Last week we showcased part two of our three part article on how to save money and maximize IT resources in your company. The article covered ways you can save money or maximize resources within your business and included tips on: Using VoIP and other digital solutions, investing in the cloud and working with an MSP. This week, we look into ways you can save money on your outward/customer facing aspects of IT.

Here are three ways you can save money or get the most out of your outward/customer facing IT resources.

Invest in a new website The website is the new hub of your business and customers look to it for information and often expect it to be there. If you don't have a functional website that provides your customers/future customers with what they need and want to know, there's a high chance that you will be losing sales.

You don't need a fancy website, just one that looks professional and represents your business. If you have a good website that is also optimized for search results, you can and will see your business show up higher in search results which means more exposure for your business.

This does seem a bit counter-intuitive - why spend money when you want to save it? However, having a website that appeals to your customers will increase the chances of both attracting and keeping new customers. If done in the right way, more eyes on your name means higher brand recognition. This in turn will lead to more enquires and potentially higher sales.

Get advertising social If you have a presence on any social media platform, it could pay to invest in social advertising. The reason advertising on social media platforms has become so popular is that you can target the most relevant people for your product or service.

When it comes to marketing and advertising: If you can target people who are already interested in your service or product, you are more likely to see higher conversions and sales. With other mediums, like paper, tv, etc. the audience is too wide and the cost too great to make it worthwhile for most small businesses. Social advertising is vastly more economical and often more powerful.

We're not saying you should stop all other forms of advertising, but you can scale them back, save costs, and invest in more targeted social advertising. If you pitch this just right you should see lower advertising costs coupled with higher real conversions.

Be a bigger part of the environment Being environmentally conscious is a big deal these days. Customers like to see that the company they are doing business with takes steps to reduce their waste/carbon footprint. Looking at the numbers though, 'going green' can be quite costly, especially if you have a larger office.

The key to remember is that when it comes to greening IT related processes you should start with conservation. One of the easiest ways to conserve starts with reducing the amount of paper you use. Instead of printing out bills or receipts, why not email them to your customers? If you send faxes or print lots, why not look into a virtual solution. Who knows, you may even be able to get rid of that expensive printer.

Striving to reduce waste is only half of the battle. Environmentally positive actions are a perfect thing to brag about on social media. Saved 300 sheets of paper this week? Tweet it. Customers who are environmentally conscious will look favourably upon this and are more likely to remember you when they next need a service you offer.

There are many things you can do to cut costs and maximize your IT resources. What is your company doing? If you're not sure, you should contact us. We can help ensure you get the best bang for your buck when it comes to IT.

Last week we posted part one of our three part article on how to save money on IT in the coming year. That article covered ways you can maximize the resources you already have by being an outside thinker, always looking around and using facts to help determine your actions. This week, we take a look at inward facing or internal costs.

Here's how you can maximize your internal IT costs.

Use VoIP and similar digital solutions Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has been around for a number of years and many companies, large and small, have integrated it into their offices. Because VoIP uses an Internet connection to send and receive phone calls, there's no need for expensive cabling and switchboards. Aside from lower overheads, many VoIP providers offer calling rates at a fraction of what most telephone providers charge. So, companies that make lots of long-distance calls can really benefit with VoIP.

While many businesses have integrated VoIP solutions, most don't go beyond that. If you use a fax machine, did you know that you can either digitize that and ditch the fax machine, integrate it with most modern email programs or use your VoIP connection to transmit fax data.

If you have a sales force who is constantly on the road or giving presentations, why not look into a Web conferencing system. Many systems, like Microsoft's Lync, allow users to hold conferences and share documents or presentations without having to leave the office.

Invest in the cloud One of the hottest current trends is the cloud. Currently there are two major types of cloud operations: Cloud storage and cloud based applications. All companies need to store documents. If they go with physical solutions like hard drives, backup tapes etc., it can get very expensive, very quickly. Cloud storage allows you to store all your documents off site, often at a fraction of the cost of physical storage solutions. Beyond that, you will have access to your documents as long as you have an Internet connection.

