Why Do I Need an IT Consulting Agency?

Have you ever thought about getting an IT consulting Agency?

Being a business owner is tough. You get up early in the morning and the first thought you have in mind is “How do I make my business better?” Most people would actually think of “What should I eat for breakfast?”.

In the world where everything moves fast and innovations would pop out like grass in your backyard, how do you cope with it? The analogy may seem funny but admit it, it is the reality that we are currently facing. Another thing is, even if we accept it, how do we move forward if we have no idea what the steps are.

Now here’s the thing, we are not experts in everything and we sometimes need help. That is the reason why you need to ask advice and guidance from someone in the industry or have a deep knowledge in the specific topic/industry.

You may think that getting advice is expensive and it is a waste of time. In reality it is the total opposite. You do not have to do much trial and error with an expert since most of the practices/solutions are already tested and proven. Error may come up but the margin is lower than doing trial and error with small to no knowledge about the area.

If you are a business owner with big visions and goals for your business in the area of tech, you may now be pondering on if you should get an IT Agency. Worries like pricing, expertise and value adding may be of concern right now.

Continue reading on if you are still unsure on what qualifications you need for an IT Consulting Agency:

Trust the experienced and proven experts

Building a business without experts beside you will be taxing and would eat up all your time. Do you know what is worse? Getting an agency or consultant who have no idea what they are doing. Imagine implementing solutions and advice that was not proven and tested. This may lead to a horrible loss on money and time.

There is no one size fits all solution for businesses. Businesses are different from each other. Like a snowflake, everything differs from needs to objectives. This knowledge may only be acquired by experience in the different fields. You need to find out if they have ever handled a company similar to yours but are willing to be proactive in finding the solution that would fit your company.

Experience and results are one of the best indicators if the IT consulting agency are a good fit for you.

 

You Get to Focus on Your Core Business

Imagine focusing on activities in your company that you have little to no idea about. You know that this is an activity that can greatly affect you company it may be directly or indirectly. That will not only end in chaos but also loss of money, time, and effort.

This also goes to your staff. If you hired them and they have no idea about the IT field, it would also eat up their time and they wonrt get to focus on the core business.

You may opt to work with an IT consulting agency. You get to focus on your core business since the agency will be able to put together a plan of action that gives you what you need to work productively, decreasing the possible risks of doing business. Your staff will also have more time with the core business since they didn’t have to fill a role they have no idea about

 

You are updated with Technology

Today, when the world is changing fast, you need more support and help than ever before. It takes a lot of time to find and bring people to your team, and even more to train them.

If you have an IT Consulting Agency, you do not need to remind them about being updated and training them (which costs a lot!). You get your money’s worth since the agency already have the resources and knowledge about the ins and outs of technology.

 

Blow the Competition Away

Remember how any companies failed to grow due to being left behind in technology? Yeah, we don’t think that is what you want with your business. The chances of failing is then lowered with  an IT Consulting Agency. They are usually the first ones to notice an upcoming trend and opportunity that the business can implement.

Hiring an IT consulting agency will increase your chances to stay competitive amongst other players in the industry and have a lower chance of failing. Tech is not for the huge enterprises only anymore. Tech is everywhere and it is every changing. Now is the perfect time to change your perspective in running your business.

 

Reduce Cost and Expenses

IT projects being transferred to an outsourcing company by enterprises is rarely a purely budget-cutting-driven decision. Note that  it’s not the best practice to judge the provider just by costs alone.

If you are just starting or have a smaller company meaning you don’t have millions of pesos to spend on IT. Instead of growing the in-house team, consider delegating the coding work, for example, to an IT consultancy firm and have your in-house senior managers handle the communication between the teams and work on a strategy.

In addition to that, such overheads as recruitment, vacations, sick days, turnover, and other day-to-day managerial tasks are no longer your responsibility.

Final thoughts

There are three levels of IT consulting.

  • Audit consulting
  • Applied
  • Strategic

These differ on what the business needs and what support you are looking for. It can go from tactical and minor to strategic. The lower level is the processes consulting.

An IT consultant looks at the existing tech process in a company, identifies its weak points, and proposes specific changes.

The process of IT consulting and the introduction of new technology are among the top priority of the agency.

Bequik has been in the industry for more than 20 years and has been helping companies/businesses grow into successful ones.

 

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Best laptops in 2022 for every kind of lifestyle and budget

Laptops is a craze and it moves so fast that maybe in an instant, the laptop you thought was great, is already beat by a new one with better specs.

The variety of laptops are endless. Almost every day there is a new one being launched. With them being so many, which do you choose? Which is the bet that suits your lifestyle and work? Do you need a notebook laptop? Do you need a Chromebook? With an overwhelming number if choices, we narrowed it down to the best choices that can fit your budget and lifestyle.

