Sunday, May 29, 2022

Fun New YouTube Features

My daughter made an interesting observation about social media yesterday. We were talking about how TikTok is currently for "younger" people while Facebook is more for "older" people. But someday, TikTok will be for old people - because all those smarty-pants kids are going to grow up!

My daughter's observation was that YouTube will survive through all of this! Why? Very simply, YouTube continues to be everything to everyone. You can have six-second videos, or three-hour documentaries. In addition, they are a medium for broadcasting. The closest analogy is to old-school broadcast TV - in which YouTube is the atmosphere through which every station broadcasts.

There are several ongoing debates around social media that revolve around the question: Are you a content creator or a platform? The answer to that question affects discussions of  regulation and liability. On this question, YouTube is very solidly a platform on which millions of people create content.


New YouTube Features

Like all social media, YouTube rolls out new features from time to time. On a few occasions, they make a big deal about it. Other times, they just quietly show up. And some times, they only show up for some people. So you might tell a friend to try something, but they don't see it yet.

Here are three new features you may have missed . . . because they snuck up while you weren't looking. I am presenting them from least-cool to most cool:

1. Download. You can now download almost any YT video. Even old videos are now part of the new common license. This one seems odd to me. Just like downloading all the music on earth, it seems a bit odd to download videos when I know they're going to be on YouTube anyway. I'm sure there's a rare use case, but I don't expect to use this feature much.

2. Thanks. Here's a fun one. I think this was a response to Patreon. For some channels, you can click the Thanks button and make a donation to the creator. Just be aware that YouTube keeps 30% as a finders fee/transaction cost. So your $2.00 donation becomes a $1.40 payout. Still, that's a $1.40 the creator didn't have before.

3. Clip. This one is pretty cool. You can now share a key clip from a video. Here's an example. I love the channel Smarter Every Day. And one of my favorite themes on that channel is the Prince Rupert's Drop. Destin, the creator, just added another video. And just so you can see how cool it is, I've created this clip for you: 

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxhUrEWKUh5FfLWQoJ4vro6iq2Jy9YxqVY

NOTE: Blogger and YouTube are both owned by Google, but Blogger doesn't yet have a way to post a thumbnail of a YT clip. So it's either the whole video or nothing. That's why I just posted the link. Oh well.

Basically, what you're looking at is a specific kind of exploding glass trapped inside Epoxy resin, filmed at more than 250,000 frames per second. And, of  course, there's science behind all this.

When you click on that clip, it puts my title on the tab at the top of the browser and then plays the short clip in a loop. Over on the right is a big button to Watch the Full Video.

Anyway: I think the Clip Feature will become very popular. 

4. Save. This is my favorite new feature. Unlike download, I expect that I will use "Save" a lot. When you click the Save option, you are given a list of playlists to add the video to. For example, 

  • Watch later
  • Any playlist you've created on your account
  • Create a New Playlist
I created a new playlist just entitled Karl Favorites. Once you create a playlist, you can set it to be completely private, public, or unlisted. With unlisted, anyone who has the link can see your new playlist.

I imagine this feature will be very handy for teachers of various ilks. 

And, best of all, I now have instant access to "Walk Like an Egyptian" anytime I want! Here's my favorite clip: Debbi Peterson whistling like an Egyptian . . . 

...

Check out the new features on YouTube. Play around. If my daughter's right, this will be the social site that you can count on in the long run.

:-)


Thursday, May 26, 2022

IT Channel Vendors: Please Join Us - The NSITSP Vendor Partner Program - Meeting June 15th

The National Society of IT Service Providers has a new Vendor Partner Program!

Channel Vendors: Please Join Us - Literally.


Amy Babinchak (NSITSP Board President) and I are hosting an online meeting for all IT Channel Vendors to learn about the NSITSP Vendor Partner Program.


Please join us to learn about the role vendors can plan in the NSITSP.

