Cloud Myths...

No this isn't a tribute to Final Fantasy VII... ;)

The folks at Trend Micro put this out to my team the other day, and I wanted to share it with all of you too.  Cloud Computing has a lot of use to small & medium businesses...but uses never come without danger of misuse.  This article here, discusses the myths of Cloud Computing and what the realities are.  Now if you ignore the last couple of pages...the ad for TM...there's some insight in this article.  Let me discuss the first 3 now, and the rest in a followup post.

Myth #1: SMBs know they are using The Cloud.  - Do they?  I think a lot of companies who use Gmail, Yahoo mail, facebook, twitter, picasa, dropbox and other online tools forget that those are Cloud tools.  The Cloud is a nebulous thing that encompasses concepts of how technology is delivered to people, it is not a specific thing.

Myth #2: Paying for Cloud Services is more costly than buying hardware or software  - Have any of you bought and managed servers these days?  Do you think that a company that's struggling along and cannot afford a proper IT manager can take care of that?   It's a tough call for businesses.  While I think most people outside of work rely too heavily on one thing at a time (yes I have duplicate files spread out among Dropbox, Google Drive, Skydrive, and Copy.com...but I'm paranoid ;) ), a business needs to invest into protecting its data, and if they're too small...it's very difficult.

Myth #3: Cloud Computing slows processes down and reduces productivity - Wow that myth is so untrue it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  Like I mentioned in #2, an SMB that isn't running their own servers and IT staff reduces expenses.  Shoot, we have a hosting service through PCM for your Exchange and servers...and for what it costs, it can take a lot of pressure off of your company to maintain its own servers and pay someone to do it for them...including repair bills.

More to come! :)

Cisco Meraki's Update Awesomeness

Meraki just posted some awesome new additions to their dashboard software for their users.  If you haven't been using their dashboard product (you can for free by the way) you're missing out.  There is no better, free way to manage all of your company's devices.  Laptops, tablets, desktops...one agent downloaded and you're reporting in seconds.

Want to know more...they offer trainings on their site.

Take a look! :)

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NEW FEATURES HELP MSPS MANAGE END CUSTOMER NETWORKS

• June 5, 2013


• Posted by: Emily Sporl


• 0 Comments

Introducing Cisco Meraki’s MSP portal, support ticketing, and more!

We’ve got some great tools for managed services providers (MSPs) who offer Cisco Meraki’s wireless, switching, security appliance, and MDM as a service to their end customers. These tools address common MSP challenges around managing end customer networks, optimizing costs, transitioning customer networks to a hosted service quickly, and scaling those networks as needed.

Today, we’re excited to announce additional, new features for MSPs:

• MSP Portal: A central location for staff to monitor all of their Cisco Meraki end customer networks over the web


• Support ticketing: Create, monitor, and respond to support cases with Cisco Meraki staff


• Custom branding: MSPs can brand the Cisco Meraki dashboard and summary reports to reinforce their brand message to end customers

These new features, combined with the built-in end-­to-­end visibility and control provided by Cisco Meraki’s cloud management platform, provide powerful ways for MSPs to keep their customer networks up-­to-­date and centrally managed.

 

MSP Portal

The new MSP portal, built into the Cisco Meraki dashboard, gives MSPs a single location to evaluate end customers’ licensing compliance and networked devices.

Easily manage licensing compliance and end customer network devices using the MSP Portal.

From the MSP portal page, click into any of your managed customer networks and use Cisco Meraki’s Live Tools to remotely troubleshoot appliances; or use the dashboard to monitor users, devices, and application traffic, set group­based policies, update licensing, and manage customers’ device inventory. You get end-­to-­end visibility of your customers’ networks from any Internet-accessible location—whether that’s at a NOC/SOC or your field offices.

 

Support ticketing

Keeping track of support cases across multiple end customer networks can be daunting, but we simplify things with a central location to create, monitor, and respond to troubleshooting tickets alongside Cisco Meraki staff. Cases are organized so that sorting cases by end customer—even down to individual customer networks—is easy.

Sort troubleshooting tickets by priority, status, case number, date created, or support engineer.

With Cisco Meraki support ticketing, you can keep track of relevant emails, files, and case descriptions for a particular problem within a single ticket and prioritize cases based on severity.

Custom branding

As the networking provider and primary support for end customers, MSPs need the ability to reinforce their brand message when administrators access the network. As part of the MSP Dashboard, Cisco Meraki will work with our partners to put a custom logo on both the main dashboard and summary emails that are sent to end customers.

Cost optimization

Reducing operational costs is a key challenge for MSPs, who must typically build out end customer network infrastructure, adjust for vendor licensing costs, and provide tech support for issues that arise. With Cisco Meraki, our cloud­-hosted management infrastructure eliminates the need for MSPs to build out data centers or host wireless LAN controllers and similar infrastructure. Our simple licensing scheme, which includes all product tech support, maintenance, and feature updates, streamlines cost models. Finally, our intuitive, cloud­-based dashboard allows engineers to remotely troubleshoot devices and reduces staff training hours.

On-­demand scalability

It’s easy to quickly transition end customer networks to Cisco Meraki. All of our gear allows for zero­touch configuration, with no onsite IT staff needed for deployment. Adding network devices is as simple as entering an order number into the Cisco Meraki dashboard—there is no device limit, throughput limit, or backend configuration necessary. Our datacenters are designed from the ground up to scale your customers’ networks to millions of attached devices—and we have built­-in redundancy across multiple geographies, all with a 99.99% uptime SLA.

If you’d like more details on these new MSP features—and additional benefits Cisco Meraki provides vis­-à-­vis managing end customer networks—please read our new MSP white paper.

Tags: Dashboard, MSP, partners, Support

Posted by

Emily SporlProduct Marketing Manager

USB Encryption for Dummies

I love getting emails like this about topics like this.  It's very simple and straightforward.  I may have to go do this with my backup USB drive at home sometime this week when I'm not traveling. :)

I'll be out of the office tomorrow...but I'll see if I can find anything to post for an update...ya never know. ;)

MobileIron - Strike while it's hot!

Some days I bask in my own humor...this isn't one of those days. ;)

Seriously though, I've had some good interaction with the folks at MobileIron, and we have a dedicated tech source for them here in my offices at PCM.  If you're interested in Mobile Device Management, and Meraki's Cloud Controller setup isn't your thing for some reason...then MobileIron might be the solution for you.  I've been talking about BYOD and the C0nsumerization of IT for a long time now...longer than most pundits and sales people in this business...and eventually it's going to catch up to every business out there.  Don't let it catch you, be prepared for it...develop a strategy...and LET US HELP YOU DO THAT.  We are very good at it.