 

 

Macbook Air (M1)

(The best Macbook on the Market today)

Specifications

Display: 13.3 inches; 2560×1600

CPU: Apple M1

GPU: Integrated 8-core GPU

RAM: 8GB-16GB

Storage: 256GB-2TB SSD

Weight: 2.8 pounds

 

Why you should get it

  • Remarkably fast performance
  • Silent use
  • Amazingly long battery life

Why you should avoid it

  • The design is not really new
  • The fanless design may impact the performance in the long run

Review

And once again, Apple have revolutionized how people see laptops. With the addition of the M1 chip in place instead of their previous Intel chips have created the Macbook Air faster than ever. With the new silicon processors, the battery life which was the issue of many Mac users before has created a longer battery life in the Macbook.

 

If you are a multi tasker, this will be your new friend. With the processor being faster than ever, you can now run multiple applications. This can run iOS apps for iPhones and iPads which opened doors to multiple mobile applications and games that were previously not seen by Apple users.

Dell XPS 13 OLED

(Best Laptop for creatives)

Specifications

Display: 13.4 inches; 1920×1080, 3840×2160, or 3.5K OLED

CPU: 11th-Generation Intel Core i3-i7

GPU: Intel UHD to Intel Iris Xe

RAM: 8GB-16GB

Storage: 256GB-2TBGB SSD

Weight: 2.64 pounds

 

Why you should get it

  • Gorgeous, immersive display — especially if you spring for the 3.5K OLED option
  • Comfortable keyboard
  • Great overall performance
  • Slim and stunning design

 

Why you should avoid it

  • Battery life could be better
  • Limited port selection
  • No webcam shutter
  • Options for a cheaper laptop is available

Review

With the current line up if Dell’s XPS series, you can never go wrong. With the beautiful slim design of Dell XPS, the performance of this laptop was not compromised. With the excellent performance which has a long battery life and stunning display of XPS 13, you will not regret buying it.

It can be a pricey investment for a laptop but the tradeoff to having a high definition picture quality when you stream movies or home edits is totally a good tradeoff.

Overall, the XPS 13 OLED brings it when it comes to creating an excellent display upgrade and it does so without too many sacrifices.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Gen 6)

(Best 2 in 1 laptop for business)

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-1165G7

GPU: Intel Iris Xe graphics

RAM: 16GB

Storage: 512GB SSD

Display: 14-inches, 1200p

Size: 12.3 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 3 pounds

 

Why you should get it

  • Speedy performance
  • Long battery life
  • Built-in stylus slot

 

Why you should avoid it

  • Heavier than some competitors
  • No SD card slot
  • Expensive

Review

If you are a business man/woman or just someone who travels a lot for work, this portable 2-in-1 laptop just might be your favorite travel buddy. If you are willing to invest in a laptop that have close to none weaknesses, this is a considerable choice.

The 11th Gen Intel CPUs provide fast performance and epic endurance, while the sleek chassis is slim enough to take on a business trip or to the cafe when you’re working remotely. If you think that it stops there, you are wrong! With the features of IR camera and fingerprint sensor to the garaged stylus, a battery life of nearly 15 hours on a charge and a webcam cover, you already living the business travelers dream.

 

 

Dell XPS 15 OLED

(Best Laptop for professionals)

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i7-11800H

GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti

RAM: 16GB

Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD

Display: 15.6-inch, 4K

Size: 13.6 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 4.3 pounds

Why you should get it

  • 3.5K OLED display impresses with beautiful contrasts
  • Remarkable performance
  • Spacious, comfy keyboard
  • Svelte chassis still looks great

 

Why you should avoid it

  • Disappointing battery life
  • No USB Type-A

Review

If you are a Windows laptop user, this powerhouse of a laptop might have landed on your ears at some point. With its attractive and sleek design that even Mac users would say is impressive, you can take it to work (even play) on the road. Combining the XPS staples with excellent performance from 11th Gen Intel and Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti chips and it’s easy to recommend this to students, business users or content creators

 

If you want a powerhouse with a gorgeous display, excellent audio and a host of other premium features, the Dell XPS 15 is the absolute way to go.

 

 

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (8th Gen)

(Best Windows Laptop)

Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i5-10310U (vPro) CPU

GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 256GB SSD

Display: 14-inch, 1080p

Size: 12.7 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches

Weight: 2.4 pounds

 

Why you should get it

  • Slim, lightweight design
  • Bright, vibrant 1080p and 4K display options
  • Fast performance

 

Why you should avoid it

  • Fingerprint magnet

Review

Complaining about the HP Spectre X360 14 will be a task to do. With the gorgeous looking laptop, a hardcore build and luxe look and feel, how could you?

 

Many might say that it just looks good but you will be surprised that it is not the case. Intel’s latest 11th Gen processors and Iris Xe integrated graphics deliver an amazing performance with no slowdown or freezes. You can also get an average of 10 hours of battery life out of the device.

