KitRx FRONTLINES - Technology, IT and Managed Services

KitRx FRONTLINES - Technology, IT and Managed Services: OK guys my friend's company is doing a promotion and offering free Apple macbook air's [Digg]

Digg — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:36:56 PDT

Facebook scam from Onlinerewardsclub.com arrives for one more go around. Users who have installed a participating app or are infected with Malware are distributing the spam.

OK guys my friend's company is doing a promotion and offering free Apple macbook air's

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:21:00 +0000

For over a year now, Facebook users have been periodically plagued with scam offers for a free MacBook Air. The pitch starts with a Facebook message from a friend of yours (aka victim) who recommends the "OK guys my friend's company is doing a promotion and offering free Apple macbook air's. This hasn't been released to everyone yet but I'm sending it out to you guys to get a chance to get them first" and sends you a link to a Facebook Wall. The perpetrators are onlinerewardsclub.com and can be flamed by sending roadkill to this address.

ONLINEREWARDSCLUB.COM
9858 Clint Moore Rd Suite C-111 #319
Boca Raton, Florida 33496

Read the fine print, however, and you'll discover the MacBook Air 'giveaway' scam requires you to qualify in two ways each for each of three separate tier programs. The net result is that you pay more for required incentive merchandise than the MacBook Air is even worth. Then, assuming you've spent that much and actually qualified, you have to jump through a bunch of other hoops in order to claim "the prize". Any mistake or omission along the way, and your out all the cash with no Macbook Air to show for it.

This type of scam dates back well before the days of the Internet, when scammers sent enticing offers in snail mail that required similar jumping through hoops in an attempt to win merchandise that proves near impossible to obtain. But while the scam itself is old, it continues to give new meaning to the phrase "a fool and his money are soon parted".

Part of the added way people can earn points for one of the tiers is by recommending their friends for the program - which is how new victims are enticed into the program. After all, it's a recommendation from a friend - though in reality, a friend that has themselves been hooked by the scam.

Though the scam is misleading and costly, it manages to stay slightly on this shade of legal probably because terms and conditions are provided upfront for those who bother to read such things (and many don't, but everyone should!).

From the Better Business Bureau:

The Pitch: OK guys my friend's company is doing a promotion and offering free Apple macbook air's. This hasn't been released to everyone yet but I'm sending it out to you guys to get a chance to get them first

Also common on Facebook are ads to get a free MacBook Air claiming that the company is seeking laptop testers. The ads lead to an incentive marketing program at onlinerewardsclub.com where participants must sign up for various products and services in order to earn their free laptop.

The Fine Print: Customers must complete two options from each of the three tiers, Top, Prime and Premium before receiving their "free" MacBook. Example offers listed in the Top and Prime tiers include signing up for credit cards or trial offers for subscription services such as for vitamin supplements or DVD rental services. In some cases, the participant will need to pay for shipping, and if they aren't vigilant about canceling the trial offers they signed up for, they'll begin being billed every month.

You are responsible for all local, state, and federal taxes on any gifts you receive. Onlinerewardsclub.com requires that anyone receiving gifts valued at $600.00 and above in any calendar year complete and submit a W-9 form from the Internal Revenue Service in order to allow Onlinerewardsclub.com to comply with IRS reporting requirements.

Examples of the Premium offers listed on the Web site that must be met in order to get the MacBook are much more expensive and include paying as much as $1,500 for furniture, credit cards with high interest rates or purchasing a travel package with a minimum value of $899.00 per person.

BBB Warns: Incentive programs can be extremely costly in the long run and the fine print shows that the customer might have to pay a significant amount of money in order to get their "Free" items. It is also a red flag that Apple does not even make MacBook Air in purple, red, pink, or green.

Battle of the Paddle 2011 Hawaii Distance Race Results [Digg]

Digg — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:47:16 PDT

Battle of the Paddle 2011 race results and distance race, pictures and video footage.Interviews with Danny Ching, Connor Baxter, George Cronsteadt and more...

KitRx FRONTLINES - Technology, IT and Managed Services: Instructions - Removing Win7 Antivirus or other rootkits [Digg]

Digg — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:26:51 PDT

Removal tips for pros to removed Win7 and other Rogue antivirus

Instructions - Removing Win7 Antivirus or other rootkits

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Thu, 12 May 2011 00:51:00 +0000

This rootkit is getting pretty gnarly. I get 4-5 of these a week at my small shop and I've even seen it a few times on Win7 64bit. I have developed some tricks to remove it over time and I know from experience that attempting to use multiple accounts/plugins/add-on's don't work for the average person from a useability stand point, so I don't even bother recommending them. I end up getting more calls from the restrictions than I'd get if they were re-infested. On the front lines there is no way we could keep up if private tool developers weren't playing their part. AV developers are either lost or intentionally hamstrung.

My toolkit is Cleanup 4, CCleaner, ComboFix, Autoruns, Process Explorer, Process Monitor and Reglite my old school friend. Then Malwarebytes, CCleaner for a general post clean removal scan.

Brian Krebs recently blogged about how Google Images is being used to deploy this Malware. Highly recommended reading as Krebs on Security is a favorite of mine!

There is usually a multi-stage infection routine with the social engineered hijack being the first aka. Google Images/Facebook/Codecs etc. It's lately developed a mechanism to inject itself into Windows Security CP and Windows is at times treating this thing like a legit AV software - insane. Usually the system is pretty quickly disabled with restore Points deleted and either all .exe files hijacked (so nothing will run) or registry based System Policies implemented so: Run As --> is restricted; Admin CP's are all locked down; Registry access is hosed.

I have been successful at this point to Run a renamed Combofix As Administrator (although renaming seems to be less of an issue lately), but in XP the administrator account usually has no password and you won't be successful. Adding a password at this point (even if you can as the CP is locked down) won't help.

Best idea at this point is to reboot into Safe Mode with networking (as administrator if possible) and either get Restore to run or get Combofix to run.

Restore is your best option under all conditions and in 64bit Windows it may be your only option! Although there are some tools that are billed as removing rootkits from 64bit systems from my experience they don't work.

If System Restore works make sure you reboot straight back into Safe Mode on reboot using the same profile (administrator) until it's complete. If you don't 9/10 it will fail to complete the restore successfully. Even if restore works you must still run Combofix; because it seems to me some files are being left behind to be used in a future Hijack attempt. I have noticed this more recently!

If ComboFix runs you'll usually lick this with one scan, and then all that's needed is a Cleanup 4 run and a reveiw of drivers in AutoRuns making sure you follow any files still existing and delete them at the source. Sometimes Combofix will only get the registry on the first pass and the file(s) may still exist. Although always remember after Combofix reboots to go back into Safe on reboot and log back into the same profile you were logged into when you ran it.

It becomes more time consuming when Safe Mode is disabled or the system Blue Screens when booting into Safe Mode and you have use RegLite to modify the Policy registry entries manually so you are able to run the tools in regular boot mode. Then you can add add a password to the Administrator account if necessary in XP use Run As Administrator.

If you are unlucky enough to experience a system that the user has actually purchased (accepted the EULA and installed it) it becomes exponentially more difficult to remove and the system is an offical zombie। This means keep it off the network if possible particularly if other machines are around. Using Combofix becomes tricky particularly if it's gotten into the boot record.

For more detailed Malware removal instructions visit Michael's awesome blog.

KitRx - Announce New Google Apps Exchange Tools

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 23:29:00 +0000

Google is making it a lot easier for customers of Microsoft Exchange to go Google with Apps. Google Apps Migration for Microsoft® Exchange is a new server-side tool that migrates your company's email, calendar and contact data from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps. With the tool, migrations are:

Easy: set it up in just 4 steps
• Efficient: select the combination of mail, calendar and contact data that you want to move, with the option of doing so in phases
• Fast: migrate hundreds of users at the same time
• Painless: employees can continue to use Microsoft Exchange during the migration without interruption or any involvement on their part

As Paul Lovett, Project Manager for the Google Apps project at New Zealand Post, described, "We are a very calendar-bound organization, so Google Apps Migration for Microsoft® Exchange was the missing link in our migration strategy, allowing us to perform a server-side migration of our calendar and contact data from Microsoft Exchange 2003. We moved our corporate executive team first which required spot-on accuracy and a quality product, and Google Apps Migration for Microsoft® Exchange met that high bar.”

At Kitrx we welcome this assistance in migrating our clients from burdensome and expensive Exchange Servers and allows us to provide flat rate pricing for this service.

"I had been a Microsoft Exchange user and administrator for more than 10 years, so I assumed we’d go with Microsoft Exchange and Outlook clients. Then I thought about our overtaxed IT staff of five, and what would be required from them to set up and run Exchange. We would need to purchase, configure, integrate, manage and maintain many hardware and software components. We would also have to worry about our 50 mobile users and managing client software for their devices, too. I was also thinking about the cost for all of the required hardware and software. It would be a significant investment.

