4 Reasons Why Small Businesses Shouldn’t Switch to Windows 8 Pro
Now that Windows 8 has been on sale for a few months, and with Microsoft blanketing the airwaves with advertising for the new operating system, the timing is right for this post. This isn’t a review of Windows 8 Pro, and I won’t be breaking down its new features, but after a few months of using it on my primary computer, I’ve come away with the conclusion that it really doesn’t fit for most small businesses. When Windows 7 Professional emerged, we wholeheartedly supported businesses moving to it from Windows XP Professional (and Vista), but things aren’t so cut and dry this time around; here are 4 reasons why small businesses shouldn’t make the switch to Windows 8 Pro.
How to Protect Your Small Business from Online Thieves and Hackers
In the past, hackers were viewed as mostly harmless. In the 80s and 90s, they primarily targeted sites for pride, and they would brag to each other about the sites that they had hacked. Today, however, hackers are often interested in creating havoc or stealing information that they can sell. As a result, any business that is hacked stands to lose a great deal, including their customers' trust if their particular information is stolen. Fortunately, by being proactive and employing some common sense security practices, the likelihood of company data being stolen can be greatly reduced. Here are a few ways to protect your small business from online thieves and hackers.
Owned v. Hosted Merchant Shopping Cart Solutions
If you are planning to sell products on your website, there is one basic decision that you must make regarding shopping cart functionality before launching your e-commerce site: Will the shopping cart process reside and be managed locally on the website itself? or will it reside and be managed as an off-site hosted solution by a remote service company for which you will pay a monthly fee? There are pros and cons to both approaches.
About owning your own code
BYOD at Your Small Business: Top 5 Issues to Consider
BYOD, or “bring your own device”, has gained in popularity over the last few years. This is where employees, who have grown weary of using their old, slow, inefficient office computers, bring in their own modern laptops, tablets, and smartphones to use at work. But allowing your staff to do this is a tricky practice and should be undertaken with great caution. To protect yourself and your business, you absolutely must be a little paranoid and very, very cautious.
Here are 5 key issues to consider:
3 Pieces of IT Advice Every Small Business Should Consider
Whether you’re spearheading the hunt for a new IT solution to your large company’s old business problem, or you’re wearing the IT hat as one of your many roles within your small business, one thing stays the same: it’s important to ensure that you’re getting good information technology advice. And no matter what size your company is or the nature of your IT needs, some pieces of advice will always hold true. Let’s take a look at the top three pieces of IT advice that every business should consider:
It’s easier and less costly to prepare for an IT disaster than to recover from one
Advancements in Web Conferencing for Your Small Business
Not that long ago, the idea of speaking face to face with a client or coworker that was hundreds of miles away seemed impossibly futuristic. The concept was regularly trotted out in popular movies and TV shows, but it didn't become a reality until relatively recently. Many major advancements in video conferencing services have been made over the last decade or so, and the skyrocketing popularity of the Internet and mobile devices is largely responsible. The technology has become so affordable and versatile, that it's being used in many exciting ways. From Fortune 500 companies to small family owned businesses in rural areas, web conferencing services are changing the world.
Server Virtualization: Can it Help Your Business?
Information technology, or IT. You know you need it. You know it can help small companies like yours gain access to more people with lower costs. Let’s face it, a good website has been known to bring in more customers in an hour than a team of salespeople making cold calls can in a month. And the efficiencies gained by an advanced IT infrastructure don’t stop at marketing and client contact. If you are a small business owner who has come from the corporate world, then you know that there are a plethora of hi-tech tools and gadgets that can ramp up productivity and streamline your business. Even if you have never been exposed to such advanced IT tech yourself, you know it exists, and you may look at the corporate world with drooling envy, saying to yourself, “I wish I had that.”
Virtual PBX: Can Cloud Telephony Save Money for Your Business?
Throughout the business world there’s plenty of buzz talk about cloud computing. If you’ve managed to avoid it so far then well done: that probably means you’ve been spending more time running your business than speculating about the future of communications. “After all”, you may have thought, “this kind of fancy new tech has to be tried and tested at the corporate level before becoming affordable for small businesses”. And you’d have thought right. Until now.
Cloud computing technology has reached the point where its cost and availability could save your business time and money today. But what is the cloud, how does it work and is it the smart choice for small business owners looking to stay ahead of the technology curve?
Smartphones for Small Business Entrepreneurs
When it comes to running your own business, the likelihood is it’s not going to be a 9-5 job. A business is like having a baby; you’re either going to be with it all the time or at least have a baby monitor to keep you updated. A smartphone is the baby monitor of your business - whenever you’re out of the office, that phone will be your assistant, updating you on everything that’s going on.
All-in-One Desktop PCs: Are They a Good fit for Your Small Business?
all-in-one computer – n – A desktop computer that houses all of its components (except for the keyboard and mouse) in the same case as the monitor.
In the last few years, all-in-one desktop PCs have made a huge comeback. I say a comeback because the all-in-one concept really isn’t new. Some of the earliest personal computers combined the computer, monitor, and speakers into a single case— the Compaq Portable (circa 1983) and the original Macintosh (circa 1984), to name a couple. But in recent years, with the advent of slim LCD screens, the all-in-one concept has taken off once again.
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Recent Posts
- 4 Reasons Why Small Businesses Shouldn’t Switch to Windows 8 Pro
- How to Protect Your Small Business from Online Thieves and Hackers
- Owned v. Hosted Merchant Shopping Cart Solutions
- BYOD at Your Small Business: Top 5 Issues to Consider
- 3 Pieces of IT Advice Every Small Business Should Consider
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