So am I drinking Dell kool-aid and believing they are the all encompassing solution?  Not even close.  While I may be limiting my relationship to just reselling hardware for them, I’m not limiting my relationship to my customers by acting like a traditional VAR.  It really comes down to building and maintaining a relationship with my customer that delivers more in value than what we charge in fees.  And trust me, we aren’t the cheapest.  I like what what one Dell reseller told CRN in this CRN Australia article:

Dell still can’t comprehend that a customer is willing to pay a little more for products in exchange for the value a solution provider can add.
“It’s like someone talking about the Grand Canyon when they’ve never really been there. It’s hard to bring it to life,” he said.

While vendor relationships should look like partnerships, the challenge is, that amongst all the cheering from the vendor coaches and channel partner managers in the reseller game, keep your eye on the ball.  That ball is your customer. 

For more on maintaining a “trusted advisor” role check our Harry’s August/September 2008 SMB Partner Community Magazine (online version released today) where on Page 10 Grant Thompson, partner at MG Technology Group notes:

At MG Technology Group we ask a lot of questions and spend most of our time listening. We spend time with prospective clients up front learning what they do. Most important we ask, ”Why?” It’s amazing what the responses are to questions like, “What are you going to do with this report you’re asking for?” Client’s don’t often know what their real problem is to begin with. By helping to uncover them we can truly craft a solution that meets their needs, often better than what they had in mind at the outset.

It’s not hard folks.  The most valuable and profitable asset you have in your company is probably not a technology, a vendor relationship, a solution, your customer contracts or even your employees.  It is probably you and the reputation you have with your customer.  This is a very very small community and being a Go-Giver and a person of integrity goes a long long way in keeping doors open, customers happy and more importantly, getting good night’s sleep.  Think about it.

It’s finally ready for pre-order!

Thanks for your patience - we are ready to start accepting pre-orders for the next in our best-selling series of books by I.T. Service Providers for I.T. Service Providers!

Following in the footsteps of the last 2 books in our Managed Services Series: The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice, and The Best I.T. Sales & Marketing BOOK EVER!, this new publication continues our goal of documenting best practices for each and every area of a successful I.T. and Managed Service Provider’s practice. 

The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER!  reveals how to deliver Hardware Warranty, Break-Fix, Professional and Managed Services effectively and profitably. No matter which of these service delivery models you practice, you will learn how to maximize processes, efficiencies and customer satisfaction - resulting in higher net profits.

In addition, effective migration strategies are detailed to help you move from one service delivery model to another, affording you the ability to create additional revenue streams. These methodologies have helped thousands of Solution Providers tremendously increase their revenues.

Ship date for The Best I.T. Service Delivery BOOK EVER! is October 6th, 2008, but we are now accepting pre-orders at a $50 discount over cover price!

Click here for more information, and how to pre-order now for only $99.99 - and save $50 over the cover price!

bandspeed AirMaestro WLAN WebEx Training!

      Wednesday, Sept. 3^rd and Thursday, Sept. 4^th

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to invite you and your team to attend a WebEx training seminar next week on the Bandspeed AirMaestro WLAN solution.  I have set up two separate days/times to help accommodate your busy schedules.  They are:

AirMaestro Training Session 1

Topic:  AirMaestro WLAN Overview

Date:  Wednesday, September 3^rd

Time:  10am EDT / 9 am CDT / 8am MDT / 7am PDT

Duration:  1 hour

AirMaestro Training Session 2

Topic:  AirMaestro WLAN Overview

Date:  Thursday, September 4th

Time:  4 pm EDT / 3 pm CDT / 2 pm MDT / 1 pm PDT

Duration:  1 hour

This is a great way to introduce your team to the award-winning AirMaestro products.  We will be reviewing the market applications, the unique positioning for the product, the feature set for the solution and how best to present it to customers. 

We will also do a live demonstration of the solution during the meeting.  This will help convey the feature-richness, yet simplicity of the solution.

