By the DynaSis Team

[featured_image]Recent weather events in Atlanta and other southern cities have reinforced to many business owners their vulnerability when workers are unable to come to the office. “Snowpocalypse 2014” garnered national headlines for good reason, with thousands of commuters becoming trapped on icy roads―some for as many as 24 hours.

However, in hard-hit Atlanta―a metropolis of nearly six million people―there were plenty of workers who did make it home―and then sat there for several days while their offices remained shuttered due to the icy conditions. In many cases, businesses that had empowered their workers for mobile productivity were able to keep running their operations. Those that did not have such a solution in place weren’t as lucky. (Note that by “mobile,” we mean “out of the office,” not necessarily using a mobile device. Mobile workers can work anytime and anywhere, on any device with Internet access.)

Gaining the ability to move workers to a mobile environment, on demand, isn’t difficult or expensive. Unfortunately, misperceptions about security, cost and complexity keep many business owners and their employees from enjoying the benefits a mobile workplace affords. A few solutions that businesses can implement quickly and inexpensively to foster mobile productivity include:

1. Hosted Microsoft Exchange: Moving from Outlook or some other locally hosted email platform to hosted Microsoft Exchange at the corporate level gives workers secure, remote access to email messages, contacts and calendars via a mobile phone, tablet or laptop―or their home PCs. With this solution, workers can send and respond to emails, reach out to customers as needed, and perform other basic communications tasks.
2. Cloud-based data and application hosting: If company staff can’t access or work with files remotely, storing company data―and possibly applications―on cloud-based servers will power worker productivity. With access to appropriate corporate files, employees can write, edit and send documents, stay abreast of accounting tasks, enter and process orders, send and receive contracts, and perform other important work.
3. Locally based cloud hosting: For companies that want to (or must, for some reason) keep their data and applications hosted in-house, specialized software agents can turn those on-premise servers into cloud servers, affording workers access over the Internet (provided the company’s servers and Internet connection remain up during an outage). A solution like this provides the same benefits as a cloud server without the need to migrate data and applications.

While most companies cannot stay 100% functional with these solutions, they can operate at a level that maintains customer service until workers return to the office. They can also avoid the additional lost productivity that usually results when workers begin processing the backlog of work when the office reopens.

So, where were you during Snowpocalypse 2014? Did your office stay open or did you close? If you were closed, were you prepared to keep key workers busy during at least part of the unscheduled closure? If the answer to the last question is “No,” fill out our inquiry form or give us a call to learn more about solutions that ensure next time, you’ll be ready.

By the DynaSis Team

[featured_image]You may have noticed us alluding to a new term: Modern Officing, rather than talking about the Modern Office, which is often defined as an office environment not constrained by time or place, where technology powers the anytime-anywhere concept. That concept has now morphed into a verb, and folks are talking about Modern Officing.

This is the practice of enabling your employees to achieve anytime-anywhere productivity. It might incorporate letting personnel come into your physical office only occasionally―if at all. Of course, the core of this practice is technology―especially mobile and network technologies.

However, companies that succeed in this effort are judicious in how they weave other technologies into the solution. The idea is not to allow technology to expand organically, with everyone bringing their favorite solutions to the table. Rather, companies should strategically plan and deploy the right technologies, implemented security but accessibly. Not only should companies avoid too many solutions (especially if they overlap), but those solutions should not be too permissive or unrestrained. So, let’s look at a few of the technologies you likely use, and how your approach to them can be “just right” for the modern office.

These are just a few examples of dozens of technologies where right-sizing is beneficial to your company, its personnel and its bottom line. If your technology environment is insufficient or outdated, not only can your employees not achieve their missions, but customers to your physical space will perceive your firm as dated. Too many solutions, too much capacity, or an approach that is too unrestrained, and you could be throwing money, productivity and security away.

DynaSis has strategic planning experts that can help you pinpoint what improvements make sense for your firm, and which ones are unnecessary or unwise. To get started, fill out our inquiry form or give us a call.

By the DynaSis Team

[featured_image]Business owners hear frequently that they should have a good mobile site or application for their customer-facing efforts (e.g. sales or marketing), but what about corporate mobile apps? Are those important too? Depending on your business model, the answer can yes―or no. Corporate apps can be an important contributor to “Modern Officing,”―an operating model where employees can perform many or all office duties wherever and whenever it suits them, without the boundaries of time and space. However, as with public-facing mobile apps, corporate apps must be “done right” to succeed.

Corporate mobile apps are company-branded and approved tools that enable employees to run processes and connect to the corporate resources from their mobile devices. They allow companies a greater level of control and access restriction than simply allowing personnel to get direct access over the Internet. And they are becoming increasingly affordable to develop. So, what’s not to love?

