Changes in Technology – How to Push Past Fear What in the world does “metathesiophobia” mean? Simply stated, this is the fear of change. The origin of the term is Greek, meta- meaning “change” and -phobos meaning “fear.” We all have fear of change on some level. It is and always evolving; and some of us, more than others, have inherited this trait through our genetics.When it comes to changes in technology – which we all know are constant – we generally experience two conflicting emotions: we feel excitement at the prospect of something new while simultaneously experiencing a feeling of resistance. We naturally resist change because we fear what we don’t know. Over the years, the evolution of technology has fueled this fear. Although we’ve seen many grand technological advances, we’ve also witnessed too many technology flops to count. This leaves us asking questions about every new technology on the market: What if it does not work? What if this change brings down my network? The list could go on and on indefinitely.Although it is natural, and even responsible, for IT staff to approach changes in their IT environment with caution, approaching it with fear is not necessary. Worrying about the “What ifs” in any circumstance may help avoid pitfalls, but results are only ever achieved once some level of risk is taken. The beautiful thing is that changing your IT environment doesn’t have to be scary; it can be exciting. It can be done with confidence. Working with IT Solution Providers, who in turn work with companies that have deep R&D budgets, can eliminate the fear associated with implementing new technologies. You can rest assured that the R&D has been done; in fact, manufactures like Hewlett Packard Enterprise test each new product to the limit, fix the bugs they find, and release to the public once they’re fully confident in the final outcome.Working with ProCern allows you the opportunity to demo IT products before you buy them. This means that not only can you be confident that the product or solution works, generally speaking, but you can be confident it will work in your environment. It allows you to see the pros and cons for yourself before you make a purchase decision.
“John, you’re a Timex watch in a digital age” snidely quips Thomas Gabriel, the brilliant, but maniacal, cyber-villain of Live Free or Die Hard, the fourth (and some would argue best) entry in the Die Hard film series. The “John” in question is, of course, none other than protagonist John McClane, the old-fashioned NYC Police Detective who becomes the reluctant hero in all five Die Hard films. In this particular installment, sophisticated hackers launch a targeted attack on the United States’ infrastructure, gaining control of all government controlled computers, and essentially hold the country for ransom. Can an aging cop with old school tactics hold his own against these advanced and intelligent cyber-terrorists? The Best Ways to Prepare for the Future Well, first of all…of course he can. We ARE talking about a Bruce Willis movie here (and he always wins, right? Maybe not in The Sixth Sense…but I’ll save that for another blog). By this point in the series, John has already saved dozens of hostages, taken on countless henchmen, and happily exclaimed “yippe-ki-yay” all along the way. His encounters thus far, however, have strictly been with semi-traditional adversaries using semi-traditional means of operation. How then, you might ask, is a fifty-something cop who’s known for being “the wrong guy, in the wrong place, at the wrong time” going to keep pace with such a formidable, high-tech group of foes? By rolling with the punches! Duh! Though he definitely takes matters into his own hands and deals with the situation “the John McClane way”, he does so while also gaining a different perspective, aligning with the proper allies, and obtaining the needed resources that do not come to him naturally (in this case, seeking out help from a couple of virtuous hackers, Matt Farrell and ‘The Warlock’, who are willing to use their talents to aid his cause). Later in the film, after narrowly surviving an onslaught of lethal henchmen, John retorts to Thomas Gabriel, “I know I’m not as smart as you guys at all this computer stuff. But, hey… I’m still alive, ain’t I?” Although it may seem superfluous, the character arc that I have just laid out brings up an interesting point. Change. We see it in almost every aspect of our lives. Our neighborhoods, our bodies, the media, the stock market, our friends…you name it! The IT industry is no different. From the massive big-data servers of yesteryear to virtualization and advancements in cloud computing…infrastructure and disruptive technologies are constantly evolving and improving. It is how we adapt and move forward with this change that is important. Here at Zunesis, we strive to be the support system that helps customers implement and transition into this change. This