New Office Technologies Improve Efficiency, Cost, and Management in the Workplace

Businesses are connecting more devices, people, and processes in their attempt to gain a competitive advantage, and are undergoing a digital workplace transformation. The Digital Workplace extends the benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT), changes the way buildings operate, and how workers connect to the technologies in place. When fully implemented, the Digital Workplace will offer building occupants a combination of information, efficiency, convenience, security, and comfort. Operating costs are lower, and more detailed analytics are now possible across the system. Deeper insight means improved efficiency, and, ultimately, smarter business decisions.

Lower Costs and Simpler Management

The Digital Workplace yields major cost savings by converging previously disparate networks over a single, centrally controlled architecture using IP and Power over Ethernet (PoE). The Digital Workplace delivers the essential capabilities needed to make these cost savings a reality:

• Reduced power and lighting costs
• Streamlined maintenance
• Simplified installations
• Reduced operating expenses
• Optimized energy efficiency
• Shift from capital investments to operational savings

Digital Workplace Efficiency:

• Lower-cost, more efficient workplaces: The Digital Workplace lowers the cost of workplace system installation, operation, and management through unified communications and centralized control of global facilities. As a result, it is easier to automate workplace services.
• Transformative new experiences: Different systems (lighting, heating, and air conditioning, as well as communications, A/V, physical security and access control) can now easily and securely work together. They can adapt to users’ needs in real time to make spaces work better for individuals, groups, functions, and teams, while significantly improving the productivity, safety, and comfort of facility occupants.
• New business insights through analytics: By combining connected endpoints with sensors, organizations gain deeper insights into how employees, customers, and guests utilize indoor spaces. You can adapt workspaces to improve productivity and efficiency, and make better use of valuable real estate. You can also glean concrete data to inform decision making about facility operations and planning.
• Increased/seamless security: Advanced security features provide comprehensive threat intelligence and defense by using the network as a sensor and enforcer.

Free Download: Workplace Technology Planning Checklist

Download this FREE CHECKLIST to ensure you don’t forget the cost of any of the technologies you will use in your next commercial/industrial workplace renovation or new construction project…

Contact PTS on 201-337-3833 when you're ready to make your smart building even smarter.

Top 10 Ways to Keep Your Data Center Support Infrastructure Up and Running

When data center construction is complete, data center operations & maintenance begins. These services may include comprehensive operational management and regular scheduled maintenance for all facility supporting infrastructure and assets, or just preventive maintenance for specific assets in the data center. The aim is to provide continuous operations for network services, so it is imperative that your data center support infrastructure be kept in top shape.

Top 10 Ways to Keep Your Data Center Support Infrastructure Up and Running

1. Read Your Equipment Manuals Become familiar with your equipment. Equipment manuals outline recommended maintenance and timelines. The documentation will provide details on how to operate under: normal, maintenance, and emergency operating conditions. Human interaction is the #1 cause of unplanned downtime.
2. Purchase and Maintain Warranties Purchasing parts on an individual basis is expensive. An active warranty will ensure that whatever breaks will not only be covered, but will save money in the long run.
3. Purchase and Maintain On-Site Service Agreements Most of the time, just receiving the replacement part is not enough – now you need someone to install it and make sure it works. In the event of failure, it is best to always have a service contract in place to ensure repair. These agreements usually include preventive maintenance as well.
4. Schedule and Perform Regular Preventive Maintenance Visits Regularly scheduled maintenance helps to circumvent downtime by addressing issues early. It greatly reduces the chance of failure. Regular maintenance will also extend the effective service life of your infrastructure.
5. Infrared Scanning
   
   Over time, heat can build up around sensitive data center equipment, and can ultimately cause failures. Data center hot spots are invisible to the naked eye, and often cannot be detected via touch. Infrared scanning thermographic equipment guarantees you can quickly identify the “hot spot” that may be the source of an eventual failure.
6. Keep Detailed Up-to-Date Event and Maintenance Records Consistently documenting the, “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of everything that happens in your data center eliminates questions down the road. Historical work order information can be used to identify chronic equipment problems and/or patterns.
7. Monitor Levels and Performance Regular or real-time monitoring your equipment’s operation ensures you have an understanding of the current operating load versus its capacity and/or redundant capacity limitations. In addition, if you keep a running log, you will have a better understanding of how the load is growing or decreasing, perhaps defining a trend.
8. Re-Test Under Load Unfortunately, an unplanned failure is inevitable. When repairs are made, re-testing the equipment with a “dummy” load in a controlled environment will ensure proper operation when the equipment is put back in service.
9. Keep it Clean Don’t forget basic housekeeping. Dust can block airflow and create issues with equipment overheating. Data Center Site Cleaning should be part of your regular maintenance.
10. Plan for Retirement Nothing lasts forever. Be aware of the expected usable lifespan of your equipment, document it, then plan and budget for its routine maintenance and eventual replacement.

