A big topic right now in the personal and business world is phones. Several years ago there were only a few options to choose from, but today, anyone can pretty much pick what best suits them. So, what is the best choice? Which one runs the quickest? Which one works the best with my infrastructure? There are a lot of aspects to look at while searching for perfect phone.

The first question to ask would be ‘Does my company support it?’ If the phone is for personal use then this question is pretty much void, but not all businesses support all phones. For example, Blackberry has completely separate server software your business can run to make it easier for them to manage emails, contacts, and even instant messaging.

The smart phones of today can do pretty much anything! They can access the internet, receive email, perform navigation functions, and run various applications. The Apple iPhone has the largest App Store with roughly 500,000 third party applications available. Of those half a million, 25% are free to install (Wikipedia, 2012). As of July 2011, the Android Market had 250,000 available Applications with about 57% of them being free (Wikipedia, 2012). Blackberry and Windows phones also have some variation of an App store, however they are significantly smaller. If applications are important then either an iPhone or an Android phone would be the choice to make.

Personally, I carry an Android phone. I had one of the first to come out and it’s still running strong. However, there are plenty of iPhones, Blackberrys, and Windows Phones that last just as long. Updates are provided regularly to each type of phone and support is not lacking. Android, Apple iOS, Blackberry, and Windows Phone all support exchange so everyone can rest assured that they can access their work email on the go. While Windows Phone and Blackberry may have a little better integration, iOS and Android both support it just fine.

In the end, it’s all about what the employer supports and personal preference. Windows Phone is small, but working its way into the market, while Blackberry started out as the largest business orientated phone, but is quickly dropping due to more options. Take the time and do the research, and a great phone can be in hand soon!

Our hard work has finally paid off! We recently earned an Advanced Unified Computing Technology specialization from Cisco, a worldwide leader in networking. Achieving this specialization allows us to design, sell and implement Cisco Data Center solutions, which includes Cisco blade centers and some Nexus product lines. Offering this service will enhance our clients’ abilities to fully utilize Cisco solutions throughout the entire data center – from networking and security to servers and virtualization solutions.

Gary Lutz, co-owner of IT Resource, is excited about the new certification and what it will bring to enterprise level businesses, as well as education and government agencies. “We are not new to medium and large-scale data center design and implementations, having designed several casino, public sector and enterprise data centers. But, with the addition of Cisco’s Unified Computing Technology certifications, we now have all the major technology areas covered, including Security, Networking, Voice, Storage, Servers and Virtualization, and can offer these end-to-end solutions to our clients.”

To acquire the specialization, we were required to complete additional training and pass several certification exams in the areas of Unified Computing and Data Center solutions by system engineers, field engineers and sales teams.

Just one more way we can provide awesome products and services to our customers!

Remember our company wide weight loss challenge? The goal was simple - see who can lose the largest percentage of weight in 3 months. We're one month in and so far I'd say we're doing pretty well. Our staff has lost a combined total of...drumroll please.... 68 pounds!!

How have we done this, you might ask? Well, for starters, we've taken a group approach and introduced healthier options for our company lunches.

Look at all those vegetables! This lunch was much healthier than the usual fast food, and it tasted better. Plus, we were all able to avoid the late afternoon dull, tired feeling that so often accompanies not-so-healthy take out options.

We polled our staff to find out what other ways they were going about their weight loss. We found the top three answers to be exercise, portion control, and using websites/apps to keep track of their calorie intake.

I'm really excited to find out how many pounds our staff will shed over the next month. 68 pounds is a fantastic start - let's keep up the great work!

People profiles give you a chance to meet our staff - the folks you may deal with on a regular basis here at IT Resource. 

Official Title: Inside Sales Representative

But this title sounds much snazzier: Guardian of the Deliverables

What do you do at IT Resource, and what certifications do you have: I’m responsible for preparing quotes for current customers, purchasing and receiving, coordinating with our graphic and web designers to support our marketing strategy, and assisting with special events. I recently achieved my Cisco Sales Expert certification, VM Ware Sales Professional accreditation, and was part of the team that helped IT Resource achieve our Cisco Advanced Unified Computing Technology Specialization.

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail? Open a restaurant 

Do you have any hidden talents? In my free time, I enjoy cooking and writing the occasional post about it on my food blog, Her Yellow Apron.

What is the best part about working at ITR? My co-workers - I am blessed to be working with a dynamic, interesting, and fun group of people.

How long have you worked at ITR? I started November of 2011, so just a few months!

If you knew then, what you know now, what piece of advice would you give yourself? No matter what, always make time for your personal hobbies and interests. Every day.

Carolyn and her husband Jeff at the IT Resource Christmas Bowling Party

What do you want to be when you grow up? A multi-lingual world traveler by sea. 

What is the most interesting job you’ve ever had that was not IT related? I worked triage in an emergency room for a summer. That’s how I knew I no longer wanted to continue my studies in the healthcare field.

Tell us something your colleagues don't know about you. I’ve entertained a President, walked through the Lions locker room, and spent 7 years playing in various musical ensembles.

When the snow begins to fall and temps reach the twenties, we embrace the season and celebrate by taking our customers out for a night of food, fun, and hockey with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Of course it wouldn't be a real Griffins game without a visit from Griff. He was kind enough to stop by and show his love for IT Resource.

He continued on, saying hello as he visited with each one of our fantastic customers and team members.

Mingling, food, beverage, fun, and hockey...who could ask for more?

