We are IT Professionals!

Have you read “Microsoft 2.0″ - How Microsoft Plans to Stay Relevant in the Post-Gates Era?

If you are a Microsoft Partner then this book is a must read for you.  Especially if you are a partner!  I can’t stress this enough.  We need to know what is happening all the time at our largest partner.  Mary Jo Foley has done an amazing job in this book.  I will be covering parts of it in my personal blog at http://www.stuartcrawford.com over the next few weeks.

The one thing I would like to share with you today is this blog - http://minimsft.blogspot.com/  You need to pay close attention to this blog.  This blog provides us with the insider information from a “Blue Badge” inside at Redmond.  This blog will give you the employee message on information that affects how our largest partner is doing stuff and not just the daily information we get from through the partner channel.  We will get real information.

Just like anything that forms from staff (even our own) it needs to be takeken with a grain of salt.

Watch what you really believe.  However, nothing is stopping you from reaching out to your TPAM, PAM or other Microsoft friend for the real story as well.

Microsoft announces Online Peer Groups, a new benefit for current Small Business Specialist partners that took the Windows SBS 70-282 exam.

What are the Online Peer Groups?

The online Peer Groups are an opportunity for Microsoft partners to learn, share and complete activities designed to improve their business and professional lives. The Content will consist of these six topics over a 12-month period:

1. Vision, Mission, Values
2. Business Planning
3. Sales and Marketing
4. Budgeting and Finance
5. HR and Metrics
6. Vendor Engagement and Wrap-up

The online Peer Groups consist of up to 15 members partners per group.  The meetings are scheduled at uniform times.  Each meeting will focus on practical, useful content and tools that help you improve your business over the upcoming month and beyond. Homework and goal assignments are required and will supplement the learning.  Peer group sharing is also a key part of the best practice exchange and overall learning.

-          Have to be a current Microsoft Small Business Specialist

-          Passed the SBS 70-282 Exam

-          Fluency in English (open to partners worldwide)

-          Commitment to participate includes attending peer group sessions and completion of homework

-          Pay USD 600 for participation

To learn more or to SUBMIT the nomination form, please visit: http://www.htgmembers.com/online_year1.htm. Form needs to be submitted latest by Aug 31, 2008 for participation in the FY09 Online Peer Groups. Submitting the form does not guarantee selection. Microsoft and Heartland Technology Groups reserve the right to decline a submission. All peer groups will be conducted in English only.

What Peer Group members have to say:

“Life is too short to learn all these things the hard way. Most of us got in to this business because we are technicians and have to learn how to be businessmen and managers. Sessions like this are the closest thing we can get to having a mentor or hiring a professional corporate President to run the company” 

“I entered this program with no specific expectations other than to have the opportunity to interact with and learn from and with my peers. The HTG Online Peer Group experience was simply excellent. Our group had a good mix of firms, in terms of geographic location, company size and experience. This was one of the keys to the value I derived from the program. Most importantly, the program afforded me an opportunity to speak with my peers and interact with them in a very open and collaborative manner and I found that it really forced me to take a critical look at my business model. As a result, I will definitely implement changes in my business this year that are the direct result of my participation in this group. It was worthwhile to take time to work through the exercises, meetings and presentations in order to get the full benefit of a thought-provoking program. I highly recommend this program to any firm that works with SMB clients.”

Are you ready for Windows Essential Business Server?  How about your staff?  Do your Systems Engineers know about the products that are included with EBS?  Can your sales people help your clients understand the business reasons why EBS may be a good fit?

Windows Essential Business Server is the answer for the mid market business who needs and requires to leverage the latest Microsoft technologies.  Built on the core infrastructure of Windows Server 2008, EBS is a scalable 3 to 4 server solution made for clients that SBS is not a good fit or between the 50 to 250 user level.

EBS includes Exchange 2007, ForeFront, ISA and other critical Windows Server solutions.  Check the Jumpstart Online Kit at http://www.ebsjumpstartkit.com/index.aspx.

The November 12, 2008 launch for Windows Essential Server Solutions is fast approaching!  Prepare by attending Partner Academy Live technical training sessions for Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008 starting on August 15, 9am PDT with “The Small and Midsize Business Server Platform: Which Is Right for Your Customer?”.  Topics include planning and installation, migration, security, management, virtualization, and more for both Windows SBS 2008 and Windows EBS 2008.

Microsoft’s new Software + Services and BPOS strategy has many partners searching for answers.  However, these murky waters are easily navigated when you have the right information.  Join leading Microsoft Partners Robert Lamm, Robert Lindley and David Sobel with Stuart Crawford as we discuss Microsoft’ Software + Services on August 12 at 4 PM Eastern/1 PM Pacific at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smb/2008/08/12/Microsoft-Software-Services-Partner-Roundtable

Starbucks in Canada is now offering free wi-fi for all of their loyalty card holders.  Now we can enjoy the culture of Starbucks and get free Wi-Fi as well.  Kudos to Starbucks for taking this step to empower their customers to drink their refreshments and get some work done at the same time.

Visit http://www.starbucks.ca/en-ca/ for more information.

Great Preday event at MSPSN this September - Register here - http://www.smbpreday.com/Events2008/event200809vir.htm

If you want to get started with Virtualization, there’s never been a better time. With the introduction of Hyper-V for Server 2008, Virtualization will absolutely take off between now and the end of the year!

Come learn from two partners who run their own businesses with virtual environments and have each sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of virtual systems. You’ll learn:

The basics (hardware, software, the virtual environment)
Designing a virtual environment
Tools you’ll need
Right-sizing the hardware and setting expectations
Implementing a virtual project — profitably!
Managing the virtual environment
Licensing scenarios
Building the future: hosted machines, instant backups, fast implementations, and more

Karl W. Palachuk
Karl W. Palachuk is the President of KPEnterprises Business Consulting, Inc. and Great Little Book Publishing Co., Inc. He is the author of six books for SMB Consultants, including the Super-Good Project Planner for Technical Consultants. Karl is also an active member of the SMB community, with blogs and web sites providing resources and advice to SMB Consultants.

Read Karl’s Small Biz Thoughts blog here.

Dave Sobel
Dave Sobel is the president and founder of Evolve Technologies. He is an award-winning Microsoft Certified Partner and a driving force in the SMB community. Most recently, Dave has signed on as the co-host of The SBS show, the most popular podcast in the SMB and SBS space. In addition to serving on advisory panels for Microsoft, Dave and his company have been widely featured in news and technology magazines. His marketing campaigns have been widely publicized by Microsoft. Altogether, Dave is a great resource for our community!

Read Dave’s blog posts on virtualization here.

Travelers beware: U.S. agents now have the authority to seize and retain laptops indefinitely, according to a new policy detailed in documents issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

As part of border search policy, government agents are now authorized to seize electronic devices and inspect documents in them, the document states. The electronic devices might include laptops, cell phones, portable music players or storage devices such as portable hard drives.

Agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection will also be allowed to translate and share documents with other government agencies.

Read More

Make sure your clients and employees are aware of this!

My good buddy “The VAR Guy” was in Orlando this week and the CompTIA Breakaway and he reports back on the missed opportunity by the Open Source would to win over the IT Channel, VAR’s and Managed Service Providers.  It was a great opportunity RedHat and others to attempt to win the channel, and according to the VAR Guy, you blew it.

Check out the posting at http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/08/06/comptia-breakaway-open-source-misses-big-opportunity/

Register today for the Marketing for Leads and Sales Boot Camp presented by Mac McIntosh and you’ll learn how to be more effective at helping to generate the small business sales opportunities you need to meet or exceed your sales and revenue goals.

Overview

By attending this information-packed seminar exclusively for Microsoft Small Business Specialists, you’ll learn:

• How to help save time and money while prospecting for new business, and virtually eliminate the need for making cold-calls.
• How other Microsoft Small Business Specialists are successfully generating more sales-winning referrals.
• How to use low-cost marketing to handle the early stages of the sales process, allowing you or your salespeople to be more efficient at closing new business sales.
• How to “date” your longer-term prospects until they are ready to buy—using easy, low-cost marketing touches to help them move from awareness to inquiry and consideration to purchase.
• How you can create lead-generating and sales-winning direct mail letters, postcards and e-mails, quickly and cost-effectively, from your laptop or desktop PC.
• Where and how to “network” to find new business opportunities.

Hundreds of your peers have already attended similar seminars presented by Mac McIntosh for Microsoft technology partners—and they’ve come away armed with effective new business development strategies and marketing tactics, tips, and techniques they’re now using to help cost-effectively and efficiently build their businesses.

Event Details
September 23, 2008
8:30AM to 5:00PM

Microsoft Canada
1950 Meadowvale Blvd
Mississauga, ON
Tel: 905-568-0434

This full-day, information-packed seminar is being offered for only $99 plus tax for Microsoft Small Business Specialists on a space-available basis.

Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity!

Register at http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9327508