Project Management

Project management is an integral part of any business that wants to develop rapidly and retain control over costs and resources.

IT development often fails through a lack of protocol applied to IT projects; the big one being the old favourite of communication breakdown!

Project management is often pigeonholed for larger businesses and ignored by the smaller ones for the red tape it causes. Please don't accept this as the case. In many circumstances its more important for the small business as they have limited funds and resources and need their projects to be right first time.

Its good practice to invest some money in project management training preferable under a recognised standard like PRINCE2. Careful where you spend the budget though as there are several companies out there that charge handsomely for this.

I used Vi2dus , a training consultancy based in Camborne. They are an excellent bunch and give great service at a great price.

As far as IT services go Piran Technologies has used Prince2 from its inception as I was an advocate of this from my last company.

If you are buying IT services, its unlikely that your provider would spend the time and money to implement PRINCE2 fully as part of their quality manual but don't be afraid to ask them what methodology they intend to use or how they will control the costs, resources and communication.

This could save you money and will help to ensure the supplier meets your expectations.

Social Networking: A good tool for Business?

There are no shortage of business networking organisations in Cornwall and no doubt they are a good way for start-ups to gain access to their market. Given the onset of social networking sites like facebook and LinkedIn what does the future hold and Could the social network provide a useful business tool?

About two years ago I was asked to sign up to facebook by our Cisco account manager who was labelling it as the next big thing. Unconvinced, I did as I was told. It took about another eight months for the phenomenon to "go big" and about another eight for the users to shake all of those ridiculous applications.

I got to thinking about the application of the network for business. After about a year I have given up! The latest reports show that 80% of people who use facebook at work use it to stay in toush with friends and family rather than business. I'm guessing the other 20% are plugging away for the business hit like me.

Check out http://www.whitepapersource.com/marketing/facebook-for-business/#comment-14222

The upshot of facebook in my opinion is it depends totally on what you are selling. targeted marketing for B2C businesses works incredibly well!

For those of us in the B2b sector maybe LinkedIn is the answer?

Watch this space for updates...

Cisco Blog...

For a complimentary blog site, have a look at...

http://cisco-southwest.blogspot.com/

A bit more technical that this site but a good insite into the functionality of Cisco.

Microsoft Small Business Server

For many small businesses in Cornwall implementing a new or replacement Microsoft Small Business Server can be a project that needs careful consideration to prevent business disruption.

Below are five simple rules you can follow to help minimise this risk and ensure you get the desired results from your investment;

1. Choose a company with a good record of partnerships.
   
   There are a number of partners with Microsoft accreditation. Check they have the small business specialism in addition to their main partnership.
   
   
2. Check their track record.
   
   Ask the company how many installations they have performed and ask for some reference sites. Any provider worth their salt will arrange for you to speak or visit their existing customers.
   
   
3. Check Qualifications.
   
   You wouldn't expect dental surgery from someone that's not a dentist! Take the same advice with your Microsoft Small Business Server. Ask the providers about their engineers and the qualifications they have. This is important for the installation and after sales support.
   
   
4. Beware the one man band!
   
   By far the most common complaint we hear is "I can't get hold of them" in reference to customers that use a one or two man band. To get the most from your system you need to have good reliable IT support. Ask your provider about service level agreements and how they are monitored.
   
   
5. Ask for an audit
   
   If you already have a system or some level of computing ask the provider to perform an audit for you. This will give you some idea of their ability to perform and it will give you a baseline to measure any improvements the server installation might bring.

Sponsored by: http://www.pirantech.co.uk/

Small Business Computer Systems

I have started this blog site to help deliver advice to small businesses in Devon and Cornwall on IT support and computer services for small businesses.

I am the co-owner of a successful computer support company that specialises in small and medium sized businesses and I am constantly giving advice on systems of best practice for small business computer systems.

The purpose of this site is to help deliver procedures and advice to help IT managers, Financial controllers and managing directors choose the right systems for their business regardless of the supplier they ultimately choose.

I believe its in the interests of the local Cornish economy that our business community gets the right advice and guidance to build a sound foundation for development.