Business VOIP Comparison

Portland, OR — June 4, 2008

Chime Software, LLC announces the release of Version 3.0 of their Chime iPBX software. Version 3.0 is a significant improvement over Version 2.0 bringing a host of new features and call handling capabilities. More importantly, this new version of the software offers fax to device or email, tenant groups, ease of use and management, and the look and feel.

“You can never have too much relia-bility” said Steven Schroedl, President of Chime Software. “Our customers are thrilled of the commitment we are making towards a path of continual improvement of our Chime iPBX software.” “I have been involved from the conception of absoluteIP 1.0″ said Mark Bilton-Smith President of Rio Communications, and version 3.0 has shown incredible stability and an enhanced feature set that will demand the attention of the enterprise business market. This is the most exciting software release and most stable hardware solution to date.” Version 3.0 of the Chime iPBX software will be available for general release to customers on June 9, 2008.

“Clients are impressed with our latest release. We now support tenant groups, this allows a single server to support multiple companies at the same time.” Said Stephen Hilgart VP of Operations for Chime Software. “We also support fax pass-through, fax to email, or outbound fax from our iAssist web client.”

About Chime Software, LLC – Chime Software LLC is committed to providing the most cost effective VoIP phone system for businesses of any scale. Our highly skilled and experienced professionals are continuously looking to improve the reliability, features, easy of use, and design of our Chime iPBX and related software, modules and components. Chime Software is a whole owned subsidiary of VeriLAN.

For more information about Chime Software and it’s products visit its website at http://www.chimesoft.com or e-mail (info @ chimesoft.com). For more information about VeriLAN visit it’s website at http://www.verilan.com.

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Minneapolis, MN — June 5, 2008

SotaComm LLC (http://www.sotacomm.com) today said it has begun providing communications and networking solutions to small and midsized businesses that are a radical improvement over anything previously available to these firms, based on open-source software and appliances from leading-edge technology vendors.

“We’re a ‘new age’ kind of company that’s packaging advanced, low-cost products and services from a set of new, fast-growing tech firms. We partner with them to help them reach the market their technology most benefits: small business,” said Gary Doan, CEO and cofounder of SotaComm. “And we’ve started deploying these leading-edge solutions.” A key advantage for the company’s small business customers is they get advanced, value-added solutions with two levels of support from the commercial open source software vendor and SotaComm , which is especially critical if they do not have their own staff of IT professionals.

The Driving Trends

The adoption of open standards and the shift toward software-based appliance solutions are two major trends in enterprise IT that drove Doan and his partners to found SotaComm in early 2007. (Doan is a serial entrepreneur who has founded several other Minnesota-based technology firms. One of the company’s other cofounders is Tim Andersen, founder of Bailiwick Data Systems, Chaska, MN.) SotaComm’s state-of-the-art, certified offerings deliver enhanced features, ease of use, and reliability for small and midsized organizations. Appliance solutions are better options for these firms, said Doan, not only because they cost less to acquire and operate, but because they change the way smart businesses utilize their communication network and provide them with distinct productivity benefits.

Three Areas of Focus

SotaComm provides three categories of state-of-the-art, easy-to-use small business solutions: (1) phone systems, (2) security gateways, and (3) routers and firewalls. The VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) phone systems offered by the company have more features and innovations than traditional systems, and can save most businesses up to 60% of the cost of those proprietary systems, which until recently have been their only choice. A leading telecommunications research firm, ATLANTIC-ACM, has said the fastest growing demand segment for VOIP will be businesses with 11-100 employees, which will see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in revenues of 29.7% through 2012. According to a May 2008 report by WinterGreen Research, IP phone systems have “gained widespread acceptance in the marketplace?and demand is continuing to increase.”

For IP phone systems, SotaComm partners with rapidly growing IP phone systems vendor Fonality. It resells that company’s hardware/software solutions, including its “PBXtra” product line. SotaComm also offers a PBX appliance called the “TB Pro” that is sold and serviced by SotaComm locally. These IP phone system solutions allow small to midsized firms to compete on a level playing field with much larger companies by providing them with true enterprise-class PBX phone systems, at 40-80% of the cost of those systems.

