You are receiving this newsletter as a tribal member at SMB Nation.
A big welcome to more MSP Partner members who attended the on-demand MSP Partners virtual trade show! Enjoy the read (SMB Nation is a silver sponsor of the MSP Partners organization).
Keep your chin up! While the financial markets go from mild to wild by the minute, I have taken behavioral steps to keep me focused. First, I have turned off CNN and CNBC on cable TV during work hours. I previously played these stations in the background as “white noise” (I think reader Dave Sobel does the same). Today I play an XM Radio “reggae” station with ye olde one-three beat thumpin’ on my speakers. This is how I roll!
This is the GeekSpeak issue for November 2008. I have a very interesting story about a gateway Joe Schurman developed with Quintum. Long-time reader Robert Springer contributes in the Outlook Web Access (OWA) area. I have some third-party news from Sun, NetSuite and HP. Plus we have a fantastic SBS 2008 setup webinar next week PLUS you can qualify to WIN an iPod device by completing our VoIP in SMB Survey.
cheers…harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO | SMB Nation, Inc. | Bainbridge Island, WA USA
PS – what is TelAssistant? You will find out in December so keep reading!
PPS – Last call for SMB Nation Europe, December 5th, London!
Joey Advances RP Infrastructure: Branch Office connectivity
Joe Schurman, long-time Office Communication Server (OCS) and Response Point (RP) guru, has teamed with Quintum and developed a branch office gateway for OCS and RP. But the details are important here. In chatting with Joey, I understood that the key point was this was a blended scenario connecting the OCS world to the RP world (see figure below). This is a fantastic advancement in the RP ecosystem for two reasons. First, there is an entirely new world of OCS sites that have a reason to now use RP. Second, there are larger RP implementation that might have considered OCS a solution waiting for a reason. The reason for RPers to look at OCS is branch office connectivity.
Joey has branded this solution SmartVoIP and you can learn more HERE and up on Telephonation (look for the full press release at our Telephonation site). So let me know what you think of this solution? And thank you to Joey for this evolutionary leap in the RP world. It’s the start of a new epoch.
Meanwhile, long-time RPer Ed Carnes has broken the news that Microsoft will release RP SP2 in Feb 2009 with RP-to-RP over the Internet connectivity. Here are Ed’s words in his customer-facing Fall 2008 newsletter: MICROSOFT RESPONSE POINT GETS BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER – SP2 IS ON THE WAY! We cannot say enough good things about Response Point – it is one of the best products we have ever seen come from Microsoft! RP makes a small business appear like a big business to its customers and the ability of getting voicemail via email, archiving, reporting and so many other things make RP a MUST HAVE for business that need 50 phones are less. The SP2 release, slated for FEB 2009, adds the feature we have been waiting for – the ability to take your RP phone HOME from the office, connected it to your internet, and have it appear to STILL be on the office network. If you need to work from home temporarily (waiting for that new refrigerator to be delivered!) or maybe you want your employees to work from home as a rule (remote workers) you can have your phone with you. And the cost? ZERO. It is a FREE upgrade and requires NO NEW HARDWARE. If you haven’t seen RP, come see it in action at our office. Carnes Group deploys Syspine and Aastra VoIP solutions. Call us for a quote and get 5% off the cost of the hardware!
BEST PRACTICE: Gap filler! What Joey has done is something Microsoft cannot, will not or could not do. There are many opportunities in the Microsoft world for filling gaps that Redmond isn’t capable of doing. I learned this many years ago when the founder of the mainframe connection piece (Microsoft SNA Server) sold out to Microsoft Redmond and now sails Puget Sound and play guitar with his days!
Springer Speaks Again – OWA!
I always open any e-mail from Robert Springer, a long-time SMB Nation tribal member on the East Coast (Warren, NJ, US) who has attended many of our events and once even ran a personal errand for me to a Radio Shack in New Jersey to purchase a video camera battery charger (I will be forever indebted). So like that famous phrase “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen,” I submit for your approval that when Robert Springer speaks, people listen! Robert is seeking help in resolving a Outlook Web Access (OWA) malady. Robert writes:
Question: I have an issue with OWA. You get to the login screen and can put in User & Password. Then you get HTTP 405 error. I have KB823265 which talks about the issues. Also KB832769 about Kerberos authentication. The Server would not do updates so I restarted it. Now it is doing updates. I will see if these fix this. Any ideas? Update: We have found something. The Exchange-OMA properties ASP.net is set to 2.0.x.x.x and cannot be changed. It is grayed out on the offending system. Working systems have 1.4.x.x.x.x. Readers! Can you offer insights on this OWA matter? Post up on my blog at SMB Dude so everyone can benefit. As you know – I have branded around Springer Spaniels for years – so Robert and I always enjoy some good natured humor about must love dogs!
Third-Party-isms! NetSuite, HP and Sun!
So here is something you likely didn’t know about me. While growing up in Alaska, my classmate for 6+ years was Mark Begich, the new US Senator from Alaska. His brother, Nick Begich Jr. is a PhD in what I would call Art Bell. I don’t have time to go into details here but Art has a paranormal-themed radio show in the US titled “Coast to Coast AM.” With this upfront context, welcome to the world of third-party-isms – life beyond Redmond!
In this issue, I want to highlight a new alliance between HP and NetSuite and the new StarOffice 9 from Sun.
HP and NetSuite. This is an especially interesting story for me because I owe the success of SMB Nation to both HP and NetSuite. We only use HP hardware (it has been a long-time supporter of the SMB Nation tribe) and we use the NetSuite ERP system to manage our operations. So seek these two friends team up on a new NetSuite channel partner program is good news indeed. Basically, HP has 15,000 channel partners who will be inducted into the NetSuite world to sell and implement this hosted ERP solution that ROCKS! I met with David Downing, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at NetSuite, last week in San Mateo, to discuss this breaking good news. See SMB Dude for the full press release about HP and NetSuite.
Sun StarOffice 9. I recently caught up with two busy Sun program managers after I received a press release about Star Office 9. Admittedly, I do not know much about Sun but as we head into the slow holiday news cycle, I thought, what the heck, let’s learn!
Kay Koll (Germany) and Iyer Venkatesan (Santa Clara, CA) shared a couple of top-level highlights on this $39.95 offering (runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris). There is the complete front-office functionality you would expect with word processing, spreadsheet, charting, browser and e-mail. But would stood out for me was that it has a PDF import function with precise layout. Personally, in the past, to achieve this type of PDF import functionality, I had to use a program called Nuance PDF Professional 5.0 that costs at least 3X the charge for Sun StarOffice 9. I have a review copy of StarOffice 9 that I will install to test this feature and report back to you. This is a very important capability as a publisher. If my findings are positive, heck – you should buy Sun StarOffice 9 for its PDF import capabilities alone! PS – Sun does have a channel partner program that I will seek to learn more about on my next trip to the Bay Area.
Enter to win an iPod: complete VoIP SMB Survey We are conducting a survey on your opinion of VoIP in the SMB space. Questions target you, the SMB consultant, as well as how your customers view VoIP. Most importantly, we have a PRIZE DRAWING to induce you to complete the VoIP SMB survey. One lucky winner will receive an iPod device!
It is only 12-questions and can be completed in under 3-mins.
Blended Portfolio! SMB PC Magazine The new issue (Issue 3-3) is out and ready to read.
Read about:
· The ECONOMY!
· Going Lean and Green!
