MM/DD/YY |
All dates are in United States format. |
03/01/12 |
7-Zip now PSL1 |
06/23/08 |
Bravo FlexiLAB: a formal debut
with administrative moniker, of an on-going service offering. |
05/31/08 |
Our primary datacenter, The Planet, in Houston, TX had an explosion & fire,
resulted in major damage and 42-hour outage. Our sites and nameservers
were re-routed to our redundant server in Lenexa, KS in order to sustain
operations. Contingency plans activated. |
05/25/08 |
Product research database refresh: Video surveillance software &
entry-level cameras. Feasibility study & mock sys. |
05/12/08 |
Complete in-house slipstream Vista SP1. Simultaneous release of
VB3-LT2 and VB6-LT2. |
05/10/08 |
Multi-Monitor research. XP and Vista. |
05/05/08 |
Fiber optic trench project tutorial. Shoebox termination housing design
formalized and validated. |
05/04/08 |
Sam's notebook PC #6 added, w/ 17" screen + Num Keypad. #5 which served
for 5+ years will now be used at bench. |
05/02/08 |
Product research database refresh: Mobile CAD Workstation market segment.
nVidia CAD GL-2 products. |
04/29/08 |
Bravo adopts XP SP3 for official in-house & client production deployment.
Slipstream discs created. Simultaneous release of
XPL-LT4C and
related series. This is a major milestone release incorporating latest
Intel ICH8, ICH9 drivers + various giga ethernet NIC drivers.
Corresponding PMS and VPC series to follow. |
03/01/08 |
Acronis Disk Director Server 10.0 now BSSO, supplementing PM8. |
02/28/08 |
In addition to address allocation within a subnet, we now
officially publish and adopt a global subnet allocation scheme.
That is, all client sites are centrally coordinated and registered, in a
systematic, non-overlapping manner, for the purpose of establishing
conflict-free fully/partly-meshed gateway-gateway VPNs. See
memo. |
02/16/08 |
In-house use of Blackberry. PSL1 support added for device UI, sync process
& issues. |
02/14/08 |
Site-to-Site (Gateway-Gateway) VPN
based on Linux + FreeSWAN added to BSSO.
"Road warrior" client also supported. |
02/10/08 |
http://bravotech.us/world
Formerly private portal page now open to public. |
02/01/08 |
Fiber Optics vs Copper vs Wireless doctrine and
database revised, with updated products and cost considerations. |
01/08/08 |
Bravo Mini Almanac expanded: finances, forex, IT industry stocks |
01/05/08 |
Mobile edition of web site launched. http://bravotech.us/mobile |
12/22/07 |
Bravo Studio 3.0
re-launched! |
12/06/07 |
Product research database refresh: ATI FireGL line 3D CAD GL-2. DVI dual
link. |
11/11/07 |
Newly revised TCP/IP subnet strategies and guidelines for IT support
professionals. Requirements for partners and sub-contractors effective
immediately. Schedule briefing/training as needed. |
11/10/07 |
PSL memo expanded w/ 3rd category, listing officially supported services.
No-IP.com added to supplement dyndns.org. |
11/05/07 |
Remember, remember... PMS = Poor Man's Server (at its humble
origin 14 years ago anyway, it now officially stands for "Productivity,
Manageability, Sensibility.") Bravo proudly announce
PMS 5.2, a major
milestone release. Based on the proven XPL-LT3A build of LAMM.
Added Morse Code status for full headless operations support!
Certified Retrospect compatibility. Availability of universally
restorable images, and VPC edition. This release coincides w/ publishing
of our Server Roles and
Classification Analysis. (... and yes, that
was an allusion to Guy Fawkes) |
10/25/07 |
Formalization of Remote O.S. Installation process, after extensive field
tests. |
10/11/07 |
BIRD 5.2 release. Supports all current and past workhorse platforms. Major
improvements include: real mode intelligent ATAPI drivers loading,
partition/MBR management for modern HD, support 11.x GHO format. |
10/05/07 |
DoPDF added as BSSO. Preferred over CuteWriter for those no
requiring font embedding. Smaller footprint, not dependent on
GhostScript. |
09/30/07 |
IMGburn now BSSO, superseding Nero 6.6 OEM. |
09/28/07 |
AIM-LT FAQ published. |
09/27/07 |
Symantec Anti-Virus + Symantec Client Security = Symantec End-point
Protection (SEP v11). Official release today, immediate BSSO status
(following several months of in-house beta). |
09/15/07 |
Ghost Restore Checklist. |
09/14/07 |
SEP 11 beta wrap-up. Official deployment & replacement of SAV
10 scheduled for 9/27/07, date of public release. |
09/11/07 |
Workhorse Platform H6:
DQ35JO validation & certification completed (XP, Vista & 2003).
