Move to Hosted Email

The time for an organization to host and maintain their own email system has passed. For many years, I have been a proponent of Microsoft Exchange Server and Small Business Server. I have helped many smaller sized organizations install and support these email systems. However, with the vast selection of free or inexpensive hosted email solutions available I can longer see any reason that would justify an organization maintaining their own email system.

The simple fact is that building and supporting an onsite email system is costly to setup and costly to maintain. Additionally, it is nearly impossible for any organization to maintain even a 99% uptime. A 99% uptime amounts to 3.65 days of downtime per year. With most paid email services and even some free ones an uptime of at least 99.9% is guaranteed. Even the free solutions, like Google Apps Standard, that don’t guarantee 99.9% will almost certainly maintain levels close to that level.

Atlas Bay switched from using Exchange Server as a part of Microsoft Small Business Server about 6 months ago and I haven’t regretted the decision once. The time we spend maintaining our email went from hours per month to nothing. We are using Google Apps Premier and love the uptime guarantee, spam filters, and virus filters. This level of reliability and quality would never have been available to us with an on-site email system. Additionally, we now know that our email will always be delivered, always be available remotely, and is secure.

Since Google Apps was released Atlas Bay has helped many organizations make the switch. We have setup single person businesses and medium business. Some people still like to use Outlook while others like to use only the web interface for gmail. The beauty of Google Apps is the flexibility. This flexibility makes it easy for employees to make the switch. To date I have not had a single person say they preferred using their on-site email system over Google Apps. Additionally, every single company is seeing drastically reduced support and maintenance costs. Most customers that are on Google Apps haven’t had to pay for a single hour of support with their email systems since they made the switch.

With the economy as it is and every business trying to save money I would urge you to consider moving your organization over to Google Apps. You will save money and more than likely have a much better and more reliable email experience.

Build or Buy: CRM Software

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software comes in all kinds of forms from countless vendors. There is not doubt that every organization should be using CRM software. It simply isn’t enough for a business to keep spreadsheets of data and private contact lists with client information anymore. Businesses need reliable data that can be analyzed, reported, and accessed by anyone in the organization. Once your organization has made the choice to implement CRM software the choice is what software do you use or do you hire a consultant to build a custom solution for you.

First, and most importantly, don’t build custom CRM software. Seriously, don’t do it. It wont work. Unless you have the development budget of Microsoft or Google you are never going to be happy with what you get. A good CRM software application costs millions of dollars to plan, develop, test, and maintain. A single person or small consulting company will not be able to create you product from the ground up to meet all your needs.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Many organizations think that none of the CRM products out there really meet their needs. Or they think that because their business is different than a traditional sales based company that traditional CRM software just doesn’t work for them. Both of these assumptions are wrong.

First, a good CRM software application is customizable. You can create new types of entities, edit the entities that come with the software, and change the data those entities store. No matter what your organization is you can shape a good CRM software application to your needs. If you are considering CRM software that can only be changed by programmers, don’t buy that software. CRM software should be relatively easy to modify by anyone who has read the manual.

Second, even if the software that is currently available can’t meet your needs 100%, I guarantee that the custom software you are considering making or that some consultant is trying to sell you wont even be in the same ballpark as your needs. I have seen dozens of CRM solutions that were build by consultants that cause more headaches than they solve problems. Microsoft Access, FileMaker, or custom a custom web application are not good CRM applications for any organization.

I wont go into too much detail on these points, but here are some more things to considers:

• Is your data secure? Where is the application hosted? Are you using encryption?
• Is your data going to be backed up daily? Don’t know, then it probably isn’t.
• Is your custom web application compatible with multiple web browsers?
• Can you access your CRM data outside your office?
• What will be the cost to make changes to the application?
• Can multiple people use the data at the same time?
• Can you build customizable reports?

If your application can’t do these things then it is time to consider something new. These features are the basics found in any established CRM software such as Salesforce.com or Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. For most companies, I would recommend using one of the online hosted CRM solutions. These solutions will be much easier and faster to implement and will cost less to maintain and upgrade in the long run.

