By Michael Soule, Sentinel Strategic Solutions Advisor

The cloud refers to a large number of concepts, and navigating their respective similarities and differences can be a challenge. There are a few different deployment models, including Private, Public, Hybrid, Community, Distributed, and Multicloud. There are also a handful of different service models, such as Infrastructure, Containers, Platforms, Functions, Software, and Managed. Traditional on premise, colocated, and software-defined data centers are not going anywhere either. Choosing the right service and deployment models for your unique workloads is an essential part of any cloud journey.

Developing an optimal cloud strategy is not a simple task either. If you start the cloud journey with a clear idea of your organization’s goals and desired direction though, it can help you better analyze the options available and establish proper benchmarks of success for migrations. The process of evaluating individual technology workloads also provides a better understanding of each one’s needs and dependencies, and makes it easier to build an efficient cloud migration path that fully aligns with your unique environment.

Once your organization’s data and workloads have been migrated to their intended destination, frequent reviews are critical to ensure everything remains properly managed and optimized. Stagnation in such a dynamic technology landscape often creates inefficiencies. Traditional workloads require a large amount of effort to deploy, but continued maintenance is nominal in comparison and typically consists of operating system or application patches. In public clouds, service providers are consistently developing new services, adding features to existing services, and changing prices. Private clouds enable your organization to evaluate any new or updated service offerings and decide which ones to introduce into your environment.

Sentinel’s many CloudSelect service offerings are designed to help your organization successfully navigate the cloud journey from start to finish. Our advisory services provide assistance with the development of cloud strategy, including migration frameworks and cloud architecture recommendations. Migration services offer technical assistance in shifting data, workloads, and resources to any type of cloud environment. Once your cloud migration is complete, Sentinel’s Managed Services deliver continued maintenance and support of your workloads to keep your data and infrastructure elements optimized. If you would like to learn more about our CloudSelect services and solutions, please contact us.

By Jessica Rimkus, Sentinel Corporate Counsel

Spurred by several major headlines over the past year, cybersecurity compliance has become a growing concern for many companies. And for good reason: studies show that the cost of a data breach in the U.S. averages around $7 million. Beyond the tangible costs are the intangible ones, such as the irreparable damage a public breach can have on a company’s reputation.

With an increasing amount of personally identifiable information (PII) being stored electronically every day as technology rapidly evolves and expands its reach, the impact of a data breach has never been greater for organizations across all industries. And, as experts have remarked, it’s not a matter of IF an organization is going to experience a breach, but WHEN.

As with any imminent risk, it’s crucial that organizations are prepared. Having a robust cybersecurity compliance program is the key to that preparedness. Policies/plans like security incident response strategies and security training go a long way to ensure organizations don’t feel as panicked when a breach occurs and have the ability to reduce their exposure in terms of any liability resulting from a breach.

We have also seen increased regulatory changes with respect to cybersecurity compliance. For example, GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is looming for any organizations with customers residing in the EU, as compliance is required by May 25th. GDPR seeks to enhance the protections governing these citizens’ PII privacy and mandates strengthened procedural requirements, such as 72-hour notice of a breach.

Sentinel expects cybersecurity compliance to remain a hot topic as new regulations and legislation rolls out through 2018. We remain committed to helping our customers achieve and maintain compliance throughout their infrastructure. Please contact us if you would like to learn more.

It’s no secret that at Sentinel we place a high value on our employees. Their unparalleled expertise, strong work ethic, and dynamic personalities help keep us Always Leading as an IT solutions and services provider. We’re proud of the work they do on a daily basis, and hope our customers recognize the Sentinel difference.

Our new video series “My Sentinel Story” aims to shine a spotlight on some of Sentinel’s finest, as they recount how they came to work for us and what their on-the-job experience has been like overall. Today we’re happy to introduce Jericho Knuckles, a Data Reporting Analyst who’s been with Sentinel since 2007. After getting his start in our Customer Service department, he quickly distinguished himself by developing new methods to improve procedures and enhance the customer experience. Then things take a very interesting and unexpected turn. Click the play button below to find out more!

If you’re passionate, motivated, and interested in joining the Sentinel team, you can learn more about our corporate culture and browse our current job openings by visiting our Careers page.

