Let others know you're not in the office with the Out of Office Auto Reply!

As many of us head off for a week or two for the Holidays we worry a little, perhaps a lot, about others not being able to reach us while we are away.

Being small business owners it's important to be "reachable" when our customers want to ask questions or make a purchase, for that reason it's important to give a realistic expectation of when you will be able to contact or follow up with your customers or potential customers when you area away.

Remember when you take time off this holiday season to change your office and cell phone voice mail messages to let callers know if you're away for the holidays, for how long and whether or not you're checking messages.

Remember as well to not leave details like "the whole family is away in florida and the house is empty" for safety reasons of course!

Rather than coming back to a packed e-mail in-box and a full voice-mail box, spend a few minutes crafting a useful out-of-office message and people will be able to redirect or park tasks appropriately.

"out of office" email reminders are also important, and below you'll find some tips, tricks and step by step instructions for creating a great out of office message in either Outlook or Outlook express.

A good out of office message has four parts:

1. Dates of your absence. Let the contact know when you are out of the office. It helps them decide what their next step is going to be; whether to wait for your return or to direct their request elsewhere.

2. Reason for absence. I like to let my contacts know whether I am on a business trip or vacation. A business trip means I am connected to the office in some way and might be able to respond to a message. If I’m on vacation, I’m out of contact range.

3. Set Expections Let the caller know whether or not you will be returning calls or emails while you are away.

4. Who to contact in your absence. I try and leave contact information for alternate contacts when I am out of the office; a minimum of one up to as many as are needed.

Remember that just because you leave an out-of-office message, it doesn’t mean that you have properly communicated with the sender. There are three things you should keep in mind when composing the message. It should be:

* Complete: give all the detail necessary. Don’t say, “I’m out of the office” or “I’m gone for two weeks.” Make it precise. “I am away from the office starting December 17th and will be back January 2nd.

* Concise: keep it as short as possible while still making it complete. Use short, bulleted phrases. People don’t want to read a novel in your out-of-office reply.

* Clear: make sure it’s easy to understand. Don’t use abbreviations, job titles or internal jargon that will not be understood by everyone sending you a message.

For detailed instructions on how to create an out of office reply see instructions below.

• For Microsoft Outlook 2002, 2003 or 2007 in a corporate email server environment click HERE

• For Microsoft Outlook 2000 in a corporate email server environment click HERE

• For Microsoft Outlook in a small office or home office environment you can emulate the out of office assistant normally only available in a corporate environment by following this two step process HERE, remember however that you will need to leave the computer on with outlook open and the internet connected while you are away.

• Lastly if you are using Microsoft Outlook Express you can emulate the out of office message by following the instructions HERE and remember to leave the computer on with outlook express open and the internet connected while you are away.

Remember of course to test the rules once setup to ensure they are working and most importantly once all the proper preparations are in place and you know that people will know you are away, relax and enjoy your time off, you've earned it!

More than just Trendy BlackBerry means productivity!

For years I resisted the temptation to invest in a trendy new Blackberry, as a Technology Coach I've always been a big proponent of only investing in technology that truly has a return on investment, and while I saw the potential in productivity gains, I resisted the idea of having email "on my hip" 24/7 because of fear of losing that precious "downtime".

Well this summer the sleek new Blackberry 8800 was released and I could no longer hold back!

I reasoned with myself, BlackBerries are more than just trendy they are technology that has the potential to really improve productivity! I owe it to myself, no, I owe it to my small business technology client base to do hands on research and find out, will it improve my productivity or make it worse?

Well, it has been six months since I gave in and I am proud to say I have yet to become a “crackberry addict”

For those still unfamiliar with this gadget, the BlackBerry is a hand-held device that sends and receives e-mail literally from the palm of your hand. It is also a great cell phone, address book and datebook calendar. You can surf the Internet, create to-do lists, use it as a calculator and even play games.

The first thing I did upon receiving the BlackBerry was disable the incoming e-mail alert. That you see is what compounds the addiction.

I usually receive more than 100 e-mails a day and If my device beeped every time something new arrived in my inbox, I would get nothing done. It is easy enough to check for e-mails at my leisure or between meetings and much less intrusive, of course this also means the blackberry isn't going off during client visits, meetings or worst of all during the of so necesary "downtime" we small business owners never get enough of!

In the last 3 weeks I have been out of the office virtually every day and the BlackBerry was my saviour, there is nothing more gratifying than that one email in the middle of the afternoon confirming a meeting or client appointment for later in the day that saves a trip back to the office before heading out again, it cuts down on mileage, gas costs, travel times and ultimately lowers my total overhead.

But, I have often been told to take good care of my thumbs because with constant use comes the new malady — BlackBerry thumb.

As Web MD’s Arthritis Health Centre points out, BlackBerry owners type by pecking out messages with their thumbs. Many people soon learn to type 40 words a minute and I'm quickly approaching that feat, just never in traffic of course!

The BlackBerry may give the impression businesspersons are forever tethered to it in public — in the elevator, on the street, in a taxi, but its appeal lies in the fact you can get a lot more work done with small intermittent moments throughout the day instead of slaving over a PC in the office and my personal experience and on-going tally shows over 13 hours of travel time saved because I didn't need to return to the office to get that "one email" before heading to the next meeting.

Since entrepreneurs and small business owners often wear multiple hats, they need to be reachable by customers or clients, even when they’re out of the office, at home, or at a ball game with their kids and given the option of carrying a blackberry or giving up that important out of office time, I'm sure you can see why a device like this is so useful.

In this day and age, virtually everyone communicates via e-mail. I have often been out of the office only to return several hours later to find a notice sent early in the morning seeking my response. The person could have simply called me, but these days people are often more comfortable e-mailing than calling.

What about vacations? If you have the Blackberry take it, but try to use it within reason. If you are anxious to communicate with someone you will be glad to have it with you.

As one person said: “Personally, I’d rather spend 15 minutes a day on a vacation on my BlackBerry than face 2,000 messages in my inbox when I return. Plus, what kind of relaxing vacation will you have knowing e-mails are piling up back at the office?”

So, for all those people who are intimidated by the BlackBerry, rest easy. Not only is it trendy, but the device can indeed be considered a lifesaver for small business owners like yourself!

For more information on how you can integrate a wireless email device like a blackeberry into your busy small business schedule call Scott Kendall The Technology Coach today!

Beyond just technology support,
Scott Kendall The Technology Coach is your
Trust Information Technology Partner!

Exchanging Microsoft Office files with colleagues, customers and suppliers just got easier!

Have you been having trouble opening attachments in your email lately? Have you seen the error message "Windows cannot open this file" Don't feel bad, lots of people are, I get two or three calls or emails a week asking "Why doesn't Word, Excel or PowerPoint open email attachments anymore?"
















If you exchange Microsoft Office files with colleagues, customers or suppliers via email on a regular basis you may have noticed a few glitches in the last few months, namely the new Microsoft Office 2007 file format that may appear in your email as an attachment like document.docx, spreadsheet.xlsx or presentation.pptx?

