In celebration of the season, on December 2^nd, 2011, the employees at MMI had a “Decorate Your Area” day.

Everyone was encouraged to bring in their own items and be as creative as possible. The management made available various ornaments, garlands and more to assist with the staff’s efforts. While laboring in this festive task, there was Holiday music playing, sweet treats and holiday beverages for all to enjoy. Throughout the office one could see tinsel, ornaments, garlands, papers, and every possible sort of holiday décor being strategically placed by the “MMI Elves” to make the desks areas as festive as possible.

The results were rewarded with prizes for Best Traditionally Decorated, Best Reflecting the Employee’s Personality and Most Creative.

Additionally, in the spirit of the season and continuing MMI’s commitment to give back to the community, management has authorized optional “Dressed Down” days during the last two weeks of the year. Employees choosing to come to work in casual dress pay $1.00 per each day; all the money collected will be donated to the local chapter of Helping Hands.

We at MMI wish everyone
a Joyous Holiday Season and
a very Happy New Year!!!

Helping Hands is an organization that provides groceries, meals and services to families in need. For more information visit: www.bocahelpinghands.org

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Open source technology isn’t a new concept in the IT industry—but a surprising number of businesses have yet to adopt their own internal technology development strategy. Here at MMI, we develop most of our technology (including Oneview, our total asset management solution) based on an open source platform, and we’ve seen a tremendous cost savings and strategic advantage as a result.

The difference between developing software on an open source platform and licensing from a vendor is thousands and thousands of dollars. Web-based platforms have definitely propelled acquiring software through vendors into a new phase; beyond the on-site technical resources you save, web-based software is quickly and easily updated by vendors, requiring little to no maintenance on your side of the equation. Unfortunately, there are detractors to consider if you’re buying a ready-made product. Ask yourself some of the following questions before you move forward with a vendor.

Is the software’s purchase fee cost-prohibitive? How much do you pay for maintenance? Customization? Is the product scalable enough to meet your business goals? How responsive is tech support? How strong is the vendor’s business? What are the chances that they go under, leaving you to fend for yourself with the most recent (and likely outdated) version of the software? How easy is it to learn? Do they offer to come out and give a tutorial presentation? How many internal IT staffers will it take to manage the system?

These questions are crucial to choosing a vendor—but many of them answer themselves if you choose to develop on an open source platform.

Open source offers five key benefits:

• Cost Savings – One of the driving factors in the development of open source standards is the fact that you don’t have to pay up-front or licensing fees or sign contracts to maintain your internal and external software platforms.

• Development Speed – A skilled open source professional with working knowledge of your company’s unique needs can quickly build customized software on an open source platform. This means quick-to-market deployment of your software platform.

• Higher ROI – With lower up-front cost in terms of money and time resource consumption, an immediate, higher return-on-investment beats buying from a vendor.

• Customizability – The benefits of having a customized platform that you can edit at any time, without involving a vendor, cannot be understated. For one, most vendors develop a uniform product, and while customizability might be possible, there are always limits. On the other hand, open source has no limits beyond those of the developer.

• Scalability – Multiply your initial savings, and you’ll get your potential savings if you need to perform major expansions on your software platforms. If you have to add multiple servers into the mix, open source helps you bypass licensing fees.

Reduced resource consumption comes in another form. With an open source deck, you can do more with fewer developers. The framework is in place to do some of the heavy lifting, and open source developers tend to fall into a “jack-of-all-trades” category, rather than specializing their skills.

All of these are the reasons MMI uses open source in the development of our portal. The savings we effect are passed on to the users of our contract management system, ONEview. With the economy struggling to rise out of the gutter and the rapid evolution of technology available to companies these days, now is the time to capitalize on the savings that open source development can offer you.

To learn more about MMI’s ONEview portal for Technology Providers, go to http://www.managedmaint.com/TechnologyProviders

To learn more about MMI’s ONEview portal for Technology Consumers, go to http://www.managedmaint.com/TechnologyConsumer

See  Oneview in action, go to:  http://www.managedmaint.com/content/welcome-oneview

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Imagine your laptop, desktop or printer, to mention a few, develops a problem. In our highly technological age, it is unimaginable to be deprived of our computer equipment for even a few minutes. Sure, the equipment came with a service warranty, but what if it has already expired at the time of the malfunction? This is where a post warranty agreement, an annual maintenance and service contract, becomes essential. This service has been devised to cover such situations.

