tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16590926847529938452024-02-20T17:04:42.862+10:00Keira McIntosh's SMB Technology ManifestoAs a technology business owner, sales and marketing professional and Australian SBSC PAL for FY10 and FY11, this blog is a forum to communicate with other SMB IT Professionals about business, technology and other interesting stuff.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-8038389083403216692011-11-04T11:52:00.006+10:002011-11-04T12:08:13.090+10:00COMDEX Rides Again - COMDEX Virtual 2011<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-YDSdJihBTgeBw33Z9s-ngBLrDiMzGHVcsr2p50z71gIZiDTjjEr8V2cji-qMhzfuu6F9rzWYud5uh1HXlXiUe3z20mX2txiXXT3JkQZ1znDbrDUUuaWaD8XCfljkz8IppnaQv5B9_c/s1600/comdex.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 43px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-YDSdJihBTgeBw33Z9s-ngBLrDiMzGHVcsr2p50z71gIZiDTjjEr8V2cji-qMhzfuu6F9rzWYud5uh1HXlXiUe3z20mX2txiXXT3JkQZ1znDbrDUUuaWaD8XCfljkz8IppnaQv5B9_c/s400/comdex.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670956643697668562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yxim44cllrUyAQnt3lEadqGCdz5iVjuCx6XchQWHjmYfMcvgV36UMA7hTtID14tzfTtGFhgSZDALRncJT7ifc7gbwgJNODY2Ct-5Fjz6YracE854tNQeZnRHV2NicnrpRw5hvtuEODk/s1600/comdex.png"><br /></a><br /><div><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div>Remember when COMDEX was<strong> the </strong>technology event of the calendar? Well COMDEX is back, in a virtual format and the COMDEX Virtual 2011 event will be held in the next 2 weeks. You can watch some of the presentations live or recorded plus visit the booths and talk to vendor reps, all from the comfort of your desk!<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>A full agenda, jam packed with content is available <a href="http://everythingchannelevents.com/files/COMDEXvirtual_conference_catalog_1-1.pdf">here.</a><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>There's vendor presentations, training sessions, booths to visit, a lounge where you can chat with other attendees and more. It is completely complementary and there will be great giveaways like iPads, Amex and Amazon gift cards and prizes from vendors. You can register <a href="http://everythingchannel.omeda.com/data/comdex2011/welcome?p=EVENTS_ADVISORS">here</a>.<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div>Will there be virtual booth babes? You'll have to attend to find out....</div><div> </div></div>Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-81894066625740843232011-10-29T10:14:00.008+10:002011-10-29T10:55:26.433+10:00The Cloud and The Customer<div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwxWW5m4Bm-As4gJHupGqC_g9nbs-FcHoPrvR7tC_T_eGV5W6XpwKIL1NKa5q52ZRcGX4Za0tWTHmECe36MMkYGLZwS1oDSanV9s9qlPocKz4wCSsfnV088LUViZ1ZcbbBaudJ98uUVA/s1600/10156_clouds_light_breaking_through_sky.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px; height: 227px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668710490548641282" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwxWW5m4Bm-As4gJHupGqC_g9nbs-FcHoPrvR7tC_T_eGV5W6XpwKIL1NKa5q52ZRcGX4Za0tWTHmECe36MMkYGLZwS1oDSanV9s9qlPocKz4wCSsfnV088LUViZ1ZcbbBaudJ98uUVA/s320/10156_clouds_light_breaking_through_sky.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />In my conversations with business owners who run mature, highly successful businesses the conversation often goes like this:<br /><br />Client: "So what's the 'Cloud' thing all about? It's just like hosting right?"<br /><br />Me: [explains value proposition of cloud]<explains cloud="" of="" proposition="" value=""><br /><br />Client: "OK so reduces upfront capital expenditure, but probably costs about the same or more in the long run"<br /><br />Me: "Yes, once you add up all the costs, there's not really a substantial cost difference."<br /><br />Client: "So why would I give up control if there's no price advantage. I guess if I was starting again it might be worth looking at. But there's no way I'd put my companies communications infrastructure and my systems with [telco/large IT company<insert company="" big="" other="" telco="" it="">. Have you tried calling those people? They can't even do simple things right, imagine if our email was down and we had to talk to some offshore call centre to try and get it sorted out?"<br /><br />And that's pretty much the end of the conversation about Cloud.<br /><br />So, you might ask at this juncture if we are anti-cloud as a business. The answer to that question is simple - we are all about recommending the solution that gives a client the outcome they need. Cloud is not an anathema. It's the right solution for some businesses, but not all. So Cloud is valid where it matches the desired outcomes.<br /><br />We could, of course, wrap our managed services expertise around cloud solutions to add value. But while the big players sell 'Cloud' as a commodity, its difficult to convince a client who likes cloud on the basis of a sub $10/month cloud bundle that they really need your ongoing managed services at $50 - 100/month. Especially without the advantage of white labelling and bundling a full service into a single bill to the client.<br /><br />So why does a client need something other than the sub $10/month cloud bundle offered by a telco/large IT provider?<br /><br />Because the client still needs expert help to navigate translation of their business requirements, to manage user questions, service provision issues, training, desktops, application integration, internet connectivity, back ups, disaster recovery.<br /><br />And before they even get that far, is the average business owner or executive qualified to select the right type of cloud service for their business? Do they have an adequate understanding of systems complexity, risk management, etc to choose a service that will meet their business outcomes?<br /><br />Successful businesses value their relationship with their trusted advisors - accounting, financial, legal and IT providers. Disconnect the trusted advisor from the client/IT relationship and results may vary.<br /><br />As IT providers, we are far more excited about the technology than our clients are. If you can deliver enough productivity and profitability to your client that they can upgrade their BMW, buy a boat, have a better family holiday or more time off, this is gonna float their boat alot more than using 'cloud' ever will.<br /><br />The successful business person is focussed on outcomes, not technology. Choose the right technology for their outcome, be that cloud or on premise. </insert></explains></div>Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-75490194206725603442011-09-19T09:04:00.008+10:002011-09-19T09:23:39.053+10:00Windows 8 Revealed at BUILD Conference<div><br />So Windows 8 was revealed to assembled developers at the BUILD Windows Conference in Anaheim, CA last week and a Windows 8 Developer Preview released to anyone with a working internet connection.<br /><br />What's the fuss?