Business

Managed IT Services – An Emerging Service as Alternative IT Solutions for the Small Businesses

A Prelude to implement Managed IT Services
Business worldwide is more and more adopting the cutting-edge information technology to carry out smooth and efficient operation. As opposed to the large enterprise, implementing and maintaining a full-fledged IT system in the small businesses pose a serious trouble as both the resources, capital and manpower may be serious constraint. So to maintain the cost-effective but efficient business solution, they delegate their IT requirement to the providers of Managed IT Services.

The small businesses may confront the challenge of limited capital and human resources, and have difficulties in dealing the ever-changing technology. But at the same time these business houses demand for high productivity at limited funds just like any other commercial organization. To make the business efficiently running, they will necessarily be depending on IT solutions.
Adopting and implementing the emerging information technology create a tough challenge for these business houses. In day-to-day operations, they may face several difficulties like virus attack, spam, security threat, network connection issues, email accessing, malfunctioning of server and other computers etc. Sorting out these issues itself takes enough time to interrupt the daily operations. Besides, to eliminate these technical errors the organizations need to depend on the professionals with the specific skill sets and expertise. The small organizations may not have the full strength of the required in-house experts. So the whole process of rectifying the system errors takes a huge amount of time which in turn significantly affects the business operation in optimal way. Since the business flow is disrupted, it definitely has an adverse effect on the revenue.

The small businesses get badly affected by the IT disruption as they tend to concentrate on technical issues rather than focusing on business growth issues. As the promising companies, may be small organizations, completely depend on IT solutions, it is crucial to search for some well-managed, cost effective ways to implement them. But in the most cases, it is not feasible to deploy and maintain a full-blown IT infrastructure as it may not fit the company budget. Thus to solve the IT related issues, and to concentrate more on generating business revenues, the best viable solution the small businesses have, is to hire the providers of IT services. The service providers offer the entire support system of information technology, managing which may cause a serious mayhem for the small business houses. This rapidly-growing service is called Managed IT Services which can put the technical issues in order for the small businesses.

Managed IT Services – What is all about MIS?
Managed IT Services, as it is obvious from the term, are the services provided by some IT solution firms or the telecom companies to the organizations, mostly small in size, who are willing to outsource their IT issues to be managed in an organized way. Managed service providers or MSPs appoint the professionals with the knowledge and the acumen in the specific domain of IT services. The services offered range from the basic monitoring of daily operations to the comprehensive and complete IT solutions. The service also includes ad hoc solutions as and when they come up. To render the services, they conduct a preliminary survey and analyses on the company’s technical support system.
The service providers offer a wide spectrum of IT solutions including server hosting and administration, application hosting, application & custom software support, network solutions, helpdesk support, security management, project management, data back-up and recovery, Planning & evaluation. The Managed IT Services are provided through a remote networking system making use of internet. On-site support is also rendered as and when the situation demands.
The charges against the service provided are based on per device or monthly fixed fees.

Types of Managed IT Services
Several categories of IT services provided by the MSPs or managed service providers can broadly be divided as below.

• Server and Computer Hosting & Support
• Application & Custom Software Support
• Network Support
• Computer & Network Security
• Data Back-Up & Recovery
• Evaluation & Planning
• Server and Computer Hosting & Support

Among the hardware supports the managed service providers deliver, server hosting and administration is of utmost importance. The providers may do the maintenance job on the client’s own server or they may provide with the server on the client’s requirement. Installation and maintenance are done by the MSPs.

Besides, the service providers also ensure that company’s own computers function properly and are safe against viruses and other spam. Monitoring the machines including the anti-virus protection, and routine maintenance are dedicatedly done by the providers of Managed IT Services. They involve their experts in a variety of trouble-shooting activities and against all odds including motherboard and hard disk crash.

Application & Custom Software Support
The IT service providers help the clients with the standard application software packages if they are not equipped with the relevant one. Instead of buying the whole package, the small business owners may hire the software required for their day-to-day functionalities. The charges made come along with the entire IT services rendered to the organization making it a cost-effective option.
The small business organizations also receive custom-made software solutions as the business may demand. The managed service providers offer them all customized software packages as per their project requirement. The providers pay attention to the solutions best suited for the clients’ business domains.

