Sponsor and Exhibit Opportunities are Now Available for GMIS 2012 Conference

For those of you interested in being a sponsor or vendor for the GMIS 2012 Conference in Chicago, Illinois this upcoming August, applications are now available.

For information regarding GMIS' Vendor Sponsor Program, click here.
For more information on the conference, visit GMIS.org.

CDR-Data Corporation to Continue Handling Call Accounting for Yolo County

Yolo County, one of the major agricultural regions in the country, has been a partner with CDR-Data Corporation for over 15 years. Their partnership has helped manage the telecommunications and Call Accounting of Yolo’s various departments.

With more than 200,000 residents to serve and nearly two dozen different departments, Yolo County’s daily phone calls often accumulate rapidly. With CDR-Data’s assistance, Yolo County can simplify the phone records and billing for these calls allowing them to focus on serving the growing Yolo community.  

As one of the oldest counties in the state of California, Yolo County has gained the experience necessary to effectively manage their municipal duties and has entrusted CDR-Data to help them keep their Call Accounting accurate while maintaining their budgets.

About CDR-Data Corporation

CDR-Data Corporation, based in Pasadena CA, <http://www.cdrdata.com/> consists of a group of professionals with decades of experience in the telemanagement, call accounting and IT industry. By using an ASP environment, this team has consistently delivered proven products and services that provide answers to management's questions of telecommunications usage and billing. CDR-Data has gained its market share by consistently delivering high quality and flexible solutions to each and every CDR-Data client.

About Yolo County

Yolo County, http://www.yolocounty.org/, was one of the original counties created when California became a state in 1850. Yolo County consists of 653,549 acres and is located in the rich agricultural regions of California’s Central Valley and the Sacramento River Delta. The first recorded contact with Westerners occurred in the late 1830s, which included Spanish missionaries as well as trappers and hunters who could be found along the banks of Cache Creek. The first settlers received a land grant from the Mexican government in 1842 and began planting wheat and other crops. Today, Yolo County is one of the major agricultural leaders in the country.  

For More information:

CDR-Data Corporation                               Michelle Chin            626-791-7900

Yolo County                                                  Tom Bates                  530-406-5012

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The 10^th Annual MISAC Conference in Monterey, CA was both educational and relaxing. As CDR-Data consistently learns more about the public vector, we increasingly appreciate the efforts of our municipal partners. We’d like to thank everyone that was a part of the conference and we’re looking forward to see you all again in San Diego at next year’s conference.

New white paper : Government Community Cloud

Originally posted on http://cloudbestpractices.net/ by Neil McEvoy ⋅ August 31, 2011

Following recent posts about the Canadian Federal Government’s recent Shared Services initiative (this one and this one) we’re going to be publishing a full white paper on the topic, called ‘Government Community Cloud’.
This will explain the central role that Cloud Computing, specifically the NIST model called a Community Cloud, can play in achieving the goals set out by this program.
Quite simply it’s an ideal tool for doing so because fundamentally it’s a method of achieving shared services, it’s literally a technology model for many organizations to consolidate and share IT infrastructure.

Here is a first draft work-in-progress: Government Community Cloud (7-page PDF) that begins to explain the roles our various Cloud vendor partners will plan in this scenario, such as Cohesive and how they would be critical to Cloud security through implementing the Kantara best practices.
As this progresses we’ll be adding other partners input, in particular in key areas of open standards for interoperability and best practices for information security:

• Cloud Security Alliance best practices: Isolating VMs in a multi-tenant environment, and utilizing encryption to secure data in transit and at rest
• Open Data: How migrating to Cloud services can improve agencies use of Open Data
• Open Cloud Ecosystem: Utilizing open standards for Intercloud Portability – Switching workloads between multiple Cloud providers, like CDMI, OCCI and OVF

For the original article posted on cloudbestpractices.net visit, http://cloudbestpractices.net/2011/08/31/new-white-paper-government-community-cloud/

Thanks for Joining Us!

Thanks for making last Thursday's LMN LA event at The Gamble House a success!

We had a great time at last Thursday's social and want to thank everyone that was involved.

