Prolific Thought

E-Commerce in a Box

2009-08-23T10:29:00.004-04:00

Volusion.com

I have lead quite a few clients to this site whose services focus on providing their customers with a quick start e-commerce site. Upon signing up, you receive instant access to their site control panel where you can upload and import images in to their web templates along with entering inventory information for the products you wish to sell. No web design experience required - no programming skills needed.

It is also nice to have a solution that can integrate directly in to Quickbooks. I have clients that use Volusion.com web services so transparently that they have zero inventory on hand. The simply provide a means for clients to purchase material and they have everything drop shipped from the vendors.

Charges for these services are modest and fixed. Predictable operating costs are always nice and easy to compare in a budget.

For those looking to become and online merchant, Volusion.com is where it's at.

The Power of Ping.fm and Friendfeed

2009-08-10T20:13:00.005-04:00

For those of you who try to maintain an online presence for business or personal reasons, it can be a pain to keep those sites up to date. Many of them rely on the user (you) to keep it up to date with thoughts and status updates. The problem is between the hundreds of different options that are offered for social networking, keeping them all up to date can be a time consuming problem.

I have found both ping.fm and friendfeed.com to be very convenient ways of linking your social networking sites together for status updates, blogs, mini-blogs and even photos. You essentially update one site and it will broadcast the update across multiple social networking mediums.

Friendfeed, now acquired by facebook (here) and ping.fm both link together as well and work on pretty much any social networking site or chat client that there is to download.

The Upcoming Windows 7

2009-07-11T08:05:00.004-04:00

Windows 7, Microsoft's newest operating system, is slated for release at the end of this year. Many are looking forward to it as a "healthy" alternative to its predecessor, Windows Vista. Although I don't agree with the majority public opinion on the usefulness or lack of functionality of Vista, like most others I am looking forward to Windows 7.

Our company is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, consequently we received early released of Microsoft's product and we have been very impressed up to this point.

Get your Windows 7 release candidate here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx

Also, check if your system will run Windows 7: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/upgrade-advisor.aspx

By the way, Internet Explorer will not be included (as of right now) with Windows 7.

When its Time to Get Your Small Business a Server

2009-06-07T08:24:00.003-04:00

Dear Business Owner,

A server will bring your business network a lot of benefit and a level of functionality that you have never had in the past. Sure, it's an investment, but it's an investment in your company's future.

That said, if you are going to invest in a server - please read the following and agree to them before making that purchase:

a. A server will not cost me less than $2,000. If I am spending less than this amount then I should not be purchasing a server.

b. A server will typically not cost me less than $3,000. If I am spending less than this amount then I should seriously review what it is I am buying.

c. Installing a server into my network is a process that requires much more than plugging it in. This requires time and training but will result in efficiencies I never had before.

d. I will not rely on a Dell/HP/Compaq server "specialist" to help me figure out what I should be buying.

e. Purchase a decent warranty with my server.

f. Know what benefits this server will bring my company. There's no payback on the investment if you don't know what it can do.

If in doubt, talk to someone who knows! Once your business is at the level of needing a server - do it right the first time.

Regards,

A Technology Consultant that tells people this on a daily basis.

Maintain your server, extend its life

2009-05-31T07:47:00.005-04:00

Small businesses who can't necessarily afford an on-staff IT admin can still perform those ever so important maintenance functions on their business servers on their own. Best practices typically dictate a server shouldn't be used by users, so technically there isn't all that much to do on a regular basis to make sure your server gets its oil changed.

1. Get it up to date - Manufacturer and Vendor patches and updates. Critical and should be done as often as possible. Be mindful of the big ones like service packs or browser releases - these can often break as much as they fix at first.

2. Ccleaner - A gem of a program. CCleaner (crap cleaner) is a free download that cleans up temp files, junk on your hard drive... etc. Google it.

3. Verify backups - Make sure your backups are not only completing, but try to actually restore something from the backup media to make sure the data is good.

4. Check security software - Antivirus, Antispyware; whatever it is you run to protect your server make sure it is up to date and operating as intended.

5. Check out the data - Have a look at the data your users are accessing and storing on your server. Are they storing word docs? Music? Movies? Are they compliant with your expectations? Auditing what your users are doing on the server can proactively prevent bigger issues from occurring.

5 steps to keeping your server healthy and to extend its life. My company has tools to automate these steps and report on them regularly. Following them doesn't require computer certifications, just a few minutes of your time each week.

