Most small to medium businesses operate on razor-thin margins, keeping management on the lookout for ways to minimize costs and maximize the bottom line. While there are many ways to cut costs, making some changes to your technology could be one area to investigate. Today’s tech isn’t cheap, but there is always a way to keep expenses down.

Here are five ways you can reduce IT spending.

Backup everything
If you are like most other small to medium companies, the majority of your important files are located on one server, or maybe a couple of computers. Technology doesn’t last forever and the machine on which you have your data stored will eventually stop working. If this happens unexpectedly you could lose some of the information that is stored on it. The cost to recover this information could be substantial. To minimize this risk, we suggest that businesses invest in a solid backup platform and develop a plan to keep those files safe.

Yes, this will cost money up front, but would you rather have a copy of your systems and data from yesterday which can be easily implemented when you have a problem, or would you like to pay to maybe recover year’s worth of data if something goes wrong? Backups save you money in the long-run, while offering the additional benefit of significant stress reduction.

Have a strict anti-virus policy
Assuming that your employees won’t download programs or browser extensions simply because you tell them not to is like telling a child not to eat candy; they are still going to do it. By simply having computers and devices accessing the Internet through your network, you are at risk. If your systems are hacked or infected, you can face loss of data, high recovery costs, or worse.

How do you minimize the chance of malware infections and the risk of being hacked? Antivirus software and security solutions installed on every computer that can be run from one machine are your answer. This makes it easier for you or your IT partner to ensure all of your systems’ antivirus software is up to date and scanning when it should be, and will minimize the chance of infection while keeping costs down.

Document everything
As your company grows, you will start to use more technology. Over time, this equipment will need to be replaced. If you take steps to document all of your systems, computers, software, etc., including details like where it’s located, when it was implemented, and who is in charge of it, you will be able to track things down quickly when needed, and thus be managing your systems better. This time saving measure will cut your costs.

Look into a CRM/ERP/HRM solution
There are so many software solutions out there that can help you plan and run your operations. If you’ve been using a simple spreadsheet for tasks like tracking employee data or planning, you could be getting more out of a tailored solution.

Solutions like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or even Human Resources Management (HRM) can help you spot hidden costs or even plan more efficiently, which will reduce costs well into the future.

Look for fixed-price solutions
A major problem with all tech systems is that predicting costs is nearly impossible. You simply don’t know when or if an important piece of hardware will fail. This becomes even more of a problem if you don’t have expertise in tech.

One of the best ways to save money on IT costs is to outsource with a company like Providence. We offer a variety of plans, including flat-rate services, that can fit every budget and leave you free you to focus on what you do best – running your business.

Small to medium businesses are highly susceptible to increasing operational costs. In some cases, small price increases for essential items can be enough to force a company out of business. That’s why savvy business owners are always on the search for ways to cut costs. One often overlooked cost-saving tactic is to reduce the costs associated with your printers.

Here are six ways to cut printing costs.

1. Print double sided – While printer paper isn’t overly expensive – an average of $8 per ream (for 500 sheets of non-recycled, multipurpose paper) – many companies only print on one side. This really adds up over a year, especially if you have more than one printer or print large documents on a regular basis. To save money, set your printers and software to print on both sides of the page. This will cut down the amount of paper used and waste generated. Just be sure to put page numbers on the documents so readers know it’s double sided.
2. Lower print quality – Most printers can print at various quality levels. Higher quality means it’s easier to read, but uses more ink. If you are printing out memos or other inter office documents, you probably don’t need high, or even medium quality. Low quality is still readable and will save you on ink costs.
3. Print in black - Ink is by far the highest cost of any printing job, and supplies always seems to deplete quickly. To save money, set up your printers to print using only black ink, which is about 30% cheaper than color ink.
4. Implement print quotas – Nothing makes an environmentalist cringe more than seeing a 100-page PDF freshly printed, and lying in the recycle bin because someone accidentally printed the whole document instead of just one page. Not only is this bad for the environment, it’s bad for your bottom line. One way around this is to use quotas. Many new printers allow you to assign ID’s and quotas to computers or workers. This will encourage employees to think twice before printing.
5. Go paperless - With the introduction of cheap cloud storage and collaboration services, the paperless office has become mostly viable. Granted there are some aspects of business, like shipping waybills, receipts, payslips, etc., that must legally be printed, but you can move non-essential documents onto cloud storage. This is a great way to reduce printing costs, while simultaneously fostering a sharing and collaborative office environment.
6. Work with managed print services – If you find that printing costs are skyrocketing, why not work with a managed print services provider? The vast majority charge a flat fee and will take care of your printers, and often your ink too.

