By: Anne Sych
Marketing Manager

It may feel like the year is just half way through, but for many organizations, including our government friends, the year is quickly winding down.  It is not unusual for us to get last minute inquiries in September from agencies looking to make allocated year end purchases for needed solutions.  While we welcome these calls, we encourage agencies to begin their search now to gather as much information as possible to get the best solution for them.

Instead of renewing annual support contracts for existing support solutions, organizations may benefits from breaking free of the status quo and looking at other options.  For example, the Novo support software is highly flexible and provides much of the needed key functionality for most environments.  Agencies moving to Novo from their previous Enterprise solution were able to purchase our software outright for LESS than their previous annual support renewal.  What more, they continue to save year after year by exchanging affordable annual support contracts for pricey Enterprise support contracts.

So as you are making these end-of-year decisions please give us a call.  We’d love to give you a demo of our software and if you like a 30 day trial to trial the software with your data.  For more information visit us at www.novosolutions.com.

If pricy enterprise help desk solutions with expensive support fees have you hot under the collar - real ‘help' is on the way!  The Novo Help Desk is an affordable solution for companies that are transitioning from paper based or inadequate tracking solutions, as well as those who are using enterprise level support solutions with outrageous annual support fees.

It is not unusual for our sales team to get calls from folks who simply need a better tracking solution than what they are presently using.  For many we are a very good fit, since our modular nature can be scaled to fit organizations large and small.   However in today's economic climate when budgets are scrutinized to save every dollar, we get calls from folks who already have very high end, enterprise solutions that either are not meeting their needs, or are simply too costly to maintain.  Over time these high annual support fees can really add up, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The entire Novo team, not to mention our prospects, are thrilled when we can show them a similar software solution that not only costs less up front, but also has lower support yearly maintenance fees.   For some using really high end (and very complicated) support solutions, we can deliver a replacement solution for less than they are paying for their annual support to maintain what they are currently using. 

So if you already have an enterprise help desk software solution and are looking to reduce costs, consider trading in that 'high maintainance' application for something more economical that will 'cool down' the budget.

Please contact us for more information on our Help Desk Software and other support solutions.  Free demos and 30 day trials are available.

http://www.novosolutions.com

There is a lot of buzz these days about ‘Cloud' solutions?  But is it right for everyone?

At Novo Solutions we listen to our customers and those inquiring about our software, and know that different environments have different needs.  It is very frustrating for people looking for a solution to find one that meets all of their functionality needs, only to find out that it is ‘hosted only' or ‘in-house only'.  We have built our software with the flexibility to be used in either environment.  What's best, you can begin in one environment and move to another without losing your valuable data.  So what's really the best?  It depends on your needs:

And for those who need an In-House solution with lower up-front costs an ‘Annual Subscription' may be the best solution.  With an annual subscription the software is ‘purchased' for a contracted period, but then must be renewed, or terminated. 

So when you are looking for a knowledge base or help desk software solution look for an application that is flexible to meet your current and future long term needs.  Contact us for a free demo of the Novo Help Desk.

http://www.novosolutions.com/

 By: Anne Sych
 Marketing Manager

All organizations have them - repetitive tasks that are not complicated, but easily get delayed or fall through the cracks because they are pushed through a manual system by people in various departments.

For example let's take a look at a standard Human Resource new hire process:

1. New employee ‘Bob' is hired. There are certain tasks that take place with every new hire and these may vary based upon his department.
2. Bob needs to fill out basic employment forms. He must also provide certain documents, which must be noted and verified before he begins work.
3. Bob needs a workstation with equipment (desk, phone, pc, etc.).
4. Bob needs to be issued a company credit card
5. Bob needs company apparel ordered for him.
6. Bob needs IT services (email account, permissions to company intranet, software licensure, etc.).
7. Bob needs office supplies (business cards, office signage, etc.)
8. Bob needs training scheduled
9. And others as needed.....

These standard requests typically involve multiple departments and multiple personnel.  If any of these tasks gets delayed or missed valuable time is lost.  And in the event of important missing documentation there could be even worse consequences and vulnerability for the organization. 

Workflow automation allows you to define tasks (using predefined rules) to auto-route these tasks to various people or departments.  The system tracks various completion and approval paths along the way generating notifications when tasks are completed or rejected.  The work flow task ‘queue' will even allow managers to view pending task status, assignment, predecessor relationship and deadlines (with color coded due dates for past due, current, future, etc.).  Tasks will never again get ‘lost' due to a vacationing employee, or ‘missing' email.  The Novo help Desk even allows you the ability to create flexible work flows "on the fly" as help desk tickets are being added.

