This is nothing new. I am used to this, and on many occasions spell check, copy editors and others question and challenge my spelling of Colocation.

Microsoft Word often decides to change colocation to collocation without my consent and without even asking me what was intended. Fed up and tired of my editors and word processing software, I turned to Google. Ah, yes, good ol’ Google. I feverishly Googled “Colocation, Collocation, Co-location”, and to my surprise the first result was a blog by Sune Christensen entitled Co-location? Colocation? Collocation? (At least I’m not the only one with this problem!) Statistically speaking, Atlantic.Net uses the correct term, but I wanted to break it down even further and get to the meaning instead of statistics.

So, after much effort… I unveil my findings!

According to Wikipedia , collocation defines “a sequence of words or terms that co-occur more often than would be expected by chance. The term is often used in the same sense as linguistic government ”, Answers.com defines collocation as “an arrangement or juxtaposition of words or other elements, especially those that commonly co-occur, as rancid butter, bosom buddy, or dead serious. ” Finally, according to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and the Oxford Dictionary , collocation is “a word or phrase which is often used with another word or phrase, in a way that sounds correct to people who have spoken the language all their lives, but might not be expected from the meaning. ”

Therefore, a hard frost would be a Collocation .  Since collocation refers to the English language, and not to the service Atlantic.Net provides, collocation is NOT the correct spelling.

In contrast, neither Wikipedia nor Answers.com had a definition for co-locate. When a search was done for co-locate in the Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary ; it defaulted to “collocate .” However one definition was found on Wiktionary.org , which defines  co-locate as, ‘to be located at the same site for two things, groups, military units, etc. ’ Lastly, the Oxford Dictionary defines co-location as "the act of sharing a location or facility with someone (or something) else ."  As a result, co-locate would be what people do in apartment home communities, military bases, and college campuses.

Finally, colocation, which is the spelling of choice at Atlantic.Net , was successfully found on Wikipedia and is defined as the placement of several entities in a single location. The Oxford Dictionary uses the same definition for colocation  as it does for co-location.  The Cambridge Dictionary does not recognize colocate and defaults back to collocation. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines colocation as:  ‘to locate together; to place (two or more units) close together so as to share common facilities’ .

This makes perfect sense to say, we want to colocate a server in a data center , or that our server colocation service helps reduce downtime. It follows that my definition of colocation is to house or host ones computer server equipment, along with the equipment of others, within a data center facility. Since Webster’s defines the word as sharing common facilities, colocation, is the correct use.

According to my research and the research conducted by Sune Christianson, technology professionals use colocaton far more than collocation and co-location.  The definition of colocation directly correlates to a data center service.

Virtualization is the technology behind cloud computing and it makes such a pool of network resources a genuine possibility.

Managed Server Hosting:

Managed server hosting is a phrase used to describe the way a hosting plan is designed to function. Managed hosting is the better way to host your critical infrastructure, providing high security and fully redundant backup power supplies, 24/7 monitoring and access, round the clock engineers and much more. Managed hosting revolutionized the way organizations established their working presence on the Internet which  enabled them to conduct commerce online. Managed hosting handled by the Service Provider is ideal for organizations that don’t have the time, resources or operational expertise to handle server operations, applications and upkeep of their key infrastructure. Organizations that have a need for dedicated resources generally choose the managed server hosting option.

Dedicated Virtualization and the Structure of a Private Cloud:

Private cloud technologies have revolutionized the way the Internet accesses information over the Internet. Using VMware, Xen or Hyper-V, a private network is set up with an operating system that uses very little system resources.

This creates the possibility to include more than one virtual server on one physical hardware server. It creates a more efficient usage of system resources and delivers content faster than other dedicated server solutions. It’s all a matter of receiving as many resources as you need. Server A might only need one core and 3 GB of RAM to function properly, while server B might need a custom-tailored cloud hosting solution.
Grouping more than one virtual server per physical hardware server also keeps costs affordable and within the spending budget of almost everyone! There’s no need to overpay for resources which you do not need at a certain point. The scalability cloud hosting creates is unprecedented.

