August Happenings

As summer comes to a close and people return from vacation, GraVoc Associates has been up to many projects and activities worth noting:

-From the certifications category, three of GraVoc's staff members received good news in the mail from ISACA, as all three passed the exam for the Certified Information Systems Auditor designation. They have submitted their applications to the organization, but this is typically a formality. More detail about this upon the official acceptance of their certifications.

-Several employees across departments stayed after hours one night in August, demonstrating their commitment to delivering stronger, more dynamic reporting capabilities. Michael Roma was kind enough to donate his knowledge and his afternoon to a SQL reporting workshop, which was taken advantage of by much of the GraVoc staff.

-Coming soon to the GraVoc website will be some new material about the information security practice and some of the new and revised services offered to respond to customer demand. There will also be a series of new whitepapers being made available shortly.

-A significant cosmetic change is new to the GraVoc offices in downtown Peabody, MA, as the DivergingSoul media production team is making the finishing touches to a new digital sign greeting visitors to the building. Upon the completion of the project, we will post pictures to the GraVoc fan page on thefacebook.com.

GraVoc Associates is a 20-employee technology consulting firm divided into the practices of professional services, media production, information system, and information security. Many GraVoc clients are based in Greater Boston and New England, but several projects take GraVoc's staff around the country and the world. Each practice is explained in more detail on http://www.gravoc.com, and we encourage you to peruse the website and the archives of the GraVoc News Blog, which is nearing 100 posts.

Vassallo Achieves CISM

GraVoc's Dan Vassallo offically became the company's third Certified Information Security Manager in the eyes of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) last week. This designation recognizes an individual's experience and understanding of "the relationship between an information security program and broader business goals and objectives," according to the ISACA website. Vassallo joins roughly 13,000 individuals with the CISM, including GraVoc's David Gravel and Nate Gravel, but joins a smaller group of CISMs who have also displayed the ability to blog about themselves in the third person.

Another recent notable coming from GraVoc is the second-consecutive completion of the Breast Cancer 3-Day by the Flip-Flop Friends, anchored by Vice President Cathy Gravel. The group walked sixty miles in three humid days in July, raising money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based in Peabody, MA, is a technology consulting firm serving Greater Boston, New England, and beyond since 1994. Now with nearly 20 employees and doing much more than just IT support, GraVoc specializes in the four practices of information security, professional services, information systems, and media production. For more information about the company and the services provided, please visit GraVoc.com.

GraVoc Attends World Partner Conference

Earlier this month, GraVoc travelled to Washington, DC to attend the Microsoft World Partner Conference. Representing the company were Brian Gravel, director of the media production practice, and Dave Gravel, president and CEO. In addition to developing blisters on their feet, GraVoc’s representatives were able to attend speeches and seminars regarding the changes in store for the Microsoft Partner Network, the software giant’s goals amid the expansion of cloud computing, and innovative new features becoming available in the next several months.

A highlight according to the GraVoc attendees was keynote speaker and former President Bill Clinton. Clinton addressed technological advances and how they have re-shaped the way humanitarian efforts are coordinated.

Brian Gravel noted that attending the event, which drew an estimated 14,000 attendees, was certainly worthwhile. “It was fantastic to see the new features coming out and the ideas they’re coming up with.” He was especially impressed with the company’s new “Surface” concept, where a table-top becomes, in essence, an interactive touch-screen that can interact with mobile devices. (Click here for more information on Microsoft Surface.) The reaction by the director of DivergingSoul, GraVoc’s media production practice, to the eye-catching flashiness of the emerging product should come as no surprise.

This was the first time GraVoc had sent attendees to the World Partner Conference, but is the second major Microsoft event attended by the company after three staff members attended Microsoft Convergence in Atlanta in April. There are no definitive plans to attend the 2011 event in Los Angeles, but it is obviously still early in the game.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based in Peabody, MA, is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. A technology consulting firm with a diversified range of services, GraVoc finds Microsoft at the center of its professional services and information systems practices. The professional services practice specializes in network infrastructure design, planning, and maintenance, and the information systems practice specializes in the implementation and customization of enterprise resource planning systems. For pictures from the WPC, please visit the GraVoc page on thefacebook.com, and for more information on the company, please visit www.gravoc.com.