Currently no LT images. |
09/01/07 |
Workhorse Platform S5: D945GCNL, validation & certification
completed (XP & Vista). LT & MC images correspondingly updated. XP
validation & LT img added for Workhorse Platform H. Bravo EOL for
D101GGC and DDR. |
08/15/07 |
Formalized Office 2007 mixed platforms + migration strategies & techniques. |
08/09/07 |
Official System Deployment Status
Chart. |
08/01/07 |
Custom programming offered for Apache log analysis & monitoring (PERL,
BASH, SED). |
07/28/07 |
Audio turn-by-burn driving
directions added. |
07/22/07 |
Go:
Unified search
replaces our previous site-specific searches. Covers: BTC BON M4
ET Cam BDL BDT |
07/13/07 |
"Remote Workers" reference on Info section. |
07/07/07 |
"Historical" 2nd Open Letter to
Clients (and friends) |
06/30/07 |
Dropbox service programming/installation is now flat-fee service. |
06/06/07 |
Bravo Mini Almanac section established at BON. |
06/01/07 |
International Phonetic Alphabet in Info section. |
05/25/07 |
File Formats & Extensions reference published. |
05/01/07 |
BIRD 5.0
along w/ the corresponding BUD 5.0 released. No longer a
complimentary product for clients & resellers. |
04/29/07 |
Ghost 11.0.1 is now BSSO/PSL0. |
04/25/07 |
Memo: Analysis on IT Expenditures - Personnel |
04/17/07 |
Backup Exec System Recovery (BESR 7.0) released. BSSO. |
04/04/07 |
Revised XP Services chart. Automated standardized SC script 2.0 released. |
04/02/07 |
Workhorse Platform H5 revised:
DG965OT, validation &
certification completed (Vista-only). LT pending. No MC. |
04/01/07 |
TrueCrypt 4.3 in-house testing & validation period concluded. Replaces
4.2a as BSSO. Now fully supporting Vista. |
03/25/07 |
Updated releases of VPC images for 98Lite and XPPVLP. |
03/21/07 |
Vista LT and
Vista MC
configuration defined, validated and published, requiring 2GHz & 1GHz
CPU w/ 512M memory. |
03/01/07 |
PSL memo w/ Vista info from draft to final release, after completion of
testing of 85 products in BSSO category. |
02/27/07 |
Retrospect backup status monitoring memo. |
02/17/07 |
Acronis is now BSSO/PSL0. |
02/15/07 |
Intel Processor Number chart updated. Intel Processor Families reference
updated. AMD processors reference added. |
02/01/07 |
Office 2007 & Vista Firewall are now BSSO/PSL0. |
01/29/07 |
Mach 4 activate "policy-based filter," rejects email from all netblocks
not authorized to operate smtp servers. |
01/28/07 |
Final official testing of 85 BSSO programs for Vista compatibility status
concluded. PSL updated. |
01/10/07 |
Anti-SPAM Center added to Bravo Security Portal. |
01/03/07 |
Vista memo and portal
published. |
12/27/06 |
Email Multi-Generation Forwarding updated. |
12/10/06 |
Symantec recently announced Express program. Band A licensing minimum
dropped to 5 seat (previously 10). |
12/08/06 |
New & improved GO. Streamlined organization. Added
site search
for BTC, ET
& Cam. |
12/04/06 |
Dotnet Framework 1.1 officially downgraded to PSL1. Only Dotnet Framework
2.0 SP1 is PSL0 (BSSO). |
11/17/06 |
Memo: Chart of Bravo Online Universe, with interesting statistics. |
11/15/06 |
IE7 Roll-Out memo. |
11/15/06 |
Infrastructure, skills & policy in-place for video streaming. Official
announcement slated for 2007. |
11/07/06 |
Streaming, Webcast & Video
Conversion. Newly revised costs and Planning memos published. |
11/05/06 |
SPAM Prevention memo (summary document). |
11/01/06 |
Seminar Rates memo
(summary document). |
10/30/06 |
Mach 4 implements server-side SPAM filtering. |
10/24/06 |
Cost Effectiveness
memo. |
10/15/06 |
Suite of Support-Scenario-specific VPC images developed: GHO, PQM, WinInst,
etc. |
10/05/06 |
Summarized & Accelerated Deployment Installer (SADI) announced.
