Another Look into the World of An IT Guy: The Evaluation Process

More specifically, the IT person's process, not yours.

A post by Jay Rollins over at TechRebublic is very interesting.

The premise is software selection, but the basics apply to anyone approaching the IT folks.


The account is quiet funny - especially, because all the things he went through, we can all see happening.

Thomas the Tank Engine as a tool?

A Pizza Party for ALL THE SUPPORT TEAM?

Oh, and a pushy sales person - no way, can't happen.

The best quote from his post, "...The next time a vendor wants to impose their process on us instead of the other way around, I’ll tell them to take a hike..."

LOL!

Watch out!

Read it here.


From an IT Director: "How to Shut down vendor cold calls"...this is good stuff.

Do You Sell for A Living ? We all Sell.

Copiers, printers, Blades, paper, toner, MPS, PM, managed services, paperclips - if you sell, keep selling, sell today, sell in a recession, sell in a depression, sell even though the gov't takes half, never stop.

You sell. You don't run from history.

You make it.

It's tough out here - but here we are.

Thing is, it can always be worse -



Superbowl, 2002. Just months after 911.

The nation was in mourning - we needed something to get ourselves back up. Soldiers were cool again.

Do you remember the Empty Sky's of 9-12? That was scary.

Superbowl, for us, represented something more than a football game - it meant we were still here, the US, we Americans were still standing.

Still here to do what we Americans do: watch football, buy music, dance in the frickin streets, flaunt those who hate us, those who would kill us, and to sell.

We were celebrating life while remembering those who went before us.

It took a few crazy Muslims to tear down the towers.

But a rock band from Ireland, it's lead crooner sporting goofy blue shades, helped us remember who we are and helped us tell the world, we weren't going anywhere.



Let the cube rats play in the dark. Let the sales managers who have forgotten their passion and left their soul somewhere in the corporate cafeteria, try to keep score.

Keep going, no matter who, no matter what gets in your way - don't let them win.

Not the congressmen we elect, not the fat, lazy, bureaucrats, not your covetous neighbors, not the terrorists or that overly pompous PA can keep you down. You know the score.

It can all end tomorrow, for them it will be a period at the end of an empty life.

For us, we who make things out of nothing, we will be complete.

Go Sell.

Flying out to San Antonio Saturday: Will be Tweeting and Posting From the Managed Print Sevices Conference

The conference should be most xlint - I will be trying to get into every session.

Follow me on Twitter

Execs Leaving HP

Predictably, EDS executives leaving HP. Wonder if they will end up at Lexmark, Dell, or CISCO.

Hewlett-Packard Co. confirmed on Friday that as part of the recent merger and integration of Electronic Data Systems, four EDS executive leaders will be leaving their posts as the company realigns its structure.

The company confirmed that Mike Koehler will be leaving his position to pursue other opportunities, replaced by Andy Mattes who will oversee the company's Americas region.

As Mattes transitions into his new role, Robb Rasmussen will over Mattes' former job leading application services.

Bobby Grisham, who oversees EDS sales, is retiring in June. A search for his replacement continues, the company said in a statement.

Tom Haubenstricker, who leads EDS finance, is leaving the company in mid-May to explore other opportunities, while Pete Bocian, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, will serve in the role on an interim basis as the search for a replacement continues.

Mike Paolucci also is leaving as vice president of human resources at EDS. He will be replaced by Shawn Williams.

Both H-P and EDS employ thousands in the Sacramento area.

The Best Reason For Twitter: To Find Old Printers and Things That Cover Queen

4/2009

Frst there was the "musical road" out here in Cali and now, the signing, old skool printer...no really, you gotta check this out...

All Around The World : Copier Mouse Trap

This is the story of a mouse and a South African in Saigon, food crumbs, and a copier...

Read on, if you dare.


The Rodent Solarium of Death

Okay, I don't usually do a "what am I doing every five minutes"/stream of consciousness/now I'm eating cherry ice-cream/now my car broke down/now I have bowel problems kind of blogpost, but this is an extreme case in the morbid curiosity sort of way.

This morning I was on relief, no not relieving myself, but meaning I have to teach when other teachers pull a sicky and when no-one decides to sleep in, I hang around the office and do admin stuff. Anyways, this is one of those admin days and my girlfriend came out of her class (yes, we work together) to ask me to photocopy some of her students' in-class writing seeing as I wasn't doing much.

We have two photocopy machines at work and both had the Post Man-handled Shits this morning as the paper was constantly getting jammed in the one and the other one would photocopy with this thick, faded unreadable line down the middle of each page. So I asked the IT guy Phuong (he's the closest we have to a janitor/repairmen guy at our school) to sort the one out while I sort out the paper jam one.

I managed to unjam it and about an hour later the photocopy repairman walks in with his toolkit and gets to work on the one that's fading the copies. I'm sitting at the computer when Tom, one of the teachers on his break, calls out" Hey Henno, come check this shit out!"

