Another Social Media Blog

My wife and I are avid “Grey’s Anatomy” watchers. Usually, the Thursday night drama merely entertains, as the characters (mostly doctors) seem to go out of their way to wreck their completely unbelievable lives. But in a recent episode, Dr. Miranda Bailey, played by actor Chandra Wilson, broadcasts her surgeries via Twitter.

While operating on her patient, Dr. Bailey would dictate what she was experiencing to one of the residents. The resident would then transcribe her words, on a Blackberry, into 140 character micro-blogs or “Tweets.” Doctors and medical students from around the world monitored the surgery via Twitter, Re-Tweeting questions and comments about the surgery.

Using Twitter as a communications platform, Dr. Bailey had turned her surgery into a teaching experience that extended beyond the operating room. In the past, something like this would have required a massive investment in technology and communications equipment and would only have been available to the affluent. All Dr. Bailey needed was an opportunity to do her work and a Blackberry.

Of course, one does not need to look far to find a real world example of the global impact of social media technologies such as Twitter and Facebook. All you need to do is pick up a paper or turn on the news. Oppressive regimes and dictators across the Middle East and North Africa appear to be dropping like dominoes as “the people” take to the streets and demand change.

Social media employed as a communication and collaboration platform seem to be a real driver behind these world-changing events. In fact, I’ve heard the term “Twitter Revolution” used to describe what’s happening in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and elsewhere. I don’t disagree that social media has played an important role in what has and continues to unfold in that part of the world, but I think it’s a gross oversimplification and perhaps, even a little arrogant to say social media caused what’s happening.

Technology is not a silver bullet that magically solves problems. It is more of a force multiplier or an accelerator that can be used to speed up or intensify the impact of a good idea or a sound strategy. Without Dr. Bailey’s vision and creativity, Facebook is just a place to view a litany of un-remarkable vacation photos.

I talk with business owners all the time about social media. Most see it as a real distraction and productivity killer. Most of the time, I’d tend to agree. But I think recent events evidence the fact that we should really challenge ourselves to consider how we might apply this technology in the future in support of our business goals.

A great way to start would be to log in to Facebook or Twitter and see how your peers are using it. I logged in and found this posting from Shon Christy. Shon and I were lab partners in Mr. Glime’s chemistry class at Stow High School in Ohio in 1993. Other than being connected on Facebook, Shon and I don’t communicate. But because of his posting, I know City Cleaners is hiring. Now you know too.

So we know for sure that social media sites like Twitter and Facebook can be used to teach fictional doctors, recruit salespeople, and topple governments. What could you use it for? If you’d like to talk about it, let me know. You can email me at jclause@endsight.net

Microsoft Office vs Google Apps: Training is the Key

For years, small businesses only had one real choice for business productivity software: Microsoft Office. But that may change as web-based applications, delivered via the cloud, flood the market.

For many, Google Apps represents a viable alternative. However, before a firm chooses to shelve its investment in Microsoft Office there is a lot to consider.

To begin with, software packages evolve over time to accommodate the customer’s requirements. As a relatively young software solution, Google Apps is less complete than the more established Microsoft solution. It is extremely difficult for any company, even Google, to anticipate the real-world requirements for a full-featured solution right out of the gate.

The “completeness” of Google Apps may be less important because of the way its software is delivered. Google Apps is “cloud based”, allowing popular feature requests to be rapidly developed, tested and deployed without the end user having to upgrade his or her software. Once deployed, the new features just appear the next time the user logs in.

Microsoft Office has its benefits too. For example, it has been around for a very long time. A benefit best illustrated by a story I recently read in Network World about Microsoft Windows turning 25 years old. I am including a link to the full article here.

Network World also included a cool slideshow with screenshots of the different versions of Windows through years. To view the slideshow click here.

Just like Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2010 inherits all the lessons learned from the previous decades of end-user feedback, research and development. However, a large number of users do not use or need many of the more advanced features offered in Microsoft Office.

Regardless of whether your organization chooses to use Microsoft Office or Google Apps, end user training is a real key to success.

Google Apps is not a “Webified” version of Microsoft Office. It sorts and presents e-mail differently, key function buttons are positioned in different places and working within a web interface takes some getting used to.

Microsoft Office 2010 has made several user interface changes that will take some getting used to and many of the advanced features that can help business users become more productive need to be pointed out and configured. Once that is completed, end users need to be trained on how to utilize the new features.

