-- Exchange & AD -- Citrix -- Security -- Virtualization -- Database (mostly Oracle, but I'm seeing more and more SQL these days)
Not trying to say that these are the only areas of massive opportunity, but these are the top infrastructure areas I see out there today. And yes, all situations require some compromise or concession, but they remain viable options for many skilled IT professionals, and my sense is that the numbers going in this direction will grow. * * *ASB* *http://XeeMe.com/AndrewBaker* *Harnessing the Advantages of Technology for the SMB market… * On Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 11:41 PM, Sean Martin <seanmarti...@gmail.com> wrote: > Virtualization (of any flavor) and storage are two other areas where > expert skills are highly sought after. > > - Sean > > On Feb 6, 2012, at 7:21 PM, Kurt Buff <kurt.b...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Didn't mean to imply that you're entirely unique between the two of > > you, just that you occupy a niche - it's probably a fairly large > > niche, I would guess. > > > > Probably that niche is going to grow, too, but it won't consist of > > folks who don't have some specialised skills, or whose skills are too > > specialised. > > > > Kurt > > > > On Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 17:33, Michael B. Smith <mich...@smithcons.com> > wrote: > >> I know many other independents no different than Webster and I. > >> > >> Regards, > >> > >> Michael B. Smith > >> Consultant and Exchange MVP > >> http://TheEssentialExchange.com > >> > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Kurt Buff [mailto:kurt.b...@gmail.com] > >> Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 8:20 PM > >> To: NT System Admin Issues > >> Subject: Re: OT - ugh! > >> > >> You can look at it in one of two ways: > >> > >> Either you and MBS got very lucky, or you got very smart. > >> > >> The niches you've chosen are specialised enough that you aren't doing > >> daily grunt work (punching down patchpanels, patching workstations, > >> applying antivirus, replacing burnt-out video cards, etc.), but not so > >> specialised that your only place to land is in a Fortune 100 company > >> on its staff doing something that only applies to 3 other companies in > >> the world. > >> > >> The lesson is to place yourself at some sort of sweet spot on the IT > >> foodchain - and then exploit the hell out of it. > >> > >> The difficulty always lies in finding that sweet spot. > >> > >> And being willing to travel... > >> > >> Kurt > >> > >> On Mon, Feb 6, 2012 at 14:49, Webster <webs...@carlwebster.com> wrote: > >>> I can only speak for me, and it has been feast since I went out on my > own > >>> Feb 1st last year. So far this year, the feast is even better as > there is > >>> very little agency work so I get 100% of the billables. :) Yes, I am > >>> complaining all the way to the bank. If it gets any better, MBS is > going to > >>> want a referral fee or commission! > >>> > >>> > >>> Carl Webster > >>> > >>> Consultant and Citrix Technology Professional > >>> > >>> http://www.CarlWebster.com > >>> > >>> > >>> From: David Lum <david....@nwea.org> > >>> Reply-To: NT Issues <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com> > >>> Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2012 22:31:45 +0000 > >>> To: NT Issues <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com> > >>> Subject: RE: OT - ugh! > >>> > >>> That’s part of my fear of dropping %dayjob% and going 100% on my own > biz – > >>> feast or famine! With just three clients I have I’m always amazed at > how > >>> often their feast/famine cycles coincide, and they even have different > >>> fiscal year cycles. I mean, in the span of two months I am doing an > SBS 2003 > >>> – SBS2011 swing for two of them. One of these clients I can go months > with > >>> nothing other than patching. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> From: Webster [mailto:webs...@carlwebster.com] > >>> Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 9:31 AM > >>> To: NT System Admin Issues > >>> Subject: Re: OT - ugh! > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> I find myself busier than a one-arm paper hanger in a wind storm. > Don't > >>> know why it took me so long to convince MBS that I should go solo! LOL > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Now that my fellow CTPs know I can spell AD, I am finding myself doing > a lot > >>> of AD assessments, assisting with AD migrations and putting in 2008 R2 > AD > >>> infrastructures. I would say I am now 50% AD and 50% Citrix. I no > longer > >>> do Exchange and refer all that to MBS. > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> I can't believe how much Citrix work I turn down because I just don't > have > >>> the time. Right now I am tentatively booked thru the end of July and > >>> already starting to worry because no one is calling about August or > >>> September yet! :) > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> Carl Webster > >>> > >>> Consultant and Citrix Technology Professional > >>> > >>> http://www.CarlWebster.com > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> From: James Rankin <kz2...@googlemail.com> > >>> Reply-To: NT Issues <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com> > >>> Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2012 16:53:32 +0000 > >>> To: NT Issues <ntsysadmin@lyris.sunbelt-software.com> > >>> Subject: Re: OT - ugh! > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> I ran as a contractor through a managed services company for about six > years > >>> before taking the plunge myself. Whereas now I find myself counting the > >>> amount of extra tax I spent the last six years paying in disgust. > >>> > >>> It may have been the aforementioned man-in-Alaska mentioning how he > could > >>> work for 48 hours a day once he'd struck out on his own that possibly > >>> contributed to convincing me to do the same. > >>> > >>> On 6 February 2012 15:47, Michael B. Smith <mich...@smithcons.com> > wrote: > >>> > >>> I put off starting my own business for YEARS because I was afraid of > what I > >>> already knew. :-) Whereas, in retrospect, I wish I'd done it much > earlier. > >>> > >>> I can think of someone else on this mailing list (who is in Alaska this > >>> week) who waited even longer than I did. :-) > >>> > >>> Regards, > >>> > >>> Michael B. Smith > >>> Consultant and Exchange MVP > >>> http://TheEssentialExchange.com > >>> > >>> > >>> ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > >>> ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > >>> > >>> --- > >>> To manage subscriptions click here: > >>> http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > >>> or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com > >>> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > >> > >> ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > >> ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > >> > >> --- > >> To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > >> or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com > >> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > >> > >> > >> ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > >> ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > >> > >> --- > >> To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > >> or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com > >> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > > > --- > > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > > or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com > > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > > > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > --- > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to listmana...@lyris.sunbeltsoftware.com with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
