HCGi Wishes You The Happiest Of Holidays

We wish you the happiest of holidays to you and your families. This is always a wonderful time to take stock in the love that surrounds us as we connect and reconnect with friends and family. All our best to you.

HP PageWide C500 Press Product Video | HP

The HP PageWide C500 Press delivers consistent offset print quality for a wide range of corrugated packaging applications on both coated and uncoated paper. With post-print process simplicity and the versatility advantages of food-safe true water-based inks, the HP C500 press streamlines your production possibilities. The C500 press brings benefits of digital printing, with flexibility, accelerated time to market, and reduction of waste and inventory with no need to compromise on print quality. This innovative single-pass, digital post-print breakthrough solution, helps you create new business opportunities and new competitive advantages.

At HCGi, we partner with the best technology companies on the planet. See more at hcgi.com

Learning the Ways of Cloud Backup

It is a time of extreme data growth within the galaxy. To protect this valuable information, Dell Technologies and VMware have teamed up to create Dell Technologies Cloud with a powerful backup solution, all powered by Intel. Aboard the space freighter, the centennial hawk, the wise old master engineer trains a new hope for the enterprise in ways of cloud backup and protection.

At HCGi, we partner with the best technology companies on the planet. See more at hcgi.com

The agony of trying to unsubscribe | James Veitch

It happens to all of us: you unsubscribe from an unwanted marketing email, and a few days later another message from the same company pops up in your inbox. Comedian James Veitch turned this frustration into whimsy when a local supermarket refused to take no for an answer. Hijinks ensued.

Avoid Phishing Emails

Find out how you can protect yourself from phishing emails.

The HCGi 8th Annual Solutions Summit Announcement

Join HCGi as we present our 8th Annual Solutions Summit along the lake in Columbia, Maryland across from our headquarters. Meet over 100 education, government, healthcare, and commercial clients in a collaborative and convenient location. Our customer's quest for the newest security and technology innovations make this a mainstay on the spring calendar. We value our partner relationships at the well-attended and successful event.

Please join us!

The HCGi 2020 Annual Solutions Summit

Wednesday, April 22, 2020 | 9:00am – 2:00pm

Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel

10207 Wincopin Circle

Columbia, MD 21044

See more and sign-up early at https://www.hcgi.com/ss8

The Mont Saint-Michel: digital perspectives on the model | Microsoft In Culture

Yves Ubelmann’s connection to Mont-Saint-Michel spans generations. His grandfather was the architect behind its restoration years ago, and Yves is helping restore it once more using the latest mapping technology. Housed at the Musée des Plans-Reliefs in Paris, a 17th-century relief map of Mont-Saint-Michel was transformed into a digital experience for visitors. By using HoloLens, visitors are discovering the very connection to history that drives us to preserve it. Continue to the full story: Microsoft.com/inculture/arts/le-mont-saint-michel-mixed-reality

Epson Expression 12000XL Scanners | Take the Tour

Epson’s Expression 12000XL large-format scanner has been designed specifically for professional photographers (Model 1200XL-PH) and graphic artists (Model 1200XL-GA). These powerful scanners include everything you need for professional-quality tabloid-size scanning. They also have Epson’s Easy Photo Fix technology with one-touch restoration to faded photos and negatives.

Epson Pro L Projectors | Immersive Art Experience Lights Up The Midway

Epson partnered with artist/technologist Osman Koç to create a unique, immersive art experience unlike any other using high-powered 25K Pro L Laser Projectors. Presented by Future Fires and The Midway. Learn more about Pro L projectors at https://epson.com/laserprojectors

Happy Thanksgiving From HCGi

We have so much to be thankful for and the more we remember and realize our blessings and give thanks along the way, the more blessings come. Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a wonderful reminder to give thanks each and every day. I hope your Thanksgiving Day is a joyous one!

New 3D Printing Services and Partnerships at Formnext 2019 | 3D Printing

At Formnext 2019 in Frankfurt, Germany, HP 3D Printing introduced 3D-as-a-Service models and expanded the HP Digital Manufacturing Network to enable customer convenience and flexibility. As customers scale to mass production with 3D printing, HP is providing a variety of new options to help them improve business agility and accelerate their transformation to digital manufacturing. Learn more about HP Multi Jet Fusion technology here: https://bit.ly/2T91qsx

Hybrid IT Solutions From HCGi

Security for business-critical and proprietary data, physical access to servers running in your virtualized infrastructure, the ability to pass regulatory compliance audits, and many other types of data security, backup and disaster recovery are all legitimate concerns of CIOs who are new to cloud computing.

