Habaneros.com

SharePoint 2010 Beyond the Headlines and the Hype

kanderson — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Media spotlight aside, Habañero completed four projects during SharePoint 2010’s beta cycle that illustrate the breadth of what this impressive platform can do—when combined with an understanding of your needs and some creativity of course!

Here are some SharePoint 2010 stories that went unreported:

"How a municipality reduced its impact on the environment while making employees happier and more productive”

"Saving money and the environment: A utility company helps its largest customers reduce their energy consumption”

"Creating a better place to work is good business for a credit union”

You’ll learn about the solutions behind the above headlines. We won’t bore you with long demos or present an endless list of new features. Instead, we’ll take you through what we learned working with the platform and how SharePoint can deliver real business value to your organization in a short amount of time. It hasn’t been that long since the projects were completed, but the business and social value our clients have already seen has been tremendous!

We’ll also talk about what you can do to get started with SharePoint 2010, if you’re a new user, or if you are considering an upgrade.

About the presenter

Michal Pisarek

Habañero Solution Specialist Michal Pisarek helps Habañero clients drive and deliver value from the SharePoint platform. Michal shares his passion for SharePoint through his blog and his involvement in the Vancouver SharePoint Users Group. He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and a Microsoft Virtual Technical specialist. Michal writes articles on SharePoint for various publications including CMSWire and endusersharepoint.com.

SharePoint 2010 Beyond the Headlines and the Hype

kanderson — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Here are some SharePoint 2010 stories that went unreported:

We’ll also talk about what you can do to get started with SharePoint 2010, if you’re a new user, or if you are considering an upgrade.

About the presenter

Michal Pisarek

SharePoint 2010 Beyond the Headlines and the Hype

kanderson — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:00:00 GMT

How often does a SharePoint solution receive national media attention—covered by sports and business writers in cities across Canada? An innovative use of the new social media features in SharePoint 2010 by Habañero attracted this interest, and it was one of only two solutions featured by Microsoft Canada at their Office launch in May!
Media spotlight aside, Habañero completed four projects during SharePoint 2010’s beta cycle that illustrate the breadth of what this impressive platform can do—when combined with an understanding of your needs and some creativity of course!

Here are some SharePoint 2010 stories that went unreported:

We’ll also talk about what you can do to get started with SharePoint 2010, if you’re a new user, or if you are considering an upgrade.

About the presenter

Michal Pisarek

Take Control of your Financial Reporting Process with Vivid Reports™

kanderson — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Take Control of your Financial Reporting Process with Vivid Reports™ is a series of summer webinars hosted by Habañero Consulting Group. Financial Reporting and Analysis is the first in the series. It will focus on streamlining month-end closing and reporting processes using Vivid Reports 2.0 for Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and AX.

Additional Webinars will include:

Budget and Forecasting with Vivid
Advanced Features - Automation, Payroll Drill, Lead Sheet, Currency Conversion
Report Design

James of Briscoe Solutions will lead the presentation and discussions. James is the founder and President of Briscoe Solutions and Vivid Reports™. Vivid Reports™ is a financial reporting and budgeting tool with a user friendly Excel based client interface, powered by a SQL Server reporting database. Vivid Reports™ has been created to work with Microsoft Dynamics® GP, NAV, SL, AX, Sage Accpac®, and Epicor® accounting systems. It is in use in numerous publicly traded companies, private businesses, government institutions, and non-profit organizations throughout North America.

Participate in a Calgary Microsoft Dynamics User Group

kanderson — Tue, 25 May 2010 07:00:00 GMT

About Dynamics NAV User Groups

Habañero Consulting Group has a long history of starting and sponsoring User Groups in our business community. We were founding members of Vancouver User Experience Group, Vancouver Sharepoint Users Group and Calgary SharePoint Users Group and would like to continue the tradition of enhancing customer experience, knowledge sharing, and community through sponsoring Regional Chapters of NAV User Groups NAVUG in Calgary (CANUG).

We are looking for participants, who will help us to form user groups in our business communities, to drive content and participate in local meetings. The purpose of the user groups is to connect Microsoft Dynamics NAV customers together in their business community and to help to share knowledge and best practices about Microsoft Dynamics NAV and how it is used in business today.

All job roles are welcome and encouraged to participate:

Accounting and Finance
HR/Payroll
Purchasing
Manufacturing
Customer Service/Sales

Interested? Contact Jeff Bacon, Senior Dynamics Consultant

Worldwide Launch of Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010

kanderson — Mon, 10 May 2010 07:00:00 GMT

The Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 global launch takes place on May 12 at 11 a.m. EDT. Habañero will participate in the virtual conversation and later we will join Microsoft to unveil how a SharePoint 2010 solution is already benefiting our clients.

SharePoint 2010 is the business collaboration platform that enables you to connect and empower people through formal and informal business communities, within the enterprise and beyond, and to manage content effectively throughout the information lifecycle. Habeñero has partnered with Microsoft to deliver SharePoint solutions since the first launch of the product.

