Office 365 for Small Businesses

27 May 2012 20:19:56 Z

Microsoft Office365 – A dependable cloud solution for small to medium businesses

Seminar topic covered by Lee Drake : http://www.rochesterspeaks.com/Gettin...

Seminar short description:
An exploration and demonstration of Microsoft Office365, a cloud solution for small businesses, featuring inexpensive Microsoft Compliant email, shared file storage and online document editing on a secure remote network

Seminar long description:
Everyone today is talking about how the cloud is revolutionizing the way that you use documents and email in your office. Microsoft’s powerful solutions like Outlook, Exchange, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Lync instant messaging and conferencing have always been the best in class – but frequently out of the users price range. Those days are past. With Office 365 small business owners and individuals can take advantage of the full depth of Microsoft’s product offerings for one low monthly fee, and forgo purchasing, updating and maintaining servers, antivirus, antispam, and new communications software. They can store and edit documents online and offline, and for a small bump in the fee get the latest version of Microsoft Office for their desktop included in the deal. This is by far the best solution Microsoft has come up with yet for small businesses. This informative seminar will include a features analysis of Office365, a demonstration, and extensive information about licensing and deploying the service. In addition, we’ll cover the new Microsoft InTune which allows partners and clients to work together to bring systems – whether co-located or remote – under one management umbrella, simplifying licensing, managing and supporting those systems.

Seminar location:
Radisson Inn and Conference center near RIT on Jefferson Road
Time: 8:30-10:30
Cost with refreshments: $10/person (See OS-Cubed for discount coupons)
RSVP: ldrake@os-cubed.com

Lee Drake - Using social media to build and maintain a development culture

27 May 2012 20:19:56 Z

Using social media to build and maintain a development culture

All materials copyright Lee Drake, 2011 – do not reproduce without express written permission.

Social media tools can be an important part of building a great development team culture
What makes a great development team
- Using DISC evaluations to help identify the best fit for each role
  - High and low D’s
  - High and low I’s
  - High and low S’s
  - High and low C’s
- Development team roles per the OS-Cubed development model (updated for 2011). Note this is loosely based off the roles for Skunkworks by Lockheed Martin or ADP as it later became known. In small teams individual members may take on multiple roles
  - Project Leader/SCRUM manager - DISC
  - Back-end database developer (Model) - DISC
  - Business logic developer (Controller) - DISC
  - Front-end presentation developer/designer (View) - DISC
  - Testing resource - DISC
  - Team leader/customer interface - DISC
- What characteristics do you want to emphasize when building a dev team culture
  - Agile scope control and conscious scope change decision-making
  - Communications between members
  - Communications with the end customer
  - Creating a positive attitude
  - Establishing accountable guidelines and making it the team’s goal for everyone to succeed
  - Meeting deadlines and performance goals
  - Tolerating mistakes and learning from failures
  - Excellent customer service
  - Manage conflict
  - Thorough testing and rapid test feedback and fixes
  - Documentation of process, results and deliverables
How can social media help
- Personality profiles of your typical excellent programmer
- Why social media helps to communicate with Low – I programmers
- Concentration is key to productivity – asynchronous communications helps enhance concentration if used correctly
- Why “mental health breaks” are necessary for programming effectively
- Maintaining scope as a living document
- Monitoring progress and performance
- Using shared wikis for documentation and results
- Exposing the development model to the client
- Transparency of the process
Building the culture
- Shared dream
- Shared responsibility
- Shared accountability
- Shared goals
- Shared milestones
Specific tools
- Instant messaging – when you need the answer right now
- Email – the good and the bad
- Shared Wiki (web or applications based)
- Facebook – building the personal ties that bind
- Shared document repositories – making data available at your fingertips
- Blogs and logs – publishing your successes and failures
- LinkedIn – tapping outside resources
- Twitter – mini updates rather than stand up meetings
Pitfalls to watch out for
- How social media can interfere with productivity instead of helping it
- Too much information = info overload and shutdown
- Some people just will never be social – but it doesn’t mean they can’t be part of the team
- Interruptions = bad, pausing to reflect = good
Wrap up.
Questions

New biographies and profiles

Office 365 for Small Businesses

Lee Drake - Using social media to build and maintain a development culture