Hug a SysAdmin on July 29th

Being a Systems Administrator can be thankless work. They’re the ones who keep your data flowing, networks pinging and computers booting round the clock, and the cruel hallmark of a great Sysadmin is this:

If they’re doing a good job, you don’t even know they’re doing it.

So we have SysAdmin Appreciation Day – an attempt to recognize the unsung heros of Information Technology. And while a single day of recognition and appreciation doesn’t really undo the countless hours of frustration that can come along with the job, it sure doesn’t hurt either.

This year ThinkGeek has partnered with The Marysue and Geekosystem to sweeten the deal with a SysAdmin Pageant! Nominate your favorite SysAdmin and they could be crowned SysKing or SysQueen of 2011. Winners take home a whole array of prizes, including a 16GB iPad, a fancy red swingline stapler, and an RTFM mug.

If you’d just like to show your Sysadmin love the old fashioned way, I suggest the showering your I.T. department with the following on Friday:

• Delicious food
• High fives / Mad Props
• Cold hard cash
• Bottles of fermented grain
• Cake and other tasty treats

What do you have planned for your SysAdmins for this Friday?

ServerBeach Bowls for Kid’s Sake

Last month a team of Beachers traded in their geeky glasses for some super stylin’ shoes and headed down to the bowling alley to take part in the annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake Fundraiser.

The event is the largest annual fundraiser for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Texas, and very close to our own Alyssa Vargas‘ heart, as she was involved as a Big Sister back when she was in High School & College. She coordinated our participation in the event, and was thrilled to see that we were able to fill not one, not two but three teams to represent the SeverBeach family.

“Participating in the Bowl for Kids Sake fundraiser was a great experience” said Business Analyst Matt Valdes. “It’s always rewarding to help raise money for a good cause, especially one that helps children. To be able to play a game while doing it makes it a win-win situation!”

Congratulations go out to our Assistant Data Center Manager Brad Pearson for bowling  the game of his life, knocking down a 7-10 split. Apparently our team was defeated during the hula hoop contest, but I hear guarantees of redemption being promised for next year.

I’ve also been told there’s video of IT Support Guru Jim Park and our very own Big Kahuna Dax Moreno dancing the YMCA circulating on Facebook, but this has yet to be confirmed by the author.

Special thanks goes out to all of our friends and families who supported our efforts. In total we were able to raise almost $2000, all of which will go toward making a positive, long-lasting impact on children in our community.

When Children Play, The World Wins. Kick-It! with Windows

We are proud to be a part of the Microsoft Kick-It! with Windows Server campaign. The goal of this project is to improve the lives of children in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world by using the power of sport and play for development, health and peace.

For a limited time, when you purchase Windows Server 2008 R2, get our Kick-It special offer and give boys and girls in developing countries the Right To Play football. When you buy now, Microsoft will to donate to Right To Play and together we are helping create a healthier and safer world through the power of sport and play.

Full details.

We ask that you help spread the word; FaceBook it, Tweet it, share it any way you can and help give boys and girls in developing countries the right to play.

ServerBeach Shows Support for Local Entrepreneurs

ServerBeach, a PEER 1 Hosting company supports AIOHO Scholarship Award Winners

Last Friday, San Antonio teens and community joined NAWBO-SA (National Association of Women Business Owners) and AIOHO (An Income of Her Own) to celebrate San Antonio teens who have participated in this year’s An Income of Her Own program. This year, six young, deserving women received a total of $20,500 in scholarships.

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend this luncheon and listen to local women business owners speak on education and why they encourage the young women of today to, “reach for the stars and shine”. Susan Todd, the 2010 ESA Rising Star winner and founder of Bolingo Bags was the keynote speaker.

An Income of Her Own® (AIOHO®) is a collaborative effort between the NAWBO membership, school representatives and administrators, community leaders, university and corporate sponsors to reach teen women in under served high schools in San Antonio. AIOHO® encourages young women to explore entrepreneurship by exposing them to successful women business owners who model that the dream is possible.

The nine-month AIOHO® program includes:

• two Entrepreneurial Business Connections which provide:
  • opportunities for teens to network with other teens and with women business owners
  • interactive presentations on business etiquette and entrepreneurship
• two mentoring sessions at each high school in the program
• How to write a Business Plan training session
• a Business Plan competition for college scholarships
• an experiential, one-day conference that focuses on developing strategies, business plans, and resources for young women to start their own businesses

Participants in the program have an opportunity to win a scholarship toward college tuition.

We are very proud of these local young women and wish them a bright and successful future!

View photos of this event here.

Register For Our GeekyBeach Party at SXSW10

Will you be attending SXSW 2010 in Austin, Texas? If so, we’re inviting you to our GeekyBeach Party. Our Beach Party is by geeks for geeks, but don’t let that geekiness fool you. We know how to have a good time! Just take a look at some of our photos from our last SXSW party. Join us and many other geeks at the epicenter of Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district, Aces Lounge for outrageous fun, free drinks, free swag, and so much more!

Monday, March 15, 2010 at 9:00 PM CST

Free Admission (Limited Space): REGISTER NOW

The Mexican Fortune Cookie Visits ServerBeach

Isidro Martinez, Founder/Creator of Mexican Fortune Cookie and Charnell Pugsley, PEER 1 Community Evangelist

Yesterday I was invited to become a fan of Mexican Fortune Cookie on FaceBook. Not being familiar with this “cookie”, I headed over to the fan page to check it out. After reading about this company I noticed a note that said to contact them for a sample of this product. I don’t know about you but just the name, “Mexican Fortune Cookie” struck my curiosity and I sent a request for the sample on their Contact Us page from the website. In less than 20 minutes after submitting this request I received a phone call from Isidro Martinez, the founder and creator of this local San Antonio, Texas company. He offered to deliver not just a sample, but an entire case of cookies to our ServerBeach office!

Within the next hour we were giving Mr. Martinez a tour of our office and data center, sharing stories of our businesses, and discussing the meaning of “customer service”. It’s one thing to know what customer service is, but it’s another to practice it faithfully and it was very clear to us that Isidro Martinez and The Mexican Fortune Cookie “gets IT”.

What is a Mexican Fortune Cookie?

The Mexican Fortune Cookie is a cinnamon flavored, crunchy, bite-size taco-shaped cookie. Each cookie contains a bilingual paper message with English sayings on one side, the translation in Spanish on the opposite side.

If you’ve never experienced a Mexican Fortune Cookie, we encourage you to head on over to http://www.originalmexicanfortunecookie.com and try some today. You won’t be disappointed.

PEER 1 In The Community

PEER 1 Staff participate in United Way Day's of Caring at the GRASP Community Center in San Antonio, Texas

We’ve officially launched our “PEER 1 in the Community” program. Within this program, PEER 1 staff around the Globe are getting out into their communities to help local businesses and charities with anything that they need help with whether it be painting, gardening, cleaning up, or just spending some time with the elderly to help brighten their day.

From October 1 – October 3 we’ve taken part in the United Way Days of Caring program in San Antonio, Texas and 16 staff members from our ServerBeach division went to the GRASP Community Center and volunteered to spend the day helping.

PEER 1 In the Community provides a great opportunity for employees to do our part helping our local businesses and charities.

View pictures of our staff volunteering at the GRASP Community Center here: http://bit.ly/1vrbEB