"Engage" with a new Bluetooth device

Normally I'm not a Star Trek geek or even a fan...but it is a failing of some folks to recognize how those different TV series have affected our technology.  From the flip cellphone, to tablets, it's touched all of us.  Now, these folks here at Indiegogo have created a bluetooth speaker/microphone that mimics the famous Comm Badges from that series...take a look.



This is pretty cool stuff for those of us who cannot stand wearing an earpiece...I've tried for years, and the weight on my ear and something stuffed into it feels wrong.  This little unit seems to be incredibly cool.  Sad thing is that people don't know about this...and I know that if those of us who do know about it should be spreading the word.

For a $75 buy-in on a product like this, it's a steal.  (Note i'm not being paid to endorse this product, I just think it's darn cool and worth being made.)

Enjoy this video and let me know what you think!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/45jOLNy5Yhg]

It's The End Of The Year As We Know It...

And I feel fine...

Here's  a little tech year in review for you from the  folks at Engadget. :)  Really though, I don't get to toot the Meraki horn enough on this blog...but I get to say in IT this was definitely the year of Meraki and real Cloud Computing.

The notion of Cloud Computing isn't new, and a lot of the stuff we're seeing now are actually better envisioned things of the past.  As far back as 1968, developers were talking about a shared data experience...but they had no idea what would occur just over 3o years later.  Many of us now in our daily lives store documents, music and photos in a form of online storage.  (Heck I use Box.net, Dropbox AND SkyDrive!  What can I say, I've got consolidation issues.)

But with Meraki's Cloud Networking model taking off 4  years ago, and then exploding all over the scene in 2011 with their Wireless Cloud Networking, and then expanding into switches and security appliances in 2012...they had hit on something that wasn't just forward thinking.  You see, Forward Thinking will either put yourself out of business, or get you laughed at until the idea actually catches on.  What they did was to make less work for IT people...a natural way to get a product adopted.  With that mantra of less time spent managing routers, switches and the wireless routers...early adopters of Meraki became its advocates as much as we salespeople are.

Now here they stand, being purchased by Cisco (who wants to maintain their leadership of the IT World by having the best technologies available) for $1.26 Billion dollars...and in all honesty, Cisco is going to make that money back in a year.  Everybody wins.

So this little company that I took a chance on (thanks to my now good friend at Meraki, James Enston) has grabbed the brass ring and held on tightly.  The reason is because through them we can see a glimpse of the future where things were just a bit easier on IT personnel...and they could run things smarter.

I may not be right all of the time...but when I'm right, I hit it on the head with a 10lb sledgehammer. :)

Happy New Year!

 

Holiday Hangover

Hello everyone!  Man...it's been awhile.  First, let me apologize for such a delay in posting.  The holidays mixed with a massive amount of business these past two months (and losing a member of the Dragontech team) kept me from posting at the pace I had set for myself.  This is always the case right?  We get going on things, and are then sidelined/sidetracked by things outside our control.  We're still here...working hard at making this tech blog useful to you as a resource, and a place to bring you our wacky senses of fun.

So, first things first.  You'll see above that we've changed our name from PCMallDragontech to PCMDragontech.    With PCMall changing how it operates with the many brands and companies underneath that banner...we as a company opted to change our name to PCM.  The name reflects a new outlook on our company, and a change from how we were under the former name.  We're bigger, badder, better prepared, and moving with the times under this new name...and 2013 is going to be a great year, I can just tell.

Something came up recently while I was asked to guest blog on another site.  They were concerned that I was going to pitch specific products designed to make me money and take advantage of their users.  So to answer a few things here...

Do we sell tech?  Yes.  We the members of Dragontech work for PCM.  (Formerly known as PC Mall)

Do we promote particular items because we're paid to? Absolutely not.  I've maintained a strict standard of bringing deals that we have to you our clients and readers, that are a win for you...even if they're a detriment to me.  

What are we then?  We're a solutions provider...we talk with clients, understand what they want to do, and get them the help to make it happen...what my friend Des called "tech enablers". :)

So in closing...if you're reading this and you're a client of the Dragontech team, CALL US TODAY.  Why?  Hey...we're working today to support you and all of our other clients.  We'd love to hear from you, even if it's a "happy new year"...you all mean a lot to us.   Don't want to call?  There's always the contact page.  We'd love to hear from you always.

That's all for now...you'll see many more posts in the days to come.

Happy 2nd to last business day of 2012! :)

 

Most Infamous Day...

Normally I don't do political or even patriotic posts...but this one is something that resonates with me.  December 7th, 1941 will as President FDR said, "...live in infamy."  There's a lot of speculation still that we knew the attack was coming and used it to to get into WWII and help our allies...but even our military command couldn't have predicted the full-scale massacre that happened.

What is done is done...but the brutal attack by the Imperial Japanese pilots on the naval bases has been talked about, movies made, even romanticized....but at least the sacrifice of those soldiers and naval personnel has never been forgotten.   My grandfather served proudly in the Navy during those turbulent times, and he always had very interesting and action packed stories to tell my brother and I as kids...something I"ll never forget.

It's my hope in this day and age, after suffering through the Vietnam Conflict, multiple wars in the middle east and Afghanistan, we would not forget those soldiers there as well.  They signed up to be the closed fist of our country, right or wrong...and doing some thing that many of us could never do.  I know I couldn't...so I've always respected them for that kind of bravery.  Remember to thank them when you see them...help them to find jobs...show them the respect that they deserve because they've earned it through trial by fire.

I'll end with a spoken word song from the great Johnny Cash...

 

"Ragged Old Flag"
by Johnny Cash

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it".
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town"
I said, "I think it is"
He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of
That Ragged Old Flag

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
and It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing "Say Can You See"
It got a rip in New Orleans, with Packingham & Jackson
tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo
beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag

"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two,
She was in Korea, Vietnam, She went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam
and now they've about quit wavin' back here at home
in her own good land here She's been abused,
She's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused,
And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout out the land.
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin,
But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.
Cause she's been through the fire before
and i believe she can take a whole lot more.

"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I *do* like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"

Windows Server 2012...*blink blink*

*Raises his head from the smoldering ashes of November*

"Where am I?"

Wow...Last week flew by in a torrent of post Thanksgiving madness, and December is starting to show the same kind of horse kick.  So, I need to get back on the horse here and let you folks know I've not forgotten you. :)

First off this month...how to plan for and deploy Windows Server 2012...the operating system built for the cloud...courtesy of my friends at TechNet.

