Small Business Computer Consulting

Thursday, March 20, 2008
9:00pm Eastern to 10:30pm Eastern

5 Proven Best Practices for Getting More Steady, High-Paying Clients

Free Preview Webinar, sponsored by Computer Consulting Kit™ Home Study Course

• Learn how you can generate more consulting business and attract more of the right kinds of repeat clients.
• Find out quick, right-to-the-point best practices for surviving and thriving in this challenging IT spending environment.
• Discover simple, inexpensive, fast strategies for generating better leads and closing more deals.
• Find out how you can get more long-term clients onto your client roster, so you can have that critical business predictability and recurring revenue each and every month.
• And much, much more!

IT specialists can work with non-profit organizations.  However, there are many more financially-rewarding arenas to occupy.  

The Pros of Non-Profits

1.    You can reach non-profits easily because they are part of trade groups and you can find public directories.  

2.    Working with non-profits as IT specialists is emotionally satisfying and gratifying because you are helping a cause.

The Cons of Non-Profits

1.    Thin profit margins.

2.    Possible bidding wars.  

Bidding Wars Explained

When you get into bidding wars for contracts, your firm becomes a commodity.  And when you bid against someone else’s specs as IT specialists, you can guess that your competitors could be falsely lowering the bid price and keeping you from making a real quote.  

Non-Profits and Government Bids

IT specialists will find that selling to private sector small businesses will be simpler than attempting to work with non-profit and government bids.  A lot of times, non-profit organizations and government entities have to take the quoted price.  

More Cons about Bidding Wars

When you are bidding on projects with non-profits as IT specialists, you don’t have trust, personality and credibility helping you very much.  The main factor is who can post the bond, follow the rules and be on time with the bid.  

You have to do a lot of non-billable work up front that in the private sector can go on a bill.  You will be doing a lot of researching, developing configurations and organizing.  And the contract might be a real long shot.  

Bid Smartly

IT specialists need to bid on non-profit jobs very wisely.  If you want to be competitive, you can’t bet your entire company on it.  Don’t spend more than 20% of your business development time and energy on chasing the bid.  Unless you are devoted entirely to non-profit organizations or government organizations, you are typically better positioned to focus on private sector small businesses.  

When you find a government organization that is looking for outsourced services specifically from IT specialists, you are going to have a better opportunity than if you encounter  someone just looking for hardware or a one-shot installation deal.  

The Main Idea

Non-profit organizations and government entities are better niche options for IT specialists than simply doing retail, but you have to be careful and weigh the pros and cons before getting involved.  

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

On Monday a major partner of IBM, MSI Systems Integrators said it added Hewlett-Packard to its vendor partner roster.  The announcement was made at HP’s America’s Conference in Las Vegas.  Jim Simpson, president of MSI Systems Integrators of Omaha, Nebraska conducted a question and answer session with representatives from HP to make the announcement.

MSI Systems Integrators’ president Simpson earned a position on CRN’s Top 25 most innovative industry executives.  He said the addition of HP was necessary in order to expand his own business and best serve his over 3,000 customers.   

Simpson acknowledged his company’s partnership with IBM and has no plans of discontinuing the relationship or its scope in the future.  His plan is to not have separate HP and IBM divisions, but to base his business around his clients, which is a good plan for systems integrators focusing on services.  HP representative Michael Hurd also likened the concept of multiple partners to the idea of a computer business having multiple product lines.  

MSI Systems Integrators entered into the partnership a great deal because of Hurd and HP’s enthusiasm for serving the channel.  Simpson reiterated that at no time did the company hide plans from IBM.  He also stated that he would consider acquiring an HP solution provider as part of his systems integrators team to help start his HP business if the opportunity presented itself.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

CRN recently posted an article revealing 10 computer business predictions for 2008.  With everything from technological innovation to surprising news about large companies, this list of predictions provides some interesting insights.  These first five will get you started learning about some developments in the industry.  

1.    An unprofitable year for computer business giant AMD:  The California-based Advanced Micro Devices struggled in 2007 and lost hundreds of millions of dollars each of the three quarters it reported earnings.  AMD CEO Hector Ruiz is predicting there will not be profitability for the company until quarter 3 of 2008.  This is leaving many to wonder if the company will survive long term.

