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Training Tips, Online and OffApril 29th, 2010From the start, the educational potential of the Internet was a source of tremendous excitement. There is a wealth of online training available today, in every imaginable subject, with many top universities and even elite Ivy League institutions delivering courses, counseling, certificates and degrees on the Web. It’s even better for ongoing education and professional certification, as well as for people who want to learn specific skills or knowledge without a degree program. At CRE, we support all kinds of businesses in every industry, but have a particular expertise outfitting creative people – designers, audio engineers, video pros, marketing mavens – with powerful media manipulators like our Mac Pro rentals. We know how much effort it takes staying updated on all manner of different software and hardware, with the ability to jump into one of our G5 with Kona card rentals and do your thing. Should you decide to take some online training to maintain and/or improve your professional standing and specialized skills, we would commend you for your work ethic – then share a few tips. Always check training sources
Rentals for in-house training If you are looking for training for a group of people, perhaps for professional certification of some kind, you can buy the instructional materials on DVD. CRE has the projector rentals, as well as the audience response system rentals, that can make group training simple and effective. Especially in the IT and technical fields, where widely-regarded certifications are essential for a tech firm’s employees to have, using CRE laptop rentals rounds out a cost-effective training regimen. The more people you can get trained together, of course, the lower the unit cost for the preparation. Win-win. With large enough hardware or software purchases, vendors can also customize a total solution for your firm and easily integrate online or offline training into the plan. You don’t need to tie up your workstations (which are making your company money) or budget a large hardware purchase when you use computer rentals for training. A room of iMac rentals and/or PCs, the right software, the right learning materials and the right amount of time, and you’ve got another group of experts in Excel, Exchange. Photoshop or InDesign – or Maya, C+, Logic, Pro Tools, Avid, Javascript, Ajax, Cisco, Microsoft, Novell or whatever else you can think of. CRE has its share of experts, too. Our Account Executives know exactly what solutions will fit your particular challenge, whether it’s a post-production bottleneck, convention, presentation or training session. Call or send an e-mail, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we’ll get you that personalized training solution you need. Common Sense vs. Business BuzzwordsApril 27th, 2010The old saying, “There’s nothing new under the sun,” is a good one to remember when we start hearing about the “latest and greatest, newest and truest” in any field. It is important to remember that principles are eternal, however – for example, we’ve known for a couple of millennia that communication is essential in society, it’s the means that have evolved, from stone tablets to iPads. In the realm of business management, the eternal principles are clear to anyone who devotes time to finding and studying them. Still, we seem to be experiencing a real upsurge in new buzzwords that describe them.
Who holds the buzzwords keys? Should you be concerned if you are not buying the books or paying the consultants who hold the keys to the secret meanings of these success formulas? No, you shouldn’t. In fact, there is both a lot more and a lot less to this issue than first meets the eye. The “more” comes down to “more work,” as in, you need to do more work finding out what people mean when saying all these things. You will discover that there are really no startlingly new concepts being introduced, just different methods for accomplishing the same commonsense goals that businesses have been setting for centuries – efficiency, meeting customer needs, good communication channels, quality products, good marketing, attentive customer service, straightforward accounting practices, etc. And the “less” part? There is a lot less new thinking here than the consultants would have you believe. CRE has a lot of different customers, in a lot of industries, but because of our Southern California location we are privileged to support many creative firms working in movies, TV, radio, the media and Web-related enterprises. Companies that need cutting-edge Mac Pro rentals for post-production or sleek iMac rentals for a new marketing department project are typically full of bright, forward-thinking, tech-savvy folks who are used to an acronym-heavy vocabulary (RAM, SCSI, SATA, HTTP, etc.) and may give unearned respect to the aforementioned business buzzword abbreviations. This would be a mistake. Understanding the acronyms The important thing is to look beneath the “marcomm” (marketing communications talk) and search for the actual, definable principles that are involved. You will find that BPM, Business Process Management, is pretty much just