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The Virtual Consulting Discussion List [VCDL]
http://www.TheVCF.com/vcdl.phtml
Monday, May 12th, 2003 Digest #5
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List Moderator: Michael S.DeVries DeVries@cris.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ...
---> [NEW] <---
#1 What are the benefits of Virtual Consulting?
- Michael S. DeVries
#2 What do you need to work smarter, better,
faster ... ?
- Michael S. DeVries
#3 What are your favorite / the best Virtual
Consulting Tools?
In the Internet Telephone Category?
- Michael S. DeVries
---> [CONTINUED] <---
#4 What are your favorite / the best Virtual
Consulting Tools?
PC Remote Access / Control
GoToMyPC
- Jon Lowder
#5 Is off-shore outsourcing a "bane"
or a "boon"
for Virtual Consulting?
- Michael S. DeVries
---> [NEWS] <---
---> [INTRO] <---
---> [HELP WANTED] <---
---> [ADMIN] <---
#6 Please ... Tell Two Friends ...
************* [NEW] ***************
#1 What are the benefits of Virtual Consulting?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, May 12, 2003
Dear Fellow Virtual Consultants,
In one of my recent discussions regarding Virtual
Consulting,
I had a colleague pose the question as to:
What are the benefits of Virtual Consulting?
So, I thought it would be Great! for us ... Virtual
Consultants ...
To discuss these benefits so that any of us may
respond quickly and
appropriately when asked these types of questions
...
Wouldn't you all agree?
Specifically, the individual in question was
asking ...
What are the benefits of Virtual Consulting for
the client / from the
client's perspective?
So, what do you all think?
And how about, the more obvious perhaps ...
What are the benefits of Virtual Consulting for
the consultant / from
the consultant perspective?
Let us hear what you think!
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
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#2 What do you need to work smarter, better, faster
... ?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, May 12, 2003
Dear Fellow Consultants,
What do you and other Virtual Consultants need
to work smarter,
better, faster ... ?
What tools, resources, assistance, etc. would
allow you to be more
efficient and/or effective, produce higher quality
deliverables faster
and/or "bottom line" make more money,
if you had them?
And if you don't have the things you need to
work smarter, better,
faster ... Why not?
Do these tools / resources not exist? and/or
are they not available?
Or do they exist and it's purely due to financial
reasons, e.g. cost?
We would love to know what would make allow you
to work smarter,
better, faster ... and have a better life! :)
Let us know! and perhaps together we may find
a way to work
smarter, better, faster ... together!
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
-----------------------------------------------------------
#3 What are your favorite / the best Virtual Consulting
Tools?
In the Internet Telephone Category?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, May 12, 2003
Dear Fellow Consultants,
Do / have any of you used any of the Intenet
Telephone systems /
software?
If so, then:
1) What is your opinion / review of them?
2) How is the quality of Internet Telephony compared
to "land lines"
and/or "cell phones"?
3) Are the prices / rates for long distance really
as good as they
say? =~ essentially free?
4) How about the "down side(s)" of this
technology?
a) What issues have you encountered?
i) How did you resolve them?
5) IYHO, What is the best / your favorite Internet
Telephony System
/ Software and why?
We look forward to hear what you all think and
have to say about
this technology, particularly as it applies to
Virtual Consultants /
Consulting.
Thank you for your participation and help! :)
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
[Now a word from one of our Sponsors ...
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[Now back to our "regular scheduled programming"
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************* [CONTINUED] ***************
#4 What are your favorite / the best Virtual Consulting
Tools?
PC Remote Access / Control
GoToMyPC
-----------------------------------------------------------
From:jon@netbex.com
Date sent: Tue, 6 May 2003 12:27:53 -0400
Michael,
I've used Gotomypc for the last 8 months and
have
been extremely happy with it.
Positives:
-Easy to set up
-Easy to use (great interface)
-Stable
Negatives:
-None directly related to the program.
Cautions:
-Make sure you have someone at the "host"
location
that can re-boot your computer if it freezes.
This applies to me because the machine I access
remotely is a little long in the tooth and tends
to freeze after a while.
-You probably want high speed connections on
both
ends. Dialing up tends to remind you of what it
was like to use computers in 1988.
