Simplex-IT BizBlog

Bob here.  Mike Halsey is a Microsoft MVP, which are a set of initials that I don’t have after my name (okay, okay I’m jealous I admit it). Mike is the author of a new e-book which is free, entitled “Windows 7 Power Users Guide.” It contains over 170 pages of information and is not a bad piece of work.

To get the book, click here. To actually download the e-book you need to make sure you’re clicking on the right link. Unfortunately these days it’s not unusual for download links to be overpowered by links that look like you might be getting what you want, but are actually ads for other items. As you can see in the graphics accompanying this blog entry, the good link is almost hidden behind the other links.

I want to be clear. I’m not suggesting that the other links are malware, evil, or will take you to bad places. Not at all, I’m just saying it’s not what a majority of people are going to the site for.

It’s getting to be that time of year again – specifically, the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year, June 30. Typically, that’s when they roll out a number of incentives designed to do a number of things:

1 – Help you upgrade your organization to the latest, most productive and efficient versions of Microsoft software
2 – Save you some significant money in the process
3 – Maximize Microsoft’s 4th quarter financial numbers

In other words, there is likely no better time to consider bringing your company up to speed with the latest and greatest in today’s productivity software! Following is a synopsis of the offerings that are available.

The Big Easy 2011

The Big Easy Offer 2011 allows customers to choose from a variety of popular Microsoft products and solutions – Windows Server, SQL Server, and others – while earning money on qualifying purchases that can be used towards additional software, hardware or services from their Microsoft Reseller Partner.

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Open Value Subscription (OVS)

Customers who sign a new Microsoft Open Value Subscription or Microsoft Open Value Subscription for Government agreement and are acquiring Office Professional Plus 2010 up-to-date (UTD) subscription license and Software Assurance packs can receive up to a 50% discount in the first year of the subscription agreement.

Business Productivity Online Services customer Rewards Offer

Bob already mentioned this promotion in his previous post on our blog. Please refer to that for more details on how you can save money while moving your company’s communication and collaboration solutions to the Microsoft cloud.

Windows 7 Professional Upgrade promotion

Windows® 7 Professional or Windows 7 Enterprise provide increased stability, security, flexibility, and control. Now your organization can realize the benefits of enhanced collaboration, anywhere access and productivity without blowing your IT budget. Through June 30, 2011, you can save 20% if you upgrade your agreement with Software Assurance to Windows 7.

Small-Medium Businesses who deploy Windows 7 receive the following benefits:
• Windows 7 contributes an average ROI of 375%, with an average payback period of seven months.
• Customers who move to Windows 7 increase productivity on average 43 hours per PC per year and realize an average of ~US$1400 savings per PC.

Windows XP is now over 10 years old (time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it?). If you’ve been waiting for an extra reason to get current on your Operating System, here it is!

The Simplify & Save Offer

Better track, manage and budget single or multiple volume license agreements with Microsoft’s Simplify and Save Offer when you renew and/or consolidate into a single Open Value agreement!

Take action between October 18, 2010 and June 30, 2011, and you can receive up to:
• 15% discount off Software Assurance for the entire duration (all three years) of an Open Value agreement, for all Open Value products and benefits on the order (Software Assurance renewals only).
• 15% discount off Software Assurance for the entire duration (all three years) of an Open Value Company-wide agreement in addition to the company-wide built-in discount.

Virtualized Desktop Infrastructure Kick Start Promotion

Interested in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure? Kick start your VDI implementation today and save 50% off the estimated retail price on Microsoft VDI Standard Suite and Citrix XenDesktop VDI Edition. This means you can get started on as little as $7K!

Eligibility
Customers with Microsoft Core CAL or Enterprise CAL suites with Software Assurance through Enterprise and Select family of agreements are eligible for this offer. In addition, Open Value & Campus Agreement and School Agreement (CASA) family of agreements are also eligible starting July 1, 2010. Discount is limited up to 20% of Core CAL or Enterprise CAL covered desktops or 250 devices, whichever is less.

Discount
Eligible customers will receive a 70% discount off the estimated retail price on Microsoft VDI Standard Suite subscription license and a 50% discount on Citrix XenDesktop VDI Edition annual license from their reseller of choice.

Wow!

