CablesAndKits

Happy Friday & Happy National Cartoonists Day! Today honors all the creative ink-stained artists that have created fascinating pieces and have brought lots of entertainment into our lives. What is your favorite cartoon?

In This Issue: Business Lesson: Budget Management | Best Way to Connect Multiple Switches | Meraki Access Point | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Business Lesson: Budget Management

Happy Friday, folks! I’m pausing our series on Core Values this week and plan to pick that back up next Friday.

We’re in an economic environment that we haven’t experienced in probably 15 years (maybe more). With each passing week, there is more news about the stock market fluctuating, more layoffs (😢), and another interest rate increase from the Fed.

It’s easy to let these things consume our thoughts, so focusing on things you can control is essential. I’ll share how we at CablesAndKits try to stay focused on things we can control. We have a financial philosophy that guides our budgeting process. It is Define the Bottom, Drive the Top, and Manage the Middle.

I’ll break down what each means here.

Define the Bottom – Companies describe this in a few different ways. We use Earnings Before Taxes (EBT). Other companies call this Net Margin or Earnings. We define the EBT percentage target that we will maintain. We focus on percentage as our revenue will fluctuate. Focusing on the percentage ensures we can put money aside for savings and investments.

Drive the Top – this is all about revenue growth. In the business world, there are some years where this is easy, and others are way more difficult.

Manage the Middle – this is all about expense and cost of goods management. A lot of the recent financial news focuses on companies managing their middle.

Mathematically, it’s a simple formula: Revenue (Drive the Top) minus Expenses (Manage the Middle) = EBT (Define the Bottom).

I have two reasons to share this…the first is a business lesson. Putting the focus on managing the middle is where you have the most control. Are you paying for services you’re no longer using, or is there a project you need to pause to free up budget dollars for something else?

The second reason is we at CablesAndKits can help you. IT projects are still part of all of our roadmaps. By offering refurbished equipment backed with a lifetime warranty, you can S T R E T C H your budget.

Here are a couple of examples where the savings are huge (Lifetime Warranty Included):
– WS-C2960X-48FPS-L 48 Port PoE+ 2960-X Switch
MSRP is $8,507.19
CK Price: $749.99
91% off MSRP
– WS-C3850-48P-S 48 Port PoE+ 3850 IP Base Switch
MSRP: $13,000
CK Price: $957.99
92% off MSRP
We know IT projects are hard to complete (and take investment), so we’re here to help. We can save you money and get you the IT gear quicker than other avenues.

How can we help you?

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Meraki MR46-HW raises the bar to new heights when it comes to wireless performance and efficiency. This cloud-managed access point features 4×4:4 MU-MIMO and 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 making it perfect for next-generation deployments in everything from offices and schools to shops and hotels. It offers the best of all worlds with high throughput, enterprise-grade security, and simple management through the Meraki dashboard.

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Learning Center Article – Best Way to Connect Multiple Switches

It’s why many modern switches come pre-designed to work in a stack, cluster, or other configuration. The goal is to connect multiple switches together in order to improve the network.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Macy’s will open five more stores in strip centers, as it shutters more of its giant mall anchors. CEO Jeff Gennette said it’s a pivotal time for the company’s off-mall push, as the retailer decides on expansion plans by year-end.
• A jury ruled that Ed Sheeran didn’t commit copyright infringement with his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud”. 
• Nonfarm payrolls increased 253,000 for April, beating Wall Street estimates for growth of 180,000. The unemployment rate was 3.4% against an estimate for 3.6% and tied for the lowest level since 1969. 
• Shopify is selling its logistics unit to supply chain technology company Flexport.

Happy Thursday & Happy National Star Wars Day! Today is for all the Star Wars enthusiasts, so May the Fourth be with you! 💫

In This Issue: Dog Sitting & Family Time | Cisco Aironet Articulated Dipole Antenna | Understanding Wavelengths | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Dog Sitting & Family Time

Happy Thursday,

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of dog-sitting three small dogs – two pups and one adult. Let me tell you, these little furballs were full of energy and kept me on my toes the entire time. Whether we were just sitting around or going outside, they were always up for some fun, crawling everywhere and licking everything. The best part of my weekend was definitely getting to spend time with these adorable pups. They were so cute and cuddly, and I loved every minute I got to spend with them. It was a nice change from my semi-cuddly cat, who can be a bit “anti-me” at times. Overall, my weekend was made so much better by these little dogs, and I can’t wait to spend more time with them in the future.

