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Here's a topic that gets us techies clucking whenever it comes up. Those of us that serve small businesses play a game of who has the better horror story. By far, my favorite (because it didn't happen to me or one of our clients) was the one about the company that had to spend $10,000 to replace all the essential business data lost to drive failure. There was complicated and expensive low level hard drive data retrieval involved. I still get goose bumps. That terrifying tale is closely followed by the company that had to pay two extra full time employees for four weeks of data entry to replace the database information they lost at the errant stroke of a key. Neither of these companies had a backup plan of course. Are you shivering yet?
The simple fact is that backing the systems is not only simple, inexpensive and essential, it can and will save you thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours when the inevitably unexpected happens. The options go from buying the hardware to saving it through an on-line service, or cloud backup. The benefit of any on-line service is it fits nicely into a disaster recovery plan as well. See, when a system is backed up to tape and the tape is stored within arm's reach of the system, that does nothing for you should something unforeseen happen to the office in which the systems reside. With both system and tape gone, you no longer have a business. Plus, on-line backup services are automated and verified by someone else, one less thing for you to worry about.
End of story, while hindsight is 20/20 a little foresight goes a lot further and feels so much better too. Back up the systems to tape, to external drive, or through on-line service. Just get it done, before not doing so does you in.
Do you have a backup horror story of your own? What are you doing to backup your data today?
Six Signs of a Great IT Management Services Company
Written by Melissa Minchala
The best way I can frame this is by listing the six things that make MY IT Services Management company great; seems only natural. Firstly, my team and I look to create relationships with industry leading companies. Dell and Microsoft, for example, offer great partnership programs. They expect superior quality from their partners, ensuring quality to our clients by extension. In turn they provide exceptional support, training and exclusive deals we get to pass on to our clients. It's the best way to create a win - win situation.
The fact is we have staff so you don't have to. Our staff is trained and kept up to speed with relevant and emerging technologies. Additionally, given the number of technologies our staff is trained on, the cost of one contract is far less and more encompassing than hiring on one tech support position for your company. Being that we have staff, and not “a guy”, when one is out or on vacation, our clients never feel the absence because there are others to pick up the slack. And because we are watching the systems pro-actively, we'll catch the preventable issues before they become headaches for you. We totally have your back.
We have been in this business since 2002. Clearly we are not a fly by night, or like one of the “tech guys” you find on Craigslist. We are reputable and reliable. And though I may sound a bit boastful, it's actually well-earned pride. And in truth, any IT Management Services company you work with should be able to say the same.
Recap:
Six Signs of a Great IT Management Services Company
1. Vendor relationships that benefit you
2. No training cost
3. Less than the cost of hiring one in house tech staff
4. No service gap due to absence (or vacation pay, as you would for an in house hire)
5. Proactive monitoring
6. Established companies that can offer reliability
Tell me, what are the hallmarks of a great company in your industry? And if you have any questions for me, go ahead, shoot.
Small Businesses Are Planning On Investing In Their IT Next Year
Written by Melissa Minchala
Reading in the recent issue of the NY Enterprise Report that "CFOs Planning on Investing in IT in 2012" my cold little heart was warmed for more than just the obvious reasons. Aside from the clear opportunities this creates for my business, it really does make me breathe a sigh of relief to know that many small business are actually considering rising out of the techno back waters we often find them in.
All to often, when we start working with a new client, the current state of their IT is one a few scenarios. Either, they have a fair number of "Frankenstein" computers that were cobbled together by their last IT guy, with pirated software that has stopped functioning properly. Or we walk into a scenario where too much technology was implemented in an effort to solve a relatively simple issue. For example, a $10,000 server purchased to resolve the simple issue of sending out fifty page faxes the purchase of a new fax machine would have solved. It is not uncommon for us to find fully loaded servers, sitting in the corner, lonely and sad because the last tech never finished the implementation.
My point here is that, as with anything else, there are two extremes for IT spending. Squeezing the nickel and cutting corners leads to countless hours of lost work time due to machines that don't function well. Overspending and not following through on the technology purchased has the same effect on the budget and productivity. None of these approaches work.
My best advice is to get some professional advice. They say "a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client." Just about the same can be said for the business owner that is his own technology adviser. Before you make any technology decision, do your homework and get the advice of several technology professionals. It is best if these professionals have expertise in the small business arena. And if their email address ends in @gmail.com, run. As fast as your feet can take you.
So, are you planning on investing in your IT? Have you made IT purchases that you wished you got better advice on? Do tell.
