Time Gathering and Billing

Most businesses I service (including my own) essentially rent out the expertise of their employees.  You bill your customers by some mix of specific time, general costs, and reimbursements.  The legal industry’s “fees and costs” bills are a typical example.  Aside from the obvious disciplines of organization, consistency, and honesty required by your “time-keepers,” you as a business manager need to shape their data into a bill that your customer can agree is fair.  Having a system, both logically and electronically, is often the difference between red and black on your ledger.

There are three main roles in this system of converting tracked time into bills: the time-keeper, the billing clerk, and the account manager.

Role	Function	Concern
Time-keeper	Do the work Enter time accurately Requests checks	Simple Entry CYA Details
Billing Clerk	Organize billable items Generate Prebills Process Checks	Consistent entry Timely submission
Account Manager	Process adjustments Approve Final Bill	Organized Analysis Reports of clients and time-keepers

Different variations of the above exist depending on how big the organization is.  The processes need to occur whether manually or ideally with the help of a database system specifically designed to handle it.  How  you divide the tasks may be equally determined by your process as well as the software limitations.  The ideal package not only conforms to your operations, but hopefully adds features that improve it.  Since your business may have multiple units that bill differently, your creativity in creating billing codes and tracking actual versus billed time will have a great impact on how any system can be fit to your organization.

Whether via paper, spreadsheets, or custom applications, some flow of the information needs to be mapped out and kept consistent across the roles outlined in the table above.  Also not to be missed is integration with your accounting system.  At this point, the market for these products is mature enough to come with and without their own accounting and CRM systems built-in.  Those aspects are beyond the scope of this article though.

Semi-Detached Vacation

People have different expectations from vacations.  The “retreat”  camp want isolation – complete separation and respect for their privacy.  I’d say I fall into the “extended leash” sect.  I’m just looking for some time and a break from the ordinary.  I assume my clients want answers in a reasonable timeframe.  If it means putting a pool-side nap on hold for a two-minute call and then I return to my snooze, so be it.

We can’t predict all emergencies or even uncomfortable situations that our clients just want to feel better about.  Why make them wait a week to settle their nerves?  Besides, I find it comforting to put someone at ease with a quick answer.  Any working relationship involves give-and-take.  Its a luxury to be able to get away from the office for a week or two.  Other luxuries we’ve come to expect are the personal call during the day, “running a little late” in the morning, and other instances of getting a very human benefit-of-the-doubt from the people we work for and with.

So here I sit.  I’m writing a blog post on vacation after having spent an hour or so working remotely and answering emails.  The day is young and I feel like I’ve gotten a lot done.  The peace of mind in having done so is the vacation payback.  I don’t need to brag of a streak of days not working to make myself feel good.  I can be cleansed of pressure in minutes with the right mindset.  Vacation is just being in the right place to let that happen.  Having modern tools and communications to be able to do this is a marvel!

Password Advice

Nobody likes to change passwords.  If you consider all of the various accounts that you have, it seems like you end up changing them all of the time.  But, the fact of the matter is that any password that can be used on the internet makes these things vulnerable 24/7 from anywhere in the world.  The tips below should help you with better password habits:

Better passwords should have:

1. At least 8 characters
2. An upper case letter
3. A lower case letter
4. A number
5. A symbol

Use these tricks to accomplish a safe password that isn’t too crazily complex:

1. Start with something as simple as a name or word
2. Consider inverting the caps (ie – jOSEPH is case-inverted “Joseph”)
3. Use number substitution (ie – j0SEPH (that is a zero, not a capital O; I could have substituted a “3” for the “E”)
4. Use symbol substitution (ie – j0$EPH (notice the “$” instead of “S”)
5. Add digits for the year and month (ie – j0$EPH126 – the 126 is for 2012 June)
6. Use a “core” password and increment it (ie – j0@EPH128 when you change it in August)

In the example above, it now has no dictionary words, but is secure yet easy enough to remember (after you’ve used it a couple of times)

To change your windows password (and network password if you are on a business network):

1. Login to your computer as usual.
2. You can press ctrl-alt-del at any point after login and one of the options will be to “Change Password”
3. When prompted, enter your current (old) password and then the new one you want (and then again)

Password smarts:

