President accepts 40 Under 40 Award

May 30, 2012 By admin

Kevin was surrounded by friends and family Wednesday night as he was recognized by the Fort Worth Business Press as a 2012 40 Under 40 honoree.

Among those celebrating with Kevin were his brother and sister-in-law who traveled from San Antonio to cheer him on, as well as Kevin’s wife, Carrie; his business partner and co-president Ben Tiblets, Ben’s wife, Elizabeth, among other close friends. Our table was right by the stage so we got a great shot of Kevin as he stood in front of the crowd.

The event was sold out with nearly 500 people in attendance. The 40 Under 40 Event brings together a group of motivated, engaged and dynamic individuals who are executives, entrepreneurs and community leaders.

It’s pretty incredible to be surrounded by Fort Worth’s up and coming stars, especially when they include people like Jon Daniels, the youngest General Manager in MLB history with the Texas Rangers.

It’s even more amazing to have one of our own recognized in that group. Kevin’s advice to entrepreneurs: “Don’t give up; some very difficult challenges in my career have been overcome by refusing to give up.”

 

 

Filed Under: Award, Development Tagged With: , , , , ,

Disinfect your computers to avoid Internet Doomsday

May 25, 2012 By admin

Users with a computer infected by a virus called DNS Changer will not be able to access the Internet after July 9. Unless these users disinfect their computers, the FBI warns that they will face the “Internet Doomsday.”

How do you know if you’ve been affected? We’ll walk you through all that in a minute, but first, let’s give a little background information.

Some users may have been affected with a strain of malware called DNS Changer. At Enterhost, we use Sophos anti-virus software, and it is from their website that we first read about this scam.

A while ago, international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of computers. While a user thinks they are going to a normal website, the virus actually redirects the computer to hacker-created websites.

The FBI wants to shut down the servers that are redirecting users’ computers. If users don’t rid themselves of DNS Changer before the July 9, they will no longer be able to access the Internet unless they remove the virus.  That could be a major headache for users who don’t have access to a second PC for downloading anti-virus software.

Luckily, you have plenty of time to test your computer, so there is no need to panic. The FBI states that users have until July 9 to test their computers to see if it is infected with this malware.

Checking your computer is so simple, it should only take about 30 seconds. Here it is: one easy step!

To test your computer, visit the DNS Changer Check-Up Site. If your computer is not infected, your screen will be green, like this image.

If your computer has been infected, the screen will show up as red.

For infected users, there is a list of anti-virus software that can fix the problem. Of course, if you have any questions about the virus or your computer, clients can contact the Enterhost support team.

For additional information regarding the DNS changer malware, please visit the FBI’s website. Read other articles from PC World and Fox to learn more about the virus.

-Carissa Cotner, Marketing Coordinator

Filed Under: Internet Tagged With: , , , , ,

Enterhost employees behind the camera

May 22, 2012 By admin

When you think technology, images of photo shoots and the “glam” lifestyle don’t immediately come to mind. But at Enterhost we are anything but status quo.

Not only do we employ top-notch talent, but we hold our vendors to the same high standards. Last year we were fortunate enough to team up with top Dallas photographer, Vanessa Gavalya, during a Dell photo shoot. So when the opportunity came up to shoot head shots for our team, we immediately called Vanessa. Some of her major clients include Pizza Hut, Bank of America, Frito-Lay, Playskool and George Strait’s latest CD cover.

We all gathered at a shoot location near our 20,000 square foot data center in Fort Worth, Texas, where Enterhost is headquartered. After a lot of planning and coordinating shoot times, travel, catering and wardrobe, the day of the photo shoot finally arrived!

It seemed like a lot, but thanks to Vanessa and her producer Heather Warborg, we got everyone in and out ahead of schedule, the pictures looked amazing and we had a blast. Check out the Enterhost Facebook page our follow us on Twitter (@Enterhost) to see behind the scenes photos.

It was exciting to have nearly all of us in the same place at the same time. At Enterhost, we use Lync for all office communication (phone, instant messaging, conferencing, etc.) and it has transformed how we work and allowed us to stay connected. But as great as Lync is, nothing beats shaking someone’s hand or sitting around telling stories over a drink. It’s a true testament to our office synergy when we all packed in to one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants for an after photo shoot celebration.  I’m proud to work for a company whose employees enjoy each other’s company outside of work. And we aren’t just tooting our own horn. Vanessa sent us a note commenting on how lucky we are to work with such a fun group!

