> If your website has been up and running for over six months, you need to know how much it's worth on the open market, whether or not you are intending to keep it. Only then can you amend your future direction realistically. Unfortunately, there isn't an industry recognised method of appraising the value of a website. You have to do the research and demonstrate that you're worth the asking price if you're looking to sell.
Browse websites for sale Start by browsing websites for sale. BuySellWebsite.com and WebsiteBroker.com are two of the biggest website selling portals online. There may not be any websites for sale in exactly the same market as you, but there will be sites with a similar level of statistics. Visit these websites and try to establish whether or not they're doing anything different from you. Bear in mind that some sites listed will never sell because their expectations are unrealistic.
Focus on the tangible Your website is only worth something if somebody wants to buy it. To make somebody want to buy it, you have to show him or her that it's worth the price. If you know all this information off the top of your head, you'll either be highly knowledgeable of the factors used to determine your website value, or know what you have to do to create a valuable commodity. The following are the ten tangible areas to focus on:
2) Your past and present profit, loss and costs
5) Any history of, or pending, litigation
6) Your website's technical requirements, original software and graphics
Speak to prospective buyers Until you speak to prospective buyers, you're only guessing at how much you're site's worth. I'm talking about speaking to people over the phone, and not a cyber relationship. You need to speak to people at the top of relevant organizations. Presidents, CEO's and Managing Directors are just ordinary people with great focus. They want to talk specifics, so even if you're a single owner / operator website, as long as if you know your 'ten tangibles' the chances are that they'll be happy to take your call. If you're lucky, they'll also give you some advice on the sort of 'due diligence' they perform while purchasing a small business. Even if they aren't interested, you'll have a much better idea of the present value of your website, and what you have to do to make it more appealing.
David Bain is founder of the independent resource,
.
BuildYourOwnBusiness offers the latest business news & management advice on how best
to build your own business - business articles on Strategy, eBusiness, Change
Management & much, much more.
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> Internet plays an important role in online fax. Online fax requires Internet or a service provider to translate an electronic document to and from a fax. In these days there are several hosts that enable you to use Internet to receive or send faxes. Some providers offer these services free of cost while others charge some fee. Some web hosts let you send/receive e-mail with Internet only whereas some require you to install some special software on your computer.
Service providers offer a special fax number to receive faxes online. Internet faxing doesn??™t require fax machines. Online fax requires Internet access and an email account. Whenever a fax is sent to the subscriber??™s number, service provider accepts the fax and turns it into a file that is easily forwarded to subscriber??™s email address.
Subscriber has to create an email to send an Internet fax. Fax content should be written in the body of electronic mail and the destination fax number should be entered in the ???To??™ field along with @ and the internet service name. You have to click ???send??™ button after filling all columns. It will send email to Internet Fax service and the service provider forward it to the recipient. Afterwards recipient receives fax via fax machine or Computer.
It is very easy to send or receive faxes via Internet because your fax number is always active that enables you to receive faxes anytime. Actually in Internet fax, faxes are sent and receive as files that can be printed later on as per users??™ choice. Major advantage of online fax is that the subscriber doesn??™t require being familiar with fax machines. With a little knowledge of email, subscriber can easily send or receive faxes online.
Subscriber should always consider an Internet fax service that provides secure website. Generally Internet service providers offer these services between US$10-20 per month.
Author owns a website on . Website provides useful information about online fax, Internet fax and it also offer some tips on how to send fax from Internet. You can also visit his website on
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> Blogs are making it possible for all of the world??™s information to be accessible. But keeping up-to-date with the multitude of information you are interested in can be overwhelming. Wouldn??™t it be nice to have the freshest news and content delivered directly to you without having to surf from one blog to another? RSS informs you when blogs have added new content. You can get the latest headlines and blog entries be they text, audio files, photographs or video in one screen as soon as they are published.
You must have noticed the little orange buttons with the icons XML, RSS, Subscribe, and Syndicate This Site when you visit blogs. Clicking on the button, all you will see is a heap of computer codes. This is an RSS feed.
RSS stands for RDF Site Summary, Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication. The latter is the most popular descriptive definition. RSS is a feed format that allows blog publishers to share and distribute content to other blogs or individual web surfers. Bloggers use RSS to provide updates in the form of blog posts. If a blog publishes RSS content commonly known as RSS feed, this feed will include summaries of all the entries posted on that blog. RSS is written in the Internet coding language XML, thus some buttons are labeled as such.
