3rd year running - Business Courier Fast 55 Finalist

For the third year in a row, Emerge Managed Solutions has been nominated for the Business Courier Fast 55 Award. Winners of the Fast 55 in 2011 and 2012, this award recognizes Emerge as one of the regions fastest growing companies.

“We are truly honored to be nominated for the 3rd year in a row for the Fast 55. The win reflects on the outstanding team we have created over the years. Emerge could not have done it without them.” Says Emerge Operations Manager Michelle Caridi.

http://www.emergeits.com/asp/news.asp?ID=11

Back It Up!

Pictures. Music. Work documents. Personal documents.  Tax information.  Most people keep a great deal of business and personal data on a computer.  What would happen if your computer got a virus and deleted all of your documents?  How would you get your photos back if your hard drive crashed?

These things are in the minds of both business users’ and personal users’.  With the internet reaching faster speeds, it is now possible to back up all your important data to a separate location (called offsite storage).

Pictures, music, documents, etc. are compressed using advanced techniques, encryption is applied to the compressed files, and then data is sent to the offsite location via the internet.  Once the data is received, it is stored on a secured server.  With this server, only you have access to the information.  Encryption (the same kind the government uses) keeps your personal information safe and secure.

Your data is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It can be restored to your computer in the event of data loss, virus, or even if you accidently deleted a file.

As we rely more and more on our computers not only for productivity but for storing our information, it is important to have a reliable backup solution.  It’s not a matter of ‘if’, but a matter of ‘when’.  Be sure you are prepared and back it up!

Andrew Miller
Data Center Engineer
Emerge

Emerge Help Desk Q & A: The AV Cloud

Emerge Lead Audio Visual and Service Technician, Ryan Leslie, reviews some of his most frequently received AV Cloud related questions from Emerge customers.

Q: Which devices (Apple or Android) are better for viewing and tracking the “cloud” based camera application?

A: Either. Both the Apple and Android devices have access to the camera application which has the same functionality. Ultimately this is good news for all users, as they will have access regardless of what device they currently own.

Q: What happens if I forget or lose my log-in credentials to the camera application?

A: Any issues, including credential information, are all supported by the Emerge Help Desk. If a user experiences any types of issues, they can simply contact the Emerge Help Desk, and someone will work with the user to get the issue resolved in a timely manner.

Q: What if I am unable to configure the settings to connect to the camera system?

A: An Emerge Engineer or Technician will work with the user to get all settings configured and camera images aimed correctly before handing the application over to the end user.

Q: Can I have multiple accounts for different users?

A: Yes. Users can add several additional accounts with separate log-in credentials, which are called guest accounts. Adding guest accounts allows for the administrator to give viewing access to several other users. When adding guest accounts, the administrator can set the rights of each account which can give each user different types of access when viewing the cameras (i.e. one user may have the same rights as the administrator such as being able to move the camera image as well as adjust settings. However, other users may only be allowed by the administrator to view the image on the camera without being able to adjust any settings.

Q: Am I able to make any changes to the account or settings after the application is configured?

A: Yes. If there are any changes that a user, who has administrator rights, would like to make to their settings, they will have access to those at all times. In the event that an administrator, would like to make changes, but is unaware of how to do so, then the user will be able to contact the Emerge Help Desk and receive assistance.

The AV Cloud

Cloud Solution Brings Explosive Growth to IP Surveillance Solutions

The Internet; a vast and often undefined expanse of bits and bytes has once again enabled new life. Much like in the organic oceans of our blue planet, the Internet gives birth to new species with regularity.

 

IP Surveillance at Emerge Headquarters

As the mobile device market grew from a novelty in the 1980’s, to a convenience in the 1990’s, to business critical 2006 and of course the preferred means of communication for the millennial generation the birth of a species is now complete. The “mobile” species is no longer an idea, it is indeed a market segment that has grown to a stunning level. According to Gartner Research 428 million devices were sold globally in 2012. The sale of mobile devices represents several devices and 2 main markets.

From the Apple platform to the Android to the Windows 8 based “Ultra-book” on a multitude of platforms (Apple platform supports iPod’s, iPad’s, iPhone’s, and Macbooks. The Google or Android platform supports a wide variety of smart phones from the Samsung Galaxy to the HTC “One”. Additionally Samsung has a Galaxy Tablet Series to compete with the iPad.  The latest entrant to the mobile market is the Windows 8 based “Ultra-book”.) users are able to communicate via voice/text/mail/social media and engage the internet. This connection to the internet enables these devices to engage with “cloud” based technologies, becoming a catalyst for the dynamic growth of the IP Surveillance market.

Gone are the days of time lapse recordings on VHS tape, or expensive DVR’s that are limited to 16 channels and provide a single point of failure and also require expensive on premises hardware for storage. Today, a user can monitor any area they have a “cloud” friendly IP Camera installed by simply purchasing an app for less than $10.00US. This app manages camera functionality, such as lights/ pan, tilt, zoom/ live view and access to recordings.

By leveraging “cloud” based technology a user can install a simple IP Camera that functions as a “web-server” and can be associated to a private cloud for storage and made available to secure access via the Internet. By leveraging shared infrastructure the initial cost of provisioning the storage and servers to manage the content is eliminated. The user can engage with this solution for a low monthly fee, often less than $20.00US per camera.

