Well all I can say is WOW!

 

From the never ending drive from Charlotte to DC, to the never ending sessions, to the never ending backlog that I came back to, all I can say is WOW.

 

My second experience with SAGE Insights was a wonderful (albeit exhausting) experience.  We set out to launch the latest release of our process manufacturing application known as Visual Impact.  Release 8.5 now includes a tight integration with Sage Accpac, which made Insights 2008 an obvious place to introduce the product to the Sage Channel Partners. 

 

As with most trade shows we were hoping to come away with a couple of real leads.  What we never dared to dream is that we could create an absolute BUZZ.  The trade show booth was humming, we had our A-Game on and not only were we talking it up, but so were the Partners.  We were welcomed with open arms and MANY opportunities.  It seems that the marketplace had been waiting for someone to come alone with a process manufacturing application...who knew?

 

We are back home now dealing with the reality of a backlog of development leads, product sales leads and a leader (that would be me) who is FIRED-UP and ready to take Pinstripe to the next level.  Our customers should soon see a renewed focus on customer service, a more meaningful mission statement and employees who are empowered to get things done.

 

While we are dealing with our fair share of small business issues, it is a great time to be in business!

 

 

Until Next Time,
Dan

Hello All,

I am blogging live from Sage Insights 2008.  I am currently in a session focused on Sales 2.0 and particularly how to leverage Sales 2.0 AND CRM.

 

Sales 2.0, which is similar to Web 2.0, is basically the way people are buying today and especially moving into the future.  Sage has brought together 3 industry analysts to talk about the process, the pitfalls and what you need to be successful in the marketplace.

 

It is kind of funny because they just posed a question about who has a blog for their company.  I raised my hand and reported that I was blogging live on the session. 

 

Here are some thoughts from the panel:

 

 

 

The office is a buzz this week as we ready for our biggest Trade Show of the year.  Sage insights is next week in Washington DC and we are exhibiting this year.  Insights is Sage Software's annual show for all Sage Solution providers and our one chance to have a captured audience for two of our main lines of business.  Firstly, we are rolling out version 8.5 of Visual Impact.  Visual Impact is our modular configurable manufacturing system, which we have now built a tight integration with Sage Accpac.  Secondly, we do a tremendous amount of integration, customization and reporting on Sage products. Our affiliation with Information Innovators has allowed us to become true experts on the Accpac product line and with so many of the Sage products having a similar design approach, we have found that that knowledge tends to transfer to other applications as well.

 

If you happen to be headed to Insights next week, be sure to drop by Booth 813 and say hello.  If you mention my blog, I have a special gift for you.

 

Be there, or be square!

 

I will be bloggin all week, so check back if care about such things.

 

 

 

My company, Pinstripe Incorporated finalized a sponsorship of this years Walk to Defeat ALS.  We are proud to be afilliated with Team Jellybean, headed up by personal friend and Walgreens Pharmacist Jess Petersen.

 

The team's name is in honor of one of Jess' family members who was personally affected by ALS.  This is a great cause.  If you are interested in the event, follow this link http://walknc.alsa.org/site/TR/Walks/NorthCarolinaWalk?pg=entry&fr_id=4170&JServSessionIdr004=wn2wi3qq13.app23b .

 

Pinstripe will likely have a table setup, so come by and see us if you can make it to the event.  It is another who's-who event, so don't be left out.

 

Our graphic designer Leslie Brucker created a team logo for the event:

 

 

 

Feel free to contact me directly if you want to be a part of team Jellybean!

 

Tell me what you think!

Thanks!

Dan Colby

President & CEO
Pinstripe Incorporated

"We understand the business of Technology"

 

 

 

 

 

I was fortunate enough to be on the invitation list to the hot event of the day.  John McCain was in town campaigning and presumably attempting to draw attention away from Hillary and Obama.

 

 

 

The event was hosted by The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.  My company, Pinstripe Incorporated has just come on board with the Charlotte Chamber at the Board of Advisors Level.  Apparently Board of Advisor Members rate a invitation, so my VP, Services (Michael Young) and I went to listen to the Presidential candidate and former POW.

 

McCain was well spoken, but seemed to do much better in the Q&A session.  His stump speech came across as if he just strung together a monolog of talking points.  It lacked passion and a sense of conviction.  His focus seemed to be on ensuring he did not leave anything out, rather than trying to sway anyone's opinion on the topic.

