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As seasoned IT professionals running a small-sized business, you probably must be aware of the advantages cloud-based platforms bring over in-house deployment of hardware.

Most of the small business and startups lack the budget and workforce to purchase, install, handle and maintain on-site data centers and servers. Cloud Computing has long been known as the solution for such businesses, where rather than deploying in-house IT hardware, the business model is deployed on the infrastructures hosted by a third-party. Most of these providers use a pay-per-use model and the

Microsoft announced on January 18 the availability of Clear Linux OS for Intel on Azure, which makes them the first public cloud provider to offer that. Linux users now have a foundation to experiment and create systems with the option to choose a much preferred and suitable bundle. Clear Linux also has the Docker container platform; a straightforward approach to bundle an application and its runtime conditions into a solitary compartment and provides runtime independence which empowers the container to keep running crosswise over various forms of the Linux Kernel.

Over the years when digital world has taken revolution, Cloud Computing has grown tremendously as a service. Today it is described as one remote service to store, process and manage information. Cloud Computing is management of vast set of information infrastructures. It is management of information tools, systems and architectures.

I wanted to share a few recommended readings for you to consider with the start of 2017. Why? Because it’s essential you are always in life learner mode as a technology professional. You want your medical doctor to read the latest journals, right?
I’ve scoured the Office 365 community for content that can add value to your professional journey. Here are my findings.

HOW TO PROFIT FROM SELLING OFFICE 365
Just the other day,

Granted many of the SMB Nation readers are experienced IT Pros. But one layer below, many MSPs have a rising star. Typically a “newbie,” this individual is being eyed for bigger things. Which gets me to my point. Chip Reaves of Bigger Brains and I teamed up with Emily Wilson a just over a year ago to create the Networking Essentials: CompTIA Network Plus Exam Prep course. I proudly consider this the 20th publication I’ve been an author or co-author of (full list here).

It goes without saying that Cyber Monday, November 28, 2016, has grown dramatically from its modest start 12-years ago. It’s a media mainstay and you are encouraged to track it’s performance on sites like ChannelAdvisor. But that’s not why I’m here with this blog. Rather I want to impart insights into a startup with a twist launching on Cyber Monday. The Portland, OR startup is called Truece and it has a new twist on an old problem. (See below for a special offer for SMB Nation members - editor)

Friend of the SMB Nation family, Karl Palachuk, is starting his five week course on “Core Standard Operating Procedures for Small IT Providers” this coming Tuesday, November 15th. So what is it?  

This course will cover the most important procedures you need to have in place to run an efficient and highly profitable Managed Services Business.

Whether you're a new "Computer Consultant"

Grant here. I’ve created a completely new Azure and Office 365 workshop that is based on storytelling. Makes sense. I’m the “Chief Storytelling Officer” (CSO) for Tour de Cloud.

Seriously – my promise to you is that you’ll enjoy hard core unique content with no fluff and all buff for one day! Upcoming workshops include New York City, Boston, Austin, Houston and Dallas! 

Start the day with questions about Azure and Office 365. End the day with answers. That’s my promise and I guarantee you

This past week, I attended the 5^th GeekWire Summit and have a report for you. First, this is an interesting diverse crowd. You can’t pin it down to just one audience (e.g. a security conference has IT security professionals). Rather it was venture capitalists, start-up entrepreneurs, white collar professionals and technical geeks. The format was typically a single room format with a start-up or established executive speaking to the audience. I’d rank this a “roadmap” conference with high-level speeches. There was minimal technical content and no hands-on labs.

There is no age discrimination in the entrepreneurship community. It’s a line of reasoning that cuts both ways. You can be a 50+ year old white collar tech exec who is “yes sir-ed” through the back door in the tech community because of ageism but still have credibility as a start-up entrepreneur. Likewise, you can be a millennial in the new gig economy who embraces start-ups. It’s a big tent and there is room for all.

Recently GoDaddy released an extensive study on how millennials are fueling entrepreneurial growth.

If you are starting up a new technology-based entrepreneurial endeavor, you need to heed the wisdom of many before you. It’s about who you know. I can attest to that my relationships have yield more return on investment that my intellectual capabilities. Ultimately I made more money as a “rainmaker” than a hard core geek (although you need both as a technical professional – don’t get me wrong).

One of the secrets to my success is applying analytics to my data. In this case, the secret I want to share concerns mining your

You knew it was coming. It arrived in my Inbox as a forwarded email from SMB Nation community member David Gerhart from Bend, OR. David is an IT consultant  and he received a “lead” from LinkedIn’s new ProFinder service (which I consdier a start-up). LinkedIn has always had the underutilized asset of millions of details