Then we started looking at Google Apps. The move to a cloud computing model really made sense for us because we wouldn’t have to worry about mail servers, updates to the software, backups, softwarerollouts to desktops or mobile users, and constant maintenance. Google Apps’ features met our requirements and provided 50-85% in cost savings to maintaining our old system or moving to Microsoft Exchange – either on-premise or hosted. With Google Apps, we got a complete messaging solution with anti-spam protection, disaster recovery and a 99.9%uptime SLA built-in. We also got features for collaboration that came as an extra bonus to email – and we're now looking at different ways to use Google Sites and Google Docs to improve our collaboration, internally and with customers. But probably the feature that our employees love the most is chat, including video chat, which is fully integrated and included in the suite of apps."

For more information about San Diego Google Apps Services visit Kitrx by EveryMethod

Video Review - Danny Ching tests the new 404 Monster Race Board | PaddleAthlete.com [Digg]

Digg — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:59:01 PDT

Danny Ching tests the new 404 Monster Race Board. This board is one of the Fastest & Lightest Stand Up Paddle Boards Available. 404 was created by

Video - Yolo 2010 Seaside Celebration & Chuck Patterson Nikki Gregg SUP Race Clinics | PaddleAthlete.com [Digg]

Digg — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 17:58:30 PDT

Yolo Board 2010 Seaside Celebration! Chuck Patterson SUP Race Clinic, Nikki Gregg SUP Boot Camp,Heritage Concert, Outtakes and more Fun Clips! Stand up

The state of the Lake with Bryan Soderlind [Digg]

Digg — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:57:56 PDT

stay Glassy Lake Jessamine Summer is in full swing down here in Orlando. Temps are in the 90's during the day and the humidity has been staying around 90%. Not the nicest time of the year to be here but luckily there has been a lot of time spent out on the lake lately. [...]

Decrypting Wordpress Themes Footer in function.php

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:14:00 +0000

I was struggling for a client to remove some of the link back on the footer of his wordpress theme from MagPress. He wanted to provide full credit to the author but thought it was unfair to include some cheap linkbacks for unrelated sites. I understand the level of effort it takes to develop these themes but rather charge for it than encrypt footers. Thats just lame and makes us think you're hiding something else. I see MagPress solicits these in lots of a 100 on Digitalpoint, which seriously has deteriorated into an un-moderated mess. Check it:

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=1783251

I managed to figure out a solution which took me about 5 minutes once I found the files:

Locate the functions.php file in your theme folder.

Scroll to the bottom and find the encrypted code that begins with: eval(base64_decode and end with ; (Make sure you do not include any PHP tags all you want it the encrypted part. This is the code that compares what is written in the footer.php and throws that huge error message.
Ends up you're copying something like this:
eval(base64_decode('xpZCAjRk...lots of stuff in between..OyBpZinKTs='));
Use this decoding tool to decrypt the code into readable PHP.
End up looking something like this which you'll paste and replace the encrypted code above in functions.php

if (!empty($_REQUEST["theme_credit"])) {

theme_usage_message(); exit();

}

function theme_usage_message() {

if (empty($_REQUEST["theme_credit"])) {

$theme_credit_false = get_bloginfo("url") . "/index.php?theme_credit=false";

echo "< equiv="\" content="\" url="$theme_credit_false\">"; exit();

} else {

$rk_url = get_bloginfo('template_directory');
$homepage = get_bloginfo('home');

echo ("
");
echo ("

");
echo ("
Opps..You Have Modified The Footer Links..
");
echo ("
This Theme Is Released Free For Use Under Creative Commons Licence. All Links In The Footer Must Remain Intact AS IS. These Links Are All Family Friendly And Will Not Hurt Your Site In Any Way. Please Appreciate These Supporters Effort In Providing You This Great Theme For Free.
");
echo ("
Please Follow These Steps To Restore The Footer:
");

}

}

function check_theme_footer() {

$l = 'CoreMag WordPress Theme By MagPress
Thanks To http://XXX | Whatever.com | BuyXX XXX';

$f = dirname(__file__) . "/footer.php";

$fd = fopen($f, "r");

$c = fread($fd, filesize($f));

fclose($fd); if (strpos($c, $l) == 0) {

theme_usage_message();

die;

}

}

check_theme_footer();

if(!function_exists('get_sidebar')) {

function get_sidebar() {

check_theme_header();

get_sidebar();

}
}

function check_theme_header() {

if (!(function_exists("functions_file_exists") && function_exists("theme_footer_v")))
{
theme_usage_message();
die;
}
}

function functions_file_exists() {

if (!file_exists(dirname(__file__) . "/functions.php") || !function_exists("theme_usage_message") )
{
theme_usage_message();
die;
}
}

add_action('wp_head', 'check_theme_header');
add_action('wp_head', 'functions_file_exists');
This is the code that matters and I replaced this part in it's entirety to retain the author credit and made sure it matched the HTML code in the footer.php exactly!
You can also merely comment out check_theme_footer();

// check_theme_footer();

How to remove the ICPP Copyright Violation Alert Malware

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Tue, 25 May 2010 01:02:00 +0000

A currently ongoing ransomware campaign is using a novel approach to extort money from end users whose PCs have been locked down.

By pretending to be the fake ICPP Foundation (icpp-online.com), the ransomware locks down the user’s desktop issuing a “Copyright violation: copyrighted content detected” message, which lists torrent files found on the infected PC, and forces the user to pay $400 for the copyright holder’s fine, emphasizing on the fact that “the maximum penalties can be five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. And here you can write is the rest of your post but remember to close the main post with this tag

The window attempts to trick the end user into believing that:

* “Windows has detected that you are using content that was downloaded in violation of the copyright of its respective owners. Please read the following bulletin and try solving the problem in one of the recommended ways. During the system scan Antipiracy foundation scanner has detected copyright issues. Please take a look at the list and choose an action: pass the case to a court or settle it in pre-trial order by paying a fine.“

Attempts to get rid of it result in the following message:

* “Performing this action is construed as refusal to cooperate with the copyright holder and unwillingness to consider pre-trial settlement. If you continue, all the data gathered will be passes to copyright protection organizations and to the court. We recommend cancelling this action and choosing the option “pre-trial settlement”.“

Gullible end users who fall victim to the scam, will then be asked to pay $399.85 for a “Legal license purchase“, “Copyright holder fine“, a “Copyright protection organization fee for the use of software tracking illegal file downloads” and a “Traffic fee“.

AP Manager is a variant of the I-Q Manager ransomware program. This version has the Trojan masquerading as a download manager for copyrighted games, movies, and music. If you visit certain sites that are affiliated with this malware and attempt to download copyrighted media, it will be added to the AP Manager download list and it will pretend to download the file to your computer. When downloading, The AP Manager will show information such as how much time is left, the speed of the download, the amount of KB transferred etc, but in reality this information is all fake as nothing is actually being downloaded to your computer.

How to remove Copyright violation alert Ransomware

Who would have thought that on your way to remove a ransomware scam that affected your PC, you would be one day pirating the application that was originally using a “copyright violation alert” theme, as a spreading technique?

ZDNET claims "A working license code that completely uninstalls the ransomware, remains the most effective post-infection app", using the current code "RFHM2-TPX47-YD6RT-H4KDM"

From my experience, like other Malware and Antivirus software who claim to remove this and the associated drivers and rootkits, I have found that Combofix is the only consistent solution to this issue.

How come I get email (Spam) that's not addressed to me?

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:13:00 +0000

I've been asked about this so often that I thought I'd compile some info on the subject to clarify

How come I get email (Spam) that's not addressed to me?

*Spammers *are doing everything they can to get their garbage in front of you. And that means using and abusing every tool at their disposal. One of those tools is something that's available to you and me* (*actually I just used it in this email*) *when we send messages as well.

You were "BCC'ed" on the spam.

"BCC" for "Blind Carbon Copy" is a technique to send someone an email without their email address appearing on the message.

Typically, email programs like Outlook or Thunderbird have, in addition to the "To:" and "Cc:" fields, a "Bcc:" field that can be filled in as well.
"Spammers are doing everything the can to get their garbage in front of you and use BCC all the time"

Although you likely know this already here is a quick primer:

*To:* is one or more direct recipients for the message.

*Cc:* is one or more recipients who also get the message. While
the message is not directed "at" them, they also receive it.
Often people use this as an "FYI" to others to see the message.
Any Cc: recipients are displayed in the message on the Cc: line.

*Bcc:* is one or more recipients who also get the message. This
is exactly like Cc: except that the list of people receiving the
message via Bcc is *not* included in the message when it is
sent. Upon receipt there's no way to tell who, how many, or even
if any Bcc: addresses were used when the message was sent.