Cloud based applications come in many varieties, with the most popular being based around the office suite, or a hybrid of storage and application. Solutions like Google Drive which takes Google's office suite and combines it with a storage and sharing solution, is completely based in the cloud. The goal of Google Drive and other solutions, like Microsoft Office, is largely to provide a platform that enables easy collaboration and sharing at a fraction of the cost of more traditional solutions.

Integrating cloud based solutions can often times save you a ton of money, not only in operating costs but also long-term maintenance. As these services depend on a data connection and not sheer computing power, you won't have to replace your machines in order to upgrade to new software. This means lower costs all round.

Work with an MSP While this may seem counter-intuitive - why would a company want to pay to save money? Managed Service Providers (MSP) usually charge a monthly fee and offer a full service solution that aims to keep your systems running. Through preventative monitoring and ensuring systems are running, IT costs are often reduced in the long run. Beyond that, the chances of a major service outage are drastically reduced. Should anything happen to your business MSPs can have you up and running more quickly. allowing you to minimize potential downtime losses.

There are literally thousands of ways you can save money on IT and maximize your resources, and often experts like us can help you extend savings even further. So, why not give us a call and see what we can do. Also, stay tuned for part three of this article, covering how to save money on tech systems that your customers interact with.

One of the constant struggles business owners and managers face is achieving a point of minimized costs and maximized profits. This strive has led to many to look at technology as one of the keys of reaching this, but they have no idea how to go about it. That's why we have developed a three part article on ways you can maximize your tech resources.

The first part of the article focuses on maximizing the IT resources you already have.

1. Be the outside thinker The problem with many managers and business owners is that they tend to focus too closely on one or two key business elements. When it comes to technology this often means using only small parts of the technology available, while other parts are underutilized.

Therefore, it's important that you take a step back every now and then and really look at the tech you currently use. This can be hard to do, especially when you are so invested in a business. It's a good idea to consult with an advisor like a Managed Service Provider who knows how to get the most out of existing technology.

A lot of times outside help can really pinpoint areas where you can improve efficiency or reduce operating costs. In turn, this helps improve, or at the very least stabilize, your bottom line.

2. Always be looking around What we mean by this is: Be proactive. Technology and related systems are always changing and advancing. Managers and owners who aren't aware of the technological changes around them might see lower profits. This doesn't mean just looking at your physical technology, it pays to look at systems related to the Internet too.

Take for example social media. It's not going away and has been proven to be an effective marketing tool. The only problem is the service that's popular today may not be so next year. To get the most out of a system like social media, you need to understand and be aware of it.

If you keep your finger on the pulse, you'll be more informed about what's going on, what's coming up and what to do about it. If you spot something that you think will benefit your company, take the steps to integrate it. The interesting thing about most new technical advancements is that they are focused on making existing systems more efficient.

Don't just be looking externally either, it pays to look at what tech your employees are using the most and why. If you encourage them to be open and showcase their ideas you'll be surprised at what they come up with.

It's being aware of both internal and external trends that can help you identify the next big opportunity to further your bottom line.

3. Facts should determine actions This can be a tough thing to do, but facing the facts and current situation is incredibly important. If you don't know where your company is at in terms of what technology is used, then any decisions you make won't be effective and could end up harming your company. It's a good idea to conduct an audit of your current systems.

What to audit:

1. How many computers you have vs employees.
2. What software each employee uses.
3. How and what staff use the computers for.
4. Level of technical integration of current technology.
5. What systems and programs are used most often.
6. Operating costs of technology.

There are many different aspects you can look into. You are basically looking to get a picture of where your company currently stands and if there are any systems/processes you could be doing better, or getting rid of. If you find problems you can take steps to fix them, or if you need help, contact us.

Many countries' economies are facing uncertain times. Growth in China has slowed, the US is facing a fiscal cliff that could ruin the US economy and any relient economies associated with it. It's in these uncertain times that many companies are doing more with less and when it comes to IT, this means budget cuts. When these need to be made, many companies will look at cutting service contracts, something that may come back to haunt them in the future.

