September 10, 2009 Atlanta, GA. DynaSis IT, a managed IT provider for small and medium sized businesses will be holding monthly “cloud tours” of the their world class Atlanta datacenter. Local Atlanta small and medium sized businesses are invited for a complimentary lunch and presentation of cloud services followed by a tour of the facility.

Cloud computing refers to dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources provided as a service over the Internet. The term cloud is a metaphor for the Internet based on how the Internet is depicted in computer networks.

Participants will learn about this technology as it applies to their business. Cloud technology or Software as a Service (SaaS), can help businesses minimize costs by reducing the time and resources required to manage IT networks. Other benefits include working from anywhere, the ability to access your data and applications from any device, plus the advantage of no longer purchasing server room equipment.
DynaSis President David Moorman commented, “The cloud is one of those IT buzzwords that has come to mean many different things, so we would like to show what it actually is and how SMBs can use it to significantly reduce their IT costs. In this scenario, IT is delivered as a utility, just like electricity or water. So instead of a capital expense on the balance sheet, IT can now be classified as an operating expense providing tax savings in addition to other benefits.”

The facility guarantees a secure and resilient place to house mission-critical equipment, with 24x7x365 server and environmental monitoring systems plus around the clock management personnel, digital video surveillance cameras, electronic access cards, and biometric retina and fingerprint authentication scanners. The data center is served by 6 high speed optical connections from backbone providers. With generator backup support as well as a high capacity UPS and automatic transfer switch, clients can rest assured that their data is protected from disastrous failures.

The next “cloud tour” is scheduled for Wednesday, September 23, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. To register or for more information visit www.dynasis.com and click on the cloud tour button.

DynaSis is a managed IT service provider servicing small and medium sized businesses in the Atlanta area for over 17 years. DynaSis specializes in managed IT service plans, managed hosting and professional equipment installation. For more information about DynaSis visit www.dynasis.com.

by David Moorman, President

When implementing an IT solution, do you figure just hardware, software and manhour costs, or do you take it a step further and calculate the soft costs involved in a purchase, too?

You'd be wise to take the latter approach, because soft costs can add up quickly.

A managed IT solution (such as the one my company happens to market) can save small- and mid-sized businesses nearly 60% versus an internal IT department and 20% when compared to an outsourced solution. In fact, those savings may be on the conservative side because we tended to overstate actual costs.

In addition to those hard costs, there are other items that should be factored into the cost equation:

-- Downtime: Internal and outsourced IT systems will need to be brought down for periodic maintenance or may experience a catastrophic failure. A managed system can offer guaranteed up time, giving you peace of mind.

-- Spam: Fighting spam can take up a considerable amount of time when the inevitable outbreak occurs. With an IT services contract, internal staff does not need to worry about it.

-- Systems training: While there may be some need for training in the managed services scenario, staff will not need nearly as much hardware- and software-specific training.

-- IT management: These costs are calculated as a percentage of infrastructure costs. Since overall infrastructure costs are lower, management costs will be lower, too.

-- Non-business Internet usage: A managed solution allows you to control how employees surf the Web, decreasing productivity loss due to unnecessary Internet use.

While the hard costs savings seen when comparing a managed solution to internal or outsourced models are impressive, soft cost savings add up quickly also.

by David Moorman, President

Although you may not realize it, Software as a Service (SaaS) has become an important part of your business.
Salesforce.com pioneered the online software platform for customer relationship management, and all of Google’s offerings, from search and e-mail functionality to document storage and calendar functions, operate in a SaaS environment. If you check your e-mail through a Web site, that’s also a SaaS application.

But what about SaaS for centralized computing for your business? While that might sound scary at first, many small- and medium-sized businesses are moving to centralized computing with anywhere/anytime access as a way to help workers become more productive and to leverage critical business assets more effectively.

In smaller businesses, the owner or a trusted employee keeps the computers running along with attending to dozens of other duties. Larger companies may well have an IT director or even a small staff, but day-to-day maintenance and putting out inevitable fires arising from the help desk often take precedence over protecting a company’s critical business data.

As more companies become comfortable with the SaaS model, centralizing data center operations makes business sense and financial sense, too.

Here are three reasons why centralized data storage may be the answer for your business:

1. Your IT staff can spend more of their time performing value-added functions to expand business opportunities like data mining and analytics instead of manual computer updates.
2. Employees can work from anywhere there’s an Internet connection.
3. Centralized computing means less hardware and utility costs associated with a data storage room.

What’s more, virtually all software can operate in a SaaS environment, saving a company up to 50% of IT operating costs—not to mention cost savings on office rent through the need for fewer workstations (see previous column on hot desking).

Who could have imagined 15 years ago that any company hoping to stay in business needed a Web site? Likewise, centralized computing represents the next wave of IT functionality that could well separate the vibrant, profitable companies from the average.

