It is very common for small businesses to grow in an adhoc manner with day to day issues driving the business. This can lead to the problem of management not having the time to plan ahead. IT investment can soon become inefficient with non-integrated systems unable to communicate with each other.

Recruiting in-house IT effort is often too expensive for small businesses, so outside help can be very useful when the need arises.

An independent IT consultant can be brought in for a short period to look at the business, its processes and IT systems to provide suggestions and advice. This will help you to stand back and see the bigger picture avoiding the narrow view which can make it difficult to see the wood for the trees. The consultant can take an independent view, not tying you in to specific technologies or suppliers, providing options for moving forward. Once you have assessed the options and their benefits, the IT Consultancy can deliver and implement the required IT solutions.

Small changes can often make a big difference. Targeted improvements to business processes can also improve efficiency. Bespoke tools, such as spreadsheets or databases, can be developed often increasing the productivity of your employees for a relatively small investment.

Enhancing and modernising your existing website and ensuring it is optimised for mobile devices can be used to improve your customer experience and help you better engage with your customer and client base.

A review of your existing desktop packages and any server and database based systems is also worthwhile to ensure the best possible productivity of your back office staff. There may be additional benefits to be gained from developing interfaces between your existing systems.

Another important area is to maximise the use of your existing data. An IT consultant can review whether there is scope to expand on your use of existing data and perform additional data analysis, often providing further useful insights into your customers and clients, which can then be used to your advantage. There may be scope for expanding your Management Reporting functionality in order to help you identify problem areas and allow you to concentrate on these, which can lead to reduced costs and improved customer service.

Creative Island Business Solutions have the background knowledge, experience, skills and flexibility to work with you in order to deliver tailored IT and business process solutions, in the areas outlined above, using tools and technologies which include:

• Spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel, Libre Office Calc)
• Databases (SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL etc.)
• Web sites and web based solutions
• Interfaces between existing systems
• Bespoke desktop and server applications
• Cloud and Web Services
• Mobile apps (Android, Windows Phone)
• Data Analysis, Management Reports and Business Intelligence

We specialise in small and medium sized projects. Therefore, we can provide services ranging from basic help with Excel spreadsheets, through to the development and implementation of dynamic web based, database driven applications.

Targeting your spend on the IT solutions with the most benefits can save your business a lot of money. That is why we will discuss with you the options so that you can be confident that the benefits you get will provide the best value for money.

We provide solutions for any of the following platforms:

• Microsoft Windows desktop
• Android mobile
• Microsoft Windows Server
• Linux/UNIX Server

So, please contact us for a ‘no obligation’ initial free chat to discuss how updating your IT and reviewing your processes can help improve the productivity of your business.