If only you could get paid to browse the web all day, am I right? Well, thanks to a new Google project called Screenwise, that dream has become a reality — provided your online privacy isn’t worth all that much to you.
The first and more lightweight Screenwise option is currently recruiting panelists (although it looks like they’re full up as of the time of this writing). As a Screenwise panelist, you agree to install a browser extension that tells Google all about every site you visit via Chrome. In exchange, you get a $5 Amazon gift card for signing up, plus another $5 gift card every three months you remain with the service, to a maximum of $25.
The second option is currently invite-only and will both earn you a lot more money and lot more invasion of privacy. Participants in this program — who must be invited to join — will earn $100 up-front and an additional $20 each month. In exchange, users have to install a special Cisco router that will report all browsing data back to Google. Except when web surfers use incognito tabs or secure sessions, all browsing data will also be personally identifiable to Google. The company is also allowed to provide aggregated data to “academic institutions, advertisers, publishers, and programming networks,” they state in their user agreement.
How much storage capacity will you need? Will you be able to add additional storage on-demand? How much data availability are you going to need?
Direct Attached Storage (One-to-One): DAS is adding an external storage device to an existing server or PC to extend storage capacity. DAS is suited for newer small businesses with limited storage needs. Examples of this type of storage are portable USBs, thumb drives, zip drives and the PC external hard drive.
Network Attached Storage (One-to-Many): NAS makes stored data and files available to multiple users in multiple locations, using different operating systems. NAS servers utilize file level transfers, while DAS and SAN block level transfers. Example of this type of storage are file servers, email archiving and storing media files for web apps.
Storage Area Networks (Any-to-Any): SAN makes all storage devices available to any server on the network. Most businesses use SAN for over half of their storage needs. SANs are more complex to manage, but the ability to share the storage on multiple servers allows you to configure storage capacity as needed. Examples of this type of storage are entry-level virtualization, supporting interrelated resources, databases and centralizing enterprise storage.
Cloud (Masses-to-Masses): Cloud is pooled server resources that house massive data stores in remote data centers able to scale on-demand. Examples of this type of storage are serving rich media files, content delivery networks and web hosting. The major differences between all four of the storage solutions are cost, whether storage is shared or dedicated and whether additional storage can be added on-demand.
This often takes the form of consolidation. Consolidation encompasses not just large, glass-house facilities, but also small server clusters and wiring closets. If there are too many data centers supporting the organization, they add unnecessary cost, are less controllable and lead to power inefficiencies. Also, small facilities suck up power unnecessarily, tie up inventory and burn cash out of an IT organization’s budget.
2. Maximum Server Efficiency Through Virtualization
Virtualization is a fast spreading concept. Virtualization is the pooling of physical storage from multiple network storage devices into what appears to be a single storage device that is managed from a central console. Storage virtualization helps the storage administrator perform the tasks of backup, archiving, and recovery more easily, and in less time, by disguising the actual complexity of the storage area network (SAN). Its benefits extend beyond merely improving the efficiency and usage ratio for central servers and storage systems. They also include faster provisioning of new projects, applications or users, as well as greater reliability and business continuity thanks to fast replication of virtual machines as backups.
3. Utilizing External Cloud Computing
A number of organizations are migrating select applications, mainly e-mail and other utilitarian functions, to cloud environments run by third parties. That frees up staff and infrastructure for more mission-focused work such as application development.
4. If It Provides Flexibility, Deploy Internal Clouds
To support a wide range of users and services with easy scalability and rapid provisioning, many organizations have launched their own cloud computing infrastructures. Internal cloud strategies force a rethinking of hardware architectures, utilizing consolidated, converged or data-center-in-a-box approaches.
5. Optimized Power Use
New form factors, mainly blade servers and converged infrastructures, need up-to-date cooling strategies. Instead of simply chilling the interior of an entire facility, the latest cooling technologies focus concentrated cooling where and when it is specifically needed within racks and aisles to radically reduce cooling costs.
Sometimes it’s hard to conceptualize the vastness of disk storage. It’s easier to look at a bookcase full of rare first editions and understand the amount and value of information. Here’s a break down on the size of different forms of data as defined by the IBM Dictionary:
Bit: A Bit is the smallest unit of data that a computer uses. It can be used to represent two states of information, such as Yes or No.
Byte: A Byte can represent 256 states of information, for example, numbers or a combination of numbers and letters. One Byte could be equal to one character. Ten Bytes could be equal to a word. 100 Bytes would equal an average sentence.
Kilobyte: One Kilobyte would be equal to this paragraph you are reading, whereas 100 Kilobytes would equal an entire page.
