Look familiar?

Now where have I seen that face before? I’m proud to say that I’ve been profiled in a recent CRN (Computer Reseller News) article called “CIA man is an agent of change”. The article covers some of the history about my starting off on my own as well as my current thinking on the state of business as a technology reseller. For those who read this blog then there should be no major surprises (always nice to be consistent eh?).

 

One of the things the article didn’t cover is how I’m generally bullish about moving technology into the cloud via hosted services (especially email). Although detractors can point to many valid problems and challenges these are no different from those facing any previous instance of technology and because of this I am extremely confident that they will be overcome. As such, my advice to resellers is that at the very least you need to be aware of what hosted technology can provide rather than locking yourself into only on-site infrastructure. But then that’s a whole ‘nother article isn’t it?

 

Have a read of the article and let me know what you think (director@ciaops.com).

Brain overload

Here’s an interesting article “Warning: Brain overload” which suggest that our obsession with digital content may in fact be affecting our poor little brain. It says:

 

“the sense of mind-lag and unease that result from info-overload may be causing significant levels of anxiety and depression.”

 

which means that more and more people feel they are falling further and further behind, in some way missing out. The article continues that:

 

“One fear is that habitual rapid media-browsing can, ironically, block our ability to develop wisdom”

 

because we are having to deal which volumes of information we simply do not have time to process what we receive deeply enough so we merely ignore it. We all apparently are born with the ability to empathize with others yet because we are now processing so much information we are actually caring less. In many ways this is making us less human. As the article says:

 

“Constant bombardment by outside high-intensity stimuli is not likely be healthy”

 

because our brains are now reaching capacity in the their ability to digest and make sense of all the information. The problem is probably not too much information simply that we have not taught ourselves how to effectively filter that information. It’s the old Pareto 80/20 rule. You have to work out how to get through the 80% of the junk to find the 20% that has real value. That is the trick, and it is something that most people do not appear to be improving. As the article says:

 

“The irony of high-speed modern mass communication is that no one is actually communicating.”

 

It seems like that more and more each day. The more everyone carries on about how much better we are with Twitter, Facebook, Web 2.0, You Tube and the like it would appear that we are losing our humanity. We are fast becoming like unfeeling machines. As the article concludes:

 

“Either you control your technology or it will control you”

 

Which is just like a recent article I’ve been working on call “How we’ve surrendered to technology” that I’m looking for feedback on, so if you have some time I’d appreciate any opinions.

June release

The June update for my Windows SharePoint Operations Guide is now ready for subscriber download. This month, amongst other things, I’ve included a few more tutorial section including:

 

– Taking files offline with Outlook 2007

– Creating a wiki and linking with Outlook 2007

– Mapping a Network Place

 

The Guide is fast approach 1,500 pages and now includes a full text index allowing you to locate the information you need quicker.

 

After our May birthday special the price has now returned the normal price of $299, however during June I’ll be offering the Guide for $99.67 a month over three consecutive months. I hope this term payment option makes it a bit easier for people who have been considering the Guide but just couldn’t afford the total purchase price in a single month. This way, for less $100 over 3 months you’ll get access to all the benefits of the Guide as well a full annual subscription.

 

At this stage the 3 month part payment option for the Guide will only run during June 2009 so hurry. Also, don’t forget that I have a number of other incentives if you recommend the Guide to others. Even if you aren’t a subscriber I’ll reward you if someone takes up a subscription on your recommendation.

 

For all the information about the Windows SharePoint Operations Guide go to www.wssops.com.

Intro to SBS

Now that Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 is fading into history (slowly, I’ll admit) and I have revamped my Networking with Small Business Server course to focus on SBS 2008 I have decided to post the slides from my three part SBS 2003 course for anyone to download.

 

You’ll find them all on my SlideShare but here is a brief description of each:

 

Introduction to Small Business Server 2003 – Part 1

 

[This is the second of a three part series that covers the basics of installing, configuring and maintaining Microsoft Small Business Server 2003.

This part covers an introduction to what Small Business Server is and how to determine the best configuration. It also covers how to install the product.]

