Technology – Page 52

Benefits of Outsourcing IT Support for Small Business

December 21, 2013

Yesterday I went to a store to buy an electronic toy that cost about $100. When I went to the checkout the clerk told me their computer systems were down. Either I would have to wait for up to 30 minutes for them to fix it or come back later. What? Who has time to wait for 30 min or go back again in this busy Christmas season? Needless to say he lost my sales along with the sales from many other customers like me. Such is the important of having reliable computer system in your business. When it works well it can help businesses tremendously, but when it goes down it can result in lost sales, unhappy customers and lost productivity.

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Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: IT

Why your Business Needs to have a Website

December 20, 2013

As a small business owner if you have not yet created a website then you have been leaving in cave for some time or just don’t care about improving your business and sales. The internet revolution of the last decade has enabled all kinds of businesses to develop web presence. It is becoming easier to create and operate websites to the point where even 10 year old can do it within hours. It used to cost thousands of dollars several years ago to create a presence on the web. That is not the case anymore. You can setup and operate a website for as little as hundred dollars now. So why do you need to have a website?

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Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: website

Where Did All the Tech Jobs Go?

December 13, 2013

There are two sectors of the economy that are supposed to be impervious to unemployment – healthcare and information technology. Tech jobs are supposed to be a constant employment source given the proliferation of mobile computing and the growth of cloud computing. The rise in technical schools, technology boot camps, and IT certifications makes it seem as if the field of technology is only on the upward path.

Overall profits reported by technology companies in the last few years also indicate steady growth in information technology. While not moving as fast as the dot com bubble of the 1990s, industry earnings doubled between 2008 and 2012 and reached over $182 billion in 2012. All predictions had previously indicated that 2013 would also see growth. The forecast was for 7 to 10 percent growth for the entire industry. So many were surprised in 2013 when powerhouse companies such as IBM, Cisco, and even Zynga laid off thousands of workers worldwide. The reasons cited were lack of growth, falling stock prices, a need to restructure, and shift to focus on core products. Two startups blamed the market, stating that buyers weren’t ready for their offerings.

Read on to see the worst offenders in IT job losses and the reasons given by the companies.

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Filed Under: Employees, Technology Tagged With: Hiring, HR

Is your Business Taking Advantage of Technological Advances

December 5, 2013

Technological advances in the last 20 years have transformed the way business is conducted around the globe. Not only has technology helped them become more efficient, but also it has enabled them to improve quality and reliability of their products. This in turn has helped the society as a whole prosper. Recent innovations in the areas of mobile and wearable computing will continue to drive the businesses, and in turn, human society towards higher standards.

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Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Quality

How to Grow Your Business with eCommerce

December 3, 2013

Small business owners are missing out on significant sales opportunity if you do not have ecommerce presence. Online sales continue to grow at double digit rate and are expected to do so for many years to come. Amazon and eBay reported solid online sales for the Black Friday last week. More and more customers are now comfortable buying online, which is why every retailer in the world is trying to set up online presence.

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Filed Under: Strategy, Technology Tagged With: ecommerce, retail

6 Reasons Small Businesses are not Getting Return on BI Tools

November 23, 2013

Business Intelligence is the latest technology that promises to revolutionize the way management can have a pulse on their business. Today’s businesses are awash in data generated from all types of sources at the fastest rate in the history. Majority of businesses cannot keep up with this so called Big Data and simply don’t understand what to do with it. No doubt this data holds lot of valuable insight and can help businesses make the right decision at the right time. The problem is finding that needle in this haystack. This is where business intelligence tools come into picture. Companies are investing large sums of money in these tools. When used properly these tools can provide succinct reports that can managers gain insights make quick decisions.

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Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Metrics

How to Choose Broadband Provider for Small Business

November 17, 2013

Broadband has revolutionized the way small businesses provide services to their customers. Majority of the population in developed countries has access to broadband. With the ability to combine voice, data, television into once affordable package broadband providers can provide a compelling value proposition to small business owners as well as individuals. Those who do not take advantage of this are at a disadvantage. With broader access and ever decreasing price there is no excuse for a small business owner to not jump on the broadband train.

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Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: How-to

Cloud Economics and Offsite IT Infrastructure for Small Businesses

November 12, 2013

Small businesses spend significant money on IT infrastructure. Traditionally, they have owned the IT assets themselves and have to carry the burden of capital purchase and ongoing maintenance cost. However, there is a paradigm shift occurring in the IT industry with what is commonly known as cloud computing. This has the potential to dramatically change the way small businesses operate their IT infrastructure. With cloud computing small businesses no longer need to own the IT assets themselves. Instead, they can rent these assets on as needed basis and only pay for what they use. You can think of this as analogous to buying electricity from utility company.

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Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Cost-Management, IT

Are you Aboard the Broadband Train Yet?

November 11, 2013

Communication technology has come a long way from the time Alexander Graham Bell made a first phone call to Watson. The rise of internet in the last 10 years has benefited communication technology by demanding an ever increasing need for speed. As a result, tasks that used to take 20 minutes to download in the early days of internet can now be accomplished in 2 seconds. Financial firms are putting more and more advanced technology to increase the speed of their trade execution even by few milliseconds. Communication companies have responded to this need by developing and deploying advanced technology.