Companies located around the world are being urged to become more aware of the financial costs of web downtime.

Andrew Hilton, Technical Director at QuadroNation, said companies were in danger of losing thousands of pounds in revenue after recent studies showed almost one in four companies have suffered an outage that lasted more than one business day.

In order to combat the problem and after requests from their customer base, Andrew and the team have developed a web monitoring service entitled ‘UporNot’, which alerts businesses the minute they have an issue with their website, email server or any web accessible service for that matter.

Andrew said: “When a company suffers from IT downtime it means that it is having a direct affect on that business. Some firms can lose up to £10,000 an hour or even a staggering £1m a day, which means that the problem needs to be taken more seriously.

"What we have now created is a tool to stop that from happening. The moment there is something wrong with a website, we are alerted and the problem can be rectified as soon as possible.”

The need for strategic IT support is becoming increasingly important as firms strive to provide high levels of service to retain long-standing customers.

Andrew added: “IT support companies are still as invaluable as ever to any business, however, if a site goes down, it has to be treated in a different way than when there is something wrong with an email system, for example and being aware of the issue is really the first step.”

UporNot, which has now gone live, has already attracted global interest as it provides its services to companies around the world.

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A new Internet start-up is looking to revolutionize the way bloggers and website owners optimize and enhance their sites to better suit their customers and visitors.

By adding 1 line of HTML to a website, designers and website owners will be able to watch replays showing exactly how visitors use their websites – with every mouse movement, click and page scroll being displayed in real-time. It’s like sitting next to the visitor, watching their screen!

The new technology doesn’t require any software to be installed and records visitors from desktops, laptops and even the Apple iPhone.

MouseTrace offers a simple solution which allows any website owner or designer to monitor how their visitors really use their website or blog, no more guessing why people aren’t engaging more, buying or signing up for your newsletters. Drop 1 line of HTML code into your website and then sit back and watch your visitors as they navigate through your website.

By watching how the visitors actually use a website or blog, owners are able to rapidly find faults and identify where improvements can be made to drastically increase sales, better target advertising and improve reader engagement.

Founder, Dan Field explains “We developed the technology behind MouseTrace to enable us to improve our Google AdWords landing pages and our registration processes, which then lead to much better sales conversions for our other Internet businesses.”

“Without this kind of technology we were blind to how our visitors were using our websites, which means we were guessing where the improvements were needed”.

One of the unique features of MouseTrace is that it also keeps a record of what the webpage looked like at the time of the visit, so if it is being used on a blog you can watch how user engagement changes as the blog is updated – or in the case of an e-commerce site, try out different layouts or display options. By storing the raw page content at the time of the visit, MouseTrace is also able to display an accurate representation of the page as the visitor saw it –including how it fits within the visitors’ browser window.

MouseTrace is also the first to record user activity from iPhone users as well, showing the website owner how their website looks on the device and how the visitors are navigating through the website including zooming in and out of pages, rotating the view and using multi-touch gestures.

The MouseTrace service is being launched in the US and the Europe today, with further enhancements already in development. Add a comment

British firms are losing time and money from out-dated office practices and a struggle to handle and store electronic documents, according to research released today by 1&1 Internet Ltd, www.1and1.co.uk, the world's largest web host.  From a study of 410 small firms, 37 per cent report money is lost from employees failing to share updated versions of documents.  53 per cent of companies are held back by poor archiving of emails and documents, and one third have document files saved on hardware that not all colleagues can access.  1 in 4 report wasting over £2000 a year from excessive printing of documents.  Some 25 per cent are losing efficiency from slow-running email accounts clogged with attachments.  Document handling skills are inconsistent across staff in 41 per cent of firms, and only 1 in 4 firms has a strategy for increasing their efficiency in handling electronic data.  Many businesses could benefit from reviewing how they draft, share and store their electronic documents.

