Does Your Organization Have Technology Vision?

Think of your organization five years in the future. What's different? Where is your office? Are your employees working differently? How do you communicate with clients and suppliers? Technology is changing the answer to all of these questions. Being resistant to change is normal, but eventually we all must accept technology or be left behind. The grant-funded organizations that thrive in the face of change are those that accept technology and prepare themselves for it. Consider how the growth of Internet and other network commerce will affect the way you provide services. According to the Gartner Group, the 1997 vendor market for electronic commerce is valued at $2 billion to $3 billion. By 2002, says the Gartner Group, that value will rise to between $5 billion and $6 billion. Four examples:

1. A trend is emerging toward grants and other sources of funding that can be identified (and applied for) using the Internet.
   
   
2. A majority of regulatory resources are now readily available using the Internet. The laws and regulations you need are available on-line, using networked resources provided by government sources and private entities.
   
   
3. Competitive procurement can be faster and more efficient using electronic methods of communication. Finding qualified vendors using the Internet and reaching many qualified vendors instantaneously by e-mail is easily accomplished.
   
   
4. Today's printed promotional materials are being supplemented with tomorrow's Web Sites and other electronic communications-gaining the ability to more quickly broadcast important information about services provided by grant-funded programs. Your referral sources and future participants are likely, now more than ever before, to find out about your agency's services using a form of networked resources commonly available at public libraries, schools, neighborhood centers, job service centers and human services agencies.

The Internet is quickly becoming a virtual business place-today's telephone or mail transactions may be tomorrow's electronic transactions. Grant-fund agencies will find sources of new funding on-line. Don't be left behind.

Communication, too, is becoming globalized by technology. For example, the availability of teleconferencing and video concerning products allows you to have a real-time, face-to-face meeting with someone across the country or across the world. That someone could be a current funding source, a prospective funding source, a supplier, or an employee.

The Virtual Employee Needs Technology
The "virtual" employee may be in your future. He or she may already be here. The availability of telecommuting technology is driving people into part-time and home-based work. According to Marilyn Moats Kennedy of CareerStrategies, younger workers-today's 22- to 32-year-old "busters"-work best alone, emphasize lifestyle, and feel at home on a computer. They want to work at home, and if you won't let them, they'll find organizations that will. To prepare for the "busters," you'll have to make adjustments to your computer hardware and your management style. All of your corporate knowledge will need to be stored in a way that is more accessible to nontraditional workers. And you'll have to train and manage employees differently, because allowing them to work at home will require increased levels of trust in their abilities.

Such nontraditional workers are already employed by many grant-funded programs. Consider Head Start programs. Home-based teachers, as well as satellite educational centers in rural areas, can increase their effectiveness using technology. Student files and educational records can be maintained electronically and sent directly to the Head Start home office without being photocopied and mailed (or hand-delivered). Communications to/from program headquarters and remote service locations will be faster and more effective using networked technology.

PC Networking is a Key Decision Now
To prepare for the future, grant-funded organizations will need a level of technological advancement that will allow them to compete with other technologically savvy entities. A well-designed personal computer (PC) network is the basic infrastructure of the technology future. But many small and medium size organizations are not yet networked. Therefore, the opportunity is now.

Although hardware and software is important, it's not everything. Your organization will also need to rethink its business processes. Try to relate the kinds of technology coming down the pipeline to your organization's activities. How can you improve your business processes and gain organizational effectiveness using information technology?

The key factor in making a successful technology decision is making sure you have the right information during every step of the decision-making process. Start with good planning, or visioning, for your future. Critical to success is having a clear understanding of:

• Your requirements and the issue(s) or problem(s) to be resolved;
• The realistic project time frame;
• The expected investment in software/hardware, implementation and training;
• The desired results of the entire project.

Get Started and Get the Job Done
Utilizing an experienced, unbiased technology advisor who seeks to understand the business issues your organization needs to address will increase the long-term success of any technology implementation. Your best technology advisor is someone you trust, who understands your organization, listens to your needs and can present ideas on how information technology will help your organization perform better. This advisor may be a knowledgeable employee or an independent consultant who will help to:

1. Make technology decisions that have a positive impact on your entire operation;
   
   
2. Evaluate, select and implement solutions that meet long-term goals;
   
   
3. Gain efficiencies through automated processes; and
   
   
4. Create more time for managers and directors to focus on core issues other than technology.

The real value of having a technology vision is that it puts your organization on a charted course toward planned growth, increased efficiency and ongoing success. The benefits of PC networks and technology applications do exceed the costs. Can your organization afford to fall into the trap of being too busy, or too short-sighted, to plan how to implement new technology? Investigate your opportunities. The future is here.

The following sites are great places to start your research about technology using the World Wide Web:

TechWeb - The Technology Super Site
This site is maintained by CMP Media, Inc. publisher of InformationWeek, Windows Magazine, and numerous other publications, Tech Web offers technology news, product reviews, articles from CMP publications, and a number of other features.

