Enterprise Mobility
April 10, 2013
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has finally been solved by Aruba. If BYOD has been a hassle to implement at your organization, check out this link to Aruba Networks. . Network+Device+Apps just got a lot easier. And then call MOSS or email networksolutions@mosstele.com for more information.
http://www.arubanetworks.com/products/clearpass/personal-byod-portal/
Posted in News
30 Years of Service
March 20, 2013
Paul Hinkley and Jeff Schaefer were honored last week for their 30 years of service. Well, actually Jeff was at 32 1/3. Paul and Jeff are both part of our Cabling Services Team which was our original service before we added Audio Video and Network Services in the late 90s. Congratulations to both.
Posted in News
2013 MOSS Madness
March 20, 2013Our annual March Madness Charity Pool is complete. Results are posted at www.mossncaa.com. $1000.00 was raised for the Access Hunger Walk on May 5 in Grand Rapids, supporting Access of West Michigan. Lynelle Farber was our winner this year out of 391 entries. Congratulations to Lynelle.
Posted in News
Employee of The Year 2012
January 28, 2013
Once again we are rewarding good behavior here at MOSS with praise and milk bones. The Employee of the Year Award recognizes one MOSS employee who was most essential to MOSS’ success during the previous year. The three 2012 finalists for this prestigious award were: Network Team Operations Leader, John Banach; network technician Bob Kelley (for the fifth time), and Cabling Services Project Manager, Jason Williams. Bob Kelley survived another close vote to claim a long sought victory and become our 2012 Employee of the year. He was promoted to Project Engineer and not only installed some large systems, he managed the projects himself.
- Like First National Bank of America’s unified communications system consisting of 400 phones over 4 sites, including one in Texas.
- Like the Christian Reform Church of North America’s system unifying 360 phones at sites in Grand Rapids, Illinois, and Ontario, Canada.
- Like the 270 phones at 15 sites for District 10 Health.
- And, of course, the 360 phones at Hastings Mutual.
And he works even when dogs should be sleeping and also communicates very well with our discerning customers. Congratulations Bob. See you again next year.
Posted in News Tagged EOY |
MOSS Celebrates 245 Years
January 5, 2013
- Malachy
Gee whiz, I was so wrapped up in that hot little Pekingese, “Malachy,” winning Westminster that I forgot about our 245-Year Anniversary (that’s Dog Years — the best kind) on November 7, 2012. Happy belated 35th Anniversary to all of the folks here at MOSS! And thanks for the millions of hours spent helping our astute customers win their own Best of Show awards.
Posted in News
Cabling Services Education
December 29, 2012At Moss we doggedly push education to keep up with new technologies. Our Cabling team was very busy with training in 2012. Four technicians renewed their BICSI, Information Technology Systems Technician Certificates with Continuing Education Credits, studying;
- Security Applications
- Network Video Security Systems
- Fiber Optic Termination Technology
- Health Care Telecom Systems
- LAN Standards
- Leviton Copper and Fiber Optic Cabling Systems
- Fluke Testing and Trouble Shooting Enterprise Fiber Optic Systems
- Closed Circuit TV
- Ethernet Technologies.
- OSHA General Industry Safety Training
Another four technicians completed the CommScope Master Installation and Maintenance Course and were recertified.
Russ Davis and Paul Hinkley renewed their RCDD certifications. Russ was first certified in 1990 and Paul in 1997.
Posted in News, Uncategorized
HDMI Testing
October 22, 2012
Our Audio Video team recently invested in a Quantum Data 780 Handheld Tester. So why should you care? Because this nifty battery-powered generator lets them conduct quick, on-site verification testing and troubleshooting for HDMI systems and analog video displays. Now the team can easily test audio, video and HDMI protocols—HDCP, EDID, CEC & infoframes— of any type of HDMI device: sources, repeaters and sinks.
MOSS is one of the few companies in Michigan to employ this costly high-tech device to verify and certify digital systems for its customers. It is a big step up from the naked eye, and ensures that our customers get the best-possible performance from their equipment. It can also quickly pinpoint any areas of signal weakness, minimizing both downtime and troubleshooting costs.
As a dog, I don’t know a whole lot about geeky gizmos like this. But I can tell you that I enjoy Animal Planet a lot more when the squirrels aren’t so blurry they look like chipmunks.
Posted in News
Inc. 500/5000
August 24, 2012Inc. Magazine Unveils Annual List of Fastest Growing Private Companies
Inc. magazine recently ranked MOSS Telecom on its annual Inc. 500|5000 list, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, with a three year growth rate of 44%. The list represents a comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent entrepreneurs.
MOSS was the top telecommunications equipment and service company listed in Michigan and was also a Top Alumni Company, returning to the list after being listed in 1986 at #347. (We are likely also in the top 10 nationally in growth companies named after a dog.)
“Many thanks to our loyal customers who have also weathered this recent recession and have stuck with MOSS.”