Congratulations to David McKinney for winning both a Starbucks gift card and the CORT prize bag with a Cheesecake Factory gift card. Congrats to Chris Davis for taking home a Macy's gift card and to Jenny Ahn and Rebecca Hodgers who both took home Starbucks gift cards.

Pictures from the event can be viewed on CDR-Data's Facebook page.

Once again, we'd like to thank all of our sponsors for helping us put on this event.

Thanks to CORT Furniture, DaVinci Virtual Office Solutions and CDR-Data for helping with the expenses and providing the great prizes. 

 

 

Thanks again and we look forward to seeing everyone again in the fall!

Public Sector IT Leaders Become Certified Government CIOs

 
Originally posted on gmis.org by Debbie Peterson

Twelve GMIS International members graduate from UNC program.

Santa Fe, New Mexico – June 16, 2011 – GMIS International is pleased to announce the graduation of 12 members from the Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO™) Program at the School of Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Paul G. Boutot, Director of Information Technology, Town of Newington, CT
Clifford J. Branch, Chief Information Officer, City of Suffolk, VA
Naveen Kumar Macherla, Network Coordinator, City of Middletown, CT
John A. Matelski, CIO, Gwinnett County, GA
Donna McClellan, Director of Information Technology, Town of Westwood, MA
Jeffrey Charles Motz, GIS Manager, City of Tuscaloosa, AL
Greg Putnam, IT Director, Monmouth County, NJ
Scott E. Roberts, Director of Information Technology, Town of South Windsor, CT
Kevin Charles Stokes, Chief Information Officer, Town of Brookline, MA
Douglas D. Townsend, Director Technology Services, City of Medford, OR
John Zawadzki, Assistant Director IT, Monmouth County NJ
Mark Hald, IT Director, Acton, MA
The 12 month, comprehensive educational program, with both face-to-face and online instructional components, is designed to enhance knowledge in critical areas of public sector IT leadership and management. More information about the CGCIO™ program can be found at: http://www.sog.unc.edu/courses/0813/.
Newly elected GMIS International President Rick Bareuther remarked, "The CGCIO™ Program is an excellent program which provides exceptional value for GMIS members. With the graduation of this class, the fourth class sponsored by GMIS International, the ranks of Certified Government CIOs continue to expand. The CGCIO™ Program continues to raise the bar and set the gold standard for development of outstanding leaders in the public sector. The caliber of Information Technology training is second to none and graduates from this program will lead their public sector organizations with honor and distinction!”
With over 400 member organizations across the U.S. and international sister organizations in six countries, GMIS International is the largest professional organization for public sector IT leaders in the U.S. To learn more about GMIS, visit http://www.gmis.org/. For additional information, please contact GMIS International Headquarters at (877) 963-4647 or via email at: headquarters@gmis.org.

City of Asheville Recognized in Government Technology

The City of Asheville, NC, the GMIS 2011 winner for “Best Practices,” has been recognized in the online version of Government Technology for their affordable and efficient wireless network. Read the full article at govtech.com

Thanks for a great conference to everyone involved with GMIS!

Sunny Santa Fe was beautiful at this year's GMIS and the conference was a great success. We had a great time meeting with IT professionals from all over the country and learned a lot about the industry.

Congratulations to Paul Nelson from the City of Clovis, NM and to Elaine Isler from the City of Mobile, AL for winning CDR-Data's raffle. Both took home Starbucks gift cards for $100.

We look forward to seeing you all again in August 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.

Click here to view pictures of the event on CDR-Data's Facebook page.

Thanks for a Great Social!

Thanks for Joining Us!

The recent LMN LA June Social was filled with lots of networking, great discussion and informative guest speakers.

A big thanks to CDR-Data for sponsoring the event and to Regent Business Centers for hosting at their Downtown LA location.

Thanks to Ray Lindenberg for coming all the way from New York to speak at our meeting and for sharing tips on expanding LMN LA and our business centers. Thanks to everyone who was involved with the June Social and we look forward to seeing you at the next one!

To view pictures from the event, click here to view CDR-Data's Facebook page. Don't forget to like us while you're there!

Join CDR-Data at OBCAI LMN LA's June Social!

