However, among today’s threatening risks, data theft has got to be one the most destructive as it presents potentially irreparable damage to your company. The probability of it taking place escalates further when employees are operating within a mobile office or the confidential information needs to be taken to an off-site location.

We’ve all heard of horror stories of laptop thievery even in heavily secured locations like airports, hotel rooms, boardrooms, and, interestingly enough, even within the office premises. Compact storage devices like external hard disks and USB thumb drives are even easier to lose track of. These can lead to the exposure of proprietary data that can heavily affect both IT companies’ competitive edge and overall reputation.

The First Line of Encrypted Defense

And so security is beefed up even further with the office IT support team defining security policies by encryption. For these, Microsoft came up with its own secure encryption system for entire disk volumes called BitLocker Drive Encryption, geared expressly for the Ultimate and Enterprise Editions of Windows Vista.

Now with Windows 7, the encryption specifications are further expanded into BitLocker To Go to include removable storage devices as well. It mans the security layers of your external storage, providing a Fort Knox of encryption to protect your files. The contents of your portable storage can only be accessed using a password and without it, the entire storage device is deemed utterly worthless.

Naturally, you or anyone from your IT support arm can define the password and the recovery policies. You can also choose to have the drive automatically unlocked when plugged into specific computers. BitLocker also includes the BitLocker To go Reader utility on the your encrypted drive which automatically launches when you hook it up to a USB port on a machine running Vista or Windows XP.

Creating a Security-Aware Workplace

When you have already set up BitLocker To Go on your external storage devices, it’s important that you create and maintain a security-aware workplace.

Theft of a physical drive is merely one way data can be stolen. There are keyloggers that track password and figure keypresses and data mining Trojans Horses that can pass on from one unsecure drive to a laptop to network server. And, to top it off, these can spread undetected. It’s highly recommended that businesses, especially IT companies dealing with sensitive client data, enforce the strict use of protected drives.

Encrypt Before You Distribute

Most companies nowadays issue USB thumb drives or external hard disks for use among its employees, and it’s best to have them run through BitLocker To Go first before handing them to their intended users. Similarly, previously distributed drives should also get the Microsoft encryption treatment, and the importance of using only these drives for work, should be stressed.

For drives that already contain files: what you can do is create a backup on a PC for all its contents and while you run it through BitLocker, have your natively installed antivirus software suite take a gander at the files before you drag them back to the drive. This way, you can be sure both are clean and security is invigorated for re-use.

Possibilities of social engineering and hardware pilfering in any type of environment should never be underestimated with or even without chances of unscrupulous business competitors. So it’s always best to protect you and your data from these potential risks.

Contact All Covered at 866-466-1133 or point your Web browser to www.allcovered.com to get in touch with our experts to know more about how you can keep your sensitive data secure and for all your other IT consulting needs.

Disasters in the data center or in the physical server room are not unheard of, turning the IT support leg of any company into tireless workhorses which could have been prevented had there been proper data security policies or sturdy data backup and recovery solutions in place. And this is where IT consultants and their expertise are pulling in the muscle, by leveraging on data disaster plans that will definitely secure the continuous flow of productivity in the office.

As the risks grow exponentially, developing a remote offsite data backup plan has become crucial and a necessary investment. It will prevent downtimes, the loss of vital data and revenues and, eventually, potential damage to the overall business.

Assessing Your Needs

When creating a data disaster prevention plan, there are several factors the IT support department should consider and most of them depend on your business’ needs and overall data infrastructure. These include your nature of business and the risks and potential benefits you will have to face once a backup solution is in place, among others.

There are some companies that only use small-scale backup solutions like the use of external hard disk drives on USB hookups or maybe even decent PC-based backup applications and server storage; and these are enough for them. Others, on the other hand, require larger solutions that include third party data software suites and even remote data data center mirroring. Service oriented companies and businesses dealing with eCommerce fall bluntly in this category.

