Tech Goddess

By David Link

 I am participating in the 4th annual Hosting Transformation Summit in sunny Las Vegas today and have just listened to some heartwarming news from Dan Golding the head of Tier1 Research. Dan kicked off the morning with his Keynote “Managed Hosting and Colocation in 2009 and beyond.”

Dan described the Managed Hosting and colocation sector as “on fire” The sector is humming - incredible growth, outstanding execution, blowing away expectations. I must say, looking back 5 years ago after the tech bubble collapse, I can’t believe how strong the sector bounced back from those very difficult times.

His presentation was focused on a future, and a longer view for the industry. The HTS conference is packed this year with the largest attendance of Data center owners, Managed hosting and colocation companies ever to attend this conference.

Demand steady or increasing in all markets, driven largely by capex constraints and greater awareness and choices. Supply is growing more slowly in the past 18 months as the credit crunch has hurt the ability of providers to expand ( it is very hard to get mortgages, loans only on new data center projects). Expansion build-out of existing shells is occurring, but very little on spec. Demand Growth of 15% in 2008. (Steady and increasing in the out years) However after supply growth peaked at 7.5% in 2007 supply growth now has slowed to 5%

Dan believes that supply growth will pick back up again in 2011. Conclusions - supply is tight, demand is high and growing - this very good news for the industry.

Some other trends:

The green initiatives are more than just a trend as data center owners who don’t figure out how to maximize power efficiency will be painted as villains.

Internet traffic and services consumption are linked as Internet traffic growth has been doubling every year (2005-2007).

Prediction: 2011 - 2012 - internet traffic will get an exaflood - it is coming with a new breed of applications (set to boxes HD Video, games, etc.) that will drive new traffic patterns. Growth driven by consumer broadband + applications (HD video) applications, which in turn will drive demand for Managed Hosting / Colocation Services:

Managed Hosting Services Highlights

Incredibly fast growth 30%+

$10 Billion worldwide revenue by end of 2008

We’ll keep growth pace until at least 2011

Good news, Dan believes that fears about slowdown in growth are wildly overblown.

Why is managed hosting growing so fast?

Demographic shifts - new breed of IT employees that embrace outsourcing

Growth in internet applications (SaaS) The acceptance and growth of browser based applications has been enormous!

Ambiguity between web hosting and managed hosting has turned positive

Dan’s Key success factors managed hosting and services

High margin services - and not too many - it is so tempting in our day to day business when a customer comes along and wants to come and give us money for a unique on-off service - at this point the answer has to be no or do it through a partner.

High level of support delivery is critical - don’t cut pay in support people or outsource support to save a nickel - what you are selling is support. Keep doing this well or you will head into a bad place - just as examples in retail like Home Depot and others who have struggled with customer service challenges - the whole business starts to slide into the toilet - High levels of support delivers a strong word of mouth buying cycle

Final thoughts, the industry is healthy and will continue to thrive. Customers are looking for the one stop shop, one company that is a trusted advisor to the customer. As customers place more eggs in the Managed Service bucket, the industry will need to tighten-up those SLA’s. Today some parts of the industry have been getting away with loose SLA’s - as customers get more sophisticated and have more on the line, they will become more demanding and require robust multi-component SLAs and back-it up.

David Link is president and CEO of ScienceLogic. He and his partners built a thriving company from the ground up by focusing on delivering “products that just work” to the underserved IT infrastructure management marketplace. He has held senior management and corporate officer positions at large public companies.

How Barcode Scanner Technology Has Made A Difference
By Rick Hendershot

 The use of barcode technology has revolutionized the process of inventory control. Barcodes are used virtually everywhere to keep track of product information and inventory levels. These days barcodes are even used to add products to gift registries. No one gives a second thought any more to the use of barcode technology.

They’re so common that barcodes and scanners rarely get a second thought as to how or why they work. It’s rare that one thinks about how dragging items across the checkout scanner suddenly makes it register a price and a name which are identical to the label. We simply take barcode scanners and barcode readers for granted.

So how exactly does a barcode scanner operate? To grasp how barcode technology works one first has to understand how bar codes themselves are generated and how they work to identify products. The barcode contains information about the item that has been “barcoded”. This information is coded using a special type of barcode language. The barcode scanner then translates the language of bar codes into information that humans can understand and decipher.

The barcode language is actually quite simple. All barcodes contain specific symbols which equal a series of bars. These bars are made up of short and long bars, along with varying spacing between the bars. Every part of the series denotes a number of characters, depending upon the date originally entered into the barcode software.

