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About 1757 days ago Hardware

Plug in and Forget: Network Appliances

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In today’s innovative small businesses, the backbone of the computing infrastructure is the local area network (LAN). The true value of modern computing is, in fact, centered on the sharing of information within the business, accessing common resources, and collaborating to improve decision making, streamline processes, reduce overhead, and allow the effective participation of employees in the everyday digital life of the business. Until recently, though, LANs were a lot less common among smaller businesses — in most cases, their value was limited to sharing files across individual desktop computers, sharing printers locally connected, and sharing broadband Internet access. To achieve most of the advantages that come with collaboration, networks had to be outfitted with often very expensive and difficult to manage servers, imposing quite a leap in terms of IT support requirements. Things have though changed quite a bit in the last few years and because of these three main thrusts, the popularity of LANs among small businesses has skyrocketed: Increased availability of business grade online, multi-user software applications provided as a service and not requiring the installation of servers or local software; Increased performance and lower cost of wireless networking hardware, allowing for the flexible deployment of wired and wireless network users at low cost and with high flexibility; Growing availability of networked appliances, providing simple to use, task-oriented functionality to multiple network users. The impact of networked appliances The third of these factors is probably the least recognized, yet it has the most impact, primarily among operations with five to 25 employees. These are, in fact, the businesses most pressed to adopt servers, but often too reluctant to increase their IT overhead. Many of the important functions that traditional servers could provide via dedicated software can today be found in individual, easy to setup, configure, and use appliances that in most cases are designed to be deployed with no or very limited use of specialized IT personnel. A simple example to illustrate the case is storage: up to a few years ago if you wanted secure, permission based access to a reliable shared data storage resource you had to deploy at the cost of a few thousand dollars a small server with multiple hard disk drives and its own operating system. Today you can buy for a few hundred dollars a network attached storage (NAS) device that plugs directly into the network, and offers the same features with very simple setup and management interface. Most of the functionalities important to small businesses that were available only through servers are now available through appliances. Common, secure file storage and sharing As mentioned, NAS devices are the simplest and most effective way to centrally store your company data in a safe, reliable, quickly accessible common resource. Look for devices that contain multiple disks and support Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID). RAID allows to you to radically increase the reliability of your storage and in many cases increase the speed at which information is written and read from and to the device, improving the overall performance. It is also very important for the device to support individual user authentication to keep data private. And if your network supports gigabit Ethernet, make sure that your appliance does as well, in orderto maximize performance. NetgearReadyNAS, EMC AX150, Iomega StorCenter, and HP StorageWorks Media Vault Pro are good examples of these type of devices. Automated backup NAS devices also represent excellent destinations for your automated backup. If this is the primary reason you are interested in a NAS device, make sure it comes with good backup software and backup client licenses. Desktop independent print sharing Your printer has just become a lot smarter. Many printers today can be connected to your network — some of them even wirelessly — and become accessible from any networked computer. If considering a networkable multifunction device, make sure that all its functions (printing, scanning, faxing) are supported across the network. Some only allow for the printing functionality to be shared and require the device to be connected locally via USB in order to provide scanning and faxing.  Anti-virus, spam filtering, firewalling, etc. Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliances effectively replace servers in protecting your network and computers connected to it from intrusion, malware, and spam. UTM appliances often come with software to be installed on your networked computers and provide hands-off protection. The leader in the market is SonicWALL, although there are some other interesting vendors with particularly appealing small business solutions such as TrustEli, ZyXEL, and SOHOware’s BroadScan. Virtual private networking (VPN) VPN is a technology that allows users outside the physical premises of a network to securely connect to it via the Internet and have access to all shared resources and network privileges. VPN can also be used to connect two or more physically distinct network into one. This allows businesses with mobile workforce or telecommuters to provide the full benefits f a common digital work environment. VPN functionality is often provided as an extra feature of UTM appliances or Internet routers. Examples are the Netgear FVS318orthe Linksys RV042 or HotBrick 401 VPN. Remember to verify how many concurrent VPN connection your device will allow and how many VPN client licenses are included in the price. Voice over IP (VoIP) services VoIP allows for incredible flexibility and often cost saving. You can create a sophisticated phone system within your office with a VoIP appliance and network phones, or software on your computer to emulate a phone (softphone). The system will allow your call to reach you seamlessly when travelling anywhere in the world, have your voicemail forwarded to you as e-mail attachments, and much, much more.  To learn about VoIP for small businesses you can read this column I wrote for IncTechnology. Good examples of appliance-based VoIP systems are: Fonality PBxtra, Microsoft ResponsePoint, and Digium Asterisk Appliance. While it is true that modern, powerful servers can do a lot more, such as hosting e-mail services,  applications sharing, database hosting, it is important to realize that the core functions mentioned above represent the bulk of what small business have been wanting to use local networks for. The concept of dedicated appliance is making incredible progress and every day new devices come to market at lower prices to fulfill more and more specialized needs: job attendance tracking, point of sales support, network search and more. Now you know that your network can become a true secure collaborative environment without piercing a hole through you finances or requiring a full time IT support person. It’s time to share. Andrea Peiro is a recognized authority, author, analyst and speaker on high-tech marketing and use of information technology in small and mid-sized businesses. He has been frequently interviewed and featured in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. You can reach him at us.andreap@gmail.com.            