A huge thank you goes out to Vanessa and her team for working with us. A great photographer knows things like lighting and camera lenses, but an amazing photographer gets to know the people they are shooting, makes them feel comfortable and helps them look their best.  And thank you to all of our awesome employees. You helped the day run smoothly and provided plenty of laughs.

-Carissa Cotner, Marketing Coordinator

Filed Under: Development Tagged With: , , , , ,

Success means being different from the rest of the pack

May 15, 2012 By admin

A while back we saw a great article about how service providers must play the game: “Differentiate or Die.” It really got us thinking. It’s our job as the marketing “gurus” to make sure the Enterhost message is told in a tangible and unique way so our current and potential clients really grasp who we are and what we do. We are not in a well-known industry such as law or medicine where when people ask us what we do we have a user-friendly response. We’ve learned that our elevator speeches can require at least 50+ floors of ride time before they get what we do. It makes it really difficult when you have to not only explain the industry, but what separates you from the pack.

We hear these from our current and potential clients daily. “I want this device to talk to this and that to connect to that. I want it to work everywhere. And I want it cheap.”  Businesses constantly approach us wanting to use the cloud, whose surrounding hype has positioned it as a quick, easy, cure-all solution that allows you to access your data from any device.  However, the cloud is not a silver bullet for every business’ IT woes.  Any IT solution needs to be customized for your specific business needs and properly implemented by an industry expert.

The most difficult barrier we face is convincing people what separates one hosting company from another or what the cloud really means because it has been blurred by the media. There is also the stipulation of “outsourcing” anything. It’s become a common and often negative word. But once we get passed all that and we are left with the question, “Why Enterhost?” we find that we have a lot to say. Here are just a few.

  1. Top-notch team. We don’t just hire any ole tech, we hire support staff with 4-year college degrees and extensive certifications. We hire sales professionals to handle sales, marketing professionals to handle marketing and seasoned accounting professionals to handle our finances. We don’t do what a lot of hosting companies do which is slotting IT people into various positions around the company. A physician’s office wouldn’t hire a doctor to handle their marketing.
  2. Extensive capabilities all under one roof. We have our own 20,000 square foot data center to handle all of your hosting needs.
  3. We don’t look at ourselves like “outsourced IT.” We immerse ourselves into your business so much that we become an extension of your team.
  4. Exceptional, professional customer service. Our attention to detail really sets us apart from our competition. We know this because we hear positive feedback constantly from our clients.
  5. Constant communication with our clients and always striving to bring them the latest and greatest technological advancements. Enterhost is breaking barriers with Microsoft Lync in addition to finding new ways to communicate with clients and potential customers. Fortunately, we got a head start by hiring a full-time marketing staff, but we continue to be active through blogging, social media, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Ultimately, we understand how critical our client’s operations are, no matter how many employees they have. This respect for their business operations in addition to our attention to detail is what sets Enterhost apart and keeps our clients happy. And we know that in an industry where you have to “Differentiate or Die,” we aren’t going anywhere.

Filed Under: Cloud, Datacenter, Development, Microsoft Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

President Kevin Valadez selected for 40 Under 40 award

May 7, 2012 By admin

Kevin Valadez, President of Enterhost, was chosen among the 2012 class of the Fort Worth Business Press Forty Under Forty Award. This is a tremendous honor! Every year, The Fort Worth Business Press hosts an event saluting 40 area individuals under the age of 40 who are making their mark with professional success and community involvement.

Winners were announced in the April 16 edition of the Business press but you can view the online version here. The 2012 class is quite impressive. You have lawyers, business owners, investment bankers, executives and even the General Manager for the Texas Rangers, Jon Daniels (also known as the youngest GM in MLB history. He was only 28 when he was hired in 2005).

Getting selected for this award is such an honor. To even be considered you must demonstrate how you have established and grown local businesses through innovation, dedication, and volunteerism. To give you an overview of our co-president and his accomplishments, here is just a slimmed down version of the written application:

Professional accomplishments and/or noted credentials:

In 2000 Kevin Valadez and his business partner, Ben Tiblets, formed Enterhost, a web hosting solutions and Microsoft® Windows® application specialist, headquarted in downtown Fort Worth. Kevin and Ben recognized the incredible growth opportunity for Windows in the web hosting market and set out to revolutionize the industry.

Over the first few years, Enterhost quickly gained momentum and the owners saw they were in need of a space to house racks of servers for their growing clientele. In 2006, the opportunity to move into their dream location finally came about. So they moved into the 20,000 square foot datacenter in downtown Fort Worth’s Burnett Plaza. Twelve years later, Enterhost still remains privately held and profitable, managing thousands of clients from around the country and various parts of the world.

