Profile of Fredric Paul

News & Commentary Posts: 527

Articles by Fredric Paul

Leaving InformationWeek SMB, And Introducing Enterprise Efficiency!

3/1/2010
As regular readers of InformationWeek SMB may have noticed, I haven't been around much lately. That's because for the past few weeks, I've been hard at work at a brand new TechWeb "skunkworks" project called Enterprise Efficiency, or E2, which launched last Friday.
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Announcing The Launch Of Enterprise Efficiency!

3/1/2010
I can't tell you how excited I am about the launch of Enterprise Efficiency, unique new community where CIOs and other business technology leaders and executive decision makers can share peer guidance, news and analysis, and best practices on the strategic uses of technology in the enterprise.
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Does The Apple iPad Have Value For SMBs?

1/28/2010
For SMBs, at least, the most useful part of the new Apple iPad may be an accessory.
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Box.net Adds Universal File Viewer To Cloud Content Management

1/22/2010
Using technology gained in its acquisition of Increo, users can now view multiple file types from within the Box.net environment.
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Synology's DiskStation DS1010+ NAS Kicks Off Series Of New Storage Products

1/20/2010
The new DiskStation DS1010+ 5-bay Networked Attached Storage device is only the first in a series of new storage devices and upgrades expected from Synology in the first half of 2010.
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Intel Demos New vPro Technology For SMBs

1/19/2010
At a small event here in rainy San Francisco, Intel executives showed off the 2010 version of the company's vPro platform, designed to add user benefits to vPro's traditional management and security features.
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7 Ways To Help Your Employees Use Their Own Smartphones

1/19/2010
Sharing the cost of mobile equipment and service can be cost-effective for companies of all sizes -- according to a new Forrester Research report.
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Why Cloud Computing Matters More To SMBs

1/18/2010
Barry X Lynn, Chairman and CEO of cloud platform vendor 3Tera, talks about why cloud computing makes a bigger difference for small and midsize companies than for large enterprises. The reasons might surprise you.
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Introducing The E-Learning How-To Center

1/15/2010
Do your company's IT staffers know everything they need to know? Didn't think so. After all, how could they? Combine all the different technologies with the speed of new developments and increasing demands on IT staffers' time in this rough econonmy, and staying up to speed can seem practically impossible. But as shown in the new InformationWeek SMB E-Learning How-To Center, though, it doesn't have be that way.
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SMBs Boost Interest In Software as a Service

1/14/2010
A new CompTIA survey of small and midsize businesses reveals growing interest SaaS and managed services.
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The Street Touts 3 Kinda Crazy New SMB Tech Tools

1/12/2010
Earlier today, InformationWeek SMB posted our take on SMB-oriented technology introductions at CES. Turns out we weren't the only ones: TheStreet.com came up with three choices of its own. But be warned, they get increasingly strange...
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i365 Launches EVault Cloud-Connected Services Platform

1/11/2010
The Seagate company is making its hybrid cloud storage platform available to independent software vendors. Look for the first backup vendors to start using the platform to enable cloud-connected backups within a few months, with more following next year.
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Introducing InformationWeek SMB!

1/7/2010
Why should enterprises have all the fun? Sure, big companies are important, but small and midsize businesses constitute more than 99% of all U.S. businesses and employ more than half the U.S. workforce. And SMBs need sophisticated technology too, they just don't have the same level of resources and expertise. And SMBs can often get more upside out of new technology than can enterprises burdened with legacy investments and infrastructure. That's why we're introducting Post a Comment

