|
|
|
7 Barebones Computer Buying Tips
Getting a new computer should be a cool thing, especially a
cheap computer. After all that time struggling with you old
machine, probably fighting with it to get the latest software to
run, your new computer should be a ray of light for...
How A Security Specialist Fell Victim To Attack
You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as long as the bylines are included. Original URL (The Web version of the article) ------------ How A Security Specialist Fell Victim To Attack Title ----- How A Security Specialist...
How to start a tech support business
Starting a computer support business is something that with some experience and training almost anyone can do. As a person owning an independent computer support business as well as a website to help others that support home users I thought it would...
Small Wonders: Single Board Computers
What are Single Board Computers
When most people think of computers, the image of a PC or laptop
comes to mind. Some may even recall the football field size
computers of the 1960's and 70's before the emergence of the PC.
Very few people...
System Restore: The Big Undo
---------------------------------------------------------- Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Virtual IT Anyone?
Running a business requires top-flight skills in many areas. The problem for a small business is that there are less people to share knowledge. In fact, people may mean "you"! Not everyone can be an expert in everything.
In a large business you can afford to hire individuals to specialize, a smaller business cannot. What do you do when you need to be everything from the graphic artist to the network administrator to the janitor?
For starters, you need to identify the activities that only you can do. Then get help for the ones you can delegate. And delegate them!
Unless you run an IT company, your computer support is one area you can delegate.
Say you spend four hours per week working on or fixing computer problems. Over the course of a year, that is more than 200 hours! Problems like printer issues, virus cleaning, spyware removal, email issues, training your new employee on your software and a whole host of other annoyances.
How much time is lost when spyware makes your computer take five minutes to open a program that should take less than one?
Computers can greatly enhance the productivity of your business; however, they can cause a loss of productivity when not properly maintained.
While the 200 hours can be a huge investment in your time, it is only a fraction of the time worked by one fulltime IT support person. In fact, you would be paying a fulltime support person for approximately 1880 hours per year for doing virtually nothing. At $20.00 per hour, that is well over $37000.00. With all the associated employment costs, it could be over $50000.00 per year!
Here is where a Virtual IT Support Agreement can save you time and money, and increase your productivity. What is virtual IT?
Virtual IT is where you contract with a third party to provide just the services you really need. Why pay $37000.00 when you could pay $4000.00 instead?
A sample contact could offer services like this:
•Service Level Agreement
Four hour response time
Eight hour response time
Twelve hour response time
•On-site desktop support
•Help Desk services
•Project management
•Computer Training
•Network security
Service Level Agreement
A service level agreement is a contractual response time. For example, a four-hour response time would mean that a technician would be onsite within four hours of you initiating a call for assistance.
On-site Desktop Support
Here the technician actually goes out to your place of business and performs his duties.
Help Desk Services
Not every call requires a technician to go out to the customer's
location. Often the issue can be resolved over the phone. This allows your employees to get back to work faster and saves you money. Typically, phone support costs less than on-site support.
For example, a typical desktop support call in a large corporate environment could cost about $150.00 per incident. While a call to the same corporation's help desk might only cost $50.00 per incident. That is 300% less!
Project Management
While the services of a project manager are required infrequently, they can quickly prove their worth. A good project manager will save you time and money. His job is to coordinate and put all the pieces together.
Computer Training
You can have all the latest and greatest computer hardware and software and still not have a very productive staff. In order to get the maximum value of your investment your employees need to know how to use your equipment.
What good is Excel if you do not know how to setup simple formulas? Would you rather your admin person type addresses on 500 letters, for you new marketing campaign, or do a merge and cut the time down to almost nothing?
Simply put, training increases productivity. Increased productivity translates to increased profits!
Network Security
Security is a big issue in today's business environment. Inadequate security can jeopardize your business in several ways:
-Allow intruders to steal customer data
-Allow employees to steal customer information
-Allow intruders to use your computers to commit other crimes
-Cause a loss of productivity
None of this is good for the survival of your business.
Every business owner should take security seriously, even if it is only to reduce potential legal liability.
Small business owners often spend their early years forced to handle every task themselves. They just do not have the money to delegate most of their work. As the business grows, this becomes more and more of a burden. Delegation of activities is a crucial task that some never learn to do.