There is something here for just about anyone who is concerned about keeping up with the improvements in today’s software. Of course, I understand if it’s not always easy to understand and navigate all the terms and ins and outs of Microsoft Licensing. That’s why we’re here!

Simplex-IT is always ready, willing and able to explain the choices and help you pick the best licensing alternatives for your organization. We can also help you implement those choices, if you desire. So give us a call at 234.380.1277 or send me an email at John@Simplex-IT.com and we’ll help you get your company to where you want to be – with the greatest savings and in the most efficient manner possible!

Extended now through May 31st, 2011 Microsoft is offering an incentive to new subscribers of their Business Productivity Online Services (BPOS) that is quite compelling. If your organization has been considering moving to the cloud for Hosted Exchange email, SharePoint Online, Live Meeting or Office Communications, you definitely want to listen to this. Here’s how the promotion works:

For every seat for which a new BPOS client signs up Microsoft will issue a check payable to the Partner assisting in the implementation (that would be us) for a percentage of the first annual subscription fee, up to a total of $1,500! Wow!

These Partner Subsidy funds, as they are called, can be used by the client to pay for any services they wish to obtain from Simplex-IT. Most often, they are directly applied to the costs of setup, configuration and migration of emails, contacts and calendar appointments from your previous service. In most cases, these Partner Subsidies will serve to bring your cost of moving to the BPOS solution down to zero (0!) in terms of setup and migration costs.

Microsoft is offering this promotion to encourage potential customers who may be waiting for the new Office 365 to stop waiting and make the jump to cloud services NOW! As Office 365 does become available later in 2011, current BPOS customers will be moved seamlessly to the new service. Automatically. At no additional costs!

Of course, you may have questions. Like how soon can I get started? That’s why Simplex-IT is here…don’t hesitate to call! Just dial 234.380.1277, or you can email John at John@Simplex-IT.com. Let’s take the first step to claiming your place in the cloud today!

There may not be a better time!!

(and yes, this is fairly lifted from the earlier blog post where we said you had to act before April 1st.  Then it was April 18th.  Now it’s May 31st.  But since Office 365 is slated for release in June, we think this one’s actually pretty solid<g>).

Those of us who have used Microsoft software before are numerous. Those of us who’ve been involved in Microsoft’s licensing before are equally numerous, however, with few exceptions, they require some form of counseling and possibly pharmaceuticals.

Take Microsoft Office, for example. You would think that the question would simply be “what is the easiest way that my company can actually purchase and legally use the software?” Sorry, friends and neighbors, it’s tougher than that. OEM software, retail software, Open License, Open Value, Open Value subscription, Office 365, Office Web apps, Office with Lemon (okay, I’m making that one up).

You get the idea.

It’s fairly routine for us, when working with a new customer, to discover that they have several versions of Office throughout their organization. We refer to these situations as “geological digs.” What ends up happening in these environments is you have people throughout the organization each with their own user experience and user environment. Some might be able to use the new Office document formats, some might only be able to use the new formats, some wouldn’t understand the new format if it bit them in the nose.

On top of all this, consider the support. When someone calls and says “I have trouble with Word” to support we give that person differs dramatically on the version that they’re currently using. So support costs are increased.

At this point in time the flagship products for the stock generation are Office 2003 and Microsoft Windows XP. The problem is, these things work. They work very well. However, these things are also well past their prime. So we’re faced with a dilemma.

The web is full of articles and sites that are aimed at tell you why you should upgrade. They do a much better job than we ever will with that discussion and argument. The question we also run into is WHEN should we upgrade?  Are there certain times where it’s more advantageous than others to invest in new software for the organization?”

The answer there is a lot simpler. The answer is “yes.” And here’s why.

Microsoft, as many of you might know, runs on a fiscal year ending June 30. And like every other public company out there, they want to look good when June 30^th rolls around. How do they do this? Simple, they do this through sales.  Yep, Microsoft wants you to buy more stuff before June 30^th.

Also they want you to buy their newest stuff. No surprise here, when you think about it. This is why I tell people whenever a new version of a product or new product comes out there’s going to be about a three-month honeymoon period, where Microsoft will create and have incentives for you, the customer, to purchase the stuff.

