With the passage of time, there is always technological challenges that crop up for existing clients, which is why as a managed service provider we step in to eagerly correct issues so our clients need not (after all, this is what they are paying us for.) These challenges manifest themselves either through user growth, hardware limitations or in worse case scenarios: hardware failures. Recently our monitors noticed that a five year old Windows 2000 Server was about to start digging a little virtual six-foot-deep grave and this is where we stepped into the challenge.
I quickly stabilized their old server allowing it to keep running while we worked on a migration to a new solution. While this was happening, Jeremy (our beef-jerky-loving sales representative) sold the client one of our new dedicated managed HP c-Class BladeSystem servers. The web server will be migrated to Windows 2003 and the SQL server migrated to SQL 2005 on Windows 2003 as well. Additionally, I replaced their old Cisco PIX 501 firewall.
After the migration of content, I began setting things up, including the VPN tunnels to the third party development company and the integration with the billing system. Once this was completed, I began full regression Quality Assurance.
After testing, it was quickly discovered that the integration with the billing engine was not working. The reason was the rather old code (Active Server Pages, ASP, version 3.0) which had been written by a third-party development company back in 1999. The code they produced relied on a component called URLFetch, which didn’t work inside of the new operating system environment.
Here is the particular code call:
This component is a COM Wrapper for a few lines of Java code that allow you to, basically, screen scrape sites and return them for use in the code. Since the billing system is on an internal network behind firewalls and a VPN, it can’t be served up direct to the end-user, so it has to be done from the code on the web server. Since this was an old component it was pretty much assumed that it wouldn’t work on Windows Server 2003 and IIS 6.
The research began about this component and the specific error that was being thrown by the code, which was:
I quickly found this Microsoft Knowledge base (KB) article and grabbed filemon from sysinternals to check it out.
Using depends.exe (from Dependency Walker) I looked into finding the missing .dll that I figured was trying to be loaded behind the scenes. This was confirmed and the missing dependent file was DWMAPI.dll.
From there a little more research uncovered another team having difficulty with the same situation. From this information the .dll was found and downloaded.
However, this new .dll didn’t produce results and I had to start again, from ground-zero.
It was at this point that I began to deduct that this old component would not work on the Windows 2003 and IIS6. We then contacted the client and gave them the harrowing news that the possibility that they may need to re-write their code existed. Even in the face of this possibility, we wanted to assure that all avenues had been explored and I continued researching. Next was to review the component itself and how it was written - to define what dependencies it required. This additional digging uncovered the following information:
This was the final ‘a-ha!’ moment. I then quickly downloaded the Microsoft Virtual Machine and voilà, it worked! (The new SUN Java SDK was already tried before this and it didn’t work.)
The end result: The client’s code now works great, on the new environment, with no need to update the code-base and I got to celebrate the moment with a Dr. Pepper.
Peter Tarlton, Wheelock CEO/founder and GISC Counselor, captures group notes.
Article by Jason Nuss, Chief of Operations, opus:interactive.
Having a dynamic culture in a place of business is as important as making money in business in my opinion. Obviously, if you don’t make money you won’t be in business, but a dynamic culture where real, open communication exists and employees feel empowered to share and act on their ideas, and at the same be accountable to each other and for their actions, will create success. As the saying goes “happy employees equal happy customers.” So we, myself and our COO, Jim Fletcher, and CEO, Mark Brody, ventured to Cape Cod to the Gestalt International Study Center (GISC.org) to get a firsthand look at what it takes to create a high-performance culture.
We will have a company that is culturally relevant, both internally and externally, that lives by its purpose and values.
I will start by saying that we have an amazing culture. opus:interactive, as a part of Opus Creative Group, Inc., has been ranked in the top 100 places to work for 5 of the last 6 years. Those awards are voted on by the employees. Our folks like what they do here, and the culture we have created over the years is awesome. Like anything, though it’s important to refresh on the “why” we need a dynamic culture and the “how” to sustain it. We turned to the Gestalt International Study Center to gain more insight and knowledge. For the past year, we have had an executive coach and mentor roaming the campus of opus. He meets regularly with all directors to coach in effective leadership skills like vision casting, effective coworker communication, effective meeting facilitating, etc. His training came from those at GISC. We found his approach to be so effective that we dove in deeper.