You can get links to the MobileIron and Meraki trainings online on my Webinar Page here.

Take a look...learning is always worth your time. :)

Transceiver Sale!

I know...now we enter the magical mysterious world of Transceivers...say it with me...ooooh...ahhhh.

Seriously, these little guys can cost you an arm and a leg.  My friends at Axiom have a special deal this month to help save on pricing.  Take a look!

Name				Mfg SKU			PCM sku	Price
GIGABIT SFP SX TRANSCEIVE-R GBIC				#GLC-SGLC-SX-MM-AX			7007635	$55.00
GIGABIT SFP LX/LH TRANSCEIVER GBIC				#GLGLC-LH-SM-AX			7018283	$103.00
GIGABIT-SX-LC MINI--GBIC J4858B FOR HP				J4858B-AX			7019554	$97.00
GIGABIT-LX-LC MINI--GBIC J4859B FOR HP				J4859B-AX			7019555	$103.00
GIGABIT SFP 1000BAS-E-T TRANSCEIVER				GBIGLC-T-AX			7019852	$75.00
GIGABIT EN SFP 1000BASE-ZX 1550NM				GLC-ZX-SM-AX			7183352	$139.00
MINI-GBIC # J4860B FOR HP PROCURVE (100				J4860B-AX			7388024	$159.00
GIGABIT-SX-LC MINI-GBIC # J4858C FOR HP				J4858C-AX			7388025	$85.00
GIGABIT-LX-LC MINI-GBIC # J4859C FOR HP				J4859C-AX			7388026	$103.00
GIGABIT-LH-LC MINI-GBIC # J4860C FOR HP				J4860C-AX			7388027	$161.00
AXIOM 100-FX MINI-GBIC TRANSCEIVER FOR				J9054B-AX			7512153	$149.00
100PCT HP COMPATIBLE-10GBASE-ER XENPAK				J8176A-AX			7649792	$2,055.00
100PCT HP COMPATIBLE-10GBASE-SR X2 MOD				J8436A-AX			7649793	$429.00
100PCT HP COMPATIBLE-10GBASE-LR X2 MOD				J8437A-AX			7649794	$759.00
100PCT HP COMPATIBLE-10GBASE-ER X2 MOD				J8438A-AX			7649795	$1,845.00
100PCT HP COMPATIBLE-10GBASE-LR XENPAK				J8173A-AX			7657990	$829.00
100PCT HP COMPATIBLE-10GBASE-SR XENPAK				J8175A-AX			7657991	$435.00
100PCT CISCO COMPATIBLE-1G/2G SFP				XCVRSFP-GE-L-AX			7658279	$73.00
100PCT CISCO COMPATIBLE-1G/2G SFP				XCVRSFP-GE-S-AX			7658280	$61.50
100PCT CISCO COMPATIBLE-1G/2G SFP				XCVRSFP-GE-Z-AX			7658281	$219.00
1000BASE-T MINI-GBIC FOR-HP PROCURVE				J8J8177B-AX			7671221	$77.00
100PT CISCO COMPATIBLE-1000BT SFP				GBICSFP-GE-T-AX			7906524	$79.00
100PCT CISCO COMPATIBLE-10GBASE-SR				SFPSFP-10G-SR-AX			7972735	$405.00
100PCT CISCO COMPATIBLE-10GBASE-LR				SFPSFP-10G-LR-AX			8144517	$525.00
100PCT HP COMPATIBLE-1000BT SFP				GBICJ8177C-AX			8319730	$76.00
100PCT CISCO COMPATIBLE-10GBASE-ER				SFPSFP-10G-ER-AX			8355670	$1,699.00
AXIOM 10GBASE-SRL SFP+ TRANSCEIVER				FORSFP-10G-SRL-AX			8887870	$285.00
AXIOM 10GBASE-LRM SFP+ TRANSCEIVER				FORSFP-10G-LRM-AX			8907479	$379.00
AXIOM 1000BASE-SX EXTENDED TEMP W/ DOM				GLC-SX-MMD-AX			8940036	$99.00
100PCT HP COMPATIBLE-100BASE-FX SFP				J9054C-AX			8982735	$145.00
AXIOM 10GBASE-ZR SFP+ TRANSCEIVER FOR				CSFP-10G-ZR-AX			9072221	$3,199.00
AXIOM 10GBASE-SR SFP+ TRANSCEIVER FOR				CSFP-10G-SR-X-AX			10332628	$405.00
AXIOM 10GBASE-SR SFP+ TRANSCEIVER FOR				CSFP-10G-SR-X-AX			9507961	$405.00

Sizzling Summer Server Specials!

I've always wanted to say that...

ok not really...but, these are some amazing deals from my friends at HP Servers.  My inside team here loves to "help out" like this regularly...and hey if you don't want an HP server, it's not like there aren't other kinds we can talk about. :)

Windows 8.1 - update information

Howdy folks!  Happy June to you!  While outside here in Los Angeles, we're seeing the first of our "June Gloom"...Microsoft's Windows Blog put this up on May 30th to brighten the days of Windows 8 users...some who I believe are still trapped in 2005, but with some better improvements to make Windows 8 just a bit more of what it should be. So, back is the Start button (because hitting the MS key and typing what you want might be too difficult to teach or learn)...and there are a multitude of new things.

You can read below, or see the original link here.  Enjoy!

M.Leader

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Continuing the Windows 8 vision with Windows 8.1

Posted on: May 30, 2013

by  Antoine Leblond

Before we launched Windows 7, we envisioned what the next version of Windows would need to deliver. We made a bet that the PC landscape and industry would undergo a significant transformation driven by an increase in mobility. That bet underscores the changes we made with Windows 8 – it’s a generational leap forward. We built Windows 8 for a world where touch is a first class interaction model, the same as mouse and keyboard; and where there’s a proliferation of innovative and diverse devices that are highly mobile, always on the go and always connected. Windows 8 was built on the reality that the lines between our work and personal lives have blurred.

We’re only a bit more than seven months into this new, bold approach to computing. The response to Windows 8 has been substantial— from new devices to strong app growth to key enhancements to the OS and apps. We’ve learned from customers on how they are using the product and have received a lot of feedback. We’ve delivered hundreds of updates to the product and to apps. We’re just getting started, and the potential ahead is tremendous.

