Information Technology

Ok, show of hands, how many of you like calling one of those 1-800 tech support numbers? That’s what I thought.

Well, I have some secrets that will get you farther faster with those guys:

1. Make sure you are calling the right number. Sometimes a company will want to force you to use email or some online form to turn in a problem. Finding numbers can be tough, though. Make sure you bookmark the website, gethuman.com. It gives you tricks to talking to a person and avoid the automated voice menu systems of large companies, not to mention the actual phone numbers of their support group.

2. If you start to get frustrated with a tech, ask this one question: “What would you do if you were me?” You will be amazed how much faster you find a solution. Trust me… (more…)

As a small business owner wouldn’t it be nice if there was an easier way to lower costs, get answers to tax related questions and eliminate some of the confusion that is typically associated with doing our taxes? Well, with the free Ask A CPA iOS app you can do just that.

Many individuals and small business owners dread the thought of tax time arriving. Not all of us are fans of number crunching or accounting related tasks. Nonetheless, doing our taxes each year is something that cannot (and should not) be avoided.

Similar to those who wait until Christmas eve to do their shopping, many of us scramble to get our taxes done at the last minute. When it comes to taxes however it’s not that we’re all necessarily procrastinators, it’s usually more a case of being intimidated by the plethora of things that can be involved when it comes to filing a proper and accurate tax return and also doing so at the best possible price. (more…)

Small businesses have been buzzing about cloud computing for some time.  A number of small-business owners have either seen firsthand or heard about the cloud’s ability to save them money and increase productivity.

However, many may be surprised to learn the cloud goes beyond these benefits, allowing companies to reinvest in themselves and their employees, as well as drive broader innovation and fuel job creation that will take their business to the next level.

Cost savings through the cloud are huge in the small-business sector.  The very nature of the cloud – providing IT applications and services on an as-needed basis, charging only for what is used – gives small businesses access to enterprise-grade technologies at an affordable and predictable price. (more…)

By Ramon Ray

The iPad continues to be the leading tablet for consumers and businesses. And for business professionals who want to use their iPads and still access their corporate networks securely, LogMeIn, GoToMyPC and similar solutions all help you access your computer from a remote connection.

A new technology, from iSimplyConnect, says it’s an better solution – instead of a “screen scrape”, iSimplyConnect is a virtual private network (VPN) solution that gives you direct access to the files on your corporate network. It’s $15 a month and might make IT managers heroes to their colleagues. (more…)

By Eric Spellmann

I bet the title got your attention. And yes, that is a bold statement to make. However, if you can get past “tradition” and status quo, you will see that small businesses are on the threshold of some pretty amazing technological changes.

But, before I start blasting away at the small business server model, let me give some background: When someone starts a business, they typically have one PC. This machine does everything: balance the books, handle email, provide web research, build brochures, etc. However, once this business starts to grow and more people are hired, the need for more PCs increases.

As these PCs are added, the need for a true network is created. To save money, all of these PCs will need to share the same Internet connection…. AND (this is the important part), they will need to share files. (more…)