Pick your experts carefully and it will free up your time so you can grow your business.
About the Author
Rick Parrott, MCP - SA Secure, a San Antonio Texas company specializing in desktop support and help desk services for small to medium businesses. Our goal is to provide an alternative to maintaining an expensive in-house IT staff or relying on many different individual computer repair technicians. We have over a decade of experience in both the Government and Private business sector. Visit our website: http://www.sasecure.net
|
|
|
|
|
| Tom's Hardware |
| : Tom's Hardware Guide is the Internet's premiere resource for hardware news and reviews. |
| www.tomshardware.com |
|
| HardwareCentral - Your source for in-depth computer hardware info. |
| HardwareCentral is the #1 Hardware Information Resource on the 'Net. Featuring over 600 pages of Hardware information, including advice on System ... |
| www.hardwarecentral.com |
|
| Apple - Hardware |
| Find your favorite Mac, iPod and other Apple accessories. |
| www.apple.com |
|
| Ace Hardware |
| Nationwide (United States) hardware and home improvement retailer. Includes products, dealer locator and corporate information. |
| www.acehardware.com |
|
| Computer hardware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The hardware of a computer is infrequently changed, in comparison with software and ... Personal computers, the computer hardware familiar to most people, ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Hardware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Hardware is the general term that is used to describe physical artifacts of a technology. ... In a looser sense, hardware can be major military equipment, ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Open Directory - Computers: Hardware |
| Hardware Central - Computing-centric community providing vital information, support, tools and interaction facilities for power computer users and ... |
| dmoz.org |
|
| Microsoft Hardware – Home Page |
| Learn about Microsoft mice, keyboards, desktop sets, webcams, media center peripherals, gaming products, fingerprint readers and presentation tools. |
| www.microsoft.com |
|
| AnandTech: your source for hardware analysis and news |
| Independent hands-on reviews of computer hardware such as motherboards, graphic cards, and CPUs. |
| www.anandtech.com |
|
| hardware.com - Routers, switches, firewalls, servers, memory ... |
| Supplier of new and refurbished networking hardware and approved and compatible network accessories. Located in the United Kingdom. |
| www.hardware.com |
|
| Slashdot: News for nerds, stuff that matters |
| From the article: "Although the news caused barely a ripple of reaction in the audience of software and hardware engineers, there are industry analysts who ... |
| hardware.slashdot.org |
|
| InformationWeek HardwareTech Center |
| Our hardware coverage ranges from mobile computers and PDAs to servers and supercomputers, and the infrastructure issues enterprises deal with every day. ... |
| www.informationweek.com |
|
| What is hardware? - A Word Definition From the Webopedia Computer ... |
| This page describes the term hardware and lists other pages on the Web where you can find additional information. |
| www.webopedia.com |
|
| Google Directory - Computers > Hardware |
| Hardware Central - http://www.hardwarecentral.com/ Computing-centric community providing vital information, support, tools and interaction facilities for ... |
| www.google.com |
|
| Gifts: Unique Gifts & Gift Ideas at Restoration Hardware |
| At Restoration Hardware, you'll explore an exceptional world of high quality unique gifts. Browse our products to find gift ideas & more at Restoration ... |
| www.restorationhardware.com |
|
| HwB: The Hardware Book |
| HwB provides you with circuits, pinouts, cable/adapter descriptions and other technical information. |
| www.hardwarebook.net |
|
| Reg Hardware: Product News and Gadget Reviews from The Register |
| More Gadgets Stuff. 5th December 2006 12:09 GMT. Author: Reg Hardware ... 27th November 2006 15:31 GMT. Author: The Hardware Widow ... |
| www.reghardware.co.uk |
|
| red hat hardware compatibility lists |
| hardware.redhat.com/ - Similar pages |
|
|
| TrueValue.com |
| Here's our tip to hang strands of lights with ease. Jeanenne & Jim Tucker Plantation True Value Hardware Richmond, TX ... |
| www.truevalue.com |
|
| A complete illustrated Guide to the PC Hardware |
| A complete illustrated Guide to the PC Hardware, Logic and Architecture. 500 easy-read articles about the modern PC. Understand the basic architecture of ... |
| www.karbosguide.com |
|
|