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Avaya is putting the final touches on the network infrastructure it has built for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The network is capable of handling up to 54Tbps of traffic, which is significantly larger than the 4Tbps capacity used at the 2010 games in Vancouver.
When the games commence on February 7th, the network will serve 30,000 athletes, administrators and staff, media, IOC officials and volunteers with data, voice, video, and full internet access at each site of the games. However, BYOD for 30,000 people creates extraordinary network demands. “We expect these people to be carrying and using multiple wireless devices,” says Dean Frohwerk, Avaya’s chief network architect. “In Vancouver, we only had to provision one device per user. This means that we really have to have the capability to support up to 120,000 users on the Sochi Wi-Fi network, without issues or interruptions.”
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Growth is normally a business goal, however scaling can be very costly. Fortunately, there are new technologies that can help a company ramp up quickly and efficiently. These innovations make scaling up a data center simpler and less devastating to a company’s bottom line.
1. Modular Data Center Additions
Microsoft, HP, and other large companies provide entire data center modules that enable quick scale ups but at a hefty price. A new addition consisting of multiple racks and as few as 30, assembled remotely so that the cooling systems, power, cabinets, and servers are all ready to go by the time they are installed is more effective than adding an entire module with hundreds of servers.
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Last week, Amazon’s cloud chief, Andy Jassy, announced three new services that are being added to the company’s public cloud platform, two of which seem focused solely to serving enterprises. There has been some buzz that Amazon’s cloud is ready for enterprises, but are organizations ready to go all-in?
At the Amazon Web Services’ second annual cloud user conference, Jassy showed all of the compliance standards that Amazon’s cloud has achieved, from the government Federal Information Security Act (FISMA), to health care’s Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the payment card industry’s data security standard. Looking to keep its foot on the gas pedal, AWS announced three new products aimed specifically at the enterprise market.
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IBM is preparing to give third parties access to its supercomputer, Watson, in hopes of developing cloud applications that utilize of the system’s artificial intelligence capabilities.
Watson drew worldwide attention after it defeated human opponents on the hit game show Jeopardy! in 2011. IBM has been applying Watson’s “cognitive computing” technology to industries such as health care, but now the company is ready to share Watson with the world.
“We’ve been developing, evolving and maturing the technology,” says Rob High, Watson’s CTO. “It’s stable and mature enough to support an ecosystem now. We’ve become convinced there’s something very special here and we shouldn’t be holding it back.”
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The costs of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) are inevitably shifting to businesses as employees depend more on their personal devices, and not company-owned devices, to get work done. Furthermore, the risks associated with BYOD increase as unsecure personal devices access company’s networks and data. Combining IT and finance to fund, safeguard, and grow mobile workforces will help overcome these challenges and keep companies competitive. Here are some tips on how to finance your BYOD rollout:
1. The Hybrid
Offices don’t have to be permanently designated as either a BYOD or company-owned-device workplace. Software and equipment financing can be used for both BYOD and company-provided tablets and smartphones. Combinations of BYOD and company devices offer flexibility to best suit unique business infrastructures.Read More -
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With Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and cloud computing becoming key technological influencers, tablets and smartphones are geared towards mobility. Being able to video conference, share data via the cloud, and work on the go are essential capabilities for today’s mobile devices. And Apple has yet again set the bar high. The newest generation of the Apple iPad continues the company’s tradition of excellence with its sleek, light-weight design.
The main concern of potential buyers will most likely be the glaring price tag. The iPad Air starts at $499 for the 16GB model, comparably more than the Sony Xperia ($449) and Nexus 10 ($399), however less than the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition ($549). However if you’re looking to upgrade, the cost can be defrayed by selling the older tablet model on Gazelle.com or Ebay.
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2013 has proven to be a year of extreme conditions with raging wildfires in Arizona to the massive earthquake in China and who knows what this winter will bring. While the news is dominated by reels of building damage, data loss can actually be more catastrophic for a business. According to a study done by HP and SCORE, 25% of businesses don’t reopen after a major natural disaster, and 70% of small companies that lose major data from a natural disaster go belly up within a year.
Fortunately, cloud-based disaster recovery options available to protect important company data. Our Chicago-based IT and tech support team can assist your business, no matter its size or industry, with establishing a reliable backup disaster recovery (BDR) plan. You never know when disaster will strike so here are three simple steps to help prepare your business for the worst:
Step 1: If you don’t have one already, a cloud-based backup disaster recovery plan for your data is an immediate priority. Our experienced IT staff can help design and execute the proper cloud-based BDR plan for your company’s size and industry. Our Networks Operations Center provides comprehensive on-site and remote support with 24/7/365 proactive monitoring.Read More -
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For businesses, nothing is scarier than having important personal and business data in the wrong hands. As an IT and tech support company in Chicago, we understand the necessity for safeguards. Our data centers and data recovery services ensure the safety and security of critical data, no matter the company size or industry segment. Here are five horrifying IT security scenarios that are surprisingly rectifiable.
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As a Chicago IT support services company and proud partner of Cisco, it’s important to stay on top of the latest and greatest our partners have to offer. Our ability to service Chicagoland businesses of any size, including enterprises, within any industry, means we utilize the best-in-class collaboration technology at the core of our operations.
In this era of hyperconnectivity, younger workers expect efficient collaboration tools such as IM, presence, video conferencing, audio chats, IP telephony, and web meetings to be readily available at work. Therefore, Cisco has taken its collaboration products in a new direction by doubling up on cloud computing and mobility. Tomorrow, Cisco will announce the arrival of its new collaboration tools at the company’s annual Collaboration Summit. These products are designed to simplify secure company communications, interactions with external parties, and collaboration tool management. One new product is Cisco Expressway, which secures real-time collaboration without a required device registration, account setup, or password. It uses Transport Layer Security and is compatible with Cisco product families like Jabber and TelePresence. Jabber Guest, another new product, plugs into Expressway and lets companies provide secure, controlled access to their collaboration system to external parties such as partners, contractors, and customers. For example, a tech support representative can communicate with a customer through video conference and screen share via a browser or mobile device by simply providing a link. Expressway will be available in December with remote and mobile access for Jabber at no additional cost. Jabber Guest will be available in January with the price depending on the number of concurrent “guest” sessions.
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