CCI introduces Project Management Community

Mike Mattas, CCI PM

CCI runs each project with flawless ease.

By: Mike Mattas, Project Manager

As CCI continues its customer-centric teams approach, we’re introducing the Project Management Community to help our various operations groups work better together. Our goal is to increase operational consistency and quality, uncover new opportunities, and continually improve on-time, on-budget project delivery.

For our customers, this means more positive outcomes, including:

• Better project planning
• Better management and communication for projects spanning multiple groups
• Faster problem resolution, getting the issue to the right people at the right time 
• Standardization in project management methodology and documentation across all CCI operations teams

Our Cisco partners will have continuing evidence that CCI meets their performance standards and can support Cisco’s customers as a preferred provider.

And CCI employees gain cross-functional job enrichment, new opportunities to work together and a more consistent project management methodology. As a result, we’ll have a better corporate knowledge base that we can use to improve collaboration, satisfy customers and attract new business.

To learn more about CCI's Project Management Community, contact Mike Mattas at michael.mattas@ccisystems.com

The Buzz from NCTC's Winter Educational Conference 2011

It was great connecting with our customers and prospects at the NCTC Winter Educational Conference in Clearwater, Florida.

Our network specialists - VP of Access Networks Stu Lahti, CCIE engineer Cuyler McCoy, and account executives Sean McAndrews and Ted Shroyer - were there to discuss challenges attendees face.

The Buzz: CMTS and Bandwidth
Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS) was the most talked-about display at our booth. For more information about this product, visit Cisco's website. Other buzz at the conference was how to increase their network's capability to add more subs and bandwidth.

Did You Know?
One fact many attendees didn't realize about CCI was that we’re a certified Cisco Gold Partner. In this video, Vic Northrup of Cisco describes why Cisco partnered with CCI, and CCI's President John Jamar explains the excellence that Cisco provides. We’re proud to admit that many of our network engineers have obtained Cisco certifications, such as the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) SP Certification, a certificate that less than 1% of networking professionals hold.

Your Opinion Matters
At every conference we attend, we offer booth attendees the chance to win a door prize if they fill out a survey. The question was: "What topics would you like to see in a technical webinar: RF Bandwidth Reclamation Options; Video over DOSIS; Metro Ethernet; Net Neutrality; or Other."

100% of CCI booth attendees would like to see a technical webinar on Video over DOCSIS

If you have an opinion, please let us know in the comments section.


And the Winner Is…
The winner of the FLIP camera is Larry Schutz from Cobridge Communications. Congratulations, Larry!


Photo Gallery
Here are some more pictures from the conference.

To see all of them, become our Fan on Facebook and view the photo album: NCTC WEC 2011.

Find Out About DOCSIS 3.0, CMTS, Set Top Boxes at NCTC Winter Educational Conference

Look for the CCI booth when you attend the NCTC Winter Educational Conference  Feb. 28 - March 1 in Clearwater, Florida. Its exhibit at the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort will feature demonstrations of DOCSIS 3.0, CMTS and Cisco’s latest Set Top Boxes.


Stop at the Technology Showcase for the demos and talk with CCI’s network specialists about the challenges you face:

•    Stu Lahti, CCI vice president of access networks
•    Andy Trempe, senior inside sales associate
•    Ted Shroyer, senior account manager
•    Cuyler McCoy, CCIE systems engineer

>> While you’re there, pick up the 2010 CCI/CISCO webinar series of seven presentations.

To learn more about the NCTC Winter educational Conference, click HERE.

View GIS Mapping at CCI’s Booth at North Central Cable Show

You’ll see demos of GIS Mapping when you visit CCI’s booth at the North Central Cable Show Feb. 27 -March 1 in St. Paul, Minn. The show will be held at the Crowne Plaza St. Paul-Riverfront Hotel.

 CCI representatives on hand will be:

• Cory Heigl, regional operations manager, Central Division, and lead project engineer for community area networks

• Mike Dellies, account manager, National Sales

• Dan Plante, engineering operations manager

While you’re at the booth, pick up a copy of “Everything You Need to Know About DOCSIS 3.0.”

Find out more about CCI careers at Michigan Tech Career Fair

Meet face-to-face with representatives from CCI Systems at the Michigan Tech Spring Career Fair 2011 to discuss full-time opportunities.

The event will be held from 12 — 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, at the university’s Student Development Complex. View the career fair guidebook.

