2008-08-28T18:14:00Z Linda Lynch Copyright 2008, Linda Lynch SPHPBLOG
Although we regularly attend the Intel Channel Conferences and I had an opportunity to talk to Intel at Breakaway, that doesn't translate into an opportunity for the entire staff to talk to someone in person.

So at a few minutes after 9am this morning, Max Glover was standing in our office ready to field questions from my team. I spent a little time telling him what we do and showing him our office, as well as introducing him to everyone. Then my staff started asking him questions about the new products that they have heard and read about. I think that they enjoyed being able to have a conversation with someone who could explain a bit about Intel's strategy for new product development and let us know what things to expect over the next 12 to 18 months.

Max had questions for us as well. He was interested to know how we see Intel products fitting into what we do and whether or not we had encountered any problems that he could help us with. It was reaffirming to us to know that the ways that we envision positioning products is right in line with how Intel is promoting them.

As Max left, he thanked us for taking time out of our day to chat with him. He said that he thought he was the major beneficiary of our time together as it is important that he understand how companies like KI are utilizing Intel products, as well as the full range of services we provide. But I think that my team certainly felt that they had gained from the time spent with Max as well.

We will certainly welcome Max back into our office at any time!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080820-181752 2008-08-20T00:00:00Z 2008-08-20T00:00:00Z On my way back from Breakaway, I happened to notice this 'power tower' in the gate area of the Orlando airport. If you travel with your laptop and are trying to use it in the airport, you no doubt realize that it can be difficult to find a place to plug it in. I have read about these type of stations, but this was the first time I had seen one.

I didn't actually use this one, just snapped a quick picture with my phone as I hurried by on my way to my gate. You might notice that there aren't any chairs available to allow you to use your laptop, just a small shelf area where you can set your laptop while it charges. There is a laptop in this picture, but the woman that I think it belonged to was busy on the phone, so I'm not sure if she was actually trying to use it.

What made this seem pretty odd to me was that there was no wireless internet service available. When I flipped open my laptop prior to going through security, there were 5 networks in range, but the unsecured ones did not provide any internet access. In the gate area, there were only 2 available, but still no internet. And while the airport's website tells me that I can have my car detailed while it is parked at there, I couldn't find any reference to airport internet service - even for a fee.

Makes you wonder a bit why you will need to charge your laptop, unless you are just watching movies or playing games!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080819-180226 2008-08-19T00:00:00Z 2008-08-19T00:00:00Z
Large enterprises - like Dell, Google and IBM - have garnered lots of press for stating that they intend to focus on greening their data centers. But the term 'data center' is pretty much a foreign concept to small business, so how can small business become green?

One way is to consider replacing older systems with newer, more efficient models. Power supply manufacturers have started producing power supplies that adher to the 80 Plus standards. Power supplies must be at least 80% efficient to earn this designation. Additionally, the EPEAT registry allows manufacturers to earn green designations and allows consumers and businesses to determine which desktops and notebooks are the most energy efficient. There may be a slight premium to purchase a greener system, but typically it is less than $20 per desktop. Of course, you are also going to end up with a faster system, so your employees may be more productive as well.

If you still have older CRT's taking up a large chunk of desktop real estate, consider replacing them with LCD screens. This conversion can reduce carbon emissions by as much as 15% over 5 years. And your employees will be thrilled to have the space on the desk AND a clear, crisp image. Be sure that you look for an LCD with the Energy Star designation to be sure you are getting an efficient model.

Of course, power management is another area where you can reduce. As the industry has pushed towards providing desktop managment during off hours, more desktops are being left on 24 hours a day. We need to be looking for ways to perform routine maintenance and then put the desktop to sleep until morning, preferrably waking them up just before employees arrive at work so they won't be waiting for their machines to load up. Intel vPRO technology is one way to accomplish this, but there are other ways as well, and I will be exploring them to determine how to put these tools to use for my customers.

If you are on the fence between a desktop and a notebook, consider that a notebook produces 5 times less greenhouse gas than a desktop over a five year usage period. (Fraunhofer Institute) Typically a notebook has a slower hard drive (less energy to spin) and a smaller screen, both of which lead to lower power requirements. Of course, we all want longer battery life, so much effort has been put into making laptops efficient.

