Simplex-IT BizBlog

Bob here, reporting from sunny (-ish) but not warm, Columbus Ohio.  Kevin and I are attending Level Platforms Road Show event, an annual travelling circus that Level Platforms (supported by several other vendors) puts on annually.

It’s my fourth such event.  It’s Kevin’s third (newbie).

Some info for some of you might be in order.  Simplex-IT is what is known as a “Managed Service Provider,” or MSP.  A key component of that concept is automated monitoring and managing of the networks of our customers.  Level Platforms is the tool we choose to work with.

I’m actually a Council member for Level Platforms (yeah, they were desperate, lost a bet…the mind boggles), and Simplex-IT has been working with LP for over four years.  One of the reasons we’ve stuck with them is the product just keeps improving with a steady stream of updates.

Anywho, not the main point.  The best part of these events is the chance to sit down with other MSP folks, and trade experiences and perspectives.  As many of you know, we’re very proud of our marketing, but I’d like to streamline some of the monitoring we do for some of the infrastructure devices, such as switches and the like.  So one minute I’m talking about our Marketing processes with several folks closely listening.  The next I’m just as focused hearing about SMNP configurations.

The bottom line is this.  Any opportunity I get to exchange experience and methods with smart people, boy, am I there.  If you’re a Level Platforms Partner (or are considering becoming one), you should check these events out.

And if you’re not, consider how you can find a way to exchange ideas with similarly minded folks.

You’ll notice I didn’t mention the word “competition.”

Honestly, for these types of events, I don’t believe in it.  Go figure.

If you weren’t able to attend Simplex-IT’s January Lunchinar you can now enjoy it online. I just posted the video on our YouTube Channel, but you can view it right here. Simply click the thumbnail below, put your feet up, kick back and relax. Bob Coppedge is going to tell you what he believes will be the big tech stories in the coming year, including:

• The Cloud
  • Are outages inevitable?
• Microsoft’s Strategy
  • New Products – Windows 8, Office 2012, SQL Server 2012…Kinect!
• Climate Change – Weather’s Impact on Global Production
• Backup’s Focus is Shifting to Business Continuity
• Government Regulations (SOPA)
• Social Media (of course!)

We hope you enjoy!

Bob here.  In 2007, Simplex-IT was started with two employees. At this point, we currently have five full-time employees and four part-time employees. An unstated goal of ours has always been a high ratio of folks providing service (the technical folks) versus the sales and support people.

So it’s taken me a while to get comfortable with adding a support position to the organization. To date I’ve taken personal responsibility for billing, reporting, trying to maintain project timelines, vendor relationships, payables and the like. So far, so good.

But I can tell that’s not going to last for long, therefore I’m creating a new position within the organization. Tentatively titled “Office Manager,” this position is still somewhat under construction. However at the least it will have the following responsibilities:

• customer billing
• accounts payables
• Accounts Receivable
• verify technicians schedules and ticketing

Salary is commensurate with experience (whatever the heck that means). The ideal candidate needs to be able to work with a wide variety of people, must have attention to detail, and be able to work on many projects daily. In addition, basic computer skills including Microsoft Office are a necessity. This position is neither a gopher nor a secretary but a critical piece of this organization.

If you’re interested, send me a resume along with salary requirements to Bob@simplex-IT.com.

Simplex-IT successfully hosted its first free Lunchinar of 2012 with approximately 20 business owners, executives and IT professionals in attendance.

President and Chief Technical Guru Bob Coppedge entertained the group with his prognostications of IT Trends we can expect to see in the coming year. The Cloud, the differences between backups and business continuity and Microsoft’s planned new product offerings for 2012 (Windows 8, Office 2012, Server 2012, others) were among those topics highlighted. An energetic discussion of his picks occurred throughout the presentation.

Simplex-IT hosts these free lunchinars every 3^rd Wednesday of each month. Watch this blog for announcements of future events. In addition, our monthly eNewsletter provides details of each monthly gathering. To sign up to receive it, just go to our website – www.Simplex-IT.com – and click the link for the newsletter.

Ok, I’ve been a geek most of my life.  If anybody starts talking about geek nostalgia (usually starting a conversation with something like “My first IT job we used paper tape to load a program into our 16k minicomputer while dinosaurs roamed the Earth,” I’ll jump right in.

But I’ve come to realize the importance of talking about business.  About understanding business processes and needs.

And it’s a skill that’s still sorely lacking in the IT world these days.  And in my mind it’s the best skill set any IT professional can develop in terms of increasing their worth to their organization (or client, in the case of consultants).

