CIO Solutions
Jan/Feb 2014 - Issue 42            
Find It Fast
Check with the Tech: Online Charity
What's New at CIO: Brew Off & Waffle Wednesday
Have you met Michelle?
CIO in the News: CIO Continues to Engage with Tri-County Businesses
Windows XP and Office 2003: Support Ends April 8th, 2014
App of the Month: Apps for the Wine Lover
Employee Spotlight: James Lee
Quicklinks
CIO Logo 

CIO Logo  

                  

CIO Solutions  

Website
       
Follow us on Twitter

 
Join Our Mailing List!  

 

Birthdays

 

Josh Disraeli - Jan 22
Julie Mendoza - Jan 25
James Lee - Jan 26

Mark Shramek - Feb 9
Mike D. - Feb 10
David Beltran - Feb 18
Hugh Hollis - Feb 18
Craig McClellan - Feb 26

CIO Solutions - Feb 1986
Happy 28th Birthday CIO! 

 

 

 

CIO Anniversaries

 

Nick Picon - 8 years - 1/9

David Beltran - 3 years - 1/19

Lia Moniz - 2 year s- 1/30 

 

Craig M. - 4 years - 2/10

Marshall - 2 years - 2/15 

Michael B. - 7 years - 2/26

 

 




New Year's Day
January 1, 2014

  

new-year-header5.jpg




Groundhog Day 
February 2, 2014

groundhog day  



Valentine's Day
February 14, 2014

cupid-heart-icon.jpg  



President's Day
February 17, 2014
 
 
 
 
 
CIO Solutions will be closed for President's Day on Monday, February 17


Emergency support will be available through our oncall system. Please call 805-692-6709, option 3 to contact our oncall resources. Please email non-urgent issues to [email protected]  
 

Happy New Year

Greetings!  

 

Each year, technological advancement is greeted with a combination of excitement and hand wringing. We are hopeful for the added benefits that new tech will bring to us, but wonder whether or not we are becoming too dependent on, or too involved with our technology.

 

We in the tech industry are acutely aware of the ever evolving relationship between humanity and technology. For the last 28 years CIO has been negotiating this relationship with, and for, our clients. This New Year let us be guided by the ways in which technology can make our lives better.  

 

Cheers,
John Petote
CEO, CIO Solutions

 

Check with the Tech: Online Charity
Check with the Tech
Q: How can I use technology to help me keep my New Year's resolution to make the world a better place?

A:
Microlending and Crowdfunding on the internet offer opportunities for donors and recipients to work collaboratively on all kinds of projects. 

Kiva.org is an online microlending website. They are a non-profit organization connecting people through microlending to alleviate global poverty. You can lend as little as $25 to help entrepreneurs worldwide get their small business off the ground. Interested in helping small business in the US? Kiva is currently piloting Kiva Zip where you can make microloans to entrepreneurs closer to home.

  

www.kiva.org 

zip.kiva.org/ 

 

Kickstarter is the world's largest crowdfunding platform. Crowdfunding draws on the historic tradition of patronage and infuses it with the energy of the internet. Their mission is to help fund a variety of creative projects, from art to tech to video games to product innovations. Kickstarter gives you the opportunity to be a part of what could be the "next new thing." Most projects offer perks based on the size of your donation.  

 

 www.kickstarter.com/  



What's New at CIO  
beer_glass_full.jpg
We're getting ready for our third 
CIO Brew-Off! 

 

Keep your eye out for our invite, we should be sending out more information shortly

Team
s have been chosen and we'll be brewing soon. Here are the teams that will be facing off in May:

 
Goodland Brewers

Eric Engmyr - Brewmaster

Michael Biancone 

    Ryan Popke

  Michelle P. Baca

 

Brew Hounds

Rich Beckett - Brewmaster

Mark Shramek

Jeff Ford

Eric Egolf

 

The 3 Gentlemen

Mike Donovan - Brewmaster

Nicho Loza

Brian Donovan

 

Schnitzengiggle

Peter Summers - Brewmaster

James Lee

Nick Picon

 

Brewmancers

Richard Clark - Brewmaster

Dana Clark

Sean Gill

  
Waffle Wednesday

In January CIO celebrated our first Waffle Wednesday. Mike Shinn was our Master Waffle Maker, and everyone enjoyed a sweet treat.

   

 

  
 

CIO's Service Coordinator

 

Are You Utilizing CIO's Service Coordinator?  michelle

 

 

Michelle started in May of 2013 as our Scheduler and Dispatcher, since that time her position has matched our growth and she is now our Service Coordinator. Among other things Michelle is responsible for coordinating projects, on site engineers, and proactive on site visits.

 

Michelle keeps a watchful eye on our engineer's calendars and is your best resource in terms of engineer availability. When necessary Michelle can also facilitate quotes, or put you in touch with our Sales Team to scope out larger projects. 

 

Please utilize Michelle as a resource on your team and let her help you coordinate your project and on site needs.  

