Small Business Computer Consulting

Top positive ID technology firm CRYPTOCard, Inc. recently released information about a brand new program for VARs – the Certified Partner Program.  This new group focuses on Remote Access and SSL/VPN services and will help VARs bundle authentication software in their existing services.  CRYPTOCard’s mission with this VARs program is to help give better secure remote access to those working within any industry so they can better and more securely manage systems.  

The Certified Partner Program for VARs will be led by Chris Dodunski.  He has 15 years of industry expertise and has acted as a design engineer, technical sales person, product line direct and business development expert.  His most recent hat before taking on this VARs group was the director of Strategic Global Partners at Trigence, Corporation where he created their new channel program strategy.  

The new Certified Partner Program will offer support to VARs that are selling remote access products from major vendors:  Cisco; Juniper; SonicWALL or services from VPN providers.  The hope with the new program is that channels will reduce sales cycle time, improve percentage of sales and create better marketing initiatives through much better sales tools.

For more information on this innovative new partner program for VARs, visit the attached link.

Submitted By:  Joshua Feinberg

The news on Thursday that Dell would be acquiring ASAP Software in a continuing effort to make itself a presence with solution providers has many wondering whether the company is a positive or negative force in the industry.  Dell agreed to buy ASAP Software – a subsidiary of Corporate Express and one of Microsoft’s top resellers — of Buffalo Grove, Illinois for $340 million in cash.
    
Solution providers think that Dell will have more ability to deal with software licensing and more power, creating some pretty intense competition with those that wish to work with ASAP accounts.  However, others think it could be a potential partnership opportunity, depending upon how Dell handles its dealings with solution providers and VARs as part of these accounts.  

Dell is a top LAR of Microsoft too and often offers much more competitive software licensing opportunities and conditions than other VARs.  Last month, Dell caused some Microsoft VARs and solution providers some irritation when it decided that reselling Microsoft Open License software at cost as part of a promotion was a good idea.  This meant those purchasing SQL, Exchange, Office 2007, Windows Vista, Windows Server Standard, Small Business Server, Client Access Licenses, Project and SharePoint got an unbelievable deal.  This promotion signaled that Dell would be less likely to deal on a partnership level with solution providers that were working with ASAP, which is turning many of them off to the idea of working with the software giant at all.

Although Dell has claimed it is a new company, many solution providers don’t believe it could so quickly rethink its business strategy and be suddenly close with the solution provider channel.

Many solution providers also say that software licensing is a very small part of their businesses, so it is not a profit center.  If Dell treats it as a way to make money, it will not really affect many other VARs significantly.  Solution providers are much more concerned about the recent announcement that Dell had acquired managed services platform provider SilverBack Technologies.  This company partners with 150 VARs, and many are worried Dell will use it as an opportunity to sell remote network services directly to small and medium-sized businesses, thus cutting profit margins for solution providers.

Still, many believe that both the SilverBack deal and the ASAP deal combined indicate Dell is attempting in earnest to get more deeply embedded with other solution providers in the industry.  Some are thinking they should try to enter account discussions with Dell in preparation for increased involvement and competition.

For more information on Dell’s new position with solution providers, visit the attached link.  

Submitted By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Recently, solution providers noted that three years after Platinum Equity acquired CompuCom and GE IT Solutions for $504 million, it will be selling it to a private equity firm for $628 million.

CompuCom, based in Dallas is being purchased by solution providers Court Square Capital Partners, based in New York. Court Square is a 30-year-old private equity firm focused on the midmarket. It expects to close the sale by next year. The equity firm hopes to use CompuCom’s acquisition as a launching pad for acquisitions of more solution providers in the future.

Experts at important publications such as VARBusiness Magazine state that the latest solution provider acquisition is a great investment for Platinum. They purchased the company at the right time, and sold at the right time, when the company was still thriving and valued at greater than purchase price. Experts expect they will continue to see private equity interest in solution providers soar because their value has been evidenced in recent years. This is a testament to the value of the solution provider business model.

CompuCom will offer to purchase its outstanding 12 percent senior notes that are due in 2014 as part of the deal. For more information on this story for solution providers, see the attached link.

Added By: Computer Consulting Kit

Dell recently announced it would definitely be forming sales partnerships with solution providers as well as with channel partners and retail partners.  Previous plans were to stay with a direct sales model.

This plan to work with solution providers will alter the industry as Dell begins to sell PCs in the same marketplace as competitors including Hewlett Packard, Lenovo and Acer.  Dell will continue direct sales, but will attempt to grow its business through solution providers and in retail outlets throughout the world.  This statement came from Lionel Menchaca, manager of digital media for Dell.  