what it says – managing your business processes. Okay. If you have good managers, they are likely keeping up on the literature and using their heads as it is. Your IT people already know if CRE’s Xserve RAID rentals are what they need in a pinch, and won’t learn that from an acronym, no matter how expensive or impressive. If they think there is something worthwhile in a new BPM approach, they will use it. Trust your in-house experts to separate the wheat from the chaff – or get new experts, if you don’t think they’re up to it. You probably don’t need to buy a Software-Enhanced Interdepartmental Efficiency-Boosting Total Process Management System, or SEIEBTPMS. You just need to stay plugged in, to the leaders of the industry you’re in, to the trade magazines, to the evolving best practices of your particular field. This does not mean there is no value to the business consultants who ply their trade with an ever-changing cast of acronyms and trends. There is much good sense and solid advice to be had there, certainly. The point, though, is that there are many less expensive ways to stay abreast of those best practices, from conventions and conferences to continuing education in the appropriate disciplines. You can do it yourself, most likely, and save money in the process. CRE is in the solution business, and one of the things we help companies do is manage change – including sudden change, like getting a new production deal without having the eight workstations needed to pull it off. When you need to expand into a new project, equip a conference booth or outfit your convention team with WiFi-enabled tablet PC rentals, give our Account Executives a call, send an e-mail or fill out our Quick Rental Quote form online. We won’t bombard you with buzzwords, just straight talk that gets you the solutions you need. Net-Powered Security: Remote Viewing, ControlApril 22nd, 2010Our recent series of blogs on very important issues of security – for computers and networks, property and people – wouldn’t be complete without reporting on the incredible advances in remote camera control. Anything that provides more flexibility, better control and stable ease of use is going to find a warm welcome from business owners everywhere. This is exactly what’s happening now with various iPhone apps and other third-party tools that make it possible to configure and control security systems remotely, giving you unprecedented real-time insight into what is happening a block, a mile or half a world away. These are exciting times for all areas of technology, but among the greatest benefits are those coming to people who need to be in two places at one time, namely, security-conscious businesspeople and homeowners. It is less expensive all the time to upgrade your security technology, with the march of technology adding more features for less money as time goes on. There are some unique new capabilities now available in the DVR (Digital Video Recorder) market. Everyone’s specific security needs and budget will differ, and you will need to decide what is appropriate for your specific situation. That said, there is exciting progress in a number of areas. Long-distance power of video surveillance Remote video surveillance means you can manage, access and view live and recorded video stream from your cameras, all from a distance and over the Internet. After configuring the cameras, you would typically log in to a secure site and control them. You can access your control site from just Event tagging: Since DVRs convert the captured images into a digital format, the management, storage and retrieval of the information is greatly simplified. This is a tremendous advance over such antiquated forms of recording as VCR tapes. Now DVRs can be set up to “tag” events the moment they happen, allowing you to review a particular occurrence without having to visually scan every minute of a recording. You are also able, with the latest DVRs, to jump immediately to specific time and date ranges, or define tags for imprinting directly into the image stream at predefined intervals. Automation and alerts There are DVRs that can do automatic recording at event detection, recording only when a certain kind or level of security event is detected (by various other triggering devices, whether motion or sound detectors). This allows you a means of saving time, money and hard drive space by ignoring event-less scenes and only recording action. Beyond the common motion and sound detectors, these DVRs can also be used with various temperature, water and light sensors. This type of flexibility makes DVR security possible for any kind of business in every imaginable setting, offering protection against both humans (robbers, burglars, arsonists) and Mother Nature (tornados, floods, earthquakes). With the right computers and communications equipment, detector/DVR systems can also be configured for such automated alert features as alarm, phone or e-mail notification of events. Among the main reasons people install security systems in businesses and homes is that they want to be notified of problems as soon as they occur. Automated alerts can even have short video clips attached, offering up-to-the-minute information about what is occurring at your home or business. Whatever you need, from computer rentals to office equipment rentals, we’ve got you covered at CRE. Our Account Executives are ready to assist and support you in every possible way, so call or send an e-mail any time for a swift, effective reply. As always, our Quick Rental Quote form is handy when you know what you need to rent. Plasma Rentals for May 2010 TradeshowsApril 20th, 2010Rent high-def plasma for May 2010 Trade Shows and Conferences. Web 2.0 Expo