· SBS 2008 H/W Levels (TECHNICAL) · RP and VPN (TECHNICAL) · SMB Nation 2008 Fall Conference Summary
· Defining TS2 and SB2
Let me expand on the lean and green concept. The print media world has lost several players in the past 45 days including PC Magazine, US News and World Report, Christian Science Monitor, Reseller Advocate Magazine (RAM) and even Maxim! At SMB PC, we believe a well-balanced portfolio should include both print and digital. So to achieve that optimal mix, we have right-sized our magazine and have several articles that CONTINUE on our magazine blog site. It’s prudent, responsible, hip and allows us to continue to serve the community as we are able. Thanks for your support and readership. READ ISSUE 3-3 HERE
Webinars!
SBS 2008 Setup Webinar, Part II: Client-side Tuesday, November 25, 8AM PST (GMT-8)
I will interview author Philip Elder (SBS 2008 Blueprint) as we complete a LIVE client-side setup in the SBS 2008 realm. This is a follow-up (Part II) to our very popular SBS 2008 server-side setup on October 30. Learn more and sign-up HERE
Note that this is the final “Eight in 2008″ webinar sponsored by the HP/Microsoft FLP fund. Thanks for your support during the year!
Philip Elder, Alberta Canada
Note immediately after our Tuesday Webinar, we encourage you to attend Amy and Eriq’s tips and tricks Webinar. Details to be released when you attend our event first – make at a SBS day!
Not Just Another 50 Cent Online Backup Service December 11, 2008, 8AM PST (GMT-8)
Learn how the real VARs, MSPs and trusted advisors create revenue opportunities with remote online backup protection services. Learn how the latest compliance regulations will create long-term relationships and revenue streams for your business. Find out why those cheap backup services create a false sense of security and are not telling the whole story.
David Minns will take you through the best practices to create the data restore sets that will meet each client’s expected recovery time objective – which of course will never be fast enough! Craft backup & restore SLAs that are realistic for both you and your client.
Complete the webinar with the demonstration of a VMWare host-side (the guest OS is not involved) data backup and restore process, with its complete restore to a different domain controller. Bare metal restore strategies will also be demonstrated. Sign up HERE. This is your chance to meet StorageGuard!
SMB Nation Europe, London, December 5, 2008
The show must go on! The goal of having a repeat SMB Nation Europe event has been realized. This time, instead of Amsterdam (2005), it’s in LONDON! And instead of two-days, it is one-day to accommodate everyone’s travel and accommodation budgets. It’s the Harry (Brelsford) and Jeff (Middleton) show and it is an INDEPENDENT view of SBS 2008. Harry checks off on the sales and marketing conversation. Jeff heads up the technical conversation.
You are receiving this newsletter as a tribal member at SMB Nation.
Does the world seem to be moving faster these past few days or what? The good news is that the Dow Jones Industrial Average essentially ended even on the week, which is amazing compared to what it looked like earlier with large drops in the index. But nonetheless, it is sobering and forces us all to spin the hamster wheel faster – so read up and then get back to work.
This GeekSpeak issue has a link to a Vista survey that I am conducting for a well-known Microsoft executive (a name you certainly know well), interesting Response Point news include a technical factoid, conference stuff and a couple of community updates. I end with a question for you. What is twitter and should I be using it?
cheers…harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO | SMB Nation, Inc. | Bainbridge Island, WA USA
It was the kinda week where just about everybody felt challenged. But as you know, challenges lead to opportunities. This is your chance to give your opinion to a Microsoft executive about the Vista opportunity. We are conducting a Vista survey for Small Business Specialists (SBSC) and other SMB consulting channel partners including my beloved SBSers!
There are 75 prizes to be awarded, one at a time, to respondents that include red Vista jackets, back packs and flash lights. Click here to complete Vista SMB and SBSC Survey.
Response Pointables
So let’s get geeky. Here is a cool thang from my new Response Point Primer book (that I discuss below). It is your opportunity to create a fake voicemail message! This is an excerpt from Chapter 5.
How to fake a new voicemail!
Do you want to make it look like Bill Gates himself left you a voicemail? Here is how you would do it.
1. First, leave a voicemail on the extension you want to fake. (example: extension 101) 2. Get yourself a copy of the “cabarc.exe” utility (available via a Google internet search) 3. Back up your RP unit using the administrator backup feature 4. Note the folder in which you saved the backup: go into that folder, under contacts\101\msgs 5. There should be a CAB file inside the folder. 6. Take a new WAV file and run the utility ‘cabarc.exe n <name of the previous cab file> “<new wav file>” 7. There will be a new message on that extension now.
Now for some Response Point updates. Response Point had an amazing reception at the ITEXPO show in LA this week. XD, the GM for RP at MS (whoa – too many initials) gave a well-received keynote address and RP announced seven new vendors at the show. RP won best of show with one of its partners. This VoIP thang is takin’ off folks!
And I got a haircut (along with Wall Street). You will recall in the last newsletter issue (Sept 4, 2008 BusinessSpeak Edition) that I introduced you to Professor Longhair, which has myself on a double-dawg dare to NOT CUT MY HAIR until my RP book RTMed. It did and I got a haricut on Main Street on Bainbridge Island:
This past week my Response Point Primer book RTMed and went to the printer. This 440-page book will be available on October 4, 2008 at the fall conference. If you would like to reserve a copy, please send a reservation e-mail to sandyb@smbnation.com and indicate you want to reserve a copy of the RP book. We will let you know the exact moment that you can buy it!
Locked And Loaded – SMB Nation 2008 Fall Conference
Much news as the big show is approaching fast – it is a mere two weeks away!
Schedule posted.
We have posted the schedule with specific session times (click the hyperlink on the third line down that reads”Click here to download a copy of the official SMB Nation Fall 2008 Conference agenda.”) Download detailed schedule. You will see that Jeff Middleton of SBS migration fame is the kick-off speaker after the Intel keynote on Day One.
SBS MVPs Primed! Kevin Beares, Community Lead, Microsoft Windows Server Solutions Group (WSSG) reports he is delivering five days of intense SBS 2008 technical training days before the SMB Nation 2008 fall conference. In this way, he can leverage the SBS MVPs travel schedule and you, the attendee, can leverage the SBS MVPs and their new found deep dive knowledge like no other event in the history of SMB conferences!
Kevin (left) visited SMB Nation and met Sandy Bettenhausen, Patti Passinault and Jeff Parry on Bainbridge Island about ten days ago to reveal his SBS MVP training plan. The MVPs will stay on after SMB Nation 2008 to receive five days of Essential Business Server training too! Harry and Kevin biked on Bainbridge after our business meeting.
Official Pre-Day Activities. Here is your ready guide to all official pre-day activities. Daytime · Robin Robins Technology Marketing Toolkit (9:00am – 5:00pm) · HP Blade University with Essential Business Server (EBS) and C3000 blade system (8:30am – 4:30pm) Evening (7:30pm – 8:00pm) · Battling the Borg of the Internet with Scott Pinzon · Response Point Open Mike Learn More About Offical Pre-Day Activities HERE and scroll down for details.
Last minute sign up?
Jet Blue \ Southwest and other carriers are now your friend. Are you waiting until the last minute to sign up for the SMB Nation fall conference. We are just two weeks out so it’s Jet Blue and Southwest time folks! The Warwick Hotel in downtown Seattle is also your friend as the two host hotels have long been sold out.
Secret to conference success. Obviously learning about SBS 2008 and EBS are “essential” to your success but did you know the whole VoIP thang is huge at our conference too? That’s my secret and I am sticking to it.
Partee! With profound pleasure and permission, we are pleased to message that we are holding a LAUNCH PARTY for Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008 on Saturday night, October 4th.
We will launch the MV SBS 2008 on Saturday night, October 4th!
Meet 19Marketplace! Just as the pay-as-you-go concept of Software as a Service (SaaS) opened new distribution channels for software vendors – so has Managed Services opened new opportunities for IT consultants. Today’s business executives are becoming increasingly hesitant to make major capital investments in technology. SaaS, coupled with managed services, gives businesses an option to have their IT needs taken care of instead of paying for on-site equipment and staff.
