Ways to Unlock the Potential of a BlackBerry
SaaS Best Path for SMB Unified Communications
We're All There, and Here
Solutions to Remote Access Problems
Document Management: Dos and Don'ts
Online Storage: A Simple and Secure Solution
Move Your Business From Windows to Linux
Visa, Facebook Unveil Social Network for Small Businesses

Ways to Unlock the Potential of a BlackBerry
Wall Street Journal (07/16/08) P. D1; Boehret, Katherine

Several practical shortcuts are included in the majority of BlackBerrys that are accessed by utilizing the keyboard. BlackBerry messaging shortcuts can be a big advantage when a user is attempting to get work done fast. Hitting "C" can allow a user to instantly begin writing a new email, while a series of emails can be better organized by holding the ALT key and pressing a letter. When writing emails, a number of AutoText codes can be typed in the email body to automatically show particular phrases or data. Typing "mynumber" and a space in an email's text will automatically provide a BlackBerry's phone number. The "Help Me!" screen can be accessed by pressing ALT, Shift, and "H" at the same time. This reveals such information as the precise percentage of the BlackBerry's remaining battery power, which could be beneficial if the user does not know how to interpret the incorrect battery indicator bars at the top of the home screen. Another way to make the most of a BlackBerry is to translate its signal strength indicator from bars to numbers that inform the user how many decibels a milliwatt the device is sending, which can be done by going to the Home screen and pressing on the ALT button while typing "NMLL."
(http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB121615180290355595.htm l)

SaaS Best Path for SMB Unified Communications
Small Business Computing (07/14/08); Mottl, Judy

Small to mid-size companies interested in unified communications (UC) should think about the software as a service (SaaS) approach, according to panel UC experts who took part in a recent Web conference. The panel stated the benefits include cost reduction, doing away with implementation problems, and the opportunity SaaS offers to facilitate corporate mobility. The approach offers a quick and efficient deployment model that circumvents the multiple challenges preventing UC adoption, such as integration problems and obstacles in combining IP telephony tools and communication applications into one application. If done correctly, UC can heighten employee productivity and speed up business procedures. One element promoting small and medium-size business UC implementation is employees' growing ease with tools such as instant messaging, social networking, and mobility applications, according to British Telecom UC project director Simon Edwards. To make that occur, these companies must initially examine networking infrastructures, and should make certain the selected SaaS solution does not trap the business in one specific technology. "SMBs have to make sure they stick to an agnostic platform," explained Edwards, noting that the smartest approach is an open-standards platform that facilitates evolving emerging technologies from multiple tool manufacturers. Although panel participants could not offer estimates of UC prices, businesses can obtain a realistic idea of what UC will necessitate by tallying present communications expenses.
(http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/biztools/article.php/3 758551)

We're All There, and Here
Boston Globe (07/14/08); Johnson, Carolyn Y.

While videoconferencing has not lived up to its potential, numerous changes, including better technology, increasing travel expenses, and widespread societal acceptance of Internet video, are fueling expansion in the industry. Wainhouse Research managing partner Andrew W. Davis states the sector grew at around a 30 percent rate over the past year, and predicts that the overall market for factory revenues for all conferencing technologies to be $8 billion in 2008. Videoconferencing is a crossroads for multiple reasons. As more young people enter the workforce, offices are more prepared for videoconferencing. In addition, increasing fuel prices are causing businesses to reduce travel time and costs. Also, firms worried about their carbon imprints or interested in creating an environmentally-friendly image may view videoconferencing as a way to prove their dedication to the environment. The latest videoconferencing systems, however, are expensive; EMC Corp., for instance, paid around $300,000 for its pair of studios in Hopkinton, Mass., and Santa Clara, Calif., and intends to construct more in 2008. An average Telepresence system could cost $200,000, with maintenance expenses of around 15 percent annually.
(http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/07/1 4/were_all_there_and_here/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed6)

Solutions to Remote Access Problems
Processor (07/04/08)Vol. 30, No. 27, P. 1; Cope, James

The growing number of employees using mobile devices at work has created a number of problems for companies. For instance, the desire by employees to use mobile devices to improve their productivity has forced many companies to provide support for a variety of different devices. Companies can address this problem by deciding whether they are going to allow employees to use personal handheld devices for company business and reimburse them for business use or provide them with devices that are for business use only. According to Catherine Sugarbroad, the associate director of business segmentation at Verizon Wireless, it is often simpler and cheaper to distribute company phones to those who need them and partner with their wireless carrier to control and track employees' mobile usage. Another problem created by the move towards a mobile workplace is the increased difficulty of collaborating and exchanging ideas in real time and in communicating visually. However, companies can address this issue by using an online meeting and event service coupled with a fast Internet connection. Finally, the increased use of mobile devices by employees has raised a number of security concerns for companies. Companies can take steps to ensure their mobile workplace is secure, including securing connections to Wi-Fi access points and telling employees to only use public access services that provide a secure connection between the wireless device and the access point.
(http://www.processor.com/editorial/article.asp?Article=artic les/p3027/20p27/20p27.asp&GUID=8A48BD7039D14EC6B3C8C0824C8D06CF)

