3. Find the right billing plan. Robert Shoemaker, CEO of Professional Computer Associates, Red Hook, N.Y., recommend that small business owners carefully consider which billing option suits them best. In general, however, unless a small business is very small indeed, and it's network is extremely basic, usually a monthly billing plan that provides a certain number of hours for a predetermined fee will provide a better hourly rate than buying services on a project basis.
A critical thing to consider is that support firms will give monthly customers preference over per-hour or by-project customers when emergencies arise.
However, a monthly contract can also mean paying for hours that are never used. So each small business needs to use its own determination for which type of rate plan makes the most sense.
4. Hire a company that offers online monitoring. Gordon Bridge, president and CEO of CM IT Solutions, a firm that supplies computer support to small businesses, recommends online monitoring as a way to help small businesses control computer support costs. Online monitoring enables a computer support firm to receive automatic alarms when something goes wrong. According to Bridge, the cost for the service, which varies depending on the provider, will be made up by the time saved (and billed) in driving out and then diagnosing and fixing a problem on site. Many of the problems may be fixed online (i.e., running a new virus scan). Others may require a site visit, but the technician will know what he needs to do when he gets there and won’t need to spend the time diagnosing the problem. Since many local techs charge on an hourly basis, this can make a huge difference to a small business' monthly technology maintenance budget.
5. Start small. Don't jump into a commitment to using a vendor with both feet. Begin testing the waters first by using a computer support firm on a small, non-critical project first and gradually work up to larger, more expensive projects. Eventually, you may want to switch over to a monthly contract--but only after you know who and what you're dealing with. This will enable the small business owner to reduce the chance of unpleasant surprises.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