Initial pkgs: Nero66z, KLite137, KPF143, SAV10, and PQM8z. (For licensed
users only) |
10/01/06 |
Results of actual development efforts for project Eerieka refined and
documented as technological offering: Double-Blind Multi-Replication
in Delta-Copy via Ambient Traffic, Live Chronicle & Watchdog Timer
Notifyer. Incorporated into conceptual/strategic section of IT
doctrine. |
09/27/06 |
RMx/BTC-HELP launched. Instant ad-hoc remote support w/ no prior
install/coordination, traverse out-bound NAT. Covered niches:
non-remote-ready sites, roaming travelers, new clients and initial
deployment scenarios. |
09/20/06 |
Email Limits article posted. |
09/09/06 |
Bravo Download (BDL) user-interface & structure revamped. |
09/07/06 |
Mach 4 Network changed domain name to: mach4.bravotech.us |
08/31/06 |
Anti-virus false positive advisory and tutorial published. |
08/25/06 |
Cedant arma togae adopted as another motto. |
08/19/06 |
Open Letter to Vendors: Official Responses/Statements and Over-Lies
(updated) |
08/11/06 |
Nov. 21, 1998 Open Letter to Client published on memos site. |
08/09/06 |
Sam celebrates 25th anniversary. |
07/31/06 |
Project LAMM latest update: 6x refined
& validated VPC images published for internal
use only. Official Trim edition nomenclature revised. Image naming convention
revised. Slipstream + patches process revised, plus new mandates. VPC upgraded from PSL1 to BSSO. |
07/22/06 |
Music purchase/subscription services comparison database revised. |
07/20/06 |
Daemon Tools now BSSO and preferred image mounter. Supports most
major image formats in addition to ISO. Previous MS VCDcontrol.sys is now downgraded to PSL1. |
07/18/06 |
SMTP Server Issues article published. |
07/12/06 |
PM8 techniques refined. |
07/06/06 |
Created ICANN Accredited Registrars database, and Bravo Selected IDN
Sponsors roster. |
06/30/06 |
Historical tale about
How The Term "I.T." Came About. |
06/20/06 |
Knowledge Management
formally added to repertoire. |
06/15/06 |
Bravo Diagnostics page expanded & reorganized. Comprehensive, formal &
standardized suite of test files created. |
06/06/06 |
Bravo Encryption Strategies & Doctrine
draft release, w/ tech brief
available in notes. Main addition to previous materials being OTFE. Ad
hoc encryption remains unchanged. TrueCrypt
now BSSO. BestCrypt PSL1. EFS remains. |
05/27/06 |
Alert sent to tier 1 sites. SecAdv SYM06-010 disclosed 2 days ago.
SAV 10.0 MR2 MP2 PP1 released today. Priority deployment of build
10.0.2.2021 immediately scheduled. See memo. |
05/21/06 |
Exchange Server Operating Modes quickref revised. Narrative intro added,
polished format from previous raw notes. |
05/10/06 |
Memo: International keyboard
&
Unicode support.
3 of our systems are now on International Keyboard mode. I can now
type accented alphabets, and £ ˆ © directly, without resorting to
copy-and-paste, or Alt-Codes. I also looked into various Unicode-related
issues. We're now well-poised to advise clients on such
international issues. |
05/05/06 |
Display Aspect Ratio, Resolution and Dimension chart. |
05/01/06 |
The Real Story Behind T2P published on ET Musing. |
04/23/06 |
Aesthetics added as 4th category of our host naming schemes. |
04/20/06 |
Checklist: Connecting Network Workstations w/ illustrations. |
04/10/06 |
Checklist: Nero Express Basics published. |
04/06/06 |
Billing Analysis published. |
04/05/06 |
Project Eerieka! commenced. |
03/27/06 |
Multi-Generation Email Forward Exposure published. |
03/20/06 |
Modem speed ratios quick reference. |
03/07/06 |
IT Emergency Kit memo. |
03/07/06 |
Clarifications on Web Hosting memo posted. |
03/03/06 |
Home page: 12-second animated announcement: "Celebrating 25 Years of
Visions, Integrity & Perspective." DHTML-based, using VML (Vector
Markup Language) rendered with gradient. Superimposed on the page with
50% transparency. Entire page is fully functional and visible during the
duration. No need for "skip" button. |
03/01/06 |
Checklist section added to Memos. Disable Firewall and
Summon Urgent Support added. |
02/25/06 |
General IT Policies for Client
Sites memo major revision. |
02/24/06 |
Security Incident Response (SIR) Case Study #1 posted. |
02/20/06 |
Official Policies on Software Piracy section in "Our Roles"
expanded and now in separate page. |
02/19/06 |
Bravo Reference: IT Acronyms & Abbreviations. |
02/16/06 |
3x articles published from notes: Intel motherboard Reference,
Intel Process Numbers, CPU References. |
02/16/06 |
Bravo Alphabet Soup memo. |
02/15/06 |
ET: Musings: 3x articles added. Billions. Microorganisms. What
floor is it? |
02/14/06 |
Addendum to "Spoofed Email" memo. |
02/13/06 |
Electricity Costs Analysis revised and published on GO. Now with
explicit LCD savings figures. |
02/12/06 |
"A Brief Company History"
republished in memos, from Bravo Partners
Portal. |
02/11/06 |
Bravo Virtual Conference room updated. New room with "pre-flight"
tests. New "draggable" objects feature. |
02/10/06 |
Tech Depot
for staff and partners now has its own domain. Streamlined
4-level access login. See BPP for details. |
02/09/06 |
Refinement of htaccess and documented policies and techniques. |
02/08/06 |
SmartFTP 2.0 released and adopted. Still PSL0. It's worth
clarifying that Filezilla is PSL2 and could become PSL1 once significant
deficiencies are ratified. It's nowhere near as comprehensive or
refine. It's free and there exists a "portable" edition, so it covers a
niche, supplementing SFTP. |
02/07/06 |
3rd major revision of Limited User Account (LUA) admin strategies,
techniques and Bravo toolkit (scripts). |
02/01/06 |
Microsoft Operating Systems Timeline quick reference published. |
01/31/06 |
"State of IT Services for Small Businesses" article declassified
from BPP and re-published in MEMOS. |
01/30/06 |
Bravo Security Portal 2.0 completely redesigned. |
01/29/06 |
Business Cards and Contact Us page designs make-over
completed. |
01/25/06 |
Computer Forensics process refined: http traffic thru transparent proxy server
(enforced choke point). |
01/20/06 |
GO: "Email Failed!" article ranked #7 on Google and #3 on MSN
Search, only 3 weeks after
being published!
