Remember I have written an article 99 Business Tips that you may find very helpful.

I use a TomTom 700 GPS unit in my car because my Ford Explorer did not come equipped. I would never consider owning a car without GPS now that I have experienced the pleasure of driving with it. One of my favorite things is discovering new places to eat, I just punch in the food that I am looking for and the area of town, it takes me on a little drive and Bang! a new experience.

As you know I have the Blackberry 8800 and the latest version of Google Maps Mobile (1.5.1) has GPS support. All you need to do it press “0??? and the satellites quickly pinpoint your location within a few feet with a glowing blue dot. You can use it to get direction by choosing your current location as either the starting or the ending point and with fully updated satellite images from Google Maps this application is absolutely amazing.

Google has also announced that it will be providing traffic details for 30 major metropolitan areas so you will be able to see the traffic as an overlay to your directions. I am confident that they will soon be routing traffic based on traffic so that your phone will become a full featured navigator.

Visit Google Maps Mobile from your phone’s browser to download.

Alfred Adler states that – It is always easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.

There are significant advantages to having an E-Commerce section on your website which may include greater sales, customer retention and the ability to sell beyond your geographic limitations.

I want to dispel a myth and let you know that an E-Commerce store is not just for companies that sell products but they can and should also be used to promote services and other intangibles. This article will give you a brief outline of the benefits of trading on-line as well as how to avoid some potential trouble spots you may encounter. The goal is to provide you with some basic information that you can use to take your business and your services on-line. I will cover some of the options for creating a store next time, this article will be focused on the benefits and some considerations before you start.

• Most of my clients already have a physical presence and have been doing business for a while so the lure of an online store is great, the fear of the unknown is even greater.
• One great reason to take E-Commerce yourself is the ability to extend the reach of businesses that you can interact with. You are no longer confided to a geographic location. The whole world is a possibility. I have a client who runs a Photobadge.com business that has clients as far away as the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Another client has started providing his Biotech services and some products online at Active Sight
• The ability to accept orders 24/7 can create a competitive advantage.
• By using on-line transactions, payments tend to clear faster and you may be able to eliminate the need for Net Terms. People are used to paying at the time of order.
• Stock control will be easier since you can set up your database to automatically trigger stock re-orders.
• You will be able to monitor sales and can use the data obtained to improve the selection of goods you offer for sale.
• You can use your website as a catalog for new and existing customers. No more dead trees and lots of money saved in postage.

Setting up an E-Commerce site is ideally suited for businesses that have:

• Clearly defined goods or services that do not need human involvement in the sales process
• Standard prices for every sort of customer or software that can handle multiple tiers of client pricing
• Products or services which are deliverable in a specific time

Before you start an on-line shop, you have to make sure that you have the resources and procedures in place to deal with orders. Among other things, you’ll need to decide

• How to get your goods or services to the customers – logistics of shipping and tracking
• How you are going to accept payments
• Tracking customer information including credit card details secure and prove this to the customer
• Publish your contact information clearly
• Are there any regulations on shipping your product or providing your services in another state? How about to another country?

It is important to make sure that your on-line shop is able to deliver what the customer expects. If it doesn’t you risk damaging your reputation and could actually lose sales.
Even from this brief overview, you can see that setting up an on-line shop is not something that you should undertake lightly. You’re probably best to seek professional advice.

By typing a residential phone number into a Google Search window performs a reverse number lookup can list your name, address and even a map of your address. The ease of access to this type of information is a huge privacy concern as well as just plain scary. Google has a mechanism to remove your residential listing within 48 hours.

Google Phone Book Removal

A few days ago I checked my Gmail with the Blackberry browser, it was easy to log in and navigate it was just a little slow accessing the site over http. Then in the top of the page I noticed a little link that said “Want Faster Gmail?” I clicked the link and it took me to http://www.gmail.com/apps and prompted me to download the Gmail Application for the Blackberry 8800. I clicked the link and after a few seconds it returned a 404 page not found error. I tried everything, even some alternate links that google search returned but they all failed.

I did a little more searching and found http://mobile.google.com which recognized the Blackberry 8800 and presented me with a download for Google Search, Google News, Google Maps, Gmail and Google Talk. Each one of these as a native application. Sweet.

