theXS (a.k.a. it4lease.ca)

IT infrastructure have evolved from standalone desktop, peer-to-peer network sharing, client-server application, on the server data and application, virtualization, SaaS, etc, and recently, to the Cloud.
Most Small Business are still working in a mix desktop-network-sharing environment but it’s time for a change, for the better.
I see two alternatives (other than doing no-thing, of course)

1. a safe move to on premises, on the server data and application environment, OR
2. a big jump to the Cloud, where *every-thing* is *up-there some-where* and we only have an internet connexion

2012 is a good year to improve your current IT infrastructure or at least talk about the choices.
We can help: call or email for a free Consultation on your IT infrastructure and procedures.

Integration is vital for Small Business: having a remote managed server appliance on premises, running most important network services in a secure way could represent a huge improvement in productivity and collaboration.

How to know if you can benefit from this solution? Well, this is a simple test – if you find yourself represented in more than one of below statements, then you might consider it as a good choice for your business:

IF YOU DO HAVE:

• your email on the user’s PC without a central backup
• your important files and data fragmented among your employees
• a reactive to problems instead of a proactive to solutions IT policy

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE:

• an automatic scheduled backup of your files, emails and data
• a proven and tested recovery plan
• remote but secure access to your local network services

Not sure yet? we can help: call or email for a free Consultation on your IT infrastructure and procedures

During last FIFA Cup (football aka soccer World Cup) I had a chance to enjoy all the advantages of working from Home, while using the edgeBOX solution running in the Office.

I was able to

• sit in front of our management computer to do some transactions
• receive calls on my office extension
• print on the office machine
• sit besides my associate and review a new order on his computer
• make some calls from my office extension
• have access to files on the office server
• even receive calls to my office extension on my cell
• and all these, on a secured way

So, in the future I have to remind myself when talking with the decision maker from any SMB, to tell them they can do it too.

It’s more than a word game, what is indeed – it’s the wrapping of our proposal: “your IT infrastructure in OneBox: administration, configuration, updates, backup: forget IT, instead of making IT easier for you, we’ll do IT for you”.
Inspired and driven by two main concepts behind this project “Simplifying through Integration” and “Avoiding the Problems”

It’s the whole idea of combining and getting the best out of the two approach for IT improvement and remediation: Proactive Plus Reactive.

On a side note I want to remark, it was my daughter who connect the dots on this short, I’d say shot?, proposition that is now the back of my business card — shown below — thanks then.

How to know if edgeBox – a OneBox solution – is Suitable, Useful, Recommended and Effective for our Organization?
How to be SURE?

Well, this is a simple test – if you find yourself represented in more than one of below statements, then edgeBox is SURE for you.

IF YOU DO HAVE:

• your email on the user’s PC without a central backup
• your important files and data fragmented among your employees
• an old fashioned paper-fax machine, both to send and receive
• an isolated phone system disconnected from your data and remotely unreachable
• to call your office to retrieve your voice message instead of receiving by email
• a reactive to problems instead of a proactive to solutions IT policy

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE:

• an automatic scheduled backup of your files, emails and data
• a proven and tested recovery plan
• secure access to your local resources
• a security updates management system
• a central up to date anti – spam, virus and other malwares
• remote but secure access to your local network services

Be SURE edgeBox is for you!!

Just got this exciting news from our partner in Taiwan Planet Technology and wanted to share it with our readers:

PLANET Technology Corporation, the global leading IP-based networking company, announced being awarded “2010 Taiwan Symbol of Excellence” for it’s latest innovative product: Unified Office Gateway (UMG-2000.) After a two-month intense competition among 717 products from 325 companies, PLANET Technology showed its innovative promises to make our products globally competitive.

“2010 Taiwan Symbol of Excellence” is conducted by TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council) at the behest of the Ministry of Economics Affair (MOEA) of the R.O.C. government. The award proved outstanding performance of PLANET’s products in R&D Innovation, Design Uniqueness, Quality Systems, and International Marketing. Winning this award is expected to add on PLANET Technology’s already strong global image in product technology, professionalism, and brand awareness.

With 17 years of product developing experience, PLANET Technology combines six core IP Technologies to present this world-leading networking device: Unified Office Gateway (UMG-2000.) Designed for small and medium businesses of up to 250 people, the Unified Office Gateway integrates Switches, Wireless Access Point, Network Storage Service, IP PBX/ VoIP/ Fax Services, Email Services and Internet Security in one device. It provides a simple and easy all in one IP networking solution for small and medium businesses.

