Where technology experts at Endsight share their expertise on IT Management, the issues that arise for clients, and the benefits of technology for medical practices, biotech firms, law firms, financial services and other small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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 ITbusinesses 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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
A list of computer users
User Accounts
Email, Mailboxes
A network diagram that includes
UPS / Backup power supply
ISP / T1 lines
Firewalls / Router
Switches
Servers
Workstations & Laptops
Data Backup
Software Inventory
Anti-Virus
Anti-SPAM
Operating Systems (Server & Workstation)
Productivity Software
Business Software
Messaging Software
Once you’ve completed your inventory, consider asking yourself these diagnosis questions.
Are there any performance issues?
How old is the equipment?
What is still under warranty?
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.
Social media and search engine scams are on the rise. Cyberthieves are finding new ways to slip onto your computer and into your pocket. Are you really sure you’re safe?
If any of my Facebook friends get a message from me that reads like this, “I’m in a Turkish prison and need you to wire me $1,000 dollars.” Please try to call my wife first. She’ll know what to do.
Scams and shams are increasing on Google and other popular sites. The cyber world is a dangerous place where the bad guys can look like good guys. I encourage you to give this article a good read. (Read the article by clicking here)
To avoid internet viruses and other traps intended to download malicious software on your machine it’s important to:
1. Implement a centrally managed antivirus solution
2. Create and maintain a patch management strategy
3. Consider internal policies that limit the time employees spend on social sites
4. Consider restricting network / user permissions with regard to software downloads
We’ve baked these countermeasures into our outsourced IT service approach. If you’re concerned about your exposure to the cyber slime, contact us, and let’s discuss your options.
Chances are that the last two years have not given your small business many opportunities to improve company morale. A quick cruise around Facebook reveals a lot of employees are concerned about their jobs, unhappy with their working conditions and / or are looking for a new job.
Employee morale may not seem like a Bay Area IT Issue at first blush, but when you’re running an outsourced IT organization employee morale is of the utmost importance. It’s an intangible asset. When Endsight employees are feeling optimistic about the business, good things just start to happen. When employee morale dips, it can be really hard to catch a break.
For a small business, poor morale is kind of like a fire raging inside the wall. We can smell the smoke and feel the heat from the fire, but it’s hard to find the flames.
A great idea:
Alicia Kallander, Endsight’s human resource manager, came up with an idea that I think has a real impact on the morale of Endsight’s employees.
The third Thursday of every month, EndSight sponsors a fun activity for the employees. In July for example, the company had a pizza party and played miniature golf. The event is not mandatory and the point is to try to have a little fun.
Activities like this don’t cost a ton of money, but I think they can have a big impact on employee morale. It’s a tangible way to show employees that the company is committed to creating a work environment that they want to be a part of. I think it also is a subtle way to demonstrate a little optimism about the future.
If you’d like a few ideas to start your own Third Thursdays. Shoot me an e-mail and I’ll send you a list of the events EndSight has planned in the past.
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.
It’s an interesting question. As small businesses, we will need to make sense of “cloud computing” and to try to determine what sort of impact, if any, this new concept will have on our business. Eric Knorr’s take on the difference between cloud computing and hosting is interesting. I think it does a fair job of trying to distinguish between the two concepts, but as with most articles I read, this is geared more towards the enterprise IT department.
Basically, “cloud computing” is the industry’s new description for IT resources such as e-mail, being hosted somewhere other than on a server that sits in our office. One of the distinctions between “cloud computing” and “hosting” is that with the cloud, we don’t have any idea where our data resides. I think a great example of a “cloud” application would be Gmail. We can log into our mail from a Webpage but we don’t have any idea where the e-mail resides exactly. This is because Google has low-cost servers located all over the world and they use sophisticated load-balancing technology that moves information and data around their computing grid. This approach allows us to use e-mail as a service, but it limits our control over the data.
Hosting is similar to cloud computing in at the IT resource resides outside of our corporate computing environment. But unlike cloud computing, we know exactly, where our data resides. Hosted Exchange, a Microsoft product, is a great example of this concept. With this approach, e-mail resides off site at a co-location facility. We know where the co-location facility is and we know, where the server or in many cases virtual server is located. The same load-balancing concept applies to hosting in most cases, but it’s on a much smaller scale. And it’s managed by the local hosting company or IT partner as opposed to Google. The solution is less distributed, but it affords us more control.
Regardless of what we call it or the specific architecture we apply there’s a good chance that our next major computing infrastructure upgrade will be to the cloud. There’s just too many good reasons not to move services such as e-mail, file servers, and database applications out of our server closet and into a data center:
1. Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity: Moving our key server infrastructure to the cloud allows us to take advantage of all of the disaster preparedness countermeasures built into an enterprise class co-location facility. These buildings are constructed to withstand earthquakes, fires, power disruptions and other “acts of God.” They employ both physical and technological security that meets the most stringent regulatory requirements and most of them feature backbone access to the Internet with multiple redundant connections. The end result is that if a disaster strikes our office, our computer systems weren’t there to be destroyed. So long as our employees can access to the Internet, they can access our computing infrastructure and get back to work.
2. Scalability: Moving our servers to an enterprise class server and storage array that uses virtual technology allows us to access only the computing power that we need. As our business grows, we simply add more computing power. We don’t have to worry anymore about buying new equipment or what we will do with that equipment after a particular project is done.
3. Reduce Capital Costs: The cloud gives us the ability to pay a fixed monthly fee for our server infrastructure as opposed to laying out tons of cash to purchase all the equiptment we need for a major network upgrade. Instead, we only pay for what we need.
The key point that I gleaned from Eric’s article is this. In the small-business space, many offerings will be cookie-cutter. (Like Gmail) Small businesses using this service will not have the rich feature set that comes with an implementation of Microsoft Exchange. In my experience, a cookie-cutter approach for something like e-mail will not work for the vast majority of small businesses. As we explore our options for hosted or cloud solutions we need to be able to customize the offerings and service levels associated with those offerings.
The good news is that we won’t have to make these decisions immediately. Microsoft relseased Windows Server 2008 and developers will soon be releasing business software maximised for the new platform. The best way to explore a hosted / cloud infrastructure is too include it as an option in our next major upgrade.