June 15th Meeting – 9 AM Pacific/Noon Eastern

Register for the live Zoom Meeting here.


NSITSP is a member-driven and member-centric organization committed to raising the professionalism and integrity of the IT Service Provider industry by creating a trade association for professionals, their employers and vendors. Our community is made up of a large collection of individuals, companies, and organizations.


We have a very brief agenda:

  • Quick Intro to the NSITSP
  • The roles vendors can play
  • The VPP - Vendor Partner Program
  • Questions and Answers


This broad community includes manufacturers, distributors, software developers, and a wide variety of companies that are generally referred to as “vendors” in the SMB IT community.

Vendors play many critical roles in the IT community. In addition to giving partner products and services to sell, they educate partners, support them, and create an environment where partners can grow and be successful. The vendors are critically important to the IT Service Providers, just as the ITSPs are important to the vendors.

Vendors are encouraged to support the NSITSP as a professional association that strives to improve the overall professionalism of IT consultants.

I hope to see you there! Please join us.

-- Karl W. Palachuk, Executive Director, NSITSP

Register Now!



:-)

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

We Are Under Attack - And Businesses Know It

Our industry is under attack on several fronts - and your clients know it!

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the California Society of Association Executives - Cal SAE, a part of the American Society of Association Executives. I went as Executive Director of the National Society of IT Service Providers. 

(See https://www.nsitsp.org.)

Pretty much everyone at the meeting was either an Executive Director, Assistance Executive Director, or CEO of a nonprofit association. As "associations," the members represent a variety of professions, such as physicians, libraries, restaurants, pest control companies, and so forth.

They were business people and represented business people.

As I introduced myself around, the key question was either what does your organization do or why does your organization exist. (I think Simon Sinek would be delighted that so many conversations started with the "why" question.)

As a technical person who has run technical companies for a few decades, I am very used to people not really understanding what we do. You've been there: If you say, "We design, build, and support secure networks for small businesses," someone will respond that their cousin makes graphics for SnapChat. Okay. Whatever.

I didn't have that problem yesterday. When I said that we are a collection of technology consultants who are facing tough challenges and want to make sure that our side of the story is heard, the most common response was, "Oh. You folks are under attack." People in small business actually know that we (IT consultants) are fighting a war on ransomware and cybersecurity. They can name Colonial Pipeline and Solarwinds, even if they can't give any details. They know cyber insurance is going through the roof, and they know that government agencies are looking to regulate us.

Literally, for the first time in my life, I introduced myself and people had a very good idea of what I was up to.

I find it very ironic that many people in our own industry do not yet see the same thing. 

Right now, today, as I write this, I am preparing notes to record a podcast on the recent announcements from NIST, CISA, and the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council. Regulation is everywhere. Check Wired.com or your favorite news channel and there's probably a cybersecurity news report from the last day or two. And, obviously, insurance rates and requirements are being overhauled for all businesses.

The Good News is: I believe your clients understand some of what you're going through. All businesses and industries discuss cybersecurity and cyber insurance rates on a regular basis. And while regulation might not be top of mind, business owners are regularly clicking on articles about cybersecurity and insurance only to find that they're also reading about the regulation of our industry.


If you are not discussing these topics with your clients you should be. You don't have to make it political. You don't have to take a stand. Just talk about the elephant in the room.

Your clients are talking to anyone who will listen about their insurance rates, and their cybersecurity policy -  if they can get one. If nothing else, listen to them and sympathize. Have the discussion.

Obviously, it's easier to talk about ransomware and cyber threats. But here, too, listen to your clients. What are their real challenges, from their perspective? Consider how you might help.

Remember, your relationship with your clients should never be an "us" vs. "them" environment. You and they are in this together, in a symbiotic relationship that is part of the larger small business ecosystem. You and your clients are going through these challenges together. 

Just be aware: Many of your clients are tuned in. They understand what's going on. And I'll bet they sympathize with the challenges your business faces today.

