How to Profit From VoIP
SmartBiz.com (02/26/07) ; McNutt, Gia

At many small firms, co-workers and customers have a difficult time reaching the person they want to talk to on the first try, mainly because they have no way of knowing whether to call the office phone or cell phone or send an email, fax, or instant message. Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology aims to change this by providing a single system for speech recognition, voice mail, interactive voice response, and call center and Web-based management applications. With Unified Messaging, phone calls are automatically routed to the worker's device of choice, and they can check emails, faxes, and voice messages on their computers or cell phones. VoIP also boosts productivity for small firms with multiple offices, as the system automatically sends calls to whatever employee is available, regardless of physical location.
http://www.smartbiz.com/article/articleview/1981/1/61/

The 21st Century Meeting
Business Week Online (02/26/07) ; Crockett, Roger O.

The technology for making conference calls is now more sophisticated than ever, allowing participants to share verbal and facial expressions better. Systems from firms like HP, Cisco, and Polycom use innovative video, audio, and broadband tools to make it appear that conference participants are in the same room. "Without the visual, you miss most of the nonverbal cues," notes Temple University professor Matthew Lombard, the president of the International Society for Presence Research. Craig Mallory, CEO of LifeSize Communications, says the new systems help fill the gap between telephone conferencing and in-person meetings. HP's Halo system and Crisco's TelePresence 3000 rely on high-definition screens as large a 65 inches, while those used by Polycom are 8 feet wide. All participants can talk at the same time, and no one's voice is cancelled out when more than one person is talking.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_09/b4023059.htm?c
han=top+news_top+news+index_technology

How Powerline Networking Works
Small Business Computing (02/23/07) ; Moran, Joseph

With the correct equipment, people who want to use Ethernet in their homes can employ AC power wiring to send data along with electricity, also known as powerline networking. The majority of them are based on regulations decreed by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, an industry certification organization. There is the 14 Mbps HomePlug 1.0 standard, a specification known as "HomePlug with Turbo" that raises throughput to 85 Mbps, and HomePlug AV, which guarantees 200 Mbps to stream high-definition video. Powerline networking products are generally simple to implement and all of them usually operate in the same manner. A user will need at least two powerline adapters, which run between $50 and $100--one for the device the user wishes to network and another for his router. After a powerline adapter is plugged into a wall outlet, the user links it to the Ethernet port of his router, computer, printer, and so forth. For security reasons, encryption should be placed on the powerline adapters. To establish a secure link, the user needs to establish a password for his network and apply it to certain powerline gadgets that the user chooses utilizing a hard-coded device identification.
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/webmaster/article.php/36615
66

CRM Fails to Excite Small Businesses
CRM Buyer (02/27/07) ; Morphy, Erika

Only a small percentage of small businesses use complex software applications such as CRM, finds a new study from AMI-Partners One in six small businesses currently uses CRM software, with another one in six companies planning to do so in the next 12 months. Sheryl Kingstone, an analyst with Yankee Group, says that small businesses often use Excel spreadsheets because they find other applications "too expensive and too complex." In contrast, almost 40 percent of mid-market respondents reported using CRM, with almost 25 percent planning to implement CRM in the next year. The professional services industry ranked especially high in CRP spending and adoption. As for enterprise resource planning (ERP), 11 percent of small businesses use ERP. Mid-market businesses are more open to applications in this category as well, with over one third of respondents currently using a supply chain or ERP solution. Professional services, wholesale, and manufacturing businesses spend more on these options than companies in other sectors. AMI-Partners research analyst Sau Lam says medium-sized businesses in the United States "have made the connection between streamlining and automating business processes, and maximizing productivity and value in the market."
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/55984.html
 

Keep Self-Help From Becoming a Hindrance
SmartBiz.com (02/26/07) ; Blayney, Jim

IT Service Management self-help technologies can help improve the productivity of a support center if the right tools are used and if it is implemented wisely. While the technology allows customers to help themselves, ideally when it comes to simple questions and issues, agents have an opportunity to focus more on unique issues or solving problems that have been identified. Companies must keep in mind that self-help technologies are not an excuse to limit the number of calls agents handle, considering the purpose of the help desk is to provide assistance. In fact, they should view self-help technologies as an opportunity to offer another communications channel and extend the hours of operation of the help desk. 'How-to' questions and status checks of issues that have already been raised are best suited for self-help resolution, with up to 40 percent of such calls being successfully resolved without assistance from an agent. The technology must be flexible, scalable, easy to deploy, and adaptable across the company. And customers will embrace the technology if it is easy to use.
http://www.smartbiz.com/article/articleprint/1980/-1/40

How IT Makes Johnny More Productive
Computerworld (02/26/07) ; Melymuka, Kathleen

IT users experience a boost in productivity at the individual level compared to those with less technology at their fingertips, but not as some may expect, says researcher Erik Brynjolfsson. He says that IT users are multitaskers and in fact are slowed down by technology, but because they do multiple things at once, complete long-term goals and long-range projects quicker and better than lesser-IT users. Brynjolfsson recently completed a five-year IT productivity study focusing on individual productivity in 1,300 projects, funded by the National Science Foundation, Cisco Systems, and Intel. His research with Marshall Van Alstyne won the best research paper award at the most recent International Conference of Information Systems. Multitasking has a peak performance level, says Brynjolfsson, after which too much of it becomes a distraction for an individual. He says that email and databases are the best IT tools for multitasking, and investing in IT skills across a workforce pays off in long-term productivity. He adds that people embedded in a social network, including email and face-to-face, have more access to information more quickly, and this is an important definer of productive and highly informed people.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticl
eBasic&taxonomyId=14&articleId=281734&intsrc=hm_topic

Open Portals, Open Data?
Accounting Technology (01/07) Vol. 23 , No. 1 , P. 19-24 ; DeFelice, Alexandra

Web-based products offer savings in time and cost as well as heightened security to financial professionals, according to vendors. Microsoft, Ceridian, and CCH, among others, offer technology intended to help expand businesses and better serve clients. Creative Solutions vice president of marketing Teresa Mackintosh asserts that portals take care of interactions between accounting firms and small businesses which get repeated daily, weekly, and monthly. Mackintosh says customers using portals "feel served and ironically you've spent less time and less money." CPAs who want to experiment with the technology can try using Creative Solutions UltraTax/1040 Portals for $5 per client per year; this product's Web organizer generated 30 percent completion rates, as opposed to 10 percent from those mailed by clients. Still, some accounting professionals remain uncertain about client demand and ease of use. In response, vendors emphasize that portals are safer than email attachments and are "extremely easy" to use. While the demand from clients for such technology may not yet be evident, Jim Bourke of WithumSmith+Brown, predicts that in less than a year "secure emails and client portals will be the only way to communicate (because of legislation)." This suggests that CPAs who adopt the technology quickly could have a strategic advantage. CEO of Boomer Consulting Gary Boomer explains that the CPA who sets up a portal is in a position to then allow other financial advisers access, thereby putting him or herself "in the pilot's seat" as the primary adviser. Small CPA firms without an in-house IT professional--firms with two to seven partners--are especially suited to the technology, says Ceridian's Brian Regan.
http://www.webcpa.com/article.cfm?articleid=23096&pg=acctech