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Searching for the best merchant account service providers? Ranked below are the three good merchant accounts considered to have the highest ranking in terms of customer satisfaction and which offer great value for money.

These merchant accounts are considered to be the best in terms of 1 Fees paid per transaction 2 Ease of use and 3 User Feedback which can be found on Google.

Merchant Express can handle processing via the Internet, using both Windows and Macintosh. They also provide access to Quickbooks, which works as a great time saver if you’re running an internet business. Rounding out their processing features, Merchant Express also offers Wireless and Phone Processing terminals…

Go E Merchant customer service team took over the software for me and talked me through setting it up. Their software works fast, so as soon as someone places an order, it shows up in both my statements and the customer’s. It may seem like a small detail in business, but actually, having a trustworthy company take the helm offering easy and secure payments is a must-have for any business.

Charge.com software allows for immediate transaction processing, it’s safe and secure with a massive encryption, the web-based terminal is constantly monitored and updated, you can accept all major credit card types, and there is absolutely no paperwork, startup or application fees. Charge.com will even throw in a free ecommerce shopping cart and free search engine submission when you choose their services.

You can read more reviews on www.merchantcardaccounts.org

If you are looking for ways to keep your garden watered without wasting too much time and money, you have probably gone through a lot of options in your mind. Maybe you have considered a sprinkler, a hose, or a good old-fashioned watering can. All of these methods might be convenient, but most of the time you will end up wasting water on plants that do not need any more. If you live in a drought stricken area like I do, you know that every bit of water counts. I ended up getting a drip irrigation system. I have not regretted this decision at all.

When you install a drip irrigation system, you can choose one of two varieties: above ground and below ground. The above ground version drips small amounts of water continuously onto the ground, and allows it to soak in such as the 4 pot wilma system self watering grow kit. It is all regulated from a pressure controller, which ensures that the water just comes out at a drip instead of a spray or a stream. These pressure regulators are very inexpensive. The whole drip system can be set up with a pressure regulator and a garden hose with holes poked in it (although it is ideal for you to get a pipe designed for this type of use, I have found that the hose method works acceptably).

The underground system is a bit more of a pain to install and maintain. But if you are really into the aesthetic aspect of your garden and do not want any visible watering system, then you might consider it worth it. It is essentially the same as the above ground version, only a small trench is dug for the hose or pipe prior to any planting. This allows the water direct access to the roots for the most watering efficiency. Plus, you can impress your neighbors by having a beautiful garden without ever going outside to water it! They will be baffled.

To choose between the two systems, you need to take several things into account. Do you have the same plant layout year round? If it is always changing, you probably will not want to bury your hose. It can be a pain to dig it up and re-align it with all your new plants every year or so. Even if your plant layout never changes, you need to consider how much you really mind seeing a hose in your garden. If it really bothers you to the extent that you are willing to work for a few hours to get rid of it, then by all means bury it. But otherwise I would suggest staying above ground if for nothing else than the convenience of repairing and rearranging.

One of the main advantages of the drip irrigation system is its efficiency. Instead of spraying large amounts of water willy-nilly like a garden hose does, it makes the most of your precious water by putting it exactly where it is needed. It can also provide your garden with constant watering, instead of just having to go thirsty whenever you are not around to water it.

So if you are looking for an easy, cheap, convenient, and efficient alternative watering method, you should go out to the gardening store today and purchase the necessary items to install a drip irrigation system. I think you will be surprised at how much easier it is to maintain a garden after you have it.

Lots of site programmers are using free classifieds affiliate programs to enter new markets and give their site visitors a reason to keep coming back. Whenever you provide your prospects a reason to come back to your site, you have more opportunities to earn their trust…and their sales.

Here’s how you do it. You create a hyperlink to your classified ads site using appropriate keywords for your market (”Free Honda Ads”, “Hot Rod Classifieds,” “Used Car Ads,” etc.). Search engines just love these types of links, and including these keywords will undoubtedly improve your ranking for exactly the type of buyer you want to attract to your web pages. Greater visibility means greater site traffic.

