UCG IT Resource Center

Don’t Forget About The Co-Lo Alternative To Cloud

by Jim Kandrac

Cloud is a consumption model, not a panacea. And for a lot of customers, moving some – or even all of their applications – to the cloud is something to consider or even possibly the right move. But for many customers who are committed to their applications and therefore to their IBM i platform, the best and lowest cost way to get infrastructure to support those applications is still to put machinery on premises or to have it installed in a co-location facility.

Do the Math When Looking at IBM i Hosting for Cost Savings

by Matt Paterini

COVID-19 has accelerated certain business trends that were already gaining strength prior to the start of the pandemic. E-commerce, telehealth, and video conferencing are some of the most obvious examples. One example that may not be as obvious to the general public but has a profound impact on business is the shift in strategy of IBM i infrastructure from traditional, on-premises environments to some form of remote configuration. These remote configurations and all of their variations are broadly referred to in the community as IBM i hosting.

Taking the Pulse of the IBM i Market

by Timothy Prickett Morgan

If you want to know what is going on in an economy – what is really happening – you have to not talk to just the people in the state capitals or Washington DC, but you have to talk to real business people who are out there every day, running businesses and trying to meet a payroll and provide that good or service that keeps the money rolling.

Read about our discussion with UCG CEO Jim Kandrac. It gives a real sense how small and medium businesses – and quite a few behemoths, too – are doing and what they are doing when it comes to technology.

Navigating an Unprecedented Situation

Consolidated infrastructure helps Concordance Healthcare Solutions meet customer demands.

Small Businesses are Increasingly the Target of Cyberattacks

Small and mid sized businesses are being targeted more often by ransomware attacks. Learn what you can do to protect your company from cybercriminals.

UCG Technologies acquires Cincinnati firm

Independence-based UCG Technologies — a global IT firm — announced it has acquired Cincinnati-based Contract Guardian Inc., which specializes in automated contract management.

IT Jungle: Survey Paints a Picture of IBM i Community, Product Usage

The folks behind the All 400s website have published the first results of an online survey that seeks to illuminate the state of the IBM i community, ranging from possible plans to migrate off the platform to third-party product preferences. The first 400 people have taken the 25-question survey, and the results may surprise you.

LIFTING THE CLOUD of Terminology Confusion

Business partners can lead the effort for uniform definitions for common cloud terms.

VAULT400 Smooths Industrial Equipment Manufacturer’s Global Consolidation Path

With operations in 12 countries, Eriez understands the importance of running a disciplined business. But until recently one aspect of its IT operations fell just a trifle short of world-class: data backup.

VAULT400 Returns: Welcome Back, Old Friend

UCG Technologies announces the return of VAULT400

UCG’s Newest Sales Executive Took an Unconventional Path to Success

Career-changing encounters can happen in the strangest places. For Matt Paterini, it was in a barber chair.

SECURITY Awareness and the HUMAN Firewall

Between 20 and 45 percent of employees are deceived by email ploys. A single click on a malicious site can compromise the entire corporate network. Organizations can take the following five steps to protect themselves from disaster.

Soft Sciences Visible at UCG Technologies

Changing A Brand. It takes 20 years to build a brand, and five minutes to ruin it. But for a company like UCG, a re-branding can tell the story of how the company has evolved. - Michael DeAloia, Tech Czar Talk

How MSPs Fail Their Clients

In one phishing test UCG Technologies conducted for a retail client, nearly 50% of employees clicked on a fraudulent email. The good news is that a little education can drastically reduce susceptibility to phishing and spoofing attacks. Customers should ask any prospective MSP partner about what they do to address the human side of security.

Spreading a Wider IT Net at UCG Technologies – an IT Jungle profile

UCG Technologies has succeeded for nearly 30 years by anticipating shifts in the market and moving first. The company’s recent rebranding and expansion into cyber security with its free phishing test is the latest evidence of how UCG Technologies stays ahead.

Life is a Poker Game, and 13 Other Lessons I’ve Learned from Building UCG Technologies - by Jim Kandrac

United Computer Group was started with $30,000 in savings and a six-month business plan. Nearly 30 years later, it’s still growing and diversifying. Here are the lessons founder Jim Kandrac has learned in the process of building one of IBM’s top Business Partners and a leader in iSeries and Power backup and disaster recovery services.

Which Nine States Have the Most Dangerous Weather? This List Might Surprise You

While hurricanes cause their share of destruction, the nine states on this list are mostly inland. Tornadoes, floods and extreme heat are some of the factors that make them so dangerous. Disaster recovery planning is important for any business, but particularly if you live here.

The 5 Key Questions You Should Ask about Backup as a Service

There are two kinds of companies: those that have lost data already and those that will lose data in the future. Backup as a service provides protection and flexibility, but there are many choices to make. Use these five questions to make the backup as a service choice that’s right for your needs and budget.