The first part of an RSS feed is a descriptive detail about the ???channel??? or the source that is publishing the content. The ???channel??? may include the title of the source, a short description, its blog address, date the information was last updated, name and e-mail address of the blog author. The second part is the list of items. Each ???item??? represents one published piece of content. Each ???item??? includes the headline of the entry (title), a two to three sentence summary of the entry (description) and the URL address to read the full entry.
RSS feeds are meant to be read by a software or web-based application known as a feed reader. Feed readers understand the data contained in RSS feeds and translates these data and make available to Internet users or customized blogs,
To receive updates or view RSS feeds, you will need a feed reader. A feed reader is an application that allows you to subscribe (add a feed) to a blog and receive quick summaries when that blog is updated. This application is also referred to as RSS reader, news aggregator, news reader or feed aggregator. When you subscribe to RSS feeds, the feed reader collect from different blogs and organize them in a convenient place for you to read rather than you visiting individual blogs looking for new content. Whenever new content is posted from one of the feeds you are subscribed to, the feed reader displays the new headlines. You can go over the headlines and if one is particularly interesting, you can click the headline and you will be brought to the original source where you can read the entire content.
There are primarily two versions of feed readers ??“ web-based and stand-alone applications. Web-based or online feed readers provide a quick start for RSS subscriptions. They let you read your RSS feeds from any computer. Some of these readers are free while others with advanced features are offered at a cost. Some examples of web-based feed readers are Google Reader, My Yahoo and Bloglines. Stand-alone or downloadable feed readers are applications that you install on your main computer just like the Microsoft Outlook e-mail program. These feed readers are usually run in the background. A sound or pop-up window notifies you of any updates. SharpReader is a free feed reader for Windows. For Mac users, a preferred feed reader is NetNewsWire.
Once you have a feed reader, you can choose what you want to receive in your feed reader. You can also add feeds through the RSS buttons of your favorite blogs. Clicking on the RSS orange icon, you can subscribe to the feed by dragging the URL of the RSS feed into your feed reader or by cutting and pasting the same URL into a new feed in your feed reader. Most blogs offer RSS feeds using the orange RSS, XML button. Conversely, you can also create your own RSS feed.
You can also create you own feeds. It is a pretty easy task. The hard part is eating the content itself. The feed part is usually just using the standard RSS format that notifies the feed reader which sections of your blog entry relates to the RSS title, description, date, link and other pertinent data. This is done using XML format, the standard method of surrounding the significant parts of the content with tags that the feed reader understands. Once content has been set up with an RSS feed, then it is ready for the reading public.
You can add RSS syndication as a publishing option in your blog. In some cases, this is done automatically, without you having to set up anything. If you are using a blogging tool software like Blogger, TypePad or WordPress, publishing a feed is one of their built-in features plus some other feed-related options. Other types of feed readers may require programming skills to add RSS syndication. Once you have created an RSS feed with your blogging software, pipe it through your feed reader and voila, a whole stream of benefits awaits you.
The most compelling use of RSS is that it lets you take hold of information you are interested in and have it updated for you in one place where you can read it within the shortest possible time. RSS has been embraced by individual users, blog publishers and businesses as well.
For individual users, RSS feeds keep them updated on news, information and blog posts. There is no need to visit numerous blogs. There is no deluge of e-mail newsletters that clutter the mailbox. Unlike e-mail, there is no spam. Opting out can be done anytime and there is no need to give any contact information to subscribe to a feed. An individual user can also customize content that comes to him and ignore blog entries that are of no interest to him. There is absolutely no need to check back for new postings as the feed reader delivers content to him.
For blog publishers, RSS permits quick distribution of new blog entries to individual users in a convenient way. RSS feeds when incorporated into a blog offers a more personalized and interactive user experience, strengthening blog presence and maximizing revenue opportunities.
For businesses, RSS feeds enable them to do without regularly checking blogs for important updates or plowing through a pile of e-mail distribution lists. RSS provides businesses with much-needed fresh information. RSS feeds are extremely helpful for brand marketing, customer service, internal and external communications and competitive awareness.