-- -- -- 

Side note: One woman spoke at great length about the challenges they have with cloud services and letting people spread company data all over the place with various services that are not part of the officially sanctioned corporate cloud service. Many people nodded their heads in agreement.

This is another example where business owners understand the challenges you deal with. I believe they are eager and ready to have meetings with you about how they can address these challenges. It's a great time to be a consultant and not just wait for something to break so you can remote in and fix it. 

It's a great time to nurture your role as a technology consultant and not just a fix-it company.

:-)



Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Class - Highly Successful Project Management for Small Business - Starts May 31st

Class - Highly Successful Project Management for Small Business 

- Based on the book Project Management in Small Business

Taught By: Karl Palachuk, author and coach

- Five Tuesdays 

- May 31st - June 28th

- All classes start a 9:00 AM Pacific

Register Now - Only $299*




Not project should EVER:

- Be late

- Be over budget

- Lose money

- Drag on forever

Join us and we'll show you how! Really.


This course will cover the most important aspects of project management for small business. It is intended for computer consultants, VARs, and managed service providers. Whether you sell projects on a Time-and-Materials basis or flat fee, it is critical to manage them successfully.

Successful projects are more than simply profitable. Successful projects make you look good. They make the client more productive and potentially more profitable. They help you build a positive relationship.

Tuition includes the book in PDF format along with all associated downloads.

This course is intended for consultants who are new to project management as well as those who have been running projects for years and would like to take a serious step up to the next level of professionalism and profitability.

This is an intensive webinar course over a five-week period. All assignments are voluntary, of course. But if you want feedback on assignments, please complete assignments during this course and email them to the instructor.


Topics to be presented include:

  • Different kinds of project management; What’s best for this job?
  • Tools to Use for managing your projects
  • Documentation at all stages
  • Pre-Discovery Process
  • The Discovery Process
  • Documentation and Communication
  • After the Project
  • Checklists of all kinds
  • Project Planning, Quoting, and Selling
  • Why Projects Go Wrong
  • The Scope is Everything
  • Closed Loop Project Management
  • How an Ant Eats an Elephant
  • Managing Projects in Your PSA
  • Microsoft Project
  • Client Training
  • The Evaluation Process
  • Managing Time / Managing Employees
  • Outsourcing Options
  • Creating Repeatable, Successful Projects
  • Building an Action Plan that works


Specialist Certification Pathways

Meets Certification Requirements for:

  • Management
  • Technician
  • Service Manager


This class will be recorded. Each unit is generally posted within 24 hours of the live class. These recorded units will become the On-Demand class and you’ll have lifetime access to it.


Course Outline

Unit 1 Setting the Stage – What is a Successful Project?

Unit 2 Project Planning, Quoting, Selling

Unit 3 Closed Loop Execution

Unit 4 Staffing and Repeatable Success

Unit 5 Implementing Your PM Process

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

ChannelPro Network Announces 2022 ChannelPro SMB Forum Event in Dallas June 6-7

My friends over at ChannelPro dropped this in my inbox . . .


Calling all Texas MSPS: The ChannelPro Network Announces 2022 ChannelPro SMB Forum Event in Dallas June 6-7


ChannelPro’s in-person event in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex offers IT integrators, managed service providers, consultants, and VARs two days of educational content designed to help drive business growth. 


The all-new 2022 ChannelPro SBM Forum tour taking place in-person in six cities throughout the U.S. is stopping in Grapevine, TX on June 6-7 at the Courtyard by Marriott DFW Airport. The ChannelPro Network’s two-day event series features workshops and educational sessions presented by industry-leading experts and channel professionals designed to provide actionable, business-building advice for integrators and managed IT service providers.

New this year are hands-on workshops for attendees. On the pre-day on June 6, Titanium sponsor Dell Expert Network will be conducting a sales and marketing workshop that will include a Dell Solutions showcase of the latest technology and a $1,000 cash giveaway, and Gold sponsor Trend Micro will be offering a security workshop designed to help solution providers transform their business while increasing value to customers.