The Rising Cost of Security Breaches and the 4 Things You Should Do to Defend Your Business

The average cost of a cyber-attack has risen to $3.8 million and the cost of dealing with breaches has risen 23% over the past two years. It’s also taking businesses longer than ever to detect attacks. This research report will help you better understand attacker motivations and what you can to do best defend yourself.

United Computer Group Turns 25 on the Strength of Data Protection Disaster Recovery Solutions

The U.S. Bureau of Labor has estimated that 93 percent of businesses that suffer significant data loss are out of business within five years. UCG Technologies has built its business on protecting customers from that fate through comprehensive backup, disaster recovery and security services.

From Sales Rep to College President – The Amazing Story of Former UCGer Margie Martyn, Ph.D.

After spending four years in sales support for United Computer Group, Margie Martyn made the shift to higher education, earned two degrees and today is President of Harold Washington College. She says lessons she learned in UCG sales still have value today.

UCG COO and Former UCG Intern Keith King on Business Success: “Be a problem solver”

UCG Technologies CEO Jim Kandrac saw potential in Keith King and offered him an internship right out of high school. Inspired by UCG’s growth and customer focus, Keith launched his own printing and label manufacturing company, which today employs 45 people. The sales and marketing techniques he learned at UCG still serve him to this day.

For UCG Alum Julie Mascioli, There was Never a Dull Moment

Julie was a receptionist for a property management company when she spotted an open accounting position at tenant UCG and asked for a try. Seventeen years later, she retired as Operations Manager for enterprise cloud backup and disaster recovery solutions.

UCG’s First Employee Remembers the Wild Early Days

As UCG’s first employee, Shari did whatever needed to be done, from picking up equipment to catering lunch to installing printer boards. Now retired, she remembers the wild ride of the early days, when 386 processors and dot matrix printers were the state of the art.

From Competitors to Colleagues: How Two Old Friends Reunited to Build a Business

High school buddies Jim Kandrac and Mike Powall went their separate ways after graduating, then years later found themselves competing for the same business. Mike decided to join UCG and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ransomware Epidemic Hits Epic Proportions, And IBM i Shops Take Notice

The ransomware outbreak hit home for millions of Americans last week when attackers shut down a major East Coast pipeline as well as a hospital network on the West Coast. For IBM i shops, the events are a potent reminder to re-evaluate network security and data protection systems to ensure they’re resilient from attack.

UCG VAULT400 Solution Overview

Your organization needs to be thinking differently about your backup & disaster recovery strategy

Compliance for Healthcare Organizations

UCG’s VAULT400 Cloud Backup & DRaaS backs up your core systems, networked environments, and mobile devices wherever they are, and no matter how complex and provides you with data protection that helps assure compliance with HIPAA.

Teck Case Study

How a Single Solution Solves Multiple Backup and Recovery Challenges for Canada’s Largest Mining Company

From Tape To Cloud

The journey to efficient backup has reached heightened urgency due to fallout from COVID-19. React quickly to this “new normal” by re-assessing risks and ensuring that detection, response, and mitigation efforts are aligned accordingly.

This report highlights the top five reasons why businesses are leaving tape technology and moving to the cloud for data protection.

Webinar Replay: Top Five Ways to Protect Your Organization From Data Loss

IBM Systems Magazine and UCG Technologies

Recover From Data Loss or a Security Breach

In 45 minutes we’ll reveal how to protect your organization from data loss through disaster and human error. Join us as we discuss:  Identifying IBM i Series DR pain points, RTO and RPO; Selecting a vendor that provides a TOTAL IBM i DR solution; and managing the issues around malware, ransomware and social engineering.

Data Sheet: IBM i Cloud Backup & DRaaS the Way You Want It

UCG Technologies specializes in IBM Power Systems (IBM i) and protects all platforms from 10GB to over 100TB. Mix and match your ideal combination of cloud backup, hybrid cloud and private cloud services across 22 state-of-the-art data centers in the U.S. and Canada.

UCG Technologies’ Tips for Security Backup and Success

The best backup and data protection in the world doesn’t work if you leave the front door open. UCG Technologies’ CEO Jim Kandrac tells IBM Systems Magazine’s Paul Tuohy why phishing and ransomware is changing the security landscape.

How Long Does It Take to Recover? Here’s One Customer’s Experience

This timeline breaks down actual recovery times for one of our IBM i Cloud Backup and DRaaS customers. It’s a useful guide for your own planning.

Best Practices for Doing IBM i Cloud Backup and DRaaS Right

In the technology business for 30 years including a decade in cloud backup and disaster recovery, we've learned a few things along the way. Here are best practices to follow - and land mines to avoid.

UCG's Top 10 ways to work smarter, faster and reclaim your time with IBM i Cloud Backup & DRaaS from UCG Technologies

There is a difference between cloud backup, disaster recovery, and high-availability services. Learn the 10 ways UCG Technologies is unique.

