technology – Page 27 – Cooper Mann Consulting

June 5, 2013April 28, 2017

Sustainability and the Humanization of Work

Few problems in business are truly solved simply by throwing more money and resources at them. Certainly, having the people, tools and supplies to get the work done well is a business requirement, and many organizations take a “building out” approach to addressing growing workloads and customer demand. On the other hand, there are business owners who recognize that things can always be accomplished better and more efficiently, and that improvements in these areas can make the difference between ending up with an overburdened organization with more mass than agility, or a lean organization with the ability to sustain itself while continuously adjusting to meet changing internal and external challenges.

It is said that the only constant is change, and businesses must find a way to effectively and cost-efficiently meet changing demands and conditions in order to survive. What frustrates many business owners is that change is generally disruptive to the business, representing a significant challenge when it comes to the re-development of internal processes and procedures. At issue is the understanding that proven, structured and repeatable processes help to improve efficiency, yet changing conditions often require changes to these processes. In many cases, businesses find that the requirement to structure and document activities is work that must be re-done in the event of broad changes. Too often, the work falls by the wayside because the minute it is completed, some change comes along and renders it obsolete. It is somewhat like the child who questions making their bed each day, as they’re just going to sleep in it again and make it messy.

There may be a solution, and a lesson to be learned, in the “kaizen” approach to change and improvement. Wikipedia’s entry on Kaizen identifies the meaning of the Japanese-Kanji word as simply “good change”. Similar to the English word “improvement”, kaizen does not refer specifically to any single or ongoing change. Rather, it has come to describe an approach to business which recognizes the potential for improvement – improvement in work product, work conditions, worker satisfaction, and worker performance – at all levels throughout the enterprise. Further, kaizen does not describe change as being broad-ranging or particularly intrusive. Beneficial (good) change may come at any level and may be identified by almost any source.

Kaizen is a daily process, the purpose of which goes beyond simple productivity improvement. It is also a process that, when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates overly hard work (“muri”), and teaches people how to perform experiments on their work using the scientific method and how to learn to spot and eliminate waste in business processes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaizen

The ultimate business goals are, of course, improved productivity, product quality and profitability. A “Kaizen” approach to business recognizes that these goals are often met through gaining the participation of the entire organization. Whether approached as individual effort, small or large group, or via suggestion system, the purpose is to nurture the company’s human resource and help focus it towards making improvements in work environment and activities which lead to improved productivity. After all, the most valuable asset a business has is its people. It is logical to apply this individual and collective intelligence and source of business knowledge towards making the company better – and a better place to work.

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May 23, 2013September 5, 2018

Moving Your Systems to the Cloud

The IT industry is promoting Software as a Service and online applications as the new normal for computing, and unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years you have heard how it is supposed to make our computing lives ever so much better. Hiding under that rock might also have spared you from reading about the various failures and outages which impact users, forcing them to make do without the online applications and data they have become so reliant upon. It’s surprising, but not unimaginable, that businesses rely so heavily on applications and services that didn’t even exist a few short years ago.

The potential benefits of a SaaS model are many, but the risks are equally significant and should not be minimized. This assessment should center on a review of the application software in use, considering whether or not it is meeting the needs of the business. Where and how the software runs is much less of an issue than the functionality and process support it provides – most “legacy” applications can be run in a cloud server environment, making remote access and managed service part of the service model.

There is risk in changing business applications – risk of data loss, changed or broken data relationships, lost productivity, and more. Many businesses would benefit by running their applications in a cloud model while continuing to utilize the software solutions their operation relies on.

Application hosting models where desktop applications are delivered on cloud servers is often overlooked when businesses go looking for cloud software because they are shopping for software and not the platform.

With Software as a Service (SaaS), the software and the platform are combined and together represent the solution. With application hosting on a cloud server, the software is the same software a business would traditionally run on PCs and servers, but the they are installed and managed on the cloud server rather than the local computers.

The big benefit is the agility of the platform and the user mobility it allows. The unspoken benefit is that you can still “take your ball and go home” if the service doesn’t work out.