Collaboration solutions on SharePoint 2010 make it possible to save money through lower training costs, increased IT productivity and cost-effective maintenance, all within a governable and compliant platform. Whether deployed on-premise or as hosted services, these integrated capabilities are enhanced by Search technologies and make it possible to rapidly respond to business needs based on data-driven business insight and faster solutions development and deployment.

For details about the Microsoft virtual launch:

Microsoft Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 Launch.

Planning for 2010: Key Factors for Finance

sgayda — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Adaptive Planning Seminar Series

Featured Presenter

Elliot Fishman, Executive Vice President, Habañero Consulting Group

Overview

Now is the perfect time to take stock of your financial processes and capabilities.

Join us for an informative seminar that will recap the state of financial management in 2009, share up-to-date expectations for economic and corporate performance in 2010, and review best practices for ensuring that your planning and reporting support your company’s success in the coming year.

Specifically, you will learn:

how your 2009 budgeting and planning processes stack up
what your peers assume for 2010 economic and corporate growth
best practices for easily preparing actual vs. plan reports and analyses
keys to better-informed decisions and responding with agility as conditions change
how to play a truly strategic role in leading your company in 2010

Find out more about Adaptive Planning, a leader in on-demand budgeting, forecasting, and reporting solutions.

Align IT 2010 Vancouver

sgayda — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Featured Habañero panelist

Brian Edwards, Collaboration Practice Leader

Listen

Recordings of the Q&A discussions were posted on the Canadian IT Manager's Blog.

About Microsoft Align IT 2010

It’s a new year and there’s a new innovation we can’t wait to share with you - the highly anticipated Microsoft Office 2010.

Microsoft Office 2010 will help you build a stronger business productivity infrastructure, manage vital information and help you benefit from the advantages of harmonized multi-platform communication to increase worker productivity. And with help from Microsoft Certified Partners and experts, we’ll show you how to do it all most effectively.

At Align IT 2010, we’ll demonstrate just how Microsoft Office 2010 teamed with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 can help you optimize your team’s performance and economize your time while you grow your business. The information you’ll receive is valuable.

Find out more about Align IT 2010.

Align IT 2010 Calgary

sgayda — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Featured Habañero panelist

Jason McIntyre, Regional Director, Alberta.

Listen

Recordings of the Q&A discussions were posted on the Canadian IT Manager's Blog.

About Microsoft Align IT 2010

Find out more about Align IT 2010.

Managing SharePoint 2010 Using PowerShell

sgayda — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Presented by Vancouver SharePoint User Group (VanSPUG)

Featured Habañero presenter: Charles Cote

Overview

In this session we will cover how to get started with managing SharePoint 2010 using Windows PowerShell. This powerful command-line scripting tool allows IT pros to interact directly with SharePoint 2010 (and many other systems).

Topics to be covered

quick overview of the PowerShell Engine
new capabilities of PowerShell with SharePoint 2010
automating the SharePoint 2010 installation and configuring a new farm
provisioning and configuring service applications
creating new web applications and site collections
creating scheduled SharePoint backups

SharePint at Steamworks

sgayda — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Presented by: VanSPUG

Did you know that you all have a lot to share about SharePoint?

There is quite a lot of hype around SharePoint 2010 and a few of you have first-hand experience. We could talk about the the top five features and/or things we've learned in SP2010. We could also talk about some of the issues/bugs/gotchyas that we've run into and what we've done about it.

This is meant to be a fun social event where we get together and talk about - you guessed it - SharePoint!

Technology as a Driver of Change

sgayda — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:00:00 GMT

As part of the University of Calgary's 40th Annual Business Day Conference, Ismail Qadry will co-host breakout sessions for participants. The topic for the sessions will centre around around "The Evolution of Business" and will explore how technology is a driving force behind change in business.

Vancouver TechFest 2009

sgayda — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Habañero presenters

David Webb, Michael Schweitzer, Yaroslav Pentsarskyy, and Sing Chan

About TechFest

The 3rd Annual Vancouver Technology Festival features an exciting day of presentations by and for the local community. A place for developers and IT professionals to come and learn from their peers, TechFest offers presentation topics based on community interest.

For the third year in a row Habañero Consulting Group was invited to participate. The following four developers will present:

David Webb - Tracing and the SQL Server Profiler - View the video.
Michael Schweitzer - The Power of Reflection - View the video.
Yaroslav Pentsarskyy - SharePoint 2010: What's New for SharePoint 2007 Developers?
Sing Chan - Creating jQuery Web Parts for SharePoint - View the video.

Find out more about TechFest.

SharePoint External & Internal Information Management - Tips & Tricks

sgayda — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Presented by: VanSPUG

Featured Habañero presenter: Yaroslav Penstarskyy

View the code from the demonstration.

Overview

This event is jointly organized by both the VanSPUG and .netBC user groups.

A new version of SharePoint is around the corner. Microsoft is expected to release NDA restrictions on SharePoint 2010 on Monday Oct. 19, 2009, so we clearly are not just going to talk about the out-of-the-box features of SharePoint 2007. Brace yourself for the newest kid on the block: SharePoint 2010.