Unless you adopt massive changes, like completely getting rid of all printers, you won’t see huge savings from reducing printing costs. However, every little bit counts. If you’re looking for a managed print services company or for more ways to reduce your IT costs, please contact us today.

Last week we posted part two of our three part article on how to maximize your IT savings and resources. Part two covered ways you can maximize resources inside your business by switching to VoIP, investing in the cloud, and working with an MSP. Part three takes a look at things you can do to save external IT costs.

Here are three ways you can save money or get the most out of your outward/customer facing IT resources.

Invest in your website
The website is the new hub of business. Customers expect you to be on the web, and will look to your site to find the information they need. If you don’t have a functional website that provides your current and future customers with what they need and want to know, there’s a high chance that you will be losing sales.

You don’t need a fancy site, just one that looks professional and represents your business well. If you have a good website that is optimized for search results, you can and will see your site show up higher in search results, which means more exposure for your business.

This may seem a bit counter-intuitive – why spend money when you want to save it? However, having a website that appeals to your customers will increase the chances of both attracting and keeping new customers. If done in the right way, more eyes on your name means higher brand recognition. This in turn will lead to more inquiries and potentially higher sales.

Get advertising social
If you have a presence on social media platforms, it could pay to invest in social advertising. The reason advertising on social media platforms has become so popular is that you can target the most relevant people for your product or service.

When it comes to marketing and advertising, if you can target people who are already interested in your service or product, you are more likely to see higher conversions and sales. With other mediums, like paper, TV, etc., the audience is too wide and the cost too great to make it worthwhile for most small businesses. Social advertising is vastly more economical and often more powerful.

We’re not saying you should stop all other forms of advertising, but you can scale them back, save on costs, and invest in more targeted social advertising. If you pitch this just right you should see lower advertising costs coupled with higher real conversions.

Be a bigger part of the environment
Being environmentally conscious is a big deal these days. Customers like to see that the company they are doing business with takes steps to reduce their waste/carbon footprint. Looking at the numbers though, ‘going green’ can be costly, especially if you have a larger office.

The key to remember is that when it comes to “greening” IT-related processes, you should start with conservation. One of the easiest ways to conserve starts with reducing the amount of paper you use. Instead of printing out bills or receipts, why not email them to your customers? If you send faxes or print lots of documents, why not look into a virtual solution? Who knows, you may even be able to get rid of that expensive printer.

Striving to reduce waste is only half of the battle. Environmentally positive actions are a perfect thing to brag about on social media. Saved 300 sheets of paper this week? Tweet it. Customers who are environmentally conscious will look favorably upon this and are more likely to remember you when they next need a service you offer.

There are many things you can do to cut costs and maximize your IT resources. What is your company doing? If you’re not sure, you should contact us. We can help ensure you get the best bang for your buck when it comes to IT.

Last week we posted part one of our three part article on how to maximize your IT savings and resources. Here's a quick recap of what part 1 covered: The article looked at ways you can maximize resources you already have by being an outside thinker, always looking around and using facts to help determine your actions. Part 2 takes a look at things you can do to save internal IT costs.

Here's how you can maximize your internal IT costs.

Use VoIP and similar digital solutions Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has been around for a number of years and many companies, large and small, have integrated it into their offices. Because VoIP uses an Internet connection to send and receive phone calls, there's no need for expensive cabling and switchboards. Aside from lower overheads, many VoIP providers offer calling rates at a fraction of what most telephone providers charge. So, companies that make lots of long-distance calls can really benefit with VoIP.