Search words: email failed
This is remarkable because they're generic topical words, not specific
terms/phrases, and there has been absolutely no SEO techniques employed. |
01/19/06 |
Product Support Levels (PSL) memo significantly revised. |
01/18/06 |
Minor clarification on minimum billing, on Rates & Fees Schedule page. |
01/15/06 |
Infotech section of Eyeful Tower now in full swing. Lots of
insightful, relevant and timely info. |
01/11/06 |
Bravo Recommends: Photo Printing Sites published. |
01/10/06 |
DIFA Memo major addendum published. |
01/09/06 |
CutePDF + Ghostscript combo, and GSview solutions updated and
documentation revised. |
01/07/06 |
Partners Overview page revised. More streamlined, structured and
polished. Content slightly updated. |
01/06/06 |
Infotech section added to ET. Citing format established. Intro and
The Making Of completed. |
01/05/06 |
Bravo Unified Message Center completed end-to-end. Involves site
level strategies, Ensim responder customization to prevent looping. All
pieces now in-place for offering hosted form mail.
Operation Incognito III (final
shot) commence. All 21 Bravo-owned sites will be anti-SPAM
initiative compliant. This is an IT doctrine level change. Client-owned
sites will be advised to follow suit. |
01/04/06 |
Bravotech.us/memo launched, modeled after the success of GO system.
Eventually, all previously issued memos that are still currently
relevant will be populated there. |
01/03/06 |
Perl CGI development and deploy TS process refined. WinSCP direct edit. |
01/01/06 |
Eyeful Tower newly re-launched
after 3 years! Vastly improved,
streamlined design and expanded content. This marks the new beginning of
official cooperation between Bravo and ET. Watch for additional
announcement in the coming weeks. |
12/30/05 |
Mechanism equivalent to Front Page "Publish Site" created, tested
documented. Based on PSL1 Syncback. Intelligent recursive delta upload
replaces manual sort by date at multiple folders and manual upload,
answering overwrite prompts. |
12/29/05 |
DNS poisoning incident response documented. Strategies revised. |
12/28/05 |
"Email Failed" article published on GO. A serious checklist and analysis with a light-hearted opening. |
12/26/05 |
New Bravo logo version 3! Previous versions adopted in 1985 and
1995. The latest design features a triangle, a symbolic reminder of our
doctrines and mottos: a series of 3-item sets. ACE, VIP, QSP, SSC,
US-UK-HK. |
12/23/05 |
Refresh content on BTC web site. Hand-code clean up. Better control of
structure. Produced new graphics. |
12/22/05 |
Customize OWA logon page. |
12/20/05 |
Bravo:GO! system (bravotech.us/go) launched. 1-stop launch pad for all frequently needed
sites. "Go code" feature to be added shortly. Many "GO system"
content to be added. |
12/20/05 |
Sender Profile Framework (SPF) for Internet email commercial users.
Research commenced, recommendations drafted. |
12/19/05 |
Refinement of our Exchange Server recovery procedures for sites without Livestate Recovery Server. New solutions for
OST recovery for sites
using Outlook 2003. |
12/15/05 |
Dyndns.exe succeeds DirUpd.exe as official dynamic DNS client.
Also, related: Major deficiencies of router-based DDNS client
documented. |
12/12/05 |
Gateway Router offerings formalized. 4x choices. |
12/08/05 |
"Why Dedicated Server" memo drafted. Covers scenarios for both SBS
and PMS. |
12/07/05 |
OSP PhotoDotNet is PSL2. Serves the role
of MS Paint replacement. |
12/06/05 |
French software PhotoFiltre gained PSL1 status.
Serves the role of "UPI jr." |
12/03/05 |
Formalization of system level reference chart. This is the latest result
of the on-going Lite PC & charitable PC research project. Now
officially known as Project LAMM. |
12/03/05 |
POP3 Connector on EXG03 is now the preferred mode for small SBS
sites not in a position to implement full-fledge smtp. Various techniques and procedures have been acquired and refined
over the past 9 months to address associated issues. As clients increasingly come to rely on OWA and
other IT services, centralized POP is a must. |
12/01/05 |
Formalization of pros & cons list for various Exchange Server operation
modes in very small business environment. |
11/23/05 |
FileZilla now PSL2. Expect to upgrade status to PSL soon, pending
upgrade version to resolve inconsistent UNC support. Eventually will
replace SmartFTP. Has parallel portable edition for Bravo Toolkit. |
11/21/05 |
May common sense always prevail. May it be more common.
