Hello TurnKey friends! If you have been following our recent updates, you already know that things are getting pretty busy around here. We are expanding our data center and have put out some awesome products such as the TurnKey Desk 2.0 and our web-conferencing platform- Voxwire! Within a year we have been able to put forth newer, better and awesomer  (yes, awesomer) products and have also been able to expand due to our dedication and most importantly, you- the customers!

While keeping you ladies and gents happy is always our number one priority, we’ve decided to up our game with our appreciation to our clients.  We will now be posting a “Featured Client” article once a month. This will allow us to introduce you to our clients, show you what they do and how we have worked with them to help build their business! Without further ado, check out all the nice things our client, Nick, had to say about us!

My name is Nick. I am married to the most amazing woman, who is way more understanding than I ever expected.  We have 5 children from 2 to 18. I run a Web/WordPress Development Studio that specializes in small to medium-sized business site development.  I help companies develop their businesses through professional web presences. I make sure that their social media is properly targeting to the right audiences, develop email marketing plans and customization, create or re-create websites to meet the needs of clients’ users, including mobile and responsive designs

I rely on TurnKey to host my websites 24/7/365. TurnKey is essential to my company’s success. I design and develop for a living. I love what I do and I love that the folks at TurnKey do, too. I have been doing business with TurnKey for the past 3 years. I started out with shared hosting for a fantastic price until I outgrew the it and moved right into a dedicated server. I have never looked back. I have recommended Turnkey to several business associates and have heard nothing but awesome experiences.

My business has grown to what it is today because TurnKey has given me the tools that I need to be successful. The help desk is ready to go whether it’s 3 pm or 3 am and believe me, I have used it at both times. Because their responses are almost instant in most cases, they save me so much time so that I can focus my time where it needs to go- to my clients.

A month ago I had a technical difficulty with my server. The tech support guys had a lead to the problem and were working on it within an hour. I got several follow-ups checking in and even the Sales Manager contacted me to make sure I was satisfied; of course I was! Their green initiative is amazing. They have a zero carbon footprint and stellar customer service.

Nick and his wonderful family!

If you are interested in getting to know W5 Designs LLC or would like to talk to Nick Jubrey, swing over to http://w5webdesigns.com/ and get in touch with them or email them at info@w5webdesigns.com.

w5webdesigns.com – Web Design Solutions

Web design, concentrated on small to medium size business and non profitts

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Wikipedia states that crowdsourcing is “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.” While that is a spot on definition, it is not actually “Wikipedia’s “definition.  Wikipedia is just that – a crowdsourcing site. Where you, me, and anyone else can set up an account and submit anything we want, to any article.

I could go on right now and submit that Donald Trump was voted Vogue Magazine’s Sexiest Celebrity of 2013. Or that the Boston Red Sox have the most World Series titles in MLB history. Or, that there have been multiple unicorn sightings just north of Reno, Nevada in the past decade.

The Wikipedia definition of crowdsourcing was actually cited from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Why? Because the majority of the people who take part on this crowdsourcing site said it was.  It is widely accepted that information about a subject coming from 100 people will usually be more thorough, honest and accurate, than when the information is coming from one or two people.

This type of “power of the people” has not only been seen successful on the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, but on other sites where “crowdfunding” is the name of the game. People can now support music, technology, art, film, games, photography, or really anything depending on what they want to see or have succeed in the future.

Investors in businesses, major record labels, film studios, and large corporations shell out tons of cash to create new products and projects. But thousands of startups, independent musicians, and other entities try to get their foot in the door to their industry, and struggle to afford what they need in order to make their idea work.

Sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Crowdfunder are all outlets for people with big ideas, to get the attention of thousands of people who may just want to support them both creatively and financially.

Recently a musician by the name of Kevin Devine was able to fund his project (two albums: one acoustic, and one with his band. “The Goddamn Band”… how can you not support that?) where he raised over $100,000 from over 1,000 people.

Backers could pledge from $1 to $4,000 where each interval of cash would get the pledger a “gift” back. From an acoustic demo of a song, to a “private 60-minute acoustic show at your house, all travel and accommodation included – you pick the setlist.”

Mr. Devine says himself on Kickstarter, “I had a thought-provoking conversation with a friend…about all the pitfalls and dangers of crowd-sourcing/funding ‘the arts,’” He says. “It’s a really easy thing to do badly, or cheesily, or in a way that can feel … compromised, hacky, undignified. “ For an artist, it’s hard to say. It can seem tacky, but over 1,000 fans knew what he was capable of, and he is now fully funded and recording his albums. Independently, Kevin Devine is able to write and record his own piece of art for the fans of his music.