1&1's 'UK Digital Office Audit'(1) finds that many UK firms are losing time and money from their poor handling and storage of electronic materials.  A key finding is the lack of facilities for collaborating on electronic documents between colleagues.  In total, two thirds of small companies believe that their efficiency is reduced by problems with document handling.  1 in 3 firms (37 per cent) believe that time and money is lost as a result of staff failing to share the latest versions of documents.  Significantly, 43 per cent do not have access to a file-sharing method that removes the need to email whole document files.  59 per cent of owners are unable to amend documents off the premises and save them where their colleagues can access them.  Staff skills around creating and sharing documents can also be a problem.  Some 29 per cent report that documents are frequently deleted in error, and 41 per cent of firms believe their success is hindered by inconsistent levels of staff skills in this area.

The majority of UK business owners now value email to be an essential communication channel.  However, the data shows many find their efficiency in handling emails is not optimal.  Over half of small businesses surveyed (53 per cent) do not currently archive old emails in a structured, easily-searchable form.  1 in 4 companies find their email accounts are regularly clogged with large attachments and face reduced performance when sending attachments around their team.  1 in 4 have worked with a 'slow running' email system before the capacity was expanded.  Furthermore, over half of firms (53 per cent), do not have access to shared calendars across their staff.

Oliver Mauss, CEO 1&1 Internet Ltd. said, "For many firms, out-dated or inefficient methods of handling and storing electronic materials can negatively impact performance, costs and so their bottom line.  Companies of all types can benefit from examining how their day-to-day use of office technology can be enhanced.  There are now intuitive web-based options for document creation, collaboration and storage that can increase mobility, raise efficiencies and benefit the environment as well as the balance sheet".

The data suggests that filing and storing electronic files is an area where British companies can struggle.  1 in 4 firms believe that work is often repeated because documents from the past cannot be found quickly.  Some 29 per cent believe time is wasted as a result of staff creating and storing documents in differing ways.  For 1 in 5 firms, the server where files are stored is 'disorganised'.  Only 1 in 4 small companies has a plan in place for growing their electronic storage capacity.

The study reveals that wasteful office printing remains a challenge for many companies.  Over half of owners (56 per cent) surveyed believe that their staff are wasting money with excessive print-outs.  1 in 4 firms estimate that they are currently wasting over £2000 per year.  One third of businesses report that paper is wasted everyday in the routine editing and re-drafting of documents.  Many British firms still rely on out-dated paper based filing and communication.  46 per cent of businesses still maintain paper copies of documents on file as back-ups.  Furthermore, 43 per cent routinely pay to post paper copies of documents to clients and partners, and 22 per cent of firms still post documents to their staff rather than emailing them.  The use of paper files leads to a shortage of physical office space for 27 per cent of companies.

Mauss adds, "Cloud applications for small businesses will be instrumental in the years ahead.  Solutions such as 1&1 Online Office can be a great way of speeding up work-flows and achieving better consistency and security for documents and files.  Furthermore, the latest web-based email platforms, such as MailXchange, can offer the scalability and performance needed by firms to improve email management and storage".

1&1 Internet offers a wide range of solutions for small and medium sized businesses including Software-as-a-Service, instant business-website packages, business email solutions, domain names, shared and dedicated web hosting, eCommerce packages, Cloud servers and virtual and dedicated servers.  As the world's largest web host, 1&1 is well placed to deliver a high quality service to business customers.  The company currently holds more than 9.5 million customer contracts worldwide and manages over 11 million domain names.

For more information on 1&1 hosting visit the website at www.1and1.co.uk

(1) 410 UK small companies surveyed by OpinionMatters via electronic feedback form

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According to a recent Gallop Poll Americans' faith in small business has grown, while their faith in big business has not during the ups and downs of this U.S. recession. Three times more Americans now say they have "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in small business (66%) than say this about big business (19%). This gap has grown since the global financial collapse. In general people are three times more confident in small businesses than large and are more confident in small businesses than newspaper, public schools, the government, organized religion and the police.

