Windows Sharepoint Services Operations Guide – Free download

I have uploaded the first chapter of my Windows Sharepoint Services Operations Guide and made it available for free download. This chapter will give you a better idea of exactly what the Guide contains. To download Chapter 1, simply click here.

As the plan for the Guide is to be a work in progress Chapter 1 is now Version 1.00. As additional information is added I will upload updated versions of the chapter. I have decided to release what I have completed so far on the Guide for the simple reason I want to gauge the demand for this out in the market. Hopefully there will be enough demand for me to warrant giving the unfinished parts of the guide more priority.

I believe that most people will find the guide to save them a lot of time if they are planning on configuring Sharepoint. There are plenty of tricks and traps that I have discovered over the years from my own experience and from the Internet. A good example is what I have been working on lately. I have been testing the migration from Sharepoint v2 on SBS 2003 (i.e. http://companyweb) into Sharepoint v3 installed on the same SBS machine. The migration to SBS Premium with SQL isn’t too hard but on SBS Standard with Windows Internal Database, well that is another story. It has taken me many, many hours to develop and document a procedure that works and is relatively quick and easy. That is where I think the real value of the Guide lies.

So, even if you have no interest in the Guide download Chapter 1 and have a look and let me know if there anything else you feel that I should be covering. My aim is to make it the best possible source for Sharepoint (especially on Small Business Server) and appreciate any feedback (robert@saturnalliance.com.au) you can give me.

Is knowing how to search more important?

When you need to know something these days where do you go? Google (sorry Microsoft but that’s the fact). Now the good thing about Google is that it returns just about everything that matches your search, which conversely is also the problem with it. I know lots of people who say they can’t find ANYTHING with Google. The reason why? They have no idea how to use Google properly. I doubt whether many people have read about the advanced search features Google offers. All they do is type the first thing that come into their head into the search box and expect what they want to be on the first page.

I think that I am getting pretty good at finding what I want these days. Typically, it does take some time, some refining and bouncing from site to site but eventually I do find it. Case in point. I was looking for some information on using the command stsadm -addcontentdb and Windows Internal Database (microsoft/ssee##) and Windows Sharepoint v3. After some refining I found a site that didn’t give me the answer but gave me enough clues to deduct a solution that worked. Yeah. Now, is it fair to say that I’m a good searcher or a deducer? With the power of Internet search these days I’m pretty sure that the answer you are looking for is out there BUT first you have to find it. Then typically the search results you get is usually not a direct solution to your problem, you gotta apply a bit of lateral thinking to find the solution that you require.

Now perhaps I do have an advantage being qualified as an Electrical Engineer and perhaps all those years at university did actually provide me some benefit in the methods I use today to locate information. To be an expert these days you don’t need to know the answer you just have to know where to look. The faster you can obtain an answer the smarter you are I believe. So if you haven’t looked at the advanced search features Google offers then I strongly suggest you do because it will put you ahead of the pack. As for improving you ability to decipher, decrypt and deduce an answer, well that only improves with practice. Remember a craftsman is only as good as their tools and for information workers Google is the tool of choice. So sharpen your skills so you can wield it like a master.

Windows Sharepoint v3 Operations Guide

I’d like to announce the release of my Windows Sharepoint v3 Operations Guide. This guide is specifically aimed at Windows Sharepoint Services (WSS v3) rather than Microsoft Office Sharepoint Services (MOSS) and specifically aimed at Small Business Server (SBS) networks.

The Guide is available in three ways:

– Any one single chapter for AUD$49

– All chapters for AUD$149

– All chapters and DVD of required files updated regularly for AUD$249 annual subscription

All payments can be made via http://donation.saturnalliance.com.au

For more information about the content see:

http://supportweb.ciaops.net.au/Shared%20Documents/wssops.aspx

Much of the content is till in the final stages of completion but the chapters on installation on a Windows Server and SBS are complete. If there is enough demand for what I’m creating then I’ll spend more time working on completing the all the chapters.

Each chapter will include a comprehensive step by step process including screen shots at all the relevant stages. As improvements, updates and enhancements are made they will be included in the product and made available to subscribers immediately. For subscribers the DVD will include the actual Sharepoint installation files, SQL 2005 Express as well as all the relevant documents from Microsoft and myself.

So, have a look and let me know what you think and what you would like to see as I would like to really develop something that is worthwhile to all those working with WSS v3 out there. Keep an eye here as well as the link above as I begin to post more information about what the Guide will contain.

