From Microsoft Canada: An IT Pro Message

Microsoft Canada asked if we could post the following to our fellow IT Professionals and we agreed. Many of the links to Microsoft resources are ones that we use on a regular basis.

Note that we edited the original to reduce the amount of marketing fluff. :0)

Our comments are italicized.

NSAT IT Pro Messaging for the Community

1) Help and Support from Microsoft

The following links are a great resource that Microsoft provides to help us find the answers that we need. One of the things that we notice, especially from the MVP perspective, is that if we don’t go and post our issues/problems on forums or phone in to initiate a support incident with PSS that the issue/problem may slip under the radar . . . even if we see it _a lot_ at other forums like Experts-Exchange.

So, when it comes to situations that Microsoft needs to address, they _are_ listening. We need to do our part to follow through.

Help and Resources

• Microsoft Product Solution Center – Get product support information for the majority of Microsoft products.
• Microsoft Answers – Ask questions and get answers from real people, or search for answers others have received.
• Microsoft Fix it Solution Center – Find automated solutions for your issues.
• @MicrosoftHelps – Follow Microsoft Customer Service and Support on Twitter. Experienced customer service agents respond to your questions in real-time tweets.
• Enterprise Business Center – Access resources for enterprise customers.
• Microsoft Small Business Center – Find resources for small and medium-sized businesses.

Other Resources You May Find Useful

• Microsoft Virtual Academy - For Free Training To Help Improve Your IT Skill Set.
• TechNet Evaluation Center - Try some of the latest Microsoft products like Office 365, Windows Intune or System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 for free, before you buy.
• TechNet Newsletter - Sign Up To Receive The Latest IT News and Developments, Product Releases, Expert Insights and Support Services with Microsoft's complimentary biweekly newsletter for industry professionals.

2) Security – How to Help Keep Your PC Protected

Even though we wear many hats, keeping our client’s networks secure is a priority. There are many ways about keeping a network secure, but since our primary foundations are Windows Server and Desktop based we need to be aware of Microsoft’s resources for us in the Security field.

If you feel your system has been compromised or has a computer virus – you can call Microsoft's Security and Virus FREE support line at 1-866-727-2338.

Security Resources

• Microsoft Security Essentials – Free Anti-Malware software from Microsoft, great for Small Businesses and Home PCs alike.
• Security Bulletins by the Regular IT Guy – A monthly podcast to help simplify details about the monthly Security patch releases.
• Security TechCenter – Find top tasks, get the latest news, find a wiki article or download a featured tool.
• Windows Update Services – Businesses of all sizes can help manage and control the rollout of updates in their organizations.

Other Resources You May Find Useful

• Springboard Series - Your destination for technical resources, free tools and expert guidance to ease the deployment and management of your Windows-based client infrastructure.
• AlignIT Manager Tech Talk Series - A monthly streamed video series with a range of topics for both infrastructure and development managers. Ask questions and participate real-time or watch the on-demand recording.
• Microsoft Virtual Academy - For Free Training To Help Improve Your IT Skill Set.
• TechNet Evaluation Center - Try some of the latest Microsoft products like Office 365, Windows Intune or System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 for free, before you buy.

3) Licensing Simplified – at Home and at Work

Licensing. Microsoft Licensing. This is probably one of the biggest areas of struggle for all of us that provide Microsoft based solutions. Just when we think we have what we need in the way of information and direction on how to license a particular solution the SPUR changes or something else changes to throw a monkey wrench in the mix.The links below will help to mitigate those experiences. :)

To add to the links below, the number one licensing site that we visit is the following:

• Microsoft License Advisor

The above linked licensing tool gives us access to all of Microsoft’s licensing programs, the ability to pick and choose which products we are trying to license, and the necessary guidelines for choosing the right program.

FYI: We always license our clients using Open Value Agreement (not subscription) as it provides the best value over the long haul for our clients. Payback is seen in the fourth through six year in SA renewal over OEM.

The link in the paragraph below is to the following blog post:

• Virtualization Team Blog: Beware the VMware Memory vTax Part 2…

Speaking of licensing – I often get asked if I can back up our claims at a more cost effective Virtualization solution for your server rooms.  I dug up a great – no nonsense breakdown on recent licensing changes in the industry and how our offering stacks up.