If you are considering implementing or upgrading your CRM software give us a call. We will always give you an honest assessment of what will work for your business. We don’t sell  proprietary in-house CRM software that makes us huge margins like many other small consultants. We will recommend to you what is right.

Launched SigmaLambdaGamma.com

Last week Atlas Bay and Kalidoscopio launched the new SigmaLambdaGamma.com. Sigma Lambda Gamma is the largest, historically Latina-based national sorority with a multicultural membership in chapters and alumnae associations throughout the United States. The new website enables headquarters staff to more easily communicate with the public and their 3,000 members all over the world. SigmaLambdaGamma.com is built on modern communication and collaboration tools to provided a unique and useful experience for the user.

At the core, this website is built on the WordPress software. WordPress is the most widely used online blogging and content management solution today. WordPress enabled the developers and designers to more quickly and efficiently deploy a quality and reliable product for our client without expensive and lengthy custom software development.

One of the key elements to the new SLG website is the integration with social networking. Users can now share information obtained from the website quickly and easily on their favorite social networking site. Additionally, Atlas Bay has integrated this website with the new Facebook Connect tools to enable website users to easily login and comment on posts.

One of the main pain points with the old website for the headquarters staff at SLG was keeping the website up to date. The old website required headquarters staff to utilize complicated website editing tools and perform manual HTML edits. This method proved to be difficult and the website quickly became outdated.

The new solution allows anyone with basic word processing skills to upload new content, add photos, or add videos in only a few easy steps. Additionally, the new website platform enables more people to participate in editing the website because of the customizable levels of permission. Website administrators can now assign other users limited permission to perform edits or publish new content without risk of unauthorized edits.

While building this website, Sigma Lambda Gamma also decided they would like a complete branding makeover. Through collaboration with Kalidoscopio, Atlas Bay was able to provide SLG with new color schemes and logos to improve and modernize their brand. These new logos and colors are now available for the entire organization to unify the look off all official documents. The new logo will now appear on everything from press releases to clothing and will ensure the brand is always presented consistently all around the country.

Chrome needs a new search

Since Chrome was released, my web browsing habits have reached new heights. I’m constantly running at least 5 Chrome windows with at least 5 tabs each on my three monitor setup (as I write this on my single monitor laptop I have 75 tabs open between 7 chrome windows — the laptop has been on for at least 2 weeks).

A minutes ago I tried to find one tab with a very specific website and realized I couldn’t find it right away (this is the first time, I can usually find it within 5 seconds). A Chrome solutions would be ideal. Otherwise MS could help by adding a search feature to windows 7 to allow me to search through all open instances of a single app. Meanwhile, I guess I’ll open a new tab and take care of it the old fashion way.

Wikis In the Workplace

Most likely when you hear the work “wiki” you think of Wikipedia. Wikipedia, as you probably know, is a wildly popular online encyclopedia. If you haven’t integrated Wikipedia into your daily live you are really missing out, but that isn’t the topic of this post. This post is about the role of wikis in the workplace.

At the core a wiki is a text management system that allows people to create, edit, and share articles online. A wiki can be used for many things, not just encyclopedic content. For example, one common use of wikis is to create online help documentation. The wiki is the best choice to store many kinds of company knowledge because it flexible, accessible, and it maintains revision history.

The storage and sharing of company knowledge is critical to the success of any business. Employees must know processes, procedures, policies, and information each day to accomplish their work. If a person quits or calls in sick the other employees must have the information they need to compensate for the missing team member. If your office is like most offices, the vast majority of this information is stored in the heads of a few key employees. This is clearly not the most effective solution. Any office must have a persistent and accessible method of storing this critical information.

A wiki is the perfect solution to this problem. By creating a secure company-wide wiki you and your employees can begin to document their job and share their knowledge. Policies can be shared more easily, processes that are only known by few can be performed by many, and everyone can learn new skills that will enhance the value of themselves and the company.

