Soroc Technology Blog

Yard Sale

8/26/2010 9:05:00 AM

I was looking forward to one of the few weekends this summer with no chores or tasks impending, and thought it would be fun to visit a couple local yard sales. I enjoy perusing the eclectic mix of trinkets and keep sakes, you never know what diamond in the ruff you might find. You may pick up something that could be featured on the "Antique Road Show" and be valued far greater than the 50 cents you originally paid for it.

Is it possible that this could be the foreseen future of the Computer Room flooring? Will those raised floor tiles become a valuable antique sold at our local yard sales? Personally, I always viewed computer rooms as spaces with gleaming white floors and cold florescent lights as far as the eye can see… Yet, I think to myself, is that really practical?

I know some Facility Managers feel cooling should come from below the floor and power & communication should be run above them. This sounds good on paper but there are two things fundamental wrong with that set up; cold air should not be forced up to cool hot equipment and, although it looks tidier, no one cleans under the raised floor – there could be a rat’s nest under there for all we know!

I believe we should rest our equipment on sealed or tastefully painted solid floors. We should run all of our communication cable and power in structured raceways above the racks. Cooling should be dropped down into the cold isles, and hot air removed from the hot isles. This will allows convection to work for you. There would be no more worrying about floors collapsing under the weight of equipment, no more ramps, stairs, or searching for that elusive floor tile lifter that no one can locate when truly needed. If you really miss your raised floor you can always create the illusion by air brushing it on to your original floor and putting a nice, shiny acrylic coating over it.

I think I will pass the next time I see some raised floor tiles on display at a local yard sale, but who knows, someday they may be my ticket to the "Antique Road Show".

Mark Yetman
Director Managed Services

Don’t hit the panic button just yet!

8/17/2010 11:54:00 AM

Newsflash! Canada’s remarkable financial recovery stalled last month as the economy shed 9,300 net jobs, and the unemployment rate rose for the first time in almost a year. Statistics Canada reported 139, 000 fulltime jobs were lost. However, 227, 000 new jobs have been created over the past 3 months. So what does all of this mean for potential job seekers? Contracts, contracts and more contracts!

Now is the best time for IT professionals to take advantage of a slumping fulltime market. It is a known fact that when employers are laying off fulltime employees they will look for contractors to replace them.

Top reasons why companies use contractors:

Sometimes a higher level of expertise is required for specific projects which only have a duration of 3 to 6 months, therefore a contractor is chosen.
Contractors are a way to get around any headcount limitations. Temporary contractors are not calculated in the total employee headcount, but are tallied in the over all project costs. (Many projects are ‘capital’ in nature and thus can support the addition of cost but not necessarily headcount).
Contractors are chosen for their flexibility, especially in a questionable economy. If a company does not have the ability to bring on a large number of "hires" for a major project they may want to take a contract-to-hire approach which gives them more flexibility.

Go to Soroc’s career page now to check out your potential opportunities!

Joe Caputi
ITR Team Lead

On a hot day

7/12/2010 9:01:00 AM

While standing in my backyard the other evening I realized that my AC unit was running full tilt. It’s one of those things that you take for granted on a hot day, reaching for the thermostat and setting the temperature a few degrees lower to create a cool and comfortable oasis. Like any typical home owner I know it is my responsibility to ensure that the AC unit is in good working condition. It always amazes me how many people seem to forget to clean the cooling fins in the condenser sitting beside their house come spring time. Maintaining those little cooling fins by clearing all the dirt and debris will ensure your AC unit runs in tip top condition. At the same time, you need to change or wash your filter every three months. These simple tasks could be the difference between relaxing indoors on a hot summer evening, and making a panic-induced call to your local repair man.

This process is no different in your Data Centers. With this hot weather upon us I often hear Data Center Operations Managers complaining their HVAC systems cannot keep up with the heat and humidity. Having a clean condenser will enable your roof top units to dissipate heat optimally, while a clean filter will ensure maximum airflow. I am a firm believer in quarterly maintenance. Can you remember the last time you had preventative maintenance on your HVAC systems? Prevention is the key when experiencing weather like we have had over the past few days, or you could find yourself in a hot and sticky mess, literally.

There is another option to ensure core cooling… ice cream! Although I am pretty sure it’s not recommended for Data Centers.

Mark Yetman
Director Managed Services

Double Billing

5/31/2010 3:07:00 PM

Recently I received my consolidated invoice for my communication services at home, which covers my phone, Internet and TV costs. I think the company I subscribe to for these services spends a lot of money on marketing because every other month the total cost of the bill is different and they have to include a one hundred page break down of the charges to help me understand it. Sure enough hidden amongst those pages are charges for services I know I cancelled months ago. After paying the absurd amount for the services, they kindly award me a credit. I am sure I am in the same boat with most people when I say that we need to watch our spending.

A corporation is no different. I bet most companies do not even know what they spend on communications, or what half the billing is for, especially wireless services. Lines that got ordered over the years were never disconnected once the service that used them dissolved. As a manager, this is a task we all need to do. We need to get out our fine toothed comb, and ensure that our spending and billing is proportionate to the services provided. I am not suggesting you send your communication bills to me, but it sure feels good to see a credit on the next month’s bill.

