SMB Community Podcast

This article was originally posted March 4, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable.

What do you need from HP?

What have you always needed from HP?

A "Configuration" Quoting Tool!

Well, in this member podcast, Greg Starks from HP shows us the great stuff you can do with HP's new iQuote tool.

There are three ways to use the tool . . . including using their API to integrate it right into your company web site.

Member Download:

Interview with Greg Starks, March 2012

Links Mentioned in, or related to this podcast:

– HPiquote.net

– HP's press release was in June when the first US distributor turned on iQuote:http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2011/110628a.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news

– Here is the blog announcement Greg did Feb 13 to introduce HP iQuote Universal:http://h30507.www3.hp.com/t5/Coffee-Coaching-HP-and-Microsoft/Announcing-HP-iQuote-Universal/ba-p/107019 (Note: There are now 16 countries using iQuote.)

– The general info/landing page for iQuote is: http://hp.com/go/iquote.

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This article was originally posted March 4, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable. Interviews with Jeff Middleton on IT Pro Conference and Tom Poole on SMB Nation

I caught up with a few more folks at MVP Nation in Redmond. After two days on content, content, content, I managed to talk to a few community members about what's next. Then I nabbed Jeff Middleton again to give us the low-down on his June conference.

So here's the line up of new down-loads:

1) Download the Jeff Middleton interview on the IT Pro Conference 2012. Jeff gives us the information and a great introduction to the theme of this year's IT Pro 2012 conference in New Orleans. Once I heard New Orleans, I agreed to go! Join me.

Details: 2-Day French Quarter Weekend Conference New Orleans

June 8 & 9, 2012

With a pre-day "brain explosion" event by Third Tier on June 7th.

I'll be at Jeff's conference . . . and THEN wander off to Orlando for the Autotask Community Live conference on June 10-12. That whole trip will be 75% brain overload and 25% vacation (at least for me).

– – – – –

2) Download the Tom Poole interview on the MVP Nation and SMB Nation Conferences. Tom runs Cloud Nation and is a great source of info. He was a bit busy closing out this conference, but gave us ten minutes. Check it out and find out what's ahead for SMB Nation Fall!

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This article was originally posted March 3, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable. Member Podcasts from MVP Nation – Part 1

I ran into Arnie Mondloch and Dave Sobel in Redmond this week. I was there for the MVP Nation show. Arnie's in charge of Windows Evangelization program worldwide and has some great information on how partners can get involved in the development of Apps, Apps, Apps for the new Windows 8 and Windows 8 Metro platform.

The official title of his group is the Worldwide Platform Evangelism Group. Two products Arnie mentions in this interview are:

– Microsoft Platform Ready –http://www.microsoftplatformready.com

Microsoft Action Pack for Development & Design – https://partner.microsoft.com/US/40171463

Note: Arnie is also a Gonzaga University grad! Go Bulldogs!

Member Download:

Interview with Arnie Mondloch March 2, 2012

Dave Sobel is the new Partner interface for Level Platforms. He has some very cool things going on, including an offer to engage with the existing SMB and SBS user groups all over the world. I caught up with Dave in the hallway and he brought me up to speed on what Level Platforms is doing on the partner and user group front.

Member Download:

Interview with Dave Sobel March 2, 2012

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This article was originally posted March 3, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable.

I'm having a great time at MVP Nation in Redmond. We're on the Microsoft campus and I had a chance to catch up with a number of great people. I recorded six short podcasts yesterday.

The first two podcasts are under the category of "SMB Community Podcasts." That means they're free and open to the world.

First, I talked to Jeff Middleton about the MVP Roadshow that is just finishing. Thanks to the help of dozens of Microsoft MVPs, this show hit more than 50 cities all over the world. Jeff gives us a report on that.

Download the Jeff Middleton interview on Microsoft MVP Roadshow Here.

Second, I caught up with Dave Seibert from SMB Technology Network. SMBTN is helping to compile the list of the SMB 150 again this year. So nominations are closed and there are about 400 candidates to choose from. Voting has begun and you can go vote now at http://www.smb150.com.

Download the Dave Seibert interview on the SMB150 Here.

In addition to that, I have even more podcasts under the members-only section. So if you're a Cloud Services Roundtable subscriber, you can hear from Arnie Mondloch at Microsft, Dave Sobel from Level Platforms, and Greg Starks from HP about some really cool things going on in our space.

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This article was originally posted February 22, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable.

This program was recorded and is posted here.

I had a phone call with Harry two days ago while he was in the Bay Area. He gave me a lot of updates:

– Cloud Connect Conference

– MVP Nation

– Windows 8 and the MVPs

– Hotel information for MVP Nation

Harry also announced (and asked me to keep under wraps for a couple days), the fact that he has partnered with Zenith's MSP TV to webcase the MVP Nation Conference.

