As our devices and workflows become more and more technically advanced, the amount of data available to a company of any size has increased exponentially. For small businesses that have been using spreadsheets like Microsoft Excel, this data could quickly overwhelm your Business Intelligence (BI) efforts. To avoid this, many software vendors have introduced Software as a Solution (SaaS) apps specifically for small businesses.

Here is an overview of four Business Intelligence SaaS apps that you could use in your business:

KPI KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is a company that offers a cloud based dashboard that integrates with your CRM or ERP software. It provides a way for businesses to visualize, analyze and report real-time data from your business’s key metrics. All the results can be viewed on your computer or on your mobile device.

GoodData GoodData is an on demand BI provider that offers users a base service that they can add apps to as and when needed. The whole service and dashboards are stored and run in the cloud, and are considerably cheaper than traditional BI services.

Bimotics Bimotics offers an on demand BI service for businesses in almost every major sector. They offer one suite that has data connectors, an established BI engine and analytical tools that should meet most small businesses’ needs. The suite can also be accessed by almost any mobile device.

Tibco Silver Spotfire Silver Spotfire is a cloud based SaaS aimed at individuals and small businesses. It lets users create interactive dashboards and visual analytics without the need of costly infrastructure. This app also integrates with major social media services, allowing users to put live dashboards on their blogs.

These are just four useful apps that you can use in your business. If you’re interested in how you can integrate BI solutions into your business, please contact us.

It’s common to see companies showing confidence in their security systems. Their networks are protected from external threats, which can often lead to a false sense of being secure. With this attitude, they may stop thinking about security and fail to establish internal measures within their networks, and this is a grave mistake.

In recent years the majority of security threats and compromises have come from within the company. A common threat to companies is the logic bomb - malware that targets IT systems and deletes data. As a logic bomb is introduced from within the network, the blame often lies with a disgruntled employee with full access to internal systems.

Insider threats Giving employees full access to the network when they don’t need it is a common mistake often made by companies. There’s little need for an employee who does graphic design to have access to weekly sales records. This practice could set your company up for a considerable security problem in the future.

Dawn Cappelli, an insider-threat expert at the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute stressed, "These types of insider attacks happen to businesses of all sizes, from small companies to very large corporations." This is an important issue businesses should be aware of if they want to remain secure.

Take Precautions Security threats can be a particularly harsh nightmare for small businesses, as many don’t have an IT department or staff with the technical expertise needed to maintain a secure network. If you’re one of these organizations, it’s a good idea to hire an outside consultant to help you with your network security. With consultants, it’s important that you maintain close contact with them to ensure any issues that crop up are dealt with expeditiously.

If you don’t work with an external company there are a few things you should do when you have an employee leave the company. First, their accounts should be deleted immediately and their access privileges should also be revoked. Second, if you have accounts with shared passwords, you should change them to ensure an ex-employee can’t gain access to the system.

If you’d like to learn more about internal security, and measures you can take to ensure you are safe, we are ready to help you. Please contact us.

If the past 10 years has taught us anything, it’s that many managers are woefully underprepared for disasters of any kind. We’re resilient though, and will always find a way to survive. One of the keys to a business’s survival during times of hardship is the Business Continuity Plan (BCP). A vast majority of organizations have one and believe it to be effective, but is it?

Here are six key non-IT functions and processes that need to be in place to ensure your company is ready to effectively execute your BCP.

Easy to use plans Many continuity plans have been developed mainly for the IT department, as such, they can be a little complicated to understand and follow if employees don’t have a technical background. You should aim to have a plan that’s easy to follow and can be understood by all employees.

Communicate plans Remember that your plan encompasses all facets of your organization. It’s crucial that every employee knows their role and the relevant actions to take when the plan is executed. To do this, you need to ensure that all employees have access to a copy of the plan and any changes or updates are clearly communicated.

Test plans Beyond communication, it’s important to conduct regular tests, with every quarter being sufficient. The tests should be as real as possible and span all departments within the organization. This will ensure that employees are aware of how they, and the systems, will react under duress. It’ll be beneficial to your business if the first time the employees execute the plan isn’t during an emergency.

Short term and long term plans Your BCP should consist of both long term and short term elements that can be easily adapted to meet changing business environments and the emergence of new threats. You should aim for an even mix of short and long term solutions that cover as wide a variety of situations as possible.

Ensure buy-in from all levels If you’re in the process of instituting a BCP you should ensure that the whole organization is onboard with the plan. If an employee is unsure about the validity of a part of the plan, take the time to find out why and ask for suggestions. An uninformed or uncooperative employee could be the difference between survival and failure in a disaster situation.