Public clouds are also created using virtualization technology and utilize the same shared hardware, providing a more cost efficient way to use cloud hosting as a business solution. Public and private clouds only differ in how they use physical hardware. Public clouds share their resources, while private clouds are linked to dedicated hardware designed to serve a single purpose. With a public cloud, you can opt to only pay for the services you use and none of what you don’t. You can pay per hour, day, week, month or even year. Less resource intensive server applications will be able to take advantage of the functionality of cloud hosting without any exorbitant fees.

How To Understand What Your Hosting Needs Are and How They Relate to Cloud Computing

Cloud computing, by the right Service Provider, offers a higher level of security and the ability to alleviate the problem of multiple physical server locations. All server resources are shared on the cloud, making any maintenance efforts and customizations faster than ever before.
Private clouds are much more reliable and robust than public clouds. Public clouds have to serve a great majority, while private clouds are designed to serve a select few. Even though cloud computing is a much more efficient and faster way of doing business, public clouds fall short in ability  when compared to private clouds.

If you are an enterprise class business or an organization with a large computing resources and bandwidth requirements, you may want to choose  a private cloud. However, although they more easily meet compliance requirements and have higher uptime guarantees ,  they generally cost more than the public clouds, which is something to take into consideration when deciding which cloud option to choose.

Organizations that demand less resource intensive applications and are simply looking for a low cost infrastructure and online presence will be more attracted to a public cloud hosting solution. Public clouds are relatively inexpensive and offer the same features as a private cloud without the need for resource intensive dedication. All users of  public clouds are provided the resources they need according to the current server resource demand. Everyone shares the same resources, and unless your application is extremely taxing on the server, public clouds  are a perfectly viable solution to help your organization prosper.

If your organization is currently using dedicated hosting solutions such as under-utilized servers running only a few programs, you will love cloud computing. Cloud computing has all of the resources and system processes running through a shared medium. Even on the private cloud, resources are allocated according to the current demand on the server configuration.

If you have deployed a huge server infrastructure in the past and had no choice but to deploy multiple physical servers,  you now have a new option with cloud computing.

Cloud computing groups together everything you need to run your server applications and does it more efficiently than ever before. No more wasted system resources and hardware or employees with nothing to do. Cloud computing makes sure everything is streamlined and handled with extreme efficiency.

The Versatility of Cloud Computing, Private and Public Clouds

Because everything about cloud computing is based on a virtual schematic, scalability, upgrades and downgrades are much simpler. Scalability doesn’t require any of the physical labor that was once a big part of dedicated server solutions. Instead, upgrading and downgrading of virtual servers and feature includes are done with the click of a button. New virtual servers can be brought online to serve a company’s growing demand and escalating requirements with ease. Cloud computing is the new hosting definition of flexibility, scale and cost effectiveness.

While server upgrades and the addition of new servers used to be a manual process, cloud computing changed all that. Now, in association with current server demands, cloud servers automatically create new virtual servers to handle the increase in resource demands. This keeps employees from having to perform repetitive tasks and operations that a cloud configuration is capable of handling by itself. As new virtual servers are added to keep up with the increase in demand, new machines are enabled and put into use. This keeps any growth in demand from ever being able to affect the overall performance of the cloud network.

Which to Choose? Managed Hosting, Public Cloud or Private Cloud?

As an overview, managed hosting is much more expensive than public and private clouds. Usually reserved for organizations with exacting standards and resource requirements, managed hosting solutions still hold a great deal of the market consumers.

However, public and private clouds have all the features of a managed hosting solution , without the need for continual upkeep of the servers.  There is simply no availability to take part in the expansion operations, or at least, much less than that which would be required with dedicated server solutions.

Large organizations with rigorous requirements should opt for a private cloud.  While more expensive, it has the most options and features available for your dollar.  Larger organizations are simply not designed for a public cloud, as they require too many system resources for it be a viable solution.  Although there is no such thing as one-size fits all in cloud computing, a lot also depends upon the applications being provisioned and the utilization the of machines.

Small organizations that require fewer resources could be better suited for the public clouds, as they can more adequately share system resources without causing a conflict.  If your application doesn’t need a large scale private cloud and you can save money by using a public one, then this would be an effective option.  That, or choose to go with a managed hosting solution.  Just be sure to pit the positive aspects of each Hosting option against any negative possibilities.