In other words, barcode software is the beginning point for all barcodes and barcode scanning systems. It is what makes the system work. Programmer are able to use barcode software to inventory their products by inputting the product’s name and assigning it a barcode generated by the computer. This is all accomplished by using a sophisticated database system, where data from each product is stored. This makes keeping track of the inventory easy and it also helps to speed up the updating of pricing. New information about products is entered into the database. Then whenever the barcode scanner reads a barcode that identifies a specific product it is connected directly to the database where it finds the most current information about the product.

The barcode scanner itself uses technology that “reads” the barcode label. It does this with photo sensors located within the barcode scanner that have the ability to read and decipher each barcode as it is scanned. All of these photo sensors work together to recognize spacing, length, and alignment of different bars, then match them with corresponding product information found in the database. This ingenious technology is really quite simple when you understand how it works.

Barcode scanning technology has made a huge difference in offices, factories, warehouses, hospitals, restaurants, government facilities - anywhere where it is necessary to keep track of inventoried items. Of course the most visible place where this technology has made a big difference is at the checkout line of your friendly neighborhood variety or grocery store. The next time you are there in one of those lines, think about how barcode technology gets you out of the door just that much faster.

Learn how Wasp barcode scanners can benefit your firm. Take charge of business assets with the most productive stock control systems designed especially for small to medium-sized businesses - Article marketing services.

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Interesting Facts About Tape Measures
By Dave Southern

 The tape measure has evolved into a much modern process of getting measurements. It developed from the ribbon type to the most modern digital and laser technology capable of measuring in the most accurate method.

Tape measures are similar to rulers but, the difference is that it can be folded or rolled. They are commonly used for dressmaking and tailoring. They are made up of ribbon, cloth, plastic, or metal. Tape measures consist of linear measure marking in metric and imperial units. Carpenters or construction workers also make use of tape measures made up of thin metallic ribbon that remains straight. The metallic ribbon retracts into a small convenient storage. Surveyors also utilize tape measures with a hectometer as its measuring unit.

A unique feature prevalent to most tape measures is a small diamond which is embedded every 19.2 inches. It is called black truss marking. Measuring tapes are ideal measuring tools because of its flexibility which can be used to measure even tight corners and curves. It can also be carried in a pocket because of its small size.

This measuring tool comes in different types:

Body Measuring Tape

This type of measuring tape can be used to measure circumference of the head, waist, legs and arms of the body. One of the models of this type is the Quick Medical QM2000 Measure Mate Body. It features accurate and quick measurements. Another good feature of this tool is that it can measure up to 60 inches and has automatic retracting system. In addition, measurement readings are shown on both sides of the tape. For a more accurate measurement, a 0.1 cm increment is used with this tool.

Measuring with the Measure Mate is simple. Just wrap the retracting tape around the area which you want to measure and then put the end into position. Afterwards, just push on the button and it automatically locks into position.

Adhesive Measuring Tape

This type of tape measure comes with an adhesive that allows it to be removed and positioned on almost any surface. The tape can be written with marking pens or pencil. It is 1 inch wide and 100 inches long and is colored white with black numeral markings. This is mostly used by police investigators or Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO). It is ideal in measuring blood splatter on any surface, bullet holes, or any pieces of evidence for crime scenes.

Magnetic Measuring Tape

The magnetic measuring tape is ideal for measuring metal surfaces. It is made up of vinyl material with a UV resistant red and blue ink. It is one meter long and uses standard and metric measurement system.

Laser Measuring Tape

This type of measuring device is one of the latest advancements in measuring technology. This device can be manipulated to accurately measure length, width, distance, area, and volume. Basically, it is used by interior designers, architects, and craftsmen. The great feature of this device is that it is able to measure hard to reach objects such as buildings and billboards if it is 300 feet in distance.

The TLM100 is one of the models of this kind of measuring tool. With its point and shoot technology, it can measure quickly and precisely without having a need for an assistant. Plus, it lessens the burden of having to calculate a lot of measurements. Some of the latest models include LCD display and Bluetooth technology for fast and easy data transfer.

Digital Measuring Tape

It features an LCD that displays the measurement made. Measurements can be made in inches, feet, and even fraction measurements. The measuring device automatically switches on when the tape is extended. It will turn off when the tape is retracted into its case. The measuring tape operates with the use of two LR44 batteries.

Most of the modern spring tape measures are design based on the patent by Alvin J. Fellows on July 14, 1868. The spring tape measure has existed ever since Fellows patent. It was not widely used during that time. But in 1940, it slowly emerged and supplemented in the form of the folding ruler.

Having a proper tool for measuring jobs requiring the most exact measurement is important. The slightest inaccuracy in measurements can cause a big difference and may lead to waste of time and material. This is especially true in woodworking, tailoring, and architecture. To achieve the best results, accuracy is necessary.

For more information on Tape Measures please visit our website.

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