http://www.informationweek.comHere you'll find observations, anecdotes, and analysis from our experienced staff of reporters and editors, with links to stories, surveys and other content that appear on InformationWeek.com, TechWeb.com, and many other points on the Web. We welcome discussion, and invite you to share your opinions and thoughts. Please participate with us!en-usCopyright 2011, United Business Media.2011-07-01T12:11:22Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/231000887?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLIgnore the vendors, they all claim their system is the best. Analyze your needs and ensure that you have the flexibility to grow and change as needs change.Every so often, most recently on <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Which-SAN-vendor-is-best-93470%2ES%2E44423631">LinkedIn</a>, I'll see a question asking what storage system is the best for small to midsize businesses (SMBs). The question is often answered by each vendor claiming that theirs is the best. The answer is: It really depends. The variables that go into a storage decision are probably as great in the SMB market as they are with any other size data center. <P> The first problem with the SMB storage market is the name itself. The size of companies in the market can range from the one- to five-person micro-business category that my company is proud to be a part of, to the 100 or so-person business. That is a huge range of differences. A five-person business can certainly benefit from network-attached storage (NAS), but they probably don't need a virtual infrastructure. The 100-person business needs a bigger NAS and more than likely can benefit from a virtual infrastructure. Some vendors and analysts have tried to help by creating the small-to-medium enterprise (SME) moniker. This name implies a larger SMB that has an investment in servers, storage, and more than likely dedicated IT staff. The fact remains though that the SMB/SME market is very diverse in both size and need. <P> The second problem that the SMB/SME IT administrator has to deal with is the amount of available options. I have never done a scientific count, but it feels like there are three to four times as many storage systems for these businesses as there are for the enterprise, maybe more. Also, this group seems to be the most likely to leverage cloud-based storage of some sort, adding even more options. <P> These problems often leads to the safe answer to the "what SMB storage is best?" question, which is to first understand what your needs are. I always cringe a bit when I see that one. I think it is safe to assume that the person asking has already assessed what their needs are to the best of their ability. The challenge with needs assessment in a small business is that the state of the business can change rapidly and the assessment can quickly be rendered useless. <P> I think the right answer is to look for the most flexible solution possible, be it a storage-area network (SAN) or NAS. Start with products that can expand capacity easily, since that is usually the first upgrade that a SMB/SME will face. This can be done with systems that can cost-effectively add more storage by simply adding more drives. These systems ship with open drive bays and often can use off the shelf hard drives. Flexibility can also come in the form of scale-out systems, which scale by adding additional nodes when a capacity or performance threshold is reached. Once limited to the enterprise, there is an increasing number of scale-out systems for the SMB/SME market as we discussed in a <a href="http://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/5583/30679">recent webinar</a>. <P> The other answer is be prepared to deal with the reality that a decision that seemed wise today may end up looking like a mistake in the future. It is very difficult to select the perfect product every time and at some point you will make a mistake. I find that in almost every case the "mistake" can be used for something else, even if it is just for backups or for testing of new servers. The key is to prepare your boss for that fact. Let them know up front that you are trying to select the best solution possible, but the nature of the business and technology means that there may be a better solution in the future. <P> <em>Follow Storage Switzerland on <a href="http://twitter.com/storageswiss">Twitter</a> <P> George Crump is lead analyst of <a href="http://www.storage-switzerland.com">Storage Switzerland</a>, an IT analyst firm focused on the storage and virtualization segments. Storage Switzerland's <a href="http://www.storage-switzerland.com/Disclosure.html">disclosure statement</a>.</em>2011-07-01T08:00:00Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/231000761?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWant to travel lighter? New cloud services help you access key files quickly and easily on your phone.Road warriors that need to access files while traveling have a growing number of alternatives to lugging around a heavy laptop in order to access an Excel spreadsheet or a Word document. The reality is that many trips need nothing more than a properly equipped smartphone. There is no need to lug around a six-pound laptop just in case one measly 250-KB file is needed during a meeting. <P> Smartphones can do the job, and new services make it a lot easier than previous options, which are complicated and slow. Nobody wants to configure a VPN connection on a smartphone, and browsing a directory structure on a remote server over a 3G connection can be brutal. <P> Now, companies and individuals often have an online backup program or some sort of document replication service that keeps files in sync between a cloud and multiple computers. The solution is to access those files stored in the cloud from your phone. Browsing is fast and the client software is easy to use. <P> Mozy has had a Pro service for several years that is designed to allow IT personnel keep client data backed up no matter where in the world that client computer happens to be. Mozy just announced an app that allows users to <a href="http://70.32.88.217/news/mozypro-goes-mobile/">access their MozyPro data</a> from either an iPhone or an Android device. If you administer MozyPro backups for your organization, you can disable this app from the administrator panel if desired. <P> Mozy isn't the only service that allows this. Both <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/">Dropbox</a> and <a href="https://www.sugarsync.com/">SugarSync</a> have clients that allow you to retrieve files from a cloud account. Dropbox supports the iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry clients. SugarSync does all of that plus Windows Mobile--but not Windows Phone and Symbian. <P> Additionally, SugarSync has a business service that allows multiple users to share and access folders you select and control all of it with password and permission settings. <P> Not only do these and similar services allow employees to access their files when on the go, they provide a robust offsite copy of corporate data, often with versioning and the ability to recover deleted files. The clients are easy to install and at most, requires poking a few holes into a firewall to allow them to operate. No VPN clients necessary. You can read a review of some of these services <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/storage/reviews/231000787">here</a>.2011-06-29T11:34:00Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/231000664?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLFighting a losing battle against Long Term Evolution, Sprint pushes WiMax as quick way to provide broadband to branch offices.Long Term Evolution (LTE) has all but declared victory in the next generation of wireless broadband over its Clearwire competitor, WiMax. The chances of your next smartphone running WiMax aren't too good, but Sprint isn't giving up on the technology. The carrier is launching "4G Enterprise WAN for Business," which will be aimed at giving branch and retail locations a high-speed connection without having to use physical wires. <P> <a href="http://newsroom.sprint.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1959">Sprint's press release</a> says the company is targeting businesses with smaller offices or retail locations, like kiosks, within its 4G markets. Running wires to these locations can be time consuming, involve long-term contracts, and may require dealing with more than one data provider to get the site online. <P> The company installs what it calls a business class outdoor modem in just 15 days. If you've ever installed hardwire, it can take 15 days just to get the landlord, broadband provider, and contractor to commit to an installation date that works for everyone. It can then take an additional week or two before the switch is flipped on. Heaven forbid there is a glitch either because that is when the finger pointing begins. <P> It is worth going through that hassle to get a main office set up. When you have dozens or hundreds of employees, you need speeds and reliability only fiber can provide. Smaller offices though can get by with far less bandwidth and WiMax will work just fine. Sprint has a 99.95% availability service level agreement included with the service. <P> Data is unlimited and download speeds are in the 3-6-Mpbs range with uploads at 2.5 Mbps. If the office is constantly streaming video or responsible for generating massive amounts of data, like high-resolution artwork, then these speeds may not suffice. For most offices, though, that are connected to enterprise resource planning (ERP) servers, transferring normal files via email, and accessing the Web, WiMax speeds should be enough. <P> It is a good use of existing technology, but it is questionable as to whether or not there is any long-term viability to the program. I doubt we'll see anything like this from LTE though soon. Right now, carriers that support LTE are struggling to get enough coverage and infrastructure to support data hungry smartphones. Giving offices unlimited bandwidth isn't too high on the list. WiMax, though, apparently has some excess capacity, so for now, Sprint's offering a good opportunity for a company that needs fast bandwidth quickly.2011-06-24T12:00:00Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/231000332?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLVendors throw around the term 4G around in the same way that some snack companies abused "low fat." One lawmaker wants the carriers to clearly spell out what 4G means.When people had a 2G or 3G phone, they had a pretty good idea of how it would perform online, as most 2G and 3G services were comparable between different carriers. Now, however, 4G has come to mean just about anything the carrier wants it to. The marketing department has taken over the responsibility of using technical terms to describe the network's performance. <P> The truth is, <em>none</em> of the networks have towers or phones that qualify for 4G, and carriers and manufacturers know it. Per the 4G spec, speeds should approach 100-Mbit/second, well above anything offered today. A few years ago, Hitachi referred to its LTE implementation as <a href="http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/081203a.html">3.9G</a>. You can be sure, though, that no carrier will advertise their service as 3.9G. Full version updates sound much better than a point version. RIM just did this with the BlackBerry 7 name, which <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/smart-phones/229402675">should have been 6.x</a>. <P> The problem with 4G being advertised, aside from not being 4G at all, of course, is that the term means so many different things. Congresswoman Anna Eschoo just introduced a bill called the "Next Generation Wireless Disclosure Act." Its intention is to make consumers more informed before committing to a multi-year plan by requiring the carrier to spell out exactly what they are selling. The bill has a <a href="http://eshoo.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=1009:rep-eshoo-introduces-legislation-to-improve-consumer-information-on-4g&amp;catid=51:2011-press-releases">number of requirements</a> beyond the obvious speed claims: <P> -- Guaranteed minimum data speed;</br> -- Network reliability;</br> -- Coverage area maps;</br> -- Pricing;</br> -- Technology used to provide 4G service;</br> -- Network conditions that can impact the speed of applications and services used on the network. </br> <P> These would have to be disclosed at the time of sale and be included in the billing materials. It should make it easier for people to compare carriers and see which is the best deal, though some of that information is bound to confuse. How many consumers would care about the technology used for the 4G service? Not many. <P> Network reliability though is interesting. Had this bill been enacted in 2007 for 3G networks, AT&T would have had a serious problem. Presumably if the carrier fails to live up to its claims, at a minimum the Federal Trade Commission or Federal Communications Commission could levy fines. Worst case, it would be a violation of the contract and consumers would walk away with no early termination fee. I think the final requirement listed is an out, though: "Too many people downloading too much" would be a permissible network condition that can impact the speed of apps and services on the network. <P> The full text of the bill can be <a href="http://eshoo.house.gov/images/stories/ESHOO_007_FINAL.pdf">found here</a>. It doesn't have a number assigned to it yet though, so it is very early in the process. I'll be curious to see how this moves through the House of Representatives. Do you think this kind of legislation is necessary or should market forces prevail?2011-06-21T11:49:07Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/231000068?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWhen small and midsize businesses go shopping for servers, one of the first they're going to buy is a network-attached storage system. And there are a lot to chose from.One of the first servers that a small to midsize business (SMB) is most likely going to buy is a network attached storage (NAS) system, and the market is flooded with options for SMBs to consider. Understanding what you need from a SMB NAS and how those needs may change over the next few years is critical to selecting the right NAS for your company. <P> First, understand what you need a NAS for. Most SMBs, especially if this is their first NAS, need this device to share files. They don't need it to host virtual machines or run other protocols, they just need basic file sharing to help with the collaborative process. If collaboration is the primary goal then there are a lot--almost too many--of options available for the SMB IT staff to consider. If you need more than just basic file sharing, hosting VMs as an example, then you probably need more than a SMB NAS product--you may need a SMB iSCSI storage system or a mid-range NAS system that can handle multiple protocols. <P> Second, look for scalable capacity. Most SMB NAS systems are bought with a fixed capacity. The ability to add additional capacity or to upgrade the existing drives is either difficult or even impossible. As we have shown in <a href="http://www.storage-switzerland.com/Articles/Entries/2011/5/6_Drobo_Migrations.html">our test drives</a>, there are a few systems that achieve capacity scaling without having to add new units and, as we will discuss in our <a href="http://www.storage-switzerland.com/BTNasSml.html">upcoming SMB NAS Webinar</a>, there is a new option that leverages the scale out NAS architecture that is popular in the enterprise market. Scale out NAS is now being fine tuned for the SMB market. <P> When it comes to performance, a few NAS systems have implemented an auto-tiering or smart data placement capability to improve seek times. The idea is to either move frequently accessed data to faster solid-state storage (SSS) or to at least put it on the outer edge of the patter. Both of these techniques will help performance, but only so much. Most SMB NAS systems are lacking 10-Gbps Ethernet interfaces (there are a few) but more surprisingly lack the ability to aggregate multiple 1-Gbps Ethernet connections. While 10-Gbps Ethernet LAN on Motherboard (LOM) servers are becoming available, most 10-Gbps Ethernet switches are out of reach of most SMB IT budgets for the near future. <P> As a result, most SMBs are not 10-Gbps Ethernet capable and can't afford to be anytime soon. As an SMB scales and user count continues to grow, something faster than 1-Gbps Ethernet will be needed, but not at the price of 10-Gbps Ethernet. It is not necessarily the individual user device that needs better performance, but the NAS system itself as it receives more and more simultaneous storage I/O requests. The most cost effective way to handle this performance growth is to be able to combine multiple 1-Gbps Ethernet connections together, often called trunking. Scale-out systems have this capability almost instinctively, but other types of NAS will need to build a similar capability into their systems. <P> SMB NAS is more than just buying enough capacity to meet today's needs. You need to make sure that NAS can scale to meet tomorrow's capacity needs without having to re-buy your NAS every few weeks. There is also the increasingly real potential of a performance bottleneck caused by many users overwhelming a single 1-Gbps Ethernet connection. If you think that your business could suffer from this problem, based on user counts and types of files saved, then it is another factor to keep in mind during the SMB NAS selection process. <P> <em>Follow Storage Switzerland on <a href="http://twitter.com/storageswiss">Twitter</a> <P> George Crump is lead analyst of <a href="http://www.storage-switzerland.com">Storage Switzerland</a>, an IT analyst firm focused on the storage and virtualization segments. Storage Switzerland's <a href="http://www.storage-switzerland.com/Disclosure.html">disclosure statement</a>.