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      How One INAP Customer Is Disrupting Desktop as Service Solutions for the SMB Market


      Remote work demands efficient and always-on desktop as a service (DaaS) solutions that allow employees to work and collaborate at any time, from anywhere, on any device.

      Because an increasing number of businesses are going completely or mostly remote and many others have a mix of full-time remote and in-office workers, providing a seamless and secure experience for employees across the board is no easy feat for IT teams.

      DaaS solutions come from a third-party provider, companies do not have control of the backend infrastructure and must rely on the provider—ideally one with a robust SLA—for reliable and scalable service. Furthermore, traditional DaaS solutions take weeks to set up, with hours of planning and configuring before the client can put it to use.

      To both meet growing demand and address the shortcomings of current remote desktop products, Denis Zhirovetskiy, president and founder of Adeptcore, a managed IT service provider (MSP) and INAP customer, created his own remote DaaS solution packaged for MSPs. In its first year, the product took off, boasting strong adoption and organic growth.

      We sat down with Zhirovetskiy to learn more about Adeptcore, the Adeptcloud service and how the partnership with INAP has helped the company grow and scale from the very beginning.

      Addressing SMB Remote Worker Needs

      Adeptcore was founded with the purpose of helping a small- or medium-sized business (SMB) use their current technology and make it better, setting themselves apart from companies that sell pre-packaged, per-user or per-device plans.

      “We heavily focus on onboarding clients. We can spend three months onboarding one client,” Zhirovetskiy said. “We invest that time because we want to know what each of our clients does for a living and how they’re generating revenue. From there, we tailor the technology to support that mission.”

      In line with this purpose, Adeptcore launched Adeptcloud in June of 2018, after a peer in the MSP community requested to use Zhirovetskiy’s proprietary DaaS solution for a client. The MSP was surprised that Adeptcore was not using industry leaders in the market for DaaS solutions and wanted to see why they created their own. Zhirovetskiy explained that his key selling point was that his solution ran on Nimble SAN with SSD cache, ensuring greater performance and reliability. Other providers typically used spinning disks.

      Zhirovetskiy realized the product would work for MSPs at large. To scale the product, he worked with Ray Orsini, owner of OITVOIP and one of the first Adeptcloud partners. This collaboration ensured that Adeptcloud worked with VoIP softphone technology. As he worked with Orsini, Zhirovetskiy discovered that he was also an INAP customer, and noted that this helped him certify that their products would work together.

      “I started talking with other managed IT providers on an internet forum, and when they saw our solution, they immediately wanted to do something similar for their clients,” he said. “That’s honestly all the marketing I’ve ever done for it.”

      From there, the product took off. During the first 12 months of business, from June 2018 to June 2019, Adeptcloud grew to have 65 partners across the U.S. and three internationally. Adeptcloud has users log on daily from Peru and New Zealand, and has clients working from India, Dubai and China.

      Why Adeptcloud Stands Out

      What exactly helped Adeptcloud take off so quickly? What sets it apart from other DaaS products?

      Saving Time

      First, Adeptcloud saves MSPs time. “We offer a ready-to-go solution in a box. All they have to do is fill out a form and within three days their customers are able to login and begin working. They don’t have to worry about it,” Zhirovetskiy said.

      The Adeptcloud solution has been shown to reduce MSP ticket volumes by as much as 40 percent once the solution is deployed and user training is complete. Zhirovetskiy notes that his team generally goes two to three months without tickets from clients after the first month of implementation.

      Ensuring Unified Threat Management

      Proactive mitigation of ever-evolving security threats is another benefit that sets Adeptcloud apart. They’ve partnered with a number of top security technology companies to develop an environment where customers can store their sensitive client data without a worry of it being lost or encrypted due to a ransomware attack.

      Zhirovetskiy also just added top-of-the-line firewalls and threat management services to his INAP solution, noting that Adeptcore will be the only provider he knows of to offer fully unified threat management functionality to clients.

      “We work with holistic, two-factor authentication security solutions and deploy those solutions for our partners. They don’t have to do any of it. They just tell us what they want and we build it out and release it to them,” Zhirovetskiy said.

      Focusing on End User and Partner Experience

      Ultimately, it is Adeptcore’s focus on the end user that makes Adeptcloud work as a successful cloud solution.

      “Most companies that get into the business offering a cloud service are focusing strictly on the tech itself,” Zhirovetskiy said. “They don’t focus on the end-user support, they don’t focus on the client experience and they don’t focus on supporting their partners. They focus on selling cloud.”

