In The Know - Charles Van Heusen's Weblog

Free Managed Services eBook for attending this Webinar!

Erick Simpson is hosting a webinar with a guest speaker from Cisco and has really provided a great incentive for attending!  A FREE copy of his book to all attendees.  I've posted the invitation below.

Next Live Webinar Tuesday, March 25th - 8:00am PST!

Join us for our next live Managed Services Webinar on Tuesday, March 25^th at 8:00am PST, where our special guest will be Sameer Jayakar, Senior Manager, SMB Network Management for Cisco Systems. Mr. Jayakar will take us on a tour of Cisco's new Monitor Director Managed Services solution and discuss Cisco's Managed Services strategy for Partners.

Cisco's Monitor Director enables Managed Services Providers to deliver comprehensive 24-hour remote real-time monitoring and management of data and voice services for SMB customers with 5 to 250 users.

As a special bonus - all attendees will receive a FREE AUDIOBOOK DOWNLOAD OF OUR BEST-SELLING BOOK: The Guide to a Successful Managed Services Practice! - a $59.99 value!

CLICK HERE to register for this Webinar on Tuesday, March 25th, at 8:00am PST. 

While other RMM solutions focus on Servers and Desktops, CMD focuses on the backbone of customer's businesses - their networks, data and voice traffic, and the equipment that manages it. This provides MSP's with a sorely needed solution for Network Management, allowing them to provide Premium Services and command greater annuities.

Cisco's Monitor Director supports both Cisco as well as non-Cisco IP-addressable devices such as Routers, Switches, Firewalls, Access Points, IP Phones and more, with the ability to generate Topological maps of customer environments, receive and escalate alert conditions, output meaningful reports and much, much more - all from a single console. Cisco's Monitor Director is the perfect addition to augment your existing Managed Services tools and processes, and integrates with existing PSA solutions, further increasing your service efficiencies, utilization and net profits.

Cisco Monitor Director consists of:

· A centralized browser-accessible console, deployed at your location, which provides secure visibility into all of your SMB customer networks

· An agent deployed inside each customer network, which collects and reports critical network data over a secure communications channel.

Features:

· Real-time, color-coded network topology and status map

· "Smart-Alerts" with graphical supporting information that dramatically reduces time to diagnose and fix problems

· Alert escalation and notifications through e-mail and paging that integrates into common trouble-ticketing applications

· End-of-sale and end-of-life notifications for selected Cisco devices

· Automated reports that include network alert summary, device-availability analysis, utilization reports, and network topology

There will be a Q&A session immediately following the presentation. CLICK HERE to register.

SBS Then and Now - Pain & Pleasure, Punch a Wizard

A long long time ago, in a network far far away, SBS 4.5 Wizards came to play but they didn't play well.  For many first timers to the land of SBS, this product was disparate enough to cause Cardiac Arrest!   For these first times it would be their last to look at a Server with Wizard to pass.  Upgrades and enhancements would waiver them not because SBS 2000, thought to be worthy, was not.... 

3 more years in the future the next version would be the Partner World is amazed by SBS 2000 and 3....   Components and Wizards working side by side...  Remote Web Workplace make connectivity as easy as PIE!!!   Company Web becomes a place for business harmony, a central source for collaboration makes communication flow like sweet honey.  Partner practices sprang up supporting small businesses far and wide, profits are rising, customers shouting glee, and all this occurred because of SBS2003.

Yet those from before who suffered from Wizard dismay swore off new wizards and still do today.   In comes Jeff Middleton waiving his banner, exclaiming SBS is our platform, I'll dispel those old myths, the product is solid and I'll prove it with this..  

To help relieve stress of the wizards you see, we've created a game to bash them yippee!! (Play Punch a Wizard) Hopefully this will bring you great joy, for when Cougar releases we hope you will get it deployed...

I hope you enjoyed my composition above....  I know I know, don't quit my day job.  :-) 

For those of you that know an SBSer of old that attempted to work with the product in the not so "Good Old Days", and no longer works with it, please point them over to Tom's Vlog, to see if some of the items being discussed will persuade them to give the product a second look.

