To the cloud .. or not? (A personal account)

This isn’t intended as a comprehensive argument on how to evaluate if Cloud Computing is right for you or not.  I’ve written it to show where we use Cloud Computing in our own business, and where we don’t.  As most of my readers aren’t IT Providers, you may find something relevant in this, or you may not.  But I’m a firm believer in recommending the best solution to a client for their individual needs, so our own decision on Cloud Computing has been based on our current business needs.

To the Cloud … Website, System Monitoring, Ticketing & Job Management

Website – We have our own server, and it currently hosts our http://www.ctaspley.com.au website (as at Feb 2012).  We did this because we could, when we started our business nearly 8 years ago. It gave us full control of the website and a chance to practice with website publishing, in an environment that wasn’t too critical (and was backed up).  Since then, our franchise has developed WordPress sites with common themes on a hosted server at another location.  I’m slowly customising (re-writing) the content of those pages and when I’m happy with it, we’ll change our website address to point to this new site.  Our website will then be ‘in the Cloud’ .. so to speak.  The downside? I won’t have full control over all of the design elements. But you know what – I don’t really care. I’m happy with the structure and as long as I can update the content to suit, I don’t need to change the design.  In this case, we are the exception to the rule, as most businesses don’t host their own website anyway.  And if you did want full design control, there are plenty of hosting companies that will let you have that.

System Monitoring –  Now we use some pretty amazing software that monitor’s the health of our client’s computer systems, especially those errors that are screaming silently into the event log. Our access to this is through the Internet to a server managed by a fellow Computer Troubleshooter in New Zealand, who also provides access to North America and the UK.  Whilst the company we buy this software from doesn’t have this internet hosting capability, our NZ group have paved the way for our global franchisees to use this in the Cloud. Once again, I have no control over the server. Once again, I don’t care. As the information on this system is only really useful when it’s real-time, it will re-generate on the current status of the systems when it comes back up.  There are also other monitoring providers that have cloud-based systems as an option (or the only option).

Ticketing & Job Management – Details of our work, including billing hours, are stored in a cloud-based system. This is far more advanced that the previous in-house effort, for a fraction of the cost, plus it has the advantage of the input from thousands of other IT providers in terms of functionality requests, bug reports etc.  At worst, we stand to lose our historical data to some extent – the data centre has hourly backups and offsite backup storage. This information is transferred to our accounting software too, so we have two sources (one in-house, one in-cloud) of our billing information.  And once again, as long as the system works, I’m happy to do the data entry and let the provider take care of the systems administration.

Not in the Cloud … Financial software, Applications, Email and File storage

Financial software –  Our financial software is something that I would have considered using a Cloud-based version of. The problem is that Cloud versions are not compatible with the integration we get from our Job Management software. In English, if I do a job and bill some time, I can transfer that invoice directly to the financial software installed on my PC. I can’t transfer it to a Cloud-based financial system.  So, to save double data entry, the financial software is staying on my PC.

Applications & Email – As an IT Provider, we’re fortunate to get a great deal from Microsoft on their computer software. This includes the latest versions of pretty much anything, so we can use them, learn them and recommend them.  And while some may argue that many Cloud apps are free, I like my Microsoft benefits and most of my clients run Microsoft software too.  It’s a bit hard for me to troubleshoot or duplicate an Outlook\Exchange problem if I use gmail, or a Word problem if I use OpenOffice. Ever heard the term ‘eat your own dog food’?

File storage – Our files are on our server, because we could. Once again, we had the means to have our own server, support it ourselves and experiment with it. Primarily, it provided our email, website, file storage and printing.  We could also experiment with it. So it made little sense to place our file storage in the Cloud, with our local server handling the job quite nicely and also giving us remote access to these files from the Internet anyway.  Yes, it’s backed up.

We did contemplate switching our server to ‘play only’ mode – making it a box that we ran up when we needed it, instead of it being on 24×7. After moving our website, we could have setup a print server box, a Network Attached Storage device (NAS) for our files (or gone Cloud), and moved our email back to our franchise headquarters (as a POP only service, which would have limited some of our functionality).  But we like having a server because it keeps our skills current.