In this session we'll focus on various types of data that you're likely to consume in your SharePoint solution and look at some of the ways to process it with maximum utilization of out-of-the-box functionality and of course with some custom logic. These types of data will be discussed:

Content types: how do you locate data and records on your SharePoint server quickly and efficiently?
Streaming media on your SharePoint server - you're not planning to upload it all to your document libraries? In what format do you save your media?
Office applications interoperability - you have data in a list and want to convert it to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint? We'll take a look at how this can be done.

We'll discuss some pros and cons of several approaches and provide sample code for developers in the audience to go and try things out themselves.

Tuning Your Talent: Approaches to Performance Management

sgayda — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:00:00 GMT

Featured Habañero panelist

Steven Fitzgerald, President

Overview

As part of the 2009 Human Capital Symposium put on by the HR Tech Group, Steven Fitzgerald will participate in a panel discussion about effective HR practices and will offer a brief overview of Habañero's approach to performance management.

The Human Capital Symposium is a one-day forum that will bring together tech leaders and HR professionals from the technology community to share and learn about best people practices.

Edmonton Oilers Scouting Portal

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:33:20 GMT

Find out how Habañero boosted the Edmonton Oilers scouting capabilities through the creation of a dedicated scouting portal.

BC Hydro Energy Managers Community Site

Wed, 12 May 2010 20:55:54 GMT

Find out how BC Hydro's Energy Managers Community Site helps organizations save energy and money.

Intranet & Portal

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:23:14 GMT

Find out about the City of Calgary's portal, the largest and one of the most comprehensive municpal deployments of MOSS in Canada.

Call Reports System

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:11:07 GMT

Find out how Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada increased efficiencies and consistency in collecting, reporting, and tracking the issues and service requests of Retailers.

NAV Implementation

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:37:17 GMT

Find out more about Day4 Energy's scalable and easy-to-use ERP system.

Website

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:55:00 GMT

Find out more about how CAPP's effective, user-friendly website engages diverse audience groups.

On-boarding Solution

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:53:49 GMT

Find out about the MOSS 2007 solution for on-boarding new emplolyees that has increased productivity, saved time, and streamlined workflow at EPCOR.

Dynamics AX Enhancement

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:32:13 GMT

Find out how Habañero helped Houweling Nurseries generate accurate reports from a single Dynamics AX data source.

ERP Strategic Planning Project

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:42:15 GMT

Find out more about the ERP strategic plan Habañero developed for Archipelago Marine Research that helps create alignment between IT and business strategy.

Data Warehousing and Reporting Solution

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:59:44 GMT

Find out how the school division reduced time and costs with its new data warehouse and reporting solution.

Contoso Bike Club

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:50:13 GMT

Find out more about the Contoso Bike Club application, a mash-up based on publicly available Windows Live Services that provides a whole host of features and increasingly rich programmability.

Foundation Invitational Website

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:44:13 GMT

Learn about the rebranded Sitefinity website Habañero created for BPFI organizers in under one month.

Your Tribute Website

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:43:19 GMT

Find out more about the improved, user-friendly interface we created for Your Tribute.

Website

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:42:47 GMT

Discover how the Port Metro Vancouver website became an information-rich and action-oriented source for a diverse audience group.

Website

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:40:48 GMT

Find out more about the website Habañero created for Boston Pizza that leverages the Sitefinity CMS and provides an enhanced experience for guests.

Don't miss Tech Days 2010

kanderson — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:12:17 GMT

Experts from Habañero are excited to be presenting at this year's Tech Days 2010. The Microsoft event is a training conference for IT professionals and developers. Participants will learn about current technologies, network with peers, and take away valuable resources.

Habañero technical and infrastructure specialists will be presenting sessions in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Go to the Tech Days 2010 website for more details and to register for the event.

A SharePoint 2010 development must-have

kanderson — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:48:10 GMT

Habañero congratulates Technical Specialist Yaroslav Pentsarskyy for his newly published book Top 60 custom solutions built on Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. The book navigates through technical and business scenarios providing a developer with tested code and the complete picture of a SharePoint 2010 solution.

Yaroslav, a valued member of the Habañero team, has received the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) designation for the past two years and was recently also designated a Microsoft Virtual Technical Specialist. He posts frequent SharePoint insights to Habañero's blog, as well as maintaining his own SharePoint blog, sharemuch.com.

Yaroslav will be presenting at the upcoming Microsoft Tech Days training conference. He will be hosting sessions in Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.

Habañero technical specialist awarded Microsoft MVP

kanderson — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:22:11 GMT

Habañero congratulates Yaroslav Pentsarskyy for being designated a 2010 Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in SharePoint. This is the second year in a row Yaroslav has received the designation.

The MVP award is a way for Microsoft to recognize independent experts in various product areas. MVPs get access to pre-release versions of various products and can make a direct impact on what goes into the product final shipping product. There are only six SharePoint MVPs in Canada and 193 worldwide.

