Technology &
Productivity Weekly
February 12, 2008
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This Week's Headlines Worthwhile Small Business Technologies
Worthwhile Small Business Technologies Experts say
there are 10 technologies that can simplify day-to-day operations for small-
and medium-sized enterprises. Remote desktop technology is one of them.
Offerings such as Microsoft Windows Terminal Server allow computers to be
operated remotely. Another tool well-suited for small organizations is
desktop sharing software. This technology facilitates Webinars
and allows small business owners to dispose of useless information, resulting
in increased productivity. Microsoft, Cisco and CrossLoop
have all released their own versions of the technology. Another time-saving
technology for small businesses is wireless connectivity. Perhaps more than
any other technology, wireless technology enhnces
productivity for businesses of all sizes by enabling them to conduct business
from any location quickly and efficiently. Other technologies small firms
should consider are e-mail marketing services, contact management software,
hosted phone systems, messaging software, Google applications, and SQL
Server. Make the Best Use of New Storage Technologies Information
lifecycle management (ILM), storage-area network (SAN), and additional
solutions are available to more small and medium-size businesses due to
larger, better, and more inexpensive drives; improved RAID; superior software
that is offered with the package; and simpler management. Small and
medium-size firms can optimize ILM by investing in SATA storage, Condre Storage senior storage engineer Harry Montanye claims. ILM is a lot less expensive than a Fibre Channel or SCSI drive and provides over threefold
the storage room, he notes. Meanwhile, SANs have
improved, with both iSCSI and network-attached
storage accessible and affordable for small and medium-size companies.
Another smart SNA storage solution is NAS, says Forrester Research analyst
Andrew Reichman, as small and medium-size firms can
employ it to construct SANs for a small amount of
money while streamlining storage. Solid-state disks (SSDs)
are the quickest disks available. Small and medium-size businesses can make
the most out of SSDs in settings where application
performance requirements are so vast that hard-disk drive (HDD) technology
becomes inundated. SMBs Get Some Love From Storage Vendors Over the last
several months, a number of storage vendors have launched new products aimed
at the small- and medium-sized business market. For instance, IBM recently
introduced PowerVM Express, a basic virtualization
starter kit for small- and mid-sized business. In September, Dell introduced
the MD3000i, a product that it said was a "more
affordable alternative storage solution" for the small work environment.
Vendors such as IBM and Dell are opting to target the SMB market because it
is growing and there is no slowdown on the horizon. According to the Small
Business Administration, about half of all private-sector employees work for SMBs. In addition, SMBs have
created 60 percent to 80 percent of net new jobs annually over the last 10
years. The SBA also noted that SMBs hire 40 percent
of high-tech workers and produce 13 times more patents per employee than
large patenting companies. Storage vendors' desire to serve the small
business market is good news for SMBs. Increased
competition should bring economies of scale, better price leverage, and new
features and functions that can help SMBs protect
their data. Pack a Punch Mobile
workers in need of handheld devices can choose from PDAs,
smartphones, ultramobile
PCs, and even beefed up MP3 players. Experts believe mobile workers should
consider smartphones because they combine voice
functionality with calendar and contact tools, a Web browser, and document
access. They often feature Bluetooth connectivity, megapixel
cameras, touch screens, and even qwerty keyboards. Some of the smartphones currently on the market are the LG Voyager
VX10000, the BlackBerry Curve 8310, the LG CU515,
and the I-mate Ultimate 8502, ranging in price from around $200 to more than
$700. In the realm of ultramobile PCs, mobile
workers might want to consider the Fujitsu Lifebook
U810, which is priced just under $1,000 and features Microsoft Vista
Business, a fingerprint sensor, a small keyboard, a 5.6-inch screen, 1GB
memory, a 40GB hard drive, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
connectivity. What Virtualization Means for Small Business Virtualization--a
technology which is most effective in companies that have more than 60
workers--allows a single server or computer to function as several. Rather
than storing vital programs on individual servers, virtualization enables
users to operate numerous applications on one server. Virtual technology
deployments are predicted to expand from 540,000 in 2006 to over 4 million in
2009. VMware ESX Server is a software-based
virtualization that facilitates hardware sharing by enabling a processor to
be shared by numerous virtual machines and to operate as though there were
individual servers. Another software-based form of virtualization is Windows
Virtual Server (WVS). Hewlett-Packard sells the HP c3000, and the hardware
from HP accommodates VMware, WVS, and additional
virtualization solutions--although the price can run between $7,000 and
$45,000. The nonprofit Los Angeles Universal Preschool has a cheaper
alternative by using multiple physical servers operating VMware.
