IT Consulting Firm Declares Mobile Viruses More Widespread

A Helsinki, Finland-based IT consulting firm announced this week that mobile viruses have become a worldwide problem. According to IT consulting firm F-Secure, the number of existing viruses has doubled since November 2005, and continues to increase at a phenomenal rate.

F-Secure stated that there are approximately 200 mobile viruses in cyberspace currently, whereas in November, there were only about 100. Many of these viruses are hybrids of or variations on viruses that have already been found and dealt with. The latest viruses analyzed by the computer consulting firm, entitled StealWar.E is a variation on an older virus. StealWar.E is a SIS file, Trojan virus that drops viruses into mobile devices. The IT consulting company states it expects to see more viruses erupting in the coming months.

Added By: Computer Consulting Kit

Computer Business News: Intel CEO Plans to Completely Restructure Company

On Thursday, Intel Corp. reported it was making definite plans to completely overhaul the computer business. Paul Otellini, chief executive of Intel in Santa Clara, CA said he had created a plan that would impact the way every single part of the company works. The primary areas of focus of course would be those products that had experienced very low sales in the past year, including hardware with brackets.

Intel’s core processor business continues to thrive, but its NOR flash unit is in distress. For many quarters, computer business Intel has been losing money on these products, and in the first quarter, lost nearly $108 million.

Otellini and other core executives at the computer business have been compiling a detailed review of its business units, and while it will continue to make a serious investment in technology, it will take measures to make Intel generally more efficient. While no details are yet available on this restructuring, the plan will be swiftly executed by the third quarter.

This new overhaul comes on the heels of steadily increasing problems with the computer business that can be attributed to low PC sales, inventory problems and servers. The future plan could be felt in part this past week when it started a move towards boosting PC desktop sales, security and management by announcing vPro, a new platform designed to help upgrade hardware and how the computers work for users.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Computer Consulting 101: Additional Hiring Tips

If your company needs a reliable computer consulting firm, you might not know how to gauge what “reliable” means. Once you determine why it’s so difficult to find the right computer consulting firms and ask basic and important questions of the potential vendor, you need to look at expenses and more carefully at the consultant’s credentials.

RESELLERS, PURE CONSULTING COMPANIES AND HYBRIDS

You need to ask your potential computer consulting firm what type of services it provides. Asking the following questions will help you decide how to approach the relationship or if you want to at all:

1. “Does your company resell tech products including hardware and software?”
2. “Is your company a profit center or can we buy products elsewhere?”
3. “If we buy products elsewhere can we still use you for needs analysis and procurement?”
4. “Are there any other ISPs or telephone companies that your company supports, and do you accept referral fees or commissions for steering clients towards certain vendors?”

COSTS, HIDDEN CHARGES AND BILLING

These questions will help you determine expenses more carefully of a viable computer consulting firm:

1. “What are your payment rates and hourly billing minimums, and what do you consider billable and not billable?”
2. “Do you charge for travel time, phone support, e-mail or online support? Do you have remote support?”
3. “Do you have hourly rate billing premiums for after hours or emergency work, and how do you define this type of work?
4. “Do you have IT support contracts, and if so, what are the costs and the benefits to me?”

SAMPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT REFERENCE ACCOUNTS, CASE STUDIES AND TESTIMONIALS

1. “Can you tell me more about one of your long-term small business clients?”
2. “Can you tell me more about recently signed clients, and about a small business client that didn’t work out?”
3. “Do you have references?”
QUESTIONS REGARDING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AND HONING SKILLS

1. “How do you stay abreast of new developments in technology?
2. “How exactly do you bill your clients and absorb costs?”

TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE

1. “What are your thoughts on hand-holding and detailed user training?”
2. “What kind of tech training do you offer?”
3. “Can you train an internal computer administrator to be more self-sufficient at the expense of your job security and billable hours?”

It’s important to find an independent computer consultant or computer consulting firm that is the best fit for your business. Using these questions to guide you through the hiring process will help you find the best person for the job.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101

Computer Consulting Business Tools for Getting Good Customers

If you want to be financially stable and have a successful and legitimate computer consulting business you have to work on honing your intuition skills and focusing on a specialty. You also need to be good at uncovering the best small business clients.

SMALL BUSINESSES

There are almost countless small businesses in the United States and globally, and you can almost be guaranteed that just in your geographical area there are thousands or even tens of thousands of small businesses. Unfortunately, if you choose to work with the wrong small companies in the computer consulting business you could be headed for disaster.

OPTIMAL ACCOUNTS

The secret to a successful computer consulting business is finding the very best accounts and knowing how and when it is appropriate to simply say no to people.

To find optimal accounts you need to know where to look for them and how to be certain that the small businesses you find will be worth the time and effort for your computer consulting business. Career satisfaction is a key element in this industry and the hope of achieving it was probably why you chose to open your own computer consulting business instead of sticking to a corporate IT position.

THINKING ABOUT FINANCES

Your computer consulting business needs to be financially successful. Having a profitable business that is a steady source of revenue will make your life that much easier and help you prepare for the future. Because all small businesses are not the same, you have to be sure you are choosing to work with the ones that will help you meet your financial goals.

The computer consulting business is about people, and that being said, you have to be empathetic to clients and do the best job possible for them. Still, you have to keep your own best interests in mind and be sure you can cultivate long-term relationships.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

Computer Consulting 101: Resources for Hiring

If your company is in need of a computer consulting firm, you need to be very careful about the company or consultant you choose. Identify your problem and then consider the following Computer Consulting 101 hiring criteria when screening and interviewing local computer consulting vendors.

PREVENTING FUTURE ISSUES BY COMPUTER CONSULTING 101

Small business owners often find it hard to handle difficult computer consultants. If you can identify potential problems at the beginning of any potential relationship you can completely prevent issues from developing.

WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?

Small business managers and entrepreneurs typically know what to ask when hiring internal staff, but don’t know the first thing about hiring computer consulting firms. In addition to managing the legal issues involved with contractors versus payroll employees, you need to know how to ask the questions that will tell you the most about your potential contractor. You can ask potential computer consultants the following questions, and they can act as a checklist to help you do homework before anyone signs a contract:

1. Are you a part-time or full-time consultant?
2. Do you have a day job or is computer consulting it?
3. Are you a solo practitioner or a real computer consulting company?
4. Do you work alone or are there others at your company?
5. Are the other staff members employees or contractors? What are their names, specialties and some details about their background? How long has everyone been with the company and will they be involved in this project?
6. Are you a small business or large company?
7. What size is the typical consulting client served by your firm?
8. Are you a generalist or specialist company?
9. What is your industry and software background?
10. What kinds of products, services and platforms are you not excited about working with, and do you work with any specialty hardware, software or services companies?

The above tips are just the first part of a series on Computer Consulting 101 hiring tips. The next article on this topic deals with how to evaluate how a computer consulting firm can best handle your needs as well as the true cost of using the firm.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

IT Consultant: Hardware Selection for Customers

As an IT consultant that has been around for a while, you have most likely dealt with thousands of different PC hardware systems, and you have probably formed many strong recommendations for clients regarding the very best PC hardware specs. But in order to truly sell clients on the importance of your opinion as an IT consultant regarding hardware, you have to be able to communicate the benefits well.

