CoLouisiana Brings Fiber Optics to Cenla

CoLouisiana, LLC headquartered in Lafayette has a state-of-the-art data center securely located in Alexandria. The company is a local leading provider of fiber optic broadband internet, data center colocation, network and cloud computing services in Central Louisiana, and recently began construction on a custom-built, dedicated, private fiber optic network in the City of Alexandria. Construction on this new fiber optic backbone began on June 8th. Several miles of new fiber optic cable is being installed now and continuing throughout the rest of the year. This network will be interconnected into CoLouisiana’s data center allowing the Alexandria marketplace to have access to fiber optic broadband Internet, cloud computing services and other network resources.  “Increasingly higher demands on Colouisiana’s current network have caused us to take on a new mission in Central Louisiana, by making fiber optics more readily available to the Alexandria marketplace. The connection is a robust fiber optic network transmission line that is an ideal source for those customers who seek redundant, self-healing local access,” says CoLouisiana’s CIO Jeromy Grimmett.

Regarding CoLouisiana’s cloud computing services, company Director Michael Brooks Jr. explains, “Our cloud computing service is simply Internet-based development and use of computer technology. It is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet. Users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure ‘in the cloud’ that supports them. A Cloud, sometimes called an Enterprise Cloud, is simply a secure dedicated hardware environment of pooled resources with a virtualization layer running on top, allowing our clients to create and manage multiple virtual servers within a set of physical servers located at our data center. Since it’s a dedicated environment, you and only you live in your cloud.” CoLouisiana is the first to offer Central Louisiana these next generation technologies, delivering Louisiana’s first local community-wide cloud computing environment.

CoLouisiana offers a wide variety of advanced network services which includes colocation services, network management, dedicated servers, virtual servers, disaster recovery, cloud computing and a broad range of cost-effective IT and broadband internet solutions for small and mid-sized businesses both locally and nationally. What CoLouisiana does for its customers is to enhance the business value of clients technological investments through improved operational efficiency and service levels while reducing costs and business risks associated with technology obsolescence, maintenance, IT personnel succession, security, downtime, disaster recovery, deployment, and incident management. “CoLouisiana is designed to function as a client’s IT department, or supplement existing IT functions and personnel.  What we deliver to small and medium sized businesses is a Fortune 500 IT operation for a fixed monthly fee,” explains Grimmett.

CoLouisiana’s advanced network service offering is fueling its exponential growth. Its client roster consists of many prominent Alexandria businesses and its client base has recently expanded to include server colocation and cloud computing clients in New York, California, Shreveport, Lafayette and New Orleans. For more information, please email [email protected] or call (318) 442-1384.

Sigma Design

Sigma Design is a local technology company developing software and internet-based collaborative services for customers in the real estate, construction and design markets. Based in Alexandria for the past 14 years, Sigma Design serves customers throughout the world including Walmart Stores based in Bentonville, Arkansas, and Wegmans based in Rochester, New York. For several years, Sigma has been developing a patented, internet-based, collaborative service marketed under the company’s EZmeeting brand. This service was built specifically for collaborating over the internet with complicated graphic information such as CAD files, 3D models and digital photos.

The EZmeeting service essentially allows users in different locations to be interactively linked with the capability of sharing all kinds of graphic information. Users can instantly respond and interact with one another by sketching, writing notes and adding additional graphic information to their meetings. The resulting phenomenon is the ability to act together as though both were in the same room. The EZmeeting interactive service puts everyone involved on exactly the same page at exactly the same time. Teams of people working on common problems can share and see the same information regardless of where everyone is located. The result is better and faster decision-making. Also, the improved communication leads to better execution of the actual work in the field. Savings in people’s time and energy can be enormous.