With funding like this comes freedom. No big-wigs looking over your shoulder telling you what to change. The projects and products come straight from the inventors, with the engagement and the help of the backers.

Right now, you can go to Kickstarter and fund projects like a solar panel that can power devices from smartphones to laptops, handmade leather goods, or a 3D printer (almost funded $3,000,000).  You can pick and choose what you support, which products you want, and together the world can begin causing change in areas they want to succeed.

So what do you think? Will sites like Kickstarter push a company to be the next Apple? Will Kevin Devine be the next George Micheal? A boy can dream…

Howdie do TurnKey lovers,

How long has it been? Feels like it’s been ages due to so many new and exciting things happening here at Turnkey Internet! Do you remember when I wrote you the post about progress? The main take away from the article was that progress is progress. Big or small, as long as you’re progressing forward, you will eventually reach your goals.

Well, this has been a very progressive few weeks here at Turnkey Internet. So much so, that every time I walk into the data center, I get a bit of a shocked or surprised look. Why you may ask? Well, we’ve begun receiving parts in for Pod 2. I’m sure you’ve heard about it in earlier posts, but this dream is getting closer to becoming a reality. I mean, it wasn’t too long ago that I remember putting up walls in our data center. I helped to program the switches for each core while watching our senior data center engineer wire all of the racks together. It sometimes feels that it was just last week, but then I think back on all of the progress we’ve made since then. Acquiring Kcnet and bringing on new staff. However, none of this even comes close to the feeling I receive when I walk into our data center and see the foundation of Pod 2 beginning to spring to life. It’s a very exciting, stressful and rewarding time around TurnKey right now. So much hard work from so many people is helping to make this dream of being the best damn data center in the Northeast a reality!

I just feel very fortunate and bless to work here at TurnKey Internet. Sure, there are times that I just want to scream at the top of my lungs (which I do) due to working on a bug/program/technical support matter for hours with very little progress, but once you achieve that goal, it’s very rewarding. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. Now to see that on a much larger scale with new parts being delivered for Pod 2 and vine videos being made on Pod 2, is just very satisfying. I can’t wait until all the parts get here and Pod 2 is fully online.

Inching one Pod closer to getting our data center maxed out with Pods full of servers.

Well, I just wanted to share that with you guys. To share the joy and excitement that I have for this wonderful company!

Until next time.

At approximately 12:53PM on June 18, 2013, a cardinal was captured on security film trying to break into TurnKey Internet’s highly secure, green data center in New York’s Tech Valley Region.

Neighbors called in after tweets (audible, non-Twitter) were heard at the Latham data center. Luckily, TurnKey Internet’s facility contains a state-of-the-art security system that safeguards their SSAE-16 Type 2 certified building.

“The bird just swooped in, tried to knock over all the security cameras so he could sneak inside! Then realized how secure the buildin’ was,” local resident Emily Wegener said of the incident. “He flew away and disappeared in some bush-tower-tree-thing and I never done seen that creature again!”

The bird stands about three inches in height, is red in color and has a white belly. The culprit was last seen fleeing the scene to a nearby maple tree. If you have seen this bird, have any additional information, or have any suggestions for when birds attack, please contact your local authorities or email birdpatrol@turnkeyinternet.net.

Howdy do, TurnKey Lovers?

How long has it been? It feels like it has been a few years. I was actually supposed to write to you guys and ladies last week, but I wasn’t feeling inspired. I didn’t want to just write any ol’ thing for you, and have it not be the top-notch blogging that you’ve come to expect from me. Was that last one a little too much? Sorry, I’m still working out the blogging jitters.

So, as I already mentioned, I was having a bit of a hard time coming up with something to write about for you. Co-workers have made suggestions, with FTP being one of them, but sadly, none of this got me riled up to chat with ya for a bit. Well, the other night as I was about to fall asleep, the idea hit me: the environment and Parkour. You may be saying to yourself, “Huh? How does that have anything to do with TurnKey Internet?” Well my friends, I will explain it to you.

You see, about two and a half years ago, I started this EPIC journey called Parkour. Now, you may not be familiar with the word Parkour, as some refer to it as “freerunning”, “tricking”, or even just “jumping around”. I like to refer to it as a path to improving ones belief in one’s self through playful activities outside or in a gym. For a more straight-forward definition, Parkour is getting from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible. It can be learned by anyone and everyone, and you only need a pair of sneakers to start. Right now it sounds like I’m writing an article purely advocating Parkour, but stay with me. It will all tie in.

