Taken from http://www.abricocotier.fr/

Years ago, applications were all run from mainframes, which were large central computers with lots of storage space and memory (by the standards of the time, anyway). Everyone had terminals which didn’t have much computing power, and simply connected to the mainframe in order to run the applications. All of the applications were actually on the mainframe. This sometimes proved to be expensive, as everyone needed to “share” one big computer.

Over the years, this changed. Individual desktop computers (and then, laptop computers) became more powerful. It made more sense to start running applications on your own computer so that there was no need to share processing power. Computers could still be connected to “centralized” systems, but these systems concentrating on sharing storage, printers, reference information and databases -- things that usually should be shared. Connections were slow though, so there was only so much that you could store over a network link before the transfer speeds started to get annoying.

Nowadays, we’re kind of in a hybrid between the two. Our computers are still (and continue to grow) even more powerful. However, the network links are also becoming faster, and so are the centralized computers (usually called servers). Advances in technology also allow us to cluster multiple severs together so that they can assist each other in storage, processing and applications. Clustering is also useful because it’s easier to add a new server to an existing cluster than to upgrade what’s already in place. We call these clusters “the cloud”.

In addition, we’re more concerned about mobility. Most of us have more than one device, whether it’s a laptop, desktop, PDA or something else. We want to be able to access our applications and files no matter where we are or what device we’re on. We also have the Internet, which connects all of our devices together, along with our co-workers and friends. Why not have all of our applications and data accessible from the Internet?

We’ll be posting again a bit later this week on how to leverage cloud computing in your organization.

Taken from http://www.abricocotier.fr/

Modern Etnacom Logo

Etnacom has existed in one way or another since 2001. Throughout its life its services, employees and even its location have changed multiple times.

I thought it might be interesting for some readers to see how the company has evolved over the years. At most, this will serve as a way to see how I’ve gotten to this point and some of the interesting things I’ve encountered. At the very least, it will be a “statement for the record” of where the company has been and where I intend to take it.

The Beginning

Original Etnacom Logo

In the summer of 2001, I was still in high school. A close friend and I were deliberating about how we could make some extra money in addition to our typical teenage jobs as waiters. We both knew a lot about computers and my friend was an expert in video editing, producing clips for many local events such as track meets, town gatherings and weddings. I already had some success in creating small websites for local businesses and helping others around the community with their computer repair issues. Thus, Etnacom Networks was born. I still joke with my friend about the day when we typed up a one-page “business plan” and brought it upstairs so that my father could review it (we were both under 18 at the time and needed a financial guarantor). Being a business owner himself, my father was excited about the idea and took us to the bank to open our own account. Our initial investment was fifty dollars each.

From that point forward, we worked hard to earn any business that came our way. The majority of our clients were local organizations that needed websites and web hosting, and we were able to meet their needs quite well. In fact, we still retain a lot of our original clients, even though Etnacom has evolved quite a lot since then.

As we grew older and more experienced, we started working on more complicated projects. The era of wireless computing was just starting to come about, and many businesses in the community wanted a cost-effective way to network multiple laptops and desktops into a small network with shared printers, files and Internet. We started installing more complicated server systems that ran on various flavors of Linux and Windows Server. Of course, we never forgot about our “bread and butter” services of web sites and web hosting.

Transformation to Consulting Firm

Towards the end of 2006, the original two Etnacom partners decided to go separate ways. There were no hard feelings (in fact, Brian is still a very close friend and is the best man at my upcoming wedding), but we decided that I would take the company into a consulting role while Brian would concentrate on his own profession that actually had little to do with the IT field. I became a support provider for a few start-ups and small businesses in the New York / New Jersey area, and I partnered with GoDaddy so that I could continue to offer web hosting services to my clients while improving maintenance and quality of service. Web hosting services are now offered under a subsidiary called Etnahost.

With the completion of my Masters’ degree at Carnegie Mellon University, I expanded my knowledge and experience within all of the topics I consult in, which included some very in-depth expertise in Online Marketing and SEO. I also added a new field to my repetoire -- Information Security, which is in my opinion one of the most important aspects of IT. Because of my large concentration in this new field, I decided to again make some big changes and accept a full-time position working in the Baltimore / Washington D.C. area. However, Etnacom will continue to operate in the same reliable capacity it always did.

The Future

The Internet and IT in general have certainly evolved quite a bit since I’ve started doing this. Networks were once a luxury only enjoyed by corporations, now they are common in most homes (and even in some automobiles). Websites were a one-way venue to share information and e-commerce was just taking off in 2001; Facebook wasn’t even an idea in anyone’s mind. These days, community-based interaction over the Internet is common. There is no telling how Etnacom will evolve over the next few years or how technology will either. However, I can promise that I’ll continue to offer solutions that are on the cutting edge but also practical. It will certainly be a fun ride!