In a nutshell, if you want to be informed of the latest news and happenings around the world and is having a hard time managing information overload, RSS is the answer.
Hopefully, these basics can help you get started with RSS. It may be difficult to understand at first, but once you get the gist of it, surfing the web will be effortless with RSS.
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> Your website is where your business resides - it's like the headquarter of an offline company.
principles to reach the maximum number of visitors.
Here are some tips that will help...
Use clear navigation directions around your website without any confusion.
Reduce the number of images attractive. But there are still many internet users on
dial-up, so keep in mind to reduce the size of your
graphics if possible. Large images make your site
a waste of bandwidth.
If you find that graphics are essential on your site,
program so that they meet a minimum file size.
for you.
http://www.tools.dynamicdrive.com/imageoptimizer
Keep your text paragraphs at reasonable length off line print media. If a paragraph is too long, you
blocks will be much easier to read.
Use a lot of white space between your copy. This
gives the eyes some rest, and keeps your readers
alert.
Also, don't make your font too small, or people will
have problems reading your copy.
Make your website cross-browser compatible breaks horribly in Firefox and Opera, you will lose
out on a lot of prospective visitors. So, always check
how your website looks in different browsers.
computer, rather than relying on online services.
with your website compatibility.
http://www.browsercam.com
http://www.anybrowser.com/siteviewer.html
Avoid using scripting languages on your site data on your site, and not to create visual effects.
Scripts are not supported across all browsers, so
because their web browser crashes.
Using website templates the right way to create a new layout.
That's the point of using a template... to save time
and effort. You can go a long way by just changing
the title, entering your keywords, put in some new
graphics and appropriate details and you're done.
gardening hobby site, except the original designer
has put an image of stamps in the header.
You can then search for images of garden plants,
or gardening tools, to replace the stamps for your
hobby site.
Just be aware of using too popular templates. If
many people use the same template, your site
solid, different business will be tarnished.
generic just like your next-door neighbors.
performing website.
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> Many studies have proven that radio is a good medium for product advertisements. People listen to the radio for entertainment, usually to listen to the latest music or to their favorite radio program. In between the program, advertisements on products and services are being played.
For many years, this has been the trend in advertising. But now that the radio medium is almost behind the audio-visual medium, the TV, and the Internet, other marketing strategies have to be employed to continue the benefits of advertising through audio.
It is then that the benefits of using music on websites were discovered. Before, music on the Internet was just available in downloadable forms as mp3. Even through hosting downloadable music on their servers, companies were able to get much traffic on their sites. And everyone engaged in Internet marketing knows that website traffic plays a big role in boosting product and service sales.
However, there had been a problem with illegal music download in which artists, musicians and record companies have lost millions of revenues.
Then, came the popularity of Internet music streaming. Unlike the former, radio streaming does not allow download of the music files. Thus, the copyrights of the artists and record label owners are protected.
So, how can this be done? There are several ways to stream audio from your site. First, is to stream a radio program from your site or blog. You can find free affiliate programs that allow you to stream their radio content from your site.
What will this mean to you? This means that your site will have new audio content every time it is visited. What's even great is that the content is being updated even without much effort from you.
In this case, what you needed to do is to signup with an Internet radio station and have the link embedded on your blog or website.
Another way is to stream mp3s. To do this, you just need to upload your mp3files on a server and add the files' links to the page. When the link is clicked, the browser opens a media player window and plays a file. However, since the file is in mp3 format, it may also be downloaded. Downloading music files without the authorization of the copyright owner is illegal. Therefore, if you will be using this type of streaming, make sure that you have the appropriate permit to do so.
A third way to add audio to you blog or website is to stream music through organizing playlists. Playlists are m3u files, which if downloaded, will not play music if offline. Using this process, however, can be complex. Here is a short instruction on how to do it.
1. Save your mp3 or wma file on the server. You may skip this step if you know that the file exists on another server and know the link to that file. Make sure that the link has a .mp3 or .wma extension.
2. Open your text editor and type the path to the file. Include the http:// and the file extension. Repeat this step until you have included all the links to the files that you would like to be included in the playlist.