Office Live vs. Office Online

Since the announcement made about Microsoft Office Online Services on March 3rd, the partner community has been a buzz about this new program and how that plays into their service offerings.  One of the top questions I've received is what is the difference between our online services and Office Live.  I can see how the two an be confused with one another especially with the similarity in the naming conventions.  Here's a quick description of the differences I cam across on some of our documentation that I thought would be interesting to you....

Enjoy.

What is the difference between Microsoft Online services and Microsoft Office Live?

A: Microsoft Online: Service offerings for organizations with more advanced IT needs where power and flexibility is critical and the ability to control access to data, manage users, apply business and compliance policy, and meet high availability standards may all be important considerations. Online Services are designed to provide the performance, scalability, security, management features, and service level capabilities to support the mission-critical applications and systems used by organizations that have more rigorous technical requirements. Today these services include Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Communications Online, Office Live Meeting, Exchange Hosted Services and BizTalk Services.

Microsoft Office Live: Microsoft Office “Live” will be tailored to users that value ease-of-use, simple access and flexibility. Live services will be optimal in situations where users don’t have access to professional technical expertise and don’t require high levels of system management. Broadly speaking, Microsoft Live offerings are user-managed services, without IT mediation, spanning entertainment, communication, productivity and more. Existing Live Service offerings include, Windows Live, XBOX Live, Dynamics Live CRM and Office Live.

Master Chief Rocks Out on Rock Band

I got this photo from one of my coworkers and it was to kewl not to share...   When the Master Chief isn't out saving us from the flood, he unwinds on his Xbox 360 with some relentless Guitar Riffs and drumlines...    Photos are from a SharePoint Conference.... Thanks for Sharing Tim..

I love it....  Do they make the Master Chief Battle Armor in XXL?

Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Online Training - Get a FREE 2 GB SD Card for attending

Discover the “Better Together” Solution around Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 and Windows Live Services!

Learn how to provide your customers with the complete PC solution featuring Windows Vista SP1, Live Services, OneCare, and the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Help your customers be more successful, productive, and connected—while enhancing your business!

PLUS, all attendees will receive a FREE* 2.0 GB SD Multimedia Card reader!

Here’s how:

1. Attend this on-demand webcast between now and 5:00 PM PST, May 7, 2008.

Here's the fine print.

*Offer good only to legal residents of the 50 United States (includes District of Columbia) who are employees of Registered, Certified and/or Gold Certified Partners actively enrolled in the Microsoft Partner Program with a valid Microsoft Partner Program Number. To receive a free 2.0 Gigabyte SD / MMC Card Reader, you must attend the Better Together on-demand webcast between February 13, 2008 and 5:00 PM PST, May 7, 2008. Limit one 2.0 Gigabyte SD / MMC Card Reader with Memory Card per person. This offer is non-transferable. This offer expires on May 7, 2008 while supplies last and is not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient. Any gift returned as non-deliverable will not be re-sent. Please allow 6 - 8 weeks for shipment of your gift.

Partners...Want a Free Copy of Windows Server 2008? Attend a Windows Server Launch Event Near You!

You will also get a sneak peak at the new version of SBS at the Partner segment!  Why are you not going?

Register here!  http://www.microsoft.com/heroeshappenhere/register/default.mspx

Look me or any of the TS2 Team at these Partner Launch events!

Take a test drive

Come to an event and test drive Windows Server® 2008 operating system, Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008, and Microsoft Visual Studio® 2008.

Meet the experts

Enjoy hands-on labs, face-to-face Q&A sessions with software experts, and other opportunities to interact with development team members.

Bring the products home

Want more? To say thanks for taking part of this exciting launch, you’ll take home a promotional kit with versions of all three products.

Registered attendees must by 18 years old by February 27, 2008 to attend this event. For those eligible, you must be 21 years old by February 27, 2008 to attend the Launch Evening Celebration.

