Thursday, November 5, 2009

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Windows 7 SMB options

Here are the Microsoft options.

If you are upgrading from a Vista certified machine, this would be the Open Business (OB) sku

Microsoft

Windows 7 Professional - Upgrade license - 1 PC - promo - Open Business - Single Language

With Windows 7 Professional, fewer walls stand between you and your success. You can run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode and recover data easily with automatic backups to your home or business network. You can also connect to

PcMall Part #: 7916172 Mfr. Part #: FQC-02633

If you need to do a clean install or want to move to Windows 7 Enterprise, then this OB sku is what you need. Keep in mind that Win 7 Ultimate and Win 7 Enterprise have the exact same features and capabilities.

Microsoft

Windows Professional - Upgrade & software assurance - 1 PC - promo - Open Business - Single Language

Microsoft Windows is an operational system for PC compatible computers with multi-task support and intuitive graphic user's interface. It has modest resource requirements compared to the more advanced operational systems from the Microsoft Windows family.

PcMall Part #: 7916174 Mfr. Part #: FQC-02636

You can also decide to go with retail box copies

Microsoft
Windows 7 Professional - Upgrade package - 1 PC - DVD - English - North America

Upgrade to Windows 7 Professional. With Windows 7 Professional, fewer walls stand between you and your success. You can run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode and recover data easily with automatic backups to your home or business

PcMall Part #: 7849051 Mfr. Part #: FQC-00130

Microsoft
Windows 7 Professional - Complete package - 1 PC - DVD - English - North America

PcMall Part #: 7849054 Mfr. Part #: FQC-00129

Microsoft
Windows 7 Ultimate - Upgrade package - 1 PC - DVD - English - North America

Upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate. Windows 7 Ultimate is the most versatile and powerful edition of Windows 7. It combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional, including the

PcMall Part #: 7849052 Mfr. Part #: GLC-00184

Microsoft
Windows 7 Ultimate - Complete package - 1 PC - DVD - English - North America

Windows 7 Ultimate is the most versatile and powerful edition of Windows 7. It combines remarkable ease-of-use with the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business capabilities of Professional, including the ability to run many Windows XP

PcMall Part #: 7849056 Mfr. Part #: GLC-00182

Monday, November 2, 2009

Fusion I/O

An absolute must for those interested in storage and performance.

Compellent Storage

Windows 7 reviews from PC Wiz Kids Tech Talk

What does Windows 7 bring to the table

Windows 7 Charity skus at Mall

If you have Vista certified machines and you are looking to upgrade to Windows 7 under the Open Charity program, then this is what you would need

Microsoft

Windows 7 Professional - Upgrade license - 1 PC - charity - MOLP - Single Language

PcMall Part #: 7916125 Mfr. Part #: FQC-02322

If you want to do a clean install of Windows 7 Pro, Win 7 Enterprise, or any other version of Microsoft’s OS, you would use this sku under the Open Charity program which comes with Software Assurance

Microsoft

Windows Professional - Upgrade & software assurance - 1 PC - charity - MOLP - Single Language

PcMall Part #: 7916114 Mfr. Part #: FQC-02323

With both of those skus, if you needed the media as opposed to downloading you would order the media direct from Microsoft.

Windows 7 Reasons

"Why should a customer care?

· Access information from almost anywhere with DirectAccess, which allows access to your company’s corporate network and intranet sites without using virtual private network (VPN) software

· Speed up access to information with BranchCache, which helps you access remote data faster and easier than ever

· Improve PC stability with AppLocker, which allows IT departments to specify which applications (and versions) are allowed to be installed

· Help protect users, infrastructure, and data with BitLocker™ To Go, which allows IT departments to automatically encrypt any USB drive attached to a Windows 7-based machine

· Ease transition to Windows 7 with Windows XP Mode, which allows you to run Windows XP virtually under Windows 7 and minimize your application compatibility concerns

· Help remove barriers to information with Federated Search, which allows you to search and view content from local, network, and Internet repositories – all within a single view"

"Common Objections:

Question

Answer

“We’re currently running a few legacy applications that only work on Windows XP.”