Windows 8.1 will advance the bold vision set forward with Windows 8 to deliver the next generation of PCs, tablets, and a range of industry devices, and the experiences customers — both consumers and businesses alike — need and will just expect moving forward. It’s Windows 8 even better. Not only will Windows 8.1 respond to customer feedback, but it will add new features and functionality that advance the touch experience and mobile computing’s potential. Windows 8.1 will deliver improvements and enhancements in key areas like personalization, search, the built-in apps, Windows Store experience, and cloud connectivity. Windows 8.1 will also include big bets for business in areas such as management and security – we’ll have more to say on these next week at TechEd North America. Today, I am happy to share a “first look” at Windows 8.1 and outline some of the improvements, enhancements and changes customers will see.

Personalization:

In Windows 8.1, you’ll be able to do more to personalize the experience on your device. As people started using Windows 8, we found that people were using their Lock screens to show pictures of their families. So in Windows 8.1, you can turn your PC or tablet into a picture frame by making your Lock screen a slide show of your pictures – either locally on the device or photos from the cloud in SkyDrive. We also added the ability to take pictures with the built-in camera right from the Lock screen without having to log in.



Windows 8.1 offers more colors and backgrounds for the Start screen – including ones with motion.



You can even choose your desktop background as your Start screen background, creating a greater sense of unity and familiarity. And the Start screen in Windows 8.1 features a variety of tile sizes including a new large and new small tile, so you can organize your Start screen exactly the way you want it. It’s also even easier to name groups and rearrange tiles. You can now select multiple apps all at once, resize them, uninstall them, or rearrange them. We also found people were accidentally moving tiles on their Start screen so in Windows 8.1, you press and hold (or right click) to move things around.

You can view all apps just by swiping from the bottom to view all apps, and we’ve added the ability to filter your apps by name, date installed, most used, or by category. You want the Start screen to be about all the things you love. So when you install a new app from the Windows Store, we no longer put that app on your Start screen. Instead, you’ll find these apps under apps view as mentioned above and marked as “new” where you can choose to pin the apps you want to your Start screen.

Search:

In Windows 8.1, the Search charm will provide global search results powered by Bing in a rich, simple-to-read, aggregated view of many content sources (the web, apps, files, SkyDrive, actions you can take) to provide the best “answer” for your query. We think this will really change the way you interact with the Web and with windows making it quicker and easier to get things done. It is the modern version of the command line!



Quick actions include things you would want to do like play a song or video. Results from local files, apps, and settings are easily accessed in the same convenient view by scrolling to the left.

Apps and Windows Store:

We will be improving all our built in apps that come with Windows 8 for Windows 8.1. For example, the Photos app now has some new editing features that lets you quickly edit or adjust photos when you view them in the Photos app or open them from other places like the Mail, SkyDrive, and Camera apps. And our Music app has been completely redesigned to help pick and play music from your collection. We plan to talk more about updates to the built in apps in Windows 8.1 and some brand new apps we will be introducing in a future blog post.

We’re also making improvements for using multiple apps at once in Windows 8.1.



Windows 8.1 brings variable, continuous size of snap views. You will have more ways to see multiple apps on the screen at the same time. You can resize apps to any size you want, share the screen between two apps, or have up to four apps on screen. If you have multiple displays connected, you can have different Windows Store apps running on all the displays at the same time and the Start Screen can stay open on one monitor. This makes multi-tasking even easier. Also in Windows 8.1, you can have multiple windows of the same app snapped together – such as two Internet Explorer windows.

The improved Windows Store in Windows 8.1 is designed to show more info than in Windows 8 with detailed lists of top free apps, new releases, and picks for you on the homepage. The app listing is more descriptive and informative and includes an area for related apps to help with app discovery. Categories are listed with other app commands such as links to your apps and your account information. App updates install automatically in the background as well as they come through the Store. And search is available in the upper right hand corner for finding the apps you want.

Cloud Connectivity:

In Windows 8.1 your files can be saved directly to SkyDrive, so you can always have your files with you.



The new SkyDrive app gives you access to your files that are on your device or in the cloud, and files are accessible even when offline.

Also, when you log on to your Windows 8.1 device with your Microsoft account (Outlook.com by default), your device magically becomes personalized with your settings and apps, making switching or setting up a new device really easy.

PC Settings:

The updated PC Settings in Windows 8.1 gives you access to all your settings on your device without having to go to the Control Panel on the desktop. You can do things like change your display resolution, set your power options, see the make and model of your PC, change the product key, let you run Windows Update, and even join a domain – all from PC Settings. You can even manage SkyDrive from PC Settings as well and see how much available storage you have (and buy more if needed).

Internet Explorer:

Web browsing continues to be one of the most popular activities on any device. That’s why with Windows 8.1, you also get Internet Explorer 11 (IE11). IE11 builds on the advancements in IE10 and is the only browser that is built for touch. IE11 will offer even better touch performance, faster page load times and several other new features we think you will enjoy. For example, you can now adjust the appearance of modern IE11 to always show the address bar and you can have as many open tabs as you like. And you can access your open tabs in sync across your other Windows 8.1 devices.

Better Mouse and Keyboard Options

PCs today are evolving for a world of mobile computing where people interact with their devices through touch, and we designed Windows 8 for this. But we also recognize there are many non-touch devices in use today – especially in the commercial setting. As such we’ve focused on a number of improvements to ensure easier navigation for people using a mouse and keyboard.

We’ve improved the way you navigate to Start with the mouse by changing the Start “tip” to be the familiar Windows logo. The new tip appears anytime you move the mouse to the bottom left corner of the screen, and is always visible on the taskbar when on the desktop. There are also options to change what the corners do, and options to boot into alternate screens. For example, if you prefer to see the Apps view versus all the tiles, you can choose to have the Start screen go directly to Apps view.

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These are just some of the updates coming in Windows 8.1. We’ll be blogging more about these and other changes in the coming weeks. As you’ve heard us talk about before, Windows 8.1 will be available later this year as a free update for consumers to Windows 8 through the Windows Store the same way customers get app updates today.

Beginning June 26th, and timed with the start of Build, our developer conference, you will be able to check out these improvements for yourself with a preview of Windows 8.1 that will be released. At Build, we’ll also be sharing more about Windows Embedded, which will be updated in the same timeframe as Windows 8.1. We’re aligning the platforms even more to bring Windows to form factors of all types, including not only tablets and PCs, but also the growing category of industry devices such as ATMs, point of service (POS) terminals, and kiosks.

