Don't know what virtualization software is or even care? Well, you should.

If you aren't using it directly in your office, I bet you are using it through one of your software providers without even knowing it. Is your website or email hosted somewhere outside your office? Do you use Salesforce.com or an online donor database? I bet they are using virtualization. Most large services who host software like the ones I mentioned above should be using this technology if they aren't already.

If you haven't already, check out TechSoup's new Disaster Planning and Recovery Toolkit. In addition to our free book, The Resilient Organization: A Guide for Disaster Planning and Recovery, you'll also find webinars, articles, and links to other information around the Internet. We think that this toolkit can be a great resource for organizations in times of health as well as those facing disasters.

A point that we emphasize throughout the book is that disaster planning isn't just a matter of being ready for a natural disaster. It's about rethinking the way your organization works and adopting technologies and procedures that emphasize flexibility and adaptability throughout your organization. An organization that's ready for a disaster is also ready for a new opportunity to expand its impact when a need arises.

I can't think of a story that better illustrates this concept than that of the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati, one of the winners of our Microsoft Show Your Impact contest.

Freestore Foodbank serves over 7000 individuals a month in the greater Cincinnati area, and those numbers double in November and December. Before undergoing a major overhaul of their tech infrastructure, the Foodbank’s multiple branches had a lot of trouble communicating and working together, both internally and externally. In making major infrastructural improvements and standardizing practices across all of their branches, the Foodbank was able to serve the community more swiftly; what's more, when one branch was struck by a natural disaster, the Foodbank was ready for it.

If you are a small to medium-sized nonprofit, why should you care about cloud computing? Because it can save you time, money and help spare the environment.

What Is Cloud Computing?

Here is how the CyberOptic Group describes it:

Essentially, cloud computing enables computer software and hardware resources to be accessed over the Internet without the need to have any detailed or specific knowledge of the infrastructure used to deliver the resources, much like a utility model. You really don't need to know what the phone company or electric company does on there end to enable calls and allow the lights to go on when you flip the switch; and, you really don't want to know as long as when you plug into it, it works.

I bet many of you are using a form of cloud computing without knowing it. Current examples are Gmail, Yahoo mail, Google Docs, Salesforce, and Microsoft Office Live Workspace. They are often called Software as a Service (SaaS). A company provides access to their software applications over the Internet and you access it through your web-browser. If you are using email hosted by a company, like one of those mentioned above, you and your staff don't have to manage an in-house email server like Exchange. You simply sign up for the accounts and all the back-end stuff is handled for you.

On July 22, Laura Quinn from Idealware posted a message to their blog titled "A Microsoft SharePoint Overview" which was re-posted from the NTEN Discuss discussion list and Gavin Clabaugh.

Microsoft's Donation Program through TechSoup is by far one of the most in-demand and equally misunderstood programs available to nonprofits and libraries. Just like with all of the donation and discount programs through TechSoup, the vendor (in this case, Microsoft) sets the restrictions for how much, how often, and which types of organizations can receive their products. They generously donate, so we happily oblige.

What a lot of folks don't realize about the Microsoft Donation Program is that there is often more available than what people realize. This week, fellow blogger Elliot Harmon and former 'Souper Matthew Palmer, published an article explaining how the whole process works — from eligibility restrictions, order limits, frequency of requesting donations, and additional benefits available.

This post is by Steve Longenecker, who is a principal infrastructure consultant at Community IT Innovators in Washington, DC. Community IT Innovators, or CITI is an employee-owned, triple bottom-line company that provides computer tech support to nonprofits and socially responsible businesses. They're an important green IT practitioner in the U.S.

When one of CITI's clients needed to replace their two servers we set them up with a single server with virtualization software on it. The single server replaced an old domain controller that authenticated users and also hosted Microsoft Exchange for email and provided file and printer sharing. The other was their old terminal server that allowed users to access applications and documents on a shared network hard drive. These are very common functions for server computers.

Our clients primarily use Windows server for their server software.

Do you forget to shut down your computer at night or put it to sleep while you are away at a meeting? Using power management on your PC can help you. If you aren't satisfied with the built in power-management tools that come with your PC (sorry Mac users, this tool isn't for you), check out Edison, a free tool for individuals to load on their computer. If you are looking for a more comprehensive solution for your office, one option is Surveyor, also by Verdiem.

We wrapped up this fantastic webinar with Microsoft yesterday. Roadmap to Microsoft Training Resources was literally a virtual walk through all of the great resources available to nonprofit and libraries for FREE, when they receive their donated Microsoft software with Software Assurance through TechSoup.

From basic-level trainings on different office productivity suites to more advanced Microsoft Certification-level and server courses, there are a host of training materials, online courses, and knowledge-base resources available.

Some of you may be familiar with the ongoing Adobe-TechSoup Show Your Impact Contest from this year and the last. You may have submitted your entries and you may have even been one of the winners.

Well, now is your chance to tell us how Microsoft donations have helped your nonprofit or public library fulfill your mission and impact your communities. Microsoft has joined TechSoup for a similar partnership to highlight, promote, and award nonprofits and public libraries which have used Microsoft-donated products from TechSoup to work better. The full details can be found here, along with guidelines for submitting your story, and a gallery of submissions.

The key categories for submissions are:

1. Stable and Secure Technology
2. Optimize Mission Delivery
3. Transformations to Maximize Impact

You might have a your tale about how Microsoft-donated products through TechSoup helped your organization go from a tangled mess of tech inefficiencies to build a stable infrastructure so your staff could better focus on doing their jobs. Maybe your donated products helped your nonprofit upgrade to a new donor-database, create an interactive and engaging Web site, or develop effective outreach materials that helped reach new supporters and increase your impact.

Tell your story and possibly win a $5000 cash grant plus more than $25000 in donated Microsoft products. Only organizations in the United States and Canada are eligible to participate and the donated Microsoft products must be been received through TechSoup. Learn more about who can enter. Submissions are now OPEN so share your experience from now through the May 29 deadline. Once submissions have closed, we'll invite you back to vote for your favorites. Stay tuned for more!

TechSoup Talks! recently announced that in June, we'll be hosting a series of webinars on Microsoft software and services. But this time, we're letting you help decide what we'll cover in the webinars. Want to know about servers? Windows? Outlook? You name it. Just take this quick survey and give us your input.

Since Microsoft is one of our most popular software donors, I'm sure that many of you are brimming with questions about MS donations. Now is your chance to have our free online seminars tailored to your needs. And in case that's not enough incentive, one person who takes the survey will win a free one-hour phone consultation with one of our tech analysts. You have until Friday, May 1, to complete the survey.