When it comes to deploying VDI, storage performance is always a critical factor. As technology reporter John Moore wrote in his latest Federal Computer Week article, “storage performance plays a crucial role in whether a virtual desktop can offer a user experience comparable to a conventional PC.” When it comes to VDI, it’s all about storage optimization.

Virtual desktops are widely known to be a storage resource drain. Not only are the operating system, application, and data residing on the server, but also uneven user demand and access can degrade the virtual desktop experience. The busiest time for a data center running VDI is when everyone in the office comes in and boots up their desktop. It is important to understand the unique needs of the end users.  In our experience, solid-state drives should be considered for their high adaptability and ability to provide a seamless user experience.

At the New York Army National Guard, we deployed a VDI solution with flash storage from the very beginning. We knew the level of performance that the Guard required to quickly adapt and exceed the performance of traditional PCs. With a pilot and complete solution implemented, the results were so successful that the information assurance manager from the New York Army National Guard, Clark Caporale said, “I don’t think we could have done that without solid-state drives.”

So what does combining flash and VDI technologies mean to you? Maybe it means uninterrupted performance. Perhaps it means avoiding a boot storm or maintaining hundreds of PCs. Whatever the case, flash and VDI is about providing secure, cost-effective alternative to traditional PC’s. It’s about building a specific solution for any customer’s needs.

To find out more about what this unique combination can do for your organization, look out for my next blog post next week – Challenges with VDI and Flash.

Force 3, delivering the best in federal security, unified communications, networks, data center, and medical imaging solutions, today announced the launch of Cloud First for VDI, a new pre-configured solution for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).

Strategic partnerships with Cisco, NetApp, and Citrix enable Force 3 to provide the new solution, designed to minimize the complexity of deploying and managing VDI in today’s collaborative technology environment. The Cloud First for VDI solution is built on NetApp FlexPod architecture and includes all of the necessary components to stand up a system with Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) for a Citrix XenDesktop workload. Cloud First for VDI bundles all of the technology and support necessary to implement VDI into a single transaction, providing a uniquely streamlined procurement and deployment process.

“As the vision for the modern workplace continues to move towards a more connected and collaborative environment, organizations are looking to improve their efficiency, agility, and security,” said Sudhir Verma, Chief Services Officer at Force 3. “Cloud First for VDI provides a solution that includes storage, servers, software and services needed to design and deploy a VDI environment that reduces risk, allows for faster deployment time, and ease of procurement to ultimately reduce the cost of desktop management and increase workforce mobility.”

Cloud First for VDI offers seamless scalability from a small pilot environment to large production with a building-block pod architecture. With pre-configured options for 500 to 10,000 users, Force 3 has positioned the solution to expand. As capacity requirements grow, components to increase the necessary capacity modules such as compute, memory, or storage can be added without impact to the end user.

For more information please visit http://www.force3.com/solutions/data-center.

By John Moore

Storage performance can spell the difference between a successful technology venture and one that brings systems to a standstill. Storage optimization tools, including software-based accelerators, aim to reduce or eliminate that bottleneck.

Another approach that promises better storage performance is flash technology, which is familiar to anyone who has ever used a USB thumb drive. In the enterprise context, flash technology takes the form of cards that plug into servers or solid-state drives housed in storage arrays.

Although storage optimization can jump-start a stalled IT system, the extra performance comes at a price. Indeed, the higher cost of flash compared to disk storage has limited its use outside the consumer space. But more favorable flash economics are spurring broader adoption.

The New York Army National Guard, for example, uses flash technology to handle the storage challenges of its virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) deployment.

“The price of solid-state drives is definitely falling, so [flash storage] becomes more attractive by the day,” said Clarke Caporale, the guard’s information assurance manager. “In [the Defense Department], we have to collapse down the budget. We are actively trying to get these [flash] resources, normally in the hands of users, into the data center as a cost-saving measure.”

Why it matters

Industry experts consider VDI a classic storage drain. Users access remotely hosted virtual desktops instead of resources housed on a local hard drive, which means operating systems, applications and data reside on a server. Therefore, storage performance plays a crucial role in whether a virtual desktop can offer a user experience comparable to a conventional PC.

Another VDI storage wrinkle is the uneven nature of user demand. When employees arrive at work in the morning and all start accessing their desktops at the same time, the so-called boot storm can put a severe strain on storage and degrade the user experience.

Storage optimization, however, can help organizations avoid performance problems. The New York Army National Guard used flash from the beginning of its VDI project — first testing server-based flash technology during a pilot phase and then incorporating flash-based solid-state drives into Dell EqualLogic storage-area networks.

Caporale said the VDI’s performance equals or exceeds that of traditional desktop and laptop PCs. “I don’t think we could have done that without solid-state drives,” he added.

VDI is well-suited to flash technology, but other performance-sensitive applications also stand to benefit from faster storage. For example, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is exploring flash technology in a couple of areas — in one case, by using flash to supplement computing cluster storage. LLNL handles high-performance computing tasks on Linux clusters, some of which have thousands of compute nodes. The clusters rely on a parallel file system to support large-scale storage, and LLNL employees periodically save data at various checkpoints in case a computing job fails to complete.

The frequent saves put pressure on the parallel file system, but perhaps only one out of 10 checkpoints are important enough to save, said Matt Leininger, deputy for advanced technology projects at LLNL. Therefore, lab officials would like to store the bulk of the saves with flash technology and reserve the parallel file system for the more strategic saves.

“We’re looking at how we can include flash as a storage hierarchy between the parallel file system and compute nodes,” Leininger said.

Jim Damoulakis, chief technology officer at storage consulting firm GlassHouse Technologies, said such special-purpose applications and VDI are key areas where adding solid-state storage can have a significant impact.

Software can also contribute to storage optimization. Last year, the U.S. Army Medical Information Technology Center awarded an $8.7 million contract for VDI that includes Atlantis Computing’s ILIO storage optimization software.

Some deployments depend on a mix of software and flash-based optimization. The New York Army National Guard, for example, derives some of its storage optimization gains from VMware View, Caporale said. The software lets organizations provide desktops from a central data center and includes a storage acceleration component.

The fundamentals

Flash tools are faster than hard drives because they handle storage chores electronically, while their traditional counterparts rely on moving parts — specifically a spindle motor that rotates disks and a mechanical arm that reads and writes the data.

Flash’s lack of moving parts delivers another benefit: lower energy consumption.

However, flash drives typically offer less storage capacity than an electromechanical hard drive. For that reason and others, such as cost (see below), organizations tend to use a combination of flash and conventional storage technology.

In the enterprise world, organizations typically use flash storage on servers, as part of a traditional storage array or as a specialized appliance. Server-side examples include PCI Express flash cards from vendors such as EMC, Fusion-io and Virident Systems.

Storage arrays vendors — including Dell, EMC and NetApp — incorporate flash technology into their products. In addition, Astute Networks, Nimbus Data Systems and Violin Memory offer flash appliances.

Organizations deciding between server-side optimization and an external flash storage device should consider the level of performance required, the number of applications that call for storage acceleration and the management features.

Damoulakis cited scale among the top factors. “If an organization has only one or a handful of applications that require flash, it may be more efficient to simply put cards inside the servers,” he said. “However, if this is going to be on a large scale, it might be better to have an array that can provide that service across the board so you don’t have to buy a…card for every server.”

In addition, if administrators opt to use flash-based cards in servers, they should consider data-management and data-protection responsibilities. Damoulakis said features such as replication are often provided at the storage-service level, so shifting storage to the server side means someone else has to provide those functions.

“Whoever manages the server has to be able to provide that versus leveraging an existing service provided by the storage group,” Damoulakis said. The management question becomes a non-issue if the organization already replicates at the server level, he added.

The hurdles

Cost has been one of the main obstacles to flash storage. The price differential, although shrinking, still leaves flash technology at roughly twice the cost of the serial-attached SCSI or Fibre Channel drives often found in arrays. Sam Lee, solution architect at Force 3, said flash storage can cost $30 to $40 per gigabyte, while the drives run about $15 per gigabyte.

On the other hand, the way an organization uses flash can change the equation. A flash drive-equipped array that provides a 10-speed performance boost is more cost-effective than conventional technology on a cost per input/output operations per second, Lee said.

Caporale said aggregating flash as a shared resource on a storage-area network also makes the technology more affordable. The New York Army National Guard uses both flash-only and hybrid storage devices.

In addition, storage optimizers like flash might not solve every performance problem on their own. Damoulakis said the benefits of using flash to deal with bottlenecks might fail to fully materialize for reasons that have nothing to do with storage technology.

“The issue may be in the application and how the application is written,” he said. Therefore, executives who want to wring every microsecond of performance out of an application might need to do more than introduce flash drives, he added.

“There are probably going to be application and operating system-level tweaks that will be necessary to realize the full performance gains,” he said.

Leininger said one of LLNL’s flash efforts has yet to bring huge performance gains, but he thinks it might be a software problem related to the parallel file system, which was written for disk drives. He said the lab needs to rewrite software and middleware to take full advantage of flash memory storage.

Emerging systems and innovative approaches help DOD enhance tactical edge communications despite diminishing financial resources

Reliable, efficient and effective combat communications systems are integral components of a modern military. Troops and commanders engaged in diverse theaters of operation require robust, rapidly available and nimble communications technologies to share, process and distribute vital real-time situational data.

Despite ongoing budgetary pressures, the Defense Department is taking advantage of emerging communications technologies to improve situational awareness on the tactical edge with a combination of COTS- and custom-engineered systems and services.

Radios and Networks

Networks are playing an increasingly important role in getting vital information to those who can benefit most from it, regardless of their location. “We have a very good architecture with a wide area network (WAN) down to the dismounted soldier,” said Jennifer Zbozny, chief engineer, technical management division, Army Program Executive Office Command Control Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. “Within this architecture, we want to provide enhancements to deliver more throughput and, therefore, do things more dynamically today than we could in the past.”

Increased network flexibility is now recognized as an essential attribute when striving to ensure high-quality data service to commanders and front-line troops. “For example, if you had two routes connecting radios to Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T), we would like to be able to select the link at that moment that is best suited to pass data,” Zbozny said. “Today, we have a static route, which means it stays fixed on WIN-T and will always take this route unless the connection goes down.”

DOD is looking for components and technologies that can provide dominant edge networking at the company and platoon levels, said Bill Clingempeel, strategy and tactical networks area director at Northrop Grumman Information Systems’ Tactical Mission Command/Mission Command Systems unit in Herndon, Va. New network capabilities promise to lead to more sophisticated communications tools. “Technologies potentially include tunable modems over much wider bands, variable bandwidth selection, and rapid de-confliction of frequency contention in cases where intense competition for spectrum exists,” he said. Other advancements include net-centric management and ease-of-use improvements to support rapid initialization of the network, Clingempeel noted.

Zbozny said that significant progress is being made in improving information delivery to the tactical edge. “I don’t think we have gaps anymore from a ‘who gets what’ perspective,” she said. “Two years ago, I would have said company and platoon [units] were not getting access to information, but that is not true anymore.”

Ken Arndt, product line management manager at Harris RF Communications in Rochester, N.Y., stated that DOD is also actively pursuing networked radios — carried by vehicles, by hand and in rucksacks — that provide secure, software-defined tactical networking capabilities for all its individual components. “These radios will enable the transmission of both voice and data, leading to enhanced command and control and more detailed situational awareness,” he said.

According to Zbozny, the new mobile network backbone, WIN-T Increment 2, is now being installed in select company vehicles, enabling users in austere environments to send and receive information without being tied to fixed locations. “For the platoon level and below, the new generation of data radios and handheld devices are giving dismounted soldiers the situational awareness that before they only could get in a vehicle,” she said. “As we move forward, the Army will look to add more applications to the handhelds that deliver more information and capabilities.”

COTS Rules

With COTS technologies now proving their ability to provide performance, usability, flexibility and value in front-line applications, custom-built solutions are rapidly falling out of favor at DOD and among the various military services. “Among our customers, we are seeing a shift toward off-the-shelf solutions?that they [can] deploy in a secure manner,” said Jason Parry, collaboration practice director at Force 3, a communications systems developer in Crofton, Md. “Many?of those communications tools custom-built for combat are highly secure,?but come with limited functionality and a costly price tag,” Parry said.

Even major contractors that have traditionally supplied the military with custom-built systems are now beginning to appreciate the need to incorporate COTS technologies into their offerings. Clingempeel noted that the SoldierLinkSystem (SLS) with Advanced Kinetic Networking Waveform(AKNW), an ad hoc networking technology developed by Northrup Grumman and Downington, Pa.-based Rajant, is built using “commercial-off-the-shelf, non-developmental technology” that relies on less costly radio chipsets and modem boards. “In leveraging these chipsets, radios can be designed and built at one-third to one-half the cost of current military-developed radios designed under very stringent military specifications and systems architectures,” Clingempeel said.

Another area where COTS technology’s impact is beginning felt is video, which is now playing an increasingly important role in combat communication. “The DOD is looking to carry information from the ‘tip of the spear’ in theater over a diverse variety of wired and wireless communication facilities with unicast and multicast IP transmission for display on any type of video player, including large screens, PCs and mobile devices,” said Steve Kossar, director of product management for VBrick, a Herndon, Va., company that supplies video communications technology to the Army.

After years of unfulfilled potential, rapidly improving network technology is making video communications a viable and more reliable medium. “Video must be transmitted with the least possible latency (delay) so the information gathered can be acted upon quickly,” Kossar noted.

Streamlining Services

Another important trend in combat communications is a shift toward Web-based access and command capabilities. “We’re looking to replace many systems that required their own hardware boxes or desktop computers with Web applications that users can access with a laptop and network connection,” Zbozny said. She noted that the Web also offers other benefits, including faster and easier user training, the ability to place a common operational picture on a single display, and speeding command post setups and teardowns.

Zbozny believes that Web technology, along with transport network convergence, is leading to simpler and more standardized network operations tools, making it easier to monitor and manage networks and systems from inside a command post. “We are trying to be smarter about providing capabilities with a smaller footprint,” she said. “It’s a cheaper and better way to support the users.”

Zbozny also sees a trend toward pushing some tactical services up to the enterprise level, with the goal of achieving visibility across both domains as well as preventing duplication of server architectures. “One example … is through the implementation of the Host Based Security System, in which servers are located at enterprise theater network operations and security centers and provide services to tactical levels,” she said. “With that type of effort, we have to carefully balance the units’ needs with the bandwidth available to make sure we get them the connectivity and capability required.”

Budget Challenges

Even as technologies emerge to give commanders and troops access to more types of information in more ways and in more places, budget issues remain an ever-present concern. “There is no denying the impact that spending cuts will have on our support to soldiers,” Zbozny said. “Programmatically, sequestration may result in breaks in production and development efforts, changing schedules and preventing us from achieving milestones.” Over the long run, Zbozny observed, budget issues may increase program costs and delay the deployment of necessary communications technologies. “That will mean fewer soldiers equipped with the tactical network that ensures they have the right information at the right time to execute their mission,” she said.

Budget cuts also threaten to impact essential support activities, such as training and equipment maintenance. “Our organization is committed to examining all efficiencies so we can continue to maintain the level of support our soldiers deserve,” Zbozny said. “We’ll continue to implement innovative cost-saving measures, so we’re prepared for likely budget constraints.”

Yet some contractors, particularly smaller firms, see the hint of a silver lining in DOD’s ongoing budget struggles. “Budget cuts can have a positive affect on companies like ours, where innovation and a commercialization focus exist,” said Darren Cummings, CEO of Cummings Engineering, a Chandler, Ariz., company that supplies DOD with technology that transforms Android devices into secure mobile communications platforms. “We are a very agile company with relentless focus on innovation; the constant message from [President] Obama on down is clear—the government must embrace the innovative small business.

Kossar noted that budget concerns at DOD are leading to closer scrutiny of individual line items. On the other hand, he observed, “We are also seeing more streamlined decision-making.”

By Sudhir Verma, Force 3 Chief Services Officer

What do you think of when you hear, “workplace flexibility?” You most likely think, telework. With access to all the information you need to do your job from any location, telework has redefined the modern day work environment. But, is it as effective as being in the office? Overall effectiveness has been debated, but it isn’t that simple. Should a telework policy be considered at the company-wide level, or should it be a results-oriented, individual business-unit policy/privilege?

Not all telework is created equal! The practice itself needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis instead of being judged on the corporate level. Many of Force 3’s customers have seen increased mobility, flexibility, and productivity with advanced telecommuting tools, but that doesn’t mean it is practical for all job functions or departments within a company.

Empowering department managers to determine teleworking policies and evaluate them as they would any other policy is more effective than a company-wide mandate. As a telework solutions provider, here are the considerations that we ask our own managers to focus on, the three R’s of telework:

Results: The key is to evaluate teleworking as you would with any policy. Is this method working? Is our department meeting expectations? Is my department growing? Make sure that your teleworking employees are results driven, and that they are evaluated that way. Are we getting what we need out of a teleworker? Could we get more, or even better results if they were physically in the office?

Relationships: As good as today’s telecommunications tools are, there is no replacement for human interaction. Again, it is important to focus on the results of relationships. In order to reach key goals, determine when telework is appropriate and when in-person collaboration is necessary.

Responsibility: If a teleworker on your team is not achieving their business objectives, it’s your responsibility as a manager to evaluate the situation and determine a best course of action. Your CEO likely is not concerned about where or how the work is getting done if your department is consistently contributing to the bottom line. Their concern is growth of the overall organization while meeting and/or exceeding the business requirements.

Results, relationships, and responsibility should all be considered when determining the value of telework for a department. Technology allows for us to be more connected than ever, and this connectedness has laid the foundation for telework. But remember, the foundation is there to fuel your success, and without success, telework can become just another distraction.

We got a chance to showcase our new services brand, Support+. The new services initiative will encompass all of Force 3’s managed services & Cisco product support. Cisco product support will be called Support+ for Cisco, an authorized and accredited program by Cisco that gives customers access to customized support offerings beyond what SMARTnet has to offer. Force 3 and Cisco shared their excitement when representatives from both companies spoke.

Chris Knotts, Force 3’s Chief Technology Officer, kicked off the event with a welcome and summary of the benefits of our Support+ offering.

“It is Force 3’s mission to develop new ways to support our customers’ IT infrastructure. Support+ can deliver customized features and benefits that go beyond SMARTnet, including asset management, security-cleared engineers, and support knowledge base for customers.”

Force 3 had the pleasure of Rob Rosa, Cisco Director of Field Operations, praise the Partner Support Services program that powers Support+ for Cisco.

“Force 3 has been one of our valued partners over the last 20 years. As Cisco begins to evolve, we also need to take our partners with us. With PSS, Partner Support Services, the theory has been we are going to let our partners have our intellectual property, have the capabilities that our TAC engineers possess, and be able to get closer to their customers,” explains Rob Rosa as he describes Cisco’s reasons for developing the program behind Support+ for Cisco. “[Cisco] is looking forward to Force 3 leading the charge with this offering. They are the first solution reseller in the Public Sector to come out with this program and from a Cisco perspective we are extremely excited. I fully support it, and I give my endorsement.”

Last to speak was Jason Parry, Force 3’s Unified Communications Practice Director, who will be leading Support+ services team here at Force 3. He is excited to be able to deliver this program while powering it with Force 3 consulting services.

“When you’re a customer and you’re dealing with an issue, you always want somebody that’s knowledgeable. Force 3 has a very knowledgeable consulting team that has a tremendous amount of experience. Force 3 consulting services power Support+, and we have aligned these two groups. So when a customer calls, they get an engineer that may have deployed their solution or an engineer with a deep specialization in that particular issue. We are now able to get closer with that customer and address issues that arise more quickly.”

The event was a huge success as we wrapped up with some refreshments and VIP tours of the Newseum. The only thing we love more than new service announcements is making headlines with your IT success! Let us know how Support+ and Force 3 can help your organization do something great.

“I hated doing job descriptions and usually only made minimum effort to get them right,” says Jim Smith, CEO of IT project consultancy Enterprise Management Group. “Also, as I look back at my failings, I made the mistake of promoting based on ‘he’s a good guy and I think he can do it.’

Smith, whose company is called upon to turn around unsuccessful IT projects, warns his peers, “It’s never the people you fire that get you into trouble, it’s the ones you don’t.”

For instance, Smith consulted on two particularly memorable projects that had been led by inexperienced managers. “One company was forced to write off $17 million (about Rs 93 crore) with nothing to show for it, and the other extended its project cycle from two to four years,” he says.

To help avert disaster, we’ve identified eight IT hiring mistakes and tips for avoiding them.

The Poorly Written Job Description.

By the time companies realize they need more IT staff, oftentimes they already have overloaded other workers. This can lead managers to either rush the job description or pass the task on to HR.

“HR will never be as up to date on [relevant] terms as IT. That leaves them to focus too heavily on skills and years of experience,” says Mark Herschberg, principal at advisory firm White Knight Consulting.

Job descriptions that are too general and don’t adequately address the corporate and department culture create more work later, Herschberg adds.

Rachel Russell, director at Allegis Group’s private talent management subsidiary TEKsystems, recommends prioritizing five must-have characteristics for each position and your organization overall. “While it might be therapeutic to write out every possible skill and attribute you’d like in a new hire, expecting to find someone who meets a laundry list of criteria isn’t realistic,” she says. To develop your list, she suggests conducting an internal audit of your successful employees.

Along with narrowing down the job description, update it. Managers often use company or industry templates or get help from HR to craft postings. “Make sure it’s not the one you used 10 years ago and that it’s going to be appealing to candidates, describing selling points like growth path, cool projects, and perks,” says Tracy Cashman, partner and general manager of the IT search division at the Boston-based WinterWyman staffing consultancy.

Being Hyper-focused on Technical Skills.

Hiring managers, HR, and recruiters can fall into the trap of trying to match candidates based solely on technical skills. They zone in on syntax, tools used in a specific development environment, and hands-on experience with the latest version of software being used, says Gagan Singh, executive vice president and global HR leader at mobile e-commerce firm Freeborders.

Companies instead should emphasize behavioral traits such as an applicant’s ability to learn, problem-solving skills, adaptation level, and capacity for innovative thinking and collaboration.

Singh recommends incorporating interviewing techniques that assess soft skills, such as how candidates would handle certain common scenarios, and giving those results equal weight in hiring decisions. Companies should look for strong customer service, problem-solving and communications skills.

Fitting in is also important.

“An organization must adequately source candidates that carry the appropriate social aptitude for quickly assimilating into the team in order to make an immediate impact,” says Joel Capparella, vice president for talent and outsourcing provider Yoh.

Capparella relies on agile development methodologies to determine if a candidate will be a good collaborative fit across an entire IT team, including business analysis, programming and quality assurance.

Don’t forget to have the candidate meet the actual IT team as well, advises Jon Grimes, CTO at office space finder The SquareFoot. “Team chemistry is probably one of the most important aspects of a hire. No matter how competent the candidate might be, if they are difficult to work with, they become a bad apple and can ruin a team’s morale,” he says.

Taking a Short-term View of Hiring.

Hiring managers sometimes recruit for their immediate demands instead of factoring in the technology and leadership skills they’ll need later.

