Smb Community Podcast By Karl W. Palachuk

Spam Soap’s “Click Protect” Scans Attachments When they Download Len Dimiceli from Spam Soap talked to me at Autotask Community Live in Phoenix about the latest and greatest news from Spam Soap.   The latest service from Spam Soap is called Click Protect.  Click Protect scans attachments. But more than that, it always scans the attachment before it’s opened. So if an attachment’s reputation has gone bad, it will not open. There is no additional charge for this feature. Existing partners will need to turn on the feature. New partners will receive it turned on automatically. Len gives us some details of the Spam Soap partner program, sign-up costs, etc. He also talks about the nature of partners at the Autotask conference versus some of the other conferences out there. For more information on Spam Soap, visit www.spamsoap.com.  – Download the Interview with Len Dimiceli from Spam Soap  here.  

Continuum Bundles Everything – And Lets You Test Drive at a Low Price With No Obligation   Continuum (formerly Zenith) was the original RMM solution with NOC back end included. Today they have a very large variety of offerings, including Level 1 and Level 2 tech support on the desktop. They have a new Mobile Device Management program, their Vault BDR, and a “Tech Advantage” program that allows you to send project work to their team.   They also have a new “Marketing Advantage” program, which Matt describes in this podcast.   I talked to Matt at the Continuum booth at Autotask Community Live. I asked him about their Starter package. He gives some good details here. Basically, you have a small buy-in with no long term contract, and you get just about every product they offer.   They basic RMM agent includes a variety of add-on software as well, including anti-virus and anti-malware software all for one low price.   For more information on Continuum, visit www.continuum.net.    – Download the Interview with M

Karen Guarino from Reflexion – Spam Filtering, HIPAA Training, and Automated Email Encryption for HIPAA Compliance   Karen  Guarino is the Channel Support Manager at Reflexion. She talked to us at the Autotask Community Live event about the latest and greatest campaigns from Reflexion. Of course Reflexion does spam filtering, but they have added some cool services that allow partners to more easily serve their medical/HIPAA clients.   In addition to spam filtering, Reflexion offers training on a few topics. The one I’ve been involved in is their HIPAA certification training.   In addition to that, Reflexion has a cool email encryption service that scans outbound emails and encrypts them if they meet certain criteria. For example, if it detects a Social Security  (not allowed to be emailed under the HIPAA HiTech Act), it automatically encrypts the email.   For more information on Reflexion, visit www.reflexion.net.   For more information on Reflextion training programs, visit www.reflexiontraining.net.    –

Steve Noel: Management by Exception Interface takes continuity to the next level    I caught up with Steve “The Dude” Noel, Technical Sales Engineer with Axcient at the Autotask Community Live event.   Axcient’s big push right now is on their “Management by Exception” Interface for their business continuity solution. With this tool, you can get alerts if a good backup is not received within a specified time period.   On other fronts, Steve mentioned that Axcient is beginning to see more activity in the mid-market space in addition to the “S” side of SMB. (It is interesting that he’s the second person we interviewed that is seeing traction into the mid-market.) You can find out more at www.axcient.com   or contact Steve directly at snoel@axcient.com.  – Download the Interview with Steve Noel from Axcient  here.

Ken Edwards: Adding Streams of Income … and More    My friend Ken Edwards is a busy member of the community, an SMB 150 award winner, and an Autotask user. Ken owns Maverick Mesa Computers in Glendale, AZ. He also owns a few other small businesses unrelated to I.T. service delivery. Here he gives us some ideas about how to set up “automated” businesses that sell products without him having to deliver services or manage the sales of a product. His big key to success is finding little niche products that fill an existing need. Ken is also a speaker at the SMB Online Conference next week. His topic is: Topic: Where Facebook Meets Business. Ken Edwards has been servicing the computer networking needs for small businesses for over 25 years. Beginning as an aviation tech in the Marine Corp, he progressed through servicing restaurant systems to handling the computer needs of general small business. He really cut his teeth in networking in the mid-90s as a Novell CNE, and then became a Microsoft Networking expert.

