Brian Sherman Posts

You’ve surely seen the commercials publicizing the repercussions of defrauding insurance companies in which someone suggests taking part in a seemingly harmless scheme. Of course, the proposed activity, which is intended to help the alleged claimant, is not only unethical and costly to the industry, but illegal. These commercials are meant to educate the public on the consequences of fraud by demonstrating that what appears to be a harmless way to recoup a loss is actually a serious crime. ...

Remember the old fallacy that men never use or even carry roadmaps? That misconception may have held more meaning in the past, when printed charts and written directions were the only option for travelers. Modern technologies such as GPS and other direction applications have all but invalidated that sentiment, as both genders ditch the Rand McNally paper version for its virtual equivalent. That doesn’t mean roadmaps are completely out of style. While the paper versions that help drivers fi ...

Stories that hold a connection to our personal interests are often the most memorable. I will always remember my uncle’s accounts of learning to fly a biplane back in the early 1930s as he struggled to make enough money during the Great Depression to pay for both lessons and fuel. While the years have faded many of my memories, his stories remain as crystal clear in my mind today as they were more than 30 years ago. Psychologists suggest that long-term recall varies based on two major fact ...

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Of course, he wasn’t referring to IT channel companies when he said it, but in doing so he managed to sum up the dilemma many face when deciding how to grow their businesses. It can be difficult enough just managing pure revenue growth from existing operations, but when expanding services and sol ...

It has never been easy to find and retain quality employees. Regardless of how much people complain about today’s challenges with recruitment and retention, world history is filled with HR stories that would make finding an IT tech seem like a walk in the park. In the Stone Age, for example, the Greek economy relied heavily on fishing and trading, so those with sailing skills and great physical strength were highly desired employees. Those with the most exceptional talents often became mer ...

If advertising is any gauge, everyone is selling cloud now. Even though some of the most hype-filled promotions don’t specifically spell out for their intended audience the benefits of this thriving technology delivery method, the frequency of their pitch is likely encouraging prospective clients to conduct their own research. That’s good news for those in the channel, as long as they have the confidence and capabilities to provide a superior service. While some industry professional ...

One of the biggest reasons why entrepreneurs join industry associations is to gain access to a variety of business improvement resources and educational programs that would be costly to recreate or purchase on their own. Those business tools and best practices are particularly hard to come by in the IT channel, and the expense of tailoring them to meet the specific needs of even a well-established solution provider can be quite prohibitive. CompTIA not only recognizes those challenges, but colla ...

People typically buy from those they trust and most industries recognize the companies that do more to earn that type of confidence from their customers. Perhaps that’s why business credentials have become more prominent in the IT community, with solution providers and vendors looking for new ways to validate the processes they put in place to offer top-quality services and products. After all, few accolades speak as loudly to current and prospective customers and other business partners as an e ...

As a father of three, I want my daughters to have the same career and life opportunities as my son will enjoy and vice-versa. Everyone should have a chance to pursue the vocation of their choice based on their aptitude and inclinations; regardless of their skin color, gender or lineage. While they may face a variety of challenges along the way, discrimination is a hurdle no one should encounter in 2013.Perhaps that’s a reason why during Women’s History Month, so many workplace and IT industry di ...

Regardless of their industry experience and knowledge of the topic, it’s not easy for channel executives to navigate the world of cloud services. The business prospects for and obstacles facing the industry here are as vast as the number of solutions available. While the delivery model and basic value propositions are fairly straightforward, deciding what types of cloud services to offer and which suppliers to choose can be a dizzying exercise for most solution providers. For example, should the ...