Sometimes, the decision about whether or not to hire an in-house IT employee is an easy one. For instance, if you have a very small company, then you might not have room in your budget to bring on additional full or part-time personnel. Or, if you’re at the head of a massive enterprise, the day-to-day needs of your organization might … Read More
Every January, small business owners, department managers, and IT executives go on the hunt for new computers and devices. Many of them are armed with fresh budgets, newly released funds, and a slew of discounts and rebates ahead of them. While these kinds of shopping sprees can be enjoyable, they aren’t always profitable in the long run. That’s because it’s … Read More
Branding and IT are typically thought of as being very different parts of a business. However, we have seen again and again that they can actually come together in unexpected ways. So, if your goal is to establish a stronger identity for your company in 2020 and beyond, it might be worth thinking about the effect one can have on … Read More
Most of the business owners and executives we talk with are familiar with benchmarking but think of it in terms of building video game rigs or evaluating racing cars. What they don’t realize is that measuring benchmarks – that is, finding ways to stress test your technology – is an integral part of the IT process. There is great value … Read More
Technology can be a huge source of strength and efficiency for your company. Or, it can be a budget item that seems endless and unpredictable. Nearly every week we talk with a business owner or executive who has come to us because they feel like unplanned tech expenses are making it difficult for them to balance their budgets. In our … Read More
Business owners and executives learn very quickly that planning ahead is important. The farther and more accurately you can project into the future, the easier it is to determine things like budgets and strategies. That allows you to take advantage of opportunities and avoid being caught by surprise. When it comes to expanding and implementing technology, though, things change quickly. … Read More
One of the most important reasons to engage a competent outsourced IT vendor is to protect yourself against emergencies. When earthquakes, floods, and other tragedies strike, the data that is lost in damaged drives and servers is often more valuable than the real estate and other physical holdings that need to be replaced. It’s entirely possible that your technology – … Read More
Successful business owners tend to be hands-on people. They know the value in having a working knowledge of all their systems and equipment, and also like to save money where they can. As a consequence, many are involved in the process of installing, maintaining, and upgrading their own business software. Sometimes, however, this DIY approach to technology can be counterproductive. … Read More
If our observations are any guide, there are an amazing number of business owners and executives out there that aren’t pursuing any discernible IT strategy at all. These men and women buy new hardware or software when they’re convinced that they need it, and pay for IT support when they absolutely can’t find the answers to a problem, but there … Read More
At Fantastic IT, one of the things that makes us different from our colleagues and competitors is a commitment to consulting. We get to know the companies and decision-makers we work with so we can help them to set the right priorities and make good decisions about tech investments. We don’t give advice on mergers or investments, of course, but … Read More
Does this sound familiar: you’re getting ready to leave work on a Friday afternoon when an employee stops by, or perhaps sends you an email asking for a new piece of technology that you’ve never purchased before? Most business owners and executives have been through this experience. And, it can lead to positive or negative outcomes depending on how the … Read More
For decades, the outsourced IT support industry worked on a very simple business model. When something broke that a business owner or executive couldn’t fix, they would turn to outside professionals to come in and solve the problem. After the job was done, the vendor left, sent the bill, and waited for the next crisis that would necessitate a phone … Read More
When you’re offering IT support to small and medium-sized businesses, it goes without saying that technical knowledge and certifications are a crucial part of the job. However, one of the things we like to remind our clients and colleagues about is that managing things like networks and software is only half the challenge. Most of the new clients who come … Read More
In the minds of most business owners, hiring an outsourced IT company is about having a team come in to repair hardware, fix network outages, and deal with other unplanned tech-related issues. However, they are often pleasantly surprised to learn that our team can help out with other projects, too. Those little “extras” might not make it into case studies … Read More
Most of the time, we like to focus on the advantages that come with having a good IT strategy in place. The business owners and executives we work with enjoy higher productivity, more safety and stability, and big cost savings because we help them to develop short and long-term plans to deal with technology. There is another side to the … Read More
Many of our new and potential clients are worried about working with us because they have in-house IT professionals already on staff. Their worry is that we are going to ask them to let these people go if they hire us for a managed services agreement. They are sometimes pleasantly surprised to discover that a “blended” or co-managed IT team … Read More
So, you’ve seen the latest gadget or device advertised and think it looks really cool. Should that factor into your buying decision? This is a more complicated question than a lot of business owners and executives might realize. For one thing, technology companies base a great deal of their marketing on sleek images and quick video cuts that are designed … Read More
When it comes to technology purchases, investments, and decisions, business owners have lots of questions. Why shouldn’t they? The majority of them are experts in profitability, or their industries, but not IT. It’s only natural that they’ll want to know about things like cost, compatibility, and upgrades. With all of that being said, though, there is an IT question we … Read More
Managing tech upgrades for your small or medium-sized business can be a daunting task. There are overlapping budgets and capabilities to consider, not to mention aesthetics and personal preferences. Put all of that together and it’s easy to overspend, get the wrong thing, or end up with the newest version of a device that isn’t all it was promised to … Read More
While it might not be the biggest IT problem you’ll ever face in your business, lots of new clients tell us they feel uncomfortable when tech salespeople approach them about new hardware, software, and apps. They feel apprehensive because they don’t know enough about the details to tell whether a new gadget will live up to the hype, or if … Read More
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