The principal aim of this article is to identify and explore multiple dimensions of project failures during the entire life of project execution.

Many projects fail. The only way that companies can get better at performing projects is by learning from projects they have carried out. There are small things that can decide the fate of the project.

These all in project management practice and research has been to see it as a threat and as something that should, if possible, be neutralized, reduced and followed.

Question – “Did the project deliver the results and quality we expected?“

Answers to this question could be different from a different perspective. There is no single method or organizational structure that can be used to manage projects to success.

Project failure can happen in any organization.

There are many reasons why projects (both simple and complex) fail; the number of reasons can be infinite and can fit into a different phase of SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle), initiation through go live.

Sometimes it’s out of the control of a project manager and/or the team members. Sometimes failure is controllable. Failed projects and people involved with the failure have some things in common.

From an outside view, it could be that all reason will roll up to the manager’s responsibility and accountability however from my perspective it should be a collective responsibility.

Here are some of the common reasons why the project fails.

1. Incompetent Project Manager

The first possible cause of project failure is the manager. A manager who helps steer the project in a timely fashion and provides sound, inspiring leadership can go a long way toward bringing about a successful project.

Reasons like “an incompetent manager” “project manager unwilling to make decisions,” “problems ignored”, “poor management by the leader,” “loss of control by the manager,” and “the failure of the manager to delegate”, “working as only as coordinator” are the most important reason given for project failure.

2. Less Involvement of Project Managers

This is always a topic of debate for managers: Should they just focus on pure management activities such as reporting, cost and issue tracking, or should they also dive into ground-level review and design?

There is no correct answer. Even the biggest project depends on the success of the smallest components. Every detail contains a seed that can mean the difference between success and failure.

On relatively inexperienced teams, managers must be involved in the details for key activities. This will help them have better control of the effort as well as provide the true status of the project to stakeholders.

3. Unavailability to Skilled Resources

Every project has some resource estimations before starting the project and even every vendor submits key personnel details and profiles as part of the bidding process to acquire the project.

However, the picture is always opposite once the project is awarded. Initial resource estimations and loading sheet handed over to project managers as part of sales hand over process

but I have seen that managers always struggle for the right skilled resources hence it is necessary that the leadership team should understand the criticality and provide planned/skilled resources on time to avoid project delay or failure.

4. Lack of Proper Planning

Project managers should have clear outcomes visibility and should involve himself./herself right from sales hand over as this phase is critical for project success.

If you don’t have a clear focus at the earliest stage of the process/project, you are making things harder on yourself. This would lead to inappropriate estimations and half-cooked planning.

5. Lack of Management Support/Leadership Alignment

It is important to ensure that senior management remains fully engaged throughout the project life cycle. The involvement e.g. through project update sessions imply that they are willing to take appropriate actions to address issues raised by the project team, mitigate the project risks, provide leadership, thus contributing to the project’s success.

6. Missing Communication

The communication plan plays a very substantial role in project success or failure. The plan should contain stakeholder details I.e name, role, contact no. and email, project team details, escalation matrix and other dependent groups.

Information distribution details (stakeholder, information detail, distribution methods, format and frequency) should be clearly defined in the plan. To save your project from failure, the project manager needs to establish a clear communication channel.

Effective communication within any organization is important to keep all your team members on the same page, avoid confusion and keep them motivated.

By communicating with your team, managers can develop an environment of trust, proactively kill conflicts, which would bring the best out of your team and eventually lead to the successful delivery of the project.

7. Ignoring Change Management Process

Take a second before your project starts to undergo significant changes, or even before you look for a technology solution. It’s critical to define your change management process steps.

A firm understanding of change management principles will serve as a strong backbone for any change management plan. Change is inevitable, irrespective of the size of your project.

Whether good or bad, it must be managed well to ensure the project continues without disruption. Every project must have a change control process, and every change request, however small, must go through it.

The change’s impact should be documented, approved and presented to key stakeholders so that everyone understands its effect on quality, cost and schedule. The focal point of any leader tasked with change must be to align their team with the vision.

Communication is a crucial component in ensuring every team member is on the same page.

8. No-Risk Management Process

Many projects fail because there is no risk management process as an integral part of the management process.

Then guess what – a perfectly predictable situation arises which no one knows how to react to.

It was in the risk log but no risk response was created so the predictable outcome is a less than an optimal project.

9. Inadequate Quality Assurance

Now, this is where the technicality comes in. Software projects often fail when no quality assurance activities are planned and no systematic activities are performed to evaluate the quality of the development process or ultimate deliverables.