“Windows 7 has an option to run some applications in compatibility mode. There’s also Windows XP Mode, a valuable transition tool that lets you run many existing productivity Windows XP applications. Windows XP Mode is easy to find and access from either the Start menu or the Windows 7 taskbar.”

“What versions of Windows can be upgraded to Windows 7 Enterprise?”

“From a technical perspective, Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Vista Business may be upgraded to Windows 7 Enterprise. From a license perspective, any PC covered by Software Assurance at the release of Windows 7 can be upgraded to Windows 7 Enterprise.”

“Do I have to purchase MDOP to purchase the Enterprise edition?”

“No. Access to MDOP is a benefit of Software Assurance, but it’s not a requirement to take advantage of the Windows 7 Enterprise edition. However, MDOP is an incredible value, and we advise SA customers to subscribe to MDOP as well.”

IT Outsourcing in Decline

"IT Security Outsourcing in Decline

Seventh Annual Global Information Security Survey: Companies that once outsourced many IT security controls have opted to do more in-house. A look at what caused the shift. (Third in a four-part series)

Comments

By Bill Brenner

WED, OCTOBER 28, 2009 — CSO — The worst economic recession in decades has compelled more companies to spend less on outsourced security services and do more in-house, according to the seventh-annual Global Information Security survey, which CSO and CIO magazines conducted with PricewaterhouseCoopers earlier this year.

Some 7,200 business and technology executives worldwide responded from a variety of industries, including government, health care, financial services and retail.

A few years ago, technology analysts were predicting unlimited growth for managed security service providers (MSSPs). Many companies then viewed security as a foreign concept, but laws such asSarbanes-Oxley, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (affecting financial services) were forcing them to address intrusion defense, patch management, encryption and log management. Convinced they couldn't do it on their own, companies chose outsourcers to do it for them. Gartner estimated the MSSP market in North America alone would reach $900 million in 2004 and that it would grow another 18 percent by 2008."

read the rest- click here

Microsoft's Big Easy is back!

Microsoft’s Big Easy Offer

Is Back!

Limited Time!

Take advantage of this great offer and maximize savings!

With this offer, earn partner subsidy funds from Microsoft for qualifying purchases*. Then use your subsidy dollars to purchase additional products or services through the Microsoft partner of your choice and enrich your solution. This program scales to your business, offering incremental subsidies for qualifying purchases between November 1, 2009 and January 2, 2010. There’s never been a better time to purchase Microsoft products!

· Choice

No two businesses need the exact same solution. The Big Easy offer helps you make the right choices for your business. Select the products you need to enhance your business and increase efficiencies, and then apply subsidy dollars you earn towards additional services and products through the partner of your choice.

· Value

The Big Easy Offer provides a cost -effective way to purchase the latest Microsoft technology and delivers more value by helping you earn subsidy dollars on each of your qualifying purchases. You and your qualified Partner can use the Big Easy Calculator on this page to estimate your subsidy amount, make an informed purchase decision, and realize the value. The more you buy, the more you can redeem. Subsidy dollars increase with each new product group you purchase. Redeem as often as you want, as many times as you want, and your redemptions will continue to grow.

· Simplicity

To get started, just follow these three simple steps:

Purchase. Get your reward when you make a qualifying purchase between November 1, 2009 and January 2, 2010.

Redeem. After purchase, you can redeem the Big Easy Offer within 30 days of purchase date

Spend. Microsoft will then send you a subsidy check made out to the partner of your choice, which you can spend on additional services and products. Checks must be used within 90 days of the issue date.

Get the Dollars!

BIG EASY CALCULATOR

View full description and redeem at http://www.microsoftincentives.com/BigEasy3/Default.aspx

Click for complete Offer Terms and Condition s. For qualification and redemption questions please contact bigeasy@microsoft.com

Browse more offers at www.MicrosoftIncentives.com

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Updates

Updates coming soon

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Cloud Computing

Tech Videos

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Excellent Microsoft Licensing Solution For Small Businesses

Open Value is a licensing option that a lot of SMB's should take advantage of.

