Here’s an example of one of those cases. More importantly, here’s an example of Metro Carpets turning a stressful, and certainly severe, hardware problem into a manageable hiccup that didn’t affect normal business operations.

First, some background.

Metro Carpets is a floor-covering provider focused in residential building in the greater Nashville area. The company of 35 full-time employees uses 38-40 workstations powered by two servers.

Around 5 p.m. on the Monday before Thanksgiving, Metro Carpet’s Warehouse Manager Bruce Bloomer realized that he couldn’t remote access the server platform. Thinking that the process was hung, he tried to reboot the server. The server hung up, failing to shut down. Bruce called a Concept Technology engineer, who went out to Metro Carpet to help assess the problem. When a hard reboot failed, they knew they had a major problem on their hands. The Concept Technology engineer got on the phone with Dell who hypothesized that the motherboard was bad.

Here’s where the 24-hour service warranty came into play. The Concept Technology engineer started the process to get the necessary parts from Dell, but since it was after hours Metro Carpet’s 24-hour warranty didn’t kick in until Tuesday morning, which meant that it would have been Wednesday morning before the parts would come in.

In this situation, Metro Carpet’s would have limped through Tuesday with no computers. Since the server controls Metro Carpet’s interface with its customers and inventory systems, employees would have had to physically record everything on Tuesday and manually input those notes into the computer system the next day; effectively causing the company to lose a day and a half of productivity. And that doesn’t even factor in upset customers because email communications would have been down, etc.

Instead of the “worst-case” situation described above, the Concept Technology engineer convinced Dell to have Metro Carpet’s service warranty upgraded to a 4-hour warranty. On Tuesday morning, both the Dell and Concept Technology engineers were at Metro Carpet’s office, and the server was up and running by 10 a.m.

Takeaways:

1. If you try enough trouble-shooting, problem-solving avenues, one will eventually pan out. In this instance, it just took persistence on the behalf of the engineer to not settle and allow his client to lose a day and a half of work. Did we mention that it was the engineer’s first week on the job?
2. If it’s available and you can afford it, go with the 4-hour warranty.
3. It’s also an option to build redundant hardware to prevent something like motherboard failure from bringing down a service or application. For example, by using virtualization you can significantly reduce dependency on the uptime of a specific piece of hardware. (Uptime is the amount of time that a server has stayed up and running.) Naturally, virtualization comes at a significant cost, one that usually outweighs the benefit for many small businesses.

Metro Carpets

1525 Elm Hill Pike, Nashville, TN 37210

615.228.6477

metrocarpets.com

1.    You’re Secure, Just Insufficiently

You’ve got encryption, antivirus and antispyware, a firewall and passwords set up, and you feel like your business network is secure. And it might be…on the other hand, it might not. Here’s where your security measures may be falling short.

Antivirus: Just as there’s a difference between consumer and commercial grade computers, there’s a difference between consumer and corporate antivirus. Make sure you’re using business-grade antivirus, which benefits from being installed and updated from a central control center on a company server. This gives you one place to check to see if all antivirus within your network is up date, ran last night, etc.

Your software should also be easy to manage, scalable and offer adequate technical support. Since antivirus subscriptions renew annually, corporate software has the added benefit of renewing all at one time.

Firewall: Your business also needs an intelligent Internet firewall with current licensing from a security vendor like SonicWALL, WatchGuard or Cisco. Too many business owners depend on their router (Linksys, D-Link, NETGEAR, etc.) to secure their network. While your router contains firewall components, it isn’t enough to protect your computers.

Passwords: Password policies are tricky.

They should be stringent enough so passwords can’t be easily guessed or subject to dictionary attacks (an attempt to beat security by simply trying common words, login names or passwords until one works.)

But, they shouldn’t be so overly complicated that your workers create workarounds to remember their passwords (i.e. password on a post-it note), which end up drastically reducing security. A policy that requires a minimum of 12 characters and/or forces users to change their passwords every 30 days is probably too much.