When Briot Network Administrator Tommy Orr needed a third-party opinion on network strategy, he immediately thought of DynaSis. Orr had been impressed by DynaSis when he attended an event the firm hosted, and he was quick to contact them when he needed help. As Orr discussed the network with DynaSis's expert engineers, he realized ITility by DynaSis would be a great fit for Briot. With 14 out of 25 employees working in the field, and the CFO traveling between the Atlanta and Canada offices, ITility by DynaSis support for workshifting and remote access sold Orr.

As a cloud-based, hosted solution, ITility by DynaSis delivers Briot's data and applications over the Web from the DynaSis hosting servers to Briot workstations or any other Internet-connected computer. Employees access the network seamlessly, using a dedicated, secure online user interface. This not only enables Briot employees to access work from any of their offices, or from home or other locations, but it also gives Briot's road warriors a flexible, convenient and fully provisioned work experience no matter where they travel. "ITility by DynaSis has changed our business by making it easier to connect remotely, which has been key to servicing our clients," says Orr.

Beyond workshifting flexibility, ITility by DynaSis also incorporates 24/7/365 monitoring and maintenance of the equipment and automated backups of Briot's cloud server. This has enabled Orr to eliminate his network maintenance schedule. "I no longer have to buy or maintain server room equipment, so it takes a lot of worry out of my job," says Orr. "Plus, I am free to work on improving the performance of our products and invest my time in other high-level tasks."

When asked how he feels about the level of DynaSis's expertise, Orr replied, "I am very pleased with DynaSis. There is always someone available to answer my questions, and if they cannot answer right away, they work to find the answer until the problem is solved. They address my tickets within 2-3 minutes and always check with me to make sure everything is working before they close out an issue."

Briot has been working with DynaSis since 2009, and Orr says they have always stayed on top of any needs or concerns that arose. "ITility by DynaSis gives me the freedom to work on other business tasks, and it saves us money," says Orr. "I would absolutely recommend DynaSis and ITility by DynaSis to other clients going forward. In fact, I already have."

by David Moorman, President

Its been said that you are only as strong as your weakest link, and so it goes with your network security. You may have the latest and greatest equipment and software guarding the gateway to your network, but all that means nothing if you don’t have an IT security policy in place that is being enforced.

A security policy includes details such as which websites are approved, and which should be blocked, as well as what kind of content or programs employees are allowed to download. Do they really need to download and install the latest version of Texas hold’em? Other points include the frequency of changing passwords and ensuring passwords are not written down or stored in obvious locations.

One quid pro quo to an IT security policy: it needs to be enforced. There is growing recognition among employers that, however much time and money they spend on ramping up their IT security, it counts for very little if they fail to change the practices and mindset of their workforce. Have employees sign an agreement so they are held accountable for their actions. In extreme cases, larger companies have even charged for damages done to business PC’s due to employee misuse or have adopted the policy of employees supplying their own personal computers. Employees may think twice if they’ve got skin in the game.

The moral of that story is clear: No matter how secure your network may be, it's only as secure as its weakest link. And people--meaning you and your employees--are often the weakest link. So get on the phone with your trusted IT advisor and start creating your detailed security plan today. You'll sleep better tonight.

by David Moorman, President

It’s 10:30 a.m. on a weekday. Do you know where your employees are?
According to workplace consulting firm DEGW, chances are that only 50% are in the office and that 30% are at their desks. The rest are teleworking, on sales calls, attending a conference, traveling, out on vacation, or otherwise occupied.

If you have a workstation for each employee, you may be missing out on an opportunity to save money on office space and computer hardware by “hot desking.” The name is adapted from a naval term called either “hot bunking” or “hot racking,” where sailors share limited bunk space because ships and submarines operate on a 24/7 schedule. Since one sailor gets up just before another lies down, the bed is still hot.

An increasingly mobile workforce and technological advances have made hot desking, also called location independent working, a viable option for many companies. Do your outside salespeople really need a workspace at the home office? Those employees likely can access company data remotely, making a physical connection at the office unnecessary.

Although the concept of hot desking dates to the late 1980s, the prevalence of Software-as-a-Service offerings, centralized data servers, and smart telephony solutions that don’t require a physical phone have combined to give the concept new life. If your company works on multiple shifts or has staff members who spend most of their time out of the office anyway, hot desking could save up to 30% on office rent.

In a managed services environment, employees can access any information they need from anywhere, eliminating the need for a dedicated workstation at the office. Of course, that begs the question of where an employee puts the photos of the spouse, the kids, the dog, or that prized boat.
But that’s what screensavers are for.

July 28, 2009 Atlanta, GA--DynaSis, a technology managed service provider, is now offering business continuity plans to help small to medium sized businesses prepare for emergencies such as natural disaster, network crashes, or theft of business data. Unlike enterprises, many smaller companies cannot afford optimal in-house strategies and solutions. These companies are consequently at an elevated risk of being put out of business due to any major loss of data. A business continuity plan goes beyond offsite data backup and recovery and gives businesses a strategy detailing actions that will be taken after a crisis so the business can remain as functional as possible.

