Context & Continuity

TechWorld, 3.19.8: Trapeze makes 5000-AP Wi-Fi appliance

My favorite bit is the final paragraph of the article.  Sweet.

Trapeze makes 5000-AP Wi-Fi appliance

By Peter Judge, Techworld

Wi-Fi network maker Trapeze Networks has launched a pre-configured appliance that can manage up to 5000 wireless access points or 1000 wireless switches - and won a giant contract for 802.11n Wi-Fi.

The RingMaster-200 is a hardware version of Trapeze's RingMaster network management software, and is pre-tuned to manage wireless LANs. “Today, it’s common for enterprise Wi-Fi networks to include thousands of access points cover hundreds of acres and span multiple sites," said Ahmet Tuncay, Trapeze's marketing vice president.

Before this product, Trapeze's largest hardware device managed around 200 access points, while rival Aruba was ahead with its MMC-6000 which can manage 2048 APs. Both companies use software to manage larger installations, which has normally run on general purpose servers. Aruba's recently purchased AirWave management platform uses software to go up to 50,000 APs. Trapeze's appliance will make the process of design and management simpler, says Trapeze, saving hundreds of IT hours.

Ringmaster was central to Trapeze's recent success in winning what it calls "the world’s largest deployment" of the new 802.11n standard, a $15 million, five-year upgrade to the wireless LANs at the University of Minnesota. The upgrade will include $3 million on access points alone, swapping out existing APs from D-Link, Cisco and other vendors for around 9,500 of Trapeze's 802.11n access points. Ringmaster "…allowed us to quickly import our own CAD drawings and immediately begin Wi-Fi planning for 300 buildings, including 1,300-plus floors," according to Steve Cawley, the university’s vice president of IT.

RingMaster has been a big part of Trapeze's WLAN strategy from the beginning, for dealing with Wi-Fi propagation issues, and managing the lifecycle of WLANs. The appliance can make a "virtual" site survey based on architectural drawings, and configure access points for specific locations before they are installed.

The appliance is based on a Linux OS, and has two redundant 250GB hard drives to gather monitoring and performance data. The basic unit costs $19,000 (£9,515) including a licence to support 250 APs, which can be extended in steps of ten to 1000, up to 5000, if users buy software keys.

Trapeze's claims - like most claims in the ever-competitive Wi-Fi world - have already been disputed. Aruba told us that it already has an appliance that manages 5000 APs, called the MM-200. We have been unable to find this product on Aruba's site, however.

Information Week, 3.10.8: University Of Minnesota Plans Wi-Fi Network For 80,000

University Of Minnesota Plans Wi-Fi Network For 80,000

The installation will cover 1,204 acres across the university's two campuses and supercede a current network of scattered Wi-Fi access points.

By W. David Gardner
InformationWeek
March 10, 2008 04:21 PM

The University of Minnesota is preparing to roll out what it calls the "world's largest 802.11n deployment" at the Big Ten university's two campuses. The deployment, to get under way in May, eventually will serve 80,000 students and staff.

[more]

Wi-Fi Planet, 3.7.8: When Disaster Strikes, Wi-Fi Responds

By Jeff Goldman

In a disaster recovery scenario, Wi-Fi can offer the perfect mix of flexibility and interoperability.

<snip>

Similarly, Trapeze Networks is using Wi-Fi for disaster response in schools—company director of product marketing David Cohen says an educational environment is perfect for that kind of deployment, since the same network that’s being used for student and faculty Internet access can support everything from video monitoring to emergency communications.

“To enable all the administrators, firemen, police captains, all those people, to communicate with each other on a wireless network, that is a tremendous resource,” he says.

To that end, Cohen says, it’s the interoperability that really makes Wi-Fi ideal in an emergency situation: any first responder with a Wi-Fi device can instantly access the network as needed.

“Wi-Fi uniquely offers one system with guaranteed interoperability,” Cohen says. “Everything just works together.”

Computerworld, 3.7.8: Faster Wi-Fi deployed at U of Minnesota

Trapeze System Replaces Older Wi-Fi from Various Vendors

By Matt Hamblen

March 7, 2008 (Computerworld) Wi-Fi has become commonplace on college campuses, but the University of Minnesota is embarking on a five-year project to upgrade its Wi-Fi network to the much faster 802.11n standard. The $15 million upgrade would provide about 9,500 access points, one of the largest deployments to date.

 

The first phase of the project, to begin in May, involves replacing 2,200 access points that have been in place for as long as nine years. The access points from Cisco Systems Inc., D-Link Corp. and others will be replaced with 802.11n APs from Trapeze Networks at a cost of about $3 million, said Louis Hammond, assistant director of networking and telecom at the university, in an interview today.

 

Trapeze beat 23 other bids in a rigorous RFP process, and won because of cost and Trapeze's ability to manage the overall Wi-Fi infrastructure centrally and in a secure manner, Hammond said. A key factor was that Trapeze has a planning tool called Ringmaster that allows the university to use computer-aided design drawings of buildings to immediately begin planning where to locate the APs for maximum coverage in 300 buildings with 1,300 floors, and serving 80,000 students, faculty and staff.

