News & Information

MinistryBox Launches New Website for FBC Holly Springs

Tue Aug 18 15:09:09 -0400 2009

MinistryBox is proud to announce the launch of a new website for Holly Springs-based local church, First Baptist Church of Holly Springs. The team at FBC Holly Springs approached MinistryBox with a desire for a new website in August of 2009. The main goal of the project was to develop a new website design that reflected their current church image, vision and mission. The old website had been in existence for several years with no updates.

MinistryBox's Director of Marketing, Matt Tommey worked in collaboration with the FBC Holly Springs leadership team to design a website that exceeded all their goals and expectations. The new website has a cutting-edge design that represents their church and the vision they are called to pursue. The website features an online calendar, online donations, blog, integrated media, content management system, worship team management tool and more.

MinistryBox is proud of the new website built for First Baptist Church of Holly Springs, GA and looks forward to a long, continuing relationship. For more information on this project or other website projects completed by MinistryBox - contact Matt Tommey, Director of Marketing.

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MinistryBox is a Kennesaw, Georgia based software development company specializing in online church management software.

CorData Launches New Website for ABE Enterprises

Tue Aug 18 14:56:12 -0400 2009

CorData Inc. is proud to announce the launch of a new website for Kennesaw-based geotechnical construction and engineering firm, ABE Enterprises. The team at ABE approached CorData with a desire for a new website in June of 2009. The main goal of the project was to develop a new website design that reflected their current corporate image and capabilities. The old website had been in existence for several years with no updates.

CorData's Director of Marketing, Matt Tommey worked in collaboration with the ABE leadership team to design a website that exceeded all their goals and expectations. The new website has a cutting-edge design that represents their company and the clientele they are wanting to reach. In addition, the website features pages that highlight their corporate services, equipment and recent projects.

One of the recent geotechnical construction projects completed by ABE Enterprises was with Brasfield & Gore for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. In order to meet the increasing pediatric demands of the Atlanta area, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has expanded its Egleston campus to include a multi-level below grade parking deck attached to new interior hospital space.

The close proximity of adjacent roads and existing structures required that the perimeter of the site receive some type of earth retention to separate the grades. Therefore, we constructed a top-down permanent waterproof concrete shoring wall that combined a conventional temporary earth retention wall and a concrete foundation wall. The concrete contains a waterproofing admixture and serves as permanent lagging between steel soldier piles. This type of earth retention provides schedule and cost savings by eliminating the need to build two separate wall systems (one temporary and one permanent). The shoring wall area totaled approximately 90,000 square feet with a maximum wall height of approximately 75 feet.

CorData is proud of the new website built for ABE Enterprises and looks forward to a long, continuing relationship. For more information on this project or other website projects completed by CorData, Inc - contact Matt Tommey, Director of Marketing.

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CorData Inc. is a Kennesaw, Georgia based company specializing in the design and implementation of custom IT infrastructure solutions for companies in many industries including architecture, engineering and construction, financial planning and manufacturing.

How We Did It: Cisco IP Video

Tue Aug 18 15:09:52 -0400 2009

The Cisco customer: Liberty Thrift Store

The Cisco Select Certified Partner: CorData, Inc.

"Video surveillance works for us. We average 200 customers and at least $1000 in sales per day, but we don't see any thievery," says Pastor John Fichtner, CEO of a 4-employee, 8400-square-foot retail thrift store.

Theft at a store like this would typically exceed $60 a week. But IP video cameras prevent theft here. Before this nonprofit business opened in March 2009, it integrated 16 Cisco PVC2300 Business Internet Video Cameras onto its Ethernet LANs.

"We aimed the video cameras on the 'hot zones' [the physical areas prone to shoplifting or employee theft]. It was easy to set up, and it wasn't expensive," Fichtner says.

The Network: Keep It Simple

The new store operates on a tight budget, and its staff has little time or inclination to focus on technology. "But we knew we needed a network to do business," Fichtner says.

In late 2008, he called in a Cisco Select Certified Partner (a reseller that specializes in serving small businesses). "We told Gary Beckstedt [the partner's director of operations] our goals and needs, and we emphasized how wary we are of complex technology."