There are numerous vendors that offer this valuable service, including some well known names in the technical support industry, so how do you choose one that serves your interests and company’s needs? Select wisely. Ask others about their experience with their providers and watch out for testimonials by big clients, then choose a company that:

• Gives prompt and reliable service
• Covers all computer hardware equipment, printers as well
• Has a variety of maintenance/service options
• Offers cost effective, competitive prices
• Is a well known name that sets a standard benchmark against which the maintenance services measure

Your company will enjoy maintenance and repair throughout the year just by paying an annual fee, which is less than the cost of a onetime repair or replacement of the machines. Having an Annual Maintenance Contract for your hardware/software requirements is essential; make sure you select a provider whose main concern is to offer world-class services while maximizing client satisfaction.

To learn more about Service Maintenance Contracts and how to track Hardware/Software maintenance renewals:

http://blog.managedmaint.com/2011/07/service-maintenance-contract/

http://blog.managedmaint.com/2011/07/maximize-warranty-contract-expiration-tools-tracking-hardwaresoftware-maintenance-renewals/

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At MMI we honored this annual celebration with a Thanksgiving lunch for all employees, featuring sandwiches made with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. We also held a “Thanksgiving Dessert” contest with the staff bringing a favorite holiday dessert and prizes given for the best in Taste, Presentation and Uniqueness categories.

 We asked what we are thankful for at this time of the year. Here are some of the responses:

AVERY – I am thankful for life, family, friends and healthcare.
EILEEN - I am very thankful on Thanksgiving – and every day I am alive – for my family, my health and my job.
TRISH – I am thankful for my child, Katelyn.
L.E. – I am thankful for everyday of life, for everything I have and for the use of all my five senses that let me appreciate all there is.
CLAIRE – I am thankful for the health of my family, great friends and co-workers and a job that I enjoy.  I am grateful for my son, my husband and our families.
LILLIAM – “Celebrate life with family & friends – make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!”
CELESTE – I am thankful that God has blest me with a realm of people in my life (my children, grandchildren, friends and family), that I can share the good times along with the not so good.  To get up every morning with the bliss of knowing I’m going to a job, and will be with people that I truly enjoy.
TORI – I’m grateful for my large and caring family. I’m grateful I’ve never known serious illness, hunger, despair or loneliness. I’m grateful for being born in America. I’m grateful for the special few people I consider my friends. I’m grateful for all my amazing memories and experiences. I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve received. I’m grateful for the capacity to recognize and appreciate beauty in all forms.
CARLOS – I’m thankful for the unconditional love of my wife and family. I’m thankful for the trials and tribulations as they are humbling experiences which help me grow. I’m thankful for my youth, being able to see, touch, smell. I’m thankful for my faith and a loving father in heaven. I’m thankful for my job that helps me provide a roof over my head and food in my table.
TRACY – I am thankful for my family.  I am extremely fortunate to have parents that are great role models.  I am thankful for my husband and son that make each day an adventure.
ADAM – I am thankful for being able to have my family and my wife’s family all in one place for the first time this year.
TINA – I am thankful for my friends, family and my faith.

Thanksgiving should always be in our hearts, not just at this time of the year, but always. Remember to be thankful for that which you have every single day and fill your life with many little thankful moments.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ALL OF US!

 “Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

 A Bit About Thanksgiving…

Although the American concept of Thanksgiving developed in the colonies of New England, its roots can be traced back to the other side of the Atlantic. Thanksgiving falls under a category of festivals that spans cultures, continents and millennia. As an annual celebration of the harvest and its bounty, in ancient times, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans feasted and paid tribute to their gods after the fall harvest. Historians have also noted that Native Americans had a rich tradition of commemorating the fall harvest with feasting and merrymaking long before Europeans set foot on their shores. Furthermore, both the Separatists who came over on the Mayflower and the Puritans who arrived soon after brought with them a tradition of providential holidays—days of fasting during difficult or pivotal moments and days of feasting and celebration to thank God in times of plenty.

 In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, at the height of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend into his tender care all those who have become widow, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation”. He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November.

 In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621.

Historical data obtained from the historychannel.com

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Manage Maintenance is a young company that strives to obtain customer’s and employee’s feedback in an effort to continuously improve operations, both externally and internally. Recently, management asked the employees to voluntarily write something about their job and some reasons that make MMI a good place to work.