is where the Die Hard analogy comes into play. Bruce Willis’ character from the film series is relatable, simply because he is often a victim of circumstance and forced to react when these seemingly insurmountable situations arise. His old-school style is appealing but it cannot be maintained forever. This becomes evident in Live Free or Die Hard when the villains John McClane is pitted against use tactics that are completely alien to him. Does he completely transform overnight? No. But he does reassess his environment and adapt accordingly. The same can be said of IT. The industry, technology, and processes are constantly changing and it is imperative that the customer base have the means to follow suit. ProCern has all the tools to make this happen. We partner with the top technology organizations and our Solution Architects have an average 20+ years of experience. Whether it is hyperconvergence, cloud migrations, hybrid IT, infrastructure refresh, health checks, assessments…you name it! ProCern is here to help. Nothing must change overnight. A complete 180 is not necessitated. Just a gradual discovery of the exciting new things on the IT horizon. We are here to help! In this scenario, ProCern is “The Warlock” (watch the movie and you will understand) and you, the customer, are John McClane. That’s right, YOU get to be John McClane! You’re the hero and we are the humble sidekick that helps you accomplish your goals! We are here for all your infrastructure solutions. Just let us know how we can help! In closing, there are many ways to evaluate your IT environment and ascertain the best ways to prepare for the future. Cost efficiency, security, consolidation, streamlining, and many others can all be addressed. Remember…you’re John McClane! And ProCern is here to aid you in your quest. Yippe-ki-yay!
Data Center Resilience Your data center is the central nervous system of your enterprise, orchestrating the flow of information that powers everything from everyday communications to complex computational processes. At a time when the demand for uninterrupted digital services continues to escalate, maintaining a resilient data center is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. According to recent research, the average cost of downtime for large organizations hovers around $9,000 per minute. In high-stakes sectors like finance and healthcare, the financial impact can reach millions per hour, not to mention the additional costs from fines or penalties.* A robust data center is not just about preventing downtime; it’s about ensuring the entire IT infrastructure can anticipate, withstand, and react to various types of disruptions, whether from a natural disaster, a cyberattack, or a simple hardware failure—without losing functionality. The foundation of such resilience is an advanced network architecture that supports and reinforces all layers of data center operations. Essential Elements that Comprise an Advanced Network Architecture Serving as the backbone of a healthy data center, an advanced network architecture includes six key components: 1. Redundancy and failover systems: Critical components like routers, switches, and links should have redundant counterparts to ensure service continuity. When one component fails, the redundant system takes over, significantly reducing potential downtime. 2. High availability configurations: A well-functioning network should be configured to distribute traffic evenly across the network, preventing any single point of failure from impacting overall system performance. 3. Scalable and flexible design: As your data processing and storage demands grow, so must your network’s capacity. A scalable and flexible design allows for easy expansion by incorporating modular components and new technologies without requiring a complete overhaul of the existing infrastructure. 4. Security at every layer: Advanced network architectures embed security deeply into every layer of the data center—from physical security and network access controls to firewalls and intrusion detection systems. This multi-layered approach ensures comprehensive protection against external attacks and internal vulnerabilities. 5. Automation and self-healing capabilities: With automation, routine tasks are streamlined, reducing manual intervention and minimizing human error, while self-healing capabilities allow the network to detect faults automatically and perform necessary repairs without downtime. 