​While I have no desire to see the latest Batman vs. Superman, I can’t help but see the parallels of their standoff in the real world.  In the epic battle to save data, there’s the choice of having an Enterprise Immune System vs. Next Gen Firewall.  According to all the commercials, reviews, and trailers we’ve seen, the two giants are constantly battling it out for supremacy.
 
But in an ideal world, wouldn’t they all be able to co-exist, passing data back and forth at the speed of light and managing each attacker with the strongest superhero toolset?
 
The Enterprise Immune System has Batman’s utility belt, as well as his motorcycle, bat mobile, bat plane/wing/jet/gyro and Alfred’s ability to process big data.   Using the bat tools and logic to ingest metadata, social media, public records, redacted private records, as well as using predictive behavior makes the world (your data) safer. 
 
The Next Gen Firewall has the strength of Superman.  Keeping the bad guys out is the mission here.  Firewalls are built on strong policies and guidelines intended to keep the enemy from infiltrating the network, much like Superman’s cape.  Firewalls have x-ray vision to scan incoming data for threats and malware. 
 
So why does it have to be one or the other?  Fighting amongst people on the same sides, aligned to the same corporate goals, is clearly not in anyone's best interest.  What will you do when your own company starts arguing about sharing information or resources?  How will you protect not just the castle walls, but handle the infection once it is detected?  Instead of finger pointing and blaming after the attack, maybe, just maybe one day, you can immunize yourself and be protected before you are even compromised.

So while we look at the metaphors being presented by the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel, let us understand that we usually collapse from within, not from the outside in.  Sometimes our inability to work together is our greatest weakness.  If we form our own Justice League of superheroes, each with their own ability, we can keep our world safe.
 
Call me – I’d love to talk to you further to discuss your organizations needs and our ability to overlay some of our great new offerings.
 
-Chris Regan, CEO

​I drink my coffee out of a mug that says “Marketing Genius”.  It’s not self proclaiming, just a promotional gift.  It used to make smile but these days, I feel I am not worthy of the mug.  It’s not easy being a channel marketer.  I struggle with the best way to get our message out.  Just getting someone to listen to your message for a just a minute is difficult, never mind getting them out to an event. 
 
I’ve tried all the gimmicks of the day, so to speak.  We’ve done all the chotchkis.  Pens, memory sticks, clothing of all varieties, even juggling balls – you name it, we’ve done it.  We’ve done the expensive events – boat races, steak dinners, wine tastings and even a full technology symposium.  All in an effort to get our name out there and to get someone’s attention.
 
But we still struggle.  These days, we simply don’t have a big marketing budget so we can’t afford an outsourced firm.  So how do we get ourselves noticed out of a sea of resellers and manufacturers on a shoestring budget?  Yes, we’ve jumped on the social media bandwagon and have this brand new website.  We have ongoing calling campaigns.  We’ve done small campaigns from the manufacturers with some co-op funds.  But in the end, ultimately, it’s difficult to get anyone to pick up that phone or read an email. 
 
Putting myself in the shoes of our potential customers, I ask “why should you notice us?”  We’re just a reseller, right?  Wrong.  We don’t just resell hardware.  I know you’ve heard it before “we provide personalized services and solutions”, yada, yada, yada.  But it’s the truth.  We do provide a personalized level of service that you won’t get from the large manufacturers.  They will sell you a single form of technology while we can provide several that work together to make a solution.  And let’s be honest, the manufacturing world is in a state of constant change.  Oracle bought Sun Microsystems, Dell is buying EMC, HP split into HPE and HP, Inc.  The big guys are busy eating each other up and reorganizing.  But we’ve been here for nearly 20 years and we haven’t been bought by anyone.  We’re a constant and stable presence.
 
And we’re also not a big commodity reseller.  If you want to buy 100 desktops at the lowest price, they are a better choice.  But if you want us to look at why you need 100 desktops and if there is perhaps another solution that may better fit your needs, then you should talk to us.  We’re not about quantity, we’re about quality.
 
So what do I want?  I just want someone to listen.  We have a compelling story and just want to talk.  We don’t want do a sales pitch.  We want an honest conversation.  So please don’t ignore that phone call from us or delete that email.  Look at our new website, read our blog, comment on it – make suggestions.  Trust me, we are listening.  I don’t need to be called a “Marketing Genius”, I would settle for “Happy Marketer”.
 
~Donna Regan, Marketing

As of today, I’ve been doing stand up at work for a month.  And no, I have not completely annoyed my co-workers (well at least not by standing up.)  On February 2nd I started an experiment utilizing a standing desk in my office.  You may ask why and it’s a good question with a lot of really good answers.  Let me start by sharing some data I read that really made me contemplate the posture I’ve used for the last 26 years in nearly every job I have worked. 
 
Up until last month, like nearly everyone else, I went from my bed, to sitting down to drink coffee, to sitting in my car for commuting, and then to my desk where I sat most of the day.  So what’s wrong with sitting?  Let take a look at the data that was provided to me.
 
