Charlie Russel's Blog

A couple of times a year, Microsoft sends out a satisfaction survey to ITPros. I have no idea how one does, or does not, end up on that list, but should you happen to get an email, I’d strongly suggest you take the time to fill it out. If you’re like me, you undoubtedly have a few issues you’d like to raise, and this can be a good way to do it. But you should also take the time to make sure you tell them what they’re doing right, not just what they’re doing wrong.

A few thoughts on things to think about as you’re filling out the survey:

1.) Help and support – how well do you think MS is doing? How easy is it to find the answers you need? And how useful are the support people when you really need help? What are some of the resources for answers? Here are a few:

• · Microsoft Product Solution Center – Get product support information for the majority of Microsoft products.
• · Microsoft Answers – Ask questions and get answers from real people, or search for answers others have received.
• · Microsoft Fix it Solution Center – Find automated solutions for your issues.
• · @MicrosoftHelps – Follow Microsoft Customer Service and Support on Twitter. Experienced customer service agents respond to your questions in real-time tweets.
• · Enterprise Business Center – Access resources for enterprise customers.
•   Microsoft Small Business Center – Find resources for small and medium-sized businesses.

One of the changes I’ve appreciated is the ease of getting hot fixes – either automated fix-its, or just the ability to download a hotfix without having to go through a bunch of rigmarole .

2.) Security – Here, I think MS is doing an excellent job. Are there things I would like? Yes – Forefront Endpoint Protection for my SBS Server. But meanwhile, Security Essentials for home and very small businesses, or Microsoft InTune for small to mid-sized businesses are both great solutions on the desktop. And IE9 is safer even than IE8, and I thought IE8 was a darn good browser.  Some security resources:

• · Microsoft Security Essentials – Free Anti-Malware software from Microsoft, great for Small Businesses and Home PCs alike.
• · Security Bulletins by the Regular IT Guy – A monthly podcast to help simplify details about the monthly Security patch releases.
• · Security TechCenter – Find top tasks, get the latest news, find a wiki article or download a featured tool.
• · Windows Update Services – Businesses of all sizes can help manage and control the rollout of updates in their organizations.

3.) Licensing – they keep telling us they’ve made it easier and simpler. Sorry, I’m not seeing it. I just spent 4 days in Las Vegas at SMBNation (good show for any one in the SMB space, by the way.) And the one thing I’m sure of is that people do NOT understand Microsoft licensing and they don’t much like it either. I’m annoyed no end that I can’t buy a copy of Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials (WSSE) from HP or Dell or my favourite distributor to build my own. So far, there’s only one OEM of WSSE available in North America, and that’s from High Rely. But by all means, put MS to the test on their licensing claims. Try one of these resources, and let them know what you think:

• · Licensing FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions About Product Licensing
• · The SMB How to Buy Portal:  receive clear purchasing and licensing information that is easy to understand in order to help facilitate quick decision making.
• · Microsoft License Advisor (MLA): Use MLA to research Microsoft Volume Licensing products, programs and pricing.  
• · Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) – Already have a volume License? Use the VLSC to get you easy access to all your licensing information in one location.
• · Windows 7 Comparison: Compare versions of Windows and find out which one is right for you
• · Office 2010 Comparison: Find out which Office suite is right for you.

4.) Training and Online Resources – OK, I think they are doing a pretty good job here. There are quite a few free or reasonably priced resources available for training, and TechNet has some excellent content. Even if you have to use a third-party search engine to find it sometimes.

For training, try: .  The Microsoft Virtual Academy

For eval versions to train with: Microsoft Eval Center