As the technology changes and as we get more sophisticated as technology users the way we use our core productivity software will evolve. Firms that embrace this change and seek to apply it in creative ways will gain real-time savings. Time that can be refocused on finding new customers, making current customers happier and finding new ways to more efficiently operate the business.

We spend a lot of time analyzing our client’s productivity needs as part of our outsourced IT service. If you feel like it might be helpful to discuss your needs, click here and we can schedule some time to talk in person!

I am including a brief survey about productivity software. If you have the time, I hope you will complete it. We plan to publish the survey’s results in a future blog posting.

Good Process is Tasty and Delicious

Image via Wikipedia

I think I was six years old when I ordered my first Big Mac. I’d eaten one before, but this was the first time that I stepped up to the counter on my own to order and pay for one. Waiting in line patiently I mouthed the words as I thought through what I would say. “May I have a Big Mac please?” I wanted to sound like I knew what I was doing.

When it was my turn, I stepped up to the counter. The cashier, who looked like a giant, looked down at me and smiled. Then she turned her gaze to the woman behind me and said, “Welcome to McDonald’s, may I take your order?”

I was devastated. But just as all hope was lost, the nice lady behind me said, “I believe this gentleman was first.” The cashier looked down at me and said, “Excuse me sir, what can I get for you?” …..Victory!

Since then, I’ve ordered thousands (that’s right, thousands) of Big Macs. Every time I do, I feel confident that the sandwich will taste the same as the one I bought 30 years ago.

McDonald’s has a specific process that they follow to prepare a Big Mac. This process is the same in Charlotte, North Carolina as it is in Seattle, Washington. It has been honed over time into a series of steps that is teachable and repeatable. In fact, many McDonald’s employees go to Hamburger University where they learn how to make Big Macs.

When it comes to selecting an outsourced IT partner, process is very important. Most providers say they have a process that they follow, but the word “process” rarely means that they’ve developed a step-by-step series of activities that’s teachable and repeatable. They may have a general idea or approach to clearing trouble tickets, building a server or monitoring a firewall, but their approach is rarely fully documented or integrated into their information systems. The result is that each employee has his or her own way to do the work.

The impact is an inconsistent level of service. Sometimes the client gets good service and sometimes he or she gets really lousy service. This result is often compounded by Murphy’s Law. For some reason, the lousy service experience always occurs when you’re on a deadline.

One way to avoid service level inconsistency is to make sure that your potential outsourced IT partner can show you its process. It’s not enough to show you a bunch of Word documents with bullet points that read, “Promote Windows Server 2008 to Domain Controller.” A well-documented process includes flowcharts, job aids and clear tie-ins to the firm’s information systems. A true process is teachable, repeatable and, because it’s clearly documented, it can be incrementally improved over time.

The ability to incrementally improve a process, assumes that the outsourced IT provider does not outsource its core functions to someone else. Outsourced IT providers that in-turn outsource functions like Network Operations and Help Desk don’t have a lot of control over service delivery. If they don’t have control of the function in the first place they can’t really impact the process. I wrote a blog about outsourced IT providers that in-turn outsource their IT. You can read more by clicking here.

At Endsight, we include a review of our process as part of our site visit. It also includes a tour of our facility, introductions to our staff and a review of a sample strategy document (I’ll write more about documentation and strategy in another blog). If you’re looking for an Outsourced IT partner, we’d really like to host you for a visit. To schedule one, click here.

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Make sense of your data with pivot tables

I’ve used Microsoft Excel for years as a way to analyze a sales pipeline or as a way to clean up customer lists. I’ve even used many of the rudimentary functions and calculation tools to help me total the cost of a marketing budget or to calculate percentages. But that has really been the extent of my use of this tool.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. In fact, I’d bet that most of us only use a small percentage of the features and capabilities available in this tool. But as Endsight’s outsourced IT businesses has grown, it has become more and more important for us to analyze our business data and use that analysis to help us make good business decisions based on what we know instead of what we feel.

For example, as a sales and marketing professional it’s important for me to know where our best new business leads are coming from. On the surface that seems like a pretty simple question, but the answer requires a detailed analysis of Endsight’s historical sales and marketing data. My traditional methods for sorting and filtering data were inadequate and so I set out to learn some of the more advanced features available in Microsoft Excel. The feature that really helped me with my specific issue was pivot tables.