Because this comes up time and time again, let me be clear about this fact:

Upon receipt there's no way to tell who, how many, or even if any Bcc: addresses were used when a message was sent.

*Spammers* use this technique to send one message to perhaps* hundreds of thousands of people at a time* because actually listing all those addresses as Cc: or To: makes the message more likely to be flagged as spam. Since there's no way to tell when you get the message that Bcc: was used, the fact that it might have been can't factor in to figuring out whether or not it's spam.

And those hundreds of messages might well be what's called a *"dictionary attack" or the like*, meaning that they just try variations on email names with the hope that one or more will actually reach a real person. For example they might try "johnny@", "jkessel@", "johnny@", and so on, on any of my domains. Some might work, some might not, but there's no added cost to the spammer to try 'em all. Most might well be hidden in the Bcc: that you can't see.

Ultimately, there's nothing you can really do specifically about this situation. Flag it as spam, if your email program supports that, and other factors and characteristics of the message will likely be added to the database of what looks like spam to you, and maybe the next one will get flagged automatically. Remember these are professional Spammers using massive custom built email servers that churn out millions of emails a day. Instead of BCC'ing their contact lists from Outlook they have a large SQL database of millions of records running behind custom software culling opt-in lists, marketing contest and all other FREE concept harvesting tools. Remember this the next time you sign up for a Facebook app, free downloads or take a quiz for a free magazine subscription! Scary? ..kinda but very effective!

Should I "reply to remove"?

As you may have noticed with much of the spam messages you receive, the "From", "Reply-To" and "To" headers point to addresses that are obviously fake. In many cases, trying to respond to the address in the "From" header results in your message being "bounced" back to you as undeliverable.

In other cases, you may discover that you are able to reply to an unwanted message. In fact, the message may actually give you "removal instructions" or invite you to "reply to be removed" from the spammer's mailing list. However, replying to spam, or even following the sender's instructions for "removal," may actually /increase/ the amount of spam you get in the long run. By letting the spammer know that you've received the message, even though you are expressing disapproval at receiving it, you are confirming for them that your e-mail address is valid and that you read messages sent to that address. Unfortunately, many spammers do track which addresses write them back (regardless of the content of the reply) and use this information to update their mailing lists. Some even then turn around and sell these lists to other spammers.

/*In short, avoid attempting to reply to or contact the spammer by e-mail*. /

Blackberry shortcuts

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:24:00 +0000

******probably plagiarized****
If you're new to the BlackBerry world (which I am) , you are surely overwhelmed with all the buttons and ports on your device. You are learning things as you go, finding out something new everyday. Well you may or may not know that there are a multitude of keyboard shortcuts for your device that will help you speed through many things on your BlackBerry in no time at all. Here we will take a look at some of the various shortcuts you can use for messaging, browsing, composing email/SMS and more. Lets jump right in. (Keep in mind these are the default shortcuts and should work for most devices)

Beginner's Guide to BlackBerry KeyBoard Shortcuts

The Convenience Key

The first and most basic of all shortcuts is the Convenience Key. This is the one key that you hold the power to. You have the option to change this to whatever you find to be the most useful - to lock your keys, activate the camera, compose an email - you name it. To change this option, go to Options > Screen/Keyboard and set it under Convenience Key.

Create a Signature with AutoText

Many people have asked how to easily create multiple signatures for emails or SMS. The simplest way is by creating an AutoText entry with your preset signature. To do this, go to Options > AutoText. Select "New". Under "Replace", type a shortuct (ie. sig, zz - something quick and easy). Under "With" type your desired signature ("Sent by Adam") then choose save and you're set! Now in your SMS just type your shortcut and hit Space and you're signature will appear.

Standby Mode

One of the greatest tips to save on battery life and keep from calling people with yourr device in your pocket (hey, we've all done it) is to put your device into standby mode. To do this, simply hold the Mute key on top of your device for 3 seconds. Your Berry will go into standby mode, where you will be prevented from accidentally pressing any keys, but all your alerts and calls will still come in. To exit standby mode, just tap the Mute key.

Now we will go through a list of all the shortcuts for various areas of your device.

Basic Shortcuts

The following shortcuts can be used in many applications:

To exit a screen (or to move to a previous page in a browser) press the Escape key
To select or clear a check box, press the Space key
To switch applications, hold the Alt key and press the Escape key. Continue holding the Alt key and select an application, then release the Alt key
To return to the Home screen, press the End key

Phone Shortcuts

The following shortcuts can be used in the Phone application or during a phone call:

To answer a phone call, press the Send key
To view the call log, press the Send key from any screen
To insert a plus sign (+) when typing a phone number, hold the letter O
To add an extension to a phone number, press the Alt key and the X key, then type the extension number
To assign a speed dial number to a key, from the Home screen or in the Phone application, hold the key you want to assign. Type the phone number
To type a letter in a phone number field, press the Alt key and the letter
To move to the top of the Phone screen, press the Space key
To change between headset, speakerphone and handset, press the menu key and choose an option, or better yet, Tap the $ (dollar sign) key on your keyboard to turn speakerphone on/off during a call
To stay in a call and return to the home screen, press the Escape key and select Ok

Message Shortcuts

In a message:

R - Reply To Message

L - Reply To All

F - Forward Message

I - File Highlighted Message

To view the email address of a contact, in a message, highlight the contact. Press Q. To view the display name again, press Q.

In a message list:

C - Compose Message

ALT+U - Mark Message As Opened/Unopened

ALT+I - View Inbox

ALT+O - View Outbox

ALT+V - View Voicemail

ALT+S - View SMS

ALT+P - View Call Log

To view all your messages again, press the Escape key

SHIFT+SPACE - Move to the top of a screen

SPACE - Move to the bottom of a screen

T - Go to top of a message

B - Go to bottom of a message

N - Move to the next date

P - Move to the previous date

U - Move to the next unopened item

J - Move to the next related item

K - Move to the previous realted item

F - Search for text in an attachment/web page

G - Move to the last cursor position in a message after closing and reopening an attachment

Typing Shortcuts

To insert a period, press the Space key twice. The next letter is capitalized
To capitalize a letter, hold the letter key until the capitalized letter appears
Alt + Left Shift - NUM Lock
Alt + Right Shift - CAPS Lock
To turn off NUM lock or CAP lock, press the Shift key
To insert an at sign (@) or a period (.) in an email address field, press the Space key
To highlight a line of text, press the Shift key and roll the trackball
To highlight text character by character, hold the Shift key and roll the trackball left or right
To cancel a text selection, press the Escape key
To cut highlighted text when typing, press the Shift + Backspace/Delete key
To copy highlighted text when typing, press the Alt key and click the trackball
To paste highlighted text when typing, press the Shift key and click the trackball

Browser Shortcuts

To insert a period in the Go To dialog box, press the Space key
To insert a slash mark (/) in the Go To dialog box, press Shift+Space
To open the browser options, in the browser, press O
To stop loading a web page, press the Escape key
To hide the browser, press D
To close the browser, hold the Escape key
To view the address for a link, highlight a link. Press L
To move forward a screen, press the Shift key and the Space key
To move to a previous screen, press the Space key
G - Move to a specific page
H - Return to the home page
K - Open bookmarks
A - Add a bookmark
I - View recent web pages
R - Refresh page
P - View page address
S - Save web page
U - Hide browser banner
X - Veiw thumbnail version of a page
T - Move to the top of a page
B - Move to the bottom of a page

Media Shortcuts

Mute Key - Pause/Resume a video/song
R - Rotate pictures
I - Zoom In
O - Zoom Out
W - Original Size

Calendar Shortcuts

C - schedule an appointment
A - Change to Agenda view
D - Change to Day view
W - Change to Week view
M - Change to Month view
Space - Move to the next day/week/month
Shift+Space - Move to the previous day/week/month
T - Move to the current date
G - Move to a specific date

An easy way to access the default applications is through keyboard shortcuts as well. To use these, you must have Dial From Home Screen set to "Off". (Phone > Options > General Options). You will now have to use the Send key to access your phone and make a call, but you will have the following shortcuts available:

W - WAP Browser
R - Alarm
T - Tasks
U - Calculator
O - Options
A - Address Book
S - Search
D - Notes
F - Profiles
H - Help
K - Lock keypad
L - Calendar
M - Messages
B - Browser
N - BlackBerry Messenger
V - Saved messages
C - Compose

Other helpful shortcuts:

ALT+Shift+H - Access Help ME! screen (status info etc.)

ALT+LGLG - Access Event Log

ALT+Right Shift+DEL - Soft Reset

You can change the display of the 'signal strength' on your screen to read in real numbers. While at the home screen, hold down the ALT key while you type NMLL. The bars should change to numbers. For the 'signal strength', if you are in the 100 area (that means -100 dBm), you will be transmitting at maximum power. Anything at -90 to -50 is a very good signal.