<br /><br />We had Windows 8 installed quick smart onto a spare Windows tablet. While there's some functionality missing its easy to see the potential of Windows 8 for apps with the new 'Metro' tile layout. Jensen Harris did a great job of presenting Microsoft's new challenger for iOS and we're keen to see how Windows 8 continues to take shape with progressive builds.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrP_MVd-bkwAE-ZmNqktxEOxKmHS9bHqg4Lc0CIP2G6mdk1qjvTzh4WveSbBYHCJar7L3YML7jd_txhkF7ijQsbPiJNUtcBR5IbTVLf7t4Q-V2_kFZ6dH-7MJGllNb8JUxDVT-IkwkE8/s1600/Windows+8+on+a+slate.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 239px; height: 320px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653841180602649938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrP_MVd-bkwAE-ZmNqktxEOxKmHS9bHqg4Lc0CIP2G6mdk1qjvTzh4WveSbBYHCJar7L3YML7jd_txhkF7ijQsbPiJNUtcBR5IbTVLf7t4Q-V2_kFZ6dH-7MJGllNb8JUxDVT-IkwkE8/s320/Windows+8+on+a+slate.JPG" /></a>You can get all the info on BUILD and download the developers preview from the <a href="http://www.buildwindows.com/">BUILD website</a>.<br /><br />Here's a couple of great articles that give you a good run down of Windows 8 features and their potential:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/229285/windows_8_what_you_need_to_know.html">PC World</a><br /><a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/hands-on-windows-8-review-1025259">TechRadar</a><br /><a href="http://www.slashgear.com/tags/windows-8/">SlashGear</a><br /><br />So, its early days, but what do you think of Windows 8? Are Microsoft headed in the right direction?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-24714349012993276822010-09-21T09:53:00.004+10:002010-09-21T09:58:57.286+10:00Microsoft Regional Business Building Sessions - Coming to a Town Near You<p>Microsoft's Brad Clarke will be hitting the road again next month presenting SMB focussed 'Business Builder' sessions in the following locations: </p><ul><li>Albury </li><li>Ballina </li><li>Canberra </li><li>Ballarat </li><li>Coffs Harbour </li><li>Gosford </li><li>Liverpool </li><li>Newcastle </li><li>Orange </li><li>Penrith </li><li>Wollongong </li><li>Gold Coast </li><li>Ipswich </li><li>Cairns </li><li>Townsville </li><li>Caloundra </li><li>Geelong </li><li>Bendigo</li></ul><p>These sessions will cover</p><ul><li>Small and Medium Business Technology Overview</li><li>Partner Network Update</li><li>Cloud Computing</li></ul><p>You can register for a session in your location <a href="https://www.microsoft.com.au/events/register/home.aspx?levent=771443&linvitation">here</a>. Contact Brad at <a href="mailto:bradcl@microsoft.com.au">bradcl@microsoft.com.au</a> if you'd like more information or to organise a 1:1 session.</p><p> </p><p> </p><br /><br /><p><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.</p>Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-16172073373034089232010-09-21T09:44:00.004+10:002010-09-21T09:53:17.513+10:00Earn $$$ with Microsoft Dynamics Lead Referral ProgramThis new referral program was announced at APC and Brad Clarke of Microsoft has kindly provided more information.<br /><br />If your clients could benefit from a Dynamics solution in their business but you lack the skills, resources or desire to implement a dynamics solution yourself, then this program can earn you up to $20,000 per opportunity by referring a Dynamics solution through this program.<br /><br />To qualify you must be part of the Microsoft Partner Network and there is an registration form to complete.<br /><br />More details on the <a href="https://partner.microsoft.com/40142129#4">Microsoft Partner Network</a> website.<br /><br /><p><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.</p>Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-34726766462925134372010-09-05T18:10:00.009+10:002010-09-21T09:52:52.386+10:00Quick Recap: Microsoft Australian Partner Conference 2010I registered for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">APC</span> this year with a not insignificant amount of trepidation. For years we attended Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference and gave the local event the swerve. For the last four years we've attended both the Worldwide event and the local event. I think the lure of tropical North Queensland was what got us over the line initially.<br /><br />The two events have always been different. Both have always had a strong business, marketing and product <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">roadmap</span> focus - these are not events for technicians. For technical info, you'll be wanting <a href="http://australia.msteched.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">TechEd</span></a>.<br /><br />I didn't love <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">WPC</span> this year, but I'm relieved to be able to report that <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">APC</span> was a great event and I left with great enthusiasm for working with the Microsoft Australia team. Here's a few highlights.<br /><br /><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pre</span> Day</strong><br />Mark <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">O'Shea</span> lead a small but keen group of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB'ers</span> through product line up with a deep dive into Aurora and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">SBS</span>7 sharing with the us hot content straight from the product team. We discussed nifty features built into Aurora designed to allow deployment and management of Online Services – from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">BPOS</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">CRM</span> Online as well as the opportunity for other hosted providers to utilise the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">SDK</span> and offer their services straight from the console.<br /><br />At morning tea I reluctantly left the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">pre</span> day to head to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sofitel</span> for the Partner Advisory Board meeting. Other content included <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">Intune</span> and a session on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-error">virtualisation</span> and management. Whilst the presenter had considerable enthusiasm for Microsoft’s management tools, he seemed to have missed to part of the brief asking to adapt the information to an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB</span> audience, spending most of his airtime talking about System Centre <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">et</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">al</span> and very little time on Hyper V.