Triangulating Steve Jobs

Triangulating Steve Jobs

Great article about Steve Jobs written by a guy that didn't know him. Quick read that I found surprisingly insightful.

Selling “Point” Solutions

I've seen a lot of Tweets lately about selling what I would consider to be "point" solutions.  Specifically the conversations seemed to center around backup and disaster recovery solutions or BDR’s.
A well-defined, proven BDR solution is a must-have component of any production class computing environment. But even though it umbrellas over the entire network is not really a complete solution.

My company, Endsight, has used managed services to deliver our outsourced IT solution since 2004. We introduced our backup and disaster recovery solution in 2007 and we included it as part of our broader approach to ongoing IT support and computer system management.  But I've never sold it as a standalone product.

In my opinion, it's unwise to to use a point solution (any point solution) as the foundation for an initial business conversation with the potential new client.  
In my mind, beginning the conversation around an incomplete solution forces the sales professional into playing the role of “option” guy. The client has already diagnosed his or her situation and is in the process of evaluating his or her options.  The conversation will be about features and price and there won't be a lot of opportunities for the sales person to add value.

In this situation the salesperson has two choices:

1. Provide the client with the information requested and wait for them to contact you to place the order.  (And wait... And wait)
2. Ask thought-provoking questions and broaden the conversation to include a review of the clients current approach to IT support.
Choice number two is better for the client and  better for the salesperson. But it doesn't always work. 
I guess if you feel like a business relationship based on the point solution is a good end result then starting your conversation there is not a bad thing. But I don't think anyone is ever completely served by an incomplete solution.

Ask for a meeting to talk about your core service!

So if I intend to put the time and energy into developing a lead generation program intended to create first-time conversations with business owners that I've never talked to before, I'd much rather try to make it so that the foundation of that conversation is about my core managed services offering.
Setting up the conversation so that I can talk confidently about the completeness of what Endsight brings to the table allows me to position myself as an “idea” guy instead of an “option” guy. 
Setting up a conversation so that you can be an idea guy is better for the client because it helps them to get to what they really want and it's better for the sales professional because it helps him or her to really demonstrate their value.

Endsight looking for Help Desk Engineers

About today’s job and tomorrow’s potential:

Joel J. and Joel C. both began their careers with Endsight in entry level positions.  Joel J. worked for a paper mill in Michigan and had no IT experience.  He began as an analyst writing proposals.  Joel C. was a senior at Chico, studying Information Systems.  He also had no hands-on IT experience and started as an intern.  Today, Joel C.  is out of school and working on production computer networks for hundreds of Bay Area companies.   Joel J?  He is now our Vice President of Engineering!

The good news is that your name doesn’t have to be Joel.  Scott, Marcus and Brian also started in entry level positions on our Support Desk.  Today Scott and Marcus are Senior Systems Engineers implementing sophisticated new technologies for our clients.  Brian is now a Technical Account Manager responsible for the IT strategy, design and account management for dozens of clients.

Are you looking for a company where you can work hard, grow professionally and have a blast at work?  Endsight is now hiring extraordinary people with 0-4 years of experience.

We have open positions on our support desk, field support and network operations center teams.  In addition to competitive salaries, we offer full healthcare coverage, a 401K matching program and many other unique benefits such as catered lunches and massages.

Please send your current resume to resumes@endsight.net 

Check out the Job add on:

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/jobs?viewJob=&jobId=1717064&trk=jobs_biz_nprem

BrachOut: http://bit.ly/n7Mjlb

A wannabe Rails developer.

I have worked in technology for more than 10 years.  But my experience has been almost entirely on the sales and marketing side so I'm afraid my experience from a technical perspective is limited.  In fact, while I study a lot,  I don't think I can even label myself a tinkerer.

Even so, I've always been fascinated by technology.  Particularly I've been interested by the way that software can be created / configured to give a creative idea form.  With that in mind, I have set out to teach myself how to develop Web-based applications.

My first step in this process is to select a programming language.  After conducting a little research on the Internet, I decided I'd like to learn how to use Ruby on Rails.  The developers that use it seem to really appreciate it and there's a tremendous amount documentation on the Internet.

For example, I found a free introduction to Rails at the following address: http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book#top 

This is a 12 chapter book that outlines everything that I should need to know to deploy my development environment and build my very first application.  I intend to add periodic postings to my blog to track my progress on this new project.

Make sure to look after your Baby’s Credit

Not a headline I ever thought I’d write.  Turns out that it’s really not that hard for a identity thief to get the key pieces of information required to steal my child’s identity.