 

"We're trying to build a safer and more secure system, and the current Wi-Fi system is open, so this one from Trapeze will lock it down," Hammond said.

 

Even though 802.11n is still in draft form, many vendors are selling products to the existing draft specification. Hammond said the university was concerned about deploying a draft N product, but decided to go with it because the hardware in the standard is finalized and only the software might be changed. "If there are changes, they will be in software," which would reduce the cost and complexity of a change, Hammond said.

 

The university has two campuses, in Minneapolis and St. Paul, covering 1,204 acres. Faster 802.11n, with its longer range, could be useful in eventually supporting real-time video and voice traffic, but will also help as the school prepares to scan bar codes on tickets to football games in a new stadium opening in the fall of 2009.

 

Hammond said the more robust Wi-Fi system could be integrated in the future with WiMax network applications, although he said it is unclear what those applications might be. Trapeze said it could integrate with WiMax technology when it becomes available, meeting one of the conditions of the RFP, Hammond said. "There are still a lot of questions about WiMax," he said.

Announcement, Announcement...

I am delighted to report that I will now be helping out Trapeze Networks on a full-time basis. 

Trapeze is one of the leading companies in WiFi networking and you will be finding out a lot more about the company and what it has to offer because I'm now managing the company's public relations. 

Okay?

If we had more open spectrum would hospitals need wires?

A 300 bed hospital will spend up to $300,000 on a Trapeze system, which is also sold by OEMs like Nortel and 3Com, or the competing Cisco gear. But this lets them give all clinicians these cool Vocera phones.

read more | digg story

Investor's Business Daily, 9/26/6: HP, Press Bug Each Other

BY KEN SPENCER BROWN

Posted 9/26/2006

Silicon Valley journalists just got tougher — and for some, so has their job.

Revelations that investigators hired by Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) spied on reporters and stole their identities to get personal records all but guarantee the Silicon Valley icon will face a more skeptical press.

They also put at least nine reporters at four publications in the awkward position of figuring out how to cover a company that has wronged them personally.

Many questions arise. For example, should news outlets reassign reporters to ensure personal grudges don't taint coverage? Will reporters be a lot tougher?

"Each person is going to have to answer the questions for themselves," said Christine Tatum, a business editor at the Denver Post and president of the Society of Professional Journalists. "Could you continue to be objective and fair and accurate and balanced about a company that felt entitled to rifle through your private information? It's dicey."

Tatum says she doubts she could remain objective in such circumstances. But some publications might not want to remove an experienced reporter with the ability — proven dramatically in this case — to dig up information.

"As an editor, I would have to have a hard conversation with the reporter," she said.

The relationship between reporters and companies they cover is inevitably an uneasy one. But HP's actions, a first for a company its size, tread new ground.

'New Layer Of Skepticism'

"It's clear that HP has some fences to mend with the affected journalists, and it may be a while before they regain the trust of the media in general," said Jamie Diaferia, partner at Infinite Public Relations.

"Even if HP is the only company to have ever done something like this, other journalists have to at least wonder about their relationships with large public companies. It adds a new layer of skepticism to the process that may never disappear."

In a scandal bound to go down as a classic case study in journalism and PR textbooks, the tech giant dug up personal phone records on reporters and their families, had some followed, tried to send spyware to one and possibly dug through the trash of another.

At one point, HP's investigators considered getting jobs as cleaners and secretaries at two news outlets to make the spying easier.

"I pity the men and women coordinating HP's PR," said Michael Shmarak, a principal at Sidney Maxwell Public Relations. "Without question, this whole predicament is going to cause angst between the media and the company."

Still, he added, most journalists don't let personal feelings affect their work.

The HP probe targeted Dawn Kawamoto, Tom Krazit and Stephen Shankland of CNet's News.com; Pui-Wing Tam and George Anders of the Wall Street Journal; John Markoff of the New York Times; and Peter Burrows, Ben Elgin and Roger Crockett of BusinessWeek.

Kawamoto and Krazit wrote a few stories as the scandal broke Sept. 5. But once it became clear that during the probe HP had obtained their records, colleagues took over.

News.com's replacement reporters included Shankland, but his HP stories stopped after the online publication reported that the tech firm also targeted him.

Reporters Taken Off Story

Tam and Anders of the Wall Street Journal have not written about HP since the scandal broke.

While the New York Times' Markoff has not written a bylined story about HP since the scandal broke, he was credited for helping in the reporting process for a Sept. 22 piece about it.

The newspaper also quoted him in a Monday story about companies' efforts to plug leaks. Markoff, the victim of an e-mail hacker 10 years ago, said in that story that the tactics used by HP might be more common than most people assume.

BusinessWeek's Burrows wrote a Sept. 22 piece about HP's efforts to ferret out and fire workers caught speaking to the media. A tag line at the bottom of the story mentions Burrows' role as victim in the scandal.