Update and Review After every test, staff turnover and technological update, you should review the plans and make changes if necessary. Essentially, if anything in the company changes, review and update the plan. Remember: just because you have an effective plan this month, doesn’t mean it’ll be so in the future.

Continuity plans are only as strong as the weakest link. In an emergency, the last thing you want is an employee following the wrong process or be unsure of what they should be doing. If this happens, you could see an exponential growth in recovery time and costs. We’re ready to tell you more, so please contact us if you would like to talk continuity planning.

As a follow up to our post defining the acronyms and terms commonly used in ERP and CRM software implementations, we’ll continue with some technical and cloud terms. When in doubt, ask your vendor to clarify the terms they are using. In their excitement to show you the latest advancements, vendors sometimes forget that not everyone lives and breathes technology.

Technical Terms You Should Understand

SQL. Structured Query Language, commonly pronounced “sequel”, is a relational database system whose primary function is to store and retrieve data as requested by other software applications.

Workflow. A sequence of connected procedural steps that are automated through the ERP or CRM system. For example, a workflow for purchase requests could automatically route POs over a defined value to a supervisor for approval before processing.

Customization. Programming that adds functionality to an ERP or CRM system to meet unique needs of an organization. ERP systems are written to offer functionality that most companies need and don’t include industry-specific functionality. Customizations can automate processes that companies need to fulfill an industry or process specific requirement.

Integration. The connection between two systems that allows for the flow of data from one system to another, or reciprocally between the systems. For example, a company’s storefront website is usually integrated to the ERP so that inventory availability is updated on the website, and transactions completed on the website flow back to the ERP.

Cloud Terms Explained

Cloud Computing. In terms of ERP and CRM, cloud computing means that users access the software through the Internet or via a remote connection.

Hosting. The ERP or CRM software application is housed and managed by a cloud services provider. Application support includes installation, upgrades and user configurations. Application licenses can be owned or rented (subscription).

SaaS, Software as a Service. The software publisher delivers the application via the Internet to users on a subscription basis.

Hybrid. Hosting services built to suit unique business needs. For example, a company owns their servers but houses them in a secure hosting facility, and receives operating system and application support from the hosting provider.

Private Cloud. Infrastructure supporting the cloud delivery of applications that is dedicated completely to one customer.

Public Cloud. Infrastructure supporting the cloud delivery of applications, that is shared or “multi-tenant”, serving a variety of businesses, individuals or groups.

With an understanding of the basics, you’ll be able to ask your solution provider better questions. We are ready to tell you more. Let’s talk about what ERP or CRM could mean for your business.

There’s no doubt in the value of using social media to build your brand. But opinions differ in the use of social media by employees. It seems that companies are polarized in the issue, but are being slowly awakened to the fact that allowing employees to access social media at work has great benefits. Do you allow employees to access social media in your office?

There are four distinct advantages to allowing social media:

• Increased productivity. There have been a number of studies that have found that judicious use of social media in the workplace will actually increase productivity. A study conducted by the University of Melbourne found that employees with access to social media are 9% more productive than those without.
• Increased buy-in. Employees like to feel trusted and empowered. If they don’t you can expect to experience higher turnover and lower morale. A good way to gain trust is to allow employees to use social media in the workplace. If an employee feels like they are trusted, they’ll be more likely to stay with the company.
• Recruiting. Small businesses have started to use social media for recruitment, but limit efforts to one account. If you have 10 employees in your organization, each with a social media account with 100 friends, you have the potential to reach 1,000 people. This is achievable if employees are allowed to access social media at work and are encouraged to share posts.
• Identification of business opportunities. Through the use of social media, employees in charge of sales and business development can source new clients and build fruitful relationships.

There are many advantages to allowing access to social networks at the office. If you‘re hesitant to completely open the social media floodgates, try doing so in short periods, like the final three hours of the working day.

No matter what you decide, allowing access to social media is a good practice for your business. If you would like to learn more about social media and how you can leverage it in your business, we are happy to talk with you.

Every industry has their jargon. Acronyms can be confusing, and common terms can take on entirely different meanings when you venture outside your field. When it comes to evaluating ERP or CRM software, you’ll be well equipped with the following primer.

Start with the basics

ERP. Enterprise Resource Planning is a software system that manages the transactions and flow of data between all the business functions in an organization, including: financial management, human resources, manufacturing, supply chain management and project accounting.

