Where’s the Beef?

Irvine - I want to let everyone know that we are embarking on some new messaging at Alvaka Networks.  Our new home page (www.alvaka.net) features some new messaging and calls-to-action centered on statements that are common amongst our new clientele followed-up with the phrase “What do I do now?”

This new marketing effort has its genesis in our new marketing consultant, John Pietro.  You won’t recognize Pietro’s name, but you will recognize his work.  He is most famous for his Wendy’s “Where’s the beef?” campaign.  His work is not limited to that one campaign, but is likely his most famous and arguably the most famous, memorable and successful campaign in fast food history.  How is coaching will serve us in the tech services business remains to be seen, but I like where he is taking us....

Where’s the Beef?2016-02-10T01:03:52-08:00

Could Your Computer Breach Have Lasted Three Years?

Irvine, CA - Juniper had a flaw in their networking equipment that may have allowed breaches in government networks for as long as three years.  I would presume the same risk applies to Juniper users in private enterprises as well.The [...]

Could Your Computer Breach Have Lasted Three Years?2015-12-19T03:24:37-08:00

Your Computer Is About to Get 100 Million Times More Powerful

Costa Mesa, CA - I have been following quantum computing for a few years.  Each year researchers get a little closer to making quantum computing a reality in our lives.Here is an article on the latest research being done by [...]

Your Computer Is About to Get 100 Million Times More Powerful2015-12-15T20:35:40-08:00

You’re the Non-technical Boss with Responsibility for the Network…

How do you know your most important functions of your network are working?  How do you manage technical people whose work you don’t fully understand?  This week I have seven simple questions to ask and I provide you some tips on what answers you should expect.

Backup and Disaster Recovery is one of the most important functions in Information Technology management to assure the future viability of your firm.  But backup and DR is a function you don’t really know is working until you really need it and that is not the time to find out it is not working as planned.  My recommendation is that you bring this topic up in your next meeting with your IT team.  Here are the questions I suggest you ask:

1.       How is our backup system running?  (Let your IT person talk.  Be patient and don’t interrupt.  Let them tell you all they can.)

2.       Are we getting any error messages from the backups? (Error messages are not....

You’re the Non-technical Boss with Responsibility for the Network…2015-10-07T22:13:17-07:00

Google to Offer Irvine, California Residents with Blazing-Fast Broadband Speed

If you didn’t ready know, Alvaka Networks is located in Irvine, California. Irvine is known for their tech industry and is the 3rd largest city in Orange County with a population that is skyrocketing. This may be why Google has decided to expand their fiber broadband service in one of the fastest growing tech hubs. As of now, this gigabit service will only be available to residential customers. So what does this mean for the competition such as AT&T, Time Warner and Cox communication who have been slow to offer high-speed options at affordable prices? The average broadband speed across the U.S. is just under 12 megabits per second. Google Fiber’s network offers basic monthly Internet for $70 per month, or Internet and television for $130 monthly.

Google to Offer Irvine, California Residents with Blazing-Fast Broadband Speed2023-08-10T23:55:30-07:00

Is Antivirus Software Really Dead?

I am curious what Dye’s definition is for "cyber-attack?" One this is for sure, the motivation of hackers and malware has changed dramatically over the years. The threats are new and different today. Going back in history most malware was related to someone wanting cyber fame, making a political statement or just plain mischievousness. Now with the advent of ransomware, spam mailing bots and

Is Antivirus Software Really Dead?2017-11-13T07:30:06-08:00

April 8, 2014 Marks Exchange Server 2003 End-of-life

...Please not that online content may remain available as long as Exchange 2003 remains in the self-help online support phase, but I am not sure how long that will last.  Microsoft writes, “Companies running Exchange 2003 after April 8, 2014 will be responsible for their own for support. More importantly, because Microsoft will no longer provide security updates, companies that choose to continue running Exchange 2003 accept the risk associated with....

April 8, 2014 Marks Exchange Server 2003 End-of-life2014-03-11T19:12:48-07:00

What is Recovery Point Objective?

If your system breaks, how much information are you willing to lose when your system is recovered?  If you only back up once per day your RPO is essentially eight hours.  If at the end of the day you finish work and your system crashes and all data is lost, you have then lost the full eight hours of work.  If data is lost half way through the day, your effective Recovery Point at that point is four hours, but don’t confuse that with your objective which is set at eight hours. 

 RPO can and should be calculated differently for different systems you use.  Your Exchange Mail Server and SQL Servers should probably have an RPO of 15 minutes to one hour.  DNS servers and a static website can do fine with a 24 hour RPO since they rarely change. 

What is Recovery Point Objective?2018-05-07T08:47:43-07:00