3. Save the playlist with a .m3u extension.
4. Upload the m3u file on the directory where the music files are hosted or to your server.
5. Open your html editor and embed the link to the m3u file. Through this, you can also set if you want to have the playlist to autoplay if someone visits your site of if you want your visitor to control playing the music. You can also set the volume level.
After the code is embedded on the html file, and whenever your site is visited, the songs in the playlist will be buffered, streamed and played one after another. If your playlist has several songs, the user can skip forward or go back a song in the playlist using the media player controls.
Doing this setup works for many website owners. Through this you can customize the type of music being played on your site. You can even play recordings related to your product to boost product awareness.
It requires knowledge of html to be done. But if it will be the best way to increase traffic to your site, why not request assistance from programmers. After all, having audio on a website is a proven way to increase sales.
Manuel Gcia is a publisher and author of many online and offline businesses. He is willing to help people to start their own business venture.For more information,visit
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Push Article Marketing Works for You!
> Information based marketing is one of the oldest and most effective techniques for bringing targeted prospects to your site and converting them into buyers. This is part of the reason that software, and distribution services that make the process of article promotion easier are so popular lately.
Though the various tools you can use to make the process of distributing your articles more easily are invaluable in getting your content the most exposure, that's only half of the story. Getting article marketing to work for your site lies primarily in two things: The article you're submitting, and The preparation you do before you a single word of your content is written. Since those two determining factors make at least 50% of the difference in bringing you success, let's take a look at what the most common mistakes are in that area, and how to overcome them. Confusing the Reason to Promote with Articles with the Reason to Write Articles There are three key benefits to promoting an article branding, lead generation, and as a corollary, online promotion, particularly as part of your optimization efforts.
Yet there is only one reason to write an article, and that is to inform your audience. If your article is not geared towards this as its primary purpose, you will fail to see the three benefits of promotion - because no one will want to read your article to know more about can visit www.internet-copycatting.com. How many links you're able to generate by submitting your article to hundreds of sites will matter little if you're unable to get them picked up by publications, or read by people who search for information.
Sure, if you know what you're doing all those links pointing back to your site will count for something in your search engine results - but remember that generating links to your site is only one part of optimizing your site for Google, Yahoo or MSN. To overcome this issue, you'll need to figure out how to get people to read what is in your article, and then click through to your site from your resource box. The best start to a solution is to produce better content.
In the end it's a matter of choice. You can get a little exposure from increased link backs, on a very basic level, or enjoy massive exposure from a little extra work. Starting The Article Promotion without a Plan Not every article can fulfill all three purposes of promotion. Some will work better for branding; others can generate leads and increase sales.
An article that gets published every where and helps to make you known is not meant to have the same level of exposure as hyper-targeted content geared towards a narrow group of people. Learning the difference will help you know what kinds of articles to write. Publishing Content That Doesn't Help Your Reader Maybe you're thinking: "All I want is links back to my site - any visitors the article generates is gravy." Well guess what? then you have to visit www.instant-marketing-articles.com to check the details.
Not all article banks and directories are going to accept your content automatically. You can double the number of sites you can submit to by writing articles that the directories want to share with readers. And all it takes is one publisher with a hundred thousand readers to increase your potential audience tenfold. So if you want article marketing to work for you, write articles that publishers want in their publications. This also means obeying the standard guidelines, running a spell check, researching a good topic to write about, or even hiring a writer to produce articles on your behalf. Failing to Maximize the Promotional Opportunities of Article Marketing You already know that articles marketing can help you generate additional links back to your site.
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3 Tips to Getting Internet Traffic to Your Blog Website
> Everybody has a blog. No matter the topic or discussion someone has got it covered. From online diaries in the mid nineties to becoming one of the foundations of the internet, blogging along with video and social bookmarking is changing not only how we get our information but also the manner in which online business is conducted.
This is why it would be a good idea for you incorporate blogging into your overall internet marketing plan. What blogging can do very effectively is to build your target markets and bring you a steady flow of internet traffic and customers.
Blogs are free and easy to run. Just go to Blogger or Wordpress.com, signup and start posting. Try to start out posting on a daily basis or at least a three to four times a week then use these tips to get traffic to your blog
In a recent survey, 100% of online users say they communicate using email. This is a good way to send messages to your opt in email list with links going back to your blog web site. Let them know you've posted a new article or video on your blog. Use snippets or summaries to entice people to click on the link and get further information. The more times people on your list see your blog the more they will get to know you and give a second look to some products or services you maybe offering.