Free Download: Commercial Workplace Technology Planning Checklist

Planning a New Office Build? You need this FREE Commercial Workplace Technology Planning Checklist to save you $$$ by helping you budget for ALL the Technologies your people will need and use.

Our goal is to help you establish realistic and accurate cost estimates for all the Workplace Technologies you will utilize in your new space. Ideally, this will be done as early as 12-months in advance of signing any leases or hiring any professionals or contractors. Download this FREE CHECKLIST to ensure you don’t forget the cost of any of the technologies you will use in your next commercial/industrial workplace renovation or new construction project…

• Avoid cost overruns due to making moves, adds & changes during construction
• Eliminate delays of moving because the space is not ready to move into
• Deploy the right technology that meets your needs and that you can afford by considering design options early
• Retain Employees by creating an inviting, yet functional work space

Get your FREE Commercial Workplace Technology Planning Checklist Here

“Not many companies have the depth of knowledge across such a broad array of workplace technologies as PTS. Our clients end up with technologies that are appropriate for their needs, that they use, and they can afford”

– Pete Sacco, Founder & President
PTS Data Center Solutions, Inc.

NJCCIC Alert: Chinese APT10 Intrusion Activities Target Government, Cloud-Computing Managed Service Providers and Customer Networks Worldwide

The FBI is providing the following information with HIGH confidence – NJCCIC (New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell) Alert: this FBI Flash is being provided, with no guarantees or warranties, for potential use at the sole discretion of recipients in order to protect against cyber threats.

The FBI obtained information regarding a group of Chinese APT cyber actors stealing high value information from commercial and governmental victims in the U.S. and abroad. This Chinese APT group is known within private sector reporting as APT10, Cloud Hopper, menuPass, Stone Panda, Red Apollo, CVNX and POTASSIUM. This group heavily targets managed service providers (MSP) who provide cloud computing services; commercial and governmental clients of MSPs; as well as defense contractors and governmental entities. APT10 uses various techniques for initial compromise including spearphishing and malware. After initial compromise, this group seeks MSP administrative credentials to pivot between MSP cloud networks and customer systems to steal data and maintain persistence. This group has also used spearphishing to deliver malicious payloads and compromise victims.

This FBI Flash provides technical details and recommended mitigation measures to assist organizations in guarding against the persistent malicious actions of cyber criminals. Contact PTS to help ensure your systems are properly maintained and safe from the latest threats.

This information is marked Traffic Light Protocol (TLP): WHITE. Disclosure is not limited. Subject to standard copyright rules, TLP: WHITE information may be distributed without restriction.

PTS Partner NJFX Welcomes Subsea Trans-Atlantic Data Cable

The Jersey Shore is becoming a major destination for your photos, status updates and Internet searches. A new trans-Atlantic subsea cable will land in Wall Township, NJ, ferrying European Internet traffic from Google and Facebook to the New York metropolitan area. The HAVFRUE cable, which was announced earlier this year, will land at the NJFX colocation campus in Wall, the company said today.

The HAVFRUE cable will connect New Jersey and Denmark, with branch connection to Ireland and Norway. The project is backed by a consortium that includes Google, Facebook subsea cable specialist Aqua Comms and Norwegian fiber provider Bulk Infrastructure.

Undersea telecommunications cables are now strategic assets in the growth of hyperscale Internet companies, with companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon emerging as key investors. As these cloud titans focus investment in cables and new routes, it has the potential to reshape how data flows across the ocean, onto the U.S. mainland, and into the cloud.

HAVFRUE is designed to deliver superior speed and lower latency design, capitalizing on advances in subsea cable construction since the original cable building boom during the dot-com era. NJFX CEO and Founder Gil Santaliz says that as existing transatlantic systems start reaching their 20-year life cycle, the HAVFRUE design will gain an economic advantage over its older rivals.

Read the complete article here:

https://datacenterfrontier.com/njfx-welcomes-subsea-cable-on-ramp-for-google-facebook/

PTS Modernizes State Data Center and Expands Network in Sergipe, Brazil

As the primary contractor of a technical team made up of US- and Brazil-based companies, PTS Data Center Solutions provided consulting services to the state of Sergipe. The Brazilian state had undertaken a statewide IT modernization project, with these priorities:

• Expand the state fiber and wireless broadband network
• Modernize the state government’s data center
• Data security
• Business continuity
• Backup data center

The IT system expansion benefited key government services, including the online emergency reporting system, the online tax collection system, remote monitoring, and expanded the CIOSP system. The expanded network now serves 100% of the population with connectivity, including 170,000 student on the SIGA System, and 192,000 student with IT Labs Distance Education. Additionally, a new system for hospital administration and telemedecine exams provide tremendous improvement.