</em>2011-06-16T12:41:00Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/230800009?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLBig data plans just waste money for most people, reports a Vadilas study. Here's how to cut your bill down to the right size.Back when everyone had an all-you-can-eat data plan for $29.99, selecting the right plan was easy. Those cheaper $10-$15 plans that had something absurd like 10-MB a per month made no sense when for about $30 you didn't have to worry about overage charges. As companies phase out unlimited plans, you need to decide how much you need. Many people are overpaying. <P> Buying a data plan today is like buying insurance. You need to carefully analyze how much you think you will need and buy the product that best fits your need. In both scenarios though, many people overbuy. <P> <a href="http://blog.validas.com/index.php/2011/06/unpacking-data-plans/">Vadilas analyzed</a> cell phone bills from the four main carriers and found that spending extra to get the several gigabytes was more than many needed. <P> T-Mobile users had the highest average data consumption at nearly 430 MB per month, while AT&T users had the lowest average at 346 MB. Unless you are streaming a lot of video or audio, that sounds reasonable. I also understand that most people reading this blog are <em>way</em> above these averages, but you might look at what your other family members are using. <P> AT&T, for example, offers three data plans for the iPhone 4. The 4-GB plan is $45 per month and is the only plan that allows tethering. For $25 per month you can buy 2 GB of bandwidth. Each additional GB is $10. Unless you need tethering, this is the plan to buy. If you go over 3 GB, you pay $45, the same as the 4-GB plan. <P> For a relatively paltry $15 per month you can get a 200-MB plan. Here is where they get you. If you use 201 MB, you get dinged an extra $15 for the next 200-MB block, and that means you just paid $30 for 400 MB, more than the $25 for 2 GB. <P> On the surface, it sounds like the 2-GB plan is the way to go. Not so fast. The study shows that 60% of users consumed less than 200 MB each month and half consumed under 150 MB. If you assume a family member uses between 150 MB and 300 MB each month, a 200-MB plan makes better financial sense. If you go over the 200-MB threshold six months out of the year and stay below it the other six, you'll pay $270 per year for data, which is $15 in the light usage months and $30 in the heavy usage months. If you take the easy way out and spring for the 2-GB plan, you'll pay $300. Annually, that is only a $30 savings, but if you have three or four data plans in your family, it begins to add up. <P> With most carriers, it is easy to change your data plan up or down. Check out your statement and see if it makes sense to crank it down a notch.2011-05-24T22:39:46Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229625525?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLZoomInfo touts its proprietary technology as it seeks to 'map the business landscape in near real-time.'Given the rate of personnel turnover in corporate America today, this stat from The Sales &amp; Marketing Institute isn't all that surprising: 71% of the business cards you collect will have at least one piece of outdated information within a year. About 66% of those changes will be related to job title or function. <P> ZoomInfo, a business info provider based in Waltham, Mass., is aiming to be the go-to source of up-to-date contact data for businesses, especially SMBs. The company has its work cut out for it; the competition includes <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/smb/hardware_software/229401480">NetProspex</a>, JigSaw, LinkedIn, and others. But Kathy Greenler Sexton, vice president of marketing at ZoomInfo, believes that the company's patented, proprietary technology can do a better job of maintaining near-real-time data than anybody else's in the field. <P> "We provide deep profiles 'beyond the business card,'" Sexton said in an interview. "We're talking about not just a name and contact info but also background data, including 10 years' worth of Web articles covering a professional and his or her career." <P> To acquire data, <a href="http://www.zoominfo.com/search">ZoomInfo</a> uses Web crawlers that cull millions of websites, SEC filings, and newswires. In addition, users of the service contribute to the database by trading their contacts for fresh ones. The ZoomInfo Extraction Engine performs entity tagging and uses natural language processing to extract data from records. And the ZoomInfo Matching Engine checks "new" data against existing records to prevent the storage of redundant files. <P> Having recently launched its free Community Edition, ZoomInfo has come under fire for including an <a href="http://informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/email/229400773/zoominfo-plugin-siphons-contacts-from-outlook">Outlook plug-in </a> with that version of the product. The plug-in mines contact information from a computer user's Outlook address book, and some are skeptical about the data-collection tactic, saying it breaches privacy and can even be considered a form of spyware. <P> To date, the ZoomInfo database contains 50 million unique profiles of individuals and 5 million business profiles. According to Sexton, the company's goal is to map the business landscape in near real-time. "The freshest contact records I know of are about 90 days old," she said. "We'd like to narrow that time frame to 30 days." <P> It's a tall order, especially when you consider this: According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 40 million people change jobs every year. That's 6,000 people every hour. Need I say more? <P>2011-05-22T22:53:27Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229624105?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLThe latest research from Constant Contact shows that the best marketing strategy is an integrated, well-rounded one.A recent survey by Constant Contact reveals that more and more small businesses are using social media to spread the word about their companies. But that doesn't mean that they're giving up on other forms of marketing. <P> When asked "what keeps them up at night," 80% of the respondents said attracting new customers; 52% said finding better ways to encourage customers to refer their business; and 48% said not having adequate cash flow to run their businesses effectively. <P> To address those issues, a greater number of small businesses are adding <a href="http://informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/social_networking_consumer/229602107/branchout-bathes-in-reflected-glory-of-linkedin">social media </a> to their marketing arsenal. Of the 1,500-plus respondents to the survey, 73% are currently using this form of marketing, and among that group, 80% reported that their usage of social media marketing has increased in the past 12 months. Of the 27% not already using social media for marketing purposes, 62% said they will be using it at some point in the next year. <P> Of social media's "Big Three," <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/security/client/229500030">Facebook</a> was cited most by respondents, with 95% saying they use it and 82% saying they find it to be an effective tool. Twitter and LinkedIn were neck-and-neck, with 60% citing the former and 58% citing the latter. For both Twitter and LinkedIn, 47% of respondents said they find the social media site effective for marketing. Video sharing tools such as YouTube were mentioned as well--by 45% of respondents--and nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) find video sharing to be effective. <P> "What's important to note, though, is that social media is not replacing other types of marketing, such as email, website, and event marketing," said Mark Schmulen, general manager of social media at <a href="http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp">Constant Contact</a>, in an interview. "Of respondents, 91% still use email marketing, for example." <P> Email, in fact, remains the killer app, Schmulen said, pointing out that 83% of survey respondents said that checking email is the first thing they do when they go online. Among those surveyed, 72% said they check <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/cloud-saas/229502469">email</a> six times or more each day; only 13% said they check Facebook that frequently. <P> "Ultimately, social media is just one component of an effective, integrated marketing strategy," said Schmulen. "As our CEO Gail Goodman likes to say, email marketing lights the fire; social media marketing fans the flames."2011-05-09T22:45:49Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229403093?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLCloud-based software lets remote workers clock in and out over the phone or the Internet.On a cattle ranch in Iowa, cowboys report to work before the sun rises, at 3 or 4 a.m. What do you suppose is the first thing they do? Put on their chaps? Good guess, but no. Round up the horses? Nope. That stuff comes later. First, they go to the barn and pick up the phone so they can punch in. They use a software application called Labor Time Tracker, which allows employees to clock in and out of work anytime, anywhere, from a phone or the Internet. <P> But <a href="http://www.labortimetracker.com/">Labor Time Tracker</a> isn't just for ranchers and other rustic sorts. It's for city folks and suburbanites too--for anybody whose job doesn't involve going to an office every day. Given the significant rise in the number of <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/global-cio/trends/228701916">remote workers</a> and telecommuters, it's no wonder that an application like this is becoming so popular. <P> According to William Dale, founder of Utiliware, the company that makes Labor Time Tracker, thousands of employees are using the <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/cloud-computing/software/229403071">cloud-based</a> application to punch in and out of work each day. Though a handful of Labor Time Tracker clients are very large companies, small and midsize businesses make up about 95% of the user base. "Labor Time Tracker is ideal for mobile and decentralized employees," Dale said in an interview. "In the old days, we had a time punch machine in a &#91;bricks-and-mortar&#93; location, but now we have more and more workers who need to clock in and out while on the road or in the field." <P> Dale said the verticals using Labor Time Tracker run the gamut, from cleaning services and building contractors to physical security personnel (i.e., mall cops) and fitness clubs. <P> Labor Time Tracker is priced at $4.95 per employee per month. There's no contract or service fee, and setup is free. Within a few weeks, Utiliware will roll out its latest software update, which will include a "job costing" feature. That will allow employers to analyze time and labor metrics for different types of workers. In a construction firm, for example, plumbers might use one code to punch in while electricians use another. <P> Dale said Utiliware will continue to expand Labor Time Tracker's functionality. Soon employees will be able to record a message for their supervisors when punching in, and that message can even be converted to an MP3 and emailed to a <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/smart-phones/229403013">smartphone</a>. Employers will be able to leave a group message that each employee hears when clocking in or out. And voice verification will help eliminate "buddy-punching" (punching in for somebody other than oneself). "For the first few versions of our software, we were driving the innovation," Dale said. "But now our customers are in the driver's seat. They're telling us what features they'd like to see added to Labor Time Tracker." <P> Labor Time Tracker is compliant with the Fair Labor Standards Act and supports all U.S. and international time zones. Data from the program can be exported/imported to Excel, QuickBooks, and ADP payroll systems. And administrators can log in to the program whenever they want to see who's punched in and out.2011-05-02T22:17:35Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229402627?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLFacebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms can be effective ways to market your company, but only if you do it right. Power up your efforts with these tips from Web-based application provider Wildfire.Perhaps you're just discovering the power of social media. Or maybe you've known about for quite some time. Either way, if you're using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to market your company, you probably want to make those campaigns as effective as they can be, right? <P> Last week I wrote about <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/smb/229402481">Wildfire</a>, a company that offers a Web-based application for social media marketing. Here are some tips, courtesy of <a href="http://blog.wildfireapp.com/2010/06/02/6-clever-tricks-to-double-the-effectiveness-of-your-fan-page-status-updates/">Wildfire</a> CEO Victoria Ransom, that might help you maximize the effectiveness of your "social" campaigns. <P> <strong>Tip #1: Keep It Simple And Easy</strong> <P> The shorter the entry form, or the fewer steps required to engage, the more people will enter your contest. And if you're looking to collect user-generated content, ask for content that consumers have readily available--for example, photos of their vacations, pets, friends, children, and hobbies. This is more effective than asking for content that requires effort to create, such as a video. <P> <strong>Tip #2: Make It Social</strong> <P> Look for ways to make your campaign inherently social. For example, you may want to run a user generated contest in which public voting helps decide the winner. That way, entrants will contact all of their friends to encourage them to vote. If you're running a sweepstakes, offer a group prize (for instance, "concert tickets for you and five of your friends") and ask entrants to invite the other members of the group. Another idea: Offer a referral prize; that means if someone you refer wins, you win too. <P> <strong>Tip #3: Seed Your Campaign </strong> <P> If you're using <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/smb/services/229402570">Facebook</a> ads to publicize your campaign, the following techniques will get you good results: <P> -- Advertise to "friends of your fans," or use Facebook's new sponsored stories; the social context of these ads results in a much higher click-through rate. <P> -- Advertise to fans of your competitors. The consumers you reach will generally be highly targeted. <P> -- Run your promotion for a couple of days to see what kind of demographics it's resonating with; then tailor your ads accordingly. <P> <strong>Tip #4: Communicate!</strong> <P> Remember to remind your existing fans about your campaign regularly throughout its duration. At a minimum, message your fans when you launch the campaign, during the middle of the campaign, and a few days before it ends. <P> <strong>Tip #5: Tap Into Passionate Communities</strong> <P> We've found that tapping into people's passions and interests plays a greater role in determining the success of a campaign than do factors such as the value of the prize or even the size of an advertising budget. Campaigns that involve pets, children, charities, hobbies, music, and other interests are consistently among the most successful. For example, one nonprofit received more than 10,000 photo submissions in just one week for a pet-related photo contest, with no advertising budget. <P> <strong>Tip #6: Run Regular Campaigns</strong> <P> One of the biggest mistakes companies make is putting a lot of effort and money into a "big bang" launch campaign for their fan page without having a plan for running regular campaigns afterward. Generally, companies that run regular promotions (for example, "Win it Wednesday" or "Friday Flash Deal") are much more successful in building an engaged and growing fan base than those that do high-profile campaigns here and there. Likewise, centering campaigns on holidays (Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Earth Day, etc.) is a great way to provide regular engagement. <P> <strong>Tip #7: Make Buying Fun</strong> <P> Whereas many consumers visit <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/global-cio/interviews/229402599">Google</a> to search for specific information about specific topics or products, they generally go to Facebook to engage with friends and have fun. So it follows logically that the best way to encourage fans to buy is to make the buying process fun. Here's an example: Haute Look ran a campaign that offered "lucky coupons." Consumers had to become fans in order to get a coupon, and they didn't know whether they'd get a high-value coupon or a low-value one. Haute Look made three times its return on investment, and 20% of buyers were first-time purchasers. <P> <strong>Tip #8: Choose Your Prize Carefully</strong> <P> Of course, if you're running a sweepstakes or some other kind of contest, the prize you pick does play a role in determining the success of your campaign. Here are two things to keep in mind: <P> -- Prizes that generate the most excitement are those that money can't buy--for instance, tickets to a sold-out concert, backstage passes, limited-edition merchandise, etc.) <P> -- It's important to choose a prize that's relevant to your brand; that way, you'll attract the kind of consumers that'll ultimately be interested in your product. If you're a restaurant, for example, give away free dinners or a gourmet food basket, not an iPad.2011-04-28T23:07:48Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229402481?