User login
Courtesy navigation
Search
Blog posts in Buy and manage IT
Moving offices? Don’t have an IT relocation nightmare
May 09, 2012
Moving offices can be a tricky process. And IT relocation – transferring your computers, servers, networking and so on – can be one of the hardest parts of the operation. You need to get everything shifted, usually overnight or over a weekend, and maintain network and telephone connectivity the whole time.
Many companies underestimate the amount of preparation they need to do to ensure a smooth IT relocation. Leaving IT relocation to chance is likely to cause stress and disruption that could have a dramatic effect on your company's bottom line.
Here are some really common issues that can stymie an IT relocation project, along with tips on how to avoid them. If you’re moving offices soon then good luck!
- Poor network cabling. Don’t assume that the last tenant’s IT requirements will be the same as yours. Their network layout, telephone lines and internet connection will most probably differ from your own. Scope out what’s there ahead of time, and create a plan for the cabling you need.
- Leaving it too late to order phone lines and an internet connection. Telecoms providers often have long lead times for installation. It can take 65 days to get a leased line internet connection, so plan ahead and place your order early. Be especially mindful of this in London, where Olympic Games restrictions may cause further delays this year.
- Not allowing for future growth. Now is the time to think about how you’d deal with taking on extra employees, because you don’t want to outgrow your IT infrastructure too quickly. Make sure your network, internet connection and data points are enough to meet likely future growth.
- Not taking the chance to upgrade. An IT relocation is the perfect time to make a fresh start. You can take advantage of the office move to switch to more modern technology – doing it at this point will be less disruptive than doing it once you’ve settled in to your new home.
- Skimping on your IT relocation test plan. Once your equipment is installed into its new home, you need to test it all, thoroughly. Moving day is stress enough without having equipment that doesn’t work. Create an inventory of all equipment and put together a robust, logical testing plan so you know everything’s working properly before your staff arrive back in the office.
- Missing the small things. It’s easy to remember to move your server and all your computers. But have you remembered your Wi-FI signal booster that’s on the first floor? How about the keycard system on the front door? Oh, and don’t forget the most crucial bit of technology: the coffee machine.
- Not asking for help. Managing an IT relocation successfully requires attention to detail and a plan that runs like clockwork. It’s a hard thing to get right if you’ve not done it before, so it’s a good idea to work with a professional relocation company (and perhaps your IT supplier) to smooth the process.
Have you been through an IT relocation recently? Did it go ok? Leave a comment and let us know.
Clare Moorhouse is from Help Moving Office, an online resource to help companies plan, manage and execute a successful office move. You can read their IT relocation checklist online now.
Why smaller businesses are best placed for technology change
April 03, 2012
Against the backdrop of a challenging economic climate and unpredicted social and political upheavals, the need for agility and flexibility in business is paramount. Accompanying this turbulent environment is a tidal wave of technology change. It’s having an impact on every aspect of businesses operations, from the boardroom to the shop floor.
These trends are fuelling an unprecedented change to the way businesses and employees operate. And many organisations aren’t ready to adapt to the future workplace.
A power shift away from management
Recent Ricoh research – conducted via the Economist Intelligence Unit – demonstrates how power is shifting away from the traditional management hierarchy. This research found that 63% of business leaders are predicting that business decision-making will shift towards individual employees, as businesses move towards a decentralised structure by 2020.
Although lacking the financial resources of bigger companies, smaller businesses could find themselves at an advantage in this scenario. Their size and nature means they’re more likely to have a cohesive, collaborative management structure where the best ideas can rise to the top and be implemented into everyday operations.
Likewise, SMEs often have a more flexible approach to technology adoption. Having a smaller workforce makes IT innovation more commonplace. For instance, it’s easier to take an individual approach to IT provision, giving each member of staff access to the technology they’re most comfortable with.
Democratic data access
It is, however, difficult to shift decision-making to employees if they do not have access to the data and documents they need to take action. So if your business really wants to get ready for employee empowerment, you may need to rethink how your document processes work. The aim is to ensure important information is shared flexibly across your whole company.
The research also points towards a new, more collaborative approach to product and service development. Nearly 86% of business leaders agreed that project teams will typically include people from outside the organisation like customers, partners and communities.
This adds weight to the argument for shifting towards a connected business model where all these parties are linked and able to communicate effectively so they can develop the brightest ideas.
Despite the challenges that lie ahead, there’s a great opportunity here for companies willing to implementing more collaborative technologies. The tidal wave of technology change will give birth to a new generation of business success stories, empowered by customers and partners alike.
- Embrace employees who bring their own IT to work
- Choosing collaboration tools for your business
- Document management explained
Chas Moloney is a director at Ricoh UK.
Embracing technology but still lagging behind?
March 01, 2012
You might have seen our recent survey, in which 60% of respondents said they plan to invest in technology in 2012. Now a separate survey of 1,250 companies, run by the Epson Business Council, has found that 51% of British small businesses reckon IT is an integral part of their drive for business growth.
No surprises there, really. After all, technology plays a key role in almost every aspect of business.
However, when compared to their continental counterparts it actually looks like British businesses are lagging somewhat behind. In France and Germany, the same survey found 76% of businesses consider IT integral to growth. In Spain it was 73% and in Italy it was 68%.
Those differing attitudes were reflected in the adoption of technology too. The research showed that only 27% of British small businesses use smartphones and 38% use tablets.
Given the relative youth of tablet computers, it seems surprising that more businesses use those than use smartphones. But assuming that’s accurate, in France and Germany an even greater proportion of businesses said they use tablets. More than half, in fact.
Does that mean British businesses are getting left behind, or are they simple taking a more measured approach in adopting these new technologies?
There is one other possibility, of course. We’ve seen a growing trend of employees bringing IT to work, circumventing the IT department and hooking their own smartphones and tablets up to company systems. Could that account for some of the discrepancy?
Do these survey results match your own experiences? Leave a comment to let us know how you use tablets and smartphones.
I need a new computer with Windows 98
February 13, 2012
My business provides IT support to its clients. And increasingly, IT support isn’t just technology support; it’s business support. That’s because using IT as a strategic asset can set your company apart from its competitors, bringing you more sales and boosting your profits.
That’s the mantra I stick by and use as the yardstick for all my conversations with clients. Good IT will result in good business.
Not quite a straightforward upgrade
So, you can imagine my surprise when a new enquiry came in from someone who said they needed to update their IT equipment. On the surface it was a straightforward job: new computers, a server and updated software.