For more information on how the Novo Help Desk manages workflow contact us.

http://www.novosolutions.com/

Feed your ‘Analytic' (or your Analytic side)

Every office has them.  Those amazing people who think in exacting detail and can perform complex mathematic calculations in their head.  It's easy to get them excited - just show them a chart, graph or a spreadsheet and they light right up. 

One of the most favored features of the Novo support software is the superior reporting tools.  In addition to traditional pre-built management reports, the Novo report writer allows managers to build custom reports in just minutes. 

The Novo Report Writer wizard guides super admin users down the path to building a report that is appropriately formatted and easy to read. The tool is simple to use and easy to understand, and follows an intuitive flow for generating unlimited reports.

The Novo Report Writer addresses all steps in the reporting process allowing for optional design elements, flexible management controls, and is seamlessly integrated with the Novo management portal.  Since the Report Writer is completely database driven, every table structure within the Novo database can be mined for data, resulting in a wealth of reporting possibilities.  

Once the reports are created, simply set up the portal dashboard with the reports you would like displayed.  Reports can be viewed as graphs and charts, drilled into for more detailed data, and exported to excel if desired. 

So if you have an associate who is ‘an analytic', or if that is you, come take a look at our reporting dashboard - we think you will be impressed!   Contact us for a free demo or trial.

http://www.novosolutions.com/  

It still amazes me that even years into a software program that I use every day I learn of a new tool or shortcut that I never used before.  I typically just gravitate towards the tools I am comfortable with and use those.  But I know there is so much more!

We know this to be true with our Novo customers.  We regularly get support calls where our staff will ask a client if they are using certain tools to resolve an issue.  Our customers are amazed when they learn that the software they have been using day in and day out can perform another task they may be doing manually.  And all the time it was right at their fingertips.

Call us for a free evaluation!

Give us a call and we will talk to you about your day-to-day processes and can tell you if there is more you can automate with your Novo software - chances are there is!  We want you to be using your Novo Software to the best of its capabilities - give us a call today to schedule your complimentary review.

http://www.novosolutions.com

By: Rich Hunter
President

By now you may be aware of the emerging problem of human slavery that is taking place today.  Some are calling it the human rights issue of the twenty first century.  And it is not only taking place in remote countries, it is rampant in the western as well as the eastern hemisphere....perhaps even in your own city (see CNN ‘Sex Trafficking: An American Problem Too'  http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/11/25/carr.human.trafficking/index.html). 

The numbers are staggering: National Geographic reports that there are over 27 million slaves in the world today, and according to UNICEF nearly 2 million children are exploited in the global sex trade.  Here in the U.S. the FBI estimates that there are well over 100,000 trafficked children and teens in the United States.  How can this abomination take place in such a civilized time as this?

And while the human trafficking problem is mammoth, we can each do our part to help eradicate this tragedy.  Through monetary donations from company profits, the team at Novo Solutions is working together with agencies overseas that are helping children at risk so they are not vulnerable to such entrapment.

Some problems in this world are unsolvable - but this one is solvable.  Will you consider looking into this horrible problem and lending your aid?  Here are just a few reputable agencies that are working worldwide to stop this problem:

• International Justice Mission - http://www.ijm.org/
• Exodus Cry - http://www.exoduscry.com/
• Project Rescue - http://www.projectrescue.com/
• Love 146 - http://love146.org/
• There are others - do a little research and you will learn more.

Please join us in fighting this human tragedy.

http://www.novosolutions.com

By now you have probably heard of all of the benefits of ‘Cloud Computing', and the huge savings associated with moving to a cloud platform.  But all clouds are not the same.  Let's take a look at some of the different cloud offerings:

• Private/Internal Clouds -emulate cloud computing on private networks capitalizing on data security, corporate governance, and reliability concerns. Users "still have to buy, build, and manage them" and as such do not benefit from lower up-front capital costs and less hands-on management.
• Hybrid Clouds - consist of multiple internal and/or external providers; an organization provides and manages some resources in-house and has others provided externally.
• Community Clouds - several organizations have similar requirements and seek to share infrastructure so as to realize some of the benefits of cloud computing.
• Public Clouds - a shared environment where service providers make resources, such as applications and storage, available to the general public over the Internet. Public clouds may have hundreds or even thousands of businesses running in isolated containers within the same physical environment.