Windows 8 has been a bold, necessary move towards mobility for the PC industry – pushing ourselves and our industry ahead with a touch-first approach that is redefining the PC as we know it, while offering the best of all worlds across any device at any time. Our commitment to that vision – and to always improving - remains the same as we stay the course of the evolution of Windows with Windows 8.1. We’ve been watching, we’ve been listening; Windows 8.1 will continue to build on what you love bringing the latest advancements in hardware, apps, cloud services and the OS to enable a unique experience in everything you do.

More to come. Thanks for reading.

Antoine Leblond,
Corporate Vice President, Windows Program Management

End of the Month Specials

For those of you who missed my email earlier...I know some of you have configured email to hate on graphics in email...here's a list of end of the month specials that I am running.  If your rep is not me, you might want to ask them about any special prices they can do for you.

(then of course they'll come yell at me...and we all know how well that goes for them.)

Enjoy!

VA2342-LED - LED monitor - 23" ViewSonic VA2342-LED - LED monitor - 23" - 1920 x 1080 FullHD - 250 cd/m2 - 1000:1 - 10000000:1 (dynamic) - 5 ms - DVI-D, VGA - black Sku #9333252 Price $145.00	Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 - keyboard and mouse set Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 - Keyboard and mouse set - 2.4 GHz - English - North America Sku #7868180 Price $45.00
Wired Keyboard 200 - keyboard Microsoft Wired Keyboard 200 - Keyboard - USB - English - US - black Sku #8718254 Price $16.00	Vostro 270 - Core i3 3220 3.3 GHz - Monitor : none. Dell Vostro 270 - MT - 1 x Core i3 3220 / 3.3 GHz - RAM 4 GB - HDD 1 x 500 GB - DVD-Writer - HD Graphics 2500 - Gigabit LAN - Windows 8 Pro 64-bit - Monitor : none. Sku #9433040 Price $435.00
ThinkCentre Edge 72 3484 - Core i3 3220 3.3 GHz - Monitor : none. Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 3484 - Tower - 1 x Core i3 3220 / 3.3 GHz - RAM 4 GB - HDD 1 x 500 GB - DVD SuperMulti - HD Graphics 2500 - Gigabit LAN - Windows 8 Pro 64-bit / Windows 7 Professional 64-bit downgrade - pre-installed: Windows 7 - Monitor : ... Sku #9431922 Price $459.00	X501A RH31 - 15.6" - Core i3 2350M - Windows 8 64-bit - 4 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD ASUS X501A RH31 - Core i3 2350M / 2.3 GHz - Windows 8 64-bit - 4 GB RAM - 320 GB HDD - 15.6" wide 1366 x 768 / HD - Intel HD Graphics 3000 - black Sku #9384442 Price $419.00
CP1500AVRLCD - UPS - 900 Watt - 1500 VA CyberPower CP1500AVRLCD - UPS - 900 Watt - 1500 VA 8.5 Ah - 8 output connector(s) Sku #7130149 Price $157.00	Bulk Cat5E Solid Cable 1000' Blue BULK CAT5E SOLID CABLE 1000' BLUE Sku #754733 Price $159
Cat5E 350 MHz Snagless Patch Cable - patch cable - 7 ft - black C2G Cat5E 350 MHz Snagless Patch Cable - Patch cable - RJ-45 (M) - RJ-45 (M) - 7 ft - CAT 5e - molded - black Sku #107532 Price $1.89	LaserJet Pro 400 color MFP M475dn - multifunction ( fax / copier / printer / scanner ) ( color ) HP LaserJet Pro 400 color MFP M475dn - Multifunction ( fax / copier / printer / scanner ) - color - laser - Legal (8.5 in x 14 in) (original) - Legal (216 x 356 mm) (media) - up to 21 ppm (copying) - up to 21 ppm (printing) - 300 sheets - 33.6 Kbps - ... Sku #8991719 Price $659.00

Windows 8 Security Training

You know what makes training better?  Being trained by the designers of something!  These trainings from Microsoft are by some seasoned engineers who make sure that you get in-depth learning, and can feel more confident about Windows 8 security.

If you are not learning, you're not living! :)

Excelsior!

A How-To for new Windows 8 Users

I try not to criticize much in my posts here, the closest it comes relates to the adoption of the Windows 8 software.  I would have thought that after all of the amazing technological advances we've had in the past 13 years, that people could embrace change, and understand that things will have to move forward.  Not everyone is a multi-billion dollar bank who wants to remain on XP (and will pay millions of dollars to do so every technical instance after the 2014 support end date), and you're going to have to use Windows 8 eventually.

That's the average user...I"m not talking about y'all who are running Linux and coding your own stuff...more power to you, but in actuality, you amount to a very tiny portion of the population.  XP overran it's course in time, and with the under-adoption of Vista, it made it harder for people to adopt Win 7 (which is probably one of the better things Microsoft has made in 20 years)...and now people are 2-3 generations behind on Operating systems.   I'm also not talking about moving EVERYTHING over to Win 8.  For businesses, MS allows licensing holders to downgrade to Win 7 if you're not comfortable with 8...but you NEED to do that soon.

Now, for those of you who have jumped to 8 and you're now suffering the "user backlash" of queries like, "Where's the start button?"  "I can't find my files" "Internet Explorer is weird looking" or my favorite "My desktop twitches all day, why is it alive?"...Here's a pdf that explains how to use Windows 8 without too much difficulty.

Personally, I find it sad that any user doesn't have enough curiosity or basic know-how to investigate how something new works.  Send this out to those who are whinging about the change to Win 8 or who are having difficulty.

See?  Here's me, helping you with something free.  Who says I have to sell stuff all the time? :)

Xbox One: Future Tech In Your Living Room

Howdy everyone!  So today the tech world and gaming world is abuzz about the new Xbox One.  Not that it's the first, but that it's the only ONE product you'll need to manage your entertainment in your household.  We've been inundated with media for years: netflix, amazon, dvd, dvr, bluray, cloud streaming, on demand, etc...and we all have our own solutions.  Some of us use multiple ways to an end...some of us are a bit more focused...but in the end, we all want our media and we want it easy.  In my opinion, the Xbox One may have nailed this.

On the reveal date, they didn't talk about new games.  No cutsey cartoon characters, or shoot-em-up heroes to make people go oooh and ahhh over.  No...this time it was about how the Xbox One (The XO? Sounds too huggy & kissy for me, and the X sounds too much like alimony is involved) will be the heart and soul of your living room.  Why?  Because it integrates with your cable box/satellite box and internet to provide a managed experience.  Coming home, you walk in the door and say, "Xbox, On" and your entire entertaiment system comes on, and is ready to go.  After watching the event, and seeing all that the new software could do, it confirmed what I've been saying the past year...that Microsoft wants to own the device that will aggregate all of your media through the television set...and now they can.  Split screen viewing (the Snap function from windows 8) is possible, as well as using Xbox's Guide, which is tagged into your cable/satellite provider...and you can seamlessly switch between games, movies, tv and internet...it's almost creepy.

