Paradigm Shifts for Techs: Managed Services Part 1
by Derek R. Iannelli, IT Strategist, Progressive Integrations, Inc.,
When I ‘closed’ my first M&S agreement (maintenance & support), I thought I finally figured it out, and if I could sell enough of them, our business would making the American Dream come true. That was 10 years ago.
Until this past year, I still had the same thoughts regarding M&S agreements until our economy started to affect our clients too. Instead of thRead More…
After an intense 24 hours the New and Improved Force Field Forums are now online! The new forums incorporate the latest stable version of Simple Machine Forum and new features to enhance the forum community experience.
This migration was not without its challenges, however. Originally the outage was scheduled for four hours but numerous technical snafus and data migration issues forced them offline for almost a full 24 hours.
The Force Field forums were scheduled to go offline last night, December 15, 2009 from 8 PM to 1 AM EST for upgrades. Due to activity the outage was delayed for an hour to ensure all the data from the new activity would be backed up before the migration. The planned migration to a new forum called Kunena failed on a test site and prompted an eleventh hour (literally 11 PM) decision to use another forum already chosen in case Kunena did not work out.
During this time members were not able to access, read and post in the forums but were able to access other areas of the web site as the initial migration was performed on another test site.
The second forum required a database conversion that also failed on the test site. After several attempts a manual conversion process was performed this afternoon and after testing the database and forums were moved to the production site.
Although great care was taken to preserve the data, some posts and settings may not have transferred successfully. In addition, some logins may not function properly and it may be necessary to change login passwords.
If you do encounter an issue logging in, please click "Forgot Password" on the forum login screen and a new password will be sent to your e-mail address on file.
The new forums will resolve old bugs and introduce new features to enhance The Force Field forum community experience. As these new forums are a separate component of the site and no longer integrated into the rest of The Force Field, The login function on the front page of theforcefield.net will no longer automatically log you into the forums. The forums require separate registration and login from the rest of the site. If you have any questions or trouble logging into the new forums please contact an administrator or e-mail forums@theforcefield.net.
You can access the forums from the Forums link in the menu on the left sidebar or at http://www.theforcefield.net/forums .
Enjoy the forums!
Please sign up for the webinar that is going to be hosted next week. Will not cost you a penny but i’ve reviewed the material that is covered and well worth the 30-60 mintues of time that it takes. Look forward to seeing everyone online.
“3 Critical Marketing Elements Every IT Business Must Have To Finally Put An End To The Frustration, Struggle, And Up-Hill Battle of Generating A Predictable Flow Of New Clients, More Sales & Bigger Profits”
FREE Webinar With Technology MarketingRead More…
The Force Field forums will go offline tonight, December 15, 2009 from 8 PM to 1 AM EST for upgrades. The new forums will resolve old bugs and introduce new features to enhance The Force Field forum community experience.
During this time members will not be able to access, read and post in the forums. From time to time members may not be able to access other areas of the web site as well while we complete migration. We will do our best to minimize the interruption but it is possible certain portions of the site such as the IT Business Resource Directory and Marketplace may also be affected.
The podcasts episodes should not be affected by the upgrade. During migration you should still be able to access, download and listen to episodes of The Force Field podcast at http://www.theforcefield.net/wordpress . The entire site, including the forums should be available after 1 AM EST tonight.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
As part of the World’s Shortest Webinar Series, veteran data center manager and monitoring guru, Steve Francis, will demonstrate LogicMonitor’s configuration-free Netscaler Monitoring system. The online demonstration will give datacenter managers the opportunity to see how in-depth monitoring can be configured from start-to-finish in a matter of minutes.
Santa Barbara, CA (Vocus/PRWEB ) December 9, 2009 — As part of the World’s Shortest Webinar Series, veteran data center manager and monitoring guru, Steve Francis, will demonstrate LogicMonitor’s configuration-free Netscaler Monitoring system. The December 17th online demonstration will give datacenter managers the opportunity to see how in-depth monitoring can be configured from start-to-finish in a matter of minutes. The company will offer webinar attendees a complimentary 21-day trial of LogicMonitor’s Netscaler monitoring service.