In addition you can gain more viewers to your blog by giving away a subscription along with free report. Advertise in ezine publications that target your niche as well as forums and classified ad sites like US Free Ads.
Rich Site Summary also known as Really Simple Syndication is the process of delivering constantly updated content to your blog by pacing a block of code (known as a feed) on your webpages. In our fast paced information age, RSS fits perfectly. It allows your visitors to stay up to date on any new information you've added to your blog without necessarily having to visit every page on your blog. Instead they view a window that list the headlines followed by a quick summary of what each article is about.
Having a free RSS feed accomplishes two things besides getting more site traffic. First since the content is updated frequently it keeps the search engines coming back to your site and crawling for the new information. Second it can increase your visibility among your blog visitors. This is important because while they may not visit your blog everyday, providing a feed to your subscribers is a good way to for them to stay in touch.
A blog network is a compilation of blogs under a sole domain or company name. Some web visitors take comfort in clicking a link that takes them to different bloggers who cover the same topic. This is also an excellent way to get free advertisement and free web traffic to your site since people who visit the network will invariably be exposed to your blog.
You can also submit to blog directories or just ask your readers to give you feedback on something you posted (the search engines view comments as updating content on your blog). No matter which technique you choose, blogging offers a new way to connect with your readers. Simple, unfiltered and a perfect fit for today's internet, blogging is a smart resource to have in your internet marketing online tool kit.
Daryl Campbell invites you to get more free tips, video, step by step coaching and up to the minute information to grow your successful online business at
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Podcasting - An Effective Marketing Tool for Your Company
> Before we answer that question, let's take a quick look at what a podcast is. Audio programming isn't revolutionary.A company called Audible.com has been selling downloadable content like audio books and radio shows for nearly 10 years. Now, thanks to the growing popularity and large storage capacity of Apple??™s iPods and other such devices, tech experimentalists are considering anew the possibilities of downloadable audio. Now with new, easy-to-use distribution tools and cheaper storage capacity in addition to the millions-sold iPod market, podcasting is going mainstream.
The broadcasting part comes from syndication tools that allow listeners to subscribe to receive automatic downloads of new podcasts in episodes that interest them. People who produce podcasts use something called RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to create subscription feeds. Listeners point their podcatchers toward those feeds and receive their automatic updates. Apple??™s iTunes software has built-in podcatching features, but you can also use other programs, like the free Juice Receiver. These podcatching programs transfer new episodes to your PC. Some software will then even deliver the files to your digital music player automatically using the RSS feed.
You can listen to podcasts without an iPod. Individual podcast shows are usually recorded in common audio formats like MP3, others are in AAC format. Some podcatchers??™ auto-synch features only work with iPods, but you can listen to podcasts on any digital music player or on your PC with standard programs like RealPlayer, Windows Media Player or any of the myriad other programs available for download at no charge.
Your company can shape the message it delivers, and a podcasting series distributed regularly to customers is a great way to build their loyalty and create a bond with both customers and new sales leads. The trick is to offer content listeners will find useful. For some companies, the podcasting topics are more obvious than others. Music distribution services provider Nugs.net posts a monthly promotional podcast of samples from its archive while travel website Hotelbook.com offers podcasts full of travel tips. But companies that aren??™t in the consumer services market can still use promotional podcasts??”they just have to be more creative in figuring out what they have to offer.
If you're ready to begin making your own podcast, Audacity is a popular, free program for recording and digitizing and editing sound. HOwever, pretty much any sound software will work. Once you have a recorded sound file, upload it to the internet on your website; if you??™re creating a series, set up an RSS feed pointing to the site where new episodes will appear. That??™s all there is to it.
Unless you??™re aiming for top-quality production quality, podcasting is a fairly inexpensive undertaking. If you don??™t want to go the trouble of doing your own production, services shops are springing up to handle podcasting chores. Some companies have a production staff and network of voice artists on tap to quickly convert scripts to ready-for-podcasting sound files. Others have a hosting and syndication service that handles podcast storage and RSS feed creation, with an unlimited bandwidth allowance. For marketers interested in podcasting, the obstacles to start up have never been smaller.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Steve Wright (aka Podcast Dude)is the webmaster for and has been recording, distributing and listening to podcasts for many years. He can help you grow your business with news, information and consulting services.
