From Peers to Partners

As you may well know, Flexential came into existence when two IT Juggernauts, Peak 10 and ViaWest, merged in 2017. First, we changed our name but now we’re changing the game. Our ideology is very simple one: Be the leading provider of IT solutions by being better, faster, more advanced, more secure, and infinitely more reliable than all of our competitors. In an interview with David Liggit from datahawk Central, Chris Downie, Flexential’s CEO, summed this up in one simple sentence:

"There is a commitment we make to our customers that once they're there we're always going to be able to meet their growing needs.”

There are many ways in which we continue to accomplish this goal but there are two tools in particular which are the more important than all others: Evolution and Adaptation. That is why we are proud to announce Flexential’s new partnership with IX-Denver!

IX-Who?

IX-Denver, is an interconnection service provided by IX-West, a Colorado-based nonprofit. While not as large as many of their competitors, IX-Denver has been able to contend with the heavyweights by never forgetting one simple principle: If a business is to be successful and continue to grow then you first and foremost need to develop strong ties with your community.

We are ecstatic to have found a partner with the same values and principles as Flexential. This is what truly sets us apart from the rest of the pack because far too many companies forget that customers should always come first.

What IX-Denver is bringing to the table?

As internet volume continues to accelerate and more and more companies begin to adopt the cost-effective process of peering. In order to continue bringing the same high-level of excellence to the peering game, we must rapidly expand our reach. That’s where IX-Denver comes in.

With IX-Denver’s open peering fabric, Flexential customers can create the lateral or bilateral peering agreement of their choosing across the peering fabric. This is IX-Denver’s second main switch with Flexential, enabling customers easier connections from any of Flexential’s data centers to IX-Denver’s community-driven exchange.

Regardless of the amount of data being shared by however many people, speed is the name of the game and IX-Denver is going to play a vital role in keeping data and information flowing quickly, safely, and, most importantly, affordably.

The Road Ahead

Flexential’s new partnership with IX-Denver is a very important milestone in our company’s history. It is one of many steps we’ve taken to become one of the most successful tech companies in the US. We take an enormous amount of pride our work. Our focus is and always will be on our customers. It’s our goal to ensure that our clients’ businesses will be able to thrive in the ever-changing landscape of digital technology. We will always go to great lengths to ensure that our clients will be using a service which is quick, safe, and isn’t going to ruin their budget. That’s how you grow, that’s how you thrive, and that’s how you become the better than all the rest. That is Flexential.

*** "There is a commitment we make to our customers that once they're there we're always going to be able to meet their growing needs.”

This is not a typo, it is a direct quote from Flexential’s CEO, Chris Downie***

There are many different factors which must be weighed when having to choose between sheet-fed and web printing for your project: Cost, quality, speed, medium, volume, and duration. Both types of printing process have their pros and cons which need to be examined before making an informed decision.

Let’s start with sheet-fed. This process has been around much longer than web and continues to deliver very high-quality prints on a various weight paper and boards. It requires individual sheets to be manually fed into equipment making it more labor intensive however using this feeder system makes sure that the paper runs through correctly. The ink is either left to set in or dried using a variety of processes based on the project. These include UV curing, hot air knives or infrared energy. Different drying types are used for different projects allowing for a higher-quality image but at the sacrifice of speed and volume. To ensure continuity, both a computer and a spot-checker look for imperfections and/or errors. If any are found, production will be halted before more copies are printed with the same mistake. This cuts down on wasted materials, cost, and reproduction time.

Sheet-fed printing is going to be best for smaller projects. This is due to the fact that they tend to need a larger emphasis on higher-quality images because they are generally going to be seen by a smaller but more specific group of people. Higher-quality images will cost a bit more but the sharper product needs to be memorable to those that view the print. Especially when it comes to things such as business cards, letter heading, brochures and other similar products which are generally used by smaller businesses. Everything on that finalized product needs to be flawless and beautiful.

