Edition 5 | July, 2009
Welcome to the fifth edition of Quip Notes, the newsletter presented to you by Compuquip.
To download a printable version of the newsletter, click here: Compuquip July Quip Notes
CEO’s Corner:
Over the past ninety days we have been working hard to improve the ways we communicate with our clients, partners and community. In a time when economic tensions are heightened, we understand that effective and open communication is even more critical to business relationships. The cornerstone of our effort has been around our newly designed website. Highlighted by our new “Connect with CQ” page, we have opened a bigger window into our company to keep everyone better informed and to provide pertinent information about our business, industry, and economy. By visiting www.compuquip.com, you will see many exciting and new features and I sincerely hope you will visit the site and give us your feedback.
In parallel with being more open with our community, Compuquip has “Gone Green” effective early May. After attending a Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) Seminar, we realized the need to be a better corporate citizen and role model in the worldwide effort of “going green”. By reaching out to our employees, we received a tremendous amount of suggestions, some of which we implemented immediately, and some that will take time. So far, we have stopped using styrofoam cups, we turn our computers off at night and we have reduced our office lights by 30%. We encourage each one of you to do the same at your organizations and at home.
As many know, I have been actively involved in the GMCC and I am pleased and honored to announce that I have been reappointed Chair of the Technology Committee. The Technology Committee did a stellar job developing educational programs and organizing networking events at a time when the economy demands more involvement from all of us. Of special pride was the Annual Awards Luncheon where we recognized some very deserving executives and, for the first time, created a student category awarding the top collegiate technical student. Over 325 attendees enjoyed a first class event to celebrate our industry.
Though our crystal ball into the economy continues to be cloudy, servicing our clients, partners and community continue to be our top priority. Our doors are always open and we welcome you to let us know how we can help!
Alberto Dosal, President & CEO
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New @ Compuquip: Website Re-launch
This May, Compuquip revamped its website in a major way. The new site, but with the same web address, contains many exciting new features designed to better “connect” and communicate with Compuquip’s clients and partners about who we are and what we do.
Check out two new sections:
• www.compuquip.com/connect – “Connect with CQ” in a variety of ways such as the Compuquip Blog, LinkedIn, Compuquip News, eNews and You Tube. A wealth of information will be available in this section including educational articles and videos, press releases and company updates.
• www.compuquip.com/support - The Support section now makes it easier for clients to resolve issues by offering Live Chat, email, telephone or Remote Control of your computer. Clients and partners will find this area to be user-friendly and a quick way to solve problems.
Please visit our site and let us know what you think by commenting on our blog! Look for further web developments when Compuquip subsidiary Blue Wave launches their own website later this summer.
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Another IT Problem Solved:
Challenge: Given the current state of the economy, the salaries, benefits, training and miscellaneous costs associated with employing an in-house staff of IT professionals was putting a strain on expenses for The Bank of Miami.
Solution: The Bank of Miami turned to Compuquip’s Managed IT Services solution to reduce costs and realize a greater return on investment on technology and network operations. After performing a thorough analysis of The Bank of Miami’s existing IT needs, functions, dependencies and issues, Compuquip developed a plan to simplify the bank’s IT operations and increase efficiencies. Compuquip employed some of The Bank of Miami’s existing engineers, who, along with Compuquip’s certified engineers, quickly transitioned The Bank of Miami to the Managed IT Services model and toward IT savings.
By migrating the bank’s help desk into Compuquip’s Service Desk, a central, remote point of contact was established to eliminate redundancies. From the Service Desk, engineers can remotely monitor, update and manage the bank’s network and computer systems to identify potential issues and resolve them before they impact the bank’s operations. This proactive analysis was reinforced by a full-time team of on-site Compuquip engineers.
“Compuquip always finds a way to deliver,” said Alba Prestamo, COO of The Bank of Miami. “They provide us with confidence in our IT systems while providing a significant financial savings for the bank. By choosing Compuquip’s Managed IT Services, The Bank of Miami will realize significant monthly savings while ensuring complete coverage and reliability of our network. Along with a very smooth transition to its support model, the entire Compuquip team provides us with unparalleled levels of IT professionalism, experience and expertise.”
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Business Continuity – Thank you Mother Nature for your gift of forced preparation!
by Brian Dosal
As summer arrives organizations are once again reevaluating to make sure their business runs before, immediately after, and sometimes during a hurricane. Business continuity or disaster recovery plans are developed to mitigate this type of threat. While it certainly is our most visible risk, a hurricane is not the only situation that jeopardizes a business’ normal operations. What if an executive or business owner stores large amounts of sensitive data on his or her laptop, and that laptop gets stolen? Will the business be able to continue normally if he or she does not have access to the data or worst yet, a competitor or malicious person gets ahold of it? What if the power goes out at a bank the moment before important wire transfers need to happen at the end of the day? Can the bank operate as needed?
