What would loss of your Business data cost you?
Dont let a simple hard disc failure ruin your business!

"Statistics show that most small and medium-sized companies
that remain closed for more than five days after a disaster will
face an uphill battle to stay afloat. One source indicates that
over 70% of companies that suffer a major information technology
interruption are out of business within one year."
(source globalcontinuity.com)

Natdata Ltd - Online backup

The key to successful IT in business is the right approach. The first step is to take a look at the real needs of the business. In particular the aims of the business, its likely growth rate and its long term plan.

The wrong approach is to start with a pre-conceived idea of the solution. In my experience this always results in the business spending more on IT than is strictly necessary and in most cases this loss is never recovered or is recovered too late.

As an example many businesses are now utilising what appears to be a bargain product from Microsoft called "Small Business Server 2003". The majority of these businesses end up paying for this through large consultancy fees to get the system running properly. Put simply, its over complex for many small businesses.(We think they really should have called it medium sized business server!) Often small business can run what they need on the much less expensive and considerably less complex Windows XP Professional, both as a server and for client workstations. Also all small businesses should consider using Linux for server operating systems, its stable, robust and whats more the actual software is licence free! Linux makes an excellent low cost desktop or laptop operating system too!

When you engage a consultant to help with your IT needs ask yourself if they are really trying to solve your problems at lowest cost whilst still meeting the objectives for business growth and other plans or are they simply trying to talk you up to a more expensive solution.

Shop around, ask more than one company to quote you and make proposals. Don't necessarily go for the cheapest but certainly ask yourself if the dearest aren't simply relying on your lack of specialism in the area. However its worth noting that a good consultancy really can save you money both in the short and longer term.

Above all do what you can to check that the people behind the company really are IT professionals, look for certifications and qualification like being a Member or Fellow of the British Computer Society, being a Charted IT Practitioner or maybe even certified by the major software vendors (MSCE for example). Be careful though, a company that has effectively tied itself to a major vendor will only offer you a single solution and may not be able to tailor a solution in quite the same way.

If you are just setting up a small or home office, please see my web page specifically devoted to the IT aspects of doing so.