About 1757 days ago Wireless Networks

Plug in and Forget: Network Appliances

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In today’s innovative small businesses, the backbone of the computing infrastructure is the local area network (LAN). The true value of modern computing is, in fact, centered on the sharing of information within the business, accessing common resources, and collaborating to improve decision making, streamline processes, reduce overhead, and allow the effective participation of employees in the everyday digital life of the business. Until recently, though, LANs were a lot less common among smaller businesses — in most cases, their value was limited to sharing files across individual desktop computers, sharing printers locally connected, and sharing broadband Internet access. To achieve most of the advantages that come with collaboration, networks had to be outfitted with often very expensive and difficult to manage servers, imposing quite a leap in terms of IT support requirements. Things have though changed quite a bit in the last few years and because of these three main thrusts, the popularity of LANs among small businesses has skyrocketed: Increased availability of business grade online, multi-user software applications provided as a service and not requiring the installation of servers or local software; Increased performance and lower cost of wireless networking hardware, allowing for the flexible deployment of wired and wireless network users at low cost and with high flexibility; Growing availability of networked appliances, providing simple to use, task-oriented functionality to multiple network users. The impact of networked appliances The third of these factors is probably the least recognized, yet it has the most impact, primarily among operations with five to 25 employees. These are, in fact, the businesses most pressed to adopt servers, but often too reluctant to increase their IT overhead. Many of the important functions that traditional servers could provide via dedicated software can today be found in individual, easy to setup, configure, and use appliances that in most cases are designed to be deployed with no or very limited use of specialized IT personnel. A simple example to illustrate the case is storage: up to a few years ago if you wanted secure, permission based access to a reliable shared data storage resource you had to deploy at the cost of a few thousand dollars a small server with multiple hard disk drives and its own operating system. Today you can buy for a few hundred dollars a network attached storage (NAS) device that plugs directly into the network, and offers the same features with very simple setup and management interface. Most of the functionalities important to small businesses that were available only through servers are now available through appliances. Common, secure file storage and sharing As mentioned, NAS devices are the simplest and most effective way to centrally store your company data in a safe, reliable, quickly accessible common resource. Look for devices that contain multiple disks and support Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID). RAID allows to you to radically increase the reliability of your storage and in many cases increase the speed at which information is written and read from and to the device, improving the overall performance. It is also very important for the device to support individual user authentication to keep data private. And if your network supports gigabit Ethernet, make sure that your appliance does as well, in orderto maximize performance. NetgearReadyNAS, EMC AX150, Iomega StorCenter, and HP StorageWorks Media Vault Pro are good examples of these type of devices. Automated backup NAS devices also represent excellent destinations for your automated backup. If this is the primary reason you are interested in a NAS device, make sure it comes with good backup software and backup client licenses. Desktop independent print sharing Your printer has just become a lot smarter. Many printers today can be connected to your network — some of them even wirelessly — and become accessible from any networked computer. If considering a networkable multifunction device, make sure that all its functions (printing, scanning, faxing) are supported across the network. Some only allow for the printing functionality to be shared and require the device to be connected locally via USB in order to provide scanning and faxing.  Anti-virus, spam filtering, firewalling, etc. Unified Threat Management (UTM) appliances effectively replace servers in protecting your network and computers connected to it from intrusion, malware, and spam. UTM appliances often come with software to be installed on your networked computers and provide hands-off protection. The leader in the market is SonicWALL, although there are some other interesting vendors with particularly appealing small business solutions such as TrustEli, ZyXEL, and SOHOware’s BroadScan. Virtual private networking (VPN) VPN is a technology that allows users outside the physical premises of a network to securely connect to it via the Internet and have access to all shared resources and network privileges. VPN can also be used to connect two or more physically distinct network into one. This allows businesses with mobile workforce or telecommuters to provide the full benefits f a common digital work environment. VPN functionality is often provided as an extra feature of UTM appliances or Internet routers. Examples are the Netgear FVS318orthe Linksys RV042 or HotBrick 401 VPN. Remember to verify how many concurrent VPN connection your device will allow and how many VPN client licenses are included in the price. Voice over IP (VoIP) services VoIP allows for incredible flexibility and often cost saving. You can create a sophisticated phone system within your office with a VoIP appliance and network phones, or software on your computer to emulate a phone (softphone). The system will allow your call to reach you seamlessly when travelling anywhere in the world, have your voicemail forwarded to you as e-mail attachments, and much, much more.  To learn about VoIP for small businesses you can read this column I wrote for IncTechnology. Good examples of appliance-based VoIP systems are: Fonality PBxtra, Microsoft ResponsePoint, and Digium Asterisk Appliance. While it is true that modern, powerful servers can do a lot more, such as hosting e-mail services,  applications sharing, database hosting, it is important to realize that the core functions mentioned above represent the bulk of what small business have been wanting to use local networks for. The concept of dedicated appliance is making incredible progress and every day new devices come to market at lower prices to fulfill more and more specialized needs: job attendance tracking, point of sales support, network search and more. Now you know that your network can become a true secure collaborative environment without piercing a hole through you finances or requiring a full time IT support person. It’s time to share. Andrea Peiro is a recognized authority, author, analyst and speaker on high-tech marketing and use of information technology in small and mid-sized businesses. He has been frequently interviewed and featured in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. You can reach him at us.andreap@gmail.com.            