We are fortunate, as South Floridians, that every summer Mother Nature forces us to prepare for the worst (yes, I said fortunate). It forces every business to think about their operations, technology structure, and to explore unique ways to be protected during the most unusual circumstances. Our advice is to take full advantage of Mother Nature’s gift and prepare for all of the unpredictable! Ultimately we like to keep the technology simple and utilize this time to investigate all areas of risk and importance in your normal business operations.
Let me share a few high level items that will help guide you to find all the threats that may apply to your business. The first and most obvious risk to South Floridians is Environmental risks. This includes Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, etc. Next, and also very obvious, are the Man Made risks. Power outages, sprinkler discharges, chemical spills, and bomb threats to name a few. It is impossible to predict what our fellow man will do next to disrupt our business, but we do know that disruptions are inevitable (unfortunately there is no “Power Outage Season” to prepare us). Formulating a plan of how to handle the unexpected can be extremely useful in unfamiliar territory.
The next two risks are often forgotten in a Business Continuity Plan. Malicious Harm and Negligent Behavior are liabilities that most organizations understand but usually are not prepared to mitigate before they occur. For instance, what will happen when a disgruntled employee (the most dangerous of all malicious risks) is the only person who understands your systems? How are you prepared to reduce that risk? Does he or she have access to sensitive information? Certainly you cannot plan for every malicious or negligent behavior, but you can alleviate their impact through education, technology controls, and reinforcing accountability in the workplace.
Once you understand all of your risks you can then properly plan for them by implementing the right technologies. Believe me when I say, the technology is the easy part. Take this time to prepare for it all!
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Employee Spotlight
Stephen Jimenez, Technical Account Manager, Managed IT Services, 12 years
On May 1, Steven Jimenez celebrated his 12th anniversary as a Compuquip employee. During the past 12 years he has done much to impress Compuquip and earn the trust of his clients.
A proclaimed “geek at heart”, Steven earned an Associate in Science degree from ATI. His training also includes Microsoft, Cisco and Symantec security certification. At Compuquip, Steven previously held the positions of Network Engineer, Senior Network Engineer, and Senior Systems Engineer, until his recent promotion to Technical Account Manager. His comprehensive technical knowledge and adept customer service expertise set him apart as the front-runner for the job.
“Steven has shown us over the past 12 years that he not only has a strong desire to reach new personal levels of success, but also that he genuinely cares about advancing Compuquip in the information technology industry,” says Eric Dosal, Compuquip’s Director of Services. “Due to his extensive experience and passion for technology, I knew he would embrace the responsibility of the Technical Account Manager role.”
Steven has enjoyed the new role where he looks after the technical needs of his clients, whatever they may be.
“As a liaison between Compuquip and its clients, I look forward to positively influencing the business environments of those I work with. I strive to keep my clients up-to-date on emerging technologies and to help them decide when and where to apply them. I act as a virtual CIO for many companies and take pride in the ways in which I am able to improve their business operations.”
Married with a 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, Steven enjoys being with his family in his spare time. Not surprising to most, his second love is researching and experimenting with technology.
Steven is excited about his future at Compuquip, where he enjoys the camaraderie of his co-workers and the challenges he will face as technology continues to evolve. He looks forward to building new client relationships and shaping the future of Managed IT Services at Compuquip.
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Upcoming Events
As part of the 2009 Seminar Series, Compuquip will host a “Security and Compliance Seminar” in August. This educational dinner will inform Managed IT Services clients on how to improve network security and meet regulatory standards during this challenging economic period.
Also in August, Compuquip has teamed up with Check Point Software Technologies to host an “End of Summer Escape” customer appreciation event.
The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Technology Committee will sponsor a cocktail networking event, “High Tech on the High Seas” hosted by Carnival Cruise Lines in September. For more information, go to www.miamichamber.com.
For more information on upcoming events, please visit www.compuquip.com/connect and click on Event Calendar.
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Q&A
Who should I contact with questions about my Compuquip account?
Call your Compuquip Account Rep at 305-436-7272 between the hours of 8AM to 5PM EST Monday through Friday.
For more Information, visit our website at www.compuquip.com/support or call 305-436-8853 • 8399 NW 30th Terrace, Miami, FL 33122