On top of the AutoText there are also some short codes for common device information that you can type into SMS or email messages that will return a value:

myver - Device Model/Version

mypin - Device PIN

LD - Local Date

LT - Local Time

To activate the back light, press (but don't hold) the Power button. Double press for brighter light.

Dialing Numbers With Letters

To dial a phone number with letters such as 1-888-GOT MILK press the Alt key and typing each letter with the keyboard.

Reading Pages

To move down a page while reading a message just press the Space key. To move back up a page press Shift plus the Space key.

Once you get the hang of it, using these shortcuts will make you much quicker on the draw and help your harness the full abilities of your device. They will not only save you time, but help you easily navigate through all aspects of your device.

Outlook Address Book - My contacts don't appear in the Address Book

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:54:00 +0000

In Outlook 2003

Click on Contacts and highlight the Contacts folder you would like to show up
Right Click --> Properties -->Outlook Address Book
Make sure the "Show this folder as an email address book" is checked
Rename that Address Book to "My Addresses" or whatever
Close

Then back to mail
Tools --->Address Book--->Tools-->Options
Make sure the Order is correct

Outlook 2007

The first step is to ensure that your Contacts folder is configured to be part of the Outlook Address Book. If it is, the next step is to reset the Outlook Address Book settings. Start with the first section below and, if necessary, continue with the second section. Configure a Contacts folder as part of the Outlook Address Book

On the Go menu, click Folder List.Keyboard shortcut To view the Folder List, press CTRL+6.

In the Navigation Pane, right-click the Contacts folder, and then click Properties.

On the Outlook Address Book tab, select the Show this folder as an e-mail Address Book check box. If the check box is already selected or the option is dimmed or grayed out, proceed to the next section for additional steps.

Reset Outlook Address Book settings

On the Tools menu, click Account Settings.

Click the Address Books tab, and then do one of the following: If under Name, Outlook Address Book appears, do the following:Close the Account Settings dialog box.

On the Tools menu, click Address Book.

In the Address Book dialog box, on the Tools menu, click Options.

Under Show this address list first, click Contacts. Note If you are using a Microsoft Exchange Server account and want names from your organization's online address book or Global Address List to appear when you click To, Cc, or Bcc, click Global Address List instead of Contacts.

Click OK, and then close the Address Book dialog box.

If under Name, Outlook Address Book does not appear, do the following:On the Address Book tab, click New.

Click Additional Address Books, and then click Next.

Under Additional Address Book Types, click Outlook Address Book, and then click Next.

On the Account Settings dialog box, click Close.

Exit Outlook, wait one minute, and then restart Outlook.

Building my new PC

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:19:00 +0000

I've been putting this off for years but now I'm forced to build another system when my old faithful CPU bit the dust this morning . I've been using the same desktop since Moses came back in 2000, which is kind of embarrassing as a IT guy. I was just to lazy to build another one and move all the apps and cash is tight - most of my data is on the file server or drives I'll just move over . So I've decided on what I want, ordered it and it came to a whopping $650 for motherboard, decent case, CPU, video card, a little extra memory and a high quality 600w power supply.

- Core 2 Quad Core Q6700 - http://news.tigerdirect.com/2008/04/15/intel-core-2-quad-q6700-processor/ like a year and a half old but a third of it's original price and still a monster.
- Intel DG35EC Motherboard - actual Intel brand which for $85 bucks is a workhouse - planning to add Windows XP64 with 4-5GB of XM2 DDR2 RAM depending what I find lying around in the office http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=I69-2168
PC Power & Cooling 600W power supply to run the video card nicely - not cheap at $90 but a must have these days.. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=P227-1000
- GE 9500T 1GB DDR2 which is a steal for $70 - not the gaming superstar for a $M but seriously good deal mated with the Intel Quad core it should be smoking fast! http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?Sku=E145-9504
- For drives I'm still chewing on spending the money on a solid state drive (you can get a 32GB for $100) but I don't want to deal with the shorter life but booting in 7 seconds is quite the incentive - However, I actually already have a WD Raptor - 74GB 10,000RPM drive - so I'm using that as my boot drive and that will stem the bleeding - I'll RAID two 500gb 7200rpm data drives that are lying around the office to store crap on...

How to point your Google Site to an existing Domain Name

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:26:00 +0000

For all you guys moving your clients over to Google apps hear ye, hear ye!

I recently created a Google site for my fiance's interior design business under my personal Google account, without realizing that there would be no way of moving it to a Google apps account once I was finished. No migrate tool, no export function..no nada! I had spent a fair amount of time figuring out the Google Site GUI, and the last thing I wanted to do was to recreate the entire site again in the Google Apps account which I had created for her domain. I was under the impression that I could create a business class Google apps account with my existing logon - but I was wrong. Google apps requires an Administrator for a domain and so needs to separate the accounts by design.

Although I understood why, the most annoying thing with Google Apps is that you cannot associate your Administrator account with your personal Google account; and flipping between the two causes annoying cookie retention problems. Google has done a good job at recognizing this issue and has some automated tools that recognize the two accounts and tries to help navigate you to the correct account. But still there was no function or tool which I could find that would allow me to tie the personal Google site with an existing domain nor migrate a Google site from my personal account to my domain Google apps account .

The way I managed to point my Google Site to an existing domain was to first go to my host's Cpanel for designwise-sd.com and create a CNAME for a new sub-domain, in this case wub.designwise-sd.com pointing to ghs.google.com

----------------------------------------------------------------

The next step is to login to your Google site settings and add the sub-domain you just created to the Web Address section.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I then created an .htaccess file with (good tutorial is located here) and entered in the following code without quotes:

"redirect 301 /index.html http://wub.designwise-sd.com"

or for all files on your domain use

"redirectMatch permanent ^(.*)$ http://wub.designwise-sd.com"

Obviously, you want to replace /index.html with your default page (could be index.htm; or index.php etc.) and http://wub.designwise-sd.com with your sub-domain name you created in the previous section. This is a more SEO friendly way to redirect a site versus using Meta tags to do it, which I wouldn't recommend.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I logged onto the FTP for designwise-sd.com and uploaded the .htaccess folder to the root of the site. This is the same location as your index.html (or your equivelant) file and CHMOD the file 644. The .htaccess file will now redirect all traffic showing up at www.your-domain.com to your-new-subdoman.com in real time. As an FYI, the .htaccess is a hidden file and usually waon't be displayed in your FTP client once uploaded so Enable View Hidden Files is a good tutorial.

If anyone knows a better way to do this or there is a problem with this technique, please comment!

CNN Alert Spam - Avoid Vundo infection

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:09:00 +0000

KitRx at EveryMethod is cleaning at least two or three infections of a new strain of the Vundo virus each week. Our managed systems are all protected with Anti-Malware/Virus software but they seem to make no difference and even cause further complications. I've finally come to the conclusion that Anti-virus software is practically useless against any elective installed Malware like these variants of Vundo. I cannot remember the last time any of these overhyped, under performing software packages actually found anything worthwhile. There are a number of variations to the Vundo hijack theme and almost all are deployed by forcing or requesting an install of a bogus video CODEC or flash plugin.

Vundo infects victims' computers by exploiting a vulnerability in Java and Windows systems and is deployed as a rootkit which makes it very difficult to remove = expensive. Many of the popups advertise programs including WinFixer, WinAntiVirus, WinAntiVirusPro, ErrorSafe, SystemDoctor, WinAntiSpyware, AVSystemCare, WinAntiSpy, XPAntivirus2008, Performance Optimizer, StorageProtector, PrivacyProtector, WinReanimator and others which are very similar programs available only for Windows that claim to repair computer system problems but do not actually do so - so DON'T INSTALL THESE WHEN TOLD TO DO SO - YOU'RE NOT A ROBOT - THINK FIRST THEN CLICK. There are no FREE TRIALS, just infected systems and expensive cleanups. This variant shown in the pics was sent using a CNN Alert SPAM email originating out of the Czech Republic.

The image shows an attempt to install a hijacked version of a flash plugin by the deploying site, masquerading as a CNN Video site. IF YOU CLICK OK YOU WILL BE INFECTED - PERIOD - SO DON"T. Unfortunately hitting CANCEL puts you in a loop which means you have the kill the browser process in Windows Task Manager. The pic shows the Firefox process but look for your browser in the list - then hit END Process. Delete the email, empty your trash and forward the link below to all your friends.

http://blog.kitrx.com/2008/08/cnn-alert-spam-vundo-infection.html

MSP's in Chaos

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:43:00 +0000

As the MSP landscape continues to contract and the latest hype-cycle continues on it's precipitous downward trend, I worry for our future. The list of vendors manipulating our good, trusting natures to bridge the gap to eventually sell and service our clients direct is growing by the minute. Dell's apparent disingenuous approach to the channel and their willingness to sell to anyone or anything that has a pulse was to be expected. Microsoft's recent unveiling of it's SaaS strategy at the WPC is a seismic shift in their business model, and was enough to have left many Microsoft Partners angry as hell. HP's CEO recent comments about partners needing to get with the(his?) program or leave. Disintermediation in it's absolutely purist form!

