Small Businesses

We conclude this guide with a an issue that's critical to Small Businesses everywhere. Small Businesses being typically more financially exposed to economic uncertainty than large businesses, they need to be sure they have a solid handle on their financial management processes. We provide a collection of case studies explaining how four Small Businesses have tackled this problem.

Typically, the cost of feature-rich and scalable business phone systems prevents Small Businesses from purchasing these powerful tools in the initial stages of their growth. Thus, new companies generally choose standard business phone lines from their local phone company along with multi-line phones. With voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technology, however, Small Businesses now have a cost-effective, feature-rich alternative.

The bottom line is that the "perceived wisdom" about VoIP is that call quality is poor and the technology is difficult to implement. But the truth is that more than 80 percent of Small Businesses surveyed have responded that they are satisfied or highly satisfied with their decision to make the change. In fact, modern VoIP systems have better call quality than regular phones.

50% of all Small Businesses considered both an on-premise and a hosted PBX solution.

As Figure 1 shows, smaller firms tend to have simpler network environments, in keeping with their more modest needs, although those needs are increasing. Small Businesses typically don't have server-based LANs until they grow to 20 employees, and even then, they average only between two and four servers per company.

Historically, enterprise level IT tools, at enterprise level prices, have been out of reach to most Small Businesses. In recent years, the landscape has changed and more frequently Small Businesses are gaining access to enterprise level features at small business prices. One of the most talked about large-scale features in storage is the capability to use and manage virtual storage to create separate, private disks for different departments or clients. Learn about solutions that offer a simple way for for Small Businesses to implement virtual storage.

From an IT perspective, data integration was seen as a bigger priority for larger organizations, which makes sense: Small Businesses have fewer business systems to integrate, so many have yet to experience the growing pains caused by increasing complexity.

Our objective is simple. With this white paper, we set forth standards for how to create, format and manage financial plans. Some are standards we've designed and tested ourselves. Others are quasi-standards we've observed in large and Small Businesses we've worked with. Regardless, this is a first draft. Send us your comments:

SAP Business ByDesign is a fully integrated business management software solution designed for midsize companies or Small Businesses that want the benefits of large-scale business applications without the need for a large IT infrastructure.

What differentiates highly successful companies from the ones that struggle, or worse yet, don't make it? What do companies like Microsoft and Boeing have that ensures that they maintain their market leader status? They deliver their products, services, and images differently, but consistently. They have spent a great deal of money, research, and effort to determine their optimal business flow, and they follow business best practices that put in place “systems” that guarantee their success. Small Businesses can also gain the competitive advantage by implementing best practices. Learn how Advantage can model, facilitate, and enforce those best business practices for Small Businesses.

By any measure, retailers are overwhelming Small Businesses. More than 95 percent of all retailers have only one store. Almost 90 percent have sales less than $2.5 million (USD), and more than 98 percent have fewer than 100 employees. To compete, Small Businesses need to be innovative, and understand both personalization and value, and how to execute best practices to build success.

The research behind this report involved interviews with 300 UK business managers including finance, marketing and IT managers (Figure 20). The sample included large, midsized and Small Businesses (Figure 21) and a range of industries (Figure 22).

• According to a study by market-research firm AMI-Partners Inc. (), 21 percent of Small Businesses have jumped onto the on-demand HRIS bandwagon.

In addition to sales tax consulting services, YCS, a Sabrix Certified Implementation Specialist and Tax Consulting partner, provides sales tax implementation services, including Sabrix configuration, integration design, taxability research, testing and project management. YCS focuses exclusively on its clients' needs regarding sales, use and miscellaneous state and local transaction taxes and services a client base from Small Businesses to Fortune 100 entities.

Small Businesses and homeowners no longer have to take the risk of break-ins, drive failure, vandalism, or even natural disaster when they are away thanks to the new network attached storage features of Synology's Surveillance Station. Be it a warehouse, lobby, or home, a surveillance solution provides the peace of mind that everyone can benefit from. Many small and medium-sized businesses do not have monitoring systems because the cost has previously been difficult to budget for. Homeowners have often opted for a lower cost security system, but with no surveillance to know exactly what was going on when that alarm was tripped it's often more frustrating than beneficial.

