Year-end Post from Harrybbbbb

Well - its the final trading day on Wall Street with light trading volume. Seems like everyone is starting to key up for New Years Eve merriment!

I hope the past year has been fruitful for you and yours. May the New Year bring even greater opportunity and good fortune!

It has been a profound honor to communicate with you this past year and I look forward to even more dialog in 2008!

All the best to you moving forward!!!

harrybbbbbb

PS - make New Years Resolutions that are reasonable and you are like to achieve!

:)

Prediciton: Seahawks 14, Atlanta 10 in today's NFL game

Go HAWKS!

:)

harrybbbb

Another use of SBS

Brazil's state water utility: www.marketwatch.com returns the following for the ticker symbol SBS

Companhia De Saneamento Basi. SBS

Blast from the Past

I wonder if you are engaging in the same reflective, strategic thinking behavious that I am right now. The week between Christmas and New Years is a great time to plan ahead. But in my planning mode, I also bumped into some old stuff that I had forgotten but still cherish.

Why did you know? Did you know that I served Peace Corps in late 2000\early 2001 and assisted it in its 76+ country roll-out of SBS 4.5? Musta been where I developed my interest in overseas outreach and activity? The point is the past drives the future in subtle ways :)

have a good day....harrybbbbb

Global Concerns and Stable Markets

Today's assassination of Benzair Bhutto in Pakistan, on the surface, won't affect your billable hours today as a Small Business Specialist. However - as you elevate into the world of thinking business and "BusinessSpeak" - I would encourage you to tune in business TV channels such as CNBC or Fox Business and watch how the markets are reacting.

Eveything is tied together and today's unforutnate events should be viewd in both a global context and your appreciation for stable markets. Investor and owners like stable markets....trust me!

:)

harrybbbb

The Day After.....

Hey gang - nothing like that good feeling after a hearty Christamas Day....don''t know about u but I am using today as a half-speed day to do my writing and what not....

Question: is today a company workday in your firm or a day off?

:)

harrybbbbb

Merry Christmas NPR-style

First of all - Merry Christmas one and all!

Second - I was listening to National Public Radi recently to a story where a group of Muslims was being interviewed. This gorup said it is permissible for Christians to proclaim MERRY CHRISTMAS instead of the more nuetral Happy Holidays which is more inclusive of all faiths. Ergo - kindly accept my Merry Christmas in this same spirit.

cheers....harrybbbb

Seahawks 21, Ravens 7

Its raining hard in Seattle - great conditions for a Seahawk win!

I have placed me bet....whadda u think?!?!?!

:)

harrybbbbb

Ski Ya Later!

Hey - it's a holiday weekend, there is fresh pow-pow at The Pass and I am taking my boys skiing!

Ski Ya Later!

harrybbbbb

Boxers or Briefs?

Remember that famous line from movies? :)

My quesition to you: is today a half-day or full-day of work....given it is a holiday Friday?

thanks

harry

Google oggles SMB channel partners

Please extend a kind and warm welcome to Google with its hosted apps and its first attempt to engage SMB channel partners. Everyone can appreciate a robust and healthy ecosystem and that is something free markets do best!

You are encouraged to click over the check out Google's SMB channel partner story:
http://www.google.com/a/smallbiz/providers/

Disclosure: Google has an advertisement in the current (DEC\JAN issue) of SMB Partner Community magazine (subscribe at www.smbnation.com). However - I do not own stock in Google. :)



cheers....harrybbbbb

One up, One down - the whacky world of SMB events...

Hey gang - my good friends at ChannelPro regret to report that they have cancelled their SMB channel day at CES in Las Vegas on January 9th.

The good news is that we are about to open registration for our SMB 2.0 workshops (two day format) for NYC, Toronto and Europe in JUST A FEW HOURS! Visit www.smbnation.com later tonight :)

So fear not - you have a place to go....

Thanks!

harrybbbb

2008 Annual Salary Survey Is Now OPEN!

Hey gang - we have just opened the annual salary survey for SMB Partner Community magazine....last year we had over 300 responses!

The survey is listed here: http://www.smbnation.com/

I personally want to thank you for taking some time to honestly and objectively conplete this survey. Knowledge is power and the more we know about is other, the kinder we will be!