2.    Relying on Backup & Recovery Products

To ensure that your data backup and recovery system is comprehensive you need more than hardware and software products. You need to have policies in place and an ongoing process that implements those policies.

For example, your company needs to regularly verify that backup jobs are reporting successfully; that data backups are recoverable; and that all of the company’s critical information is included in those backups. These reporting tools should be timely, systematic and, whenever possible, automatic.

3.    Not Enforcing Internet Policies

The merits of having or not having a company Internet policy could (and eventually will) fill an entirely different blog post. If you’re interested in an Internet policy, you first need to understand that there are two types your company can employ.

A computer usage policy is a written guide that expresses the types of behaviors you don’t want employees engaging in on company computers (installing software, using the Internet for personal use, etc.) Usage policies underline what’s not allowed, but operate on the honor system, as employees are still able to access these behaviors.

Content filters employ firewalls that actually block undesired computer behavior. For example, you can set up a content filter that blocks Facebook if you don’t want employees using the social media site at work.

If you already have an Internet policy, you need to enforce it, and you need to enforce it at the firewall level. This will stem personnel problems that could arise if employees feel someone is going around policing the office, which can undermine employee trust and satisfaction.

Part Three of this series will cover problems with staffing and decision makers.

View Part One of the series here.

1.) That white, puffy thing

Oh the cloud. It was certainly important to say your piece about the cloud in 2011. Though with stumbling blocks aplenty, cloud technology’s ability to scale and low upfront costs make it an important consideration for any business just starting up. This year will likely bring more talk about, and adoption of, cloud computing.

2.) No games for you

If you’re a gamer, or know a gamer, the spring of 2011 was a dark time when a hack on Sony’s online networks took PlayStation offline for much of late April and early May. The hack, which was linked to the online group Anonymous, was just one of many splashes for Anonymous, who beat up everyone from Facebook to those against Wikileaks.

3.) R.I.P Steve Jobs

No matter what words you used to describe the news of Steve Jobs’ death on October 5, the overwhelming feelings of the people I talked with were of shock and sadness. Jobs’ impact on technology and the lack of his vision heading into 2012 will most certainly change the industry in ways that are near impossible to predict.

4.) Goodbye, Flash

Adobe finally admitting that the company had got it wrong by dropping mobile Flash in November was certainly one of the biggest stories for the development community in 2011. Flash’s lost is HTML5’s gain and the momentum surrounding HTML5 is bound to carry the technology into the upper echelon of 2012.

5.) Tablets, tablets everywhere

In late 2011 the tablet market exploded, and tablet sales are only expected to grow, with a 126% increase to 158 million in 2012. Thirty-five percent of people who have tablets spend two or more hours a day using them, and an additional 30% spend one to two hours a day. The release of the Kindle Fire in late 2011 as a high-quality, low-cost alternative to the iPad 2 was a turning point for the industry, with 2012 (hopefully) promising more low cost options.

6.) Hello, mobile

Take one second to think about this stat: The number of mobile phone subscriptions has reached 5.9 billion…in a world of 7 billion people. It’s crazy to think about how much mobile technology integrated itself into our daily lives last year. On the platform side, 2011 marked the meteoric rise of Android and the equally meteoric fall of RIM. Next year, “R.I.P RIM” will probably be a headline on this list.

7.) Oh yeah, and Congress tried to break the Internet — No big deal…

You’re heard of the two versions of the Internet blacklist bill (Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act) that’s currently working its way through Congress and will allow government-mandated DNS filtering. The bill is bad news for the Internet and could pummel startups in the social and online search space, so we certainly hope it’s defeated in 2012.

Tablet sales are expected to grow 126% in 2012 to 158 million, and Forrester research predicts that tablets will account for 23% of all personal computer sales by 2015.

In the business sector, new data from The NPD Group suggests that 73% of small and mid-sized businesses in the United States plan to purchase tablets in the next 12 months. If you’re part of that nearly three-fourths majority (or even if you’re not) you may be wondering how tablets fit into your business environment.