This website here breaks it down...and gives you access to documentation on the hows and whys you should upgrade to Server 2012.  Granted it's Microsoft's article and their opinion...so let me share with you someone else's opinion of Server 2012.  This great article on Techrepublic back in August sort of tells the story...with some compelling reasons to get Server 2012.  Here are some examples from there...

Dynamic Access Control - a sort of baked in centralized security setup.

Hyper-V Replica - This will be something for Small/Medium businesses who really can't deploy a replication solution.

DirectAccess becomes kickass! - Now DA will actually work with IPv4 and can be virtualized.

 

There's a start at least.  I"m out a little early today...but I'll be back to update the deals page tomorrow with some HO HO HO! :)

New iMacs on sale on November 30th!

Apple announced this morning that their newest iMac units will be available for purchase on Friday, November 30.  Both units, the 21.5" and 27" will start shipping in December it seems.

You can read their news blurb here, or just see some tech specs below.  The new units look good, but don't expect that to come cheaply.  I do not have word yet on our product count for this, but being the #1 reseller of Apple products in the US, I'm awfully sure that PCMall will have a lot of these available. :)

Redesigned from the inside out, the new iMac packs high performance technology into an aluminum and glass enclosure that measures just 5 mm thin at its edge and features a reengineered display that reduces reflection by 75 percent. The new iMac includes 8GB of 1600 MHz memory, a 1TB hard drive, third generation quad-core Intel Core i5 processors that can be upgraded to Core i7, and the latest NVIDIA GeForce graphics processors that deliver up to 60 percent faster performance. Fusion Drive is an innovative new storage option that gives customers the performance of flash and the capacity of a hard drive by combining 128GB of flash with a standard hard drive to create a single storage volume that intelligently manages files to optimize read and write performance.

The 21.5-inch iMac is available with a 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.2 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US); and with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US). The 27-inch iMac is available with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US); and with a 3.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX for a suggested retail price of $1,999 (US).

 

Remember, Apple makes great hardware for Windows! :)

(For those that say I'm biased...I am...mostly for humor, but I won't hide it.  Most importantly, if you like it, and it works for you...use it. :) )

There you have it...have a great day! :)

 

Cyber Monday Strikes Back

At times, in the SMB consulting business, we are approached by friends and family at this time of year about deals and bargains.  I've seen many a salesperson shy away like Luke crawling away from Vader in Cloud City.  Like this would be a bad thing?  I help someone, they refer me.  You never know who you're going to find right? :)

Those of you who know me know that I'm not a "doorbuster" kind of person.  In reality, if you have to trick people to buy your products, you're only hurting them and yourself in the long run.  Are my prices higher than my competitor?  In some cases yes, and some cases no.  So today was some folks asking about what amazing deals were available, and most often I would say, "When do I not give you a good deal?" :)

So, for those of you who missed last week...make sure and go and read about how gigantic Cisco bought little Meraki for $1.26 billion dollars, and is giving them the red carpet treatment.  Also for those who are experimenting with Windows 8, first, good for you for not being afraid of it (or teaching co workers not to be afraid...), second...did you know that they are embedding license codes in the BIOS?   Chant with me, no more stickers, no more stickers, no more stickers!

It's truly been an interesting day.  :)

 

Peace!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from your Dragontech Team! :)

I know we've not written a lot over the past couple weeks.  Holiday months like this are killer in our line of business, so we've had to lay off here to make sure to meet our job requirements.  Cyber Monday is coming...and a good time to put in all those requests you've got piling up. :)

If you do have any needs, we're here until 5pm today!  Lastly, if we don't speak to you before Thanksgiving, please take care, be safe, and enjoy your time with family & friends.

Best Wishes!

Meraki's big step into a larger world...

When I woke up this morning and saw the news...I can't say I was surprised.  A lot of folks that I work with were, and some understood what was going on, others just liked to jab at me because I'm not a Cisco fan.  But yes, today Cisco announced their intent to purchase Meraki for 1.26 BILLION dollars.  Yes, BILLION.  The good thing is, this is being done not to shut down competition, not to turn them into a clone of what Cisco was offering...but a chance to actually grow Cisco into a place where they were struggling to get into properly.

Meraki built up the notion of Cloud-Based Networking.  There really wasn't much of anything related to it until they came onto the scene and stood out like Andre the Giant in a subway station.  Gartner recognized them, channel partners worked with & promoted them, and clients saw their work drop and productivity increase.  Their year over year growth was stunning...and I still think they're going to explode out of the windows of their office, much like this. :)

SO it makes sense that Cisco wants them, and not only that, but wants them to REMAIN being Meraki.  Finding that amazing new talent, building a sales culture that makes sure everyone wins, innovating products daily...so much so that to stifle them would be a waste of Cisco's investment.   Heck, the people I know at Meraki are friends...not just co-workers or a partner...friends who I'd take a bullet for.  We've grown together...inspiring each other and making real magic.

Do I see this as the end of that magic?  No.  Harry Potter just graduated from Hogwarts to the Real World...watch out.  That's a mean Expelliarmus charm. ;)

So for those of you who are worried or concerned, stop.   It's good.  Working a deal with us for their product?  Keep on...though I would suggest buying the longest term contract possible (1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 years are available)...because we're here to still work with them and help them deliver the best experience possible.

I never thought I'd say this, but Thank You Cisco.  Thank you for investing in the future of our business.

SQUIRREL!

Dragontech Deals updated!

All aboard for Dragontech's Deals pages's new update!  We've got  some HP and Meraki deals!  Take a look!!!



 

Nothing's certain but software licensing and taxes...

Hello illustrious readers!

Now that reality is back on track after 9 months of election stuff, I wanted to address something very important to all business.  Software licensing and tax liability.  While I am not a tax expert and cannot give you tax advice, I can speak to how things work on our end.

First, in California (and some other states) if you purchase software licensing without media/discs, you are not taxed on that order with the company you purchase it from.  However, if you do purchase it with media, you are liable for sales tax across the entire order, not just tax on the media.  It is worth noting that if  you've bought software licensing this year with media and you didn't pay tax on the entire order, the state will come calling to collect.  Also, for those of us who like to think we’re tricky, you can’t order software on one order and the media on another one…that’ll be seen right through during the audit on the company you bought from, and you’ll be held liable for all of the tax on both the software and the media.