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLHere's a Web app that you don't need a lot of money or technical know-how to use.It seems that Wildfire is living up to its name. The company, whose Web application allows businesses to create social media marketing campaigns quickly and easily, is catching on like . . . well, you know . . . wildfire. Within just a short time of launching, Wildfire grew its customer base from hundreds to thousands and its employee head count from 10 to 100-plus. <P> What's Wildfire got that everybody wants? A tool that allows businesses to create a campaign "in a matter of minutes," said Victoria Ransom, CEO, in an interview. "And with one click of the mouse, you can publish that campaign to Twitter, Facebook, and other <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/smb/ebusiness/229402275">social media </a> sites." <P> Ransom said she discovered several years back that there was a growing need for such a product. "The co-founder of Wildfire and I had an adventure travel company, and we wanted to grow our fan base," she said. "We created a microsite and a sweepstakes campaign. It was tough, and we were fairly tech-savvy people." The executive saw how useful it would be to develop an application that allows businesses to create campaigns without needing technical expertise or deep pockets. <P> Wildfire incorporated in June 2008 and applied for a grant from the Facebook Fund, an initiative run by the social networking company and a couple of venture capital firms. The idea behind it is to encourage the growth of Facebook's ecosystem. Wildfire was awarded $250,000 by <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/security/attacks/229100285">Mark Zuckerberg'</a>s thriving operation. Ransom and her cohorts used the money to build up their fledgling business. <P> Using Wildfire is easy, Ransom said. You go to the website, <a href="http://wildfireapp.com/">www.wildfireapp.com</a>, and create an account. You decide on the type of campaign you want to run--photo contest, sweepstakes, whatever--set starting and ending dates, create an entry form, define age and eligibility criteria, and create the campaign. And Wildfire offers support if you need it, whether via live online chat, e-mail, or the phone. Ransom says most users go it alone, but there's plenty of assistance available for those seeking it out. Wildfire even offers marketing advice. <P> Companies of all sizes use Wildfire, she said, but more than half of its customers are SMBs. <P> Want to read about some of the campaign tips that Wildfire has to offer? Stay tuned for my next story.2011-04-25T22:24:16Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229402218?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLOnline peer-to-peer investment service breaks new ground, connects entrepreneurs with start-ups and SMBsA former risk manager in the small-business space, Bill Clark says he has a "passion for start-ups." As a risk manager, he saw just how difficult it could be for a fledgling company to raise enough money to get itself off the ground. Finding angel investors is always an option, but finding the "right angels" can be a challenge, he says, and, as a small business, you usually need five to 10 of those investors to rustle up a sufficient amount of cash to get things moving in the right direction. <P> Then there's peer-to-peer lending--Prosper and Lending Club, for example. Those have benefits, but they sometimes don't raise as much capital as a company would like, and some of them--Lending Club, in particular--tend to be very discriminating, declining as much as 90% of the applications they receive. "I thought, 'What about a model that combines equity with peer-to-peer?'" said Clark in an interview. "I spoke to some lawyers and the <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/security/privacy/229401339">SEC</a>, and once I was convinced I had a good idea, I launched MicroVentures Marketplace." <P> That was last September, and Clark, CEO of MicroVentures, spent several months afterward getting the word out and building an investor base for his new online investment service. Last week, his efforts paid dividends: MicroVentures completed funding for its first three deals. Resources from 19 investors, totaling $100,000, were pooled for a company that develops an entertainment technology platform. (The name of the company, currently in a financial quiet period, is under wraps.) <P> For each of two other businesses, MicroVentures facilitated $25,000 investments, bringing the grand total for its first three deals to $150,000. <P> Typically, the businesses Clark works with are starting off with three to four people and are looking to raise anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000 in three to six months. Although these companies run the gamut in terms of the vertical spaces they play in, Clark said he's seeing a predominance of start-ups in application development, gaming, high tech, and <a href="http://informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/social_networking_consumer/229401928/social-media-research-may-expose-discrimination-claims">social media</a>. <P> "It works like this," Clark said. "The first thing we do when a business requests funding is to look at its business plan. We run their ideas by our investors to see what they think. If the investors see potential, we have to do what's called due diligence: We gather financial information, run background checks on company officers, look closely at the market the company's entering, and study the competition." <P> Clark said due diligence can take up to a week. If all systems are go and MicroVentures decides to take on a company as a client, the next step is to draw up a private placement memo, or PPM. This is an extensive undertaking, with the PPM running about 60 pages, Clark explained. Documents are made available to investors online, at the MicroVentures website, and interested parties can make their investments online as well--anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. Investments of more than that can be made offline. <P> MicroVentures charges $100 to review a company's business plan and $250 for due diligence. If the target amount of capital is raised, MicroVentures gets 10%. By combining online peer-to-peer networking with a pooling model that allows investors to make smaller financial commitments than they typically could, MicroVentures is unfurling a viable alternative for small businesses and start-ups that need money. It's an enterprising idea that appears to be taking flight. Check it out at <a href="http://www.microventures.com">www.microventures.com</a>.2011-04-25T00:00:48Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229402140?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWhen it comes to written communication with customers, letting your personality shine through and soliciting feedback are among the important considerations.Do you use newsletters--electronic or otherwise--to reach out to prospects and customers? Are you getting a good response from them? If feedback from readers has been a little lackluster these days, you might want to skim through these tips. They come courtesy of email marketing company Infusionsoft, whose own email newsletter, <em>Infusion Insight</em>, offers marketing tips to SMBs. <P> <strong>1. Know Your Readers</strong> <P> Although your newsletter should promote your business, its primary function is not to sell; it's to build relationships with prospects and customers. Making a connection is key. (The outrageous popularity of <a href="http://informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/social_networking_consumer/229402011/facebook-tools-for-building-brands">Facebook</a> and its brethren make this yearning to connect abundantly clear, no?) Discuss topics that are relevant and interesting to your readers. If they know they're getting useful information, they'll continue to subscribe. <P> <strong>2. Make It Unique</strong> <P> If you want people to actually read your newsletter, you need to make it stand out from the pack. This doesn't mean you have to add fancy bells and whistles. It's all about creating a personal touch. A few ideas: Include a snapshot from your office; incorporate a video message from your staff; put in a link to an entertaining <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/smb/ebusiness/229401561">website</a>. Don't be afraid to show your company's personality. <P> <strong>3. Take Time For Design</strong> <P> A key determinant of your newsletter's success will be its visual appeal. "The right design can captivate your audience before they read a single word," reads the latest edition of <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/smb/1to49/229400035">Infusionsoft</a>'s newsletter. "Create a design that's clean and simple." Just make sure that the look and feel reinforces your brand as well. <P> <strong>4. Solicit Feedback</strong> <P> Request comments from readers about your articles and stories. This is a win-win scenario. Your readers know that they're valued and appreciated, and you get feedback on how to make your newsletter even better. <P> <strong>5. Include Contact Information</strong> <P> While it's true that the goal of your newsletter isn't to sell, an occasional sale here and there couldn't hurt matters, right? Make sure readers have a way to get in touch with you if they get an urge to buy.2011-04-18T10:11:45Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229401781?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLA cell phone functioning as a credit card is a well known concept in South Korea and Japan. Now, it appears that the idea is about to change the way that U.S. consumers buy products.Start up Payfone <a href="http://payfone.com/press-release/american-express-and-payfone-announce-strategic-alliance-to-power-global-mobile-checkout">has teamed</a> with American Express to deliver a new mobile payment option to consumers. The Payfone mobile authorization and payment services works with the American Express digital payments platform, Serve, so consumers can use their phones to pay bills upon checkout. To help lower the risk of identity theft, the Payfone system ties the phone's SIM card, device ID and location to each account. <P> The concept of using phones to pay bills has great potential Payfone noted that more than 5 billion people worldwide have mobile phones, but less than 2 billion have credit cards. American Express seems quite interested in the emerging payment option. The company was the largest investor in the latest $19 million round of funding pumped into Payfone. Other contributors included BlackBerry Partners Fund, Opus Capital, Rogers Communications, RRE, and Ventures Verizon Investments Inc. <P> To date, customer interest in mobile payments has been tepid in the US. Many of the established credit card companies have been staying on the sidelines and waiting for the technology to mature. With the American Express endorsement, that scenario may be changing. While small and medium businesses will not have to immediately address this emerging area, they should at least start thinking about how it will affect their business and determine how they may integrate this new payment option into their operations.2011-04-17T23:12:21Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229401742?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLBy merging SEO and social media, the software seeks to help smaller companies boost site traffic and online marketing campaigns.The latest release from Optify merges social media and SEO, allowing businesses to increase their Web traffic, create and manage social media marketing campaigns, and track and share marketing results via high-power reporting tools. <P> "Today 86% of SMBs see social media as the biggest driver of an increased customer base, and we're riding that wave," said Brian Goffman, co-founder and CEO of <a href="http://www.optify.net/">Optify</a>, in an interview. "These SMBs need software that helps them build repeatable, expandable processes in marketing. The sales process has been standardized in many ways, with CRM and the like, but marketing's been virtually a &#91;free-for-all&#93;." <P> With the latest release of Optify, companies can engage in "closed-loop social media marketing," Goffman said. "You can focus on <a href="http://informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/social_crm/229401274/tweetroost-manages-remembers-twitter-posts">Twitter</a> to generate leads, score leads, and see who your leads are. You can integrate Twitter with Salesforce.com. You can go full circle, moving from a Tweet to a lead to a bonafide customer." <P> The key today, Goffman said, is engaging in real-time Web marketing, which means you can react to news and events instantly and engage in ongoing dialogs with customers and prospects. Strategically aligning your SEO and social media efforts helps you do real-time marketing effectively. There's no ignoring the fact that social media is influencing search algorithms. Case in point: <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/internet/google/229401648">Google</a> and Bing's recent integrations of social media into search results. And hiring an SEO strategist isn't going to be enough for most companies, Goffman said. <P> Here are some of the features built into the latest release of Optify: <P> -- <strong>Keyword reports and other SEO enhancements.</strong> These help companies identify gaps and opportunities in their keyword strategy across multiple search engines and social media channels, including <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/hardware/data_centers/229401209">Facebook</a>, Twitter, and LinkedIn. <P> -- <strong>Facebook "Likes" integration.</strong> Optify's integration of Facebook "Likes" data provides an interactive view that allows users to track how much exposure each page is getting via Facebook and to compare shares, "Likes," and clicks side-by-side with traditional search traffic. <P> -- <strong>Twidget.</strong> This dashboard widget, designed specifically for the Twitter for Business application, allows customers to tweet, assign, and schedule campaigns, and to monitor traffic, leads, mentions, and retweets from the Optify Dashboard. <P> -- <strong>Social media reports.</strong> These show results such as number of page views, visitors, leads, and conversion rates from social campaigns, allowing businesses to compare and analyze results across multiple sites, including LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. <P> Goffman said that 80% of Optify's customers are small and midsize businesses, although the hosted software is used by companies of all sizes. Optify is available in four editions--free, Professional, Premium, and Enterprise.2011-04-14T11:33:53Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229401621?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLThe free app allows the Apple smartphone to use the HP ePrint remote printing feature, matching the functionality of an existing BlackBerry app.HP <a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/article_detail.html?compURI=tcm:245-918921&amp;pageTitle=HP%20Offers%20HP%20ePrint%20Service%20App%20for%20iPhone">has announced </a> an iPhone app that lets iPhone users print remotely to HP printers that have the ePrint facility. Printers with the ePrint facility have a direct Internet connection and their own email address. If you send email to them they will print out the body of the message and the contents of any attached files as long as those files are in common office formats. <P> There was already a BlackBerry app that reportedly did much the same thing. <P> <a href="http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/us/en/ipg/hp-eprint3.html">ePrint machines </a> intended for public use are now found in many FedEx Office stores, many Hilton hotels, some Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges, and some print locations powered by PrinterOn. <P> The <a href="http://www.fedex.com/us/office/printandgo/?lid=printandgo_fxmegamenu_printandgo">FedEx Office </a> site does not mention the new iPhone app, but does mention the BlackBerry app. Its instructions for the BlackBerry likely parallel the iPhone app's, and tell you to download the app, select email with the attachment you want printed, select Print from the menu options, search for your preferred FedEx Office location, then select Print again to submit the job. You will get a confirmation email with a retrieval code. You go to the appropriate machine in the self-help section of the FedEx Office store and input your retrieval code. You can preview it before setting print options, and then you can print it. The cost varies by store, so you might want to check at the counter before proceeding. <P> Most PrinterOn locations are in hotels that cater to business travelers and have business centers. Typically, you enter a retrieval code, and then use it to print your document when you get there. Costs are set by the hotel but the PrinterOn service at many of the hotels whose listings I reviewed was complimentary. <P> Private owners of ePrint machines can set the machines to receive only from a whitelist. However, I've left mine open to the world for months, and no spam (or business documents from road warriors) has shown up yet.2011-04-13T21:59:19Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229401561?