Future technology will almost certainly increase our green capabilities. As solid state drives are released, adopted and inevitably drop in price, there will be no need to spin a drive at all, further reducing energy requirements.

Of course, green isn't just about saving energy. It is also about disposal. If you are going to replace existing equipment, what will you do with what you already have? We take systems that end up in our office to the local Goodwill collection center. Goodwill has partnered with Dell on the Reconnect Program to insure that old computers do not just end up in landfills. You can also contact the Cristina Foundation who will match your donation with a non-profit and arrange to have the equipment picked up at your location. Of course, you will want to be sure that the hard drive does not contain your data before you donate it.]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080815-092937 2008-08-15T00:00:00Z 2008-08-15T00:00:00Z
First is the Intel Modular Server. I first shared this product in an entry I made on June 11th after the Detroit Intel Channel Conference. Intel is promoting this product heavily to system builders like KI and it is a very impressive product. This is a unit that can be rack mounted and can hold up to 6 computing modules (diskless servers) and 14 serial attached SCSI (or SAS) drives. Partitions configured on the drives can be dynamically allocated to any of the computing modules. Every component is hot swappable, the unit is much more energy efficient than separate servers would be and, if you have 3 or more servers, it is less expensive than separate servers. This product is only available through system builders. I only wish that it had been released a few months sooner. If it had, our new servers would be on this platform.

At the other end of the spectrum was a NetBook with an 8.9" LCD screen that will soon be available at less than $500. This device is based on the Intel Atom processor, which I also mentioned just after the Intel Channel Conference. It is being promoted for use by elementary school students or as the perfect travelling companion for checking email, a bit of Internet surfing and a convenient way to listen to music and store and view your photos. It also features a water resistant keyboard and touchpad and weighs under 3 pounds. I was able to touch one and found that the keyboard was surprisingly usable. Just don't plan on installing Office so you can work on a spreadsheet or a document!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080812-213534 2008-08-13T00:00:00Z 2008-08-13T00:00:00Z
Ten years ago, CompTIA established the CompTIA Educational Foundation to provide opportunities for rewarding IT careers to transitioning veterans, individuals with disabilities, youth at risk and dislocated workers. One of the programs that is funded by this foundation is the Creating Futures program.

For the last two or three years, Breakaway attendees have been hearing more about this program and the many ways it has helped individuals to train for and secure jobs in our industry. This year was no exception.

During our opening session, we heard from a courageous woman by the name of Jeanine Lilly. This amazing woman survived a fall from a 30 foot cliff, but the accident left her classified as disabled. But Jeanine was not willing to accept that as her fate in life. She earned her CompTIA A+ certification and then learned about the opportunities with Creating Futures. She took advantage of the programs offered and was able to get even more training. She is now employed training others who are disabled and has made the transition from "feeling worthless to feeling worthwhile", to quote her words. In spite of all she has been through, it was obvious that she has remained positive and has a terrific sense of humor. I think that we were all humbled by her story of fighting back against the odds and she received a standing ovation from the crowd.

I happened to see her later in the vendor hall talking with one of the exhibitors. She was demonstrating the same cheerful disposition she had demonstrated on stage. I talked with her briefly and let her know how much I had enjoyed her short talk.

I fully intended to make a donation to Creating Futures while I was in Orlando, but I never made it to the proper booth with money. I'm headed on line right now to support this effort.]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080809-134451 2008-08-09T00:00:00Z 2008-08-09T00:00:00Z The last Breakaway session ended around noon yesterday with a very moving and inspirational message from Dr. Beck Weathers - survivor of the 1996 Mount Everest Tragedy. Two things about what he shared with us resonated with me and I want to share them with you.

First, he told us that it is your mind that gets you up the mountain, not your body. The environment is unforgiving and takes a tremendous toll on your body. You must use every bit of your mental energy to maintain the discipline required to execute moves with precision, overlooking no detail. Failure to do so easily results in a slide to certain death.

