Business insights from James Watson
Times are tough right now – you are probably sick of hearing it – but the stock market is way down, in this economy we have had record layoffs for the last six months and we are all wondering when the economy will recover. Surely everyone has noticed the cutbacks and that business is down. The first response by many businesses has been to try to reduce spending and to see if they can get more efficiency from what they already have. That is why we have really tailored this issue around ways to better manage IT costs in a business.
There are a number of very hot technologies in the market right now that have seen a real surge because of the economy. Virtualization and print management, for example, are new green technologies that can cut your energy usage, cut down on waste and show a very quick ROI – sometimes only in a matter of a few months. We have also included an article on SharePoint workflow. For those of you unfamiliar with SharePoint this tool can be used to streamline process flows in a business making employee time more efficient and cutting down on paper usage. This technology can be especially valuable if you are looking for ways to get more done with less and effectively remove duplication in your business processes.
If you are considering outsourcing as a way to cut costs or relieve your overburdened IT staff we have also included an article on the top 10 things you need to know before you outsource your IT. This is a must-read outlining some of the pros and cons to outsourcing and what you should look for in an IT partner.
Finally, we have an article from our technical staffing division on trends in staffing.Many people may ask: “Staffing? In this economy? I have a hundred people at my door looking for a job.” The question is: who is going to sift through the good, the bad, and the ugly to find that perfect candidate? If you are like most companies today you have cut your staff to a minimum and most managers underestimate the time needed to source, screen and interview candidates. Also, good economy or bad, the good people always disappear quickly.
Northwest Computer Support has been around since 1977. We have seen a lot of competitors come and go and we have been through the economic highs and the lows and have weathered the storms. We have done this by partnering with our clients and only recommending solutions that make sense for their business. Thank you for trusting us as your IT partner, give us a call with your IT issues. Odds are we are able to help.
James Watson,
CEO Northwest Computer Support.