How to Start Moving to Office 365 - Four Guidelines to Follow

Are you scared to move into the cloud? Well so is every other business owner. Changing technology can be scary, but an adventure depending on how you look at it. Moving to Office 365 allows any company to utilize the best suite of office productivity tools all for less than a dollar a day; less than a cup of Starbucks. Who by the way uses Office 365 to connect it stores back to the corporate office.

How do you start to move into Office 365? Here are some simple steps.

First, look at your business, it is important to know the laws and regulations regarding the storage of the type of information that is created with your business. Two examples that come to mind are Patient Health Information and export compliance could be roadblocks for moving to Office 365. Office 365 has computers that run across the entire world that enable the fault tolerance that is needed to provide the service level that is provided. With that in mind, I would suggest bold moves to bring your company in the Cloud and adopt an exception based decision instead of a total no go decision.

Second, begin to experiment with Office 365. Go out and get a trial and find an Office 365 partner to help you get set up to learn about how Office 365 can help. The idea here is to get your feet wet, to see that it is not difficult to use these tools. Lync is the premier and best computer communication software out there. Guarantee that if you move everyone to Lync Online you will be a believer in Office 365. Microsoft looks to make the cloud based servers the same as the on premise servers. Take two departments use one as a control group and one move totally to office 365. Once set up, work for 90 days, yes Microsoft will let you try Office 365 for up to 90 days. You will see a decrease in IT costs and employee benefit will go up.

Third, Do your next project on Office 365, Get your trial, Set up SharePoint Online, set up a workspace, and add the users and allow them to collaborate on SharePoint online to do their next 3 month project. They can connect with data sets, store documents, produce charts and graphs that will help show progress. Most businesses are utilizing some sort of Cloud Project Management. SharePoint Online is the most customizable and Project Server should be moving to the cloud soon; allowing companies to use portfolio management to ensure that projects increase value.

Forth, talk to me, an Authorized Office 365 Partner that has spent the last 4 years thinking breathing, and utilizing Cloud based applications to run his business. Beginning last year when Office 365 I transformed my business totally to Office 365 and several Microsoft products to keep my business running smoothly and efficiently. IT costs are now a known and budgeted line item and not some sort of nebulous costs that have a big range. I spend about 70% more time on revenue generating tasks than I used to. As a Microsoft Partner I am glad to help any company or business venture down the path of moving to Office 365.

Now that you have some guidelines, some parameters, the next step is to get your Office 365 Trial and contact me if you have any questions. Good Luck.

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Outsourced Software Development

Outsourced software development is something many companies are now approaching as a viable alternative to doing all their software development work internally. This can be done for a variety of reasons.

Development costs can be reduced by approaching a software outsourcing company that specialises in the particular niche field that your project lies within. Alternatively, a company's need for bespoke software development may be rare and maintaining an internal software development department could be prohibitively expensive. Other reasons include cheaper personnel costs in other countries, the current difficulties with recruiting and temporarily expanding current development capacity for a limited duration. Whatever the reason, it is both large and small companies that are now making the move to software development outsourcing.

Whilst there has been a move to cheaper outsourcing solutions offered in other countries (India and some former Soviet states being notable examples) which can produce commendable results, there is still a need for local knowledge for certain types of application. A general purpose website for searching a database of information, where the database is maintained by local content editors, is a perfect example of a system where the value of the local knowledge of the developers is diminished. However, a complicated application containing decision flows based on an individual country's legislation may be difficult and prohibitively costly to completely specify for developers with no local knowledge.

Where sensitive information is involved, either data or intellectual property, or a company is dealing with areas that require security clearance, outsourcing the development of a system may be impossible. In this instance, if the internal development department's resources are too limited, it may be more desirable to employ temporary staff on a contract or consultancy basis. As individuals, these temporary staff can be subject to the same security clearance criteria, non-disclosure agreements, etc., as the permanent members of the development department.

