Small Business Computer Consulting

If you are a small business owner, chances are you will at some point need a good computer consulting firm.  But how do you choose the right computer consulting firm for the job?

Most small business owners find the process of finding computer consulting professionals challenging.  They may know the questions to ask when hiring internal staff, but they don’t know how to get the right people on payroll to fulfill IT needs.  

A Checklist of Initial Computer Consulting Questions

1.    “Are you a part time or a full-time computer consulting professional?  Do you have a day job, or are you moonlighting?”

2.    “Are you a solo practitioner or a true computer consulting business?  Who are the other people in your firm?  What are their names and specialties and backgrounds?  How long have they been with the company, and will they be involved in my account?”

3.    “What is the size of your typical computer consulting client – number of PCs, employees, annual revenue?”

4.    “With which industries and vertical markets have you been involved?  With which software applications have you worked?”

5.    “Which products, services and platforms are off limits for your company?  Do you have specialty hardware, software or services vendors with which you regularly work?”

Computer Consulting Firm Selection:  The Bottom Line

The above questions can help small business owners better select the computer consulting firm that will work with their business.  Make sure to ask questions that are pointed and specific to get the best idea of the computer consulting firms you interview.

Added By: Joshua Feinberg

Company Nexsan Technologies recently announced a new tool for solution providers and small businesses.  The Assureon appliance delivers a disk-based archiving and compliance solution.  The company will release the tool for solution providers on Monday, February 26 at the Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference in New Orleans.

The Assureon SA is a more compact rendition of Nexsan’s Assureon compliance appliance, released originally in August 2005.  It was updated in May 2006.  Features of both the products for solution providers will help store content files, images, recordings and other object contents.  Those using the device will be able to search documents by date.  The device for solution providers also allows users to search by keywords, location, title, size, author and by other components.

This new device was created to make the technology more accessible to more customers, not just highly sophisticated solution providers.  This product was meant to be a competitor for EMC’s Centera.  It is a more affordable option for solution providers, and Nexsan hopes it will help make storage solutions simple and streamlined.  For more information on the release of the Assureon SA for solution providers, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

In order to separate yourself from the herd as an IT specialist, you need to focus on company branding.  Sell your company name with the spin of its new industry on it.  

You don’t need to blaze into meetings wielding your certifications and logos, because you will be seen as a product.  You should include this as part of your background information and a topic of conversation, but announcing your IT specialist status should not be your first statement.  Market and sell your brand and its unique value to the industry.

IT Specialist:  What Needs are Going Unfulfilled?

If you can find a local niche that is struggling to have its needs fulfilled and take control of it, you can do well as an IT specialist.  Ask around to find out what people in the community need.  

IT Specialist:  How Do You Find Your Industry Spin?

When you are at chamber meetings or other organizational meetings and talking to prospects, ask to see which big problems are not fulfilled.  One day you will find something you never thought of – a problem that you can solve for a lot of people in the area to differentiate yourself as an IT specialist.  

IT Specialist:  You Might Not Agree with Clients on Problems and Vice Versa

You won’t be very successful at selling solutions to problems of which people are unaware.  Prospects need to understand the many components of their business before they can embrace every solution.  You can educate, but you can’t force people to ask you to solve problems they do not understand.

If you are there for half an hour and can’t convince your prospect of the problem you are pushing, there may be someone else that does get it, and you should move on.  

IT Specialist:  What is the Competition?

Study your local competition as an IT specialist, most particularly the top five competitors.  Look at websites and brochures to see what others are doing and if their businesses look similar to yours.  This can give you ideas on how you can set yourself apart from the rest as an IT specialist.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Solution providers using the new version of Windows Vista have reported many incompatibility problems.  Microsoft Vista was launched with its update Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update on January 30th.

Solution providers are concerned about the early compatibility issues and predict more problems in the future.  Many state that the biggest problem with Vista is the lack of drivers for important hardware components and peripherals.

Customers upgrading Vista, according to solution providers are going to have an issue trying to support their current hardware.  Many vendors have not completed Vista drivers, which has made the program difficult to run on many systems.

The following are the 10 greatest problems with Microsoft Vista according to solution providers:

1.    A shortage of available drivers from ISVs that cause application incompatibilities;

2.     A shortage of drivers for current and new peripherals and hardware items;   

3.    Drivers with a lot of bugs;

4.    A new security feature that interrupts service by detecting existing, non-dangerous and often important applications as suspicious;

5.    Virtually no other applications besides Vista and Office 2007 make use of user account control;

6.    A confusing ribbon-like user interface;

7.    Vista automatically makes recommendations to solution providers about which Vista versions are best for the particular PC configuration, which means small businesses may download entirely different versions;

8.    When Vista and Office 2007 run simultaneously, the benefits are unclear, and solution providers and IT staff thus need additional training to fully use the programs;

9.    Deployment isn’t very easy, so solutions have to use Business Desktop Deployment or some other tool;

10.    Most types of hardware don’t run Vista efficiently.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

A major part of being an IT specialist is finding a niche so you can use targeted marketing to find the best prospects.  After all, if you are expanding your business, you don’t want to have to turn away potential clients.  If you are working within a niche as an IT specialist, you will find that IT marketing strategies are not about turning away clients; they are about finding the right number of prospects as targets for your services.  

