Small business IT moves toward the clouds

Maybe your head really should be in the clouds - along with product specs, sales sheets, proposals and other e-data from your small business.

We're talking cloud computing, which Jason Burton says is "the most exciting thing I see" in small business IT.

Cloud computing, at its simplest a move of company files to the Internet from, for example, an internal server, can be a big small-business benefit, Burton says.

His opinion is worth noting, because small-business information technology is Burton's domain. President of Chicago-based Chicago Technology Consulting, Burton has some definite opinions about small businesses and IT.

Among his thoughts: There's too much reliance by small businesses on outside IT help; too much eagerness to latch onto the hottest tech item; and too many outdated database systems that can be a drag on growth.

"I'm a real proponent of doing things in-house," Burton says of small business IT. "Businesses outsource those tasks too quickly. It's fairly easy to train someone to take care of minor IT problems."

Burton suggests that, "One employee can learn networking. Another can administer the database, and someone else can learn general IT support."

Burton isn't foolish enough to throw away business opportunities.

"If a company wants me to handle all the tech stuff so they can concentrate on their business, that's fine," he says.

That choice, however, should be the result of a strategic decision on how best to meld staff and outside consultants, he says, not just a knee-jerk let's-call-somebody reaction to often basic problems.

When necessary, Burton is willing to "play devil's advocate. People come to me and say 'I've heard this new server is fantastic. I want it.'

"They've read about it in The Wall Street Journal or PC Magazine. But the server costs $15,000; and when I ask what they will use (the server) for, it turns out that a $5,000 piece of equipment or some software may be better."

Databases and their usefulness can be an issue as well. Small businesses "should replace outdated database systems," Burton says, so the information can be "accessed anywhere - from any device."

That brings us back to the clouds.

"Moving everything onto the Internet gives (small business staff) more freedom to telecommunicate from wherever they happen to be," Burton says.

"You don't need to take files with you. You store them on an online service and have the ability to access the information from anywhere - maybe a café in Sheboygan. I don't need to send anything to myself so I can use it in a meeting; I store everything on the Internet and have access."

Questions, comments to Jim Kendall, JKendall@121MarketingResources.com.

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