Fortunately, HCGI understands all these concerns and we are aligned with the leading vendors in the industry to offer you the most cost-effective, flexible and intelligent choice as you venture into this evolving area of IT. Whether you are moving to a cloud or building a private cloud, we can assist you. We can help you select the right solution and provide an “on-ramp” to transition your organization.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

As more IT professionals become educated about cloud computing, they realize the benefits it offers to their organization. Cloud makes it possible for you to:

• Scale rapidly – up or down
• Deploy services only when and where they’re needed
• Create efficiencies and cost savings by paying as you go for only the services used
• Control server sprawl
• Decrease IT management costs via virtualization
• Increase revenue by deploying software and products more quickly
• Increase agility by initiating and provisioning IT resources more simply and quickly
• Lower total cost of ownership
• Reduce costs for IT hardware, software, and services
• Reduce data center energy costs
• Improve availability and scalability of your storage needs
• Improve disaster recovery and data backup
• Enable faster time to market of products/services
• Allow IT staff to focus on strategic solutions for your core business

With more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of technology, HCGI is fully equipped to help your organization decide which of the many cloud offerings available from our vendor partners is right for your specific needs. Go to https://hcgi.com

The Danger Of AI is Weirder Than You Think | Janelle Shane

The danger of artificial intelligence isn't that it's going to rebel against us, but that it's going to do exactly what we ask it to do, says AI researcher Janelle Shane. Sharing the weird, sometimes alarming antics of AI algorithms as they try to solve human problems -- like creating new ice cream flavors or recognizing cars on the road -- Shane shows why AI doesn't yet measure up to real brains.

Complete AV Solutions From HCGi

From Huddle Rooms, Classrooms, Conference Rooms and Auditoriums, HCGI has the complete solution for you. We will visit your company for an on-site survey and follow up with an itemized proposal and drawing.  We have provided this service to institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, University of Maryland College Park, the State of Maryland, Delaware State University, Loyola Blakefield, just to name a few.

Projectors and Displays

Our Projector Premier Partner is Epson that offers the finest, most affordable projectors. Through Epson’s Brighter Futures program you get the opportunity to make the most of your technology budget. Epson products deliver low cost of ownership, high performance, and reliability, plus the features and functions that you need most to support teaching and learning in the classroom, the computer lab, the auditorium and anywhere students and educators engage in instruction.

The Epson Brighter Futures program is available for all K-12 and Higher Education institutions and educators through HCGi. There are no purchasing requirements or minimums. the only requirement is to work with HCGI’s Authorized Brighter Futures representative.  For Displays, we provide the leading manufacturers such as Samsung, Sharp, Vizio, and LG.

For Interactive Collaboration needs, HCGi offers The Infocus Mondopad, Sharp Interactive displays, Epson Brightlink, and the Cisco Spark series. We can install many ranges of size, price, connectivity, and wireless capabilities.

We also offer Control Systems such as Extron, Crestron, and Kramer. HCGi will customize your proposal to include the best control system for your needs and budget.  All systems can be tailored to work with your existing Video Teleconferencing Solution or we can recommend a replacement.

HCGI’s experienced team of experts have implemented both small and large-scale network video solutions for clients in the K-12, Higher Education, Financial, Healthcare, and Commercial business industries.

See more at https://hcgi.com

OLD School goes New with a complete Microsoft Solution provided by HCGi

Loyola Blakefield

OLD School goes New with a complete Microsoft Solution provided by HCGi

Since 2015 HCGi has been configuring, delivering, implementing and servicing Microsoft Surface Pro Tablets to all  the incoming students at one of the oldest schools in the country, Loyola Blakefield High School in Maryland

It starts with the Microsoft Office 365 Education Package. These Familiar applications and always-accessible files make building any curriculum seamless and easy on Android, iOS or Windows devices

All students receive:

Microsoft Surface tablet, pen, and rugged cover for the entire tablet

All this is covered under a 4-year Warranty

HCGi works with Loyola Information technology for quick access to loaner/spares as needed and the Campus Store stocks all the accessories

Teachers and Students have been extremely happy. Let us show you.

HCGi Employment Opportunities

HCGi associates have been with the company on average 10 years
and it’s based on our commitment to a work-life balance.

See our current employment opportunities here: 

https://www.hcgi.com/company/employment-opportunities

HP Indigo 12000 Digital Press | Indigo Digital Presses | HP

The world's best-selling B2 Digital Press equipped with major innovations in print quality, application range, productivity, as well as the new HD imaging system. Introducing the HP Indigo 12000 with major innovations in print quality, application range, productivity, a new priming technology, and breakthrough color matching capabilities.

DreamWorks Animation Uses the Power of Data to Bring Imagination to Life

DreamWorks Animation creates today’s most amazing animated feature films, generating a lot of data in the process. Learn how their data fabric is helping facilitate their team’s creative process.

Use Data to Power Imagination - https://www.netapp.com/us/data-fabric...

Tech Experts Guide Baltimore County

Tech Experts Guide Baltimore County

Delivering best-in-class solutions for 10,000 users

Background
For over 10 years HCGI has delivered technology solutions to Baltimore county. We work with both the Desktop Team and the Data Center Team to provide best-in-class solutions for various technologies. With over 10,000 users, this organization has a wide variety of technology needs. HCGI has delivered a full range of products including HP printers and plotters, Fujitsu scanners, Epson projectors, Lenovo PC’s and HP blade servers.

Client Challenge
Baltimore County’s Desktop Team required a more effective PC solution than the standard desktop tower they were currently using. Smaller, lighter desktop models were beginning to hit the market. Baltimore County wanted to determine if there was a reliable and cost-effective product available that could potentially become their new desktop standard.