While many businesses have integrated VoIP solutions, most don't go beyond that. If you use a fax machine, did you know that you can either digitize that and ditch the fax machine, integrate it with most modern email programs or use your VoIP connection to transmit fax data.

If you have a sales force who is constantly on the road or giving presentations, why not look into a Web conferencing system. Many systems, like Microsoft's Lync, allow users to hold conferences and share documents or presentations without having to leave the office.

Invest in the cloud One of the hottest current trends is the cloud. Currently there are two major types of cloud operations: Cloud storage and cloud based applications. All companies need to store documents. If they go with physical solutions like hard drives, backup tapes etc., it can get very expensive, very quickly. Cloud storage allows you to store all your documents off site, often at a fraction of the cost of physical storage solutions. Beyond that, you will have access to your documents as long as you have an Internet connection.

Cloud based applications come in many varieties, with the most popular being based around the office suite, or a hybrid of storage and application. Solutions like Google Drive which takes Google's office suite and combines it with a storage and sharing solution, is completely based in the cloud. The goal of Google Drive and other solutions, like Microsoft Office, is largely to provide a platform that enables easy collaboration and sharing at a fraction of the cost of more traditional solutions.

Integrating cloud based solutions can often times save you a ton of money, not only in operating costs but also long-term maintenance. As these services depend on a data connection and not sheer computing power, you won't have to replace your machines in order to upgrade to new software. This means lower costs all round.

Work with an MSP While this may seem counter-intuitive - why would a company want to pay to save money? Managed Service Providers (MSP) usually charge a monthly fee and offer a full service solution that aims to keep your systems running. Through preventative monitoring and ensuring systems are running, IT costs are often reduced in the long run. Beyond that, the chances of a major service outage are drastically reduced. Should anything happen to your business MSPs can have you up and running more quickly. allowing you to minimize potential downtime losses.

There are literally thousands of ways you can save money on IT and maximize your resources, and often experts like us can help you extend savings even further. So, why not give us a call and see what we can do. Also, stay tuned for part three of this article, covering how to save money on tech systems that your customers interact with.

Making money may not be the primary motivation behind the beginning of every business, but staying in profit is important for every business’s longevity. A company’s ability to maximize profits is top of mind for many business owners, but when it comes to maximizing IT related functions, managers are often at a loss. To help, we have developed a three part series on how technology can help influence your bottom line.

This first part of the article focuses on maximizing the IT resources you already have.

1. Be the outside thinker
The problem with many managers and business owners is that they tend to focus too closely on one or two key business elements. When it comes to technology, this can mean using only portions of the technology available to your business, while other parts are underutilized.

Therefore, it’s important to take a step back every now and then and really look at the tech you currently use. This can be hard to do, especially when you are so invested in a business. It’s a good idea to consult with a Managed Service Provider like Providence, who can help you get the most out of existing technology.

Getting outside help can assist you in really pinpointing areas where you can improve efficiency or reduce operating costs. In turn, this helps improve, or at the very least stabilize, your bottom line.

2. Always be looking around
What we mean by this is: Be proactive. Technology and related systems are always changing and advancing. Managers and owners who aren’t aware of the technological changes around them might see lower profits. This doesn’t mean just looking at your physical technology, it pays to look at systems related to the Internet too.

Take for example social media. It’s not going away, and has been proven to be an effective marketing tool. The only problem is, the service that’s popular today may not be next year. To get the most out of a system like social media, you need to be aware of and understand it.

If you keep your finger on the pulse, you’ll be more informed about what’s going on, what’s coming up, and what to do about it. If you spot something that you think will benefit your company, take the steps to integrate it. The interesting thing about most new technical advancements is that they are focused on making existing systems more efficient.

Don’t just be looking externally. It pays to look at what tech your employees are using the most, and why. If you encourage them to be open and showcase their ideas, you’ll be surprised at what they come up with.

Being aware of both internal and external trends can help you identify the next big opportunity to further your bottom line.

3. Facts should determine actions
This can be a tough thing to do, but facing the facts and current situation is incredibly important. If you don’t know where your company is, in terms of what technology is used, then any decisions you make won’t be effective and could end up harming your company. It’s a good idea to conduct an audit of your current systems.

