THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE SBS DIVA

Okay if you are reading this you aren't the person I'm going to be ranting about.

You are here because you've gotten plugged in.  You've stepped up to the plate.  You are a person I would not mind sending a Small Business client to. 

And I apologize in advance to those of you this rant is intended for ...the ones that won't even been reading this.....but I think your technology customer deserves better.  You aren't listening enough.  You aren't taking the time to learn.  You aren't open for new ideas.

Have you noticed lately that many of you have been competing with a person that I'm not sure I would call an “IT Pro”?  A person that this is a side job, that it's not a career or a profession?  A person who idea it is that computers and servers are 'throwaway items'?  That in all the spin of “technology is easy” we've not realized that the only way for technology to get easier for the end user is to make it harder under the hood.  Yet there are folks I've seen posting in the newsgroup that I have to remember Grey's words to be more patient and kind to.  They come in with a “I know it all attitude” or they come in with a “I don't need to crack a book” attitude.

I don't mind the person entering the Small Business Marketplace that grabs a book, sets up a test network, reads a KB article...heck.. can attempt to Google up an answer.  I do mind the consultant who's not listening to their customer, who's not taking the time to practice a solution, or learn something new.  The one who sets up a box incorrectly and then complains that 'hasn't anyone ensured this works?“ when it's a misconfiguration that they've done to screw up the system.

I do mind the person who blindly says “Oh my customer doesn't need Exchange, will never use it“   Why do you say that?  Shared calendars?  They don't need that?

I do mind the person who blindly says “Oh my customer doesn't need Remote Web Workplace“.  Why do you say that?  Have you truly evaluated their needs?  Remote connectivity?  Heck we're leaving more and more of our workstations on 24/7 to remote back in.

I do mind the person who blindly says “Oh my customer doesnt' need...... fill in the blank....“ Why do you say that?  Aren't you making decisions based on what you think their needs are?  Are you thinking ahead enough?

I do mind the person doesn't set up a SBS box with the wizards and thinks they are smart enough to know better to set them up without the wizards.  Sure, understand what they are doing, but you'd have a hard time convincing me that installing all the parts of SBS, manually configuring everything, that you can set it up as dependably as the wizards.

As a customer, I would rather you not learn 100% on the job on your client.  Do your homework for some of these things, you know?  These days as cheap as Virtual Server is {$99), there's no reason that things like your first install of a SBS box should be in your client's office.  There's no reason that your first Swing migration should be a clients.... practice on your own network with a copy of Microsoft's new Virtual Server.

In fact, I'd strongly recommend that you grab a copy of Virtual Server.  You can practice all you want on a variety of things in a virtual setting and keep copies so that you don't screw up a real server.    How about virtual hands on labs?

The point is ... go into your client with confidence.  Yeah you don't need to know everything.... but have the attitude that you are open for learning, open for new ideas ....

...but then again... the people reading this post already are open for learning and new ideas aren't they?