I’ll be speaking at the Ohio North SQL Server User Group on Tuesday 3 January about this very topic.  Click here for more information, and to register.

The meeting is free, open to the public, and there will be pizza, plus a couple raffle prizes (at least 2 copies of Windows Ultimate!).

Like every year before, 2012 promises to bring continued evolution in the world of information technology. Of course, some segments will gain in popularity while others will diminish or even disappear altogether. Who will be the ultimate winners and losers? How will the inevitable changes impact the decisions you will be called upon to make in your professional role?

Join Simplex-IT for our first free Lunchinar of 2012 as Bob Coppedge peers into his crystal ball to suggest what technologies you should be following in the New Year to help your business prosper. Will it be the Cloud, Social Media, Virtualization…or something else? Join us and find out!

Where: Hattie’s Café, 164 N. Main Street, Hudson
When: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 from 11:30am-1:00pm

As a bonus, we will be awarding door prizes of Windows 7 and Office 2010 to two lucky attendees. Free food AND free software – how awesome is that!

We remind you, though, seating is limited. To reserve yours, email John@Simplex-IT.com or call 234.380.1277. Come join the fun!

This is our way of saying “thanks” to the 25 or so people who joined us at the fundraiser a couple of weeks ago.  And to thank my wife for giving me something as a Christmas present that was earlier given away as a raffle prize.

Thanks again to Microsoft and Life Equity for adding some additional raffle prizes!

Here’s a quick video combining both topics.

Once a month Simplex-IT hosts a free Lunchinar that features an informational presentation aimed at business owners and/or IT professionals. But this year, for the month of December, we decided to do something different. It worked out so well we decided to make it an annual tradition!

First, we kept the free lunch idea. After all, we reasoned, who doesn’t like a free lunch? But instead of a business presentation, we decided to simply open the room to a relaxed atmosphere of networking. It worked! A good number of folks accepted our invitation to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and mingle with other like-minded professionals. The forum was very well received!

Networking at the Simplex-IT Holiday Lunch

In addition, in keeping with the Christmas spirit of giving we held a raffle for nearly a dozen Geek gifts, the top prize being a copy of Office Professional 2010, donated by Simplex-IT partner, Microsoft. There were several other prizes donated by one of our clients, Life Equity of Hudson. Other geek gifts were hand-picked by our own Chief-Geek-in-Residence, Kevin Dutkiewicz.

Prizes for the Geek Charity Raffle

In addition to the raffle proceeds of just over $200, Simplex-IT wrote a check for an additional amount and contributed a total of $500 to the Hattie Larlham Foundation (http://hattielarlham.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults in Northeast Ohio with developmental disabilities. Sandy, one of the hard-working employees at Hattie’s Café, gave a brief presentation on the Foundation and thanked everyone for their attendance and participation.

John introduces Sandy from Hattie's Cafe

At the end, everyone agreed a good time was had by all! And that is how an annual tradition is born!!

Simplex-IT president Bob Coppedge gives his fireside address

Merry Christmas to everyone from Simplex-IT, and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

On December 11 the Simplex-IT staff and significant others gathered for the company’s annual holiday brunch. The food buffet was great as was the freshly squeezed orange juice. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time, clearly evident from all our smiling faces in the group portrait below.

Bob, Sam, Kevin, John, Doug, Mario, Cyndee, Steve

Thanks go out to all of you whom we’ve had the pleasure of working with during this past year. We are looking forward to continuing our tradition of exceeding our clients’ expectations in 2012.

Yes, as usual, this month’s lunch is free of charge, with lots of networking for business owners, executives and IT professionals. But instead of our usual business presentation, we’ll be raffling off numerous valuable Geek Gifts at the end of the event (like Office 2010 and other goodies you’ll want to own).

Here’s Bob with his personal invitation:

And for every dollar in raffle tickets sold, Simplex-IT will match the amount, and the entire proceeds will be donated to the Hattie Larlham Foundation (http://www.hattielarlham.org/) – a non-profit organization dedicated to creating opportunities and improving the lives of more than 1,500 children and adults with developmental disabilities in Northeast Ohio.

When: Wednesday, December 21, 2011
11:30am – 1:00pm
Where: Hattie’s Café, 164 N. Main Street
Hudson OH 44236

Please join us in the holiday spirit of giving for this relaxed, free networking event. So that we can properly prepare (seats are limited), please RSVP to John@Simplex-IT.com or by calling 234.380.1277.

Happy Holidays!