Before There Was A Business, There Was A Dream!

My dreams are protected by U.S. Law and my dream catcher.

Before the horse came the cart was there or was it before the cart came the horse was there? It is the ultimate feeling to be surrounded and engulfed in thought which floats around until it becomes an epiphany. Such are the dealings and intimate structures of an idea about a business which is about to blossom that enters your thought processes.

Ideas, feelings, sure-things, gut feelings are no more than adrenalin filled bags of want. Ideas that come on naturally, are different though. Let's examine how one really wins at this.

You have to win - there are no other options unless you want to explore the alternative. If that is the case, it is a dismal path, I can assure you. Let's wander together, ultimately finding our place in a situation that provokes careful scrutiny. Careful is the buzz word here.

Long ago I was in a place that I watched grow in population. Many years later, I returned only to pass through the town but was aware that the population had now risen from 10,000 people to over 150,000.

Other truisms can be found in many places where I have been. We, my wife and I, have known for a long time that where we reside now, will soon be a retirement haven and probably equal or surpass Arizona. It is the timing, the smut or smog of Arizona that creeps in. Equally as tragic is the shortage of water in Las Vegas, Nevada that will literally empower the population to 'sell' now and move to other brighter new beginnings.

Don't kid yourself...One more example after moving from 'God's Country', through no fault of our own, but if not to guarantee the education of our children, we knew shortly, that tourists would arrive bringing with them climbing property values, taxes, congestion and an eagerness to dominant the natural habitat. Yes, all of this has happened to me and my wife and together, it continues to unfold; our predictions, inventions, ideas, all come about and materialize.

And if it were a fact, that money was the only currency that held back successful businesses, we would have seen many flourish in our paths, together and separately. The latest source of energy and unfolding happens to be in a remote desert area where we reside now. I have long felt my idea of having large corporate giants set up shop in this desert, not only a good thing but one of our more fabulous ideas. Could it be the powers of strategic visionary patterns that have unfolded?

You see, in Information Technology, mid to large corporations need vast amounts of data. This data is best serviced, if and when it is made available locally or as close to the recipient as possible-this program is called distributed computing, and archival repositories which involves data storage servers, infrastructure for communication and of course, utilities and housing for its workers.

We live in an area where a considerable amount of large portions of acreage is not subject to earth quake damage; no fault zones. So, we have the county building their datastorage infrastructure here. About 50 or so miles away, Microsoft and Yahoo are setting up huge datastorage areas buying land for a million which is presently unavailable in Seattle and if it were, at what price? Easily, 1000 times more and risk quadrupled because of the active fault-zone.

Aside from the computer businesses, there are areas here that will host the best of class, resorts and retreats money can offer because we said so! Actually, Europeans at the turn of the century made many of these areas famous by coming to America to partake of its lakes with healing waters.

Presently, there exists a fantastic buy-if only I had the spare change, I would follow all my hunches and dreams. I've only been unsuccessful when I, my self was not fully engaged. You know, when your energy is displaced and your full focus is segmented-you've been there, you know what I mean.

If you have ever believed in bio-fuels, you should setup real soon. Agriculture waste is just waiting for the right person to turn it into E85 fuel. All happening in an area yet to be discovered by applying rigorous amounts of sweat equity, entrepreneurial discovery and angel or venture capital. The technical experiments have been done by a team I once worked with, but because we saw different paths we no longer collaborate, but nevertheless, the technology has been proven and is not difficult to implement at all. A windfall awaits the right person(s).

Now, you can realize your dream and I know for many the dream has not yet surfaced, however, the best dreams happen here. In my mind and in your mind.


Now, perhaps I have finally fine-tuned my god-given talent and blessing by partaking and building an ever expansive vault and why not? I have had to hone this best practice of dreaming for more than six decades now. There are many Indigenous tribes that practice the art of dreaming and you didn't believe it... How rude!

Start 'em Young

Yesterday, was actually long ago.

In business, I first spread my wings selling candles and plaster figurines that my step-dad made. I went house to house in our community in Lanikai, Hawaii. This is tough-selling and is the only way to build a foundation of resolute commitment which creates a sense of detachment. In one way, you are engaged in a transaction, in another, it is not all consuming because you the seller can go forward to the next predicament of another selling experience. I was 11 or 12 years old.

I next ordered a case of religious cards with soap samples shaped into angels and the like from a company. When I knocked on doors and showed them why I came, I'd hear, oohs and ahhs about my cards and soap sculptures. I kinda liked this stage until my brother Ronnie cut up all the soap. My mother was furious but she salvaged the soap and used the many pieces in the wash, cleaning, and where ever soap was needed. I moved on...What made my brother do that? Boredom? I was 13 years old, my brother 11.