In a recent survey conducted by THINKstratgegies, nearly every SMB and large-scale organization interviewed admitted that although they were attracted to the benefits of managed services, they would not acquire managed services from a provider they haven’t already done business with. Here’s the opportunity: Your customers already view you as a trusted advisor. By incorporating a more business-oriented sales approach with managed services, you can help your customers realize: *Increased IT availability and performance *Reduced total cost of ownership *Improved productivity and IT return on investment
How can 19Marketplace Help? 19Marketplace has created a unique SaaS aggregation platform that provides a convenient way for businesses to buy and use on-demand software services. We research the industry to find quality on demand services and the most secure hosting facilities, then develop partnerships with those top providers to make all their products and services accessible through a single website.
What does this mean to you? There are two ways that partnering with 19Marketplace can help you be more successful: (1) providing you with the tools to enhance your own internal operations, and (2) giving you a wider range of business applications to sell your customers that are valuable to them and profitable for you. Click
HERE to learn how 19Marketplace can help you transition to managed services and register for your free whitepaper – Selling Managed Services.ull text.
Harry meets with Linda Cramer and Paul Kollar at 19thMarketplce in Vancouver, Washington on September 10th.
Quick Hitters
CoreConnex I would like to introduce you to an exciting new company called CoreConnex. They have a financial dashboard called Corelytics that would benefit all Tribe members who really want to manage their business financial performance. For a small price tag it shows a complete picture and delivers a major hit. They also have a service management system (a “PSA” system) called ConnexIT that really rocks. Check out their web site. Also, Frank Coker, the CEO, has a white paper that all entrepreneurs should read. Check it out at Financial Management: The Challenge for IT Service Providers. CoreConnex’s product will be on displayed at the SMB Nation 2008 fall conference in two weeks.
Reader Question Q: I want to start focusing on SBS with my customers but there are enough areas that are a black box to me. What is a good fast source to get SBS questions answered fast?? (Chris Austin) A: Chris – Suggest you join the Yahoo! Groups surrounding SBS topics. Go to www.smbnation.com and look for the newsgroups links beneath Smoking Hot Quick Hitters at the lower part of the main landing page!
Techchex Shelah Johnson, a founder of Techchex in Portland Oregon shared some interesting research with me that small businesses will spend over $5 billion USD on managed services in 2008. Read my blog post here: Managed Services Economic Impact
Chris Bangs (right, inside sales at SMB Nation) had lunch with Shelah Johnson and Peter Hoogerhuis (CEO, Techchex).
D&H Mid-Atlantic Fall Show October 7th I blogged the details on the D&H show in Hershey. I have been to a few D&H shows and they are FUN in an old school kinda way. Read the details here: D&H October 7, 2008 Show.
DOWNLOAD Magazine
Learn about being the TRUSTED BUSINESS ADVISOR in the new SMB 2.0 world. Plus a great selling managed services article, Essential Business Server PLANNING and a fantastic column (I wrote it) on working from home (guess what percentage of y’all have a home office?.
You are receiving this newsletter as a tribal member at SMB Nation.
Short newsletter this week because I am triple jammed with a press deadline on my new Response Point Primer book. It goes to print next Monday and will be in-hand at the SMB Nation fall conference in Seattle. Speaking of the fall conference, did you know this is growing into a major SMB VoIP content event in addition to SBS 2008 and EBS 2008!
And the news gets better. We have extended early bird registration, saving you a couple $$$, until end-of-day September 8th (Monday). The reason we did this was the original early bird deadline was on Labor Day earlier this week, making it difficult for people to sign up. As of this writing – we are ONE MONTH away from the BIG FALL CONFERENCE.
cheers…harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO | SMB Nation, Inc. | Bainbridge Island, WA USA
Join Untangle and SMB Nation for this quasi academic webinar that also delves deep into the tactile level to answer the question of the day: How do I secure my Windows Small Business Server (SBS) 2008 network. First you will learn the context of the importance of robust security in an SMB environments including threat management. But much of the Webinar will be SBS 2008 specific and speak towards the Untangle solution as your opportunity to plug the security vacuum in SBS 2008. As you may know – SBS 2008 is being released WITHOUT the ISA Server product family. Ergo – you need to plan for your security moving forward. This is sure to be a popular webinar and includes Phil Elder, co-author of the new SBS 2008 Blueprint book.
Join the HP\MS FLP Program and SMB Nation as part of the *8 in 2008* Webinar series exploring SMB channel issues. This month - a guest panel talks about exit strategies, disposition of your consultancy and will answer your questions. Is now the time to sell into strength with the SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 product releases? Attend to find out!
Complete our “Time To Sell Your SBS and SMB Consultancy” sruvey before attending this Webinar. We will share the results with you during the session. Click HERE to complete the survey!
And then there is my friend Baldwin Ng at Microsoft Redmond. He has a webinar tomorrow (Friday at 9:00AM PDT) and the details are:
5W/50 Series: Increasing Business Opportunities in Challenging Economic Times with Microsoft Solution Accelerators Do more with less – an increasingly important theme for every IT director and business owners. What then is the trick to help customers see the hidden needs in their IT organization and buy the products they need when times are tough, economically? Join this webcast and learn how new and free tools such as Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit and other Solution Accelerators can increase your business opportunities selling Windows Vista, Virtualization and other products from Microsoft. Sign up for Baldwin’s webinar HERE!
Professor Longhair
What’s with the long hair dude? I have let my hair down and out this summer as a challenge, not some political statement. I will not cut my hair until my Response Point Primer book is at the printer. Since that is scheduled for early next week – I believe I’ll be at the barber for a trim.
I am surrounding by five computers racing to complete my RP book and wearing Jeff Middleton’s IT Pro 2007 conference t-shirt for good luck! I will cut my hair when this book goes to press.
If you want to reserve a copy of the Response Point Primer ($59.95, SMB Nation Press), simply send an e-mail to sbs@smbnation.com and we will notify you when you can purchase it. If you want to learn more about Professor Longhair, the engaging radio personality who died in 1980, go HERE.
Meet 19Marketplace! Just as the pay-as-you-go concept of Software as a Service (SaaS) opened new distribution channels for software vendors – so has Managed Services opened new opportunities for IT consultants.
Today’s business executives are becoming increasingly hesitant to make major capital investments in technology. SaaS, coupled with managed services, gives businesses an option to have their IT needs taken care of instead of paying for on-site equipment and staff.
In a recent survey conducted by THINKstratgegies, nearly every SMB and large-scale organization interviewed admitted that although they were attracted to the benefits of managed services, they would not acquire managed services from a provider they haven’t already done business with. Here’s the opportunity: Your customers already view you as a trusted advisor. By incorporating a more business-oriented sales approach with managed services, you can help your customers realize:
*Increased IT availability and performance
*Reduced total cost of ownership
*Improved productivity and IT return on investment
How can 19Marketplace Help?
19Marketplace has created a unique SaaS aggregation platform that provides a convenient way for businesses to buy and use on-demand software services. We research the industry to find quality on demand services and the most secure hosting facilities, then develop partnerships with those top providers to make all their products and services accessible through a single website.
What does this mean to you?
There are two ways that partnering with 19Marketplace can help you be more successful: (1) providing you with the tools to enhance your own internal operations, and (2) giving you a wider range of business applications to sell your customers that are valuable to them and profitable for you. Click
HERE to learn how 19Marketplace can help you transition to managed services and register for your free whitepaper – Selling Managed Services.ull text.
Early Bird Extended To September 8th!
The early bird rate for the popular SMB Nation fall conference expired next Monday (it was extended to accomodate the Labor Day weekend).