You're invited to LMN LA's June Social! - Click here to RSVP http://new.evite.com/services/links/BWSYLKBFAA

Enjoy a video recap of last Saturday's Hike for the Homeless!

Enjoy a video recap of last Saturday's Hike for the Homeless for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's Cardinal Manning Center (shelter) in Skid Row.  You can view the video at the Society's youtube link at http://www.youtube.com/user/svdpla?feature=mhum

Is a Telecommunications Bill Audit Right For You?

The telecommunications of a company can often be a confusing task for those running a business. Many managers are unaware if they are saving the most money possible and using all the services provided to help them achieve maximum efficiency. For many companies, a simple telecommunications bill audit can verify if you are getting the most out of your telecommunications services. Read below to view answers to common audit questions and to see if a telecommunications bill audit is right for you. Digby 4 Group, Inc.’s Jane Laino breaks down the audit process below. 

Does a Telecommunications Bill Audit Make Sense for your Organization?

What is a Telecommunications Bill Audit?

A telecommunications bill audit is a service designed to validate the accuracy of your monthly telecommunications billing and arrange for refunds if overbilling is found.  The focus of an audit is typically your land-based voice and data services (as opposed to wireless-mobile services where refund opportunities are usually limited by the contracts.)

Overbilling falls into two general categories: either you are being billed for services you do not have or you are not being billed the correct charges. 

Validation of charges compares the billed rates against your contracts with your telecommunications service providers.  For services that are not under contract, the audit checks the published rates available from the service provider.

Some audits also look for potential savings for issues such as finding services you have in place, but do not use or identifying services that will cost less if you place them under a contract. 

When you sign up for an audit, it is important to understand whether it is a ‘refund only’ audit or includes ongoing savings as well. 

This is important because the auditor’s fee is based upon a percentage of the refund and/or savings – called a contingency fee (the fee is contingent upon the amount of the refund or savings.)  If there is no refund or savings, there is no charge for the service.

What makes your organizations a good candidate for an audit?

The most experienced telecommunications bill auditors know where the best opportunities lie and it is in their best interest to pursue them. Otherwise they can spend a lot of time and effort for little return.  Here is our experience in terms of what makes an organization a good audit candidate (meaning that it is worthwhile for you to pursue it as well.):

Ø      Spends at least $25,000. monthly on voice and data services. The greater the spend, the greater the chance of billing errors.

Ø      Has not had an audit for at least 3 years.   Refunds covering a longer historical time period are worth more.

Ø      Does not have a team of people on payroll whose job it is to find billing errors.   In-house teams generally do not welcome outside auditors and can make an audit difficult to conduct.

Ø      Has had contracts in place with telecommunications service providers for at least the past two years.  If auditing bills under a brand new contract and a billing error is found, it will only result in a credit of a few months.

Ø      Does not have contracts in place whose terms and conditions limit the amount of potential refunds for overbilling to several months – many contracts do.

Ø      Buys telecommunications services from the “traditional” providers such as Verizon, AT&T and Qwest vs. resellers or other types of telecommunications service providers who may be less regulated and not as likely to issue refunds.

Ø      Does business in a state where the public utilities commission requires billing error refunds to include high interest payments. (New York State requires Verizon to add 18% interest to refunds.  For other states 3% to 5% is more typical).

What does the audit process entail?

Once underway, the audit process will not take up a lot of your time.  Most auditors request the following to get the process underway:

ü      A list of your telecommunications services providers and billing account numbers with each.

ü      Access to current bills, preferably at the service provider website.  If you do not have this it may take a few weeks or longer to set up, so if you are considering an audit, it is a good idea to establish the ability to view bills and records online in advance.

ü      A complete copy of the contract you have with each service provider and any attachments, schedules and amendments that relate to the contract.

ü      A copy of your in-house records listing circuit numbers and business purpose (if you have this – many organizations do not.)

ü      A Letter of Authorization on your company letterhead stating that the auditor can speak to your service provider to request information about your billing and contracts.  Some service providers require additional documents such as non-disclosure forms to be signed by you before they will release information to the auditors.

Once the auditors have this information, they begin their discovery process.  Experienced auditors will know where to look for the most likely errors.  If you are looking for the maximum return, it is important to let the auditor use their judgment on which bills to prioritize.

