When it comes to IT solutions, most mid-market manufacturing companies rely on one of two options. They have a dedicated in-house IT team, or an outsourced IT managed services provider (MSP). But manufacturing companies who care about product development and...
Integration and Workflow
Five Reasons to Use SolidWorks PDM in the Cloud
Tired of dealing with in-house PDM issues, unreliable VPN connections, and struggling with remote file access? Perhaps you're looking for a solution that addresses your company's specific needs. Look no further: SPK and Associates SolidWorks PDM in the Cloud presents...
How to Increase Uptime of Your Engineering Systems
Picture this: all your engineering applications run slow, or worse, continue to shut down. Yet, the IT team reports no alerts within the remote monitoring and management systems despite the problem. What is the root cause and how do you fix it? Remote...
How to Create Easy Engineering Design Automation Fixes
In one of our recent articles, we highlighted opportunities for automation, specifically for MCAD (mechanical computer-aided design) and PDM (product data management) activities in your organization. In this next installment, we hope to provide you with other examples...
Managing PTC Integrity Licensing (Windchill RV&S)
When licensing your Windchill Requirements Validation & Source (RV&S) server, there are a few options for purchase or implementation. Many readers may recognize Windchill RV&S as the latest version of PTC Integrity -- or, if you have worked in...
How to Maximize Engineering Design Automation for CAD/PDM
In recent years, interest in engineering design automation across multiple industries skyrocketed, especially due to the high return on investment (ROI). Relieving your engineers from tedious, error-prone tasks and directing them toward automation presents a fantastic...
SPK Wins 2020 Managed Service Provider Award
We are thrilled to announce that SPK and Associates won the Channel Futures / Channel Partners 2020 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 501 Award for a second consecutive year! This prestigious award is widely viewed as the most comprehensive global survey of Information...
Flexible Continuous Integration Pipelines With CD
What is a Continuous Integration Pipeline? The purpose of a continuous integration pipeline is to allow teams to constantly integrate and build software updates in order to quicken release cycles, lower costs, and reduce risks. In a simple implementation of a...
Improve your build/test/deployment with CloudBees CD (formerly Electric Cloud Flow)
Repeatability is an intuitive aspect of daily life. If you throw a ball up, it comes down. If you throw it up twenty times, the same thing will happen, up and then down twenty times. When repeatability doesn’t occur and it’s supposed to, we get anxious. ...
SPK Earns Place on MSP 501 List of Top Managed Services Providers in the World
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif., Aug. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SPK and Associates, LLC (SPK) is excited to announce our recent award as one of 2019's 501 most elite Information Technology managed service providers in the United States. The Channel Futures /...
How To: Move Git Commits From One Branch to Another
Git encourages developers to use branches during their development process as a means of coordinating and managing changes to the master branch. Git does not force any particular strategy for doing so and consequently, several popular branching strategies have...
Our Top Technology Stories in 2017 and 2018 Industry Predictions
SPK wants to wish our growing subscriber community a Happy New Year! We’re honored to be welcomed onto your desktops and smartphones to share stories on how to make your engineering team and company work more efficiently. Perhaps more importantly, we hope any...