This time of the year many businesses are working hard to develop their budget or technology “wish list” for the coming year. I have spoken with many businesses over the last couple of months and have compiled a common list of technologies solutions that are being budgeted for 2008. Take a look at the list and consider whether you may have overlooked any of these items.
Microsoft Licensing – How is your license count? Are you up to date? One of the primary licenses that need to be updated at most businesses is your Office Suite. When considering purchasing Office licenses think about purchasing open licenses as opposed to the license (OEM) that can be purchased with a new PC. There are several advantages to purchasing an open license such as the ability to move the license to another PC in the event the original system is retired, the ability to purchase upgrade protection for two years on open licenses, and Microsoft offers cash back or service credits with eMazzanti Technologies as an incentive. Businesses are not fully aware of the cost advantage of this option or the ease of management with this licensing model. Contact eMazzanti Technologies for more information.
Contact Management Solutions – All businesses should be using some form of shared contact management for their main business contacts. If your company is still operating under the assumption that having multiple contact databases for clients, vendors, and other business contacts is the best method, then we recommend you reconsider that approach. Today there are many options to address this need by using products like Microsoft CRM (now with a hosted offering), GoldMine, and ACT. Another option is to look at using Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager. This is a great option for companies looking for basic contact management with a single database to be used by all end users. While not as robust as full featured CRM systems, it is sufficient for many business needs.
Up to Date Security Appliance – Currently have an older WatchGuard Firebox or another brand of security device? Very competitive upgrades and trade-ins are available until the end of the year. Keep these appliances up to date as network threats continue to change on a daily basis. As new threats occur, your security appliance or antivirus products need to keep pace. You cannot afford to cut back in these areas. Don’t have a WatchGuard – no problem – just be sure to keep your current appliance up to date. Remember, stateful packet inspection and NAT are not adequate security solutions. The cost to remediate a single security breach – hackers, spyware, and virus, in many cases may be more expensive than a comprehensive, proactive solution.
Vista Testing and Acceptance – No getting around it, Vista is here to stay and most new PC’s are being shipped with it. If you haven’t already moved to Vista, then I suggest, at minimum, order a couple of Vista machines and begin to run your business applications on them to test for compatibility. Also remember to test items such as remote connectivity, printing, and any peripherals currently being used. Better to be proactive then reactive. Finally, Vista Home versions are not business operating systems and may not be networkable on you systems.
Mobility Solutions – Allow your staff to be more productive with the right mobile technology solutions. The device does not matter; whether Windows Mobile or Blackberry, if you have Microsoft Exchange 2003 or better then you can empower your end users to work smarter with the right mobile solution. When making your choice, consider device security and management. Many companies allow users to connect their personal devices to the business network without realizing they then create a security opening to their business network.
Bandwidth Upgrades – Files are getting larger, content is richer, and email is still the “killer app”. Be sure you have the correct amount of bandwidth to allow end users to be productive using the web. Consider a second T1 line, adding DSL, or see if your provider has other options for adding bandwidth at a reasonable cost. A second Internet provider may add the benefit of redundancy to your network. The other option is to consider adding services to optimize bandwidth in order to maximize your current monthly costs.
Secure Remote Access – There are many ways to connect to your business network and most businesses use several of these methods, but are they secure? eMazzanti Technologies has added a Universal Access Controller to their product line which offers a single point of remote connectivity using your network login including Layer 3 connectivity (SSL VPN). Usually this is the most vulnerable “hole” in a business network, it is not easily managed, and it leaves the business open to the outside network.
eMazzanti Technologies can help you prepare budget numbers to each of these issues. Take some time and give us a call or speak to your tech about these solutions. Be prepared for next year and add these items to your business wish list. Have a Happy Holiday!