We use a wiki at Atlas Bay for a variety of purposes. One of the most important uses of a wiki for us is to document technical processes. By storing this information in our wiki there is no need for multiple people to figure out the same problem. Additionally, when we must perform a task again after many months of learning the task we can simply read our wikis for any procedures and notes regarding the task.

Another use of our wiki is software specification documentation. When working on a new project we work closely with a customer to determine exactly what they are looking for and what their needs are. By using our company wiki to to store this data, each person working on that project team has constant access to that information and can make updates as need.

I strongly recommend that your company utilize a wiki and begin to centralize your company knowledge. The process is simple and affordable. Your wiki will start out small, but over time it will grow organically into a large an useful collection of information that will increase the effectiveness of your business.

Billco Pics by Lacey Haslam

One of the things that most excites me about AtlasBay is the opportunity to approach my favorite businesses with the tools and knowledge to help them communicate with their clients. Last year we were on track to build a website for Billco’s Bar and Billiard’s in Napa. Unfortunately, as the economy started crumbling, Billco’s cancelled their plans for their site. Fortunately, by that point we had already been able to get Lacey Haslam into the bar and capture some great pictures. I figure we might as well post the pictures to show off how well Lacey was able to capture the subtleties that make Billco’s a local favorite.

Non-Profit Marketing and Branding

Like most industries these days budget cuts are a fact of life for non-profit organizations. With the market down, donors are holding back or reducing annual grants and donations to non-profit organizations. To help reduce the effects of these cutbacks it is more important than ever for non-profit organizations to efficiently and effectively utilize every marketing dollar that is spent. Atlas Bay has collaborated with the designers and branding experts at Kalidoscopoio to provide web design, branding packages, and marketing materials for many non-profit originations. Through this collaboration we are able to bring our clients a diverse set of skills ranging from branding to computer programming.

In recent years we have seen the power of the internet. Politicians used websites, social networks, and viral campaigns to raise record amounts of money from individuals across the world. Non-profit organizations have collected millions of dollars from individual donors on Facebook and through PayPal Donations. With traditional funding sources drying up, now is the time to make sure your organization is using these new resources effectively.

One of the most recent projects designed and created by our partners at Kalidoscopio was for Universitarios para el Desarrollo (The Association of Universities for Development). The Universitarios para el Desalrrollo is a joint project between teachers, students, and professionals that promotes development and social responsibility in Argentina. The organization has been active in their mission for nearly 20 years and has helped thousands of young people become better and more productive members of society.

Kalidoscopio was tasked with designing the association’s website to highlight the values, results, and current information about the association, its members, and the communities. Working closely with members of the association’s staff Kalidoscopio designed an attractive and functional website that enhanced the overall brand of the organization.

The overall design of the website focuses a great deal on photos and personal stories. As you can see in the image above the page header is a custom font with three photos showing the user snapshots of the programs. The website features the traditional elements such as a blog, photos, videos, general information, and contact details. The website differs from most non-profit organization websites in one important way: it is always changing.

Powering this website is a content management system that allows any authorization  individual within the organization to post updates, change text content, and more through a simple web interface. Unlike most non-profit organizations with static content on their sites visitors will be enticed to return to this site regularly for important news and updates. Furthermore, visitors can remain constantly connected by subscribing to RSS feeds for updates directly from the organization.

In designing the site, Kalidoscopio chose to feature various personal stories, photos, and quotations from individuals who have been involved in the program. These stories bring a personal touch to the site and really invite the user to get involved or donate to the program.

The last, and perhaps most interesting component of this website is the social networking focus. In today’s get-it-now, instant-feedback world it is important for all organizations to connect to their users. Tools like Facebook and Twitter are quickly become just as important as the telephone or email when it comes to communicating with your customers.

Non-profit organizations that miss the bus on these new tools to connect with their communities, clients, and funders will soon find themselves trailing by more agile and responsive organizations. The non-profit organization industry is an important and competitive one and every organization must constantly improve to stay ahead of the curve.

With the intention of staying more in touch and better connected Kalidoscopio and Universitarios para el Desarrollo decided that it was important to prominently display the organization’s Facebook groups right on the front of their homepage. By encouraging visitors to join these groups Universitarios para el Desarrollo will stay more connected and more responsive and be able to better serve their clients.