Users of Microsoft Office 2000, XP (2002) and 2003 need a special add on software application in order to open, edit or contribute to Office 2007 documents, the good news? It's a free download and easy installation from Microsoft available online at no charge.

Even if you haven't seen this problem yet, it is suggested that you install this update sooner rather than later, it is likely that you will receive an attachment in office 2007 format sometime in the near future and wouldn't it be easier if it just worked the first time instead of searching around for this email and instructions later? We thought so too!

Find out more about Microsoft Office 2007 file format compatibility here

or follow me to the Microsoft website for full instructions on how to quickly fix this common problem with a simple installation here

As always if you have any trouble installing this update please don't hesitate to email or call The Technology Coach for help!

Scott Kendall

Small Business Technology Specialist
____________________________

Small Business Technology Service,
Training, Coaching and Support!
http://www.thetechnologycoach.ca
scottk@thetechnologycoach.ca
Office 905-366-8234
Mobile 416-802-4424

Cybercrime still spreading like a virus

Despite stepped-up law enforcement and better security software, threats from cybercriminals remain potent, according to the 2007 Consumer Reports' State of the Net survey.

Your chances of becoming a cybervictim are about one in four -- slightly less than last year because a few problems appear to be easing, though significant threats remain.

Consumers are still falling prey to phishing scams, in which bogus e-mails and Web sites ask them to disclose information about their financial accounts.

The number who submitted personal information in such scams remained constant since last year, at about 8 percent of respondents.

About 38 percent of survey respondents reported a computer-virus infection in the past two years, and 34 percent reported a spyware infection in the past six months.

Based on projections from this survey, virus infections prompted 1.8 million households or businesses to replace their PCs in the past two years and spyware infections prompted another 850,000 to replace their machines in the past six months. Very few Mac users in the survey reported either infection type.

Defenses are still down. Seventeen percent of respondents didn't have antivirus software installed; 33 percent didn't use software to block or remove spyware. Although most small businesses Consumer Reports surveyed had installed a firewall, which keeps out hackers, Consumer Reports believes that 3.7 million small businesses with high speed internet access still lack this protection.

But while new initiatives may make the Internet a safer place in the coming years, much of the responsibility for secure use now falls upon consumers themselves. Here are some suggestions for how you can stay safe online:

1. Activate protection. If your operating system or software has a firewall, spam blocker or other built-in security application, make sure it's turned on, if it doesn't or if your not sure if you have software to protect you, send us a quick email and we can help you figure out how protected you are currently.

2. Update and renew. Set your operating system and security software to update automatically. Spam, spyware and virus-detection programs incorporate ''rules'' or ''definition'' files that must be updated regularly to catch the latest threats.

3. Avoid hyperlinks. Hyperlinks in an e-mail can show one address but take you to another. Before clicking on links in Web pages, hover your cursor over the URL and see whether the address that appears at the bottom of your browser looks as if it's related to a page or site you expect to visit.

4. For a simple route to broad protection online, consider a security suite that packages together programs to fight viruses, spyware and spam. Suites also add extra features such as phishing detection and child access filters.

Is your business prepared and well defended against spyware and virus threats?

Call The Technology Coach today for a no charge security evaluation and find out what you can do to protect yourself and your business!

Help customers find you on Google Maps

If you're like me, you don't often leave the house or office to travel to a completely new destination without at least checking a map first for general directions, many of us now a days use an online Mapping service, whether it's MSN, Yahoo ro Google Maps the features are all more or less the same, but recently while searching google maps I came across one unique feature that set it apart from others, The ability to add your business to google maps!



Just one more (free!) way for customers to find you on the internet, Google maps provides this service at no charge, check it out for yourself, go to maps.google.com and lookup "The Technology Coach" not only will you see my location but you'll also get a breif description and "rating" of my business and even a space for customers to write reviews!



Here's how it works:

Millions of people search Google Maps every day. A free listing on Google Maps makes it easy for them to find you.

Use the Local Business Center to create your free listing. When potential customers search Maps for local information, they'll find your business: your address, hours of operation, even photos of your storefront or products. It's easy, free, and you don't need a website of your own.

Learn more about the Local Business Center

"People search Google Maps for a business just like yours."

Reach new customers on Google Maps and Google.com
Local customers are already searching for the products and services you offer. Why not make it easy for them to find you on Google search and on Google Maps? The Local Business Center is the place to start.

Works great for businesses of any size
Whether you run a single dentist's office or dozens of coffee shops, manage all your listings from a single account.

Update your listing at any time
Use the Local Business Center to edit your listing whenever and however you like. Your Google Maps results will be updated in a few weeks, not next year.



I'm ready to help customers find me. Sign up now »

Email Bankruptcy – Don’t Try This at Home or The Office!

Contributed By Marcia Barhydt | Published 08/10/2007 | Business & Finance

I read an article recently about email bankruptcy. Never heard of it? Well, neither had I and what I read shocked me.

It seems that people are receiving so many emails every day now, including spam, that their inboxes are becoming overwhelmingly full. So full that they don't feel they'll ever have time to read all their email. Ever.

So, what they're doing – are you ready for this – they're declaring email bankruptcy! They're sending out 1 single email to everyone in their own database explaining the situation of email overload (and neglect, I might add) and suggesting that if anyone on that database has sent them an email in the past, say, month, then that person should resend the email because it's going to be deleted. Or has been already deleted.

I'm still picking my jaw up off the floor at such a thought. This whole idea ranks right up there with call waiting in my opinion. And my opinion of call waiting isn't very nice. But don't get me started on that one!

These poor, overworked people have not, did not, will not take the time to go through their email on a daily basis, or even a few times a day, at the very least to sift out the emails that are from bona fide friends/colleagues/customers. CUSTOMERS!

Now you may be saying 'but these are probably only people who are high-powered corporate execs with way way too much on their plates. Well, you'd be wrong. These are people just like you and me. Entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, small business people and even people with no businesses at all. Just ordinary people. Who are way too busy to read their email. Incredible.

Let's just deal with those who are in business for the purpose of this column. If I were a colleague of one of these people, and I had emailed her to suggest a meeting to discuss ……whatever – a liaison, a networking event, an upcoming workshop, a mastermind meeting, a partnering opportunity. If I received such a bankruptcy email, do you think I'd be very likely to resend my email to her? Do you think I'd be very likely to want to do any kind of business with her? Uh, NO.

And if I were her customer, well, I don't even have the words to describe how upset I'd be to receive this 'notice of bankruptcy'.

It's inconceivable to me that something like this can even be considered. I'm the one who says that all emails must be answered within 48 hours or at least have an auto-response saying they've been received and will be answered within a specified time. I'm the one who insists that an auto-responder be used for any extended absences from your email, like a vacation, a conference, an extra-long lunch!

Today, I've read another article suggesting that we're in an era where personal contact has become devalued (hence voicemail and email) and that the new 'no' is now silence. Silence - as in no response whatsoever. Nada, zip, nil, zero, nothing. If I receive voicemail or email that I don't want to action, then silence will be my planned response. And 'delete' is a common and accepted occurrence, for both types of communication. This theory contends that people who have sent emails, left voicemails will accept no response as an answer. No response will become a response of 'no'. This article contained a quote - "If they can't take a hint, that's their problem."