6. Real-time monitoring: Constant oversight of network health is crucial to identifying and mitigating performance bottlenecks or security threats promptly. Real-time monitoring tools provide immediate insights, enabling rapid response to incidents and ensuring continuous operational resilience. Enhance your Data Center Operations Developing an advanced network architecture requires a delicate balance of multiple factors, including the cost of redundant systems, the integration of legacy technologies, and the ongoing management of an increasingly complex environment. Each component must be carefully planned and implemented to create a cohesive, resilient system. With HPE Aruba Networking’s data center networking solutions, ProCern can help you address these critical elements to create a reliable and secure data center. HPE Aruba Networking’s solutions provide comprehensive network infrastructure capabilities that enhance your data center operations. With advanced features like intelligent management for traffic routing, automated security protocols, and energy-efficient operations—and the ability to integrate seamlessly with your existing systems, these solutions keep your data center not only responsive and secure, but also future-ready and scalable to meet evolving demands. For more information about HPE Aruba Networking Data Center Networking Solutions, contact us here. * https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2024/04/10/the-true-cost-of-downtime-and-how-to-avoid-it
Future-Proof Your Data Storage In business, nothing stays the same. Regulations change, new security threats appear overnight, and data continues to expand at an exponential pace. Today there are over 147 zettabytes of data in the entire digital universe, up from 64.2 zettabytes in 2020.* This trend of explosive data growth is expected to become even more pronounced moving forward. Your data supports decision-making, drives innovation, and allows you to out-beat your competition. If you’re simply keeping up, you’re already falling behind. The only way to survive this relentless surge of data and environment of constant change is to implement strategies that protect your data and prepare it for unpredictable yet inevitable shifts. Here are five emerging strategies you can adopt to future-proof your data and maintain a resilient storage architecture: Automate compliance using AI: Modern AI tools can automatically manage and enforce compliance across your data storage systems, seamlessly adapting to legal changes. By automating these processes, you not only protect the integrity of your data, but also build a resilient framework that can quickly adjust to new regulations—giving you peace of mind that you’re compliant with the latest standards as they evolve. Employ blockchain technology to verify your data: Blockchain technology provides an unbreakable chain of custody for your data—ensuring that each piece of information is part of a secure and immutable ledger. This innovative approach not only protects your data, but also makes it traceable, streamlining audits and improving transparency. This level of security will become more critical as regulations around data privacy and transactions become more complex. Encrypt your data for stronger security: By using advanced encryption methods, you add another layer of protection to keep unwanted eyes off your data. Even if attackers breach other defenses, your information remains unreadable, ensuring that sensitive data stays protected against threats that haven’t even been conceived yet. Use object storage: With the ability to handle massive amounts of unstructured data, object storage makes it easy to scale your storage needs as your business grows. By organizing your data into discrete units, you can access your information anytime, anywhere, without worrying about the limitations of traditional storage methods. Object storage also features built-in redundancy, which means your data will remain safe and accessible, even in the face of hardware failures. Implement data tiering and cold storage solutions: By strategically moving less frequently accessed data to cost-effective cold storage options, you ensure that critical data remains readily available on faster storage while archiving less active data securely. As your data demands grow, this approach not only helps you scale with ease, but also better positions you to adapt to changing technology needs without overhauling your entire storage strategy. Streamline your Storage Strategy Adopting proactive, future-ready data management strategies isn’t just about protecting your data. It’s about empowering your organization to thrive in a data-driven future. This ensures that you’re always one step ahead of technological shifts, market demands, and your competition. With HPE Alletra MP, a flexible and high-performance multi-protocol storage platform, ProCern can help you streamline your storage strategy. This ensures that your data operations are secure, scalable, and ready to meet future demands. For more information about how to future-proof your data strategy using HPE Alletra MP, contact us here. * https://explodingtopics.com/blog/big-data-stats
Many green screen applications continue to perform admirably. Still, targeted UI enhancements have the potential to drive substantial ROI without requiring a major development project – or giving up what already works.
