It has been brought to our attention that we have a browser issue with IE7 displaying the page content properly.

We have noticed that when the page loads certain elements, notably the 3 centre div's, the white background colour is not filling correctly. This only occurs on the home page and does not affect the rest of the site. We are currently working on a fix for this issue and will update and re-post accordingly.

To experience the site as it should be we would recommend using Firefox or Safari browser in the meantime.

It's been a while since I posted my last blog, and I am glad to say that's because I've been extremely busy looking after our clients, adding new features and upgrades and speaking to new customers, who I look forward to welcoming onto Data-Stream.

What has become clear through my conversations with our existing and prospective customers is the need for us to offer a managed service.

One of the key issues with small business is dealing with a lack of time and HR pressures.

That is not to say that staff are reluctant to provide help and support, it is that they do not have the time to fit everything in.

Another frequent problem is that not every business can afford to employ specialists in every area of the business.

Having worked in retail over the years, I understand the demands of serving customers, who are the absolute priority, and day to day tasks such as re stocking, ordering, tidying, labelling, updating etc. They all take time out of your day, so where do you find the time to maintain a website?

Using a managed service allows you to free up your staff from dealing with additional tasks and leave it to professionals experienced in website management. This is a more efficient way of working and ensures you maximise your personnel in the roles they are responsible for.

With a managed service you also have a fixed cost to judge its suitability to your business.

The problem of utilising existing staff and putting them into these roles is that you cannot gauge their suitability to the job and it is more difficult to calculate the time and cost to your business. As an example, lets say you have a member of staff that is employed at a rate of £5.25 per hour. Assuming they were responsible to look after your website and worked, without missing a day for a full month (160 hours) it would cost your business £840, excluding any NI payments and anything else you would pay.

With services starting at less than £500 per month, including the hosting, maintenance upgrades, licences etc. managed services allow you to free up your staff and provide a quantifiable fixed cost to your business. Plus, as it is a business expense, it is allowable against tax!

Let me know your thoughts on this, feel free to post your comments below.