HCGI Solution
HCGI presented models from all the leading PC manufacturers for a full site evaluation. The Lenovo Tiny M93P Desktop was chosen for further analysis and testing. The Desktop Team liked the versatility of the Tiny form factor—it was able to be mounted under a desk, behind a monitor or large screen. The model had been tested to be extremely reliable as well.

Baltimore County made an initial purchase of Lenovo Tiny’s, with customized specs to fit the unique needs of its user base. That custom M93P model has since become their desktop standard offering throughout the County.

Recently, HCGI used this same process for Lenovo laptops. The County has undergone thorough product evaluation on the Lenovo ThinkPad T450s & T550 models. With initial recent purchases, these too may become standard offerings for County users in 2016. ¢

About HCGI
HCGI Hartford (HCGI) is an employee-owned, privately held IT integrator and hardware dealer celebrating twenty years in business in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.

With headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, HCGI has deep roots in the state and counts many Maryland state agencies, leading school districts and universities as clients. We also maintain district offices in Wilmington, DE, and Richmond, VA. Our Operations Center, based in Chicago, serves as our primary order fulfillment and customer service center.

HCGI represents over 200 hardware and software manufacturers. We are an HP Elite Partner and hold high-end certifications from HP, Lenovo, NetApp, VMWare, Samsung & Google. Our dedicated account managers are empowered to do whatever it takes to satisfy our customers, as we highly value our long-term customer relationships.


Baltimore County Quick Facts
• Founded June 30, 1659
• Population: 800,000
• The county is 682 square miles


See more about HCGi at www.hcgi.com

Introducing the TOUGHBOOK 55

Meet the new TOUGHBOOK 55: Customizable. Long battery life. Advanced Performance. Versatile. Backward Compatible.

At HCGi, we partner with over 200 quality companies and suppliers like Panasonic Toughbook. See more at https://hcgi.com

Dell EMC PowerEdge R6525 Dual-Socket Server

The Dell EMC PowerEdge R6525 is a dual-socket 1U server with 2nd Generation AMD EPYC CPUs. It's designed to deliver performance and innovation to handle workloads like HPC, VDI, and virtualization.

At HCGi, we partner with over 200 quality companies and product suppliers to offer the best in IT services to all of our clients. See more at https://hcgi.com

Education Solutions Success Stories From HCGi

EDUCATION SOLUTIONS CASE STUDY

Key PGCPS Quick Facts

• 125,136 students

• 207 schools

• 9,197 teachers

• 23,785 employees in total

• $1.795 billion annual budget

The Challenge
Lower IT costs, improve remote management Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is one of the nation’s 25 largest school districts, with 208 schools and centers, more than 125,000 students and over 22,000 employees. The school system is responsible for administering PARCC testing (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) in each of its schools. The school system previously used a mix of iPads and laptops of various brands. Management of these various devices became complex. Establishing consistent configurations across the school system became difficult, inefficient, and costly.

PGCPS sought a solution that would provide maximum efficiency in the IT department without excessive hardware costs. Further, the school system wanted the capability to fully manage configuration settings on every device from one location. PGCPS was an early adopter of Google Apps, so the IT team and the students were already familiar with Google’s platform.

HCGi Solution
HCGi began a pilot project at Oxon Hill High School in the fall of 2013. It deployed a limited number of Samsung Chromebooks and the Google Chrome Console Management solution. The management console allows the PGCPS IT department to remotely manage every device in any location. This includes installing or removing apps, blacklisting websites, and configuring user roles, access and security.

HCGi provided a Google Certified Training Instructor to PGCPS to help implement this solution in the school system. HCGi also provides ongoing training and support to the PGCPS team responsible for managing and deploying the equipment across the system. PGCPS has three technology distribution centers.

Every newly acquired Chromebook is shipped to one of these centers for asset tagging and enrollment into the Chrome Management Console. HCGi performed a “White Glove” enrollment service for the initial 2000 unit Chromebook deployment. In addition to providing guidance in hardware selection, HCGi managed the configuration team to perform all service functions as well as administrative console and network configurations. HCGi validated device policies with a sample school or class.

Early testing revealed that LCD screens from the leading low-cost manufacturer were prone to breaking easily in a K12 education environment. HCGi quickly provided alternative Chromebooks by other manufacturers. A semi-rugged Lenovo model was selected and over 4000 units have been deployed, with no hardware issues reported.

HCGi’s longstanding partnership with a wide range of manufacturers, promises greater flexibility for Prince George’s County Public Schools. Further, the installation and activation of their Remote Management software give the IT department authorization and full control of every device district-wide. HCGi has delivered this powerful technology, allowing full implementation with the district’s IT team and ensuring the smooth deployment of the Chromebooks.

Results
PGCPS enjoys dependable and affordable hardware, with superior hands-on client support by HCGi. The Google Chrome Management Console has given PGCPS the ease of maintaining an online curriculum, monitoring device use and securing student data for all Chromebooks from one central location. This has proven to maximize efficiency in both labor expenses and speeding up the process of getting Chromebooks into the hands of students.

