MJ's Business IT Blog

Latest Article: IT backup needed, but which one?

Backup solutions have long been a bone of contention in the IT world. Everyone knows that you need a good, reliable backup, but the age old question always is what's the best hardware and software to use? Traditionally, on the hardware side, it's been tape drives and magnetic tape media. More recently, inexpensive USB hard drives have become popular as well. There are several well established software applications, like Symantec BackupExec or EMC's Retrospect Backup that are fairly reliable, but these backup systems, both the hardware and the software, are notoriously unreliable across the board.

Courtesy photo MJ Shoer, third from left, testifies before a congressional committee earlier this year on security.

I have yet to see a tape hardware and software based backup system that does not need some near constant tuning to keep it running well. Even then, the fact that you get a successful backup does not necessarily mean that you will be able to restore your backed up data. Time and again I have seen the tape drive fail to read a tape that it reports a successful backup to. I have also seen software corrupt backups from time to time.

Given the concerns stated above, regarding tape based backup, what better solutions are available to the small business owner to insure a reliable backup?

Over the past several years, remote, Internet-based backup systems have exploded. There are basically two types of remote backup systems available. Software-based, which use a software agent installed on each computer to be backed up, and appliance-based, which leverages a hardware appliance that looks and acts like another server on your network.

Appliance-based backup systems have blended the strategy of having a hardware-based backup onsite with the security of remote offsite data storage. The appliance backs up your data using state of the art imaging technology to achieve near real-time backups and then compress, encrypt and store the backed up data at a remote secure data center. The appliance model also takes backup one step further into the realm of business continuity and disaster recovery. This is because these appliances typically offer the ability to act as a virtual server, in the event your primary server should fail.

They offer lightning fast data restoration and disaster recovery, all at a very affordable cost. Remote backup only provides a method for backing up the data across the Internet and then restoring the data when necessary. Both have valuable applications. It's important to understand the benefits and limitations of each, in order to make the best decision.

Another important feature of these remote backup systems is that they are fully automated. This means that they do not rely on human intervention to run properly. Unlike tape and disk based backup, which require a person to insure the right tape or drive is connected to the server being backed up, remote backup systems require no intervention to work reliably. They are also very secure and redundant, another important consideration. The best systems backup to redundant data centers, meaning that the backup is copied to one location and then automatically replicated to a second. The most common model here in the U.S. is to backup to an East Coast data center and then replicate to a West Coast data center, or vice versa. These data centers are typically very secure, with credentialing systems for access and highly secured systems to insure that no one has physical access to your data that should not.

In the best designed remote backup systems, the backups are encrypted before they leave your office, via the Internet, so that even if the data was intercepted en route to the data center, it would appear to the person who intercepts it as gibberish. This is also true for how it is stored at the data center. Even the engineers that run and maintain the data center cannot see your data. You hold the encryption key that enables the data to be meaningful. Without that key, the data is useless. It's that simple, yet very secure.

If you have not investigated remote backup for your business, I definitely encourage you to do so. They are reliable, automated and very cost effective. Your backup is perhaps your most important piece of IT infrastructure. Don't skimp on it and insure it's as reliable as you think it is.

MJ Shoer is president and virtual chief technology officer of Jenaly Technology Group, an outsourced IT services firm based in Portsmouth. He can be reached at mshoer@jenaly.com.

Latest Column: TechTalk: Is Windows 7 a smart upgrade for your business?

Following is my latest column, published in todays edition of The Portsmouth Herald.  I hope you enjoy it.

Back in late May, I wrote about Windows 7 as it entered its final testing on the way to becoming a final product. Now that Windows 7 has been officially released by Microsoft, I thought I would write an update to try to help you decide if Windows 7 is a smart upgrade for your computers.

I'm still fairly bullish on Windows 7. The performance enhancements are significant. I use a tablet PC, a notebook computer that can double as an electronic notebook, if you will. Because of this special functionality, tablets have unique hardware and often require lots of special software drivers that may impact performance. Windows 7 installed on my tablet PC in about 30 minutes, lightning fast by current standards. This speed boost permeates the new operating system. Whether its startup time, shutdown time or the time to load an application like a word processor, Windows 7 is just plain fast.

To be fair, the computer I use has 4 GB of RAM, but even on a system with half that amount, Windows 7 performs very efficiently. The 64-bit version of Windows 7 is also well worth considering. With a 64-bit operating system, as opposed to the 32-bit standard of Windows XP, you may install more than 4 GB of RAM in your computer, which will greatly enhance the performance of memory-intensive applications. The 32-bit operating systems are limited to 4 GB and often only 3 or 3.5 GB of the 4 GB is able to be recognized by the operating system, so you lose some performance potential; but not with 64-bit. In my experience so far, the driver and application support for 64-bit Windows 7 is excellent. You may remember when Windows XP and even Windows Vista were first released, there were several driver issues. Most notably, printers and similar peripherals did not have proper drivers available for those operating systems and therefore would not work.

