Make Way for the Tech Savvy Small Business
A few months ago, bMighty.com’s Fedric Paul points out in his “bMighty manifesto” an important trend that is dramatically enhancing the way small businesses operate.
Gone are the days when cutting edge technology belonged solely to big corporations and institutions. Today consumers and small businesses alike have access to a wealth of computing applications, equipment, and devices brimming with power and sophistication. We’re talking about advanced mobile technologies, data-center consolidation, server virtualization, SaaS, PaaS, outsourced data security and backup, and cloud computing. This technology, coupled with the natural flexibility and affinity for innovation inherent to many small businesses, may actually give them a competitive advantage over larger companies.
As further testimony to this trend, a recent post at Informationweek pointed to the fact that many tech firms are actually optimistic about the continued growth of these technologies even as sales in other industries are stagnating and declining in response to a weakened economy. A significant part of this market consists of small businesses eager to trim operating expenses and improve the efficiency and efficacy of their operations.
As technology continues to advance, and more people get comfortable with the idea of using it for their businesses, we can expect the emergence of population of tech savvy small businesses that will keep the big guys on their toes.
Do-It-Yourself IT
Small business owners are known for wearing many hats- manager, sales representative, marketer… Now “IT consultant” can be added to the list.
Corporate spending on IT has slowed down just as numerous studies and forecasts predicted earlier this year. And according to John Chambers, Cisco Systems Inc’s Chief Executive, we can expect the slowdown in tech spending to drag on for several more months.
This trend belies a struggle that countless small business owners are facing as they try to run a successful small business in a cooling economy. Small businesses must strike a delicate balance between investing in the IT solutions that will keep them competitive, productive, and efficient, while tapping into a drying well of resources.
In an effort to conserve capital, many in the small business world are becoming their own IT experts, getting their education from the various free tutorials, primers, and articles offered on the Web.
One company to recently enter the fray is bMighty.com with its new Server How-To Center- a free collection of tips, tricks, and hints for everyone from beginners to experts on how to choose and install a server.
For the determined business IT expert wanna-be there is certainly no shortage of information.
The question is, however, if this strategy pays off in the long-run as IT solutions get more advanced and integrated, yet more vulnerable. Making a mistake in network security, for example, can lead to devastating breech of sensitive information.
Every small business should examine their own unique circumstances before choosing how (and on whom) to spend their IT dollars.