Pivot tables allow me to organize long lists of incomprehensible data into a concise dashboard view. It took me a few hours to learn how to create a pivot table, but once I got it down I’m certain it literally saved me days of work.

I found a web video on YouTube that was really helpful in teaching me to create pivot tables. I’ve included the video in his posting. You can also link to it by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVa7PIDfi5A

If you have a difficult question that you need to answer and you suspect some key insight to the question might reside in your historical business data, A pivot table could be useful in helping you smoke the answer out. If you feel like you might benefit from a more intensive training on Microsoft Excel it might make sense to consider signing up for a training class.

Endsight does some simple end-user training but it does not do intensive, classroom-based training for advanced users. We do however work with some great partners that can provide that service. If you’d like an introduction, e-mail me at jclause@endsight.net and I’ll be happy to connect you.

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Awash in Data

My father worked in corporate America before everyone had a personal computer. Instead, my Dad had a tray on the left side of his desk that acted as his in box and a tray on the right that acted as his out box.

He traveled to Asia on multi week business trips and upon his return, he’d be greeted by a giant stack of memo’s, directives and other inter-office correspondence. His solution was to take the stack of paper from his in box and move it directly to the trash can. “If it’s important, they can call me,” he would say.

Dad’s approach to managing his data (paper) wasn’t glitzy or fancy, but it worked and I think it has some application in the digital world.

I’m pretty sure that if I deleted everything in my email store that was more than 6 months old, I’d probably never miss 99% of it. But I know to my core that 1% of that email data set is vital, and so the whole thing lingers on the mail server. That data is then replicated to Endsight’s off-site back up cloud and so now, this blob of mostly useless data exists in two places.

In his article entitled, “The big data addiction” Matt Prigg shares some of his insight into how this very issue is impacting organizations of all sizes today. In it Prigg says, “In a cruel twist of fate, our dependence on ever-expanding digital data has created a feedback loop that fuels its own growth. Within the past 10 years or so, we’ve grown more productive by using business technology. As a result, we’ve created even more massive mountains of data, and we rely upon those mountains to such a degree that we need to duplicate them – multiplying the problem again.”

In addition to email, Prigg is writing about business system data, file shares and a litany of other administrative and back up data sets. In a large organization, this data grows and duplicates at a much faster rate than in a small organization, but a small business isn’t immune to the problem.

I think that for most small businesses that data can be broken up into two parts, email and shared files. I recently contributed an article to the East Bay Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators that highlights a few technologies that I think can be used to help manage email data without pressing the “delete” key. http://www.ebala.org/Topic.aspx?wiki_id=87#VendorArticle

For file shares, I think one of the prime culprits for expanding data is the fact that no one is really responsible for the files stored on the file share. For example, Endsight had a file on its sales and marketing drive called “2003 archive.” It hadn’t been opened since 2004. Every time I saw the file I thought to myself, “I should just right click & select delete.” But I didn’t create any of the files and so I couldn’t say for sure that someone wouldn’t go looking for a file housed in the archive.

I think the best solution for this problem is to create and publish a document retention policy. For an example of one click here: http://www.abanet.org/lpm/lpt/articles/sampledocretentionpolicy.pdf . This can help to eliminate any guess work and replace it with simple policy enforcement. You can even use technology to set rules and automate the document retention / purge process.

More and more of Endsight’s outsourced IT clients are encountering data store limit issues. We expect these issues to increase as firms move their on-premise computing systems to cloud computing.

To help our clients address this challenge, Endsight provides Planning Services: CIO/Sr. IT Management level consulting & strategy as part of our fixed fee, outsources IT approach.  If you’d like to talk in-person about your data situation click here to schedule an appointment.

Is moving an office in your future plans?

When I was in college, I had to move every year.  I lived in a fraternity house and that really simplified the logistic. But even though I never had to move more than a few doors down the hallway, I still didn’t like it.  The idea of a uprooting all of my things, transporting them, and then having to find new places for everything, was a daunting task that stressed me out every time.

As Endsight’s outsourced IT business has grown, we’ve been heavily involved in a staggering number of office moves. Every time, it’s easy to remember the stress I felt as an undergraduate with my mini fridge and futon.  Obviously, the client has much more to consider which makes the stress level even greater.

