What is Outsourced Hosting?
When software you need to run for your business is accessed via the internet (or some other connection). The software itself does not reside in the company offices. It resides elsewhere and is hosted on equipment that belongs to someone else. You are just using it - or renting the use of the software - for a fee.
How does it work?
You connect via the internet and log into a secure area that consists of your business systems. For example if you are "Smith Magazines" you would get on your computer, go to the hosting site, such as (fictional: for example only) www . AnyHostingSystem . com/ and login as John.Worker@SmithMagazines (fictional; for example only). At that point all the applications you are renting for your business would be available to you!
No fuss, no muss! You have no software to buy, maintain and upgrade. You have no technical staff to purchase, install and maintain hardware and software. It is affordable, simple and can be accessed from anywhere!
What are the benefits?
No expensive hardware, software, security and other technical issues to manage.
No special staffing, technical skills or space required.
Many more behind the scenes challenges and issues are taken care of by "experts".
You are free to focus on the business, not on the technologies.
Freedom & Flexibility
One very important benefit is the freedom and the flexibility this provides to busy executives and internal staff.
Imagine, you are running your business, Smith Magazines, and need to take a trip out of town (or, maybe go on vacation). You left town and suddenly realized that you had forgotten (or did not have time) to get on the system in the office and "approve" Accounts Payable invoices and authorize checks to be written in tomorrow's check run. When you arrive at your destination, you simply log into the network (from your PC in your room or from the PC's in the hotel's Business Center) and begin approving payments. Simple. Easy. If these were "traditional" applications, you may not be able to do this until you returned to the office.
You know. You've been there!
This provides complete mobility and flexibility....and NO responsibility for how it works, what needs to be fixed or if you can afford IT staffing!!
Let's Throw In Just 1 Technical Term: SaaS
This type of "rented" software is called Software As A Service or SaaS.
It is now becoming more prolific and more mainstream in both large and small companies. But it is the smaller and mid-size companies who will benefit the most since they cannot really afford to hire a team of varying technical skills to manage and maintain systems of this nature!
Think about it!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Helping Businesses Realize Their Potential
This is the mission statement for My CIO Services.
Bad Technology Choices
How many companies have selected systems or launched a website that did not meet basic expectations? The numbers would probably be staggering, particularly for SMB's - Small and Medium Size Businesses!
Why? Well the small or medium size business does not have the staff or budget for "proven" and costly solutions. They are out of necessity then, left with "Joe Anybody" - or Joe's friend - who tells the company they can deliver what is needed and ..... "it only costs $x". Sound familiar?
Whether you paid a lot for "x" or you paid a little, chances are, you're not really happy. Or, you've tried to get what you wanted - more than once - and just gave up!
The REAL Issue
The real issue is: Are these "installed, paid for and working" systems supporting customers and business functions effectively? Are they marketing products and services effectively? Are they acquiring lots of new customers or performing well in Google, Yahoo and other search engines?? Likely not....
Not that My CIO Services can work miracles but .... If you want an honest, direct and fair assessment of what to do, we may have some answers and suggestions for you.
Assumptions: 2009 and Beyond
Your business is not alone. Every business is undergoing tremendous challenges. What we knew as "absolutes" in the past (such as stock markets going UP, home prices going UP and many other examples...) are now all in turmoil, and in fact going in the opposite direction from our past assumptions. What we know for sure is that we cannot rely on past assumptions as we rehone business goals and growth initiatives in 2009.
What is Needed
What is certain is that companies need to wisely select and migrate to more competitive and effective methods to acquire customers and grow their business. This means more efficient and cost-effective systems AND better marketing tools! Perhaps we need to re-think all of our spending in terms of what will produce the best results.
A Word About Websites
In our experience it is essential to get the best website you can afford. The lowest cost website will invariably "cost" more in the long run. Why? Well, unless both your developer AND your graphic designer understand search engine optimization (i.e. getting YOUR website on Page 1 of Google and others), customers will not find your website! Add to that.... a poor customer experience while on the site and confusing or missing functionality and this translates to lost sales, lost opportunity for branding, lost opportunity to attract new customers, lost opportunity to retain existing customers, fewer features and so on.
Over the long term, the website will be replaced over and over again - by "Joe Somebody Else" - until you are sick to death of empty promises and the geek speak. So why not start out with a good technically solid website and then add on features ....er... that perhaps CAN be supported by someone other than the original author (in case he skips town)...and...perhaps even could be supported and maintained by your own staff!?!
Staying Competitive is Costly!
That being said, one of the greatest challenges of small businesses today is to launch competitive offerings, grow and stay competitive in an environment of growing complexity and challenge. This generally requires highly skilled, experienced and costly internal resources who can help develop and launch various initiatives. What company has the resources to hire this kind of talent in finance, technology, operations and marketing? So why not hire temporary help from experienced professionals?
Who Can Help and How?
There are many resources to help the small business. My CIO Services is tuned to - and specializes in - companies with varying histories of disappointment and unrealized - or untapped - potential. We recognize the track record of broken promises, cost over-runs and poor results. It is from this position that My CIO Services provides extensive senior management experience and assistance and will offer it to the small business in small manageable - and cost-effective - increments (via interim assignments or project based engagements).