SotaComm’s TB Pro is a private-label version of Fonality’s “Trixbox Pro,” which incorporates PBXtra software and includes the very popular “Heads Up Display” (HUD), which is a powerful companion to the office phone that runs on each employee’s personal computer. It’s a highly visual operator panel that allows “drag-and-drop” calling and transferring, as well as conference calling and is also a call center application.

“Once employees start using the Heads Up Display inside a company, they can’t do without it,” said Doan. “It’s simple to use and a great productivity booster.” The HUD feature is also standard on SotaComm’s TB Pro appliance. “We chose to partner with Fonality after evaluating several PBXs on the market and discovering they clearly had the best product out there,” said Doan. “They’re on a roll, having raised significant venture capital, and recent funding from Intel and Dell as well. Not only have they won IP Telephony Magazine’s ‘Best Product of the Year’ award three years running, but dozens of other awards as well, all while developing a customer base of more than 6000 companies worldwide.”

For security gateways, SotaComm has partnered with leading emerging vendor Untangle, which produces the world’s first commercial-grade open source solution for “unified threat management” – that is, blocking spam, spyware, viruses, adware, and unwanted content on the network, and providing a better alternative to costly, inflexible proprietary appliances (from such firms as SonicWALL and WatchGuard). The company, based in Silicon Valley and backed by two leading VC firms, already has more than 20,000 users of its open-source solutions.

In its third major area of focus, SotaComm provides router solutions from Vyatta, a company that has changed the networking world by commoditizing advanced router, firewall, and VPN (virtual private network) deployment in the same way that Linux commoditized the operating system market. Each month, more than 15,000 users worldwide turn to Vyatta’s open-source networking platform in their search for an alternative to over-priced, inflexible products from proprietary vendors. In independent tests, Vyatta appliances outperformed comparable Cisco products at a costs savings of up to 75%. Vyatta is based in Silicon Valley and backed by several leading venture capital firms.

“These three technology partners – Fonality, Untangle, and Vyatta – are really hitting stride and gaining critical mass in the marketplace,” said SotaComm CEO Doan. “Their software and appliances have been tested hard and proven in the real world. Having formed partnerships with these best-of-breed vendors, we’re enabling our small business customers to immediately take advantage of open source advances, and reap the very real financial benefits their big brethren are. And, best of all, we can provide true hands-on support and training for them.”

Doan continued: “SotaComm’s business is now about delivering appliances based on the platforms of leading vendors Fonality, Untangle, and Vyatta – all of which incorporate best-of-breed software. All our appliances are extremely easy-to-use, are rock solid and proven, and are backed by two levels of support.”

Why Open Source?

SotaComm is showing its customers that open source is a better way to develop and deliver software. It’s more transparent and holds vendors accountable to the community. Since it’s heavily standards-based, it gives customers flexibility and protection from vendor lock-in. Further, it lets technology vendors leverage the expertise of the community to build better products, which can be more full-featured with open source software. Vendors can deliver an amazing amount of commercial-grade functionality for free, while also offering fully supported versions of these solutions at dramatically lower prices than can proprietary software vendors. And customers of SotaComm get the advantage of “dual-layer support” – not just the vendor’s, but also support and training provided by SotaComm.

About SotaComm

SotaComm LLC, a name that derives from “State of the Art Communications,” is bringing big-company benefits in open-source software and appliances to small and midsized businesses, initially in three key areas: (1) IP telephony systems, (2) unified threat management, including spam blocking and web filtering, and (3) router and firewall solutions. SotaComm, based in Chaska, MN, partners with leading vendors in open source solutions for small and midsized businesses (SMBs), including Fonality (VOIP phone systems), Untangle (security gateways), and Vyatta (open-source routers and firewalls), and develops its own line of appliances. SotaComm plans to extend its line of appliances beyond best-of-breed communication infrastructure solutions to include storage, data protection, and archiving solutions, because it believes its customers can benefit from having an open, easy-to-use, low-cost, and unified communications and storage network. For more information about SotaComm, please visit the company’s web site at http://www.sotacomm.com, call (952) 479-4111 or toll free (866) 587-4111.