The
slogan created for Cameralot.com is now formally adopted by Bravo
Technology Center, and is prominently featured on our web site and new
business cards. On this birthday of mine, I hereby resolve that social
advocacy shall not take a backseat to business activities. This does not
represent any departure of policies. It is simply an embolden official
declaration of a 2-decade long practice! -SCC |
11/20/05 |
Office 2003 SP2 + hotfixes slipstream successful. OLP version
administrative install method validated & documented. |
11/18/05 |
Microsoft Streets 2005 unique administrative install procedures validated &
documented. |
11/10/05 |
Bravo Class C Subnet Allocation standards revised to accommodate
complex scenarios. |
10/24/05 |
Bravo Install/Recovery Disc (B.I.R.D.) 4.1.2 released. Name changed from
previous BUD. Vastly updated utilities, streamlined folders, more
automated batch files. Smaller download size. |
10/21/05 |
Satellite ISP remote access host obstacles resolved! Added as
contingency fee service item. |
10/15/05 |
Template ACLs for PMS4, XP and 2003 published. |
09/25/05 |
LCD projectors. State-of-the-market & -technology study. Client
report published. |
09/20/05 |
SSL VPN interim solution: Barracudadrive. HTTPS file manager. |
09/09/05 |
"Why Managed Patches?" memo draft release. |
08/10/05 |
W2KNN research project completed. Final installed version weighs in at
240M hard disk space. CF version tested. |
08/15/05 |
Bravo
PMS 4.0 (W2K-based) debut.
Previous "rumor" of PMS's demise proves "greatly
exaggerated." The use of NT-based O.S. gives this inexpensive
pragmatic server solution a new long lease on life. |
07/22/05 |
SIW and CPUz now PSL1. Replaced WCPUID. Still
supplemented by Belarc & MSinfo. |
07/20/05 |
"Headless" SBS 2003 Server operations first client deployment.
Supplemental tools developed. |
07/10/05 |
First successful remote production deployment of SBS2003 server. Validated
process checklist. This is a key component of our comprehensive
branch office management doctrine. |
07/08/05 |
Portable Firefox (PFF) now PSL0. |
07/05/05 |
Desktop Search software product evaluation and recommendation
drafted. |
07/01/05 |
Archived
global re-routable Telephony via VoIP
service. Employ QoS end-to-end.
Tested VoIP priority at sustained 480MB/s down and
42KB/s up saturation traffic. Vonage. K7. Efax. Global virtual team
organization-wide voicemail. |
06/25/05 |
UPI 10 now standard graphics software for web dev, replacing UPI
8. |
06/10/05 |
AIMlite is PSL1. |
06/02/05 |
RAID Strategies & Policies formalized. Systematically tested against
current official workhorse motherboard platform s661. Matrix included:
(98se, W2K, XP & 2003) vs. (s661 SATA RAID 0,1,0+1 and Promise TX series
SATA RAID 5) Also established: Recovery procedures. |
05/17/05 |
Operation Incognito: Mutli-prong SPAM reduction initiative
revised. Completely eliminate <mailto:> tags on all Bravo domains.
Tracking strategies to monitor source of leaks. WebDev doctrine updated
to comply. |
05/16/05 |
PMS development and updates efforts ceased. Latest XP hotfixes causes
file/record locking to fail on 98-based servers. MS has no plan to
provide that support as 98 is EOL. |
05/15/05 |
Reducing Small Business IT Costs PowerPoint presentation
published. |
05/05/05 |
Developed applications scenarios for Creative Labs Zen Media Player
Center. Among them: pocket PowerPoint presentations. webcast video
seminars. |
05/01/05 |
Revised
Traveling Fees schedule.
First increase since 1997. All
Hourly Rates remain unchanged. |
05/01/05 |
With Veritas now under the Symantec
umbrella, we're taking a renewed look at the strategic positioning of Backup
Exec among our offerings. As you know, we have "frozen"
our support of BE at 8.6 and skipped 9. Looks like 10.0 passes our
standard "compelling reasons test" for some of our clients.
Their support for optical drives in the last 2 years has improved
tremendously. The original reason prompted our shift to Dantz,
which is better suited for SMB market. |
04/25/05 |
UltraVNC officially the preferred out-of-band remote control
solution, as well as interactive sessions requiring co-control. This
takes over the previous roles of PCA, which is still officially
supported. RDP remains the best (and preferred) solution for
remote admin and user desk roaming. UVNC is vastly improved, overcoming
most of the crippling deficiencies when we first evaluated it back in
2000. It still sorely needs refinement on a few items, but overall is
superb and even surpasses PCA on a few items. |
04/20/05 |
Firefox now Officially Support Product. PSL1. |
04/19/05 |
Audacity now PSL1. |
04/15/05 |
Bookmarklets adopted at 2 in-house stations. |
04/09/05 |
Bravo accepted as Microsoft Data
Protection Manager (DPM) beta site. Initial impression is that its
application among our client base will be limited as its geared toward
much larger enterprises. It's good news: A complimentary solution to our
recent commitment to Symantec LiveState Recovery services. |
04/02/05 |
Previous DgY bLoG at feli data center is superseded
by in-house hosted Bravo Company Web (BCW). The new site is powered by Sharepoint
Portal Services. Plans are underway for admittance to partners and
selected clients, after initial test run. |
03/20/05 |
Network Address Chart NAC defined. |
03/18/05 |
ClarkConnect Standard Server now a support product. PSL2 |
03/16/05 |
Overcame SWX lack of support for PPTP VPN. Install mod to
forward
GRE packets. |
03/15/05 |
Bravo Accelerated Radio & Text (BART) codes 2.0 published for
in-house use on BSP. This release reflects a name change from the
previous "BSC." |
03/10/05 |
Bravo Virtual Conference Room debut. Completely in-house
developed solution for remote collaboration. Live production use for
training, consulting, remote walk-thru laser printer "surgery." |
03/03/05 |
Bravo Partner Portal (BPP)
received its
third major facelift. |
03/02/05 |
FoxIt as stand-alone replacement to AcroRead. PSL1. |
02/17/05 |
Revised IT policy on admin/limited accounts: Limited is now default.
