Computer Upgrade Support

Is your companyan early  or late adopter of technology?

Most small businesses are somewhere in the middle and here are some emerging technologies that are piquing the interest of small businesses as they are starting to be adopted and are maturing in their feature set and lifecycle.

VoIP or Voice over IP is a technology which allows telephone calls to be made over your broadband Internet connection versus using the standard analog line to make telephone calls. You can use your computer to make the calls using a special IP telephone or an adapter on your standard telephone. This type of technology and service has its advantages, especially if your data connection is underutilized. Another area in which VoIP is advantageous is for those who travel often. You could be in another country, plug in your computer and make calls anywhere in the world and not need a specialized international cell phone or calling plan. It may even appear, at first glance, that you can make telephone calls for free since you're using the same resource as your Internet connection.

However, there are drawbacks to this technology. If the power goes out, you will not be able to make or receive calls unless you have a battery backup for your Internet connection. Since the technology relies on another technology – your Internet connection, you can have inconsistent uptime and voice quality.

SaaS or Software as a Service is more of a model or methodology where software applications are used or accessed via the web versus installing the application on each user's machine and running the software "locally". These products are built specifically for one-to-many usage over the Internet. The advantages include no maintenance or updates by the IT department, no management of hardware, instant updates delivered by the software company, and pay-as- you go licensing model. Some of the most popular or well known SaaS products include Office Live, Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, QuickBooks or TuboTax Online, GotToMeeting, WebEx etc.

The disadvantages to these services are that it may cost more in the long run, you have less control over the application or little customization capabilities and the vendor's longevity or viability is more of a concern.

Windows 7 is the next generation of Microsoft's operating system. Microsoft Windows 7 will help customers in four key areas: Find and Use information, Enable Mobile Workforce, Improve Security and Compliance and Optimize the Desktop Infrastructure. Features such as Instant Searching, Windows Meeting Place, Sync Center, improved power management, and integrated Windows Defender are great enhancements for business users. However, the hardware, processor and memory requirements are greater than ever.

Prior to implementing Windows 7 we recommend that each business consider three key factors:

• Age of your workstation hardware
• Application compatibility
• Need for Windows 7 features

Open Source software is gradually garnering the attention of business owners, especially in cash-strapped small and medium enterprise environments. The myriad of enterprise class applications available today, from desktop applications like Google Apps, to ERP/CRM offerings like SugarCRM, OpenXchange, Untangle and a host of others, will be of some benefit to those who are willing to take the leap.

For assistance with the evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of emerging technology and to determine if your business will benefit from the implementation of these new technologies, contact Tech Prognosis at (512) 814-8044.