However, it turned out not to be quite as simple as I first thought.
Things took an unexpected turn when this potential client told me that the new computers had to run Windows 98. Yes, Windows 98, which was released nearly 14 years ago. It’s so old that Microsoft even stopped providing support for it in 2006.
When I pressed them on this, the conversation went something like this:
Me: “Why do you need to run Windows 98?”
Potential customer: “Well, we have this invoicing software that was set up for us years ago.”
Me: “Ok...”
Potential customer: “The guy who set it up doesn’t work here anymore.”
Me: “I think I see where this is going.”
Potential customer: “It only works on Windows 98 computers. We have a Windows XP machine but that won’t run the software, and our Windows 98 machines are dropping like flies.”
Me [after thinking for a moment]: “I think the key issue here is to look at the software and sort it out first, rather than try to just keep Windows 98 running indefinitely.”
Bespoke software can cause problems
This business was facing is an issue I see all too often. That’s software, written or installed by an individual (not an off the shelf product) which is ‘bespoke’.
It’s great for the first year or two, while the person that installed it is around and able to help. But 15 years later (yes, they said they’ve been using it for about 15 years!) it becomes a problem because the installer or designer is no longer around.
My plan in this case is to check out the software properly before making any further suggestions. I guess it’s probably some kind of customised spreadsheet or perhaps a bespoke database.
However, the key point is that this software is hindering the company’s ability to use IT effectively. It’s stopping them from being efficient, productive and responsive to new orders.
The lesson for us all is clear. It’s vital to get advice from IT professionals who understand your business and its needs both now and in the future.
Technical people are fantastic. They can do magic things to fix software or resuscitate a dying PC. But it’s my experience that they often fail to consider the needs of your business. When you’re looking at a big investment in new software and equipment, they are far more important.
- What to ask when choosing an IT support company
- How to avoid problems with software developers
- Do you really need custom software?
Craig Sharp is MD of Abussi.
iPads: they breed like, er, iPads
January 26, 2012
iPads might not quite breed like rabbits, but it’s close
A couple of weeks ago I received a stream of emails from a client. They wanted to know about iPads. The questions grew increasingly detailed but the thrust of the query was whether an iPad could both replace their laptop at home and link back to their main computer at work.
We’d previously set up a remote access service for the client. This allows them to access the desktop on their main PC from other computers, so they can run their usual software and access all their files. And yes, this makes it possible for them to bring up their desktop on an iPad too.
Have you experienced iPad breeding?
They were pretty much sold on the idea of getting an iPad (it is, after all, one of those gadgets that people ‘just have to have’ once they’ve seen it for real) and just wanted to make sure they picked the right model.
But it reminded me of the increasingly common phenomenon of iPad breeding. If you haven’t experienced it yourself, it’s an easy concept to understand. It starts simply, when a member of staff brings an iPad into your office one day.
Like a mother with a new born baby, a small crowd of people gathers to coo and pet the new shiny-faced device, while steadfastly trying to hide their envy.
Next thing you know, that original iPad has a brother. A co-worker buys one, having been seduced by the seemingly endless opportunities offered by its glossy screen.
After that, the trend has started. You see the number of iPads in your office grow and grow.
There’s nothing wrong with that – iPads are a dream to use and can do lots of things. But they can't do everything.
Can it do what you need it to?
Let’s go back to that person who was asking me about iPads. In their case, there was an issue: although they could use the iPad to access their main computer, they found that without a proper keyboard, it didn’t work well.
Additionally, they spend a lot of time working on complex spreadsheets – and with half the iPad’s screen taken up by its ‘virtual keyboard’, there wasn’t enough space left for them to view the spreadsheets properly.
The aim of this post isn’t to criticise the iPad. I have one and I love it. However, before you spend over £500 on one, think about what you actually want to use it for – and work out whether it can meet those needs.
If you’re not sure, it’s certainly worth seeking advice from an independent IT supplier who can understand your needs and help you decide whether an iPad is best, or if you should be looking elsewhere.
In this case I was able to demonstrate the experience on an iPad. The client saw clearly that it would not work for them. They plumped for a replacement laptop instead, which is much better suited to their needs.
Craig Sharp, Managing Director of Abussi
How your business is evolving
January 18, 2012
Work attitudes and practices are evolving rapidly, fuelled by advances in technology and widespread broadband connectivity.
Indeed, perhaps it’s the availability of fast internet connections which is enabling information, ideas and knowledge to flow freely.
Our world of work is being redefined. With it, the expectations of workers and managers in businesses of all sizes are being challenged.
The evolving workforce
To understand how working habits are changing and the impact this will have on companies across the globe, Dell and Intel commissioned a piece of research: The Evolving Workforce. We wanted to learn how the way businesses work is changing.
Part of the research involved polling the workforce itself – approximately 8,000 workers in 11 countries, 1,000 of whom were based in the UK. The results contain some interesting findings for smaller businesses:
- Smaller businesses offer better job stability. Worldwide, employees of small and medium-sized businesses feel their jobs are safe from external threats. They feel stable in their roles; only 25% feel that outsourcing is a threat.
- Smaller companies offer greater job satisfaction. Generally, employees of small and medium-sized businesses are happier at work than people in larger companies. Some employees say this is because they’re able to choose the technology they use. In small and medium-sized businesses, 39% of employees can choose their IT, compared with just 21% at larger companies.
- Employees in smaller businesses are more trusted by their employers. Results from around the world show that 55% of employees from small and medium-sized businesses say they feel their employer listens to them, compared to only 36% at larger companies.
- People working for small and medium-sized businesses have more flexibility and choice in the devices they use. 42% of employees at small and medium-sized companies in Japan believe they’re consulted about technology choices, yet only 31% had positive views of their IT support.
The figure is similar in Mexico, with 40% being more likely to choose their own devices, compared with half that (20%) in large enterprises. This shows how smaller businesses are able to offer more flexibility – an attractive prospect to employees who like to choose the technology they use every day.
Small and medium-sized businesses are blazing a trail in terms of employee-led innovation, but results from our survey suggest the UK lags behind. More than half (53%) of employees say they don’t have the freedom to choose how to work.
By giving workers increased freedom, offering flexible working and a choice of devices, small and medium-sized businesses will increase motivation and, in turn, boost productivity and creativity to stimulate further innovation and growth.
Kevin Peesker is General manager Dell UK and Ireland small and medium business
2012: great for Google+, group buying and gadgets
January 05, 2012
Will 2012 be the year of Google+ for business?