Dell already sells $4 billion of computers through solution providers annually in North America, so this model is not entirely new.  Even though the company’s sales were down in 2006, the company still shipped 39 million PCs last year, which was 16.3 percent of the computer business market.  

Investors are concerned with this new model to form partnerships with solution providers.  But analysts are stating that Dell’s decision will be a good idea to help it survive in a changing marketplace.  While Dell’s direct sales model was a benefit in the 1980’s, now it is a disadvantage that keeps the company out of the running in international markets.

Michael Dell suggested this move towards solution providers in April, three months after he took over the chief executive title to save the company.  He claims the direct sales model was never meant to be religiously followed, rather it was meant as a way to distinguish the company.  

Last week, Dell formalized the new solution providers plan and stated it would also be creating a structured partner plan for solution providers and that it would be also creating a special logo for solution providers to use to help with sales.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Partnering is not a quick process.  You need to tackle it slowly and with a clear plan.  You would not sleep with a person or propose marriage on the first date, so why try to close a deal with a potential partner the first time you meet?

Partnering Can Take a Long Time

Partnerships can take weeks or months — sometimes even years — to fully develop, so do not try to close a partnering relationship in an initial meeting.  

Partnering starts when you get introduced to someone by a common client or a friend.  You get together for coffee, send some emails, call each other back and forth, get together again, talk about common client issues and talk about needs you have a hard time fulfilling.  Take your time to do this right, and do not try to close a sale or a deal too quickly.   

Partnering is About Personalities

Partnering is about personalities working well together and the ability to trust and have good working chemistry.  You have to have a connection related to IT or business, but personalities are still the most critical components that will make a partnership successful.    

Partnering:  Look for Opportunities

You have to keep your eyes and ears open for partnering opportunities when you go to reseller channel events or technical training classes.  You could find your next partnering endeavor at any time.  

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

IT consultants are turning towards the sound business ideas presented by the Computer Consulting Kit in order to learn ways to best build their businesses from the ground, up.  The Computer Consulting Kit offers a series of tested and proven concepts for marketing, sales, service delivery and all other components of an IT consulting business.  Many have used the Computer Consulting Kit to give them simpler ways to organize their time and manage the finer points of their businesses to help them stay competitive and build the best roster of clients and the most high quality business partnerships.

The Computer Consulting Kit:  Using Partnering and Subcontracting

One of the ideas presented by the Computer Consulting Kit is the concept of using partnering and subcontracting to help expand one’s IT consulting business.  As an IT consulting business grows and responsibilities mount, many consultants decide to build partnerships with specialty subcontractors to help complete important projects and deliver the most sophisticated services.  

The Computer Consulting Kit and Haskell Folsom of San Antonio, Texas

Haskell Folsom, a computer consultant based in San Antonio, Texas in the United States has used the ideas in the Computer Consulting Kit to help expand his business, Haztek and build a strong reputation within the small business community.  

As he started to attract clients with more complex issues, he found the need to start to use subcontractors as part of his business plan.  The Computer Consulting Kit showed him how to smoothly transition into this new way of thinking and help his own business and the business of his clients expand.

“This past year we performed a 25-computer, two-server upgrade.  We implemented a mobile sales force with new Dell laptops and trained the users on remote desktop connectivity.  The client was also able to hire and retain a new worker based out of state while she completes her engineering degree. This was a $45,000 project and it is still going on.

I’ve used the subcontracting template offered by Computer Consulting Kit because I found a cable installer to do the expansion work and we have formed a teaming agreement.  I also use the project management template in order to keep the job on track.  I’m currently reviewing all the Computer Consulting Kit material to make sure we are not overlooking valuable opportunities and information.”

The Bottom Line on the Computer Consulting Kit and Subcontracting

The Computer Consulting Kit has provided Haskell Folsom with many resources about subcontracting and partnering that have helped both his business and the business of his important clients.  Haskell continues to use the Computer Consulting Kit as a reference as he encounters new levels in his business to make sure he is not overlooking valuable opportunities and information.  

To get the competitive edge, find free resources and tips and learn more about the Computer Consulting Kit, visit the attached link.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

Hewlett-Packard (HP) decided to take away solution provider Micro System Engineering (MSE)’s platinum partner status due to alleged bad business done with K-12 school contracts in Texas.

