tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post7023402801876429937..comments2024-03-27T21:40:39.130-07:00Comments on Small Biz Thoughts by Karl W. Palachuk: What Keeps You From Installing SBS 2008?Karl W. Palachukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10854725002875547297noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post-6246896406781798532009-05-07T10:09:00.000-07:002009-05-07T10:09:00.000-07:00Vlad seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder...Vlad seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder about something? <br /><br />SBS 2003 R2 is not six years old, Karl. I know that "3 years old later this year" doesn't sound quite as damnig as "six years old", but...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06374396119911418122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post-11096763828310674382009-05-07T05:45:00.000-07:002009-05-07T05:45:00.000-07:00I see your point. But every business has "technici...I see your point. But every business has "technician" and advisors.<br /><br />Several years ago I had a house painted and the "technicians" painted right over a spot of dry rot. When I found out, I was pissed. I expected them to at least stop and tell me it was there.<br /><br />Two years later I had another house painted and they sent out an advisor to inspect the house before they started. He found some siding that had dry rot. Rather than paint over it, he recommended that we replace the bad boards before they started.<br /><br />Now the advisor would have painted over the dry rot if I insisted. I suppose there are people who do that.<br /><br />I'm one of those people who is willing to pay a little more and work with people who help me spend my money wisely. I look for clients with the same attitude.<br /><br />It's not hard, really. When we charge $225/hour and Cousin Larry charges $65, the client knows that we're advisors and not technicians.<br /><br />At the same time, the client has a real right to be mad at us if they discover 12 months from now that we sold them the wrong thing just because we're not comfortable with the newer technology.Karl W. Palachukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10854725002875547297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post-47698434046596815042009-05-07T05:13:00.000-07:002009-05-07T05:13:00.000-07:00Wall, meet Karl. Karl, wall. Enjoy!
Trusted Advis...Wall, meet Karl. Karl, wall. Enjoy!<br /><br />Trusted Advisor / Ethical Consulant / Unemployed IT laborer does not mean understanding of technology or business.<br /><br />Think of it as a hot dog stand operator with a keyboard. Would you talk to a hot dog stand operator about marginal increases in cost, technology or efficiency benefits, etc? Of course not.<br /><br />The whole TA Microsoft pitch was taken to fanatical extents by some folks who have virtually transformed themselves to the subservient employees of a business only looking to do the bare minimum to get by - you aren't talking highly trained, highly skilled, business-savvy providers out there that are going to help a business over the problems they have created for themselves. <br /><br />In a way, from the Trusted Advisor perspective, you are way off Karl. ;) Why should anyone retrain and investigate new technology if the current technology works and there is even one negative review about it out there? If you're getting paid to remove spyware, why would you install a solution that would eliminate the problem in the first place?<br /><br />-VladVlad Mazekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05613073111629014683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post-16330900014983304992009-05-06T16:40:00.000-07:002009-05-06T16:40:00.000-07:00If a client has to stay on 2003 because they LOB r...If a client has to stay on 2003 because they LOB requires it, that's one thing.<br /><br />But when you have choices, I don't see any case in which the responsible thing is to put a client on a six year old operating system. I love SBS2003. But I loved SBS2000 (in fact, I thought it was the perfect operating system until I installed 2003). <br /><br />But 2003 doesn't take advantage of newer technology. It doesn't understand virtualization. The licensing is not as flexible. Features like the "old" RWW pale in comparison to the new RWW.<br /><br />And unless you're installing SBS2008 on old hardware, I'm sorry, but you can't complain about speed. Forget minimums. RAM is $25/gig. If you install anything on a new server with 8GB RAM, it will be plenty fast.<br /><br />We certainly don't sell every new thing to every client.<br /><br />But the responsible thing *is* to put clients on new, forward-facing technology rather than on old, backward-facing technology.<br /><br />And as for price . . . I think a price increase after six years is reasonble. If you take that couple hundred dollars and spread it over the life of the server, it's a pretty small percentage of the true cost of running a server.<br />--karlpKarl W. Palachukhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10854725002875547297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post-81546549226396355292009-05-06T15:29:00.000-07:002009-05-06T15:29:00.000-07:00Clients don't pay you, their trusted advisor and I...Clients don't pay you, their trusted advisor and IT partner to hawk whatever the newest (and in this case more expensive) product is. They pay you to look out for their interests, which for most SMB customers has not been Server 2008, or Vista.<br /><br />SBS 2008 is more expensive and dramatically slower than SBS 2003. <br /><br />We'll install it as needed, but if there is some super compelling reason to rush upgrades, it is a well-kept secret.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06374396119911418122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22311364.post-87885264033028811152009-05-06T14:21:00.000-07:002009-05-06T14:21:00.000-07:00I think you've accidentally stumbled upon the diff...I think you've accidentally stumbled upon the difference between successful IT solution providers and "Trusted Advisors"<br /><br />The difference is, one group knows how to market and the other one is "trusted" to nod or grimace at whoever they take their orders from. <br /><br />The reason your victim reacted the way he did is because he's in that SPF / Trusted Advisor / Independant Ethical Consultant crowd that was able to survive simply on the pent up demand.<br /><br />Now that the demand is gone.... Well, to the great extent so are they.<br /><br />-VladVlad Mazekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05613073111629014683noreply@blogger.com