[BlueOnyx:06152] Re: FBI raids on Dallas Datacenters

[Jeffrey Pellin]

Hey Chris -  don't sit on the fence!:)

Regards to all from a bitterly cold and snowy Norfolk, UK

Jeffrey

PS. If anyone wants a recommendation for Chris please contact me off topic
as I would hate to embarrass him with too much praise on this forum.

On Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:20:30 -0600, Chris Gebhardt - VIRTBIZ Internet
<cobaltfacts at virtbiz.com> wrote:
> I normally would not comment on this sort of issue, but since the topic 
> has been raised to me privately by a couple of our customers (who are 
> also members of the BlueOnyx / BlueQuartz community) I thought I would 
> offer a bit of background.
> 
> It takes quite a bit for me to speak ill of others, especially in a 
> public forum, but I wish to be very plain in my opinion and analysis so 
> that you have a very accurate idea of the real story.
> 
> Some of you may be aware that the FBI visited two datacenters back in 
> April of 2009 and removed equipment in connection with an investigation 
> they were running.   Apparently, this has become a topic again today 
> because of a follow-up article written on the FBI defending their 
> actions.   I understand that some of you may be concerned that since the 
> articles mention the datacenters are located in Dallas.   I can tell you 
> that the city of location is about the ONLY thing VIRTBIZ has in common 
> with those facilities.
> 
> Here are some points that I would like to make very clear:
> 1) Union Datacom and its sister-companies are owned by a person named 
> Mike Faulkner.  I've met Mike and he has courted our business on a 
> couple of occasions.  In my opinion, I would trust him about as far as I 
> can throw him.
> 
> 2) Mike Faulkner skipped out on the rent at their facility at 2020 Live 
> Oak in Dallas (a location where he really wanted to have VIRTBIZ build a 
> facility into).  When this happened, several customers were given NO 
> notice, and the landlord changed the locks and left the customers 
> without the ability to access their equipment.  Other customers were 
> moved - with no notice - to another datacenter.
> 
> 3) When Mr. Faulkner learned he was under Federal investigation, he fled 
> to Mexico and later faked his death.  He was later arrested, along with 
> his wife and two of his associates, in Cancun Mexico.
> 
> 4) In my opinion, Faulkner is a slimy guy.  I don't trust him, don't 
> like him very much, and based on my conversations with others in the 
> community am certain he's dirty.   Based on my conversations with the 
> man himself, I know that he lies without a second thought.  He told me 
> direct falsehoods regarding his facility's generator, UPS, maintenance 
> agreements, and peering carriers.  My opinion is the guy is a thief and 
> a liar.
> 
> 5) The other datacenter that was involved was Core IP over at 2323 Bryan 
> Street.  Matt Simpson was the owner there and I have also had the 
> opportunity to meet with him in years past.  I think he's a decent guy, 
> but he's made some bad decisions in (a) the people that he partners with 
> and (b) the types of customers he allows in the datacenter.  That is my 
> opinion.
> 
> 6) VIRTBIZ has *nothing* to do with those datacenters or their 
> proprietors.   We made the strategic decision almost 4 years ago to 
> build our own facility, in a building that we exclusively own and 
> operate.  We have 10,000 square feet of datacenter in a freestanding 
> building with no attachments to any other business.
> 
> 7) As any of our customers will attest, we make it a point to get to 
> know our customers even before they move into the datacenter.  We like 
> to get a good feel for who our customers are, what they do, and what 
> they stand for.   We have no problems with telling a customer it would 
> be best for them to take their business elsewhere if we feel they're not 
> a good fit.
> 
> 8) We are a legitimate, family-owned and operated business that has been 
> doing business in Dallas for over 30 years.  We've been in the hosting 
> industry since 1996.  We're not some fly-by-night newcomer with a 
> get-rich-quick scheme.
> 
> 9) We are fully staffed, on-site, at all times.  If a law-enforcement 
> official comes to visit, we're here to greet them.  If they would like 
> information about one of our customers, we will provide that information 
> if we are lawfully served with a subpoena.  In our history, we have had 
> to follow this policy on 3 occasions.   If law-enforcement wished to 
> retrieve equipment from the datacenter, we would gladly assist them if 
> presented with a warrant.   Contrast this with the situations from the 
> news story in which law-enforcement was unable to access any people or 
> information from the unmanned facilities, and the proprietors did not 
> follow-up by returning phone calls as requested.
> 
> Sure, the "raids" made headlines.  But you have to consider the source 
> of the news stories.  That sort of thing would simply not occur at 
> VIRTBIZ.   We run our ship much tighter than that.
> 
> In short, the FBI does not simply wander around Dallas looking for 
> datacenters from which they can confiscate equipment.  They follow 
> leads, investigate crimes, and do their jobs in the course of that
> business.
> 
> If you have any questions, please let me know.
> 
> Otherwise, Happy Holidays to one and all!