The biggest whine/flack/junk from gamers that I'm seeing, and 50% of it is based on unfounded news reports, is the belief that MS will not allow you to trade games, or buy/sell used games.  They do have a program for this, but as they're not able to talk about it now, it's still in the planning stages.  But, the games actually install from disks, and are registered to you through your account.  (Attention big brother nuts.)  What I think MS, and the game manufacturers want, is to know who is playing what...when you trade games to friends, they have no idea who is playing their product after the initial purchase.  So with a system (that will not cost you money) being built to trade games and sell used games coming, that should take care of that.

Really, if you own an Xbox, take the time to watch the event...this product can do amazing things.  Heck, my wife who is a sort-of-gamer, immediately saw the usefulness of the product, and commented that it would be good for folks like us to get back into shows we want to watch because of the ease and integration of media to the console.  Lastly, I've often found that the negativity being spouted by people when something like this is revealed, only stems from the want to be right if it does turn out bad...which is a bad way to look at life.  I have high hopes for the Xbox One and what it's going to do to bring media together.  Thumbs up so far, Microsoft!

Something great for Windows 8: Invoice360

Much like I heard when Windows 7 released, there's a lot of flack about switching over.  "It isn't XP...",  "where's my start button?", "I'm scared of change!"  (ok nobody has actually SAID the last one but it's easily inferred.)  Granted, there are always good reasons to not immediately adopt a new OS, but it's been out there for quite awhile now...I have been using it for over a year and a half, myself.  I thought I'd do some scouring to find things that make Windows 8 great...and in today's case, why Windows 8 tablets can be great.

Now the OS shines on tablets...it almost makes me want to pitch my Nexus 7 in the trash...and this software app can help a LOT of companies out of the Dark Ages of computing.  Invoices are the bread & water of businesses, and the bane of users.  No two companies are alike...heck out of all my clients, not one sends me a similar invoice...everything is tailored to each businesses' need.  The folks at Invoice360, have tackled the issue of portability, usability, and individuality all at once.  Not only can you use the basic template contained in the program, but you can download their invoice creator program to make your own.

This Application is FREE...but the free version has a watermark placed on any PDF it outputs.  Heck but the price for the full, un-watermarked, version is only $14.99...and who can argue with that if it works?  I suggest you check it out...got windows 8?  Go here to get it.

I'm looking forward to helping the wife potentially sell the clothes and jewelry she makes and this seems to be the best way to document it professionally without having to go get quicken or other tools. :)

Troubleshooting Outlook

Howdy folks!  Here's a great article from my friends over at TechRepublic on troubleshooting your Outlook.  There's a link here...or you can read below. :)

 

By Jack Wallen

May 15, 2013, 7:02 AM PDT

Takeaway: When Outlook falters, productivity and vital business communications take a big hit. These troubleshooting measures will help you resolve problems quickly.

Outlook is currently the de facto standard email/calendaring client in the business world. Generally speaking, it works like a champ. But there are times when Outlook goes down in a ball of flames. When that happens, if you don’t have a bevy of tricks to pull out of your pocket, you might find yourself in a world of pain.

But troubleshooting Outlook doesn’t have to be a nightmare. In fact, you can almost script out the troubleshooting process with these 10 handy tips.

1: Scan PST

Those PST files will inevitably develop errors. When they do, they can prevent Outlook from working properly. When Outlook is starting to fuss, one of the first things I do is run scanpst.exe against each PST file used within Outlook. But be warned: Scan PST can take some time to run. It has to back up your data file, scan for errors, and repair any errors found. If the data file is large, this process can take quite some time. To run Scan PST, you’ll need to locate the scanpst.exe executable. (Its location will depend upon the version of Windows being used.)

2: Archive

Although not really a troubleshooting tip per se, there are times when a PST file will grow so large it causes problems with Outlook. Instead of letting that PST continue to get unwieldy, it’s best to set up archiving. When the data file has reached the excess of users’ allocated space, I always encourage them to archive by year. This method ensures that they will be archiving the largest amount of data to their local directory (thereby clearing up space on the server). This will also shrink the PST and alleviate issues associated with a too-large PST. After this is done, I recommend running Scan PST.

3: Rename OST

If users take advantage of a locally cached data file, sometimes renaming their current OST file is enough to resolve plenty of issues. Just close Outlook, open the folder that houses their data files, make sure you can see extension names, and change the .ost extension to something like .old. The next time Outlook opens, it will rebuild that .ost file and Outlook should be good as new.

4: Delete/rebuild profile

When all else fails (just shy of an uninstall/reinstall), delete the Outlook profile. Now you need to use caution with this. If Outlook is working with a POP account, the current Inbox (and calendars, etc.) will need to be exported as a data file (which can then be reimported after the POP account is re-created). If Outlook is connecting to either an Exchange server or IMAP account, this process is just a matter of deleting the profile and re-adding it. To do this, open the Control Panel, go to Mail | Profiles, and delete the profile.

5: Disable add-ons

The more add-ons that are connected to Outlook, the slower it becomes. If you have any doubt, start Outlook in safe mode (issue the command outlook.exe /safe) and see how much faster (and smoother) Outlook runs. If you find this to be the case, go into the Trust center, disable suspect add-ons, and restart Outlook normally. You’ll know when you’ve found the culprit, as Outlook should run normally. This is a tedious exercise, but one that will generally bear fruit.

6: Disable virus scan

Many antivirus tools have an Outlook connector that scans emails as they come and go from a system. In some cases, this can slow Outlook to a crawl. If you’re unsure where an Outlook issue is stemming from, temporarily disable the antivirus Outlook connection to see whether that solves the issue. If it does, you might need to update the antivirus software to fix the problem. Just remember, if you leave that connection broken, Outlook will be vulnerable.

7: Run in safe mode

As I mentioned before, running outlook in safe mode is a good way to troubleshoot. The one caveat is that a number of features will not work. This obviously means that running in safe mode is not a solution for a problem — just a way to help debug it. Sometimes, just the act of running Outlook in safe mode will resolve the problem at hand.

8: Run with resetnav

When you issue the command outlook.exe /resetnavpane, you reset all customizations to Outlook’s navigation pane (the left pane, with the folder hierarchy and app buttons). This is necessary when users have done something to the navigation pane (something they don’t remember doing) that causes Outlook to malfunction or have problems starting. Note that users will lose any customizations that have made to the navigation pane.

