Q&A: James Bond, Apptix

• By Liam Eagle, November 20, 2008

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(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- It's probably safe to assume that most web hosts would concur with the notion that outsourcing IT services is to the advantage of small businesses. It is just a basic principle of the hosting business that there is an advantage to outsourcing.

But most hosts would probably also agree that there is a certain resistance to the idea of outsourcing, in particular among the IT people whose day-to-day jobs would stand to be affected most by the adoption of outsourced services.

A while back, we got a story pitch from email (and other applications) hosting provider Apptix, about the company's encounters with what it called "hostophobia" and the reservations of the "lone IT guy" who might be resistant to the idea of handing over parts of his job to an outside provider.

In an email conversation with the WHIR, Apptix's director of engineering James Bond answered some questions about the company's interactions with these "lone IT guys," how even they stand to benefit from working with outsourced solutions, and how hosting companies might go about convincing them of those benefits.

WHIR: You do describe pretty clearly who you envision this "lone IT guy" as being. Could you describe how you might go about identifying and approaching this person? Are they typically being encouraged in any way to seek out outsourced solutions to their problems?

James Bond: The "lone IT guy" is essentially a small business's one-man-does-all resource for every IT-related task, from email and databases to voice and technology planning. Many also build cubes, run phone lines, and move office furniture. They are often overworked and swimming amidst deadlines of "yesterday," and spend much of their daily activities running from task to task, fixing email problems, curing connectivity issues, and getting new technology and equipment up and running.

When it comes to approaching an IT guy, a hosting provider needs to be cognizant of the IT guy's responsibilities, their far-too-full schedule, and the fact that they are probably wary of hosted providers as potential competition for their job.

Most IT guys do not proactively seek outsourced solutions to their problems, because of what I like to call "hostophobia," or the fear of hosted services and what these solutions might mean: loss of control, lowered job security, and the potential for vendor overload.

What are some of the specific concerns you encounter in what you're describing as "hostophobia?"

JB: First there is the issue of control. In the IT guy's mind, only they - and they alone - can grasp the intricacies of their organization's technology needs - networks, service, security, backup, email, voice, etc. Hostophobes believe that giving "strangers" control of their technology baby is tantamount to heresy.

A secondary issue that concerns IT guys is the concept of "vendor wrangling." IT guys have experienced - first hand - the time-consuming interactions required between disparate vendors. Adding yet another third party to the mix elicits terror, and could be a deal breaker. But in truth, by enlisting a hosting provider, IT guys get "one hand to shake" when it comes to essential services.

And finally, we have the issue of job security. If their company's tech services are outsourced, why would the company keep them around? In truth, hosting companies enable IT guys to gain job security. Imagine how much more strategic activity IT guys could accomplish if they had the time. Hosting sets IT guys free to focus on core job functions without having to fret about email, voice, or other collaboration services going down.

How might the lone IT guy actually benefit from using hosted services to offload some of his tasks? And how do you typically go about convincing this kind of user of their value?

JB: There are a plethora of benefits for lone IT guys who choose to offload some of their more routine tasks to hosted services providers. First and foremost, hosted services set IT guys free to focus on core functions specific to their business, while providing enterprise-class "big company" hosted products and features at a price small companies can afford.

Additionally, IT guys using hosted services can offer solutions faster and easier than having to install various servers in-house, reduce their overall hardware/software footprint, and provide the expected levels of support like 24/7 customer service, industry-standard SLAs, and high-level network reliability with no increased workload on their end. Most hosted services providers make Web-based administration consoles available as well, letting IT guys remain in control of every aspect of their operation.

When it comes time to expand or add new technologies, IT guys can use hosted services to quickly "add on" capabilities to please all of their users and their company leadership.

The benefits of using hosted services, from an IT guy perspective, are increased reliability, more robust products/services, and less effort on their part. The capabilities and features of these "big company" hosted applications are far more costly, feature-rich, and redundant than most small businesses could ever afford to deploy themselves. Whether it be 24/7 support, clustered servers and data centers, or constant upgrades to the latest patches and software revisions, a hosted provider handles these tasks so the IT guy can focus on other aspects of their job - including focusing on specific users, executives, or company-specific software systems that cannot be hosted by a third party.

What are the specific benefits to this "lone IT guy" in using hosted services?

JB: Whether someone is a lone IT guy or an accidental one, to run a successful small company requires time - time that could be better spent growing the business. Every day, IT Guys combat a myriad of issues - servers crashing, phones on the fritz, salespeople unable to work remotely, a lack of team collaboration. And every day, they throw on their virtual hero capes and try to right the wrongs.

Generally, IT guys receive the benefit of more time from hosted services. Specifically, they will have more time to focus on actually achieving business goals rather than just keeping an aging email or Web server afloat. This additional available time will translate into another benefit: job security.

By moving routine tasks to a host, IT guys can prove their worth to the business by helping to expand and/or improve technology solutions from a strategic standpoint. Whether this is building new web applications, helping the company move into Web 2.0, or simply building a future-looking technology plan, IT guys now have the ability to show that they are much more than just an "email/VoIP/database guy."

Are there certain traits that would make a host best suited to a relationship with this kind of customer? What should he be looking for?

JB: Be sure to insist on easy to reach, live customer support - 24/7. Lone IT Guys need to get help when they neeed help. They should look for providers who feature live 24/7 support, and not just large knowledge bases or pay-for-support service options.

IT guys should strive to find a hosted provider who specializes in - and is geared toward - businesses the size of their business. Finding a hosted provider who caters to small companies is the key to success for the lone IT guy. He typically doesn't have the time - or the desire - to work with a huge, generic IT services company. Smaller, specialized hosted service providers have thousands of small businesses as customers, and every aspect of their business is geared to training and supporting lone IT guys and their companies.

Another benefit is finding a hosted provider who can host many different types of services - so the IT guy has to work with only one hosting company, and can develop a reliable and trusting relationship that can last for years.

Another critical trait is flexibility and control over your company data and accounts. The lone IT guy needs to maintain administrative control over the hosted system - as though the application was hosted in-house. Limitations in account control or delays in servicing the needs of the IT guy are exactly why many have "hostophobia" in the first place.

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