Managed Solution Open House Event Recap

Managed Solution hosted our annual Open House at our headquarters on February 13th, 2018. Over 100 customers, partners and friends attended our V-day inspired bash. Guests were treated to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, chair massages, Stone Beer, and catered appetizers. Lucky winners received raffle prizes from Amazon, Microsoft, and StorageCraft. Thanks to everyone who attended! For those of you who couldn’t be with us, you were missed and we look forward to seeing you soon! We’re excited to announce our new referral program.

Click here to learn how you can earn cash for referrals!

Click here to see more photos on the Facebook album.

    

                     

Meltdown And Spectre: What, When, Who, How.. What Is Managed Solution Doing To Support Our Clients?

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By Rob Meyers, Director Of Systems Architecture, MCITP, MBSP, MCSE
By now you've probably seen the news. There are exploits due to some flaws in CPU or processor design. They're called Meltdown and Spectre. The number one issue that the industry is seeing with these exploits is very simple: they are based on a fundamental design used in most microprocessors.
Please note that all the major manufacturers are rapidly working on solutions to solving this exploit, from a software perspective. This does not mean it will be 100% fixed immediately.

What is it?

A new technique was found to inject or remove data from RAM. This is done by utilizing a flaw in microprocessors. This flaw is based on the concept that a microprocessor utilizes speculation to accelerate its performance. It splits the instructions between the cache on the CPU and RAM. As time goes on it trades out pieces from RAM into the cache and then clears out the cache. This is done speculatively in order to speed things up. Yes, your CPU guesses what it needs to do next. If it is correct, the CPU moves on to the next instruction, and if not it guesses again. This is the source of the vulnerability. This export allows things to either be retrieved from the cache, injected into the cache, or read directly from memory. Oddly enough with two names, Meltdown and Spectre, there are actually three exploits.

When did this occur?

These exploits were documented in June and July 2017. They were not made public until this week.

Who is using the exploits?

When export is used for malicious intent, it is referred to as being used in the wild or found in the wild. As of yet this is not being found in the wild. However, the techniques and technology required behind it and example code has been found on public websites. The reason for this is that after six months people felt that something should be able to be done about it. However, not everything is ready to go at this point.

How does this affect me?

This is one of the most extreme vulnerabilities ever found on a computer. This affects most computers built from 1995 to today. If you have a current operating system on your computer, you should be able to be patched to protect yourself against this. However, if your system is not up-to-date, not under support, or cannot get patches, you need to upgrade and patch. As of right now, it would be normal to consider defending yourself against this patch. We do not know when this will hit the wild, or if it already has.
The impact is going to be felt on most computers made since 1995 in addition to most modern cell phones (e.g. iPhone and Android), tablets and even smart watches. Currently there is disagreement as to whether the Apple Watch is impacted, though the more technical responses seem to believe it is.

Will there really be a performance impact?

Intel, Microsoft, Google, Apple, AMD, and a huge plethora of coders throughout the world are currently working on solutions for this. The current solutions can have drastic impact on performance. For a workstation it is normal to see 2% to 3% degradation, although more has been experienced. Servers can expect to see a performance hit that is significantly higher. The average consensus seems to be about 30% impact on traditional servers, however the range has been noted between 17% and 50%.
In our testing, the impact on a computer running Windows 10 (1709) was noticeably impacted. It did not however render the computer inoperable, simply slower with a little more lag.

What should I do?

You will see some websites simply recommend throwing away your microprocessor. Obviously, this is not realistic. In general, you should consider two things. The first is patch and accept that there will be a performance impact. The second is to work on regularly changing your password (at least once a month, if not more often). When large exploits are public, it is better to usE throwaway passwords then expect to be protected when you may not be.

What is Managed Solution doing?

For all of our Managed Service clients
1. Monitor released patches (Meltdown is the current focus with Spectre more patches will be expected over a course of time)
2. Test released patches
3. Patch or work with clients to patch systems
4. Recommend that all users change their passwords at least once per month

Do you have any news links or anything in the public for this?

Do you have anything a bit more technical?

Start here:
https://googleprojectzero.blogspot.com/2018/01/reading-privileged-memory-with-side.html
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/584653

Then for Spectre:
Spectre - Variant 1: bounds check bypass (CVE-2017-5753)
Spectre - Variant 2: branch target injection (CVE-2017-5715)

https://spectreattack.com/spectre.pdf

For Meltdown:
Meltdown - Variant 3: rogue data cache load (CVE-2017-5754)
https://meltdownattack.com/meltdown.pdf

About the Author:
Robert Meyers is the Director of Systems Architecture at Managed Solution in San Diego, California. He has well over a dozen current certifications from on various products from Windows Server 2008 to Private Cloud. Robert has had a diverse career, beginning in 1991, and included owning an internet service provider and a managed services provider in the past.
Since joining Managed Solution, he has been Published as “Industry Ally”, Top Tech Exec Awards 2011 by San Diego Magazine in addition to being staff nominated twice, and was a regular at the Microsoft Management Summit. Today he is an avowed technical evangelist, blogger and systems architect.