In fact Stephen Eloph, the new Microsoft Channel Chief was quoted as saying "Every one of us has to embrace the fact that a lot has changed and will continue to change" - Scary stuff. Microsoft's new strategy includes trying to convince us to start bringing competitors into our customers - the old partner-to-partner ruse - to offset cost. I saw IBM do this when the hardware margins disappeared about 6-7 years ago along with half their channel. Earth to Steve, you've already decided that you're going to sell direct to my clients, so cutting costs horizontally is not going to save my margins. Just be straight and we'll live with it - But please don't load us on the the cattle train to Auschwitz while telling us we're going on vacation- We deserver more!

It makes you wonder if all of this was worth it. The late nights, the financial investments, the dangerous "turn on a dime" switch in approach? The wag is tailing the frikkin' dog as my grandfather used to say, and nobody knows what the fuck is going on. Really - no I'm serious dude! Guess what gents, we're being screwed....again! If you think I'm being negative you should read some of Charles Weaver's blog posts at the MSPAlliance, because apparently he has no clear idea as too what is going on either.

Oh and by the way, would someone please tell the 12th Untangle sales rep to support my region in 6 months to stop calling! Open Source is apparently the new way to hijack your clients into thinking your hobbleware is free!

Updates for 1st Quarter 2008 - R.I.P Cornelius Pickering

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:04:00 +0000

A year ago everyone in the company was reeling from the death of our much loved co-worker and close friend, Cornelius Pickering, to a random skateboarding accident. This devastating loss has tended to make everyone take stock and show a renewed interest in their personal and work life. I'm confident that it will be a positive experience for all when all is said and done - it certainly reinforces my philosophy of Yourself, Family and Work in that order. He was a true gentle man and he will always be deeply missed by all his friends at the office and his bro's in the surf.

Other than a few extra gray hairs and other discomforts of different kinds, the transformation of EveryMethod from a traditional IT and residential service company into KitRx - A Managed IT Services Company. [Definition] - is now officially complete. KitRx is our year old Managed Services offering - specifically developed for small businesses with 5 -100 desktops and any number of servers of virtually any brand. It provides a unique and efficient mechanism for system support using Technology to manage Technology. We have invested in the highly secure Kaseya managed Services platform, in addition to the multiple servers to deploy it. We have spent 12 months working dilligently in meeting our deployment goals and we thank the customers who helped us evaluate and tweak the system -

The only difference between the service you have received in the past and KitRx, is the way the service itself is delivered. Instead of the reactive, expensive and inefficient break-fix method of IT services, KitRx provides you with a true partner who is managing your systems on a daily basis. KitRx identifies and responds to many issues before you know they exist, and in all other situations it provides an efficient help desk with a ticketing system and live chat. It provides our skilled engineers all the information they need at all times, to respond and fix your problems - often immediatly with no loss of productivity. It more often-than-not negates the need for onsite support at all, saving you time and ultimately money from loss of productivity and frustration.

For more detailed information about KitRx visit our website

For more detailed information about the KitRx service offerings[pdf]

As a loyal EveryMethod customer we want to provide you as much infomation as possible doing our transition. Below we have listed information about the KitRx transition for our different customers.

Residential: Although it is possible for KitRx Agent software to be installed on residential computer systems, EveryMethod does not provide this service for residential customers or Small Office/Home Office users as the minimum requirement for KitRx is five systems. In order that we don't leave our residential customers high and dry, we have setup a mechanism to support you remotely through our unique and secure (encrypted) streaming technology and provide you with in-shop service at our depot repair location at 511 South Coast Highway #205. As of August 1, 2007 EveryMethod will no longer be making house calls.

Small Business: KitRx software agents can be installed on all your Desktop and Server systems, allowing us to provide efficient monitoring and response both on site and remote. If you choose not to participate in the KitRx program and meet the criteria, EveryMethod will still provide break fix support using a streaming account. To setup a streaming account, please call us at 1866-66-KITRX or 760 487-1356 and follow the prompts for a new customer or request this at time of your service need.

Small Business on Maintenance Plans: The majority of our maintenance customers have already been informed of the transition, but if you have any further questions, please feel free to call me at any time with any questions. As an existing EveryMethod maintenance customer your plan will continue until the contract period expires. After the contract period you will be transitioned to KitRx - if that has not already been done. The KitRx service level agreement (SLA) will detail all the service provided but you affectively will inherit a broader breadth of services.

MSP's Listen Up: 5 Issues To Consider When Choosing Your Platform!

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 03:51:00 +0000

Choosing a platform is going be one of the most important decisions you'll ever make as an MSP and shouldn't be taken lightly. Much like any other Enterprise IT class of software, the MSP platform is a complex beast, with multiple layers of functionality and levels of process integration. It'll become obvious that some Vendors are more capable than others, but unfortunately there are scarce impartial resources available both on and offline to help you make this decision.
Detailing out a comprehensive guide to choosing a platform is way beyond the scope of this post, but I thought I'd quickly jot down some real issues I had to consider when we chose Kaseya to run our KitRx product – an MSP offering that specifically targets the needs of small business with less than a 50 nodes.

Issue One – Vendor Attention to Detail:

Most of the salespeople that contacted me after my initial enquiry tried in vain to explain in any convincing way, why their product was technically capable under all conditions. All, except the hatchet team from N-Able, were at least able to convince me that their product could possibly work in a perfect world, but only Justin at Kaseya took the time to show me what would happen when the shit-hit-the-fan.

Luckily for me, he had actually worked at an MSP in a past life and had a unique view into how it all worked or didn't work. The reason I single out N-Able is because after placing their first call four days before the end of their sales QTR, they (unbelievably) barely spent any time describing the features of the product. A tag team of Tom and Jerry (not their real names although I actually would have rather dealt with Tom and Jerry) then spent the next four days harassing me or anyone else they could get a hold of in the organization, in a wholly unprofessional attempt to "close" us at any cost. At one point three people left a total of seven messages in one day. I literally had to threaten a Blackwater style execution to ward them off. Anyway, just please make sure your Vendor can explain how their system functions when your customers dog chews the router to shreds. The lesson here is to provide a specific technical framework of issues for the vendor to address and a code of conduct.

Issue Two - How do I get out if I need to - without getting buried?

Although you may feel compelled to present yourself as a highly successful business owner that has more resources than Larry Page and Sergey Brin combined - DON'T 'cause (Um) you DON'T.

Most successful Enterprise software salespeople are experts at using any detail you may inadvertently provide them about your business against you. Be sure to keep any company confidential information especially the number of customers and annual revenue to yourself. The reason I bring this up is that MSP platform vendors lock you into term based sales agreement that are based upon the number of purchased licenses - used or unused. Their goal is to sell you a lot more licenses than you need by convincing you that by paying for them now - they'll be cheaper in the long term. Granted that makes sense to a point, but moving to the MSP model is fraught with unknowns and you could get completely hosed. You end up deferring large payments to a future time possibly causing a scenario in which you could be overpaying for years - a fact that will eat into your profits or even potentially put you out of business. These guys are not fucking around so be careful.

So to reiterate - Providing any ammunition to this machine gun will hurt you!

Once you have decided on the number of licenses you will need, make sure you fully understand what you're in for and project a negative scenario on how you will get out of the agreement without going broke!

Issue Three - Price:

So Sergey, you've got $20 Billion in the bank but guess what! The Bank manager seems to have lost your deposit for a half Billion or so. Therefore, notwithstanding that bustard’s direct attempt at undermining your fiscal stature, the truth remains that we all have to consider price when making any decision. One thing that never ceases to blow my gaud of my shoulders is that MSP platform Vendors will expect you to spend well in excess of your annual sales revenue for their software. They do this with a straight face especially now that they believe you hobnob with the Googles - unbelievable. Be aware that price is NOT the reason to make a purchase. Cheap is bad - value is good but I'll let you figure this out yourself.

Issue Four - Flexibility:

When you build your framework for technical resilience and make damn sure you consider key criteria - Flexibility. Software Product Management is a technical discipline created specifically for geniuses who are capable of bridging marketing and in-the-trenches know how - a dangerous combination for us folks. In the case of MSP platforms, developing a full enough feature set out of the box which can cover all the requirements for managing I.T in multiple organizations is impossible. I'm not kidding when I say this - it is impossible and dare to argue this point with me at your peril! No don't worry I'm a softy :-) Anyway, most MSP Product Managers do a great job at covering the necessary sales points when created features and releases, but only a very select few have the forethought to build in enough flexibility to make these features work outside of a perfect demo like scenario.