(The BusinessWeek and CNet reporters didn't respond to e-mail questions, while the other two publications weren't contacted.)

Elizabeth Corcoran, a Forbes magazine reporter married to Anders, wrote about HP for a Sept. 22 first-person account about the ordeal.

For some, being revealed as one of HP's targets amounts to a badge of honor, a modern-day equivalent of being named to Richard Nixon's "enemies list."

Brian Johnson, a public relations consultant in Silicon Valley, said some journalists might not be too upset over the incident.

"Imagine what's going through the reporter's mind," Johnson said. " 'Gosh! My work is so important, HP and its executives are willing to risk their reputation to find my sources and methods.'

"That's very flattering indeed."

Merger Market, 9/12/6: 'Good fit' with Juniper and Acme Packet, company

VegaStream, a privately-held maker of voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) gateways, could be a "good fit" for companies manufacturing session border controllers, said Robert Brakeman, VegaStream's general manager of the Americas. Brakeman explained that some session border controller vendors, such as Juniper Networks in California and Acme Packet in Massachusetts, may find themselves at a competitive disadvantage if they are unable to also offer gateways - like VegaStream provides - at a time when giant Cisco Systems sells both.

Gateways provide access from one network to another. Session border controllers control signals over an Internet network.

Brakeman named Tellabs, whose core products are gateways, as another potential VegaStream buyer.

Tomorrow, UK-based VegaStream will announce a USD 4m investment from venture capitalists Noble Group. Brakeman said, however, that the cash infusion does not dull VegaStream's interest in an exit. Brakeman declined to say whether VegaStream has retained an investment bank.

He mentioned that VegaStream had received an offer from a private equity firm since a management buyout three years ago, but the company would prefer a buy from a strategic player. He said a return on investment alone held little interest for VegaStream. The company would prefer a buyer that continued to market its product.

VegaStream anticipates generating revenue of approximately USD 10m in 2006.

by Sarah Cohen

Alibris: Fighting for Fair Textbook Prices

On September 23, 2006 Alibris organized a protest on the University of California - Berkeley campus against high textbook prices. Here's a small sample of the media coverage from the event:

KPFA, Youth Radio, August 19, 2006

Download Youth Radio Segment

 

Saint John Telegraph Journal, 4/10/6: Architects salute restoration project

By Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon
Telegraph-Journal

Irving-owned Commercial Properties Limited has been recognized by the New Brunswick Architects Association for the revitalization and restoration of CenterBeam Place.

Jack Irving accepted the certificate of recognition Saturday night on behalf of his son, company president John Irving, who was unable to attend.

CenterBeam Place includes nine heritage buildings located in the Trinity Royal heritage preservation area.

Association president Gaye Kapkin, of DFS Inc. Architects in Saint John, presented the certificate as part of the association's 74th annual general meeting.

Phase one of the CenterBeam project, along Prince William Street and half of King Street, is already complete. Interior renovations have included major structural, mechanical and electrical upgrades, leaving original brick walls and wooden ceiling beams exposed.

Phase two, which includes the second half along King Street and all of the portion facing Canterbury Street, should be ready to accept new tenants in about four months.

Commercial Properties plans to lease office space on the upper floors and continue to lease retail space at ground level.

The buildings were originally occupied by a bank, two dry goods businesses, a hardware store and a variety of mercantile businesses.

They are significant as a collection of Italianate and Second Empire style commercial buildings, all built between 1877 and 1881 after two-thirds of the city was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1877.

Saint John MP Paul Zed has commended John and Jack Irving for their vision, leadership and commitment in "breathing life" into the old buildings.

He contends the project will create employment, foster the renewal of Saint John, enhance the vitality of the city, encourage growth, add economic security to the uptown core and increase the tax base.

Last November, John Irving thanked local architect Tom Johnson for his "guidance, creativity and insight."

He also praised the hundreds of local craftsmen and artisans who have worked on the project over the past couple of years for creating "truly magnificent, outstanding work."

He also thanked his father for making it all possible. "My father has always believed in the importance of the downtown core of cities, particularly in Saint John," he said.

CenterBeam Place is named after its major tenant CenterBeam Inc., an IT solutions company.

Kâté LeBlanc/Telegraph-Journal)
Jack Irving receives a certificate of recognition for the revitalization and restoration of CenterBeam Place from Gaye Kapkin, president of the New Brunswick Architects Association. Mr. Irving accepted the award on behalf of his son, John Irving, president of Commercial Properties Limited.

Saint John Telegraph Journal, 4/10/6: CenterBeam project impresses architects

Heritage preservation work can be tricky business, says Fredericton architect

By Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon
Telegraph-Journal

Saint John's CenterBeam Place was showcased to architects from across the country over the weekend as an example of a successful heritage revitalization and restoration project.

About 32 architects, who were in Saint John for the New Brunswick Architects Association's annual general meeting, toured the uptown facility with lead architect Tom Johnson on Saturday.