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Managed Solution customers that do not have a managed service agreement could contact their account executive to discuss further details.
Not a current customer? Contact us today to get started 858-429-3084

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Happy Holidays From The Managed Solution Team

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Managed Solution will be closed on Monday, December 25, 2017 and Monday January 1, 2018
But don't worry!
Our customers can call our 24/7 on-call support who will be available throughout the holiday for any urgent support needs!
Not one of our Managed Service customers? Get started today by giving us a call at 800-208-3617.
Benefits of Being a Managed Service Customer on the Holidays

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Managed Solution Named to 2017 CRN Fast Growth 150 List

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San Diego, CA – CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Managed Solution to its 2017 Fast Growth 150 list. The list is CRN’s annual ranking of North America-based technology integrators, solution providers and IT consultants with gross sales of at least $1 million that have experienced significant economic growth over the past two years. The 2017 list is based on gains in gross revenue between 2014 and 2016, and the companies recognized represent a total, combined revenue of more than $16,717,688,643.
“The companies on CRN’s 2017 Fast Growth 150 list are thriving in what is now a very tumultuous, demanding IT channel climate,” said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. “This remarkable group of solution providers has successfully adapted to a landmark industry shift away from the traditional VAR business model to a more services-driven approach, outpacing competitors and emerging as true channel leaders. We congratulate each of the Fast Growth 150 honorees and look forward to their continued success.”
Managed Solution is proud to receive this acknowledgment of the company's continuing success. Managed Solution is a Technology as a Service (TaaS) company, offering hardware, software and premium service tiers and specializes in forecasting technology infrastructure for small to enterprise sized businesses. Managed Solution provides a full spectrum of managed and professional services with an award-winning US-based 24/7 Help Desk headquartered in Southern California.  Managed Solution provides IT services nationwide and is recognized as one of the top 10 National Cloud Service Providers.

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Managed Solution CEO, Susan Kuruvilla featured in the 10th Anniversary Issue of San Diego Woman Magazine

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Learn more about Susan Kuruvilla, CEO of Managed Solution, in the 10th Anniversary Issue of San Diego Woman Magazine. Susan shares career advice as well as details that helped in her professional journey that ultimately brought her to Managed Solution.

"I love my job. Working with Sean Ferrel, Chairman and Founder of Managed Solution has been an extremely rewarding experience, and he has been a great partner." - Susan Kuruvilla, CEO, Managed Solution

Read the Full Article Here

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Managed Solution participates in Southern California’s Premier IT Summit

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June 26, 2017- Sean Ferrel, Chairman/Founder of Managed Solution is slated to speak at 10am on "Future of Cloud" at the Town & Country Hotel in Mission Valley during the Association of Information Technology Professionals 8th Annual Summit on June 29, 2017. “Cloud Computing and Beyond” focuses on assisting the professional growth and education of the SoCal IT community. Thought leaders from diverse backgrounds will present a variety of topics as well as peer use-cases on cloud, innovative technologies and Big Data/IoT.

About AITP San Diego:

The mission of AITP is to serve the San Diego professional community by providing a forum to present issues and trends relating to the management of information. For more than six decades, AITP has championed the human element of the Information Technology profession, and remained focused on providing a community of knowledge, education and resources that will empower its members to reach their true potential as an IT business professional.

About Managed Solution:

Managed Solution is a Technology as a Service (Taas) company offering hardware, software and premium service tiers and specializes in forecasting technology infrastructure for small to  enterprise sized businesses. Managed Solution provides a full spectrum of managed and professional services with an award-winning US-based 24/7 Help Desk headquartered in Southern California. Managed Solution was founded in 2002 and was quickly recognized as one of San Diego's 40 fastest growing companies and the 27th fastest growing IT company in Southern California. Managed Solution provides IT services nationwide and is recognized as one of the top 10 National Cloud Service Providers.

 

For further inquiries please contact:

Liliana Ciurlino (858) 429-3025

lciurlino@managedsolution.com

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GET YOUR TICKETS! Charity Golf Tournament benefiting the American Cancer Society Relay for Life - April 21, 2017

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MANAGED SOLUTION 3RD ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT

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Friday, April 21, 2017 : Arrowood Golf Course (Oceanside, CA)

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ONLINE SILENT AUCTION LIVE NOW!