Last Thursday, Sentinel held our Vision 20/20 Technology Summit at the Cisco offices in Rosemont. Close to 60 of our customers filled a conference room as several of Sentinel’s experts detailed the latest technology trends and solutions, as well as provided insight on ways IT departments can achieve more over the next couple of years. Whether you were unable to attend or would simply like a bit of a refresher, here are a few highlights from this fun and informative afternoon.

Cloud

In 2016, Intel Security found that 93% of organizations participating in a study had already adopted cloud technologies. Cisco currently estimates that 92% of all workloads will be cloud-based by 2020, pointing toward an exponentially high growth rate over the next couple years. Sentinel wants to help your organization explore and build a comprehensive cloud strategy to meet your unique needs and goals. Our framework includes:

·         Assessing and understanding your organization’s current cloud posture and adoption readiness, along with understanding your organization’s initiatives and driving factors

·         Designing secure, scalable, and manageable cloud architectures for your organization’s needs

·         Migrating workloads using achievable plans and strategies for the designed solution

·         Optimizing workloads and costs through detailed analytics of consumption, supply, and demand of resources

·         Managing operations more efficiently using automation and embracing change

There are three types of clouds: public, private, and hybrid.

In a private cloud, your organization manages and controls every aspect of the physical and technical infrastructure, along with how and where your data is stored. Sentinel can help you build a cloud-based infrastructure and integrate it seamlessly into your environment.

In a public cloud, providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure are responsible for the management of your infrastructure and data. Sentinel will help you design and migrate workloads to public clouds in a way that benefits your organization.

In a hybrid cloud, both private and public clouds are leveraged to deliver dynamic workloads and more control over where and how data is stored. Sentinel specializes in the integration of your private cloud portals with public cloud providers to enable the benefits of scalability and global distribution.

Learn more about cloud migration, Sentinel CloudSelect offerings, and how to create an optimized Software Defined Data Center (CDDC) by contacting us.

Security

A recent report by Cybersecurity Ventures estimated that Ransomware damage costs exceeded $5 billion in 2017. This takes into consideration the damage of several factors beyond just the cost of the ransom, including the loss of data, downtime, and productivity. The WannaCry attack alone is estimated to have cost over $1 billion despite only around $100,000 having been paid for ransom.

As organizations migrate their data and systems to the cloud, the need to scale their vendor risk management program and focus on cloud security will only continue to grow. Gartner now estimates that by 2021, 50% of data will be outside of the physical control of enterprise IT, up from 10% today.

When combined with our Security as a Service (SECaaS) offering, Sentinel’s Security Operations Center (SOC) ensures your cloud data and other essential elements remain safe from attackers. We provide 24x7x365 monitoring of your security operations, to give your IT department more control and peace of mind when dealing with outside threats. If you combine that with our managed services, which handles additional triage via retainer-based or T&M engagements, we offer one of the only end-to-end security options on the market.

Think about how and where you enforce security today. You probably have a range of security products in your environment to protect your network and endpoints, whether it’s at your corporate headquarters, branch offices, or on roaming endpoints. You could block malware on your network and endpoints, but why wait until malware reaches the enterprise when you can simply block threats out on the Internet? There are many ways that malware can get in, which is why it’s important to have multiple layers of security.

DNS is a foundational component of how the Internet works and is used by every device in the network. Way before a malware file is downloaded or before an IP connection over any port or any protocol is even established, there’s a DNS request. Cisco Umbrella can be the first layer of defense against threats by preventing devices from connecting to malicious or likely malicious sites in the first place, which significantly reduces the chance of malware getting to your network or endpoints.

These are only a couple of pieces in Sentinel’s SecuritySelect portfolio. To learn more about our other security offerings, and how Sentinel is fully equipped to protect your business, please contact us.

Collaboration

How and where we work has evolved and continues to evolve. Work can now take place just about anywhere, which has led to significant growth in the U.S. mobile worker population. Some of the driving factors include:

·         The increased affordability of smartphones

·         A growing acceptance of corporate bring your own device (BYOD) programs. A recent IDC survey said 69.1% of organizations that implemented BYOD programs reduced their CapEx or OpEx costs

·         Innovations in mobile technology such as biometric readers, wearables, voice control, near-field communications (NFC), and augmented reality are enabling workers in completely new ways

·         An increase in productivity by enhancing communications and business workflows.

