Business Technology Experts

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. Network audits, computer repair, network planning and installation, hardware consulting, software consulting, software development, business process optimization, malware removal, help desk, disaster planning, part-time CIO, EDI, workforce automation, custom programming, website development, training, business intelligence and firm wisdom.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. The most important quality is trust. ¬¬You must trust your computer guru. If you don’t you will never work well together. We are past the days where your computer tech is like the Maytag repairman. Your outside computer help must be a valuable resource for your business. That means you have to be sure that they have your best interests in mind. If you spend your time second guessing your geek’s advice then it’s time to find someone new.

The good news is that these days, distance is no longer a factor. For example, earlier this morning I repaired to a computer in Mexico from my cell phone sitting the parking lot of my son’s day care. We have literally reached that point where the majority of tech work doesn’t require me to visit your office. Sure, if you want someone to run wires or to install a new printer you need someone local to do the basics. But for the strategy, planning and maintenance you should work with someone you know is reliable and trustworthy.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. This one is certain to get me kicked out of the Computer Geek Club, but... not every problem requires a technical solution. I can't tell you how many times I've encountered a challenge that was easily resolved with a simple change in process. Sometimes it's as simple as asking the line worker facing the problem to find a solution – since she deals with it every day she might have some valuable insights. You'd be amazed at some of the creative solutions we've implemented using nothing more than common sense and communication. Not every problem is fixed with buckets of money and new equipment.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. Passwords. Have your passwords ready for me. Nothing makes my job faster and more efficient than having all your important passwords handy. Everything else, we can figure out.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. A computer geek always tries to solve your problems by asking you to throw money at them. More computers, more servers, more expenses, more, more, more. A business technology expert, on the other hand, takes the time to understand how your business works before asking you to spend money. My engineers get to know your industry and your specific challenges first then we help you find the right tools that won’t wreck your budgets. Because we get to know your business, we are in a position to make tailored recommendations that make sense to your industry instead of the one-size-fits-all approach that is typical with computer geeks.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I love solving problems. Since I was a kid I was always good at finding the fastest way to get the job done. This work gives me an opportunity to help customers solve their critical problems to mutual benefit.

I get to help businesses work smarter. I believe that everyone can learn to work smarter with technology. Once we do, we empower ourselves to reach our goals faster. I empower 21st Century digital business.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. When does a small business need outside computer help?

Honestly, you should have someone from day one. I realize this sounds enormously self-serving, but computer technology is as much a part of your business now as your cell phone. Whereas 20 years ago you could get by without a computer, now you are probably insane if you even consider it.

A 2009 Microsoft study showed that 55% of small businesses considered technology a critical component of their business. If those, 60% showed increases in sales over the 12 month period of the study! By the way, of the 45% that did not think technology was important, 71% lost money. Like it or not, technology is critical to profitability.

I’m not suggesting you spend all your money on computer help! Quite to the contrary. The amazing thing about computers these days is how cheap they are getting. We are almost at a point in the cost curve where it doesn’t make sense to repair a broken computer!

When you can buy a netbook (that’s a small laptop) for $250, why on earth would you spend $500 to repair your old computer? It just isn’t practical. By the way, that the argument that has gotten me kicked out of several computer geek clubs and associations! Geeks don’t like it when I tell people this simple truth.

In reality, what your business technology expert should do is help you develop your technology strategy. Even a one woman operation will benefit enormously from a tech strategy. In most small businesses, new technology is implemented on an “as needed” basis.

The danger of this approach is what I call a Frankenstein Network – which is a mishmash of components that sort-of work together but cause all kinds of hard to pin-down problems. Whenever I am called in to help a company that has strange, recurring problems it is caused 90% of the time by a Frankenstein Network. Recurring problems like disappearing printers, sudden losses of internet connection, loooong delays in connecting to other computers and other nagging problems are the usual symptoms.

A tech strategy helps you to plan how your business will use technology as you grow. Think of it as a business plan for your computers. A well-developed tech plan is all about improving customer satisfaction and meeting company needs. It is all about introducing new technology to minimize business disruptions to increase productivity.

