According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approximately 235 million units of electronic products (including CPUs, monitors, notebooks, keyboards, mice, and hard copy peripherals) sold between 1980 and 2007 have accumulated in storage. Of the millions of computer products discarded in 2007, less than 25 percent were recycled--the remaining 75 percent were simply tossed in the garbage.

How much unused or obsolete electronics equipment do you have sitting around collecting dust in closets, empty cubicles, and hallways of your building?

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Tags: green business, green business practices, Green IT

Prior to Cisco, I worked for mostly small businesses. This has given me pretty good insight into how small business decisions are made. As there are so few layers of management, often times the same person that weighs the pros and cons of free soda for employees is also deciding whether to make a major technology purchase. More than anything right now, I’d say that one of the most important decisions a small businessperson can make is whether to  “go wireless or go home.”

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Tags: customer service, small business, Voice, wireless

Video Reaches the Masses!

The quick answer is yes!  The example that comes to mind is Gary Vaynerchuck who grew his family business from a $4 million operation to over $60 million in just 4 years.  He went from running a family business to being a celebrity in the wine world seemingly overnight.  It would be illogical to try to make the case that his use of online video was the only reason for his success, but it was a huge part.

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Tags: best practices, video

I recently read an article titled “Five Ways Early Adopters Have Been Screwed.”  It reminded me of my friends who spent twice as much money and time on their iPhone than I did because they bought theirs the minute they hit the stores. Although I had a good laugh at their expense, I remembered the jealousy I experienced when they had a gadget that I coveted.

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Tags: Cloud Computing, risks, small business, smb cloud watch survey

What would you do with an extra three hours a week?

The businesses that are winning in this economy are the ones that are getting the most productivity out of their employees.  When used correctly technology can make every task simpler and faster to execute, from dialing the phone to storing voice messages in customer files.

Here are 10 tips for using network technology to help your business work more efficiently, cut costs, improve customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition.

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Tags: networking technology, productivity, save time, WebEX

I’ve been fortunate to meet many entrepreneurs who grew their business from a part-time home-based endeavor to a multiple location business with dozens of employees. They all seem to share the “I can do it!” attitude. Which is what enabled them to be successful.

When I go visit customers I’m often at their business for two days. I get to know them while I’m there and I”m always fascinated by their stories. In order to build their businesses they had to educate themselves on all aspects of the operation--from janitorial to accounting, HR to information technology. And it was a challenge.

If you aren’t familiar with basic networking, the topic can seem daunting, but the bottom line is that a network improves employee productivity and can save your business money by allowing employees to share computer hardware and an Internet connection. Also, connecting your employees to the Internet means they can access the Web and email, providing an easy, low-cost way to serve your customers better. A network can make such an impact on your business that you have to be educated on the topic.  I’ve written this post to give you some basics and some sources for more information.

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Tags: basic network, basic small business network, router, switch, wireless

I love the smell of car grease in the morning. It smells like productivity.

Back in the day, when it was time for a check-up for my car, I didn’t know what I dreaded more, worrying about how much my visit would cost or what potential work issue would grow in size while I was out. For these reasons, I generally put off car appointments.

When I finally did go in, I’d notify my co-workers that I’d be offline for an indefinite period while I got my “gasket boot thingy” rotated. I then made sure I packed a few good Sudoku puzzles and the newspaper. Call me crazy, but this just didn’t feel like the best use of my time.
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Tags: car dealership, fresh direct, guest network, router, small business, wireless access point

Protecting your network against spam and other Web threats can save you plenty

The Web is a wondrous place filled with valuable information and harmless entertainment. It’s also a dark place filled with phishing scams, malware, viruses and spam (unsolicited or “junk” email). It’s kind of like walking around in a new city, you never know when you are going to cross “that street” and find yourself in an unsafe neighborhood. We all know not to send our banking information to the “kind gentleman” in a foreign country who needs help exchanging his royal inheritance; but it’s not always that obvious that you encountering a criminal.

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Tags: Cisco, network, network security, phishing, security, small business, spam, viruses

There has been a great deal of buzz around the tech sector over the last 5 years around Web 2.0, using it to connect to your partners and customers, and ultimately how some companies have revolutionized business models through next-generation communities.We’d like to give you some insight on how we created the Small Business Support Community, or more importantly why we created it, and why we hope you’ll spend some time checking it out.

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Tags: collaboration, community, customer service, partners, small business, small business support

Real-time collaboration and communications tools improve employee productivity and customer service.

It’s happened to all of us, and probably more times than we care to remember: You need to talk to a colleague on an important matter but you just can’t reach him. You leave voicemails, you send emails, and you roam the cubicle maze asking if anyone has seen or heard from him. Finally, the guy who sits next to him says, “Oh, he left on vacation yesterday and won’t be back for two weeks.”

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Tags: small business, unified communications, voip

You’re out on a relaxing evening at a public place. Maybe you’re having dinner with your family, or maybe you’re having drinks with some coworkers after a long day. As you’re reaching for your wallet, your heart suddenly drops into your stomach as you notice that your wallet is not there. You pat your pockets or check your purse and subject yourself to looking in ridiculous places, but your wallet is nowhere to be found. Your driver’s license, credit cards, insurance ID, all of the data that’s crucial to your life is suddenly gone from you.

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Tags: data backup, data loss, data storage, Storage

Take advantage of the cloud while minimizing the risks

I’ve heard some small business owners refer to concerns about reliability in cloud computing.I think it’s important that you understand these risks and limit them as best you can.

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Tags: business advice, Cloud Computing, infrastructure as a service, small business, software as a service

Network Disaster Recovery Planning will keep your company in business after a disaster

The Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” applies to almost everything in life.Whether it’s having a water bottle and a snack in your bag when a weather delay keeps you on the tarmac for hours, or having a safety pin “just in case.”The truth is; we never know what’s going to happen next.Usually the unexpected isn’t a disaster, it’s merely an inconvenience.But if disaster should strike, being prepared is critical to recovering.

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Tags: backups, small business, small business disaster recovery, Storage

Small businesses can reap many benefits from cloud computing

Does your company use Microsoft Exchange Online? Do you have a Google Mail account? Have you ever used WebEx to set up a conference call or an online meeting? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’re using cloud computing.

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Tags: Cloud Computing, infrastructure as a service, small business, software as a service

Planning for IT Growth Improves Results and Keeps Costs Down

As we get to know each other you’ll find out that I’m a HUGE foodie. I love to cook and I drive my family a crazy with my cooking shows, recipe books, and celebrity chef sightings. But I think the thing I drive them most insane with is my ridiculous Ratatouille doll (2007, Disney Pixar cartoon). If you touch his nose, he talks. And the first thing he says every time is:

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Tags: best practices, business advice, business development, networking, partner, plannning, recession