Press contact:

Gary Doan, CEO/Cofounder

SotaComm LLC

http://www.sotacomm.com

gdoan(at)sotacomm.com

(952) 479-4111

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Related Voip Phone System Press Releases

Duluth, GA — July 30, 2008

PossibleNOW’s IT Services division, which lets small to mid-sized businesses enjoy the same technology benefits as larger companies, announced that it has partnered with Allworx to resell local phone and network services. PossibleNOW’s territory will cover the southeastern United States.

Allworx, based in East Rochester, New York, is widely recognized as the industry leader in business telephone systems for small to mid-sized businesses. The company provides telephone systems with features that increase business productivity along with the cost-savings and flexibility of VoIP. As an authorized partner, PossibleNOW can sell the complete line of Allworx phone systems, handset and software products.

“When PossibleNOW decided to upgrade its existing phone system, we interviewed our employees about the features they wanted in a new system. After thorough evaluation of several systems and vendors, we chose and implemented Allworx,” says Michael Boone, Vice President & General Manager of PossibleNOW’s IT Services division. “Our employees really like the flexibility of the Allworx message center. And, the call queuing feature has been especially popular with the PossibleNOW Support staff. Plus, we were able to implement the new system with virtually no disruption to our business.”

Boone continues, “We also looked for a phone system vendor who is focused on customer satisfaction. The Allworx commitment to customer support closely mirrors PossibleNOW’s own philosophy of providing superior customer service. Based on our own implementation of an Allworx system, we know that we can offer our business customers an extremely versatile, top quality phone system at an affordable cost.”

“We’re pleased that PossibleNOW not only selected Allworx for their internal phone system, but decided to partner with us as well. PossibleNOW is a great fit for Allworx based on their proven commitment to customer satisfaction and their technical skills and business savvy,” explains Jason Beckett, National Sales Director for Allworx.

PossibleNOW’s IT Services division offers a full range of services including network installation and troubleshooting, identity protection solutions, data security and data backup services, software application support, and web site design and web hosting services. PossibleNOW’s experienced IT staff helps clients develop an overall IT strategy as well as provide services to supplement existing staff.

For more information about PossibleNOW IT Services and Allworx phone systems, please contact itservices@possiblenow.com or call (770) 255-1020.

About PossibleNOW

PossibleNOW, headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, is the trusted source for Internet-based consumer privacy technology solutions (Do Not Call, Do Not Fax, Do Not E-mail, Do Not Mail). Their DNCSolution? suite of online services provides comprehensive tools that help direct marketers comply with federal and state Do Not Contact legislation. PossibleNOW’s Data Services division enables direct marketers to maximize the value of their information assets and boost the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. PossibleNOW IT Services provides a full range of services and solutions that let small to mid-sized businesses enjoy the technology benefits as larger companies. CompliancePoint, a PossibleNOW company, provides consulting and audit services on consumer privacy issues. For more information about PossibleNOW and its solutions and services, call (770) 255-1020 or visit http://www.possiblenow.com.

About Allworx:

Allworx, a wholly owned subsidiary of PAETEC Holding Corp., develops award winning, phone & network systems for small-to-medium sized businesses through a network of Authorized Resellers. The product line includes the Allworx 6x, 10x and 24x systems and Allworx 9112 and 9102 phones along with a series of software options. By combining the advanced features of today’s VoIP systems with the key system features SMBs have grown to rely on, Allworx systems are ideal replacements for the millions of aging (TDM) PBX and key phone systems in use today. Allworx’ Consulting Division delivers elite software and digital hardware engineering services to both large and small companies who want to enhance and compliment their research and product development capabilities. For more information please visit http://www.allworx.com .

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Portland, OR — August 6, 2008

Chime Software, LLC announces the release of their iCall Center module for their Chime iPBX software.

