There’s always a lot going on at KAI Partners—from training opportunities to networking events to new job listings, we always have something afoot! Today we wanted to share with you some KAI Partners news you can use!

Professional Development

Our training division, KAIP Academy, has some great courses coming up, including:

• Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification exam prep (4-day course)
• Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®) Certification via Scrum Alliance (2-day course)
• Certified Scrum Product Owner® (CSPO®) Certification via Scrum Alliance (2-day course)
• ITIL Foundation 4.0 certification exam prep (2-day course)
• PMI-ACP certification exam prep (3-day course)

For more information, including course schedule and registration, click here.

Collaboration Destination

Our coworking space in East Sacramento—The WorkShop Sacramento—recently turned one year old!

To celebrate, we are offering a free day of coworking any weekday through April 15, 2019.

If you’re reading this after April 15^th, not to worry—our daily drop-in rate is only $20, which is probably what you spend on parking and beverages at the coffeeshop where you normally work! Since we have free parking and coffee, the decision is easy! Come join us at 3301 C St., Bldg. 1000.

We are Hiring!

KAI Partners is hiring for a Managed Services Systems Engineer. The Managed Services Systems Engineer will support the completion of critical infrastructure management tasks, provide Tier 1 support to clients, configure new computers for deployment, and more.

For more information or to apply (and to view all our current job openings), click here.

Events for Everyone

In addition to being a place to rest your laptop, The WorkShop is also an event space! Here are some upcoming events taking place at The WorkShop:

• Sacramento Design Collective’s A Look at the Process of Branding: Starting from Scratch: With Hans Bennewitz – April 10^th at 6:30pm – Register here
• Cannabis Trainers’ Selling Without Being Salesy! – April 11^th at 3:30pm – Register here

Innovation Corner

We are all about innovation in the public sector, so we wanted to highlight some great innovation happening in that space.

Innovation doesn’t have to be technology forward. Yuba and Sutter Counties recently innovated their mental healthcare services by implementing a new partnership and best practices.

Check out this quick video discussing the Counties’ new venture.

There are many paths to success and while not everyone takes the same path, we often manage to arrive at the same destination. In our KAI Partners Staff Profile series, we share interviews and insight from some of our own employees here at KAI Partners. Our staff brings a diversity in education, professional, and life experience, all of which demonstrate that the traditional route is not necessarily the one that must be traveled in order to achieve success.

Today, we bring you the journey of David Baker, a Systems Engineer with our managed IT services division, Alpen Technology Group. Alpen Technology Group provides organizations the benefits of an internal IT department at a fraction of the cost of staffing one themselves.

The role of the Systems Engineer within IT services is critical. On any given day, Mr. Baker’s responsibilities include troubleshooting advanced security technologies such as Single sign-on and Multi-factor Authentication, managing IT initiatives, collaborating with clients, providing strategic advice on using technology to achieve goals and objectives, supporting new technology implementation, training users, and more.

Today we’re excited to share more about Mr. Baker’s Managed IT background and his current role.

KAI Partners, Inc.: How did you get into your line of work?

David Baker: My troubleshooting skills caught the attention of an instructor of mine who had just started a software training/consulting firm. He was impressed at my ability troubleshoot and reconstruct the computer. He was also looking for someone who loved computers and tech. I was able to work summer days and nights while going to school and increasing my technical knowledge. IT was fun, and I love playing video games, so it led down this road.

KAI: Are there any certifications or trainings you’ve gone through that have helped in your career?

DB: I have a certification through Microsoft—the Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP)—as well as CompTIA’s Network+ and A+. I am also currently working on a certification with Amazon Web Services.

KAI: What is your favorite part about your line of work and why?

DB: My favorite part about my line of work is creating new networks for clients. \ Completing a project gives me a sense of satisfaction. I take pride in knowing that I have created something that will help a client meet their goals.

KAI: What is one of the most common question you receive from clients and what counsel or advice do you give them?

DB: The most common question I get from clients is how we can save money on IT. I tell them let’s look at your environment and streamline it. For example, I once moved a client from physical servers to a virtual environment, which saved them money on cooling and electricity use.

Now that we’ve learned more about David’s Systems Engineer work, here’s a little more about him!

Quick Q&A with David:

Daily, must-visit website:  www.techcrunch.com

Preferred genre of music: Blues

Best professional advice received: Never give a firm time to resolve an issue in IT. You do not want to set an expectation that you cannot meet due to Murphy’s Law or other outside factors.