Fixing the Cost of IT Support

2009-05-07T15:14:00.004-04:00

For some reason, no one seems to realize value in maintenance or support of their technology infrastructure. Most small business try to live on the premise of "when it breaks, we will buy another" in order to keep their cash free. The problem with this approach is overall it will cost the firm more in lost productivity, time, and wasteful purchasing.

Vision Computer Solutions (http://www.vcsolutions.com) provides support and proactive maintenance services of all computers, servers, and networks at a fixed cost allowing for business owners to budget accordingly. The days of time and material services are coming to an end. With the economy in the rough state it currently is in people want to keep their costs as manageable and predictable as possible.

Managed Services is a term that is thrown around all too much in the IT industry now with everyone claiming they are an MSP. A true MSP, such as my firm, has the technology in place to provide full on support and technology services at a reasonable fixed cost without sacrificing quality of service, or subcontracting the client to a phone bank in Mumbai.

Read about fixed-cost IT services here.

To Know IRS Tax Code Section 179

2008-11-22T13:19:00.007-05:00

... is really to love it.

Small Businesses should take advantage of such a useful process.

Section 179 (http://www.section179.org/) essentially allows your business to write off a qualifying technology purchase up to a certain limit (typically 250k) instead of writing off a depreciated amount over time each year.

The benefit to your business is obvious. Let's say you needed a new server and network overhaul. For a small business of 25 seats, this could be a process that costs anywhere from $50,000 to $80,000 on average. Section 179 would allow you to take a tax deduction equating to the amount spent on qualifying equipment. Instead of writing off 10k a year for 5 years on a $50,000 purchase, you may deduct the whole thing in year one.

Over the past few months, I have made a point of emailing my clients who have made investments in technology over the past year or are considering doing some year end work so they may take advantage of this section when filing for 2008.

It also has been a great way to drum up so new business!

Hire a Solution, Not a Tech

2008-09-02T19:11:00.005-04:00

The other day I was over at a new client's office introducing my team when in walked the most stereotypical computer geek I had seen in a long time. This guy had to have been pushing three bills easy and looked like he "gamed" every Sunday night. It didn't take long to realize that the "IT staff" the owner had just got done explaining we were taking over for had just waddled out of the room.

Insults aside, I was once again dumbfounded at the sincere lack of management of the IT staff (who turned out to be two guys instead of just the one) for that organization. They are in health care which is a big grower in Michigan, they have added 20 employees over the past year and plan on adding another 20-30 in the next 8 months.

There was no antivirus. There were no backups. There was no disaster recovery plan. There was, however, plenty of their fortune 500 clients angry at them because they did not have a functioning email or telephony solution. This was essentially what these two gentlemen were getting paid $60k a year to do. Sit there and watch their technology blow up.

We were called because their email server crashed with no explanation. We spent 14 hours fixing the problem - essentially rebuilding a house of cards. We were the heroes, and now they will be replacing their IT staff with our company.

Don't go hiring an IT guy for your company because its the typical thing to do. Hire a solution, not a person. Have a look at managed IT services. This is a model that is much more cost effective for small and medium sized businesses.

The night that email server crashed, our managed support left the client site with everything fixed at 9pm... 3 hours after their own IT staff left for the evening.

For the win.

Face it, Mac is Perfect

2008-08-21T08:09:00.005-04:00

Take a look at:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/story?id=5617800&page=1

Funny how my fanatical Mac-Empowered friends never hesitate to tell me how inferior Microsoft products are (usually in an email composed within Entourage) however whenever Mac manages to screw things up bad I don't hear a word about it.

This whole iPhone thing distresses me. I could care less about the whole Mac vs. PC deal, I just think the thing looks cool and does fun stuff. With the advent of Exchange integration, it gave me a reason to finally justify the purchase. Mac couldn't seem to hop on to the 3G bandwagon without falling off the other side though so I will be waiting a bit on this purchase.

Hey Mac/iPhone people - quit annoying me. All technology no matter who makes it is flawed. So stop with the "Mac is Perfect" crap - technology in general doesn't work and I work in the business.

My Advice is to Get Yourself Moving

2008-08-01T15:56:00.002-04:00

This is going to my engineers this weekend, although they don't have a copy of it yet.

Print this out and read it on the toilet this weekend-

The Power of Completion
I've got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.
-Larry Bird

A full day’s work in a day.
A full day of work does not have a time range. Time is a guideline for expectation. Manage yourselves – you know when you are capable of doing more in a day.