What Does The Nexus One Google SuperPhone Mean For SMBs?
1/5/2010
Today's big news was the introduction of Google's Nexus One smartphone. Initial reactions were largely positive, but didn't center on its possible application in small and midsize companies. InformationWeek SMB contributor Steve Hilton fills the gap.
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5 Mobility Predictions For 2010
12/31/2009
Five predictions for what SMBs can expect on the mobility front in the coming year -- from Trust Digital.
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7 Cloud Computing Predictions For 2010
12/31/2009
Seven Predictions on what SMBs can expect from the world of cloud computing in the coming year -- from Appirio.
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Virtualization For Small Businesses: When Does It Make Sense?
12/19/2009
How big does your company have to be before you get real benefits from virtualization?
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What A Google-Yelp Deal Might Mean For SMBs
12/18/2009
Google is reportedly working on a $500 million deal to buy local reviews site Yelp. On the plus side, the deal might make it easier to find small and local businesses on Google while also helping to clean up some of the controversy surrounding pay-for-play allegations on Yelp. Or it could make things worse on both fronts.
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HP Software To Boost Cloud Computing For SMBs
12/16/2009
HP Operations Orchestration and HP Cloud Assure for cost control are designed to help companies take better advantage of cloud computing's inherent flexibility and elasticity, while mitigating potential risks.
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HyperOffice Releases Beta Of New Software-with-Services Business Suite For SMBs
12/15/2009
Designed for organizations with between 5 and 100 users, the new version of 10-year-old HyperOffice adds interface enhancements, "push" e-mail support, and an online relational database.
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ADTRAN Jumps Into Unified Communications Market
12/14/2009
Aimed at companies with 5 to 2,000 users, the networking vendor's NetVanta Unified Communications (UC) Solution Suite includes voice mail, unified messaging, fax server, presence, and auto attendant features.
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SMBs Reject False Dichotomy Between Enterprise And Consumer Tech
12/11/2009
Too many tech insiders see the world as consumer versus enterprise technology. They're missing a key component of the market: small and midsize businesses. And their blinders are leading to some seriously misguided conclusions.
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All Mobile Users Are Not Alike, So Why Does Your Company Give Them All The Same Equipment And Service?
12/10/2009
A new Forrester Research report recommends that companies can save big money by segmenting users according to job roles and offering different devices, apps, and services for each segment.
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Review: HP ProBook 5310m Offers SMBs (Almost) Full Power In A Thin-And-Light Notebook
12/9/2009
Unlike most thin-and-light notebooks, the stylish black ProBook 5310 is available with a standard-voltage Intel processor to deliver higher performance computing. The hit on battery life isn't as big as you might expect.
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Egnyte Extends Cloud-Based Hybrid Storage To NAS Devices
12/8/2009
The company is announcing Egnyte Local Cloud on Network Attached Storage (NAS), which expands the hybrid concept from Direct Attached Storage (DAS). The combination is designed to let SMBs combine local and cloud-based storage to maximize security, backup, and performance.
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"Favorite Places On Google" Takes On Zagat, Yelp
12/7/2009
In addition to its announcement of Real Time Search today, Google also rolled out a program to put stickers in the windows of 100,000 local businesses in 9,000 cities across the country.
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HP Follows Dell, Lenovo, With All-In-One PC For SMBs
12/7/2009
Earlier this year, Dell and Lenovo broke with tradition and introduced All-in-One PCs meant for business users, not consumers. It must be a trend because now HP has followed suit with the HP Pro All-in-one MS200 Business PC.
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Comcast-NBC Deal Highlights Net Neutrality Issue
12/3/2009
What does it mean when the nation's largest Internet Service Provider, like Comcast, buys one of the biggest content creators in the world, like NBC? For one thing, it means the already contentious issue of Net Neutrality is about to get even more heated. Hopefully, it will galvanize the FCC to create and implement Net Neutrality rules that protect the interests of small and midsize businesses.
