Gerry Blackwell

Do you find traditional “slim-and-light” or even “ultraportable” notebook computers — machines with 13- or 14-inch screens — too big and clunky to cart around? And do you also think under-sized netbooks are too under-powered for your needs? If that describes your taste in notebook PCs, then the new Dell Inspiron M101Z laptop, which falls […]

Small businesses can do their bit for the environment, and reduce costs, simply by being a little smarter about how they use information technology. Start here with our top 10 green IT tips, compiled with help from consultant Roger Hyde, of ConsultITGreen. They’re presented in no particular order. 1. Measure Usage  Examine current business practices […]

Big companies almost always have IT departments that help them select technology, install, integrate and maintain it, train employees, provide desktop support and fix systems that break. If you’re a small business owner, you probably don’t have an IT department. So how do you manage the technology in your company? In too many cases, the […]

Hosted IP-based PBX service provider 8×8 has taken the next logical step in cloud-based communications, adding unified communications (UC) capabilities to its online PBX service. The Virtual Office Pro business phone service, launched earlier this year, bundles Internet fax, presence, instant messaging, online meetings and call recording with existing PBX features such as automated attendant, […]

If you don’t know everything you’d like to know about what makes your business tick — what works, what doesn’t and how much it all costs — you need business intelligence or BI. Business intelligence solutions pull data from multiple operational systems (finance, sales, supply chain management, etc.), integrate it, analyze it and present it […]

LCD monitors, like PCs, are a pretty much a commodity item. Sure, you’ll find very high-end models aimed at power users and graphics workers, but monitors for the average small business employee tend to get scant attention in the computer buying process. And that’s too bad, because a good LCD monitor can make a huge […]

According to a three-year-old study from Price Waterhouse Coopers, 70 percent of small firms that experience a major data loss go out of business within a year. It’s a sobering statistic. Yet despite the potentially devastating effects of data loss, too many small businesses don’t adequately protect themselves with a disaster recovery plan. “A lot […]

Early in the iPad era — a few weeks ago — a debate raged in the tech blogosphere about whether Apple’s new tablet computer could be used as a mobile tool for business. That debate has pretty much died down, and the reason is simple. Whatever the iPad’s technical merits or shortcomings – and it […]

Email marketing has become a crucial activity for many small businesses. An email newsletter often is often their main mode of engaging customers, building loyalty and driving sales. It’s not rocket science, but email marketing the right way does require basic know-how. And while we could have come up with a top 100 list, if […]

Digital signs — flat panel TV screens showing advertising and informational content — are all around us: on the highway, in the supermarket, at your doctor’s office. They’ve become part of the everyday landscape. According to industry advocates such as Lyle Bunn, a digital signage consultant and educator with Bunn Co., and the Digital Signage […]

Is FileMaker Pro 11, the latest version of the ‘easy-to-use’ relational database for PC and Mac from FileMaker Inc., an essential upgrade that puts FileMaker head-and-shoulders above competitors? The short answer is probably not. But the longer answer will depend on your needs and resources. FileMaker Pro 11 does include substantial new features — new […]

Many small business people use multiple computing devices for work – desktop PCs at office and home, laptops, smartphones, netbooks — and switch between them depending on the circumstance. The problem is, they typically need many of the same files on all their devices. SharpCast Inc. offers SugarSync, an online service that makes it easy […]