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Tip 1.
Never Use Windows 95/98 or Me in your Internet Café unless you are setting up a gaming center for kids.
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Those operating systems are very difficult, if not impossible, to secure from breaking by malicious (rarely), careless (sometimes) or computer-illiterate (most of the time) customers;
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There’s very little you can do in terms of centralized administration of user accounts/profiles;
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In Windows NT , 2000 or XP you can utilize server-based (roaming) user profiles and system policies to greatly reduce administration headaches;
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You have to reboot the computers running those operating systems every now and then to keep them running smoothly. Couple that with customer frustration, and you have a major hassle on your hands.
Tip 2.
Have at least a basic set of Office apps, plus Adobe Acrobat Reader on all workstations.
You need to keep some basic productivity applications on every computer. People take them for granted these days and will be very upset if they can’t open a Word or Excel attachment their friend sent them, or even edit their resume / cover letter before emailing. No need to make a case for being able to open PDF files.
Tip 3.
Have at least some basic Imaging applications on all workstations.
The Imaging application that comes with Windows is very limited in terms of file formats it can open and even some JPEG varieties are not supported. Microsoft Photo Editor, which is included with Microsoft Office, is a much better substitute. Also, Adobe Photo Deluxe and Paint Shop Pro usually come bundled with hardware, so you don’t have to pay for them, just make them available. Take care to set the right one as a default for .JPG files, as people won’t go too far past double-clicking.
Tip 4.
Have latest versions of Major Internet Browsers (IE, Netscape, AOL) and their respective plugins and helper apps installed on all workstations.
This one’s absolutely essential – your Internet connection is only as good as the browser you’re viewing it through, and a lot of people are used to AOL so much, they’d rather go home, then face an unfamiliar computing environment. Major plugins and helpers, such as Flash, ShockWave, Real Player, etc. are also important to have preinstalled, if only to stop people from asking, how come you don’t have them.
Tip 5.
Always try to have the same hardware configuration on all workstations.
This makes maintenance much easier, since you can have one “gold standard” installation saved and later transfer it to each workstation.
Tip 6.
Always have a scanner and never charge an extra fee to use it. Advertise it as FREE Scanning on your outside banner.
A decent consumer-grade scanner will cost you less than $100 (it doesn’t have to be a networked model, just install it on one of the workstations). Scanning and editing images (see “Software” section) is a lengthy, slow process, so you get paid for computer time more than enough to warrant the purchase. Choose a parallel port model for NT installations and a USB model for all others.
Tip 7.
Always have a CD-Recorder. Never Charge extra fee for the CD-Recorder. Advertise it as FREE CD-Recording on your outside banner.
A decent CD-Recorder will cost you only about $100 more than a regular CD-ROM drive, but will greatly improve your café’s appeal, because people will want to take things they downloaded or created on your computers with them. Some will even come specifically to copy CDs. Again, you’ll make more than enough in computer time and blank CD sales (buy in bulk at $0.30, sell at $1 or more).
Tip 8.
In our experience, an Inkjet Photo printer is OK to have, but not really necessary. More of an advertising value, than a money maker.
Very few people, if any, want to print photos or color pictures in a café, mainly because of the price. You have to charge about $1 per page for it to be profitable, due to the high cost of supplies (ink and special inkjet paper) and maintenance. People are not willing to pay that much, especially considering that most home computer systems come with color printers anyway. If you are determined to install an inkjet photo printer anyway, choose one that fits your budget from the Epson Stylus Photo line. Don’t forget to run a test page every few days, so the ink doesn’t dry up and clog the print head’s nozzles.
Tip 9.
Always choose a high-volume laser printer.
This printer will take a lot of beating in the café environment, and even though you may not think it will be used a lot, getting a high-volume model will save you a lot of headaches in the long run. It is also cheaper to run, on the cost-per-page basis, than a home/home office model. HP is the clear leader in this field with their LaserJet line, and the best one all-around is LaserJet 4000. Don’t buy the “N” model with built-in JetDirect network print server. Instead, buy a cheaper and faster external print server, such as Intel InBusiness Print Server, or similar (under $200).
Tip 10.
Buy the best monitors you can afford, preferably flat-screen LCD.
Your monitors represent the face of your Internet business. While relatively expensive, flat-screen LCD monitors take up little space and look appealing. You should consider having at least a couple of those visible from the outside. This will give your café a high-tech look. The prices of LCD monitors have come down tremendously, so you can buy decent 15” models under $400 and 17” models between $500 and $900 apiece. You have to be careful though, some are not of very high quality, so you really need to look at one to decide. Though Viewsonic is, in our opinion, the best, they too have stronger (VG and VP) and weaker (VE) product lines. For the budget-conscious, AOC (Envision) flat panel monitor LM-500 is the perfect choice (under $400). Visit our site, www.cyberagesystems.com for links
Tip 11.
Use a well-established and reliable Internet Service Provider, even at a higher cost.
The livelihood of your Cyber Café business depends on your Internet Service. Your ISP may go under without any advance notice, as did Northpoint (one of the few DSL wholesalers and telco alternatives in NYC), basically leaving you dead in the water. Any kind of new broadband service will take at least 6-8 weeks to get operational, depending more on your local telco, rather than the particular provider, and all that time your computer section is just dead space you’re not making a penny off.
Tip 12.
The amount of bandwidth you need is purely empirical.
Generally, even a 128Kbps connection will sustain up to a dozen workstations, but that depends on many factors, such as the performance of your Web Proxy, if you have one; the kind of clientele you entertain (gamers, vs. casual web surfers, vs. music/movie fans, vs. chatters, vs. tourists checking their e-mail); your ISP’s efficiency; etc. Your ISP will always be happy to upgrade your level of service if you feel you have a bottleneck. They can also give you usage statistics on a monthly basis.
Tip 13.
Explore all available options for Broadband Service, before you make a choice.
Each type of Broadband Internet Service has its pros and cons:
13.1) Full T1:
· has high bandwidth – 1.544Mbps;
· available where other types of service may not be;
· generally thought of as most reliable and predictable;
· generally can be tied with an SLA (Service Level Agreement), which guarantees uptime and bandwidth availability for extra charge;
· has high installation and monthly service cost – in the neighborhood of $3000 for installation and necessary equipment (CSU/DSU, T1 Router), plus about $700 per month for ISP (varies widely, depending on the provider), plus about $200 for “local loop” by local telco (varies somewhat, depending on the region);
· your installation / equipment costs can be reduced, or even waived if you sign a one-year or two-year agreement.
13.2) Fractional T1:
· has all the pros of T1 at lower bandwidth – 64Kbps to 1.544Mbps;
· monthly service cost is proportionally lower;
· “local loop” charge is, unfortunately, the same as with full T1;
13.3) Burstable T1:
· best of both worlds, pay-as-you-go bandwidth;
· you generally pay less than half of what you would for Full T1, and get a fixed bandwidth level, say 256Kbps, with more available on-demand;
· if your sustained usage (peaks excluded) over two consecutive months exceeds 256Kbps, you are asked to start paying for the next bandwidth level;
· if later your sustained usage returns to the previous level for at least two months, you get back to the old pricing;
· once again, “local loop” charge is the same.
13.4) xDSL:
- ADSL, or Asynchronous Digital Subscriber Line, which has different upstream (from you to the provider) and downstream (from the provider to you) speeds, is the cheapest, but generally not available to businesses;
- SDSL, or Synchronous Digital Subscriber Line, which has speeds ranging generally from 128Kbps to 2Mbps, is what most Internet Cafés normally use;
- prices range from about $100 to under $1000 per month, but you should expect to pay about $200 for 256Kbps, which is usually enough;
- installation and equipment costs are a lot lower than with T1, usually waived with a one-year contract;
- service is practically as reliable as T1, and bandwidth is not subject to fluctuations throughout the day;
- xDSL is not available in all areas, and local telcos, which are sometimes the only option, charge a lot more than competitive providers;
13.5) Cable:
- mostly comes at high speeds, up to 2Mbps;
- relatively inexpensive, so that you’d pay about the same for 2Mbps Cable as 256Kbps SDSL;
- generally free to install, with, possibly, a nominal charge for Cable Modem (under $300);
- NOT recommended for Internet Cafés in residential neighborhoods, especially with high-rise buildings, because of bandwidth fluctuations throughout the day, slowing down to the point of being unusable during peak hours (6pm to 10pm);
- makes a very good backup option, for the times when main T1 or SDSL service goes down;
Tip 14.
Use Norton Ghost or similar software to make a clean copy of each workstation’s setup.
Software on your computers will get badly abused on a daily basis, so it makes sense to develop an easy way to get it back to the original condition. Using Norton Ghost, PowerQuest Drive Image, or other similar software, you can create an “image” for each of your hardware/software configurations, burn it on a CD, and use it to restore any computer gone bad. The process of restoring takes no more than 15 minutes, which is certainly a lot quicker than any other system repair procedure.
Tip 15.
When creating an “image”, don’t use the compression.
Compression will slow down the restore process and should be used only when your “image” doesn’t fit on a CD.
Tip 16.
Use command line switches to automate the restore process.
Norton Ghost has a command-line interface, which allows you to completely automate the restore process by using a bootable floppy with the appropriate commands in autoexec.bat file.
Tip 17
You can have one “image” for multiple computers, as long as the hardware configuration is standard.
This is why it makes sense (see Tip 5) to have as little deviation in hardware as possible. There are several things that you have to change, though, once you restore an image. The following after-restore procedure assumes that you have Windows NT or Windows 2000 workstations, participating in a domain. Because of the way Security Ids (SIDs) are assigned in Windows NT and 2000 domains, this procedure also has to be followed on the computer, from which the “image” was taken.
After restoring an image:
1. Login as local Administrator;
2. Change the IP address. If you have a DHCP server, which can be your file server, your firewall, or your router, running on the network (highly recommended), you can skip this step, as the IP address will be assigned automatically at startup;
3. Change the computer name (skip this step if you’re restoring the workstation, from which the “image” was taken);
4. Change the domain to a workgroup (workgroup name doesn’t matter);
5. Reboot;
6. Login as local Administrator again;
7. Join the domain, using domain Administrator username and password;
8. Reboot again.
Tip 18.
If possible, have at least a couple of PC workstations with flat screens in the window.
Flat screens give your place a chic and high-tech look. At the same time, don’t take up all the window-space, or you risk looking too technical and office-like.
Tip 19.
Give people enough room to sit comfortably and put down any books, magazines, papers or notebooks they might have brought.
It is safe to assume that a lot of people will come to look things up on the Web, or study, or research. Making them as comfortable as you can, will ensure that they’ll stay longer and come back.
Tip 20.
Design the computer area, so that nobody would stand behind people using the PCs.
People feel nervous and uncomfortable using a computer when somebody stands behind them. The issue is not only privacy, but also an innate fear of predators, that’s still living in us after thousands of years. If there’s no way to get around this in your layout, put a large mirror on the wall behind the monitors, so that people can at least see what’s happening behind them.
Tip 21.
Chose smaller processor units and place them under the tables, bars etc.
Do not clutter your space with big boxes, as they are heavy, look bad and repel people. Nowadays, you can get very powerful yet compact (read “cute”) CPU configurations for pretty much the same price as big boxes. If possible, hide them under the desks or behind the screens, if you have LCDs. Also, all-in-one models with built-in LCD screens work really well in any design.
Tip 22.
Allocate about one-third of total space for computers and have at least 8-10 of them.
That seems to be the “golden” ratio, where your space is still enough of a café, yet is not perceived as only a café. It seems that to achieve a “critical mass” of being an Internet Café vs. a regular café, you need at least 8 to 10 computers. This number is purely empirical, but works in all cases we’ve seen.
Tip 23
Work out the right pricing.
Price for the computer time can vary greatly from place to place. Some arcade gaming centers can be as cheap as $1 an hour, yet Kinko’s can charge as much as $0.45 a minute for a PC equipped with a regular scanner. Your pricing will have to be decided based on the location and type of audience you have, or count on having. We suggest you use the simple rule of thumb that will let you find the right price:
Computers should be used, on average, at 30-40% of their capacity and customers should be paying, on average, around $3-5 regardless of how much time they spend at the computer. This will take some time for you to figure out, and as a start we suggest you set the price somewhere between 15 and 20 cents a minute. If after few days you notice that the average user spends, let’s say, 20 min at the computer, the right price for you should probably be between 15 and 25 cents a minute. You can use NetSpy Monitor’s “Statistics and Charting” view to determine average usage counters. Keep in mind that you probably want to collect at least a week’s worth of statistical data before you can put it to use. Also, you should commence this procedure some time after you change the price, due to the simple fact that price change affects average usage time. A couple of iterations like that should ensure that you are close to an optimal pricing. You may also use this technique to find out best prices for different seasons or even weekdays vs. weekends. If your computers are used at less than 50% of their capacity at peak hours, you have too many computers. Expect the computer revenue to be about 20% of your total gross revenue.
Tip 24
Do not overdo with trying to control everything.
We have seen many places fail because they wanted to have those sophisticated schemas where customers are restricted to some basic applications (Internet Explorer, Netscape) and have to pay for others separately (MS Office, Adobe Photoshop etc. ). Do not do that. People get annoyed, period. You have to make your computers as friendly to the users as possible, in fact people should see an environment very similar to that of at home. Of course you want to make sure to protect critical parts of your system such as registry. Its farley easy to setup that and other security restrictions using the Windows Administrative Tools. Do that while creating your customer profile, then simply map that profile to one or more of your User Types as described here and leave the rest to NetSpy, the software will make sure that windows system profile you specified with all of its security and other settings is loaded when users sign in. | 