Registration is open to all IT managers on a first-come, first-served basis:
The Netscaler monitoring demonstration is the second episode in The World’s Shortest Webinar Series, the first being on NetApp monitoring. On the idea for the World’s Shortest Webinars, LogicMonitor CEO, Steve Francis notes, “IT managers don’t have hours of spare time, so we thought this would be a unique opportunity to prove to them that configuring in-depth monitoring for Netscalers, NetApps, networks, servers, and applications, doesn’t have to be a lengthy, and often-times error-prone process. We can demonstrate the value of LogicMonitor in just minutes. So why take up any more of their time than we have to?”
With LogicMonitor, configuring a load balancer for monitoring is as simple as entering its hostname — no additional configuration is needed. The system then automatically discovers all content switching VIPs, active interfaces, load balancing VIPs, etc., saving IT managers hours of time. The LogicMonitor service revolutionizes monitoring by providing more metrics, and presenting them all in intuitive visual format, so trends can be easily spotted.
“We managed datacenters for ASPs and Enterprises for over 15 years. During that time, we were never able to find a monitoring system that delivered what is really needed in the trenches by a web-focused company. So we built it ourselves,” stated Francis.
About LogicMonitor:
Headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, LogicMonitor LLC was founded by a team of datacenter managers and technology experts dedicated to making datacenter monitoring simple.
The Association is growing and we would like to keep in touch with all our members in every way possible.
Join us on:
Linked In
Today we’re going to continue our discussion with an IT service provider who created a business plan, learn how he did it and find out how his business plan helped his business become more successful. Part 2 of a four part series.
TechPodcasts Promo Tag :10
Intro 1:17
Billboard :28
News and Comment segment 4:43
A study by Squaretrade on laptop reliability listed Asus as manufacturer of laptops with the lowest malfunction rates within a three year period. The report can be download at http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109/.
Rescuecom reports that Apple is number one on its reliability list. The complete report is available at http://www.rescuecom.com/RESCUECOM278.html
Sponsor: Try GotoAssist Express free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.GotoAssist.com/techpodcast.
Intel Intel unveiled a 48-core processor early this month.
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council released its 14th annual Small Business Survival Index December 1, in which it rates the best and worst entrepreneur friendly states in the US. The complete list and map of entrepreneur friendly states is available at http://www.sbecouncil.org/survivalindex2009/
Commercial Break 1:00
Get Great Web Hosting at GoDaddy.com and save 10%! Listen for the discount code in the show. GoDaddy.com 1:00
Intro to Topic 1:24
Today we’re going to continue our discussion with Pat Palmer of The Computer Guy and learn more about writing a business plan. We’ll find out if the time spent writing the plan was worth the investment, what his business plan told him about his company and how having a plan even helped him develop an exit strategy.Part 2 of a four part series.
Interview with Pat Palmer 18:17
Episode 39 Part 3 Teaser :22
Wrap up and Close :46
Comments, questions or suggestions? Send them in to comments@theforcefield.net. Feedback on this topic will be read by the host and included in future episodes of the show. Visit us at http://www.theforcefield.net !
©2009 Savoia Computer. All rights reserved.
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Today we're going to continue our discussion with an IT service provider who created a business plan, learn how he did it and find out how his business plan helped his business become more successful. Part 2 of a four part series.
TechPodcasts Promo Tag :10
Intro 1:17
Billboard :28
News and Comment segment 4:43
A study by Squaretrade on laptop reliability listed Asus as manufacturer of laptops with the lowest malfunction rates within a three year period. The report can be download at http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109/.
Rescuecom reports that Apple is number one on its reliability list. The complete report is available at http://www.rescuecom.com/RESCUECOM278.html
Sponsor: Try GotoAssist Express free for 30 days! For this special offer, visit www.GotoAssist.com/techpodcast.