9: Migrate PSTs from the server

I’ve seen this happen so often. A user will have unusually large PST files (especially archives) housed on a shared (or redirected) drive on a server. Those files are best served from the local drive. If you have more than one PST file having to connect to a remote location, chances are Outlook is going to bog down. Move those archives to the C drive of the local machine to improve performance.

10: Adjust calendar permissions

If someone sends an invitation for others to use his or her calendar, but they can’t make or edit appointments, you need to change their permissions. Open the calendar in Outlook, right-click the shared calendar, click Properties, and then go to the Permissions tab. There, you can add users to the calendar and give them specific permissions that will allow them to do anything from reading to owning the calendar.

Webinars Galore!

Upcoming webinars from us here at PCM…check them out! :)

05/23/13	10am     Pacific	Let Us Help You Say Goodbye to Windows XP
06/06/13	10am Pacific	Cloud: Embracing the Advantages while Avoiding the Hidden Costs
06/06/13	10am Pacific	Windows 8 is Right for Business
06/13/13	10am Pacific	Office 2013 or Office 365: Which is right for you (encore)
06/20/13	10am Pacific	Efficiently Protecting Vmware Environments with Symantec

Also…for those using iPads, a great webinar on May 24 about Custom IOS Apps for your Business!

During this online seminar, here’s what you’ll discover: • How iPad and iOS apps are improving workflow, productivity, and business relationships.• The wide range of apps in the App Store to consider for business tasks—from analytics and field services to productivity and sales support. • How successful businesses are getting immediate results by developing custom apps. • Where you can find iOS app development resources to help build and deploy your own in-house apps. View the seminar schedule and register for the series. Register now

Excelsior! :D

Google Cracking...

Far be it beyond me to reveal some of the search techniques that keep me ahead of my co-workers, but this is something that if you have the time to read, you should read it.  In the original article at Wired.com, the document Untangling the web: A Guide to Internet Research by the NSA is discussed, and its availability to the public.  (Also Google Hacking by Johnny Long is mentioned.)   There are a lot of things up on the internet for finding...many of them terrifyingly interesting...many of the duller than a butter knife.   Take a look...   http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/05/nsa-manual-on-hacking-internet/

Pardon me

Looks like a scheduling error tried to send out tomorrow's post this afternoon.  Sorry about that folks. :)

Microsoft vs. Google: Let the mudslinging go into round 6,513...

Office 365 is Microsoft's outing into Cloud distribution of product, pushing their Office 2013 product out to clients.  Because it allows for an instance to be installed on up to 5 devices for a lower price than their business open license product (1 perpetual license) it's a far better deal for small businesses or for those users on the go with multiple devices.  It's a huge stab at Google Apps, and to further the punching bag game between both companies, Microsoft did this recently...(from the article over at CNet)

 



 

Really Microsoft?  Rather than try to co-exist, knowing that both yours and Google's products appeal to different people...you have to go all Eric Garcetti on Wendy Greuel on us!  There is no need in the business world to do jerky things to competitors, it just reinforces an already negative opinion about you when you do.

Real Cloud Backup: Barracuda

A couple of years ago, a client of mine...we'll call him Bob...had called me with concerns about his backup scenario.  With two locations on different sides of the US, it made it difficult for him to manage the information, and do specific backups.  It was here that I first really heard the phrase, "Mike, how can we use the Cloud to backup and restore?"  For all of my knowledge, I was a little stumped...because there really wasn't anything yet that could do what he needed to do, without some major tricks involved.  We worked on several solutions that COULD help him, but they never came to fruition, then a budget hit...so it's languished for some time.  I never gave up on him, and always kept this failure of mine in the back of my mind, watching like a hawk for something that would work for him, or anyone else I was working with.

Earlier this year, along came my friends at Barracuda (I'll bet you a donut that they're reading this too) in one of their standard vendor meetings.  I've always loved their products, and their awesome team that I work with makes it even better.  I was tired that morning after being up late re-reading my copy of the last Dresden novel, and was only half there when I heard the phrase, "...yes it's Cloud Backup."  My eyes and ears perked up at that, and the part of my brain waiting on that phrase kicked into gear ...almost making me stand up out of my chair.  There it was...like magic.  I quickly became adept with the product, and brought it to several clients...all of whom are seriously pursuing it...and I even have a conference call today with my largest client about it as well.

What's important to know here is that this is a disk to disk to cloud solution.  Now their backup unit comes with the software to manage the backup, and does NOT have to go out to their cloud to be used.  It is efficient without the cloud and bears looking at it, even if the word "Cloud" gives your bosses the willies.  It shouldn't however, because Barracuda's cloud backup is HIPAA compliant...and that's a very good thing.  If it passes that muster, it's got secure legs to stand on.  Like I said, the Cloud portion is optional, in both a 200gb unit version, and an unlimited version (there's a price break in there...if you work with me I'll show you).  The kicker on top of that is the Instant Replacement feature.  Yes it adds a little more to the price but once used pays for itself 10x over.  If that unit ever goes down/melts/drowns/and otherwise becomes useless...just call Barracuda and they will ship you a new unit with the files you're storing in their cloud on it, ASAP.  Holy melted backup Batman...you are saved!

Is it perfect, No...and I would never claim it to be.  Can it solve all of your backup/DR worries?  I think it can.  In the end it bears taking a look at.  I'd like to get you on the phone with them...email/call/use the contact page and get in touch with me...we'll work out a conference call so you can see this stuff in action.

I'm telling you now...don't wait...let's evaluate your backup/DR solution now!

Happy Wednesday!

Adobe Creative Cloud

Much has been said about Adobe moving its business to the Cloud...with complaints on every side including folks in sales.  I'm not one to complain, but I wanted to make sure this post covered, why the Cloud, and what you can do to take advantage of it.

So why Creative Cloud for teams?  One of the biggest plagues that businesses go through is refreshing their software.  With Adobe refreshing every year, most folks were content to update their software every 3-4 years instead of being on top of new features...not that businesses were lazy...Adobe's setup just made it expensive.  Now, with the Cloud model where you pay monthly (through adobe) or yearly (at a large discount from people like me), you can be up to date with the newest Adobe software.  The Creative Cloud for teams model actually works to your advantage in that:

1. You have the most up to date software.


2. Your team can collaborate & share files through the Adobe site


3. The publishing services included help publish webistes and digital apps


4. The creative cloud files folder online (100gb per user) allows you access from anywhere.


5. Easily track usage and transfer seats while getting the Expert support from Adobe.

Right now there's a special deal to get you and your company into the Adobe Creative Cloud.  Normally $70 a month ($840/year), until August 31 you can pick up a year subscription for $479.  Not bad right?  You can see more details here.   Let me know if you have questions!

