Articles

Affichage des articles du janvier, 2014

A Design Lesson: Customers Don't Remember Everything They Experience

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My brother is an ophthalmologist in a small town in India. In his private practice, patients have two options to see him: either take an appointment or walk in. Most patients don't take an appointment due to a variety of cultural and logistics reasons and prefer to walk in. These patients invariably have to wait anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and half on a busy day. I always found these patients to be anxious and unhappy that they had to wait, even if they voluntarily chose to do so. When I asked my brother about a possible negative impact due to unhappiness of his patients (customers) he told me what matters is not whether they are unhappy while they wait but whether they are happy or not when they leave. Once these patients get their turns to see my brother for a consultation, which lasts for a very short period of time compared to how much they waited, my brother will have his full attention to them and he will make sure they are happy when they leave. This erases the unple...

DBT-Data is a Force to be Reckoned With

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DBT-Data further established itself in the data storage industry as a formidable force with the $35 million dollar purchase of the state of the art Cyber Integration Center on 1175 North Main Street in Harrisonburg Virginia.  Credit DBT-Data Possessing Uptime Institute’s Tier III certification for operation and design, and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for power usage, the data center adheres to the stringent requirements and standards of private enterprise and the Federal Government. This is the only data center in Virginia or Maryland that carries the Tier III certification. The certification denotes the risks and security level of the data center’s performance with Tier IV being the highest. The Cyber Integration Center is built on a total of 13 acres. Its 102,000 square feet is contained to one floor with an expandable capacity of 40,000 square feet. The finished 8,000 square feet of office space features a reception area, restro...

Focus On Abstraction And Not Complexity

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I am a big fan of software design patterns. A design pattern is a general reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem within a given context. Software design patterns are all about observing technical abstractions in complex problems by identifying patterns and applying well known solutions to them. My management style is largely based on abstractions. When things get muddy I step away from complexity for a few minutes and explore abstractions. This helps me keep in touch with the bigger picture while I look for solutions to a given problem. When you're too close to a topic you do tend to fixate on complexity leaving sight of the bigger picture. I make a conscious attempt to go between complexity and abstraction when I need to. And, that's perhaps the only way to manage it effectively in pursuit of working smart and not just working hard. Complexity invariably makes people get into an analysis paralysis mode resulting into a decision gridlock that affects the bigger pictu...

2014 Federal Intelligence Summit - Washington, DC

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DBT Data and Potomac Officers Club are excited to announce that Al Tarasiuk, CIO of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), will be part of an ICITE panel discussion that will provide insight and updates on this mission critical, cross agency Intel program. Planned topics for the panel include:  A non-classified discussion about ICITE benefits to the Intel community ICITE impact on the government contracting community Successful implementations and applications within the Intel community ICITE adoption process across agencies Next steps for ICITE As one of the sponsors of the 2014 Federal Intelligence Summit, DBT Data is also proud to be featuring the following confirmed speakers:   Mike Rogers serves as the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The Committee is the House’s primary panel responsible for authorizing the funding for and overseeing the execution of the intelligence activities of the United States government. Tish Lon...

3rd Annual World Congress of Cloud Computing 2014

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Today I am proud and honored to announce that I will be participating in this year's 3rd Annual World Congress of Cloud Computing 2014! Highlighting the theme of “Chinese Dream in Cloud” the event will be held in Dalian, China from June 19 to 21, 2014. CloudCon-2014 aims to strengthen the technical and business ties in cloud computing area, to bring together experts and industry leaders to share technological advancements and business experiences, and to jointly explore opportunities in emerging technologies. This congress provides an ideal platform for industrial practitioners and academia to keep up to date with current technology trends, interact with industry experts and network with peers. CloudCon-2014 is presenting an ambitious and unique program based around major themes "Chinese Dream In Cloud", and will feature an exciting line-up of keynote speakers and intense breakout sessions, where lively and interactive debates will take place among the delegates. The new...