Below are five of the more common issues businesses face when they decide to allow IT service contracts to lapse.

1. Increased response and resolution time - The way almost every company works is they provide support to paying customers before they provide support to others. If your systems bought from a vendor three years ago crash, and you didn't renew the support contract, you will be facing prolonged downtime and potentially high replacement costs which could be detrimental to your business.
2. Poor implementation of updates - One of the main jobs of the IT provider is to ensure that all systems are up-to-date, or at the very least are running the same version of software as other systems. Without this valuable service, it is almost guaranteed that users will be running different software versions which could pose security and integration risks.
3. Lack of diagnostic and analysis tools - IT providers often utilize robust diagnostic and analysis tools that can help determine what issues are causing problems. On the other end, many IT service companies are set up to be proactive, and will usually look for and fix potential problems. This business model minimizes downtime, which can be hard to do without a costly internal IT department.
4. Reactive support - The proactive nature of many IT service providers really helps, but when you don't renew contracts, your service will likely go from proactive to reactive. Meaning you likely won't know anything's wrong until it really goes wrong. So instead of systems being down for an hour for monthly maintenance, they could be down up to a week or longer. This is something no business wants.
5. Increased hardware overhead - With a good service provider, your systems will last longer. This equates to lower hardware overhead over a longer period. Without them, companies will often see higher overhead due to having to replace equipment more often.

Yes, we agree, it can be hard to justify paying what seems like a high monthly fee to keep your systems running, especially in this difficult financial climate. However, the potential of both lost revenue from crashed systems and replacement costs often make IT service providers an integral and valuable part of your technical systems.

If you're facing budget cuts, why not talk to us, we may be able to work with you to develop a plan that meets both your needs and budget.

Rules are an integral part of society, they help define the boundaries of who we are and what we can do. Somewhere along the line, rules have become more of a societal term while the term policies has come to define rules for organizations and governmental organizations. Policies are as varied as they are important, and eventually it becomes necessary to write new ones, which can be a challenge.

Below are six things to consider when developing your next policy.

1. You need a policy for policies - This sounds a little weird, but in order to draft effective policies, you should first draft a policy on drafting policies. It doesn't have to be long, but should cover when and why a new policy is needed; the format to use; and the policy for drafting and approval of new policies.
2. Does your planned policy already exist? - Before you go spending time on drafting a completely new policy, you should first check and see if any existing policies cover what you're planning to write about, or if they cover some aspects. If they do, instead of creating a new policy, it's much easier to update existing ones.
3. Consider the need - If someone does something you don't like or agree with, don't simply go and create a new policy out of spite, or as a knee-jerk reaction. If you find yourself doing this, take a step back and let the policy sit for a few days or weeks and revisit the issue to see if it is really necessary. If you deem it significant enough, get input from colleagues. They may offer valuable help, or have other ideas. The goal with policies is that there should be a crystal clear need for them, or a clear problem to solve.
4. Make the policy understandable - Have you ever read policies enacted by governments or large companies? Of course you have, but how much did you understand? If you aren't a lawyer, there is likely some parts you don't understand. You should make your policies understandable and readable by everyone in the company. Leave legal language to the lawyers, and clearly define any and all acronyms and jargon. Beyond that, the use of modal verbs and positions instead of names is highly encouraged.
5. Include exceptions - Rules set in stone will often be broken. When writing a policy, it is a good idea to include exceptions whenever possible. If you don't include these yet constantly make them in practice, you're undermining the policy. If you find these exceptions become relevant in the future, update the policy to include them.
6. Be flexible - You should write some wiggle room in the policies. If you have an ironclad policy employees will come to rely on it, and if something happens what goes against the policy, they could use the ‘it's company policy’ line as an excuse not to take the right action. The common trend is that new policies essentially provide the guidelines for empowerment.

If you take steps to ensure the policy is as comprehensive as possible, and your employees understand each and every aspect of it, they will be more than likely to follow it. Do you have any other tips on writing policies? Let us know.

