CK Daily Updates

Happy Monday! We hope you had a wonderful weekend. Did you do anything fun? We’d love to hear about it!

In This Issue: Wild Game Dinner Experience | CK 3 in 1 Charging Cable | What Are SFP Modules? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Wild Game Dinner Experience

Last week I was invited, along with some other members of the crew from CK, to the Maysville Baptist Church 18th Annual Wild Game Dinner at the Jackson County Agricultural Facility in Jefferson, Georgia. Yes, that was a mouthful!

Our President, Chris McCoy was kind and generous enough to get us a table. This is an event hosted by the Maysville Baptist Church men’s ministry and it was packed! We enjoyed pheasant and also other great bbq staples from pulled pork, to smoked chicken, chili, stew, and coleslaw. I was surprised to see how efficient it was to feed over 1000 people (probably a lot more people than that). They had the process down and everyone got their food in what seemed like no time.

There was a raffle and a few of our CKers won some prizes. Brandon from shipping won a beautiful knife and rifle rest, and Aaron from sales won a $100 gift card from a feed and seed store. Fun times! The greatest part was clearly the mission of Maysville Baptist, they were bound and determined to save souls and I believe a few were saved that day!

I enjoyed the fellowship and it was great to get together, we hadn’t met as a group in a little bit, so it was nice to see everyone in person! That’s all I have for today, I hope you have a great day and a wonderful week! Here’s a pick of our ragtag group of CKers!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Tired of looking for the right charging cable for your devices or tired of packing 3 different types of cables when traveling? Well, look no further! This 3 in 1 charging cable eliminates the need to carry separate USB-C, Micro-USB, and Lightning cables.

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Learning Center Article – What Are SFP Modules?

Small form-factor pluggable (SFP) transceivers are a core technology in many networks, providing communication between switches and important network components. SFPs are popular due to their small size, versatile connection options (copper or fiber optic), and hot-swappable capability.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• American, JetBlue and Alaska have all raised baggage fees this year. Carriers have changed the price to check a bag depending on whether travelers pay for it in advance or at the airport.
• Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, its latest wearable, is launching with tracking features including heart rate and sleep monitoring. Read more here.
• Chinese tech giant Lenovo showed off a prototype laptop that has a see-through screen. The technology is similar to augmented reality in some senses.
• Human Mobile Devices says it is launching a Barbie flip phone this summer, in a partnership with toy maker Mattel. The device looks like a standard flip phone with buttons rather than a touch screen, and comes in a hot pink color, resembling the iconic pink flip phone accessory that comes with many Barbie dolls.

Happy Friday & Happy Weekend! We hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead. Have plans? We’d love to hear about them!

In This Issue: The Times They Are a-Changin’ | Cisco 1000BASE-T SFP Module | What Are Distribution Layer Switches? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – The Times They Are a-Changin’

Happy Friday, folks! We were discussing the weather starting to warm up, and someone mentioned that we’re just over two weeks away from the time change (it occurs on March 10 this year).

And I can’t wait for the time change to occur! I enjoy being outside in the evening, and having that extra hour of daylight gives us more opportunities to enjoy outside activities! Do you prefer an additional hour of daylight in the evening or have daylight earlier in the day? What will you do with the extra hour of sunlight during the evening?

Have a great weekend!

Chris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Cisco GLC-T transceiver module is a 1000BASE-T SFP for Copper Networks. It is designed for Gigabit Ethernet connectivity over Category 5e (Cat5e) unshielded twisted pair copper cabling up to 100m link length via a RJ-45 connector. It operates at a data transfer rate of up to 1000 megabits per second (Mbps).

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Learning Center Article – What Are Distribution Layer Switches?

If networking was always easy, there wouldn’t be an entire profession dedicated to it. As such, when your networking goals and demands scale high enough, you’re going to run into challenges with design and picking the right equipment.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C cargo lander, named “Odysseus” after the mythological Greek hero, is the first U.S. spacecraft to soft land on the lunar surface since 1972.
• Capital One’s recently announced $35.3 billion acquisition of Discover Financial is a bid to protect itself against a rising tide of fintech and regulatory threats.
• Reddit on Thursday filed to go public. Its market debut will mark the first major tech initial public offering of the year and the first social media IPO since Pinterest went public in 2019.
• A cellular outage Thursday hit thousands of AT&T users in the United States, disrupting calls and text messages as well as emergency services in major cities.