In vertical markets, such as quick service restaurants, retail stores, gas stations and many more, this solution is a perfect fit. All the owner needs is a simple Internet connection, as the cameras require approximately 30k of bandwidth for upload, which is very small. The retail stores only need to connect the cameras to their network and log in to the “on line” or mobile site and they are monitoring the cameras in minutes. This is particularly powerful for users will multiple sites, as it doesn’t matter where the cameras are. Once a camera is associated with the owners “private” account, the camera will be locked in and available for live view and recording.

Check back for my next “AV Cloud” on Digital Signage.

Mobile Device Stats 2012

http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2237315

 

IP Surveillance / IP Cam

http://www.axis.com/products/video/camera/index.htm

Emerge Web Site

www.emergeits.com

Culture Matters

Cheat Day Friday Waffle Breakfast

Did you know that Emerge has been nominated and won Best Places to Work by the Greater Cincinnati Business Journal?

Company culture is very important to Emerge.

Michelle Caridi, Emerge Business Operations Manager puts it this way, “Our people are the foundation of our company. Taking care of them and having morale boosting events is a small way to show them we appreciate how hard they work each day.”

 

Disaster Recovery with the Cloud

Even though we in the Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky area are experiencing an unseasonably warm January day, over the next couple days we are expecting severe weather. Rains and damaging winds are coming our way.

The obvious thoughts here at Emerge go to Disaster Recovery.

If you are an SMB, as cybercriminals become more sophisticated and natural disasters are an ever-present threat, what are your plans to ensure that your business can resume normal operations and not skip a beat? As we all know, any downtime in your business is money lost.

The answer lies in the private or public cloud.

InformationWeek Reports said cloud-based business continuity programs enable small firms to have end-to-end backup orchestrated for their entire data center. This lets executives migrate massive volumes of records on demand.

Private clouds, whether hosted in your datacenter or at a provider’s site, are a smart way to minimize the risk of data loss. Disaster recovery tools in the cloud often have easy-to-use management solutions and can be deployed immediately.

If you would like to discuss Disaster Recovery plans for your business, please contact Emerge at 859-746-1030 or email at http://www.emergeits.com/asp/contact.asp

2013 Cloud Computing Market Projections

There is no doubt that cloud-computing technology is rapidly evolving.  Looking back 12 to 24 months, the industry and our customers were posing the question, “What is cloud computing and will it last?” There is no doubt that our industry has accepted the fact that the cloud is here to stay.  “How can cloud computing help my business?” has now become the most frequently asked question. I am not going to focus on the issues of the past, but rather provide my projections of what is to come in 2013.  Prefacing this by saying that the focus of these projections is based on my interactions with the Small and Medium Business (SMB) market segment.

My predictions for the coming year point to further adoption of cloud computing technology with two initiatives in mind:

1.  A desire to move capital expenditure to operational expenditure
2.  A desire to create revenue-impacting opportunity by leveraging technology

CAP-EX to OP-EX

Many executives in organizations understand that a move to the cloud would result in a migration of substantial capital expenditure to operational expenditure; however there can actually be a reduction of both capital and operational expenditures by moving to the cloud.  The “In-House” model requires CAP-EX, resulting in the purchase of hardware and software, and re-investment of capital every 3 – 5 years to keep up with technology and remain competitive in the market. 

The same applies in this model, requiring OP-EX in systems administration, HR overhead, multi-vendor agreement management, etc.

When considering all of the operational expenditures associated with the “In-House” model, executives are starting to realize that the hidden treasure of moving to the cloud is not only in the transition from CAP-EX to OP-EX, but also the potential to lower OP-EX.  Therefore, reducing the inefficiency of managing multiple vendors and the internal staff required to maintain and optimize the CAP-EX investments in technology.

Leverage Cloud Computing to Impact Revenue Generation

It goes without mentioning that a move to cloud computing can help strengthen an organizations financial position, resulting in opportunity to invest in other areas such as new products / services, marketing, or expansion.  For the sake of this article, I would like to focus on cloud based communications solutions as an opportunity to impact revenue generation. 

These solutions would include unified communications with presence technology, enterprise messaging, and mobile computing solutions.  Enhancing the quality and speed of internal and external communications can be a strong competitive opportunity for all businesses.  The faster we can move through the business process while keeping quality in check; the faster revenue is being generated, which is something all of us can get excited about.   

An example of this would be presence technology.  By using cloud based software, organizations can have the ability to see the status of your teams and team members (online, offline, on the phone, in a meeting, out to lunch, etc.) at a glance and in real time.  This can enhance the speed in which your teams can get answers to questions, react to customers, communicate with vendors, and ultimately get more done in less time resulting in greater productivity.  This is one of many examples of how a cloud based technology can create a revenue-impacting opportunity in a business without the need to purchase expensive software and utilize internal resources to deploy the technology.

Conclusion

Nobody will argue that the cloud is going anywhere.  With market indications of triple digit percentage growth in the next 24 months, there is a great deal of opportunity for businesses to benefit from this shift in computing.  Since technology is always changing and progressing, organizations that remain nimble enough to adopt the changing technology concepts are in the best position to gain the competitive advantage in their market place.  Given these projections, it is my opinion that we are moving past the point of early adoption with cloud computing and if organizations are unwilling or unable to adapt to the opportunity in front of them, they will soon be left in the tail winds of their competition.