Comments - 7-13-07

Controlling your computer expenses

Do you really want to get control of your computer expenses? Two of the common questions I am asked by my clients
are, “Why does it cost so much to keep my systems working?” and “Is it really this difficult to fix my system when
it goes down?”.

The best way to keep support costs down and reliability up is to build systems that are simple to support so that
basic service can be done by experienced users rather than a technical specialist. I tell clients that every
decision they make regarding the purchase, implementation, and support for their computer systems impacts the
likelihood of problems and helps determine the cost of supporting them later on.

There are several basic considerations I recommend to clients when considering new computer technology for their
businesses:

1. Data is far more expensive to recover than it is to protect. Identify the key data on your systems and buy what you
   need to back it up and keep a copy off site. Test your backups on a regular basis.
2. If you don’t know where you are going and why, don’t be surprised where you end up. To be successful with
   technology, you must carefully evaluate your needs and decide on a plan to meet them. Then stick to the plan.
3. Catastrophic doesn’t mean unlikely to happen. Plan for emergencies. Make disaster planning a regular part of your
   planning cycle.
4. The more flexibility you have the more expensive your systems will be to maintain. Standardize configurations and
   limit applications to those needed by the business. Restrict access to applications, devices, and internet access to
   meet your business operation needs. Costs go up almost exponentially as system stability and reliability increases.
5. It is less expensive to build quality and reliability into a system at the beginning than to add it later.
6. Run a good virus protection package and spam filter on every system! Keep it up to date.
7. Make sure you have a firewall on your network.
8. Critical elements of a system should have redundancy built in if economically feasible. That isn’t limited to
   equipment, software, and services. It can mean key support providers and key employees.
9. State of the art sounds better than it works. Don’t buy technology for it’s own sake. Buy things that have solid
   performance records unless there is a very good reason to be a technology leader.
10. Less is better. Don’t have 10 printers if 5 will do the job. Don't have unneeded applications, games, etc. on user
    systems.

Considering these rules and making them a part of your business planning process for computer technology will help
you get control of the cost of technology, as well as, increase the effectiveness of it.

It takes time to put the 10 rules into effect. So, if you’re in a hurry to find a way to help contain costs, do
this:

1. Decide what the minimum software and hardware requirements for the company are and, if possible, build every system
   to that minimum specification.
2. Use appropriate measures, either in the operating system or other means, to restrict users from adding hardware and
   software to their systems without approval.
3. Eliminate Instant Messanger, AOL, Kazaa, and any shareware, etc. from all systems unless they are used for business
   purposes.
4. Restrict usage to business purposes only. Remove games and put appropriate restrictions on internet usage.
   
   If you did only this, you would dramatically reduce your system costs.
   
   Why, you ask? Because adding software and hardware increases complexity and the likelihood of problems. Kazaa, AOL,
   and other unnecessary or non-business use of the internet increases the risk of viruses, worms, and other
   modifications to the system. It also increases the support time to find problems because the system has been
   modified each time a technician has to fix it. Less software translates to fewer problems and lower costs. It's
   enough to have to pay for the costs related to your business applications without the added cost of supporting
   problems related to personal use of a business PC.
   
   Once you complete this, go back and make the 10 rules part of your decision process. If you track your costs and
   savings, you’ll be glad you did.
   
   © 2006 TheSmallBizTech.com - All Rights Reserved
   
   Quotes for today
   
   "You take the work seriously, but not take yourself seriously. You keep that in mind and you'll do well the rest of
   your life".
   - Clint Eastwood.
   
   "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
   - Arthur C. Clarke

Humor, Quotes, and Interesting/Useful Web Links

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Comments - 7-11-07

E-Mail - Is it All Viruses, Scams, and Tall Tales?

At first I thought it was just my imagination that the content of my e-mail included more scams and tall tales every day. However, it appears that ordinary e-mail is more and more dangerous. First it was viruses, worms, and trojans, which I still get on a regular basis. Then it was spyware. I admit, there have been some pretty obvious scams like the Nigerian scam for a while. But now, it seems I get three or four fresh scams each day and a few tall tales about politicians, soldiers, the war, sick children, etc. that are just plain old-fashioned lies and gossip.

Some emails tempt me with riches if I'll just help the sender out. Some tell me I can get a loan at an amazingly low interest rate, if I'll just fill out an application. Some pretend to be my bank or credit card company, E-bay, or Paypal to get my login name and passwords. Some tell me that people I respect or that represent me have lied to me in some way or done something disreputable. Some tell me secrets about the government, well known companies, Iraq, etc.

How do you protect yourself from these scams and tall tales? Follow the same rules you should in every other part of your life. Be careful who and what you trust, be suspicious, take your time, and be sure who you are dealing with. Some simple rules include:

1) If someone offers you something too good to be true, it probably is.

2) If someone you don't know asks for personal or financial information, make sure you know who you are providing it to and why.

3) If someone presses you to act in a hurry, they probably don't want you to have time to think about your decision. Be careful.

4) Don't trust your email, even if it appears to be from someone you know. Spoofed mail will appear to be from someone you trust.

5) Never link to a business site through an e-mail link. Always enter the site from a fresh browser session.

6) Never forward a chain letter e-mail. Ever! They are almost universally scams of some sort and just encourage people to make bad choices the next time one comes through.

7) Check out suspicious email chain letters about sick children, political quotes, movies, companies, etc. that are forwarded to you before you believe them. A good site to use is www.snopes.com. It is a well respected urban legend site.

E-mail is a great tool. However, it has become a cheap way to spread lies and innuendo and to reach people who should know better but often don't. BE CAREFUL what email you trust.

Some useful sites with information about Internet Scams:

Internet Crime Complaint Center - www.ic3.gov
Internet ScamBusters - http://www.scambusters.org/
ScamWatch - http://www.scamwatch.com/
Scam Chains - http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBScams.shtml
Better Business Bureau - http://www.bbb.org
 

Community Connection

The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank - Help feed the hungry in Baton Rouge. See what’s happening by visiting http://www.brfoodbank.org. You can make a contribution or find out how to volunteer your time and talents to help.

Humor, Quotes, and Interesting/Useful Web Links

This site has a lot of depth. Click and see.
http://interact10ways.com/usa/information_interactive.htm

The US Government printing house in Pueblo, Colorado has a fantastic online directory of it's thousands of publications -- order them free (mostly) or read the online version. Every topic under the sun.
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/

The leg bone's connected to the thigh bone? I think.
http://sv.berkeley.edu/showcase/pages/bones.html

Press the SPIN button and get great business phrases for your next work project or meeting.
http://www.betterworkplacenow.com/bigwords/

Read something positive every night and listen to something helpful every morning. --Tom Hopkins