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OCTOBER 2010

EI: Here and Now  
Enterprise Integration Launches Merge Center Facility

Enterprise Integration's newest innovation, the EI Merge Center, went live in April.  This world class facility provides complete asset lifecycle management (ALM) for the products we service and support. It allows us to maintain the highest standards of quality service and customer satisfaction by combining key services into one facility to create a full cradle-to-grave lifecycle of accountability and support. 

The combination of these key services allows the Merge Center staff to continuously improve product reliability, stability and customer satisfaction through process streamlining, root-cause analysis and problem elimination.

The Merge Center has achieved this full circle of accountability in one facility by combining:

• A scalable secure climate-controlled storage facility
• Process integration into the Asset Management System to provide a compliance-based complete asset management, tagging, tracking and serchable inventory management.
• Logistics management for  the timely delivery and verified receipt of product to specific locations
• Customized warranty and break/fix support capabilities
• Customizable project configuration support from within our scalable Hardware Configuration Center (HCC).

"We are very proud of how the center turned out," said Michael E. Locher, EI's CEO. "This is one more tool that will help EI 'Deliver the Promise of IT.'" The idea for the Merge Center came through collaboration with one of our longstanding customers who had a need for true asset management.  The Merge Center has already proven to be a worthwhile investment as customers continue to have the need for cutting costs through more efficient and effective processes and execution.

The Desktop Operating System Since 2001:

Should You Migrate to Windows 7?

In October of 2001, Microsoft released the Windows XP Operating System. It was great and set a standard that dramatically improved upon Windows 2000 and quickly became the standard desktop operating system within almost every major business.  Fast forward to August 2010 and Windows XP is still the standard desktop operating system of almost every major business.  That's a technology life span of almost 9 years! And I would bet that it will still be somewhere in your environment in 2014. But should it be?
Let’s make some comparisons:

• The Average Career of NFL Players: 3.3 years (source: NFL)
• The Average NBA Career:  5.5 years (Source: NBA)
• The Average Functional Life Span of a PC: 4 years, Laptops Less  (Source: CNET)
• The Average OS Update from Apple: 1.3 years (OS 10 Was released in 2001 and is now at OS 10.6)
• Moore’s Law: the processing capability of an Intel processing capability doubles every 13 to 18 months

So why is it that we are still running XP?  Yes, there have been three Service Pack releases since 2001, but there have been no fundamental changes in functionality or significant performance improvements.   

There have been some benefits to Microsoft’s lack of progress on the desktop OS. It has allowed time for IT departments to tell the CEO “We are standard across all our desktop operating systems…that is if you ignore those 5 Windows 2000 desktops in Marketing…and that 1 Windows 95 PC we wrote those batch scripts on…we could not find replacement software.”

The truth is, IT departments have to migrate to Windows 7 or something else (Mac, Linux, VDI). We cannot keep delivering the same service and products to our end users that we were delivering 10 years ago.  Nothing changing is stifling the innovation of our “Next Generation” employees.   A faster CPU and 2 flat screen monitors will not keep them satisfied for long.

I had the pleasure of recently traveling to Cincinnati to visit a field office of one of my clients. It was an unexpected visit and as we walked in the office the first thing I noticed was an Apple computer sitting on the desk of the supervisor.   Right next to the Apple was a company provisioned Windows XP PC turned off. When I spoke to the supervisor he explained, “I have to be more productive and I have to be innovative to attain the goals my company has placed on me, I work so much faster on the Mac VPN’ed  in to the network than I do on XP Connected to the network.”   It wasn’t a faster connection, and it wasn’t a faster processor.  It was a more intelligent user interface that made this supervisor feel more productive and innovative. Windows 7 and Office 2010 are the new beginning for Microsoft in delivering the intuitive interface that our next generation employees are looking for. 

I have worked with a lot of novice computer users in the last 6 months and using Windows 7 has improved their productivity in the workplace.  Our interns become productive on the first day, our managers, when given the option, will always choose Windows 7 over XP. And we have found few productivity or back office apps that do not work with the new Windows 7 OS.

There are some great tools out there to assist you in this migration process; one of the best I have found is PC Mover by LapLink.  It will migrate all user settings from XP to Windows 7 including browser favorites and bookmarks, background settings, local files and all profile and applications. All you need is the license Keys to activate the software after it has been migrated. 

Five to ten years from now everything might be “in the Cloud” and the desktop OS will not matter. But for today and the next few years, there is still room for innovation to occur at the desktop.  It is time to move forward and provide our clients and customers the next generation of desktop operating system.

Meet the Team: Eddie Bennett
 
Eddie Bennett has been named Director, Service Delivery.  Since his hire in September of 2009, Eddie has successfully managed the Network Shared Services group.  Eddie has served as a mentor to many of his teammates and employees as they have joined and/or grown within the group.  In his new role, Eddie will continue to be responsible for managing the Network Shared Services Department.  In addition, his new responsibilities will include managing and directing the Operations Shared Services group which includes the EI Internal Support group and the Baseline Services group, all of which are new groups to the organization in line with our vision of delivering on the promise of IT. 

Eddie's background includes IT services for the military, Department of Defense, and several large enterprises including leadership roles within major financial service organizations. 

Outside of work, Eddie works to keep fit and enjoys spending time with his wife, son and daughter. 

Please congratulate Eddie on his new position!

Welcome Aboard!  

EI is happy to announce Jacksonville Housing Authority (JHA) as our newest client and would like to welcome them to the EI family! 

EI will be providing managed services and end user services to JHA. 

JHA offers a variety of housing programs to fit the needs of low and moderate income families, senior and handicapped adults in the greater Jacksonville area. 

Raving Fans

"I wanted to commend the work that Enterprise Integration's team has accomplished. The success is evident in the fact that our customer satisfaction rating is 93%! Our survey results also indicate the efforts by the team and the manner in which they do their work is greatly appreciated by our employees. Thanks again for the outstanding work and keep it up!"
-- CSX

"Thanks for your efforts in making the day one launches successful in the US and internationally. Over the last 30 days I have seen many examples of strong EI leadership, technical expertise, creativity, and customer focused delivery that enabled this success."
-- MPS / Adecco

Daniel Guiding Hearts Gala
Moonlight Masquerade

Step away from the ordinary and into a night of fantasies, as you are transported back in time to an elegant Venetian Masquerade. Enjoy the finest food and sip on delicious cocktails at the Daniel Guiding Hearts Gala Moonlight Masquerade.
Enterprise Integration is proud to be the title sponsor for this event. Buy a ticket today to attend this wonderful evening of majestic fantasy and help benefit the kids at Daniel!

To learn more about the event, visit www.guidingheartsgala.com

Tickets are $150 and benefit Daniel Memorial

The event is black tie optional, and masks are encouraged. The event also includes an open bar, dancing and themed entertainment, live and silent auctions, and valet parking. Guests can also receive discount packages at the Hyatt hotel.
Some of the featured cuisine from some of Jacksonville's top restaurants: The Capital Grill, Heirlooms Catering, TPC Sawgrass, TacoLu, Mojo Kitchen and Matthew's.

Hope to see you there!