Upcoming Meeting Notice

The Association of Service and Computer Dealers International (ASCDI) is a 30 year old, worldwide non-profit organization made up of companies who provide technology solutions, technical support or value added services to the business community.

Members and non-members are invited to learn how to grow your business, find new business opportunities, hear from industry representatives and enjoy some fabulous networking events at our conferences:

2011 EUROPEAN FALL CONFERENCE
October 26 - 28, 2011
Hamburg, Germany

2012 ASIA CONFERENCE
February 1 - 3, 2012
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2012 USA CONFERENCE
March 7 - 9, 2012
Clearwater Beach, Florida   USA

Click here for more information on ALL ASCDI MEETINGS, to view the agendas, lodging details, attendee lists and to REGISTER AT THE EARLY BIRD RATE.

BICSI
Cisco
Deals
HP
IBM
Oracle
People
Solutions
Video

BISCI

BICSI helps spearhead green rating system for technology products
BICSI is pleased to announce its new affiliation as a founding member of The Sustainable Technology Environments Program (STEP) Foundation, a coalition of technology associations seeking to define sustainability for the broadband and electronics industry. “Going green” has been a topic of growing importance in recent years. Certification systems have been created for those who follow the green methodology. For example, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) focuses on the shell and core of a building, encouraging “green building” from the start of a project through to and beyond completion. The STEP Foundation is working to complement LEED by adding a rating system for the technology systems that work within the physical building. Founded by InfoComm International and CompTIA, STEP has been created by manufacturers, designers, integrators, programmers and the users of technology to guide project and building owners to implement practices that will produce economic benefits to their organization while preserving the planet. It fills the void not addressed by other “green building” rating systems and establishes a position alongside rating systems such as LEED and Energy Star. All associations participating in STEP will be able to promote sustainable practices to their members and their customers.
Visit www.bicsi.org.
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Cisco

Cisco on UC for SMBs
By Jeff Owen
Excerpt:
Cisco is well known for its networking prowess and commitment to Unified Communications (UC) for the enterprise.  What may be less known is its equally deep commitment to UC for SMBs.  I recently had the opportunity to speak with Mark Monday, Vice President and General Manager, Cisco’s Small Business Technology Group, to learn more about Cisco’s view of UC and the SMB market.

Owen: SMBs are often without technical specialists, so can you give us a plain English overview of UC?
Monday:  Cisco has a small business technology group, and an effort around small business, because we understand that they typically don’t have an IT professional on staff.  …  The question about UC for SMBs is really a combination of IP telephony and the ability to take that traffic, that IP phone call, and do something different with it than you might be able to do with a normal phone system.  …  So, UC really brings together IP, telephony, and some of the applications used within the framework of the SMB all together into a solution.

Owen: Where does Cisco fit in to this picture?
Monday:  Cisco’s Small Business Technology Group primarily works with our channel partners who serve the customer. …

Owen: UC is rapidly replacing POTS/PBXs at the enterprise level and you’ve stated that SMBs are moving to UC, but from my experience many seem reluctant.  What do you most often hear as their reasons for not implementing UC?
Monday: I haven’t really found a customer who doesn’t want to implement UC.  Then it’s a question of balancing the intensity of the requirement against the costs of acquisition, implementation and ongoing support. In these uncertain economic times, the value proposition has to be compelling.  I tend to see that everybody wants UC; the question is, when they move to it.
Visit www.cisco.com.
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Deals

snom technology extends market reach following distribution agreement with BT Business Direct
snom technology AG has announced a distribution deal with BT’s IT hardware, software and services business, BT Business Direct. The agreement will allow BT’s business customers to purchase snom’s extensive range of products, including IP phones and IP-PBX solutions, directly through the BT Business Direct online store. Customers will also be able to take advantage of an exclusive product bundle, which includes the snom ONE plus IP-PBX, an unlimited number of user licenses, and seven IP desktop phones. snom Certified Engineer courses will be made available for resellers under the BT SCE program once a month, providing those on the course with a chance to gain experience and snom Certified Engineer status. Full support and dedicated provisioning is also available for all snom products purchased through BT Business Direct.
Visit www.snom.com and www.businessdirect.bt.com.
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HP

Server Cloud Canada selects HP Converged Infrastructure over competing offerings
HP announced that hosting company Server Cloud Canada has selected HP Converged Infrastructure technology, enabling the company to implement a private cloud for more reliable IT service delivery and improved customer service. Server Cloud Canada chose HP CloudSystem Matrix as the foundation to deliver private clouds to customers; it enables Server Cloud Canada to simplify the creation of a private cloud with one-touch, self-service provisioning of infrastructure. With the ability to deliver resources faster, Server Cloud Canada can better respond to customers’ fluctuating business demands and critical IT requirements. Additionally, Server Cloud Canada reduced its power costs by almost 60 percent with HP CloudSystem Matrix. Another reason Server Cloud Canada selected HP CloudSystem Matrix was for HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 10Gb Ethernet Modules. HP Virtual Connect reduced the switches and cards needed by 80 percent, while moving the company from 48 cables to only one.
Visit www.hp.com.
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IBM

