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)

Free ebook: Upgrade your IT Systems to Maximize Business Potential

Are you and your staff wasting valuable time on run-of-the-mill tasks due to a sluggish network that struggles to handle routine traffic? Is adding more users likely to add more burden to your struggling infrastructure?

Your business might be overdue for an IT system upgrade. If you put it off any longer, you might end up costing yourself a fortune.

This short ebook can help you make the right upgrade choices.

Enjoy Summer Vacation without Worrying about Data Center and IT Infrastructure Monitoring and Management

PTS has the experience with many tools in the Data Center Monitoring and Management space to develop, implement, and integrate an effective DCIM tool set. These tools will help your team proactively manage your Data Center, reducing the chances of user error and reducing downtime.

PTS partner Asset Vue has introduced Real Time Physical Asset Management using Passive RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to effectively track physical assets inside Data Center enclosures. These are much smaller than Active tags to allow sub-component asset management and more cost-effective tags not requiring batteries nor device replacement when internal batteries expire.

Additionally, RAMP DCIM software offers the most extensive agentless auto-discovery through numerous network, systems and facilities protocols. With full analytics and an open Web API, successful integrations with BMC Remedy, Future Facilities and ServiceNow are easy!

Armed with these tools, you can enjoy a worry-free summer vacation!

Is your Data Center As Cool as it Once Was?

Trends in data center cooling have changed dramatically over the past few years. Outmoded “maximum cooling” approaches have given way to more efficient heat-rejection systems. Utilizing sophisticated economizer technologies, modern cooling systems are not only reducing energy costs, but are also operating far more efficiently, and are highly reliable.

Other recent improvements in data center cooling technology have spawned different perspectives in addressing the use of chilled water vs pumped refrigerant vs air-cooling. Depending on the business needs, a company’s budget, and the geography, current cooling approaches may introduce waterless systems that may prove more suitable than say, a chilled water system.

The days of keeping the data center below 55 degrees are likely over. Old standards are being challenged and, in many cases, operating a warmer data center will be just as reliable, more efficient, and it will certainly be cheaper.  And that will make your data center much “cooler” than it used to be.

Are You Prepared for the Next Network Security Threat?

The recent wave of attacks on Windows machines is unprecedented, and these types of attacks, specifically ransomware attacks, have been on the rise. Ransomware is a type of malicious software virus that locks up your computer files and demands payment to unlock them.

If you managed to avert disaster this time around, do you know that your network is ready for the inevitable next attack? If your network is vulnerable, you won’t be able to dodge a bullet forever; the hackers will eventually discover that weak spot. PTS can help you find the holes before the hackers do.

What can you do to protect your network?

• Update your copy of Windows to the latest version
• Run Windows Update and apply all security patches
• Update your anti-virus software to the latest version
• Backup your important data
• Educate employees to exercise caution when opening email attachments or clicking on any potentially suspicious links
• Test your network’s security at least once a year for vulnerabilities
• Scan all emails for malicious code
• Formulate an IT disaster recovery plan, for preparation in case your network security is compromised

Contact PTS to discuss effective ways to secure your network. We offer a free cyber threat assessment to identify network vulnerabilities, as well as other useful information about your network and its users.

Sure it's Time to Upgrade your Data Center, but is your Plan Feasible?

So you've realized it's time to upgrade your data center and you're overflowing with "brilliant" ideas.  You've probably run out of space, power, and/or cooling and want to take advantage of newer technologies and operate more efficiently.  You've been googling every possible approach, but the daunting options are starting to overwhelm you.  So many choices.  So many trade-offs. You can't decide if you should focus on a short-term upgrades or invest and plan for the long haul.  And which approach is cheaper?  At this point, it's time to consult the experts at PTS to conduct a feasibility study to quantify the costs and benefits of your data center upgrade plans.

 

PTS will identify the risks and rewards associated with your project.  We will help you understand the requirements to design and build a new or upgraded data center, and clarify the ROI and impact of any proposed changes. Armed with the information included in a feasibility study, you will be fully prepared to approach your data center project with realistic expectations with a full understanding of the benefits of the chosen approach. And PTS can execute the plan to perfection, and will be with you every step of the way.

For more information, download a free copy of the PTS Brochure on:
Data Center Planning & Feasibility Consulting Services

The Reality of Virtualization

Virtualization is the process of creating a software-based (or virtual) representation of something rather than a physical one, as it applies to applications, servers, storage, and networks. It and is the most effective way to reduce IT expenses while boosting efficiency and agility.  The majority (over 80%) of business workloads today are virtualized, though small- to medium-sized businesses are lagging behind at about 40%.

Are you Ready to Virtualize?

The simple answer is that you can't afford not to virtualize.  You will be spending significantly more on IT than businesses that rely solely on physical resources. Additionally, your IT will be more complex, and thus, far less efficient, and as a result, you will more likely suffer disruptions in business, and experience lost revenue.

Today's Virtualization Platform Prepares you for Tomorrow

New business and IT initiatives will require the right technology platform. Virtualization allows greater flexibility in handling new opportunities, making deployment and scaling of resources faster, cheaper, and more efficient. Cloud, mobility, big data, social media, and IT consumerization are realities of today's workforce, and businesses must virtualize to keep up.

To learn more about PTS’ Virtualization Consulting Services, contact PTS or visit:

• Data Center Infrastructure Virtualization Strategies
• Hardware Virtualization Consulting Service
• IT Assessment Service – Virtualization
• IT Needs Analysis – Virtualization
• IT Site Survey Service – Virtualization
• IT Virtualization Consulting Service
• Server Virtualization Consulting Services
• Storage Virtualization Consulting Service
• Virtual Data Center Consulting Service
• Virtualization Management Consulting Service
• Virtualization Software Consulting Service
• Virtualization Technology Consulting Service