5 reasons CEOs outsource their I.T.

Outsourcing used to be a dirty word. Today, successful companies contract support providers to handle functions that are unrelated to their core business.

The price you pay for poor service

Sure, there are low cost managed I.T. service providers (MSPs). They provide you with a low operational maturity level (OML) at a low monthly rate. These low-cost I.T. providers never really fix the problem, and they’re rarely qualified to provide you the support you need. If they’re just patching a problem, the core issue is never truly resolved, and you wind up dealing with it repeatedly. And if they aren’t giving you the support you need, you’re going to be spending more in the long run.

Sharpen your axe: A leadership lesson

Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” There’s a leadership lesson there for business executives.

Hey CXO: How do you know your I.T. is “good”?

Overview of an executive-level workshop that explores a company’s I.T. operational maturity from the CEO/COO perspective. Basically, it helps companies figure out what “good” technology adoption looks like in their industry.

At the intersection of automation and workforce development

A recent Gallup report found that 21 percent of millennials have changed jobs within the past year, more than three times the number of non-millennials who report changing jobs. Gallup estimates that millennial turnover costs the U.S. economy $30.5 billion annually. Disruptions to the traditional office environment make workforce development more important than ever.

Rule 1 of becoming a great place to work: Know who you are

“Know who you are” is part 1 in blog series: 6 extraordinary ways to be a great place to work A few years ago, NetGain Technologies’ leadership team set a new goal: Every employee should be…

Data center of the future. Your server closet and the cloud. What’s next?

Your company’s data center will be a hybrid cloud data center. (It probably already is.)

The probability that your organization is using a blend of on-premises and public cloud services is high. Many of our financial and legal clients are using accounting and core processing in the cloud. For example: Who cuts your pay checks? Does your organization use local software running on a local server printing to a local printer, then have someone in the organization pass them out to employees? Probably not–that’s so 1998, right? Most of our clients leverage a paycheck processor via a website, which then deposits paychecks via direct deposit.

12 simple rules to avoid ransomware emails

Review the following technology security information to help you avoid falling victim to hacking attempts and ransomware emails. These tips first appeared in NetGain’s quarterly client security communication.

What is operational maturity? An overview starting with OML 1

When technology is introduced to a business, it’s installed to boost operational maturity. In our experience performing Executive Workshops, the average mid-size business with an in-house I.T. team has achieved an operational maturity level 1to OML 2 (on the five-point scale overviewed below). In our strategic workshops, we advise a quick elevation to OML 3, and a longer-term goal of OML 4.5 to OML 5.