Bravo SU (superuser) tools 1.0 published. This, along with standard "RunAs"
techniques, will relief some of the often encountered obstacles. |
02/15/05 |
Bravo adopts HFNetChk Pro for
in-house patch management. Official position changed: We now
recommend sites with 5+ stations to implement automated patch
management, audit and deployment. MBSA will be the default tool for
sites with 4 or less stations. The previous threshold was set at 10
stations. |
01/15/05 |
Livestate Recovery Server (along with its desktop counterpart) from Symantec adopted as official servers &
workstations recovery solution. PSL0 (BSSO) |
01/06/05 |
Monowall project re-visited. With advent of CF drive converter, we now
formally adopt and offer Monowall as our preferred Embedded PC Gateway,
running FreeBSD. |
11/19/04 |
Remote TCP/IP printing to Lexmark and Xerox successful. |
11/17/04 |
Introducing Bravo ZoomPIX. Another great
tech demo on T2P. Some great potential for customer online applications. |
10/09/04 |
Clarifications on
Out-Sourced IT Director
memo published. |
10/02/04 |
K-lite codec pack now PSL1 replacing Real Alternative and Quicktime
Alternative. Also part of lib:_bravo. |
09/01/04 |
Sync Back adopted as officially supported product PSL1. |
08/09/04 |
Taming Apps requiring admin rights. Strategies & procedures
researched. Guidelines drafted. Open letter to vendors in-progress. |
08/05/04 |
LCD vs. CRT: Comprehensive and objective report. Beyond the hype
and conventional wisdom. |
07/01/04 |
Win XP Pro/Home & W2K Comparisons: From the
perspective of IT for small businesses. |
06/13/04 |
In-shop Flat Fee Services schedule published. Covers all 3 major
OSs. |
05/15/04 |
Comprehensive gateway routers requirements specs & product
review completed. Bravo doctrine updated. Official guidelines
established. |
05/01/04 |
System Purchases memo. Clarifies
the process, options, requirements, rationale & strategies. |
04/14/04 |
Bravo is now officially Dantz Preferred Partner. |
03/15/04 |
RegSeeker now PSL1 replacing aging RegCleaner. |
02/15/04 |
ISO image mounting successful using MS vcdcontrol driver.
Techniques and procedures documented. |
02/14/04 |
Bravo host naming convention and schemes published. |
01/21/04 |
Shipping Department Zero footprint under-shelf PC. |
01/20/04 |
MS VirtualPC now PSL1. |
01/15/04 |
Official
baseline KPF rules with MD5 cleared established. |
01/10/04 |
W2K, 2003 Server and XP admin password reset procedures successful.
Formalized solutions offered. |
12/15/03 |
WinSCP is PSL1. |
11/10/03 |
Real Alternative and Quicktime Alternatiove now PSL1. |
11/01/03 |
Following successful in-house trial, Bravo adopted Smoothwall Express as
preferred gateway solution for client sites. |
10/10/03 |
Belarc Advisor now PSL1. |
09/09/03 |
Installed Drop-Box for clients &
vendors to submit large files. Rental and custom program versions also
available. |
09/07/03 |
Bravo Security portal
established
for "guided-use" by clients. Consolidating information
previously available at various places. |
09/05/03 |
SSSH... We're
"ON AIR!"
Sonic Streaming Service Host
formally
launched as the webcast
branch of Mach 4 Network. Initial clients: WBSU 89.1 FM The Point, and
our own Bravo Radio. |
09/01/03 |
Established first
in a series of Weblog (BLOG) for internal correspondence, supplementing email,
voicemail, SMS, phone and IM. |
08/26/03 |
Bravo Class C Subnet Allocation standards defined. |
08/25/03 |
Zero-footprint wall-mounted bedroom PC. |
08/20/03 |
Hybrid version Office: Word 2000 + Excel 2000 + Outlook 2003
tested extensively in-house and limited client deployment. Now
officially validated as supported platform. |
08/15/03 |
Wide-spread
blackout across northeastern USA. Bravo continued operations under
emergency power. Data access to server and workstations, Internet
connections, voice communications by landlines & GMRS radio operated
fully throughout the outage. SMS and mobile phone services ceased
approx. 6 hrs into the outage, due to carrier's local transmission tower
reserved power depletion. We maintain self-contained reserve power (batteries &
fuel) and life-supporting supplies for at least 1 full-week of basic operations. Emergency
mode operations can
sustain indefinitely if gasoline supplies are obtainable. |
08/02/03 |
Bravo SMS Text Web Gateway launched. A showcase of our CGI
programming with custom HTML capabilities. |
08/01/03 |
This marks the
1st anniversary of Mach-4 Network upgrade from virtual
hosting to dedicated hosting. We had
zero incident and zero unscheduled down time, surpassing our promised
99.99% up time guarantee. It's been 32 months since we inaugurated Bravo Web
Hosting in January 2001. |
07/28/03 |
Version 4 of
Bravo Tech web
debut! We opted for a bright theme this time for better
legibility. |
07/27/03 |
Internet
Traffic & Attack Status monitoring & analysis center updated. |
07/20/03 |
Bravo standardized KPF rule sets introduced. |
07/15/03 |
In-house beta
of Windows Server 2003 went live for production use. This also
marks the first time we actually operate on Exchange Server in-house.
