In May ‘08, The Toronto Star published a fascinating article citing the results of a 2007 Dell survey of twelve countries (Canada, U.S., France, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Brazil, China, Britain, Japan, Germany and India) related to their small business technology needs.

On a broad level, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are coming into their own, currently representing one-third of the global market and growing. They’re aware of technology, with 66% acknowledging that IT is extremely important to their business and 88% of small business experts believing that SMB owners would reap financial benefits from greater awareness of their IT options.

The majority agree IT is important, but a real ‘day in the life’ of an SMB owner is typically anything but simple on the technology landscape. SMBs generally possess the basic hardware, with over 91% of US-based small businesses recording the use of computers. However, hardware without effective and efficient software is useless. Software needs may seem manageable at first:

Then the business grows larger and an employee is hired who also needs the same software:

Time passes, and new editions come out at an incremental cost.

New needs develop, more employees are hired, collaboration and coordination challenges compound, new software is published and the cycle snowballs. Questions come from all directions; people need centralized access to the company’s resources and each other’s work, and there just isn’t the time to research each new technology direction to determine the right next steps for the business.

Technology can be one of the greatest financial, time and management burdens that the SMB owner will encounter, and running software on individual desktops creates overly complicated, fragmented systems that tie each employee to a specific computer.

How Can the Cycle Be Broken?

On-demand software or software-as-a-service (SaaS) has entered the technology arena in response to this problem. As Ridgely Evers, Founder and Chairman of NetBooks explains in his blog post, “SaaS is one of those marvelous things that’s nearly 100% upside. It is far more secure, and far easier to manage, than desktop software, and the fact that it lives on the Internet means that you can use it from anywhere. Best of all, it can tie together everyone in an organization, no matter where they are or what they do.” The software is centrally housed, and the service provider takes care of everything including maintenance, upgrades, etc. The SMB only pays a small licensing fee each month for the latest version of the solution, eliminating the up-front investment.

The next evolution to bridge the gap for SMB owners is the Personal Internet Consultant (PIC). Much like it sounds, a PIC provides guidance on how to get the most out of your time and IT dollar along with advice on next steps to optimize your business’ marketing and performance in the online arena. The PIC and SaaS eliminate two of the greatest impediments to SMB owners; cost and command of the technology. With both taken care of, the SMB owner has a head start in maximizing their growth and return through the use of technology.

You’re not alone and there is a solution.

Simplaris

“Less is more” has never been as relevant as it is today. As a company, we at Simplaris believe in delivering needs-based services with an emphasis on business value over pushing technology, features and price.

That is why when our marketing team discovered what was known as ‘Flog Blog’, a simple and effective application we could use to deliver our blog content to Facebook, we immediately became fans. When Flog Blog guru Jeff Wiens was looking for a sponsorship home for his product, we jumped onboard because it was important to us that this service remained available for those who value well planned and efficiently executed products that do exactly what you would expect.

Today, we are pleased to support Simplaris Blogcast, and through our sponsorship provide a means for its continual development and operation. Since our involvement, the popularity of Simplaris Blogcast has increased from 12,000 to 50,000 users which is a testament to the product that we not only support as a company but use ourselves!

For more information or support, please visit http://blogcast.simplaris.com

We all have our trusted contacts who we call upon to make our lives easier. Whether it’s a reliable mechanic or a doctor who’s always there, we become dependent on those who step in and just ‘handle’ a problem. We know they’ll be there when we call and often their contact information is committed to memory.

Imagine picking up the phone when you have a technology question or problem and quickly resolving it in one conversation with one individual. No jargon, no geek speak about your ‘customer relationship management system’, ‘website development software’ or ‘filtered email hosting’; just a conversation with someone who understands technology but speaks your language, the language of business.

The concept of a digital coach becomes more and more attractive as people develop increasingly complex love-hate relationships with technology. It’s the old, “can’t live with it; can’t live without it,” and it’s one of the ways Simplaris can help.

Simplaris will provide you with your own ‘Personal Internet Consultant’ (or PIC) who’ll be with you every step of the way for “how to” questions like “how can I back-up my email?” to “how do” questions about the best way to move your business forward. They’ll understand the challenges you face as a small business owner and work from the belief that simple is better. Eric Eggertson said it best: “The longer it takes to do something, the less likely it will get done right.” This means the more convoluted your involvement in the technology side of your business becomes, the less likely you’ll see forward motion, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Your PIC will be available by phone, email or the Simplaris Business Acceleration Dashboard at any time for trusted help, and will be backed by the resources required to answer your questions or solve your problem.

Best of all, it’s a one-on-one relationship. You’ll know your PIC by name, and will have their personal contact information. They’ll be there to provide you with the right mix of technology for your business, while being respectful of your time.

Your life shouldn’t be more complicated than it needs to be. There’ll be a Simplaris Personal Internet Consultant waiting to help.

Stay tuned for further Simplaris developments.

When I set out to establish my first business, I was in over my head. There were many tempting online offers including free marketing plans, free website templates, free web calendars, free online business advertising, free this and that. There didn’t seem to be a shortage of resources, except for the one I really needed: a central source for the most important tools and someone to explain the significance of each so I knew which ones were right for my business. While, deep down, I understood that I needed technology, it seemed overwhelming to manage the options. For the first time, I became afraid of my limitations.

James Gaskin offers an insightful analogy for this dilemma in an article I recently read at NetworkWorld. He states “[T]echnology has become the tent pole holding up every business today. Unfortunately, sometimes we spend so much time struggling to keep the tent pole working properly we forget to enjoy the tent.” Gaskin notes that he often hears small business owners discounting the impact of technology on their livelihood. Comments tend to run the lines of, “I run a flower shop, not a computer company. That doesn’t apply to me.“  He believes this reaction to be an indicator of business owners who love to do what they do, but it’s that effort to keep the technology ‘tent pole’ propped up that consumes so much and robs them of the time and energy to do exactly that.

Fortunately for emerging entrepreneurs Simplaris alleviates these frustrations by delivering all of the online and on demand services that are needed to operate and grow a business - from one place, through one system. Simply put, Simplaris simplifies technology by just making it work.

Upon signup, you’ll receive a free account that allows you to design and develop a professional business website in as little as 10 minutes. No special skills or experience required. Simplaris then puts it on the web… free, for life, and if that’s all you need to run your business, you’ll never pay anything. However, most small businesses will eventually need more than just a website, so additional services can be added as needs grow over time. Whether its HR management, email, scheduling, collaboration or marketing services, it’s all available at your fingertips as needed and when needed, and with a time commitment and price you can ‘afford’.

Freedom is the result. No more expensive start-up costs, boxes of obsolete software cluttering your shelves, or debilitating fear over which new technology tool or resource to throw in the mix - only time to enjoy the ‘tent’.

As the Business Manager for Simplaris, I am completely committed to the model because of my first-hand experience in this area and the difference I know that this can make to help small business owners succeed. I invite you to stay tuned over the upcoming weeks to learn more about Simplaris’ products and services in development.

- Gail Bryanton

Welcome to the launch blog for Simplaris™.

Simplaris is the new technology company that frees your business from the complexities of technology.

Simplaris is all about being freeing, friendly and functional and not wasting your time. In that spirit, we invite you to watch a short video that we feel does a great job explaining what we’re all about. We hope you enjoy!

Watch the Simplaris Brand Video · Read the Transcript

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