The cost benefits of outsourcing also need careful management. On the face of it, a cheap outsourcing quote from abroad may seem like a no-brainer, but consideration must always be given to the internal costs that are still likely to be incurred supporting the external operation. For a big project, project management is likely to take considerable internal resource. Although an external software outsourcing company may offer project management, this is likely to only cover their own development role. The larger holistic incorporation into wider systems can still take considerable resources from a full time project manager. Testing is also an area that requires much forward planning. Again, external entities may offer their own testing resource, but this is usually limited in scope to the specification they were provided with. If the solution is to integrate into wider systems, then testing of this integration must be built into any project plan and will require internal staff to perform this role. Finally if the outsourced project requires the knowledge of any existing internal development personnel, then it is important not to underestimate how much of their time is likely to be taken up with answering queries and providing assistance to the outsourcing company's own personnel. From experience, a good rule of thumb is to estimate this time then multiply it by ten!

In summary, software development outsourcing is a booming business, both at home and abroad. However, serious consideration needs to be given to each solution on a case by case basis to ascertain what outsourcing solution, if any, is correct for each application.

Mike Duffy (Identity Production Systems Ltd)

For more information on software development outsourcing, please refer to http://www.outsourced-development.co.uk/ where we discuss this further.

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Choosing Your Ideal ERP Sofware

When choosing an Enterprise Resource Planning software solution for SME manufacturing & distribution businesses, an ideal product will be written in Visual Basic, which can provide a strong graphical development arena, utilising the Microsoft SQL Server.

A powerful ERP software system will be packed with original features, such as a full search ability supporting various criteria; individual reporting options including graphs and charts with detailed information that you can drill down into. All options will ideally be fully integrated with Microsoft Outlook.

Any robust ERP software will allow for complete integration and system automation across the various modules. User friendly wizards should allow for data to be shared across jobs, shipping, purchasing, accounts, etc.

The best ERP software will be very flexible as an option for manufacturers and distributors, and extremely user friendly, plus offer integrated options which can be customised to suit individual business needs. To help increase business efficiencies there should be options for business analysis & productivity tools including wizards, explorers, calendars & shortcuts.

The usability of a system is critical in terms of a company's productivity following implementation of a new computer system of any kind, especially if it's a full business management system. Therefore the development of an ERP system should take this into consideration and present a system that focused on the user experience and help functions.

A help system allows users to rapidly achieve full productivity and takes the user straight to the help page that directly relate to their immediate need. It should not force users to scroll through a list of potential pages which need opening just to search for what they want.

The most flexible ERP software will be a modular based system and therefore customers can choose the functionality which specifically suits their business. This should also help to make the ERP software a very affordable product for both customers who have a small software requirement, through to those that require a fully integrated suite of management software for a large volume of users.

The key focus of any ERP supplier should be to increase their customer's profitability and competitiveness, by identifying business solutions and aligning these to their specific needs. The software should be able to be tailored individually for your business, and the supplier should be able to guide you through the sourcing, implementation and after-sales process.

Therefore choosing an integrated ERP software solution that is flexible, cost effective and fully customisable should be easily achievable. In turn that ERP system should help improve your productivity, enhance your business processes and lead to a competitive advantage in your specific marketplace.

For more information on M1 ERP software or how B&G Business Systems Ltd can help your business efficiencies please visit us at http://m1erpsystems.com/m1-product/

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Software Outsourcing Trends of 2012

With the increasing demand, software-outsourcing companies are now determined to embrace all the phases of software development. While maintaining their exemplary quality, they tend to cater different vertical marketing by sharing their industry expertise with their consumers. Apart from offering enhanced technical expertise, modern outsourcing vendors have a creative and an individual approach to business needs. It is worth mentioning that software outsourcing is one of the emerging markets that involve a herd of talented technology professionals.

According to a recent world economy survey, it has been determined that software outsourcing is not a risky business, despite a range of negative crisis trends. Now, it has become easy to assess a software-outsourcing firm by learning about its experience and revenue. You can now request testimonials from their previous clients, obtain resumes of the professionals employed and browse through the work samples. On the other hand, the team members are also granted some more freedom, which encourages them to be enterprising and creative. As a result, they can incorporate some newer ideas to enhance the development process.

2012 has seen an increase in the demand for innovative mobile applications. By the end of 2012, Smartphone dispersion is likely to reach 50%. Consequently, companies are forced to adapt to this change and develop special pages for mobile users. Software outsourcing companies develop a selection of mobile applications including entertainment apps, productivity monitors, and multimedia or communication programs. Mobile application development is expected to witness a great revolution in 2012. Leading organizations are now outsourcing their development needs to offshore vendors.