The success of this project has increased the efficiency of public administrators, created jobs, and has grown the economy. Through the enhanced use of digital resources, companies have increased productivity, and can be more competitive. All of this came at a development cost of just $4USD per person in the state, with connectivity costs being reduced by up to 70%. What a bargain for such an improvement to the quality of life and the quality of services for Sergipe!

PTS’ Pete Sacco Presenting at AFCOM February 2018 NYC/NJ Metro Chapter Meeting

PTS President Peter Sacco will be presenting at the  upcoming February 2018 AFCOM NYC/NJ Metro Chapter Meeting at Bloomberg in NY, NY.

Bloomberg and the AFCOM – NYC/NJ Metro Chapter have teamed up to sponsor a wide range of capabilities to assist Data Center Professionals to maintain the utmost uptime. Please join us to celebrate our collaboration, view presentations, and hear real-time customer testimonials on how they overcame their data center pain points.

When: February 28, 2018, 11:30 AM – 7:00 PM

Schedule of Events: 

• 11:30 – 12:30 –  Registration, Lunch & Networking
• 12:45 – 1:30   –  CAPEX/OPEX of an On-Premise Data Center vs. Colocation Operations vs. Public Cloud Operations, Peter Sacco, PTS 
• 1:45 – 2:30     –  Presentation “To Be Determined”
• 2:30 – 3:00     –  Coffee Break and Networking
• 3:00 – 3:45     –  Bloomberg’s DCIM, “No more sales pitch, we just built it!”, Nathaniel Brown, Bloomberg Data Center Applications
• 3:45 – 4:00     –  State of the Chapter
• 4:00 – 5:30     –  Cocktails, Appetizers, Networking and Raffle

Where: Bloomberg LP, 120 Park Avenue, 22 MPR A, New York, NY 10017

Register Here

NOTE: If you are not a member of AFCOM, you can join prior to the meeting or onsite with any of the local board members.

Prepare A Cyberdefense Plan Beyond Meltdown and Spectre Security Risks

Virtually all modern CPUs have a major security vulnerability.

Nearly all CPUs built over the past two decades have a design flaw, creating a vulnerability that could allow hackers access to the data that runs through the CPU itself. This data might include passwords, keys, and other critically sensitive data. The vulnerabilities, dubbed Meltdown and Spectre, are currently being addressed via software patches, as many software vendors, including Microsoft, have rush-released these patches in an attempt to limit exploits.

Unfortunately, these patches are reportedly slowing down systems by as much as thirty percent. This is discouraging many enterprises from applying the patches altogether, which leaves the system open to attack.

A better solution: although applying patches and updating software may address the immediate threat, this is only part of a solid cyberdefense plan. A better approach would be to have a thorough defense plan in place, including, but not limited to: constant network monitoring/analysis, performing regular backups, and having a solid recovery approach. This plan enables you to immediately become aware of any security breaches, provides evidence to identify the security hole, and allows you to restore systems to a state prior to the infraction.

PTS can perform a free cybersecurity threat assessment to analyze your network and identify security holes. This is the first step in creating a comprehensive cyberdefense plan to protect your enterprise from attack, and/or recover from any existing attacks to keep your business running smoothly.

What are YOU doing about VM Sprawl?

There is no question that virtualization has revolutionized how we set up our business networks. Greater security, improved IT support, smoother migrations, and huge cost savings are just a few of the many benefits of virtualization. However, quickly set up virtual machines (VMs) are often unplanned, and are created without regard to the resources they consume. Eventually, you end up with many VMs on your network, but without the appropriate IT management or control in place. This is called VM sprawl.

VM sprawl has become a very real concern in data centers. On top of VM sprawl, add to the mix: snapshot sprawl, zombie VMs, orphaned files, etc, and your virtual infrastructure’s overall efficiency is greatly reduced. Left unchecked, the stability of the virtual environment is in serious jeopardy, and is well on the way toward crashing or at least experiencing severe performance hits.

PTS offers a free virtual infrastructure assessment to identify problem areas, reclaim your wasted resources, and optimize your virtual environment. In just minutes, we can identify issues, then help you right-size (cpu, memory, storage) your virtual environment, provide better management, and save money in the process.

Request your Free Virtual Infrastructure Assessment

PTS Event 9/28/2017: The Seven Tastes of Data Center Management

PTS and partners Asset Vue and Tuangru are hosting a panel discussion that will cover successful DCIM implementations, current trends in DCIM, and what is needed to deploy DCIM solutions successfully in the future. Free registration includes a winery tour and tasting at the Hopewell Valley Vineyards in Pennington, NJ (just outside of Princeton).

Don’t miss this first ever Data Center Management Panel
Discussion to include wine tastings throughout its duration!

Hopewell Valley Vineyards

When: Thursday, September 28, 2017 from 3:00PM to 6:00PM EDT

Where: Hopewell Valley Vineyards, 46 Yard Road, Pennington, NJ 08534

We look forward to seeing you at this, and future PTS events.

REGISTER HERE (FREE)