1. Where’s the contract?  We don’t have one.  We do our job and you have the right to fire us at any time.  We’ll help you leave and we’d just like 30 days to smooth that process if you do.
2. There’s no way you can have 24-hour support you’re too small! Not really.  We don’t get many calls period because our solutions just work.
3. Can you generate me a proposal? How about we just whip out your smart phone and type $65 x the number of users + $100 one time set up for each of those users.  So now you know how much your annual I.T. expense budget will be besides the occasional hardware blow up or “out of virtual session” virus / malware download and we have partners for that.

What does this mean for people tryng to figure out when to jump, and buy those new computers for the office or home?  Well, now is a good time to jump in with both feet.  Microsoft is just about ready to launch Windows 8, an operating system that most consider is geared for the individual user, and may not find itself well accepted in the business world.  That means there are deals to be found in companies wanting to move systems with Win7.  They will get pushed heavily by MS to opt-in to the new Win8 world.  It will also make buying the newer peripherals (printers, scanners, ultra sweet new video possibilities, etc.) much easier.

So be prepared to throw a rose on the coffin, and say a fond good bye to a solid old operating system, and then go join the baby shower for one of the new kids on the block.

I went around the corner and this is what I saw.  Fire and Police crews running everywhere, and the people who lived in these units were standing across the street watching their lives change, from something they had no idea might happen.  I was watching the crews do their great work, making sure everyone was out of the building.  People were milling about checking for each other.  Cars were pulling up and people jumping out, running to make sure their loved-ones got out.
I stood back, out of the way, watching the event take place, and decided that I should get back to the house and out of the way.  When I got back to my house, I started processing all that I had seen while at the site, and then it hit me.  The people in the parking lot, watching the fire, had brought their “important stuff” with them.  And that was only two things, Their kids, and computers (laptops)!  No photos, no documents, nothing that was impossible to replace but kids and computers.  One youg man wandered around in the parking lot with his laptop in a death-grip in his arms, looking like he was totally lost.
After I thought about it all a little more, I said to myself that if they had pcCentral, they could have taken their kids and other things that didn’t have to fit in a computer with them and not have a moments worry about data and documents.  And then I started thinking about what our customers have said over the years.  “I planned my wedding on pcCentral while on a trip”, “We designed our Son’s graduation cards and sent them to the printer from session”, “I track my investments in pcCentral session while I am gone”.  pcCentral is so much more than just a connection to your “stuff”.  Beyond backups, malware and virus protection, data storage, remote connectivity and more, pcCentral is helping people bring all parts of their world together, with peace of mind.

Starting next week we’re going to be adding a new layer to our support. Once we resolve your issue our Help Desk software will be automatically emailing you a one question survey to evaluate how we’re doing. We’re adding this feature to better track where the holes in our support are and to get suggestions on where we can sure them up.

Over the coming weeks and months we’ll be hard at work streamlining the customer experience to serve you as quickly as possible.

• I have a server here in my office with my own harddrives.
• I back up that data to the drive(s) itself then take a copy off site every week or so. (Maybe you’re more diligent but we find that most businesses are less strict with their back up schedules.)
• I might use a file back up solution that takes folders I identify and copies them offsite into the cloud.
• I don’t really have a server room but do have a closet where we have our equipment which serves its purpose.
• I have security in place to ensure that outsiders don’t break in and see my data.
• I use a local guy I know and trust to manage my hardware and network issues.

Consider the following alternative customer view when contemplating control.  I will put the following in the context of pcCentral’s world, i.e. a local provider with its own data center vs. piecing together globally disbursed resources that you the customer wouldn’t know about like using mail from one provider, storage from another, application hosting from another, etc.

• I have many redundant servers with tremendous on demand computing power as well as limitless storage.  I have 30 full minutes of battery power and the building I’m in has a generator which will keep me humming even if the power fails.
• My data is backed up 3x daily to redundant back up drives and that data is then backed up to tape and taken offsite at a set regular interval.
• My data is backed up to the cloud but more importantly, my complete working environment is backed up meaning that my programs, connectivity to my printers and other hardware, etc. so if a computer dies, I go get another from any store and I’m back to productivity immediately.
• I locate my data in an unmarked floor of a hardened building with multiple levels of  human and biometric security and fire suppression protection.
• I have advanced security, firewalls, and encryption methods which ensure that outsiders cannot get into the data.  The data integrity/security meets HIPAA and more security specs to be released soon.
• I use a local company to trust and manage my I.T. infrastructure and network in the cloud so I’m completely mobile, can access my windows work environment from any device including my ipad, have synchronization between my mobile phone and my outlook, and am no longer worried about “my network” inside the office.  One visit to the support website might help me help myself. If not, I can call an 888 number and speak with a human without a menu system.

ABI booked Jim Collins, author of some of the most lauded business books in history (his latest is Great by Choice) as its keynote speaker on Friday along with Gino Wickman, author of Traction: Get a Grip On Your Business (you can buy separate tickets just to hear Collins and Wickman.)  The line up of breakouts and talks on Thursday the 14th is massive and has 3 separate tracks to keep you focused on your area of interest.

pcCentral will be streaming live audio and video interviews with ABI members and attendees, the breakout leaders, and the speakers.  You will NOT miss us as you enter the breakout session area.  Watch for lots of LCD flat panels and a few more secrets that I can’t reveal.  Let’s just say this:  We’re going big with the idea that business owners should refocus on activities that create value and avoid things (like managing IT for instance) which suck the life from your brain. We’ll help you diagnose some areas you’ll want to target for improvement.  It’s all about Business Owner Wellness.  

You can attend the entire conference as a non-ABI member – it just costs a bit more.  There’s NO better place to build relationships and business connections in one place.  They are expecting a HUGE crowd so please attend and I’d say consider joining ABI.  They have a small business membership that MAY just wash when you figure you pay MORE to enter the conference as a non-member. You’re better at math than I.

Hit up Leisa Fox, ABI’s Membership Director and tell her Doug sent you.  She’ll treat you right.

1. This was not a current customer.

1. This is clearly an onsite hardware issue that would likely need a break/fix I.T. type company which we are not.

1. This was probably something very simple and would likely take a couple days and at least $100 of the callers money to diagnose fix if she contacts a local company.

Even though there are higher short-term costs for implementing cloud initiatives, the majority of organization (63%) agree or strongly agree that there will be long term cost savings. Concerns about security dominate, however, as the main barrier to cloud, cited by 70%. Concerns about access to information follow at a distant 40%.

What we see in small business however is that this number is much smaller.  I encountered a 5-person firm recently, who do remote work, who are basic office and accounting users…and who just spent 5 figures on a server and set up.  Not to mention that the “management” of the server and desktops on a monthly basis is more that our total solution (with almost no upfront expense.)

The largest competitor in the small and medium sized company space for cloud service providers is doing nothing.  The cost of becoming “known” so that when companies are ready to switch they call you first is still substantial.

Just remember as a business owner you have enough to worry about.  It’s hard enough keeping up on recruiting, HR, payroll, being a good leader, etc.  So when it comes to I.T., meditate a while and go visit your chiropractor.  Have some herbal tea.  Center your chi…and ask for a free I.T. Wellness audit.  An ounce of prevention as they say is worth a pound of cure.