Barracuda STEP Seminar Announced!

 

Join us for an informative seminar, co-hosted by Barracuda Networks to address the latest trends in spam, spyware and Web content filtering that are likely affecting your company's productivity.
In addition to gaining valuable insight into spam and spyware delivery methods, we'll explain various techniques used in our award-winning Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall and Barracuda Web Filter to combat unsolicited intrusions.
We'll also showcase our latest product offerings, the Barracuda Message Archiver - for email and IM archiving, the Barracuda Web Application Firewall - to prevent Web site exploits and provide immediate Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance, and the CudaTel Communication Server - a next-generation voice and video solution that includes conferencing, follow-me, automated attendant services and more, all controlled by an easy-to-use Web interface.
Who should attend?
- CIOs/CTOs
- IT Administrators/Managers
- Network Administrators/Engineers
- Email Administrators
- Business Owners

For more information follow this link - Barracuda STEP Seminar Registration

 

 

National Preparedness Month - Family Emergency Planning

Are you and your family ready for a disaster?  What would happen if a disaster occurred while you and members of your family were separated while at work, day care, school and other places?  Do you know how your family members will contact each other?  Do you have a meeting place designated where everyone in your family can go if you cannot return to your home?  Every family needs to have a family emergency plan that involves every member of the household.  This is necessary to ensure that your family is ready for a disaster, whether or not you and your family are at home. 

 

In conjunction with National Preparedness Month in September, attached is a Family Emergency Preparedness Planning Guide that has been developed by the National Preparedness Division.  Please review this document with your family and then complete a family emergency plan.  A family emergency plan template is included in this guide and is also available on www.ready.gov.  As your family may not be together when disaster strikes, plan how you will contact one another and review what you will do in various disaster situations.

 

Regards,

 

Dave

 

Happy Memorial Day!

Before we dive into summer, I wanted to take a minute to wish all of you a very happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.
I would also like to extend a Thank You from me, my family and staff to all of you who have or continue to serve our country and its ideals.
We are especially grateful to those who have given all in the pursuit of freedom for all people.

We hope you take time to enjoy barbeques, your local pools and fairs with your families, friends and neighbors.

Sincerely,
Dave

TrustPoint Technologies Launches HealthCare IT Practice

As a gloStream Gold status Partner, TrustPoint Technologies is now authorized to sell and support gloStream Electronic Medical Record and Practice Management Solutions.

Strongsville, OH - After successfully launching its NetworkCare Managed Services Program in 2008 TrustPoint Technologies, a leading technology firm serving Northeast Ohio, announced today that it has gained gloStream Gold Partner status. "Providing technology solutions to HealthCare providers has been on our roadmap for several years. We feel that the time is right, and gloStream is a great partner to launch with. Our reputation for delivering solid technology solutions has been built on understanding the fundamental needs and requirements of our client's business. We look forward to working with Medical Professionals in the Cleveland area. " - David Basile, President of TrustPoint Technologies, Inc.

About TrustPoint Technologies

TrustPoint Technologies, an IT technology firm committed to deploying and protecting wide area network solutions for small to medium businesses, was founded in 1989 by President and CEO David Basile. TrustPoint has grown over the past two decades with the addition of multiple clients, automated internet-based ticketing, 24/7 monitoring, and a powerful managed services suite. For more information visit www.trustpointtech.com or call 440-325-2100.

About gloStream

gloStream provides physicians and healthcare facilities with certified electronic medical record and practice management solutions delivered and supported through a nationwide network of local technology partners. gloStream products are secure, easy-to-use applications and the only solutions on the market embedded with Microsoft Office. Through a simple user interface, robust voice recognition technology, and single-click access to all patient information gloStream products help doctors improve patient care by streamlining workflow and creating efficiencies in office administration. For more information visit www.glostream.com or call 1-877-456-3671.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Clients,
TrustPoint offices will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, as well as Friday the 27th.

Our Service/HelpDesk however, is taking calls 24x7x365. Calls received on Thursday or Friday will be logged and a ticket will be created. Priority issues will be ticketed and an on-call Engineer will be contacted.

We all want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope you are able to enjoy some time with friends and family. At TrustPoint Technologies we have many things to be thankful for, especially our valued Clients and Friends.