Guessing what’s in store is traditional at the start of a New Year. And so I’ve been looking ahead to consider what 2012 might have hold for businesses and the way they use technology. Here are my predictions.
Considerable consumerisation
Consumerisation of IT is going to become even more widespread in 2012. This is the migration of consumer technology – like tablet computers and social networks – into the world of work.
With almost half the UK population using smart phones and tablet computers becoming increasingly popular, demand to access business content on a range of devices will grow exponentially. The line between consumer and business use of technology will become increasingly blurred as workers expect to be able to access work email on their personal devices - and vice-versa.
Google+ growth
We’ll see an increased adoption of Google+ as a new way for businesses to reach key customer groups. Facebook is not always the right marketing channel for a business but Google+ has the potential to bridge the gap between social and professional.
Small businesses have the flexibility to be amongst the early adopters of new tools like Google+ and so should capitalise on the opportunities they can bring.
Happy huddling
If 2011 was all about the growing popularity of discount sites like Groupon and LivingSocial, 2012 will see more and more companies looking to services like Huddlebuy - the small business equivalent of Groupon.
These services enable small businesses to boost their presence, acquire new customers and ultimately increase sales. The offers are widely promoted and generally very well received - so they can provide a great opportunity for small businesses.
Finally, the use of QR codes will continue to grow. We’re already seeing these pop up everywhere: in magazines, on groceries, adverts and so on. They provide yet another avenue for customers to interact with a business, giving smaller companies a voice in crowded markets.
More articles looking ahead:
- Tech trends for 2012
- Changing technology that could influence your IT strategy
- How to provide the IT your staff expect
Andrew Miller is technology marketing consultant at Dell.
Move away from the screen - it's Christmas!
December 22, 2011
One of the statistics that’s surprised me most in the run-up to this festive season is news that UK consumers are set to spend over £180m online on Christmas day. I’m not sure quite how to feel about it. Do we really dislike spending time with our families so much that we can’t go even a day without whipping out the credit card and bagging a bargain on Amazon?
But then maybe it’s just another confirmation that we live in a world more wired than ever. Facebook is the UK’s second most-popular website (just behind Google). Mobile internet use has exploded – many of us are carrying small computers around in our pockets, and around half of internet users are getting connected while out and about. The internet is part of our everyday lives.
The biggest tech stories of 2011
Indeed, 2011 was a year when technology featured prominently in the news. There was, of course, the October loss of Steve Jobs – who arguably did more than anyone else to turn technology into something we can use without having to think about how to operate it.
But what marked 2011 out for me was that technology played a central part in many other major news stories that weren’t, on the face of it, about technology at all.
There were the August riots, which many claimed were coordinated via BlackBerry mobile phones. And then there was the Arab Spring, where some protestors used social media to communicate with each other and reveal events on the ground to the wider world.
Closer to home, 2011 was the year tablet computers really started to show they could be more than a flash in the pan (despite some dissenting voices). It was the year cloud computing continued its steady expansion into the world of business computing. And – of course – it was the year when new EU laws about website cookies confused just about everyone. (Don’t worry – you have a little time yet to get your website in order.)
The IT Donut in 2012
As you may know, IT Donut is one of a family of five Donut websites. Together with Marketing Donut, Start-up Donut, Law Donut and new arrival Tax Donut, 2011 has been a good year. Across all these Donuts we’ve built our readership up to around 90,000 visitors each month. Our monthly Donut newsletter is sent to around 54,000 people.
We’ve had a go at predicting what might be the big things for small businesses to watch in 2012. But no matter what the forthcoming year does hold for your business, we’ll be here offering the best IT advice, help and information, whenever you need it.
In the meantime, we’re putting down the keyboard, setting aside the mouse and taking a little time away from the screen to enjoy the festive period. We’ll be back at the start of January. Merry Christmas!
Domain names are online real estate
December 19, 2011
A brand’s domain name is akin to the wrought iron signs which hung from ‘ye old shoppe’ on the High Street in days gone by. It is the first signpost to your digital shop front and, just as on the High Street, you need to get it right to stand out from the crowd.
However, many small businesses still have not invested in the online real estate for their brand or for their flagship products. This is a failure on two counts: it’s a failure to grow their digital presence and failure to understand that effective use and marketing of a domain name would allow customers to reach their store in a single click of the mouse, without ever straying on to a competitor’s site.
Domain names aren’t as expensive as you’d think
Online real estate can be purchased for as little as a few pounds and perhaps this is why many businesses consider it to a minor part of a wider branding strategy. Combine this with the fact that most domain name portfolios are managed by the people in charge of IT rather than branding, and it is clear to see why domain names get forgotten about.
The company I work for, Sedo, ran an industry survey at Internet World 2011. It revealed that despite keyword domain names being available for as little as £500, well over a third (36%) of UK respondents would be willing to spend more than £5,000 on the right domain name for their company. This shows that the right domain name is now considered an essential part of a small company’s brand and online presence.
Protect your assets
It is important to remember that if you do not see the value in your domain portfolio someone else will. Owning the right digital property is big business. Even the faintest rumour of a new product often results in a flood of acquisitions by savvy domain name experts wanting to sell on keyword domains for a profit.
It’s therefore important to build domain name planning into new product launch strategies and to think about multiple regions – like other countries - to ensure no one else is benefiting from your brand and marketing.
Four tips for creating your company’s online real estate
1. Unify your IT, marketing, and legal teams. In smaller businesses, these aren’t always separate departments. They might even be outsourced to third parties like your IT supplier and a law firm. But whoever they are, it’s important the people in charge of these areas work together to plan any expansion of your brand.
2. Short and sweet is best. The best brands are increasingly investing in snappy domain versions of their names such as t.co for Twitter. Short, relevant domains stick in people’s minds and can be easily integrated into advertising and marketing materials.
3. Keep an eye out for domain opportunities. Early 2012 will see hundreds of new domain name extensions becoming available as the domain name market is liberalised. This will be a massive opportunity to occupy new space on the web under new generic names like .dad or .sport. However, the changes also increase the level of protection you will need around your core digital assets to outwit brand hijackers.
4. Make domain names part of your wider strategy. Before launching a product, check whether or not that domain name already exists in key markets such as .co.uk and .com. If so, try to negotiate to purchase the domain from the current owner before your product launches, so you can keep the value as low as possible. If the domain isn’t currently owned by anyone, purchase it as soon as possible.
Read more relating to domain names
Cut your energy costs this Christmas
December 15, 2011
Are you turning your office heating down to save money?