I am looking forward to this weekend and gathering together with friends for Cinco de Mayo! It is also a few family members’ birthday so I will be making phone calls to try to spend some time with everyone since I am sure to be the only one not with them in person. I look forward to seeing them again sometime soon.

Have a great rest of your week everyone!

Joi

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The AIR-ANT4941 can be used with all Cisco access points equipped with a RP-TNC connector. Designed for indoor use, at 54Mbps this antenna gives approximately 90 ft of coverage.

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Learning Center Article – Understanding Wavelengths

No one ever accused fiber optics of being simple technology. Instead, we tend to acknowledge that this powerful technology is difficult to design and complicated in its application. Mastering those complications is often worth it because it enables us to build better networks and do a better job with those networks. In that endeavor, we can tackle a brief tutorial on wavelengths and how they impact fiber optic designs.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• The Food and Drug Administration approved GSK’s RSV vaccine for adults ages 60 and older.
• Knowledge of civics among the nation’s eighth-graders fell for the first time since the federal government began testing children under the current framework in 1998. Read more here. 
• Google launched passkeys Wednesday, which will let users access the company’s services without entering a password each time. 
• The Federal Trade Commission proposed to bar Facebook parent company Meta from monetizing kids’ data after it says the company violated a 2020 privacy order.

Happy Wednesday! We hope you are having a wonderful week. If we can be praying for you this week, please let us know!

In This Issue: A Busy Season of Travel | Surge Protector Power Strip | Advantages of Cloud Networking | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – A Busy Season of Travel

Good morning CK Family!

I hope everyone is having a great week. This week I’m spending time in Denver for the first time! I have to say, I flew in expecting big mountains and lots of greenery and it’s quite the opposite of that. It’s very beautiful seeing the mountains and such with snow caps on top of them.

I’m here until Friday, so any recommendations you have – I’ll take them!

On Friday, I’m heading to a wedding in Milwaukee, also for the first time, and then will head back home. It’s been a busy season of travel, so I’m excited for things to start to slow down.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Ashley

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Powering up your workplace or home safely is a must, but it gets harder as more people have devices they need to plug in. Distribute electricity safely and effectively with a Surge Protector Power Strip with (6) 15A Outlets and 12ft Cord. Although each strip weighs only 1.54 pounds, it can prevent surges of at most 90 joules, and each outlet can transmit up to 125 volts of power. Stretch the cord for up to 12 feet to accommodate rooms with few outlets, and use the LED switch to turn off your strip if you’re leaving for a while. Made of white material to fit in with any color scheme, this power strip is new and features a lifetime warranty.

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Learning Center Article – Advantages of Cloud Networking

You have heard plenty about the cloud over the years. It went from being a vague mystery to a modern expectation. Most apps these days include cloud support, and we all plan around cloud resources on a regular basis.

What you might not have heard is that cloud technology is expanding and providing new opportunities beyond accessing software and applications. There are things like cloud networking that provide a whole new way to approach digital communication.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Ford will lower the pricing of the Mach-E by a range of $1,000 to $4,000. The cuts will make the starting price of the vehicle be between $42,995 and $59,995. The cuts are the latest price adjustments in the EV market following Tesla changing prices on its vehicles several times this year
• Johnson & Johnson’s consumer health business Kenvue is expected to go public this week in the largest U.S. IPO in more than a year. 
• Darden Restaurants is buying the parent company of Ruth’s Chris Steak House for $715 million. 
• Destined for Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, the Europa Clipper spacecraft – the largest NASA has ever flown on an interplanetary mission – is being readied to launch in October 2024. Between now and then, thousands of hours of work will go into assembling and testing the spacecraft to ensure it’s hardy enough to survive a six-year 1.6-billion-mile (2.6 billion kilometer) journey and sophisticated enough to perform a detailed science investigation of this mysterious moon. 

Happy Tuesday & Happy National Teacher Appreciation Day! We’ve all had some incredible teachers in our lives, be sure to take some time today to thank them for all that they invested in you!