Remote Backups

Investing in data backup solutions are one of the best contingency plans your business can get on board with. In the data center, the word “redundancy” is one word that often gets bounced around and it should be part of your data disaster plan’s prevention checklists.

This means that while your gigabytes (or most likely, terabytes) of data are stored and backed up locally, it’s important to have another copy mirrored remotely on a data center on a different location. This is one backup solution many large entities, especially IT companies and Web services, are utilizing to ensure their data’s constant availability. You can also use IT outsourcing services for your data to be safely backed up in a disaster-proof data center with an accompanying backup solution that can be accessed locally. This will save you from the potential headache should you encounter some unfortunate data loss later on.

Backup Frequency

An important question to ask when setting up your data disaster plan in place is “how often should I backup?” As a general rule, backups are usually performed during weekends as they usually take up several hours to an afternoon or even an entire day to accomplish depending on the size of your library of data and your network connection’s speed. A day’s worth of backup time would ideally be the extent for IT companies running a 24/7 operation, on the other hand. The succeeding data backups will most probably take far lesser time to complete.

As a side note, while a backup is in the works, many IT service teams take the opportunity to do hardware refreshes and perform routine diagnostics. And it is recommended that you do to make sure there really is no downtime even from the technical aspect.

Data backup and recovery is crucial element in any given business to ensure both the productivity and the security of a company’s data infrastructure. Contact All Covered to learn more about it to help you find the perfect solution for your company. Just call us at 866-446-1133; our IT experts are always at the ready to help you with your IT consulting needs.

To keep up with the exponential ramp-up in hardware and software demands without having to risk reliability, many SMBs are opting to pack up their mission critical processes and head for the cloud.

Since it is Internet-based, cloud computing ensures your data and other resources are easily within reach, even for users operating under a mobile office. And true enough, productivity is indeed flourishing thanks to the bevy of SaaS (Software as a Service) applications and tools readily made available online.

It provides a good amount of application stability, minus the hardware compatibility setbacks, at capacities that rival even those costly native-hosted proprietary software suites. Here are a handful of essential SaaS software packages scalable enough for IT companies to rely on for enhancing productivity on the cloud.

Google Docs

Word Processing

Google Docs is Google’s suite of word processing suite that leverages on online collaboration. With it, you can create, share and allow multiple users to work concurrently on a document, spreadsheet or presentation. You’re also provided with a free gigabyte of online storage for all your files. It’s free and pretty intuitive, as its interface is similar to word processing software like the ones from Microsoft Office or OpenOffice.org. So if you’re used to these applications, there won’t be much of a learning curve to be able to navigate through its features.

Despite being a cloud computing app, you can still work on your documents offline and then save your crafted documents when you get internet connection. This is obviously one of its best features as it will let you continue your work even if you have an intermittent Internet connection or when you’re on-the-go. In addition, it also is compatible with most word processing file formats. As such, you can upload, convert and edit existing documents on it, or you can import your Google Docs-crafted works into your PC.

DropBox

Cloud Storage

Offering cloud storage and file synchronization, Dropbox offers three cost-effective options for storage capacity, starting with the free 2 GB Basic package and moving up to the 50 GB Pro 50 for $9.99 a month and the $19.99 per month 100 GB Pro 100 subscription. With its accompanying native app, you can also seamlessly synchronize the files in your computer whether you’re running a Windows, Mac or Linux operating system. If you synchronize a previously synced folder, Dropbox will back up the previous version, which can help a lot when organizing your sub-folders later on.

Once on the cloud, you can access your synced folder on a Web interface for easy file management. On it, you can share specific files or entire sub-folders anywhere online by simply copying their designated URL. You can also share files to other Dropbox members and indicate if you’d like to give them editing privileges like enabling collaborative work within your IT consulting team, for example. Also, if you’re dubious about your files’ security, Dropbox slathers a thick AES-256 layer of encryption to make sure only you or the people you’ve invited have access to them.

