To compete in the field of providing IT Support to small businesses, today’s Independent Computer Consultant has to move away from the old, reactive model of charging hourly rates for on-site support and move onto the more efficient and profitable model of Managed Services, charging flat-rates for a suite of services, which include round-the-clock system monitoring and remote support.

Fortunately, there are many current utilities available that can allow an Independent Computer Consultant to provide these services at the highest level, for literally pennies a day… or even completely FREE!

The following applications are the ones I use personally and generally recommend. A simple web search will allow you to evaluate these products against competing packages to determine what will work best for your individual needs and budget.

For Network Server Monitoring and Inventory Collection and Reporting – GFI MAX Remote Management

This web-based utility allows you to keep tabs on your client’s servers and all workstations around the clock. Costing (at the time of this writing) only $12.95 per month per server and an additional $0.10 per workstation, this application will provide a web-based dashboard that lets you and your client see at a glance the current health status of all major components of the network such as:

- Backup Status
- Anti-Virus Update Status and Activity
- Drive Space Change
- Critical Events
- Disk Health
- Available Disk Space
- Hacker Monitoring
- WSUS Patch Monitoring
- Windows Service Monitoring
- Server Performance Monitoring
- Website Availability
- Bandwidth Usage
- TCP Port Monitoring
- PING Checks
- SNMP (Including RAID Array)
- File Size Monitoring
- Roll Your Own Event Log Check
- Roll Your Own Script Check

If an error occurs, the application can instantly and automatically notify you via an email or SMS alert. You also can generate weekly, automated health status reports that can be sent automatically via email to you and your clients.

For Remote Computer Support – LogMeIn Free

LogMeIn is both PC and Mac compatible and can be installed on each of your client’s computers in about 2 minutes. Once installed, you can gain instant remote access to any of these computers from any Internet connected computer.

The LogMeIn Free product is completely suitable for providing all of your users with instant support, just as if you were sitting in front of their computer, but it does have its limitations. For additional features such as remote file transfer, remote-to-local printing or allowing multiple accounts to access the same computer (if you want to grant the user the ability to connect to their computer using their own account), then you’ll need to step up to one of LogMeIn’s paid products. These are also very affordable and all information can be found on their website.

Use applications like these and you’ll be able to provide your clients with an unparalleled level of service, increase their system’s performance, reduce or eliminate unexpected system problems, increase your response time and turn your clients into your greatest fans.

Considering the cost to you can be next to nothing, investing in applications like these would be the wisest investment you could make in your computer consulting business.

Of course, there are additional applications that you will need to maximize your productivity and profitability, such as a ticketing system with a client accessible portal and service reporting. These and many more subjects are covered in depth at the following website…

Companies allot budgets for online Internet Marketing Consulting Services to expand the client base therefore resulting into more revenue. Most SEO professionals offer packages that are designed to improve website visibility for both visitors and search engines. Basically, the optimization of the content takes place with the use of keywords in the title and body tags.

While a lot of people choose to do search engine optimization on their own, you can also consider Marketing Consulting Firms just to give you a good head start. There are a lot of advantages that are associated in SEO, but what about the other bonuses that come along with it? Let’s take a look at some examples:

Well-structured site:

An optimized website is well-structured in terms of content and design as opposed to other regular websites. When designing a website with search engine optimization techniques in mind, Marketing Consulting Firms take into consideration the words that will be useful for search engines and site visitors. This way, traffic is steady and will also continue to increase once off-page techniques are applied.

Improved rankings:

To be able to rank on the first pages on search engines, you would need to get the help of online marketing companies to guide you in the “right direction.” After improving the content, you can also ask for benchmark and competitor analysis to be able to thoroughly improve your site’s ranking and focus on areas that need focus.

Diverse options and long term benefits:

Lastly, SEO packages provided by Marketing Consulting Firms are not limited to a single package. There are various SEO techniques that can be applied to your site and you can even ask fro customized packages for your website. Moreover, once SEO is applied to your website, Marketing Consulting Firms will take care of keeping the rankings steady, if not improve them over time. SEO is vital for any business that needs to broaden the clientele to gain profits.