I give Gotomypc five stars on a five star scale.
jon
Jon Lowder
President, Netbex
jon@netbex.com
http://www.netbex.com
Comprehensive Marketing Services & Consulting
Starts at $30/month
-----------------------------------------------------------
#5 Is off-shore outsourcing a "bane"
or a "boon"
for Virtual Consulting?
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, May 12, 2003
In VCDL Digest #3 April 28, 2003, Michael S.
DeVries wrote:
> An article in CIOInsight,
> http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,3959,940251,00.asp
> Quoted some interesting survey results from
> companies that have gone offshore.
> "Of those companies that have gone offshore,
> 88 percent said they had gotten better "value
> for the money" with U.S. firms. That
isn't too
> surprising.
> What is surprising, and what has to be
> worrying U.S. IT services firms, are some
> other results of the survey: - 71 percent
said the
> "quality of the deliverable" was
better than U.S.
> firms provided, and - 67 percent said "on-time
> delivery" was better. In other words,
India's IT
> services firms are outperforming their U.S.
> counterparts in three key areas: they're
> producing better products and services; they're
> doing it faster; and they're charging less.
That's
> good news for CIOs, but bad news for U.S.
> firms." -
> I know that there has been and continues
to be
> "heated" discussions and debates
about off-
> shore outsourcing in many forums.
<snip>
> Is off-shore outsourcing a "bane"
or a "boon" for
> Virtual Consulting?
IMHO, the fact that at least some of these companies
are able to
successfully employ off-shore resources to produce
quality products
in an cost effective and timely manner, is proof
tha Virtual
Consulting really works!
Wouldn't you agree?
In other related articles, they specifically
note that India is
experiencing a boom due to IT outsourcing:
Ref: "Growing trend toward IT outsourcing
is a boon for India
By Scott Leith sleith@ajc.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Sunday, May 4,
2003"
Don't you think that as companies see that they
are able to allow
work to be performed remotely / virtually, even
half way around the
world in India, that this type of Virtual Consulting
is not only viable,
but beneficial?
Granted I have also seen and heard of companies
of all sizes and
(supposed) levels of maturity (SEI CMM) fail when
trying to
outsource projects. But, IMHO, the cases I have
heard about
appear to be attributed to a lack of understanding
of how to plan
and/or manage these types of outsources / virtual
/ remote projects.
What have you heard about the success and/or failures
of
companies to successfully outsource projects?
and why did they
succeed or fail?
> What do you see as the Risks, Issues,
> Opportunities, and/or Rewards of off-shore
> outsourcing relative to Virtual Consulting?
> How might we turn this ongoing trend to
our mutual
> benefit?
Again, IMHO, I actually see this trend of off-shore
outsourcing as an
opportunity for Virtual Consultants / Consulting.
Just think, if companies believe that you can
design, manage, test,
etc. a product / project being developed remotely
and possibly off-
shore, than why can't you also perform your consulting,
design,
management, testing, etc. tasks remotely / virtually
relative to the
physical location(s) of the company?
Further, doesn't this lead us in the direction
where the objectives
are to use the best, highest quality, most cost
effective and time
efficient resources for a task / project no matter
where in the world
they are performing the work?
Doesn't this tell us that we are starting to really
deal in a true
"Global Economy"?
And isn't this what Virtual Consulting is all
about?
You tell me?!
Your "Virtual" Moderator,
- Michael S. DeVries
************* [NEW] ***************
#6 Please ... Tell Two Friends ...
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Michael S. DeVries
<DeVries@cris.com>
Reply To: Virtual-Consulting@topica.com
Date sent: Monday, May 12, 2003
Please ... Tell Two Friends ...
About The Virtual Consulting Discussion List!
Increase the benefits of virtual networking and
the mutual benefits
from our discussions related to Virtual Consulting
by helping us
grow the Virtual Consulting Discussion List for
all of our benefit!
<snip 03/09/2005>
The more ... The merrier ... I always say! :)
Wouldn't you agree?!
Thank you for your support of
The Virtual Consulting Discussion List.
Your "Virtual" Moderator (YVM)
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