Archive for February, 2007
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007
Before you Upgrade, Try Training
While many companies will often look at the direct costs associated with a technology upgrade (hardware, software, telecommunications), they rarely take into account the “soft” costs associated with training their employees on a new system. Even more important, companies are just starting to realize the real benefits and increased revenue from training their employees on [...]
No Comments » - Posted in IV General Posts, Productivity, Technology Upgrades, Training by Jake Carey-Rand
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007
IT Training, Outsourcing and the “Threat” of Globalization
ComputerWorld.com released a special report last July discussing the future of IT jobs and what we can expect in 2010. I recently came across the various articles produced by the results of this study and want to share some relevant insight. The researchers’ primary focus concentrated on how to keep up with the outsourcing trend [...]
No Comments » - Posted in IV General Posts, Outsourcing, Productivity, Training by Jake Carey-Rand
Monday, February 26th, 2007
Linux vs. Microsoft: The OS Debate
In Bexley Ohio, school district officials announced last week that they will migrate all computers to Linux from Microsoft Windows by 2010, apparently saving them $412,000. (This number should be argued, as I doubt they considered the true cost, but more on that later.) While this decision was based on a number of issues (cost [...]
No Comments » - Posted in IV General Posts, Linux, Microsoft, Software, Technology Upgrades, Vista by Jake Carey-Rand
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007
Are the “Google Apps” a Viable Small Business Tool?
As I’ve discussed before, IV uses Google to host its email and it works like a charm. In addition, I have been using Google’s set of “Apps” for collaborative word processing, excel and calendar functions for the past eight months or so (perhaps closer to a year).
This morning, Google announced the official release of Google [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Google, IV General Posts, Microsoft, Outsourcing, Productivity, Software by Jake Carey-Rand
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007
Microsoft “Vista Approved” Applications
Microsoft announced today its list of 800 “Vista Approved” third-party applications. Some items not listed on this list may still work, however good luck getting any support from Microsoft on their compatibility. You can view the full list and announcement here.
However, please note some of the more important omissions from this list. According to computerworld.com, [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in IV General Posts, Microsoft, Software, Technology Planning, Technology Upgrades, Vista by Jake Carey-Rand
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007
“Judging by the list, toddlers with speech impediments are naming startups these days.”
I loved the above statement so much I had to share it with y’all. Seriously, I think the latest game is to think of the most bizarre way to misspell common words (or combine random ones for a random meaning) and somehow think this is a good way to express the meaning of your company. [...]
No Comments » - Posted in IV General Posts, Lists, Media, Startups, Web2.0 by Jake Carey-Rand
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007
Asset Management: Risk vs. Bigger Risk
Jon Oltsik, Senior Analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group and contributing writer for CNET’s News.com, wrote a great article this morning on the prevailing lack of proper asset management and tracking strategies in corporations. He even sites the Department of Homeland Security’s inability to properly document its technology infrastructure:
“If you think that I’m exaggerating, check [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Asset Management, IV General Posts, Technology Planning by Jake Carey-Rand
Wednesday, February 21st, 2007
Time Is Sped Up This Year: Beware Daylight Savings Time
March 11th (that’s the second Sunday in March) marks daylight savings time this year. This event, normally on the first Sunday in April, is rather important if you use any software coded before 2005. Why? Well, Congress thought it would help us save energy by increasing the process by a month.
Therefore, according to Microsoft, any [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Daylight Savings, IV General Posts, Law, Technology Planning by Jake Carey-Rand
Wednesday, February 21st, 2007
Data Backup and Disaster Recovery Statistics
While recently working on a project involving the “soft” costs associated with backing up a company’s data, an IV partner provided me with an excellent collection of statistics pertaining to this subject. I’ve listed it below for your reference and welcome any questions you may have. Of course these numbers fluctuate by a couple of [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Disaster Planning, Disaster Recovery, IV General Posts, Technology Planning by Jake Carey-Rand
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
“5 Steps to Integrating Your Small Business Technology”
The following was taken from an article on StartupNation.com, of which IV is a contributing member. Written by Marcia Layton Turner, it has some decent things to say which I feel are worth passing along. The full article can be read here.
1) Identify the problem
When EndSight saw its customer satisfaction, efficiency and employee satisfaction levels [...]
