When It Comes To Outsourcers, One Isn't Enough
When it comes to IT outsourcing vendors, more and more businesses appear to be following the ultimate truth of potato chip consumption: They can't have just one. In a survey released this month, IT consulting firm Cutter Consortium reports that 73 percent of IT professionals have decided that multiple vendors are better than one.

MCSE Base Salaries Dropping, Survey Finds
If you're a job-seeking Microsoft certified systems engineer, better brush up on your negotiating skills. The average base salary for MCSEs is down 7 percent from last year, dropping from $67,800 to $63,400, according to a survey of 6,500 U.S. Microsoft certified professionals conducted by Wilson Research Group.

Confusion Reigns As The Tech Sector's Mixed Messages Continue
If you feel confused and depressed by the outlook for enterprise software, you're not alone. This has been one of the most confusing years in my memory, spanning more than 17 years investing in this sector. And it isn't only enterprise software; the whole technology sector has been sending mixed messages (I knew I should have become a consumer-goods analyst).

It's Not The Technology, Stupid
Shops that view their IT departments as strategic and vital--as opposed to those that see IT as a highly paid custodial staff of the technology world--recognize that the value of the IT department is not about the technology. It's about your leadership and willingness to insist on unpopular decisions for the good of the order. In a nutshell, it's about IT being relatively inflexible about what constitutes your network's AUP (acceptable use policy).

Monitoring and Privacy: Is Your Head Still In the Sand?
We give out personal information every day. Between our birth and death records, we dispense an avalanche of information to the government, businesses and other organizations in return for employment or services. For example, we provide detailed information to schools, banks, state departments of motor vehicles, health providers and insurers, and in return we receive an education, bank accounts, a driver's license and health care. We also establish relationships and accounts with vendors and service providers in exchange for discounts and promotions. Businesses thrive on having such customer information.

Successfully Selling Yourself To Potential Clients
Being a good seller may be a gift, but it's not impossible to acquire if you've got the right solution and selling strategy to match your clients' tastes and needs. It takes time, but building a strong, trusting relationship with the potential customer is just as good as a guarantee that the prospect will turn into a client. And the client will return to you for bigger and more elaborate solutions.

How To Build Your HR Department on the Web: Part I
Chances are your small business doesn't have a human resources staff--maybe not even a single individual--to recruit world-class help while dealing with the drudgery of paperwork and legalese. Well, the Web is about increased communication, information-gathering, and collaboration, all of which are designed to make this sort of thing easier, right?

Looking Ahead: A More Worker-Focused World
Want to gaze into the information-based workplace of the future? It won't look all that different from the workplace of today: Ideally, it will take the best of existing IT culture and intensify it. That was the conclusion of 40 experts gathered earlier this year at the Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Center for Business Thinking in Cambridge, Mass.

How To Build Your HR Department On The Web: Part II
Having read Part I of this two-part series, you know how to tap the Web's resources to help recruit employees for your small business. But now that you have people on your payroll, how can you ensure they will stay on, growing their careers as they help you grow the company?

The 1,2,3s of Online PR: Part Two
So now you know the value of developing a PR strategy. Here are some ways to make sure the people who write the news hear about your latest offering, newest executive or recent contract win.

The 1,2,3s of Online PR: Part One
If you're running a small business, you probably already have your hands full with production, management, marketing, advertising and distribution. It can be a chaotic existence, especially if you're wearing a number of hats. The last thing you're probably focused on is public relations.

Hiring Cooldown May Aid Midsize Firms
The economic jitters that have huge corporations whispering the word "layoffs" and dot-coms closing up shop may actually be good news for companies caught in the middle. Established midsize companies, which lack the star power of the giants and the payoff potential of the startups, are reporting an unexpected upside to the downturn.

Six Tips For Attracting Traffic To Your Website
Though there's a certain attraction in owning "the best little Website no one's ever heard of," it isn't the best way to promote your business or sell your product. But don't think for a minute that all you have to do is submit your URL to the search engines and suddenly the floodgates will open, with zillions of surfers pouring into your domain. Sure, search engines are important, but you can't rely on them alone. Think about it: How many tens of thousands of companies are vying to move up in those search results? Search engines are indeed a major component, but you must approach them knowingly and eventually go beyond them to ensure traffic to your site.

