It is difficult to believe but 2011 is almost over and we have ran out of time to implement all those great plans which were going to make things even better.
So let’s see if we can do better in 2012 by making 5 New Year resolutions to improve your I.T. systems:
1. Virtualisation WILL save you money and give you a Disaster Recovery plan
I know, you already have servers so why change things and get a completely new I.T. infrastructure? Well the truth is that you should consider virtualisation when your current hardware is nearing it’s useful economic life (i.e. when the warranty on it runs out). At this point, you normally need to buy new kit and then arrange for all your software to be reinstalled on it. By going to virtualisation, you will reduce the number of servers (which means less cost as you won’t need a warranty and support cover for each server!) and enable future expansion WITHOUT the need to reinstall software as thing like extra memory and hard disc space can be implemented at a flick of a switch.
Another major benefit is that you get a Disaster Recovery plan thrown in for free if you plan things right and have selected a good hosting partner.
ACTION PLAN: Start digging out your server support contracts and plan for the change over NOW by looking for appropriate hosting suppliers who provide server as well as application support (e.g. Sage 50, Sage 200 …) ! There are a few of us out there but not that many so email me if you need further details.
2. Reporting using Excel is easier but inefficient. Start using your tools properly!
You are probably the same as most organizations. You export the trial balance out of Sage into Excel and then spend anywhere between 30 minutes and 3 days using various VLOOKUP and MACROS to get your accounts out. Then when you need historic data or need to drill down into a figure, all hell breaks loose as Excel isn’t where the data originated from so your staff need to go to various systems to get the answer to your ‘Why is this figure so high?’
The likely hood is that you have MUCH better reporting tools already in the business. Sage has it’s own tool called Sage Report Designer which is very good in the correct hands. If you have Microsoft SQL Server in the company then you should be using Microsoft Reporting Services as this provides a superb web based zero installation method of giving your staff access to your data.
ACTION PLAN: Start by looking at your various systems and identify the reporting tool it should be used with. Then standardise on the most appropriate ones for your business and make a member of your staff (preferably one with a techy side to them) the ‘Information Czar’ with the objective of making your data available to everyone, everywhere based on their needs! Email me if you need any advice as we do a lot of work creating reporting systems for Sage and other databases.
3. Training! Training! Training!
This is the simplest and most obvious requirement but one which most companies forget. The tendency is to use ‘Chinese whispers’ to train new staff by more senior members. The flaw in this strategy is that the senior members are set in their ways and are unlikely to be up to date with the latest functionality with in the existing systems as they never got properly trained when the systems were implemented upgraded.
ACTION PLAN: Select your system champions and get them properly trained by an authorised partner. This should be tailored as a ‘workshop’ rather than a generic session so that they ‘build’ something which will be of use in the business when they get back rather than come away with a whole load of new ideas but no actual useful deliverable. Email me if you want to know more about tailored Sage training courses.
4. Integrate your systems to reduce input errors and increase available staff hours
Re-keying data into systems is the most common waste of staff time. Bearing in mind that the data probably originated from a computer system, why is it we insist on re-keying it in rather than just importing it? The answer is normally very simple: ‘Because we have always done it that way’ or ‘I don’t think we can have it as a PDF or XLS file’.
In truth, most companies are trying to reduce costs and improve their ‘green credentials’ by moving to paperless transactions (e.g. emailing invoices as PDFs rather than using post). So they would probably welcome a request to communicate with you electronically. Further more, there are now solutions which can automatically import PDF invoices into Sage, email me if you want to know more.
ACTION PLAN: Contact all your customers and suppliers and ask them if they can would prefer to communicate with you electronically using PDF, CSV, XML, XLS … files. Remember, each piece of paper you handle will cost you between £1 - £10 during it’s life cycle so every one eliminated is adding to your bottom line! You may want to look at Excel2Sage www.excel2sage.co.uk which can import all of these file formats into Sage, email me if you have any questions.
5. Use Cloud based systems to reduce your I.T. headaches!
There has been a LOT of press coverage for ‘Cloud’ based systems but will it be of any use for your business? Well it depends on what you need and what your staff skills are like. Most small medium size businesses rely on external IT companies for day to day support. This normally ends up having a fragmented set of suppliers who start pointing fingers when things go wrong.
Cloud solutions are good in the sense that there are only 2 points of failure: the internet connection or software fault. This along with normally a fixed monthly charge allows businesses to simplify system maintenance and support as well as enable better budgeting.
ACTION PLAN: Review your internal systems and assess which of these could become a Cloud offering. Then do a cost benefit (assessment including the retraining of staff) and make the move where possible. Email me if you need help in this task.
So take action to improve your I.T. systems in 2012.
It will pay dividends for years to come when you get it right!
About Excel2Sage
Excel2Sage www.excel2sage.co.uk is a very easy to use program which allows everyday data to be imported from Excel to Sage with JUST ONE CLICK!
It improves efficiency whilst eradicating errors.
YouTube videos showing how various transactions can be imported using Excel2Sage can be found http://www.excel2sage.co.uk/index.php/tutorials/
About the author
Ara Martirossian is a Director of Red IT Solutions Limited http://www.red-it.co.uk as well as a National Council and IT Faculty Member at the ICAEW. He can be contacted via email on ara@red-it.co.uk.
