Carla Schroder

If you are interested in adding the Linux operating system to your small business IT arsenal, you might wonder where on Earth to buy Linux computers? You can always download Linux for free and install it yourself, but that’s not always the best option, because you have a business to run and can’t spend your […]

Whether you’re a retailer or a restaurateur, a point-of-sale (POS) system can make a big difference in streamlining your business. However, the scope of POS is very broad with hundreds of different POS software packages and vendors. You can expect to invest a fair bit of time figuring out what will best fit your business. […]

Project management is challenging, because even a simple project has a fair bit of complexity including to-do lists, milestones, status updates, scheduling, sharing documents. Some small businesses get by with email, spreadsheets and conference calls. If you’re looking for something a little more sophisticated, more organized, and centralized, take a look at the Collabtive project […]

OwnCloud is the amazing new open source cloud upstart that makes it easy to set up your own private cloud server. This lets you and your employees share files and calendars — and access the data files from anywhere — while you maintain control over the server upon which the data resides. This is the […]

One of the biggest small business marketing assets is a friendly human face. That personal touch is pure gold. Think about your own experiences: when you use a Web contact form or send an email to a business, do you expect a prompt, helpful response? Or is your default expectation somewhat lower? I expect most […]

In the article 10 Reasons Why Your Small Business Website Stinks, we went into detail on the various ways in which small business entrepreneurs can shoot their businesses in the proverbial foot by means of a poorly built website. Take heart, because in this article, we look at six ways you can fix those problems […]

Whether you’re designing a new website for your business or improving an old one, always ask these questions first: What do I want my site to do? Why are people coming to my site? If they’re current customers, how can I keep them happy? If they’re not customers yet, how does my site help turn […]

Even a small business generates giant quantities of data, and a good business intelligence suite helps you analyze and make sense of it all. When you have an accurate picture of where you are, you’ll see where you can go, and any of these excellent Linux-based small business intelligence suites will take you there. JasperReports […]

Linux powers everything from humble, small business servers to Amazon, Facebook, Google, and the London Stock Exchange. Linux servers offer all the flexibility and power you’ll ever need. In this roundup we’ll look at some of the best general-purpose Linux servers for your small business. All of the Linux small business servers mentioned here run […]

The Internet is a big, bad scary place, and so we must protect our small business networks with good stout firewalls. Firewalls can range from a simple gadget that keeps bad data packets out of our networks, to sophisticated multi-function gateways. Let’s take a look at a sampling of the many fine open source firewalls […]

Smartphones and tablets are versatile little computers, and the Android open source mobile platform has exploded like crazy, with something for everyone. Here are five excellent mobile Android gadgets for the small business user, plus a bonus Linux tablet. Qooq Splash-Proof Tablet: Versatility The Qooq French Digital Cookbook is a splash-proof tablet designed to live […]

What could be better than working from home? For a lot of workers it sounds like heaven. But bosses don’t always see it the same way, and they worry about things like tech support or what remote employees are really doing. Telecommuting can help you cut costs, and it’s a great perk to offer your […]