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWhen putting your site under a microscope, make sure you're giving people something they can use while entertaining them, interacting with them, and giving them something for free.If you think just having a website is enough, you might be doing yourself--and your company--a disservice. Your best bet for drumming up business via your online presence is to make that website a really good one. Here are four principles to keep in mind when assessing your company website. These come courtesy of <a href="http://www.infusionsoft.com/">Infusionsoft</a>, an email marketing company based in Gilbert, Ariz. <P> <strong>People are egocentric.</strong> <P> It's sad but true: We're out for ourselves--for the most part anyway. So you have to figure that, when people visit your <a href="http://informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/social_networking_consumer/229401208/social-media-influences-website-traffic-indirectly">website</a>, they're wondering what's in it for them if they purchase your product or service. Instead of boasting about your latest product enhancements, talk about how the product will improve the lives of your customers. <P> <strong>People love to be entertained.</strong> <P> If visitors find your site both unique and entertaining, chances are good that they'll stick around. Infusionsoft execs suggest spicing up your site with compelling quotes, graphics, pictures, blogs, and interactive "widgets." That will increase your traffic, and it'll help you capture and convert more leads. <P> <strong>People want to be heard.</strong> <P> Websites that provide information, but don't promote interaction with you, are basically dead ends, say Infusionsoft execs, adding that "visitors will simply flip a U-turn and get out of there." Post a blog or forum at your site that allows visitors to offer their opinions and become more engaged with your company. <P> <strong>People want (valuable) free stuff.</strong> <P> Yes, it's a reality; people love giveaways. "Give your visitors something for nothing, such as a report, <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/storage/portable/228800567?queryText=ebook">e-book</a>, video, or coupon," execs say. "As visitors begin to interact, you can gather information--names, email addresses, and phone numbers. Guess what you just got? Qualified prospects who are engaged in learning about your product or service. It's a sales dream come true."2011-04-12T17:11:45Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229401480?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLCompanies can use cloud-based software from NetProspex to trade names, numbers, email addresses, and social media information.It's not what you know; it's who you know, right? Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration. I mean, knowledge <em>is</em> important in the grand scheme of things. But it's definitely true that knowing the right people can be very helpful. And having a way with others can certainly be a boon to business. <P> How do <em>you</em> make connections with the right people, be they prospects, partners, suppliers, sources of information--whatever? If you're not as successful in this area as you'd like to be, you might want to take a look at <a href="http://netprospex.com/">NetProspex</a>, a cloud-based software application that's dedicated solely to making your little black book thicker. <P> "When you're prospecting for new business, the key is who you need to target and how you're going to reach them," says Michael Bird, chief revenue officer at NetProspex. "The problem often is amassing a large quantity of contact info." Bird says three to five million records are traded every month through the software and the company's database has grown 100% year over year since NetProspex's inception five years ago. <P> NetProspex acquires contact info via crowdsourcing. That is, all of the info in the NetProspex contact database comes from NetProspex users, who engage in a sort of barter system. <P> Here's how it works. Say I'm a real estate agent in New York City with 300 contacts to share. I'm moving to Boston and would like to build up my new clientele as quickly as possible. I upload my 300 records to NetProspex, and a bunch of algorithms are performed on the data. The software makes sure the records are complete and holds on to those that aren't duplicates of what's in the existing <a href="http://informationweek.com/news/security/app-security/229400153">database</a>. If 100 of those contacts are "new"--i.e., they're not already available in NetProspex--I've just bought myself 100 records. Now I can sift through the NetProspex database and select 100 contacts I want in return. Perhaps I'll hit the mother lode in finding a slew of top-notch real estate contacts in the Boston area. <P> The idea of buying compiled contact lists isn't new, so what makes NetProspex different? Two things, according to Bird. First, all contact info is verified by overseas staffers who call each number to make sure it belongs to the person whose name is attached to it. Second, "we're the first to bake social media--<a href="http://informationweek.com/news/hardware/data_centers/229401209">Facebook</a>, LinkedIn, and Twitter info--into each record in our database," Bird says. "This is a huge time-saver. It's one thing if you have to sift through 20 Scott Gordons in LinkedIn to find the one you're looking for. This might take you an extra 40 seconds or so. But if you have to do that with multiple prospects? This is a huge time-waster and drain of your resources." <P> When searching for contact info at NetProspex, you can get granular. You can drill down by industry, job function, company size, and location. For example, you might want to find network administrators at New York-based accounting firms with less than $500 in annual revenue. No problem. You can do that with NetProspex. <P> Bird says the company's customers range from big names like Microsoft and Deloitte &amp; Touche to small and midsize businesses, which account for about 50% of NetProspex's users. <P> Think about it: How valuable is it to gather as many contacts in your field as you can? A solution like this one could be just what you need to make the right connections.2011-04-05T11:51:56Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400952?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLThe Google Cloud printing function previously had no printers that directly supported it. Eprint fills that void but has its own problems.The Google Cloud printing function previously had no printers that directly supported it. Eprint fills that void but has its own problems.<a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/article_detail.html?compURI=tcm:245-915484&pageTitle=HP&#37;20ePrint-enabled&#37;20Printers&#37;20First&#37;20to&#37;20Support&#37;20Google&#37;20Cloud&#37;20Print">HP has announced</a> that its ePrint printers will henceforth support the Google Cloud Print function, which connects Google Cloud apps to printers. Previously this was done through software on computer-connected printers, in the absence of cloud-aware printers. <P> However, HP ePrint machines can connect directly to the Internet and have their own e-mail addresses that let them accept print jobs from anywhere on the net (as long as the incoming files are in common formats.) With the new arrangement, users of Google Cloud apps can register their ePrint machines with the app and use it any place where they have cloud access, as explained <a href="http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/hp-eprint-google-cloud-print/">here</a>. Basically, ePrint machines effectively become cloud-aware. <P> One little detail makes it sound less interesting: as explained at length <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2011/02/hp_eprint_troub.html">here</a>, I can't get ePrint to work from my desk, and I am apparently not alone. Using separate incoming and outgoing mail servers defeats ePrint, for some reason. Diverting mail that way is apparently not uncommon among mobile workers, who are the very people ePrint is aimed at. There appears to be no mystery about the source of the problem. But it persists, and I could not get through again this morning. <P> But those whose ePrint devices do work can now get additional functionality from Google Cloud.2011-04-05T09:09:19Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400956?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLCustomers want their interactions with your company to be swift and easy. In response, EasyAsk developed a version of its natural language search and analysis software for the SugarCRM, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution.Customers want their interactions with your company to be swift and easy. In response, EasyAsk developed a version of its natural language search and analysis software for the SugarCRM, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution.With EasyAsk for SugarCRM, users <a href="http://www.easyask.com"target="new">ask </a> questions in English and quickly receive desired information. This new module has the potential to streamline business processes. To prod their representatives, sales managers can ask the system for open opportunities that were not acted upon in the last 30 days. A marketing manager can check the conversion rate and quality of leads pushed into the sales pipeline by inquiring about the number of converted leads and closed opportunities during the last sales campaign. Technical support staff can identify trouble tickets in need of follow up by asking for a list of cases that have not seen any activity in the past two days. <P> Speech recognition technology has been slowly making its way into the mainstream. Traditionally, the technology was expensive and integrating it with other applications has been difficult. Recently, that has been changing with the emergence of more powerful processing engines and the development of open interfaces. <P> Founded in 1994, EasyAsk has grown its business by integrating its technology integrated into a variety of applications. To differentiate its wares, SugarCRM, which has more than 7,000 customers, adopted an open source CRM model, so its solution is relatively inexpensive and easy to use. The new natural language search and analysis features should appeal to corporations that want to offer customers and employees more ways of interacting with CRM data.2011-04-05T08:08:55Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400951?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWith the release of CrunchConnect, SalesCrunch is taking sales presentations to a whole new level. Part webconferencing tool, part presentation tracker, the Web-based CrunchConnect allows companies to capture and measure real-time customer engagement.With the release of CrunchConnect, SalesCrunch is taking sales presentations to a whole new level. Part webconferencing tool, part presentation tracker, the Web-based CrunchConnect allows companies to capture and measure real-time customer engagement."Sales success is hard to repeat," says Sean Black, founder and CEO of New York-based SalesCrunch. "About 10 to 20&#37; of any sales team generates 80 to 90&#37; of a company's revenue. There's no training; it's sink or swim." <P> At the core of CrunchConnect is a webconferencing tool that allows salespeople to meet online with prospects and customers to go over presentations (or "decks," in webconferencing parlance). Before an online meeting begins, attendees gathered in the virtual waiting room can get acquainted by checking out each other's <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229301199">LinkedIn</a> and Twitter accounts. There are assorted other icebreakers, too, such as local weather and news. <P> There's no software to download and attendees always know where to find you--at your own personal URL. Meeting hosts can even tell who's engaged and who's not as they progress through the slides of a presentation. Example: You're at slide 15 and you've lost Jed. How do you know? There's a red border around Jed's on-screen picture or avatar. You can let Jed be and see if he comes around in a few more slides, or you can be a little more proactive and ask Jed what he thinks about the content of slide 15. Think of it as a "virtual nudge." <P> But here's the most exciting part (at least to me). You can e-mail these presentations to anyone, and you can track everything. No more hitting the "Send" button and then waiting and wondering whether the recipient actually opened your <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229219491">e-mail</a>. Send it return receipt, you say? Yes, that's an option, but you still won't know whether the person on the other end actually took any time to look through your presentation. <P> With CrunchConnect, you get metrics--<a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229400335">analytics</a>--for anybody who opens your presentation. And the numbers get granular. You can see, for example, how much time Prospect A spent viewing each slide in the presentation. And based on that data, you can customize a follow-up message. <P> You can also record meetings and use them as training tools. "Let's say you just closed a big deal and certain comments from meeting participants reveal what you did right to win the customer," Black says. "You can snip out some sound bites and send them to your salespeople so they can repeat the success." <P> That brings us to SalesCrunch's mantra: "Taking selling from fuzzy art to repeatable process." Catchy, isn't it? The beta is available for free right now, but you have to be invited to use it. Visit the SalesCrunch website to get an invitation.2011-04-04T10:22:53Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400949?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLGoogle Android systems have become the most popular smartphone platform, according to recent market research reports. Consequently, small and medium businesses need tools to manage those systems, and Webroot became the latest vendor to try to address that need.Google Android systems have become the most popular smartphone platform, according to recent market research reports. Consequently, small and medium businesses need tools to manage those systems, and Webroot became the latest vendor to try to address that need.Webroot Mobile Security for Android <a href="http://pr.webroot.com/internet-security/cons/webroot-introduces-smartphone-and-tablet-security.html"target="new">is designed</a> to protect Android smartphones and tablets. The product relies on cloud-based URL scanning to assess the safety of website links and block threats before users click on them. In addition, the security system scans applications before they are installed to ensure they are safe. The solution runs in background and automatically checks for updates, so businesses have the latest protection. <P> This product was built to protect the identity and personal information of individuals whose mobile device are lost or stolen. The security solution locks a mobile device, so it can't be used by outsiders, and wipes contact information, text messages, and other personal data from the system. In case the user has forgotten the password, the application sends a temporary access code to a trusted friend. Users can track the device: a map shows where it is located, and a loud alert is sounded once the person is in range of the system. <P> Founded in 1997, Webroot has done a good job carving out a niche in the highly competitive security software market. While its products have had a bit more of a consumer focus than a business thrust, many small and medium businesses have turned to its wares because of their low cost and easy deployment. These organizations are struggling to manage the ever growing array of handheld devices that users are buying, including Google Android systems, which have become quite popular. So small and medium businesses may want to take a look at what Webroot has to offer.2011-03-30T08:24:01Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400990?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLAdvances are coming fast and furious in the Unified Communications (UC) marketplace. Trying to keep pace with competitors, Mitel announced the Mitel 5000 Communications Platform (5000 CP) version 5.0.Advances are coming fast and furious in the Unified Communications (UC) marketplace. Trying to keep pace with competitors, Mitel announced the Mitel 5000 Communications Platform (5000 CP) version 5.0.The new release <a href="http://mitl.client.shareholder.