Comparison Shopping

SmartMoney.com published a great review of the top online price comparison sites. For the most part I agree with their findings. Their reviews found PriceGrabber.com was the superior website for comparison shopping. One of the better features included on PriceGrabber.com is the ability to setup alerts for products based on your desired price range. With the constantly declining costs of technology products, it doesn't make sense to pay bleeding edge prices.

They also rated Yahoo! Shopping, Shopping.com and NexTag as good sites. Rated towards the bottom was Google Products (AKA Google Shopping) because it provided poor details on listings. In their defense, Google says the tool is simply a way to find products and the stores that sell them.

Regardless of what online tool you use, now there is no excuse of overpaying for any product. My advice to you when using these price comparison tools is to perform searches by the part number of the product you want. For example, if I know that I want a specific 3Com network switch, I look up the part number on 3Com's website then I plug that part number into PriceGrabber.com. This ensures that I get the exact item I am looking to buy.

Happy shopping.

Generation Entrepreneur

The business world has changed. There are more new business start-ups now than at any other time in history. More people are going into business to chase their dreams and to break out of the neverending layoff cycle. Talented, capable people are tired of being at the whim of others and are working hard to make their dreams come true.


When the economy is upside-down, anything can happen.
Anyone can reach their dreams with hard work, audacity and belief. There are millions of people all over the world starting a business from their home; in addition to their regular day job. They are all trying to realize their dreams of a better life.

The Internet is the great equalizer. The same business tools I sell to big companies are now available to everyone. For ten years, I've been the managing director of R-Squared Computing. Before that I was part of the great Internet bubble of the 90's. I worked as a Sampsonite gorrilla; beating up software trying to make it break. I remember token ring, BNC adaptors and other things non-tech people don't care about.

Project management, painless backup or you can just hire virtual IT engineers to care for your computer 24/7/365. Just three powerful tools that you can use to make your business run better and to gain competitive advantage. And every last one of them have been made possible by the Internet. Now, your micro business can have the same power and tools as the multinationals.

Intelligently applied technology can give your business an enormous edge. Project managment software really just helps you to plan and stay organized. Painless backup is so you can sleep well knowing your critical business information is safe. Virtual IT engineers keep the machines humming and making money for you.

So, just because the economy is diving, the giant companies are out begging and the world is falling apart, it doesn't mean you shouldn't chase your dreams. Warren Buffett says when people are greedy, be cautious; when they are cautious, be greedy. Buffett didn't become impossibly rich by being stupid or wrong.

Now is the time for you to grab hold of your dreams and start building your business. Don't wait! When the business world is upside-down, opportunities for growth are everywhere. Get started today! What are you waiting for?

The Wireless Cloud

With the FCC decision to allow the use of television whitespace for wireless Internet is the cornerstone of the future Cloud capability. The phenomenal bandwidth that will open up is unprecedented. A whole host of new national wireless Cloud devices will replace what we have become accustomed to. These will sport the new flexible LCD screens for larger displays on portable, handheld devices than we have seen before.

Change is coming. Are you ready?

Computers Don't Matter

Machines don't matter! The time when each computer was important is now over and the sooner you accept that the easier your life will become. All that matters is that we can access our important information and keep our business functioning. Once you move to the Cloud Paradigm you will free yourself to work from anywhere.


The Old Computing Paradigm
The paradigm we are all used to puts a computer on every desk and shackles each employee to that machine. If the computer fails, the employee's productivity drops to zero. But it wasn't always like that...

The first digital computer is the abacus, and all computers (including yours) work based on similar rules. Nowadays, instead of sliding beads on a string, modern computers simply power transistors on or off to perform calculations. In 1946, the ENIAC using 20,000 vacuum tubes was unveiled as the first programmable, general purpose computer. The invention of the transistor and integrated circuits during the 1960's ushered in the era of big expensive mainframe computers that only large businesses could afford. In 1970 Intel's 4004 microprocessor heralded the beginning of the personal computer era. Because microprocessors were cheaper than their forebearers, it would soon become possible for everyone to own a computer. By the 1980's computers became small enough (and cheap enough) to be fitted into many household appliances, such as washing machines. The 1980's also saw the start of the major market penetration of the personal computer. During the Internet expansion of the 1990's the personal computer became nearly as common as television and the telephone.