According to Microsoft, “To receive the Microsoft MVP Award, MVP nominees undergo a rigorous review process. A panel that includes members of the MVP team and Microsoft product groups evaluates each nominee's technical expertise and voluntary community contributions for the past 12 months. The panel considers the quality, quantity, and level of impact of the MVP nominee's contributions. Active MVPs receive the same level of scrutiny as other new candidates each year.”

The following is an interview by Kris Anderson of Habañero with Yaroslav about the Microsoft MVP award.

What is the MVP program all about?

The MVP program is not just technical in nature. It’s also about helping a community of users and customers with product adoption. The role of an MVP is to be a leader in the community and drive engagement from developers, IT professionals, and information workers. These roles all ask different types of questions and need different types of support.

How do you become an MVP?

MVPs are nominated by other MVPs, Microsoft staff, or other technical community members. You are expected to supply a portfolio which identifies things like users groups in which you are a presenter, conferences you’ve spoken at, blogs you’ve written, or books you written. They ask for all your references. A Microsoft product team reviews it. People who are nominated do get rejected. It’s not an easy award to get.

What do you get?

You get access to the product team that develops various products, in my case SharePoint. There’s a yearly summit in Redmond where MVPs are invited to get together and the product team asks what we’d like to see in future releases. We’re participating in a three year strategic vision. It’s cool to see what Microsoft is currently working on and what will be coming out in three years. It gives me a real sense of engagement.

What does being awarded an MVP mean to you?

It’s a big honour. Microsoft is a leader in software development and the practices and standards we follow internally at Habañero come from them, so to be recognized by Microsoft is huge. They don’t recognize many people and those they do recognize are really impressive.

It sounds like achieving the MVP designation requires that you make a big commitment of your own time?

I think part of it is personality and I would be doing the same thing even if I wasn’t an MVP. After spending a lot of time solving a problem you want to share what you’ve learned with others. It’s also really important to get feedback to determine if there might be a better solution out there that someone else has discovered.

What was your contribution to the SharePoint 2010 beta release?

I wrote a lot on SharePoint’s new social features and wrote SharePoint how-to’s, short-cuts, and tips-and-tricks. There were a lot of bugs we found in the betas of both Visual Studio and SharePoint that we didn’t want to have to deal with later on, so it was great to be able to directly contribute to the product’s QA in this way.

Did Habañero support you in achieving MVP recognition?

I have not seen a company that encourages professional and personal development as much as Habañero. We have time allocated for blogging, training requests are rarely denied, resources (like books) are never an issue, and taking exams is encouraged and paid for. The overall team is really supportive and collaborative. We have knowledge sharing sessions all the time. A lot credit goes to Habañero for this particular award. It’s great to work at company that appreciates such efforts.

What’s next?

I’m going to continue my work contributing to blogs, video tutorials, user groups, and conferences. I’m also very excited about a publication I’ll have coming out this fall! Stay tuned to my blog for more details in coming weeks.

Habañero featured in TransLink ad campaign

kanderson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:55:38 GMT

Habañero President, Steven Fitzgerald, is featured in a TransLink ad campaign that aims to promote corporate responsibility for reducing car traffic.

The campaign is run through TransLink's TravelSmart program, which was created to help reduce single occupancy vehicles and the huge impact cars have on the environment. The program had a major success during the 2010 Winter Games when the region met a goal of reducing vehicle trips by 30 percent and transit ridership reached an incredible daily average of 1.6 million passengers.

The TravelSmart program has recognized Habañero as a TravelSmart Workplace, which is one that helps to empower employees in making choices that benefit their own health and the health of the environment. Fundamental to the idea of a TravelSmart Workplace is that corporate leaders should set an example for the rest of the company with their own lifestyle choices.

Initially, the TravelSmart Workplace ad will run in the BC Business Top 100 issue in July and the Business in Vancouver Green issue in August. The ad shows Steven and another man standing in an elevator clad in cycling wear. A caption below the photo reads "Two bike couriers? Nope. One is a company president." It is also featured on TransLink's website.

Steven is a long-time bike commuter and avid mountain biker. He and company partner Rick Martin will be riding in the BC Bike Race, which is a seven day mountain bike race. Leading up to and during the race they are documenting their experience through the company blog.

Habañero a Progressive Employer of Canada

kanderson — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:34:41 GMT

Habañero is once again on the Progressive Employers of Canada List. The purpose of the list is to encourage organizations to be mom-friendly and to ultimately see more supportive workplaces for women.

"Habañero Consulting Group is among a select group of 'mom-friendly' employers who are leading progressive change in the Canadian workplace for working parents and their families," said Sarah Fowles on behalf of Connect Moms, momcafé, and Lisa Martin International.

Connect Moms, momcafé, and Lisa Martin International (founder of the Briefcase Moms Program) initiated the Progressive Employers of Canada List in 2009, after conducting a nationwide survey in November 2008 asking moms what they were looking for in a workplace of choice. Habañero made the 2009 list as well.