 The one common denominator in the responses received is the satisfaction the individual gets from solving customers’ problems and alleviating their workload. Adam, one of our contract managers stated: “I’m excited when I’m able to earn the customer’s trust that helps them make intelligent business decisions, quickly allowing my customers to spend more time on their primary roles”. Another contract manager, Rita, said: “My personal satisfaction and joy of work comes from being able to solve problems on both sides, and the personal communication, respect and even friendships between myself, IBM and their customers”.

Another aspect our employees enjoy is the culturally diverse, family oriented environment. The MMI “family” components are people that represent nations from all over the globe, helping one another in order to achieve the goals of the company, with an open-door policy management, and flexible work-time hours that allow the staff to customize their schedule to fit the needs of their own families. “The managers and co-workers at MMI are extremely helpful and exemplify a work ethic I am proud to be a part of. My most important role is being a mother, and for me MMI is an ideal place to work because it offers the flexibility I need . . . I particularly enjoy the “family” atmosphere of our environment”, wrote Alyssa, our receptionist. And Celeste, contract manger, stated: “We are a team, an extended family.  All ready and willing to work hard, and assist one another . . . During lunchtime, you can take in the aroma of foods from all over the world”.

Personal fulfillment and a multicultural family atmosphere are combined with a great training program that makes it unnecessary to have prior experience in the particular industry, as Celeste wrote: “Having knowledge of our industry isn’t necessary, as we have a state-of-the-art training program. This program has been built by the entire team”. This is a true example how everyone in the company works together and assists others to ensure everyone success.

In a recession economy, where recent surveys have identified less that 50% of the US as being satisfied with their employers, it is rewarding to learn that MMI received such positive feedback from its people.

Filed under: Maintenance Contract Management, Service Contract Management | No Comments »

Resellers in today’s marketplace are facing a decline in sales revenue. In the present economic environment, many companies are cutting back on cost by holding off on new purchases. Also, as technology advances and better machines become available, businesses’ need to spend less money on their hardware and software purchases. The new equipment is more powerful, with larger storage capacity, enabling one machine to take the place of as many as 10 of the older models. Thus, when companies need to replace their old equipment, they are able to buy one machine to take the place of multiple units. It has an impact not only on the reseller’s sales, but also the OEM who is also selling lower quantity of equipment.

One way of offsetting the industry’s topline revenue decline, brought on by the new technology and a poor economy, is to turn to service and maintenance contracts. Because of the economic downturn, businesses are looking to extend the life of their equipment, whether existing or new. This presents a great opportunity to capitalize on the higher margin maintenance services.

 Research has shown that up to 50% of the potential service contract business is left untapped. Selling your customers service contracts will enable them to keep their equipment longer while bringing you, the reseller, additional revenue. It is easier to sell to an existing customer and you are providing them with something they really need. Business partners should review their customer lists to look for contracts that are expired or will be expiring; also warranties that are coming to an end, and then try to sell them maintenance service contracts. It will protect their IT investment and provide price increase protection for the life of the contract, resulting in long term savings.

 There are many types of maintenance service contracts. IBM, for example, in an effort to offset the loss of revenue in equipment sales, has expanded their maintenance service contract offerings. In addition to Base Support and Hardware Maintenance, there are custom options such as Account Advocate, Enhance Technical Support, Microsoft Support and Storage Solutions. These contracts provide more personalized service, designed to reduce business impact and maximize return on IT investment. With the many options available, you, the reseller, can offer customizable maintenance contracts in scope and price based on your customer’s needs, from small businesses to large enterprises.

 Take a look at these comprehensive videos, by IBM, to get detailed information on their available offerings, start looking at what your customers’ might have out of, or coming out of, warranty and talk to them about purchasing a maintenance service contract. You will become a valuable partner to your client and maintain profitability in your business with the annual revenue stream that Maintenance Service Contracts provide.

 Account Advocate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpe0KTrQJro

Enhanced Technical Support:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvQyktxn9-U

Microsoft Support:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl0R84O2ipE

System x Solutions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvWPuLOOBMQ

Storage Solutions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv8h-xVPYe0

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This past weekend, on October 23, 2011,  Managed Maintenance co-sponsored “Reach.Achieve.Believe”, a hands-on, basketball clinic for youth grades 5-10. This event was held to support the “2012 Freedom Climb”. By climbing to the Summit of Mt. Kilamanjaro 42 women from across the globe will raise awareness and financial support for women and children being oppressed, enslaved, exploited and trafficked. The basketball clinic was a great success, with the participation of 40 youngsters and 5 of South Florida’s top high school and college basketball coaches.