It’s getting cold. Energy bills are going up and competition for small businesses is fiercer than ever. Cutting your costs will always be the most efficient way to save money and increase profits – so why not start with some simple energy efficiency measures?
Business energy saving tips
Many of these tips are just as relevant for your business as they are for your home.
- Turn your thermostat down by at least 1°C, more if possible. For every degree you turn your heating up, your costs can rise by 8%.
- Turn off all the computers in your office at evenings and weekends. If your employees are forgetful, set up software that automatically turns computers off out of office hours.
- Turn off any hardware you’re not using like photocopiers, printers, chargers, machinery and so on. Intelligent sockets can help with this, by cutting power completely to devices that are on standby.
- Keeping the windows closed. If you get too hot in the workplace, turn the heating down first. It sounds obvious, but it’s amazing how many offices keep the heating up high, forcing staff to open the windows!
- Try not to block radiators, as this reduces their efficiency.
- Turn all the lights off when the last person leaves. Many modern offices have sensors installed to turn the lights off for you.
- Make sure the doors and windows are well fitted to avoid losing warm air through the gaps.
Pay less for your business energy
Improving your energy efficiency is a great way of saving money on your energy bills, but it’s vital to make sure you’re not overpaying for your business gas and electricity in the first place.
Business energy contracts don’t work in the same way as domestic energy contracts. You can switch your domestic energy at any time, whereas business contracts lock you in for a fixed period.
At the end of your business energy contract, you’ll be given a short window of time to shop around and switch your business energy. But if you miss this window, you’ll be rolled into a new, fixed-term contract.
Worryingly, if you fall into the roll-over trap, you could see your prices increase by over 30%. I’ve seen cases where customers have been rolled onto rates that are over 100% higher.
Shop around for better prices
Once you’ve had a letter from your energy supplier to let you know you’re in your renewal period, it’s time to shop around for a better deal.
If you give us a call at Make It Cheaper, we can talk to you about your energy use and requirements before finding you the cheapest deal on the market right now. Our advice is impartial and we can switch your business energy for free.
This winter, save thousands on your energy bills by following our simple tips and by securing the best possible prices for your business.
More ways to cut your technology costs:
Jonathan Elliott is Managing Director at Make It Cheaper.
How to know what's best for your business
November 30, 2011
People who run businesses are always on the lookout for what is best for their company. And when people in business ask for help with technology, they get a number of equally firm but often contradictory answers.
At best this is confusing. At worst it can harm a business. As a business owner, what can you do about this?
Why the confusion?
Let’s start with why it happens. People who work with technology become very invested in that technology. It’s not just a financial investment - it’s also the huge about of time and energy they spend learning about and staying current with a way of working and thinking.
This breeds the kind of deep seated loyalty that is normally associated with fans. In fact, your typical computer worker is not that different from a football fan. When you ask ‘what is best for my business?’ the answer is often skewed by that inherent devotion.
You also have to deal with conservatism. Everyone working with technology knows that if they make a mistake with their advice then the financial cost to a business could be significant. Computer hardware and business software alters and adjusts how people work. Get the answer wrong and you could lose a company a fortune in man hours.
The result is a set of standard answers that you’d never get fired for giving. The most common one is Microsoft Office. It is widely accepted as being the best and most standard piece of office software. The only choice, in other words.
However I typed this article on a small laptop away from the office, using Google Docs. I find the simpler display of Google Docs useful and since the article was stored online, in the cloud, it was easy for me to return to it once I was back in the office.
That’s just one example. When you get into the various arguments for and against, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android, Linux, Windows and the rest then the situation becomes almost impossible to sort out.
The key technology questions
Fortunately there is a way to solve this problem. Instead of getting brow beaten by conventional answers, ask some pertinent business questions. Get the answers to these and you’ll be able to shortlist your options:
1. How much does it cost?
Can you afford what you are being offered? That means not just now, but months or years down the line when you need to expand or replace equipment. If the answer is no then you need to think about other choices. (Think about your IT budget.)
2. Does it suit how you work?
Try this thought experiment: will your new IT work well with the different ways you want yourself and your staff to work? Can you foresee any way it might not be able to work, or any scenarios where it could add extra time to your working practices?
3. Is it expandable and reliable?
This is an easy one. If the reliability isn’t demonstrable, don’t do it. And if the proposed technology can’t scale beyond your current needs, be wary. Switching to an alternative when you outgrow it can be very expensive.
4. Is it easy to use?
How long does it take to train someone to use it? Training time costs money, and so do mistakes when something is hard to use. If there’s a choice between ‘easy’ and ‘hard’, always look for easy.
Notice anything interesting about this list? It does not talk about specifications or features. There are good reasons for this. Features are driven by business need. Your business needs determine what you require - there is no magic feature set that works equally well for everyone.
This is also true of specifications. Technology is now pretty mature. This means that buying by specification is less important. Again, needs must drive your decisions – don’t let a cool and glittering list of specs deflect your decision making.
Finally, what is best is what provides your business the best combination of price, reliability and flexibility. That probably isn’t the cool tech of the moment. Remember that a moment is not forever - but your business is.
Rob Davies is from internet specialists Kashiko.
Brand doesn't matter in the workplace, reckons maker of 'terrorist watch'
November 21, 2011
Does your business IT break down often? (Image: fauxto_digit on Flickr.)
Japanese electronics firm Casio found itself on the wrong end of a news story earlier this year when classified documents released on WikiLeaks linked the company's F-91W digital watch with terrorists.
Never mind that the watch is a popular, affordable model which has been a huge seller for years - apparently US officials still considered it a possible sign of terrorist links.
Perhaps keen to put this association behind it, the firm recently commissioned some research to find out just how big a role brand plays in business IT purchasing decisions.
Does brand matter in the workplace?
We all know that certain brands have more power than others. For the real heavyweights, look not further than Interbrand's list of top brands.
But does that power translate to the workplace? When business owners are considering a new IT purchase, does the pull of the brand make them more likely to opt for Apple over a no-name PC from a local supplier?
According to the YouGov research Casio commissioned, the answer is a definite no. Just 1% of British workers surveyed reckoned brand was an important factor in choosing office technology.
When asked to give the most important factors, respondents rated reliability top and performance second.
It's not just the cool factor
But if the most important factor is reliability, how do you judge that? Aren't some brands perceived as more reliable than others?
Whether you're buying technology, toiletries or t-shirts, brand perception isn't just about the 'cool factor'. It's composed of all sorts of elements, unique to each specific brand.