The Web is still a powerful engine of economic growth, continuously fueled by a host of evolving business, development and design ideas that collectively fall under the umbrella of Web 2.0. The Expo features influential keynotes and speakers, info-packed workshops, an Expo show floor where your CRE interactive kiosk rentals can capture contact information from attendees of all types and the freewheeling Web2Open “unconference” and other rich, rewarding networking events. The event-wide WiFi network will allow your team of attendees, exhibitors or both to stay in touch with tablet PC rentals and leverage the network to gain even more from the event. 2010 ISRI Convention & Exposition The scrap recycling industry’s businesses, customers and vendors will be attending the 2010 ISRI Convention and Exposition from May 4-8 at the San Diego Convention Center. They will come together to define the meaning of “success” in coming years, attending workshops and general sessions that will equip them with knowledge that will be key to success in today’s, and tomorrow’s, business operations. Networking time will provide many opportunities to find new partners, clients and customers, while the largest scrap recycling equipment and service expo in the world will introduce attendees to new tools and technologies. It’s a perfect opportunity to deploy plasma rentals in a “TV wall” or set up the all-in-one computer rental with multi-touch screen for crowd interaction. The Cable Show Billed as the event that brings together “Hollywood creative visionaries and Silicon Valley technology leaders for a one-of-a-kind convergence of ideas and innovation,” The Cable Show runs May 11-13 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The conference, presented by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), will touch on all the program delivery models – cable, mobile, portable content, Web – where technological advances and new business models are creating new opportunities and synergies. In addition to sessions on everything from customer service, e-care, IP (Internet Protocol) service delivery and social media, Brian Roberts, the chairman and CEO of Comcast Corp., will headline an exclusive Newsmaker Brunch on the future of entertainment. Both cable company executives and content creators attend The Cable Show, and you should consider plasma rentals or LCD monitor rentals from CRE to catch their attention at your exhibit booth. CLEO/QELS 2010 The Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), held in conjunction with the Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (QELS), yields Attendees from around the globe come to hear from leading authorities as well as new innovators, and this year CLEO will include emergent applications related to lasers. The event is organized into four main segments, the first of which is the conference itself. The second segment is CLEO: Applications, where the focus is on practical demonstrations. The CLEO Market Focus sessions, segment three, will be held on the exhibit floor (a perfect place for interactive kiosk rentals) and deal with commercialized applications in such fields as energy, defense, security and biophotonics. The CLEO: Expo segment, where over 300 companies from around the world will exhibit their new products and demo their latest innovations, is where you want to be equipped with CRE audio visual rentals and the biggest, brightest CLEO/QELS plasma rentals to showcase your company’s offerings. Wherever you need to make an impression as an exhibitor, CRE can outfit you just right. Call or send an e-mail to our Account Executives, or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form, and we will take care of you quickly and professionally. With CRE., you are always equipped to win. iPad vs. Competitive-like Pad, Tablet PCApril 15th, 2010Apple did it again, apparently. On the first day of availability, the company sold over 300,000 iPads. The “dud” warnings were not all based on insignificant details, however, and the iPad does deserve some smacks for obvious weaknesses – such as having no webcam, doing no multitasking and being, in essence, a big iPhone. Of all these shortcomings, the notion that one has to quit browsing to look up a phone number or send a quick e-mail is perhaps the most distressing, which is why multitasking was the first of the upgrade announcements that got the Apple fan community chatting (even before the first sale). Where’s the iPad competition? One reason the competition has been a bit quiet (or, at least, dispersed) is that both the public and the gadget makers call the iPad a lot of different things. This means a range of competitive strategies and no “critical mass” of focused opposition. Is the Kindle book-reader a competitor? Well, for e-book readers, perhaps. Is the Neofonie WePad overpriced, with too few Android offerings? What are the big boys – Dell, HP, Asus, Acer – doing in this product niche? HP, for its part, sees the iPad’s screen resolution, Wi-Fi capability, long battery life and mid-range cost as strengths that its long-awaited Slate cannot match. On the other hand, its core hardware specs – CPU, hard drive, USB port, SD card slot, front- and rear-facing cameras, a screen that supports digitizer-based input – are clearly to the Slate’s advantage. Of course, it is the seamless, near-magical “Apple user experience” that is the joker in this high-tech deck of cards. Spec comparison: iPad vs. competitor-like “Pad”
