LinkedIn

In the world of social networking sites for business professionals, LinkedIn is the 800-pound gorilla. Based on the principle of six degrees of separation, the site allows you to create a professional identity (skills, work experience, etc.), connect with professionals you know and trust, and provides you the social data that you’ll need to connect with others. Personally, I’ve used LinkedIn to find prospects, identify partners, market my company and reach out successfully to complete strangers. I could spend hours explaining how to use LinkedIn to your advantage, but I’ll leave that to the marketing pros. Just take a moment, register and make LinkedIn a cornerstone of your relationship development strategy. Trust me, it will be worth your while.

CardMunch

It’s pretty safe to say that we all enjoy meeting new people and collecting business cards, but hate the process of entering business card information into our contact systems. In comes CardMunch. This nifty iPhone application allows you to snap a picture of a business card, submit it to the CardMunch system and voila! In less than 5 minutes you’ll have the complete contact data sent back to the app for you to save to your phone, send a follow up email and even connect with that contact on LinkedIn. It really helps you skip the tedium and get down to what matters; fostering connections. In lieu of an iPhone, Android users can get similar functionality with Google Googles or can wait until the Android version of CardMunch launches. For folks on other platforms, I would recommend the Shoeboxed service. It’s not free or quite as immediate, but it does the trick and a whole lot more.

LetterMeLater

I came across this service after the unceremonious demise of my previous favorite, DeferredSender. LetterMeLater allows you to schedule an email to be sent at a future date and time. This comes in handy for following up promptly with contacts and avoiding being labeled a vampire when you send out that 3am email. The service is great because it works for any email client and for any whimsical purpose you can find. I would caution you to avoid sending sensitive data using the service (but that really applies to email in general) since the email is stored on LetterMeLater’s servers until it is delivered. Another great option for anyone using Gmail or Google Apps, is a helpful Chrome/Firefox web browser extension called Boomerang.

This post was originally published by Kevin V. Michael on the ICABA website.

SaaS typically refers to a software application that is hosted by the software company and for which to use you pay a monthly fee (Our good friends at Wikipedia have a more detailed description).

Once you start your search and selection process for a SaaS solution here are the five most important aspects to consider:

Pricing Model

Most SaaS solutions are priced per user per month, but some are priced by groups of users (eg. $50/month for 1-10 users) or some are priced based on how much information you’ll be storing in the system. For example a SaaS CRM may price based on the number of contacts stored in the system (eg. $10/month for up to 250 contacts). Be sure to take into account future growth, and how it will affect your costs. This provider prices by number users & features but also limits the number of users you can have in each tier.

Reliability

Besides not having to make a large up-front investment in software, another big advantage of SaaS is that you don’t have to invest in maintenance. The SaaS provider has the responsibility of ensuring that the service is available 24/7/365 or as close to that as possible. Read the terms of service before you commit any time or money to a solution. Companies usually explain their policy regarding up-time, so ensure that their policies work for your business model. Larger providers may have a status page, where you can check the current status of the service (whether it’s available or not) and you can view the history so you can evaluate how well the service performs. Have a look at the Google Apps Status Dashboard for example.

Integration

Another advantage of hosted services is that they’re generally accessible from any web browser anywhere but you may need integration with other applications or devices you use in your business. Maybe your company makes a product for which you provide support but for a fee, if you were evaluating a hosted help desk solution it would be important that it integrates with your billing application. This will minimize or ideally eliminate double data entry, and streamline your business operations. Some applications also provide mobile apps for accessing you data on your mobile device (phone or tablet), have a look at the integration’s this SaaS application provides.

Data Import/Export

If you’re moving from an existing application it’s very important that you can import your data into your new SaaS solution. Evaluate the options the provider gives you to import your data so you or your employees don’t spend endless hours on data re-entry. Also keep in mind that a SaaS solution may not be the best solution forever and if you ever need to move your data out of the system it should be relatively easy. Remember, the harsh reality is that the company you’re using as your SaaS provider may fold or be acquired in which case you don’t want your data locked in. This time-tracking SaaS application provides import/export options.

Training/Support

As always you want to make sure that someone will be there to help if and when you run into any issues. Evaluate the training and support options available. Some providers have online training and phone support while other may only provide FAQ’s and e-mail support, or you may have to pay to a higher level of support. This application only provides e-mail support make sure whatever your SaaS vendor provides is enough for you before you sign up.

Be diligent when choosing a software solution for your business and always try it first before you commit. When selecting a SaaS provider keep these 5 key items in mind when making your decision and you’ll have a much better experience.

