Well, we did it. We’re in our new facility. CSC has moved from an office renter to a property owner and it’s really very exciting! It’ll take a few weeks of unpacking, hanging pictures, arranging furniture and all of those other fun tasks that come with a move, but we're definitely settling in. We hope to schedule an Open House for March. It’ll be our chance to show off our new digs.

Our new facility fits our needs and gives us room to grow. Our 12,000 square foot building offers us much more space than our old offices had. 7420 Worthington Galena, Worthington OH 43085, our new address, is just a couple of miles north of our old location. We're literally neighbors with Emerson Power, Mettler Toledo and Worthington Industries. In fact, Emerson’s global headquarters are right in our back yard, which leads to wonderful possibilities for greatly expanded data and power capability for our hosted services clients.

I’m especially proud of the design of our physical plant. We’ve built out two-thirds of the building and have plenty of space for everybody. We put a lot of glass in the main area of the building where our Sales Team, NSG (Network Services Group), and WSG (Warranty Services Group) work.

Our three teams literally have glass between them, which opens up their work space and encourages collaboration. Our NOC (Network Operations Center) has three 47” monitors, so the entire company can view our client dashboards, including tech support phone calls in our queue and schedule openings in each of our engineers’ calendars.

At the same time, our CSC Managed Services Program (MSP) is reporting back client IT alerts that allow us to proactively monitor and remediate from our NOC. We’ve built cohesion into our three teams because each of them knows what the others are doing. The area is so spacious, accommodating, and convenient that it’s easy and exciting for the teams to collaborate.

Because we want our employees to really love coming to work, we’ve also tried to make it a great place to relax as well. To that end, we added a billiards room next to our break room & an audio system for fun tunes. It's cool that we have this area where the team can go after work and shoot pool and let off some steam.

So, we have a bit of unpacking yet to do, but sometime in March, we'll invite everyone in for a look at the new digs.

This time of year provides us all with an opportunity to be grateful for the people and experiences that make our lives worthwhile. I am proud to work with such a fine team and humbled by the opportunity I have had this year to connect with extraordinary people in our community.

I had the chance to spend time at a leadership retreat, where I realized the enormously positive impact each business can have on our community. I am committed to finding new and innovative ways to make a difference in Columbus, to developing the leadership potential of our youth by volunteering time in schools and to supporting growth and development in the Columbus community. I hope you will join me in choosing to make a positive difference - not just at Christmas, but throughout the coming year.

From our CSC family to yours – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tom Hastings

As we move more and more into a cloud-based environment and online learning becomes the norm, many schools are switching from land-based to wireless networking. And, with extensive budget cuts to education, many schools are turning to a bring-your-own-technology (BYOT) methodology, where students are required to bring their own equipment to school.

There is simply not enough space to provide a computer lab for every student. With a new law that requires mandated online testing, schools are trying to convert to wireless and BYOT as an easy way to provide localized data management for the entire student population.

The problem for many schools is that their infrastructure is outdated. Often, servers and other electronic hardware must be replaced before even attempting the installation of a wireless system and implementing BYOT. From CSC’s perspective, the key to wireless in schools is planning.

There is still a year or two before the mandated online testing takes effect, so it's imperative that schools not wait until the last minute to make the necessary changes. Until we get a team in the school to examine the infrastructure and take readings, we don't know if there are any wiring needs, which can add time and expense.

The physical structure of the building and what it is made out of, such as drywall or brick, can have a tremendous effect on wireless capabilities. We set up an access point and take measurements on its strength to determine an appropriate setup.

Once we know what the school needs to accomplish their wireless goals, the school can secure finding and find a time during which we can install the access points. Some schools may have a technology budget, but many schools have to obtain grants or pass special budget addendum.  Most schools also try to avoid disruptions during classes, and try to schedule the installations for vacations. While these systems can be built in as little as three days, we have to know exactly what we are dealing with before we can give them an accurate estimate.

Luckily, we have partnered with an easily deployed cloud-based system called Meraki. Unlike most interfaces that require a physical piece of hardware in the school controlling the wireless access points, Meraki lets schools use the company's website to control the access points with only a few clicks of the mouse. It's easy to install, set-up, and change.

