Insights, Ideas, Results
If you are looking for a career in IT and not sure which discipline you should choose, then you may wish to consider the role of a software developer, which can be extremely diverse and challenging, but also rewarding. If this is not something that you have thought of before and want to know more about this type of role, below you will find the skills that are required and also what the job entails which will help you to see if this career is the right match for you.
As no business can operate without technology investment today, a robust IT infrastructure becomes essential for them all. Obviously, if you have an infrastructure in place, you will need to manage it as well. In simple words, infrastructure management refers to the process of managing the entire components of the information technology of a business. And it is not just the hardware assets that need to be managed; there is much more that comes under the term, including data, processes, policies and human resources.
Running a business can be as stressful and draining as it is rewarding. Quite often it can be easier and far more efficient to outsource particular roles and services to professionals outside the business. There is nothing wrong with getting a bit of outside help for certain tasks and outsourcing can help save you and your business a lot of time and stress.
If the manager is also the one answering phones and emptying the bins, it might be a good time to consider outsourcing. Here are three areas your business could potentially use some outside help in.
Most small business owners will agree that outsourcing non-essential tasks enables them to focus on their core competence, while reducing expenses at the same time. This win-win situation is even more true when it comes to IT outsourcing. Outsourcing your IT functions lets you find a reliable partner who can take care of IT services, while saving you money in the process. The current trend has been to outsource the IT operations to other countries that have skilled, low cost labor.
Infographic provided by Help/Systems
When looking to maintain a healthy information technology environment in your business, deploying the right network management software is essential. By doing so, your IT department can more easily monitor and solve problems before they can do any significant damage while also lowering expenses by improving asset utilization.
As your business grows and changes, effective network management software will also help leaders adapt and grow by offering analysis of trends and data that could be potentially detrimental to daily operations. Having the ability to see what is going on in your company’s networks can assist in minimizing risk while maximizing network potential. For more information about the benefits of adding network management software to your company’s repertoire, check out the infographic below:
Since virtualisation surfaced as a scalable, reliable and robust IT solution, it’s been marketed as the perfect answer for small to medium businesses. With the pull of increased security, improved accessibility, reduced downtime as well as reduced costs of server maintenance, businesses have been falling at the feet of marketers. But in a recent article by John Leonard on the Computing News website, half of SMEs are still steering clear of the cloud.
Why is this? With SMEs making up 90 per cent of business in the UK, it’s important to understand why virtualisation still doesn’t seem like a viable option to half of this market.
Yesterday I went to a store to buy an electronic toy that cost about $100. When I went to the checkout the clerk told me their computer systems were down. Either I would have to wait for up to 30 minutes for them to fix it or come back later. What? Who has time to wait for 30 min or go back again in this busy Christmas season? Needless to say he lost my sales along with the sales from many other customers like me. Such is the important of having reliable computer system in your business. When it works well it can help businesses tremendously, but when it goes down it can result in lost sales, unhappy customers and lost productivity.
Small businesses spend significant money on IT infrastructure. Traditionally, they have owned the IT assets themselves and have to carry the burden of capital purchase and ongoing maintenance cost. However, there is a paradigm shift occurring in the IT industry with what is commonly known as cloud computing. This has the potential to dramatically change the way small businesses operate their IT infrastructure. With cloud computing small businesses no longer need to own the IT assets themselves. Instead, they can rent these assets on as needed basis and only pay for what they use. You can think of this as analogous to buying electricity from utility company.
