If you're looking to stretch your business' budget this year, outsourcing some of your day-to-day tasks to one of the many managed services companies is a great way to kick start the savings. Managed Service Providers (MSP's) are still a best kept secret in modern business strategies; they promote efficiency and extend the resources of companies who utilize them, but many small to mid-level business owners are not aware of their existence.

Managed Services Companies

Lighten Your Employees' Load

Have your employees ever raised concerns about being overwhelmed by their workload? The answer is likely "no," but that may only mean that they hesitate to complain, not that they aren't overworked or stretched too thin with tasks that aren't outlined in their job descriptions. When you outsource tasks such as IT management, virtual booking, and transportation, the people you hired for their individual talents can truly shine once again. Your web designer can spend her workdays enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your site instead of troubleshooting technical errors, for instance. When your employees come to work to do the jobs they applied for in the first place, they are happier and more motivated. They are also able to focus only on the work they do best, and thus, they are capable of high-quality output.

Benefit from Fewer Hours per Week

When you choose to outsource some of your administrative tasks to managed services companies, you eliminate them and get back a chunk of your workday. You can utilize that time to further develop your business' strategy or you can decide to treat yourself to a break once in a while. In addition to providing daily task management services, some of these companies offer time saving tools that can expedite the tasks you want to perform yourself.

For example, a cloud storage service allows you to file and locate all your data in one virtual place. This ensures efficiency and prevents you from having to search for your documents through numerous filing cabinets, which is a drastic time drain.

Benefit from the Knowledge of Experts

When you outsource work to managed services companies, you are ensuring that the tasks you entrust them with are carried out with expertise. This is a major benefit to your business, especially if you are not as familiar with the task at hand. Perhaps you are not familiar with marketing tactics but you know a successful business must utilize them to their full potential. In this instance, you can hire a marketing analytics team to monitor and compile your data. It is their business to perform this task well, which leaves you to take advantage of your own strong points to cultivate your business.



Keep in mind that hiring a managed services company does not mean that you relinquish control of some aspect of your own business. As a paying client, you are still very much in control of how tasks are carried out. More importantly, you reserve the right to switch services if you aren't satisfied with what you pay for. The outsourced work will still be done on your terms, but you aren't the one who has to do it. This tactic can certainly save you money and gain you valuable expertise, allowing you to tighten your budget and reap greater profits as well
Telecommute is fast becoming a buzzword nowadays. The routine 8-5 office jobs are fast becoming a thing of the past as the work environment, job descriptions, and methods of doing work are evolving. People who work these days are no longer confined to physical offices because technological innovations have enabled the phenomenon that we now call telecommuting -- which means, in the simplest terms, working remotely.

Of course, there are certain things we have now that make telecommuting possible, and if it weren't for these innovations, we would all still be stuck in the caveman days of work. Here are some of the technological innovations of recent history that makes collaboration possible.

5 Technology Innovations That Make Working Together Possible

- The Internet: Of course the Internet. This particular invention was recently named the top innovation in the last 30 years, and for good reason. The Internet has made possible so many things that we now find ourselves in a position of being almost debilitated when we find ourselves disconnected. Being connected via the Internet has given us access to a vast storehouse of knowledge, and it has enabled us to share our own knowledge, too. It has certainly made a giant leap forward for the proponents of globalization, because through it, the world certainly became a much smaller place now that everyone, everywhere is connected.

- Laptops, tablets, and mobile devices: More and more people are choosing to take their work with them, and not just be stuck with a heavy desktop computer. While there are those who still prefer working on a good old trusty desktop, mobility is now becoming an important issue for many as they want to be free to pursue their own activities in their own time without having to compromise their work in the process. And because laptops are now getting lighter, carrying your work with you wherever you go is not as hard as it used to be. Along with the release of the tablet and other similar mobile devices, more and more working people are choosing to go mobile as it gives them more flexibility.

- Email: Where would we all be without email? Just by clicking the Send button, you get your message delivered right away to anyone anywhere (well, as long as they have Internet access, that is). Before email came into the picture, we had to rely on snail mail (those born and raised in the digital age are probably scratching their heads now and asking, "What?"), express mail, LBC/ FedEx/ and other similar courier services to have our messages delivered. Then we had to wait for days (sometimes weeks) for the much-awaited response. Can you really imagine doing business like that now?

- Webinars/ Video Conferencing: Attending seminars, workshops, and other similar activities in the past used to cost a fortune, so companies would most likely select a few delegates only and then spend for transportation, seminar fees, etc. Now, however, thanks to webinars, anyone interested can join, at much less cost. Employers no longer have to send their workers out because they can attend webinars right at work, or even in their own homes, and the cost is much less than going to actual location seminars. The learning and take-home experience is still pretty much the same, but it is not as much of hassle as it used to be.

The same concept applies with video conferencing. It used to be difficult to gather team members or stakeholders (especially in multi-nationals where some members are in other countries) located in various provinces/countries, and it was even harder to coordinate communication. But now, thanks to video conferencing, virtual meetings can be set up without having to worry about the logistics of having to get everyone to the office.

- Cloud Computing Technology: File cabinets? Boxes and boxes of documents? Directories full of business contacts? Sounds like any other typical office. The trouble with files like this, however, is that they run the risk of getting ruined -- whether by natural disasters, accidents, or some other mishap, physical documents are at risk of getting lost, stolen, or destroyed. Now imagine if you can put all that pertinent data in one place where you know it can't be harmed in any way. That is what cloud computing does for you -- it allows you to store everything you need all up there in the cloud, and as long as you have access to the Internet, then you can access your files, too. Any changes made to files found in the cloud will be automatically synced, saving you the trouble of having to go through so many files and doing a manual update. So if anyone from the team makes some edits on that presentation, you don't have to worry anymore about updating your copy, because it's already there.

These are just some of the innovations that have revolutionized the way we view work. These technologies have certainly brought people together and made collaboration not just possible, but now a normal way of life. Because of these technological innovations, working together has become so much easier, and work has certainly taken on a brand new perspective.
IT operations today, are a mixture of day to day operations and isolated large scale projects. Outsource software development enables flexibility for large scale projects with the easy incorporation of additional project resources. Outsourcing involves bundling of multiple customers to specific infrastructure components. It thus increases the potential for process optimization as a fixed number of employees working on the project each time and usage of the right tools. According to the new analyst report, outsourcing relationships and destinations are changing, and similarly vendor management is as important as ever.

Down to Business: That's What Outsourcing Is All About

Innovation is flourishing in competition to bring in the best clients and to create a great relationship and to hold on to them. This competition-fuelled inventiveness is a blessing in disguise. It is ably benefiting the outsourcing relationship. Large U.S - based technology companies and Indian IT outsourcing firms are paying close attention to proposed legislation focused on tightening restrictions. They are also increasing the oversight of the non-immigrant professional visas and they use to place foreign professionals in roles stateside. New reports have included recommendations for software vendors which can collapse down on piracy.

Offshore software outsourcing is getting easier- if it already isn't:

Offshore software development is a significant part of the offshore IT outsourcing market which helps the companies to focus on their core activities, and over the period of time, it has developed a distinctive place for itself. They also provide them with a means of fulfilling their business requirements and that too in a cost effective manner. It sets up an extended development center at the offshore delivery center that works as an extension to the in-house IT team. The specialized IT services - custom software development and web application development allow the business to focus on core competencies and can enable to attain the business goals and objectives faster.
Nowadays, challenges require the support of a committed partner who is quick and responsive with a comprehensive solution offering. To maintain a perfect coordination between all the offshore development centers and that too in accordance with the client's satisfaction is a big task. This limitation can be overcome by making the best possible use of the most modern means of communication. On-site team, remains in direct contact with the client, and thus is able to understand the client's needs in a better way. Well, agile software development hold the key to interactive programming of software which is now gaining steam by virtue of mobiles and clouds.
A small business account trade may be just what your company needs to displace competition. If your customer base is growing or they are asking increasingly for credit payment options as well as information about your products and services, a merchant account can answer their questions and help grow your business while leaving your competitors in the dust.

It is easy to apply for a merchant account small business. Just find a merchant account provider, you can search on the internet using key terms. Browse the many sites offering this special type of commercial status before choosing one. Conditions and fees vary much, if you want to become familiar with your choices before signing the contract. You can be tempted to take over a company the size of your really need at this stage. Do not be misled by all the bells and whistles that are available. Stick with the basics when you start, and add other options if they are really necessary and when you can afford.

Companies offering small business account trade are typically banks and other financial institutions. Generally they seek the story of a good business credit, the ability to make payments on the merchant account and the avoidance of questionable business activities such as spam or telemarketing. They are willing to extend credit to small business owners who demonstrate good business ethics, which made good use of resources to date, and have developed a growth plan for reasonable long-term goals. Often, the application can be completed online and submitted electronically, and you may receive a response in a matter of hours. Then you can immediately buy or rent processing equipment as a credit card processor credit, electronic transformers or wireless, as well as control and flow, pagers, and other technical equipment which will enable improve your business in a professional field by higher power efficiency and speed capabilities.

Small business merchant account

Your small business merchant account will help you set up a website to promote your business at international level. Customers around the world can browse the site any time of day or night and shop without the hassle of finding the store closed or associates unavailable. Treatment option with your convenience credit, they can order a product or service and pay by credit card, facilitated by underwriting bank or financial institution that allows the coordination MasterCard or Visa, then you pay via transfer account. All you have to do after setting up the site and keep it updated via the service staff is to make occasional checks of equipment and remove the income from your merchant account.

A merchant account gives small business owners the freedom to do business as a professional using the same equipment and services to attract and serve customers occupied. Others in your field who do not have a merchant account may lose customers to your business when you go to use technology to save time. Discover the benefits and responsibilities of opening a small business merchant account.

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