Tips

Tips

Server management, sales and installation

• The risk of using Windows kernel-mode drivers in systems management

  Windows kernel-mode drivers can pose risks if used in IT efficiency systems management tools.  Continue Reading

• Using fixed configurations to sell simplified IT solutions

  Setting up simplified IT solutions using fixed configurations takes work on the front end but can pay off with faster sales cycles and easier support.  Continue Reading

• Linux HA cluster tool evolution in SUSE and Red Hat

  The pool of Linux HA cluster options is narrowing as Pacemaker becomes the preferred choice for SUSE, Ubuntu and Red Hat.  Continue Reading

• Providing shared availability with a cold spare server

  Solution providers can sell SMB customers a shared server chassis to rapidly ease server failure by providing a compatible cold spare server.  Continue Reading

• How BYOD can be an opportunity for VARs

  It may seem like BYOD squeezes VARs out of the purchasing cycle, but there are opportunities to take advantage of this trend.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft System Center 2012 add-ons ease management issues

  Microsoft System Center 2012 contains several add-on products that VARs can use to help customers manage and enhance their Windows system.  Continue Reading

• Mobile security services: Protecting against mobile security risks

  There’s a plethora of mobile security risks, from data loss to malware to unauthorized network access. Calm your clients’ nerves by offering mobile security services.  Continue Reading

• Application delivery services can save customers money, help VARs

  Apps are everywhere and VARs can capitalize on this trend by providing Web application delivery services that reduce time and costs for customers.  Continue Reading

• Four desktop virtualization thought leadership opportunities for MSPs

  Certification, writing and speaking can help MSPs establish a reputable desktop virtualization consultancy.  Continue Reading

• How VARs can help customers securely discard e-waste

  The disposal of old systems provides a service opportunity for VARs that can also bring up other security issues that services can be sold around including compliance, data management and storage.  Continue Reading

• MSP Tip: Strategies for guiding customers to make better technology choices

  While one-size-fits all doesn’t work for managed services, some customers need incentives to use better technology options to accomplish their business. A pay-as-you-go model can help guide customers with difficult storage requests.  Continue Reading

• What services can VARs offer for tablets and mobile devices?

  Consumer technologies like tablets and smartphones are making their way into the enterprise. Find out how VARs can help customers better integrate these devices to meet their business needs.  Continue Reading

• Boosting customers’ vital services protection with OS HA

  Using VM high availability in your customer’s environment is good, but their vital services may call for more protection and that’s where operating system HA comes into play. Offering customers OS HA can ensure minimal downtime in case of a service ...  Continue Reading

• Selling Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 to SMB customers

  Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 is more than just an option for academic settings and there are a few ways, such as selling software licenses, that VARs can offer the product to SMB customers.  Continue Reading

• Seven questions for backup and disaster recovery customers

  To determine whether your customers need to outsource their backup and disaster recovery services, they need to answer these questions, such as when was their most recent backup test, and allow you to explain the value you can provide in each area.  Continue Reading

• How to get in the backup and disaster recovery service game

  Backup and disaster recovery (BDR) services can be a great addition to a managed service provider’s portfolio, but it requires a deep level of trust from your customers. Learn about the risks and rewards of this solution for MSPs.  Continue Reading

• Setting up a template BI site in SharePoint 2010

  Get step-by-step directions on how to create a template BI Site for your customers in SharePoint 2010, which will allow you to customize and monitor their business data.  Continue Reading

• Using Exchange 2010 high availability to boost hardware sales

  Exchange 2010 high availability helps solutions providers increase hardware sales, thanks to new database availability groups for mailbox server clusters.  Continue Reading

• No single-instance storage in Exchange 2010: What's a VAR to do?

  The popular single-instance storage feature is not included in Exchange 2010. Its absence will affect your customers' capacity planning efforts as they migrate to Exchange 2010.  Continue Reading

• New Exchange 2010 high-availability features

  Find out how Exchange 2010 high-availability (HA) features differ greatly from Exchange 2007 HA in terms of clustering and deploying mailbox servers.  Continue Reading

• Using System Center Configuration Manager 2007 tools

  Solutions providers can put the SCCM toolkit to work -- as well as available community tools -- helping them with installations, troubleshooting and performing updates.  Continue Reading

• Tuning vSphere 4 hardware for optimal performance

  If your customers want to implement vSphere 4, this tip tells you how to advise them on hardware, achieve maximum performance per host and suggests recommendations for disk I/O.  Continue Reading

