SMBs look to technology systems to provide them competitive advantage, to make them much more productive, and to streamline business processes. Technology systems are now at the heart of operations of most SMBs. However, this is a double-edged sword.

Unlike their Enterprise counter-parts, SMBs usually cannot afford to hire the entire range of skill-sets they need to manage their systems. This creates a difficult situation. SMBs rely on their systems, but struggle to manage them. The challenges we see many SMBs encountering include:

• Total Cost of Ownership - while initial systems prices have dropped, the hidden costs of administrator's salaries often lead to a much higher TCO than many SMBs expect. This creates budget complications and drains profitability.
• Asset Tracking - computer assets represent a significant capital expenditure for most SMBs. These assets need to be tracked, monitored, and kept up to date with appropriate software versions. But the time it takes to track these systems, especially mobile assets like notebooks, can defocus administrators away from more productive tasks. SMBs are typically challenged to deliver basic service levels, let alone assigning an administrator to time-consuming asset tracking.
• Power Costs - have continually risen over the last several years. This has lead many SMBs to look for ways to reduce their energy consumption, which can have an immediate impact on their bottom line. Computer systems are a significant source of power drain and power waste. Systems left running 24x7x365 consume as much as 40% more power than systems that are shut down in non-working hours.
• Productivity - administrators are an expensive but absolutely necessary part of the IT equation. Systems have to be managed and maintained. However, the more administrators can do to manage systems in less time, the more value they bring to an SMB. Because of this, many SMBs are seeking tools that will enhance the effectiveness of administrators.
• Complexity - is the nemesis of SMBs. It drives up costs, TCO, and profit drains. While high-performance machines often deliver specific levels of value and productivity in key areas, they often are so complex that only higher-level and expensive people can manage them. Also, as systems proliferate throughout the business, managing different systems from different manufacturers can lead to challenges.

Fortunately, SyAM Software has developed products that address all of these concerns and have a direct pay-back to the bottom line of SMBs. To learn more, just click on any of the buttons to the left.