 

The Q&A on the other hand was where I was really impressed by McCain.  He clearly enjoys this more and did a good job of answering the questions directly and without to much redirection like you might see in a debate.

 

The rally (the news called it a fundraiser, but I was never approached, and did not pay for admission), was a virtual who's who of Charlotte.  Most of the well known movers and shakers were in attendance including former Republican Governor James Martin.  I never had the honor of seeing him in action since his run ended before I moved to NC, but he is certainly well respected in Charlotte.

 

The last time I saw that many 'players' in Charlotte was at Quail Hollow for the Wachovia Championship...Wait, that was just last week.

 

With Charlotte and NC coming into the national view through sports and politics and cinema, it seems that Charlotte is stepping up its game.  Business and political leaders alike seem to like the spotlight and the success our region is enjoying.

 

Until next time,

Dan Colby

President & CEO

Pinstripe Incorporated

"We understand the business of Technology"

 

 

One of my all time favorite applications is a product called Microsoft Office Project.  I have been using this application for ovr 15 years.  It is one of the tools that helped me be successful in the trenches.

 

Even though I am mostly out of the trenches these days, the product stays near and dear to me.  As such, I continue to lead the Charlotte Chapter of MPA.  MPA is The Official Industry Association for Microsoft Office Project.  We meet the first Thursday of every month at the Charlotte Microsoft District Office.  For more info on the meetings visit www.mympa.org.

 

This month, PM Resource Group out of Atlanta (who is also a local sponsor for us) presented on how to effectively use task types.  This is an area of MS Project that most people struggle with.  The tool allows you to track tasks using fixed work (this task will take exactly 40 hours) or duration (I will complete this task in a 5 days).  Understanding the difference and when and how to use the various options is essential to effectively using the tool.

 

Tracy and her team did a great job with the presentation.  I also had a chance to brief the chapter on many of the changes coming up since the recent spinoff of MPA from P-Cubed.  MPA is now a stand alone Non-Profit, supported by Microsoft.  Previously it had been owned by a consulting company that Specialized in MS Project.

 

Check back for future MPA posts.  Part of the new initiative is that MPA will take over all official  communications for the chapter.  My plan is to use this blog as the unofficial communication, so be on the look out.

 

Our next meeting is June 5th, we meet from 5:30-7:30.  We would love to have you visit us.  I also have free 90-Day trial memberships for anytone who is interested, so don't hesitate to reach out to me on the subject. I can be reached at sales@pinstripeco.com

 

Until Next Time.

 

Dan Colby

President & CEO

Pinstripe Incorporated
"We understand the business of Technology"

 

Visit us at SAGE Insights Booth 813

MAY 12TH-15TH, Gaylord Resort

National Harbor, MD

 

Visit us at ITEC Charlotte

July 25th-26th, Charlotte COnvention Center

Charlotte, NC

We are seeing an increase in situations where existing disaster recovery plans are completely inadequate.  Unfortunately the days of relying strictly on a tape backup and paper processes are a thing of the past for more and more organizations.  If you have not taken the time to consider what your organization would do in the case of a disaster, then now is probably a good time.

 

Often times businesses get caught up in the 'it can't happen to us' syndrome and/or make assumptions that 'if we have a disaster, we will all have bigger problems on our hands'.  Keep in mind that the definition of disaster is also changing, a disaster does not have to be a catastrophe of biblical scale to have serious impact on your business; also the term disaster recovery is a misnomer, for a business to survive and thrive through a disaster, they need more than just a recovery plan.  Business Continuity is something that most small businesses don't spend enough time thinking about and planning for.  Ask yourself, how it would affect your company if you lost all the data off of your mail server for 3-7 days.  That is not unrealistic if you rely solely on a tape backup.  While better than nothing, a tape backup in the current era of Multi-Gigabyte email boxes; a tape alone is not a realistic quick recovery.

 

While we all think about disasters in the terms of 9/11 or Katrina; something as simple as your Internet going down for several days, and ice storm or a serious hardware failure can be just as painful and damaging to your business.

 

If you are interested in talking about Business Continuity from the business perspective; give us a call.

