Information Technology

The Smaller Business' Edge: Treating IT Right

August 12, 2008 | Newly minted IT grads are looking at higher than ever salaries from big business. Smaller businesses can't compete on the paycheck, but they can attract IT talent if they make their place of work a place employees want to remain.
By Naomi Grossman

Q&A With Philips Architecture's Ryan Suydam: Talking to Management about Technology

August 8, 2008 | IT can help influence technology investments, if only they would speak the same language as management. IT director Ryan Suydam explains why the communication gap exists and how IT can close it and effectively communicate to management how technology can benefit them.
By James A. Martin, Courtesy of Cisco

Q&A With Emerson's Jack Pouchet: A No-Brainer Approach to Conserving Power, Cutting Costs

August 4, 2008 | Every piece of equipment in your business presents an opportunity to save power and cut costs. Emerson's Jack Pouchet explains how a few simple ideas and policies can lower your electricity bills -- and help the environment.
By Naomi Grossman

Q&A With Gene Marks: Collaboration Tools Boost the Bottom Line

July 28, 2008 | Small business consulting expert Gene Marks spoke to bMighty about the myriad of collaboration tools that have helped small and midsize businesses cut costs and improve efficiencies -- including his own, which now has 10 employees and no office space.
By Naomi Grossman

The Zen of Password Cracking

July 25, 2008 | Password cracking is an integral part of a security audit -- and can be a lot of fun. Cisco's Jimmy Ray Purser has four methods to accomplish this and the tools IT administrators can use to do it on their own.
By Jimmy Ray Purser, Courtesy of Cisco

Mid-Market Heroes: TodaysMama's Rachael Herrscher Proves Women Can Have it All

July 23, 2008 | Rachael Herrscher is seeking work/life balance not just for herself but for the 30 employees of TodaysMama, the business she co-founded four years ago. She found what she was looking for with the help of tech tools, from smartphones to IM to collaboration. Now, TodaysMama is no longer just a business; it has become a community.
By Naomi Grossman

CEO Cheat Sheet: Greening the Data Center

July 18, 2008  | Cut your energy costs with a few quick, easy tips for greening your data center, from Cisco System's Jimmy Ray Purser
Courtesy of Cisco Systems

CEO Cheat Sheet: Greening the Data Center

July 18, 2008 | Cut your energy costs with a few quick, easy tips for greening your data center, from Cisco's Jimmy Ray Purser
By Naomi Grossman, Courtesy of Cisco

When Speed Just Isn't Enough: A Network Quality Check

July 11, 2008 | As your smaller business' network traffic grows, getting faster switches isn't your only option. Jimmy Ray Purser says that paying attention to a network's quality of service -- by classifying packets as they enter your network -- can be just as important
By Jimmy Ray Purser, Courtesy of Cisco

Online Database Managers Make Collaboration -- and More -- Easy

July 10, 2008 | How to collaborate on and manage all the data that evolves in any company has always been a challenge for smaller businesses. But online database managers let businesses do it all cheaper and easier and now there are a host of options to choose from
By Mike Hogan

Q&A With Hank Marquis: Defining IT Services to Ensure Business Success

July 7, 2008 | Business success is no longer just about what tech tools you have; now success is all about how your business uses those tech tools -- and a business' IT department holds that key. Enterprise Management Associates' Hank Marquis explains to bMighty how a smaller business can unlock the potential buried within IT by learning how to work effectively with the IT department.
By Naomi Grossman

Microsoft Inches Closer to Enterprise Management Play

June 30, 2008 | The challenges of network and systems management give many IT technicians in smaller businesses ulcers. Trying to manage and troubleshoot a hodgepodge of increasing complex devices can be vexing, but help is taking shape on the far horizon
By Paul Korzeniowski

Cloud Computing's Strengths Play To Smaller Companies' Needs

June 24, 2008 | For small and midsize companies, cloud computing offers enterprise-class or even better, consumer class -- applications for far less than enterprises pay to do it themselves
By Fredric Paul