Tip#1: Prepare Your Organization For Change
There is no amount of technological advancement that can overcome our very human and natural resistance to change. In my experience, technology projects seldom fail because the solutions fail to work as advertised, but rather because of a failure in leadership to act. Before undertaking any technology, understand that the project is fundamentally about change to the way people in your organization perform their work. Projects affect business processes, systems and people. You must be willing to champion these projects by communicating with and involving the people who are affected by the change. Ignoring this reality results in systems that never get used, or used ineffectively by people who did not ‘buy-in’ to the vision.

Tip #2: Calculate the ROI
It may sound like a fairly standard business practice to consider cost/benefit and return on investment when making a decision, but you’d be surprised by how often this analysis is overlooked. Technology has to create leverage by making life for you or your employees easier, although these benefits are often hard to measure. It is absolutely essential for you to determine what a technology solution means to your team in terms of money, time or hassle saved. Does the solution increase productivity so you can do more with less? Does the solution create time for your team to focus on more valuable initiatives? Does it help you close more business? Does it mitigate risks that could have significant tangible or intangible losses? If you can’t answer yes to these questions and attach numbers to these answers, avoid justifying a purchase solely on the promise of its bells and whistles.

Tip #3: Seek Help
Whether you’re the CIO of a large enterprise or the owner of small home-based business, its important to take an inventory of the skills, knowledge and bandwidth available within your organization that will be necessary to effectively execute on a technology project. If it turns out that you will be deficient in any of those areas, you’ll need to revise your plans or seek external help. It’s always appealing to go it alone when you consider the additional cost, but I would argue that getting it done right is better than simply getting it done. Many a project has gone up in flames due to an unwillingness to incorporate skilled consultants or by forcing a project onto an overburdened IT staff.

I think it’s safe to say that there is a definite, almost visible line that separates consumer from business technology. This is especially true for larger companies that tend to need more robust solutions for their technology problems. I can’t say the same is true for small business though; while PC makers have differentiated between consumer, small business and enterprise in their product lines for years, I’ve found that this year, more and more, we’ve considered consumer software, services and “gadget” solutions for our small business clients. No longer is it the case that software and services that are specifically tailored to consumers is “no good” for business use. For a small company with less than 20 employee’s there’s no reason not to consider LogMeIn as a REAL remote access solution versus a more complicated VPN and maybe Remote Desktop setup. The importance of having access to your files everywhere, means that we’ve walked into environments where there is no server but Dropbox is installed on each employee’s laptop. Is Dropbox specifically a business solution for sharing files? Not at all, (although now they do have a business plan, they call it Dropbox for Teams) but provided that the information being shared isn’t “three-letter-agency TOP SECRET” why shouldn’t a small business use it if it makes sense for them?

We’ve also had a few clients specifically ask us about iPad‘s; they wanted to know how and iPad could fit into their “technology lifestyle” (my quotes, not theirs). Some other client’s were a bit more proactive, and would come to us after the fact and say “Hey, I got myself an iPad and I have an app that let’s me access my desktop at the office and an app that let’s me review client files…” The great thing about small business IT is that it doesn’t have to go through tons of red tape before it’s adopted by users, and depending on what you need, an iPad my be the perfect device for you to get work done while you’re away from the office. I think for most users (especially in a Windows environment with specific Windows only applications) a laptop is still probably the best portable device, but I don’t see that being the case for much longer.

Enterprise IT has been struggling in the past few years as employee’s have been ditching their Blackberry’s for iPhone’s and Android based handsets. The IT organization has had to find solutions other than BES to manage mobile device security. Small Business IT hasn’t really had these issues around mobile device management and security. What we have come across this year is a lot of: “Hey I got a new [insert name of device here] how to I get my mail and contacts on it?” and then we have to figure out how seamless the integration is going to be between their new device and their e-mail server or provider. The truth is that consumers have quite a few options for getting e-mail, contacts and calendar synced across their multiple devices with offerings from Google, Microsoft and Apple. The fact that both Google and Microsoft have solutions specifically tailored to small business means that these services that consumers have enjoyed over the past few years have moved up to the small business space in terms of features but remained decidedly prosumer in terms of pricing and we’ve found ourselves implementing either solution where the case was right.

This portion of this blog post is brought to you by the buzzwords “virtual” and “cloud”, words which we couldn’t seem to get away from this year. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that 95% of the clients or potential clients we got in front of this year specifically asked us about “going virtual” or “using the cloud”. After hours of evaluating different scenarios, solutions, use cases etc. we’ve come to two fairly simple conclusions:

1. Virtual Desktop technology is not yet priced right for small businesses. Unless your business is currently managing close to 100 desktops, you’re unlikely to save any money by rolling out VDI. The caveat however is that if you have very basic software needs, and a distributed workforce of less than 10 users a Microsoft based Remote Desktop Solution may fit your small business perfectly.