Intel Intel unveiled a 48-core processor early this month.
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council released its 14th annual Small Business Survival Index December 1, in which it rates the best and worst entrepreneur friendly states in the US. The complete list and map of entrepreneur friendly states is available at http://www.sbecouncil.org/survivalindex2009/
Commercial Break 1:00
Get Great Web Hosting at GoDaddy.com and save 10%! Listen for the discount code in the show. GoDaddy.com 1:00
Intro to Topic 1:24
Today we're going to continue our discussion with Pat Palmer of The Computer Guy and learn more about writing a business plan. We'll find out if the time spent writing the plan was worth the investment, what his business plan told him about his company and how having a plan even helped him develop an exit strategy.Part 2 of a four part series.
Interview with Pat Palmer 18:17
Episode 39 Part 3 Teaser :22
Wrap up and Close :46
Comments, questions or suggestions? Send them in to comments@theforcefield.net. Feedback on this topic will be read by the host and included in future episodes of the show. Visit us at http://www.theforcefield.net !
©2009 Savoia Computer. All rights reserved.
http://media.techpodcasts.com/theforcefield/media.libsyn.com/media/theforcefield/The_Force_Field_38.mp3
Smaller IT consulting firms like Georgia-based Guidance Consulting are finding that their smaller size makes them more marketable in today's corporate environment. The ability to specialize and personalize their approach to IT support results in lowered costs and time estimates over larger IT firms.
Duluth, GA (Vocus/PRWEB ) December 9, 2009 — The experts at IT support provider Guidance Consulting have always known that large IT consulting firms have dominated the market for technology support services for years, in everything from the fields of education and online storefronts to healthcare. However, the company is now finding that in today's market, there is a new focus on smaller, more personalized firms that can offer specialized services at a fraction of the cost.
The first company to report on this new phenomenon was healthcare research firm KLAS, which found that smaller IT firms are better at everything from planning and assessment to staff support. Guidance Consulting, Inc., an IT firm operating out of Georgia, reinforces these findings with an emphasis on more than just the healthcare field.
“What they found in the healthcare field is that the smaller companies like Guidance Consulting have to be more competitive,” says Guidance Consulting senior consultant Ronald Gottilla. “We have to offer better rates and better services in order to compete. So that's just what we've done.”
The IT field is one that is always changing and developing, particularly when it comes to issues like the latest in vulnerability protection needs. Larger IT companies are slower to adapt by virtue of size, and there's simply no way around it. “You've got layers of bureaucracy to get through in a large IT company,” asserts Gottilla. “When you work with a small firm, you can get decisions and answers almost immediately.”
Of course, it's impossible to ignore the dollars and cents side of things, as well. Although skimping out on IT protection is never a good way to ensure a company's safety against viruses and attacks, cutting costs is one of the most important measures business leaders can take in today's economy. Cutting costs by hiring a smaller IT consultant firm is often the ideal solution, since companies don't have to take a hit to quality even if they're paying less.
“When you hire a company like Guidance Consulting,” adds Gottilla, “you also get the benefits of our IT staffing department. If you're cutting costs by getting rid of an internal IT department, we can not only provide the protection planning you need, but we can supply you with temporary employees to get you through the rough patches.”
About Guidance Consulting
Guidance Consulting is a technology solutions firm offering a range of services related to technology, infrastructure development, and general information technology consulting.
For over 15 years, Guidance Consulting has been delivering profitable technology results to everything from small, private firms to Fortune 500 companies. In addition to meeting employment and staffing needs, Guidance Consulting implements a wide range of IT solutions that help companies to cut costs, increase productivity, and avoid damages associated with vulnerability issues to get the most out of the current technologies available for businesses of all sizes.
For more information on making Guidance Consulting a part of your company's IT support team, visit their website at http://www.guidance-consulting.com.
Contact for Media Inquiries:
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