Mid-Market Heroes: Tech Implementation, Amish-Style

June 23, 2008 | When Lavern Schlabach introduced an ERP system and BI processes to Keim Lumber, a nearly 100-year-old home improvement and lumber company, he faced an unusual challenge: A predominantly Amish staff with little or no exposure to technology. But a slow, methodical approach coupled with cultural sensitivity ensured a smooth and painless implementation.
By Naomi Grossman

Enterprise 2.0 Tools for Growing Companies

June 23, 2008 | Bringing Web 2.0 tools into the workplace was a hot topic at Enterprise 2.0. From new products and services to the emerging technology trends, the show was awash in opportunities for smaller businesses to increase their competitive advantage by adopting Web 2.0 tools that can level the playing field.
By Naomi Grossman

How to Build Your Very Own Hack Lab -- on the Cheap!

June 20, 2008 | Truly understanding network security only comes with hands-on experience. Building your own hack lab can give you the skills you need to become a network security expert. Jimmy Ray Purser takes you step-by-step through that process
By Jimmy Ray Purser, Courtesy of Cisco

How I Hack Your Layer 2 Network

June 13, 2008 | Many smaller businesses think they have to put up with lower end security because they cannot afford more expensive enterprise gear. Jimmy Ray says that's not true -- and he wants to show smaller business how to keep their networks secure, on a budget
By Jimmy Ray Purser, Courtesy of Cisco

Online Data Storage: Keeping Your Smaller Business' Data Safe

June 12, 2008 | Storing your business data online means it's always available -- and it'll never get lost. And now there are lots of affordable options for smaller businesses
By Heather Clancy

E-Mail Archiving for Smaller Businesses

June 11, 2008 | E-mail pours into businesses every day and it never stops. How to turn that flood into an asset? By selecting an e-mail archiving system that meets their needs, smaller businesses can protect themselves from litigation, boost productivity, and ensure business continuity.
By Jake Widman

Midmarket Heroes: Scuba Toys -- Scuba Community Dives into Web 2.0

June 10, 2008 | Founding a scuba gear company in a landlocked part of Texas might not seem like the best idea. But Scuba Toy's founder Larry Dague has used Web 2.0 to reach scuba divers around the world -- and create a community of divers that keep coming back for more
By Naomi Grossman

CEO Cheat Sheet: The Benefits of Collaboration Tools

June 6, 2008 | Smaller businesses can simplify processes and enhance relationships using collaboration tools. MIT Professor Erik Brynjolfsson explains how and looks at the technologies improving these tools
By Naomi Grossman, Courtesy of Cisco

CEO Cheat Sheet: The Benefits of Collaboration Tools

June 6, 2008  | Smaller businesses can simplify processes and enhance relationships using collaboration tools. MIT Professor Erik Brynjolfsson explains how and looks at the technologies improving these tools.
Courtesy of Cisco Systems

Strategy Matters: Smaller Businesses Move Quickly to Strategic Alignment

June 5, 2008 | Even seasoned business leaders struggle to put strategy into action, focusing on the "what" at the expense of the "how." Because smaller businesses have more visibility into the interdependencies, conflicts, resources, and deliverables that often hobble larger organizations, they can move more nimbly to put strategy into action.
By Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting

Q&A With Adam Lloyd Eiseman of Lloyd Group: How to Transform Technology from Headache to Asset

May 30, 2008 | Small and midsize businesses don't have the resources to develop a technology strategy. Lloyd Group's Adam Eiseman suggests that a relationship with a trusted technology partner can be just as powerful in ensuring that smaller businesses maximize the business value of their networks
By Ewan Morrison, Courtesy of Cisco

Emergency Preparedness for Smaller Businesses: How Good is Your Plan?

May 29, 2008 | With tornadoes tearing across America's Midwest, the deadly Myanmar cyclone, and China still reeling from the recent earthquake and continuing aftershocks, now is a time to consider emergency preparedness. And though most companies have formal, written emergency plans, few know for sure those plans will work when disaster strikes
By Paul Korzeniowski