Sigma Design is currently working with several local businesses and government agencies to improve organizational workflow and response time when dealing with problems on design and construction projects. One local government agency that is taking advantage of the capabilities of the EZmeeting service is the Rapides Area Planning Commission. For the past few years, RAPC has taken a leadership role in deploying and taking advantage of several new internet technologies and services.  Lee Lemoine, Chief Building Official with RAPC, is particularly effective in working with all sorts of consultants who are designing building projects within RAPC’s jurisdiction. One recent project that serves as an excellent example is a new health center project being built in Kinder, Louisiana . Using EZmeeting, Mr. Lemoine interactively links to the project’s designers, Kahn South Inc. located in Birmingham, Alabama and to the project’s contractors, Hoar Program Management located in Houston, Texas. EZmeeting allows RAPC to provide guidance to the project’s designers and contractor as it relates to building code compliance and local building standards. Many problems and mistakes that would normally show up later in the field are being addressed and solved before construction even begins. With a more interactive relationship, both RAPC and the consultants involved are saving unnecessary travel and expense while creating a safer and higher quality building for the new health center.

Local real estate developers Brittain & White utilize Sigma Design’s EZmeeting service with practically every relationship the company maintains. A perfect example of the advantage of this new capability occurred recently on a Brittain & White design project for First United Methodist Church in Alexandria. The firm is helping the church explore the possibility of renovating and improving the sanctuary’s pipe organ. One of the world’s leading organ builders, Bedient Pipe Organ Company in Lincoln, Nebraska, is working on the project with Brittain & White. The EZmeeting service provided the designers in Lincoln and the designers in Alexandria the ability to look at drawings, photos and even sketch out ideas together as they worked on the new design in real-time from hundreds of miles away. Paul Lytle of Bedient says, “Ultimately, the new organ ended up with a much more compelling and interesting design because the two different groups of designers where able to work so closely and interactively with one another.”

For more information on EZmeeting and the other products and services offered by Sigma Design, visit www.sigmadesign.com.

Kinetix Can Secure Your Computer Network

If you are like most of us, your business or place of employment depends on computers in some way to perform their daily duties.  It becomes painfully apparent when, for whatever reason, you can’t connect to the internet, send an e-mail or even access a file you need.  Often when you are having computer issues, productivity stops completely until someone can fix the problem.  What causes these random problems?  Why does it seem that my computer was really fast when I got it and now it seems to drag?  Well there are a host of reasons for random PC issues or slowness on your computer but I’d like to address one of the common ones we see daily with new customers–lack of proper security.  What do I mean by security?  Well most people are familiar with Anti Virus Software and that it would be a good thing to have but the fact of the matter is, Anti Virus is critical , but only one piece of the puzzle needed to protect your important business information.

As more and more people are logging on to the internet, network security has become a big threat. In the United States, identity theft and computer frauds are becoming the fastest increasing crimes.  Now, more than ever, it is crucial that you have the necessary security measures in place to protect your businesses information.  Some of the consequences of neglecting this important step include loss of data, exposure of confidential information, vulnerability from adherence to data retention requirements and loss of productivity.  Additionally, there are even more prevalent threats to your network from inside.  A recent statistic states, “80% of network attacks originate from inside the firewall.”  (ComputerWorld, January 2007)  This means your security plan needs to protect you from the outside, but also create protection from the end users either from a malicious attack or often because users are doing things on their computer other than working.  Either way, productivity is compromised.

In our current economy of needing to do more with less, we need our computers to work efficiently and for your business information to be protected and accessible.   How do we do that? You must start with a Network Security Plan that is tailored to your business and its potential vulnerabilities.  It is important to keep in mind that a good network security strategy involves constant review and maintenance. It is certainly not enough to create security policies and leave them to do their job. Attackers constantly keep themselves updated, and network administrators should really follow suit.

If you find yourself wondering if your security is at its best, your first step is to work with your I.T. department to put a plan in place, or if you don’t have one, contact a reputable experienced team like Kinetix Technologies.  We are an outsourced I.T. service provider that provides solutions along with maintenance and monitoring for all of your I.T. needs.  Give us a call today or visit our website at www.kbisp.com.  We would be happy to provide a free network assessment to determine your security risk.