With profound pleasure and permission, we are pleased to message that we are holding a LAUNCH PARTY for Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008 on Saturday night, October 4th, at the SMB Nation fall conference. ‘Nough said – Be there or be square! We are a mere five weeks away as of press time, so it is time to get off the dime, sign up, and reserve a hotel room so you are not HOMELESS in Seattle!
We will launch the MV SBS 2008 on Saturday night, October 4th!
BEST PRACTICE: Lock in NOW and save. Time to think about fall and the Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server releases! I will hold bi-weekly webcasts, starting in mid-July, on the SMB Nation conference to prepare folks to GET YOUR GEEK ON!
Deported to Iceland
OK – now it’s getting strange. My home state of Alaska has nominated the Veep for the GOP. And a gold sponsor at the fall conference, CMIT Solutions, is offering a TRIP TO TWO TO ICELAND as a prize in the MarketExpo Hall. You can register your name for the drawing HERE (http://www.cmitcompanies.com/) and at its booth at the big fall show in a month!
Here is the story from CMIT. Note this is only open to USA residents as CMIT only operates in the USA (Wayne from Australia wanted to participate and go to Iceland to cool down from the Aussie beaches).
CMIT SOLUTIONS IS GIVING AWAY A FREE TRIP FOR TWO TO ICELAND
CMIT Solutions is so excited to be a Gold Sponsor at this year’s SMB Nation Fall Conference that we have decided to give away an all expense paid trip for two to Iceland. Why Iceland? Because it’s easy to get to, it’s exotic, and it’s relaxing.
In Iceland, there is something for everyone. If you enjoy travelling to large cities, you will love the ample cultural venues and events, gourmet restaurants and exclusive shops. Love nature? Iceland has over 80 geothermal hot springs, waterfalls, geysers, bird sanctuaries and more.
Visit today to register for your chance to win this once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Iceland.
Learn about being the TRUSTED BUSINESS ADVISOR in the new SMB 2.0 world. Plus a great selling managed services article, Essential Business Server PLANNING and a fantastic column (I wrote it) on working from home (guess what percentage of y’all have a home office?.
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SMB Advisory Newsletter
1-888-SMB-NAT1 www.smbnation.com
GeekSpeak Edition
Over 15,000 Global Readers!
August 20 2008
Issue 2-19
Sponsors
Dear Harry,
You are receiving this newsletter as a tribal member at SMB Nation or you visited our booth at the MSP Partners virtual trade show last week (you are a MSP Partners member).
This is the technical version of my bi-weekly newsletter wherein I will babble in GEEK to you. Of note is the early bird rate for the SMB Nation 2008 fall conference is expiring September 1, 2008 so HURRY and sign up at www.smbnation.com.
The politicians are on break in the USA with the peak of the summer season upon us. So what better time to slip some techie nuggets into my SMB Advisor newsletter than right now? In this issue, I discuss a Windows SharePoint Services read-only condition encountered early on in the writing of the SBS 2008 Blueprint book. I also share some read mail for the SBS 2008 firewall question and then share with you an RSS feed for the Windows Essential Server Solutions family. A late summer list of Microsoft TS2 events in the USA follows and a few interesting Webinars are highlighted.
harrybbbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO | SMB Nation, Inc. | Bainbridge Island, WA USA
PS – Calyptix giveaway: wanna try to WIN a free pass to the SMB Nation 2008 fall conference? Click HERE
Read-Only to Read-Write in WSS 3.0 Phil Elder and I are deep into preparing the SBS 2008 Blueprint book, as you might expect. But early on in the writing of this book, we encountered some madness. Evidently both our editor VIX McCown and I were a step behind with respect to Windows SharePoint Services (WSS). I was getting a read-only condition with the documents and VIX couldn’t use WSS 3.0 at all. My problem was solved with information provided by the UK SBS GUY. This is David Overton, and he has the information about the command line that needs to be run on your machine to enable edit mode HERE.
The command is: reg add HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Common\Internet /v OpenDocumentsReadWriteWhileBrowsing /t REG_DWORD /d 01
When I ran it on my trusty tablet PC, I was delighted to discover that all goodness was the result. It solved the problem. VIX’s story was interesting in that she was running an older generation of Microsoft Office (Office XP) and the F word (Firefox) browser. Once she upgraded her machine (memory) and went to Office 2007 along with Internet Explorer, VIX was back in the game! I thought you might like VIX’s story in particular because it is so REAL WORLD. The conditions VIX encountered as a contract editor to SMB Nation ( she works from a home office and is a small business herself) are so common in our space that it was refreshing to witness these challenges again and realize the abundance of small business opportunity awaiting the readers of this journal. There are millions of VIXs in need of a hardware-level and software upgrade.
SBS 2008 Firewall A reader sent this timely e-mail to me last week.
Good morning, Harry!
I am the IT guy for a small company. We provide consumable supplies for the Automated Teller Machine Industry (and have done so since 1983). Due to our size, I am a jack of all trades, specializing in FrontRange’s Goldmine program, data mining, MS Access programming, etc. My current project is to replace an old firewall, which we have used for a number of years. However, we are now knocking on the 50-user limit of the firewall, so I am considering replacement solutions. Not normally having to deal with replacing a firewall (and wanting to look at UTM technology), I’ve had to hit the ground running and educate myself in this realm over the past week or two.
My quest has brought me to two products of particular interest: the Untangle Suite appliance (their preconfigured server) and the Calyptix Firewall/UTM appliance. As I write this e-mail, I am watching a replay of your SMB Nation Webinar about Untangle done by Dirk Morris. I also believe that Calyptix has done a bit of work with SMB Nation, and I believe they will be presenting at your conference in the fall.
My problem is simple – trying to decide between the two appliances. Representatives of both companies have been quite good about answering my questions, but I’m trying to solicit the opinions of outside (neutral) people who may have had experiences with both technologies. I would deeply appreciate any thoughts you have regarding each solution. If you have any thoughts or know of anyone I can talk to, I would really appreciate it. I am in the office from 8am – 5pm CST (and often until 6 or 7) all week long.
Dear IT Guy!
Thank you for your e-mail, as it surfaces a few conversations.
First – I would love to make your situation slightly more difficult (stick with me here). With the world on the cusp of the Small Business Server 2008 release, it is timely to discuss the firewall component in general. SBS 2008 is NOT shipping with the ISA Server security application, so YOU will need to decide what to do in the near future when you upgrade your network infrastructure to SBS 2008.
Second – I would like to expand your list of vendor solutions beyond Calyptix and Untangle. I suggest your research include looking at the offerings from SonicWall, WatchGuard and Napera – all vendors that will be present at SMB Nation 2008 in early October to address the security OPPORTUNITY in SBS 2008. This type of diversity is good for you, me, and the entire SMB ecosystem.
Third – Let’s hear from the people! Readers are encouraged to write me directly at harryb@smbnation.com, and I will post up replies to my blog (SMB Dude) harrybrelsford.wordpress.com and in the next edition of my SMB Advisory e- newsletter.
Fourth – We have a FOLLOW-UP WEBINAR with Untangle on this exact security topic on September 9th, where we will discuss the new SECURITY LANDSCAPE in the SBS 2008 time frame. Sign up: Untangle SBS 2008 Security Webinar
Fifth – Amy Babinchak is leading a much-anticipated lecture on SBS 2008 security on the first day of the SMB Nation 2008 fall conference. Amy is a Microsoft ISA Server MVP and really knows her stuff!
LAUNCH PARTY!
Early Bird Expires September 1, 2008 The early bird rate for the popular SMB Nation fall conference expires on September 1, 2008, and will not be extended for this strong show. The main hotel is completely sold out, the tradeshow hall sold out many weeks ago, and the remaining hotel has a diminishing inventory.