Cloud computing is another trend introduced in 2012. Cloud software is likely to outclass all the existing desktop applications and will replace them in the near future. According to the experts, there will be an explosion of various cloud service providers in 2012, trying to meet the expectations of the companies looking to implement such a technology. Cloud computing comes with several benefits including convenience, increased flexibility, more storage and different automated functions. Besides, it allows employees to access their company information, regardless of their physical location. Software outsourcing companies have already started working on applications for this technology.

Security is one of the major concerns for companies and organizations across the world. Software outsourcing companies develop several kinds of security software applications, which can help you gain an edge over your competitors. Apart from safeguarding the data, software applications also need to be protected against all types of cyber attacks. With all kinds of software development, it has to be ensured that the security features are embedded within the process to deal with all possible threats or vulnerabilities.

SufalamTech is a software outsourcing company that can develop applications according to your business needs. The company has a dedicated web development outsourcing team of technology professionals, who are in pace with the latest outsourcing trends.

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Four Ways You Can Dodge a PowerPoint Disaster

If you are in a profession where you have to give regular presentations then chances are PowerPoint is your weapon of choice to deliver these presentations. For many of us, the thought of presenting can be a little frightful. Therefore, the last thing you want is for things to go wrong in your presentation. Although you can never be 100% safe from PowerPoint disaster, this article will highlight a few tips you can use to make yourself as disaster free as possible.

Get there early

There's nothing like good planning and organisation to help you keep on top of things. When it comes to presentations, you really should aim to arrive around half an hour early. If you do this, then you'll have plenty of time to calm your nerves, test out all of the equipment, and set your computer up so your presentation is ready to go.

Carry your faithful USB key

You can never be too prepared for a PowerPoint presentation. Great preparation starts with a USB key complete with a back-up of your entire presentation. You never know when your computer or laptop may decide to give you grief, so having a large USB flash drive on hand will protect you from the potential destruction intermittent technology can bring. Plus, you may find you want to transfer large files from your computer to another. Be sensible and carry a USB key for good measure.

Take your own remote

In many presentation areas, such as a lecture hall or large conference centre, the PowerPoint remote provided is often only synced with a certain PC or laptop. This means that if you plan on using your own computer for your presentation then you're going to have to pull it off without your trusty remote. The remote is a great tool to move effortlessly through your presentation. It will also help you be more animated with your delivery, as you won't be forever going back and forth between the stage and your computer. You could always transfer your presentation to the computers provided, but it's a much easier solution to just bring your own remote to the presentation.

Plan, plan, plan

Honestly, plan like there's no tomorrow. Think of all the potential hurdles you have to face when creating your presentation and ensure that you're covered for each. Problems such as internet availability and data that's not backed-up can all throw your presentation off course and into the dark depths of failure. Be a smart cookie and plan your every move.

Follow these steps and you'll be on your way to avoiding Powerpoint disaster. To make your presentations even better, you could benefit from a course to become a master. JB Consulting offer these courses in the UK and they'll teach you a few great tricks of the Powerpoint trade. Head over to their website for more info.

http://www.computertrainingsolutions.co.uk/

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A Few Points You Should Remember While Hiring iPhone Developers

With the usher of smartphones in the market, the craze for tuning up these devices with the latest applications have also pushed the new trend of developing the personalized features. Equipping the mobile with excellent features can help you to perform all the necessary tasks with a great ease. If you have an iPhone ingrained with most unique features then it will be easier for you to keep yourself updated with all the latest reminders and business meetings. So to serve this very purpose of making your phone equipped with all the vital faculties, it is important for you to hire I-Phone developers from the offshore web development company situated in the developing countries like India. Now the first question that may be coming into your mind is what steps you should take to make sure that you are getting the best returns on the investments. A few points you should remember while hiring iPhone development companies are as follows:

1. Mobile Development Companies Should Have Good Experience: There are many IT companies in India which have an extensive experience in iPhone application development and by choosing any one of them simply worth it, you can move ahead to hatch a deal with them. These mobile application development companies will help you to put your ideas in the main frame and you will be able to get your project done in accordance to your expectations.