Licensing Resources

• Licensing FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions About Product Licensing.
• The SMB How to Buy Portal:  receive clear purchasing and licensing information that is easy to understand in order to help facilitate quick decision making.
• Microsoft License Advisor (MLA): Use MLA to research Microsoft Volume Licensing products, programs and pricing.  
• Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) – Already have a volume License? Use the VLSC to get you easy access to all your licensing information in one location.
• Windows 7 Comparison: Compare versions of Windows and find out which one is right for you.
• Office 2010 Comparison: Find out which Office suite is right for you.

Other Resources You May Find Useful

• TechNet Cloud Hub - Get the latest news and find great resources to help you jump into the Cloud.
• TechNet Evaluation Center - Try some of the latest Microsoft products like Office 365, Windows Intune or System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 for free, before you buy.
• Microsoft Virtual Academy - For free training to help improve your IT skill set.

4) Free Online Training and Resources from Microsoft

Training. It is the key to our success. We utilize Microsoft’s resources as well as other third party vendor’s training sites on a regular basis.

Knowledge in untrained hands is a dangerous thing. Being trained, evaluated, and certified on the products we work with goes beyond employability. It is a matter of necessity as we are _responsible_ for our client’s IT solutions.

Having a lab capable of running the various IT solutions we implement is also critical to our success. By building out the solutions in a lab setting we can blow them up, attempt to destroy them, pressure test them, and so much more without killing a production environment.

A TechNet subscription whether direct from them or via the Microsoft Action Pack Subscription is an important part of an IT Solution Provider’s in-house licensing and Microsoft products based lab.

Microsoft has a number of great resources to help you in areas of professional development and access to software.  The Microsoft Virtual Academy contains some fantastic FREE online training on hot topics for IT Professionals.  Once you’ve stopped by and tried out a course or two — head on over to the Microsoft Eval Center to download copies of their server products to try out in your lab environment.  And while you’re at it, check out this free Microsoft Office 365 ebook by Katherine Murray, it shows you how you can use cloud computing to help get more done and help improve ease of collaboration.

***

Hopefully there will be some nuggets of information in the above to help!

Thanks for reading. :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

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Microsoft Small Business Specialist Program Is Alive And Well – It Emphasises The Need For Training and Certification!

When we went through the changes in the Microsoft Partner Program and renewed last June, our Microsoft Small Business Specialist designation disappeared from our Microsoft Partner Portal company profile.

It took a bit of digging around to see what was up since my MCTS designation is based on the SBS 2008 exam and thus current.

It turned out that I needed to retake the Microsoft Partner online MSBS “exam” to regain our designation.

After passing the Partner based exam around a month ago, we received this today:

That little blue logo has done great things for our company since we were first qualified back when the program started.

Most of our clients knew that the next e-mail or communication to go out after our Small Business Specialist designation announcement e-mail was a rate increase. When we did enter into discussions, not one of our clients put up any resistance to our proposed increases.

Our clients valued the ongoing skill set improvement and what that meant for their own business in the IT solutions we were and are providing them. It meant _more money_ for them.

Real Experience

There is no replacement for the combination of specialised certification tied into practical real-world experience. By real-world we mean _actually working with the products_ and not working via some sort of PSA (Bing search) troubleshooting script.

PSA script based troubleshooting the tech does not make. Putting the solutions together, breaking them, putting them back together again, and so on makes a tech worth hiring.

One of the questions we used to ask any potential technicians was how many systems were running at home. If they answered less that two or three we disqualified them. Home theatre PCs and gaming machines did not count BTW.

Now we ask them how many virtualized systems are they running and what hardware infrastructure was being used to provide VM performance as well as its failover capabilities.

If we sense a passion and inquisitiveness around the hardware and software products the potential technician has touched in some way, then we place a high value on that.

My Experience

When I was single and working for one of the best IT employers I had ever worked for across any of the industries I have had my hands in (late 90s), it was not uncommon for me to start at 6AM and finish sometime around 8-10PM on a daily basis.

Every once in a while I would go through a friend refresh cycle, but I just kept at it both for my employer and on my own. I loved what I was doing . . . and still do to this day.

I now have Monique to keep a handle on the time I put into building our business and developing my skill set, but my days are still in-office/on-site 0600Hrs to 1800Hrs six days a week with some evenings being required too. Sundays are mandatory family days! ;)

Conclusion

Essentially, as was mentioned in yesterday’s blog post New to IT- Some Certification Advice Offered, if we are not willing to put in the time and effort to develop our professional skill set, then we should not expect anyone to pay us to just toe the line.