This module allows small businesses to get virtually the same call center functionality that enterprises or call centers typically might pay a million dollars for from Cisco, Alcatel/Lucent or Nortel at a price that starts under $ 10,000.

“My company is very excited about this latest release from Chime Software,” said Jason Sjobeck President of The Sjobeck Company. “We have been providing our customers with phone systems for over 10 years, specifically focusing on the needs of small businesses. The Chime Software Call Center Module fills a need in the marketplace for the small business to get enterprise call center functionality at an affordable price.”

The iCall Center module provides features like agent queuing, agent rules and prioritization, supports remote agents and other sophisticated call processing.

“We have developed a ‘best in class’ capability for the small business,” said Steven Schroedl, President of Chime Software. “Small businesses are the backbone of the US economy. Providing them much of the same call center functionality as enterprises at an affordable price will only enhance their ability to compete effectively in a global economy. And when our customers succeed, so do we.”

About Chime Software, LLC – Chime Software LLC is committed to providing the most cost effective VoIP phone system for businesses of any scale. Our highly skilled and experienced professionals continuously look to improve the reliability, features, ease of use, and design of our Chime iPBX and related software, modules and components. Chime Software is a wholly owned subsidiary of Verilan. For more information about Chime Software and its products visit its website at http://www.chimesoft.com or e-mail info @ chimesoft.com. For more information about Verilan visit its website at http://www.verilan.com.

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www.EscapeTheCycle.com With Packet 8 Phone Service you can save money. Packet8 phone service will help you cut the cost of your phone bill. What will you do with all the extra savings? To start enjoying Packet8 broadbandphone service, you will need: A broadband Internet connection such as cable or DSL A Packet 8 phone service plan and hardware (a Packet 8 Broadband Phone Adapter, all-in-one VoIP phone or VideoPhone) Packet 8 phone service was introduced in 2002 by publicly traded 8×8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT), a 20 year old telecommunications company with more than 68 multimedia and VoIP technology patents. Since then, 8×8 has applied this expertise to the development and provision of reliable, high quality voice and video Internet phone services for both residential and business users. When you subscribe to Packet8, you can feel confident you have chosen one of the VoIP industry’s most respected and admired service providers. Packet 8 phone Service Offering A broadband telephone and videophone service like no other, Packet 8is an affordable and easy-to-use broadband telephone and videophone service. Designed with both residential and business customers in mind, Packet 8 phone service allows anyone with broadband (high-speed) Internet access to make UNLIMITED calls to anywhere in the US and Canada for as little as .99 per month. All Packet 8 subscribers get worldwide UNLIMITED calling to other Packet8 subscribers at no extra charge. Calls to non-Packet8 International …
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www.EscapeTheCycle.com A Packet8 review will help you discover a new class of voip provider. This packet8 review video should give you a little insight into Packet 8. Enjoy! Packet8 Internetphone service was introduced in 2002 by publicly traded 8×8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT), a 20 year old telecommunications company with more than 68 multimedia and VoIP technology patents. Since then, 8×8 has applied this expertise to the development and provision of reliable, high quality voice and video Internet phone services for both residential and business users. When you subscribe to Packet8, you can feel confident you have chosen one of the VoIP industry’s most respected and admired service providers. Packet8 – Our Service Offering A broadband telephone and videophone service like no other, Packet8 is an affordable and easy-to-use broadband telephone and videophone service. Designed with both residential and business customers in mind, Packet8 allows anyone with broadband (high-speed) Internet access to make UNLIMITED calls to anywhere in the US and Canada for as little as .99 per month. All Packet8 subscribers get worldwide UNLIMITED calling to other Packet8 subscribers at no extra charge. Calls to non-Packet8 International numbers (outside the US and Canada) are billed at very low per minute rates. Packet8 – What Are The Options? Packet8 offers numerous residential and business Internet phone service plans that utilize your existing high speed Internet connection (ie DSL, Cable …
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Portland, OR — September 8, 2008

We are one of the first (if not the first) in the industry to offer a Tenanting capability. This allows the end customer to partition the system into different tenant organizations or companies, complete with their own dial plans, extension lists, administration through policy rights, and even separate access to device licenses and trunk channels. The ideal types of customers are campus environments, incubators, executive suites, and companies with multiple entities that need to be segregated for whatever reason.

