Alvaka Networks is growing – T minus 2 days

Irvine, CA – The movers finished delivering all our personal property from the old building. I got my basic office functions set-up tonight and my most important personal items put away. There are still some boxes to unpack and pictures to hang. Some others have done the same. Some offices are still dumping zones and in complete disarray. Most of that will get organized for tomorrow. There is the most basic semblance of an office system starting to come together. By tomorrow night is should be vastly better. We still plan to be completely operational at 7 AM Tuesday morning, but the unpacking won’t be complete.

T minus 2 days to moving-in.  Click Here for the Pictures

 

The move-ology countdown:

Alvaka Networks is growing and moving into new Irvine offices - T minus 6 days

Alvaka Networks is growing and moving into new Irvine offices - T minus 5 days

Alvaka Networks is growing and moving into new Irvine offices - T minus 4 days

Alvaka Networks is growing - T minus 3 days to moving-in

Alvaka Networks is growing - T minus 2 days

https://www.alvaka.net/blog/t-minus-1

Alvaka Networks is growing – T minus 2 days2016-10-31T06:27:57-07:00

What is it like to upgrade to Windows 10?

I finally got around to upgrading my Lenovo notebook from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. I can tell you in short it was a relatively fast and easy upgrade. My Lenovo is fairly quick and I have all solid state drive storage so that probably helped make things go fast.

Here is how my upgrade went:

  • I did the pre-download option of Windows 10 so all the files were already on my system when I started the upgrade.
  • Once launched the Lenovo ran for about five minutes with a green screen of...
What is it like to upgrade to Windows 10?2019-05-14T07:29:29-07:00

10 days to Save Big on Taxes for Equipment Purchases

Orange County, CA - You have Less Than 10 Days to Save Big on Tax Write-offs for Equipment Purchases.  You need to act now.

The Section 179 deduction, named for a provision in the federal tax law, allows a small business to deduct -up front- the entire cost of equipment ranging from computers to furniture to vehicles and machinery. The deduction is normally $25,000, but for the past years our lawmakers in DC have increased that amount substantially.

I have some great news for you.  Here is an excerpt an article on The Hill regarding Section 179 updates.  It says recent legislation was passed to raise the instant depreciation level to $500,000. 

10 days to Save Big on Taxes for Equipment Purchases2017-09-18T00:36:18-07:00

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

40% of Hospitals Self-Declared as Struggling Financially Due to IT Problems

“94% of the surveyed hospital CFOs self-identified as “struggling”, report that delayed or failed implementations in other IT systems, particularly EHR, have drastically impacted the organization’s financial position.” 

That is what is says in the third sentence of a  fascinating press release I just read  from healthcare market research firm Black Book Market Research.  The press release goes on to cite a number of other statistics from their research including stats that many healthcare CFOs are expecting to lose their jobs by 2016 and that there will be a trend to start hiring CEOs from outside healthcare.

I have witnessed some of the reasons for the IT troubles at healthcare companies: 

·         Healthcare companies on the whole have been laggards in adoption of fresh information technologies.

·         IT personnel at most healthcare organizations themselves are behind the curve on...

40% of Hospitals Self-Declared as Struggling Financially Due to IT Problems2023-08-11T01:44:11-07:00

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas a Happy New Year to All of You

Thank you so much for all your support in 2014.  We are already planning for 2015.  Many of you may have already gotten calls from me as I contact you to get feedback on a set of 10 questions I [...]

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas a Happy New Year to All of You2014-12-23T23:04:11-08:00

What is Change Management and Why is it Important?

In the past two weeks I have witnessed a couple of contrasting situations involving configuration changes in IT.  In one environment the client has a strict adherence to the practice of using Change Management in all their IT operations.  In the other operation the client has been reluctant to embrace Change Management.  When it came time for one of those inevitable problems that occasionally hit the Information Infrastructure, the outcomes for the two firms was very different.

What is change management?

Here is the definition from Wikipedia based upon the industry standard Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

Change management is an IT service management discipline. The objective of change management in this context is to ensure that standardized methods and procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes to control IT infrastructure, in order to minimize the number and impact of any related incidents upon service. Changes in the IT infrastructure may arise reactively in response to problems or externally imposed requirements, e.g. legislative changes, or proactively from seeking improved efficiency and effectiveness or to enable or reflect business initiatives, or from programs, projects or service improvement initiatives. Change Management can ensure standardized methods, processes and procedures which are used for all changes, facilitate efficient and prompt handling of all changes, and maintain the proper balance between the need for change and the potential detrimental impact of changes.

A change is an event that is....

What is Change Management and Why is it Important?2018-01-29T23:25:38-08:00

How Do I Stop Being a Hostage to IT and the Six Reasons We Feel Like a Hostage?

Over the years we have seen many new clients come to Alvaka Networks feeling like they are hostages to Information Technology.  These people feel this way for many different reasons.  Most often the person feeling this way is the CFO, Controller, CEO, COO, IT manager or an IT technician for the most part in that order in terms of frequency.

Why do they feel that way?

It is usually because their systems were:

1.       Poorly designed

2.       They don’t work right

3.       The system is insecure

4.       No one knows what the last guy...

How Do I Stop Being a Hostage to IT and the Six Reasons We Feel Like a Hostage?2020-05-28T15:18:08-07:00

6 signs that you need a new IT strategy

1. Key IT constituencies are expressing dissatisfaction

2. Shadow IT is growing

3. Your IT strategy has diverged from the company strategy

6 signs that you need a new IT strategy2014-04-10T01:09:22-07:00

HIPAA-compliant cloud storage services: Due diligence is key to survival

Many VARs are looking to profit from health care-related cloud storage services. But with profit comes responsibility. Whether you build your own or offer another’s service, the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for [...]

HIPAA-compliant cloud storage services: Due diligence is key to survival2020-04-29T22:38:59-07:00