2010 Meetings

Our Next Meeting is 6:00pm January 4th 2011
Happy New Year!

Due to some major miscommunications (probably my fault) between, Karl Palachuk, Intel, Dave Sanders and myself it has turned out that our Intel Hybrid Cloud meeting is happening on the right date in the wrong city. I spoke to Dave and Karl and everyone is bending over backwards to work this out. So based on your wiliness to help as well, we are going to make it a joint meeting between CITPG and TSBSG and meet in the Charlotte location on our meeting date.

Karl has asked that you please register on HIS SITE to confirm your attendance and be eligible to win the Grand Prize, a Lenovo TS200v Server. See HIS FLYER for more specifics about the event.

For more information about the venue and directions please see the CITPG WEBSITE it says food is $7.00 but Intel is picking up the tab. If you plan to eat please make sure to click the CITPG link above and check the box for food so Dave has an accurate count for the chef. Yes that's right CITPG has it's very own chef, see what you can do with a huge membership! It will say the cost is 7.00, but worry not, Intel is sponsoring the food completely, as long as you register!

I am sorry about the requirement for dual registration for this event, but it is out of my control.
Keep an eye on our website for last minute updates!

Thank You Again To Everyone For Your Flexibility With The January Meeting Arrangements.
HA

PS next month things will be back to normal and we will be back home meeting at ECPI, topic ytbd

Our December 7, 2010 Meeting

Todd Haugland Sales Engineer from GFI came in to tell us about all the new stuff in the GFIMAX Platform. We saw the new patch management, remote control, improved deployment and enhanced reporting. Since Mail Archiver 2011 RTM’d a couple of days ago we may get a peek at that as well. I was part of the beta and the new interface really rocks and they finally worked out the installer so a mere mortal can now install it :>)

UPDATE: Since my note about Mail Archiver 2011 RTM’ing a couple of days Todd said we would get a peak at the online version still in beta.
GFI also supplied Pizza and Sodas for the meeting,

Meeting Space compliments of

Click the logo for address and directions

Our November 2, 2010 Meeting

For our November meeting we had a demo of Eriq Neale's favorite new mail server Kerio by Michael Vanderhoff, the Southeast Channel Manager. Kerio also makes a Firewall product and they are working on a lightweight SharePoint alternative.

Ben Sanders North American Sales Manager also showed off the TEGAv2 my new iPad killer freshly back from SMB Nation.

Our October 5, 2010 Meeting

For our October 5th meeting I will be did a first blush of the recently released public preview of SBS 7, you did hear the public preview beta has been released right? You can signup at http://www.microsoft.com/sbs/en/us/beta.aspx and kick the tires yourself.
It was well recieved and the group was excited about some of the new features, especially the remote web workplace page!

Our September 7, 2010 Meeting

We had Jason Martin of Zenith InfoTech. He went over their Managed Services with bundled NOC, Business Continuity, and the launch of their new Smart Style Cloud Computing solution. He did a high level short PowerPoint presentation and then lead a open discussion about the changes in the industry with peers and even competitors. Jason feels this is a very necessary exercise to do from time to time. In addition he stirred up some talk about the cloud movement, and our views on where it is going.

Thankx to Jason and Zenith InfoTech the Pizza and Sodas!

Our August 3, 2010 Meeting

The first ever Windows Home Server MVP Grey Lancaster (Grey was one of the first batch ofSBS MVPs as well, but recently jumped ship to WHS) did a demonstration of Microsoft Windows Vail (the next version of WHS) and Microsoft Windows Aurora (the recently announced cross-premise SBS family addition) for our August meeting on 8/3/2010. I have seen them both and they have some really cool new features, you will not want to miss this meeting. Especially if you missed WPC!

Also I will did a demo of the new Take Control feature in MAXrm, which gives you the ability to remote into attended or unattended workstations and servers with a couple of clicks of your mouse. It was very well recieved and a few of the attendees said they would be giving MAX a try the very next day.