The partner obliged. "First, we designed a small-business network that would let the store efficiently communicate and conduct business," says Beckstedt.

The Cisco IP and 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network, installed in less than three weeks, provides both the store and its remote donation center with Internet-connected telephony, data, and video communications. The two sites' LANs uplink through Gigabit Ethernet backbones to a fiber-optic connection that combines them into one network, which is managed remotely by the partner for a few hundred dollars a month.

Advanced Surveillance

For loss prevention, Fichtner took the advice of his newly hired store manager: Deter theft by using video to prevent crime in real-time. The store uses no hidden video cameras; they are all visible.

Installed over two days, the store's Cisco video surveillance system prevents theft by using these technologies:

Coverage of all "hot zones" by 16 cameras that are powered through Ethernet cables dropped from the ceiling and are wall-mounted quickly with three screws.
Two large monitors at the store entrance, hanging prominently above the checkout station, that publicly show images from all 16 cameras simultaneously, and one camera in full frame.
"Cameras that are incredible high quality," says Fichtner; the cameras' features include motion detection and a wide aspect lens.
Local storage of up to 21 days of recordings from all 16 cameras, on one PC with a 1-terabyte hard drive that is automatically backed up to a server.
Local administration done easily by nontechnical staff. "We actually haven't had to adjust anything; the system works like an atomic clock," Fichtner says.
Web-based system management that enables remote configuration, diagnostics, and maintenance, using each camera's IP address and a virtual private network (VPN). (The newer Cisco PVC300 Pan Tilt Optical Zoom Internet Camera also provides remote control of pan, tilt, and zoom.)

"This system cost us only half what traditional [closed circuit TV] security companies bid, and it's twice as good," Fichtner says. The 16-camera system cost the store $8,500 all-inclusive, including installation.

ROI from Higher Income

The video surveillance increases the store's income by reducing "shrinkage" (loss due to shoplifting, employee theft, paperwork errors, and supplier fraud). Using 2008 retail industry metrics estimating that 1.52 percent of sales are lost to shrinkage (44 percent of it to employee theft, 35 percent to shoplifting), this new store's loss prevention solution will pay for itself within 2.5 years, faster as sales ramp up.

The store's return on investment (ROI) may surpass the industry numbers for two reasons:

"You'll probably be surprised at this: People tend to steal more from thrifts than other types of retail stores," says Fichtner.

Criminologist Richard Hollinger recently told the press

The higher the ROI for this business, the greater its benevolence: 100 percent of the store's income goes to the poor.

Next Steps

Find an experienced local Cisco partner that meets your specific needs
Learn more about the solutions used by this customer: Cisco Smart Business Communications System, wireless access points, and video surveillance

Cordata Works with Habitat for Humanity

Mon Jul 13 08:40:42 -0400 2009

For several years, CorData Inc has worked with Habitat for Humanity of NW Metro Atlanta to provide their network infrastructure needs - including system-wide support and network maintenance & planning. Because CorData has been a strategic technology solution provider for the Habitat office, when it came time to make the choice for a new website, the choice was natural.

CorData was chosen by Habitat for Humanity of NW Metro Atlanta to provide a powerful ministry-management solution via their flagship software product, MinistryBox. Through a custom website design and an easy-to-use online interface, MinistryBox has proven to be a perfect solution for the Habitat team.

You can check out the new website at http://staging.nwmetroatlantahabitat.org

CorData Launches New Software Product: MinistryBox

Thu Aug 06 10:11:10 -0400 2009

Matthew Brown and the team at CorData, Inc have a vision to provide tools for churches and ministries to help them manage every aspect of their ministry online to enable them to "cast a wider net." After several years of successfully serving Atlanta-area churches, CorData is launching their flagship church product, MinistryBox, to the national marketplace with a focus on serving churches around the country.

MinistryBox is a comprehensive church management software that enables ministry leaders to manage every area of their ministry under one virtual "roof" on their church website. Unlike other church management software products on the market, MinistryBox offers all their product suites for one price ($100/mo) and continues to add management suites and features over the life of the product at no additional cost. Additionally, they provide free software upgrades, free training and support and custom website design and strategy from their experienced marketing team.

