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Posts Tagged ‘SMEs’

Cloud Computing and Why Home Office and SME’s Stand to Gain the Most From It
By Claire Hibbert

‘Cloud computing’ is the latest technology set to change the way home offices and small business owners run their companies. There has been a lot of press recently about ‘the cloud’ from the likes of Microsoft and Google, so what is it and what impact will it have on small business? In short, ‘Cloud computing’ provides companies with the ability to store data and access software services online via the internet. Traditionally, data and software was set up and stored on stand-alone PC Desktops and connected via a network, so team workers could access shared files and information with the assurance that the data was stored and backed up. This back-up system was then managed and maintained by network specialists on a daily basis. Larger businesses were able to justify the high costs against staff capacity however, it was a different story for the small businesses where cash flow was tight and staff resource low.

This is where ‘Cloud computing’ comes into its own. The advantages to small businesses are that they no longer need to set up servers for their staff IT needs, nor employ specialist staff to run a scaled down version of an IT Department to support that need. Fortunately due to today’s technological advances everything is looked after online in ‘the cloud’ by the service provider. The great news is that if your computer gets lost or stolen all your data won’t be lost as it is backed up ‘in the cloud’ and you can access it instantly from another computer, giving you peace of mind. All the online business software provided to you is fully maintained and kept up to date for you at no added cost, unlike traditional versions. You don’t have to spend endless time loading up the software onto each individual computer, every business owners nightmare, simply click on an online link and you and your team have instant access to it instead.

‘Cloud computing’ brings extremely low cost ‘online business services’ to small businesses and because the set up and running costs are minimal finally gives them access to big business tools enabling them to compete with the big boys, without having to compromise on quality. However, be warned it is a minefield out there as new online service providers optimise the rapidly expanding market so be sure to shop around to avoid what looked like a bargain only to discover an array of hidden costs. One such company that offers true value and a unique, comprehensive online business service is http://www.icomplete.com. It connects telecoms, online business software, call management (IVR and VoIP)services together in one place so you don’t have to search out individual providers helping to save you time and effort at the fraction of the cost.

You can use http://www.icomplete.com services for as little as £ 12 per month and this gives instant access to: shared individual or group calendars, customer database (CRM), maps, task management and integrated voice messages, fax, email, voicemail in your email, sms and email reminders and documents that are assigned to your contacts. It makes co-ordination, document sharing and collaboration a whole lot easier and information can be accessed from a PC, Mac or other mobile device anywhere in the world by you and your team.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Claire_Hibbert

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Website Design For Small Medium Enterprises (SME’s)
By Anthony James Taylor

Why do some small business owners still insist they don’t need a website? The evidence against this position is overwhelming and easy to research. Somehow, in the business owners mind, the World Wide Web ranks below local newspaper advertising or a leaflet drop. They might not say it but that’s where their advertising budget has gone.

What is the return on this investment? Quite a few small business owners just don’t know! Moving this spend online represents a risk. “The newspaper advert has always brought in enough business to survive.” The unconscious worry is that, if I don’t run the advert I will suffer.

Money conscious SME’s have a recession to deal with, money is tight and experimenting with a brand new website is just a step too far for many. So what is my advice to someone who knows the internet is a good idea but thinks they can’t afford it or is worried about taking their advertising monies away from where they have always spent it? Times change, the internet is still the fastest growing advertising medium and customers are always mentioning it. It’s likely you’ll embrace it at some stage so…

Step 1: Buy your domain name. It’s cheap and easy to do and you’re not committed to doing anything else if you don’t want to. Remember, people will most likely be searching for your product or service rather than your businesses name so reflect this in the domain name choice.

Step 2: Make sure you understand your online market. The local paper will have told you about their circulation figures and the number of people who read your advert so ask a local website design company to do the same for the online market.

Step 3: Test the water with a Facebook or Twitter account. They are free, easy to set up and give you an opportunity to market yourself locally.

Step 4: Go one step further with an eBay or Amazon shop.

Step 5: Talk to a website designer about your online objectives and understand the costs and return on investment. You’re the boss here, you know your business and customers, don’t be lead into buying something you don’t need. Does a market town restaurant need a fancy animation on the home page or would they be better off having a voucher available for download? Better still, make sure you can edit the voucher so as it does what you want it to do when you want it to.

Step 6: Differentiate yourself from the national competition. What can you sell or provide that is too niche for them? Local customer service is a real winner here. Get this aspect across when you are ready to have your own website designed.

Step 7: Get your website designed! Choose a website design company that will listen to your needs and help you to hit your objectives. The website should appeal to your customers, be easy to navigate and drive your bottom line. It’s a business tool, not modern art!

ORCA Website Design Bicester design and build professional websites for small to medium sized businesses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_James_Taylor

http://EzineArticles.com/?Website-Design-For-Small-Medium-Enterprises-(SMEs)&id=3867600