At Our July 6, 2010 Meeting

At SMB Nation's Spring Conference, fellow MVP and IT Guru Amy Babinchak of Third Tier introduced me to the folks at Equus and I have really been impressed with their products as well as their service. They seem to be one of the best kept secrets in IT. Well the secret is about to be exposed, I asked them to come in and tell the group about their offerings and they accepted. Jim Lewis will be coming out to talk to us. Here is a bit about Equus

Equus Computer Systems, Inc. is one of America's largest manufacturers of build-to-order desktops, notebooks and servers. Equus is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and Microsoft Platinum OEM, and they are Intel's 7th largest customer in North America. Over 2,000,000 Equus desktops, notebooks and servers have been built since 1989, primarily distributed to business and educational institutions through our extensive network of Value Added Resellers.

Some of the things that make Equus different from your typical computer manufacturer include: average 48 hour build time for custom desktops and notebooks; assembly and support in the USA; open-architecture / non-proprietary desktops so Resellers can support clients with off-the-shelf components; name-brand components for consistent and predictable high quality; ability to private-label your systems; talk to the same dedicated account manager each time; 100% employee-owned.

Hope you can make the meeting and learn why this is such a better solution than the tier ones and how to keep more money in your pockets.

1. One of our members (Vance Hensley - MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCTS, MCITP, Security +) is looking for employment, send me a note his resume. If you are looking for a tech, please consider him.

2. Young has asked me to forward on the info about this survey he would like you to complete, if you have not already,
This is a survey we are running while closing our fiscal year. It is the opportunity for Triad SBS Group to give feedback to Microsoft management. I encourage you to invite all your members to participate. Thank you.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/yungchou/archive/2010/06/17/you-are-invited.aspx

3. And last but not least, in case you had not heard, Harry and the guys at SMBTN have joined forces to try and identify the top 150 Community Contributors. You can nominate up to 10 people, here is a link for more info and to cast your vote. http://smbtn.wordpress.com/smb-power-150/

Late Breaking News
The first ever Windows Home Server MVP Grey Lancaster (Grey was one of the first batch ofSBS MVPs as well, but recently jumped ship to WHS) will be doing a demonstration of Microsoft Windows Vail (the next version of WHS) for our August meeting on 8/3/2010 I have seen Vail and it has some really cool new features, you will not want to miss this meeting.

Meeting Space compliments of

At Our June 1, 2010 Meeting

I was not be able to make it, as I had to make a stop on the way back from the IT Pro Conference in NOLA, but Mark Crall drove up and did a dual presentation for us. AutoTask gave away a copy of Win7, an iPod Shuffle and some tee shirts, not necessarily in that order :>)

Here are the details on Mark's presentation:
Microsoft Next Gen Partner Program – What does it mean for SBSCs? Mark will share Microsoft’s plans for the SBSC program and what changes Microsoft is making (or not making) to this program with the advent of the new competency structure. This is also your chance to give feedback directly to Redmond as Mark sits on the SBSC Advisory Board and it actively involved in steering the future of SBSC initiatives.

Putting Profitability Back Into Product Sales – Many VARs have transitioned to MSPs and in the process have all but abandoned product sales in pursuit of the promise of high margin services. But what happens to customer control and influence when companies like Dell, CDW and Staples start adding services? Are you at risk? Mark will explore this dilemma and some proposed solutions to adding product lifecycle management back into your practice. While this is an infomercial for VARStreet by Autotask, the insight and real industry data shared promise to be of value for all.

