Our Clients- Voltage pc has been designed for the small business owner who is looking for technical synergy and low cost solutions. Our client usually is a small business owner who realizes the need for an Information Technology department but unfortunately does not have the capital for such a team (until now). Due to recent advances in the world of Pc support., many companies are now able to offer remote pc support. This breakthrough is leading the way for low cost Pc support and regular system maintenance. What this means to you as the SMB, (small medium sized business) is simply cost reduction.
Common Task- Many SMB's do not really understand what an I.T department’s job really is and why it is beneficial to have such a department. One of our biggest jobs in the I.T. department is maintenance, many of the computer problems we deal with could be simple avoided with regular routine maintenance. Unfortunately many SMB’s only deal with there computers on a break/fix basis we have all heard the phrase “if it aint broke don’t fix it” s although this mentality in the world of computers will surely cost you.
The most important job of your I.T department should be guiding you into your technical maturity. Simply put, where are you now and where are you going technically is the I.T departments greatest task.
An example may be best for a clear understanding.
We will use a mortgage broker as our example. Many small businesses begin in the home and with any luck, will prosper, and out grow the company’s birthplace relatively quickly, usually 1-2 years. Now when our client first began his business at home he/she felt that a network is not necessary and they can probably use something like Microsoft outlook to manage their contacts. Although this may be true, the cost for the company when it moves from its birthright will be far more costly and time consuming then if our client would have installed a network and the proper software from the beginning. Many mortgage bankers also used web-based software, which will also lead them to believing there is no real need for a network.
Now let’s look at the above scenario and see if an I.T department could help. First, we will discuss… to network or not to network. Unfortunately, this is not an easy answer. As for me, I believe in hosted solutions and for many mortgage brokers they use a solution called calyx, which is a hosted solution. Now for a single seat using the calyx software it will cost you $350, for each additional seat, it will cost you another $100 www.calyxsoftware.com . Calyx is great software with many features that are difficult to duplicate but with the right software installed, you really don’t have to
If you start with a client server setup for a single user you would pay anywhere from $2000-$5000 for all the necessary hardware, software and installation (there are many who will try to charge you more than quoted). Next you would need a good contact management software, in this case act premium for real estate $369.99 (single user license) www.act.com Now many of you are looking at the price difference between the client –server setup and the calyx setup and thinking its more cost effective to use calyx then the client server setup. This is simply not the case as our client expands beyond the home based business.
The client server setup will allow five users to share files and emails, as well as all contact information, calyx will not. Furthermore, the cost of the client server is a fixed cost for at least 3 years closer to 5 years. The calyx cost will continue yearly and will grow as your company grows. Once you grow to the point where you need the calyx data server you will now spend another $2000 plus you’re per seat licenses below is the table breakdown to show as your business grows your cost grows.
Calyx
Server $2000
Seat License 5 $750
Total $2750 (yearly)
5 year total $13750
Windows 2003 Server $1902
Act 5 User License $1999
Installation $1000
Server maintenance $2000
Total (5 year) $6901
The point of this break down is to show you the importance of an I.T department you see over a 5-year span the calyx solution will cost you 13,750 while the client server with an estimated maintenance cost of 400 per year will cost you almost $7000 less then a calyx solution. Does that mean client server is a better solution? Possibly but the point here is that a good I.T. solution provider should be a liaison helping you to understand your technical goals through every step of your growth process. There are too many unanswered questions in the above scenario to say which is the better solution but wouldn’t you want a technician to answer that for you considering there may be a difference of $7000 dollars over 5 years.
In conclusion, with the reduced cost associated with using remote support solutions, many I.T. companies can and should produce greater support for small business at rates that are affordable. At Voltage pc, we can support your entire office and help guide your technical growth for less then what you probably pay now for your current break/fix support.
At Voltage Pc most small business with 5-10 computers can be supported for approximately $1188 per year or less
For More Information on VoltagePc please visit us at www.voltagepc.com
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