Network Support
The providers of Managed IT Services offer the small business houses the much-needed network support. As it is done on internet, it’s mostly done from remote locations considerably reducing the downtime. There is no need to be on site. The services are generally rendered for server maintenance, firewall protection and other remote networking issues. The providers delegate the tasks to the networking professionals who can troubleshoot any networking issues at no time.  

Computer & Network Security
The small businesses are prone to hackers, viruses and other spam much more than the large enterprises. The managed service providers have all necessary tools to protect against these viruses and hackers to the clients. So if the small business owners hire the providers for IT services they receive the best protective services against all threats on computers and network.

Data Back-Up & Recovery
Data back-ups are absolutely essential for any business house, especially for the small business owners. In case of any hardware crash or natural calamities, the vital business data are at risk. The managed service providers make sure that the clients’ data are safely stored in a secure, off-site storage on internet. As these data are stored in a remote location and back-ups are done online, in case of any disaster, the most valuable data are safe. So after the disaster gets over, the data can be recovered from the safe storage for re-use.

Evaluation & Planning
The providers of Managed IT Services initially carry out analyses, assessment and evaluation of the existing support system of the hiring company. For small businesses, the planning for any IT support is for the short term conditions as and when they come up. The managed service providers generally do not formulate long term technical solutions as the changes in information technology are short-lived. The providers after assessing and evaluating the entire computer and networking system, offer the small business organizations the best-suited IT solutions which are the most cost-effective and productive too for the existing system.

Advantages of Managed IT Services
When the small business houses hire Managed IT service providers, they actually enjoy a number of benefits over the services rendered by temporary technicians or consultants. In case of any hardware & software system disruptions or technical failures which are beyond the capabilities of in-house staffs, the small organizations will depend on the IT consultant or technicians available in the industry in any particular location. Those professionals come and fix the errors as temporary solutions. As they are not bound by any contract, they don’t hold themselves responsible for the computers and the network system, running efficiently. Their fundamental objective would be making money. More the system failures occur, more they have the chances of fixing up the errors, thus making money. So they will not pay attention to how the system can run efficiently and cost-effectively. They have different purposes all together. System failures help them make more money. Technical efficiency gets the least priority.  
On the contrary, if the small business organizations delegate their IT issues to the managed service providers, they have several advantages.

Less Time & Money
As the providers work on fixed monthly fees, they perform the tasks more professionally and efficiently. The IT service providers can resolve any challenging situation faster as they will incur loss if they perform the task for any technical issues repeatedly. Their primary focus is to keep the whole system running efficiently. As a result, the Managed IT Services become profitable for the small business owners too. The required IT solutions these providers offer to the small organizations are therefore affordable and time-efficient too.
Highly Skilled Professionals
The other important benefit the small businesses receive from the managed service providers is the access to the IT specialists. The providers of IT services deploy a group of skilled and knowledgeable experts for any IT solutions of computer or networking systems. The companies otherwise do not have the access to these highly skilled professionals.

Advanced IT Tools
Accessing a wide range of the most advanced and the latest technological tools is another advantage of hiring the managed service providers, for the small organizations who cannot afford to have them otherwise. These latest IT tools are generally accessed by the large enterprises. So by hiring the providers of Managed IT Services, the small business organizations are actually enjoying the fruits of advanced technology at very low cost.

Advantage of Remote Networking System
As the IT issues are resolved mostly from the remote locations as the whole services are delivered being in a networking system, the IT service providers offer the solution very fast and in the most efficient manner. The entire error-fixing and maintenance are done on internet. Only if the situation demands the service is on site. With less network downtime, the business efficiency and productivity are considerably improved in cases of the small businesses, resulting in relatively higher revenue generation.

