The-Asterisk

From 35,000 feet above the Gulf of Mexico. Finally in the air after a weather delay in New Orleans, I am reflecting on the past three days of the 3rd quasi-annual SMB Migration IT Pro Conference . In addition to great food, great people and great times, I think we all were able to pick up new ideas about trials, tribulations and trends in the IT support business. We IT Professionals are in the midst of a transformation from the MSP era to a new era. Many would call this new era the "cloud" era, but I think it is more than that. I might call it the "cloud-driven" era, but even that name doesn't fully describe what is beginning to happen. The cloud is really a catalyst, forcing us to take a new look at how we deliver (and bill for) services. A recurring theme of discussion, both on-stage and in the hallways, was how would the cloud change our businesses. While this is an important question from an existential point of view, my biggest point of ponderment (my new ...

This past week I received a 'fat envelope' in the mail. It was from the Cato Institute. I'm sure I am on their list because of my world-renowned blogging and tweeting abilities. So I ripped open the envelope expecting some talking points or such, but out fell a little pocket-sized copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. I have read both documents in the past, since they are both very short, just like my attention span (this little pocket edition with both documents is only 1/8" thick... compare that with the Obamacare bill which was over 4 reams of standard-sized paper.) I started thumbing through the booklet and I focused my attention on the amendments. Of course, the most famous amendments are the first ten, commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights but there have only been 17 more since the original ten. I was really surprised by my realization that there have been very few amendments of substance . Most of th...

I saw a recent article in the Wall Street Journal about the 2010 graduates. Today, the Letters to the Editor had several lamentations about this perennial subject and it got me thinking... Back when we were rolling out of the caves and becoming the Homo Sapiens that we are today, each and every person had to be an independent player. Sure, there was the tribe, but if you wandered far out of camp you were on your own. Even as recently as 100 years ago, society was a thin neglegee compared to the oppressive woolen Snuggee it is today. Without rapid communications and transportation, unless you were smack in the middle of a town or city, you had to take care of yourself. There was no one to call to come and bail you out of your situation. Was it tough? You bet. Would I want to live back then? Not so much. Then we got comfortable after World War II. Plenty of jobs, GI Bill, education galore, big companies, big pensions, big unions, credit cards, cell phones, safety net, Medicare, Social S...