Of the nearly 70% of employees that use personally owned smartphones and tablets in the workplace a majority (58%) abandon the corporate mobile apps they should be using for work-related tasks (per a 2013 survey conducted by ResearchNow). Most concerning, the report revealed that 64% of employees "go rogue," freely downloading public “productivity” apps of their choice and putting corporate security at risk.

Some 26% of smartphone users―and nearly 20% of tablet users―report that they "stick with" the corporate mobile app, but that productivity suffers as a result. A majority of users also reported returning to their desktops to complete tasks they could not effectively accomplish via mobile apps.

Now for the big question: what should your company do? That depends upon your level of technological sophistication and need for the apps. The reality for all businesses―especially small and medium-sized businesses―is that corporate apps are not a requisite in the way that customer-facing apps are. You do have options:

Secure cloud-based access: If you want employees to have access to corporate resources, for a very reasonable fee you can make those resources available securely, “in the cloud” Cloud security has improved substantially, especially when your data is hosted at a world-class data center or on your company’s own servers. Such setups are dramatically more secure than public apps. DynaSis’ ITility solution and DynaSis BLUE are approaches that incorporate this model.

Public apps with strict BYOD policy enforcement: Not all public apps are bad. It’s the unrestricted usage of them, without any corporate screening, that is dangerous. The survey we mentioned earlier found that only 24% of the businesses surveyed were enforcing a formal BYOD policy. Developing and enforcing a BYOD policy that lets employees download only approved, secure, well-respected mobile apps will go a long way towards reducing your risk, as well.

This effort is about incentives and enforcement as much as access. If personnel are using devices they paid for, you won’t be loved for restricting them from downloading public apps for personal use. You can incent them to use only company-approved solutions instead, through a combination of perks (company-paid minutes and data bonuses) and routine “health checks” with serious penalties for those that break the rules. Just make sure your choices are well-designed and intuitive or you may find yourself firing a lot of employees.

In-House Apps: If you want to develop in-house apps, they must be functional and intuitive. Companies developing them must adopt the best practices that are common with customer-facing apps. These practices include identifying user personas and use cases and targeting functionality to the broadest base of users. Corporate apps may not be a requisite, but if you are going to use them, they must work elegantly and offer a rich, mobile app experience.

DynaSis’ on-demand CIOs can help you evaluate and develop your mobile strategy and decide which of these approaches is best for you. The most important point is to do something. If you are waiting to make a decision about corporate mobile apps―or public mobile apps in the workplace―you are putting your company at risk. In the absence of a clear policy and directive, don’t wonder if your mobile-enabled employees are downloading public apps without your knowledge. Be assured that they already are.

The Challenge

When ECG (Electric Cities of Georgia) broke away from its parent company in 2009, the restructured operation needed to develop its own IT solution — including help desk support — from scratch.  With minimal technology expertise and a limited budget, Engineering and Energy Services Director Ellen Richardson and External Affairs Manager Michelle Holbrook needed a solution that would get them up and running quickly and cost effectively. They found the answer in the DynaSis's “Ascend” program, a hybrid cloud solution.

The Solution

“It was hard for us because we’d never done IT on our own. We needed someone to hold our hand and give us a roadmap to be seamless from the old company to the new,” says Holbrook. “DynaSis purchased and installed the infrastructure, and we didn’t have to think about what to buy or evaluate specifications for equipment we didn’t know very much about.”

DynaSis installed servers in three ECG locations and set up a joint-action service organization with hosted email, BlackBerry server and database support applications. DynaSis now provides maintenance and support for the entire infrastructure, both cloud-hosted and on-premises, including automated backup of ECG’s systems and data. DynaSis also provides Help Desk assistance whenever employees need it, in both the office and the field.

“Their Help Desk support is a big factor,” says Holbrook. “We had that at MEAG [Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, the former parent company] and needed that same kind of expertise. We have a lot of people in the field, and having the hosted environment and support helps them around the clock with email and other needs. The field workers have come back to us and said, ‘Those people are great,’ and praise is hard to get from those guys.”

The Result

According to Holbrook, ECG is enjoying the same level of service from DynaSis that it enjoyed from the in-house solution of its former parent company. “DynaSis had us up and ready in a month, and we didn’t have any drop-off in service,” says Holbrook. “If something goes wrong, I send an email and say, ‘Hey, what’s happening?’ and they take care of it. If one of our servers goes down even in the middle of the night, they get everything back up and running.”