About 1818 days ago Mobility Tips and Tricks

The Untethered Future

It’s Thursday at 6 p.m. and you are driving in your car with your family to go camping for the long weekend. You’re almost there when your Bluetooth phone headset rings. It’s one of your key clients and this is the call you have been waiting for all week. The contract needs to be signed now, so that tomorrow the purchase order can be issued, and on Monday work can begin. “No problem,” you say. “Just e-mail it to me.” At the next gas station, you pull over, boot your tablet PC, insert your 3G WWAN card and hop online from the middle of nowhere. You check your e-mail, open the contract, get the stylus and sign it right there, on the screen. Save it in a PDF format and e-mail it back. You do all of this before the kids are back from the restroom. Information technology has in the past 10 years completely changed the way small businesses live and work, affording a completely different approach to pursuing and managing business possibilities, balancing the life-work challenge, and destroying barriers to entry into markets and new opportunities. When we look though at what are the root causes of these change, we can actually pinpoint that the most radical transformations in the way small businesses do business have come primarily as a result of the commoditization – and consequently the affordability – of three specific technologies: notebook computers, mobile telephony, and broadband Internet access.  The inexpensive availability of these three major technologies has driven most of the change, directly or indirectly, fueling trends such as the development of Web-based software applications, mobile email, search advertising, ecommerce, and even texting, blogging or social networking. In the background of our entrepreneurial lives though, a fourth major force is quickly materializing, rapidly changing our expectations in terms of how quickly and under what circumstances we have complete access to our full business capabilities: ubiquitous wireless data access. Wireless technologies are rapidly taking over across all forms of connectivity, changing the way we interact with information and affording a level of operational flexibility never before thought possible. Five standards rule the market and cover all of today’s connectivity needs. Bluetooth – With peak data rate of up to 3 megabits per second (Mbps) and range of about 30 feet, it is used for short-range connectivity of utility devices such as cameras, printers, headsets, microphones, mice, and mobile phones. Wireless USB --With peak data rate of about 480 Mbps and range of several meters, it is used for very short range data cable replacement and provides the same connectivity to peripherals that normal USB does, sans the wires. Wi-Fi -- With peak data rate of up to 300 Mbps and range of up to 300 feet, it is used for Local Area Networking (LAN) of computers and some enabled peripherals, such as printers or shared storage appliances. 3G Mobile Broadband -- With range dependent on 3G network coverage, but generally in the order of miles, and download speed about 500 kilobits per second (Kbps), it is used for wide area Internet access for either for 3G enabled Smartphones or add-on PC cards or USB adapters. Wi-MAX -- With range in the order of miles and download speed of over 1.5 Mbps, this new technology is to provide wireless broadband access as an alternative to wired broadband, like cable and DSL, to fixed, portable, and mobile receivers. This standard is also being positioned to provide the infrastructure for the next generation of mobile telephony networks. With the Apple iPhone 3G slated for a July debut, the eyes of the mobile computing world are all pointed towards the first ultra mobile device that can provide ubiquitous Internet access comparable with the experience you can have on a computer with broadband. Expect this to become the norm. 3G technology, married with a full capability Web browser and a sizable, high quality touch screen is an open door to bring the incredible wealth of low-cost Web-based applications to the hands of millions of small businesses. This un-tethered business future comes with the demanding task of building whole new rules to strike the right life-work balance. While in fact promoting higher flexibility, ubiquitous connectivity expose the dangers of being “on the job 24/7.” Some may say that wireless technologies are the modern “ball and chain.” I believe that if you did not know you could have signed your contract on the go, you — like every small business owner on this planet — would have been waiting, and waiting in your office for that contract to come in. Instead you’re almost in Big Sur and can hear the kids asking, “Are we there yet, Dad?” Like for most things in life, knowing when and where to draw the line is the key. Loose the wires, stay in control, and find a new life. Andrea Peiro is a recognized authority, author, analyst and speaker on high-tech marketing and use of information technology in small and mid-sized businesses. He has been frequently interviewed and featured in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. You can reach him at us.andreap@gmail.com.            

About 1849 days ago Business Software

Business Management Applications: The Power of Data

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Few things can be as rewarding as the experience of owning your own business, the feeling of being an entrepreneur, the freedom of managing your professional destiny. With independence and self determination though come the profound responsibility of providing a good working environment and a reliable paycheck for yourself and your employees — in good times and bad times. Each day you have to make hundreds of decisions that could change your life and the destiny of your company. During tough times many small businesses fail because projected profits are overestimated, costs misjudged, and cash flow is out of control, while owners lose track of what works and what does not, taking chances not supported by accurate figures. A clear, analytical knowledge of your business performance is always very important to substantiate decisions, but it becomes absolutely critical in times of economic downturn, when the volume of business tends to be reduced, operational costs increase, competition steepens, and margins shrink. The accuracy of decisions that could make or break your venture depends upon how refined is your understanding of variables such as operational costs, cash flow, yield of your marketing efforts, projected sales. Would you, for example, be able to quickly and reliably list your best customers, detail what your profit margins are, or assess the value of your inventory? Analytics can help To better weather a recession, entrepreneurs should consider adding to their instinct and experience the support of data and analytical evidence. In moments of economic crises only the most efficient businesses survive and thrive. Access to internal information can be the difference between success and failure, allowing you to accurately determine what customer to focus your attention on, what areas of your business to trim first, and how far down you could reduce your prices to remain competitive while keeping your profitability at acceptable levels. Information technology has for decades enabled large corporations to acquire, gather, organize, represent, evaluate and prioritize information from all sides of their businesses. Today the same technologies are affordably available to smaller companies in what are called business management applications (BMAs). BMAs are software tools to help manage information across the entire business and assess performance in sharp, clear terms to reach more accurate decisions. Most small businesses operate using an assortment of standalone, single-purpose software products to manage business functions: accounting, point of sale, inventory, customer relationship management, and most likely various disconnected online applications for tasks such as direct marketing, e-commerce, or group conferencing. Even when integrated, individual applications can rarely address the intelligence needs of a small business, mostly because the flow of data among the software programs remains limited, and cross-referencing figures becomes a very difficult task. Tying together different business functions Only software designed from the ground up with well integrated features and natively sharing information across functions can provide the information you need to truly limit the risk associated to your decisions. BMAs tie together most aspects of your business such as: Financials and accounting Customer relationship management Purchasing and merchandising Production and manufacturing Inventory management  and distribution Order processing and shipping or delivering E-commerce Human resources Ideally this type of intelligence should be available on demand, easy to access in an understandable and usable format. A new generation of BMAs is attempting to make this happen by fully leveraging the power of the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies to deliver corporate-grade functionality to small businesses with low deployment overhead, universal accessibility and pricing models with minimal initial costs. In general there are great advantages for small businesses with limited technical resources in using Web-based BMAs, versus installing and maintaining complex software on their local network. These benefits in most cases include: Very high level of collaboration among employees: your entire team can access your company’s information and work from anywhere they have access to an Internet connection; No software installation or management, no servers required; High level of data security and availability with frequent and reliable backup; Very high level of integration with ecommerce and online payment processing services. The leaders in the online BMA market, each focusing on slightly different market segments are NetBooks, Salesforce.com, SAP Business One, and Netsuite. All these products offer different plans meeting the diverse needs of small businesses, providing tailored software applications as a service, with quality customer support and very simple setup. Ultimately, following only a modest investment, the adoption and use of online BMAs will help your business adapt to the economic downturn, by helping you: Simplify your financial management, improve fiscal insight and manage risk; Decrease the lead-to-sale time, increase the reach of your marketing and open new channels; Identify inefficiencies, reduce operational costs, increase flexibility and responsiveness; Increase productivity through better communications and better access to information. Economic downturns are part of the American economic system. They are important moments to weed the strong businesses from the weak ones, and prepare for the next period of growth. This is the time to think ahead, adapt, and create new opportunities. Andrea Peiro is a recognized authority, author, analyst and speaker on high-tech marketing and use of information technology in small and mid-sized businesses. He has been frequently interviewed and featured in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. You can reach him at us.andreap@gmail.com.  