Once you determine your niche and which clients are your best, you can do a quick search to find out the prospects in your area that are your best targets.  You can contact the specific industry’s trade groups or even talk to a mailing list broker.

Market to a Niche as an IT Specialist

Marketing to a niche is easier as an IT specialist because you know in which trade publications to advertise.  You should avoid generic ads in newspapers, on the radio or in the phone book as an IT specialist and just focus on your established niche.  As a specialist with an expertise, you will be worth a great deal to prospects and your marketing message will ring true.

Don’t Try to Reach Everyone as an IT Specialist

You need to come up with a very targeted message when trying to work within a niche.  Otherwise, you will end up competing based on price rather than the solutions and benefits you offer.  Don’t be a commodity.

Your Name Needs to Be Visible

Think about which newsletters or magazines all the prospects you’re targeting as an IT specialist read and create a very specific ad, write an article or become active an a related organization by speaking at an event.  Make sure you mention that you are an IT specialist that works on solutions for that very industry.   

IT Specialists Are Targeted

There are many ways to find a niche as an IT specialist, but make sure you find one that is enjoyable for you and will give you enough clients to make your business prosper.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg

Before using the Computer Consulting Kit, consultants often report having a difficult time juggling different complicated IT marketing and sales efforts, administrative techniques and the management of complex client needs all at the same time.  The Computer Consulting Kit has helped make the task of starting a computer consulting business and managing on-going, never-ending needs specific to the industry much simpler with useful, clearly laid-out tools and templates that have been proven to work time and time again for professionals at every level of business development.

The Computer Consulting Kit:  Steve Frankland of 2 Clix

Like many other IT specialists, Steve Frankland of 2 Clix in Dublin, Ireland has faced many challenges managing the complexity of his business.  Before he started using the Computer Consulting Kit, he admitted he wasn’t diversifying or specializing as much as he needed to in order to really expand his business and give it a secure future.

“In 2006 I reduced my exposure to big ‘all the eggs in one basket’ clients.  The Computer Consulting Kit is well-featured and addresses most of the issues I constantly encounter.  I stopped trying to sell services to home businesses and concentrated on workplaces where more rewards and profits are being made.

I also addressed the issue of having some very high-income clients that, if they went elsewhere would cause me serious issues.  I relocated the entire business to Dublin, Ireland also to close more business in my particular vertical market (financial services and banking) and used the marketing ideas outlined in the pack … and they work! “

Steve was running out of ideas and decided it was time to seek outside help in order to open up new possibilities and capitalize on the uniqueness of the solutions only he could provide.

“In effect I am a startup in Dublin and without this inspirational Kit I would be struggling for ideas on how to get on.  Last year I was able to make $200,000 in additional revenue by implementing your ideas. Your product is excellent and I have recommended it to many contacts of mine.”

The Bottom Line About the Principles of the Computer Consulting Kit

In order to compete in the IT industry, computer consultants need essential tools that can help with the many elements specific to the industry, including information about IT marketing and sales strategies, time management techniques and ways to get long-term high paying clients that create a long-lasting business.  Consultants looking to join Steve Frankland and others that stand behind the tested and proven principles of the Computer Consulting Kit should visit the attached link for free tips and information about how to get the Computer Consulting Kit for themselves.

Blogged By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Technology assessments are an important part of any computer services business, and consultants are turning to the advice of the Computer Consulting Kit to help them sell, market and complete these assessments.  The Computer Consulting Kit has helped countless professionals in the IT industry improve their marketing and sales techniques, sign more clients onto service agreements and increase revenue.  

Jason Livingston of Nashville, Tennessee and the Computer Consulting Kit

Jason Livingston is the owner of the computer consulting business Technology Services of Nashville.  With the guidance of the Computer Consulting Kit he has managed to find a niche for himself in the construction business and help clients improve their technological capabilities.

He says,

“I assisted a client with remote access to accounting software as my big project last year.  I specialize in construction companies’ IT needs.  Construction companies have lots of remote users, which poses a problem as the need for collaboration grows.

I installed a Terminal Server licensed in Application mode.  After installing the accounting software, I made it available to the users that were remote.  This has helped streamline the client’s accounting process. I used the needs assessment form in the Computer Consulting Kit to identify the business needs pertaining specifically to the accounting process.  This helped me to identify a need that I could solve using TS technology.”

The Bottom Line About the Computer Consulting Kit

The Computer Consulting Kit helps professionals like Jason Livingston in the IT industry create full technological solutions for important clients to improve relationships and grow their businesses.  Join the many other computer consultants that have unlocked the potential of the Computer Consulting Kit and used the many free resources to stay competitive and increase revenue.

Added By:  Computer Consulting Kit

A leader in providing W-Fi-based RFID solutions to VARs, AeroScout, Inc. recently announced the launch of its new AeroScout Partner Program.  This program for VARs would provide them, along with systems integrators and software providers new tools in order to help with the customer demand of AeroScout’s product suite.