GoToMeeting

Telepresence

Virtualization and cloud computing company Citrix Systems developed GoToMeeting as a highly scalable tool that offers a comparatively cheap alternative to today’s expensive industry-standard telepresence equipment. All you need is to install its desktop application, a PC and a pair of headphones with a microphone hookup, and you’re good to go; your invited attendees don’t even need to have the software installed.

GoToMeeting offers far more features than your average VOiP and phone conferencing service. When initiating a virtual meeting or a webinar, the software can create and send out e-mail invitations to your attendees with a link and a Meeting ID to join through. You can opt for your entire gathering to be recorded into a video which includes audio from each attendee and the screens you shared — the generated footage can also be imported into your computer for documentation purposes or for further editing with any video editor. Like most services online, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial and then move on to its paid service at $49 a month (or $468 a year) with a maximum of 15 attendees. While it does sound pricey at the onset, SMBs will find GoToMeeting’s real value with its aforementioned capabilities and more on as many meetings as they want for as long as want.

These highly scalable cloud computing solutions can definitely kick your business’ productivity up a notch with a stable connection to the Web and a huge thrust on online real-time collaboration. There are many other SaaS options clogging the tubes nowadays, and they range from small but useful applications all the way to the expansive and large-scale employable ones. The only thing IT companies need to do now is determine their needs versus their infrastructure limitations, and assess their capabilities. Our IT experts at All Covered are always here to help, so call us at 866-466-1133.

Its streamlined features, expansive connectivity options and relatively cheap price points are indeed compelling qualities why it’s become a weapon of choice for end-users from both the consumer and the business markets. In the small and medium-sized business segment, these factors can prove beneficial as IT companies are seeing the values of a mobile office as a definite game-changer.

As a result, we’re seeing a slow netbook penetration into the business segment, especially with the recent economic downturn forcing many IT companies to start pinching their pennies without risking productivity.

But is the netbook indeed ready for SMB primetime?

While most companies across different industries have easily implemented netbook use among its employees, it’s best to first assess if it will even be a logically sound computing platform for your business. After all, we have to understand that technology is not a one-size-fits-all solution; there will always be varying preferences and restrictions that’ll determine if it’s a viable route to take on.

Generally, netbooks are intended for content consumption rather than creation and so they carry the bare minimum of capacities in their components. Normal specs include a mere gigabyte of RAM, relatively slower processor speeds and smaller screen sizes with decent enough resolutions and oftentimes accompanied by entry-level graphics cards.

As limited as they are, you can still run various applications like word processors and a handful of non-resource hogging business software packages among many others. This makes it perfect for bookkeepers and sales people who deal with spreadsheets and simple financial applications, and for the IT support personnel running basic diagnostics.

While its small frame offers portability and storage advantages, it may do so at the expense of ergonomics. For one, the keyboard and the touchpad (along with its accompanying mouse keys) have been reduced to fit the smaller palm rest. Another important thing this highlights is the smaller screen real estate, which naturally comes with a potential decrease in onscreen multitasking. Sure, you can just as easily buy full-sized external input devices and a secondary display panel (also, throw in an external optical drive because that is usually missing) but it may not sit well with your purchasing department as it can be seen as unnecessary additional purchases.

On the other hand, road warriors will find a reliable companion in the netbook with its lightweight, compact form factor that offers smart mobility technology without disrupting productivity even when on-the-go. Its support for most connectivity options, matched by the growing ubiquity of wireless connections from network providers, boosts this flexibility even further.

To complement these, you can leverage a wealth of Software as a Service providers, as well as other cloud computing services and tools readily available. Ranging from simple word processing and storage to online collaboration and other functionalities, both paid and free, these services make sure both the communication with the headquarters and the flow of mission critical processes remain unbridled without taking a single byte out of your hard drive.