Change is inevitable, it can happen when we least expect or want it to, which could pose a problem, especially if the change being made will affect your entire organization. Microsoft has recently pulled the plug on a popular business based service, Microsoft Small Business Server 2008, which in turn has forced many, if not all, vendors to remove the product from catalogs. You can still purchase SBS 2011 through 2013 (unless you are a non-profit). There are alternatives however.

If your company has employed a Microsoft SBS 2008 or older solution, you aren’t totally left in the dark. Before announcing the end of SBS, Microsoft announced Microsoft Windows Server 2012, which is meant to be the replacement for SBS.

In the past, Microsoft has been a company of options, not content with releasing just one or two versions of an operating system or server structure, instead opting for many. With Windows Server 2012, the options have been slimmed down to just four, of which two will be best for the majority of small businesses.

Foundation Foundation is the most basic version of Windows Server 2012, with support for common activities like file and printer sharing. It won’t however support virtual environments, meaning, in other words, you will have to stick with physical servers instead of being able to run different servers on one physical machine. It’s also limited to 15 users and under.

The downside with Foundation is that it will only be available on new servers created by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). If you want to utilize this version, you’re going to have to buy a new server. If you’re looking to centralize basic office functions, or connect the office internally, and don’t currently have any servers, this might be a good option for you.

Essentials If you currently use SBS, or another retired Microsoft product, you’re best bet is Essentials. At a cost of around USD $425, it’s a low cost upgrade aimed specifically at businesses with 25 or fewer users. An upgrade to Essentials brings about the ability to easily connect and manage Microsoft’s cloud based solutions such as Office 365 and the cloud version of Sharepoint, as well as others. Essentials also has Client Backup, and Remote Web Access, features which are mature and have been brought forward from SBS and Home Server.  Essentials can also integrate with an onsite Exchange 2010 server if you are keeping email in-house vs the cloud.  A separate server license will be needed for Exchange.

The downside to this is if you have more than 25 users in your company you’ll either need to pay for an upgrade to Server Standard to “unlock” Essentials to unlimited users, or pick another version. Aside from this, Essentials, unlike Foundation, does support a fully virtualized server environment. Essentials will be a good upgrade for companies that are interested in transitioning to the cloud but may still want some featured in-house during the transition (Exchange, Sharepoint). Interested in learning more about integrating Windows Server 2012 in your company? Please contact us, we can help.

Business analytics (BA) - the study and statistical analysis of a business data to help make better decisions - has become an important part of any data driven organization. In other words, any modern business, regardless of industry. Companies that properly employ BA could, in theory, gain a competitive advantage over competitors without BA strategies in place.

The most important thing to be aware of with BA is that its success largely depends on how astute companies are in using BA tools. Here are seven tips on how to ensure BA is working for you.

1. Collaborate to define questions. Before you approach a BA vendor, it’s important to collaborate with all functions within your company to identify questions and issues that are tough to answer. With questions clearly defined, you’ll be better able to see if a vendor can provide solutions that will answer these more efficiently than solutions already in place.
2. Start with fresh reports. After implementation of a BA solution, you should focus on developing new reports that analyze data in a different way when compared with your old reports. Doing so could help you find new ways to secure advantages, competitive and otherwise. A new solution also provides you with the opportunity to audit your data and get rid of junk data that has no viable purpose.
3. Work with BA experts and your vendor. BA is a science; it’s a lot more involved than the traditional method of comparing current results against previous reports. As such, you should either employ a BA expert who knows which questions to ask and what to do with the data or work with a consultant. Consulting the vendor you work with would be a good start, as they normally employ BA experts who are there to help.
4. Train employees. Like any business function that will be used in all departments, it’s important to train your employees on not only how to use the software, but the basics behind it. Before any training is done however, it’s important that you adapt roles to incorporate the change in process.
5. Don’t give up on Excel. Microsoft Excel, or similar spreadsheets are fantastic programs. Chances are high that the majority of your employees are competent users of at least Excel and you can use this to both their and your advantage. In fact, many BA solutions use, or are based off of, Excel-like spreadsheets which makes training a lot easier and less expensive as employees will already be comfortable with the basics.
6. BA should deliver on 2 levels. Business analytics functions on two main levels: summary and drill down. Summary encompases multiple elements, while drill down allows in depth looks at one element. When reports are compiled they should encompass both elements.
7. Don’t let BA do all the thinking. BA is not the be all and end all, it’s supposed to help your company with decision making, not make the decisions for you. There may be times when the analytical output just doesn’t match what you think will be best. Some of the most successful business people have relied on instinct even when the available data tells them they are wrong.