Some people worry about security with a wireless system, but the system can be as open or locked down as the school needs.  A lot of these schools want wireless access for events or other functions so parents and guests can have access to their system. As far as security is concerned, there really are no major issues as long as it’s professionally installed.

Many schools wait until it's almost too late and end up rushing to get it done. With the mandate still more than a year away, there is still plenty of time for us to review the school’s infrastructure and draft a proposal so that the school can find funding and install the system before the deadline for the mandated testing arrives.

For the most part Macs run well, but like any technology, eventually they will fail. When that time comes, the odds are you will not be able to fix it yourself. You are going to need some professional help in order to get your system back in working order.

To complicate matters, you can’t just hire any technician. You need to deal with someone who knows how to work with Macs - and a PC technician just won’t cut it. Macs have a unique system architecture that require specialized knowledge. Even the best Windows tech could end up doing more harm that good if they issue the wrong commands through Terminal, which provides the technician nearly unlimited access to the core of the system.

So, how do you pick a good Mac service provider? There are four basic credentials you should look for that will help you to decide which service provider is the one that can meet your needs.

1. Experience

When it comes to getting your systems repaired, experience matters. You need a service provide who is familiar with the system but every company’s marketing department is going to tell you that they are the best company to meet your needs. Only by talking to their customers and finding out how they have handled problems in the past can you ensure that the service is responsive, friendly and able to meet your needs. Never use a service that cannot provide you with references.

Remember, this is IT. Technology changes quickly. You’re not looking for a company with 50 years of experience. In fact, IT companies that last longer than five years are doing really well. One good example is CSC, which has been in business since 1992. Not a lengthy history when you compare it to a brand like Kellogg’s, but it is an impressive span for an IT services provider.

2. Apple Certifications

When you are choosing a company you need to be sure that the providers who will be working on your systems with have the appropriate Apple certifications. These credentials, issued by Apple, show that the people who will be servicing your systems have demonstrated the knowledge and the skills needed to work with your systems to the satisfaction of the Mac makers themselves.

3. Apple Authorized Repair Center

Apple Authorized Repair Centers come with a guarantee that the service will be done right. Even more important, using an Apple Authorized Repair Center is a guarantee that the service will not void your warranty.

4. Managed Services

A number of problems with your system can be avoided simply by making sure that your system gets the monitoring that it needs on a daily basis, and the maintenance that it needs on a monthly basis. A company that provides its customers managed services simplifies that process and helps to prevent problems before they happen. This kind of service gives you what you don’t know you need but can’t live without.

CSC has a well-trained staff of Apple-certified technicians available to help you with all of your Mac service needs. Schedule service for your Mac with us.

There’s a challenge before Columbus area business leaders today. How can you demonstrate true commitment to the betterment of the business community without reaching down to help young people climb up?

This was one of the broader themes that came out of the Columbus Partnership retreat I attended at Harvard University a few months back. I was there with about 30 other chief executives and founders from Columbus to meet with public officials, distinguished fellows and professors, and to exchange ideas and talk about business development.

Although we touched on many innovative and stimulating subjects, one idea resonated throughout the gathering: strengthen our schools to strengthen our businesses.

I reflected on what that meant for Columbus and the greater Central Ohio business community. I see two major opportunities for us. Columbus should join the growing number of major cities that place responsibility for the school systems under the purview of the mayor.

But, beyond creating a formal pipeline to introduce young professionals into the Columbus economy, I think another challenge is getting involved personally. How much time have any of us given back, so that Columbus-area students benefit from the wealth of knowledge we have in the business community?

So here’s how I see it. Our police department, fire, and most city services ultimately fall under the auspices of the mayor. Why not education? The schooling of our young people makes a difference in the quality of leadership we will have in the public and private sector. So instead of having an elected board, we should have in the mayor, a single point of authority — and accountability — for the success or failure of our schools.

Mayors are a lot like chief executives. They have to have strong managerial skills. They have to know how to efficiently coordinate limited resources. They have the most power in terms of summoning more attention and resources where needed. Like they respond to the needs of all citizens, mayors can and should be called upon to respond to the needs of students and us, the employers who want to invest in our future workforce.