<br /><br />Congratulations to Mark O’Shea who provided most of the content and did a great job of really providing useful info for <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB</span> Partners<br /><br /><strong>Partner Advisory Board</strong><br />The most important thing I want to share with readers about this part of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">APC</span> is that Microsoft Australia have a strong leadership in Tracey Fellows, Paul <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">Voges</span> and George <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" class="blsp-spelling-error">Stavrakakis</span>. The team took the board through an open discussion/Q&A session where some hard hitting questions were put to the panel. One thing was demonstrated in this session – Partners at every level need to assess what Cloud means to their business.<br /><br /><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_25" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB</span> Kick Off & Content</strong><br />Wow! Best kick off at any conference anywhere! That was the feedback from partners who attended the first official <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_26" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB</span> session of the conference. “Overworked and Under Laid” was the title of this session, delivered by <a href="http://www.nigelmarsh.com/">Nigel Marsh</a>, former CEO of George Patterson Y&R (recently replaced by Russel <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_27" class="blsp-spelling-error">Howcroft</span> who you may know from The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_28" class="blsp-spelling-error">Gruen</span> Transfer). His colourful delivery and ability to cut to the core and ‘tell it like it is’ was appreciated by the audience. He spoke about the lack of real leadership inside many organisations and the challenge of business owners and leaders to give people a reason to show up to work – describing many workplaces as abattoirs for the soul. He spoke of his realisation of what it meant to lead and some of the important realisations he personally had discovered as a CEO, father and leader. If you get an opportunity to hear Nigel speak, I highly recommend it. If not he has two great books ‘Overworked and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_29" class="blsp-spelling-error">Underlaid</span>’ and ‘Fat, Forty and Fired’, both of which I highly recommend.<br /><br />We then got into the core content of the conference with sessions from Clayton <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_30" class="blsp-spelling-error">Moulynox</span>, Bill <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_31" class="blsp-spelling-error">Vlandis</span>, Bruce Rasmussen and David & Ursula <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_32" class="blsp-spelling-error">Paddon</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_33" class="blsp-spelling-error">focused</span> on marketing and sales opportunities and actions. Day 2 of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_34" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB</span> track was lead by Brad Clarke and Rosemary Stark and looked at partner business models and opportunities with HAAS, Open Value licensing, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_35" class="blsp-spelling-error">virtualisation</span> and Aurora.<br /><br />There was much less of the title/content mismatch of previous years with only a couple of sessions leaving you scratching your head. However the most notable example of this was the session “We’ll Show You The Money – Find Hidden Revenue From Existing Customers” which turned out to be about software piracy and SAM audits! Whilst the concept of SAM audits are fine, the companies Microsoft engages could do a better job of understanding licensing, thus lessening the pain for partners and End Users. Frankly a good Partner will be ensuring the lead their customers on a path to compliance (and license sales) from day one and needs to help from the SAM audit process to do this. This session was a great opportunity to catch up on some email and Twitter!<br /><br />We were also treated to not one but two <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_36" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB</span> parties – the first a classy soiree supported by Ingram Micro and the second a beach themed bash complete with loud shirts, silly hats and fake tan! These parties, and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_37" class="blsp-spelling-error">APC</span> were a great opportunity to network with other partners and for me these conversations are always the highlight of any Microsoft event.<br /><br /><strong><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_38" class="blsp-spelling-error">MAPA</span> Awards & Closing Dinner</strong><br />A reformatted Microsoft Australia Partner Awards presentation was one of the highlights of the conference. A number radical changes saw the Awards go from the tedium of 30+ category squished in around three courses and entertainment to a focused and entertaining afternoon awards presentation hosted by <a href="http://adamspencer.com.au/web/cms/front_content.php">Adam Spencer</a>. Robert <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_39" class="blsp-spelling-error">Schwarten</span>, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_40" class="blsp-spelling-error">Qld</span> Minister for Public Works and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_41" class="blsp-spelling-error">ICT</span> also reprised his appearance and his (unintentional) gags about 'getting on the scoot'. This format really put the focus back on the Partners and a special congratulations to Evolve IT for taking out Small Business Partner of the Year in a strong field with Calvert Technologies and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_42" class="blsp-spelling-error">Solutionware</span> also nominated. Decoupling the Awards from the Closing Dinner meant that partners could relax and enjoy the evening after a very full and rewarding conference.<br /><br />Thanks again to George <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_43" class="blsp-spelling-error">Stavrakakis</span>, this years <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_44" class="blsp-spelling-error">APC</span> host and to his team at Microsoft who organised the event as well as Mark <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_45" class="blsp-spelling-error">O'Shea</span> for an excellent <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_46" class="blsp-spelling-error">SMB</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_47" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pre</span> Day.<br /><p><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.</p>Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-21167607431689661052010-09-05T17:42:00.006+10:002010-09-21T09:51:57.753+10:00SMB Need to Know - new podcast series from Robert CraneThose of you who know me realise I haven't always worked in the IT industry and one thing that differientiates this industry from the various others I've worked in is the constant change.