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Experts Brad Jordan Æleen Frisch Garth Brown HGA Cambridge Computer Opus One NPS Packet Pioneer PointB Neal Whitten Group NetCraftsmen

Experts These are experts whom we bring on-site for consulting and education. They have rattled my thinking, helping me to make the box in which I live a little bigger. Brad Jordan of Advanced Technology Partners influences our Internet routing design. Æleen Frisch, the author of Essential System Administration, trains sys admins, employing both hands-on and seminar-based styles. Garth Brown of Semaphore provides us with network design and trouble-shooting services; in addition to being technically savvy and broad, he is skilled at explaining what he knows. Chris Dagdigian of BioTeam talks fast and carries a big slide deck -- hold on. A scientist, open source advocate, and tech weenie, Chris offerrs both breadth and depth in assessing life science IT needs and developing strategies and recommendations for meeting those needs. Jacob Farmer of Cambridge Computer analyzes and explains storage projects and issues in ways which suit my need for rigor and breadth. Howard Goldstein of Howard Goldstein Associates style suits me -- entertaining, engaging, subtle -- and his ability to go both broad and deep in storage subjects earns his place on this list. Joel Snyder of Opus One places security in the larger context, offering the kind of broad view which I find useful when discussing this subject. Mike Pennachi of Network Protocol Specialists and Chris Greer of Packet Pioneer teach trouble-shooting skills -- historically, we have brought them on-site every month or so as part of an on-going 'network analysis coaching' program, in which we focus on client/server interactions in a networked environment. And when we are stumped by a complex problem with a tight schedule for resolution, we hire them to identify the root cause. Nathan Clark of Northpoint Consulting specializes in network consulting. We employ him to support and educate us regarding our voice environment. PointB has provided us with a number of effective and skilled consultants over the years. Neal Whitten of the The Neal Whitten Group, specializing in project management, has helped me to develop professionally. Peter Welcher of Chesapeake NetCraftsmen works as a network architect and trouble-shooter; his ability to distill his expertise into principles has helped me to understand how to build reliable systems.