Archive for the ‘Cost-Savings’ Category
Finding the Silver Lining in Cloud Computing
(Note: The following story was first published on the Financial Post — April 27, 2011)
Every year, businesses are spending more resources on information technology to ensure their companies run smoothly. Industry analysts forecast that hardware and software spending will continue to grow annually at a rate of 10% to 20% over the next several years. While these fixed expenses are critical to establish and maintain a strong infrastructure, they take resources away from what businesses should be doing: developing innovative products and finding compelling ways to get them quickly to market.
The good news is that business leaders can now sustain a robust information technology without having to sacrifice innovations that help them stay competitive. The solution that businesses across North America are turning to is “cloud computing” — which is a way for businesses to take advantage of storage and virtual services, saving money on infrastructure and support. Cloud computing combines three distinct elements: it is delivered via the Internet, it is pay-per-use and it is self-service. The recognition that cloud computing is a valuable solution to business leaders can be seen in a new study. In March of this year, Microsoft found that 40% of Canadian businesses, with up to 250 employees, will invest in cloud computing over the next three years.
The considerable business advantages of being able to shift fixed costs to variable costs, which is a core aspect of cloud computing, is felt even more strongly in larger companies. According to Gus Harsfai, President of Ceryx (www.Ceryx.com), one of Canada’s most recognized leaders in providing cloud control for large enterprises, “Companies can realize the financial and operational benefits of leveraging the cloud very quickly.” He recommends that to do so, “Start with a ‘Cloud Coach’. That is, use a trusted and impartial hardware or software advisor that truly understands your business, how it is going to evolve over the next three to five years and relevant cloud service options.”
Cloud computing provides such strong financial and business benefits that companies are quickly overcoming the confusion that occurs when new technologies enter the market. As a result, cloud computing has emerged as the cornerstone of smart computing.
To help Canadian business leaders harness the power of cloud computing, Brian Shepard, founder and CEO of Tenzing Managed I.T. Services, recently sat down with the hosts of the the BusinessCast. Mr. Shepard shared the story behind the growth of Tenzing which provides cloud hosting services to help businesses achieve their goals.
Strategic Alliances for Entrepreneurs
If you’re like most entrepreneurs, your focus on achieving growth probably is on acquiring new customers/clients. And, while that is certainly an essential path to success, there is one path that is often overlooked: establishing strong strategic alliances. Using this method wisely can yield exponential growth as well as a host of other benefits including: product/service innovation, increased profile and expanded networks.
That’s why for BusinessCast #178 Robert and I sat down with Hadley Archer, the “architect” behind establishing, sustaining and growing strategic alliances for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-Canada) — an organization that has systematically leveraged these kinds of special relationships with outstanding success.
In BusinessCast #178, Hadley succinctly addresses the following questions:
- How do you know if/when establishing strategic alliances is a good strategy?
- Where do you start in establishing the right strategic alliances?
- What are the key measures of success for strategic alliances?
- Who in a company should establish and sustain strategic alliances?
If you are looking for new ways to achieve growth, make sure you listen to Hadley’s insights found in BusinessCast #178.
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The Lean Enterprise: Improving the Performance of Your Work Processes
Six Sigma. Process Re-engineering. Continuous Improvement. Total Quality Management. Entrepreneurs have been hearing about these involved methodologies for years. And yet, many entrepreneurs are very successful without implementing any of these structured approaches for improving the performance of work processes and productivity. So, why should entrepreneurs care? We answer that question in BusinessCast #154 — The Lean Enterprise.
We sit down with Richard Shaw of the EnPower Group (enpowergroup.com) as he shares with us some guiding principles (and practical tips) that all entrepreneurs can apply for developing and honing “lean” work processes — i.e. those that are as productive as possible. Since every entrepreneur wants to minimize inefficiencies, lessons from BusinessCast #154 are business essentials.
**UPCOMING EVENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS**: MarketingSherpa and MarketingExperiments are hosting a series of one-day seminars across North America. Check out the Online Marketing ROI conference (coming to Toronto in June) where you can also win an iPad.
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Six Pixels of Separation, Groundswell & eMetrics
Mitch Joel has accomplished something that few others have: he has made the fundamentals of digital marketing and social media easily accessible. In his book, Six Pixels of Separation, Mitch makes the intersection between digital marketing, social media, personal branding and entrepreneurship digestible for nearly everyone. In BusinessCast #146, Robert sat down with Mitch to talk about this book — which is one of the few sources that we recommend for entrepreneurs getting a bearing on social media.
Once you’ve been inspired by Mitch’s book, the next step is developing the right social media strategy for you, your business and your audience. Without a doubt, Charlene Li’s Groundswell remains the most well-researched and practical book that we’ve found. Listen to the conversation that we recently had with Charlene, in BusinessCast #101, Leveraging the Groundswell.
Of course, if you’re trying to get a handle on social media, you’ll need to measure its effectiveness. The eMetrics Summit is a world-class event to help you tackle this challenge. And, the event is coming to location near you. **Special for BusinessCast Listeners**: You can get 15% off the attendee cost if you use the following purchase code: BCAST15. See you there!
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Buying Technology To Help Your Business Grow
A few weeks ago in BusinessCast 109 — I.T. Support for Entrepreneurs — Robert and I got the “low down” on the best ways of selecting and working with a competent I.T support professional. After all, all entrepreneurs require technologies to work 24/7.
But, here’s a critical technology question that many entrepreneurs have
trouble answering: “Are we evaluating, purchasing and integrating our technologies in ways that ensure it is allowing us to focus on our business — rather than on our business technologies?”
So, in BusinessCast #124 — Buying Technology — Robert and I sat down with Marco Nalli from technology innovator and leader Samsung. Marco has an enviable track record as an expert who helps entrepreneurs negotiate the minefield of purchasing technology so that it effectively balances short- and long-term investments, opportunity costs and business goals.
Listen to BusinessCast #124 — Buying Technology — to hone the processes you use to evaluate, purchase and integrate your technologies. That means you’ll keep your attention where it belongs…growing your business.
Subscribe to the BusinessCast Podcast at iTunes