:)

harrybbbb
Harry Brelsford
CEO
SMB Nation

arrg....Seattle Seahawks lose today

Arrg....we lost by three points (really felt like more) to Carolina today....oh well - at least I got a lot of writing done during the game....good defensive battle.

Congrats to Mark Crall's team = Carolina.

harrybbbb

Shipping Update: New Small Business Specialist Primer Book (70-282, 70-631) to ship 12-25-07

Hey-hey....we have about a ten day delay in shipping the new *white book* due to snowy weather at printer in MINN and some other madness....so Santa will bring it on 12-25-07....I will lieterall have folks working XMAS DAY (for I am mean)

I think you will like it as there are all new 70-282 questions along with an amazing section on passing the WSS 70-631 exam...our guest writer of that section did an AMAZING JOB!

Anyways - thought I wold manage expectations by passing along this scheduling update.

thanks...harrybbbbb

www.smbnation.com

New use for the term SBS

Singapore Bus System (SBS)

'nough said....harrybbbb

No sooner than I covered CompUSA then....

You might have read my newsletter a few weeks ago discussing a CompUSA mailer that was generating demand for the services offered by Small Business Specialists....

Then comes word over the weekend the CompUSA is closing down all stores.

Welcome to the whacky world of 15-min business models.

:)

harrybbbbb

Back in the day when SMB meant something else

Hey - here is a blast form the past....when I (like many other readers) achieved the NetWare certificaiton - I knew SMB to be Server Messaging Blocks!

Microsoft security patches focus on client bugsInfoWorld - San Francisco,CA,USAMicrosoft also issued important updates for the Windows Vista SMB (Server Message Block) version 2 filesharing protocol, the Vista kernel, and the Message ...See all stories on this topic

:)

Seems like SMB is still around in Vista....

cheers...harrybbbb

Real Worldism - Office 2007 and Mobile5\6

Using my poetic license of calling 'em like I see 'em, I submit for your consideration the following real worldism. There I was working the booth at the TS2 event in New Jersey earlier this week. Cyndi Moody at my office sent me a very important file to review from a big customer. It was a Microsoft Word document so I certainly believed no problem to read it on my Windows mobile device (Aka my mobile phone). WRONG!

Up and coming managed services author Matt Makowicz works his table at the New Jersey TS2 event on December 4th.

As reported by CNET and other popular media outlets, the existing Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6 operating systems do not natively open and read Office 2007. Why? Because Office 2007 introduced a new file format based on Office Open XML whereby document file extensions now end in the letter "x" in part to compete with the open-source OpenDocument Format.
This all changed with a patch released November 28, 2007 titled Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1: Upgrade for Microsoft Office 2007 file formats. I proceeded to complete the upgrade from ww.microsoft.com/downloads where I clicked Windows Mobile in the lower center part of the screen.

My first challenge was to determine if I needed to spend any money to upgrade my Office Mobile version to a compatible level for the Office 2007 file format patch to work. I clicked over to http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=ycgykhcab.0.0.u8qs87bab.0&ts=S0305&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fwindowsmobile%2Fsoftware%2Fdefault.mspx&id=preview and selected Learn more about Microsoft Office Mobile on the main landing page. That took me to another page titled Microsoft Office Mobile where I selected the Upgrade or Purchase Office Mobile now link. I performed a quick sanity check under Learn how to upgrade where I easily confirmed I have the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. Note that I could not find a way to tell what Office Mobile version I had (e.g. no About screen in Word Mobile) so I simply looked at the box my mobile telephone shipped in. Note that Windows Mobile 5 and Windows Mobile 6 qualify for this Office Mobile upgrade (to Office Mobile 6.1). So, I then clicked the Upgrade Now button resulting in the Microsoft Mobile Upgrade page. After confirming I was all goodness with the supported operating systems and ActiveSync version 4.5, I proceeded to select Worldwide English (default) under Select your language. Volia - you are deposited at Download Microsoft Office Mobile page as seen in the figure below.
Here is where you download the nearly 13MB file. Thankful my mobile device has a huge secure digital (SD) card to ultimately accommodate this large installation!
Click Download. At my home office, this .MSI file took approximately 3 mins to download (time enough to refill my espresso!). The download experience ended with a follow-on screen allowing me to download more ring tones (no thank you - I am using the Outsourced movie theme as my current ring tone). J
I double-clicked the MSI file I had downloaded to my laptop with my mobile device connected by USB cradle and answered Run at the installer dialog box. I then clicked Next at the Welcome to the Setup Wizard for Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 page of the Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 wizard. I answered I accept the terms in the license agreement on the License Agreement page followed by Next. I clicked Next on the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) page. Then I clicked Next on the Program Installation page.
The Application Downloading Complete dialog box (see figure below) appeared allowing me to look over at my mobile device and select where I wanted the application to be installation. I select my storage card which had some absurd amount of free space like 995MB (the application reported it needed 7.3MB).

