Winding Down 2011

This has been another amazing year in wireless and mobile. But that’s not important right now.

It's hard to believe, but 2011 is winding down. I remember Y2K like it was yesterday. Ditto for the founding of Farpoint Group in 1991. Time goes by so quickly; everyone is so busy and we have so little time for reflection. So, a little downtime, or, just as good, a little time spent on something other than the usual day-to-day activities, can be very beneficial in providing perspective and reflection. Or, at the very least, a little time to work on the network.

As many of you know, Farpoint Group will be closed over the holidays. Now, that is not to say I won't be here; I will. But this is the time of year when we work on our IT infrastructure, most notably the aforementioned network. This year's projects include re-configuring the WLAN networks, which consist of a variety of systems and APs from different vendors each dedicated to a different function, from general access to guest access to video distribution to product testing. I'm installing a new Time Capsule, a production Mac server, and probably (if I'm happy with the security) our first cloud storage/backup facility. Software updates are planned for some of the Macs, as well as continuing work on Salmon Run Studios, our media production facility, which is expanding from audio-only to video as well (I'm hoping Santa will bring me an HD camcorder, and I've been very good this year, so she'd better). And we will hopefully complete work on a still-brief but vastly-more-appropriate corporate Web page as well.

I'm also already working on projects for 2012 - a new series of videos (called Farpoint Focus) that we'll be rolling out, more product testing for Network World (with at least four major tests already underway), more White Papers and related documents and materials, and, of course, projects for our clients, who have made the past 20 years a true privilege. They (and you, of course) are the reason Farpoint Group exists, and it is an honor to have the opportunities that I do.

2012 is already shaping up nicely, and I think we'll even see some general improvement in the economy - good news all around. And, I think, no matter who wins the election in 2012, 2013 and 2014 will see good growth, and globally. This recession was unusually harsh, the result of a confluence of negative factors (simultaneous failures in both the governmental and private sectors, to say nothing of the way-too-many consumers who learned a painful lesion or two in the process) that had been building for years. But I've always held to the belief that recessions end not because of government programs, but because we get tired of them and simply re-focus get busy again. That's happening now. Of course, as an entrepreneur, I'm constantly and eternally optimistic, but no rose-colored glasses are required. While there's no next boom on the horizon, there are always opportunities and I am nonetheless encouraged.

But regardless of your particular political or economic perspective, or your specific plans over the next couple of weeks, I want to wish you and your family, friends, colleagues, and even all those people you and I don't know all the best for the holidays and the New Year. See you in January.

• Wireless
• holiday cheer
• holiday plans
• mobile
• opportunities
• wireless