"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.

Improve your Communication!

Microsoft has made Office Communications Server 2007 beta download available. The server includes software-powered VoIP, Web conferencing and enterprise instant messaging.

Office Communications Server 2007 will integrate with Active Directory, Microsoft Office, and telephony systems to make a powerful communication system.

Download Beta Here.

How to get Office.

Are you waiting to upgrade? It seems that many customers are waiting to make the change to Microsoft Office 2007 and Windows Vista. It seems that everyone wants to make sure that the bugs are out of the software before they begin using it. This is an understandable stance, but some companies are not aware that they can still get the old versions of the software. If you are waiting until you are ready to go to Office 2007 before putting Office on new systems in the office you do have an option. Through Microsoft Open License and Microsoft Open Value you have downgrade rights to use a previous version. Also when you are ready to transition to Office 2007 you are already licensed and only have to install the new software.

If you are under a volume license agreement with software assurance you already have the license for the new version. If you need to add systems you do not need to wait. You can purchase your additional licenses with software assurance and continue to use a prior version with the license. Microsoft downgrade rights make it easy to keep all your network operating on the same software.

Put Yourself Online!

Have you been looking for a website for your business? Microsoft has developed an option that will give you a free professional web site. Through Microsoft Office Live Basics you can great a free website with your own domain. If you do not have experience with web development this is a great option. The free service includes templates for you to put in the information. As you become more comfortable with the web development you can change to a paid option and try a product like Microsoft Expression Web to develop your website further.

Lenovo to go Live

Lenovo has come to an agreement with Microsoft. This will put Windows Live services in Lenovo ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops. This deal should help Microsoft’s presence in the search engine market.

Google currently holds most of the search market followed by Yahoo and Microsoft sitting in 3rd place. Having the Live Search default for Lenovo will likely increase the traffic for Microsoft.

This comes after Google released Google Apps to compete with Microsoft Office software. Microsoft currently controls the majority of the software market and improving their search level could quickly do a large amount of damage to Google.

Customer Service vs. Sales

Good sales and customer service are really the same thing. When you attempt to make a sale you are offering a customer something they want or need. In customer service you are addressing a customer’s want or need. If you can serve your customer your customer will buy that service.

Unfortunately many companies look at this in a different way. They want their sales people to sell you on something instead of offering you a solution. Then many times it is taken a step further by asking customer service specialists to sell you something.

From my experience if you give service first the customer will give you the sale. If your customer likes you and trusts you they will tell you what you can offer them. If you know what to offer the sale is made for you.

Here are some things that you can do to let the customer
bring the sales to you.

1. Think service first. Let your customers tell you what
   they need.


2. Personalize. If a customer gives you pieces of personal information commit them to memory and bring them up later. This will help build trust.


3. Know your products. If you don’t know your products
   you can’t tell a customer how a product will fit their needs.

One thing I recommend is to keep a record. Use Excel or Access to keep track of every contact with a customer. You can make notes of personal information, and track purchases to anticipate future needs.

Buy Microsoft Office software here.

Are you still waiting?

Are you waiting to upgrade? It seems that many customers are waiting to make the change to Office 2007 and Windows Vista. It seems that everyone wants to make sure that the bugs are out of the software before they begin using it. This is an understandable stance, but some companies are not aware that they can still get the old versions of the software. If you are waiting until you are ready to go to Office 2007 before putting Office on new systems in your business you do have an option. Through Microsoft Open License and Microsoft Open Value you have downgrade rights to use a previous version. Also when you are ready to transition to Office 2007 you are already licensed and only have to install the new software.

If you are under a volume license agreement with software assurance you already have the license for the new version. If you need to add systems you do not need to wait. You can purchase your additional licenses with software assurance and continue to use a prior version with the license. Microsoft downgrade rights make it easy to keep all your network operating on the same software.

Office 2007 vs. Google Apps

I have seen a lot of information lately about Google Apps. From what I have been able to determine Google is offering a web based Word Processor and Spreadsheet application.  It is being said that this will compete with Microsoft Office 2007. Specifically with the Word and Excel portions of Microsoft Office. The more I look over the information on Google Apps the less appeal I see.

Google Apps is a web based system. There is an advantage in this from a licensing standpoint. There is not a need to keep track of license information, only a username and password. Also there is no installation or activation needed. The issue is you have to be connected to the internet at all times in order to use your application. If your internet service goes down or slows down, your applications go down or slow down.

The price of Google Apps has also been talked about. At $50 per user per year it sounds like a very cost effective method. A counter to that is Office Standard runs about $360 for the full retail license, even less under Open Lcense. The difference being once you buy Office, it is yours. You can use it for 10 at $36 a year, or longer and the price per year continues to go down. It doesn’t take long for $50 per year to seem like a lot more to pay then you would for Office. There are benefits to both, please post your opinions!