Developing an IT strategy is all about achieving long-term success. If you don’t define your goals, you will never reach them.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. You'd be amazed at some of the creative solutions we've implemented using nothing more than common sense and communication. Not every problem is fixed with buckets of money and new equipment.

I remember when Excalibur Electronics, asked us to bid on a project to solve a communication problem between a remote warehouse and their headquarters. After examining their operations and existing systems, I submitted a bid for $500. The next day, I received a phone call asking if I had made a mistake. Apparently the next lowest bid was over $3,000! I assured him that I was confident with my bid and that we could deliver all their stated needs. After we won the bid, we achieved 100% of the customer’s requirements using their existing tech systems – no need for new equipment, we just made what they had work a little harder.

Unfortunately, most technicians see every problem as an opportunity to spend your money. I’ve seen situations where a well-meaning business owner was conned by his technician into buying every gadget and gizmo in an effort to solve problems.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. A computer tech must be like a priest, a lawyer and a shrink.

A shrink’s job is to keep you sane. I realize that is a gross oversimplification, but you get the point. In this case, the computer tech must keep your computers running at peak efficiency. Did you know that most computers sit idle 90% of the time? That’s ridiculous.

Your computer should be working at least as hard as you do! With some new tools it is possible to automate the repetitive parts of your business so you can focus on the high value work that brings in the profits. A good computer tech keeps you sane by making sure your computers don’t go insane.

A lawyer’s job is to keep you out of trouble. More and more industries are becoming regulated, especially when it comes to their computers and how they handle customer data. For example, anyone in the medical profession should be familiar with The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, also known as HIPAA. What they may not realize is that this law also has very strict guidelines for how a medical practice uses technology. If your computer help is not familiar with those laws, well, let’s just say he won’t be the one getting into trouble. A good tech expert keeps you out of trouble.

Third, a priest listens to your dreams, wishes, confessions and your dirty little secrets. He offers counsel and advice to help you get over the rough spots in life. Your business tech expert needs to listen first! Nothing makes me crazier than seeing a consultant come into a business and start making changes on Day One. That’s nuts. How can you make changes before you know what the problems are? You might as well go hire a Telephone Psychic to manage your technology – you’ll get the same results. A good tech listens to your dreams, wishes and dirty little secrets before giving you advice and counsel.

Finally, the reason I chose all three – the one thing that all three share in common – they are required to keep their mouths shut. If you don’t get anything else from this radio program, I hope you get this – you do not want a blabber mouth computer tech.

Let’s get something clear – you do not have any secrets from your computer tech. If you keep it on a computer, he has access to it. That means you need someone that can keep your secrets. The last thing you need is for your competition to find out all your secrets because your geek gets talkative.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. It all started in the parking lot of my former employer. The company I used to work for was sold and I was offered a very generous job in Houston. However, I wasn't interested in uprooting my family and neither was my business partner.

It took about 20 minutes of talking before we finally decided to take the plunge. That was 10 years ago and I have never been happier. I still believe it was the best decision I have ever made.

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. We recently setup a Twitter clone for a company. They are using it to log all the work performed in the company -- every time someone starts a task, they post; every time they finish, they post.

This has started opening up some fantastic new productivity metrics that we are just digging into. We are identifying who are the best performers at specific jobs based on their inputs. We are also learning the average time required to finish every set task. This allows us to pair workers so high performers can train low performers.

I fully expect there will be many more fascinating new developments as we dig deeper into this new data.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. I believe that education is something that should be undertaken daily. The more we learn the more effective we will be.

I attend many conferences, specifically those focusing on skills development. I read books voraciously. My mailman hates me because I subscribe to about 55 different periodicals. Plus I have an unknown number of RSS feeds pouring in data at all hours of the day and night. It is safe to say I am an information junkie.

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. Cloud computing is huge (http://goo.gl/crTf).

There is also a growing move towards the App-based delivery of software. Software started as boxes with disks you bought and installed on your computer. It has since evolved into a service you receive via the internet on your smartphone or computer.

More and more software will move to the app-model approach which will further enable worker mobility. You won't be chained to your desktop computer anymore -- your smartphone will do enough of what you need to get you out into the world more often.

Plus there's always some new gadget, gizmo, toy or business tool around the corner. This is an exciting time for techie types.

