Posted by Brian Caporicci on Wed, Jul 14, 2010 @ 09:24 PM
Consistently, we come across prospects that have come to expect low results and short relationships with their computer person. I find this disheartening and downright appalling to think that there is such a distortion between expectations and results leading to expected dissatisfaction between the client and the solution provider. Inherently, the cause of this failure to deliver is caused by several factors from both the customer and the service provider. Here is a list of common shortcomings in the small business computer support service industry:
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- Lack of formalized credibility. The computer industry is fueled by innovation and creativity, sometimes at the expense of following guidelines. Careers such as accounting or law require you to meet standards which designate your adherence and understanding of a set of rules, laws, or standards. The IT industry is far more unregulated as far as standards and compliance from the service provider stance. Organizations such as Comptia and MSP Alliance are standardization and credibility platforms for the service provider community while remaining vendor agnostic. They are driven to formulate adherence to standardization, competency, and code of conduct. This is good for the customer, good for the provider
- Over Promise, Under Deliver. With the sprawling of computers and technology to almost any and every facet of the business, it seems unlikely that any single computer consultant will have the answers to your every question. So many computer consultants will tell you what you want to hear. Unfortunately, this eventually leads to shortcomings, dissatisfaction, and compromise of trust.
- Capacity and Availability. Let’s face it; people work all sorts of different hours these days. And with the saturation of PDA’s, people are emailing and communicating electronically any and all hours of the day. How realistic is to think that a “one-person shop” will be available around your schedule? A person in the market for computer/IT support should consider their own expectations and needs and make sure the computer consultant can meet these expectations. False expectations from the customer are just another reason these business relationships fail.
- Best-in-Class or Best Price? Like any other product or service, you get what you pay for. If you are looking at a technology such as a voice over IP (VoIP) solution for your business, consider 2-3 solutions. Does your solution provider bring you a solution you have ever heard of such as Cisco? Is the product designed and built for the business environment? The correct solution provider will bring you a solution that will empower you to succeed without headaches and failures.
- Does your solution provider deliver you strategy or guidance? Most successful business’ have a plan. Many times that plan includes guidance by professional consultants such as accounts and lawyers. In this day and age, it makes sense to have a plan with your IT solution and budget. Most of us still approach IT on a reactive or “break/fix basis” which provides little more than getting over a bump in the road.
So, do you consider your computer person a “professional” or just another vendor passing in the wind?
Posted by Brian Caporicci on Tue, Jun 08, 2010 @ 08:38 PM
In the battle for the cloud, Microsoft has released the answer to Google Apps. Using Windows Live, one can now have access to Microsoft Office "Starter," cleverly named "SkyDrive." Included are such familiar applications as: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. This is the competitive answer to Google's familiar and free growing palette of online, "cloud" applications.
In the small amount of time I have spent with this new online portal, my first impression has been of their simplicity compared with Office as we know it: OneNote, PowerPoint and Word each feature only four tabs in their "ribbon" (the tabbed-toolbar interface that Microsoft debuted in Office 2007), while Excel's ribbon has only three tabs. That's remarkably soothing next to the clutter of, say, Word 2007, which features eight tabs in its Ribbon and an "Office Button" that counts as a ninth. It should be harder for beginners--a primary market for this--to get lost in this interface.
My second impression has been of how many details Microsoft may still have to work on. For example, these applications default to storing your work in Office 2007's file formats--the ones with file-name extensions ending in "x," such as Word's ".docx"--instead of the far more widely used Office 2003 formats. The "share" buttons quit working a short time into my session, then yielding the error message that "We can't show you that page: Our server is having a problem. We're working to fix it as soon as we can, so try again in a few minutes." Also basic consistency issues: Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote all save your work automatically, but Word does not. If the browser crashes you can waive bye-bye to your work.
Typically one should not have too high of expectation on an entire new product release, but it seems the software giant would have things rather ironed out at this point. Am I being naïve?? Try out Office Live yourself and let me know what you think. Is this a respectable alternative to Google Docs?
Posted by Brian Caporicci on Mon, Jun 07, 2010 @ 09:16 PM
When making the decision to hire an outsourced IT support company, here are some things to consider ensuring you are getting the right group of people for your business:
- Do some research. First make a list of what you need and expect from an IT provider. Do you have a server? Does your company have standard business hours, or will after hours be a factor? Do you require expertise in any particular technology or software? Be sure to interview or talk to at least 4 different candidates before making a decision.
- Make sure the shoe fits. If you are a small business, make sure to consult with a company that specializes in small business. If your technical candidate has been working in a single purpose environment (big business), he might not understand or be flexible with “wearing multiple hats.”
- Does he understand YOUR technology? Make sure he understands not only your computer network, but your industry and business. If you work in a specialized industry, it would probably be useful that he understands how your business operates outside of just IT.
- Check references. Just like any other important decision we make, references help to verify your decision.
When prospects engage with Irvine, CA based iCT for computer network support, here is what they can expect:
- Investment: iCT has significant investment into our service operations ($250K+).