This is because managers often fail to project appropriate reviews tests or checkpoints where quality can be verified. Code review is part of this (as defined in #20).

10. Missing Management Tools/Framework

Successful projects are based on a methodology or framework that includes management tools. The right approach can help managers to stay on top of it and by using some reliable management tools;

managers can enhance the team’s productivity, can increase accuracy and save time by automating activities like task tracking and managing dependencies.

A great number of unsuccessful project results from missing methodology and framework, which leads to inaccuracy and wasted time. There are numerous management frameworks and methodologies (like Agile, Iterative) and they can support efficient delivery.

11. Company/Culture

The company or culture should not be supported by the political environment. It should support competency, skill, professionalism and transparency.

If it isn’t, team members will not be motivated to do their best. Basically, everyone involved must participate in their part of the project to successfully complete it.

Any actions which project managers take to move project execution from the political arena into an objective and analytical one will improve the project’s success. This involves managing and retaining the most highly skilled and productive people. Knowledge is money.

It is the job of managers to manage and motivate so that project efforts will experience a zone of optimal performance throughout its life.

12. Inappropriate Prioritization

While some work best on a small number of requirements, others are better suited to very complex projects with many decision-makers.

But regardless of when it is done before a requirement can be prioritized, managers must consider why the requirement is most important from a business standpoint and what would be the impact of this on the overall system whether the new requirement would add value to the overall system or it will be overhead.

Managers should lead prioritization exercises along with all relevant stakeholders.

There are a number of possible business considerations, including value, cost, risk, and improve customer experience, stakeholder agreement and urgency variables.

13. Inaccurate Stakeholder Analysis

Stakeholder Analysis is the first step and an important process that successful managers use to win support from others. Managing stakeholders helps them to ensure that their projects succeed where others might fail.

There are three steps to follow in Stakeholder Analysis. First, identify who your stakeholders are. Next, work out their power, influence and interest, so that you know who you should focus on.

Finally, develop a good understanding of the most important stakeholders based on the Power/Interest grid, so that you know how they are likely to respond, and how you can win their support which can lead to project success.

14. Use of Unfamiliar Tools

Tools are definitely needed for project execution and success but unfamiliar tools may lead to chances of failure as well. Sometimes, it can cause many severe problems during the project life cycle as the team has to deal with the learning curve of new tools along with usual project tasks and duties.

Managers should ensure that tools are not enforced on team members, just to utilize for the fulfillment of audit compliance unless tools adding some products and save some efforts.

15. Change – Always saying “Yes’ to the Customer

Many behaviours can cause a project to fail, but accepting whatever the client says is sure to spell doom. Initially, a stakeholder might appreciate your flexibility – but that will be overshadowed later by the impact of possible schedule slippage and unmet objectives.

Change is a major cause of project failure. Project specifications can be changed for several reasons: initial planning was not complete or thorough; Senior-level management changed the scope of the work; the client (if not upper-level management) changed the scope of the work; this isn’t to say that you should always tell customers “no.” If you do that, they’ll feel their concerns are not being addressed. Before you commit to something, perform due diligence and analyze the pros and cons of your decision.

16. Bonding between Team Members

It is the prime responsibility of managers to unite the team members to achieve a common goal. The stages a team generally goes through are: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning.

As a manager, a good understanding of these stages would help in guiding a team from infancy to maturity which creates needed bonding.

Things can easily go from good to bad very quickly if there is no unity between your team members. Consider a scenario in which all team members are moving in different directions.

Could you expect a positive result to come out of this situation? There could be many reasons from personality differences to conflicting interests. All of them contribute towards taking you one step closer to project failure.

17. Unrealistic Expectations

At the beginning of a project, it’s important to set realistic expectations for every member or stakeholders who are a part of the project. If it kicks off without setting goals for individual team members, they are most likely to lose clarity and focus somewhere in the middle.

Managers must have one on one session with individual team members and help them understand their role. If goals are set before the project is in full swing, the members would have a roadmap to follow that prevents them from derailing it.

18. Talking Through Problems

Condensing bad news internally for long enough will only seed the explosion later on. It’s is fine to do for a limited period, but you will need to take some time to pull it out, examine it, feel it, and study it so you can find a way to re-channel it or transmute it into another kind of energy.

Quite often we face the dilemma of whether or not to deliver bad news to stakeholders. And too often we forget this truth: Clients have a vested interest in the success of it.

They have every right to know any development impacting the outcome of the initiative. You will end up having this heavy thing on your chest that will never move.

You will never understand what it is about. The problem is that we believe that sharing problems will make us weak and that stakeholders will start to judge us for our short-comings. Maybe they do.