The data points below are from juststand.org
 
About Sitting

• The American Medical Association (AMA) agrees that sitting for extended periods of time can be bad for personal health. Their policy recommends organizations offer sitting alternatives, including standing desks.
• Excessive sitting impacts our body’s metabolic system: “Today, our bodies are breaking down from obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, depression and the cascade of health ills and everyday malaise that come from what scientists have named sitting disease.” ~ James Levine, MD, PhD
• Sedentary lifestyles increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. “For people who sit most of the day, their risk of heart attack is about the same as smoking.” ~ Martha Grogan, Cardiologist, Mayo Clinic
• Combating sitting disease with added gym-time may not work: most people don’t have time for MORE exercise, and more exercise time may not even reverse sitting disease.
• Global studies show, on average, we sit 7.7 hours a day, and some results estimate people sit up to 15 hours a day. Calculate your daily sitting time.

 
 
About Standing

• The obvious remedy to sitting disease is standing—while you compute or do any number of activities. Here are eight easy ways to stand more.
• Standing is like walking: It increases energy, burns extra calories, tones muscles, improves posture, increases blood flow and ramps up metabolism.
• Standing all day may not be healthy or practical—people naturally want to sit at times to rest or when intensely concentrating.

A recent study published by the CDC indicates adjustable sit-to-stand products are an effective solution for reducing prolonged sitting. You can instantaneously sit or stand as you choose while remaining effectively engaged with your computer. Read more.                               
 
So that’s the data from our partner Ergotron, but what about real empirical data?   Well, that’s what I’m going to chat about briefly.  After a month of standing at work I’ve learned a lot.  First, you need to have all the right equipment.  I started very simple; I put the coffee table from our lobby onto my desk, and move my computer, phone and lamp onto that table.  It was a good height for me, as I’m about 5’11”.  I soon realized that if you’re going to stand, you need a decent cushion for your feet.  I purchased a very inexpensive cushioned mat from a larger home improvement center for less that $20. 
 
Week one was the hardest week, I felt very fatigued, which indicates I was expending more energy, and I had sore legs and a sore back.  Nothing debilitating, just a soreness, that foot mat really helped with this.  After a week my body grew accustomed to the new format.  Then I noticed that the coffee table, while convenient, was not helpful when co-workers came in my office and sat while I stood; it was just a little awkward.  Enter our partner, Erogtron.  They sent me one of their “WorkFit” desks.  This desk is a solid accessory that sits right on top of your existing desk, it’s roughly 24x40 inches and can be raised and lowered to suit your height, and your business needs.  I can now lower my desk to a sitting position when I have visitors. 
 
I used a FitBit to track my activity before and after and here’s what I’ve learned; although my average steps per day and average calories burned daily have not changed drastically, I feel great.  I have more energy and during the last month I have purposely not done regular exercise.  While I will now return to my exercise regimen I do feel that I was able to keep a similar activity level without exercising because I was standing. 
 
Regan Technologies has built a strategic partnership with Ergotron.  We can offer Ergotron’s entire portfolio of products from sit-stand desks for work and schools, as well as equipment for the healthcare industry such as medical carts.  Please reach out to me for more information: stephen.clark@regantech.com
 
I’d highly recommend you consider doing “stand up” at work.

~Stephen Clark, Director of Sales

​That’s a scary headline.  You can read the whole article here.  Thankfully, Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital can now access its electronic medical health records and return to its mission of treating patients. But make no mistake, this headline will appear again as hackers develop new tools to access information and will target businesses and institutions.  The ransom demands will escalate and private information, potentially your private information, will be at risk.  Whether or not you are in the IT industry this event should make you cringe….maybe even have a panic attack.
 
As a former CTO of a healthcare institution this situation is a nightmare scenario for the IT department.  How do you even start to explain how this happened?  The board and and your patients will be asking:  Why you didn’t have everything in place to stop it?  How did you not know it was happening until it was too late? What information was compromised?  How much is it going to cost outside of the ransom to repair?  The answers may be uncomfortable to say and even harder to hear.
 
So, it begs the question:  Should the hospital have paid the ransom or not? What would you have done if you were in their shoes? It’s a tough discussion to have when you don’t know what that organization had in place to protect themselves. Maybe they had all the right things…good firewall, USB mass storage device lockdown, up to date endpoint signatures, no administrative level access to local computers in the organization.  But think about your own systems and your own environment.  You may think you have the all the right defenses but what if you don’t?  If you get hacked and they hold the keys, what do you do?  Remember, time is of the essence if someone else has the keys to your kingdom.
 
This discussion isn’t limited to healthcare. This is just an example that could happen to any industry or business.  The very same thing happened to a police department.  Are you prepared to be honest regarding your company’s weaknesses and take a new approach? What will it take for your company to realize that this is the new reality.  Cyber-ransom is only going to grow. 
 
But it’s not all doom and gloom.  Focusing on all levels of cybersecurity protection, workforce training, and risk analysis and management will enable businesses to better withstand attacks and reduce vulnerabilities.  Stay vigilant.  Look at new technologies.  Read the news.  Learn from others mistakes.  Don’t be the next headline.

​~Andy Trogden, CTO