Organizations of all sizes are already using cloud computing solutions to dramatically increase the flexibility of their IT infrastructure and reduce costs. This is your opportunity to learn more about new solutions and offerings that will empower organizations still contemplating cloud solutions.

Intel’s Sandy Bridge is the name for their second generation of Core processors. It’s first “visibly smart” microarchitecture to combine visual and three-dimensional graphics technology with performance-leading microprocessors on a single chip. Incorporating the newly architected Intel HD Graphics on each 32nm die enables significant graphics performance improvements over previous-generation graphics for both HD media processing and mainstream gaming. The chips improve performance and yet still offer great battery life and the ability to design thinner, lighter and more innovative laptops and all-in-one PCs.

Combining Red Hat’s cloud vision – which is unlike that of any other IT vendor – with Intel’s latest processing advances, and you have the flexibility to evolve your organization to the cloud efficiently and cost effectively.

If you’re in the Houston area and would like to attend, please register. But if you’re not in Houston or are unable to attend, we’ll blog further on this after the event, so please check back.

Plus, we’re participating with two great partners of ours, Raritan and Spectra Logic, so you have even more reasons to stop by our booth.

Raritan is a leading supplier of solutions that securely monitor, access, control and manage servers and other IT devices in data centers, server rooms and remote offices. Their complete line of Cat5 analog and KVM-over-IP switches, serial-over-IP, power management and remote connectivity products provides the most reliable, flexible, scalable and secure solutions to monitor and manage IT infrastructures, while reducing downtime and improving operational productivity.

Spectra Logic’s archive and backup products are specifically designed for secondary storage needs and are compatible with every major operating system, backup application, tape, and disk format. Their products provide integrated library encryption and key management options through intuitive BlueScale 10 interface and energy-efficient tape libraries and disk products that use far less power than other comparable products.

So come on by, play some video games, and meet some great folks with fantastic technology offerings.

Hope to see you at the show!

Check out some pictures of the event here and join us next year at our sweet 16^th Zoo Night!

Joe Kovar from CRN also attended the event. He created a nice slideshow you can see here.

Special thanks again to all our fantastic partners and clients who could attend the event. We hope to see you next year!

There has been a lot of talk about RFID technology, but proximity cards and other tokens are just one aspect of building a secure access control system. While the networks and integration components that tie the systems together have been evolving steadily, the principles involved in the design and implementation of these systems have not changed in decades.

Since there are few references out there on this topic, John will explore the issues by designing a complete hardware and software system from the ground up, including installation and commissioning. The system is based on the simple-to-use Arduino micro-controller and commodity components and is meant to be a framework for further improvement and development.

Hackers interested in getting a preview can check out the code and hardware designs at: http://code.google.com/p/open-access-control/

John is an Enterprise Systems Architect for Advanced Systems Group. His expertise includes storage architecture, disaster recovery planning and network security. John is also a founding member of the 23b Hacker Space in Fullerton, CA and actively helps other hacker spaces get started. He has built a number of open-source projects and also teaches electronics, TIG welding, machining and other topics at the space.

Dan has been with ASG for 16 years—almost 11 of those as our CIO—and has had an instrumental role cultivating and promoting ASG’s company culture of innovation. With his extensive experience, Dan has a keen knowledge and ability to articulate technology, solutions, products, and company vision to everyone from accounting to executive-level employees—deeply aligning technology strategies to business vision. And as part owner, Mr. Park has a vested interest in the success of the business, and he takes a hands-on approach to guiding business efficiencies within the company.

The Denver Business Journal will announce the winners at a luncheon on Thursday, April 14 at the Grand Hyatt Denver Hotel. The Denver Business Journal’s April 15th edition will include a special section with profiles of the winners . The awards also feature presenting sponsor PwC, and supporting sponsors Oracle and the Colorado chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM).

We’ll be updating our blog after the winners are announced, so be sure to check back for an update shortly. And congratulations, Dan! You’re already a winner in our book!

Chris Roberts, founder and CISO of One World Labs (OWL), will illustrate the scary truths about how easily someone can steal your data. You’ll learn “what” exactly you need to protect—not just data in the sense of where it is, but what it’s worth and how it can be manipulated/bought/sold/traded. Chris and ASG will also provide some best practices for the acquisition, storage, access, maintenance, monitoring and protection of your most valuable assets.

• Protect against the misuse of information (including by authorized users)
• Guard against open and legal collection efforts that can harm the entire company
• Protect information from those who are not authorized to receive it – intrusion and espionage
• Anticipate and monitor threats and build effective countermeasures

Join us to better understand where you should be with your security, so you won’t be grinched! Register today, as space is limited.

In the spirit of the season, ASG will donate $100 to the charity/non-profit organization of their choice for all who attend.

~ Storage, server, and data center virtualization
~Cloud deployment, including the benefits and differences between private and public cloud infrastructures
~And the latest on disaster recovery and business continuity in today’s data center environments.

These are all hot topics today, so be sure to mark your calendars.

Or if you’re in Boise December 12^th, look for ASG at the Idaho CIO/IT Symposium. This is an inaugural event and will surely be a great place for knowledge sharing and networking.

We hope to see you at one the events!

How did the ASG Zoo Night get started?

When I joined ASG in 1996, I was told I’d have an ASG “Open Systems Open” golf day for my local customers. I thought that was great, but my next response was, “What else can we do?”

That’s when we came up with the idea of the San Diego Zoo Night. We hosted the first one in August 1997, with no less than a hundred people attending. We chose a smaller restaurant called the Treehouse inside the Zoo, and we gave away fanny packs from Eagle Creek. I still have mine, and I know some of my customers still have theirs too.

Although it was a fairly modest event that first year, it was a huge success, and the San Diego Zoo Night became an annual tradition. The next year, we moved into the big space by the skyway.

What do you enjoy most about the ASG Zoo Night?

I enjoy the process leading up to the party. For example, I always try to study the sign-up list ahead of time, so I can greet everyone by their first name. But in general, the Zoo Night reminds me that my customers have lives outside of work, and that’s important to me. So I really enjoy meeting my customers’ families. After all these years, I already know many of them, and I always look forward to meeting new ones.

I also enjoy having other ASG employees attend from out of town—especially those from Arizona who need a break from the heat.

Do you have a favorite memory?

One of my favorites is the year that Scott McNealy, former CEO of Sun Microsystems, came with his wife, kids, and mother.

Stay tuned to hear more and to see photos from the event, scheduled August 6th.

ASG brings years of experience to the Summit, working with healthcare companies in the areas of virtualization, assessments and audits, and professional services, . We’ve worked with partners including Hitachi Data Systems and others to implement virtualized storage environments, virtual desktop/thin-client computing solutions, and back-up solutions – all with ROI in mind.

Once the Summit is complete, we’ll bring you some insight on what we learned and what’s new in the area of Healthcare IT – certainly a HOT topic these days!   Stay tuned…

If you can’t make it, be sure to check back with us soon. We’ll be posting some fun photos from the event – and maybe even a video or two. http://www.innotechconference.com/pdx/

Come by and listen to one of the many presentations we’ll be doing right from our booth.  Here is our agenda for the day:

Here is the gaming truck that we’ll have at our booth.

Come by for the fun!