Wilkins Earns Certification

Certification season is in full bloom at GraVoc Associates, as Matt Wilkins of the professional services practice is now a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist in configuring Windows 7.  Matt passed the exam last Wednesday, affirming his own and his company’s commitment to keeping up to date with technological changes.  As businesses are switching over to Windows 7 faster than any previous operating system, Matt’s efforts toward passing this exam are greatly appreciated.

Ron Smoller, also of the professional services practice, completed June with not one, but two certifications.  He followed up his Microsoft certification mentioned in the most recent blog post with a Double-Take Software sales certification.  This strengthens GraVoc’s partnership with Double-Take, and positions the company to better offer products for customers’ redundancy, disaster recovery, and data migration needs.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based in Peabody, MA, is a technology consulting firm serving Greater Boston, New England, and beyond in the practices of professional services, information systems, media production, and information technology.  The professional services practice specializes in IT support, network infrastructure design and maintenance, and the procurement and selection of the correct tools that will help businesses’ telecommunication and storage processes work more efficiently.  Due to the dedication and competency of GraVoc’s staff, the company is recognized as a Gold Certified Partner by Microsoft. For ore information about GraVoc and the services offered, please visit GraVoc.com.

GraVoc Welcomes Koudanis, Congratulates Smoller

This week, GraVoc’s information security team has brought aboard Costas Koudanis.  Costas, a graduate of Northeastern University who had previously worked at an auditing firm in Boston, will enhance the information security practice’s ability to respond to upcoming projects.  He also brings a wide range of skills from both an auditing and a technology background that can give GraVoc further insight into security issues facing its customers.  GraVoc is happy to have the Topsfield, MA native aboard.

Also notable is that GraVoc’s Ron Smoller has achieved another certification from the Microsoft Corporation.  He scored strongly in configuring Active Directory, Network Infrastructure, and Applications Infrastructure for Windows Server 2008, and therefore passed the exam to upgrade his Windows Server 2003 MCSE designation to Windows Server 2008 Technology Specialist.  Ron focuses on the professional services practice of the company and assists several customers in their network design and support needs.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based in Peabody, MA, is a consulting firm focusing on technology in the four practices of professional services, information technology, media production, and information systems.  Founded in 1994, GraVoc employs roughly twenty professionals who are dedicated to providing a wide range of technology-based solutions and services to a diverse customer base.  For more information about the company and the products and services offered, please 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.

GraVoc Heads to Las Vegas

GraVoc’s DivergingSoul Media Production practice jumped on a plane to Las Vegas earlier this week for the InfoComm 2010 conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  Representatives Brian Gravel and Matt Molk are attending the conference to learn about current ideas and stay on the cutting edge of AV communications.  Notably, the conference is showcasing advances in digital signage, so it presents an opportunity to share ideas regarding the DS2 digital signage network.  The conference lasts through the end of the week, and a recap will likely be posted to this blog shortly upon their return.

GraVoc also made itself available at a more-local tradeshow, attending a conference staged by the Massachusetts Bankers’ Association.  The Annual Bank Technology/Retail Banking Conference addressed, among other things, mobile banking and whether it is an inevitable new step that brings with its benefits a slew of risks.  GraVoc saw many familiar faces, and got to meet several new people in the industry.  GraVoc and other attendees participated in several constructive conversations regarding risk management in the face of the marketplace trending toward mobile banking.

GraVoc Associates, Inc, based in Peabody, MA, has been serving customers in Greater Boston, the North Shore, New England, and beyond.  A technology consulting firm, GraVoc specializes in the practices of media production, information security, information systems, and professional services.  For more information about the services and products offered by GraVoc, please visit www.gravoc.com or peruse the archives of the GraVoc News Blog.