Smart leaders plan for the absolute worst even though their preference is that a disaster recovery plan is never needed. Disaster Recovery (DR) planning is addressing the question: what happens if disaster strikes and my business becomes inoperable because my computer system is down? What is my plan B for IT? If my daily operations are down, how long will it take to become operable again? How long can my business last if I cannot bill, and cannot access customer files? These questions are addressed by having a DR plan in place. Over 50% of businesses never regain operations after disaster str ..read more

The primary focus for successful IT leadership is to predict the future. How can this happen with any reliability? The answer is by assessment and research based on your company’s objectives. A successful IT leader should not be a firefighter (reactively putting out technology disasters as they burn out of control). Many IT department leaders have to constantly address technology failures due to propping up old equipment and making outdated solutions operate a little longer. Successful IT leadership should not be focussed on tasks such as keeping systems online or backed up. They should not b ..read more

How environmentally friendly is your technology solution? The notion of Green Technology is circulated in marketing messages, and we all want to adopt Green solutions when possible. For example, when we use public transportation, we reduce pollutants and lessen city traffic. We save time and use less energy by not driving our own car during peak traffic. Over time, we can see the impact globally. In business computing, what is the direct impact of using a green technology solution? Does using green technology really make a difference? Yes, it makes a tremendous difference. By adopting a prope ..read more

What is the difference between private cloud computing and public cloud computing? Is one better than the other? When a company considers upgrading its technology strategy for the future, consideration should be given to cloud technology since there are so many benefits provided by leveraging cloud technology for your business. In order to understand the difference between private cloud computing and public cloud computing, we need to be aware that there are some broad definitions about what constitutes cloud computing and the difference between a private cloud and a public cloud. For this di ..read more

When choosing a technology vendor for your company, decision makers want to avoid three costly and common mistakes. There are quite a few details to consider, but it all boils down to three major categories of things to avoid. Keep in mind that you can learn from your own mistakes (This is the hard way.), or you can learn from the mistakes of others that have gone before and are willing to share their missteps. As your business thrives, you will at some point have to upgrade your technology. You will want to choose the right vendor who offers a proper technology strategy for your business req ..read more

Top business leaders know that getting ahead in business means that your primary focus should be devoted to profit centers for your business. Highly successful executives and business owners are always searching for smart ways to decrease overhead and limit focus on non profit producing tasks. Your best efforts should be devoted to conversations about business development, marketing, and enhancing the work life of your workforce. Your technology strategy should support your success. Many companies have directed too much effort and expense into IT details when there is clearly a better way to m ..read more

The other day I was with my family at a well known car dealer. (I came to tag along and look at the cool cars while my daughter and son in law made a purchase.) The sales representative was doing her best to show comparisons of leasing versus owning. She was doing her utmost to answer questions, but her computer was running slow. She kept her cool, but after awhile her frustration began to show. She began to apologize for the delay. She mentioned that the dealer has been promising an upgrade for quite some time. She even mentioned that she tried her personal computer recently to see if it was ..read more

An integral part of being a successful business owner is keeping tabs on all of the moving parts of your business. There is, of course, the ever important focus on profitability. You must have an excellent reputation, and offer an appropriate service level. You have to know about your overhead costs. You have to know about cash flow, income, taxes, and make sure that all the moving parts are moving in the right direction. One such area that you have to have a basic understanding is in technology. Surprising or not, many owners have a very limited or nonexistent knowledge of their information ..read more

Now is the time to consider moving all of your technology to a cloud solution. Moving your servers, your applications, and your desktops to a proper cloud network is the way to go for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps you have some resistance forces that do not want you to move to the cloud for their own selfish reasons. Here are the typical roadblocks (excuses): My particular application will not work in the cloud (Yes, it will! Even power users can work efficiently in a properly configured Cloud environment.) Cloud Applications are too slow (Not anymore – enhanced and affordable bandwidth ha ..read more

The same technology cycle has continued for years in small businesses everywhere. About every five years your aging servers have to be upgraded. In tandem with expensive technology upgrades, you must purchase hardware, servers, storage, maintenance and backups. Your employees and your industry ask for the latest in applications. If you do not provide proper technology tools, then your productivity may decline. Without current security measures, you may expose your company to cyber security threats. So you must stay current or risk some bad consequences. Newsflash! You no longer have to buy ha ..read more