What to audit:

1. How many computers you have vs employees.
2. What software each employee uses.
3. What your staff is using the computers for, and how they’re using them.
4. Level of technical integration of current technology.
5. What systems and programs are used most often.
6. Operating costs of technology.

There are many different aspects you can look into. You are basically looking to get a picture of where your company currently stands, and if there are any systems or processes you could be doing better, or phasing out. If you find problems, you can take steps to fix them, or if you need help, contact us.

One piece of technology found in nearly every business is the server. A server allows employees to communicate effectively, access data, or fulfill their roles more easily. In small to medium organizations, one of the more popular servers in recent years was Microsoft’s Small Business Server, or SBS. Despite its popularity, SBS has recently been retired, leaving many IT professionals unsure of what to replace it with.

If your company has employed a Microsoft SBS 2008 or older solution, you aren’t being left totally in the dark. Before announcing the end of SBS, Microsoft announced the new Windows Server 2012, which is meant to be a replacement for SBS.

In the past, Microsoft has been a company of options, not content with releasing just one or two versions of an operating system or server structure and instead opting for many. With Windows Server 2012 the options have been slimmed down to four, two of which will likely be the best choices for the majority of small businesses.

Windows Server 2012 Foundation
Foundation is the most basic version of Windows Server 2012, and includes support for common activities like file and printer sharing. It will not, however, support virtual environments. This means that Foundation users will have to stick with physical servers instead of being able to run different servers on one physical machine. It’s also limited to a maximum of 15 users.

Another downside of Foundation is that it will only be available on new servers created by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). This means that if you wish to use Foundation, you’re going to have to buy a new server. So if you’re looking to centralize basic office functions or connect the office internally, and don’t currently have any servers, this might be a good option for you.

Windows Server 2012 Essentials
If you currently use SBS, or another retired Microsoft product, you’re best bet is Essentials. At a price of around US$425, it’s a low cost upgrade aimed specifically at businesses with 25 or fewer users. Essentials gives you the ability to easily connect and manage Microsoft’s cloud-based solutions, such as Office 365 and the cloud version of Sharepoint, and many others. Essentials also offers Client Backup and Remote Web Access, features which are mature and have been brought forward from SBS and Home Server. Essentials can integrate with an onsite Exchange 2010 server if you are keeping email in-house and not using a cloud email service. A separate server license will be needed for Exchange.

There is a downside to Essentials if you have more than 25 users in your organization. You will need to either pay for an upgrade to Server Standard, which “unlocks” Essentials to allow unlimited users, or pick another version. Aside from this, Essentials, unlike Foundation, does support a fully virtualized server environment. Essentials will be a good choice for companies that are interested in transitioning to the cloud but may still want some features in-house during the transition (for example Exchange or Sharepoint).

Interested in learning more about integrating Windows Server 2012? Please contact us, we can help.

How often have you found yourself at a crossroads, faced with a major decision, but with no idea which option made the best choice?

Business people are faced with big decisions on a nearly constant basis. Many successful companies employ a process known as business analytics (BA) to help them with their decisions. If your company use BA, the most important thing to be aware of is that success depends largely on how astute your company is at using BA tools. Here are seven tips on how to make sure BA is working for you.