At Our May 4, 2010 Meeting

We had have the discussion originally planned for February's meeting.
As a reminder Allen and Ron both were inquiring about having a session on tools of the trade. Since it is about time for us to have an open session, Allen said he would be happy to organize/moderate the meeting so we could have a more organized discussion instead of a free for all :>)Towards that goal he has created a spreadsheet. If you would be kind enough to fill in the column called “Tools I use for my customers”, do not list customers, just tools :>) Both Allen and I have filled them in to give you an idea of what we are looking for, feel free to add any rows you think might be helpful. If you have lost the copy I sent out, you can download a copy HERE fill it in and e-mail back to me Andy"at"SBS-Rocks.com. If you already did this, we still have it, no need to do it again, if you did not please get it back asap.

This should be a really great discussion, and even if you can’t make it, please try to get the spreadsheet back to me so we can include your data.
Be prepared to say a few words about your favorite tool at the meeting.

Meeting Space compliments of

At Our April 6, 2010 Meeting

For our April 6th Meeting we will be back at our regular home ECPI in Greensboro and we will have Kevin Brown from Symform who was originally scheduled for March 2nd and graciously let us reschedule him to April so we could do the joint presentation with AITP and Microsoft. He will be telling us about Symform's cutting edge backup strategy. Here is what we have to look forward to.

Symform Presentation

Symform’s Cooperative Storage Cloud offers small businesses a backup and disaster recovery solution that is more secure and ten times cheaper than traditional online services.

The company was founded on the realization that millions of small businesses have computers with an excess of inexpensive storage capacity, power running 24x7, and unlimited Internet bandwidth – especially nights and weekends.

The Symform team has developed software that aggregates this relatively unreliable and un-trusted capacity over the Internet and transforms it into a secure and reliable global storage system. The heart of Symform’s software is a proprietary technology called RAID-96.

Traditional online storage services require massive data centers that use extraordinary amounts of energy and land. Symform has created a global storage system without data centers to store data. This has never been done before. It’s efficient, inexpensive, and green.

Agenda

Introduction

Technical Overview

Product Demonstration

Q&A

Giveaway: 1TB USB Drive

And finally on May 4th we will have the discussion originally planned for February's meeting.
As a reminder Allen and Ron both were inquiring about having a session on tools of the trade. Since it is about time for us to have an open session, Allen said he would be happy to organize/moderate the meeting so we could have a more organized discussion instead of a free for all :>)Towards that goal he has created a spreadsheet. If you would be kind enough to fill in the column called “Tools I use for my customers”, do not list customers, just tools :>)Both Allen and I have filled them in to give you an idea of what we are looking for, feel free to add any rows you think might be helpful. If you have lost the copy I sent out, you can download a copy HERE fill it in and e-mail back to me Andy"at"SBS-Rocks.com

If you have not filled it out yet, you get a second chance. Please send them back to me ASAP so I can get them all together for Allen.
This should be a really great discussion, and even if you can’t make it, please try to get the spreadsheet back to me so we can include your data.
Be prepared to say a few words about your favorite tool at the meeting.

At Our March 4, 2010 Different Venue, Different Time (this meeting only)
Last meeting was January 5, 2010 (due to weather in February)

Tarheel AITP & Triad SBS Groups Presented Windows 7
Presenters: Yung Chou and John Baker, IT Pro Evangelists, Microsoft

In association with the Tarheel AITP Group we put together a morning presentation with Microsoft. Two of the best presenters I know delivered the Windows 7 content to a sellout crowd. The agenda is below. We were only able to book a room large enough for 75 people so this event will fill up fast and we will not be able to extend it. You will need your confirmed reservation to attend. You can sign-up now at http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=145662 . Please do not wait to sign up, I will feel terrible if I have to turn you away. There is no cost to attend this event except your time and attention!

Agenda

Pre-Session 7:30AM Breakfast and Registration

Welcome & Introductions 8:30AM

Session 1 = 8:45AM Cloud Computing Overview and Direction
What is “Cloud Computing”? And is Microsoft serious about it? What is Windows Azure? Why do I care?
These are just a few questions for which you will find answers in this presentation. You will finish the session with an understanding of cloud computing with little cloudiness.