 

Michelle P. Baca 
(805) 692-6700, ext. 349

 

CIO in the News

 

Read All About It!CIO Continues To Support Locally Owned Businesses and Non-Profits in the Tri-County Area 

 

 

CIO Solutions, Santa Barbara's premier IT firm celebrates its 28th year. CIO continues to provide excellent customer service to our existing base while exploring partnerships across versatile industries in the Tri-County area.

  

We've recently partnered with City of Arroyo Grande, AutoVitals, Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District, Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation, and Ergomotion. In May 2013 the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation awarded 2,601 scholarships totaling $8.1 million to Santa Barbara County Students. The Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District is committed to providing a fresh, reliable water supply to residential and agricultural customers in the Santa Ynez Valley. AutoVitals and Ergomotion are local Santa Barbara businesses working to innovate in their respective fields, and contribute to the vibrant Santa Barbara community.

  

We are proud to work with clients who contribute so much to the Central Coast community. CIO's exemplary customer service provides valuable support for the core competencies of our clients, so that they can move forward with their corporate and community missions.

  

Our client base has expanded across the non-profit and private sectors, and this diversity has allowed us to rise to new challenges and strengthen our Core Values. Throughout these moments of growth and new challenges we remain committed to our family of clients, and our community. 

 

CIO Solutions has been providing IT management and design services to the Central Coast since 1986. CIO specializes in helping businesses focus on their core business by designing and managing their IT department. In addition to managing IT networks, CIO also provides consultation on Private Cloud Services, Enterprise Storage, Virtualization, VoIP Phone Systems and other solutions.

 

  CIO Logo

Marketing Contact: 

Hannah Rich
805-692-6700, ext. 105
[email protected]

 

 

Security Update: Windows XP and Office 2003 - Support Ends April 8th, 2014

 

Based on their 2002 Support Lifecycle policy Windows XP and Office 2003 will not be supported by Microsoft after April 8, 2014. The policy was established based on customer feedback, and in an effort to provide more transparency and predictability of support for Microsoft Products.   

Per this policy Windows and Office Products receive a full 10 years of support; 5 years of Mainstream Support, and 5 years Extended Support.  

 

CIO can help you celebrate your 13 year anniversary with Windows XP by offering an upgrade solution for your business.

 

This upgrade is essential, as of April 8 there will be no more security updates, non-security hotfixes or any access to Microsoft customer support - free or paid. Unsupported software creates security and compliance risks for your organization. According to Toby Wolpe on zdnet.com the soon to be unsupported Windows XP will be vulnerable to more sophisticated security attacks. Experts predict that users who do not have comprehensive IT support will face the most risks.  

  

Talk to your CIO Account Manager or vCIO to ensure you have an appropriate strategy to handle end of life on windows XP as this announcement means different things to different companies. 

 

App of the Month: Apps for the Wine Lover

       

Stumped on which wine serve with your romantic Valentine's Day dinner? Check out these wine apps from Android and iOS.

 

Hello Vino (free) for Android and iOS
http://www.hellovino.com/

This app features recommendations based on food pairing, taste, region, and occasion. You can even choose based on price points. Share your new wine discoveries with friends on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Wine Ph.D (free for Android, $5 for iOS)
This comprehensive app provides pairing suggestions, and offers a wine education as well. With this app, you'll have access to ratings and reviews, wines organized by region, varietal and food and a glossary of wine terms and articles.

 

Use these apps to swirl and sip your way to full oenophile (wine lover) status. wine-glass-icon.jpg

 

 

Send your favorite free app to [email protected] and it may find its way into our newsletter!

 

Employee Spotlight: James Lee, Remote Engineer

 

Full name:  James Lee

 

Family Info: Wife Miranda (married 6 years), a younger brother and sister

 

Where did you grow up: 

Born & raised SO cal. Grew up in the SF valley, attented UCSD/ lived there for 4-5 years after HS

 

When did you move to Santa Barbara:  Moved to SB in 2002

 

What you like best about Santa Barbara:  Weather, ocean, no crowds, cool people

 

When did you start working at CIO: November 2013 

 

What you like best about working at CIO: Cool culture & people/learning opportunities

   

Dreams/aspirations: Make a lot of money, and eventually buy a house

 

What would you do if you won the lottery: Take a world tour

 

Favorite color:  Blue

 

Favorite food: Mexican food/pizza...anything with cheese! 

 

Favorite movie: Heat (1995)

 

Motto:  The Golden Rule, because what goes around comes around

 

Anything else that is interesting about yourself: I like the outdoors. I've sumitted Mt. Whitney 14,500ft (Non-stop, 23 miles round trip) Highest mountain in the contiguous US. 

 

 

 

CIO Solutions does not knowingly participate in SPAM. If you wish to be removed from this list, please follow the link below and you will be taken off this list. Thank you for your interest in our
e-Newsletter. 
Share