For instance, they laser-focus on finding Java developers instead of looking for IT professionals with a broader Web development skill set. “Leaders try to find a needle in a haystack because they believe that one skill is going to make or break the organization,” says Amelia Generalis, vice president of business HR for SAP Cloud.

Will Farley, webmaster at development firm Web Power Labs, says hiring for low wages just to get the job done can be just as shortsighted. For instance, Farley recently posted entry-level developer positions on Craigslist and through a local university.

From those efforts, he hired two university students who would receive class credit in lieu of pay and a local programmer who would accept an hourly wage. “The two students were unreliable and were dismissed for poor attendance and the Craigslist applicant could not perform and was unwilling to learn new methods and was also dismissed,” Farley says.

His conclusion: “I wasted a lot of time recruiting, training, scheduling and the like with no payoff. I will not seek low-cost individuals for an IT position in the future.”

Not only does short-term, narrow recruitment force multiple hiring sessions (now and down the road) for the same position, but limits the talent pool. Creating a long-term vision for the position attracts candidates that could be better assets to the entire company.

One approach is to train current employees to plug immediate skill gaps. Then, hiring managers can take time to consult with their peers across the enterprise to identify upcoming projects and their anticipated expertise.

Rushing the hiring process.

When the work is piling up, it’s tempting to say “yes” to a candidate based primarily on the need to get projects off your desk.

“While it’s completely understandable to just want to be done with the recruiting process, patience is a virtue,” TEKsystems’ Russell says. “No matter how tempting, don’t compromise quality for speed.”

Jeff Gordon, founder of online marketing agency Interactive99 and a former industry recruiter, agrees. “If a company chooses the wrong person, it can be more painful than having vacant headcount,” he says.

Gordon believes companies should bring in at least three candidates to fill any position to get a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, if you identify red flags in the screening process, don’t gloss over them. According to Russell, “[Those red flags] will be blazing after you extend the offer so keep searching. A great hire is worth the wait.”

Dragging Out the Hiring Process.

Stringing candidates along can be as detrimental as making rash hiring decisions—especially in this economy where certain IT jobs, such as developers, are in high demand.

“Our interview process for IT talent is lengthy with interviews that can go up to four steps,” says Joanne Johnson, director of recruiting at technology integrator Force 3. “This means that we have candidates coming in three times, not including initial screens and tech screens.”

She acknowledges this approach takes its toll on the candidate pool and even can cause those who need to make a move quickly to drop out.

To ensure that the company is not only attracting top-notch applicants, but hiring them as well, Johnson educates IT managers on how to expedite interviews and decision-making. In addition, Force 3 is contemplating a move to full-day interviews vs. multiple rounds.

Overlooking Internal Talent.

The best candidate for the job could be right under your nose. However, you’d only know that if you had a “next step” for your workers, according Russell.

“A-players like to have a vision of how they can develop and advance, and showing them opportunities for growth that exist within the company will help retain them,” she says.

SAP uses its SuccessFactors human capital management software to track employees’ hard and soft skills. They map available internal skills against project requirements to identify candidates for promotion or transfer. Employees are able to add skills as they acquire them, such as project management or a new technology, ensuring profiles are always up to date.

Generalis considers this the human capital equivalent of having an inventory of your technology assets, adding the software provides unique visibility into existing resources so you can train up internal staff in time to lead future projects.

Not Educating Recruiters About Your Hiring Requirements.

Recruiters can command upwards of 25 percent of a hire’s first-year salary. Yet, many IT managers don’t take the time to educate them about what they need in terms of hard and soft skills and corporate cultural fit.

This results in recruiters, who might be unfamiliar with the latest technology or changes in work style, piling up managers’ desks with nappropriate resumes.

“Quite often recruiters will ask technical questions and take notes without truly understanding the answers, which prevents them from capably qualifying the candidate,” Interactive99’s Gordon says.

Hiring managers should meet recruiters regularly. Also, companies should ensure the recruiters don’t rely heavily on search engine optimization and keyword searches on career sites and overuse social media to identify prospects. A recruiter should have intimate knowledge of the industry, the organization and the open position’s specific requirements.

Not Sharing Your Job Opening with Your Peer Network.

Most IT executives—and their subordinates, for that matter—are part of online industry groups, peer networking sites and social media. These are optimal channels to unearth qualified applicants and referrals.

Hiring managers, who tend to leave job posting to HR, might have more success sharing the listing among their online contacts and friends and offering bonuses for employees who do the same.

“Job boards are a helpful recruiting tactic, but they are missing the communication and relationship aspect of recruiting,” Russell says. “Research has proven that a new hire is significantly more likely to succeed at a company if they come from a referral.”

Companies that sail past these classic pitfalls are sure to make better hires, get projects underway in a timely and cost-effective fashion, and build a loyal, skilled and collaborative team working toward their next revenue-producing challenge.

Guest access is a key part of the Cisco Identity Services Engine(ISE) solution. But there are times when your guest session is not working properly.  Let’s troubleshoot why a particular wired guest session is not working and fix the problem.

In this scenario, guest access has been configured for internal guest accounts to be created and used.  The solution has been tested and is working correctly.  Guest users are provisioned with guest accounts by a guest sponsor and are allowed Internet only access to the wired network.  A change has been requested to allow employee AD credentials to also be allowed to access the guest wired network.  This will allow employees to authenticate their personally owned devices to the guest network without having to go through the additional step of requesting a guest account.

The first step for this additional functionality is to modify the guest identity sequence to include AD credentials as a viable authentication source.  A screenshot of this is shown below.  The screenshot shows that both internal credentials and AD credentials will be allowed:

The next step is to test the access.  An end computer is connected to an 802.1X enabled switch port.  Since the end computer does not have a working 802.1X supplicant enabled, ISE pushes the web authorization policy to the switch port.  This policy is used to restrict access and give access to a guest login portal.  The policy has a URL redirect, a URL redirect ACL, and either a VLAN change or downloadable ACL to restrict network access.  The end user opens a web browser on the end computer and is redirected to the ISE guest portal.  The AD credentials are successfully entered, the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) page is shown, and a login success message is displayed as shown below:

When a user tries to access the Internet, they are redirected back to the guest login page.  What just happened?

The best place to start troubleshooting is in the real time authentication logs.  These logs provide valuable information on the reason for the failure.  Looking at the logs shows the following sequence that occurred.

1. Switch port gig1/0/3 has the Web authorization policy applied
2. The associated downloadable ACL is pushed to the switch port
3. User1 logs in successfully using the guest portal
4. A Change of Authorization(CoA) is sent to the switch to for re-authorization
5. Switch port gig1/0/3 has the Web authorization policy applied instead of being granted guest access

The last step in the sequence is the problem.  The guest access authorization policy should have been matched.  In order to determine why this is happening, we can click on the “details” magnifying glass for the last entry in the sequence.  Within this we can see the authentication details as shown below which show that the authentication has already successfully occurred using AD username “User1” and that the Use Case is “guestflow”.

The next step is to view the authorization policy to determine why this authentication session is not matching on the guest authorization policy.   The authorization policy below shows that only guest users from the internal identity store are matching on the authorization policy rule.

This needs to be modified to ensure that AD users that are logging in through the guest portal also have the “WIRED_Guest” permissions.  In order to do this, another authorization policy rule can be created with permissions to allow anyone accessing the wired network using Use Case of GuestFlow to be authorized for WIRED_Guest access.  Remember that at this point the authentication has already been verified successfully and that this is just determining what authorization the end user should have after successful authentication.  At this point guest users can use AD credentials to login to the guest portal and get Internet access using their personal devices.

The working guest access authorization policy is shown below:

In my years at Force 3, I have adopted our internal mantra of 100% customer success. This holiday season, I would say that I got to help deliver smiles and happiness along with success.

Christmas and Santa Claus go hand-in-hand for children around the world. But often those who are hospitalized during the holidays don’t have the opportunity to tell Santa in-person what tops their wish list. Fortunately, that changed for many children this year as we helped Santa Claus find a way to visit Children’s National Medical Center, without leaving the North Pole! Children experienced the magic of the season as Santa made an important cyber-stop, thanks to the magic of the latest mobile and collaboration technologies.

Cisco Systems’ annual “Santa Connection Program” along with our Unified Collaboration team at Force 3, enabled hospitalized children to remotely connect and communicate with Santa using Cisco’s video collaboration technologies.

Children’s National Medical Center joined Cisco Systems & Force 3 this year to bring Santa to its patients – using either an iPad, or a video monitor and web-enabled camera. Santa visited with children in the hospital’s playroom, and for those who don’t feel well enough to leave their rooms; a mobile cart or iPad enabled with Cisco Jabber software helped Santa travel room-to-room for a bedside visit.

Much like children who are able to sit on Santa’s lap, patients had the opportunity to pass along their wishes this holiday season in plenty of time for St. Nick to make his list and check it twice!

We were honored that Cisco chose us to participate in the Santa Connection event at Children’s National. It was a truly inspirational experience to see the effect that this program has on raising the children’s spirits.

After lunch, there were four kids waiting in a room for the Santa Cart to come.  When I walked into the room with the Santa Cart and handed out the blankets and toys, the four little kids just beamed with joy.  Then when Santa called each one of them by name, you could just see the shock on their faces.  After the visit each of the kids came and gave us hugs and thanked us for the gifts.  The parents were so grateful for the time taken to visit their children.  Later in the day, we saw one of the little guys heading to the parking lot with his new toolbox and a huge smile on his face!

The event was wonderful and it was great to help deliver happiness to the children. Force 3 is always delivering 100% customer success and it was nice to see the young end-users experience 100% joy this holiday season.

By Sudhir Verma, Chief Services Officer

Maintaining a day job and keeping pace with technology is an ongoing challenge. Demand for mid- to senior-level IT professional with expertise in multiple IT disciplines is on the rise. Meanwhile, junior-level positions are being eliminated, automated or removed from the core environment, limiting the ability to grow talent. The upshot: IT professionals will need to adopt a renaissance mentality.

What is a renaissance mentality as it relates to IT operations? Traditionally, IT departments have been structured to support specific technologies in silos, such as applications, servers, operating system, storage or networking. While there might have been some overlap, the skill set and jobs were largely independent of each other.

In today’s market we’re witnessing a change in demand for professionals who are proficient across multiple platforms (think cloud computing and virtual desktops).

The transformation of the IT skill set is more pronounced than at any other time. Technology is evolving at a much faster pace than before, requiring skills to evolve just as quickly. With the recent economic downturn, as businesses were fighting for survival, IT departments were forced to delay investments in infrastructure upgrades. In the meantime, technology has leapfrogged those incremental IT improvements that were implemented just to keep the lights on.

As the CIOs and IT directors look beyond the traditional approach to improving infrastructure, it’s time for managers to evaluate team skill sets. Current abilities may not be sufficient to make the necessary change deemed essential for the new way of IT.

One of the most compelling ways to lower costs is to transition to cloud and virtualization, as well as to adopt bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiatives. However, the skills necessary to pursue these opportunities may or may not be part of your IT department today. What’s more, it is possible that with options like cloud, many of the administrative and support functions will no longer be required. A cloud systems administrator may require a whole new skill set than a classic Windows system administrator.

How IT directors can adapt

As organizations continue to look for ways to maximize IT investments in their quest to move to virtualization and cloud, it is imperative to look at ways to either retrain/retool existing IT resources or start looking for ways to attract talent more relevant to the “target architecture.”

For example, adoption of virtualization technologies like VDI can possibly contribute toward lowering operational costs. With VDI, an IT department may not require a team of desktop administrators whose sole purpose is to keep the images on all laptops/desktops updated.

As a result, an IT department could conceivably reduce headcount after deploying VDI. However, day-to-day administration in a VDI environment is very different than a traditional desktop/laptop environment.. The management of a VDI infrastructure requires a skill set that encompasses desktops, virtualization, server, storage, BYOD … the list goes on. Therefore, the remaining resources will have to have different skill sets; either retrained existing resources, or net new hires.

CIOs and IT managers are left with the decision as to whether team members can quickly adapt, or whether to hire a new person that comes with the requisite cross functional lines.

What can a CIO or IT director do today? Encourage more cross-silo projects that force teams to work together. Look for the natural leaders that rise to the top, that you want to invest in, and who can lead the team to future technologies. Now is the time to create and execute on your team’s development plans. The last thing you want is for your IT staff to become obsolete!

How IT professionals can develop and maintain skills for today’s market

For the individual IT professional, there are two components to developing and maintaining skills. First, regularly feed your passion for technology. Staying current on multiple and ever-changing technologies requires a fair amount of dedication that will go beyond normal working hours. Becoming proficient in different technologies is a long process, and requires a regimented effort.

Second, professionals must take advantage of workplace training opportunities across multiple technologies — if they are offered. Otherwise, you risk limiting mobility at your current organization and within the broader IT marketplace.

When the training opportunities aren’t present, initiating on-site, more formalized team training is an option as well.

It is very possible that in a world of cloud, where IT is provided as a service rather than a system, solution architects, IT-savvy project managers and mid- to senior-level IT managers who can bridge the gap between IT and business units/end users will be high in demand as compared to, let’s say, a backup operator. The time is now for organizations to start creating a framework for developing talent to lead this new evolving requirement.

By Sudhir Verma, Vice President of Consulting Services at Force 3

Storm’s a’brewing…does your business have a plan for the chaos that could ensue? Will your employees be able to conduct business through the chaos that could ensue?

In the event of a disaster — whether natural or otherwise — most government IT directors think first about protecting the data centers.

This is a reasonable reaction, of course. As we prepare for Hurricane Sandy, we realize that the efficiency of agencies and businesses are at stake. It’s time to take a fresh look at telework as an important aspect of disaster recovery and continuity of operations policies.

After all, the Telework Act of 2010 indicated that telework is a useful strategy to improve continuity of operations to help ensure that essential federal functions continue during emergency situations.

However, the concept of telework in general has been more closely associated with personnel benefits, such as cutting commuting costs and improving work-life balance. I believe, however, that the time has come for a telework mind-set change. Certainly, it promotes convenience and efficiency, but not until agencies view telework as a critical aspect of disaster recovery will it take hold in a meaningful way.

Consider the numbers. A recent Office of Personnel Management report to Congress said 684,589 of 2.1 million federal employees are eligible to telework. But at the end of the federal government’s last fiscal year, the report said, only 168,558 had actually begun teleworking or were set up to do so.

Why the gap? Obviously, telework implementation has not been addressed with the same sense of urgency as perhaps data center protection and recovery. The problem is that protecting the data is only half the equation.

In the event of a disaster or disruption, what good is protecting the data if employees can’t access information? This issue becomes more important as more and more data centers consolidate and agencies operate from locations across the metro area, farther and farther away from their data centers.

For example, an agency might have operations in Woodbridge, Herndon, the District and Aberdeen. If a weather event renders the offices in Virginia inaccessible, employees need a telework program in place to continue working with colleagues.

Here’s the call to action: Government IT directors and CIOs should take this time in the aftermath of recent weather events to reassess their disaster recovery policies. They need to ensure not just that data centers are being protected, but that data can be accessed. Data access points must be reassessed and scrutinized. Telework should be recognized as an amazing tool to provide effective disaster recovery and continuity of operations.

Plenty of agencies are setting a good example already. The General Services Administration had to close its headquarters in the District because of power outages in the wake of the derecho this past summer. But a large majority of employees were able to telework until the issue was resolved.

The first step for any agency to get started with telework is to simply identify the eligible workers in the organization and start a proof of concept program. Agencies, including the GSA and Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco and Firearms, have excellent programs already in place. IT leaders in other agencies should reach out to their colleagues at GSA and ATF and simply ask what they did to get started.

In the event of a disaster, telework could mean the difference between an agency that is functioning effectively and providing critical services, and one that is shut down.

More than 53,000 active partners bank on Cisco, said Chambers, because Cisco is the best opportunity to boost their top and bottom lines. And now that Cisco is a more streamlined organization, he added, it’s easier to do business with and is better able to serve the channel, which touches 80 percent of Cisco’s $46 billion in annual revenue.

“When you partner with Cisco, you partner with a company that doesn’t lose,” Chambers told CRN in an exclusive interview from the company’s San Jose, Calif., headquarters this month. “When we need to reinvent ourselves, we do.”

Last year, Cisco mounted a massive, companywide restructuring that eliminated more than 15,000 jobs, removed $1 billion in operating expenses a quarter earlier than expected, moved executives around, pared down Cisco’s cumbersome internal system of councils and boards and streamlined other processes that Cisco observers said stymied decision-making.

Cisco also promised partners and customers that it would focus on its most important priorities, including core networking, data center, collaboration, video and business architectures vs. the “30 to 50 adjacencies” it had previously been touting. Since then, Cisco earnings have stabilized, Cisco adjusted its previously lofty growth targets to a more realistic 2 percent to 4 percent, and the company is gearing up for what Chambers said, if done right, will be a non-event CEO succession.

Cisco took its medicine, Chambers said, and it’s come out of the chute looking much better — and a far better bet for channel partners — than most of its tier-one vendor peers.

“We have never varied off of consistency,” he said. “Even though we were challenged, we see those challenges one, two, three, sometimes four quarters ahead of everyone else. Oracle (NSDQ:ORCL), IBM (NYSE:IBM), Juniper, HP (NYSE:HPQ), Dell (NSDQ:Dell). What is their year-over-year growth? Negative 2, negative 3, negative 4, negative 5, negative 8 percent. And remember two quarters ago when

Intel (NSDQ:INTC) said we don’t see the problems in enterprise spending and the global environment that Cisco’s seeing? Four months later, they miss a quarter by $1 billion. There may be no reward for being transparent, but that’s who we are as a company.”

Chambers and Cisco (NSDQ:CSCO) as a whole have taken a significantly more aggressive tone toward competitors than in the past — even against vendors that also strategically partner with Cisco, such as VMware. That tone was spurred on by the knocks Cisco’s taken from other vendors in recent years and Cisco’s comparative bounce-back, so expect that to continue, Chambers said.

“We told you we were going to beat Juniper. Now they’re on the defensive. They’re really being challenged now,” he said. “Avaya, who was going to outexecute us in collaboration. Make no mistake: They are struggling. We’re beating them very bad. And Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ), which saw we were going to exit the data center a year after we got into it. Well, there’s 22.5 percent market share in North America in UCS for us, and it grew at 58 percent last quarter while our peers grew in single digits. Perceptionwise, we hit some rough sledding, we clearly did. We needed to change. But our competitors went through the same and did much worse. There’s not a challenge I’m aware of that our peers didn’t have to go through too.”

Chambers said that partners should look back over the last 20 years and realize that Cisco’s done that several times already.

“Over the years, after each challenge, we’ve emerged stronger,” he said. “Our competitors from 15 to 20 years ago: Cabletron, Wellfleet, Synoptics, and probably 20 to 40 other companies. How many exist today? All gone except for Cisco. You could say the same about 10 to 15 years ago. All gone, except for Juniper, and right now, Juniper is questionable. And five to 10 years ago, remember it was Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel, Ericsson, Siemens, and they were going to eat our lunch. They said we couldn’t spell telephony. Well, we might not have been able to spell it but we got 65 percent market share in business and IP telephony.”

Continued Chambers: “More recently, all these competitors who said they were going to pull away from us? We’re about 70 percent market share in switching again, and margins are back to where they were, plus or minus 1 or 2 percent.”

“If a partner had bet his future on any of the peers I just mentioned, would they have a future today?” Chambers added.

Think of Cisco in terms of the Apple model, Chambers said, in that it is building whole-architecture solutions it can control every piece of, instead of the more fractious Android model, which relies on a number of different players.

“We’re going to move from the No. 1 communications company to the No. 1 IT company,” he said. “IBM (NYSE:IBM) had that opportunity with the mainframe and took it. Other companies had it with the mini-computer. Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT), Intel (NSDQ:INTC) and Dell (NSDQ:Dell) were a classic combination. But our model is now more the Apple (NSDQ:AAPL) than the Android. We provide the pieces — the ASICs, the software and the hardware, not just the ASICs, or the software or the hardware. And if we do as well as we have in the past, we’ve shown the ability to take on the merchant silicon players and beat them.”

Attendees at a Cisco (NSDQ:CSCO) Partner Executive Exchange (CPEE) meeting in early October — the first presided over by new Cisco Senior Vice President, Worldwide Partner Organization Bruce Klein — said Cisco’s slimming down and partner enablement are a work in progress, but that it had been years since they’d seen this type of focus on partners at the field level.

Not only is Cisco is engaging better, but it’s also taking administrative headaches out of things at a transaction level, such as a newer initiative, talked up at CPEE, to simplify the licensing of Cisco software to basic categories and user-based pricing instead of the massive, SKU-based pricing catalog available now.

“My impression from them was steady as she goes. It’s been very encouraging that they can be a stable and supportive entity,” said Harry Zarek, president and CEO of Compugen, a Richmond Hill, Ontario-based Cisco Gold partner. “As long as we’re communicating both ways there’s lots of opportunity for business growth.”

Whether it’s newer programs under Cisco’s global Partner-Led initiative — including the rebates and resources in its Partner Plus program for midmarket enablement — or taking a more consultative approach vs. a top-down approach to helping partners, the biggest difference partners see in Cisco is a simpler, more focused business relationship: easier approvals, streamlined programs, meeting partners halfway.

“Some of the changes they’ve made are paying off,” said Michael Gleason, managing director of Cherry Valley, Ill.-based Global Enterprise Technologies, a Cisco Gold partner. “We spend a lot of time in the midmarket space, so Partner Plus is a way for them to recognize there’s white space there and then empower their partners around sales and marketing. I think the biggest difference is that they’re being more consultative: what resources do we need, and how can they be a lot more tactical and strategic.”

“I’ve seen them put a lot of investment into vertical markets and training — and it’s the right resources to understand the challenges in industries like health care,” said Jessica Mayo-Pike, business development leader, advanced solutions for IPLogic, a Latham, N.Y.-based Cisco Gold partner. “The big difference now is that they’re more active about being a resource to channel partners. We’ve seen much more emphasis on granular details and making sure they’re helping us.”

Cisco’s distributors — a less-heralded source of strength for the networking king — are also seeing major benefits. As Cisco restructured its legions of channel account managers, for example, it pared down the number of partners assigned to individual reps — from 50 to 20, in many cases — and handed much of the field-level support over to distributors like Tech Data.

A move like that had potential to be a relationship-shattering disaster, but Cisco deftly managed the transition, said Angie Beltz, vice president, Cisco Solutions Group. Now, Tech Data gets a higher touch relationship with many more Cisco partners, Cisco reps have an easier time providing attention to their partners, and everyone sees fewer management layers and administrative headaches.

“There was some frustration over that at first but we quickly got to a point where no one has complained,” Beltz told CRN. “You really do see a difference in Cisco’s focus now and a lot more field-level emphasis on partnering.”

As to whether Cisco can withstand the competition, solution providers applaud the ecosystem approach the company is taking, where it compartmentalizes the relationships it has with, say, EMC or VMware or IBM, in terms of compete one day, cooperate another.