You have a smartphone, laptop and desktop, so how exactly will a tablet computer make you more productive, and how will the device fill enough of a business need to warrant the price tag, which can be $500 or more?

Tablets are light, compact and have a long battery life. A tablet’s multi-touch interface lends itself to intuitive use, and the device doesn’t get hot after prolonged operation like a laptop will.

In a business setting, tablets lend themselves well to PowerPoint and sales presentations that can be delivered in the field. You can also transfer your news and trade publication subscriptions to your tablet. Since tablets are small and can travel anywhere, they make it easier for you to stay abreast of general and industry news.

Tablets are great for video conferencing, which could be a good option if your office embraces flexible work schedules, or if you work with clients across different time zones, because who really wants to go into the office for a 6:30 a.m. conference call with associates two hours ahead of you? At the very least, using a tablet at work can impress your clients and associates, marking you as an early adapter of technology.

On the “con” side of the tablet equation you have input. Because they lack a keyboard, tablets don’t work great as an input device, so if your work requires a lot of input and/or content creation, a laptop, or preferably a desktop is still going to be your best option.

If you’ve made the decision to go ahead and purchase a tablet computer, you’ve quickly run into the next stumbling block: Which device should you buy? While currently 82% of tablet users own an iPad, this statistic should decrease substantially in 2012 as higher-quality and lower-cost alternatives join the marketplace.

Do your research and compare cost and hardware considerations against your specific business needs before purchasing your new Kindle Fire, Nook, iPad 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab, etc., etc., etc. You may want to check to see if a device is compatible with Microsoft Exchange services right out of the box. A Kindle Fire doesn’t come with this functionality, for example, but a $9.99 application will add that compatibility.

Here are some credible sources of information to get your tablet research started.

CBS News, “Review: Gift guide to e-readers, tablets, $99-$500.” An up-to-date and comprehensive comparison of seven devices.

The Next Web, “Nook Tablet vs. Kindle Fire: does B&N live up to its claims?” A head-to-head comparison of the Nook and Kindle Fire.

A collaborative Google spreadsheet that compares nearly 20 Android tablets from the Reddit website.

This post should provide some insight into the first three types of mistakes that should be avoided (warranties, consumer grade vs. commercial grade and software).

1. Letting Your Manufacturer Warranty Expire

This is one time when you want to pay attention to the fine print of your warranty. Critical hardware like your server needs to be under the manufacturer’s warranty, which is typically three years. You can oftentimes buy a warranty extension, which keeps you covered for five years. You should buy the extension… Why? Let’s use an example to explain.

Two business owners; both have a Dell server; one is under warranty the other isn’t. Today, a part in both servers fails.

A Dell server has dozens and dozens of parts that can fail, not all of which can be purchased locally and some parts are even difficult to purchase online. Business Owner #1 (sans warranty) first has to identify which part is broken (not a trivial task), and then has to find the part (most likely online) while his server remains down for 48-72 hours. Business Owner #2 (with warranty in hand) calls the Dell guy who shows up with a bag of parts in as soon as four hours (because that’s what your warranty stipulates) and has your server up and running the same day.

2. Buying Consumer Grade Computers

There’s a reason why consumer grade computers are cheaper that commercial grade: They’re made with cheaper components.

Consumer grade computers are made with the home end user in mind. Since home users often buy the next generation computer within 2-3 years of original purchase, consumer products are designed to hit a price point, not to run reliably for years.

Manufacturers can also change components within consumer grade equipment, so if you’re setting up workstations in an office, they may appear to be identical, but they actually might not be, which can be problematic in the long run.

While it will cost roughly 25% more to buy commercial grade computers, it’s more than worth the premium.

3. Neglecting Your Software

If you only take one piece of this advice, it should be this: Apply all software updates and security patches as soon as they come out.

We’re all guilty of hitting the “Remind Me Later” button after getting an update reminder. Hit it too many times (or even just once) and your software is vulnerable to attack. Here’s why.