Here’s something else. When your website visitors post free classifieds, they are presented with an offer to upgrade their free ad with enhancements (feature ads, color, bolded listing, etc). This sets their ad apart from the other ads and gains better exposure for them. Most classified ad partner programs will pay you a percentage (usually 10-25%) of the upgrade fee.

Do you have your own web site? Get this awesome WordPress classifieds plugin and add your very own classified ad website and keep 100% commission yourself. Perhaps you’ll choose to give away free classifieds or charge a fee as your visitors post ads to buy and sell their products on your website – you decide the terms. Simply add a WordPress blog to your existing website, add this theme, and you’re all set. You have just created another revenue stream for your web site.

By joining and incorporating a classified ad affiliate program into your website, you create the ultimate win-win-win. You provide your prospects with a free value-added benefit, you improve your rankings with the search engines by incorporating keyword links into your site, you add more markets to expose to your product, you create an additional revenue stream as they enhance their ads, and you provide your prospects a reason to come back to your site again and again.

Sign up for a classified ad partner program today and watch as your traffic improves.

Payday loans are high-risk, uncollateralized loans, and naturally carry higher interest rates than conventional secured debt. They provide credit to individuals who are otherwise unable to acquire funds. Payday loans are exactly what they are and if anyone extends them past the payday for repayment is where the troubles lie.

Payday loans are short-term, high-interest loans that require only a steady source of income and a checking account as a guarantee. Typically, a borrower takes out a small loan of several hundred dollars and must pay it back in full—plus a fee—by the time their next pay period ends.

Payday Loans are given by private lenders or lending institutions in the form of cash advances on Payroll cheques. Payday loans are high-risk, uncollateralized loans. Most payday loans are processed within hours and within the day or by the next day you can have all the money you need deposited into your bank account.

Payday loans are unlike any other form of credit that you might obtain from a financial institution. Payday loans are short-term fixes for temporary financial troubles, such as unexpected bills and financial emergencies.

Borrower is responsible for complying with any local statutory obligations that may exist in their state. Borrowing the right amount will ensure that you are able to pay the loan back at the end of the term. These are a great alternative to traditional personal loans that can give you the money sooner and in smaller amounts. Borrow up to $1,500 by tomorrow. This is an unsecured loan, with no credit check.

It would be agreed by most people that many of us need to upgrade our abilities at some point in time while we are living and when it comes down to it the focus on how to save time at work can be the major thing that pushes our final results up to being the very best. All of us have a great deal of things to accomplish but it is those of us who are actually able to focus in on how to save time in the morning and get those major important things accomplished that are the ones who get the best out of life. When it comes to business, it can be said that as we move up the company structure – we will have more and more responsibilities and that is when how to save time at home becomes even more critical when we look at how the pareto’s rule operates in life.

Talking about business there are key competencies that are also needed to ensure success in this, these are key work from home business strategies that if one gets good at one can rely on to move their business life certainly up to management. Navigating the corporate ladder is something that a small percentage of employees actually can do – it can get quite complicated with all of the other things that are involved. With that said though it is the core business development strategies that will see one move up to the top level by being the best in the company.

Giving serious thought to sales and marketing strategies will mean that you can accomplish the work accomplished to satisfy the leaders in the company, also by being a master at how to save time at work will give one a more balanced approach as we all look to be able to cope with all that life brings to us as we look to be excellent in our professional lives.

High cholesterol is one of the risk factors for atherosclerosis along with smoking, overweight and having high blood pressure. High cholesterol is defined according to your age, so what’s high for you may not be high for your parents.

High cholesterol is defined as a total cholesterol level higher than 5.2 mmol/L which is 200 mg/dL in American units. It’s confusing for most of us.

There are two types of cholesterol in your blood – so-called good and bad. High cholesterol is known as a silent disease because there are often no visible symptoms – until something serious happens.

If high cholesterol is left untreated high cholesterol can lead to serious complications, sometimes even death. That makes it very important to have your cholesterol checked – properly – by your doctor. It won’t go away on its own. However, before you think about taking medication you may want to consider lifestyle changes – they can be easy to make and can have dramatic results.