I recommend purchasing your NFR kit (2 APs and a copy of the WLAN Management Console, available through our online store at

http://store.bandspeed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=BSP-AMBDL3100AG-VC-NFR

With this, you and your team can be following along with the demonstration and getting real-time, hands-on training and experience.

Please RSVP to me by the end of the day on Friday, August 29^th , with the following:

1. Which training session you would like to attend

2. The list of email addresses to which I should send the WebEx meeting details.

I look forward to training you and your teams.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Bob

Bob Mayer
VP, Sales & Marketing
Bandspeed, Inc.
4301 Westbank Drive
Bldg B, Suite 100
Austin, TX   78746
(512) 651-6943
bmayer@bandspeed.com
www.bandspeed.com

Here is the official announcement (Thanks Andy!):

Microsoft has just released to public the beta exam of Windows Small Business Server 2008: 70-653 (TS: Windows Small Business Server 2008, Configuring). This exam belong to the MCTS (Technology Specialist) credential, and it can be taken by professionals for free.

The coolest thing about beta exams is, if you approved in a beta, you win the credential when the final version of this exam becomes available. The only problem is that the result of beta exams, differently of final exams, is sent to you three or four months later.

The exam 71-653 is TS: Windows Small Business Server 2008, Configuring. This exam, developed for Administrators of small and medium size networks, tests the professional’s knowledge in planning, tuning and implementing a server with SBS 2008 and its products, such as SQL Server and Exchange.

The period of this beta exam has started today, and will be on until September 12nd.

If you want to take this exam, access Prometric website (www.2test.com) and schedule the desired exam. The code of these beta is in the format 71-XXX. On the last step (Payment), inform the promotional code (Promocode): SBS8.

After you inform the code, the system will discount the whole value of the exam. Then, you confirm the appointment and get ready for the exam!

There is no site listing the exam topics, but you can use the sites below to learn more about Windows SBS 2008:

Microsoft Downloads (Look for Documents): http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/

Official SBS Site: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/essential/sbs/

Official SBS Blog: http://blogs.technet.com/sbs/

PRESS RELEASE

SMB Nation 2008 Fall Conference to Hold Launch Party: Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008.

MarketPlace Expo SOLD OUT!

Seattle, WA – August 22, 2008 - Boasting a completely sold out tradeshow hall and host hotel, SMB Nation 2008 will hold a Small Business Server 2008 (SBS) and Essential Business Server (EBS) LAUNCH PARTY on the Saturday night of its October 4-6, 2008 annual conference in Seattle. A 58’ Hatteras yacht will be christened the M.V. SBS 2008 on the pier at the party.

“With the SBS 2008 release-to-manufacturing (RTM) yesterday, we are thrilled to be timed perfectly for the SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 products debut and look forward to toasting its great success,” said Harry Brelsford, founder and CEO of the 20,000 member SMB Nation. “Our conference is uniquely positioned to motivate and educate the small and medium business (SMB) technology consultant, channel partner and computer guy and gal!”

SMB Nation 2008 appears to be outperforming similar technology events with the complete sellout of the MarketPlace Expo tradeshow hall and with attendance figures ahead of last year. “We believe the 600+ attendees will be treated to a unique educational experience and BE THERE for the start for the next generation of SBS and the first release of EBS!” Brelsford added. Over three busy days and nights, attendees will select from three (3) academic tracks including BusinessSpeak, GeekSpeak and “How To” that provide bona fide content without “being sold to.” SMB Nation 2008 has even added a “Speakers Behaving Badly” hotline where attendees can report any speaker from the 40+ content sessions that make commercial statements to insure the most pure attendee experience possible. “We want to avoid the wolf in sheep clothing phenomena,” emphasized Brelsford.

Sponsors and attendees will meet in the spacious Bell Harbor Conference Center. “At a time when similar technology shows are behind plan, we are ahead of plan” said Brelsford. “We believe this underscores the strength of the SMB segment and the optimism our sponsors have about the SBS 2008 and EBS 2008 opportunity.” Intel and Trend Micro are the platinum sponsors leading the event followed by HP and Microsoft. Gold sponsors include Autotask, CMIT  Solutions, Aastra, SonicWall and Labtech. Silver sponsors include D&H, The Planet, Connectwise, Citrix, N-able, Reflexion, Tigerpaw Software, Nero, 19Marketplace, Symantec, StorageCraft, Acronis, Calyptix, MaxSP, Doyenz, EMC Retrospect, Quanta\Syspine, Zenith Infotech, Linked In, Backup Assist,  CRU DataPort and WatchGuard. Bronze sponsors include Netgear, Untangle, CTL Computers, Level Platforms (LPI), MSP Partners, Linksys by Cisco, Comcast, Diskeeper, Expetec, New Global Telecom (NGT), Pronto Marketing, eFolder, CoreConnex, Highly Reliable Systems, SMB Books & Results Software, Technology Marketing Toolkit, Napera Networks, Independent Computer Consultants Association (ICCA) and Integrated mar.com. 

Attendees can expect a high-quality conference with content that has been rigorously scrutinized by esteemed industry conference chairs (Dana Epp, Mikael Nystrom, Curt Hicks and Joe Moore). That has resulted in outstanding speaker selections such as Jeff Middleton, Susan Bradley, Ramon Ray and Amy Babinchak and popular topics such as How to Sell Your SBS\SMB Consulting Practice and Security in SBS 2008.

“So the last question is this. Where will you be October 4-6, 2008?” concluded Brelsford. Attendees can learn more and register at www.smbnation.com.

About SMB Nation

Founded ten years ago by Small Business Server author Harry Brelsford, Bainbridge Island, Washington-based SMB Nation supports small and medium business technology consultants to improve their business and technical skills with publications (books, SMB PC magazine) and events (SMB Nation conferences and workshops). SMB Nation boasts worldwide tribal membership in 30+ countries exceeding 20,000 consultants, resellers, VARs\VAPs and channel partners. Harry Brelsford is a Microsoft Small Business Specialist (SBSC) and holds an MBA from the University of Denver in addition to MCSE, MCT, MCP, CNE, CLSE and CNP certifications.

Joe Panettieri, MSP Mentor: Joe will kick us off Thursday evening with an interactive discussion on the State of the Industry presentation and Q&A

Ron Cook, Xilocore:  Defining Your Managed Services Offerings

Karl Palachuk, KP Enterprises: Developing Your Service Level Agreements

Erick Simpson, MSP University:  Marketing Your Managed Services (Erick is also presenting on Growing Your Practice During an Economic Downturn over lunch on Saturday)

Stuart Selbst, SecureMyCompany:  Core Operational Efficiencies

Amy Luby & Chad Gross, MSPSN:  Building a Profitable Service Desk

Ramsey Dellinger, MSP On Demand:  Pricing Your Managed Services

Matt Makowicz, Ambition Mission:  Selling Value in the Managed Services Model

To learn more about each speaker, go to www.msprevolution.com. 

Some great, free SBS2008 webcasts coming soon, a series of 8!

WES02PAL:  Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 1 of 8: Introduction

Presented by David Fabritius, Nicholas King and Michael Toot

Thursday, August 21, 2008

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level:  300

Partner Type:  CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role:   Exec/Owner, Implementer

Join us to get an overview of Windows Small Business Server (SBS) 2008, an integrated server solution that is part of the Windows Essential Server Solutions family.  Designed and priced for small businesses, it integrates enterprise-class technologies at an affordable price, offering the capabilities small businesses want at a 35-45% lower cost than purchasing standalone technologies.  Windows SBS 2008 offers a more secure, reliable platform that’s built on proven practices, and built to grow along with the company.  Full versions of component technologies, streamlined installation, centralized management, and remote access capabilities help customers increase their business capacity at a cost-effective and manageable pace, while the Premium Edition also provides advanced support for line-of-business applications.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WES03PAL:  Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 2 of 8: Planning & Installation

Presented by Nicholas King, David Fabritius and Michael Toot

Thursday, August 21, 2008

12:00-1:00pm Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level:  300

Partner Type:  CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role:   Exec/Owner, Implementer

Getting the right start is important, and the setup process for Windows SBS 2008 has been specifically designed for SMB partners and customers to ensure a successful deployment.  Compared to planning, designing, installing, integrating, and configuring all the component technologies that are included according to best practices, the cost of deploying SBS is dramatically lower!  Even compared to previous versions of SBS, the setup process has been improved, streamlined, and reduced to just a few screens.  This webcast will cover the things you need to know to successfully prepare for and install Windows SBS 2008, including supported topologies, the minimum and recommended hardware and client OS requirements, what customer information will be needed during the install, and how to use the new Answer File Generator tool to help streamline deployments.  You will also learn how to address some common installation issues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WES04PAL:  Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 3 of 8: Migration

Presented by David Fabritius, Nicholas King and Michael Toot

Friday, August 22, 2008

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level:  300

Partner Type:  CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role:   Exec/Owner, Implementer

When upgrading an existing Windows server environment, having a simple yet comprehensive migration strategy is essential.  In this webcast, we will discuss migrating from Windows Small Business Server 2003 to SBS 2008.  We will cover what you need to do to prepare the network for migration, how to automate the installation phase, and finally how to perform the actual migration.  You’ll learn about:

∙ the tasks you need to perform on the existing server;

∙ running the Migration Preparation Tool;

∙ how the Answer File Generator tool is used to initiate setup for a migration scenario;

∙ what settings and data are migrated;

∙ considerations for migrating line-of-business applications; and

∙ the answers to many of the questions that arise as part of a migration project.

Note:  For additional information and resources relating to Windows SBS 2008 migration, please visit http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc527593.aspx.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WES05PAL:  Academy Live - Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 4 of 8: Management, Health, & Security

Presented by   Michael Toot, Nicholas King and David Fabritius

Friday, August 22, 2008

12:00-1:00pm Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level:  300

Partner Type:  CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role:   Exec/Owner, Implementer

A fundamental strength of Windows SBS 2008 is the ease of administration provided by the completely redesigned, task-oriented management console.  In this webcast, you will learn about the full range of functionality provided through the completely redesigned Windows SBS 2008 management console, which was created not only to simplify administration of the environment, but also to prevent common configuration mistakes and reduce the maintenance costs of managing a server environment.  Topics include how to:
∙ add users and groups;
∙ create user roles;
∙ manage server storage;
∙ configure backup and perform restores;
∙ monitor the health of the environment and create health reports;
∙ monitor and manage security;
∙ and more!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WES06PAL:  Academy Live - Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 5 of 8: Messaging & Collaboration Management

Presented by David Fabritius, Nicholas King and Michael Toot

Monday, August 25, 2008

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level:  300

Partner Type:  CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role:   Exec/Owner, Implementer

For many companies, e-mail has become the primary method for communicating with customers, prospects, partners, and just about everyone with whom they do business.   Windows SBS 2008 includes the enterprise-class messaging features even small businesses require, such as remote access to e-mail via Outlook Web Access and support for Windows Mobile devices.  In addition, more and more businesses are discovering the benefits of using collaboration technologies to increase their productivity.  In this webcast, you will learn how Exchange Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 have been integrated into the Windows SBS 2008 environment, as well as how to manage and monitor these services.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WES07PAL:  Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 6 of 8: Remote Access & Computer Management

Presented by  Nicholas King, David Fabritius and Michael Toot

Monday, August 25, 2008

12:00-1:00pm Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level:  300

Partner Type:  CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role:   Exec/Owner, Implementer

One of the most popular features in previous versions of Windows SBS is the Remote Web Workplace, a secure web portal that customers can use to check their e-mail, connect to their desktops at work, view the company’s intranet site, and even remotely manage the SBS server.  And for those users who require remote functionality that’s not provided by RWW, Windows SBS 2008 makes it easy to configure VPN support as well.
In this webcast, you will learn how to manage these remote services, as well as the third-party and self-issued certificates required to establish secure connections.  In addition, we’ll cover how to deploy and manage client computers in the Windows SBS 2008 environment, and other devices including printers and shared faxes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WES08PAL:  Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 7 of 8: LOB Support & Troubleshooting

Presented by Michael Toot, David Fabritius and Nicholas King

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

10:00-11:00am Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level:  300

Partner Type:  CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role:   Exec/Owner, Implementer

Windows SBS 2008 Premium makes huge strides forward in the support of line-of-business (LOB) applications by including a second copy of Windows Server 2008 Standard and SQL Server 2008 Standard, enabling customers to run their LOB applications on a second physical server for enhanced performance, scalability, and compatibility.  In this webcast, you’ll learn about what’s included in Windows SBS 2008 Premium Edition and the different configurations supported.  We will also cover implementing additional servers in the Windows SBS 2008 environment—yes, you CAN have multiple servers in an SBS environment!  And finally, we’ll explore advanced administration topics and troubleshooting tools.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WES09PAL:  Windows SBS 2008 Core Technical Training, Part 8 of 8: Virtualization

Presented by  Nicholas King, David Fabritius and Michael Toot

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

12:00-1:00pm Pacific Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)

PLC Registration Link

Live Meeting Link

Level:  300

Partner Type:  CPLS, Microsoft Employee, Regional Solution Partner, System Builder, Value Added Reseller, Value Added Provider

Partner Role:   Exec/Owner, Implementer

Virtualization is one of the hottest trends around, and everybody wants to learn more about it!  Are you wondering when and why small businesses might care about virtualization? In this webcast, we explore virtualization for small businesses and how it relates to Windows SBS 2008.  Several different configuration scenarios will be explored, for both the Standard and Premium Editions of Windows SBS 2008, and what options the different editions provide.  We’ll also take a look at the implications for product licensing and deployment considerations when Windows SBS 2008 is virtualized.

Next thing you know, Microsoft will be displacing seats of Zenith and other Master MSPs.  Don’t believe it?  check out Mary-Jo Foley’s column from last week where she writes:

Microsoft is continuing to flesh out its Software+Service portfolio and has yet another, still-unannounced, Microsoft-hosted service that it is developing. The new member of the family? System Center Online, according to tipsters who talked under the conditiion of anonymity.

While I may or may not have any insight into this issue (NDA) I will nevertheless refrain from making any public statements about what I may or may not know.  Let’s review the facts anyway shall we? 

1. Microsoft is moving as much as possible to the cloud like SharePoint, Exchange, OCS, CRM etc.  Why not the tools that manage the remaining local installs of those products. 
2. Microsoft has continued to build out their new support center in China to scale well beyond their current demand.
3. The implementation of a MSP support model to support MSPs.
4. Microsoft Partners both new and seasoned continue to report that AV, backup, patch and license management are their top headaches when it comes to managing customers networks.
5. Companies like mine are each spending thousands of dollars on Remote Monitoring and Manages systems each month that constantly break each time there is a software change on the customer’s network.

Hmmm, what per seat, in the cloud solution, could possible fit into this part of the jigsaw puzzle? 

Mary-Jo continues:

System Center Online will be an online-management service aimed at IT pros, sources said. It is being developed by the same team that has built the Windows Update (WU), Windows Software Update Services (WSUS) and Microsof Update (MU) patch-update services. Among the services that Microsoft is expected to build into the comprehensive System Center Online service are anti-virus, anti-spyware, system monitoring, backup/restore, asset inventory monitoring, policy management and software distribution/deployment.

    Mary-Jo Foley is either a genius at getting inside information on Microsoft or is a deliberate PR tool empowered to do Microsoft’s bidding.  I personally believe it is both.

When I was running a dot.com at the in the day we would write our business plans in sand knowing tomorrow something may force us to change.  Forced change or not, when running an MSP I can’t urge you enough to keep one eye on your business and one eye on the industry.