 

Introduction to Small Business Server 2003 – Part 2

 

[This is the second of a three part series that covers the basics of installing, configuring and maintaining Microsoft Small Business Server 2003.
This part focuses on configuring Small Business Server to work with users and workstations as well features like remote access.]

 

Introduction to Small Business Server 2003 – Part 3

 

[This is the third of a three part series that covers the basics of installing, configuring and maintaining Microsoft Small Business Server 2003.
This part focuses on SharePoint v2 (companyweb), Outlook Web Access, Remote Work Webplace and how to secure and troubleshoot your Small Business Server network.]

 

Now that the focus has moved to SBS 2008 I’m not going to be going back and making any changes to the SBS 2003 course, so rather than sit and gather dust in some forgotten corner of my hard drive I hope that someone out there obtains some benefit from what I’ve posted like all the students who have attended my course over the years.

Dead tired

I’m always interested in things that can improve personal productivity and well being. That’s why I was fascinated by a TV documentary (in 2 Episodes) called Dead Tired. You can view the first episode online by simply clicking here.

 

It examines the effects of sleep deprivation and how that contributes to a whole range of aliments including obesity, high blood pressure and so on. It also demonstrates that you are twice as likely to make mistakes when you miss out on even a small amount of sleep.

 

One of the most interesting experiments they ran was with putting someone with sleep deprivation behind a wheel of a car for 2 two hours while monitoring them. They found that for 25 minutes in that 2 hours the driver was actually asleep! In some cases their brain was asleep even if their eyes were open. Scary stuff.

 

The show demonstrates how chronic lack of sleep has a direct impact on the physiology of the body including reduced heart function and increased chance of diabetes. Another interesting statistic is that 20% of the worlds workforce is composed of shift workers and these people generally fail to get enough sleep. This has direct impact on their lives AND the work they perform, which potentially affects a lot more people.

 

In many cases these days we generally overlook the effects of sleep deprivation and consider it weak to need ‘sleep’. However, studies show that individuals who have better sleep patterns are much more productive and far less error prone. So stop and think about it. If you don’t feel 100% maybe you aren’t getting enough sleep? If you want to see if more does make a difference try getting at least 7-8 hours of good sleep for a week. I guarantee you’ll notice the difference.

Amazonian

I just got an email from Lulu.com, where my Overcoming Email Frustrations with Outlook 2007 book is listed, telling me:

 Wow, on Amazon you say! So I checked it out and sure enough there it is:
 
Pretty cool eh? Who would have ever thought? Not me certainly.

Hmmm, maybe I should get around to uploading one of my other creations. I’ve got plenty about SharePoint but I’m really keen to do something about OneNote. If you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know (director@ciaops.com).

The next trick is to see whether it actually sells more now that it is on Amazon. This I think will be a much harder task but hey it’s a start!

SBS Course starts this week

My Introduction to Small Business Server course starts this week at Macquarie Community College at Carlingford. It will run for three consecutive Thursdays from 7-9pm. It will provide an overview of the benefits of a Small Business Server network, the differences between SBS 2003 and SBS 2008, then a complete installation of product. From there the course will examine in more detail the requirements for configuring and maintaining the product as well as focus on how to ensure that your whole network is kept secure.

 

The course is designed for those who are considering a server or those who already have Small Business Server in their business. The course includes notes and is help in a friendly lecture style format which encourages discussion and questions.

 

If you are interested you can still enrol with the college. For more details see:

 

http://www.macquarie.nsw.edu.au/index.php?action=course&course_action=detail&code=209M297

Issues with SharePoint SP2

For anyone who’s applied SP2 to a SharePoint Server site (not Windows SharePoint Services tho’) you should check “Attention: Important Information on Service Pack 2” from Microsoft. Basically if you have an affected installation your license has been reset to a 180 day trial. There are some work around for some versions of SharePoint but there is also a patch on the way.

 

Windows SharePoint v3 is unaffected but Search Server Express 2008 is affected. Don’t understand why as Search Server Express is also a free download from Microsoft, but given this is the work from Microsoft you need to ensure that you install any forthcoming patch so the product won’t expire.

 

Hopefully not a major issue but certainly something that would worry some very large SharePoint installations. Luckily as SBS 2008 is powered by Windows SharePoint there is no issue.