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Welcome to the November edition of QTS QuikNews, our
monthly e-mail newsletter. In this monthly e-mail, you
will receive an update of what's new at QTS - new
products we support, new patches and upgrades, solution
ideas and promotions to save you money, and information
about our company and our clients.
In
this issue:
QTS
NEWS
QTS
IS HIRING!
QTS is recruiting for senior level technical personnel,
as well as entry and senior level sales
staff/telemarketers. If you know anyone who might
be a good fit, please have them submit their resume to
Liz Meechan, our Office Manager. Liz can be reached at lmeechan@QTSnet.com,
or (973)984-7600 x223.
QTS
ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR EXCHANGE SERVER 2003
Microsoft has recently released Exchange Server 2003 and
Small Business Server 2003, as part of the Microsoft
Office System launch. QTS has participated in
pre-release training for Exchange 2003 and is actively
supporting this product. Contact your QTS Account
Manager for more information.
PRESS
RELEASES
QTS
AND CAPTARIS TO OFFER DISCOUNTED RIGHTFAX BUNDLE TO
SMALL & MEDIUM BUSINESS MARKET IN NJ/NY; QTS
ANNOUNCES RIGHTFAX �QUIKSTART�
11/10/2003:
QTS today announced that it has been selected by
Captaris to offer a specialized "Mini Bundle"
version of the popular RightFax product in the small and
medium business market space in New Jersey and New York.
Read more at http://www.QTSnet.com/stayinformed/l3_stay_pr46.htm
QTS
CHOSEN BY CITY OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE FOR
NETWORK ASSESSMENT
11/10/2003:
QTS announced today that it has been selected by the
City of New York's Department of Finance to conduct a
comprehensive Network Assessment for the organization's
network, which supports roughly 2,500 computer users
across numerous locations throughout the city.
Read more at http://www.QTSnet.com/stayinformed/l3_stay_pr47.htm
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PRESIDENT'S
CORNER
Since
Microsoft is our closest and most strategic business
partner, one of the my highlights of the year is
attending Microsoft�s worldwide partner conference.
I recently returned from this year�s conference,
called �Momentum,� in October in New Orleans.
This year�s conference marked the first year that
Microsoft has merged its Business Solutions partners
(the partners who service Great Plains, Navision, Axapta
and Solomon software products) and their �classic�
partners such as QTS � previously, the conferences
were separate. So this year�s conference
underscored the importance of integration of these
solutions, and these partners� skill sets.
There
were a number of noteworthy items that I want to pass
along to our customers, both in terms of general
interest and also as it relates to QTS and our strategy.
First,
Microsoft painted a clear picture of its products and
line card, and a strong emphasis was placed on partners
partnering with partners. This is something QTS
has realized for years, and the Solutions Alliance we
have created to better serve our customers is a great
example of this � our partnership with AKA Enterprise
Solutions, Econium, Wertheim and GTP allows each company
to focus on its respective strengths and core
competencies, while delivering a broad solution set
around the Microsoft platform. Microsoft put
significant emphasis on partnering during the
conference, which further validates our strategy.
Nobody can be an expert at everything.
Second,
Microsoft placed clear emphasis on security as its
number one priority. Steve Ballmer spoke to us on
the first day of the conference, and his keynote address
largely focused on security and on Microsoft�s
strategy for dealing with security issues. Some of
his key points were:
*
Security concerns and vulnerabilities are holding up,
and will continue to hold up, adoption of new
technologies. Since Microsoft is trying to
implement a vision of innovation - strategically
enabling businesses with new technologies - this is a
critical issue to them.
* Software Update Service (SUS) is a critical element of
Microsoft�s strategy for securing its products.
In the upcoming year, SUS will expand to include support
for deploying Microsoft Office updates and patches, as
well as Microsoft Server System components.
Microsoft is also considering third party extensions to
SUS. QTS was one of only a handful of vendors in
the room to raise its hand when Ballmer asked how many
partners had deployed SUS at client sites � so much
work in the area of awareness remains to be done.
* The window for curing vulnerabilities has shrunk
significantly. In 2001, it took NIMDA 331 days to
be written and propagate to exploit Windows
vulnerabilities. Slammer took 180 days from
discovery of the vulnerability to the worm being
released. Blaster took only 25 days. These
days, there is no grace period for applying patches and
closing vulnerabilities.
* New technologies will be built into Windows XP Service
Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 to allow
for improved intelligence on the operating system to
detect malicious behavior, and to inspect and quarantine
systems that do not meet security rules.
