Advancing Technologies Help Level the Business Playing Field

Advancing Technologies Help Level the Business Playing Field

One may think that in order to keep up and utilize the vast amounts and types of internet applications and technology gadgets that one would need an extensive IT infrastructure and staffing. Although the online communication gap continues to grow, the reasons for that gap are different. It is no longer the cost and technical skills that keep the “have nots” from boosting their online presence. The reason for more businesses not embracing online communication tools is the lack of understanding of its importance for their business, the perception of its complexity and the lack of understanding of the benefits.

Although many business IT budgets may remain tight as the recession continues, many small businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations still have many resources to select from that promote innovation and provide a competitive edge thanks to technology advances. We this discussion explores, having a large IT team or technology budget becomes less of a requirement.

Open Source Software
Real investment in Open Source (OS) software may still not be on many small business and non-profits radars but they really should be particularly for cost-conscious companies (and who isn't these days?) can look to open source as an easy way to reduce IT expenses as OS does not require any licensing costs- initial purchase, monthly or annual renewals, or upgrade costs.

OS software is also customizable (in look and function) to help integrate with the rest of your business while also only utilizing the aspects of the software you really need. More companies have begun utilizing CRM software programs and can save money by switching their platform to an OS version such as SugarCRM (a Linux-based CRM application) that even if selecting to use the supported version (paying support costs) would be far less than paying for licensing fees, forced upgrades and utilizing a system created by another vendor and trying to incorporate and maneuver around any locked software features.

While OS may not be the perfect solution for all of your needs, more companies would benefit by exploring the options, features and costs saving sooner rather than later, especially for use with non-critical applications.

Online Social Networking
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc has the potential to level the playing field for many small businesses to help promote their brand, messages, and products while attracting new customers and for Free... (read our related blog Is Facebook Appropriate for my Business)

However, one needs to note that there also also difficulties and competing factors in transferring exposure on social media platforms to business success. Establishing an online audience takes time, dedication and continued up-keep. Remember while exploring the utilization of such platforms and asking if you could (of course you could... it's free) but just as important is to ask if you should (might be harder to answer than you think). You must understand and examine what you want and expect from a social media for your company. Start with developing a road map detailing your goals and be sure to include specific dates and responsibilities. Your business may connect better with certain social media audiences and platforms than others, Facebook is not always the best choice.

Any networking platform plan should also include the examination of using such as a means to network and communicate with other businesses, partners and vendors also and not just as a tool to attract and communicate with customers.

Virtualization
Virtualization can significantly reduce your technology budget while streamlining the management of IT functions. In general, virtualization can transform your on-site hardware to off-site software. How? Virtualization makes it possible for one computer do the same tasks that might otherwise require multiple computers to complete by sharing the resources of a single computer across multiple environments. Virtual servers and virtual desktops let you host multiple operating systems and applications locally and/or in remote locations, which frees you and the IT staff from physical and geographical restrictions.

Go Green- Utilizing virtualization can also save money on energy costs, may provide greater availability access to users (accessing desktops, files, folders, workstations, software, etc) and reduce down-time or connectivity (building closures, loss of power, storm/disaster, etc) issues.

Hosted Software Applications
Hosted applications can present many advantages to businesses as compared to the traditional software purchased and install from a CD. The traditional approach involved the organization purchasing software which was then installed on a server, rolled out to individual computers (staff) which may have required staff to be without use of the computer during this time, result in other dependent applications crashing (compatibility issues) and may have also resulted in remote staff not having access if the software was only placed on the local machines during the installation.

Hosted applications, or software as a service (SaaS), significantly removes many of these complications. All you need is a web browser to access the hosted application and install any upgrades. The downside? If you lose or cannot access the Internet, you may also lose access to the desired application. You also need to know that what you are downloading is safe, system requirements, compatibility and what support type of support is available.

Online Data Backups Proliferate
All businesses value the importance of their data and should recognize the need to properly secure and save. More vendors are offering online data backup solutions as compared to backing up data to a hard disk, CD/DVD, flash drive or other local media. These on-line vendors provide you with the means to send your data over the Internet, store on remote servers and retrieve from any computer with internet access. The number of such vendors continues to increase with many providing adequate storage and backup space for Free.

Online Video
Today, even cell phones have built-in video cameras and many just might surprise you on their video quality. Although a traditional video camera may still offer the best quality, their size, expense and complexity may also hender small businesses from utilizing. As more vendors produce low cost and quality tools for video production and sharing (YouTube, Flickr, Jing, Vimeo, etc) businesses will increasingly be able to leverage video as a powerful marketing tool.

Video Conferencing
Video conferencing solutions generally involves software, a web camera, microphone, or telephone to communicate over the Internet. Connecting with customers, vendors, business partners or employees via video is many times better than utilizing email, telephone, chat or instant messaging systems. Not to mention the cost for airfare, gas, lodging, and the time for such traveling, video conferencing provides a face-to-face approach without the hassles and expenses of traditional business/conference meetings. There are many solutions available providing different features at different costs and some are Free.

Online Presence Gap Widens
Whether small businesses need a web site or not is no longer an issue of discussion. In fact, the conversation has moved from web sites and email marketing to blogs and social media for business.
There is no question that online search is the way that just about everyone searches for a solution, when was the last time you opened the Yellow Pages? Businesses must be online and visible if you want to thrive and beat your competition.
If you are a small business or local non-profit, maybe a website is not as necessary and you could utilize a free networking platform as your online presence.
If you want a website then make sure to go with a site that provides content management that offers you the flexibility to manage and add to the content without requiring the involvement of a third party. The days of a webmaster and knowledge of HTML coding to create and maintain a website are in the past. Even if you wish to have a professional designer, just make sure to have control and access after the design has been created.
Want to create a site on your own? No problem, many solutions are available offering many features such as blogs, RSS feeds, photo galleries, etc and many are Free.

For a list of most of the applications provided in this blog- make sure to visit our website and view our Project Forum where viewers and members look to explore the potentials of Free and Open Source programs.

To learn more about utilizing FREE Internet Resources & Applications to enhance Performance & Quality Improvement Initiatives - subscribe to this blog, follow us on Twitter, visit our website PQI Network