GraVoc in the Community

GraVoc and its staff have historically devoted a lot of their time to making a difference in the community. Within the last month, GraVoc has lent a helping hand in several different projects in Peabody, MA and beyond. A few highlights:

-Peabody Education Council: A few GraVoc employees donated some of their time and effort toward the PEC's late summer/fall activities. Projects included assisting in the design of the 2010-2011 calendar and volunteering at the Welcome Back Extravaganza at the Higgins Middle School. This upcoming Saturday, President/CEO David Gravel will be pulling the winning raffle ticket for the Red Sox Dream Day raffle. Tickets are still available, and you can indicate your interest in purchasing raffle tickets by clicking here.

-Race for Research: GraVoc sent an informal team of five to the 9th Annual Race for Research in Peabody, presented by the Progeria Research Foundation. Information security associate Dan Vassallo took first in the 5K race, narrowly defeating co-workers Connie Leaver, David Gravel, and Michael Roma. Vice President Cathy Gravel took second in her age group. It has not yet been determined whether the company will participate in the 2011 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge in Boston, but there is interest in forming a championship-caliber team if it is aligned with business goals.

-Torigian Golf Classic: Monday, GraVoc put together a foursome at the Torigian Golf Classic presented by the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce, Peabody Rotary Club, and Peabody City Council. By all accounts, the team was carried by Jason Vlacich of the Information Systems practice. Unfortunately, the team struggled slightly and only birdied one hole. However, the hole they did birdie was the one the firm sponsored.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, an active business in the North Shore community since 1994, is a full-service consulting firm dedicated to helping small businesses leverage technology to improve their profitability. Divided into the four practices of professional services, information systems, information technology, and media production, the firm operates out of an office in Peabody, MA and employs 18 full-time staff, many of which have earned MCSE and/or MCP certifications. For more information regarding the company and the services offered, please consult the archives of the GraVoc News Blog or visit http://www.gravoc.com/.

This Week: Certifications and Gas Grills

Two members of GraVoc's information security team, President/CEO Dave Gravel and his son Nate Gravel, have been grandfathered into the Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) certification by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). The CRISC certification is the newest of ISACA's four certifications.

This certification is for "IT professionals who have hands-on experience with risk identification, assessment, and evaluation; risk response; risk monitoring, [information systems] control design and implementation; and [information systems] control monitoring and maintenance." As the certification requires eight years of experience in information security and risk management, the CRISC designation is perhaps the most selective of ISACA's widely-accepted certifications.

Meanwhile, limited parking, rain showers, and unseasonably cool temperatures weren't enough to deter dozens of members of the North Shore business community from attending GraVoc's barbecue Thursday night. This event was part of the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce's "Business After Hours" networking event series. The event was characterized by an extensive spread of burgers, hot dogs, beverages, and desserts. GraVoc is extremely appreciative of everyone who attended, and hopes everyone was satisfied by the atmosphere and the food.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based in Peabody, MA, is a technology consulting firm focused on helping businesses in the practices of information security, professional services, information systems, and media production. For more information regarding GraVoc's wide range of services (the diversity of which became a punch line at Thursday's barbecue), please peruse the archives of the GraVoc News Blog or visit http://www.gravoc.com.

May Updates

It’s been a busy month of May for GraVoc Associates, so busy that there has been little time to tend to matters like updating the GraVoc News Blog.  Some quick updates on what is happening at the company:

• GraVoc is excited about hosting the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce’s June “Business After Hours” event.  This version of the business networking event will feature a barbecue in front of GraVoc’s building in downtown Peabody.
• GraVoc attended the Massachusetts Association for Behavioral Health’s Annual Meeting.  Dan Vassallo and Paul Lincoln represented the business there and met representatives for several mental health associations throughout Massachusetts.  GraVoc was at this event to promote the GHR system designed specifically for inpatient mental health and substance abuse recovery service organizations.  Meanwhile, GraVoc’s team has been working furiously on improvements to this application, enhancing its overall functionality.
• The DivergingSoul media production division has initiated an aggressive phase of research and development regarding Facebook’s “Open Graph” feature.  This latest Facebook development, in short, allows a Facebook user to integrate his or her entire web surfing experience into his or her Facebook profiles.  This includes “liking” articles, blog posts, or other websites as one can “like” events on Facebook.  By clicking above, you can “like” this blog post.  DivergingSoul is also headed to Las Vegas for an event in June.
• An update on the last post:  It is debatable who is enjoying retirement more:  Ron Davis, whose retirement from GraVoc has opened up more time to focus on his wife’s business, or Nate Gravel, whose retirement from running (he ran under three hours on May 2nd in the Providence Marathon) has opened up more time to focus on GraVoc’s information security practice.
• This summer, look for at least two pertinent whitepapers becoming available on the GraVoc website.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, located in Peabody, MA, has served clients in Greater Boston, New England, and beyond with consulting services since 1994.  GraVoc’s services are all based in technology, and are now divided into the four practices of information systems, professional services, information security, and media production.  GraVoc utilizes the GraVoc News Blog to announce events and occasionally offer some advice regarding topics relevant to clients and potential clients.  For more information about GraVoc and the wide range of services provided, please visit GraVoc.com.