LDL is called the bad cholestrol and it has a higher fat-to-protein ratio than HDL – which is usually called the good cholesterol. Cholesterol from LDL is the main source of buildup and blockage in your arteries. So the more LDL cholesterol your blood contains the greater your risk of heart disease.

Lowering your cholesterol levels can slow, stop, or even reverse the buildup of plaque. It can also reduce your risk of a heart attack. It’s well worth learning all you can about high cholesterol foods.

General texts like this are not intended as a substitute for competent, professional medical advice. As with anything medical, you should consult your physician for his advice before you consider making any changes, or taking any medications.

Though the current state of the economy is improving, it is a far cry from the boom of the mid 2000’s. While job losses are finally evening out, employers have yet to start aggressively hiring again. This leaves many out of work or looking for ways to improve their income.

One tried and true way to make money is the stock market. However, the stock market can be confusing and dangerous for someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. So to make sure that a foray into the market is successful, potential investors should seek out advice.

Many people out there offer investment services. The problem is that these services can be extremely expensive. Investment advice from a tried and true professional can offset the money that can be gained by the investment itself.

When faced with this dilemma, the best course of action is to find a free stock market course. A free stock market course can give an eager investor a ton of great information to help with investing hard earned money into a complex system.

A free stock market seminar is another great tool to take advantage of. A great majority of the time a free investment seminar can be found in just about any community. Attending one of these seminars can have a drastic affect on the profitability of a novice’s investments.

Now with the growth of the internet, really helpful investment advice can be found online. Seminars and courses are offered all over the internet and should be taken advantage of. Especially if they are free!

Each person has their own opinions about food storage, and many use a vacuum sealer to help with storing their foods. So it follows that not all vacuum sealers are the same. There are several distinctive vacuum sealers available and the best vacuum sealer for you will not necessarily be the same as another person’s favorite food saver vacuum sealer.

The size of the products that you intend to be sealing should influence your decision. Retailers offer specific styles of vacuum sealers that are made for specific sizes of bags. Some vacuum sealers will work specifically for smaller bags can not seal anything larger than a 3×6 inch bag. Other appliances may be more accommodating in the range of sizes of bags they can use. It is important for you to take into account what kinds of foods you will be storing,and in what quantities, to determine if you may want to get an appliance that can use a variety of bags or if you should only go with a vacuum sealer that is smaller in size.

The mehod of use is also worth considering. If you are more experienced in working with kitchen utensils, then you will find it better for you to use a manually operated sealer. For cooks who are new in the kitchen, it is best to choose a vacuum sealer that works automatically and is hands free. Some sealers are able to automatically determine the best heat setting for your food so that you will realize the best food protection results.

Some food saver vacuum sealers weigh more than others. The heaviest vacuum sealers include the forty pound vacuum sealers that are used by commercial kitchens. If you want a vacuum sealer for your kitchen then you may want to look for a machine which weighs less and enables you to move the appliance to wherever it is needed.

Some sealers come with storage containers for the bags that you will be using. If you are more technologically savvy concerning these appliances then you may consider using a sealer that employs cellophane rolls that form the sealed bags for foods. If not, then you ought to consider a sealer that works with individual bags that can be inserted one at a time. Of course, if you use a single bag sealer, then you should look to get a way to store the bags near the sealer.

You have lots of issues to be aware of when looking to find the best food saver vacuum sealer for your food protection needs. The sealing process, volume of contents you are sealing and the weight of the vacuum sealer are all things to consider. It also helps to look into the sealing products that go with the sealer you are considering.

Yoli Blast Caps are energy drinks, that are made with a patented technology developed by Yoli International that has the MLM distribution gang in great enthusiasm about the up and coming launch in September 2009. There are many known leaders from the MLM distribution group which make up the Yoli dream team. These individuals have certainly established themselves amongst the world of health and energy drinks with much excitement. Let us have a look at what Yoli International has in store for us. Past experiences and business sense gives these fine businessmen what they need in order to start Yoli off with a fresh face to the beverage market. Committed to excellence and helping educate the public on current health and energy drinks, Yoli International hopes to distribute Yoli Blast Caps to all those who are looking for an alternative to health and energy drinks.