MMI’s CEO and President, Tina Lux-Boim enlisted the assistance of family, friends, employees and industry peers to help educate middle and high school youth on what it takes to play competitive basketball. They learned conditioning, nutrition and drills to practice at home that will prepare them to be good players in this sport.

Managed Maintenance thanks the many businesses that joined in making this charitable effort possible, and many thanks as well to the people that participated and contributed. The attendance fee, along with donations will go directly to supporting the eradication of human trafficking and the initiatives of The Freedom Climb.

The “Reach, Achieve, Believe” website will be available until November 7, 2011. Please visit to learn more about this worthy cause and make donations in support of the Freedom Climb.

 www.reachachievebelieve.com.

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Service Maintenance Contracts are an important component of a Reseller’s revenue stream. Protecting your customers’ leased hardware is just as critical as servicing the equipment they own. With a multiyear IBM prepaid maintenance contract, which can be financed through IBM Global Financing (IGF), you can offer your clients such protection.

The biggest and most obvious benefits for you as the Reseller is not just the increased revenues of a prepay contract, but also:

• Receiving your profit up front for the entire contract term.
• Keeping credit lines open for additional new hardware business vs. ongoing maintenance contracts.
• Greater leverage in attaining IBM/IGF business incentive targets, rebates and fees.
• Avoid competition for a longer period of time.
• Build a profitable annuity business with ongoing multi-term, prepayment renewals.
• Ask for renewals less frequently and avoid the costs of producing invoices and collecting payments.

For your customer, the biggest benefit is the savings that the prepaid maintenance contract offer. They will immediately save thousands of dollars each year with the prepay term discounts and price protection of having a contract. Multiyear prepayment contracts combined with IBM Global Financing offers clients a more predictable cash flow and can help lower total payments.  Additional benefits for your customer include:

• Locking in the current price longer which helps with budgeting and also avoiding potential annual increases of 3 – 5%.
• Reduction in long term maintenance expense can result in up to 15% in savings over the life of the maintenance contract.
• Save time with a single approval instead of an annual request.
• Reduce administration and processing costs by paying a fixed invoice from IBM Global Financing.
• Customize payment structure to align the cost outlays to projected benefits.
• Clients have the ability to add and delete machines on IBM Pre-Paid Maintenance. The existing IGF invoice does not change.
• If IBM or the Business Partner provides a credit for machines removed from pre-paid maintenance,the client can arrange to have the credit applied to the IBM Global Financing invoice.
• Additional machines added to IBM Pre-Paid Maintenance can also be financed co-terminously with existing maintenance financing.

In today’s economy, it’s all about value and stretching your dollars. Next time you sell Service Maintenance Contracts, consider offering financing. It is a great way to help your customer save money and, as a Reseller, it streamlines your contracts while increasing your revenue and rebates.

Here at Managed Maintenance, Inc., we have a number of offerings designed to help Business Partners improve the profitability of their maintenance business.  To learn more about Managed Maintenance, Inc., visit us at www.managedmaint.com or call us today at 561-869-4399 x1287.

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Having maintenance contracts for your business’ computer equipment ensures that when a problem occurs it is promptly corrected so there is minimal disruption to your operations.  However, placing calls for technical support can be very frustrating, but  if you are prepared with the pertinent information, chances are you will have a successful support call, and problem resolution. If you are dealing with IBM for your equipment service, the following are some tips that will help you to efficiently place your service call.

Before calling 1-800- IBMServ have the following information ready:

• Machine type & serial number
• Contract number
• Copy of Schedule of Services
• Bios and Firmware versions (if applicable)
• Other related info such as error messages and/or logs

Initially, you will be speaking with an IBM remote technical support representative. The representative will help diagnose your hardware problem. If unable to find a solution, technical support will help create a plan to resolve the problem, including recommending parts (if appropriate).

Should you still need to escalate the issue and it is after office hours, ask for the National Duty Manager.

Having all the pertinent information, prior to placing the call, will make it easier for the support staff to locate the information for your machine and expedite problem resolution. The result should be a successful and easier support call experience.

For more information on Managed Maintenance, Inc., or how we can help you manage you IBM maintenance and support contracts and processes, please contact us today at 561-869-4399 or visit us at www.managedmaint.com.

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With MMI’s S.C.R.U.B. Program, you will have a view into your client’s future opportunities, beyond hardware and software maintenance. You will be able to conduct business proactively and become your customers’ “trusted advisor”,  increasing your revenue stream for years to come. 

To learn more about the benefits of this program CLICK HERE

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