THE RIGHT CHOICE THE FIRST TIME

Choosing the best PC specs right off the bat can save your clients huge amounts of money on extra installation and support. Although most vendors claim they are compatible with other systems, many are not completely and prove to be challenging for users. Your job as an IT consultant is to help your clients make the appropriate choice the first time.

SAVING CUSTOMERS PATIENCE AND TIME

As an IT consultant you can save your clients huge amounts of time and possible frustration, as well as accrue service revenue by being proactive about helping clients choose hardware and software that are preinstalled with new PC’s.

SAVING MONEY

The best IT consultants will help customers find greater value by recommending all-inclusive computer purchases. The best business practice is to encourage the purchase of hardware components and upgrades with the purchase of new PC’s instead of waiting to buy these items later by themselves.

HELPING CLIENTS GAUGE THE VALUE

One of your most important IT consultant tasks is to help your clients figure out how much their hardware is worth, and not just monetarily. You need to know which components and upgrades are truly worth the price and which are unnecessary and money-wasting. If you are assertive about your opinions regarding hardware, you can save the day for your clients and foster trusting relationships.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

Computer Business Apple Releases New Laptop

On Monday, computer business giant Apple released its new MacBook Pro notebook featuring a 17-inch screen. The computer company says this new MacBook is only one-inch in thickness with a weight of 6.8 pounds. The new MacBook is a 2/16 GHz Intel Core Duop processor. It also offers 1 Gbyte of DDR2 SDRAM memory, an iSight Webcam built in and a 68-watt hour lithium battery with 5.5 hours of power.

Computer business Apple runs the Mac OS X 10.4.6 “Tiger” and will ship next week, with a retail cost of $2,799. The new notebooks was released a week after Apple stated that its computer sales had been slowed by the transition to Intel processors. This brief pause in the sales of Intel-based computer was due to important third-party software, including Adope Photoshop and its unavailability to those with Intel Macs. Reports also stated that Intel Macs were much slower than other computers.

Apple faces a challenge in the computer business market because of it is priced at more than twice the cost of comparable systems made by Dell, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard. All these companies have started selling dual-core notebooks with Intel technology for under $1,000.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

Small Business Server News: Microsoft Fixes Problems with Explorer

Microsoft Announced Monday that it had finally released critical updates that proved to be good news for small business servers everywhere. Five new security updates addressed a previously unpatched bug in the Internet Explorer browser that hackers had been taking advantage of for the past three weeks.

The software affected by this Explorer update for small business servers and others is virtually all inclusive and affects the following items:

Windows 2000 Advanced Server; Windows 2000 Datacenter Server; Windows 2000 Professional; Windows 2000 Server; Windows XP Home; Windows XP Professional Edition; Windows XP Professional 64-Bit; Windows Server 2003 for Small Business Server; the 2003 Windows Server; Datacenter; Windows Server 2003; Enterprise Edition; Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition; Windows Server 2003 for the Web; Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003 Datacenter x64 Edition; Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition; Windows 98; Windows 98 SE; Windows Me, Internet Explorer 5.01; Internet Explorer 6.0; Internet Explorer 6.0 for Windows XP Service Pack 2; Internet Explorer 6.0 for Windows Server 2003; Internet Explorer 6 for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Itanium Systems; Internet Explorer 6 for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition; Internet Explorer 6 for Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64.

Because so many systems and programs are affected, individuals in every realm of business and also those using Explorer for personal use are being encouraged to immediately download updates.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

Computer Consulting 101: Bloggernity Blog

Computer Consulting 101 offers a comprehensive blog for computer consulting professionals at www.bloggernity.com. The blog is one of many resources provided by Computer Consulting 101 to help computer consulting business owners grow and develop their businesses. This professional blog provides information that can help professionals get the best small business computer consulting clients within their community.

This blog offers a wealth of tools for computer consultants including articles about relevant skills and training programs along with news stories related to the field to keep them abreast of the latest news, technologies and programs available to them.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

IT Spending: Teaching Customers About Making the Best Purchases

Many times clients need advice from you as a consultant on their IT spending behavior. There are several ways you can guide your clients towards making wise IT spending decisions.

SUGGESTING UPGRADES

Upgrades are a good way for clients to use budget surpluses, and they should count on upgrading and replacing PC’s as often as possible. Entry-level PC’s are typically one-half to two-thirds less expensive than the latest and greatest models and can keep them ahead of the curve while controlling their IT spending. Make sure you add in several hours of time for configuring each PC from an older to newer machine.

GET THEM THINKING ABOUT INVESTMENTS

You want your clients to think about discussions you have about future IT projects as investment opportunities rather than a chance to purchase something or spend money. Planned PC hardware purchases can positively affect investment (ROI), and you should help clients realize this. Your clients should not be viewing PC’s as office equipment, rather as assets that directly impact the success or failure of their company moreso than any fax machine, photocopier or water cooler.

TEACHING CLIENTS ABOUT ROI

You need to stress how important technology investments are in the world of IT spending, and how they can truly make the business what it is financially. Before clients decide on any major investments, you should inform them of expected cost and benefits as well as ways to measure the strength of these benefits.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Solution Provider and Service Provider OmniTI Joins Coalition

Email solution provider and host OmniTI Computer Consulting declared on Wednesday that it had joined the Email Sender and Provider Coalition (ESPC). The Coalition is a group of industry professionals that help fight spam and problems associated with aspects of email delivery.

OmniTI’s association with ESPC is consistent with the solution provider’s history of providing to clients. Its Ecelerity email solutions pioneered the process of adding Internet Service Provider best practices that helped ensure email delivery.

Because of this new membership to the ESPC, the solution provider now has even more of a reason to commit to providing clients with services that are of the highest industry caliber. The fact that the company has already proven its ability to stick to email best practices ensured its membership, and the ESPC has expressed that it looks forward to the role this solution provider will play in helping deepen the organization.

Solution provider OmniTI has already begun to actively engage in training to help employees better understand the latest best practices and proactive ways to fight spam and improve the quality of services.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

Computer Business Lenovo Plans Growth to U.S. Market

Chinese computer business Lenovo Group, Ltd. Bought IBM’s PC business last year, but is planning not to sell PC’s to U.S. users until it grows more in the U.S. business market. The computer maker is the third largest in the world and by far China’s biggest. According to spokespeople, Lenovo will focus on selling its ThinkPad models to large U.S. commercial customers and trying to expand its sales to small and medium-sized companies.

According to the computer company, its first and best area of focus is small and medium-sized companies with slow expansion into single consumers through tele-Web sales or via telephone and the Internet. This expansion to U.S. consumers is set for, at the earliest next year as soon as Lenovo has a chance to gauge its place among U.S. giants Dell and Hewlett-Packard. However, the computer company has already made incredible headway, growing faster than any other computer company in the first quarter of 2005 after it bought IBM’s PC business in May. The company is in possession of approximately 6.4 percent of the global PC market.

However, typical U.S. consumers do not have brand awareness yet of Lenovo. In order to surmount this obstacle, the computer business will keep the ThinkPad name created by IBM for the time being until expanding to small businesses and individuals when it hopes to sell its computers under its own Lenovo name.