      Partners can get the support they need with Adeptcloud. “When a MSP partner calls our support desk, they talk to someone who is on the same technical level. This is huge for IT companies—they spend less time dealing with the bureaucracy created by huge organizations.”

      Scaling Adeptcloud with INAP

      Zhirovetskiy has been working with INAP since the founding of Adeptcore, when the company started with one client and one server. Adeptcore wanted a data center company located in Chicago, and chose INAP for its security and service reliability.

      “It’s hard to find a global company like INAP that feels like a local company,” he said. “I have a dedicated team and somebody to call who will take care of my needs. That’s the biggest reason I would recommend anybody work with INAP.”

      Throughout the relationship with INAP, Zhirovetskiy has worked with his account manager, Steven Anderson, and INAP engineers to scale the Adeptcloud solution. He says that he talks to Anderson on a weekly basis to discuss the future of his solution: “As our platform has evolved, we always know we have experts available to assist us with our growth.”

      Adeptcore uses INAP engineers for full-spectrum infrastructure solutions, from developing backup services using Veeam to designing Adeptcore’s networking infrastructure. The relationship continues to evolve as Adeptcore grows its cloud footprint and expands to other INAP data centers beyond Chicago.

      “INAP support has been instrumental in helping us achieve our goals. From managing downtime to planning our next big thing,” Zhirovetskiy said. “We rely on INAP to provide us infrastructure expertise, while we provide expertise to our clients on what we’re good at—delivering them their desktops every single day.”

      Explore INAP’s Data Centers.

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      Laura Vietmeyer


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      INAP Executive Spotlight: Mary Jane Horne, SVP, Global Network Services


      In the INAP Executive Spotlight series, we interview senior leaders across the organization, hearing candid reflections about their careers, the mentors who shaped them and big lessons learned along the way.Mary Jane Horne headshot black and white

      Next in the series is Mary Jane Horne, SVP of Global Network Services. With over 25 years of network and operations experience, Horne currently oversees INAP’s network engineering, carrier management, and global support teams, and is responsible for these activities across INAP’s worldwide footprint.

      Horne shares the lessons she’s learned throughout her career, working in the technology, media and telecommunications industries in the U.S. and abroad. Read on to learn what she loves about her role in tech, and the advice that she has for those looking to progress along their career path.

      The interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

      How did you get started in network engineering? What inspired you to pursue it?

      Growing up, my dad was an engineer. I started out in college as a computer science major, but switched after my first year to engineering. I spent five years at Northeastern University in Boston studying electrical and computer engineering, and I worked for the federal government while in school.

      After graduation, I went to work for the phone company, and my first job was as a central office design engineer. I was given some of the best advice of my career by my first manager, which was to move around as much as I could at the “doer “level, to figure out how the company worked. I had 10 jobs in the 13 and a half years I worked there, with a variety of roles in field engineering, technical sales support, customer service and corporate development. I learned how interdependent everyone was, and how best to improve important processes.

      After deciding to change companies to a small fiber start up, I realized the most important part of any company is its foundation. In the roles I held there, we created the strategy for the company, built out the network, thought out of the box for customer solutions and drove sales from $100k in year one to $64.5M in year five. Here is where I truly embraced the role network plays in driving the success of the company.

      Can you tell us more about your work with the global network services team? What are some challenges with that part of the business?

      Our global network strategy started by going from metro to metro and grooming the network components (both fiber and lit services) which eliminated of a lot of unnecessary costs in running the network. We also lit an express 100-gig ring between 3 key data center locations (Dallas/NY/San Jose) to carry more of our own traffic on-net. We have, since the completion of these first 2 initiatives, been upgrading a majority of the US and trans-Atlantic backbones to 100gig as well, to provide much needed additional capacity. We’re deploying new state of the art technology from Ciena on the fiber and bandwidth we are purchasing, allowing us to provide scalability and redundancy, while giving us the opportunity to develop new products in the future. When all is said and done with these three initiatives, the network operating expenses are flat with what they were before, however, our capacity will be three times what it was in the old network.

      We also have the software side of the network. We have CDN, Performance IP®, Managed DNS, as well as other in-house tools supported by the team. They are continuously evaluating where we need to take these products in order to stay competitive, which may include partnering and white labeling. How do we get these products launched across this network that we are deploying and upgrading? Global network services is not just a foundation, but it’s also the product and services that ride across the network. We have infrastructure evolution, as well as product evolution, and that’s where I focus with the team.

      What do you love about your role in tech?