As far as the Healthcare Industry is concerned, cloud hosting represents the future because scaling up or down sometimes becomes a necessity.  For example with open enrollment for insurance and new patient registration, flexibility is of the utmost importance, and cloud hosting represents an extremely important step in the right direction.  As a Health care professional, understanding that even standard managed dedicated hosting is sometimes not able to satisfy the needs of your project is a must.  You also want to make sure you have considered all regulatory and compliance requirements.

With so many requirements, including The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996, Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) compliance, Statement on Accounting Standards (SAS 70) and Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance, there are serious considerations to be made towards security and implementation of controls; these should be the key objectives.

With the fast adoption of electronic medical records (EMR) and Electronic Health Records (EHR), there are also serious considerations to be made to ensure patients’ privacy and the protection of records.

Multi-practice data management can represent a challenge for quite a few reasons, and cloud hosting is a solution which provides the right balance of reliability, flexibility and scalability. Because cloud hosting is a relatively new type of service and not all providers are equally knowledgeable, it’s important to establish partnerships only with companies that have proven themselves.

Data Centers and Savings

In the past, a majority of organizations opted to handle the hosting aspect of their business in-house, but now with more options and choices, traditional methods are a thing of the past.  More importantly, cost could be the driving factor in comparing traditional internal solutions versus new and innovative and cost effective hosting solutions in a data center environment.  There are serious costs involved with traditional in-house hosting and a lot of logistical challenges will need to be taken into consideration.  How much will it cost to train and remunerate your staff?  How much will it cost to replace broken hardware?  These are just two of the questions you need to ask yourself in order to determine if handling everything internally is worth the effort.

Data centers put a lot on the table in terms of reliability, affordability and features (such as advanced cooling systems and regulatory compliance).  Since they operate a large number of servers, it is possible for them to keep costs reasonable and pass the savings on to customers.  At the end of the day, numbers do all of the speaking,  if you want to host your applications in-house, those numbers might not add up.

Future Hosting Solutions

The future of hosting solutions in our current day and age is definitely exciting.  What may seem to be a perfect solution today might not work tomorrow.  Bear in mind that there is always a new wave of technological advancements that could be more efficient, robust and cost effective.  Six months down the road, you may find yourself loathing the contract you signed and desire the features and options of new technologies.  Because technology is continually changing, signing a long-term contract could hinder your future growth objectives and could impact the overall profitability of your organization.

What can you do to safeguard yourself against making a mistake? You’ll need to calculate all the potential and foreseeable avenues of possibility.

You now know what public and private clouds are and how they can improve your current online efforts.  Understanding how these hosting solutions convert to your health care applications is critical to your overall success. All in all, which hosting solution you choose should be decided by the level of resources and features you need.  Public and private clouds are all about virtual resource management.  All aspects of cloud computing are designed to be more efficient than dedicated server solutions.  Not a drop of water is wasted on your journey and the lower cost of the cloud computing option will reflect this.

It has been a long time since I visited any business that did not rely on some type of database server, if only to track purchases and expenses. But I constantly communicate with businesses that lack a plan to ensure these databases function properly on an ongoing basis.

Hosting database servers at the Atlantic.Net data center helps your database remain a vital component of your business infrastructure, rather than a time-wasting black hole for IT resources.

We recently sat down with our engineering team to provide you a few tips on how we help accomplish just that:

Tip 1: Host in a Data Center

Simple power quality issues such as brownouts, blackouts or even a mere voltage fluctuation can result in your server powering down. SQL-based database systems are sensitive to these unanticipated shutdowns, resulting in errors in transaction logs and database instability. Hosting that same database server in a secure data center —where power quality is monitored every second of every day by trained engineers—helps ensure 100% uptime .

So when you are ready to start your business day, your SQL database will be ready to start as well!

Tip 2: Maximize IOPS

One vital performance metric for database systems is Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS). IOPS is important here as a measurement of how fast storage devices can read and write, which is the primary operation metric of database systems such as SQL.