View the complete list:

2010 Progressive Employers of Canada

Edmonton Oilers Solution Receives National Media Attention

kanderson — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:46:00 GMT

Habañero's innovative use of SharePoint 2010 received national media attention after a collaboration portal built for Edmonton Oilers hockey scouts was unveiled as part of the official Microsoft Office and SharePoint 2010 Canada launch. The portal enables Oilers scouts to browse player videos online, read detailed player stats and review comments made by each of the scouts—all in real time.

View the full articles:

Oilers aim to score with Scouting 2.0 National Post May 12, 2010

Microsoft SharePoint shoots and scores Computer Dealer News May 13, 2010

Using New Technology to Build a Winning Hockey Team

kanderson — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:00:20 GMT

Vancouver—Next hockey season don’t be surprised to see the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs thanks to technology designed to help the club select the best draft picks. Today, Habañero Consulting Group, in partnership with Microsoft, unveiled the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Scout Portal at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

The solution was built using Microsoft Office SharePoint 2010, which was also officially launched today. The portal allows Oilers scouts, who are spread across the globe, to easily share player information with each other and with Oilers executive management. The portal gives a player-centric view of potential draft picks with a look-and-feel similar to popular social networking sites. Video footage of a particular player’s shifts on ice and key information such as media reports, statistics, ranking lists, and NHL fitness test results can all be viewed on a particular player’s page where scouts and management can use a number of collaboration features.

“The technology allows scouts to browse player videos online, read detailed player stats and review comments made by each of the scouts—all in real time. Previously it took days for questions or discussions to be resolved. The Edmonton Oilers scouting portal is already proving to be a tremendous asset to the Club,” said Habañero Senior Consultant Rick Martin.

Habañero has had success building solutions on the SharePoint platform since its first release. The company uses the technology to enable its clients to improve employee productivity, increase organizational collaboration, and ultimately deliver real business value in a number of new and unique ways.

“There are real benefits to be had for the Oilers from an administrative and cost savings perspective, but the greatest business value is to help the club win the Stanley Cup. That’s an exceptional business case to be able to make, and I absolutely think the Scouting Portal can help them do it,” said Martin.

For Information on SharePoint 2010 Solutions:

Rick Martin
604.709.6201 x 101

Habañero Moves up Two Places on Computer Dealer News Top 100

kanderson — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:30:00 GMT

Habañero moved up two places to #89 in the Computer Dealer News annual Canadian Top 100 Solution Provider Survey for 2009. Habañero ranked #91 in the 2008 survey and #102 in 2007.

CDN defines an information technology solution provider as an organization that resells computer hardware, software or peripheral products along with providing IT related services and consulting in both an on-premise fashion or as a managed service.

Open-book Management at Habañero Featured in Financial Post

kanderson — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:11:00 GMT

Habañero Consulting Group’s success with open-book management, was featured in the Financial Post May 3, 2010. Habañero Executive Vice President Elliot Fishman told the Post how opening the books to employees has helped them weather change and become more engaged in the financial decision-making process. Habañero, privately-owned, presents financial statements to the whole company every month.

Open-book management is not new to Habañero. The books have been open to employees since 2002. Fishman said that getting employees to see the value in following the company’s profits and losses has been a worthwhile effort. Senior Information Architect Mallory O'Connor, also interviewed for the article, goes on to say that the open-book policy deepens employees’ commitment to Habañero.

View the full article:
Opening doors opens eyes Financial Post May 3, 2010

Habañero Makes Branham300 List

sgayda — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:15:17 GMT

Habañero ranked #222 on the Top 250 Canadian Technology Companies list featured in the 2010 edition of the Branham300, which was also printed in the March/April edition of Backbone Magazine.

The Branham300—the most comprehensive listing of publicly traded and privately held IT companies in Canada—is published annually. View the complete list.

Tech Update

sgayda — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:56:46 GMT

SharePoint Success!

Delivering a successful solution that drives business value upon the SharePoint platform is without a doubt a complex technical undertaking. Over the last nine years developing SharePoint solutions, Habañero has learned that technical excellence is only one important component. There are several other fundamental factors critical to success:

an accurate and common understanding of the business value being delivered by the solution
a common understanding among stakeholders of what the solution will do
a common understanding among stakeholders of how the solution will be delivered
an equitable, mutually beneficial, and trust-based relationship between all parties

While these fundamentals are so simple and obvious, they often get ignored and over-looked.

To find out more about how to ensure the success of your SharePoint solution, contact Rick Martin, Senior Consultant.

HST Impact on BC Clients

British Columbia will be harmonizing its provincial sales tax (PST) with the federal goods and services tax (GST) effective July 1, 2010. From this date forward, all sales of goods and services will be taxed at 12%.

This will impact our BC clients in two ways:

We will ensure that we have captured all services provided prior to July 1 in your June invoice. If your project is fixed-fee or milestone-based, you should work with your project manager to schedule milestone completions prior to July 1, if possible, to avoid additional tax.
You will be able to claim investment tax credits for the full amount of HST, whereas currently there is no tax credit available for the amount of PST paid on products and software licensing.