A key component of a business continuity plan is of course making sure critical documents and data are digitized or copied and stored off site, but the plan encompasses much more. Aspects businesses may not have considered include doing visual walkthroughs of facilities at least once a year to look for deficiencies, as well as making sure the business has sufficient business interruption insurance to cover the cost of operations for at least 60 days with no income. Other areas of concern consist of communications with employees in the event of phone system or Internet outages and creating a plan in case key employees can’t perform their duties or quit suddenly. Maintaining a list of emergency vendors as well as securing an alternative place to conduct business if the primary facility is unavailable are also details the plan would include.

DynaSis President David Moorman said, “Our goal is always to be a value added provider in the eyes of our clients. For this reason, we go beyond being just your IT repair guy. Protecting your data is half the battle, but when a crisis hits, you also have to think about what you are going to do to get back up to speed. What a business does in the first four hours after an emergency often determines how well they can bounce back.”

With 87% of companies that lose access to their corporate data for more than 7 days going out of business within a year and less than 5% of non-regulated businesses having a business continuity plan, and the need for business continuity planning services is real and the benefits to clients are immediate and long-term. Benefits realized after completing a business continuity/disaster recovery plan include competitive advantage, insurance savings, efficiency savings, improved processes, increased stockholder value and peace of mind.

About DynaSis
DynaSis is a managed IT services provider for small to medium sized businesses in Atlanta, GA, offering on-premise and on-demand SaaS monthly service plans, professional IT installation services, and managed hosting. For more information on DynaSis, visit www.dynasis.com.

by David Moorman, President

Technology should not be considered a cost center but, rather, should be viewed as a way to gain a competitive advantage in your marketplace. Day-to-day management of a company’s infrastructure should be just a small part of what IT staffers do.

An IT spending survey from Accenture reveals that most companies spend 70 cents of each IT dollar on continuing operations and maintenance, but the ideal ratio is 55 cents for maintenance and 45 cents of each dollar on value-added IT services that can bring a competitive advantage.

If you’re not already, here are a few projects you should be working on:

1. Conducting data mining of your customers or your market. Data mining is the process of finding patterns in your data that can help identify your target demographic, Web site traffic trends, and what types of products or services are most popular. That information can be used to tweak your offerings to hit the “sweet spot” of the market and identify likely new customers. This can be much more effective than renting a list for direct marketing or e-mail marketing.

2. Planning for a disaster scenario. Data varies by year (and the prevalence of terrorist attacks or major natural disasters), but few companies have comprehensive business continuity plans in place. While a major incident is unlikely to occur, the simple loss of communications or data could put your company out of business if you’re not adequately prepared.

3. Exploring a CRM solution. Customer relationship management solutions have been making inroads into the small- and medium-sized business market. Deploying an effective CRM product can result in more sales and happier customers. Isn’t that what every business wants?

Deploying technology for technology’s sake will not gain you the competitive advantage that you want. Before investing in any product or service, you should determine your ROI, a fancy acronym that simply means, “Will I get my money’s worth by making this purchase?”

That should be the job of your IT staff, to make those determinations so you can make wise business decisions. In today’s lean and fierce marketplace, the success or failure of your business could ride on the outcome.

When Electric Cities of Georgia broke away from its parent company, they were faced with building an entire IT solution from scratch.“Our startup dollars were limited and we felt ITility by DynaSis was the best solution for us so we didn’t have a huge capital expense up front. The infrastructure was purchased and is maintained by DynaSis. This guarantees us the best technology available for a fixed monthly cost. Considering we operate on a strict budget, the monthly fee is perfect for our situation,” said Ellen Richardson VP of Business Development.

by David Moorman, President

Many businesses think that business continuity and disaster recovery means protecting your technology and having a plan in place for data recovery. And while it is that, business continuity includes much more in order to keep your business functional during a disaster.

Business continuity has several other components you need to think about in case your business is ever the victim of a natural disaster or emergency:

Communication: What happens if you cannot use your current infrastructure or facility to communicate with clients or employees. You need an emergency contact plan in place to re-group employees, connect with vendors, and reassure customers you are in control.

Logistics Operations: A plan is required to continue to carry out deliveries and orders in the event your facility is not operational for more than one day. A list of emergency service providers should be kept up to date in case the unthinkable happens, as well as a backup plan in case key employees cannot perform critical duties.

Proactive Testing: Performing a visual facility review once per year to correct deficiencies can help you prepare and be ready in case you get stuck between a rock and a hard place. Taking inventory of critical resources including data and equipment and making sure those assets can withstand the storm can help you get back on your feet following the aftermath.

While it sounds like a lot of work (and it is!), the immediate and long-term benefits far outweigh the cost of losing your business. Implementing a business continuity plan offers competitive advantage, peace of mind, technology efficiencies, client confidence, and even savings!