About 1879 days ago Tools on Managing Technology

Green Computing Choices

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The global call for action to live our lives in a more ecologically responsible way, limiting waste and preserving our environment, has finally reached the world of computing. Office equipment has been for years a source of pollution and waste, producing tons of non-recyclable plastics, dangerous chemicals, and massive amounts of non-biodegradable components.  While this source of pollution has been mostly overlooked because of the relatively limited quantities of computers and peripherals produced in the past, the skyrocketing sales trends of the last decade have made this a very urgent and relevant issue. Many computers and peripherals manufacturers are becoming more sensitive to the problems associated with disposal and recycling of computing hardware as well as energy savings, but most could do a lot better in designing products with a lesser impact on long term pollution and energy consumption. Social and ecological responsibility extends to all segments of the world population, yet the actions of some groups can have more relevant effects than others. Small businesses are quickly becoming very strong consumers of information technology hardware and as such they have the responsibility to make sustainable choices and drive their preference towards manufacturers that strive to improve the friendliness of their products towards our planet. There are many simple, yet substantial ways small businesses can manage their technology in an eco-friendly way and help reduce pollution and energy waste. Here are some impactful ideas you can act upon today. 1.  Purchase equipment with low content of dangerous chemicals Computer hardware tends to contain a lot of toxic substances, and while most manufacturers are pledging to reduce or eliminate pollutants, some are doing better than others. Toxic elements that may be contained in computing equipment include lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, arsenic, cobalt, zinc, germanium, as well as aluminum, copper, and titanium. These are mostly treated as poison by the human body and can cause a wide range of health problems. When equipment is disposed in a landfill, its toxic elements begin to seep into the ground and may percolate into waterways, spreading into the ecosystem. Take a look at this detailed report from Greenpeace.Choosing equipment built with the least amount of pollutants is one of the keys to limit this growing damage. Greenpeace rates products and manufacturers on a yearly basis in the group’s “Guide to Greener Electronics”. 2. Use rechargeable batteries Disposable batteries still have a huge amount of pollutants such as mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium, and silver. Some recycling programs are now in place to properly dispose of batteries, but the sheer quantity used makes it difficult to be effective. Use “nickel metal hydride” rechargeable batteries where possible instead. They contain almost no toxic heavy metals and can be easily disposed at the end of their life. They have become much cheaper in the last few years, recharge faster and last longer. Chargers also have become inexpensive and small. Some batteries can even plug directly into a computer USB port to recharge. 3. Use small solar panels to recharge your phone, iPod, or other small electronics. Lots of smart and small solar chargers are now available. They save you money and can charge your equipment on the road with no dependency on electric outlets. Expect more powerful models to be able to recharge laptops in the near future. For more ideas on solar energy, see this eco-friendly tech products slideshow on IncTechnology. 4. Purchase energy efficient equipment The U.S. government has established a certification program for energy efficient electronics called “Energy Star.” Equipment that meets the low energy consumption requirements of for the certification can display the “Energy Star” logo.  You can find more about the program, as well as a complete list of certified computing products here.   5. Use a laptop instead of a desktop computer Laptops are much more energy efficient and use fewer materials for their production than desktops. Not to mention that they end up increasing your productivity and workday flexibility allowing you to work where you need and when you need – making telecommuting a few days per week a much more viable option, helping you save gas and commute time. 6. Enable energy management policies on your computer Modern desktop PCs use a lot of electricity, the equivalent of four to seven traditional 60W light bulbs. To reduce energy waste and make your utility bill smaller, place computers in “hibernate” mode when you leave the office. This will allow them to restart in a blink, but use no electricity while idling. You can also set your computer power policy to make it go on stand-by (or sleep mode) after a few minutes of inactivity. The computer will resume almost instantly, but while you are at lunch or in a meeting, your PC will use close to no power. Visit Climate Savers Smart Computing for complete information about power management. 7. Recycle your old equipment If you have old, but still functional equipment that you are not using, donate it to a school or to programs like Goodwill. You can get a tax deduction, extend the life of the equipment and benefit a needy organization.  A comprehensive list of options can be found at TechSoup. For non-functioning equipment you can rely upon a growing number of recycling centers. You can find your local options at Earth911. It is also very important to recycle your printer cartridges, considering how often they are replaced. Most office supply stores have drop boxes for used ones and some offer refilling programs for both laser and inkjet models, allowing substantially cutting on printing costs while helping the environment. Your choices can make a difference and your purchases will guide the design and production decisions of the future. Choose wisely, it’s your planet. Andrea Peiro is a recognized authority, author, analyst and speaker on high-tech marketing and use of information technology in small and mid-sized businesses. He has been frequently interviewed and featured in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. If you have ideas about green tech, please reach him at us.andreap@gmail.com.

