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 A number of years ago I worked in the Fortune 500, at companies like Microsoft, Oracle and General Electric. One of the things I noticed was that these companies hired and invested in smart people.
I’ve noticed the same thing about small businesses (for our discussion here, companies with less than 50 employees) as well, lots of smart people!
The question is how do you get smart people to be productive? The answer is to give them the tools necessary to do their jobs quickly and efficiently. Technology is the true driver of efficiency (and by that I mean revenue and profits) in any business, but it makes a huge difference in small business especially if your company is partially or totally made up of Knowledge Workers. Examples of Knowledge Workers include Doctors, Dentists, Lawyers, Architects, Realtors, Accountants, anyone in Management, Administration or Finance, Small Business Owners and others. You’ll note that I called out Small Business Owners. Even though you may manufacture things like Wedding Cakes, Chocolates, whatever, Small Business owners do a lot of Knowledge Work that takes up a good portion of everyday, Sales, Marketing, Finance; all of these roles are filled by Knowledge Workers.
The term Knowledge Worker has been around for a while and we tend to throw it around without too much thought. The fact is that knowledge work is a competitive advantage for the U.S. No other country in the world has the resources and ability that we have, especially when we put our mind to something. If you think about this a little bit, you’ll come up with tons of examples, but the moon landing, our technology lead in the world as well as thousands of other examples makes us number one. Don’t let the current economic news throw you off course. Our Automobile, Construction, Financial and Medical industries are not about to go away.
So how can Knowledge Workers be most efficient? Give them the right tools, running on good systems and let them do what they do best.
The better serviced your company’s computer systems are, the more efficient and productive both you and your employees will be.
In a downturn, the companies that do the best job of realizing efficiencies from their systems, are the ones who are well positioned for the turnaround (which always comes, I promise). The companies, who think they are going to save a few bucks now, by putting this off, doing it themselves or having the kid down the street fix their systems, are in for a rude awakening. Your competitors are hiring people like us and I can assure you that we will do whatever it takes to keep our clients alive and well, as they are our life blood (think about it, no clients, no business) so we have a vested interest in doing everything we can for them to help them leverage technology to get the most out of it.
The bottom line is that NOW is the time to invest in your computer systems, to take advantage when the turnaround comes.
Mike
mikego@sf-it.com
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reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center
 Workstations are more accessible and more flexible than ever, but do you need that kind of power? How exactly do workstations differ from traditional desktops? Who uses workstations, and what benefits do they offer?
Who uses workstations?
Workstations are designed to meet the requirements of users who place heavy demands on their computers, including:
- Power office users who perform complicated and data-intensive office functions—graphic, video and web design, complex linked calculations, database and spreadsheet manipulations and advanced collaboration functions.
- Technical personnel who work in design and simulation functions that can include MCAD (Mechanical Computer Aided Design), CAE (Computer Aided Engineering), and ECAD (Electronics Computer Aided Design) in industries as diverse as aeronautics, automotive design, product prototyping and more.
- Animators, graphic artists, video editors and renderers who engage in DCC (Digital Content Creation).
- Traders or other employees in financial sectors that require quad-monitor support and the computing power to manage complex real time transactions seamlessly.
What makes a workstation a workstation?
There are several features that make a workstation stand out from a traditional desktop PC |
| reprinted with permission from the HP Small Business Center
 In today’s competitive market, small businesses need every advantage they can get. Many are looking for new ways to improve the bottom line, as well as protect their existing business.
One area you might not have looked at is the experiences of larger businesses. With their greater resources, it’s easy for them to “test drive” new ideas and strategies – which you can then borrow and apply as needed. Take a look at these four best practices borrowed from successful enterprises and try to put them to work in your business today.
Get plugged in to social media
According to a new study by marketing agency OgilvyOne Asia Pacific, over 456 million users in Asia – almost a third of the world’s population – are using social media. Japan, for example, has the highest blog readership in the world.
Never in the history of advertising and marketing has there been the ability to reach so many people so directly and personally at so little cost – which is great news for small businesses with limited marketing budgets. Maybe it’s time for your company to start a blog?
Small businesses can use cloud computing, too
The cloud model offers a much cheaper way for businesses to acquire and use IT. And in the current economic downturn, the appeal of that cost advantage is greater than ever. According to industry analyst IDC, “This advantage is especially important for small and medium businesses, a sector that will be a key target in any plan for recovery.”
Cloud computing enables businesses to do more with limited IT staff and budgets. It allows them to access enterprise-class technology with low up-front costs and easy scalability. Find out more about the benefits of cloud computing for smaller businesses. |