I almost fell off my chair. My heart skipped a beat. My ears started buzzing.

Seriously, have we reached this point in communication? Have we reached this point in isolation? Are we so busy behind our computer screens, our palms, that we no longer see the essential merit in communicating – with anyone?

This column is about customer service. And this new trend needs to be quashed, totally invalidated, completely rejected by all of us if the concept of customer service is to continue. Ignoring a client, customer or colleague isn't giving any kind of service at all and it's not an acceptable alternative in my view.

We need to choose not to adapt this attitude ourselves and we need to confront anyone we see doing it as a way of evading the joy of personal contact.

Like all customer service, it's that simple.

© Marcia Barhydt, 2007 Marcia Barhydt

Marcia Barhydt writes a bi-monthly column for The Brampton News about customer service, as well as being a freelance reporter covering people, topics and events of interest in Brampton. Marcia also writes and edits content of marketing materials for her own clients. Visit her at http://www.willowtree.ca/








Scott Kendall - The Technology Coach Adds:

Email bankruptcy, as Marcia points out is not the answer, if managing email is becoming more time consuming than your small business can afford, contact The Technology Coach today and find out how to reduce the time required, the effort and ultimately the headaches created by email overload. Make Technology your friend, not your enemy, let The Technology Coach show you how!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Your Children and the Internet

It’s true that the Internet can be a wonderful resource for your children to complete homework assignments, socialize with friends and find entertainment.

It’s also true that the Internet has proved to be an outlet for foul-minded people to carry out their thoughts against children.

Without proper restraints, it’s possible for innocent-minded youth to accidentally visit offensive websites, be victimized by a cyber bully or encounter online predators. There are two things that parents can do to bring them peace of mind when their children are using the Internet.

First, parents should set rules for Internet use. Second, parents should use parental control software to help enforce those rules. Communicate with your children about some healthy habits to abide by when using the Internet.

For example, teach your children not to reveal their name, age or address on the Internet – even when signing up for a new service. It’s possible for predators to find children by checking out their Internet Service Provider profile or following a url – typical requirements when signing up for a service or creating personal websites.

Another good idea is to limit the amount of time your children can spend on the Internet and the time of day when they can access it. Establishing boundaries is easier than you think when you have a good parental controls software product.

Easy-to-use technology helps allow you to block access to the websites you don’t want your children to visit. Plus, automatically filters offensive websites by using pre-established parameters.

As a parent you can add even more categories, words or parameters that block offensive websites. What’s more is that you can actually set time limits for when your children can use the Internet.

If you know that your children cannot access the Internet during certain time periods, you’ll have peace of mind to do your own thing while the kids are in another room. By establishing some common sense guidelines and, with the help of the parental controls software, your children can enjoy the many marvelous resources provided by the Internet and parents can feel more at ease allowing children to use it with certain guidelines in place.

Having a separate computer from your office or business computer to be used by the kids for internet access is ideal, not only do predators lurk on the types of websites your children want to visit but so do viruses, spyware, malware and other infectious software, keeping these threats off your business computer means keeping the kids on a computer of their own which you can monitor.

With computer prices dropping drastically in the last 2-3 years a computer for internet access and homework for the kids can now be purchased for less than $300 and provides significant protection for your business simply by segmenting the type of work done on the home computer compared to the business computer.

For more information on adding a second computer to your home or home office contact the Technology Coach today!

Concerned the Internet Impacting Your Child’s Health? You’re Not Alone

If you’re worried about how the Internet impacts your childrens’ health, you’re not alone. According to a recent study, Internet Safety ranks number 7 on the top 10 list of child health concerns. Internet safety is a relatively new concern for parents, but it’s not one to be taken lightly.

While smoking and drug abuse are still the top concerns, the Internet provides a different forum for your children to fall into the “wrong crowd”. Children can innocently surf to an offensive website while searching for things that interest them or, perhaps even worse, get caught up in a conversation with an online predator. Either way managing the ways your children use the Internet will help to decrease the chances of something like this happening.

Good parental control software offers you a variety of tools to help protect your family against inappropriate websites. The parental controls component to look for include:

• A customizable filtering policy that allows you to block sites in commonly blocked categories, like Adult, Gambling, and Chat
• Time restrictions so you can control when (and for how long) your child can access the Internet
• Password protection to keep others in the household from modifying settings or disabling the product
• Extensive reporting capabilities that allow you to view the Internet activity of those using the computer
• Automatic updates to help keep your protection current against new web content that appears every day

For help selecting the parental control software that will work best for your family computer contact The Technology Coach Today!

Protect your equipment, extend it's life, reduce risks to your business!

Take a quick look around your desk and you'll see all the equipment you've got plugged into a single power bar or wall outlet. Stop and think for a moment what surge or peak in power would do to this unprotected equipment?

Constant fluctuations in the power supply coming into your home or office can cause your equipment to shut down or freeze and exhibit signs of damage over time, meaning loss of data as well as downtime for your equipment and potentially your business!

As a small business owner the importance of protecting your equipment as well as your data should already be obvious, but are you doing everything you can?

Installing an Automatic Voltage Regulating Battery Backup unit in your office environment can increase the life of your equipment by as much as 33% while dramatically reducing your risk of data lost, equipment failure and even hardware related slow downs. An investment of less than $100 can help protect your equipment, Read on to find out why a simple surge protector is often not enough!

Why do I need a surge protector?

Even small power spikes can degrade internal circuitry and dramatically shorten the life of electronic devices. For this reason, all important electronics and appliances should be connected to a quality surge protector.

Battery Backups / UPS: When a Surge Protector Isn't Enough

Computers connected to a surge protector will be somewhat protected against a jolt of electricity if there's a nearby lightning strike. But when the power goes out — even for a second — it can result in lost data and potentially a damaged hard drive.

Protecting important files and data against permanent loss due to insufficient power requires a UPS battery backup device. A UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) device provides both surge protection and emergency backup power. The backup power gives a computer user time (from ten minutes to an hour, depending on the device) to save critical files and properly shut down the computer until power is restored.

What is AVR?

Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) technology provides clean electricity by increasing low voltage or decreasing high voltage — keeping it within a safe range of 110–120 volts.

Is your business equipment protected from Sags, Spikes, Blackouts, Surges and Electrical Noise?

Call the technology coach today for a no cost telephone evaluation of your small business technology needs.

Scott Kendall

Small Business Technology Specialist
____________________________

Small Business Technology Service,
Training, Coaching and Support!
http://www.thetechnologycoach.ca
scottk@thetechnologycoach.ca
Office 905-366-8234
Mobile 416-802-4424

Manage and track your time for success

Time can be a small-business owner's best friend, or worst enemy. It all depends on how you use it.

There just never seem to be enough hours in the day to get things done. Time is extremely valuable to business owners, and if you bill for your time directly even more so. Wasting time can be extremely harmful to your bottom line and your sense of well being!

To operate efficiently, your business may need systems for managing time and keeping track of who's working on what and for how long, even if you're the only one working on your business, knowing what you're working on, how you're doing on that task and what's getting done is essential to deciding where to use your most valuable asset, your time.