Remember that in reading from and writing to a database, most hard disks must  physically move, which takes time—especially if you need to read and write from separate physical areas of your disk. By making read and write tasks concurrent, you can speed up this process with almost no administrative effort.

Instead of a single disk array handling both your operating system and application, opt for two arrays to handle each task on separate disks. Choosing serial-attached SCSI drives with high RPMs for your database, and enterprise-level SATA drives for your operating system will drastically improve read and write performance

Tip 3: RAID: It does more than kill bugs

If you are a server administrator, you are probably familiar with the concept of redundant array of independent disks (RAID). Using a RAID algorithm, administrators can spread a set of data across multiple drives. Depending on which RAID algorithm is used, RAID can provide redundancy (via mirroring), improve performance (via striping), or a combination of both.

At Atlantic.Net, we recommend the use of RAID 10 for SQL applications. RAID 10 uses mirroring and striping to provide significant protection against hardware failure, while maximizing IOPS. Microsoft agrees with us.

Always use a hardware RAID card with a dedicated coprocessor when deploying SQL in a RAID environment; doing so will free your CPU to focus on cycle-intensive applications, as opposed to doing time-consuming RAID math.

Tip 4: Computers Only Want One Thing

Having various types of applications running on the same server typically makes servers less efficient.

We recommend segmenting services to get the best possible performance. For instance, run a web server on one set of boxes and a database server on another set, using dedicated appliances for firewalls and load balancing.

Tip 5: Cache

One way to prevent the need to physically move hard disks, and in the process improve performance, is to cache commonly used data in memory, thus reducing the amount of steps necessary to complete a database transaction. You could run one or more proxy servers, or even a caching application on your SQL server , to serve requests for cached data and significantly reduce the load on your SQL-based system. There are great open-source applications available to provide this functionality such as memcached, which can be obtained from http://memcached.org/ .

Hardware-enabled write caching is also typically supported by hard disk or RAID controller cards. Hardware write caching may actually degrade I/O performance though, depending on the block size, database software, RAID algorithm, and the type of controller being used. Additionally, when using certain types of tables combined with certain types of hardware-enabled write caching, an administrator can risk serious database recovery issues in the event of an unexpected application or server shutdown.

Database and SQL servers require high availability; therefore, ensuring 100% uptime is generally accepted as best-practice for businesses. Availability is so critical that it can have a deep impact on productivity by negatively affecting staff members, users and operations throughout the organization. If you choose an in-house hosting solution for your SQL Server, it could mean little to no security, poor reliability and no scalability. Alternatively, hosting your SQL Server with a Service Provider can yield increased uptime, scalability and performance for your databases. Managed hosted SQL server solutions can even provide optimal performance by outsourcing server management to the service provider. For optimal server hosting, as well as the right SQL setup, choose a service provider that can maximize your productivity with a 100% uptime guarantee.

Give us a call at 1-800-521-5881 to discuss your upcoming SQL projects.

With the adoption of EMR/EHR there is still plenty of room to increase operational efficiency, cost savings and productivity gains. Electronic Medical Records are gaining in popularity because of the paperless approach. At the same time this creates an effective demand for data centers to host such records in secure facilities. Secure facilities are a must due to the highly sensitive nature of the data being hosted combined with the fact that strict security procedures and practices must be maintained.

EMR can be handled in a variety of ways; some of the common methodologies are:

1.  The Electronic Medical Records are hosted in the office environment; which is the traditional approach that has been in practice for many years, even before the latest push by Congress for EMR.

2.  Colocation servers are installed in data centers while existing server infrastructure is utilized efficiently to save on operational costs. This service is often referred to as “server colocation” or “colocation hosting.” This is a step in the right direction towards veering away from the traditional mindset. Colocation utilizes the latest and greatest data center infrastructures which can significantly help reduce costs associated with similar legacy environments.

3.  Managed Server Hosting is the latest idea that is designed to take advantage of the human capital available at the data centers for cross subsidization. This greatly helps practitioners’ focus their efforts on their patients and practices rather than worrying about their day-to-day server hassles. For many, this could be the better option when deciding to implement an EMR Solution.