In fact, Apple has already announced plans for a smaller, 5- to 7-inch screen unit, to be focused more on output (music, Web, e-books) than input (typing especially). HP’s Slate has a smaller screen and a netbook standard resolution of 1024×600. Surprisingly for an on-the-go device, HP is coming up 50 percent short in battery life compared to the iPad. The Joojoo and WePad have decent battery life, but when Acer, Asus and some other heavyweights (Nokia? Samsung?) weigh in with their iPad-killers, they had better have more juice than the Slate if they want a good share of this new market. How do you see the iPad integrating into the corporate environment? Do you plan on using one this year? We’d love to hear from you on this. In the meantime, when you are faced with crunch time, like a new project with no available workstations, we are here to keep you moving forward. For everything from Mac Pro rentals to tablet pc rentals, and everything you need to attend or exhibit at a convention or conference, call or send an e-mail to our expert Account Executives today. If you know what you need, complete our Quick Rental Quote form now. For Computer Security, Keep Your Head in the SANSApril 13th, 2010As discussed in our April 8 blog (“Computer Security, Online and Off”), it wasn’t long before the computer revolution gave rise to the kind of negative, destructive activity that infects all other human endeavors. Hackers became the new anti-heroes – they destroyed research, stole credit card account information, brought down communications infrastructure and generally made a (costly) nuisance of themselves. To combat these so-called cybercriminals, new technologies and techniques were developed – and are continuously updated and improved – to provide security for both information and the systems that store it. As the technologies are in a state of constant improvement, The SANS Institute Founded in 1989 to undertake collaborative research and provide state of the art education, SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network and Security) Institute oversees programs that reach some 170,000 computer and network professionals worldwide every year. From auditors and system operators to network administrators and chief information officers (CIOs), increasing numbers of IT professionals are sharing insights, learning lessons and finding solutions to a never-ending stream of security challenges. SANS brings together security professionals from a diverse array of global groups – including corporations, think tanks, universities, government agencies and trade associations – to benefit everyone concerned with information security. It is among the most trusted, and without question the world’s largest, independent source for IT security training and professional certification. The group is a fabulous resource for everyone, from small TV post-production firms with CRE Mac Pro rentals to financial institutions running huge databases on IBM iSeries servers. In addition, SANS creates, maintains and distributes the most extensive set of research documents available regarding information security. Many of these valuable resources are free for the asking, including use of the Internet Storm Center (an “early warning system”), a weekly news digest called NewsBites, a weekly vulnerability report entitled @RISK and timely security alerts available by RSS or e-mail. Annual training conference In San Diego, from May 7th to 15th, the group will be holding its SANS Security West 2010 training conference. To benefit fully from over 20 top-rated course offerings presented by expert instructors, make sure your show attendees pack our convenient laptop rentals to take notes, stay in touch via Wi-Fi and download course materials. Security West 2010 is the place to be for security pros and business owners, and CRE can outfit you for attending, exhibiting or making a presentation. If you’ve reserved a spot at the Vendor Expo, we can set you up with touchscreen LCD monitor rentals, interactive kiosk rentals or anything else you need to present and promote your product or service. Diverse and comprehensive SANS veterans will recognize both classic, always-relevant offerings as well as exciting new courses in the comprehensive lineup. From SANS Security Essentials Bootcamp Style, Intrusion Detection In-Depth, Computer Forensic Essentials and Developing Exploits for Penetration Testers & Security Researchers to Comprehensive Packet Analysis, Security Architecture