I clicked OK at this dialog box after selecting my storage card on my mobile device to installation the application.
My laptop computer displayed the Setup Completed page of the Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 wizard and I clicked Finish. I then clicked Install on my mobile device. The mobile device returned an advisory dialog box titled Microsoft Office Mobile Installer wherein I was advised that Microsoft Office Mobile 6.1 would become the default application for Microsoft Office documents. I selected Yes on my mobile device. After about two minutes, I was advised that Microsoft Office Mobile .CAB was successfully installed on your device and I clicked OK.
I then returned to Outlook Mobile on my mobile device, proceeded to open Cyndi's very important e-mail and read the insertation order information from a very large and happy client!!!! I then returned to my regularly scheduled life where I truly believe we should make business, not war!

Seattle 35, Atlanta 7

Hey - still time to comment on today's NFL game in Seattle...it starts in about four hours....I am going with the home team in a blow out :)

harrybbbb

In just hours - my technical newsletter will have a Office Mobile story

Hey gang - sign up for my free SMB Advisory newsletter at www.smbnation.com and in a few hours I will ship my technical edition that tells the Office Mobile 6.1 story where you can open Office 2007 *.x files on your mobile device.

Thanks

Harry

Pacific NW lunch at Comcast

You've read the blogs about Comcast in SMB - come get the facts...I will see you there...


Comcast Lunch & Learn for SMB IT Professionals


The Comcast Business Services Group invites you to join us for an interactive meeting at our Washington Market office.

Comcast is committed to growing our presence in the Small and Medium Business Space and believes our customers’ success is dependent on them having the best communication services and professional technology support. Our goal for this meeting is to provide you an update on Comcast Business Class services and our plans for 2008. Come and learn about:

The Comcast Hybrid Fiber Coax network
Comcast Business Class products (Internet, Voice and Cable TV)
Microsoft Communication Services from Comcast
Why Comcast recommends our SMB Customers have Professional IT support

Interactive! We will dedicate time to answer questions and listen to your thoughts on how we can better serve our SMB customers.


When: Wednesday December 12, 2008 10:30 AM – 1 PM
Where: Comcast Market Office
15815 25th Ave West
Lynnwood, WA 98087
Mapquest is wrong! From I-5 N or S bound take the 164th exit, head west 1 mile, north on 25th Ave W. Go to the end of 25th. Please check in at the front desk (not the cable store).
Lunch provided - RSVP please
Thanks! Mike McCarty
Mike_mccarty@cable.comcast.com
Voice: 425.766.1107

busy busy buzz buzz cough cough

Wow - sorry to be offline for a few days - busy busy week in NYC including locking down a venue for our late March 2008 SMB Nation East two-day workshop....

And I learned something I already knew - do not travel with a cold....ouch!

Have a great friday

harrybbbb

The secret to writing....

Do it on Sunday while watching football in the background as your "white noise"

You heard it here first :)

harrybbbb

SBSC Partner Plunge event launched, SMB Nation fall conference tickets are part of prize

Hey gang - see the cool Partner Plunge contest at www.partnerplunge.com

FYI - I have donated two prizes:
Fourth and Fifth Place Prizes: one SMB Nation Fall Conference attendee pass for each winning organization. (Provided by SMB Nation - $1500 value each) The 2008 SMB Nation Fall Conference is scheduled for Oct. 4-6, 2008 at the Bell Harbor Conference Center in Seattle, WA.