So what did we do and what did we learn?
First, I think it’s important to get away and go study aspects of your business that don’t usually get attention. Going to Cape Cod was an amazing opportunity but that’s not where we started.
A water delivery truck in Boston - seeing things like this and spending time with my teammates really helped me wind-down and prepare to focus on the lessons ahead at the GISC.
We spent a day and a half in Boston prior to our study just to unwind from our hectic schedules and grueling mind work. We do this every time we travel to a trade show, a vendor visit, or training. We find it’s easier for us to unwind and then focus on the task at hand.
Gestalt International Study Center facility in Cape Cod.
We arrived in Cape Cod with an open mind, ready to absorb what we probably couldn’t have a day earlier. And the learning started right away. The whole weekend, which started on a Thursday afternoon and ended Sunday afternoon, was focused around 4 real companies who had implemented “Gestalt” methodologies into their cultures and had huge success because of it. Definitions of success were different with each company and will be talked about later in this article.
Dynamic culture first hand. The case studies.
Wheelock. A focus on company process.
The first real-life case study was Wheelock, a leader in mass notification. The CEO of Wheelock, Peter Tarlton, who recently sold his company, so I guess he is the former CEO, was the first to present his case. Over the course of 30 years he worked hard to develop a culture where his employees liked to work and thrived through open communication and feedback. His employees were instrumental in creating processes that not only produced amazing business success, but also created an environment where employees knew their jobs and exactly what was expected of them.
The key here was an environment where employees were either “in” or “out.” With a process-oriented manufacturing operation, everyone needed to be bought in, to create an environment where everyone is on the same page. I think the key in this case study was Wheelock was able to give the employees the choice to be in or out, thus creating camaraderie between teammates with focused vision because they were all in. I also was struck by the genuine caring attitude of Peter. He cared about the voice of his employees, he cared about their development, and he also cared about the business. I guess I was struck by his ability to balance it all.
Nick’s Pizza and Pub. A focus on the employee.
Second on the floor was Nick’s Pizza and Pub. Nick Sorello, the CEO, along with his Director of Operations, Chris Adams were there presenting how they have put Gestalt principles (although they never refer to them as “Gestalt”) into play in their restaurants.
From the minute these guys started talking about why they do what they do, I was internally moved. They do business with a purpose. They want to make a significant positive change in the lives of their customers, but more importantly, in my opinion, in the lives of their employees. The reason I say “more importantly” is because the natural outcome of happy employees is happy customers. So what did they say that was so moving? Here are just a couple statements that moved me:
Nick Sorello (right) smiling while interacting with members of the study group.
Nick’s was truly an inspiration because they have taken a learning approach to their business. They don’t claim to know it all but clearly see each experience as an opportunity to teach, learn, and grow from.
Dirigo Telecommunications. A focus on the customer.
Third up was a company that is in the development phase and in the process, over the past couple years, of implementing Gestalt methodologies to create a better culture. This group was led by two gentlemen, Bob Vitalius and John Reuthe. Both are exceptional leaders with creative ideas and a passion for the customer, their teammates, and their company.
What I took away from this group, who were very similar to opus in many aspects, was some customer-oriented concepts that are common sense, yet profound.
Dirigo is a company from Portland, Maine. Opposite side of the country from us, but certainly not opposite in the obstacles they face on a daily basis. As a technology company, they are continually faced with a sense of urgency to produce results and get to market with their product before it’s outdated. It was good to share similar thoughts and ideas in this area. It was comforting to know that other companies face similar trials. In many of our roundtable type workshops, we found ourselves giving advice to each other, sharing ideas, and building relationships.
Jim Fletcher (right), COO of Opus Creative Group, absorbs discussions at the GISC.
Applegate Farms. A company focused on perfection.
Applegate Farms was the final presenting company of this conference. This company, led by CEO, Stephen McDonnell and COO, Rob O’Donnell, is amazing to say the least. They are focused on perfection, plain and simple. They seek perfection in every aspect from process to product to the physical space of their offices. It’s become a part of their culture and because of that they do $100 million in sales per year, and counting. Their products, hot dogs, deli meats, are 100% natural and organic, making no room for error when it comes to farms and vendors who supply to them. They too must be perfect or the Applegate Farms brand will suffer. With the customer in mind — families with children with parents who don’t want growth hormones or antibiotics in their meat — Applegate Farms sets out to be the number-one organic meats producer in the world. And they do it with a culture that strives for perfection. And like the Wheelock CEO required of his employees, Applegate Farms employees are either “in” or “out.”