      Learning new things and trying new things is part of who I am. Because tech is ever changing, it’s always been very exciting for me. I think as tech has evolved, some people have fallen off the bandwagon since they don’t keep up with the latest and greatest trends.

      In tech, you must be a person who looks to the future. I look at what’s coming up, not just how I need to design a network for today, and what the customers need today, but what I need three years from now. What should I consider now to prepare for any changes that might come down the road? That’s one of the things that I’ve always been attracted to in the tech industry— looking far enough ahead to say, “I need to do this, but I don’t want to be shortsighted and do it the cheap way just to get done with today. I want to look at how to do it the best way, so we are ready for the future, and we can then move forward faster.” Tech gives me exciting opportunities to do that.

      Of the qualities you possess, which do you think has been the greatest influence on your success?

      The ability to try anything and rise to challenges, even when I have no idea what I’m doing. I credit my boss, Pete Aquino [INAP CEO], for challenging me over the course of our working relationship. He would say, “I have a need for X.” And I’d say, “I’ve never done that before.” He’d respond, “That’s fine. I know you’ll figure it out.”

      I have learned so much because I did things that I never would have done anywhere else in my career, because somebody trusted me to figure it out. The only thing you need to say to me is it’s impossible, or everyone else who tried couldn’t do it, because now I’m sure I’m going to get it done. I love a challenge. I think that’s driven me through my career.

      Who are some of the people that have mentored you in your career?

      Some of the best advice I’ve ever been given came from another other female leader in the industry. When I wanted to make that jump from being a manager to the next level, my boss at the time was a female director, and that was considered quite the accomplishment (back then) at a phone company. I said to her, “’I’m ready, I’m looking to move up. I’m really excited.” She gave me the second best piece of advice I’ve ever been given: Just because you are really good at what you do today, does not mean you ready for the next level. She pointed out, in order to be considered for the next level, you need to continuously demonstrate leadership qualities and focus on how you embrace and lead change.

      That was an eye opening, great piece of advice. That’s when I made some drastic changes and left the big stable environment to go to a risky startup, where you have to lead every day to be successful.

      If you had to pick a piece of advice that you’d give to someone pursuing IT or network engineering as a career path, what would that be?

      I just approved some training for people who want to learn more. Don’t be afraid to ask for that. Always stay current, always stay hungry, always learn as much as you can, and learn across platforms. It’ll make you more valuable.

      Also, tell your boss what you need and what you’re interested in. You must have open communication with your manager. We are not mind readers, so talk about what your plans might be, or ask for help in developing them. We are the ones who have to drive our own careers.

      Are there any other big lessons you’ve learned in your career that you want to share?

      I learned to take a step back and think about things in the big picture, instead of just what I’m doing today. What I decide to do today could affect what other people will be doing well into the future, especially in technology. Ask yourself, am I really making the right choice, or do I need to evaluate other options?

      I also believe we should cross-train people. At a minimum, I think we should have people sit in somebody else’s job for a week or two, and swap chairs. It gives employees appreciation for other roles and responsibilities that they may not truly understand or have misjudged. It also may help folks develop a path to pursue other roles in the future.

      I was lucky enough in my career to be able to move from department to department, so I could get a better view of how a company worked. You can’t always do that in smaller companies, but I think those are valuable lessons to learn. We should spend more time educating one another on how things work at INAP.

      Laura Vietmeyer


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      Exploring the Features of Intelligent Monitoring, powered by INAP INblue


      What would you do if you didn’t have to spend time on routine server- or cloud-related maintenance and monitoring?

      According to INAP’s The State of IT infrastructure Management report, a vast majority of IT professionals say they are not spending enough time designing or implementing new solutions, working on expansions or upgrades, or focusing on information security projects. As it stands, 25 percent of participants say they spend too many hours on monitoring, and it’s clear that there’s a desire to set aside the busywork for value-added projects, allowing IT to be a center for innovation, rather than viewed as “purely keeping the lights on” by the company’s senior management.

      Intelligent Monitoring, powered by INAP INblue—a multicloud infrastructure management platform, gives you time for what matters. It’s a premium managed cloud and monitoring service—available today for INAP Bare Metal customers—that raises the bar for managed hosting solutions by ensuring proactive support, service transparency and consistent performance.

      “Infrastructure monitoring strategies are only as good as the actions that follow alerts,” said Jennifer Curry, SVP of Global Cloud Services at INAP. “We built Intelligent Monitoring to not only improve cloud performance and availability, but to set a new benchmark for managed services transparency.”