But stakeholders having higher interest who genuinely care about the project and you very well know these people, will come out and help.

Sharing helps you feel less burdened because you now have fewer things on your mind. This will also allow you more space to put new thoughts, planning things better.

19. Guesstimates – Efforts

A “guess estimate,” also referred to as a “gut feel,” is based on personal intuition and past experience. But even the most strongly held conviction could be faulty. An inaccurate estimate can leave a project team slogging day and night to meet a deadline.

The project might finally be delivered on time-but with a huge effort overrun. If time is pressing, use the Function Point technique, Function Points are units of measure for functional size as defined within the IFPUG Functional Size Measurement (FSM) Method and it is the major global functional sizing methodology.

The manager is responsible for the accurate and re-estimation post-sales handover. If efforts guesstimated or not correctly estimated with the appropriate tool then it definitely impacts one of all three critical project parameters- Cost, Scope, schedule.

20. Avoiding Code Reviews

Assuming that testing will catch bugs or that defects are fixed faster when you know where code is breaking. You’ll only end up increasing the risk of schedule slippage as the inflow of defects rises during testing and the turnaround time for code fixes increases.

Code review helps produce a stable, quality deliverable. Its focus is not only to catch code defects but also to look at critical dimensions that may not get caught during testing, such as code optimization and requirement coverage.

21. Skipping Prototyping

Defects can result from a misunderstanding of requirements and a misinterpretation of stated requirements. Even if requirements are well-documented, they must be validated for correct understanding.

Only by a visual walkthrough can users spot the differences in what they expect and what’s being built. Feedback must be planned at various stages throughout a project to reduce risks.

These feedback loops will help you spot gaps early and provide enough time for correction. A sketch, wireframe, mockup, and prototype are all unique ways to visually display the requirements of your project with varying levels of detail.

Understanding that level of polished output each of these presentations will keep expectations aligned and communication clear between all the stakeholders.

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Due to the pandemic, all non-essential businesses have continued to close their doors – a situation that could extend for several more weeks. If these recent developments have taught us anything, it’s that we should be prepared for any eventuality.

If you own a business, what steps are you taking to transition your employees to work from the home environment?

Remote network access is critical – pandemic or not — especially if most or all of your workforce is conducting business from their homes. In order to keep your company afloat, customers happy and productivity at a consistent level, and workers employed, you have to enable remote network access for your employees.

What You Need to Know: Remote Access Solutions
Telecommuting not only helps companies cut overhead costs and allows employees to juggle work with personal engagements at their own pace, it facilitates a more productive “work at your own schedule” situation.

There are several ways you can establish remote work opportunities for your company. You could:

• Choose a complete Virtual Private Network.
• Deploy remote desktop access.
• Set up a cloud computing network and share files between home offices to develop a virtual office setup.

Virtual Private Network

Pros

• A good option for companies that want to offer either intermittent access or full-time access to remote work solutions; however, remote devices must be properly secured and protocols must be followed.
• Encryption protocols make the transfer of information between the VPN and the end-users quite secure.
• The VPN itself isn’t vulnerable to direct attack.

Cons

• PCs that aren’t protected could transfer viruses and malware to the VPN if not secure. Connection to a VPN can make the system vulnerable if employees do not disconnect when finished.
• These are more difficult to set up than remote desktop access.

Remote Desktop Access Solutions

You can enable remote desktop access in one of three ways:

• Remote access software
• Enterprise remote desktop
• Direct remote access

Remote access software solutions are less secure at their most basic level, with limited centralized control of employee log-in and remote access. This solution has a higher cost, while direct remote access is free. Still, this is a solid choice for smaller companies with intermittent work-from-home needs.

Enterprise remote desktop solutions are more scalable but tougher to set up. They offer a seamless experience and operate through hosted solutions, which comes at an increased cost; however, the ease of setup is better than having to establish this infrastructure on your own.

Direct remote access requires proper security protocols are followed to ensure the system is not vulnerable to attack. It can be difficult to remotely restart a computer that has frozen. Also, many hardware issues will have to be addressed on-site.

Cloud Network Remote Work
This is a good choice if you are opting to work from a complete virtual office, as these solutions offer additional flexibility and cost benefits. They do hold some risks because it’s difficult to control what employees are doing with their hardware at home.

What to Consider
Check out these factors to consider when deciding on a type and provider of remote access and work solutions:

• Ease-of-Installation: How much time is involved? How much effort? Will it cause downtime in operations as the transition happens?
• Ease-of-Use: Can your employees and IT department easily use this solution?
• Cost: How much does each solution cost vs. how much will it save your company?
• Security: How secure is the option you’re considering? How dependent is it on users’ ability to follow stated protocols?

