Archive: December 2004

December 31, 2004

Have a GREAT New Year...

To my smallbiztechnology.com audience - HAVE A GREAT NEAR YEAR in 2005 (end of post)...

December 30, 2004

Spython.com - spyware news and solutions

Iolo Technologies, makers of a line of computer tools, has launched a new resource - Spython.com. This new online...

December 30, 2004

Web Hosting - more storage demands at lower costs

It seems like "everyone" is needing web hosting space. Businesses are of course using more and more web space...

December 30, 2004

Join Ramon on the Radio with Jim Blasingame

Tomorrow morning, a bit after 7:00am EST, I'll be on Jim Blasingame's "The Small Business Advocate" radio show. We'll discuss...

December 30, 2004

Customer Service: Humans or Computers

Customer service is very important for businesses that want to have satisfied customers. Web host Rack Space does not...

December 29, 2004

Disaster Planning and Recovery from an affected 9-11 small business owner

There's no one better qualified to speak about a subject than one who has gone through the process. On...

December 29, 2004

Book: Securing Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 is in use by thousands and thousands of businesses around the world but the scary thing...

December 29, 2004

Solar Power for your gadgets

Battery life is one of the biggest limitations for mobile devices. PDAs last for days at a time as...

December 29, 2004

Open Source: Maybe "free" is not better

There's many software products such as OpenOffice and Star Office that are "free" or very low cost and compete...

December 29, 2004

Review: Wireless for Dial Up Users

In November I alerted you to Always On Wireless' WiFlyer. It is a device a bit larger than a...

December 28, 2004

Are insiders stealing your company's secrets

It's hard enough to protect your company against outside threats and attacks - phishing, viruses, hackers and the like. But...

December 28, 2004

What will you do when your software vendor is bought or merges

When the software vendor you have relied on for years is bought or merges with someone else, what will you...

December 27, 2004

Security. Security. Security. Do not ignore. Take action

I know most of you have heard this so many times: 1. Get a firewall 2. Get an UPDATED...

December 27, 2004

Will the PC change in 2005? Not much.

Your computer system will stay about the same this year, but you can expect changes in 2006 when Microsoft is...

December 27, 2004

Mobile Viruses: should you be concerned?

Now that your current or your next mobile phone has an operating system, files, email and functions like PC you...

December 27, 2004

IBM's PC Business - same management different owners

While many companies are outsourcing the production of their goods to China, India and other companies, Lenova, the Chinese...

December 24, 2004

USB drives - so much variety and expandibility

One of the coolest mobile technologies around are USB devices. These micro technology gizmos are compact, easily connect to your...

December 24, 2004

Mozilla FireFox's uphill battle

Mozilla Firefox is a VERY good web browser - and in many respects much better than Microsoft's Internet Explorer....

December 24, 2004

Microsoft on verge of releasing Small Business Server PR Toolkit

In its continued effort to help its "Small Business Server" (SBS) reseller channel get more media attention Microsoft is releasing...

December 23, 2004

Software Companies: Direct Sales Channels vs Reseller Channels

Icode makes a feature rich and comprehensive ERP (e-business) application which competes directly with SAP's Business One, Quickbooks Enterprise,...

December 23, 2004

E-Mail Doesn't Take a Holiday

What do you do with your email when you are on vacation? Do you check your email? Do you...

December 22, 2004

The Keys to Microsoft's Success: Its Developers

Microsoft has succeeded as it courts an army of developers who make products for its Windows operating system. From...

December 22, 2004

Data/Voice: Coming to an airplane near you

Using a combination of services from one of the large telecommunication providers you can access data or talk on the...

December 21, 2004

Is a $500 notebook computer from Wal-Mart worth it?

Wal-Mart is now offering a $500, Linux based notebook computer. It comes with the Open Office office suite, a...

December 21, 2004

LapLink's Share Direct: Sharing Files Could Never Be Easier

There's so many remote access solutions on the market. GoToMyPC.com, LogeMeIn and RemoteExplorer.com all provide remote control PC to...

December 21, 2004

Tech Retailer CDW: Soft Sell Works Best

There's three kinds of sales. The sales where the customer badly needs your product and just buys (maybe their...

December 21, 2004

9 Things to Know about Selecting a Web Host

It may seem simple yet it is often times overlooked. When it comes to choosing the right Internet hosting provider...

December 21, 2004

Happy Birthday Laplink - 21 years young

Laplink is one of those companies whose software/hardware can be found in the tech tool bag of every computer...

December 21, 2004

Is Your Email Being Blocked: TRY RSS

Many companies, including Smallbiztechnology.com, send email newsletters to their customers, audience (in my case), prospects, staff, etc. However, as spam...

December 20, 2004

Online Applications - SMBs love them

Remember when you used to read articles about "hosted applications" and ASPs was such a cool word. Now, it's...

December 20, 2004

Circuit City and Gateway join hands

I was in Circuit City last night and was drooling at all the great technology around me. Direct sales...