2. In Depth Knowledge of All the Technological Platforms: The iPhone applications developers keep themselves updated with all the latest technological platforms and frameworks. So keeping their vast knowledge pool in mind, you as the aspiring client will never face a problem in getting the flawless delivery of the project. While hiring any of the iPhone development companies, it is equally significant for you to interview the project mangers as well as the developers to test the degree of knowledge acquired by them.

3. Number of iPhone Applications Delivered: If you want that the applications should be developed in sync with your ideas and the universally accepted standards then checking the success rate of the projects delivered to the previous clients can be a deciding factor in choosing the apt option. The number of iPhone applications successfully delivered to the clients also defines over all repute of the service provider.

4. Make Sure that Company Should Provide Post Sales Services: Before signing any agreement you should confirm whether the company is providing the post delivery services or not. The clients should make sure that the concerned organizations stick to all the important terms and conditions. All together, while going thoroughly through all the terms and conditions, you should make sure that concerned offshore . NET development company is providing the post delivery services.

5. Look Out For the Samples Provided by the iPhone Developers: You should ask the respective company to provide you the best of the iPhone application samples developed by the developers on the particular platform. By looking at the work samples, you will get a clear idea about the development skills garnered by the developers.

Ronald Just is an Industry specialist in .NET Development Services company. Currently he is associated with Xicom technologies. Xicom also Hire iPhone Developers for world class IT solutions developed around the exact requirements of businesses and organizations.

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Event Registration Software: An Enhanced Platform for Event Management

Organizing events require a number of tasks to be handled simultaneously like dealing with administrative workload; also engaging in extensive promotional activities and driving maximum number of participants. This job when undertaken manually becomes a mammoth for most organizers. Here comes the essence of the Cloud-based online event registration software that helps in logical synchronization of all events related administrative tasks thereby streamlining it in the most effective manner.

This article briefly discusses about how event registration software is providing a better platform for event management.

Reduces Back Office Workload and Data Loss

Undertaking manual collection of registration forms and ensuring subsequent data transfers not only meant enormous back office workload but also higher probabilities of data loss and human errors, especially in terms of data entry on spreadsheets. For organizers it also meant a lot of additional expenses as this required hiring administrative staffs to execute such activities. This extensive process often led to delay in completing the event registration process. The introduction of online event registration software has however brought about a complete transformation. It is a 'Software as a Service' operating on a Cloud computing interface and automates the entire work flow; from event registration to creation, submission and procession, hence resulting in reduced chances of data loss.

Proper Fund Management

In a manual system, misplacement of funds and accounting discrepancies was a common phenomenon. This led to chaos; thus hampering the entire process of event planning. Moreover, as the payments were mostly made by paper checks so its clearance was a time consuming process often extending to days or weeks at a time. This drawback is taken care of once you resort to the web based event registration solution. Additionally, the rate of bouncing checks is mineralized greatly. The platform comes with an embedded payment management system that mechanizes the entire process of accepting funds. The process is not only instant but also convenient for organizers as well as the registrants as it encourages fund transfers either via credit/debit cards or standard payment gateways like PayPal. Additionally the service also allows organizers to have a merchant account of their own to accept payments directly.

Error Free Real Time Reporting

To quantify the success rate of your events, you must resort to error-free reporting. Initially all event reports related to attendee presence, ticket sales, etc. had to be handled manually, which did not allow event organizers to maintain data with sufficient transparency. The Cloud-based registration software however permits organizers to efficiently maintain data on a real time basis via various web based formats. It also authorizes automatic database up-gradation. As an event organizer, one can retrieve or download any of these data as and when necessary.

Unparalleled Promotional Activities

Promotional activities via this smart, web based solution help your event to get better exposure. This is because the software facilitates organizers with a social media connector tool which helps in easy integration with various social media platforms. Such promotion is beneficial to the organizers in two ways; first, it offsets the cost incurred on various printed form of advertisements; second, it helps organizers to connect and convey their message to a larger group of audience.

This is how the online event registration software makes your event management experience so much more fun filled and exciting.

Jonathon is a professional event planner. Event professionals worldwide are increasingly relying on automated software to streamline the online event registration, payment management, and attendee relationship management. Acteva is the market leader in providing event registration solutions at competitive price.

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