Programmers will often discover a vulnerability within a software program. These programmers will let others know about the vulnerability and the software makers will write a patch to fix it. Simultaneously, hackers are working to take advantage vulnerability and create an exploit. When you don’t apply the security patch provided by the software developer, you’re business is open to a hacker’s attack.

In a separate, but still software related issue, it’s important to migrate your software from one version to the next.

For example, if your business has Microsoft Small Business Server 2008, it’s easy to buy the migration pack and upgrade to Microsoft Small Business Server 2011. It is often vastly more complicated to migrate non-congruent versions, from Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 to Microsoft Small Business Server 2011, for example.

If you want to update from Microsoft Small Business Server 2000 to Microsoft Small Business Server 2011, you basically have to rebuild from scratch because your old 2000 software has been discontinued and is no longer supported. (It also poses a security risk, but we’ll cover that in our next post!)

As a general rule, it’s not desired, but if necessary you can skip one migration. But you can’t skip two.

Part Two of this series will cover security, backup/recovery and Internet policies.

We’ll start with Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association (TECA), a Concept Technology client since 2009.

In 2009 TECA had reached a turning point: The association had outgrown its current IT provider and was considering hiring a full-time internal IT staffer.

TECA’s problems in 2009 stemmed from the fact that they were using the same vendor for their phones and computers. Consolidating services saves money, right? Not unless your vendor is an expert in all the services it provides.

In TECA’s case, the provider was a phone expert, not a computer expert, which became obvious when an assessment of TECA’s equipment turned up hardware that wasn’t working properly. The assessment found problems that were unnoticeable at the time, but could have caused costly repairs and lost time and data in the future.

TECA was also storing company data on local machines, so if an employee lost his individual workstation, unless he’d been backing his work up manually, he’d lose that data and the resulting productivity.

Another indication that TECA had outgrown its current provider’s IT knowledge was the provider’s inability to integrate Mac and Windows computers into a single IT system. TECA works in a mixed Mac/Windows environment; its magazine staff works on Macs while the rest of the staff uses PCs. The provider’s failure to get the Macs and Windows talking to each other inhibited employees from working in both worlds.

The association’s first inclination was to hire someone in-house with a lot of IT expertise, but when TECA didn’t want to add a full-time salary to its budget, they courted outsourcing their IT needs. This proved a perfect courtship.

Instead of getting one dedicated person with one skill set and expertise, TECA got multiple people with multiple skill sets and expertise to solve whatever problem crops up. The association also experienced lower monthly expenses for ongoing support, because things broke less frequently, and Concept Technology’s experienced tech support staff took less engineering time for support.

Takeaways

1. Leave control of your phones with phone people. Leave control of your computers with IT people. If you have bundled services with a provider who isn’t an expert in one facet, consider pealing off that service. Placing services in the most expert hands can save your business money in the long term.
2. Take stock of your options before hiring internally.
3. Consider a third party assessment of your hardware every two to three years. Even if you’re happy with your current IT provider and your hardware is seemingly working perfectly, a third-party assessment can point out potential problems that are heading towards a breakdown. Many business owners shy away from this type of assessment because they generally trust and don’t want to offend their computer guys. That’s great, but consider the following: businesses audit their financials without offending CFOs, shouldn’t they be able to audit their IT hardware as well?

In layman’s terms, cloud computing roughly translates into: Storing data and applications on the Internet. The process is no different than when you got your first Yahoo! Mail account back in 1997.

Then why all the confusion? Because the term “cloud” has multiple meanings depending on who’s talking, the context and scope of the conversation. And recently, there have been a lot of cloud conversations to cut through.

There are three basic ways to talk about cloud services: software-as-a-service (SaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS).

SaaS

SaaS takes your traditional computer applications and hosts them in the cloud.

So Joe Dentist who owns Healthy Teeth Dentistry in Small Town USA can subscribe to a SaaS like Salesforce.com, Google Apps or Office 365, and for a monthly fee he can access his email, calendars, etc. from outside his office. Even his practice management or EHR software can be delivered as a SaaS.