"We want our members to take high-level knowledge home with them for use on heritage properties in their own communities," said association president Gaye Kapkin, of DFS Inc. Architects of Saint John.

Any architect who does business in the province, not just those who call New Brunswick home, have to be members of the association, she said.

Ed Goguen, of Goguen and Company in Fredericton, was impressed by what he saw.

"It's a very nice project," he said of the block of historic buildings being rehabilitated by Irving-owned Commercial Properties Limited.

He pointed to the installation of elevators, a modern heating system and ventilation system as examples of work that's been done while still maintaining the historic integrity of the buildings bound by Prince William, King, Grannan, and Canterbury streets.

Heritage work can be tricky business, said Mr. Goguen, an architect for 25 years. The goals of a client and historic preservationists are often at odds and the architect is usually "caught in the middle."

It's also very expensive and government funding has been lacking, he said.

Meanwhile, the latest push for so-called green buildings, or energy-conserving buildings, has made the work even more complicated, said Mr. Goguen.

Drafty old windows, for example, are easier and cheaper to replace with new replicas, but heritage groups prefer that original windows be maintained.

"I'd like to do more (heritage work), but it's a real challenge," Mr. Goguen said.

Peter Fellows, of Fellows and Company in Fredericton, agrees.

He recalls bidding on a job on a federally owned building in Fredericton and "butting heads" with the officials in Ottawa. It was an early 1900s building with a 1950s extension. Mr. Fellows wanted to tear off the addition because he felt it had ruined the original building. But new guidelines prohibited that because the addition showed the evolution of the building over time.

"I don't think you'd get every architect agreeing on that," Mr. Fellows said.

Even CenterBeam Place, which he described as "well done," didn't follow all of the guidelines. It couldn't, he said.

In the lobby of 14 King St., for example, four esthetically pleasing wooden columns probably shouldn't have been covered up, said Mr. Fellows, who's been in the business for 34 years.

But the original cast iron columns underneath weren't strong enough to hold the new floor loading of the building.

"There has to be more give and take between what the pure people want and what's real, what's feasible," he said.

With phase one of CenterBeam under his belt, Mr. Johnson, of Thomas Johnson Architect Inc., admits the work along Prince William Street and half of King Street has been a balancing act.

"The government is offering money for conservation, but sometimes, on a big project like this, conservation is not really how you want to go."

The new brick wall that faces the Grannan Street courtyard, for example, was the "dingy back end, service yard and parking lot.

"Historically to conserve that would have been pointless. It wouldn't have given it the lift that it really needs," he said, noting that the courtyard is the focal point of the project.

"We had to do some things for the good of the project which were not really what the federal government had in mind" and didn't qualify for funding.

Still, Mr. Johnson, who blushed at the applause at the end of the tour, is clearly proud of the work to date. "It's been a tough job bringing these buildings back to life, let me tell you."

Phase two, which includes the second half of the portion of CenterBeam Place facing King Street and all of the Canterbury Street side, should be ready to accept new tenants in about four months, he said.

Dianne VanDommelen, of Architects Four in Moncton, is anxious to apply what she learned about the project to work her firm is doing for the Association Regional de la Communaute francophone de Saint-Jean (Saint John's regional francophone association) on the old Bank of New Brunswick building at 125 Prince William St.

ARCf hopes to use the five-storey building, located in the Trinity Royal heritage preservation area, for a variety of French services, including a live-music club, a bistro or café-style restaurant, retail space, a welcome centre, office space and meeting rooms.

Renovations to the 14,000-square-foot heritage building are expected to cost more than $1 million.

Mrs. VanDommelen, in the business for 22 years, could not say whether ARCf plans to apply for federal funding, but "there are some basic good principles to follow" on heritage projects, she said. "It's made me more aware."

The 74th annual general meeting of the architects association also included a Building Green in 2006 trade show and educational workshops.

Architects attending the New Brunswick Architects Association’s annual meeting took a tour of the newly restored CenterBeam Place Saturday. They ended the tour here, in the courtyard on Grannan Street.

Shared Values, Shared Success
Kevin Francis

President and Chief Executive Officer

CenterBeam, Inc.

Good afternoon everyone. I’m delighted to be here today because I believe this is the most important group of business people in the world at the most important moment in economic history meeting on the most important topic. We – all of us right now – are riding atop the biggest business opportunity of the century, and the most important topic is success. I want to share with you what I believe to be the key to success in a shared services economy.

Just in case your toes aren’t already curled in excitement about our times and this opportunity, let’s review where we are.

There are three megatrends converging to create an amazing opportunity for us.

Download a .pdf of Kevin's Speech

Global Atlanta, 3/31/6: California Firm Outsources to Eastern Canada

When Kevin Francis, a native of Nova Scotia, was hired as CEO of a California-based information technology management company in 2002, he had many valid reasons for setting up an outsourcing center in his native eastern Canada, he told businesspeople in Atlanta last week.