“In a stagnant economic environment, median growth rate of 2012 Inc. 500|5000 companies remains an impressive 97 percent. The companies on this year’s list report having created over 400,000 jobs in the past three years, and aggregate revenue among the honorees reached $299 billion.” Inc. Magazine
Posted in News
Dancing With The Stars
April 26, 2012All of us are really excited about being able to sponsor the Van Andel Research Institute’s Dancing with the Stars gala on April 27th at the Amway Hotel. We are especially geeked, because Michelle McKormick — local radio diva, MOSS spouse and our former
receptionist (yes, MOSS launched her career) — is one of the competitors. Go Michelle! You’re dancing for a VARI good cause.
Check it out: http://www.vai.org/News/Events/2012/04_27_Dancing-for-a-VARI-Good-Cause.aspx
Posted in News
MOSS NCAA Pool
April 8, 2012
2012 NCAA, 22st ANNUAL MEN’S NCAA BASKETBALL CHARITY CHALLENGE
March Madness 2012 was just completed and we had a record 336 entries in our annual charity pool.
Our winners this year hailed from four different states and we raised $672 for Access of West Michigan in support of their Hunger Walk on May 5.
http://accessofwestmichigan.org/
Posted in News
Employee of the Year 2011
December 19, 2011
Once again we are rewarding good behavior here at MOSS with praise and positive reinforcement. I have racked up many Milk Bones over the years myself. The Employee of the Year Award recognizes one MOSS employee who was most essential to MOSS’ success during the previous year. The three 2011 finalists for this prestigious award were: A/V installation director, Steve Kryzwonos, network technician Bob Kelley (again), and A/V salesman, John Riley.
Very close voting this year pointed to John Riley as our 2011 Employee of the year.
John didn’t just rack up personal best sales numbers; he also stayed late to help others get their proposals out. He’d strap on his tools and do whatever he could to help others get the work done. Whether assembling carts in the warehouse, rolling out product in Fruitport or volunteering for weekend work in Montague, John put in extra hours to the benefit of all.
Just like a Terrier, he’s one of the nice guys and has that inexhaustible supply of positive energy that penetrates negative force shields in his way to success. Congratulations, John.
Posted in News Tagged EOY |
ArtPrize 2011
December 14, 2011
While sniffing around ArtPrize this year, we came across a piece at Westminster Church called “View From Above: Midwest”. It is a ceramic mosaic submitted by Dani Jeffries of Albuquerque, NM and it won the curators award at Westminster. The image is the artist’s interpretation of the colors of the sunrise and sunset in the Midwest viewed high above from an airplane. All tiles are hand made by the artist. Since the mosaic weighs a couple of hundred pounds, Dani has loaned it to MOSS until it sells rather than taking it back to New Mexico with her. http://www.danijeffries.com/index2.html
It now Joins Mary Reusch’s painting from ArtPrize 2009, which we are also displaying. Check them both out on your next visit.
Posted in News Tagged artprize |
E9-1-1 Implementation Law Update
October 20, 2011Being a pretty fun-loving fellow, I hesitate to relate serious news. Last summer, the Michigan Public Service Commission starting evaluating new mandates for equipment and software to provide specific location information for E-911 calls for multi-line telephone systems (MLTS). The deadline proposed for compliance was Dec. 31, 2011.
Public hearings were held, most recently in September, 2011. My friends who were present – specifically Butch, a Boston terrier — report that the commission got plenty of feedback and modified the plan. So, on Sept. 15, the house voted on a new bill (HB 4683) that extends the deadline through 2016 for all multi-line phone systems, regardless of the technology. The bill has just been passed by the state senate and is awaiting the governor’s signature. I will keep sniffing around for more information as it develops. If you don’t trust the word of a dog, you can follow the legislation at;
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(34sasgquf34rtpeybl2fhv55))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=2011-HB-4683
Be assured, that MOSS will be ready for whatever happens on this and has the technology available for compliance.
Posted in News Tagged E-9-1-1, e-911, E911, HB 4683 |
MOSS Throws a DART
August 31, 2011The City of Big Rapids has selected ShoreTel and MOSS to provide a new voice communications solution for their DART (Dial-A-Ride-Transit) service. Dial-A-Ride is a shared ride, demand response, public transportation service. The shared ride system has patrons call for a ride and then share the ride to their destinations with others who can be grouped with them . Communication is critical.
The new system will provide increased call handling capabilities to support more timely scheduling response using the advanced call handling features of the ShoreTel solution. MOSS voice professionals will ensure proper deployment, training, and service.
Posted in News Tagged DART, ShoreTel |
ShoreTel (Bow) Wows ‘Em
August 8, 2011Ron Spencer, our Mobility Team leader, recently spent a few of the dog days of summer in Chicago attending the Partners Conference, “Mobilize for Growth”. He came back geeked (if you know Ron, you’ll understand) about new opportunities for MOSS to extend enterprise PBX and Unified Communications to the mobile edge in any system — even Cisco and Avaya.