About 1910 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

Not All PCs Are Created Equal — Part I

As the use of computers has moved from competitive advantage to competitive requirement for any small business, the dependency upon everyday computing tools such as PCs, the Internet, the mobile phone, has grown to unprecedented levels. Think about what your business day would look like if you had no access to your computer, no access to the Internet, and no access to your mobile phone. Few small businesses would truly be able to operate under these circumstances. It is absolutely paramount for all businesses to consider investments in technology at the same level of any other structural business investment, and rely upon “business grade” products rather than making do with consumer-oriented tools. An area where the differences between consumer and business product lines are very remarkable is the PC market. Not all PCs, in fact, are equally suited for business purposes and the choice of hardware you make could mean the survival or demise of your business. In this two-part column, I will review the five essential areas of differentiation between consumer-oriented and business-oriented PCs, offering practical guidelines for your next business PC purchase. Today’s PC are, in general, affordable and powerful. Software is becoming cheaper and the choices are incredible. What is not always evident, though, is that consumer PCs are designed with emphasis on entertainment and multimedia capabilities, but not necessarily built to guarantee the consistent levels of reliability, security, manageability, and computing power that businesses need. Reliability is essential for business A business PC must be as reliable as possible. Imagine if you were ready to make that key presentation to your investors and your laptop did not turn on. The most delicate part of a PC, be it a laptop or a desktop, is still the hard disk drive (HDD). With its magnetic plates spinning sometimes at more than 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) and minuscule reading heads hovering at fractions of a millimeter above the disks, the likelihood of malfunction is actually quite high, making it the most common element of failure. In laptops, due to the shaking and small impacts they frequently have to absorb, HDDs are even more prone to stop working. Replacing a failed HDD can be very time consuming and often comes with substantial loss of data. Imagine reinstalling the operating system, all the software, and restoring your data from the backup — providing you do have a back up. Business-grade PCs today offer a feature called “Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks” (better known as RAID) that provides great protection from HDD failures. RAID has been very common in servers for many years, and it is now affordable enough to be a must-have feature in PCs. In its most basic configuration — called mirroring — RAID allows the computer to write the same data concurrently and identically on two HDDs. If one of them fails at any time, the PC continues to operate seamlessly with only one drive. When the failed drive is replaced, the system automatically copies back the information on the new drive, restoring the original configuration. Simple, effective, inexpensive, fast. Higher levels of security built in It is a day just like any other: wake up early to get ready for the Wednesday conference call with the East Coast, brush your teeth while the familiar aroma of the brewing coffee is starting to pervade your pad. A glimpse at your desk, though, tells you that something is not how it should be: you’re quite sure you left your computer on last night, but now it’s off. Press the “ON” button and there it is, the blue screen of death and the iconic message of doom: “can’t find bootable media.”  Your heart sinks, and your day is magically gone. You spend an hour trying to make sense of what has happened, calling the help desk, cancelling your appointments, only to realize that during the night a virus has entirely erased your hard disk and before doing that has sent itself to all addresses in your contact book. Double hit: lost all your data and made lots of people angry! The Seattle proposal, your contacts, the project plans, your clients information, even your kids pictures were all on your hard disk and now they are gone. Gone for good! What about the backup? Well, it never made it off the “to do list.” To limit the chances for this doomsday scenario, it is of course paramount to have up to date anti-virus and anti-spam software installed, plus a good backup routine. The last generation of PCs designed for business, like the ones based on Intel’s vPro platform, can provide a higher level of security directly built into the hardware, capable to isolate malignant software code before it reaches even the operating system. This does not replace anti-virus software, but dramatically enhances the likelihood to catch malware before it strikes. In the second part of this article, which will publish next week, I will review how PCs designed for business use offer overall more productive computer experience, better manageability. and simpler maintenance. I will also go over the newest features offered in more mobile business-oriented laptops. Andrea Peiro is a recognized authority, author, analyst and speaker on high-tech marketing and use of information technology in small and mid-sized businesses. He has been frequently interviewed and featured in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. He can be reached at us.andreap@gmail.com.

