@stacksofplates said in Local Encryption ... Why Not?:

If it's using TPM to unlock, all you have to do is turn it on.

Sure, but Bitlocker with TPM allows you to setup a pre-boot pin, so all good.

It's not just good content, there are technical aspects to consider as well. And what is good content? An SEO expert can advise on how to turn bad content in to good content, without being a writer.

@scottalanmiller said in Current Status of SEO:

That's never been was SEO companies provided.

I've dealt with a few companies in the UK that have provided that.

@scottalanmiller said in Current Status of SEO:

SEO is a marketing term and not based on the English words that it represents. It's a reference to specifically attempting to game search engines for ranking without doing the things that search engines want (good content.)

Where do you get that definition from? It's not my understanding of what SEO is. Gaming might or might not come into it but that's not specifically SEO.

Google's definition is "Search engine optimization: the process of making your site better for search engines."

Gaming has to be a waste of time these days, anyway. How is some SEO kid going to game Google, with their resources and brains? Google will always win. But SEO should also be about following best practices, and I see plenty of value in companies offering that service. It's about following Google's guidelines, not trying to circumvent them.

@stacksofplates said in Local Encryption ... Why Not?:

This is a gripe I've had with Bitlocker. Ya it's encrypted so someone can't just take a drive, but if they take the whole system it's unencrypted with the push of a button.

How? I'm not familiar with Bitlocker although it is installed on my laptop.

@pchiodo said in MSP or VAR or just avoid:

A true MSP is product agnostic. They don't really care if you use Microsoft, or Linux, or Oracle, or whatever. They don't have an interest in the brand of equipment, or the software platform. All they really care about is providing service to their client in the best possible way.

Realistically, I don't believe you can ever be product agnostic. A typical MSP will have in-house expertise in SQL Server but not in Oracle. So they're absolutely going to care about whether you should use Oracle or SQL Server, because they're not going to be in a position to support you in Oracle (just to use your example).

For an MSP to be truly agnostic it would either have to massive (to be able to employ both Oracle and SQL Server experts), or it is full of generalists who can support both but lack expertise in either.

@scottalanmiller said in MSP or VAR or just avoid:

One question... does the company in question sell things?

If yes, VAR.
If not, not a VAR.

That's it. The only question, and the answer is simple.

Define things? A VAR sells products and services, a pure MSP sells only services (ie labour). I don't see a massive destinction between a product (software/hardware) and a service (labour). To me, they are all "things" that you sell.

I now work for a Microsoft partner. We sell consultancy. We also sell Microsoft licences and support, so I suppose you would call my company a VAR, but I don't see it that way since the licencing side of the business is not our primary role. I'd see us more as an MSP or a software house. But I'm not really bothered about the distinction - we sell stuff, primarily labour.

@pchiodo said in MSP or VAR or just avoid:

A true MSP is working for you, in the best interest of your company and the bottom line. They don't care who provides the equipment or the product, just that it is the right fit for your company.

Why should they care that it's right for your company? They care about billable hours. Say you want a database but aren't sure which one. The MSP happens to employ a SQL Server expert on £60k a year. The MSP needs to sell that guy's expertise to make a profit. So they're going to recommend you buy SQL Server, regardless of whether that's the best database for you.

Everyone works for their employer, not their customer. So if you're employed by an MSP, that's where your loyalty lies. It's naive to assume otherwise.

This was me at 17:

Youtube Video

I'm 46 now and still don't know what I want to do with my life.

Could you restore the backup on the new server whilst the old server is still live and after it is restored on the new server shut down live and do a differential backup and then restore the differential backup on the new server?

That would minimise downtime as the differential backup will be much smaller than the full 1TB backup. Although with 500gb of transaction logs, maybe not so much.