Nice. Inside the copier, on the big roller part that inks the paper, lies our furry little workspace friend who has tasted his last office crumb. Yes, the office mouse had got into the machine, and nestled in all snuggly probably because of the warmth, and this morning some unknowing teacher happened to tragically nuke him with some ultrahot, ultraviolent ultraviolet rays. It was really gross because the little rodent was all seared and stuck onto the roller and the repair dude at to literally unpeel him.

No wonder the photocopied papers had these funny mouse-shaped faded parts on them!

Finally, Good News Around a School Board and Xerox

No sooner had I "gone off" in one of my comments around how school districts just don't understand "value" and only get the lowest bid which is usually supported by the heaviest RFP, a school district proves me wrong.

Unfortunately, the School District is in Canada. Not unfortunate because of Canada, it's unfortunate that US School Boards are not as "enlightened". No offense to our good friends to the north.

The Niagara Catholic School District Board handles 53 elementary schools, eight secondary schools, six adult education sites, and a central office.

The District is required to hold records for 55 years.

Noticing that file space was dwindling, and as part of Canada's Eco-Schools Initiative, the board reviewed the current process and looked to support Green initiatives.

They settled on an ECM solution composing of software Xerox hardware. From this article:

"...These combined systems gave the district that ability to automate leave-of-absence approvals, substitute teacher scheduling, HR documentation, and payroll steps -- without all the paper or wasted time. For example, processing a teacher leave-of-absence request once took threes pieces of paper and a lengthy approval process. It's now simply done online in about 30 seconds and approved in minutes..."

The new system has reduced fuel consumption, reduced paper consumption and saved $38,000.00 per year by publishing the newsletter online.

"... Furthermore, 8,000 old hanging folders previously used to store paper documents were given to the district's elementary schools, "thus giving them money to spend on other things rather than stationery for the school," says Pasto.

"We [also] took the used binders and sent them to schools with students whose parents couldn't afford to buy them binders. Other binders were shipped to third-world countries. We're all about recycling," says Pasto..."

Xerox Managed Print Services: In The US, Q3 - The Big X is In The Game

Xerox Unveils New Ways for Channel Partners to Save SMBs Money and Maximize Office Productivity.

"To simplify for our customers how to better manage their printing, we're taking a brand-agnostic approach to the value we provide to SMBs. Regardless of the type of document device or brand, Xerox Print Services can help lower print and copy costs, reduce IT support and increase office productivity."

Looks like the big X is taking their Managed Print Service programs, the same ones they used to secure the P&G deal, and allowing their channel partners to utilize training, infrastructure, supplies, software and technology in pursuit of the SMB market.

These are the same tools and ideas and programs that helped place Xerox in the best position, in the Magic Quadrant.

Having reviewed PagePack, and the supporting program, I see this as a major advantage for Xerox partners who want to get into Managed Print Services.

What's With Xerox and Buffalo?

Back in December I wrote about the Buffalo Bills committing to Xerox and today, thanks to Art over at P4P another interesting tid bit:

Xerox gets to bid for the Buffalo School district all by themselves...how nice.

Lately I have been railing against responding to any government/education based RFP that requests a Managed Print Services component. I will not get into the reasons here, perhaps at a latter date.

But - according to an news cast out of Buffalo, seems one can be the lone bidder on 300 copiers, unless a competitor gets wind of the shenanigans.

Oce plays the spoiler, claiming they can "compete head to head with Xerox..." except Oce is an off-shore concern and does not manufacture a product line as deep as Xerox. And apparently, the district was so happy with Xerox service and cost savings the CEO felt no need to "go to bid".

Now, of course, the district is required to go through the wasteful bid process and another Xerox rep's sales funnel gets clogged again.

You gotta love this stuff.

E.P.A. Clears the Way for Regulation of Warming Gases - Bad News for Trees

The New York Times
By JOHN M. BRODER
Published: April 17, 2009

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday formally declared carbon dioxide and five other heat-trapping gases to be pollutants that threaten public health and welfare, setting in motion a process that for the first time in the United States will regulate the gases blamed for global warming.


---- Because Trees breath Co2 -----


The E.P.A. said the science supporting its so-called endangerment finding was “compelling and overwhelming.” The ruling triggers a 60-day comment period before any proposed regulations governing emissions of greenhouse gases are published.

Lisa P. Jackson, the E.P.A. administrator, said: “This finding confirms that greenhouse gas pollution is a serious problem now and for future generations. Fortunately, it follows President Obama’s call for a low-carbon economy and strong leadership in Congress on clean energy and climate legislation.”

She said that combatting the emissions that create greenhouse gases would help create millions of new jobs and lessen the nation’s dependence on foreign oil by fostering a more fuel-efficient transportation industry.

As the E.P.A. begins the process of regulating these climate-altering substances under the Clean Air Act, Congress is engaged in writing wide-ranging energy and climate change legislation that could pre-empt any action taken by the agency. President Obama and Ms. Jackson have repeatedly said that they much prefer that Congress address global warming rather than have the E.P.A tackle it through administrative action.