Kindly note these prizes include air fare for one person....so that is an attendee pass and air fare...

So cool!

harrybbbb

Where did that week go?

Say what? It is already Friday?

And I thought time slows when you get old....

Seriously - I was impressed with the visit of Trevor Dierdorf from Colorado Springs CO this past week in Seattle. He was attending a US Department of Labor conference as a business delegate from the great state of Colorado. What was impressive is here is an SBSer serving on a business panel (related to Workforce)

Seems like there is a lesson learned for many of us seeking to elevate.

Thanks

Harry

Build it and they will come?

If I did a two-day deep dive on Response Point and charged $395.....would you come?

Lemmee know

thx

New SBS Technet Assessment Kit

Hey gang - straight from Redmond:

The kit is now available for download:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=59ACC518-023E-43C3-B8F3-378C5E387461&displaylang=en

Or you can use this easier URL:
https://partner.microsoft.com/wsskit


New Toolkit: Develop, Deploy Custom Solutions
Learn how to build your business by selling and deploying feature-rich portals and collaborative workspaces using Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Small Business Server 2003 R2. The toolkit includes partner best practices, a comprehensive guide (“cookbook”) to processes from sales through delivery, technical data and documentation, and marketing tools, including demos and scripts.

My new addiction: Wikipedia

Wow - this is a really powerful tool for writing books - I am doing much research with this free cool dictionary that everyone contributes to.

FYI - I felt guilty so I donated $100 USD to this cause :)

Well worth it...

thanks

harrybbbb

What do you do for fun?

I know - hard to imagine *freetime fun* when you are busy running a small business technology consulting practice :)
That said - what do you do for fun....do you run...bike...hike...

Lemme know!

harrybbbb

FirstCall for 11-29-07 Announced on Response Point

Please sign up and attend :)
FirstCall
Response Point II
Join host and SMB author Beatrice Mulzer (executive editor of SMB Partner Community Magazine) with a panel of guest speakers (Trevor Dierdorff, Ed Carnes, et al) to take the Response Point conversation to the next level! Following an amazing response in our first Response Point Webinar in mid-November - we are back with more content delivered via guest experts. EXTRA TIME has been allocated to answering audience questions. This is part of an on-going SMB Nation series on popular business and technical topics. Seating is limited sign up immediately!

Title: Microsoft Response Point: Part II
Date: Thursday, November 29, 2007
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM PST
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat HERE!
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/664596372

Lil' Firday Holiday Reading on Responseo Point

Great article in Small Business Computing:
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/3712471

Happy Thanksgiving for USA readers

Happy Happy - I got go BBQ the turkey now

:)

harrybbbb

Response Point Team Creates A LIVE Site to Chat with U

Here is the official site - join up!

###Welcome to the Response Point partner siteIt might not look fancy, but it can be updated quickly, so if there is anything missing that would help you build your Response Point practice, please use the guestbook or send an email to rpoint@microsoft.com to let us know!Microsoft Response Point Partner Site - http://responsepoint.spaces.live.com/ ###

RP starting to get noticed.....

See Paul's article at Windows IT Pro

http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/articleid/97626/Microsoft_Hits_the_Response_Point.html

You must be a registered user at the site to read it.

Thanks

Harrybbbbbb

HandyAndy's Monthly Chat - this WEDNESDAY - Pre-Turkey Day

From Handy Andy:
Hi Gang,

Don’t forget our pre-turkey chat tomorrow at 7:00pm eastern (gmt -5)
Yes while you are dreaming about stuffing yourselves the next day with turkey and all the trimmings, stop by and stuff your brain with useful tidbits about SMB.
I am heading for Maryland tomorrow but should be there in time to join y’all for the chat

www.sbsmigration.com/chat

See you then,
Gobble Gobble

Ps Thanksgiving is a US holiday usually celebrated by stuffing oneself in the bounties of the harvest, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving

RP is not the original MS telephony system!