Unfortunately, many critics in the U.S. have insinuated that Lenovo is a threat to national security. In order to attempt to disprove these security concerns, the computer business welcomed U.S. investigation after a U.S. State Department bought over 15,000 of its computers. Security concerns have been based on the fact that Lenovo’s largest shareholder is a company affiliated with the Chinese government, a fact that has prompted some to believe Lenovo computers have been used to gather State Department intelligence for China.

Spokespeople for the computer business have confidently asserted that the company is a purely capitalist enterprise, run by its own management and founders, and that the government has never been involved in important decisions or the daily operations.

Added By: Joshua Feinberg

Computer Consulting 101: Ideas for Hiring

As a business in search of a computer consulting firm, you should not rush when choosing the right one to fulfill your complex needs. Computer Consulting 101 offers hiring tips that will help you interview and screen local firms. The first step is identifying the problem of hiring, the second is recognizing the basic criteria needed to help you find the right computer consulting vendors.

THE KEY IS PREVENTION

Many small business owners don’t know how to handle a computer consultant that is difficult to work with, but uncovering these types of computer consultants at the start of the relationship or before you hire them at all can help avoid problems.

The biggest problem in hiring a computer consulting firm is that it requires very different interviewing techniques than hiring internal employees requires. Besides the obvious issue of figuring out legal issues that surround retaining the services of contractors, the questions you ask potential computer consultants will help put you on the right track. The following Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Questions will help you make the right choice:

1. Do you have a day job, or are you a full time consultant?
2. Are you working alone, or are you a business with multiple employees? What are their names and qualifications?
3. What size is your typical client in terms of PC’s, employees and revenue annually?
4. Are you a generalist or a specialist consulting company? What industries have you worked with, and with what software applications and aspects?

These guideline Computer Consulting 101 hiring questions will help small business owners and managers better deal with the process of finding the right computer consultants. For more tips, you can look at the second part of this Computer Consulting 101 series.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Becoming a Full Time IT Consultant

If you are spending days at a full-time job and nights working as an IT consultant, there are a couple important rules to keep in mind before you decide on a full-time IT consulting career. These rules will help you avoid common mistakes made by any IT consultant that tries to transition to full-time without establishing a plan.

RULE ONE: AVOID ASSUMPTIONS

Many part-time IT consultants are at first so excited about the idea of being self-employed that they never stop to think about the full picture and the future of their income. You need to start out planning for how you will sustain yourself and take care of expenses, taxes and other issues in the future.

RULE TWO: PLAN FOR THE TRANSITION

Although as a part-time IT consultant, you might dream of becoming full-time, you will not get there without planning ahead for when and how the transition will happen. Planning is everything, and you need to make sure you outline the transition instead of jumping into it without thinking.

As a moonlighting IT consultant, plan ahead for the transition and carefully determine options for income and other factors that will come into play. Don’t shy away from the experience or take huge risks without thinking, and you will experience the best possible transition into the world of IT consulting.

Added By: Joshua Feinberg

Computer Consulting 101: PC Trouble-Shooting

Most businesses need to find a local computer consulting business to help them with computer issues, but there are some problems that even the person least knowledgeable about technology can solve. The best advice for most non-technical users is simple: reboot first.

Often users are so panicked that they don’t think about simply restarting their systems, and often they will call computer consulting specialists before doing anything instead of stopping to take stock of the situation. Rebooting first will avoid unnecessary charges and time spent making phone calls. Rebooting is easy. First, users should exit out of the files and programs that are active. Then they can simply follow the typical shutdown and restart procedures to reboot.

Those that think their computer problem is associated with their hardware, such as a network card, modem, mouse, keyboard or sound card still have recourse before calling the computer consulting expert. If suspicious of hardware, users can go to the start menu and shut down the PC, allowing the power to remain off on the machine for approximately a minute. Then they simply turn the PC on again and see if the problem fixed itself during the rest.

Even though this advice sounds obvious, the experts at Computer Consulting 101 have found that as many as 10-20% of phoned-in computer issues for IT support were solved by a basic reboot. Rebooting can’t hurt a machine, and it can save valuable IT budget dollars that can be better used for complex issues that can only be addressed by a highly skilled computer consultant.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

Establishing Criteria for Clients in the Computer Consulting Business

In the computer consulting business there are several ways you can best qualify clients to ensure you get the best accounts to help grow your business.

PROXIMITY

The first thing to make sure of when looking for clients for your computer consulting business is that they are close to you, at least within a 30 to 60 minute drive from your location. Having a pool of potential clients nearby will help you make the most impact at networking events or any other marketing-related functions.

CLIENT SIZE

Your best client targets in the computer consulting business will be those with 10 to 50 PC’s. The customers need to be large enough to require a real server, which means you want to look for companies with 10 to 100 employees. The best company prospects will have $1 million to $10 million in sales per year. Knowing this information about prospects will help you with marketing in the future, especially if you choose to do direct mailings.

WHAT SHOULD CLIENTS HAVE AVAILABLE?

Most of the time, your computer consulting business’ clients will have email domains of their own. You will want to spend time talking about how clients will receive and send emails when you meet with them. They will probably have a dedicated server of Internet access, so this will help you better figure out options and indicate that they have serious IT needs.

ARE THEY SERIOUS?

If you determine that potential clients for your computer consulting business have no dedicated server, Internet access or are using peer-to-peer or dial-up lines, they probably are not going to be able to use your services.

Any prospect you target should be making IT a business priority, and how entrenched he is in the IT world will determine whether or not he will make a good future client.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

IT Consulting International Acquired by Luxoft

Global provider of IT services Luxoft announced on Monday it would be acquiring New York City-based IT consulting firm IT Consulting International (ITCI). The IT consulting firm has provided outsourcing, on-site staffing and project management for Fortune 500 and mid-sized businesses for the past 13 years. Luxoft and IT Consulting International together will have 1,500 worldwide employees and revenue totaling over $45 million.

Luxoft’s acquisition, which will occur on May 1 of this IT consulting firm will increase the company’s U.S. presence and allow it to offer greater services and expertise to worldwide clients. Clients of the company include IBM, Boeing, Dell and Deutsche Bank.

ITCI’s service offerings will be grouped with Luxoft’s branded outsourcing structure, which includes LUXline™, LUXwork™ and LUXguide™. Luxoft will also combine its project management system that focuses on collaboration with ITCI’s Sentinal™, a web-based portal that helps manage outsourcing products. As a part of the merger, ITCI president and 20-year IT consulting figure Lev Saks will become CEO of Luxoft, USA, a position created just for him.

Luxoft has been named by BusinessWeek the top outsourcing provider in Russian and Eastern Europe and was ranked as the number one IT services company on the Rising Star list in the IAOP’s Global Outsourcing 100. The company is a software developer and IT services exporter in Eastern Europe that was founded in 2000.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

Solution Provider Arrow Electronics Pairs with McAfee, Inc.

Solution provider Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, the business aspect of Arrow Electronics, Inc. stated yesterday that it is set to pair with McAfee, Inc. to offer two new courses to system engineers in order to provide general enterprise security product training. The two sessions of these new courses will take place in Virginia this week.

These courses are designed to help the solution provider augment its security trainings and course offerings to system engineers in response to the many new vulnerabilities and attacks taking place in the business world each year. These courses that were ccrafted by Arrow will be free of charge for all McAfee SecurityAlliance™ solution providers.