1. Don’t post your password in your workspace or places close by where they are used (like the door key under the doormat!)
2. If you have to write down your password, consider writing an extra character or two at the beginning and/or end as a simple form of encryption.  That way if you see it you will remember, but someone finding it might not know to drop the extra characters (when they’re not too obvious)
3. On internet sites, use a different password.  Consider a core password that is custom to the site with one or two letters that the name of the site would clue you in to (ie – “Yj0seph!” at Yahoo vs “Gj0seph!” at Google)
4. When changing your password, don’t forget the other places that use it.  Smartphones that check email will then need the new password the first time you check after changing it.  You may also have programs that update each other automatically with stored passwords to keep in sync.

The Sphere of Fear

Non-compete agreements are common in the IT support industry.  Employers fear clients walking off with their talent (and their future revenues) before they’ve gotten their training investment out of them.  They primarily fear that their practices might be used by an exiting employee to steal their future revenues by starting their own business.  To counter the chances of this, they have their new employees sign non-compete agreements.  The problem is not only that they are typically too broad in their future exclusionary requirements, but also that they are presented to the new employee after they have given notice to leave their old job.  Essentially what should be an early interview discussion point becomes economic extortion, especially for younger workers, inexperienced with job negotiations.

Below is a map of my area (made with Free Map Tools) with concentric distances from a local area.

The red indicates area based on a 25-mile radius while the yellow is 50 miles from the same center.  The green circle reflects a green-zone of a 5-mile radius.  The concept behind it was to counter the “standard” 50 mile exclusion radius with a more practical geographical model of exclusion.  Conceptually, beyond 25 miles, these IT services are not very practical for exclusive prompt service and thus the exclusion factor should be less in that zone.  The green-zone, based on the radius of where the employee actually lives and thus must commute from, should be fairly open due to long-term commuting practicality and its small footprint.  The linear radii on contracts don’t convey the unfairness of excluded area like the map does.

In terms of broadness, non-competes are often vague.  Employers want you out of their industry.  That’s hard to do in an increasingly specialized sector of the economy.  How does one do that for two years and still support their family at any modicum of the same standard of living?  Add to that the factor that in most households both spouses work, and you can see where the 50 miles becomes very unreasonable since relocating is pretty-much out of the question.  Staying away from the former employer’s sweet spot is one thing.  Being prohibited from a reasonable distance and from key existing clients is more reasonable.

The final insult is lawyer fee threats.  Most have the “winner take all” mentality of the losing party paying all legal fees of themselves and the winner.  This clause clearly makes sure the lawyer that wrote the contract is the one party that will not lose however things go down.  It also puts the onus of risk (and thus fear) on the employee who is less likely to be able to absorb legal fees than the business is.

The non-compete is a contract between the employing corporation and the employee.  At signing, it seems like a friendly safeguard between two people across a small table looking forward to a prosperous relationship.  Down the road, as the company grows and the employee grows more dependent on the salary, as well as their future expectations within the industry, personnel changes may well turn the safeguards between friendly parties into a sharpened instrument in the hands of new, less-agreeable management.

Corporate-centric non-competes seem harmless up front, especially when the fruits of a new job appear so rewarding.  However, we live in a fast-changing world and work in an even faster changing industry.  Don’t paint yourself into a future corner.  Insist on better flexibility with amendments to the non-compete.  Don’t underestimate the assets that you bring to the table in the prospective relationship with your new employer.  Use the non-compete discussion with them up-front to see where their ego really is.  Those two birds in the bush may not be any better than the bird in hand.

Mapping Out IT Support

Basic business computer support starts with mapping out the territory the customer calls their computer system.  The number of computers, users, locations, and budget being key factors.  The difficulty, and art if you will, is translating what level of support and function the client is looking for with what sense of urgency and budget the vendor understands and can deliver at.  Good vendors will try to map this out early on.  Happy customers have allowed this process to happen.  My observation has been that the impatience of a customer to get anyone in to do something and/or a technician willing to try anything make anything work can lead to problems.

