ict for smes

ICT for SMEsWarwick Business School

9th November 2010

© 2010 C WOODHOUSE LTD 1

IT for Small Businesses

Chris Woodhouse

[email protected]

Warwick Business School

9th November 2010

ICT for SMEs 1© 2010 C WOODHOUSE LTD Warwick Business School

Agenda

ICT for SMEs 2© 2010 C WOODHOUSE LTD

Housekeeping

Introductions

Requirements vs Design

Setting the context

Where might IT help my business?

What can IT do for me?

Requirements revisited

What else should I know about

Where next?

Wrap up


9th November 2010


Health Warning!

© 2010 C WOODHOUSE LTD ICT for SMEs 4

No recommendations

Introductions


About you

About your business idea...

Objectives for the day

Have you got any IT yet?

Have you got a website?


9th November 2010


Requirements


Requirements


"Cheshire Puss," she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider.

"Come, it's pleased so far," thought Alice, and she went on. "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?""That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat."I don't much care where——" said Alice.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat."—— so long as I get somewhere," Alice added as an explanation."Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough.‖

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll


9th November 2010


Setting the Context


What sort of business?

How many?

• Staff

• Customers

• Suppliers

• Partners

How is the business changing / will it change?

What IT is already in use?

How quickly to take on or expand IT?

Where might IT help my business?


Reaching customers

Managing suppliers

Communication

Dealing with officialdom

Managing products, stock, ideas, publications

Front office and back office

Managing, developing and supporting staff and volunteers

Managing services


9th November 2010




Administration


Communication

Managing customers and prospects

Advertising and marketing

Managing stock

Staff development

Industry specific systems

Websites, the Internet and Web 2.0



Letters

Reports

Plans

Budgeting

Accounts

Collaboration

Productivity suites

• MS Office

• Adobe

• Open Office

• Apple iWork

• Google Docs

Sage

MS Accouning Express/Pro

Huddle (Web 2.0)

The ―Cloud‖

Administration


9th November 2010




Keep records

Make statutory returns

• PAYE

• VAT

• Companies House


Websites

Installed software



Email

•Webmail vs Client

•Individual or Mail server

Phone

•VOIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol

•Skype

Mobile

•Integration with other messaging

Instant messaging

•Windows Live Messenger

•Google Talk

Online meetings

•WenEx; GoTo Meeting; TokBox...

Document sharing

•Google; SlideShare; Huddle...

Communication


9th November 2010


What can IT do for me?Managing customers and prospects


Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• Sage ACT

• MS Outlook Business Contact Manager

• Campaigns

• Categories

• Contact history



Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Free/opensource

http://www.junauza.com/2010/06/open-source-crm-software.html

Sage ACT

Outlook with Business Contact Manager

salesforce.com

Campaigns

Categories

Contact history

Commercial products









9th November 2010


What can IT do for me?Advertising and marketing


Internet and email

Website

Web 2.0

• Facebook; Twitter

Email campaigns

Brochures

Flyers

Business cards

Free/cheap

• Vistaprint; Good Print

Consistent messages



Managing stock

―Inventory‖


9th November 2010


What can IT do for me?Staff development


Managing, supporting and developing

Computer Based Training

Staff records

Appraisals

Payroll

What can IT do for me?Industry specific systems


CAD/CAM

Point of Sale (POS)

Inventory management

ERP

...


9th November 2010




Websites, the Internet and Web 2.0 (1)

History

• Internet

• www

• Hyperlinks

Types of websites

• Information

• Brochure

• ecommerce

Your website vsthose you see

What do you want from your website?

• Requirements before design – AGAIN

Trading

• eBay

• Amazon

• www.yourdomain.com



―F‖ shape of reading a webpage

Tracking activity

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

What is Web 2.0

• Interactive sites and collaboration

Websites, the Internet and Web 2.0 (2)


9th November 2010


The ―F‖ Shape


“About us” product page Search Engine results

Tracking and Optimisation

• http://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/analytics/tour.html

• SEO


http://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/analytics/tour.html







9th November 2010


Web 2.0


Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

...

What else should I know about?


Build vs Buy

Budgeting

Choosing equipment, software and services

Going online

Updating and refreshing technology

Support

Keeping websites fresh

Employees’ use of IT

Security and safety

Legal obligations


9th November 2010




Build vs Buy

Your time

Support

Pareto



Budgeting

Must haves

(Scope) Creep

Benefits Review


9th November 2010




Choosing equipment, software and services

Laptop vs desktop vsserver

―Platform‖ (Windows, MAC, Linux) Printing Mobility 3G / MiFi

Productivity gadgets Freeware vsshareware vs―commercial‖

Networking Security Support

Ecofont http://www.ecofont.eu/ecofont_en.html



Going online

• Bandwidth

• Storage

• Upload/download limits

• Email

• Included in ISP offer?

• Webmail?

• Email marketing support

• Support

• Growth

http://www.ecofont.eu/ecofont_en.html


9th November 2010




Updating and refreshing technology



Support

Self service

•Knowledge/confidence

•Security discipline

Retailer

•Insurance

•Remote service

Managed service

•£25-£95/user/month


9th November 2010




Keeping websites fresh

• Newsletter

• Manage subscriptions

• Blog

• Competitions

• This year’s charity

• Home page

• F shape



Safe operation of computer equipment

• HSE guide

• Contribution to spectacles

Liability

• Acceptable use policy

Consumerisation?

Employees’ use of IT


9th November 2010




Security and safety

Access Data Protection

Disposal

Loss Backup and recovery



Legal issues

• E-commerce and e-marketing

• Protecting Intellectual Property

• Acceptable use policies


9th November 2010


Where next?


Courses:

SEO; marketing

Networking groups

Trade organisations

Quangos