The bMighty Blog -- Hardware & Software

That's One Way To Choose A Technology Vendor

Posted by Benjamin Tomkins 12:15 AM ET | May 14, 2008

Smaller businesses rely on partners to design, customize, install, support, and service their technology needs from infrastructure to customer-facing applications and everything in between. That makes the choice of vendor every bit as crucial, as the software, hardware, and services they provide. There are myriad reasons to select a particular vendor, but the latest third-party data on their quality could help inform a tough decision.

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Hardware & Software

You Think You've Really Destroyed That Data? Take A Look At What Got Recovered From Shuttle Columbia

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:31 AM ET | May 13, 2008

The loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew in 2003 continues to haunt many of us -- and, unexpectedly, has offered a lesson in the persistence of hard disk data.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Security | Storage

Firefox 3.0 Release Schedule Update

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 08:15 AM ET | May 13, 2008

In a previous post, I mentioned that we would probably see a Firefox 3.0 release candidate before the end of the month. Based on a senior Mozilla developer's recent remarks, that estimate looks to be right on track.

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Apple | Hardware & Software | Internet/Web | Linux | Open Source | Windows

OpenOffice.org Readies Its Mac Attack

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 07:27 AM ET | May 13, 2008

Mac support has never been a big selling point for OpenOffice.org. Fortunately, this is about to change in a big way.

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Apple | Hardware & Software | Open Source

Stamp Costs Are Up. E-Mail Costs Are Not

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:33 AM ET | May 12, 2008

The US Postal Service is increasing the costs of stamps again. It'll now cost you 42 cents to mail a letter -- and you'll have to dig deeper to mail other items also. But the price of sending an e-mail hasn't changed.

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Hardware & Software | Sales/Marketing

More On Disaster Recovery: Mind The Gaps In Your Plans

Posted by Keith Ferrell 01:49 PM ET | May 7, 2008

We've talked a lot here about disaster recovery, and almost as much about planning for disaster recovery. In considering these, it's well-worth considering -- and looking for -- any hidden gaps or vulnerabilities that might bring even the best-laid plans to grief.

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Business & E-Business | Hardware & Software | IT | Management | Non-Profit | Security | Services | Storage | bMighty

Big Blue Thinks Smaller

Posted by Naomi Grossman 12:26 PM ET | May 6, 2008

IBM is launching a web-based application initiative for smaller businesses. The company is finally starting to realize there's real money to be made off small to midsize businesses. The question is what took them so long?

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Hardware & Software

Most Workplace Toilet Seats Are Cleaner Than Most Workers' Keyboards

Posted by Keith Ferrell 02:54 PM ET | May 5, 2008

The viruses in your computer can harm your computer's data; the viruses (and germs and bacteria and toxins) on your computer can harm you.

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Green Business | HR | Hardware & Software | Healthcare | Open Source | Security

Interop: Smaller Businesses Get Some Attention

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:26 AM ET | May 2, 2008

There was lots and lots of focus on larger enterprises at Interop, but, if you looked for it, you could find that many tech companies are thinking more and more about the smaller business.

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Business & E-Business | Hardware & Software | Networking & Communications

Interop: Jumping to SaaS -- Look Before You Leap

Posted by Benjamin Tomkins 09:30 PM ET | Apr 30, 2008

Got SaaS yet? If not, you're either a nattering nincompoop or blazingly brilliant. For every drumbeat touting the power and ease of Saas to remake your IT operations, there's competing tympany warning of the dire hazards of leaping into SaaS headlong.

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Hardware & Software | Services

Two Must-Have Open-Source Security Tools

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 11:49 PM ET | Apr 29, 2008

Over the past decade, open-source developers have created some of the world's top-rated IT security tools. While some of these applications have a well-deserved reputation for being complicated and difficult to use, there are some notable exceptions.

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Hardware & Software | Open Source | Security

Those Social Networking Apps? Not as Safe as Your Employees Think

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:54 AM ET | Apr 28, 2008

There's lots of talk about the time-wasting element inherent in social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Along comes yet another reason for a smaller business to block these sites: Security, or lack thereof.

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Hardware & Software | Networking & Communications | Security

McAfee And PlumChoice DoubleTeam For Remote Business Tech Services

Posted by Keith Ferrell 10:44 AM ET | Apr 24, 2008

The latest alliance targeting small and midsize business tech-needs is McAfee's just-announced linkup with PlumChoice to provide on-demand tech services to, well, to you.