What we know about health and energy drinks is only what we read on the labels of the drinks themselves. What we don’t know is that those labels depict the picture of that particular beverage at the time of bottling only and not when we are picking it up in our local store. Much time and energy has gone into research regarding health and energy drinks and Yoli International has discovered one very important fact. Much of the vitamins and minerals in favorable energy drinks can lose up to 80% of their potency after only 30 days of sitting in water. This includes the time it takes to bottle the drink and put it on your supermarket’s shelves. We certainly want to get all the benefits that these energy drinks offer, and not stale ingredients that are not effective. No one wants to be misinformed when buying an item, but with so many energy drinks losing their potency, how can we be certain when those vitamins and minerals were added to the water of our preferred health and energy drink? With Yoli Blast Caps, we can be sure that we are getting fresh vitamins and minerals every time.

The amount of nutrients found in Yoli Blast Caps are beyond belief. This drink will give people a good dose of their daily required vitamins and minerals. They are made with a whopping 200% of our daily vitamin C intake and 100% of our daily zinc requirement. This energy drink also combines over 17 other vitamins and minerals all from natural sources with a concentration of 25% to 50% of our daily needs. With such a rich addition of anti-oxidants, live enzymes and boosters, ph enhancers and even calming probiotics, Yoli Blast Caps are the new name in health and energy drinks presently. There are so many health benefits from drinking this vitamin and mineral enriched drink. You can be certain you will know precisely what you are getting in your drink when you want it, unlike other beverages of its kind on the supermarket shelves today.

This phenomenal drink is made with all natural sweeteners instead of refined sugars, Yoli Blast Caps can adequately be used by people that have diabetes or that are following a restricted low carbohydrate diet, making them a safe and healthy choice for people of any age or health condition. Alcaplex formula is added to the Yoli Blast Caps that will help alkalize the body because of the acidic nature of our body’s makeup from external toxins that people are exposed to everyday. The products of Yoli International including Yoli Blast Caps are created to enhance lives and give people the pizzazz that they are searching for in their health and energy drinks. With such great benefits to the body, and freshness, this drink is sure to be popular with people. Make sure to taste the Yoli Blast Caps and discover precisely what a difference fresh vitamins and minerals can make for you in your preferred health and energy drink.

Introduction

The world has changed over the last twenty five years out of all recognition. With the extension of the World-Wide-Web there has been a massive revolution in communications and the way in which populations manage their lives. However with the introduction of computers and databases, banking on line and free exchange of information throughout the world, there is also the criminal aspect to go with it. The virus and hacking into sensitive sites is a goldmine of opportunity for people intent on fraud and illegal activities. So naturally there is a neced for the public to be protected and have total security so that they can use the facilities without harm. Such Website security and email protection systems have now become big business. As companies become more acutely aware of the dangers and risks of illegal activities they are investing in security solution technology to do something about it.

Software Security

One such company has combined the provision of secure networks, data and applications with the processes and technology involved in making sure that data is managed effectively. The service includes ensuring that bottlenecks are minimised on the network and speed is maximised; minimising data destruction and loss of productivity from spam and browsing that contravenes corporate policy and helping organisations use the technology to uphold corporate policies and comply with regulatory decision.

During these financially challenging times you would expect companies to be economising on computer hardware and software, but instead many organisations have gone ahead investing in IT as a way of restructuring their businesses to create opportunities, thereby gaining competitive advantage. I have a theory that downturn in business is generating more illegal activity so there is more need for security technology and some companies are benefiting as a result. Every cloud has a silver lining.

