Article
by Thomas Burns
IT SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES:
How to Build Your Business without Breaking the Bank
Intelligent Network Services (INS)
Building a small business is hard work. In the initial period of
most small businesses, one or two people are trying to do everything
until the business grows enough to diversify functions and hire
assistance. While you are trying to develop products and/or services,
you are also trying to build infrastructure to support the business
functions. Chances are, if you are the kind of person who is focusing
on product or service development, you probably are not the person
with the breadth technology information to build your own infrastructure.
Our experience working with small businesses is that the creative
folks who design the products and services and actually manage the
business don’t know a great deal about computer technology,
particularly new technologies. Many of these people don’t
even want to know how or why a system works. All they want to know
is that this system and this application will help them accomplish
their business goals and what they must do to make it work.
When a fledgling business moves from an idea to a real product
or a real service and begins to work with customers who want that
product or service, technology becomes essential. In today’s
markets it is difficult to be in business without a website and
internet commerce applications. These, in turn, require management
and maintenance, as well as security. As the business continues
to grow, it becomes necessary to manage bookkeeping, customer service,
inventory, and staff. This, in turn, requires more technology.
In a world in which new technologies
emerge daily, keeping up with change is a full time job. Knowing
which systems and which applications will meet the needs of a growing
business in the present and in the future requires knowledge, experience,
and technological skills. Unfortunately, none of that is free. There
are three ways to respond to the need of a small business for technology
infrastructure.
The first response is to decide to try to do everything yourself.
The founder of the company goes to a computer company or store,
explains the perceived needs of the small business, and buys the
recommended hardware and software. This brave individual then returns
to the office to try to make everything work.
The second possible response is to hire an IT professional or a
team of IT professionals. This requires time and money. The fledgling
company will conduct a search for a qualified individual, make a
hiring decision, and start paying this individual or group of people
salary and benefits and social security and everything else. The
business will also provide work space and a work area for this individual.
The third possible response is to enter into a contract with an
IT services company, such as INS. The small business principals
will then discuss their needs and their budget with the service
company’s consultants. A contract will be executed on either
a retainer basis or on a per-item basis. The small business principals
will then go back to work creating and selling products and/or services
and growing their business. Meanwhile, the IT services company will
go to work designing the best system for the current and future
needs of the small business, installing equipment, setting up systems,
applications and websites, and creating the networks and connections
that will allow everything to work smoothly. The IT services company
will monitor, manage and maintain the entire technology infrastructure
for the small business.
Most technology professionals will tell you that the first response
is a sure path to disaster. Most financial advisors will tell you
that the second response is probably going to break the bank. The
third response, however, may provide the most efficient and cost-effective
solution to the technology needs of a small business.
Most small businesses discover a need for the following minimum system capabilities:
- Inventory management
- Production management
- Sales management
- Marketing functions
- Website, electronic commerce and security
- Customer database
- E-mail
- Customer and market surveys
- Fax, web conferencing, video conferencing capabilities
- Human Resources and payroll systems
- Billing and accounting systems or software
- Document and forms production, management and distribution
- Planning and budgeting functions
- Competitive analysis functions
- Wireless systems
Once these programs and systems are in place, they must be integrated. The system
must then be managed, monitored for service disruptions, repaired, expanded and further
integrated. Security demands change almost daily and require constant updates to protect
the business and the customer.
The purpose of technology is to assist the company in implementing business strategy
and managing day-to-day business functions. Every business function managed or assisted
by technology frees the employees of a small business for more integral functions.
Further, the right technology properly leveraged will increase productivity, and assist
the company in knowing more about their customers and the buying habits of their customers
by collecting that information and making it readily available in a variety of settings and
contexts.
Contracting with an IT services company saves money, provides the best fit of technology
with business objectives, and eliminates the need for small business principals to worry
about systems infrastructure. These companies provide 24/7 service and support to ensure
that the company does not lose business due to down time, without the financial burden of
paying overtime to an internal IT staff. Considering all the services provided, as well
as the knowledge and experience of IT services companies in working with the needs of small
businesses, it is not surprising that IT services companies are the solution of choice
for many small businesses.
About the Author
Thomas Burns, founder and CEO of Intelligent
Networks Services (INS) has been an industry expert in
computer network and technology for over 20 years. Under his careful
supervision, INS has become a leading, full service IT support company
servicing small to mid-sized businesses in Silicon Valley. INS’s
goal is to save their client’s money by focusing on preventative
maintenance and intelligent network designs. For more information
go to: www.intelligentns.com/subscribe
and receive your complimentary network evaluation.
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