(This article reprinted with permission. Thanks to Josh Groves, President of jobtrio.com, the largest directory of construction contractors on the web. The goal of jobtrio.com is to efficiently connect contractors with consumers who truly value their services.)

Within any company, it is never easy to convince the workforce that a new, technological advancement has made an old way of doing things obsolete. For instance, no matter how my staff tried to explain to me the advantages of the new Windows 7 operating system over XP, I dragged my feet and resisted the change. From my observations, this aversion to technology adoption is far more present in the construction industry than any other major field.

For the most part, construction companies live and die by their continued presence and productivity on the jobsite. Typically, there is little thought given by management to company-wide initiatives or employee training because these acts would necessarily pull the workforce out of the field. Therefore, even if one day of training on a new technology might result in large future gains in employee efficiency, managers usually are not willing to take the risk.

I experienced this first hand as a construction industry Operations Manager for a medium-sized company. Every day I would watch at least thirty minutes get wasted by each employee as they struggled to determine which tasks were to be priorities for the work-day.  The fix seemed simple to me: adopt a basic, web-based system which could allow workers to login and view updated project management information. My estimate was that this system, taking into account training and maintenance, would pay for itself in a matter of a month.

Needless to say, I encountered tremendous resistance from my boss and from all of the workers in the field, and the initiative never got beyond my written proposal. 

This is just one example of what I experienced time and time again -- PDAs, driver GPS, field laptops -- I could never get my company to consider any of these technologies, and, from speaking with others whose businesses rely on their contractor's license, this sort of stone-walling is quite typical.  But, what is to be done? 

My first inclination is to say that until a younger, more tech-savvy generation of contractors who understand the value of technology investments steps into management positions, we aren't likely to see a change anytime soon.  However, if you are dedicated to your company's long-term success, it is wise to fight the good fight, and eventually your supervisors might adopt some of the new, money and time saving technologies which could be key to your company's survival.

Critical questions most contracting businesses don't even think about until it's too late:

If your computers were stolen or damaged, how long would it take to get everything up and running again?

If your hard drive crashed, who would get your system up and running?

Is your information properly backed up?

Is your business information truly safe, secure, and protected?

Most contracting businesses have:

• no password protection for important information
• one or more computers located in unsecured work areas
• no computer technicians onsite (or on call)
• computers with only one hard drive per computer
• computers that are shared by more than one person
• one internet connection
• no climate/dust control
• no alternate power supply
• limited backups (many have none)

With BuildIT's web based system you automatically get:

A Secured Facility

• a high-security facility with a high level of redundancy
• equipment is located in a secure card access only area (for approved staff)
• servers are locked in their own cages
• there are multiple ultra-high-speed connections to the internet
• power is cleaned and surge protected through a full-time battery backup system which is backed-up by a high-capacity onsite generator
• a fully climate controlled environment (heat and temperature fluctuations are bad for computers)
• filtered air to remove dust (an enemy of electronic equipment)

Secured Servers

• Servers are monitored remotely and automatically every five minutes, 24-hours a day. Over a dozen checks are performed each time.
• Anti-Virus, Firewalls, server software, etc., is all updated continuously.
• Access only to essential personnel using secure passwords and protocols.

High Quality Hardware

• redundant hard drives (RAID drives) are like having two copies of your data at all times: if a drive fails for any reason, the RAID drive system automatically redistributes information so that once again, there are two copies of the same information. The chance of two hard drives failing at the same time is extremely low
• performance hardware (dual power supplies, high-quality memory, high-quality boards, etc.)

Professional Staff

• manage computer equipment for thousands of different clients
• on duty all day every day 24/7/365
• continually monitor the software and equipment
• install and upgrade software
• if anything goes down, staff are alerted in seconds

A Solid Backup Plan

• two copies of all data on each server
• all information is backed up on separate servers
• regular off-site back ups

Which system would you rather have protecting your information?

More facts about BuildITs web based system...

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To speed up your computer(s), prevent problems, and make sure everything works properly, you should:

• Run Windows updates regularly.
• Use an anti-virus program that is current.
• Use an anti-spyware program that is current.
• Remove files that plug up your computer (and clean the registry).
• Defragment your hard drive.
• Disable non-Windows pop-up blockers.
• Uninstall/do not install non-essential programs.

If you want someone to do this for you:

• contact a professional computer support company in your area OR;
• contact www.yourtechonline.com/buildit - they can service your computer and fix most issues right over the internet.

If you want to do it yourself, here's how:

a) Use a current Windows version (XP or 2000) and Run Windows Update monthly or set it to automatic as follows:

• Open Internet Explorer.
• From the main menu bar along the top, select Tools.
• From the Tools sub-menu, click Windows Update and follow the instructions.

b) If you do not have an anti-virus program you can download AVG antivirus the number one rated free program at free.grisoft.com

• After installation, run the "updates" and then do a full system scan.
• Make sure that the automatic updates are enabled (turned on).

c) If you or others who use your computer use (or have used) music sharing programs or similar programs, many of these install hidden spyware that can cause your computer to be unstable, slow it down, and even crash.