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• Creating and managing workgroups
• Communicating through chat/instant messaging
• Connecting with audio calling
• Launching impromptu or scheduled video meetings
• Sharing files and links
• Documenting work and resources
• Simplifying access to other Office apps

With Teams, workgroups within an organization can collaborate on content across different devices (laptops, tablets, and smartphones), and across multiple platforms including Windows and Mac. In addition, with Microsoft Teams, a team can also invite outside partners such as vendors, service providers, and consultants to participate in the collaboration and conversations as well as the sharing of resources. This is a big plus to productivity and project management.

Better Than Slack & Google Hangouts

At its core, Teams is a chat-based workspace that features group and private/instant messaging, with threaded and persistent conversations. Although Teams competes with similar products like Slack and Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams is more robust, is included with Office 365, and connects with other Office 365 applications including Excel, Word, OneNote, Planner, and SharePoint. This integration with other Microsoft Office programs creates a more fluid, seamless portal and experience.

Note: If your organization is currently using Skype for Business for instant messaging, it’s likely you will see a move to Teams as Skype for Business has a sunset date (end of life) in 2020.

Customize with Channels

Teams are made up of channels that can be organized by topic, projects, or departments. Channels are quite flexible as they store meeting history, chat, shared files or resources, and other communications that can be easily searched. In addition, each channel can be customized with tabs for apps such as SharePoint, Planner, OneNote, as well as files and other shared resources. The planner is an easy-to-use Office 365 application to create to-do or action items for members of a workgroup and then track the progress of each action for a project or team.

Communicating with a specific channel member or even the entire team is also easy with @ mentions. Fortunately, the Activity tab in Teams makes it simple to catch up on all your unread messages, @mentions, replies, and more. Like other messaging services, Teams communications can also include emojis and GIFs, an essential part of any business communication <grin>.

Video & Voice Meetings

Within a team-based messaging thread, you can easily schedule voice and video meetings or launch a quick impromptu meeting with little effort. Teams meetings can even be scheduled from Microsoft Outlook. Regardless of the method used for scheduling meetings, these are be synced with Outlook to keep you on track. Video meetings can be launched with specific contacts or within a channel and it’s easy to create a recording of the meeting. Microsoft Teams includes a cool artificial intelligence (AI) feature called blur background. With such a mobile and remote workforce, this tool lets you eliminate a cluttered or unprofessional background of a call while still engaging with each participant on the call.

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Like you, I’ve greatly increased my Zoom meetings, and I’ve been disturbed by what I’ve seen. There has been a surprising lack of professionalism, lack of preparation, and in general an unorganized and ineffective approach to conducting Zoom meetings.

As you know, first impressions are everything, and if you’re meeting with a prospect or client over Zoom there are some things you definitely don’t want to do, and others that you do want to do.

Follow this quick list of 5 tips to insure you not only make a great impression, but that you also easily place yourself above your competition.

Zoom Tip #1: Clear away any and all unprofessional distractions. Oh, I know, everyone is working from home so a dog barking or kids screaming in the background should be O.K., right?

Wrong. You are a representative of your company, and you are a professional. I wouldn’t bring my dog to the office, would you? How about your kids? Of course not. It’s key for you to present a professional, confident, and competent image, and that means one free of distractions.

So, get your wife or husband to mind the kids-they are probably at home with you-take the dog outside and shut the door. Create an environment of professionalism.

Zoom Tip #2: Speaking of professionalism, what are you wearing to your Zoom meetings? Because you’re confined at home, are you showing up in a tee-shirt or sweatshirt? Or are you wearing business casual and at least wearing a nice button-down shirt?

And if you’re a man, have you shaved? Combed your hair? Or do you look like you’ve just gotten off the couch? If you’re a woman, is your hair looking neat? How about make-up, if you wear it?

How you appear makes a huge impression on your clients and prospects. You want to look your best, and it doesn’t take much effort. Make it.

Zoom Tip #3: Lighting. Now I know you’re not in the film industry, but lighting is crucial to any type of filming. I was on a meeting with someone just the other day and it appeared as if they were calling from a cave. It was so dark, I could barely see them.

And then I’ve been in meetings with people sitting in front of a sunlit window. Same thing: I couldn’t see their face because they were drowned out in shadow.

When considering where to film, make sure you’re not too backlit that your face will be dark, and if you’re in a dark study or den, then turn the lights on or open your blinds.

