Lombardicto - A Leading IT Consulting Firm

Forget email, instant messaging solutions provide real-time communication within your company. Resulting in more time effective and faster decisions

In this incredibly fast-paced world it’s quite often the case that even the speed and convenience of email communications simply isn’t fast enough. Compounding this is the inability to verify the on-line status of e-mail recipients or elicit an immediate response. Instant messaging (IM), though, has gained enormous popularity in the business environment, providing immediate messaging capabilities between two or more users.

Understanding Instant Messaging

Instant messaging is a communications service that enables users to create virtual chat rooms in which they can communicate with other invited users. The communication is in real time – allowing for Internet traffic loads and congestion – and is analogous to a telephone conversation, using text rather than voice as the medium. Typically, IM client software provides the facility to maintain a list of your contacts and provides system alerts in the form of a pop-up screen when a listed contact comes on-line.

Internal Server Solutions: A number of software vendors have released full IM solutions (server and client software) for companies seeking to implement in-house IM systems. These are located fully behind the company firewall and generally offer enterprise features such as logging, auditing and centralised management.

Managed Service Solutions: These are publicly available instant messaging system owned and managed by a third-party. They are less expensive than internal server solutions, relying on the Internet for their network connectivity.

Business benefits Instant Messaging System can provide

The benefits of IM solutions stem from the ability to communication more quickly and effectively with customers, partners, fellow staff members, etc. These benefits include:

improved communication and collaboration between geographically-dispersed teams and staff members
establishing instant communication between parties to achieve quick decisions
the ability to invite other contacts to participate in an instant messaging session, establishing a virtual meeting room
in many cases, instant messaging sessions can be more time-effective than telephone conversations
using public instant messaging network, such as MSN and Yahoo, users can log in from any Internet access point
immediate notification of contacts logging on to the IM network
support for multiple IM sessions (conversations), providing more flexible communications.

Small Business Server

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| Server

Small Business Server by Microsoft levels the playing field by giving your growing business access to all the functionality of ‘big businesses’ at a fraction of the cost.

To be able to complete successfully within any business market you need access to the right IT solutions. Small Business Server (SBS) does just this! However the key to ensuing you utilize this to its full extent is to partner with the right specialist.

Understanding Microsoft Windows Small Business Server

Often neglected by many of the leading network operating system vendors, small businesses have struggled with implementing “right sized” network solutions for years. Recognising this, Microsoft has made significant headway with its Windows Small Business Server solution. With Windows Server at its base, Small Business Server is bundled with a range of server and client applications, providing a total out-of-the-box network software solution for businesses with between 5 and 50 users. The popularity is so great that many IT service providers have established specific practices within their businesses specialising in Small Business Server installations and support

Small Business Server is designed to provide small businesses with a host of networked functions and features found typically in larger network environments. Among these are:

Microsoft Windows Server 2003: An industry-standard server operating system designed specifically for high performance networking.
Microsoft Windows Sharepoint Services: Providing an internal Web site (intranet) specially designed to support information sharing and collaboration.
Microsoft Exchange Server: Industrial strength e-mail and messaging system, with Outlook Web Access for mobile/remote user Web-based access to e-mail and other Microsoft Outlook features.
Microsoft Shared Fax Service: Fully-featured fax receipt and transmission functionality delivered across the network.

Depending on the version you choose, Microsoft Small Business Server delivers a number of other features. Essentially, though, it is a product that does more than ever to establish a level playing field for small businesses.

Business benefits of using Windows Small Business Server

Adopters of Microsoft Windows Small Business Server have successfully achieved benefits that include:

improved security against external (hacking) and internal threats to their data
the ability to implement a variety of remote access functions, such as e-mail and intranet
enhanced worker collaboration resulting from data and information sharing
greater staff productivity and much more.

Network Design & Installation

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| Network

Investing in the right network technologies and services will have a direct result in helping to make your business faster, more efficient, increase reliability and security and become more competitive.

IT Companies who specialize in Network Design and Network Installation services understand how IT infrastructure and technologies can help you overcome problems, meet new challenges and grow your business. They will work with your business to understand your needs and advise on the best network design and solutions to meet them.

Networking Covers Many Areas

Network Design and installation services cover a wide range of specialty areas and skills so it’s important to research and discuss your needs with a few network design and network installation companies until you find one that meets your specific needs.

For example;

Are you moving from individual computers to your first network server?
Or are you looking at upgrading or migrating across to newer operating system
Or maybe you’re looking at consolidating your existing ageing servers.
If you’re running Server Applications such as Exchange Server or SQL Server then you need specialists who are experienced in these server applications.

Network Installation Success

There are two key parts to a successful network installation that will support your growing business. Firstly, selecting the right network equipment, secondly, that it’s correctly installed and configured so it’s secure, reliable and integrated with your existing business systems.

