Apr 28, 2020
Welcome!
Good morning, everybody. I was on with Jim Polito this morning. We discussed some of the problems that the Small Business Administration is having with their computer architecture and why it crashed while trying to process requests for these small business saving loans from the Federal Government. So, here we go with Jim Polito
For more tech tips, news, and updates visit - CraigPeterson.com
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Automated Machine Generated Transcript:
Craig
What ended up happening is that the SBA PPP portal site crashed.
Now, you can make these websites so that they run even with the
Intel hardware. You tend to have clusters you have the models
scale, but they didn't do it. Good morning, everybody. I was on
with Mr. Jim Polito on WTAG also in Springfield, Mass on why and
how. Let's get into it with Jim and me in his kitchen.
Jim
Here is the man with the plan and all the answers. I'm talking
about our good friend and tech talk guru, Craig Peterson. Good
morning, Craig.
Craig
Hey, good morning, Jim. I'm doing well today.
Jim
All right, good. I want to keep hearing that from you. I want to
make sure that you are feeling that way. But it seems to me that
the Small Business administration's computer system, do you even
call them mainframes anymore? Kind of crashed yesterday is that
term still relevant? A mainframe for IBM is that part of their
business?
Craig
Yes, but it has been shrinking over the years. But yeah, it's still
called big iron or a mainframe. And they are still the most amazing
computers made by far. Those things are they just are rock solid
are very, very fast. They put these clusters of these cheap
computers that are used by Google etc. They put them to shame. It's
just I, and I was looking at them recently for my business, you
know, kind of a small version of a mainframe. And it was, we ran
tests on it, comparing them to some of the biggest Intel servers
and clusters of Intel servers and the mainframe still beat
them.
Jim
Wow. I like the "big iron" term. That's a new bit of terminology
there that I haven't heard before. Big iron. So what happened to
SBAs big iron? The SBA was running big iron. Oh, was it? Or was it
a network of these cheap little computers all put together like a
blade farm.
Craig
A lot of businesses are having problems, right now with people.
They are having issues with their systems, and the whole point goes
back to experience. I know how to program in COBOL. It was like the
third computer language I learned way back when. I have to say
something, by the way, sorry, Jim I have to insert this we
celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary here just a week ago. Yeah,
it is incredible.
Unknown Speaker 3:06
Wow, if I had known that, I would have opened with it.
Unknown Speaker 3:11
Anyway, they're having problems because they can't find these COBOL
programmers to make changes to the systems. After all, the systems
have been pretty much steady over the years. And with what the
federal government passed and some of the states are doing, they
had to make some very, very big changes. Well, this whole paycheck
Protection Program, of course, got refunded this week, you've been
talking about it. And a lot of people are very frustrated because
they've been pulling all-nighters trying to process these people
have been doing the same thing, both sides of it. But what we saw
right now is on the front end, regular old servers, those Intel
machines that we've been talking about, that are running the
websites Know You can run sites on mainframes, but usually, you
don't know when we're not going to know the technical stuff, it
gets kind of geeky. But what ended up happening is that the SBA PPP
portal site crashed. Now, you can make these websites so that they
even with, you know, obviously, with the Intel hardware review, you
tend to have clusters, you have the models scale, but they didn't
do it because they got a second wave of this small business
simulation plan submissions. And they messed up it think back to
the whole Obamacare website debacle. And that they might, yeah, oh,
it's crazy, right. And I was saying, you know, it's going to take
them three years to make this damn thing work. And I was right
almost to the day, because it's, again, it's government, its
bureaucracy. They move slowly. It had been something that a small
company that knew what they were doing, even a big one like Google
had put in place, and they would have made sure it could scale, it
could have handled all of the tie ins to the back end, which is
part of the problem. Every one of these banks has a different
system. So, even when the SBA goes and collects the information and
gets you approved for this loan or that loan, once the banks get
involved, they end up having to enter the data into the SBA into
their systems manually. It is it the whole thing is not, so we just
weren't ready for it from a tech side.
Jim
We're talking with our good friend, tech guru Craig Peterson about
all this stuff going on. The chances are, the chances are that this
will happen again, what do you think? Or are they on top of it?
Craig
Are you talking about the crashes and stuff?
Jim
Yeah.
Craig
No, the odds are outstanding that they will not. It is the
government, right. I went to the store the other day, right. And I
was there with my wife, and I said, you know, this is what
socialism looks like empty shells everywhere.
Jim
Exactly. It is the look of socialism.
Craig
It is. So, when we're talking about government, it and these
computer systems, if there is another big round of funding, and a
lot of people apply, then yes, it's going to happen again, and it's
going to take forever. Yeah, and I have a daughter who is a high-up
in one of these big banks. They're having problems because they
have to enter data manually, and there aren't even ways to transfer
it to transfer directly automatically to the SBA and vice versa. So
it takes a week sometimes, and The only businesses and I bellyache
about how I couldn't get a dime out of the vault any of this money
for my business. Yeah. But, you know, small businesses that have
applied it's taking weeks or longer. It is a shame. I was supposed
to get a check from the SBA within three days of application. I
didn't even get a notice from them until two and a half weeks
telling me I was not eligible.
