Change is coming to BladesMadeSimple.com.  I created this site out of my passion for the blade server technology in late 2009.  Over the years, I have worked toward creating a site that can be a repository for blade server news and information.  The site has been my hobby and I have put hours of effort into creating content without receiving a single penny from outside advertising (although I have been on several invitation-only blogger events.) One of the things I worked hard for was to be a neutral voice, not leaning toward any one hardware vendor, but that’s where the change is coming. I have been in the “technology reseller” role industry since 1997 where I have had to be knowledgeable on everything from PCs to printers to software to enterprise servers for all the Tier 1 vendors.  As you can imagine, having to be expert on all of those areas takes its toll over the years, so I decided to make a change in my career and get out of the reseller world.  On Monday, August 15, I will be moving to Dell as a server specialist (aka Next Generation Data Center Specialist) supporting Global 500 customer accounts on the East coast of the U.S.  This role exposes me to some of the biggest data center environments in the world and it lets me narrow my focus to allow me to promote Dell.  This is a huge opportunity for me, but it obviously also impacts this site.  

Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen my site traffic increase to over 140,000 views this year with an average of 900 views a day – the highest being over 2600 views.  I tell you all that, not to brag, but to show there is a need for this site.  Now that I’ve taken a job with Dell, it is a conflict of interest for me to promote HP, IBM or Cisco technologies – but I’ve planned for this.  One of the first changes that I’ve made is to incorporate new blood.  If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve seen my requests for help with the writing of the blog.  I’m happy to say that I have had four people ask to help out; two of which have already started writing: 

Thales Osterne  –  has over six years in the IT field with four years of experience in IBM BladeCenter and System X.  When he is not blogging, Thales works as a product manager for IBM System X & Bladecenter at Lanlink Informatica, a major business partner in Brazil.  He is fluent in Portuguese and English.  https://bladesmadesimple.com/author/thales-osterne/

Chris Fricke –  in his day job is a Systems Architect for Clackamas County in Oregon and an HP customer.  The opinions expressed in his writings do not ncessarily reflect those of BladesMadeSimple or Chris’ employer.  Follow Chris on Twitter @sysgeekguy. https://bladesmadesimple.com/author/chris-fricke/

The goal is for the new writers to provide content for the site, without any prejudice toward one vendor.  I will maintain ownership of the site and will moderate and oversee the writings to ensure they write about content relative to the site and insure the site doesn’t turn into a bashing ground toward any one vendor.  I will also continue blogging, but my posts will be specific to new Dell products or will be vendor neutral articles. 

This site will live on.  I appreciate each and every person who has read this blog or provided comments and feedback.  The site was created for you, so I hope you will continue reading and supporting BladesMadeSimple.com.

-Kevin Houston