Before each of you leave for the day, I want you to ask yourself “Is there something else I can complete today?” It is very easy for us to hit a lull between jobs at 3-3:30pm and look to end the day. Using that last couple of hours effectively during the day, every day, is very important.

When on site, a job is not completed at 5 pm, a job is completed when the customer’s requirements are met and the business purpose is fulfilled. Vision looks out for their customers. If it is 4:30 pm and you see more work that could be accomplished while on site – offer to complete this work to the client – get your full day of work in.

Talk with the customers, it’s ok to small talk with them to give that personal feel to the experience. This is time well spent and not time that we have to include as a billable charge!

How to move yourself… without a U-Haul.
Let's form proactive synergy restructuring teams!

Don’t be afraid to take initiative. Managing yourself while being productive with your time is a much better use of everyone’s time. Take tickets, complete jobs, follow up with customers, manage accounts. Be diligent and take pride in your work.

…and speaking of pride!
The pride of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."
-Vince Lombardi

You spend as much time at work as you do sleeping. Work and your company should be something you take pride in. We are not McDonalds cook-line workers, we are highly trained IT Professionals and for as many jokes and stereotypes as people have about us – understand that you have much power at your fingertips. You make other businesses money, you have the power to grind that same business to a halt. You can show people how to send and receive information in such ways they have never conceived. You have the power to make people happy by flipping a switch, or make people angry by flipping the switch the other way. You have the power to fix problems caused by the ignorance and innocence of a person who will never understand and joke about it behind their back… all so you can go back and do it again tomorrow.

What we do and how we do it is better than anyone out there, and you all prove it on a daily basis. I know because our clients tell me that. Care about yourselves, your family, and your job – and show all three passion to do well.

Have a good weekend!

The FTP Turn Off

2008-07-21T13:17:00.004-04:00

Because I am an avid fan of people who are better technical writers than I - This is an article from a gentleman who has posted something near and dear to my heart.

The insecurity of FTP.

This is going to sound a little weird at first considering what I do for a living, but I want you to stop using FTP.

There are too many aspects of it which have not kept up with modern computing environments. In particular:

Unless tunneled over a secure socket, FTP is 100% insecure. Your password, and the contents of all of your files are sent in the clear, free to be examined or captured by any network hop between you and your server.

The spec defines no way of setting the modification dates/times of files. A number of non-standard extensions have arisen to deal with this shortcoming. Some servers support one but not the others. Some support neither. Some claim to support one method but misinterpret the the arguments, treating the timestamps as local time rather than UTC. I've seen FTP servers simply drop the connection whenever asked to set a timestamp on a file. For such a simple and necessary operation, it's chaos.

The spec defines no reliable way of determining the string encoding used for file names. We are able to get it right some of the time using educated guesses, but it's hardly reliable. The Internet has made the world smaller than ever, and the world simply needs to use protocols that support international character sets.

FTP was designed to be used interactively by a human sitting at a terminal, not by a GUI application working on the human's behalf. The spec doesn't even define the output format that should be used for directory listings. Half of the work in writing a decent FTP client is being able to interpret the hundreds of different types of directory listings you might receive without much hint as to which type the server is sending. This leads to all kinds of subtle glitches. For example, for files more than a year old appearing in Unix style directory listings it's impossible to determine their modification date without using additional (and likely unsupported) non-standard commands. Sending such per-file commands kills performance. It's also impossible to reliably handle unusual cases such as leading/trailing spaces in file names without hints from the user about the type of server on the other end.

The spec defines no way of dealing with file metadata, such as Unix permissions, owners, and groups. Again, various servers have implemented extensions for working with this, but you cannot rely on their presence or interoperability.

FTP requires a minimum of two socket connections to transfer a file: the control connection, which is established first, and then data connections which are created and destroyed every time you transfer a single file, or request a directory listing. This is deadly to your overall throughput, especially on a high-latency Internet connection. And worse, it leads to the next problem:

FTP is not friendly with firewalls. Because it constantly needs to establish new connections, this has led us to "passive mode" which might as well be black magic as far as most people are concerned. Briefly, passive mode means the client initiates data connections to the server, rather than the default where the server makes connections to the client (yes, really). Worse still, data connections occur on varying high port numbers (usually 49152-65335) which means sysadmins would have to open over 16,000 ports in the firewall, almost defeating the purpose of a firewall in the first place. It's a mess, and it's really hard to understand. Firewalls are a necessary evil for today's Internet, and our transfer protocols should be able to deal with them.

