Financial doom and gloom is surrounding us all at the moment and it seems that the worldwide banking crisis is changing on a minute by minute basis. But what does this mean for smaller businesses and what do we need to be looking out for from an IT perspective?
Business Angels
A business angel is normally a high net-worth individual looking to invest from around £10,000 to £500,000 in young and exciting businesses.
PC Recycling
If you have been in business for a good few years like I have the chances are that you will have a cupboard full of old PCs gathering dust. With the relentless advances in hardware and software technologies computers can be out of data within a couple of years.So should you recycle your old PC?
Taking a holistic approach to security
IT security systems and software have been with us since the earliest days of the PC and there are many different vendors all clamouring to sell you their latest and greatest IT security applications. But which are the best, and how do you go about choosing the applications you really need?
The Importance of PCI Compliance
In an effort to combat credit card fraud, especially card holder not present fraud, merchant rules and regulations have been tightened up.
Blogging
Over the last few years, blogging has come from nowhere to becoming one of the latest innovations to take the Web by storm.
Gaining customer confidence online
Gaining customer confidence online is not an easy task with banks and other institutions putting the Fear of God into experienced Internet users and so frightening novice user’s offline.
Green IT Utilities
The good news is that green computing need not be as onerous as it sounds, as there are a number of IT utilities available that can plug into your existing PCs and start to reduce power consumption and your carbon footprint.
Search engine optimisation
Search engine optimisation, or SEO for short, has been portrayed by many Internet industry professionals as something of a black art - and for a very good reason.
Hand held gadgets and security
I reckon a lot of people reading this blog have probably got a handheld smart phone or other device capable of browsing the internet and collecting emails. I know I have and it is very useful when I am travelling.
Remote access and virtual private networks
Getting remote access to your office PC is not as easy as it sounds, mainly because of the security safeguards most companies use to stop hackers slipping in under the electronic wire and snooping around desktop systems.
Very remote area broadband
The downside of needing internet access is the lack of coverage in more remote areas of the UK. A number of initiatives are ongoing to ensure more and more people have decent access to the web (which means more than a standard phone line/dial up connection) but what if you are out of range of a broadband enabled exchange?
Professional e-mail shotting
Although large percentages of email flowing across the Internet are spam - unwanted messages advertising a number of questionable products and services to the unaware - a large number ofcompanies are using email to market their goods and services.
It's the law
It’s a fact of life that we in business are subject, quite rightly, to rules and laws. The problem is that for a small business it can appear to be a legal minefield out there.
Getting help in an IT Emergency
Computer failures are reasonably rare but what do you do when your PC stops working or gives you problems?
Open source software
Open source software is available for public use and gives small businesses and home users the right to download and use the software for free.
You've checked the customer - what about the employee?
Checking and profiling potential employees has grown from an almost-standing start in the early 1990s to become a major business service, largely thanks to the fact that computers and Internet access make the task very much easier.
IT Consultants
Need more advice on engaging an IT consultant? Why not follow these steps to ensure you get the most out of what they can offer.
IT Training
When was the last time you went on an IT training course? I bet it was a long time ago, if ever. For many managers and business owners their own self development is always at the bottom of a list of things they need to do, and almost always gets neglected.
Credit checking customers? Tap into trade alliances
If you're credit checking your customers who are making smaller value-transactions, there's a strong chance it isn't cost-effective going down the credit-checking route, even on the Internet, to verify them.
Blogging
As you know, because you are reading this blog, we have started to put some blogs up on the Business IT Guide. This is our way of highlighting various IT issues that may be of interest to those in business.
Getting the message across
For many business owners one of the scariest things they have to do is present in front of an audience. The problem is that no matter how great you may be at sales, marketing or running a business if you aren’t a confident public speaker people will mark you down.
Keeping up with the Windows
If you are a Microsoft Windows user you will probably have noticed that from time to time a little yellow icon appears in your system tray (usually at the bottom right hand side of your screen), telling you that updates are ready to download or install.
Going green and saving money
I have finally decided that I will actively pursue a green policy in my businesses. Shameful as it may seem, I have been so busy selling and resourcing work that the whole green agenda has passed me by.
