Numbers Do Not Lie

Every day there many people complaining about Windows Vista. On the other hand it would appear that there are many more quiet and happy. The negative side of things has a way of being louder then the positive. If you are angry you want to tell everyone how terrible it was. On the other hand if you are happy you don’t have a lot to tell anyone. You sit back and enjoy the time you are having.

It is unfortunate that anyone has had a bad experience with Windows Vista, but lets look at the numbers showing how many have had a good experience. Including preorders Microsoft hit revenues of $5.3 billion on primarily Windows Sales. That is 67% higher then last year. Even if you remove the preorders it is a jump of 17% over last year. Also Microsoft reports that 85% of Windows sales are for Vista.

So to all of us who like Vista, lets talk a little bit louder. Lets be proud of how well Vista is working for us. Lets drown out the complainers and enjoy the great capabilities of Windows Vista!

Time is running out.

The time on Windows Vista Beta is running out. Microsoft announced that if you are using a Beta version of Windows Vista you have until May 31st to back up all your information and either purchase a full license for Windows Vista or downgrade back to your previous OS.

Starting on June first customer using Beta versions will be able to log on for 2 hour sessions. After 2 hours of use the PC will reboot without opportunity to save date. Microsoft strongly recommends that Beta users have their OS taken care of before May 31st.

Exchange Server 2007

Exchange Server 2007 allows access by via computer, a mobile device and even a basic telephone if there is no internet access available. With the Outlook Web Access employees can access their inbox through a web browser from anywhere with internet access. Outlook Web Access does not even require VPN to use.

Microsoft Exchange Server has also changed to become a 64-bit application. This allows users to break through past memory limitations. This allows mailboxes to grow to meet employees’ demands for more storage.

Microsoft Unlimited Potential

Microsoft is expanding the Unlimited Potential program to give large discounts in developing markets. Microsoft is working to rapidly expand the number of computer users in the world. By offering large discounts Microsoft will be able to penetrate markets that otherwise would likely use pirated version of software because of cost concerns.

The Unlimited Potential program is one of many ways that Microsoft gives back to the community. The program was created to increase technology education worldwide. Computer use is important in being able to get a job and Microsoft wants to make sure that everyone is able to use a computer.

There is also a business aspect involved. If Microsoft is able to penetrate these markets and help in developing a stronger workforce and stronger economy they will be able to distribute software at higher prices. It is a very long term strategy but one that has potential to pay off for everyone involved.

More on Evil Google.

So yesterday I asked when Google will turn evil. Today am getting an answer. It has already started. Google is now asking you, me and everyone to report when they think someone is using paid links. Meaning for instance I offer you $20 to put my link on your site. Google is also asking that all paid links be indicated as such to Google so they know not to count them

I understand rules against using hidden links and trying to deceive the search engines. Those are generally related to spam sites. What I see happening is Google does not want anyone taking a piece of their pie. Google make a large amount of money by selling links, but they don’t want you to.

Google says this will make the internet better. They don’t want pages to be ranked high that do not earn their incoming links. This is an understandable statement, but also brings questions to my mind. Why not focus attention on eliminating the spam websites by having someone actually look at them. I feel like we have built a strong website, but on many keywords there are sights that promote spam and piracy that come up higher in the search results. I also often see these sites promoting spam and piracy in the Google paid links.

Google’s path to evil and to self destruction has started. The real question is who is going to step up in the next few years to take Google’s place as the number one search engine.

When will Google turn Evil?

So much for don’t be evil. There has to be some amount of evil in the Google Empire. Google continues to acquire more and more pieces of the internet advertising world. Google could at a whim put out hundreds of small businesses who work to have potential customers find them online. I have heard stories of domains being banned from Google, with no way to have the ban lifted. Imagine if you bought a domain and found that you could not be shown in Google search results.

As Google grows and picks fights with Microsoft and other major IT companies it is going to become evil. Microsoft never set out to have a reputation as being evil. I do not personally believe that Microsoft is evil. Microsoft is a company that worked very hard and did very smart things to get to the top. Now they have to defend themselves from attacks.

I see Google picking fights with Microsoft. Microsoft has not done some very “evil” things that they could do. Would it really be hard for Microsoft to block some Google tools in Internet Explorer because of potential security risks? Of course it would not be hard. Microsoft is playing by the rules. Soon Google may see that they can not beat Microsoft by playing by the rules. That is when we will find out just how evil Google really is.

Terminal Service

Terminal Service CALs continue to be one of our most popular products. Windows server Terminals Services allows a user from a remote device to access the server and run applications off the server.

There are two ways that Terminal Services can be licensed. It can be licensed on a per device system. Per device licensing assigns one CAL to each device that uses the Terminal Server. The other option is a per user option. Per user licensing assigns one CAL to each user that uses the Terminal Server. Organizations can save money by determining if they will have more users or devices and purchasing whichever option would require fewer CALs.

