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Author: Steve Glissman

Fun with Cisco – Tablets, Streaming and TelePresence

Posted on by Steve Glissman

There are many great things about working for TBL Networks (e.g.  TBL’s very liberal cocoa policy).  In addition, as 2010 Collaboration Partner of the Year for Cisco’s East Area, I receive the opportunity to use and experience cutting-edge technology as it is released.  Below are some examples.

Cisco Cius

As the trend continues towards tablets (nearly 9 million tablets in use at small and midsize businesses in the U.S), Cisco has entered the market with the Cisco Cius. As the first business tablet for mobile collaboration,  the Android powered tablet brings the mobility of a tablet with the collaborative power of  Cisco, including Cisco Quad, Presence, IM and integrated, one-click access to WebEx Meeting Center.

Recently, TBL’s Cameron Corbin was photographed with tablet.  In addition, Cameron also got the chance to ride hoverboard and pet a unicorn.  Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of that … yet.

TBL Networks Cisco Cius

Cisco TelePresence System 1100

I have always wondered if there would be a day when I would think, “The future is here.”  I had pinned my hopes on Dippin Dots giving me a specific date, but thanks to Cisco, I can safely say that the future has arrived.

The Cisco TelePresence System 1100 allows you to have the intimacy of a face-to-face meeting without the difficulty and cost of travel.  Perhaps most importantly, you can finally reenact your favorite scene from Star Trek in the comfort of your own office.

Cisco Show and Share

Cisco Show and Share is a webcasting and video sharing application that helps enterprise organizations create highly secure video communities to share ideas and expertise.

In addition to using the video for internal purposes, you can also use Show and Share to broadcast your video live to external viewers.  Recently, TBL Networks streamed a live performance from Harley Stagner and the 46ers on the May 5th edition of Ask Harley using Show and Share.

In the video below, you can see the performance being watched via TBL’s live stream.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JVB-l09Ncs&feature=channel_video_title

Patrick Tredway at Virginia’s Region 2000 Technology Council’s “Wired Wednesday” – April 27th

Posted on by Steve Glissman

TBL Network’s Patrick Tredway will be featured as a panelist at Virginia’s Region 2000 Technology Council’s upcoming “Wired Wednesday” luncheon on Wednesday, April 27th in Lynchburg, Virginia.  The topic for the panel is “Mobile Computing For Business & Education.”

The event and presentation will include:

  • Pros & Cons of handheld devices/phones…Android vs. iPhone vs. Blackberry.
  • The rising use of tablet PCs.
  • How tablet PCs can integrate into your IT plan/work environment.
  • A look at the various players in the tablet PCs market.
  • Hands-on demonstration of tablet PCs in a work environment.

Patrick Tredway is co-owner for TBL Networks, and is TBL’s Collaboration Practice Lead and Account Engineer. Patrick is a CCIE Voice certified engineer and has been working with Cisco Unified Communications since 2002 as an end customer, integrator and consultant.

A proud member of Virginia’s Region 2000 Partnership, Virginia’s Region 2000 Technology Council’s mission is to foster an environment that stimulates innovation and growth of technology-focused organizations in our community.

Where: City of Lynchburg Information Technology Center |  3150 Young Place Lynchburg, VA 24501 (NOTE: different location)
When: April 27, 2011, noon until 1:30 p.m.
Cost: $10 for Tech Council Members, $15 for non-members

For additional information about the event, please go to http://www.techcouncil.us/news-events/wired-wednesday-mobile-computing-for-business-and-education-april-27/

Ask Harley: Guitar Hero Edition

Posted on by Steve Glissman

Harley Stagner knows virtualization.  He’s the first person in the Commonwealth of Virginia to receive the title of VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX), and just the 46th person worldwide to earn this elite certification. From ESXi to VDI, public cloud to private cloud, virtual machines to virtual networks, Harley Stagner is the man when it comes to virtualization and VMware.

But what about Harley’s other talents?  Just because he is TBL Networks’ resident expert on VMware, it doesn’t mean that Harley’s skills end at the network server.

On May 5th, we plan to show one more of the many sides of Mr. Stagner with “Ask Harley: Guitar Hero Edition.”

On Thursday, May 5th, starting at 7PM , Harley will answer your questions about virtualization live on Twitter.   Following this presentation, Harley and his band, the 46ers, will play the song of your choice from Guitar Hero: World Tour – LIVE ON THE INTERNET.

To participate, you need to do just three things:

1)      SUBMIT YOUR VIRTULIZATION QUESTION

You can submit your questions three simple ways:

  1. Twitter  – Post your questions on Twitter and tag with #AskHarley.
  2. Email – Send your questions to twitter@tblnetworks.com.
  3. Facebook – Post your question on the Wall at www.facebook.com/tblnetworks. 