Best solution?  Buy your software licenses without media.  Nearly every company that provides licensing, also provides a secure site for downloading the software for it.  Not only that, you can burn yourself as many copies as you need!  While cases might differ from VAR to VAR, you need to keep an eye on your bottom line, so you aren't hit with unexpected charges. :)

So why take a hit on what you don’t need to be taxed on?  I think you’ll be pleasantly happy if you follow our suggestions!  If you have any questions, you're welcome to drop us a line on our contact page.  Thank you!

Happy Back to Sanity Day! :)

Windows 8 for Dummies...

Not that any of you are...but these books are truly helpful, and if you've used them, you know.

While I disagree with fellow blogger Rick Broida over on CNet, in that Windows 8 is a good OS, and has a lot of potential, he has a short valid article on this free book being offered by the folks at Dell.  (IF you can get past the snark that makes my irritations with Apple's shenanigans look like a mosquito bite.)

Give Dell some nuggets of marketing info and get the free book.  Totally worth it. :)

 

Windows 8 - 4 Million already?

Wow.  I know that I'm always big on new things, and Windows 8 is the newest kid on the block...but 4 million upgrades in as many days?  That boggles the mind.  Over on ArsTechnica, they mentioned quite a bit about this...but from my experience in the industry, this is a much faster adoption than Windows 7.

You can say that it might be because the price point is right.  For $40 you can get Windows Pro, and that's a steal in itself already.  If you just recently bought a computer (since June) you can get a Windows 8 upgrade for just $15!  No the product isn't perfect, but then is Windows ever perfect???  My experience has been wonderful with it (despite having to restore my computer to pre-win8-candidate install and losing all of my music...thank you iTunes Match for saving my ass) , and seeing it run on my 4 year old C2D laptop quite well is a joy.  (Many of you don't know I did get Windows 7 to run on an ancient IBM T21 laptop with only 512mb of ram...so Microsoft is thinking about people with older computers now.)

So if you haven't looked at it...do so.  Install it on your wife's/husband's computer...see how they react to it.  After the day long learning curve, it's been smooth sailing ever since.

What are you doing with Windows 8? :)

Meraki Giveaway...

Now before you say 1 of 2 things...

1) What are you giving away? or

2) What is Meraki giving away?

Let me qualify this by saying... Go to this link if you're a startup with either Seed, Series A or Angel funding.  You NEED to do this.

Meraki is giving away approximately $10,000 in networking equipment and licenses to Startups.

 

I don't know what to say...I love this company already...and here they are helping out startups, with the HOPE that they'll buy more in the future.  Genius and giving at the same time.

If you're a startup and you're reading this, and you need help...contact me...otherwise...

Say more?  Nah.  It'll ruin it.   :)

 

 

Sick Cellphones, and other news items

Hi again!  There's been so much news floating down over this week that I can't keep up, so I'm going to do a little bit of a digest and links here. :)

1) Here's a great article on how your cellphone is making you sick.  You carry it everywhere, it's covered in germs from your mouth and nose...AND you share it with people?  Ew.  We've all heard this before, but it really is true.  Look up what Coliforms are and realize THOSE are on your phone.  Get an electronic wipe and clean it. :)

2) Windows 8 releases on Friday to the public, but you can watch the launch event today.  While MS has launch events today, Friday is the day to get your copy of Windows 8.  If you haven't used it yet, you should.  While the learning curve is steep at first, you'll do fine.  There's a tutorial built into the install, so it'll walk you through everything before it even starts. :)

3) Microsoft Surface - there's a neat article from CNet here that asks the question, is the surface a table or a notebook?  or is it in-between in a whole new category?  It's a good question...I'm dying to get my hands on one to find out.  Are you?

4) Windows 8 upgrade - Nuff said.  Go get it for $40.

5) Lastly...some discounts through the 31st for you. (while supplies last)...

And from our friends at Low Latency...

Dropped Packets No More!

No, not the webcomic. :)

This is something that we need.  Engineers make the world go round, yet there are times when people don't even think about it.  Engineers helped design the car that gets you and your family to and from wherever you need to go...they designed that freeway overpass that has alleviated traffic...they designed a more efficient engine for vehicles that uses less gas and drives prices down...and now those cuddly buggars may have solved your dropped wifi and cell calls issues.

This article here goes over how they've gone from packets to a series-of-packets.  The way this helps is pretty cool.  To break it down, if a packet is "damaged" in transit signal, the receiver ignores it and waits for another packet with that info to be sent, causing a traffic jam which relates as network slowness or disconnects.  In this case, this new setup will send a series of packets at once which will help the packets to not be lost or dropped.  While this will not boost healthy signals, for poor signals it may mean the difference between life and death...or at least going from .5 megabits per second to 13 megabits per second!

This is almost as cool as the nine gigapixels telescope! ;)

Have a great Thursday!

from our friends at dp.lomin.com :)

Drobo in the NY Times

For those of you who haven't heard about Drobo, they do produce an amazing product for smaller companies when it comes to backup, but they also produce a larger set of models that are starting to take hold in the large SMB and Enterprise spaces.    It was great to see this piece in the NY Times the other day, and is a nice, easy explanation about their product.  Take a look and see!

Meraki's newest products and Software Update!

As many of you know, I spent a couple days up at Meraki's offices during the first week of October, being technically trained on their MX Routers, MS Switches, MR wireless units, and their Systems Manager program.  It was an intense 2 days, and really forced me (who's not actually worked on a switch since 2006) to dig in and remember what I had to do.  I trained alongside some great smaller local VARS, as well as a couple of folks from Italy & Japan who flew in for the training.  I was the only large VAR present...and it felt VERY weird.  I was the slow kid with the switch and router, but the second day with the Wireless and System Manager, I was far ahead of everyone else.  It was a great experience to learn directly from them, and now that I'm certified, I can teach and assist my coworkers and their clients when it comes to Meraki.

I also learned that driving to San Francisco from Los Angeles on a time schedule is more stressful than it's worth.  But it was fun to fly along the 5 Freeway at 2am doing 110mph. ;)  Ok on to new stuff!

Announced this past week, Meraki has a couple new products and whole host of features added in their latest software update.  Let's discuss what they have...

