murphy, "Federal CTO Agenda: The Industries Advice to Obama", the opinions of many of the largest players in the IT industry are expressed. Some I agree with and some I do not, but if we can do one thing that they, and I agree on, let it be to bring down the walls in IT that exists between the federal departments and agencies. If we address this one issue now and always going forward, we will make the biggest difference in preventing waste.