Mark Yetman
Director Managed Services

Put a spring in your step with some improvements to your resume!

5/25/2010 5:05:00 PM

Put the winter blues behind you and welcome the sweet smell of possibilities. The snow has begun to melt on the recruitment market with clients and hiring managers awakening to a demand of expansion. This is the time of year for professionals to flourish, and achieve their successful career realization.

There couldn’t be a better time to make a commitment to your professional future. Whether you have a desire to advance in your chosen field or make a drastic career change, a resume is a job search necessity. A great resume provides an overview of your experience and skills, and will help you get an interview for that job you really want. Spending time and effort to make your resume as good as it can be will prove to be a truly worthwhile investment.

Here are a few tips to make your resume stand out from the crowd;

Target the resume to the job

Use recent job experience and certifications that emphasize your qualifications. The addition of irrelevant information is viewed as a place holder, or filler, for qualifications that you don’t have.

Highlight the “buzz words” and “acronyms”

By drawing attention to words or acronyms that are affiliated to the requirements of the posting not only makes the recruiter’s or hiring manager’s job easier, but also displays your knowledge of the topic.

Be honest

Adding incorrect information to your resume can only get you in trouble. This includes the use of acronyms and terms that may pertain to the job you are applying for, but you have no definite understanding of. If one thing on your resume is a stretch of the truth, then how does the hiring manager know that the rest of the content is legitimate?

Keep it short

A concise and well formatted resume will always move you to the top of the stack. A two page guideline is something that job seekers should keep in mind, as anything more could be overlooked or discarded.

Post your resume today at Soroc Careers.

Joe Caputi

ITR Team Lead

Job Fair Tips for People Looking to Secure a Solid Opportunity

7/6/2010 2:41:00 PM

Job Fairs are comprised of a multitude of job seekers, hoping to be interviewed by a recruiter who will evaluate their skill set and experience in order to find an opportunity that fits both the client’s requirements and the job seeker’s goals. Whether the advertisements for a company’s opportunities are posted online, on free job boards, HRDC or presented in an expensive newspaper ad, one thing is certain: face time with a recruiter or perspective client (or a candidate) is invaluable. A smile and a 30 second statement goes much further than clicking on the “submit” button on your computer.

Attending a job fair may be an overwhelming experience. Job seekers should come with resumes in hand and ready to sell themselves in their 30 second time slot for those new attractive opportunities. Preparation is key when given the opportunity to have one on one time with a prospective employer. Here are a few tips for job seekers when preparing for a job fair.

Rule #1 Treat a Job Fair As You Would an Interview

Since the candidate will be meeting with hiring managers and recruiters it is essential that they treat the job fair as they would an interview; come dressed for success and prepared.

Rule #2 Do Your Research: A Common Theme

Although you will likely not be able to research each company that you plan on speaking to, it would be a good idea to know what companies will be at the job fair. Out of those companies the job seeker should know which ones they would like to target for employment, and it would be ideal to have some background information into the workings of the company’s business.

Rule #3 Elevator Pitch: Thirty Seconds of Perfection

Look around you; the ratio of job seekers to recruiters and company representatives is severely unbalanced. You will need a strategy and pitch that makes you stand out from the crowd. Learn to be concise and to the point about what you have to offer, why you are a good fit for the job, and what you hope to get out of the position. 30 seconds is all it will take…

Rule #4 Stick To What You Know

You may have always wanted to be an astronaut, but that's likely not your skill set and similarly, you are not qualified for that position. Keep that in mind while attending a job fair. Target your focus on positions that are attainable based on your qualifications and suit your future goals.

Rule #5 Follow Up

It would be extremely beneficial for a candidate to make sure that their calendar, post job fair attendance, is open to follow up with the recruiters that met with them. Opportunity does not always fall in your lap; you must be able to take the time, and put in the extra leg work for those positions that really catch your interest.

Following these steps should help ensure a higher degree of success when attending a job fair.

We hope to see YOU at the next Soroc Job Fair!

Joe Caputi

ITR Team Lead

What Counts

6/18/2010 4:04:00 PM

“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts” –attributed to Albert Einstein. Einstein, however, was never noted as an ITSM practitioner …

How do you begin to measure the value of an IT service to the business? Just as a business is ever-changing in response to its customers, market conditions, opportunities, etc., the measures applied to valuating the enabling IT services, are fluid. For simplicity, let’s frame it in the context of meeting SLA’s – the handshake between the business and IT around the definition of services and the standards against which delivery is measured.

So … where to start? While customer satisfaction is extremely important as a leading indicator, unless you’re measuring your delivery on an ongoing basis, the business might already be in the market for another service provider. As Brad Taylor once said, “Providing exemplary levels of customer service is the most important thing we deliver every single day,” … A heavy responsibility for Service Managers who must not only keep delivery in line with expected service levels, but also align the changing needs of the business with the content, quality and cost of IT services.

