// BLOG
Online Backup Service
January 23, 2010 by Charles Gardner
Photo credit dkassner
I am proud to announce that I now offer a custom online backup solution to my clients.
This service utilizes the proven technology of the CrashPlan Pro system and secure, encrypted storage on my equipment within a secure data center.
The real differentiator from other larger services is the personal service you will receive directly from me. I will work with you to setup an appropriate solution, install it, and monitor it. If you have any questions or problems, you contact me directly, and it will be resolved. No 1-800 calls to who knows where with wait queues and frustrating communications problems. Your data will be safe, and you will have confidence in the solution.
Contact me today to get a quote and get started.
Why A Client Hypervisor Matters More Than You Realize
June 12, 2009 by Charles Gardner
In the not-too-distant future, the availability of solid client hypervisors will dramatically shift the way we deliver IT, particularly in the SMB space. This XenClient page at Citrix.com does a great job demonstrating this. Be sure to watch the video while you’re there.
The client hypervisor’s impact will quickly eclipse the impact of the server hypervisor in many ways:
- Consumerization: A common client hypervisor will be the platform by which IT can fulfill the promises of consumerization. A new employee already has a personal laptop? Great, just load the corporate VM onto their machine alongside their personal VM. Eventually we may even be able to do the same thing with their phone (see VMWare’s Mobile Virtualization Platform).
- Standardization: With a hypervisor abstracting the physical host, a single VM image can be deployed across dissimilar hardware platforms, radically expanding the application of standardization. Rather than needing a separate client image for each hardware model, images can be created based directly on the usage case without regard for the underlying hardware. This will further align the standard image to the user’s needs.
- Security: The ability to isolate tasks of dissimilar natures into separate VMs at the client endpoint will provide an additional layer of protection. For a task such as web browsing, which must be considered inherently risky, I would look to stand up and tear down a VM on a regular basis, possibly per session.
- Flexibility: Hardware upgrades could become as simple as copying a VM from one machine to another. The IT department could easily issue a “loaner” PC or laptop for the user’s VM to run on while physical failures are fixed.
While client hypervisors will inevitably introduce new and complex problems of their own, I look forward to the opportunity to apply them to solve real problems in new and elegant ways.
VMWare Users Group Tampa and Orlando
June 12, 2009 by Charles Gardner
I had the pleasure of attending the VMWare Users Group (VMUG) quarterly meetings in both Tampa and Orlando recently.
The Tampa VMUG meeting was held April 16th at the Southwest Florida Water Management District offices. It was an informative meeting, including vendor presentations from LeftHand SAN (HP) and Riverbed.
The Orlando VMUG was May 28th at the Everest University campus. Coming right after the vSphere launch, the discussion was interesting as was the presentation by Vizioncore.
The next Tampa meeting should be in July and include EMC, VMWare, and DataDomain (per VMUG discussion).
New Web Site
June 12, 2009 by Charles Gardner
I’m happy to rollout a new web site in support of Sterling Ideas’ 10 year anniversary this month.
After having used a traditional PHP driven site, I decided it was time to shift to a WordPress driven site.
Take a look around and feel free to leave your feedback.