You could go either way. I think that being able to provide diverse solutions is much better for the client; many clients will balk at using %vendor% and being able to provide them with an alternative is advantageous. At the same time, being able to efficiently install and configure a product saves time/money all the way around.
My philosophy as a consultant is to offer a solution that fits the client rather than shoehorning them into my paradigm. In some cases this means AD/multiple servers, in some it's SBS, in some it's hosted exchange. Much of the decision making has to do with the client's budget and the type of data they need to protect/access. By being familiar/proficient with multiple product lines, you become better able to fit the solution to the client's needs... *********************** Charlie Kaiser charl...@golden-eagle.org Kingman, AZ *********************** > -----Original Message----- > From: David Lum [mailto:david....@nwea.org] > Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 9:13 AM > To: NT System Admin Issues > Subject: To be diverse...or not > > Scenario: Full time Systems Engineer by day, IT consultant by night (4 clients 5 servers > ~100 workstations). > > > > Does it make sense to have any diversity in products (AV, patch management, etc) or is it > better to leverage knowledge? I ask because I would think it makes more sense to stick > with one product and be pretty much the de-facto expert, but I have found that having > experience with different AV products (McAfee, Trend, Vipre) at this point to be > beneficial and doesn't really add any overhead vs. a single product. The catch is I had > prior experience with Trend Micro at %PriorDayjob% so one client got that, > %Currentdayjob% has McAfee so I learned that, and Vipre Enterprise came out so I tried > that at smaller clients. > > > > I say that to say this: Patching is my current dilemma and I have WSUS everywhere and > no 3rd party stuff anywhere. If I choose a tool for one place does it make sense to use > this same tool everywhere else if the price is acceptable to each party involved? Some > tools are cheaper than others and can save a client money even though they could afford > the more expensive option, but the cheaper option means I am working with more than one > tool (which means it could be argued the client ends up spending more due to my spool up > time to learn a new app). I don't see expanding my client base by more than a client or > two every other year in the forseeable future. > > > > Thoughts and comments? > > David Lum // SYSTEMS ENGINEER > NORTHWEST EVALUATION ASSOCIATION > (Desk) 971.222.1025 // (Cell) 503.267.9764 > > > > ~ 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