"I am very excited about the design and marketing team we've assembled here at MinistryBox under the leadership of Director of Marketing, Matt Tommey" Matthew Brown, CEO, says. "With many years of experience in working with churches and ministry organizations, we have a unique ability to understand and translate the desires of our clients into websites that produce powerful results."

MinistryBox Ministry Management Suites

• Website Content Management Suite: Allows staff or volunteers to update your website through easy-to-use tools
• Donation & Fund Management Suite: Robust church financial software that enables you to receive, process and manage secure online donations via your website or on-site kiosk
• Church Membership Software: Allows you to manage member and visitor data, including contact information, attendance, group participation, giving and more.
• Communications Management Suite: Enables you to stay in contact with your congregation via custom HTML. Includes e-mail newsletters, blogs, forums, user groups and online church calendars.
• Virtual Rehearsal Suite: Powerful worship planning software that allows you to manage your worship ministry through online scheduling, event planning and an MP3 and Chord Chart Database
• Online Media Management Suite: Allows you to keep all of your online media under one easy-to-use interface. Includes a Sermon Library, Photo Galleries and Streaming Audio/Video

Implementing Your MinistryBox Web Solution

Through a unique discovery process designed to translate your desires into a church website design that will "blow you away," the MinistryBox Design Team will help you develop a custom look and feel for your new church website, based on your church's unique identity and style. The MinistryBox Integration Team will then work with your staff to ensure a seamless transition of data from you existing software into your new web-based solution. No additional fees are required for these great services.

"Our heart is to serve churches through design and technology solutions that make their lives easier and take them to a higher level within the life of their ministry," says Director of Marketing, Matt Tommey. MinistryBox offers template-based as well as fully customized church website designs to meet every budget and style preference.

If you are ready to take your church or ministry to a higher level, contact the team at MinistryBox today by calling 877-795-0089 or by emailing them at sales@ministrybox.org.

Regional Denominational Office Chooses CorData

Wed May 27 11:36:29 -0400 2009

CorData was chosen by the Foursquare Church's Southeastern District Office to be the preferred provider for their unified communications needs in their newly constructed district office.

From the beginning of the building and planning phase of the project, CorData was engaged with the leadership of the district office - assessing their needs, offering viable solutions and managing the process of installation. The office houses 8 full-time staff, complete with individual offices, lobby, meeting space/conference room and work room.

Challenge: to streamline communications for in-house and off-site staff while providing a cost-effective technology solution.

Solution: CorData provided the district office with a powerful UC520 (unified communications telephone system) solution with Cisco Catalyst Express CE520 and Cisco 7961/7965 phones for each office and work space. In the lobby and conference room we integrated a powerful digital signage solution complete with mini-mac processor and 40" LCD screens. The conference room boasts a smart board overlay that fits the LCD screen, allowing conference participants to use the LCD screen as an interactive whiteboard. Lastly, we outfitted the office with a powerful Cisco ASA 5500 and it's own mailserver.

Because the district office relates to leaders within a 6-state area, representing 181 churches, web-conferencing capabilities was paramount. CorData implemented a WebEx solution for the leaders of the district, enablling them to conduct 'virtual' meetings with their team easily and for a nominal monthly investment.

Ministry in the Trenches

Mon May 19 17:23:09 -0400 2008

In a world where there are so many ministries out there that seem geared at how to improve your lifestyle, how to improve your finances - and more - it was very refreshing today to meet with Harvey. Harvey founded a ministry here in Atlanta with a cool goal. They work with churches around town to put together teams of helping hands to help single moms and the elderly fix their homes. Of course, Harvey's team also works on relief efforts in catastrophe-stricken areas like New Orleans, but their day-to-day ministry project is to help widows and the troubled by fixing what's broken.

Investigators Get a New Way to Share Findings

Mon May 19 17:15:52 -0400 2008

We inked a cool contract today. A private investigation firm here in Atlanta is (was) looking for a designer to put together a web site for them where field investigators can upload videos of their work on various cases, allowing secure access by plaintiffs and attorneys. Our solution will be an innovative system they will use as a new workflow, to organize case files and present them in a simple and useful manner. Want to see the site? Take a look at http://www.stoplossinc.com. We'll be getting it up there soon.