NetApp Video Surveillance Storage Solutions for Government

The demand for heightened security fuels advances—and growth—in video surveillance. Understand the challenges.

Learn About NetApp VSS Solutions - https://www.netapp.com/us/solutions/u...

HCGi partners with over 200 quality companies like NetApp to best serve the IT needs of our clients. See more at https://hcgi.com

Employee-owned HCGi Celebrating 24-Years

HCGi Hartford (HCGi) is an employee-owned, privately held IT integrator and hardware dealer celebrating 24-years in business in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.


With headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, HCGi has deep roots in the state with many Maryland state agencies, leading school districts and universities as clients. Our Operations Center, based in Chicago, serves as our primary order fulfillment and customer service center.


HCGI represents over 200 hardware and software manufacturers. We are an HP Elite Partner and hold high-end certifications from Dell, HP, HPE, Google, Lenovo, NetApp, and VMWare. Our dedicated account managers are empowered to do whatever it takes to satisfy our customers, as we highly value our long-term customer relationships.


Our Mission

To enjoy success by continuing to satisfy our customers.


In the Community

HCGI and its employees recognize the importance of giving back to the community. This giving back takes many forms, from international disaster relief to local community support to green initiatives.

IT organizations often support mobile workers, distributed locations, and complex environments while adhering to rigorous governance and compliance with full accountability.

As infrastructure becomes more complex, business demands increase and the sophistication of end-users expands; IT departments often find it challenging to sustain the rate of change and associated cost controls. Projections of continued shortages in skilled IT labor and the adoption of new and potentially disruptive technologies have prompted IT leaders to partner with HCGI to offset risk and assume responsibility for managing their asset fleet.

Whether your organization is installing new technology or redeploying existing assets, HCGI can help. Our experienced project professionals and nationwide resources will properly plan, staff, and execute any project regardless of the complexity. After we have executed on our plan, HCGI will define a repeatable process to complete the project.

See more of our services at https://hcgi.com

The self-assembling computer chips of the future | Karl Skjonnemand

The transistors that power the phone in your pocket are unimaginably small: you can fit more than 3,000 of them across the width of a human hair. But to keep up with innovations in fields like facial recognition and augmented reality, we need to pack even more computing power into our computer chips -- and we're running out of space. In this forward-thinking talk, technology developer Karl Skjonnemand introduces a radically new way to create chips. "This could be the dawn of a new era of molecular manufacturing," Skjonnemand says.

HCGi Helps Manage Device Fleets Of Print Methods and Machines

Managed Print Services (MPS) can help you to assess, deploy and manage an imaging and printing environment tailored to meet your organization’s needs while helping you reduce costs, conserve resources and simplify document-intensive processes.

MPS involves managing hardcopy device fleets of copiers, printers, multifunction devices, and fax machines in a unified fashion. By outsourcing this function, you can focus on your core business and eliminate surplus supplies.

After an assessment, we can redeploy devices for the most economical benefit without work reduction. We monitor supplies and support all manufacturers. We offer same day repair and discount on new printers.

See more at https://www.hcgi.com/

Epson WorkForce ST-Series EcoTank Printers | Product Series Overview

The WorkForce ST-Series EcoTank color multifunction printers, powered by PrecisionCore, offers remarkable productivity for small work teams. They feature revolutionary cartridge-free printing with easy-to-fill, supersized ink tanks.

Epson is one of the over 200 companies that HCGi partners with to bring you the best IT products and services. See more at HCGI.Com

Novartis + Microsoft reimagining medicine using A.I.

In the world of commercial research and science, there’s probably no undertaking more daunting—or more expensive—than the process of bringing a new medicine to market. For a new compound to make it from initial discovery through development, testing, and clinical trials to finally earn regulatory approval can take a decade or more.  Learn how Novartis and Microsoft are coming together using AI and leading research capabilities to advance medicine.

HCGi partners with over 200 companies to bring the best in Internet Technology to you. See more at hcgi.com

Cybersecurity Isn't Just Another Buzzword

In this 4.5-minute presentation segment, Dr. Mansur Hasib, Program Chair, Cybersecurity Technology, The Graduate School, University of Maryland University College (UMUC), provides a comprehensive academic and business definition of cybersecurity along with the evolution of the academic models of cybersecurity.

Benefits Of Cloud Computing and More

Security for business-critical and proprietary data, physical access to servers running in your virtualized infrastructure, the ability to pass regulatory compliance audits, and many other types of data security, backup and disaster recovery are all legitimate concerns of CIOs who are new to cloud computing.

Fortunately, HCGI understands all these concerns and we are aligned with the leading vendors in the industry to offer you the most cost-effective, flexible and intelligent choice as you venture into this evolving area of IT. Whether you are moving to a cloud or building a private cloud, we can assist you. We can help you select the right solution and provide an “on-ramp” to transition your organization.