No two office moves are ever the same.  But having been through enough of these, I thought it would be helpful to list some of the key advisers and partner/vendor rolls to consider as part of your planning process.

Many of our clients begin the process by seeking council from key strategic advisers.

Contemplating a Move:

Commercial Realtor (Help you selected a new location)

Banker (Help decide the best way to finance the move)

Accountant (Help you decide if you can afford the move)

Lawyer (Help you avoid costly legal issues associated with the move)

Once a location has been selected, there are a number of other partner/vendors to involve in the process.

The New Office:

General Contractor (Tenant improvements)

Architect (Make it look fabulous)

Cable Installer (Network cabling)

HVAC (Server room)

Signage (Sign out front, names on the office Doors)

The Move:

Mover (To get from point A to point B)

Phone System Support (Take down and set up phones)

Computer System Support (Take down and set up computer systems)

Internet and Phone System Connectivity (Connect to the outside world)

Office Furniture (Acquire new and /or liquidate old)

Printers, Faxes & Copiers (Often times these are under contract)

Communication:

Marketing (Promote new location, update Website, send a news letter, and create a promotional item)

Printed Materials (Letterhead, business cards, marketing collateral)

Most businesses enjoy existing relationships to leverage as part of the planning process.  If your company needs help filling in the roster, Endsight can help by facilitating introductions to our network of colleagues.  If your small business is planning a move click here.   We would be happy to meet in person with you to discuss your plan.

Is it time for a Computer Network “Dust Off”?

All of the Great War movies have a scene near the end of the film where the climactic battle is over and the Medivac or “dust off” choppers swoop in to tend to the wounded, including the film’s hero, who typically gets a bandage over his eye or a sling for his arm.

For many of us, the last two years must feel like a war of sorts. We’ve had to make lots of sacrifices in one way or another including being forced to say goodbye to customers and coworkers. Even if you were not distracted with the recent events, you were probably fully focused on receivables and finding new revenue and didn’t have extra time to tend to your computer systems.

Last year I blogged about keeping an eye on your computer infrastructure as the disposition of your small business changed. Employee layoffs and office closures unaccounted for in network directories were creating gaping security holes in lots of small business computing environments. If you’re concerned you might still have that problem and want to learn more, click here to read that post.

Today, as the economy begins to emerge from the recession, it might be time to consider calling in the “dust off” choppers. Most of the small business owners that I know agree that computer networks are temperamental and that they require a lot of care and feeding. When left unattended (as many have the last few years) they become unpredictable and that can be a formula for disaster.

To get started on a good network dust off, I recommend starting with an inventory of your existing network. This inventory should include:

1. A list of computer users
   1. User Accounts
   2. Email, Mailboxes
2. A network diagram that includes
   1. UPS / Backup power supply
   2. ISP / T1 lines
   3. Firewalls / Router
   4. Switches
   5. Servers
   6. Workstations & Laptops
   7. Data Backup
3. Software Inventory
   1. Anti-Virus
   2. Anti-SPAM
   3. Operating Systems (Server & Workstation)
   4. Productivity Software
   5. Business Software
   6. Messaging Software

Once you’ve completed your inventory, consider asking yourself these diagnosis questions.

1. Are there any performance issues?
2. How old is the equipment?
3. What is still under warranty?
4. Is the software licensing current?

Determining the current disposition and status of your small business computing environment and combining that information with an assessment of the network’s limitations will help point you and your IT partner, should you choose to work with one, to the right questions to ask as you redevelop your IT strategy.

Endsight’s outsourced IT support model is layered to encompass what we believe are the four basic components of sound IT management and support. Planning, Plumbing, People and Projects build on one another like a pyramid. Planning, at the top of the pyramid, is typically the first casualty in a recession. Without a good plan however, it becomes very difficult to maintain a small business computer network consistently.

That’s why Endsight includes planning as part of its “all-you-can-eat” outsourced IT support methodology. Working with one of Endsight’s CIO level IT managers, our clients benefit from regularly scheduled IT strategy meetings where we collaboratively review the current status of the computer network and together map out the future strategy.

If you feel like Endsight might be able to help you with your long-term IT strategy click here to schedule an in person meeting. We can then discuss your needs in detail.

The Value of Data: What is your data worth to your Organization

In my opinion, the key incite to glean from Pete’s article is that your data is probably worth WAY more than you think. In fact, it is likely the very life blood driving your organization.