With profound pleasure and permission, we are pleased to message that we are holding a LAUNCH PARTY for Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008 on Saturday night, October 4th, at the SMB Nation fall conference. ‘Nough said – Be there or be square! We are a mere 60 days away as of press time, so it is time to get off the dime, sign up, and reserve a hotel room so you are not HOMELESS in Seattle!
We will launch the MV SBS 2008 on Saturday night, October 4th!
Wanna learn more? Join use for this SMB Nation 2008 fall conference Webinars: · August 28, 2008, 2PM PDT (UTC-7) Last Call for SMB Nation 2008 Fall Conference Sign up for the Webinars HERE
Enough said. SBS 208 and EBS on the way. Attend to learn more!
BEST PRACTICE: Lock in NOW and save. Time to think about fall and the Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server releases! I will hold bi-weekly webcasts, starting in mid-July, on the SMB Nation conference to prepare folks to GET YOUR GEEK ON!
Microsoft Updates!
OnForce Webinar I will be attending this Webinar featuring OnForce and its work inside the SBSC program. Details:
As a Microsoft Small Business Specialist, you face unique financial and time constraints. ** Do you find yourself with staffing and time constraints that limit your market reach and therefore impact your revenue?
** Are your days spent performing IT services rather than focusing on selling and marketing your business?
If you answered Yes to either of these questions, please join us for a webinar on August 26th at 10:00 AM Pacific Time as we introduce our partnership with OnForce. OnForce is a marketplace for IT professionals to connect with each other through an interactive community to help you grow your services business. You will hear from other Small Business Specialists how they partner with OnForce to solve these problems while winning new IT service work without investing in sales, marketing, and receivables.
OnForce will help you build your business reputation and become part of a Preferred Partner Network based on your SBSC designation and onsite performance. It is 100% free to join-no upfront costs. Simply create your profile and choose the work that fits your schedule, matches your skills, and meets your rates. The first 10 partners to create an active OnForce profile by September 9th may be eligible to receive a $100 AMEX gift card*. Webinar is open only to active members of the Small Business Specialist Community. REGISTER TODAY! For assistance with webinar registration, please contact msuspr@microsoft.com or call customer care at 800-290-5900.
Technical Content Overview * What’s new in SBS 2008 * Technical demonstrations
* Special Q&A Section: Get information and answers, direct from the SBS development team!
Marketing and Business Content Overview * Technology Assessment toolkit * Licensing and pricing changes overview * Key programs and offers available to you today
City Date Time Redmond, WA Sat, September 6 12:00-3:00pm Alpharetta, GA Tues, September 9 3:00-8:30pm Charlotte, NC Wed, September 10 6:00-9:00pm Fort Lauderdale, FL Thurs, September 11 7:00-10:00pm Houston, TX Fri, September 12 6:00-9:00pm Cincinnati, OH Mon, September 15 7:00-10:00pm Downers Grove, IL Tue, September 16 6:30-9:30pm Irving, TX Wed, September 17 6:30-9:30pm South Field, MI Wed, September 17 6:30-9:30pm Minneapolis, MN Thurs, September 18 6:00-9:00pm Waltham, MA Thurs, September 18 6:00-9:00pm New York, NY Fri, September 19 4:00-7:00pm San Francisco, CA Mon, September 22 6:00-9:00pm Irvine, CA Tues, September 23 6:00-9:00pm San Diego, CA Wed, September 24 6:00-9:00pm
Windows Essential Server Solutions RSS Feed Want to keep up to date with the latest news on Windows Essential Server, Windows Small Business Server 2008, and Windows Essential Business Server 2008? Subscribe to the RSS feed to get information and breaking news delivered automatically to your RSS reader. Click HERE
TS2 events Date City State 8/19/2008 Jacksonville FL 8/19/2008 Chicago IL 8/21/2008 Columbia SC 8/21/2008 St. Louis MO 8/26/2008 New York NY 8/26/2008 Des Moines IA 8/28/2008 Edison NJ 8/28/2008 Kansas City MO Sign up at HERE
MS Team Blogs A directory of Microsoft team blogs has been posted up! Click HERE.
HP/MS FLP Webinar on SMB M&A – How To Sell Your SMB Consultancy It is the question of the day – time to sell into strength? Or is it time to purchase an SBS or SMB consultancy? And should you really be sharing financial information and strategy inside affinity groups without the protection of a term sheet, Letter of Intent or Memorandum of Understanding? Click HERE to attend this September 10th Webinar to find out this and much more! Hosted by Harry and a uniquely qualified panel.
Spotlight on VEMBU! Founded in 2004, Vembu Technologies is a leader in providing cost effective, business focused online backup software solutions for ISPs, MSPs, VARs and Managed Hosting Providers. Vembu’s flagship product, StoreGrid, powers the online backup services of approximately 1000 service providers across the world.
Vembu has won many awards and has been recognized by various leading industry bodies. The roster of achievements includes the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 award and making it to the Red Herring 100 list of innovative companies. Vembu has regularly been featured on CRN’s annual Emerging Vendors list, was a finalist in the VAR Business Tech Innovator awards and was also a finalist for the Windows IT Pro award for Interoperability. Vembu is also actively involved with various industry bodies including MSP Partners & MSP Mentor.
Vembu Technologies is led by an accomplished management team – graduates from some of the best universities in the world who bring with them decades of diverse industry experience from across various domains. Vembu takes great pride in its exceptionally passionate team and its core values, the most important of which is that of always placing its customers’ & partners’ interests first in everything the company does. This is especially reflected in the fanatical customer support Vembu offers its customers. Visit www.vembu.com for more information and look for the Vembu banner ad at www.smbnation.com and at the fall show!
DOWNLOAD Magazine
Techie Dean Paron, Group Program Manager on the Windows Small Business Server 2008 development team at Microsoft Redmond is our cover story boy. The technical story, written by SBSer Phil Elder, takes one of the first long looks at the SBS 2008 setup, deployment and administration areas. This magazine will be distributed at the SMB Partner Forum day at WPC Houston. Other articles include a Microsoft Financing survey that is optimistic about the economy and a first look at Hyper-V.
We have posted the digital edition of the magazine at www.smbnation.com. Let me know how you like the new three-column format.
Techchex Offers Private Label Services for VARs
Techchex, Inc. announced the availability of its new ProActive Monitoring and Management Services created specifically for VARs supporting Small and Midsize Business customers. “This is a big advantage to both Small and Midsize system integrators”, says Peter Hoogerhuis, CEO for Techchex, Inc., “we know the benefits of remote management but implementation can be challenging and strain resources. Our difference is our unique ability to manage the process, freeing up the VAR’s resources to focus on more technical challenges.”
The need for Managed Services is on the rise as Small and Midsize customers become more dependent upon technology. Smaller VARs have been somewhat shut out of this growing market because 1) platforms for Managed IT Services are expensive, 2) small VARs often have limited resources to market new services or to monitor their customer environments.
Smart Biz stated, “SMBs are no longer satisfied with their current IT suppliers reacting to problems. Instead, they want their suppliers to proactively reduce the risk of an IT problem”
“We don’t want to see small VARs locked out”, said Shelah Johnson, CMO, “our turnkey process and virtual marketing departmentallows VARs with 10 or more Small Business customers to offer remote management branded with their name and logo, to offer as their product on a monthly fee basis. There are no upfront costs for the VAR or their customers. Our model helps VARs add proactive managed services to their offerings in both an efficient and cost-effective manner.”
“We are very excited about this offer” said Hoogerhuis, “it’s going to help keep a lot of system integrators in the game without costing them a dime!” To read more about the value of private labeling Managed Services go to www.techchex.com
Hey gang – I will have more about this in today’s SMB Advisory Newsletter but thought u might like what Greg Cohen at Untnalge crafted.