I learned early on in my own business that accounting software wasn't just about taxes but about understanding from a "larger picture" how your business was doing financially.

Proper time management and tracking is equally important possibly more so for your business. If you have to stop and think when you ask yourself "what did I accomplish today" you're neither tracking your tasks well enough nor planning well enough for them. What will you do tomorrow?

Most successful small-business owners are also successful time managers. And they tend to share certain traits and strategies. One of the most basic time management devices ever invented is the simple "to-do" list. Each day, jot down all of the things that need to get done, all on one sheet of paper.

Simple right, well here's a trick I learned a long time ago, I call it To Do list 2.0, simply jot down the time you expect something to take you next to the item on the to do list so when you look at it next you can decide if you have time to complete that task or if you should move onto something else.

Granted, figuring out how long something will take you will be hard at first, but the real bonus here is after guesstimating a half dozen times at how long it will take you to "drop off mail" or "create invoice" or "do bank deposit" you'll have a much better idea at how long these things really take (much longer than you think!) and you'll start adjusting as needed, maybe even delegating items that don't create enough benefit for the time invested.

As tasks are completed, adjust for the approximate time used and cross them off. This can help you focus on getting them done one at a time, and also gives you a great sense of accomplishment.

Delegating more work can also help ease your time crunch. Many business owners accustomed to "doing it all" find this exceedingly difficult. But even if you are a sole operator, you can pass off tasks to others, via outsourcing, for example, to free up time for yourself.

Periodically analyze how time is spent at your business — and not just your time, but everyone's. Divide the day into small time blocks and record what you, or others, were doing in each block. Now compare this real use of time to your goals, expectations and mission priorities. If they do not align, you'll need to take action. One step might be to set clearer time-management goals for yourself and your employees.

Banish procrastination from your place of business. Growing, successful businesses don't put things off. Even a simple "no" response to something on your to-do list can extinguish that item and let you move on.

A variety of technology solutions are also helping small businesses track and manage time. Whether you're looking for assistance tracking, planning or making the most of your time The Technology Coach is here to help, give us a call or send us an email today and let us help you find a more efficient way of getting things done!

Mobile Small Business Technology - Don't Leave Home Without it!

If you're a small business owner trying to figure out what might be your best IT investment, you probably won't go wrong choosing an investment in your small businesses ability to be mobile.

Mobile technology arguably does more for a small or single-person business than most other IT concepts floating around out there, except perhaps for a coffee maker!

Mobility is all about doing business whenever and wherever you want - exactly the kind of capability that most small companies could use.

Mobile technology brings the office, and all of its vital processes and resources, straight to the customer.

Implementing a mobile solution allows companies to work like they are in the office, even when they're not. This achieves significant time savings in numerous operational processes from Customer Relationship Management to Communication and Data Mining research, it pays off to have it with you.

Hard-cost savings are yet another benefit of mobile technology. Are you spending a significant amount on fuel to drive back and forth between the your customers and your office or various other locations? Working mobile drastically reduced the frequency of trips. Reducing fuel costs, vehicle wear and tear and time spent on the road.

Does mobility have value for all business or is it really just something for only some businesses? It definitely has potential across the full spectrum. If you've ever been out of your office and said, 'I wish I had access to ...,' then mobile devices will have a benefit for you.

How can your business get the biggest bang for its buck with mobile technology? It's essential for a business to examine their current processes and supporting infrastructures that allow a company to conduct its business and decide which pieces are most necessary to have at your finger tips.

Based on the fact that most small businesses don't have large budgets, it's important to look at a mobility platform that leverages your current environment ... so that you don't have to translate what you're doing in the office to something that sits in the middle and creates more work than it reduces!

It's important to be able to use what you've already invested in your company, and mobile devices and platforms must be able to work with your back office tools and processes. The key with mobility is it must work seamlessly and it must provide you with all of the tools you have back at the office.

Interested in learning how your company can benefit from going Mobile? Contact The Technology Coach Today for information about Small Business Mobile Technology Solutions that will keep you in touch and on top!

How to surf anonymously without a trace

Several ways to protect yourself from the feds and others


The punchline to an old cartoon is "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog," but these days, that's no longer true.

It's easier than ever for the government, Web sites and private businesses to track exactly what you do online, know where you've visited, and build up comprehensive profiles about your likes, dislikes and private habits.

And with the US federal government increasingly demanding online records from sites such as Google and others, your online privacy is even more endangered.

But you don't need to be a victim. There are things you can do to keep your surfing habits anonymous and protect your online privacy. So read on to find out how to keep your privacy to yourself when you use the Internet, without spending a penny.

What they know about you

Whenever you surf the Web, you leave yourself open to being snooped upon by Web sites. They can track your online travels, know what operating system and browser you're running, find out your machine name, uncover the last sites you've visited, examine your history list, delve into your cache, examine your IP address and use that to learn basic information about you such as your geographic location and more. To a great extent, your Internet life is an open book when you visit.

Sites use a variety of techniques to gather and collate this information, but the two most basic are examining your IP address and placing cookies on your PC. Matching your IP address with your cookies makes it easier for them to create personal profiles.

If you'd like to see what kind of information sites can gather about you, head to these two sites, which peer into your browser and report what they find.

• Privacy Analysis of Your Internet Connection gathers and displays basic information, such as your operating system, screen resolution, what site you previously visited, general system setup and so on.

• BrowserSpy delves even deeper into your system and even reports on whether you have certain software on your system, such as RealPlayer and Adobe Acrobat, including version information.
  

Continue to page two of this article here

Web threats to surpass e-mail pests

By next year, Internet users can expect more cyberattacks to originate from the Web than via e-mail, security firm Trend Micro predicts.

E-mail has traditionally been the top means of attack, with messages laden with Trojan horses and other malicious programs hitting inboxes. But the balance is about to tip as cybercrooks increasingly turn to the Web to attack PCs.

"By 2008, most of the threats you are facing will be Web placed. Today most of it is still e-mail," Raimund Genes, Trend Micro's chief researcher, said in a presentation at the Gartner Symposium and ITxpo here on Monday.

The reason for the flip is simple. Security tools for e-mail have become commonplace, but the same isn't true for Web traffic. Security firms have found it tough to secure what comes into a network and computers over port 80, the network port used to browse the Web using the hypertext transfer protocol, or HTTP.

"You can't block port 80," Eva Chen, Trend Micro's chief executive, said in an interview. "It is different than e-mail. E-mail is store and forward. HTTP is real time and you need to be able to deal with the latency in the user experience."

Read the entire article on CNET news HERE

Virtual presence pays off

I was thrilled the other day to come across an article from one of my favourite clients who also happens to be a close person friend, highlighted in the National Post on Tuesday with a focus on using an online presence to attract and keep U.S. customers Richard Burke of the Brochure Place was interviewed by the National Post and shared some great insights on selling to U.S. customers without setting up shop in the across the border.

Enjoy the read,

Canadian entrepreneurs eshew setting up bricks-and-mortar in U.S.

