5 Reasons Why Belonging To An Industry Association is a No-Brainer
The IT industry offers a number of organizations and associations for IT companies and Managed Service Providers to be a part of. Many companies overlook the advantages that belonging to these organizations provides.
1. Peer to Peer Networking – Peer to peer networking is a major part of belonging to an industry association. Some have forums where information is shared and there are usually events where face to face networking provides a chance to discuss industry issues, trends, and topics.
2. Vendor Awareness – Vendor Awareness can be a big advantage for companies looking to separate their businesses from their competition. Many vendors belong to industry associations and association events can be a good way to improve vendor relations as well as provide a foot in the door for personalized interaction.
3. Discounts and Group Buys – Discounts and group buys are another positive influence that associations can bring. Often times the association can leverage their membership to help decrease costs of many items from parts to group insurance, which increases overall revenues.
4. Building a Reputation – Building a reputation in the industry can lead to many new opportunities. Associations provide a voice and allow members to partake in surveys, roundtable discussions, and leadership trainings. By creating and fostering a positive industry reputation companies can see doors open and collaboration beyond the local level.
5. Education – Education is one of the biggest reasons to join an organization. Most provide formal training for leadership and employees,certification opportunities, as well as the potential to lead and become a subject matter expert on many topics.
Most industry organizations have a small fee, but the value provided far outweighs the cost to an IT company. Research the organizations and associations by talking to peers and evaluating the organizations online resources. Once you join, don’t leave it at that. Become a part of the communities and gain a voice in the industry. Take advantage of as many resources as are provided, and make sure to reach out to organization staff to get a better understanding of available benefits.
Frank Gurnee
VP, Channel Services, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x4777
frank@ownwebnow.com
Hurricane Sandy
First off, our thoughts are with all of you and your families, and we hope you are all safe at least. We understand that a lot of the North East, which is densely populated, is out of power. Once an area or office is out of power obviously it means that mail servers are not online. Let ExchangeDefender be a helping hand in during this natural disaster. As subscribers know, we have multiple options to help you and your clients:
Mail Spooling/Bagging
ExchangeDefender will hold up to 7 days worth of your mail for you automatically. Remember once your server is online, there is nothing within ExchangeDefender that you have to do, it will spool down to you automatically in intervals.
Note: If you know you will be down for longer than a 7 day period please let us know via support ticket and we will see what we can do to help out with that issue.
LiveArchive
If your clients have employees that are out of the affected radius, remember LiveArchive is an option for them to at least lightly continue working if the majority of the company is within the affected area. Remember LiveArchive was designed for issues like this.
It is available at https://livearchive.exchangedefender.com/ with their ExchangeDefender credentials.
If you have any issues, please let us know you either call us or open a support ticket at https://support.ownwebnow.com.
Tips & Tricks:
We are talking about massive quantities of mail here so we do not want you to lose any. Remember when you bring your servers back online make sure all the settings are correct, meaning they accept mail from our subnets anonymously. We can only spool messages that are deferred, once a bad configuration outright REJECTS mail, it is no longer spooled. So a smart approach may involve bringing the server online with the WAN NIC unplugged to just be sure your settings are before you let it rip.
Carlos Lascano
VP Support Services, ExchangeDefender
carlos@ownwebnow.com
(877) 546-0316 x737
“Marketing Does Not Work” Really?
Marketing success is not kept a secret and it certainly does not have a magical recipe! It is actually fairly simplistic. When you market your business correctly, you will thrive and if you market your business ineffectively, you will struggle. This statement holds true because marketing is based on not only needs and wants but also cause and effect.
Earlier this month I received an email from one of our partners that was telling me about how they were trying to expand their client base in their area – but that their marketing strategies were letting them down and basically told me straight up that “Marketing doesn’t work.”