First up is the new MX60W.  This combo unit of their MR12 wireless & MX60 router creates a complete access & security solution for a branch office, or a home office.  It'll provide the enterprise quality for wired and wireless connectivity, a firewall, site to site vpn, content filtering and the new Intrusion Detection System (see below).  MSRP: $845

The next new piece of hardware is designed for the Cloud-managed teleworker.  Have some of your staff working from home a couple days a week?  How about one of these little guys to help make sure that any resources they are pulling are not compromised?  The Z1 is a small form factor unit with 4 ports for printers, phones and other devices (a 1GbE WAN port and 4 GbE LAN ports) and a dual-concurrant 802.11n wireless radio.  Looks great doesn't it?  While it's not a full access point, it'll definitely be a much cheaper unit to purchase for your teleworkers than a full access point.  MSRP $199  (PC Mall price $172.99)

Intrusion Detection System (IDS) - Before you'll remember that I mentioned Intrusion Detection System.  Meraki is now including IDS in their routers/switches, and it should have been pushed down recently to your system.  Built on Sourcefire's Snort, it features signature, protocol, and anomaly based inspection.  It'll deliver some iron-clad security, while allowing it to be monitored from your Meraki Dashboard.

Bounjour Gateway - Yup, they've finally added this, and I can hear network admins cheering.  (One of my friends just said that sounds a lot like zombies saying, "brains...brains..." but you can't please everyone.)  With all of the Apple TV units, iPods, printers and AirPlay mirroring out there, this will allow you to throttle the Bonjour traffic, much like how you manage your Layer 7 Traffic Shaper.  Hooray there!

Traffic Shaper Enhancements - Whammo!  This now has a better classification engine, so it'll have better application insight, and report web browsing activity.

I've got a special training with my friends at Meraki next week, in which we're going to go over these enhancements as well as a few more things for their Systems Manager program.

What???  You're not using Systems Manager?  It's free, an asset manager, software manager, Mobile Device Manager, can give you deep insight into your desktops/laptops/tablets...and it is FREE.  Go here right now and check it out.  Download it and test it.  If you want, contact me and I will walk you through it on my personal dashboard.

If you'd like a free trial of their products, go here and let's talk about that...I can help. Or text MERAKI to our google voice number. (pull the number from that link)   :)

Other than that, have a WONDERFUL Friday & weekend!

More on Windows 8...

Ok folks, the Deluge of Windows 8 is about hit...the dam is cracking and once it goes, the whole town will be wiped out!   Sounds like a disaster movie right?  Nope, it's the first list of the Windows 8 products!

I was cruising my Feedly feed today while waiting for a client to answer the phone and came across this gem from Dan Ackerman at C/Net.  Links to all of the new hardware shipping out on October 26th (Win 8 release date for those who missed my prior article) show off how great Windows 8 looks and will work.

Some of my favorites are:

HP Envy Spectre Touchsmart XT    Lenovo IteaTab Lynx   Samsung Ativ Smart PC

 

Take a look and see! :)  For those of you who want into Windows 8 now, you can buy the volume licensing, but the retail boxes and units will be available October 26.

Acrobat XI is here!

Happy Monday to you all!  Just a short note, Adobe has released their newest version of Acrobat and it's available now.

Some notes on the features and why you should upgrade:

1) Adobe only supports Acrobat 9, X and XI now  (so no needs to update patch)

2) New Enhanced Protected Mode

3) More Drawing & Annotation tools (STICKY NOTES!  who doesn't love sticky notes?)

4) Full Microsoft integration across their Office tool and IE

5) and also a "Touch Mode" to obviously work with Windows 8 and other touch OSes.

From what I've seen, it looks a bit more streamlined, a little less annoying, and a cleaner product.

To order, of course give us a call or email.  You can see the retail pricing here on our site, but ask me nicely when you buy from me and you'll get a discount. :)

Standard: Full version / Upgrade License / Retail Box

 

Windows 8...on your plate soon!

A lot of you know that I've been using Windows 8 since it became available to test.  Much like Windows 7, it's been a pleasure testing it, and I can't wait to have the actual version installed.  Being who I am here, I get a lot of questions about "when is it coming out?"  a heck of alot.  So, thanks to the folks at CNet, here's a schedule of the Windows 8 release:

October 12 - Microsoft starts taking Pre-Orders for the retail version of Windows 8 Pro, and for PCs with it.

October 21 - Windows 8 phones, and the Samsung & Asus tablets become available for pre-order.

October 25 - Windows 8 Launch event in NYC.

October 26 - Officially available to consumers.  The Microsoft Surface tablet is also available starting on this date.  Preorder units will arrive as wel.

October 29 - Launch event for Microsoft Windows Phone 8 in San Francisco.

Come on now...who wants a Surface? :)

Skype Ransomworm...

Howdy folks!  Back again after being out 3.5 days last week...and it's taken 2 days to catch up!  :P

Going to start this entry's off with a doozie...the Skype Ransomworm.  I actually hadn't heard about this until a couple of friends mentioned it yesterday...and oh heck it's something to pay attention to!  Trend Micro has a good write up on their site here, but let me give you the basics.

This is a version of the Dorkbot worm that goes through the standards of stealing every single login and password you have to become a part of a botnet.  Typical Worm stuff...but it's coming out of Skype contact lists...and it's demanding money.  Some of the emails sent by this virus will contain a link that'll download ransomware onto computers, demanding $200 be sent or the computer will be shutdown/erased/etc.

In the first 24 hours, TrendMicro had blocked over 2000 instances.  While not a OMGWTFBBQ moment, it's always good to be aware. :)



Something for you to ponder (make sure your AV is up to date) while I prepare a dissertation on what I was taught up at Meraki's offices last week.  I'll be sure to share as soon as I have time. :)

 

Have a great rest of your day! :)

DragonTech Deals - first for October

First up this month...HP Printers!

I've always been happy to hear that many businesses use HP printers.  As track records go, I've always been pleased with their business line...and so have my clients.

But everyone needs a new printer...Pick out a new one here.

We're offering several quality deals...so the question is...what are you printing with? :)

Resetting for Autumnn

On this day in 1932, Babe Ruth made his famous called shot against Charlie Root in Game 3 of the World Series.  It was amazing, and showed how intimidating and good that man was at baseball.    And on this day in 2012, we've rolled back the pricing on the DragonTech Deals page, and we're getting ready to add new stuff this week!

So the Kingston SSD drives will remain, as those kits are GREAT deals...some of those prices did go DOWN btw. :)

Secondly, this is going to be a quiet week I think, as I'm going to be out for a conference/learning session at the offices of Meraki for a couple of days.  I've been offered the chance to earn a technical certification on their products, and did not want to pass that chance up.  I've talked a lot about these folks over the past year of this blog, and rightfully so.  They have their fingers firmly in the future, and have created a company that is looking forward to be a part of the future of business...not the present.