Both courses will provide both a lecture and lab designed to teach engineers how to be proactive about network vulnerabilities and security threats by utilizing McAfee’s specially-designed approach to management. Attendees will learn how new appliances can help different organizations and how to get the most out of Foundation Enterprise solutions; Foundation Enterprise is an automated security solution that can help simplify existing vulnerability management systems by protecting the network infrastructure through asset examination, inventory and prioritization. The solution also addresses threat intelligence, regulatory compliance measurement, tracking and reporting.

According to McAfee Foundation Vulnerability spokesperson Rich Severa, the courses are created especially to educate partners of Arrow and McAfee about the evolution of security solutions. They will hopefully increase awareness and knowledge in a way that will allow solution providers and others to better support and supply clients with the appropriate security technologies.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

IT Consultants: Implications of Government Contracts

Many IT consulting firms go after government contracts because they are attached to misperceptions about this type of work being easy money. Most IT consulting terms will end up being frustrated by the amount of work associated with government contracts, and therefore have to consider the various pros and cons before getting involved.

PROS OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS FOR IT CONSULTING FIRMS

The biggest advantage to working with a government agency for IT consulting firms is the potential money that can be made. While there are both small and large contracts available in the market, the larger contracts can pay enough to sustain IT consulting firms far into the future with guaranteed paychecks. The government, unlike small businesses or individuals, will not run out of money all of a sudden.

Working with government contracts also means you will be able to get in contact with people easily because public directories exist both online and on paper with names and job titles of decision makers.

IT consulting firms with a good relationship with government agencies will find themselves with many advantages, including future referrals that could lead to more contracts in the future.

CONS OF GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS FOR IT CONSULTING FIRMS

While payment is guaranteed in government contracts, the paychecks could come very slowly. There will also probably be time delays for approvals of aspects of jobs because there may be multiple decision makers involved. Sometimes similarly, one decision maker might turn a job down and cause you to lose a contract.

Often with government contracts there is also a great deal of paperwork, so you will probably spend a lot of time filling out documentation and forms.

As an IT consulting firm, you should look into all the advantages and disadvantages of government contracts in order to insure less frustration and greater benefits.

Created By: Computer Consulting Kit

IT Service Agreements Involve Keeping Promises

If you are just starting to offer significant IT service agreements, you might be afraid you won’t be able to deliver the promises involved to your clients. The scariest thing for consultants offering IT service agreements is the thought of not being able to give short-term support to paying clients.

PLAN AHEAD

The best way to deal with the fear of IT service agreements is to figure out what you can do today by making an inventory skills list, examining what competitors are doing and figure out where you are lacking. You need to figure out which of your services will be most useful to small business clients, what services and solutions competing firms are offering and how you can work on your weaker areas. Then you can determine how to use what you learn in your IT service agreements.

CERTIFICATIONS

When you are working with small businesses, you can expect them to be a couple years behind. Therefore, if your technicians aren’t well-versed on the newest versions of certain software packages, you will still be able to offer stellar service because the businesses won’t have them either.

The basic certification that you can expect to need when offering IT service agreements to small businesses is the basic MCP, the Microsoft Certified Professional. This will be valuable whether they are certified on desktops or servers. Most small businesses cannot tell the difference between advanced and basic certifications.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101

Solution Provider PQI Introduces New "Intelligent Stick"

Taiwan-based solution provider PQI recently introduced its new “Intelligent Stick Combo SD” that complies with both SD and USB 2.0/1/1 specifications. With many capabilities, those in the industry are remarking that this new Intelligent Stick can be called both a USB drive flash card and a flash USB drive/card.

The combination interface of the Intelligent Stick is convenient for users because they can use it directly on SD devices as well as PC/notebook computers without having to use a card reader. PQI chose this interface because of the popularity of the SD card in many of today’s handheld devices. The SD card has been revised many times, and has become the most popular flash card for MP3’s, mobile phones, digital cameras, PDA’s and many other new devices.

The combination of SD interface with solution provider PQI’s own Intelligent Stick interface makes it the only product of its kind on the market. The stick interface works with USB 2.0/1/1 qualifications meaning it can be taken out of an SD compatible device such as a phone or an MP3 and plugged directly into a PC or notebook.

Solution provider PQI continues to be a leading provider of complete packages for today’s many versatile hand-held devices.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Network Consulting Service Onsite Chicago Adds Goodman Packing to Client List

Chicago-based network consulting services firm Onsite Chicago added Goodman Packaging to its list of IT clients. The packaging company will not rely on Onsite Chicago for all its network and computer repair services.

Onsite Chicago will help Goodman Packaging by giving advice to the medium-sized business on how to leverage its network infrastructure in a cost-effective way. The network consulting services firm will use expert consultants with expertise in many different computer issues to provide on-going support for the company’s complicated infrastructure.

A spokesperson for Onsite Chicago states that they have divided Goodman’s project into three parts: securing the network infrastructure; providing an on-going solution; and implementing a response system that will work onw and in the future. The company states this was a challenging project to assess, and the network consulting firm had to provide an audit analysis, evaluate options that would fit a strict budget and implement very strict parameters for the project. The project will be completed within the year.

Goodman Packaging is one of only several companies in the Chicago area that will provide high-speed wireless options for its employees and clients. Onsite Chicago is planning to add an enterprise-wide security package that will help with security and filtering along with anti-virus initiatives. The backup strategy will include a live packet filtering system.

Goodman Packaging Equipment (GPE) has offered case packaging solutions to clients for 35 years. Onsite Chicago offers business technology and network consulting services for many companies throughout the Chicago, IL area. The company has over 1700 Gold Subscribed clients and provides service to many different types of companies, from large construction to small architectural start-ups.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

Partnering and the Prospecting List

Creating a partner prospecting list will help you with your partnering goal. A prospecting list can be created quite easily. Simply write down the next 12 months on a piece of paper, starting with the current month. For each month, write down the following:

1. The name of a person
2. The name of a company
3. The type of role the company or person plays.

Obviously you probably don’t know 12 people or companies that you’d like to engage in partnering with or you would be already engaged, but you probably know some people to fill in at least a couple slots. If you know three non-competing technology providers, for example, in your area and have spoken with those people at events, trainings or meetings you probably should take the opportunity to talk with them about partnering in the near future.

FILLING IN PARTNERING SLOTS

In order to work on filling in the remaining partnering slots, you will need to figure out what you want to do and what you can do in your business. What gaps are there? What have small business clients asked you to do in the past or what will they ask you to do in the future that you have been or will be unable to do with your current business? The people that might be able to help you with these questions should go in the remaining slots on your prospecting list.

PARTNERING WITH SOMEONE THAT CAN DO WHAT YOU CANNOT

You can figure out what type of partner you need by thinking about your weaknesses and the gaps in your experience. Finding someone in partnering that can fill in the gaps can help save you time and energy and can improve your business. Once you find prospects, put them on the list and plan when you will call them to discuss opportunities.

Once you make a list of twelve people, plot out a priority schedule to meet with all of them within the next twelve months. A well-planned prospecting list can lead to fruitful partnerships.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

IT Consultation and Essential Skills: Do You Have the Right Tools?

