Pam Baker

Federal contracts look like a mixed blessing to many small business owners. On the “blessing” side, they tend to be larger and more lucrative than the private contracts that a small business typically lands. According to a 2011 American Express OPEN government contracting survey, “small business contractors are more likely to exceed $1 million in […]

Handling credit cards is serious business made all the more so by the regulations and subsequent penalties for failing to comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards. But meeting those standards can be a bit tricky, as we learned in A Small Business Guide to PCI Compliance. There are numerous PCI-DSS security standards itemized and […]

While you’re putting together all the elements you need for that small business printing project and wondering what happened to the “paperless office” prediction, odds are you’re also wondering how best to commit that project to paper. Sure, you know the options: DIY, online printing, or commercial printer. But which is the best for this […]

Small businesses have many advantages over the big guys, not the least of which are speed and agility. Social collaboration tools are a natural fit to magnify these advantages, but big competitors can use them to speed their efforts, too. It is imperative, then, to use these tools post haste. The good news is that […]

It’s hard for a small business to decide what to do with Big Data, if anything, because all the hype is so vague. Typically the description of what Big Data is goes something like this: “it is data with velocity, variety and volume.” Well, that’s illuminating, isn’t it? “It really means data that is too […]

For many small business merchants, PCI compliance is a baffling and expensive exercise. As a result, many small businesses frequently put off dealing with the issue or push it aside entirely. But disregarding the issue is a terrible plan, because doing so can cost you dearly. “Do not ignore PCI compliance,” warns Robert Mangiafico, the […]

Fishbowl Inventory 2012 may be a niche-filler, but it’s no weakling stopgap measure. The popular inventory management add-on for QuickBooks does a commendable job keeping inventory assets in full view and on the move for small businesses. It’s even suitable for mid-sized businesses or departments of larger organizations. “NASA, for example, uses Fishbowl to track […]

Choosing the right small business IT for your company can be a tricky and confusing affair, even for computer-savvy small businesses. Technology changes too quickly for any one person to fully keep track, so the options can seem both foreign and endless. Time constraints can double the trouble, since it’s common for small businesses to […]

Work-at-home entrepreneurs can build empires on a shoestring budget by using innovative technology to do the work and solve problems. Mobile and remote computing in particular help small businesses turn on a dime to meet and beat changing job and market conditions. Unfortunately, those technologies also pose the greatest security threats to the company. Typically, […]

Some small business owners will never feel secure enough to trust their business data to a cloud storage company, and news of online storage security gone wrong doesn’t soothe anyone’s nerves. But like most things in life, the issue of online storage security isn’t black and white. Pam Baker takes a look at the issues […]

Mobile commerce is one of the biggest trends to hit the retail world since ecommerce itself, and you don’t want to miss out. But you probably don’t want to spend a fortune on making it easier for customers to shop on your site with a mobile device. We’ve got you covered. Take a gander at […]

As a small business owner, you probably know that you need to protect your customers’ personal information, and that you’re liable for any data breaches. But how much time and effort do you spend protecting your own identity? Check out these great tips from eSecurityPlanet, and you’ll feel better knowing that your confidential data is […]