Happy Thursday! We hope you’ve had a great week. Friday is almost here – hang in there!

In This Issue: Lessons Learned: VA²S | Nylon Cable Ties | What Is a Domain Controller? | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Lessons Learned: VA²S

There are a lot of business “operating systems” out there. EOS as explained in the book Traction by Gino Wickman and The Rockefeller Habits as explained in the book Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish are a few that come to mind. The concepts are great. It seems so simple!

But … for whatever reason I find faults with any systems like this and feel the need to take pieces of one or the other, and cobble them together to create my own systems. Or, just talk about implementing them and do nothing of the sort! My brain is broken. Lol

Eventually, we will find the right system or systems, or will create the best Frankensystem to catapult us to wild success! In the meantime, I keep collecting ideas, sayings, concepts and creating Craigisms, and guiding business principles that help us stay on track and Build Processes that Don’t Fail (one of our core values).

One of those concepts is what I call VAAS (Or VA²S).

VAAS stands for Visibility, Accountability and Accountability, create Sustainability.

• Visibility – Lists, charts, or dashboards that show the INPUT processes that, if executed regularly and well, cause the business to run well. Also, a dashboard to show the OUTCOME metrics of the process to make sure it continues to produce the desired outcome.
• Accountability (1) – Assigning clear accountability to RUN that process to a single individual and making sure they are equipped to succeed (time, clarity of expectation, documentation of how to execute)
• Accountability (2) – Assigning clear accountability to a manager/leader who OWNS the process and is accountable for the outcome. They should be well aware of the outcomes expected, be equipped to monitor the inputs, help solve problems as they may arise, and look for opportunities to refine or redefine the processes as necessary to increase efficiency or improve the outcome.
• Sustainability – As all three of the above efforts are implemented and executed well, the potential for sustainability of the process can be dramatically improved.

As a company, we can never expect to incrementally serve customers better and grow as a result if we do not have the ability to sustain the level of work tomorrow that we create today. It is easy to chase the next shiny, fun, exciting, or intriguing thing. In doing so, we risk dropping what we do well. I am world-class at this myself, so I should know. We only have so many hands, keyboards, and hours in the day. Plus, what happens when someone leaves the company or moves into a new position? Do you hand the role to someone else and hope for the best? That doesn’t turn out very well.

Another operating model we follow is what I call Plan, Build, Run. In this model, we recognize that each person in the organization has skills that generally align with one of these, and each ROLE in the business contains some level of each of these as well.

• Plan – In the plan layer we think about where we are going as a business, in a specific area of the business, in a process change, or in how we will approach the work of the day.
• Build – In the build layer we figure out how we will achieve what comes out of the planning process and do the work needed to actually create new realities in the business. Changing the processes and updating documentation, starting new processes, creating new products or lines of business, etc. Once they are changed or created, we hand them over to the run layer.
• Run – The run layer is the daily heartbeat of the company. It’s all about getting stuff done day after day and is the execution of known processes. – “The train running on time”. Shipping, receiving, customer service, sales, and every other element of the business that makes the wheels on the bus go ‘round.

This somewhat aligns with what Michael E. Gerber calls Entrepreneur, Manager, and Technician in his book E-Myth. It takes every one of these elements to keep a business going and growing.

These two concepts work together. We have staff that are clearly in the “build layer” and staff that are clearly in the “run layer”. What we aim to do is CREATE processes is the build layer and install those processes into the run layer. Repeat, repeat, repeat. … repeat.

This is way easier said than done, but the results are huge, and the clarity that comes through the process separates the drumbeat action of the day to day critical to serving customers consistently well from the chaos that is inherent to the plan and building layers.

Craig

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Cable ties are an extremely versatile way to organize and bundle wires and cables. They are easy to install and can be cut off for rework very easily. Locks tightly – won’t stretch or slide.

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Learning Center Article – What Is a Domain Controller?