“Cisco is dealing with so many different technologies now,” said Sudhir Verma, vice president, consulting services at Force 3, a Crofton, Md.-based Cisco Gold partner and federal government integrator. “One day, you’re a parent company, tight with someone, and on the next, you’re competing on a different product line. That ecosystem approach is not going to change. So as a VAR, that’s where you really add value for the end customer: you keep them away from those politics, you manage the relationships, and make sure it doesn’t trickle down to them.”

By Jon Kim, Director of Force 3 Cyber Security

I feel your pain. You are starting to feel the headache of BYOD. Everyone thinks it’s the coolest and you’re still trying to buy into it all. Like the kid in math class, you rather not ask the questions for the fear of sounding silly. Don’t worry, I am going to ask and answer the hard questions! I am putting to rest any doubts over bring-your-own- device (BYOD) approach to enterprise mobility and security.

How is BYOD better than an organization providing the same mobile device to all its employees?

BYOD is better because it provides employees with versatility and flexibility. When an organization ties themselves to a single platform, you not only increase the cost cycle for replacing devices but you limit your end users’ options and choices.

As devices continue to evolve, organizations must adapt and address the changes or risk falling behind on leveraging new innovative business technologies. Instead of focusing on one single device manufacturer, organizations should focus on the business applications that allow employees to achieve the business capabilities necessary to drive their business.

How do you customize BYOD for each of your clients?

We start by clearly defining and understanding our customer’s business function. This will help to narrow down why, how and what your needs are around BYOD solutions. Next, we have organizations take the BYOD readiness assessment that evaluates if your current infrastructure in place can support BYOD. From there we look at the business purposes and functions you want BYOD to offer and we develop a solution that meets your needs.

What impact do you think that BYOD has on an employee’s work-life balance?

Generation Y is driving the demand for an environment where everything on their office desktop is available on their smartphone or tablet, therefore making working at 2am or from their local Starbucks a feasible option. Although Baby Boomers and Generation X may have a different perspectives on work-life balance then the younger Generation Y workforce, BYOD allows greater flexibility to be mobile, telecommute and constantly connected for everyone.

What is the greatest security threat when it comes to BYOD?

From an administration standpoint, the biggest security question becomes, “How do you control and enforce policies on devices that you no longer own?” It is essential for organizations to have a proper BYOD management solution that can detect devices accessing your network, identify them appropriately and determine allowances for each connected device.

What can be done to protect an organization’s data security if an employee loses a mobile device?

First and foremost, prevention is key to minimizing your potential risk. This should include automated policy enforcements for mobile devices, encryption to safeguard data, the ability to track and disable the device remotely, and identity-based access management to address authentication and authorization.

What do you think the next big thing in enterprise computing will be?

I believe enterprises will be moving away from traditional laptops as their main business devices and moving to tablets and smartphone devices. More and more merchants are using tablets and smartphones to process customer purchases, restaurants are starting to use tablets to take orders, and more frequently we are seeing healthcare offices with tablets to sign-in patients and access images and files. The business capabilities and possibilities are endless on these platforms.

So there you go! I think that covers all the hard questions. When it comes to BYOD, it’s all about gaining flexibility, establishing policy, and evaluating needs. There are still more BYOD questions, and we are finding the answers everyday here at Force 3. As far as advanced algebra goes, don’t worry. I still have to ask questions about that stuff.

Force 3, delivering the best in federal security, unified communications, networks, data center, and medical imaging solutions, today announced that it has been awarded a contract with the US Forest Service(USFS) to design, test, implement and support its first Network Access Control solution.

The Network Access Control solution will allow up to 100,000 USFS users to securely and seamlessly access their internal network while adhering to the agency’s security policies, regardless if workers are using wired or wireless connections.

Per the contract, Force 3 will design the solution using Cisco’s TrustSec enabled architecture.  As part of the TrustSec architecture, Cisco’s Identity Services Engine (ISE) will function as the context aware identity-based platform that gathers real-time information from the network, users and devices. ISE then uses this information to make proactive governance decisions by enforcing policy across the network infrastructure utilizing built in standard based controls.  This added visibility will also be utilized to support other USFS initiatives such as BYOD by enabling the agency to more effectively support increasing demands for mobile connectivity.

“USFS looked to Force 3 to improve upon their existing network enforcement policies from unauthorized users gaining access,” said Mike Greaney, Vice President of Sales at Force 3.  “With our solution, the agency will now have an enterprise wide system that will provide secure identity based network access to authorized users only.”

The project will be completed in two phases.  The first phase is scheduled to be complete by September 2013 and includes full deployment to strategic locations in the USFS network.  The remainder of the network will be part of the next phase, which is anticipated to be complete by September 2015.

Nick Pappas the project lead from USFS said, “The capabilities we expect from this solution are in high demand. The ability to securely offer guest network services while at the same time enable full accountability for connected devices is a powerful combination. We are excited to have Force 3 engaged with this project.”

For more information on Force 3’s security offerings, please visit: http://www.force3.com/solutions/cyber-security/

To support the expanding role of the network in deploying cloud services, Force 3 announced today it has achieved the Cisco Cloud Builder designation within the Cisco Cloud Partner Program.

This designation recognizes Force 3’s ability to sell and deploy Cisco’s end to-end cloud solutions for their customers. As a Cisco designated Cloud Builder Partner, Force 3 has met the required competencies across all cloud infrastructure components (security, networking, compute, storage and virtualization solutions), cloud management applications and a formal cloud professional services practice.

“Virtualization is the foundation for cloud. Our Data Center Practice was built around virtualization, elastic computing and scale out storage. Having proven data center, networking and security solutions, moving into the cloud builder space is a natural progression for us,” said Sudhir Verma, Vice President of Consulting Services and Project Management Office at Force 3. “We are very excited about the opportunities that are in front of us and the ability to help our customers meet their mission requirements with our cloud offerings.”

The Cisco Cloud Partner Program empowers channel partners to build end-to-end cloud solutions and professional services practices based on Cisco cloud solutions. This program offers training to help channel partners as they enhance their competencies in selling and implementing end-to-end cloud solutions that include Cisco and approved third-party technology partners’ solutions in an integrated cloud solution.

When the New York Army National Guard sought a technology changeover that would move it away from conventional PCs, the organization tapped a channel ally to help get the job done.

The Guard tapped systems integrator Force 3 as its partner for deploying a virtual desktop environment. The work actually involved two projects; one for the Guard’s research and development network and the other for the organization’s production network.

Key technologies included VMware View desktop virtualization software and PC-over-IP zero clients from Samsung.

Clarke Caporale, information assurance manager with the New York Army National Guard, says working with an integrator instead of going it alone helped shorten deployment time. Force 3 got the desktop virtualization project up and running and into production in a week and a half, he says. “With a system as complex as VMware View, it would take us three weeks to get everything configured and installed, and another month of training to get up on our feet, even in a limited capacity.”

VDI Skills Vital to Inexperienced Firms

The benefits of VDI stem from the ability to run desktops and applications within the central data center. Advocates say this approach provides better security and eases the administration burden.

For example, an IT manager can patch and update a few virtualized desktop images centrally instead of dealing with diverse desktop devices individually. Virtualization also makes for a device-agnostic environment. Organizations can use the VDI approach to manage a range of gear including thin clients, zero clients, tablets and other mobile devices. VDI also can also help the IT shop avoid frequent tech refresh cycles. Since the heavily lifting of computing takes place behind the firewall, client-side devices remain viable over a longer period.

The Guard isn’t the only enterprise turning to the channel for assistance with virtual desktop infrastructure technology. Government and corporate IT shops tend to have sufficient expertise in the server flavor of virtualization, but the VDI skill set often proves harder to pull together. Accordingly, some virtual desktop adopters are tapping resellers and integrators to kick start their projects.

Channel companies play a number of roles in VDI, from pure consulting and advisory services to installation and training. Meanwhile, integrators contribute their experience in virtualization products and integration approaches, guiding customers toward objectives ranging from hardware cost reduction to mobile device security.

In the Guard’s case, the capability to access VDI skills motivated its partnering initiative. Retirements and federal budget pressure limit the supply of IT staffers available to government agencies.

Caporale cites the “draw-down of the amount of trained personnel” and the time it would take to train new people or temporary assets. “Every day we get more and more requirements in IT and fewer and fewer resources to field those requirements. We have knowledge gaps and we need to fill those knowledge gaps with people who are partners.”

Force 3, based on its previous work with the Guard, was already familiar with organization’s infrastructure and could therefore determine the right technology fit, Caporale says. To that end, the integrator designed the Guard’s virtualization solution, installed it, and provided training.

The training element looms large. In addition to expertise in virtualization solutions from such vendors as VMware and Citrix Systems, the day-to-day operation of a VDI deployment requires a breadth of technical knowledge. Desktop virtualization takes operating systems, data, and applications from conventional client PCs and laptops and transfers them to the data center. Users’ desktop environments exist as virtual machines housed on centralized servers.

Sudhir Verma, vice president of consulting services at Force 3, says organizations should consider early on whether they have the right mix of skills to run a virtual desktop environment.

Verma says VDI requires a thorough understanding of the Microsoft desktop, including operating systems, group policies and Active Directory. IT personnel must also understand server, storage and network virtualization, while having a grasp of server hardware as well. “Cloud and VDI are going to be the solutions that drastically change the skill set environment.”

VDI, Thin Clients Make Desktop Rollout Easier

As with the Guard, CredAbility, a nonprofit consumer credit counseling service, saw a need for outside expertise when it embarked on a VDI project.

The Atlanta-based company, facing yet another PC replacement cycle, decided to adopt virtual desktops as an alternative. Since the desktop image becomes a data center function, VDI customers may use thin clients instead of fully loaded desktops. Those devices generally outlast traditional PCs, which eases the chore of desktop replacement.

“We we’re coming up on a PC refresh cycle,” notes Chris Martin, director of IT at CredAbility, adding that many machines were reaching four or five years of age. “We needed to make a significant capital spend to refresh the desktop environment. That was basically how we came to…that decision.”

CredAbility consulted with technology product and services provider CDW, weighed a number of desktop virtualization options and eventually selected VMware View virtualization software and thin clients. CDW then played an advisory role on CredAbility’s virtual desktop rollout. Martin says it tries to deploy technology on its own as much as possible, noting that the company will ultimately be left to manage the solution.

Brad Zimmer, account manager at CDW, says the company provided CredAbility a range of consulting services, from a high-level overview of VMware View to a discussion of best practices for desktop virtualization. The company also arranged meetings between Martin and CDW’s virtualization technology vendor partners. Speed and Product Knowledge Key for Resellers

Speed and Product Knowledge Key for Resellers

A partner’s product knowledge was also a factor in the VDI effort for Mid Coast Hospital. The Brunswick, Maine-based healthcare provider selected GreenPages Technology Solutions for the project after evaluating a handful of vendors. Speed was a key consideration—a new urgent care center would be the first deployment site, and the goal was to have the virtual desktop technology operational within 90 days.

Michael Poulin, manager of network services at Mid Coast, says the facility’s IT staff has done many projects on its own. Since it lacked a wealth of virtualization experience and

needed to rapidly field a solution, though, Mid Coast decided to use an outside vendor for the virtual desktop initiative. The hospital brought in GreenPages to design and install its VDI solution, and, Poulin says, the partner helped Mid Coast “get&up to speed quickly.”

As for technical knowledge, Mid Coast was able to leverage GreenPage’s background in cloud and virtualization consulting and integration. “We don’t know all of the products and all of the moving parts that are needed to bring up the virtual environment,” Poulin notes.

The technology portfolio included VMware View, Atlantis Computing ILIO storage optimization software, and LiquidwareLabs ProfileUnity user virtualization and profile management product. GreenPages also contributed insight into the ins and outs of software licensing, proper hardware configuration and specialized third-party products. “They were able to recommend an entire suite of both hardware and software products to meet our needs,” Poulin says.

Francis Czekalski, senior enterprise consultant at GreenPages, says the Mid Coast project was challenging due to the number of unknowns. For example, GreenPages didn’t know what the I/O profile was going to be for the virtual desktops. Atlantis’ storage optimization product, however, helped mitigate that risk, according to Czekalski, who proposed ILIO as part of the initial VDI design.

Seth Knox, director of marketing at Atlantis, says VDI has had a long history of storage challenges, noting that the cost and/or performance of storage have prevented installations from scaling toward the 1,000-user mark.

The ILIO software, Poulin adds, lets Mid Coast avoid the boot storms that can occur when large numbers of users simultaneously log in to their virtual desktops—at the start of the workday, for instance. I/O issues can also occur during antivirus scans and patching, but it hasn’t been an issue for Mid Coast, he says. “Even over low-bandwidth WAN links, we have no issue with booting at all or performance.”

Another uncertainty, Czekalski says, stemmed from the fact that, while most of the hospital’s applications would work in a VDI setting, there was some uncertainty regarding a couple specialized medical apps. In those cases, GreenPages’s virtualization experience, coupled with Mid Coast’s insight into its own applications, provided a workaround.

In one example, the partners worked together to tweak the hospital’s CPSI electronic medical record system. Czekalski says GreenPages and Mid Coast collaborated to modify configuration files through scripts to get the application to work properly in a virtualized environment. “Their knowledge of the app was critical,” he says. “It was a true team effort.”

Force 3, delivering the best in federal security, unified communications, networks, data center, and medical imaging solutions, today announced its NetApp FlexPod Certification.

With FlexPod, Force 3 can more safely and efficiently transition customers to the Cloud. FlexPod is a flexible data center solution that allows businesses to adapt and change faster according to market requirements. The NetApp solution provides increased data center fitness, reduces business risk and protects investments by providing scaling for future growth. FlexPod includes NetApp unified storage systems,Cisco Unified Computing System servers and Cisco Nexus switches. This architecture can be optimized for virtual and non-virtualized environments.

“Force 3 is pleased to announce its FlexPod NetApp certification. We began our partnership with NetApp earlier this year and have already been recognized as a Gold Level Partner,” said Mike Greaney, Vice President of Sales at Force 3. “With the FlexPod certification, we can offer our customers a pre-validated data center solution that combines components into single flexible architecture while increasing efficiency and reducing risk.”

For more information on Force 3’s partnership with NetApp, visit http://www.force3.com/partners/netapp/.

In the event of a disaster — whether natural or otherwise — most government IT directors think first about protecting the data centers.

This is a reasonable reaction, of course. But in the aftermath of the recent derecho and the spate of weekly storms that have continued to affect the region with power losses that last hours — or in the case of the derecho, days — the efficiency of agencies and businesses is at stake. It’s time to take a fresh look at telework as an important aspect of disaster recovery and continuity of operations policies.

After all, the Telework Act of 2010 indicated that telework is a useful strategy to improve continuity of operations to help ensure that essential federal functions continue during emergency situations.

However, the concept of telework in general has been more closely associated with personnel benefits, such as cutting commuting costs and improving work-life balance. I believe, however, that the time has come for a telework mind-set change. Certainly, it promotes convenience and efficiency, but not until agencies view telework as a critical aspect of disaster recovery will it take hold in a meaningful way.

Consider the numbers. A recent Office of Personnel Management report to Congress said 684,589 of 2.1 million federal employees are eligible to telework. But at the end of the federal government’s last fiscal year, the report said, only 168,558 had actually begun teleworking or were set up to do so.

Why the gap? Obviously, telework implementation has not been addressed with the same sense of urgency as perhaps data center protection and recovery. The problem is that protecting the data is only half the equation.

In the event of a disaster or disruption, what good is protecting the data if employees can’t access information? This issue becomes more important as more and more data centers consolidate and agencies operate from locations across the metro area, farther and farther away from their data centers.

For example, an agency might have operations in Woodbridge, Herndon, the District and Aberdeen. If a weather event renders the offices in Virginia inaccessible, employees need a telework program in place to continue working with colleagues.

Here’s the call to action: Government IT directors and CIOs should take this time in the aftermath of recent weather events to reassess their disaster recovery policies. They need to ensure not just that data centers are being protected, but that data can be accessed. Data access points must be reassessed and scrutinized. Telework should be recognized as an amazing tool to provide effective disaster recovery and continuity of operations.

Plenty of agencies are setting a good example already. The General Services Administration had to close its headquarters in the District because of power outages in the wake of the derecho. But a large majority of employees were able to telework until the issue was resolved.

The first step for any agency to get started with telework is to simply identify the eligible workers in the organization and start a proof of concept program. Agencies, including the GSA and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, have excellent programs already in place. IT leaders in other agencies should reach out to their colleagues at GSA and ATF and simply ask what they did to get started.

In the event of a disaster, telework could mean the difference between an agency that is functioning effectively and providing critical services, and one that is shut down.

Sudhir Verma is vice president of consulting services at Crofton-based data company Force 3.

For most agencies, server virtualization is a first step toward cloud computing. If you do virtualization right, a move to the cloud is that much easier. However, if you make a mess of it, your journey to the cloud could be tougher.

Some executives rightly view virtualization as a way to cut hardware and power costs by reducing the number of servers they need, but that means thinking about it only in tactical terms. Virtualization can also be an opportunity to modernize and expand the IT department’s role as a service provider to the rest of the organization.

Virtualization enables agencies to operate a more efficient infrastructure by replacing what had been multiple hardware servers with “virtual” or software versions of those servers that run on a single machine. Besides reducing the number of physical machines needed by a factor or five or even 10, virtual servers are much easier to set up, manage and move around than physical ones.

However, virtualization requires a different viewpoint, said Joe Brown, president of Accelera Solutions. “You go away from being builders and controllers of IT infrastructure to being retailers and orchestrators of business services,” he added.

That is also an apt description of the IT department’s role as cloud services become more common. And once an agency has virtualized its server infrastructure, it can move data processing tasks more easily to the platform that makes the most financial or operational sense, whether it is housed in an internal data center or operated by a cloud provider. But to get the most out of a virtualization investment — and pave the way for cloud adoption — agencies will need to do more than launch a few virtual machines.

Indeed, virtualization needs to be actively promoted within an agency to achieve the critical mass that makes a cloud shift possible. It will also take new tools and operating procedures that support a service-oriented approach. Overall, agencies should consider deploying technologies that can help them navigate between both private and public cloud resources because many observers foresee clouds that are a hybrid of the two approaches becoming a common model.

Furthermore, the virtualization-to-cloud trajectory is as much about people as it is about technical issues. Virtualized environments call for a different skill set, and the switch from providing servers to provisioning services calls for a new philosophy and new roles and responsibilities.

Read on for an overview of four steps to a smoother cloud transition via virtualization.

Step 1: Make virtualization a priority

To be successful, industry and government executives believe organizations need to actively promote the benefits of virtualization.

For some, that means instituting a formal policy. The Census Bureau’s IT Directorate launched its “virtualization first” policy in December 2011 as a first step toward implementing the Obama administration’s cloud-first approach.

The policy calls for Census divisions that use servers located in the bureau’s data centers to convert those servers to virtual machines by June 2013. Exceptions may be made for certain situations, such as applications that run on special-purpose hardware.

Brian McGrath, Census’ CIO, said the bureau now thinks of virtualization as the “go-to solution for all systems and applications…unless there are sound technical or engineering reasons that would justify a bare-metal or stand-alone solution.”

Step 2: Build an IT services storefront

Another strategy is to provide a browser-based interface through which IT support staff can manage the virtualized environment. Those employees can use the interface to handle server provisioning, rebuilds, activation, deactivation and deletion, among other functions.

Some organizations use popular tools such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a reference for building the interface, which can also serve as a tool for a cloud transition. Indeed, such a service interface, sometimes called a cloud broker, helps prepare IT staffers for a hybrid cloud setting by allowing them to use identical interfaces to manage resources provided through the agency’s data center and an external cloud vendor.

The Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration is working on such a broker, dubbed YOURcloud, and expects to make it available this fall, said Travis Howerton, chief technology officer at NNSA.

“It is a Web front end that provides a single pane of glass for provisioning services [and] servers within approved cloud environments as part of our secure hybrid community cloud,” Howerton said.

NNSA’s broker will let users select the appropriate service for a given workload based on cost, security, energy efficiency and other parameters. “Think of it like Expedia.com,” Howerton said. “This travel website brokers services with airlines, hotels, etc., based on your defined parameters. YOURcloud provides a similar service for cloud computing.”

Howerton said the interface creates an internal marketplace for cloud services that can be used across the enterprise. “It provides the foundation for our digital strategy and is on the critical path to shared services within our agency,” he added.

The technology also gives government IT executives greater control over cloud services, particularly the external variety, said Kent Christensen, virtualization practice manager at Datalink, a provider of data center infrastructure and services. If users were to go directly to AWS, management would lose visibility. But the broker approach lets organizations control the gateway and use external cloud services as needed, he said.

Step 3: Standardize and automate

A virtualized data center needs to adopt standard processes as it heads for the cloud. That might require organizations to break down the traditional barriers between server, storage and networking groups in the IT department, Christensen said.

Therefore, agencies should create a unified architecture to provision services that cut across technology boundaries. “This all becomes one process,” he said.

Process standardization helps smooth the provisioning of virtualized IT as cloud resources. It also improves manageability as virtual machines proliferate in agency IT shops. And automation can help enforce those standards because the approach directs everyone down the same path.

Step 4: Maintain security in the cloud

Agencies planning to extend in-house virtualized environments to an external cloud must always keep security in mind.

“You have to consider…how to secure your environment once you get it out to an external cloud provider,” Brown said.

Products such as CloudSwitch (purchased by Verizon last year) and Citrix Systems’ CloudBridge can help agencies manage security as their virtualized environments head for the public cloud, Brown said. He likened such products to sophisticated virtual private networks that protect data moving between the enterprise and external clouds.

“They create this elastic wrapper that extends from your internal private cloud out to the public cloud infrastructure,” Brown said. That wrapper provides an encrypted bridge between internal and external resources.

Census has made security a key consideration of its virtualization-first directive. The IT Directorate is responsible for the security aspects of the bureau’s virtualization infrastructure and coordinates virtualization software and operating system patches with organizations that are running in virtual environments.

An agency’s security experts should be involved in every project that surfaces in a cloud-facing virtualized setting, said Bob Otto, former CIO/CTO at the U.S. Postal Service and now executive vice president of advisory services at solutions provider Agilex.

“They have to look at this outside their facilities based on whether it is an external cloud and the type of network it goes through,” Otto said. “They are looking at something that is more complex.”

Agencies should also take a closer look at data protection measures typically performed by data centers, such as storage and backup.

“It is very important to get your house in order and build a strong foundation in your virtualization architecture and be able to extend that into cloud computing,” Christensen said.

Helping IT staffers prepare for their new roles

Virtualization usually spells a healthy dose of cultural change for most government organizations and IT departments. It’s good practice for the even bigger changes that come with a shift to cloud computing.

To some observers, the organizational demands of virtualization outstrip the technical considerations. IT professionals accustomed to managing physical hardware must get used to managing resources more indirectly.

Here are a few ways to ready IT employees for new roles in virtualized and cloud environments.