<br />All of us struggle to keep up with everything going in this industry, blogs, industry press, training etc etc etc. So. Much. Information.<br /><br />Podcasts are a great way to take the information with you and get some of that keeping up done while you're travelling, jogging or (like me) ironing.<br /><br />For Australian SMB IT professionals, or frankly IT professsionals anywhere, Robert Crane has kicked off a fantastic podcast series called 'Need to Know'. The only problem for IT professionals outside Australia might be the funny accents ;-). You'll find the first two episodes <a href="http://www.ciaops.com/n2k">here</a> with Susan Bradley doing in the inaugural episode and Wayne Small of <a href="http://www.sbsfaq.com/?page_id=9">SBSFaq</a> doing podcast no. 2 on TechEd. Further episodes with Mark O'Shea of Microsoft and myself are in the works. I'm sure Robert would love your feedback on episodes to date as well as what you'd like to hear covered in future episodes. You can also follow Robert on Twitter at @directorcia.<br /><br />Also worth checking out is AuTechHeads <a href="http://www.autechheads.com/webcasts/coalface-tech-podcast">'CoalFaceTech' podcast series </a>- while you're there you can join AuTechHeads a free membership group for IT Professionals from SMB to Enterprise and everything in between. My Twitter buddies Matt Marlor @OhCrap and Steve Molkentin @TheMolk lead proceedings.<br /><br /><p><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.</p>Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-2837654352393210742010-09-02T10:16:00.003+10:002010-09-21T09:51:33.562+10:00Microsoft SMB Roadshow - NovemberI'm happy to share with you that Microsoft will be continuing the recent reintroduction of roadshows with planning currently underway to hold a series of roadshows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth in November.<br /><br />The great thing is Microsoft recognise that the content and format needs to be relevant to partners - not just Microsoft talking from the front of the room.<br /><br />I've been asked to gather input from the SMB partner community to help make sure these events are useful for partners - so please email me at <a href="mailto:keira@directions.com.au">keira@directions.com.au</a> with your wishlist!<br /><br />I look forward to your input.<br /><br /><p><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.</p>Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-14291006685162662282010-08-11T16:08:00.005+10:002010-08-11T16:32:39.188+10:00New Player in the Professional Services Automation spaceIn a move that's sure to upset the respective apple carts of the two major PSA tool providers, <a href="http://www.connectwise.com/">Connectwise</a> and <a href="http://www.autotask.com/">Autotask</a>, Vlad Mazek of <a href="http://ownwebnow.com/">OwnWebNow</a> has just announced <a href="http://www.shockeymonkey.com/">Shockey Monkey</a> a completely free 'IT Management Platform' that offers many of the core features of its paid competitors.<br /><br />The sign up process is simple: no waiting for sales people in other time zones to respond to your queries and no confusing pricing structure. You can log on right away and get started within minutes. Vlad says that he has created Shockey Monkey to make IT business management more fun and to give back to the community that has made OwnWebNow a success.<br /><br />The key <a href="https://www.shockeymonkey.com/features.php">features</a> available in the first release are:<br /><ul><br /><li>Client Portal</li><br /><li>Support Board</li><br /><li>Client Relationship Management</li><br /><li>Projects</li><br /><li>Agreements</li><br /><li>Tasks & Schedule</li><br /><li>Service Manager</li></ul><br />A pro version is also available starting at a low cost of $49 per month and $9 per month per use. This allows you to use some additional features and remove the ads that appear in the free version. A roadmap for additional paid version features is also available on the Shockey Monkey website.<br /><br />It will be interesting to see how Shockey Monkey compares to its established paid competitors. Will be keeping an eye on the <a href="https://www.shockeymonkey.com/blog/">Shockey Monkey blog</a> for Vlad's unique industry commentary.<br /><p></p><p><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.</p>Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-78162123576427278002010-08-10T14:53:00.002+10:002010-08-10T15:17:57.052+10:00Heads up on SMB pre-day and content at Microsoft Australia Partner ConferenceThere's less than a month until the <a href="https://partner.microsoft.com/Australia/40043021">Microsoft Australia Partner Conference</a>, but I know some of you are still sitting on the fence. <br /><br />So here's the important stuff you'll want to know about as an SMB partner who resells or supports Microsoft technologies:<br /><br /><ol><li><strong>SMB Pre-Day</strong> - Yes, there will be one! 'Delivering Solutions with Microsoft's SMB Servers with our Productivity, Virtualisation and Online offerings' on Tuesday 31 August from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Microsoft's SMB Partner Technology Advisor, Mark O'Shea will present this session with Sharmila Gosai. This sessions will also focus on product roadmap, solution scenarios, virtualisation, management and migration. Anyone registered for APC can also attend this pre-day a part of the APC ticket. There will not be separate tickets available for any pre-day.</li><li><strong>SMB Track</strong> - There are 11 SMB sessions over the two full conference days with come great content for SMB partners. These are business and sales focussed sessions designed to highlight opportunities for partners to generate increased revenue with Microsoft products and services. Hopefully this year they will tell us which button we should press to make all the money fall out the bottom!</li><li><strong>Cloud Services </strong>- unless you've been living under a rock you may have noticed Microsoft are a little excited about the cloud right now. There is plenty of content on sales, deployment and best practice plus many opportunities to pick the brains of Microsoft and partner experts who are already delivering BPOS and cloud services.</li><li><strong>Pinpoint </strong>- This is a great tool that Microsoft are providing to drive customers to your door. One hundred million times better than Solution Finder, I rate it and have already had great customer enquiries from it. There are 'Pinpoint "Customer Magnet" Workshops' you can attend to help you get the most benefit from Pinpoint.