News and Updates from CITOC | December 2009, CiTalk IT news and updates to put your business ahead of the rest.
Into the cloud Going virtual became a virtual necessity for CITOC when we decided to move our office to Tomball. In addition, we set up a satellite office in Sugar Land. Both suburban locations made the commute easier for our employees, but we had to make sure our business could still run seamlessly as a unified entity. From in-house meetings and conference calls to secure file sharing and phone systems, we needed everything and everyone to be connected. Using VoIP, Video Conferencing, and WebEx, we've been able to do just that. We connected both offices and were better able to accommodate employees who work from home. The software instantly connects users via phone, email, Instant Message, and every desk is equipped with a camera. Using Bluetooth headsets, we're also able to make video and voice calls from our laptops when we're sitting in the office, Starbucks or in a hotel room. With our wide range of clients, going virtual has given us the flexibility to call on just the right skills from our team, at the right time to meet the needs of our clients, all from virtually anywhere. Creating a virtual office is an attractive idea for many companies -- we've reduced office costs, enabled work from anywhere and can serve our clients from around the world. While becoming more common, it's difficult to say precisely how many businesses are giving up bricks-and-mortar storefronts for Websites, or moving 'into the cloud' . But how do you know if it's the right move for you?
Go Virtual? 9 Questions To Ask 1. Is your business viable? Have a clear understanding of what you do, what you offer your customers, and most importantly, if you can still make money doing it without requiring your employees to report to an office. 2. Are your employees ready? If your people aren't onboard, you may be in for a rough ride into the cloud. Being virtual means leveraging the Web for connecting, sharing and interacting as a team. 3. Do your employees have a space plan? For example, make sure they tell family members, especially children, that the workspace is not a play space, and that interruptions are a distraction. 4. Are your vendors up to the challenge? Ensure your communications providers ensure some kind of quality on services over the net. Not having access to email, accounting, voice or video can make it difficult to conduct business. 5. Are you ready to grow? What if you're hugely successful? You may find yourself suddenly facing a fire hose of customer demand you can't serve. The solution? Manage the scale of your virtual business before it becomes an issue.
6. Do you have the right team? Employees who can work independently and require very little oversight are key. 7. Do you have a good consultant? Don't try to go virtual without a competent adviser. Pick someone with a proven track record and the right tools that can guide your company to its goal. 8. Do you have the right tools? A virtual business often requires a new set of tools, applications and success metrics. 9. Do you really want this? Having a physical office, an actual store, is comforting to both customers and employees. Should you get a smaller office with remote employees, an executive suite or can you go completely virtual?
Breaking away from how business is done can be frightening, but today's technology lets you move away from it quickly and less expensively than ever. So really, the question is: Do you have the guts not to do it? Reprinted with permission from the HP Small& Medium Business Site
Case Study: TreatWrite TreatWrite, a web-based documentation system that tracks, quantifies and organizes clinical data, needed real-time, secure access to sensitive information from multiple locations. By centralizing all applications, CITOC eliminated TreatWrite's dependence on client-side equipment, software, and support personnel. In doing this, there are now no servers to manage, no software to install and no computers to maintain. Users simply require an Internet connection and a browser. The new system has given TreatWrite peace of mind, security, and allowed for improved customer service. Stimulate your own economy with this special offer! Get a Better Backup Don't miss out on our special stimulus offer ending this month! If you're still using USB drives or tapes as your server's backup system, you could face more than $10,000 of data recovery costs due to a failure. In December only, replace your old system with a brand new backup unit at $1,800 less than the standard price. Contact your partner in progress, Dillon Blake at 713.400.1204 or dblake@citoc.com to get yours today!
Just for Fun: A Christmas Tidbit If you received all of the gifts in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, you would receive 364 presents. Get to know Jamal Balametov MCSE, CCEA, VCP Years at CITOC: 8 Education: Graduated with honors from the Technical University of Azerbaijan with a Master's Degree in Computer-Aided Manufacturing Systems Family: Wife and 2 kids Favorite movies: Apocalypses Today, God Father Part I Hidden talent: It's very well hidden... even from me. Hobby: Karate
21175 Tomball Parkway #407 Houston, Texas 77070 713.490.5000 CITOC.COM
Citoc Website Email Dillon Blake Visit Citoc Website