The primary benefits are speed and ease of deployment and reduced implementation costs and internal infrastructure needs.

SaaS was pushed into the limelight when department heads in large organizations realized that they could bypass their own understaffed and underfunded IT departments by using SaaS services to deploy new software. Instead of waiting for their internal IT departments to review, approve and implement the new application, department heads could use a SaaS and have their new software up and running with the swipe of a corporate Amex card.

There are many decisions that go into picking out cloud software. Business owners need to decide whether a vendor is reliable, and if their data is backed-up and restorable. They should also check the vendor’s audited financial statements to ensure that the company is financially viable, because if the vendor goes under, the business owners’ cloud records may go with it.

Picking a SaaS provider can lead a business owner uncomfortably through a one-way door. Once you commit to a provider and its line of business applications, it can be hard to leave unless you preplanned your exit strategy. Cloud software services also can be expensive (running upwards to $100 per user per month).

PaaS

PaaS creates a software development environment and runs it in the cloud. This allows coders to build and host custom Web applications. Google App Engine, Force.com and Windows Azure are some popular PaaS examples.

Platforms in the cloud are incredibly scalable and reliable. PaaS also remove the fixed cost of buying initial hardware and software.

PaaS is still a one-way deal. A developer must be comfortable working within the confines of the provider’s environment, because to leave the confines is to leave the cloud, and then the proverbial bottom falls out.

By allowing developers to collaborate, contribute and expand upon the PaaS environment, open source options like Cloud Foundry can help solve the one-way, falling from the cloud problem.

IaaS

IaaS provides the underlying hardware and OS resources, creating a virtual machine in the cloud. Amazon Web Services is the largest IaaS provider.

The primary benefits of IaaS are the ability to scale, low upfront costs and billing based on usage rather than a monthly rate. If you run StartUp.com, IaaS allows you to access the same resources that large, established companies have without owning and maintaining hardware and a datacenter.

IaaS is appropriate for services like public websites and Web apps, whose users exist across the Internet. IaaS is also useful for internal services and apps when a company has a geographically diverse workforce and doesn’t want to manage a large internal datacenter.

Over the last few years, several IaaS service providers have sprung up looking to sell to small businesses. These providers offer to virtualize and host small businesses’ servers and workstations in the cloud.

The problem with this approach is that usually the businesses’ employees are located in one office, and don’t have a datacenter that they are trying to get out of managing. They only have a server closet that’s easy to maintain. In these instances, IaaS doesn’t really solve problems; rather it creates a bunch of new ones.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would allow government-mandated DNS filtering, which basically means you won’t be able to access a site through a search engine or by using the domain name; rather you’ll have to go through the site’s IP address.

A site may be targeted for DNS filtering if its accused of hosting copyrighted content, or even linking to copyrighted material. Private companies could sue websites that they feel are in violation of their copyrights, in an attempt to bar users from visiting these sites.

This would arguably put all social media and user-generated content sites in jeopardy of suit. Affecting big names like Tumblr and YouTube, but more importantly, it could pummel new Internet startups in the social and online search space. The threat of litigation alone could shut down Internet startups and small businesses that are trying to innovate, which would transform the Internet from a free, open space to a regulated and censored medium.

Passing SOPA would damage legitimate online startups, while pushing illegal sites further underground and offshore. Furthermore, the United States already has online infringement laws that work pretty well. SOPA employs the same tactics that counties like China and Iran use to censor the Internet. Do we really want to have these countries as models?

It’s scary to think that the future of the Internet lies not with these startups and businesses, but with members of Congress, some of whom don’t really understand what the Internet is and how it works. (Internet tubes, anyone?)

If you want to learn more about this bill, and I hope you do, check out the link below to view a great video that explains the Protect IP Act (the Senate version of SOPA) in detail.

Protect IP Act Breaks the Internet

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