|
Join Our List
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
 Yup, it's time for the last eNewsletter of 2010! Actually, I'm writing this in a bar of a cruise ship docked in Nassau, in the Bahamas Islands. Understandably, any pity you have that I'm working on this under such circumstances is outweighed by the fact that I'm here and you're not.
Actually, this is my 3rd attempt at writing the intro piece for the eNewsletter. The first two ended up being full articles in their own right (they're still in this issue, don't worry). So for this one I'm going Jack Webb on ya ("Just the facts, ma'am").
First of all, the band here just started playing "Old Time Rock and Roll," leading me to wonder who just got married? That was such a great song. Such a tragic ending.
Anywho, you can see based on this eNewsletter that we're still growing. Now in addition to the full-timers like myself, Kevin, John and Steve, we've got part-time assistance with Alaa, Lindsey, Doug and of course Cyndee. Considering that represents doubling the full-time and quadrupling the part-time folks from same time last year...not bad.
Hosted BPOS has been great for us and for our clients (I think we're at 8 installed with about 700+ mailboxes so far this year). Office 365 (successor to BPOS) promises to be at least as interesting. Our next Lunchinar will be dealing with both of these options.
And if you're looking for purchasing some Microsoft software before the year end, that's not a bad idea. Microsoft's Big Easy program can save you around 12% of your software cost by working with a Microsoft Partner (like us, for example) for your licensing needs.
And...Santa Bob? I gotta pay more attention to the drafts of these things!!
Bob
   |
Holidays, Customers and Radios | |
Bob here.
Ok. It's December. We can start talking about Christmas and the holidays.
Of course, that polite concept, "wait until it's reasonably close before bombarding us" has pretty much gone by the wayside. Halloween decorations actually shared space with Christmas stuff in at least one retail place I saw. And one Cleveland radio station (106.5, I believe) started with the 24×7 Xmas music the beginning of November. Yup, November.
Keep in mind, they have to be careful about overdoing it. For example, I deleted 106.5 from my radio playlist (hello, 102.9!).
And do I really have to worry about polls concerning the 2012 elections? Really?
(click here to read more) |
December Lunchinar: Moving your Organization to the Cloud with Office 365" | |
Just in case you haven't noticed, there has been a strong emphasis in the IT world over the last year or so on cloud-based services. Where organizations have, in the past, been required to purchase both hardware and software to support their information technology needs, there are now more and more opportunities to shift those costs and complexities offsite. Utilizing hardware and software that is hosted in another location by another company, who assumes all the responsibility for administration, maintenance and support, can be an attractive alternative that has the potential for producing cost savings on many levels.
Simplex-IT has been very active and successful in providing these cost and performance efficiencies to our clients, especially with Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Services (or BPOS). That is why we are so excited about the evolution of this service, its rebranding as Office 365, and its scheduled rollout to begin in early 2011.
(click here to read more, especially about the free Lunchinar) |
Cruising to stay Connected | |
Bob here. Ok, to understand my point here, it's important to understand the lengths I'm willing to go to in order to make a point. Right now I'm on the 8th deck of the cruise ship "Monarch of the Sea." Before you ask, no, it is not the sister ship of "Chicken of the Sea."
Anywho, here's the fun part. I'm on day 3 of a 4-day cruise, taken under extreme suggestion from my lovely wife, Julie.
Most folks, when they hear about going on a cruise, they immediately check out destinations, menus, activities, etc. Me? I'm checking out Wi-Fi, cellular charges, wanting to make sure that, fun or not, I'm as online as I need to be. Yup, that makes me at least a workaholic. And yup, it makes a saint out of Julie.
(click here to read more) |
Free Deploying Windows 7 eBook! | |
From the folks who brought you a free eBook on SQL 2008 R2, now we've got a free eBook on deploying Windows 7. Ok, it's actually a repeat (the book was originally made available around March or so, if memory serves), but I suspect there are a lot of people who were not really interested in rolling Windows 7 back then. Betcha feel a little different now, though, huh? Huh??? <Ahem>...sorry about that.
Anywho, if you click here, you should see a screen like below, and just click the link where it's circled.
|
Collaborating with SharePoint 2010 - November Lunchinar well received! | |
Eager to investigate new ways for their companies to become more productive, and hence more profitable, attendees generated quite a bit of discussion with questions ranging from the general to more specific issues related to their own situations.
Click here to read more.
|
|
Simplex-IT is growing (again!) | |
Hello, my name is Alaa R. Hamdan, from Cuyahoga Falls, OH. I graduated from Stow High, and am currently attending National College in Stow where I was placed on the Dean's List multiple times and I will be graduating In February of 2011 in the exciting field of IT. I was working at Simplex-IT as an Intern from National College, and was hired in as a Part-time entry-level technician. Outside of Simplex-IT (I do have a life) I enjoy hanging out with friends and family, I also love travelling to different countries and experiencing different cultures. |
| Microsoft is taking off the gloves! | |
When comparing today's cloud-based services, much has been discussed about Google Apps vs. Microsoft's BPOS (Business Productivity Online Services), soon to be assimilated and expanded into Office 365 in early 2011. Similarly, OpenOffice, an open source alternative to Microsoft's bellwether Office suite and available as a free download, has attracted significant interest in the marketplace. And there are other examples of competing manufacturers doing their best to grab market share from the ubiquitous software giant. But now that giant is waking up and responding firmly to its adversaries. There's even a new website that lays out some compelling evidence as to why your best value continues to be with the folks who introduced the first Windows operating system 25 years ago. |
| Introducing the Eighth Member of our Simplex-IT Family... | | |
Hello, My name is Lindsey Karoly. I graduated from Strongsville High School and I am currently a student at The University of Akron. I am presently working on a degree Computer Information Systems: Microsoft Maintenance and Networking. I am also studying Marketing and Sales Technology: Website Development and working towards my A+ and MCTS certifications. I will be graduating from The University of Akron June 2011. In my free time I am computer repair and troubleshooter to my family and friends and I enjoy building computers. I also enjoy playing guitar, reading, exploring various forms of dance, and playing video games. |
| Former Simplex-IT Guy makes good (or Geek)! | |
|
In case you're wondering what happened to Sam Hays, former Simplex-IT guy, here's a hint. You can see some of his recent PowerShell handiwork featured in a Windows IT Pro Blog entry here.
<sniff>...I love it when they fly the nest and make you proud...<sniff>
|
|
| Join Simplex-IT on Facebook | | |
Facebook - everyone is doing it...and now Simplex-IT is too!
Join our Facebook page to learn about the lastest IT technology. See pictures from our Free Lunchinars and from our Summer Picnic.
Just click below to go to our Facebook page, login and click the like button at the top of the page! See you on Facebook! 
|
| Want to find out about this stuff quicker? |
| | Blog updates from Simplex-IT over the past month
Remember to check out our blog:
|
| Plain Funny #25 | |
Alright, this is more of a summary Plain Funny. But for many, many years, The Onion has been a great site for news...well, that's comepletely worth reading (accuracy not included).
Did you know, for example, that the Universe recently admitted to being aligned constantly against one Dave Schwartz?
Well, click here, and then you'll know.
|
|
We'd love to hear feedback about this! Send comments to Bob@Simplex-IT.com, or call us at 234.380.1277!
Sincerely,
Bob Coppedge
Simplex-IT LLC |
|
|