Once again we booked the Talsma Terrace where our guests could watch the game from the comfort of La-Z-Boy recliners. Its almost like watching it from home - only better, because you can see brawls like this up close and personal.

You're going to want to make sure you join us next year! 

A big thank you to all our wonderful customers and friends who came out to spend the evening with us. We appreciate your business year-round and this is one of the ways we say thank you. We hope you all had as much fun as we did!

I was conversing with a coworker of mine today when the subject of virtual machines and cloud computing came up.  He had recently been to a VMware training session that spoke of the upcoming enhancements and upgrades to VMware products. The list of advances within VMware are astounding in themselves, however the point I want to touch on is more specific. It has to do with Cloud computing, but on a different level than just storing your files on a computer outside your home or business. I’m talking running programs and applications from anywhere, anytime and not needing to have it installed locally on your computer. That kind of Cloud computing.

Say you’re on the road with only your tablet. Your boss calls and needs you to update a document with information only you have. Only problem is, you don’t have Microsoft Word installed on your tablet! No problem, the technology will allow you to run only that program right from your tablet without installing anything! Changes carried out will be saved to a server in the Cloud where it can be accessed at any time. This makes working with different computers and tablets a lot easier for many people. How do you feel about Cloud computing?  Are you or your business in the Cloud?

Photos found here and here.

People profiles give you a chance to meet our staff - the folks you may deal with on a regular basis here at IT Resource. 

Official Title: Network Engineer 2

But this title sounds much snazzier: Level 12 Nerd

What do you do at IT Resource, and what certifications do you have: I support the technology needs of IT Resource customers. I specialize in the support and implementation of Cisco Voice solutions. In addition, I specialize in the installation and support of Cisco routing and switching solutions. 

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail? I would become a writer, then I would go sky diving. 

Do you have any hidden talents? Acting 

What is the best part about working at ITR? The unique and varied challenges that I get to work on. 

How long have you worked at ITR? Since July, 2010

If you knew then, what you know now, what piece of advice would you give yourself? Caffeine is your friend, and the best way to get it is in the 5 hour energy shots. 

What do you want to be when you grow up? I’m not going to grow up, but if I have to then I would become a professional video game player. 

What is the most interesting job you’ve ever had that was not IT related? Security guard at the Van Andel Arena 

Tell us something your colleagues don't know about you: I played bass guitar when I was in college. 

IT Resource has long been a supporter of both the Coopersville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Haven Chamber of Commerce. We strongly believe in supporting the communities in which we live and work, and serving on the Chamber board goes hand-in-hand with achieving those goals. 

Our Sales Manager, Carrie Borchers, was previously serving the role of Vice President of the Coopersville Chamber of Commerce, but the new year brought a new set of elections and she is now proudly serving as President of the organization.

The President's gavel being passed from 2010-2011 President, Phil Cok to 2012 President, Carrie Borchers.

Our group's additional board officers are Gina Otterbein of Northern Physical Therapy, Vice President; Kim Obetts of Towne & Country Investment Services, Treasurer; Philip Cok of Marketing Management Services, Secretary.
 
The full board of directors also includes: Phil Allor of SelfLube, Joe Biermacher of DeVries & Royston, Evelyn Boes of Boes Financial Services, Paul DeWys of DeWys-Industrial-Design, and Kerri Snowdin of The Coopersville Observer. Dan Noel of 327 Pizza & Pub has been appointed Member-at-Large leaving one Member-at-Large yet to be assigned.

Carrie is excited to lead this dynamic group into the new year. If you too would like to support the Chamber, get involved today. There are many roles to be filled, so there is surely something to meet your interests. Contact Carrie to become a member today!

People profiles give you a chance to meet our staff - the folks you may deal with on a regular basis here at IT Resource.

Official Title: Help Desk Analyst

But this title sounds much snazzier: Networking Engineer

What do you do at IT Resource, and what certifications do you have: I am an MCP with a Windows 7 Certification and I have a CompTIA A+ Certification. I work on hardware, go on-site to help customers with IT needs, configure computers, provide remote supports, monitor backups occasionally, and much more.

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail? Not sure

Do you have any hidden talents? Nothing to brag about

What is the best part about working at ITR? The work culture is great.

How long have you worked at ITR? Since September, 2010

If you knew then, what you know now, what piece of advice would you give yourself? Be proud of your past and never look back.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Networking Engineer

What is the most interesting job you’ve ever had that was not IT related? I worked as a press tender at a book printing company. There is a lot more behind the scenes of making books than most people know about.

Tell us something your colleagues don't know about you: My first job was at Chuck E. Cheeses, and no... I did not wear the mouse costume.

IT Resource is proud to announce its recently revamped Customer Portal. The purpose of the Portal is to allow our customers a quick and easy way to access IT Resource and its technical staff.
Here's a link to a video describing its operation:  

The purpose of the customer portal is to allow you to do things such as:

·         Create a service ticket
·         Review current support tickets
·         Access a knowledge base for your own self help
·         Run basic service requests as well as customized reports
·         View projects
·         View invoices
·         And many other options

The Customer Portal URL address is http://cw.itrw.net/support - it's an automatic redirect to a secure, https address.

The primary contact at our customer's office will decide who at their company can have access to what parts of the portal.

You need to decide which level (User, Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, or Manage) each employee accessing the IT Resource Customer Portal will require. If you decide that only you want to have access to the portal – that’s fine too! This can be changed at any time. 

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact our Helpdesk at 616 837 6930.