• Dissolve traditional barriers. To efficiently provision virtualized technology, you will probably need to break down the divisions between server, storage and networking personnel. That could prove to be one of the hardest steps and could require leadership from the CIO and chief technology officer. “Don’t think in silos,” said Ken Liska, a virtualization specialist at NetApp Public Sector. “Organizations often arrange IT environments around geopolitics. The cloud breaks down silos and involves collaboration of teams working together.”
• Encourage cross training. That same drive to break down barriers also necessitates a different training regimen. Accordingly, many IT staffers at agencies and contractors are pursuing cross training in operating system, server and storage administration, said Tom Simmons, an area vice president at Citrix Systems.
• Take advantage of vendors’ courses. Agencies might not have deep experience in Citrix, Microsoft, Red Hat or VMware virtualization technologies, depending on how long they’ve been at the task. Vendors offer training for organizations that want to update their employees’ skills. Red Hat, for example, offers four- and five-day courses on Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization.
• Promote skill sets for the automated environment. As agencies move beyond virtualization to the cloud, the environment could become more automated. At that point, agencies might need to cultivate skills that layer on top of virtualization, such as the ability to execute Web scripting to interface with cloud management tools, Liska said.
• Keep an eye out for IT management talent. Solutions architects, IT-savvy project managers and mid- to senior-level managers will be in high demand as IT departments begin providing IT as a service, said Sudhir Verma, vice president of consulting services at Force 3. “They will be in demand especially if they are able to bridge the gap between IT, business units and end users,” Verma said.

A cloud glossary

Mastering server virtualization could give agencies the functional capability and management skills to move their data processing workloads to whatever infrastructure model makes the most financial and operational sense. In the past, that usually meant agency-owned servers, but increasingly, it will likely be one of these cloud computing models, as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

• Private cloud: For the exclusive use of a single organization. It might be owned, managed and operated by that organization, a third party or some combination of the two, and it might exist on or off the organization’s premises. NASA’s Nebula Cloud Computing Platform is an example of a private cloud used by multiple customers in an agency.
• Public cloud: For open use by the general public. It might be owned, managed and operated by a business, academic or government organization or some combination of them, but it exists on the premises of the cloud provider. Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud, which offers resizable computing capacity via the Web, is an example of a public cloud service.
• Community cloud: For exclusive use by a specific community of consumers from organizations that have shared concerns, such as mission, security requirements, policy and compliance considerations. It is owned, managed and operated by one or more of the organizations in the community, a third party or some combination of them, and it might exist on or off the community’s premises. IBM operates a community cloud service tailored to government customers, and Microsoft recently announced plans for its own government-oriented community cloud service.
• Hybrid cloud: A composition of two or more distinct cloud infrastructures (private, community or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables the portability of data and applications. Stand-alone examples of hybrid clouds are more difficult to identify because they comprise services or capabilities from multiple sources.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – (def.) the recent trend of employees bringing personally-owned mobile devices (phones, tablets, laptops) to their place of work, and using those devices to access organizational resources.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and I’m not judging you if you have), you’ve heard of BYOD. If you are reading this post, BYOD has probably affected your organization and you’re trying to figure out the best way to deal with it. BYOD isn’t exactly new – employees have been accessing company resources from personal laptops for years, and usually there are already policies in place to handle this. But those smartphones and tablets that make our lives a little easier are also making us scramble to balance security with enablement: our users want a good experience, and we have to find a way to provide it securely and seamlessly.

At our BYOD seminar in June, we talked about where our customers are on the BYOD spectrum, which spans from “no personal devices allowed at all” to “I can conduct all of my personal and business needs from my iPad, wherever I am.” Most are somewhere in between. In the federal space (and in some highly regulated industries), many still keep their policy at “corporate devices only”, sometimes with a side of “no wireless allowed on campus.” They do this not because they love tormenting their employees, but because they don’t feel that the security is sufficient to protect sensitive information.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Within the federal government, different agencies will have different comfort zones when it comes to BYOD. And they are handling it in different ways:

• The National Security Agency doesn’t allow any personal mobile devices.
• The GSA Federal Systems Integration and Management Center allows access to email, calendar, and some web applications. This is a common first step on the BYOD road. Adoption has been slow because employees are leery of having their devices wiped. The use of selective wipe can mitigate this, but employees may want a demo first for reassurance.
• The Department of Homeland Security is planning to use virtual desktops for smartphones and tablets. VDI allows employees to access Windows-based applications in a secure manner, regardless of the device type. This is often a next step on the BYOD spectrum beyond email and calendar access.

Using best practices of granular network access control, mobile device management (including application and content management), and secure remote access, most government agencies can provide the means for their employees to be productive on their mobile devices. Securely.

Thanks, IT!

It’s not just security that concerns administrators. It’s also policy, policy, policy. There are many things to consider. For example:

• Who owns the device? Are we distributing them ourselves? Or giving the employees an allowance to go buy their own? Or just letting them bring in what they already have? Perhaps a mix of some of the above.
• Who supports the device? (This may determine whether you limit BYOD to only specific devices).
• Are we allowed to do a full device wipe, including personal data? Under what circumstances?

To help federal agencies develop those policies, the White House administration has created the Digital Services Advisory Group. One of its tasks is to provide government-wide guidance and best practices for BYOD within 3 months of its inception. These will be based on successful pilots from those federal agencies that already took the plunge. Even those that elect not to allow personal devices should pay attention. Just because you don’t allow them doesn’t mean someone isn’t going to try it anyway.

You don’t need to wait until the official guidelines come out to get started. Best practices are already established by organizations that began to address BYOD early. It’s likely that Digital Services Advisory Group will reaffirm what we already know. So take action. Start with a BYOD assessment to determine what solutions are necessary, depending on how much access you want to allow. Then move forward. BYOD isn’t going away, and the sooner you address it, the better.

“Every year they say video has come into its own. We have heard that for the last 10 years. But all of a sudden now it is really picking up,” said Bill Rasmussen, a solutions architect with Project Leadership Associates, a Chicago based IT consulting firm.

But maybe this time it’s truly different.  The facts are on his side:

“This is the year of video conference in enterprise,” proclaimed David Danto, a longtime video conferencing expert who is a consultant with global IT services firm Dimension Data.  Every metric, said Danto, points to a sharp uptick in video conference usage.

Infonetics, the Boson based researchers, underlines that prediction with their estimate in a report issued a couple weeks ago that $22 billion will be spent on video conferencing and telepresence gear from 2012 to 2016.  Infonetics described this as “surging” demand. It added that, in 2011 alone, demand jumped 34 percent and the market hit $3 billion.

The single biggest hurdle to video conferencing’s spread is cost, said experts, who indicate that entry level pricing for a true, immersive telepresence room probably is around $250,000 — and it takes two to connect. But while the buzz has been around telepresence, you probably don’t need it, said Danto, because there has been an explosion from just about every manufacturer of value priced video conferencing equipment.  Awareness of this lower priced gear is growing as is business’ adoption.

But, probably, you will wind up buying “telepresence” because, said Danto, most makers lately have been busy rebranding all their video conferencing gear as “telepresence” — and, yes, that is certain to confuse buyers who already are puzzled by the range of options and price points in a fast changing marketplace.

Renewed enthusiasm

And yet the paradox is that now is the time for video conferencing — just at a lower price point. Fuel for this renewed enterprise enthusiasm comes from one massive trend: “there’s the mobile workforce. That really is making this necessary,” said Danto. When co-workers are dispersed geographically and always on the move, bringing them together is a big step towards team building.

The rest of the fuel comes from “a perfect storm,” said Mary Miller, director of Product Marketing at video conferencing company LifeSize. Miller ticked off three factors helping video conferencing spread:

• HD broadband;
• The prevalence of video in the consumer life – such as Skype and Facetime; and
• The prevalence of companies doing more with less. In other words, not being able to jump on a plane for a face to face meeting.

Add up the pluses and, definitely, video conferencing is ready for primetime in 2012. Much of what is needed — particularly lower prices — is in place and, better still, the latest generation mobile devices (such as iPad 3 and iPhone 4S) are slick enough to bring truly mobile workers into the picture.

“Bad video is worse than no video”

But then there are the worries associated with implementing lower end video in the workplace and this starts with this: “bad video is worse than no video,” said Jason Parry, practice director for communications and collaboration at solutions provider Force 3. “The quality of the video is very important to the end user. You want to be able to pick up on body language.”

A key problem area, said Parry, is that some sales executives simply underestimate how much bandwidth video conferencing will consume when they rough out their bids.  “A lot of low end bids ignore the infrastructure a company needs for enterprise level video conferencing,” he said.

Note: it is not that video consumes that much bandwidth but it does consume it and business-grade solutions have to factor in upgrades if the buyer is going to get what he or she expects from video conferencing: imagery clear enough to tell a smile from a frown.

Once bandwidth is handled, what will video conferencing cost?

“I still recommend a hardware appliance on your desk,” said Danto, who indicated that entry level units cost around $5,000, with price tags escalating to $20,000 per unit for more sophisticated set ups.  “Any number of companies are providing hardware and software. All companies have products up and down the price scale.”

Either way, said Danto, “Price is no longer a barrier to high quality video communications.” And that just may be the real reason why 2012 is shaping up as the year of video conferencing.

Written by Robert McGarvery May 3, 2012, featured in Enterprise Networking Planet

Crofton-based Technology Integrator Awards Three Anne Arundel County High School Students for the 2012-2013 School Year

Force 3, delivering the best in federal security, unified communications, networks, data center, and medical imaging solutions, today announced that it has awarded three $4,000 college scholarships to local Anne Arundel County High School students for the 2012-2013 school year. Erika Heffernan from Calvary Baptist Church Academy, Chakiera Shields from North County High School, and Alexis Jeter of Severna Park High School were all awarded the scholarship based on their academic achievements, community service and educational goals.

The scholarship, which was created to help those who need it most and are the most deserving, is only offered to students from Anne Arundel County High Schools who plan to attend an accredited college to pursue a technical degree. To apply, students were required to write an essay describing their educational and career goals and how they planned to meet these, as well as their participation in community service.

“Erika, Chakiera and Alexis all have great potential to make big contributions in the technology and engineering sectors,” said Vice Chairman and co-founder, Jim Bird. “We’re excited to help them further their educations and we look forward to seeing them succeed in their professional careers.”

Heffernan will be attending UMBC where she hopes to study in the field of engineering and computer science. During high school, Heffernan played varsity soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and also tutored in algebra, accounting, and geometry.

Shields will be attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she will major in Computer Science. While attending high school, Shields was a member of Math Team, Future Business Leaders of America, National Honors Society, Varsity Track and Field, and the Student Government Association. She also had temporary office positions with the National Security Agency and Defense Information Systems Agency.

Jeter will be attending Penn State University Park in the College of Engineering. She was a National Merit Commended Student, Honor Role student, AP Scholar, and a proficient Java programmer.

This is the 6th year that Force 3 has awarded its college scholarships, giving out a total of 15 scholarships thus far.

Designation Recognizes Channel Partners with Highest Level of Unified Communication Expertise, Lifecycle Services and Success in Sales

Force 3 announced today it has achieved the Master Unified Communications Specialization from Cisco®. This specialization recognizes Force 3 as having fulfilled the training requirements and program prerequisites to sell, deploy and support highly sophisticated applications- based Cisco Unified Communications solutions.

“We are extremely pleased to earn the Cisco Master Unified Communications Specialization,” said Sudhir Verma, Vice President of Consulting Services. “This achievement highlights our breadth and depth of expertise developing sales, technical, and service capabilities for integrated unified communications. Force 3’s investment in Master’s Unified Communications attests to our company’s commitment to meet and exceed industry standards.”

“To help turn the promise of unified communications into a strategic advantage, customers are demanding an enhanced set of skills and capabilities from channel partners,” said Richard McLeod, director of unified communications for worldwide channels at Cisco. “Force 3’s investment in the Master Unified Communications Specialization ranks them among the industry’s elite.”

To achieve the Master Unified Communications Specialization, resale channel partners must first attain the Advanced Unified Communications Specialization. Partners must then meet stringent requirements that demonstrate their master-level sales, technical, and services capabilities. Furthermore, master specialized partners must possess a number of Cisco and industry-standard technical certification requirements, provide customer references that document Cisco-prescribed design and deployment capabilities; and show evidence that they have the infrastructure to support a full menu of Lifecycle Services offerings and capabilities.

More information regarding the Master Unified Communications Specialization can be found at:

http://www.cisco.com/web/partners/program/specializations/ucom/master/index.html

The Cisco Resale Channel Program provides partners with the training required to build sales, technical and Cisco Lifecycle Services skills, and then validates their skills through a third-party audit. Cisco resale partner certifications—Select, Premier, Silver and Gold—represent an increasing breadth of skills across key technologies and a partner’s ability to deliver integrated networking solutions. Cisco resale partner specializations—SMB, Express, Advanced and Master—reflect an increasing depth of sales, technical and service expertise in particular technologies. Cisco master specializations provide Force 3 access to comprehensive sales, technical, and lifecycle services training and support available from Cisco.

By Gregory Brunn, Systems Engineer II

Have you ever worked with somebody that was constantly on the road bouncing from site to site?  I used to work with a guy that was never in the office.  In fact, he spent more time traveling than he did in his cubical.  We can all relate to the frustration of trying to track down these road warriors!  How are we suppose to know when, where, or how to contact them?  Do we call their cell phones?  Home phones?  Just how do we reach them?  Back then, we had a valuable, corporate resource but no one knew how to get in contact with him.  Even worse, he would respond back a day or two later when it was too late.

Traveling co-workers, telecommuters, and remote employees are a staple of the modern day workforce.  With this mobile workforce comes the challenge of ensuring the same level of accessibility as a worker who is assigned to a desk. They must be available for both internal employees and the customer.  We shouldn’t have to miss important calls or voice-mails just because we are not in the office. The truth of the matter is that we don’t have to; technology allows us to easily address these issues. Technology can extend our capabilities to allow for a true collaboration experience.  Think about it for a second.  In the world of phone communication you‘re not trying to call a device, right?  You call a person!  Why should we bounce from phone number to phone number trying to reach someone?  Don’t we have the tools that provide for true mobility available to us?

Cisco has offered Unified Mobility in Cisco Unified Communications Manager for years now.  Unified Mobility extends communication beyond your IP desk phone.  Unified Mobility has several features that are aimed at enabling the mobile worker and ending the frustrations that can come from lack of communications.  Looking beyond mobility, there is a whole new era of products aimed to deliver best-in class collaboration services as well.  Take Cisco Jabber for instance; Jabber allows employees to extend the collaboration tool set to any communication device employees choose to use.  In fact if my old co-worker had been using Jabber, we wouldn’t have had a problem communicating when he was out of the office.  He could have been running Jabber on his laptop, mobile phone, and desktop and his presence status and device preference would have been known throughout the company.  Employees and customers would have connected with him on the first try instead of possibly getting him on the third or fourth!  Not only that but with Jabber we could have quickly shared desktops and worked collaboratively on a presentation instead of emailing back and forth.

The technology exists today to reach mobile workers with ease and efficiency.  If your organization is currently not already capitalizing on this, you have to ask yourself why. It is no longer just a matter of keeping up with the times. With BYOD making a huge impact in the workplace, we need to take advantage of these devices and enhance the device‘s functionality.

There are applications that allow these devices to interface with your corporate infrastructure, whether the user is in the office or out. So, why limit your company? The borders of where people want to work are growing. These borders are extending beyond the office more today than ever before. Collaborative applications enable employees to work where and when they want. The tools are here to maximize employee satisfaction, create synergistic teams, and produce results faster. With collaborative tools, tracking down your absentee office-mate is no longer a headache. We are in the age of collaborative freedom and the excuses are disappearing.

By Chad Berndtson

Keith Goodwin’s seven-year run as Cisco (NSDQ:CSCO)’s global channel chief will be remembered for Cisco’s transition from a partner-friendly vendor with solid programs to a channel powerhouse that now has solution-provider partnering engrained in its overall go-to-market approach.

That was the consensus among a range of Cisco solution providers interviewed by CRN Monday following confirmation by Cisco that Goodwin, Cisco’s senior vice president, worldwide partner organization (WWPO), will be retiring at the end of Cisco’s fiscal year.

“Channel is embedded in who they are now,” said Mike Greaney, vice president of sales for Force 3, a Crofton, Md.-based solution provider. “The Cisco world, the Cisco supply chain and all of their go-to-market strategies now include the channel. He deserves a lot of that credit, and I think his legacy will be that he put channel on the map for Cisco from a mindshare standpoint.”

Cisco on Monday confirmed that Goodwin will step down at the end of July, capping off seven years as Cisco’s global channel chief, 13 years at Cisco, and 38 years in IT. Moving into the top WWPO role as Goodwin’s replacement will be Bruce Klein, currently Cisco’s senior vice president, U.S. public sector.

Goodwin presided over the Cisco channel during big transitions in both Cisco as a corporate entity and in the industry as a whole, including the widening customer embrace of cloud, mobility and video solutions. Though the WWPO has had its share of stumbles, partners were unanimous in describing Goodwin as having done a lot to turn Cisco into the channel-savvy organization it is now.

“I’m a little shocked and a little disappointed, because he has been the cornerstone for who Cisco is when it comes to the importance of the channel,” said Waheed Choudhry, president and COO at Nexus Integration Services, a Valencia, Calif.-based solution provider. “He’s been a tremendous partner to the community, and he drove a lot of the value of certifications and the rigor Cisco puts partners through to make sure delivery of a Cisco solution, end-to-end, is good for the customer.”

“I’m shocked that he’s retiring,” said Jay Kirby, vice president, network sales at Lumenate, a Dallas-based solution provider. “I thought he was really getting comfortable in the role, and I was very confident that he was focused on driving value to the partner community.”

Jeff Sessions, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Red River, a Claremont, N.H.-based solution provider, said Cisco (NSDQ:CSCO) was clear about making

By Sudhir Verma

As seen in, The Washington Post Capital Business

The time is now for the federal government to move forward aggressively with plans to consume IT as a service in the cloud. Thus far, we have seen only baby steps, with individual agencies moving e-mail and perhaps collaboration software to a cloud environment.

But in order to meet the goal of operating with reduced budgets while increasing efficiency, a new culture must take shape, starting with revamping the procurement and program-based funding process.

In addition, the government needs a champion for the movement to the cloud, an individual in a high-profile position who can say, “This is the right thing to do.” This person must be able to not only mandate that every agency have a cloud strategy but also drive agencies toward a clearly defined road map on their journey to the cloud, in support of the government’s “cloud first” policy.

Perhaps most importantly, the General Services Administration and Office of Management and Budget must review procurement policies and update those that hold agencies back from implementing a cloud-first strategy. Hopefully, that will change procuring IT in a stovepiped fashion based on program funding to one that is consolidated and resource requirement-driven.

In terms of culture change, the government must want to move to the cloud, perhaps with the same urgency that accompanied the move to online technologies in recent history. Anyone can suggest change in government policy, but enforcement is a different story. That’s why we need a “cloud czar” or someone with a title to that effect, with the authority to mandate change.

Let’s say, for example, if the Social Security Administration wants to modernize how benefits are processed. This effort would require software development, some hardware components and IT resources to run and maintain this operation. Today, agencies must identify the components of the solution, then request funding for the program. Once funding is in place, a request for proposals is created to solicit bids. Funding comes in with the idea that all these components that make up the solution are going to be new, such as hardware, software, support and IT staff. In a cloud environment, however, it doesn’t work that way.

With a cloud model, the agency might still need software and developers, but perhaps hardware resources could be procured as a service instead of new bare metal. Because with a shared environment like the cloud, multiple programs can share the hardware and

NetApp Alliance Partner Program Recognizes Force 3 as a Gold Level Partner

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration, networking and security solutions, today announced its Gold Level certification as part of the NetApp Alliance Partner Program.

The NetApp Alliance Partner Program recognizes nationally-focused federal and commercial resellers working with the complex IT needs of large, enterprise-class clients. As a NetApp Gold level partner, Force 3 provides its customers with enterprise storage technologies and solutions that are simpler, more manageable and faster to deploy than traditional storage solutions.

“Force 3 is pleased to announce its relationship with NetApp and the achievement as Gold Partner,” said Mike Greaney, Vice President of Sales at Force 3. “As a Gold Partner, we will increase our ability to provide innovative storage and data management solutions for our customers to help them be more cost efficient and accelerate business breakthroughs.”

For more information about the NetApp Alliance Partner Program, visit http://www.netapp.com/us/partners/

See full press release on PRweb

The low-hanging fruit. The early wins. The quick-return investments.

Whatever you call it, the relatively easy phase of the massive Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI) is over. Many departments and agencies have rid themselves of the most obvious efficiency offenders: small data centers, facilities previously marked for closure and IT resources deemed surplus to mission requirements.

Since FDCCI was announced in February 2010, federal IT shops have closed about 20 percent of the data centers the initiative is seeking to eliminate by 2015. Some agencies are already reporting significant cost savings. But wringing more efficiency out of the government’s IT infrastructure calls for a greater level of effort. Therefore, the next round of consolidation will require more time and planning, with greater potential for significant operational changes, according to agency and industry executives.

The Census Bureau is already following the trajectory from straightforward to more difficult consolidation tasks. Last year, the bureau closed seven data centers as planned, including a secondary center that provided a surge capability for the decennial census. That move, in conjunction with server virtualization, will save the bureau $1 million, CIO Brian McGrath said.

Now, the bureau is tackling the challenge of virtualizing and consolidating more sophisticated systems.

“Up until last year, there was really a lot of low-hanging fruit,” McGrath said. “The pace begins to slow as we tackle more complex applications and systems.”

In addition to technical tasks, such as guiding systems along the consolidation path, federal IT managers face a number of organizational and cultural challenges. As agencies close data centers and move applications to centralized facilities, many of them are dealing with multitenant environments for the first time. And as consolidation continues, IT jobs will change and agencies will need to train employees to meet new challenges.

Indeed, as the consolidation effort progresses, some managers are rating the cultural challenges as more difficult than the technical ones.

“Technically, this initiative is fairly straightforward,” said Rob Wolborsky, chief technology officer at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. “Much more profound are the changes associated with culture, policy and advocacy.”

The Navy plans to consolidate at least 58 data centers into the Navy Enterprise Data Center in the next five years.

“We have tremendous support from Navy leadership to get this done,” Wolborsky said. “However, this is a major change in the way data centers are doing business, and it will require a huge cultural shift as well.”

The next stage

In the first couple of years, FDCCI focused to a large extent on computing resources that all but begged to be consolidated.

By Scott Perry, Solutions Architect

In the late 90’s I had the privilege of working on a small team to deploy the Cisco network at Johns Hopkins Medical Campus.  This was a huge project at the time and it was a great way for me to gain hands-on experience in an extremely busy and fast-paced environment.  I remember a time during the second year of the project when the team had to cut over the network equipment in the Emergency Room.  If you have ever watched the show ER you could understand what the environment was like.  As the hour approached to switch over to the new equipment you could hear a pin drop amongst a world that seemed so chaotic.  The months of preparation had finally brought us to this point and there was no turning back, all of the “I’s” were dotted and the “T’s” were crossed.  There was just that one last thing hanging over our heads!  We didn’t know how the network that was so tediously built would survive in the world of the ER.  The approach to this question back then was to simply put the network to the test and see if it would stand!  Scary if you think about doing that today.