I sold newspapers for the Honolulu Advertiser. Troubling as it was I got up at 4 a.m. every morning or so I wanted to believe. Some mornings, especially Sunday's, I found myself sleeping in. Until the singing morning birds woke me-it was panic. People waiting for their papers-standing in their driveways. Wow! That was what you can call a rush.

One area that I covered was so steep, I had to push my bicycle up this hill. Some Sunday's were so incredible I carried two bags full of papers because in one bag I'd only fit the exact amount for the 'hill' and leave the other very full bag by the stop sign before trudging uphill.

Then there is the lower area where I'd put my feet up on the handlebars as I raced past the running barking dogs that wanted to eat my legs off. Many mornings however, I did not get up on time. One trick I tried was placing my alarm clock on an upside down galvanized wash tub. Well, the sound would send anybody through the roof when the alarm went off at 4. Who did it wakeup? Not me-I slept through the ringing. The contraption gonged so loudly my step-dad was the one who would wake me up with screaming. I was then 13 or 14 years old.


Next phase of my career started when I was fifteen, just starting puberty. I became a grocery bag boy in a local store called Foodland Super Market. After school it was off to work. Work...work. Is it really all that it's trumped-up to be? Would it not be better if I were so rich that I did not have to work-I think so. Somebody's been feeding us these crazy belief structures you know. Oh, I digress.

All in all, I think for what it's worth, work tends to focus a person's being, if not for survival. Aside from the obvious, work should not be overly confusing nor out of balance. We really should be balancing focus to unfocusing structures or else we miss the whole point of being in business.

There is enjoyment in life and more and more people are looking for more of the enjoyment part of business. At least, I am. Long gone are the days of doing business for the rush. Freedom surely is a rush, but unfocusing is the absolute wonder of why we all try to obtain a bit of, or a piece of, that proverbial delicious pie. I am 60 plus today.

Education and Business-No Difference; Case In Point.

When trying to understand by articulating the differences between Business and Educational institutions in the United States; they 'know no difference'. They both share in terms of service for their customer and/or product. One deals with unethical behavior and another tries to keep ethics in-you decide who is playing who or playing fairly.

BEST PRACTICES:
Though education in America is slow to adopt the 'best practices' of business for its finance, business strategy, and IT architecture enhancements, which will deliver a cleaner enterprise, it is definitely not too late.

For once, education has a teacher, a mentor, in good business. The educational predecessor that will and can teach education to be more efficient, while growing innovation, by meeting the challenges of limited resources on a total enterprise of an existing school district.

GROW TENTACLES:
Many times, technical people for all their worth and glamour, can stifle growth in the very direction that they themselves are wanting to grow. Why? Plain truth-technical people need to grow tentacles with deep understanding of the business in which they find themselves supporting before they run-off and spend more money purchasing appliances; switches and servers. Those days are coming to a close.

Technical skills are a necessity for integration and trouble-shooting activities-nobody is saying that these skills are not needed, however, when inarticulateness (too much technical) plays into a strategic exercise, this is not the time to defend your turf by being more technical because the overall project will therefore suffer. We need to climb higher first-grab a glimpse of what we are trying to accomplish through visionary collaboration.

CORE VALUES:
In this case, education has developed a 'mission statement' that is a 'strategic vision' presented to the educational hierarchy. It contains the 'core competency' which many a business finds difficult or reluctant to pin-point at their own peril.

Though education calls it by a different name, it is still their 'core competency' statement. The core statement is then rigorously examined for 'core values'. These are three to four subordinate strategic bullets which lay a foundation for the 'core', building depth and breadth to lead a path to a precise focal point, delivered from the Board of Education.

BUILDING THE CHILD:
An unglamorous and important fact is that most school districts within the United States of America, miss-out when they cannot understand. They, the districts, fail to understand what those 'core values' in fact, mean. This is unfortunate for them, because the end-result and product of the 'core values' and 'mission statement' lends complete focus on building the child, period! The child is education, and education is the child. In other words, to 'feel wanted and respected...' sounds more like, what we all cherish and want ourselves.

SECRET WEAPON:
Are all these mission statements, core values, and priorities misplaced AND/OR ignored? I don't think so, at least I still believe that these 'statements' are the beginning of an end-result, which is a wonderful strategic statement at best. It is in part, my secret weapon when building the connection between IT, business divisions and departments. Understand this very point and your picture of how service is to be delivered, actually the tools, becomes much clearer.

ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS:
Whether or not any technician(s), or for that matter, any of the staff, including executives, managers and the office of the superintendent, understand the ethical implications and power of these statements to educate the families children is a lesson of global proportion. Although, in all situations there are those individuals that shine-these I admire!