The Price Argument
In 1996, the average price of a new computer was $1,647. Two years later, that price fell to $1,317. Today you can buy a Dell Vostro 220 for under $500 or an Asus Eee PC for $170. It doesn't take a math genius to map the trend of declining computer prices. As computer components become cheaper because of new innovations in manufacturing, the base price of a new computer system will continue to decline. That means within a few short years we can logically expect the price of a new computer to be cheaper than a good cell phone.

When it doesn't hurt your pocketbook to buy a new computer, it then becomes cheaper to buy a new computer than to repair the old one. Computers will become disposable commodities. And all of this is happening because the computer doesn't matter. Innovation will continue to drive down component prices as companies vie for larger chunks of market share by producing cheaper and cheaper computers. While there will always be a market for high-end computers (e.g. the Alienware gaming machines), the typical business will embrace the Cloud Paradigm and start storing their data online.

Because very few companies are moving onto the cloud, you could gain a substantial advantage against your competition by embracing the Cloud Paradigm. Start reaping the cost benefits of cloud computing today.

For more information on how to eliminate costs with cloud computing, register for my FREE e-Course at www.NearlyFreeIT.com. You'll be glad you did.

Dark Side of the Cloud

While I am a big fan of Cloud Computing, it must be noted that there is a dark side. Salesforce.com, which provides hosted customer relationship management services, suffered a 38 minute service outage on January 6, 2009. While many want to shout and scream that this was a terrible problem, it was ultimately as damaging as a power outage.

The majority of quality cloud computing service companies maintain 99.99% reliability. This means that outages are sufficiently rare that they are negligible. Utility services will suffer occasional outages. That is just the nature of the beast. However, for the cost benefits, these outages are completely acceptable.

And the beauty is if the outages are too frequent and directly imapct your business, you pull up stakes and go somewhere else. So, a word to the wise, be aware that the Cloud Paradigm offers phenomenal cost saving opportunities but it also includes a few risks you should be aware of.

Machines Don't Matter

Today, every business has to deliver more, for less. Time costs money, and money is getting tighter and tighter. You need to try to find alternative technologies that are cheaper, better and faster; but that don't get in the way of doing your job. The old paradigm required an enormous investment in computer equipment and labor. The market has changed, and you can probably find better uses for your money.

Most people appreciate the benefits of change if it provides real business value. Change is always risky so you have to be cautious. The challenge is identifying the right changes that will help you improve performance, exploit efficiencies and build competitive advantage. Fortunately, the solution exists in the Cloud.

Technically speaking, the Cloud is just another name for the Internet. However, it also refers to the amazing new way of working with the Internet. The Cloud refers to a shift away from the individual importance of any computer. The computer is just a machine. It shouldn't matter if any one computer breaks, explodes or catches fire. It should not impact your business in any way.

I realize you think I am crazy. "My life is in that laptop," is something I hear too often. They don't really mean the laptop, what matters is the information inside it! Now that information can reside in the Cloud: freeing you from equipment investments, costly computer techs, unreliable backups, expensive software and all the nasty surprises that seem to come with computers.

Undeniably, there is a major shift in thinking required to trust another company with your business information. Many are never able to overcome this barrier and are trapped in the old paradigm with all the related costs. That always happens when there is a paradigm shift. Those who are able to shift into the new paradigm will harness the new tools and blow away the competition.

Total reliance on a specific computer means you are paralyzed when that machine fails. And every computer fails at some point. Then there's the tedious, time consuming process of moving everything from your old computer to the new one. How many hours have you wasted? The Cloud eliminates all of these problems. Machine don't matter - information does. And your information is safe and secure on several remote computers at the same time when it's on the Cloud.

Online there are a collection of tools and services that you can harness for a fraction of the price of the most expensive enterprise-level software. That means you can have at your fingertips the same tools used by the biggest companies in the world, for a price that any small business can handle. It means having access to state-of-the-art computer tools and engineers for a price you cannot ignore.

The companies that are hosting these Cloud services know that their entire business will collapse if there is ever a security breach or data loss. So, they hire the best computer engineers to manage their world-class computer centers. You get the benefits without the massive costs. That means you get the software tools, plus the security, plus the backup, plus the freedom, but minus the cost. All it takes is that all important shift towards the Cloud.

Suddenly natural disasters, fires, theft and equipment failures don't matter. Sure, it sucks when you have to buy a new laptop because it was destroyed. Isn't it better to know that your information is safe and secure? Suddenly, the computer is just a machine again. And machines don't matter.