So, if not FTP, what should you use instead? Of what's available today, I'd recommend everyone switch to SFTP if you possibly can.

It's secure, it's consistently implemented, and it's machine-readable. That all adds up to a more reliable, future-proof transfer client for you.

I've talked to a lot of people who didn't even realize their host supported SFTP. If your hosting service supports SFTP, you usually don't have to change anything except for switching your client protocol from FTP to SFTP. If it doesn't work, you should ask your host if there's anything else you have to do (such as use a different port number).

If your host doesn't support SFTP, you should find a different host. It's not hard to support, and it's ridiculous to force people into using insecure protocols in the year 2008. Ask them, for example, why they don't support telnet. FTP is no better.

FTP has served us well, but it's time to move on. You wouldn't use a 23 year old computer to do your work, so don't use a protocol from the same vintage. Demand modern transfer protocols from your host.

Update
Several people have taken issue with me calling out the age of the protocol. After all, Ethernet, IP, Unix, HTML, and so on are also quite old, but seem to be holding up OK.

I guess it was a silly point to bring up. I hope it's at least obvious from the article that I'm not suggesting that FTP's age is its primary problem, but rather the issues in the bulleted list.

The difference between FTP and other old-but-still-useful tech is that the others have been updated periodically to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the industry.

Ethernet now has CAT6. IP is (sort of... slowly...) mutating into IPV6. Unix has had so many mutations it would be hard to name them all. HTML is coming up on version 5.

FTP is just FTP, pretty much same as it was when Jon Postel & co. wrote it. We've wrapped it in secure tunnels and thrown countless proprietary extensions at it (that nobody agrees on how to implement). But it's my opinion (and certainly not everybody's) that it's broken at a fundamental level for its intended purpose for today's Internet.

So, yes, the age of the protocol BY ITSELF is a non-argument. It's that it has languished for that long without any cleanup from any standards organization or committee. SFTP seems the best candidate to replace it since it is widely deployed, solves pretty much all the problems I mentioned, and in most cases is an easy substitution for end users to make. Of the realistic solutions to the problem (not "let's write a new protocol!") it's the most accessible.

Folks, I'm a Newton user. You don't have to tell me that age does not necessarily equal irrelevance.

(Note: Technically speaking, I even understated FTP's age. I was going by RFC959, which is the implementation still in use today. However, a reader reminds me that the core FTP functionality dates back to RFC354, drafted in 1972, and was designed for the trusted environment of ARPANET. It predates both TCP/IP and the internet as we know it today.)

Update 2
There is some confusion over what I mean by "SFTP". I'm referring to the SSH File Transfer Protocol, not FTP-over-SSL which is informally known as FTPS. FTPS addresses FTP's lack of encryption, but is otherwise exactly the same protocol as FTP, with exactly the same problems.

Originally at: http://stevenf.com/archive/dont-use-ftp.php

Make Those Proposals Cheaper Without Lowering Your Price

2008-06-25T16:10:00.005-04:00

In Michigan, with economic times the way they are it forces us to find more and more ways to provide competitively priced technology solutions. If I am a company to stay in business, and dare I say, grow - then it requires us to seek ways of keeping the quality in the solution, keeping profits in our coffers, and keeping prices competitive. Unfortunately, we do not live in the most conducive environment.

It is quite common for me to consult for a small business and provide 10-30k worth of equipment and labor. That said, even if the client is in desperate need of this proposed solution a lot of the time they have no idea or expectation of cost and I don't think I need to state how difficult it can be sometimes for a small business to write such a large check.

Offering financing options are a must. We have offered financing options for years and many clients of mine have decided to take advantage and exercises these options. There is, however, a new flavor of financing that I am now offering to my small business clients.

We have partnered with a nation-wide telephony and Internet provider to partially or fully subsidize the cost of a client's technology solution - assuming they also sign up with the provider's services. A lot of the time when a business signs up for Internet and phone service, they are also looking in to things like computers, servers, network additions, etc. Doing this work concurrently with the new phone/Internet service and taking advantage of this subsidy program will allow a business owner to purchase all products and services for less than if they bought these items directly from me. In some cases, we have quoted work and our client purchased enough service from the vendor where they paid for the entire project. The client received a server and 10 new computers at no charge because the subsidy amount received from the phone service vendor was equal to the payment for the equipment. At the end of the day, my client ended up paying for the normal Internet and Phone service, and receiving all products and services free of charge.