So...with some luck, I"ll be back to post on Friday with new deals, and a ton of Meraki information.  For now, enjoy this and laugh...

Adobe Code Signing Hacked!

(This was brought to me by my teammate, Joshua Fisher...)

Right up here on the Adobe Secure Software Engineering Team Blog is the statement you need to read.  While the folks at Adobe were able to identify and remove the malicious code, it remains that it has been in their system since Early July.

Adobe has asked, and I concur, that if you've experienced anything odd on your systems, to contact their support page.  (Me, I would go around and start making sure your av & anti malware software are running.  I've had several mysterious Trojans appear on my work desktop, and they've been taken out by Symantec.  Malwarebytes always is a good tool to have on every computer too. :) )

Have a great day!

HP Gen8 Server Blowout!

If you haven't taken the time to look at the HP Gen 8 servers, you should.  I know everyone has their particular favorite branding, but HP's current iteration shows a lot of promise.  These units have over 150 new design innovations...but here, check this link at HP's site to see.

Follow the link in the picture below for more information:

Endeavour's Last Ride

While this is of course a tech blog, in which we talk about all things IT...this is sort of related, and even if this blog wasn't related, I'd still post it.

Friday, September 21, 2012 was the day that Space Shuttle Endeavour arrived here in Los Angeles, taking its time to swing around the southland several times.  For many people this would be the first time that they were able to see this amazing piece of history...and thanks to the California Science Center here, it won't be the last.  We achieved great heights through the Space Shuttle program, and people who are my age have grown up with it being a part of our lives for so long that it's hard to let it completely go.

So, when faced with the opportunity to see it fly by up close, a couple of co-workers and I jumped at the moment in history.  "A once in a lifetime experience," is a touted saying, and not always true, but in this case it was.  With many thanks to the gentlemen of Senderex Cargo, who let us through their back gate to the alley by the LAX runway...we were able to get up close and personal with 400 other people to watch Endeavour zip by once and then land.

It seems weird to be emotional about something like the end of a certain space program, but it closes a chapter in our lives...one in which the Space Shuttle program had helped to advance a lot of our science here on Earth.  The next chapter is a nebulous one...but with us now on Mars watching things up close and personal...I can't wait to see the future.

Here's some video we shot from my Samsung Focus Windows Phone on Friday during the first flyover. :)

[youtube=http://youtu.be/fUgeq6Xur_M]

Happy Monday!

(yes, that's me in the Hawaiian shirt...Dwight Tabangcura on the left side of the shot with his arms out, Alberto Aguilar to my right...he shot the majority of the video while I used my larger camera to take stills...and Paul Lerma on the far right.)

Meraki Systems Manager Rides Again!

Three years ago, I had co-workers who didn't understand who Meraki was, and why I thought their product was so amazing.  A year ago at this time, most were starting to get it...and now, they come up in conversation even on the lips of senior salespeople who started in this business while I was graduating high school.  Top of Gartner's innovators in the LAN/WAN quadrant, these guys have always known their stuff...not to mention they have some of the best people working in the business.  (My territory's area manager, Erin Hipp, is a great person and runs an awesome team.  Hi Erin! :) )

Why do I mention their free Systems Manager Asset and Mobile Device Management tool?  Because today they released some major upgrades to that already great tool.  Now they have full support for Android devices, along with a great content manager called Backpack (available for iOS in Q4) that will securely deliver files and maintain updates.  The Backpack piece is a killer deal.  Through it you can deliver specific files to all devices under your management in a bundle or singularly.

People pay for this stuff?  Really?

Jump over here...to see what this is all about.

I've said this a lot in the past year...if you use Systems Manager, and if you do the webinar for the free product you'll be sold.  If that doesn't do it for ya...you can do a free 14 day demo of the products to just see how they work for you.

Tell us what you think!

 

7" tablets on the rise!

Howdy Everyone!  Just happened to read about how the demand for 7" tablet screens has gone up throughout 2012, and by the end of the year, those size screens sh0uld hold 32% of the marketshare.  Wooh...very interesting.  Had I heard that prior to Friday afternoon, I would have dismissed it.

On Friday, I had a chance to meet with some of Samsung's personnel, who came on site to our offices to show off quite a few new technologies.  I"ll only mention in passing the near-bezel-less Digital Signage and the wireless printing...really it was about the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy tablet.  Now I hear about a lot of things...and I'll play with them when I get a chance, but I'd never had the chance to see one up close & personal til then.  The 7" screen is a lot more easier to wield than I thought, and a heck of a lot less heavy than a 10" tablet...really in that unit I saw the future of tablet computing.  That was the size we've been looking for...it's easy to see, compact enough to carry without issue, you can use a stylus to write notes (if you're old fashioned like me)...to name a few.

This is what I see in factories, offices, and in public.  The size is what counts.  Put it in a pocket and you've got everything you need.  (Heck, i was thinking of the note technology coupled with wireless Samsung printing in a restaurant.)   Maybe Apple will do a mini-iPad...who knows?  What I can see is that companies like Samsung are going to try and bank on this 7" standard, just to give you more options.

More options = more better. :)

DragonTech Deals - Vostro laptop for $450 and HP 23" display for $124.99

Some days I'm amazed at what my co-workers and I find in our system.  Now we've got two while supplies last.  (No these do not slice, dice and cut tin cans.)

The HP 23" display I sold to a lot of clients last month, and at $124.99 is still a smoking deal.

The Dell Vostro Laptop is brand new, and easily augmented with extra Ram.  Want to?  Ya gotta contact us to get the deal...so let's do this! :)

Round 2340534059830 in Apple vs. Everyone over minutia...

I'm not one to usually re-post another person's hard work, but Terrence O'Brien over at Engadget had a great article about Apple's recent win over Motorola in a German court.

You can see that here.

What is most poignant about this, and something I've said before...is this quote:

"...an even better solution would be for all parties involved to quit their bickering over patent minutia and focus on making the best products possible."

People often think that I hate on Apple...I don't, but because of stuff like this, I've lost a lot of respect for them.  It's not about making a better product anymore...it's about how to make a monopoly.  Nothing ever changes.

Remember 9/11

Back in 2002, I had been at my job at Alderac Entertainment Group for a few months...and came in to find a paper with a poem on it, tacked to my old blue iMac's screen.  I can't remember the words on the paper anymore, but I remember them making me cry that morning.  It was reliving waking up to the initial attack the year before...and then watching the second plane hit in the greatest moment of horror in my life.