Managed Server Hosting can yield expected results with reduced risk and cost.  This service is also referred to as a “Managed Server” or    as “Managed Dedicated Server Hosting”. However, there is another service that is intermediary to Managed Server Hosting and Colocation Servers ; namely Dedicated Servers, often referred to as “Dedicated Server Hosting ”. This is similar to a Managed Service as far as hosting goes, but lacks some bells and whistles such as managed backups and security.

4. Selecting a new breed of Service Providers who specialize in not only hosting the EMR applications, but managing it as well could be the ultimate solution that provides maximum gains and peace of mind. These service providers are referred to as “ASPs” or “Application Service Providers”.  Not only do they maintain and host your equipment, they also manage your software.

If you have already adopted EMR or a similar solution, or are considering investing in protecting your critical data, Managed Server Hosting could be the best option to save you time, money and hassle. Implementing Electronic Medical Records can be very easy with Managed Server Hosting for various reasons. Once you secure a suitable EMR solution and begin hosting your EMR with your service provider, your EMR strategy is largely complete, assuming that you choose the right Service Provider. You do not need to think about how to manage your data, how to safeguard that data, how to prepare for natural disasters, or the ongoing IT Management costs.

Managed Server Hosting promises to deliver most of this and helps make your EMR strategy scalable, yet affordable, by reducing the operational and ongoing infrastructure costs as well as IT management and maintenance costs. It saves you valuable time that can instead be invested in the operation of core EMR applications, rather than focusing on the hosting aspect.

When adopting an EMR strategy, the following four components must be carefully considered and thought through before making critical decisions:

EMR standards –

Privacy and Security policies must be maintained in order to protect the patient’s privacy and safeguard critical data. There are new laws and regulations in place ensuring such standards are implemented accordingly. In fact, security is the most critical aspect since a data breach could mean hefty fines being levied in accordance with the Healthcare reform Act and the HITECH Act, which amended the HIPAA laws.

Infrastructure –

Infrastructure can dictate how well the EMR strategy is built for effectiveness, sustainability and robustness. Emergencies happen around the clock, illnesses do not wait for downtime, and therefore ensuring 24×7x365 availability is crucial.

In addition to physical infrastructure security, access to the Infrastructure should be closely monitored. Ensuring unique identifiers for each patient, in addition to each physician, nurse, or individual who may require access to such records should be tightly administered. This is a proactive step to thwart off unwanted security breaches.

Information –

The most elaborate Electronic Medical Records systems should contain historic data and records of past treatments and prescriptions, in addition to current treatment solutions, all of which should be available to every practitioner in order to save time and streamline the process of cross checking for critical and life threatening errors. This is in no way a full proof system, as it is still in early development, and records should be double-checked for human error.

Change Management –

There should be a skilled workforce for maintaining the records in the EMR system. It should be updated in a timely manner, as well as accessible to both physicians and patients.

The EMR components are shown in the figure below.

All of the above listed components should be considered before implementing an EMR Solution with Managed Server Hosting. Various health care providers grant access to their health information systems to their affiliated physicians, which only control one part of patient care. For truly synchronized care, physicians and their patients must be associated with those seeking information before such access is granted.  Health care providers play a crucial role in assisting the physicians by hastening the use of health information technology, improving patient safety, and reducing the health care costs incurred.

Managed Server Hosting has been proven to yield enhanced results with EMR, which significantly helps health care providers to focus on their core business. It is the comprehensive solution that simplifies EMR implementation and management, allowing you to put a spotlight on the mission of improving patient care. Over the next few years, EMR Software implementation is expected to grow considerably, partially due to the Federal stimulus money earmarked for the provision of electronic medical records systems nationwide.

Atlantic.Net believes that the business of health care exists to facilitate the practice of good medicine. Efforts should be focused on and directed towards healing the sick, not managing their IT infrastructure. As physicians in the community become tasked with the technical aspect of running their practices, they are focusing less on healing the sick. With more resources becoming available to practitioners, however, the opportunities for their practice’s growth is increasing exponentially. With an increase in patients and a decreased interest in managing their data, many are considering outsourcing their EMR and other IT strategies to Service Providers in order to shift focus back onto the patient.