Even though the 8800 is GPS enabled, Goolge Maps for Mobile is really a GPS application. It pulls the details from their server but it does not utilize LBS or location based services to determine your current information. But it is handy to get directions or maps – I was really hoping that the application would use the built in GPS.

The next application that I tried was Google Talk, I have actually been using this since I first got my BB and it is one of the must have Blackberry applications. You would not believe how often I send a quick message over Gtalk.

The whole reason for the download if you remember was actually the Gmail application I wanted to see if it would work as my personal mail alternative because my Blackberry mail account is tied to my Blackberry Enterprise server at the office. I want to make sure that I can keep personal and business mail separate. I think that it is just respectful to keep a split between personal and business.

Overall the application does make Gmail a breeze to use but there is no new message notification. I have read that I can do this with software from handango called Blackberry Alerts and I will update as soon as I know more.

At this point I am just jazzed to have ready access to the google services over the phone, it is just a ton easier than constantly opening a browser to search or check mail.

Reason #10 – Most Of Your Accomplishments Are Invisible

The computer guy never hears anyone tell him, “I just want to let you know … everything is working fine!???

The reality is that people call the computer guy when something is wrong.

As a computer guy, if you work really hard to make everything work the way that it should, and things work fine, then people believe you don’t do anything. Everything you manage to get working correctly or do perfectly will forever remain unnoticed by computer users. They’ll only ever notice that you do anything when something isn’t working correctly, and you are called upon to fix it.

Reason #9 – Every Conversation You Have Is Roughly The Same

When the computer guy dares to mention what he does for a living, the typical response is, “I have a question about my home computer…???

Or when the computer guy first hears about a widespread problem within the computer network he’s responsible for, he can barely begin to assess the problem before a dozen other people call to report the same problem.

Or when the computer guy explains a certain process on a computer to a user who is incapable of retaining the process, he will inevitably need to reinstruct the user of this same process — indefinitely.

Reason #8 – You’re An Expert Of Bleeding-Edge Technology Products, Aren’t You?

The computer guy often finds himself in situations where someone is asking him for advice on a pending investment of the technological variety.

“I heard about (some hardware or software product) that can do (something desirable) for me. I brought you these (advertisements/reviews/printouts) because I wanted your recommendation. Which would you buy????

Although the inquiring person sincerely trusts the computer guy’s judgment over their own, in almost every instance the real objective of these meetings is to ensure their own immunity from making a risky purchase.

If it turns out to be a bad investment, and they cannot get (the hardware or software product) to do (anything desirable), then you will be their personal scapegoat — “But honey, the computer guy said I should buy it!???

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Its all about the WiFi

One of the core competencies that we have at Skyriver is wireless networking, we install large scale WiFi networks in hotels and we have almost 15,000 rooms in over 100 hotels fully covered with our Hospitality WiFi services. So we really do know WiFi and hotspots 🙂

More and more business are calling us to become unwired and I wanted to
share some thoughts about the process and what you should expect as far as performance and ease of installation.

What is an Access Point

Lets get started with some general information. The fundamental requirement for setting up a wireless network is a device known as an access point. An AP as it is know is essentially a short-range transceiver with a range of about 100 yards in any direction. All of the magic happens within this sphere of radio waves and any computer, modem or printer or in fact any computing device that is suitably equipped can communicate with any other one via the access point.

Fact vs. Features

If your businesses already has a wireless router chances are that it comes from either Linksys or Netgear, because they own more than 80% of the consumer WiFi market. While these AP’s offer a good blend of features for about $50 the do not have the reliability or range of their commercial counterparts. These consumer AP’s ship with low powered and omni directional antennas that make it very difficult to place within an office and get comprehensive coverage. Their performance is adequate, their reliability is ok but the real issue that I have is their lack of
comprehensive enterprise grade security features.

A Sense of Security

Security is a huge issue with wireless networking, without careful configuration anyone can connect to your wireless network from the parking lot. Radio waves flow through walls and out the windows and can be picked up hundreds of feet from your office.
The default setting for these AP’s is to allow anyone to connect, so unless you turned this off, your network may be vulnerable.

Take a look at the software from Netstumbler.com and you will be amazed at the number of open access points you can find within a few hundred feet of your office. My advice is you need to protect your network with a password or Key and if security is a big concern you should investigate a more refined and integrated security mechanism like radius
or WPA.