Because of this increased confidence in small businesses there are entrepreneurs who are thriving despite the current economic situation. On July 21st and 22nd 2010, 159 business owners from around the world, including Lisa Manyon, owner of Write On ~ Creative Writing Services, LLC www.writeoncreative.com (http://www.writeoncreative.com) attended Ali Brown’s Coaching Business Intensive, a two day training program in Los Angeles California. People who purchased tickets paid just under $10,000.00 per ticket. Some attendees, including Manyon, received entry to the Coaching Business Intensive as a perk to being a member of Brown’s Millionaire Protégé Club.

Manyon says “It’s important to invest in solid marketing strategies and business building information especially in “this economy”. I have no doubt that without guidance from programs like Ali Brown’s Millionaire Protégé Club my small business would not be as successful as it is today. I am honored that my Manyon Marketing Makeover coaching packages were featured by Ali Brown at the Coaching Business Intensive as a successful model for small business one-to-one- coaching. It’s also encouraging to see that faith in small businesses is increasing despite the economy. It’s yet another positive sign that becoming an entrepreneur was the right thing to do.”

Brown provided guidance to help create and expand coaching businesses including templates, forms and launch strategies that she has used to build her small business into a multimillion dollar company. Brown shared proven insider secrets to creating, selling and running wildly profitable coaching programs including comprehensive training for coaching businesses ranging from small one-to-one business coaching models to group coaching and high-level VIP coaching.

Manyon regularly invests in mentorship and coaching with Brown to grow her business www.writeoncreative.com (http://www.writeoncreative.com) . She’s currently a Platinum Elite member of the Millionaire Protégé Club that includes mastermind support and business training on topics like online and offline marketing strategies, continuity programs, teleseminars, fee setting strategies and more.

Lisa Manyon is the President of Write On ~ Creative Writing Services, LLC. A Professional Copywriter, Marketing Strategist and Published Author, she’s a master of matching your message to market via copywriting and publicity strategies. She is a Platinum Elite member of Ali Brown’s Millionaire Protege Club and serves as a Mastermind Leader within the group. Manyon offers copywriting, coaching and consulting services. She publishes an electronic newsletter, Manyon’s Musings. Subscriptions are free at www.WriteOnCreative.com (http://www.writeoncreative.com)

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The latest UKFast round table results reveal that the UK must invest more in internet businesses in order to compete online internationally.

Despite internet sales reaching 4.4bn pounds last month, business leaders are still not recognising the importance of investing in quality technology to compete online, according to an industry round table.

Paul Harris, Marketing Director at hosting provider UKFast, says, "Companies are failing to deliver the experiences that customers expect. Despite the huge demand online, users are being left unsatisfied and businesses are failing as a result.

"Considering how important having an online presence is to most people, whether it is as an ecommerce site or for lead generation, you have to question why anyone would take the risk of providing a poor user experience when it is that important to their livelihoods."

From the consumer perspective, due to insufficient government funding the UK is struggling as a nation to set up an appropriate broadband network to connect users to the Internet. Tom Cheesewright, Strategy Director at And Digital, believes that with the absence of a universal network the onus must fall to fast local fibre rings to satisfy the demand.

He says, "I can't see there being a universal next generation broadband network in the UK. I think a patchwork quilt fibre structure is the way forward, where there is someone like a Metronet in every area offering this kind of service who can then progressively link up."

Although supportive of a citywide structure, John Earley, the Strategic Development Director for Metronet UK, believes that it will eventually fail at the hands of BT.

Ultimately, to be able to challenge Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands in terms of European broadband penetration, the UK must work together to provide a nurturing environment for growth online.

Supporting Martha Lane Fox's manifesto to create a networked nation, the future of online Britain lies in educating SMEs and blue chip companies to work together to help bring more consumers online.

John says, "Whoever your customer is, whether it is a consumer or a B2B customer, you have a vested interest within an ecommerce environment to ensure that the shopping experience is the best that it possibly can be."

Jeff McCarthy, Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, adds, "In terms of the responsibility of building online Britain we all have a role to play, from the government and industry to education. Ideas are what generate online growth and we need to nurture talent and open ourselves up to new ideas."

The round table discussions are held in association with UKFast with the aim of uniting business leaders to share advice and provide a wealth of ideas for other developing companies. Add a comment