Myriad and Me

Wow. It’s been four months since I posted anything longer than a Facebook update. That makes me feel very lazy. As is typically the case though, my laziness in writing was caused not by sloth but rather by a shift in priority.

A shift in priority?

My first real business-world mentor chided me any time I said “I didn’t have time” to get something done. His constant reminder was that we always have the same amount of time; the number of minutes and hours don’t change from day-to-day, what does change is where and how we chose to spend that time. Accepting that there are limits to what I can do in a single day, week, month, or year, and understanding the importance that places on prioritization and planning has been one of the most valuable lessons in my life.

My new priority.

So, if I haven’t been totally shiftless, where have I been spending all my time? Two words: Myriad Supply.

Myriad Supply is an IT and infrastructure solutions provider. More than just a VAR, Myriad provides products, services, and crucial advice to their clients – and that’s exactly why I joined them.

Really, the same priorities.

While coming up to speed in this new role has taken over much of my time, it hasn’t actually shifted my long-term or core priorities. I’ve spent the majority of my career working on behalf of the Internet and it’s users. From very early on, I recognized the amazing power of the Internet, and I still believe these words I wrote nearly a decade ago now:

For the first time in history, knowledge is no longer in the hands solely of the powerful and wealthy. Authors, artists and philosophers have the ability to reach out to much of the world (and to each other) on a scale unimaginable just a few decades ago. You now have the power to seek multiple sources of information, to expose yourself to a plethora of views, slants, and takes on almost every topic, both current and historical. We are quite possibly at the dawn of a golden age, another renaissance; a digital awakening to a cultural dialogue.

For nearly 15 years I’ve worked to advance the Internet, and Internet technology. Whether it was building a WISP to reach unserved areas in Colorado (and later AZ), founding the Colorado Chapter of the Internet Society (COISOC), joining the ARIN Advisory Council, launching regional Best Current Operational Practices efforts around the world, volunteering on various program committees, presenting information at network operator groups across the globe, inventing new ways to ease the transition to IPv6, launching a non-profit Internet exchange at the heart of North America, or any of the other things I’ve had the opportunity to do – it’s all been with a single set of priorities: Increase Internet adoption, advance necessary Internet technologies, and better connect the world.

A new set of tools.

In the years I spent evangelizing IPv6 (and DNSSEC, and TLS, and anti-spoofing, etc) one thing became painfully obvious: The only way to get commercial organizations to move on a new technology is to present a valid business case. Knowing something is the right thing isn’t often enough, you have to be able to prove it – and then show them how to do it. In order to build the story of what and why you must truly understand the environment and particular situation of the individual or institution you’re trying to help. You then have to be willing to ignore dogma and use that understanding to recommend what is truly best in the given circumstance. I came to work at Myriad because they give me the tools I need to do exactly that.

The breadth of the Myriad Supply line card, their passion to be “your trusted technology experts,” and the amazing team assembled here allows me the freedom and strength to help our clients find and implement the best possible solutions to all of their technological needs. Every day I get the chance to share best practices, advocate applicable technologies, and help businesses (and non-profit organizations) succeed.

Loving it!

My new position is a wonderful combination of learning and educating, of technology and business, routers and switches, load balancers and firewalls, hardware and software, and people. Man do I love it. I love it so much I want to do more of it! So…

How can I help YOU?

Yep, you. I’d love to put my talents, the talents of the great teams I work with, and the core values of Myriad Supply to work for you. Do you need a new switch or router? What about a server or storage array? Need to beef up your security? Re-architect your network? Launch a new office or data center? Build an SDN or NFV roadmap? Maybe you want to optimize your WAN? Or even just pick up some optics or cables? Whether you need to buy gear, purchase professional services, or just want some advice – contact me today.