We’d be joining about a dozen other major cities around the nation, including New York, Boston, and Chicago which now, well into their new structure, are seeing improved test scores, fewer teacher strikes and superintendents who stick around longer without the political in-fighting typical of elected boards. Moreover, struggling schools no longer have to clamor for services and fight for funding when it’s the mayor’s responsibility to meet those needs.

Business community leaders must work with government leaders as part of this process. We must define the kind of skills and assets we need our students to have to compete in our increasingly competitive and global marketplace.

If this sounds a bit highbrow, that’s because it is. I’m not unaware of the great amount of effort and political will that must be channeled into making this vision a reality.

In the meantime, I’m challenging myself and I’m challenging you to join me in giving more of yourself to Columbus youth. A role model from the business community may be the only positive image some see, and it could spark their desire to achieve more.

I’m inspired by members of the Columbus Partnership, who, for example visit schools and read to elementary school students once each month. I think meeting with high school juniors and seniors, who are contemplating college, can be beneficial as well. The gift of time and experience is what business owners have to give. Let’s walk the walk and talk the talk. Do more than pay lip service to these issues.

I’m starting by looking for opportunities to invest and pour into Columbus students. And next, I want to lay down the gauntlet by carving out time for my employees to do the same. The challenge is before you. Are you in?

We’ve talked about Cloud computing before, but technology is an industry that moves quickly, and Cloud – or Sky – computing, is something everyone from individual computer users to CEOs and IT managers need to start considering as a mainstream component to the way you store data and provide solutions for clients.

In cloud computing, data and software are stored on servers, and devices like smartphones and computers access them through the Internet. The move toward cloud computing allows for music and video streaming, photo storage and sharing, and document retention. From a business standpoint, it can also mean improvements in efficiency and the ability to better collaborate on projects across the miles. As more people use gadgets with limited data storage, cloud computing may become an everyday convenience.

When Apple unveiled their version of cloud services to compete in a fast-growing market led by Amazon, Steve Jobs announced, "We're going to move the digital hub, the center of your digital life, into the cloud. Everything happens automatically and there's nothing new to learn. It just all works." Wall Street analysts say with Apple's iCloud service, the foundation has been laid cloud computing to effectively transform the way we store, access, share, and manage data.

Many users are already using cloud services without knowing it. Turbo Tax, with its internet-based tax preparation, Google Picassa and Yahoo Flickr are all well-known examples of the Cloud at work. Even Facebook is a cloud-based interaction application. To most users, it’s just a popular web site, but they have an element of cloud computing to them: All the games – Farmville, Wheel of Fortune, Gardens of Time – are internet based with nothing stored locally on a computer.

Concerns for security and privacy are valid. Apple, Google and Amazon offer plenty of security promises about their cloud services, but promises don't stop people from worrying about lost documents or privacy breaches. On the other side, PC and laptops are vulnerable to theft, loss or unrecoverable data damage. One of the advantages of cloud computing from a user standpoint is that if your system is compromised, you can log in from anywhere and recover all of your information.

The cloud has some pitfalls and bugs to address, and as technology increases, the concept becomes more appealing to business owners who can see the advantages of information being accessible to team members wherever they happen to be in the world. When handled correctly, the transition is less challenging. Netflix (the lack of popularity of their new pricing structure not withstanding) is a great example of a company that rebuilt its applications from scratch and smartly designed a successful cloud platform. Security issues need to be addressed with a more holistic approach. Traditional security techniques and aggressive monitoring by IT departments effectively apply to the cloud as well as existing hosted products.

CSC believes that the future lies in the Cloud. We understand security, privacy and the benefits of web-based data storage, and offer solutions that can help you and your clients achieve your data protection and storage goals. The advantages of CSC managing our own cloud provide our clients with a local option and better service – with the same engineers that know your network — as well as fewer security concerns. We are ready to assist you to move forward – and upward. Meet you in the Cloud!

Colonel Eric Kail wrote an excellent article about leadership character in The Washington Post. He says, “Selflessness is all about strength, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Weakness, on the other hand, takes the path of least resistance; and as humans, that means being selfish — wanting all the credit and none of the blame. Real strength is measured by what we enable our followers to accomplish through our service to them.”