In order to be involved in IT consultation, you need to have essential process skills. These tools of the trade are far more important to IT consultation than simply having technical abilities. A consultant needs to have interviewing skills, group skills and negotiation skills. A good consultant also needs to be capable of collecting and interpreting data and also must have mastery of time management.

CAN YOU INTERVIEW?

Success in IT consultation requires trustworthy client relationships. Interviewing techniques can help clearly establish client needs. Being adept at asking the right interview questions of clients can also help the clients themselves better identify their own issues.

TEAM WORK

In IT consultation, you have to be able to work well with groups of people. As a consultant, you will be expected to manage disagreements and keep group discussions flowing and focused. Providing a positive and open atmosphere will help ensure success.

NEGOTIATE

The process of negotiation starts before the project itself. An IT consultation firm has to negotiate a contract, a timeline for completing a project and the right fees. You will take your negotiation skills to the project too in order to determine who will be involved and how the tasks will be completed.

COLLECTING AND INTERPRETING DATA

Successful IT consultation firms use different data collection tools and have methods for making observations. Interviewing employees, giving out surveys or even facilitating group discussions will help you get valuable feedback.

Once you collect the data, you need to be able to interpret it and manage both relevant and irrelevant information. You may need to have knowledge of statistics. Interpreting data well will help achieve a positive outcome.

MANAGING TIME

The last important IT consultation skill is time management. You need to be able to complete projects in a timely fashion within the projected budget. Delays will cause your firm to lose money, and you need to be able to prioritize in order to finish tasks as promised.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Defining Terms of IT Service Agreements

In order to gain the trust of your customers, you need to plan in advance for IT service agreements. Important items such as clear benefits and prices will help you sell IT service agreements to future clients.

RATE CARDS

A rate card is simply a short, one-page sheet that displays your typical prices in contrast to prices you offer under IT service agreements. This is your chance to display a marketing summary of your benefits. You should brainstorm at the very least six benefits to signing IT service agreements instead of paying hourly.

Most important is that you know what you are doing well before you go on the sales call and communicate absolute professionalism. You will want to offer IT service agreements for smaller clients that only cost a couple hundred dollars per month. For slightly larger clients, $800 to $1000 is a competitive rate, whereas the biggest clients will expect to pay $2,500 monthly.

TRAVELLING DISTANCE

If you typically serve customers that fall within 10 to 15 miles away, you might have to expand your reach. Most of your competitors will be happy traveling 45 minutes to an hour outside their immediate range, and you will have to find a way that economically lets you do the same. You are acting reasonably if you charge for travel time, a VAN charge or a fixed charge for showing up. These extras will compensate for some of your travel time, gas and transportation expenses. Minimums can also be enforced, which can range from one hour up to a half-day’s worth of rates.

SMALL BUSINESSES AND IT SERVICE AGREEMENTS

Solid small business accounts are the lifeblood of your company. You would have to have a couple hundred home networking customers to equal 10 or 15 IT service contracts purchased by small businesses. Since all customers expect the same service, whether they are paying you $300 a year or $300 a week, it is more worth your time and effort to find small business customers that will purchase IT service agreements with you and spend regularly. With these types of regular customers, you will be able to give the best service and response time.

Added By: Joshua Feinberg

Computer Service Repair Employees and Compensation

Computer service repair managers need to compensate hard-working computer service repair employees. A good manager will be aware of the different types of compensation and be able to offer the best package for employees as soon as they are hired. There are several different types of compensation plans, including hourly wage, salary, commission, and pay-for-performance.

HOURLY WAGE

This type of compensation allows a business to pay directly for the time computer service repair employees put into the job. This type works well with entry-level and part-time employees. Managers can increase the wage after an employee has more experience or after a certain amount of time.

PAYING A SALARY

Paying computer service repair employees a salary works quite similarly to paying them an hourly wage, but it allows for long-term possibilities and gives employees a sense of job security. Salaries should include a cost-of-living raise annually.

COMMISSION

The commission method is not very well-suited for computer service repair employees because it caters to driven, enthusiastic sales people. Customer service is vital to computer service repair, and pushing sales does not make for good long-term relationships with clients.

PAY FOR PERFORMANCE

This type of compensation is excellent for the computer service repair business. It offers a small base salary for each employee, and then lets the rest of the compensation depend upon individual performance. This method allows for monthly bonuses for referral business, good reviews, etc.

Computer service repair employees also benefit from combinations of the above compensation plans. For example, managers might use a salary plus a bonus stock option plan.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101

Solution Providers Note Dangers of Running Windows on Macs

Solution providers assert that Apple’s decision to ease Intel-based Mac users’ experience by allowing them to install and run Windows XP could cause some security problems. According to Apple advocates and partners, customers often decide to use Mac computers instead of PC’s because they want to avoid the security issues associated with Windows and other PC-based operating systems. Solution providers are advising that running Windows XP on Mac computers increases the risk of infecting a computer with malware.

Even though most Apple users are well aware of the problems with Windows security, and typically use Apple operating systems to avoid them, experts think that some customers choosing to run Windows on Macs will still have problems, even if they take all possible precautions. Solution providers cannot quite understand why those with Mac machines, that already provide easy file compatibility with PC’s would want to run Windows and advise against it.

Others in the computer industry are very curious about what might happen with the new Windows-based Macs and what the interaction between Windows and OS X will mean for the future of viruses and malware, specifically rootkits that have cropped up with OS X systems. A rootkit is malware that can install problem programs underneath the OS and can allow installation of hidden files and interception of a user’s online activity and network data.

Apple has issued a warning on its website for Intel Mac users prompted by expert advice of solution providers, stating that those using Windows will now be vulnerable to the same types of problems as those using Windows on PC’s.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

Computer Business Innovations: New Snack Line Appeals to Internet Users

New to the computer business world is a new computer-themed snack line geared towards Internet users and computer professionals. Initiated by husband and wife team Joe and Angela Potts, the line of products will be specifically marketed towards computer business professionals and Internet lovers.

The first released candy will be “Dot.Coms,” milk chocolate dots followed by “Hacker Snackers” which will be shaped like various computer business hardware components, including floppy disks, mice and computer towers. Joe Potts decided to put out the snack line after spending years running a computer consulting business and computer business store. He states that the snacking habits of his former computer business employees gave him the idea.

The product line has been in the making for five years, and will be shelved on thousands of stores nationwide within the month. Potts stated that the company is currently manufacturing the product at an Ohio chocolate factory, but shipping, packaging and marketing is being done elsewhere. He hopes to expand the product line to at least twelve products and would like to see the entire manufacturing process move to the same location as his business in Harrisburg, PA.

The business devoted to bringing snacks to those in the computer business currently has twelve employees, but Potts expects opportunities to grow, due to the fact that he is already having to turn down offers made by stores wanting to stock the product.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Computer Consultants and Perks of Self-Employment

Computer consultants for small businesses can enjoy great personal and financial rewards along with many other benefits.

CHOOSING YOUR OWN WORK

Because you have so much flexibility as part of the growing number of computer consultants, you will have many options available to you that will keep you busy and allow you to make your own decisions about which technologies you sell, service and support. You don’t ever have to work with products that don’t excite you or keep you interested.