This type of financing has allowed technology providers like us to remain competitive and also benefits our clients. We all have to live in this harsh economic environment so this type of program helps us all.

Be Fly

2008-06-03T17:12:00.004-04:00

What is it about airports that rub me the wrong way?

The smell, perhaps. Maybe when the dude next to me decided to take his shoes off in the plane on the way to LGA (I don't care how long the flight is I don't want to see your feet). Maybe it's the fact that I have been sitting in the WorldPerks room for 4 hours now waiting for a standby flight.

How about the fact that I never seem to have a problem leaving Detroit, it always seems to amount to a delay or issue, though, in trying to return. This could be a sign to stay away from Detroit. I suppose I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Anyhow, this sucks and it's time to go walk to the gate so I can get denied once again.

Cavalier and C2: Small Businesses Enter at Your Own Risk

2008-05-24T08:22:00.005-04:00

There have been few vendors out there that have angered me as much as the infamous Cavalier/LDMI/Talk America - whatever, take your pick on what their name is this week. Being a small business IT consultant part of my job is to find decent, affordable telephony and Internet service solutions and I have had the unfortunate first hand experience of working with this company. To be fair, in the first 3 months of working with them (over a 18 month process) things were fine. The remainder of the time was a nightmare for my clients. Installations were botched, service was shaky at best, telephone and technical support were next to nonexistent. When you did receive support it took 4 days for a ticket to get completed. There wasn't a single facet of the Cavalier service that was good.

Well, let's talk about their people then. If I thought their service was bad, their CSR's and salespeople were worse. I have since spoke with peers that worked at Cavalier in sales and they told me first hand about their terrible sales tactics and lack of ethics. Things like making empty promises, changing contracts after signatures were given, and long contracts with no way out clauses were a common business practice. This is why people are filing complaints with the State of Michigan because Cavalier's gig is up.

Sitting at home the other night, I see a corny, low-budget commercial for something called C2. This just happens to be Cavalier's home telephone and Internet service. I laugh out loud at their proclamation of how they are "partnered with Google" and how using their service you get access to Google Apps. Obviously, anyone has access to these tools and I highly doubt Google would waste their time with such a joke of a company. Amazing on how such an example for the "C2 service" marketing speaks to their business practices by making such deceptive "offerings."

Cavalier, in any environment, is a joke. They have no room in the small business, home, or any market until they make some serious infrastructure changes and clean up their act. I received a phone call from a friend who is high up at AT&T the other day - he was giving me a heads up that Cavalier is apparently not paying their bills to AT&T and they are in danger of being shut off for all LDMI based customers in any state. What a laugh I had at that. Cavalier can't even pay their bills for the copper they rent from AT&T and as usual, their customers will pay for it.

My advice - when looking for phone or Internet service - avoid LDMI, Cavalier, Talk America (whatever) like the plague.

Lean and Mean in Michigan

2008-05-23T18:32:00.005-04:00

Michigan's economy flat out sucks and in times like these it is more important than ever to run your business lean. Lean - cut the fat. Lean has no fat and fat is waste. Small businesses that have too much waste end up out of business. Waste (fat) equates to time, money, and loss of business. In a hostile economic environment, too much fat will make you sink.

Being lean doesn't mean not spending money. The name of the game is quality and efficiency and if your company can provide great service while maintaining both quality and efficiency then you are lean. I prefer to let my company's service speak for itself versus dumping resources in to aggressive mass-marketing. As a matter of fact, Vision's biggest source of new business is referrals and that is marketing you can't beat.

A lean business hires the best people and pays them what they are worth while maintaining high expectations. Being lean means wearing multiple hats and wearing them well. Lean companies will put the customer first and do what it takes to make them happy. Lean companies will also identify and fire "problem customers."

If you are a small business in Michigan and rely on other Michigan businesses; if you are still in business today then you are doing something right. I prefer to think of this as "survival of the fittest." Let all the marginal companies fall by the wayside - more business for us to serve and when the economy swings I will be ready to hold on for the ride.

Hosting Your Services

2008-05-12T16:27:00.004-04:00

Hosted services are becoming a more attractive and realistic options to the small business owners. Realizing that proper client/server setups and hardware can sometimes carry a significant investment - many small business owners are opting to take the monthly fee approach.