Conclusion
Less time and low servicing cost help the owners increase the business efficiency making possible the higher returns on investment. Thus hiring managed service providers for any IT solutions become profitable for the small business owners. Managed IT Services make the whole IT support and solutions simple but efficient.

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Mobility in Small Business – An Absolute criterion to Grow Big

Importance of Mobility in Small Business
Mobility has become an essential part in small business. Being colonized in one place doesn’t help grow the business. Small businesses especially need to be proliferated which ask for the mobility in the workers. Moving out of the primary workplace is necessarily a part of the business growth. It’s not only about the physical mobility, but about staying connected whilst traveling beyond any geographical boundaries. Mobile technology plays the vital role in connecting people moving all around.    
Today, the number of sales persons or representatives keeps on increasing as the small businesses largely depend on mobility of the workers. Research says that in US more than 50 million people are mobile, spending 20% of their working hours outside the primary workplace. But are they just moving around? When people are traveling away from the workplace, they may need some vital information to move ahead or they may miss out a critical decision taken at the head office. However mobile the workers may be, the specific situation makes their move unproductive and wasteful. Here comes the importance of mobile technology that keeps the employees mobile but connected. Unless the employees are connected to the workplaces and with each other, their mobility goes on a waste.
What is mobility and how mobile technology helps stay people connected?
Mobility in today’s business terminology means accessing any information and data whilst traveling away from the workplaces and conducting business by staying connected with the workplaces and with the other fellow employees through some devices, the essential ingredient of mobility solutions. Mobility solutions ensure remote accessing of data stored in the workplace and sending emails. The mobile employees are connected to the company network through the mobile devices like some of the personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones. These devices enable the traveling employees to stay connected and carry on with the businesses anytime, anywhere.

How can the small businesses adopt mobility?
Using mobile technology the small businesses can have an array of mobility solutions among which wireless technology solutions are the most relevant. The employees of the small businesses are connected to the company’s network and with each other through one of these solutions. Today the most widespread wireless technologies which are commonly used are as below.
Wireless Fidelity or Wi-Fi: This is the most widely used wireless technology that ensures connectivity with the network users positioned in different locations and helps the users conduct businesses from anywhere. Usage of laptop, palmtop by the mobile workers is a few instances of Wi-Fi technology which basically follows Wireless Access Protocol or WAP.
Mobile Phone Technology: When the small business employees use mobile phones whilst traveling outside their workplaces they are actually using several mobile phone technologies like GPRS or General Packet Radio Services, EV-DO or Evolution Data Optimized, to stay connected to the company network.    
Bluetooth Technology: Bluetooth is used within a short perimeter generally up to a distance of 10 meters. This wireless technology is used to connect people within an office premise or a limited boundary where several computers, printers, fax machines and other peripherals are connected by a single network.
Therefore to mobilize the small businesses the mobile devices like mobile phones, PDAs, smart phones, Wi-Fi laptops, palmtops etc have to be connected to the company network using one of the technologies mentioned above.

What are the mobile devices that one can use for the small business?
Some of the commonly used mobile devices are as follows:

• Mobile Phones: The employees of small businesses can use their mobile phones to stay connected by sending emails and voicemails in addition to regular calls and SMSs. Only thing they require to do is to use one of the mobile technologies namely GPRS or EV-DO to connect to the company network. Additionally, the mobile phones should have the internet-enabling feature so that the devices can get access to the emails or other messages to serve the business purpose from any locations.
• Laptops /Palmtops: These mobile personal computers are all internet-enabled which can connect to the internet whilst the employees are located elsewhere than their workplaces. The laptops or the palmtops generally use the Wi-Fi technology to connect to the central network of the company. The Wi-Fi enabled devices usually locate the wireless base stations known as ‘hotspots’ which transmit signals to them to connect the laptops with the company network for accessing crucial data, information or emails.
• PDAs or Personal Digital Assistants: The small business workers can connect to each other and to the central computer network of the organization by the mobile devices called PDAs. These devices are internet enabled and use Wi-Fi technology to connect to the network just like laptops or mobile phones. But PDAs are the palm-sized computing devices which have some more advanced computing capabilities than the mobile phones, and may not have the phone facilities. 
• Smartphones: A smartphone is basically the combination of a mobile phone and a PDA. Smartphones have all advanced functionalities like personal computers like internet access, emailing, data transferring, faxing etc, and all state-of-the-art phone facilities. Smartphones have in-built operating systems like RIM Blackberry, Windows Mobile, iPhone etc.
• Pocket PC /Tablet PC: These mobile devices act just like laptops or palmtops and almost have the same features for connecting to the central network.

