PC Support - small business

Sharing data with a small team

You have less than 10 computers, so you’re thinking about getting a server – after all, that’s what your next door neighbour says you need.  But, before you shell out on an expensive server that may not grow with you, look at the alternatives.

Grow your IT as your business grows – don’t force your business to grow into your IT!

You don’t have to invest a lot of capital to share your data with colleagues.  Access their calendar, share contacts, view each other’s inboxes, share Word and Excel files, run simple database applications, and print to one printer (and also receive faxes, and use it as a photocopier).

Many companies in your situation purchase a solution to fit their needs, and then find out their needs have changed.  Businesses evolve, and the team may not work in the way you think they will.  So get an IT solution that is scalable – you may find that you need to change direction, and expensive hardware could limit your ability to do so.

Where’s the bottleneck in your current system?  Can it be solved with a simple reconfiguration, or does it need more money thrown at it?

There are many things that you can do to make you efficient and lay the foundations for a secure and stable IT future – but many people head in the wrong direction.  This is the time when over complication of your solution will cause you headaches today, and waste in the future (when you end up replacing your IT kit).  Projectfive were in this situation in 2004 – we made some mistakes, and we want to make sure you don’t fall into the same traps.

Things to consider...

  • Do you really need a server – a Network Attached Storage device can cost as little as 10% of a server cost – and do the same thing for many businesses!
  • Run your Business Email as a Hosted Solution – share calendars and contacts, and only add a new mailbox when you need it.
  • Setup your network with reliability, resilience and expansion in mind – get it right now, and save yourself a fortune going forwards.
  • Ensure your PCs are kept up to date, and see at-a-glance if anything’s fallen out of sync.
  • Get printing right, and save money and hassle.
  • Mobile telephony is a big source of over-spend – get on top of it today.
  • Can you use Voice over IP (VoIP) to replace traditional telephone systems – giving you freedom, flexibility and huge cost-savings?