AeroScout currently helps over 150 VARs and other professionals offer solutions for healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and many other industries.  Key VARs in the network include Philips Medical Systems and NEC Unified Solutions.

A value added reseller states that there are a great deal of opportunities for VARs that join the AeroScout Partner Program.  As AeroScout partners, VARs can expect an increase in the number of available tools to deal with Wi-Fi and RFID technologies, including new types of tracking and detection systems for businesses.  AeroScout has offices serving VARs in North America, Latin America and EMEA, among other places worldwide.  

AeroScout also stated it has achieved certification of the company- wide internal procedures consistent with the standard ISO 9001:2000.  This means that AeroScout has been recognized for providing business solutions that are efficient and effective.  

A spokesperson for AeroScout states that the RFID and Wi-Fi markets are steadily growing, and VARs need the new partner program to help manage new demands.  The partner program for VARs also includes technical training and sales training seminars for partners throughout the world.  

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101

If your business is in need of computer consulting services, you may not have a clue where to begin when looking for the right computer consulting firm.  These interviewing tools from Computer Consulting 101 can help you find the right person for your company.

Computer Consulting 101:  Prevention

As a small business owner, you need to prevent yourself from hiring computer consulting professionals that will be difficult to work with.  If you discover problems at the beginning of the relationship, you can avoid having an issue later.

Computer Consulting 101:  The First Questions to Ask of Potential Candidates

Hiring a computer consulting firm to work with a small business can present legal issues (consult with your attorney, please!) and all the issues that come with hiring a contractor rather than an employee on the payroll.  Ask the following questions to help you weed out the viable candidates:

1.    Do you want part time or full-time computer consulting?

a.    “Do you have a day job?”

b.    “Are you moonlighting as a computer consultant?”

2.    Do you want a solo practitioner or a true computer consulting business?

a.    “Who are the ‘we’?  Are there other people working at your computer consulting company?”

b.    “Are the other people working at your company employees or contractors?  What are their names, specialties and their backgrounds, and how long have they worked with the computer consulting company?  Will they be working with this particular account?”

3.
    Do you want a small business or large company computer consulting firm?
a.    “What size is your normal consulting client?”

b.    “How many PCs and employees does your typical client have, and what is its annual revenue?”

4.    Do you want a generalist or a specialist computer consulting company?

a.    “What industries or vertical markets do you work with, and what types of software applications are typically your forte?”

b.    “What sorts of products, services and platforms do you not feel comfortable working with, and do you work with any specialty hardware, software or services vendors?”

Computer Consulting 101 Bottom Line Hiring Tips

This first set of tips from Computer Consulting 101 can get you through the first round of hiring a computer consulting firm to help your business.  As you go through the interviewing process, you will find more detailed questions to ask to get the right person to work with your small business.

Added By:  Joshua Feinberg

IT consultants are turning towards the sound business ideas presented by the Computer Consulting Kit in order to learn ways to best build their businesses from the ground, up.  The Computer Consulting Kit offers a series of tested and proven concepts for marketing, sales, service delivery and all other components of an IT consulting business.  Many have used the Computer Consulting Kit to give them simpler ways to organize their time and manage the finer points of their businesses to help them stay competitive and build the best roster of clients and the most high quality business partnerships.

The Computer Consulting Kit:  Using Partnering and Subcontracting

One of the ideas presented by the Computer Consulting Kit is the concept of using partnering and subcontracting to help expand one’s IT consulting business.  As an IT consulting business grows and responsibilities mount, many consultants decide to build partnerships with specialty subcontractors to help complete important projects and deliver the most sophisticated services.  

The Computer Consulting Kit and Haskell Folsom of San Antonio, Texas

Haskell Folsom, a computer consultant based in San Antonio, Texas in the United States has used the ideas in the Computer Consulting Kit to help expand his business, Haztek and build a strong reputation within the small business community.  

As he started to attract clients with more complex issues, he found the need to start to use subcontractors as part of his business plan.  The Computer Consulting Kit showed him how to smoothly transition into this new way of thinking and help his own business and the business of his clients expand.

“This past year we performed a 25-computer, two-server upgrade.  We implemented a mobile sales force with new Dell laptops and trained the users on remote desktop connectivity.  The client was also able to hire and retain a new worker based out of state while she completes her engineering degree. This was a $45,000 project and it is still going on.

I’ve used the subcontracting template offered by Computer Consulting Kit because I found a cable installer to do the expansion work and we have formed a teaming agreement.  I also use the project management template in order to keep the job on track.  I’m currently reviewing all the Computer Consulting Kit material to make sure we are not overlooking valuable opportunities and information.”

The Bottom Line on the Computer Consulting Kit and Subcontracting

The Computer Consulting Kit has provided Haskell Folsom with many resources about subcontracting and partnering that have helped both his business and the business of his important clients.  Haskell continues to use the Computer Consulting Kit as a reference as he encounters new levels in his business to make sure he is not overlooking valuable opportunities and information.  

To get the competitive edge, find free resources and tips and learn more about the Computer Consulting Kit, visit the attached link.

Blogged By:  Joshua Feinberg