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=560726"target="new">features</a> improved conferencing capabilities, enhanced integration, better mobility functions, and streamlined management features. The UC solution's Meet-Me Conferencing function now supports eight-party conferences with the capacity to host 20 conferences simultaneously. In addition, 5000 CP v5.0's voicemail function now offers bidirectional synchronization of voice and email messages <P> Increased mobility has been a common desire for small and medium companies. The solution's single number calling capability has been enhanced to support up to 10 devices and includes a Message Waiting indicator. With embedded hotdesking, users can log into any phone and have access to their personal communications settings as if they were at their desk. <P> The company tried to ease the device's management functions. Via a web portal, users can view and configure settings, such as Do Not Disturb, manual call forwarding, dynamic extension express, their presence status, call history, and account information. Embedded reporting capabilities have been added to the System Administration and Diagnostics client. <P> Historically, Mitel has focused on serving small and medium businesses. Like other voice communications vendors, the company has been undergoing a transformation in the past few years as the industry focus has shifted from hardware based solutions to software systems. The 5000 CP system came from its purchase in 2007 of Inter-Tel. Mitel, which generated &#36;648 million in fiscal 2010, is doing well but will need to increase its market share to remain viable as the market matures.2011-03-30T08:17:40Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400988?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWhat would you pay somebody--or a firm--to develop a mobile application for your business? I'm talking about an app that lets your customers use their smartphones to get news about your company, check out promos, and browse through products.What would you pay somebody--or a firm--to develop a mobile application for your business? I'm talking about an app that lets your customers use their smartphones to get news about your company, check out promos, and browse through products.What if I told you that you could develop an app like that for free? Well, you can, with a product called <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/smb/mobile/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228300264">AppMakr</a>. But that's not even the news I want to share with you today. AppMakr's been around for a little while now. What's new is something called Socialize, a feature that lets users communicate with each other from inside an application. <P> "This is a transformative thing. Every app has a community of users that has never been able to socialize around the app, until now," says Daniel R. Odio, CEO of AppMakr. "This social layer is baked into every one of our apps, allowing communities to engage with each other and with the app's core content. They can comment inside the app to each other. They can like, share, and comment on in-app content such as blog posts, images, and video&#8230;. It's as if we're turning the lights on in a room full of people who have never been able to communicate before." <P> Capitalizing on the trend toward wireless, AppMakr just made its app-creation offering available for Android and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/smart-phones/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229400529">Windows phones</a>--a smart move considering analyst firm IDC's prediction that mobile-content consumers will purchase more than 25 billion apps in 2011. <P> Up until now, application creation has been free, and that will continue to be the case, Odio says. But AppMakr will be monetizing its model come year's end. What will happen is this: App creators can opt to pay or be paid for the usage of their apps. In "pay" mode, the app creator runs its own ads in the application and pays a fee based on the number of people who use it. In "be paid" mode, AppMakr runs <i>its</i> ads in the app and the creator gets paid a percentage of AppMakr's profits. <P> Today, AppMakr has just under 100,000 users, and Odio says using it to develop a mobile app is as easy as using <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229400231">Gmail</a>. AppMakr customers run the gamut, from small, local companies to well-known operations such as Newsweek, but 90&#37; of the company's customers are SMBs. <P> A couple of examples of how businesses are using AppMakr: Red Heart, a company that makes yarn, has an app that lets users browse its products, search through patterns, find local retailers, access <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229301365">Facebook</a> and Twitter feeds, and view YouTube videos. Romano's Hotel, a pub in New South Wales, has an app that provides patrons with entertainment info, promos, photo galleries, and live video. <P> Do you run a business and feel as if you're missing out on the mobile revolution? The social networking one? If so, you might want to take a look at the latest iteration of AppMakr.2011-03-29T10:32:19Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400986?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLThe vendor announced several green initiatives at a recent conference in San Francisco, some of which are aimed at SMBs.The vendor announced several green initiatives at a recent conference in San Francisco, some of which are aimed at SMBs.In connection with its recent "<a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/environment/commitment/unlockingenergy/index.html">Unlocking Your Energy</a>" event in San Francisco, HP <a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2011/110328xa.html">announced </a>several green initiatives, especially <a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/environment/commitment/unlockingenergy/tipsandtools.html">this site</a> with green tips and tools. <P> Of interest to SMBs is the <a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/globalcitizenship/environment/education/green_procurement_guide.pdf">Green Procurement Guide</a>, which turns out to be more than an HP ad, as it covers various compliance programs and the meanings of various eco-acronyms. There is also a <a href="http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/us/en/solutions/hp-carbon-footprint-calculator.html?jumpid=ex_r2548_go/carbonfootprint">carbon footprint calculator</a> for HP printers, computers, monitors, and point-of-sale systems. (Actually, it estimates the power consumption of given HP systems, and then expresses that consumption in terms of CO2 emissions.) <P> The <a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press_kits/2009/domorewithless/HP_Green_Action_Plan_for_Office_Printing.pdf">Green Action Plan for Office Printing</a> covers how to go green and save money, mostly by getting organized and tracking usage data. Among other things, it suggests that you get rid of desktop printers that you don't need, get rid of printers that are more than five years old, unplug printers over the weekend, print on both sides of the paper, and make sure everyone understands your recycling program. <P> There are also several tools for up-market IT managers, such as power monitoring software and a data center cooling guide. There's also material pushing for the adoption of thin clients over PCs, and videoconferencing over travel. The green impact of both is surely obvious (and that fact that not everyone is in a position to use these alternatives should also be obvious) but you can't blame them for being thorough.2011-03-29T09:05:51Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400987?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLIncreasingly, many small and medium businesses are relying on Unified Communications (UC) systems to support their core business functions. Consequently, Zultys Inc. improved the desktop video, mobility, connectivity to Microsoft applications, and integration with Salesforce.com features available with its MX UC solution.Increasingly, many small and medium businesses are relying on Unified Communications (UC) systems to support their core business functions. Consequently, Zultys Inc. improved the desktop video, mobility, connectivity to Microsoft applications, and integration with Salesforce.com features available with its MX UC solution.Video conferencing is emerging as a common communications option: Forrester Research found that 56 percent of small-to-medium sized businesses have or plan to deploy video in the near term. The Zultys MX client now <a href="http://www.zultys.com"target="new">works with </a> integrated, point-to-point HD video connections. <P> Mobility is playing a more important role in corporations, so the MXmobile client supports presence, instant messaging, and call handling on smartphones, such as the Apple iPhone and Research in Motion Blackberry. The solution features call transfer, either manually or via a BlackBerry address book or corporate MX directory; parking so calls can be retrieved by any other phone on the system; call hold with music; and a call action screen that lists all active calls. <P> Improved integration is another theme with the new release. The Zultys Salesforce.com Communicator integrates the phone system with Salesforce.com CRM application suite. It includes the ability to capture contact records and call notes, deliver inbound contact record screen pops, execute holds and transfers, and support click-to-call capabilities. The Zultys Outlook Communicator provides users with call control capabilities from within Outlook and synchronizes user presence with Outlook calendars. A new message escalation function helps to ensure receipt of company voicemails and faxes through a customizable chain of email and voice call alerts that continue until action is taken. The MXreport contact center reporting tool enables contact center managers and supervisors to compose custom statistical reports for agents and contact center groups. <P> In business since 2001, Zultys claims to have installed more than 10,000 systems, whose pricing starts at &#36;500. The company has had success in the small and medium business space, and the latest enhancements mesh with their evolving technology needs. However, the UC market is becoming congested as vendors have been attracted to its high growth rates. To be successful in the long term, Zultys will need to grow its customer base and increase its name recognition.2011-03-28T18:30:30Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400983?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLIn the short term, yes, but in the long term things will probably sort themselves out, predicts economist's blog.In the short term, yes, but in the long term things will probably sort themselves out, predicts economist's blog.Amidst all the other bad news out of Japan after the recent earthquake and tsunami, now it appears that toner may get scarce, at least for a while. A <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/ericsavitz/2011/03/28/laser-printer-makers-seeing-parts-toner-shortages-due-to-quake/?partner=yahootix">Forbes blog</a> notes that Barclays Capital is predicting that Canon and Fujitsu Xerox may soon face shortages of toner material due to the disaster. Meanwhile, Canon makes the HP laser printer engines, and Xerox's engines come from Fujitsu Xerox. <P> Since they need toner to ship new engines, production of printers may have to ramp down in the next quarter, regardless of where the other components come from, or are assembled, the blog warned. <P> Beyond that time frame, though, things should sort themselves out, as other sources are found, the blog indicated. And, there's inventory in the channel that could take up the slack. <P> Would that this was the worst news to come out of the disaster.2011-03-28T09:12:16Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400981?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWith IT applications now integral to business processes, small and medium companies can no longer tolerate performance bottlenecks or system downtime. To help firms pinpoint problem spots, Netoptics announced an integrated network and application monitoring appliance.With IT applications now integral to business processes, small and medium companies can no longer tolerate performance bottlenecks or system downtime. To help firms pinpoint problem spots, Netoptics announced an integrated network and application monitoring appliance.The company's appTap solution <a href="http://www.netoptics.com/news/default.asp?PageID=33&prid=494"target="new">is designed</a> to help companies detect and resolve problems in real-time. The product analyzes network traffic and application activity and monitors Voice Over IP (VoIP) calls, so businesses can pinpointing performance issues, such as jitter, underperforming applications, or insufficient network With the product, corporations can capture historic network performance data and identify changes in usage; monitor Web-based applications and view the network resources they use; and view network use over time and determine future capacity needs. <P> The product comes in three configurations. A Network Monitoring version, whose pricing starts at &#36;3,000, captures network performance data, such as NetFlow and non-NetFlow records for use by third party analysis tools. Application Monitoring, whose pricing has not been set, breaks down network use by layer, protocol and application. Session Monitoring, whose pricing also has not been established, troubleshoots VoIP calls. <P> In business since 1996, Netoptics has more than 7,000 customers, with a traditional emphasis on larger companies: service providers, government organizations, and Fortune 100 companies. Historically, network and application monitoring has been too expensive and too time consuming for most small and medium businesses to implement. That outlook has been changing recently with the delivery of lower priced, easier to use products. Netoptics is making a play for that market segment with its new product, and time will tell how successful the company's initiative may be.2011-03-28T07:55:31Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400982?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLDid you know that the most widely used social media channel for small and midsize businesses are company pages on Facebook? Or that SMBs are ditching e-mail marketing in favor of social media advertising?Did you know that the most widely used social media channel for small and midsize businesses are company pages on Facebook? Or that SMBs are ditching e-mail marketing in favor of social media advertising?Those are just two insights to come out of a social media study that the SMB Group is conducting along with CRMEssentials, a management consulting and advisory firm. Final results of the 2011 SMB Social Business Study are due out in mid-April. To find out exactly how SMBs are using and planning to use <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229400373">social media</a> in their sales, marketing, customer service, product development, HR, and other efforts, the firms have surveyed 750 SMB decision-makers. <P> Here are some other preliminary tidbits gleaned from the study: <P> -Only 18&#37; of SMBs surveyed are using free social media tools, such as <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229200283">TweetDeck</a> and Google Alerts. Less than 3&#37; use paid tools like Reputation Manager or Lithium. <P> -Among respondents, 16&#37; have substituted social media marketing for other forms of advertising, including direct mail, the Yellow Pages, and newspapers. But it's not just traditional marketing methods that are being replaced; 22&#37; of SMBs have replaced e-mail marketing with the social networking variety. <P> -32&#37; of the study's SMBs say they have Facebook pages. Far fewer respondents use coupon services such as <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300701">Groupon</a> or Living Social, but among those that do, 50&#37; rate them as "very beneficial." <P> -Social media accounts for about 8&#37; of customer service and support interactions initiated across the SMB respondent base. That means social media has already equaled or surpassed live chat and self-service portals in the customer-service arena. In some SMB segments--specifically, companies that use social media in a strategic and structured way--social media is even more widely used for customer support. Among those respondents, 17&#37; of customer service/support interactions are initiated via social media. <P> Stay tuned for the final data in about a month or so. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a quote from an SMB Group blog. <P> "SMBs that continue to think that Twitter is just for Charlie Sheen or that Facebook is only useful for Sarah Palin do so at their own peril," the blog reads. "SMBs that are tuned to relevant social media conversations and can effectively harness <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229400356">social media</a> to respond will rapidly gain competitive advantages over those that drag their feet."2011-03-24T19:04:20Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400974?