Megabyte: Fifteen years ago, a Megabyte was considered a large amount of data. Today a 500 Gigabyte computer hard drive is common. An old 3-1/2 inch floppy disks can hold 1.44 Megabytes or the equivalent of a small book. 100 Megabytes might hold a couple volumes of Encyclopedias. 600 Megabytes is about the amount of data that will fit on a CD-ROM disk.
Gigabyte: One Gigabyte could hold the contents of about 10 yards of books on a shelf. 100 Gigabytes could hold the entire library floor of academic journals.
Terabyte: One Terabyte could hold about 3.6 million 300 Kilobyte images or about 300 hours of good quality video. A Terabyte could hold 1,000 copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Ten Terabytes could hold the printed collection of the Library of Congress. That's a lot of data.
Petabyte: One Petabyte could hold approximately 20 million 4-door filing cabinets full of text. It could hold 500 billion pages of standard printed text. It would take about 500 million floppy disks to store the same amount of data.
According to the MGI Big Data Report, the United States Library of Congress is storing around 235 Terabytes of data and 88% of industries have more data than that. Enterprises are in someway liable for nearly 80% of the digital universe. Businesses have steady daily file creation and the amount of information stored within the company will quickly amass. Precious items should be kept in a safe place and your data is no different.
Three successful entrepreneurs returning home to Oklahoma from stints outside the state have launched a venture accelerator in Oklahoma City that will develop local startups by providing investment, mentorship, office space, free services and access to further venture capital. Called VentureSpur and modeled on successful venture accelerators throughout the US, the new Oklahoma City accelerator launches on February 1, 2012.
Founders include David Matthews, a partner in VC firm Trailblazer Capital and manager of the Oklahoma Opportunity Fund; Gabe Bass, managing partner of Bass Law, a law firm with offices in Oklahoma City and El Reno; and Kraettli L. Epperson, owner of Black Mesa Consulting, a new Oklahoma City information technology consulting company.
“Over the last several years, venture accelerators have become the leading tool to develop startups that are lean, fast, focused and efficient investment vehicles,” said Epperson. “We’re taking the lessons learned at other successful accelerators and applying them to Oklahoma. Our job is to spark the innovation economy by building businesses that keep and attract talent and investment in Oklahoma, and that produce in-demand goods and services,” said Epperson.
“We think Oklahoma is ripe for an accelerator,” said co-founder Gabe Bass. “VentureSpur is modeled on Y Combinator, TechStars, Capital Factory and Tech Wildcatters, which have seen quick success with multiple companies receiving substantial follow-on investment or acquisitions. We want to do the same in Oklahoma,” said Bass.
Here's part 2 of our Top 20 questions to ask your colocation provider, originally published by colocationprovider.org 11. What Size of Internet Connections Does the Colocation Provider Utilize (T3, OC3, OC12, OC48, OC192), Realizing OC192 is Ideal? – There are many colocation providers out there, some even set up in garages where only a few T1's or a T3 is utilized. Make sure that the provider you choose is a legitimate colocation facility that can deliver the technical reliability and security your business deserves. Look for a provider that has the ability to provide you with the best connectivity and redundancy for fast delivery. An OC192 offers the best connection available and will eliminate latency issues that you will find with smaller infrastructures. 12. What Kind of Security Does the Colocation Facility Offer? – For you to feel completely secure, it is highly valuable to find a provider that has invested in state-of-the-art security, whereby digital surveillance cameras are throughout the facility, card key locks at every entrance and exit within the facility exist with an enforced access list, and personal locking cabinet(s) are provided. It is important to note that individual secure locking cabinets are much more secure than an open rack in a shared cage. 13. Does the Company Specialize in Colocation or Something Else, (i.e. Phone Service) and Sell Colocation on the Side? – When deciding what provider your business would best benefit from using, make sure that you research the origin of the company’s services. If the company specializes primarily in phone service, web hosting or dedicated servers, then their colocation service will likely be more costly and you will be getting less service for your money. A company that specifically sells colocation is technically built to handle its necessities: maximum Internet speed via the largest backbone and network connectivity, expansive space opportunity and equipment security, along with the appropriate technical support necessary on a 24/7 basis. 14. Does the Colocation Facility Have Redundant Power? – The provider you choose should have continuous redundant UPS and generator backed electrical power where back-up battery banks are always online to keep the power on until prime source type of back-up generators take over if ever there was an outage within the city. This would protect your business from being harmed from outside factors and allow Internet business to sustain regardless. 15. Does the Colocation Provider Use a Standard Back-Up Generator or a Prime Source Type of Generator for Back-Up Power? – A provider that utilizes standard back-up generators is not capable of sustaining power over 4 hours in an outage situation. Therefore, it is important that you choose a facility that has continuous power, which can only be provided by a prime source type of generator. (Prime source generators are rated to run indefinitely, if needed, as the primary source of power). 