Removing the barriers for adopting an online working model allows the business to experience the benefits attached to cloud computing without introducing unnecessary risk through unneeded changes in software and applications.

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May 14, 2013March 26, 2019

Hosting All My Applications in the Cloud

Many business owners will recall when their first in-house computer networks were installed. When the PCs were networked together in an office, it made file sharing and collaboration among team members easier and more efficient. Installing additional applications on the PC was a relatively simple process, and when the new application came with the ability to integrate with another app already on the PC, it was often a fairly simple process to get the two “talking” together. But installing and integrating applications on your personal computer is a bit different from getting multiple applications installed and integrated with a cloud hosting service provider.

In almost all cases, integrating multiple desktop software solutions requires installing those solutions on the same computer so that they can share certain program elements or, at least, share .ini or data files. Application integration is important because it allows different software solutions to work together, communicating data from one application to the other so the information may be used in different ways or for different purposes.

An example of this might be a Microsoft Office integration with QuickBooks, which allows the user to perform a one-click export of QB financial data to an Excel spreadsheet. Another example is the integration between QuickBooks and Fishbowl Inventory, which synchronizes information from the Fishbowl inventory system into the QuickBooks financial software.

In nearly every case where a software program has a software-based integration with another solution, the integration must be installed in the same system as the core solution. In the QuickBooks world, this means that the programs which integrate with QuickBooks must be installed on the same computer as QuickBooks.

In a conventional PC network, the necessity of installing the various software solutions on the same machine is not a big problem as PC software and integrations have been implemented in this manner for years. On the other hand, when the business is considering the option of moving desktop applications to the cloud, it is important to make sure the provider and service will allow all of your products to be hosted. In most cases, this requirement highlights the main difference between a shared service versus a dedicated or server-based solution.

With shared services, the servers are generally configured to offer a strict and limited set of applications to be hosted. The applications on the servers are used by subscribers of the service, and users are limited to accessing only those applications available in the environment. The shared approach is popular with some application hosting providers as it creates an economy of scale which helps providers to earn more revenue on their infrastructure. The trade-off is that a shared hosting solution only works well for businesses with a limited application requirement, and is generally fairly expensive when more users are added to the service.

The need for diversity in hosted application choices, coupled with the need for businesses to keep costs down even as the number of business users increases, are the primary drivers for adoption of dedicated and server-based cloud hosting solutions. When the solution is managed as an entire environment rather than on an exclusively per-user basis, an economy of scale is developed within the organizational IT infrastructure. As the business grows and adds more users and applications, the incremental costs to bring each user or application onto the platform is often far less than a user subscription in a shared solution.

For any business planning to migrate their server and systems to the cloud, the first step is to have a thorough understanding of the applications and integrations the business needs in the host environment, and then to find a hosting provider that can deliver the infrastructure and baseline system administration required. It is unreasonable to expect a hosting provider to be an expert with every software product available, but skilled and experienced hosting providers understand how to generally install and implement most standard business applications and will rise to meet the customer demand.

While no business can guess what their future software needs may be, decisions can be reasonably made based on the solutions currently in use. Finding a provider with a service to meet immediate needs is useful, but businesses change and therefore business requirements change, and it is good to know that the hosting infrastructure and IT services supporting the business can adjust to those changing needs. After all, cloud hosting of applications and data just means the servers and infrastructure are with the service provider and not in the office, but it doesn’t mean businesses can’t have the feature-rich and functional applications their businesses have come to rely on.

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May 9, 2013September 25, 2018

What’s Motivating Small Businesses to Move to the Cloud?

When information technology professionals tell their small business clients about cloud computing, it often sounds even more complicated, risky and expensive than in-house networks and business Internet access once did. Business owners are faced with discussions about hosted or SaaS or hybrid and ask what will I do when the Internet goes out? and how secure is it? and will it work with my iPad?… and often get one of two responses from their local IT guy:

The cloud is just a way for software companies to make more money. I can keep your IT running better in your office and save you a lot.
If you move to the cloud you have to do a lot to make sure it is secure, and you won’t be able to run all your applications (but we’ll back up your data to the cloud so it’s safe).