Press Release, 3/28/6: CENTERBEAM CEO ADDRESSES WORLD’S LARGEST SHARED SERVICES CONFERENCE

Francis Speaks on “Shared Values, Shared Success”
March 28, 2006, San José, Calif. – Kevin Francis, CenterBeam’s president and chief executive officer, will be today’s luncheon speaker at the tenth annual Shared Services Week, the world’s largest shared services conference. “Shared Values, Shared Success,” is Francis’ first-person account of how relationship-based service businesses succeed when they are built on a foundation of shared values.

“Selling a service is selling a relationship and a successful relationship must be founded on shared values,” said Francis. “The absence or presence of shared values will determine if a relationship will fail or prevail. And the energy invested in nurturing those values will shape whether a business will merely survive or genuinely thrive.”

The luncheon is sponsored by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, a federal government business development agency serving the country’s Atlantic Provinces. CenterBeam’s North American Solution Center is based in Saint John, New Brunswick. Opened in June 2003 the center now employs more than 100 people.

Marketing Professionals, 3/28/6:

Lead-Generation Case Study: How Multiple Touches Can Lead to Profit Multiples
by Paul McKeon
March 28, 2006
It's Friday afternoon. Phil, the top sales rep for a technology company, is catching up on his paperwork.

Reluctantly, he picks up a stack of leads awaiting follow up. He rifles through them looking for the hot ones that have budgets and plan to buy within 90 days. He finds none. Among the discards: a prospect indicating an estimated budget of $200,000 to be possibly spent next year. Phil, however, needs to make his numbers this year and decides the decision-making timeframe is too far out. This "lead" goes into the circular file.

This is a fictionalized episode of an all-too-frequent occurrence. Salespeople are notoriously poor in following up on qualified leads. In fact, experts say, sales does not follow up on more than 70% of leads.

Why? Field salespeople in most organizations are compensated, motivated, and managed to focus on short term opportunities, not on the pipeline. Phil is paid to close—he's a "hunter," not a "farmer." But Phil's company has no one running the farm.

Contrast that scenario with the strategic marketing experts at CenterBeam, a San Jose-based IT outsourcing firm that provides sophisticated, yet affordable, IT outsourcing services on a fee-for-service basis. At CenterBeam, the closers are supported by expert "farmers" who cultivate leads into relationships.

Press Release, 3/14/6: KA-CHING!: SPOTLIGHT ON CENTERBEAM’S SUCCESS

src="http://centerbeam.typepad.com/centerbeam/images/CenterBeam_2747.png" width="203" height="88" border="0" />
EVP of Sales Explains Winning Strategy

March 14, 2006, San José, Calif. – Karen Hayward, CenterBeam’s executive vice president for sales and marketing, will speak tonight at the IBDNetworks event, Getting to Ka-Ching! How to Shake Up Your Startup's Sales Strategy.

Hayward’s topic will be Time: The Most Precious Resource. She’ll explain how she has created tightly-managed sales methodologies that win business. “Too many sales people waste too much time chasing too many prospects who couldn't care less. A tightly-managed, methodical approach -- how many calls, how many emails, etc. -- ensures a more efficient use of a sales person's time and a standard methodology that can be measured and tuned over time.”

Press Release: CENTERBEAM CITRIX SERVICES OFF TO FAST START

EVP of Sales Shares Strategy for Success

SAN JOSE, CA - March 14, 2006 -- Karen Hayward, CenterBeam’s executive vice president for sales and marketing will speak tonight at the IBDNetworks event, Getting to Ka-Ching! How to Shake Up Your Startup's Sales Strategy.

Hayward’s topic will be Time: The Most Precious Resource. She’ll explain how she has created tightly-managed sales methodologies that win business. “Too many sales people waste too much time chasing too many prospects who couldn't care less. A tightly-managed, methodical approach -- how many calls, how many emails, etc. -- ensures a more efficient use of a sales person's time and a standard methodology that can be measured and tuned over time.

Since Hayward joined CenterBeam four years ago, she has completely re-engineered how the company goes to market. Hayward’s methodology has won CenterBeam many new clients, awards, and international recognition. She has been profiled in Investor’s Business Daily’s Leaders & Success column and Selling magazine named her its annual “All Star” in 2004.

Under Hayward’s leadership, CenterBeam regularly attracts the attention of important opinion makers such as leading IT industry analyst Gartner. Gartner has published a case study on the CenterBeam service and cited CenterBeam’s innovative approach when the firm named CenterBeam one of the “Cool Vendors” in IT management. A book by Cisco Press, The Business Case for Virtual Business Processes, includes a case study of CenterBeam as an example of how companies can use IT outsourcing to reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and focus on their core business. Most recently, the prestigious KIRA award was presented to CenterBeam for its achievement and to Kevin Francis for his industry leadership. Microsoft awarded CenterBeam its “Winning On Value” award recognizing CenterBeam’s outstanding sales growth and superior customer satisfaction.

About CenterBeam, Inc.

