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IT Consultant
Mary Weilage
TechRepublic Staff
Mary Weilage
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Three tips for selling maintenance plans to clients
Maintenance plans may be the best investment an organization can make when trying to protect against data loss and unscheduled outages and downtime. Erik Eckel shares how his consulting firm sells...
Posted by Erik Eckel | July 23, 2009, 8:45 PM PDT
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Consultants, how independent are you?
For each consultant, there is an acceptable range of independence. Let us know where you are in this range by answering six poll questions about your number of clients, scheduling, decision...
Posted by Chip Camden | July 21, 2009, 1:45 PM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Closing the loop: CIT gets rescue; Relief for tech spending
The Wall Street Journal reported that CIT's bondholders are floating the company $3 billion in a last-minute rescue. The big question is whether CIT's lifeline will lead to a permanent fix of its...
Posted by Larry Dignan | July 21, 2009, 7:42 AM PDT | Latest comment by backerly@...
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Help clients determine if a netbook will meet their business needs
Netbooks may be attractive to clients because of portability and cost; however, a netbook's functionality may not suit all your clients' needs. Find out what to ask your clients before they start...
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 20, 2009, 9:17 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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CIT unraveling could be headache for Dell, Avaya, resellers
The U.S. government will not bail out debt-ridden CIT, a financial services firm that loans money to small and midsized business. Larry Dignan explains why resellers, Dell, and Avaya are likely to...
Posted by Larry Dignan | July 16, 2009, 7:02 AM PDT | Latest comment by rosemary2
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Maintaining a balance when work and home are the same place
When working from home, the lines between work time and personal time can start to blur. IT consultant Chip Camden shares a tip on how to maintain a work-life balance.
Posted by Chip Camden | July 15, 2009, 12:31 AM PDT | Latest comment by reisen55@...
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Why IT consultants should embrace Intuit products
Is your IT consultancy capitalizing on Intuit demand? If not, Erik Eckel outlines your options for taking advantage of this potential growth opportunity.
Posted by Erik Eckel | July 13, 2009, 11:12 AM PDT | Latest comment by martian@...
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Getting expensive software without buying it
A drawback to being an independent consultant is that you have to pay your own bills. If there's expensive software you need to use but you haven't bought it yet, read these cost-cutting tips.
Posted by Meredith Little | July 11, 2009, 10:48 AM PDT | Latest comment by Oz_Media
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Cultivating great client recommendations
Read some useful tips and advice on how letters of recommendation from former clients can help IT consultants build and maintain client relationships.
Posted by Meredith Little | July 7, 2009, 9:11 AM PDT
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Is billing by the hour unethical?
IT consultant Chip Camden replies to a member's inquiry about value-based fees. He says a little flexibility is the key to overcoming the disconnect between hourly and value-based billing.
Posted by Chip Camden | July 6, 2009, 2:20 PM PDT | Latest comment by urcomputerconsultant@...
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Make sure 'out of sight' isn't 'out of mind'
Want to make sure that you and your client see eye-to-eye even when they don't see you? Here are some ways you can keep the channels of communication open with clients when you're working off-site.
Posted by Meredith Little | July 1, 2009, 4:00 AM PDT
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Competing motives for an IT consulting engagement
Sometimes clients have ulterior motives for bringing in an IT consultant, such as they need to use up their budget or they need a scapegoat. Chip Camden offers tips on what to do if you're in this...
Posted by Chip Camden | June 30, 2009, 11:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Five step process for removing viruses and spyware from client machines
IT consultants must regularly remove stubborn, often regenerative and corrupting spyware and viruses from client machines. Erik Eckel shares his preferred strategy for quickly returning systems to...
Posted by Erik Eckel | June 26, 2009, 7:28 AM PDT | Latest comment by kielax@...
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Should this IT consultant fire his client?
After doing a little snooping onsite, an IT consultant needs help deciding whether to fire his client. Read about his sticky situation, and then offer your advice.
Posted by Chip Camden | June 22, 2009, 2:52 PM PDT | Latest comment by EricTam
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100 comments to celebrate 100 IT Consultant posts
In honor of his 100th IT Consultant column, Chip Camden highlights 100 member comments that made him think, laugh, or both.
Posted by Chip Camden | June 19, 2009, 4:21 PM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Build a better test bench for your IT consultancy
The design of your test bench can have a big impact on productivity and profitability. Based on real-world experience, IT consultant Erik Eckel offers five proven tenets of efficient work bench...
Posted by Erik Eckel | June 11, 2009, 12:17 PM PDT | Latest comment by OGINNI
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Nontraditional cures for keeping a project on schedule and on budget
Telling a client that a project is behind schedule and running over budget is unpleasant and possibly humiliating. Two nontraditional methods for involving in-house personnel from the project's...
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 10, 2009, 5:53 PM PDT | Latest comment by yeoman
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Conflicts of interest between IT consulting clients
Chip Camden recounts a situation in which he discovered he was working for clients that were direct competitors. He shares the valuable lesson he learned from the experience.
Posted by Chip Camden | June 8, 2009, 12:44 AM PDT | Latest comment by reisen55@...
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IT consultant talks nicknames, bad managers, Linux distros, and more
In Sonja Thompson's recent interview with IT consultant Deadly Ernest, this active TechRepublic community member shares a lot of interesting stories, including why his favorite and his least...