Mark Moreno: Success with the “Mom and Pop” Mid-Market    My friend Mark Moreno is an active member of the SMB community, an SMB 150 award winner, and an Autotask user. He owns  C&M Support Services & Consulting, Inc. in Elkhart, IN. He has built a great business based on a specific kind  of client, which he calls the “Mom and Pop” mid-market. This is an interesting hybrid market that operates just like any other small business when it comes to buying an decision-making. But they spend at the level of enterprise companies. Mark Moreno Mark gives us a quick intro to the topic here, but he will have a much more detailed presentation at the SMB Online Conference next week. Mark’s topic at the conference is Serving Larger Clients – The Mid-Market: An Opportunity You Do Not Want to Miss.   Mark’s LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christsitguy View the Press Release about Mark’s Appearance at the SMB Online Conference.   See the press release here: SMB Online Conference Press Room.     The theme of this yea

John Phillips: Synnex has an entire Small Business Team   I talked to John Phillips from SMB Connect at Synnex while I was as Autotask Community Live. Synnex SMB Connect John was at AT Live to educate folks about a special sales group at Synnex focused completely on the SMB space. The group has 44 sales people, credit programs, and exclusive vendor rebates for participants of the program. See details at www.synnex.com/smbconnect.   You can find out more about the program at that site or email smbconnect@synnex.com, or call them at: 855-899-0050. John even has his direct number and cell phone on the SMB Connect web site. That’s pretty accessible! In this interview John also talks the reseller program, the refurbished product service, licensing, and more. One of the cool tools is Renew Solve – a free tool for tracking license renewals that sends reminder messages to clients – from YOU and not from the vendor.  – Download the Interview with John Phillips from Synnex here.

Michael Siggins from ChannelPro SMB   At the Autotask Community Live conference, I caught up with Michael Siggins, Publisher of ChannelProSMB. They loved the event and the sense of community.   Michael highlighted for us the upcoming ChannelPro SMB Forum in New Jersey September 10th. Channel Pro Forum  will be a jam-packed, one-day affair with great content, great food and great networking opportunities. Sessions include: o Adapting Your Business to the Cloud o Winning Sales and Marketing Strategies for MSPs o Where the Money Is in Mobility o Today’s Hottest Trends in Hardware o CompTIA Training: MSP Partners Trustmark And of course you, I will be there on a panel. The event is FREE. For more info and to register, please go to www.ChannelProForum.com.      – Download the Interview with Michael Siggins here.

Travis Austin: PumpUpTheAuto.com   One of the first and best Autotask experts is Mr. Travis Austin. Travis has developed programs for getting information in and out of Autotask. Now he specializes in helping companies get the most from their Autotask investment. Austin’s new venture is called PumpUpTheAuto.com.   Of course  Travis was at Autotask Community Live in Phoenix last week. We caught up and talked about his latest adventure. In this interview Travis tells us about how folks are using Autotask and how you can make the most of it if you’re already an Autotask user. Travis has extensive background and experience in making Autotask fit a business’ workflow. His tools, tips, tricks, and expertise have proven invaluable to thousands of Autotask users, and he’s ready to help you use Autotask better, too! We use his email connector and have for many years.   You can check out Travis’ new adventure at www.PumpUpTheAuto.com There you’ll find some great educational videos about the latest features being releas

Richard Tubb – Effective Business Networking: How to Network Online and Offline   Richard Tubb is well known for the Tubblog at http://www.tubblog.co.uk/. Richard is a former Managed Service Provider and now a successful coach for I.T. Consultants.     Richard has worked in the IT industry for more than 15 years, working at large corporations such as Ernst & Young and the NHS, as well as being the owner of an award winning  Managed Service Provider business in the UK. After selling his MSP business, Richard now works providing expert advice to help IT companies who want to grow their business in a scalable and sustainable way – helping them moving their business up a gear by putting together Managed Service offering and pricing it correctly, getting to grips with Marketing to help generate sales, or implementing internal systems and processes that encourage growth. Richard has a great blog and always provides excellent value to the community. We are please to have him talking at the SMB Online Conferen