A hosted solution provides a user or users with the power of a larger software package for a fraction of the cost. You also offload the responsibility of administrative tasks to the hosting company. Management items such as updating, monitoring, troubleshooting, securing and backing up servers are delegated to the host and not the customer.

Some examples of hosted solutions are:

1. Mail - from simple email POP3 hosting to Exchange hosting services - email has become a staple of the modern business world. Exchange hosting is extremely beneficial to small businesses because it allows you to take advantage of the full capabilities of Microsoft Exchange. This includes features such as calendar and contact sharing.

2. Web - most small businesses do not want to bother hosting their own web site. With so many web hosting options and companies nowadays, there is no common reason that a small business needs to take on the responsibilities of hosting their own website.

3. Sharepoint - An up and coming software suite in the eyes of the small business. Sharepoint is a powerful collaboration utility that is very customizable to suit the needs of almost any business. It allows for a company intranet right out of the box and offers many free templates and user community online.

4. Anti-Virus - Yes, even anti-virus is offered as a hosted solution. If you have multiple computers but have no server, the benefit of using hosted antivirus is the control you have over those particular AV installations and the ease of keeping licenses managed (i.e. renewals). Most of the time, not only is hosted AV easier to manage and more effective, but cheaper too!

5. Backups - Automated off site backups are a convenient way of making sure your data is protected and backed up with little to no intervention on your part. Online backups can be a "set it and forget it" type of deal - simple to implement but invaluable to have.

For more information on different types of hosted services, please visit http://www.vcsolutions.com

Google - The Operating System

2008-04-26T08:25:00.003-04:00

I have a theory. Imagine a Google Operating System - GoogleOS.

I don't think anyone is going to release an OS that runs on an end user computer that will take the place of Windows anytime soon. Even given all of the criticism surrounding Windows Vista, and Microsoft's recent decision to extend the availability of Windows XP - realistically I do not see Ubuntu, Novell Desktop, or even Mac making a huge dent in the market share of Microsoft's Giant, Windows. Microsoft Windows is too entrenched in to the corporate and home markets and even if Apple is making great progress in to the home market, they have big time difficulties with the business environment.

The answer is you need a paradigm changing technology - a structured technology solution that offers benefits in the form of lower cost of ownership and ease of use. This is where I think the "GoogleOS" will become the Giant Killer.

The proliferation of high speed access across the world has exposed us to possibilities never available before. So what is the next step? Hosted Operating Systems.

With all of Google's online applications - currently offered free of charge - it is easy to see the foreshadowing of hosted solutions to be offered by Google. Instead of offering free, online version of applications, like a word processor, spreadsheet, calendar and email - how about offering the whole package online? How about a hosted Operating System?

This, of course, is pure speculation, but I think it makes logical sense in terms of the next evolution of computing and if Microsoft's Jolly Giant, Windows, is to be taken down then it will have to be done by changing the landscape of typical computing.

Small Business Technology Consultants

2008-04-09T08:49:00.005-04:00

Technology for small businesses has managed to become both more simple and more complex at the same time. A well done technology solution from the beginning may be complex, but the payoff to you as the business owner manifests itself in a solution that is simple to use - allowing you and your user to become more efficient in their day to day activities.

A good technology consultant will take all the complexity out of the technology setup. A good technology consultant will sit with you and listen to what your wants are, then tell you what you need to make that happen. You should have your expectations fully set by the time you make your investment in your technology solution.

Good technology consultants do exist for the small businesses. If you need an example - please have a look!

The Value of Design

2008-03-21T08:38:00.007-04:00

Just recently, I had a project close on a rather negative note. This project was designed in the beginning, and for the sake of speed there were a bunch of extra tasks and materials added on at the last minute without being properly designed or researched. The end result was a lot of headaches during setup, additional time that was unaccounted for, and a frustrating experience for everyone involved.

This experience, although aggravating, has proven to me once again the value of a good design. Many times I have walked in to a business owner's office to find them asking for a quote on the spot for a "new network." Let's put it this way, if a technology company is able to drop a quote on your desk the second you tell them you need a new server, new network, new computers... etc. Then chances are you are about to experience frustration and headaches like I described above.