Jim
Wow. Yeah, see that? That's not good. You know, we're talking with
our tech talk guru Craig Peterson. Hey, I want to talk to you about
this because after the show today, I have to go into a Microsoft
team meeting, you know, using that software. Right. And, because
that's how we meet now, you know, with the company since I'm doing
this from the kitchen, but I read what you sent me Microsoft Teams
using artificial intelligence so that if Pops, the dog barks It
will filter that out. Everybody in the group likes to hear that
because they often asked me to pick him up, which is becoming
increasingly difficult to do and put them in my lap so everybody
can see him because he's 55 pounds now. You said that it would give
Microsoft Teams a competitive advantage over some of these other
collaboration platforms, like Zoom and Facebook. Why?
Unknown Speaker 8:32
It's true. That's what's going on. We've got Zoom, oh, by the way,
never use zoom for business ever, ever, ever. It is so insecure,
makes the mind spin. Okay, so that's number one. So a lot of people
have Microsoft, which used to be called office 365 and is now
called the Microsoft Office 360. Yeah, and then I've got Microsoft
360 and See, the people that were using it said, Oh, wait a minute,
Microsoft has got a team's app. And Microsoft is now advertising it
as secure. It's much better in that regard than slack, which is not
safe, either. Google Hangout not secure. The only two out there
that have achieved the highest rankings in security are WebEx
teams. But Microsoft is pretty darn good. So yes, for the
competitive advantage, you just mentioned. Here's what they're
doing. They're trying to program some artificial intelligence to do
something never done before. See, if you've got a fan running in
the background, that fan makes a consistent sound. It's called a
static noise. And that is has become relatively easy now,
relatively speaking, to get rid of Because often that noise is in a
different frequency band. Since you are in radio professionally,
you know about this. When you're talking about some of these
dynamic sounds like a dog barking, a door slamming shut any of
these types of things, a vacuum cleaner running in the background
can be easy enough to block out. How about if all of a sudden they
turn it on? How does it recognize it? It is what Microsoft is
working on is real-time noise suppression. So while you're in a
meeting and you're sitting there eating that bag of chips there,
Jim yet that bag of chips rattle is going to be filtered out so
they'll have no idea unless they see you with it.
Jim
I've heard you know, people talking about it. And Kathy and I were
talking about how people have become more accepting of distractions
like if you're on a conference call before COVID-19, most people
will try to you know, quiet and everybody in the house. Be quiet
and this and you know, and now everyone seems to be more forgiving
of all of these distractions and other noises that they're saying,
well that's okay. You know, as I get it. That's okay. I mean, I
have told Kathy, the boys, and pops, you know, as long as his bark
isn't incessant if he makes a bark, I sometimes work, and into what
I'm saying but the background noise I think right now from home as
I'm doing this show for just for me, is good. Because it lets
people know No, I am doing the show from home. And like you, I'm
working amid a functioning household, you know, to kind of bring
some realism to it. I can see that. Though if I am on the phone
negotiating a multi-billion dollar or multi-million dollar
advertising package with an advertising agency, I can see where it
might be problematic to hear the dog barking incessantly, while
people are going through figures for that size of a deal. I can see
that I can see where it would come in handy because none of us live
in a secluded monastery if you know what I mean.
Craig
Yeah, you think your comment there about you know there's a
functioning household going on behind. I do agree people are
getting much more tolerant of it. It is the norm, even with
financial stuff. I might have mentioned before I have a daughter
who works as in a call center inbound for a significant financial
institution. You know, the dog will make noise, or a cat will jump
on their shoulder and purr into her microphone. People are becoming
very, very aware of that. But the functioning is the good, the good
part, right? If it's a non-functioning now, you still might want to
have people be quiet.
Jim
I like that. Well, this has been great. It has been a great
conversation, and it always is with Craig Peterson folks, and he's
still there for us. He can be there for you. You see, all the
information I told you I was talking about you can get that same
information that I received from Craig, every week. Exactly.
There's no obligation. There's no charge. He's not going to hound
you or pester you. And if there's ever an emergency again, or
massive hacking, he's the guy who will be providing timely
information. So all you have to do is text My name Jim J-I-M to
this number
Craig
855-385-5553. So just text Jim to 855 385 5553
Jim
Standard data and text rates apply. But I would recommend you do
it. Then you tune in every Tuesday at this time to hear Craig and
I. Craig, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it. We'll
talk with you next week.
Craig
All right, say Hi to Pops for me.
Jim
Thanks. Bye-bye. All right, when we return a final word, you're
listening to the Jim Polito show your safe space.
Unknown Speaker 14:43
And of course me@Craig Peterson.com, everybody. Have a great day.
We'll be back on the morrow. I don't know if you caught my Facebook
Lives this week but a couple of pop-ups here. I'm trying things
out. We explained about the job situation in tech and what's
happening with jobs. And cybersecurity and, of course, a whole
bunch more. And what I'm going to end up doing is I'll send out an
email so that if you are on Facebook, I will let you know when I'm
doing these lives. All right, everybody, take care. Bye-bye
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
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