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The included story from the TODAY show details exactly how the theft occurs.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Identity Theft Protection has become a must have for me

For some time now I’ve purchased identity theft protection from a company called Identity Force.  When I first signed up, I thought that it was a little bit of over kill, but If I could avoid the hassle that goes with cleaning up my credit in the event of a breach then I figured it was money well spent.
But these days, I feel like Identity protection is a must have.  Not just for me, but as the Today Show article illustrates, for each member of my family.  Identity Force provides a lot of security and identity protection services but the one’s that I’m most concerned about include:

• Social Security Number Monitoring
• Credit Card Monitoring
• Credit Report Monitoring
• Credit Score Monitoring

I’m alerted by email, every time any of my credit data is accessed.  (A bank verifying my credit for example.)  If I didn’t initiate the credit check, then it means something’s up.
I believe that these services significantly reduce the likely hood that my identity (or a family member’s identity) will be stolen.  However, in the event of a breach, my provider includes identity recovery services and identity theft insurance  as part of its offering.
I don’t think that the process to recover my identity would be any easier because of the service, but I like the idea that I would have someone that knows what to do to help me through the process.
In the electronic world, nothing is really 100% secure or safe, but as I’ve posted before, I believe that this service helps to create sufficient hassles that make my identity too much trouble to steal.  It is likely far easier for my would be thief to simply move on the the next unprotected identity.

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My Previous Blog on my “to big of a hassle”concept: http://www.bayareaitmanagement.com/managed-services/cloud-computing-real-rewards-real-risks/

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There are a number of ID theft protection companies out there.  I’ve listed a few and added their Web addresses if you’d care to give them a look.

• Identity Force: http://www.identityforce.com/
• Identity Guard: http://www.identityguard.com/
• LifeLock: http://www.lifelock.com/

Baby Proofing

Baby's get into everything. I mean EVERYTHING and even after I "Baby Proofed" the place there was still more to do.

It started with covers for the power outlets and "off limit" rooms in the house. The guest bedroom, is the only space in the house that remains Jason friendly.

As Little Bit grew to crawling, the stairway baby gates went into place. We have one at the top of the stairs and at the bottom. They've been there for months, and I'm pretty used to locking and unlocking them.

Little Bit's a climber and can ascend and descend the stairs with ease. But not with out me or Jen spotting her. If she slipped with no one to catch her she'd be in a bad spot. But she doesn't know that so she's constantly on the look out for a chance to climb.

A great example of this is anytime Jen heads up the stairs with a load of laundry. First you hear a a joyful little squeal followed by a frantic shuffle on the carpet as Little Bit makes a break for the stairs.

When you think about it, this is pretty impressive. The child is barley a year old and already she knows that every good prison break has it’s roots in the delivery and transport of laundry.

I'm sure I won't have to wait long for her next criminal epiphany. Little Bit is walking now and she's already escalated her game. In a standing position she can reach drawers and cabinets that previously were out of her reach. So I spent an afternoon extending the baby lock down.

It's not really that hard, it's just time consuming. Drawers and cabinets get pressure locks. One side of the lock is attached to the cabinet frame, the other side is connected to the cabinet drawer. The piece on the door has an arm that pushes up into the piece on the frame. The piece on the frame has a hook that snaps into the piece on the door.

Once installed, the hook stops the arm which in turn stops the door from opening. The only way to release the snap is to push down on the arm. Little Bit hasn't figured it out yet so for now, the solution works.

Of course, it works so well that I can't open the door either. So the kitchen is now pretty much Jason proofed too.

Thankfully, Little Bit isn't strong enough yet to open the fridge. For the moment, I can still get to the beer.

Really cool Space Shuttle photo that I wanted to share.

I came across this photo of Space Shuttle Discovery while I was reading my RSS feeds.  I just thought it was really cool and wanted share it.

I can remember a time before the space shuttle but those are very distant memories.  The kind of memories that combine Easter morning, 1979 with a snow day in some unknown year and place.

I remember watching Space Shuttle Columbia launching for the very first time.  I was in 1st grade and I was in awe.  The included video show Columbia’s take off and landing if you care to take the trip down memory lane.

Space Shuttle Columbia 1st Launch in 1981

I was devastated by the Challenger disaster and would go on to make the accident the topic of every paper and speaking topic I could.  In fact, my library maintained a vertical file of the disaster that I could almost repeat from memory.

As a result, the famous image of the o-ring explosion always came front and center whenever I thought of space or space exploration.

I much prefer this photo and I hope it will stick in my head whenever I think of NASA, space exploration or the space shuttle.