Some brands are perceived as rock-solid reliable. Others as cheap and disposable. That's just the way it is.
Sure, there are lots of ways for business owners and IT managers to judge reliability. Their own experiences, product reviews and recommendations can all play a part. But survey results be damned: I find it hard to believe than brand isn't part of that mix at all.
Quite simply, some brands are perceived as being more reliable than others. And if you're investing in IT for your business, those perceptions may well influence your decisions.
Do you think some technology brands are more reliable than others? Does that affect your purchasing choices? Leave a comment and let us know.
Why are women slower to adopt technology?
October 31, 2011
Is the technology gender gap growing? (Image: whatleydude on Flickr.)
The ‘gender gap’ is something which gets analysed in almost every aspect of our lives. The age old ‘battle of the sexes’ rears its head time and time again – and now it has cropped up in the world of technology.
Even in the twenty-first century it seems notable trends develop between males and females. Recent reports suggest that men are more likely to engage earlier with new technologies such as tablet computers and that they use mobile broadband more than women.
Questions about women and technology
If you resist dismissing these tendencies as irrelevant, you’ll see that they raise some interesting questions. Why aren’t more women engaging with new technology? And, if they do, why does it seem to happen long after men do?
Are us women fearful of newer devices? Or do we simply like to stick to what we know works?
Women and smart phones
When the first smart phones hit the market, the majority of users were men. They were the first to jump on the bandwagon and it is only now that that ownership is balancing.
Even women who went against the trend and purchased a smart phone were reportedly less likely to use the mobile broadband available through it.
Overall, around 10% more men are accessing the internet, regardless of what device they are using. And while 10% may sound like a small margin, it is large enough to be significant, highlighting a gender gap in the way we use technology.
In fact, only one statistic bucks the trend: 61% of people in the US using e-readers (like Amazon’s Kindle) are female – and that mirrors the higher proportion of women who buy physical books.
The women and technology stereotype
These statistics seem to clarify the stereotypical view of how women engage with technology, in that we use it simply to assist or enhance life’s daily activities. Only 35% of women are likely to go online to relax, whereas for men it’s 45%.
Indeed, men are more likely to use technology for pleasure as well as work – and they are unarguably quicker to embrace new technology.
Take tablet computers. The iPad’s release in 2010 was one of the year’s major technology stories, and young wealthy male professionals were amongst the first to try the new device in the workplace.
Women professionals were more cautious about these new tablet computers. For instance, 80% of female directors openly said they were concerned about requests from employees (PDF link) to bring devices into the workplace.
What does it mean for women and technology?
So, these statistics appear to tell us that men are quicker than women to embrace and engage with new technology. But that doesn’t mean women are fearful of new devices.
I am a woman and I embrace lots of new technology. I know many professional women who do the same. It’s important not to over-analyse statistics like these, or be too quick to make judgments from them.
They reinforce the stubborn gender gap in technology which seems to be pretty well cemented already – perhaps making it a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But maybe it’s simple: when it comes to technology, for the majority of women it’s not a priority unless the device makes day-to-day tasks easier. For now, we’re happy to leave the job of figuring out if certain devices are worth using to the men.
Frances McVeigh works for Zabisco. Read the Zabisco blog.
Why you should embrace employees who bring their own IT to work
October 17, 2011
The Timico research shows that over 50% of SMBs don't think BYOD is a positive development. Yet isn't it one of the easiest ways to give your staff access to the latest technology? This post would make the argument for BYOD - or even giving employees their own budget to spend as they wish.
Time was people would drive along in their company car talking on their company mobile phone. In those days the company car was provided to them by - their company of course. Tightening tax laws made it easier for a business to give an employee a car allowance and let that person go away and chose their own car.
Now the pressure is building when it comes to the choice of that mobile phone. Nothing to do with tax but everything to do with choice. Companies still prefer to provide their staff with BlackBerries and the old business stalwart the Nokia.
This leads to people carrying two mobile devices around. An iPhone or Android which they use for most communications and the company phone that is grudgingly kept in the other pocket or the dashboard because that is what their company expects them to use.
So what you might say. The problem lies in what staff do with their personal phones and that is “everything they do with their company phone and more”. They pick up email, access the corporate network and carry a contact database that potentially includes the company client list.
Called BYOD or Bring Your Own Device this is not being met with open enthusiasm by SMBs which sees it as a threat. A recent research report from mobile ISP Timico shows that 72% of SMBs were worried about the trend with security being at the top of their concerns (75%) followed by the risk of loss (55%). Cost was a concern to only 22% which you could either interpret as a large number or a relatively small one compared to the risks associated with loss of data.
The main issues centre around the lack of control companies have over personal telephones. With a BlackBerry they can manage security policies and even perform remote kill on devices. IT departments don’t have the same control over your iPhone.
One of the conclusions of the report was that as large majority (82%) of businesses would allow BYOD if they had access to a Mobile Device Management service that offered protection to company data held on an employee’s own device.
The opportunity here is to save money, enhance the security of your business data and enhance the working environment. By allowing BYOD you are offloading some or potentially all of the costs associated with the handset in a mobile contract and at the same time making your staff feel loved.
You can download a copy of the Mobile Working Report which is packed with useful data relevant to a small business.
20 inspiring and insightful Steve Jobs quotes
October 07, 2011
1 “What made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians and poets and artists and zoologists and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world”
2 “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
3 It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want.”
4 “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
5 “Things don’t have to change the world to be important.”
6 “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying ‘we've done something wonderful’, that's what matters to me.”
7 “We don’t do market research. We don’t hire consultants. We just want to make great products.”
8 “The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a nationwide communications network. We're just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people – as remarkable as the telephone.” (speaking in 1985)
9 “Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple, but it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
10 “My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people.”
11 “What a computer is to me is the most remarkable tool that we have ever come up with. It's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.”
12 “I'm the only person I know that's lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year. It's very character-building.”
13 “You can’t just ask the customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”
14 “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.”
15 “You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
16 “When you're a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you're not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You'll know it's there, so you're going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”
17 “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.”
18 “Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. It's ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.”
19 "I don't think I've ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldn't be ours anymore. When we finally presented it at the shareholders' meeting, everyone in the auditorium stood up and gave it a five-minute ovation. What was incredible to me was that I could see the Mac team in the first few rows. It was as though none of us could believe that we'd actually finished it. Everyone started crying.''
20 “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”
Freelancers: get the tech you actually need
September 01, 2011
It’s easy to get carried away with technology when you’re a new freelancer. A trip to the Apple Store or PC World can leave you laden with boxes and your credit card labouring under the weight of new debts.