Rethinking managed services

This is my reply to a posting by Robbie Upcroft on getting into managed services.

You are right in saying that managed services are the way to go but I content that perhaps the time is too late. Why do I say that? If you haven’t read the book the World is Flat then you should because it details how all this sort of work is going to be done from places like India. To get an idea of what they charge have a look at : http://www.supportresort.com/. As the site says “We hire out quality IT staff by the month for an hourly rate as low as US$3.36.”

Problem with managed services is that they are so easy to replicate. If you have the cash go out and buy something like Kaysea and you’re away. Sure you’ll be able to convince most existing customers to come on board, not because of what managed services offer but more likely because they’ll do what you tell them. Fine. Now what about new customers?

Why would I pay for you to manage a workstation? Will what they’ll ask. I don’t care if it is defragged, etc and if it fails I just use another temporarily. Sure, I’ll take managed services on a server but on the desktops? No thanks too expensive. Is typically the response we have received.

Most clients in the SMB market space are looking to save IT costs and most won’t pay a per month charge greater than say $10 because it doesn’t make sense. If you have invested all that money in backend infrastructure like servers and Kaysea are you really going to a see a return on investment? Only if you get all client machines, including workstations onboard. As I said previously I think you are going to struggle to get any new clients on board with this.

Finally, what happens when people like HP and DELL enter the market by offering managed services on every PC they sell for LIFE (which they will)? These guys will be able to drive the costs right down simply because of their size. Even the best customer at some point will look at a cheaper prices (for essentially the same thing) and tell you, sorry but I’m going elsewhere.

So, in summary, yes managed service is an opportunity but it is not a saviour for a bad business model. You need to look at the setup and on going costs and license fees and ensure that you are going to get the numbers on board to cover these and make money. This is going to get harder and harder everyday as more people enter the market for “managed services” and drive the price down. I think it is too hard to differentiate yourself enough with a managed services product these days and there are not many barriers to entry. It is basically a volume business and SMB resellers really don’t have the volume to make this work long term in books.

Only my opinion.

Book review – "The 4 hour work week"

It isn’t often that a book jumps to the top of my recommended reading list but this one from Timothy Ferriss has. Be warned you are going to have throw away many “traditional” concepts about work, career and life in general but you’ll be better for it.

Too often, as Ferriss says, we make the excuse of working for works sake rather than experiencing life. Imagine how liberating having enough money to be able to take six months off at a time and travel anywhere. The technology to achieve this is available now, the only thing holding you back is you and and antiquated beliefs. Why should you preparing for retirement when you SHOULD be living your life now?

This book will show you how to eliminate the unnecessary, become more productive, challenge your preconceptions and start creating a life that works for you rather than the other way around. It is packed with plenty of great tips and resources that make it easy to get the ball rolling.

All this may sound like a get rich quick scheme and there are many part of the book that are difficult to implement, however if you approach it with an open mind then I’m sure you’ll find something in here that will benefit you by making your life better. Remember, nothing in worthwhile in life comes on a silver platter!

Why I don’t beta test any more

For a long while I used to salivate over the latest software, alpha, beta, RC and so on. I just couldn’t wait to get it on a machine to test. Sometimes I’d spend hours and hours just fiddling (sad aren’t I?). Of late I have come to realise that this really isn’t a very productive use of my time.

Why? Well first and foremost I don’t get paid to test software. I have come to realise that software companies are doing themselves a huge favour by releasing beta software. For all the testing I did, generally I received no return for the time invested. In most cases I didn’t even get an acknowledgement! How dumb is that? Doing all this free work for someone else when I should have been earning income for myself meant I was a real sucker. I know that I’m not the only one who fell for this trick but hopefully now I’m awake to it.

Now, I’m happy to wait until the software is actually RELEASED before I even look at it. I’m also happy to wait for others to install the product so they can find all the bugs. There is no more bleeding edge for me. Why? Well, ask yourself how many of your customers are bleeding edge? How many MUST have the absolute latest? Probably not many (if any). Most these days are conditioned to wait as long as they can before implementing any sort of technology. Also ask yourself the question whether any of your customers would pay you to be bleeding edge? Again, probably not many at all.

If I get tempted to download beta software and fiddle I take a deep breath and ask whether I’m doing it to generate more revenue or doing it for interests sake alone. If I’m doing it just for interest sake that’s fine but really I have better things to do in my downtime that fiddling with software!