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLA recent briefing with a Sharp executive shows what developments we can expect in the high-end market, some of which may trickle down to the desktop market.A recent briefing with a Sharp executive shows what developments we can expect in the high-end market, some of which may trickle down to the desktop market.We <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2011/03/sharp_shows_sma.html">recently mentioned</a> the new <a href="http://www.sharpusa.com/AboutSharp/NewsAndEvents/PressReleases/2011/March/2011_03_15_Workgroup_MFPs.aspx">Sharp A3 workgroup color laser printers</a> with a color touch-screen interface reminiscent of a smartphone. With prices starting above &#36;10,000, these units don't quite cook breakfast for you, but they will staple, fold, and saddle-stitch your output with a resolution of 1200 by 1200 dpi, all but putting you in the publishing business. <P> "If you are making 6,000 to 8,000 pages a month, you need this device," said Shane Coffey, director of product management for document systems products for Sharp, in Mahwah, NJ. "If you are doing 1,000 pages a month, this is not the machine for you." <P> Such machines are often seen in the offices of doctors, dentists, lawyers, and accounts, shared by workgroups of eight to ten, he added. They are typically leased for several years, making their purchase price less of a shock. The refill toner is priced by the dealer as part of the lease, and usually amounts to less than a penny per page for monochrome and less than 5 cents for color, Coffee said. (Refills for entry-level desktop units are typically three or four times that.) <P> Their large touch screens (10.1 inches, measured diagonally) will display pop-up menus that walk you through procedures, and let you edit scanned material in terms of removing unwanted marks and material, and rotating it by right angles, he said. If you scan from a book and there is a shadow where the mid-line gutter was, you can remove that, he noted. It can proof material to the extent of showing you where the staples are going to be when the machine binds it, he added. <P> Each user can have their own interface with their own selected icons and customizable function names, with 24 languages available. All aspects of the screen can be customized, and there is a software development kit for integrators, to integrate the machine into a custom application, he said. <P> One of the units has a Web browser which Coffey said was similar to that on a smartphone, meaning it can navigate to certain pages and display them, and display PDFs, but can't do animations. <P> And then there are new security features, which Coffey indicated were added in response to hackers boasting of retrieving personal information from the hard drives of MFPs. A standard feature on these machines is 256-bit AES encryption, and the ability to optionally overwrite your data one to seven times when you're through. There is also an end-of-lease mode, where all personal data and settings are erased and the machine restored to a like-new condition. (I trust no one does that accidentally.) <P> How long before all this reaches the desktop? Coffee did not have a clue, but the relentless trend is for electronics to get more powerful. It's inevitable, in other words-except for the stapling, folding, and saddle-stitching. We probably won't see that on the desktop. <P> (A3 printers, incidentally, refer to machines that can handle double-letter sizes, of 11x17 inches. A3 machines are actually bigger than A4 machines, which can handle regular letter or legal paper. A3 also refers to a standard European paper size equivalent to letter size. Coffey acknowledged that the nomenclature situation is a little ridiculous.)2011-03-22T08:54:04Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400971?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLCisco, Netgear, TP-Link, and Aruba increased their chances for long term survival in the wireless LAN market, according to figures released by market research firm In-Stat. On the other hand, Linksys and Technicolor would like to forget 2010.Cisco, Netgear, TP-Link, and Aruba increased their chances for long term survival in the wireless LAN market, according to figures released by market research firm In-Stat. On the other hand, Linksys and Technicolor would like to forget 2010.In-Stat <a href="http://www.instat.com"target="new"> found </a> that Cisco was once again the industry's market leader: increasing its revenue from &#36;902 million in 2009 to &#36;1.187 billion in 2011. Netgear moved up from the market's number three position to the second spot as its sales grew from &#36;470 million to &#36;638 million year over year. TP-Link's revenue rose from &#36;178 million in 2009 to &#36;291 million the following year, an impressive 64&#37; jump. In 2009, Aruba was perched in the number 10 spot with &#36;159 million in revenue but leaped to the eighth position on the strength of &#36;236 million in sales. <P> Technicolor dropped from the second spot to third place as its revenue declined from &#36;470 million to &#36;454 million year over year. Linksys, which is a Cisco brand, saw its sales fall from &#36;417 million in 2010 to &#36;392 million in 2009. In addition, Belkin, which was ranked eighth in 2009, dropped out the Top Ten in 2010 as ZyXEL made its way onto the list. <P> Mobility has become a key IT initiative in small and medium businesses. Demonstrating the continued interest in wireless LANs, revenue among the Top Ten vendors increased from &#36;3.75 billion to &#36;4.40 billion, about 18&#37;. Despite the fact that wireless LANs have been shipping for more than a decade, vendors continue to bring innovative solutions to market, and small and medium business contiue to buy them.2011-03-22T08:09:40Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400969?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLSecurity vendor TriGeo Network Security continues to build its partner base and push more sales through the channel. But company executives say the focus isn't so much on numbers; it's on forming strategic alliances with qualified solution providers.Security vendor TriGeo Network Security continues to build its partner base and push more sales through the channel. But company executives say the focus isn't so much on numbers; it's on forming strategic alliances with qualified solution providers."Anybody can add a lot of partners and point out how significantly they've grown," says Geoff Rinehart, executive vice president of sales and business development at TriGeo, which delivers Security Information and Event Management (<a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/09/cybercrime_bols.html">SIEM</a>) solutions. "How many of them are expanding your footprint? Contributing to your mindshare? We engage only partners that will take their relationship with us seriously." In the past two quarters, the vendor has added seven solution providers to its channel roster. <P> With its <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/smb/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229216088">network security</a> appliance, TriGeo targets midmarket customers, offering a turnkey solution that Rinehart says enterprise players can't compete with. "The vendors delivering enterprise solutions are trying to break into the midmarket by 'dumbing down' their existing products," he says. "But that just doesn't work. Those products are designed as development platforms for managing an entire security infrastructure. They require a lot of set-up and extensive professional services. Our solution can be up and running very quickly, and we don't even have to visit the customer site. That's why our tagline is 'Live by Lunch.'" <P> Rinehart says the midmarket is a great place to be right now. "Four or five years ago, everybody was talking about the enterprise," he says. "Now it's all about the midmarket, which is still a relatively untapped area." <P> Many TriGeo customers are in financial services (think Sarbanes-Oxley), healthcare (<a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/policy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227800103&">HIPAA</a>), or retail (PCI)--spaces where regulatory compliance is a driving force behind network security. Rinehart says TriGeo is seeing an upsurge in the legal and manufacturing verticals as well. <P> "We'll continue to focus on recruiting new partners and expanding our channel footprint," says Rinehart, adding that TriGeo does this primarily by querying existing customers to find out who their trusted advisors are. The vendor also focuses its hiring efforts on channel managers with existing Rolodexes of VARs in the security space. And then there are trade shows, which always present excellent opportunities for finding the kinds of channel partners that TriGeo seeks. <P> Stay tuned for more from TriGeo, including solution provider and customer profiles.2011-03-21T15:01:11Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400965?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLHP promised to cut the energy use of its products 40 percent by the end of this year, and now says that it has already succeeded.HP promised to cut the energy use of its products 40 percent by the end of this year, and now says that it has already succeeded.The goal was to cut energy consumption by 40 percent, compared to the levels of 2005, by the end of 2011. But HP <a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2011/110310d.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news">recently announced</a> that it had reached that goal nine months early. HP products are, on average, more than 50 percent more power efficient than they were in 2005, the company said. <P> The results were figured from a mix of printers, displays, notebooks, desktop PCs, and servers. <P> HP also announced that subsequent analysis showed that if all makes and models of the printers, displays, notebooks, desktop PCs, and servers that HP shipped in 2005 were recycled and replaced with the latest models, within a year its customers would save about &#36;10.4 billion in energy costs and 40 million tons of CO2 emissions. <P> Considering the unspoken negative implications about its 2005 products, that's a pretty brave statement, and a lot of companies would not think of making it. Consumer advertising bombards us with a lot of "new and improved" slogans, apparently hoping we won't be bothered by the idea that there was something wrong with the previous generation-or they just repeat the slogans until we forget to ask. But HP embraced the question. That's rare, and shows respect for the customers. <P> But of course, anything bought in 2005 is by now in line to get replaced and recycled anyway-six years is a long time in information technology. And if HP gets all that replacement business, that's a fine chunk of revenue for them.2011-03-21T09:54:07Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400966?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLVideo conferencing capabilities, greater scalability, a more open architecture, and an improved user interface are the highlights in the Mitel Unified Communicator (UC) Advanced 4.0 solution.Video conferencing capabilities, greater scalability, a more open architecture, and an improved user interface are the highlights in the Mitel Unified Communicator (UC) Advanced 4.0 solution.The new release <a href="http://investor.mitel.com/releases.cfm"target="new">includes</a> support for desktop video conferencing, which is becoming a more popular communications option among small and medium businesses. Users can also attach subject and priority messaging with each call, which may prod recipients to pick it up. <P> Traditionally, customers have found mixing and matching different UC solutions difficult. The Mitel system features server federation between UC Advanced and Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) or IBM Lotus Sametime clients. Consequently, users can work with non-Mitel instant messaging, presence, and chat functions. <P> The new release supports peering, so geographically dispersed servers can connect with one another. As a result, the UC Advanced system now supports up to 10,000 users. A refreshed user interface allows for a more intuitive user experience and eases navigation, according to the company. An UC Advanced Mobile for BlackBerry update helps users provision corporate locations and integrates the Mitel system with smartphone contacts. <P> For decades, Mitel has been a leading supplier of voice communications systems to small and medium suppliers. Like competitors, the company struggled to switch from traditional hardware based PBX solutions to modern software based IP PBX systems. In response, the vendor, which claims to have 65,000 customers, retooled its product portfolio. Mitel now finds itself in a highly volatile marketplace and facing a bevy of competitors. In its last fiscal quarter, the vendor reported minimal revenue growth and a loss of &#36;4 million. While Mitel has taken many positive steps in trying to reshape its business, how it will fare long term remains an open question.2011-03-21T07:31:00Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400967?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLNow even small retailers can have an e-storefront, thanks to a Vancouver, B.C.-based company called Wishpond. Last week, the company took the wraps off its Merchant Offering, which allows retail operations to manage all of their online marketing initiatives in one place.Now even small retailers can have an e-storefront, thanks to a Vancouver, B.C.-based company called Wishpond. Last week, the company took the wraps off its Merchant Offering, which allows retail operations to manage all of their online marketing initiatives in one place.A search engine company, Wishpond first released a consumer-facing app that lets buyers find local stores selling the products they seek. Now retailers can get their names in front of those consumers, even if they don't have a lot of money to spend on e-marketing. <P> "A lot of consumers like to research products before they buy them, but they're usually seeing only the big national retail players online," says Ali Tajsekandar, founder and CEO of Wishpond. "Small retailers are missing out on that online presence because they don't have the resources to take advantage of online, mobile, and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/smb/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229218850">social marketing</a>." <P> With Wishpond, retailers can upload information about their products quickly and easily. They can upload one product at a time or many at once, or they can import an entire catalog from their website, if they have one. Consumers can see at a glance where your store is located, how you can be reached, and what products you have to offer. <P> Wishpond also integrates with social media sites such as Facebook and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229301037">Twitter</a>, allowing retailers to create Facebook storefronts, for example. Promos are easy to manage as well; create a promo once and it gets pushed out to online ad platforms such as <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229301043">Google AdWords</a> and to social networking sites all at once. Want all your FB fans to see your promos without having to visit your fan page and dig around? With Wishpond, you can have all your promos sent to all your fans' Walls. <P> Wishpond's Merchant Dashboard provides retailers with real-time <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/bi/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300598">analytics</a> that help them manage their products and promotions. Retailers can track the effectiveness of their ad campaigns and get insight into all of their marketing initiatives in one place. <P> Believe it or not, all of these features are free. For a monthly fee, ranging from &#36;150 to &#36;450, Wishpond will promote you on Google's Ad Network too. Beats hiring a whole marketing team, right?2011-03-18T18:30:53Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229400961?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLApparently, Mark Zuckerberg isn't the only young whiz making waves in the social media world. Justin Graves, who's just 26 years old, has used his copious brain power to build the algorithms that power Social Radar, a product from Infegy.Apparently, Mark Zuckerberg isn't the only young whiz making waves in the social media world. Justin Graves, who's just 26 years old, has used his copious brain power to build the algorithms that power Social Radar, a product from Infegy.Now the Kansas City, Mo.-based company has unveiled an update, Social Radar 3, and it promises to be a powerful tool for companies looking for concrete insight into how they're being portrayed in the social media realm. <P> Enter a word, a company name--anything--and set this product loose. It culls data from more than 40 million Web sources, dating back 4-plus years, and then slices and dices that data extensively. Users can gauge where, when, and how the search term is being used on <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/smart_phones/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229301205">Facebook</a>, Twitter, blogs, etc. They can even find out how passionate people are when they mention the word or term. That's because the program analyzes the usage of superlatives and other words/phrases that connote passion--"love," "the best," and "really like," for example--connected with the search term. <P> "We're seeing broad interest in Social Radar," says Graves, founder and CEO of Infegy. "But there's an especially strong interest from companies in the technology, financial services, automotive, and fast food spaces." <P> The updated version of Social Radar has several enhanced features, including these: <P> -<i>Near instantaneous search results and analytics reporting:</i> The program provides a historical view of the search term, showing trends over time. <P> -<i>Customizable drag-and-drop dashboards and reports:</i> Users can drag and drop data from Social Radar into <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229301021">PDFs</a> and Excel. <P> -<i>Granular analysis of data:</i> Information can be filtered by sentiment (positive or negative), language, country, type of source, time stamp, and more. <P> -<i>Flexible, Web services-based API:</i> Social Radar can be integrated with any Web-enabled system. <P> -<i>"All-you-can-eat" pricing:</i> Users aren't charged by query or the number of results they get from searches. Infegy, which uses a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/cloud-computing/infrastructure/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300970">cloud</a>-based model, charges users a flat monthly rate for unlimited searches.2011-03-16T18:49:43Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229301238?