For me, this idea quickly translated to my business. It is our minds that will carry us to success, not necessarily how skilled we are or how great our product is. As business owners, we need to focus on executing the moves that will make our businesses run smoothly and communicate our message to our clients and prospects. I'm sure we can all think of businesses that had great products, services or ideas but failed to execute in a way that brought huge success.

Now for those of you not familar with this tragedy, Dr. Weathers spent the night exposed on the face of the mountain through a terrible storm. When found unconcious by the members of his team, he was left to die. This was the accepted action in this type of situation as recovery from such an event was considered to be impossible. But miraculously, Dr. Weathers awoke from his coma, and with a vision of his wife and children, walked the 300 yards back to camp. But that was not the end of the trip down the mountain and protocol still dictated that he be left behind as the rest of the team descended to a lower camp. But the picture in his mind of his family motivated him to not give up and push himself beyond what anyone expected. Although he did not say it, clearly his mind got him off the mountain just as surely as it got him up.

The ordeal left him with severe frostbite leading to loss of limbs and many scars. He traded his hands for his family. He has turned down suggestions from doctors that he undergo further surgeries to remove the scars. He told us that the scars remind him that life is precious, and that he spent too much of his life searching for fulfillment, not realizing that the most fulfilling thing in life was his wife and his children.

At that moment, I wished that my husband was sitting next to me so I could hold him close. Some of my colleagues had families with them and they were clearly moved. I am sure that as we all went our separate ways and arrived back at our homes, we were quick to let our spouses and children know just how important they are to us and hug them just a bit tighter than we might have otherwise.

And to my husband, if you are reading this today, I'll be home on time for dinner and I'm taking tomorrow off to spend with you!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080808-095446 2008-08-08T00:00:00Z 2008-08-08T00:00:00Z
One thing that was apparent yesterday when we voted for vendors in categories such as Best Product Hardware, Best Product Software and Best of Show, was that there didn't seem to be any single product or vendor that had everyone buzzing. That made the voting very hard.

Am I bringing home literature about some new products to share with my techs, evaluate and possible bring to clients? Absolutely!

Have I listened to speakers and talked to my peers and vendors about how to deliver more value to clients? Definitely! Business continuity, hosted applications such as Exchange, and green desktops are just a few of the topics that have caught my attention.

It will be a short day today, with just one more educational session and then we will close with a review of the week and what I am sure will be an inspiring talk by Dr. Beck Weathers who survived the 1996 Mount Everest Tragedy. In the last several years, we have been privileged to hear from some really inspiration people and this year will be no exception.

By this time tomorrow, we will all be back in our offices, sharing what we have learned with our staffs and excited about moving our businesses forward. Hopefully we will also manage to take those stacks of business cards, get them organized and stay in touch with each other and not wait until this time next year to share information!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080807-075633 2008-08-07T00:00:00Z 2008-08-07T00:00:00Z
But before I do that, I can tell you that over the last couple of years, I have seen vendors gradually start to realize the importance of reaching small businesses - and they are doing that by getting their messages to me and other IT business owners.

Of course, we still argue about what a small business is. To some vendors, it is any business with under 500 or 1000 employees. Most of my peers consider that to be pretty big. Others are starting to understand that when we say small business, we mean under 100 employees, and maybe as few as 5 or 10.

And while it is easy to think that small business is not important, let me assure you that as a group, we are very, very important. Increasingly vendors are indicating that small business IT spending in total is as high as enterprise spending. Additionally, one vendor pointed to a study that shows that capital expenditures for small business actually decline very little when there is an economic downturn, even though enterprise spending typically tanks.

Vendors are increasingly asking me and my peers about our experiences and what our clients need and want. Three years ago, this was much less true than it is today. They are much more interested in helping us to be successful.

So stop thinking that you don't matter to the big name vendors. Trust me, you really do!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080805-200232 2008-08-06T00:00:00Z 2008-08-06T00:00:00Z
So imagine my surprise when I get to my room and notice a keyboard, mouse and flat screen monitor on my desk. I peaked underneath and found a metal box securely anchored to the wall with cables that tell me that this is really a thin client computer of my very own!