Old Computing Paradigm

The computing paradigm we are most used to is the desktop paradigm. This is where one user has access to a single computer which processes and stores all the user's information. This model makes the specific computer incredibly important to the user since everything of importance is on that computer. The failure or loss of that one computer could be devastating to the user.

This paradigm is based firmly on the development of the Intel x86 processors in 1978. For the first time in history, cheap processing power made it possible for the birth of the personal computer revolution. Now it is not uncommon of households to have more computers than people!

But this paradigm is unstable. In a highly mobile world, being chained to a single computer is no longer acceptable. Small businesses are required to do more with less and to do it faster than ever before. That means we can no longer be chained to a single machine. We can no longer be slaves to the whims of a single computer which can fail at any moment.

We need to accept that the old paradigm is dying and a new one is being born. We are at the forefront of another paradigm shift brought about by technology. The importance of the individual computer is over. Information is what truly matters! How you access, manipulate, examine and store that information is the major change that is coming with the new computing paradigm.

Is your business ready for this paradigm shift? Contact R-Squared Computing today to make sure.

The End of Platform Wars

Windows vs. Mac vs. Linux: the battle rages on, with other smaller players fighting for precious market share. Advertisements urging you to choose a side in the Platform Wars sway from the ridiculous to the insulting. Old consumer prejudices are still common too: Mac is for artists and Windows is for business.

It is all nonsense and it will all be ending soon.

A computer's platform is the operating system. Windows Vista, MacOS X, Unbuntu are just brand names for the collection of computer programs that run the machine and provide you with digital services, like Internet accessibility. The operating system used to be the most important consideration when buying a computer. People wanted to buy a computer with a system they were familiar with that would also run all their favorite video games and work software. This is the old paradigm that brought about the industry giants like Microsoft and Apple.

The new paradigm is platform independent. More computer users don't really care what platform they work on, especially when they use web services like Zoho and Gmail. The operating system doesn't matter when all I want is to connect to the Internet.

With the rapid move of technology towards the new computing paradigm, the platform is irrelevant. Soon, users will only be interested in platforms that do not hinder their work and does not hog system resources. As more and more useful services become available online (and as more users start using them!) the services traditionally provided by an operating system will be just more bloat that slows systems down.

The new computing paradigm is up on us. Is your business ready?

Utility Computing Examples

The real benefit of utility computing comes from better control of your money. Traditional business data centers are almost always underutilized. Most business servers idle 85% of the time! This is because computer technicians are notorious for overbuying hardware in order to:
handle high workload peaks (such as the surge caused by holiday shopping!), to plan for future demand and for the unanticipated surges in demand. Utility computing allows companies to only pay for the computing resources they need, when they need them.

Despite recent problems with outages, Amazon Web Services is an excellent example of utility computing. Using the power of Amazon.Com's phenomenal technology infrastructure, customers can now lease computing power. Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) permits customers to pay for computer resources by the hour and Simple Storage Service (S3) which lets customers pay based on storage capacity.

Another top quality service is Mozy Unlimited Backup which offers 2GB of totally free online backup and also unlimited backup space for $4.95/Month! After you signup online, you need to install a small program on your computer that gives you total control over what files you backup and how often. They have a very intuitive and easy to use program that lets you select broad categories of files for storage. I have been using the free 2GB service for my home computers; I only backup the really important files but soon I will break down and start backing up everything.

The Difference Between Cloud & Utility Computing

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that cloud computing is not the same as utility computing. I have received a few emails asking me for futher explanation. Apparently it isn't as obvious as I thought...

Think of utility computing as the infrastructure and cloud computing as the services provided. Now that you are completely confused, let me break it down further.

Utility computing is about providing access to heavy duty machines. It is infrastructure provisioning by leasing you access to computer processing power (pure number crunching) or storage (hard drive space). Under a utility computing framework you are only getting access to the hardware capacity and nothing more. Because you are not using 100% of the equipment capacity, you will only pay for the fraction you use. This allows you to control your costs and avoid capital expenditures on hardware that will be obsolete in a few years.

Cloud computing is software sold as a service. You buy the software services you and your employees need from an online vendor. This vendor promises to provide you access to the software and your information for a set monthly fee. This allows you to control your costs and avoid capital expenditures on software that will be obsolete in a few years.