To ensure that Harley has adequate time to review your questions, please submit them by end of business on Wednesday, May 4th.

2)      VOTE ON A SONG

To vote on a song, go to www.facebook.com/tblnetworks and vote on the Poll.

3)      GO TO WWW.TWITTER.COM/TBLNETWORKS ON MAY 5th, AT 7PM EST

Once Harley has finished answering your questions on Virtualization, the 46ers will hit the virtual stage and rock your world.

If you want to know more about virtualization, ask Harley, and then prepare to be rocked.

TBL Networks 2nd Annual Virtual Golf Tournament

Posted on by Steve Glissman

Techumanity is an ideal that we embrace at TBL Networks.  We often discuss this concept in terms of how technology can be used to make us more human.  Other times, we use it as a justification to play golf and raise money for a great cause.

On Friday, March 11, TBL Networks hosted our 2nd Annual Virtual Open Golf Tournament. Whereas a traditional golf tournament in March would be at the mercy of the elements, a few Nintendo Wii Systems allowed us to convert the confines of TBL Headquarters into a climate-controlled TPC Blue Monster. Using Cisco WebEx, we generated a live leader board so players could keep track of the scores. In addition, participants received the chance to check the onsite technology, including our Cisco TelePresence 1100 rooms.

This year, TBL Networks received the privilege to benefit a great organization in CJ’s Thumbs Up Foundation, better known as CJSTUF.  CJSTUF’s mission is to provide financial assistance to families of children with chronic and life-threatening illness.   CJSTUF embraces techumanity by using their blog, FaceBook and Twitter pages to raise awareness and funds for their mission.

We would to like everyone who came out to our event and contributed to our cause.  Thanks to our corporate partners Cisco, VMware and EMC for helping make our day possible. Special thanks to our local sponsors Bogeys Sports Park, Chick-fil-A Parham Rd  FSU and the Richmond Flying Squirrels.  With their help, we were able to raise $2,275 for CJSTUF.

To learn about CJSTUF, check out their website, and stay tuned to the TBL Networks Blog Home, where we will be providing more information about this great organization in coming weeks.

Sean Crookston Awarded VCAP-DCA

Posted on by Steve Glissman

TBL Networks’ Solutions Engineer Sean Crookston recently attained  the title of VMware Certified Advanced Professional in Datacenter Administration (VCAP-DCA). Sean is only the 47th person worldwide to achieve this elite virtualization certification.

The VMware Certified Advanced Professional 4 – Datacenter Administration (VCAP4-DCA) is designed for Administrators, Consultants and Technical Support Engineers capable of working with large and more complex virtualized environments and can demonstrate technical leadership with VMware vSphere technologies.

Sean put together many hours of study and research to reach this achievement.  Sean has documented much of this work on his website – www.seancrookston.com.

Congratulations to Sean Crookston, VCAP-DCA #47.

Follow Sean Crookston on Twitter at www.twitter.com/seancrookston

Follow TBL Networks on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tblnetworks

What I Learned – EMC VNX and The Green Hornet

Posted on by Steve Glissman

Virtualization. Storage. Seth Rogen? You might not associate movie theaters and superheroes with Unified Storage, but for one day, TBL Networks found a way to bring them together. On February 17th, TBL Networks’ Harley Stagner and EMC’s Steve Woods provided an exclusive presentation the new EMC VNX series of storage solutions at Movieland at Boulevard Square. Following the presentation, the attendees watched a private screening of The Green Hornet.

Here are a few things that I learned from the EMC VNX/Green Hornet event.

– The VNX series is the new mid-tier storage platform built for the demanding virtualized data center. It has a fully redundant, multi-controller design that scales and scales.

– Just because you have giant bucket of popcorn, you are not obligated to eat the entire bucket.

– Even if you ask nicely, Steve and Harley will not add select scenes from Black Swan to their presentation.

– The VNXe series has a series of best practice wizards so you can configure your storage with just a few clicks.

– I am a sucker for any technology that comes with a wizard.

– Movieland is not planning to screen The Cannonball Run as part of their MOVIES & MIMOSAS® series.

– The VNX series provides the broadest range of unified storage platforms in the industry.

Thanks to everyone who came out to hear Harley and Steve and to watch the movie. Special thanks to the team at Movieland for a providing a great facility and experience.