Previously Exchange Server 2000 in-house was only experimental. |
07/07/03 |
Network
monitoring services added. |
06/16/03 |
Official
billing codes published for programs and topics. |
06/15/03 |
UK site
accessible via dynamic DNS. New VoIP system tested and established as
standard (PPH) |
06/05/03 |
Bravo
Remote Access Gateway (BRAG) went LIVE! |
06/01/03 |
Vicky returned
to London. |
05/15/03 |
Hot-Standby
Site (HSBS) services offered. |
05/07/03 |
t2p.us debut.
Our official webdev
testing facility. Trial-to-Production. Tested-to-Perfection. Many demo
projects are hosted here. |
05/01/03 |
AVG added to
our anti-virus product lines, as a supplement to Symantec SAV for legacy
platforms. |
05/15/03 |
New bare-metal Ghost restore
methods for W2K & XP
tested and documented. Taking
advantage of Ghost 2003's application-level support for
NTFS. |
04/01/03 |
Bravo THUM
site now accessible via automated public Dynamic DNS, in addition to our
own (manual) feli DNS. |
03/02/03 |
New mobile
phone number and carrier. SMS sending capability and web browsing
(WAP)
added. eMail gateway for SMS established. Previously only receive text. |
03/01/03 |
Dedicated FAX
line phased out after 18 years. End of an era. RIP FAX, you will not be
missed. We consolidated from 5 phone numbers down to only 3 numbers. |
01/25/03 |
Bravo
Shorthand Codes (BSC) published, after 2 years of research, field
test and refinement. Includes linguistic design for radio phraseology,
and two modified version for real time text communications. |
01/20/03 |
Initial set of
"canned" services for reseller and consultant partners
announced |
01/15/03
|
Vicky
embarked on Red Hat Linux 8.0 project for feasibility study.
|
01/03/03 |
PSL (Product Support Level) notation formalized. |
12/07/02
|
Vicky
returned to US base, resuming US client appointments.
|
11/22/02
|
Bravo
officially a reseller of Xerox color printing products.
|
11/21/02
|
Formal
announcement of Bravo
Partnership program, at long last! Thanks for your
patience.
|
11/03/02 |
New domain
name for Bravo Technology Center: bravotech.us. The previous .net domain
name is now dedicated to our Public Service Portal site: BON, replacing bravotech.net/portal. Separately, BON has been completely redesigned
with streamlined layout and added features. |
10/15/02
|
Bravo
Weather page upgraded to a 16-page site with a lot of original,
custom, or compiled content.
|
10/02/02
|
Bravo
Internet Traffic & Attack Status Monitoring Center significantly
updated and expanded.
|
10/01/02
|
Bravo Download
Center (BDL) significantly expanded and completely reorganized into subfolders.
|
09/20/02 |
Eyeful Tower site debut, as Viewpoint and Perspective feature of
Cameralot. |
09/12/02
|
Bravo
Domains page updated. Domain Management feature added with live
connection backend program for registrar's database. Clients can now
update their own contact information, as well as changing name servers.
|
09/11/02 |
Cameralot site debut with premiering gallery: 9/11 Memorial. |
09/01/02
|
Intranet
Access implemented for internal staff use while on the road and at client sites.
|
08/15/02
|
Winbook
designated as our preferred notebook computer vendor. We work closely
with them and fully support all current models. Their web site is
integrated in ours. You may order directly with them, or through us and
we pay shipping.
|
07/27/02
|
DNS
Rx flat fee service now available, for the times when you registered
with other registrar and encounter major problem related to propagation
or any other DNS related issues.
|
07/25/02
|
It's
official!