While collaboration has advanced a great deal in the past decade with the evolution of the smartphone, we continue to interact with most of our devices in a very machine centric way. Collaboration experiences need to be more natural and intuitive. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionize the way we work. Interactions with devices will continue to improve as organizations embrace a natural voice experience, just like we talk today.

Chatbots are quickly transforming the way in which businesses use computers by bringing a simpler, more conversational interface to advanced services like searching through masses of company data or surfacing necessary files and documents in a speedy manner. By utilizing bots in the workplace, businesses can enhance productivity, off-loading many of the time-consuming activities that humans have had to do manually in the past. 

Advancements in artificial intelligence, coupled with the proliferation of messaging apps, are fueling the development of chatbots — software programs that use messaging as the interface through which to carry out any number of tasks, from scheduling a meeting, to reporting weather, to helping users buy a pair of shoes. 

Chatbots are expected to save organizations more than $79 million dollars in salary expenditures annually, and improve workplace efficiency by more than 30%. Nearly 20% of companies have already deployed chatbots in the workplace, with an anticipated 57% by 2021.

Rowan Trollope is the visionary for Cisco’s overall collaboration technologies, and he has put together a roadmap through 2027 for where he believes AI will evolve in the workspace. While 10 years is a long time and a lot will change, it is clear that the vision for Cisco and others is that AI will be present in meetings not only making them easier to coordinate, facilitate, and start, but also contributing elements currently done by physical team members today. Eventually this will lead to AI making strategic recommendations aligned with an organization’s specific goals.

If you would like to find out more about other new advancements in collaboration, including Cisco Spark Board and voice-assisted AI like Amazon’s Alexa for Business, please contact Sentinel.

A special thank you to all of the customers that attended our second annual Sentinel Technology Summit. We hope our experts provided some entertaining and insightful ideas about the future of IT, and how your organization can excel both today and in the years to come. See you again in 2019!

On Thursday, January 18^th, Sentinel will be hosting our second annual Technology Summit. Several experts and thought leaders from Sentinel will spend an afternoon with a select group of customers to discuss technology trends and solutions for 2018 and beyond. This year’s theme is “Vision 20/20”, as we attempt to help organizations find new clarity with their IT strategies and position them to optimize their environments in the coming years. Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect.

Because we certainly can’t discuss technology on an empty stomach, the Tech Summit kicks off with lunch. Once everyone has had their fill and maybe even made a few new friends, Sentinel Chief Technology Officer Robert Keblusek will deliver his keynote address. He’ll highlight some new innovations and changes happening throughout the IT industry, and explain how Sentinel’s Always Leading strategy is uniquely positioned to help your organization meet the demands of tomorrow. If you’re interested in a more in-depth preview of his presentation, he wrote about it in connection with his recent trip to the AWS re:Invent conference in a previous blog post.

Security is once again poised to play an important role in IT plans for 2018, as solutions continue to evolve in conjunction with increasingly complex attacks and breaches. Sentinel Strategic Solutions Advisor Mark Combs will take a deep dive into the current security landscape and offer guidance on how best to ensure your environment and employees are fully equipped to detect, protect, and respond to the threats of tomorrow.

The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) and related mobile devices have created new ways to connect. Collaboration tools and solutions continue to shift as employers increasingly look to conduct business from a variety of locations and on-the-go. Sentinel Advanced Strategic Solutions Advisor Adam Bertram will discuss how the new office is everywhere, and showcase the best new collaboration offerings to seamlessly manage a mobile workforce.

Cloud computing is here to stay. Sentinel’s CloudSelect® services were among our most popular offerings in 2017, and we expect that to remain the same for the foreseeable future. Strategic Solutions Advisor Michael Soule and CTO Robert Keblusek will both explain how the different types of clouds and cloud services can improve the agility, productivity, and security of your organization. Hybrid clouds in particular are accelerating businesses at an unprecedented rate, and should be part of any business strategy going forward. Find out why at Vision 20/20!

The final portion of Sentinel’s 2018 Tech Summit will focus on a discussion panel and Q&A session. We will have several Solution Architects and other experts on hand to talk about additional topics such as compliance, managed services, assessments, and IT consulting. This also allows our customers to ask any questions they might have, whether they’re about specific topics or the challenges they’re facing at their own organization.