1. Collaborate to define questions. Before you approach a BA vendor, it’s important to collaborate with all functions within your company to identify questions and issues that are tough to answer. With questions clearly defined, you’ll be better prepared to determine if a vendor can provide solutions that will answer them more efficiently than solutions that are already in place.
2. Start with fresh reports. After implementation of a BA solution, you should focus on developing new reports that analyze data in a different way when compared with your old reports. Doing so could help you find new ways to secure advantages, competitive and otherwise. A new solution also provides you with the opportunity to audit your data and get rid of junk data that has no viable purpose.
3. Work with BA experts and your vendor. BA is a science; it’s a lot more involved than the traditional method of comparing current results against previous reports. As such, you need the assistance of a BA expert who knows which questions to ask and what to do with the data. If no one on your staff has this expertise, consider hiring a consultant. The vendor you work with might be a good start, as they normally employ BA experts who are there to help.
4. Train your employees. Like any business function that will be used in all departments, it’s important to train your employees on not only how to use the software, but also on the basics behind it. Before any training is done, it’s important that you adapt roles to incorporate the change in process.
5. Don’t give up on Excel. Microsoft Excel and similar spreadsheets are fantastic programs. Chances are high that the majority of your employees are competent users of Excel, which can be an advantage for both the employee and your business. In fact, many BA solutions use (or are based off of) Excel-like spreadsheets, which makes training a lot easier and much less expensive since employees will already be comfortable with the basics.
6. BA should deliver on 2 levels. Business analytics functions on two main levels: summary and drill down. Summary encompasses multiple elements, while drill down allows in-depth exploration of one element. When reports are compiled they should encompass both elements.
7. Don’t let BA do all the thinking. BA is not the be all and end all. It is supposed to help your company with decision making, not make the decisions for you. There may be times when the analytical output just doesn’t match what you think will be best. Some of the most successful business people have relied on instinct even when the available data tells them they are wrong.

BA has become an important part of many businesses. While you can develop your own program in-house, many small to medium businesses just don’t have the capital, expertise or time to do so. We recommend that before you start, you get in touch with a BA expert or consultant and see if they can give you a solution. We can help, so don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and give us a call.

“Is my printer meeting my needs?”

This is a question few, if any, small business owners will ask themselves when thinking about ways to change their company’s infrastructure to meet their needs. While at first glance it may not seem like printers demand much attention, they do make up a significant part of your infrastructure and can go a long way toward making your organization work more efficiently.

When the time does come to consider how your printers can enhance your business, consider Managed Print Services.

Managed Print Services is a service that’s designed to help businesses streamline their printing operations by reducing operating costs and waste, and increasing productivity. It works much the same way as Managed IT Services, in that you have a company work with you to develop a printing solution tailored to meet your needs. This could include consolidating print, scan, copy and fax into one machine, or, upgrading systems to connect to the network to allow for virtual printing.

The benefits of doing this can be far reaching and could include:

• Decreased IT costs. Many office printers and copiers are closed systems that require a qualified technician to fix, or at the very least take up the time of your IT staff. If you have a managed service, maintenance for your machines is usually a part of your service contract, which saves you money in repairs, and your IT staff will be freed up to focus on priority tasks.
• Decreased material costs. Many managed print services use new technology that might mean a larger investment in the short term, but this technology can quickly pay for itself through increased output, decreased material cost and lower maintenance costs.
• Helps the environment. As managed print service companies use current technology, which itself uses less energy, you’ll find electrical bills to be lower. The technology also uses less ink and can reuse paper, thus reducing harmful waste and helping the environment.
• Increased productivity. By making printing systems more efficient, a company will see an increase in physical output, because workers are not constantly waiting for the printer to do its job.

If your company is looking for a new printing solution, you should ask yourself these three questions:

1. Will we see ROI? Many companies will see upwards of a 30% savings in printing costs with an optimized printing solution. It’s important to work with managed printing providers to ensure that you will actually save money with their systems, or at least see a return on your initial investment.
2. Can our technology support growth? Many small businesses are constantly changing and their current solutions may not meet needs in the future. You should analyze your current technology and see if it will be able to support you in the future.
3. How much does printer downtime cost you? If you’re using older technology that’s constantly breaking down, the cost of downtime can be quite high. This is a good indication of the need for managed print services.
4. Do you want to focus on printers? If your business is in need of a printing solution to help operations, and doesn’t focus on printing, or you want to spend less time thinking about printers and more time focusing on tasks, then going with a managed print service is a good choice for you.

If you’re looking to upgrade your printers, or are looking for other ways to make your business more efficient, we’re here to help.

You might expect to be sore after a hard day’s work at a construction site. But office workers who sit in front of a computer all day commonly have “aches and pains” complaints, too. Who would have thought that sitting in a chair can cause debilitating issues that might ultimately mean your employees miss work? To ensure your business is productive and efficient, it is important to take steps to ensure that your employees are healthy.