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Oracle/HP Offer Package For Midsize Manufacturers
12/2/2009
The recession hit manufacturing companies hard, but if there are any midmarket industrial manufacturers still growing, they can now buy a pre-packaged bundle of HP hardware, Oracle Acclerate software, Oracle Consulting services to help manage their businesses.
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Black Friday FOR SMBs, Not Just BY SMBs?
11/24/2009
Typically, Black Friday is a sales event where companies offer big discounts to consumers to spur sales the day after Thanksgiving. But in today's economy (ITE) companies are also pushing Black Friday to their SMB customers.
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Holiday Internet Marketing Grows, A QuickBooks Marketing App Gets Upgraded, And A New Entry-Level Shopping Cart
11/24/2009
A new Constant Contact survey says SMBs are boosting their Internet marketing for the Holidays, ClickFuel has upgraded its FuelStation online marketing dashboard to work with QuickBooks 2010 and QuickBooks Pro, and ProPay's CartLite is an entry-level shopping cart.
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Storage, Storage, Storage: New Storage Devices In 3 Sizes
11/23/2009
Data storage choices for SMBs just keep on coming as Data Robotics and Synology debut new storage solutions for prosumers, small businesses, and the midmarket.
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Quark Promote Enters Web-To-Print Market
11/19/2009
Buying print services over the Web isn't new, but design-software maker Quark is trying to up the ante with templates that pull together everything from brochures to business cards with a common theme. Oh, and free shipping, too.
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The New Office 2010 Beta: Is Microsoft Winning The Last War?
11/18/2009
For most modern businesses, Microsoft Office is the standard for productivity applications. So the arrival of Microsoft 2010 -- now going into beta for release next year -- is big news. But after a couple weeks of working with the new release it seems that Microsoft has done a great job -- of winning the last war.
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Intermedia Launches Hosted Version Of Exchange 2010 With "Guaranteed" Data Protection
11/16/2009
Intermedia says its the first third-party vendor to offer hosted Exchange 2010 service, and also claims to have the first "100% data protection guarantee." Just don't expect it to cover the real cost of your loss.
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Intuit Customer Manager Wants To be Your MyFirstCRM
11/16/2009
Intuit Customer Manager, the new customer relationship management app from the small-business powerhouse behind QuickBooks, is coming out of beta. After months of free beta availability, Intuit hopes to sign small businesses with fewer than 20 employees as paying customers.
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IDC Names Top SMB Vendors
11/13/2009
Research firm IDC calls out 16 companies that demonstrate innovation in meeting the needs of small and midsize companies in six broad areas. The list includes the usual suspects -- big vendors with broad product lines like HP and IBM -- but also a number of smaller contenders as well.
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Google Offers 16 Terabytes Of Gmail Storage!
11/11/2009
I've been relying Gmail as my personal e-mail for more than 5 years now, and I often use it to "store" stuff that I want to be able find later. It's easy to just e-mail things to myself so I know it'll be available from anywhere. And still I'm using only 23% of the 7390 MB that Google now provides for free. Apparently, though, some people need more space, and Google is lowering its prices for additional storage -- offering 20GB for $5 a year -- and boosting available options all the way
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IT Gut Check: 5 Hard Questions To Ask Yourself When Cutting IT Costs
11/11/2009
In today's harsh world of falling revenues, IT departments are increasingly being asked to cut spending. But that may be more complicated than it sounds. A network management expert offers 5 things to consider when making the hard choices.
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How HP Plans To Rule The SMB World
11/11/2009
Vowing to overcome past problems, HP unveils its latest not-so-secret plan for worldwide SMB domination. There's lots to like, but low prices don't seem to be the company's top priority.
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Would You Be Willing To Bet Your Paycheck That You Could Find A Specific E-Mail From Your CEO From 18 Months Ago?
11/9/2009