Information Tech Department Growth

Howdy folks!  I get a bit dismayed as I have been so busy with sales work that I've not been able to post effectively as much as I want.  So I'm frontloading posts a bit here so you'll start getting things regularly...and I'll have more things toward the end of the month when "sales life" explodes. :)

This is a great article from Mikko Peltoniemi at Spiceworks, as it really relates to a lot of you out there (and myself included).  Trying to make things work while a company grows, only to find that you've been so busy with the growth that you lost the personal touch, and may have more work than expected with new things.

One of the things that Mikko mentions is finding new personnel to add to your IT staff...always a difficult thing.  How do you find qualified people?  How do you truly know they're qualified?  It's a difficult thing...I know, I've worked in management before I came to be in Tech Sales, and hiring the right person is always a game of russian roulette...less if you can do your research on them...but a game nonetheless.

Enter PCM and my Services team.  We have one of the best Tech Personnel/Staff Augmentation groups in the US working for us, providing the personnel you need, with the quality assurance of "hire them as a temp"...pay us to handle that mess...try them out for 30 days, and if you like them, pay the fee and hire them away from us."  It's simple, easy and gets done what you need.

Got a large project that you need to get done, but don't have the expertise to do it?  We have someone...either someone you can bring on as a temp, or our own service personnel for work like that.  Don't try to train yourself and tackle something that is brand new...I and my team can connect you with the right people for the job!

So call me...talk to me...tell me what you want to do...solve that problem!

Make today a great one! :)

 

PCM Webinar series

Howdy everyone!  I've got a list of webinars that PCM is setting up for our clients and potential clients in the coming weeks.  One thing we've been clear on for quite awhile now is that we are here to help you plan and prepare for whatever comes your way...we just have to know what you know. :)  Take a look and sign up...most of these have chances to win things like Tablets in them...don't miss those! :)

Apr 18, 2013  10:00 am

Protecting data and networks in an ever-evolving threat landscape

Fred Meek, Dell SonicWALL Systems Engineer

Register

Apr 18, 2013  10:00 am

Windows 8: Modern Tools for Business

Bret Rohloff, Microsoft

Register

Apr 24, 2013  10:00 am

Spend less time managing IT and more time running your business with HP ProLiant Gen8 Servers

Josh Koelewyn, HP ISS Americas Product Manager

Register

April 30th, 2013 - Register

Plasmas, LEDs and LCDs...OH MY!

Here's a neat video over on youtube about how to understand the differences between these things...

http://youtu.be/w8ykjdA9g9w

A reminder this Tax Season...

In today's day and age, email is something we take for granted as private. Emails on the corporate side, while saved are protected from outside influences, right?  Not totally so.   I was reading this article earlier and was reminded of the power that the IRS holds in this country, even if it is just based on fear.   TECHNICALLY, the IRS considers your emails free and easy to get without a warrant.  So if you're sending stuff that might get you in trouble that way, stop it.  (In fact stop just screwing around with your taxes, that's a hornet's nest you don't want to irritate.)  While the majority of the email providers out there stand behind the US vs. Warshak case. which says that the Feds HAVE to get warrants to access your email, the IRS can just ASK for it and some smaller companies will give it up out of fear.

Two things.  Get Congress to actually do something and update the Electronic Communications Privacy act of 1986, and don't let them get anywhere near your stuff.  :)

I'm out of the office until monday.  Drop me an email if you have questions. :)

 

-ML

Saving America...one muffin at a time

Hate to follow up with this post hot on the heels of the other one...I read this on my break and forgot to put it in here. :)

The article you can see here...but I'll repost it so you can read it.  It's very good. :)

7 Reasons This Muffin Mix Can Save America

• Cory Suter

"Cory, My name is Howdy Holmes; I'm the CEO of Jiffy mix. Why don't you give me a call at ...." I could hardly believe my ears. There on my non-smart phone voicemail was a message from a Formula Atlantic Racing Champion-turned-CEO of the $100 million per yearmarket-leading company in prepared baking mixes. What could I possibly have done to deserve this honor? I simply had written a short note complaining that I preferred the flavor of real blueberries to the artificial ones in their muffin mix.

Anyone who has dared venture down a grocery store's baking aisle or opened their grandparent's cupboard has probably seen one of the timeless white and blue "Jiffy" boxes that haven't changed much since the mixes were first invented by Holmes' Grandmother in 1930. What I didn't know until I did some homework, was just how great of a company is behind Jiffy mix. After a 16-minute long chat with the Jiffy mix CEO, and 11 years of studying business and economics, I knew I had discovered one of America's last great businesses. Here is seven reasons why:

1. Jiffy mix sells over 55% of all muffin mixes in the United States, but doesn't spend a dime on advertising.

While Jiffy competes by selling quality products at the lowest price (40 to 60 cents for corn muffins, for example), most American companies now try to sell their products by making people feel inadequate.

"Buy our products, or you won't be happy or sexually fulfilled" is the implicit message that lies to us each time we turn on a TV or catch up on the latest news. Instead of trying to convince us what we should want, Jiffy simply does the right thing, and works to meet a genuine need for convenient wholesome food. The 30% to 52% off the final price that Jiffy saves not advertising or making flashy packaging is directly passed on to customers in the form of unusually low prices.

2. Jiffy mix denies Wall Street a chance to make money from other people's work.

Wall Street finance has increasingly morphed from being a source of investment in America, wisely allocating scarce resources, to being a predator "landlord" that makes money off of other people's work. Jiffy mix is a family-owned business that has repeatedly refused debt-financing and lucrative offers to hand the business over to a corporate conglomerate backed by a big bank. As CEO Holmes said in our phone conversation, "I didn't want a 28-year-old brat from Wall Street telling me how to run my company."

For Holmes, keeping local control of the company is about much more than stubbornness or pride. Keeping Jiffy mix away from the financial elites is a major contributing factor to their customer loyalty, and the quality of life in their neighborhood.

3. Jiffy mix management treats their employees the way they would like to be treated.

Not only does the CEO know most of his 350 employees on a first-name basis, he also has compensated them well, including giving some stock-ownership in the company. With an average salary for a production worker of $47,000 per year, the median family income in the little town where Jiffy mix is $72,266, which is $20,000 more per year than the median U.S. family income. While a Wall Street investor would want to lower this "unnecessary" labor expense, Holmes believes caring for his community and workers is what good business is all about.

