May 2007 - Posts
Clearly Managed Services is where most IT Break Fix Businesses are heading. Synergistic is no different we want stable revenue and lower support overheads.
In the next 30 Days (well 30 Days from when we get all the Evaluation Keys) we will build the infrastructure we need, and document the business process changes we need to go through to manage three Virtual Clients and perhaps several real ones too.
We will use two key software tools and a side benefit will be a head to head shootout of Kaseya and System Center Essentials 2007, should be enlightening.
Now where are those Eval Keys..... Tim?? Thanks Tim for the extension too
Update - Building Infrastructure for a fair comparison has a lead time I didn't account for so 30 Days will start from when the lab is fully implemented.
Daniel Pearson be presenting a session on Windows debugging to the Canberra Windows (Infrastructure) User Group on Tuesday, 12th of June 2007 in Canberra. The focus of the talk will be on bug checks and the why, how and what to do about them.
Dan has attached the PowerPoint slides he'll be using on his blog , this is a great idea so people can print them out for taking notes on.
As normal cost is free and pizza will be provided.
Venue: Microsoft, Level 2, 44 Sydney Avenue Barton
Date: Tuesday, 12th June 2007
Time: 5:30 PM for a 6 PM start
Close: Session generally closes by 7:30 PM
Cost: Free!
RSVP to David@Mackie.dropbear.id.au by 12:00 on Monday 11th June 2007
Please forward to colleagues and help promote this event.
Cross Post: Events Notices from the Canberra Windows User Group
There is a song by a fabulous band TISM called Five Yards and perhaps that is how I acted earlier today.
So this is a bit about education and my feelings on it AND a lot about how I am exactly the opposite to much of the people on the planet. Of course it is an apology to Rolfe (which I will send as I'm sure he does not read my blog) and a commitment to do better as well as a warning to folk I know so this is not repeated in other forums.
What happened? Get to the point David I hear you screaming.
We were having a conversation about teaching and how in the not two distant past teachers taught in the gowns that you graduate in, I said that in the kind of time frame we were talking that my year eleven math teacher had made comment that if we were not more attentive etc we would not succeed in life. How amused we were that at that time entry to teachers college to teach maths required 150 in the HSC a resounding fail in the HSC would make us as successful as him.
Now Rolfe is a very senior Maths teacher and I did get the feeling that I had insulted him but because I had gone the road toward where I was, I didn't think that I could improve the situation as following a thought chain on the fly had got me to the bad situation I was in, and further speaking would only get me further in and it was not what I wanted. Given we were going home and Rolfe is a way better person than me yes truly I have to say he is a fantastic guy and never anything other than a great bloke, and by the time we left, he seemed fine, but that is more a reflection on him than what I had said.
So what did I really mean and this is easier in hind sight, If teachers wore that University Graduation Gown thingy when teaching even today I think it would command more respect as to the amount of effort involved, and scores required to enter the profession would reflect the calibre of applicant. Why were scores equivalent of a grade in the bottom half of students in 1985? I suspect it was because teaching was not seen as an attractive career choice which means the bar was set low allowing more students to take the option as a choice their scores would allow, not to say that all teachers at that time were in the bottom half.
We constantly tell people that email conversations are prone to misinterpretation because you can't read inflections and intent, well I seem to have difficulty when stinging together a train of thought in person and let out the wrong message from which I can't get back easily, so no mater what I say it becomes inadequate back paddling.
Does Email work better for me? well only when I sit on it for an hour or so. How does this help people knowing this?
In person if I say things that come across as stupid and unthinking it probably is and if you can keep your head (thanks Rolfe) and pull me up for a clarification I may still be stupid and unthinking but chances are I didn't mean it. Likewise if I respond to email in less than an hour honor the recall request and delete the message and purge from your memory too, as I hope to be less me and more Rolfe in future.
On education to teach is to learn again so ALL full time staff of Synergistic should teach something regularly AND perhaps even learn some things and I think I may just have learned something today.
Who are you? Let me know
The character quiz is here
When we do projects for customers we aim to make them all referenceable and I have been meaning to do this for Carpe Diem for some time.
This course is a marketing course for professional marketing people, wow did that scare me! As a small business owner I see myself in technical, sales, marketing and business management roles, so to walk into a session that was unashamedly focused in full time marketing folk was a concern. After the first hour I was totally convinced that this was the place to focus our efforts that day. Vicki presented energetic, relevant material that we used the very next day.
Highly recommended course, very happy with Carpe Diem.
I would recommend this course to anyone and would encourage members of the Small Business Specialist Community to take advantage of this course if offered again.
As you know we try not to send advertising or unrelated topics to User Group Members but since we are doing System Center Essentials this month and it is very similar features in the Kaseya offering this is a very topical in vestment in half a day of your time (I think)
Here is the Invitation I recieved.
We have a half day seminar this month in Canberra and I was wondering if you could pass this information on to your members – it would also be great to see you there as well.
There are even some exclusive special offers for you members that attend the seminar J
Here is an online link to information on the seminar series http://www.crn.com.au/promos/crn_kaseya_apr07.html
Kaseya is conducting a 9-city “Roadmap to Success” half-day seminar series and coming to Canberra on Friday the 18th of May.
The seminar will show you how Managed Service Providers are transforming the traditional “Break-Fix” services landscape through the use of the Kaseya framework. The series is designed to engage attendees with educational and interactive discussions on how automated managed services can position IT Solutions Providers for success:
- Determine which services are most critical, and how to best promote, sell and price those services.
- Increase top-line revenue without increasing cost while improving client service levels, overall satisfaction and retention rates.
- Learn how to support as many as 1,000 systems per technician!
- See a live demonstration of this extremely popular MSP product
If you currently provide support and maintenance services to SME customers, you should not miss this unique opportunity to review both the theory and practice of Managed Service delivery ... and experience this exciting new technology live at the event.
Special promotion for all SBS members that attend – A free 1GB USB storage device and the following exclusive offer:
http://www.kaseya.com/forms/msp-sbs-info.php
Cross Post: Events Notices from the Canberra Windows User Group