You all know how much difference a well shot, well lit film looks compared to a B-film. Remember: Image is everything in front of a camera.

Zoom Tip #4: Background is important as well. Have you ever been on a Zoom meeting with someone and thought, “Ewe, that guy/gal is a slob! Look at that messy couch and bookcase and those crooked pictures. Yuck!”

Ladies and gentlemen, we know your home is your kingdom, and that you’ll live any way you choose. And you should. But we don’t need to see it all.

If you don’t have a professional background, then the solution is simple: Use one of Zoom’s greenscreen backgrounds. There are plenty to choose from and you can find even more by Googling “Zoom Background Images.”

Oh, I know-if you move too fast then the background blurs. Two things about that: 1) Don’t move so much. In fact, if you look at any professional newscaster, they move very little. You should practice that. 2) Everybody expects them to move so you’ve got some leeway there. Regardless, a background image is almost always better than what you’ve got going on now…

Zoom Tip #5: Be professional and respectful at all times. That includes:

• Being on time.
• Not speaking over someone.
• Sending an email afterwards thanking them for their time.

You know, all the things you would normally do if you were back at the office.

Incorporate these 5 Zoom tips and separate yourself from everyone else calling from their bedrooms, patios, and elsewhere. Remember: You want to present your best during every interaction with a client or prospect.

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What are IT managed services?

“Managed services” is a term used to describe the new model of IT management, which has replaced the traditional IT support. In Managed Services, Managed Service Provider (a team of people having expertise in networks, computers and other IT needs) handles the risk and responsibility associated with managing your IT systems. It brings a level of expertise and experience to the business that can take care of the entire IT needs of your company.

What are the benefits of managed IT services?

Managed IT services provide multiple benefits that can lead to increased performance, reliability and security of your company without exceeding the costs of hiring a full-time staff. The most important advantage of hiring a network monitoring service provider is that it prevents expensive network disasters by taking proactive maintenance steps. A planned approach to provide data back-up, system security and disaster recovery is taken so that your business runs smoothly and reliably for your clients. As the IT service provider has deep knowledge of the products, tools and software, it can provide better and quicker technology solutions. Hiring a network maintenance service provider is a cost-effective way to manage your business IT requirements.

By outsourcing IT support, you can focus on increasing the productivity and efficiency of your business, rather than wasting time and money on solving IT problems.

What are the services offered by a managed IT service provider?

The technical staff at the network provider performs remote maintenance and support to your computer network. They provide 24×7 world-class IT service and network availability to ensure your network keeps running at maximum speed and performance. They maintain the virus protection system, regularly monitor the back-ups and software patches are updated and maintained. They also take preventive and proactive maintenance steps to keep your network as stable as possible and to maximize optimal network stability. The highly efficient technical staff can handle any IT problems as they arise. Other services include routine desktop management, firewall management, updating software installation, spyware detection and elimination and hardware and software auditing.

It is important to find a managed service provider that understands your company’s IT requirements and helps your company achieve its goals. Research several companies and look beyond savvy marketing to find the right company that helps you grow your business. Review each company on the basis of their services offered in the contract, customer service, availability and reputation.

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Benefits of Disaster Recovery – In any business, especially in an IT firm, data is one of the key elements used in running daily operations.

There are several ways in which a firm can store and protect its data. In the past, disaster preparation would often require IT staff to travel to off-premise data centers and/or copy corporate data onto tapes. However, advances in technology and computing platforms have enabled the creation of better and more scalable data storage mechanisms.

These have paved the way for complete Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solution that can be used instead of internal IT teams.

When data is breached or hacked into, uncontrollable losses will occur. To prevent this, many companies opt to have in place disaster response measures and even dedicated teams for managing such situations.

Today, you’ll find two main categories of computing: cloud computing and hardware server-based computing.

This includes the use of DRaaS or traditional backup methods to protect and store data. With current technology, DRaaS offers several advantages over traditional backup and disaster recovery methods.

DRaaS is quite reliable and helps address many challenges, including mobility, portability and high performance, among other features.

Traditional disaster recovery does not offer the capabilities that DRaaS can today. In the following section, we’ll look at some of the reasons why you should shift away from other methods and instead rely on DRaaS for disaster recovery.

Fewer Necessary Resources

DRaaS recovery data is stored in the cloud, which reduces the on-premises hardware requirements. Traditional disaster recovery services generally need expensive on-premises hardware and are complex to implement and manage.

DRaaS can be used for a group of critical servers or just a single server, something that may not be economically viable using traditional DR. This means companies can resume limited operations much more quickly.