Microsoft
clearly is placing a strong emphasis on the Small and
Medium Business market space � even more than in
previous years. Orlando Ayala, Sr. VP of the Small
and Midmarket Solutions and Partner (�SMS&P�)
Group, presented on the strategic importance of this
space to Microsoft, and the resources Microsoft was
committing to success here. Since this aligns with
QTS� core focus, this was further validation of our
strategy.
Microsoft
Office 2003 was a major point of focus. Office
2003 represents a major enhancement from prior releases,
and Microsoft is working hard to break the perception
that this is just another version of a word
processor-spreadsheet-presentation package. To the
extent that Office XP was an �evolutionary� change
from Office 2000 � essentially, some usability
improvements with a dose of XML added in � Office 2003
is a revolutionary upgrade, with extensive XML
integration and a very powerful platform for developing
custom solutions and enhancing productivity for
professional knowledge workers. The addition of
components to the Office System � InfoPath�s
electronic forms capabilities, OneNote for notetaking
(especially on the Tablet PC platform), LiveMeeting and
LiveCommunications Server � provides significant
capability for custom applications development and
greater platform integration. Microsoft�s Office
Solution Accelerators � prebuilt templates for
specific tasks or areas, such as HR Management �
provide even more functionality, and can be used out of
the box or modified.
The
new release of Windows Small Business Server, based on
Windows Server 2003 and Exchange Server 2003
technologies, received considerable focus. The
user count restriction for SBS has been increased from
50 to 75 users, making this a practical offering for
more clients. Furthermore, there will be two
versions � a Standard Edition with just Windows and
Exchange, and a Premium version which adds SQL Server
2000, ISA Server 2000 and a limited version of BizTalk
Server. Microsoft is targeting SBS 2003 to be a
flexible ebusiness/integration platform for its small
business customers.
Finally,
Microsoft presented its road map for future product
releases. A few points are of particular note:
*
The Great Plains, Navision, Axapta and Solomon
accounting/ERP offerings will continue to be supported,
while a next generation product based on .Net technology
will be developed. This offering will incorporate
the core strengths of each of these platforms, and allow
gradual migration by current customers;
* Systems Management Server 2003 will be released
shortly, and will feature improved mobile user support
and Active Directory integration;
* SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services will be released,
at no charge, later this year;
* SQL Server, Microsoft Operations Manager, ISA Server
and BizTalk Server will all be due for new releases in
2004;
* The next release of Windows, code-named Longhorn, will
reach the market in the 2005/2006 time frame, along with
new versions of Exchange and SQL Server.
One
of my main goals in attending the annual partner
conference is to make sure QTS is aligned with
Microsoft�s strategy and future plans, and we
accomplished this. Hopefully some of this
information gives you food for thought in your IT
planning, and I look forward to the opportunity to
answer any questions you have, and discuss how QTS can
help you with your future planning and projects.
As
always, feel free to email me your comments or thoughts
at nrosenberg@QTSnet.com.
Thank you.
Neil
Rosenberg
President & CEO
Quality Technology Solutions
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PARTNER
SPOTLIGHT: Econium
This
month QTS is spotlighting its knowledge management and
ebusiness solutions partner, Econium. Econium is a
Gold-Certified Microsoft Solutions Provider that builds
technology solutions that promote information sharing,
distribution and collaboration across teams of people.
Econium has specific experience using portals and other
intranet technologies to facilitate delivery of these
solutions.
Econium
is also at the cutting edge of real time collaboration
technology solutions, bringing more agility to the
enterprise by enabling secure instant messaging,
presence and notification solutions. They have delivered
vertical solutions for sales and marketing teams around
brand portals, and digital asset management as well.
Econium
is a three year old firm that is made up of seasoned
business technology experts who focus heavily on
understanding the business processes and needs
initially, then applying solutions that will leverage
existing technology investments. They work with a
variety of collaborative technologies including
Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server and Windows
SharePoint Services, Live Conferencing Server and Live
Meeting Server, Office System 2003, Exchange, SQL Server
and Content Management Server. Their clients
include Kraft Foods, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and Adams
Candy.
Econium
is headquartered in Northern New Jersey and also has an
office in New York City.
Econium
relies on QTS to create the technical infrastructure on
which its solutions run. Econium develops and
deploys solutions which are geared toward lowering the
costs for companies to manage, distribute and share the
information they need to conduct business.
For
more information on Econium please view their web site
at www.econium.com,
email them at sales@econium.com,
or call 973-812-9691. Or, contact your QTS Account
Manager.
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