for Systems Administrators and Virtualization Security Fundamentals, the course offerings are both diverse and comprehensive. The conference will also feature special events, a Vendor Expo/Reception and SANS@Night talks, all absolutely free to registered attendees. There are many informal yet enriching networking opportunities at SANS training events where you can forge valuable professional relationships that can last for years. That’s the kind of relationship that CRE has with many of its valued clients and customers. Whether you’re an old friend or a new one, call or send an e-mail to our experienced Account Executives (or use the Quick Rental Quote form) for all of your computer, networking, storage, presentation and event management rental needs. Computer Security, Online and OffApril 8th, 2010Along with all the amazing labor-saving advances in computing and networking technology over the past decades have come some serious challenges. For whatever reasons, there will always be some people that want to bend and twist technology to destructive purposes. Computer users, both individuals and companies, are now faced with the task of protecting themselves with anti-virus tools and spyware removal. All of CRE’s computers, from tablet PC rentals to the latest Mac Pro rentals, are certified to be free of malware, viruses, spyware and other “rogue code.” However, we cannot control the environment into which you bring them, so to keep them safe from external threats, you need to follow some simple steps. Many of these you are already doing, most likely, while some (we hope) will be good new additions to your security regimen. Online and off, be wary of security breaches
However, not all threats come from outside. Most companies lose more from employee theft than robberies, burglaries and hacking combined. An employee who makes off with a computer is not just taking the device, but everything that’s on it, including mission-critical work. If you have one of CRE’s iMac rentals and it is stolen, insurance will take care of the physical loss, but the computer files – new product designs, important presentations, legal documents – could be gone forever. Step two is ensuring daily backups to a central server or remote drive, and regular offsite storage of backups, as well. Backing up protects you against more than just computer crashes. Security benefit of computer rentals Once again, as we continually remind our clients, there are some very compelling reasons to rent some or all of your computers. Ready or not, we are all on the way to the world of the virtual office, and the cost savings for your business can be substantial if you get ahead of the curve and stay there. Step three, then, should be a complete review of your TCO (Total Cost of Operation) for your computing assets. If you have never done such a study, you may be surprised how much it costs to stay current with, and regularly replace, high-tech equipment at the level of CRE’s powerful computer rentals. When you don’t have to keep buying new equipment, repairing it, maintaining it and replacing it every year or two, you have additional time, money and energy to do what’s really important. That means growing your business, of course. There is also a security benefit to renting, since you are assured of first-rate equipment operating in a first-rate manner. In addition, whether it’s computers or office equipment rentals, this benefit (combined with possible financial incentives) makes a good case for renting some or even all of the tools you need. CRE has Account Executives who know the hardware, the software and the safest, most effective ways of using them. Call, send an e-mail or fill out our online Quick Rental Quote form. We can help you work more efficiently, as well as more securely, which is more important with each passing day. Reviewing the Reviewers of LCD MonitorsApril 6th, 2010One great thing about the blog format and hyperlinking is the ability to simply link to good information that is already available in the “‘virtual world”. That said, we will “review the reviewers” and recommend where the best information is. We want to point out some great sites where you can get the very best insight into TFT Central is a British Web site with some of the very best reviews of LCD monitors. The site has added visual documentation to increase its credibility and explain its ratings. While most Web sites view (and review) LCD monitors from just one or two perspectives – say, gaming or watching movies – the thorough evaluations at TFT Central cover the kinds of different uses found in today’s businesses, including color performance for designers, stable imaging for technologists and video playback for media professionals. The estimable Government Computer News (GCN) Web site is a similarly trustworthy and dependable with reviews. It covers, along with its print magazine, government, technology and a wide range of products and solutions, including in-depth monitor reviews. While it also delves deeply into PCs and Apple computers, like Mac Pro rentals, its monitor reviews are particularly well-regarded by the tech press pool. Other top LCD monitor sites Another well-known Web site, X-bit Labs, may justly lay