Small Business Server does not allow Terminal Services to run in application mode. If you are using a Small Business Server and want Terminal Service capability you will need to purchase a stand alone Windows Server to run Terminal Services.

"Microsoft is Dead". Really?

It is funny to see people pronouncing the death of Microsoft. The only areas where Microsoft does not dominate are areas that they have started to aggressively pursue. Microsoft dominates the desktop. No other OS product competes with it. Microsoft Office owns productivity. Sure there “open source” options thrown around left and right, but in most homes and most businesses Microsoft Office rules.

Google dominates the internet. There is no question in this, but even Google’s domination of the internet is not as strong as Microsoft’s domination of the desktop. In the last few months Microsoft has started to push their way into the web. Getting live search as the default page on new Lenovo systems will be big, but it will take time.

Microsoft has never been aggressive in the web, but Google attempted to compete with Office and it appears that Microsoft is going to fight back on Google’s turf.

Forefront Security

Microsoft has entered the security world with its Forefront product line. Forefront has actually been around for a few years, but only in the last few days has any marketing been done. The security market is a very big part of the technology industry right now. The leading company in security remains Symantec. Trend Micro and ESET continue to build on successes every day. From what I have seen at this time Microsoft Forefront does not have the capacity to overtake the leaders in the security industry. It will be interesting to see how the Forefront product develops and if Microsoft is able to establish a place in security.

Windows Server "Longhorn"

Microsoft Windows Server “Longhorn” is getting close to Beta 3. Beta 3 is expected to be the last beta version of the new Server before it is released into production and distribution. With the new server coming soon I would recommend if you are going to get a server now that you get Software Assurance with it. Many people do not want to use the newest versions of servers when they are released, by buying Windows Server 2003 with Software Assurance now you will have the rights to upgrade whenever you are ready!

Vista Compatible

Everyone has likely heard by now that Microsoft is being sued over the Windows Vista Capable labels. The labels have been referred to many times as misleading because they indicate only capability of running Windows Vista Home Basic and not the Premium Edition. The other part of this is that Microsoft has advertised the Premium Edition and not the Home basic.

Now does this really call for a lawsuit? In my opinion no. This seems equivalent to filing a lawsuit because you paid for something and the next day it was on sale. Or bring a lawsuit against Ford because you got the low end model that does not have all the features of the high end.

Compatibility only refers to the fact that it will run. Are the computers Vista compatible? The answer is yes and that really should be the only question.

Software License Awareness

Software License Awareness Day is right around the corner. Wasatch Software is proud to take part in Software License Awareness Day which gives customer the opportunity to eliminate possible legal risk related to software licensing. We are proud to offer free software license research to help establish what licenses you have to prevent duplication and to ensure that all of your systems are correctly licensed. Please plan to set aside time on April 10th to review your software licenses and ensure that you are in compliance with your license agreements.

Are you doing a good job?

How do you know you are doing a good job at customer service? More to the point how do you know you are not doing a good job at customer service. It may be easier then you think to tell. Your customers tell you over and over again if you are giving them good service or not.

The question is how do the tell you? Some make it easy and give you a direct compliment. My goal every day is to get at least one direct compliment even if it is something as simple as thank you for the quick response.

The other great way to tell is if you the customer comes back. If you are not providing good customer service your customers will not come back. If you are providing great service, not only will your customers come back, but they will come back every time they need anything.

Sit back and asses your customer service based on these two indicators. Set goals with each and find ways to make sure that the goals are met.

Comparing Licensing Options

To save money one thing that some of customers choose is OEM Software. OEM Software can defiantly save you money over Retail. In some cases OEM Software can be even lower then Open License Software. Each option has its benefits. OEM Software’s biggest benefit is price. The largest drawback to OEM Software is that once installed it is married to the hardware. Meaning if the computer fails the Software dies with it.

Retail software’s biggest benefit is that it is the only software option that includes Microsoft technical support. The biggest drawback to retail software is it is the highest priced of the software purchase options.

The last option is Open License Software. The benefits of Open License are a discounted price and volume media, which allows you to install all of your licenses with one CD and one Product Key. The only drawback is that you are required to purchase at least 5 licenses to start an Open License Agreement.

Be Safe This Spring.

If you are using a Microsoft Small Business Server you may find that you are having to get many different products to protect your network. Thankfully Symantec has put together a suite to make sure that your Small Business Server is protected. Symantec Comprehensive Protection for Microsoft Small Business Server includes Symantec Antivirus, Backup Exec, Mail Security, and Premium AntiSpam. Symantec is offering discounts on the suite up to $320 off MSRP. There is no better time then now to ensure that your network is safe from attacks. Having a secure network can save a company millions of dollars in time and customer relations. Make sure that your company is protected!