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLIntegral large color touchscreen will let Sharp MFP users adjust scanned material before printing or saving it.Integral large color touchscreen will let Sharp MFP users adjust scanned material before printing or saving it.Sharp <a href="http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Sharp-Focuses-on-U-Unveils-Revolutionary-New-MFP-User-Interface-Its-2011-National-Dealer-1411845.htm">showed off</a> a new user interface for multi-function printers at its recent national dealers' meeting in Las Vegas, describing it as a "game-changer." <P> The interface is based on a 10.1-inch color touchscreen that can respond to "flick," "tap," "slide" and "drag" gestures reminiscent of the latest smartphones. Sophisticated functions should be easily accessible and clearly laid out, but probably the most obvious advantage would be the ability to proof and edit scanned material. <P> Being able to straighten scanned material that turned out to be out of kilter (common when scanning material from books, where you can't see what the bottom page is doing) would be nice, but it may be a stretch to call it a game-changer. But if you are stuck with Windows Paint for processing your scans, it might indeed seem like a game-changer, as that app can only rotate by increments of 90 degrees. Sadly, if the paper is skewed even one degree, it's noticeable. <P> The video that accompanies the online press release additionally showed the interface being used to change page layouts of scanned material. <P> The new interface will first show up on Sharp's new <a href="http://www.sharpusa.com/AboutSharp/NewsAndEvents/PressReleases/2011/March/2011_03_15_Workgroup_MFPs.aspx">A3 MFPs</a>.2011-03-15T08:00:22Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229301237?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLThe phone rings while you are speeding down the highway at 50 mph. Answering the call can be difficult and even illegal in some cases, such as returning a text. In response to such scenarios, iSpeech developed DriveSafe.ly, which now runs on the Apple iPhone.The phone rings while you are speeding down the highway at 50 mph. Answering the call can be difficult and even illegal in some cases, such as returning a text. In response to such scenarios, iSpeech developed DriveSafe.ly, which now runs on the Apple iPhone.The iSpeech voice recognition and text-to-speech capabilities <a href="http://www.ispeech.org"target="new">enable</a> users to hear and verbally respond to text messages, emails and Tweets. Once an incoming message is read aloud, an employee can replay it, send a response, or return the call. DriveSafe.ly, which had been available for Research in Motion BlackBerry systems and Android smartphones, now runs on the Apple iPhone. The messaging solution comes in either a free or a paid (&#36;13.95 year or &#36;3.95) version. The former supports 25 words, does not include voice response features, offers limited customization, and is advertising based; the latter works with 500 words, features voice response capabilities, offers voice and reading speed customization, and does not present advertisements to the user. <P> With the rise in usage of smartphones, driving and answering calls has become a hot button issue, one that iSpeech is trying to address. Such solutions could help small and medium businesses avoid problems when employees use their smartphones while driving. The company, which has been in business since 2007 and sells a variety of speech recognition system, has 8 million users. Though its focus seems to be noteworthy, the vendor could struggle as it butts heads with larger, more established speech recognition competitors.2011-03-15T07:47:23Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229301236?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLEven if you're a bricks-and-mortar operation, your website is a "storefront," so make sure it looks good and gives users everything they need without having to dig. Is your site as good as it can be?Even if you're a bricks-and-mortar operation, your website is a "storefront," so make sure it looks good and gives users everything they need without having to dig. Is your site as good as it can be?Ask yourself these questions, suggested by e-mail marketing company <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/12/building_your_s.html">Infusionsoft</a>, and see where you stand. <P> <b>Where do your eyes go first?</b> You have only a few seconds to capture your audience's attention. Make sure what they're seeing is compelling enough to keep them at your URL. <P> <b>Is your value prop clear and compelling?</b> Are visitors getting the message you're trying to convey, or is your value proposition buried under a lot of "clutter" (i.e., nonessential information)? <P> <b>Are the benefits highlighted?</b> You don't have to have a degree in psych to know what customers (and prospects) are asking themselves. That's right--you guessed it: What's in it for me? So, what <i>is</i> in it for them? Why should they buy from you instead of someone else? Make sure that's clear at your website. <P> <b>Is there a clear call to action?</b> Let's give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that visitors to your site do, in fact, like what they see. Think that's enough? It's not. There needs to be something that compels the prospect to do something, whether to make a purchase, start a free trial, or download a free report. <P> <b>Are the colors and font(s) distracting?</b> Jarring colors, lots of animation, and/or difficult-to-read typefaces can put visitors off. If distracted, they just might click over to a site that's easier on the eyes. <P> <b>Is there a personal connection?</b> Consumers want to buy from people, not machines. Connect with your prospects by using a conversational tone in your text, and by being honest and straightforward. <P> <b>Are there links to social media?</b> Linking to sites such as <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300933">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300924">Twitter</a> allows your prospects to do a little research on their own and find out what people are saying about your company. Once they read those glowing Tweets and laudatory Facebook posts, you'll be a shoo-in, right? <P> Don't despair if you're not right on the mark in every area described above. Make the really necessary changes first, then work on the other stuff. Your website is a work in progress.2011-03-14T17:31:20Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229301247?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLThe mystery of why refill ink is hard to use leads to the mystery of what the vendors are thinking.The mystery of why refill ink is hard to use leads to the mystery of what the vendors are thinking.<a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2011/02/smbs_shopping_f.html">Last month I describe</a>d the adventure of getting an HP97 three-color ink cartridge refilled in order to avoid paying full price for refill ink for an HP 7210 inkjet printer, a unit not like countless others in SMB offices <P> After rushing home from OfficeMax with a refilled cartridge (thanks to the Phoenix Ink kiosk they had in the corner) I put it in the machine and it commenced printing as well as it ever did. But I noted that it did not launch the usual cartridge alignment procedure that it normally launches when you put in a new ink cartridge. At the PC end, the printer status screen showed that the cartridge was about a quarter full, or no different than it was before the refilling. <P> I wrote this off as a mystery of technology. <P> Then, a month later, the machine kept signaling, "Check HP97 Cartridge." I checked it and could only determine that it was still there. There was nothing obviously wrong. But the printer status screen on the PC showed the cartridge was flat empty. <P> During the refill process the refilling device was supposed to alter the cartridge's serial number so the printer would see it as a new one and, presumably, reset its gauge. I theorized that this had not happened. <P> So I went back to OfficeMax, where I found that the ink refill kiosk was out of order. Unable to do anything with the refilled cartridge, the clerk just gave me, gratis, an OfficeMax remanufactured HP97 cartridge. That was very nice as refilling cost &#36;24 while the remanufactured cartridge cost &#36;39.99 (i.e., the same as a new one from HP.) <P> Back home, I installed it and the machine noted that it had detected a used cartridge. It then launched that alignment procedure that it neglected last time. <P> After that the machine seemed fully functional-except that the ink gauge showed the new cartridge was only a quarter full. <P> Another mystery. <P> If the vendors are trying to make off-brand ink hard to use, they're succeeding. But they are also demonstrating an attitude toward the customer that you would think they would not want to associate themselves with.2011-03-14T12:14:23Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229301241?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLSmall and medium businesses have been deploying wireless LANs for more than a decade. However, vendors are still trying to differentiate their products because the market continues to experience very healthy growth, according to market research firm In-Stat.Small and medium businesses have been deploying wireless LANs for more than a decade. However, vendors are still trying to differentiate their products because the market continues to experience very healthy growth, according to market research firm In-Stat.In-Stat <a href="http://www.instat.com"target="new">found</a> that sales of Wireless Access Points (WAP) increased by 30&#37; in 2010, and some vendors capitalized on the high growth. For instance, Meru Networks increased its installed base by nearly 50&#37; in 2010, which resulted in a sharp rise (19&#37;) in its market share. Other high-risers AeroHive and Meraki Networks are giving access points enhanced hardware features and moving the controller functions to the cloud, a change designed to ease network management challenges for businesses. <P> Cisco, the leading supplier of WLAN equipment, has tried to keep pace. In-Stat noted that the network equipment vendor recently released a security upgrade for its 802.11n WAP that features improved reporting and compliance with the PCI 2.0 standard. <P> The market research report presents both good and bad news for small and medium businesses. The positives are that they will continue to see a variety of differentiating products from suppliers and may be better able to find one that meets their unique requirements. The downside is that the trend in the networking arena has been toward consolidation. Consequently, businesses may end up deploying products whose long term future could shift dramatically as the market matures.2011-03-14T07:49:55Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229301245?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLHave you started using social media to sell your products or services? If your answer is yes, you're moving in the right direction. Here's another question: Have you incorporated social media into your customer support strategy?Have you started using social media to sell your products or services? If your answer is yes, you're moving in the right direction. Here's another question: Have you incorporated social media into your customer support strategy?That is, do you monitor and respond to conversations about your company that are taking place at websites such as Twitter and Facebook? If you answered yes to both questions, you're really ready to rock and roll. The reality is, SMBs can't ignore social media anymore. What's more, you need to leverage it in every area of your business, from networking and marketing to customer service and support. <P> If you <i>are</i> using social networking in the customer support arena, you may have heard of a company called Zendesk, which offers cloud-based help-desk software. Zendesk's customer base is broad, including big players (think <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300701&">Groupon</a>, MSNBC, and Twitter) and SMBs, which comprise about 50&#37; of the San Francisco-based company's 5,000-plus clients. <P> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/smb/hardware_software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227500058">Zendesk</a> delivers a cross-channel customer support solution. That means it doesn't matter whether a customer calls Company X, sends an e-mail, or Tweets a friend about his displeasure with the vendor's refund policy. All of those communication channels are tied together (presuming Company X uses Zendesk or a similar solution). <P> "Quality of service is the No. 1 differentiator for businesses today," says Zack Urlocker, COO of Zendesk. "You have to deliver service and support in multiple channels, on the customer's terms. It's so easy for the customer to go elsewhere." <P> Urlocker offers a few tips to SMBs that want to stand apart from the pack when it comes to customer service and support: <P> -<b>Deliver service to customers in the channels/media they want to use.</b> In the old days, a customer who called a company's support team and said they had already sent an e-mail would be told they had to start from square one because the company's e-mail and phone systems were two separate, disconnected entities. Today it's important to have a 360-degree view of all customer interactions. That applies to mobile devices as well. You should be able to offer customer support via an iPad, a BlackBerry, an <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/tablets/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300736">Android</a> phone, etc. <P> -<b>Monitor social networks.</b> Businesses need to monitor what people are saying about them at Twitter, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300651">Facebook</a>, and other social media sites. But they also need to move beyond monitoring and into engagement. Turn a Tweet into a trouble ticket. Address the author of a negative Facebook post and "make the conversation private," Urlocker says. "Taking on the customer one-on-one--through an e-mail or a phone conversation, for example--allows you to address the customer' specific concerns and turn a negative situation into a positive one." <P> -<b>Empower customer support personnel/teams.</b> The faster you can respond to a customer's concerns, the better. Allow customer service reps to take matters into their own hands by issuing a refund or giving out a coupon. Having to escalate a trouble ticket and move it endlessly up the chain of command just draws things out and can ultimately turn off the customer, Urlocker says. <P> For more on using social media for customer support, read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/10/being_social_wi.html">"Being 'Social' With Customers: A Tricky Business,"</a> a blog I posted in October 2010.2011-03-11T16:11:41Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229300864?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLPrinting green means printing less. As it turns out, there are ways to do that without simply turning off the printer.Printing green means printing less. As it turns out, there are ways to do that without simply turning off the printer.According to a <a href="http://news.xerox.com/pr/xerox/feature-story-Xerox-executive-sustainability-forum-and-sustainable-management-of-printing.aspx">recent Xerox blog</a>, itself talking about a recent IDC presentation, 61 percent of office employees agree that environmental considerations are important when deciding whether to print something, but only 16 percent avoid printing for environmental reasons. <P> For those willing to act on their beliefs, Xerox provided some tips, not all of which are blindingly obvious. <P> The least obvious is so-called N-up printing, where you print multiple pages on one sheet, the image of each page appropriately reduced in size. An obvious use would be for those PowerPoint slides that you want to hand out to the audience, but they don't need to be page-sized. PowerPoint has a way to automatically print multiple, scaled-down slides per page. Invoke the Print command, and on the options page find Print What and select Handouts, and then the number per page. <P> Microsoft Word will do something similar: invoke Print and then in the Pages Per Sheet box select something other than 1. It will go to 16. The results are interesting but probably rarely useful. <P> Meanwhile, if your printer has a security feature whereby it only prints after the recipient inputs a code, use it. There will be people who don't bother to claim their printouts, but that's fine since they were never printed. <P> Do away with banner sheets between print jobs, and other unneeded cover sheets. <P> When in doubt, scan the document and transmit it electronically. <P> Print on both sides of the sheet. Alas, this probably means you'll end up buying thicker paper. <P> Track your paper consumption and set up budgets. <P> Another thing I'd suggest (especially if you're using low-end office printers) is to leave a nickel by the machine every time you print a black-and-white page, and a quarter every time you print a page with color. The cost of refill ink/toner (and the paper itself, and other amortized costs) is a prime reason for going green.2011-03-10T13:16:06Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229300854?