But do you really need heaps of new gear when you’re just starting out? We asked Simon Wicks, a newly-freelance editor, copywriter and journalist who used to work on our sister site, Marketing Donut.
Has going freelance changed how you see technology?
“Not particularly. The key things are cost and functionality: does it let me do the things I need to do, and can I do it for next to nothing?”
“I’m using a netbook and laptop, both of which I had before I went freelance. I have invested in a new phone, because I think that’s essential to pick up emails and stay in touch. I’m keen to learn more about smartphone apps that can help me, too.”
Has email replaced your mobile, or is it the other way round?
“It doesn’t work like that. A smartphone is simply another device that allows you to access email, social networks and the web. What is interesting, though, is the sheer number of messaging platforms and the different ways to use them.”
“You can move between them almost seamlessly. An exchange on Twitter becomes a text message or an email, then shifts back to Twitter again. But I think it’s important to settle on three or four platforms that work for you. For me, it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, text messages and email.”
Are you tempted by an iPad, or is it just a toy?
“I simply can’t justify an investment like that. I can see it might be useful for certain people – like designers, who need a good tool to illustrate their work. But for now my laptop, netbook and smartphone are fine.”
We’ve recommended cloud computing tools for freelancers before. Do you use any?
“Absolutely – cloud computing is essential, because I need to access files from multiple locations. I use Dropbox and I’m looking into cloud accounting services too.”
Working as a freelancer from home, you don’t benefit from the economies of scale that a bigger business can offer. How do you manage your costs?
“The key is to keep your IT usage to a minimum, log your expenditure each month and to make sure you claim everything you reasonably can when you fill out your self assessment. That means calculating roughly how much of your IT use is for work purposes and how much is personal use – that’s one reason to have a separate phone for work, for example.”
“I’d also say don’t invest in anything you don’t actually need – you’ll use it once and never again. My essentials are: notebook, pen, laptop, phone and an internet connection. With these, I can do my job from anywhere. Add a desk, storage for files and somewhere to plug in my laptop and phone, and that’s everything I need.”
- Cloud computing tools for freelancers
- Are tablet computers right for business?
- What to look for in a business computer
Where to find IT freelancers
June 24, 2011
Maybe not the best place to find freelancers (Image: lhourahane on Flickr)
I recently wrote on the Start up Donut about the rise of the IT contractor and how it can turbo-charge your business.
The reaction to the post was interesting. I had a number of people contacting me via Twitter, both to agree and strongly disagree with my point of view.
The most interesting comments were from people who are considering moving into the contract world, which surprised me. It seems 2011 really is the year of the self-employed. However, based on those comments it's clear moving into the freelance world isn't quite as easy as it seems.
Someone who has just made the move tells me the key is organisation and learning the difficult skill of keeping existing customers happy while lining up new projects. It's a balancing act that many get wrong, leading to feast or famine scenarios which are both stressful.
So what tools are available to help businesses which are looking for help with an IT project connect with suitable freelancers? In my original post I mentioned Freelancer.com as a great place for businesses and freelancers to connect, but there are others I’ve tried:
- Elance
The site is tailored to both businesses and contractors in equal measure. The main plus point for me is that it includes a great project management area that really helps ensure good communication. - 99 Designs
I used this site recently for some graphical work. It allows business owners to run competitions for projects, such as designing a new logo. On my particular project I had 67 entries, all to a high standard. - oDesk
I really like oDesk and for short term contracts I think it makes a lot of sense. Its approach is simple: it takes a 10% cut of all payments going through the system and gives business owners and contractors a powerful marketplace and application to use as they see fit.
As someone who has hired multiple freelancers, the first piece of advice for anyone in the freelance world is to remember why you made the move. 99% of the time it’s to focus on something you're either highly skilled in, or passionate about. However, setting up and running your own business often requires you to do a fair amount of the mundane, creating business processes and doing admin.
The good news is IT can really solve this riddle. There are a number of tools and services available online that can take the pressure off. I’ll go into those in my next blog. Meanwhile, if you have some favourite sites to find work or hire good techies, then let us all know in the comments.
Ben Dyer is the Director of product development at Actinic
How do you see your IT running costs?
June 20, 2011
We've decided to experiment with creating some video blogs. For our first, Craig Sharp from Abussi looks at IT running costs. Are they an investment, or a necessary evil? Once you've watched it, please use the comments to let us know what you think. We've put a full transcript of the video beneath it.
You can also download the audio in MP3 format for listening on the move.
Video transcript:
"Hi, this is Craig Sharp. Today's short video blog has been prompted by the recent IT donut article, How to cut your IT running costs."
"I think the key thing about IT running costs is to consider whether you're looking at them as a cost, or as an investment. There are many people who feel IT is a cost they have to bear, that there's no alternative, and that this is something they have to pay a lot of money for."
"Some of that's true, but I think it depends on your perspective as to how you deal with the costs that come with having your IT system. For me, it seems an investment, mainly because you're investing in a platform that's going to be the basis for your entire business. Therefore, you want it to be reliable and to not hinder your ability to work."
"Sometimes skimping on costs can result in problems which actually make you very ineffective and inefficient - and that ultimately can lead to problems with your business."
"The other things to bear in mind are fairly straightforward. The article pulled out that cloud computing can often save money. That's true."
"Cloud computing is a new service which allows you to take some of the services running inside your business - often on computers which are using electricity and incurring costs - and puts them in a cloud solution, which means you don't have that responsibility any more. You just pay a small monthly fee."
"Those kinds of issues are worth considering when you want to reduce costs."
"I'd certainly urge you to go and look at the article about how to cut your running costs. It's a good starting point on where to begin with making your IT more of an investment. Thanks very much."
If there are any questions you'd like to see Craig answer in a future video blog, leave a comment and we'll do our best!
Five things meerkats can teach us about business IT
June 07, 2011
This is a guest post from Integral IT, a Yorkshire IT support company.
They’re the friendly faces of a website that frequently gets confused with a financial comparison site. What time they don't spend standing up on their rear legs, they spend sleeping or scrabbling about in holes. And lots of them live in the Kalahari desert.
However, you might be surprised to learn that we can learn a lot about business IT from meerkats too (is there anything they can't do?):
- Don't neglect the big picture. In a mob of meerkats (that's the correct collective term), you'll find one on the lookout, perched on a high point to watch for danger in the surrounding area. Similarly, you should ensure that someone in your company has responsibility for making sure any changes to your business IT fit your overall plans.
