Archives for June 2023

Happy Tuesday & Happy National Drive-In Movie Day! Did you know that the first drive-in theater opened in 1933?! Do you have a local drive-in theater near you?

In This Issue: Summer Plans | Cisco 8821 Unified Color Wireless VOIP Phone | All About Meraki 390 Switches | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Summer Plans

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! I’m finally back feeling pretty good after having a rough time with strep throat last week! I always thought of strep as something that clears up quite quickly after getting antibiotics in your system, but it took a long time and an upgraded strength of antibiotics for me to finally kick it! Glad that’s over with and hoping for a healthy rest of the summer!

I can’t say that I have any big summer plans this year, although I’m hoping to get away to the mountains at some point and maybe even the beach! Any trips will be pretty last minute, but sometimes those are the best kind!

What are your summer plans this year?!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Cisco CP-8821-K9 Unified Color Wireless VOIP Phone is a game changer for businesses seeking to simplify their communication systems. Its advanced features, reliability, and functionality provide a comprehensive solution for voice and data communication.

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Learning Center Article – All About Meraki 390 Switches

In the world of enterprise networking, manufacturers are at war to produce the best tools. Cisco has been an industry leader for decades and for good reason. Among the best switches available from Cisco is the Meraki 390 series.

They are switches built for enterprise applications, WiFi 6 integration, easy management, and rapid deployment. With a range of options, they can form the backbone of any high-speed Ethernet system.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• General Motors plans to invest more than $1 billion in two Michigan plants for the production of next-generation heavy-duty trucks. Despite GM’s commitment to exclusively offer all-electric vehicles by 2035, the company continues to invest in traditional vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty pickups.
• Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is adding another chicken sandwich to its menu for the first time since it kicked off the craze four years ago, a blackened sandwich. Customers can also pay extra to add bacon and Havarti cheese to any of the chain’s chicken sandwiches.
• Apple officially debuted iOS 17 and the slew of updates it will bring to iPhones everywhere this fall. The company unveiled changes to how incoming calls appear, new in-app messaging features and even a “standby” mode.
• Disney is partnering with Apple to bring its streaming service Disney+ to the tech giant’s new Vision Pro augmented reality headset. The Vision Pro will allow users to interact with digital content in mixed reality and will retail for $3,499.

Happy Monday! We hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready for a great week ahead. If we can be praying for you, please let us know!

In This Issue: Learning to Finish Strong | Cisco Meraki Cloud Managed Switch | Do I need the latest server? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Learning to Finish Strong

Happy Monday!

It was a very busy weekend for us. We went to a kid’s birthday party at a splash pad and that was a hit for the kids. The adults kind of just milled about at the edges of the splashpad keeping a keen eye on their little ones. There was sort of an unspoken camaraderie amongst the parents as the children played and I found it amusing to people watch. It reminded me of a herd of buffalo surrounding their calves to protect them against predators.

Later that day my daughter had her second ever piano recital and performed quite well. Oddly enough, she wasn’t nervous about her performance, but about the applause afterwards. She says people praising her makes her feel embarrassed, I’m not quite sure how to process that yet, but it’s definitely something unique to her personality. What I tried to get my daughter to pay attention to most were the performances where there were technical glitches or mistakes and how every single performer continued and finished their pieces and didn’t give up. I think what was more important in these situations is that the kids didn’t give up, or run off stage, and finished confidently. It takes a lot of courage to recover from these mishaps and I wanted to show my daughter it was ok not to be perfect, the most important thing I wanted her to learn is to finish strong. I think we all need to be reminded of that from time to time.

I hope you have a great week and hope that the first full week of June brings you success!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Meraki MS225-48FP is a cloud-managed access layer switch that features (48) 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet ports as well as (4) 10G SFP+ uplinks. This switch supports both virtual stacking and physical stacking (compatible with MS210 series switches). Each switch includes dual stacking interfaces with up to 80 Gbps of stacking bandwidth. As with all Meraki switches, this switch allows for simple management, and zero-touch provisioning, and features various security enhancements.

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Learning Center Article – Do I need the latest server?

Data centers aren’t cheap. Just the cost of power requirements for keeping your equipment running can be staggering. Adding the cost of new servers can often feel like too much. If you have high demands and a tight budget, you need a way to get more power and performance for every dollar spent. For most applications, the easiest way to do this is to look at refurbished servers and parts.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” opened to $120.5 million at the domestic box office this weekend. It was the second-biggest opening of 2023, just behind Universal’s “Super Mario Bros. Movie.” The film also marks the third-best opening weekend for any Spider-Man film, animated or live-action.
• Buy Buy Baby is drawing interest from at least two bidders as its parent company, Bed Bath & Beyond, works to auction off its assets and keep some form of its business alive.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given Qilu Pharmaceutical permission to ship cisplatin to the United States to ease a national cancer drug shortage.
• US authorities scrambled fighter jets to intercept an unresponsive light aircraft that violated the airspace over the Washington DC area and later crashed into mountainous terrain in south-west Virginia.