Now, onto web printing. This process has ditched the one-sheet at a time process in exchange for a long, continuous roll of paper. It is generally used for larger amounts of prints but limited to the type of paper on which it can be used. Here, the images are impressed on the paper which allows for a faster printing speed. Web printing generally uses two types of drying: Coldset and Heatset. Coldset allows for the ink to be absorbed into the paper while Heatset dries the paper in ovens or under heat lamps. This means that the prints will dry faster but can reduce image quality and may cause the paper to become wrinkled and even shrink up to a millimeter. If it is a high-volume project which needs to be done quickly and for less money, then web is the best method.

Web printing is generally more useful when applying to much larger projects where image quality isn’t as important. It is used primarily when printing newspapers, magazines, books, catalogues, and other products designed reach a much broader audience. While image quality is always going to be important regardless of the project, less emphasis on this going to required due to the very large number of people whom are going to be viewing it. The reality is, very few people read newspapers, catalogues, books, etc… and base the decision on whether or not they will continue to read or buy a product based on the image quality. If the object is legible and the image quality is pretty enough for people to look at, then it doesn’t need to be of the highest quality humanly possible.

So, before making a final choice, you must decide on what your target audience is going to be, the amount of people whom you want to reach, and how important image quality realistically needs to be. Taking all of these factors into account is critical because choosing the wrong type of printing process can be the difference between a project being a true success or a total disaster.

A Facebook post designed to attract people to click on the “See More” link to learn additional information.

The full Facebook post after the viewer clicked the “See More” link.

The Twitter post to inform people about the upcoming job fair.

Palmer Street Arcade Bar

Since there aren’t arcade games in movie theaters any more, Dave and Buster’s is overpriced (and full of screaming kids) and it looks really creepy if you try to play games at Chuck E. Cheese, there aren’t too many places for adults to play some good ol’ arcade and pinball games. This is why I decided to open my doors and offer the Queen City one of the only bars to offer the gaming experience that will make you feel like a kid again.

We take pride in our wide variety of entertainment. Palmer Street has over 40 games and pinball machines, skee ball, pop-a-shot, and air hockey. We’ve got something for everyone. The best part is that, unlike most other arcade bars, you be carrying around a plastic cup of tokens or ending your night with pockets full of quarters. Anything with a joystick is free, Foosball doesn’t cost a thing, pinball is 25 cents, skee ball is 50 cents, and air hockey and pop-a-shot is just a buck. All that money you’re saving can go to a frosty brew to place on the shelves I’ve installed on all of our gaming cabinets…please use those.

If you need to take a little break from playing the game and just want to watch one then just saddle up to the bar and check out how the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, and UFC fill our flat screens. Take a load off and have a gander at our great menu of appetizers, burgers, and sandwiches as well as our huge selection of local craft beers. Nothing helps quench your thirst after a few rounds of chasing blue ghosts or running like Bo Jackson for four quarters quite like an ice-cold pint of your favorite brew. Don’t worry, if you’re not into the whole “craft beer” thing, we’ve got you covered, too because we also serve some of the finest beers imported all the way from Milwaukee; Miller High Life and PBR. Like I said, we’ve got something for everyone.

We aren’t just about gaming, though. Every other Monday we kill the jukebox and make room for some live music. Twice a month we have some of Charlotte’s hottest local bands whom are on their way to stardom. It’s a great place to meet new people just a looking to discover that new sound that they aren’t going to find on Spotify. Stick around after the show, meet the members of the band, get their latest album, and, if you really enjoyed the show, I’m sure they wouldn’t object to your buying them a drink.

To keep things interesting, we have various competitions every month. All patrons are welcome to test their mettle playing head-to-head in our bracket-style gaming contests for a chance to win all sorts of prizes and merchandise. If you really want to prove you have the goods, twice a year we host a pinball competition where some of the top-ranked players in the Professional and Amateur Pinball Association come to show why they are the best in the country.

Remember, if you have a special event coming up,- we’re available private parties. We offer great place to throw a one of a kind birthday party, graduation celebration, or have a work event that employees won’t make up an excuse to get out of going.

So, come on in to Palmer Street Arcade Bar and remember what it was like to hit the Afterburner and be a barrel-hopping, Centipede-shooting Street Fighter longing to go back to 1945 and be a Turtle in Time.

A direct-mailing campaign which included predictions of Pennsylvania's upcoming months' weather. Kind of a twist on the "Farmer's Almanac."

A short quiz to see how much people really know about fuel and energy consumption.