About 1910 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

Not All PCs Are Created Equal — Part II

In the first part of my column, I reviewed how PCs designed for business purposes are different from consumer-oriented products in terms of reliability, via use of multiple hard disk drives, and security, thanks to hardware level protections. Beyond great reliability and ironclad security, however, businesses should also expect from their new PCs guaranteed levels of computing power and manageability. I explore these issues in greater detail in this second part of my column. In addition, I have some advice for the mobile business person: business-grade laptops are geared toward ensuring security and preventing the exposure of sensitive data — much more so than consumer-grade laptops. Sustainable computing power While most people associate the need for computing power with high-end gaming and multimedia applications, the current generation of computer operating systems offers productivity-increasing and security features that, while useful, run in the background and can be very taxing on the computing power of your PCs. An example is the indexing service in Windows Vista that allows users to quickly search with one query across all types of files on the computer regardless of the format or location — such as in e-mail attachments or PDF files. This service runs at all times, continuously reading all new files and the changes to old files, intensely using your computer CPU and memory. Other examples are anti-spam and anti-virus software that run in the background scanning your files before you open them. Even those neat rules that you establish in your e-mail client to automatically organize your mail as it arrives can take a toll on what is the total computing power of your PC. Today’s business computers need to be able to fully and easily run the most recent operating systems and software taking advantage of their features without becoming a drag on your work time. Multi-core processors, paired with enough RAM — 4 gigabytes is a good amount both for Macs and Windows machines — provide the type of performance business computers need, allowing for true multi-tasking. Cost-effective manageability One of the parameters that is often underestimated when purchasing new computing hardware is “manageability.” This is mostly due to the fact that it is an element that is difficult to understand and to quantify the value of. Nonetheless, it is very important. How easy is it to make sure that all PCs in your company carry the most up to date anti-virus? How easy is it to fix a problem one of your remote employees may incur in? Business grade PCs today can offer technology that allows for remote, unified management at hardware level. This means that computers can be securely accessed by your technicians through the network or the Internet and diagnosed, maintained, and updated — even if the computer is off or it has crashed and does not boot. If you decide to outsource your IT function, a growing number of IT support companies provide standardized remote management for a fraction of the cost of traditional on-site care. Your choice of business PCs should definitely account for the need to keep the cost of maintenance as low as possible. With the price point of good PCs well below $1,000, a few hours of a computer technician for an on-site call can easily make the total cost of ownership skyrocket. Think about it when you are deciding to spend a bit more for an easier to manage option. Efficient mobility For the mobile professionals, business laptops often incorporate innovative features, beyond RAID, hardware security, or extra power.  Common now in laptops designed for business use are fingerprint readers for ultra-secure login, hardware-level data encryption for total privacy, last generation WiFi (802.11n) or WiMAX  for extra-long range, and ultra-broad bandwidth Internet access on the go. Low-power consumption processors — such as Intel Centrino powered PCs — are more common in business laptops, as arehigh brightness screens, extended life batteries, and larger hard disk drives. These features add up to devices that respond much better than consumer options to the needs of a mobile professional. The bottom line is that you want your PC to work when you need it and how you need it. When choosing your next computer, consider that the true cost of technology is rarely in the upfront investment, but most often in addressing the consequences of bad choices. With that mantra in mind remember that your new PCs intended for business use should be secure at a hardware level, as reliable as possible, easy to manage, and powerful. Andrea Peiro is a recognized authority, author, analyst and speaker on high-tech marketing and use of information technology in small and mid-sized businesses. He has been frequently interviewed and featured in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. He can be reached at us.andreap@gmail.com.

About 2001 days ago Setting Up a Website

2008: What a Mashup!

This is the time of year when all sorts of predictions appear on old media, new media and not so new media alike: from what’s going to happen in the Presidential elections to what energy sources will replace oil and how much closer mankind will actually be to getting to Mars. Not to disappoint all my wonderful readers, here are the technologies that will be hot for small businesses in 2008. Writing about the future of technology is actually a cozy tradition for me, and this year it is my privilege to do it on IncTechnology.com. 1. Web 2.0 collaborative applications Small businesses need better, low cost and easy to manage tools to work collaborate within the company and to pool together resources across multiple businesses to better tackle large jobs. In 2008 you will see a proliferation of online tools that will make things a lot easier. Web 2.0 based applications are software tools accessible via any internet browser and are natively well suited for collaborations. A new crop of developers is taking full advantage of this capability to create great things, sometimes even offered for free! Office productivity suites that allow multiple users to work together, share information and collaborate in real time such as ThinkFree and Zoho. Project management tools such as Basecamp Messaging, communications and collaboration environments such as Zimbra and HyperOffice Don’t you think for a minute that the big guns like Microsoft and Yahoo, that have steeply increased their attention for the needs of small businesses in the past few year (see Yahoo! acquisition of Zimbra and Microsoft’s upcoming Office Live Workspaces) will just sit there and watch.  So expect a lot of competition for your attention and lots of low cost ways to leverage the web to collaborate. 2. Cached Web applications Ok, so what happens to all these wonderful Web tools if you cannot connect to the Web? Expect many of these applications to launch an offline “companion,” software that runs on your computer and replicates the online functionality. Wait a minute, what’s happening here? Software goes online and online applications go offline? Yes, that’s right. Traditional software is here to stay, but the new demands of the market are imposing more and more to make software available concurrently as a service and as a locally stored application, frequently with automatic synchronization of data files between the online and local storages. In a sense, Microsoft pioneered the concept at a Local Area Network and VPN levels with MS Small Business Server and Web Outlook . Now the concept is going mainstream and “on the Web cloud.” Expect tons of Web applications to come with offline companions or to work in “cached mode” without requiring Web connection; and expect more and more desktop software to become available as a complementary service, part of the software licensing fee. 3. Mashups Mashups are Web applications that derive data from different sources into one integrated tool. A popular example of a mashup, cited by Wikipedia, would be to combine the cartographic data from Google Maps with real-estate listing from Craigslist to get a new Web service that provides location information to those listings. Consumer mashups are becoming quickly popular, like iGoogle, mapmyrun.com or housingmaps.com. Expect the development of business applications that leverage this concept and bring you the best of all worlds. Currently the most common type of business mashup is the dashboard. There are tools like Serena that allow building mashup-based applications on the fly. Yahoo! has Pipes and Microsoft and Google are in beta testing with Popfly and Mashup Editor, respectively. Expect in 2008 many pre-developed mashup services bringing together your most commonly used business Web services. 4. 3g network connectivity Wireless operators are in full swing with the deployment of their 3G networks, offering data and voice connectivity almost anywhere at the sped of entry-level DSL. 3G data cards are almost free with contracts, all-you-can-use plans are as cheap as $30 per month and reliability has gone up to very acceptable levels. Watch for more and more laptops to come outfitted with wireless WAN cards. The technology is ready, the price point is affordable and the convenience is unparalleled for mobile workers. 5. Online data backup Internet connections are becoming faster everywhere and backup software is becoming smarter and cheaper. A new set of inexpensive online backup solutions that really work is emerging targeting small businesses. Some even have unlimited storage for a fixed fee. Online backup maybe a bit more cumbersome to setup and manage, but ensures a very high level of data protection. Check out some of these: Live.Skydrive.com, Xdrive, Carbonite, MediaMax, eVault, and Box.net. Surely one of them will meet your online backup needs. 6. Biometrically protected notebook computers Fingerprint readers and data encryption software will become very popular in 2008, as the technologies are mature and the costs have gone down. Look for tiny fingerprint readers on laptops and keyboards that unlock the computer instead of passwords. Also look for full hard disk encryption to become much more popular to safeguard the privacy of your data: Microsoft has made available BitLocker on Windows Vista Business and Premium versions. A good, easy to manage alternative is PGP. And what after that. Other technologies that in the next few years will land on the lap of American small business include: 4G mobile telephony Fully IP switched data/voice wireless networks that will deliver ultrafast connections to any mobile device. That is how small businesses will go online in a few years. Keep your eyes on Google. In-text advertising The new frontier of contextual advertising is in-text. Vibrant Media is the leader in the space, but look for more to start playing. RFID It is taking time for this new and initially costly technology to take foot, but the pressure of large supply chains, such as Wal-Mart Stores is forcing the adoption. Watch for RFID tags to appear on all sorts of retail goods. We’ll see at this time next year if I’m right! Andrea Peiro is a recognized authority, author, analyst and speaker on high-tech marketing and use of information technology in small and mid-sized businesses. He has been frequently interviewed and featured in such media outlets as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Inc. He can be reached at us.andreap@gmail.com..