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> There are amusing and horrific stories of the trials and tribulations associated with the transfer of technology, and the implementation of new systems and architecture. There are lessons that we can learn from those who have blazed the trails before us, and those who have been burned by the blaze. Get your fingers ready to count the five fundamental considerations for implementing new technology.
"The original plan was to transition the existing IT infrastructure to Oracle over a period of three months. It is three years later, and we think that we are almost done with our Oracle implementation." Does this sound familiar? if so, you have plenty of good company. Oracle is a powerful engine. It is high octane, scalable, and has flexible object oriented architecture to allow continuous growth and integration. So, what went wrong?
Quite often, in the eager anticipation to install the latest and greatest engine, the other parts of the car were forgotten or overlooked. Sure you have a powerful new engine, but your steering wheel is gone. It was replaced by a series of point and click drop down boxes to precisely instruct the car to turn at a specific angle. Do you want to make a 30 degree turn, a forty degree turn, or a 90 degree turn, right or left? Simply choose the appropriate item from the drop down menu and you will have the exact turn that you desire. Gone is that old fashioned and inaccurate steering wheel that required manual intervention and guidance to gradually adjust the turn in process, and installed is the precision turning device that is managed by your mouse. The problem is, nobody mentioned that the new steering mechanism was sold separately, and would take another six months to program. Nobody mentioned that everyone responsible for driving the car would have to learn a new steering methodology, lose the ability to make manual adjustments along the way, and need to learn to be more predictive and accurate in the selection of the accurate turn. Adjustments can be made along the way to correct a turn, with more point and click menu selections, if necessary. The extra time, design and development costs, and employee training are sold separately. You see, Oracles sells that powerful engine, not the steering wheel.
Does that sound funny or familiar? If it sounds familiar, then the humor is bitter-sweet. If it sounds ridiculous, then you have not experienced it yet. The steering wheel is only one example. Once the steering mechanism is programmed and put into place, then the other discoveries begin. That powerful engine comes with a speedometer and tachometer, so you can see your performance and the RPM of the engine. Isn't is exciting to see that you have only partially tapped into the incredible power of this magnificent Oracle engine? Unfortunately, if you rely on other dashboard devices like signals for turns, air conditioning, or a radio, then you have to build these things yourself. After all, the engineers of the engine realize that you turn on different roads than everyone else, you have personal preferences for your climate controls, and you have personal preferences for terrestrial or Sirius satellite radio stations. Therefore, you need to build the point and click objects, menus, and radio buttons to accommodate your personal preferences, and all the possible variations thereof. Someone forgot to mention that all of these functions and amenities need to be custom designed for each driver.
Once the common dashboard and control devices are designed, developed, and implemented, then the next wave of discovery begins. The old buttons, knobs, and dials are gone. Everything has been replaced with the convenient control of a single device, your mouse. That seemed like a wonderful convenience when it was first described to you. All of the controls are at two fingers on one hand. Once you are past the pain of installing all of the other controls at additional cost, it occurs to you that it might be a little complicated to switch between steering the car, sending a command to roll up the windows, turning on the air conditioner, selecting a radio station, and signaling your turn, all at the same time with one device. All of these things require a different set of menus, so you need to choose your work stream very carefully. Otherwise, you may run into the back of a truck while trying to turn off the heater, and turn on Howard Stern. Just then, it begins to rain, and you realize that the windshield wipers have not been coded yet.
Dear Larry Ellison, please forgive me if my sense of irony has inadvertently presented what could be perceived as an unflattering commentary. It is merely intended to make a point about proper planning for transition of technology. After all, you do build a beautiful engine.
So, what should we do?
It is appropriate to be aggressive when implementing new technology that provides a competitive edge. The competitive edge may be related to overall system performance that empowers employees to become more productive. A competitive edge may be a utility that empowers clients and customers to become more self-sufficient, like installing the ATM machine outside the bank for customer self-sufficient convenience. The competitive advantage may integrate multiple functions, partners, or streams of data that allow for more intelligent decisions or effective business. If the implementation, integration, or transfer to new technology is going to have a substantial and measured competitive advantage, then be aggressive about the pursuit of technology.