Fortunately, Atlantic.Net can help. We have worked with various medical groups across the country and have experienced firsthand the increasing challenges that health care providers face. Atlantic.Net understands how health care professionals, now more than ever, can benefit by saving their Electronic Medical Records and patient health information in our secure data center. Physicians can leverage the expertise of our engineering staff in order to keep their records safe, secure and fully operational 24 hours a day.

Medicare providers stand to receive $44k in tax rebates by implementing EMR /paperless office technology into their practice. Whether you are an individual physician, a group practice or a hospital with multiple physicians, full compliance with the new HIPAA EMR requirements will pay for itself. The time to begin instituting EMR technology into your practice is now – reimbursements from the government will decrease over the next few years, with your full opportunity for reimbursement available only in 2010. Give us a call at (800) 521-5881 for a free consultation.

Q: Is the cloud service provider experienced with various technologies?

A: Unlike computer servers in an office environment, cloud computing in a hosted environment involves expertise in network, hardware, connectivity, security and many other variables.  Selecting a cloud provider who has extensive knowledge in the areas mentioned above will help assure the readiness of your infrastructure.

Q: Who are the cloud service provider’s key technology and industry partners and what are their reputations in the market?

A: You may want to consider asking for references before getting too deep into evaluating an option.  Many Hosting providers are well-positioned with directories and ratings sites, but this does not always reflect accurate results.  Asking for a customer reference base from your prospective provider will ensure you are speaking with a customer who has real, hands on experience with that provider, and is able to share their strengths and opportunities for improvement with you.

Q: How long will my service provider be around?

A: This is one of the most important considerations in today’s economy.  It is a hard question to answer.  Hosting service providers running conservative business models with little to no debt could end up being your best option in an uncertain economy.

Q: How flexible are the terms?

A: Cloud can be truly beneficial if there are no strings attached and if they allow you to get out of the contract if you decide to do so.

Q: What is the cancellation policy?

A: You want to make sure there are no cancellation fees.  Some service providers charge transfer fees if you want to move your data to another provider.

Q: How much am I going to have to pay out of pocket?

A: Cost should be a major consideration.  Determine if your service provider is offering you an open source solution, or a “one size fits all” type of solution.  Since Cloud is in its early stages, you will want to make sure you are considering an open source solution that is flexible and cost effective.

Q: What do they guarantee?

A: Service level agreements and monitoring are vital.  Every company that buys any service from a Cloud service provider must either accept a standard service level agreement (SLA) from the provider, or negotiate such an agreement to protect itself from the unexpected.  No organization should commit mission-critical systems to the Cloud without negotiating an SLA that includes significant penalties for not delivering the promised service level.

This was one of the most asked questions surrounding cloud at this year’s Web 2.0 Conference!

Q: What do their customer and technical support departments have to offer?

A: Support problems don’t disappear when applications or infrastructures move to the cloud.  You have to make sure that support targets are agreed  upon in advance with a cloud services provider.  Therefore, your company must align its internal support team in a way that facilitates dealing with both internal customers and the cloud provider.

Q: How is their billing structured?

A: One benefit of using the cloud is that as a customer you can acquire as much capability as you need.  Billing and account management must be automated so that customers can monitor what they’re using and how much it costs.  A user could run up unexpectedly high bills if they can’t accurately track usage.  Users could also be overpaying if the flexibility of scaling isn’t available.

Organizations planning to use cloud services must be assured of tight, well-defined security services.  Many levels of security are required within a cloud environment:

Identity management: so that any application service or even hardware component can be authorized on a personal or group role basis.

Access control: the right level of control needs to exist within the cloud environment in order to protect the security of resources.

Authorization and authentication: an authentication mechanism must exist so the right people can change applications and data.

At Atlantic.Net we take pride in the development of the most unique, scalable and flexible cloud product to come on the market.  We look forward to assisting our clients with their Public, Private or Virtual environment.  Stay tuned for more updates on our own Cloud and drop us a line if you are interested in doing some beta testing with us.  The opportunity will be here in no time!