After four straight quarters of impressive growth in the U.S.A and 48 other countries, and
the addition of new, experienced VARs like MOSS, ShoreTel has set its sights on aggressively growing market share. “We’re building momentum; we can sustain that and improve it, and with mobility, we can exceed even our wildest dreams,” said CEO
Peter Blackmore, “it’s a really exciting time.”
Read this to learn more about how ShoreTel is changing the conversation: http://www.shoretel.com/solutions/enterprise_mobility, or ask Ron how MOSS and ShoreTel can make your organization do more with mobility.
Posted in News Tagged mobility, ShoreTel, Unified Communication |
Monster 152 Inch Plasma
July 20, 2011
Panasonic has just released the world’s largest plasma monitor, the TH-152UX1, 152 inches. It is a little under 12 feet by 7 feet, perfect for that large doghouse. Panel life is 100,000 hours which means you can watch Rin Tin Tin and Lassie reruns 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for over 10 years. We are presently offering a special introductory price of only $500,000.00, and it includes a free remote control. If you are looking for something to impress the neighbors, this could get them over for the World Series. It runs on 220 volts to minimize your electric bill. Very green.
Be the first in Michigan to have one installed by our crew of four humans and two “watch” dogs.
Posted in News Tagged panasonic, plasma, th-152UX1 |
Infocomm 2011
June 20, 2011Doug Prins and John Riley, two of MOSS’ AV specialists, took a little time away from the office (and away from playing fetch with me, I might add) to go to Infocomm in sunny Orlando, Florida. The largest Audio Video industry show in the country, Infocomm recorded a record number of vendors and human attendees this year, although they seriously lacked in the canine department. John and Doug had the chance to see some exciting new products, most notably Panasonic’s new 152” plasma monitor and a number of impressive, energy saving projectors. They also noted many industry top dogs moving away from VGA video and toward full digital, and were generally relieved to see that demand appears to be increasing in the AV industry.
Posted in News Tagged digital video, Infocomm |
MOSS has a new website!
April 20, 2011Many, many months ago, we set out to build a new MOSS website (ok, it’s a big job). Today, we’re proud to launch a much-improved site that features more detailed descriptions of all our services, a few case histories, and photos of some of our finest work. We’ll also be regularly updating the site with product promotions, updates on our current projects, and relevant news stories.
Our web development team of VisualHero Design, Matt Mitchell photography, writers Polly Hewitt and Harvey Schaefer worked closely with our own people to, hopefully, capture the uniqueness and personality of MOSS. I, MOSS Dog, supervised the whole project and will serve as the moderator of this news section, but you already know about me…
Posted in News
Another Successful Year
April 1, 2011Moss just completed its 2010-2011 fiscal year and will begin a new year today, as we do each year, on April fool’s day. We are very fortunate to have had successful years during the recent “recession” and set two new sales records in 2009 and 2010. This enables us to invest in the people and the latest equipment and training to help us stay on top of very fast moving technology.
We certainly thank all of our good customers who have remained confident in us and helped us continue to grow successfully. And thanks for all of the fine referrals to new clients. We are excited about our prospects for the coming year after adding some “best in class” new products to the dog house.
Posted in News
MOSS Dog, the Blogger
March 18, 2011Considering the company was named after me, I figured I would handle updating MOSS’ news section. Plus, the MOSS team is often too busy making technology work for our clients. In my prime, I could be found tagging along to our first jobs, fetching tools, climbing ladders and answering phones. Now I’m a blogger, responsible for keeping you up to date with our ever- changing technologies and celebrating our successes – and our customers’ results.
Posted in News, Welcome
Employee of the Year 2010
January 15, 2011At MOSS, we believe in rewarding good behavior. While I just get Milk Bones, the winner of our Employee of the Year Award is rewarded handsomely. Announced each year at our annual Holiday Party, the Employee of the Year Award recognizes one MOSS employee who was essential to MOSS’ success in the previous year. This year, we had three nominees for this prestigious award: Crew Leader Rich Jensen, technician Bob Kelley and salesman Russ Davis.
After a heated voting period, numerous recounts and rumors of under-the-table dealings, the award went to Russ Davis, a longtime MOSS veteran. Russ was rewarded for his prolific sales numbers, his exceptional client relations and his ability to design a product to fit each customer’s unique needs. In his acceptance speech, Russ acknowledged that he’s merely one piece in the larger MOSS machine, but that he’d gladly accept the award regardless.
Thanks to all who made 2010 a great year for MOSS!
Posted in News
MOSS joins the U.S. Green Building Council
October 26, 2007In September of 2007, MOSS became a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. The USGBC is a non-profit organization comprised of business, individuals and advocacy groups who encourage sustainable building practices. They are most known for their LEED program, an internationally recognized sustainable building qualification system. As the only telecom company in Michigan involved with the USGBC, MOSS has demonstrated a commitment to incorporating sustainable practices and technologies into all of our projects. It is our belief that our products and services should not only better our clients, but our planet (and dogs!) as well.
Posted in News Tagged Leed, USGBC |