We just released the results of the MSP Benchmark Study (conducted by the Pacifica Group,) which was designed to provide pricing and business model guidance to MSPs and aspiring MSPs.
PS – did u know that Untangle will be at our fall SMB Nation 2008 conference in Seattle in early October?
Untangle Announces MSP Benchmark Study Results
Industry maintains servicing pricing levels despite growing number of entrants
SAN MATEO, Calif. – July 15, 2008 – Untangle today announced the results of the industry’s first Managed Services Provider (MSP) Benchmark Study. The goal of the study was to offer an objective set of business metrics to provide the MSP community with insight into the range of MSP business models and performance.
Key focal points of the study included managed services pricing, scaling and business model evolution.Over 200 MSPs nationwide participated in the survey, conducted by Pacifica Group, an independent research and marketing consultancy for the high tech industry.
“This study offers an interesting glimpse into MSP trends,” said Joe Panettieri, editorial director of MSPmentor, the ultimate guide to managed services.“The MSP model is still emerging so it’s great for MSPs to see where they stand amongst their peers.”
Key findings from the survey include:
The MSP model is growing more popular: While over two-thirds of the survey respondents reported having been in the technology reseller business for more than six years, nearly one-third began delivering managed services within the last year.Further, respondents expressed a clear desire to move away from selling break/fix services and towards the MSP model over the next two years.
Automation is the key to MSP growth/scaling: MSPs can scale by increasing employee headcount until they have around 25-50 customer contracts or approximately 500 devices managed.Beyond this point, MSPs need to accelerate investments in automation (i.e. monitoring & management) and focus on process standardization to achieve the next level of growth.Nevertheless, new MSPs take 3 – 5 years to establish themselves and new entrants should not over invest in automation technology ahead of need.
MSPs keep small businesses up-to-date with the latest IT trends: Nearly 40% of respondents already offer VoIP services today, with another 27% considering offering it within a year.65% offer web content filtering and that number is expected to jump to 84% within a year.MSPs are continually enhancing and expanding their services offerings to better serve their small business customers.
Prices have held steady despite a growing number of MSPs serving small businesses: Althoughpricing models for each service area vary widely, newer MSPs are not leading with discounts, suggesting that prices are not commoditizing.
“Our MSP partners told us that they struggle to define their initial pricing and service offerings,” said Bob Walters, CEO of Untangle.“We hope that the MSP Benchmark Study will help both established and aspiring MSPs refine their business models and grow their customer bases.”
For all survey findings and a more detailed look at MSP pricing by service area, the entire report can be viewed at www.untangle.com/mspstudy .
About Untangle
Via the Untangle MSP Partner Program, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can now offer Untangle’s network security services to block spam, viruses, spyware, adware, and unwanted content without incurring any upfront costs. Key elements of the program include Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS), flexible software licensing, and interoperability with MSP enablers Kaseya, Level Platforms, and N-able. For more information or to join the Untangle MSP Partner Program, please visit www.untangle.com/MSP or call (866) 233-2296. Untangle is located in San Mateo, California.
You are
receiving this e-mail newsletter as a customer of SMB Nation. Thank you
for your good business!
Is anybody
still at work? If you are, there is a great conversation
starter below about becoming a Trusted Business Advisor (TBA). We
are pleased and honored to announce we are holding a LAUNCH PARTY for
SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 on a Saturday night in early October. Plus I have
some new sponsors to introduce: NGT and TechChex!
BTW – if you are on vacation – you are allowed to read
this too!
harrybbbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO | SMB Nation, Inc. | Bainbridge
Island, WA USA
PS – Calyptix giveaway: wanna try
to WIN a free pass to the SMB Nation 2008 fall conference? Click HERE
Dawg Days of
Summer: TBA Above the equator, it is a special time of year: the
dawg days of summer. This is often a time for reflection and recharging
(R&R). Many small businesses, your customers, have hung the
“Gone Fishin’” sign in the shop window.
But amongst all this R&R, there is an emerging chorus singing a
song titled “Business Purpose.” Increasingly, the free market
is rewarding SBSers who are bilingual in GeekSpeak and BusinessSpeak.
Nearly every telephone call I am on with industry stakeholders results
in independent observations that SBSers and SMB consultants need to be
MORE BUSINESSLIKE in their conduct. No, this isn’t a case of SBSers
behaving badly or geeks gone wild. Rather, it reflects the evergreen
sustainable nature of being the Trusted Business Advisor (TBA) for the
small business customer. No longer are you measured on your
encyclopedic, bit-based memory but rather your business acumen counsel.
So it’s back to business basics. “What can we do with the
technology?” is the first question you can surface with your
customers on your next drop-by visit. This thinking survives the test
of shifting technology paradigms (on-premise versus hosted solutions).
Harry recently
visited his first home on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle on a slow August
day. It is here in the basement he wrote his first eight books at night
while keeping his day job and elevated up to a Trusted Business
Advisor. Shown here holding an old OSI model poster that discusses NetWare,
DecNET and other oldies but goodies.
Now for some
specifics. The next issue of SMB PC magazine has a cover story that
very much focuses on the TBA concept (written by Robert Cohen at
Integrated mar corporation – publishers of eChannelLine). I look at it
as a maturity continuum. First there were user groups, then peer
groups, and now the TBA program. If you are the type that takes steps
two at a time and lives your life with a New York-minute sense of
urgency, simply click the TBA button on the left to become a TBA today!
USA
Today Sez ALL GOODNESS!
We got a pass on this one. Whereas housing and finance are hurtin’ for
certain, the technology sector seems to be holding its own
according to a recent edition of USA Today. What is interesting is that
this story hit during the middle of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner
Conference (WPC) and noticeably eased tension amongst attendees. For
those that do not know – USA Today is typically distributed free to
hotel guests, so this is the good news that SBSers woke up to on a
Wednesday morning in Houston, TX!
My take on this? We deserve goodness. Like many readers, I was there in
the early part of the century during the last recession when the tech
sector took it in the chops. A perfect storm of the 9/11 tragedy, Y2K
layoffs, and the online dot-com bust really impacted a lot of SBSers
(negatively, I might add). Ironically, those dark days actually
resulted in a net increase of SBSers with the popular SBS 2003 product
release and the fact that many downsized IT professionals re-created
themselves as self-employed SBSers. But that is a whole ‘nother story.
Love to hear your thoughts. I am blogging this at SMB Dude.
LAUNCH PARTY!
With profound pleasure and permission, we are pleased to message that
we are holding a LAUNCH PARTY for Windows Small Business Server 2008
and Essential Business Server 2008 on Saturday night, October 4th, at
the SMB Nation fall conference. ‘Nough said – Be there or be square! We
are a mere 60 days away as of press time, so it is time to get off the
dime, sign up, and reserve a hotel room so you are not HOMELESS in
Seattle!
We
will launch the MV SBS 2008 on Saturday night, October 4th!
We are
delighted to announce a few new speakers, including Stephen Schramke
and Tom Poole leading a session on how to SELL YOUR CONSULTING
PRACTICE, which is a perfectly legitimate exit strategy. A few new
sponsors have jumped onboard and resulted in a SOLD OUT marketplace
expo hall. Linked-In will make its SMB channel partner debut, SonicWall
just went GOLD and looks forward to telling the SMB security story in
the SBS 2008 time frame, Zentih InfoTech returns, and BackupAssist is
back from Australia. Platinum sponsors Intel and Trend Micro are
refining their messages to assist you in extending your consultancy
into a SMB 2.0 world based on SBS 2008 and EBS 2008.