For Dynamics ERP clients, you may benefit from delaying your purchase of software licensing or products until after July 1, as you will be able to claim ITC on those post-July 1 purchases.

Questions? Contact Elliot Fishman, Executive Vice-President.

Have You Installed MOSS 2007 SP2 Yet?

Ensure Microsoft support for your MOSS 2007 implementation continues. Based on Microsoft's standard Service Pack support criteria for Mainstream Support, support for SharePoint 2007 implementations without Service Pack 2 may end as early as April 28th, 2010.

Service packs are released by Microsoft on a regular basis to combine software updates and fixes into a single package. Performing regular software patching and service pack installations is important to maintain a secure and reliable software environment. In many cases, new software updates will not install unless an up-to-date service pack is installed.

Find more information in this blog post. Learn more about the Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Convergence 2010

Atlanta, Georgia, April 24-27

Don't miss out on the premier Microsoft Dynamics event. Convergence is a great opportunity to learn how to get the most from your Microsoft Dynamics business solution. This year's action-packed agenda is filled with a wealth of informative sessions that cover multiple product lines including NAV and AX.

Habañero will be at the conference and would love you to join us. If you can't be there, let us know if there's specific information you'd like us to find out or key highlights you'd like to be informed of.

Contact Jeff Bacon, Senior Consultant, Dynamics.

Top 50 Best Employers

We were pleased to be named number 19 among the Top 50 Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada. The study was published in The Globe and Mail and PROFIT Magazine.

Find out more.

New BC Regional Director

We're pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Radcliffe as our new Regional Director for British Columbia. Known to many of our clients and partners already, Chris will be responsible for creating and implementing a go-to-market strategy, executing the regional sales plan, and developing client relationships.

As Chris states, "Our immediate focus in BC will be to help existing clients plan for and realize new benefits within SharePoint 2010. Coming out of a rough economic period, we anticipate additional pressure on technology spending and are ready to support new business case justifications. We also plan to introduce new post-project evaluation services to help measure long-term impacts and business benefit."

SharePoint 2010

We've just finished four SharePoint 2010 solutions and have learned a lot about the new platform in the process! Our blog is packed with valuable information that can save developers a lot of time.

Wondering what we think are the most significant improvements in the new version of SharePoint? Considering an upgrade but not sure if it makes sense for your company? Refer to our December Tech Update.

Radcliffe Habañero's New Regional Leader for BC

sgayda — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:40:17 GMT

Habañero Consulting Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Radcliffe as the new Regional Leader for British Columbia. Radcliffe brings extensive experience in client experience management, project delivery, senior level consulting, risk management, and financial analysis, and he has worked extensively with Habañero’s Practice Leaders to develop our service offerings.

As BC’s Regional Leader, Radcliffe is responsible for creating and implementing a go-to-market strategy, executing the regional sales plan, and developing strategic client relationships. With a strong vision for the business potential in the region, Radcliffe presents a compelling approach for integrating the role into Habañero’s existing and evolving leadership structure.

As Radcliffe states, “We will continue focusing on deepening engagement with strategic relationships in BC. To help clients coming out of a rough economic period, we will concentrate efforts on pre-project business justifications and post-project business impact valuations.” He adds, “I look forward to the exciting challenges this position brings and to expanding Habañero’s positive impact within our client base.”

Contact Chris Radcliffe.

Habañero an Alberta's Best Workplaces Finalist

sgayda — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:03:17 GMT

Habañero was a finalist in three categories on the Alberta’s Best Workplaces 2010 list, as featured in Alberta Venture Magazine. The awards recognize those Alberta-based companies leading the way in corporate culture and human resource development.

Habañero received honourable mentions in the following three categories:

Best Workplace for Working Parents
Best Workplace for Volunteerism and Community Involvement
Best Overall Workplace (Under 100 Employees)

Jason McIntyre, Habañero's Regional Director for Alberta, is proud of the achievement. "We have a really strong team of talented people here. Given the amount of time our employees spend at the office, it's important that work is an enriching part of their lives." He adds, "The positive byproduct of our engaged staff is that our clients and partners are better served and enabled to meet their business objectives."

Habañero Ranks #19 on Top 50 Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada

sgayda — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:44:00 GMT

Habañero Consulting Group is pleased to be named number 19 among the Top 50 Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada. The study, now in its sixth year, is published in the Globe and Mail and PROFIT Magazine.

Becoming a Top Best Small and Medium Employer is a very detailed and competitive process. This national awards program recognizes top employers with between 50 and 400 employees. This study mirrors the renowned Best Employer in Canada initiative run by partner, Hewitt Associates; however, it caters to smaller businesses.

The rankings are primarily determined using the results from Employee Opinion Surveys. Here, 21 key engagement drivers are detailed and analyzed. The evaluation process also includes the assessment of organization practices and perspectives from the leadership team. This year, more than 200 companies across Canada registered to participate in the study.