Another Canadian company that has found success in the U.S. market by operating from Canada is Mississauga, Ont.-based specialty printer Brochure Place Inc.

A "virtual" Internet-based company, Brochure Place attributes about 90% of its $1-million in annual sales to the U.S. market. And that's without a physical presence south of the border and with thousands of competitors in the low-cost, small-run printing business. Its main business is printing brochures in batches of 5,000 for US$397 or 1,000 business cards for US$57.

"Let's put it this way, it is cheaper for somebody in Los Angeles to have us print 5,000 brochures for them here and pay for the shipping costs, than it is for them to walk across the street and have it printed," says Richard Burke, president and chief executive of the three-person company.

At startup in 2000, Brochure Place's competitive advantage was the weak Canadian dollar. That has since disappeared, although the company's prices have not changed, and competition in the United States has dropped its prices from US$1,000 for 5,000 brochures to about the same as Brochure Place charges. Mr. Burke says his company is still doing OK because "they don't offer the same quality of printing or the same quality of service. We snuck in there and managed to hold on to our market space because of those things, it is difficult to hold on based on price."

Brochure Place has survived by increasing efficiencies and boosting order volumes. He no longer has a building and the three employees all work from home offices. Printing is contracted out to a local printer that gets about an hour of work each day from the company.

Mr. Burke has also lowered shipping costs by using UPS's cross-border shipping service, which charges a flat rate of $25, despite the number of separate orders he has, an essential advantage given many of his individual orders are for US$57 apiece. Because shipments are sent from Buffalo, he can, in all good conscience, tell U.S. customers their orders will be coming from a U.S. city.

Mr. Burke says U.S. customers are markedly different than his Canadian clients. "In many ways [Americans] are a lot easier to deal with, they are used to making a decision. U.S. customers will phone up and say 'I want 1,000 cards in this name and 1,000 in that name.' Canadians, on the other hand, will phone and say '$67 for 1,000 business cards? Can I get 250 for $20?' It's just a difference in culture, we are so very cautious here."

Like Edmonton's Kinnikinnick, Mr. Burke has no urge to set up shop in the United States. "There are many reasons why you would not want to do that and very few reasons why you would want to do that," he says.

He notes that the United States is a "spiderweb" of tax regulations. Setting up a business in one state can mean you have to collect taxes in some but not all other states you might ship to. As well, operations on both sides of the border means two sets of books, two accountants and perhaps two legal firms and potentially double the overhead and taxes.

"I'm all about efficiency," Mr. Burke says. "As an online organization, a virtual organization, we have done what Google and Paypal have done. And people used to laugh at Google."

BlackBerry Blackout!

Late Tuesday night BlackBerry handheld personal communication devices all across North America lost email access and left 8 million lawyers, business people, small business owners and other professionals without access to their most precious communication tool, their BlackBerry instant eMail Communicator!

Service was gradually restored and seems to be all back online as of Noon Wednesday but what was meerly a glitch in the system should be a wakeup call to many BlackBerry users that one single communication tool isn't enough.

While I'm not suggesting we should all have 3 different cell phones a laptop and a walkie talkie in our pockets at all times, that's a little extreme, it is important to be prepared for any one communications or business tool to "disappear".

Perhaps now is a great time to stop and take inventory of the technology you rely on and ask yourself what your plan B is should one or more of those pieces of technology fail you.

Of course it's also a good time to ask yourself what information is on these same devices that exists ONLY on these devices and, if you lost your cell phone / laptop / daytimer where would you turn to retrieve that important data?

While a cause has not yet been found for the BlackBerry failure it does seem like all is back to normal, we'll call this one a close call and perhaps take a few minutes to do a mental inventory of the tools we rely on and plan for the worst. If you're brief mental inventory leaves you feeling a little nervous about your business reliance on untrusted technology feel free to give me a call, I can help you plan for the best while keeping your business technology prepared for the worst.

RIM says most N.A. BlackBerry service restored

Information at your finger tips

"Actually, I was just working on that excel file yesterday let me see if I can find it" Said a client to me recently, 5 minutes later we were still shuffling through the my documents folder looking high and low for a single excel document, was it really taking this long? Was it really possible that Google could search the entire internet in fractions of a second but we were stuck looking for one file in the my documents folder of a single computer for what seemed like hours (but was probably only minutes)?

If you're like most computer users who keep lots of information on their PC you've probably run into this time and time again, well it's unreasonable! How does Google do it so much faster? It's called indexing, much like a library filing system Google (or Yahoo or MSN search if you prefer) indexes all the files it comes across for later retrieval, it's a shame our brains don't work quite that well right?

Well now there's no reason your PC shouldn't. A free tool from Microsoft released this year allows you to create an index of the entire contents of your computer (or small office network) for instant searching! Whether your searching for Word, Excel, PDF, Pictures, Video's, Music, Outlook Emails, Contacts, Calendar items or any number of hundreds of other formats if it's on your computer, the Windows Desktop Search Toolbar will index it for you and put it literally at your fingertips and best of all, it's absolutely FREE and SECURE!

Windows Desktop Search helps increase your productivity by:

• Helping users quickly find and retrieve e-mail messages, documents, and many other file types located on their PC and company network.
• Providing a familiar, integrated, and convenient search experience for Windows users.
• Working with other Microsoft search technologies such as Live Search and Microsoft Office SharePoint Services 2007.

Upon installation, Windows Desktop Search builds an index of the files on a user's hard drive. The initial creation of this index can take up to several hours, but this is a one-time event. Once the index is complete, Windows Desktop Search is able to use this index to search results more rapidly than it would take to search through all the files on your computer.

Searches are performed not only on file names, but also on the contents of the file as well as the keywords and comments the file is tagged with.

For example, searching the computer for The Beatles would return a list of the Beatles music on your computer, as well as any e-mails and documents that include the phrase "The Beatles" in their titles or contents.

Windows Desktop Search, by default, includes handlers for most common filetypes. WDS also features word-wheeled search (or search-as-you-type). It begins searching as soon as characters are entered in the search box, and keeps on refining and filtering the search results as more characters are typed in. As an advantage, this results in finding the requires files even before the full search text is entered.

I personally use it whenever I want to check the last communication I had with a particular client or contact, a quick search of their name on my office network (including 3 pc's) shows me all the emails I've ever sent / received from that client, all the voice mails I've received to my in box (my email forwards to my mailbox), all the word, excel, PDF or power point presentations I've ever included that client in as well as the contact card I have for that client in Outlook now if only I could get it to record and transcribe my telephone calls! Maybe the next version :)

Microsoft offers this tool for your download convenience online here I hope you find it as useful as I do! (Choose the option WDS 3.01 for Windows XP SP2)

i'm making a difference!

Microsoft announced this week that they've taken their Instant Messaging program Windows Live Messenger and turned it into a charitable tool!

i’m is a new initiative from Windows Live Messenger™. Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes.

We've set no cap on the amount we'll donate to each organization. The sky's the limit.