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Picking a good password is the first line of defense in keeping your private data safe. Logging out or locking your computer before leaving for the evening and when you leave the office is a good start in protecting your sensitive date. Another way is as simple as picking a good password.

Everyday most of us use a password of some kind or another. Whether it is getting cash from an ATM and having to use our PIN number or using a keypad to gain access to our office, we are using passwords. Anyone who uses email will also have a password to log onto the server, whether it is a POP based email or a web-based email such as Hotmail.

If you can’t pick your name, make sure you pick your password
Most companies will also issue usernames and passwords to their users to enable them to access the system, typically this is not controlled by the user but by the IT Department. Sometimes, especially with web-based applications such as our browser or email program, we can choose our own username and password. In commercial situations the IT department will issue their users with their username and password. Although normally the username cannot be changed, generally the user can change their password from the system generated one to something easier to remember. The first thing you need to do when you get a password assigned from the system is change it.

Why should I worry?
The whole idea behind passwords is to make it as difficult as possible for an outsider to break into the system and either steal or compromise important or confidential data. I have polled some clients and 15% said that they manage more than fifteen passwords to access their own applications at work, home and the bank but only 5% can easily remember that many. Don’t pick an easy password just because you can remember it, keep your data safe from prying eyes.

Just the Basics

The password must never be the same as the username, or even a variation of it. For example, if your username is [email protected], then you must never use either johnsmith or smithjohn as your password.

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I go into a number of offices each month that just have the “wrong” printer for the job, I want to give you my advice about the cost of printing in the enterprise. There are a bewildering number of choices available and it’s not easy to decide, but making the wrong choice could prove to be expensive. You would be surprised just how expensive it can be.

The Contenders

There are basically three types of printers available nowadays – dot-matrix, inkjet or laser. You may be surprised at what you learn about the costs associated with running these printers.

Dots….

The dot-matrix printer is the oldest type of computer printer that is available, most businesses have dumped these and switched to either Ink-Jet or laser printers. There are still a number of applications in which these printers excel and they are extremely efficient in these tasks. These printers physically strike the ribbon and paper when they print, and they are an excellent choice if you are printing on multi-part documents such as invoices in high volume transactions. Most people are not using them so I will focus on Inkjet and lasers.

Think Before You Ink!

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There are several options available to your business when you need to update your Internet connection. Broadband is the only viable option but selecting the right service depends on how you are going to use it.

The Way I Choose

When I say “Business Internet” I really mean business grade service, a connection that you can trust for your critical business communications. This is less about the speed of the connection but the other intangibles that will separate one service provider or service type from another. Some of the things that I look for when recommend service to a client:

Is this service direct with the provider or am I going to an agent? Brokers are great for a small savings, but when the line goes down who should you call and will they know you by name or by the reseller?

Does the company have a posted local or toll free phone number? When your Internet is down how do they expect you to EMAIL them?

What are the technical support hours? I used to be really passionate about 24/7 but I am now comfortable with direct customer service hours during peak business hours 7am-7pm with some sort of after hours escalation if necessary.

What is the Service Level Agreement (SLA)? How long do I need to be down or what types of issues will get me connected to priority support?

Last but not least, how reliable is the service. Yes, speed counts! But if the service does not have 99.9% reliability, it’s just not Business Grade. If you phones did not work for 2 days per year how would that impact your business, you need to demand excellence from your Internet connection.

SDSL- Just the Basics

The minimum expectation that I have for any business class service is DSL. I don’t mean the $14.95 type of service offered as a residential product I am talking about a service that is 1Mbps or faster. Make sure that you are getting SDSL it is not the cheapest but it will help to ensure that your experience is smooth and predictable.

Expect to spend anywhere from $45 to $150 for a high quality business connection from a reputable carrier. If you do not qualify for SDSL and depending on the nature of your business you should investigate the other options.

Cable Guy – The Fastest Kid on the Block

The fastest hardwire connection is by using your cable supplier, here in San Diego Cox and Time Warner Cable provide excellent services. They offer speeds far in excess of those available from DSL or T1 providers, the speeds are not synchronous and the speeds tend to vary during the day. Cable modems are really a residential service but if you happen to be within the service area, it is my choice over DSL. Experience teaches me that the cable company tends to dispatch and solve problems faster than the phone company.