View the full list in the Globe and Mail.
View the press release from the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing at the Queen’s School of Business

For media inquiries related to the study, please contact Sandra Olszowka, Queen's Centre for Business Venturing, Queen's School of Business, 613.533.3119, solszowka@business.queensu.ca.

Tech Update

sgayda — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:36:13 GMT

Get ready for SharePoint 2010

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 is now available in Beta. Habañero had some input into the development of this version, picked up a ton of great information at the SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas, and is currently working with the platform internally.

So what are the most significant improvements in the new version of SharePoint? Here's what we think:

ability to build even better user experiences
enhanced functionality in all core areas (business intelligence, content and records management, search)
integration of Performance Point Server features
better licensing options: standard and enterprise licences will be available for external websites
enhanced Web 2.0 concepts and features throughout the platform including status features, social tagging, blog and wiki capabilities, and team sites that work like wikis
ability for end-users (as opposed to just developers) to create mash-up applications
support for multi-millions of records in lists and libraries

To upgrade or not to upgrade?

The decision to upgrade your SharePoint environment isn't straightforward. To help you out, here are some scenarios where upgrading would make sense:

you want to reduce the overall administration cost of the product
you want to extend the platform to better collaborate with clients and partners with multi-browser and multi-lingual support
you want to upgrade slowly in stages but still keep your original (2007) site's design
you have an Enterprise Service Agreement (ESA) so there are no licensing costs for you

However, there are definitely cases where upgrading does not make sense. For example, if you are getting good business value from your MOSS 2007 implementation or do not have an ESA, you may be better off investing in another area that will deliver greater returns.

No matter what the technology, an upgrade decision still needs to be based on answers to fundamental questions: How will the platform align with your key business drivers? Where will you get value? What is the roadmap for the project over time? What are your core governance processes that will ensure the implementation maintains its value over time?

Identifying ROI essential in a tough economy

Today's tough economic times call for even more stringent technology project planning. It's imperative that plans outline a solid business case including details on the expected return on investment.

Spending a bit more time thinking projects through at the outset can really help. Strategic planning activities, business roadmapping, pilot programs, and proof-of-concepts are all designed to ensure your business makes smart investments that will pay off in the long-term.

There are some good examples of businesses applying this kind of initial planning in order to enable wise business decision making:

Day4 Energy integrated Microsoft BizTalk with its ERP solution to reduce resource overhead and create reporting efficiency in its manufacturing process. Day4 anticipates ROI in approximately three months.
For another client, Habañero created a five-year portal roadmap that tightly integrated with other business initiatives and goals during that same period and that outlined projected business value.
Many clients have accessed Habañero's Total Cost of Ownership Calculator for SharePoint. This tool informs clients of the costs and benefits of managing a SharePoint solution over a five-year period.

Top reasons to consider SharePoint for Internet Sites

Recently Habañero's Ben Skelton and Jasvir Shukla presented a Microsoft TechNet webcast citing the top ten reasons for hosting websites on SharePoint for Internet Sites. Some of the most compelling reasons include ease of integration with other Microsoft technologies, a rich workflow foundation, rich content management system features, and more. View the full presentation.

ERP and the environment

Recent studies indicate that one of businesses' top environmental goals is energy and emissions reduction. Habañero recently introduced a new cost-effective ERP software solution that measures and tracks energy consumption and emissions according to greenhouse gas accounting principles. Contact Jeff Bacon, Senior Consultant, Dynamics, at 604.709.6201 x172 for more details on this offering.

Habañero selected as best employer again for 2009

For the second year in a row, Habañero was selected as a Best Company to Work for in BC by BC Business Magazine and as a Best Place to Work in Calgary by Avenue Magazine. Find out more.

Need more information?

For more information about SharePoint or Habañero's services, feel free to contact Brian Edwards, Habañero's Practice Leader, Collaboration, at 604.709.6201 x117.

Don't miss Tech Days 2010

kanderson — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:12:17 GMT

Habañero technical and infrastructure specialists will be presenting sessions in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Go to the Tech Days 2010 website for more details and to register for the event.

A SharePoint 2010 development must-have

kanderson — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:48:10 GMT

Yaroslav will be presenting at the upcoming Microsoft Tech Days training conference. He will be hosting sessions in Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.

Habañero technical specialist awarded Microsoft MVP

kanderson — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:22:11 GMT

The following is an interview by Kris Anderson of Habañero with Yaroslav about the Microsoft MVP award.

What is the MVP program all about?

How do you become an MVP?

What do you get?

What does being awarded an MVP mean to you?

It sounds like achieving the MVP designation requires that you make a big commitment of your own time?

What was your contribution to the SharePoint 2010 beta release?

Did Habañero support you in achieving MVP recognition?

What’s next?

Habañero featured in TransLink ad campaign

kanderson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:55:38 GMT

Habañero President, Steven Fitzgerald, is featured in a TransLink ad campaign that aims to promote corporate responsibility for reducing car traffic.