You can choose from 9 different causes including Unicef, Multiple Sclerosis Society and StopGlobalWarming.org and best of all it's free to you and benefits some great charities, to find out more visit the Microsift i'm Making a difference website here: i'm Home

Small Business Entrepreneurs pitch Dragons

I can't tell you how excited I am about the return of one of my favourite reality TV shows, Dragon's Den, now before you tune out thinking I'm hooked on Survivor or even the apprentice this one's different for two major reasons, one it's Canadian and two it's all about Small Business! If you didn't catch last years Dragon's Den on CBC you Missed out on a great thing, don't miss it this year, should be starting soon!

Entrepreneurs pitch Dragons - London Free Press Article

"More than 30 hopeful entrepreneurs felt the fire yesterday during London auditions for CBC-TV's Dragon's Den.

The business reality show, returning for a second season, features a panel of rich but nasty investors who hear pitches by entrepreneurs.

This year, the producers plan 10 to 12 episodes starting in October. The season may include an audition show and a "where are they now?" look at past winners and losers."

Small Business Owners Meet for breakfast in record numbers!

Congratulations are due to the Streetsville chapter of our Business Connection Exchange group who met on Friday the 13th of april from 7:30 to 9:00am and had a record turnout of 20 people for breakfast! So much for Friday the 13th bad luck huh guys? :)

There was small business networking, a ten minute presentation from Emilia Rees of Deco Doc Home Staging and lots of great connections made all around! This chapter is barely 3 months old but already getting a great turnout for their chapter breakfasts, great work guys, keep it up!

If you're in the Streetsville area and are looking for a Friday Morning Breakfast Networking group contact David Smeriglio for all the details on the BCX - Streetsville chapter.

168 South Gourmet Grill & Banquet Hall
168 Queen Street South (Mississauga Road North from Eglington Turns into Queen Street.)
Streetsville, Ontario
L5M 1K8

And if you're looking for a more central breakfast meeting on a Friday Morning check out the BCX - TO Chapter which meets at Coleman's at 3085 Bathurst (just north of Lawrence on the east side) in Toronto Breakfast is only $11 and the networking is well worth the early wakeup on a friday ;) Heather Freed is the contact person for this chapter please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Outlook versus Outlook Express - Which solution is right for you?

I've been asked a few times in the last couple weeks about the differences and benefits of running Microsoft outlook vs. Microsoft Outlook express so I've decided to compile my answers here for others to review. Firstly, the biggest difference is cost and licensing, Microsoft Outlook Express is FREE, it's part of Microsoft Windows (Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 and XP, In Windows Vista it's called Windows Mail) Microsoft Outlook comes as part of the Microsoft Office Suite of programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook most often and therefore is included in the cost of Microsoft Office.

So what if you have BOTH? Which one should you use? Good question, Microsoft has an extensive article below that will answer your questions in detail but the simplest way for me to summarize the article is to say that Microsoft Outlook is the full blown all the bells and whistles version where as the Express version (Outlook Express) is the light version, now Express might imply that it's faster somehow but that's not the case, it's just simpler, no calendar, limited contact management, no to-do lists, journal entry function or note taking facilities, again, very limited.

The full Microsoft explanation can be found here: Outlook versus Outlook Express - Outlook - Microsoft Office Online

If you're already using or have decided to move to Microsoft Outlook be sure to look into the FREE add-on for Microsoft Outlook 2003 called Business Contact manager aimed directly at managing business contacts, again all the details on the Microsoft Website here: Microsoft Outlook 2003 Business Contact Manager Add-on

To summarize, if you're looking to perform Business Contact Management or Email management for your business needs Outlook is your answer, if you're just looking for simple straightforward email only for home use, Outlook Express will work for you.

Business contact and information management is a crucial part of small business management and Microsoft Outlook 2003 with business contact Manager makes much of this process not only streamlined but actually helpful to small business owners, if you're interested in getting the most of your small business contact manager software ask about our small business software training!

Dragon's Den Small Business TV returns

If you enjoyed last years Dragon's Den all about small business people taking their innovative ideas to investors on TV for review you'll be thrilled to know it's coming back to CBC this year and they are currently holding auditions in London, Ontario.

Dragon’s Den Auditions:

A chance for entrepreneurs to pitch their investment ideas and qualify for tapings of the show in Toronto.

Where: Small Business Centre, 316 Rectory Street

When: Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m

Contact: 519-659-2882 ext:230

London Free Press - Business - Dragon's Den returns to London

GOOD LUCK!

Top Of Mind e-Marketing that works!

Recently I was invited to attend a BIA Conference in Toronto and provide a short educational piece to a group of BIA members on small business technology speaking specifically on e-Marketing. I was excited to attend and share my expanded e-newsletter course from the summer 2006 into a blogging and website seminar encompassing 5 major aspects of e-marketing you'll outlined in the course materials to follow. The course time was limited to just an hour and I'm sure I could have spent a whole day on e-marketing but the response form the 50 or so attendees was phenomenal and I really enjoyed the feedback!

The invitation was extended to me by Ellen Timms of the Port Credit BIA Which meets monthly for breakfast and has always been a great source of both education and referrals for my business. The next BIA breakfast meeting is scheduled for this Thursday the 5th from 8am - 9am at The Brogue Inn, 136 Lakeshore Rd E. in port credit. The course material will be limited to just 20 minutes but there's great networking before and after with local business owners! Please RSVP with Ellen if you plan to attend

On my BIA mini-site you'll find a wealth of knowledge, links and PDF documents I shared with the BIA attendees to take away from this conference, I sincerely hope you enjoy the tools I provide and don't hesitate to email or call with questions, I'm always here to help you grow your business!

Microsoft adds important new options to Office 2007?

Isn't it about time we had options like these?

• Undo Stupid Changes
• Read Boss' Mind
• Adjust Boss' Attitude
• Create Ideas
• Insert Brilliance
• Extend Deadline
• Enhance Salary
• Find Better Client
• Restore Wasted Evenings
• Save Weekend

Images circulating the internet this week have been promising some pretty hefty returns on your Microsoft Office 2007 upgrade investment.

Secret screen captures from the beta testing team at Microsoft show a myriad of options never before seen in Microsoft Office products.

Find out more about the benefits of this upgrade online here

Canadian Consumers can now shop around for the best mobile phone service rates

Without losing or changing their current phone number?

But there could be a catch...

Wireless Number Portability (WNP) brings an enhanced sense of mobility to cellular phone users in Canada. With WNP, you can change service providers and keep your existing phone number.

You can move your phone service from a wired phone to a wireless one, and vice versa and still keep the same number.

Keep in mind, as advantageous as that sounds, that you can only transfer your phone number to a new service provider. You may not be able to transfer the phone itself, or the service plan under which you are operating, or the calling features your service plan includes. You may have to get all these from your new service provider.

Nevertheless, the new service parameters are designed to bring added flexibility, choice and competition to the marketplace. For the service companies, there is no doubt that WNP is a technical, administrative and operational challenge. Even for the consumer, there are some hurdles to be overcome.

When will it happen? Canada's the third country in the world (after the US and Australia) to have complete wireless-to-wireless, wireless-to-wired and wired-to-wireless portability; it's the result of directives from the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to enhance competition in the marketplace. By the way, the CRTC has stated that pagers will not be a part of WNP.