From Microsoft:

Microsoft Open Value and Open Value Subscription Overview

Microsoft^® Open Value and Open Value Subscription are for small to midsize organizations with five or more desktop PCs that want a flexible and affordable way to use and manage Microsoft licensed products under a single agreement. The Microsoft Open Value and Open Value Subscription programs offer license management tools and better control of your software license costs and investment. Open Value and Open Value Subscription provide flexibility to acquire licenses or add product licenses as needed. Additional cost savings are available when standardizing desktop PC licensed product organization-wide.

Open Value and Open Value Subscription also offer the advantages of Microsoft Software Assurance for Volume Licensing, Microsoft’s comprehensive offering that helps you get the most out of your software investment.

More than just maintenance, Software Assurance is a complete solution that delivers both software and services to bring more value to your business. Software Assurance combines a broad range of benefits including rights to new software versions, training, deployment services and support. Benefits cover all phases of the software lifecycle—plan, deploy, use, maintain, and transition – so you can get help when you need it. Access to these valuable benefits can help you manage costs, get the most out of new technologies, and improve employee and organizational productivity.

Open Value and Open Value Subscription offer many benefits, including:

Simplified License Management

You get a single agreement for all Microsoft licensed product within a territory, including qualified affiliates in other countries.
You can upgrade at any time—no need to track versions or open new agreements.
You can transition new original equipment manufacturer (OEM) licenses onto your agreement by purchasing Software Assurance.

Ability to Take Control of Your Investment

· With the Software Assurance New Version Rights benefit, you receive rights to new versions of licensed products to deploy at your convenience.

· Software Assurance offers benefits such as Packaged Services, Training Vouchers and 24x7 Problem Resolution Support so that you can take advantage of consulting services, training and support to help you deploy your new software.

You can upgrade licensed product company-wide while staying within budget.

More Licensing Flexibility

· Open Value and Open Value Subscription give you a single platform option, which allows you to choose components from the Windows^® Desktop Operating System upgrade, the Microsoft Office system, and Client Access Licenses (CALs) under a single platform for every desktop PC in your organization. The custom platform option allows customers with the Open Value Company-wide option or with Open Value Subscription to continue Software Assurance coverage on multiple product versions rather than only on the latest version

· You also have the option to choose Microsoft’s latest offerings in midsize business solutions with Windows Essential Business Server. If your organization requires Microsoft’s enterprise solutions, Microsoft Office Enterprise, Windows Server Enterprise Edition CAL, and Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) are now available.

· Government customers have the option of a one-year or three-year agreement with Open Value Subscription to better accommodate single year budget requirements for government.

Better Management of Your Software Costs

· Spread payments with the Software Assurance Spread Payments benefit which reduces up-front costs and helps you forecast annual budget requirements with predictable annual payments.

You have rights to new software version releases with Software Assurance New Version Rights to help you lower the costs of acquiring software licenses while simplifying procurement and forecasting.Company-wide licensing provides additional savings.

You can read these two documents for greater details

Open_Value_2008_ProgramGuide.docx

Open_Value_Customer_FAQ%5B1%5D.docx

or visit Microsoft Volume Licensing

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/

Monday, August 17, 2009

A Few Questions to Consider About SANs

Have you adopted server virtualization? Do you have a SAN to support it?

To take full advantage of server virtualization, you need to leverage storage virtualization as well. The Compellent SAN can amplify the

benefi ts of server virtualization, increasing utilization and improving availability.

Do you have a Disaster Recovery plan? How long does it take you to recover?

The vast majority of companies that experience a major data loss go out of business. With Compellent, you can recover any size volume

to any server in less than 10 seconds and implement replication at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems.

What is your storage growth rate? Are you storing inactive data on high performance drives? How do you decide what data to

store on your highest performing drives?

If you think about email data, old attachments and calendar invites really shouldn’t be on your highest performing storage. Our storage

architect can explain how to automatically tier your storage to save you both time and money.