Outsourcers To Profit From Scarcity Of E-Business Talent
The scarcity of employees with e-business expertise could be a boon to solution providers, according to a recent study by The Meta Group.

Six Tips To Retain Your Employees
Here is a phrase you are probably tired of hearing from your valued employees: "I have enjoyed working here but I'm leaving for a new opportunity."

How Security Certification Can Make a Difference

The New Face Of Executive Recruiting
An audio interview with Mark Evans, Managing Director of the Technology & Communications Group at DeLoitte & Touche Consulting, explores the trend of recruiting executive high-tech talent from outside the industry.

How To Launch A Network Operations Center (NOC)
Launching a network operations center (NOC) is not an easy job, largely because the business model is new and the rules are still being written. This series of interviews and slide presentations from those who have done it examines the challenges and rewards.

How To Streamline Your Journey To Market Dominance
In Part Three of Theresa Lina's Go-To Source Series, she discusses a four-stage approach that uses the historic Apollo Space Program as a model for how to win your space race. When you have completed this article, you will know:
* Why the Apollo Space Program is a relevant and inspirational model for this industry.
* An overview of the formula many firms have used to achieve market dominance.
* Some steps you can take right away to begin your journey.

How To Make The Most Of Your IPO: The Road Show
The "road show" is a whirlwind tour to sell analysts and financiers on the value of your company. The goal: To get institutional buyers to opt into your offering and drive your stock price up. What should you expect and how should you plan one? Larry Bohn, CEO of net.Genesis Corp. which went public in February, opens his road show diary to Solution Provider University. Follow his entertaining world-wide romp toward a successful IPO and glean tips on what flys,and what doesn't,among those who control your IPO's success.

Keeping It Fun And Keeping Employees
It's a good bet that Scient Corp. uses the word "fun" more often on its Web site than any other e-business solution firm. Making Scient a "fun place for people to work"--as the site proclaims it to be--is Joe Galuszka's job. As chief morale officer, he makes sure that Scient always lives up to its claim: "We have a sense of humor."

How To Kick Your Business Into Hyper-Growth Mode
When you have completed this article, you will know:
* Ideas for nimble responses in this fast-changing market.
* How to address continuing needs for capital.
* How to recruit employees to enhance your business.

How To Dominate An E-Business Space
In How To Be The 'Go-To' Source, you learned the benefits of pursuing a focused strategy aimed at market dominance in a well-defined space. After completing 'How To Dominate An E-Business Space,' you will know:
* The concept of market selection.
* How to assess and segment your market.
* Which markets you do not want to target

How To Be The Go-To Source
When you have completed this article, you will know:
* Why it is critical to pursue a market dominance strategy.
* How not to be a 'me-too' company.
* How to target and meet the needs of a defined market.

How To Select the Best Channel Program
When you have completed this seminar, you will know how to:
* Identify the persons within the vendor organization that you need to know.
* Find and use vendor channel research.
* Focus on the elements of the program that are most significant to your success.

How To Build Value Through Outsourcing
When you have completed this seminar, you will know:
* The three benefits of partnering with an outsourcer.
* How to extend customer support services and facilitate ongoing maintenance through outsourcing.
* How outsourcing can help you take advantage of leading-edge technologies.

How To Prepare For An Aquisition
When you complete this seminar, you will know:
* How to calculate the gain from a potential merger or aquisition.
* Why benchmarking metrics are important in exercising due diligence.
* Metrics that can help you exercise due diligence.

How To Prepare For An IPO
When you have completed this seminar, you will know:
* What you can realistically expect and not expect from an IPO.
* Why going public should be a serious concern for VARs.
* Why courting buyers might be a better bet.

Sample Contract: Partnering Agreement
These sample contracts accompany the seminar on How To Write Contracts in The School Of Management.

Sample Contract: Third-Party Non-Disclosure Agreement
These sample contracts accompany the seminar on How To Write Contracts in The School Of Management.

Sample Contract: Employee Agreement
These sample contracts accompany the seminar on How To Write Contracts in The School Of Management.

How To Write Contracts
When you complete this seminar, you will know how to:
* Use contract negotiations to clarify understandings with clients.
* Rely on a contract so that you remain a neutral party on difficult issues.
* Approach contractual issues using the templates we provide.