2. Case Synthesis
HarrisonKirbyisa small businessownertryingtoemerge inthe onlineandtechnologically
advancedsocietyof today.Hisgolf shopneedsachange,and more networkingto improve business
sales.The industryisthriving aswe see more retiredandunretiredpersonsgaininginterestinthis
leisurelysport. AsMr. Kirbyseesaninflux of interestandcustomersthroughhisstore,itsparksanidea.
Why notbring more people here,withoutbeinghere.Withanonline presence he couldservice
customersinmanydifferentplacesatonce,andbe able to provide the same customerservice he would
if theywere at hisshop.
Withboth Milestone one andTwo,Ihave providedinformation onhow tosetan online
presence up,aswell as,providedcompanieswhohave similarproducts.These reportsgivedetailed
informationonwhatismostimportantwhenestablishingyourbusinessonthe internet.Italsoprovided
informationonhowtomarket your productsmore efficiently.Withthisprocesswe findthatcollect
customerdata throughthe website aswell ascapturingpotential interestcancreate leads,which
eventuallyendinsales.Thiswill impacthisbusinessbydoingexactlywhathe needed,aboostinsales
and networking.
IT playsa veryimportantrole,byprovidingdifferenttechniquestocreatingandstoring
customerdata.Fewprograms,namedin Milestone one,have the type of system/software neededto
keepall the informationorganized sothatitmay be accessedeasilyandefficiently.WithoutITitwould
be much harderfor Mr. Kirbytokeepeverythingrunningsmooth,whilestillhavingtime toservice
customerquestionsandmake sales.
CompetingBusiness
Tapatio Golf Resort
Establishedin1981 Tapatiowasturnedfrom limestone cliffstoasmall resortwithan 18-hole
championshipgolf course.Laterin1990, afternew ownership,9more holeswere added.Thenin2011
businessmanTomCusickandGeorge Strait(musiclegend) purchasedit,hopingtokeepthe resorttoits
original grandeur.
Back in 1981, there was nosuch thingas the internet,(well notusable comparedtotoday),andso
Tapatioreliedonwordof mouth.Today theyhave establishedanonlinepresence thathasnow
exceededmore thanjustanyothergolf course.
Priorto it beingundernewownershipof CusickandStrait,the online presence wasmuchlike most.It
providedinformationontee time,golfshopinformation,andanonline optiontoschedule atee off time
for youif wanted.The website alsoprovidesinformationonlessons,clinics,tournamentsandoutings,
and whoto contact if you have anyquestions.
Unfortunately,ithasnotimplementedanonline golf shopsystem.Because itisaresort,theywantto
keepall golf itemsandproductsformembersonly. Butinthe future,itcouldbe an optiontohave those
3. whoare interestedinbuyingaproductonline,andare memberstohave a separate loginfor those
customers.
Because thisisa small community,Ican say that havinganonline presence,notnecessarilyselling
productsbut havingthe informationavailable hashelpedthisresorttremendously.IThasprovidedalot
more time forcustomerswhoare at the resort,and not havingthe one’smanagingthe course takenup
by phone callsoremails.
Security and Ethics
Some issuesthatmayarise from an online presence are obviousonessuchasinformationloss,
identitytheft,failure tosecure data,paymentcompromise, andlossof customersdue tothese issues.In
a business youneedtomake sure that youare treatingcustomerinformationasyourown.Provide
secure placeswhere customerscaninputtheirinformationwithoutthemfeelinguneasyaboutthe
purchase.There are many placessuchas PayPal thatprovide secure domains tomake payments.Be
sure to do researchon whattype of systemiscollectingandorganizingcustomerinformationsuchas
address,phone,andpaymenthistory. If informationislostorstolen,yourbusinesscouldbe
compromised.
Informationsecurityis soimportant,andinorderto addressthisissue Iwouldrecommenda
fewoptions:
Limitwhohas access – thiswill limitwhocansee the data all together
Needtoknowbasis – onlyif itiscrucial will theyhave accesstothe informationbymouthor
screen
Regularupdatesonfirewalls,virusprotectorsetc. –Make sure to have all securityfeatures
updated
If compromised,contactcustomersimmediately –Thiswill show customersthatyoucare,and
theymay be at risk
Train employees –If a situationarises have aplanin place toregulate andcorrect it immediately
Findingsand Recommendations
Today isthe internet;abusinesshasnochoice but to thrive there aswell.Manysmall
businesses are makingwayintosocial media,wirelessaccess,online booking, andmuchmore.Notonly
doesthisprovide agreaterrange of access to the business,butitalsocreatesbuzz.Thisbuzzbrings
more customersthroughthe doors,online andinperson. Asperthe example above of TapatioSprings
Resort,priorto the internetthere wasnothingbutwordof mouth,but now businesseshave other
options.Thismakesthemcompetitiveandstrongas an entityagainstthe competition.Usingthe
software andtechnologyrecommendedandresearchedbymyself,yourbusinesswill thrive andgrow
withthe times. The capturingof customerdata and beingefficientwhenpursuingaleadwill helpto
make sales,andprofitinthe longrun. I would,however,recommendyoulookintoafew extrastomake
sure your runningat yourbest.I have embeddedatable foryou to addto the filesalready
recommended.These optionswilloptimizesecurityandassistwithdatainformation.
4. Tech Concept Product/ Service
Name
URL Solution Type Licensing/ Cost Use Case/ Value
Statement
Security and
Data Loss
Prevention
Bitdefender www.bitdefender.com Provides small
businesses with
secured files w ith
little to no IT
consultations
$150 E-threats are
everywhere, and
as a business
ow ner you have to
be prepared prior
them happening.
With multilayers of
protection for your
customer data, it
w illalw aysbe
safer than sorry.
Keep all sensitive
data saved and
stored w ith limited
access and only
but the best
security features
Cloud Computing Acronis Backup www.acronis.com Backup plan for
the unexpected
$999 , 16GB Because of all the
information that
w illbe dealing
w ith, the business
needs to make
sure that nothing
is loosed. This
backup can help
restore information
quickly so your
Networking Mail Chimp www.mailchimp.com Marketing/ Social
Media
$10/mon With social media
becoming one of
the most used
internet sensation,
a business should
take advantage of
all of its users. By
developing mail/
email list from your
already grow ing
netw orkof
customers, you
can provide
customized
mailers that go out
and help bring
aw areness to
promotions and
new products.
These three items are recommended for several reasons. The first two, of course, are for the
security of your business and the security of customer information. These, by far, are the most
important of the three. But because you are new to the online world, I find it important that you throw
your business out there and see what fish you may catch. Mail Chimp helps create awareness for
the potential customer, or existing and build your network of sales.
5. Conclusion
To conclude, I hope this information is of value to you. Your business has just begun the
journey into the land we like to call the internet. Sometimes you may feel discourage, but remember
the tools that have been recommended are research and will help along the way.
Regards,
Sarah Lux
6. Reference
Bitdefender. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2014, from
http://www.bitdefender.com/media/html/launch2015/?pid=20Offall&sem_region=COM&utm_source=
Google&utm_campaign=Search_Brand&sem_type=search&sem_placement=&utm_content=516720
28856&utm_term=www bitdefender com&gclid=CMKt37jzxsICFc1_MgodoggAWg
Golf Shop / Lessons. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2014, from http://www.tapatio.com/golf/golf-
shop-lessons
Growing Business | MailChimp. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2014, from
http://mailchimp.com/pricing/growing-business/
Prive, T. (2012, October 18). 20 Must Have Tools For Small Businesses. Retrieved December 15,
2014, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/10/18/20-must-have-tools-for-small-
businesses/2/
Server Backup Software Review 2014 | Best Server Recovery Software | Restore SQL Backup -
TopTenREVIEWS. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2014, from http://server-backup-software-
review.toptenreviews.com/