Cloud computing requires utility computing since it cannot exist without it. However, they are still different concepts. While I realize this is splitting hairs, it is important to understand the distinction. Purchasing cloud services gives you access to web-based software that allows you true business mobility. Purchasing utility computing services provides you with access to equipment capacity without having to buy the hardware.

I hope that clears things up...

Understanding Cloud Computing

We can always rely on my associates in the computer business to name everything with either an unpronounceable acronym (LAN, WAN, VoIP, ad nauseum) or with something vaguely faggy (cloud, tweet and so forth). First and foremost, you need to understand that "cloud" is just another name for the Internet.

The name originated from the practice of drawing a simple cloud shape to denote any part of a computer network diagram that we did not have to worry about. So, your area of responsibility was detailed with every wire labeled and computer described. Everything outside your network could just be explained away with the cloud drawing. This is similar to the practice of ancient mapmakers who would draw dragons in uncharted areas of the map. The cloud was simply our lazy way of saying Here Be Dragons for our computer network; said simply: we don't know and we don't care.

However, with the advent of high speed Internet connections and advances in web programming, we can now use the Internet to distribute powerful software tools for all users. Cloud computing is built on utility computing; though many believe they are the same thing. Cloud computing is also a metered utility service which allows you to pay for software as a service, meaning you only buy what you need.

The greatest advantage to cloud computing is you no longer need to worry about keeping your software up-to-date and software license compliance. Most cloud computing providers will give you new features and updates as part of your normal subscription. This means you have constant access to new features and updates without having to pay more money or manage software licenses.

The other advantage is you do not have to maintain the infrastructure. Computer servers are expensive and so are the technicians needed to maintain them. Let the cloud computing provider handle the hardware; this lets you focus on growing your business. As any accountant will tell you, renting software is a better option than the capital expenditures involved.

For example, Wired Gecko provides preventative PC care. Using the Internet, Wired Gecko will monitor all your computers to catch failures before they interrupt your business. You must break out of the old Break-Fix cycle where you waste time and money waiting for your computer tech to repair a damaged PC. Take control of the relationship and tell your tech what needs to be repaired before it breaks. This lets you schedule the tech's time so that it doesn't interrupt your work. You have to admit, it's a smarter way to work.

Allmoxy offers a fantastic suite of products that can provide nearly everything your small business could need. From customer service to inventory management, Allmoxy delivers a great set of tools for "businesses that make stuff, move things, and get dirty."

The downside of cloud computing is you can only access these services when you have Internet access. The other concern is access to your information since your data is now residing on their computers. You must be sure there is an easy way for you to secure a copy of information if you should need it. You should also check and be sure that the provider offers solid backup and redundancy. If you are in the medical, legal, banking or other regulated industry, you will want to be sure that your cloud software vendor is in full compliance.

Cloud computing is an excellent way to control your software costs. It also allows you the freedom to work from anywhere there is an Internet-enabled computer. While there are some dangers, the benefits are substantial. Cloud computing should become part of your business especially if it sharpens your competitive edge.

Basecamp

When I find a great service, I must recommend it to my readers. If you want excellent project management tools without all the bloat of Microsoft Project, then Basecamp is for you!

Sign up and start managing your projects and teams!

Computing is a Utility

We are all familiar with public utilities. Electricity, water, sewer, telephone, natural gas are all metered services that we can connect into for a monthly fee. We are charged only for what we consume. That is the key. We never have to buy more than we need, which makes it an ideal billing structure for us. It is economical and our behavior allows us to control our costs. If the electric bill was too high last month, start turning off lights and other appliances. Our behavior determines our costs.

Under the last computing paradigm, if you wanted large computational or storage capacity, you had to spend a fortune in hardware and software systems to provide these services for yourself. That meant you needed a dedicated server room with proper climate control to preserve the equipment. You needed a full time computer technician to monitor, maintain and manage these expensive computers that provided you with the services you needed. These systems were cumbersome, expensive and required constant care and supervision.

But all that changed with high speed Internet connections.

You don't need expensive equipment anymore. All you need is to identify your specific needs You might need more storage space, spare computational capacity or even remote PC maintenance. Once your needs are identified, you simply find a vendor online that provides these services for you. You get all the benefits from the services rendered and they get to leverage their investments in equipment and personnel to serve you.