While it won’t be your heavy-duty workhorse for system-intensive tasks, netbooks bring a lot of benefits to the table, and will most likely be crucial tools to supplementing a full-featured work laptop or desktop PC. Though these should help you start determining if netbook adoption is right for your company, there are many other technical aspects specific to your set IT infrastructure that you need to take a look at. Contact our IT experts at All Covered to find out how you can address these issues, and how you can optimize netbooks for your company.

If you own a small or medium-sized business and are looking for IT products and services you’ve probably encountered the decision of hiring an outside agency to handle your IT needs or have contemplated facing the tasks of handling the IT yourself. But in either case, the realization and importance of IT in helping address small businesses challenges has been proven.

But how do you find the best IT companies’ to fit with your particular needs?

We are now living in an intensely technology-laden world. We are actually saturated with not just a few, but literally thousands of IT companies all over the world. There are just so many out there and all of them seem to claim that they are the best.

This is why you need to make a few business assessments before you engage any IT firm. Here are some guidelines to help you choose the best IT Companies for your needs:

1. Make an IT item checklist. Write down the most important and specific IT products/services that your company needs. This will serve as a template for your requirements, and will guide IT service providers as to what exactly needs to be addressed when they finally send you their proposal.
2. Check if the company can meet your specific requirements. Before you can get into the details of their product or service quality, you have to determine if they have the capacity to address your minimum requirements. Make sure the company you are looking into fits the right criteria in which your needs are in, if you’re looking for IT software solutions don’t ask a firm who specializes in hardware manufacturing.
3. Experience matters. Ask the IT companies about their experience in their fields. Find out how many organizations they’ve worked with and how long they’ve been in business. Inquire about their IT solutions team and what work it has done, especially for companies that are similar to yours.
4. IT support and training. Ask about how much IT support you will receive. Will your staff get training? Check if it will be hands-on training, especially if there will be a total systems change. Will they have consultants to monitor what changes should be made to fit your needs? If your business plan includes an expansion plan in the next 2 to 5 years, then you need this level of IT support.
5. Help Desk. Excellent IT management should also have a good help desk in place that can readily assist you if you run into any problems. The best IT support system should also be able to ensure that you don’t have to worry about service downtimes. Time is gold in any business and any downtime in your IT system could affect your entire operation, which is tantamount to business losses. Be very particular about their promised response time and make sure that you have something agreed upon for response time issues in your contract for service downtimes.
6. Price. Once all the details are accounted for, mind the price. Every small business takes price into consideration. However, this should not be the only criterion for choosing an IT company. Remember to compare companies and get multiple quotes. For a company that fits better with your company’s budget, needs, and processes, try looking for the personalized service that smaller IT companies can easily provide.

Looking for an IT company? Turn to All Covered.com, the leading provider of computer network services and technology solutions for small to medium-sized businesses. Call us at 866-446-1133.

It’s a given: all things that matter are usually the ones that costs a lot most of the time. Companies that pride themselves to be frontrunners in their own fields of expertise are usually the first to say that they invest a lot in technology to propel their businesses to accelerated growth and expansion. In hindsight, these same companies are aware that at any point of their business’s existence, downturns could affect their operations and could domino into crucial decision-making of whether to cut or not to cut IT costs.

Everyone in the IT industry knows that talk of cuts on IT expenditures will always resurface, especially if the economy is not as robust as we all would prefer. The board of directors and executives of a company are wont to immediately look at the IT costs and drastically cut its budget. IT investment and expenditures are not for the fainthearted. It is substantial enough to warrant a concern from the management. However, management knows that it cannot do away with IT altogether and there just must be some reason to just minimize its impact in downtrodden times.