The balanced scorecard is a useful managerial tool that allows the executives or the mangers to monitor the performance of the company. Because of its functionality, even the non commercial businesses such as non profit organizations and the government also make use of the BSC methodology. Now, this is not complicated at all. However, there is a need for one to fully understand what this is all about so that he can have a scorecard that really works. In order to do this, one of the techniques that can be applied is through the use of balanced scorecard consulting services. If you have difficulty in implementing the BSC framework successfully into your company, such service can definitely help you in this kind of need.

The main reason as to why the balanced scorecard was invented is because it can help people in finding out that the success of the business does not rely on the financial results alone. There are other great sources in the company that will certainly aid you in succeeding toward your goal. Now, if you have a large company and therefore you have numerous issues to handle, you will think that everything matters. While this is true, you can effectively choose the right leading and lagging indicators. This means that you will be able to measure the performance of your business through the use of such indicators. You will be able to gauge your success through financial and other results including customers, internal business processes and learning and innovation.

It can be a huge problem when starting to create the BSC if you do not know which ones to measure in your company. This is why the balanced scorecard consulting services can really help you. The organizations that provide such service will be your guide as to how you will select a small number of indicators. This way, you can definitely determine what matters for your company and what should not be included in performance management.

There are different BSC consulting services that are being provided for the businessmen who need help in their scorecards. Among them is to change the BSC completely. This is for those who think that their balanced scorecard is not working and thus, they need total change in their approach. Another is to improve the indicators that have been set in the BSC system. If you have already a BSC framework and you have already chosen your indicators yet you have not achieved the desired results, you may need to develop new indicators.

There are also some organizations that provide balanced scorecard consulting and coaching. Here, you will learn how you can integrate the BSC with the corporate strategy. In addition to that, you will be able to review the goals or the objectives of the company so that you will know what you will expect when you make use of the balanced scorecard. Aside from that, you can develop your businesses implementation plan and of course, you can get the assistance you need so that you will be able to determine the targets from the highest to the lowest levels in your organization.

Whether you have just established your online business or have been maintaining your website for some time now, hiring a search engine optimization consultant to enhance your online business is a smart move.

Many websites fail to receive what they hope to earn because they are not fully utilizing the techniques for increasing their website presence. Although SEO techniques and tips can be found online, it does not mean that a person can quickly put them to use and expect maximum results. The reason why some websites fail is that even if techniques are presented to them, they still lack the knowledge on how to properly apply these.

Search Engine Optimization is not a simple matter. It requires not only intensive knowledge but also great skill. It requires full attention because it directly affects your website’s traffic and visibility, which in turn affects your business. If you want to maximize search engines to your benefit, hiring a Search Engine Optimization consultant is the best option.

There are a lot more things that a Search Engine Optimization consultant can do for you. Here is a list:

• Website analysis. SEO professionals initially analyze the website that they would be working on to determine the right approach that they should employ.

• Recognize the appropriate keyword phrase for the website. Knowing the perfect keyword phrase for your business is very crucial. SEO firms pinpoint the right keyword that your website should maximize.

• Utilize search engines, article directories and press releases.

• Link-building

• Advertising

• SEO Copywriting and Article writing. Professionals know how to create and spin articles that would maximize your internet visibility.

• Improve website design and content.

These are just some of what a search engine optimization consultant can do for you. There are hundreds of SEO companies and firms offering their services online, but how do you choose which one is best? First, know the company’s background. Is the company well established? How long has it been in the business and who have already used their services?

Second, learn about the services that they offer and what their methods are. Professional SEO consultants give an outline of what they intend to do for your website before actually doing it. They would also give a price quote for their services.

Lastly, you must research about the company’s track record. What is the rate of success of their previous clients? Are their former clients satisfied with the services provided to them? Check what their previous clients say about them.

Whether you have been operating your website for quite a time or have just established recently, employing the services of professional search engine optimization consultant will maximize your online visibility and increase your earnings.