</li><li><strong>Networking</strong> - this is probably the biggest reason to attend APC. Lots of partners in the one place all working with Microsoft in different ways all at different stages of maturity with their business. Meet other partners, vendors and Microsofties between sessions, in the Expo, at the social events and you are sure to come away with information and tips you can take back and use in your own business. </li><li><strong>Awards</strong> - On Thursday night, APC will wrap up with a celebration dinner and presentation of the Microsoft Partner Awards. Last year Microsoft struck the balance between great music, good food, great room and exciting presenters - lets hope they can go two from two and do the same again this year. If you've thought about entering the Awards but haven't quite made it, this is a great opportunity to find out who the winners are even have a chat about their entry. You'll find most partners are pretty generous with info when they've just received adulation from a key vendor and their peers. </li></ol><p>A full agenda is available <a href="https://www.infosalons.com.au/APC2010/agenda.asp">online </a>with further details and you can follow the links to register from there.</p><p>Certified and Gold Partners are entitled to complimentary tickets.</p><p>If you still want further information or would like to ask questions of someone who is an APC and WPC veteran, please leave a comment.</p><p> </p><br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-62128064512110543152010-08-07T17:20:00.005+10:002010-08-10T14:53:44.241+10:00Resources for SBS7 and AuroraAt the recent Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Washington DC, we were lucky enough to get an indepth preview of SBS7 and Aurora in multiple sessions. I'll be blogging more about this just as soon as I can convert all that info into something easy to consume. There's plenty of info on the technical specifics that you can already find elsewhere so I will be endeavouring to blog about the business opportunity, leaving the technical stuff to those with more credibility.<br /><br />However, something you won't find all in one place is the product brochures that Mark O'Shea has kindly aggregated into a blog post on the <a href="http://blogs.technet.com/b/ausptasmb/archive/2010/08/07/aurora-and-sbs-7-brochures.aspx">A<span class="breadcrumb-item">ustralian Partner Technology Advisor SMB Blog</span></a>. You will find info both products, as well as details of presentations Mark is conducting next week on these products. Leave a comment on Mark's blog if you would like more details of those forthcoming events.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-67131251309879090612010-08-07T16:44:00.006+10:002010-08-10T14:53:36.210+10:00Technology Forecast: Increasingly CloudyAs talk of the cloud in IT media circles increases to deafening point, many SMB focussed providers are facing the reality that the push to the cloud could have real impact on their business.<br />Thats not to say that if you're focussed on the SMB market you should pack up your toys and open a lawnmowing business and leave selling IT services to Telstra. Rather, cloud services needs to be part of your business plan, even if it sits in the category of stuff you don't plan on offering right now.<br /><br />The simple reality is that many of us already offer cloud services to our customers - remote monitoring and management, hosted exchange, backup replication to a data centre. So really, cloud services in SMB are nothing new. What is new is the immediate need large vendors have to fill their scorecards with cloud services sales. Those SMB IT providers helping vendors like Microsoft and Telstra to hit their targets will be rewarded with actual face time from a partner account manager they never got when they were selling on premise solutions. Will this face time help your business achieve higher levels of success?<br /><br />Cloud services are no easier or harder to sell than on premise. And that is the key. You must decide if cloud services are part of your product offering, how you will attract customers who want this service and how you as a business owner will make a sustainable product on their sale. Its clear that the margins available on the Microsoft/Telstra BPOS offering are low, so simply reselling this service, or that of Google or any other cloud vendor will only work if your business relies on volume. If, like many SMB IT business owners, your business predictably hits a 20 - 30% margin, then you'll need a good suite of services to add to your cloud services sales if you intend to transform their sales into a sustainable business.<br /><br />If your business doesn't have a predictable sales engine or regular marketing actions to attract new customers, then frankly it doesn't matter what you sell. You will be left behind as SMB IT service delivery is aggregated and streamlined.<br /><br />So before you waste another breath on explaining to a vendor or fellow SMB IT community member why you think cloud services won't work, make some time to document your business plan and how you will make sure that you have customers this year, next year and for years to come. The names and specifics of technology has always mattered more to those in the SMB IT community than it has to customers. What technology delivers the business results to customers is irrelevant - what counts is the valuable services you deliver in packaging those solutions into a consumable product that delivers consistent profits to your bottom line.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-22553687727984587442010-02-15T21:07:00.005+10:002010-08-10T14:53:27.842+10:00Media Downloads for SBS/EBS 2008So if you've spoken to me about this subject you'll know one of my pet peeves is the distribution model for the product.<br /><br /><ul><li>You can't download it from VLSC</li><li>You can't get your license keys from VLSC</li><li>....and to add insult to injury since around August 2009 your disty could no longer fulfil your media order (or prompt you to order media with your licensing purchase).</li></ul>VLSC got a bit ugly there for a while but it now seems to have stabilised for the most part, following some strident complaints from Partners and lobbying by the Australian subsidiary (and others no doubt also).<br /><br />I recently spoke with Brad Clarke (NSW Partner Territory Manager) and Inese Kingsmill regarding these issues and Brad has courageously taken on the fine fight to get some more sensible distribution going for the SBS and EBS open license products.<br /><br />Read more about it on the <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/auspartners/archive/2010/02/15/unable-to-download-sbs-ebs-08-from-the-vlsc.aspx">Microsoft Australia Partner Network Blog.</a><br /><br />I'd also be interested in hearing your comments regarding VLSC.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-37211261791174255552010-02-15T20:39:00.005+10:002010-08-10T14:53:17.987+10:00Microsoft SMB Partner Roadshow - Save the DateI wanted to make sure everyone reading along is aware of the upcoming SMB Partner Roadshows coming to a city near you.