Your Tools Are Not To Blame
In the above example, the suggestion was that the failure of this company’s efforts to generate business was not their fault, but that marketing ‘doesn’t work’. Actually, their problem was not as they suggested, it was simply that they were going about it all wrong! For example, a poorly written advertisement or campaign, placed in the wrong location or targeted towards the wrong market, is unlikely to generate a ton of interest or sales! However, this certainly does not mean that marketing doesn’t work; it just means that the strategy and placement was wrong.
When selling goods and services to people remember that they will buy more based on what they need or want. When you identify those needs and wants you can provide the best solution for them. Then you can “go and advertise” where they go to fulfill those needs and wants. This is one of the reasons why ExchangeDefender goes to so many tradeshows and industry events as part of our marketing efforts; we can reach more solution providers were they are and better cater to their needs and wants.
Stephanie Hasenour
VP Marketing, ExchangeDefender
stephanie@ownwebnow.com
Setting Up Your ExchangeDefender Admin Portal
Recently I have been receiving calls from new and existing partners in regards to the process of setting up their ExchangeDefender Admin portals, specifically ExchangeDefender Essentials. It has been a long time since most of you have had to create your Service Provider portal, but with the addition of ExchangeDefender Essentials there has been an influx in the creation of Service Provider portals. So consider this a refresher course!
As many of you know, ExchangeDefender is a very robust product; therefore we provide an entirely separate portal to manage anything ExchangeDefender related. When you sign up to become a partner with ExchangeDefender you are immediately sent credentials to our support portal. The support portal is where you order all of your services, including the initiation of your Service Provider portal.
There are two separate admin portals for ExchangeDefender, one for the full version and one for the Essentials version. If you have not already created each portal, I encourage you to go ahead and create the remaining one or both; the process is simple and takes just a few minutes.
To create the Essentials portal
· Login to your Support Portal
· Click on the Service Manager Tab
· At the very bottom of the page there is an option for ExchangeDefender Essentials, click subscribe.
· Then click the plus sign.
· Next, the Second page of the order form will ask you for a MSP ID; this will be your username, so we suggest using your company name. You will also be asked for a product name, you may choose anything you’d like, some examples include ownwebnow filtering service, ownwebnow email security service, and ownwebnow cloud security solution.
· The next screen will finalize your order and the credentials for https://admin.exchangedefender.com will be sent to you.
· If you haven’t already created a portal for the full version of ExchangeDefender, go back to the support portal, click on the service manager, and on the right hand side there is a box with a list of services, click on New ExchangeDefender SP. You will be asked for the same information, but your MSP IP will have to be a variation of your previous MSP ID. So if you used your company name, you will need to add something additional to it, if you are incorporated I suggest using ownwebnowinc, or ownwebnowcorp, whatever works best for you.
If you have not created your admin portals and you’re looking to sign up for Hosted Exchange, there is no need to create an admin portal, the portal will automatically provision for you once you have ordered your Hosted Exchange accounts.
I hope this clears up any ambiguity, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly at: Anastasia@ownwebnow.com or by phone , 877-546-0316 x739.
Anastasia Wiggins
Partner Communications Manager, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x739
Anastasia@ownwebnow.com
Ahsay Restore File Prompts for Encryption Key
We have come across a couple users who were unable to restore files from Ahsay because they were continuously prompted for an Encryption Key.
This issue occurs when a user changes the Ahsay user password from the original password.
When a user is created Ahsay hashes their password as the file encryption key. Using the encryption key, Ahsay then hashes with a salt any data backed up. When a user goes to restore a file from Ahsay the agent will automatically try to decrypt the data with the current user hashed password, which if changed from the original causes the agent to prompt the user for the encryption key.
If you are unable to restore a file you can contact our support team as we may have the original key on file in the account history however this is not guaranteed.
If a user wants to use a custom password for the encryption key they must configure the custom encryption key BEFORE backing up any data. If a user changes the encryption key after data has been backed up then the original backed up data will be inaccessible without the previous encryption password.