• Job title/function: The research sample included respondents with the following job titles: director or manager (50%), vice president or above (15%), as well as logistics / supply chain, sales, procurement, and others.
• Department: Survey respondents represented individuals from the following departments: engineering (39%), manufacturing (14%), information technology (12%), as well as others.
• Industry: The research sample included respondents predominantly from manufacturing industries. Industrial equipment manufacturers represented 29% of the sample, followed by aerospace and defense at 19%, automotive at 13%, and high-technology / software at 11%. Computer equipment and peripherals was 10%, while medical devices accounted for 7% of the sample. Other sectors responding included consumer electronics, telecommunications, and metals and metal products.
• Geography: The majority of respondents (79%) were from North America. Other respondents were from Europe (11%) and the Asia-Pacific region (7%). The remaining respondents were from South/Central America, the Middle East, and Africa.
• Company size: Large enterprises (annual revenues above US$1 billion) comprised 33% of respondents; 40% were from midsize enterprises (annual revenues between $50 million and $1 billion); and 27% were from Small Businesses (annual revenues of $50 million or less).

Small Businesses of 50 to 100 employees may have only one full-time person—typically an IT generalist — to support a complex array of IT resources and users. In medium businesses (100 to 999 employees), IT staffing grows, averaging about one full-time IT person for every 100 employees.

For companies in the financial services industry, the problem of regulatory complexity is of particular salience. As regulators prepare their response to the worst financial crisis in a generation, it is highly likely that the sector will face a new set of constraints, possibly involving measures such as tighter liquidity requirements or higher capital ratios to take into account off-balance sheet vehicles. Otherheavily regulated industries, such as pharmaceuticals and utilities, have also traditionally borne a heavier burden than most, as have Small Businesses, which may lack the resources to deal with time-consuming and costly form-filling and inspections.

Despite all the software's features and advantages, Oracle E-Business Suite's level of functionality can be superfluous for some Small Businesses—sometimes exceeding their requirements. However, it must be noted that Oracle Corporation exerts significant efforts to make the application less complicated for small and medium businesses, by providing them with faster and easier configuration and implementation methods and tools. At the same time, complexity-as-a-weakness is also another of the system's strengths, which is the ability to support an expanding business and to support the future needs of a growing company.

- For big companies and technology leaders - For small teams and Small Businesses.

Despite all the software's features and advantages, Oracle E-Business Suite's level of functionality can be superfluous for some Small Businesses—sometimes exceeding their requirements. However, it must be noted that Oracle Corporation exerts significant efforts to make the application less complicated for small and medium businesses, by providing them with faster and easier configuration and implementation methods and tools. At the same time, complexity-as-a-weakness is also another of the system's strengths, which is the ability to support an expanding business and to support the future needs of a growing company. A highly scalable ERP system, by definition, does not limit a company in its increasing functional and technical requirements, and will remain adequate and efficient for any business scenario.

Again, yes and no. Let me fall back to the example of accounting systems. In the very earliest days of computerized accounting systems, computerized accounting was only done by big businesses. A lot of specialized skills were involved; midsize businesses stuck with pencil-and-paper ledgers. As more and more big businesses used those accounting systems, however, the folks who created those systems found ways to make them easier to use. Eventually, that resulted in prepackaged accounting systems—like today's QuickBooks for Small Businesses, or Microsoft Dynamics for midsize businesses—that were easier to use and really didn't require a lot of skills specific to the software. Any competent accountant, accompanied by a good instructional book, could figure out the software and use it effectively.

Despite all the software's features and advantages, Oracle E-Business Suite's level of functionality can be superfluous for some Small Businesses—sometimes exceeding their requirements. However, it must be noted that Oracle Corporation exerts significant efforts to make the application less complicated for small and medium businesses, by providing them with faster and easier configuration and implementation methods and tools. At the same time, complexity-as-a-weakness is also another of the system's strengths, which is the ability to support an expanding business and to support the future needs of a growing company. A highly scalable ERP system, by definition, does not limit a company in its increasing functional and technical requirements, and will remain adequate and efficient for any business scenario.