The simplest way to know about these is, of course the web. Microsoft maintains a site www.Microsoftincentives.com.  This shows you the latest incentive program that Microsoft has for organizations purchasing Microsoft software, and it’s updated every month. Microsoft seems to become most aggressive for the software sales during the months of May and June. There are also additional programs usually in the November-December time frame for everybody else’s end of year.

Home Page for Microsoft Incentives Site

This doesn’t mean that Microsoft doesn’t have programs or special deals or the like throughout the rest of the year. There’s always something up on the web from Microsoft. Usually it deals with license programs for new releases. But that’s not always the case.

So how do you keep track of all this? Simple, you don’t. That’s where working with the Microsoft Partner (such as Yours Truly) works to your advantage. Part of our job, part of our livelihood in fact, comes from our relationship with Microsoft. Part of our value to our customers is knowing what our customers are looking to do in the next six months and then developing the best strategy moving forward taking advantage of these incentives and programs. And of course, it’s not just Microsoft. Other vendors, Cisco, SonicWall, others have incentives and programs as well. But from our experience, Microsoft seems to lead the pack in terms of peculiar licensing and peculiar promotions. And, since licensing on the level of your desktop in sheer numbers is greater than most others, special deals and promotions can have a greater impact on your organization’s bottom line.

So here’s the question: if your company has been using the same version of Office and Windows for the last X number of years, and are warm and happy, should you look to upgrade? Again, look to your Microsoft Partner. If they’re worth their salt, the discussion should be based around what the new software and the new licensing can bring to your organization in terms of savings and efficiency. If it sounds like a sales pitch, perhaps you’ve got the wrong partner.

Wednesday, March 16,2011 saw the introduction of Microsoft’s Small Business Server 2011 at Simplex-IT’s free monthly lunchinar at Hattie’s Cafe in downtown Hudson. An enthusiastic and eager group was on hand to get all the details from Bob Coppedge and pose questions.

Small Business Server 2011 is the logical evolution of the Small Business Server family. It consists of three versions: SBS 2011 Essentials, Standard and Premium Add-On. Very attractively priced for the organization that is moving into a centralized server network the three versions have been optimized to meet the unique needs of different businesses.

For more information on how a Small Business Server might benefit your company and which of the three versions might be more appropriate for your situation contact Simplex-IT at 234.380.1277 or John@Simplex.IT.com. We’ll be happy to provide you with all the details and guide you in the right direction.

Ok, to understand my point here, it’s important to understand the lengths I’m willing to go to in order to make a point. Right now I’m on the 8th deck of the cruise ship “Monarch of the Sea.” Before you ask, no, it is not the sister ship of “Chicken of the Sea.”

Anywho, here’s the fun part. I’m on day 3 of a 4-day cruise, taken under extreme suggestion from my lovely wife, Julie. Most folks, when they hear about going on a cruise, they immediately check out destinations, menus, activities, etc. Me? I’m checking out Wi-Fi, cellular charges, wanting to make sure that, fun or not, I’m as online as I need to be. Yup, that makes me at least a workaholic. And yup, it makes a saint out of Julie.

Now, here’s how it works. Cell charges change immediately to $2.75 a minute when out to sea (this is based on my provider, Sprint). And Wi-Fi is available, at (drum roll, please)…$.65/minute. And it’s only available at certain parts of the ship.

So, how do I get to my files? Working on my emails? Talking with my staff while I’m gone? Am I forced to pay a premium every time I want to talk to somebody or do anything with my data.

Welllllll, no. Actually it’s worked out pretty well (so far). And unlike web applications, most of my applications are installed on my laptop (Office, as an example). So here’s what I do.

1. Open Outlook. Review my current emails, and write any new ones (or replies). But here’s the catch. Do this while offline, so I’m not being charged anything.
2. Head to where there’s wireless (huh, go figure…a bar!). Connect to the ship’s wireless, and put Outlook back online. All my outgoing emails are sent, and all new emails waiting for me are delivered. Total time, a couple of minutes.
3. Turn Outlook offline.
4. Disconnect from the Wi-Fi network.
5. Lather, rinse, repeat.

But what about files? No problem there, either. Because at Simplex-IT, we do a lot of our file work using our internal SharePoint site. And I’m synchronizing our files using Outlook 2010 (I could have just as easily created SharePoint Workspaces). Which means as soon as I connect, all new files added by anybody to our SharePoint site are automatically added to my Outlook, and I can edit those files offline as well.