Like so many Americans, I was lucky to not really know anyone personally in the Twin Towers that fateful day...but it impacts my consciousness.  To this day...11 years later...my heart still goes out to those families who lost members, the police and fire who gave their lives to ensure that people got out alive, and to those children today who will never know the world before those strikes against the United States.

We hear the word "Patriot" used far to often, and it waters down the sacrifice required for that word to be truly used.  Men and women dying to stand up for freedoms, for what this country is supposed to stand for...and if we need to use it, those that died in that disaster should be allowed to carry the title Patriot...even if it was unwilling or unbeknownst to them at the time.  Their deaths at the hands of the terrorists...and in the case of Flight 93, their struggle to survive...shows them to be far more patriotic than any politician can claim.

Remember them...say a prayer...take a moment of silence...maybe we can still learn from their deaths and try to make this a better world, so it doesn't happen again.

http://youtu.be/p6Mfq7z_vHc

DragonTech Deals - Blowtorch hot!

Good afternoon everyone!  I wanted to introduce all of you to our "Dragontech Deals" page.  Just so we can keep the sales stuff separate from all of the tech goodness, but utilize this blog as best as we can to alert you our clients to the best deals as possible, I've created the DragonTech Deals page, which as you can see is on the top menu.

The plan is to update that page as often as we can with special deals, and when it's update, we'll post a notice on the blog that there are new deals available.  Keeping it simple and useful at the same time.  All deals posted will have an end date, but can be pulled at any time based on availability.

Today we're starting up with some Kingston SSD bundle deals.   Take a look at the video below to see just how tough these drives are! :)

Thanks!

http://youtu.be/9meBEWnROkk

AppAssure is...well...assuring!

Happy Labor Day Hangover Day!

Let's face it, we've all had a long weekend that most folks didn't want to come back into work today...and I can guarantee that some of you were groaning when it came to dealing with backing up your Virtual Machines...as well as handling all of the Replication & Recovery too.   If you aren't losing sleep over this yet...there will come a time my friends...there will come a time. :P

So our friends over at Dell AppAssure, are striving to make this easy for you.  Not all backup solutions encompass an ability to effectively backup Virtual Machines, but AppAssure does the job nicely (along with other similar setups), and succinctly.  With their near-live recovery technology, they can recover your setup in as little as 5 minutes, and they can reduce the time spent wearing and tearing on your drives with their smart-agent setup as well.

Rather than jaw on about how cool this product is, and how white it can make your socks...why don't you take a live webdemo with my Dell team?  Contact your PC Mall rep today (don't have one?  click contact and shoot me an email) and we can set up a time for you to meet with Dell AppAssure to hear & see a demo that'll amaze you.  This isn't a limited time offer, but why wait until later?  It won't cost you any money to learn, and will likely save your company a lot more than you think.

You can even jump here and use their ROI calculator.  Come on...it's fun! :)

 

You say goodbye, and I say hello...

 

-Mike Leader

Samsung's newest Windows Phone 8

Yes, yes I know.  I don't sell these phones, but after using my Samsung focus for over a year and a half now, I'm very happy with their ability to make a great smartphone.   While the Windows Phone Blog is a little biased in their opinion of their product, they're going to tell you which is the best phone to purchase in regards to Windows Phone 8.  For those of you who haven't seen Windows Phone 8...I think you're in for a treat. :)



You can read Microsoft's review of Samsung's phone here...and when I get one of those phones, I'll show it off here as well. :)

For those of you who haven't used a Windows Phone 7 or 7.5, you're missing out.  It's a different kind of sandbox, and those who utilize an iPhone can relate a bit to how it operates.  Since most folks still utilize a PC desktop with Windows while at work, the internal workings of the phone pair up nicely.  For example, being able to read excel documents, powerpoints, and word docs on my phone as a native function has come in quite handy over the past year.  Not to mention a lot of features that you'd need a specific app for on another phone are built into the OS.

Is Microsoft perfect, no.  But neither is any of the other manufacturers.   Phones aren't always driven by how useful they are, but by what people see as a status symbol.   However when that status symbol doesn't play well with your work environment, you'll be looking for an alternative. :)

 

-Mike L.

PC Mall Vision 2013 - Save the Date!

Howdy folks!

If you've worked with me and my cohorts here for more than a year now, you've heard about the PC Mall Vision event.  We do these every year to showcase with our Partners what is coming in the new year.  They're amazing events, and those who've attended have always walked away with a lot of information, a lot of plans...and a lot of stuff. :)

Registration will be coming soon, and as you can see below we're at the LAX Mariott this year...right up the street from our new offices.  If you'd like to come on down for the event, make sure to mark it on your calendar and be on the look out here for more information on the event!

Come on down and meet us...see how we can continue to make your experience better, and your job a heck of a lot easier!



See you there!

-Michael Leader

The story of the Barracuda and the Rock Lobster...

Down...down...down.

Seriously though, I've done a lot of work with Barracuda over the years, and I know a lot of you have as well.  While many folks consider me a Meraki shill, I do have a lot of respect for Barracuda and their products.  These guys were doing messaging archiving and email archiving before most folks, not to mention their webfilter, and new backup services.

One of their newer products, the Cudatel, is a phone PBX that can meet the needs of companies who cannot afford to do a full $100,000 phone installation.  The box keeps it very simple, with no user or per-feature fees.  You can see a lot about it on the link above, but if you're interested, we should get on the phone with them. :)

When you get down to it...take a webinar they're offering.  They're free and hey...it never hurts to learn something new.

 

Unless it's a martial art. :)

 

Peace!

 

How something Tiny can be HUGE...

Happy Friday everyone!  Before ya go out to enjoy your weekend, I wanted to show you probably one of these most amazing things I've seen here in my time at PC Mall.

I was recently tasked by a client of mine to help them replace the desktops in sixteen locations, and those units needed to be small, efficient, but also powerful.  Most everything was not going to work...either too big and powerful, or too small and useless.  The client was in a bind because they also had to meet a price point of $530, and that wasn't happening either.  Near the end of our rope, I reached out to a good friend at Lenovo, and was introduced to their Tiny unit.