Hey - I was poking around the MS site and came across this:
Original Microsoft Phone Press Release: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1996/jan96/phnvcepr.mspx

Microsoft Phone Now Available From Leading Manufacturers
Microsoft Corp. announced that leading manufacturers are now shipping voice modems and complete PC systems that provide innovative computer-telephony applications based on Microsoft Phone.
REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 30, 1996 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that leading manufacturers are now shipping voice modems and complete PC systems that provide innovative computer-telephony applications based on Microsoft® Phone.
Microsoft Phone is a powerful and easy-to-use software-only speakerphone and answering machine made possible by new communications technologies available only in the Microsoft Windows® 95 operating system and by new, voice-enabled modems. Manufacturers offering Microsoft Phone products and systems include Creative Labs Inc., Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc., Micron Electronics Inc. and Miro Computer Products.
"Computers are already essential in fax- and data-modem communications. Now, with Microsoft Phone, Microsoft is extending the PC into the world of voice-based telephone communications," said Brad Chase, general manager of the personal systems division at Microsoft. "The rich communications technologies in Windows 95 combined with the product offerings of our hardware and OEM partners result in a powerful and integrated computer-telephony experience for end users."
Microsoft Phone Turns PC Into Comprehensive Voice Communications Center
Microsoft Phone transforms a voice modem into a comprehensive voice communications center, helping both individuals and small businesses to be more productive.
Users can create centralized message centers that turn PCs into speakerphones; store all e-mail, voice and fax messages in a single inbox; let callers hear announcements, leave messages or receive faxes by pressing their phone keys; and use text-to-speech technology to read electronic-mail messages aloud over the phone. In addition, Microsoft Phone uses speech-recognition technology that enables users to store frequently used numbers in memory and to dial merely by saying a name.
With Microsoft Phone, users can also set up password-protected voice mailboxes at home or on the job. In addition, they can tell the computer to notify them automatically when new messages arrive via pager or telephone. Intuitive Windows Wizards in Microsoft Phone make it easy to set up the answering machine and use new computerized phone features including caller I.D. and call forwarding.
Microsoft Phone Powered by Innovative Windows 95 Communications Technologies
Windows 95 is the first PC operating system to enable new voice-telephony solutions based on the following new technologies and specifications:
•
Unimodem/V , a new extension to the Universal modem driver, is a TAPI service provider that makes supporting voice modems easier.
•
TAPI , the industry-leading Windows 95 telephony API, enables Microsoft Phone to work with all TAPI-compatible products available from hardware and software vendors.
•
MAPI , the Windows 95 messaging API, enables Microsoft Phone to store and retrieve messages and uses the standard Windows 95 MAPI address book.
•
Microsoft Exchange Inbox , which is standard in Windows 95, enables all incoming messages, whether voice or data, to be located in a single place.
•
Microsoft Fax features , included in Windows 95, allow users to create a fax-back system and to forward fax messages.
•
Speech API is a new API for developing speech-recognition applications. Microsoft Phone is the first Windows 95-based application to use the Speech API.
Microsoft Phone is available to end users exclusively through the hardware and systems manufacturers that package it with their voice modems and voice-enabled PCs.
Leading Manufacturers Praise Microsoft Phone, Microsoft for Enabling New Solutions
" Creative Phone Blaster ™products create a unique, cutting-edge hardware platform for audio communications on the PC," said Rich Sorkin, vice president, strategic business division at Creative Labs Inc. " The primary goal of Creative's long-standing design relationship with Microsoft was to improve dramatically the ease of use of the software running on that hardware. By combining Microsoft Phone and Windows 95 with Creative's industry-leading Blaster ™hardware, we expect to accelerate the adoption of telephony in the PC significantly."
"Our new multimedia systems incorporating Microsoft Phone give individuals and small businesses the ability to manage their telephone and messaging needs in a way that's only been available to large corporations until now," said Kenneth Birch, vice president of strategic relations at Micron. "The new communications technologies available together for the first time in Windows 95 were crucial to making this happen."
"The combination of Microsoft Phone with Supra's state-of-the-art telephony hardware gives the small office/home office (SOHO) user access to communication technology once restricted to large corporations," said James H. Cutburth, vice president of marketing of the Supra communications division at Diamond Multimedia. "We've worked closely with Microsoft to ensure Microsoft Phone and Supra telephony products work well together."