Travis Sheldon
VP, Network Operations, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x757
travis@ownwebnow.com
Making the Most Out of IT
For many IT Solution Providers and Managed Service Providers the bottom line depends on as little interaction as possible with clients to make the most revenue. This is great for creating efficiencies and productivity for clients, but may not help with relationship building. It is easy for a client to look at an IT bill and wonder exactly what they are getting for their spend when they rarely see their provider.
This is an issue that many providers face when managing a client network with few problems. There are some things that can be done to provide great face time, build relationships, and keep clients. I like to call this series “Making the Most out of IT.”
A Little Help Can Make A Lot of Difference
Usually when you install new products, devices, or software solutions there is a bit of a learning curve for users. If you install and run, most people will not take the time to use the new solution thus making the install a wasted effort. Especially for managed service or recurring revenue clients, setting up a quarterly lunch and learn might be a great way to keep clients happy and on top of technology. This fun and educational event for your client will keep them appreciative and most likely gain you additional sales and a better relationship. Get your vendors involved, as they will most likely have small giveaway items, materials, and advice on how to educate your clients on the products you are covering.
Unexpected Visits
Unexpected visits are always welcomed when you bring a gift for the office. This can be a simple gesture such as donuts, pizza, or a tub of licorice but the effort will always make you the good guy. The key to this is frequency. It doesn’t have to be all the time just on a regular basis. Quarterly is a good start just schedule your client visits in your calendar and keep your own appointment to build rapport. This will be remembered when there is a problem that needs some understanding from the client side, such as in the event of an outage.
Think outside of the box and provide new resourceful ways to stay connected to your clients. Email, marketing, and newsletters are good but the good old face to face is what will set you apart from your competition. By going the extra mile and providing education or simple training and regular interaction, you will keep clients happy, keep them buying, keep them recommending your service, and you will just flat keep them.
Frank Gurnee
VP, Channel Services, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x4777
frank@ownwebnow.com
Network Improvements
Over the past month we have been slowly upgrading the network for our Exchange 2010 clusters to segregate network traffic not only between clusters, but between the resources within the cluster. Prior to the upgrades all clusters and services within the clusters (CAS arrays, DAG, etc.) were able to interact with each other. By utilizing VLAN and QoS on the switch we have been able to limit down the amount of multicast traffic and broadcasts between networks which dramatically improved network responsiveness within each cluster. By limiting the outside “noise” we have seen a 130% improvement of log shipment between DAG nodes across clusters and an 80% improvement of CAS related traffic. All in all these network changes directly improve the customer experience by providing a faster handling and response of requests to mailboxes.
Travis Sheldon
VP, Network Operations, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x757
travis@ownwebnow.com
ExchangeDefender LocalCloud
Recently, ExchangeDefender launched a product that many of our partners have been eagerly waiting for: LocalCloud. Many of you may be thinking that we at ExchangeDefender are arriving a little late to the Cloud file sharing game; but you would all be incorrect! Most will try to compare us to the larger, more recognized players in the Cloud file sharing niche; and again, you would be missing the point of LocalCloud.
“So, Michael, what is your point concerning LocalCloud?”
My point is simply this: People are still scared of the Cloud. More accurately, they are concerned about certain attributes of the Cloud: Data location, data security, and most importantly; data availability.
“Where is my data?”
“Is my data secured?”
“My Internet is down! I can’t access my data!!!”
Enter LocalCloud. In business, you need to know that your data is secure, you need to know where it is stored, how it is protected and you need the people you can count on to help you with backups, regulatory compliance, data leakage, and access concerns.
With ExchangeDefender LocalCloud software, the behavior of the desktop does not change – files are still available locally and can be accessed as fast as any other file on the desktop. Sync, reporting and backups are done on the backend without client interaction and without purchasing expensive backup and encryption products.
What we have accomplished with LocalCloud is taking the features of the Cloud and combining them with the accessibility of the local network. When you do this, businesses grow and flourish.