Vlad won’t do it, neither will we.Vlad’s response to yesterday’s post was Certification Path where he says:

• Follow the money.
• Where is IT investment dollars being spent?
• What can you do with your certification if your labor is not in demand?
• Can you go into business with your current skill set if there is a loss of employment?

And, to quote directly from his post:

I’ll be honest that in my hiring, the one thing that stands out the most is progression. I want people that have been involved in all things that have come to the front of the technology because I know that the skills you have now will soon be obsolete. Are you  table to quickly learn the new material? Are you someone that can figure things out, or do you need solid documentation and training before you can manage?

His follow up post is a good read.

We both offer advice and direction on how to make it in our industry, and like us, it is a decision that needs to be made to _run with it as smart and as hard as possible_. There is no compromise.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer

I am Speaking at the SBSC Migration Breakfast April 23 in Toronto

Need a breakfast with some SBS 2008 migration technical and business prospects?

Then Click Here to Register Now! 

• When: April 23 from 08:30 to 10:30
• Where: Microsoft Campus 1950 Meadowvale Boulevard Mississauga

From Satish’s SBSC Canada Blog:

There’s an upcoming breakfast event in Toronto called Migration of Small Business Server 2008 and Sales Opportunities for SMB-focused partners. You can have breakfast with us and listen to guest speaker Philip Elder – SBS MVP, owner of MPECS Inc., and fellow SBSC from Alberta.

Philip will walk you through an SBS 2003 to SBS 2008 migration technical overview and sales upgrade opportunities from SBS 2003 to SBS 2008. The full agenda will include:

• Hard Cost Opportunities:  new desktop and server hardware and software, including the repurposing of existing hardware
• Soft Cost Opportunities:  migration, post-install service and support, ongoing monitoring
• Talent Opportunities:  improved technical skills, disaster recovery skills, staffing

SBS 2008 presents us with a number of great opportunities for our clients and our own business. We will spend a little time with those opportunities along with a look at the SBS 2008 migration process.

I am looking forward to it and I hope to see you there!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

Microsoft Small Business Specialists still get Business Critical Phone Support

Since we have been so busy, there has been little time to catch up on things happening in the Microsoft Partner Portal.

One of the things pointed out in a licensing conversation on the Experts Exchange forum was that SBSCs are still eligible for business critical phone in support:

SBSC MS BizCrit Support

Note that the screenshot is from the Canadian Microsoft Partner portal site.

From the eligibility paragraph:

Eligibility for this benefit is offered to Action Pack or Empower Subscribers, Small Business Specialists, and Certified and Gold Certified Partners.

There is another incentive to get out and obtain the Microsoft Small Business Specialist designation for a small I.T. shop!

Business Critical Support is a good insurance policy. It should never be the first line of support when something hiccups. That is where the SBS ecosystem such as our SBS peers, online newsgroups, and other sources of SBS knowledge come into play.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

SBSC Canada gets a new blog...

Our SBSC lead here in Canada is Satish Kanwar.

He took over for Kim Harrison who was the person to get SBSC going here in Canada. She did an absolutely phenomenal job building SBSC ... so the bar is quite high.

So far, Satish as done a very good job picking up the reins from Kim by demonstrating a keen interest in further developing the SBSC program in Canada and reaching out to us in the SBSC.

Now, in addition to all that he has done since taking over, he has started a blog here: SBSC Canada.

For SBSC Canucks, this is one for your RSS Reader and for anyone who wants to keep an eye on SBSC in Canada, your readers could do with a subscription too!

Way to go Satish! We look forward to hearing from you.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Microsoft Small Business Specialist User Group is born ... almost

For anyone here in the Greater Edmonton Area, we are trying to get a user group started that is focused on the SBS/SMB market: The MSBSUG.

The group will be a part of or an the Edmonton Microsoft User Group. It is our intention to have some SBS/SMB focused sessions during the EMUG year.

I would also like to see the group built upon some focused meetings on our businesses and business practises, working with SBS 2003 and the various infrastructure products, as well as looking ahead to SBS 2008, EBS 2008, and the required infrastructure.

I am also hoping to form a study group for those who want to obtain the Microsoft Small Business Specialist designation for their I.T. firm.

So, please feel free to drop an email to me if you are interested in being a part of this new group.

We would like to have a group gathering for an initial Meet & Greet on Wednesday June 25, 2008 at a venue to be determined by the response we get.