Now, you can’t really blame the local IT guy for being a little bit wary of some cloud solution offerings because these local IT guys really are (in many cases) trying to operate with the best interest of their client in mind. It’s just unfortunate that sometimes a lack of information causes them to revert to their comfort zone, which is selling servers and performing on-site installation and break-fix work. What information are these folks lacking? An understanding of the various options and capabilities available with hosting services and cloud solutions, and how the IT provider can continue to be the advocate and IT manager for their clients even as those clients move their primary information technology to the cloud.

For many years business owners have relied upon their trusted local IT professional to help them find solutions to various business problems. Answering questions and helping procure and implement computers and networked systems, software applications, backup solutions and more, the IT professional serving a small business customer base has necessarily become the one-stop-shop for everything related to computers. Smaller IT service companies often rely upon regular sales of server equipment and network installations to pay their bills. It’s no wonder that these companies have a hard time accepting hosted solution models, as they see their revenue potentials dwindling as fewer servers and networks are sold to small businesses.

The interesting trend being viewed these days is that more business owners are looking beyond their IT professional to find solutions to the problems they deem as high priority for business technology: mobility and remote access. It is not necessarily that the self-service technology model makes more sense for small businesses (businesses can still benefit tremendously by getting training and implementation support from their local IT guy), but simple and affordable cloud solutions have addressed many of the small business IT challenges that were previously big revenue streams for local IT service providers. Savvy business owners will find solutions that work for them, and will look beyond their immediate advisors if those advisors aren’t providing the right answers.

When a small business owner talks about mobility and is looking for answers to the remote access question, they are not thinking about GoToMyPC or other remote control technologies and simply connecting to an office PC. Small business owners today are talking about central access to information at any time from any place and with whatever computing device they happen to have available at the time. For a small business owner, the benefit of the cloud is a largely emotional benefit – being able to stay in touch with the business at all times. The real benefits may be improved security, simplified management of information resources and pay-as-you-go pricing for business applications, but these are often value statements which fall on deaf ears just as the cost/benefits of upgrading the server every 2 years did.

It is tempting to focus on logic and reason, discussing the tangible benefits of any business information technology model or approach rather than how it makes us “feel”. Productivity metrics, best practices in security, total cost of ownership… these are all the right areas to pay attention to when selecting any technology solution for a business. But really, when it comes to selecting technology for small businesses, the business owner is in the driver’s seat, and that owner wants one thing: to see what’s going on all the time.

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Joanie Mann Bunny Feet J

May 2, 2013June 13, 2017

Moving to the Cloud While Retaining Your Investment in People, Process and Business Knowledge

cloud-business When businesses consider moving their information technology to the “cloud”, the problem is often approached with a thought that things will have to change dramatically in order to achieve a fully online working model. In many cases, business owners are left believing that any business use of cloud technologies is the equivalent of changing software and systems over to SaaS solutions, enabling the much-desired anytime/anywhere working model. What too many businesses aren’t being told is that there are a variety of ways to move to the cloud, and changing software and systems isn’t necessarily a prerequisite.

The benefits of a cloud computing model are many, with mobility and managed service being the most obvious. Less evident are the potential cost savings, because the subscription approach to paying for IT services may, on the surface, look like an equivalent or even higher cost over time. What isn’t being factored in to the cost (savings?) is the potential to improve processes and increase productivity. These benefits are often achieved simply due to a centralized management and access approach, and are not necessarily attributable to the adoption of new software tools.

For many businesses, the cloud is the right answer for deploying and managing IT and should be considered first, before changing out the software and tools in use throughout the organization. This approach has been widely adopted by businesses using Microsoft Exchange messaging solutions, where in-house Exchange servers are being replaced by outsourced Exchange providers and users experience the same functionality but with far better uptime and protection. The same approach is working for businesses electing to move their in-house business software and systems to the cloud, engaging with application hosting providers to install and manage existing desktop and network applications and to secure business data on the host. Users are able to access their native desktop applications via the cloud, allowing businesses to retain their investments in people, processes, and business knowledge.