<br /><br />This is a great opportunity to learn more about:<br /><br /><ul><li>Microsoft Partner Network Update</li><li>Licensing</li><li>Online Services</li><li>Windows 7 and Windows Server Opportunities for SMB</li><li>Management Opportunities with Hyper V, Virtual Machine Manager and MDOP</li><li>Growing your Business with Partner Marketing Centre and the Customer Insight Tool</li><li>SMB Campaigns & Marketing Opportunities</li></ul>This is also your opportunity to meet Mark O'Shea, recently appointed SMB Partner Technical Advisor who I'm sure you'll agree is a welcome addition to the Microsoft SMB lineup.<br /><br />And if that's not enough the roadshow will conclude with networking drinks - a great opportunity to chat with the team from Microsoft and other partners.<br /><br />Here's the dates:<br /><br />Brisbane 18 March<br />Melbourne 19 March<br />Adelaide 22 March<br />Perth 24 March<br />Sydney 30 March<br /><br />Full details in this month's edition of <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/australia/partner/newsletters/online/email_20100209.htm">Spark</a>. You can register <a href="https://www.microsoft.com.au/events/register/home.aspx?levent=156275&linvitation">here</a>.<br /><br />If you're in a regional area - don't despair! Brad Clarke and other Partner Territory Managers are planning to get out on the road and see more partners - if you'd like a visit in your area please let me know.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-68133894309379321712010-02-13T14:52:00.003+10:002010-08-10T14:52:34.039+10:00Virtualisation and SMBI've had more than a few partners contact me with feedback and frustration about the Virtualisation content in the last Microsoft SMB roadshow (November 2009). Be assured I have passed on your feedback and mine to Microsoft and I do hope that they provide some more appropriate and useful content on this important subject soon. As you know, I am no engineer or technician but it's obvious to me that virtualisation is as important for SMB clients as it is at the Enterprise level. <br /><br />You can get in a froth about virtualisation cos its cool and everyone else is doing it, but utlimately its a smarter way of doing things that can have enormous benefit to your clients. The trick is to get it right and make your life easier too.<br /><br />In the meantime, check out the Wookie's <a href="http://hiltont.blogspot.com/2010/01/hyper-v-in-smb.html">post</a> on Hyper V virtualisation. This covers many of the gotchas (plus there are a couple of others highlighted in the comments). It also provides links to some other great Hyper V virtualisation resources, information on licensing and even provides info on other SMB appropriate virtualisation platforms.<br /><br />I'd encourage you to post links to any other good resources in your comments so they can be shared with others.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-32652993531222466812010-02-13T14:30:00.004+10:002010-08-10T14:52:23.836+10:00SBS 2008 training opportunitiesI know from talking to many Microsoft partners that you found the training provided for SBS 2008 less than acceptable and this feedback was very clearly channelled back to Microsoft via <a href="http://hiltont.blogspot.com/">Hilton Travis</a> who was last years PAL for Australia. <br /><br />A number of training and readiness initiatives are being prepared for the Australian Microsoft Partners and these are going to mean very very good things for SMB partners. <br /><br />In the meantime, I wanted to make sure that you are aware that you can now download the SBS 2008 Hands On Labs. The download is 12 GB, but the Microsoft Readiness team are working providing physical media to local partners and I'll provide details of that as soon as they are available.<br /><br />In the meantime, for those partners whose internet connection and download limit is up to it, you can find the details of the SBS 2008 Hands on Labs over on <a href="http://sbs.seandaniel.com/2009/11/windows-sbs-2008-hands-on-labs.html">Sean Daniel's blog</a>.<br /><br />There are four labs available on Microsoft Connect:<br /><br /><ul><li>SBS 2008 Administration</li><li>Managing Clients on SBS 2008</li><li>SBS 2008 Installation</li><li>Migration from SBS 2003</li></ul>I hope to have details of physical media ordering for these Hands On Labs soon.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-89124326700070199162010-02-13T14:05:00.004+10:002010-08-10T14:52:13.951+10:00Challenges and Community2010 has got off to a bit of a challenging start for me and I've had to stop and do some deep thinking about my personal and business priorities.<br /><br />Whilst this has been refreshing in some ways, there is a great deal of hard work and challenges ahead. At times this feels completely overwhelming and highlights one of the challenges of running your own business - isolation.<br /><br />When things get tough in small business, you may feel utterly isolated, wondering what to do and how to do it. For me, having regular conversations with business and peers and mentors is a great help. <br /><br />I know a number of Microsoft partners are also members of the SMBiT Professionals groups that are operating in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and these groups provide a great forum to talk amongst other business owners and key staff who face similar challenges - of both technical and business nature. <br /><br />As these groups mature, they are becoming less of a geek hangout where matters technical is the focus and I believe this is where they will become more powerful and useful.<br /><br />If you haven't already become a member you can find details on the SMB iT Professionals <a href="http://smbitpro.org/membership">website</a>. The membership fees are low and you'll find a vibrant community of enthusiastic group of technicians and business owners. Much work is underway to strengthen the SMB iT Professionals group and create a national industry association. Watch this space.<br /><br />There are also communities like the <a href="http://www.htgmembers.com/">HTG Peer Groups</a>, Robin Robin's <a href="http://www.technologymarketingtoolkit.com/">Technology Marketing Toolkit</a> and those facilitated by MSP and PSA platforms like <a href="http://www.kaseya.com/">Kaseya</a>, <a href="http://www.connectwise.com/">Connectwise</a> and <a href="http://www.autotask.com/">Autotask</a>.<br /><br />Getting along to vendor events like the roadshows and other events Microsoft have planned for this year is also a great opportunity network with your peers.<br /><br />I'm interested to hear if you feel peer groups and networking events benefit you and your business and which ones you feel are the most valuable.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-56583746028206279702009-09-15T06:29:00.004+10:002010-08-10T14:52:04.286+10:00Recognition for Sarah Arnold, Microsoft Partner Program ManagerThose of you how know Sarah Arnold, would know how tirelessly she works to assist Partners and to improve the experience for committed Microsoft Partners. Many of you may have recently met Sarah for the first time at the recent Microsoft Partner Network roadshow or at the Australian Partner Conference on the Gold Coast.