My CIO Services
My CIO Services is positioned to help small and medium size businesses struggling with systems, websites and operational tasks and costs. It helps organizations identify success strategies and implements appropriate solutions; it helps them to make smarter decisions about what they need to grow their business.
With a staff of experienced entrepreneurs and executives from corporate America, My CIO Services provides depth and expertise in web, ERP, operations, technology, infrastructure and marketing - direct to consumer or B2B. With this experience, we are able to provide small companies with interim services to help them create strategy and implement internal or externally provided solutions.
In And Out
The approach we take is a "quick strike approach" to assist businesess with a number of challenges, including how to build and market websites, how to select appropriate technologies and how to manage internal operations with limited staffing. We get in and out as quickly as possible and help internal staff become self-sufficient on new toolsets.
It is not our motto "to fish" for the client, but rather to "teach them HOW to fish" for themselves. We do not aspire to be long term employees or consultants.
From a posture of a long time positions in technology and senior management, it is our belief that short engagements with a quick strike approach are most appropriate for the small business today. It is also our position that short focused engagements provide a success strategy for small and mid-sized businesses that is both efficient and affordable.
Bad Technology Choices
How many companies have selected systems or launched a website that did not meet basic expectations? The numbers would probably be staggering, particularly for SMB's - Small and Medium Size Businesses!
Why? Well the small or medium size business does not have the staff or budget for "proven" and costly solutions. They are out of necessity then, left with "Joe Anybody" - or Joe's friend - who tells the company they can deliver what is needed and ..... "it only costs $x". Sound familiar?
Whether you paid a lot for "x" or you paid a little, chances are, you're not really happy. Or, you've tried to get what you wanted - more than once - and just gave up!
The REAL Issue
The real issue is: Are these "installed, paid for and working" systems supporting customers and business functions effectively? Are they marketing products and services effectively? Are they acquiring lots of new customers or performing well in Google, Yahoo and other search engines?? Likely not....
Not that My CIO Services can work miracles but .... If you want an honest, direct and fair assessment of what to do, we may have some answers and suggestions for you.
Assumptions: 2009 and Beyond
Your business is not alone. Every business is undergoing tremendous challenges. What we knew as "absolutes" in the past (such as stock markets going UP, home prices going UP and many other examples...) are now all in turmoil, and in fact going in the opposite direction from our past assumptions. What we know for sure is that we cannot rely on past assumptions as we rehone business goals and growth initiatives in 2009.
What is Needed
What is certain is that companies need to wisely select and migrate to more competitive and effective methods to acquire customers and grow their business. This means more efficient and cost-effective systems AND better marketing tools! Perhaps we need to re-think all of our spending in terms of what will produce the best results.
A Word About Websites
In our experience it is essential to get the best website you can afford. The lowest cost website will invariably "cost" more in the long run. Why? Well, unless both your developer AND your graphic designer understand search engine optimization (i.e. getting YOUR website on Page 1 of Google and others), customers will not find your website! Add to that.... a poor customer experience while on the site and confusing or missing functionality and this translates to lost sales, lost opportunity for branding, lost opportunity to attract new customers, lost opportunity to retain existing customers, fewer features and so on.
Over the long term, the website will be replaced over and over again - by "Joe Somebody Else" - until you are sick to death of empty promises and the geek speak. So why not start out with a good technically solid website and then add on features ....er... that perhaps CAN be supported by someone other than the original author (in case he skips town)...and...perhaps even could be supported and maintained by your own staff!?!
Staying Competitive is Costly!
That being said, one of the greatest challenges of small businesses today is to launch competitive offerings, grow and stay competitive in an environment of growing complexity and challenge. This generally requires highly skilled, experienced and costly internal resources who can help develop and launch various initiatives. What company has the resources to hire this kind of talent in finance, technology, operations and marketing? So why not hire temporary help from experienced professionals?
Who Can Help and How?
There are many resources to help the small business. My CIO Services is tuned to - and specializes in - companies with varying histories of disappointment and unrealized - or untapped - potential. We recognize the track record of broken promises, cost over-runs and poor results. It is from this position that My CIO Services provides extensive senior management experience and assistance and will offer it to the small business in small manageable - and cost-effective - increments (via interim assignments or project based engagements).
My CIO Services
My CIO Services is positioned to help small and medium size businesses struggling with systems, websites and operational tasks and costs. It helps organizations identify success strategies and implements appropriate solutions; it helps them to make smarter decisions about what they need to grow their business.
With a staff of experienced entrepreneurs and executives from corporate America, My CIO Services provides depth and expertise in web, ERP, operations, technology, infrastructure and marketing - direct to consumer or B2B. With this experience, we are able to provide small companies with interim services to help them create strategy and implement internal or externally provided solutions.
In And Out
The approach we take is a "quick strike approach" to assist businesess with a number of challenges, including how to build and market websites, how to select appropriate technologies and how to manage internal operations with limited staffing. We get in and out as quickly as possible and help internal staff become self-sufficient on new toolsets.
It is not our motto "to fish" for the client, but rather to "teach them HOW to fish" for themselves. We do not aspire to be long term employees or consultants.
From a posture of a long time positions in technology and senior management, it is our belief that short engagements with a quick strike approach are most appropriate for the small business today. It is also our position that short focused engagements provide a success strategy for small and mid-sized businesses that is both efficient and affordable.
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