Most metropolitan areas in the country will get WNP this Wednesday, March 14; interestingly, industry consultants advising the CRTC first proposed that the earliest and most expedient launch date for WNP would be in September, 2007.

That's partly due to what were several anticipated technical and operational issues to be addressed. As it stands now, some smaller cell phone companies will still have until September to complete transfer of incoming numbers.

The cell phone providers and the industry's lobby group, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, maintain the market is competitive. For the time being, inquiries to the carrier companies about WNP are being directed to the Association itself, and its website, www.wirelessnumberportability.ca, where comprehensive information and a generic FAQ section can be found.

For consumers who want to take advantage of wireless portability, it is important to contact and understand each company's (be it Bell, Rogers, Telus Virgin or others) individual approach to the process of changing or porting phone services.

How long will it take? Technically, the process could be easily completed in a couple of days (landline to wireless switches are a bit more complex than wireless to wireless), but each company may need more or less time to complete the assignment, perhaps as much as a week, depending on handset compatibilities, for example.

Differences in network infrastructures, service offerings and billing procedures may have to be bridged, as well.Once the transfer is completed, your new carrier or service provider would then notify you that full service is 'on', and your previous provider's service would be deactivated - but you should double check to make sure.

It is not advisable to cancel an old number before the switch is complete - the phone companies say they can only transfer an active number. Getting the sequence out of order would certainly extend it unnecessarily.What should I do? Tips for finding the best cellular phone service for yourself, your family and your business are many, varied and plentiful.

You should assess your specific and anticipated needs, and get as much information from the competing service providers as possible before making a decision - especially if switching services.You will want to contact a potential new service provider to ensure they can support your current phone. You should check your current contract, as well, to see if any fees or charges will apply should you cancel the service early.

Cancellation fees or outstanding service charges will have to be settled.A potential new service provider may need information from you before you transfer your phone number.Providers may want to see or access your wireless phone and the most recent monthly bill.

Without a bill, the company may ask for the account number; the account holder's name and the service address; the password /PIN; or the phone's serial number, located on the back of the unit, or under the battery.

Individuals, businesspeople and SOHO owner/operators will all want to check that the same services they currently depend on will still be available with a new company.

Services that are bundled with your current phone number, such as internet services, directory listings or alarm and security systems, could be affected by a change to a new service provider.

How Daylight Savings Time Changes will affect your small business

DST Changes take effect Sunday March 11th 2am

Is your Small Business Prepared for DST Changes?

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed by the United States (U.S.) Congress in July 2005, extended daylight saving time (DST) in the U.S. by approximately four weeks.
Canada quickly followed suit to stay in step with their closest neighbour and trading partner.
Most small business computers and applications will not be dramatically affected by this change, simple steps to update your windows software can be found on the official Microsoft Website for DST information HERE

As always The Technology Coach is here to help, should you have any questions about Daylight Savings Time Changes and how they will affect your computer don't hesitate to call or send an email using the contact info below.

10 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft

Article from Staples.com

Frank Abagnale, author of "Catch Me If You Can," shares his top 10 ways to protect yourself against the threat of identity theft. Abagnale is one of the world's most respected authorities on the subjects of forgery, embezzlement and secure documents. For more than 30 years he has lectured to and consulted with hundreds of financial institutions, corporations and government agencies around the world.

1) Protect your credit

Check your credit report regularly to make sure there are no fraudulent credit cards opened in your name. All it takes is a stolen Social Security Number and someone can set up a new credit card account with a fake address and phone number.

2) Shred it for safety

Invest in a shredder. When disposing of sensitive materials, especially financial statements and pre–approved credit card offers, destroy them first. Crosscut shredders dice junk mail into tiny squares instead of strips like traditional shredders, and microcut shredders turn paper into confetti for maximum security.

3) Double check credit card statements

As soon as your statement arrives go over it, with a fine–tooth comb if necessary, to make sure you actually made all the purchases listed. If there are any discrepancies or signs of fraudulent activity, deal with it right away. The sooner the better.

4) Protect your mail

Pick up your mail as soon as possible. A box stuffed full of catalogs, letters and credit card statements can be awfully tempting to would–be thieves. If you won't be able to pick up your mail, have someone you trust do it. Or better yet, have the post office hold onto it for you. Also, bring any outgoing mail to the post office or to a drop box rather than leaving it in your mailbox.

5) Be careful when sharing

Shhh...keep it secret. Don't give out personal information over the phone, mail or Internet unless you really know who you are dealing with.

6) Be smart about ATMs

Pay attention when using an ATM and keep your eyes peeled for anyone who seems a little too interested in your transactions. When possible, use your free hand to shield the keypad when entering your PIN. Also, try to avoid "sketchy" ATMS. Some ATMs have been set up to copy your account number while still giving you money, leaving you none the wiser.

7) Use a "real" password

While it is tempting to use the same short and simple combination for all your accounts, it makes it that much easier for someone to steal access to your accounts. You should use a "strong" random combination of letters, numbers and symbols for increased protection. Using your dog's name or your favorite color doesn't count.

8) Protect your Social Security Number at all costs

When companies ask for your Social Security Number, ask why they need it and how they will safeguard it. It's your SSN after all. If you are uncomfortable giving it out, just say no. Also, try not to let companies use your SSN as an identification number, especially if it will appear multiple times. If your driver's license number is your SSN, ask to have it changed.

9) Keep your credit cards to a minimum

The fewer credit cards you have, the better. Only keep the ones you actually use or plan on using. If you have one for every day of the month, that's probably too many. Also, keep organized records of all your credit cards and their billing cycle so you can report a theft promptly and thoroughly.

10) Secure your computer

Install a firewall and antivirus software. This will help prevent hackers from gaining illicit access to your computer. Also protect any credit cards or account numbers with an encrypted password, just in case.

Need help installing a Firewally? Anti-Virus or Anti-Spyware software on your office PC? Call The Technology Coach!

Top 10 SMB IT trends for 2007

New York-based analyst firm Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc has released a new projection of the top 10 IT trends for global SMB markets, I've highlighted all the Small Business Related Trends for those of you who like me, Skim instead of reading these long reports :)

#1: SMB spending In North America and Japan Will Surpass Large Business IT Spending In 2007

AMI forecasts the worldwide IT spending by SMBs to grow by 10 per cent in 2007, fueled by continued high double-digit growth in countries in the Big Four (BRIC -- Brazil, Russia, India and China) category. 2007 will also see the fall of the majority share of IT spend by large businesses in Japan and North America. For the first time, SMB IT spending is poised to surpass spending by large businesses there. Such a trend has already occurred in other regions -- Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America.

#2: Storage and security convergence will push SMBs up the adoption curve.

Storage and security solutions will continue to converge, leading to market consolidation. SMBs will be more inclined to adopt dual-purpose solutions as they check their budgets against investment priorities. AMI forecasts storage and security spend will grow by 19 per cent in 2007. Storage optimization will be seen as an imperative among mid-market businesses. 2007 will also see the introduction and adoption of "All-in-One network storage appliances" for the less than 250 employee segment.

