Pearl Technology

09/04/2026

Safety first! But… first, coffee.

09/03/2026

We’re proud to announce that Pearl Technology has received another prestigious award! We have been recognized as a leader among the nation’s fast-growing IT providers by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, on the 2026 CRN Fast Growth 150 list.

This annual list highlights the top-performing and fastest-growing technology solution providers, including integrators, managed service providers, value-added resellers, and IT consultants in North America. We’re proud to be named to this national list!

09/02/2026

A 32GB kit of DDR5 memory was about $120 last August.

This month it's $392.

That's the number under the Nvidia story from last week.

Its biggest customers were told AI servers shipping in early 2027 will cost more than 15% more.

The reason is memory.

DRAM contract prices were projected to climb 58 to 63% in a single quarter this spring.

Nobody reading this is buying a Vera Rubin rack. (If you are, congrats on the budget.)

But the memory driving that increase is the same memory in every server. Including the one on your 2027 refresh list.

It's usually about specs. Next year it's about timing.

You can buy ahead of the increase.

You can pay the 2027 price.

Or you can skip owning the box and rent the rack, which moves the memory bill onto someone else's balance sheet.

We run colocation, so we have a view on that last one. Read it with that in mind.

The hardware line in your 2027 budget deserves a second look before it gets approved.

P.S. The $392 kit is the same one that was $120. Nothing about it got better. It just got popular.

08/31/2026

Listen as Pearl Technology's Dave Johnson discusses cameras and the growth of AI in analyzing/organizing information on The Greg and Dan Show.

Here are some takeaways:

Between 76 & 93% of Americans support police body cameras, making it one of the rare, genuinely bipartisan issues in policing

About 80% of U.S. law enforcement officers wear body cams to document their work

Apparently, we’re in favor of cameras on people but not on poles

Axon, the company that produces the body cams worn by 75% of law enforcement officers, has another product called Fusus

Axon Fusus is a cloud-based real-time crime center (RTCC) platform
• It pulls footage from Axon body cams, drones, license plate readers, gunshot-detection sensors & dispatch data, then displays it on a live map for police dispatchers & officers
• It can also include footage from security cameras in businesses, churches, schools & footage from doorbell & security cameras from private citizens if they opt to share their devices

Say there’s a report of a school shooting & the school shares its security camera footage with Fusus; police have immediate access to that footage, as well as data from the ShotSpotter device, as well as the license plate reader cameras & drones deployed to look for the suspect
• Fusus doesn’t do facial recognition, but if it’s using a feature called Sentry, it can use AI to detect human shapes & the presence of weapons
• This means Fusus could actually spot the potential school shooter before he enters the school & send an alert directly to the police

Fusus is now used by more than 250 U.S. cities & counties

What’s my personal stance on Flock, Fusus & other similar technology?
• I’m for using technology to protect people
• I’m for protecting people from the misuse of that technology
• I’m against throwing the baby out with the bath water

Greg and Dan talk with Dave Johnson of Pearl Technology about Flock Safety cameras, what they are, how they work, and the law enforcement agencies and communities using them to help identify vehicles and assist with investigations. He also discusses Axon’s Fusus platform and explains the growing r...

08/28/2026

The van made a stop at the Peoria Zoo.

If you've got kids in this town, you've done the loop. The giraffes, the monkeys, the slow walk back to the car when someone melts down by the gift shop. It's been part of growing up here for a long time.

Not much tech to fix at the zoo. We just like being around the places central Illinois actually cares about. The network stuff is the job. This part is the fun.

Good morning to be out. What's the first animal your family sprints to when you walk in?

08/26/2026

We took two events and made them one.

Central Illinois Cyber and the AV Technology Showcase are now a single afternoon. Vendor booths, real education, keynote speakers, and the local people who actually work on this stuff.

Monday, September 28. Peoria Riverfront Museum. 12 to 6.

Booth space is limited and RSVP closes August 1. The two nervous guys in bow ties will be there either way. Save the date and come say hi.

08/25/2026

Bears fans walking into Soldier Field this season are part of a tech experiment, whether they notice it or not.

The gates are moving to AI-powered screening. The pitch is simple: walk through at a normal pace, keys and phone still in your pocket, no line snaking around the block, while the system watches for the things that actually matter.

We think this stuff is fascinating. The places we all take for granted, stadiums, airports, arenas, the concert you went to last month, are quietly some of the most advanced tech environments around. Screening systems, the networks holding them up, the data moving behind the scenes. Most fans just see the turnstile.

We notice the turnstile. Occupational hazard.

Also, go Bears.

08/24/2026

Listen as Pearl Technology's Dave Johnson discusses taking your info back from data brokers on The Greg and Dan Show.

Here are some takeaways:

Why do I constantly get spam emails and texts?

Every time you drive your car, scan your loyalty card, get on social media, or just browse the web, information about you gets scooped up and sold.

There's an entire industry built on packaging your name, your address, your phone number, even your relatives' names, and selling that file to anyone who'll pay for it.

These companies are called data brokers and there are literally hundreds of them.

Some specialize in marketing and identity.
• Acxiom – identity data on 2.5B consumers globally.
• Epsilon – purchasing history on 250+ million US consumers.

Some specialize in people-search.
• Spokeo, BeenVerified, Intelius, Whitepages, PeopleFinders, MyLife, etc.

Can you get off their lists so your data cannot be sold?
• There is no federal law requiring a data broker to delete your information.
– The FTC has gone after some brokers for selling sensitive location data without consent.
• California has DROP (Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform) but that only covers Californians.

There are several companies that will work to get your data removed for a fee. Here are some of the ones PC Magazine
recommends.
• Incogni covers ~400+ sites and is Deloitte-audited for process: $96 per year
• DeleteMe ~85 sites automated, advertises 900+: $129 per year
• Optery – 380 – 600+ sites. Provides removal screenshots: § $39 – $249 per year
• Aura ~140 sites. Full ID-theft bundle: § $144 per year
• Privacy Bee ~1,040 sites. 5-star rating from PC Magazine: § $96 – $799 per year

Scammers also get your data from breach sites on the dark web.

Data removal services do not work on these sources.

Greg and Dan talk with Dave Johnson of Pearl Technology about data brokers, what they are, and how they collect, organize, and share information about consumers. He explains how businesses use data brokers, the types of personal information that can end up in their databases, and how certain service...

08/21/2026

Nothing like a clean AV setup.

Every cable where it should be. Every screen lined up. The kind of rack you almost don't want to close the door on.

It's the bar we hold at Pearl. Conference rooms, control rooms, event spaces, built to look and run exactly like this.

Want that for your space? Give us a call.