So, what should be done as a compromise? Increasing IT productivity while maintaining operational efficiency through simple money-saving suggestions:

1. Take stock of what you have. Before you do anything else, it is best to make an inventory of all the things that you already have. Check all applications and make a checklist of the things that you really need and those that may have no value to the company anymore. Learn how to maximize necessary usage. You may already have redundant software that you can eliminate.
2. Use Web-based applications or open source software. Where appropriate, go for the cheaper one and one that is accessible online for free and for everyone. Why pay when you can get it for free or at the least amount possible? Always look for alternative options.
3. Consolidate servers. Look for ways where you can swap smaller servers performing the same task with a larger server. Initially, it may cost you a little more but its long term investment will be worth it.
4. Exchange deals. We are living in a symbiotic world and more often than not, exchange deals really work. Some hardware shops may accept your products and/or services in exchange for discounts, upgrades or lowered or waived service and maintenance fees.
5. Hold off on upgrades. Needless to say, if the current updated version of the software you are using can still do the work, hold off onto buying the latest version in the meantime.
6. Skip the top-of-the-line hardware for now. It may be very important that you get the best quality hardware, but if the second-best can perform just as well for you, why think about paying more?
7. Offer training options for your IT staff. Training seminars and workshops may sound expensive, but you will realize that investing in employee training can drastically improve productivity and efficiency.
8. Outsource selected services. Sometimes, the best way out is really out. Consider outsourcing some of the services that you need. You can save money by not having to deal with extending your staff to meet certain needs.

In the long run, companies cannot do away with IT, and a dramatic cut in its budget will not really cure the problem. There are surefire creative ways of minimizing cost with the least impact, both for the company in general and for the IT department at whose hands the wheels of technology are being churned for the company’s growth. Outsourcing IT services to companies such as All Covered is one path to a better, more economically sound IT that should not be ignored.

Not all IT companies can provide optimum support and services to small to medium business enterprises. SMB’s have different needs compared to their larger counterparts. Because its business operations are usually run by a smaller group of people, resources are often limited and responsibilities are either stretched or juggled.

Many small businesses still believe they do not need to outsource some of their resources. Their biggest worry is usually the cost. Wouldn’t it cost more to hire another company to do something you believe you can handle yourself? There are two fallacies in this mindset: 1) Outsourcing specialized services may actually minimize expenses in the long run, and 2) Some operations, such as IT support, are best handled by certified professionals.

For those running a small to medium business enterprise, here are some factors to consider when looking for an IT service provider:

Initial System Setup

Before you can even start looking up IT companies, you need to do some strategic planning. Create a checklist of your immediate business needs and objectives. List the challenges your business is currently facing and how you would like those challenges to be addressed. The ideal IT service provider should be able to offer an initial system setup tailored to meet your immediate business needs. This may include virtualization and integrated solutions, remote support or more technical services such as cloud computing.

Personalized and Ongoing Support

Once your initial systems are in place, you will need to review what the IT company will do to ensure operations continue to run smoothly as time passes. Considering the fast-paced nature of today’s IT infrastructure, you will need ongoing support to ensure your systems are regularly updated and free from any bugs or glitches. IT companies like All Covered offer 24-hour monitoring services for after hours maintenance that can significantly reduce downtime.

Network Security

Network security is one of the most important factors to consider when looking for an IT service provider, no matter how big the company. Making sure all sensitive information, such as financial reports and customer records are securely preserved and protected is one of the most important tasks your IT support will have to take.

At the same time, your IT solutions provider should also be able to set up a network that makes the sensitive information readily accessible to authorized personnel while remaining off limits to unauthorized members or those outside your business.

Emergency Measures

The best IT companies offer crisis management and immediate disaster recovery planning to ensure the company’s business operations are able to resume quickly in the event of an emergency.

Evaluation Stage

As time passes, your business goals will change. To be able to adapt to these changes, your chosen IT solutions provider should be able to evaluate its current standing with your business and see if anything needs to be changed as well. Your IT needs to always work for you. If it turns out you will need to cut several operations or switch to new ones, your IT manager should be able to advise you on the next steps to take when planning for the long term.

All Covered provides IT solutions and services that are especially geared toward small to medium business enterprises. We provide our clients with round-the-clock, personalized support. Our IT managers are highly trained and qualified. We encourage our clients to work with us to create the best possible IT infrastructure that can meet business needs and objectives. Call us now at 866-446-1133 to learn how we can help you leverage your IT to work seamlessly with your business operations.