Habañero a Progressive Employer of Canada

kanderson — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:34:41 GMT

View the complete list:

2010 Progressive Employers of Canada

Edmonton Oilers Solution Receives National Media Attention

kanderson — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:46:00 GMT

View the full articles:

Oilers aim to score with Scouting 2.0 National Post May 12, 2010

Microsoft SharePoint shoots and scores Computer Dealer News May 13, 2010

Using New Technology to Build a Winning Hockey Team

kanderson — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:00:20 GMT

For Information on SharePoint 2010 Solutions:

Rick Martin
604.709.6201 x 101

Habañero Moves up Two Places on Computer Dealer News Top 100

kanderson — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:30:00 GMT

Habañero moved up two places to #89 in the Computer Dealer News annual Canadian Top 100 Solution Provider Survey for 2009. Habañero ranked #91 in the 2008 survey and #102 in 2007.

Open-book Management at Habañero Featured in Financial Post

kanderson — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:11:00 GMT

View the full article:
Opening doors opens eyes Financial Post May 3, 2010

Habañero Makes Branham300 List

sgayda — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 19:15:17 GMT

Habañero ranked #222 on the Top 250 Canadian Technology Companies list featured in the 2010 edition of the Branham300, which was also printed in the March/April edition of Backbone Magazine.

The Branham300—the most comprehensive listing of publicly traded and privately held IT companies in Canada—is published annually. View the complete list.

Tech Update

sgayda — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:56:46 GMT

SharePoint Success!

an accurate and common understanding of the business value being delivered by the solution
a common understanding among stakeholders of what the solution will do
a common understanding among stakeholders of how the solution will be delivered
an equitable, mutually beneficial, and trust-based relationship between all parties

HST Impact on BC Clients

We will ensure that we have captured all services provided prior to July 1 in your June invoice. If your project is fixed-fee or milestone-based, you should work with your project manager to schedule milestone completions prior to July 1, if possible, to avoid additional tax.
You will be able to claim investment tax credits for the full amount of HST, whereas currently there is no tax credit available for the amount of PST paid on products and software licensing.

Have You Installed MOSS 2007 SP2 Yet?

Convergence 2010

Atlanta, Georgia, April 24-27

Top 50 Best Employers

We were pleased to be named number 19 among the Top 50 Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada. The study was published in The Globe and Mail and PROFIT Magazine.

Find out more.

New BC Regional Director

SharePoint 2010

Radcliffe Habañero's New Regional Leader for BC

sgayda — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:40:17 GMT

Contact Chris Radcliffe.

Habañero an Alberta's Best Workplaces Finalist

sgayda — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:03:17 GMT

Habañero received honourable mentions in the following three categories:

Best Workplace for Working Parents
Best Workplace for Volunteerism and Community Involvement
Best Overall Workplace (Under 100 Employees)

Habañero Ranks #19 on Top 50 Best Small & Medium Employers in Canada

sgayda — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:44:00 GMT

View the full list in the Globe and Mail.
View the press release from the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing at the Queen’s School of Business

For media inquiries related to the study, please contact Sandra Olszowka, Queen's Centre for Business Venturing, Queen's School of Business, 613.533.3119, solszowka@business.queensu.ca.

Tech Update

sgayda — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:36:13 GMT

Get ready for SharePoint 2010

ability to build even better user experiences
enhanced functionality in all core areas (business intelligence, content and records management, search)
integration of Performance Point Server features
better licensing options: standard and enterprise licences will be available for external websites
enhanced Web 2.0 concepts and features throughout the platform including status features, social tagging, blog and wiki capabilities, and team sites that work like wikis
ability for end-users (as opposed to just developers) to create mash-up applications
support for multi-millions of records in lists and libraries

To upgrade or not to upgrade?

The decision to upgrade your SharePoint environment isn't straightforward. To help you out, here are some scenarios where upgrading would make sense:

you want to reduce the overall administration cost of the product
you want to extend the platform to better collaborate with clients and partners with multi-browser and multi-lingual support
you want to upgrade slowly in stages but still keep your original (2007) site's design
you have an Enterprise Service Agreement (ESA) so there are no licensing costs for you

Identifying ROI essential in a tough economy

Day4 Energy integrated Microsoft BizTalk with its ERP solution to reduce resource overhead and create reporting efficiency in its manufacturing process. Day4 anticipates ROI in approximately three months.
For another client, Habañero created a five-year portal roadmap that tightly integrated with other business initiatives and goals during that same period and that outlined projected business value.
Many clients have accessed Habañero's Total Cost of Ownership Calculator for SharePoint. This tool informs clients of the costs and benefits of managing a SharePoint solution over a five-year period.

Top reasons to consider SharePoint for Internet Sites

ERP and the environment

Habañero selected as best employer again for 2009

For the second year in a row, Habañero was selected as a Best Company to Work for in BC by BC Business Magazine and as a Best Place to Work in Calgary by Avenue Magazine. Find out more.

Need more information?

For more information about SharePoint or Habañero's services, feel free to contact Brian Edwards, Habañero's Practice Leader, Collaboration, at 604.709.6201 x117.