So I wasted no time in logging in and establishing my password and the answer to my security question. Quickly I noticed that this device provides all of the information regarding shops and restaurants on the property that I could need, as well as information on area attractions.

I clicked next on the My Meetings icon and the schedule for today's conference events was displayed. And surfing the web is just another click away.

My first thought was that I had to share this totally awesome thing with my blog readers. But it wasn't yet 10:30 and I had a lunch appointment at noon, so I headed to the pool for an hour instead! Over lunch, I asked everyone what they thought about this service. Except for one person who hadn't noticed that it was even there (he came in very late last night), everyone thought that this was a great feature and that the hotel was very clever to have just included it in the resort fee along with the shuttle to the various theme parks. (That is a service I will definitely not be needing this trip!)

This hotel has over 1000 rooms. Having this capability in every one of them means that they can update menus, hours of operation, special events and any other detail they would like at virtually no cost. I can make reservations on line more easily than lifting the phone.

I don't know if we will be seeing this more in resorts that also host conferences, but I can tell you that the CompTIA attendees give this idea a definite thumbs up!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080804-132208 2008-08-04T00:00:00Z 2008-08-04T00:00:00Z
I am privileged this year to be attending as a VIP. Basically, I applied for attendance on a special track that is completely paid for by vendors. I will be part of a small group that will sit down with several vendors, one at a time, for in depth discussions. Of course, the vendors are hoping that I will recommend and sell their products - and I hope to find some that fit into our current offering of products and services and do just that. And I have a list of potential vendors who have already solicited my time in their booths that appear to have services that I am interested in exploring.

Of course, one of the stipulations of attending this way is that I must attend all assigned sessions, so my days will be very long. Today began at 4am and won't end until 9:30. Tuesday will probably be 7am to midnight and Wednesday not much shorter. I will return to the office Friday with stacks of material that I will review with my staff to decide which ones are worthy of further exploration.

When I relate this schedule, I am frequently asked if it is worth it. I don't even hesitate before replying that it definitely is, even though I will be completely exhausted by the end of the week. We have adopted several products and services that I first learned about at this very conference. In a field that changes as fast as technology, I must find a way to remain current and this is one of the best ways.

Additionally, I have several friends who own businesses like mine that attend this same conference every year. I have already been in touch with several of them and know that there will be time spent comparing notes and exchanging ideas with them, even though that isn't the only, or maybe even the main, purpose of this event. And of course, we will be discussing what we think about this product or that vendor. I respect their opinions and know that they will also be available down the road if I need to bounce an idea off of someone.

I will try to find time to post an entry from the vendor exhibit hall sometime during the week!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080804-070000 2008-08-04T00:00:00Z 2008-08-04T00:00:00Z
Friday started at 7am with a full day of information and ideas - not to mention assignments - from Robin. We ended the day with the presentations on marketing ideas that we had implemented. While I did not win the voting for the best new idea, it was a privilege to be able to present to the group and hear their feedback on what I have done. And they gave me so many ideas on how I can improve what I have now and make it even better. Some of my peers are interested in replicating what I have done and I am happy to share my materials with them.

Saturday was three hours of brainstorming. We could ask any question we wanted and get answers from the group or from Robin. Although we were together less than 48 hours, many new friendships were formed and conversations will continue via email over the next three months.

One of the last things I did was note three results I want to achieve in my business over the next three months. Then I decided on three strategies to implement to get those results. Lastly, I wrote a statement that we needed to hear to get motivated. The form is in triplicate. I brought one copy back and plan to hang it on my wall where I can see it every day. Robin will be mailing the second copy in a few weeks as a reminder and the third copy she is keeping. Talk about accountabilty!

If you are a business owner and you don't have a group that helps you in this way, the best thing you can do is find one. I know that they will hold me accountable for making real progress in my business.

And if any other Producers are reading this - thank you for all of your help!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080803-133407 2008-08-03T00:00:00Z 2008-08-03T00:00:00Z Michigan Flyer . I'm on my way to Nashville, Tennessee and managed to arrange my flight schedules so that I can take advantage of this great service. So today, my blog entry is written on the Michigan Flyer bus between Jackson (closer to my house than East Lansing) and Detroit Metropolitan airport.