• To prevent this, use anti-spyware< programs such as SpywareBlaster and SpyBot Search & Destroy.
• You can download these free programs from www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html and
  www.safer-networking.org/en/download/
• After you install these programs and each time you use them (we suggest monthly), first run their "update" options to get the latest updates.
• Use both these programs for maximum protection.

d) Clean your hard drive and operating system "registry".

• Visit www.ccleaner.com and download "CCleaner."
• It's free and works brilliantly to get rid of unneeded files that plug up your hard drive.
• It also fixes a variety of other issues/problems.

e) If you have a third-party (non-Windows) pop-up blocker disable it.

• Pop up blockers can create more problems than they solve.
• As there are many different pop up blockers available, there is no way to give you exact instructions.
• Check your pop up blocker program for details.

f) Defragment your hard disk.

• In Windows, click on the "start" menu (at the lower left of your screen),
• then click "programs",
• then click "accessories",
• then click "System tools",
• then click "Disk defragmenter."
• Follow the instructions.

g) Never install:

• "fun" utilities such as toolbars, screensavers, weather or joke delivery programs, etc.,
• music sharing programs,
• Unless they come from reputable sources, most of these programs are actually spyware and can cause significant problems.

If none of these things work then contact a professional computer support company.

We recommend www.yourtechonline.com/buildit as they can fix most computer issues directly over the internet.

If you are having problems such as:

• your computer freezes,
• your computer is slow,
• some screens don't seem to display properly,
• you don't seem to be able to edit certain information,
• or you seem to be getting booted out of some programs.

These problems are likely caused by issues on your computer (and the internet can be slow too).

What does this mean for you? Well, all equipment, no matter what it is, needs at least some maintenance - the same goes for computers - so we've created a 7 step computer maintenance guide for contracting businesses. See the guide now...

The reality is that most people including those in small/medium sized businesses fail to back up their computers. Either they don't back up at all, or they don't do it as often as they should.

Then something happens a hard drive crashes, a disgruntled employee deletes information, there's a flood, fire, theft, etc. - and the lives of the people who rely on the information become a total nightmare. Just ask anyone who has suffered the permanent loss of important business information.

Once information is lost, it may never be able to be recovered. The cost to get a business back on track is staggering, FAR higher than most people realize.

If important information is lost your business will be seriously disrupted for weeks, months, and possibly even years.

However, with a web based software system, you don't need to back up your information. Why? Because back ups are done for you - automatically. To learn more about the advantages of web based software, click here.

From the moment you make a change to your schedule, create document, modify an appointment or upload an important job file, your data is stored securely off-site, backed up, and protected. In fact, your information is far safer when it is stored off-site than on some lowly computer that could easily be stolen or damaged, or have a hard drive crash.

The ability to put systems in place to communicate and share information is exactly what helps companies grow. The inability to put systems in place causes aggravation and chokes the true growth rate of any business.

The need to share information means computers have to be connected to each other (networked). Networking is complicated and expensive.

As simple as it may seem, getting computers to talk to one another properly is no easy task. It requires computer networking skills and ongoing maintenance to keep everything running. It may even require specialized computer hardware.

It gets more complicated if computers are in different locations (outside an office). Connecting them together and backing up information (data) is a whole new ball game.

Large companies have whole departments that do nothing but keep computer networks running - they get paid a serious amount of money. The cost to keep a computer network up and running can range from $1,000 to $5,000 and more per computer per year.

The internet is the worlds largest computer network. It is also the least expensive to join and the easiest to plug into. That means web based construction software systems have a natural advantage.

Facts about BuildITs web based system...

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In the not too distant future, it will be more common than not for contractors to access all Job information while on the road, in the vehicle, and at job sites. Truly mobile construction offices are just around the corner.

What will make mobile access a reality? Web based software and high-speed wireless Internet access.

BuildIT's web-based construction software system is ready to take advantage of high-speed wireless Internet access.

Sign up for a high-speed wireless connection (most likely from your cell phone provider) and you'll be fully mobile.

Low speed wireless is already here. It has met with limited success because coverage can be patchy and slow. However, speeds 4x that of low speed wireless are now available in select areas contact the wireless provider in your area for more information (most likely the same as your cell phone provider).

Few in contracting have a background or interest in computers. People usually start out doing hands-on work then move up in a company or move on to become contractors themselves.

For most people in construction, it's tough to even know what questions to ask when looking to buy software. Learn more about different kinds of software and what to consider when buying...

On top of software there are computers to buy, setup, network, and maintain. Plus there's software to instal, upgrade, learn, and backups to do. Learn why BuildIT's construction software is different...

Identifying what you want (and need) your system to do can feel like swimming in a blender. It means knowing what software is available as well as understanding its capabilities. Learn what construction processes can be systematized using BuildIT...

Search the web and you'll find hundreds of software packages, they all do different things, in different ways, with prices all over the map. Each claims to be the ideal solution. Learn more about the different kinds of construction software...

Just look at the kinds of problems people in construction face day-in-day-out. They don't need any more headaches. More on killer problems faced by contracting businesses (and how you can reduce and eliminate them)...

It's a lot of work to buy, install, and keep a software system up and running. It's a lot less work with web based construction software...