No Capital Expense


Although worry-free IT is a core benefit of Ascend, it was not the only factor in ECG’s decision, Richardson says. “We didn’t have a huge capital expense up front. DynaSis purchased and maintains the infrastructure and 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.” Holbrook concurs, noting, “The best thing is that we know what they are going to bill us each month. We pay by the person, by the month, and that is it.”

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, Holbrook says she gives DynaSis at least a ‘’9” and would definitely recommend them to someone else. “The cost of dealing with DynaSis as a small user is much less than a do-it-yourself solution,” says Holbrook. “A lot of people have no computer expertise. There are so many companies out there for which Ascend would be a perfect fit.”

All property management firms, no matter their size, play the game of "connect the technology dots" between the corporate office and remote locations. More than a decade ago, multi-family apartment management company HMI Property Solutions, Inc., won that game with help from the ITility by DynaSis Solution' "anytime, anywhere," remote access technology. Today, ITility by DynaSis has become more valuable than ever, and company management says they cannot imagine operating without it.

"At the time we began working with DynaSis, we had property management software running at eight remote locations," says HMI Enterprises, Inc. President Hugh M. "Don" Inman, Jr. "The software worked fine in its own silo, but the team in our corporate office didn’t have access to the data except through printed reports. DynaSis developed a solution that brought the data into the office so the corporate team could access it. This streamlined our ability to operate."

Far-Reaching Benefits
What began as a solution to centralize isolated data has grown into a fully hosted solution that also enables HMI employees to work from other locations, as well. Today, DynaSis manages and maintains all of HMI's applications, including the original property management software. DynaSis handles all software updates and license renewals, as well as monitoring and maintenance of any solution-related hardware located at the HMI office. For this service, HMI pays a preset monthly fee, per user.

Employees at all HMI-managed or owned properties access data and applications via a secure, dedicated interface, not only at the corporate or remote offices but at any location, any time they choose. This enables work-shifting, letting employees access email, applications and other data outside of office hours and locations to facilitate performance of their jobs.

"ITility by DynaSis gives us the ability to work with our employees and their schedules," says Inman. "One employee in our corporate office works from home on Fridays due to childcare-related issues. If I can’t get into the office, I can just pop onto my home computer and not have to lose a day of work. It affords us incredible flexibility."

Superior Performance
Inman says ITility by DynaSis not only expand HMI's functional footprint; they also make company operations—and his work day—more productive. "I can measure the success of our relationship by how infrequently I have to speak with them," Inman says. "It’s seamless. We are heavily reliant on the system being up and available and that has never been an issue. They provide all of the support and the virus scanning and backups—everything. It’s great because I don’t have to worry about it."

Inman also reports that adding and removing users is a breeze. "In our industry, there is a fair amount of turnover among workers at the site level. When a new employee comes on board, one call sets that person up, and if he or she has any familiarity with computers, the solution is straightforward and simple. We don’t have to worry about that user not being ready to go as soon as they hit the ground."

Ready to Work, Now and in the Future
"Because of our remote locations, If we had to bring applications and data hosting and management back in-house today, it would be a train wreck," Inman says. "We don’t have the technical expertise or scale to have an internal IT department. I don't need to know what DynaSis is doing, and that is the beauty of it."

DynaSis is currently helping HMI expand its use of technology to better communicate with tenants and the public at large. The ITility by DynaSis solution is providing the hosted access platform for other solutions that will invite tenants to send maintenance requests to leasing offices and pay rent online, and enable prospects to view apartment pricing for various floor plans in real time.

"We have been very pleased with the ITility by DynaSis solution, and we would highly recommend them," says Inman. In fact, he says he has already given other companies good reports regarding the firm. "I am in a position to give DynaSis a very positive reference," he notes.

"I’m in the business of running a business, not of being an IT expert," Inman concludes. "With DynaSis, this is one of the aspects of running a business that I don’t have to worry about. And, if I did have something to worry about, I would know who to call."

When disposable medical supplies provider Remington Medical began searching for a new technology provider, management knew it wanted to be on the cutting edge of emerging technologies. With three locations—one outside the U.S. in the Dominican Republic—robust remote networking and data exchange was a core requirement.

"I wanted somebody who could handle those areas and had technical competency," says Remington Medical CFO Steve Garner." DynaSis, which already hosted Remington's email server and had previously provided other services to the firm—was ready with the perfect solution.

Early Adopter
Since DynaSis already had a relationship with Remington Medical, it was a natural fit for DynaSis's VP of Managed IT Services Chas Arnold to make a presentation, and Garner had full confidence in DynaSis abilities. "I always thought they were technically competent," Garner says.

