Today most business finds themselves at the mercy of the technology products they have installed. We find two distinct types of business, those that view their investments as strategic tools that allow them to compete and win in today's very competitive markets and then those that view their systems as a "necessary evil" that they are forced to purchase and then spend far more of their precious cash resources just to keep them running. Unfortunately it still seems many business fall into this latter category, many as a result of not having the right business partner to change that situation.

First let's look at what are technology systems anyway? Computers, servers, printers, telephones, copiers, fax machines, security systems and several others all fall into this broad category of technology infrastructure. These all fall into the simplest of terms "tools" intended to assist you in working faster, with less effort and in the end make you & your company more money.

Like the skilled carpenter you must select the right tool for the job at hand. In order to attach a kitchen cabinet to the wall they could choose a common hammer and nails. It would do the job, but in the cramped openings may make swinging the hammer difficult. And the resulting finish less than acceptable. They could use a hand screwdriver and screws, a better solution with acceptable finished results for maybe a single cabinet, but if they are doing a whole kitchen or many kitchens full of cabinets the better choice would be an electric or air powered screwdriver. Very quickly the time saved would justify the extra cost.

Choosing the right technology tools starts with a business being able to define the processes that are done. This is often one of the most difficult parts and without exception the most important part, but once these process are defined then the selection of systems and/or software to automate the process that are repetitive or difficult can be started. Buying technology systems without first completing these steps almost always results in failure or at very least dissatisfaction with the systems.

We also see another common mistake that makes systems a business nightmare. Customers purchase systems and software and then with little or no training start using them improperly. They soon become more work than benefit and frustration skyrockets. This same type of problem is often seen when a business attempts to use systems in methods or functions for which they were not designed. Results are almost always predictable with un-reliable results, poor performance, and often catastrophic crashes and loss of critical business data.

We often see the other side of these problems. Business fail to realize that many of the functions they need are already included in the systems they have in place. Prospects are prepared to spend thousands of dollars on new systems to be able to do? After a thorough audit of their systems we find that the exact or a close alternative is already available in the systems they have. Often it is just turned off or might not have been installed with the package.

When you hire the CIO Office you get a lot more than just a computer repair company. Yes we have the best maintenance programs in the business with our Tech Advantage programs, but you get a lot more. With more than thirty five years’ experience in assisting business with making their technology investments work for their business we bring executive level strategic planning that enables us to assure your systems perform the way you expect every hour, every day.

E-mail: info@ciooffice.com