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLNew products break no new ground, but one claims to not be a printer when it clearly is.New products break no new ground, but one claims to not be a printer when it clearly is.Canon USA has apparently come out with two new monochrome office multi-function laser printers for the SMB market. I say "apparently" because one of them claims to be a copier when the specs clearly show it's a (slightly pricey) MFP. <P> First is the imageCLASS MF4450 monochrome MFP, running at 24 ppm. with a resolution of 1200 x 600, a color scanning resolution of 600x600 with 24-bit color depth, and a USB 2.0 interface. <P> The price is &#36;249, which is about right for a printer of that size and speed-with a wireless and Ethernet port. That's not to say that you might be better off without wireless, and that USB 2.0 is fast and simple, but you might miss that Ethernet port for printer sharing. <P> The toner cartridge costs &#36;82 for 2,100 pages, or 4 cents per page. Three cents would be better, but Canon incorporates the drum with the cartridge, simplifying maintenance. <P> So far so good. But the <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/about_canon?pageKeyCode=pressreldetail&docId=0901e0248029e66c">same press release</a> mentions the imageCLASS D550 monochrome MFP copier for &#36;299. But the <a href="http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/sna/consumer/printers_multifunction/imageclass_series/imageclass_d550#Specifications">specs </a>show it is just a slightly faster (26 ppm) version of the MF4450, with some scanner-related document management software. So why are they calling it a copier? (Or maybe the MF4450 is actually a stripped down D550, and the latter was built around the USB 2.0 interface, whose high speed and direct connection would be nice if you're involved in serious amounts of scanning.) <P> There's no immediate answer. Traditionally, in situations like this you call the vendor's product PR people and badger them for an explanation. But Canon is one of those companies that feels that their Web site should be a pure, disembodied, self-contained entity unsullied by connections to the grubby real world. In other words, there's no contact names or phone numbers. <P> Earth to Canon: climb down from the ladder, and have someone contact me.2011-03-10T13:00:49Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229300863?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWith networks becoming more complex, small and medium businesses are finding it more difficult to understand how their applications are performing. In response, Correlsense, a supplier of monitoring solutions, enhanced its SharePath RUM line.With networks becoming more complex, small and medium businesses are finding it more difficult to understand how their applications are performing. In response, Correlsense, a supplier of monitoring solutions, enhanced its SharePath RUM line.solutions, enhanced its SharePath RUM line. The product <a href="http://www.correlsense.com"target="new">is designed</a> to help businesses isolate problems and pinpoint bottlenecks that exist in the data centers, networks, or applications. The product measures items, such as the speed at which a data center processes user requests, the network delays between the end user and the data center, and the time it takes a browser to deliver a Web page. It is designed to trace workloads, response times, payloads (HTTP requests, SQL statements, etc.) and throughputs on each step of a transaction. <P> The monitoring solution is available in three configurations. SharePath RUM (Real user monitoring) Express is a free solution designed for one application and a couple of servers. SharePath RUM Enterprise is geared to traditional applications and SharePath Cloud focuses on public, say Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), as well as private hosted applications. Pricing for the latter two solutions starts at &#36;1,000. <P> Founded in 2005, Correlsense is one of many vendors that recently focused on enhancing visibility into application performance. Because its approach is newer, its solutions can be less expensive and more functional than traditional monitoring tools. However, competition in this market space has been intensifying, and the company's relatively small size (it has about 60 employees) leaves its future as an open question.2011-03-10T07:53:00Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229300852?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLSay hello to yaM, yet another company that's putting in its two cents about how to improve business meetings. This week yaM (for "yet another meeting") unveiled the public beta of its self-named application, which provides tools for improving brainstorming, analyzing priorities, and enhancing collaboration.Say hello to yaM, yet another company that's putting in its two cents about how to improve business meetings. This week yaM (for "yet another meeting") unveiled the public beta of its self-named application, which provides tools for improving brainstorming, analyzing priorities, and enhancing collaboration.For small businesses, making meetings productive is a top priority. Time is money, and wasting it can cut into already-eroding bottom lines. <P> Anatoly Gaverdoskiy, founder and CEO of yaM, says his frustration with low meeting productivity fueled his drive to develop the product. At a previous job, meetings filled almost each and every day, Gaverdoskiy says, adding that these get-togethers were rarely as productive as they could've been, mainly because there were inefficiencies in capturing and tracking information. <P> "The final straw was when I came to a meeting with a very large client and had forgotten what I promised their CIO the week before," he says. "After searching for and attempting to use different IT products, I decided to develop yaM to help people get more out of their seemingly endless meetings." <P> Unlike products such as <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/10/imeet_making_we.html">iMeet</a> and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229200162">WebEx</a> that address the "how" of meetings--the audio, video, and web conferencing--yaM focuses on the meeting lifecycle, Gaverdoskiy says. That means the emphasis is on planning, running, and wrapping up the meeting, and on follow-up execution. <P> Tools include a shared agenda and realtime, collaborative note-taking; prioritization of topics that's represented graphically; SWOT (<b>s</b>trengths, <b>w</b>eaknesses, <b>o</b>pportunities, and <b>t</b>hreats) analysis of agenda items; and an accessible record of meeting activities (Meeting Minutes). <P> The yaM application is designed for meetings of all kinds--face-to-face, online, or a combination of the two. <P> Though yaM is currently Web-based, the company plans to roll out integrations with the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/tablets/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300586">iPad</a>, Yammer, Jive Networks, and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229300089">Google Apps</a> within the next few months. <P> Also, yaM plans to increase its user base quickly: Gaverdoskiy says the goal is to have 20,000 registered users by July 1 and 50,000 by year's end. "We're focusing now on the value of users and finding the right balance between simplicity and functionality," he says. <P> Those who sign up for the beta before June 1 get free unlimited access to yaM for the first year.2011-03-08T09:33:31Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229300850?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLSmartphones have become key extensions to business communications systems. In response, 8x8 Inc., a hosted communications provider, added an Android application to its repertoire.Smartphones have become key extensions to business communications systems. In response, 8x8 Inc., a hosted communications provider, added an Android application to its repertoire.With the application, Virtual Office subscribers <a href="http://investors.8x8.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=555314 "target="new">can make </a> inbound and outbound domestic calls over WiFi or 3G networks. They no longer have to pay extra for roaming minutes if they are at a WiFi hotspot. The application supports, extension dialing, call transfers and 3-way calling. Users can place calls from call logs, contact lists, or corporate directories. <P> On the business side, the application provides access to Virtual Office's voicemail, auto attendant and conference bridge services. An outbound caller ID displays a Virtual Office business phone number rather than a user's personal mobile phone number. <P> In business since 1987, the company has targeted the traditional voice market, which is undergoing significant changes. By focusing on IP services, the vendor can offer lower pricing and more comprehensive services than traditional voice service providers. The approach has garnered the company some success: it has 23,000 customers, which typically have a handful of employees. The new Android application, which is available for free from the Android Marketplace, meshes with the growing interest in smartphones among small and medium businesses. <P> However, 8x8 faces significant competition in this space. With IP communications usage becoming more widespread, larger vendors have been retooling their services. In addition, a bevy of start-ups have entered this market. While the company has been successful to date, it lacks name recognition, so its future is uncertain.2011-03-07T17:45:05Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229300877?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLSearch engine marketing is hot right now, but doing it effectively can be a challenge for small businesses that don't have the time or resources to learn its ins and outs. That's why a number of companies are coming out with products that simplify SEM/SEO for SMBs.Search engine marketing is hot right now, but doing it effectively can be a challenge for small businesses that don't have the time or resources to learn its ins and outs. That's why a number of companies are coming out with products that simplify SEM/SEO for SMBs.One of the latest players to enter the space is AdGrok, whose new tool helps businesses manage their <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/soa_webservices/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228400231">Google</a> AdWords accounts. AdGrok is built on top of AdWords, giving users visibility into the Google product without having to navigate its interface (deemed "clunky" by AdGrok execs). <P> "Our goal is for AdGrok to be the TurboTax or QuickBooks of online marketing--the &#91;gold standard&#93; of SEM," says Antonio Garcia-Martinez, CEO of AdGrok. "This product is easy to use because it's 'in context.' Our 'GrokBar' is in the browser, so you don't have to flip back and forth between your website and AdWords." <P> According to Garcia-Martinez, companies can use AdGrok to see exactly what's going on with their <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/smb/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229200202">SEM</a> campaigns: They can see how much traffic a particular keyword or text ad is generating, how much a keyword is costing them, and how much revenue they're making. Also, AdGrok can analyze a company's campaign for ways to improve it. <P> And AdGrok isn't just for companies looking to break into SEM. The product is also beneficial for companies that are conversant with SEM but have hundreds or thousands of landing pages to manage. A feature called Grok-O-Matic allows a company to have its entire product catalog in AdWords with just one click of the mouse. A Shopify application can identify which products a company is selling, how many are in inventory, and what webpages they're on. And Groknoculars helps users find poorly performing <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/smb/services/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228901672">keywords</a> and easily change keyword bids. <P> Companies can opt for the "self-serve" version of AdGrok, or they can choose GrokMe instead. With the latter, a Google Certified Professional takes on the setup and daily management of the account. Customers receive a weekly report on campaign performance, and they still get the GrokBar for transparency and control over AdWords.2011-03-07T09:49:08Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229300857?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLMonitoring tools typically arrive after a technology has begun to take root. With cloud computing gaining so much buzz recently, Keynote Systems threw its hat into the cloud application performance monitoring arena.Monitoring tools typically arrive after a technology has begun to take root. With cloud computing gaining so much buzz recently, Keynote Systems threw its hat into the cloud application performance monitoring arena.The Keynote Cloud Application Perspective (CAP) <a href="http://www.keynote.com"target="new">examines</a> Web application performance inside private clouds, which are applications sitting behind a firewall. Customers place CAP software agents on their own private or third party cloud infrastructure. The MyKeynote portal provides dashboards, so companies can evaluate alerts regarding Web application performance. Businesses can set the system to examine performance in 1, 5, 15, 30, or 60 minute intervals, and various diagnostic features help them pinpoint performance bottlenecks. Pricing for the Keynote service is usage based, with the monitoring of a single system starting at &#36;500 per month. <P> Cloud computing is becoming more popular because if offers companies a way to more effectively use their data center infrastructure. Monitoring tools are arising from various market sectors: network and systems management suppliers, Web management tools, enterprise application performance monitoring suppliers, and the cloud service suppliers themselves. <P> Founded in 1995, Keynote has carved out a viable niche by focusing on Web application performance services. To expand its business, the vendor is now branching out into the private cloud area. The company legacy is such that one would expect that the service would deliver beneficial information. Small and medium businesses will need to determine if the service pricing meets their needs. In general, the service is used for revenue generating applications, such as ecommerce systems, rather than daily business applications, such as a back office solutions.2011-03-04T07:58:51Zhttp://www.informationweek.com/blog/229300873?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWe know the use of social media is exploding in the business world, but what can vendors of these solutions do to earn more mind--and market--share from small and midsize businesses? The SMB Group will have some concrete answers soon.We know the use of social media is exploding in the business world, but what can vendors of these solutions do to earn more mind--and market--share from small and midsize businesses? The SMB Group will have some concrete answers soon.On the verge of launching its 2011 SMB Social Business Study, the market research firm is poised to collect data that will pinpoint specific trends and statistics concerning SMBs and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229219587">social media</a>. <P> "By adopting social business solutions and processes, small and medium companies can engage customers and prospects in a more personal and effective manner--and as a result, help improve customer acquisition and retention," reads a preview of the study published by the SMB Group. "However, &#91;SMBs&#93; often lack the time, expertise and/or resources necessary to fully understand, implement, integrate and measure <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229200283">social business</a> as part of their broader customer relationship strategy." <P> Study respondents will be key influencers and/or decision makers in small and midsize businesses, including partners, CIOs, owners, CEOs, and vice presidents of marketing. Companies will have from 1 to 1,000 employees. <P> The comprehensive study will explore a number of issues, including the following: <P> -Perceptions and attitudes about social business -Key drivers and inhibitors for adopting social business solutions -Requirements for integrating social business with existing business solutions -Consulting and business partners for social business solutions -How SMBs currently use and plan to use social business to improve marketing, sales, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/enterprise_apps/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227701104">customer service</a>, support, and product development -Budgets and planned spending on social business solutions -Perceived benefits and risks of social business solutions <P> In its February newsletter, the SMB Group said it believes the study "will dig a couple of layers beneath the surface to provide clients with actionable data points to help shape &#91;social business&#93; offerings and messaging." <P> Stay tuned for more in the coming months.