Although the price of buying physical servers would have cost more than
$100,000, VMware technology enables the group to
circumvent that expense. Reduce Security Costs at Your SME There are a
number of ways that cash-strapped small- and mid-sized enterprises can boost
their IT security without breaking their budgets. One inexpensive tactic that
SMEs can use is to conduct deeper background checks
on potential employees. For example, an SME's human
resources department should ask a prospective employee's former employer
whether they have an Internet use policy, whether the candidate abided by
that policy, and if there were any issues regarding device use, IT support
issues, or the inappropriate forwarding of company materials. In addition, SMEs may want to consider using Unified Threat Management
(UTM) appliances instead of a number of different security devices. When a
number of security devices are used in a single environment, one device may
not work well with another. However, UTM appliances can run a variety of
services, including intrusion prevention, VPNs,
content filtering, and antispam and antivirus
software. "UTM is a cost-effective, all-in-one solution, making it
easier for small-business owners to apply security services buying just a
firewall at the gateway level," said Stan Oien,
a security specialist at CDW. Oien added that UTM
allows for centralized management and a one-vendor solution, which is easier
to support. Security Efforts Hindered by Untrained Users A recent GFI
Software Ltd.-sponsored survey found that midmarket
CIOs are more interested in educated workers than a
larger security budget. The survey asked IT executives at 455 small and
mid-sized companies what would help upgrade the security level at their
firms. Just 12 percent stated a bigger budget would help, while 48 percent said
they would prefer more awareness about security among workers, while an
additional 25 percent noted that better security awareness among senior
executives was primary. GFI's David Kelleher
explains that while midmarket businesses have
security protocols, there is not a strong level of communication between IT
and end users. He recommends that CIOs make certain
new workers enroll in an in-depth instructional class that describes what
they can and cannot do on the network. Meanwhile, Yankee Group Research
Inc.'s Gary Chen thinks while it is smart to instruct end users, he is not
convinced it will reap any substantial benefits. He states that small and
mid-sized businesses should try to enact technologies that assume the user
will take the wrong action. Chen adds that these firms should seek out
vendors who provide integrated security services or managed services. Putting iWork to
Work in a Small Biz The biotech
company Intezyne--which has 11 workers--has
implemented Macs in its offices and currently employs the iWork
software suite for a variety of tasks, including administrative jobs and
investor presentations. CFO Rebecca Breitenkamp
explains that Intezyne utilizes three kinds of
software--Keynote, Numbers, and Pages--which were implemented separately. She
notes that Intezyne does a lot of PowerPoint
presentations that it then converts to Keynote slides. Breitenkamp
states that Numbers is good for calculations, and allows her to erect tables,
move charts, and create text boxes and pictures. The entire suite cost $79,
which she claims is one-fourth the cost of Microsoft Office. Breitenkamp says it generally takes new employees around
a week to learn iWork. She adds that investors are
usually fairly impressed with the documents and presentations the software
produces. How to Get What You Need From Your Small Business Software Small- and
medium-sized companies can become more efficient by making the most of their
business-applications software. The combination of upgraded software and
appropriate instruction can yield substantial savings in both money and time.
One way to optimize business-applications software is by upgrading
collaboration. Superior integration abilities make it simple and quick for
users to set or change appointments, get contact data, look at and move
documents safely, and communicate with their coworkers and clients. Search
applications, including in-depth graphics archives, contact or inventory
data, and native search abilities, can provide significant results
immediately. Business-applications software can also reduce outsourcing
mandates. Capabilities such as graphics archives, specialized templates, and
drop and drag features can enable users to make their own high-quality
materials and presentations while providing a consistent appearance and tone.
Microsoft Office Small Business 2007, which was introduced in November,
provides numerous features that have been specially created to handle the
requirements of the small- and medium-sized business sector. Criminal Intent? The loss of a
network administrator can be a major liability for any company, especially if
it fails to protect itself from a departing employee. When hiring a network
administrator, firms will want an employment agreement detailing the
administrator's duties and the actions to be undertaken when the
administrator resigns or is terminated. These workers have access to all of a
firm's trade secrets and confidential data. Workers in the IT department also
need to be educated on policies and procedures governing the dissemination,
storage, and transfer of company data. Employers also will want
administrators and others to sign confidentiality agreements to ensure
essential data is legally protected. All logins and passwords should be
periodically changed, but also need to be changed when an IT administrator
leaves the firm. Next, every company must ensure they have system backups and
that more than one person has control of these backups. Additionally,
companies should institute policies for the return of all IT materials
including information stored on CDs, DVDs, and memory keys. Return procedures
also are necessary for laptops, BlackBerrys, cell
phones, and pagers, and in some cases, employers may want to install tracking
devices in hardware to ensure their prompt return. Finally, all custom codes,
scripts, stored procedures, and manual processors developed by the network
administrator must be well-documented, and at least one other person should
be capable of performing these tasks. If these precautions are not in place,
the company risks losing valuable time and information searching through
countless lines of code for key data.
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