Cyberattack mitigation

Cyberattacks pose one of the biggest threats to businesses. Earlier this year, the “WannaCry” ransomware attack made headlines when it took over 300,000 computers in 150 countries.

Cyberattacks also come in the form of email phishing scams, whereby scammers trick unwary employees to give out confidential information, and data hacks, whereby cybercriminals gain access to the company’s network and exploit sensitive data.

With DRaaS, you can mitigate these security incidents and prevent a disaster situation.

In this type of event, you just invoke your DR plan to bring your applications live in the cloud using the most recent, clean copy of your data.

When you have cleaned your production systems from the attack, you can replicate your cloud versions back to your data centre.

That beats negotiating with an attacker for your data back!

Lower Cumulative Costs

Most businesses do not have a good disaster recovery plan because they are concerned about the expenses.

In general, backup and disaster recovery can be expensive if you choose methods that necessitate the purchase of hardware.

For example, if you want to back up all your data in private servers physically, you must invest in the same number of servers as you have now.

DRaaS is a solution provided by a third-party. Therefore, the hardware and software used for your disaster recovery strategy are owned by the service provider. Your initial investment will be small.

Easier testing.

Failover testing is now as simple as pointing and clicking, which takes a lot of effort (and risk) out of testing. And, as I have made clear, if it isn’t tested regularly, it isn’t reliable.

DRaaS comes with a lot of really good tools for monitoring and protecting critical and sensitive information-and provides auditors with an easily verifiable “paper” trail.

Flexibility

Compared to more traditional methods of backup, DRaaS is much more flexible. The various DRaaS services offer clients more options on how to handle different business systems.

Any enterprise using DRaaS solutions can select from a variety of recovery scopes, depending on the type of disaster.

These can include server failure, human-caused disasters, loss of power or building access, data hampering, and much more.

Rapid and Immediate Recovery

Your company can never be sure when a disaster might occur. If one does happen, how much downtime is acceptable?

Each second the power is out or your servers fail means huge losses for your organization. With a DRaaS solution in place, you do not have to worry about this: if a disaster strikes, you will be able to restore normal operations within minutes.

Reliable Security

Security in DRaaS is commonly misunderstood, so choose your provider wisely. For example, it’s important to ensure that the provider is compliant with all the relevant regulatory bodies.

In addition to making sure the data center itself is physically secure, you should also verify that data is encrypted in-flight and at rest. DRaaS providers should implement automatic systems to monitor the health of your data.

For peace of mind, they should also be able to provide you with reports for any specified period.

Streamlines In-House IT Needs

Many small to medium-sized businesses do not have the IT expertise to manage disaster recovery solutions.

Managing processes like data recovery or disaster prevention require knowledge of the business process and a specific IT skillset.

DRaaS allows businesses to leverage the expertise of the consultants providing a more effective way to implement a disaster recovery solution for your business.

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Technology can help SMBs streamline their processes, improve employee productivity, and maintain a competitive edge. But technology comes with its share of challenges, especially as mobile devices continue to take over and computing needs rapidly change.

That’s where managed services come in. Defined as specialized IT support delivered according to a clearly described service-level agreement over a fixed period of time for a low and predictable cost, managed services are the safest bet in today’s tech environment. Especially when compared with reactive or break-fix IT services.

Stability and Expertise

Predictable IT costs. Managed services convert variable IT costs tied to the break-fix or reactive mode of support into the stable costs of proactive support. This allows business owners to budget effectively and pay what they can afford on a set schedule rather than getting hit with unexpected bills when tech problems arise.

Legitimate training. On top of hiring and training an IT staff, the cost of ongoing education and certification can break a small business owner’s bank. And if you’re not well versed in the IT world, how can you ensure an IT employee is actually qualified? Don’t let undertrained tech “experts” fool you into thinking they can solve all of your problems.

Real-world experience. And while certifications are important, so is experience. Leading managed service providers encounter very few problems they haven’t seen before, while an in-house IT employee often remains narrowly focused on a small set of problems. You’d rather an experienced doctor solve your physical ailments, right? The same goes for an IT support team.

Reduced Risk, Leveled Playing Field

A safe bet. Since market trends, government regulations, financial conditions, and technologies all change quickly, every business investment carries a certain amount of risk. Working with a trusted MSP that can assume and manage much of this risk for you is a major advantage that comes with specific industry knowledge and years of experience.

A real competitive edge. Most small to medium-sized businesses can’t afford to match the strong in-house support services that larger companies enjoy. Working with an MSP, however, gives small companies enterprise-level solutions by providing the kind of access and expertise that large companies enjoy. Managed cost structures and economies of scale-like that can give your company a major advantage.