The Modern World of Software Licensing

As the recession continues to bite many companies do have had to cut costs resulting in less to spend on IT and unfortunately there have been a number of bankruptcies, but that does not tell the whole story. More recently as the IT business grows ever more gigantic, the management of all the software and monitoring of all the licensing of software is becoming a minefield. For a large organisation where everything is run on computers with its associated software, the cost in licences is huge. There has been a fair bit of news recently about how much it has cost for UK and European businesses to bring their software licensing up to date as a result of a software audit. It seems that the federation against software theft (FAST) claim they can audit any company as they see fit. The cost of just having to reconcile license fees could tip the balance and financially cripple a business. What with the security costs of protecting your computer systems and the licensing fees and keeping up to date with new ideas, large organisations can find their IT costs spiralling out of control.

And you thought licensing your software in a physical environment was complicated, well the game has changed! Over the last three years, there has been an increasingly widespread adoption of x86 server virtualisation which has significantly affected the information technology landscape. No longer is a server workload tied to the underlying hardware as more than one workload can run on a single box. This has quite astonishing benefits in terms of high availability and disaster recovery, not to mention significant cost savings from the reduction in hardware requirements. The automatic inventory of hardware and software delivers a realistic snapshot of the IT infrastructure and provides, among other things, a reliable data pool for license management, allowing any company to dramatically optimise its license situation.

With malware increasing in both volume and sophistication and no likely slow down in sight, we believe it is now more important than ever for companies to have a comprehensive web security solution in place. Over the years it has been shown that service delivery models and benefits vary greatly and that tight integration of services at the provider level is critical. In the case of e-mail this means security, archiving, continuity and policy management.

With the growth in IT management in organisations software asset management is becoming the way forward to keep track of all the legal requirements.

Some Interesting Facts Have Emerged:

Although most IT directors would claim to know exactly how many PCs they have on their network, the reality is that more than two-thirds of organisations have a discrepancy of up to 30% between expected and actual inventories. This discrepancy poses obvious problems. How can businesses accurately budget and plan if they don’t know what they already have, and indeed out of what they do own, what is actually in use? In theory the idea of effective Software Asset Management is that organisations can run IT assets in order to support business goals, enabling cost controls, strengthen security and improve corporate governance, all while minimising risk. Keeping track of the hardware in a large organisation is very time consuming, but then doing the same for all the licensing of software for each piece of hardware can be near impossible.

SAM and Virtualisation

Traditionally, licenses have been allocated to the physical hardware on which the relevant software is running. With the increased demand on budgets IT departments are looking for ways of reducing| shrinking| cutting} costs. Organisations have recognised for some time now that their internal data centres are extremely inefficient and have looked for more efficient approaches to give them better control over their applications and service levels, while having increased choice in the way they support their operations. Reducing cost is one of the key drivers behind virtualisation, a technology which is having a truly transformative effect on the IT landscape. There is both a growing realisation and an acceptance that the economic viability of virtualisation and cloud computing in one form or another, will represent the next big transformation in corporate computing.The expectations are huge; banking analysts say that cloud computing will be a $160 billion market within the next five years, and every major IT company is jumping on the bandwagon.

Whilst there have been concerns expressed around complexity, and “how to get started” these are becoming dispelled, as many organisations specialising in SAM, such as Softcat, have educated customers on the process and priorities and how to make it economical. According to the analyst firm Gartner, SAM helps organisations save up to 30 % of their IT budget, so it is little wonder that it’s rapidly rising up the Chief Information Officer’s (CIO’s) agenda, despite the concerns around complexity.

One example of saving on costs is where the Telegraph Media Group bought in an effective SAM strategy which helped the company gain complete control of their IT assets achieving savings of £100,000 from over expenditure on unnecessary licenses. Although initially the senior managers need to be aware of the whole SAM process, there are some aspects, such as discovery and license management, that are quick and simple to implement and can deliver a much more immediate business and financial impact: lower costs, greater security, decreased risk and improved corporate governance. These initial steps will also set organisations on the road to achieving full ISO 19770-1 compliance when the time is right.Space is at an all time premium, electricity bills ever increasing, budgets shrinking, and while virtualisation is helping us fit more servers into a limited space it does not necessarily mean that the storage solutions being used are any better provisioned or utilised to their full capacity.