Kevin Pendleton and Sean Crookston Achieve EMC Technical Architect Certification

Posted on by Steve Glissman

Kevin Pendleton and Sean Crookston, have been certified as EMC Technical Architects by EMC. To receive this title, Kevin and Sean completed rigorous coursework and specialist exams designed by EMC. As EMC Technical Architects, Kevin and Sean are now certified application architects with a focus on preparing the architecture of an enterprise content management solution based on business requirements.

Congratulations again to Kevin Pendleton and Sean Crookston on becoming EMC Technical Architects.

Snow Days and Cisco UC

Posted on by Steve Glissman

As a kid, there were few events more exciting than a Snow Day. Growing up in Virginia Beach, true snow storms were rare, but fortunately for me, the bar for defining “snow” was set very low. An outbreak of dandruff in the school administration could easily prompt a school closing, allowing the adults to focus their energy on urgent winter weather matters; namely, raiding the grocery store for bread and milk. (Why do people instinctively hoard milk when snow arrives? If I am trapped in my house, I am going to start making my own cheese on Day Three?)

Unfortunately, as an adult, the responsibilities of the office do not stop when storms begin. You need the ability to productively conduct your business and reach your customers and clients, who in turn need be able to reach you.

The severity of a recent Richmond snowstorm (three-to-five inches of snow, which in Southern measurement equates to three-to-five feet) necessitated the evacuation of TBL Worldwide Headquarters. As a good soldier, I was willing to forgo my normal Snow Day routine (The Godfather I and II and several seasonal Sam Adams) to remain at the office and risk life and limb for the company. Then I received the following email:

“Go home! We all have laptops, VPN access, WebEx and cell phones with SNR should you need to continue any work.”

With this message, I was freed from the bonds of the office and business casual pants. Arriving at home, I decided to demonstrate my productivity by documenting how I can use Cisco Unified Communications while still enjoying my Snow Day routine.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Using Cisco AnyConnect VPN, I can securely access all my email, corporate network and CRM (e.g. Salesforce.com) from the comfort of home. In addition, AnyConnect would securely guard my Godfather themed web searches for the day. For instance, did you know that Gianni Russo, the actor who portrayed Carlo Rizzi, has fathered 11 children with 10 different women and has an eponymous line of wine? I was able to obtain that urgent information while maintaining top-level security.

If my laptop decides to have its own Snow Day, it is not a problem, as AnyConnect is available for iPhone and BlackBerry. I can securely access my email, network and CRM info via my Smartphone.

Cisco WebEx

Traveling for business is never fun, but it can be exceptionally difficult during the winter, as your schedule is tied to the whims of Mother Nature. Despite being trapped on my couch with an Old Fezziwig Ale, I could still meet with my clients via Cisco WebEx. Cisco WebEx allows me to make presentations, in addition to capabilities such as document sharing and presentation recording. If the participants have access to webcams, we can see each other face to face. And, of course, if my laptop catches a cold from the snow, I can use Cisco WebEx on my Smartphone.

Single Number Reach (SNR)

Utilizing Cisco Unified Mobility, I don’t have to worry if my clients have my cell phone number, or rush to change my voicemail message. Single Number Reach (SNR) allows me to provide one phone number with no additional complications.
SNR is more than call forwarding. Whereas call forwarding could result with my client leaving a message on my personal voicemail, SNR allows the client to leave a message in my work voicemail. When I return my client’s call, SNR presents my office number, even if I am using my personal cell phone.

With the power of Cisco Unified Communications, Snow Days are no longer an impediment to productivity. And that is an offer that I can’t refuse.

Virtualization? Ask Harley.

Posted on by Steve Glissman

Virtualization can be daunting a subject matter. Server consolidation. Tier 1 applications. Paravirtualization. The cloud. Security. Virtual desktops. Where do you start?

As virtualization is a topic that affects every aspect of your organization, it is important to have an expert to whom you can turn. At TBL Networks, we are going to provide you the opportunity to speak with one of the leading voices in the field. You can Ask Harley.

Harley Stagner is TBL Networks’ resident virtualization expert. He is the only VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) in Virginia and the 46th person to achieve this elite virtualization certification worldwide. And now, you have a chance to learn Harley’s perspective on your virtualization questions.

On Thursday, January 13, Harley will answer your questions about virtualization live on Twitter, starting at 7PM. To submit your questions, simply post them on Twitter and tag with #AskHarley. If Twitter is not your thing, don’t worry; just email your questions to twitter@tblnetworks.com.

To ensure that Harley has adequate time to review your questions, please submit them by end of business on Wednesday, January 12.

Take this opportunity to learn everything that you wanted to know about virtualization (but were afraid to ask). Now, you can Ask Harley.

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