So, as you can see, it is possible to run a mix of in-house and Cloud IT solutions in your business.  You have to weigh up the pros and cons of each, and also look at the big picture. What’s the point in moving to Cloud for email if you still have a server doing file and print?  Where do you think you will save money? If you think that IT support is expensive, have you looked into a Managed Service (with a fixed price and a results focus) instead of support at an hourly rate?

I’m not saying ‘don’t investigate the Cloud’. It’s enabled us with some capabilities that would have been significantly more expensive to do in-house.  And that’s where I think it absolutely rocks for small businesses.

If you want to look at Cloud Computing, make an informed decision that looks at the bigger picture of your business needs, your current IT infrastructure and your support costs.  Whatever route you decide to go, as long as it supports and enhances those three principles, you’ll be on the right track.

-SCuffy.

Office 2010 – great new features!

Written for the Computer Troubleshooters franchise for distribution to our global client base:

Microsoft’s release of Office 2010 has been somewhat overshadowed by the recent Apple iPad release, however the new version of Office has some fantastic improvements that are worth shouting about. This month, we highlight a few of the features that will make your life easier.

Work better together – Do you e-mail files for people to review, managing revision numbers and tracking editing changes? Or do you use technology like Google Apps for internet-based sharing and collaboration? With Office 2010, your document can now be shared easily on the internet and edited by multiple people at the same time (for real-time co-authoring). This feature alone may change how teams work together internally and how businesses work with their customers.

Office wherever you need it (and it’s free!) – Office Web Apps will offer lightweight versions of Word Excel and PowerPoint from your web browser, for free. Whilst these products are missing many features, they’re designed to complement the full products and provide great basic editing from any location.

Look before you paste – Even the humble paste feature is overhauled, with the new Paste Preview. You can now choose to keep the source formatting, merge the formatting or keep the text only of your pasted content. As you hover the mouse over these options, you’ll see a preview of what your content will look like before it’s inserted. There’s now also a built-in screen capture tool and screen clipper giving you more control over the screen images you wish to copy.

PowerPoint embraces multimedia – Microsoft has stepped up the video capability of PowerPoint with advanced video editing functions now built into the application. You can also embed YouTube videos into your slides, though you’ll need an internet connection to display them when you run your presentation. You can also distribute your slides as a video, or easily broadcast your presentation over the internet.

E-mail’s new look – Outlook inherits the wide ‘ribbon’ toolbar that other applications had in Office 2007. The new Conversation View lets you follow the threads of a discussion more easily and inside an e-mail you’ll see meetings, attachments and other emails that are related to the sender. You’ll even be able to include them as a social networking contact with the Add button. For repetitive tasks, Outlook introduces macro-like QuickSteps, enabling you to action several tasks with one click (e.g. reply to a message and delete the original).

Never lose a document again? – If you’re not happy with the latest changes to your file, the Autosave feature now keeps the last 5 versions that it saved and you can preview and compare their contents. If your computer crashes or your laptop battery dies and you suddenly remember that you haven’t saved the masterpiece you’ve been working on for the last hour, Office now keeps unsaved documents for 4 whole days before automatically deleting them.

Talk to your local Computer Troubleshooter about how you can take advantage of these features and other software and technology benefits.