• Maximizing VMware vSphere 4 performance

  Achieve optimal vSphere performance through resource allocation by using VMware tools and examining activities on a guest operating system.  Continue Reading

• Upgrading from Exchange Server 2007 to 2010

  Performing Exchange Server 2010 upgrades can create new business opportunities for solutions providers and deliver new features to customers.  Continue Reading

• New features in Windows Server 2008 R2

  There are quite a few notable new features in Windows Server 2008 R2, including support for only 64-bit processors and the inclusion of Hyper-V R2.  Continue Reading

• Planning a SharePoint 2003 to SharePoint 2007 migration

  Instructor and author James Pyles outlines a step-by-step approach for developing a SharePoint 2003 to SharePoint 2007 migration plan, including testing the migration and migrating database services.  Continue Reading

• New features in Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

  Microsoft's beta of Exchange Server 2010 has new features that address connectivity, disaster recovery, compliance and other issues, according to two experts.  Continue Reading

• Five actions that ensure SharePoint compliance

  Learn five different ways for ensuring SharePoint compliance with laws, regulations and industry standards.  Continue Reading

• Managing Linux clients with System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2

  System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) 2007 R2 lets you manage Unix and Linux machines, as well as Windows servers and desktops, through a single console. Find out how to import the Unix/Linux management packs and deploy SCOM.  Continue Reading

• Reducing power consumption with green IT solutions

  Good for bottom lines and for the environs, green IT is not a hard sell to clients that need help putting green IT strategies and solutions into practice.  Continue Reading

• Citrix XenApp Server configuration and security

  Learn how to use Citrix XenApp Server configuration to secure your client's infrastructure with this chapter excerpt.  Continue Reading

• Best practices for securing domain controllers at the branch office

  Companies that implement domain controllers at branch offices face a number of challenges, security-related and otherwise. Follow these best practices to keep branch-office domain controllers secure and effective.  Continue Reading

• Customizing SharePoint with third-party applications and Web Parts

  As third-party SharePoint products proliferate, learn about the different types of SharePoint add-ons and how to help clients customize their SharePoint environment.  Continue Reading

• Factors to consider when using blade servers for virtualization

  Using blade servers for server virtualization can be a great way to cut your customers' data center space requirements as well as their power and cooling costs. But virtualizing on blade servers introduces issues that don't exist on standard ...  Continue Reading

• Beware of hidden costs in server consolidation or virtualization

  While customers can realize great savings from a server consolidation or virtualization project, there are many hidden costs that they need to be aware of. Find out where those costs lie to keep expectations in line with reality.  Continue Reading

• Data center migration quiz: Forklift vs. swing

  There are two possible approaches to a data center migration: forklifting the application hardware to its new location or using a "swing" approach, with an entirely new setup at the new location. Take our quiz to find out which method makes sense ...  Continue Reading

• Data center migration quiz results: Forklift vs. swing

  There are two possible approaches to a data center migration: forklifting the application hardware to its new location or using a "swing" approach, with an entirely new setup at the new location. Take our quiz to find out which method makes sense ...  Continue Reading

• Three steps to a successful data center migration plan

  When designing a data center migration plan, it's crucial to ensure that your client's business will be protected during the migration. Learn about the three steps to a successful data center migration plan: knowing what to migrate, upholding SLAs ...  Continue Reading

• Securing Windows Server 2008: Server Core features

  Aaron Tiensivu covers the basic features of Server Core and its security benefits including minimal attacks, less maintenance and less usage of disk space in this chapter excerpt.  Continue Reading

• Choosing a Unix-based blade server

  Get details on offering Unix-based blade servers from the big Unix vendors on the market, including HP, Sun and IBM.  Continue Reading

• Best practices for Microsoft Exchange 2007 deployment

  Deployment of Microsoft Exchange 2007 requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting the implementation. Learn how to handle hardware requirements, server roles and placement, high availability, fault tolerance and disaster recovery...  Continue Reading

• Countering the top five blade server objections

  Find out what the top five objections to blade servers are and learn approaches to address them.  Continue Reading

• SharePoint training

  To make the most of the increasing popularity of SharePoint, consultants need to deliver the right kind of training, customized by user roles, from administrators and developers to help desk support people and end users.  Continue Reading

• Using high-availability options in Exchange 2007

  Organizations are aiming for high availability within their messaging infrastructures. Learn how to help your customers maximize their email uptime using the high-availability options in Exchange 2007, from local continuous replication and single ...  Continue Reading

• Profiting from iPhone application development

  Apple's iPhone brings business opportunities for resellers. Learn how to generate profit by developing Web and client iPhone applications for your customers.  Continue Reading

