Cloud computing has come a long way since analyst Laurie McCabe last tackled the topic for us back in 2009. Here she brings us up-to-date on the state of cloud computing for small business.
Helen Bradley looks at free, cloud-based small business software that lets you work from anywhere -- whether you're across town or halfway around the world.
Microsoft refreshes SkyDrive, its free online storage service, with a performance boost and improved navigation making it both faster and easier to use.
Small Business Trends rounds up 101 web apps that can help small business owners run their companies better and cheaper. Will you have time to check out all 101 tonight?
ShareFile announces Enterprise Sync, which aims to give small and medium businesses the ability to constantly synchronize or to schedule synchronization of files.
ComputerWeekly.com comments on and links to a white paper co-developed by the magazine and collaborative business software developer SAP about how SMBs are using cloud computing to advantage.
John Joyce,founder and editor of the Smallbiz Nest website, reviews a new book by technology consultant Phil Simon about how savvy small businesses are using leading edge technology to compete and win.
InfoWorld's Woody Leonhard raises questions about the reliability of Microsoft's Office 365 given a recent data-eating failure of the company's Hotmail servers.
Experts say prospects are bright in 2011 as small business IT begins to embrace cloud computing. Benefits include enterprise-class technology at a fraction of the cost of on-premises solutions.
Smallbiztechnology.com draws attention to a trend small businesses may want to embrace: app-less computers - computers like Google's new Cr-48 Chromebook netbook that only have a browser.
If you're in the market for a customer relationship management (CRM) tool for your small business, consider these online tools. Entrepreneur offers mini-reviews of eight.
An executive from Hewlett-Packard's personal systems group (so with a possible anti-cloud bias) reviews criteria you should consider when contemplating a wholesale move to cloud computing.
Google is rebranding and enlarging its Google Apps suite of business tools by adding and integrating several consumer apps, such as Reader, Picasa and Blogger.
Cogi.com, a Web-based service, lets you focus on your meetings instead of taking notes, and then emails you a full transcript within 24 hours.
Consultant Phil Wainwright makes the case that cloud computing shouldn't be about the technology but about the positive results it's possible for companies to realize from using it.
New York Times Gadgetwise columnist Paul Boutin shows you four neat tricks with Google Docs - none of which Microsoft Office can do.
Google has made some good improvements to its online software-as-a-service contact management app - including keyboard shortcuts, automatic saving, the ability to sort by last name and an undo option.
Intacct's software-as-a-service (SaaS) Project Accounting application, a competitor for NetSuite, helps services companies keep track of employee project hours and expenses.
Entrepreneur magazine reviewer Jonathan Blum does a deep dive on Google's suite of productivity apps, assessing their merits and suitability for business use.
Want to keep your fingers on the pulse of your small business? Business intelligence software can help, and it's more affordable than ever. Laurie McCabe explains what you need to know.
Security software vendors now offer dedicated or enhanced services over the Internet. Does SaaS security make sense for SMBs?
SMB Group consultant Laurie McCabe blogs about the value of online collaboration for small business and discusses some of the tools available.
Cloud-struck small businesses take note: IT managers air their complaints about what doesn't always work or work well with online computing services.
Salesforce.com, the on-demand customer relationship management software, introduces a new small business collaboration tool, Chatter, with features akin to Facebook and Twitter.
Does the two-day outage of cloud-based application services from Intuit mean the cloud is not such a great idea after all? PC magazine surveys the experts and offers tips on how to move forward.
Small biz blogger Laurie McCabe argues that recent outages in cloud services such as Intuit suggest that a hybrid solution using both cloud-based and onsite storage might be better.
Wired magazine's take on the free Web apps launched recently in conjunction with the release of Microsoft's Office 2010 suite. Includes reviews of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for the Web.
Looking for a small business customer relationship management app? Zoho's software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering is not as fully featured as more expensive mainstream competitors, or quite as easy for newbies to start using, but it's great value.
SMB analyst Laurie McCabe explains the benefits of combining small business software that runs on your computers and apps that run in the cloud.
PC World reviewer Ian Paul pits the newly launched Microsoft Word Web app against Google Docs. Word on the Web comes in second.
Peter Laudenslager, senior manager of cloud solutions at Double-Take Software, a disaster recovery solutions company, hammers home the point that cloud computing can save SMBs money and bring other benefits as well.
New cloud-based payments platform provides payments processing environment that allows SMBs to accept payments from Web, phone, terminal, mobile and scanner.
A new version of the cloud collaboration suite, rebuilt from the ground up, adds new features and an updated user interface.
Google's Wave collaboration tool appeared to be the next big thing when it was unveiled a year or so ago. Then it faded from view for awhile. Now it's back and finally available for everyone to try.
Small businesses are recovering nicely from the downturn, but to consolidate gains, they need to find ways to control IT spending. One way is by using hosting services.
Software as a service (SaaS) delivers real benefits but as with any new and wonderful mode of using technology, there are problems that have to be overcome to take full advantage of those benefits.
Second of a two-part excerpt from Management Strategies for the Cloud Revolution by Charles Babcock - this time the author explains why the cloud is different from what came before.
An excerpt from Management Strategies for the Cloud Revolution by InformationWeek editor at large Charles Babcock.
An analyst firm working on a commission from a software-as-a-service vendor has released data showing that SaaS solutions can have a total cost of ownership (TCO) as much as 77% below on-premise solutions.
AllBusiness SMB columnist Ramon Ray blogs about making the shift to cloud computing and talks about what it takes for a satisfactory user experience.
The Wall Street Journal's resident techie Walter S Mossberg explains cloud computing for 'regular folks.'
An interview with Microsoft honcho Steve Ballmer in which he makes the case for his company's online applications and new Azure pay-for-what-you-use hosted computing platform.
Business Intelligence, systematically gathering information about your industry, competitors and customers, is usually a big enterprise application, but if you can buy it as a service it becomes much more affordable.
If you think Microsoft is fully on board with cloud computing, read this blog post from a Google App developer - it ain't necessarily so.
A new software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering from Ringio provides small businesses with big company call center functionality.
The offsite data storage service, formerly Data Deposit Box, adds remote access to the desktop to its continuous backup service in a new cloud-based offering called KineticD.
A blog post with embedded video interview featuring Microsoft's VP of SMB & Distribution, World Wide Small and MidMarket Solutions and Partners.
It isn't news, but here are 10 ways to reduce IT expenditures without sacrificing services.
Software-as-a-service vendors must adjust pricing models to attract customers, IDC says. Good news for small businesses that rely increasingly on SaaS.
Breeze from Concur: it's an expense reporting service that works with Google Apps.