CenterBeam is an award-winning North American-based IT outsourced services company that delivers more than 60,000 services daily for mid-sized clients in eighteen countries across four continents. Founded in 1999, CenterBeam pioneered the application of quality management techniques to IT and currently earns a 95% client satisfaction rating as measured by Quality Resource Associates. CenterBeam's Total Satisfaction Guarantee and month-to-month contracts make the company unique among IT outsourced services companies. CenterBeam is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. and can be reached at 408.750.0500 or www.centerbeam.com.

Network World, 2/21/6: SMBs See Outsourcing as Growth Tool

By Jennifer Mears, NetworkWorld.com, 02/21/06

Encharter Insurance, headquartered in Lexington, Mass., prides itself on its hometown appeal. It’s that neighborhood feel that has contributed to its rapid growth, doubling in size in the last few years to 55 employees and about $8 million in revenue.

But while business boomed, like many small companies, Encharter paid little attention to developing an IT strategy to support expanding technology demands.

“I came into this job and found that there was no IT department,” says Michael Sher, who was named president and CEO of the group of seven insurance agencies spread across Massachusetts and Connecticut last year.

As a result he started looking for outside help, a somewhat maverick decision for the head of a small company. For the most part, small and midsize businesses remain reluctant to hand over IT functions to outsourcers, in large part because of a lack of familiarity with the idea of outsourcing, as well as a fear of losing control.

In addition, while some smaller outsourcing vendors such as CenterBeam and Everdream have built their businesses by focusing on SMBs, big name providers such as EDS and IBM have yet to carve out a niche in the low end of the market, creating a supply side issue that is holding back more widespread demand, analysts say.

Gartner estimates that about 90% of all new business created in the U.S. is small or midsize. It’s a huge opportunity for outsourcers as these small firms begin to recognize that they can achieve the same kind of benefits that large organizations enjoy when handing over non-core IT functions to outside service providers.

“There is a small but growing legion of SMBs that are considering outsourcing,” says Robert Brown, a research director at Gartner.

Brown notes that the base is small. Companies with between 100 and 499 employees, for example, account for just 7.8% of the $50.5 billion business process outsourcing market today, but that number is expected to grow to over 8% of a $78.8 billion market by 2009, according to Gartner.

“For most SMBs, there is an unfamiliarity with outsourcing that dictates that when they make technology buying decisions, the first thing they are going to think about is buying hardware and buying software and then trying to integrate those through internal resources and staff, as opposed to turning to an outsourcer to help,” Brown says.

Indeed, Sher says that when he left Plymouth Rock Insurance to run its subsidiary Encharter, he could hardly believe the situation when it came to IT.

“The offices weren’t networked. And it was all supported by one guy who if he was sick our whole system could be down. He was also charging us for travel between the seven offices in two states,” Sher says. Encharter turned over the bulk of its IT infrastructure, including its Microsoft Exchange servers, to CenterBeam last year.

“Now we have nightly backups. We have servers that are in a Class 1 data center. We have all the things that you would want a growing insurance agency with aspirations for further acquisitions and expansion to have,” says Sher.

ZDNet, 2/15/6: Yes. You should outsource your e-mail

Posted by David Berlind @ 10:43 am

In response to yesterday's post about how Google may soon let you host your email systems (under your domain names) on its servers (powered by GMail), ZDNet reader JM James thinks I was off my rocker when I wrote:

In fact, I'm willing to bet that better than 90 percent of the businesses currently in-sourcing their email can't legitimately justify the practice.

...

But let's not put words in my mouth. There are other ways to outsource e-mail. Centerbeam for example would be happy to take over the management of your Exchange Servers (if that's what you have). According CenterBeam spokesperson Brian Johnson:

What we offer to do is the hard work for people that they can't afford to do themselves. We manage their Exchange Servers, their desktops, every point on the network, the temperature inside every server. When you have the infrastructure for thousands of customers, we can offer them a high level of service for very little money. We charge $45 per user per month. That covers desktop management (anti virus, backup and restore everyday, 24/7 800# dial up helpdesk, server management, email management, VPN services, etc.). The last thing a banker wants to do is have anybody on staff running an Exchange server. All a banker wants is more bankers and salespeople on staff. They don't want a Microsoft Certified Exchange Engineer on staff who is only available for one shift a day. Even if you do run an Exchange Server with three shifts of engineers 7 days a week, they'll be advising you on best practices such as backup and restore. They'll say you need a Storage Area Network (SAN) and need to send tapes to Iron Mountain everyday. The economic model for a banker to do that is very intimidating. But when you spread a best practice across thousands of customers, it allows a company like ours to offer the service the banker needs at a reasonable cost. We built a SAN. One storage area network that we build supports thousands of users. But none of those customers on their own could afford a SAN.

[more]

Infoworld, 2/6/6: Outsourcing the desktop

Outsourcing desktop management can shave costs while bringing relief to an assortment of infrastructure management headaches

By Dan Littman
...

