The barrier to entrance for some small businesses using Blackberry’s has been the cost of the BlackBerry server.  In order to properly use all of the calendaring, contacts and shared mail integration to Exchange, the server and liceneses were requred.  Now Research in Motion, BlackBerry’s parent company, will begin offering free server software that will wirelessly and securely synchronize BlackBerry’s smartphones with Microsoft Exchange  or Microsoft Small Business Server. 

The new BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express software offers economical advantages to small and medium-sized businesses who desire the enterprise level security and functionality of the BlackBerry Enterprise server but don’t need all of the advanced features.  It provides a cost-effective solution that enables IT departments to meet the growing demand from employees to be able to connect their personal smartphones to their work email, calendars and access business systems behind their company’s firewall.  Continue Reading >>

It may surprise you to know that on the average law firms devote more than 80% of IT staff time and budget to infrastructure and user management.  Less than 20% of technology resources are applied to the practice of law.  Green IT and virtualization have created a buzz and are identified as key strategies to maximize resources and reduce cost of ownership.  In “The New Virtual Green Law Office: Less is More,”we step away from the hype and talk about applied, real-life virtualization strategies that are practical for firms of all sizes to deploy and manage. 

“The New Virtual Green Law Office: Less is More”

Miss our webinar?  You are welcome to download the archived recording and presentation materials.
Continue Reading >>

Join us for Part II of The Launch Pad’s 10-part MSP Franchise Business-in-a-Box Podcast Series tracking the nation’s first managed IT service franchise launch.

Featured in this episode with Channelpro editor Michael Siggins and Launch pad CEO, Ilene Rosoff;  “Sales & Marketing - Stop Chasing the Illusive Golden Goose.”  Managed service sales presents an extreme challenge for many MSPs.  Having a repeatable and proven sales process is the single most important factor driving business success. A targeted marketing system with both lead generation and lead nurturing capabilities paves the road for sales. For most managed service providers, a successful sales and marketing system is a struggle on both fronts.  

In this podcast, The Launch Pad discusses how their MSP Business-in-a-Box franchise model incorporates custom-selected best in class tools, training and a highly effective marketing management system tightly woven into a proven sales process. The result is a  paint-by-numbers approach to compelling prospects, getting appointments, providing compelling presentations and wedging objections, all designed to achieve maximum client conversion. 

**Stay tuned for Podcast 3: “The Core Tools – How You Can Make Your PSA and Monitoring Tools the Secret Sauce for MSP Success.”

  Subscribe to our podcast series on iTunes.

Learn more about The Launch Pad’s MSP Franchise Opportunities:

Franchise for Success Opportunities Pack

“Managed Services Franchise Model - Your Ticket to Fast Growth”- Two-part Channelpro Sponsored Webinar

 

 Standard Podcast [8:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So now that Windows 7 has hit the market and starting to make its way into business networks, whats the judgement?  Mostly, a definite improvement over previous versions of Windows. However, there are some caveats and facts that your should be aware of.

First, is the real cost to upgrade.  Most likely you will want a new processor.  If you are not using a processor from Intel or AMD with the new VT technology, you won’t be able to take advantage of at least one key feature; the ability to run XP in virtual mode.  Not every motherboard will support this processor or even be able to support it correctly.  There are issues concerning correct BIOS versions, step codes on processor lot numbers, etc. 

Additionally, if you don’t have at least 3 GB of RAM, count on adding some more in.  If you don’t have a graphics card that supports Direct X 10, plan on adding one in.  Direct X 10 takes full advantage of the updated Aero interface.  Some software will need to be upgraded and this can be expensive if multiple licenses need to be bought for your company.  Finally, there are a few older peripherals (printers and scanners that may not play nicely).  So, be sure to review the list of devices and check it out.

You probably are getting the picture here. In many instances, it will be more cost effective to simply buy a new workstation/notebook preloaded and with the proper hardware.   So while Windows 7 is definitely worth the upgrade, plan on some extra costs along the way.   Additionally, you need to check EVERY program currently running, particularly specialized programs like those you use to run your business.   Finally, there is NO upgrade path from XP. So, unless your hardware is brand new with the XP OS, you will definitely want to plan on a whole new unit.

Lenovo’s IdeaPad U1 is a clever combination of multi-touch tablet and laptop.  The device is notebook computer with a detachable screen that has it’s own processor and can be used as a multi-touch slate tablet.   When closed it looks like a regular laptop, with rounded edges and a snazzy red cover. 

When both halves of the U1 are together, it runs on Windows 7 on an Intel Core 2 Duo SU processor, but when you split them up, the tablet will use a custom version of Linux and a Qualcomm ARM Snapdragon processor.  This means that you get the best combination of power and battery life for each scenario.   Weighing just 3.8 pounds total, each mode supports more that 5 hours of Web browsing and 60 hours of standby. 

Lenovo will start selling the hybrid in June and until then we will be left wondering if it really the best of both worlds wrapped in a pretty package.