How do I get good consulting ... ?

First, it is important to define what consulting is.  It is NOT a person with the title of consultant.  Nor is consulting simply someone with technology certifications.  True consulting is a combination of experience, skill, training, business acumen and intention.  So to get good consulting the following suggestions would be a place to start:

• Experience-the type that applies to you
• Skills-are they skilled at the tasks you need? 
• Business Sense-do they understand your business? 
• Training-what is their training level and training plan? 
• References-have they done this before? 

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Where can I find one company that can meet all of my technology needs ... ?

It is a desire of many business owners.  Of course it simplifies everything, potentially.  What we recommend is a technology partner. The right technology partner for you should know how to partner with other technology companies in order to maximize service to their clients.  Having one technical interface will lower your cost and improve your results.  Here are some suggestions:

• Is your technology company broad based?
• Is your technology company multi-disciplined ?
• Does your technology company partner to bring more resources ? 
• Does your technology partner understand your BUSINESS needs ? 
• Is the technology company you have (or are considering) available ? 
• Do you get the skill levels you need when you need them ? 

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How do I get the right hardware and software ... ?

Every where you look today there is another buzzword about how to apply technology.  Right behind the buzzwords are numerous companies standing in line to apply it for you.  That, of course, does NOT mean you should select the biggest firm or the firm that advertises the most.  We suggest that you study issues like work flow, staff and processes in your organization before you throw technology at it.  Yes, we all need technology, but one size does NOT fit all.  You need the technology and services that fit you, not some cookie cutter approach.  Here are some things to consider:

• Study your business-determine what you need and want
• Study your staff.  Can new technology be readily absorbed?
• Develop a technology plan that is on-going
• Review-have routine meetings to evaluate your technology and business process-improve it
• Budgeting-look into establishing a budget to both maintain your technology and enhance it

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Who is the right technology partner ... ?

As mentioned above buzzwords come into vogue and companies jump on the technology and services bandwagon  to expand their sales.  Having been involved in the technology sector for a long time we have noticed that far too many organizations "buy" technology and services ala carte.  What is a far better approach is to have a technology partner.  This would be an external firm that acts like a member of your staff.  A firm:

• Willing to take the time to become thoroughly familiar with your organization
• Dependable
• Possessing a robust skill set that matches your business objectives 
• Having people skills in order to work well with your staff 
• Coachable-ability to take direction 

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What is the benefit of outsourcing technology tasks ... ?

We are frequently asked this question. With the migration of jobs off shore this buzzword has come to mean sending jobs out of the country.  This is unfortunate because there is a strong business case for outsourcing (done properly) in virtually every business scenario.  Likewise "business downsizing" has come to mean layoffs.  But some suggest that a far more significant thing is at work here.  Namely the restructuring of the American economy.  Why should I have staff members who are not the best at what they do permanently on my staff?  Staff members who I pay for full time work who may or may not be needed full time.  A good case in point is the trend in many professions of having services that are routinely used (lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects, technologist, etc.) who work with their clients as if they were permanent staff members but on a part-time basis.  So here are a couple of ideas about what benefits you can expect from properly using external (outsourced) services (by the way we offer US based services):

• Better skill sets applied to your organization
• Lower cost
• Exposure to  new technology-new ideas
• Cross pollination-benefit of experiences outsourced vendors have at other engagements
• Scale-ability to increase or decrease services on demand without the "layoff"  or "hiring" issue 

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When is it the right time to get help managing technology ... ?

When you notice that you are not "keeping up".  Perhaps you see that routine tasks like service packs or software updates are not being applied when you need them to.  Perhaps you don't have the time to even understand what technology you need, these (and others) are signs that you need help.

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