Edwin Nevis discusses “Confessions of a Serial Entrepreneur” by Stuart Skorman.
So what do we do with all this information?
One thing we try not to do as a leadership team is come back from a conference like this with 50 new things to implement. The fact is that we have been doing so many of these things and doing them fairly well, always leaving room for improvement. I did come home with a few things on my list though, both personally and for the company as a whole. Following the Be-Do-Have model I will list them accordingly:
We ended the trip with a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard for some sight-seeing. Beautiful homes and scenery, good food, and some souvenir shopping all added to a relaxing trip and the ability to come back to work refreshed. A company-paid trip that was a major investment into the life and culture of our company. Money well spent.
Martha’s Vineyard.
All photos taken by Jason Nuss.
Walking through our data center it is easy to see that our collaboration with HP continues to increase day-by-day. With new Blade solutions being installed as we migrate existing partners and welcome new ones into our family, we’re taking steps to assure their businesses succeed while we move toward a sustainable existence with the nature around us.
Our commitment to these partnerships is being showcased this fall season in a print publication by HP on transforming the enterprise. You can read a snippet from the publication just below and from there you can download the entire publication in a friendly Adobe pdf format by jumping off to HP’s micro-site dedicated to the publication.
Companies routinely waste a ton of money cooling and powering open space. We wanted a micro data center that is efficient and eco-aware. And we wanted the ability to expand and optimize the data center as we grew versus filling empty space over time.”
If opus:interactive is any indication, the prevailing set of earth friendly principles are now spilling into the corporate sector. A Managed Services Provider (MSP), opus:interactive offers a variety of online services to its clients, such as Web hosting, managed servers, email hosting and high-speed Internet access. These solutions are provided through the company’s state-of-the-art data center in Portland, Ore.
“We’re not your average MSP,” says Jeremy Sherwood, Business Solutions Executive for opus:interactive. “Stewardship is very important to us, and we strive to take exceptional care of our clients as well as our environment.”
Whereas many organizations would opt to set aside a large parcel of space in which a modern data center can grow, opus:interactive contemplated efficiency more than square footage. “Companies routinely waste a ton of money cooling and powering open space,” Sherwood continues. “We wanted a micro data center that is efficient and eco-aware. And we wanted the ability to expand and optimize the data center as we grow versus filling empty space over time. We have the space, obviously, but why build it all out at once?”
Today, opus:interactive’s 1,000 square-foot Internet Data Center is home to numerous HP BladeSystem c-Class and p-Class server blades as well as 62 ProLiant servers. The facility is served by fiber optics and all vital systems are fully redundant. The company utilizes VMware on HP ProLiant BL460c server blades to offer virtual dedicated managed servers for its clients and to run many of its internal business applications without having to purchase additional servers.
“We made a concerted effort to become an eco-aware data center facility with the implementation of HP BladeSystems,” Sherwood says. “The blades have allowed us to scale faster, use power efficiently, provision servers faster and ultimately, close more deals.”
He adds that the blades are pulling a mere 15 amps of power compared the 40 amps that the stand-alone servers consume. And VMware has turned one or two day deployments into 15 minute projects from start to finish. As the company and its client base grows, opus:interactive is gradually replacing its ProLiant servers with HP BladeSystems, freeing up space in the data center, further reducing power consumption and easing cabling complexity.
“The use of HP BladeSystems stays true to our customer-first initiative by providing the best-of-the-breed hardware that truly is “Always On,” easy to manage, extensible, scalable, reliable and eco-aware,” says Eric Hulbert, Chief Information Officer of opus:interactive. “This shift in IT is our push for business innovation in all that we do. We plan to replace our entire infrastructure with the HP BladeSystem c-Class.”
Apparently, being green is easy after all.
For the full opus:interactive case study and information on the HP BladeSystem, visit: www.hp.com/go/transformblades.
