I insist that our GSI associates refer to the people and companies who favor us with their business as clients. I admit...it's an obsession with me. I am so passionate about the client reference that when someone utters "customer" within earshot of me, the offending speaker generally knows that a well-placed rebuke will shortly follow. I've never sentenced anyone to spend an hour in time-out or put their nose in a circle on the wall; however, most everyone understands that employing "customer" in a conversation at GSI will generate a correction.

My devotion to client is all about respect – respect for the people who have trusted us with their mission-critical processes, respect for the close relationships that we have developed in supporting those processes, and respect for caliber of service delivery our ServerHeroes teams provide 24/7. We are not selling hamburgers or tanks of gas where one source is just about as good as the other. Nor are our associates manning the drive-thru lane or considering "have a nice day" as the ultimate measure of service at check-out. We are important components of our clients' businesses, and in order for GSI to exceed expectations, our associates need to understand and respect the confidence that our clients have placed in us.

Customers produce revenue – clients produce relationships. GSI is so devoted to getting the relationship right that we diligently work to know our clients' businesses, and the business processes that we are supporting. We employ our Service Quality Framework to not just define monitoring, management and escalation requirements, but to summarize the business functions and underlying dependencies that will allow our ServerHeroes to support those critical processes as if we were the clients' employees. We assign dedicated teams to specific clients in order to develop a deep knowledge of the clients' businesses, as well as their IT environments. We respond to requests and issues with haste, knowing that our clients depend upon us to do so around-the-clock. We do all of this because we desire to have long-term relationships built upon mutual respect and trust – it's about more than just the revenue.

So if you don't have a satisfactory relationship with your current service provider, go to their web site and see if you find "customer service" or "customer portal." That might indicate they are more interested in your revenue than your relationship. And then contact GSI and explore what a real service provider relationship can be.

GSI founder Robin Greenhagen discusses cloud computing for small businesses in the November 2009 issue of KC Small Business magazine. The online version is available here: http://bit.ly/5nGcBP

Much attention in our industry has been given to a recent "rant" by one of the popular financial talk show hosts declaring that "the data center business is dead." His logic was that the new CPU technologies were going to render the need for all this crazy data center space moot.

Well, I want to be the first person in our entire industry to say: OK, I agree with his statements that data center square footage is not going to be on fire like it has been, but he really missed the point. The CPUs aren't the cause; the HyperVisor is the real reason data center space is dead.

GSI is regularly helping clients clean out their corporate data centers with 20-30 cabinets of hardware and putting them into 2-3 cabinets of virtualization and storage gear. Our Matrix Enterprise Virtualization Platform makes that a 100% CapEx free zone, as well. We have already invested the CapEx, so you don't have to.

Now, let's talk about the other item relevant to the concept that "data center space is dead." If you are shopping for data center space, you are REALLY MISSING THE BOAT. What you should be shopping for are the services that your business needs for your IT infrastructure: Storage Services, Computing Services, Management and Monitoring Services, Compliance Services, Backup Services, Messaging Services, Data Archival Services.

I have encountered very few corporate IT teams that can touch the depth of knowledge, certifications, experience, customer satisfaction, and speed to deploy and scale that can be found with a good, qualified managed service provider like GSI. Even when we do come across a VERY competent team, they are constantly fighting cost-control and budgeting issues. And most importantly to the business, none of the corporate IT guys are willing to put their monthly paychecks on the line to stand behind an SLA to the business.

Shouldn't your IT staff be focused on servicing the business's vertical applications and processes, and not patching servers, reading log files, and filling out those darn TPS reports? I see a good analogy here to the wireless industry. You would never consider an insurance company, healthcare provider, or financial services company building their own wireless digital cellular network across the country, hiring teams of people to deploy it, hiring teams of people to operate it, and then dealing with the constant technology upgrades, etc. They let providers like Sprint, Verizon and AT&T do that stuff; they just hand out the Blackberries and iPhones, and everyone starts talking.

Why do insurance companies, healthcare providers, financial services companies, and literally MILLIONS of other businesses think they need to buy a bunch of servers, hire some folks to run them, rehire people to backfill when they have churn in the IT team, etc.? Computing that they can just pass out and use is where they need to be. Quit buying servers, quit buying storage, quit buying data center space. Buy services that your business needs.

Sure, GSI will provide these services in a nice, cool, highly secured data center that meets or exceeds all industry standards. But the actual services are where you need to spend the most time evaluating the real value chain and potential ROI for your business.

Most of us have had this experience. Our kids convince us to buy a puppy based upon their assurance that they will be responsible for its daily care and feeding. After multiple stops at pet stores or breeders, you find the perfect fit – a little package of innocence and energy, looking at you through bright eyes and with an expectant curiosity about the days ahead. Everyone laughs at your puppy's playful clumsiness caused by its feet being as large as its head, and you happily conclude that you've made a positive addition to your family.

Unfortunately, this bliss doesn't last long. What was once kibble being eaten from your hand becomes 50# bags of dog food being purchased from the local feed store on a weekly basis. And the small accident on the kitchen rug becomes large mounds of toxic waste to be removed from your back yard before you can mow. The kids have long forgotten their pledge to take care of the dog, and you are constantly called upon to account for the barking, destruction, and general bad behavior caused by "your dog."