Some of the key items you will need to discuss with your network installation company will include;

Network Design- if you’re a single location business then you will only require a Local Area Network or LAN Network Design. If you have multiple locations that all need to be connected to the central LAN that you will need a network installation company who specialized in Wide Area Networks or WAN. Will you be running single server or multiple dedicated servers? There are several key factors here that you will need to discuss in detail with your network installation company before moving forward.

Server Operating System– which server operating system to go with is one of the first questions you will need to answer. Microsoft Windows Server and Small Business Server are the most popular for small to medium sized businesses. Ask your network installation company to explain the benefits and costs of each.

Server Hardware and Configuration- it is important to select the right hardware to support your business needs now and to support future growth. Whether you go brand name or white-box some of the key components include;

Memory or Ram- directly effects speed of performance
Hard Drives- how many? Storage capacity, SCSI or IDE
Redundancy- provides a layer of protection against hardware failure
CPU- directly effect the processing speed
Warranty- 3yr onsite is always the best option
Upgradeability- saves a lot of headaches and cost down the track

Redundancy- I want to explain this a little further as it is extremely important that you build in levels of redundancy into your servers. It can save you considerable pain and cost in the event of a disaster. Basically redundancy is a failsafe, for example you configure your hard drives so if one fails the other(s) continue to server your information. You don’t loose any data or suffer any downtime. This is called ‘mirror’ or ‘raid’ and there are different levels to meet different needs. You can also look at fall-over power supplies or network cards again no downtime.

Network Integration- this is central to a successful network installation, there is a big difference between installing a server and integrating it into your existing business systems. Such as user connectivity, email distribution, shared internet, access restrictions, security settings and testing, backup system, the list could go on. Make sure your network support company addresses this area clearly for you.

Ongoing Support and Maintenance- once your network installation is completed you need to start investing in ongoing support. Regular network maintenance is required to apply operating system and security updates, check user logs for errors, check tape backups, resolve user connectivity issues, perform security checks. As well as identify and planning for any upgrades to avoid possible problems and ensure high performance.

IT & Computer Consultant

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| IT Consultant

An IT Consultant can help your business find the right solutions to solve your existing challenges. Their experience and knowledge can save your business both money and pain.

In planning, designing, implementing, upgrading and managing a computer network, the number of potential traps that face the unwary – and unskilled – is enormous. IT and computer consultants can work closely with your business to understand what you want to achieve, and provide advice and solutions on the best way to achieve it.

It is important to remember that IT Consultants specialise in a wide range of technical skills- the key is to find the one who understands your business.

Understanding the importance of an IT Consultant

One of the biggest challenges for any sized business revolves around assessing exactly how existing or new technologies can deliver real benefits. Added to this is the need for successfully implementing and integrating customised solutions to assist in achieving their business goals.

Specialist IT consultants are highly trained and experienced professionals who will work with your business to, firstly, gain an understanding of underlying business drivers and goals. Secondly, they can examine existing IT infrastructure and provide a plan to implement or integrate new technology solutions. In selecting the right partner for your business, it is important that you consider issues such as:

qualified and accredited support and service
proven reliability – satisfied customers
proven implementation methodology
system security guarantees
a good relationship
a willingness to understand your business
expertise in your specific requirements

Business benefits of using an IT Consultant

In taking advantage of the experience and skills of a good IT consultant, businesses stand to gain benefits, such as:

a network environment that can more readily scale to meet changing business needs
improved reliability and strong security of network resources and data
significant cost reductions in the areas of server/network management and maintenance
improved collaboration within the business
achieve a successful converged business network
the ability to provide mobile/remote workers with access to network resources and data.

The importance of partnering with the right IT support company

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| IT Support

One of the realities of using computing technology in business is that it requires a commitment on the part of the business to establish an effective support and maintenance programme. Such a programme is vital if the operational benefits afforded by technology are to be truly realised.

The single point of contact
An important point to bear in mind when developing a support and maintenance programme for your servers, client devices, peripherals (printers, scanners, etc) and software is to minimise wherever possible the number of support providers. In partnering with a provider who can deliver acceptable levels of support for multiple technologies in use throughout your business, it’s possible to gain a number of distinct benefits.

Primary among those benefits are reduced costs and a single point of contact for support. When technology problems occur, the last thing you need is to be faced with support providers fobbing you off by stating the problem lies outside their area(s) of responsibility. With a single provider supporting your hardware and software, it’s one call regardless of what’s causing the problem.

The single point of contact, though, brings with it an important point to bear in mind – ensuring the provider has the skillsets and/or certifications required to support the various components of your technology infrastructure.

Demonstrated commitment
While the Web and telephone are ideal tools with which to start researching and paring down your list of possible support providers, initial shopping around by telephone is a fairly good method of paring down the list of possible support providers, it’s absolutely essential that representatives from the final list actually visit your site. These are the ones who will generally take the time to do a quick audit of your systems, creating a detailed list of hardware and software that is likely to be covered by any support agreement.