To be an effective business leader, one must come from the perspective of helping others play to their strengths. The Columbus Partnership enables us to be such leaders. Three strong pillars support the organization: the Columbus Chamber, TechColumbus and Columbus2020. Each pillar is vital to the health of the Columbus business climate.

The Columbus Chamber looks at the business climate in the Central Ohio region holistically and develops programs to encourage companies to stay in the metro. The Columbus Chamber works well with all the other chambers in the surrounding counties in a cooperative effort to retain businesses. They offer professional development events such as speakers and opportunities for members to learn and grow through networking, trade shows, and other opportunities.

TechColumbus encourages small businesses by arranging funds, or putting them in touch with the opportunity to get investment funds. They are always looking for fresh ideas for professional development. TechColumbus partners qualified people with young entrepreneurs to review business plans and goals. They also have many roundtable discussions with business leaders in town. A unique value proposition and a business plan that has sexy elements to it appeals to the leaders associated with TechColumbus.

Columbus2020! is the newest initiative in the Columbus Partnership. Columbus2020!’s focus is to attract business to Columbus from throughout the country and the world. Their staffers travel extensively talking about how great Columbus is as a business location. Over 200 companies are considering relocating here since Columbus2020! started. They do a great job of getting the news out and telling our story. CSC is proud to be an investor with Columbus2020! They have about 160 investors in Columbus2020! ranging from small investors to big companies that cut checks for $100,000.00. Community involvement through Columbus2020! is a win-win all the way around.

Our goal at CSC, partly working through The Columbus Partnership, is to serve our fellow business owners. If I am giving my people all the access, tools & encouragement that they need to succeed, I am being an effective leader. We are excited about the current and future possibilities in Columbus. We invite you to join us!

I am frequently asked by client and colleagues about the exact nature of “Cloud Computing”. Recent commercials have end users charging “to the cloud” and this further blurs the lines between real business value and consumer marketing for cloud services. Here I will try to break down common services that can be obtained from the cloud. I think that you will find that you are well aware of “the cloud” and have already come to depend on it. This does not exhibit an all-inclusive list, but these simplified categories will give you an idea of the variety of available services.

1. SaaS (Software as a Service)

This type of cloud computing delivers a single application through the browser to thousands of customers. On the customer side, it means no upfront investment in servers or software licensing; on the provider side, with just one app to maintain, costs are low compared to conventional hosting. Salesforce.com is by far the best-known example among enterprise applications, but SaaS is also common for HR apps and has even worked its way up the food chain to ERP.  And who could have predicted the sudden rise of SaaS "desktop" applications, such as Google Apps and Zoho Office?

2. Utility computing

The idea is not new, but this form of cloud computing is getting new life from Amazon.com, Sun, IBM, and others who now offer storage and virtual servers that IT staff can access on demand. Early enterprise adopters mainly use utility computing for supplemental, non-mission-critical needs, but one day, they may replace parts of the datacenter.

3. Web services in the cloud

Closely related to SaaS, Web service providers offer programing interfaces that enable developers to exploit functionality over the Internet, rather than delivering full-blown applications. Some web services that you may have used are Google Maps that have been embedded in an independent web site like a hotel, ADP payroll processing, the U.S. Postal Service, Bloomberg, and even conventional credit card processing services.

4. MSP (managed service providers)

One of the oldest forms of cloud computing, a managed service is basically an application exposed to IT staff rather than to end-users, such as a virus scanning service for e-mail or an application monitoring service. Managed security services and cloud-based anti-spam services can filter your network traffic and deliver clean purified traffic to your doorstep. Other offerings include desktop management services that can alert a service provides to problems areas in your network before they progress to full blown outages.

Today, cloud-based services might be more accurately described as "sky computing," with many isolated clouds of services which customers must plug into individually. These loosely coupled services running on an agile, scalable infrastructure is among the biggest of trends that is here to stay. Now, when you hear of “The Cloud”, you understand that it has value and you probably have been using it all along.