Microsoft has released its latest version of the industry leading web browser Internet Explorer.  While the new version sports an updated look and feel which brings it in line with the upcoming "Vista" release, its primary difference from its predecessor is web security.  Unlike previous versions, IE7 locks down many commonly used security features.  We are seeing wide spread issues with web sites that previously worked fine,  no longer working correctly in IE7.  The ideas behind this security upgrade is logical (to make it harder for hackers and criminals to use IE7 for inappropriate activities, unfortunately the result is that many sites which were built under old 'best practices' will have problems with the new browser.

 

IE7 is currently available for download from Microsoft, it can be downloaded as a stand alone application or it can be automatically installed as part of the Windows update process.  Currently IE7 is an options download on Windows update; we have been notified by Microsoft that it will be included in a 'critical update' starting next month.  This will make it much more difficult not to install and use the application.

 

If you run into a problem with a web based application or website that seems to coincide with the upgrade to IE7, feel free to give us a call and we can work with you to overcome your particular issues.

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new Development Lead.  Derrick Glass has joined the Pinstripe team and will head up all application development activities for Pinstripe Services.  Glass has a tremendous amount of experience including several years as a Level 3 Programming Support Developer while with the Microsoft Corporation.  Although Derrick has significant experience with Microsoft technologies; he also brings to the team a plethora of multi-platform development experience, with a focus on business process and architecture.  If you have not had a chance to interact with Derrick yet, feel free to drop him a line via phone or email.

 

Additionally, Michael Duffee was recently converted from a contractor to a W2 employee.  Michael will continue in his multi-faceted role of 'Solutions Specialist', where his time is divided between Account Management, Engineering and Support.  We expect big things from Mike in the months to come.

At Pinstripe Services, our focus is on helping businesses make more money through the use of technology.  There are many ways to accomplish this.  Which ones are right for you is a function of what you do, how you do it and what your vision is.  Here are 5 steps that will help you identify ways to make more money.

 

Optimize your workflow

Take a close look at your operations.  Where could you streamline things? 

• Look for situations where you enter the same information 2, 3 or more times.
• Whenever ‘mission critical’ processes occur on paper, consider whether they are better suited for an electronic format.
• Identify convoluted processes; Are you exporting data from multiple systems into an excel spreadsheet and then manipulating the data to get the information you need?
• Are there processes that you could move to the internet and let your customers complete the data entry?  Examples of this are recurring purchases, information requests or change requests.

 

Farm your existing customer base

Look to your existing customers to grow your business.

• Track your customer information in some kind of Customer Relation Management (CRM) System and manage that information as if it were an operational issue.
• Communicate with your customers regularly through an e-zine, newsletter or blog.
• Do you add value to your customers by providing them connections with your other customers?  Your CRM can help you accomplish this.
• Do you communicate information about product lines through your invoicing and statements?  When dealing with small businesses, the decision maker pays the bill.

 

Find new customers

Use the Internet to help drive business your way.

• Make your web site work for you by making it an ‘action’ website rather than an ‘information’ website.
• Make your website ‘available’ via search engines; also know as Search Engine Optimization.  Note: steer clear of get rich quick or firms who claim they can make it happen overnight.
• Use press releases effectively; if a press release is picked up, it is posted on hundreds of web servers giving you and your site incredible visibility.
• Create whitepapers or Internet Articles on areas within your expertise and post them on your website AND on Industry websites.

 

Improve cash flow

Use technology to get paid faster.

• When/if appropriate, email your invoices rather than mailing them (the sooner they receive them, the sooner you will get paid).
• Setup a payment portal on your website where customers can pay their bill online.
• Create online statements to help eliminate questions on their account..
• Automate your statement and Collections processes.

 

Create new revenue streams

Look for new ways to make money online; I recently met with a customer who stated “We continue to look for that ‘thing’ that will allow us to get paid for doing nothing”.  Believe it or not, this is possible in some cases through technology.

• Identify products or services that compliment your business that you can sell online.
• If you sell a product look for new markets for your goods; examples include eBay, overstock.com and a private e-commerce site.
• Determine if any of your services can be automated and offered online.
• Create an affiliate program where others (especially in non-competing markets) sell your goods or services for you.

Buying software in 2006? Anticipate your needs in 2008

Charlotte Business Journal - August 4, 2006

by Dan Colby

Companies buying software today will get the most from their investment if they forecast their software needs for tomorrow.

 That isn't just a smart management alternative. It's a necessary step for seamless operations.

