Technology can be so overwhelming. I talk with business owners everyday that tell me how IT seems to get in the way more than it helps. Every IT person they talk to seems to tell a different story. So how do you know who to trust? If you don’t have the right information, how can you make good business decisions?

Technology is changing the way we do business. A right decision can give you a competitive edge in this ever changing world. The wrong decision can send you packing and drown your pockets in debt. Most business owners know their business, know how to take care of their customers, and know that technology is critical to their business; but most don’t know how to properly apply that technology.

When you talk to a networking company they want to give you these great big servers that no one in the office can manage, and cost a fortune every 3 -5 years. OH, and you have to pay them a monthly fee to take care of it and every time something goes wrong, not only is your business affected and your office in chaos, but you have to pay yet another fee for the networking company to fix it. Then you end up asking yourself, is it really worth it? There has to be a better way.

Then you talk to a hosting company and they want to put everything in the cloud for some monthly fee. And not just your email, or in-house server, but EVERYTHING! Sure, you don’t have all these upfront fees, and you don’t have to worry about servers and PC’s anymore, but it brings new problems. Now, if something is down, everything is down! I can’t even get into my computer. And I need it NOW, I can’t wait for a call back!

So, there has to be a solution that works for your business, but how do you know what it is? Like it or not, you have to do your research. You can’t rely on just one person to give you all the answers. You know your business; you know what you need, so research the recommended solutions. Ask around. See what other businesses are doing and what works, and what does not work. Push back. Never let your Technician talk over you. Make sure you understand your solution and alternatives so you can make the best decision. It is easy to say just take care of it and do it all, but you have to live with it and use it every day. As a business owner, you have to be part of the process, then once it is how you want it, let the Technicians just take care of it.

To help you get started on which path is and, equally important, is NOT right for you, read When NOT to go to the Cloud and When NOT to Virtualize.