After a little water under the bridge, as the relationship starts to build, the following aspects of support need to be mapped out.  Covering these topics should provide clearer understanding of expectations and responsibilities for both parties.  The larger and more complex the client’s systems are, the more vast the list and complexity of topics becomes.  But these are what I would consider the key aspects of IT support to touch on as the IT support vendor becomes an increasingly integral aspect of the customer’s operations:

1. Individual computers – an inventory and then understanding the main purpose of each
2. Shared Data – LAN and common apps; groupings of similar computers
3. Vertical Apps – special database or operations apps specific to their operation/industry
4. Disaster Protection – Backups, power protection, physical security, disaster recovery and business resumption plans
5. Mobile Data – Smartphone access and cloud services
6. Web Resources – website, domain control, social media, …
7. Security Audits – compliance with industry regulations, customer audits, etc.

There are more areas to be sure, but if you’ve addressed the ones above, you’ve got most of the basics out of the way.

WordPress as a Blogging Tool

I’ve experimented with a few different tools for blogging over the past few years.  Wordpress seems to meet my basic needs:

1. Web-based – Its in the cloud, so I can get to it from anywhere and don’t have to run my own server
2. Easy to Use – Not just to write one blog and easily adjust the themes, but to manage multiple blogs
3. Free – C’mon, lets be realistic; why pay for something when there are perfectly good tools out there?!  When I need more, I’ll buy into a more advanced platform, but for 90% of us out there, WordPress works.

Now, if it only took dictation so I could rant from my cell phone rather than actually sit down and type this, maybe I’d update it more than a few times per year 😉

I Want My Business to Show Up in a Google Search

This entry is about the very simplest of steps to help your website be found on the internet. Here are four simple steps that cost nothing except time and know-how:

1. Your website should have text content that is naturally found by search-bots. Make sure titles and main content is text (not graphics or flash). Think of the phrases that you can envision typing in Google (or any search engine for that matter) and try to incorporate them into the natural text and even better – the titles of your website.
2. Use keywords tags in the html code of your pages to make sure its obvious to the bots what you should be identified for, whether its in the natural text of the site or not. This is a great way to fit expressions (including the order of words and phrases) that may not appear in the visible text, but is encoded intot the HTML code of the page itself.
3. Register your site at http://www.dmoz.org/ to validate it as a business in that free official directory used by all of the search engines
4. Maintain a blog. You should write about your expertise commenting several times a week on current activities and referencing your main site. The frequency of the page changes helps get noticed in the search engines.

That’s it. You’ll probably need help from your web designer. I’d be happy to help you make that happen.

Small-Business Part-time IT Contracting

I’ve contracted with local Pittsburgh businesses essentially since 1997. There are a large number of sole-practitioners, home office users, and even companies with more than 50 employees that need computer help on a regular, but not full time basis. The support they seek usually includes:

• Sporadic advice on everything from purchase decisions to odd messages to email and internet access problems to website design
• Tune-ups of existing equipment that may have spyware, virus, or even just mis-configuration issues
• Help with efficient internet access, protection, and even remote access
• Back-up and recovery of business-critical data
• PDA and smart-phone configuration and access to business systems
• Installation of new computers, servers, software applications, and accessories and migration from the old systems.
• Strategic help with choosing the right technologies for their business’ future
• Pricing that won’t make them afraid to call the computer guy for a simple question

While there’s no one-size fits all arrangement, I think accommodations can be made to address most of the above for any small Western PA business. Please contact me if you’d like to discuss.

Google Reader -Kevin’s shared items

Google Reader -Kevin’s shared items

Here’s a link to articles I found interesting from blogs that I follow. Enjoy 🙂

Are you in Control of Your IT?

If you can’t answer these questions, you may need to do some homework to prevent problems before they occur:

Internet Issues:

1. When does your domain registration end? (ie – when do you lose rights to “mydomain.com?)
2. Who manages your domain? (ie – when #1 breaks, who do you call?)
3. How can you tell if your internet stopage is in your office or caused by your ISP?
4. When does your anti-virus licensing expire?
5. At what points are your email and files scanned for viruses?

General Computer Issues:

1. Did you peek at your backup and security logs today?
2. Where are your off-site back-ups? (ie – are there any off-site or do you have them now?)
3. Do you have spare replacements on-site (or nearby) for your critical office machines?
4. If a critical machine was stolen/destroyed would you know what to buy to replace it?
5. Who has your critical passwords should you unexpectedly become incapacitated?

More questions and a list of how to get the answers to come…