Benefits of Cloud Computing

As more IT professionals become educated about cloud computing, they realize the benefits it offers to their organization. Cloud makes it possible for you to:

• Scale rapidly – up or down
• Deploy services only when and where they’re needed
• Create efficiencies and cost savings by paying as you go for only the services use
• Control server sprawl
• Decrease IT management costs via virtualization
• Increase revenue by deploying software and products more quickly
• Increase agility by initiating and provisioning IT resources more simply and quickly
• Lower total cost of ownership
• Reduce costs for IT hardware, software, and services
• Reduce data center energy costs
• Improve availability and scalability of your storage needs
• Improve disaster recovery and data backup
• Enable faster time to market of products/services
• Allow IT staff to focus on strategic solutions for your core business

With more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of technology, HCGI is fully equipped to help your organization decide which of the many cloud offerings available from our vendor partners is right for your specific needs.

Tech Solutions For Baltimore County - HCGi Success Story

Tech Experts Guide Baltimore County

Delivering best-in-class solutions for 10,000 users

Background
For over 10 years HCGI has delivered technology solutions to Baltimore county. We work with both the Desktop Team and the Data Center Team to provide best-in-class solutions for various technologies. With over 10,000 users, this organization has a wide variety of technology needs. HCGI has delivered a full range of products including HP printers and plotters, Fujitsu scanners, Epson projectors, Lenovo PC’s and HP blade servers.

Client Challenge
Baltimore County’s Desktop Team required a more effective PC solution than the standard desktop tower they were currently using. Smaller, lighter desktop models were beginning to hit the market. Baltimore County wanted to determine if there was a reliable and cost-effective product available that could potentially become their new desktop standard.

HCGI Solution
HCGI presented models from all the leading PC manufacturers for a full site evaluation. The Lenovo Tiny M93P Desktop was chosen for further analysis and testing. The Desktop Team liked the versatility of the Tiny form factor—it was able to be mounted under a desk, behind a monitor or large screen. The model had been tested to be extremely reliable as well.

Baltimore County made an initial purchase of Lenovo Tiny’s, with customized specs to fit the unique needs of its user base. That custom M93P model has since become their desktop standard offering throughout the County.

Recently, HCGI used this same process for Lenovo laptops. The County has undergone thorough product evaluation on the Lenovo ThinkPad T450s & T550 models. With initial recent purchases, these too may become standard offerings for County users in 2016. ¢

About HCGI
HCGI Hartford (HCGI) is an employee-owned, privately held IT integrator and hardware dealer celebrating twenty years in business in the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.

With headquarters in Columbia, Maryland, HCGI has deep roots in the state and counts many Maryland state agencies, leading school districts and universities as clients. We also maintain district offices in Wilmington, DE, and Richmond, VA. Our Operations Center, based in Chicago, serves as our primary order fulfillment and customer service center.

HCGI represents over 200 hardware and software manufacturers. We are an HP Elite Partner and hold high-end certifications from HP, Lenovo, NetApp, VMWare, Samsung & Google. Our dedicated account managers are empowered to do whatever it takes to satisfy our customers, as we highly value our long-term customer relationships.


Baltimore County Quick Facts
• Founded June 30, 1659
• Population: 800,000
• The county is 682 square miles


See more about HCGi at www.hcgi.com

HCGi Offers World-Class Data Center Solutions

At HCGi, we offer data center solutions from each of the market leaders.  Whether you are looking for increased data storage, additional compute capacity, reliable data backup and restore, or you just need to replace existing equipment- HCGi is here to help.

Our value add is to bring best-in-breed solutions to the table for you, assist in the technical evaluation process, and then help you make the most informed decision possible based upon the unique needs and requirements of your environment.  We pride ourselves on being an agnostic solution provider, and we offer each client a clear picture of the competitive landscape as they engage in picking a technology.  We will show you the strengths and weaknesses of each solution, and act as a trusted advisor.

Whether you wish to explore Hybrid-IT solutions, Converged Infrastructure, or a more traditional approach to compute and storage, our Solution Architects can help to build a custom solution for your needs.  We can also assist with installation and data migration services upon request, and we are also at your side for the full life-cycle of the equipment with post-sale support as needed.

Regardless of which data center technology you prefer, HCGi is your trusted partner in keeping your data center optimized and running efficiently for years to come.

Learn more at https://www.hcgi.com/

Panasonic's Top 5 Tech at InfoComm 2019

At InfoComm 2019, Panasonic introduces technologies that engage, inspire and amaze. From live entertainment venues to interactive museums galleries and collaborative classrooms we’re seamlessly integrating our AV tech to create unforgettable experiences.

Alcoa Workforce Transformation

How Alcoa is using the power of Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams to empower their employees at a factory in Iceland.

Eliminating Internet Technology Complexities At HCGi

IT organizations often support mobile workers, distributed locations, and complex environments while adhering to rigorous governance and compliance with full accountability.

As infrastructure becomes more complex, business demands increase and the sophistication of end-users expands; IT departments often find it challenging to sustain the rate of change and associated cost controls. Projections of continued shortages in skilled IT labor and adoption of new and potentially disruptive technologies have prompted IT leaders to partner with HCGI to offset risk and assume responsibility for managing their asset fleet.