CCI Systems, with more than 50 years of experience in the communications field, works for many top cable TV and phone providers. Stop at the booth to learn how you can be part of designing and implementing some of the most cutting-edge communication systems in the country.

Join the CC Systems team! View its careers page.

Find Out About DOCSIS 3.0, CMTS, Set Top Boxes at SCTE Cactus Chapter Vendor Day

Look for the CCI booth Feb. 8 at Cactus Chapter Vendor Day sponsored by the Society of Cable Telecommunications  Engineers (SCTE) at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz. CCI will provide demonstrations of DOCSIS 3.0, a cable modem termination system (CMTS) and Cisco’s latest Set Top Boxes.

Frank William, CCI's Integrated Solutions manager, will be on hand to answer your questions and give the presentations. You also can register at the booth to receive a special DOCSIS series via e-mail.

To learn more about SCTE Cactus Chapter Vendor Day, click HERE.

CCI Teaches the Best Fiber Splicing Techniques at the WSTA Plant Conference

At the WSTA Plant Conference, Jan. 12-13, 2011 in Stevens Point, Wis., CCI will show conference attendees how to fiber splice and provide them a guide describing how to select the best fiber splicing contractor.

Learn How to Fiber Splice
At CCI's booth, you can try your hand at fiber splicing. CCI Fiber Splicing Technician Tony Higgins will be there to help guide the process and test the splice to show how well you did.

>>Test your fiber splicing skills

Get a Free Guide: How to Pin-Point the Best Fiber Splicing Contractor

Fusion splicing has quickly become a necessity for many network projects. This e-book provides you with the guidelines to contract the best fiber splicing technician—one that keeps your project on time and budget.

Register to receive the guide at CCI's booth

Talk to a Network Specialist

CCI representatives at the booth will be:

• Cory Heigl, Regional Operations Manager Central Division and Lead Project Engineer for community area networks
• Tony Higgins, Fiber Splicing Technician
• Mike Dellies, Account Executive National Sales

Share problems and get advice from a network expert

To learn more about the WSTA Plant Conference, click HERE.

How to Stay Competitive in a Bandwidth-Rich World

Most consumers are no longer satisfied with surfing the Web, downloading a few songs, sending and receiving a few photographs, or watching streaming video at current picture quality levels. The Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council explains it best: "The world is moving toward vastly higher bandwidth applications." 
Here are some reasons why:

• Companies such as Netflix, Amazon and Wal Mart offer feature-length movies for download
• More people want to upload their home movies to e-mails or Web pages
• Consumer electronics companies offer devices that connect TV to the Internet
• High-definition video is fast becoming state-of-the-art
• More companies are offering "software as service," which means consumers subscribe to applications on the Internet instead of installing them on their computer

Consumer bandwidth is projected to grow for years to come.

For network operators to stay competitive in this market, it is important to add fiber-to-the-home (FTTH). Where do you start? By comparing architectures. All FTTH architectures require an aggregation device in the CO (Optical Line Terminal or OLT) and an optical electric converter (Optical Network Terminal or ONT) at the home. The architectures differ in what is installed between the CO and the house.

To make it easier for you, we've researched several architectures for you. This guide, "At-a-Glance Comparison of FTTH Architectures," provides a comparative analysis of FTTH solutions, including the advantages, disadvantages and costs of:

· Point-to-Point

· Active Ethernet

· PONs

·  BPON

· GPON

· EPON

· WDM PON

· RFoG

Compare the technologies here.

CCI Welcomes Paula T. Meads as Chief Information Officer

We are proud to welcome Paula Meads to our executive team!

As a seasoned financial executive, Paula will work with our senior team members to discover, analyze and define the best long-term strategies. She will oversee all organizational development, financial and accounting operations and provide financial planning for the organization.

John Jamar, CEO and President of CCI, anticipates the solutions she will provide to steer CCI. “She will be a valuable asset to CCI, ensuring we move into the future strong for those who depend on our products and services,” he said.

In addition to earning her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting at Michigan Tech and a Master’s degree in Accounting from Kaplan University, she has had much experience working for several prestigious companies, nationally and internationally. She has had experience in information technology management, organizational development, financial reporting, cash flow, budget administration, auditing tax management, contract management and all aspects of accounting. Some of her successes have been in motivating talented teams to streamline operations, increase efficiency and boost business effectiveness. 

She is currently in the process of relocating to Iron Mountain, Michigan area with her husband Marty and son Mitchell. Their daughter Malory is a student at the University of Alabama.