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