CRM. Customer Relationship Management is a software system that manages the flow of data for a business’s sales, marketing and customer service functions.

XRM. A term used to describe the functionality of CRM to manage more than customer activity. XRM can be used to manage the flow of data for any definable entity. For example, XRM could be used to track and schedule the use of company equipment.

LOB. Line of Business applications are software systems that deliver functionality for a specific industry business requirement. LOB applications are often integrated with the ERP system, for example: an engineering firm uses a computer aided drawing application to calculate material requirements, which are then integrated into ERP for costing.

BI. Business Intelligence is the reporting of data from the ERP, CRM and LOB applications in a form that is useful to business decisions makers. BI applications can include dashboards and reports as well as charting and analysis tools.

Add-on Products. Most ERP applications manage the high level functionality that most organizations need, and depend on an ecosystem of development partners (see ISVs below) to create applications that manage special requirements. For example, an ISV might develop a warehouse management system specifically built for the beverage industry.

Service Providers

VAR. Value Added Resellers are professional service companies that specialize in the installation, configuration and training services supporting the implementation of ERP, LOB and CRM systems.

ISV. Independent Software Vendors are application development companies that create software to address specific industry or niche market requirements.

SI. System Integrators are professional services companies that help businesses integrate all of the systems in their organizations for a more holistic approach. SIs often have the capability to create custom applications that will integrate into enterprise ERP systems.

Partner. Includes VARs, ISVs, SIs and other service organizations that support a software vendor’s products. For example, Microsoft partners are members of the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN). The MPN program provides training and certification to their network of 640,000 partners.

MSP. Managed Service Providers are professional service companies that provide outsourced management of technical services for organizations. For example, an MSP may remotely manage a company’s in-house computer servers.

Next week, we’ll define common technical terms, including the latest “cloud” jargon.  If you would like a deeper understanding of any of these terms, give us a call. Let’s talk about what ERP or CRM could mean for your business.

Customers have high expectations and they’re getting higher all the time. They expect quick responses and accurate answers. Whether chatting online, sending an email, or calling you on your phone, customers don’t expect to wait, or to get passed on to someone else. It’s not easy to meet those expectations if your employees have to go to more than one place to find the information or documents they need to answer queries.

Connect Departmental Silos If your organization has silos of sales, service, operations and accounting data, it’s time to connect those systems. A fully integrated system with shared data will:

• Allow salespeople to see where orders are in the fulfillment process
• Let customer service reps know where the item is in the supply chain
• Help accounting bill service tickets more quickly
• Provide access to actual in-stock inventory and price information

Sales and Service Teams Can Add Value In addition to added customer service, your sales and service teams can build sales with connected systems. With instant access to information across the organization, they can cross sell and upsell to build order value:

• “Model 365 is in stock and priced at $45. However, Model 367 with the automatic turn-off is only $50. That’s quite a deal.”
• “We just received a shipment of gilded cases for that violin. That makes a beautiful set.”
• “The technician is on his way out to fix the printer.  We are having a sale on cartridges, would you like him to bring you out your usual order?”

With connected information, customer satisfaction and the opportunity to enhance order value go hand in hand. Is it time to break down the silos of information in your organization? Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM solutions are built to work together for unified business management. Let’s talk.

With the explosion of technological devices in recent years, companies have been given a golden opportunity to foster a more collaborative environment. This has not been lost on business owners, who have adopted tools that work best with a joint effort en masse. There’s a drawback to this however, many teams simply don’t gel well in the first place, and this makes the tools redundant.

Here are seven tips on how to improve collaboration within the office environment.

1. Open communication. One of the keys to successful teams is the adoption and encouragement of an open communication culture. With this, teams are better able to grasp what’s going on within the company, and be more efficient contributors and team players.
2. Use the right technology. It seems like there are a million different software and technology options out there. Some of the tools available offer some fantastic features and it’s easy to get sucked in by a flashy component. It’s important that when choosing a tool you pick one that meets your company’s needs and is easy to use.
3. Collaboration tools must play well with others. It’s beneficial to select systems that can be seamlessly integrated with other tools and software used by your employees. If your solutions don’t work together, all parties won’t be able to work together.
4. Employee learning is key. When you find the perfect tool to use, be careful to take time and learn how to effectively use it. Training for the users of the tool is equally important.
5. Work hard, play harder. Teams and departments should step away from their computers and actually have face-to-face meetings at least once a week. These meetings should be a mixture of formal and informal, and offer employees a chance to come together as a team, unwind and share ideas. A team that can interact well will always work together with greater efficiency.
6. Mobilize. The smartphone is here to stay and with each passing year the number of users grows exponentially. It’s beneficial to encourage the use of these devices, and look for mobile solutions that allow users to be a part of the group while out of the office. If you do allow mobile devices, be sure to establish a clear usage policy so employees know how and when they should be using their phones.
7. Don’t just focus on internal collaboration. One of the most common mistakes companies make is that they focus on group participation within the business, but don’t provide adequate support for external interactions. Be sure you integrate tools that provide stakeholders with a way to connect and work with teams within the company.