And talking to my staff? Well, I’ve got the cell phone ($G$ulp). Or I can go with email. But how about using Office Communicator, which gives me an encrypted chat session with my folks (I can see while I’m online whether they’re available). Yeah, I have to be online for this, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

The nice thing about this scenario is it highlights the benefit of both thin (where everything is in the cloud) and thick (where some or all of everything is installed locally) solutions. Relying solely on one strategy opens up several vulnerabilities. By combining the strategies, you give yourself an additional layer of protection and control. And it ain’t that expensive.

So, am I too reliant on the software installed on my laptop? What if, as my wife has threatened, she takes it snorkeling with her? Not a problem. Office 365 (Microsoft’s successor to BPOS) gives me the flexibility to work on Office files from any web-connected workstation.

Ok, let me clarify this. Not a problem in terms of my data. But I think I’d better get back with my wife before I put this to the test<g>.

Ummm…anybody think I could claim this cruise as a business deduction now?  No?  Ok, just a thought<g>.

Bob here.  Ok, for years (since the last millennium, at least) Microsoft has touted (albeit somewhat inconsistently) their Small Business Server (aka “SBS”) product for companies with fewer than 75 users.  It packaged Windows Server (traditional security, File/print sharing, SharePoint, remote access), Exchange (email) and sometimes SQL Server (database) with some reasonable pricing and relatively simple management tools.

Pretty decent product, all told.  It made a lot of these tools available to companies at a price they could afford.  At least, if they were talking at least 10-15 folks attaching to the server.  For companies with fewer users, the costs (especially the CALs, or Client Access Licenses) were pretty substantial for startups with 4-5 users.

Plus, with the advent of cloud based services like Microsoft BPOS (which includes Exchange, SharePoint, Live Meeting and Office Communicator), which requires no hardware or expensive licenses ($10/user/month), the need for all of that stuff on the server kinda went away.

So Microsoft, who will never walk away from the possibility of adding more options with their product lines, has split up their SBS product (click here for more info).  Currently in pre-Beta, they’ve split it into the traditional SBS (SBS 7), which will pretty much be the next version of SBS (think SBS 2008 R2).

But the interesting piece will be SBS “Aurora” (their code name, not necessarily the product name.  This version of SBS will be aimed at the smaller…um…small business.  Limited to 25 users, offering automatic backup of the computers connecting to it, remote access and other local tools.  But the key function will be to work with cloud based applications (like Microsoft BPOS).  I haven’t heard pricing yet, but I’ve heard rumors that there will be no CAL licensing.

If this sounds a wee bit familiar, it’s because it is.  Microsoft released their “Home Server” edition a couple of years ago, and many small businesses found it to be a great alternative to the more expensive SBS.  So Microsoft is adding the ability for small companies to have the benefits of a local server, but the economy of cloud based services as well.

Could be pretty cool.  Of course, Simplex-IT has already signed up to beta test both products, and we’ll keep everybody up to date with what we find!

Dateline Thursday, June 03, 2010 –I just participated in a Microsoft sponsored event, TechNet Events Present: Launch 2010 Highlights, to find out first-hand what Microsoft® Office® 2010 and SharePoint® 2010 mean for the productivity of our customers and our people—across PC, phone, and browser. Very well presented by Microsoft veteran, Matt Hester, the attendees learned how this latest wave of technologies provides a revolutionary user experience and how it takes us into a future of even greater productivity.

Of course, we at Simplex-IT have been using the Office 2010 beta since it’s been available but, even so, I did learn a few new tricks. The tight integration between Office and SharePoint was especially touted and demonstrated, giving me even greater insight into the possibilities these technologies offer.

So if you’ve been thinking about upgrading, especially if you’re still using Office 2003 or earlier, my personal recommendation is…DO IT! And if you need to talk about licensing multiple copies for your organization, don’t forget, Simplex-IT can help!

P.S. This just in! Microsoft has extended their Big Easy licensing promotion. Contact Simplex-IT for the attractive details, but suffice it to say, here’s just one more reason to make the move to Office 2010 you’ve been contemplating!