While SMBs are rapidly implementing basic PC security solutions such as anti-virus, spam filters and spyware, many SMBs have yet to deploy more comprehensive server and network-based security schemas that would provide for more robust, end-to-end protection against the rising tide of security threats. In 2007 SMBs will direct new spending on more advanced security solutions, such as intrusion detection, secure identity and access management, web filtering, encryption, and automated patch management.

#3: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) vendors turn to chapter two.

SaaS Chapter One was all about selling companies on the scale and skill advantages that SaaS provides. In Chapter Two, SaaS vendors will increasingly focus on how their solutions help customers streamline business processes for market advantage. Chapter Two will also see a continuation of SaaS industry consolidation, as powerhouses such as Microsoft, Google, IBM and salesforce.com battle to build "uber" SaaS ecosystems. At the same time, new SaaS players and solutions will continue to emerge, and the likelihood of any one player or ecosystem dominating the landscape is slim to none.

#4: Managed services shape up

AMI's global primary research results indicate that SMBs are increasingly likely to offload cumbersome IT chores to outside experts, so they can focus on their core business. AMI predicts vendors will offer SMBs more inclusive IT-based managed services packages over the next year. Though initially aimed at testing the waters among early adopter and mid-market businesses, these services will go beyond the piecemeal approach, building towards more comprehensive portfolios.

#5: Outsourcing Revisited

AMI forecasts that the traditional IT services market will continue to see double-digit growth in 2007 among global SMBs as an increasing number of businesses spend on different types of services. "Business-as-a-service" outsourcing will gain ground, with different components of human resources (HR) including recruitment services, background checking, payroll, employee self-service and HR administration leading the way in 2007. SMBs are continually looking for ways to streamline their business processes and lessen the burdens of regulatory/compliance concerns. With focus on micro-verticals by IT vendors and as IT becomes secondary, AMI predicts that in 2007 and beyond vendors will create micro-vertical offerings for SMBs catering to their specific business processes with "embedded IT."

#6: Even more mobility

The number of municipally funded Wi-Fi/WiMax projects is soaring, with cities large and small participating. (The Technology Coach Adds: Including Toronto's Hydro One Downtown Wireless Network Now available FREE Till March 2007!) 2007 will see fixed mobile convergence between fixed IP infrastructure/applications and mobile (cellular) infrastructure/applications with increased focus on ubiquitous mobility.

AMI predicts that global SMB notebook shipments will grow by 20 per cent in 2007 over 2006, outpacing desktop PC growth by five times. Combined with the SmartPhone shipment growth of 18 per cent globally, SMBs will increasingly depend upon mobility and convergence as the use of public wireless internet will grow by over 30 per cent. The year will finally see the arrival of WiMax, which will take off first in key countries in Asia, followed by Europe and then the US.

# 7: NOT Windows Vista, which is still 12 to 18 months or more away from widespread SMB use

Despite all the hype about pent-up demand for Vista, 17 per cent of mid-market businesses, and less than seven per cent of small businesses in the U.S. plan to adopt Vista in the next 12 months, according to AMI's U.S. small and medium business survey.

Most SMBs tend to take a wait-and-see attitude when it comes to deploying something new, and in this case, will use extra caution due to concerns generated by the media and industry pundits regarding potential incompatibilities and security loopholes, and uncertainty about the benefits of migrating from their current OS to Vista. SMBs may be reluctant -- even as PC prices dip -- to invest in upgrading to new hardware necessary to run Vista.

The increasing use of software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications -- which require only a web browser -- is another factor that may have an impact. However, much will depend on Microsoft's marketing prowess and the support of the broader ecosystem of partners.

#8: Unified communications through VoIP appliances

AMI predicts that VoIP will begin a long transition from a market-driven attraction of all-in-one VoIP appliances that supports voice/unified messaging/security/mobility with provisions for remote management and desktop/server collaboration application integration. While the transition will not be complete in 2007, the die has been cast by Office 2007 and MS Exchange, which embed unified communications as a feature. Adoption of broadband VoIP applications such as Skype, Yahoo and Vonage will grow rapidly, especially among small SBs (one to four employees); hosted VoIP adoption will increase among the five to 20 employee segment as these solutions become more reliable, secure and scalable. Among MBs, there will also be steady growth in enterprise messaging applications such as IBM/Lotus Sametime and Exchange Instant Messaging services as these companies realize the benefits and convenience of real-time communications.

#9: Changing role for the channel

The IT channel continues to be in a state of flux, VARs (Value Added Resellers) and regional systems integrators struggle to adapt to the changing market demands and the evolving business models of IT vendors. While SMBs continue to spend a significant portion of their IT budgets with local and regional VARs, the nature and scope of what they purchase through these providers is changing. With hardware becoming a commodity purchase, and as manufacturers improve direct service and support capabilities, the percentage of direct hardware purchases through retail will continue to rise. Likewise, SMBs are also buying SaaS solutions directly from SaaS vendor putting pressure on VARs and SIs to provide other value-added services to SMBs.

Channel partners will need to invest in building integration and business consulting skills, and to maintain market advantage. In addition, they will need to partner with large manufacturers, such as IBM and HP, who are increasingly "productizing" many basic IT services, and providing partners with opportunities to resell these services and add value around them. Traditional VARs, DMRs and distributors need to re-examine their offerings and become service providers. AMI predicts that at least the VAR channel will transform itself to a "value-added provider" or VAP moniker, as providers incorporate more value-added integration and infrastructure managed services into their business models. The VAPs will also see a greater percentage of their business coming from the SMB segment.

#10: The battle for the Web-based OS takes shape

Salesforce.com (Apex and AppExchange) and Amazon (Amazon Web Services) have led the charge to build Web-based operating systems and ecosystems, providing developers and customers with access to their technology platforms, infrastructure, tools and knowledge base. As they do so, they are transforming the Internet from an ecosystem to a new computing platform. Unlike traditional operating systems, the Web-based operating system is comprised of a huge distributed computer network that many users can access virtually. Developers and start-ups will be the early adopters of these Web-based operating systems, using them, in many cases, as an easy, low-cost and dependable foundation on which to develop and deliver new solutions -- many of which are likely to be aimed at small business customers. Can Google, IBM and Microsoft be far behind in what may be the most important battle on the Internet? AMI expects these giants -- and others -- will weigh in and up the ante.

Bonus Prediction: The IT Generation Gap Materializes, Dramatically Changing the Way IT Decisions Are Made

As baby boomers retire and are replaced by younger Gen X workers and entrepreneurs, a significant IT generation gap will emerge and grow, especially in mature technology countries. Younger decision makers, reared on the Internet, video games, MySpace and iPods, will demand business applications that are as easy to use and as flexible as the consumer applications they've become accustomed to. This segment will expect a more "consumerized" business application shopping experience, in which it is easy to access, evaluate and purchase solutions. Younger decision-makers will also demand solutions with minimal training requirements, smaller IT footprints, automatic upgrades and fast ROI. In addition, they will expect their business solutions to enable community participation and allow for personalized, contextualized information access. This dynamic bodes well for vendors who are powering their solutions with next generation, Web 2.0 capabilities, and creating transparent sales, pricing and packaging strategies.