Inspired by podcasting tools and services and having witnessed the apparent demise of the sbsshow We have decided to launch the L2TC Podcaster.
We'll discuss a variety of subjects pertaining to Partners, SBSC, Client topics and more. So please tune in via podcast…
http://podcaster.l2tc.net
If you have show topics to discuss let us know podcaster.l2tc.net
We do not build or manufacture or produce products per se. No, we resell, we add-value, we source, whatever you call it, we don't manufacture or create. That's not part of who we are at AWPC/L2TC. No we rely on others for that. The conversation for us is from the sidelines, we fit in to both sides of the argument when it comes to pricing products and the pricing model. Customers look to us to get better prices, vendors look to us to…well, get better prices. But depending on your POV that's 2 separate things. So when the debate comes up about pricing, We work hard to remain neutral. Customers grimace at the cost of software. Vendors want more for their Intellectual Property, and we want to put them together. That's why this:
http://blogs.msdn.com/mssmallbiz/archive/2008/01/01/6933535.aspx
looks so promising. I have found Microsoft better at listening than ever before. This is a good example of that. Some customers, especially smaller ones, just starting out need the option of Subscription model pricing. That's why they like Google Apps, that's why they like Hotmail or Yahoo Mail when they get started. It's cheap and easy. What they really want is the full features of Microsoft Products and the control over them in their own environment, but they want flexability in pricing and availability.
Please, Please, Please do not start whining that it's too complex or that this is another example of Microsoft making licensing more complex. It is an example of them offering options to as many possible people as they can. An enterprise may want full enterprise site licensing, while a 2 person Advertising agency may want Office and Windows on a subscription. What's good for one is not necessarily good for the other. As time goes by and we in IT/Professional services learn more and can articulate that to vendors, the better they are going to be at delivering options that meet what our clients want and more importantly need. I'll see you on one of those Live Meetings, YES?
A critical part of ANY monitoring or management system is notification and alerting. Ideally that system will be intelligent enough to 'take action' on the alert without me. Say if this error occurs, then do this… or try this, if that does not work, then alert me…
So I have been messing around with Systems Center Essentials, and I discovered that it will do IM alerting…kool. That could come in handy, especially with our OCS in place, no there's a business reason to run OCS, beyond simple collaboration and time suck.
Now, I do run the infrastructure at or beyond its limits pretty much all the time. What I put on some of this outdated Hardware is beyond reason and I should not be as aggressive with it. I do run it hot, and know the risks, but it's our network, and we set our risk tolerance. So I setup a test alert notification for me via IM (OCS) last night about 8:30…What did you do New Year's Eve? 12 hours later I had gotten over 30 alerts, I setup the test alerts to notify me about everything, error, info and warnings, so I should have expected that to occur. It was a good learning situation. What I like about SCE is the configuration levels. It's very powerful and easily configured. Another 'feature' is it has the ability to adapt alerts and notifications to new management packs as they are loaded. Pretty kool.
We are all about gaining insight into business, and spend I am always looking for tools, especially tech tools that will help me know more about our IT investments. I have used simple pinging tools to BMC Patrol to What's Up to HP OpenView. They all have merits, but the successful ones are able to adapt and do things for me. Run a script or perform not just one action but several actions, and report on that. Automate the IT management and add let the people add value in other ways.
I think SCE is a good tool for that. Considering it's a part of Essentials and is supposed to be part of SBS 08, I think it's a great add-on product for anyone looking to gain insight into their IT operations, in a cost effective manner! With vendors jumping into this space, I am looking for vendors that plug into each other, not just offer single solutions. Lock out the competition, lock out me from adding value through an API, and I am not likely to get into that. Keep it extensible and it may go somewhere.
Happy New Year! If you need more insight into your business and operations, let's talk!