Here are five tips you can pass on to your employees to help them stay happy and in optimal health.

Walk it off, stretch it out
Many employees will often sit at their desk for hours at a time, only getting up to go for lunch, or for bathroom breaks. It’s a good idea to be getting up out of your desk at least once an hour. Encourage your employees to walk to each others office or desk if they need to chat instead of using instant messaging. Put up posters showing leg, neck, shoulder and back stretches and actively encourage employees to stretch before they start work and at least once an hour.

May as well go for a walk
Another way to get employees more mobile is to make your meetings mobile. If it’s a nice day out, why not walk around the block as a group, or walk to the park and have a brainstorming session. Many employees and businesses use tablets or some form of mobile computing today, so it’s not hard to take the office with you and get work done while you get some fresh air.

H2O
It’s important to stay hydrated, even while in the office. Employees who complain of headaches or being lightheaded and dizzy may actually be dehydrated. It is generally recommended that we should be drinking at least 4 big glasses of water each day. These problems can be easily avoided by providing your employees with easy access to fresh drinking water. Put a water cooler in a central location that all employees can walk to. This serves a dual purpose, as it gets employees away from their desks and allows them to take a break.

Offer healthy snacks
Many employees are working longer hours these days, even compared with just 10 years ago. In some cases this might mean your employees are neglecting their diet. Having a vending machine with salty chips or sweet sodas doesn’t help. Instead, opt to stock low sugar drinks and healthy snacks like fruit. While this may cost more upfront, the long term savings in less sick days will more than pay for the investment.

Change the commute
This can be one of the hardest changes to implement, but has positive benefits. Encourage your employees to ride their bikes or walk to the office, or implement some form of exercise within their commute. Be sure that if you do this, you have facilities where employees can change clothes and even take a shower – necessary if your business is in a warmer climate or weather is prone to change without notice.

Healthy and happy employees will go a long way in ensuring your company is operating at maximum efficiency. Beyond that, you’ll see a decrease in lost time and a potential increase in the overall value of your business.

Choosing what technology to buy for your business can be one of the toughest decisions you make. While it is a necessary investment, constant change and upgrades can make your purchase seem obsolete mere months after you buy.

Further complicating the issue, almost every manufacturer makes models for home use that are marketed right next to business-oriented products. While the consumer products look like they could fit the bill, it’s generally not a good idea for businesses to pursue this option.

Here are five reasons why small businesses owners should consider only technological solutions and products that are specifically designed to meet business needs, not those of the masses.

1. Long-term time and money costs. In general, consumer grade technology is made using cheaper, less durable materials than that of the business equivalent. More often than not, consumer products will break down long before business grade. When they do, you’re stuck paying for the replacement parts or sending the unit in for repair. Also consider the valuable time you will spend dealing with the problem.
2. Greater ability to recover costs. Business technology does cost more, however, it’s made with better materials that increase product life. Beyond that it decreases the need for maintenance, and will make the products more appealing to buyers if you eventually sell them, thus allowing you a higher chance of recovering costs.
3. More features. The problem with technology developed for the consumer market is that it’s often developed with features that will be the most useful to the majority. This could be a problem for companies as you’ll be paying for features you don’t need, while lacking those that you do need. Many business devices can be tailored to meet a business’s specific needs, or offer increased overall functionality.
4. Warranty. The majority of consumer tech has a limited to non-existent warranty. Many laptops have one year limited warranties that, in truth, cover very little. Business hardware can have a standard three year factory warranty which guarantees the device won’t break for three years. Aside from that, many vendors will send someone to repair the device within the next day, if you buy business grade.
5. The best customer support. It’s a high probability that you’ve had a device break and had the wonderful opportunity of dealing with consumer technical service. This is not the case for the majority of business hardware and software developers. Many companies provide 24/7 support and have employees who understand that your technology is essential to operations, and will work to get your system back in action as fast as possible.

While in the short term it may seem like a good idea to buy consumer technology, it’s a solution with long-term drawbacks. If you are looking for new technology but don’t know where to start, we are here to answer your questions.