Happy Friday & Happy National Donut Day! It doesn’t get much better than being able to head into the weekend snagging free donuts from Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’, and more! Enjoy! 🍩

In This Issue: Core Value: Be A Model | Yealink MP56-TEAMS Teams Edition Phone | All about Cisco 4500-X Series Switches | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Core Value: Be A Model

Happy Friday, folks! This CK Daily post is the final installment of our core values! I appreciate you staying with us through to the end!

Before I cover the fifth core value, why five core values? Why not three or eight? We originally started with several more; this is our third revision over ten years. You may need more or less. The importance is not the number of core values but the meaning behind each. Then repeat them in your organization to be sure everyone knows them!

Our fifth core value is Be A Model. Our definition is: By incorporating the first four core values in our daily activities, we desire to run our business in such a way that we inspire other businesses to be the best version of themselves and continually grow, improve, and operate in excellence and integrity.

Are you interested in setting core values for your business? Here is an article on creating core values from MasterClass.

How do you find ways to live out or share your core values?

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The MP56 Teams Edition phone is based on an Android 9 OS and features a bright and beautiful 7″ capacitative touch screen with a Teams-tailored user interface for a rich visual presentation and easy to navigate menu. It also features Yealink Optima HD voice, a dedicated Teams button, and Bluetooth connectivity.

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Learning Center Article – All about Cisco 4500-X Series Switches

When you’re looking for powerful switches to run a large network, you have to sift through a lot of options. The easiest way to do that is to learn about each popular series at a time.

To help you with that, you will find a complete breakdown of Cisco 4500-X series switches below. These switches have been around for a while, and they power a lot of large networks. Take a minute to see what they can do and when and where they might be the right option for you.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Boeing is further delaying the first crewed launch of its Starliner spacecraft after discovering additional issues with the capsule. The Starliner crew flight test was most recently scheduled for July 21 and was due to carry a pair of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
• The Pentagon has agreed to purchase Starlink satellite internet terminals from Elon Musk’s SpaceX for use in Ukraine.
• Inflation has strained some household budgets, yet consumers continue to shell out on vacations. Domestic airfare has moderated but international flights are up sharply from 2019 and last year. International travel has been especially strong since the end of pandemic-entry restrictions.
• The Senate passed a bill to suspend the debt ceiling. The final vote was 63 to 36, with 46 Democrats and 17 Republicans supporting the bill while five Democrats and 31 Republicans opposed. Sixty votes were needed to pass the bill.

Happy Thursday & Happy National Game Show Day! Game shows have been a staple is more homes for years. What’s your favorite game show?

In This Issue: The Great Big Move Back to GA | Cisco Type 4 Data Stack Cable | Basics of GPU Servers | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – The Great Big Move Back to GA

Good Morning!

This past weekend, we decided to pack all of our things and move back to GA a little bit earlier than expected. We just packed the car, got in, and started driving. We only told our siblings so we could surprise our parents. It was a joy seeing their faces when they realized that we had made it back home safely.

It feels great to be home and be around family and friends. Thankfully, our families almost always cook out on Memorial Day so we were able to see almost everyone at once! It seems like it has been forever since we have seen them all and it was wonderful seeing everyone again! Plus, there is nothing like a good BBQ after a 22-hour drive! (that and some sleep)

Anyways, I am glad to be back and look forward to a hot summer in GA. We have so many plans for the rest of this year. It’s amazing that we are already halfway through the year. Time definitely flies when you are having fun! I hope everyone has an awesome rest of their week!

Happy Thursday!

Joi

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Product Spotlights & Updates

These Cisco stacking cables can connect a combination of Catalyst 9200 & 9200L stackable switches to form a single switching unit. The cables have a bandwidth of up to 160 Gbps and allow your stack to behave as a single switch.

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Learning Center Article – Basics of GPU Servers

Servers are essential in the modern world. They do the heavy lifting that allows all of us to enjoy the many perks of a digitally connected life. Whether browsing the internet, using a favorite app, or even talking on the phone, servers are playing critical roles at every juncture.

With so much depending on servers, it’s not surprising to see that they continually experience serious innovation. Today’s servers can run laps around those used even five years ago, and there are a few key reasons for that.

One of those reasons is the use of GPUs. GPU servers are becoming more common, and they offer a lot to any enterprise that might put them to use.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Walmart is trying to reduce waste by using paper mailers and technology that makes custom-fit cardboard boxes. The nation’s largest retailer will also allow customers to skip plastic bags when retrieving curbside pickup orders.
• Amazon’s Ring doorbell unit will pay $5.8 million to settle with the FTC over privacy violations. Amazon will also pay $25 million to settle a separate privacy suit over Alexa.
• Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the world’s richest person again, after shares of the electric car maker rose about 24% in May. Musk’s wealth jumped 40.3% year-to-date to $192 billion.
• NASA held its first public meeting on UFOs on Wednesday a year after launching a study into unexplained sightings and insisted it’s not hiding anything. The space agency televised the four-hour hearing featuring an independent panel of experts who vowed to be transparent. The team includes 16 scientists and other experts selected by NASA including retired astronaut Scott Kelly, the first American to spend nearly a year in space.