December 2007
In this issue

√ ITS Charity Selected
√ Success Story
√ CEO Seminar
√ Tech Tip
√ Employee Spotlight
 

Happy Holidays to everyone! I hope this year’s holiday season is treating you well. As you may know, every year IT Solutions adopts a charity to work with. In years past we’ve adopted causes such as breast cancer and melanoma research. In 2008 our efforts will be dedicated toward a unique program called "One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)". OLPC is a non-profit which has developed a $200 laptop for children that can stand up to the rigors of a third-world environment. Their goal, as their name suggests, is to get a laptop into the hands of every child in the developing world.

After seeing a story about this organization on 60 Minutes (watch the segment here) I was amazed at how ingenious the design of the laptop is and how much good it could do. Seeing children without electricity able to connect to the Internet and learn on a computer in their homes (most of them don’t have schools to go to) showed the power of this program. In countries where education barely exists, these laptops are allowing children to connect to the outside world.

The laptops are virtually indestructible, are viewable in full sunlight, and can be charged using a hand crank. They are connected via wireless to a centralized "hot spot" or can connect to each other for collaborative learning.

Between now and the end of this month, anyone wishing to buy one of these laptops for their own family can get one online at http://www.laptopgiving.org/ They’re only $200 each, but there’s a catch – buy one for yourself and you have to buy one for a child in a third-world country. For our part, any client who takes advantage of this offer will receive a $200 gift card from IT Solutions. Basically, we’ll pay for your laptop if you buy one for another child. I recently bought one for each of my two toddlers and they’re VERY excited.

The online offer ends on December 31st, but we’ll continue our support of OLPC throughout 2008 with a matching program for anyone who wants to make a direct donation to OLPC. To take advantage of our offer, please e-mail your confirmation e-mail from OLPC to laptops@itsolutions-inc.com. This offer is good for you, your employees, your friends and family, and anyone you want to tell. Spread the word and have a Happy New Year!

Ted Swanson, President
IT Solutions Consulting

Success Story: Coal Researchers Get Much Improved Online Access to Samples Data

Background
Penn State's Energy Institute is a leading research and development organization focused on energy science and engineering. Located within the university's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS), the Energy Institute was first established as The Combustion Laboratory in 1949, and today is committed to the development of clean energy technologies that will assist the nation in meeting its growing energy demands. Since 1950, the Energy Institute's Coal and Organic Petrology Labs has maintained coal samples from states across the country, with the current samples numbering over 1,400 from 26 states. Along with the samples are hundreds of data points on each to provide coal researchers and students with vital details on this natural resource and to assist in the selection of coals for their research.

The Challenge
Prior to contracting with IT Solutions, the Coal and Organic Petrology Labs maintained a Microsoft Access database with a Web site interface for searching. But the system was very slow and didn’t allow for searching on multiple sample values. The software had become out-of-date and no one at the Institute was familiar enough with the platform to make modifications that might improve performance. Following a 3-day training session with the Energy Institute staff on the latest version of database software FileMaker, authorized trainer and custom development consultant ITS was contracted to build a replacement solution. The solution needed to be easy for director of the Coal and Petrology Labs Gary Mitchell to maintain and update, as well as provide a stable, faster back-end to a publicly accessible Web site. The sample database included more than 400 measures for each sample, which provided an extra dimension of difficulty.

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