Last March, Michael Sher went from Plymouth Rock Assurance’s headquarters to take over as CEO of Plymouth subsidiary Encharter Insurance Group. He found a loosely knit group of seven insurance agencies spread across Massachusetts and Connecticut that lacked an internal IS department and an IT strategy. The company, says Sher, “had offices that were down for days at a time because we were dependent on a guy in a truck ... a home-town fix-it guy ... who was charging us money to drive around to all the offices.”

Sher says, “When I got there I said, ‘no way; this is too Rube Goldberg.’” He hired CenterBeam to take over.

Between CenterBeam’s off-site servers and Encharter’s in-house client machines plus paper records, the agencies have triple backup. Also, Sher says, CenterBeam’s communication and storage is certified compliant with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which regulates protection of personal information — an important consideration for an insurance company.

Another CenterBeam customer, Henry Svendblad, CIO of Millennium Partners Sports Club Management, says that CenterBeam confers SAS 70 (Statement on Auditing Standards 70) compliance, which will help him obtain a “cyber insurance” policy against data theft. His company, which runs 10 sports clubs in six cities and has 1,500 employees, is a recent acquisition of a bigger real estate development firm. He adds that CenterBeam’s operations also maintain Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliance, which trickles down to his organization.

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Press Release: CENTERBEAM CITRIX SERVICES OFF TO FAST START

Award-Winning Service Now Include Thin Clients
January 24, 2006 – Today, CenterBeam announced its service offering for the Citrix Access Platform is winning very rapid market success. In the few months CenterBeam has offered the service, it has very quickly won six clients.

“CenterBeam’s preëminent value is Customer First,” said Kevin Francis, president and chief executive officer of CenterBeam. “Many of CenterBeam’s customers are so pleased with our PC infrastructure management that they’ve asked us to extend our support to their Citrix servers and clients. And as Citrix continues to build its market success, more and more of our prospects are requesting our support. CenterBeam is answering this call for support by extending our enterprise-class management service to the Citrix Access Platform.”

CenterBeam uses its sophisticated tools, deployed and managed by its experienced engineering staff, to monitor Citrix servers around the clock. Servers are kept up-to-date and performing at maximum efficiency. CenterBeam managed every aspect of Citrix servers, from configuration and performance to fault management. This same approach is applied to Citrix clients. The people using Citrix systems are supported by CenterBeam’s Express Access team of engineers and technicians. For CenterBeam clients that run both Citrix and Microsoft platforms, CenterBeam is a single point of responsibility that simplifies overall management if the IT infrastructure.

Saint John Telegraph Journal: N.B. has its work cut out attracting outside interest

Province does well in job numbers, but lags in dollar terms

By Kevin Barrett
Telegraph-Journal

In a very tangible way, Kevin Francis' Maritime roots have played a significant role in the Saint John economy.

In 2002, Mr. Francis, a Sydney, N.S. native took over as chief operations [sic] officer of the San Jose, California-based CenterBeam after years of executive experience with Xerox Canada.

Once thrust into the leadership position at CenterBeam, Mr. Francis convinced the firm's board of directors that Saint John would provide an affordable centre for its customer support services.

Two years later, it became a reality.

Recently, the information technology outsourcing company hired its 100th employee in the city, eclipsing its staff requirements at its San Jose office.

In many ways, CenterBeam is the poster company for attracting foreign investment to the province - a success story that Business New Brunswick minister Peter Mesheau likes to point to when trumpeting New Brunswick's efforts to lure foreign investment.

VentureWire, 12/29/5: CenterBeam Names Jeffrey Eberts To VP Of Sales Post

By VentureWire Staff Reporters

San Jose, Calif. – CenterBeam Inc., a provider of automated IT outsourcing services, has named Jeffrey Eberts vice president of sales for the eastern United States.

Eberts joins the company from Dell Inc., where he worked on such accounts as General Electric Co., Unilever PLC and AXA Advisors LLC. Eberts has also held various posts at Digital Equipment Corp. and BF Goodrich Aerospace.

CenterBeam offers automated IT services designed for small and mid-sized businesses across a range of sectors, including engineering and architecture, health care and nonprofit.

The company combines desktop and server management, network and system administration and end-user support with a variety of other options. With about 120 customers, CenterBeam sells its services on a monthly subscription basis.

Formed in 1999, the company has raised $175 million in venture capital from Apax Partners, Patricof & Co. Ventures, Equity Office Properties Trust, Merrill Lynch, Charter Growth Capital, EDS Ventures, Comdisco, Microsoft, Meier Mitchell & Co., Accel Partners, Crosspoint Venture Partners, Intel Capital, Impact Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Silicon Valley Bank and Tangent Fund Management.

The San Jose, Calif.-based company has about 175 employees and an office in Saint John, New Brunswick. The company is hiring customer support and engineering staff.