Before you needed to spend a fortune equipping your business with all the technology you needed to run. Now you can purchase the services you need, and just what you need for a fixed monthly fee. Like a public utility, computing has become a fixed-fee, managed service that saves you from spending unnecessarily. You don't have to spend money on equipment and employees that do not contribute directly to your bottom line. You can spend your precious money on sales, marketing and other areas that bring in profits.

For more info, sign up for our FREE 5-week "Nearly Free IT" e-Course.

Technology Enabled Micro Business

A micro business is defined as any business with 1 or 2 employees. With the power of modern technology these businesses have an equal chance to achieve lasting success. Hard work, dedication, quality, exceptional service and exceeding expectations are still required.

The internet has leveled the playing field. A new startup doesn't have to create a bigger and more expensive product or service than the competition. Actually, current internet success stories argue for the exact opposite. The most successful new internet companies are not engaging in the traditional business cold war of feature escalation.

These companies are focusing on providing fewer features to control their costs. But they are also ensuring that the features they do offer are well executed and easy to understand. They are taking the time to distill the actual useful essence of the product into a viable competitive product. Focus on solving the simple problems that people have and leave your competition to choke on the complexities.

For example, in the book Getting Real, by 37signals, the developers of Basecamp write how they chose Microsoft Project as their software "enemy." A good project management software should not be about charts and graphs, they argue, but about collaboration between team members set on completing the task at hand. The top-down dictatorial approach embodied by Project was not the ideal way to operate in the new web enabled world.

With the wealth of available tools and the power of direct outsourcing, micro businesses are proving to be capable competitors. With the amazing tools available online, it is now possible to do the impossible. What is clusmily called Web 2.0 has opened the floodgates for new businesses to provide remarkable products at low costs and still exceed customer expectations. The old business models required enormous overhead to, hopefully, achieve these goals. The old ways are dead; it's time to embrace the new paradigms.

Free is Good

There is something that always makes us cautious about the word "free." We hear that ancient mantra that proclaims: You get what you pay for. A solid and ringing warning from wise ancestors that knew to be careful when someone offered something for nothing. The real warning isn’t about freebies, however, it's about hidden costs!

Nothing is really free. There is always a price. In the computer world, the price might be spyware, a return web link, a virus, a botnet zombie, your email address or your ZIP code. I think you'll agree that some of those prices are too high, but others are perfectly reasonable depending on what you get in return. Some hidden costs are perfectly acceptable.

We all know what it's like when money is tight. There's never enough cash and every chance to cut costs should be embraced. The key is too understand the hidden costs and to decide if they are too expensive for you.

The internet is full of free software and services that can reduce your costs substantially. With smart strategies you will be able to virtually eliminate your software costs!!! We will always be clear with you about the costs involved, and we will only recommend you safe products that have been Certified R-Squared Safe by our expert staff of engineers. How much money would you save if you got all your software for free?

Contact us today!

Announcing Wired Gecko

Are you aware that most computer failures are largely preventable?

Any complex machine with moving parts needs routing maintenance. You take care of your car (hopefully), why not your computers?

Most PC users do not perform the necessary maintenance to keep their computers running at top performance. But who has time to run all those tedious applications? We have work to do and cannot be bothered with these headaches.

That's what Wired Gecko is all about! Let Wired Gecko run anti-virus, anti-spyware and security updates for you. Wired Gecko saves you money!

• Keep your computers running at peak performance.
• Stop spending money on antivirus software!
• Cut downtime caused by unscheduled failures.
• Sleep well knowing your computers are protected against known threats.
• Focus on getting work done and not on PC maintenance.

We hope to roll out the service within the next two weeks. Everyone that signs up on the Wired Gecko website will receive a specially priced introductory offer. No obligation to buy, but once you see the advantages and the savings you will want to get Wired Gecko today!

Another quality product by

Start Rethinking PCs

With the tough economy, people are giving netbooks a serious second look. A netbook is a small to medium sized, light-weight, low-cost, energy-efficient laptop, ideal for online services like web browsing and e-mail. These are phenomenal alternatives to more expensive computers since they normally run under $500!

Small business owners looking to save money should definitely look at netbooks as a serious alternative. When moneyt is tight you have to make every dollar work twice as hard.

With netbooks, you win a serious advantage. You get all the power you need for most work. If you are running CAD software or you are editing movies, this is not the device for you. But most don't perform those kinds of high intensity jobs. For your standard computer user, the netbook provides all the capability they will ever need.