Vision 20/20 promises to be a very interesting and informative event, with some of our best and brightest minds coming together to help your organization discover how to achieve its technology potential.  If you’ll be joining us, we hope that you learn a lot and come to a better understanding of how your business can best leverage IT to foster long-term growth and protection. If you are unable to attend but would like more information about the various advancements and innovations inspiring the future of IT, please contact us.

By Robert Keblusek, Sentinel Chief Technology Officer

Vendor conferences are often important sources of information to help partners like Sentinel keep up with the pace of change in technology. Learning about new and upcoming offerings from vendors helps ensure Sentinel remains Always Leading as we engage with customers and address their top business challenges. At the end of November 2017 I attended the Amazon Web Services (AWS) re:Invent conference in Las Vegas, and wanted to share a few highlights and trends that I believe will help define the direction of technology in the coming years.

With over 1,000 sessions and attendance estimated to have been oversold at approximately 45,000, it is safe to say there is no shortage of interest in cloud computing, IoT, serverless computing, artificial intelligence and the many other technologies AWS offers. For comparison purposes, a very similar and also great event, VMworld, had an estimated total attendance of 37,000 with both the U.S. and European locations combined.

The rate of change in the IT industry has never been faster. AWS alone launched 61 new products across 15 areas of technology at the 2017 event. In addition, in 2016 AWS added 1,017 new features to their overall offerings, nearly doubling their feature expansion from 2014. This continues to accelerate. 

At Sentinel's Vision 20/20 Tech Summit next week in Rosemont, my Advisory Services team and I will highlight some of the trends as well as how we can take this journey together. Business demands on technology have changed and Sentinel continues to evolve to meet these demands. 

Cloud, cloud, and more cloud

By all estimates, cloud adoption is exceeding initial projections from earlier in the decade. Sentinel’s own CloudSelect® services were hands down our most popular offering in 2017. The re:Invent presentations on cloud computing and VMware on AWS cloud were two of the biggest and most popular sessions of the entire conference. Cloud computing is here to stay. The cloud offers many benefits, including strong total cost of ownership and more importantly business agility. Public cloud providers such as AWS are more agile and in many cases more secure than most premise data centers today. Even though the number of workloads moving to or natively being deployed in the cloud is increasing far more rapidly than premise workloads, it is critical for organizations to develop a hybrid cloud strategy. I’ll explain why at Sentinel’s Vision 20/20 Tech Summit. If you are unable to attend, make sure to set up a discussion with Sentinel as soon as possible.

IoT Everywhere

Similar to cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) services and devices are continuing to expand at a rate well beyond initial predictions. Re:Invent highlighted many benefits of IoT, but also detailed the security and mass device management challenges associated with IoT devices. AWS announced a complete portfolio of IoT device readiness, development services, analytics, security, and more to help combat these issues. Many networking technologies, including software-defined enterprise and wide area networking services, are also innovating with the help of IoT. To make it easier for integration and adoption in the future, organizations should be secure and prepared for IoT devices to connect to their network. The businesses developing IoT devices should also take care to have their technology experts and DevOps team closely collaborate to help improve the management and security of their products.

Artificial Intelligence is becoming pervasive

Amazon is a leader in AI, and one of their most popular offerings is the smart speaker Amazon Echo with digital assistant Alexa. At re:Invent AWS announced Alexa for Business, which aims to add a human interface to technology so it’s easier than ever to collaborate, automate, and much more. The new Alexa for Business interface was showcased in the keynote by Amazon CTO Werner Vogels. If you weren’t able to attend this presentation, I strongly encourage you to watch it on Youtube. 

At Vision 20/20 we intend to show you some examples of how Alexa for Business can integrate into an office environment. This will just be the start, as we will deploy Alexa for Business throughout Sentinel in order to help our team and customers enhance their interactions, collaborations, facilities automation, and other elements using voice control features. AI is also starting to play an important role in the evolution of managed services and cyber security defense. Cyber security is particularly challenging for humans alone to keep up with and maintain an ironclad protection of their organization. Sentinel will continue to provide our customers with services that leverage AI not only for human interaction with machines, but also for automated cyber security response and technology management.

