This issue of Zero2Sixty brings you exciting updates on our new RevITup Business Care Managed Service Program, more technology tools and recommendations from the The Launch Pad team and other tips that will help you streamline your business, maximize your technology and boost your bottom line. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue April 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Take Advantage of our Enhanced Customer Portal Released last month, our new LiveConnect Online Support Portal offers instant access to our enhanced online ticketing system, service reports, a knowledge base, invoice history and configurable member access. Not only can you create and track service requests in real time with automated status updates, but now you can view executive service summary and management reports, search your company's personalized knowledge base, view and print invoices and set up your team members with defined levels of user access.
Referral Program Pays $$ Thank you to all of the clients and partners who took advantage of our Launch Pad Referral Program in the first Quarter of 2008. Your referrals were responsible for 13 new Launch Pad clients. Our Lucky Clover campaign was a great success thanks to all of your efforts.
Join the club and share the love and love. Tell us about a company you think would be a great fit for our Web or IT services and you can earn real dollars or services dollar.
The end of 2007 marked the move into our new digs on Gunn Highway in Odessa. We love our new space complete spacious offices, outdoor deck (and run for the occassional canine visitors), two beautiful conference rooms and lots of growing room.
The building was brand new so our final move in was a bit delayed but we are all settled in now and enjoying it. Stop in for a visit when our are out our way. We would love to show you around.
2107 Gunn Hwy
Odessa, FL 33556
(billing/mailing address still 18130 Jorene Rd. Odessa)
For both prospective and curerent customers, The Launch Pad offers a complimentary security and problem prevention audit to pin-point where you are most vulnerable to hardware failure, hackers, virus or spyware and data loss. We'll provide you with a complete network report card and show you any areas that need attention.
To ask about a free, no-obligation problem prevention audit, contact Randy Todd, Client Solutions Manager at 813-920-0788 x202 or e-mail rtodd@launchpadonline.com.
Save the date! On May 12th, Ilene Rosoff, Launch Pad President has been invited back by CDW and Inc. Magazine's Small Business Review to present the second in a series of small business technology webinars. The topic of this webinar is "The Great Backup Myths: How to avoid disaster and protect yourcompany" If you missed the 1st webinar, you can view the archive in the Small Business Center of our website. Stay tuned for complete event details and registration.
Join us in May!
Give Your Tapes the Pink Slip RevITup with our New Low-cost Onsite/Remote Managed Backup Series
What if you walked into your office tomorrow and discovered that and discovered that a virus, hacker or system crash had destroyed every filte, database and e-mail on your server. How confident are you that your data could be restored? How often are you testing your tape backups or doing a full system restore? If you have never tested your backups, you are at high risk for losing irreplaceable company files.
The Launch Pad's new RevITup Managed Backup and Distaster Recovery Solution means that your data is 100% safe and secure. It also means that your data is backed up in real-time every 15 minutes on and offsite. Our solution even includes a NAS server at your location which you can run from (virtualize) if your server crashes. All of this with no up front investment!
Did you know that clearing the cache on your Browser can correct many unplained problems experieced with web forms and on interactive or ecommerce websites. If functions on a website you are visiting are not behaving as expected, try clearing the cache.
Internet Explorer
1) Select Tools > Internet Options > General
2) Click the "Delete" button under browsing history
In Firefox
1) Select Tools > Options >
2) Open the Advanced panel and click Network Tab
3) Clcik the "Clear Now" button by the Cache Settings
Featured White Paper download now The New Face of IT : Managed Services- Paving the Road to Small Business Success
Many of you have joined our RevITup Business Care Managed Service series and are already enjoying the benefits of a managed and monitored technology solution. For those of you who would like to gain a little bit more understanding of what its all about and what a managed service approach to your IT can mean for you business, take a few minutes to read the short white paper above. Then give us a call and we can tell you exactly what kind of savings and benefits it can bring to your organziation.
We welcome your feedback regarding the newsletter. Feel free to send suggestions on information you would like to see included in future issues.