BA has become an important part of many businesses and while you can develop your own program in-house, many small to medium businesses just don’t have the capital, expertise or time to do so. We recommend that before you start, you get in touch with a BA expert or consultant and see if they can give you a solution. We can also help, so don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and give us a call.

Take a look around your office, chances are high that you’ll see at least one employee with their mobile phone plugged into their computer charging, or maybe you’ll see a colleague using their own computer for work. This practice is becoming more common and many managers are ambivalent about this. Instead of banning personal devices outright, they should develop a plan.

Here are four steps you should take to enact a successful Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) plan in your office.

Step 1: learn the tools There are a large number of operating systems in use, and while some employees use Macs, others prefer Windows or another OS. This can pose a problem for managers and IT services as it can be a costly chore to manage and deploy software and work across platforms, not to mention incompatibility of programs. To solve this issue, many companies use virtualization, or more specifically hosted virtual desktops and locally deployed and managed desktops that provide a set platform that can be accessed regardless of the system used by employees.

Hosted virtual desktops are desktops that are hosted by another company and accessed by employees via the Internet. These are also called Desktop as a Service (DaaS), and differ from locally deployed and managed desktops as the company doesn’t need the servers and infrastructure to deploy the solution. There are pros and cons to each, and before you decide which to use, it pays to research them to see how they meet your needs.

Step 2: understand your employees Each employee is different, with some working better when away from the office while others are more productive during off-peak hours. Throw in the fact that employees all have their preference in the technology they use, a differing knowledge level and requirement of technology, and you have a lot you need to consider when developing a plan.

It’s worth taking the time to understand your employees and their needs, as it may turn out that BYOD may not work for some staff members. You should find out which workers are willing to buy their own technology, can work with a locked desktop, or work away from their desk more, and who might pose a security risk and would reduce productivity under a BYOD plan.

Step 3: Research alternatives Be sure to look at other solutions, maybe some employees are asking to bring their own computers to work because they prefer to work on another OS. The best way to find out is to ask your employees what they think of a BYOD policy and why they want it. If you have employees with experience in other industries maybe they have other ideas on ways you can implement a workable system.

You can also contact managed service providers and companies like us. We may have another option for you that you haven’t explored yet. Whatever you do, it’s important to weigh up all your alternatives first.

Step 4: Start small When you do decide on a plan, you need to ensure that all staff are onboard and that the systems work. Many companies start with a soft launch, letting staff who are the most comfortable with BYOD trial it first. From their experiences you can then modify and expand the plan to other staff or departments.

What matters most is that with a BYOD plan, you provide a clear separation between an employee’s personal and work environments on their device, hence a virtual desktop. With this, you will be able to control the work related environment as you normally would, and employees can keep their personal environment secure. If you’d like to learn more about BYOD or virtual desktops, please contact us.

Almost all businesses processes have gone virtual, or have upgraded to incorporate some of the latest technological trends. There's one process however that lags behind, technology wise, and that’s print services. Every company needs printing services, and many small businesses are still using technology that's inefficient and lags behind technology wise. To optimize printing services, companies could use managed print services.

Managed print services is a service that’s designed to help businesses streamline their printing operations; reduce operating costs and waste, and increase productivity. It works much the same way as Managed IT services, you have a company work with you to develop a printing solution tailored to meet your needs. This could include consolidating print, scan, copy and fax into one machine, or, upgrading systems to connect to the network to allow for virtual printing.