Despite all the software's features and advantages, Oracle E-Business Suite's level of functionality can be superfluous for some Small Businesses—sometimes exceeding their requirements. However, it must be noted that Oracle Corporation exerts significant efforts to make the application less complicated for small and medium businesses, by providing them with faster and easier configuration and implementation methods and tools. At the same time, complexity-as-a-weakness is also another of the system's strengths, which is the ability to support an expanding business and to support the future needs of a growing company. A highly scalable HRM system, by definition, does not limit a company in its increasing functional and technical requirements, and will remain adequate and efficient for any business scenario.

Despite all the software's features and advantages, Oracle E-Business Suite's level of functionality can be superfluous for some Small Businesses—sometimes exceeding their requirements. However, it must be noted that Oracle Corporation exerts significant efforts to make the application less complicated for small and medium businesses, by providing them with faster and easier configuration and implementation methods and tools. At the same time, complexity-as-a-weakness is also another of the system's strengths, which is the ability to support an expanding business and to support the future needs of a growing company. A highly scalable ERP system, by definition, does not limit a company in its increasing functional and technical requirements, and will remain adequate and efficient for any business scenario.

Despite all the software's features and advantages, Oracle E-Business Suite's level of functionality can be superfluous for some Small Businesses—sometimes exceeding their requirements. However, it must be noted that Oracle Corporation exerts significant efforts to make the application less complicated for small and medium businesses, by providing them with faster and easier configuration and implementation methods and tools. At the same time, complexity-as-a-weakness is also another of the system's strengths, which is the ability to support an expanding business and to support the future needs of a growing company. A highly scalable ERP system, by definition, does not limit a company in its increasing functional and technical requirements, and will remain adequate and efficient for any business scenario.

Business intelligence (BI) software as a service (SaaS) has gained traction in recent years. The reduced cost and feature-rich nature of the offerings make SaaS BI appealing to large and Small Businesses alike. Now, independent software vendors (ISVs) are also finding significant advantages to on-demand BI. Learn how SaaS BI solutions are helping ISVs reduce time to market, and accelerate the software development process.

In the following whitepaper, Peter Russo discusses the concerns that are keeping owners and managers of Small Businesses up at night and outlines suggestions for coping with those concerns.

Business Bank of California, a subsidiary of Business Bancorp (NasdaqNM: BZBC), has served California businesses since 1984. With assets of more than $620 million, Business Bank of California is ranked fifth of 25 locally based banks in the Inland of Southern California and offers retail banking, commercial, construction, and SBA lending. Business Bank of California operates in 15 locations in California. The branches are strongly focused on providing high-quality, personalized services to Small Businesses, professionals and consumers.

With an On-Premise solution, you own your application and it is housed physically at your location. And because it is housed locally, you will have direct access to the servers if you want to integrate with other custom applications. However, you will need some technical expertise in-house and you will need to purchase the necessary server hardware and software.

The most advanced business process management (BPM) applications bridge departmental and geographic boundaries, and manage the flow of documents and data according to sophisticated process rules. And while many would suggest that an on-demand BPM service offering would most benefit Small Businesses, a real case can be made that such offerings might be more valuable for medium and large businesses.

New developments in telephony solutions have left some Small Businesses reeling; smaller organizations incorrectly assume there's a steep learning curve for new products. However, there is no real reason for any business to be left behind. One-size-fits-all telephony is a thing of the past, and new flexibility can level the playing field for any size of business.

Small Businesses often become trapped by their outdated accounting systems, limiting their profits and arresting their growth. How can your business avoid this software trap? Planning and anticipating your business growth will help you minimize this costly mistake. Find the right accounting or enterprise resource planning solution to help your small business continue to expand and remain successful.

At one time, only Fortune 500 companies could afford voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) private branch exchange (PBX) solutions. But that's no longer the case: the VoIP cost barriers are gone. Find out if a VoIP solution is a sound choice for your small business—and discover how VoIP vendors are addressing the needs of Small Businesses while offering cost-effective hosted PBX solutions.