Whether your organization is installing new technology or redeploying existing assets, HCGI can help. Our experienced project professionals and nationwide resources will properly plan, staff, and execute any project regardless of the complexity. After we have executed on our plan, HCGI will define a repeatable process to complete the project.

See more at https://hcgi.com

History of the Holidays: Labor Day | History

While you take your three day weekend, remember those who struggled to get Friday and Saturday off.

Enjoy your Labor Day!

The Five Laws of Cybersecurity | Nick Espinosa | TEDxFondduLac

An expert in cybersecurity and network infrastructure, Nick Espinosa has consulted with clients ranging from small businesses up to the Fortune 100 level. Nick founded Windy City Networks, Inc in 1998 at age 19 and was acquired by BSSi2 LLC in 2013 where he is their CIO.

In 2015 Security Fanatics, a Cybersecurity/Cyberwarfare outfit dedicated to designing custom Cyberdefense strategies for medium to enterprise corporations was launched. A nationally recognized speaker, member of the Forbes Technology Council, regular columnist for Forbes, on the Board of Advisors for both Roosevelt University’s Center for Cyber and Information Security and Bits N’ Bytes Cybersecurity Education, award-winning co-author of a bestselling book “Easy Prey”, and host of “The Deep Dive” radio show on 101.3FM WHIW, Nick is known as an industry thought leader and sought after for his advice on the future of technology and how it will impact everyday businesses and consumers.

An expert in cybersecurity and network infrastructure, Nick Espinosa has consulted with clients ranging from small businesses up to the Fortune 100 level. Nick founded Windy City Networks, Inc in 1998 at age 19 and was acquired by BSSi2 LLC in 2013 where he is their CIO. In 2015 Security Fanatics, a Cybersecurity/Cyberwarfare outfit dedicated to designing custom Cyberdefense strategies for medium to enterprise corporations was launched.

A nationally recognized speaker, member of the Forbes Technology Council, regular columnist for Forbes, on the Board of Advisors for both Roosevelt University’s Center for Cyber and Information Security and Bits N’ Bytes Cybersecurity Education, award-winning co-author of a bestselling book “Easy Prey”, and host of “The Deep Dive” radio show on 101.3FM WHIW, Nick is known as an industry thought leader and sought after for his advice on the future of technology and how it will impact everyday businesses and consumers.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

ThinkPad T Series Product Tour

Introducing the new T Series of laptops for 2019.

Zazzle is Enabling Customers to Make Anything with HP Technology | HP Indigo

Zazzle is enabling customers to make anything with HP Indigo technology. From a converted garage to a global marketplace. Zazzle now offers over 300 million unique products worldwide. The "endeavor for the challenge of making anything".

The Humanity Behind Cybersecurity Attacks | Mark Burnette | TEDxNashville

Companies spend millions of dollars every year to protect their private data from cyberattack. However, ordinary people can undermine all their hard work with one mistake - and we often do. Most successful security breaches happen not because of sophisticated attacks, but due to human failures. In this engaging talk, one of America’s foremost cybersecurity experts will explore the three human characteristics that hackers abuse to conduct cyberattacks.

Mark Burnette is Shareholder-in-Charge of LBMC Information Security, a national professional services and cybersecurity consulting firm. During his distinguished career, Mark has served as the President of an information security consulting company, has built and led information security functions for two major publicly-traded corporations, and worked for several years in key leadership roles with two of the Big 4 accounting firms.

In 2005, Mark was named the Information Security Executive of the Year at ISE Southeast. In 2008, he was named one of Information Security Magazine’s Top Seven security leaders, and he was chosen by ComputerWorld Magazine as one of the Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2009. For his cumulative efforts as a leader serving his community and his State, on September 11, 2008, Mark was formally recognized by Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen for outstanding service in the best interests and highest traditions of the State of Tennessee.

In January 2011, the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) named Mark a Fellow. This prestigious honor, which has only been granted to a handful of individuals worldwide, is bestowed by the ISSA Fellow Program for distinguished accomplishments in the field of information security, leadership, and service to the association and profession.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Working Through the Storm With Toughbook 33

When a natural disaster strikes, utility crews, and first responders need to be able to act quickly, communicate effectively and stay safe in the face of an unstable environment. That’s why we designed the fully-rugged Toughbook 33 with the flexibility and strength to work through any tough job. For more information on how the Toughbook 33 supports emergency response crews, visit http://business.panasonic.com/toughbo....

HCGi is now a Gold Certified for the Panasonic Toughbook. https://hcgi.com

HCGi Named In Top 150 Fastest Growth Companies By CRN

CRN has named HCGi in their top 150 fastest growth companies at number 115. It is an honor to be included with so many great growth companies. See more here.

Introducing ObjectEngine™

The ObjectEngine™ platform is the industry's first data protection solution born from flash and cloud to truly protect modern enterprises. Now you can realize rapid backup, recovery, and data reuse, seamlessly between private and public clouds.

HCGI represents over 200 hardware and software manufacturers to bring our clients the best IT services possible. See more at https://hcgi.com

Duo Security Overview for Schools and Students

Getting Duo at your university? Ben from Duo Security (https://duo.com/) is here to give you the info you need to know.

