AS HEARD ON - The Jim Polito Show - WTAG 580 AM: Understanding the SBA System Crash and more

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

--- 

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

--- 

More stories and tech updates at:

www.craigpeterson.com

Don't miss an episode from Craig. Subscribe and give us a rating:

www.craigpeterson.com/itunes

Follow me on Twitter for the latest in tech at:

www.twitter.com/craigpeterson

For questions, call or text:

855-385-5553