“I am very excited about this capability” exclaimed Stephen Hilgart Vice President of Operations. “It fills a unique need in the industry and we see this functionality driving sales for our partners. There are many situations that require different organizations to share space and resources. Our solution provides a full featured economical solution” Stephen went on to say.

Another nice feature that we have implemented is the ability to access certain features from the handset. Almost all VoIP systems tout their ability to support remote workers. Many of those systems only work if the remote worker has an internet connection. With Chime Software’s iRemote Worker feature set it allows the remote/mobile worker to access certain functionality from their handset, whether it is a land line or a mobile phone. Some of these include transferring to another extension, or placing the call into a conference room.

“I am key marketing individual in my company” said Rick Barr from Pro Sports Network. “Our headquarters are in southern California and I work from Portland. Having the functionality at my disposal whether I am in my remote office or between is important for me. The Chime Software allows me to be far more productive than I would otherwise” Rick goes on to say.

Some of the other functionality that Chime Software announced in this current release include:

iAnnounce List – The ability to “blast” out a phone message to a group of subscribers. This works similar to voice mail blast but has the added benefit of sending a message to people who are not on our system.

iCRM – The ability to utilize CRM capabilities from our iAssist interface.

Enhanced Button templates – We have expanded the list of phones that we have created templates for.

About Chime Software, LLC – Chime Software LLC is committed to providing the most cost effective VoIP phone system for businesses of any scale. Our highly skilled and experienced professionals continuously look to improve the reliability, features, ease of use, and design of our Chime iPBX and related software, modules and components. Chime Software is a wholly owned subsidiary of Verilan. For more information about Chime Software and it’s products visit its website at http://www.chimesoft.com or e-mail info @ chimesoft.com. For more information about Verilan visit its website at

http://www.verilan.com.

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Find More Voip Phone System Press Releases

Dallas, TX — September 17, 2008

Microsoft Response Point, an easy-to-use voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone system designed uniquely for the needs of small businesses (one to 50 employees), has teamed with tekVizion Labs to Qualify OEM partners and Service Provider customers. tekVizion Labs is an independent test facility leveraging their VoIP expertise to certify Response Point OEM products as well as testing functionality to the Service Provider network. “The small to medium business owner doesn’t have a large IT staff to support phone systems installations and support issues,” said Leland Phillips, President of tekVizion Labs. “Therefore, the requirement for a tested and proven product are that much greater and Response Point is committed to maintaining that high standard. Response Point’s OEM vendors have met the challenge as well.”

Already performing qualification for Office Communications Server (OCS) and Exchange Unified Messaging (UM), tekVizion Labs furthers their relationship with Microsoft. “tekVizion’s experience with Microsoft’s communications products made this a natural choice,” said Xuedong Huang, general manager of Microsoft Response Point. “Their independent approach, combined with the rigor of our certification program, will provide a level of confidence to our customers that these products can be deployed and will work as advertised.”

Interested parties can request more information from the program website:

tekVizion Labs – Microsoft Response Point Testing Portal

More information about Microsoft Response Point can be found at the Microsoft website:

Response Point – IP PBX & VoIP PBX Solutions for Small Business Phone Systems

About tekVizion PVS

tekVizion Labs? is an independent test facility specializing in VoIP interoperability testing and the management of 3rd party testing programs for leading vendors, enterprises and service providers. tekVizion Labs offers a full range of testing services including interoperability, solution, conformance, product assessments and outsourced testing. tekVizion’s other services include consulting, custom VoIP application development, and VoIP technical support.

tekVizion Labs state-of-the-art VoIP test lab is located in the Telecom Corridor

Norfolk, VA — October 3, 2008

Affinity4, one of the nation’s leading affinity-based marketers specializing in helping charities, ministries and other non-profit organizations raise funds, once again demonstrated its continued emphasis on “Best in Class” customer service with a major upgrade of its Norfolk, Virginia Call Center. The project was prompted by the steadily increasing number of calls coming into Affinity4′s Call Center. This past July represented one of the company’s highest call center volumes.

