* Feedback from SMBs
Two weeks ago, we asked for feedback from those of you responsible for IT management in the small to midsized business or remote branch office. Although the main reason I fielded your responses was that Audrey was on vacation, she also knew I have an interest in the subject. I’m no longer a sysadmin – nor do I play one on TV – but I do find myself involved in IT management decisions here at Enterprise Management Associates.
I was therefore not at all surprised to learn that the biggest issue in this area was, as one respondent tersely put it, “having to manage IT at all.” The number one business challenge for the SMB is simply to compete with extremely limited resources, sometimes with the largest players in an industry. IT support often means that something has to be taken away from strategic priorities. Doing more with less – a common theme throughout IT in recent years – means a great deal more to the SMB, when the dollars come out of a pocket so close to one’s own.
This is why the management products of choice deliver maximum value for minimum investment. Consolidation of resources in an easily managed package is a recurring theme – which bodes well for Microsoft’s Windows Small Business Server 2003, or Citrix’s recently announced SMB offering, Citrix Access Essentials.
A frequently overlooked distinction was noted among our readers: the SMB is not necessarily the same thing as the small to midsized enterprise (SME). Often, these two are classed as one, but our interest in responses on remote branch offices revealed some noteworthy differences. Supply-chain participants in major manufacturing sectors are an example.
Often, line-of-business applications in the SME are enterprise-class back-ends such as supplier relationship management systems. This in turn influences the SME’s choice of IT products, which include Infor’s Enspire for business systems management and Correlation for CRM. Why tools such as these? In part because of their packaged form factor, and their support for Microsoft Windows Server, SQL Server, and Internet Information Server (IIS).
Vendors of remote support tools, take note: If there’s one opportunity that stands out in this market, it’s IT outsourcing.
Outsourcing holds the promise of freeing the SMB/SME from its most burdensome IT concerns – and costs. Endpoint support may still remain an issue, however, since that cost often drives the price of an outsourcing contract out of reach, at least for more than a few hours a month. This is why endpoint systems management tools are among the most popular, among SMBs and their managed IT service providers alike, primarily those for Windows desktop and server environments. When compromise on the cost of endpoint support would help both outsourcers and customers, a Citrix MSP may be well positioned to step in, since the Citrix environment can assure delivery of the most business-critical applications with far less dependence on the endpoint.
Not all respondents see an opportunity for management products, however. SMBs/SMEs look at many management offerings and still fail to see how their value – or their price – is meaningful to them. Tools designed for enterprise needs don’t always translate well to the SMB/SME; that’s why IT outsourcing may be even better positioned than management vendors to capitalize on what, aside primarily from Microsoft, still appears to be a chronically underserved market.
I would welcome the opportunity to continue to hear from you, if you’re at an SMB/SME and you’d like to share your experience. Believe me, I can relate!