For information on the MVP Nation Conference and the $99 webcasting for two days of solid content, visit http://mvp.smbnation.com/.

I'll be at MVP Nation . . . so if you're there, look me up! And I'll be podcasting from the show.

For the full press release on this, see http://blog.smallbizthoughts.com.

This program was recorded and is posted here.

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This article was originally posted February 22, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable.

This program was recorded and is posted here.

I caught up with Jerry K from The ASCII group to talk about ASCII Success Summits for 2012, the ASCII Cup, and more. Find out how to contact Jerry for a free pass to one of the ASCII Success Summits.

Links mentioned in this podcast:

–www.asciievents.com

– Follow the ASCII Cup at

http://www.tripline.net/trip/Where_is_the_ASCII_Cup_-50552312153010049976FED79C206258

This program was recorded and is posted here.

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This article was originally posted January 19, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable This program was recorded and is posted here.

Podcast posted – A free-flowing discussion with Dave Sobel.

I caught up with Dave this week while he is in London, in a sweet little flat he rents by the week. As you may know, Dave has been a powerful member of the SMB community for some time. He has been a leader in the Microsoft MVP space, in the virtualization and cloud computing world, in HTG, and in the community at large.

Dave recently sold his managed service business and accepted a job with Level Platforms

https://www.facebook.com/djdave

https://twitter.com/#!/djdaveet

http://www.smbbooks.com/products/mssob01.htm

The book is Virtualization Defined – Now only $39.95

The DVD set is Designing, Implementing and Making Money with Virtual Environments – Now only $49.95

. . .

Members download the podcast now.

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This article was originally posted January 15, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable

This program was recorded and is posted here.

Part One of this Interview is posted here.

This is Part 2 of my interview with investment advisor and author Joyce Blonskij. Joyce is the author of Own the Clouds – The First Guide To Investing In Cloud Computing Companies. This book will be released on January 31st, 2012. For more information on the big "Virtual Launch Party" and a bunch of free give-aways, see http://owntheclouds.com/.

In this follow-up interview, Joyce gives some tips about getting started in Wall Stree investmenting. Joyce als introduced the four Key Cloud Elements – so you can identify cloud companies you want to own. She also introduces a chart called a Bollinger Band – her favorite kind of charting tool

The book will be only $24.95, and that prices includes a number of give-aways you can find out about at seehttp://owntheclouds.com/.

Joyce will be donating all proceeds from this book to charities, including Kiwanis House.http://www.kiwanisfamilyhouse.org/

Members can download this recording right now and get the year started off right with an introduction to investing. It's particularly cool to have such a great guide with a hook into our area of expertise. Check it out today.

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This article was originally posted January 10, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable Interview: Joyce Blonskij – Own the Clouds: The First Guide To Investing In Cloud Computing Companies

I had a great interview with Joyce Blonskij, author of Own the Clouds – The First Guide To Investing In Cloud Computing Companies. This book will be released on January 31st, 2012. For more information on the big "Virtual Launch Party" and a bunch of free give-aways, see http://owntheclouds.com/.

Joyce's book is a great introduction to stock market investing generally, but her focus is specifically on Cloud and Internet companies. The book provides a four-layer view of investing, starting with the highest level "clouds" – The most visible companies. The second layer addresses the small companies that are flying under the radar. The third layer is the middle management view of investing. And the fourth layer covers low-level "technical" investment techniques.

The book will be only $24.95, and that prices includes a number of give-aways you can find out about at see http://owntheclouds.com/.

Joyce will be donating all proceeds from this book to charities, including Kiwanis House.http://www.kiwanisfamilyhouse.org/

Members can download this recording right now and get the year started off right with an introduction to investing. It's particularly cool to have such a great guide with a hook into our area of expertise. Check it out today.

Download the podcast here.

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This article was originally posted January 5, 2012 on Cloud Services Roundtable

In case you missed the live broadcast, you can download my 2012 "State of the Union" address here: http://smbcommunitypodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/201201_Palachuk.mp3

This one-hour program includes my perception of where we are as a community and where we'll be going in the year ahead.

I also have observations on business success for I.T. consultants and some tips about how you can make the most of the challenges and opportunities ahead. 2012 will be a tough year for many. But it will also be a great year, and you can make it a successful one as well!

Finally, I talk about some big changes that are coming to the Cloud Services Roundtable. In fact, the first change will be up in a few days. I'm going to reveal the branding for the Cloud Services Roundtable and SMB Community Podcast. For details, and a preview of the first new podcast, see the link above.

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