IT analyses

Every business needs up to date information technology. Bulgarian companies too. Not only pressured by increasing competition in business environment, but opening of Bulgaria to international markets, especially in connection with the country’s entry into the European Union.
Dealing successfully with challenges, they increasingly depend on the collaboration tools. Access to shared resources is the key. It may be common accessed information, applications and devices. They should rely on the reliability and accessibility at any time. This is the birth of naturally need a computer, which can store and process the most important information about the company – especially developed by the manufacturer system, called server.
With the rapid and headlong development of industry – all high class servers with 4 and 8 processors technology are available for the lower class machines, designed for small and medium businesses. With attractive prices of course. However, companies limited by their own IT budgets are often hesitate – server or PC?

Servers are offered more widely, and most consumers begin think that it will be useful for managing files and printers, for hosting e-mail services, better network securing or even making more things than it could be made with desktop PC.
Its ok, but realizing the need for a server and actually revealing the exact model they need are two different tasks. It is obligatory to understand what a server is, which of its capabilities are useful for them, and decide whether they need a server and how to find right model.
Most of Bulgarian companies are micro, assuming international understanding of company size. So, companies here start with one server, but with all of needed services on it. It seems well from financial point of view, but not from maintenance and support perspective. Microsoft for example, presumes dedicated server for each service as a best practice. This is not applicable for our country because of size. Here, Microsoft sells Small Business Edition of their server operation system software. Main reason is that customer gets most of frequently used services in a box solution. Even using a virtualization this model is the same. For most dedicated services on separate servers customers must purchase separate licenses of operating systems. So for most of Bulgarian companies best practices are consolidating services, not so much consolidating servers.
Situation is that most of Bulgarian mangers are owners of their business. They started little company and because of their professional experience at specific field, the beginning is successful. Later they meet “problem of growth”. Micro company must become mini. It means more employees, collaboration tools and team work. There is no problem to hire more specialists. It’s not impossible to learn most of them how to work in team.

Main question is how to work together in better way?

Yes, with new technologies, but very often manager does not know anything about them. They must determine future of the company, but there is no company’s know how.
Micro companies have between 0 and 3 servers. For first group without server is important to realize the benefits from e-collaboration. Companies which have 2 and more servers may be useful to consolidate servers thru virtualization.

How to do this without company’s internal knowledge?

I know, you will say: External consultants, of course. Most of Bulgarian IT companies can best do box moving. They work with micro clients and doing only sales of hardware or software licenses. So this type of IT companies does not have expertise for implementing solutions. Main reason is lack of place and time to earn experience. It’s magic circle.

How market can adopt new technologies?

Thru informed and experienced specialist. They must provide knowledge to customers. This might be starting point of strategic planning of many high-tech companies, producers, distributors and etc. Building partner’s network is not so easy, but there must take participation all small (and micro) partners. Providing NFR products and licenses is not enough. Most important is providing knowledge for solving a business problem, technical problem and then – how to sell. Every time must keep in mind that Bulgarian market has micro companies and specific needs.
About problems with sales – now all of us can accuse of financial crisis. So, who will be guilty after that?