Danger in your Data Center

Last April I wrote about the risks of using the Windows XP desktop operating system after Microsoft support for that system expired. On July 15, another important Microsoft operating system is reaching the end of its supported life: Windows Server 2003. This presents a far more severe risk for your business.

One reason is simply the potential scope of impact. Unlike a desktop computer, a server hosts an application or database across an entire department, line of business or even the whole company. The scope is compounded for small businesses because many extend their hardware investment by running multiple applications and databases across one server.

The second factor, a potentially larger risk, is increased exposure to a data breach. After July 15, security updates will no longer be available for Server 2003. This means any new exploits could provide a doorway into your company’s most sensitive data.

Read this article in it's entirety at the Sacramento Business Journal >>>

Reduce the Risk of Buying the Wrong Technology

We've all experienced the pain of buying a new technology to solve a problem and then discovering it didn't meet our expectations, was incompatible with other devices or software, or a better alternative existed, maybe at a better price. The pain might be a sting if it's a consumer item that costs a few hundred dollars. The pain is very different if it's a business technology that costs the organization tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A request for proposal, or RFP, is the tool I recommend to minimize risks of buying the wrong technology or hiring the wrong provider.

Read this article in it's entirety at Sacramento Business Journal>>>

How to staff small business IT departments

I consistently see small organizations struggling to staff their IT departments. The struggle often is rooted in budget constraints resulting in only one or two full-time positions within the department. That means squeezing a multitude of roles and skillsets into the positions and then attempting to fill the highly diverse yet specialized roles from a limited pool of applicants who can meet the demands.

Doing more with less is a necessary mantra of most small businesses. So what strategies should small businesses use to properly staff their IT departments?

Read this article in it's entirety at Sacramento Business Journal>>>

Six signs of trouble in your IT department

Regardless of the type of consulting engagement, the company size or sector, executives ask me the same question: How does my information technology department compare to those in other companies?

It is easy to compare IT spending with companies of similar size or type. Every company captures this data at some level, so it's easy to share and compare this data through market-research firms.

The difficult part is determining performance and comparing it against other organizations. One reason is these metrics aren't as standardized within IT as more evolved functions of the business. Also, most companies don't do a good job at capturing these metrics. Even if they do, few share their data.

Read this article in it's entirety at Sacramento Business Journal>>>

Is Today's Internet Ready for Tomorrow's Innovation?

The Internet is an amazing network, but in its current state is it capable of sustaining the innovation pipeline of tomorrow's technologies and services? Let's look at three evolutions that will drastically increase the future demands of the Internet.

Evolution #1 - The Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things is essentially how non-traditional computing devices (devices excluding PCs, tablets and smartphones) can be managed, monitored and/or measured using computing and networking technologies.

Read this article in it's entirety on LinkedIn>>>

Do you know which cloud you're buying?

Plenty of ambiguity still exists around what exactly is the cloud. The ambiguity creates a lack of transparency and ultimately confusion for buyers. My theory on the root of this confusion is we all reference one cloud, but in reality we have two clouds, an enterprise cloud and a consumer cloud. Do you know which cloud you've bought or plan to buy? This post offers a tool to quickly assess your cloud type. I'll then run the tool against some the biggest players in the cloud to find out where they fall.

 Read this article in it's entirety on LinkedIn>>>

What is the “right” Information Technology for my Business?

The biggest information technology (IT) problem any company faces is how to find, evaluate and select the “right” information technology. The problem is compounded by the rapid evolution of information technology and the extensive options bombarding businesses.

I help startups and small businesses tackle this problem in the Sacramento SCORE class “How to Improve your Business through Technology”. The class teaches a framework for the discovery, evaluation and selection of technology that drives the three most important things in business; people, process and product. If people, process and product are an unfamiliar concept, one of the best and most entertaining ways to learn about this concept is to watch Marcus Lemonis on CNBC’s “The Profit”.