In amongst all this, however, there’s opportunity to increase efficiencies and decrease costs by upgrading your equipment.

Many of our customers are currently at a crossroads when it comes to acquiring new equipment in the current market. If one were to look at the pros and cons of new equipment now, it might look something like this:

PROS

• In this market especially, there is a clear need to look for new ways to generate income. New equipment may be integral to those plans.
• Again especially relevant in this market, trimming unnecessary operating costs is extremely important. New equipment may deliver those efficiencies.
• Equipment suppliers may be more willing to negotiate in the current climate.
• Prices are yet to feel the full impact of the fall in the exchange rate. The value of the Australian dollar has dropped nearly 30 percent recently, and prices of imported equipment are due to rise shortly to absorb that change.

CONS

• “We need our cash” – right now, many businesses see the need to preserve cash. With such market volatility and uncertainty, cash reserves may be needed in the near future.
• There is often a time lag between acquiring the equipment, and realising the associated benefit. As such, it may take many months before you’re “ahead” financially as a result of the new equipment, whether it’s via lower costs or increased revenue
• If you acquire the equipment using traditional bank debt, it can affect your bank exposure and future line of credit requirements
There is an answer which allows businesses in today’s’ environment to realise all of the pros, and avoid the cons – a tailored equipment finance solution.
By financing new equipment, you get the use of the equipment immediately, without the up-front cash outlay. In fact, in many cases the monthly revenue and efficiency benefits will outweigh the costs almost immediately. This means you get to protect your cash while at the same time manage ongoing cash flow.

In addition to being highly tax effective, many forms of finance will also leave your bank exposure unaffected, and so will not impact overdrafts and lines of credit.
And finally, by doing something right now, you get the advantage of timing, interest rates are low (and are fixed for the term of the finance), prices are low, and the impact of exchange rate fluctuations are yet to be fully felt.

So… have a chat to your Tops Account Manager now, and realise some of the opportunities presented by the current economic environment.

Tops Chief Executive Noel Brown said the company cricket sponsorship represented an important partnership for the company. “As a Tasmanian company competing in national and international markets, we know the importance of effective support structures and striving to be the best that you can be. “So this is a great fit for Tops and TopsMobile and we are looking to build on the successful relationship we developed with the Tasmanian Cricket Association over the past 12 months,” Mr Brown said.

“Tasmanian cricket has seen some exciting times of late and we can’t wait to be involved and hopefully get the chance to see some more success developed from the youth cricket pathway program”.

Tops has exclusive naming rights to the TCA’s youth program, now known as the ‘Tops Tasmanian Youth Cricket Pathway’. As well as advertising on the TCA’s website and extensive signage at Bellerive Oval, Tops is also the naming rights sponsor of
Tasmania’s Cricket HQ, a major promotion by the TCA at the annual Taste Festival.
The Cricket HQ live site is operating on 28, 29 and 30 December and 3 and 4 January, showing the Melbourne and Sydney Tests between Australia and South Africa on the big screen on Parliament House lawns. There will also be cricket clinics conducted by the Tasmanian Tigers and prizes for the children.

Noel Brown said the company was delighted to be supporting a great family event over the holiday period. “As many as 300,000 people are expected to attend the Taste and the live site will enable fans to catch all the Test cricket action while relaxing on the lawns,” Mr Brown said. “Importantly, Tops involvement fits in very well with the audiovisual and mobile telecommunications side of our business so it is a great promotion for the company.

“At the Tops Cricket HQ, the emphasis will be on fun and relaxation and we are pleased to be supporting a great community event at this important time of the year.”

Zaptz is providing its unique software repackaging and virtualisation solution to major Australian blue-chip companies. It has appointed Australian and New Zealand partners to market the technology and is also looking to service clients in Asia and North America.
The company has received a $595,000 grant under the Intelligent Island Market Access and Partnership Program (MAPP). The funding will be used for a range of initiatives to enhance the commercial delivery of the innovation including research, infrastructure development and software licensing, marketing and roadshow presentations throughout Australasia and the United States of America.
Zaptz was developed in Tasmania and was launched last year. It is a revolutionary software packaging and management application that makes computer environments more stable, resilient and easier to manage. The technology and methodology remotely 'zaps' any software application creating an advanced software packaging product. This greatly reduces the time required to install, deploy or stream software applications and simplifies computer image management. Clients already using the technology included NAB, Westpac, Toyota, Westfarmers, Norske Skog and the Australian Defence Forces.