This issue of Zero2Sixty brings you exciting updates on our new RevITup Business Care Managed Service Program, more technology tools and recommendations from the The Launch Pad team and other tips that will help you streamline your business, maximize your technology and boost your bottom line. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue April 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Take Advantage of our Enhanced Customer Portal Released last month, our new LiveConnect Online Support Portal offers instant access to our enhanced online ticketing system, service reports, a knowledge base, invoice history and configurable member access. Not only can you create and track service requests in real time with automated status updates, but now you can view executive service summary and management reports, search your company's personalized knowledge base, view and print invoices and set up your team members with defined levels of user access.
Referral Program Pays $$ Thank you to all of the clients and partners who took advantage of our Launch Pad Referral Program in the first Quarter of 2008. Your referrals were responsible for 13 new Launch Pad clients. Our Lucky Clover campaign was a great success thanks to all of your efforts.
Join the club and share the love and love. Tell us about a company you think would be a great fit for our Web or IT services and you can earn real dollars or services dollar.
The end of 2007 marked the move into our new digs on Gunn Highway in Odessa. We love our new space complete spacious offices, outdoor deck (and run for the occassional canine visitors), two beautiful conference rooms and lots of growing room.
The building was brand new so our final move in was a bit delayed but we are all settled in now and enjoying it. Stop in for a visit when our are out our way. We would love to show you around.
2107 Gunn Hwy
Odessa, FL 33556
(billing/mailing address still 18130 Jorene Rd. Odessa)
For both prospective and curerent customers, The Launch Pad offers a complimentary security and problem prevention audit to pin-point where you are most vulnerable to hardware failure, hackers, virus or spyware and data loss. We'll provide you with a complete network report card and show you any areas that need attention.
To ask about a free, no-obligation problem prevention audit, contact Randy Todd, Client Solutions Manager at 813-920-0788 x202 or e-mail rtodd@launchpadonline.com.
Save the date! On May 12th, Ilene Rosoff, Launch Pad President has been invited back by CDW and Inc. Magazine's Small Business Review to present the second in a series of small business technology webinars. The topic of this webinar is "The Great Backup Myths: How to avoid disaster and protect yourcompany" If you missed the 1st webinar, you can view the archive in the Small Business Center of our website. Stay tuned for complete event details and registration.
Join us in May!
Give Your Tapes the Pink Slip RevITup with our New Low-cost Onsite/Remote Managed Backup Series
What if you walked into your office tomorrow and discovered that and discovered that a virus, hacker or system crash had destroyed every filte, database and e-mail on your server. How confident are you that your data could be restored? How often are you testing your tape backups or doing a full system restore? If you have never tested your backups, you are at high risk for losing irreplaceable company files.
The Launch Pad's new RevITup Managed Backup and Distaster Recovery Solution means that your data is 100% safe and secure. It also means that your data is backed up in real-time every 15 minutes on and offsite. Our solution even includes a NAS server at your location which you can run from (virtualize) if your server crashes. All of this with no up front investment!
Did you know that clearing the cache on your Browser can correct many unplained problems experieced with web forms and on interactive or ecommerce websites. If functions on a website you are visiting are not behaving as expected, try clearing the cache.
Internet Explorer
1) Select Tools > Internet Options > General
2) Click the "Delete" button under browsing history
In Firefox
1) Select Tools > Options >
2) Open the Advanced panel and click Network Tab
3) Clcik the "Clear Now" button by the Cache Settings
Featured White Paper download now The New Face of IT : Managed Services- Paving the Road to Small Business Success
Many of you have joined our RevITup Business Care Managed Service series and are already enjoying the benefits of a managed and monitored technology solution. For those of you who would like to gain a little bit more understanding of what its all about and what a managed service approach to your IT can mean for you business, take a few minutes to read the short white paper above. Then give us a call and we can tell you exactly what kind of savings and benefits it can bring to your organziation.
We welcome your feedback regarding the newsletter. Feel free to send suggestions on information you would like to see included in future issues.