Fast-forward 12 years and this is exactly what the real world of IT faces.   As the consumerization of IT happens before our eyes and the BYOD invasion begins, the doubts and uncertainties start to take over the minds of our IT managers and directors.  Most are not even aware of what’s happening and going on around them when it comes to how BYOD (and along with that the demand for video) changes the game.  There are staggering statistics that show how video will become 90 percent of internet traffic by 2014.  How do the networks of the past continue to perform to the new demands and challenges of an extremely mobile and video-intense world?  They don’t!  The old intranet architecture and topology will begin to break down and no longer support the user experience.  We see networks crumbling because of the lack of ability to provide real-time services to applications and devices.  For example what happens when a high definition video camera gets plugged into the system?  What about 50 new HD video endpoints?  Or how do we guarantee that the user experience is the same day after day?

This is where Medianet comes into play!  Medianet is a network architecture that is built to handle the ever-changing world of IT.  If the network truly is the platform for IT services then it shouldn’t matter what widgets and gadgets are plugged into the network on any given day.  Medianet takes a whole new approach to the way a network is designed and provisioned.  It uses a number of auto-configuration tools and network analysis utilities to make sure the network is provisioned correctly.  It also allows for better use of corporate resources and provides a way to better maintain security within the network (which is where most of those doubts and uncertainties come from, if we’re being honest).  Cisco has begun building endpoint devices and network infrastructure devices such as switches and routers that use the Media Services Interface.  Devices are becoming network aware and networks are becoming device aware.  The future of the network is collaboration, so it’s best to prepare now with an infrastructure that will support and scale for the new way that people expect to work. Force 3’s Medianet Readiness Assessment helps customers take advantage of these new tool sets and resources to aid in building a more robust infrastructure to help launch networks into the 21^st century.

Embattled by hactivists, cybercriminals and foreign rivals seeking to steal proprietary information, U.S. corporations are ramping up their hiring of cybersecurity experts, with open jobs reaching an all-time high in April.

The need for cybersecurity experts spans all industries, from financial services, manufacturing and utilities to healthcare and retail. Among the major U.S. companies trying to fill cybersecurity-related positions are Boeing, Baylor Health Care System, Verisign and Office Depot. Cybersecurity jobs also are plentiful in the U.S. federal government market. For example, the Energy Department’s Idaho National Lab is seeking a senior cybersecurity researcher to support its lead nuclear research and development facility.

The number of cybersecurity-related job openings listed on the Dice.com Web site for IT professionals rose significantly in April 2012 compared to a year ago. The biggest increase was for cybersecurity specialists, which rose 74% with 920 open job listings. U.S. companies also are hiring thousands of network security, information security and application security experts.

“Every year, threats go up, so every year companies increase investment in security,” says Tom Silver, senior vice president of North America for Dice. “On Dice, information security jobs reached an all-time high last month … Companies want security professionals to counter breaches and also anticipate gaps, suggesting measures to fill them. Protection is key.”

Several trends are driving the demand for cybersecurity experts. Companies have increasingly complex networks, more transactions to process, and more data than ever. They’re using cloud applications such as Salesforce and Taleo, which extends their need for information security outside the perimeter of their networks. Additionally, they’re dealing with a flood of user-owned mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

The cybersecurity skills needed three years ago compared to now “is a whole different ballgame,” says Sudhir Verma, vice president of

Cisco Honors Crofton-based Force 3 at Annual Summit in San Diego, CaliforniaForce 3 announced today that it is the recipient of a Cisco Partner Summit Public Sector award for Cisco Collaboration Partner of the Year. Cisco unveiled the winners at its annual channel partner conference on April 17, 2012 in San Diego, California.

“Cisco is proud to partner with so many well-respected and industry-leading organizations, and it is an honor to recognize Force 3 as a Cisco Partner Summit theater award winner,” said Jim Sherriff, senior vice president, Americas Partner Organization at Cisco. “The Cisco Collaboration Partner of the Year presented to Force 3 recognizes its performance and expertise as a Cisco channel partner in the United States public sector in 2011.”

“We are extremely honored to be named Cisco’s public sector Collaboration Partner of the Year,” said Rocky Cintron, CEO of Force 3. “Like Cisco, we are dedicated to delivering innovative solutions to our customers. This honor validates our expertise of Cisco technology in the collaboration space and we look forward to growing our partnership with Cisco.”

“Our customers have trusted Force 3 to develop and deliver innovative collaboration solutions. This award signifies the hard work and dedication of the team and shows the strength of Force 3’s talent in the collaboration space,” said Jason Parry, Director of Collaboration for Force 3.

Cisco Partner Summit awards are presented at three levels: global, geo, and theater. Cisco Partner Summit public sector awards reflect the top-performing channel partners within a specific technology market across several geographic regions.

Parry Will Lead Information Session about “The Secrets to Building an Effective Collaboration Strategy for the Modern Day Workforce”

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration, networking and security solutions, today announced that Practice Director of Collaboration Jason Parry will appear as a speaker at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Information Management Conference in Dallas, Texas on Thursday April 19 at 1:30 p.m.

Parry will lead an information session entitled “The Secrets to Building an Effective Collaboration Strategy for the Modern Day Workforce.” During this session, attendees will learn how to use video to positively impact the way their employees communicate and the best ways to embrace the collaborative nature of the new Millennial generation workforce. Parry will also address the challenges that arise with an increasingly mobile workforce.

Jason Parry is the Practice Director of Collaboration for Force 3. His role focuses on managing Force 3’s team of highly talented network engineers and driving customer success of Communication and Collaboration solutions for Force 3.

The Information Management Conference will be held April 16-20, 2012. This year’s conference is focused on providing meaningful information and maximizing the contribution and value of information technology for the Department. New to the conference this year, both town hall and several selected presentations will be streamed live via web-ex for all those that cannot attend in person.

As posted on PRWeb, April 10th, 2012

Kim Will Lead Information Session about “Physical and IT Convergence: A Strategic Approach to Risk Management”

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration, networking and cyber security solutions, today announced that Jon Kim will be a featured speaker at GovSec – the Government Security Conference & Expo featuring the U.S. Law Enforcement Conference & Expo. Kim will present a session entitled, “Physical and IT Convergence: A Strategic Approach to Risk Management” on April 3, 2012 from 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Kim will discuss the benefits of implementing an organizational holistic approach to cybersecurity, and why covering both physical and IT resources are essential. He will provide participants with in depth information about where to start considering security convergence and share strategies and technologies that can be implemented to limit the amount of risk government agencies face.

Kim has 17 years of progressive leadership and consulting experience in information security solutions, strategic risk management and business decision support in both the private and public sectors. At Force 3, Kim manages a team of engineers to support the security needs of customers and their unique business requirements.

GovSec, which takes place April 2-4 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., provides attendees with the opportunity to hear from experts in law enforcement, physical security and cybersecurity during free keynote addresses and 36 conference sessions. The event also includes a free Expo, which can be attended at no cost for qualified individuals, where industry leading vendors will showcase new tools and technologies. The Expo also features additional free educational programming, including a series of Featured Presentations, delivered by professional organizations in the government security and law enforcement communities, which offer career development in a number of competencies; and Agency Briefings, where attendees can learn about homeland security and law enforcement programs they can use in their agencies and departments.

This year, as an added bonus, GovSec attendees also will be able to attend sessions at two co-located conferences: the Contingency Planning & Management Conference and Expo and the Network-Centric Security Conference and Exposition.

For more information about GovSec or to register, visit govsecinfo.com.

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration, networking and security solutions, today announced its 16th Annual Golf Tournament benefiting The Children’s Cancer Foundation® will be held on June 25, 2012 at Queenstown Harbor Golf Course.

The Children’s Cancer Foundation is a charity committed to raising funds for building facilities and for the research and treatment of cancers that affect children. Since its founding, over 32.7 million dollars has been given in grants by the foundation.

“From our very first tournament 16 years ago to today, our mission has been to bring together customers, partnering companies, friends and supporters to raise money and increase awareness for a very worthy cause,” said Les Trachtman, Force 3’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are honored to be partnering with The Children’s Cancer Foundation again this year and look forward to another fun and successful event.”

Force 3’s tournament will be a captain’s choice format with celebrity captains available to join your foursome. The lowest foursome score, closest to the pin, longest drive, and more contests will all earn prizes.

On the day of the event, June 25, registration will take place from 7:30 – 8:00a.m. followed by a shotgun start at 9:00a.m. An awards dinner and silent auction will follow play. Queenstown Harbor Golf Course is located at 310 Links Lane, Queenstown, MD 21658.

Gold, silver, tee box and lunch sponsorships are available for companies and individuals. For more information on sponsorship, registration and sign-­?up, please call our front desk at 800.391.0204.

About The Children’s Cancer Foundation®

The Children’s Cancer Foundation® is a charity committed to raising funds for research and treatment of cancers that affect children. Cancer is the leading cause of death when it comes to Children’s Disease. We give from the heart, and we help provide critical funding to researchers to study children’s leukemia, immune system disorders, cancerous tumors, and cells…just to name a few. We also provide monies to various facilities that are meant to improve the quality-­?of-­?life of pediatric cancer patients and their families.

Since its founding, over 32.7 million dollars have been given in grants by the foundation. This foundation is affiliated with some of the nation’s foremost pediatric oncology centers, but is NOT part of any other organization. For more information, visit http://www.childrenscancerfoundation.org/.

By Les Trachtman, Published: March 23

In a former role as the CEO of a growing technology company, I had a great employee, who we’ll call Karen. Karen was conscientious, smart, and worked extremely hard. Like most of us, she was always busy, whether running a meeting, calling a customer, or putting out a fire. I had noticed this for some time and knew I needed to help, or risk losing her to burnout.

One day we sat down for an update and I asked Karen, ‘Who do you think is busier, me or you?’ And she didn’t answer, perhaps for fear of upsetting the CEO. We both knew the answer. I broke the silence first.

“You are much busier than me,” I told her.

And she asked, “Why is that?” And I answered, “‘Because I have you working for me and you don’t.’”

Then, as a wry smile spread across her face, I challenged Karen to find her own trustworthy lieutenant and spend less time responding to the latest urgency and more time on strategic planning.

Sounds easy enough, but very few people, CEOs included, solve the quandary of getting out of the day-to-day in order to spend valuable brain cycles focusing on the future. Whether you’re the CEO of a global corporation, founder of a mom and pop business, or simply head of your own household, it’s absolutely critical to make time for thinking strategically and planning. Otherwise, you might be working day and night and wake up one day to realize, perhaps painfully, that the business or life you set out to create is headed straight off a cliff.

If any of this hits close to home, here are five strategies that I have found invaluable over the years.

?Write down your goals and revisit them on a quarterly basis. There’s an old saying in business: ‘If it isn’t written, it doesn’t exist.’ Write down your goals. Then find a prominent place in your office to post them and make sure you share them with your

Oh’s Commentary, “How Companies Can Save Money If Employees Work From Home,” Offers Advice for Handling Energy Consumption Costs

A recent column in the Washington Post Capital Business titled, “How Companies Can Save Money If Employees Work From Home,” written by Force 3 Practice Director, Jason Oh, discusses tips to help companies manage high energy cost consumption.

Oh writes, “So this year, power management and reducing energy costs are going to be key themes for IT department heads. The CIOs who are more focused on efficiency are going to survive while the ones who aren’t, won’t. With many sectors of the economy still struggling to get back on track, not having a comprehensive power management plan is something you literally can’t afford to ignore.”

At Force 3, Jason Oh is the Practice Director of Borderless Networks, and has over 10 years of experience working with federal agencies and companies. As Practice Director, Oh is responsible for providing data center, borderless networks, unified communication and cyber security services.

In the article, Oh cites six easy-to-implement energy fundamentals that can help companies save money including: migrating from desktops to laptops, draining laptop batteries to maximize usage, utilizing time-based PoE (Power over Ethernet) optimization, installing a smart grid, enabling your employees to telework, and following the government’s lead on the go green initiative.

“The goal is to save the American taxpayer millions a year in wasted IT energy costs, but it would also open a vast new market for both hardware and software developers of efficient and cost saving power management solutions,” added Oh.

The commentary appeared in the Tuesday, February 21, 2012 edition of the Washington Post, Capital Business and can be found online on the Washington Post, On Small Business website.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9302671.htm

Crofton, Md. (PRWEB) March 20, 2012

A recent article in CRN, “Cisco Partner Marketing Chief Says To Expect Wider, Deeper Marketing Programs This Year,” featured Force 3’s Vice President of Marketing, Krissy Kelley.

In the article, Kelley described how Force 3, as a Cisco Gold Partner, embraced many of the programs Cisco rolled out at Partner Velocity events and talked about the vast amount of advice and expertise Cisco marketers provide to their organization.

Writer Chad Berndtson for CRN quoted Kelley saying, “We’ve taken advantage of every single one of them, especially video, which Cisco made loud and clear you need to be using as a key marketing medium.” Kelley also explained, “It can be hard as a smaller partner or a midsize partner to jump out, so they have had a huge impact on our ability to do these things, particularly be social.”

Kelley is currently responsible for driving Force 3’s strategic marketing through integrated branding, advertising, lead-generation and communications. She manages relationships with strategic vendors to develop and execute joint programs.

The story was posted Friday, February 17, 2012 on the CRN website. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9302465.htm

Mike Greaney, Vice President of Sales for Force 3, was presented with the Silver Senior Sales Executive and the Silver National VP of Sales Awards in

the Sales & Customer Service 2012 Stevie® Awards banquet, held on February 27 at Caesars Place in Las Vegas.

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world’s top sales awards, contact center awards, and customer service awards. The Stevie Awards organizes several of the world’s leading business awards shows including the prestigious American Business AwardsSM and International Business AwardsSM.

Nicknamed the Stevi

es for the Greek word for “crowned,” the trophies were presented to honorees during a gala banquet on Monday, February 27 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. More than 350 nominated customer service and sales executives from the U.S.A. and several other countries attended. The presentations were broadcast live by the Business TalkRadio Network.

Mike joined Force 3 in 2009 as the Director of Sales, and was promoted to Vice President of Sales in 2010. He is credited with transforming the team through training and instilling a unified sales methodology throughout the Sales department at Force 3.

“We’re delighted to kick off our celebration of the 10th year of the Stevie Awards movement with the 2012 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer, which is the first program in which we conferred Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. “It’s gratifying and inspiring to have received so many remarkable entries for this year’s competition.”

“We applaud Mike for being named Silver Senior Sales Executive and National VP of Sales of the Year,” said Rocky Cintron, Force 3 CEO. “This accomplishment speaks volumes of Mike’s commitment to excellence at Force 3, and his efforts provide continued success for the company.”

More than 1,000 entries from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted to this year’s competition, an increase of almost 30% over 2011. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 93 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. En

tries were considered in 27 categories for customer service professionals, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Customer Service Department of the Year; 38 categories for sales professionals, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year to Sales Department of the Year of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.

Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Stevie winners in all categories are available at http://www.stevieawards.com/sales.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9302380.htm

We are pleased to announce Force 3’s scholarship award for the 2012 school year. We are awarding TWO $4,000 scholarships to eligible students who apply. Anyone is eligible who meets the following criteria:

• Currently attending highschool in Anne Arundel County
• Or, attending an accredited college/university/technical school as full-time students for the 2012-2013 school year
• And, must be pursing careers in technical field

All applications must be postmarked by Friday, April 20, 2012.  And can be downloaded here or from http://www.force3.com/company/our-foundation/.

A panel of Force 3 executives will review each application and essay concerning academic achievements, community service and educational goals to select those eligible for an interview by the scholarship panel.

After the interviews, the scholarship panel will determine the final winners. The winners will be notified by Friday, June 1, 2012 and invited to Force 3 for a special award ceremony. In accepting the scholarship, a check in the amount of $4,000 will be sent directly to your school of choice.

All applications and supporting material should be mailed to:

 Force 3, Inc.

2151 Priest Bridge Drive

Crofton, MD 21114

Attn: Human Resources

 Stop wasting time, click Force 3 Technical Scholarship Application 2012 to download, fill out, and send in TODAY!

In compiling the list, CRN editors worked with the UBM Channel research group and a team outside experts to define the most customer-beneficial technical certifications in the IT channel. These technical certifications have enabled solution providers to deliver the most premium products, service and support to their North American customers.

Force 3’s focus on being a business-problem-solver for customers has powered them to become a top-notch product reseller in their industry. Force 3’s “four-legged” sales model puts a presales engineer on the front end of every customer engagement. Their elite data center and infrastructure certifications include Cisco Gold, EMC Velocity Solution Provider, and VMware Premier. Our VMware certification distinguishes us as one of only two companies that are a go-to for federal agencies interested in accelerating their telework initiatives with VDI.

“It is great to see Force 3 on the list for a second year,” said Sudhir Verma, vice president of consulting at Force 3. “Our engineers pride themselves on investing in gaining new certifications and knowledge. Being placed on the CRN Tech Elite 250 is a reflection of our dedication to providing the solution to the end-user.”

“The 2012 Tech Elite 250 list recognizes an exclusive group of Solution Providers that have shown a dedication to helping customers innovate while reducing costs,” said Kelley Damore, Vice President, Editorial Director at UBM Channel. “By identifying and adapting to the skills and training needed to best serve today’s customers, members of the Tech Elite 250 have proven their commitment to delivering the products and services that today’s end-users value most.”

A sample of CRN’s 2012 “Tech Elite 250” list is featured in the February issue of CRN Magazine and online at http://www.crn.com.

“Bring your own device” is no longer just a quirky fad; it’s become a solid concept that shapes mobile use in the government, spurring innovation and creating new demands in security. And not to forget the bottom line: Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel has consistently advocated for a more mobile public sector in a wider sweep to increase workforce productivity by “liberating [employees] from ineffective 20th-century work practices.”

Here, Sudhir Verma, vice president of consulting at technology provider Force 3, breaks down his predictions for mobility trends in 2012, including BYOD, cloud procurement and new capabilities.

BYOD will push true mobility: The BYOD trend will force executives to evaluate employee policies and likely create reimbursement programs for devices. The proliferating use of personal devices in work environment will continue to push the edges of true mobility, any data, any place, any device, anytime. BYOD as a way to become “mobile” is becoming more and more realistic. IPads/iPhones/Mac books/Android-based tablets and phones are already in the workplace. The ever-growing use of personal devices to access corporate applications and data can become challenging for IT departments. But the good news is, if done right, BYOD can benefit both IT departments and the users.

User experience key for widespread mobility adoption: User experience for a mobile user has to be at par with the traditional office user. When selecting technologies to enable mobility and BYOD, IT executives must consider the user experience as one of the key elements for widespread implementation. The success of any technology deployment relies on user adoptability and experience. Mobility is no longer just limited to select few. As the workforce becomes become mobile, employees will expect access to more than just e-mail and calendar. This will require IT to reassess their business application, development, and services strategies. Concepts such as virtual desktop, along with private and public cloud as a form of delivering services, can improve mobile user experience and must be part of IT strategy in 2012.

Mobility will dramatically change the IT budget in the near future. Users will continue to drive the ability to access any data from any device any place/anytime in a secure seamless fashion. To support the momentum toward mobility, IT needs to look at technologies that may not fit in the “norm” for budgeting and procurement, especially if funding for hardware/software is program specific. As IT moves toward various cloud offerings, procurement for “cloud” will differ from procurement for typical IT equipment. It can get more complicated if there are multiple programs requiring cloud type services, and a “pay as you go” model should be set up for each program.

Video must be incorporated. Mobility adoption will transform how we communicate and interact across the workforce. Missions don’t get accomplished by just sending emails! It requires the human touch, the experience of “being there” and trust, even if the workforce is mobile. High level of mobility has a fundamental impact on workforce connectedness, collaboration and how we build trust across mobile workforce. Perhaps on a short-term basis, the workforce can sustain the disconnect, but in the long term we need faces. We want to see whom we are working with. Video strategy built around mobility is critical to establish a collaborative trusting work environment. Face-to-face interaction is invaluable. Success of the mission may be dependent on it.

Technology is converging. The IT skill set must evolve to support the mobile user in these converged changing architectures. It’s imperative that IT executives carefully assess the skill set in their IT shops prior to going down a road that may lead to increase in administration cost and complexity. Good IT talent is hard to find as it is. Retaining, retooling and attracting the right talent will be critical for success for any initiative.

Even though technology is fast and ever changing, CEOs, CIOs and IT managers need to ensure their companies are technologically efficient in addition to being technologically advanced. Lack of energy efficiency costs U.S. companies more than $28 billion annually, according to a report conducted by 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit organization that promotes worldwide energy efficiency to achieve a healthier economy.
Companies could save millions of dollars by instituting a few, easy-to-implement energy fundamentals. Here are some tips to help you get a better handle on your energy consumption costs:
?Migrate from desktop to laptops. Making this switch provides the flexibility for your employees to work off of battery power for a portion of the time instead of always being plugged into an electrical outlet. Simply by unplugging from the grid, depending on where you’re located, you could save up to $100 in energy costs per computer every year.
?Drain the battery, not your earnings. If your company has migrated to laptops, ensure that they are configured properly to maximize battery power. Having the ability to work off battery power means nothing if the computer is still plugged in all day. If you own a mid-sized company, you could be seeing up to 25 percent of the money you spend on powering your endpoints (laptop, PC, etc.) wasted by keeping your computers tethered to an outlet.
Install software that manages power to laptops when the battery level reaches a certain charge. Use of such software can reduce power consumption by as much as 80 percent. This can equal an annual savings of up to $25 for each of your organization’s computers. And this number is sure to grow as energy prices continue to rise.
?Utilize time-based PoE (Power over Ethernet) optimization. Turning PoE on or off on your network switch based on a schedule saves power and, therefore, money. When PoE devices are not in use (i.e. during the night, or on the weekend) PoE can be disabled until needed.
There are also IT security benefits to using time-based PoE optimization. There is no way you can have a 100 percent secure network/systems unless you unplug everything from your power source. Time based PoE takes care of that for you. No power means no security holes, which is especially important given the continued reliance on wireless IT components.
?Install a smart grid. This system predicts and intelligently responds to the behavior and actions of all electric power users connected to it. The electrical grid supplies power, lights, heating/air conditioning, etc. only to the users’ workspaces currently working at a given time. Like a programmable home thermostat that can monitor itself, the smart grid will save you money and time by turning on and shutting off IT components as dictated by your power supply needs.
?Enable your employees to telework.  Obviously, this cuts down on big office energy and overhead expenses. Imagine the savings if you allow staffers in a 1,000-person call center to work from home.
With an IP contact center solution, those people can telework but still equally distribute/load balance calls intelligently. This not only means you will save on power but overall building maintenance.
?Follow the government’s lead. Currently before Congress, the Energy Savings & Industrial Competitiveness Act of 2011 (ESICA) is “a bill to promote energy savings in residential and commercial buildings and industry.” If passed, it would dictate that federal agencies develop a plan for “using advanced tools that promote energy savings such as computer hardware, energy efficiency software and power management tools.”
The goal is to save the American taxpayer millions a year in wasted IT energy costs, but it would also open a vast new market for both hardware and software developers of efficient and cost saving power management solutions.
So this year, power management and reducing energy costs are going to be key themes for IT department heads. The CIOs who are more focused on efficiency are going to survive while the ones who aren’t, won’t.
With many sectors of the economy still struggling to get back on track, not having a comprehensive power management plan is something you literally can’t afford to ignore.