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Hardware & Software | Networking & Communications | Security | Services | Storage | bMighty

Hard Drive Encryption Becomes Loaded-Laptop Hard Drive Feature

Posted by Keith Ferrell 03:07 PM ET | Apr 23, 2008

With nearly three-quarters of a million laptop and notebook computers lost or stolen each year, there's a better than good argument for equipping yourself and your remote staff with encrypted disks on their portable gear.

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Hardware & Software | Mobile | Security | bMighty

Web 2.0 + Business = Enterprise 2.0 (Coming Soon, if the IT Guys Let it in)

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:52 AM ET | Apr 22, 2008

A new report by Forrester Research predicts that enterprise spending on Web 2.0 technologies is going to increase dramatically over the next five years. But before you IT guys get all a-"twitter," we're not talking about consumer Web 2.0 here: We're talking Enterprise 2.0, and it's not your teenager's Facebook.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Technology/Telecom

Ooops -- Microsoft Nags More Office Users Than It Meant To

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:12 AM ET | Apr 21, 2008

Microsoft's latest attempt to track down illegitimate copies of its programs -- in this case Office -- went a bit (and way more than a bit) farther than the company intended last week when it released an Office piracy detector worldwide, instead of to the four countries the program targeted.

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Hardware & Software | International | Piracy | Security | Windows | bMighty

Keeping Up With The Linux Kernel

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 08:06 PM ET | Apr 17, 2008

Linux kernel development is a serious, and very complicated, process. You don't have to be a programmer, however, or even a Linux power user, to appreciate the end result -- especially when a new version of the Linux kernel hits the street.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Linux | Open Source

PBX For Small Business: Asterisk Comes A-Callin'

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 08:51 PM ET | Apr 15, 2008

The market for open-source business software today is growing so quickly that it can be hard to single out the really exceptional success stories. If I had to pick just one, however, I think I know which one it would be.

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Business & E-Business | Hardware & Software | Linux | Networking & Communications | Open Source | Technology/Telecom

For Those Looking to Get Free of Vista, There's Help

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:39 AM ET | Apr 15, 2008

Apparently, smaller businesses are quite passionate about Windows XP. But the reality is if you are in the market for a new machine, chances are you're going to get Vista -- whether you like it or not. Help, though, is just a few clicks away.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Linux

Thumbs Down: Flash Drives Are Bigger Threat Than Many Of You Know

Posted by Keith Ferrell 11:00 AM ET | Apr 14, 2008

The sheer convenience and affordability of flash drives is matched -- and more than matched -- by the threat potential they possess. And that's according to one of the drives' leading manufacturers.

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Business & E-Business | Hardware & Software | IT | Security | Storage | bMighty

XP Users get Passionate and Try to Save Their OS. Do Smaller Businesses Feel the Love?

Posted by Naomi Grossman 10:52 AM ET | Apr 14, 2008

Microsoft plans to end full support of Windows XP in just a year and will stop selling XP at the end of June. But a Web petition to save XP is gaining momentum -- and getting attention. Who knew XP-users had such passion for their operating system? Or such hatred for Vista?

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Hardware & Software | IT

Lessons Learned From Protestors: Tech Tools Can Help

Posted by Naomi Grossman 11:00 AM ET | Apr 11, 2008

The pro-Tibet demonstrators attempting to disrupt the Olympic torch's international publicity tour are impressive not only in their ability to garner attention for their cause but also in their effective use of tech tools to do that. Smaller businesses could learn something from these guys.

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Hardware & Software | Mobile | Technology/Telecom

Pointers For Picking The Right Linux Distro

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 08:55 PM ET | Apr 10, 2008

Everybody loves a good list -- especially bloggers and opinion columnists. Here's a pointer to a list that is likely to make your job a bit easier if you're shopping for the right Linux distro for your business needs.

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Hardware & Software | Linux | Open Source

Old Hardware, New Tricks: Building A Linux File Server

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 05:56 PM ET | Apr 4, 2008

Want to bring some law and order to an unruly small-business IT setup? A Linux file server could be just the ticket -- and if you have an old, obsolete PC sitting around the office, you've got everything you need to get started.

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Hardware & Software | IT | Linux | Open Source

Death And Taxes On Linux: One Down, One To Go

Posted by Matthew McKenzie 08:21 AM ET | Apr 2, 2008

Of the two inevitabilities in life, Linux can't do much about death. Can it do anything to help you with your taxes?

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Business & E-Business | Finance/Accounting | Hardware & Software | Linux | Open Source