Zaptz has also partnered with leading New Zealand IT provider Axon and the global software company Symantec to market the product through Australasia. Zaptz enables clients to standardise, manage, install and uninstall applications and licences over their entire IT environment. They can also audit and track applications and licences held by their organisation locally, nationally and internationally. It is particularly relevant for Vista application migration and software virtualisation. The revolutionary solution helps reduce support costs and streamline software operations by providing faster, simpler and more manageable deployment of desktop applications and improves system supportability by reducing the complexity of the software environment. The cutting edge system management and support can be delivered online throughout Australia and worldwide.

The Zaptz system offers major users serious saving of up to 70 percent on their software management and costs. Zaptz already undertaken more than 500 applications and anticipate completing a minimum of 2000 in 12 months. The Company is particularly targeting major businesses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Western Australia, as well as in New Zealand, and is also looking at Asia and North America where there is serious interest.

Further information is available at www.zaptz.com, or by calling Andrew Hennessy on (03) 6270 4155, or email sales@zapts.com.

Australia’s only fully-integrated ICT technology provider, Tops is now offering the ultimate in mobility solutions for Tasmanians, and interstate customers, providing business with the seamless integration of mobile phones, fixed phones and information technology. Tops has added Telstra Mobile Solutions to its product range and is now able to provide the full integration of information and telecommunications technologies.

Chief executive Noel Brown said the TopsMobile development was a response to business customers requiring a fully integrated mobility solution rather than just purchasing hardware. With a shop front on Hobart’s Sandy Bay Road, it is also catering for retail customers, trades people and single person operations. TopsMobile provides the final piece in the Tops fully integrated ICT solution and enables clients to do business better and achieve significant savings.

“TopsMobile is Tasmania’s only licensed ICT Telstra dealer enabling us to integrate an organisation’s entire IT and telecommunications networks making business operations faster and more efficient,” Mr Brown said. “With technology convergence, businesses need to be fully connected on tailor-made plans incorporating business systems such as computer files, invoicing, diaries and communication over the internet, with their mobile technology and other communication facilities. All this can be accessed over mobile phones.”

Mr Brown said Tops’ technical support meant less down time, faster response rates and serious savings for clients. “By analysing their business needs, we are now able to save organisations substantial amounts on both capital costs as well as carriage plans. This applies across mobile, fixed and internet access. “To provide the best possible service, Tops is partnering ITC Distribution, the number one service and coverage provider with best of breed brands and as a Telstra dealer, we can supply HTC Diamond, Nokia, BlackBerry, Sony, Motorola, Samsung, LG, HTC, Palm, iMate, and satellite phones. “When you incorporate fully analysed cost-effective, tailor-made plans it adds up to a new dimension in mobility and connectivity for business.”

Tops has appointed a strong team to its TopsMobile division, dedicated to providing the highest possible level of customer service. Mr Brown said Tops was now able to offer a fully integrated sales and back-up service, specially structured to meet the needs of Tasmanian organisations from small to medium businesses through to large government departments. “This is much more than just selling mobile phones. We can now meet the mobility needs of customers and integrate the service into their entire communication system.”

To find out more, contact TopsMobile on 1800 084 868 or at www.tops.com.au.

A four-camera system with high quality digital video recorder and LCD display monitor is available from Tops for under $3000 and an eight-camera system can be provided for under $5,000. Alarm system packages including smoke and motion sensor options can also be supplied at very affordable prices. The innovative package is ideal for retail businesses, warehouses, building and construction sites and any environment where the protection of assets and property is required.

The cameras provide extensive coverage and the system provides high definition images stored on internal hard drives. Tops CEO Noel Brown said with the advance of technology, business security was now easier and cheaper. “The equipment is state-of-the-art and features advanced motion detection technology, scheduling and encryption, with optimal recording and video compression enabling maximum recording duration,” Mr Brown said

Mr Brown said user-friendly programming and playback search tools mean that critical video information can be retrieved extremely rapidly. Concurrent installation with an alarm system provided cost reductions of at least 25 percent, as well as high-level protection. This ensures that camera surveillance and alarm systems are working together for greater business benefits.

Installation costs can be provided and on site inspection and packages can be designed to suit larger premises. Further information on Tops security system services is available online at www.tops.com.au or by telephoning (03) 6270 4166.