Case in point - Creating Monitor and Alerts Sets are highly complex and consist of understanding which specific Services and Events the system should watch for in order for it to generate an effective alert and/or an adequate response to a particular problem. You don't have to be a statistical genius to understand how many combinations are possible - many thousands of initial possibilities which will change for each individual system configuration - combining to become an unimaginable number. Therefore, to mitigate this issue the platform must have the ability to extract live information from a particular system - For example which Services are running and allow you to use an open scripting platform to architect a response. Without this you might as well buy GoToMyPC and resell it as your MSP Platform of choice. Kaseya kills it as a scripting platform but on the flip side you'd better know your shit to get the full benefit.

Issue Five - Process Integration

In all seriousness, as you grow this will become the bone of your contention unless you address it now. MSP Platforms fall short of providing proper scheduling, CRM and financial/billing integration. They do this because it's really not their job. If you are planning on staying small, keeping your processes simple make sense. But if you are considering fast growth be sure to ask about what partnering solutions your platform vendor offers which could assist you in closing the Service/Sales loop efficiently.

Symantec Cooperates, Competes With MSP Partners

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 01:47:00 +0000

I have just finished reading another great post by Joe Panettieri of MSPMentor, my new favorite MSP Industry online blog/publication. Joe speaks to Symantec's forthcoming production release of the SaaS product called Symantec Protection Network (SPN), which should be clearly differentiated from it's existing Managed Security Services (MSS) Managed Security product targeting larger Enterprises. This time one hopes Symantec is able to get the branding clearer, as the term Managed Security Services or MSS is actually being used by no less that five of it's direct competitors. No fear though, Joe should keep us up to speed on the developments as they happen, so be sure to subscribe to MSPMentor.

This scenario seems to play nicely into the discussion started in my previous post relating to the development of the MSP SAas channel by Vendors. My hope is that their marketing message will effectively tout the benefits of using MSP's and their SaaS services. [read Joe's full post here]

Business Justification for Managed Services - Is it Real?

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:57:00 +0000

One of the challenges we face as an MSP is the ability to justify the Managed Services business and associate it to the actual current market conditions. Well, of course recurring streams of revenue are a big step forward but it's not enough to justify the major upfront investment required. Not only is this important when building a business plan for our internal use, but also vital if you're trying to win over potential investors to help cover the costs of migrating to the MSP model. In my previous post, I spoke about how none of the industry types seem to be equipped to help in this regard, and it seems to be up you to figure this out. I did find a consulting report (somewhat roughly edited) that I have made available here which helps somewhat but is short on specifics.

In fact, when evaluating platforms I had asked Justin Ramsey at Kaseya for industry data such as market size data and received nothing in response, even after a few follow up emails. This was surprising and definitely gave some food for thought. When spending $132,000 on software, you'd expect that vendors would have some sort of business justification available for us would you not? I really am not sure if the reason for this was that there is no data available, or the data they do have applies only to their customers? (being MSP's). So the question remains whether the market for MSP's is real and if so, what is the market opportunity?

If you've every attempted to gather any research data on the MSP marketplace, one fact that becomes decidedly clear is that the MSP "bubble" (and I'll continue to call it that until industry proves me otherwise) is built upon consumption of products and services by potential MSP's and not by the actual end consumer of the MSP's offering - our customers. In other words, most of the investment in our space is currently going to software vendors who are either intrigued by the SAas model (such as AV vendors, security vendors and such) and it's associated lower cost structures, traditional hardware vendors and the MSP platform vendors themselves who are pushing the channel into the managed-services space because of its fat margins, scalability and appeal to customers of all sizes. It's an apt replacement for hardware and software product sales, whose margins are sinking into the low single digits.

Therefore, their success depends entirely on their ability to first, develop an effective channel to market by encouraging service providers to migrate en-masse to the MSP model and second, to make sure that the end consumer of their products either buy solutions from this channel or continue to buy direct or through traditional channels. They are understandably concerned that they don't cannibalize from their existing markets and therefore may have less interest in promoting the MSP market to anyone that is not an MSP in order to avoid this cannabilization.

To a marketing expert this strategy makes perfect sense as developing dual sales streams that are independent and not co-dependent, makes their businesses more capable of weathering market changes. However, by taking a less macro and a more nuanced approach, they would realize that without marketing targeted to the end consumer of any type of MSP product or service, they leave the job to the MSP himself - a terrible strategy for so many reasons.

When an MSP approaches a new customer with the concept of purchasing managed services, we first have to explain to them what Managed Services actually is and then sell our flavor of managed services. We can usually knock 'em dead selling ourselves but getting over the education part is tough. You see folks, the fact is that the I.T services market is already commoditized by the mostly unsophisticated participants in the market, and our customers are seeing it every day and that molds their perceptions - The guys down the street who quit his Help Desk job last week; the Computer Repair Franchisor, Geek Squad ad and of course my favorite target - Onforce, are all responsible. I've linked to their site in the hopes it will cause a DOS attack not because I want to drive any traffic I assure you :-).

Therefore, unless the MSP Vendors do something about it by counteracting this reality, we're going to continue to struggle uphill. This conceptual sale requires more resources than we have available and also why would a prospect take our word for it anyway?

IBM's highly successful channel strategy, puts millions of marketing dollars into making sure the end consumer of the product or service knows that it's OK to buy from their small channel partners, and that they will be supported by IBM. I see none of that personality in the MSP context. Most of the case studies that tout MSP success, which I have read anyway , remain in geographic areas that have a high concentration of wealth. For example small finance firms or law firms in NYC or LA, who have the resources and are able easily justify the "expense" associated with the "new" model due to their high availability and efficiency requirements. All without any industry education!

MSP's Are Our Customers Being Educated?

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:45:00 +0000

We've been marketing Managed IT Services at EveryMethod KitRx for long enough now to get an idea of what the general small business population is feeling about Managed Services (MSP). Initially we approached the market with the assumption that no-one really understood the concepts and therefore the true value of an MSP and that we would have to sift through the propspects to find the early adopters and price accordingly . We hoped that eventually the flush industry would take the time to educate the ultimate consumer of the service, and we would be able to take advantage of that opportunity as it presented itself. NOT EVEN! With so much marketing effort being put forth by MSP Platform Vendors, Analysts, Technology media and Bloggists - the truth is that none of this is being directed to the end consumer. No branding, no education, No NADA! This leaves us completely alone in the effort to generate interest in our product, an impossible task with our limited budgets, time and exorbitant monthly MSP platform payments. There is no doubt in my mind, that this recent increase in platform sales reported by Kaseya etc. is fueling a "balloon" with limited pressure release. Meaning that even though there are obviously tons of customers around who should pay an MSP vs a break-fix, we will all go out of business waiting. CAN WE GET SOME HELP HERE PLEASE - unbelievable!

MSPs TELL YOUR CLIENTS TO RYMSLA! - READ YOUR M%$# F 'NG SLA

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 19:28:00 +0000

One of the most challenging situations you will encounter as a new IT Managed Service Provider will be figuring out how to address your clients who are pushing the limits of the defined level of service you are obligated or willing to provide. I have written extensively about the level of service provided to your clients by using a tight SLA, but what isn't addressed is the ways you go about enforcing the clauses in your SLA when they are being conveniently ignored, without leaving a bad taste in your clients mouth.

It would seem that none of these operational details are included when engaging a consultant or in discussions with your "trusted advisor" or MSP Platform Vendor. The answer as to why this is not addresses properly, is most likely due to the fact the very few of the folks engaged in these discussions have any experience in running a small business, never mind a successful MSP. They talk a good game but when asked these types of 'real guidance needed" questions, the answers they provide fall way short of the mark. Another question in the same realm can include "What do I do to compensate my engineers who will lose most of their on-site revenue?". I have never received anything but lip service on that one.

Scenario:. Human nature for what it is often forces many people to have selective memory with regards to inconvenient truths. There is no better example of this when dealing with the expectations of an MSP customer where so many difficult-to- comprehend details are relevant. Most of these expectations are unintentional, and are caused by external pressures from bosses or co-workers and veiled in "favor" terms. But some are just plain manipulative.