claim to reviewing the greatest number of LCD monitors. With thorough, formal testing and precise documentation, its reviews tend to be technical and sometimes opaque to non-techies. PC Magazine’s site also has excellent reviews, and they are written for the average user. Although the site lacks the technical depth of some other recommended reviewers, it is possibly the best starting place, and reviews all other computer technology, too. If you are looking into LCD monitors but want the specs on an iMac rental, it’s the place to go. One thing to remember when reading any review is that one person’s dud is another’s star performer. Because of different ways of testing, and people’s natural subjectivity, you will find the very same monitors being hailed and panned. The best thing to do is read a number of competing reviews, or stick with a reviewer or review site that you have come to trust. Regardless of how you learn the inside scoop, on monitors or other displays like CRE’s plasma rentals, the more you know which monitors are best for each kind of work your business does. Don’t have the right monitor to get the project done? Rent monitors from CRE – you’ll get exactly what you need. Call or send an e-mail and we will help you. If you already know the monitor you need, even a non-LCD type like our LED-based 30-inch Apple Cinema HD rentals, just fill out a Quick Rental Quote form and you’ll be plugging and playing (well, “plugging and working”) in no time. Kiosks in Conventions: Today and BeyondApril 1st, 2010The standalone kiosk has become a mainstay of conventions and typically consists of a computer and touchscreen monitor, housed in a (usually) vertical cabinet. In some models, the kiosk will also contain credit card readers and printers. They can be deployed to deliver or capture information on various products and services. Outside of convention and corporate use, kiosks have literally hundreds of uses, and can be found in airports, malls, retail stores, hotel lobbies and corporate foyers. Kiosk rentals in the convention space CRE’s interactive kiosk rentals are used by companies in many ways, particularly as a way of deploying additional “virtual employees” at conventions and events. Some of the obvious uses at conventions include:
The newest kiosks include Web connectivity so that a marketing team with their tablet PC rentals can actually update the kiosk contents, download captured data and otherwise manage the device’s various tasks. In fact, quite soon many kiosks will be more akin to what IT people call “thin clients,” meaning there will be limited computing horsepower and storage in the physical unit, and it will take its orders and get its presentation material over the Internet. Kiosk (rentals) in the future With continuing advances in multimedia processing, new generations of ever-more advanced tools will further reduce development costs of kiosks while increasing their capabilities. A range of other new technologies – like signature cards, smart cards, 3G/4G cell phone connectivity, etc. – will lead to kiosk solutions yet to be imagined. While this is happening with the standalone kiosk rental model, there are other interesting “kiosk-ish” things happening as a result of touchscreen technology coming to PCs. For one example, CRE has touchscreen LCD monitor rentals and the all-in-one desktop computer rental (Sony’s VAIO L model) that can be used in kiosk-type ways. By installing some special software, you can create your own kiosk and station it at your exhibit booth’s entrance or on a second table. Your “virtual partner” will help you capture more information from more people, perhaps twice as much, since you would be able to assist more than one person at the same time. There are other creative ways to employ kiosk technology that we will address in a future blogs (so check back). CRE’s Account Executives are up to speed on all the technologies you need for success on an trade show exhibit floor or convention. Call, send an e-mail or fill out the Quick Rental Quote form and we will help you find the solutions you need to the challenges you face. With CRE, you are never in it alone. |
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There are scores of acronyms now being used by hard-sell business consulting firms, as if they represent breakthroughs of some kind. The trend may have begun with CRM (Customer Relationship Management) in the 1990s, but has since expanded into a long list of puffed-up phrases — Business Process Management (BPM), Enterprise Architecture Patterns (EAP), Business Process Transformation Framework (BPTF), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and the like. (Shouldn’t the Department of Redundancy Department be on there, too?)
about any Internet-connected computer in the world. The best services will work with all the remote camera’s built-in capabilities, such as multiple resolution settings and 
Web 2.0 Expo
CLEO/QELS 2010
As of 10pm Thursday, April 8, the total was approaching 600,000, and between 3.5 and 4 million apps had been downloaded for the device. This has left some tech bloggers and perennially pouting anti-Apple pundits perplexed, as many had 
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