My process is simple in nature, but very effective. When I stick to it, failures almost never occur. Assess the current state of the client's existing technology along with evaluating their current needs. Design a full, turn key technology solution that suits their needs. Explain the design and detail out what the client's expectations should be. Finally, deliver the solution. All changes or modifications of the project should be documented and approved.

I will not being skewing from this process again any time soon.

Small Business Technology Budget Tips

2008-03-16T10:51:00.006-04:00

A staggering amount of small businesses that I have worked with in the past have made a major mistake year after year in doing their budget. They simply created no area in their budget for technology purchasing, maintenance and support. When you sit down to do your budget for your business, you must take in to account quite a few things. Don't ever treat IT as a "we'll just buy it when we need it" type of situation - plan for it and accommodate for the costs in your bill rate.

1. Purchases - Some will have to purchase new computers, some will have to make a larger investment in a server (this usually is a depreciated asset). In any case, you should always allocate fundage for the purchase of computers, printers and other equipment.

2. Software costs - More and more software today relies on renewable licensing. Software such as anti-virus will cost your company a certain amount each year. This type of software is the easiest to plan for. Other things to look at are newer versions of software you currently use or if you are making plans to migrate to a different package. Always keep in mind that software requires a license for everyone!

3. Maintenance - If you have any kind of technology investment in your company, then understand that those assets require maintenance in order to keep at their optimal performance level. Always keep room in your budget for maintenance costs. Maintenance minimizes costly down time and service costs.

4. Service - Even with maintenance, there will be times when you experience problems requiring the assistance of a technology professional. Typically, this is not a set amount but it is very helpful to accommodate for some type of reactive service cost. The better the maintenance plan, the less you will hopefully have to spend in service. Keep in mind, growth requires service!

Technology has a very real cost, one that the better you plan for, the less it will hurt when you are writing those checks. Don't skip over this part of the budget - realize the value of your technology and understand that technology deserves investment every year.

No City For Young Men

2008-03-11T22:34:00.004-04:00

I just watched the State of the City.

I am nauseous at the "State of the City."

I am constantly disappointed by the lack of leadership in this city and state. Both the State and the City have been run into the ground due to bad decisions, lack of foresight, poor investments, and wasteful spending. Now, young professionals like me and citizens of this great state are paying the price (don't even get me started on automotive and real estate). If the state of Michigan was an actual business, it would have declared bankruptcy a long time ago. Interesting that government is never held accountable for their bad choices - after all, the citizens have the power of choice, right? So I guess it's all our fault.

No, this isn't about technology today. Just keep this little tidbit in mind when running your business...

And if you currently live in Michigan - be strong and do what I do.

Load up on antacids.

There's a Time and Place For a Server

2008-03-08T10:07:00.005-05:00

Purchasing a server can be a scary proposition for some small business owners. Sometimes I will meet with a client and he or she will outline what their expectation of a technology plan for their company is and just throw the term "server" into the mix. The question is typically "how will I know when I need one?"

If you have a small business that runs five or more computers on a peer to peer network, chances are you are a great candidate for a server. As a matter of fact, if you fall under this category, if you have not already budgeted for a small, business-class server then you should begin this process soon.

A good technology provider can help you with this process. Although the cost of the actual hardware can be moderate, the actual implementation of a server has more costs than just the purchase of hardware. Your IT infrastructure will experience a paradigm shift in the way it functions and operates on a daily basis. Your users will experience a change in how they do things and require simple training. Moving to a server environment will bring you many conveniences and open up a lot of doors for expansion and capability down the road, but it most be planned and designed accordingly. Never expect a technology company to just drop a quote in your lap for a server without doing their homework ahead of time!

Backups: The How and Why

2008-03-05T13:20:00.005-05:00

How important is data that resides on your computer or your server? Are you a habitual Word and Excel user? Perhaps, your company is managed by using financial software such as Quickbooks or Peachtree. Maybe you and your workforce rely on the operations of E2 software in order to do your daily work. Let's say you show up to the office tomorrow and all of your data had vanished; of course you have a verified, reliable backup solution in place!

Wait, you aren't sure if you do or not? You think you do but how do you know? Is someone changing tapes? Have I tried to do test restore jobs from those tapes? Am I even backing up all of the data that needs to be backed up? OK, maybe I am not backing things up.

Disaster recovery and data backup; two aspects of your technology solution that you should never ignore. Most people will not give this a second thought until they actually lose information that they need to recover and then it is all the sudden priority number one. The smart move is to understand that data backup and your disaster recovery plan is an insurance policy that you can ill-afford to go without. The cost of integrating a solution vs. the potential cost of not having it makes it well worth having.