This issue of Zero2Sixty brings you exciting updates on our new RevITup Business Care Managed Service Program, more technology tools and recommendations from the The Launch Pad team and other tips that will help you streamline your business, maximize your technology and boost your bottom line. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue April 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Take Advantage of our Enhanced Customer Portal Released last month, our new LiveConnect Online Support Portal offers instant access to our enhanced online ticketing system, service reports, a knowledge base, invoice history and configurable member access. Not only can you create and track service requests in real time with automated status updates, but now you can view executive service summary and management reports, search your company's personalized knowledge base, view and print invoices and set up your team members with defined levels of user access.
Referral Program Pays $$ Thank you to all of the clients and partners who took advantage of our Launch Pad Referral Program in the first Quarter of 2008. Your referrals were responsible for 13 new Launch Pad clients. Our Lucky Clover campaign was a great success thanks to all of your efforts.
Join the club and share the love and love. Tell us about a company you think would be a great fit for our Web or IT services and you can earn real dollars or services dollar.
The end of 2007 marked the move into our new digs on Gunn Highway in Odessa. We love our new space complete spacious offices, outdoor deck (and run for the occassional canine visitors), two beautiful conference rooms and lots of growing room.
The building was brand new so our final move in was a bit delayed but we are all settled in now and enjoying it. Stop in for a visit when our are out our way. We would love to show you around.
2107 Gunn Hwy
Odessa, FL 33556
(billing/mailing address still 18130 Jorene Rd. Odessa)
For both prospective and curerent customers, The Launch Pad offers a complimentary security and problem prevention audit to pin-point where you are most vulnerable to hardware failure, hackers, virus or spyware and data loss. We'll provide you with a complete network report card and show you any areas that need attention.
To ask about a free, no-obligation problem prevention audit, contact Randy Todd, Client Solutions Manager at 813-920-0788 x202 or e-mail rtodd@launchpadonline.com.
Save the date! On May 12th, Ilene Rosoff, Launch Pad President has been invited back by CDW and Inc. Magazine's Small Business Review to present the second in a series of small business technology webinars. The topic of this webinar is "The Great Backup Myths: How to avoid disaster and protect yourcompany" If you missed the 1st webinar, you can view the archive in the Small Business Center of our website. Stay tuned for complete event details and registration.
Join us in May!
Give Your Tapes the Pink Slip RevITup with our New Low-cost Onsite/Remote Managed Backup Series
What if you walked into your office tomorrow and discovered that and discovered that a virus, hacker or system crash had destroyed every filte, database and e-mail on your server. How confident are you that your data could be restored? How often are you testing your tape backups or doing a full system restore? If you have never tested your backups, you are at high risk for losing irreplaceable company files.
The Launch Pad's new RevITup Managed Backup and Distaster Recovery Solution means that your data is 100% safe and secure. It also means that your data is backed up in real-time every 15 minutes on and offsite. Our solution even includes a NAS server at your location which you can run from (virtualize) if your server crashes. All of this with no up front investment!
Did you know that clearing the cache on your Browser can correct many unplained problems experieced with web forms and on interactive or ecommerce websites. If functions on a website you are visiting are not behaving as expected, try clearing the cache.
Internet Explorer
1) Select Tools > Internet Options > General
2) Click the "Delete" button under browsing history
In Firefox
1) Select Tools > Options >
2) Open the Advanced panel and click Network Tab
3) Clcik the "Clear Now" button by the Cache Settings
Featured White Paper download now The New Face of IT : Managed Services- Paving the Road to Small Business Success
Many of you have joined our RevITup Business Care Managed Service series and are already enjoying the benefits of a managed and monitored technology solution. For those of you who would like to gain a little bit more understanding of what its all about and what a managed service approach to your IT can mean for you business, take a few minutes to read the short white paper above. Then give us a call and we can tell you exactly what kind of savings and benefits it can bring to your organziation.
We welcome your feedback regarding the newsletter. Feel free to send suggestions on information you would like to see included in future issues.
