Able-One Blog

Last week, Able-One Systems held our 19^th Annual Customer Appreciation Golf Tournament. Despite guaranteed thunderstorms in the forecast, the weatherman was wrong (yet again!) and it turned out to be a beautiful day and another successful event. Many thanks to the team at Conestoga Country Club for the hospitality!

Prior to teeing off, the attendees enjoyed a breakfast seminar including four presentations with the theme of energy efficiency. The speakers and some of the highlights are summarized below. If you would like to receive a copy of the presentations or get further information on any of the topics please contact us here.

Lenovo

• Configuration and usage tips to extend the battery life and improve the performance of your laptop
• The costs savings that result from these minor changes can be significant
• Maintaining old, non-virtualized servers in your environment is costing you and the environment more than you think

Exact Energy

• The Ontario Power Authority is offering 100% funded engineering studies and providing implementation incentives that lead to payback periods of months not years.
• Other saveONenergy programs to assist with:
  • audits
  • retrofits
  • processes & systems 
  • metering
• Several attendees of the presentation took advantage of the offer of a free site walk through with Exact Energy sponsored by Able-One. If you would like to learn more please click here.

Able-One Systems

• Our CTO discussed many of today’s green data center initiatives worth understanding:
  • Software Define Storage
  • Cloud Computing & Shared Infrastructure
  • VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure)

Swing Master – Mackenzie Hughes 

The final presentation of the morning was a real treat for the golf enthusiasts in the room. Mackenzie Hughes, the 2013 PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit winner, provided the group with tips & tricks on achieving an energy efficient swing. If you would like to follow along with his golf journey you can visit his website: http://mackenziehughesofficial.com.

Here's the video of golf tips from Mackenzie Hughes:

Unfortunately the golf season is nearing its end; however these tips are certain to help me down the final stretch!

The War Amps of Canada

Every year a charity or non-profit is selected to benefit from our Charity Hole Challenge. We are proud to have selected The War Amps of Canada Child Amputee Program (CHAMP) as this year’s beneficiary. Since the beginning of CHAMP, generations of child amputees have benefited from financial assistance for artificial limbs, regional seminars and peer support.

This organization touches close to home as described by one of our very own Senior Engineers, Gary Evans, “if it weren’t for the technical training that the War Amps helped me achieve after my accident I would not have been able to join the Able-One team 15 years ago”. We would like to thank Kelly Campbell, Manager of the War Amps PLAYSAFE/DRIVESAFE Program for attending and speaking on The War Amps' behalf.

Fundraising Goals

This year we raised an impressive $1,800 on the charity hole, which Able-One Systems has once again matched, bringing the total donation to $3,600! If you would like to support the War Amps yourself please check out their Twitter account @TheWarAmps or their Facebook page. 

By Jordan Sojnocki, Marketing Manager

Lately there has been a lot of media attention around the changing landscape of the work environment.

There seems to be an undertone of concern about machinery, computers and automation replacing jobs, and that we have to be connected 24/7. How will people adapt?

This story is not new; we have seen this happen time and time again in the past. I am sure that telegraph employees were stressed by similar issues with the invention of the telephone.

There was an article circulating on the internet recently that stated big companies like Amazon, Uber, and Airbnb are all are now giants in their industry but don’t own any of the traditional assets that their competitors do (inventory, cars or buildings). Despite the concerns, it is dangerous for businesses to not adapt to the changing times while staying with the status quo since, “that is the way it has always been done.” Blacks’ view that traditional film would not be replaced by digital cameras ultimately led to the announced closure of all 59 of their retail stores.

Being in the tech industry for 27 years, Able-One Systems has been a firsthand witness to the rapidly changing landscape of IT. Some of the things we can do today on our cell phone we wouldn’t have even imagined doing with high end computers when Able-One was founded. Companies who do not embrace the strategic value of information technology will likely be surpassed by those that do.

Able-One Systems recently made a move to Kitchener’s downtown innovation district from our industrial location that served us well in the past. Warehouse space filled with used gear and break fix work benches used to be imperative to our organization but in the past years that transitioned to an innovation centre with leading edge technology to test. We couldn’t be more excited build on the great heritage of this area and this particular building, which was originally the W.E  Woelfle Shoe Co. factory,  a place that made comfort shoes for women.

We would love to hear about how your industry is evolving and what you are doing to not only adapt, but embrace and capitalize on these changes. If you would like to discuss please reach out to me on Linkedin or email me at jordan.sojnocki@ableone.com.