- Capacity: iCT is not a one-man shop or two-man shop, so we offer a higher availability and larger skill set to ensure that your questions and problems are responded to and addressed in a timely manner.
- Expertise: iCT has spent the time and money investing in education, certification, and skills to make our technical delivery aligned with Excellence. We have strategic partnership with best-in-class solution providers and we pass this along to each and every client.
- Commitment: iCT is completely committed to delivering excellence in each and every service. We are focused, staffed, and equipped to deliver superior service with outstanding quality each and every day.
- Process: iCT is driven by process. This allows our business to scale without compromising quality.
- Integrity: A core fundamental at iCT. We decidedly do what is best for our clients each and every day.
- Professionalism: We are a professional services company, and each person on our team lives by that. We deliver success without exception, each and every day.
- Value: Understanding your business, the economy, and the competition is crucial in order to be competitive in today’s fast paced world. At iCT we make the adjustment.
- Results: iCT is committed to delivering success to our clients. We resolve their technology challenges. This clears the way for them to focus on competitive advantages which result them in profitability and growth.
Posted by Henri Duong on Mon, Jun 07, 2010 @ 08:37 PM
Evolution and Innovation. The two words moving our world and economy forward and give us more toys, knowledge, or advantages. As these two words lay impact onto the computer network industry, there is also the familiar ring of "classic computing" being unfolded today.
"Cloud Computing" as it is referred to simply is the concept of using the "service" of either software, hardware, or infrastructure, without having to invest capital into the machine producing the service. The "cloud" portion refers to the "service" availability on the public internet (Google Apps, Salesforce, etc). Makes sense right? I mean, we ultimately invest into things to get the return; output, productivity, satisfaction, or function.
No longer is investing into computers, servers, firewalls, software necessarily the best use of your $$$ anymore. I mean, remember you want to functionality out of it right? Introduction...Hard-As-A-Service. As a premier IT service provider in Irvine, CA., iCT believes this is a good solution for our clients. "Our clients pay us for uptime, security, and peace of mind" says iCT CEO Brian Caporicci. Hardware-as-a-Service is the next evolution of service bundling to ensure higher availability to our clients." This is a growing demand that we believe will soon be the future of managed services and our goal is to uncover how this would bring value to our existing small business customers and our future prospects.
The features and benefits of "HaaS" and services are simple:
- Business will never have to worry about replacing technology equipment
- No leasing agreements
- Tax advantages and improved operational overhead
- No cost replacement of equipment every 3 years
- Hardware and Services rolled into one low fixed monthly cost
Its a no brainer from all end points but its a matter of helping businesses understand that technology is moving towards the world of cloud computing and which means that equipment also becomes a commodity- be happy Mr. business owner that its one less thing you have to worry about in your business besides getting the IT support you needed to begin with.
Do you really want to be the owner of outdated technology equipment Mr. Small Business Owner?
Posted by Henri Duong on Wed, May 26, 2010 @ 11:50 AM
We recently brought on a new partner at iCT namely VMware the leading virtualization platform and cloud computing in the tech sector. Selling hardware has traditionally been a necessary pain in the IT business. We feel things are changing slowly but surely. You want to sell it as a loss leader in order to gain the service side of winning business but with cloud computing much of that headache is taken away but with less headache comes less revenue from the product source and an entirely new headache follows.
It seems that there are many cloud platforms springing up and its a wide open playing field. Box.net is a new company that does cloud content management is just one that caught our attention -its clean execution on their product message and marketing is hard to ignore (#ChooseCloud twitter campaign is awesome). Their business website is fantastic example of what a technology brand that will be acquired should look and feel like.
We've been trying to bridge the gap and are exploring solutions like "Hardware as a service" to help companies transition their sense of product ownership into more of a service oriented experience in Irvine CA. It seems companies in Orange County and specifically in Irvine CA still prefer hardware sales and service...so why should we be steering businesses away from the whole nightmare of equipment purchasing and leasing? Who knows maybe one day all will move to "Cloud As A Service" completely and become stress free...or maybe our tagline will then be "Poof...now you see us now you don't IT services and consulting".
What do you think? Is cloud computing a threat or an opportunity for your IT business or your IT job?
Posted by Brian Caporicci on Mon, May 24, 2010 @ 07:36 PM
I came across a great article while reading my Cisco newsletter. It would be against my company policy for me not to share this great information with you.
- Brian
Here's an interesting article from BizWise, the monthly Cisco newsletter for business executives. It asks:
When you walk into a business meeting, do you wear pajamas? Do you let your children manage the accounts receivable for your office? When you buy business technology, do you choose products designed for home use? The pricing on consumer-grade technology is tempting. But the lower price can end up costing your business dearly, in both productivity and cash.
Ways to Save Time and Money, by Not Going Home
"While you may be saving money now, you're spending more in the long run," says Austin Smith, founder of Digital Son, a Cisco® Registered Partner. "One of the worst things that a small business could do would be to go to a retail establishment and purchase home gear for their business. Home equipment is just not designed to provide feature sets that businesses need."