VMware Cloud on AWS

One of the largest and most popular launches at re:Invent was for VMware Cloud on AWS. They leveraged many technologies I expect to be popular in 2018 such as software-defined storage and networking to create a high performance cloud-scale bare metal VMware service on AWS. This well-thought-out offering provides easy integration with on-premise systems, native VMware management, and disaster protection technologies via private clouds. Thanks to the latest versions of NVMe storage and VSAN software-defined storage, customers are now able to utilize large AWS cloud data centers to access the same technology available in physical components such as VxRail.

Also unique about this offering is that workloads such as databases can now be “local” to AWS advanced analytics, cloud services like elastic load balancing, serverless computing, and more. Organizations now have the option to move to the public cloud as well as leverage advanced AWS services without the need to replatform all workloads. 

(It’s worth noting that Sentinel CloudSelect® has been offering a similar solution for more than half a decade)

Conclusion

These are only a few of the many highlights and trends featured at AWS re:Invent this past November. At our Vision 20/20 Tech Summit we will cover some of these topics, but more importantly will provide the opportunity to network with our Technical Advisory Services group and other subject matter experts to learn how Sentinel can help your organization achieve its many goals. I hope to see you there!

By Dr. Mike Strnad, Sentinel Strategic Business Advisor

The start of a new year is a time to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. As we place 2017 in the rearview and settle in to 2018, I thought it would be a good time to share some thoughts on a couple of notable technology topics and developments that are set to shape the year ahead.

Despite the increase in security spending throughout 2017, there were still a remarkably high number of breaches that left many organizations understandably concerned about whether they were making the right investment. For 2018, I think it’d be wise for businesses to adjust their security strategy to focus on their most vulnerable asset: end users. Make training and education a top priority to ensure employees and other users are fully aware of and updated on the latest cybersecurity threats. The more your end users know how about spotting and stopping attacks, the lower the chance of a breach occurring.

This is a good segue into another topic that can help organizations fight against breaches: business continuity planning. A business continuity plan assesses the threats and risks a company is facing, and creates an actionable strategy to ensure that personnel and assets are protected and able to function in the event of a disaster. The number of companies currently operating without a business continuity plan is astonishing, and a single breach has the potential to cause large-scale devastation.

As the number of severe weather events and other natural disasters have increased in frequency and scale over the last several years, many organizations have become overly reliant on their technology and supply chains to help restore their business. This also exposes them to a large number of risks with significant potential to cause further damage and destruction.

There are many fallacies when it comes to business continuity. Here are a few of the most common misconceptions, along with explanations as to why they are untrue: 

•    "Our individuals will recognize what to do in a disaster."  
Even the finest employees cannot be expected to react properly and take correct actions when confronted with a disaster. 

•    "We have insurance to shield our damages."  
Insurance without help is not a business continuity strategy. Appropriate coverage is a significant and important part of the plan, but is far from the only part essential to recovery.

•    "We don’t have the time or money to create a business continuity plan."  
Time spent developing and sustaining a business continuity plan is an investment in your company. Most of your fixed costs will continue after an incident, whether or not you remain open for business.

•    "Business continuity and disaster recovery planning are the same."  
Business continuity is a proactive plan to avoid and mitigate risks associated with a disruption of operations. It details steps to be taken before, during, and after an event to maintain the financial viability of an organization. Disaster recovery is a reactive plan that goes into effect after an incident. It deals with the safety and rebuilding of critical employees, locations, and operational procedures after a tragedy. DR is a piece of business continuity planning.

When you combine properly trained end users with a strong business continuity plan, it results in a dual layer of protection to keep your organization safe and able to bounce back quickly should the worst occur. I firmly believe that being over prepared is better than under-prepared, and hope that in 2018 more organizations choose to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to the safety and stability of their technology and infrastructure. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of security training and business continuity planning, please contact Sentinel. 

On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida. The Category 3 storm caused widespread flooding, damage, and devastation throughout the state, leaving many homes and businesses significantly damaged. Thankfully careful tracking and analysis of Irma gave state officials enough advance notice to warn residents about the impending hurricane and order evacuations to help keep people safe and minimize potential risk and loss of life. Among those in Irma’s projected path was Sentinel customer Avow Hospice.