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TO BENEFIT THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY

RELAY FOR LIFE

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The American Cancer Society’s mission is to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.

Help Finish The Fight Against Cancer

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SECURE YOUR SPONSORSHIP

$5,000 PRESENTING SPONSORS (2)

Eight playing spots (Two PowerUp foursomes and four additional reception tickets)
Company name as presenting sponsor on signage and all marketing materials and one dedicated, post-event e-blast.
Choice of hole sponsorship with contest (Hole In One, Putting, Closest to the Pin)
Custom speaking and branding opportunities

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$2,000 Beer Hole Sponsor (2)

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$1,500 Hole Sponsor with staffing (5)

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TICKETS SOLD OUT

Traditional Foursome: $150 per player

All players enjoy a complete program of special events: 18 holes of golf (including cart), lunch, raffles, silent auction, exciting awards and reception dinner including cocktails. (PowerUP! For $25 more per player we’ll include 2 Mulligans, 1 Grenade, and one String It Out per player!)

Small Biz Foursome: $125 per player

All the same fun stuff as the traditional foursome, just for companies with 250 employees or less. (PowerUP available)

Awards Reception Only: $35

Not a golfer? Join us for our lively awards reception after the tournament. Includes dinner, cocktails and silent auction.
*Awards reception tickets included for foursomes, single golfers, and select sponsors.

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Get an EDGE

Mulligans: $5 (4 Max)

Grenade: $12 (2 Max)
Throw the ball one time, instead of hitting it with a club.

String it out: $15
A four-foot string may be used during play to improve your lie or avoid a stroke. Cut the amount of string you use and use what’s left until it’s gone.

PowerUP! $25
2 Mulligans, 1 Grenade, and one String It Out

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Play for Cash & Prizes!

50/50 Helicopter Ball Drop: $10 per ticket
A cash prize goes to the winner of this raffle. Tickets for the helicopter ball drop are on sale until SOLD OUT!

Orange Ball: $5 per player
Entire team must enter to play. Each team that plays receives an orange golf ball that must be used by a different golfer in the group on every hole. The ball must rotate consecutively amongst all golfers. Don't lose the ball for the entire 18 holes. Any teams that complete the round with the ball still in possession are entered into a mystery drawing.

Pro Play: Our pro drives for you, if your team gets an Eagle you’re headed to Pebble Beach for three rounds of golf.

Ring Around the Pin: Double or nothing cash wager on teeing off and landing inside a ring on the green of a par 3.

Multiple Pin Birdie: Double or nothing cash wager on your team getting a birdie on one of three pins on a par 3.

Longest Drive & Closest the Pin: Dinner for two at Karl Strauss.

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Get the WIN

FIRST PLACE
First place trophy + $200
18 holes at Arrowood & paid entrance for San Diego’s own Randy Jones Invitational.

SECOND PLACE
18 holes at Arrowood and paid entrance for Randy Jones Invitational.

THIRD PLACE
Paid entrance for Randy Jones Invitational.

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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

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Q: 858-429-3067 dhamra@managedsolution.com

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Shawn Weebe: January Player of the Month

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shawn weebe

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CONGRATULATIONS TO SHAWN WEEBE:  JANUARY 2017 PLAYER OF THE MONTH

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This award is given on a monthly basis to a Managed Solution employee who has done an amazing job of exemplifying and living up to the Managed Solution Core Values.
The Managed Solution leadership team selected Shawn Weebe as Player of the Month because he has shown outstanding determination and initiative with both his team and clients.
For starters, Shawn has shown incredible leadership by volunteering to lead and overtake some major projects. Shawn went above and beyond when he showed independent leadership to bring client-focused training to the PMO.  Not only is Shawn a great person to work with, he has also shown a great work ethic and built relationships with clients.  He advanced our Client Roadmapping Initiative to allow our clients to have a timeline of events to reach their goals.  As a result, Shawn  continues to receive high survey marks from his customers.
Shawn's positive attitude and dedication to the company, his team, and his clients, is greatly appreciated by everyone here at Managed Solution.  Leadership is excited to award his dedication and hard work with this month’s Player of the Month. Congratulations Shawn!
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At Managed Solution, we strive to be the best technology based company by investing in our top assets; our people!

Here at Managed Solution we thrive in an energetic, performance-driven environment where results, teamwork, and quality of customer satisfaction are recognized and rewarded. Our corporate culture is diverse, open and creative. We look for team members with proven experience, a strong sense of passion and dedication to the highest levels of excellence, technology and business ethics.
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