Posted by Mary Weilage | June 5, 2009, 4:15 PM PDT | Latest comment by Jaqui
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Cultivate positive onsite relationships by easing employees' concerns
Employees sometimes feel uncertain about a new IT consultant onsite. Susan Harkins offers ideas about how to alleviate their concerns and form a good working relationship.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 5, 2009, 3:13 PM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Tips for choosing your professional email address
Your professional email address is like a handshake to clients. Chip Camden advises what to do and what not to do when creating that email address.
Posted by Chip Camden | September 13, 2011, 7:14 AM PDT | Latest comment by Sterling "chip" Camden
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Create a one-page status report with Microsoft Project 2010
See how easy it is to customize Microsoft Project 2010 to create a custom view that filters detailed tasks and highlights the major deliverables that need reviewing in a status report.
Posted by Andrew Makar | March 13, 2013, 12:51 AM PDT
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Microsoft Project Professional 2013 new features preview
After using the Microsoft Project Professional 2013 Preview, Will Kelly reports back on a handful of appealing new features and tools.
Posted by Will Kelly | September 18, 2012, 8:24 AM PDT
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Learn BYOD policy best practices from templates
No two BYOD policies are or should be alike. Here are four BYOD policy templates that might help you seed your BYOD policy discussion and development process.
Posted by Will Kelly | May 1, 2013, 6:03 AM PDT
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Signs a client may not be ready for managed services
Warning bells should go off in your head if you spot any of these items indicating managed services are not a priority at a prospective client's site.
Posted by Erik Eckel | May 15, 2013, 9:44 AM PDT | Latest comment by IT_Lunatic
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Configure automated backups using SyncToy and Windows 7's Scheduled Task
Learn how to create a new SyncToy task that automatically schedules backups of the directories clients need regularly backed up to a network share or external hard disk.
Posted by Erik Eckel | March 9, 2012, 2:34 PM PST | Latest comment by wdpcpa
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Define project scope to include deliverables, boundaries, and requirements
There are two places that scope is defined on your project. High-level scope is defined in your project charter. Low-level scope is defined in your business requirements document. High-level...
Posted by Tom Mochal | September 18, 2007, 1:01 AM PDT | Latest comment by user_786@...
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Mitigate project role confusion for staff wearing multiple hats
If you expect your developers or contractors to take on business analyst or project manager roles, here are three ways to help them be effective and stay motivated.
Posted by Rick Freedman | July 23, 2012, 5:01 PM PDT | Latest comment by lars.aarby@...
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Customizable IT consultant sample contract
Chip Camden presents his standard consulting contract, along with explanations about each section. See if you can modify his contract to fit your needs.
Posted by Chip Camden | November 3, 2008, 6:31 AM PST | Latest comment by amilkh
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Seven rules for flying with a laptop: Share these tips with clients
A client is planning on flying for an upcoming trip, and you know he may not have time to check the TSA's guidelines on traveling with a laptop. Be a good little elf and prepare your client for...
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 22, 2008, 5:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Marty R. Milette
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Marketing trends and strategies for consultants
These survey results indicate what types of marketing consultants spend time on compared with how those varying time commitments result in income.
Posted by Chip Camden | April 23, 2013, 7:07 AM PDT | Latest comment by joerejeski
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Herding tigers: How to manage subcontractors for your consultancy
Chip Camden tells a reader who is starting an IT consultancy that she has to coordinate efforts between clients and her genius subcontractors. Post your advice on managing subcontractors.
Posted by Chip Camden | May 7, 2013, 1:25 PM PDT | Latest comment by realvarezm
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Telling clients 'I don't know' is acceptable
Consultants should market themselves to clients as providing the right answers rather than having all the answers. This is why it's beneficial to know how to conduct reasoned research.
Posted by Chip Camden | August 23, 2011, 7:49 AM PDT | Latest comment by bobp@...
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Use PERT technique for more accurate estimates
Regardless of the technique you use, the tendency in project estimation is to provide one number for each estimate. In other words, if you have 100 activities on your schedule, each activity would...
Posted by Tom Mochal | June 25, 2007, 8:16 AM PDT | Latest comment by joebailey77
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Huddle: a worthy SharePoint alternative for client collaboration
SharePoint is the go-to collaboration suite for most professional services firms. Find out why the SaaS-based Huddle might be a more expedient and user-friendly client extranet option.
Posted by Will Kelly | May 16, 2013, 12:40 PM PDT | Latest comment by Julia_WR
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Independent contractors: Make sure your contract protects your interests
Writing a contract can help independent contractors and clients iron out project details ahead of time and avoid potential disputes down the line. Meredith Little outlines what verbiage and...
Posted by Meredith Little | March 13, 2009, 12:25 PM PDT | Latest comment by PMPsicle
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How to determine your consulting fees
In my previous post I mentioned that I'm raising rates for most of my clients this year -- which brings up the question of how we consultants should determine our rates to begin with. Most...
Posted by Chip Camden | January 4, 2008, 1:55 PM PST | Latest comment by DonnaMitchell
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Only novices daisy-chain switches
If you support so many network nodes that multiple switches are required, technology consultant Erik Eckel encourages you to do it right.
Posted by Erik Eckel | November 11, 2011, 11:56 PM PST | Latest comment by spglmn
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Maximize Office 365 for project management
Project managers can find a lot to like in Office 365 to keep their teams better connected and centralize their project information and communications.
Posted by Will Kelly | May 22, 2013, 5:55 AM PDT
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Three strengths of a technical project manager
A technical project manager straddles the line between technical savvy and organizational skill. As I mentioned in my earlier blog, this combination makes him prone to the same kinds of...
Posted by Shannon Kalvar | April 14, 2007, 5:25 AM PDT | Latest comment by Todder