Many of Endsight’s clients operate a service business. They count on the intellectual property locked in their email and business applications to meet their customers’ needs. For them, data is the business.

As Pete’s article notes, “The Department of Commerce has determined that 90% of companies which do not have access to data for more than 5 days go out of business within 1 year.”

By itself, that statistic is alarming, but in the Bay Area it’s further exasperated by this one:

On April 15 2008, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that The US Geological Survey believes “A strong and deadly earthquake is virtually certain to strike on one of California’s major seismic faults within the next 30 years”

I’ve reposted Pete’s article below and invite you to consider what kind of impact a “day without computers” might have on your business. If you find the impact as alarming as Pete, contact us and let’s talk about how we can help mitigate that risk.

I’ve embedded a slide deck to a free seminar Endsight has provided about disaster preparedness. If you belong to a professional association or business / community group that might have an interest in the topic, let me know and I’d be happy to present it. If you’d like more information about the presentation, Email me and I’ll send you a topic abstract.

Aug 18th, 2009

Outlook is not bright

by Jason Clause Filed under: Software

One reader is locked out of a brand-new copy of Microsoft Office. Will the folks in Redmond help him?

Microsoft wants its customers to believe that installing software is as simple as loading a disc into the CD drive and clicking okay.  Sometimes it’s that easy, and sometimes it’s not.  When it’s not that easy, what are customers supposed to do?

As outlined in this article by Christina Tynan-Wood, Microsoft is probably the wrong place to go for support.  http://www.infoworld.com/d/adventures-in-it/outlook-not-bright-811?source=IFWNLE_nlt_blogs_2009-07-20

 

Here’s the Reader’s Digest version of the article.  A remote user needs to upgrade from Office 2003 to Office 2007.  His IT department ships him the Office 2007 disk and a licensing key. The user is instructed to put the disc into the CD drive, enter the licensing key, and cross his fingers.  The installation doesn’t go the way that it’s supposed to, and he needs help.  The end user calls Microsoft and gets the runaround. 

 

Microsoft is in the business of developing software.  They offer support, but that’s not one of the businesses that they make money on.  Instead, Microsoft works through an immense network of partners to provide support.  EndSight for example, is a Microsoft Gold certified partner that specializes in, among other Microsoft titles, Microsoft Office 2007.

 

The EndSight team knows software like office 2007 inside and out and that experience allows the us to sidestep known issues in a deployment.  But on the off chance that we get stumped, we know how to navigate the Microsoft support apparatus.  As a result, our clients experienced smooth deployments that are frustration free. 

 

At EndSight, we make it our responsibility to manage our clients licensing.  This includes the requirements planning that determines the necessity of the new software in the first place, the purchase & life cycle management of a particular software title and the organizational deployment of that software.

There’s rarely such a thing as a flawless deployment.  Computers are temperamental and there’s always going to be problems that creep up.  To address that issue, Endsight builds ample time into the deployment plan to assure the resources are there to help users, the day after the deployment is completed.

 

“This kind of problem would never happen to one of our clients.  We would take ownership and work it all the way through.” Says, Will Lee, Endsight’s Response Center Team Lead. 

 

Will joined Endsight in 2005 after graduating from the University of California San Luis Obispo. A Microsoft Certified System Engineer, Will is in charge of the day to day operation of the EndSight Response Center.

 

Endsight’s Response Center is fully staffed from 7-7 Monday - Friday and supplemented by off hour pager support.  This allows Endsight to provide their clients 24×7 reactive support.  Each team member works out of the firms Berkeley office, has a  four year college degree, and  maintains various Microsoft Professional Certifications.

 

About Jason:

Originally from the great state of Ohio Jason Clause relocated to the Bay Area to work in high-tech.  A veteran of the dot com boom and bust, Jason has more than 10 years experience helping small businesses apply information technology to improve business process and increase revenue.  Jason lives in Dublin, California with his wife Jennifer and enjoys hiking, cooking and quiet time at home.  His hobbies include golf, snowboarding, creative writing and performing amateur stand up comedy. 

 

Connect with Jason:  Blog, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

Tags: Endsight, installing software, it management, Jason Clause, Microsoft, microsoft office 2007, microsoft support, microsoft titles, Office, outsourcing No Comments »