PC Webopedia
This site is dedicated up-to-date information about computers and the Internet. It operates like an index, pointing you toward technology sites all over the web based on your topic of choice. PC Webopedia also offers a glossary of technology related terms.

Most businesses have put off the decision to implement personal computer (PC) networks for a good reason: it's been difficult to see the payback. Why? The information technology industry has not done a very good job of explaining how a sound investment in technology can lead to improved operations. And, new technology can be intimidating because of the variety of choices available.

A PC network requires a substantial investment of time and dollars, which makes decision-making difficult, particularly for managers of smaller organizations or those relying on extra funding to implement the network. To grow and thrive in a world that is ever-changing, organizations of all sizes must have access to appropriate technology. Two examples:

1. Funding sources and suppliers are beginning to require electronic commerce capabilities.(Many funding sources use computers to transfer funds to your bank account)
   
   
2. A trend is emerging toward grants and other sources of funding that can be identified (and applied for) using the Internet. A well-designed PC network environment can be the most cost-effective means to achieve workable solutions to many common business challenges. By allowing employees to efficiently share and protect document files and other resources using a single integrated network saves time and money. A PC network designed to meet your needs will:
   • Save time and money by efficiently sharing financial and operational functions across multiple workstations;
   • Improve the management of client contacts and the entire service process;
   • Capitalize on opportunities to tie into funding sources' or suppliers' technology-for example, you can send reports or other communications via email rather than on paper or by phone;
   • Access the Internet to search for service related organizations in your area in order to network families;
   • Add convenience of scheduling meetings and sales or service calls, by allowing individuals to share electronic calendars;
   • Provide software application tools which will produce better documents, faster;
   • Provide a convenient communication tool, without playing "telephone tag";
   • Significantly reduce, or eliminate, the amount of paperwork that is shuffled everyday;
   • Allow multiple PC users to share printers and modems; and
   • Reduce the time spent sending/receiving facsimiles.
   
   
   

   Now, more than ever before, the benefits of a PC network do exceed the costs for organizations of all sizes. A well-designed network will provide an immediate payback on your investment and long-term success for your organization.
   
   

   • For smaller organizations-those with 25 or fewer active PC workstations-the opportunity is finally here to take advantage of new networking technology built specifically for you! Read on to learn about Microsoft's new Back Office Small Business Server, and contact us for more specific information and a free initial consultation.
   • For organizations larger than 25 active PC workstations (or soon to be this size), contact us to learn how other networking technology can meet your business needs and goals and receive a free initial consultation.

Microsoft's new Back Office Small Business Server (SBS) bundles together several proven technologies and software applications that give smaller businesses state-of-the-art capabilities at a fraction of previous costs. For example, SBS allows an organization to share electronic files and documents on-line; communicate instantly by email; share calendars, contact lists and to-do lists; send facsimiles from the desktop; access the Internet quickly via a shared modem (rather than each PC having a modem); and develop a World Wide Web home page to market products/services, and receive information and communications via email.

The required initial and ongoing network investment has just recently become more affordable with SBS. Network planning, design, set-up and implementation services required to get SBS up and running will provide savings of 30-70% over the same services required for a non-SBS system. SBS has end-user management features, such as built-in "wizards" for ease of use, which means small organizations can set up and manage the network with far less outside consulting assistance. For instance, having a high-level technical manager on board is generally not required to keep the SBS system running smoothly-providing additional annual savings of $30,000-$50,000 to the organization.

SBS is an easy way to jump start a small organization into the 21st century. With SBS, building a PC network that works well, is affordable and is easy to maintain is easily accomplished. SBS may be the perfect solution for smaller organizations that have been sitting on the fence when it comes to networking.

If you are interested in learning more about what a PC network environment can do for your organization, please give us a call. We can also give you specific information about the new SBS product, or you can visit the Small Business Software section of Microsoft's Web site

Microsoft Back Office Small Business Server contains the following products:

• Microsoft Windows NT® Server - a network operating system on which a business can easily run applications and share documents, data, printers, and other resources.
• Microsoft Internet Information Server - a comprehensive platform for connecting to the Internet and building Web applications.
• Microsoft SQL Server - a secure relational database for running business applications.
• Microsoft Outlook® - a desktop information manager that includes electronic mail, calendaring and task management.
• Microsoft Exchange Server - the foundation used to build an online community with discussion groups, list servers and other "GroupWare" features.
• Microsoft FAX Server - a centrally managed facility for sending and receiving faxes from desktop PCs.
• Internet Connection Wizard - an Internet "wizard" that guides you through the process of getting on the Internet.
• Microsoft FrontPage® - a Web site creation and management tool.
• Microsoft Proxy Server - a server that provides fast, secure access to the Internet from individual desktop PCs.
• Modem Sharing Server - a server that makes it easy to share modems from a central location.

About the Author:
Steve Lipton leads the Information Systems Division of Williams, Young & Associates, LLC. This group provides information technology advisory services including strategic planning, project management, business process improvement, software evaluation/selection, network design and implementation, and World Wide Web implementation services.