STAYING IN YOUR AREA

Your location is unimportant when you are part of the world of computer consultants. If there are small businesses in your area in any industry, you can build a great business with them supporting IT needs. While financial rewards are a part of this experience, an even bigger part is being able to stay in your local area and avoid hassles like commuting and traveling to places where you don’t know people well.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE

Simply put, computer consultants get to choose their own bosses, clients, colleagues, partners, vendors and contractors. They have absolute control over their own network.

SELF-SCHEDULING

Computer consultants get the opportunity to set their own working hours and decide when to be on-call. As a consultant, you can choose the perfect clients for you that will let you work realistic hours and avoid feeling like you are just working constantly.

BOOSTING SELF-WORTH

IT consultants serve small businesses without IT departments that need your help and to trust you implicitly. Because, as their part-time virtual IT person, you are their main contact and support, they will rely on you and you will feel the weight and importance of this role. Being self-employed can be rewarding, exciting and help you enjoy getting up every morning.

Added by: Joshua Feinberg

Computer Service Repair Business and Providing Customer Service During All Aspects of a Sale

Customer service is a crucial part of the computer service repair business, because computer service repair is about working with customers to solve problems. All aspects of computer repair should be focused on the customer and his problem. There are three phases of customer service, and very often the first and last are ignored. The most important phases are customer service before the repair, during the computer service repair and after the service.

PRE-SALE CUSTOMER SERVICE

As a computer service repair employee scheduling an appointment, you need to be mindful of the customer because your contact will be his first impression of the company. A customer who feels taken care-of will feel comfortable and be less anxious about the outcome of the service.

RESPONDING TO THE CUSTOMER DURING THE SALE

A computer service repair technician should arrive at a job prepared to solve customer problems. As a computer service repair technician, you will be expected to listen carefully to concerns and provide valuable responses. You need to report delays and speak in terms your customers will understand and not in excessively technical jargon that will leave them bewildered.

AFTER THE SALE

Following up with customers after a sale is critical to good customer service. Just because a computer service repair is done doesn’t mean the relationship is over. Your customers should feel comfortable calling you with follow-up questions and concerns, and you should be prepared to return to fix problems that may not have been previously repaired. Think about writing hand-written thank-you notes as part of the customer service campaign.

Every aspect of the computer service repair business is centered on customer service. Getting feedback from customers can help you make changes and improvements so you can help ensure referrals and calls for repeat business.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

Solution Providers Note Cross-Platform Virus

A Russian security company found a virus on Friday capable of infecting open-source Linux or Microsoft Windows systems. The virus has many solution providers preparing to manage this new outbreak, and more specifically others for which it opens the door.

The virus is called “Linux.Bi.a” and “Win32.Bi.a” and does no damage to systems; it is merely a proof-of-concept that outlines a cross-platform virus. According to solution providers and the security company, once codes like this are released, those that write viruses typically take the code and make it into new strains.

The SANS Institute’s Internet Storm Center agreed with the idea that this code will open new doors. Researchers claim that the emergence of this virus code is an indication that cross-platform ideas are becoming important, and that virus developers will soon start to create more cross-platform malware. Those creating malicious websites have already started to target those that use specific browsers and platforms, and these new codes are just a logical next step.

According to research, the Linux.Bi.a/Win32.Bi.a virus is capable of infecting either Linux ELF binaries or files in Windows with the “.exe” file extension.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Computer Consulting News: Salesforce.com Experiences Significant Crashes

On Thursday, one day after Salesforce.com offered a press release commending itself for favorable uptime in the past month, it experienced a crash that caused the company’s CRM service to be out of touch for computer consulting firms and others that rely on the service for most of the day.

The website page cites that the outage began at 8:11 a.m. and was caused by a cache server problem. Restarting servers did not solve resolve the issue, causing Salesforce.com to experience a longer delay than initially expected. Many Computer consulting firms stated the outage lasted for several hours.

Salesforce.com has been attempting to recover from bad word-of-mouth that occurred due to similar outages in December and January. The timing of the outage was very bad for Salesforce.com also because its rival NetSuite released version 11 on the same day as the problems occurred. According to securities analysts, the crashes call Salesforce.com’s awareness and knowledge of its own systems seriously into question.

Although customers, including computer consulting firms and others have not necessarily been switching to other companies as a result of the recent reliability issues, many are said to be considering new options, which will make Salesforce.com’s marketing to new customers difficult.

The company placed an apology for the outage on the status website, although company spokespeople were unreachable as of Friday.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Tips for Succeeding as an IT Consultant

Technological advances have made IT consultant work a viable option for many with computer skills. Though starting a life as an IT consultant, like making any other business move involves risks, it has many benefits. As an IT consultant just starting out, you will undoubtedly run into the situation of having the expertise but no clients. By adhering to the following tips, you can be successfully self-employed as an IT consultant.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING

Word-of-mouth is not a good enough strategy for obtaining continued business. You need to put a concerted effort into marketing and advertising persistently, because the IT consultant world is incredibly competitive. If you offer unique services, you will set yourself apart from your business rivals and attract more business.

A marketing firm is a viable option for a start-up and can help steer your course by giving you radio or television spots or handling magazine/newspaper ads and press releases. Though this idea may seem like a large investment at the beginning, in the long run it could be invaluable and save you precious time.

THE BUSINESS PLAN

You need a clear business plan from the beginning with a definition of goals and objectives and of the products and services you will give clients as an IT consultant. Decide important elements such as how much your rates will be and how you will go about charging customers.

You will need to tailor-make a marketing and ad campaign for your target audience and track this campaign to determine the best and most productive techniques.

Your budget will be the most important element of your business plan, and you will need a cushion of approximately 25% of the budget to prepare for surprise costs.

PATIENCE AND TIME FOR GROWTH

IT consultants are in high demand, but every business needs time to grow. Get the funding in place to bring you through the initial ebbs and flows and keep in mind that it can take anywhere from several months to a year to really build your business to a comfortable level. You should find a mentor to help you – someone who has been through the process of starting a business before.

Becoming an IT consultant can be profitable and interesting. By creating a business plan, focusing on marketing and allowing time for the business to grow you can find the right path for you.

Created By: Joshua Feinberg

Computer Service Company Motivational Tips

Praise is very important to master for computer service company managers. When it is not used in the right way, it can be detrimental to a computer service company. There are five tips to help managers effectively deliver praise: use praise sparingly; be sincere; specify; ask for advice; praise in public. As a computer service company manager, you want to deliver praise in a way that will be perceived by employees as honest and inspiring.

USING PRAISE SPARINGLY

Too much praise can feel phony to employees. A computer service company that praises every single completed task will find employees ignoring comments after a while. Praise should only be delivered when it is deserved in order to guarantee maximum impact.

SINCERITY

The praise you give as a computer service company supervisor should be completely genuine. If you are over-the-top or too understated, an employee will not believe you, and the effect of the praise will be a negative one.

SPECIFICITY

Simply telling a staff member that he/she has done well is not enough. You need to provide details on why the job was a success in order to show the employee you mean the compliment. Providing specific details will also help motivate the employee to replicate the job in the future.

ASK FOR ADVICE

As a computer service company manager, you can help offer praise by asking en employee for advice from time-to time. This will make the staff member feel he/she is a part of the company. Be prepared to use the advice when it is given, and if the advice does not seem viable, ask questions of the employee so he/she can come up with the best plan.