That's the question posed by Danny Milgrad, Symantec senior manager, product marketing for Enterprise Vault. In a recent survey, Milgrad said, only 15% of IT managers answered yes. Milgrad, like many others, is counting on Microsoft Exchange 2010 to reshape the storage landscape.
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Top 3 Ways For SMBs To Cut Tech Costs?
11/5/2009
Today's Wall Street Journal offers small businesses a trio of tips on how to cut spending without hurting your business. And -- surprise -- it uses a bMighty Mid-Market Hero as an example!
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Small Business Economic Forecast: Cautious, With A Chance Of Pay Cuts
11/5/2009
A CDW survey finds that as the economic malaise drags on, less than half of SMBs are still optimistic about growth. SurePayroll, meanwhile, also notes drops in optimism, perhaps because small business salaries are taking a dive.
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SMBs Loves Them Some Virtualization
11/5/2009
Small and midsize businesses may have been a bit late to the virtualization station, but falling prices have them moving quickly to catch up with larger enterprises. So says a recent Gartner survey of companies with 100- 999 employees.
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PayPal Opens Up And Gets Cheaper
11/4/2009
At PayPal's inaugural developers conference here in San Francisco, PayPal reiterated its commitment to opening up its technology platform and backed up the promise with new and improved APIs and significant cuts in the prices it charges to process payments. In the long run, this could mean new ways for small and midsize companies to charge customers and even pay their own bills.
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BlackBerry Out-Innovates iPhone, Say SMBs
11/3/2009
In a recent survey, almost half (48%) of respondents rated BlackBerry the most innovative smartphone, compared to 29% most impressed with the iPhone. No other platform, including Android, garnered more than 5%. It may not be a big deal, though, because less than a quarter (24%) say they're ready to switch smartphones.
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Symantec's Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 Promises Proactive Protection For SMBs
11/3/2009
As recent surveys make it clear that many small and midsize companies are woefully under-informed and unprepared to deal with security issues, Symantec says its trying to reshape the security process away from from the typical "reactive mode" that requires users to actively manage the process.
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Lenovo Debuts ThinkCentre All-In-One PC -- For Business!
11/2/2009
All-In-One PCs have traditionally been aimed at the consumer market -- you know, for the kitchen counter and such. But Lenovo says it's ThinkCentre A70z was designed specifically for small and midsize businesses.
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KACE Updates KBOX To Support Windows 7 Migration
11/2/2009
The latest versions of the KBOX 1000 and KBOX 2000 appliances are designed to help not just with upgrading to Microsoft's new operating system, but also with deployment and ongoing management.
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bMighty Virtual Event: Dealing With Data Centers -- Now Available On Demand
10/29/2009
If you thought you missed last week's informative bMighty virtual event on how SMBs can deal with data centers in tough times, it's time to think again. The entire event is now available on demand!
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SMBs To Lag In IT Purchases
10/28/2009
While overall hardware buying plans have returned to August 2008 levels, midsize and small businesses are split on their buying plans and levels of confidence.
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What To Expect When You're Expecting A Recovery
10/26/2009
A trio of new surveys makes it clear that while small busineses are hoping for an ecomomic recovery soon, many remain worried that a double-dip recession could drive them out of business.
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How Reliable Is Windows 7? Ask Its Built In Reliability Monitor!
10/26/2009
Windows 7 has lots of new features, including a useful Problem Steps Recorder. But many SMBs would like to know just how frequent those problems really are. Well, Windows 7 has a built in Reliablity Monitor that's designed to tell you how often a Windows 7 machine has experienced problems.
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Windows 7's Official Release Prompts bMighty Apology
10/22/2009
I admit it. I was wrong. Almost a year ago, bMighty posted a story on 10 things we DIDN'T think would happen in 2009. We were right about most of them, but it became all inarguable that I totally blew # 7 when Post a Comment