Assess the appropriateness of the iSeries/IBM i in your business
The following article is an extract from the white paper "Assess the Appropriateness of the iSeries/IBM i in My Business" available for download free from the MC White Paper Center.
Many organizations are apprehensive about buying or staying with the IBM i (iSeries) due to a perception that it is a dying platform. Despite perceptions, overall, only 4 percent are migrating off the iSeries/IBM i, while 64 percent are planning to upgrade to new hardware/software in the foreseeable future. Power Systems and IBM i are following a consistent three-year cycle of major revisions over the last decade. Following is a partial summary of the main points in this article: 

• Although IBM Power Systems running IBM i are unlikely to see a sudden resurgence in new installations, it's also not going away any time soon as organizations continue to invest in the platform.

• Legacy systems, such as the iSeries, and current Power Systems running IBM i continue to deliver exceptional reliability and performance and play a key role in the enterprise.

• Perceived challenges—such as finding applications that run on this platform, integration issues, and cost—are not valid for most organizations, particularly for those running IBM i on current IBM Power Systems.

• For organizations that are struggling with the iSeries/IBM i platform, resourcing challenges are typically the culprit. An aging population of RPG programmers and system administrators means organizations need to be more proactive in maintaining in-house expertise.

Visit www.ibm.com.
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Oracle

Oracle Fusion Middleware delivers market-changing scalability
Emerson Network Power revealed details of its use of Oracle Fusion Middleware in the development of the Trellis platform at Oracle OpenWorld 2011.  The Trellis platform is an open architecture-based data center infrastructure management (DCIM) solution with real-time event analysis capabilities across all physical and logical systems in the data center. The Trellis platform is made possible by the combination of Emerson Network Power’s expertise in data center systems, software and services and Oracle Fusion Middleware’s Application Integration Architecture and components. Emerson leveraged Oracle Fusion Middleware to rapidly respond to the growing data center infrastructure management challenges around complexity, capacity, efficiency, virtualization and cloud computing with an innovative solution. In addition to ensuring stability and reliability within the Trellis platform, Oracle Fusion Middleware enables a common language to be used between the many applications and systems managed by the Trellis platform. It also provides the necessary scalability to handle the huge amounts of data that must be consolidated and analyzed to provide real-time visibility and control.
Visit www.oracle.com and www.EmersonNetworkPower.com/DCIM.

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People

• Featurecom, one of North America’s leading brokers & distributors of Telecommunications equipment, is proud to announce the addition of Paulo Simonetti to its team of telecommunications professionals. 
  Visit www.featurecom.ca.  

• IntelliChief LLC, the leading provider of document management and document imaging solutions for the IBM I (System i, iSeries, AS/400) Enterprise, announces the appointment of Phillip Patterson to Chief Financial Officer.  
  Visit www.intellichief.com.
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Solutions

VMP ER-S1U4P rack shelf now shipping
Video Mount is proud to announce that its ER-S1U4P Vented One Space Four Post Rack Shelf is now shipping. The ER-S1U4P has an MSRP of $129.95. “We designed the new ER-S1U4P for both form and functionality, especially for the installer who also seeks a rugged rack shelf solution,” explained Keith Fulmer, president of VMP. “The unique four post design and 200 lb. load capacity make it the ideal choice for installing today’s larger and heavier racked-mounted equipment.” Additional features of the ER-S1U4P include: fits components up to 16.85in wide; one space rack height (1.75in); adjustable tray depth – 14.75in to 25in; includes 10-32 and 12-24 rack screws; and black static resistant powder coat finish.
Visit www.videomount.com.
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Video

Grandstream introduces IP Video Encoder+Decoder+PAS 3-in-1 combo device
Grandstream Networks announced the release of the new GXV3500 IP Video Encoder±Decoder+PAS 3-in-1 combo device that combines H264 video compression for analog video cameras, video decoding for displaying on TV, and voice/video public announcement system (PAS). The GXV3500 video encoder+decoder+PAS 3-in-1 device combines advanced single channel H.264 real time video compression or decompression functions at up to D1 resolution and up to 30fps in a single box. In addition, it features two-way audio paging and video streaming using SIP/VoIP, integrated PoE (Power over Ethernet), serial port for PTZ camera control, microphone input, audio/video output, alarm inputs & outputs, pre- and post-event recording buffer, as well as advanced encryption for security protection. Compactly designed, the GXV3500 fully conforms to ONVIF industry standard for broad interoperability with a large number of ONVIF compliant Video Management Systems (VMS) in the market. The GXV3500 can also be managed with GSurf, Grandstream’s FREE video management software that controls up to 36 cameras simultaneously.
Visit www.grandstream.com.
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