About 2335 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

Staying Connected

For better or worse, most of us are now hostage to a constant stream of data, images, and conversations beamed at us via cell phone and Wi-Fi networks. To remain tuned in, you probably have a quiver of fancy gadgets, like a smart phone with a slide-out keyboard, Skype or Vonage boxes in your home for making phone calls over the Internet, and a Wi-Fi detector in your hand to let you know which cafés let you fire up the laptop and burrow into the corporate network. Indeed, it’s taken for granted now that in an always-on economy, being connected is key to business success. But if that’s the case, if connectivity confers competitive advantage, then what really counts is how connected you are compared with the next guy. In other words, by limiting yourself to standard communications technologies and applications, you’re just keeping up. If you want to get ahead, you’ve got to take your connectedness to the next level. Fortunately, that’s doable–thanks to a handful of new, slightly exotic products that haven’t yet achieved much awareness. One way of boosting connectivity is to increase the amount of time the network is available to you. For all the talk of being constantly wired, even your Batman utility belt’s worth of gadgets probably leaves you stranded offline from time to time. That’s not just an issue when you’re entertaining clients on the catamaran or inspecting drainage at a backwoods site. Researchers have found that one-third of all cell phone calls suffer from quality problems. And outside urban areas, Wi-Fi hot spots are the exception, not the rule. You no longer have to put up with that sort of detachment. For starters, there are now cell phone range extenders, which typically enlist a book-size antenna that can be stuck on a wall or a car roof to snag faint signals. A small box then amplifies and broadcasts the signal to the immediate area so you–and your employees or family–can use a cell phone in a spot that’s normally a dead zone. One example of a range extender: the $399.99 zBoost, from Atlanta-based Wi-Ex, which rebroadcasts signals across an area of about 2,500 square feet. The company has been shipping extenders since 2005, but it’s been gaining more attention for more recent models that are compatible with a wider range of cell phone networks. As for your wireless network, once you’re out of range–meaning as soon as you step out the door, and possibly well before you get there–you’re dependent on Wi-Fi hot spots. But your network can cover a wider range than you might think, thanks to new technology that can push a wireless network signal not just across your office or house but across an entire town or beyond. The most impressive claims for distance, up to 40 miles, come from MaxStream’s $299 9Xtend. You won’t get a broadband connection at those distances, but it’s fine for e-mail and transferring small files. If you demand full-on multimedia all the time, you need a satellite phone. As recently as a few years ago, medium-speed satellite data links were the privilege of those willing to lug a suitcase full of electronics, take a course in how to use the device, and pay hundreds of dollars for a few minutes of connection. But new satellites put in orbit in 2005 by a company called Inmarsat have led to a new service called BGAN that brings a high-speed connection to a $1,000 laptop-computer-size device for $9 per megabyte of transferred data–enough for about 100 e-mails or webpages, if you skip attachments and photos. One downside: You may have to stand by a window to snag a satellite. But that’s a small price to pay for the ability to flame your sales manager from a spa in Tibet. Will being able to get that e-mail sent or return that call when your counterpart at Acme is temporarily stuck in radio silence make a difference in how you fare? There’s no way of knowing for certain, but if you’re absolutely sure the answer is no, then you’re leading a far more relaxed life than most of us. Another way to gain strategic connectivity advantage is to put your current communications capabilities to better use. Take Web conferencing. We finally have the bandwidth to enable a roving manager to get a good video fix on life back at the office, but hardly anyone takes advantage of it. I suspect one reason is that standard webcams provide a fixed, fishbowl image akin to what you’d see above the counter in a 7-Eleven; it feels more like peeping through a porthole than standing in a room and looking around. But some new webcams allow you to control the view remotely, to spin the camera around and zoom in for a sharp view of a new design, or even of someone’s face to see how he or she really feels about what you’re saying. Sure, you could spy on your employees with it, too, but that’s a fool’s opportunity. If you’re torn between needing to travel more for business and not wanting to spend time away from the kids, consider putting one in your kitchen at home and ask your kids to show you their homework when you’re on the road. A good option is the D-Link DCS-6620G, about $755 at Amazon.com. Okay, now you’re truly connected, available 24-7, no matter where you are. What about your rivals? Can you increase your edge by lowering their ability to connect with you? One option is to short-circuit anyone’s attempt to violate your privacy over the network. It’s now easy to hide a tiny camera that wirelessly transmits images for posting on the Web. And if you think that violating people’s privacy hasn’t become routine, then you haven’t looked at YouTube lately or, for that matter, read The Wall Street Journal. (And you certainly haven’t held a position on the board of HP.) But technology is stepping up to offer some protection. Surreptitious transmissions, for example, can be stopped with a portable video camera and wireless network blocker. It’s simply a small box that can be placed anywhere in a room, where it will jam camera, network, and Bluetooth signals up to a 30-foot radius. The Spy Store sells one online called the VJM-1 for $599. The more paranoid among us might also want to block cell phone calls, and there are jamming devices available–though you won’t yet find them in the United States, where they are illegal. Such devices are available in Europe and Japan, and for obvious reasons, the U.S. movie-theater industry has been lobbying to get permission to use them, which could open the door to other exceptions. Two U.S. companies, Cell Block Technologies and CellAntenna, claim to have developed versions that might be deemed legal, though neither is offering products to the consumer market yet. For now, those seeking to block cell phone transmissions might consider this low-tech but effective option: slapping metallic paint or sticking wire mesh on the walls, either of which will block cell phone and other signals. Stick-on mylar film will take care of the windows. Then there’s what I like to think of as “meta-connectivity”–that is, using other peoples’ communication networks as a business resource in their own right. For example, it’s already easy to track the location of employees and others through the use of cell phones. But what about tracking the public at large? Think about it: Since nearly everyone carries a cell phone these days, knowing where the cell phones are is the same as knowing where the people are. Figuring out how crowds form, move, and disperse throughout the day could be valuable information for a range of businesses. One of the most immediate implications is for advertising, where the price of placement on an electronic billboard could fluctuate based on how many people are within viewing distance. This technology is still emerging. But two U.S. companies, IntelliOne and AirSage, are planning to market cell phone-based vehicle traffic monitoring services nationwide. Once these sorts of traffic-related services get the public used to the idea of being tracked anonymously, new kinds of data services should become widely available. Of course, today’s exotic communications gizmo is tomorrow’s de rigueur, which means your reward for establishing a connectivity edge is getting to do it all over again when your weird gadgets start turning up everywhere else. Contributing editor David H. Freedman (whatsnext@inc.com) is a Boston-based author of several books about business and technology.

