Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Come Hear Minicom at CeBIT!

Björn Christiansen, Minicom's Strategic Alliance Manager for DACH, will talk about "Today's remote access technology for data center infrastructure management" at CeBIT. The presentation will cover the following points, among others: the importance of remote access technology in today's IT world, what kind of remote access makes sense, and some examples that illustrate the practical application of remote access technology.

The presentation will take place at Hall 12 as part of the Exhibition Program "Professional Data Center @ CeBIT" in Hannover, Germany on March 2nd, 2010 at 12.00 pm (GMT). Check it out!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Minicom Appoints David White VP Sales North America

Minicom has appointed David White as Vice President of Sales for North America. In his new role, White will be in charge of all sales of Minicom's branded products.

"Having David on board adds great power to our sales leadership," said Eli Sasson, CEO of Minicom. "His rich, relevant experience in data center remote access and efficiency will help us satisfy the increasingly complex needs of our customers. Our business partners will benefit from David's proven ability to expand the sales channels through strong partnerships built on loyal and trustworthy relationships."

"I am excited to be a part of Minicom, and to promote our data center remote access and management products," said David White. "Even when competing with Minicom in the past, I appreciated their customer focus and solid product reputation. Specifically, I am excited about the Data Center Alliance, initiated by Minicom in December, as it brings real value to both customers and vendors in the Data Center management space. The DCA is the right way to ensure reduced costs while improving capability of the products our customers are already buying."

A sales expert, White has spent many years involved in sales and marketing for technology companies. Prior to joining Minicom, White was Vice President of Sales for North America at Avocent, where he drove sales to IT decision makers in the data center. Before Avocent, White served as Vice President of Sales for North America and APAC at Cyclades, spearheading their sales efforts and delivering consistent growth of market share.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Electrorack Enclosure Products Joins Data Center Alliance

Minicom Advanced Systems announced that Electrorack Enclosure Products, which designs, manufactures and delivers quality, market-leading enclosure solutions, has joined the Data Center Alliance (DCA). The Data Center Alliance, formed with Minicom, Wright Line, ServerTechnology, Uptime Devices, and Digi International fills the information gap in the marketplace by providing a centralized, comprehensive source for building successful IT infrastructures.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to join the Data Center Alliance,” said Todd Schneider, Electrorack’s Director of Marketing. “Today’s data centers are facing critical issues, and are looking to enclosure and infrastructure partners to bring practical, green solutions that help them address heat, space, and power. We look forward to collaborating with our fellow members of the DCA on best-in-class practices.”

To learn more about the Data Center Alliance, visit
www.minicom.com/dca-partners.htm.

About Electrorack Enclosure Products

Electrorack Enclosure Products has emerged as the premier industry resource for data centers in the design, development, and delivery of next-generation solutions that address increased heat loads, equipment compaction, and power densities. Incorporating a myriad of innovative technologies, all designed and manufactured in the USA, Electrorack’s innovation extends to every detail, and results in a host of practical applications and solutions that are critical to data center operations. Electrorack’s build-to-order enclosures are designed specifically to meet the needs of the most complex data centers, ship pre-configured, and incorporate cabling, power, and cooling options, resulting in significant time and cost savings for clients. A customer-driven product portfolio includes aisle containment systems, scalable blanking panels, active heat containment systems, and custom PDUs that help clients meet their “green” goals through reduced energy costs and improved operating efficiencies. Electrorack’s customer-centric approach to providing its clients with solutions that achieve tangible, quantifiable results has formed the basis of its success over five decades. Data center professionals don’t view Electrorack as a rack “vendor,” but rather as a true partner that serves to help them reduce costs, maximize space, and increase efficiencies. Contact Electrorack at www.electrorack.com, or by calling 800.433.6745.

Monday, February 15, 2010

IT Lessons To Learn From Toyota’s Missteps

This article from Smarter Technology crystallizes three major lessons that IT leaders can learn from Toyota’s mistakes:

Standardization demands caution.

A good innovation, to be sure, but one that needs to be reexamined periodically to ensure that it does not need tweaking and refining.

Rush software and systems testing at your own peril.