Product giveaway kit good only for attendees of 2008 Launch Wave event, events that are targeted towards IT professionals. Limit one launch giveaway kit per person. All kits must be claimed at the event. This offer is non-transferable and expires on June 30, 2008 while supplies last. Offer is not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient.

Windows Essentials Business Server team has a blog site now!

If  you are looking to find some of the top resources on the newly announce Windows Essentials Business Server - Codename "Centro", look no further.  The team has their office blog site up and running at http://blogs.technet.com/EssentialBusinessServer/

You get information straight from the Product Managers themselves and its a great way for you to provide candid feedback back to them about the product and the way we are positioning it.

I suggest you sign up for the RSS feeds from the site and make it a weekly habit of checking for the latest and greatest from the team as we get closer to the product's launch

Windows Vista SP1 - Installation Step by Step

I received my DVD with Windows Vista SP1 on it and decided it was time to test it out.  Step 1 was to make a complete PC backup on an external drive to ensure I had a fall back plan.  I didn't take the extra step of testing the backup because I still have my backup Lenovo Laptop that I will repurpose once SP1 running well for at least a week. 

When I reviewed the documentation and looked at the footprint, I was happy it was provided on DVD since it was just at 1 GB in size.   The laptop that I am using for this installation is an HP Compaq 6910p, with 4 GB of memory and 120 GB 7200 RPM eSATA drive.

I started the clock at 12:32 PM to see just how long the installation would take to complete.  Before it got rolling, I reviewed the "What you should know before installing Service Pack 1" information, which was basic information about compatibility and hardware requirements, which was not an issue with my hardware configuration.

This was the EULA information which I read word for word to make sure I didn't miss anything.  :-)   If you believe that, I have ocean front property in San Antonio for you too.  Click the I accept and Next please...

This was where the fun began and the timer started to move really...  really slowly...

When the screen came up and mentioned it might take an hour for the installation, they weren't kidding....

An 1:04 minutes later, the installation finished, I rebooted and I was on my way.  Upon reboot, the system worked great.  All of the the important parts of Vista Ultimate, including Texas Hold'em continued running as smooth as they did prior to the installation.

So what's the point of this post?   Vista Sp1 is As you start planning upgrades to SP1, make sure you have plenty of time allotted for it.  If you are buying new systems for your customers, order them with SP1 installed to save yourself the hour of upgrade time it will take to get SP1 in place.

Learn more about the benefits of Windows Vista and SP1, how to find technical and sales and marketing readiness courses how to sell the benefits of Windows Vista to customers and ask questions or exchange idea on the Vista newsgroup by visiting https://partner.microsoft.com/vistasp1 on your Microsoft Partner Portal website.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 US Launch Tour Kicks Off with a Roar!

The US national launch tour kicked off its first full week of events to enthusiastic prospects and excited partners. During events in Tampa, Nashville, Orlando and Atlanta, eager attendees learned the business value of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Live, saw live product demonstrations and saw the extensibility of the product in the ISV partner pavilion. The Tampa and Orlando events also featured Don Peppers of the globally recognized Peppers & Rogers Group, thought leaders in relationship marketing.

Tier 2 city events hosted by Microsoft regional teams and partners also kicked off to great success in cities including Houston, Birmingham and Rochester. And with Over 70 Launch Events across the U.S., there’s much more excitement to come. The National Tour continues the week of 18 March in New York City where we show over 600 registrants to date. Boston, Los Angeles and Orange County follow with great registration numbers as well. Go to www.dynamicscrmlaunch.com for the full event line up.

One Hundred Dollars off TechNet Plus Subscriptions! Get'em while their hot!

I was talking to one of my coworkers on the MSAM TechNet team and he let me in on a little secret.  If you use the Promotion Code TMSAM06 when order your new TechNet Subscriptions, you will get $100 off the price for US and Canada IT Pros.

To take advantage of this, go to www.microsoft.com/technet.subscription    The discount code expires May 30th, so take advantage of it while you can.