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Sharing Joy with MAAC

One of the great things about being a managed IT provider in San Diego County is the outstanding organizations and people with whom we get to work.

This year, we were excited to kick off our first annual jacket and toy drive with MAAC. MAAC is a non-profit organization that has supported the San Diego County area for over 50 years with advocacy and high-quality programs that maximize self-sufficiency among the vulnerable members of our communities.


Generous donations from centrexIT families filled up our server room this year. MAAC will distribute the warm clothing articles and gifts to families in North San Diego County.

How Can We Help?

The more we’ve worked with MAAC this year, the more we’ve come to realize how life-changing their programs are, and the more we are impressed by the dedication and commitment of their staff to the individuals and families they serve. The last couple of months offered us an excellent opportunity to participate by donating warm clothing items and gifts for MAAC to distribute to the children within their programs.

Who is MAAC?

Since 1965, MACC has helped increase the self-sufficiency of individuals and families in San Diego County by using a holistic approach focusing on five different areas of service: Economic Development, Education, Health & Well-being, Housing, and Advocacy & Leadership Development. These Pathways of Service provide many different channels of support and advocacy for those who need it.

For instance, programs such as the STEP (Striving Towards Economic Prosperity) Program helps individuals gain self-reliance. Other Educational programs, like Head Start, help nearly 2,000 children and their families in the North San Diego County areas by giving early educational support.

Filling a Real Need

Many of the families participating in MAAC’s Head Start and Preschool programs have children who qualify for seasonal outreach programs such as Toys for Tots. However, the teachers and staff at MAAC know that it’s not just gifts that make a difference this time of the year. As mild as San Diego County is, compared to the rest of the country, it still gets uncomfortably cold in the winter. Thus, MAAC commits to providing warm clothing to families during this colder season as well as outreaching with gifts.


Our employees collected jackets, warm lap blankets, and hand-knitted hats to send to MAAC for their winter warm clothing drive.

Grateful to Give Back

Providing managed IT support for clients is rewarding for us at centrexIT because we love geeking out with technology. Still, more than that, we love supporting the missions of the organizations we work with every day. Participating in the jacket and toy drive this year allowed us to provide direct support to an outstanding San Diego non-profit organization, MAAC. Thank you, MAAC, for all that you do!

Other Ways of Giving Back

For those interested in more information about MAAC’s impact on the community, you can find it on their website. And of course, donations are always welcome.
Announcements, Featured

San Diego Announces Deal With Verizon to Prep for 5G Wireless System

A multi-million dollar deal between San Diego and Verizon will lay the groundwork for 5G technology, the mayor announced Monday.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, City Councilmember Chris Cate and San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit joined Verizon executives to discuss a partnership that will expand Smart City capabilities.

Faulconer said the expansion would be at no additional cost to taxpayers while mentioning that permit times will be reduced to allow Verizon to install technology faster.

“We can’t yet announce 5G for San Diego but [this deal] will build the foundation for a 5G network here,” Verizon Senior Vice President of Engineering Ed Chan said.

Verizon first launched its “5G Home” service in certain areas of Houston, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Indianapolis in October.

Then, just last week, the company rolled out its 5G wireless network in Chicago and Minneapolis. Residents in those market with a compatible phone could download movies in seconds instead of minutes, according to Verizon.

One model phone works with the network currently with another model phone expected to be released later this quarter, CNBC reports.

The company estimates 5G will deliver speeds approximately 20 times faster than what is possible with a 4G system.

To put it in perspective, 2G allowed us to send text messages, 3G connected us to the Internet, 4G made that practice faster. Developers say 5G will change our world.

“We are together laying the foundation for a smart city and a smarter city for generations to come,” Faulconer said.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department will receive 50 new tablets with the San Diego Police Department getting 500 new smart phones in the deal.

“Just about everything we do has to do with wireless technology,” Nisleit said. “That’s what allows us to get there quickly and provide that piece of public safety that is needed.”

Nisleit said during a critical incident more communication through the new smart phones will increase public safety.