One of the most important aspects of managing a business network is security. Many businesses store sensitive information — such as contact information for customers and clients. If third parties could easily access that information, it could create dangerous liabilities for your business.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• On February 26th, KFC will start adding its own type of pizza to the otherwise poultry-focused menu.
• Google has paused its Gemini artificial intelligence image generation feature after saying it offers “inaccuracies” in historical pictures.
• Apple announced a free new app for tracking sports scores, its latest effort to become a major provider of sports content and news
• Just months after admitting that its endless shrimp offering led to record losses, Red Lobster is trying out a surprisingly similar stunt: all-you-can-eat lobster.

Happy Wednesday! We’re halfway through the week. We hope your to-do list is slimming and your sights are set on ending the week on a great note!

In This Issue: Do you have an accountability partner? | Surge Protector Power Strip | Cisco Manufacture Date Lookup | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Do you have an accountability partner?

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a great week. This week I’m being pulled through the week by multiple cups of coffee and general encouragement. I didn’t do all that much this weekend, but for some reason, I’m dragging this week! Usually, I can pull myself out of it – but I haven’t been successful quite yet in doing so.

As you may recall, I set a goal of reading 54 books this year. Boy, am I behind. I’ve successfully listened to one audiobook this year and have only gotten a few chapters into another book. I’m trying to stay positive about it, because once I get down on myself – I have a hard time coming out of that or not giving up! For some reason when it comes to goals I set for myself, I’m so easily able to just let them know or forget about them, but if it involves someone else – I’ll do anything to make sure it happens. I guess this is why accountability partners are so key!

What do you have to do to achieve your goals? How do you keep yourself accountable to the goals you set for yourself or for the ones you set for others? Do you have an accountability partner?

Ashley

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Protecting your electronics from power surges is a crucial step to keep them alive and functioning for years to come. Power strips are not only a way to keep them safe, they are a convenient way to add additional outlets where plugs are at a premium.

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Learning Center Article – Cisco Manufacture Date Lookup

When building a network, you will shop around and compare plenty of models for each piece of hardware that you need. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of everything and know what items are new and which have been around for a while. If you’re investing in Cisco products, then there’s actually a mechanism in place that can help you know exactly when a device was manufactured.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Beyond Meat is launching a new iteration of its burger in grocery stores this spring. The company is betting an even healthier version of its burgers will lure back consumers.
• Adobe launched an artificial intelligence assistant in its Reader and Acrobat applications that can produce summaries of and answer questions about PDF documents.
• FuboTV is suing Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery over their recently announced sports streaming joint venture.
• If you really love McDonald’s, you are going to really love its newest collaboration. The McDonald’s collection with Loungefly is expanding with new mini backpacks, crossbody bags, and lots of really cute accessories- and they will be available soon! Read more here.

Happy Tuesday & Happy National Love Your Pet Day! Today is the perfect day to give your pet a little extra love – some extra rubs, treats, an extra long walk – you name it! Whatever it be, we’re sure they’ll love it!

In This Issue: Enjoying the Little Things | Cisco 2911 Integrated Services Router | Servers Vs. Desktop PCs | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – Enjoying the Little Things

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! Today feels a bit like a Monday to me as I am coming off a long weekend. I decided to take yesterday off work as some of my friends were off for President’s Day and it just so happened to be a beautiful day! I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to have some fun and it definitely filled my cup so to speak!

I spent the morning hiking and shooting some totally silly and ridiculous Instagram content. We went to Anna Ruby Falls near Helen, GA which I had not seen before. It was so pretty and far exceeded my expectations! We then went to check out a small waterfall at Crow Creek which was a short hike, but was quite pretty! It’s a place I think I’d enjoy more during the summer months as you could definitely splash around a bit there! We wanted to hike Glassy Mountain as well, so we drove miles on a dirt road to get there only to find that the gate was closed. It was kind of a bummer as we were on somewhat of a time crunch so we had to scramble to find another trail that was close by!

After hiking I headed to Atlanta to meet up with some of my former coworkers from my first job after college. It was a corporate job which always felt a bit stuffy, but I still “found my people” there and developed some lifelong friendships with some hilarious dudes who are some of my favorites to this day! I left that job over 10 years ago but am so thankful that the friendships didn’t end with the job!

Yesterday was a truly great day that reminded me how important it is to enjoy the little things in life – slowing down, getting outside, laughing, and cherishing the friendships that make life so fun!