      In addition to an improved service experience, Managed Bare Metal customers also have access to the same enterprise-grade monitoring and management tools used by INAP technicians, offering functionality and control that will eliminate the need for customers to invest in third-party remote monitoring and management solutions, including remote execution and scripting, unified log management, patch management and automation, and port, service and URL monitoring.

      Let’s take a closer look at the features that make Intelligent Monitoring a one-of-a-kind solution.

      Advanced Monitoring & Action Items

      Built from the ground up with leading technologies like SaltStack and Elastic Beats, the Intelligent Monitoring agent tracks everything from server resource usage to Apache and MySQL connections. The in-depth, proprietary monitoring technology is installed directly onto your server, enabling INAP technicians to respond to alerts before performance degrading issues arise. Default trigger thresholds are chosen by INAP’s support team based on years of data and first-hand expertise. You have full access to all monitoring metrics and can request custom alert triggers, or modifications to trigger thresholds.

      When you log into INblue, the dashboard will give you a snapshot of your server environment through system events called Action Items. If you subscribe to the fully managed Service First edition, these items allow your INAP support team to proactively manage your environment and rapidly respond to alerts. Action Items are triggered in a variety of ways, including when infrastructure or network monitoring thresholds are surpassed, when a critical service shuts down or when a new software patch becomes available.

      Action Items

      Support Remediation Aided by Smart Workflow System

      INAP technicians remediate Action Items using our proprietary Smart Workflow System, which enables fast, accurate and consistent troubleshooting. Here’s a brief look how it works:

      1. The Smart Workflow System defines the Action Item type and initiates appropriate workflow process.
      2. The system automatically creates a support case for the Action Item, pulling historical correlated issue data, trigger metrics and detailed log info.
      3. Using the data and Action Item type, the assigned INAP Service First support technician investigates the issue following a branching series of software-defined and expert-tested remediation steps. Customers may request custom workflows for scenarios unique to their environment.
      4. Upon resolution of the Action Item, your assigned technician will notify you via the Action Item details page and include relevant root cause data.
      5. The Smart Workflow System constantly improves as new system data and insights from INAP experts modify issue definitions and remediation steps.

      On the other side of the glass, the INblue platform is your vehicle for ensuring absolute transparency. At the top of any Action Item details page, you’ll see the INAP technician assigned to the workflow, the current status of the event and tasks they are currently performing or have already performed. You can review information about correlated past issues, metric and log data pinpointing a trigger, and your full support history for any Action Item.

      However, for most Action Items, you won’t have to do a single thing. Intelligent Monitoring’s Smart Workflow System and the INAP Service First support team are on top of every case.

      Patching and Log Management

      Intelligent Monitoring radically simplifies two activities that most IT professionals consider especially tedious: patching and log management.

      The patching update process is streamlined, as all available patches for your server are proactively listed in groups. You can handle this process in one of two ways, depending on how much control you want. You can confirm and schedule the patch to complete the process with INAP support, or—if you want a hands-off approach—you can choose to auto-patch your server daily and your team will receive calendar invites for each scheduled patch.

      Intelligent Monitoring will also save you from manually browsing events by providing a chronological event log for all your servers. Easily filter by server and file path, or dive deep with a keyword search. You’ll be able to accelerate analysis and locate critical information. Plus, the log management feature provides your INAP technicians critical, actionable intelligence to keep your environment compliant and secure.

      Log Management

      Remote Execution and Scripting

      Intelligent Monitoring allows you to easily create and run remote execution scripts to any of your installed servers, giving you a single portal for taking control of your environment. You can choose from scripts you’ve already created and schedule them by inserting a token from your two-factor authentication application. You will automatically receive an email when the script successfully executes.

      If you want to create your own Bash or Powershell scripts, you can do so via the Script Editor, located in the side navigation of the INblue platform.

      Port, Service and URL Monitoring

      Under the Ports tab on any Server Details page, you can review, edit and monitor triggers for your server’s open and closed ports. Port Status changes will be shown in your Action Items list.

      Intelligent Monitoring also allows you to monitor any available services running on your system. You can also stop, start or restart services from the Services tab. For example, you can enable service monitoring on Chron Dee, enabling the auto-restart feature. With this monitoring feature enabled, you can rest assured that if a service ever fails, it will automatically create a new Action Item.

      Looking Ahead

      This is just the beginning for Intelligent Monitoring, powered by the INAP INblue platform. Many more features and capabilities are on the way, but in the meantime, we hope you enjoy exploring the tool and look forward to hearing your feedback.

      Demo INAP Intelligent Monitoring Today

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      Laura Vietmeyer


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