Verizon is going to be installing new technology at 5 of the city’s most dangerous intersections to help the city better assess those problem areas.

“5G provides traffic analyzing capabilities for us to make traffic flow better in San Diego,” Chan added.

A faster network will also allow for autonomous driving in San Diego. Smart cars will rely on sensors around the city to pick up on someone running across the street or another car turning the corner.

“If that information comes to the car a little too late that’s a problem,” Chan added. “But with 5G the car will get the signal quickly on a reliable network.”

NBC 7 reported on the technology for 5G being developed by Qualcomm in 2016.

Source: NBC San Diego
Announcements, Featured

5G in San Diego Will Be A Game Changer For Local Businesses

San Diego received some good news when AT&T, the first carrier to roll out 5G, announced that the city will be one of the first 12 places in 2019 to get the mobile and wireless communications technology. Here’s what 5G in San Diego means for the burgeoning city.

For San Diego, the arrival of a 5G network is a game-changing moment. The technology has the ability to push San Diego into the future and stimulate development and growth across many industries.

Why is 5G in San Diego so important?

As the fifth generation of wireless technology, many view increased speed as the most notable characteristic of 5G. Greater speed is what will reduce latency, allow more devices to communicate with one another, and enable new innovations, such as driverless cars, to be safer and more efficient.

5G in San Diego

Qualcomm has run simulations to see real-world speeds of 5G networks. In Frankfurt for instance, Qualcomm found that download speeds increased to 100 Mbps on 5G, up from 8 Mbps on LTE. In San Francisco, browsing speeds jumped from 71 Mbps for 4G users to 1.4 Gbps for 5G users.

Clearly, 5G is incredibly fast and will greatly benefit mobile-based users and technologies, like the Internet of Things.

5G also will replace wired broadband services. How is this possible?

Currently, 4G LTE isn’t fast enough for a home or office full of people to stream 4K videos or play games simultaneously. With 5G, that will be possible. That means companies and families across San Diego and the country can forget the cords. The modem will connect to the 5G network.

5G will catalyze an upgrade cycle for businesses in San Diego

San Diego is a natural choice for AT&T to launch their first 5G networks. The reason perhaps starts with local tech giant Qualcomm. The chip-maker has not only been instrumental in positioning San Diego as an early adopter of 5G technology, they also possess the know-know to successfully bring the ultra-fast technology to businesses and consumers.

5G technology in san diego

Qualcomm’s presence is crucial for San Diego. After all, there’s a high density of life sciences and biotech companies here, with names like Takeda, Pfizer, Illumina, and Thermo Fisher Scientific operating in the city. According to EY, San Diego ranks third globally in biotech venture investment, behind only New England and San Francisco.

As the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation notes, “the life sciences cluster is a major driver of San Diego’s innovation economy.” This is why 5G can have a tremendously positive impact on the city.

For instance, since 5G will improve any applications that require high-speed video or real-time responses, it will certainly enable better telemedicine. It will allow more technologies to be integrated (like AI tools), enhance patient monitoring capabilities, make remote surgeries possible, and expand the reach of healthcare in rural areas and to those with mobility issues.

To fully take advantage of 5G, companies in San Diego will certainly implement plans to upgrade equipment and software. This will undoubtedly not just boost economic activity, but also spur innovation.

5G and the New Wave of Innovation in San Diego

Just as 4G technology vastly upgraded the mobile user experience, unleashed the era of big data, and provided the foundation for technologies like ride-sharing, 5G will propel the next age of possibility.

In San Diego, that’s being seen firsthand in the fostering of 5G startups. XCOM, a 5G-focused startup, is one firm that aims to invent the future of wireless technologies. They plan to invest in 5G startups, as well as nurture and develop ideas in-house. XCOM was started by three former Qualcomm executives in 2018.

5G San Diego

Qualcomm itself has also allocated $100 million to startups focusing on commercializing artificial intelligence. The chipmaking giant understands that 5G can lead to the mainstream use of AI, such robotics and machine learning platforms, and is making efforts to support the development.

Additionally, Apple, who recently opened a campus that’s expected to bring more than 1,000 jobs to the local economy, will attract new talent to the area and offer players across many industries the chance to leverage new opportunities. For example, partnerships between Apple and healthcare startups could be mutually beneficial. Apple could gain more momentum in the healthcare space, and startups in the industry could learn how to use 5G and other technologies to their advantage.

5G and San Diego: A bright future

5G technology presents an unparalleled opportunity for the city of San Diego to build a more prosperous, connected, and secure future.

Companies that rely on mobile technology should learning how to use 5G to their advantage early on. That begins with doing the right research, allocating resources properly, making good partnerships, and bringing in it services and tech talent. This is how a competitive edge is gained.
Announcements, Featured

HATCH LA Bioscience Incubator Program | A Great Place For Biotech

LA Bioscience is welcoming a new addition to its corridor, and it’s bound to “hatch” new opportunities for bioscience companies to leverage. This new addition is appropriately named Hatch LA Bioscience, HATCHlabs or HATCH and it stands to provide bioscience companies with a space to create, experiment and innovate.

This office space and multi-tenant lab is the result of a partnership between Hatchspaces LLC and the LA Bioscience Hub and offers promise for life sciences, bioscience and tech companies in Los Angeles’ ever-expanding biosciences industry. Here are some important aspects of this incubator program:

HATCH LA Bioscience Offers Plenty of Space

With more than 22,000 square feet of office space, HATCH is set to be a hub for bioscience companies that have outgrown their incubator spaces and want to take advantage of a large facility. Agora Partners and ASG Real Estate spearheaded the buildout of this hub and worked together to convert this 80-year-old building into a robust space to drive industry-disrupting innovation.

This space used to be home to several types of businesses, including art studios, metal works businesses and furniture fabrication companies. Now this space has transformed from a vacated industrial park to a wet lab facility for LA’s innovative talent in the bioscience industry.

Under the leadership of these two partners, the once-furniture fabrication and metal works facility, now is a home for bioscience companies. Bioscience companies stand to benefit from the resources at HATCH, including its large lock-out suites and co-working amenities.

There’s a Space for Research and Testing

Biosciences companies often must invest in research and development heavily to stay competitive and ensure their products and services are at the level of quality their customers and key holders expect. However, a challenge to achieving this goal is having access to the resources that can facilitate research and testing.

HATCH helps solve this issue by providing a place for bioscience companies to test their products and services and conduct quality research. Moreover, HATCH offers a place to support operational efficiencies and facilitate the radical and rapid advancement of bioscience companies’ research and development efforts.

The incubator also hosts a clean room and supports collaborative environments to facilitate innovation and research and development. With these capabilities, HATCH presents a unique position to enable innovation and industry disruption.

HATCH is Near Tech Talent

Bioscience companies that find it challenging to connect with industry leaders, life science IT companies or other tech talent pools may find HATCH a place that can solve these problems thanks to its convenient location in the LA Bioscience Corridor. The incubator space is located in the El Sereno neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles on Alhambra Avenue and conveniently across local cafes and coffee shops.

The USC Health Sciences Campus, the LAC+USC Medical Center and Downtown Los Angeles are also within proximity to HATCH and the LA Bioscience Corridor. The LA Bioscience Corridor’s growing eco-system of academic institutions, early tech startups, investment groups, growing life science companies, medical facilities and various other organizations in the nonprofit, private and public sectors makes it an ideal location to support successful innovations by biosciences companies and the opportunity to meet, learn and collaborate with like-minded people.

The LA Bioscience Corridor is also home to a community of tech talent and startups, which makes it easy for HATCH tenants to access L.A.’s tech and life sciences talent.

An Incubator for Innovation and Change

As an incubator for innovation, HATCH stands to help usher in new best practices for bioscience companies and organizations in the life sciences industry. This change may likely start with expanding talent beyond typical demographics in the tech and biosciences industry.

One change has been mandated by new changes in California law. By 2021, California life science companies in the public sector will need to include a minimum of one female board member. This change helps open up an opportunity for changing the face of tech talent and balancing the scales of executive leadership in the life sciences industry from a male-dominated industry to one that is more inclusive.