Session 2 = 9:15AM: What's New and Why Windows 7
Windows 7 uplifts Enterprise IT abilities to address business needs to a new dimension with many new innovations and improved functions. This session highlights the new features and capabilities of Windows 7 by walking through Windows 7 desktop fundamentals and business scenarios using Windows 7 optimized desktops including search federation, BitLocker to Go, AppLocker, and Windows XP Mode.

Session 3 = 10:30AM: Windows 7 Deployment
Deploying Windows 7 is easy if you’re using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2010. This session will review the various tools that can help simplify your deployments. We’ll highlight the MDT Workbench and look at how the MDT process on creating a reference image, configuring the deployment environment, adding operating systems, applications, drivers, and language packs using the Deployment Workbench, etc.

Closing = 11:45AM
Q&A, user group and communities information sharing, prize drawings, etc

Update, we were able to get a larger room that could handle 100 MAXIMUM, it was the largest one available.

Our February 2, 2010 Meeting
Was Canceled Due To Weather
The Content was not lost, it is being presented on May 4th

At our January 5, 2010 Meeting

I would like start out by saying a big THANK YOU to the folks at New Horizons for hosting our meeting space for us all last year.

We are starting off the New Year in our new home, yes PLEASE NOTE we will be meeting at a new location starting in January, ECPI College of Technology. 7802 Airport Center Drive Greensboro, NC you can get driving directions HERE. There is no restaurant in the parking lot at ECPI like you were used to so make sure to bring along whatever you want to eat, I checked and they will allow us to bring food into the training room.

For our first meeting Ronald Neil Director of Education will introduce us to some of his staff and tell us about the facilities and the offerings at ECPI, as well as let you know how you can interact with the staff and students from time to time for a common benefit.

Then I will be doing a demo of a couple of products I use all the time for demos and how to articles from TechSmith Software. If you have ever read any of my posts, articles or even the chapter in Harry’s Advanced SBS Book I wrote, then you have seen the results of SnagIT a great screen capture program. And if I have ever sent you a little movie to show you how to navigate the screens of a program you were having trouble with, then you have seen Camtasia Studio in action, it is a screen recording program that will let you output to many different formats. I will show you how to use both of them. TechSmith has given us 1 copy of each of them to give away as door prizes. Also everyone will get 30 day demos and some other swag they sent along for the meeting.

Next not sure if you heard or not, but yours truly and Dana Epp have been selected as the Technology Chairs for SMB Nation Spring 2010. Registration is open already, please signup so we have a strong hometown showing at the conference. Right now you can get the early bird discount and if you have been to any previous SMB Nation event you qualify for the alumni discount.

The GFI MAX™ Snowboard Challenge is open to anyone from Dec 17 2009 to Jan 31 2010. The PowerMat™ prize includes a home and office PowerMat device and a universal receiver that allows you to plug and charge hundreds of mobile devices. ... Click on MAX to Enter!

And last but not least, if you were one of the 535 poor souls that got all the spam from me, I do apologize once more. The 2% Cash Back is a great offering, but you know me always on the cutting edge and I did that mailing a couple of days too soon. Just think of it as y’all participating in a giant beta with me. BTW if you tried to signup and it won’t let you put me in as the person who referred you, you can leave that blank. As long as it says your customer manager is MA Business Coach you will be with me. This glitch seems to be leftovers of my being on the cutting edge once again :>)

Meeting Space compliments of

Our normal meeting day is the first Tuesday of each month, we meet at 6:00pm, come join us and be a part of SBS Land.
Please drop me a note so I have an idea how many people to expect.

This is not intended to be a web user group.
It is intended to be an in person, people in the flesh group, but "PLEASE" with clothes on :>)

Shameless plug for my friend Harry's new book
of which I am one of the Co-Authors :>)

Your input is very welcome, please let us hear from you.
Click To E-mail HandyAndy
or give me a call (336) 785-3937