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The Hidden Costs of Managing Hardware and Software
Maintenance Contracts
Reduce costs and gain
productivity with a maintenance solutions provider
by Tina
Lux, Vice President of Managed Maintenance Services,
Champion Solutions Group
A few
years ago, retailers went crazy for mail-in rebates. They offered the perfect
way to make prices seem lower (sometimes by as much as $50 or $100), but it was
the consumer who had to do all the work to get the “discount.”
Consumers saw right through the red tape necessary to get a rebate. They balked
— and retailers listened. Since then, mail-in rebates have been greatly reduced.
The
problem? Consumers had to collect serial numbers, save receipts and fill out
forms.
IT
managers face a similar problem when trying to manage their inventory. In the 21st
century, there must be a better way to gather data about your assets — and use
that data for planning purposes.
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Managing your IT empire
Bill Koch |
Many
IT managers struggle with an effective way to manage their IT inventory. This
month’s
feature article presents a new model for tracking your current
assets — and building upon that knowledge for strategic advantage.
Last
month, we asked how you manage a project where you’re in over your head.
Your
responses described the best ways to tread water as you take a leadership role.
This month, we ask how you set limits for email retention. How can you protect
your data without over-burdening your infrastructure and staff?
We need your
best advice.
Your involvement helps us build a community of
knowledgeable IT experts. Please
provide your best advice or ask our
readers for help with your own issue.
Please let me know how successful we are at including articles that are
relevant to your professional life by taking a
1-minute reader survey, and you
could win an iPod Shuffle.
If you would like to unsubscribe to this newsletter, click on link at bottom.
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Beacon Award
Champion Solutions Group wins
the prestigious IBM PartnerWorld Beacon Award, specifically in the category of
IGS Teaming Award for Resellers.
More information
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Introducing VMware Server |
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Partition a physical server into multiple virtual machines to start experiencing
the benefits of virtualization.
Learn more or call 800-771-7000 x165.
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Complete our 1-minute reader survey and you could win
an iPod Shuffle. |
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Microsoft SQL
Server Licenses |
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ASSOCIATIONS, AFFILIATIONS,
USER GROUPS & FORUMS |
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Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Data management and analysis solution
for
your business
Faster results
and better business decisions translate
to a better bottom line for your company. Listen in and find out why SQL Server 2005 landed on the winners' list for the
InfoWorld 2006 Technology of the Year Awards. It received the Best Enterprise
Database award — a new measuring stick for database management.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006 from 2:00 PM - 3:00
PM EDT
If you are a current user of Microsoft SQL Server, this is a Webinar you can't
afford to miss!
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for this one-hour
complimentary Webinar. |
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Microsoft SQL Server 2005
The newly released Microsoft SQL Server 2005 is
the next-generation data management and analysis platform. As a core component
of Microsoft Windows Server System,
it dramatically reduces the time required to bring
e-commerce, line-of-business and data warehousing applications to market. Close integration with Microsoft Visual Studio, the
Microsoft Office System and a suite of new development tools, including the
Business Intelligence Development Studio, sets SQL Server 2005 apart. Whether
you are a developer, database administrator, information worker or decision-maker, SQL Server 2005 provides innovative solutions that help you gain more
value from your data.
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Last Issue's Dilemma
Am I in over my head?
I
have just been handed a huge project for my company’s IT department. It’s a
front-burner project that will be closely watched by sales, marketing and
almost everyone else.
To
be honest, I’m in over my head. I know I could do this job easily if I didn’t
feel like every executive’s eyes were on me. The project is out of my area of
specialty, but I have a team of highly motivated and well-skilled IT
professionals at my disposal. I have led teams through projects as big as this,
but I have never led a project that will receive so much scrutiny and be the
focus of such high expectations from others.
Should
I be up front with my team and tell them that I will lean on them to help me
guide the project, at least at the initial stages? Or should I show no fear and
be a firm leader from the start?
How much should I rely on my team when I’m in
unfamiliar territory?
This
is a huge opportunity for me. I’d appreciate any advice.
—
Gary S., Project Manager
Read the best advice from readers
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This Issue's Dilemma
The
ever-expanding problem of email storage
and retention
Our company first
instituted enterprise-wide email in the mid-1990s. Not long after that, we ran
into the problem of backing up huge email servers and personal folders. We
instituted a policy that seems charming now — a maximum of 30 megabytes of
email storage per account.
The policy was only
loosely enforced on annual “clean up” days. Now we routinely back up email
accounts that are 500 megabytes to even two gigabytes. This presents a huge
drain on our ability to back up and restore data.
I don’t want my
staff to spend a lot of time “policing” users, but something needs to
change. What’s a good guideline for
setting a firm policy about what we can realistically store and restore for
email accounts — and how do you enforce the policy?
—
Glenn C., IT Director
Can You Help?
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MICROSOFT EXCHANGE HOSTING |
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"The professional staff at InternetVIZ
helped us evolve
The Champion Advisor into a timely, relevant publication."
- Chris Pyle, CEO, Champion Solutions Group |
Published by
InternetVIZ
Copyright © 2006 InternetVIZ. All rights reserved.
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Champion Solutions Group
791 Park of Commerce Blvd. Suite 200
Boca Raton, FL 33487 |
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