What percentage of space is unutilized or underutilized?

Industry analysts suggest that up to 60% of storage capacity is wasted. Think about what saving capacity could do for your budget. I’d

like to set up some time and have my storage architect discuss the space-saving benefi ts of new storage features like thin provisioning.

IT Info Guy

514-373-8345

800-555-6255 x8345

Article Worth Reposting

How to Develop a Technology Investment Strategy

· AllBusiness.com

· Friday January 2, 2009, 8:00 am EST

While most small businesses require technology to grow, they are also likely to have tight budgets and be unable to invest in "pie in the sky" IT projects with no guaranteed returns. That's why it's important to lay down a technology investment strategy that aligns with the specific goals of your organization.

Begin by looking at your business strategy over the next two to three years and determine in which areas you plan to grow, change, or improve. It will be easier to identify technologies that can help your business if you have a clear picture of where you're heading and what steps you must take to get there.

Once you've set down your business strategy, you should appoint a member of your organization to track IT trends and advancements in the marketplace. With the explosion of possible technologies available to you, it can be helpful to have someone on your team who is on top of the current products and trends.

Sit down with this person and list the key technology areas they should be monitoring based on your business needs. For example, these areas could include business applications, data warehousing, Web services, or wireless technologies. By creating this list you can begin to assess which technologies are likely to impact your business. Do any of the technologies you've listed present growth opportunities or offer significant improvements in performance or customer service? Are other players in your industry using these technologies to enhance their businesses, and if so, how?

This list of technologies and opportunities is a way for you to narrow down your technology requirements and come up with a well-thought-out investment plan.

Once you have some technology projects in mind, talk to a trusted IT advisor and run a cost/benefit analysis. (If you don't already have an advisor, be sure to read How to Choose an IT Consultant.) Look carefully at your technology budget over the next few years, taking into account the cost of maintaining and supporting the IT you already have.

Create a short list of IT investments that you can not only afford, but will also help you achieve your stated business goals. Prioritize these investments according to the benefits they will give your business and then start to look at factors such as the time it will take to implement and test the new technologies, the staff required to support them, and any necessary training.

The project that offers the greatest benefit may also be the one that requires the most time, money, and staff. Investing in one large project may mean you don't have the resources to invest in others, so you will want to do a risk analysis of any significant project you consider undertaking.

Technology projects are notorious for running over time and budget, so make sure to plan for possible overruns. It's better to have a realistic idea of the costs you could be facing. If the project comes in on time and on budget, it will be a pleasant surprise!

Finally, continue to update your IT investment plan and monitor new technology developments. The last thing you want is an aged IT strategy that misses out on the current opportunities in the marketplace. Keep in constant communication with your trusted IT advisor, and once you embark on a project, update your investment plan with new deadlines or cost estimates.

Keep in mind that while most recognize that technology advances at a rapid pace, many small business owners neglect to plan for technological obsolescence. Read Anticipate Obsolescence When Planning Your Technology Investment Strategy for some good advice.

iland and Vizioncore Team to Deliver Outsourced and Transatlantic DR

Launches first of its kind, managed replication and continuity service to UK; presents channel-ready offerings for SMB through to enterprise

________________

Hoffman Estates, IL, and Houston, TX, August 17, 2009 – Vizioncore Inc., the market leader in virtualization data protection and management solutions, and iland™ Internet Solutions today announced that iland, a leading global provider of Cloud Infrastructure Services, has chosen Vizioncore's vReplicator and vConverter products to underpin iland's outsourced, cloud-based disaster recovery services in the UK. The new channel-ready service forms part of the global iland Continuity Cloud, a highly resilient infrastructure spread across six datacenters and the first to offer managed transatlantic disaster recovery services.

With virtualization reaching maturity in organizations of all sizes, simplifying its management has become the next hurdle for business and topping that list is successfully protecting and recovering data by implementing a business continuity and disaster recovery plan. The new service from iland provides UK businesses with an opportunity to fully protect their virtual estate by provisioning Virtual LANs on the iland Continuity Cloud, replicating to the highly-available datacenters using vReplicator, and continuously monitoring both sets of infrastructure. In the event of an extended outage, the business can fully recover using its replicated estate and continue operating as it had before, saving valuable time, not to mention money.