It is a good idea for you to let your service provider representatives know that an audit is underway and you may want to introduce the auditors to your account executives on a conference call or in person.  Most account executives are familiar with the audit process. 

As the audit proceeds you should get regular status reports identifying and briefly explaining either claims that have been submitted on your behalf for overbilling or in some cases, items that are being questioned that may result in an overbilling claim.

Most service providers have their own teams whose job it is to handle billing error claims and to minimize the refunds paid out.  Discovering the errors is part of the auditor’s role, but knowing how to recover the maximum refunds depends on experience, knowledge and often diplomacy and negotiation skills.

A large refund from a service provider can take months to recover.  A refund may come as a check or a credit on your monthly invoice. 

What kind of results can you expect?

Audit results depend upon many variables as we’ve mentioned above.  If you have not had an audit in several years and meet some of the criteria for a “good audit candidate” you may receive refunds equal to 10% to 20% of your annual expense and reduction in ongoing expenses by the same percentage. 

If your auditing firm offers other services to help manage your communications expenses, the audit is often a good, low-risk starting point to test the company and see how the relationship works. 

By Jane Laino, DIgby 4 Group, Inc., 212-883-1191, jane.laino@digby4.com

“We help our clients manage communications technology.”

DIgby 4’s services include Telecommunications Bill Auditing by a seasoned team of auditors, each with over 30 years of experience.

© Copyright Jane Laino, 2011

The City of Palm Springs adds Airport Location to Account with CDR-Data

CDR-Data Corporation, a leader in ASP call accounting solutions, and the City of Palm Springs, one of the most visited cities in the United States, have extended their call accounting agreement by including Palm Springs’ airport location. Their partnership, renewed for the fifth consecutive year, entails that the City of Palm Springs be provided with CDR-Data’s call accounting software and access to CDR-Data’s technical support team.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with the City of Palm Springs,” said Kevin Young, President and CEO of CDR-Data Corporation. “We’ve had a great relationship with the City of Palm Springs for years and we’re thrilled to add their airport location to our account. As we continue to serve new and returning clients from our growing list of local, state and federal agencies, we can continue to hone our product offering to ensure that we always provide our clients with the service and information they require.

About the City of Palm Springs

Rich in history and blessed with gorgeous weather, Palm Springs, http://www.ci.palm-springs.ca.us/  is a preferred destination of travelers from all over the world. Nestled at the base of the Mount San Jacinto Mountains, Palm Springs is known for its crystal blue skies, year-round sunshine, stunning landscape, palm tree lined streets and starry nights.

Entertainment for all ages, Palm Springs offers a wealth of indoor and outdoor activities. Soar to the top of Mount San Jacinto on the world famous Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, shop the many mid-century boutiques and art galleries located uptown and downtown, hike scenic trails in our majestic mountains, tour celebrity and mid-century modern homes, attend theatre performances, stroll through art and cultural museums, or simply relax by the sparkling pool.

About CDR-Data Corporation

CDR-Data Corporation, based in Pasadena CA, <http://www.cdrdata.com/> consists of a group of professionals with decades of experience in the Telemanagement, Call Accounting and IT industry. By using an ASP environment, this team has consistently delivered proven products and services that provide answers to management's questions of telecommunications usage and billing. CDR-Data has gained its market share by consistently delivering high quality and flexible solutions to each and every CDR-Data client.

For More information:

CDR-DATA Corporation                Kevin Young             626-791-7900

Palm Springs                                     Randy Cobb              760-322-8396

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2011 Holiday Schedule

Hope everyone is enjoying the new year. For the convenience of our clients, our 2011 holiday schedule is posted below.

Holiday                                                           Date Office is Closed

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day                             January 17, 2011

Presidents Day                                                February 21, 2011

Good Friday                                                   April 22, 2011

Memorial Day                                                 May 30, 2011

Independence Day                                          July 4, 2011

Labor Day                                                      September 5, 2011

Thanksgiving                                                   November 24 and 25, 2011

Christmas                                                        December 26, 2011

New Year’s                                                    January 2, 2011