The vast majority of our customers pay a lot of attention to licence compliance to ensure they only deploy legal software. Alongside the constant and rising threat of audits from vendors and regulatory bodies, some vendors are taking action to recognise these efforts being made by customers – such as: simplifying license programmes, free education and raising the ethical argument to the physical users of using non licensed products. There are free tools and licence statements to help get an accurate picture of customer’s Microsoft software assets or, specialist SAM partners are available as part of the programme, to engage with customers and work through the process.IT departments have a great responsibility to provide network security software so that computer users throughout the company are sure their work is safe.

The Future Trends in Computing.

Under increasing pressure to deliver superior results for less cost, IT managers are considering new options to maintain the functionality of their essential resources such as e-mail management and web security. One of the latest ideas to emerge is that of cloud computing. This term describes any scenario where computing resources are accessed over the Internet and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) makes up one of the largest elements of cloud computing. The SaaS vendors provide a service where the customer does not pay for the software itself, but rather for using it. This takes care of the complexity of licensing and asset management for the IT department allowing the company to concentrate on their contractual work. The process of cloud computing helps customers to reduce the cost and complexity of web and e-mail management and security, so they can focus on their core business by eliminating unnecessary distractions.

Some compare the cloud computing revolution to that of electricity a hundred years ago when companies stopped generating their own power and plugged into the newly built electrical grid. It was more cheaper to outsource the production of electricity leaving the companies to focus on their core operations. Today a similar revolution is underway. Hooking up to the Internet’s global computing grid, massive information-processing plants are pumping into our businesses and homes. This shift is already reinventing the computer industry. The heavily publicised topics of the increased activity around all things “virtualised” and companies being audited, Software Asset Management (SAM) is becoming a key talking point of the latest products and services available.

Cloud computing models will prevail with Software as a Service (SaaS) along with Platform as a Service. I believe hosting companies will be at the cutting edge of this evolution and will lead to industries becoming more service based. This will range from mobile/GPS/PRS hand held services, consumer services, services targeted at SMBs. We see this as a massive market as these guys don’t want to invest in their own technology per-se, they just want a service. Large enterprises are already embracing cloud computing and it is having a significant impact, as a way to manage their costs and deliver services to both their external customers and internal employees. In fact this move to a hosted delivery model, where the technology or application is simply made available when and where you need it, will drive a new market. We won’t be talking about Software as a Service; or Hardware as a Service… soon we’ll have a new definition – Everything as a Service.

Analyst firm, Gartner agrees that some of the biggest benefits of clouds computing “are the built-in elasticity and scalability, which not only reduce barriers to entry, but also enable these companies to grow quickly.” In the case of ScanSafe, modifications can be made from a web interface from anywhere in the world and alterations are made active in seconds. Furthermore, an SLA provides a financially backed guarantee about service availability and effectiveness. Embrace storage resource management solutions, commit to thin provisioning, actively employ duplication and start using intelligent archiving you will not only save money, time, and reduced your company’s environmental footprint, you will have taken your challenges head on, controlled them and overcome them.

The ability to utilise applications such as web security on a pay-as-you-go basis will be a perfect strategy for businesses seeking greater flexibility and control over costs. According to global market intelligence firm, IDC, “The cloud model offers a much cheaper way for businesses to acquire and use IT – in an economic downturn, the pull of that cost advantage will be greatly magnified. More and more of the focus now is moving to service based models, and managing OP-EX (Operational Expenditure), whereas discussions previously were focussed on CAP-EX (Capital Expenditure). This argument is even truer in today’s economy.

What’s New in Microsoft?

Microsoft has announced the launch of the next wave of Microsoft Office and related products. At a time when an organisation requires its communication tools to be cost-effective and flexible, Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 is able to achieve new levels of reliability and performance by delivering features that simplify your administration, help protect your communications, and with greater business mobility. Exchange 2010 delivers new, integrated e-mail archiving functionality-including granular multi-mailbox search, item-level retention policies and instant legal hold-making it easier to address compliance and discovery issues. Administrators get centralised control of all archives while users get direct access to their archived mail, including a familiar archive experience that does not disrupt the way they run their inboxes every day. Exchange Server 2010 actively helps protect your communications through built-in defences against viruses and junk e-mail and support for an array of third party security products.