Press Release, 12/20/5: CenterBeam Chief Security Officer Earns Accreditation From (ISC)²

Premier Global Information Security Organizations Awards Eric Arnold Highest Professional Ranking

SAN JOSÉ, CALIF., December 20, 2005 – CenterBeam’s chief security officer, Eric Arnold, has been recognized by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc., (ISC)², and awarded its most coveted accreditation. The (ISC)² has named Arnold a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

“Hundreds of businesses and thousands of users entrust CenterBeam with their most important information,” said Kevin Francis, CenterBeam’s president and chief executive officer. “CenterBeam’s responsibility is to earn that trust every day by delivering the most secure IT infrastructure commercially available. Eric’s accomplishment is significant and is another brick in the wall CenterBeam is constantly reinforcing to protect its clients from internet threats. Few of our clients can afford a CISSP on staff, but all of them need it.”

Arnold: Valuable Resource for CenterBeam Clients

As vice president of technical engineering operations and chief security officer, Eric Arnold is responsible for the development and engineering of CenterBeam’s technology infrastructure, as well as oversight of the ongoing operations and service delivery teams. In addition, Eric oversees the implementation of the CenterBeam service for new clients. As CenterBeam’s chief security officer Arnold is frequently referenced in the media as an expert on the IT aspects of SOX compliance. Recently Arnold published The CFO's Guide to SOX IT Compliance: Top Line Information Delivering Bottom Line Savings that CenterBeam makes available free-of-charge. Arnold frequently consults with CenterBeam clients on their SOX and HIPPA certifications. Earlier this month, Arnold spoke at Gartner’s 24th annual data center conference on the business value of IT. In addition to being a CISSP, Arnold is a black belt in Lean Six Sigma.

“Becoming a CISSP is equal parts accomplishment and commitment,” said Arnold. “Earning it demonstrates a documented level of competency. Deserving it requires constant education and development through the (ISC)2 network. But the real value of the CISSP isn’t about what it says about me. The real value is what it enables me to do for our clients. Something that I’ve learned and applied might mean the difference between our clients thriving in the information age or not surviving. For me, it’s all about our clients.”

Press Release, 12/7/5: CENTERBEAM SPEAKS AT GARTNER DATA CENTER CONFERENCE

VP of Technical Engineering Operations & Chief Security Officer Invited to Present on Creating Business Value Through IT

SAN JOSÉ, CALIF., December 6, 2005 – Eric Arnold, CenterBeam’s vice president of technical engineering operations and chief security officer, will present a case study on CenterBeam’s state-of-the-art IT infrastructure during Gartner’s 24th annual data center conference in Las Vegas. Hewlett–Packard selected CenterBeam from all of its customers to represent how organizations can use that company’s products to create business value.

Saint John Telegraph Journal, 12/5/5: McKenna worked his Maritimes connections

An excerpt from Gordon Pitts' just published book, The Codfathers, looks at the McKenna miracle

By Gordon Pitts
Special to the Telegraph-Journal

When Frank McKenna was luring a Royal Bank centre for Moncton, he talked it over with then chairman Allan Taylor while fishing on the Restigouche. Then vice-chairman Gordon Feeney came on board, because after all, he was a native New Brunswicker. When Air Canada needed a reservation centre, Frank got a call from chocolate tycoon David Ganong, who is on the airline's board, and "I immediately landed the centre for 500 big jobs in Saint John." Every business he went after, he would check the board, find out who was on it, and work the Maritime relationship.

Sometimes he didn't have to look very far. By the time Frank was lining up call centre customers for New Brunswick, his old friend Kevin Francis had risen through the Xerox ranks and had become the copier company's Canadian president in Toronto. Out of the blue, Frank called him one day and said, "Why don't you put some Xerox call centre jobs in New Brunswick?" McKenna explained that he needed some brand names to get the call centre thing off the ground. Francis was receptive to at least talking to his old friend about it. "He was up to Toronto in a flash with a couple of officials," Francis says. "He sold his little heart out. He is probably one of Canada's great salesmen."

Read the rest of the story

San Jose Mercury News, 11/16/5: Foundation Urgest Civic Involvement

At CenterBeam, a San Jose enterprise that manages other companies' computer systems, employees have worked with the Bill Wilson Center, which provides resources and counseling to youth and families in need.
Link

Canadian Business, 9/26/5: Saint John vs. Moncton

The CEO of CenterBeam Inc., a California-based IT firm, opened an advanced client-support centre in Saint John in 2003 and is now searching for more employees. "Saint John has diversified its economy," says Francis. "It has become a major centre in terms of technology and the new economy."

Complete story here.

Press Release, 10/26/5: Entrepreneurs Foundation Hosting November Leadership Summit on Corporate Citizenship in the Bay Area

SUNNYVALE, CA Entrepreneurs Foundation will host its second Leadership Summit on November 15, 2005 at Synopsys in Sunnyvale. The Summit will provide an opportunity for Bay Area corporate leaders to discuss the importance of corporate citizenship in the Bay Area and the need for more business leaders to become community leaders. Speakers will highlight how they and their companies have developed community benefit initiatives and how these programs have been beneficial to their companies and employees. With the Bay Area lagging behind other communities in philanthropy and corporate community involvement, Entrepreneurs Foundation is staging this Summit to expand the dialogue around this issue, raise awareness about how and why companies should be supportive of our community, and inspire companies to take action.