December 20, 2004

Is TrendMicro Better than McAfee

Hotmail has chosen TrendMicro's anti-virus service over McAfee, which it had been using. What does this mean? That TrendMicro...

December 20, 2004

GOOGLE - it can do so much if you let it

Last week, I was searching for a programmer who could enable my Avantgo HTML file to display two different...

December 17, 2004

Marqui - it will revolutionize your content distribution

I was reading David Strom's latest writing and he was reviewing Marqui's new content publishing/management tool. I was so impressed...

December 17, 2004

Technology: Does a Higher Number Mean Much Better Performance?

When looking for a computer, or other technology, don't let numbers confuse or fool you. For example, when looking...

December 17, 2004

Built in Microsoft Windows Security: Don't Become Complacent

Microsoft is reportedly going to offer, eventually, built in anti-virus security into Windows. It already offers a basic, but...

December 17, 2004

Searching Your Computer: Why it Matters to Search Companies (Yahoo, Microsfot, Google and others)

Microsoft, Yahoo, Ask Jeaves and Google all have released tools to enable you to search your computer. They are...

December 16, 2004

Technology and Your Accountant Can Save You Money

One of the most important advisors a business owners can have is their accountant. Did you know that your...

December 16, 2004

Linux - it's no longer on the fringe

Linux had often been thought of as only a technology for the hard core geeks and big businesses, but its...

December 16, 2004

Merges are good for Wall Street but often customers suffer

I'm sure many investors are cheering the Sprint/Nextel merger but what about customers - will they suffer? Will they flock...

December 16, 2004

You can't BUY your way into being an SMB focused company

Many large companies try to emulate Intuit and other very focused SMB companies by buying their way into the SMB...

December 16, 2004

For the NON technology experts ONLY

For many people technology is a mysterious and confusing world. Sure, they can type some letters, click here and there...

December 16, 2004

Symantec swallows Veritas

Symantec, a leader in security solutions will buy Veritas the leader in backup and data management solutions. This deal will...

December 15, 2004

Is your SAP (or other ERP) system secure

Photo credit - "(C) S. Bougerolle 2004" One good thing about having a large enterprise tool that manages the...

December 15, 2004

Business PC vendors ratings: Average

Sadly none of the top tier computer manufacturers (Dell, IBM, Gateway, HP) received high marks for reliability of their PCs...

December 15, 2004

Touch Your Customers (Live) Via Your Web Site

When customers visit your web site don't you wish there was a way you could reach out and "touch them"....

December 15, 2004

Access Your PDA via Your PC

There are several products that let you access your PC remotely, but I've not heard of a product that lets...

December 14, 2004

Best Software's simple, but effective "cereal box" advertising

I was going through the most recent issue of Inc Magazine and saw the following (left side only) advertisement from...

December 14, 2004

Ignoring the web? YOU are MISSING out.

Only about two years ago, I did not feel that every business had to have a web site. However,...

December 14, 2004

Security: The threat from outside and the more dangerous threat from within

A lot of attention is spent keeping out "those bad people" who are outside of your network. Your competition,...

December 14, 2004

Avoid stamps, stuffing and lines - send paper cards online

Instead of going to you local card shop this year, stamping & stuffing envelopes why not visit the US...

December 13, 2004

"e-business" - it's more than the Internet

When your business is very paper intensive and manual you need to get every efficiency you can. E.D. Smith...

December 13, 2004

Inside a techie's home office

There is a clear difference between the home office of a techie and a corporate office. In a home...

December 12, 2004

RSS - it's not just for geeks but for news hounds. Get the news delivered right to you.

I have developed my own personal collection of web sites on a web page that let's me scan them...

December 12, 2004

Warranties: What you should get a warranty for and what you can a skip

When you buy just about any electronics item from any retailer you'll be prompted for a warranty. The fresh faced...

December 11, 2004

Computer Dictation - it works

NY Times columnist David Pogue writes Last March, in this column, I described my fondness for Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the...

December 10, 2004

Now Yahoo wants to help you search our desktop

Reuters is reporting that Yahoo Inc. said on Thursday it will begin testing a free desktop search service in early...

December 9, 2004

Dell records higher customer satisfaction rating

Once you buy your computer and other tech gear, you don't want to be left with bad service. This...

December 9, 2004

How to spot an online scam?

If you get an email that says click on this link "eBay.com" to verify your email address, how do you...

December 8, 2004

Online storage provider X Drive Gets KEY retail placement with CompUSA

It can be tough for a smaller company like Xdrive to compete. Competing online backup solutions are increasing not...

December 8, 2004

The FAKE war between Mozilla and Microsoft

I'm sorry to break it to you, but "the Media" has it wrong. There is NO war between Microsoft...

December 8, 2004

Mozilla's Thunderbird - it's somkin'

I've seen the hundreds and hundreds of press mentions about Mozilla's latest application, Thunderbird (an email program) and finally...

December 8, 2004

Do it yourself security "experts".

Lynn Bernstein, Technology Consultant, ECG Inc (I’ve known Lynn for years and if you need technology expertise – she’s the...