Compliance that counts. Is your firewall capable of fending off attacks? Do you audit your workstations and servers regularly? Has your company implemented PCI security standards and worked to maintain those standards? Small to medium-sized businesses have more ways than ever to handle commerce via credit and debit cards, e-commerce, wire transfers, and more. But with this increased transaction sphere comes a stronger need for due diligence. Employing a managed services provider allows your business to minimize the risks associated with maintaining client data and other sensitive information, the misuse of which can cause serious harm to your business.

Break-Fix: High Cost, Low Value

“Hey, Margaret!” Many small firms deal with IT this way: relying on a non-IT employee to handle day-to-day IT problems. Margaret never asked for this role — it just evolved in her direction. But the impact of her being asked to fix co-workers’ urgent issues is not often calculated; nor is the likelihood that her lack of formal IT knowledge can lead to more expensive repair bills in the future.

“I got a guy.” Small companies that have recognized the flaw in the “Hey Margaret!” support strategy attempt to solve the problem by engaging an experienced technical support specialist on a part-time, fixed hourly rate basis. Yet the “I got a guy” guy may maintain upwards of a dozen part-time clients in order to make a decent living, and he may not always be available when a business owner absolutely needs him. In this scenario, the company does get a more technically competent solution. But it’s also at the mercy of an independent operator with competing demands for his time and attention.

“Call in the Geek Squad!” Since the business owner usually only sees the “I got a guy” guy when there is a problem, mayhem ensues when frantic calls go unanswered. Then, the business owner has no choice but to open the yellow pages and look for help, often settling for the first company that can respond to the immediate need. While these techies may indeed provide relief for failed hard drives and other desktop issues, they often do not have the skills to support complex networks or understand a business’ specific needs.

“Hire an IT person — pronto!” When the lack of immediate availability becomes an issue (or when the “I got a guy ” and the “Geek Squad” fail resolve to an issue), the business owner finally decides to hire an in-house resource that can respond to user complaints. The new hire is immediately handed a long list of issues to resolve. Unfortunately for both the internal IT resource and the company, the list never gets shorter and the internal IT support is forever in “react” mode, responding to the most severe problem and seldom getting ahead.

Managed Services: Low Cost, High Value

Proactive approach = resolution before crisis. Monitoring and maintenance software can identify problems before they affect employee productivity. And everyone can rest easier knowing that resolution occurs before situations turn into “white-hot” emergencies.

Uniform application of the optimal resource. The lowest-cost, most highly credentialed resources are applied to recognized issues first, while bigger problems are escalated to higher-skilled resources in a fluid and seamless manner so that resolution can be quickly achieved.

Fast response regardless of priority. With multiple levels of on-site and remote IT support available, problems can be addressed simultaneously rather than in sequential order. The proactive approach also ensures the ultimate in responsiveness: resolving issues while they’re still disguised and before they’re detected by the end-user. The immediate impact is improved productivity; the longer-term impact is a more tech-literate staff that’s better able to leverage the company’s technology investment.

The Final Word

None of the issues faced by small to medium-sized businesses — relentless competition, technological complexity, the never-ending need to do more with less — are going to disappear anytime soon. So the value of a high-quality, low-cost solution to these issues will only grow. That’s why CMIT Solutions has spent years tailoring a variety of managed services that can help boost efficiency and productivity for your business.

The break/fix approach to IT support has not only failed to meet the needs of SMBs, but it has also damaged the relationship between technicians and the small businesses they serve. Small businesses feel vulnerable because they don’t understand their technicians’ jargon-heavy language, heavy workload, and unpredictable costs. Meanwhile, technicians feel overworked and under-appreciated, locked in a loop of repetitive, high-stress tasks as they run from one crisis to the next, unable to work on more satisfying projects that could offer lasting value to the business.

Only a radical change in IT support philosophy and delivery can make the break/fix model obsolete and deliver greater efficiency and productivity to SMBs at a lower, more predictable cost. Technology is integral to the success of a small to medium-sized business, and CMIT Solutions understands that.

Via: Cmitsolutions.com managed services vs break-fix

What is Office 365?

Simply put, it is the subscription-based virtual office that doesn’t depend only on Microsoft Office software package as it offers more dynamic features like OneDrive, Skype, Yammer, etc. Isn’t that Amazing? Obviously, it is. It is a truly modern office experience with a mobile solution for everyone.