Around the same time I started Parkour, I started working at TurnKey Internet. When I think back, if it wasn’t for Parkour, I probably wouldn’t have even started at TurnKey Internet or progressed so far. Stop, Jeremy, you’re getting off-topic. Ah yes, when I first started Parkour and began working at TurnKey Internet, things were very different. I could barely do a pull-up outside and could barely understand all the inner nuances that make up a IT solutions provider. Well, just like with my training, things kept improving. Soon enough, I could do 8 pull-ups straight and could provision a server from start to finish with no outside assistance.

The team–TurnKey Internet–was still colocating with Time Warner when I came on board, but now we have our very own data center that we built from scratch. We progressed forward, gaining bits of knowledge along the way. We progressed so far that, as of recently, we are no longer using gas to help power the data center. We’re now 100% running off renewable resources. That’s a hugeeee accomplishment for a data center in this day and age. Not only are we helping to reduce our carbon footprint, but we’re also incorporating new technologies.

For someone who loves to play outside, I’m all for working somewhere that helps to ensure that we have a great place to live, work, and play in the future.

This is quite a fascinating time, to say the least. On top of everything else, we’re now ENERGY STAR certified. I can’t say I can name any other public data centers off the top of my head that can make that claim. Sure, they might exist, but as of right now, I personally only know of TurnKey. You see, I started this article mentioning my love for Parkour and how has been attached to my progress at TurnKey. The best thing that I have learned from Parkour, which helps me every day at TurnKey is that progress is progress. Whether it’s a small step today or a large step, progress is progress.

When I first started, TurnKey was co-locating and now we have our very own, very GREEN data center. Needless to say, I’m quite proud of that progress and it is no small feat.

Until next time, TurnKey lovers

I am the one percent.

No, I don’t have the 99% Movement outside my office, protesting here at TurnKey, but in a way, I am the One Percent. That is, the one percent of the office—and maybe of all IT offices in the country—that does not have an iPhone, Droid, Blackberry or any sort of smartphone device. Yes, I do hear it every day, people. I have been stuck with my Samsung Intensity II for the past 2 years, and the only thing intense about this phone is the scrutiny I get for it from my friends, co-workers, and loved ones.

Every day is like showing up to move-in day at college and bringing my desktop computer, while everyone else is running through the hallways with their iPads playing Angry Birds and Temple Run.

Imagine that it is 1997, and you are walking through a park, jamming out to Jewel’s new single “You Were Meant for Me.” All of the sudden, you see a guy with an 80’s boom box on his shoulder, pretending he’s “got game by the pound”, belting out Blackstreet’s “No Diggity.” Well, that guy would be me. And while I may have better taste in music than you, I certainly would be jealous that you could take a stroll and listen to your music privately with that classic Walkman.

There may be a problem, however—one that has persisted straight through years of technological developments to smartphones. These days, it seems easier to disconnect from human interaction and to hide behind a four-inch screen. I see it all the time. A few of my friends will get together on a Friday night and, at some point, I guarantee I’ll look around and find all of them silently Tweeting, texting, Instagraming, Facebooking, etc. It’s a problem that my 23-year-old self and most people 50 and up can relate to… We are not a part of the Smartphone Club.

I’ll admit that, even without a smartphone, I do this from time to time. I’ll be walking through the mall, and, although I’d love for someone to massage my hands with lotion, I am not willing to spend $50 on it and then have to do it myself every time after that. That is when I quickly grab my phone and pretend to check my text messages, avoiding any and all human interaction and blatantly ignoring the people waving products in my face. It is a habit—without a doubt, a bad one—but one that is shared by most of the people I know.

These issues are long-coming, and continue to rise as new technology does. It is inevitable that all of us without a smartphone will have to accept them. We will eventually have no option but to buy a smartphone, and will ultimately be a part of this culture someday.

But of course, these devices aren’t all bad, right? It is reported that nearly half of all Americans own a smartphone. So for what reasons may I soon jump to the maybe-not-so-dark side of the mobile telephone?

The first reason is that smartphones have basically eliminated the use of a GPS system, a map, or however you prefer to navigate. I can’t count how many times I got lost when living in New York City, and again after moving to Albany. Albany is one thing, now that I have my car and my GPS, but being lost in The Big City is a whole different ball game. Forget the danger of being alone and lost at night in the city (I leave my safety in the hands of Batman), the frustration of trying to get from one place to another, or simply being able to find a location, was enough for me to almost crack and get a smartphone.