A definite benefit arising from the on-site audit is that the support provider gains a better understanding of specific software support requirements. Aside from the fact that this will dramatically shorten problem resolution times, it can easily result in valuable and timely advice from the provider on important upgrades and complementary technologies.

To be frank, a support provider who simply takes down details over the phone and commits to support your infrastructure without checking first-hand what’s required is demonstrating a fairly low level of commitment right from the start.

In your language
When browsing the market to select a suitable support provider, ensure you locate one who’s able to communicate with you at your level. The last thing you need is for a support engineer who is unwilling – or unable – to tell you succinctly what’s wrong and what’s needed to fix it.

Flashback: I remember as a young soldier being told by a Sergeant that: “Bull**** baffles brains. It doesn’t matter how lousy a soldier you are, gleaming boots and razor-sharp creases in the uniform will convince anyone that you’re definitely the next one in line for promotion.”

The fact is that there are IT support providers who will apply that same philosophy in order to gain your business. It’s up to you to cut through the veneer and discover for yourself just how effective the relationship between any supplier and your business is likely to be. Here’s an important tip: If you feel that the supplier is trying to baffle your brains with bovine droppings, look elsewhere. What you’re after is a support provider who can:

1. provide you with a list of client references
2. explain their services to you in easily understood language
3. demonstrate a firm commitment to working with your business
4. show accreditations relating directly to support offerings
5. offer a support team with experience in supporting the technologies used in your business.

Support times
Here’s something that a lot of small businesses overlook when selecting an IT support provider – support hours. If your business operates shifts that fall outside of normal business hours, then it’s crucial your support provider can deliver support covering your operational times.

In some cases, providers afford their customers telephone-based support out-of-hours and have emergency service engineers on standby. Just bear in mind, though, that this easily be considered as being beyond agreed support terms and end up costing you a substantial amount of money. This is another case where it pays to check the fine print.

Support offerings
Depending of the support provider, you may well be presented with a number or combination of support options from which to choose. These might include:

On-site Server Maintenance: This would typically involve a server engineer periodically attending to your server(s) on-site, ensuring security and application fixes/patches are up-to-date, security log items are addressed, e-mail folders are within acceptable size limits, etc.

Helpdesk Support: Many hardware and software faults can be fixed quickly and easily over the phone. A number of support providers have their own call centres where personnel work with customers on problem resolution by “talking through” issues and solutions.

Remote Monitoring: Proactive support and maintenance is one of the most valuable support strategies – identifying problems before they occur. With remote monitoring tools, providers use the Internet to establish and maintain an around-the-clock watch on the performance and health of various systems. This can also include remote management, where the support personnel log on remotely to your servers and/or client computers to fix problems, upload and apply patches, etc.

Caveat
An extremely important caveat to everything discussed in this document are vendor-imposed restrictions to the use of third-party support. In the majority of cases, computers and peripherals such as printers, scanners and even mice are sold with warrantees that are void in situations where unauthorised repairs have been carried out.

What you should be doing, though, is maintaining a record of warranty expiry dates and make an early decision as to whether you intend to purchase ongoing support plans from the vendor or opt for a reputable third-party alternative.

CRM Software Solutions

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| CRM

Customer Relationship Management or better know simply as CRM enables your business to get instant access to your centralised customer information, including complete histories. CRM solutions also provide the tools to better track sales opportunities and campaign management.

The cost of obtaining new customers is significantly higher then selling more products or services to existing clients. The challenge for many businesses is how to keep accurate and usable information about existing clients. CRM software solutions can provide your business with the tools you need to improve control over your customer data and greatly enhance ongoing relationships. In turn increasing sales opportunities and revenue while increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Understanding CRM Software solutions

CRM solutions are designed to provide single-point access to the collection, storage, access and analysis of information relating to current and prospective customers. A CRM software solution will provide functionality such as contact management, task management, customer service issues and resolution, reporting, campaign management and opportunity analysis.

By providing the single-point of customer information access, a sales opportunity noted by one staff member can be quickly identified by sales force personnel and turned into a profitable sale. In many cases, CRM solutions can integrate with existing accounting software, providing a whole-of-customer view. If a customer calls through to place an order, their credit history can be brought up and a decision made on the spot as to whether the sale should or should not go through.

CRM Benefits

The business benefits of implementing a CRM software solution that fits your business needs can include:

the ability to turn sales opportunities into profitable sales
greater customer satisfaction through tracking and escalating customer support issues
improved relevance of marketing campaigns to groups of customers
the ability to gain a whole-of-customer view from within a single application
enhanced inter and intra team collaboration within the business.

Talk to a CRM software specialist

CRM solutions can range from hundreds of dollars to well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a hot topic market right now, and vendors are constantly striving to outdo each other in features and functionality. We strongly advise that you speak to a specialist to ensure you make an informed decision.