- You sometimes have to hunt for the best nuggets. Meerkats dig around in the desert looking for beetles, spiders and other tasty treats. In the same way, proper research can reveal software, hardware and other IT stuff that makes more sense for your company than the obvious choices.
- Keep your options open. A typical meerkat burrow can have 70 exits, giving them plenty of routes to escape from predators or cope with a cave in. The same goes for your business IT: don’t have any single points of failure. Take regular backups and get expert advice on how to keep your data safe.
- Ask the experts for help. Meerkats are sociable and live in colonies of up to 30 animals. They even teach each stuff (really – it says so on Wikipedia). In the same way, your business IT will benefit if you don’t try and go it alone. Ask other companies like yours for advice and find an IT supplier you can really trust.
- Meerkats aren’t toys. In fact, they're disastrous pets, and like to bite people. The same goes for business PCs. They’re for business use, not for messing around. So you need to make sure nobody does anything that could result in a crash or cause security problems - like installing dodgy software.
Starting up your IT for free
February 03, 2011
One of the more irritating aspects of setting up a business is that there are a few indispensible professional services that really just have to be paid for.
Leaving aside the fact that you can get some (sometimes) very good quality advice from a variety of online and publicly funded support services, it really is important to talk to an accountant pretty early in the evolution of any new business.
A quick session with a lawyer can be worthwhile too. And there can be a few other professionals who get a slice of your increasingly meagre start-up funds.
Do you have to pay for IT?
So, should IT be included as one of those professional services you just have to pay for right from the start? A lot of start-ups like to look a bit bigger and better established than they actually are.
Even though the consistent advice is that this is unnecessary, it is hard to shake the view that, “even though it may be just me, somehow I need to look like a real business: I need to justify that Global Enterprises (UK) Ltd company name that set me back the better part of £100”.
Well, IT is one way you can do that: spend a couple of grand on a server, set up half a dozen email addresses, sync your mobile device, and maybe add some online file sharing and so on. Now you’re starting to look like a ‘real’ business.
But this all has a pretty high cost – and then you need to pay an IT company to look after that server and all your other equipment. This is starting to cost some serious money.
So could there be a way to use IT to add a little weight and gravitas to your start-up business without having to mortgage your house or sell your car?
Well, in short: yes there is!
All you need is a PC and internet access
It is a reasonable assumption that every business will have some kind of computer and some kind of internet connection. Armed with these weapons, there are three key online resources you can access to add a corporate sheen to your start-up. Two are free, and the third is almost free.
Given their (undeserved) penny pinching reputation it might be a surprise to learn that all three are from Microsoft. (Disclosure: Macnamara, my company, sells Microsoft-based IT solutions.)
- Have a look at Microsoft Windows Live Essentials for a wealth of free tools including photo and video editing, blog editing, email (designed for personal, not business use), plus some online storage space that allows you to share files.
- Next, check out Office Live and Office Web Apps for a free website and absolutely free access to basic featured versions of familiar Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
- Ready to dig a bit deeper? For £6.71 per month you can access the Microsoft Online Business Productivity Suite (soon to be renamed ‘Office 365’). This gives you IT capabilities similar to those of much bigger companies. You’ll get Exchange, Microsoft’s email and shared calendar system, and SharePoint, a collaboration tool which helps with file sharing and version control. There’s also Office Communications Server, which helps you hold online meetings, plus some other bits and bobs.
So there you have it. You can make a big corporate style splash for nothing, or next to nothing. Let us know how you get on.
This post is by Ciaran Kenny, owner of Macnamara.
Why such a limit on laptop life?
January 12, 2011
Our friend Ooh Matron (false name, genuine profession) dumped her two-year old laptop PC the other week. Its battery was dead, it took an age to boot up and its hard disk had slowed to a crawl. What's more, the operating system was bleating endlessly about updates, updates and yet more updates. Just as one alert was swatted away, another would start barking for attention.
Ooh's story mirrors exactly my experience with another brand of laptop (and we’re talking about two major multinational companies, by the way). Each was unusable after just 24 months. Is there some unwritten law of PC lifespans that we’ve all unwittingly bought into? It certainly doesn’t say much for manufacturers that they've yet to learn how to build longer lasting machines.
PCs should last longer
Anyway, why should we put up with an inbuilt expiry date? We’re told we should work to a 36-month lifespan because there’ll be better and more productive machinery available in three years — but is that still the case? I’d understand it if every year saw a qualitative leap in the capabilities of hardware and software, but isn't there now an argument that the functionality and feature set of general office software has peaked? If so, surely it shouldn't be exceeding the capability of the hardware it runs on?
Many of the latest business IT services are accessed over the internet (software as a service, smartphone apps, etc). Surely this browser-based revolution actually means less wear on PC components? Aren't businesses better served by putting their IT budget towards faster broadband services instead of unnecessary new hardware?
Decades, not years
Interestingly, Apple has boxed itself into a corner in this regard. Were their machines to start giving out after two years, word would soon spread around the Mac community which would protest accordingly. Perhaps that's less likely on the PC side, where there are myriad suppliers and manufacturers.
I've seen Mac computers last five, six and seven years respectively, but I certainly don’t want to enter that tired old debate (Apple is far from perfect itself). It is, however, evidence that manufacturers are perfectly capable of building longer lasting machines.
If we're being asked to accept PCs as limited life commodity items, then fine — just so long as that limited life mirrors other commodity electronics. Our washing machine, for instance, is into its second decade, while we got our portable telly back in 1983...
(Full disclosure: this is an extended remix of a reply I posted on this topic back in August.)
Image of a smashed laptop from Flickr user S Baker under a Creative Commons licence.
Minority Report and cloud cover: business IT predictions for 2011
December 16, 2010
This article should be fun to read in December 2011. Let’s see if I can at least get a 50% hit rate. If 2010 was the year of the cloud, I suspect that 2011 just might be the year in which a little realism sets in.
In particular, stand by for the dawning realisation that small businesses still need servers - very small and simple servers – but servers nonetheless. Not everything works better in the cloud – think advanced image editing with Photoshop, think simple printer sharing.
In this respect, look out for the newest versions of Microsoft’s Small Business Server software, which will focus on providing a bridge between the office and the cloud. (Disclosure: Macnamara, my company, sells Microsoft-based IT solutions.)