Music is another reason that I became envious of smartphone owners. With applications like Spotify, a smartphone can eliminate the need for an MP3 player. A few months ago I left my iPod at my friend’s apartment in NYC and I still haven’t gotten it back. At this point, I don’t really need it since almost every song on that iPod is on Spotify. I can access Spotify with my computer, but I can only imagine how much I would use it if it was with me everywhere I go. It’s amazing to think about how much music I could consume in one day—while on a walk, driving in my car, grocery shopping, working out, etc. Smartphones open up a whole new outlet to discover, stream, and share music.

The last reason—for now—is what I feel my life, and millions of other people’s lives revolve around lately: the Internet.

I know this kind of encompasses the reasons I mentioned before, but it just goes to show how many benefits there are to a smartphone. To be able to Google a restaurant, find the time a movie is playing, Instagram a photo, Tweet a message to someone, or whatever else you are trying to do—having a computer in the palm of your hand, I imagine, makes some things in life a little easier. Being able to keep a schedule of what you need to do and where you need to be, to write notes and answer emails, to use the thousands of helpful apps available—a smartphone is becoming almost the staple of being a professional adult…or maybe even a functional member of society.

Here is where I need your help: Which smartphone do you prefer?

When I finally man up, grow a mustache, and get a smartphone, I’m sure Emily Wegener will keep you posted on the progress here at TurnKey Internet via our Instagram.

Howdy’ do, Turnkey Lovers?

It’s your favorite technician, back again, with another piece of knowledge from my heart to yours. Well, that’s a bit misleading, as I actually need your help.

You see, not too long ago, my girlfriend and I drove down to good ol’ Georgia to spend Christmas with my family. This was the first time that my girlfriend spent with my family. Yeah, we’ve been dating for 2-years-plus and this was her first time meeting them. Well, let’s fast forward a bit here in the story. She met the family and everyone loved her, as expected. Now, this is a rather long drive to make from New York to Georgia. It actually took us about 16 hours. Not too bad, especially when you have some technology to keep you entertained.

What do you pack for technology on a trip? For us, it was:

1. Cellphone (x2)
2. Cellphone charger
3. Laptop (x2)

You might think we should have brought a GPS, but we both have Samsung Galaxy 3’s, so we didn’t need one.

Let’s jump ahead again to the drive back up to New York after a GREAT few days in Georgia. This is where things got interesting. On the way back, we placed one of our laptops on the back seat. At one point, we had to hit our brakes pretty hard…as there are people who can’t drive safely…and the laptop flew under the seat. Now, this wouldn’t be that big of deal, unless you add in a wet carpet from water leaking into the car. Well, as anyone out there may know…

Laptop + water = water damage.

We were hoping and praying that the laptop would be fine. That by some miracle, the laptop—let’s call her “Lappy”—would be OK. Well, this wasn’t exactly the case. When we booted it on, the video display wouldn’t even display anything. I knew Lappy was still online, but we couldn’t access her. Since I’m a slayer of tickets, fighting for top-notch customer support for every Turnkey Client, I knew the video card was now damaged. This put me in quite a conundrum:

1. Replace the laptop?
2. Replace the motherboard?
3. Purchase a tablet to replace the laptop?

Option 1 and option 2 are very similar. If I replace the laptop, it would essentially be the same as replacing the motherboard, and the cost would be just about equal. Enter: Option 3; purchase a tablet to replace the laptop. Now, this seems like a good option. I’ve been considering a tablet purchase for months, and what better time to get one than when your laptop dies because your carpet is too wet? Before I make such financial decisions, I like to look at the pros and cons. Here is a list of some of the pros and cons I’ve developed for this particular situation:

Pros:
• Upgraded version from broken laptop (bought said laptop in 2007)
• Greater mobility
• Increased computing power (over old laptop)
• Touch screen
• Pricing

Cons:
• No physical keyboard to do work from home
• Easier to break (moving it a lot more than a laptop)
• Inability to run work-related software (like VPN, for instance)

Based off that information, I feel that the best option may be to go with purchasing a new laptop. I would still be able to use a lot of my work software that I’m not sure would work on a tablet, and that’s important. On the other hand, I could just buy the tablet and drive into the office to do any other work, which wouldn’t be too much trouble for someone who lives only 10 minutes away. Looks like I still have some thinking to do…

This isn’t a typical blog post, but we’re not a typical hosting company.
Any suggestions?