2. Hosted E-mail and Collaboration is the only cost effective way to handle e-mail in a small business environment. As I’ve mentioned before we’ve deployed both Google Apps solutions and Microsoft BPOS and now Office 365 solutions for some of our clients. Most of these clients were previously on basic POP/IMAP e-mail service from their web host so moving to a collaboration platform like Google Apps or Office 365 completely changed the way their business functioned with the ability to share calendars and communicate using IM. It’s clear though that small businesses that are currently managing e-mail using an on-premise server stand to gain a lot from moving to hosted solution, especially where the path is on-premises Microsoft Exchange Server to Office 365. For businesses not as tied to Microsoft products (Windows, Office etc.) Google Apps continues to be an excellent option.

As always every case is different but over the past year we’ve found these general observations to hold true.

It’s heartening to look forward to next year and wonder what new and exciting technologies we’ll come across that will benefit our clients. Undoubtedly prices will continue to fall, and new small business technologies will mean that you won’t need a 20K IT budget to get robust IT solutions for your small business.

Invizio co-founders Kevin V. Michael and Kyle Hurst ruminate on their predictions and expectations for what 2012 has in store for business and consumer technology. In this episode, tablets and smartphones, mobile broadband internet, cloud connected cars and a host of technology wants and needs are all fair game.

In this second installment of our discussion of cloud computing, Invizio co-founder Kyle Hurst explains the difference and weighs the pros/cons of private and public clouds. Let us know what you think. Don’t forget to send your questions into ask [at] invizio [dot] com

1) Tablets

This year we saw the rise (Apple iPad and Android) and in some cases the attempted rise (Blackberry Playbook, HP TouchPad) of tablet devices into the technology stratosphere. Apple’s iPad commands the market, Android tablets have really begun to shine, and expect a splash from Microsoft Windows 8 tablets next year. Tablets will most likely grow into the most ubiquitous mobile device in coming years and you should start finding ways to incorporate them into your business before you get left behind.

2) Smartphones

If making a phone call is the only thing your mobile phone does reliably, it’s time to consider a step up. If used appropriately, smartphones will give you a boost as you squeeze e-mails, note taking, calendaring and even that de-stressing game of Angry Birds in while on the go. Picking a smartphone is a lot like picking a significant other, ideally you should be attracted to them (i.e. the look and feel), you should love them for who they are (i.e the platform) and they should get along (i.e. integrate) with other things in your life. Luckily you’ll have tons of options to choose from. Between Apple’s iPhone, Blackberry and the plethora of Windows Phone 7 and Android phones you should have no problem finding a phone that you’ll enjoy spending time with.

3) Cloud Platform

If you find yourself stuck running an in-house email server or you feel jealous when you see friends accessing their data while on the go, you need to get with the times. Online collaboration platforms like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps make it easier than ever for you to get reliable (and innovative) hosted email and collaborative applications so your team can be more agile. While, the cloud is still not the best place for everything, e-mail and shared files are no-brainers.

4) Videoconferencing & Online Meetings

Face time is a very important thing in business, but with a hobbling economy, time and money are extremely precious. Instead of taking that trip across town or to the airport, let your hair down and fire up a video chat application like Skype or Google Chat. Applications like GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx and Microsoft Lync also allow you to combine videoconferencing and screen sharing to provide a total meeting experience. It might feel a little goofy at first, but after a couple times you’ll wonder how you lived without it. Now just think of all the gas, tolls, parking and airline tickets you’ll skip the bill on.

5) Desktop & Laptop Upgrades

Microsoft Windows XP officially turned 10 years this past August. For you, that means you are either 1) using a technology that is over a decade old or 2) your computer is probably getting up there too. It’s time to start thinking about some replacements. A slow computer really kills your productivity and I would even venture to say your morale. If you’re in the Windows side of the world, Windows 7 is the best thing Microsoft has done in a long time, and Windows 8 expected out next year kicks butt and I mean it. Mac users on the other hand, usually need no prompting when it comes to upgrades. You guys get the point.

This post was originally published by Kevin V. Michael on the ICABA website.

I wish that our existing and prospective clients could really take a peek into our solution development sessions. If they did, they would see a team of dedicated professionals that really sweat the details. Each of our clients are unique, and when we devise solutions that will meet their needs, solve their challenges or support their aspirations, we place their idiosyncracies front and center.

Every time we design a solution we ask ourselves:

Is this the best set of choices? How will our client use and interact with these technologies? Is this the most cost effective way to address this problem?

These are the essential questions that keep us up at night. Even after settling in our collective minds, we still debate even the most minor of technical details about our choices. Why? Because we feel strongly that our clients deserve the best.

We often spend hours conducting research on what the IT landscape has to offer our clients, or scouring online forums to understand the practical challenges that others have experienced when implementing technology solutions for clients similar to ours.