In June this year we had a typical 6 week sale cycle will a real estate company considering our "localsourcing" option in choosing a new IT provider for their networks and systems. We had numerous discussions and provided them when in-depth documentation of what we will provide. This included marketing materials and an incredibly detailed SLA (an example is available for download here) with a detailed "in plain English section" to summarize. One important criteria in the SLA is that no phone calls to our Engineering staff are allowed even during coverage hours and all correspondence was to to be done using our easy-to-use ticketing system or by email. Another requirement was a drop dead date of 45 days as to when their network infrastructure was to be ungraded due to it's marginal state. They read and accepted the SLA and contract and each time we followed up they were happy with the service. After 45 days we started bugging them about bringing in the SonicWall TZ and migrating them to a more robust configuration. The response was we can't do that now and maybe in September/October. Effectively, we're being told to fuck off and stop harassing them.

Suddenly, after using our ticketing system for two months, we started receiving calls directly to our staff for minor and major issues which did not include the only exception to this clause, a full network outage. Our Engineering staff are not equipped to push back on these calls, for a good reason. We chose not to provide them with this option because they may not be equipped with all the details necessary to argue the point and it could cause an issue with the customer. It is my job as the Jefe to make such calls and they can be difficult and sensitive. So based on the response to the network issue, I chose to let it ride - Mistake #1 and #2.

The next day I received a call from the person in charge to say she was very upset about the delay in response to the network problem which in hindsight (so she was told by the Network provider) she determined was caused by a Spambot or a virus flooding their network. Why had we not seen this, she asked?

We had received the message the day before and had called her back two hours later, well inside of our required response times. So based on the assumption that no AV notifications had been logged, we asked her to check her T1 provider first for potential causes of the slowdown. BTW our response to a ticket would have been much faster! We never heard back from her but after an on-site visit it ended up being caused by a faulty network card and not a virus. So with an unmanaged marginal router in place with no Intrusion Prevention or SMTP filtering we had no way of picking this issue up anyway. Mistake #3 (we should have forced an upgrade in the beginning) We were now being held accountable for a shitty network we never put in, and a "slow response" to her needs which was well without the required response under the SLA which she signed.

Frustrating to say the least, but calling her up and telling her to Read Her Motherfucking SLA (RYMSLA) is not the best way to deal with this situation, although it is something you desperately want to do under the circumstances. Is the customer always right? Hell no! And are you equipped to call them on it? Hell No! In the following posts I'll give you a few pointers about some way to deal with this, now that I've had time to think about it.

Kaseya Is Better Than the Rest, But Caveat Emptor

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:36:00 +0000

It's my own opinion that Kaseya's product is the best platform for the technical capable MSP, but Kaseya's ability to prepare potential MSP's to the risk and pain of migration is limited and it's not alone. The marketing team's real job is to level the immediate path for their sales force during the decision process and no more.

This means that in order to counter more and more potential customers objections about the difficulty of moving existing customers to the MSP model, platform vendors throw the Education and Trusted Advisor card. Education and training in a profit center for all MSP platform vendors, as it is for most software vendors but it's unique to this industry that they offer business training. Why you say? Because of their experience with how hard the transition is for us, particularly with tech minded small business owners saddled with existing overhead and process, high existing work loads, and now $2,500 or more per month in software costs and loss of on-site engineering revenue and other issues.

Their job is to sell not to protect us - I only object to Trojan horse tactics. So again, take what you can from all training, marketing and other resources you get from anywhere, but before you spend money on training or consultants that promise you the moon, make damn sure said consultants RUN OR HAVE RUN A SUCCESSFUL MSP FOR (fill in your own brand of deity here) SAKE! Why would you want to hire a consultant that doesn't actually have in-the-trenches experience in the area they profess to be experts in? Leave hiring clueless consultants to IBM Global Services - their customers can afford it - The last time I checked, I cannot!

Read:

Seven traps to avoid falling into as a prospective new MSP

Microsoft Office for the Rest of Us

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 01:24:00 +0000

You know guys, I was perusing around the blogosphere and picked up on an interesting article Re: MS Office and Google Apps written by a guy named Michael Gilronan at this company called Knowledge Management Associates in Boston. Anyway, he was responding to a White paper written by Limit One comparing the merits of it's service re: Google Apps and taking exception to Microsoft Portal Server's complexity etc. It's a story I've heard over and over but it was only when I was reviewing one of my larger clients (Sullivan Family of Companies aka. Foodland, Beard Papa, Food Pantry) Enterprise Architecture that I realized how easy it is for us in the industry to forget how the "rest of world" uses MS Office and what a security and management nightmare it has become.

These guys are focused on SMB in the real sense, not the IBM definition. Yes, contrary to popular belief in the the halls of the glass tower (your?), there are ten's of thousand's of small business in the USA who don't have on staff IT and have a single SMB Server if at all. With no training nor any knowledge of the Sharepoint services which they have had installed on their behalf, most aren't using them. A smart marketing move on Microsoft's part, allowing them to be included in that grossly WSJ inflated number.

Secondly, true collaboration never happens using fat client Office. Versioning solutions are complex and security problems abound with xls and docs all over the planet in temp folders or saved locally. I run a feet-on-the-street IT MSP which serves this market so I'm closely familiar with how many valuable documents of financial data are just left lying in inboxes and temp folders on someone's Spyware infested home computer.

Microsoft attempt at securing this data using their flavor of DRM is a joke, with no external collaboration easy or even possible. Pour out the Kool Aide my friend, Google's on the right track.

How to move your existing "break-fix" customers to IT Managed Services

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:25:00 +0000

One of the most difficult things you'll do as a company when moving from the break-fix model to managed services, is to convince your existing customers that they should join you or even deciding whether they are suitable to be managed by your new company. Although you may believe fervently that you can provide this service for all of your existing customers, a good majority of them won't want to pay you for something they perceive to have low value or more likely, they won't have the "personality profile" to fit your service offering.I describe this in depth in my posting 7 traps for prospective managed service providers.

The first thing to do is to define your customers in groups.

1. Residential - Get rid of them (I don't need to tell you why). Geek Squad has 10,000 "engineers" so send them there. They have no value to you as an MSP.
2. IT-Dependent: These customers understand the lost productivity in dollars per hour. They allocate budgets to IT, refresh their network, and tend to be loyal but are demanding. These are perfect for your new endevour.
3. IT-Aware: Often good prospects as they have functions to allow for continuing their business function when their systems are down. They usually have no specific budgets, but are willing to drop some cash on IT and can be loyal if you're good at what you do.
4. IT-Tolerant: Most small companies with under 10 employees (especially in hard goods manufacturing or wholesale) fit into this category. They are fair to poor prospects, as they view IT as an expense and try to minimize the expense as much as possible. They choose to be technically naive and tend to constantly shop for the lowest price for everything.

If you're a individual or a small service provider, based upon the breakdown you'll do I have to guess that the majority or your existing business customers will fit into the IT-Tolerant category. They do business with you because they silently think you're a sucker - You've always under priced your service and been highly responsive, while allowing them to get away with murder. By murder, I mean calling you at all hours; spending the time to configure systems for nothing or providing valuable consulting while allowing them to buy all their products at discount outlets and many other egregious mistakes in judgment on your behalf. Well, it's time to change this approach. There is a good reason why most of these companies have been through multiple providers before you arrived, and who most likely shared the common believe that each other were total a'holes.

First and foremost, you must sit down and explain to each and every customer what your plans are in detail. Prepare your SLA's and marketing materials beforehand by paying an expert to design them. To get a logo, a website and a brochure may cost you a few thousand dollars, but it'll be worth it. Anyway you don't have time to do it yourself.

Give your customers a specific time-frame to decide what they want to do, and if they are resistant initially, don't cave. You've been caving for years and it's now time to man up and start a real business. Don't be an a'hole but explain to them they you cannot continue to do what you're doing because you'll go out of business. In short, if you're going to commit to them, they should do the same.

You can demo your MSP software and explain how efficiently you will be able to be and that waiting for a response is a thing of the past. If they still say no, you should then walk away after your time-frame is up. You are not obligated to provide them with a "free" transition plan or a recommendation of any kind- they clearly made the decision to bail on you and now they must live by that decision. Always, and I mean always, release their admin passwords and other proprietary information to them. This way you'll keep your integrity and not act like some "old schooler".

Now it's time to look for new more appropriate customers. And those customers that embrace your new endeavor need to be pampered and treated with respect. They are paying you a consistent fee and it's your obligation to follow through. They are the key to the holy grail of MSP's - recurring revenue.

Dell to buy Silverback from MSP Alliance blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:53:00 +0000

From Charles Weaver, the blogger at the MSPAlliance. I appreciate this guys general frankness about the industry , even though industry groups always make me a little suspicious. Anyhow, Charles speaks to the the impact of Dell's planned purchase of Silverback, a provider of MSP platforms. It certainly makes sense that Dell would go down this road and it will help get this style of IT support into the mainstream mindset. My opinion continues to be "Home computing and MSP's don't mix" but we'll see if they take it into that space although my assumption is that it won't.