Just because slipshod testing usually produces good enough results does not mean it is an effective system.

Don’t hide problems.

In the words of the article’s author,
Joe Maglitta:

“It’s against human-survival nature and culture, corporate or national. But as any kid or governor can tell you, the whuppin’ is even worse if you get caught lying later on. Honesty is not just for CEOs and sellers of poisoned painkillers. Fessing up early isn’t fun, but it hurts less in the long run.”

Amen – true for both the IT world and for life outside of it.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Minicom Kicks Off Successful IT Technology Road Show in China

Minicom has embarked on a road show in China that will span many cities over the course of 2010.

The seminars for the road show are designed to illustrate how Minicom will support partners in China. The first seminar was held at the Jianguo Hotel in Shanghai, and the second seminar was held at the Grand Skylight Garden Hotel in Shenzhen. Dozens of participants attended the seminars, including system integrators, resellers, and end–users. Feedback from the audience was overwhelmingly positive.

“The plans that Minicom outlined for partnership were very exciting and very concrete, with real substance that promises to produce results. We can’t wait to start working together!” said Weiming Pan, General Manager, RunSun Computer & Network System Co., Ltd.

“Minicom’s grasp of the Chinese market and their range of solutions is a compelling package. All the elements for success are there, and we want to be a part of that!” said Laben Yang, Sales Director South China, iSoftStone Information Service Corporation.

“The enthusiasm at the seminars confirmed our feeling that the time is right for long term partnerships in the Chinese market. Minicom’s KVM and KVM IT solutions are a perfect fit with demand in China, and we are looking forward to delivering value and margins for our partners,” said Kingsun Kwok, Country Manager, Minicom.

A seminar in Beijing is scheduled to take place after Spring Festival, with more cities to follow. To learn more about future seminars or Minicom China, visit http://www.minicom.com/.

Excitement Over Facebook’s New Data Center Tarnished with Coal Dust

Responses range from measured surprise to righteous indignation - after much fanfare about the opening of Facebook’s new Prineville, Oregon data center, the fact that they are using coal has been a cause for comment.

Is Facebook’s use of coal an unexpected, problematic development, or should they use whatever energy source makes the most financial sense for their needs?

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Video: Funny Take on How KVM Remote Control Saves the Day



Always nice when there is a convergence of IT and humor – check out this really funny video which illustrates how KVM remote control can go below the BIOS level and get rid of the blue screen of death. Worth watching till the end, great line in the last minute that will make you laugh.

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

Noisy Data Center? Try Remote Management

Can’t hear yourself think in the data center? Those whirring fans can be more than just an annoyance – they are potentially damaging, with the ability to cause permanent hearing loss.

This article on Processor.com makes concrete suggestions for how to tune out the problem:

“If noise is still an issue for enterprise employees, even more radical action may be needed, Deaderick [Tom Deaderick, director of OnePartner Advanced Technology and Applications Center] says. Consider letting employees work remotely or at home some days of the week. This is also an option for employees who work inside especially loud server rooms. ‘No one complains about the noise in a server room when they are using remote management tools from an office five miles away,’ he says.”

If you decide to go this route, check out
Minicom’s remote management tools.

Monday, February 01, 2010

Data Centers Go Mainstream

Gone are the days when data centers conjured up images of big scary machines in some isolated area. Data centers are enjoying a renaissance in popular culture, with an updated, hip image, and they are cropping up in some surprising places.

Taking the kids to Disney World? Make sure to hit IBM’s SmarterPlanet exhibit, which shows the practical application of the way computers affect and enhance daily life. According to the article on
Data Center Knowledge:

“The exhibit is the latest sign data center technology is gaining a higher profile, slowly shedding the anonymity of the back-office server room or remote data center in a secure, undisclosed location. As the Internet becomes a more integral part of everyday life and the American economy, the back-end is moving out front.”


How about the fact that Facebook’s building of a data center (
full story here) is considered newsworthy? If Facebook does not personify pop culture today, what does? Reassuring to know that your social network will now be managed by the company itself, and relax – Facebook plans on implementing lots of energy saving measure, so you can "friend" without guilt.