Leaving aside Microsoft’s growing confusion as to whether it is in the on-site or hosted services market, what should you look out for in business technology in 2011? Here are five predictions:
1. Someone will come up with a business use for the awesome Kinect. If you haven’t tried this out yet, make sure you get one as a Christmas present for the teenager in your life (if you have to get them an Xbox in order to use it, that’s more than worthwhile).
Kinect is the nearest thing we’ve got to the legendary ‘Minority Report’ gesture controlled interface. Once you have tried one you’ll kill to find a way to get it into the office. So the race is on to find a business application.
2. 2011 will see a rash of tablets, slates and pads of one sort or another. Will the we see a BlackBerry slate, a ‘CrackPad’ or a ‘BlackPad’? If RIM, the geniuses behind BlackBerry, do manage to get a slate of some sort into the market I am more than happy to stick my neck out and predict a business winner.
Wouldn’t it just be lovely to have a slate with full, fast business functionality (and a bit of glitz in the background) but with the focus on productivity? If they can pull it off, 2011 might be the year in which even the iPad has to get real. (Apple could start by adding some standard connections, like USB ports.)
3. Businesses will start to consider VDI. Many companies now understand that they can save hardware, energy and management costs by creating ‘virtual servers’, using one physical server to do the job of several.
But where desktop computers are concerned, things are as chaotic as ever. So watch out for the virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Instead of each person in your business having their own separate computer, they’ll have a ‘dumb terminal’ – with not only their software but their desktop operating system running on a central server.
Companies like VMware, Citrix and Microsoft are starting to battle it out in this area, so expect to see prices tumbling, simpler versions appearing - and a real business case emerging for VDI.
4. Customer relationship management (CRM) for the rest of us is here. Expect real traction on the back of next year’s Microsoft launch of Office 365. In a decade, the cost of CRM systems has fallen from several hundred thousand pounds to tens of thousands.
In 2011 a one-person, fully customisable CRM system costing less than £200 a year will become a reality. Expect Microsoft to wipe the floor with the competition – unless (and this would not be unusual) they mess up the marketing.
5. Web apps will get better and cost less Web apps – which replace programs running on your computer with programs you access over the internet - have arrived, and 2011 is going to see them get better and cost less.
Microsoft Office Web Apps is a version of Microsoft Office you can use online, and it’s a first step towards making useful functionality available online and for free. Microsoft has been forced down this path by Google Docs and others and has produced a fairly grudging little service essentially designed to push you towards their full Microsoft Office software. However, keep an eye on this during 2011 as they add more functionality.
In 2011 Microsoft is going to have to make its mind up about the cloud, and Office is its Trojan horse. Maybe not quite by the end of 2011 (but it won’t be far off), Microsoft will sacrifice the massive revenues it gets from Office in order to make its cloud offering irresistible.
Of all five, I suspect that Kinect may well turn out to be the game changer, because it gives us a glimpse of an entirely new way of interacting with computer systems.
This post is by Ciaran Kenny, owner of Macnamara.
Are you still feeling the fascination?
November 04, 2010
This one goes out to those of a certain age. Those who instinctively reach for the office techie whenever a potential IT solution is under discussion; children of the seventies or eighties for whom IT is no more than an endless parade of specifications, upgrades and grudgingly signed-off expense.
Embrace your inner geek
The message? These days, you have to be enthused by IT. You can no longer treat IT as a utility, let the next generation sort it out, or palm it off to an outsider. Specifying the correct IT to steal a march on your competitors — while maintaining a tight rein on costs — means embracing your inner geek.
Things change too quickly these days for you to grudgingly “take a look at our IT” every now and then. Hardware, software and services change on a daily basis. If your response to that last sentence is to wonder when the HELL it will EVER END, you may be worried that you’ve never really had the necessary geekiness in you. Let’s put it to the test.
1) When using a pocket calculator at school, what was your response?
A) You did your working out in the margins anyway.
B) You did your sum on the calculator, then checked it manually to be safe.
C) You worked out that if you typed 5318008 and turned the calculator upside down, you could proudly display the word 'BOOBIES' to your classmates.
2) What did the introduction of the CD mean to you?
A) Twice as expensive as an LP. Scandalous.
B) New racks to store them in. Another costly trip to MFI, then.
C) No scratches! Even with the volume to 10 you hear ABSOLUTELY NOTHING between tracks! You can smear jam on a CD, clean it and it STILL plays.
3) What’s the most impressive thing about a smartphone?
A) It keeps your daughter quiet, although you worry about what all that loud music might be doing to her ears.
B) The phone bill: That’s quite a profit for the operators.
C) 32GB of storage! Your 1998 PC only had 6GB! What people don’t realise is that these things are powerful computers in their own right. You could leave it to record an audio conference for an entire week! And look at that — the GPS means it knows where I am! It’s just like that film Minority Report…
Your score
So, how you did you do? Straight As? You’re in trouble. All Bs? You need a wake-up call.
Three Cs in a row? Congratulations, you still have an innate curiosity about IT — that initial astonishment surrounding each technological innovation followed by a desire to explore its potential for your business. In short, you’re still feeling the fascination. Looking, learning, moving on…
New on the IT Donut: cheaper printing, cloud computing and contracts
November 02, 2010
Since the IT Donut launched back in August, we've been working hard with our experts to build up lots more interesting, useful content for the site. Over the last few weeks we've published a bunch of new stuff, so here are some of the highlights:
- Cut your printing costs. John Sollars, MD of Stinkyink.com and all-round printer expert, explains some simple steps that can slash how much you spend on printing things out. Read it >
- Practical uses for cloud computing. If you haven't already heard of cloud computing, you probably soon will. It's a tricky one to get your head round, so here are some practical ways you can use it - and benefit from it - today. Read it >
- What should an IT support agreement cover? Every IT support company has its own contract. So be sure yours is fair, read our guide - and download this sample agreement (PDF file). Read it >
- Alternatives to a fax machine. Fax machines are a 30 year old technology that probably should have disappeared years ago. But they haven't. So here's some useful advice about how to replace that expensive, unreliable, noisy machine with something a little more high-tech. Read it >
We've got lots of other great resources in the pipeline. To keep up-to-date with what we're up to, you can:
- Register on the site. Make sure you tick the box to receive the MyDonut newsletter. It's free, and you'll get access to exclusive offers and members' only tools too.
- Follow us on Twitter. We regularly post links to new resources there, as well as highlighting other interesting things we discover.
- Visit us regularly. There's always something new to look at, so add us to your bookmarks and come back soon.
Small business technology advice, tools and resources | IT Donut
Copyright © 2010-2012