More

 

We are happy to annouce that we have added Michael Duffee to our team as an Account Executive.  Michaels background as a certified engineer gives him a qualified perspective to asisst our customers with their technology needs.  Michael can be reached at michaeld@pinstripeco.com or 704-227-1229.

Pinstripe Incorporated is please to announce our sponsorship of SkillFest 2006.  SkillFest is a joint venture between the Metrolina Chapter of PMI and the Charlotte chapter of the Microsoft Project Association. 

 

SkillFest is a FREE opportunity designed to bring project management job seekers, recruiters and direct-hire companies together, to network in an informal setting, exchanging business cards and resumes.

 

What: The Fourth Annual SkillFest Career Fair

 

Where:  The Blake Hotel

555 S. McDowell Street

Charlotte, NC 28204

When: Tuesday, 9/29 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Pinstripe Incorporated is proud to announce the launch of a new unofficial site for the Carolinas ALS Center.  Pinstripe Inc. teamed with the Center to provide a portal for patients and patients families to learn more about ALS, resources available them and a place where technology can be leveraged to facilitate better communication and quality of life.

Pinstripe Incorporated provided the site free of charge to the center.

Visit the site at http://www.carolinasals.org .

I recently ran into some old baseball cards when I was cleaning out a drawer.  I headed straight to ebay to figure out how many millions of dollars I had just discovered to learn the bad news, they were worth nothing!

 

When I ran into this article today, I tought I would post it up since it struck a nerve with me.

 

Quoted:

 

I learned yesterday that the White House was inspired by the Irish Parliament Building.  Ironically, the current White House was put into use in 1800 (After the original White House was burned by the Brits), which coincides with the Irish Parliament  ceasing to exist that same year.

 

 

The White House, Washington DC

 

 

One of our core competencies is Hosting.  We host websites, databases, applications and just about anything else that someone might want to make sure is always available on the Internet.

 

We utilize data center partners to provide this service.  It is the data center's responsibility to provide the Internet, power, rack space and any other required infrastructure up to and sometimes including the servers themselves.  While there is tremendous redundancy provided by the data center itself (generator power, multiple Internet carriers and such), leveraging that redundancy is more a function of appropriate server design than the capabilities of the data center.

 

Case in point; we received notice from one of our data center partners yesterday that during their monthly testing they had identified a defective part in thier power system.  In order to replace the part, they were going to have to take the 'A channe'l (of power) out of commission for a period of time to replace the part.

 

Now for those of you who are thinking; 'what in the world is the 'A channel', here is an explaination.  Most of you can visualize a server rack, it is about 7 ft tall and is designed to have multiple server (and other gear) mounted in it.  On the back side of the rack, there are typically two power strips that run the height of the rack, on one side is the 'A channel' and on the other the 'B channel'.  The idea is that each of these channels has an independent power supply, so that if power goes out on one side, the other stays live to keep the servers running.

 

Well this is a perfect example of where that investment (and it is an investment, adding these redundancies on your server cost hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars) pays off.  Because all of our server are Enterprise grade, they are designed to accept dual power supplies.  Additionally, unlike many of our competitors, we actually use that capability. 

 

 

 

When they cut the power last night to do maintenance on the 'A channel', the 'B channel' kept our servers running with no downtime.  If we had not made that investment in redundancy up front, hundreds of our customers would have been down last night.  Instead, except for the notice that we sent out advising them of the situation, they never even knew there was a problem.

 

It's not enough to talk the talk, you have to practice what you preach and we do.  Most low cost providers only pretend to provide redundancy or provide absolute minimum redundancy.  Ask your self this question; If our systems go down, how much will we have saved by going with the low cost provider?

 

For more information on hosting and redundancy go to www.pinstripeco.com .

 

 

 

My wife Brandi reminded me (again) yesterday that I was full of useless information.  Well, it struck me that the 'useless' information actually had a use.  I thought it would be a fun and informative category for my blog.  Consider this the first in an ongoing series;

 

Have you noticed recently that our Military men wear an American Flag on their arm; big deal you say.  But have you also noticed that it is backwards?  That is the blue field and the stars are on the right?  (See below)

 

 

The reason for this I learned yesterday is that it simulates motion.  If you were carying a flag on a pole and moving forward, this is how it would look.  Thus, our troops decided that it symbolized moving...towards the fight and never backing down.

 

It makes sense to me!