PUBLIC PRAISE

You should always try to deliver compliments to individual employees in the presence of other computer service company staff so you can further motivate both the employee being praised and the entire team. Others will work to follow the lead of an employee that has done a good job.

Delivering compliments in effective ways will help any computer service company grow and succeed. A well-motivated and hard-working team is the cornerstone of a successful business.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Starting Information Technology Consultant Projects

The first step in information technology consultant projects is initial client contact. The client’s first impression of you will help him decide if he is going to sign a contract, so the beginning consultations are critical.

THE BEGINNING

Each projects starts well before the contract is signed. You need to figure out what your goals are during initial contact with the client, and plan out the first meeting with this prospect should be well planned so that a decision can be reached quickly and favorably.

CONTACTING THE CLIENT

Typically a client will make first contact with an information technology consultant by phone or e-mail. This moment is the first impression for the prospect of you and your company and should be treated carefully. If you can’t make a connection during this time, there will never be a first meeting.

During this first contact period, an information technology consultant is also interviewing the client; if he can’t meet his needs, he shouldn’t pursue the project. If the project seems feasible, the information technology consultant can get all the information required for the first meeting. You need to start to determine the problem and the reason the client is coming to you to determine an initially short plan.

FIRST MEETING

The ultimate goal of a first client meeting is to build a relationship, which will require open and honest communication. You are not giving a presentation, rather listening to your client’s needs and responding with the best plan for you as an information technology consultant based on the details you receive. Make sure the client knows he is of the utmost importance in this process.

This meeting also requires the presence of the major decision makers in the company. While this is not always possible, you should encourage it in future meetings to ease the process.

The final goal of the first meeting between a business and you as an information technology consultant is to get a decision about the project. You might not be needed at this time, or the client might want to move forward. A client might also need to meet again with decision makers on his own to make a final decision. Regardless, you need to get a solid commitment and, if necessary a scheduled meeting out of the client before you leave.

Preparing for the initial contact with a client will assure that the steps in the process towards signing a contract go as smoothly as possible.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

Computer Service Company Management Requires a Leadership Style

As a computer service company manager, you need to know about different styles of leadership and learn to use one that will motivate your employees best. The four different types of styles that can be used by computer service company management are dictatorial, analytical, opinion seeking and democratic. While most managers will want to use the democratic style, there are other times when computer service company management has to use one of the others to get a job done correctly.

DICTATORIAL

If you choose this style of management, you make all decisions on your own and take responsibility for any risks. A manager using the dictatorial technique will be controlling and discouraging of teamwork, but will be most capable of getting through a crisis. It can produce a negative and stifling work environment, so it should be used very infrequently.

ANALYTICAL

The analytical leader analyzes and collects data and observes in order to figure out the best methods. This style is a good management style for times when a quick decision needs to be made, but gives no time for teamwork and group solutions.

OPINION SEEKING

A computer service company is built around valuable employees, and a manager that uses the opinion seeking style is showing great respect for his workers. This style involves asking each team member for suggestions, which increases morale and builds confidence. It takes a great deal of time and patience, but is worth it if there is time.

DEMOCRATIC STYLE

The democratic style is much like opinion seeking, but involves group rather than individual opinions. This should be the style used regularly by computer service company management because it encourages employees to take ownership of their work and work harder to achieve goals.

As a computer service company manager, you need to be ready to motivate team members by using the democratic process and opinion-seeking will make the times when the dictatorial or analytical styles are necessary pass more quickly and efficiently. Consider the needs of each employee and be prepared to offer more guidance and support when necessary.

Added By: Computer Consulting Kit

Computer Consulting News: Open-X change Releases New Samba Extension

Open-X change announced to the computer consulting world that it will now offer an extension for Samba called “OX-tender” that will give users total access to Windows Server long-on, file and print services without the hassle of Windows Server. The product was announced in January, but is just now shipping it in April.

According to Frank Basanta, director of technology at Systems Solutions, a major New-York-based computer consulting firm the new product is excellent. He states that he has already begun to implement the beta version of the OX-tender product into the systems of many clients, and they have been very pleased with the way it handles.

Open-X change used with the new OX-tender software can not use Samba instead of Windows NT 4.0 servers or Exchange Server 5.5 servers to connect simply to Windows workstations.

Samba is an often-used open-source project that makes it easier for Linux and Windows to work together. With Samba, e-mail messages, documents and files can be put in a single place, simplifying administrative processes.

The maintenance cost for OX-tender is $250 per year for 25 users, and support for every user beyond that is just $5 per year. The Samba Extender requires Open-Exchange’s 5.0 server, which costs approximately $850 per year for 25 users.

Open-X change also stated recently that it added 100 mobile phones and other devices to its SyncML Oxtender and will offer free support for them through January 2007.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Solution Providers Discouraged by Cancelled Merger

Solution providers are disheartened by the announced end of a merger between security vendors Check Point Software Technologies and Sourcefire. The two companies decided to call of their merger at the advice of government regulators last month. Check Point, a company based in Israel and headquartered in California announced their plans to buy Sourcefire, the Snort intrusion-prevention product manufacturer last October. The deal was supposed to be completed in the first quarter of 2006.

The U.S. government was concerned about security during this time related to international acquisitions of companies in their country and suggested to the two companies that there would be significant approval delays for the merger. While Check Point spokespeople stated that they could still legally pursue this particular merger, they have been discouraged enough by the predictions that they are looking for opportunities elsewhere.

Sourcefire intends to build and grow its channel program and revisit existing relationships with partners. Solutions providers are frustrated with the end of this deal, as they now will not be able to add Sourcefire to their list of security options. Snort had the potential to help Check Point and other companies get into a previously unreachable international security market.

The merger cancellation is thought to have been at least in part influenced by the recent problems associated with the Dubai ports deal. The U.S. government has recently been wary of allowing companies with Israeli connections to acquire United States-based companies, particularly those in the security realm. Despite Check Point’s success in U.S. government security projects and its National Security Agency certification, government agencies still prohibit many U.S. companies from using the company’s software.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting Kit

Computer Reseller Business: Effective Recourse Policies

As a professional in the computer reseller business, you need to create strong recourse policies to handle any customer complaints. If these policies are clear and in place, you can have satisfied customers and a good reputation even if you run into snags along the way.

ELEMENTS OF COMPUTER RESELLER BUSINESS RECOURSE POLICIES

The most effective recourse policies give the customer a sense of total control. Listen to concerns, apologize for any inconveniences and quickly fix the problem. Taking action in this way will help build a positive relationship in the computer reseller business and give a customer the opportunity to get his needs best met.

A GOOD ADVISOR

Consulting an advisor can help a computer reseller business build its reputation. Choose someone that has a strong presence in the community and put the advisor’s name on all brochures, on the website and on the letterheads. Customers will trust you more as a business connected with a well-respected community leader.

THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU

Joining the Better Business Bureau or another similar community group is also important for a computer reseller business. But do more than just join; attend meetings and activities to gain insight into how to better deal with customers and run your business.

EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT

Employees handling customers on a daily basis need to be involved in the development and execution of recourse policies. You can get valuable information and feedback from employees. Some team members might be overworked or may be in need of new supplies or critical tools. Open communication will make employees comfortable with the sharing process, and they will work harder to find solutions before they think about complaining.

Customer recourse policies are vital to every computer reseller business. Responding to customer complaints quickly and efficiently and making yourself accountable will help promote customer satisfaction.

Blogged By: Joshua Feinberg

An Information Technology Consultant Can Make Business Easy for Customers

As an information technology consultant, you can assure that you get more repeat customers by making it easy for them to do business with you. An information technology consultant that makes work seem easy for clients will also gain a good reputation within his community.

SIMPLICITY IS KEY

As an information technology consultant, you need to keep it simple for every customer in order to get through to him. Techniques for making things easy for your customer include quick phone response, immediate e-mail contact and in-home visits.

QUICK PHONE AND E-MAIL RESPONSE

Many customers have probably already spent time with other informational technology consultant firms waiting for customer service to speak with them. You can make yourself stand out by ensuring this never happens to your prospects. Make it a policy to return calls yourself within two hours or less; your prospects will feel more important, and be more receptive to your proposals. You should apply the same quick-time response to e-mails. You can give customers the option of sending you e-mails or even set up a website to manage their questions and concerns.

IN-HOME CONSULTATIONS

An information technology consultant can boost business with in-home or in-office visits. You should schedule a specific time to meet with the client, rather than giving a three-hour window of possible times you or one of your consultants will show up on-site. When a customer has to block off an entire time period, he feels inconvenienced. If you can’t finish the work you propose within the appointment time, offer to take work back with you to your office.

CONVENIENCE

Convenience is key for customers in the information technology consultant market. You can achieve this through a website that allows clients to contact you at any time to comment on their concerns. You can implement items such as a scheduling page that lets people schedule appointments without having to wait for a return call. You can also use this space to include a FAQ page or other information.

Convenience is also part of an in-home or office visit. A client can go on working while you, the consultant work on solving problems, and the client doesn’t have to drive anywhere.

Making business both easy and convenient for your customers as an information technology consultant will help build a long relationship and give you a positive reputation that will bring more customers to you in the future.

Added By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Computer Business Sued by Microsoft

Microsoft recently filed a lawsuit against an Ashland Kentucky-based computer business stating the company violated copyright law by putting unlicensed programs on many of the computers it was selling. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Ashland.

According to the lawsuit, Ashland computer company Affordable Computers is accused of copyright and trademark infringement and for misrepresenting Microsoft packaging. If Micrsoft wins the lawsuit, it will be eligible to receive any profits that the small used computer business made on transactions involving any of the allegedly illegally installed programs.

Affordable Computers owner William Faris states that it was never his intention to cheat Microsoft out of profits, and that the lawsuit is completely unfounded since most of his computers are government surplus computers that have Windows 98 installed. He is uncertain as to why his small computer business is being targeted, since they specialize in selling computers that cost less than $200 apiece. Since they are not the latest machines, and are geared towards new computer users or those that need inexpensive extra computers for small businesses or their homes, Faris is confused as to why Microsoft would take notice.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101

IT Consultants: Learning Tree Offers Class for IT Professionals

Learning Tree International, a worldwide provider of education and training for IT consultants and other professionals in business and government organizations is offering a new course for IT consultants looking to take the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Foundation Certification test. This class, which takes place over the course of three days is called “ITIL: Achieving Foundation Certification” and is led by an expert that helps participants take a close and detailed look at all the different ITIL processes and functions. Learning Tree also facilitates the exam itself at the end of the class, and IT consultants are issued their certification if they pass.

Participating IT consultants explore the following components of ITIL:

1. Evaluating best practices in IT Service Management in the context of ITIL
2. Assessing the activities and roles of every ITIL process
3. Exploring the parts of Service Support and Service Delivery Processes
4. Recognizing important IT Service Management language
5. Identifying ITIL security issues

Spokespeople for Learning Tree state that the course is critical for IT consultants, because it is the first to fully explore the specific details that are on the ITIL Foundation Certification exam. This certification can help those in every area of IT service management, from managers and staff to project managers, IT consultants, business users and CIO’s. This course began across North America in March 2006, and will be available in Europe this month.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit

Motivating Computer Service Company Operations Employees

As a computer service company manager, it’s your job to motivate your employees. You need to be familiar with the many motivational strategies in order to assure your computer service company runs smoothly. Your business will enjoy more success if your employees enjoy their jobs and feel pushed to do their best.

HOW TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES

A successful motivational strategy will recognize an employee’s work, make him feel in control of his job and be satisfying for him. The following techniques can be used to help managers get the most out of their computer service company staff: make the job worker-friendly; evaluate jobs that aren’t challenging or are monotonous; involve workers in every aspect of the job, including the planning process.

WORKER-FRIENDLY JOBS

A computer service company will undoubtedly come across unenthusiastic employees at some point. The lack of enthusiasm can be attributed to a variety of factors; he might be in the office all day, or just in charge of one part of the business. Any of these factors can make for an incredibly dull workday, and as a responsible manager you will need to reevaluate this employee’s job and try to make it more worker-friendly. Maybe you can diversify the parts the employee is in charge of servicing. Regardless of what you do, the goal is to help the employee feel a sense of accomplishment and be more interested in his job.

ENRICHMENT

When you enrich a job, you rework it to make it more challenging or diversify the tasks involved. Train employees stuck answering phones all day in the office to complete other aspects of business, such as sales outside that give him direct contact with customers. Training employees in this way will also allow you to be more flexible with job assignments.

TOTAL INVOLVEMENT

As a manager you can motivate his team further by allowing staff to help him set weekly goals, quotas or business standards. The team members will know what they can achieve and will set goals for themselves rather than backing out because they don’t know what to expect. Give your employees the chance to work independently to set goals and step in only when necessary. Your employees will be pushed to work harder and your computer service company will be more likely to grow and thrive.

Blogged By: Computer Consulting 101

Computer Reseller Business Marketing: Gauging Your Store's Physical Appearance

Maintaining a good physical appearance is very important for computer reseller business owners. Customers will base many of their important decisions on how your store looks, and you have to step into their shoes when gauging your store’s appearance. The following three factors impact how a customer will view your computer reseller business: cleanliness; smell; and clutter.

IS YOUR STORE CLEAN?

Customers will view the cleanliness of your store as a method for determining how competent the management is. Stores in the computer reseller business are often dirty, and customers will probably expect yours to be too when they walk in the door. They imagine that because repairs are being made in the shop, there will be dust on the computers and that employees will be dressed informally. If you focus on a spotless environment with employees dressed sharply and even in uniform, they will be pleasantly surprised, and you will stand out. Also be vigilant about cleaning your bathrooms.

SMELL

The smell of your computer reseller business is often something owners don’t think about, but it can affect the image of the store profoundly. It should not smell like a repair shop, cleaning products or oils. You should think about providing baked goods and coffee for clients to enjoy while they look through your inventory; the smell of these products will be pleasant and will help persuade people to stay and see what you have to offer.

CLUTTER

When you are tying to get rid of clutter in your computer reseller business, begin with the storefront window. Showcase only the products that will be most likely to attract customers. The next stop in removing clutter is the retail space. Products should be organized and displayed in a helpful way. Storage areas should also be neatly kept so employees can more easily find products and efficiently help customers.


ADDED BY: Computer Consulting Kit