IBM Rolls Out New Dynamic Infrastructure Offerings For Midsize Companies
10/22/2009
IBM Rational AppScan OnDemand, Tivoli Foundations Application Manager, Tivoli Foundations Service Manager, IBM Software Services-Enhanced Technical Support Gateway, and IBM System Storage DS3950 Express are designed to "help midsize businesses reduce cost, improve service and manage risk."
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Why Windows 7 Comes In So Many Versions
10/22/2009
As Windows 7 hits stores today, there's still one question left: Which version is right for me and my company? Windows 7 comes in so many different versions -- many of them with new names -- that it's all to easy for business and consumer users to get confused. I asked Microsoft VP Margo Day why the company needed so many versions.
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Lenovo Debuts New ThinkPad Laptops For SMBs
10/21/2009
As the launch of Windows 7 augers in a deluge of new PCs from just about every vendor around the world, Lenovo joins a much smaller group aiming new machines at small and midsize businesses.
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InformationWeek SMB Virtual Event: Dealing With Data Centers
10/19/2009
Whether your company's data center is a couple of servers stashed in a closet or a gleaming, state-of-the-art climate-controlled facility, you're still facing the same set of challenges: how to keep the IT lights on while controlling costs, take advantage of new technologies to stay competitive, and position your company for an economic recovery in the midst of the toughest times for IT that many of us can remember. On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, help is on the way.
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5 (Hidden) Benefits Of Cloud Storage For SMBs
10/19/2009
There's a familiar litany of cloud computing benefits, from lower capital expenses and fast deployments to ubiquitous access and bringing enterprise-class technology to smaller companies. But I recently came across a handful of under-radar-advantages that cloud storage promises bring to your small or midsize business.
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Google Uses Q3 Earnings Report To Tout Services For Local Companies
10/15/2009
Not surprisingly, most coverage of today's Google's third quarter financial results focusd on the company's beating expections and resuming hiring. But bMighty is interested in the juicy details provided about the search giant's offerings for local businesses.
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bMighty Virtual Event: Dealing With Data Centers
10/15/2009
Whether your company's data center is a couple of servers stashed in a closet or a gleaming, state-of-the-art climate-controlled facility, you're still facing the same set of challenges: how to keep the IT lights on while controlling costs, take advantage of new technologies to stay competitive, and position your company for an economic recovery in the midst of the toughest times for IT that many of us can remember.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, help is on the way.
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For Salesforce.com, "The End Of Software" Becomes "The Best Of Both Worlds"
10/13/2009
I just got back from Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff's much anticipated presentation at Oracle OpenWorld, and it was an interesting experience to say the least. Benioff didn't announce anything new. Instead he pushed Software as a Service as a complement, not just an alternative, to traditional software. And for once he gave more than passing mention to the needs of small and midsize companies.
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Avaya Tweaks Its Aura Virtual VoIP Platform For SMBs
10/13/2009
In yet another attempt to bring Unified Communications to midsize companies, the SMB version of Aura combines several Avaya UC technologies on a single server to make it affordable for smaller companies.
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Marchex Debuts Online Reputation Management For SMBs
10/13/2009
Many large enterprises spend small fortunes tracking how they are perceived online and in social media. But small and midsize companies don't have to worry about things like reputation management, do they? After all, who could be talking about them? Well, it could be more than you might think.
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NEC Claims Midmarket Is Overpaying For Storage By $3 Billion
10/13/2009
As the vendor enhances the NEC D-Series Storage Attached Networking line with iSCSI and thin provisioning, it charges brand-name competitors with overcharging -- sort of.
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Dell/Salesforce.com Combine Cloud Apps With Integration Services For SMBs
10/9/2009
The deal, to be announced Monday, calls for Dell to package its integration services with Salesforce.com's cloud-based CRM applications. "We're starting to build a bridge for SMB customers -- and especially Dell's SMB customers -- to get started with cloud computing," explained Marc Stein, director of Dell's SMB cloud strategy.
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Will Microsoft's Free Office Starter 2010 Be Enough For Small Businesses?
10/9/2009
Microsoft is coming out with a new ad-supported version of Office to replace Microsoft Works. Will it offer enough functionality to challenge Google Docs and Open Office -- or let small businesses avoid paying for the full-blown version of Office?
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Motorola Moves Wi-Fi Outdoors For New SMB Applications
10/8/2009
The company's new AP 7181 access point optimizes 802.11 Wi-Fi for outdoor applications with up to a quarter-mile range to make possible a wide variety of new SMB applications -- among other uses.