If the transfer of technology touches upon the core competency or revenue of your business, then be cautious about making any significant changes. This does not mean that you avoid improving technology. It merely implies that it is appropriate to be more cautious in studying the ramifications and ancillary applications which may be impacted by even a subtle change to the code. There are horror stories from companies that implemented seemingly innocuous changes to billing, and then failed to produce invoices or statements for the clients. During this period of the transfer of technology, revenue was suddenly reduced. The result created financial hardship for the billing company, and for the disgruntled customers who suddenly received several months worth of accumulated billing once the invoicing system issues were resolved. Not only was this an impact on cash flow during the interruption in billing, but it impacted the relationship with the clients as well. Be aggressive about competitive opportunities to grow your profit and performance, but be cautious when it comes to implementing changes that may impact your core business offerings, clients, or billing.
Be quick to implement minor changes, and carefully monitor the impact. When it come to performance enhancement, internal suggestions for simplifying routines, or improving the customer experience, do not delay. Design the small changes, test the changes thoroughly, and create a schedule to consistently roll out enhancements. Quite often, the little enhancements have the biggest impact to business performance.
When it comes to major changes in the architecture or systems that sustain your business, be slow in implementing change. Frequently, the core architecture and functions of the business are the most efficient and streamlined. The processes that get the most use are the ones that get the most attention, and are often the most highly evolved. Unfortunately, these are also the processes that typically are selected for the first priority when it comes to implementing a transfer in technology. On the contrary, avoid the allure of focusing on familiar ground, and preserve the primary processes until the transition has been tested on some of the more complex, and less often utilized, utilities. By focusing development on the most complex and least used functions, there is tremendous knowledge to be gained by the experience, and the least amount of impact to the business. There are too many horror stories of companies that eagerly transferred the main processes, and then spent months or years working out the bugs that could have been identified by developing a much less needed or impactful part of the process.
There is no better time to address the vast array of potential security needs than during the design, development, and implementation of new technology. What personal data to you manage, process, forward, or store? This is not limited to credit card transactions or bank account numbers for wire transfers. Somewhere in the enormous archives of data, you are probably holding precious private information on every one of your own employees. Employee records contain social security numbers, bank accounts for direct deposit, names and addresses, and possibly even reference to medical coverage. Quite often we think about the pipeline to our customers, and forget about the goldmine of private information inside our own facilities. Don't we owe the same protection to our own employees?
Privacy data can include medical records, financial records, and personal information. Driver's license numbers, credit card numbers, or even matching email address with telephone numbers, are all potential risk to privacy. The threat is not limited to how people access the information from the outside, or the number of firewalls that you put into place. The threat is also from the inside, and what kind of information is available to employees and associates. How easy it is to look up client records and download the information to a thumb drive? How easy is it to copy the entire company database of customer information, account information, or intellectual property? What would it be worth to a disgruntled employee to take valuable client information to a competitor?
There is no better time than the present to have a security expert evaluate the potential breaches of privacy in your organization. If you have customers, credits cards, customer accounts, client information, intellectual property, financial information, medical information, or employee information stored electronically, accessible on a network, or printed in files, then it is time to consider security.
If you are in the midst of preparing for a technology transformation, design, development, integration, or implementation, then it is the perfect time to review all of the related documents with a security and privacy expert. If you are organizing all of this information, then why not take advantage of your efforts to protect your customers, your employees, and your business? Executives and management are increasingly being held responsible for ignoring or overlooking the potential security breaches in their respective organizations, both from protecting customers from external threats, and for controlling the actions of disgruntled employees. Mitigate risk to the company, and the executives of the company, by taking appropriate and reasonable precautions for expert analysis, controls, and privacy.
"Technology is dominated by two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage, and those who manage what they do not understand."
"For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press three."
"There is an evil tendency underlying all our technology - the tendency to do what is reasonable even when it isn't any good."
"Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons."
- R. Buckminster Fuller
John Mehrmann is author of The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity, the fundamental guide to achieving extraordinary sales and sustaining loyal customers. This revolutionary book applies peak management techniques and leadership skills, with common sense and practical applications to grow business, sustain loyal customers, and use personal talents for personal success.
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