Catch GraVoc at Upcoming Tradeshows

GraVoc Associates, Inc. will be attending the following tradeshows this week:

• Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, Thursday October 22, 2-7 PM
• MHSACM’s 10th Anniversary Provider Celebration - “Enduring Mission, United In Purpose,” Friday October 23, 8AM-2PM.

The PACC Business Expo is taking place at the Holiday Inn in Peabody, MA, and GraVoc will be sharing a booth with DivergingSoul Media Production.  At the expo, GraVoc will be sharing information mainly about its information security services, which are explained in further detail on the GraVoc website.  GraVoc is looking to help businesses who need guidance as the March 1 deadline for compliance with the Massachusetts Data Protection Law closes in.

Also at the PACC Expo, GraVoc’s Dan Vassallo will be featured in the “7 Experts, 7 Tips, 7 Minutes” discussion, where he will explain how regular updates of the GraVoc News Blog has helped GraVoc’s marketing efforts.  This segment will take place at 4:00 PM on Thursday.

At the MHSACM tradeshow, to be held at the Westin Waltham Hotel in Waltham, MA, several members of GraVoc’s staff will be on hand exhibiting the GraVoc Health Recovery Management System (GHR) application.  This user-friendly, easy-to-use software helps medical organizations easily track which rooms/beds are occupied and how long.  It also keeps track of patient history and streamlines medical service to billing insurance companies. 

Eliminating time spent on administrative tasks enables medical professionals to dedicate their precious time and energy on helping patients’ recovery.  GraVoc was invited to this tradeshow by a satisfied GHR customer, and the company is excited about the opportunity to demonstrate how the GHR application can help health and recovery organizations improve their service process, cut down on wasted time, and improve their bottom lines.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, located in Peabody, MA is a full-service consulting firm that specializes in information security, information systems, and professional services.  A versatile organization, GraVoc’s client base, as evidenced above, has spanned from medical organizations to financial institutions, to manufacturers, distributors, and commercial clients in a wide range of fields.  For more information about the company, please visit the new GraVoc.com.  If you happen to be in the area, GraVoc would love to see you at one of the tradeshows this week!

GraVoc Brings Peabody Chamber Website Live

Late last week, the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce (PACC) website was re-launched with a new design and enhanced functionality. GraVoc, a member of the Chamber, undertook the project of designing the new website using a layout from Expressive Web Solutions.  Features of this project included:

• Designing the website’s content.
• Allowing a visitor to access information provided to PACC by ChamberMaster without losing access to information on PACC’s website.
• Creating an easy way for Chamber personnel to edit content without changing the entire website.
• Streamlining the website’s front page with its Twitter feed.
• Communicating with the web hosting company to bring the new website live and functional on Thursday, June 4th.

Below, you can see the old website on the left contrasted with the new one on the right.

The new peabodychamber.com is available here.

Among the web-related services offered by GraVoc are website design, development, and hosting.  GraVoc can design the look and feel of your website, ensure that its links and features work correctly, and host it on GraVoc’s servers for World Wide Web availability.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, located outside of Boston in Peabody, MA, is celebrating fifteen years of providing services to Greater Boston, New England, and beyond in the fields of professional and technology services, information systems, and information technology.  To learn more about how GraVoc can help your website accomplish your goals, or to see more information about the products and services offered, we encourage you to visit GraVoc.com and gravocsoftware.com, or to call the GraVoc offices at 978-538-9055.