HCGi represents over 200 hardware and software manufacturers to bring our clients the best of the best in IT. HCGi IS IT.

How we can find ourselves in data | Giorgia Lupi

Giorgia Lupi uses data to tell human stories, adding nuance to numbers. In this charming talk, she shares how we can bring personality to data, visualizing even the mundane details of our daily lives and transforming the abstract and uncountable into something that can be seen, felt and directly reconnected to our lives.

Regardless Of The Complexity, HCGi Can Help Simplify And Offset Risk

IT organizations often support mobile workers, distributed locations, and complex environments while adhering to rigorous governance and compliance with full accountability.

As infrastructure becomes more complex, business demands increase and the sophistication of end-users expands; IT departments often find it challenging to sustain the rate of change and associated cost controls. Projections of continued shortages in skilled IT labor and adoption of new and potentially disruptive technologies have prompted IT leaders to partner with HCGi to offset risk and assume responsibility for managing their asset fleet.

Whether your organization is installing new technology or redeploying existing assets, HCGi can help. Our experienced project professionals and nationwide resources will properly plan, staff, and execute any project regardless of the complexity. After we have executed on our plan, HCGi will define a repeatable process to complete the project.

Hot Topics in AI Infrastructure: Episode 2 - AI Myth-busting

AI has generated a lot of hype over the past few years. The fanfare has led to much confusion for business and IT leaders. In order for it to be more broadly adopted for real-world scenarios, enterprise architecture and technology leaders have asked for help making sense of it. One way to start is by understanding the difference between machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence. And there are tons of myths about AI. Do you think AI is just for science projects and won’t be adopted outside of a few companies? Or, conversely, have you heard that it will be widespread and eliminate your job? In our second episode, NVIDIA’s Tony Paikeday and I discuss the top-three AI infrastructure myths and misperceptions so you can get past the hype and get a jump-start on your AI journey. Featured Speakers: Collin Gallagher, Director Product Marketing, Pure Storage Tony Paikeday, Director of Product Marketing, NVIDIA

At HCGi, NVIDIA and Pure Storage are some of 200 companies that we partner with to bring you the best in IT services. See more about HCGi at www.hcgi.com

HCGi Can Help Offset Risk

IT organizations often support mobile workers, distributed locations, and complex environments while adhering to rigorous governance and compliance with full accountability.

As infrastructure becomes more complex, business demands increase and the sophistication of end-users expands; IT departments often find it challenging to sustain the rate of change and associated cost controls. Projections of continued shortages in skilled IT labor and adoption of new and potentially disruptive technologies have prompted IT leaders to partner with HCGI to offset risk and assume responsibility for managing their asset fleet.

Whether your organization is installing new technology or redeploying existing assets, HCGI can help. Our experienced project professionals and nationwide resources will properly plan, staff, and execute any project regardless of the complexity. After we have executed on our plan, HCGI will define a repeatable process to complete the project.

See more of our services at https://hcgi.com

How AI and Machine Learning will improve intent-based networking

John Apostololpous and Anand Oswal break down the power of AI and machine learning for enterprise networking.

At HCGi, Cisco is one of 200 companies that we partner with to bring you the best in IT services. See more about HCGi at www.hcgi.com

How 5G will change your smartphone, and your life in 2019

Imagine playing a co-op shooter like Fortnite Battle Royale or PUB-G on a VR headset… in real-time, with zero lag… all through your phone, while traveling in a fleet of self-driving cars going 200 miles an hour. Sit tight, because the future of gaming, and everything else, is about to change forever. If you look up in the corner of your phone, you’re probably used to seeing a little indicator that says 4G LTE or, 3G, or... god forbid, 2G – and you’ve come to recognize that it probably has something to do with your phone’s connection to your mobile network. The higher the G, the faster the connection. It’s pretty easy to follow, the G stands for generation, and each subsequent generation refers to a specific minimum speed, connectivity, and reliability necessary to classify the network as that particular generation. 1G let us talk to each other, 2G let us send messages, 3G gave us broad data and internet, and 4G/LTE made it a whole lot faster. But all that is in the soon to be past, because up on the horizon is 5G. And while you may be thinking that 5G is just a little faster, a little more reliable, and a little newer – it’s actually a massive breakthrough that’s going to change the way devices connect to the internet, and more importantly, to each other. In fact, as 5G rolls out over the next two years, it’s going to change… well, everything with a wireless connection. Which, at this point is …well, pretty much everything. So, what’s so special about a 5G future? First of all, it’s fast. Like, really fast. Like, 20 gigabits per second over wireless fast. Like 100 - 250 times faster than 4G. By comparison, 4G provides speeds, on average, of about 10 - 20 megabits a second. So that’s going from streaming one Netflix movie in HD to streaming 400 movies in 8k at the same time. But that’s not really the most impressive part… what sets 5G aside is its crazy low latency rate, which is the amount of delay between the sending and receiving of information. Now, 4G tends to average about 100-200 milliseconds. To be fair, 100 milliseconds is FAST; human reaction time is about 200-300 milliseconds. But 5G… will get it down to 1 millisecond. Or less. That’s almost real-time. And being able to send and receive information in what is essentially real-time, means that we can use 5G… to replace real-time interactions. That might be one of the biggest breakthroughs in 5G: a network of self-driving cars – all sending data between each other and communicating with traffic lights, road sensors, aerial drones, and so on. Think about it, human reaction speed is 200 milliseconds, and we still have accidents every day. Imagine if your car could react, and communicate its reaction to hundreds of cars around it, all within a millisecond. Not only could we end car accidents, hell, but we could also end traffic altogether. Hundreds of self-driving cars, going lightning fast to your destination, with no risk that they’ll hit each other, because they all know exactly where they are in real-time, reacting to the actual world around them. Autonomous or remotely controlled trains, delivery trucks, even airplanes could be on the horizon in the near future. In fact, forget cars for a second, and think of all robotic devices. Surgeries could be performed, from the other side of the world, with robot surgeons controlled in real-time by expert surgeons, being assisted by other expert surgeons simultaneously; saving lives in situations where time and distance are the difference between life and death. Factories can be staffed by robots that can communicate their task and position to each other, allowing them to not only do more, but do it more efficiently, and wirelessly over a 5G network. Imagine a fleet of drones flying over a field of crops, using sensors on the ground, to sort, pick, feed, and water individual plants – all on their own.