There are so many to choose from on the Internet today, and whether your website is for personal or professional use, there are a few key things you need to take into account before you pick a host. If the site is going to be utilized for as a small or medium-sized business or is this for a larger business where you may need exchange server hosting for multiple lines of communications with customers and employees.

Web hosting companies are companies that offer leg room on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as offering Internet connectivity, normally in a data center. As an alternative of providing access to the Internet,  Web hosts provide server storage space for websites online. Each website online is hosted on a server at a data facility. It is far too expensive for people to have and keep their own server, so the best thing to do is to lease space on a server that is efficiently maintained by a different company. These are the businesses known and recognized as Web hosting providers.

There are many things to consider when choosing a provider, and here are some tips to help you decide on which web hosting company to use:

• Come to a decision as to what is essential to you and what you can carry out. This implies you have to make up your mind about how much you’re willing to spend for a professional service. A lot of these companies will let you pay on a monthly basis. Usually, the primary apprehension is the money. Review your needs and your budget, and discern if you can afford to pay for a plan yearly or if you could do with monthly payment plans.
• Address other issues after you’ve made a decision on the financial part. There are several things you should consider such as:

1. Do you want a domain name? If this is a professional business enterprise, don’t you want your business website URL to end in .com, .net or .org? Some hosting sites will include domain names as part of their packages.
2. Email accounts
3. Storage and transfer storage
4. Process features such as paying by credit cards
5. An auto-responder for email communication
6. A simple format to construct your site with
7. 24/7 support, and the capability to chat with a service tech

• Create a list of the things you absolutely need. Most companies can now customize their services according to your needs, so investigate and evaluate your list. After creating a list of your needs, create a list of potential hosting providers. Record the names of the ones you’re interested in, and compose remarks on each of these sites, what they propose and their prices. Don’t just settle on the first site that fits your search criteria. Keep reading through different sites until you can honestly select the one you think would best fit your needs.
• Match up to your new lists of potential host sites. With a list in hand it may be effortless to make your mind up. If you continue having trouble deciding, go to a testimonial page and see if you can actually get in touch with some of those clients. Email and inquire how much they really like the sites they have.
• Choosing a good website hosting company can take a lot of work, but once you’ve done your homework and picked the right company, you won’t regret it.

For your small or medium-sized business’ IT needs, you can always turn to All Covered.  Contact us at 866-446-1133.

Perspectives have changed. Shrinking IT staffs (and budgets), trying to adapt a do-more-with-less attitude; events like these can make a company realize that it can be extremely difficult to maintain daily business operations. This is why SMBs are now trying to invest in fresh strategic projects that can yield longer-term efficiencies to boost business growth.

For SMBs with more substantial computing needs, such as small firms in law, financial services and other data-heavy sectors that may regularly need significant IT requirements, virtualization may offer some relief and pay off big dividends.

Analysts predict the adoption rate of virtualization among small to medium-sized businesses will double in the next two years, making virtualization technology a mainstream mandate.

What Virtualization Can Do For SMBs

The concept is simple, the benefits great. In a nutshell, virtualization technology simplifies IT. With virtualization, small to medium-sized companies can more effectively utilize the complete capacity of their storage and network computing resources. This enables companies’ to control costs and respond faster.

The management of hardware is completely changed from hardware to that of software in virtualization. So instead of keeping important programs on separate servers in order to isolate them from each other if something troublesome happens, virtualization software allows businesses to run many applications on the same server with a relatively high degree of safety.

In a virtual infrastructure, users are able to see resources as if they were entirely dedicated to them. This also enables administrators to efficiently manage and optimize resources according to the needs of specific applications.

This virtual infrastructure approach to IT management enables the allocation of resources quickly to applications of the highest priority, as well as to the business areas that require them the most.