This is not the case with Windows 7. There is ample driver support and Microsoft has intelligently implemented a very sophisticated compatibility mode that allows programs that may not operate properly in Windows 7 to operate as if they were on a computer running an older version of Windows.

In my testing to date, I have not found a driver or program that will not run properly. This is not to say there may not be; I'm sure there are and there will be some compatibility issues. But I expect them to be minimal.

So, given my positive impression to date, do I recommend you consider upgrading to Windows 7 for your business? Simply stated, yes. As you acquire new computers, there is no reason not to configure them with Windows 7. The user of the new computer will appreciate the speed, stability and improved overall user experience. Should you upgrade existing computers running either Windows XP or Windows Vista? If you have experienced any performance or compatibility issues with Windows Vista, I definitely recommend the upgrade. I have seen firsthand a poor performing Windows Vista PC become a fast and efficient Windows 7 PC just by virtue of the operating system upgrade. With Windows XP, the decision is a little more involved.

If you are within a year of an expiring warranty, I would recommend waiting until you replace the hardware and just get the new PC with Windows 7.

MJ Shoer is president and virtual chief technology officer of Jenaly Technology Group, a Portsmouth-based outsourced IT services provider. He may be reached at mshoer@jenaly.com.

Serving Customers What They Need (and Like to Eat)

This is the title of a blog post over at ChannelInsider about our upcoming educational seminar on Windows 7, which I blogged about a few days ago.

It was very kind of ChannelInsider Editor Carolyn April to pick up on this post and blog about it.  We have always been committed to educating our clients and it's nice to see that being recognized by such a respected person and organization.  I've copied the blog post below for convenience, but feel free to click the title link and browse over to other interesting posts at ChannelInsider.

Thursday, August 20, 2009 4:20 PM/EST

Serving Customers What They Need (and Like to Eat)

Smart solution providers don't sit on their heels waiting for customers to tell them what they need, because oftentimes customers don't know or can't know. As the trusted advisor, it's your job to understand your customer's business so that you can make the right recommendations. Education and outreach are key too, especially when major new products are rolling onto the market - like Windows 7. Outreach is also a form of marketing and the personal touch can be quite effective, especially in a down economy. It also doesn't hurt to throw in a free meal. MJ Shoer gets it. Shoer is president of Jenaly Technology Group in Portsmouth, NH. (a fine state if ever there was one I'll note), a solution provider specializing in the serving small to midsized customers. On his blog this week, Shoer is inviting existing customers - and potential - to a Windows 7 educational seminar on Sept. 16 at a seafood restaurant in Kittery, Me. Among the topics attendees will be regaled with over lunch: • Should you upgrade your existing computers? • What is so good about Windows 7? • What will my users experience with the new operating system? • What has changed? • What are the tips and tricks I should know about Windows 7? Not many customers are breaking down doors because they just have to have Windows 7 installed on Oct. 22 when it launches. Shoer knows that. But he also knows that an event like this lunch will draw an audience that will leave full and far more open-minded to the investment than they had before. And whom will they call when they decide to pull the trigger and upgrade? Face to face marketing isn't cheap, and it doesn't scale like a mass-mailing or other broader campaign. But the return in terms of new business is at a much higher rate than watered-down impersonal marketing activities. How many of you are doing local, in-person customer events - with no sales pitch attached?

Posted by Carolyn April on August 20, 2009 4:20 PM

Social Networks and the Workplace

We all know that Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, MySpace and other social networks are a rage right now.  Most businesses look at them as a waste of employees time, though a growing number, like Jenaly, look to them to help spread the word about the good work they do for the people and their customers.

In our work, as IT Consultants, the majority of our clients are concerned about their staff wasting time online and possibly posting inappropriate things to these sites that could reflect negatively on the business.  These are valid concerns, though it really does seems that most of our clients employees are very responsible individuals.

A growing area of business use for social networks is the hiring process.  When you are interviewing potential employees, are you checking their social network presences as part of your routine screening?  More and more companies are doing this and claiming that it helps in the hiring process.  There is an active debate underway as to whether this is a good thing or not.  If a potential employee is using their social network presence to express themselves in a somewhat private way to those they associate with on these networks, is it really and apporpriate measure of their value as a prospective employee?  That's a very difficult question to answer and one that will only get more mired in controversy as social networking continues to evolve.