16. Is the A/C System in Each Section of the Colocation Facility Redundant? – It is crucial for the provider to maintain an especially cooled environment for all of the servers it houses on a continual basis. Heat is the enemy of servers and network equipment. Having redundant A/C systems means that if any of the A/C systems fail, another A/C system is already helping to cool each separate colocation suite and can therefore take over as the primary cooling system. Choose a provider that has a state-of-the-art A/C system that provides air in each section of the facility redundantly. 17. Consider the Cost of Future Needed Internet Bandwidth Upgrades – A profitable colocation service provider is going to handle upgrades fairly. Research the pricing structures for future upgrades with various providers to know how you will be charged for additional Internet bandwidth as you grow. Ask how much it costs for 100Mbps and 1,000Mbps Internet bandwidth. 18. Does the Colocation Service Provider Have Brand Name Customers? – A provider that has brand name customers is a good sign. Ask for a list of customers when shopping for a colocation provider. This will allow you to learn the stability and technical reliability of that provider and help ensure that you are making a good choice. 19. Does the Colocation Provider Offer Secure Locking Cabinets or Just Racks in a Shared Cage? – For maximum security, it is best to find a provider that offers secure locking cabinets to avoid any shared technical issues or even possible problems with theft.
20. Does the Provider Offer Non-Profit Plans to Organizations? – A provider that is profitable means that they are stable enough to give back to the community. It is always a good sign when choosing a provider, if the provider offers non-profit organizations special opportunities, such as free Internet bandwidth for educational networks. It reveals that the company has a heart to make a positive difference, utilizing its technical and financial strengths for the betterment of others!
By Chad Henderson
I have always wanted to attend the massive Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that happens ever year in Las Vegas around this time. I imagined it as this sprawling, hypnotic disneyland of amazing technology and spectacle. A place to see the all your dreams of the future laid out around you like a feast. Where else are you going to learn about the new toys and gadgets that you will be drooling over in the stores next year? Companies like Sony and Microsoft spend all year planning how they will get the most attention at shows like CES. They spend huge amounts of money on booth decorations and lighting. They hire actors and stuntmen to make flashy dramatic entrances. They plant beautiful, evocatively dressed young ladies around their products, hoping to attract more eyes than the next company. But as I sat watching Leo Leporte walk through the convention center yesterday, all streaming to me live thanks to the magic of the modern internet, it occurred to me that these huge trade shows may be entering their twilight years. Watching Twit Live allowed me to be there without having to be there, and more importantly, without having to purchase a ticket to attend. I am sure that I missed out on some of the pure amazement and spectacle that you experience by being there in person. I am sure that things like the large beautiful 3D tvs do not seem very impressive when seen through a normal video stream, and standing next to a lovely young women in a tight Sony T-shirt is much more compelling that seeing her on a laptop screen, but otherwise, I felt like I was there. I was finally getting to attend CES, all without having to deal with the hassle of travel, and the crush of thousands of other technology geeks. I was getting to see all of the new toys and gadgets, and thanks to the power of an internet celebrity like Leporte, I was actually getting to see more than I would have as a normal visitor. I was getting to see interviews with, and hands on demonstrations by, the people behind the tech. Wow, why bother going now? But as powerful as that question is, it really doesn't seem as important as it once would have been. Now that sites likeCNet, Engadget, and Gizmodo are covering not only events like CES thoroughly, but also offering a year round spotlight on everything tech and gadget related, companies are starting to realize that they do not need to spend a ton of time and money to have a presence at huge events like CES. As a matter of fact, this will be the final year that Microsoft will be doing the keynote at CES. That fact alone tells you that interest in the trade show is waning. Apple has already pulled out of Macworld in a huge way and instead started doing their own events anytime they want to make an announcement to the world and it is working. Even if companies wanted to wait for events like CES to make their big announcements, frequent leaks and rampant internet speculation often steal the thunder from what they waited to unveil. If news sites are discussing photos and specs in detail weeks before your big unveiling, why bother with it. Controlling the flow of information becomes harder the longer you wait and CES only happens once a year. For this reason, many products are now being announced long before the big events, even if the product is not actually ready. Based on these changes in the mind set of companies and visitors, I expect that these large shows will start to fade into the background and eventually disappear altogether as the expense and effort eclipse the return. So if you want to attend an event like CES in person, you better do it soon. It may not be here in a few years. Or just watch twit.tv, like I do.