Fast, Free Smartphone Phone Internet Access With Wi-Fi
Small Business Computing (03/17/08) ; Moran, Joseph

When linking to a WLAN with Wi-Fi-equipped smartphones employing the Windows Mobile 5/6 operating systems, the initial step to activating Wi-Fi on a Windows Mobile gadget is to find and initiate the Comm Manager function, which is usually situated on the Start Menu. The Wi-Fi icon has the appearance of an antenna, and will probably have an "x" that is grayed out. Highlight and choose the Wi-Fi icon, and then choose the desired network and move through the wizard to enter the encryption kind and key. Most of the time, the phone should automatically utilize Wi-Fi for its information line whenever one is present. When utilizing phone-based Wi-Fi, it is important to keep in mind that some phones accept 802.11b, but not the newer 802.11g. If this is the case, the user will just be able to log on to those 802.11g networks that have been set up for mixed g/b access. In addition, substantial use of Wi-Fi will greatly shorten the life of the battery on numerous smartphones. As such, it is important to shut off Wi-Fi through Comm Manager when it is not being used.
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/webmaster/print.php/3734606

Stay Up on Newest Tech
Investor's Business Daily (03/17/08) P. A03 ; Carberry, Sonja

Social networking technologies can be used for more than just chatting with friends online--they can also be used by businesses to enhance their operations. One way that social networking technologies do this is by making collaboration between staff members easier. For instance, an employee looking for a document created by a colleague can go to their social networking page and click on their file system to find the file. "It's so much more efficient to find a document and maintain where the latest version is," said Ed Rogers, the chief operating officer of Ektron, a company that develops social networking tools for the likes of Eastman Kodak, Johnson & Johnson and NASA. "The return on investment is that the productivity is up now." In addition, social networking technology can combine data from several sources by using a so-called "mash-up" application. This feature can allow a company to post a map of where employees' offices are located instead of an alphabetic company directory, for example.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/IBD-0001-237
86281.htm

Mobile Tech Gives Small Business a Big Boost
Arizona Republic (03/13/08) ; Kehrer, Daniel

Yankee Group recently published a report stating that mobile technology can heighten productivity for small companies between 30 percent and 40 percent outside the office. The leading technologies include wireless-equipped laptops, smartphones, instant messaging, and Internet travel services. Yankee group suggests that companies think about investing in technology that fuels productivity both inside and outside of the office. Technical vendors are helping to make it simpler for small businesses to acquire such technology. Google will now provide updates concerning an AdWords campaign to a mobile gadget, while FedEx allows a business to monitor packages via smartphone, and Orbitz will send corporate users flight updates. Apple will now facilitate Microsoft Exchange software, and has teamed with Kleiner Perkins to establish an "iFund" that will invest in businesses creating new corporate applications for the iPhone. BlackBerry and Palm Treo manufacturers some of the leading smartphones for corporate use. Meanwhile, SmartBizTechnology and SmallBusinessComputing provide the most recent tech news and updates.
http://www.azcentral.com/abgnews/articles/0313abg-kehrer0313.html

A Buyer's Guide to Time-Tracking Software
Small Business Computing (03/13/08) ; Martin, James A.

Time-tracking software can be helpful to a variety of companies, even if they do not have hourly rates or hourly-wage workers. Small firms can make use of several time-tracking software choices, including MAG Softwrx's Timeless Time & Expense, PandaWare's TimeCache and TimeCache Data Merger, MyHours.com, and Palm OS AllTime. Companies often do not have to pay for freeware tools and certain Web-based offerings, or can pay as much as $5,000 for software with user licenses for 100 or more. When selling time-tracking software, companies should consider what reporting tools they offer. In addition, good time-tracking software will allow users to export time-tracking information and reports to Microsoft Excel, PDF, and other formats. Time-tracking software should also have support for several users, and be able to perform expense tracking. It needs to offer support for handheld devices, and be web-based. Prior to purchasing time-tracking software, it is important to figure out how recently it was updated. Most time-tracking applications offer a 30-day no-cost trial.
http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/373392
6

How to Tap IT's Hidden Potential
Wall Street Journal (03/10/08) P. R4 ; Basu, Amit ; Jarnagin, Chip