A TO B = Z
I BELIEVE that when they were young and passionate for their work, they understood. Whether they continue to function within that same realm is an exercise of renewal, when A to B = Z. Nevertheless, I am about to 'see' first hand, if the Las Cruces Public Schools in New Mexico, in reality, is made-up of individuals who still stand-by their ethical principles-standards and higher 'core values' of that school district. I am betting that they do...


This next section is where I am reporting on my trip to the Las Cruces Public Schools. REPORT: They are embroiled in what is a tantamount battle for turf. Their superintendent's doings (threats and resignation) and the bickering have been all over the local newspapers for many a Sunday. The Chief of Technology-the position which I went down there to check-out, is gone also. If it existed before I went to visit, I have no idea. Two top positions gone.

PUBLIC TRUST
I worry about the public trust-what is the public doing? I mentioned to the hiring board if they have considered having electronic (smart devices) badges for their children-so you really know who's in school (criminals, child molesters, etc)...Does innovation sound familiar here?

At least, from what I could 'see'-perhaps data servers and their departments are not protected. Firewalls are not secure 100% anymore, hackers can go around firewalls today-hello! Wireless access points are not really secure, if not stacked with WAP, WEP and 128bit programs, yet they are still vulnerable. Two most vulnerable points for any device is the integration layer and the application layer. These are the areas where the intruder enters.

If this assumption on my part is correct, then this next assumption is equally important where Hackers can hack into the districts computers for children's sensitive records which could expose to the Internet (global) public at large, visibility to home addresses, telephone numbers, and all sensitive records pertaining to that student.

Students need better exposure to real technology so they can compete in a global market. Think Globally, here!

Costs can be cut everywhere! Because most districts at large run inefficiently. Yes, because when a group is used to running an operations without massive change; change management, the group is vulnerable to high critisism. The way you do business is based on the vision: to educate every child, because you're beholding to every dollar that is expensed, guess what? It's a new day-a new way of promoting the district. And the cost/benefits ratio can be equally applied to Operations and Students. To empower the schools supporting mechanisms pertaining to logistics, and services requires maximum exposure to decreasing cost structures of automation.

Technology in operations, in many areas need RFID (radio frequency Identification) tagging for inventory-bus parts, school supplies, food ordering; go ahead you use your own thinking and creative skills here. Automate everything. Start re-engineering the employees. Call for early retirements, re-educating some for other positions.

Order 50,000 pencils because your vendor says so, but not realizing that automating the supply line will and can inject savings directly into inventory by having vendors informed when stocks are low without the district purchasing 50-60-70,000 of anything. Savings (money) then goes to refining the internal processes.

Not really a secure enterprise (school communications) which I'm painting here.


Yes, challenges mount, understanding and discussion should be clarified, if and only if, we understand our own souls. The 'statements', the 'values', the 'strategic vision', all hold a common thread that guides initiatives to their proper end and beginning.

Without understanding-how can one be truly an enterprise architect for education? We are all enterprise architects' for our children. How then can a technician understand the correct integration and implementation of tools which IT will deliver without knowledge, and comprehension of that elusive point which we call business value. IT MUST BE TAUGHT...

He or she can not know unless, simply they are changed emotionally, which rearranges that concept of IT the technical for the betterment of the business whole. It now becomes broader, more deep, and far wider than first exposure. We have then only begun to align the backbone of information to our business existence. If it were not true...How then did wireless communication come about? Was it not for the promise of untethered basic communication and freedom?

Lyle K'ang, MBA/IM
Senior VP of Business IT Communications Consultant
LYVEOASIS

I Need This Person...Well, Just Ask...

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~PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS~

• Diverse twenty year technology background. As Chief Executive Officer for startup computer-electronics-network corporation, business clients included utilities, education, government, aerospace industry, and manufacturing. Other positions held-Chief technology officer including technology Lab, and fiber optics networks. Held technology specialist positions with increased responsibilities~
• Architected strategic overlay for client’s infrastructure enterprise
• Process Architect ~ eliminating silos ~ increased IT and business efficiency
• (BI), business intelligence efficiency design including SAP BW, & Cognos reporting tools. Ability to discover core business competency for customers. Chaired Boeing’s 62,000 node-VoIP, Data Center, WiFi, RF, RFID network infrastructure services~
• Expert in project management (PMBOK), & team building~
• Restructured personnel development & communications to build business value~

(c) 2006 Lyle K'ang-

~EDUCATION~

05/27/2002 – 03/23/2005. Aspen University, Denver, CO
MBA: Business Administration specialization in Information Management
GPA: 4.0 Commendation. Delta Epsilon Tau International Honor Society