John Armato – Think Inside the Box   John Armato is a Senior Vice President & Senior Partner, and Creative Strategist for Fleishman-Hillard International Communications.     John helps companies set strategy, shape messages, and develop programs to inspire people, sell products, solve problems, promote causes, and avert crises. He has won dozens of awards and worked with more than 100 clients, including Hallmark, H&R Block, Visa, E. & J. Gallo Winery, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Egyptian Tourism Authority, and the University of Oregon. John is in demand to lead “big idea” sessions and to coach others on the creative process. He has been called “one of the most accomplished presenters in his field” and his keynotes have been featured at clients, colleges, and conferences around the country. In this podcast, John talks to us about creativity and how the “idea” process works. I think you’ll find this a very engaging discussion. It also ties in well with the presentat

Rayanne Buchianico Rayanne Buchianico is an Accountant and MSP Business Consultant. At the SMB Online Conference in June, she’ll be talking about Understanding Your Financials: Three Mandatory Monthly Reports and What They Are Telling You. We talked last week about how you can use QuickBooks and your financials. She gave some great information – which is why she has TWO presentations at the SMB Online Conference next month. Listen to the podcast … then check out the conference. Rayanne has over 25 years of accounting, tax and business experience in the SMB sector. She specializes in working with IT Professionals and MSPs to improve profitability through accounting systems, financial reporting, and PSA integration. She was awarded the 2012 Jim Locke Memorial Community Award (formerly “SBSer of the Year”) by SMB Nation and SMBTN and was named to the SMB 150 list by SMB Technology Network (SMBTN) and SMB PC magazine in 2011 and 2012. She partnered with Bigger Brains to provide the QuickBooks 2013 video training

Manuel Palachuk My brother Manuel is an author, business coach, and outsourced CIO. He worked at KPEnterprises for six years, half of it as President. In this presentation he talks about the five tools that can transform your company overnight. He has over 25 years of business, management, and training experience in the computer and electronics industries. He is an expert of process, systems, and their efficiency who is driven toward continuous improvement in all aspects of business. Manuel is the co-author of the Network Migration Workbook, an expansive document covering the complete processes and checklists required to migrate your network with zero downtime. Manuel is currently writing Getting to the Next Level: A Blueprint For Taking Your Managed Service Business To The Top. Manuel speaks on Day One – June 25th. In this 25 minute interview he gives an introduction to his talk. In the full presentation, he’ll talk about cash flow, communications, people processes, working in real time, and monitoring bac

Brian Sharp Brian Sharp is a great motivational speaker/trainer. He runs a company that helps small business owners learn to use speaking and presenting as a means to expand their company and make sales. His company is called Go Big – http://www.gobigcompany.com/. As you’ll hear in this interview, Brian does not like the “pitch fest” approach to motivational training, which is very popular these days. We did a press release recently on Brian Sharp’s appearance. See the press release here: SMB Online Conference Press Room. Brian helps businesses understand where their business and how it can grow. Very much inline with our “IT Business Reboot” theme, Brian will be talking about How to Take Back and Turn Around Your Small Business. As you will hear on the audio, Brian is very excited to be presenting this material. A few sites mentioned by Brian: PresenterBox.com and BrianSharpOnline.com.     The theme of this year’s SMB Online Conference is IT Business Reboot – We’ll cover a variety of topics related to re

Strategies for a Post-SBS World   “June 30th isn’t that far away.” Kevin Beares is the Community Lead for the Windows Server and System Group at Microsoft. Kevin is in charge of driving community interaction for the SMB space.     I caught up with Kevin at SMB Nation Spring at the Microsoft Conference Center. Kevin gets props for putting himself on stage and letting the entire crowd put their toughest questions against him. It was supposed to be an hour, but Kevin stayed more than two hours and was accompanied by Microsoft MVPs Steven Banks and Cliff Galiher, who did a good job of representing both the Microsoft perspective and the partner perspective.  One of the first things Kevin pointed out to me is that there IS a product team that is still focused on the SMB space. The Home Server and Small Business Server products have been re-jiggered and the current SKU is Server Essentials. But the team still exists. He did not say this, but the comment “Read into that what you want” allows me to read into it that