Book you can read repeatedly: “Who Moved My Cheese?”

Most-recent binge-watched show: Dear White People

About David: Mr. Baker has 11 years of experience in IT ranging from help desk to network/systems engineer and working with different technologies such as Cisco, SonicWALL, Dell, VMware, and Microsoft. Mr. Baker currently works for KAI Partners as a Systems Engineer, helping clients meet their IT needs. For fun, Mr. Baker enjoys enjoy BBQing, photography, and fitness.

Interested in learning more about how David and the Alpen Technology Group can help your organization? Call 916-465-8065!

KAI Partners is excited to be expanding its team once again! Interested in joining our growing company, including positions within our training and managed IT services divisions? Take a look at the following positions for which we are currently hiring!

Business Solutions Analyst

The Business Solutions Analyst performs business systems analysis and is responsible for work that involves applying analytical processes to the planning, design, and implementation of new and improved business information systems and business processes to meet the business requirements of customer organizations.

Click here for more information or to apply for the Business Solutions Analyst role.

Certified Business Analysis Professional

KAI Partners’ training division, the KAIP Academy, is seeking a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) in Sacramento. The CBAP will be expected to deliver the following trainings:

• ECBA – Level 1
• CCBA – Level 2
• CBAP – Level 3

Click here for more information or to apply for the CBAP role.

Software Developer Erlang and Elixir

The Sacramento-based software developer is experienced, motivated, enthusiastic, and flexible. The ideal candidate should have three or more years’ experience, working knowledge, and interest in Elixir and Erlang.

Click here for more information or to apply for the Software Developer role.

System Engineer

Our Managed IT Services division, Alpen Technology Group, is looking for a Sacramento-based System Engineer with 6-10 years of relevant experience. The System Engineer is responsible for resolving Information Technology (IT) issues for Alpen TG clients.

Click here for more information or to apply for the System Engineer role.

But wait, there’s more!

Here are some other positions for which we are currently hiring:

• Agile Product Management Specialist (Sacramento)
• Certified Scrum Trainer (Sacramento)
• Consulting Technical Lead (Sacramento)
• Customer Experience Specialist (Sacramento)
• Full Stack Developer (Sacramento)
• Infrastructure Optimization Specialist (Sacramento)
• Network Security Consultant (Olympia, WA)
• Organizational Change Manager (Sacramento)
• Project Manager (Olympia, WA)

We look forward to receiving your application today! Any questions about the above positions? Email recruitment@kaipartners.com.

By Steven Duart

As you may have heard, KAI Partners recently partnered with Managed IT Services firm, Alpen Technology Group, to provide comprehensive managed IT solutions for businesses.

As a small business, you have enough going on to make sure your business succeeds. Managing your IT systems shouldn’t have to be yet another item on your to-do list.

So, what exactly does our managed IT team do for you? Think of it this way, if it has an on/off switch—server and networking equipment, desktops, tablets, phones, and copiers, basically everything you need to run your small business—we can manage it for you.

In short: We are your IT department.

Alpen TG provides all the benefits of an internal IT department at a fraction of the cost of staffing one yourself. Here are a few other benefits of our managed IT services:

Comprehensive Network Confidence. A critical part of your success as a business is your computer network and making sure it runs predictably, optimally, and securely. You need to be able to focus on your organizational mission and not your IT network, which is why Alpen TG’s fully managed service is the ideal solution to provide the utmost in network reliability and quality service.

Improved Productivity. Continuous insight into your network lets us reduce the business impact of IT failure by shortening the time from network failure to issue resolution.

Decreased Downtime. Through our service management service, we perform preventative maintenance activities that keep your network operations up, and we reduce the number of incidents and downtime that you encounter.

Tailored IT Plans. Every organization is unique and has unique needs. We provide customers with tailored recommendations that align with your business vision and strategy. Through a comprehensive IT assessment, our team identifies essential business criteria and develops a strategy to create tailored IT plans.

We provide remote and on-site support, monthly network health reviews, security and backup management, and more. We do all this to give you the time and energy to focus on what’s important to help your business grow—and most importantly, to give you peace of mind that your IT system is managed adequately.

Interested in getting a quote or learning more about how Managed IT Services can help your small business? Call 916-465-8065 or email Sduart@alpentg.com.

About the Author: Mr. Duart is a Managed IT Services expert who has been integrating people, process, and technology and providing comprehensive technology solutions for businesses and outstanding support for over 13 years. Steven is dedicated to striving to make a difference in the local community by offering Non-Profits CIO-Level consulting at a fraction of the cost. Steven successfully started his own MSP firm and partnered with KAI Partners to expand Managed IT Services offerings in California. Steven holds a Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems and graduated with honors from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas and is currently working on his PhD.