Companies such as Merrill Lynch, FedEx, and Barclays have shown that IT is a source of innovation that can transform a company's data from operations, business partners and markets into a competitive advantage, yet most companies still fail to realize the strategic importance of their IT departments, considering them a basic utility and sealing them off from the rest of the company. There is a "glass wall" around most IT departments due to cultural and language differences, but this wall must be eradicated so companies can remain competitive. Top management must commit to effective IT management, and the company must hire a visionary IT leader, improve communication within the company, change management training and create new approaches to IT planning and spending. FedEx instituted these steps to use IT to its fullest potential, redefining itself as a technology-based logistics and transportation company, which created several new business opportunities. A basic starting point for companies is to ask themselves, "How is IT reshaping my industry?" Once this question is answered, companies can fully embrace the operational and strategic importance of IT, say experts.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120467900166211989.html

The Secret to Mobile CRM Success - Keep It Simple!
TMCnet.com (03/07/08) ; Wettre, Christian

Since there are an increasing amount of CRM solutions on the market, many companies are at risk of selecting overly complicated applications or mobile extensions of current CRM systems that do not fit. It is wise for businesses to study possible mobile CRM applications prior to needing them to allow more time to locate the best solution for the company. However, firms must install a system at the first sign that any workers require access to client and transactional information while out of the office. The appropriate wireless CRM solution should be able to handle several device platforms. Companies should investigate what they require from their mobile CRM system and look at the different functions. It is also important to make certain the applications fulfill the company's fundamental security requirements and support the current CRM system's security protocols. Mobile CRM systems need to be simple to use and quick to install. Lastly, is important that the system is flexible enough to evolve with the company.
http://call-recording.tmcnet.com/topics/crm/articles/22443-secret
-mobile-crm-success-keep-it-simple.htm

Small Businesses Reap Big Rewards With ERP Software
Accounting Software 411 (02/08) ; Gill, Rebecca

Small businesses are increasingly moving away from using paper and spreadsheets to run their operations, opting instead to use an ERP system. Many small business owners are moving towards using ERP systems because they know that they cannot compete against and/or sell to superstores and big box retailers by using spreadsheets. In addition, small businesses are choosing to use ERP systems because of the many benefits these systems provide. For example, ERP systems allow for increased automation, paper-free environments and complete audit trails. They also allow businesses to improve overall operations and do so across functional areas and industry segments. Meanwhile, ERP developers are modifying their ERP software packages to make them easier for small business owners to install, implement and use. For instance, many ERP systems now come with ASP or SaaS models, which reduce a business' initial out-of-pocket costs and speed up implementation timeframes. In addition, many ERP packages now come equipped with out-of-box integration features that allow them to be integrated with external packages such as credit card processors, data collection units, online shopping carts and e-mail servers. These features have resulted in more opportunities for overall improvements and ROI justifications.
http://www.accountingsoftware411.com/Press/PressDocView.aspx?doci
d=9539

For Web Apps, Get a Service Guarantee
PCWorld.com (02/28/08) ; Perez, James Carlos

When implementing software-as-a-service (SAAS), corporate managers should seriously consider their service-level agreements (SLAs) when choosing a web-hosted applications suite. An SLA can handle the different aspects of the service, including application uptime and performance, information security, backup, integrity and recovery. Larger companies originally restricted their SAAS deployments to small organizations and individual departments, but have recently expanded their rollouts. As such, information-technology and corporate-procurement divisions are getting involved and obtaining better service guarantees from vendors. The most important item to look for in an SLA is an uptime guarantee for application availability, usually 99.9 percent of the time or more. Maltrust, which offers hosted email mostly for small companies, provides a 100 percent uptime promise. OpSource, which offers services to software manufacturers that want to present their applications online as SAAS, also provides 100 percent uptime for its servers and for the performance and availability of its clients' applications in its OpSource OnDemand service.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/142918/for_web_apps
_get_a_service_guarantee.html

Managing Your Technology
Financial Planning (02/08) ; Braunschweiger, Amy

Although technology can help us be more productive, it can also add to our stress. For instance, people with Blackberries say that the devices help them to keep in touch with their co-workers, though they also say that they make their lives more stressful because they make it possible to compulsively check e-mails on nights and weekends, according to a study by MIT's Sloan School of Management. However, there are steps people can take to keep the high-tech devices they use from controlling their lives, experts say. One thing that people can do is limit the amount of times they check their e-mail to 2 to 4 a day, said Dan Markovitz, the founder of the efficiency-training firm TimeBack Management. In addition, people should set rules for themselves about when to check e-mail and voice messages on their smart phones, said Jeff Tomaneng, a financial planner at U.S. Wealth Management in Braintree, Mass. Finally, people should purchase PDAs that only come equipped with the features they plan to use, according to Jan Jasper, a productivity expert in the New York City area. He noted that people should avoid buying devices with an excessive amount of features because such devices are often harder to use.
http://www.financial-planning.com/asset/article/548931/managing-y
our-technology.html?pg=