Small Business Computing Staff

by Cathy Brower As december 31st neared, the media was completely frenzied. Not only was the world worried about what horrible computer problems would befall us, but now a new threat was looming. Terrorists were thought to be plotting major attacks to coincide with the New Year’s celebrations. The stories were endless. Russia was sending […]

by Michele Marrinan Any business that sells a service whether it’s a consulting firm, a public relations agency, or a graphic design house ­ knows that the process of billing clients for time can be one of the most cumbersome and time consuming tasks that they face. Quite often these businesses attract “idea people” and […]

by Liz Levy In 1999, flat panel monitors gained enormous popularity. New models with larger display sizes and lower prices made it possible for many newcomers to adorn their desktops with these sexy, slim displays. With the year 2000 comes another wave of advancements (and price drops) that include new space-saving and ergonomic technologies, multimedia […]

by Liz Levy Double DutyWhy buy a separate scanner and printer when you can have one unit? Epson’s Stylus Scan 2000 is a high-quality color printing and scanning machine. The printer has a resolution of 1440 x 720 dpi and the sheet-fed scanner is 36-bit with a 300 x 600 dpi resolution. The unit has […]

by Jane Liano How to navigate the labyrinth of long distance servicesFew things in life are more confusing than trying to determine which long distance plan offers the best rates. With fixed rates, variable rates, interstate, intrastate, “local” toll, and toll free services all falling under the umbrella of long distance, it gets confusing. And […]

by Robert J. Wagman With Silicon Valley start-ups driving up advertising costs in print and broadcast, some businesses have found a clever way to save money. Their trick: advertise widely in newspapers using small, cheap classified ads that contain only a URL. But they may be too clever for their own good. Many newspapers charge […]

by David G. Propson The Internet has improved life in so many ways ­ from spam to Matt Drudge ­ and now it may make it easier to get sued. By making long, expensive pre-trial negotiations easier, two new online services are looking to make out well themselves. In online mediation, two parties submit offers […]

by Deborah Cusa At first it might sound like something from a sci-fi movie. Satellites located high above the atmosphere surveil the planet and transmit data back to Earth. It conjures up images from Star Wars and while it may be appropriate for high-tech military programs or multi-national corporate experiments, it is seemingly way beyond […]

by Angela R. Garber First turn off the monitor. now try navigating the Internet. Sound impossible? Almost a million blind Americans face this same challenge every day when they try to access information on the World Wide Web. But much of the information remains just out of reach. The government has long required brick-and-mortar establishments […]

by Doug Gantenbein When Terry Dennis took over as CEO of Planet City Software, a maker of business software located in Sedona, Ariz., he had a top priority: Fix the Web site. Planet City’s site (www.planetcity.com) was, as he puts it, “horrible.” The site’s original designers had attempted to give the company name a too-literal […]

by David G. Propson As with many small-business Web sites, there’s less to Onvia than meets the eye. It offers business services, products, news, and advice, but can be inconvenient and even confusing. Links to all Onvia has to offer are packed into the front page, so everything’s easy to get to. The “My Business” […]

by Alan Joch Most businesses don’t need to be sold on the benefits of networks. It’s the hassles of physically wiring together printers, communications servers, and other network devices that can stop even the most enthusiastic would-be network manager cold. For many growing companies, the never-ending modifications necessary to keep up with new network equipment […]