Unofficial Spiceworks

Yesterday Spiceworks released two new videos on there YouTube Channel the first one about the new iPhone app and the other about the driven employees of Spiceworks.

For all the other cool videos checkout http://www.youtube.com/spiceworks

The Spiceworks 5.1 beta is out!

Get it now from 5.1 Beta I Build Now Available (5.1.63718), make sure you read the 5.1 Testing Guidelines and 5.1 Test Plan.

I will be writing a full review soon, for now checkout some of the features set to be included in our last post here.

Checkout the community 5.1 group for the latest information.

The new Spiceworks 5.1 beta is even closer to being released with Nic posting up some of the new features “Sneak Peek at 5.1 Features” these features are very exciting and include:

• Multi-Threading – The team of awesome developers have made lots of changes and upgrades to the webserver and database included in Spiceworks to allow more concurrent browser requests. This is designed to speed up and improve your experience when navigating around and carrying out tasks.
• Google Apps Integration – Like you can with RackSpace at the moment you will be able to monitor different aspects of Google Apps for Business showing the Spiceworks really is moving towards helping you manage lots of different cloud services.
• Network Graphs, Alerts and Reports – You can already check some network usage in the device view and in the network map but now you will be able to produce better graphs, alerts for high usage and reports. All aimed at helping you make sure your network is always working efficiently.
• UPS Support – You will now be able to scan and check the battery status of lots of different UPS devices thanks to a partnership with Eaton, the developers have already almost upset Kris the IT guy by leaving the UPS unplugged when testing.

All of this is very exciting and we can’t wait to get our hands on the beta version to start play with and finding all the other new and updated features.

Make sure you join the beta group today.

The new and exciting Spiceworks iPhone application has been released, packed full of loads of the feature you get in the Spiceworks application SpiceHeads can now now manage there inventory, helpdesk and much more on the go.

There has been a month and a half long beta testing process to get this far with around 58 topics being posted in the beta group by the testers. If you didn’t meet the testing team pop over to the community here.

Download it now from iTunes here

The developers over at Spiceworks HQ have said they will look at other mobile devices like android and Windows7 depending on how successful the iPhone version is. For now these user’s like me can use the mobile helpdesk by ObieOne now supported by SpiceworksLounge.com or TIcketsAnywhere which is my preferred method..

Please note that the app is only officially available from iTunes as “This is the standard process for an app to be provided for users of these products – either by downloading the app into iTunes and syncing it onto your iDevice, or downloading the app directly on the device using the App Store app.” quote from Ben.B (Spiceworks)

There are unofficial methods but Unofficial Spiceworks and Spiceworks ask you to use the official methods, it helps with the stats and gives the team a good feeling for the more downloads they get.

Have fun and make sure you leave your feedback on the community.

As some of you already know Spiceworks are going to be holding a SpiceRex Party next month the trouble is Nic may have dropped SpiceRex down a drain although he wont admit it various Spiceworks staff saw him do it after SpiceRex bit his bum for a joke.

Raychelle is now running a world wide poster contest with the help of his biggest fans us SpiceHeads to ensure he gets back safe, even if he’s a little wet.

Its a great prize this time around! The top 3 posters will get a mention at the party, a cool SpiceRex Plushie and a T-Shirt.

The grand prize winner will end up with:

• Up to $1000 USD towards a trip to Austin for the SpiceRex Party
• 1 full workday at Spiceworks HQ for 1:1 training, troubleshooting and Q&A with our top Spiceworks experts – Monday March 14 – before the party.
• and a chauffered ride to the SpiceRex party with Nic, our now hated Community Manager

The Image Specifications for the contest are:

• Final poster will need to be 2100×2100
• Format: JPG or PNG.
• When posting your submission here in the community, make sure it’s 500KB or smaller, larger better quality files can be emailed to Nic if you win.
• Submissions must include the following (see bottom of post for images):
  • Spiceworks Logo & Microsoft Business Logo
  • SpiceRex Image (Image 1 or Image 2)
  • These words/phrases: The SpiceRex Party, March 14, 2011

Post your submission on the community here!

Need an idea to get you started? Check out this submission by Steve from a previous contest.

The Spiceworks community has a new group, for the new Spiceworks 5.1 beta program that is starting soon.

We don’t yet have any details on what’s coming in this version but with lots of recent activity from shavlik on the community we may start to see some of the new patch management and monitoring that was announced late last year.

This is how ever only a minor release version so we are not expecting it to be the fully fledge system if it is in there. We do know there will be lots of bug fixes and a couple of minor improvements built in though.

Some features are also set to be removed. According to a post last year the “Old User Portal” and “Ticket Notification Templates – Template per Event” are going to be removed. This is to allow the developers to build better features.

More news as we get it but for now make sure you join the Spiceworks 5.1 Beta Group for the latest information.

Spiceworks are doing another spontaneous advert contest, following on from last years Unitrends Contest this year Lisa has found the current Peer 1 lets just say slightly “wrong” with some SpiceHeads like Rivitir laughing there heads off “ROFL! Spiceworks Advertising FAIL!”

Peer 1 have even put up an official blog post about this “Banner Ad Failure” which shows they have a sense of humour and are willing to engage there user’s.

The prize this time around is credit on the new advert and a Spiceworks T-shirt or the extra special plush SpiceRex.

Good luck to all those who enter and I hope I find time to get something in.

Enter on the community here!

Spiceworks are doing another Ask the Expert, this time on patch management. Jason one of Spiceworks’ close partners from Shavlik will be answering SpiceHeads questions about patch management for a whole week.

The last two ask the expert weeks went very well, you may remember them? The Microsoft Licensing one with Chris and CA Backup Questions one with Arun both ended up providing SpiceHeads with valuable answers which helped them with there job and implementing the correct solution.

This weeks Ask the Expert will also help the way Spiceworks evolves in the future as the questions are going to be watched by some of the team such as Tabrez to find out what we are doing, how we are doing it and what we find the hardest. All of this information will then help the developers with the upcoming shavlik integration.

As most of you are aware in an upcoming version we will be able to scan for missing patches and using shavlik’s online solution patch the machines remotely. We are currently unsure (as are the team working on the integration) on how this will work and if there will be any costs associated with it but as time moves on more details will come out.

So make sure you get your questions answered this week and help the team understand what you struggle with.

Jump on into the forum now.