The case for using “best of breed” solutions vs starting from scratch is something we hear often from our clients. You can often reduce your risk, time and money by maintaining your core ERP and adding modern features and functions through integrations. The current market demands that companies evolve or die. These evolutions place demands on their ERP systems to keep pace with the business or risk not meeting growth targets. For example, here is the day-in-the-life of a typical organization How do they try to solve the wants of their departments and customers? Each group will have opinions on what needs to change to achieve their own needs. The combination of all these “demands” leads many companies to install new ERP software. A simpler, less expensive, less risky approach is available. According to Top 10 ERP, on average, a small to mid-sized business can expect to spend between $10,000 and $150,000 on a basic ERP implementation. At the same time, larger enterprises may invest over $1,000,000, depending on the scope, customization, and number of users. The total cost is influenced by factors such as software licensing, hardware requirements, vendor support, and whether the system is deployed on-premises or in the cloud. This can be a large ticket item to add to your budget. The option to improve upon your existing ERP System may prove to save time and money from your bottom-line. Using best-of-breed solutions to extend your current ERP has proven for many to deliver everything everyone needs while protecting cost overruns. An organization can focus time on building vs replacing and maintaining their reputation with its partners and clients. Real-world Examples of the use of this Hybrid Approach In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, automation tools are becoming indispensable for companies seeking to modernize their processes and improve operational efficiency. It’s evident that there’s an immense reservoir of data captured within current ERP systems. By maintaining the current ERP system and integrating with modern automation platforms, the combined solution offers more than simply the ability to access this data. Its automation and other features enable customers to transform this data into actionable insights, thus significantly enhancing data management and EDT strategies. Here are just a few examples of how manufacturers added more functionality to their existing ERP system. Example One: A manufacturer needed to accelerate and improve the accuracy of inventories that routinely take place “in the yard”. They use their existing ERP with a modern handheld mobile platform leading to the elimination of paper and clipboards. This dramatically reduces the time it takes while eliminating the human error involved with transferring data from paper to digital. Example Two: Another manufacturer integrates its current ERP platform with modern AI and ML technologies. This helps them to automate routine processes such as predictive maintenance, which forecasts equipment failures, and supply chain optimization, which anticipates disruptions. Additionally, it utilizes AI to analyze large datasets, revealing trends and enabling financial forecasting based on historical data. Example Three: In this last example, a manufacturer is using modern APIs to integrate their current ERP with Low-code, an AI-powered automation and data analysis platform. They use this platform to improve supply chain processes by automating vendor selection, onboarding and performance evaluation, as well as automating production schedules based on demand, inventory levels and resource availability. Meanwhile, they use mechanical or software-based robots to perform tasks such as packing orders, moving boxes or entering data. Experience, When it Counts Before you invest valuable time and money into new software, hardware and people, contact ProCern for a review of your current environment and recommendations for extending your functionality to meet the unique needs of everyone. Rest assured that we will be with you every step of the way. We will not just provide a list of activities to create the “unicorn” you need, only to walk away to let you figure it out yourself. With over 30 years of field experience of helping organizations, our experts are with you from assessment to implementation to support. ProCern is uniquely qualified to enable your team to improve efficiencies, lower operational costs , and maintain your organization’s reputation.
ALL400S provides valuable intelligence on the world of IBM i and recently shared the results of their year-end 2023 survey of AS400 and i-series businesses.
Cloud computing platforms can offer unprecedented scalability compared to traditional onsite or hosted servers, but adapting IBM i applications to x86-based cloud platforms has historically been a prohibitive challenge.
In this blog, we discuss a report on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IBM i and Power i servers. PSGi’s ground-level experience working with a variety of manufacturing and distribution companies across North America suggests that this IBM pairing can be extremely effective, generating substantial long-term ROI.
The retirement of a key internal IT resource can pose serious risks to a business’s operations, particularly if it is sudden or unplanned. The hiring market for specific technology skillsets is already challenging. And the labor pool is even smaller (and shrinking fast) for legacy applications.
In this blog, we discuss a report on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IBM i and Power i servers. PSGi’s ground-level experience working with a variety of manufacturing and distribution companies across North America suggests that this IBM pairing can be extremely effective, generating substantial long-term ROI.
In this blog, we discuss a report on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IBM i and Power i servers. PSGi’s ground-level experience working with a variety of manufacturing and distribution companies across North America suggests that this IBM pairing can be extremely effective, generating substantial long-term ROI.