The United States has come under fierce international criticism for trailing other industrialized nations in moving to regulate carbon dioxide and other global warming pollutants. With this move, and the parallel action by Congress toward a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases, the American government can now point to concrete progress as nations begin to write a new international climate change treaty.

However, the E.P.A.’s announcement on Friday did not include any specific targets for reducing greenhouse gases or new requirements for energy efficiency in vehicles, power plants or industry. Those would emerge after a period of comment and rule-making or in any legislation approved by Congress.

Two years ago this month, the Supreme Court, in Massachusetts v. E.P.A., ordered the agency to determine whether greenhouse gases harm the environment and public health and, if not, to explain why. Agency scientists were virtually unanimous in determining that they do, but top officials of the George W. Bush administration suppressed the finding and took no action.

In his first days in office, Mr. Obama promised to review the case and act quickly if the finding were justified. Friday’s announcement is the fruit of that review. The E.P.A. action was approved after two weeks of scrutiny by the White House Office of Management and Budget’s regulatory affairs arm.

According to the E.P.A. announcement, the proposed finding was based on rigorous scientific analysis of six gases — carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride — that have been widely studied by scientists around the world. Their studies showed that concentrations of these gases are at unprecedented levels as a result of human activity, the agency said, and these high levels are very likely responsible for the increase in average temperatures and other changes in the earth’s climate.

Among the ill effects of rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and the other gases, the agency found, were increased drought, more heavy downpours and flooding, more frequent and intense heat waves and wildfires, a steeper rise in sea levels, more intense storms and harm to water resources, agriculture, wildlife and ecosystems.

Environmental advocates applauded a decision that they had sought for years.

“At long last, the E.P.A. has officially recognized that carbon pollution is harmful to our health and to the climate,” said David Doniger, director of the climate center at the Natural Resources Defense Council and one of the lawyers in the Supreme Court case. “The heat-trapping pollution from our cars and power plants leads to killer heat waves, stronger hurricanes, higher smog levels, and many other direct and indirect threats to human health.”

“With this step,” he added, “Administrator Lisa Jackson and the Obama administration have gone a long way to restore respect for both science and law. The era of defying science and the Supreme Court has ended.”

Auto companies, utilities and other emitters have long dreaded this day but reacted with caution because the regulatory process has just begun and they hope to address their concerns in the legislation now before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Roger Martella, general counsel at E.P.A. during the Bush administration, said the finding marks the official start of an era of controlling carbon emissions in the United States.

“The proposal, once finalized, will give E.P.A. far more responsibility than addressing climate change,” Mr. Martella said. “It effectively will assign E.P.A. broad authority over the use and control of energy, in turn authorizing it to regulate virtually every sector of the economy.”

The E.P.A. said that it was not immediately proposing any new rules and reiterated the administration’s stance that a legislative solution is far preferable.

“Today’s proposed finding does not include any proposed regulations,” the agency statement said. “Before taking any steps to reduce greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, E.P.A. would conduct an appropriate process and consider stakeholder input.

“Notwithstanding this required regulatory process, both President Obama and Administrator Jackson have repeatedly indicated their preference for comprehensive legislation to address this issue and create the framework for a clean energy economy.”
--------

DOTC - how long until they try to regulate the CO2 emissions of output devices?

Xerox, Office Depot Strike MFP Point-Of-Sale Deal

"Xerox has installed AutoPay, a solution from Equitrac, a Xerox Alliance Partner, on some of its MFPs. Office Depot customers can swipe credit cards, store purchasing cards and gift cards. The solution automatically estimates the cost of the job, verifies there are sufficient funds on the card, applies Office Depot Worklife Rewards loyalty points and prints a receipt when the job is complete"

By Michele Masterson, ChannelWeb

11:25 AM EDT Thu. Apr. 16, 2009

Taking care of business, Office Depot (NYSE:ODP) Thursday said its customers will now be able to print and pay for copies directly from certain Xerox (NYSE:XRX) MFPs in its 1,1000 U.S. stores.

Xerox has installed AutoPay, a solution from Equitrac, a Xerox Alliance Partner, on some of its MFPs. Office Depot customers can swipe credit cards, store purchasing cards and gift cards. The solution automatically estimates the cost of the job, verifies there are sufficient funds on the card, applies Office Depot Worklife Rewards loyalty points and prints a receipt when the job is complete.

AutoPay integrates Xerox Secure Access Unified ID system card readers with Equitrac software for secure payments from the device. The solution works on the Xerox WorkCentre 5655, and on its WorkCentre 7655 printers.

Xerox and Office Depot have a 20-year partnership, which includes staffing its retail stores with Xerox Certified Print Specialists.

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I hope Office Depot doesn't apply the same "margin enhancement program" here as it did for all the government and non-profits around the country.

LOL! I found this - I like Xerox, I like the Phaser, alot. But this is Funny

The best line of this little video is "...save...the Chewbaca's..."