Small Biz Tech Talk ™

Before you make your initial IT sales call with a client, you have to get ready.

Prepare Before-Hand

Prior to your initial IT sales call, you have to do some homework.  If the prospect is worth driving to and spending half an hour, an hour or even more with, then you should take the time to learn more about his/her business.   Properly qualifying your prospects before you even get to the point of the initial IT sales call is CRUCIAL so you know you are spending your time well.  Ask the right questions about size, platform and industry.

Services vs. Products

You need to research your prospect before an IT sales call so you can manage expectations right away.  Prospects need to know that you are selling your expertise and comprehensive business solutions and not hardware or software. 

If you want to sell hardware or software you can, but don’t lead off in an IT sales meeting with this.  You are in the services business, and you need to communicate this to prospects. 

Choose Your Clients

Tell your prospective clients that you are a service provider the second you start speaking to them.  Your initial IT sales call is as much their interview as it is yours.  Be selective so you are getting the best long-term clients. 

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Tomorrow (Tuesday, August 28), computer business IBM will release its first ISCSI storage space, an entry-level version of the DS3000 arrays.  The new product will ship early next month and is similar to already existing arrays, such as the DS3200 SAS-based array and the DS3400 fiber channel array.

All three of the computer business’ models are available in a 2U rack mount format and have space for as many as 4800 hard drives.  All utilize the same expansion trays and have similar performance.

According to spokespeople from the computer business, the DS3300 should cost about $4,500 for the single-controller product, whereas the dual-controller version will be twice that amount.  A well-configured DS3300 for small and mid-sized business customers will be under $15,000.

Each of the arrays from the computer business can work with up to three adapters, which means all arrays can be attached directly to as many as three host servers.  IBM states these arrays will work great for Exchange for smaller businesses. 

Computer business IBM is planning to sell Express bundles for the DS3300.  These bundles will come with adapter cards and cables, and the packages will help cut the cost of the whole system.    

Many storage vendors offering two-tiered systems have already released ISCSI versions of their arrays – many offered them two years ago.  Large vendors like IBM have been really slow in this area, which has been said to be because of continued sales of the non-ISCSI products.  IBM claims to simply be catering to the needs of current customers that still use Fibre Channel and other products.

For more information on this computer business story, visit the attached link.

Submitted By:  Computer Consulting Kit

You need to think about the services you provide to your sweet spot IT consulting clients.  

Which Web Design Programs Do You Need?

You need to know basic web authoring tools in order to be able to set up simple websites for your IT consulting clients.  Also make sure you have your own website. Know Microsoft Front page, and if you are looking at more high-end websites, Macromedia or Dreamweaver.   

Terminal Services

Real is still a hot thing with small businesses.  Know what is built into the window server.  While the fax machine is probably going quickly, faxing over a network is very important.

Get to know what you can about performance monitoring so you can do tune-ups and checks.  You will be dealing with VPN and RADs, virtual private networking and remote access, particularly when working with teleworkers and branch offices.

Things to Know about Virus Protection

You need to know more about advanced virus protection applications, particularly when they cross over different applications.  When they work with a group-wide system like Exchange Server or IAS, know how to automate the process.  Also get to know some sophisticated firewall and intrusion detection packages to fully protect your IT consulting sweet spot clients.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Virtual IT firm XenSource recently decided to improve its virtual IT abilities just as it was sold to Citrix for $500 million.  The company has started challenging market leader VMWare with its new virtual IT solutions.  John Bara, vice president of marketing at XenSource recently participated in an interview and confirmed that XenSource had a lot of work to do to catch up in the billion dollar virtualization market controlled about 75% by VMWare.  Still, the virtual IT firm has more than 600 commercial accounts.  

The recent acquisition of XenSource by Citrix will give the virtual IT firm increase resources, distribution channels and an account presence.  Despite increased capabilities, analysts still predict that VMWare will continue to rule in the foreseeable future.  

The new advanced management features offered by XenEnterprise v4 are XenMotion, XenCenter, Xen64, XenResourcePools and XenAPI.  All these features will help improve solutions for those interested in increasing their capabilities with virtual IT.  XenSource and Virtual Iron, technologies that both use Xen for virtualization both have experienced improvements in Intel and AMD processors that make them more functional in a Windows environment, according to research analysts.  Resource management features that include the virtual machine migration into new enterprise virtualization solutions will be added.     

The three main virtual IT players now that will work within the enterprise environment for Windows and Linux are XenSource, Virtual Iron and VMWare.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

When you work in IT consulting you need to have some client options.  If you want to go larger than the sweet spot businesses in IT consulting, you can get into large small businesses.

What Are Large Small Businesses?

Large small businesses have between five and 100 seats, 50 and 100 computers and usually 50 – 200 employees.  The annual revenue of a large small business is typically from $5 – $20 million.  You will probably find a lot of publicly run corporations at this level.