Document Management: Dos and Don'ts
WebCPA.com (07/01/08); Stimpson, Jeff

There are a number of best practices accounting firms should follow when planning and implementing a document management system. For example, accounting firms should reassess how they organize their documents and discuss how they want to lay out their virtual file cabinets in the planning stage. During the implementation phase, accounting firms should prepare their employees for the changes the document management system will cause, and mimic original paper documents when creating electronic forms and templates. In addition, accounting firms should be sure to start the implementation process in the summer and finish the process slowly. There are also several pitfalls accounting firms should avoid when rolling out a document management system. For instance, accounting firms should not provide their employees with just one training session on how to use the document management system, since workers may find it difficult to get over their frustration with the technology if they do not immediately understand how to use it, said Steve Sandahl, a director at Baton Rouge, La.-based Postlethwaite & Netterville. Finally, accounting firms should not expect the document management system to solve all of their problems or to produce immediate results, said Matthew Rudolph, the IT manager with the Las Vegas-based firm Johnson Jacobson Wilcox. He noted that his company did not begin to see real efficiencies and a return on its investment until three years after implementing the document management system.
(http://www.webcpa.com/article.cfm?articleid=28223)

Online Storage: A Simple and Secure Solution
Data Storage Today (07/08)

Moving data between computers has gotten simpler. Online storage protects a company's information, as all the stored data is encrypted and can just be accessed utilizing a designated password. In addition, it is portable, allowing a user to get access to his files from any machine with an online connection. The majority of online storage services are free or include a no-cost "lite" version, and multiple gigabytes of free space is typical. The Microsoft SkyDrive service provides users with five gigabytes of storage space, and allows the user to choose a current folder such as "documents," "photos," or "videos," or make his own. After the user is inside a folder, he just needs to click on "add files," and then begin choosing the files off his hard drive that he wants to upload, while monitoring the empty-space indicator on the screen's left-hand side. The user can then look at his files from any computer just by returning to the SkyDrive Web site and reentering his Windows Live ID information. For less private data, such as pictures that the user wants to share, he can then formulate several unrestricted folders which he can share with certain friends or the Internet as a whole.
(http://www.data-storage-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60595 )

Move Your Business From Windows to Linux
PC World (07/08); Spanbauer, Scott

Linux is being touted as a good alternative to Windows Vista. The newest distributions are free, simple to install, and very customizable, as they harness a business' current hardware without overburdening it. In addition, the distributions have a bevy of productivity applications and utilities. Each Linux distribution is available at no cost under the terms of the open-source Gnu General Public License. After a company determines which distribution it wants to employ, it can download, burn, and implement it on as many systems as it likes, and there is no software-licensing fee. The majority of Linux distributions include a copy of OpenOffice.org, and nearly every Linux distribution comes with Novell's no-cost Evolution PIM. The two leading Linux window managers--the software that oversees the appearance and behavior of the X Window graphical user interface--are Gnome and KDE. The $60 packaged version of Novell's community-supported OpenSuSE 11.0 includes 90 days of implementation help. For long-term assistance, SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop costs $50 annually, while a support agreement from Canonical begins at $250 annually.
(http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/147879/move_yo ur_business_from_windows_to_linux.html)

Visa, Facebook Unveil Social Network for Small Businesses
Computerworld (06/24/08); Havenstein, Heather

The Visa Business Network introduced by Visa on June 24 is a Facebook-based application that will enable small business owners to find and connect with peers and potential advisers from colleagues already using Facebook via social networking methods, while also facilitating the identification and targeting of new customers by member companies. The network "is designed to be driven by its participants," says Visa's Antonio Lucio. "They will shape content and tell us where they want to go with the site." Facebook's Dan Rose says social network members can exchange information about businesses they appreciate with their friends or social graph, adding that "a business can also market its presence on Facebook by advertising it to Facebook's users in a highly targeted way based on the information generated in a user's profile." Visa has also teamed up with Google to offer network users access to Google Sites, Google Docs, and Google Calendar applications from within Facebook.
(http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewA rticleBasic&articleId=9102958&intsrc=hm_list)