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What Midmarket CIOs Care About Most
10/8/2009
Business analytics and self service, according to the newly released midmarket portion of IBM's 2009 Global Chief Information Office Study, but CIOs of high growth companies have different priorities than those at slower growing organizations. Finally, no matter what size firm they represent, CIOs face a similar set of conflicting goals and contradictory roles.
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New Iomega Desktop Network Storage Appliance Pushes High-End Features Into Small Offices
10/8/2009
Iomega hopes the StorCenter ix2-200's energy efficiency and big-company features will help it stand out in an increasingly crowded market for entry-level storage appliances.
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New Hybrid Storage And Backup Options From i365 And CTERA Networks
10/7/2009
Yesterday, CTERA Networks launched its CloudPlug and C200 "cloud attached storage" devices, and today i365 debuted its EVault Offsite Replication Storage Service. Both offerings illustrate the trend toward combining onsite and cloud-based storage and backup into hybrid solutions for small and midsize companies.
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Download The New bMighty Browser Toolbar
10/3/2009
This summer, I blogged about how Conduit was improving its custom browswer toolbars, and I demonstrated the concept with a simple bMighty toolbar. At the time, I promised to create a bMighty toolbar you'd actually want to put on your browser. Well, it took a few months and some help from the folks at Conduit, but the free bMighty Community Browser Toolbar
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New Dell Vostro 430 SMB Desktop Leverages Windows 7, Intel i5 And i7 Chips
10/1/2009
Dell's lastest addition to its Vostro line of small-business-oriented computers leads trend toward "powerhouse" desktop machines for smaller companies.
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71 Scanner Terms You Need To Know
10/1/2009
Think you know everything you need to know about scanners and document imaging? Think again. From "Achromatic Color" to "Zoom," the latest addition to the bMighty Scanner How-To Center is a free downloadable guide to more than 71 key terms that can help you scan business documents faster, better, and more effic
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Intuit's New QuickBooks 2010 Eases Installation, Improves Reporting
9/25/2009
The latest version of the popular small-business accounting software also speeds editing of multiple list entries and makes it easier to customize forms and reports. Plus: new links to services like document management and e-mail marketing.
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Protecting Laptop Data: New bMighty How-To Guide
9/23/2009
The data on your company's laptops may be your firm's most vulnerable asset. But the latest addition to bMighty's IT Management How-To Center can show you how managed laptop data-encryption and backup services can safeguard that data even if the laptop itself goes missing.
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Why Microsoft Should Make Windows 7 A Free Upgrade
9/22/2009
It's time to set Windows 7 free -- at least for Vista users. Anyone who is using Vista should be able to upgrade to the corresponding version of Windows 7. For nothing. No questions asked.
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Oracle Accelerate Adds MidMarket BI, CRM On Demand, And More
9/22/2009
Oracle Accelerate, the company's 3-year-old effort to address midsize companies, has extended its tool set to include Demantra for advanced demand planning, Agile for product lifecycle management, Siebel CRM, and Transportation Management. And the apps will now be available via SaaS as well.
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SaaS Holds Big Appeal For Midsize CIOs
9/21/2009
"Two years back, I thought [SaaS] was the stupidest thing. But we've finally started seeing some applications that make sense," says Peter Larsen, manager of information technology at National Frozen Foods in Seattle.
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New Avaya Unified Communications System For SMBs Focuses On Role-Based Solutions
9/21/2009
Avaya IP Office Release 5 offers small and midsize businesses 6 different versions of UC for different kinds of workers, from telecommuters to customer service agents.
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Another Take On Freemium -- From LogMeIn
9/18/2009
In today's feature story, online businesses talk about the plusses and minuses of offering free online services -- and then transitioning them to paid services. Coincidentally, I had a conversation on the very same topic this week with Michael Simon, CEO of LogMeIn. For Simon, there are no minuses, only plusses.
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AT&T Expands Remote Tech Support Push -- With Help From Intel VPro
9/17/2009
Last week, AT&T TechSupport 360 expanded coverage from very small businesses to companies with up to 50 employees. This week, AT&T joined with Intel to announce a new level of support for computers equipped with Intel's VPro technology.
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Top 10 Best Technology Ideas. . . That Really Aren't
9/17/2009
At bMighty.com, we know that it's only too easy to get seduced by technology. A new innovation, a slick piece of hardware, a smart software feature, or seemingly fabulous application appears, and everyone jumps on the bandwagon. Sometimes, though, we wish we'd looked before we leaped.
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MidMarket CIOs Not Embracing Windows 7
9/15/2009