The benefits of doing this can be far reaching and could include:

• Decreased IT costs. Many office printers and copiers are closed systems that require a qualified technician to fix, or at the very least takes up the time of current IT staff. If you have a managed service, you don’t have to pay for a technician to come fix the machine, and your IT staff can focus on priority tasks, thus reducing costs.
• Decreased material costs. Many managed print services use new technology, that while an investment in the short term, can quickly pay for themselves through increased output, decreased material cost and lower maintenance costs.
• Helps the environment. As managed print service companies use current technology, which itself uses less energy, you’ll find electrical bills to be lower. The technology also uses less ink and can reuse paper, thus reducing harmful waste and helping the environment.
• Increased productivity. By making printing systems more efficient, a company will see an increase in physical output, because they’re not constantly waiting for the printer.

If your company is looking for a new printing solution, you should ask yourself these three questions:

1. Will we see ROI? Many companies will see upwards of a 30% savings in printing costs with an optimized printing solution. It’s important to work with managed printing providers to ensure that you will actually save money with their systems, or at least see a return on your initial investment.
2. Can our technology support growth? Many small businesses are constantly changing and their current solutions may not meet needs in the future. You should analyze your current technology and see if it will be able to support you in the future.
3. How much does printer downtime cost you? If you’re using older technology that’s constantly breaking down, the cost of downtime can be quite high. This is a good indication of the need for managed print services.
4. Do you want to focus on printers? If your business is in need of a printing solution to help operations, and doesn’t focus on printing, or you want to spend less time thinking about printers and more time focusing on tasks, then going with a managed print service is a good choice for you.

If you’re looking to replace your printers, or would like another way to make your business more efficient please contact us, we may have a solution for you.

Sore back, nervous breakdown, hurt wrists and weight gain are but a few of the common injuries or issues office workers face, especially those who spend their days at a computer. It’s not uncommon for office workers to experience all of these complaints to such a debilitating degree that they can’t work. If your employees can’t work, your company doesn’t make money, therefore, it’s important to ensure your employees are healthy.

Here are five tips you can pass on to your employees to ensure they stay happy and healthy.

Walk it off, stretch it out Many employees will often sit at their desk for hours at a time, only getting up to go for lunch, or for bathroom breaks. It’s a good idea to be getting up out of your desk at least once an hour. Encourage your employees to walk to each other’s office or desk if they need to chat instead of using instant messaging. Put up posters showing leg, neck, shoulder and back stretches and actively encourage employees to stretch before they start work and at least once an hour.

May as well go for a walk Another way to get employees more mobile is to make your meetings mobile. If it’s a nice day out, why not walk around the block as a group, or walk to the park and have a brainstorming session. As many employees and businesses use tablets or some form of mobile computing, it’s not hard to take the office with you, and work while you exercise.

H2O It’s important to stay hydrated, even while in the office. Many employees who complain of headaches or being lightheaded and dizzy may actually be dehydrated - they should be drinking at least 4 big glasses a day. These problems can be easily avoided by providing your employees with water. Put a water cooler in a central location, that all employees can walk to. This serves another purpose, as it also forces employees to get up and take a break.

Offer healthy snacks As many employees are working longer hours compared with even 10 years ago, your employees could be neglecting their diet. Having a vending machine with salty chips or sweet sodas isn’t helping. Instead, opt to stock low sugar drinks and healthy snacks like fruit. While this may cost more upfront, the long term savings in less sick days will more than pay for the investment in the long run.

Change the commute This can be one of the hardest changes to implement, but has positive benefits. Encourage your employees to ride their bikes or walk to the office, or implement some form of exercise within their commute. Be sure that if you do this, you have facilities where employees can change and take a shower - necessary if your business is in a warmer climate or weather is prone to change without notice.

Healthy and happy employees will go a long way in ensuring your company is operating at maximum efficiency. Beyond that, you’ll see a decrease in lost time and a potential increase in overall value of your business. If you’d like to learn more ways to increase your company’s value, please contact us.