 

 

Asus ROG Zephyrus G15

(Best Long lasting Gaming laptop)

Specifications

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS

GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080

RAM: 32GB

Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD

Display: 5.6-inch, 2560 x 1440, 165Hz

Size: 14.0 x 9.6 x 0.8 inches

Weight: 4.2 pounds

Why you should get it

  • Killer AMD and Nvidia performance
  • Amazing battery life
  • Elegant Moonlight White design

 

Why you should avoid it

  • Display could be more vibrant
  • No webcam

Review

The Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 has some of the most powerful components you can get right now. Almost every part of this laptop is great and we could say worth the money. Its performance is all thanks to its AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU.

 

If you are a fan of amazing graphics, 1440p display is in there. With it is the powerful speakers wrapped up in an even more elegant Moonlight White design. Also! It crushed the premium gaming laptops average battery

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HPE Nimble storage dHCI: HCI Without Limits

There are challenges that Virtual machine (VM) administrators are facing today. System complexity requiring multi-domain experience is top of the list. There is also pressure to support both traditional and modern applications. All together this challenges plus fighting VM sprawl and reduce cost.

Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) was the new architecture being used by hyper-scalers before. They were looking to create a more flexible infrastructure that was easier to manage, scale and refresh than more traditional storage infrastructure and cost significantly less. With this, Hyper-scalers like Amazon used software-defined server-based storage which popularized the hyperconverged infrastructure approach.

With this much attention, HCI started to create commercial versions and offered in appliance form. The software-defined flexibility, easier management and scalability, and better economics gained HCI popularity with the small and medium business. The simplicity of HCI appealed strongly to many IT organizations that were also experiencing a migration of storage management responsibilities away from dedicated storage administration groups and more towards IT generalists (e.g. :Linux and Windows administrators)

The challenges that HCI has solved are:

  • enabling compute
  • storage
  • networking functions

In other words, making it simple to deploy, manage and upgrade infrastructure when scaling compute and storage together is ideal

What Makes HPE Nimble Storage dHCI Without Limits?

HPE Nimble Storage dHCI lets VM administrators unlock agility and accelerate time to market on a platform designed for business-critical application and mixed workloads at scale. Taking HCI further, HPE Nimble Storage dHCI overcomes the limitations preventing HCI from supporting more demanding applications and workloads. Powered with HPE InfoSight, the industry’s most advanced artificial intelligence for infrastructure, HPE Nimble Storage dHCI gives enterprises ultimate simplicity for their virtualized environments with fast application performance, always-on data resilience, and resource efficiency.

In closing, HPE Nimble DHCI Storage makes it the ideal VDI storage solution for your VMware Horizon View deployment.

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DIGITAL BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION AND STRATEGY

When you hear someone say digital business transformation, the fist thought of a person is using technology in the business. This is true but this is an understatement. Digital business transformation is not only about devices and software One does not only absent mindedly apply technology right away.

When you undergo digital transformation, this encompasses the transformation of your cultural and operational change of an organization to improve performance. When you start to integrate technology to your business, no matter how small it is, you should be prepared for any processes, functions, and competencies to change.

The way we use technology has not only changed processes, it has changed the face of business and it will continue to do so. Innovation and transformation will not stop. Once you acknowledge that there is a need for digital business transformation, you start to wonder how you do this.

First, you should know why it is so important. Here are the popular reasons:

  1. This improves customer experience and engagement
  2. Increase efficiency
  3. Improve business decision making
  4. Improve innovation
  5. Transform business
  6. Empowers your employees
  7. Optimized operations

If you are thinking of just slapping in technology in to your business and calling it a day without the logical reasoning behind it, then you are in trouble. You need strategy and expertise.

Digital transformation covers a huge number of processes, interactions, transactions, technological evolutions, changes and so forth. It is necessary to keep these factors in mind.

Here are things to remember before you have your digital transformation:

  1. Innovation is fast, so should you.
  2. Trends are important.
  3. Internet of things is your bible.
  4. It is called Big data for a reason. It is important.
  5. Listen to your customers.
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STARTING A SMALL BUSINESS IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING A PANDEMIC

During this pandemic, many have shifted their gears towards owning and creating their own business. I keep seeing friends and family posting about their new ventures. This peaked my interest and I decided to learn how it really is to start an MSME or maybe even start my own.

I started with what I already know. I had a class in economics and business during my college years so I do have a small idea on how to start a small venture. As I started writing down the things I knew, I started getting excited but at the same time I was anxious about it. I knew that one needed capital and an idea on what product or service they would offer in order to get the ball running and because of this, it made me hesitate on my decision of actually start my own business. I find it rather funny how I still have this notion that I can just follow the formula of creating a business in all those shows and movies wherein the main character starts a business that I’ve seen throughout the years. I knew that it wouldn’t work so I went on to search for answers in the internet. Maybe then I’d get a better grasp of things.

