blogs

IT Systems

This blog examines IT from the perspective of SMEs. Lead blogger is David Markus, the founder of Melbourne-based IT services company Combo. His focus is on big picture thinking to create value in IT systems for the SME sector.

Do we need diversity for our IT plans?

10 May 2012

“Diverse groups of problem solvers – groups of people with diverse tools – consistently outperform groups of the best and brightest. If I formed two groups, one of random (and therefore diverse)[by definition] and one consisting of the best individual performers, the first group, the diverse group, almost always did better. Diversity trumped ability.”

Are tough times leading to false IT economies?

3 May 2012

An extended warranty from a reputable vendor is a sound investment for a business that is dependent on its IT infrastructure. It ensures that if the server suffers a hardware failure the equipment will be replaced.

Do cloud prices always come down?

19 April 2012

We have noticed lately that the price of many cloud solutions has been on the decline, all to our benefit. The price of Office 365 was slashed 20% overnight by Microsoft in the US recently. We are seeing cloud storage and private cloud solutions dropping in price too. This is great for us in business as getting cheaper technology is always good.

What kind of IT services client are you?

12 April 2012

You have a choice about your buyer behaviour that may well determine the quality of service you receive. Which would you like to be?

What is the secret ingredient of Office 365?

Author: David Markus on 5 April 2012

Two of the biggest changes in the communications world this decade are cloud computing and unified communications.

Seven steps to choosing the best printer

Author: David Markus on 29 March 2012

Is there a science to selecting the right business printer?

Why cross the IT services chasm?

Author: David Markus on 15 March 2012

I use the term chasm to demonstrate the gap between two broadly accepted ways of receiving IT Services. Before I discuss the IT scenario let me lead with an analogy that is closer to home.

How to turn a $3 million expense into less than $1000 using the cloud

Author: David Markus on 6 March 2012

I am just back from a holiday during which I had a very interesting conversation about cloud computing.

Will security be a big issue for 2012?

Author: David Markus on 23 February 2012

My bet is that this year, we will see some massive IT security issues. Let me just summarise some of the 2011 headlines and then I’ll explain why I believe 2012 will be worse.

Is Volkswagen setting new IT trends for the world?

Author: David Markus on 16 February 2012

What does a car manufacturer have to do with global IT concepts? In recent times, a lot! According to a BBC Technology news article, Volkswagen has elected to turn off Blackberry servers after hours to allow their staff to separate their work and home lives.