Avow is a non-profit organization specializing in hospice and palliative care services for the seriously ill and their loved ones. They are based in Naples, Florida and have been serving the community of Collier County since 1983. Avow is always open, available to care for its hospice patients around the clock.

Sentinel had been providing technology solutions and services to Avow for 15 months prior to the hurricane. During that time we collaborated with them on a number of different projects, including a refresh of their network and data center, as well as the addition of monitoring and managed services to ensure their IT environment and infrastructure were operating at their highest potential.

As Hurricane Irma began to gain strength in the Atlantic Ocean, teams from Avow and Sentinel held multiple emergency planning sessions to determine how best to establish redundancy, communicate, and provide care to patients before, during, and after the storm. While Avow had backup and disaster recovery solutions in place, the company had never fully tested the DR capabilities of its powerful new systems. Hurricane Irma’s pending arrival changed that. Avow discovered they could backup and restore their data, but it could take weeks to accomplish. After identifying that risk, Sentinel and Avow placed Avow’s data in a secure cloud so it could be accessed from anywhere in the world. That way, a complete recovery could be provided if necessary.

Avow also expressed concern about how to communicate with patients and loved ones should they call with questions or concerns during the hurricane. Sentinel arranged to have all incoming calls to Avow forwarded to our Network Operations Center (NOC) once evacuations began on Saturday, September 9. Callers routed through the interactive voice response (IVR) system were given instructions and guidance on what to do in a variety of scenarios. The call routing remained in place until power and systems were restored four days later.

Members of the Sentinel team kept a running activity log of calls and remained in daily contact with Avow throughout the duration of storm to provide updates and verify the backup emergency systems were working without incident. “Sentinel provided those updates, and it saved us a lot of time and trouble,” said Dan Vohasek, Senior Director of IT at Avow.

When Avow employees returned to work on the morning of Tuesday, September 12, their infrastructure had been recovered from the backup, and tests confirmed everything was working properly. Even though their network and data center were operating as normal, it would still be weeks before power, gas, and other standard community services achieved a similar level of stability as everyone continued to clean up from Hurricane Irma. Many of Avow’s home care patients were struggling in the aftermath of the storm. Having a fully functional infrastructure, however, allowed the organization to deliver a lot of care despite conditions being less than ideal.

For Avow, working with Sentinel to develop and execute an emergency backup and recovery plan for their organization saved a lot of time and stress through a highly dangerous and destructive severe weather event. “I didn’t have to think or worry about it,” Vohasek said. “It was all handled. Sentinel got it done, and got it done right. I’m grateful for that, and I’m sure our patients are too.”

If you would like to learn more about how backup and recovery can help your business, please contact Sentinel.

Whether you work in the IT industry or simply know others that do, buying holiday gifts for the tech-savvy people in your life can be a challenge. There are an escalating number of gadgets and devices designed for use in various aspects of our daily lives, and digging through the massive pile to uncover a hidden gem is an arduous task unto itself. In the end it mostly comes down to personal tastes, practicality, and budget, though sometimes it’s just nice to pick out something fun. Sentinel wants to help, so here are a few gifts to enhance the life of your favorite lover of technology.

Beam+ Smart Presence System ($1,995)

At a price tag of nearly $2,000, it’s the most expensive item on this list, but sometimes it’s worth it for the type of connection it provides. The Smart Presence System features a video screen atop a motorized device, able to easily move around locations and interact with others on an as-needed basis. It’s great for corporate meetings, facility tours, hospital consultations, school classes, and much more. If you live far away from friends or family, this is a way to interact and eliminate those borders. Those who are sick or injured or stuck at home can get out into the world a bit with this device as well.

HTC Vive ($600)

Virtual reality continues to be a hot new realm of technology, and the HTC Vive headset is one of the best money can buy. Take an incredible journey to parts unknown, or play thousands of games while immersed in incredible virtual worlds. As businesses begin to explore how to use VR and artificial intelligence to enhance interactions and the way we do business, embracing world building devices like the HTC Vive creates more possibilities than you can possibly imagine.