“We’re excited to begin offering this service in the UK, a country which has wholeheartedly adopted virtualization technologies," said Dante Orsini, Channel Director, iland Internet Solutions. "By opening the door to our London hub, we’re also now able to offer a transatlantic service to enterprises with global operations, a real first. Partnering with Vizioncore made perfect sense for us as it has long been at the forefront of innovation in virtualization. By combining Vizioncore technical excellence and iland’s high levels of service reputation, we’re delivering a truly original service that is ready for channel partners of all kinds to take advantage of.”

iland brings together a range of industry-leading components to provide the foundations to its service offering including 10Gbps Ethernet low-latency IP connections and highly specialized and experienced virtualization support teams to turn on, test and maintain during the service agreement.

“iland has built a fantastic service portfolio, and we’re proud to have been chosen to be part of that,” commented Roger Baskerville, VP EMEA, Vizioncore. "By choosing vReplicator and vConverter, iland gives its customers tried and tested products to rely upon, teamed with true professionals to guide them. The new service will also present Vizioncore’s multi-tier channel with a unique opportunity to provide differentiated services to businesses of all sizes, and we’re already seeing significant interest in re-packaging the offering.”

“Softcat has long been an advocate of enhancing the virtualization solutions we deliver with Vizioncore’s technology,” commented Sam Routledge, Services Director at Softcat, a UK infrastructure provider and Vizioncore Platinum Partner. “The robust protection offered by vReplicator is a core part of our disaster recovery offering for our clients’ virtualized infrastructures, and the potential of a service offering from iland based on this proposition is an exciting one for us.”

The new service is available now.

About Vizioncore Inc.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Hoffman Estates, IL, Vizioncore Inc. is a fully owned subsidiary of Quest Software. The company has operations in the Americas,

EMEA, Asia and Australia. Vizioncore's products provide server virtualization management solutions that help customers safeguard and optimize their IT systems while allowing them to extract the maximum return on their investment in virtualization. Vizioncore’s products are built from the ground up to support virtual environments with none of the legacy encumbrances of products built for physical servers. Over 17,000 organizations around the world, from SMBs to large-scale enterprises, use Vizioncore’s products. Vizioncore operates independently and distributes its products through an extended partner network of 2,200 value-added resellers worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vizioncore.com or www.vizioncorum.com, the official blogging site of Vizioncore Inc.

About iland

iland is a provider of cloud computing infrastructure with high-availability datacenters specifically designed for cloud computing in Boston, Washington D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas, and London. As a partner of VMware and other industry-leaders, iland's infrastructure enables organizations to go beyond the cloud computing buzz and realize tangible business benefits including reduced and predictable IT costs; streamlined and simplified management; and a nimble infrastructure that lets customers prepare and respond to changing environments.

This Weeks PC Mall Double Take Deals

These are fantastic offers

Lenovo
IdeaPad S10E Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Netbook - Refurbished
Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz, 1GB (2-512MB) RAM, 160GB SATA HDD, 4GB SSD, No Optical, 10.1" WSVGA LED, Camera, WLAN 802.11b/g, 3 cell battery, Windows XP Home Edition
PC Mall Part #7886684
Mfr. Part #4187XB5

ViewSonic
VA2226w Value Series Widescreen LCD - Refurbished
ViewSonic’s 22" VA2226w LCD brings high-performance, widescreen displays to users on a budget. Enjoy beautiful graphics and view spreadsheets in unbelievable clarity.
PC Mall Part #7885202
Mfr. Part #VA2226W-11-S

Western Digital
My Passport Studio 500GB Portable FireWire 800/400 and USB 2.0 Hard Drive
Equipped with FireWire 800/400 and USB 2.0 interfaces, and formatted for Macintosh, this high speed portable hard drive is perfect for Mac users on the go.
PC Mall Part #7691859
Mfr. Part #WDMT5000TN