But establishing KPI’s and collecting performance/quality metrics are only part of the equation. It’s what you do with the data, that’s important. Process owners must use it to drive compliance with policies and standards while implementing incremental efficiencies until the service is retired from the catalogue. Most importantly, they must have the clout to influence the (re-)definition of workflows and performance goals, based on analysis of their data. There is no single set of measures for productivity / efficiency / satisfaction – ultimately, those who are accountable (and they must be accountable) for delivery of the services need to be enabled by timely access to the data they deem important to keeping their finger on the pulse.

I suppose I shouldn’t dismiss Einstein’s statement out of hand; perhaps it could be modified to read, “Count what counts”.

Glyn Thomas

Director, Projects

Data Hoarders

5/14/2010 1:21:00 PM

Time and time again the discussion around Information Lifecycle Management rears its ugly head… whether it is a client, colleague, or partner, someone is sure to raise the question;

“Hey Alex, what’s your take on ILM, or storage management”

… The room goes silent and you can hear the awkward gasps for air.

Nobody wants to tackle the elephant in the room… Data! It truly comes down to data; Tons of it, mounds of it, hoards of it!

Sure, the hardware vendors seem to have their solutions, and so do the third party software companies. Everyone has their solutions, lower cost disk, dedup, archive, etc. In addition, I have the utmost confidence that there are quite a few uber smart architects that can whip up a brilliant solution to funnel enterprise data from all tiers of storage, right through the data paths of efficiencies, and end up with a very compelling TCO story that will rock the IT world.

But hold on for a sec… We’re missing something here… Data!

Study after study concludes that the most prolific problem with enterprise storage is the unclassified data. There are reams, and reams of data stored on common file shares. It grows, and grows, and grows, until it becomes the elephant in the room. This file structure makes it way too easy to save everything we have ever tapped out on a keyboard, along with the ump-teen revisions, to boot. The Windows file directory was never meant to be a document management solution, yet we all use it just as that. We are all culprits, promoters, and worst of all, “Data Hoarders”.

Yes, a well thought out architecture could dull the pain. Popping a 500mg ILM pain reliever would do the job, but it will wear off, and capacity, at one point or another, in the storage architecture chain will max out. We will have no choice but to tackle that elephant in the corner of the room…Data!

Alex Topitsch

Professed Data Hoarder!

Cloud Computing Weather Report

2/10/2010 10:05:00 AM

As I am inundated with cloud computing references everywhere I turn, I wonder if the cloud is cirrocumulus or stratocumulus. Or is the internal cloud cirrocumulus and the external cloud is stratocumulus? Or vice versa? Seriously, with the wide definition of the cloud, is my question that far off?

Let’s go back a few years; talk of a great dynamic datacenter concept where workloads could be dynamically provisioned, monitored, metered, and charged for. Wow, a great concept. Hmm, wasn’t this coined as “Utility Computing”? Sounds familiar, sounds like a concept straight from the clouds. But what happened? The computing power was there, dynamic storage was there, virtual networking was there. So why didn’t utility computing take off? Simply, the customers did not come. The customers would not take the chance with high profile production workloads on a dynamic platform that they could not feel or touch. By feel and touch, I am not referring to the physical, but rather, lifecycle management.

The workloads needed the cradle to grave management experience to convince customers that utility computing was enterprise grade. Toolsets to self provision, meter, monitor, migrate, scale, charge, and retire, etc. were future concepts that were not available. Thus, utility computing fizzled away.
Flash forward to September 2009, cloud computing is buzzing everywhere! But isn’t this what we were expecting from utility computing a few years back? Or do I have my head in the clouds? Possibly, but if the application lifecycle software stack was at this level of maturity a few years back, utility computing would still be king. But no matter, it has a rebirth as the glorious cloud.

Alex Topitsch

Director Advanced Solutions

On Demand Resources – A new way to hire

1/27/2010 10:02:00 AM

With the recent economic climate, I’ve seen an emerging trend in the marketplace – a demand for a streamlined IT resourcing process that can rapidly respond to ad hoc staffing requests. Companies need immediate resources, for varying contract terms, and want to simplify the procurement process to ensure their need for flexible and immediate staffing can be met. In other words, they want resources ‘on-demand’.

Soroc has recognized these changes and adapted accordingly by providing a new service: People-on-Demand.

With People-on-Demand, Soroc provides its clients access to a pool of resources that they can tap into on an ad hoc basis for immediate staffing. Soroc is able to quickly respond to staffing requests by leveraging referral streams, virtual benches and our database of ready-to-hire candidates – no matter what the budget or contract term.

To support the People-on-Demand service, Soroc offers clients flexible billing mechanisms to simplify the procurement process. Clients may secure access to the pool of resources via statements of work or by drawing down on committed funds. This means one contract agreement provides access to multiple resources that can be staffed ‘on-demand’.

Many of our clients now engage with us for People-on-Demand. The rapid and flexible access to resources enables them to fill a contract for as short as 2 days or as long as a year or more under the same contract. The process is fast and easy. More important, our clients are able to get the right resource, when they need it.

-Director, Recruitment Services