Apricorn Aegis Secure Key USB 3 Flash Drive ($139-$399)

Take your USB storage to the next level with this highly encrypted flash drive from Apricorn. It includes an embedded alphanumeric keypad that allows you to enter a 7-16 digit PIN code before gaining access to your data. The military-grade encryption also intercepts hardware and software key logging attempts and is immune to the risk of BadUSB malware tampering. Storage size options range from 16GB all the way up to 480GB.

HP Powerup Backpack ($100)

With so much concern over the battery life of our devices, it can be a comfort to know that you’ve got some extra charge available right inside the case you’re carrying. The HP Powerup Backpack has a built in battery that is able to charge your laptop, tablet, and smartphone wherever you might be. It has enough juice to fully restore your laptop battery, charge your tablet up to three times, and keep your smartphone alive through ten complete battery cycles. Controls also allow you to adjust power distribution as needed, so you can divert a charge if one device needs more juice than the rest.

Faraday Cage EMP Privacy Bag ($28-$118)

An Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) releases a short burst of electromagnetic radiation that has the potential to severely disrupt or damage any electronic devices within its range. You may have seen them used in movies or TV shows as a way to knock out the power, internet, or phone signals, typically to commit a crime. In reality, the likelihood of an EMP attack is relatively small, though if one were to occur there’s no way to know its size, strength, or proximity. Many large businesses keep critical data and other important technology elements locked inside of a Faraday Cage to ensure they remain protected and functional should the worst occur. For those concerned about their personal devices, several companies now make bags and backpacks that function as Faraday Cage devices. If you place your phone, tablet, or laptop inside one of these bags, it will block all outside signals and keep your devices from being destroyed.

iFixIt Pro Tech Toolkit ($60)

Created for the tinkerers and active repair engineers, the iFixIt Pro Tech Toolkit contains more than 70 different tools ready to work with the nuts and bolts of just about any technology you can think of, contained within a small, easy-to-transport case. They examined thousands of repair guides and used that data to develop a comprehensive toolkit capable of piecing back together everything from laptops to smartphones and beyond. This is standard government issue for many FBI and CIA teams and features a lifetime warranty on all parts. 

By Geoff Woodhouse, Sentinel Solutions Architect

High performance computing has always used the best and fastest hardware on the market. The costs are always expensive, but a necessity to make every piece of the system achieve top speeds. From the processor to the memory to the special low latency networking cards, every fraction of a second counts. This includes the switching and the Fibre Channel SAN running 15K drives. While that remains a standard way to build high performing systems, the birth of Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) technologies like vSAN, 3D XPoint, and NVMe allows the storage to be much faster and closer to the server compared to having it on a centralized SAN on the network.

VMWare’s vSAN and other technologies like it bring centralized storage to the server. This type of software requires multiple nodes for resiliency so the data remains safe even if a node loses power or a hard drive dies. For example, if a server does lose power, the software will realize it lost a copy of the data and will start building a new copy across the remaining nodes in an effort to keep the data secure. Once the server is brought back online, the system evaluates everything and updates the cluster.

In addition to this software, there have also been recent hardware improvements on the servers themselves. There is now 3D Xpoint technology developed by Intel and Micron. With 25,000 IOPS and 300 microsecond latency, this new technology is the fastest storage there is. Another example is Intel’s Optane, also known as M.2 drives, which are available in retail stores. This new technology approaches the speed and density of RAM, but stores data like a hard drive. It runs on Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe). Since Solid State Drives are so much faster than Hard Disk Drives, a bottleneck develops at the RAID controller in the server. M.2 drives remove the standard RAID controller and use the new NVMe technology to talk directly to the server on the PCI bus.

One of the biggest challenges with this new type of M.2 storage running on NVMe concerns space. On the standard retail market, a 3TB SATA drive is priced around $50 and a 1TB SSD costs $300, while the significantly smaller 512GB M.2 is also $300. As with all technology, the price is less about the amount of space you get, but how fast it operates. Eventually the storage on these devices will improve and become an even more viable solution for high performance and data center workloads.

With all of these advances in this new type of software and hardware, there are huge performance benefits to the data sitting on the server. When compared to the delays of going through the local network and accessing a high speed SAN, it is clear this new technology will be the future of high performance computing. Sentinel remains Always Leading by helping our customers find the technology to improve the speed and performance of their business. If you would like to learn more about HCI and how recent innovations can help you achieve new heights, please contact us.