As PCs age, the number of IT issues they have typically begins to rise, increasing total cost of ownership (TCO) through a combination of factors including the cost of keeping those machines patched and up-to-date and the diagnosis and repair of machines after hardware and software failures. On average, the routine task of updating and maintaining PCs is the greatest cost driver. Failures become commonplace as machines age and manual resolution of these issues can become time consuming and expensive. Gartner estimate lifetime costs for repair and maintenance to be as high as $2,162.89 per PC, nearly half of the average PC TCO of $4,850.33.¹

The recent economic downturn is forcing many agencies, businesses, and IT departments to test traditional IT lifecycle as a means to save money. If nothing is done to improve performance and system health, extending the life of those machines could become very expensive, very quickly.  But all these figures make an assumption that desktop and laptop performance will gradually degrade over time. 

Through automated regular refreshes, periodic reboots, scheduled patching and dynamic maintenance, any organization can now proactively maintain the health of every PC on the network, new or old. This regular maintenance, which can be carried out overnight or at weekend so as not to impact users, removes many of the performance concerns associated with older machines.

In fact, third party maintenance providers can not only save you up to 60 percent of the cost of hardware maintenance, but you can extend the life of your hardware, helping you to realize significant savings during a time when you need to make a dollar last.² – recession or not!

By employing such tools, any organization can extend the life of their PCs beyond the usual limit of three years but without incurring the higher TCO associated with older machines. 

1  How to Reduce Your PC TCO 30% in 2011 | 20 March 2009 | Gartner ID: G00166195

2  Cost Optimization: Re-evaluating Your PC Hardware Replacement Strategies | 27March 2009  |  Gartner ID: G00166285

It is estimated that 1 – 3% of a company’s annual revenues are consumed by printing as stated by Gartner Group while IDC states that print volumes are declining by 1 – 2% per year.

Most companies and organizations have a good idea of what they are spending on printers, copiers, toner and paper, but have no idea what the impact is to performance when they need to be serviced.  Now day’s organizations have a split support environment between copiers and printers.  A copier company services the copier, while the IT department maintains the printers.  However, printer manufacturers are bringing inexpensive “Multi-Function Printers” (MFP’s) to market that further blurs the lines between copier and printer.  Thus the roll of the IT department and copier service provider gets confused.  These MFP’s scan, fax and print in B/W AND color making it very easy to dramatically increase the cost to print.  The MFP’s require computer drivers and integration into your network resources and this is clearly the responsibility of IT.  When you begin use the copier like copier, and it needs to be serviced, the wear and tear requires a local service provider to get it running again.  What is largely unaccounted for in this arrangement is the amount of time that IT spends trouble shooting these MFP’s.  It is estimated that 50% of the help desk calls into an IT department are printer related and distracts your critical IT resources from more important productivity issues.  Worse, if you do not have an IT department, the “power user” stops what they are doing and digs into the problem with mixed results but always consuming a lot of time.

A solid print management strategy that focuses on;

1. Rightsizing your existing fleet of printers.  This is done with a print study that determines print volumes, locations and manufacturers of all printers in your organization.

2. Utilize the benefits of the Multi-Function Printer.  These printers are well designed, energy efficient and offer many excellent features.

3. Purchase competitively.  The hardware is not the goal of the manufacturer, it’s the supplies.  Leverage your buying power of the base unit for all its worth.

4. Maintain control of the fleet.  Adjustments will have to be made.  Equipment will have to be retired and printers be returned to some desktops for special needs.  Be ready for change management.

The bottom line in print management strategies is that an organization can trim 10 – 30% from there spend on document production.  Not only can a good print management strategy hit your bottom line, it can also return your critical resources to work faster.

Security Incident Response Policy and Procedures should be in place for institutions to have a security plan to protect the confidentiality and integrity of personal information.

Clients are also responsible for taking steps to ensure that their affiliates and service providers safeguard customer information in their care.

The plan should include;

•       designate one or more employees to coordinate the safeguards;

•       identify and assess the risks to customer information in each relevant area of the company's operation, and 

        evaluate the effectiveness of the current safeguards for controlling these risks;

•       design and implement a safeguards program, and regularly monitor and test it;

•       select appropriate service providers and contract with them to implement safeguards; and

•       evaluate and adjust the program in light of relevant circumstances, including changes in the firm's business

        arrangements or operations, or the results of testing and monitoring of safeguards.