We set up Daniel Poremba, Professor at the School of Information Technology, and his class of roughly twenty with Preston C, the Senior Linux Engineer at Atlantic.Net. Preston took the class on a tour of our Data Center facility and explained the significance of each component from the Colo floor to the industrial grade generator and UPS’s.  Preston explained the various systems that are powered by Linux and why Atlantic.Net chooses to use open source products over some commercial products.  He also explained the applications of Linux in addition to that of an Operating System. He was able to further demonstrate how these systems integrate with other non-Linux systems. For example Atlantic.Net uses many Linux systems and applications to run a portion of our infrastructure due to its power, flexibility, stability, robustness and cost. All of these factors are invaluable when considering the integrity and cost efficiency of operating a Data Center like ours.

Throughout the two hour tour of our Data Center these future engineers asked many thorough, well thought out questions and Preston was happy to help them understand the reasoning and logic with his technical insight.

We would like to thank Daniel Poremba and his class for visiting our Data Center and giving us the opportunity to give this invaluable experience back to the community. Preston had nothing but good things to say about the group and he was very impressed with their quality and intellect!

We look forward to exploring other opportunities to give similar rich experiences back to the community that has made us what we are today! If you, or your school, would like to schedule a tour to further enhance your curriculum please e-mail us to set up a tour.

CentruyLink surprised us all last year when they acquired Embarq, and now Qwest?  Although it eliminates consumer choices in some areas, it also makes a strong statement about a smaller company taking over one of the larger conglomerates, a statement that I personally like!

It seems like there are some good synergies between the two companies, especially in the phone service and high speed internet services areas.  This could also benefit CenturyLink with the new Rural Broadband initiatives and could end up being a smart move. Large debt is something I do not understand but I guess it will be wiped out by a few rounds of consolidation.

Qwest has built some extremely powerful data centers around the U.S. but CenturyLink seems to focus more on traditional phone line and high speed internet business.  I am guessing that the data center business could end up falling short in terms of support or priority for CenturyLink.  This could mean selling off the data center aspect of their company, or even spin it off into something completely different. In our industry, you never know!

This recent shift in ownership of Qwest could be a good opportunity for Atlantic.Net. If any company knows about acquisitions, it is Atlantic.Net, and we feel we have the opportunity to benefit from this merger. If I am not mistaken, Qwest operates two colocation data centers in Florida, one in Tampa and the other Miami.  Our Orlando facility is close to both Tampa and Miami, while far enough away from the coast line to dodge any damage from storms coming our way.  Atlantic.Net is positioned very well to benefit from this merger, as enterprise level clients would want to keep their data hosted with a company that specializes in providing Data Center services.  This puts facilities like ours  in a very good position.  With at least two Qwest data centers in Tampa and Miami under acquisition, there are many customers who might be searching for a facility and Atlantic.Net could end up becoming the best option for clients looking for high-end hosting solutions in Miami and Tampa.

Perhaps Atlantic.Net could cajole CenturyLink into some negotiations to alleviate their newly acquired,  overabundance of data centers in Florida. After all, handing off the data centers  in Tampa and Miami Florida could be the BEST option for them.

I found this event quite unique and informative with many informative seasons about blade server technology.  The emphasis this year was on cloud computing, reducing organizations existing server footprints, and streamlining operations while increasing efficiencies and productivity.

There were roughly one hundred CIO’s and Technology Directors from universities, municipalities, and large corporations.  It was a fantastic opportunity to network, discuss, and share ideas and experiences with such a diverse group.

Jon Toigo, of Toigo Partners International, opened the conference with a realistic look at procurement and how CIOs today go about upgrading and setting systems goals for their organizations.  This presentation was followed by two keynote speakers on Sunday, Chris Lofton, Head of Technology Planning for SITA and Harkereet Singh, Global Head of Energy & Sustainable Technology at Thompson Reuters.  Both keynotes took a hard look at energy use and ways to draw even greater efficiencies to make a serious impact on the bottom line.

The list of highly regarded attendees was made up of  IT Executives and decision makers from Thompson Reuters, Transunion, Answers.com, Harvard University, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Fidelity Investments, and MetLife, just to name a few.  Cloud computing seemed to be on top of everyone’s mind and everyone had their opinions to offer.  Since we are making a shift and focusing our energies more on cloud computing in the very near future, we were eager to listen, and it was refreshing to see we are building the next generation cloud platform to help such organizations and the difficulties they are currently experiencing.  As these concerns were heavily discussed among the attendees, we are confident that we will be able to deliver a superior, robust and cost-effective cloud product to technology decision makers.