Since my last trip on this bus was for pleasure, this is my first chance to use the wireless. I am happy to report that it works well. I can't say that I have lots of room to work, and I was hoping for a way to plug in my computer, but almost every seat had at least one person already in it. So I took the only available one - and I don't seem to have a plug!

But, I am saving money, reducing energy consumption and working!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080731-111911 2008-07-31T00:00:00Z 2008-07-31T00:00:00Z KI Technology Group through the Internet. Clearly getting our website to appear higher in search results is a goal, as it should be for you and your company website. Understanding social media is a key component of that effort.

This week's homework in my study program is to just use Facebook for fun. I'm supposed to add as many new friends as possible and join some groups just for fun.

I'm trying, but I'm finding it much harder to make connections on Facebook than I did on LinkedIn.

So help me out - if you have a Facebook page and we aren't already friends, send me an invitation. If you don't, take a few minutes and create one and then send me an invitation. My profile is easy to find - it uses the same picture that appears on my blog.

I'm looking forward to learning more about you on Facebook!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080728-213404 2008-07-29T00:00:00Z 2008-07-29T00:00:00Z
Late last month, Bill Veghte, Microsoft's senior vice-president of Online Services & Windows Business group, published an open letter to 'Windows Customers' that explains Microsoft's plans for Windows.

Of course, there is the usual encouragement to upgrade to Vista. But for those of us who aren't ready to make the switch, it is nice to read that Microsoft is committed to security and other critical updates for Windows XP through April, 2014. In addition, Vista Business and Ultimate continue to include the right to downgrade to Windows XP and upgrade to Vista when you are ready.

And for those of you who may be concerned that you will face the same compatibility problems that Vista has when Windows 7 is released, currently projected to be sometime in 2010, it is noteworthy to read that Windows 7 will be based on Windows Vista. That should mean that there will be fewer compatibility problems with Windows 7 than we have been encountering with Vista.

]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080728-084200 2008-07-28T00:00:00Z 2008-07-28T00:00:00Z Robin's website , you will find out that she is a marketing consultant who works exclusively with technology companies like mine.

But she is so much more! She is one of the people that I rely on to provide business coaching. Her own business is very successful and I know that if I can learn to be more like she is, KI Technology Group can be extrememly successful. Her Producers' Club has only 99 members, hand picked by Robin and it is a privilege to be in the group.

So, I was super excited when I received an opportunity in my inbox earlier this week. Robin was looking for 5 people to talk about a marketing campaign they have conducted with success. If selected, I would get to join Robin and the others for a private dinner next Friday night.

My submission was fired off before 7am that day. And when I received the email on Thursday letting me know that I had been selected as one of the presenters, I was really geeked!

It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to share my success with a group of my peers and I am looking forward to hearing from the other 4 presenters as well. And the opportunity to talk to Robin and the other presenters over dinner is invaluable. There will be a bit of a contest and it would be nice to win, but I'm not doing it for that.

Now, I really must go work on my presentation, and I will let you all know next week how it went!]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080726-130439 2008-07-26T00:00:00Z 2008-07-26T00:00:00Z
The technology is amazing and pretty simple to figure out. Anyone can sign up for a trial. There are several companies that offer this service, but I chose GoToWebinar.

I was able to sign up for a trial, schedule my webinar, customize the client communications and conduct the webinar with a minimal amount of effort. Attendees could listen through their computer speakers or by dialing a phone number.

So what are my immediate impressions? Well, next time, I will probably get someone to sit in my conference room so I have some real people to talk to. I think that would help me be more natural in my delivery. It was a very easy way to get my message in front of a group at very low cost and with very minimal effort, at least given that I already had a presentation. It is hard to establish much of a personal connection with the audience though, so if you are using your webinar to sell a product, that can be a big challenge.

]]> http://www.kitechnologygroup.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080722-124754 2008-07-22T00:00:00Z 2008-07-22T00:00:00Z