Majors Reasons to Use Office 365

# New Applications are More Office Friendly

Office 365 is not all about Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office PowerPoint, Microsoft Office OneNote, and other traditional features. But it gives you more essential, enriched, and office-friendly applications like OneDrive, Skype, Yammer, etc. You see, how powerful, dynamic Office 365 is. With these applications, you can get the most out of your potential.

# Use the Latest Version and Save Money

Forget about chasing the latest version of any application because you will always use the latest version for free. You don’t have to go to the market and buy any pricey software to get the latest version so that you get the most out of the software. Office 365 updates all applications without charging even a penny. Isn’t that amazing? I am sure you must be smiling now. Life would be easier, smarter, and smoother.

# Mobility Matters

So, “office” is now even on the go. Whether you are home, abroad, or in any other place, you are always connected to the office with Office 365. You can work from anywhere, anytime. For example, with the help of Skype, a video calling application, your meeting will be more effective, productive, and lively.

# No Platform Restriction

Apple, Android, and Windows are now like three best friends. They work flawlessly on Office 365. So, the “window” is now literally open for all platforms. You can have up to 15, I repeat, 15 licenses for mobile, tablet, and PC/Mac! This deal is fantastic.

# Sharing is Caring

Sharing is no more all about Facebook. Office 365 allows users to share everything in real-time. All applications have this stunning feature. You can see the editing of your co-workers in real-time. No doubt it will boost the output of any company. You see, how smart, productive Office 365 is. In fact, this feature is considered the corner-stone of Office 365. With Yammer, you can discuss, share, review, and do many more dynamic things. It works like a network. Use this network and be a success.

# Award-Winning Security

Don’t even think about security as you are in the safe hands of an award-winning security application. You can do everything without any fear of getting hacked or anything like that. Beating the security layer of Office 365 is not simple math; it’s rocket science.

# Superb Storage Solution

Store whatever you want to store. You may get tired as OneDrive, a generous file hosting service provides you with a staggering 5 terabytes of space. What will you do with that much space? Start thinking.

# Boost Your Productivity

It is all about productivity. There is no alternative to Office 365 in the market to get the most out of your potential. This package has been tailored to boost your productivity. You can be productive each of the 365 days of the year.

True, to be one step ahead of your competitors, you need to think and act one step ahead of them. Office 365 takes you one step ahead of your competitors. It’s all about combination; Office 365 has the perfect combination to be productive, successful. Happy working on Office 365!

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Microsoft SharePoint is a web application platform that has been created by Microsoft for the purpose of document and content management. It has been created for managing heaps of data and comes with huge flexibility as well as support for various add-ons. With every SharePoint version, you can find enhanced features and capabilities that can help in easier management of business operations. Read on and find out how SharePoint can aid in business management.

Complete management
According to SharePoint consultants, this web application platform works as an Intranet that allows workers to perform a wide range of functions, including document management, collaborating on new ideas or projects etc. You can also use it as a portal for posting key metrics and performance indicators. It can also be used for workflow applications.

Workflow Improvement
Microsoft SharePoint can also assist in the improvement of workflow. The cloud solutions of SharePoint can deal with almost any type of business workflow. It can be integrated very well with Microsoft Office stack and Outlook. Other than this, SharePoint can also be natively integrated with an SQL server, which makes data more purposeful for workers.

Collaboration in the workplace
The use of SharePoint can also promote greater collaboration within the workplace. Traditionally, any task is executed individually and then transferred to the employee who is next in line. However, with the help of SharePoint, all that you have to do is uploading on the SharePoint server the procedure manual. On a single platform, a document can be edited by different individuals.

Easy customization
You can also easily customize SharePoint, and eliminate the traditional email attachments, files and folders. You can easily store files on the website of SharePoint, and also restrict or grant access to other users to see a file. You will not need to worry about the business phone directory getting public either. Whenever anyone needs the directory, you can just send a mail containing the link that would take the recipient to the SharePoint server.

Security
It will be assured for you to know that every individual SharePoint team website can be set up on the server of SharePoint. In case you want your management team website to have all the information related to management stored in a proper way, you will need to be in charge of the management in order to get access to the website. Not being in the management team will not let you even know about its existence. Only the management team members will be able to see that specific website while others will be incapable to view the same. In this sense, SharePoint websites are extremely secure.

Support services
Every company has the need to maintain its information, documents, data and records in a proper way. Microsoft SharePoint support services can be very useful in these situations. These are especially helpful for companies without any document management system or formal automated workflow. Various small and mid-sized organizations lack a business automation system. SharePoint can benefit such companies, and if your business is similar, you will get obvious advantages.

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