To effectively manage the volume and maintain its high standards of customer service, Affinity4 incorporated new, advanced technologies into the center. All new Hewlett Packard (HP) PCs and flat panel monitors were installed along with a new Asterisk-based Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) phone system, as well as a 52-inch plasma screen to communicate important information to agents. Additionally, the off-site data center was changed with all new servers to improve the service quality.

Also as part of its Call Center upgrade, Affinity4 is in the process of implementing a Sugar Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution, which will replace previous proprietary and commercial packages the company had been using. The new Sugar CRM program will enable Affinity4 to aggregate management of all customers, products and potential customer into a single application. As a result, Affinity4′s reporting capabilities will be greatly enhanced and its call center agents will be able to access more information about customers on a real-time basis, while on the phone with customers. Overall efficiency relating to order entry, maintenance tasks and the streamlining of reports also is expected to increase. The initial phase of the Sugar CRM application launch has been completed with the full-scale rollout expected to be complete by year’s end.

Affinity4′s Senior Call Center Manager, Michael Baldwin, noted, “Our Call Center not only handles incoming customer service-related calls, but it represents a key sales channel for us. With these significant enhancements in technology and personnel, we will be able to exceed our customers’ expectations when it comes to customer service, while still focusing on growing the business at a manageable rate.”

According to Mr. Baldwin, all Affinity4 agents will attend refresher training on all products the company offers. In addition, product benefits will be discussed in each pre-shift meeting daily. Affinity4′s new CRM will be tailored to allow its agents to be ‘tagged’ so that they are reminded to follow-up with customers who they initially contacted.

Affinity4′s Call Center previously was located in Tahlequah, OK, but was relocated in 2007 to Norfolk, VA where the company is headquartered.

More about Affinity4:

Affinity4 is an affinity-based marketing company whose mission is to help support its non-profits’ goals by assisting in their fundraising and development programs. Specifically, Affinty4 markets various telecommunications products and services, including long distance and digital phone services, high speed Internet, as well as DIRECTV

ENCINITAS, Calif. — October 7, 2008

FreedomIQ helps TAG members compete more effectively in broader markets. Since there are no major equipment purchases involved, hosted VoIP phone systems are attractive to small and medium-sized businesses.

However, the real advantage of FreedomIQ lies in its month-to-month service agreement. As a monthly service, FreedomIQ gives TAG members the opportunity to approach clients without requiring them to sign long-term service contracts. Commissions for these sales are paid every month without needing to meet a sales quota. Members can also recruit other partners to earn tiered commissions.

“With a traditional PBX commission model, a reseller can’t make a significant profit on a sale under 20 seats,” states Eric Thomas, founder and CEO of FreedomVOICE Systems. “Rather than walking away from smaller clients, FreedomIQ’s month-to-month service and recurring commissions provide an easy-to-build revenue stream. These leads are now worth pursuing.”

FreedomIQ also enables TAG members to capture an audience that has traditionally been unable to afford a business phone system: entrepreneurs with little or no financing. FreedomIQ provides these clients with a maintenance-free enterprise phone system with little initial investment.

“TAG members are the most innovative and customer focused providers in their communities,” states Dale Stein, co-founder of TAG. “The FreedomIQ hosted VoIP solution enhances the ability of our members to fulfill the technology needs of the businesses they serve. This will be a valuable partnership for everyone involved, especially the end user.”

For more information about FreedomIQ, visit http://www.FreedomIQ.com.

About FreedomVOICE Systems:

Founded in 1996, FreedomVOICE Systems develops and markets FreedomIQ, a VoIP Hosted PBX service allowing businesses and professional offices to interact more effectively with their customers, clients, patients and associates. FreedomVOICE Systems also offers a comprehensive slate of integrated virtual office solutions, enabling business owners to enhance company image, communicate seamlessly with customers, track marketing effectiveness, and increase profitability.

