From Monday 1 September 2008, except in a very few cases, I won’t be doing any IT Support work personally. This article explains how things will work after that.

For two years now, I’ve been intending to operate in line with Prussia.Net’s slogan, Managing Information for Small Business. As I explained in Prussia.Net evolves, this is all really about your business information, not “just” computers. And it’s about a managed approach, not just fixing things when they break.

My personal role will be to do that planning and management. I’ll help you figure out what tools will most effectively support your business, and then select and manage the suppliers who’ll make it happen. I’ll also be working more on web development, and especially the new “Web 2.0” and “social media” tools.

All this is much better use of my experience and skills than crawling under desks or running software installers!

(I’ll also spend more time on my media work, but that’s another story.)

Some of our clients have been “managing” their computer systems with nothing more sophisticated than “call Stilgherrian when something goes wrong”. That will have to change, because I won’t be available! And since computers are essential business tools these days, it’s also unprofessional.

As I’ve said on my personal website, There ain’t no shortcuts to professionally-managed IT.

Over the coming weeks I’ll be selecting an IT installation and support firm to take care of those services — a firm rather than an individual because individuals need to take holidays and so on.

To help you make the transition to proper IT management, I’ve put together a 3-step process:

1. Later this week I’ll send you a questionnaire to help you identify the key IT issues in your business. Please have someone complete the questionnaire before Friday 15 August.


2. Based on your answers, I’ll provide you with a quote for developing an IT Plan for your business. Should you choose to go ahead, I’ll work with you to develop that plan.


3. We can then implement that IT Plan for you, and review it regularly.

How much will it cost?

Filling in the questionnaire and getting that initial quote costs nothing but your time, and there’s no obligation to proceed any further.

The cost of developing an IT Plan will depend on the size and complexity of your business, and on the number of “gaps” between how you’re currently operating and “best practice”.

New rates for IT Support services will be introduced on 1 September, and I hope to announce them a week beforehand. The exact rate will depend on the deal we negotiate with the external supplier. However I’m looking for a professional but cost-effective IT services company, not someone who does things “on the cheap”, and it has been two years since the last change.

What about existing work?

Any work on existing projects or job tickets will still be charged at the rate you’d been quoted, or the usual rate you’ve been paying until now.

However, between now and 1 September I will be giving priority to projects which have already started or where a deposit has already been paid, and to urgent faults.

What about Web Development and Internet Hosting?

I will eventually simplify the other two “branches” of Prussia.Net’s business too: creating and maintaining websites, and the “Internet Hosting” of your web and email. For the time being there are no changes here.

Any questions?

I’ll provide more details as we go, and if we have any open job tickets I’ll be in touch tomorrow to schedule those tasks. If you do have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please let me know.

Regards,

Stilgherrian

Stilgherrian has written a fairly blunt article in his personal website.

Do Australia’s politicians really understand the Internet? If they way they use social media sites like MySpace, Facebook and YouTube is anything to go by, the answer is a resounding “no”!

Stilgherrian will be presenting Politicians and Social Media: a catalogue of cluelessness at the PodCamp UnConference in Perth on 27–28 October.

1. Turn off equipment that isn’t being used:

• Turn off computers at the end of the day. If you can remember to lock the door, you can remember this too.
• If you need to leave computers running (perhaps to run your backups after hours), then use the operating system’s timer feature so the computer turns itself off when it’s finished.
• Turn off computers at the power point, rather than leaving them on standby.
• Unplug mobile phone and camera chargers unless they’re actually being used.
• Even servers and Internet routers can be turned off overnight or across the weekend—unless they must be left on for remote access.
• Re-arrange power cords so you can turn everything off with one switch—- and still leave vital equipment running.

2. Discourage printing: Read documents on screen wherever possible.

• Before you press “print”, ask yourself whether it’s really necessary.
• Use your software’s “print preview” to check the layout, rather than printing a proof.
• Set up an electronic filing system and backups, rather than printing documents “for the files”.
• Format documents for on-screen reading, rather than for printing. Use legible typefaces, wide line spacing and landscape format.
• Send documents by email, not the post.
• If you absolutely have to print it, use both sides of the paper.

A hat-tip to AMP, who print the following message at the bottom of every email: “Please consider the environment before printing this email.”

3. Buy more energy-efficient systems: And if you’re worried about cost, think about the entire life of the system, not just the purchase price.

• Laptops typically use less energy than desktop computers.
• LCD screens use less energy than old CRT screens—and they’re better on the eyes.
• If you buy bigger and better screens, people will be less likely to print things.
• Two screens provide an even bigger work surface which makes you more productive.
• Inkjet printers use less energy than lasers.
• Do you really need a big, power-hungry server just to share files in a small office? Networked hard drives are much cheaper, smaller—and use far less power.

4. Moving away from IT:

• Consider whether air conditioning really needs to freeze your office in summer and turn it into a furnace in winter. If you don’t need to “dress up for customers—and most office workers don’t, business is done on the phone—then dress appropriately for the weather.
• Avoid pointless meetings and cut down on travel. You don’t need a face-to-face meeting just to discuss a document. Email the document and book a phone call. Explore on-screen collaboration tools and video conferencing. Your kids can use “video chat”, why can’t you?
• Turn down the lights, you’re not in an operating theatre.
• Turn off the lights in empty rooms.
• Install motion detectors on infrequently-used lights.

5. And finally…

Post a graph of your business’ energy consumption where everyone can see it—and celebrate when you reach your targets.

Thanks to the Sydney Morning Herald and Eicolab for some of these tips.

If you’re a client already, we’ll still take care of you just as we have. But from now on we’ll be thinking about you and your business within this new framework.

It’s about information, not “just” computers. It’s about a managed approach, not just fixing things when they break. And it’s about understanding your needs as a small business.

It’s about information, not computers

Computers are just the components we use to build information systems—along with software, cables, procedures and (most importantly!) people.

As a business manager, you shouldn’t waste your time worrying about mere components. Your job is to think the Big Picture.

• Is your information always accurate and available when you or your customers need it?
• Is your information kept private, visible only to the people who are meant to have access?
• Are you constantly improving your systems to match the pace of change in your business environment, so you stay ahead of your competitors?
• Are you protected against problems?
• Are you doing all of this in a cost-effective way?

Systems need to be managed

If you own a car, you know it needs servicing. If you skip oil changes to “save money”, you’ll pay for expensive repairs later. The same goes for computer systems. Skimp on the maintenance and things will break—and they’ll take a lot longer to fix.

You need to plan ahead. If a computer crashes, it could take days to restore all the functions. If you need your computers to keep servicing your clients—and what business doesn’t these days?—then you need to recover faster than that. And that means having a plan in place.

“Planning” requires management—and that’s where Prussia.Net comes in. Over the coming weeks we’ll announce services designed specifically for your needs as a small business.

Why “small business”?

You know, we could spin you a yarn about how small business is the engine-room of the economy, about how small business is a growth sector for IT. And that’s all true—but it’s not the real reason.

Prussia.Net works with small businesses because we don’t like working with arseholes.

Oh, and the explosion of the Internet and “convergence” and 3G digital telephone networks mean that small businesses can manage their information (knowledge is power!) and communicate with customers more effectively than ever before.

So if you’d like us to help your small business Do Good Stuff, contact us. You know it makes sense.