About 2396 days ago E-Commerce

Making Paid Search Pay Off

In the first half of 2006, companies spent $2.5 billion to reach consumers online, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers and Interactive Advertising Bureau report. But, to paraphrase advertising legend John Wanamaker, how much of that expense really works? Online, it’s sometimes easier to know, especially when it comes to paying for clicks on search results. Google, Yahoo, and other search engines offer advertising programs that highlight your business when customers search for your related product — and you only pay when someone clicks on your company’s ad. “The biggest advantage lies in your ability to manage your costs and spend strategically through only appearing for people who are making search inquires,” says Garrett French, a search specialist at Market Smart Interactive, a Morrisville, N.C. Internet marketing firm. “Every small business should experiment with paid search if they have an existing website that generates leads or sells product.” Here are ways to make it pay off. TIP #1: Consider the short-term and long-term benefits Click-through ads should not only be looked at as a short-term sales opportunity, but as part of the company’s long-term brand awareness strategy. “Search engines act as brand builders as well as shopping tour guides,” says Catherine Seda, author of Search Engine Advertising: Buying Your Way to the Top to Increase Sales. “It’s interesting to note that search engine listings fall behind only print ads as a brand-building tool used by U.S. companies.” TIP #2: Know the different search engines Determine what your needs are and find what services match them best. Google AdWords is the most popular click-through service. Google provides a link to your website and a short text ad every time a potential customer does a relevant search. It has partnerships with America Online, Ask Jeeves, and Earthlink. Yahoo Search Marketing uses a system similar to Google. A key difference is the Content Match program: Yahoo takes traditional click-through ads and places them beside actual articles, not just related searches. Aside from Yahoo news content, Content Match includes articles from MSN, CNN, The Wall Street Journal and National Geographic.. TIP #3: Find out which search terms consumers use Text-based click-through ads are like classifieds: the more words, the more it costs. Choosing the right words to “trigger” your ad are essential. “Any companies new to paid search should spend time doing keyword research to determine appropriate terms for bidding on,” French says. He recommends using search engine software to find out what words customers usually use to find your site. Google, Yahoo, and other search engines can show how viewers reach you. Basic Web counter software can also give search information. TIP #4: It costs whether they buy or not Search engines charge based on how many people click through the ad — not how many people are actually buying product. Experts recommend evaluating the cost of Internet ads without assuming every ad participant will buy. Also, be wary of “click fraud,” a growing category of crime in which competitors or organized rings of thieves click on your ad to drive up your costs.