bMighty Blog

Massive Job Losses Don't Spare Small Businesses

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:53:33 -0500

The national unemployment figures are in, and they stink. Really, really stink. And small businesses aren't doing much better.

Microsoft Offers No Response On Response Point

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:51:30 -0500

If you were wondering about the future of Microsoft's Response Point small business VoIP system, you can keep wondering. The system's future has been in doubt for months, and the company declined to clear up the confusion at a meeting with Voice over IP resellers this week.

Small Businesses Hold Back On Tech Spending

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:43:49 -0500

If you're a small business desperately trying to hold the line on your IT budget, you're not alone. A new CDW survey reveals that fewer SMBs expect technology budgets to improve in the next 6 months.

AT&T And CDW Offer Subsidized Netbooks To SMBs

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:37:37 -0500

Wanna buy a netbook real cheap? How about $199? No problem. All you have to do is sign this little 2-year contract for 3G data services...

Cloud Computing: A Security Disaster Waiting To Happen?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:02:27 -0500

Cloud computing is be the biggest risk the Internet has ever faced, according to one hacker. He went so far as to say that security problems in the Cloud may bring "an end to the Internet as we know it."

How SMBs Can Build A Community - A Checklist

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:34:25 -0500

Creating a community around your company or brand can help you connect with customers for marketing, support, and insight, but building a successful community isn't easy. Forrester Research has put together a checklist of what you need to help remove some of the guesswork.

HP Access Discovers The Virtues of "Free"

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:03:23 -0500

HP Access, the company's assistance program for small and midsize business, has dropped its $49 price tag and is now free to buyers of qualifying HP products. Ironically enough, at that price the program actually has some value.

Dell's Adds Ultraportable Notebook To Its Vostro Line For SMBs

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:50:13 -0500

Question: What's smaller than a notebook but bigger than a netbook? Answer: An ultraportable, like Dell's new 3.36-pound Vostro 1220, with a 12.1-inch screen.

Linux Netbook Prices: How Low Can They Go?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:03:51 -0500

Some netbook vendors can't stop bad-mouthing Linux. But it's still the way to go if you want a low-priced, energy-efficient machine that is actually capable of doing useful work.

Social Networks Make Great Phishing Holes (And The Crooks Know It!)

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:06 -0500

The overwhelming popularity of Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks -- as well as the nature of their members' trust in them and their content -- is proving to be bonanza for phishers. So much so that social networking scams increased a stunning 241% between early 2008 and this year.

Are SMBs Facing A Crisis Of Cloud Confidence?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:53:57 -0500

Cloud computing is often thought of as the perfect option for small businesses. But a new survey shows that small businesses share many of the cloud computing concerns of their larger competitors, including security, availability, and speed.

Online Sales Tax Brouhaha Hits More SMB Amazon Affiliates

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:34:51 -0500

Amazon.com has dropped affiliate relationships with small businesses in North Carolina and Rhode Island as the states prepare to implement new laws requiring the company to collect online sales tax.

Cloud Computing... By The Hour

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:04:38 -0500

It's easy to understand the need to for configurable cloud-computing resources. But does anyone really need to buy (rent?) cloud-computing capabilities on an hourly basis? SoftLayer thinks so.

Small vs. Large: Amazon Explains How Companies Use Cloud Computing

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:12:55 -0500

Cloud computing is often promoted as leveling the playing field between small businesses and large enterprises. But Andrew R. Jassy, senior vice president of Web services at Amazon, says that small companies use the cloud differently.

Botnet Alert: 90% Of Email Now Spam

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:58:24 -0500

Nine out of ten e-mails are now spam, according to the latest Symantec/MessageLabs Intelligence Report. And more than 83% of that spam is generated by botnets, relatively unaffected by large shutdowns of spam servers.

KACE Offers Mac Management Upgrade

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:02:04 -0500

Apple Macintosh users like to believe that they use the best computers around. And maybe they do. But from an IT-management perspective, Macs in mixed environments have often been treated as red-headed step-children. The next versions of KACE's KBOX Systems Management Appliance aims to level the playing field with Mac-management tools on par with its Windows offerings.

Adaptive Planning Says Challenging Economy Requires More Sophisticated Planning Tools

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:56:47 -0500

Is the recession bottoming out or will things get worse? Is a comeback bounce around the corner, or are we looking at the dreaded "L-shaped" recovery where business remains stuck at a depressed level? More to the point, what is your company going to do about whatever scenario plays out?

NetGear Adds PoE Stackable Switches to Line

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:51:32 -0500

Increasingly, small and medium businesses are using IP to collapse their voice and data networks. Rather than manage two autonomous networks, corporations can combine the two, which eases management functions, lowers costs, and increases efficiency. However, these new converged networks require additional capabilities, such as Power over Ethernet (PoE), so NetGear added that feature to its switches.

Macintosh Malware + Twitter = Greater Vigilance (If You're Smart)

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:51:46 -0500

Tweets from a respected Macintosh evangelist inadvertently contained links to a Trojan horse aimed at Macintosh computers. The incident should serve as a warning to Mac-using SMBs that while their Macs aren't nearly as subject to malware attacks as Windows machines are, that's not a guarantee that nothing bad can happen.

How Much Would YOU Pay For Windows 7 ?

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:16:15 -0500

Windows 7 has taken another big step toward reality as Microsoft reveals how much it will cost and announces a special early-bird discount. Meanwhile, PC makers begin to roll out promises of free upgrades.

The Desktop Is Dead. So Is The Server!

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:25:59 -0500

Are rumors concerning the death of the desktop PC greatly exaggerated? Or will the server soon be joining it on the Grim Reaper's hardware hit list?

How Long Should Your Business Keep Its Computers?

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:18:02 -0500

When does buying new PCs for your business become cheaper than NOT buying new PCs for your business? According to Intel, it's when those PCs reach the ripe old age of... 3.

CODA and Corefino Hope Midmarket CFOs Are Ready For "Cloud Accounting"

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:01:00 -0500

Corefino 2go combines the CODA 2go Software as a Service accounting package with Corefino's Triple-C Technology Platform and outsourced accountants.

Mobile Security: IT Pros Anything But Secure With Mobile Devices

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:05:38 -0500

Do as they say, not as they do might be a good description of the practices of IT professionals when it comes to mobile devices. A new survey from Credant shows that IT Professionals are not much better than anyone else when it comes to using a password to protect data stored on phones or other mobile devices.

Does Web-Based Printing (Finally!) Have A Future?

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:37:40 -0500

HP is aiming its new Web-enabled printer mostly at the home consumer market. But it could easily turn out to be a great fit for small -- or even not-so-small -- companies.