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September 07, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Better late than never: APC's Free Facilities Classes

Should have posted this a few weeks ago, but missed it. Seems APC is out there giving more free classes away. Starting next week, the company will be sponsoring a number of educational events around the country.

Register to attend one and you'll get free seminars on power and data center management, time to play with the company's InfraStruXure products and most likely some free snackies.

Having just had a client who lost the transformer behind his building when a tree fell on it, these kinds of classes are just the thing to figure out what size generator his office building needs to guard against that in the future.

More info and registration here.

Posted by Oliver Rist on September 7, 2006 12:12 PM

August 24, 2006 | Comments: (0)

More SMB Podcast Treasures

For SMB types hungering for more podcast audio glitz than just my poor Emerging Enterprise efforts, take heart. Seems the Small Business Administration has gotten into the game, too, with their podcast page.

Topics are definitely geared towards the small business person, however, not the medium-sized company. Right now you can find topics there on deciding whether entrepeneurship is right for you, looking into small business training networks and deciding which business is a good fit for you. Check it out.

Posted by Oliver Rist on August 24, 2006 07:27 PM

June 14, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Coming Home from Paradise

I'll be dragging my sorry geek posterior home from paradise for the next couple of days, so posting will be intermittent. Back in full swing on Thursday.

Posted by Oliver Rist on June 14, 2006 03:04 AM

April 14, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Happy Easter Everyone

No Freaky Friday this week, tho I am heading to the New York International Auto show this weekend, so look for some fun stuff on that come Monday.

Meanwhile, Happy Easter in a purely non-denoinational sense and have a good weekend.

Posted by Oliver Rist on April 14, 2006 11:06 AM

January 03, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Another Good Source for Online Smarts

APC has always done good stuff, and they've just come out with some more: namely the Data Center University.

Yes, these are online courses, but they won't teach you about Intro to Penguin Maintenance. These courses explore the black art of building a data center...physically. Think along the lines of what APC is known for: space management, power, cooling and physical security.

Sure, it's a mite self-serving, but what'd you expect? Anthropology? Plus if you're an SB looking to move up to MB and need a data center built as part of that journey, getting smart about issues like these can really weed out a lot of the costly garbonzola your average consultant is going to toss at you.

Worth the look.

Posted by Oliver Rist on January 3, 2006 09:25 PM

January 01, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Happy 2006

Best wishes to everyone for a safe, peaceful and prosperous 2006.

Posted by Oliver Rist on January 1, 2006 01:05 PM

September 19, 2005 | Comments: (0)

Cisco's Not Just for Enterprise Anymore

One of the key markets for Cisco competitors has always been SMB. That's because SMBs need Cisco-style networking functionality but without the enterprise price tag. Well as IDG's Stephen Lawson reports, those competitors now have some competition of their own -- Cisco's once again waving at the little guy.

Cisco's SMB announcements are actually fairly substantial, covering not only a new SMB communications plan, but specific hardware and purchasing options as well. Check out more details off Cisco's site.

Posted by Oliver Rist on September 19, 2005 03:51 PM

September 11, 2005 | Comments: (0)

All Set for Windows Patch Tuesday? Well Forget It.

Microsoft has canceled Patch Tuesday less than 24 hours after announcing the details of the updates. There's not much in the way of explanation, other than to say that it turns out the patch software requires "additional QA".

Also no word on when the updates would finally be released. So power down your test servers and feel free to drink an appropriate amount of beer during Monday Night Football.

Posted by Oliver Rist on September 11, 2005 06:46 PM

September 02, 2005 | Comments: (0)

Katrina Security Alert

Sadly, some people aren't just slime, they're that stuff that builds up between slime and the dirt that slime lays on for protracted periods.

The BBC is reporting that several spam mailings have been found asking concerned readers to log onto Web sites to provide support for Katrina victims. Once you do, though, your PC is instantly infected with all kinds of malware trash.

So help--but be careful how you help. Stick to known donation links like the two I dropped down below in earlier posts. And if your SMB office users are equally concerned, you may want to pass this tidbit along.

Posted by Oliver Rist on September 2, 2005 03:46 PM

September 01, 2005 | Comments: (0)

Trouble at the Orchard?

I've been trying to get Apple's PR folks to send me a few Mac products, so I could take a look at them through an SMB filter. That way I'd have more original content for the millions upon millions of readers this blog undoubtedly gets.

No go. The Apple is a quiet fruit. So, since the Mac Mini is onlya $500 machine, and I make such massive amounts of money, I figured I'd pick one up at CompUSA and maybe just return it if the thing sucked too badly. I'm on my way to the store yesterday when...

"Oh no," says my Apple Zealot Buddy. Seems AZB found a 30-day money-back guarantee on Apple's Web site that covered both the Mac Mini and a number of its sexier accessories. Cool. No muss no fuss. I'd love to link you to the Apple store now, complete with offer...

...but I go to buy the thing today...and the offer's gone. Here one day, gone the next. AZB, who actually saw the offer, tells me it was supposed to run through Oct. 31. I called an Apple Store at a nearby mall and asked "Whattup?" but the know-it-all Apple Guru was no guru at all when it came to online sales offers. I guess youth and acne don't imply as much knowledge as you'd think.

I haven't heard of any mass Mac Mini returns that might have prompted Apple to pull back from a money-back guarantee program, but the fact that it pulled back at all would give me pause as a purchaser. Especially if I was considering the purchase of 5, 10, 20, 50 or more as SMB workstations.

If Apple's serious about this market, it better smooth out its sales process.

Posted by Oliver Rist on September 1, 2005 12:32 PM

August 31, 2005 | Comments: (0)

Katrina Relief

For anyone who's interested, below are a couple of links to aid Katrina's victims:

Second Harvest