I've seen this same scenario play out in our business. Many prospects have come to GSI with stories of large service providers disappointing them with broken promises and unfulfilled expectations. What started out as a relationship in which they had confidence and comfort, soon turned into one in which was more problematic and costly than they ever expected. While large providers are great marketers and experts at closing the deal, once the deal is done, the client becomes just another customer to be queued up with the needs of all other customers -- just another service ticket to be resolved. The client begins to buy those 50# bags of dog food that were not included in the original proposal with an unsatisfying frequency, and the "poop removal" of service shortfalls seems to occur almost on a daily basis. Along with the wedding anniversary and the kids' birthdays, the expiration date of the service provider's contract is circled on the refrigerator calendar.

Mid-sized service providers like GSI offer an attractive alternative to the "bigs." While our marketing may not be as slick or our sales pitch as polished as a large provider, our commitment to our client and fulfillment of our promise is second-to-none. Unlike the "don't ask, don't tell" approaches of many large hosters, GSI distinguishes itself in our complete and customized solutions that set firm expectations with our clients as to service delivery and cost. Our clients are significant to our book of business, and our teams of ServerHeroes treat them like they are, delivering high-touch, fully engaged support on a consistent basis. We are proud of our ability to deliver services on task, on budget and on time, and the flexibility gained by utilizing a mid-sized provider like GSI allows clients to scale their IT environments up and down to match the dynamics of their own businesses.

So, if you are past the puppy stage of your hosting relationship, and have grown weary of buying bags of service fees or picking up the poop in the back office, call GSI and discover what we can do to make your managed IT solution the positive addition that you originally intended it to be. We have teams of ServerHeroes ready, willing and able to serve as your dedicated Dog Whisperer.

Several of the big names in the hosting and payments business have released "solutions" that offer PCI-DSS relief to Level 4 merchants (small businesses with small transaction volumes). Well, after reviewing almost 20 offerings, I can readily summarize this as "all hat, no cattle." A bunch of hot air.

One major hosting provider recommends that merchants just don't handle credit cards. Seriously? But what about the MILLIONS of merchants that have custom-coded shopping carts, ERP systems, and business POS tools that rely upon the back-end databases that hold their client and payment information? What about businesses that retain card data for recurrent payments?

IMHO, these folks are trying to pull the bait-n-switch on a relatively unsophisticated (from an IT capabilities perspective) group. 'Hey, host in our "cloud" and follow our recommendations (or at least think you are following them), and you can be PCI-DSS compliant.' Wrong, that is PCI-DSS avoidance. Not really an option for millions of businesses. 

These businesses need a REAL PCI-DSS compliant way to economically host their systems. We all know the hoops that a TRUE, VALIDATED, MANAGED PCI-DSS solution will require. It won't be cheap (no more $59 per month hosting with no firewalls!). But, there will be solutions on the market that will uphold even the most vigorous QSA audit, or even a REAL, HONEST Level 4 SAQ. Stay tuned for more from GSI!

GSI's logo consists of a forward-looking bird, an American Robin, standing atop the letters gsi. The company has received numerous comments and questions over the years about the logo's significance – most expressing a curiosity more than a compliment. Much like the company itself, the logo is different from what is normal in the technology space. It is not the stylized globe, sphere, or amorphous shape common with most IT companies, nor does it contain slanted letters, a modernized button, or a sleek outline of some type. It's a green and orange bird for heaven's sake, one which surprisingly does say a little bit about GSI the company.

First the bird. We are not sure whether we picked the bird and then discovered its tie to our founder, or whether we picked the bird based upon our founder's name, but either way, the robin atop our logo does match the first name of our company founder, Robin Greenhagen. Mr. Greenhagen started the company in 1996 with a passionate vision and a well used credit card. From those humble beginnings, GSI has matured into a premiere provider of managed hosting services to some of the largest companies in the world. Not only is Robin the founder of the company, he is also its foundation. Many of the company's values, guiding principles and culture come from Mr. Greenhagen, and without his steadfast parentage over the past two decades, the company would not have achieved the success that it has accomplished.

But it's a robin! It's not an eagle, falcon or some other raptor that communicates dominance over its environment. It's a robin – a harmless migratory songbird credited as the harbinger of spring, the first to sing at dawn, and the last to speak as evening sets in. Robins are the quintessential early birds – industrious, bold and dedicated to the pursuit of today's sustenance. They often feed in flocks, are ever vigilant in watching for predators, and communicate with one another using a large repertoire of songs, alerts and calls. Robins are nimble, happy, friendly, hard working and their song is always cheery.

And what's with the colors? Realizing that most of the IT world is blue and red, GSI chose a different path. We believe our choice of green is soothing and it represents solid competence. Orange communicates optimism and produces sensations of brightness and warmth. Orange also represents creativity and an easy-going attitude toward life.

Why the lowercase letters? Our actual legal name is GreenSoft Solutions, Inc., hence the initials gsi. Lowercase letters were used but in a bolded font, the combination of which is to communicate strength and courage tempered with approachability and collaboration. The letters are closely positioned to convey integration and partnership.

So yes, our unorthodox logo does have an underlying theme. Our desire is to have our logo communicate that GSI is a forward-looking company, an industrious and hard-working team of IT professionals that is ever vigilant and committed to providing our clients with the highest in managed services. And like the American Robin, GSI strives to be a friendly and collaborative partner, ever active and flexible in our pursuit of exceeding client expectations.

Further Reading

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