Utilizing software assurance systems to efficiently manage your software catalogue can make the task a lot be easier and provide a strong return on investment. The pressure to optimise your IT infrastructure for ever-changing business conditions requires you to be agile and that means investing in solutions that provide you and your organisation with choices.

Microsoft Exchange, enables rich and productive collaboration among its users and can help achieve better business outcomes while controlling the costs of deployment, administration and compliance. The latest release of Exchange 2010 delivers the widest range of deployment options, integrated information leakage protection, and advanced compliance capabilities, that combine to form the best messaging and collaboration solution available in a simplified way to help keep e-mail continuously available for the user. With new deployment and storage options, enhanced inbox management capabilities and e-mail archiving built-in, Exchange 2010 helps you lower costs and enhance business outcomes.

Allied to cloud computing, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is another area where a model is emerging that has enough advantages to become main-stream. VDI will cause a fundamental rethink for Microsoft in terms of its operating licensing system. The current licensing model, where device and software license were inexorably tied together, in years to come won’t be the case and Microsoft is already adapting to accommodate the new models. The ability to provide a unified service eliminates the need for multiple interfaces, reporting and policy management – therefore reducing management workload.

Licensing the Virtual Environment

If the link between software and hardware is broken, that model doesn’t work. To their credit, the software vendors, led by Microsoft, have recently started to make changes to their licensing models to match the abilities of the technology – however, whilst these changes are on balance positive, the complexity of licensing in a virtual environment is dramatically increased. Our training deck for the SAM Team on virtual licensing runs to 35 slides – something you don’t ever want to be subjected to unless you suffer from insomnia! Intel technologies are continually addressing the complete business needs of the market and Virtualisation is a constant theme. With the recent launch of their Xeon 5500 design of server chips, it is possible to have intelligent power management that can deliver a 90% reduction in energy costs compared with servers of just five years ago. (and not just making chips go faster!)

Softcat have always maintained that good financial stewardship of software assets has the same result – and this is even more vital in a virtual environment. We can help you make the most of the licensing terms available – did you know that licensing a server for Windows Datacentre Edition allows you to run unlimited virtual Windows Servers? – and of course ensure that you are adhering to the terms of the licensing agreement, which is critical to ensure compliance. Microsoft is certifying customers for a whole 12 months after their SAM engagement and ring fencing them from further investigation. Microsoft wants to encourage and support its customers to integrate SAM in their everyday planning and control – working with them to maximise their software investment.

SAM Vendor Programmes

A number of associate vendor partners have instigated SAM accreditation programmes and are taking a more “in partnership” approach, where their intentions are to help and reward customers for engaging in SAM. Microsoft have pioneered this sort of programme, along with the likes of Adobe, and Symantec have also launched accreditations to assure end user customers they are in safe hands, when engaging with such resellers. The point here is that the vendors want to encourage customers, rather than the previous stance of enforcement. Finally, worth a note with regard to e-mail management, there is the added burden of efficient and effective retrieval and legislative compliance that service providers are able to lighten.

Conclusion

It is amazing how fast technology has evolved over the decades to drive our lives from every angle personal and business. Two extremely hot topics of the last year, have without doubt, been Software Asset Management (SAM) and Virtualisation. The fact is that organisations the world over are analysing their processes and costs to see how they can work smarter. The economic slowdown could be said to have a positive effect as it pushes| forces| nudges companies towards the process of change thereby accelerating the change. With the increased demand on budgets, coupled with the increased activity around all things “virtualised”, these remain two of the most heavily publicised topics and Softcat believes the business case for cloud computing is a compelling one and that certain non-core business functions, that are nonetheless necessary, are best done in the cloud, being more cost effective for the business and, in many cases, provide the most efficient service.