In addition to the cloud buzz, there were talks about cost savings and budget cuts in IT, forcing managers to make difficult decisions regarding their IT departments.  Many agreed that outsourcing could be a better route for some if the bottom line savings are most important to them.  Others were debating about the best practices for reducing their server footprints.  Many of the attendees agreed that deploying various strategies like decommissioning idle or non productive servers, and deploying blade servers and blade UPS units to help eliminate the over usage of power, thus creating a drastic reduction in their server footprints.

To address the concerns of reduction in power consumption, server foot prints, and expenditures, blade server providers like DELL, Super Micro and IBM were in attendance.  Rafael Wong, Director of Blade Servers at Super Micro, was very instrumental in his presentation breaking down why the use of blade servers helps deliver more than the brand names for fraction of the cost -  after all a hard drive is a hard drive.  It was a relief to hear another speaker talk about how excess spending in IT is driven by push tactics by the sales representatives when you don’t really need all the bells and whistles.  After that discussion, I must congratulate Super Micro for winning the 2010 Best Blade Award and wish that all their competitors will follow the suite and provide a value product that works for a decent price - especially in the deflationary economy!

Congratulations to the ITEC Company on bringing together such a diverse and intelligent group of people and we look forward to attending many of their events for many years to come!

It was a beautiful day in Orlando, with temperatures in the high 70’s and not a cloud in sight!  Atlantic.Net, a two-time sponsor, was out in full force to mingle with industry professionals at BarCamp Orlando 2010! I arrived, bright and early, to sign Josh W. up for his very first presentation on Clustered Hosting.  This year’s event was hopping with programmers, developers, entrepreneurs, and inventors who were more than eager to share their knowledge and ideas!

This being my first BarCamp, I was a little overwhelmed by the rush of people who jumped at the presentation board.  I squeezed myself in, to politely sneak up to the board, and select our speaking time slot and topic.  Luckily, I was able to secure our spot on the board, 2:00 – Clustered Hosting by Josh W. of Atlantic.Net!  Not too shabby for an old gal.

10:15 - Starbucks, Wall Street Plaza and Slingapours -

I then went to grab a latte to give the crowd some time to simmer down.  Most of the sessions were extremely technical, and at times, I felt out of place as I am in marketing and not in tech.  “I have no knowledge of programming or developing and I don’t own an iPhone.” I turned and said to a gentleman standing next to me.  He chuckled under his breath and assured me “It will be okay, just pick one to go to.  If you don’t like it, use the two-foot rule and walk out!”   So off I went, like a child on the first day of school, into my first session.

11:30 -  HTML 5 -

Yep, it was way over my head.  I lasted two minutes, used the two-foot rule, and went back to the board!  So there I was trying to decide between Everyone Can Sing, Including YOU (the OBVIOUS choice for me!)  and Real Time Dashboards, when I heard, “Hey Kristina, do you EVER answer your phone?!?!”   Finally, some familiar faces!  Off we went to prep for the Clustered Hosting Presentation by Josh W. A few hours later, after a hearty lunch and a few practice runs of his presentation, it was off to One Eyed Jack’s to set up for the presentation on Clustered Hosting!

2:00pm - One Eyed Jack’s -

The Atlantic.Net-izens sat in the front row for Josh’s presentation, snapping pictures and shooting video.  With a full room of about 20-25 people, Josh did a great job, and on behalf of Atlantic.Net we would like to thank  him for breaking down Clustered Hosting, the different commonly used programs along with the pro’s and con’s for each,  and the effects that clustering has upon them.  Josh received great feedback from the attendees who stopped him to say, “Hey Man, great presentation” and “Nice job up there!”

All in all, BarCamp Orlando provided a great opportunity to share our knowledge with the community, give a little insight to the developers and programmers in the audience, and provide a back end look at how applications and programs work in different environments.  We will certainly be speaking at the next event and we look forward to continuing to support BarCamps throughout Florida.