Have a look at this video presentation for Planet – Unified Office Gateway (UMG-2000)

The whole idea behind OneBox project is driven by two main concepts “Simplifying through Integration” and “Avoiding the Problems”
I just wanted to provide a simple recipe for the path to achieve this goal — a three steps

Overview and Premises

1. SMB spends more on user’s PCs because usually cannot afford a Server
2. But the Sum of expending on those PCs is usually bigger than a fully featured Server
3. Why keep real value on the desktop if we can move it to the Server?
4. Why keep OS and applications on the desktop if we can move them to the Intranet – the Local Cloud?

1st Step: Move from Many to One

1. OneBox will include all currently spread information in One – secured and protected – Box
2. While keeping easy access and sharing for authorized users from anywhere
3. Desktop would be just Hardware, OS and Applications

2nd Step: Back to Many

1. Getting back the old Terminal concept, all users would share Server resources, data and applications
2. Dilute your user desktops into your local Server using disk-less PCs connected to a Terminal Server
3. Desktop would be just Hardware and network access, while OS and Applications move to the Server

3rd Step: Then to None

1. Upgrade the disk-less PCs to just a Web Browser Appliance and make your applications Web based (RA3D)
2. That’s the further step to the Local Cloud, moving your office to the Intranet
3. Desktop would be just Hardware and a Web Browser.

[this is still a work in progress, but I rather have it available even as a Draft, for our customers and prospects reference]
Unlike previous post about OneBox’s selling features, we are now focused on the negative approach: the PAIN suffered by many SMB customers because of their network/server infrastructure, lacking features and functionality.

Check this unsorted list (no priority) of most common Pains, all of them relieved with OneBox:

• Ineffective Data Protection: no centralized backup, no centralized access to Internet , no recovery of accidentally deleted files, no security update management, no recovery plan
• Inefficient Data Organization : documents and e-mails are stored� on user’s computers, no user-password authentication – authorization, no shares for files and emails, no managed faxes
• Productivity Loss: no shares for collaboration, no effective anti-spam means tons of unsolicited emails, no remote
• Non-unified Communication: data and voice are on their own and usually unreachable when most you need them
• No effective backup and restore: no automatic backup is meant to disaster, aggravated with no planned/tested recovery plan

Like a theatrical piece or a translating dialogue between what the IT guys like to say and what The User wants to hear
(this would work as a selling guide and a value proposal, but also as a deserved Customer appreciation act)

User: Company email boxes are in one location, while users would have secured access from anywhere
IT: IMAP mail boxes, NAC & AAA while connecting through LAN, WLAN or VPN,

User: Company data is secure hosted in the server and shared as needed among users and groups
IT: Firewall, SSH, NAC, windows SMB, shares, PDC support, quota, backup/restore

User: Reduce time navigating through unsolicited email, possible threats, malicious attacks and further damage control
IT: Anti-virus, anti-spam, email scan, closed firewall, filters, DoS protection

User: Reduce ongoing expenses on maintenance, repair, hydro, a/c, phone and fax bills
IT: 9-in-1 appliance, one leasing payment, remote managed services from one single source

User: Unified Data and Voice Communication on One shared and secured Box at your premises
IT: VoIP/IP-PBX, IVR, Follow me, QoS, Firewall, VPN, fax2mail, mail2fax

User: Voice access whenever you need it, wherever you are, no more missed calls and opportunities
IT: hunt/ring/queue groups, meet me, follow me, conference room, LD at local rates, DISA, voice2mail and more

User: Proactive plus Reactive IT approach, the best of both worlds at your hands
IT: no hassle edge technologies by default, IT guy over your shoulder and always on call

User: And a lot more features and benefits
IT: sure thing, instead of making it easier for you, we’ll do it for you

Well, this is kind of a personal project, in fact a two projects combination: (leasing and integrating) an office-network in a single package-solution.

The idea of leasing dated back in 2002 and was kept in the sandbox since then — One Box project started back in March 2007 exploring available projects at that time, among then I remember Office in a Box from EdgeBox and IT in a Box from EmergeCore, the latter was a simple and amazing box (now discontinued, AFAIK), the former was just an ISO to install at that time and it didn’t work with our server platforms.

After spending a few weeks collaborating with our partners in Panama (some Linux tech out there) we gave up buying and started developing our own OneBox (Office NEtwork in a Box) — it was ready for it360 show in Toronto last year — we are now providing this solution on different flavours, time will tell what’s the main course:

1. Our own OneBox — an all inclusive cabinet, featuring an Intel server and ubuntu
2. A simplified fork thin-client-network OneBox� — just a Linux Terminal Server serving Asus diskless PCs
3. Back on current EdgeBox SoHo/Office appliance — signing as their first VAR in Ontario
4. Also checking on Planet Unified Office Gateway — an all-inclusive appliance with a lot of potencial

On top of any of these solutions we are providing a leasing model 24/27 with or new partner National Leasing, so from now on our new clients will be paying a monthly and fair amount for their IT remotely managed platform.

That’s it — we are leasing IT remote managed services, all in One Box at your premises — and more to come.