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Organization: A Backup, Disaster Recovery & Cyber Security Webinar From UCG and IBM Systems Magazine

Backup, disaster recovery, and cyber security needs to be looked at as an integrated whole to fully protect your organization. UCG CEO Jim Kandrac tells how to approach protection from a total lifecycle perspective.

How to Get Total Protection for Your IBM Power Systems Data

A single downtime event can cost your organization up to $25,000 per hour. The IBM and UCG Technologies partnership provides solutions that combine IBM Power Systems and IBM i with the strengths of UCG Technologies’ flexible cloud backup and disaster recovery. Learn why we’re different.

IBM POWER9 System Facts and Features

Here are all the facts and figures you need to know about the highly scalable, Big Data-optimized, cloud-read Power Systems line of enterprise processors from IBM

Why the IBM POWER9 S914 Server is the Ideal Open Platform for Midsized Business Solutions

Built on the IBM POWER9 processor with built-in acceleration, flash storage and multithreaded application support, the IBM POWER9 S914 server provides a secure architecture and stable platform for mission-critical applications.

IBM POWER9 SYSTEM: The Perfect Platform for UNIX, IBM i and Linux Workload Consolidation

Built to optimize IBM AIX and IBM I workloads, these new systems deliver unmatched price performance and superior response time for sorting and querying big data sets, compared to competing solutions built on an x86 architecture.

IBM POWER9 Questionnaire

Simply a more intuitive way to manage your healthcare documents

Health organizations must employ an intuitive solution that is applicable for all documents and departments. Learn what Contract Guardian has to offer.

Contract Guardian at a Glance

Contract Guardian provides an intuitive, affordable contract management system that delivers enterprise functionality, while mirroring your processes and terminology.

Contract Guardian Security

Protecting confidential information is a business requirement, and in many cases also an ethical and legal requirement that we take very seriously. Take a look at what we consider some of the most aggressive contract security efforts in the contract management industry to protect your data both in the Cloud and On Premise.

Contract Guardian Services

Our cloud based delivery model for Contract Management offers compelling advantages. Implementation tasks and time to deploy are significantly less than attempting the same solution with an on premise or other cloud based software implementation.

Compliance for Healthcare Organizations

UCG’s VAULT400 Cloud Backup & DRaaS backs up your core systems, networked environments, and mobile devices wherever they are, and no matter how complex and provides you with data protection that helps assure compliance with HIPAA.

Actively Track and Manage Contract Obligations

Contract Management does not stop when the contract is signed. The active period of the contract is critically important and needs to be managed with the same attentiveness as the negotiation, reviews and approvals phase of the contract lifecycle.

Manage your Business Agreements

If you’re like many companies, you keep a growing list of hard copies and electronic files plus a spreadsheet to track key dates and details. Yet it can still take hours, even days, to track down the data you need when you need it.

Contract Guardian and DocuSign

Contract Guardian’s partnership with DocuSign delivers enhanced ROI, increased security and compliance, and a better overall customer experience.

Sample Contract Management Roles

A brief overview of Contract Management Role Relationships.

Stark Law Executive Summary

If you haven’t reviewed your physician contracts lately, it’s time you did. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) are enforcing Stark and federal anti-kickback laws with renewed vigor, and hospitals need to be wary of any and all agreements made with physicians past, present, and future.

How to Preserve Institutional Knowledge with Contract Management Software

Contract Guardian software delivers the capability to capture Institutional Knowledge automatically. A quick example to inspire you to consider how you can retain your institutional knowledge and recognize you have already started by simply using Contract Guardian.

KnowBe4 Modules – Platinum Program

UCG KB4 Executive Summary

Security Awareness Training: What You Need to Know

For many companies, the greatest cyber security threat is the unintentional mistakes of their own employees. Kevin Mitnick’s Security Awareness Training Course is constantly updated to keep you in the know about the latest threats and best defenses.

Ransomware: What You Need to Know; How to Protect Yourself

Ransomware attacks have quadrupled in 2016, and attackers constantly evolve their techniques to foil defenses. This comprehensive KnowBe4/UCG Technologies report tells you how ransomware works, how to know if you’ve been hit and what proactive steps to take.

What’s your weakest security link? The Answer Might Surprise You

Email addresses published on the Internet are a prime vector for phishing attacks. Most companies don’t even know which email addresses are exposed. KnowBe4 can find them all. Learn how.

23 Red Flags of Social Engineering

Is that email, legitimate or a phishing attack? Learn the most common warning signs of social engineering in this one-page poster that should be on everyone’s office wall.

How Phishing-Prone is Your Organization?

More than 100,000 new malware variants are logged each day, along with millions of spear phishing emails. Piecemeal approaches to security awareness training aren’t enough. Our program uses immersive education and regular test attacks to keep people in the know.