In This Issue: Adjusting our Mindset | Keystone Wall Plate | Why would you use shielded Ethernet Cables? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Adjusting our Mindset

Good Morning & Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is off to a great start this week!

In recent years I’ve noticed that I’m far more likely to put on a podcast to listen to than music when in the car. Not sure if that’s just because I’m getting older or because they just don’t make the quality of music that they used to! Either way, I’m always looking for new and interesting things to listen to. I stumbled across a mindset podcast recently and listened to an episode that was talking about how to become more disciplined. They made the point that every action we take is a vote for the type of person we want to become. Many of us have big goals and it’s easy to put all our focus directly on them, when in reality if we put a bit more focus on the smaller things we might get further ahead faster. It’s the small, daily habits that shape us into being the type of person that can achieve the big goals!

He used the example of making your bed every morning and said that doing so is a good way to “finish the act of sleeping” or that rinsing your dishes and putting them in the dishwasher is a way of “finishing the act of eating”. He encouraged listeners to be more aware of the things they are doing and do them with intentionality, making sure to finish them before moving on to the next thing. The more we become people who finish the small things, the more likely we are to finish the big things we’re trying to do.

I thought it was an interesting way of looking at things and have already found it helpful in my day-to-day life! What are some ways you build discipline into your life?

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Keystone plates offer maximum versatility because you can add, reduce or simply change the connections needed on the plate. They offer the best way to install a variety of today’s wiring and cabling. This is the perfect solution for terminating your in-wall wiring.

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Learning Center Article – Why would you use shielded Ethernet Cables?

Currently, the use of high bandwidth applications has been on the rise, and network systems have started venturing into factory environments which have called for the use of shielded cables. In this new installation sector, the cable is used in areas with high electromagnetic interference (EMI). Even with improved ability to reject noise and handle gigabit Ethernet, these cables will not function properly in areas where there is high EMI if not properly shielded. A shielded cable will help in these high EMI installations ensuring safe and efficient data transfer.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Did you watch the Met Gala? Check out all the looks here. 
• Chegg shares tumbled after the online education company said ChatGPT is hurting growth. 
• Safari is Apple’s web browser that comes pre-installed on every Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Even so, it lost the second place to Microsoft Edge in the ranking of the world’s most popular web browsers last year. But new data shows that Apple’s web browser has again overtaken Edge and is back in second place in the ranking of the world’s most-used desktop web browsers. 
• The Google Pixel 7a is confirmed to launch at Google I/O 2023 on May 10th. 

Happy Monday & Happy May Day! Today is a traditional celebration of flowers and spring. We hope you have a great week!

In This Issue: Park Time & Family Cookouts | Cisco Catalyst 2960-X Series | Polarity for MPO Cables | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Park Time & Family Cookouts

Happy Monday!

We had a pretty chill weekend and enjoyed some time outdoors. I think we’ve hit peak Spring weather in Georgia where the mosquitos are still dormant and the temperatures are hovering around the high 60s… usually this only last maybe what seems like a week haha, so it’s best to take advantage! After some house cleaning, we took our two daughters to a local park that had a small pond where they spotted dragonflies, turtles, tadpoles, and these small black-tailed fish swimming around. They enjoy looking for critters and throwing rocks in the pond. There’s also a small playground where they burned off some excess energy.

Later on, we went to my parent’s house for a cookout, enjoyed some delicious ribs, and got to catch up. Overall, it was a very simple, yet relaxing weekend. My daughter has 24 more days of school and she’s certainly counting them down! I’m looking forward to the summer as well as we have a nice trip planned that I’ll tell you all about soon! I hope you have a great week and a happy May 1st!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Cisco 2960-X series is another generation to the already popular 2960 series that will enable the typical small to medium business to function at an enterprise level without the enterprise budget. The 2960-X series switches offer a fixed configuration of Ethernet switches that are not only Gigabit, but also stackable. The 2960-X was specifically designed for easy deployment and operational efficiency. These switches are also energy cautious and have a large range of IOS software features.

