The Cascade Inn ? Monitoring your small business while on the go

For small business owners there never seems to be enough time in the day. They work hard and they get results. Statistics show they employ the majority of all private sector workers. And according to the US Small Business Administration, they have created 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs annually over the last decade.

Being successful means being constantly on call. The business is part of every day life no matter where one is on the job or a thousand miles away from it. Juggling this responsibility with other commitments is challenging and can be stressful.

Many small business owners accept this as part of the territory. In todays world, with technology at our fingertips, it doesnt have to be this way. There are solutions to help entrepreneurs gain freedom and flexibility while keeping an eye on return of investment.

For the small business owner, running their business is a labor of love, says Robin Stennet, director of Small Business Marketing for ADT Security Services, Inc. But its also extremely time consuming and it can literally take over their entire lives.

Speaking to this predicament, ADT offers interactive solutions that allow business owners to check the pulse of their business no matter where they are. Whether they want to check on customers and employees through real-time surveillance video, set the AC on high, or create a safe environment by turning on outdoor lights, these products give the flexibility to do these things through any web-enabled device. This can allow owners to interact with their business as if they were right on the premises all eyes and ears.

Through the way basic technology is evolving now there are new and different ways to think about its use, says Stennet. Now whether youre home, on vacation, or at another of your locations, technology has evolved so that you can interact with your security system. We work to educate customers that just as phones, computers and music players have evolved, so too has security technology. For example, a customer may have a system for 20 years and it does work, but we help them consider the aspects of convenience technology.

Stennet says she will often go into a business and see such things as notes on thermostats to remind the business owner to adjust the temperature. But of course, thats not a fail proof or convenient method. The business may be closed all weekend and when you come in on Monday, its freezing, she says. Or maybe the coffee maker was left on and its scorched. Well, as the business owner youre the one who has to go out and buy the new coffee maker. These little things add up between time, money and frustration.

With an interactive system, text reminders that lights, appliances or thermostats are on, off or at a certain temperature can be sent. Or, the app can let you turn off or change the setting of certain equipment and lighting remotely.

We want to teach the small business owner how to realize small but steady dollar and time savings, as well as productivity measures, says Stennet.

This same technology can be used to help manage a business and employees. If a retailer knows he should be open at 9 am, he can set up an automated alert that would send a text every day if the alarm is not turned off by 8:45 am

Youll know just whats going on with your business and if people are where they should be, Stennet says. These are things people dont typically associate with security, but there is a relationship with our new technology that can help add up to money and time savings.

For those who are techno-phobic or just dont know where to begin, at no obligation, ADTs team of small business security specialists can assess what security system or service is right for their business, and layout a plan. During the system is installation, there is hands-on training and 24/7 customer support that will dispatch a technician if necessary.

Every step of the way, you can have a professional holding your hand if you need that, says Stennet.

Be prepared to think of security as a business basic, she adds. And educate yourself on how technology has evolved; know what the latest and greatest is. From lighting to small appliance control and beyond, technology is becoming all about interactivity.

Dont miss the next topic in our six-part series on security solutions for small businesses Advances in Intrusion Detection Technology.

Source: http://www.thecascadeinn.org/2012/07/monitoring-your-small-business-while-on-the-go/

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