The 5 things YOU must know about your business’s computers

If someone else is responsible for the technology in your business, it can feel fantastic that you don’t have to worry about that part of your business operation.  But whether that person is an employee, a freelance computer guy or a larger I.T. support company, the responsibility for this part of your business still ultimately lies with you.  Here’s a list of what all business owners should know about their own computers: 1. Administrator passwords – ‘Local administrator accounts’ have full access to make changes to your computers.  If you have a server, there may also be a ‘domain administrator’ account.  Make sure you have a record of these account passwords in a safe place.  If your business provides laptops and mobile phones to your staff, also keep a record of any passwords or PIN numbers that are used to secure these mobile devices (e.g. are prompted for when the device is turned on).  This may seem a bit over the top, but it only takes a disgruntled employee or an issue with your support provider and you can find yourself locked out of your own systems, at the mercy of someone else who knows the passwords when you don’t.  I’ve actually seen I.T. companies refuse to release administrator passwords.  Remember, your information is your property, not theirs. 2. Domain name details – If you have your company name registered as a domain on the internet (e.g. for your website or email addresses), make sure you know when your domain is due to expire.  Domain name registration only lasts for a certain period (commonly 1, 2 or 5 years) and must be renewed.  We’ve seen websites and emails stop in their tracks because the domain name registration company couldn’t (or didn’t) contact the business owner to process the domain name renewal.  Also associated with your domain name is a password or PIN number (sometimes known as a registry key).  This proves you are the rightful owner of the domain and is required for making any changes.  It’s a long process if you need to get this password reset because it’s been forgotten, so make sure it’s stored in a safe place. 3. Internet connection details – The modem that connects your computers to the internet is configured with some details that are specific to your account with your internet provider.  This may be as simple as a username and password, but may also include security settings or even ‘port numbers’ for allowing or denying internet access to some software programs.  If you have internet connection problems and the modem needs to be reset back to the factory defaults, this information will be lost.  It can also happen due to a power failure or if the modem is faulty.  Once again, this only takes a few minutes to document, but can save you a huge amount of time when you need it. 4. Last successful backup test – Your backups are only as good as your last successful ‘test restoration’.  If someone else manages your backups, ask them to test that they can restore the data and provide you with a monthly report so you know it’s been done.  If you look after your own backups, make sure this testing is performed by someone in your company and that you receive a report from them to show when it happened.  5. Software licensing proof – Like the financial and taxation side of your business, the responsibility for legal software ownership rests with the business owner.  Don’t think that you’re only a small business so no-one would audit you.  Keep a safe record of your software license keys and proof of ownership (e.g. purchase receipts).  This also makes license numbers easy to find if your computer software needs to be re-installed or moved to a different computer. Please make it your ‘New Financial Year’s Resolution’ to obtain this important information and store it safely.

Dear Mr Bank Manager (aka the ballad of the self-employed)

On most days I love being self-employed.  I like the control I have over how my business operates.  Whilst we’re still only a ‘micro business’ (read: no other ‘team members’ but us), it could be classed by some as a job.  However, I get to set my own salary, my own hours, my own work location, what products & services I offer, how I market & advertise and which customers I will (or won’t) deal with.

Running your own business also gives you an invaluable set of skills that you just don’t get when you are an employee, and a whole new ‘empathy’.  Share stories of having cashflow battles, nightmare customers or stellar employees with another business owner and you’ll get that look of “I understand, I’ve been through that too”.  It’s the best of times and the worst of times and you are only accountable to yourself.

But recently I had to deal with the wonderful world of banks and their mortgage approval process.  Credit to my mortgage broker who buffered as much of the stress and string-pulling as they could.  However, I have a banking background and know that the self-employed & lending approval is like water and oil.  For starters, if you go the ‘low doc’ option (where you sign a piece of paper that promises that your income is enough), you also have to provide a 20% deposit.  I know that the days of 110% mortgages are long gone with the global financial crisis, but finding a 20% chunk of cash in a hurry (e.g. when your renting circumstances change) is no easy feat for anyone, especially if it comes with strong caveats about proving a 6 month genuine savings history.

Self-employed people are seen as a much higher risk to lend to than a salaried employee.  As I turn on the TV each day to hear of consistently rising unemployment figures and job layoffs, I think it’s time to challenge that belief.

So, Dear Mr Bank Manager, here’s my case:

As a business owner, I understand risk.  I understand that there are good times and bad times, and just because I’ve had a stunning profit this month it doesn’t mean that next month will be the same – though I will do everything in my powers to try and achieve the same stunning result.  Because of this, I know that the ‘annual salary’ on my payslip is not a sure thing.  Fact is, it’s not a sure thing when you are an employee either, especially in the current economic climate.  Therefore, I understand that committing to borrowing money from you and being able to pay it back is a risky move.  And as that money relates to the roof over my head and indeed my family’s, I’m not about to put us in a riskier position than I am comfortable with.  Note: I’m not asking for enough funds to build a mansion.  I believe that many of the mortgagee sales that have contributed to the real estate crash in the USA are from genuine people in salaried employment, who have suddenly lost the security of their paycheck.  Why? Because the business owner terminated his employees to protect his business.