Better Sales Through Better Education Chip Reaves from Bigger Brains is going to be one of the featured speakers at the 2013 SMB Online Conference. We did a press release recently on Chip’s appearance. See the press release here: SMB Online Conference Press Room. In this podcast Chip talks about some research he’ll be presenting in his June presentation. Here’s a very good tidbit: When asked what they need in a consultant, the Number One requirement is knowledge. Clients want to have someone they can trust to give them advice . . . and that person needs to speak business as much as technology. Chip’s talk will address several ways you can improve your sales and bottom line by adding internal and external education to your business. Download the interview to read more.     The theme of this year’s SMB Online Conference is IT Business Reboot – We’ll cover a variety of topics related to re-building your business as if you were starting over today. Here are the topics for Day One – June 25th: 9:00 AM Karl’s Ke

At the SMB Nation Spring Conference, I talked to Laura Shafer, Director or Product Marketing at StorageCraft. StorageCraft and their ShadowProtect product are very well known.   Now StorageCraft has a new cloud-based disaster recovery program called StorageCraft Cloud Services. This product was in beta during “Super Storm Sandy” and performed admirably. Now it is in general release.     For more information, visit www.StorageCraft.com – There’s a Partner link on the right side of the page. Contact Laura at laura.shafer@storagecraft.com or ping the partner program at sales@storagecraft.com. – Download the Interview with Laura Shafer of StorageCraft here.  

This week Chip Reaves from Bigger Brains announced a great new offering for managed service providers. I talked to him about Bigger Brains and the new offering – Computer College. Chip is the founder of Computer Troubleshooters in the U.S. (It was originally an Australian company.) Computer Troubleshooters grew to 480 locations in 33 countries. After selling off his interest in that franchise, Chip still owns a Computer Troubleshooters business in South Carolina. Bigger Brains was created to provide e-learning systems to Chip’s clients. Training is a natural addition to what we do for a living. In fact, many of us offer some kind of O.S. or software training in our managed services offerings already. Bigger Brains now has two levels of offerings. First, the “Bigger Brains” brand is a training service that you can resell. It has lots of courses and sells for about $17 per user per month. That’s end user pricing. You can make a very healthy profit on that (details in the audio). Cources include Excel, Word, Pow

I had a great talk with Michael Siggins, Publisher of ChannelProSMB. Among other things, he brought me up to speed on their big live event scheduled for April 10th: Channel Pro SMB Forum. This day-long educational event will be in beautiful Long Beach, CA. The weather is expected to be perfect! Channel Pro Forum  will be a jam-packed, one-day affair with great content, great food and great networking opportunities. Sessions include: o Adapting Your Business to the Cloud o Winning Sales and Marketing Strategies for MSPs o Where the Money Is in Mobility o Today’s Hottest Trends in Hardware o CompTIA Training: MSP Partners Trustmark And of course you, I will be there on a panel. The event is FREE. For more info and to register, please go to www.ChannelProForum.com.   Michael also mentioned that ChannelPro magazine is holding its Reader Choice Award voting. This is a program designed to identify the most SMB-specific products, solutions and services for ChannelPro readers and their customers. They are accepting

For several years now, I have presented my “State of the Nation” address for small business IT consultants. I never pretend that I’m unbiased. But most of my writing is pretty matter of fact. And most of my interviewing is intended to coax information out of other people. But once a year I dust off the soapbox and give a 45 minute “State of the Nation” address. This year, I talked about  . . . Highlights (lowlights?) from 2012 The Death of SBS Cloud Services Economy Rebooting Your IT Consulting Business in 2013 The recording came out pretty good, so I am posting it here. – Download Karl’s 2013 State of the Nation Address for Small Business I.T. Consultants here. Here are some of the web sites listed in this broadcast. www.SMBBooks.com  www.smbonlineconference.com blog.smallbizthoughts.com