In addition to needing a new IT provider, rapidly growing Remington Medical also needed to upgrade its technology infrastructure. Initially, Arnold recommending Remington Medical move to DynaSis's cloud computing solution, ITility by DynaSis. However, Garner had previously researched cloud computing and says he "hadn't reached the comfort level of having my operating data stored offsite."

At the time, DynaSis was rolling out Ascend, a new Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering. For a low, fixed, monthly fee, DynaSis installs, monitors and maintains a custom-engineered, end-to-end, on-premise hardware and software solution. The fee includes remote monitoring and maintenance of the entire infrastructure from DynaSis's network operations center, and users can access the 24 x 7 helpdesk, 365 days a year through a trouble-reporting icon on each workstation.

Ascend was a perfect match for Remington Medical, as it enabled the firm to avoid the substantial capital outlay of new equipment. As part of the solution, DynaSis also provides secure Web-based access to the company's applications and data for remote users in offices outside the Georgia headquarters. With Ascend, Garner knows the company will remain on the cutting edge, as DynaSis handles all necessary software and hardware upgrades as part of the contract.

"Ascend appealed to me because it includes things I like, such as its ability to backup my whole system rather than rely on tape system," says Garner. "It was a mental step for me, rather than having to lose control of my hardware completely."

In the Clouds
With the transition to the new system complete, Garner is thinking ahead. Despite not being ready for cloud computing just yet, Garner says Ascend is the perfect transitional step that will enable his firm to harness the power of the cloud, down the road. “Moving to a cloud-based solution is a more real and practical possibility today than in the past,” says Garner. "ITility by DynaSis is probably where we’ll head. If I were a brand new company, ITility by DynaSis would make a lot of sense. There are a lot of advantages, and we’ll probably get there eventually."

For now, he's content with Ascend and DynaSis, which completely eliminates the need for him to have even a single in-house IT staffer. "Chas was smart enough to keep our relationship going," says Garner. It took five years, but it paid off for him."

After a week when most of Atlanta was out of work and stuck at home due to a massive snow event —which will go down in history as "Snowmageddon 2010," —you’d think CSM Research President Frank Saunders would be anxious to get back to work. Thanks to the remote access DynaSis's ITility service provided during the storm, Saunders felt blissfully at ease.

“Actually, I hated to come back,” says Sanders. “Being able to use ITility by DynaSis was a great thing because we were able to complete all of our work from home. Except for not having access to the Post-it notes on our desks, it was just like being in the office.”

Saunders and his 50 Atlanta employees are now loyal fans of ITility by DynaSis, the hosted platform they use for secure access to their Microsoft Office and proprietary applications as well as Microsoft Exchange.

Business as Usual.

ITility by DynaSis has enabled CSM Research to take advantage of workshifting, an increasingly popular productivity builder for companies large and small. With workshifting, employees can work when and where they choose, because corporate data and applications are hosted in the cloud and accessible over any Internet connection. DynaSis's ITility by DynaSis offers precisely that solution, making it a perfect fit for firms that want to adopt workshifting.

“We have folks with young kids, and when they have a sick child they can stay home and work; when they need to be home from 12-4 to meet the repairman, we can accommodate that, too," continues Saunders. "ITility by DynaSis is great for allowing our people to work whenever and wherever they need to.”

During Snowmageddon 2010, when CSM Research and the rest of Atlanta were housebound for a week, ITility by DynaSis and workshifting helped Saunders' team not miss a beat. They were emailing and calling each other and conducting business as usual. That was important for CSM Research, a leading customized integrated surveys and focused data collection provider with a national client base.

Seamless Workplace Continuity

"Most of our clients are located around the country and not in Atlanta," says Saunders." They didn’t know we were down or that Atlanta was snowed in. We continued work without interruption. Our clients didn't have to wonder if they might need another firm because we go down in bad weather."

Of course, his employees missed the interpersonal engagement aspects of physically being in the office, which he says helps them "manage a diverse set of clients with a lot of balls in air." Nevertheless, his team quickly made up the week of collaboration time they missed, and unless his clients happened to follow Atlanta weather, they never knew anything was amiss.

"One of our clients is large entertainment industry firm, and they wanted to know if we could facilitate surveys over a smartphone," says Saunders. "They sent an inquiry while we were all working from home, and our team was able to do research, collaborate and respond quickly to the client, even though no one was in the office."

Saunders says one IT employee—who doesn't like having a duplicate workstation at home—came into the office. He sent ongoing reports to his remote coworkers about how bad the ice was. "There is nothing worse than ruining your day by sliding down a hill in the ice, running into a tree and doing thousands of dollars worth of damage to your car," says Saunders. With DynaSis, ITility by DynaSis and workshifting on the scene, the only thing CMS Research employees were hitting was their weekly production goals.