Introducing ‘The Novo Private Cloud'

Through Rackspace, a trusted leader in Cloud computing services, Novo Solutions has adopted a secure, private cloud infrastructure for our customer's data.  Novo data is physically separated on dedicated hardware exclusively for Novo Solutions, providing high levels of security, reliability, and performance featuring the following benefits:

• Full 24x7x365 support and management of the Private Cloud configuration including hardware, hypervisor layer, operating systems, database servers and infrastructure
• Virtual Machine provisioning
• Expert assistance in designing, configuring and deploying expansions to the Novo Private Cloud configuration
• The purchase and renewal of all software licenses including operating system, database and anti-virus updates
• The purchase and deployment of all related hardware components
• Around the clock management of the network and data center
• Industry leading SLAs
• High levels of security, reliability, scalability and performance
• Greener server utilization with reduced energy consumption

At Novo Solutions we offer all of our software as Cloud, Annual Subscription, and Licensed On-premise software deployment options.  This gives you the option to try one environment, and switch to other if desired - keeping your data in tact. 

Please contact us for a free trial, so you can try our software using your own data.  Quickly, you can be expediting services and saving money ‘in the Cloud'.

http://www.novosolutions.com/

 By: Clark Tanner
 Account Manager

In today's world of rapidly changing technology, there seems to be lots of conflicting ideas surrounding software product roadmaps.   Some industry experts are of the opinion that charting a course for your application and sharing it with your customers is a wonderful idea.  Others say that creating such a roadmap and sharing it outside of one's own organization is a recipe for disaster.    Several blog posts stated that by the time the new feature is actually being "coded", there is most likely newer technology or a hot new trend that could completely change the way the new functionality gets implemented.  And this could lead to some unhappy clients, especially if they had been anticipating the exact feature they had read about in the product roadmap.

It is fair to say that most software companies have a firm grasp on the evolution of their products and the direction they plan to go in for the immediate future.  So, perhaps the sticking point is not really whether or not to have a roadmap, but whether or not it makes sense to share this information with your customer base - - or perhaps with the general public.  I am a firm believer in "selling what you have" as opposed to spending too much time talking about what is "coming soon".   Most everyone has heard the term "vaporware", which is defined as pitching new products long before they are actually available for release or purchase - - and nobody benefits from that.

Interestingly, during the last several days, all the major news networks have been giving tons of coverage to the recent Apple incident involving the latest 4G iPhone being "found" in a bar.  Of course, the phone was immediately turned over to the folks at Gizmodo to get their expert opinion as to whether or not this really was the newest iPhone that just happened to be accidently left behind, or whether it was a hoax of some kind.   Apple CEO Steve Jobs had already talked up the new phone early this year, but this was a chance for someone outside of Apple to get a closer look at the "real thing".   There is always industry "buzz" surrounding everything Apple does, so most folks have some idea of next cool thing they will be coming out with - -but only Apple employees know exactly what is being developed.   It would appear that the team over at Apple is in favor of using product roadmaps, and of sharing some of the details with the general public so we will all be anticipating what lies ahead.

That is somewhat similar to our approach.   While we may not be sharing a detailed product roadmap, we at Novo Solutions are very excited about the direction we are moving in and the future of our software.   Great things are definitely on the horizon.   Part of this involves enhancements to help make our existing clients (and new potential customers) more efficient as they manage Requests and share Knowledge within their particular organization.   And part of this involves tapping into new and emerging technology that is sure to bring benefit to our users around the world.   Stay tuned for more !

http://www.novosolutions.com

It seems everyone was taken back by the upheaval that the volcano in Iceland has brought to the airline industry; stranded passengers, lost revenue, not to mention the chaos still to unfold when flights resume.  Of all of the scenarios that airlines have to plan for I am sure this is one that they never saw coming.  These events make us all take a look at our own businesses?

What if your business had a crisis tomorrow?  What if you couldn't operate - or had to cease operations and then resume after an extended period.  Would your managers and employees know what to do?  Where to go?  Who to call?

Of course we are all taught to have an action plan in place in the event of a crisis - that is good business.  Having solid, documented procedures in place can make the difference between your business surviving or not, not to mention maintaining client relationships after an unexpected event.

Organizing emergency procedures into a searchable, knowledge management system serves as a ‘go to' place for employees to get information in a crisis.  Important policies and procedures can be placed there for both present and future potential use.  Emergency information can be documented and kept private, until management makes it available for departmental or even public viewing.  Having a centralized repository improves communication, reduces chaos and ensures that vital information is effectively dispersed.

You have insurance for your business infrastructure.....knowledge management is insurance for your most valuable asset...your company knowledge! 

For information on the Novo Knowledge base please contact us!http://www.novosolutions.com/knowledge-base-software/