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December 23, 2008
Issue 2-26 (bi-weekly)
Dear Harry,
You are receiving this newsletter as a tribal member at SMB Nation.
 
Happy Holidays Everyone! This is the final e-mail newsletter for the year.

The pace is starting to slow a bit, as folks clear their desktops and prepare for family time. I know that the SMB Nation team thoroughly enjoyed a small gathering last Friday night. I hope that you find the time to host a company gathering for you and your co-workers.

Major thanks and gratitude to all of our tribal members, readers and supporters -  let's wrap up 2008 and forge ahead to 2009! And save the dates for May 1-3 in the NYC area for our Spring show. Look for details in the next e-mail.

cheers...harrybbbb 
Harry Brelsford
CEO  |  SMB Nation, Inc. |  Bainbridge Island, WA USA
Read my new blog! SMB Dude
 
PS - See what this new SMB Nation tribe member said about us HERE 
London Bridges! 
What is a professional event? Is it the transfer of bona fide knowledge? Is it meeting fellow professionals in an event setting and comparing notes? Is it about techie bits - the more the better? Or is it about business speak and the opportunity to step back and think about your business? I submit for your approval it's all of the above, and we are delighted to announce that the December 5, 2008 SMB Nation Europe workshop, which drew over 100 attendees from five countries, was well-received!  Jeff Middleton's technical lecture, updated for new SBS 2008 migrations, led the way followed by Robert Aide's Essential Business Server (EBS) technical lecture (presented on behalf of HP). Harry's "non-PowerPoint" business speech on SBS 2008 opportunities rounded out the content and highlighted counter-cyclical opportunities such as health care and education. An interesting debate ensued between speakers and participants about hosted versus non-hosted IT with each side calling it a draw. Essentially Jeff Middleton laid out a compelling argument for on-premise servers in SMB but conceded that Exchange-based e-mail could be hosted. "E-mail starts in the cloud and ends in the cloud", Middleton stated. I agree with Jeff but I caused a stir when I suggested and agreed with several audience members that SBS 2008 could be the sunset release for that product - great run but possibly a solution in need of a new paradigm. I cited our use of a hosted ERP system as new thinking. The debate continues!
SMB Nation Europe in London
London
Close on the heels for the London workshop, Harry popped up to Dublin for a Sunday night "pizza and pop" gathering at the local Regus office.  SBS 2008 book co-author Philip Elder lectured about the SBS 2008 setup process over LiveMeeting from his home in Alberta, Canada. Read about the evening HERE
Dublin Event at REGUS!
Dublin event at Regus!
Profound thanks to HP, Microsoft, AutoTask and Regus for assisting us in these events. Special mention is to be made to the outreach that David Houston undertook to drive excitement in Dublin. Read what others have to say about our event here
TelAssistantIf you had it to do over again... 
Imagine a fresh start. How would you "do it" if you had a "do over?" You would likely be much more efficient and get "there" twice is fast. With that in mind, meet TelAssistant an IdeaWide, Inc. company.TelAssistantbrings immediate results with increased operational efficiency on moment one of day one! Does this appeal to you? If so - consider the following.

"Have ALL of your calls answered and work orders filled out without being interrupted."

TelAssistant is a live virtual receptionist service targeted towards SMB consultants and resellers. Our courteous professional receptionists will handle your inbound calls professionally and can even answer basic questions for callers or fill out service request information. They appear to your customers as though they have long been a part of your company.

Why TelAssistant?

ü  More time to concentrate on at-hand tasks

ü  Organized and Professional Call Handling

ü  Increased Productivity Through Organized Call Tracking

ü  Generate More Revenue

ü  No More Taking Calls On Your Cell

What image does it send about your company when you are answering your own calls? 

With a program specifically designed for small and growing IT companies, our receptionist will answer all of your calls live, announce the calls to you, ask qualifying questions, transfer calls to your office or mobile number, take accurate messages, FILL OUT WORK ORDERS and schedule appointments if you like.  All of this with flexible service packages to choose from. 

We utilize Autotask, a well-known SMB community partner, to ensure professional and organized issue tracking. This helps your business stay on top of your work orders and handle your clients the way they deserve to be handled.

Get Signed-Up Today in 4 Easy Steps!

Call 866-514-4555 and ask for Jason or click

www.TelAssistant.com

jason.lafrance@mailiw.com

SMB VoIP-isms
A couple of VoIP quick hitters for ya' to end the year. It all starts at www.telephonation.com.

*Participate and complete the SMB VoIP survey HERE to learn more about this segment. When you complete the survey, you are entered in a contest to win an IPod!
*Response Point podcasts. Did you know, if you dig around Telephonation, you will find Response Point podcasts from ChannelPro and TMCNet?
*New Response Point certification exam 74-635.

My question to you: Is VoIP that only thing that's doing well right now in the economy? Let me know at harryb@smbnation.com and I'll print replies soon!

StorageCraft rocks!

Keep Hope Alive with 20% Growth in 2009!

Talk about beating the street and telling Wall Street a thing or two...  D&H reports the following 2008 performance and MORE IMPORTANTLY is boldly entering 2009 with a 20% growth projection. You have to love the good attitude!

D&H Category Growth Stats  - Fiscal Q2 (August - October, 2008); Year-Over-Year
·         Overall business:  11 % increase    
·         Mobility:             53 % increase in sales
·         SMB Servers:       68 % increase in sales
·         Storage:             27 % increase in sales
HOT GROWTH AREAS IN 2009 include: Mobility, servers, storage. Read more at my SMB dude blog.
D&H Stimulus
Blended Portfolio! SMB PC Magazine
The new issue (Issue 3-3) is out and ready to read.
 SMB PC Issue 3-3
Read about:
·         The ECONOMY!
·         Going Lean and Green!
·         SBS 2008 H/W Levels (TECHNICAL)
·           RP and VPN (TECHNICAL)
·         SMB Nation 2008 Fall Conference Summary
·         Defining TS2 and SB2
Let me expand on the lean and green concept. The print media world has lost several players in the past 45 days including PC Magazine, US News and World Report, Christian Science Monitor, Reseller Advocate Magazine (RAM) and even Maxim! At SMB PC, we believe a well-balanced portfolio should include both print and digital. So to achieve that optimal mix, we have right-sized our magazine and have several articles that CONTINUE on our magazine blog site. It's prudent, responsible, hip and allows us to continue to serve the community as we are able. Thanks for your support and readership. READ ISSUE 3-3 HERE

Baclberry in SMB!

SBS 2008 Book Almost Here!                                                                                        
 
In final layout. Here very soon. Stay tuned! 

SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

Recent Sponsor Visits!
 
 
Meraki in San Francisco
Meraki!
 
Symantec 
Symantec!
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