“You have to have a clear set of objectives, and a certain target audience you want to reach and awareness you want to create to move someone along the buying cycle,” she said. “A lot of them have just been in the mode of, let’s get that page up, let’s participate. Now that everyone is more comfortable with participating, they have to think more strategically about how to use that interaction to move customers from one stage to the next.”

Thanks to analytics tools applied to social and digital media, a lot of that interaction is much easier to track now than it used to be, she said.

“It’s a hell of a lot more measurable,” Jobbins said. “The beauty of the social and digital age is that marketers can really prove their contribution.”

Krissy Kelley, vice president of marketing for Force 3, a Cisco Gold partner based in Crofton, Md., said Force 3 embraced a lot of the programs Cisco rolled out at prior Partner Velocity events, and also a lot of the advice it’s received from Cisco marketers.

“We’ve taken advantage of every single one of them, especially video, which Cisco made loud and clear you need to be using as a key marketing medium,” she said. “It can be hard as a smaller partner or a midsize partner to jump out, so they have had a huge impact on our ability to do these things, particularly be social.”

Kelley said Force 3 not only strengthened its use of various social networking platforms, but also started using analytics and a marketing automation tool to track traffic via those platforms to its Web site and how that traffic was translating into inbound sales inquiries.

Facebook, Kelley said, is now in Force 3?s top three sources of referred traffic, whereas none of the social networks appeared in its top 10 as recently as a few years ago. Force 3 also tracks metrics such as the time users spend on Force 3?s website — a number that increased by 50 percent in terms of how long users were looking through the site, Kelley said, adding that Force 3 has changed its website and where it puts certain items based on analysis of how many minutes users spent on certain pages.

Kelley admitted that marketing ROI — especially via social networks — is a slippery concept, and she’ll be participating in a Partner Velocity track covering exactly that subject. From Cisco, she’s seeking more marketing tools specific to federal government customers, the area in which Force 3 specializes, and also awaiting Cisco’s promised cloud-centric marketing tools.

“We’re champing at the bit for that one,” she said. “I think we’ve reached the point where cloud is one of those things you can’t not be a part of, you have to have some type of offering.”

Jobbins and her team haven’t missed a beat since Cisco’s partner marketing organization changes hands, Kelley added.

“I was excited to see that Velocity was going to continue, and we weren’t sure about that with Luanne’s departure because that was part of her legacy there,” she said. “All this emphasis on [partner] marketing is a differentiator for Cisco, and they provide an enormous amount of education here that you don’t see from other manufacturers.”

As successful as the Velocity shows have been, Jobbins added that it may be the last one. No, the show itself isn’t going away — quite the opposite — but Jobbins said she thinks it’s time for a name change.

“We’re definitely changing the name next year,” she said. “I’m not too pleased with it because for all this marketing capability, it doesn’t really mean anything. We also have a segment of our Partner Led model that is called Velocity, and covers [sales] that are more transactionally oriented. So we’re in the process of looking at the branding.”

As Silver Partner, Force 3 Will Now Architect, Plan, and Deliver Citrix’s Innovative Virtual Computing Solutions to their Customer-base

Force 3, a leader in delivering innovative data center, collaboration and security solutions, today announced that it was named a Citrix Silver Solution Advisor Partner.

Citrix Systems is a global leader and trusted name in the virtual computing market, encompassing desktop, server and application virtualization, cloud computing and networking technologies. The Citrix Partner Network is comprised of the world’s leading technology organizations and has 10,000 members in over 100 countries worldwide.

Silver Partner status with Citrix Systems is based on a combination of completing challenging sales and technical certifications. Citrix’s partner program is made up of providers with demonstrated skills and an ongoing commitment to rigorous training. This designation is evidence of Force 3’s technical expertise and experience in delivering Citrix technologies and server-based IT solutions.

“Citrix Solution Advisors play an integral role in our business,” said Tom Simmons, vice president for public sector for Citrix. “Not only do they help us provide customers with a full suite of virtualization, networking and cloud computing solutions, but they help us enable customers with the increased mobility and security needed to be able to work and play from any location or device. “Citrix is pleased to recognize Force 3 as a Silver Solution Advisor and look forward to a long relationship together”.

As a Citrix Silver Partner, Force 3 will now benefit from a range of support services from Citrix, including direct access to Citrix pre-sales support and up to date sales and technical education.

Force 3 will have a dedicated team of accredited Citrix consultants & engineers, all with vast experience in designing and deploying Citrix solutions.

“Force 3 is pleased to announce its relationship with Citrix and the achievement of Silver Solution Advisor,” said Mike Greaney, Vice President of Sales at Force 3. “As a Silver Partner, we will increase our ability to offer Virtual Desktop and Server solutions based on the Citrix product range to our customer-base.”

Mike Greaney, Vice President of Sales for Force 3, was named a Finalist today in the Senior Sales Executive of the Year and National VP of Sales of the Year categories in the sixth annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winner in the program.

The awards are presented by the Stevie Awards, which organizes several of the world’s leading business awards shows including the prestigious International Business Awards.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word “crowned,” the final results will be announced during a gala banquet on Monday, February 27 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Finalists from the U.S.A. and several other nations are expected to attend.

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration and security solutions, today announced the launch of their new Borderless Collaboration Solution.

Force 3’s Borderless Collaboration Suite allows organizations to solve the challenges of an increasingly mobile, collaborative, and virtual workforce. Many companies and agencies lack the tools necessary to sustain efficient and meaningful communication across their organization.

“With the growing use of mobile smart phones and tablets, too much time is spent managing ineffective communications across varying devices and struggling with limited corporate access,” said Jason Parry, Practice Director, Collaboration. “With our new Borderless Collaboration Solution, Force 3 can help our customers work more effectively and efficiently.

With Force 3’s Borderless Collaboration Suite, organizations will be well-positioned to begin addressing the demands and requirements of today’s workforce. Users can take full advantage of a complete portfolio of collaboration utilities such as voice, video, presence, messaging, and virtual desktop infrastructure in a secure and reliable way.

Parry added, “The Borderless Collaboration Suite offers organizations key benefits including enhanced productivity, consistent user experience, reduced cost and overhead, and increased security.”

For more information about the Borderless Collaboration Suite, visit http://www.force3.com/solutions/communications-and-collaboration/.

Crofton, Md. (PRWEB) December 12, 2011

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration and security solutions, today announced an agreement with Righttime Medical Care to upgrade its wired and wireless networks as well as provide mission critical help desk support for its network operations.

Righttime Medical Care engaged Force 3 to evaluate its existing systems, identify additional infrastructure needs for Righttime’s next stage of growth and ultimately improve patient care through technology. Force 3 will implement improvements to Righttime’s wired and wireless network systems, IT security as well as server and storage environments. The improvements will enhance Righttime’s IT infrastructure for further scalable growth, including migration to additional systems for efficient patient care.

Force 3 will also be providing a mission critical service desk to support Righttime’s Enterprise IT Solution, and will support each of Righttime’s nine Care Centers. This includes 24×7 help desk support; Network Operations Center (NOC) for continuous monitoring; an on-site, dedicated engineer; and proactive access to Force 3’s subject matter experts.

An award-winning, trusted name in urgent medical care for more than twenty years, Righttime Medical Care has nine Care Centers in the Baltimore and Washington, DC area and plans to open additional centers in 2012. “Emerging technologies continue to significantly and positively impact the future of healthcare,” said Righttime Medical Care Founder and CEO Robert G. Graw, Jr., M.D. “We are focused on patient care and business growth initiatives with a high priority placed on a solid IT foundation. With Force 3 overseeing upgrades to Righttime’s IT infrastructure, we will have the most advanced technology possible to continue our convenient, compassionate and affordable care as we expand.”

By Kevin McLaughlin, CRN

November 28, 2011    10:00 AM ET
VMware would like to avoid a repeat of the angry response to vRAM that followed its vSphere 5 launch, and so it’s making sure customers aren’t surprised by future licensing changes along the road to a consumption-based pricing model.

Speakers will be Mike Harttree, Global Video Architect for Cisco Systems, and Jason Parry, Force 3’s Director of Collaboration.

Prior to his current role, Mike spent over ten years as a Consulting Systems Engineer at Cisco supporting the Intelligence Community and DoD. Mike specializes in designing and building IP Networks for the Intelligence Community and other large enterprises.  He serves on the Corporate Enterprise Architecture Board for Cisco, consults on the development of new Unified Communications products, and holds a patent for Quality of Service for video over IP.  Mike also works on communications security issues, such as TSG phones and encryption methods.

Jason is responsible for developing and innovating communication and collaboration solutions for Force 3.  He and his team of engineers, consult, design and deploy strategic solutions that position customers for success.

For more information or to register for the seminar, please click here.

Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communications and Collaborations, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, we have a relentless focus on achieving our customers’ end goal through innovation, unique solutions and highly trained, passionate people. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

Monday, October 03, 2011

Force 3 announced today that it has achieved TelePresence Video Advanced Authorized Technology Provider (ATP) status from Cisco. This designation recognizes Force 3 as having fulfilled the training requirements and program prerequisites to sell, deploy and support Cisco TelePresence Video products and solutions at the Advanced level.

The Cisco TelePresence Video Advanced ATP Program is focused on providing a new way of working in which everyone, everywhere can be more productive through face-to-face collaboration with TelePresence Video solutions. The Advanced-level program’s goal is to enable partners to market TelePresence Video endpoints with a full breadth of infrastructure solutions in addition to managed videoconferencing services.

“This is an outstanding accomplishment for Force 3 and demonstrates our desire to expand our expertise in the Telepresence market,” said Sudhir Verma, Senior Director of Consulting. “We are committed to working together with Cisco to enhance our mutual capabilities to support our customers.”

“The Cisco TelePresence Video Advanced ATP Program is designed to enable partners to take advantage of the tremendous market opportunities ahead—not only in the telepresence space but also in the overall collaboration market,” said Richard McLeod, senior director of collaboration for worldwide channels at Cisco. “As a Cisco TelePresence Video Advanced ATP Partner, Force 3 has made an investment in the sales, technical and life cycle services capabilities needed to deliver the industry’s most comprehensive and interoperable Cisco TelePresence Video portfolio.”

The Cisco Authorized Technology Provider (ATP) Program is part of the Cisco go-to-market strategy for emerging technologies. The program helps Cisco to define the knowledge, skills and services that channel partners need to successfully sell, deploy and support an emerging technology. As the market changes, an ATP designation may be discontinued or may evolve into a Cisco specialization.

About Cisco TelePresence and Video Collaboration Solutions
Cisco TelePresence® and Video collaboration solutions provide life-like, high-definition, conferencing facilities with superior audio and video, allowing participants to meet their colleagues, customers and business partners across a virtual table. Participants can enjoy a same-room meeting experience, even if they are located in different locations around the world. Participants can also meet more often and enjoy more productive sessions, helping to improve business interactions while potentially building stronger customer relationships, accelerating sales cycles, improving project management and forming tighter integration with remote offices.

About Force 3

Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communication and Collaboration, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, we have a relentless focus on achieving our customers’ end goal through innovation, unique solutions and highly trained, passionate people. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

Cisco, the Cisco logo and Cisco TelePresence are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco’s trademarks can be found at http://www.cisco.com/go/trademarks.

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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration solutions and security solutions, today announced that the company is part of a team awarded a contract with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the Maintenance, Operation, and Modernization (MOM) program. Force 3’s teaming partner, Lockheed Martin, negotiated for one of the program’s four functional areas with an estimated Force 3 value of $18 million.

“Through our partnership with Lockheed Martin we’re excited to offer our support services for the NRC,” Force 3 Senior Vice President of Federal Services Trevia Martin said. “In conjunction with this program, the MOM contract will allow Force 3 to bring additional solutions to the NRC to help the agency meet its technology goals.”

Set to begin in September 2011, the NRC MOM contract will carry a principal of $1.8 million for services provided by Force 3 in the first year. From there, an option of an additional 9 years could make the contract worth $18 million over the span of the agreement.

The NRC MOM program was broken out into four functional areas. Functional Area 4 specifically set aside for small business opportunities. Force 3 will provide maintenance and operation support for approximately 100 legacy NRC application systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.

About Force 3
Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communication and Collaboration, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, we have a relentless focus on achieving our customers’ end goal through innovation, unique solutions and highly trained, passionate people. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration solutions and security solutions, today announced that Senior Solutions Architect, Missy Koslosky was recognized with the Microsoft Community Contributor Award.

The Microsoft Community Contributor Award is reserved for individuals who have made notable contributions in Microsoft online community forums such as TechNet, MSDN and Answers. Koslosky received the award from Microsoft because she voluntarily contributes her time and energy to help provide guidance and technical information on Microsoft products, most often Microsoft Exchange Server.

“We are proud of Missy’s contributions to the Microsoft forums,” said Sudhir Verma, Senior Director of Consulting Services. “Missy embodies Force 3’s relentless focus on customer success by providing innovative solutions delivered by highly trained, passionate professionals.”

Koslosky joined Force 3 as Senior Solutions Architect in 2010 and is responsible for creating reliable, scalable, and secure data center solutions. She has experience in both the federal and private sectors in a variety of roles, with an expertise in Microsoft messaging and Microsoft Exchange. Koslosky was a nine-time Microsoft MVP for Exchange Server, and has written numerous white papers about Microsoft technology. Koslosky is the co-author of the Exchange Server Cookbook (O’Reilly, 2005).

About Force 3
Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communication and Collaboration, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, we have a relentless focus on achieving our customers’ end goal through innovation, unique solutions and highly trained, passionate people. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

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Monday, September 12, 2011

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration solutions and security solutions, proudly introduces the company’s new branding campaign: “Let’s Do Something Great.” Campaign elements include a redesigned website, new marketing materials across the company, and a video series featuring sports and entertainment personalities. “Let’s Do Something Great” reflects Force 3’s relentless focus on customer success by providing innovative solutions delivered by highly trained, passionate professionals.

The new videos feature Washington Redskins Fullback Mike Sellers, competitive eating champion Joey Chestnut, Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson, Bravo’s “Top Chef” runner-up Bryan Voltaggio, and new University of Maryland Basketball coach Mark Turgeon. In each lighthearted video, the celebrities appear with a Force 3 employee comparing what “doing something great” means in their respective professional worlds.

In one, for example, Chestnut demonstrates how he can put away an enormous plate of hot wings in about 20 seconds while the Force 3 employee explains how she enables communication and collaboration between anyone, at any time, and on any device.

“Let’s Do Something Great” embodies everything about Force 3’s personality and our dedication to success for our clients and for our business,” said Krissy Kelley, Vice President of Marketing. “We never take ourselves too seriously, so the videos are comical and fun – but also reinforce that we set our goals extremely high and are never afraid of a challenge.”

Force 3 also recently launched a series of “Great News” videos in conjunction with the campaign. This monthly series highlights Force 3 happenings, from personal achievements to business achievements, showcasing activities around the office and the company’s culture of helping make customers, manufacturing partners, friends and employees feel like part of a family.

Added Force 3 CEO Rocky Cintron, “We thrive on innovation and we are dedicated to Doing Something Great for all of our customers. My goal is that the new campaign will serve as a rallying point for all of our employees, customers and partners to achieve at the highest level possible.”

About Force 3
Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communication and Collaboration, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, we have a relentless focus on achieving our customers’ end goal through innovation, unique solutions and highly trained, passionate people. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

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Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, unified communications and security solutions, today announced that it is part of a team awarded an estimated $12 billion contract with the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) for the Transformation Twenty One Total Technology Program (T4). Force 3’s teaming partner, Creative Computing Solutions, Inc. (CCSi) is one of only fifteen prime contractors selected to participate in this important program.

The VA created T4 as a tool to close gaps in acquiring IT services to integrate systems, networks and software.

The VA T4 contract is a services contract vehicle designed to meet a wide range of the VA’s IT modernization goals, including solutions and services. Contractors will be providing program management, strategy, enterprise architecture and planning support; systems and software engineering; software demonstration and deployment; testing and evaluation; enterprise network services; IT management; cyber security; and more.

CCSi is a woman-owned leading provider of project management, enterprise systems engineering, and security and information assurance solutions to the federal government. Force 3 looks forward to working with CCSi and the Department of Veterans Affairs on the T4 project,” said Trevia Martin, Senior Vice President of Federal Services at Force 3. “The T4 services contract vehicle will allow Force 3 to proactively develop a strategy to take our solutions to the VA and implement them quicker due to the reduced procurement lead times.”

The VA T4 services contract vehicle is scheduled to run from July 2011 to July 2016.

“This five-year program will help VA transform into a 21st century organization and enable us to deliver the high-quality health care, benefits, and services Veterans have earned,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “In addition, it opens an opportunity for Veterans in business to grow and claim a share of VA’s business.”

About Force 3
Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communications and Collaborations, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, we have a relentless focus on achieving our customers’ end goal through innovation, unique solutions and highly trained, passionate people. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

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Chris Knotts is vice president of technology and innovation at Force 3, an IT services provider for government agencies.

By Chris Knotts

Monday, August 22, 2011

I have good news for government agencies wrestling with how to implement and maintain effective telework policies and procedures: In 10 years, the word “telework” will feel as outdated as a rotary phone.

Knowledge workers won’t telework. They’ll simply work in whatever location makes the most sense. As I look out at the evolving technology landscape, I have 10 predictions for what the future holds.

1. Wireless carriers will increase to wired speed. The next evolution of mobile technology will bring the speed of wireless carriers in line with wired networks. Along the way, a security breakthrough will occur that will change the way we access information and ease hacking concerns dramatically.

2. We’ll be online all the time. The idea of “getting online” will seem antiquated. There will be no more hot spots or network connections. The network will simply be there — and we’ll be on it.

3. Tablets will replace desktop and laptop PCs. Desktop and laptop PCs will be supplanted by tablet PCs that are micro-thin and foldable. Picture a foldable smart phone that expands to a 20-, 30- or 50-inch screen. The new devices will have an on/off button but no more fans or moving parts. Because we’ll be accessing more information and applications in the cloud, the need to store data on the devices will decrease dramatically.

4. Everything will move to the cloud. Every application that we access will be in the cloud, and people will no longer store anything locally. In other words, you will have a hard drive, but it won’t be part of your computer.

5. There will be no more boxed software. What got the big software vendors to 2011 will not get them to 2021. I believe all software will transition to a service-based approach.

6. Text messaging is here to stay. Text messaging fits the way we work and live incredibly well. Therefore, even as networks and devices evolve, the practice of sending short text messages will endure.

7. 3-D video will become the norm. 3-D technology is mainly seen as a novelty now, but in 10 years, most teleconferences will be conducted with 3-D video. Imagine working from a home office and taking part in a 3-D video conference with colleagues and partners from around the globe. Workers are going to have to shower and dress for that one!

8. There will be no more Bluetooth. The image of someone walking around with a Bluetooth device sticking out of his or her ear will feel outdated by 2021. Those gadgets will be replaced by embedded audio in or on our ears (or somewhere else on our body).

9. Holdouts will proliferate. Not everyone will want to be on the grid all the time. I believe we’ll see a growing subculture of people who reject technology and form niche communities or companies.

10. The generation gap will get bigger. Previous generations will struggle more than younger generations as the workplace of the future evolves. The next generation of employees will not see the workplace as a focal point of social interaction. Being able to work will suffice, and they won’t feel that they need to be in the same place as their co-workers.

Right now, what’s holding many agencies back from telework are issues of control and trust in their employees. But as technology and human expectations evolve, telework will simply become “work,” with a greater responsibility placed on the individual to manage the balance between personal and professional time.

Monday, August 08, 2011

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, collaboration, networking and cyber security solutions, announced today that EMC Corporation has named the company a Premier Velocity Partner. The Premier level partnership will further enhance Force 3’s ability to meet the growing demand for data center solutions.

As a Premier Velocity Partner, Force 3 will develop a complete set of skills to architect, sell, and deliver EMC solutions. Premier Partners are able to deliver installation and implementation services for the breadth of EMC products with a Velocity Services implement designation.

“Force 3 is pleased to build upon its relationship with EMC by achieving Premier Velocity Partner status,” said Krissy Kelley, Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Alliances, Force 3. “Our goal is to provide the best solutions to the federal government, and EMC is an important component of that.”

Velocity Premier Partners qualify for the program by obtaining a required number of sales and SE accreditations, completing the velocity services implementation requirements, and the achieving one Velocity Specialty including Certifications for Technology Architects, Implementation Engineers and Advanced Sales Accreditations.

About Force 3
Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communications and Collaborations, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, we have a relentless focus on achieving our customers’ end goal through innovation, unique solutions and highly trained, passionate people. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Top trade publications in government technology, Defense Systems and GCN, recently featured a story on Force 3 Solutions Architect Lee Collison’s FOSE information session, “Warfighters on the Move: Implementing Roaming Data Centers.” Collison spoke on July 20, 2011 at the FOSE conference and exposition in Washington, D.C.

At the information session Collison described ways that the military can streamline their mobile data centers to improve security while cutting hardware requirements.

Writer Henry Kenyon for Defense Systems explained Collison’s idea for basic mobile data needs, saying, “To meet the military’s needs, Collison recommended modular, plug-and-play applications that have their own security capability. He said that although the Defense Department has approved of a variety of high-level architecture systems such as those using virtualization, few of these capabilities so far have moved beyond garrison facilities into the field.”

Lee Collison currently focuses on desktop virtualization and desktop security and acts as Team Lead for end-user computing. He is a VMware Certified Professional 3 & 4, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 2003, MCITP: Virtualization Administer, EMC Proven Professional, and a Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator.

The story was posted Thursday July 21, 2011 on the Government Computer News and the Defense Systems website. It can also be found on the Force 3 website.

About Force 3
Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communications and Collaborations, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, we have a relentless focus on achieving our customers’ end goal through innovation, unique solutions and highly trained, passionate people. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

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By Nick Wakeman

Thursday, July 28, 2011

After 20 years, Force 3 isn’t the same company it was when Rocky Cintron launched it in 1991. He doesn’t expect it to be the same 20 years from now. Cintron’s watchwords are change and adaptability, and it has been those skills that helped the company survive its small business days and grow into a strong mid-tier company. He spoke recently with Editor Nick Wakeman about the company’s past and future.

Washington Technology: What was your vision when you started the company?

Rocky Cintron: When we started Force 3, it was built on relationships around PCs and networking gear. We thought that we could resell PCs forever. But we soon found PCs were becoming commoditized. Lo and behold, we became an engineering company.

We got into network design and network infrastructure. And we focused on markets within the government –health care, defense and intelligence.

Washington Technology: As your company has grown, what were some of the challenges you faced?

Rocky Cintron: We were lucky. In our business, there is a floor-planning element for financing. You present receivables [to a finance company] and you get 85 percent of it. If you are selling and growing, you keep churning. Our growth was basically the catalyst to keep it going and we had the capital instrument there to do that.

In today’s environment, I wouldn’t start that kind of business because it is really scary. It takes a lot of capital. But we didn’t know any better. We thought sales would cure all ills.