Thank you again for your business and continued support.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We Will Remember…

Once again it is September 11th, the 8th anniversary of a day that changed America forever. Looking back it is hard to believe that in those few short hours we would witness such immense acts of cowardice by unknown terrorists followed by incredible acts of bravery and courage, particularly those of the NYPD and FDNY. The tremendous loss of life that day along with the loss of “peace of mind” of being safe at home was just the beginning of what we have lost over the last 8 years.
The President will observe a moment of silence today at 8:46am. I think that today deserves more than a moment, but we are a busy nation. In any case, to those that gave so much that day, in following days and to those that are still giving, I wanted to take this opportunity to say…

Thank You All for Your Sacrifices.

They are Appreciated and Will Be Remembered.

Happy Labor Day!

“We need to do more with less”. I’ve been hearing a lot of that the last few months. What that usually means, is we need to produce the same amount of work with less people or lower cost systems. The less people part is unfortunate, and sometimes as much for the people left working as the people let go. As for the systems, it’s not as bad or difficult as one would think to do more with less. For example, one of the big challenges we have always faced is server performance. We have always used enterprise class servers in our network designs because they provide the best performance possible and everyone wants performance. There is of course a price to pay for more performance, and more to the point, excess performance. I know there are companies out there with servers that are under-utilized. The problem is that buying a server is a lot like jumping over a big puddle, you don’t do it in two steps. It’s all or nothing right up front, mostly. However, with a little up front planning we can capture that excess performance, and do more with less.

By now some of you are very familiar with the steps we have taken over the last few years to do more with less. And before we go too much further, I am talking about value, not price. In short, spending the same or less to do more work, have more options, and be more productive. For those that aren’t as familiar, let me share a few things.

Almost 3 years ago we started working with server virtualization. We have many, many cases where one new physical server has been hosting and running from 2 to 7 or 8 virtual servers. It’s like 7 or 8 families living in the same one family house with all the room they need and never knowing the others are there. It sounds a bit spooky when put that way, but nonetheless it’s what’s happening today.
For the last 4 or 5 years we have been using disk based backups instead of tapes. We believe whole-heartedly that disk is the way to go. The systems we have been selling and using are very effective because they are self-contained, fast and we can manage and monitor backup status from there consoles. Today we have another very cost effective choice. Clients who are using our NetworkCare Service Platform can now utilize lower cost network attached storage units and external usb drives for complete system backups that are managed and monitored from our Service/HelpDesk. In short, upfront costs from $3,500 to $20,000 for centralized backup systems can now be reduced to $500 to $2,500.
Near the end of last year we purchased and started deploying an Enterprise Class Managed Service Platform, many of our Clients know it as NetworkCare. The reason we did this was simple, we knew that with our People, our Processes and this Platform, we could provide better overall Support and Service for the same or lower cost. Since most services can be provided via remote management and control, our travel and on-site times are reduced, thereby reducing cost.
Last but not least is the issue of used equipment and free software. When the budget doesn’t allow for a new server, we have used and/or refurbished equipment available. For some offices, the installation of a used server with one of the free VMware virtualization products is a perfect fit. Sometimes it’s all they’ll ever need, and sometimes it’s good enough for the next 2 years. In many cases we use the free software on brand new servers too, because it’s the best way to go.
We know there are companies running out of warranty servers that have been acting up, and/or their backups are weak or suspect…

You don’t need to be risking your business!

Please don’t risk your business because you think you can’t afford something better, faster or more stable. There are a lot of very good options available today and I am always happy to discuss the pros and cons of these with anyone who has an interest (Call me @ 440-325-2101).


And on a personal note, more with less can be fun and rewarding and all that warm and fuzzy stuff. Several weeks ago we started doing Outdoor Movie Night. My buddy Todd has been doing this for his kids and friends for few years now. I figured I’d give it a try too. So, I bought a slightly used projector, plugged in a laptop with external speakers and we were in business. The first night we had about a dozen people and I projected “The Sandlot” on the back of the house. The picture was about 7 ft. across and we had a really good time. The movie was barely over and everyone was talking about next week already. Fast forward a few weeks and we have about 20 people watching our homemade 16 ft. wide screen made from a plastic tarp and PVC pipe. We’ll still go to the movie theatre now and then, but Outdoor Movie Night in the backyard with family and friends will make lasting memories. And that has Value.

Regards,

Dave