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Six Keys to Effective Project Management

Most projects are about change – and change is seldom easy. Both individual people and organizations seem hard-wired to resist it, and often for good reason: It’s often messy. It’s usually difficult. And however careful the planning, preparation, and execution beforehand, there is often a sense of uncertainty about the results – if not about the outcome, then about the response to it. Easy or not, though, change is necessary – and actually, it is inevitable. If there’s one thing that seems abundantly clear in our mobile, technology-driven, fast-paced world, it’s that nothing stands still for very long. Change is the environment we live in - whether purposeful and directed or accidental and chaotic. The choice becomes whether to resist it, to succumb to it grudgingly – or to embrace it wholeheartedly, with a sound plan for turning it into an advantage. That’s what project managers are for: Making change ...

2023-02-16T16:01:50+00:00
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STEAK AND SECURITY: Make Sure That Security Is Always “Well Done”

Whatever you happen to be doing, it is usually a good idea to be doing it right. That involves following the basic steps needed to successfully get from the starting line to success – steps that have usually been discovered and developed by the legions who have gone before you who have tried things out, learned from their mistakes, tried again and succeeded. Take cooking a steak as an example. There are some things you always do, and some things you definitely don’t do – say, put frosting on it, or let the dog play with it. And there are some things you MAY do – if you really know what you’re doing. The things you MAY do usually don’t take much extra effort or time, just a little more knowledge – but usually, it’s those discretionary steps that make the difference between “pretty good” and “fantastic.” So how do ...

2023-02-16T16:01:51+00:00
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Hardware As A Service: Introducing the Continuously-Improving Infrastructure

In business, it’s pretty well understood that there’s no such thing as standing still: If you’re not moving ahead, you’re being left behind. More and more, companies pursue “continuous improvement” not just as a vague goal, but as a continuous daily practice. Businesses understand that they have to constantly ramp up efficiency, quality, effectiveness and speed if they’re going to do well in our fast moving, fast changing society. Continuous improvement goals run into big problems, though, when outdated technology is holding you back. It costs a lot, though, to stay on the cutting edge: Hardware upgrades are a major capital expense, and one that it is often all too easy to stall indefinitely when budgets are a concern – sometimes until it’s too late for a company to catch up. You may know exactly what hardware and software you need in order to remain current and competitive, but that ...

2023-02-16T16:01:51+00:00
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SPRING CLEANING FOR IT – Everyone needs to do it. Might as well get some help.

Ah, spring cleaning: Just about everybody needs to do it, and almost nobody looks forward to it. Whether it’s tackling winter’s ravages in the yard, clearing out the garage, or de-cluttering the closet, it’s one of those tasks that often inspires undue dread beforehand, even when you love the results afterwards. The same holds true for IT pros – perhaps even more so than everyone else. IT “cleanup” can honestly be a daunting task. Mistakes – either of omission or commission – can have far-reaching results, and the changing nature of the technology environment means that “garbage” in the form of gear, applications and data accumulates more quickly than ever before. At the same time, it is critical to get rid of the stuff you don’t want, use, or need – because chances are, that’s where the inefficiencies, security holes, and bugs are hiding. In the run-up to Red Level’s ...

2023-02-16T16:01:52+00:00
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HOPS AND IOPS: Good Beer, Good Times, Great Information!

We admit it. We’re technology junkies, and if you’re reading this you probably are too. It’s fun to learn more about new tools and systems – but it sure is a lot more fun when there’s beer involved. Last Thursday we hosted “Hops and IOPS” at Michigan Beer Company in Novi. There have been some exciting, game-changing developments in storage solutions lately that are going to make a big difference for a lot of companies, and we figured that our friends and clients would want to know about them. Judging by the response, we were right about that. Once everyone had had the chance to mingle a little and relax with flights of craft beer, Red Level’s emcee of the evening (and Director of Sales) Shanon Berry kicked off the evening’s events with introductions and a brief overview of Red Level for the previously uninitiated. After helpfully directed everyone’s attention ...

2023-02-16T16:01:53+00:00
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