4. Jiffy mix genuinely serves their customers needs, instead of being obsessed with profit.

Almost any analyst could tell you that Jiffy mix could make more profit by raising their prices. However, as CEO Holmes explained to me, "Most Americans don't have two homes or much extra money to spend on things that aren't necessary. We provide high-quality ingredients at the best price to help as many customers as possible." From an economist' perspective, raising prices close to the level of competitors would maximize profits, but it would also erase an even larger amount of consumer surplus, thus creating a dead-weight loss for society.

5. Jiffy mix staff find meaning and purpose through their work.

When I commented on Holmes' decision not to sell off even part of his multi-million dollar company, he said "What would I do if I sold-out? Spend my life vacationing somewhere?!" The CEO of Jiffy has the right attitude. Our occupations, in balance with our relationships, give our lives meaning. To work a job just for money or to escape from community and family responsibilities is shallow at best. A visiting reporter from Fortune magazine described Jiffy mix as "a decidedly chipper workplace, with friendly employees who seem to be genuinely enjoying their jobs. They greet Holmes warmly, he appears to know virtually all of them by name, and none of it feels phony."

One of the saddest trends in American culture today is the growing disconnect between making money and producing value. Many of our best and brightest minds shuffle paper and money for financial institutions to earn big salaries, while the real creators of wealth — bakers, builders, farmers, inventors, teachers, designers, and doctors are loaded down by debt. Jiffy mix is a welcome trend-breaker. According to CEO Holmes, "Our staff puts more emphasis on internal and external relationships than we do on completing tasks. This is very different from most companies ... Our dedication to strong family business values, combined with real world professionalism has us uniquely situated for the 21st Century."

6. Jiffy mix is honest.

Instead of hiding their cost-cutting techniques in the small print ingredient list, Jiffy announces on the front of their Blueberry muffin mix package that their product is "artificially flavored with imitation blueberries." This behavior is a clear contrast to Betty Crocker's Premium 'Wild Blueberry' muffins that cost more than twice as much as Jiffy mix, but douse  their "real blueberries" in high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors. Holmes told me that Jiffy mix "has even won accolades for being more honest than required in packaging our products."

7. Jiffy mix makes long-term decisions to benefit future generations.

With no concern for investor's short-term expectations of profits, Jiffy mix just invested over $6 million into a new research and development facility as part of their plan to keep the company going for many more generations. While other American corporations do invest in research, this essential business function is declining in the United States. CEO Holmes has concluded that long-term thinking is one of the key differences between family-owned businesses and other companies.

Final thoughts

One of the world's most widely recognized ethical standards is to do to others as you would have them do to you. By separating the owners and executives of companies from the communities where these same companies do business, the corporate structure of business has increasingly lost sight of this traditional American ethic. Cutting employee benefits and jobs to enrich Wall Street has become almost as common as hidden fees,  and hiring lobbyists to gain unfair competitiveadvantages.

Small businesses and exceptional American companies like Jiffy mix, built our country'sonce-broadly shared prosperity. Sadly, thanks to Wall Street greed, large civic-minded companies are a dying breed. If all companies were as ethical as Jiffy mix, then most Americans could support the far right agenda to get rid of all the regulations. The best solutions are, of course, not so simple. We need commonsense protections from corporate abuse at the same time we need to scale back regulations that exist primarily to give big businesses advantages over competitors. Because, so few companies are like Jiffy mix, America needs a smart government of the people, by the people and for the people.

 

Hope you liked! :)

Picture Credit: Jiffymix

Mike's Ark: Staying Afloat

One of the hardest parts of working in IT (or any job for that matter) is juggling many different things at once.  Some folks look at me with surprise when I tell them I have it just like they do.  With different names for things, they all balance out in the end.  There are procedures for everything, and if there isn't, you get to write them right?  That's what I thought.

So in this case, to stay afloat you have to manage your time very well...especially in IT.  Some folks utitlize their Outlook calendar to great lengthns, blocking out time for appointments and tasks.  Others prefer archaic dayplanners and schedule books...but for those of us in the 21st century there are our phones and apps! :D  With apps like RescueTime, Things2, or Lift, you can get your life on track...not only your personal life but your professional one as well.   In reality, I"ve found personally that just writing out 3-4 things to accomplish works best.  Work on each one until done.  For example from today's list:

1. Work on Managed Services deals

2. Work on credit issues for clients

3. Place orders with efficiency.

4. Write blog entry.

Now as you can see those are not hard to do...but just generic enough that I can work on them without being distracted.  I have to still work at them, and they are specific enough to work on them until they are done.   Simple, right? :)

Oh yes...IT stuff. :D

 

Have a great Monday & Tuesday! :)

 

Mike's Ark: Finding the Right Boatwright

Oooh fancy old word, Boatwright, eh?  Just means boat-builder.   Now since I started with the Data Deluge, I'm sticking with this motif of IT as Noah's Ark.  In this case it's MY Ark...since I'm doing the writing. :)

Finding the Right Boatwright is not about finding the right IT person who will do whatever his bosses tell him.  If you wanted a robot you'd build one...wait, what do you mean you can't build your own robot?  Seriously, what a company needs is not a guy who does what people need him to do, he does what is best for the company.  Those who are the best Boatwrights plan their boats out...even if they have a small one to start with, they know it's going to have to be bigger...and plan for it.

So, for the IT person, that means that yea, you're going to need to start planning for the long game.  Even if you're doing crazy amounts of break-fix, as-needed work, you have to plan a way out of that continuing to be the norm where you are.  If your boards on your ship are warping continually, you don't keep fixing them and complaining that they break or warp more a week or two later.  You get good wood to make sure you have a quality ship!

"Well Mike, I don't know how to make a sail properly...all of my boats have been rowboats before this...guess I'll have to buy a manual to figure this out."  No, you don't!  Here's what I am driving at...you don' t know everything, and neither do I.  When you want something done right, you hire a consultant to get it done right.  This is what I and PCM excel at every day...helping you find the solutions you need...and if not a product you can install, a person to help you plan & execute it.  If we were talking and you told me that you knew nothing about Sails (Cloud Backup) but you know that it's the wave of the future and you want to get into it soon, I'd say, "Well Fred, one of my good friends at Barracuda is an expert on that and we can help you get done what you want to do."  That should make you quite happy that I know who to talk to for you, right?

That's a part of being a good Shipwright for your IT Vessel.  Knowing who to talk to, so you can get the help you want and need.  So start thinking of me as your ship foreman, and let me help you get this going!