Virtualization equips SMBs with solutions that allow them to:

• Optimize the use of their existing IT assets and resources cost effectively
• Protect all data, systems and applications that run the business
• Indeed, virtualization is something that should be strongly considered by SMBs. Consider these benefits:
• Cut costs. Through consolidating servers and minimizing hardware spending, virtualization delivers improved utilization of servers, resulting in fewer resources to manage, power, store and buy.
• Greater staff productivity. Virtualization solutions are easy to deploy, use, and manage. They free IT professionals from menial tasks, enabling them to take on more strategic roles in the business.
• Strengthened security. Virtualization security is simply amazing. With an automated patch management of server hosts and virtual machines, plus an integrated firewall that maintains security policies, your business enjoys increased security, not to forget decreased operational costs.
• Improved application quality and deployment. With virtualization, your business can test more applications by optimizing pre-production staging environments. This results in less downtime for all the applications that run and drive your business.
• Improved business continuity. With complete data protection, continuous application availability and automated disaster recovery, application virtualization helps your business by protecting critical data. It will keep your business running well, with zero-downtime hardware maintenance eliminating the need for intensive scheduling.
• Increased business responsiveness. A virtual infrastructure allows your IT professionals to quickly connect and manage resources to meet ever-changing needs, thus your business enjoys improved efficiency, flexibility, and responsiveness. With virtualization, there is faster provisioning of new applications in minutes, (instead of weeks) and accelerated change request response times to just minutes!

Learn more about virtualization today. All Covered can equip your business with virtualization technology and turn it into your most competitive business advantage. For more help with virtualization call us at 866-446-1133.

This has been said many times, but we think it bears repeating: Strategic planning is a major part of any successful business, small or large. That does not mean, however, that a startup company needs complex plans. In fact, as a small business owner, you can actually create a good working draft of your goals, objectives and step by step plans in order to become a solid competitor. With a little advice from some strategic IT planning gurus, you can get your business strategically positioned to compete and get ahead today.

Strategic IT planning 101

What it is

Strategic IT planning involves preparing a business strategy to follow over a defined period. It aims to make the planning process for decision-making and information technology investments quicker, more flexible, and more streamlined. It can either be for a specific part of the business, such as marketing, or for the business as a whole.

Why you need it

Technology advances very rapidly. Thus, knowing and taking advantage of the latest technologies can provide a small business with competitive advantage, better efficiency and lower costs. Since it is important to make the right technology choices, it’s often wiser to get advice from the experts. With the help of experienced IT consultants and a sound strategic IT plan in place, a small business benefits because:

• There is a uniform vision and purpose
• The management of the company becomes easier by having a framework and a clearly defined direction
• The quality of services given to clients and customers can be improved greatly
• Priorities can be clearly set and resources can be matched to opportunities.
• There is improved decision-making as well in different areas, not only in IT

How it differs from business planning

It can be easy to confuse a business plan with strategic planning. Preparing and writing the former happens when one is starting a new business or a product/service line within a business. Business planning is ideal for beginnings, but strategy on the other hand, looks to growth. An IT strategy provides the business with direction as to the best technologies to use, upgrade or consider. Without a strategy, a small business’ chance of achieving its business goals is significantly diminished.

The need for IT experts to assist in strategic planning
As an owner/manager, strategic IT planning should be an integral part of your small business. After all, handling daily computer and network issues is inevitable.

For many companies, large or small, one of harder tasks is sitting down with decision makers and agreeing on IT related priorities. A long-term plan has to be thought out, and steps have to be taken in order to get to the desired business goal. This is where the years of experience of helping clients build strategic IT management plans by IT experts can help.
They can help you see the big picture, taking into consideration your business objectives, your internal workings, your network infrastructure and the competitive landscape you are in.

Have a strategic IT plan in place today. All Covered can help you devise a strategic IT plan for your business and recommend the most appropriate solutions to achieve your business goals. You can also contact us at 866-446-1133.