Q. Describe your most recent project, what it involved, how much it cost, and how long it took.

A. Unfortunately, I am constrained by strict non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with all my customers. I am not at liberty to discuss any project specifics.

However, the Twitter clone project I mentioned previously took two days to implement and cost $2750. The business owners insisted on a new server for the Twitter clone which drove up costs somewhat.

Afterwards, we spent a whole 15 minutes training their workers in the new system (Twitter is pretty intuitive). There was plenty of moaning and groaning about "added work" but they all started using it once it was explained that bonuses would be paid based on the quality of the data recorded by each worker.

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. Pricing is based on the job and the services required.

Please note, R-Squared Computing does not sell equipment. We are not a hardware company. In our specifications we will include what we estimate is the current price. You are encouraged to try to find better prices for all equipment.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. Don't be afraid to get your hand's dirty.

Spend time understanding how a building's infrastructure works. Learn the basics of commercial 3-phase electrical distribution systems; heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and so forth. These are all critical components of the technology infrastructure -- if they aren't working right, your computers can't either.

Q. Write your own question and answer it.

A. How do I find a trustworthy tech?

Aside from R-Squared Computing, you mean? Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Sadly there isn’t a Yellow Pages of Reliable Geeks that I know of. There are a whole slew of tech industry certification programs so geeks can have fancy letter soup at the end of their names, such as MCSE, CCNA, A+, AEIOU, XXX, and so on ad nauseum.

However, those programs usually just mean that the geek is qualified to manage systems sold by the same manufacturers that created the certification in the first place. Most of those certifications really mean that you are dealing with an outside salesman for the manufacturer. I get very nervous around these people.
It’s like the old saying: to a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail. When you have someone who is invested in a manufacturer’s technology, they have a habit of trying to shoehorn your needs into those offerings.

What complicates matters is all the kickback programs in place in the tech industry. I have seen some programs where I can earn a 50% commission for selling specific products! Sorry, but that is disingenuous and unethical. If someone walks into your business and instantly starts trying to sell you an expensive disgrontificating multisequencing thing-a-ma-bobber then just kick them out. And by all means, be rude about it.

Ultimately a tech expert is a kind of business parasite – yes, I admit it! But, it’s up to us to decide if we are a harmful parasite that only wants to suck you dry or if we are benevolent and want to help you succeed. This is why my company, R-Squared Computing never sells you any of the equipment we specify. We make recommendations, including cost estimates, and then we encourage you to comparison shop. At first some of my customers are unsure because it is such a strange practice in my industry but once they get used to it, they greatly appreciate it.

I realize that I have somewhat given a politician’s answer so let me get back to your original question. First, you want someone that will ask you lots and lots of good, relevant questions. During the initial meeting, a good tech should have you doing most of the talking – not necessarily about technology but about your operations, challenges, and goals.

Another good sign is documentation. Good techs document everything. Even though you may not understand a word of those documents, they are critical business tools for you. Good documents mean you are not held hostage by your computer tech. What could be worse that firing your computer tech and then realizing he still has all the passwords for your website and other equipment? We document everything for our customers so if you ever decide you want someone else, you can enjoy a seamless transition to your new tech just by handing over all the paperwork.

Another thing you want to be sure of is that your computer tech is professional. I don’t just mean he acts in a professional manner but that he is also clean and presentable. I have seen some brilliant computer techs that are probably some of the nastiest, filthiest trolls you could ever meet. Let’s face it, you don’t want Quasimodo hanging around, do you?

A good tech is also well connected. I don’t mean he has a fax machine and a cell phone! I mean he has the industry contacts to make sure you aren’t sitting on hold waiting for Microsoft tech support to answer. You need someone that can get you the answers quickly so you can get back to work.

Frankly, I think the best way to find a trustworthy tech is to trust your instincts. Most people have excellent instincts, when they let themselves listen to them. We have a habit of denying our instincts, which I think is a terrible mistake. You know when someone is trouble. Just trust your instincts until you find someone that gives you that warm, comfortable feeling.

On the other hand, if you have terrible instincts then just do the opposite. It’s not a perfect plan but it works. Remember, in the end, good old fashioned common sense is your best guide.