If your organization is looking to update their brand, website, or simply to become more engaged with your clients and community give us a call. We would love to help you help others.

Product Review: DropBox

For the last 6 month I’ve been using DropBox (www.getdropbox.com) for all my file sharing and backup needs. The app does a great job with version control and has been crucial for sharing files with others.

The only problems are noticed are that:

1. Sometimes the interface can be a little confusing — it’s too simple. I think they should box some stuff in a little bit. It would be really nice if they also incorporated FB Connect and allowed you to invite any of your friends to view certain files.

2. You cannot share sub folders: you are only able to share the root folders. This isn’t a big deal though.

3. The url of the files uploaded to the Public folder don’t work on my computer. They also aren’t working on my brother’s account. I’ll have to look into this a little more — I doubt it doesn’t work for anyone.

All things considered, this is a great app. The free version is more than enough for most users. Companies or people that really need their files online can pay $100/yr for 50gb of online storage that automatically syncs to any computer that has the client installed.

ASP.NET MVC RC on Mosso

Today, I setup my first production ASP.NET MVC website. After a little investigation and a contact to Mosso’s tech support everything went up as planned. The first step is to configure your application like you would for any IIS7 host. You don’t need to have the “mvc” extension after your controllers in your routes. Next upload the application to your Mosso website. When you upload your site make sure you include the ASP.NET MVC dll files in your website’s bin directory. The needed files are System.Web.Abstractions.dll, System.Web.Mvc.dll, and System.Web.Routing.dll. These files will be located in Program Files\Microsoft ASP.NET\ASP.NET MVC RC\Assemblies on your computer. At this point your default route should be working. The last thing to take care of is resolving the 404 error you will receive when accessing urls within the site.

The reason for the error is that Mosso runs all IIS7 applications in classic mode by default. You will need to contact Mosso tech support and ask them to switch your application to integrated mode. It will take about 15 minutes for the changes to propagate to all of Mosso’s servers. After the propagation is complete your ASP.NET MVC site should be up and running.

This process should work on any shared host or cloud host as long as they are running Windows Server 2008 and allow you to run your application in integrated mode.

Cloud Hosting Experience

Recently, we have switched most of our hosting accounts over to Mosso’s (http://www.mosso.com) cloud hosting service. Previously, we were using virtual servers or dedicated servers to host all of our web applications and websites for Atlas Bay as well as our clients. My early experiences with Mosso have been great.

First, the technology Mosso uses is up to date and diverse. I can host websites using the latest version of .Net and PHP in the same folder without worry about configuring IIS to use PHP or any other complex scenarios. With Mosso, I can simply upload my application and it will figure out how to properly host it. So far everything has worked really well and been incredibly easy.

Second, there customer service has been incredible. I don’t really like to bother calling in to places for simple questions so I love there instant chat feature. On every page of their website and control panel there is a link to chat instantly with technical support. I have had every issue or question resolved in a matter or 1 or 2 minutes. It has been super convenient and saved me a lot of time.

Third, I love the integrated billing system. Now with Mosso, we dont have to create invoices for our hosting clients and process each payment separately. Mosso will take care of the billing and pay us directly. This service is really convenient and offered at a fair price (4% or $2, per transaction). For the amount of time this saves us I will gladly pay the service fee.

My one complaint, which is why we just started using Mosso, is that it took them a long time to roll out .net 3.5 sp1. I understand the issues with breaking changes, but I believe it is important for them and other hosting companies to making a commitment to supporting the newest technology. This is going to be an issue they will have to deal with in order to keep me as a long term customer. I can pretty much guarantee that if it takes them 6+ plus months to deploy the next version of .Net they will loose my business. Hopefully, they will have this worked out so they can quickly deploy new releases of frameworks and web servers without negatively impacting legacy software.

Overall, I am extremely satisfied with Mosso and I would recommend it to anyone who is deploying web applications on either Windows or Linux.