I own the business.  I know it intimately – in fact I wake up at night thinking about it.  I know on a daily basis whether things are going well or not and I’m able to adjust my actions accordingly.  I’m navigating and steering this ship, I’m not just along for the ride.  Ask a salaried employee how well the company is going and how confident they are of keeping their job and their pay check.  They’ll hope everything is fine.  Who do you think has a greater certainty about the stability and continuance of their income?  If things aren’t going well, I’ll be making adjustments immediately, to get the results I need.  As an employee, you’ll do what you can within your sphere of influence, but you aren’t able to make the kinds of decisions and actions that I can to change the outcome.

As the business owner, I have my own best interests at heart.  I know that sounds harsh, and I do truly lose sleep over how to keep my business performing to pay the salaries of my employees.  But in the cold, hard light of day, my primary responsibility is to my own family.  If things really aren’t going well, my second-to-last course of action will be to lay off my employees, in order to preserve my own income.  My last course of action will be to close up shop.  This means that my employees are at a greater risk of losing their jobs than I am.  And there’s little they can do about it (other than contribute as much as possible to ensuring that my business is profitable – but at the end of the day, I am the decision maker).  In all of the lay-off announcements, who has been losing their jobs?  The workers, not the business owners, not the CEOs or Company Presidents … unless the whole business has completely gone under, and I think that’s usually a result of management not acting soon enough.

And, heaven forbid, should my business wither away to an unprofitable, unviable mess, I think I have a greater chance of survival.  My business management skills and the lesson I have just learnt will make for a much stronger second attempt at running a business.  If I do decide to look for another job working for someone else, I think that my skills and experience would outshine that of another potential ‘employee-only’ candidate.  Not to mention the fact that my business currently services over 100 happy customers, many of whom would employ me in a heartbeat.  That’s 100 potential enployment opportunities that an employee may not have.

OK, end of rant, I’ve now stated my case.  I doubt that this will change the thinking or lending criteria of the banking world, but it’s made me feel better justifying my little place in the world economy.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

-SCuffy

Free search engine (SEO) tips from Google for small business

I’m going to keep this post brief so you can just get straight to the video on YouTube and watch.

Matt Cutts from Google gives you his search engine optimization tips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gscFgaMTm48

-SCuffy

What are we selling?

I’ve picked up a great book called ‘Stop bitching, start pitching’ by Marty Kellard & Ian Elliot.  It’s forced me to really stop and think about how we pitch our managed service product, B.E.S.T.  They claim it’s not enough to have the best solution and the best sales message for it.  Instead you really have to do your homework and analyse the wants & needs (written and unwritten) of your customer and the key decision makers and influencers, then ensure that you are addressing those.  Especially for new business, a customer needs to be able to picture you working with them to solve their business problems, and taking it much further than just replacing the current IT guy that they are unhappy with.

So, if we’re not selling managed services, what are we selling?  Ourselves, ultimately, and trust too.  We have to position ourselves as the ‘solution providers’ for their company, not just for their specific IT problem.  And that involves empathy, treating everyone in that company with respect (right down to the security guard if they have one), and a whole lot of research and listening.

MSPs know that some clients just aren’t worth the hassle.  It sounds like a harsh truth, but any business owner can identify clients that are very, very hard work.  We all want clients who trust and value our advice, appreciate that we have their best interests at heart (pun intended) and pay their bills on time.  So why do we fall over ourselves trying to sell to every client that calls, without qualifying them first?  Well, small business is hard business and the pull of the almighty dollar is a strong one, especially when there is a chance for a new invoice.  Long term though, it’s been proven that clients that ‘fit’ our model are going to be easy to manage and far more profitable than the next client with a 10k project that turns out to be a nightmare.  In fact, many books out there suggest a ‘proving ground project’ of something small, so your new client can evaluate if they’d like to continue to work with you … and, more importantly, vice versa, without the stranglehold of a 12 month contract (not that we do 12 month contracts anyway). 

Instead, should our pitch be aimed at ‘we know we have a great solution, it’s just a case of whether it’s the right solution for you’, then work to see if the client’s situation really would benefit from our product?  And if it doesn’t fit, don’t force it.  Unfortunately this takes a whole lot more work than saying to them ‘sure, we can come in and give you a presentation on our managed services product’, then turning up with your standard powerpoint slides.  Theory is, your success rate should be better though.

I like the theory … I’ll let you know how it works out in practice.

-SCuffy