Small Business Computer Consulting: Additional Qualifications for the Sweet Spot

by: Joshua Feinberg

To find the ideal clientele for your small business computer consulting, you want to target small businesses by their number of PC's, (10 to 50) as well as their revenue. Generally, companies that have anywhere from 1 million to 10 million in revenue are the sweet spot of small business computer consulting. In this article, you'll learn why you should target this type of business.

{Tip: Of course if you're located in Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, or any of the other more than 21 nations around the globe where our training has been adapted, be sure to convert this to your local currency. (See )}

Beware of the high end of this range

Once small businesses get to the high end of that revenue range, where they start having substantially more than 50 PCs, or substantially more than $10 million in annual sales, often the small business owners lean towards putting a real, salaried IT person on payroll instead of using a small business computer consulting professional. That's when you start running into some tough competition. At this point, your client will add up your services invoices and try to figure out if they can do it cheaper or more efficiently in-house.

Look for clients that need a “real server”

Another important aspect is to find small business clients that are big enough to need a “real” dedicated server. Once small businesses need a real server, they need a ton of other professional services to go along with it. And it's very unlikely they can handle it on their own, with just an internal guru. Bingo-you become their outsourced IT department!

Multiple locations are a bonus

Sometimes a sweet spot client has one location. A lot of times there's a main office and some branch offices. The branch offices present a big opportunity for your small business computer consulting because there's usually a HUGE need for sharing data in real time among employees in different locations.

The Bottom Line about Small Business Computer Consulting

In this article, you've been learned more about how to find the sweet spot in your small business computer consulting business.

Any Small Businesses Owner can Appreciate the New Functionalities of Microsoft Office 2007

by Sid Kato

Array Systems Inc. (http://www.arraysystems.com), the number one computer network support and IT outsourcing company in Los Angeles, is currently helping its small business clients integrate the new Microsoft Office 2007 software. The new Microsoft Office suite makes it almost effortless for users to create more professional-looking documents in a shorter amount of time.

The most apparent change is that Microsoft has done away with its old familiar menus and toolbars and has created a new graphical user interface: "The Ribbon." The Ribbon is a special strip of space, located across the top of the window, that is populated with icons and tabs that are conveniently grouped by function. Microsoft wants the Ribbon to be a single place where all functionalities are easily discoverable and reachable. Sid Kato, president of Array Systems, states "The Ribbon has revealed features that I didn't even know existed." Adding clip-art to a word document is now made effortless by simply clicking on the "insert" tab and selecting the clip art icon. The Ribbon is also dynamic in nature: when placing a picture in a word document, there is no need to click on the "view" and "toolbar" menus to find out which small icon to use, the Ribbon automatically provides a list of suitable tools for the task.

The Ribbon isn’t the only improvement to the new Microsoft Office Suite. There's a plethora of new themes and templates to help liven things up for those who are bored with the same redundant power point themes. Office 2007 also stores documents in a new format that is more compact and safe for others to download. There's also a new way of adding artistic flares to graphic images by way of "SmartArt." SmartArt allows users to easily insert graphics that can be easily shifted and edited. One function of SmartArt is that if the text doesn't fit into the graphic, it automatically shrinks the size of the font so that it does.

Array Systems Inc. has the professionals and the resources to help make your transition to Microsoft Office 2007 and Windows Vista a smooth one. Don't be stuck with old technology, let us show you how to make your small business more efficient with new technology.

Array Systems has been in business since 1991, we know where the pitfalls are. If you would like more information about this topic please call us toll free (877) 412-7729 or visit our website: Array Systems - Los Angeles Computer Networking. We specialize in assisting small businesses in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas with Microsoft Office 2007 Support, Windows Vista upgrades, IT outsourcing solutions, computer network support, application integration and support, web design, and much more.

The Right IT Stuff: Finding and Working with the Best Information Technology Services Partner for Your Small Business

By: Ilene Rosoff

Do you often feel stuck in the computer abyss when it comes to managing your company's needs for web or information technology services? Businesses with fewer than 50 or 60 employees often find themselves struggling to keep pace with their basic web and computer support services and miss out on effective small business IT solutions.