Microsoft Downloads

Some new Microsoft Open License products are available for download. This download option can save the customer some money by eliminating the media kit from the order. Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange 2007 are all available for download. In order to get the download you need to sign in to http://eopen.microsoft.com. Then you will need to put in your authorization and license number.  After your license information has been entered you will be able to download the software. On the left side of the page you will see a link for Software Downloads. Click this link and follow the prompts and you will be able to finish your download.

Microsoft Open License

The Microsoft Open License program is designed to provide discounts to volume customers. To enroll in the program it requires a minimum purchase of 5 licenses. It does not matter what the 5 licenses consist of, for instance if you need 1 Windows Server, 1 CAL, 1 Terminal Services CAL, Windows Vista, and Office 2007, you would qualify. Open License also allows you to install multiple licenses with one media kit. For instance if you have 10 machines that need Office 2007, you would be able to use 1 CD for all of your machines instead of trying to keep track of CDs and product keys for each machine.

Microsoft also offers the Open Value licensing program, and the Open Volume licensing program.  These programs offer similar benefits to Open License and provide some other features that may or may not fit your needs. If you have any questions about which program is right for you let me know and I will be happy to go over options with you.

Create PDF Files with Adobe Acrobat!

Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional software enables business professionals to reliably create, combine, and control Adobe PDF documents for easy, more secure distribution, collaboration, and data collection.

Easily create Adobe and edit PDF documents from Microsoft Office, Outlook, Internet Explorer, Project, Visio, Access, Publisher, AutoCAD, Lotus Notes, or any application that prints. Combine documents, drawings, and rich media content into a single, polished Adobe PDF document. Optimize file size, and arrange files in any order regardless of file type, dimensions, or orientation. Enable users of Adobe Reader software (version 7.0 or 8) to participate in shared reviews. Use the Start Meeting button to collaborate in real-time with the new Adobe Acrobat Connect line of products. Easily collect and distribute forms, combine collected forms into a searchable, sortable PDF package, and export collected data into a spreadsheet (Windows only). Control access to and use of Adobe PDF documents, assign digital rights, and maintain document integrity.

Everyone sees PDF files downloaded from web pages. Use Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional to add PDF downloads to your website.

Create compelling charts!

Office Visio Professional 2007 will make it easy for IT and business professionals to visualize, analyze and communicate complex information, systems and processes with clear, compelling diagrams. By using Office Visio 2007, people will be able to easily visualize information from multiple data sources to better understand the current state of systems and processes, analyze information visually to highlight key trends and exceptions, and share diagrams broadly for effective and efficient decision-making.

Visio Professional 2007 makes it easy to create flow charts, and floor plans. Visio can also be used by IT professionals to create network diagrams.  This can save an IT professional time and problems locating specific network components. Visio 2007 is available under the Microsoft Open License program. The Open License program offers discounts for volume purchases.

More information on Visio 2007.

Accounting, only easier!

Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2007 is a complete accounting solution that helps small businesses save time managing everyday financial tasks, get organized, and grow their businesses online. With its familiar Microsoft Office interface, this program is easy to learn, so you can be productive right away. Smooth integration with other Microsoft Office programs makes information sharing simple and helps boost productivity.

By organizing all of your business information in one place, Office Accounting Professional 2007 helps you find the right information at the right time, so you can make better-informed business decisions. Plus, new features will help you sell products online, get paid faster, work easily with your accountant, and more.

Top Benefits
1. Seamless integration with Microsoft Office.
2. Easily sell online.
3. Get paid faster using Paypal
4. Monitor credit using Equifax.

Stay Current! Get Software Assurance.

Software Assurance is only available through the Microsoft Open License Program. The primary reason to invest in Software Assurance is upgrade protection. Through the Open License Program Software Assurance is the only option for upgrades to most products. With the release of Microsoft Office 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 many customers are finding themselves without upgrade options. Other customers who made the investment in Software Assurance are already capitalizing on the new software capabilities.

There are some other benefits to Software Assurance that can prove very useful. Software Assurance provides Training Vouchers to ensure that your IT staff has the tools to deploy, maintain and support the new technologies. Also included are 24x7 Problem Resolution Support Benefits which allow you to get help and support from Microsoft 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For more information go to Microsoft Software Assurance Page.

Windows Vista and Office 2007 Available!

Microsoft Windows Vista is now available to all Microsoft customers.
Microsoft Office 2007 is also now available. Some organizations may not be ready to make the change to the new releases. Microsoft does sometimes allow customers to use a previous version with the current license. See the
Microsoft Downgrade Chart for more information. If anyone has started using Windows Vista or Office 2007 I would love to hear how it is going so far.