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You Can’t Plan for a Disaster, but You Can Have a Disaster Plan

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You Can’t Plan for a Disaster, but You Can Have a Disaster Plan

Disaster PlanA disaster can happen at any time and, for businesses, they usually happen when it’s least expected. Natural disasters, fires, or data breaches can wreak havoc for a busy business and the disruption can cause a ripple effect, impacting production, customers, vendors and other operations. Having a disaster plan is critical for maintaining an appropriate level of business continuity and successfully making it through the disaster.

Businesses grow and change and the disaster plans of yesterday may not adequately protect a business during a disaster today. According to “How Small Businesses Are Taking Advantage of the Latest Trends in Disaster Recovery,” posted by Roy Castleman on TheVarGuy.com, there are several new ways  businesses are protecting operations during crisis situations and the latest trends in disaster recovery may strengthen your own disaster plans. Here are several factors to consider when putting your disaster recovery plan together or updating an existing plan.

  1. Know what to focus on first: In the event of a disaster, it will be nearly impossible to get business back up to 100% all at once. Determine what operations should stay running or which data you need to protect or recover from backups first. Estimate the amount of time you need to perform these tasks and how you’ll go about it.
  2. Consider the cloud: The use of cloud technology for disaster recovery is increasing amongst businesses for a number of different reasons. A hybrid cloud can quickly replicate data from either on-premise or offsite data centers. In addition, upon disaster, the cloud can be used to run operations until production services become functional and synchronized with data in the cloud.
  3. Social media: Popular social networks, like Facebook or Twitter, can be used to share information with employees, stockholders and other business partners during a disaster.
  4. Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS): There are businesses that can provide disaster recovery services, supporting small and mid-sized businesses with plans and guiding them through a disaster.
    The businesses that prepare recovery plans are more likely to come out of a disaster faster and intact. Position your business to weather a potential disaster by having a plan and knowing how to execute that plan. Contact AppSolute Consulting Group to learn more about preparing for disaster by having the right tools and technology in place.By AppSolute Consulting Group, LLC, Microsoft, Acumatica, and Sage Partner based in New York

The Smart Way to Outsource IT and Strengthen Business

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The Smart Way to Outsource IT and Strengthen Business

Successful businesses rely on some form of technology to manage operations and solve common problems. However, as technology continues to advance, it can become more expensive and introduce new challenges to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). In these cases, businesses can consider outsourcing IT to reputable partners that can manage their IT solutions for them, at a fraction of the on-premises price.

As discussed in “Investing In An IT Support System: SMB Tips For Outsourcing,” posted by Mark Wensell on SMBNow.com, the need for efficient technology can quickly become a distraction for a growing SMB. In addition to the expense of modern business systems, companies often need skilled IT professionals to keep those systems working at peak capacity. Studies show that business technology spending already consumes over half of new project purchases and is set to increase by 10% or more per year. Here are a few reasons to consider outsourcing IT to strengthen your business and tips for doing it successfully.

Partner with a Software Provider You Can Trust

  1. Reduce the burden on staff: A growing business is a busy business that needs all of their people focused on strategic plans, goals and fulfilling customer needs. Outsourcing IT can reduce the distraction on your  IT team and allows them the time to focus on other strategic improvements.
  2. Save time and money: Cloud-based solutions offer a cost-effectiveness that’s hard to beat. There is no expensive hardware to install, servers to manage and updates are completed behind-the-scenes with little to no business disruption. You can also scale functionality and users according to immediate or anticipated needs.
  3. Increase security: Your software partner can provide cutting-edge security features that can, in most cases, be stronger than what a SMB is able to assemble. Intrusion detection, firewalls, spyware and virus protection, filtering and other threat management features can increase security, protecting customer and proprietary data, without over-taxing your IT team or budget.

When working with an outside partner to manage your IT needs, choose a provider that is experienced with modern business solutions, has experience within your industry sector, and takes the time to understand and respond to your unique business needs. This is a long-term partnership, so trust and understanding are keys to success. Contact AppSolute Consulting Group for more insight and guidance with outsourcing IT and strengthening your business in the process.
By AppSolute Consulting Group, LLC, Microsoft, Acumatica, and Sage Partner based in New York.

ERP is About to Get Friendlier and Smarter

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ERP is About to Get Friendlier…and Smarter

erp get friendlier smarterEnterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are known for providing good information to key business units. However, it’s not often known for being user-friendly, especially in comparison to modern cloud-based apps. As ERP moves toward mobile devices, it’s important that the user interface not only accommodate popular smartphone platforms, but also be more user-friendly and smarter.

As suggested in “ERP software gets a makeover,” posted by Bruce Harpham on CIO.com, modern ERP solutions support the operations essential to a business’s success. For example, the accounting team can manage financial operations and the supply chain team can manage inventory and vendor information needed to fulfill customer needs. While most ERP systems have been able to keep up with industry trends, offering features aligned with new business practices, they haven’t kept up with the ease of use that many consumer apps have mastered. As many business leaders have experienced, cumbersome systems can frustrate users and lead to poor user adoption. Without consistent and proper use, businesses then lose out on much of the value that ERP brings to the table.

Improve User Adoption and Optimize ERP with Smarter User Interface
In recent years, ERP vendors have been making efforts to update the user interface. Cloud ERP and mobile ERP are trending, offering a next generation ERP that can be used on mobile devices, like smartphones and wearables. Improving the user interface doesn’t necessarily mean an entire IT system overhaul. On the contrary, Sage Software offers a variety of dashboards, workflows and other integrations that can streamline the ERP system you have in place. Sage is also partnering with other technology enterprises, like Salesforce, and adding specialized capabilities within their ERP products. Less switching between applications and more efficient workflows can improve the productivity of your employees and provide more value from your ERP system.

Businesses can take steps to improve the user interface within an existing ERP system by outlining how certain tasks are completed, in what order, and by using the employees that complete those tasks. Insight from the front line can lead to the most efficient workflows or forms and eliminate wasteful practices. Then, you can work with a vendor to customize the dashboards, features or functions that further optimize your ERP system.

Contact AppSolute Consulting Group for guidance with making your ERP solution friendlier and smarter to improve productivity and get the most out of your investment. By AppSolute Consulting Group, LLC, Microsoft, Acumatica, and Sage Partner based in New York