How does the Mobility affect the Small Business?
By being mobile and having the remote access facilities with the mobile devices, the small businesses can have the competitive edge over the others. The mobility enhances the business capacity effectively by improving the processes of communication, coordination and collaboration. With these mobile solutions, the small businesses can have the following advantages.

• Maximizing Productivity:
  While the mobile employees get connected to the company network through the mobile devices and access the vital data or information, they are actually utilizing their traveling time as effectively as they would have been in their workplaces. So the time spent outside is not wasted. Thus the mobility enhances the productivity of the employees through these mobile devices.
  
  
• Improving Customer Satisfaction:
  Though it’s difficult to attend customers while the workers are out of their workplaces, with the help of mobile computing devices, they can respond to the customers’ query calls and emails instantaneously. By attending urgent calls, they win customers’ confidence, and eventually their goodwill. So, effective mobility can improve employees’ performance in gaining customer satisfaction.
  
  
• Developing Better Communication and Collaboration:
  The small business employees can communicate better with the help of mobile devices whilst they are away from the workplaces. By receiving and sending mails they establish the effective communications with the co-workers as well as the customers which are essential for better coordination and collaboration.
  
  
• Building Flexible work environment:
  Providing the mobile devices to the workers the small business organizations actually create flexible work environment for them. The employees can work from anywhere, anytime if they are connected to the central network of the company.
  
  
• Creating a Paperless Environment:
  When the mobile workers stay connected to the company network, they get access to all resources, the crucial data or information through the mobile devices. So they need not carry the printed materials like files and documents with them. It’s basically a paperless movement. If any printed document is required for the clients, they can always take printouts from the portable printers.  

Trends found in Small Businesses  
A few emerging trends are as below.

• Usage of Mobile Devices: Heavy Usage of Mobile Devices like mobile phones, laptops, smartphones, PDAs shows the recent trend among the small business employees. They carry these devices always with them to stay connected to the company. According to a survey conducted by Nokia, these above-mentioned devices are most popular among US mobile employees.
  
  
• Running Businesses through the Mobile Devices: In the small business functions, the mobile devices are now not only used for phone calls and voice mails, but also used for several business functions. Research shows that more than 80% of the small and medium businesses (SMBs) provide the employees with the mobile devices to check emails. 64% use their mobile devices for remote computing. More than 50 % of SMBs provides their employees with the mobile devices for accessing vital business data and other relevant business applications. So the mobile devices help run the businesses.
  
  
• Advantages of Mobile Technologies: Research has shown that more than 90% of the small business organizations afford more flexible work environment for their employees by providing them with mobile technologies. Mobile technology enables the workers to work from anywhere, be it home, field or any other locations. More than 60% of the small businesses are proven to have enhanced productivity and better access to the crucial business data and information by using mobile technologies, as the key benefit. With the mobile technologies, more than 45% small businesses report improved customer support or responsiveness, and better communications, collaborations and decision making activities as the primary business benefit to the companies.

Conclusion
With increasing usage of the mobile devices to connect to the small business network, business efficiency and productivity have increased considerably. Mobile technologies enable the small businesses workers to effectively communicate with the customers as well as the co-workers and the company itself. Thus the decision making has become easier for the workers even if they are away from their workplaces. The mobility which they gain by staying connected to the central network of the company, gives the competitive advantage in business functions. Mobile solutions using a number of mobile technologies enable and empower the workers to get access to the critical data, applications and company information that results in taking quick decisions for making the business profitable anytime, anywhere. 

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