Thanks to Microsoft and EMUG and all who have expressed interest so far.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Microsoft Event: Accelerate your Business - Calgary

We are currently on our way down to Calgary for the Microsoft Canada Event for Partners: Accelerate Your Business.

The focus of the afternoon will be on business opportunities in the new Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008 product platforms.

There will also be an exclusive MSBS Small Business Specialist Community session at 17:00 (5PM) that is something to look forward to.

This event will also be held in the following cities:

• Acclelerate Your Business: Montreal May 27, 2008
• Acclelerate Your Business: Mississauga May 29, 2008
• Accelerate Your Business: Vancouver June 3, 2008

If you have the time, please come on down and check it out!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Microsoft Action Pack Training & Assessment Deadline Extended

It seems that there are some system glitches with the new technical assessment feature for Action Pack (MAPS) subscriptions and renewals.

MAPS Test Deadline Extended

The original start date for the need to take the test was the beginning of this month.

The tests will now start on June 19, 2008.

In a way this is too bad. We believe that there is definitely a need to have some sort of testing regime in place to weed out those who would take advantage of MAPS for purposes it was not intended for.

For us, the Action Pack was a big bonus when we were starting out on the road to building an I.T. company. It gave us access to a good portion of the software we would otherwise need to license for our internal use at pennies on the dollar.

MAPS is a good idea. Take advantage of it. Use it as it was intended ... for internal and training purposes in an I.T. company that provides Microsoft products and services based on those products.

Then work towards certifying your company as a Microsoft Small Business Specialist! It has paid huge dividends for our company.

Oh, and take Vlad's advice: Ouch, the death of SBSC to contribute to the Small Business Specialist Community and take advantage of the Microsoft SBSC contacts or we may just loose the whole Small Business Specialist program!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Looking forward to 2008

2007 was a good year for us. We hope that it was a good year for you too!

We have had the pleasure to continue building client relationships with our long-term clients and begin the growth process with a number of new key clients.

It has been a year of growth in our client base and out products and services offerings.

For us, 2008 is looking to be a really exciting and challenging year.

It will be the year we formalize our training facility for both end users on applications and for SMB IT professionals on running an IT business, SBS 2K3, and SBS 2K8, and other SMB based products. We will also be formalizing our training materials for the Web too when we get our site updated and restructured.

2008 will be the year we actively work at starting an SMB/SBSC based Microsoft Support Group hopefully affiliated with our Edmonton Microsoft User Group.

It will hopefully be the year we can meet some of you face to face that we have been conversing with since starting the blog.

There are so many neat and challenging things happening in our industry right now!

Here is to embracing the challenges in our industry as well as within our own business in the year 2008.

Cheers and a prosperous new year for all of you from all of us here at MPECS Inc.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

SBS - Small Business Specialist Exam 70-282 Updated

Apparently the 70-282 exam, Designing, Deploying, and Managing a Network Solution for a Small- and Medium-Sized Business, was compromised at some point recently.

As a result, the exam had to be redone.

In a way, this is a mixed blessing, as it was explained to us at the Microsoft Partner event yesterday by Kim Harrison, our Partner Specialist for the Small Business Specialist Community (MSBS).

How is it a mixed blessing? Well, for those of us who have written the exam, many of the questions were not relevant to our SMB focus. They had more of an Enterprise slant to them.

Apparently, Microsoft brought in some key MSBS people to help with the exam's rewrite. This means that we will hopefully see a lot more SMB relevant questions on the exam.

For those considering the Microsoft Small Business Specialist designation, SMBNation is bringing out an updated volume that will also include chapters on exam 70-631 for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0: Microsoft Small Business Specialist Primer.

The benefits of having the MSBS logo attached to our company are manifold:

1. It distinguishes us from the pack.
2. The logo on our Proposals - a huge stand-out.
3. Our rates reflect the professional level indicated.
4. Access to exclusive Microsoft resources:
   • An MSBS point of contact within Microsoft (try getting that from Partners at the Registered level!)
   • Managed Newsgroups accessible to MSBS members only with a 4 hour guaranteed turnaround.
   • Marketing perks.
5. More...

For us smaller I.T. shops, the MSBS designation makes sense.

And, for those of us who have been in this industry for a long time, especially if we have been focused on Small Business Server, exam 70-282 will actually be quite reasonable. It is a good idea to pick up the book and brush up on the "terminology" language specifics, but for the most part our experience will show through in the questions answered.