Next Question: Do you listend to Startup Nation on the radio?

OK - here is my next question - do you listen to Startup Nation on the AM radio dial? That's the famous Sloane brothers who spoke at the Small Business Symposium day in Boston at WPC 2005.

You can learn more about this show at www.startupnation.com

Talk to me!

thanks...harrybbbb

Question: Do you listen to Kim Komando

Hey - interesting nationwide radio show in the USA called Kim Komando on the AM dial....the digital goddess...

Have you listened to this before?

Lemme know!

thanks

Harry

Great CRN article on RP!

Read it- features my good friend Aaron Booker!

http://www.crn.com/networking/203101206

Cheers....harrybbbb

RP updated

Wow - heaps of fun to get the RP party started....

Today's FirstCall had 160+ people sign up and 130+ attend....that is a very high number!

Our early poll results showed that folks want a technical deep dive into RP

Our next FirstCall will be THURSDAY 11-29-07 in the afternoon (PST)...I am thinkng 4pm-ish.

I will keep you posted.

BTW - our RP newsgroup at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/responsepoint/ just hit 126 members...join the fun and POST UP!

:)

harrybbbbb

New 70-282 book with 70-631 exam content and more SBSC stuff

Hey - I am just about to sign off on the blue lines for the new Small Business Specialist Primer that Beatrice wrote this summer\fall...it is a 760-page whopper! All new 70-282 questions to pass that @#$%$%^ exam and a three chapter section on 70-631 Configuring Windows SharePoint Services (WSS).

Details at our Web site: http://www.smbnation.com/





Thanks!





Harry

RP - Are You With Me?!?!?

The answer is yes - Response Point is very much with me and hopefully you.

Check out these early stats:
>100+ people signed up for the Response Point newsgroup at: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/responsepoint/

>160+ people are signed up for my FirstCall on THURSDAY (this week on 11-15-07) at 8AM PST. You can sign up at:
FirstCall: Response Point!Webinar This Thursday MorningMicrosoft Response Point was officially announced this past Monday andis ready to rock. Join this FirstCall with author Harry Brelsford tolearn more about his small business telephone system. Harry will reviewpricing, licensing, features and functionality. More importantly - hewill tell the SMB Nation story - his company canned its old*sophisticated* telephone system and went to Microsoft Response Pointover a month ago. He will also update you on his new book, MicrosoftResponse Point Primer.ThursdayNovember 15, 20078:00am - 8:30am PST (GMT-8)Space is limited.Reserve your Webinar seat now at:https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/663891068

MS Pricing Announced on Response Point (lower), Windows Server 2008

Good morning everyone - MS has updated it pricing for its small business telephone system and announced prcing for its upcoming server launch.

First - check out the new Web site at www.microsoft.com/responsepoint

The Response Point pricing amounts to a price reduction:
· The D-Link VoiceCenter package includes a base unit, a four phone-line analog telephone adapter and five desktop phones for approximately $2,500 $2,999.
· Additional Quanta phones are $159; D-Link will sell additional phones for approximately $139 $149.
· A complete Quanta Syspine package that includes a base unit with built-in analog telephone adapter (ATA) and secure gateway, plus four phones, for approximately $2,500.
· A complete 20-phone system from D-Link or Quanta for less than $5,500.

OK - now the Windows ERver 2008 pricing:

•
Windows Server 2008 Standard: $999 (with five Client Access Licenses, or CALs)
•
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise: $3,999 (with 25 CALs)
•
Windows Server 2008 Datacenter: $2,999 (per processor)
•
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems: $2,999 (per processor)
•
Windows Web Server 2008: $469
•
Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V: $971 (with five CALs)
•
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V: $3,971 (with 25 CALs)
•
Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V: $2,971 (per processor)

Microsoft Response Point Newsgroup created

Hey - a Microsoft Response Point (RP) newsgroup has been created at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/responsepoint/

Please join the fun - it time for fun in the telephony space!

Looking forward!

Harry

It's the Weekend - do you know where your worker bees are?

Seems like we owners work on the weekends while the worker bees rest. Also seems fair to me. Owners enjoy the honey and worker bees make it - so in all fairness - I am working on a later Saturday afternoon and my employees aren't.

Oh well - I think I now go take a hot tub knowing what I know now. :)

harrybbbbb

Right On RP!

Has the Red Sea parted or what? Over two years ago - I started on a telephony journey that included a trip to Vegas to look at a enterprise-level call center telephony solution being squeezed into the SBS space (ouch), free calling, Yahoo, Skype, MSN-based calling, reverting to tradition cordless telephones, paying annual renewal fees for a system that wasn't up to snuff (sorry to go negative) and so on.

That ended yesterday when I installed Microsoft Response Point with seven telephones at our office. Already we are seeing a telephone solution that is right-sized and right-priced! I will comment on this more later but I can't believe it works so well so easily. But do not believe me - call us at 360-779-1140 (main line) and here for yourself!

Question: What is your nickname?

Beatrice meets with Microsoft Response Point PM Richard Sprague in Seattle recently....

Harry

PS - our old telephony server is now being redeploiyed as a testing server....right on RP!

Return of Big BackOffice: Up or Out

Hey-hey

This is a case of the military's phrase for "up" with the introduction of Windows Essential Business Server (formerly code named Centro). What? In the military and other big companies - there is the phrase up or out when you reach mid-career. There is a natural incentive in any channel partner program to motivate partners to ascend upward. Frankly I have found this to be the way American firms naturally think with India and Asia close behind (growth is good). Countries in continental Europe may or may not embrace this up strategy.

For the purposes of this business speak conversation, assume you are a SBSer or Small Business Specialist and you seek to grow into a slightly larger space. That's called "all goodness" and then some in Redmond. It is a neo-classical return to BackOffice which was prominent from the mid-1990s to November of 2001 in the Microsoft SMB infrastructure portfolio. The idea back then and today is to have a multiple server solution for entities just above the small business space (e.g. start at 50 users up to 300 users). Windows Essential Business Server allows you to leverage your small business customer portfolio to grow into larger customers -or more importantly - grow with your successful small business customers who are flying further and faster than they imagined when they started their companies in the proverbial garage.

So let's get technical.

"Windows Essential Business Server is an integrated server infrastructure solution designed for the unique needs of mid-sized organizations, combining the technologies of Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, Forefront Security for Exchange, System Center Essentials, the next version of ISA Server and SQL Server 2008 into an “all-in-one” solution. It will include a Standard and Premium Edition. Windows Essential Business Server will provide a single Client Access License for all included products and offers new technologies which simplify license management. Within the administration console, IT professionals can easily ascertain how many licenses they have, who the licenses are assigned to and - when an employee leaves the company - easily re-assign licenses.

The difference between standard and premium edition is this: Premium includes SQL Server 2008. To me - that is the whole enchilada because I believe everything in the business world pivots off data; data is the reason we are here. Data is the reason we exist. Someday humans will be born with USB 2.0 ports!

Enough nonsense and back to GeekSpeak. Essentially Widows Essential Business Server (WEBS - kinda cute isn't it!) uses a partitioning strategy to put security on a server out front, the domain controller\management functions in the middle and the infrastructure back-end in the, while, background. How about a picture to better convey this concept:

In future issues - we will write more on WEBS and I will expand on the management paradigm stolen from SBS :)

BEST PRATICE: Windows Essential Business Server is really a growth strategy for Small Business Specialists. In pop therapy terms, you now have my permission to grow. It does not reflect disloyalty to the beloved SBS product our your SBSer roots.

I final found out what BOB means

At first - I thought it was my brother in law :)

But the Microsoft OEM\System Builder group called the BOB Team is Builder of Boxes....man - I never knew that before today!!!

Harry

Workaholic weekend - is it the ism.....

Recovery movement rehortic aside - I find myself workig this Saturday AM on some very important business matters and I think back to how I built this company (starting in the garage, etc.). So my question to you dear reader - are you working this weekend too?

harrybbbb

SMB Nation 2008 events announced for Spring

• Hey - I thought you might like a SAVE THE DATE e-mail. :)
  
  I will post more details shortly but kindly note:
  SMB Nation East March 15-16, 2008 in the NYC area (details to follow)
  SMB Nation Toronto early May 2008
  SMB Nation Europe mid May 2008
  
  Thanks
  
  Harry

Anyway to display more than eight home pages

Hey - Im trying to create my own war room and display heaps of Web pages but IE7 stops me at 8 home pages....any workarounds?