So why does it matter to have an IT consultant that cares? Here are my top 3 reasons:

1) The Knowledge Gap Won’t Be Exploited
Our clients are not technology experts. We are. So they rely on us to make informed and wise decisions when proposing solutions. We’ve seen this gap exploited by consultants who consider their bottom line before that of the client, forcing them to purchase technologies they do not need or may never use. It’s important to trust, but also verify. Ask around or conduct some research of your own.

2) You’ll Have More Successful Outcomes
In technology implementations, the devil is in the details. Without careful consideration to how each technology is expected to integrate or function, you are likely to end up with surprises that happen during a project with hefty price tags attached. It’s difficult to judge whether a consultant is thorough or methodical in planning and proposing solutions, but if you pay attention to how they approach the engagement you’ll get a good feel for what to expect. The other side to the equation is that a client you must be willing to pay a consultant to perform the due diligence necessary for proper planning and execution.

3) They Are More Likely to Have a Long Term View
Consultants are very sensitive to the value of time and who can blame us. We trade hours of our lives for a prescribed monetary value. IT consultants in particular are likely to trade hours during nights and weekends. Valuable time that could otherwise be spent with spouses, kids, family and friends. That aside, our success depends entirely upon long term relationships with our clients. No matter how much we might feel we deserve it, consultants often bypass the approach to nickle and dime clients in favor of client longevity.

1. Restart
   Many quirks and unexplainable issues you have on a day-to-day basis with you computer are easily prevented and/or resolved with a quick restart. Restarting also allows your PC to install critical system updates, the importance of which is covered in the following section. A good policy is to restart your computer as the last thing you do when leaving the office in the afternoon. This way when you come in to work the next day you have a “fresh” PC waiting for you.
2. Update
   As mentioned in a previous post most virus infections are a result of computers not being fully patched and up-to-date. Keeping everything (operating system, applications and drivers) up-to-date on a system is a bit of a chore but 15-minutes of maintenance could save you a lot of time and money down the road. Secunia PSI by Secunia is an amazing little application that will scan your PC and tell you every update you’re missing for all the applications you have installed. It will even initiate the update processes for you. It’s great if you only need to keep one or two PC’s up-to-date. If you have five PC’s or more talk to your IT provider about their maintenance plan, it’s well worth the investment.
3. Upgrade
   We’ve all heard the saying: “Time waits for no man”, the same is true of technology. The truth is that restarts or software updates are going to help you  only so much if you’re using an old computer. If your computer is 3 years old start thinking about replacing it, if it’s 5 years old stop reading this article and go buy a new computer. Old computers usually means buggy and failing hardware and software incompatibility, the truth is that the latest version of a your business application is going to be slow on your 4 year old laptop no matter what you do, and that’s if you can even get it installed. Plus it always much easier and less stressful to replace a computer when the old is still in working order rather than after the old one has failed and you’re forced to get a new one.

Performing basic routine maintenance on your computer will help them run better, for longer. This means less errors and overall better stability of your computer. Put aside 30 minutes every month to make sure your PC’s fully up-to-date; it will thank you. Also remember if your computer is over 3 years old and it’s unbearably slow you should definitely think about a replacement.

HP Folio 13

Ok. Raise your hand if you’ve heard the term ‘notebook’ (last time I checked this is what we called laptops). Now raise your hand if you’ve heard the term ‘netbook’ (remember those really small laptops that were all the buzz a year ago).

Well, here’s a new one for you, ‘ultrabook’. Apparently it’s supposed to be the next big thing that PC manufacturers are raving about. So what is an ultrabook exactly and how is it different from the stuff you already know?

In a nutshell, an ultrabook is an emerging category of laptops that are undoubtedly fashioned after Apple’s Macbook Air and boast most of the following specifications.

• 11″ – 13″ inch displays
• Very light and thin
• Battery life of 5-8 hours
• No optical (CD/DVD drive)
• Solid state drive (SSD) faster than older mechanical hard drives) and
• Retail for around $1,000

Apart from the specs, which deliver on next generation features such as SSD, USB 3.0, and new Intel processors, what’s different about this category of laptop is the emphasis on portability, power efficiency and aesthetic design. This is a sure signal that Apple’s innovation with the Macbook Air has caught on and now manufacturers see growing user demand for these qualities.

My personal take is that these are likely to be a permanent fixture of portable computing as the experience of lightweight devices such as tablets become the norm. I’m an openly proud PC user so chances are I’ll be in the market for one of these as prices come down.

Toshiba Portege Z830 Series

According to most reports we should expect a flood of ultrabooks in the market in the first quarter of next year following the infamous Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. While newer models will most likely ship in the first quarter of 2012, some notable early entrants that you get your hands on include the Toshiba Portege Z830, Lenovo IdeaPad U300S and the upcoming HP Folio 13.