Well you can very easily get remote access to your computer systems and indeed communicate with your work colleagues.

The only thing you require is a Broadband Internet Connection. To access your computer systems you can either;

• Access your existing computer systems using a secure remote connection such as GoToMyPC. This is a hosted implementation of Citrix, which is a well established system used by many larger businesses to access their systems remotely and can cost as little as €12 per month.
• The second option is to consider using Software As A Service (SAAS)  for your main systems. SAAS means that your Integrated Accounts System / CRM systems are not installed on a computer in your office but are installed on a secure server in a Data Centre, which you access remotely using a secure connection. Examples in Ireland are Mamut and Eircom SAAS.

To keep in contact with your work colleagues all you require is Skype and you can talk, and if you have a webcam, have video calls for free.

So if you want to make sure that the next period of  bad weather doesn’t bring you business to a halt why not contact me in Glasgorman Computer Services HERE.

P.S. There is also a very strong argument that a small business can dramatically reduce it’s recurring infrastructure costs, regardless of weather etc. , by using technology to implement Remote Working for employees.

We have already come across several situations where companies have reduced their staff and have not reduced their corresponding recurring costs.

• Are you in a contract with your Mobile Phone provider that is designed for 10 phones and now only have 5 reps on the road.
• Are you paying annual Software Licenses, Software Maintenance and Hardware Maintenance for systems are no longer used.
• Do you still need the highest speed Broadband Connection when you have half the number of people using the connection?

So before you finalise those budgets take the time to review those costs, and if you feel that you are out of your depth, then talk to your Computer  Services provider and they can conduct a Business Technology or IT Audit for you.

Most small businesses do not have a full time IT person, instead the function is covered as a secondary part of somebodies job description or by their IT Provider who is usually only called when when there is a problem and doesn’t have time to look at the overall systems. As a result for most small businesses, their computer systems have evolved in a haphazard way rather than grown in a planned structured and documented way.

This is not necessarily a problem when you are dealing with a small number of computers, small quantities of data and everything is going fine, however when something goes wrong or a computer breaks down then this can be a real issue. In a well structured small business network, all business data will be stored centrally on a server (or at least on one desktop that is designated as a server). With all the data in one location it is easy to backup and if it comes to it, restore. If one of the desktops gives up the ghost then that’s not a major problem, just go to another PC and access the centrally stored data.

If on the other hand everyone is storing their data on their local hard disk, then it becomes very difficult to co-ordinate backups and make sure that critical data is not lost if there is a failure on an individual PC. It is relatively easy to fix or replace computer hardware and software but nothing can be done if there is no backup for the data.

The second issue when it comes to these unstructured networks is that there is probably very little security for the data and that means that you are failing to meet your obligations under the Data Protection Act.

In the vast majority of cases the solution does not usually cost very much and generally does not require the purchase of new computers. A good computer services company should be able to organise the network using the existing equipment and put an Online Backup solution in place to ensure your data is backed up securely.

If you can establish a relationship with a local Computer Services company who understands your business and can document your systems and some simple procedures, then the time taken to recover from major system failures can be greatly reduced, which can save you money and give you peace of mind.

The final point is that you should view your computer systems the way you view your car. If your car does not get serviced at least once a year then things go wrong a lot more often and you can dramatically reduce it’s life span. Your computer systems are no different. An annual Preventative Maintenance visit can eliminate the majority of issues before the arise.

When your business is small and you are starting off in business it is very easy to keep track of all your communications with your clients and for that matter communications between employees, but as you grow and start to expand your business that’s not so easy any more. That’s when some things start to fall through the cracks and you don’t keep in contact with your customers quite so often. Studies have shown that the main reason customers stop doing business with you is that they perceive that you don’t care or don’t value their business.

This is where a good CRM (Customer Relationship Marketing) system comes in. A good CRM system will allow everyone in your organisation too maintain those contacts with your customers and not only retain customers but grow the business.

Similarly in these recession times your employees can be spread much thinner on the ground and particularly if you have people on the road it’s difficult to work as a cohesive team and get that pool of knowledge and skills to be passed around between employees. That’s where good collaborative software can really help.

Unfortunately both CRM and Collaborative software systems can require significant amounts of IT and computer infrastructure to run effectively and apart from the capital costs to install them these systems, they require expertise in terms of IT Personnel to keep them running efficiently. That means extra recurring costs that your business can ill afford at this time.

But there is an potential answer, Software as a Service or to put it another way rent the software . That way all those complicated bits like servers, firewalls, networks, ups, databases, backups and the IT people to keep it all running smoothly are in a hi-tech data center and all you need is remote access via a broadband connection. From a business and budgeting point of view you don’t have any capital outlay and have predictable monthly costs.

It is these things that can give you the edge over your competitors in tough times.

For Business Broadband in Gorey and North Wexford check out Alpha Broadband