As I searched for sources, I started learning things especially the state of our MSMEs in the country. According to the Oxford Business Group, the Philippine’s business sector is composed with 99.6% MSMEs. These MSMEs face many challenges such as lack of technical capacity, lack of access to regional markets and the lack of access to finance. During the pandemic, I found out in the report of ADB that 59.9% of microenterprises had no sales in March 2020 due to the lockdowns that happened around the world. MSMEs that also had operated continuously during the lockdown also had a drop in their sales. However, there are some MSMEs that had a sales increase due to their special demand.

This got me thinking, despite other MSMEs having their sales drop to almost zero, there are some that rose to the occasion. This got me digging more on what happened. I believe that is more to why sales with these MSMEs went higher than expected. I started reading more journals and reports on what made these MSMEs gain sales.

This got me thinking, despite other MSMEs having their sales drop to almost zero, there are some that rose to the occasion. This got me digging more on what happened. I believe that is more to why sales with these MSMEs went higher than expected. I started reading more journals and reports on what made these MSMEs gain sales.

This got me thinking, despite other MSMEs having their sales drop to almost zero, there are some that rose to the occasion. This got me digging more on what happened. I believe that is more to why sales with these MSMEs went higher than expected. I started reading more journals and reports on what made these MSMEs gain sales.

This got me thinking, despite other MSMEs having their sales drop to almost zero, there are some that rose to the occasion. This got me digging more on what happened. I believe that is more to why sales with these MSMEs went higher than expected. I started reading more journals and reports on what made these MSMEs gain sales.

Do’s

  1. Research about the business landscape
  2. Have a plan and vision
  3. Know your customers
  4. Adapt to the trends in business
  5. Integrate technology

Don’t

  1. Do not stick to only one way of doing things
  2. Do not skip on organizing and creating a plan
  3. Do not underestimate capital requirements
  4. Do not decide on things too quickly when it comes to things you have minimal information on
  5. Do not ignore the economics of the business

Becoming an entrepreneur can be an adventure of a lifetime. As we all know though, in an adventure, challenges are inevitable. Mistakes are going to me made and it is alright. My research is not full-proof and I believe that the best way to know if you will be a successful entrepreneur is actually start on it. Experience is the best teacher after all. You can only prepare and anticipate challenges up ahead.

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ADVANTAGES OF A PHYSICAL DATA CENTER

Data centers have different sizes. They may be as small as a closet or as big as a warehouse. There are some businesses that even have multiple data center facilities. This may look costly or even scary at first, but there are multiple advantages in having your own data center.

1. Control
When you have your own data center, changes in configurations are easy. You can also easily change your security parameters. You can also identify the inefficiency in your network easily. With a sensitive data in your server, it is important to have access controls. With this security policy, it can protect your business from data breaches.

2. Cost Effective
There may be some financial burden in the beginning, but if you look at it long term, the benefits outweigh the burden in the beginning. When you have your own data center, you only do a onetime purchase. The ability to resize and configure adds flexibility and value with only minimal additional cost.

3. Security
Securing data is a high priority. When you have your own internal database, the risk of the data being stolen is reduced and thus could be a key selling feature of your company. This would add confidence to your potential clients who are considering to have a business relationship with your company.

Conclusion
A physical data center is perfect for you if you are looking for a long-term solutions for your data management and protection. You will have control over your data. Also, you can quickly make changes to your system. There are many more advantages of the physical data center. They will provide more flexibility for you. Here ate Bequik, you can get access to our engineers. If you want more information regarding the physical data center, then you can contact us.

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TOP REASONS TO CHOOSE DELL EMC POWERSTORE OVER PURE FLASHARRAY

Unmatched Agility with AppsON Technology
PowerStore with AppsON brings applications closer to the data with the only purposed-built array with a built-in VMware ESXi Hypervisor1

Anytime Upgrades Program
The industry’s most flexible controller upgrade program2

Scale Up and Out for Flexible Growth
PowerStore appliances can grow to 898 TB of capacity, and up to 4 PowerStore appliances can be clustered for scale out benefits3

Persistent NVMe Flash and SCM Drive Support
Purpose-built to support NVMe Flash and Storage Class Memory (SCM) drives

Guaranteed Data Efficiency
Always-on inline data reduction includes 4:1 guarantee4 without an assessment

Remarkable Flexibility with Unified Storage
PowerStore is designed to support block, file and vVols natively on a single system

WHY DELL TECHNOLOGIES OVER PURE STORAGE
Future-proof program now with Anytime Upgrades for PowerStore, with three-year satisfaction guarantee5

Dell Technologies incentive programs to make trade-in cost effective6

Native migration tools included that let you automate entire migrations directly from the PowerStore Manager wizard

Free assesments with live optics

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