Harry
with the SMB team at Trend Micro yesterday in Silicon Valley
Wanna learn
more? Join use for these SMB Nation 2008 fall conference Webinars:
·
August 14, 2008, 9AM PDT (UTC-7) It Makes Sense to Attend SMB Nation
2008 – BusinessSpeak EXPLORED! ·
August 28, 2008, 2PM PDT (UTC-7) Last Call for SMB Nation 2008 Fall
Conference
BEST PRACTICE: Lock in NOW and save. Time to think about fall and the
Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server
releases! I will hold bi-weekly webcasts, starting in mid-July, on the
SMB Nation conference to prepare folks to GET YOUR GEEK ON!
Survey: Work
from Home! Quick! Click over to www.smbnation.com, look under
SMOKING HOT QUICK HITTERS on the main landing page, and complete our
survey of the month. With the high price of petrol, I am very
interested in knowing what you think about going mobile and working
from home. An interesting update on this pervasive mega-trend is this:
Earlier this week, while calling on accounts in Cupertino, I stopped by
an Indian deli for some naan bread. Across the parking lot was a Regus
Business Lounge, which can be described as a remote office for
tele-workers and business travelers. It has the appointments of a
high-end airline club lounge (Wall Street Journal, CNN on TV, etc.).
You can also rent meeting rooms if needed. Here is the kicker for me -
over 950 locations WW and only $300 per year for basic unlimited use! I
signed up, given the nature of my travels and the need to access a
productive, well-equipped work environment wherever I go.
Man
- I wish I had thought of this idea!
I will write much more about this in the August\September issue of SMB
PC magazine.
SBS 2008
Blueprint Announced It’s coming to
an online shopping cart near you on November 12th. Techie Philip
Elder has teamed with me to update the SBS book featuring Springer
Spaniels and other non-sense. We do not want to let too much out of the
bag yet, but the book is completely revamped with a bye-bye to the Best
Practices metaphor and a hello to the blueprint concept. I think you
will like it – and all just in time for holiday gift giving!
Canadian
Phil Elder is the co-author of the forthcoming SBS 2008 Bleuprint
book.
DOWNLOAD
Magazine
Techie Dean
Paron, Group Program Manager on the Windows Small Business Server 2008
development team at Microsoft Redmond is our cover story boy. The
technical story, written by SBSer Phil Elder, takes one of the first
long looks at the SBS 2008 setup, deployment and administration areas.
This magazine will be distributed at the SMB Partner Forum day at WPC
Houston. Other articles include a Microsoft Financing survey that is
optimistic about the economy and a first look at Hyper-V.
We have posted the digital edition of the magazine at
www.smbnation.com. Let me know how you like the new three-column
format.
Techchex
Offers Private Label Services for VARs
Techchex, Inc.
announced the availability of its new ProActive Monitoring and
Management Services created specifically for VARs supporting Small and
Midsize Business customers. “This is a big advantage to both Small
and Midsize system integrators”, says Peter Hoogerhuis, CEO for
Techchex, Inc., “we know the benefits of remote management but
implementation can be challenging and strain resources. Our difference
is our unique ability to manage the process, freeing up the VAR’s
resources to focus on more technical challenges.”
The need for
Managed Services is on the rise as Small and Midsize customers become
more dependent upon technology. Smaller VARs have been somewhat
shut out of this growing market because 1) platforms for Managed
IT Services are expensive, 2) small VARs often have limited resources
to market new services or to monitor their customer environments.
Smart Biz
stated, “SMBs are no longer satisfied with their current IT
suppliers reacting to problems. Instead, they want their suppliers to
proactively reduce the risk of an IT problem”
“We don’t
want to see small VARs locked out”, said Shelah Johnson, CMO,
“our turnkey process and virtual marketing departmentallows
VARs with 10 or more Small Business customers to offer remote management
branded with their name and logo, to offer as their product on a
monthly fee basis. There are no upfront costs for the VAR or
their customers. Our model helps VARs add proactive managed services to
their offerings in both an efficient and cost-effective manner.”
“We are
very excited about this offer” said Hoogerhuis, “it’s going
to help keep a lot of system integrators in the game without costing
them a dime!”
To read more about the value of private labeling Managed Services go to www.techchex.com
Meet NGT
Microsoft Response Point is the buzz in the SMB space as
SBSers are adding telephony to their consulting portfolios. But
something folks learn early on in the deployment experience is you
STILL NEED A TELCO. Enter NGT – a new sponsor at SMB Nation! NGT has
top banner position at our site (go to www.smbnation.com and hit F5
until you see its banner ad appear). When you click through, you will
see an amazing opportunity for Microsoft Response Point partners to
align with NGT to make it happen: phone system plus telco
services. Learn more HERE
Meet
19Marketplace
Just as the
pay-as-you-go concept of Software as a Service (SaaS) opened new
distribution channels for software vendors – so has Managed Services
opened new opportunities for IT consultants.
Today’s business executives are becoming increasingly hesitant to make
major capital investments in technology. SaaS, coupled with managed
services, gives businesses an option to have their IT needs taken care
of instead of paying for on-site equipment and staff.
In a recent survey conducted by THINKstratgegies, nearly every SMB and
large-scale organization interviewed admitted that although they were
attracted to the benefits of managed services, they would not acquire
managed services from a provider they haven’t already done business
with. Here’s the opportunity: Your customers already view
you as a trusted advisor. By incorporating a more
business-oriented sales approach with managed services, you can help
your customers realize:
*Increased IT availability and performance
*Reduced total cost of ownership
*Improved productivity and IT return on investment
How can
19Marketplace Help?
19Marketplace has created a unique SaaS aggregation platform that
provides a convenient way for businesses to buy and use on-demand
software services. We research the industry to find quality
on demand services and the most secure hosting facilities, then develop
partnerships with those top providers to make all their products and
services accessible through a single website.
What does this
mean to you?
There are two ways that partnering with 19Marketplace can help you be
more successful: (1) providing you with the tools to enhance your own
internal operations, and (2) giving you a wider range of business applications
to sell your customers that are valuable to them and profitable for
you. Click HERE to learn how 19Marketplace can help you
transition to managed services and register for your free whitepaper -
Selling Managed Services.ull text.
BusinessSpeak Issue \ Breaking News Microsoft WPC!
Over 15,000 Global Readers!
July 8, 2008
Issue 2-16
Sponsors
Dear Harry,
You are receiving this e-mail newsletter as a customer of SMB Nation. Thank you for your good business!
Howdy everyone from hot and humid Houston where I am attending the WPC conference. I have some amazing news to share reading the RTM and ship dates of SBS 2008 and EBS. I am also reporting on yesterday’s SMB Partner Forum event, including the education session that I hosted. I will endeavor to report again to you this week BUT you can also stay up to the minute with my continuous blog postings at harrybrelsford.wordpress.com.harrybbbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO | SMB Nation, Inc. | Bainbridge Island, WA USA
SBS 2008 to RTM\Go GOLD in Late September\Early October It is officially gonna happen. After FIVE LONG YEARS – an upgrade to SBS is scheduled and the new Essential Business Server will hit the streets! The real bits, aka gold code, will go to the manufacturing plant (a process known as release-to-manufacturing or RTM) for pressing in late September\early October. That translates into street availability of November 12th. I spoke with Theresa Putizer (IT Practice Manager, Olsen Thielen Technologies Inc, Saint Paul, MN) at the SMB Partner Forum day at WPC (seen below) and she indicated that RTMing in early fall, availability before Thanksgiving in late November translates into significant customer opportunities in early 2009 when everyone returns to work from the holiday season. I totally agree!
Here is the official press release for the SBS and EBS announcements:
Partners Gear Up for Big Opportunities with Windows Essential Server Solutions
HOUSTON – July 7, 2008 – Today at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), Microsoft detailed how IT consultants working with small and midsize businesses will benefit from Windows Essential Server Solutions: Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008.