A panel of CIOs at the Midsize Enterprise Summit West in Los Angeles showed remarkably little interest in quickly moving to Microsoft's new operating system.
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HP Launches Slick New Laptops -- And Some Desktops, Too
9/14/2009
HP's new Envy luxury laptops add style to the category, but the SMB-oriented ProBook 5310m offers decent looks at a much more affordable price. The Mini 311 straddles the line between netbook and notebook, while new All-in-One and traditional desktops round out the company's introductions.
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Let The Business Mobile Price Wars Begin!
9/14/2009
Firing the first shot, Sprint rolls out new Business Advantage plans that could put pressure on other carriers to offer better deals.
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Samsung Wants To Be Big Player In Business IT
9/14/2009
ChannelWeb reports that the Korean consumer electronics powerhouse is planning new PCs and laptops along with a move into commerical IT services. The company could be an important new option for SMBs, and the competition could help keep prices down.
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IBM's Cognos Express Brings BI To The Midmarket
9/12/2009
IBM's new Cognos Express -- introduced along with LotusLive Mobile and the IBM Mashup Center -- uses a modular approach to make it easier and less expensive for midsize companies to take advantage of business intelligence.
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What Is E-Mail Worth To Your Company?
9/11/2009
These days, small businesses have a wide range of e-mail options, ranging from on-premise Microsoft Exchange servers to cloud-based Web mail -- and everything in between. And prices range as widely as the technology, from free on up.
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Lunch With Salesforce.com And Twitter
9/9/2009
Salesforce.com put on a fancy lunch spread at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco this afternoon to celebrate the launch of its Service Cloud 2 upgrade, and Twitter was invited. But I already blogged that... so I was more interested in what the cloud computing and social media bigwigs had to say about customer service. And they didn't disappoint.
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New Intel Xeon 3400 Processors Lead To New Dell SMB Servers
9/9/2009
The new 3400 series Xeon server processors are designed for 1U entry-level servers, and Dell has responded with four new 1-socket servers using the new chips, starting at less than $600. Plus new NAS storage and 28 new power supplies.
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Salesforce.com Upgrades The "Service Cloud"
9/9/2009
Service Cloud 2 adds the new Salesforce.com Answers and brings Salesforce.com Knowledge and Salesforce.com for Twitter out of beta and into general availability.
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SMBs Aware Of Benefits Of Power Management, But Not Doing Much About It
9/8/2009
A new survey by Dimensional Research for KACE reveals that smaller companies are more likely to understand the cost benefits of desktop power management, but less likely to have a green initiative in place.
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Mid-Market Heroes: SMBs Say Color Really Does Make A Difference
9/8/2009
Printer companies are always talking about how color printing can make a difference to small and midsize companies -- making marketing materials more effective and .... Frankly, the arguements always sounded like little more than semi-desperate attempts to sell more toner.
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7 Times As Many SMBs Use Twitter To Find Deals
9/4/2009
Warrillow & Co. says small busineses are a whopping 700% more likely to use use Twitter than other social networks when looking for promotions and discounts.
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New Salesforce.com Contact Manager Edition Designed For VERY Small Businesses
9/2/2009
The new Contact Manager Edition of Salesforce delivers several Salesforce.com features for managing business contacts and customers, for $9 per user per month -- but only for 1-2 users!
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New Survey Questions SMB Interest In Netbooks and Cloud Computing
8/31/2009
The results of a new Spiceworks survey shows that while more than half of small and midsize companies are using some form of cloud computing, they're still showing caution about fully embracing the technology. And only 13% of SMBs say they plan to buy netbooks. All this as the Great Recession forces SMBs to hold on to computers longer and cut key projects.
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Top 10 (Hidden) Reasons SMBs Should Go Virtual
8/28/2009
On the eve of the VMworld event in San Francisco, VMware virtualization guru Joe Andrews wonders why so many small and medium-sized businesses still sitting on the virtual sidelines. And he coughs up ten lesser-known ways virtualization can help even smaller companies
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Does Apple's Snow Leopard Really Matter To SMBs?
8/27/2009
This is a big week for the Apple Macintosh. The company is rolling out its big Snow Leopard Mac OS X upgrade, and of special interest to SMBs, the server version of Snow Leopard debuts as well. But how big a deal is the Macintosh world to SMBs anyway?
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Iomega Rolls Out 4-Drive Networked Attached Storage Appliance
8/27/2009
Designed for small businesses and branch offices, Iomega StorCenter ix-4200d uses virtualization, RSA security, data protection, replication, and video surveillance technology from new corporate parent EMC.
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