2.     On-going developments in the anti-trust case with Intel:  Computer business Intel continues to struggle with anti-trust lawsuits.  Many experts believe that Intel is being unfairly prodded and could see some real penalties in the coming year.  Still, these lawsuits have not changed the market very significantly, though if AMD goes out of business, many might look more closely at Intel.  

3.     Consolidation of computer business player Nvdia:  Many believe that this California-based company will use a CPU presence to change its relationship with CPU makers.  Many have speculated it will forge new partnerships in the coming year and perhaps merge with another company.  Regardless, the company could change the landscape of the computer business.  

4.    Increased use of virtualization technologies:  Many IT consultants and professionals are starting to think seriously about reducing energy use in regards to servers, and virtualization is quickly becoming an obvious solution.  Patrick Moorhead, vice president of advanced marketing at AMD states that 2006 was the year when virtualization proved its worth and 2007 was a time for testing and initial integration into businesses.  He and many others predict that in 2008 virtualization will become a widespread reality in the computer business.

5.    Increased use of graphics across the entire tech industry:  High-def digital media and gaming along with graphics and video processing have become more integral to PCs.  Computers with high-end graphics and GPU processing are going to become more affordable and accessible to more people.  There will be a large volume of software focused on better graphics and more interactive features as well.

For more of these 10 predictions for the computer business in 2008, visit the attached link.  

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

The world’s most successful I.T. business consultants in charge of hedge funds, Renaissance Technologies reported their first annual loss since 1988.  Its Renaissance Institutional Equities Fund experienced a 1% decrease in the past year.  

The U.S.-based I.T. business consultants launched this particular fund in 2005, with a capacity of $100 billion, which is five times larger than any other hedge fund.  The fund lost .95% in the 12 months ending in December according to experts working with the I.T. business consultants.  The fund was hurt by an eight-month long string of losses that totaled 6.27%.  

The I.T. business consultants at Renaissance manage the Medallion fund, a $5 billion fund driven by the technology business that has made on average 34% per year since it was launched in 1988.  The firm bought out the last investor in the Medallion fund in 2005 and since then has not experienced any returns.   

Renaissance was founded by a math professor, Jim Simons who has raised $26 billion for the Renaissance Institutional Equities fund.  This fund is also driven by computers, but has loftier targets than other funds of the same type; according to Reuters investors have asked to redeem $4 billion in capital since this loss by the I.T. business consultants.

For more information on this story about I.T. business consultants and Renaissance visit the attached link.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

Computer business Lenovo is on the brink of offering more services in the U.S. as it will announce later this month that it will start selling consumer PCs in the U.S. and 13 other countries.  The company bought IBM’s PC business in 2005 and has been expanding steadily.  

Lenovo will initially offer three entertainment-centric notebooks ranging from $800 to $1200 and then introduce a line of desktop PCs.  

This move will mean lower PC prices for consumers working with the computer business and more choices.  This will provide new competition for other market leaders such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell.  Lenovo is currently the third most popular computer maker in the world.

Experts predict computer business Lenovo will provide the biggest threat to Dell because Dell is just starting out in retail after years of operating under a different business model.  A spokesperson from Dell stated that while the company takes its competitors seriously, it is more interested in serving its customers.

While Lenovo is not new to the computer business in China, it is new to the U.S. market.  It has previously avoided entering the competitive consumer market in the U.S. and some other countries.

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

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting Kit

VARs and other users that want to figure out the telecommunications and VoIP aspects of MS Office Communications Server were recently given a resource online to give them hands-on lab training.  TECHtionary.com announced its Virtual OCS Labs, which is the next step to its Communications Server Essentials 101 Introduction and 201 courses.

The new labs give VARs remote OCS training so they can work with an online instructor in real time through a Webinar.  An onsite instructor is also available for those that prefer it.

Microsoft launched OCS in October, which created a new chance for the channel to deliver new services to customers and bring them new technologies. Particularly affected was unified communications sector.  Many are predicting that unified communications will be the latest and greatest application.  Many VARs involved with Microsoft have not dealt with telephony before, having handled mostly telephony and Exchange Server, Active Directory or other like components.  OCS will link all these components.