But more importantly, netbooks are a preview of what to expect. The era of being tied to a single computer is over. The computer will very shortly become a cheap appliance that connects us to the internet. Information is what matters, or as they say, content is king. Who cares what computer you use to get your information?

Every computer could be your computer.

Using This Recession Wisely

You don't have to be an economist to figure out that any decline in GDP always translates into a decline in technology spending. During the last recession (2001-2003), tech spending collapsed as companies around the country pulled the plug on new projects and slashed IT budgets.

However, things have changed dramatically since 2003. There are now 3 times more cell phone users. Internet users have more than doubled, with even grandmothers getting online now. Technology has penetrated into almost every corner of our lives. Where once an office might have one computer for 50 employees, now there are more computers than employees. Information technology has become Business Technology.

So, while tech spending might drop over the next three years, we will see the birth of some amazing new techs at the same time. We will see:

• A new host of gadgets for the national wireless broadband networks.
• Magnetic plastics that will revolutionize data storage.
• Laptops will start to vanish when ultra-thin, flexible display screens come standard on cell phones.
• New generations of cloud computing platforms will emerge.
• Enterprise social networks will become commonplace.
• Nanotechnology will become more pervasive with applications expanding into more industries.
• Biotechnology will continue to make phenomenal leaps forward.

These are just a few of the changes for the next 3 years. The recession will not stop them.

You need to ask yourself:

• How do these changes impact my business?
• Do these changes create new opportunities?
• How do I take advantage of these techs?

Technology is poised to take some staggering steps over the next three years. You must think on these emerging techs so you can stay ahead of the curve. The changes that are coming will be significant and they will impact every aspect of your business.

Are you ready for the future?

Staying on Budget With Project Management

Your enterprise's financial plans must align with your business strategies. Choosing the appropriate project management software will help you stay on budget while implementing important initiatives that will grow your business.

Project Management Cost Control
Project management software allows you to control costs. Unmanaged project costs can balloon, especially in long running projects. According to 2005 Standish Group research, the average IT project is expected to run over budget by 43%! A simple SaaS solution can help you track issues that add costs to your project. This software also makes project managers accountable. "Most companies do a good job of tracking their biggest and most important IT projects," said Mike Metcalf, VP of Marketing at Artemis International Solutions Corp. But it's the many smaller projects that are "crudely defined and poorly managed. Those are the ones that kill you."

Online Database Software Centralizes Information
There are numerous online solutions for project management. Task software can help keep project team members on track with their responsibilities, making them less likely to miss deadlines and push up costs. A web-based solution should be easy to use and should allow users throughout an organization to contribute information and to make changes to budgets. Ideally, the software should offer a dashboard to quickly report project information that is relevant. A SaaS solution also permits project managers to track changes, as well as revert back to the original plan as needed. Spend some time researching the available options until you find the perfect fit for your organization.

Keeping projects on schedule and within budget will help your profitability. Project management software should allow your project team to complete tasks, manage their direct responsibilities, and keep costs under control.

Something SaaS-y

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has become very popular of late. SaaS is a software delivery model where you use software programs on the internet and also store your files online. This means your information can now be stored on the internet which gives you access no matter where you are in the world. (All you need is an internet connection.)

SaaS is a software model that works well for business. As workers become more mobile, their use and consumption of software applications will change. SaaS is the only model that fulfills all the requirements of the mobile worker while simultaneously reducing total cost of ownership. By converting to a utility computing model, businesses are able to better control IT budgets and focus precious resources on enterprise specific functions. With SaaS businesses won't need to maintain file server data storage systems, software licenses and complex backup systems. Let the provider of your SaaS applications handle those costs.

For example, Google offers a variety of software applications that handle the standard business productivity suite (word processor, spreadsheet, etc.) called Google Documents. Here you can create, manipulate and share documents online. And because Google understands that you won't always have an internet connection, they have released a product called Google Gears which permits workers to access and manipulate their documents without an internet connection. Then, once they re-establish a connection, they can synchronize their changes online. With the advent of this service, Google Documents is now a viable alternative to the standard business productivity suite.

Many enterprise organizations are currently using a type of SaaS through keyserver systems or via application providers like Citrix. SaaS is nothing new, but it has become a new buzzword. I predict a significant move towards more SaaS deployments in enterprise environments, especially once they all provide for a model that permits usage of resources while offline.

Contact me to determine if you can save a significant amount of money by moving towards a SaaS environment for your business.

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