From Micosoft: Preparation Guide for Exam 70-282: Designing, Deploying, and Managing a Network Solution for a Small- and Medium-Sized Business.

The above link gives a good explanation of the exam and the expectations of Microsoft in regards to it.

The Microsoft Small Business Specialist Partner Site.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Microsoft Partner - Promoting your business on the new Solution Profiler

Apparently, we will need to build a solutions profile for our companies in order for clients to find us soon.

From what I understand, the client types in a problem/solution they are looking at and those partners that have the right key solution words would be brought up in the results.

Hopefully it will eliminate the Resource Directory's promotion of Gold and Certified members over us Registered level Small Business Specialists. Hopefully, it will avoid the snafu of trying to get our company properly listed in the Resource Directory! 8*0

Why is this important? As Susan Bradley points out in her introduction in the book Advanced Small Business Server 2003 Best Practices, the Gold Certified partners tried to convince her and her firm to avoid SBS (pg. xxxvii)! When we Registered level partners tend to know that SBS is an awesome product that can meet a broad range of client I.T. needs for a very reasonable cost.

It is in our experience as well, that small business I.T. shops that have obtained their Microsoft Small Business Specialist designation, are a lot more understanding of a small business' needs. Howz that? Well, we run our own small businesses don't we?

We understand the need to juggle our business needs according to cash flow, productivity and knowledge of our employees, applications that can serve our business needs, the technology needed today and tomorrow to meet those needs, and more.

As a result, we smaller Microsoft Small Business Specialists have a particular ability to address our client's small business needs.

We also have the time to invest in getting to know our client's business, their business model, and the special software application needs they may have for their industry. By investing this time, we are better able to design an SBS based solution that will meet their very specific needs.

We could not justify that kind of time investment in our client's business I.T. needs if we worked for a larger I.T. support company.

This time investment pays off in the end, as we can foster business relationships that can last decades!

So, invest some time in setting up your Solution Profile. Log on to the Partner site: Microsoft Partners Site (Worldwide Portal). Once signed in, click on the View/Manage your membership account button and head over to the Membership Center (has your little graph status level). The Solution Finder is under the "Requirements & Assets" heading/button.

It will be time consuming, especially for us small shops, but in the end, it will hopefully be worth it.

Thanks to David Overton's Blog for pointing this out: So your profile info is on MS Partner site and partner finder, so now you MUST update your solution profiles to be found - here is why and how it takes 10 mins.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

SBS 2K3 R2 Premium - Upgrading WSS MSDE to SQL 2005

I have pretty much upgraded the default MSDE db instance for Windows SharePoint Services to a full SQL database since I can remember.

On SBS 2K3 RTM and SP1 this was a relatively straight forward upgrade to SQL 2000.

ON SBS 2K3 R2 Premium though, it is not so straight forward to upgrade the instance to a SQL 2005 instance.

There are a number of extra steps that one will need to complete in order to upgrade the database instance.

SmallBizServer.net has the low down on how to accomplish this task. The instructions are chock full of screen shots, so it is very easy to follow.

Microsoft also has its own article on the various types of database instances WSS can run and the upgrade processes for each here. This article also specifies the proper method for the Default install of SQL 2005 Workgroup Edition.

Watch yourself though, any mistakes and it could mean a re-install or recovery!

Happy SBSing,

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

Microsoft Update Error: Files required to use Microsoft Update

Just received an error on a client machine that I have never seen before: Files required to use Microsoft Update are no longer registered or installed on your computer. To continue:

• Register or reinstall the files for me now (Recommended)
  
• Let me read about more steps that might be required to solve the problem.

The first option, when I ran it a couple of times, once after a reboot did not work. The second option took me to a non-descript search page with no indication as to what I was to search for!

So, after some searching, I came up with this:

To do this firstly click on the “Start” button then “Run” and enter the following command into the “Run” dialog box

· regsvr32 wuapi.dll

You should then receive a message to say it was successful.

The above process then needs to be done for each of the following commands:
· regsvr32 wups.dll
· regsvr32 wuaueng.dll
· regsvr32 wucltui.dll
· regsvr32 atl.dll
· regsvr32 msxml3.dll

After running these commands, reboot the system, head back to the Microsoft Update site and you should be good to go.

Hats off to Daniel Petri's Forums for this information!

Happy SBSing!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists.