Web-Based Apps

• The Promise of Cloud Computing

  A global public relations firm with 120 employees transitions to cloud computing and the IT director lives to tell about the potential relief that software-a...

  Linda Wilson

• Tech Talk: Travel Agency Trains Staff Online

  A travel agency that caters to the over 50 crowd saved money and time by cutting down on face-to-face training meeting to update call center employees about ...

  Elizabeth Wasserman

• Tech Talk: Payments Firm Tries Cloud Computing

  A secure payment processing company used cloud computing to help the business scale rapidly so that it could process millions of transactions each day with s...

  Elizabeth Wasserman

• Traditional CRM vs. Social CRM

  Traditional customer relationship management's strong suit has been improved operational effectiveness, easier access to data, and improved collaboration. So...

  Brent Leary

• Cloud Computing: Freedom to Be Productive

  Communications and collaboration through Web-based applications can help small businesses not only get the job done, but save money as well.

  Andrea Peiro

• Web Applications: The Coming Threats

  Software-as-a-service is becoming a staple of small and mid-sized businesses, but so may be security threats that target loopholes in these applications.

  Todd Wasserman

• A Business Intelligence Software Primer

  Applications that extract data buried inside spreadsheets and databases for key analytics were once too complex and expensive for small businesses. Then soft...

  Michelle V. Rafter

• Keep Your Head in the Cloud

  The upshot of cloud computing is that computing services are becoming more like utilities to a business.

  Andrea Peiro

• Microsoft Office Moves to the Web

  Microsoft will soon make scaled down versions of its popular suite of office productivity programs available as Web apps. Watch out Google.

  Michelle V. Rafter

• Web-Hosted Software: Compliance as a Service

  Web-hosted software can keep you in line with ever-changing regulations.

  Minda Zetlin

• Negotiating Virtualization Software Use

  Virtualization rewrites traditional software compliancy. There are different ways that software vendors are trying to figure out how companies should pay and...

  Alice Osborn

• Software-as-a-Service and Regulatory Compliance

  Using SaaS is a popular way to cut upfront costs and save on equipment and IT staff. But your business remains legally responsible if an outsourcer compromis...

  Minda Zetlin

• Enterprise Resource Planning: Do You Need It?

  Many vendors now offer ERP services for the small business. But does your small business need one? Here's how to decide if your business may benefit.

  Jean Thilmany

• Software-as-a-Service Vs. Managed Services

  What's the difference between SaaS and the managed service concept? And how can you decide which is best for your business?

  Jean Thilmany

• Lost in Translation: Website Translation Tools

  Should you translate your website into other languages to try to win more business internationally and reach more customers? There's money to be made by reac...

  Todd Wasserman

• Tech Talk: Network Manager Caters to Clients with CRM

  A San Francisco network management firm gets more client referrals after instituting an online customer relationship management (CRM) system.

  Elizabeth Wasserman

• Tech Talk: Staffing Chain Uses On-Demand Software

  A national staffing firm finds that moving from client-server based information technology to software-as-a-service has eased the start up costs to franchise...

  Elizabeth Wasserman

• Free Tech Programs on the Web that Work

  Rather than cough up cash for pay software, many small businesses are taking advantage of hundreds of free downloadable or online applications now available....

  Marc Saltzman

• Tech Talk: Food Site Uses Chat to Close the Sale

  An Atlanta-based gourmet food website helps convert online browsers into buyers using virtual chat technology.

  Elizabeth Wasserman

• Business Management Applications: The Power of Data

  BMAs may be your online secret weapon to weather the downturn -- and come out of it stronger and more profitable.

  Andrea Peiro

• Are Managed Services Right for You?

  Small and mid-sized businesses are outsourcing a variety of services these days, including voice, e-mail, and network services. If your business is supportin...

  Alice Osborn

• Recruiting Software: You're Hired!

  Big businesses have long used Web-based recruiting software to weed out good job candidates from bad. Now that it's come down in price, small and mid-sized b...

  Michelle V. Rafter

• Using SaaS to Save on IT Spending

  As businesses adjust to the economic downturn, the IT budget is certainly not immune from cuts. Software as a service (SaaS) is one way to save on dollars bu...

  Michelle V. Rafter

• HR Software: Technology to Manage People

  The most common human resource services outsourced today are payroll and benefits administration, and some vendors offer these through a software-as-a-servic...

  Michelle V. Rafter

• Tech Talk: Location Intelligence Helps Franchise Expand

  A quick-service hot dog and hamburger restaurant expands with the help of intelligence software.

  Elizabeth Wasserman

• Tech Talk: Registered E-mail Helps Save Postage and Time

  A company that certifies organic products discovers cost savings using registered e-mail.

  Elizabeth Wasserman

• Small Business Should Embrace CRM in 2008

  Customer relationship management providers have tailored their offerings for the small business market, providing software-as-a-service options, integration ...

  Brent Leary

• Tech Talk: Moving Business Applications Online

  Home Paramount Pest Control's CTO Andrew Bartels wanted to move his company's paper-based business applications online, but didn't want to invest in a variet...

  Elizabeth Wasserman

• Make Mine To Go – Mobile Software-as-a-Service

  The more people get comfortable with Web-based business software, the more they want to use it everywhere, including on the road. Software-as-a-service vendo...

  Michelle V. Rafter

• Buy Web Apps? Webware Lets You D-I-Y

  A growing number of small businesses do-it-themselves when it comes to Web applications. Python, Coghead, and even Microsoft have developed tools to allow ev...

  Alice Osborn

• Picking an SaaS Vendor: Upstart or Big Player?

  As the big names in software unveil software-as-a-service products, businesses have never had so many options. But is it better to go with a big name or an I...

  Michelle V. Rafter

• ERP for Small Business: The Time is Ripe

  Small and mid-size businesses often have unique requirements for enterprise resource planning software that demand full capabilities without complexity. They...

  Mary O. Foley

• Online Travel Expense Reporting Takes Off

  The travel expense reporting process used to be a manual, time-consuming, and inefficient process for most small and mid-size businesses. Technology may hold...

  Mary O. Foley

• Host Everything: The On-Demand Dashboard

  The latest entry into the hosted software market is the on-demand dashboard, which enables businesses to reap the benefits of data integration from multiple ...

  Caroline Waxler

• Getting Your Business Ready for Mobile 2.0

  The mobile Internet is on a fast trajectory that will sooner than later overshadow the Internet as we know it. Is your business ready to compete in the age o...

  Renee Oricchio

• Microsoft’s Online Services – What’s In It for You?

  There's a lot more to software as a service than merely writing documents online. Microsoft is giving small and mid-size businesses what they need.

  Anita Campbell

• Technology to Solve the Boring Meeting Dilemma

  Using collaboration tools and Web conferencing can cut staff meeting times and the doldrums of sitting through yet another PowerPoint presentation.

  Todd Wasserman

• Beyond the Hype of Web 2.0

  This new category of tech -- involving collaboration, simplicity, and Web interfaces -- has gotten its share of build-up. But some apps really are useful fo...

  Peter Suciu

• Ruby on Rails: Making Web Programming Easier

  This open source Web application is growing in popularity among small and mid-size businesses because it can help you create applications with less code and ...

  Marc Saltzman

• Pros and Cons of ASPs for Small Business

  Application service providers can replace traditional software and make sophisticated applications available to small businesses, but are they secure?

  Peter Suciu