HATCH Wants Tenants

It’s not always easy to find a space to innovate, experiment and be around like-minded individuals in the bioscience industry. However, HATCH solves this issue and it’s currently seeking tenants for its new space. This rare opportunity provides bioscience companies with the ability to be one of the first tenants in the space. That means they can find ideal units to house their early operations or support existing ones that are experiencing a rapid growth stage.

While the office space opened in early December 2018, it is still seeking new tenants to fill its units. The incubator and office space office also offers flexible lease terms for bioscience businesses that may only require temporary housing.

Final Thoughts

It’s not always easy to find a space to innovate, experiment and be around like-minded individuals in the bioscience industry. But with the opening of HATCH, small business owners and innovators in the bioscience industry can expect this all to change. By taking advantage of this innovative incubator and office space, bioscience companies can effectively support the innovative products and services they plan to bring to the market.
Announcements, Featured

What Apple’s New San Diego Campus Means For Life Sciences Companies

Apple is continuously innovating and spreading its influence across industries, and its most recent moves focus on life sciences, healthcare and biotech, including its expansion in San Diego with a new campus. With Apple’s new San Diego campus, life sciences companies can expect several opportunities they can leverage. Here are some key aspects to consider:

New Jobs Means New Potential Partnerships

Apple’s new San Diego campus means job creation and partnership potential for the San Diego life sciences market. Within five years, the company plans to create at least 1,000 or more new jobs in San Diego alone. This is just a fraction of the 20,000 new jobs Apple plans to create in the United States by 2023.

Apple’s San Diego campus will most definitely attract more talent in the area, and the company has the opportunity to review thousands of applications from San Diego’s tech-educated population to fill the new positions in IT services.

This access to Apple’s talent can mean opportunities to connect with tech industry leaders and talent who can help life sciences companies accelerate their endeavors.

This expansion can also mean partnership opportunities with life sciences companies to support applications and innovations, including having secure access to patient health records and other vitals with the patients’ permission.

Apple’s foray in the biotech, life sciences, and healthcare industries has resulted in its partnership with several hospitals and electronic records companies across the country to simplify access to medical records so that patients can easily view their records via their mobile devices and future partnerships can result as Apple continues to expand its presence in the region.

Enhanced Access to Quality Resources

Procuring quality resources has long been a challenge for life sciences companies, whether it means finding the right suppliers to help organizations in the life sciences industry support research and development, enhancing operational efficiency or ensuring the integrity of raw materials.

Apple’s interest in expanding in San Diego means that the city is increasingly attractive to technology companies. This can pose as an opportunity for life sciences to expand their options for obtaining high-quality resources.

Apple’s goal to produce more of its products and parts in the United States gives the company better control over the quality of its products. Life sciences companies that use Apple products to improve its operational efficiencies may have better access to the high-quality resources they need that may play an important role in helping them accelerate their speed to market their products or services.

Ability to Achieve Compliance

With a younger and more tech-savvy consumer base, life sciences companies face the challenge of ensuring their devices, products and services can provide consumers what they need while staying in compliance with local and federal privacy laws.

However, achieving compliance is complex as devices, and products, such as smart watches and apps, can both serve customers while collecting too much data with can create a gray area concerning privacy. But Apple’s presence in San Diego can play an important role in help life sciences companies achieve compliance success.

Apple’s expertise in consumer trust and design have made it successful in its pursuits in the healthcare industry. Users of Apple’s apps and devices, such as the Apple Watch, can store and access their medical information securely thanks to its encrypted passcode.

By figuring out a way to keep consumer information private, Apple presents a unique way for life sciences companies to comply with HIPAA and other privacy laws while staying competitive in their fields.

Final Thoughts

With Apple’s new San Diego campus, life sciences have much to look forward to. From potential partnerships to increased opportunities for resources that can help support innovations, life sciences companies can take advantage of the potential opportunities that Apple’s expansion in San Diego will bring.