Without the guidance of an information technology services provider, small businesses can end up wasting time and money on computer support services because they aren't in touch with the best technology tools and practices for small business IT solutions. Even zero-employee companies can benefit immensely from a computer support services partner who shows them how to standardize their practices, save money with the right hardware or software and develop effective websites.

Putting Out Fires – Who Needs Dedicated Computer Support Services Anyway?

The approach often taken by small organizations when it comes to information technology services is one of putting out fires. No one has time to update the website, the network is cobbled together with wiring strung across the floor, and you're not sure when the last backup really ran. Then, a hard drive starts going click-click. You call that guy you occasionally use for computer support services, "Joe-I-Fix-Anything-PCs," to get the computer booting. That's when to your horror you discover that the tape in the drive since last Tuesday wasn't really backing up and the click-click is the sickening sound of your QuickBooks data being eaten by the dying hard drive.

There is a Better Way: A Solutions Partner for Web and Information Technology Services

It isn't that "Joe" can't spot you some quick computer support services and get you up and running again. It's the point that the "bargain" hard drive failed without warning, your data wasn't backed up and you didn't even have a centralized data management practice to begin with. Wouldn't it have been great to avoid all the headaches by using best-practice guidelines for business management and making informed purchase decisions? That's where a good small business IT solutions provider comes in, not only to avoid disaster but to save money. For example QuickBooks could be integrated with your shipping and credit card processing which saves three employees 30 hours a week in order fulfillment. Then you might implement a web solution for online orders which integrates with QuickBooks. A good information technology services partner makes computer support services a value proposition.

Small Business IT Solutions – Hiring a Partner So what's the best way to find a great web or information technology services partner to work with and then get the most out of that relationship?

1. Look for a company that specializes in small business IT solutions Computer support services companies that specialize in small business will be more in tune to your particular needs and challenges. They will understand budgetary constraints for computer support services and the need to use resources very efficiently. Because technology developers and manufacturers are now seeing a large and relatively untapped market of small business customers, there are some terrific tools emerging for small organizations. A technology partner focused on small business IT solutions and information technology services will help your company grow and succeed.

2. Do you need a local information technology services partner?
Not necessarily. If the goal here is to find a provider of information technology services to help you manage your website, make purchase decisions and facilitate projects, it doesn't have to be local. With sophisticated remote tools and web-based collaboration, many problems and projects can be addressed remotely. The key is to find a good fit. For onsite service such as network installation or hardware swaps, a good solutions partner can identify and schedule local computer support services as needed or works with a nationwide network experts for repairs, rollouts or other onsite computer support service. If the company isn't local, ask what provisions it has in place for onsite service.

3. Personalized computer support services One of the stigmas attached to the tech industry and a common complaint about providers of computer support services is lack of personalization. A good provider of information technology services wants to get to know you, your processes and your employees. The staff should ask questions about what your company does and who the key contacts are to gain a feel for your organization's culture. Likewise, access to the provider's staff and resources is equally important. The relationship is going to be much more effective when that company has a mandate for personalized service and an open door to communications.

4. Due diligence

Think of hiring a solutions partner for information technology services like you would hiring someone for your staff. Look for a company that is seeking a long-term partnership. Ask for references. Then find out how long the company has been in business, who you will have access to for a problem or project and how the provider charges for its computer support services.

5. Cohesive approach and good facilitation
The partner that you select should want to take a cohesive approach to understanding your business or organization and help you come up with a customized plan for your technology and web needs, be it a long-range strategy or a specific project. The difference between "Joe-I-Fix-Anything-PCs" and a provider of complete information technology services and solutions is someone who can do a good discovery about your organization and its goals, facilitate the project and help bring together providers for the components outside their expertise. Also, a one-stop shop can provide you with benefits. Keeping your hardware and software purchases, web and computer support services together can provide you economies of scale combined with the convenience of single point of support and access to someone who knows your business.

How to Get the Most Out of the Relationship

6. Identify key problems, goals and areas to improve efficiency
Once you partner with a provider of information technology services and solutions, the first and most important step is an analysis of problems. The more you can communicate about your company, current practices and areas to improve, the more effective your solutions partner can be in coming up with a computer support services plan designed to keep things running smoothly, maximize your assets and move your organization forward.