The Lenovo M72e...or the "Tiny"...is just that, tiny.  Often we've been forced to try and use inferior small form factor models, or to make thin clients work when we didn't need thin clients.  Let's face it, nobody likes to be the guy who has to force a puzzle piece into a slot not made for it...it's just not fun.  These little guys meet the size requirement (they're as as tall as a golfball and the length of 3), but most importantly, they've got core i3 and i5 processors.  So toss out the DVD drive...and voila!  You've got a small, kickbutt computer.

Granted, they got a very low price because they bought 250 units, but you can get this unit here for $539 easily.  :)



Take a look and see right here.  If you're interested in learning more, let me know and we'll get you on the phone with our Lenovo rep and we can talk speeds & feeds...but most importantly, we can answer your questions too.

There you have it...happy Friday! :)

Coming out of the past...

I saw this ad last night on television, and I knew it had to go up today.  Its message is quite clear and useful if you think about it...

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2isDZgoTFk&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

See what I mean?  You can track a bit and learn some about Ultrabooks right from Intel's site, but suffice to say for an exec they're a need, and for sales they're a want.  Speaking as someone who's had to travel with a big, clunky, heavy laptop on planes and trains...these things would be fantastic.  Right now I own a 17" laptop and that guy...while awesome...could probably beat a huge dent in a car.  Not so fun to carry around.

We're at a crux this year.  With so many companies having to skip on refreshing hardware over the economic dip we had in 2009-2011, most everyone is behind a bit on technology.  If you've got a salesforce, you need to consider either ultrabooks, or a tablet solution...something we can help you on.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, we'd like to invite you to our Secure Mobility Summit coming up on the 24th.  Lots of good information on how to handle a mobility solution...and attendees will receive a free Apple TV.  (1 per company I believe.)  Just click here for to sign up to attend...make sure to select Michael Leader as your rep...or your rep's name if they differ from mine. :)

Hope you have a great week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What...you didn't think I couldn't get a Doctor Who reference in there somewhere? ;)

HP Deal of the Week!

Man these guys are being RELENTLESS when it comes to these deals on Gen8 servers!  This deal is only valid until August 21, 2012, but I think its worth looking at.

Normally this server runs at over $6500, so a $700 reduction in price is a good deal indeed.

Take a look!  (it's in a book...sorry that's been in my head for nearly a week)



 

Microsoft and BYOD

Came across this article from Microsoft this weekend, and thought that I'd pass it along.  I've talked about BYOD and the Consumerization of IT now for almost a year...and it's good to see many of you taking up this battle.  It's not going to be easy, but we can help you if you want.

 

In the meantime, take a look at this article here.

 

Lastly, I downloaded this ebook last week and finally got around to mentioning it here.  Worth a look.  Cute and pretty succinct about BYOD.  Granted it's by MaaS360, but it proves they've got their heads in the right place....just remember to buy your services from me/us! :)

 

Have a good Monday! :)

Windows Server 2012 release!

Well...this just came down the pike via the Microsoft TechNet newsletter.

 

Join Us for the Launch of Windows Server 2012

September 4, 2012 – Windows Server has reached its release-to-manufacturing (RTM) milestone. Save the date and join us for an online launch event where our executives, engineers, customers, and partners will share more about how Windows Server 2012 can help organizations of all sizes realize the benefits of the cloud OS.

Now before you start going crazy, making plans and buying party hats...this is the release to manufacturer date.  That means you'll be able to evaluate and purchase starting on that date.  What I'd recommend is if you've not been a part of the evaluation process already, to do so starting on that date and see what it's all about.

Microsoft and the Cloud.  Some of you may cheer, others jeer, others be aghast in horror of change...but change it has and it looks to be a good change. :)

(yea I'm excited...sue me. ;) )

 

 

Email Archiving - How to not lose your shirt...

Email archiving is something that all businesses need to do...by law.  How to do it right is one of those things that can be elusive.  I've had a couple of clients who've been successful with Arcmail, so I wanted to present this here...and get you to check out their webinars each week.  The question, "Why Archive?" seems like a no brainer, but Arcmail breaks it down simply on their site here.   Let me sum up some of the primary points.

1) Compliance - Whether it's HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, or others, you need to be in compliance.  No to mention that if your company is sued, and email is involved, you have to be able to produce the emails.  Failure to do so can be fatal...in a legal sense.

2) Extending Mail Server life - These servers take a beating every day.  You know they do, but most email servers are just slow and overloaded.  By archiving regularly, you take the burden off of the email server to manage all of those emails.  (How many does your company get each day?)  This will help extend the life of that server just a bit longer, so you're not forced to purchase a server when you're not ready.

3) Accessing Archived Data - There are those companies that would just rather settle a lawsuit with someone than dig through their email archives.  Arcmail has a great little search feature that will help you discover what you need, rather than hiring a firm to go through and manually search your archives.  A lot cheaper yea?

Consider that it's effective to have an archiving solution.  If you want to know more, contact me...I'm happy to talk to you about what you want to do and get you in front of the right folks to talk about it.  If you want to learn more about their product click one of these links for their webinar.  Make sure to add PC Mall and my name (or your rep's name) to the form:

Thursday August 9, 2012

Tuesday August 14, 2012

Thursday August 16, 2012

 

Windows 8 RTM to the head...

Yup...here it is...

Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing.  You can see the official blog post here, and more on RTM here.  It looks like distributors and VARs will be getting the OEM versions of these around August 16, with September 1 being the licensing release date to those without Software Assurance.

Exciting stuff.  Hopefully y'all were able to test the product like I have been.   Now it's time to get this stuff and start testing it with your current setup.  If you're using touchscreens, how about an operating system that is designed to work with them AND be a real OS?  The ARM version for tablets is going to be a killer, and for those of us saddled with using Android on our old HP Touchpads, this should be a godsend.

Enjoy your weekend!   I know I'll be enjoying mine! :)

Symantec Renewals - saving 20%

For those of you who are using Symantec's Endpoint Protection, or the Symantec Protection Suite...it's a good time to renew.  Symantec is offering 20% off with 3 year licenses.  It's a good time to take advantage of their renewal structure, and/or co-term any of their licenses that you have already...because it'll be a lot easier to renew in 3 years if you do. :)

They're also offering to trade you up to Symantec Protection Suite and save 30% off MSRP for doing that.  That means upgrading from Endpoint Protection, Antivirus, mail security for exchange/domino, messaging gateway, or web gateway.