TECHtionary.com offers media tools for VARs to help train them in different technologies.  OCS lab  classes are designed specifically for VARs looking to get very specialized OCS training, including OCS standard and enterprise renditions, Office Communicator 2007, Exchange Server 2007 and Online Address Book, Office Web Access, Active Directory, Office 2007, Internet Information Server, Domain Name Server, etc.  For more information on this story for VARs, visit the attached link.

Added By: Computer Consulting Kit

Social networking sites, while they seem silly to a lot of VARs and other professionals to be “silly” have generated a lot of revenue for many different types of individuals and businesses.  VARs should pay close attention to social networking sites for the following reasons:

1.    “Toys” of the past have become real business tools.  In 1977, many experts felt that computers would never make it into someone’s home or business as a useful tool.  But, today, e-mail and the many applications and companies that have driven technology into new realms have made computers invaluable, and have given VARs their jobs in the first place.  

2.      Generation “Y” is working.  The young people joining the workforce today have very different perceptions of technology than their predecessors.  They have a comfort level with social networking and other technologies.  Those 29 and younger communicate more through technology than in person, and VARs and others need to be sensitive to and mindful of this fact.   

3.    Social networking helps businesses.  Businesses and “older” professionals are getting past the skepticism and using  dating services like Match.com and eHarmony and “friendship” services like Myspace and Facebook.  Millions have jumped on the blogging bandwagon.  Even though social networking began with personal lives, it’s extending now to business and improving communication within companies across great distances.

4.    Rewards mean risks.  When a technology sector explodes like Web 2.0, there are a lot of money-making opportunities, and in this case, for VARs.  VARs can make some money through direct investment in promising companies or early adoption of cutting-edge technology.  Regardless, risk taking can bring big rewards.  However, the process of trying to find the best social networking site is difficult.  People can pay attention to the social networking space to see how products perform over time.   

5.    Power means responsibility.  Because social networking is new, the rules are not determined yet.  Therefore, privacy, free speech and even health are concerns for those that get involved.  VARs should pay attention to this space to get in the game and stay ahead of the curve.  

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Sageza Group, Inc. recently released a downloadable paper defining the role of systems integrators in today’s market.  Systems integrators are very important when it comes to matching the capabilities of vendors with end customers.  They help act as a go-between with customers and direct vendors.

Systems integrators can become customer advocates for many different vendors and can also report demand to vendors directly to present the latest opportunities.  Systems vendors such as IBM can get many opportunities from systems integrators because they have multi-pronged expertise – geographic expertise, technological expertise and business  expertise – and also can present real and specialized, accurate information about what the reality of the market is in terms of customer needs, often across many different subsets.   
In its white paper, Sageza looks at the part systems integrators play in helping organizations get benefit from technology investments.  The company also looks at the abilities of IBM’s products and how specifically the System z9 and eServer zSeries platform brings benefits to the end customer and systems integrators that help implement IT solutions directly to customers.  

For more information about how to download this white paper about systems integrators, visit the attached link.

Submitted By:  Computer Consulting Kit

Computer business Microsoft finally decided to give its new small business server bundle “Centro” an official name.  The product is set to ship by the end of 2008 and will be available for testing early next year.

The new product from the leading computer business will be called Windows Essential Business Server and is designed for companies with 25 to 250 computers.  It essentially involves a bundled install of many different Microsoft server products.

By Microsoft’s estimates, there are 1.2 million businesses that fit into this category throughout the world, and many of them need sophisticated IT set-ups.  As technology gets more complicated, many small businesses have infrastructures that resemble those of a lot of enterprises.  

The new computer business product will have a Standard Edition and a Premium Edition, but both will be based on Windows Server 2008.  The Standard Edition of the suite will involve Exchange Server 2007 for messaging, Forefront Security for Exchange, System Center Essentials for management and Internet Security and Acceleration Server for firewalling and security.  The Premium Edition will have all those features plus the next version of SQL Server.

According to the computer business, companies can buy all these products today.  But the Windows Essential Business Server cuts costs because the bundle is cheaper than buying everything “a la carte” and also easier to install.  One license will deal with all products together.

The management console is going to also be easier to deal with, and companies like CA, Citrix, Full Armor, Symantec and others have designed add-ins so they can have centrally-managed products.

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

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit