The Microsoft Small Business Stack...
Are you looking for a way to harness and leverage information in your small business? Here's a tip. You may need some structure. The Microsoft Small Business Stack is a great way to do just that. I'll be looking, over the next few posts, at creating some structure for your data.
I'll start with the life blood of all Small Businesses: It's money. Now maybe cash flow is good for you, maybe not, but for most of our Micro Business clients, cash flow is a concern. Microsoft has several offerings in the Accounting space: Microsoft Office Access/Excel, Microsoft Money Small Business Edition, Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting, and Microsoft Small Business Financials.
Then we'll look at Contact/Customer Management. Here too, there are a variety of offerings that, depending on your level of need and control may dictate the solution in this space. Microsoft Offers Office Outlook, Outlook w/Business Contact Manager, and Microsoft CRM Small Business Edition.
Next we'll discuss some of the finer points of business process control or information flow and control, and the glue that binds it all together. Some of this we know and use already, other parts may be a bit newer to you. The first is a business essential for any Small Business these days: Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition. As part of that is the Companyweb, Windows Sharepoint Services, a simple, but powerful portal solution that web enables your team. Then there's a forms application, called Microsoft Office InfoPath, as well as the rest of the Microsoft Office suite.
Functionally many parts of this can be accomplished by a variety of other applications, from Accounting systems to Open Source Portals and word processors. They key is the exceptional depth of functionality that can only be attained through integration of data and processes. The Microsoft Small Business Stack is built on a core of products that provide an unequalled level of value for the Small Business owner as well as the Small Business Stakeholder.
I shall attempt as best I can to refrain from discussions of Line of Business Applications. Some are great, others are good, and others still are, well...horrible. I shall also refrain from discussions of security except as they directly relate to the main discussion. It should go without saying that multi-layer firewall, anti-virus, anti-spam, and anti-spyware are all required peices to ANY solution. Likewise, the ability of any information based business system to produce results is directly related to the level of committment to the effort of the people in the organization. Executive as well as worker-bee buy-in is crucial to the success of any small business effort, and IT is no exception.
So, now, on with the show...