Pricing ranges from $50 to $199 depending on speed and other service factors. The con is that it is usually not in business areas, and if they say it will be there in “3 months”, forget it…it will never be installed.

Broadband Wireless – An Amazing Value

The new kid on the block for Internet access is Broadband Wireless. It is symmetrical like a T1 connection but can scale much more efficiently and in most areas can exceed even the fastest SDSL connections. The service is professionally installed, typically within 48 hours and offers an amazing value for the money. Typically the speeds range from 1Mbps to more than 3Mbps with the ability to scale to a full 45Mbps. It is by far the most flexible connectivity option and a greater than 99.99% uptime.

I really can’t say enough about Broadband Wireless, it really has earned its place in the Enterprise.

Pricing can range from $199 to over $499 depending on the type of service you choose. Think of it as T1 performance for about half the price.

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There are several different web browsers available, so choosing which is best might prove difficult. Probably the three most widely used browsers are Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera. All three of them have recently released their latest versions, so perhaps a comparison of what they have to offer would be timely.

IE, the default for Windows

Internet Explorer the most widely used browser, largely because it comes as part of the different versions of Windows. If you are going to continue with Internet Explorer, ensure that you are running version 7 to get all the new features and browsing speeds. In version 7 they have adopted tabbed browsing that both Firefox and Opera have had for some time. One significant enhancement over previous versions of Internet Explorer is that a web page will be automatically reduced in size to ensure it will fit onto a page when it is printed. Another improvement is that you can now select your favorite search engine for searching from IE, instead of having to stick with MSN Search. The main drawback is that it is only available for Windows XP and Vista. Internet Explorer makes up for what it lacks with near-universal compatibility and enormous development base. Every site out there just runs with IE, you should never have a problem with a bank, merchant or any other location – this is the defacto standard.

Foxy and fast

Firefox 2 has the advantage over IE 7 in that it is available for several different platforms including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. It is my personal browser of choice not because I am anti-microsoft but I really dig the extensions and plug-ins the enhance your online experience (more in just my favorites) The drawback is that some people say that some web pages do not display as they intended because of the strict compliance with Web Standards, this is something that I can live with. I have found it to be 100% compatible with banking, secure sites and everything else that I need to use. It is also the most secure option, remember the Internet is a hostile place at times, Firefox is not as susceptible to ActiveX or other web attacks. Extensions are small add-ons that add new functionality to Firefox, from a simple toolbar button to a completely new feature.

My favorite are BugMeNot a tool to login to sites like NY Times online without a current username, and ImageZoomer that lets you zoom in on images on the web – or just take a look at 50 Best Firefox extensions for power surfing. In Firefox the extensions really make the program better. The other feature that I find to be a real time saver is the integrated search, the search bar comes preloaded with Google, Yahoo!, Amazon etc.

The fat lady sings…

Although Opera has the smallest number of users than the other two browsers mentioned here, it is far and away the browser that can be used on the greatest number of operating systems. Opera 9 can run on Windows, Linux, Solaris, BSD and Mac OS X, as well as some mobile phones and PDA’s and its security features do not depend on Windows XP SP2. The latest version includes support for BitTorrent which is a popular file distribution method.

Reviewers have said that it has the least number of problems displaying web pages properly than the other 2 browsers. There is no cost for the software and it is a huge improvement over IE7 for speed and accuracy of rendering pages. I am not really a big fan because I have some some compatibility issues with my bank – but if you want to try the “better” browser, give Opera a try.

My Impression

As with so many other software packages, different users will have their own opinions on which browser is the best. For its support base, IE 7 may be best; although Firefox may be best because of the wider number of operating systems it can run on and because of the extensions available to increase its functionality. Since all 3 are free, it is probably sensible to download all 3 and try them out to see which one suits you best.

More and companies have their own websites and most businesses are connected to the Internet, and use the World Wide Web as a major source of information. A potential customer will use the Internet to carry out research not only on what products are available, but also how much they will cost from different suppliers.

Don’t loose your Advantage.
Even if someone is simply trying to find out a contact address for a company, the chances are that they will use one of the many search engines that are available. Seriously when was the last time you actually used the Yellow Pages to find anything?

The type of business you have will dictate the style of website you choose to create. If you are a smaller independent trader, then the business website may be as simple as one or two pages informing visitors about what the company has to offer. If you are a little larger you may want to have a more interactive site that allows your customers to purchase or interact with you to get more information.