December 8, 2004

IBM will no longer sell PC's. What does it mean for your business?

As you've probably heard already, IBM, in a 13 month negotiation is selling its computer business to a Chinese company...

December 8, 2004

Dear business owner, CRM vendor Siebel wants you real bad.

Dear "small-medium sized" business owner, get used to the attention - companies are drooling to reach you. The huge, big,...

December 8, 2004

EmergeCore's IT-IN-A-BOX gets recognized by PC World

Emerge Core's IT-IN-A-BOX is a small appliance that packs a VERY powerful list of features. It's more than networking...

December 8, 2004

What differentiates one cell phone carrier from another?

The bars you see on your phone. When you flip open your phone to dial someone - what do you...

December 7, 2004

Information Technology Solution Providers Alliance (ITSPA) gives security tips

ITSPA Technology Committee recommendations included the following: ∑ Install anti-virus software and update it regularly. This software scans incoming...

December 7, 2004

A Dr., his patients and his technology

By Joanna Sorocki Doctor’s offices are famous for dusty old files. The secretary pulls each chart from thousands of others....

December 7, 2004

3-Point Shopping Guide For a Computer

The Washington Post writes The last time I browsed the selection of desktops in a computer store, I came...

December 7, 2004

When selling technology - get a good partner. IBM

(left - Donn B. Atkins, General Manager, Global Business Partners) Many tech vendors have partner programs but IBM is...

December 7, 2004

Cutting Prices - thanks Dell

The wonderful thing about being as efficient as Dell and knowing minute by minute about your entire supply chain...

December 7, 2004

Anti-virus App on Your Mobile Phone

Although getting a virus on your mobile phone is very unlikely, Trend Micro is getting ahead of the curve...

December 6, 2004

Building a Reseller Channel? You need a reseller channel management solution.

Smart companies, know that in order to expand the reach of their products and services it's very important to...

December 6, 2004

Online Sales Tool for sales people - interesting but I suspect useless

There's several online services (Ryze, Company of Friends, LinkedIn, etc) that enable you to network with others online. Some are...

December 6, 2004

Consolidation - make sure your business partners with success

One thing YOU can not help or often know about ahead of time is when a company, namely a vendor...

December 6, 2004

Wireless HotSpot Finder

Windows XP's built in Wireless Networking tool works just fine for finding a wireless connection and you can view information...

December 6, 2004

ZD Net: Why MailFrontier is the antispam app for you

I still continue to successfully use Digit Portal's ChoiceMail for my spam blocking software and it works so well. ZDNet...

December 3, 2004

IBM will sell its PC business. A 2001 prediction comes true

In 2001 I wrote that IBM's PC business would not be around and suggested that it should merge with...

December 3, 2004

5 things you must know about the Cingular/AT&T Wireless merger

ZD Net's Joni Blecher gives an overview of five important issues you need to know about the Cingular/AT&T merger....

December 3, 2004

Ramon Ray joins the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

Last night, Smallbiztechnology.com's Ramon Ray was voted as the newest member of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce...

December 2, 2004

What Can You Learn From the Mistakes of Bank Web Sites? A Lot

Although this press releases talks about the web sites of banks, the insight supplied applies to any business, such as:...

December 2, 2004

What do you do when your entire company is burned? Call CDW to get new technology up and running fast.

eWeek writes how a company's office were burned out. But CDW came through and restored backed up data (stored off...

December 2, 2004

Wal Mart EDI Service Via the Web Available - A relief for SMBs

Many SMBs provide services and products to Wal Mart and this is great for SMBs. HOWEVER, Wal Mart demands...

December 2, 2004

Dollar Rent A Car LISTENS to its online customers

What excites me is when companies LISTEN to their customers and redesign their web sites or improve some other...

December 2, 2004

The Author of "Point and Click Linux" answers questions

Yesterday the Washington Post hosted a reader's question and answer session with Robin Miller (best known as "Roblimo" on...

December 2, 2004

Want your web site to grow? LISTEN to your audience like a Chilean newspaper does.

So many businesses build web sites, but do not take the time to understand what their audience wants. They do...

December 2, 2004

Web Hosts must do MORE than just host web sites

It is critical for web hosts to do more than simply offer web hosting services, they must also add value...

December 2, 2004

TabletPC's - Applications are the key

To further the development of TabletPC applications Microsoft hosted a contest for developers. Remember, hardware is relatively easy to make,...

December 1, 2004

Alpha Five Database Beats Microsoft Access and FileMaker Pro

For over a decade, PC User magazine has been a premiere source of concise, easy to understand information business PC...

December 1, 2004

Technology: Let Someone Else Take Care of It For You With Managed Services

Manages Services is a service provided by a "managed service provider" wherein they manage one component of, or your entire...

December 1, 2004

Lexis-Nexis launches an SMB friendly cost structure

LexisNexis U.S., a leading provider of legal, news, and business information services, today launched LexisNexis AlaCarte!ô, a new online service...