Purists may contend that hosting of desktop applications is not truly “cloud”, but the terminology is far less important than the benefits businesses can achieve with a hosted application approach. For most folks, the “cloud” refers to Internet-based solutions and software delivered as a subscription service. When desktop applications are deployed on remote servers and the environment is managed and protected by the service provider, it is pretty much a cloud solution.

Particularly as Microsoft and others continue to move away from packaged all-inclusive solutions for local installation, small businesses are finding that the cloud, hosted applications and remote access provide the answers to a variety of business IT problems. Even more, those answers are being provided affordably, with a simplicity of setup not previously available, and with higher levels of service than was reasonably available with localized IT.

Information technology professionals at all levels are now recognizing that their small business and enterprise clients can experience many benefits with a cloud hosted and managed IT approach. It doesn’t take a comprehensive application or process overhaul to begin improving internal IT operations for the business. It makes no sense for a business to give up investments in training, process development, and people knowledge in exchange for a centrally managed and remotely accessible system. Rather, the smart business takes the steps to solve the real issues of IT management and mobility while allowing users to continue performing their tasks and doing business as usual – only better because the IT is now working for them.

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April 16, 2013November 2, 2017

Workflow is Essential in Document Driven Business

The popularity and proliferation of online applications and cloud computing solutions for business has transformed how organizations manage activities, people and resources. The Internet-connected marketplace has introduced both opportunity and challenge for businesses of all sizes, and much of this focus has been placed on the management and control of digital documents and data.

Electronic document management has been commonly used in professional services business for many years, yet has not always been viewed as an essential technology to apply in the context of organizing and structuring the processing of the document. As clients of these professional firms continue to generate and utilize a great deal of paper documentation and written information, firms continue their reliance upon paper files, shared drives, and other more traditional methods of organizing the work, and storing or controlling access to documents. However, key trends in the industry are causing these approaches to be increasingly burdensome for professional service firms, including:

Need to support multiple offices, geographically disbursed team members, and mobile workers and devices
Increasing use of email as a primary tool for collaboration
Introduction of new risk elements accompanying new technologies
Increasing numbers of forms and document types coming from clients
Rising expectations of clients and increased market competition
Growing need for businesses to increase earnings and profitability with fewer resources
Increasing requirement for knowledge management supporting sustainability, creating the ability to retain and reuse best practices and work produced

Advances in the design and underlying technology supporting many document management solutions today have delivered great capability to firms adopting electronic document management approaches.

Benefits of implementation include the ability to create a centralized, searchable documents base which includes all client-related content, including email communications as well as documents and data files. Easy search, access, collaboration, and re-use of information are enabled, and complete audit trails may be retained. Electronic document solutions also reduce physical document storage needs, reducing costs associated with managing and storing paper files, and can better serve business disaster recovery and continuity initiatives.

While today’s electronic document management solutions may address many of the challenges involved in working with large volumes and varieties of documents and data, there are few solutions on the market which address fundamental issues relating to document processing workflows and how they are impacted by various business or data-driven events, or by the availability of people or resources to facilitate the process.

The growing problem facing businesses today is the volume and variety of information which must be organized, processed and archived. The market is sold on the idea that electronic communications and record keeping will simplify things, but the reality is proving otherwise. Businesses are hoarding information at unprecedented rates and with the ability to collect and generate increasing volumes of digital data, businesses have not simplified their information processing, they have only created a greater need.

Generating and collecting data is not the issue created, nor is ultimately the archival and storage of the information. Rather, the problem created is in organizing the work related to processing this ever-increasing volume of documents and data.

Businesses dealing with documents and transaction-based activities should not only attempt to structure workflows necessary to support the various processes, but must also seek to normalize as much as possible, developing a consistent and methodical approach to the work which results in predictable and consistently high quality service delivery.

The efficiency gained through this structuring and standardization of the work allows the professional services firm to achieve a greater level of profitability for outsourced processing engagements, which are often viewed as low-margin and low-profit activities.

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Read about Using Structured Workflow to Manage Offline Clients | Intuit Accountants News Central