Posted by Darren G. on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 @ 11:47 AM
Three million homes lost power from Maryland to Maine in the freak Oct. 29 snowstorm, but it's fair to say that Connecticut got disproportionately whacked. The state initially reported more than 830,000 outages at the height of the storm, with many of those homes forced to stick it out for a full week.
As of last night, there were still more than 37,000 Connecticut Light & Power customers in the dark for the second straight week. Several towns were forced to change the locations of polling places today for municipal elections. The Associated Press described our distinction as being inducted into an "unenviable fraternity."
Amongst the last areas to get their lights back: West Hartford and the Farmington Valley, the backyard of ICS.
We've seen firsthand how these past 10 days have been a horrific drain on business productivity in the region. Even though we specialize in helping small businesses prepare for the worst case scenarios, we also care about the intangibles not so easily measured.
..like the stress level of our clients.
At the Cats Limited Veterinary Hospital in West Hartford, the power outage had a domino effect on the day to day operations. Perhaps most crucial were the medicines and vaccines that required refrigeration. Those were kept in the kitchen refrigerator of the only employee on the staff of 12 who still had power.
According to practice manager Shannon Lovley, a problem of equal concern was no access to the computer system. Since May of this year, Cats Limited has been a "chartless practice." All medical records, appointments, and prescriptions are entered directly into the system, leaving the animal hospital virtually powerless to do anything without it.
Miraculously, ICS was one of the few businesses in Farmington not to lose its power. We invited the cat hospital to manage its operation out of our headquarters -- more specifically from the office of Wayne Curtiss, one of our Senior Infrastructure Consultants.
"Wayne just said bring me the server and don't worry about any of the cords or monitors," says Lovley. "He just cleared off his desk, sat me down in his chair and said 'stay warm!'"
"We're like an emergency shelter for servers," says Curtiss, who provides IT expertise for the hospital. "We'll bend over backwards to make sure their critical systems are running. We're truly business partners and we'll be there even when the whole world is going crazy."
Even though they had no power, Cats Unlimited was able to process its payroll, reschedule customer appointments and attend to a handful of pet owners with sick cats during the week.
"We have a bunch of prescription diet cat food we needed to get to our customers and we were swamped with calls from people asking to board their cats, hoping we had power. We actually were updating our clients on Facebook!" Lovley says.
Cats weren't the only creatures on the hospital staff's mind, however. Two large fish tanks filled with tropical fish had to be emptied and transferred to smaller tanks for safe transport to warmer refuge. Only a handful of the specialty fish didn't make it.
The lights came back at Cats Limited the evening of Saturday, Nov. 5, with another emergency visit by Curtiss on Sunday when the staff had some issues reconnecting the computers.
"We had unplugged the server in the dark, so there was confusion over where all cords were supposed to go," says Lovley. "This whole experience has been frustrating for everyone, but I really appreciate Wayne's help to keep us open. Sometimes you just have to power through these things."
With Connecticut Light & Power hopefully getting the last parts of the state back to civilization this week, there will be a lot more happy employees (as well as fish and cats).
But it's not a stretch to say this won't be the last time that our patience and resilence is tested.
ICS proactively prepares small businesses to withstand unexpected emergencies and we're here for our clients when they need us the most. It might get a little crowded at our "shelter for servers," but we'll even share our desks if necessary!
Was your business impacted by the outage? Register now for our Ask The Experts event December 6 and discover how together, you and ICS can prevent your company's loss of productivity the next time mother nature strikes!
Posted by Darren G. on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 @ 12:34 PM
This picture from the Stamford Advocate says it all: One misplaced tree can make lots of people miserable. Hundreds of uprooted trees and snapped branches can shut down a state.
Wayne Curtiss, one of our upbeat Senior Infrastructure Consultants, saw 7-8 fallen trees crash down across the road leading to his condo complex. He was lucky as he was parked on the side of the trees with access to the outside world. Some of his neighbors who tried to drive across the snow-covered fields left the complex in a tow truck.
I call Wayne one of our "upbeat" consultants because he thinks Mother Nature's sucker punch to Connecticut has provided some unexpected moments of "fun."
"Sure, losing power for so long has been extremely frustrating, but it was also a chance to test our resiliency for our clients. We learned a lot about them and they learned a lot about us -- just in a few days," he says.
Calling his office a "shelter for servers," Wayne found his desk becoming the temporary emergency headquarters for the Cats Limited Veterinary Hospital, ALIRT Insurance Research (a risk analysis firm) and Elite Property Management (condo management).