Managed IT service providers and IT integrators are welcome to register and attend for free. Please use promo code KPVIP when you register at this link: https://cvent.me/8r0AXR?RefId=kp

The main day on June 6 will feature a social media workshop led by experts from channel legend Janet Schijns’ JS Group. Attendees will learn proven, practical techniques used by social selling masters, and get free access to an extensive series of online follow-up lessons.

The line-up of educational sessions during the day addresses the top issues MSPs care about—recruiting and hiring, security, growth strategies, and making money with Microsoft Azure. The sessions will be delivered in interactive, informative, and fun-filled formats attendees will not find at any other industry event.

The ChannelPro SMB Forum speakers include a powerhouse of MSP business owners and channel advisers sharing insights and best practices. Speakers for the Chicago event include:

Seana Fippin, CEO of Red Box Business Solutions; Charles Henson, managing partner of Nashville Computer; and Joanna Mirov, CEO of MXOtech will take the stage in a “Dating Game” format. In ChannelPro’s version, The Employee Recruitment Dating Game, the three panelists will see if they have what it takes to find, woo, and win the best tech talent out there. 

Azure experts Stephen Monk, CEO of Noverus Innovations, and Luis M. Alvarez, president and CEO of Alvarez Technology Group (ATG), will share their tips in a peer-to-peer session on how to build and grow a services business based on Microsoft’s public cloud platform.

Security pros James Carroll, principal at Hacket Cyber; Lawrence Cruciana, president of Corporate Information Technologies; and Heath Adams, CEO and founder of TCM Security, will thrill and chill attendees with their true-life stories of incredible hacks, unforgiveable customer errors, and high-stakes incident responses. In this “security slam” session, consultant Jayson Ferron will determine which panelist tells the most instructive tale that will help attendees protect their clients more effectively.

Finally, in a “Survivor” style format, top managed services consultants Rayanne Buchianico, owner of ABC Solutions; Allen Edwards, president of Eureka Process; and Shawn Walsh, CEO of Encore Strategic Consulting, will field tough questions from attendees about the M&A strategy, product strategy, and growth strategy today’s MSPs need to survive in a changing market. They will then pick the sole survivor among the participants! 

In the Dallas area and at every event throughout the year, attendees will be able to browse the vendor expo and network with peers. All events kick off with an evening reception after the pre-day workshops.

“As always, we’ve built this year’s events around the biggest, most important issues in the SMB channel, and assembled an outstanding lineup of MSPs, solution providers, and industry experts to speak about them,” says Jeff O’Heir, event content director and community manager for The ChannelPro Network. “Our Chicago area audience is sure to have plenty of great new business-building ideas at their disposal when they return to the office.”

If you are an IT integrator, managed services provider, consultant, or VAR, this event is for you! 

Complete June 6-7 ChannelPro SMB Forum event information and a registration page can be found here: https://events.channelpronetwork.com/channelpro-smb-forum-2022-southwest-dallas 

Managed IT service providers and IT integrators are welcome to register and attend for free. Please use promo code KPVIP when you register at this link: https://cvent.me/8r0AXR?RefId=kp

###

:-)




Tuesday, May 17, 2022

GreenLink Networks Announces New Faxing Solutions Designed for Remote Workforce

From my friends at GreenLink . . .

-----

Addison, Texas – May 17, 2022 - GreenLink Networks, a channel-only provider of Business VoIP services, is pleased to announce the release of two highly anticipated enhancements to their existing fax offerings. Designed for the remote workforce, Outbound Paperless Fax and Hybrid Fax Solutions are easy to deploy, flexible options to accommodate the modern labour force.


As office work environments continue to change, many businesses have embraced electronic faxing while others are continuing to keep analog lines at the office; however, analog lines are not only expensive, but they will be phased out in the future. 