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For more information about ExchangeDefender LocalCloud and how to get started offering this service to your clients, visit: http://exchangedefender.com/local_cloud.php or pick up the phone and give me a call!
Michael D. Alligood
Partner Sales & Support, ExchangeDefender & Shockey Monkey
michael@ownwebnow.com
(877) 546-0316 x707
Software as a Service Just Makes Good Sense
With the adoption of Software services and cloud implementations the days of traditional retail boxed software is all but disappearing and for good reason. Disk-based software and licensing had many faults. First requiring customers to keep track of software, let alone licenses, could create many issues when there was a dreaded failure and reload scenario. Second high priced support could take a large chunk out of a technology budget not leaving much room for repairs or necessary upgrades when due.
These days things are much much different. There are no longer worries of media, boxes, licensing, or support. Licensing, one of the biggest headaches in the previous model, can simply be looked up with customer information and provided within an instant. Not having media means accessing applications and downloads from virtually anywhere. Support is now rolled into products providing value and overcoming the issue of large capital outlays or the worry of companies deciding not to get support and then having issues.
Some may look at SaaS as costing more over time, but considering the fact that SaaS solutions provide unlimited software updates, rolled into support, and peace of mind regarding licensing, the values outweigh any additional costs. Software ownership has never been a good investment; just head to your basement or closet sometime and find some of those retail boxes we’ve been talking about. Outside of nostalgic memories of that Windows 3.1 or that early version of QuickBooks, the box and media disks really have no value.
Software as a Service and cloud solutions are becoming a standard in the software industry. For vendors there are lower costs and guaranteed recurring revenues. For Providers the benefits are very much the same. On top of the outlined benefits, IT solution Providers and MSP’s can provide value added services to their solutions. By utilizing ExchangeDefender, providers can even create their own pricing and add-ons to create the most value and revenue.
Frank Gurnee
VP, Channel Services, ExchangeDefender
(877) 546-0316 x4777
frank@ownwebnow.com
Garbage In, Garbage Out
I am sure that we have all heard the adage of “garbage in, garbage out” when it comes to software. However, based on my experience, the phrase also applies to support as well. It applies in all directions and regardless of perspective. Allow me to illustrate it…
End user #1: Hey local tech support, my _________ is not working right.
Local Tech: Ok I will call our service provider.
End user waits.
Cloud Tech: How can I help you?
Local Tech: Hey, Bob’s email is not working right! We are getting killed over here!
Cloud Tech: Ok who is Bob? And what exactly is not working right?
Local Tech: Umm… I don’t know, can you hold on?
The call goes on hold and at least 10 minutes go by.
Eventually the local guy comes back and tries his best to describe an image as you would to a blind person (because phones do not have video, completely). Mind you from your perspective as an MSP, while all these shenanigans are going on your end user is STILL down.
Now this is where I start yelling at my guys. Unfortunately, technology requires data not a verbal origami that somehow turns into a flying bird from a napkin. “Get that guy off the phone and tell him to paste you the headers, get the .msg file if you can, and get a screenshot.” Show me the problem!
It is at this stage that we either have a problem we fix, or a problem you fix. But sadly, we (yes both you and us) wasted 80% of the time saying something like this:
Tech 1: What does it say?
Tech 2: It says…
Tech 1: No no that line, the next line.
Tech 2: It says…
Tech 1: You skipped a line, I need the one in between.
Tech 2: Oh that one!
Trust me I get it, I love to “talk to someone” too, every day of the week. But you know what I would really like for myself and my customer every time? I would like for my problem to be solved in a timely fashion. And this is something that happens both ways, sometimes we ask bad questions, but other times we get a ticket that is composed of a PSA ticket forward that says “My email is down”, that’s it. That’s just as bad as reply that says “That sucks”. Yet they both contain the same amount of useful information.
Carlos Lascano
VP Support Services, ExchangeDefender
carlos@ownwebnow.com
(877) 546-0316 x737