In order to view the case study you will be asked to register. Please assure that you have selected the top check box of Step 1 (see the screen capture below for example) titled: HP BladeSystem Special Edition, Fall 2007 (PDF).
by Jason Nuss
The opportunity to do a conference in Vegas was great and to go with teammates was even better.
From the moment the flight was booked and my registration for Interop was complete the only thing I could think of was, “Is this going to be worth the money?” Although we did the free registration for the conference I knew we would be spending a lot of money to get down there, a lot of money on hotel, food, taxis, monorail, and of course entertainment. In the end, on the flight back to Portland, my thoughts were, “That was a great trip.” Here’s why.
I get to travel quite a bit in my position as Director of Operations. I say quite a bit but that’s in comparison to others here who don’t travel at all. I go to 3-4 places a year attending training, conferences, vendors, and retreat. The opportunity to do a conference in Vegas was great, since I hadn’t been there for more than a day in 12 years. The opportunity to go with teammates was even better. Vegas, to me, is a place you don’t really want to go alone. Two reasons that’s true: one, there is too much to get you into trouble, so having buddies keeps you on the up-and-up (not that I would ever get into trouble, it’s just a tempting place); and two, who wants to go to Vegas alone? So just being in Vegas, relaxing away from the office, trying new things, seeing new sites, and, best of all, people-watching, was almost worth the money by itself. But obviously we didn’t go to Vegas for that, we went for Interop.
Interop was bigger than I expected. Although I new there were a lot of exhibitors I didn’t expect to see what I saw. Huge booths and displays, some of them two stories high, were common. In fact, you often had to look up to see the entire booth/displays. The big companies that opus:interactive uses for equipment, like Cisco, HP, and Dell were there, as well as the smaller vendors we use, like Array Networks (load balancers), GTA Firewalls, and IronPort Systems (S&V appliances). Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent by these companies, for sure. What the ROI was, I don’t know, but it was obvious they felt it was an important place to be.
The big themes, as I saw them, were networking appliances and accessories, security appliances, wireless technologies, and data center cabinets, cooling, and new technologies. Not all these spoke to us as a company, but we did study every booth and visited anything we thought might be interesting.
Free stuff. We were up for free t-shirts, squishy balls and dice, Lego sets, candy, coffee, pop, backpacks, hats, pens, and more. The most notable freebie for me was the branded Lego set by IronPort. Very creative and memorable. I also like cleverly designed t-shirts. The free lemonade stand was creative, and the fact that it was hosted by half-naked women attracted a lot of buzz. BlueCat Networks hosted free Xbox360 gaming at their booth, as well as a few amazing-looking “booth babes”. Again, the girls tended to attract folks to the booth, although I am sure many guys didn’t attend the booths so as to not be viewed as a perverts. I lean towards not going up to talk to the booths with some half-dressed girl there unless it was a must see product, but that’s just me.
So the food in Vegas was amazing. I had a steak at this restaurant called Nine Fine Irishmen. The one thing I remember about this place—okay two things—was the t-shirt for sale in the lobby that said “I’ve done Nine Fine Irishmen,” which I found humorous. The second thing was the incredible ribeye steak. Wow.
We also took in Cirque du Soleil at the MGM. The show was amazing, to say the least. It was well worth the $69/per ticket price. That was the cheapest ticket available, but in a theatre of only 2000 seats there really wasn’t a bad seat.
Technology-wise, my biggest takeaway from Interop is that opus:interactive is ahead of the curve on sustainable practices and its effort to be eco-friendly. We are not perfect, but many of the practices that were presented at Interop are things we have been doing for a couple years. So I tip my hat to the owners and my director of IT for allowing us to push the edge on new technologies that improve our overall environmental impact.
Final thoughts:
The funniest moment (I must have laughed for 5 minutes and then throughout the trip just thinking about it):
Eric and I were playing Craps. Sometimes a die would bounce off the table and onto the floor, but it’s not common because the sides of the tables are so high. Eric finally got his chance to throw the dice. Instead of one of the dice bouncing off the table, Eric threw both dice off the table. In fact, they never even hit the table—they hit some guy in the gut. Eric was embarrassed, and I was rolling on the floor laughing. I couldn’t stop. I hadn’t laughed like that in months. Thanks Eric.
Good trip, worth the money.