For Small Businesses with limited budgets and IT support, customer relationship management (CRM) has been out of reach. Until now, these small companies have missed out on the benefits provided by CRM because most applications were built for larger companies. New technology, however, has now emerged that levels the playing field for these smaller businesses by providing a fully customizable and affordable CRM system.

Advanced phone features used to be out of reach for Small Businesses. Then came Internet connectivity, local area network (LAN) networking, and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). Read this white paper for an overview of the basic elements you should look for when buying a phone system. Find out what enterprise telephony can offer you, including available features as well as the pros and cons of traditional VoIP systems.

If you're like many Small Businesses, you may be overwhelmed by the plethora of technologies that all claim to grow your business, reduce your expenses, improve customer service, and enhance employee productivity. But which technologies will really make a difference for your business? And how do you know which ones are right for you? We review four important technologies and show you how they can work to your benefit.

SAP is the world's leading provider of business soft- ware.* Today, more than 38,000 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP® applications ' from distinct solutions addressing the needs of Small Businesses and midsize companies to suite offer- ings for global organizations. The SAP ERP Human Capital Management (SAP ERP HCM) solution provides a complete, integrated, and global human capital management solution for organizations of all sizes and in all industries. The world-class solu- tion, employed by more than 10,000 SAP customers, helps companies maximize the potential of their workforce while supporting innovation, growth, and flexibility. SAP ERP HCM automates talent management, workforce process management, and workforce deployment, enabling increased efficien- cy and better compliance with changing global and local regulations.

To promote fast growth, Small Businesses often sacrifice process control for creativity. But sooner or later, unstructured creativity compounded by fast growth leads to the inability to make fact-based business decisions. Learn about four steps to developing a business strategy that can help you run your business more effectively by applying better control over your cost structure, minimizing risk, and anticipating change.

In today's economy, Small Businesses' primary differentiator is service. If systems are down, then customer service levels are down too, ultimately hurting the business and the bottom line. This can make giving up control over critical IT systems daunting. However, surveys show that 55 percent of large companies plan to increase their IT spending with external service providers. Find out what they know that you don't.

Different phone systems offer a variety of features, some of which might appeal to Small Businesses, while others are more attractive to large corporations. Choosing the right system is largely a matter of finding the solution that fits your particular business. Download this white paper to obtain checklists of separate selection criteria for office phone systems, tailored to the distinct needs of potential clients.

• How do you plan to use a Web conferencing solution? Do you want to hold general meetings, offer Webinars, deliver e-learning programs and create online presentations? Or do you plan on using a Web conferencing solution for remote help desk and customer support services? Determining a Web conferencing solution's primary purpose will ensure that you select the right solution with worthwhile functionality.
• What features and functions do you need from a Web conferencing solution? Bare-bones solutions can help Small Businesses connect with colleagues and customers in a timely and cost-effective fashion. Large enterprises, however, would be wise to consider more robust solutions that include additional marketing tools such as polls, surveys, reports and collaboration capabilities.

• Industry: Respondents from 32 distinct industries are represented in this report. Financial services and the public sector represented 9% and 8% of the sample, respectively. 26 industries each accounted for between 4% and 7% of the survey sample. These sectors included construction/engineering firms, high technology/ software, publishing/media, pharmaceutical aerospace/defense, consumer packaged goods, chemicals, consumer electronics, metals/mining/oil/gas, retail, telecommunications, manufacturing, and transportation/logistics.
• Geography: Fifty-five percent of benchmark participants were from North America. Twenty-five percent of participants were from Europe; 13% were from the Asia-Pacific region; 4% were from Latin and South America; and 3% were from the Middle East and Africa.
• Company size: Fifty-eight percent of respondents were from large enterprises (annual revenues above US $1 billion); 26% were from midsize enterprises (annual revenues between $50 million and $1 billion); and 16% of respondents were from Small Businesses (annual revenues of $50 million or less).

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software. Today, more than 39,400 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP applications'from distinct solutions addressing the needs of Small Businesses and midsize companies to suite offerings for global enterprises.