If you are not quite sure of the type of site you want to have, just go to Google and type in your business keywords and check to see what your competitors are doing. This is the best measure of what is expected in your industry.

Communicate with your customers
Many businesses use the Internet and their website as the sole means of selling or communicating publicly with their customers. No matter what style of site you create, make sure that you have a way to register, leave you feedback, fill in a form or submit their email to your new Weekly Newsletter. Just think of how powerful your new email list will be to stay in contact with your customers!

A Great First Impression
If your business is considering setting up a website, it is important to remember that the look of a website creates an impression in the visitors’ minds of the business itself. If the web site looks professional and neat and tidy, then the visitor will be inclined to think that the business is similarly professional.

The lesson here is, if you Look like a Pro and Act like a Pro perhaps your customers will Consider you to be a Pro.

Getting Started
A business website need not be an expensive undertaking. Anyone with a slight knowledge of HTML can create a web site in a matter of minutes using nothing more sophisticated than a simple text editor. There are also several free or inexpensive software packages available that make the task of building a good-looking site a relatively simple matter. My favorite editor is HtmlValidator, you can try it for free.

Using a Pro
For a more professional look, you may choose to use the services of a web design company. They will work with you to ensure that the look and feel of the web site reflects well on the type and nature of the business. You don’t have to worry about the technology, they will handle it all for you. Be prepared to spend anywhere from $3500 to $15,000 to have a complete custom site designed. I have a list of providers that I have worked if you want more information just ask me.

Learn to Compromise
If you are looking for the compromise between a cheap and cheerful web site and a professionally designed one, then you can do it in-house by using a commercial package such as Microsoft FrontPage or Macromedia Dreamweaver. Both of these packages will produce excellent results and can handle everything from page layout to uploading the finished results to a web server. The real issue that I have with these tools is that they do not create Search Engine Optimized text, but more on that in a later issue!

Use a Template
My personal favorite option if you choose not to have a fully customized site or don’t have the resources to write one in-house is to utilize a web template. For an excellent option take a look at TemplateMonster.com Templates range anywhere from fifty to a few hundred dollars and considering what you get it is money well spent.

Windows Vista has been in development for roughly five years and I have been actively involved as a beta tester for the last few months. If you are thinking about upgrading your existing PC running Windows XP to Windows Vista, it may not just be a matter of upgrading the software. Microsoft themselves say that the very minimum system requirements for Vista to run are as follows:

Although this is enough to run the core elements of Windows Vista. My personal recommendations are if your computer is “new” I would say less than a year or so you may be able to squeak by, you should also run the Microsoft Vista Upgrade Advisor:

What should I expect?
If the experience of Windows XP users is any guide, then it is entirely possible that even the recommended requirements may be insufficient for Vista to run smoothly. If you do wish to upgrade your software, then unless you already have computers in your business that are much more highly tuned than those above, then you would probably have to factor into the equation the cost of either upgrading or replacing all your computers.

Why should I upgrade?
Some of the security enhancements in Microsoft Vista may make the upgrade a tempting choice. Using the parental controls, for example, you will be able to restrict employee or child access to certain programs or websites. You can opt to do this based on certain times of day for example. You will also be able to manage all the security settings on your business network from a central point.

Vista promises to enable your workforce to work more productively through better file sharing and synchronization facilities. If you have to make a lot of presentations in the course of your business, then Vista is able to automatically communicate with a networked projector to improve your presentations. Vista can also store a number of different settings for presentations being displayed on your laptop, to compensate for different light levels.

Stay up to date

Windows Vista Business includes new technology and tools to ensure your PCs are always up-to-date, more secure, and running smoothly. Windows Vista Business is designed to help you easily and quickly connect with your organization, your customers, and your partners, whether you are in the office or on the road.

How much will this cost?

Based on current pricing from the Internet:

Windows Vista Business

Windows Vista Ultimate

For the best possible package with the greatest security and communication features for power users and businesses, Windows Vista Ultimate is the perfect solution for a mix of multimedia and productivity. One of the only reasons to suggest Ultimate and not Business is the inclusion of BitLocker a whole drive encryption system. It keeps your data safe even if your PC is lost or stolen.

Please understand that migrating to Vista should not be considered for your business without understanding all of the factors in switching to a new operating system and how these changes may affect your software or network.