You all know me well enough that I don't pitch things that make me money...they save you money.  If you're interested, give your PC Mall rep a call today! :)

Box.net and Today's Enterprises

I think that by now, many of you out there have been using Cloud storage like Box.net, dropbox, and others...they can be an invaluable tool for most.  Personally, I have a ton of PDFs that I need to access at a moment's notice for non-work-related things...and Box.net has been my savior.  I was first introduced to them last year when I received my HP Touchpad (RIP WebOS), and they offered a 50GB account for those of us who had one.  Now, they're on every device and I use them for all documents I need to access easily.

To my surprise at lunch today, I read on the Box.net blog that they just raised $125 million to invest in their infrastructure, grow overseas, and do more for their users.  Based on that, now is the time to start looking at the cloud for business storage.   Using iPads for your salespeople?  How about a place where they can store all of their documents securely, and access them when needed?  That's just a simple example, but I am seeing it used more and more frequently.

Is the cloud right for you?  Let's talk about it...while I can't obviously help you with Box.net, I can help you understand how things like Cloud Controllers for Wireless and Wired networks will save you money...how putting your disaster recovery far far away & replicating data to it will save your bacon after a disaster...the list goes on.

Let's talk cloud.  I'm here waiting to talk to you...

Happy to be back!

Howdy everyone!  Hope you enjoyed the posts from the road...some were pre-recorded, some were posted when I had a few minutes and internet access, but mostly I spent two weeks resting my mind and opening it to experiences.  Every single place we stopped at on the trip, I had been to back in the 1980s.  It was amazing to see that not much had changed at the national park level, but watching my family's homestead in Wyoming change was interesting.  Who'd have thought in 25 years the creekbed would move 50 feet?  Very strange indeed. :)

But like the title says, I'm happy to be back this week...and while I"m getting things caught up (on a conference call right now listening to a client and manufacturer chat about their product) through the mountain of email over the past few days...but I wanted to take time to post this and share a few pictures from my trip.

Ahhh...the Tetons. :)



Pinedale, WY - Rendezvous Pagent, celebrating the fur trappers who opened the western territories in the 1830s.



Dinosaur National Monument - Yup...we got to touch real dinosaur bones! :D



"Take a picture of yourself, Mike...they'll like that."  Sorry, I tried to blur it more. :)



My second-favorite part of the trip...Mesa Verde.  We hiked down there with the tour group...worth the look to walk in history!



This is a Kiva, religious center for the ancient pueblo indians (Anasazi).



Let me know what I can do for you in the meantime.  Look for more posts to come!

Best Wishes!

 

Addendum: Since some people are fussy about wording...the term "dinosaur bone" is inaccurate.  They were "fossilized dinosaur bones" ...and I hated to burst their bubble, but YES we were allowed to touch them.  You normally are not allowed to touch them in museums, but you can at Dinosaur National Monument for the $10 for 7 day entry fee. :)

Smartglass is the future...

I had a chance to see a little bit of Smart Glass when I was a special guest of Microsoft's Expert Zone at E3, and the more I read about it...wow, just wow.  This isn't just a piece of MS software that lets you manage tv and gaming.  This is really a companion for everything to do with your Xbox, computer and tv set.  It works with all devices, iOS, Android, Windows...and is going to likely change the way you watch TV and play video games in the future.

When I say companion that's pretty much what it is.  One of the examples was while watching an episode of Game of Thrones, the unit displayed a map of the show's world, and relevant information.  A character comes on screen, their background becomes available to read.

This is what Microsoft wants...the Xbox console to be the center of entertainment in your living room.  For many of us it already is, and even they've started announcing that more movies and music are downloaded and played on the Xbox than games.  I know, I remember when Tivo was cool and everyone got one...but I've always said that first gen tech while being neat, always gets blown away the second time around. :)

Kingston SSDs on sale this month!

Some of my clients who purchase these and memory cards may have already got this chart from me, but it's a worthwhile glance if you've ever been interested in adding more SSDs to your environment.  Kingston makes these great kits to help you replace your laptop's hard drive with an SSD, and then make that old hard drive and exterior backup unit.  Pretty sweet, yes? :)

While the below are my prices for my clients, I'm sure if you asked your rep nicely, they'd cut you the same deal. :)

KINGSTON Q3 SSD SALE
Model Name	Part #	PC Mall SKU	Price
SSD V200 Series Standalone	SV200S37A/64G	8918502	$69
	SV200S37A/128G	8918520	$109
	SV200S3/256G	8918501	$319
SSD V200 Series Notebook Bundles	SV200S3N7A/64G	8918513	$77
	SV200S3N7A/128G	8918512	$119
	SV200S3N/256G	8918511	$269
SSD V200 Series Desktop Bundles	SV200S3D7/64G	8918510	$79
	SV200S3D7/128G	8918503	$121
	SV200S3D/256G	8918521	$221
SSD KC100 Series	SKC100S3/120G	8875936	$169
	SKC100S3/240G	8876800	$319
	SKC100S3/480G	8877676	$739
SSD KC100 Bundles	SKC100S3B/120G	8877370	$179
	SKC100S3B/240G	8877371	$327
	SKC100S3B/480G	8877372	$769
SSD V+200 Series	SVP200S3/60G	8985180	$77
	SVP200S3/90G	8985177	$121
	SVP200S3/120G	8985184	$133
	SVP200S3/240G	8985179	$245
	SVP200S3/480G	8985176	$555
SSD V+200 Series Bundles	SVP200S3B/60G	8985183	$99
	SVP200S3B/90G	8985178	$133
	SVP200S3B/120G	8985181	$147
	SVP200S3B/240G	8985290	$233
	SVP200S3B/480G	8985182	$555
SSD V+ Gen 3 Series (1.8" drive)	SVP180S2/64G	8212633	$127
	SVP180S2/128G	8212632	$225
	SVP180S2/256G	8212631	$427
SSD HyperX Series	SH100S3/120G	8813895	$219
	SH100S3/240G	8813978	$411
	SH100S3/480G	9053410	$889
SSD HyperX Series Bundles	SH100S3B/120G	8813991	$233
	SH100S3B/240G	8814006	$429
	SH100S3B/480G	9053411	$887
SSD HyperX 3K Series	SH103S3/90G	9084748	$133
	SH103S3/120G	9084745	$153
	SH103S3/240G	9084746	$333
	SH103S3/480G	9084747	$677
SSD HyperX 3K Series Bundle	SH103S3B/90G	9084752	$155
	SH103S3B/120G	9084749	$175
	SH103S3B/240G	9084750	$333
	SH103S3B/480G	9084751	$733