1. Raw data backup/copy: Having your files simply copied from one location to another is a big step in the right direction.

2. Backup Application to manage you backups: Using software such as ntbackup or Veritas BackupExec to manage backup sets, media sets, and data retention policies can give you many layers of data redundancy and versions of your information. This also is a great way to backup files that may be in use or open. Reporting features built in to this software are also great to keep up with anything that may have been missed.

3. Imaging software: Symantec and Acronis have great imaging software that allows you to take snapshots of your assets. If you suffer from a failure or crash you can essentially be up and running within a matter of hours instead of days.

4. Secure online backups: Automated, secure online backups are a great, convenient way to go. No tapes to change, no managing the backups - just a simple email stating what was backup up and when (see: our page on these services).

By integrating any or all of these solutions you will grant yourself the peace of mind in knowing that your precious data and information is safe and available in the event of a failure or deletion. Believe me, it happens to the best of us!

The Cheap and The Good

2008-03-04T07:57:00.005-05:00

Don't be fooled by the creative marketing of the major computer manufacturers such as Dell or HP. No computer applicable in the business environment costs $499. When you purchase a new computer for your business, you ideally want it to be a 3-5 year investment, especially if you are making an investment in a server. Some things to make sure you include in a build when purchasing a new computer:

I. Memory - 1 GB if you will be running Windows XP, 2 GB if you want to run Windows Vista or plan on upgrading to Vista. Memory makes the biggest noticeable impact on computer performance.

II. Video Card - I usually tell people to at least include a card with 128 MB of memory, although 256 MB is much better if you plan on running Vista.

III. Warranty - This is kind of a love or hate option. Most people consider this insurance - and no one really likes insurance. That said, I typically recommend at least a 3 year warranty with on site support. All it takes is one hardware failure and this will pay off itself.

IV. Office Suite - Purchasing an OEM version of MS Office will be the cheapest license of this product that you will probably find. Consider purchasing the new version of MS Office when you buy a new computer. Remember, OEM licenses live and die with the computer so if you plan on "transferring" Office from your old system to the new, chances are legally you cannot do this.

If you follow those guidelines you will be very happy with your new computer. Most of the other options are preferential but are not as essential. The trade off is you will be looking at a more expensive computer, however it will last much longer and your experience with it will be much more positive!

Remote Connectivity Options for the Small Business

2008-03-01T09:44:00.003-05:00

A common discussion I have with small business owners is how to provide remote access to their office network for them or their staff. Most people think this is a difficult capability to provide, but the reality is with a little know-how and proper design, there are different ways to provide this access.

I. VPN - Virtual Private Networking (VPN) can be established in many different ways. My preferred method is to use an actual appliance such as the Cisco ASA5505 firewall as the VPN concentrator (the point that you connect to). I prefer this over using the actual server as the point of contact, although this feature is built in to many Microsoft server operating systems. With VPN access and proper configuration, you have full access to all of the resources on your network as if you were sitting in the office. The downside is you are not sitting in your office, thus everything happens over the Internet and consequently speed becomes a factor.

II. Remote Web Workplace (RWW) - This is a feature built in to Microsoft Small Business Server. It allows for connecting directly to your computer at work from a remote computer right through Internet Explorer. You essentially control your office computer remotely and this enables you to perform all the usual functions that you are used to on your office computer over the Internet through the browser.

III. Outlook over the Internet - Most people think you need a VPN setup in order to access email remotely, but in truth the latest version of Exchange and Outlook provide for what is known as Outlook over the Internet. This basically allows you to open Outlook and use it on any remote computer and have it connected to your office Exchange email server.

IV. Freebies! - Logmein.com has a great free piece of remote control software that once you install it on your computer, you can connect to it from virutally anywhere through their website using a password. This is a nice solution because it is free and it requires to firewall or router configuration. There are many providers out there now of software like this.

V. Hosted Network Drives - A service we provide at Vision provides software that you can install that will allow all users to access the same data via a mapped drive (i.e. F:) right through the "My Computer" shortcut. This requires a small software installation but gives users access to the same data without having to purchase or design a server.

The list goes on. There are quite a few ways to provide for remote access and they do not require a lot of time or money. The payback, however, can be great for those who want to work from home or define a vacation as "working from a tropical location."