PressPass spoke with Steven VanRoekel, senior director of the Windows Server Solutions group at Microsoft, to find out what partners and customers can expect from today’s announcements.
PressPass: What are you announcing today?
VanRoekel: We’re making several announcements that are especially important for partners as they prepare to use Windows Essential Server Solutions to help their small and midsize customers be more productive and grow.
I am excited to announce that Nov. 12, 2008, is the official launch date for Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008.
We are also announcing that both solutions are reaching the Release Candidate 1 milestone, another step toward final release. Pre-release versions of Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008 are available for download and evaluation now through www.multiplyyourpower.com.
PressPass: What exactly are Windows Essential Server Solutions?
VanRoekel: Windows Essential Server Solutions, which include Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008, are our family of integrated, all-in-one IT solutions designed and priced for small and midsize businesses. By combining Microsoft technologies such as Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, SQL Server 2008 and other Microsoft products and services, these solutions make the benefits of enterprise-class IT accessible, affordable and simpler for smaller organizations.
PressPass: What business opportunities do the solutions present to Microsoft partners?
VanRoekel: According to IDC, there are roughly 35 million small and midsize businesses (SMBs) worldwide, and many see IT as a way to prosper and grow their business. In fact, according to IDC, IT spending worldwide will grow by 5.2 percent annually through 2012, but worldwide SMB IT spending will grow by 7.0 percent during this same period. *
Small and midsize organizations frequently rely on consultants to build and manage their IT. Accordingly, we designed the solutions with partners in mind. Specifically, Windows Essential Server Solutions give partners consistent platforms that help reduce deployment costs, grow managed service revenues, earn higher margins and support more customers more efficiently. And, perhaps most importantly, the solutions help partners develop stronger, mutually beneficial relationships with their clients.
Some partners have told us they believe they will be able to increase their customer base by 25 percent to 50 percent with Small Business Server 2008. Other partners foresee 20 percent to 50 percent growth of their customer base with Essential Business Server 2008, which is a brand-new Microsoft product, because it allows them to more easily deliver products, consulting and deployment services for midsize clients.
Partners have forecast cost savings of 10 percent to 20 percent with the solutions, because they provide a consistent infrastructure partners can easily deploy to more customers. This means cost savings they can pass on to the client that free up budget for new business applications and capabilities, such as collaboration and support for remote or mobile workers. These applications in turn generate higher margins for partners and help them deliver greater value to their customers. <snip>
BEST PRACTICE: Download SBS 2008 today and start to play with it. Check out www.multiplyyourpower.com.
Response Point Service Pack #1 Released!
Below you will find the official word on the RP SP1 release. But let me tell you a story. Over the holiday weekend, SMB Nation moved into new improved office space (I want to thank Cyndi, Van and Charles for pulling this one off!). Like so many moves, we upgrade our telephone system at the same time. We went to Aastra using NGT as our VoIP telco provider and hooked into FIBER in the new location (AMAZING!). We are up and running and lovin’ life and you have a total green light from me to go RP SP1!
Da’ move-mobile! Cyndi Moody and a couple buff Bainbridge High School boys enroute to Seattle on the ferry to buy some new furniture from a CraigsList advertisement. We are truly a small business! And do not forget that office moves are your great RP sales opportunity!
Here is the scoop:
Microsoft Response Point Service Pack 1 Available for Free Download
HOUSTON – July 8, 2008 – Today Microsoft Corp. announced that Response Point Service Pack 1 (SP1) is now generally available. SP1 is a significant feature update to Microsoft Response Point, easy-to-use and -manage phone system software designed for small businesses with one to 50 employees. Current customers and partners in the U.S. and Canada can download SP1 for free at http://www.microsoft.com/responsepoint.
Response Point SP1 builds on the overall ease of version 1, enabling small businesses to immediately take advantage of powerful new features: session initiation protocol (SIP) trunking for VoIP calling; click-to-call functionality for any contact using the Assistant software; a call history log; the ability to select music for parked calls and hold time, and more.
Aastra Debuts Response Point Hardware
Aastra Technologies Ltd. announced the release of its debut Response Point-based phone system, AastraLink RP™. AastraLink RP comes pre-loaded with SP1 and is available to customers in the U.S. and Canada starting today.
Aastra offers a convenient starter package that includes a base unit, external analog telephony adapter and three phones (including one cordless model) for a suggested list price of $2,400. Additional desktop and cordless phones are available ranging in price from $139 to $399 MSRP for the cordless model; prices are estimated retail prices.
Xuedong Huang, general manager of Microsoft Response Point: “Small businesses want the same powerful, productive and cost-saving features that big businesses enjoy, but tailored to their needs. By aligning with industry-leading vendors, SP1 delivers improved performance with many new features like voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) calling, in a complete phone system that can help small businesses and channel partners grow their businesses.”
Yves Laliberté, executive vice president at Aastra: “The telephone is a cornerstone of small-business operations and customer relations. We’re pleased to partner with Microsoft to deliver AastraLink RP, an easy-to-use, scalable phone system that will help small businesses achieve their business goals.”
SMB Nation 2008 Fall Conference
Enough said. SBS 208 and EBS on the way. Attend to learn more!
BEST PRACTICE: Lock in NOW and save. Time to think about fall and the Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server releases! I will hold bi-weekly webcasts, starting in mid-July, on the SMB Nation conference to prepare folks to GET YOUR GEEK ON!
SMB Partner Forum Day at WPC!
Realizing 20 percent growth, the SMB Partner Forum day delivered fresh, high-level thinking about the Microsoft partner ecosystem. Lots of new faces who quickly become new friends! I really enjoyed meeting some “M” partners who checked out pre-day event to learn more about the SMB opportunity. Here is a few photos to capture to moment.
Andrea Russell, WW SBSC manager, welcomes Michael Risse, Microsoft VP for Small and Midsize Business on stage at the Monday morning keynote. Risse painted the SMB partner picture and featured our own SMB Partner Community magazine (which the 800 attendees received).
Harry poses with the Public Sector panel after a Monday afternoon presentation featuring the SMB partner opportunities in education, health care and government. Special thanks to Walter Seemayer and Lorenzo Bergamishi from Microsoft Redmond for organizing. Harry told the SMB Nation Starter Kit story being tested in a Houston school district for high school seniors. From left to right:
· Markus Vogt, Germany
· Joe Fabrizio, USA
· Harrybbbb, USA
· Christian Schneider, USA\Canada
· Jose Antonio Morales, Slovenia
· Lorenzo Bergamishi, Italy
WPC Funny Hahas!
Seen at WPC Houston
The hotel guest services system in my hotel room is broke. When you turn on the TV, you see that Windows 98 is trying to reboot. True story!
Tonight is the SBS 2008\Windows Essential Business Server celebration party. Here is a prized ticket to this concert. I will take heaps of photos and post up.
Harrybbb five years ago at the SBS 2003 launch party at WPC in New Orleans (early October 2003). Yes – it was 3AM at an afterhours club. We shall see what TONIGHT in Houston brings!
Magazine In The Mail This Week!
Techie Dean Paron, Group Program Manager on the Windows Small Business Server 2008 development team at Microsoft Redmond is our cover story boy. The technical story, written by SBSer Phil Elder, takes one of the first long looks at the SBS 2008 setup, deployment and administration areas. This magazine will be distributed at the SMB Partner Forum day at WPC Houston. Other articles include a Microsoft Financing survey that is optimistic about the economy and a first look at Hyper-V.
We will post the digital edition of the magazine later this week at www.smbnation.com. Look for me at WPC Houston as I would like to hear your stories and take your picture!.