Windows 7 Educational Seminar

 Join Jenaly Technologyy Group as we introduce you to Windows 7 at this informative lunchtime seminar.  A sit down lunch will be served and you will enjoy an informative presentation about Windows 7 and learn answers to the following questions, among others:

• Should you upgrade your existing computers?

• What is so good about Windows 7?

• What will my users experience with the new operating system?

• What has changed?

• What are the tips and tricks I should know about Windows 7?
  

Register NOW By Clicking Here

Join us

Wednesday, September 16, 2009
11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
at
Robert's Maine Grille and Market
326 Route One
Kittery, ME 03904

Helping to Promote Sustainability

We are fortunate to be located in the beautiful Seacoast region of New Hampshire.  Nearby, slightly inland in the Town of Durham, we are also fortunte to have the University of New Hampshire, one of the nations premiere public universities.  Regular readers of this blog may remember that I am an alumnus of the University and an avid fan of the Men's Hockey program.  You also know that Jenaly has taken some specific undertakings this past year to promote Green IT and we have launched a Green IT section of our web site and a month Green IT tip in our Jenaly FYI.T. newsletter.  So, I am very pleased to announce that Jenaly is supporting UNH's sustainability efforts and participating in the first GO GREEN with the Wildcats, taking place during the opening home football game on September 5th.  Jenaly will have an educational booth offering infomation about Green IT and how businesses can be more sustainable in their use of IT.  If you will be in the area of Durham of Saturday, September 5th and want to see a great football game and learn more about sustainable practices, I hope you will come to the event.

Following is a copy of the press release put out today by UNH Athletics:

Aug 17, 2009
GO GREEN with the Wildcats: Join UNH Football to learn ways to protect the environment 

DURHAM, N.H. – Recognizing the rising interest among students to support environmentally responsible choices and the university’s commitment to sustainability, University of New Hampshire (UNH) Athletics is partnering with UNH’s sustainability office to focus on eco-friendly products and choices at the first football game of the season on September 5, 2009.

“The 'Go GREEN with the Wildcats'” event will set recycling and sustainability more broadly as the standards that will carry on throughout the year at all athletic events,” says Marty Scarano, director of UNH Athletics. “We are excited to give UNH fans ways to lessen their environmental footprints.”

Wildcat Corporate Partners will have tables around the stadium displaying their "green"
products and services. Volunteers will be on hand to remind fans to recycle. Some of the featured vendors will include: the Green Alliance, Ultra Geothermal, SEA Solar Store, the Jenaly Technology Group, ReVision Energy, The Fiddlehead Loop, Simply Green, The Green Tee, UNH Energy Club, and the Southeast Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. To learn more, click here.

UNH is a leader in integrating sustainability throughout its curricula, operations, research, and engagement efforts. Committed to being a model sustainable learning community, UNH has earned several awards for its sustainability initiatives, which range from having the largest transit system in the state and being the first in the nation to receive an EPA Energy Star building rating for residence halls to innovative research and engagement through efforts like Carbon Solutions New England and the NH Farm to School program. Discover the sustainable learning community at UNH at www.sustainablelunh.unh.edu and www.discoversustainability.org.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea and space-grant university, UNH is the state’s flagship public institution, enrolling 11,800 undergraduate and 2,400 graduate students.

GO GREEN FACTS:  Did you know…….?

1. UNH has committed to reducing its carbon emissions to 50% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 under its Climate Action Plan, WildCAP.

2. UNH's ECOline project will meet up to 85 percent of campus energy use with landfill gas. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) will be sold to help finance the project and to invest in additional energy efficiency projects on campus.

3. UNH Dining services purchases produce from an on-campus organic garden as well as food from 88 local farms and producers.

4. UNH Dining offers beverage discounts for bringing reusable mugs.

5. UNH Dining composts 90% of pre- and post- consumer food waste in the dining halls. The composting program collects over 92 tons of compostable material annually.

6. UNH mandates that new construction and renovations meet LEED Silver or equivalent standards and use low-flow toilets, urinals, faucets, and showers.

7. UNH is installing a rainwater reclamation system at James Hall as part of its renovation; James is registered to pursue LEED certification.

8. The UNH campus features eleven Energy Star-labeled buildings. Congreve was the first Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR rating for residence halls in the nation.

9. The UNH Ecological Advocates is a student group that raise awareness about living sustainably at UNH. Students can also participate in a variety of organizations, including the Energy Club, the Organic Garden Club, and the Student Environmental Action Council.