It isn’t an easy business to get into and today it would be an ugly business to get into.

Washington Technology: Why is it an ugly business?

Rocky Cintron: Today you have to have the right contracts. You have to have past performance. If I started something today, it would be very nichey, around cybersecurity or data center virtualization. You have to differentiate yourself in the government when you come in as a newby.

I wouldn’t start the business we have now. It is too capital intensive. Our lines of capital are huge to support a $340 million business. I wouldn’t jump into this business right now, not knowing what is going to happen to budgets.

Washington Technology: What are your strengths today?

Rocky Cintron: When you architect medical grade networks, you have to take a lot into consideration. Security is a big. These networks can’t go down. When you use the word(s) mission critical in a life and death situation, you tend to be very careful in how you integrate, architect and design those networks. That’s what we do.

If you can make doctors who happen to be officers happy, then you can make anyone happy.

Washington Technology: What have you done to continue your growth?

Rocky Cintron: We’ve changed our approach. We have about 70 sales guys and 35 solutions architects. So we have very different conversations with our customers. We don’t talk speeds and feeds. We go in and talk about your business. Customers don’t care about the products you are selling. You have to be able to talk about their initiatives, what they are trying accomplish, their mission. If you can’t have that conversation, you are a nobody. You are undifferentiated.

If you don’t reinvent yourself when you are where we are, you are going to die on the vine. I wake up every morning asking what is a competitor doing that we aren’t, what are we not seeing, why aren’t we looking to the future?

I’m always worried that we just have one day left in business. Paranoia is good; complacency will kill you.

By Henry Kenyon

Thursday, July 21, 2011

The U.S. military relies on mobile communications to keep its forces connected. But there is a difference between how the military manages its data centers in garrison and how things are run in the field.

Speaking at a session panel at the FOSE conference and exposition on July 20, Lee Collison, a data center solutions architect with Force 3, outlined some of the ways that the military can streamline its mobile data centers to improve data security and cut hardware requirements.

Data centers at Army and Marine Corps headquarters are housed in trailers and they are large, bulky and complex. These systems require a staff of trained technicians to maintain and manage them. But field-based data systems need to be lightweight, easily set up and easy to use by soldiers who are not dedicated technical support personnel, he said.

All of the services have the same basic mobile data needs: Security, data availability, power and space. However, there is no single way to deploy data centers because it varies from mission to mission. “We do need flexibility. Each unit has their mission they’re trying to accomplish and we don’t want to restrict them,” he said.

To meet the military’s needs, Collison recommended modular, plug-and-play applications that have their own security capability. He said that although the Defense Department has approved of a variety of high-level architecture systems such as those using virtualization, few of these capabilities so far have moved beyond garrison facilities into the field. For example, command vehicles may have up to a dozen servers in them. By using virtualization techniques such as a Type 1 hypervisor, the number of servers can be reduced to one or two, greatly increasing the available space and power in the vehicle, he said.

Another capability is the use of a small operating system footprint, which reduces the ability for an adversary to break into the network. Collison said that although DOD uses Microsoft Windows Server 2008 in its base facilities, forward units and mobile forces often don’t use the operating system’s security functions.

One of those features is distributed file system (DFS) replication to provide data redundancy and security. DFS allows data from units in the field to be backed up and replicated in a battalion or brigade headquarters. Data can also be spread across multiple servers, where it can be backed up to support troops, Collison said.

For security in the field, units can use BitLocker, an encryption feature in Windows Server 2008. BitLocker helps protect data and virtual servers by encrypting both disk and flash drives, he said.

The use of virtual desktops operating through thin- or zero-client terminals could also eliminate the bulky workstations used in command posts. Thin client devices still us an operating system in them, while zero-client machines have no resident data, which enhances security and maintenance, he said.

Virtual desktops can be managed and controlled from headquarters, with any additional changes being pushed out to units in the field. Virtualization combined with solid state technologies such as flash drives and flash memory will also help reduce wear and tear, and maintenance requirements in the field.

“Just because we’re out in the field, it does not mean that we shouldn’t do this,” Collison said.

July 18, 2011

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, unified communications and security solutions, today announced that Solutions Architect Lee Collison will appear as a speaker at the FOSE Conference and Exposition, to be held in Washington, D.C. on July 20, 2011 at 10:15 a.m.

Collison will lead an information session about “Warfighters on the Move: Implementing Roaming Data Centers.” During this session, attendees will learn conceptual design tactics and practical application uses for roaming data centers, built to follow soldiers from site to site in the heat of the battle. Collison will also discuss how to ensure the roaming data centers consume a small, yet secure foot print by utilizing hypervisor, DLP, and directory service technologies.

As Force 3’s Solutions Architect, Lee Collison currently focuses on desktop virtualization and desktop security and acts as Team Lead for end-user computing. He is a VMware Certified Professional 3 & 4, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 2003, MCITP: Virtualization Administer, EMC Proven Professional, and a Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator.

The FOSE Conference and Exhibition will be held July 19-21 and attracts over 10,000 attendees. This year’s conference includes keynote speakers General James E. Cartwright, Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple, Inc.

About Force 3
Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communications and Collaborations, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, we have a relentless focus on achieving our customers’ end goal through innovation, unique solutions and highly trained, passionate people. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

# # #

By Chad Berndtson, CRN

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Top Cisco (NSDQ:CSCO) partners think Cisco will emerge from its restructuring a simpler company — one that’s a lot easier to do channel business with, even if Cisco still needs to hammer out the details of its “partner-led” strategy in a way that makes more sense to its solution providers.

Dave Elsner, vice president of sales and marketing for Nexus Integration Services, a Valencia, Calif.-based solution provider and longtime Cisco Gold partner, said he welcomes Cisco returning its focus to the core networking solutions on which its top partners drive sales.

“They built this phenomenal LAN/WAN network, and started overlaying all of these things and probably got too diversified and too thick,” Elsner said. “It’s good for the partner, because when they’re not in the consumer markets, when they’re not in things like Flip video, that puts the attention back on the growth of what’s important to me.”

Elsner was among several top Cisco partners interviewed by CRN from Cisco Live in Las Vegas this week, where Cisco on several occasions spoke about its corporate restructuring efforts.

Chairman and CEO John Chambers, CTO Padmasree Warrior and other executives spoke in keynotes and in more intimate sessions with reporters about how changes to Cisco’s corporate structure will mean faster time to decisions and less bureaucracy. Both were points also made by Cisco’s Rob Lloyd, executive vice president, worldwide operations, in an exclusive interview with CRN this month.

For some of Cisco’s key partners, those efforts are already showing returns.

Jere Brown, CEO of the Americas for South Africa-based integrator giant Dimension Data, said that one of the problems he’d had with Cisco previously was that with different regional sales managers, it was difficult to drive consistency with Dimension Data-led Cisco sales in various Americas regions.

“To have the kinds of resources needed to support our go-to-market effort, we had to deal with multiple leaders across multiple parts of the Cisco organization,” Brown said. “That became even more complex when we were talking about global solutions. You had to go through so many levels of the organization to get someone to make a decision.”

Now that Cisco’s Americas sales theater is organized under one person — Chuck Robbins, newly Cisco’s senior vice president, Americas — that effort should be streamlined, Brown said.

“Parochially, with it lining up to Chuck, a guy who understands both the channel and the direct business and the services, it’s a great thing,” Brown said. “I’d been asking Cisco for long time to have consistent Cisco resources up and down the Americas. It also aligns pretty nicely to the Dimension Data theaters around the world. It’s going to simplify how we interface and engage with Cisco around the globe.”

Next: Is The Competitive Pressure Getting To Cisco?

Many partners believe the competitive pressure is finally getting to Cisco (NSDQ:CSCO). A senior executive for a national Cisco solution provider, said he, like many Cisco partners of his VAR’s size, had been heavily courted by Cisco rivals like HP in the past year, and that Cisco’s re-focusing couldn’t come at a more important time.

“We all see HP (NYSE:HPQ) out there beating the drum and coming at Cisco with all the muscle a company that’s three times Cisco’s size can muster,” said the partner, who requested anonymity. “They’ve approached us several times. Cisco is an important partnership for us so I don’t think we’re going to cut and run any time soon, but now is the time for Cisco to get it right for the partners. I think you’re going to see a lot of partners start to put less stock in their Cisco relationships if they don’t.”

“I think it’s about time,” said Sudhir Verma, senior director, consulting services for Force 3, a Crofton, Md.-based solution provider and Cisco Gold partner. “It’s about time CIsco realized that the market has changed and that the priorities of customers have shifted a little bit, and they have to come up with offerings that are more solutions-driven.”

Force 3 focuses heavily on the federal government, and Verma said customers are no longer interested in a “speeds-and-feeds” conversation around routers and switches so much as they want to hear about how the IT they’re investing in will solve their problems in an ROI-conscious way.

What he’s seen, said Verma, is a notable shift by Cisco to embrace partners that sell architectural solutions versus emphasizing legions of Cisco box-pushers.

“Market pressure has forced them to look at the partner landscape in a whole different way and it’s definitely changing the way they interact with us,” Verma said. “This whole restructuring and changes are good. It makes them re-focus. For all of us, that’s a win-win.”

Cisco’s architectural approach will be the one to beat in the long run, he added — if Cisco empowers partners to evangelize that approach for them.

“When you are in 17 different products and 11 of them are top notch like Cisco’s are, you owe it to the customer to make them simple and combine them together in a way that solves that problem,” Verma said. “The customer is not in the IT business. The customer is our Coast Guard, our Army, our folks who do things way beyond what they care about in IT.”

Partners told CRN they’re still a little confused about Cisco’s “partner-led” model: a stated strategy, recently announced by Cisco, that will theoretically mean a greater focus by Cisco on sales through channel partners to all but its most strategic global accounts.

Dimension Data’s Brown said he takes “partner-led” to mean working more collaboratively with Cisco and having Cisco let its key partners take the lead on selling architectural solutions to customers.

“As a strategic global partner, we have the skills, capabilities and resources to be able to drive sales of Cisco product and services,” he said. “Incumbent upon us as a partner is to build the capabilities and competencies to allow systems to grow at the rate they want to grow, and then collaborate with folks who can make things happen for clients. Partner-led, we have the opportunity to do that, so that’s music to our ears. The rubber always meets the road in the field, so execution in the field will be critical.”

“What it entails is how they are putting some programs together to ensure the profitability against cutthroat margins from competitive pressure,” said Ashish Upadhyay, senior manager for advanced technologies at World Wide Technology, a St. Louis-based solution provider.

If partners are the ones driving the bus on a sale, instead of Cisco, it lets partners invest more time and resources in winning Cisco business instead of staving off channel conflict, he said.

“It also means consistency in terms of how they do business. That allows us continued investment into Cisco technologies and allows us to do business in more of a partnership model,” Upadhyay added.

Nexus’ Elsner pointed to Cisco’s Teaming Incentive Program (TIP) — a newer incentive program from Cisco designed to reward partners extra points of margin for the work they do earlier in the sales process — as a tangible example of how Cisco would drive partner-led.

“That’s an indication,” he said. “Maybe there’s a customer they have a relationship with and they want to bring a new partner in to work on it. That’s definitely a sign of being more partner-led. Cisco is coming to us with more tools to drive the foundation business, so we are seeing that investment back into the core.”

Next: Less Complex Cisco Is A Better Cisco

Lawrence McNutt, chief operating officer at Special Order Systems, a Loomis, Calif.-based solution provider, said the complexity in working with Cisco (NSDQ:CSCO) is in both partnering and in products and systems.

For example, he said, many of the support packages and software licenses for Cisco collaboration and UC products — one of SOS’ specialties — are simply too tough to navigate

“The internal resources to deal will all of those complexities — the cost burden is just too high,” McNutt said. “The licensing models — the selling, managing and support models for the licensing — have really challenged us. Every part of the software seems to need three different SmartNet SKUs, and it’s hard to figure out which of 28 programs to quote. When I talk to my Cisco support team. they don’t know the answer. I go to a distributor, and they don’t know the answer.”

The partner-led strategy is encouraging, he said, if it eliminates channel conflict in the Cisco sales trenches. Cisco has been a leader among vendors in incentivizing its direct sales teams to focus on partner sales, but there are still many situations where there’s bad behavior, said McNutt. He said he sees it most often in customer consulting situations.

“When I bring in Cisco and say, [the customer] is going to look at four applications because that’s what the customer asked for, there’s a serious reaction to the point of hostility,” he said. “What I get is ‘Wait a second, we lead this, you’re the partner, and if you’re doing that, that means you’re not a good partner.’”

McNutt said he hopes “partner-led” means a greater degree of sensitivity to the work partners do to win Cisco business.

“I’ve had situations recently where Cisco reps tried to exclude me, because they wanted to make sure they led the engagement,” he said. “When they do that with client that you’ve engaged with for multiple years, it doesn’t give you a good feeling. And in many of those situations, the choice of Cisco was the right choice for the client, but because they saw that, it didn’t make them feel good about it.”

Overall, partners agreed, if Cisco can simplify and follow through on its plan to focus and grow behind partners, all of the members of its partner community will thrive that much more.

Rob Schilperoort, vice president, cloud product management at ACS, a Xerox (NYSE:XRX) company, said that because ACS and Xerox partner with Cisco both as a strategic vendor and an integrator, the relationship between the two won’t be immediately impacted by the restructuring.

That said, a leaner Cisco will be a positive for product development, he said, which will benefit everyone.

“When it’s a lot clearer how to work with Cisco, because of that, they’ll get better market feedback,” Schilperoort said. “It’ll make their products better and it’ll allow them to innovate quicker, and they’ll stay on the top of their game.”

By The Reliable Source

Thursday, July 7, 2011

In the strange, strange world of celebrity, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut is only famous one day a year.

He captured his fifth consecutive crown in Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest by scarfing down 62 dogs in 10 minutes. (Alexandria’s Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas took the first-ever women’s title; Chestnut’s rival, Takeru Kobayashi, was sidelined once again in a contract dispute.) It set viewership records on ESPN, and the top-ranked “competitive eater” was all over TV. On Thursday, he was at Bethesda’s Nest Cafe to shoot a commercial for Force 3, a Crofton-based IT consulting company. (Yes, pro eaters get endorsement deals.)

The gag: Chestnut gobbles a giant pile of hot wings while a woman expounds on Force 3’s virtues. “But can you do this?” he asks, sauce-slathered cheeks above a pile of bare bones.

For the 27-year-old, a plate of wings is barely a warm-up. His world record is 68 dogs in Nathan’s 2009 contest; he also holds titles in steak, asparagus, pork ribs, and matzoh balls. When he got into competitive eating six years ago, it was fairly underground. The Internet, with its bottomless appetite for spectacle, made him a star.

But Chestnut still holds onto his day job as a construction manager and seems a bit bewildered by his weird (sort of gross) talent, reports our colleague Aaron Leitko.

“It was hard for me to eat in front of people” when he started, he said. “I love to eat, and I love competition, but I’m a shy guy.” His only entourage Thursday: An EMT, on hand in case of choking.

Like any other sport: No pain, no gain. At 210 pounds, Chestnut works out and fasts for three days before competitions. Afterward, he recovers with a couple of days’ rest, lots of fluids and a few oils to “help things move on.”

Why not just purge? It’s against the rules, and, well, it kind of breaks training. “Our bodies are weird, they’re amazing, they find weakness,” he explains. “If I barf, I would never get any stronger.”

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 22, 2011 — VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today announced the expansion of its VMware Ready™ Program for partners providing desktop virtualization solutions based on VMware View™. The new VMware Ready Desktop Solutions Program provides customers validated desktop virtualization solution architectures that meet VMware’s functional and scalability requirements and are delivered by qualified VMware solution providers.

As part of the VMware Ready Desktop Solutions Program, VMware and its partners validate the complete solution stack, including hardware solutions for compute, storage and network resources, and identify qualified delivery partners who can deploy and support an end-to-end desktop virtualization solution. As a result, customers can have the assurance of a VMware-validated solution that modernizes their desktop infrastructure, enables increases in end-point and data security, and helps them accelerate time-to-value.

Initial VMware Ready Desktop Solutions will help U.S. government agencies comply with the Telework Act of 2010 – which requires the head of each Federal agency to develop IT infrastructure that supports telework policies. VMware Ready Desktop Solutions focused on Federal telework are purpose-built to address the security needs of the Federal worker and include validated hardware solutions from leading technology partners. Solutions are available today from Force 3 and HP. For more information on VMware Ready Desktop Solutions, please visit www.vmware.com/go/vrds.

VMware plans to expand the VMware Ready Desktop Solutions Program to include solutions from qualified partners with proven expertise in additional targeted vertical markets including education and healthcare.

Desktop Virtualization with VMware View – a First Step Toward a New Way to Work

More than ever, IT organizations are dealing with two fundamental client computing pain points – providing secure access to an increasingly mobile workforce, and managing the burgeoning diversity of data, applications and devices needed to run their businesses. These challenges result from the transformative nature of cloud computing and the emerging post-PC era. In this environment, a new way to work will be required. The growing VMware End-User Computing portfolio seeks to free end users and IT organizations from more than two decades of complex, device-centric computing and deliver a more user-centric, consumer cloud experience for the enterprise.

VMware View is a complete, virtual desktop solution that enables enterprises to improve security, lower operating costs and simplify desktop administration and management by establishing a modern, end-user computing architecture. By breaking the bonds between the physical desktop and the associated OS, applications and end-user profiles, VMware View makes it possible to deliver rich, personalized virtual desktops as a managed service. The result is a more modern, flexible computing model that can improve business agility while providing a flexible, high-performance desktop experience for end users.

Force 3 Telework Architecture with VMware View

The Force 3 teleworker architecture for remote user support is based upon the Force 3 VDI reference architecture. This teleworking architecture simplifies end-user support and management by utilizing zero -client hardware and a pre-configured VPN router.

Key highlights of the Force 3 telework architecture includes:

• Security – The use of zero client hardware means that valuable data never leaves the data center. The PCoIP (PC over IP) zero client does not store any data locally and is used solely as a graphical interface. With View 4.6, PCoIP protocol also supports sSmart cCard redirection, which is of importance for most of Federal agencies with increasing adaption of the HSPD-12 directive mandating smart card login. Multi-layer security mechanisms will provide additional protection by limiting which devices can connect to the VPN router, and will allow only PCoIP protocols to travel over the VPN tunnel. In all, zero clients and the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) security management architecture provide best-in-class security for remote access solutions.

• Ease of management and reduced support – Components can be managed via a web-based console for simplified central management of thousands of teleworkers. The proposed solution allows zero touch provisioning. The VPN routers can be configured from a central configuration server minimizing manual intervention and reducing deployment costs. Using both the VPN router and zero-client hardware agencies can dramatically reduce support requirements.

• Ease of Use by End-Users – The use of zero clients with a centrally managed VPN router allows for simple “plug and play” technology for end-users to setup the telework environment remotely. A one-step plug in of the WAN port to the router and the end-user gains immediate access and use of the device. The telework environment is “instant on”, where a user does not have to wait for their PC to boot up.

About VMware

VMware delivers virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions that enable IT organizations to energize businesses of all sizes. With the industry leading virtualization platform – VMware vSphere® – customers rely on VMware to reduce capital and operating expenses, improve agility, ensure business continuity, strengthen security and go green. With 2010 revenues of $2.9 billion, more than 250,000 customers and 25,000 partners, VMware is the leader in virtualization which consistently ranks as a top priority among CIOs. VMware is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at www.vmware.com.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, unified communications and security solutions, today announced it has been recognized by Everything Channel as a part of CRN’s 2011 VAR500 list, which ranks the top technology integrators in North America. Featuring the highest producing technology integrators and solution provider organizations in the IT channel, the VAR500 rankings consider earnings from hardware sales, software sales and managed IT services. Force 3 placed 73rd in the 17th annual ranking.

The VAR500 is a list of the largest value-added resellers, solution providers and integrators in North America by revenue size. Revenue size is determined by the amount of annual products and services sold over the course of 2010.

“Force 3 is pleased to be recognized among the elite technology integrators in North America,” said CEO Rocky Cintron. “We have worked extremely hard to earn the trust of our partners and customers and would like to thank Everything Channel for acknowledging our achievements.”

“The VAR500 represents the top performing solution providers in the IT community,” said Kelley Damore, VP, Editorial Director, Everything Channel. “Vendors of all sizes rely heavily on the VAR500 list to find those solution providers best suited to sell their products. VAR500 honorees are considered trusted business advisors, integration experts, and invaluable partners. Even more importantly, they solve customers’ biggest IT business problems through product integration, training, consulting and services.”

VAR500 Executive Conference and Awards

The 2011 VAR500 list was announced at the VAR500 Executive Conference and Awards, an elite two-day conference designed for high level executives to meet with VAR500 companies to discuss business models, technology offerings, and partnerships. Held June 13-14 at the Sawgrass Marriot in Jacksonville, Florida, the conference focused on channel marketing strategies and direction, offering actionable content to the top Solution Provider organizations in North America. Attendees learned the secrets for uncovering new market opportunities from industry experts, peers and fellow VAR500 companies.

A sample of the VAR500 list will be published in print and online at CRN.com on June 20, 2011.

About Force 3

Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communications and Collaborations, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, “Networks are People” means that we never lose sight of the human element of every business relationship. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

Everything Channel

Everything Channel is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With over 30 years of experience and engagement, Everything Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. Everything Channel is a UBM company. To learn more about Everything Channel, visit us at http://www.everythingchannel.com.

By Chad Berndtson

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The coming transition to IPv6 is creating plenty of hype and a lot of discussion among vendors, channel partners and their enterprise customers, especially as World IPv6 Day takes place Wednesday.

But overall, enterprise interest in IPv6 has been sluggish, and few solution providers are reaping big upgrade and services rewards such a major IT transition would seem to warrant. The opportunity is there, VARs and integrators say, it’s just slow to develop, and the vast majority of customers are taking a wait-and-see approach to IPv6 infrastructure upgrades.

“It’s just not a primary focus at this point,” said Greg Stemberger, principal network engineer at Force 3, a Crofton, Md.-based solution provider. “A lot of people are in the exploratory stage, and some are saying, ‘Maybe let’s look at setting up a pilot or a lab environment and look at it further.’ I expect it to pick up more.”

Stemberger’s assessment was in line with the opinions of a number of solution providers, vendor representatives and IPv6 experts interviewed by CRN over the past few weeks. While service providers began the delicate transition to IPv6 some time ago, and government customers are in many cases mandated to do so, most enterprise and midsized businesses are just beginning to scratch the service — creating a nascent, if not yet fully defined opportunity for the channel.

The move to IPv6, or Internet Protocol Version 6, has been forecast for decades, and work by researchers on how to make the transition successful has been going on almost as long.

In a nutshell, the problem is scarcity. IPv4 has been the standard for formatting Internet addresses since 1981, but the IPv4 format enables 32-bit Internet addresses, meaning that there is a limit on the supply of IPv4 addresses for addressable devices — approximately 4.3 billion — that is fast approaching. IPv4 address exhaustion technically happened already; the last blocks of IPv4 addresses were allocated to the world’s Regional Internet Registries (RIR) in early February, and the Asia Pacific Network Information Center released the last addresses available in its pool in April.