• SharePoint implementation best practices

  Any SharePoint implementation requires careful planning, with proper attention to infrastructure issues, the discovery stage and topology planning. Learn best practices to deliver an efficient portal that suits your customer's needs.  Continue Reading

• Reliable desktop performance tools equal better enterprise services

  With an increasingly dispersed user base, desktop performance tools can provide valuable data about overall enterprise system performance.  Continue Reading

• iPhone Exchange ActiveSync makes iPhone viable for businesses

  Apple's support for Exchange ActiveSync on the iPhone will improve the viability of the device for business users. Find out how iPhone 2.0 will measure up against BlackBerry and Palm.  Continue Reading

• Best practices for server room design services

  The server room design services you offer to customers must balance location with hardware elements that will ultimately determine the server room design.  Continue Reading

• Five benefits of Microsoft's 64-bit Windows outlay

  Microsoft is building a lot of support for 64-bit platforms into Windows. Here are five benefits of that investment for your customers.  Continue Reading

• Channel Checklist: Five ways to save money on server room cooling

  Server room cooling costs are rising, and old methods of server room design don't help the situation. Follow these five approaches to server room design to contain costs for your customers.  Continue Reading

• Finding a niche in open source ERP

  Companies that fit a certain profile are good candidates for open source ERP. Learn how to ID those companies and find a quality vendor to partner with.  Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting Vista file and print services

  Windows Vista introduces some tricks to file and print services. In this tip, Windows expert Jonathan Hassell offers practical step-by-step guidance for some of the most common file and print problems in Microsoft's newest operating system.  Continue Reading

• High-availability systems need the right tools, skills

  Implementing and supporting a high-availability system is no easy feat, but understanding the classes of software and training your employees well will make a world of difference. Learn how to approach your customers' high-availability projects the ...  Continue Reading

• Linux partner programs: Making the decision

  When it comes to choosing a Linux partner program, both Novell and Red Hat offer plenty to the dealer channel. Learn the pros and cons of each program, so you can assess which is right for your customer base.  Continue Reading

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux partner program

  Learn more about the Red Hat Enterprise Linux partner program in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Blade server channel opportunities: HP, IBM, Dell?

  As the blade server market continues to grow in customer shops everywhere, IBM, HP and Dell offer channel partner programs that allow resellers to sell and support blade servers effectively.  Continue Reading

• Four ways to save data center power

  With data center power usage skyrocketing, there are steps you can take to control costs. These four steps will lead the way to a more efficient data center.  Continue Reading

• Print server administration: Expert pointers

  Printer server management runs the gamut from tackling connection problems to resolving security and application compatibility issues. This excerpt provides advice from our sister site SearchWinIT.com expert advisers.  Continue Reading

• Linux server virtualization services

  Provide Linux server virtualization services to clients and your bottom line will benefit. Contributor Ken Milberg explains why now is the time for resellers and systems integrators to jump on the Linux virtualization bandwagon.  Continue Reading

• Blade server technologies for scalable processing power

  Blade server technologies may be an attractive option to customers needing more processing power using fewer network ports and less data center space.  Continue Reading

• Unix and Linux printing services: Understanding SMB printer needs

  Don't configure Unix or Linux printers until you know exactly what your SMB customer needs. This two-part tip will help you decide which Unix and Linux printing services to offer.  Continue Reading

• Multi-core processors: When and where to use them

  Installing a multi-core processor in an SMB shop may be a smart decision. Get help deciding when and where to use multi-core processors.  Continue Reading

• 64-bit processors: Does the manufacturer make a difference?

  Having an Intel or AMD processor preference isn't uncommon for IT pros, but VARs need to put aside their personal feelings for what best suits the customer. This break down discusses the difference between 64-bit and 32-bit processors made by ...  Continue Reading

• Exchange configuration auditing tools

  Auditing multiple Exchange configurations for customers is a cumbersome task. Get help tracking errors and aggregating event logs with these Exchange tools.  Continue Reading

• Hosting multiple Lotus Domino servers at one IP address

  Learn how to host several Lotus Domino servers at a single IP address without using a virtual private network (VPN).  Continue Reading

• Windows Vista editions: Know licensing terms before the operating systems upgrade

  Familiarize yourself with the full line of Windows Vista editions and the Windows Anytime Upgrade feature before deciding if now is the best time to upgrade customers' operating systems.  Continue Reading

• Active Directory services: A technology crash course

  This technology crash course on Active Directory services will help you determine what directory services to sell involving the AD architecture.  Continue Reading