Rebecca

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Product Spotlights & Updates

Cisco 2911 Integrated Services Router offers embedded hardware encryption acceleration, voice- and video-capable digital signal processor (DSP) slots, optional firewall, intrusion prevention, call processing, voicemail, and application services.

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Learning Center Article – Servers Vs. Desktop PCs

If you ever shop for computer parts, you might see things for desktop PCs and servers lumped together. This isn’t always the case, but it’s easy enough to see these different parts come up in a single search. Why is that? Are both types of computers using the exact same hardware? Can you mix and match between them? What’s the real difference between a desktop PC and a server in the first place?

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Walmart is buying TV maker Vizio for $2.3 billion in cash. The move is a bid to boost the big-box retailer’s high-margin ad business.
• American Airlines has raised the prices of checked baggage and is also reducing fees for slightly overweight bags. They will also start limiting which tickets purchased through a third party are eligible to earn AAdvantage frequent flyer miles.
• Elon Musk has reported that A patient implanted with Neuralink’s brain technology can now control a computer mouse just by thinking. The billionaire’s startup says it has developed a brain implant to help humans use their neural signals to control external technologies.
• Taco Bell has announced that the Baja Blast-flavored gelato will be released at Taco Bell locations nationwide this summer.

Happy Monday! We hope you had a wonderful weekend! Wishing you a great week ahead. If we can be praying for you, please reach out!

In This Issue: Desk Essentials | Meraki Access Point | All About Ethernet Jacket Ratings | News to Start Your Day

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The CK Daily – What are your desk essentials?

Happy Monday

And for you Presidents out there, happy President’s Day! Sorry, not sorry, but I couldn’t resist a little Dad joke there. This holiday sort of snuck up on me and it looks like the kids are out of school for the next 3 days! I don’t remember ever getting that many school days off when I was a kid for President’s Day. We don’t have anything actively planned, but I do envision a couple of trips to the park and playground if the afternoons are nice enough. Lately, it’s been very cold. In Georgia, the weather gets a little unpredictable this time of year, you could go from warm to mild to the next day being cold and rainy and then a few days later back to warm.

Over the weekend we did a couple of cleanup chores around the house. Some long neglect things that we’ve been putting off due to business and scheduling issues. It feels absolutely great to get those things done and out of mind and out of sight. Getting things cleaned up and organized gives me a sense of satisfaction and allows me to relax better. For example, I noticed that if I have a cluttered desk then my mind is usually cluttered. I try to keep what’s on top of my desk to a bare minimum with the essentials – my coffee in a CK mug, my CK coaster, my desk pad, and my phone. (alongside my computer and monitors of course). I suppose it helps me be less visually exhausted and distracted.

What type of things do you like having on your desk? I know some people like to have a pen and pad ready to write down thoughts with, for me I’m purely digital. I hope you have a great day and a wonderful week!

Cris

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Product Spotlights & Updates

The Meraki MR42 is a four-radio, cloud-managed 3×3 MU-MIMO 802.11ac Wave 2 access point. The MR42 provides a maximum 1.9 Gbps frame rate with concurrent 802.11ac Wave 2 and 802.11n 3×3:3 MIMO radios. A dedicated third radio provides real-time WIDS/WIPS with automated RF optimization. In addition, an integrated fourth radio delivers Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) scanning and Beaconing functionality.

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Learning Center Article – All About Ethernet Jacket Ratings

When you’re planning a network, you usually think about the equipment you need and how you can connect it. That’s already plenty to consider, but it turns out that your responsibilities run deeper than that. You also have to think about safety.

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Today’s News to Start Your Day:

• Intuitive Machines’ robotic Odysseus spacecraft snapped a few selfies with Earth in the background shortly after its Feb. 15 launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket — and we can all check them out. Read more here.
• Uber Technologies will buy back up to $7 billion worth of company shares after a strong recovery in ride-share and healthy demand at its food delivery business.
• The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage jumped to 7.14%. Mortgage rates hit their last high in October, but then fell sharply over the next two months, leveling at around 6.6% in December.
• U.S. Central Command reported that American forces hit an undersea drone during five “self-defense strikes” against Houthi rebels in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed rebels.