<br /><br />The transition from the current Partner Program to the Partner Network looks like being a very positive one for partners and our customers and Sarah is driving these broad changes at a local level. <br /><br />So I'm excited to be able to tell you that in recognition of her hard work and commitment to partners, Sarah will be attending the Microsoft Partner Program Managers in Paris from 28 September. This summit brings together Partner Program Managers from around the world to work on the final details about launching MPN and giving feedback on advance competencies, benefits and more.<br /><br />This is a great opportunity for Sarah but also for us as partners, as Sarah takes our feedback to this event for discussion and action.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-6710105550584473202009-09-10T21:16:00.004+10:002010-08-10T14:51:38.535+10:00Awesome Brisbane Event for Microsoft Office Devs and Power Users<p>UQ will play host to OfficeDevCon a from 31 October - 1 November. This is the third year for the event which will feature Microsoft and industry experts from around the world who will present advanced topics the following products.</p><ul><li>Access </li><li>Word </li><li>Excel </li><li>PowerPoint </li><li>InfoPath </li><li>Groove </li><li>SharePoint<br />and more.... </li></ul><p>Find out more about it <a href="http://www.officedevcon.com.au/">here.</a></p><br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-42505849072824288682009-09-10T20:47:00.004+10:002010-08-10T14:50:11.074+10:00Get Ready for Microsoft PinpointThanks to the awesomely hardworking <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/auspartners/default.aspx">Sarah Arnold of Microsoft</a> , Australian Partners will soon be able to take advantage of Pinpoint, the fantastic new tool which will replace the very average Find a Partner we currently have in Australia.<br /><br />Australia will be one of only four Microsoft subsidiaries to have Pinpoint and I'm optimistic it will be a good source of leads of partners for small and medium business focussed partners who take advantage of its capabilities.<br /><br />To get things rolling, Microsoft have a special offer for partners who want to prepare for the launch of Pinpoint in 2010 - here are the details:<br /><br /><strong>Prepare your company for the launch of Microsoft Pinpoint in Australia</strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></strong><br /><strong>Get a free professionally written company profile<br /></strong>Microsoft Pinpoint is Microsoft’s unified online business marketplace. It is designed to help customers find the right Microsoft Partner to enable them reach their business goals. To prepare for the 2010 launch of <a href="http://www.pinpoint.com/">Microsoft Pinpoint</a>, we’re giving your business the chance to shine by helping you create a promotional blurb to upload into the Partner Solution Profile tool.<br /><br /><strong>To qualify for this offer you must:</strong><br />Be a qualified Small Business Specialist within the Microsoft Partner Network, with a head-office in Australia.<br />Fully complete the template below to the best of your ability before sending it through.<br /><br />The first 40 fully completed templates that we receive will be eligible. You will be notified if your request has been successful.<br /><br /><strong>6 Steps to Creating your Profile<br /></strong><a href="https://partner.microsoft.com/Australia/40086867" target="_blank">Download and complete the template</a>.<br />Send the template to <a href="mailto:libby@writeminded.com.au">libby@writeminded.com.au</a> with Solution Profiler in the subject line.<br />If your template is one of the first 40 received, you’ll receive confirmation of your request with an indication of the production time.<br />Final copy will then be sent back to you, which you’re free to amend yourself.<br />The final step is for you to upload your completed copy into the Solution Profiler tool under ‘Solution Description’.<br /><br /><strong>Work with a leading online copywriter</strong><br />To help you create a great profile, Microsoft has engaged the services of write-minded Pty Ltd director and online communications consultant, Libby Varcoe. Libby was one of Australia’s first online copywriters. Her clients include True Local, Optus, Qantas, ninemsn, MBF, The NSW Premier’s Department and The National Museum of Australia. Libby also runs web writing workshops for the Department of State and Regional Development’s small business program. She has helped hundreds of businesses like yours find and express their voice online. For more information about write-minded visit: <a href="http://www.writeminded.com.au/">http://www.writeminded.com.au/</a>.<br /><strong>Terms and conditions<br /></strong>This offer is open to all qualified Small Business Specialists, within the Microsoft Partner Program, who have a head-office in Australia.<br />To accommodate the Solution Profiler Tool, your company solution will be no longer than 1200 characters.<br />The information that will be included in your company profile will be derived from what you include <a href="https://partner.microsoft.com/Australia/40086867" target="_blank">in the template</a>. Please fill this out to the best of your ability.<br />Once final copy is sent to you, it remains your responsibility to make any changes and upload the copy into the tool.<br />Offer ends October 1 2009.<br /><br />More details at the Partner Network blog: <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/auspartners/archive/2009/09/10/prepare-your-company-for-the-launch-of-microsoft-pinpoint-in-australia.aspx">http://blogs.msdn.com/auspartners/archive/2009/09/10/prepare-your-company-for-the-launch-of-microsoft-pinpoint-in-australia.aspx</a><br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-44760453810606459732009-08-21T15:19:00.003+10:002010-08-10T14:49:57.903+10:00Australian Partner Conference Agenda Now AvailableStill sitting on the fence, unsure if the Microsoft Australia Partner Conference is going to be worthwhile for you and your business?<br /><br />I've just seen the Agenda Overview and there are some really great sounding sessions. Lots of business development, sales and marketing content and a really strong line up of SMB sessions.<br /><br />You can view the Agenda here: <a href="http://www.mrmworldwide.com.au/hosted/microsoft/apc09/agenda.pdf">http://www.mrmworldwide.com.au/hosted/microsoft/apc09/agenda.pdf</a><br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-35117874130837696972009-08-20T13:17:00.004+10:002010-08-10T14:49:44.036+10:00Who REALLY Has The Best Search Results?I just can't seem to find any takers for the Bing tattoos I bought back from WPC.....so contact me if you're keen.<br /><br />While we were travelling recently I was suprised to see such alot of people using Bing in airport lounges and hotel foyers. I'm still not sure it works for me as a regular search engine though.<br /><br />Aussie Microsoft Developer Evangelist has put together the ultimate comparison tool - <a href="http://blindsearch.fejus.com/">BlindSearch</a>, a blind test for search engine results.