But true entrepreneurs are rarely satisfied with launching just one successful company, so in 2008, Kevin and Ben created Consuro, a premier managed technology services company serving businesses from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. Consuro sets itself apart from other MSPs by being one of the few in the industry to have a hosting division. Consuro is able to also assist with the hosting needs of their clients who would have previously hosted with another company. We’ve now gained their business and trust under both brands.

Enterhost was the first and still remains the largest hosting company in Fort Worth. Bringing a service offering like hosting to this area is very important to businesses who want to keep their data close to home. However, the clientele is not restricted to just DFW or Texas. Enterhost’s services are used by companies across the world.

Kevin is the type of professional who seeks out new opportunities. Initially, he goes against the norm but then he quickly becomes the trendsetter. Kevin’s business success has been noticed amongst his peers. Nine Lives Media Inc.’s fourth annual MSPmentor 250, a global report that identifies the world’s leading managed service executives, entrepreneurs, experts, coaches and community leaders, named Kevin one of their top leaders in 2011. This recognition as one of the top experts in the field validates Consuro’s goal of becoming the leading IT provider in the Texas regions we serve. Also, on March 28, 2012, Kevin was notified that Consuro was selected as a finalist for the Fort Worth Chamber’s Vision 20/20 Award, signifying that Consuro is a great place to work for Young Professionals in Fort Worth. It’s any business owner’s dream that their employees would be just as passionate about their business as they are.

Describe the Nominee’s Leadership Qualities.

Kevin is “leader” personified, running two successful businesses and keeping a keen eye on what’s next. Together with his business partner Ben Tiblets, Kevin has poured his heart and soul into growing both companies from scratch. And for anyone who has ever owned a business, you know that you risk everything. Your time, your family, your assets… your peace of mind. But if you ever sit down with Kevin you will be quick to realize that he is one of the kindest, most professional, intelligent and insightful people you will ever meet. Never have I met a business owner, let alone someone who runs two companies, who not only acts like they have it all together but actually DOES have it all together. The risks he has taken to get here – and will continue to take – are worth every step. With a leader like Kevin helping steer the ship, it’s no wonder both brands have experienced such tremendous growth.

What is the nominee’s career background?

Upon graduation from Angelo State University, Kevin accepted a position in San Antonio at Capital Group as a systems analyst. Kevin and Ben had attended college together and always talked about one day opening up their own business. What started as an after-hours and weekends gig became two multi-million dollar companies. Enterhost was founded in 2000 and Consuro was founded in 2008.

Community Involvement:

Sometimes the most generous of gifts are the ones given when no one is looking, and these are the moments that truly reveal motive and character. One recent example involved a lower income family who was stricken with the sudden death of their father and were desperately struggling to make ends meet. Kevin quickly jumped into action, anonymously arranging for gifts and monetary donations to be made to the surviving wife and children to help them overcome this tragedy. With Kevin’s ongoing help, this family is taking the necessary steps to getting back on their feet financially so that they can begin to heal emotionally.

Kevin and his wife Carrie have a strong place in their hearts for local causes that directly impact the community in which they live, and especially those that benefit children. For years they have supported Community Storehouse, a crisis relief agency dedicated to serving the children in our local community. Community Storehouse supplies children and their families with food, clothing and financial aid, providing help for today and hope for tomorrow.

This person deserves to be honored because:

Consuro’s innovative business strategies not only create jobs, but secure them. Consuro assists IT managers, office managers, and even CEOs by enabling them to focus on their larger business operations instead of worrying about every technological problem that arises. And in such uncertain economic times, you cannot put a price tag on job security and business growth.

With multiple offices across Texas and more opening in 2012, no matter where the business expands to, our headquarters and heart will always be in Fort Worth. Kevin believes in this community; the value of his loyal employees, the generosity of the local clients that helped us grow and the uniqueness of this great city. With Kevin’s drive, savvy business expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and strong family values, he is the perfect candidate for 40 Under 40.

In between starting and running two extremely successful companies, Kevin also started a beautiful family. He and his wife Carrie have two amazing and courageous children, Landry (6) and Lyla (2).

This year’s event will be held at the Fort Worth Club on May 23. Purchase your tickets today online for the big celebration!

-Courtney Summers, Marketing Director

Filed Under: Award, Development Tagged With: , ,