"All three were able to run their businesses despite having no electricity. We wanted to get their servers up right away to prevent most mail from bouncing back. That can hurt your reputation rather quickly," he says.
ICS employees also got to reconnect with Harry's Pizza, one of the few West Hartford eateries still open during the week. Harry's didn't bring their servers (counter staff or counter computers) to our "shelter," but they satisfied our appetites as ICS graciously sprung for an inpromptu pizza party to rally the troops!
Although ICS miraculously didn't lose power at anytime during the crisis, most of our employees weren't so fortunate. To raise spirits, the company treated everyone in the building to breakfast and lunch for the first two days. Workers kept up the comraderie and pitched in for breakfast for the rest of the week.
Numerous ICS employees and their families also took advantage of the hot showers here at the office. And with our creature comforts being taken care of, we spent the first Monday morning of the outages calling all our clients to check if they needed any emergency assistance or anything else -- either professionally or personally.
Certainly, it's a sign of the times when the local TV station starts giving away generators as prizes in Facebook contests. Smartphones have given many of us a surreal sense of connectedness even when we have no heat or running water.
Echoing Wayne's observations, Paul Boiano, director of our CRM Group, found the storm to be a community-building experience in his home neighborhood.
"Sunday morning was an event. Neighbors helping neighbors clear out trees, open up roads and those with gas could warm up water for coffee and share it," he recalls. "Lots of cooking on the gas grill or the open fire pit in the backyard this week."
While the odd combination of frozen trees followed by a bout of Indian summer created a camp-like environment for some, the storms coming this December, January and February might not be as much fun.
But at ICS, we're preparing for any contingency so our clients can keep relying on us. Our backup generator is battle tested from Hurricane Irene and we're planning to add more generator-powered outlets in both conference rooms to minimize lost business productivity.
Yes, these kind of weather emergencies are aggravating for sure, but they also tend to bring out the best in people!
Posted by Danielle DAddario on Wed, Sep 21, 2011 @ 12:11 PM
Congratulations to ICS Team members Yilian and Derek who have each recently passed a Microsoft exam.
Yilian is now certified in Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance. Derek has passed Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator.
Exams like these help us to gain and maintain our Gold and Silver Microsoft competencies. Did you know that thanks to our very talented ICS team, we have earned over TEN Microsoft Competencies?
For those of you who are unsure of just HOW impressed to be, earning a silver competency distinguishes ICS by placing it among the top 5% of Microsoft partners worldwide. Earning a gold competency is evidence of the deepest, most consistent commitment to a specific, in-demand, business solution area, along with the distinction of being among only 1% of Microsoft partners worldwide that have attained this outstanding degree of proficiency.
Posted by Danielle DAddario on Fri, Jul 29, 2011 @ 03:34 PM
"Over the years, ICS has seen clients invest in systems and software and yet don't yet take advantage of the "information overload" that is often part of their IT investment. At ICS, we are committed to helping our clients take this data and turn it into actionable information that can drive their organizations into the future. We've helped people in healthcare, manufacturing and finance leverage their own data to get answers to questions they had been told they couldn't ever ask!
The power of business intelligence helps you know what is happening now, what is likely to happen next, and what actions should be taken to reach the best possible results."- Dan Sandoval, ICS Senior Software Developer
Posted by Danielle DAddario on Fri, Jul 29, 2011 @ 02:52 PM
[Farmington, CT]— July 29, 2011—Last Week, Microsoft proudly announced the 2011 East Region Partner Award winners during a ceremony at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles, CA. “The Field Partner Awards Program gives Microsoft the opportunity to recognize its top regional partners at a global event. It acknowledges the extraordinary contributions of Microsoft partners serving small, mid-market and enterprise commercial customers throughout the past fiscal year,” said Jack Braman, Vice President-East Region, Small and Mid-market Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) for Microsoft.
Innovative Computer Systems, Inc. was recognized with the 2011 Microsoft Cloud Practice of the Year SMS&P .The company was honored among the top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.
“This is our second year in a row to receive an area award in a top partner category from Microsoft. As Abraham Lincoln said, “Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.” We have lived by this quote in every aspect of our business, however, I must say it is nice to receive the recognition at such a high level. Our understanding of, and ability to articulate, the private and public cloud as well as the integration of on premise environments to our clients is the primary driver behind this award.”
Stephen Roux, President/Founder
Awards were presented in multiple categories, with winners and finalists chosen from a set of more than 200 organizations across the East. ICS was recognized for providing outstanding solutions and services, as well as demonstrating excellent engagement in the East. The Cloud Practice of the Year SMS&P recognizes ICS as an innovator in the area of Cloud in their respective market. Their MS Cloud strategy components include Azure,CRM Online, BPOS/OFF365, IaaS/PaaS/SaaS/Private cloud.
