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Examining Cash Flow
There are three parts to any successful cash flow:

• New money is coming into the business
• Money is coming in faster
• Less money is going out than is coming back in

Simple, right?

Putting Theory into Practice with Technology
Well, as easy as it is in theory, implementing these parts can be a challenge without the right tools. Fortunately, there are plenty of solutions that can help you to encourage all three with the help of information technology.

Let’s break down the three parts again and define what they mean in terms of technology and IT solutions.

• New money is coming into the business
• Money is coming in faster
• Less money is going out than is coming back in

This can be rephrased to say:

• More clients are being signed on to services
• Billing is made more efficient and easier
• The business is making more than it is spending

Leveraging IT to Accomplish These Goals
There is an incredible amount of technology in the world today that can benefit a business through multiple avenues, although there are a few specific tools available now that can assist with each of the parts of your business’ cash flow.

New money is coming into the business / More clients are being signed on to services
This is how your cash flow is initially generated, so it is a crucial part of the process. In order to make money, you need to find people who are willing to pay you to provide them with some good or service - and perhaps more importantly, keep them and the rest of the people important to your business organized.

A customer relationship management system can help you do so. These programs are designed to fulfill that very need for business organization, keeping you from juggling your crucial data and allowing you to make better inferences that inform your actions. A good CRM platform will allow you to track your progress and responsibilities, allowing you to act proactively and optimize your business strategy.

Money is coming in faster / Billing is made more efficient and easier
The vast majority of businesses were formed with one goal in mind: to make money. This is accomplished by selling goods and services. However, these sales need to be tracked in order for payments to come in accurately, yet in a prompt manner. Moreover, customers and clients may need to be reminded that they have a balance to settle. There is no shortage of tools and systems to assist you in this regard.

Whether your CRM also includes a baked-in finance management tool, you use another service, or you even keep an impeccably organized spreadsheet, you need to make sure you know where your funds are coming from and where they are going.

Less money is going out than is coming back in / The business is making more money than it is spending
This is the kicker - the final, crucial piece of profitability: are you actually making a profit?

One of the keys to this is to spend your budget wisely and take advantage of the capabilities that modern technology offers. Which scenario sounds like it would be more expensive, struggling with the same IT issue day in and day out, hiring someone to come in and fix it every time it drives you too crazy (only to have it pop back up later)… or have experienced professionals monitor your IT remotely, identifying and actually resolving issues like those--before you even knew they were there--all for a predictable monthly fee?

Successfully budgeting your business is the cornerstone to making it profitable, and the more predictable costs you incur, the better your budget will work for you.

PacketLogix can do all of this for you, and more. Reach out to us at (888) 945-9434 to learn about our other services, or more about something mentioned above.

Creating Infographics
Infographics are a tried-and-true way to get across a lot of information in an easily consumable format, but it can be tricky to use certain solutions to create them. Right out of the box, Microsoft PowerPoint is easy enough to use. You can create various graphs, images, and word art to build out infographics designed to convey information in an easy-to-follow format. Since PowerPoint also works on a slide-by-slide basis, this makes it easy to compare and contrast information easily enough.

Making Quizzes
Let’s say that your employees need some security training. You’d rather not create another boring presentation that makes them zone out. You can create an engaging exercise by turning a PowerPoint presentation into a quiz. For example, you can have one question be on one slide along with the answers to the question in a multiple-choice format. You can then display the answer on a separate slide afterward.

Create Animated Shorts
Did you know that PowerPoint actually has quite a lot of built-in animation functionality? Using these, you can make simple animated shorts. They might not be terribly intuitive, but they are certainly better than nothing--and it’s a great way to get just a little bit more value out of your slideshow solution.

Onboarding New Employees
All businesses have an onboarding process, but depending on the type of organization, that process will differ. If your organization has a lot of intensive tasks that need to be explained, a PowerPoint can be a great way to provide information about your company culture, any benefits the employee receives, and other important things that they should know. This means that you can take a fairly long-winded process and have the employee review the information as they go.

What are some ways your business uses PowerPoint? Let us know in the comments.

Security Monitoring
One of the most popular monitoring technologies, is security monitoring. Typically it is done through the use of a dedicated surveillance system. It can also include access control and intrusion detection systems to keep physical structures safe, and to decrease liability for businesses of all types.

Network Monitoring
Network monitoring software allows IT technicians to see what is happening on your business’ network. Network monitoring typically deals with function. Is your network and infrastructure functioning as intended? Technicians will use monitoring software to ensure that endpoints, networking equipment, and servers are all functioning properly; while also monitoring the network for known threats and inefficiencies. Businesses depend on their technology and through the monitoring process, they can get a thorough view of the network and infrastructure to keep small issues that are found from becoming larger, more costly problems that could cause operational downtime.

Some network monitoring software also provides technicians the ability to view how each person is using their network-attached devices. Do you see productivity wane from time to time? Once you can ascertain what employees are doing on their computers that keep them from being productive, you can take the steps necessary to keep them on task and productive. This also allows you to ensure that they aren’t unwittingly putting your business at risk by visiting risky websites, and being otherwise unsavory on your network.

Application Monitoring
Some applications provide IT administrators the ability to view logs of application use. Whether these be self-hosted or cloud-hosted apps, keeping tabs over how your staff uses the applications you deploy can provide information that could work to your business’ favor. Some applications, like instant messaging and Voice over Internet Protocol, come with built-in reporting that allows administrators the option to view/listen to communication between staff and clients alike. This feature provides a positive effect on an organization’s customer service as the frequent review of correspondence can provide perspective on how projects and services are planned, carried out, and supported.

Additionally, cloud-based applications often keep statistics that provide some clarity to how a solution is used, and what users need to do to use it more effectively. In being able to see how users are using solutions, decision makers can make the most cost-conscious decisions, reducing an organization's software overhead, and efficiently providing the types of solutions that help build sustained profitability.

Mobile Device Monitoring
Mobile devices are extremely useful, but they can also be a gateway to distracted and nefarious behavior. For a business, decision makers have to come up with a fair, but thorough plan in which to monitor the devices that access data on their network. Employees, however, aren’t all that supportive of giving their employers full access to the information held on their personal smartphones. This creates some consternation between the two sides. That’s why, if you don’t have plans to outfit your staff with company-owned devices, you have to develop a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy that outlines what IT administrators can view, what they can’t view, and how the policy works to benefit the organization’s mobile device management policy.

Most employees, especially if they feel that their phone is being monitored, will work within the confines of the BYOD policy. They just have to know that you are unable to access, and alter, their personal information. People depend on their smartphones, and if they need to sign off on a BYOD policy so that their company can ensure that nefarious entities are not being brought in, most will need some assurance that their personal files stay personal.

Monitoring is a proactive way to save your business a lot of time and money. If you would like to learn more about monitoring your business’ end points, contact the IT professionals at PacketLogix today at (888) 945-9434.