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Learning Center Article – Polarity for MPO Cables

High-end fiber optics are important to modern networking, but they’re a lot more complicated than some of their older counterparts. If you need the power of fiber, you might be looking into MPO systems. They can hit some of the highest speeds on the market today, but utilizing them requires knowledge. One key piece of knowledge that can help with MPO systems is polarity. Without this knowledge, you won’t get a connection across any of your lines.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• United Airlines’ plan to retrofit dozens of its older narrow-body planes is running behind schedule. The upgrades include seat-back screens, Bluetooth capabilities and other amenities. Supply chain strains have pushed back the timeline.  
• Attorneys general from 23 states, Washington D.C., and two U.S. territories have called on Medicare to cover Alzheimer’s treatments without restrictions. 
• Elon Musk expects SpaceX to spend about $2 billion on its Starship rocket development this year, as the company pushes to build on its first launch earlier this month. 
• Olipop is on track to sell more than $200 million of its prebiotic soda this year. Olipop’s rise coincides with declining soda consumption in the U.S. and rising interest in “gut health.”United Airlines’ plan to retrofit dozens of its older narrow-body planes is running behind schedule. The upgrades include seat-back screens, Bluetooth capabilities and other amenities. Supply chain strains have pushed back the timeline.

Happy Friday & Happy National Superhero Day! There are so many heroes in our lives whether fictional or not. Who’s your favorite superhero?

In This Issue: Honor Our Commitments | HP BL460c Generation 7 | Basics of MPO / MTP Fiber Cables| News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Honor Our Commitments

Happy Friday, folks! I will continue our series covering the CablesAndKits core values, and the next one is Honor Our Commitments. Our definition is: When we say we will do something, we will make every effort to follow through on those promises. This builds trust internally with our employees and externally with our customers, vendors, and partners.

I’m going to focus this on you, our customers. The TLDR is honoring our commitments to you and builds trust. Plus, it’s the right thing to do.

We know IT projects take a lot of work to complete. There are a lot of moving pieces, from getting the products on site to scheduling people to complete the job, testing, going live, and so on. While we can’t control all the pieces, the one thing we can control is getting the product to you.

Sometimes you have a tech onsite for a few days to complete a project. If the equipment or cabling arrives late, it can be expensive to send someone back to finish the job, not to mention the delays that occur because the server or network isn’t operational.

Getting products when YOU need them is critical. This is why we offer flexibility to get those products to you, from fast shipping options to Curbside Pickup. To help meet even tighter deadlines, we recently started offering same-day delivery in the Atlanta area. Need it fast…give us a call. 🏎️

I was told by a mentor 20 years ago that it takes about 10 ” atta boys” to make up for 1 “oh man.” This is even more true today, where there are more options to choose from. One late order erodes trust, which takes a long time to recover.

I’d love to hear your stories where someone moved a mountain to keep a commitment!

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Blade servers are specifically designed to pack a lot of power in a small space. Blade servers can be used as dedicated server or added to a virtual environment. The user is able to condense their server footprint and easily manage multiple servers from one point. Since they are smaller in nature, they have a better overall power consumption. The BL460c G7 is equipped with two small form factor (SFF) hot-plug drive bays, SD card slot, two (2) mezzanine I/O expansion slots, and twelve memory slots. The BL460c G7 blade sever has a maximum memory of 384GB of ram.

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Learning Center Article – Basics of MPO / MTP Fiber Cables

Fiber optic cables drive modern communication. They are the only viable means for arranging the ultra-high-speed systems that run the backbones of digital communication. Long-range internet connectivity is dominated by fiber optic cables. Perhaps more importantly, the massive data processing that goes on at data centers does the majority of the workload for internet communications and digital information handling.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Rival toymakers Hasbro and Mattel both released mixed earnings reports this week. After competing for licensing rights in the past, Hasbro and Mattel announced a multiyear licensing agreement on Monday. Both companies are gearing up for major movie launches tied to their intellectual property this summe. 
• Days before Japan’s Hakuto-R lunar lander apparently crashed into the moon’s surface (opens in new tab) on Tuesday (April 25), it snapped a truly gorgeous picture of our planet. View it here. 
• Air raid sirens echoed throughout Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv early Friday morning as Russia fired more than 20 cruise missiles at it and other parts of the country.  
• Paramount Pictures’ president of domestic distribution spoke Thursday about focusing on the long-term health of the movie business. He called on the industry to explore new ticket pricing options as theater admissions decline and ticket prices continue to inflate.