About Technology Assurance Group, LLC (TAG):

Technology Assurance Group, LLC (TAG) is an international organization of leading independently owned business communications companies. TAG provides its members with the competitive advantages necessary to achieve a dominant position in their marketplace. Members benefit from programs including strategic partnerships with communication solution providers, best business and management practices, and advanced sales training programs. TAG’s mission is to increase its members’ sales and profits through education and to ease their introduction of new technology to the marketplace by leveraging their combined intellect and purchasing power. For more information on TAG, please call 858-673-5800 or visit http://www.tagnational.com.

Dedham, MA — October 23, 2008

As economic woes on Wall Street impact businesses across the nation and world, companies can find simple savings on technology that are otherwise overlooked in robust times, says Michael Corey, the CEO and founder of Ntirety Inc., a pioneer in remote database administration. From reviewing licensing and support agreements to questioning the need for technology upgrades, corporations can keep their information technology fully functioning and save resources.

“I have witnessed the hidden waste that goes unnoticed in corporate IT budgets. It’s there if you know where to look, and cutting the waste can free up dollars for other initiatives without impacting the business,” said Corey, who has founded two managed services firms and is a recognized expert in database administration. “The good news is there are more choices today than ever before on how a company can provide the technology infrastructure it needs to stay competitive. It’s a matter of making choices that maximize those dollars and keeps flowing the information the business needs to stay competitive.”

In a message to clients posted on his blog, michaelcorey.ntirety.com, Corey outlines seemingly simple, yet often overlooked, steps for squeezing savings from technology budgets. Corey’s advice:

1. Cut unneeded software licenses

Check your licenses and make sure you are not paying for ones you don’t use. If you have eight licenses to Salesforce, but only need five, that is waste hidden in the technology budget. It’s worse if you have 50 antivirus subscriptions, but only needed 35. Given the various software licenses companies require, unused licenses can waste tens of thousands of dollars annually.

Cutting out unused licenses can reduce costs without negatively impacting the business. And if your company unfortunately has layoffs, remember to reduce licenses as head count drops.

2. Use your technology or lose it

Many companies purchase technology with the best intentions, but never actually deploy it. Where it makes sense, brush the dust off and start using it. For example, many businesses have Microsoft SharePoint – it came with the server license – but they don’t use it to its fullest potential. You might be able to get more efficiency from the dollars already spent by using it fully.

If you bought technology and deploying it no longer makes sense, double check that you are not paying support fees on it. Often, companies acquire technology that is packaged with free additional software. What a deal! The catch is you may be paying for ongoing maintenance of the so-called free software, which you may not even be using because you never really wanted it in the first place.

3. Do you need a support group?

There can be such a thing as too much help. It’s time to review your support network and ask these questions:

Are you paying for 24-7 support when you can get by with support during normal business hours?

Do you need to hire a new database administrator when you can get a team of DBAs to remotely manage the database at a fraction of the cost of a new employee? You should ask the same question about support for desktop environments. Is remote support more efficient than in-house?

Does it make sense to maintain an in-house email infrastructure when it can be bought by the head, at a fraction of the cost, from a third-party?

4. Invest now or later?

If you have the option to upgrade your database, ask yourself whether you really need to? Would it be better to manage with your current version and wait until a game-changing upgrade comes along?

You should also ask whether the upgrade requires new hardware, a potentially hidden expense that may be a budget buster. (New technology projects are notorious for rising budgets because of unforeseen expenses, so make sure you fully vet project plans for all costs.)

You will also want to reconsider other technology upgrades, such as:

Is now the right time to invest in that new VOIP phone system?

Is now the right time to build customized technology for specific business needs, or can you live with a cheaper, off-the-shelf product that is workable, but not perfect?

About Ntirety

Ntirety Inc., remote database administrators based in Dedham, Mass., provides U.S.-based professionals leveraging best-of-breed technologies at an affordable monthly cost to proactively monitor, manage and optimize customers’ Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server databases.

For more information about Ntirety, visit http://www.ntirety.com, and read founder Michael Corey’s blog at http://michaelcorey.ntirety.com.

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