10. A Living Green community will house 25 students during the 2009-2010 academic year.

11. The Sustainability Internship Program engages students in internships on and off campus.

12. UNH strives to run all of its diesel fleet on B20 low sulfur diesel and is expanding its compressed natural gas, hybrid, all-electric, and other clean technology vehicles as part of its Clean Fleet program.

13. The Cat Cycles bike program allows any member of the university to sign out a bike and accessories for up to one week at a time.

14. The university has an extensive public transportation system with numerous routes both on campus and off and with links to regional bus and train services.

15. UNH uses GoLoco ridesharing and will offer ZipCar in the 2009-2010 academic year.

Back At It

Well, it's been a crazy two and half weeks of business and vacation travel.  After an excellent quarterly meeting with our Marketing Master Mind Group in Del Mar, CA, it was off for a week of relaxing vacation on Cape Cod with my family.  We had a blast, and despite the poor summer weather up to that point, we actually had some nice hot sunny days.  The kids were very happy.  I was very happy, because the beach cottage surprised us all with high speed broadband service this year, so I actually got to do some quality work as well, which actually helps me to relax, when I can leisurely work on things that I need the piece and quiet of a remote location to do.  I know, it was vacationa nd I should not have been working, but as I said, I enjoy it.  I love what I do and don't mind doing it while I'm vacationing, especially when I have my family close at hand.

Taking a page right out of the book of plays for the "no rest for the weery" crowd, I was home for a whopping 40 hours and I was off to Las Vegas to the annual IT industry conference, Breakaway, put on by CompTIA.  I have been attending this annual conference for many years and find it to be a huge source of inspiration, education and early insight into emerging technologies that will benefit our clients.  This year, I was very excited to see all the changes that have been ushered in by the new leadership team at CompTIA.  I have always said that the time and money invested in attending Breakaway comes back in multiples and my expections for this year were very high, given all that I have heard about the new team.  This is not said with the slightest amount of disrespect to the former team, who did a truly exemplary job growing Breakaway into the highly successful event that it is.  They deserve immense credit for their work and the value they returned to the membership all these years.  With new leadership come changes and new opportunities and that's where the buzz was building.

The event had some noticable changes, nearly all positive from my perspective and the feedback I was hearing.  As a former Board member of the Association, some people sought me out to share their thoughts, again, mostly positive and enthusiastic for the refreshed image of the event.  The education sessions were by far, the best part of the event.  We heard from dynamic speakers, like Patrick Lencioni, author of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team.  I wish my entire staff had been able to see his keynote, as it was inciteful and educational and I can't do it justice.  Verne Harnish, of Gazelles, gave a business planning workshop to a standing room only audience over two days!  The new peer-to-peer faciliated sessions seemed to be the biggest hit of the week.  These sessions covered a wide range of topics relating to small and mid-size business issues ranging from business development, to personnel management, to market opportunities and more.  The intereactivity and sharing in these sessions was amazing.  CompTIA is continuing these discussions via online tools that have been built to carry the positive momentum throughout the year.  One of the concluding events of the conference was a "speed dating" session, where small groups could spend 20 minutes with experts in the fields of marketing, finance, legal and HR.  I picked up some great insight, advice and ideas from CompTIA's own HR director that may be my one golden nugget of the conference.

There were also several meetings of new existing Executive Forums focussed on services, managed IT, SMB owner issues, security and more.  Think of these like special interest groups that focus on the specific areas and help the members improve their internal operations and client services.  These too, will continue to interact throughout the year via in person meetings, teleconferences and web 2.0 tools.

On the technology side of the conference, there was a very impressive vendor fair with well over 100 vendors showcasing their technologies.  This is always a very efficient venue to investigate new technologies and I came to the event with some specific goals in mind, to seek out and qualify a handful of solutions for various clients and I was able to meet and exceed my goal.  Security and virtualization seemed to be the hot technologies this year.  As a holder of the CompTIA Security Trustmark, I was not surprised to see the emphasis on security as all companies, large and small, need to be concerned with increased security in the near, not long term.  Desktop virtualization seemed to be the other hot technology generating buzz.  The value proposition being that you can either use outdated hardware or a thin client, as opposed to a full blown PC, to access a virtual desktop that emulates the full functionality of a desktop PC.  This has some intriguing possibilities and will be something to keep an eye on.  Whether we are talking about server based on desktop virtualization, I see opportunities for clients to build out their own private “cloud” (the other hot topic of the conference) to support their specific needs.

It was a very valuable week of learning, discovering and networking and another very successful Breakaway conference.  Now, I’m finally getting caught up on my extended travels and getting back to my regular blogging.  Thanks for reading this lengthy post.