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 2012, UBM LLC.2011-07-01T12:11:22ZIgnore 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.http://www.informationweek.com/news/231000887?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLEvery 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>2011-07-01T08:00:00ZWant to travel lighter? New cloud services help you access key files quickly and easily on your phone.http://www.informationweek.com/news/231000761?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLRoad 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>.2011-06-29T11:34:00ZFighting a losing battle against Long Term Evolution, Sprint pushes WiMax as quick way to provide broadband to branch offices.http://www.informationweek.com/news/231000664?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLLong 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.2011-06-24T12:00:00ZVendors 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.http://www.informationweek.com/news/231000332?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLWhen 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?2011-06-21T11:49:07ZWhen 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.http://www.informationweek.com/news/231000068?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLOne 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>2011-06-16T12:41:00ZBig data plans just waste money for most people, reports a Vadilas study. Here's how to cut your bill down to the right size.http://www.informationweek.com/news/230800009?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLBack 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.2011-05-24T22:39:46ZZoomInfo touts its proprietary technology as it seeks to 'map the business landscape in near real-time.'http://www.informationweek.com/news/229625525?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLGiven 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>2011-05-22T22:53:27ZThe latest research from Constant Contact shows that the best marketing strategy is an integrated, well-rounded one.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229624105?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLA 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."2011-05-09T22:45:49ZCloud-based software lets remote workers clock in and out over the phone or the Internet.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229403093?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLOn 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.2011-05-02T22:17:35ZFacebook, 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.http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/229402627?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLPerhaps 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.2011-04-28T23:07:48ZHere's a Web app that you don't need a lot of money or technical know-how to use.http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/229402481?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLIt 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.2011-04-25T22:24:16ZOnline peer-to-peer investment service breaks new ground, connects entrepreneurs with start-ups and SMBshttp://www.informationweek.com/news/229402218?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLA 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>.2011-04-25T00:00:48ZWhen it comes to written communication with customers, letting your personality shine through and soliciting feedback are among the important considerations.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229402140?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLDo 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.2011-04-18T10:11:45ZA 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.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229401781?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLStart 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.2011-04-17T23:12:21ZBy merging SEO and social media, the software seeks to help smaller companies boost site traffic and online marketing campaigns.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229401742?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLThe 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.2011-04-14T11:33:53ZThe free app allows the Apple smartphone to use the HP ePrint remote printing feature, matching the functionality of an existing BlackBerry app.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229401621?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLHP <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.2011-04-13T21:59:19ZWhen 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.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229401561?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLIf 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."2011-04-12T17:11:45ZCompanies can use cloud-based software from NetProspex to trade names, numbers, email addresses, and social media information.http://www.informationweek.com/news/229401480?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLIt'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.2011-04-05T11:51:56ZThe Google Cloud printing function previously had no printers that directly supported it. Eprint fills that void but has its own problems.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/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.<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.2011-04-05T09:09:19ZCustomers 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.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/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.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.2011-04-05T08:08:55ZWith 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.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/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."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.2011-04-04T10:22:53ZGoogle 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.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/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.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.2011-03-30T08:24:01ZAdvances 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.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/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.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.2011-03-30T08:17:40ZWhat 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.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/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 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.2011-03-29T10:32:19ZThe vendor announced several green initiatives at a recent conference in San Francisco, some of which are aimed at SMBs.http://www.iweek-interim.com/news/229400986?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALLThe 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.