Hot Topics in AI Infrastructure: Episode 1

AI doesn’t have to be scary. NVIDIA’s Tony Paikeday and Pure Storage’s Colin Gallagher talk about what it takes to get started with AI. Think about your use cases, applications you can build, and targeted business outcomes. Dig deeper how Pure Storage can help your AI initiatives at https://www.purestorage.com/solutions... Featured Speakers: Collin Gallagher, Director Product Marketing, Pure Storage Tony Paikeday, Director of Product Marketing, NVIDIA

At HCGi, NVIDIA and Pure Storage are some of 200 companies that we partner with to bring you the best in IT services. See more about HCGi at www.hcgi.com

MPS Managed Print Services Help Reduce Costs and Conserve Resources

Managed Print Services (MPS) can help you to assess, deploy and manage an imaging and printing environment tailored to meet your organization’s needs while helping you reduce costs, conserve resources and simplify document-intensive processes.

MPS involve managing hardcopy device fleets of copiers, printers, multifunction devices, and fax machines in a unified fashion. By outsourcing this function, you can focus on your core business and eliminate surplus supplies.

After an assessment, we can redeploy devices for the most economical benefit without work reduction. We monitor supplies and support all manufacturers. We offer same day repair and discount on new printers.

HCGi Hartford Introduction - We Get IT

HCGi focuses on enterprise computer-related solutions, Hybrid IT data center systems, and Audio Visual design and installation. See more about HCGi at https://hcgi.com

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day to all of our friends and clients. We wish you the best as you celebrate with your friends and family.

HCGi Builds Optimal Systems and Solutions

Pictured: Crestron Mercury Model #CCS-UC-1 W/PS Kit

Designed to Scale

HCGi builds optimal system designs from Huddle rooms, classrooms and auditoriums to complex video conferencing and streaming surveillance solutions. We combine solutions from the leading manufacturers with an experienced installation team. Most installations address your aesthetic needs as well as the potential for disruption. Our many references can verify our expertise in delivering a clean installation, completed on time. Our solution architects bring over 20 years of experience to this practice.

Conference Room Solution

Crestron Mercury is the only UC and AV all-in-one tabletop solution that supports any web collaboration application. By combining all the must-have conferencing and collaboration tools in one easy-to-use console, Mercury enables people to work together regardless of location or conferencing application. Use any softphone, web conferencing, or UC application. Local universities and organizations in Maryland are currently using Mercury for their conference, huddle, and meeting rooms.

For a custom quote email MDTEAM@hcgi.com or call 410-202-8042

Lenovo ThinkPad P53 Workstation Product Tour

The ThinkPad® P53 breaks barriers to achieve a new performance milestone: the most powerful 15-inch mobile workstation. Through impeccable design and engineering, the P53 packs the power of NVIDIA® Quadro RTX™ 5000 graphics with the latest Intel® Xeon® and Core™class CPUs – giving architects and designers a powerhouse product all in the portability of a 15-inch chassis.

Crestron Stories: How the University of Central Florida Created Active Learning

Take a look at how The University of Central Florida designed active learning spaces using Crestron tech where students can break off and collaborate with one another. All brand names, product names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Certain trademarks, registered trademarks, and trade names may be used in this video to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Crestron disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

How one team turned a sprint project into a marathon success

TED Resident Keith Kirkland and his team at WearWorks use haptic technology to develop products and experiences that communicate information through touch. In 2017, they were faced with a seemingly impossible challenge: quickly develop a device for a blind ultra-marathon runner to compete — unaided and unassisted — in the New York City Marathon. Jennifer Brook, a design researcher at Dropbox, explains how the team at WearWorks navigated the challenges and tensions of designing this groundbreaking new technology.