There are many paths to success and while not everyone takes the same path, we often manage to arrive at the same destination. In our KAI Partners Staff Profile series, we share interviews and insight from some of our own employees here at KAI Partners. Our staff brings a diversity in education, professional, and life experience, all of which demonstrate that the traditional route is not necessarily the one that must be traveled in order to achieve success.

Today, we bring you the journey of Steven Duart, a Managed IT Services IT Consultant. You may remember Mr. Duart from our Enterprise Architect Staff Profile. In addition to his Enterprise Architecture consulting, Mr. Duart is also the President of Alpen Technology Group, a new division within KAI Partners.

Under Mr. Duart’s leadership, the Alpen TG team provides customers unique recommendations that align the technology with what best fits the customer’s applications, performance criteria, budget, and existing IT infrastructure. Through a comprehensive IT assessment, the Alpen TG team identifies essential business criteria and develops a strategy to simplify the customer’s information technology environment and lead the way to a more cost-effective, high performing IT infrastructure.

Today we’re happy to share more about Mr. Duart’s Managed IT background and role.

KAI Partners, Inc.: How did you get into Managed IT Services work?

Steven Duart: At a young age, I figured out that I had an acumen for IT, but it was not until I was in college that I decided that I wanted to pursue IT as a career. Early on in my collegiate years, I wanted to be an attorney. I was so motivated to be in the legal field, I even obtained my paralegal certificate. I quickly learned that being an attorney was not a good fit for me, however, I noticed the law offices I worked for had a vast need for IT support. I quickly started to market myself as a paralegal and an IT employee. I had developed a niche in the market because attorneys were able to bill me out as a paralegal, but also receive the IT support that they desperately needed but did not want to pay extra for. I leveraged that time and turned it into an IT Manager position at a motion capturing company in Manhattan Beach, CA. I guess you can say the rest is history.

KAI: What are some certifications or trainings you’ve gone through that have helped in your career?

SD: It was not until recently (past five years) that I started to obtain certifications. I went with a traditional education route and received a Bachelor’s degree in computer science, a second Bachelor’s degree in technical studies, and a Master’s degree in computer information systems. In the past two years, I have received two certifications, including Certified ScrumMaster® and TOGAF®. I believe these two certifications have helped me establish myself at the client I currently serve, and allowed me to take on additional roles there. I also hold a certification in Functional Programming Principles in Scala and am a Certified Paralegal.

There are a few certifications that I am evaluating to help me provide better service to customers:

• AWS Solution Architect
• Certified Business Architect
• Certified Scrum Product Owner

KAI: What is your favorite part about your line of work and why?

SD: My favorite part about Managed IT Services is that is allows me to think critically and challenges me to ask the proper questions to get to the root of the customer needs/problems, perform thorough analysis of requirements, and provide high-quality, actionable recommendations and strategies that are specific to the customer’s situation. It also allows me to turn recommendations into action and implement customized, sustainable solutions that enable the customer to achieve their goals. I enjoy watching the customer’s business thrive following the improvements in their IT systems.

KAI: What is one of the most common question you receive from Managed IT Services clients and what counsel or advice do you give them?

SD: The most common statements/questions I receive are: “We just need IT to work seamlessly, IT is not our core mission and we cannot allocate a huge budget to it, how can you support?” The advice I give them is that at Alpen TG, we tailor a solution to their specific needs and budget. The methodology and software we leverage allows us to support behind the scenes and limit disruptions to the end user. Ultimately, our Managed IT Services should enable their business to run more efficiently, allow them to really serve their core mission, and reduce cost and downtime.

Interested in getting a quote or learning more about how Managed IT Services can help your small business? Call 916-465-8065 or email Sduart@alpentg.com. We look forward to helping your business and its IT systems run seamlessly!

About Steven Duart: Mr. Duart is a Managed IT Services expert who has been integrating people, process, and technology and providing comprehensive technology solutions for businesses and outstanding support for over 13 years. Steven is dedicated to striving to make a difference in the local community by offering Non-Profits CIO-Level consulting at a fraction of the cost. Steven successfully started his own MSP firm and partnered with KAI Partners to expand Managed IT Services offerings in California. Steven holds a Master’s degree in Computer Information Systems and graduated with honors from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas and is currently working on his PhD.