With GreenLink Outbound Paperless Fax service, customers can send electronic faxes and include a cover page from the GreenLink Customer Portal without the need for an analog line. An ideal solution for staff working from home or from different locations, this service includes additional features such as access controls and a fax log to track status. Furthermore, GreenLink provides a brand-new number or can transfer a fax number from a previous service. 

The Hybrid Fax Solution includes the outbound paperless fax capabilities and adds the ability to use a physical fax machine. In addition to sending a fax from the GreenLink Customer Portal, users can also send, receive, and print faxes on a fax machine. 

“GreenLink is committed to providing its partners and customers with services that fit today’s evolving work environment. With the inclusion of these new fax solutions, this will allow them to configure their systems the best way possible to meet their varying business needs,” said Jhovanny Rodriguez, Vice-President, and Co-founder, GreenLink Networks.

“I was eager to be one of the first to try out GreenLink’s new fax offering and was thrilled with the easy plug-in set-up. To have the option of email faxing come out on both the physical fax machine and the portal is invaluable,” said Walter Huff of Huff Technologies. “I didn’t have to make one phone call to Support because something didn’t work correctly.”

The fax solutions from GreenLink are monthly service plans and the inbound and outbound fax setup is fully customizable for your business needs. 

For more information, please visit www.greenlinknetworks.com


About GreenLink Networks

Founded by Managed IT Service industry veterans Mayron Herrera and Jhovanny Rodriguez, GreenLink Networks is a channel-only provider of Business VoIP Services with a generous partner program. The portfolio of VoIP services includes Cloud Business Phone Service (Hosted PBX) and SIP trunking. GreenLink Networks is compatible with multiple handset brands, offers flexible procurement options including purchase, rentals or use of existing IP enabled phones. For more information visit www.GreenLinknetworks.com

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Thursday, May 12, 2022

NSITSP Update: Elections, Vendor Partners, Logo Contest, and more . . . A report on the big meeting

 I'll repeat this and more on the NSITSP blog (https://www.nsitsp.org/news/), but this blog has more readers, so reporting here makes sense.

The National Society of IT Service Providers had their big quarterly meeting this week. You can view the meeting, read the transcript, and catch all the shared chat links at https://www.nsitsp.org/meetings/.

The place to start for "all things NSITSP" is the web site at www.nsitsp.org. Resources you'll find there include:

  • Volunteer opportunities
  • Meetings (recorded)
  • Committee reports - minutes from various committee meetings
  • Founding documents and history
  • Forums
  • Mission, vision, values

I point out the obvious landing page simply because we are constantly changing it to keep up-to-date with changes in the organization. A few current things to keep track of include:


Logo Contest

We have a logo. It is literally something I came up with as a "placeholder" last year. Some people like it. Some don't. The Marketing Committee has therefore come up with a contest! All the details are on the contest page: https://www.nsitsp.org/logo-contest/.

We want to gather as many design ideas as we can. The Committee will selection three options and those "winners" will each win some prize money. As for the vote, we'll have a two-part vote. First, we'll ask the question of whether to keep or replace the current logo. If "replace" wins, we'll then count the votes for the contenders.

All of these decisions must ultimately be accepted by the Board. For details, see the contest page.


Elections

One of the big announcements from the meeting is that we have agreed on an election process and timing. Elections will be held in September, and campaigning will take place in August. Details will be published on the NSITSP site and blog as the pieces of the process fall into place.

Here are a few notes about the election, as defined by the Governance Committee (formerly the Formation Committee):

  • To the extent possible, the process for Board and Committee elections will be as similar as possible to each other
  • The fall elections will be officially announced on July 1st - with all the details
  • Candidates will file for office during August 
  • Each candidate may run for only one office
  • Voting will take place in September
  • Some members will be elected for two years, some for one year
    (Note: After this initial election, all elections will be for two-year terms.)

Again, the pages are being built out and we'll keep you informed.