“We are pleased to present Innovative Computer Systems with this award,” said Jack Braman, Vice President-East Region, Small and Mid-market Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) for Microsoft. “Innovative Computer Systems is seen as a leader in the East in the area of Cloud Practice. They show a strong commitment to commercial customers throughout the geography.”
Innovative Computer Systems, a Microsoft Gold Certified Managed Partner, is a leading management and technology consulting services provider in the Northeast with headquarters in Farmington, CT. For more information, visit www.ics-inc.com.
For additional information:
Innovative Computer Systems, Inc.
Nicholas J. Gentile, 860-606-1845
Vice-President Sales and Marketing
Posted by Danielle DAddario on Fri, Jul 29, 2011 @ 11:08 AM
[Farmington, CT]— July 29, 2011—Today, Innovative Computer Systems, Inc. (ICS) proudly announced it was recognized by Microsoft for winning a 2011 East Region SMB Partner Award for The Northeast Area Partner of the Year. These awards highlight and recognize the excellence and achievement of East Region VARs who have worked innovatively to produce exceptional results across the business.
During the 2011 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft’s VP US SMB & Distribution, Cynthia Bates and Microsoft GM – Kim Tubbs Heron, were onsite to congratulate the award winners including Innovative Computer Systems for their achievements.
“The Microsoft Partner Awards recognize those Microsoft partners over the last year that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions,” said Kim Tubbs Heron. “Innovative Computer Systems, Inc. (ICS) has provided innovative thinking and robust technology solutions as part of their commitment to serving their customers.”
Innovative Computer Systems, a Microsoft Gold Certified Managed Partner, is a leading management and technology consulting services provider in the Northeast with headquarters in Farmington, CT. ICS enables small and medium businesses to maximize their technology investment and is committed to increasing productivity in every aspect of the organization. For more information, visit www.ics-inc.com.
For additional information:
Innovative Computer Systems, Inc.
Nicholas J. Gentile, 860-606-1845
Vice-President Sales and Marketing
Product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
Posted by Steve Pestillo on Mon, Apr 04, 2011 @ 08:42 AM
ICS is excited to announce two new additions to the TEAM! Danielle Daddario, our new Marketing Coordinator, received both her Bachelors and Masters from the University of Connecticut and has hit the ground running planning our Spring Event and jumpstarted improved client communication initiatives.
Katie Hester, our full time Bookkeeper, with her Bachelors in Accounting from Central Connecticut State University has expanded ICS’s ability to offer more attention and options to our clients.
Posted by Danielle DAddario on Tue, Mar 29, 2011 @ 01:35 PM
Do your customers feel like they're your only client? They should. Microsoft Dynamics CRM makes this possible. Microsoft Dynamics CRM gives you the ability to track conversations, email messages, and sales proposals across your organization, so everyone on your team can be on the same page with everything your organization is doing for each customer. Click here to learn more.
Posted by Steve Pestillo on Mon, Feb 07, 2011 @ 11:31 PM
Cloud Computing provides IT directors, business professionals, and C-Level management with a manageable, low-cost alternative to the types of computing functions that you do every day. From common everyday task like email, document management and customer tracking to disaster recovery and marketing management, we have a Cloud Computing scenario available; and YOU can have it in 7 days or less.
Click here to learn more.
Posted by Steve Pestillo on Thu, Jan 27, 2011 @ 08:12 PM
We are excited to announce that effective January 28, 2011, Innovative Computer Systems, Inc. (ICS) has relocated to a new facility located in the Farmington Mountain Office Park at 10 Stanford Drive, Farmington, CT 06032. Please update your records to reflect our new address:
Innovative Computer Systems, Inc.
10 Stanford Drive
Farmington, CT 06032
As we grow, our plan is to invest in services that will provide the most benefit to our customers. We view this move as a positive opportunity for our clients, and have designed our new facilities with your needs in mind:
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Location – Our centrally-located office in Farmington also makes ICS more easily accessible to many of our clients, with convenient access to I-91, I-84, and Route 9.
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Learning and Data Center – Learning lab and real-time demonstration software launch center, to better serve our customers on-site or via web conferencing.
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Infrastructure Expansion – To meet the needs of our customers we are continually expanding our backup, monitoring, and support systems that our managed services clients depend upon.
As business technology continues to evolve, we will continue to stand alongside our clients and assist them in navigating through the various options, as a trusted advisor. We look forward to serving you in every aspect of your technology needs in this fast-paced and ever-changing environment.