Mach-4 Network,
the successor to Bravo Web Hosting, is
scheduled for roll-out on August 1, 2002!
|
07/18/02
|
Our
"unofficial spokes model" Melissia Seeger gave birth to a
healthy baby girl Hannah Rose. Congratulations to the proud parents Melissia and Matt!
|
07/10/02 |
KPF 2.1.5 supersedes old versions. Now PSL0. |
07/01/02 |
Ghost 7.5 is now PSL1. In addition to corp edition, previous 5.0
and 6.0 still supported. |
06/28/02
|
Vicky
returned to England for a 6-month project. She's now officially the
London branch of our operations. We now rely heavily on VoIP and VPN
technology in-house on a daily basis. Replication and backup techniques
and procedures are being tested in production environment.
|
05/23/02
|
Bravo
staff attended Intel Channel Conference. Renewed IPD certification.
|
05/15/02
|
Bravo
is now Hewlett-Packard Authorized.
|
05/14/02
|
Instant
Webbie Designs headed by Vicky
now has its own domain name: instantwebbie.com
|
05/05/02
|
Red Hat Linux 7.2 host installed
in-house to mirror soon-to-be-announced FELI at data center in Houston,
TX.
|
05/01/02
|
Bravo
purchased first dedicated host with exciting service offerings to be
announced soon.
|
04/01/02 |
Dynamic DNS (DDNS) services offered. |
03/01/02
|
Instant
Webbie has first commercial client from UK.
|
02/14/02
|
NAV
Corporate edition. now available with lower 5-seat threshold. Small businesses
rejoice!
|
02/11/02 |
Kerio Personal Firewall (KPF 2.1.4) PSL1. |
01/10/02
|
Bravo
committed to open source solutions development, adapting SCO UNIX solutions to
Linux and OpenBSD.
|
01/03/02
|
Intel
to ship DDR P4 motherboard soon.
|
12/05/01
|
Major
(historical) memory price hike. Check new system prices for details.
|
11/21/01 |
Successful VPN deployment based on SBS 2000 server and Windows XP client. |
10/15/01
|
Windows
XP shipping! Officially adopted in-house after participating in Beta.
|
08/19/01
|
Installed dedicated Firewall with IDS based
on FreeBSD, a UNIX variant, replacing previous dedicated Win98 gateway
running WinRoute. |
07/19/01
|
Sam's
Dreambox debut!
|
07/12/01
|
System
prices & specifications posted in Products section.
|
07/11/01
|
Rental
Rates & Info posted online. |
06/19/01
|
Introducing
Bravo Online
Network (BON)--our Public Service Internet Portal catered to YOU! Featuring many useful
reference sites, a free POP3 email gate for general public, and news
headline live feed. It'll soon be expanded into a full-fledge
stand-alone site.
|
06/04/01 |
In
the near future. FAQs will be added regularly. This site will in fact
serve as a repository of basic information. You now have the option of
free self-served support with certain tasks. We're currently soliciting
inputs for topics you most wanted. Please email us. |
06/02/01 |
Version 3 of our web site is finally up. New slogan:
Visions * Integrity *
Perspective. Please check out the many new features.
Feedback and suggestions are greatly appreciated. This is yet another
key piece of the the puzzle, which started out 3 years as our vision of the
future of Bravo, as unveiled in our open letter to long-time clients. |
05/27/01 |
Our
reseller partners area is now
password protected. Existing partners may email requests
for personalized login and password. |
04/30/01 |
Bravo
staff embarked on a 7-day 3-state tour. 2 days in Cleveland, OH
attending Intel Channel Conference. 2 days in East Brunswick, NJ
for ASCII Group training conference. 3 days in NYC and NJ area, touring
the newly-opened A-Open regional center. Visited various distributor
facilities and conducted business meetings with vendor on future
developments. |
04/02/01 |
Bravo
gained authorization for SMC networking products |
03/06/01 |
Microsoft
SBS 2000 tested in-house, officially adopted for client sites effective
immediately. Existing SBS 4.0 and 4.5 sites are advised to upgrade when
replacing hardware. |
03/05/01 |
Bravo became an Domain Registration Service Provider, thru a
partnership with Name-IT Corp. |
02/14/01 |
Windows
2000 adopted in-house, became preferred workstation O.S. for clients |
01/20/01 |
PuTTY official SSH tool. PSL1 |
01/17/01 |
Bravo Web Hosting
formal program launched. This will both streamline the process and
lower your
cost. Also available: email-only plans with domain hosting, for those of
you who want a corporate e-mail solution but are not ready for a web
presence. |
12/01/00 |
Bravo Studio site received a much needed major face-lift after almost 3
years. Content has been vastly expanded. Now at 25 albums, 540 pages,
and 2500+ photos. |
06/03/00 |
DIFA:
Designated In-house
Facilitator/Administrator. Memo published. |
05/09/00 |
Bravo Reseller site is now regularly update with reseller prices and
tech reference info. |
03/13/00 |
Bravotech.net and bravo-studio.com now have their own domain names. |
11/23/98 |
Bravo Studio web site debut. Formal introduction of our graphic
designs and photographic production capabilities. |
11/22/98 |
Bravo custom dedicated Internet Gateway based on trimmed Windows
95 and WinRoute from Tiny Software. 72M HD footprint, running on
32M no virtual memory. |
11/21/98 |
"Historical" Open Letter #1 to
Client (1998). |
11/20/98 |
First Bravotech web site on commercial hosting, as Netfirm sub-domain.
Coinciding with this is the debut of version 2 of our web design. |
11/11/98 |
Ghost 5.0 is PSL1. Strategic tools and solutions offering. |
03/05/96 |
SamRocNY personal site published. "SaMmiE's TrEeHoUSe" site also
added. |
02/15/96 |
Our first Bravo "home page" hosted on AOL member space. The "future" is
here, and it's got HTML written all over it. |