<br /><br />Having spent quite a bit of time on online advertising projects, one thing I noticed right away is that there isn't any localisation in the tool, but we'll let Mr Kordahi off seeing as he's put this together in his spare time for a bit of fun.<br /><br />Still it's interest to play with and test your search engine prejudices against the results. <br /><br />You can catch more of Michael Kordahi's antics at his blog <a href="http://delicategeniusblog.com/">delicategenuisblog.com</a><br /><br />Kinda hoping he'll do a demo at APC, I really enjoyed the one he did last year. He's also running the web content track at TechEd.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-23611592397606058462009-08-20T13:06:00.003+10:002010-08-10T14:48:27.100+10:00Get the juice on the new Microsoft Partner NetworkMicrosoft's Aussie Partner Program team are on the road again, holding a series of sessions about the new Microsoft Partner Program.<br /><br />They're holding sessions in major centres around Australia where you can learn more and also ask your questions of those in the know. Here's the details:<br /><br />Date & Locations:<br />August 17: Victoria, Melbourne - <a href="http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423237&Culture=en-AU" target="_blank">http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423237&Culture=en-AU</a><br />August 18: Perth, WA - <a href="http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423242&Culture=en-AU" target="_blank">http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423242&Culture=en-AU</a><br />August 19: Adelaide, South Australia - <a href="http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423238&Culture=en-AU" target="_blank">http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423238&Culture=en-AU</a><br />August 20: Canberra, ACT - <a href="http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423239&Culture=en-AU" target="_blank">http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423239&Culture=en-AU</a><br />August 25: Brisbane, QLD - <a href="http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423241&Culture=en-AU" target="_blank">http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423241&Culture=en-AU</a><br />August 26: Sydney, NSW – <a href="http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423245&Culture=en-AU" target="_blank">http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423245&Culture=en-AU</a><br />August 31: Gold Coast, QLD - <a href="http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423243&Culture=en-AU" target="_blank">http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032423243&Culture=en-AU</a><br /><br />You can also learn more at <a href="https://partner.microsoft.com/australia/40109865" target="_blank">Microsoft Partner Portal</a>.<br /><br />There are some details of the new Partner Network which are being fleshed out by Microsoft who are doing a great job of consulting with partners to get their feedback and incorporate some suggestions into the program.<br /><br />I'm particularly excited about Customer Satisfaction coming to the fore in the new program, and the compentencies becoming easier for SMB clients to understand and navigate.<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-37158451162586814902009-08-20T12:58:00.004+10:002010-08-10T14:48:12.862+10:00Using Underpants for Economic MeasurementThere's been some very positive news coming out of the markets the last few days suggesting that the global recession may be over.<br /><br />However my favourite story about commentators and economic indicators were in today's <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.businessspectator.com.au">Business Spectator</a> by my favourite man with numbers, Alan Kohler. You can also catch his always amusing daily market report on the ABC TV evening news.<br /><br />Here's an excerpt from the article:<br /><br /><em>"More and more economists are now pronouncing that the cycle has turned, although it’s hard to know whether this is circular logic – that they are responding to the market and the market responding to them.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>The New York Times points out this morning that Alan Greenspan has been known to watch sales of men’s underpants as a good economic indicator – they’re usually extremely consistent, but when sales dip, and men decide to stick with their old tatty ones for a while longer, he knows the economy is in real trouble. In this recession the dip has been very small apparently, and is now over."</em><br /><em></em><br />So, how are you finding the market? We're definately seeing a change in buying attitudes, with a large amount of new and intense enquiry over the last few weeks.<br /><br />But more importantly, when did you last buy new underpants?<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1659092684752993845.post-32123351177947976802009-07-29T15:21:00.004+10:002010-08-10T14:48:03.080+10:00Get Ready to Sell Windows 7Microsoft announced last week that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 have both gone RTM as at 22 July 2009. <br /><br />This is great news and the team here at Directions are getting ready to sell Windows 7 to eager customer. <br /><br />Windows 7 will be generally available to customers around the world on October 22, and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be generally available on or before that date. Windows 7 will be generally available to customers around the world on October 22, and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be generally available on or before that date. Windows 7 will be generally available to customers around the world on October 22, and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be generally available on or before that date. You can learn more on the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2009/jul09/07-22Windows7RTMPR.mspx">Microsoft PressPass site.</a><br /><br />So now is the time to plan your strategy to make the most of the Windows 7 launch in your business. There are some great marketing materials coming out of Microsoft which can be easily adapted to suit your market. Its great to see that Microsoft are supporting the product with an excellent PR campaign and some great advertising. <br /><br />How is your business planning to take Windows 7 to market?<br /><br /><a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Keira McIntosh</a> is the General Manager at <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">Directions Technology </a>- an Australia owned small business providing managed and reliable <a href="http://www.directions.com.au/">IT Support in Brisbane</a>. You can also find her on <a href="http://twitter.com/keira_mcintosh">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://au.linkedin.com/pub/keira-mcintosh/0/662/854">Linked In</a>.Keira McIntoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02016041552304726554noreply@blogger.com0