Large small businesses will have two or more dedicated servers.  You will typically find an in-house IT manager that has been hired to do generalist tasks.

Professionals on Staff

Large small businesses will have more than a technician, coordinator or guru.  They will have a dedicated IT consulting professional with skills very similar to yours.  The IT manager will sometimes be vendor certified and might know a couple different operating systems, database platforms or be or be in touch with a software developer.  

No matter what the situation, large small businesses will have staff with IT consulting skills that make them professionals and are typically in charge of all the generalist work.  If you want to provide IT consulting to large small businesses, you will need to be a true specialist.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Last week Top Consultant re-announced the launch of TopITconsultant.com, a new website designed to help IT consultants get great positions in the United Kingdom.  The site is an outgrowth of Top-Consultant.com and will help the company provide more services to directly support and help IT consultants with recruitment and improvement of their management and best practices.

The new website provides recruitment for top employers of IT consultants including Accenture, A.T. Kearney, Deloitte and even IBM.  Besides these major companies, the new site offers connections to many recruiting IT specialists.

Tony Restell, co-founder of Top Consultant stated that the launch is a way to respond to growing demand for a site designed for those in specific niches of IT consulting.  He stated that the existence of a niche site can help present better opportunities for IT consultants looking for jobs that fit their very particular skills.  When IT consultants find jobs that are rewarding and fully use their talents, they will have a better chance of sticking with them, which benefits the hiring companies and helps them with employee retention.  Restell added that the new TopITConsultant.com site is designed to provide the highest-quality candidates to employers quickly and efficiently, making the process of filling positions within companies faster than might otherwise be possible.

A survey conducted in July of reactions to the new site and its performance revealed that it is already thriving.  More than 430 IT consultants filled out the survey, many from major companies such as Accenture, BearingPoint, IBM and Fujitsu.

For more information on this story for IT consultants, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Network cards are typically necessary parts of PC purchases in even the smallest offices because of the wide use of broadband internet and P2P networking  Even if the cost of buying Ethernet adapters by themselves later were the same as buying them bundled, your clients should always get Ethernet adapters with PC purchases.  

Adding Network Cards to PC Purchases

When adding Ethernet adapters as part of PC purchases you don’t need to worry about them being compatible with other hardware components.  All device driver installation and configuration are pre-determined.  

Clients also will be more able to get help from a PC vendor’s tech support because the PC vendor will know the Ethernet adapter as part of the whole PC purchase; it will be supported.   Similarly, adapters will be part of the warranties.  

What Else about Ethernet Adapters?

Ethernet adapters are often built into motherboards on desktop PCs and notebooks.  Therefore, you don’t  have to worry about adding or subtracting them.  They will just show up on the PC motherboard as another port.

Unfortunately, if the Ethernet adapter breaks and is part of PC purchases, the manufacturer has to replace the whole motherboard.  If this occurs beyond the warranty period, you can disable it and install another Ethernet adapter as a PCI or PCMCIA expansion slot.  

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Computer business PineApp reconfigured its channel program to better serve solution providers working with the vendor.  Its latest marketing campaign is designed to appeal to U.S. professionals.

The computer business’ new channel program will present 30 percent margins and 3 percent market development funds on all sales for solution providers that are gold certified.  Also offered will be 25 percent margins for partners that are silver certified.  Programs and incentives will also be a part of the new deal along with 40 to 50 percent margins for distributors.

Computer business PineApp creates appliances that include Mail-SeCure, a virus-protection appliance that helps prevent Trojan horses, spam and malicious code.  It also creates Surf-SeCure and SoHo Secure for small business email protection and web surfing protection.  The computer business’ appliances are designed around PineApp’s software, installed on industry-standard servers.  It sells its own appliances by distributing them, but also has products available from IBM and Sun Microsystems.

Many solution providers have been pleased with the experiences they have had being channel partners with PineApp and are particularly excited about the new virus protection options along with its upgraded partner program benefits.

For more information about this computer business story, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Your sweet spot small business clients are probably just starting to get an idea of the meaning of IT certifications.  Most will not know enough about IT to pay for the different levels.  

The Meaning of IT Certifications to Clients

If you send someone to a client that has an MCP or CNA or entry-level certification one week and then send a more advanced MCSE or senior level person, your clients probably won’t know the difference. Most clients won’t know what IT certifications are, and they won’t want to pay high hourly billing rates for senior levels.  The main point is, most sweet spot small businesses don’t care about IT certifications.  Most of the projects you will work on will not be technical enough to warrant a high-level technician and those that are can be subcontracted out.

What About the Technology Curve?

Sweet spot small businesses are typically behind the curve with technology.  You really don’t need incredibly current IT certifications to deal with your clients.

The Main Idea About IT Certifications

Small businesses are pretty far behind when it comes to technology.  Basic, advanced-beginner and intermediate-level technical skills are the only IT certifications you will need to serve most of your sweet spot clients.

Submitted By:  Computer Consulting Kit