A spokesperson from HP stated on Wednesday that solution provider MSE is deauthorized as part of the partner program as of January 12, 2007.  Revenue for MSE in 2006 exceeded $200 million.  The spokesperson refused comment on the details as to why the solution provider was officially stripped of its platinum status.

Solution providers in Houston, the company’s home base state that a Dallas school administrator accepted free trips on a boat owned by MSE in 2005 in exchange for services and deals. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office are apparently investigating the solution provider for other such improprieties.

In an e-mail on the topic, MSE President Frankie Wong stated that he was aware of HP’s notice of termination of the solution provider’s partnership and is disappointed by its decision given the long-standing relationship with HP.  Wong went on to promise the solution provider would continue to provide exceptional service to clients and is innocent of all wrongdoing announced by the media.

The spokesperson from HP stated that other HP solution providers were poised to take over the Dallas and Houston school contracts as well as other school district contracts formerly handled by MSE.

Other solution providers see this recent deauthorization as a chance to grow businesses and increase their scope in school districts throughout Texas.  Solution provider MSE will maintain its Cisco Gold Certified Partner status as well as its Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101

Computer business IBM’s partner Jeskell, Inc. announced on Thursday it would be appointing Steve Rogers Vice President of Professional Services, a brand new position for the company.  Rogers will be providing IT consulting and managed IT services to government, commercial and educational institutions throughout the United States.

Rogers has more than 20 years experience in the computer business with IT services.  He has worked with IBM, Chevron and as a VAR and independent consultant.  He was recently IT director for PDL BioPharma and also worked at Pocket Real Estate, a handheld mobile and wireless solutions provider for the real estate industry.

Jeskell, Inc. spokespeople say the computer business will be strengthened by Rogers’ IT consulting experience.  They hope he will be able to expand the operations of the company and help strengthen its partnership with computer business IBM.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

On Monday, computer business Lenovo Group, Ltd. decided to accept a multi-year deal to become the National Basketball Association’s personal computer partner.  Lenovo was chosen after other computer business Dell Inc. decided to terminate its partnership with the NBA.

Lenovo purchased IBM Corp.’s personal computer business last year and intends to offer technology at all 30 NBA arenas in the U.S. to allow referees enhanced abilities to review calls and give statisticians the ability to record game data and put it online.

The computer business also plans to increase fan involvement by providing a statistics tool that coaches can also use to figure out which players perform best during specific games and seasons.

The NBA has long been looking for a globally-known technology partner to help increase NBA’s brand recognition throughout the world, according to NBA Commissioner David Stern.  Computer business Lenovo, having had control over personal computer sales in Asia though not quite there in the U.S. yet has faced challenges when trying to increase brand recognition.  This relationship with the NBA presents the computer business with an excellent opportunity to improve awareness of its products and services.

Because Lenovo has been unable to afford national ad campaigns, it has turned to sponsorship of sports events.  The NBA relationship will present the first opportunity to get exposure regularly, every season.

The partnership will allow computer business Lenovo to work with NBA coaches to improve work with players and help them use technology to enhance their competitive edge.  

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Business partnerships are intriguing to most new IT consultants.  We get a lot of questions about business partnerships and one of the most common is, "When is the best time to start looking for a business partnership?"

Essentially, new computer consultants want to know whether they should start looking for business partnerships even before their business is established.  

The general consensus is that you should be looking for business partnerships all the time.  Certainly you will have a lot more to offer potential business partners as your business grows and evolves, but you should always keep your ears open.  

You should always be receptive to business partnership opportunities and be up front with niche technology providers that you meet.  Tell them you are just starting your computer consulting company and that you anticipate having a big need for their services.  

Obviously, you can’t make any promises, but you can ask for their card so you can find out more about what they do and then analyze the potential for a business partnership in detail. Always remember to view this as a networking opportunity for yourself as well.  

End the conversation exploring a potential business partnership with, "If any of your clients have a need for what I do, I’d be happy to talk with them as well."

A lot of these business partnership relationships will come about because clients make a request for a particular product or service.  Your job is to go out and fill the need.  In the course of doing so, a business partnerships evolves.   

Bottom Line on Business Partnerships
Start looking at business partnerships right away.  There is no need to put it on hold but you also don’t need to work at it fervently.  When you start your company, your focus is on networking.  Simply use your networking opportunities to introduce the idea of a business partnership.

In this article, you’ve been introduced to Business Partnerships. To learn more about how you can improve your knowledge about Business Partnerships, just click here now to get access to a free one-hour audio training program on 5 Easy Ways to Grow Your Computer Consulting Business.