Vendor Partner Program

We are about to post a page for the Vendor Partner Program. In order for our broader community and this organization to thrive, we need vendors to be involved. The Board has been very clear on this point and we have worked hard to get vendor members onto various committees.

But we also need larger contributions in order to grow faster and reach our longer-term goals.

Vendors need strong partners. And, at the same time, vendors have legitimate concerns about how their operating environment is affected by state and federal legislation and regulation. We would love to have vendors come to us and work together so that all members of our community can work together to build a strong ecosystem. This includes manufacturers, programmers, distributors, MSPs, tool companies, and all the many combinations out there.

It's no exaggeration: We are in this together!

Stay tuned for an announcement. We'll put together a Vendor Partner Program "launch" webinar with a short presentation and lots of time for Q&A. In the meantime, you can always email me at [email protected] if you wish to schedule a call. I'm happy to talk to anyone about this program.


. . . That's the Tip of the Iceberg!

Our committees include Legislative, Governance, Finance, Marketing, and Membership. Most of them are seeking new members and all of them are building volunteer lists. See the web site.

PLEASE join as a professional member! It's only $100 for the year. If you're in this industry, you can afford that. And we honestly need every member. We need dollars to stay alive, and we need numbers so that we can honestly claim to represent IT Service Providers. See the web site.

. . . If you missed that meeting, please make time to view it . . .

And join today!

:-)


Thursday, May 05, 2022

The ASCII Group Announces New Initiative to Membership Community with Sandler Partners

My friends at ASCII slipped this under the door . . .

-- -- -- 


Bethesda, Maryland – May 5, 2022 – The ASCII Group, a large membership-based community of independent North American MSPs, MSSPs and Solution Providers, is pleased to announce a new initiative with Sandler Partners, a leading distributor of Connectivity and Cloud services.

By collaborating with Sandler Partners, ASCII members will have access to their unique, and competitive portfolio of telecom, technology, and Cloud solutions. This engagement will allow ASCII members to broaden their technology portfolios with over two hundred telecom and Cloud Provider solutions, while further increasing their ability to serve their clients. 

“We are pleased to be working with Sandler Partners and recognize the emerging synergies between the telecom and IT industries,” said Alan Weinberger, Chairman & CEO, The ASCII Group. “We are delighted to present another benefit to members of the ASCII community that will yield additional revenue opportunities for their businesses.”

“Being independent and private, we can work a little differently than most technology distributors,” states Alan Sandler, Founding Partner. “We’re free to concentrate on the relationships we build with our community –educating and empowering technology professionals with impartial solutions, not driven by quota’s or agendas, providing ironclad contracts, and support that allows customer service, everyone’s holy grail, to always be the first and last consideration. We are grateful to welcome The ASCII Group to our community, the Sandler Partners team is ready to help you succeed.” 

The ASCII Group is committed to helping its members meet the increasing demand for telecom solutions for their SMB clients. This new initiative with Sandler Partners will provide members an additional opportunity to expand their service offerings.

To learn more about becoming a member of The ASCII Group, please visit www.ascii.com


About The ASCII Group, Inc:

The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, MSSPs and Solution Providers. The Group has members located throughout the U.S. and Canada, and membership encompasses everyone from credentialed MSPs serving the SMB community to multi-location solution providers with a national and international reach. Founded in 1984, ASCII provides services to members including leveraged purchasing programs, education and training, marketing assistance, extensive peer interaction and more. ASCII works with a vibrant ecosystem of leading and major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com


About Sandler Partners

Sandler Partners is America’s fastest-growing technology solutions brokerage and distributor of connectivity and cloud services. In 2021, Sandler Partners was included on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies for the 12th straight year. Over the years, they’ve expanded beyond their telecom roots to deliver best-in-class cloud, colocation, mobility, continuity, and security solutions from 200+ suppliers through a network of 9,000+ expert technology sales partners — agents, VARs, and MSPs — to thousands of small, medium, and enterprise organizations nationwide.

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