Thanks

Harry

Friday is sales day - TGIF

For what its worth - I try to do my administrative voodoo on Monday and Tuesday, then visit Microsoft Redmond on Wednesday and finally do sales on both Thursday and Friday. I really enjoy selling on Fridays because Im in a good mood and so are my customers.

This approach is called chunking and is something they teach you a B-school! :)

Have a great weekend....harrybbbbb

PS - We SBSer know the term Small Business Specialist Community be SBSC. But did you know that AT&T has a 50,000 member small business group you can join called the Small Business Survival Committee (SBSC) ?

:)

Another way to communicate

Did you know - I have a bi-weekly newsletter with over 15,000 readers. The issues alternatve between a business and technical edition. For example, later today I'll post up the business edition and in early November, the technical editon.

What does it all mean? This is another avenue to build community, stay in touch and communicate! I would encourage you to subscribe over at www.smbnation.com (select Harry's SMB Advisory letter on the left side)

Thanks!

Harrybbbbbb

Still sorting it out...

Hey gang - I don't know about you but I'm still sorting out the loss of Bill Hunt several days later. It really causes one to pause and think about what's important.

Enought said for today.

Harry

Remembering Bill Hunt

It was with profound sadness and shock I received word from Bob Hood that his colleague Bill Hunt of Chicago has died. Bill is a long-time attendee at SMB Nation and served the community and his customers well.

Bill will be immensely missed - God speed to you Bill!

HandyAndy's Monthly Chat - this WEDNESDAY

Hey gang - it's my main man Andy at it again:
Andy Goodman will be hosting his monthly SBS Chat on sbsmigration.com this Wednesday at 4:00pm PDT.

From Andy:
There will be lots to talk about this month, some of us were at SMB Nation, some of us have war stories to share about imaging projects we have done recently with ShadowProtect and of course there are a bunch of upcoming events and conferences.

Here is the link to the chat
http://chat.sbsmigration.com/sbschat

A bit about Andy:
Andy Goodman, SBS-MVP, SBSC, MSA, MPAN Andy"at"SBS-Rocks.com~New Blog at http://blog.sbs-rocks.com~Founding Father SMBTN Triad NC Group http://www.smbtn-nc-triad.org/~Co-Author Advanced Windows Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices~DownHome Computers <http://www.SBS-Rocks.com/>

Better to give then receive

Isn't there more than one way to serve the community....I applaud those who serve with their time but there is also the Seattle way led by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Go out, compete hard, make money and then give it all away. :)

This photo shows our donation to NPower which has been named our annual charity for SMB Nation. Look for NPower in future magazine issues....the two gents on the left are from NPower and the gent on the right is from Microsoft's Response Point team...he's the GM!

SBSer Ski Alert - Get Ready

Hey - don't sit around this winter if you're in the northern climates - get out doors! The forecast is for a great ski season (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6600ap_wst_ski_season.html) and reorts are already open in Colorado!

And did you know - SBS MVP Oliver from Germany was the winner of the three-night, four day Crested Butte Ski Vacation at the just completed SMB Nation 2007 event. I'm shoiwn here with Oliver. He is from Germany - which has a long history of ski racing!

Have a great day!

harrybbbbb

An old print dude goes online

Maybe its the yoga....the lipitor or the exercise....but it's true - the old "print author" now has a blog. And just how did that come about? basically its eat my dog food time (a tip of the hat to my springer spaniels). I want to make time and space to participate in the community daily - what ever that means. You can anticipate the following:

Microsoft Windows Small Business Server (SBS) stuff

BusinessSpeak surrounding technology (how were having terrific results with CRM)

New project and books (did you know my Response Point book will be here soon plus I plan to write a couple more books over the winter)

Small Business Specialist Community (SBSC) updates - I'll call 'em as I see 'em

Thanks everyone - looking forward!

Harrybbbbbb