With a team that interacts effectively you’ll see happier employees and higher profits: a win-win situation. If you have any questions regarding collaboration tools, or other ways to increase business value please don’t hesitate to contact us.

One selling point of the Mac is that the OS, OSX, is more secure than a computer running Windows. Many Mac users have been lulled into a sense of complacency and have been taking inadequate steps to protect their systems. A recent trojan has shocked these users into reality and left many of them wondering if their systems really are secure.

If you mention “OS X” and “virus” in the same sentence, you’ll get some weird looks from Mac users. Traditionally viruses and trojans on OS X were near non-existent, but there’s a Mac specific trojan, codenamed Flashback, that has affected more than 600,000 computers. This is big news as it shows that machines running OS X may not be as secure as first thought.

Many Mac owners are unsure of what exactly the Flashback trojan is, what it does and how to ensure they’re not infected. We’re here to help clarify the situation.

What is a Trojan and What Does Flashback Do? In general terms, a trojan is a piece of malicious software that infects a computer and gives control of part, or the whole computer to hackers. The Flashback trojan takes advantage of an OS X Java vulnerability and infects computers by tricking them into downloading a fake Java update.

When the program is installed, Flashback will download and install the main trojan code without the need for permission from the administrator. From there it proceeds to hijack your browser, redirect search queries to websites developed by hackers, and then take advantage of pay-per-click advertising.

Why Should I be Worried? While this version hijacks your browser, there are far more sinister things it could do. As this trojan acts as a downloader, there’s nothing stopping the developers from updating the malware to steal passwords, banking information and other confidential information.

How do I Ensure My Mac is Clean? Apple has released an update for machines running OS X 10.6 and later. The first step you should take is to update your computer to patch the vulnerability. To update your Mac:

1. Press the Apple logo, located in the top right hand of your screen.
2. Select Software Update...
3. Press Install and Restart.

While the patch will prevent Flashback from working, it won’t delete the program if you’ve been infected. The Internet security company F-Secure has developed a script that scans your computer and removes Flashback if found. Once you have downloaded the script, open and run it. The script will search your computer and place the infected files in an encrypted ZIP folder labeled Flashback_quarantine.zip.

Flashback has infected a higher number of Macs than any other trojan to date and goes to show that Macs also have security flaws. This also serves as a reminder that you should have a virus scanner and security program running on your Mac. If you have any questions regarding the security of your Mac or other devices, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help keep your machines secure.

Skype is the most well-known Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) program and is used by businesses all over the world. It offers many benefits including cheaper calls, a solid instant messaging platform that allows employees to communicate as a group, and the ability to conduct video calls with any user.

Skype has some excellent features but many businesses stick to the basics. Here are four ways you can better utilize Skype.

• Call forwarding. If you’re expecting an important call but have to step away from the computer for a bit you can forward any calls to your phone. To set up call forwarding: open preferences and select Calls. You will see the option to set up call forwarding at the top of the page. Press the Forward calls radio followed by Set up Forwarding. Be aware that regular call rates will be charged.
• Screen sharing. Skype is a terrific collaboration tool and many businesses take advantage of it by holding virtual meetings. You can take this one step further by sharing your screen with other parties you are chatting with. This is a fantastic way to give virtual presentations. To share your screen while in a chat press the plus symbol at the bottom of your screen, or right click, and select Share Screen.
• Customer service tool. Using Skype is a convenient way to get in contact with your customers. Ask your website developer to put a Skype button on your website. Be sure to add when you or your employees are available to be contacted.
• Add-ons. Skype has solid features but there are a multitude of add-on apps that can make it even better. Some apps allow for closer collaboration, let you broadcast pre-recorded messages, or record video and audio calls. The apps can be downloaded from the Skype Shop.

Skype has many useful features that when utilized allow businesses’ clients and employees to communicate with ease. If you would like to know more about using Skype or other VoIP services in your company please give us a call.