"First, I've already received a lot of feedback from the MSPs out there saying that Dell had better not use this acquisition to compete with the channel in a managed services play. Let's hope that they read this blog first before doing something like that. Buying a company like SilverBack will not confer upon Dell any instant integrity or clout within the MSP community. Only good channel and business practices can accomplish that goal."

I think the match makes a lot of sense from a technical perspective. Dell sells a lot of hardware. Buying a company like SilverBack allows Dell to more effectively manage that hardware and could help Dell really bolster its channel credibility by developing existing Dell resellers into managed service providers. Doing so, at least in theory, will mean more Dell hardware being sold. It will also mean that same hardware being managed by professional (we can only hope) MSPs translating into greater customer satisfaction and security.

From a marketing perspective, this deal will likely have a very positive and long term effect for the managed service providers. It isn't everyday that a household name like Dell acquires a company that is so steeped in managed services history as SilverBack. My personal hope is that this deal will bring greater recognition and attention to the MSP community and really solidify the name of MSPs and managed services in the mainstream business community.

7 Traps For Prospective Managed Service Providers

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:00:00 +0000

If you're a VAR who is deciding to take the leap into Managed Services, you are faced with numerous opportunities and many challenges ahead. Having spent the last 6 months at KitRx doing exactly this, I have an interesting perspective of what you should and should not do, as well as a few pointers which you can use to set your own expectations about how easy you may think this is. I must preface this by saying that even though I sound a little negative or skeptical, it's not that I don't believe the MSP model actual works. It does - I just believe that you need to do it with intelligence. The longer you wait to do it, the harder it will be. Here are 7 traps for prospective Managed Service Providers.

Trap #1 Blowing your wad: No matter what the sales guy at your prospective MSP platform software says, only buy the minumum number of licenses you need to get going. Most MSP platforms, including our choice Kaseya, have a unique method to bury you under a mountain of debt before you can afford it. Most use a licensing method, similar to leasing or much like perpetual renting, which you effectively own nothing for a long time or possibly never. Starting your new endeavor by paying $2,500 a month for software licenses which you don't own, which you are not going to be using, and before you have a single customer signed is a trap. They do this because they are trying to pay their bills by selling you very expensive software by disabling your brain function for long enough for your heart to take over your mind.

Some vendors will even hard sell you on an integrated solution which involves shipping you an entire Server, bundled with their software for a large up-front fee ($30,000) and annual maintenance fees - leaving you to do the heavy lifting. Although most will give you an opt-out clause, they will try every trick in the book can to keep you in it if you decide to take advantage of this clause. Make the choice of functionality and cost up-front, because by opting out too early you run the risk of losing all your hard work in customizing and scripting the software - it's a trap, so read the fine print so to speak. Remember, these guys need to earn a living and need to close deals to pay their bloated overhead and your needs are secondary although the better salespeople will give you the opposite impression. Kudos to Kaseya for having Justin Ramsey on staff, but they still gotta earn a living, normally at your expense.

Trap #2: Thinking you'll keep all your customers: Another trick MSP software vendors will use is to make you believe what you have today, is what you'll keep tomorrow. Hell no!
Trust me the reason why most of your customers are doing business with you is because you're a pushover. I'm sorry but it's true - Imagine them being able to call in an expert at a moments notice and have you respond immediately without any commitment on their behalf. Often paying you a $100 for your troubles after a quick fix. Yikes! What a deal they get! It's no wonder lawyers ask for retainers.

The day you try and level the playing field and nicely notify them that you're going to charge them a minimum $500 a month for access to your genius - whoosh!! They disappear out the door looking for the next sucker to meet their unfair needs, and there are always other suckers out there I promise you - Not before they ask you to detail out your transition plan.

Yes, the vision of having a 100 of your existing customers paying you $500 a month is an attractive proposition - it just won't happen! You'll lose 80% of your existing customers or you'll try and mix and match and still lose 50%. Charging some customers monthly and leave others to call you reactively, is a bad idea because you'll have an SLA with some and not with others (more later). It's a major dilemma but it'll be worked out in say 6 months or so. Do you threaten cut them off or do you sack up and actually do it? One thing I do know is that you absolutely should dump your residential customers. MSP's and Home computing don't match, no matter what the genius calling you 3 times a day tells you.

Trap #3: Creating a "NOC": Dude, you're a small company and so are your customers. They don't expect you to be able to afford a NASA control center. I assure you that running your well configured server, behind a robust firewall, using a business class of cable internet will be plenty. Especially when you're starting up! Why spend a gazillion dollars on unnecessary services when you could be using that money to feed yourself and your employee(s). When you grow your business to a 1000 managed devices then do it.

Trap #4: Do it on your own: Unless you plan on splitting yourself in two, it's not possible to watch over your customers systems and be available for on-site services. Firstly, on-site may drive your revenue initially until you get a critical mass of managed customers, and secondly you'll find yourself being much more productive doing this stuff from your office or home and being available at a moments notice for your customers. Additionally, I don't remember the last time I was able to take a vacation on the break-fix cycle, and the whole point to of this is too get back your life and make a few bucks doing it. Get a partner or use a contractor and split the revenue. I assure you that this is about improving your efficiency and adding way more customers that you'd be able to handle alone out in the field. Give yourself at least 6 months to get this all squared away.

Trap #5: It'll happen overnight: The analysts have been touting the merits of the VAR/ISV to MSP transitions since 2001, and there are carcasses of hundred's of small companies that listened to this crapola scattered all along this highway of doom. You're starting a new business from scratch with a small leg up on people that are actually starting from scratch. Make sure you have the funds to cover you for at least 6 months of less income than you had before. Plan for the worst and you won't be sorry.

Trap #6: Hire a consultant to make you a Millionaire: There are a few well known consultants who are trolling for you and they're good at it. They are marketing experts and they're here to tell you bout one simple fact which can be paraphrased as "You're a dope and should stick to what you do well and leave the marketing to the experts". They tie themselves to the MSP software vendors who are using them to promote the concept of Managed Services, and in turn they use the MSP software vendors to get at you. Well, you're not a dope 'cause you did the math!

Paying them $3,000 for a book or a guide of pointers or gaggle of letter templates will not make you into a dynamo salesperson if you're not one today. Granted, a well written letter to your customers, a nice brochure or a professional website will definitely help you grow your business but this is something you can hire a pro to do for you. The unfortunate fact is that they've managed to find a few suckers who are prepared to tell the world and you that they became successful because of it. If you believe them then I have this bottle of stuff for you to buy that'll make your dick hard, rewire your house and wash your car. All for less than the cost of having your ex. wife whacked.

Trap #7: Not using an SLA: The Service Level Agreement is what you're selling. It tells your customers how, when, where, what and how, in minute detail. If you sell a fixed price managed service without a solid SLA you're shooting yourself squarely in the foot with a Barrett .50 caliber snipers rifle, while you swallow a roadside bomb. They'll be picking up the pieces of your business in Beirut. The reason is that when you tell someone that they are able to contact you, for a fixed price, with any system problem they have at anytime without detailed restrictions, they will do just that. Is this not something that people have been doing to you for years? I know you could never figure out a way to stop them from calling from about their neighbors Maxtor external hard drive failure at 11pm on a Saturday night, without being a complete a'hole. Now you have this opportunity to put it in black and white. Here are a few examples of SLA's for you to download in case you need them. Leave comments, as you wish

KitRx MSP Challenges Intro

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 22:55:00 +0000

Other than a few extra grey hairs and other discomforts of different kinds, the transformation of EveryMethod from a traditional IT service company into KitRx - a Managed IT services company - is well on it's way. Everyone in the company has been reeling from the death of our much loved co-worker and close friend, Cornelius Pickering, to a random accident. This devastating loss has tended to make everyone take stock and show a renewed interest in their personal and work life. I'm confident that it will be a positive experience for all when all is said and done - it certainly reinforces my philosophy of Yourself, Family and Work in that order. Although at face value that may sound selfish but I firmly believe if you are fulfilled as a human being you'll be that much more productive as an employee. We love you Cornelius!

In the next few entries I'll be describing the areas of concern and attempt to loosely summarize our daily work life, in the hope that it may benefit someone else in our position.

KitRx Developments - IT Managed Services for Small Business

noreply@blogger.com (Johnny Kessel) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:53:00 +0000

Halfway through its first quarter, EveryMethod's KitRx crew is moving into high gear. CEO Jon Kessel announced to the team that Kaseya's new module, which has excellent new security features, has been obtained and that all clients will benefit; Kaseya's new module should make the platform even more attractive to growing businesses.

In addition:

- Kessel appeared on Bob Ryan’s BizTalk radio show (KCEO) and had host Ryan marveling at the logic, strength and simplicity of KitRx
- Kessel appeared on George Chamberlain's "Money in the Morning" show on AM600 KOGO

Visit KitRx at http://www.kitrx.com/