The move to IPv6 — addresses that are eight sets of four-digit hexadecimal numbers — means preserving the IP address future, because the 128-bit address format yields enough theoretical addresses that exhaustion won’t be an issue.

Many service providers have had a transition plan in place for some time, but IPv6 urgency is just beginning to creep into the enterprise, and according to a recent survey from Infoblox, enterprises by and large aren’t anywhere near ready for the transition.

The survey, which drew on responses from 2,400 enterprise IT managers, found that 80 percent of respondents didn’t feel educated enough to tackle an IPv6 migration element, and half didn’t know which of their network elements supported IPv6 at present. That’s similar to a number of industry surveys making the rounds in recent weeks. An analysis by Ipswitch Inc., which polled 600 respondents from its network management division, suggested that 88 percent of businesses were not fully ready for the change, with more than two thirds saying their networks were less than 20 percent ready for the changeover.

The Infoblox survey also found that 41 percent of respondents still track IP addresses manually using spreadsheets, and 70 percent are concerned about performing a successful IPv6 deployment. Most respondents, according to Infoblox, would describe themselves as being in the “learning” stage when it comes to IPv6, and only 24 percent have dedicated resources to manage the migration from IPv4 to IPv6.

“It seems to me that there is a real opportunity for the channel to advise customers on what to do, because there is a lot of uncertainty,” said Cricket Liu, vice president of architecture and technology at Infoblox and a regular speaker and consultant on IPv6 topics. “People aren’t really sure what to make of all the press coverage, and there is a certain amount of it that’s hype. But it is difficult for these companies to separate the wheat from the chaff and understand what they need to do today.”

Liu said that solution providers who educate themselves and add IPv6 assessment to their professional services offerings will benefit, even if their enterprise customers aren’t yet actively making upgrades.

“People are asking for help, at least, and they are asking, who should I approach about this,” Liu said. “The interest has gone up, I would say tenfold, in the past year. We don’t see an RFP for our gear at the moment that doesn’t include functional requirements around IPv6.”

Next: Vendors FIne-Tune Their IPv6 Products And Services

A number of vendors have taken up the mantle of providing IPv6 readiness — Infoblox, for example, offers a whitepaper called “Seven Deadly IPv6 Transition Traps” — and many of the industry’s most visible networking and infrastructure players, even those not actively participating in World IPv6 Day, offer a range of resources.

Cisco (NSDQ:CSCO), in late May, launched a series of new products and services to address the transition. Those included USGv6-compliant support, specifically IPsec v3, for IPv6 virtual private networks on Cisco’s ISR G2 router platform, to transition to dual-stack IP environments, and location/ID separation protocol (LISP) offered on Cisco’s routing and switching platforms for simplifying dual-stack configuration. Other offerings included the Cisco Network Optimization Service, and the addition of analytics for doing IPv6 device-readiness assessment.

Cisco’s research on enterprise readiness for IPv6 is a bit more encouraging than other sources’. According to Wenceslao Lada, vice president of worldwide channels for Borderless Networks at Cisco, 78 percent of companies Cisco interviewed during the last two years said they were at least considering the transition, and 55 percent of that 78 percent group said they needed help in understanding the capabilities.

“Enterprises are much more ready than we thought, and they recognize they need some help to get there,” Lada told CRN. “Partners are the ones to fulfill that transition.”

With so many enterprises embracing mobility solutions, the transition to IPv6 in enterprises and in service providers — who provide the connectivity service in a lot of those solutions — has to happen smoothly. Where Cisco partners can help, Lada said, is performing assessments from an infrastructure and a line-of-business perspective to see what business processes are going to be affected and what the expectations of an enterprise customer are for their mobile workforce.

“It can be difficult to aggregate all of [these functions] under a single practice,” Lada said. “So the flexibility and benefit of having a professional services organization to run all these types of designs, or assess the business of the network and provide that consulting to aggregate all the different elements, is appropriate.”

Many devices support IPv6 already, and/or are prepared for dual stack IPv4 and IPv6 solutions. Juniper Networks (NSDQ:JNPR) routers, for example, have supported IPv6 since 2001, according to Alain Durand, director of software engineering, IPG/CTO Group, at Juniper.

Durand, a globally recognized IPv6 expert and the inventor of the Dual Stack-Lite (DS-Lite) network address translation (NAT) solution for carrier networks, said it isn’t so much the equipment upgrades that are going to cause problems for customers as it is the IPv6 readiness of applications.

“If you’re looking at a big infrastructure, a lot of the routers support V6 now,” he said. “That’s not really the issue. It’s an application issue, not an equipment issue.”

Only about 0.15 to 0.4 percent of Web sites, Durand said, are IPv6-ready, and a big reason for World IPv6 Day is so participating companies can test IPv6 versions of Web sites and see what happens. A lot of the bugs and potential security issues will need to be worked out later on, Durand said.

Next: What Solution Providers Can Do Now

Stemberger said that Force 3 is performing hardware and software assessments, and has provided IPv6 path assessments and compliance planning.

Most of Stemberger’s work is for Force 3′s federal government customers, where IPv6 work has been going on for years.

The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) began mandating federal agencies’ move to IPv6 backbones back in 2005, insisting IPv6-compliant infrastructure be in place by July 2008. Last fall, Federal CIO Vivek Kundra unveiled the next OMB mandate for IPv6 compliance: enable the use of native IPv6 on external servers by October 2012.

According to a late September 2010 memo from Kundra’s team, all federal agencies need to upgrade public/external facing services to native IPv6 by the end of the 2012 fiscal year, as well as upgrade internal client applications that communicate with public Internet servers and supporting enterprise networks to operationally use native IPv6 by the end of the 2014 fiscal year. Government agencies also need to have designated an IPv6 Transition Manager, and ensure that all agency procurements of networked IT comply with the requirements for use of USGv6 Profile and Test Program for evaluating IPv6 readiness.

Long story short, the government is required to make the move. In the enterprise, things are a lot slower. But according to Stemberger, customer awareness is at least picking up.

“When customers are looking at purchasing new equipment, they’re starting to ask very detailed new questions about what is the roadmap and the specific capabilities around a platform,” he said. “It’s still not much action, but more forward thinking definitely.”

It will take some time before true business adoption happens. If the enterprise is sluggishly preparing, said Tom McCafferty, director of marketing for open source networking vendor Vyatta, interest in the midmarket and down into the SMB is barely a blip.

“It’s just not there,” McCafferty said. “We do see some V6 transition, but next to never right now in the U.S. It’s really still a check box for people, versus a true implementation. It’s a lot of, ‘When the day comes, you help me get there.’”

One thing VARs can do, McCafferty said, is to pay attention to the regions they do business in and where their customers are based, and identify who the regional service providers are. How quickly those service providers are changing over to IPv6 is one way to gauge how enterprise and SMB customers who rely on the service will start to get up to speed on transitioning their infrastructure.

“If you know your regional providers, you have a feeling for the immediacy of their changeover,” he said. “The regional or local ISPs, that’s probably the most important relationship right now, and they need to be paying attention.”

Regardless of the level of interest, however, most IPv6 channel observers see a future business. Above all, the IPv6 changeover isn’t an option.

“I think it’ll hit home with IT managers and IT directors regardless of the mandates,” Force 3′s Stemberger said. “IPv6 is your future, whether you like it or not, and that’s going to be true sooner rather than later.”

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Force 3, delivering innovative data center, unified communications and security solutions, today announced the addition of Jason Parry as Practice Manager of Communication and Collaboration.

Parry’s main focus will be managing Force 3’s team of highly talented network engineers. He will also be responsible for driving the sales and delivery of Communication and Collaboration solutions consulting services for Force 3.

Parry’s extensive experience with Cisco products and numerous certifications including Cisco Certified Voice Professional, Cisco Certified Network Associate, and Cisco Certified Design Associate will serve as an asset in his new position.

“We are excited to welcome Jason to Force 3 and selected him for this position based on his unique blend of technical skills, sales expertise, and management experience,” said Force 3 CEO Rocky Cintron. “We are certain that Jason will help Force 3 grow the Communication and Collaboration practice while ensuring customer satisfaction.”

Prior to joining Force 3, Parry was responsible for providing support and engineering of SafeNet’s global network infrastructure of 40+ offices in over 25 countries. In previous roles, Parry managed Unified Communications for ACC Telecom and Carroll County General Hospital.

“I’m tremendously excited to join Force 3 because the company has set itself apart as a leader in providing Unified Communications solutions to federal agencies and enterprise organizations,” Parry said.

About Force 3
Force 3 is the trusted provider of Data Center, Communications and Collaborations, Borderless Networks and Cyber Security services for Federal agencies, Enterprise organizations and their key partners. With headquarters in Crofton, Md. and offices in Herndon, Va. and San Antonio, Texas, Force 3 has a 20-year history of delivering, supporting, and maintaining cost-effective IT products and services. At Force 3, “Networks are People” means that we never lose sight of the human element of every business relationship. Our dedication has resulted in being named one of Cisco’s Top 5 Federal Gold Partners in America, as well as Federal Virtualization Partner of the Year in 2011. For more information, please visit http://www.force3.com.

By Alan Joch

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Change-Agent-in-Chief Vivek Kundra got flak earlier this year when he suggested giving government workers a $2,000 stipend to buy mobile devices for combined professional and personal use. Critics slammed the federal CIO for glossing over significant IT management, privacy and security problems — not to mention a questionable return on investment for the cash-strapped government.

Although the details were fuzzy, many experts believe Kundra is spot-on about the big picture when he called traditional desktop computers the old world and said the new world will be a virtual platform that relies on highly portable devices, such as smart phones and tablet PCs.

That raises the question: Will aggressive innovation by mobile-technology vendors in the next several years relegate desktop PCs to niche roles? In short, could mobile devices become the new mainstream personal computing platform, with or without federal subsidies?

You don’t have to peer far into the future to see that happening. Nearly 90 percent of the IT managers surveyed recently by InformationWeek said mobile devices, including smart phones, will represent a growing share of user devices in their organizations in the next two years.

Federal agencies are among those seeing that trend.

“It’s already the case that if you are building a health care app, you absolutely have to think about mobile from the beginning,” said Todd Park, chief technology officer at the Health and Human Services Department. “Talking about mobile as something special or something separate just seems goofy.”

But as the skepticism over Kundra’s idea shows, there’s a gap between rosy visions and hard realities. The challenge is to make mobile devices easy, reliable and secure enough that they live up to their potential to increase productivity. And if some employees use their portable devices for both their work and personal lives, as Kundra suggests many will, the challenges become even trickier.

Much work remains to be done. After all, it took the desktop PC the better part of two decades to become the indispensable computing centerpiece it is now, and it still remains a work — and pain — in progress.

Everyday mobile computing for the workplace and elsewhere will rest on a foundation of multiple, interdependent technology pieces — some built and managed by agency IT departments, others delivered as services by third-party providers. Many of those pieces are far from mature. But the outlines for the eventual solutions have taken shape, and the development work has begun.

Here are what the most important pieces will probably look like and what will need to happen in the next few years to get them into place.

Puzzle piece: Mobile desktops

The vision: Instead of loading stand-alone applications and data onto smart phones and tablet or laptop PCs, agencies will use the mobile devices as portals to resources housed in internal data centers or cloud services. As a result, workers will be unchained from assigned desks and hard-wired computers, and IT managers will gain greater management control over software, information and security policies on the mobile devices.

The reality: The public-sector push to private clouds is putting IT departments on track to deliver on-demand services — a change from the need to maintain hundreds or thousands of desktop PCs that stood as tiny islands of automation and potential unlocked doors for hackers. In addition, server virtualization, which is a critical component of data center consolidation initiatives, provides an introduction to desktop virtualization, which can allow for greater control of mobile devices.

What to consider: Some agency executives see a natural pairing of cloud technology and mobile applications. “If done right, this will absolutely unlock a huge amount of additional value in terms of what the government gets out of technology,” Park said.

For now, however, the marriage of cloud and mobile needs some help. Tablet PCs and smart phones running the Apple iOS or Google Android operating systems require a third-party application to run common business applications, such as the Microsoft Office suite. Cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) products avoid that issue by keeping software and data in a central location while workers use their mobile devices’ Web browser to manipulate the information. The problem is that work slows or comes to a standstill if network connections are strained.

Another option is desktop virtualization, commonly known in IT circles as virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). It can display an individual’s entire work environment on a mobile device while running the applications at a central location. VDI differs from SaaS by providing a single connection to all relevant applications owned and managed by the agency, not just to individual software subscriptions.

A number of VDI clients are available, including Citrix Systems’ Receiver, VMware’s View and Wyse Technology’s PocketCloud. Although the clients can display Microsoft Office and other business applications on portable devices, IT managers might need to tailor the look and feel of the programs so that they work well in smaller mobile formats.

VDI technology can also help agencies bring proprietary applications into the mobile era by using software wrappers that allow devices to interact with the programs running at data centers. Examples include Citrix’s XenApp, Microsoft’s Application Virtualization and VMware’s ThinApp.

“Based on the pilots that we are doing now and the conversations that we are having with customers, we will see a mass transition to the virtual desktop infrastructure,” said Chris Knotts, vice president of technology and innovation at IT consulting firm Force 3.

What’s the downside? As with SaaS, workers aren’t able to access the virtualized environment when a network connection isn’t available.

To get around that problem, Citrix, VMware, Open Kernel Labs and other virtualization companies are developing new types of hypervisors, the main command-and-control module in virtualization environments. Sometimes called microvisors, these mobile equivalents create separate pairings of an operating system and applications — known as virtual machines — that run directly on mobile devices. If a connection to the data center fails, people can continue working and sync up file changes when they reconnect to the data center or cloud service.

For now, those options are available for only a handful of mobile hardware/software combinations.

Puzzle piece: The new personal computer

The vision: Tomorrow’s super-powered, untethered hardware — including multiprocessor smart phones, tablets and netbooks — will replace traditional PCs for all but a few power users who require maximum processing horsepower right there on their desktop.

The reality: Today’s tricked-out smart phones come with dual-core processors, and quad-core models are expected by the end of the year. MicroSD chips carry 32M or more of memory. When those features are coupled with advancements in operating systems, smart phones and tablet PCs could become viable desktop replacements.

“People may not be running Photoshop on a 4-inch cellular phone screen [now], but in five years, the phones could be powerful enough to do so,” said Alan Reiter, president of consulting firm Wireless Internet and Mobile Computing.

Nevertheless, nagging limitations remain. The space constraints of mobile device displays and tiny or screen-based keyboards reduce productivity for many common work tasks.

What to consider: In the coming years, the choices for docking stations for mobile devices will grow. An early example is Motorola’s recently introduced platform for its Atrix Android smart phone. The phone will provide the processing muscle while the docking station will offer a large screen, keyboard, and USB slots for mice and other peripherals so users can have all the benefits of a laptop PC.

Motorola might have gained an early lead in this category, but vendor-agnostic docking stations could ultimately win out.

“Personally, I would move away from proprietary devices, and I think most folks will tend to go in that direction,” Knotts said.

Puzzle piece: Data management and security

The vision: Advanced mobile management tools will make it easier to synchronize data between mobile devices and data centers and make it possible to draw clear separations between business and personal information stored on devices.

The reality: Data synchronization options are available today with commercial products — such as Google Docs, Dropbox and Box.net — that create cloud-based central folders for storing files accessible by mobile and desktop PCs. However, vendors are still in the early stages of introducing products that allow devices to safely double for work and personal use without exposing sensitive agency information or an individual’s personal data.

What to consider: As described above, mobile hypervisors are one answer to the information-separation challenge. IT managers can create separate professional and personal virtual machines that maintain different contact lists, documents, Web links and other data. In addition to maintaining distinct user profiles, virtualization also enhances security by keeping applications on one virtual machine from accessing — or potentially infecting — data on a companion virtual machine.

An option that veers from the virtualization path is Enterproid’s Divide software, now in beta for Android smart phones. It creates a walled-off business environment using proprietary Android applications for e-mail, contacts, calendars and tasks. Additional security controls restrict the business applications from exchanging data with applications outside the so-called sandbox.

Puzzle piece: Ubiquitous wireless networks

The vision: Next-generation cellular and Wi-Fi networks will enable wireless connectivity almost everywhere and at data throughput rates that are equivalent to the fastest wired networks.

The reality: Next-generation Long Term Evolution and WiMax — and subsequently LTE Advanced and WiMax 2 — will continue to raise the performance bar for wireless networks. But speed isn’t enough. Service providers are struggling with the more fundamental problem of limited spectrum availability. The solution to that problem will rely on new and creative ways for service providers and enterprises to incorporate Wi-Fi and other wireless technologies in a bandwidth mix that can handle both voice and data traffic.

What to consider: Steps are already being proposed to reduce agencies’ dependency on cellular networks. Late last year, a group of senators introduced the Federal Wi-Net Act, which calls for the General Services Administration to significantly bolster wireless capabilities at federal buildings in the next two years. The plan includes using Wi-Fi wherever possible and installing emerging femtocell technology. Similar in concept to Wi-Fi hot spots, femtocell base stations can link cellular-enabled mobile devices to commercial networks for voice and data traffic.

If the federal government does push femtocells in the near term, it will be ahead of many private enterprises, which haven’t committed to the technology in a big way yet, said Aditya Kaul, mobile networks practice director at ABI Research.

But that could change in the next five years. “Femtocells are cost-effective, easy-to-deploy solutions [that] require little or no maintenance from the IT team,” Kaul said.

Service providers are testing higher-capacity, enterprise-grade femtocells for voice coverage and improved 3G and 4G data capacity indoors. Agency IT managers will have to decide if they need femtocells in addition to increased Wi-Fi capacity to meet the data and voice needs of smart-phone users, Kaul said.

Puzzle piece: Unified communications

The vision: In addition to providing multiple ways to communicate — including voice, instant messaging, e-mail, and Web and videoconferencing — mobile devices will provide seamless interfaces so users can move from a phone call to a video chat and Web conference without hanging up and reconnecting. Meanwhile, the network transport on that single call could switch without interruption from an in-office wireless local-area network or Wi-Fi hot spot to a cellular network by searching for the most efficient and cost-effective path available.

The reality: Although all the individual channels are available on wireless devices, the underlying technology for unifying them into a seamless whole remains immature in the mobile world. The same goes for bridging Wi-Fi to cellular and voice and data networks in a seamless manner. Some vendors have made progress with forwarding voice-mail messages to e-mail accounts or vice versa, but unified communications is a more complex integration of multiple network transport types and communication channels in real time.

What to consider: Interest is high in mobile unified communications, with ABI Research forecasting compound annual growth rates of more than 30 percent through 2016, spurred in part by the growing use of tablet PCs.

But agencies will face new security and administration challenges when managing a mobile enterprise that extends beyond enterprise firewalls, said Subha Rama, a senior analyst at ABI Research.

Agency CIOs might be able to escape some of those challenges by using one of the cloud-based services that cellular providers are introducing. In the coming weeks, Verizon is scheduled to launch a unified communications service whose beta testers include Virginia. The cloud service uses technology from Cisco Systems, one of the competitors in the wired unified communications market and maker of the Cius tablet PC, a device designed for business users that Verizon will sell.

But some observers still see obstacles.

“Mobile [unified communications] is something that a lot of folks have had on their radar screens for quite some time,” said William Stofega, program director of mobile device technology and trends at market researcher IDC. “But to take what’s on my desktop and replicate it on my mobile device — we’re still not there yet.”

Mobile apps that support agency missions

The mobile applications of the future won’t all be about word-processing documents and spreadsheet files. Federal agencies are also contemplating ways the devices could be used for mission-specific applications.

For example, the U.S. Geological Survey is in the early stages of developing an iPhone app that would use the device’s built-in geospatial capabilities to help gather scientific data. The plan is to widely distribute the program so that when people see an endangered animal, they can use their phones to take a photograph and send it, along with the animal’s Global Positioning System location, to scientists who are monitoring endangered populations, said William Corrington, chief technology officer at the Interior Department.

HHS officials foresee mobile applications that help individuals better manage chronic diseases and overall health. Such apps could make patient information “liquid rather than frozen” in manila folders stored at physician offices, said Todd Park, HHS’ CTO.

“Patient health information not only has to be turned electronic, but the electrons have to be able to go wherever the patient goes,” he said.

In addition to providing access to electronic medical records, the apps could alert patients when it’s time to schedule an office visit, remind them to take medications, or, for diabetics, automatically report glucose levels to health care providers.

By Les Trachtman, Chief Operating Officer, Force 3

Sunday, April 10, 2011

A recent column in Capital Business [“The SBA widens the playing field,” March 21] lauded the efforts of the U.S. Small Business Administration to change and improve the 8(a) program, which helps small businesses owned by someone from a socially disadvantaged group, win federal contracts. The column cited a higher income threshold among improvements that will offer “greater contracting opportunities.”

While I agree that it’s great that changes were made, I am dubious about the potential for true long-term success of businesses in the program. My experience in 20 years of advising founder-led businesses tells me that giving someone a crutch for an extended period of time — like the nine years that a business can remain in the 8(a) program — leads not to long-term success, but long-term dependency.

From what I’ve seen, most 8(a) businesses never graduate, or they die on the vine as soon as the period of preferential treatment ends. What small businesses must do as soon as they begin to experience success as an 8(a) is prepare for life when they are out of the program. The mentor-protege program should place equal emphasis on helping these companies create processes and systems to thrive after 8(a) as much as it emphasizes how to win as an 8(a).

Our chief executive, Rocky Cintron, became part of the 8(a) program in 1994. When he “graduated” in 2003, Force 3 was doing $168 million in sales. Today the company records more than $300 million in sales mainly because Rocky was astute enough to continually question everything about the business as it grew.

Rather than assuming as he grew that he was getting everything right, he instead began asking the right “why” questions along the way:

• Why did we win that contract?
• Why do we develop products this way?
• Why do we handle billing this way?

We have perpetuated our “why” questions well past our graduation from the program. Not long after my arrival at Force 3, I asked why it took us more than 60 days to collect our accounts receivable from the products and services we were selling when our government customers almost always paid their bills on time. This simple question led to a review of our entire billing and collection procedures. Ultimately, we were able to create a new system that led to bills being generated on a more timely and accurate basis and a decreased reliance on expensive revolving lines of credit.

This one simple “why” question led to an immediate annual savings of more than a quarter of a million dollars that went right to the bottom line. If you ask enough “why” questions, you can develop a business plan that will dramatically increase your chances for long-term growth, whether you launch as part of the 8(a) program or not.

A growing business, especially an 8(a), needs methodologies in place and metrics that you understand. You must understand cash flow and perhaps even reserve cash conservatively as your nine-year preference ends.

Early success will lead to elation. It’s okay to celebrate, of course, but success must breed caution, not complacency. The new changes and improvements the SBA has put in place will get more people and businesses involved in the front end — and that’s great. But without careful planning for the day they leave the 8(a) nest, small businesses will fizzle in the end — and that’s not in the best interests of the government, the commercial world or the small business and its employees.

Les Trachtman is chief operating officer of Force 3, a Crofton-based IT consultancy, and has 30 years of entrepreneurial experience in the technology industry.