Cisco customers report that products that are designed for doing business are worth the price premium in at least four ways, because they enable them to:
1. Integrate Business Technologies
Combining the technologies that a business uses makes processes more efficient. Work gets done better, and faster.
"Our jobs are far easier now that we have the Cisco integrated system, which connects our reservation system and our CRM [customer relationship management] system," says the sales account manager at a restaurant-resort business with 37 employees. Previously the company used a variety of consumer-grade products at each of its locations.
"The efficiency in time is enormous compared to the systems we had in the past," he says. "Time is money, so for a salesperson this is very important."
Now a single business-class system provides all the company's locations with voice, data, and video service; integrates its CRM, reservation, point-of-sale, and financial applications; and puts all of the applications' tools at employees' fingertips. The consolidation also delivers savings in telecommunications costs. The company now uses its own IP network to make phone calls between locations and securely process credit card transactions.
"All this happened because management wanted a reseller to install a new wireless network at one restaurant," says the owner of Ask Roger!, a Cisco Premier Certified Partner. "They thought the problem was just their cheap Wi-Fi transmitter. Then they saw the bigger picture: how using a system that integrates powerful technologies and applications-CRM, video, Outlook, whatever they want to use-improves their whole business."
2. Safeguard Assets
Security is a requirement for doing business, whether transmitting customers' private information or storing financial data. Business-class products offer stronger and more efficient protection than consumer products, with security features that your reseller or IT specialist can configure to apply multiple layers of security, within and beyond your network firewall.
3. Simplify Management
Advanced business technologies-such as IP phones, web conferencing, and CRM-deliver competitive advantages. But managing the products requires a range of expertise and skills that small businesses rarely have. "Yet a business that asks the multiple vendors of its retail products for help often receives only indifference, bad advice, or finger pointing," says the Ask Roger! owner. By choosing a business-class solution from a Cisco partner, the 37-employee business has a single contact for its technology issues. It receives qualified expertise that is proactive and strategically aligned to its business. The partner also provides efficient service-including 24x7 management "through the cloud."
"I'm really happy," says the event manager at the business. "Problem resolution is much faster, and most of the time they can fix a problem the moment I call."
4. Protect Their Investment
When business changes, managers who purchased consumer-grade products tend to regret their frugality. Their investment proves short-lived. A young company discovered the hard way that it could not add more users or integrate more advanced technology into its low-end system. The company had to replace it.
Business-class solutions tend to be more flexible. The 37-employee business can easily modify its system when it adds a new restaurant, or closes and reopens its seasonal sites. A 10-employee business expanded by using its system to connect a distributed workforce of stay-at-home mothers, and increased revenues without adding staff.
Posted by Henri Duong on Mon, May 10, 2010 @ 02:02 PM
Here’s a curveball of a data point: Android is now outselling the iPhone.
The consumer research shop NPD says U.S. sales of smartphones using Google’s mobile operating system climbed past Apple in the first three months of this year. Google (GOOG) nabbed 28 percent of the market, while Apple (AAPL) claimed 21 percent, NPD says. Less surprising is that BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIMM) still leads the market, with 36 percent. Read more here...
We recently received a phone call from Blackberry and found out they are no longer selling direct to businesses and going the route of VARS and Channels through our partners at Ingram Micro. Our main concern is whether or not our target market of accountants, attorneys and health professionals will soon be moving to Android or iPhones or should we be more agnostic about the types of mobile devices we support?
Being agnostic has its price and although we are fresh in the mobile market we know its a big part of the big picture of "Unified Communications" and Web2.0. Providing IT support is a very challenging industry as you start to receive demands for more connectivity in the mobile world. We're troubleshooting iPads and are learning quickly that the demand is not in the future...its here now!
Posted by Henri Duong on Wed, May 05, 2010 @ 05:04 PM
One the toughest aspects of growing an IT business in southern California let alone in Orange County or Irvine is not necessarily the competition but the strategy and tactics each IT company must make regarding its solution stack. ICT finds its roots in providing Cisco products and although its easy to spell out "Unified Communications" its actually just as complicated as trying to be everything to everyone.
Our challenge ahead is staying focused with core expertise without compromising our strategic partnerships with best of breed products. Can you imagine how hard this is to do when customers are asking if they can plug regular home phones into their business unified communication servers at the office to save a couple of bucks? Needless to say we want to be agnostic and be as our fearless CEO likes to say "the Maytag Guys" in this business...best in customer service.
If you think your products should be a part of our value added partner list let us know-
On a less esoteric note -We have recently decided to migrate our original website to Hubspot which is the best in breed in web hosting and turn key solution for our web content management system + analytics + optimization + email marketing + lead tracking + lead conversion and way more than what we could ever imagine. For all the small businesses looking for an inexpensive way to get your business flying at the speed of the web go check out Hubspot and let them know we sent you!