Expert Advice,Resources & Tips for Small Business IT Solutions
This issue of Zero2Sixty brings you exciting updates on our new RevITup Business Care Managed Service Program, more technology tools and recommendations from the The Launch Pad team and other tips that will help you streamline your business, maximize your technology and boost your bottom line. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue April 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Take Advantage of our Enhanced Customer Portal Released last month, our new LiveConnect Online Support Portal offers instant access to our enhanced online ticketing system, service reports, a knowledge base, invoice history and configurable member access. Not only can you create and track service requests in real time with automated status updates, but now you can view executive service summary and management reports, search your company's personalized knowledge base, view and print invoices and set up your team members with defined levels of user access.
Referral Program Pays $$ Thank you to all of the clients and partners who took advantage of our Launch Pad Referral Program in the first Quarter of 2008. Your referrals were responsible for 13 new Launch Pad clients. Our Lucky Clover campaign was a great success thanks to all of your efforts.
Join the club and share the love and love. Tell us about a company you think would be a great fit for our Web or IT services and you can earn real dollars or services dollar.
The end of 2007 marked the move into our new digs on Gunn Highway in Odessa. We love our new space complete spacious offices, outdoor deck (and run for the occassional canine visitors), two beautiful conference rooms and lots of growing room.
The building was brand new so our final move in was a bit delayed but we are all settled in now and enjoying it. Stop in for a visit when our are out our way. We would love to show you around.
2107 Gunn Hwy
Odessa, FL 33556
(billing/mailing address still 18130 Jorene Rd. Odessa)
For both prospective and curerent customers, The Launch Pad offers a complimentary security and problem prevention audit to pin-point where you are most vulnerable to hardware failure, hackers, virus or spyware and data loss. We'll provide you with a complete network report card and show you any areas that need attention.
To ask about a free, no-obligation problem prevention audit, contact Randy Todd, Client Solutions Manager at 813-920-0788 x202 or e-mail rtodd@launchpadonline.com.
Save the date! On May 12th, Ilene Rosoff, Launch Pad President has been invited back by CDW and Inc. Magazine's Small Business Review to present the second in a series of small business technology webinars. The topic of this webinar is "The Great Backup Myths: How to avoid disaster and protect yourcompany" If you missed the 1st webinar, you can view the archive in the Small Business Center of our website. Stay tuned for complete event details and registration.
Join us in May!
Give Your Tapes the Pink Slip RevITup with our New Low-cost Onsite/Remote Managed Backup Series
What if you walked into your office tomorrow and discovered that and discovered that a virus, hacker or system crash had destroyed every filte, database and e-mail on your server. How confident are you that your data could be restored? How often are you testing your tape backups or doing a full system restore? If you have never tested your backups, you are at high risk for losing irreplaceable company files.
The Launch Pad's new RevITup Managed Backup and Distaster Recovery Solution means that your data is 100% safe and secure. It also means that your data is backed up in real-time every 15 minutes on and offsite. Our solution even includes a NAS server at your location which you can run from (virtualize) if your server crashes. All of this with no up front investment!
Did you know that clearing the cache on your Browser can correct many unplained problems experieced with web forms and on interactive or ecommerce websites. If functions on a website you are visiting are not behaving as expected, try clearing the cache.
Internet Explorer
1) Select Tools > Internet Options > General
2) Click the "Delete" button under browsing history
In Firefox
1) Select Tools > Options >
2) Open the Advanced panel and click Network Tab
3) Clcik the "Clear Now" button by the Cache Settings
Featured White Paper download now The New Face of IT : Managed Services- Paving the Road to Small Business Success
Many of you have joined our RevITup Business Care Managed Service series and are already enjoying the benefits of a managed and monitored technology solution. For those of you who would like to gain a little bit more understanding of what its all about and what a managed service approach to your IT can mean for you business, take a few minutes to read the short white paper above. Then give us a call and we can tell you exactly what kind of savings and benefits it can bring to your organziation.
We welcome your feedback regarding the newsletter. Feel free to send suggestions on information you would like to see included in future issues.
This issue of Zero2Sixty brings you exciting updates on our new RevITup Business Care Managed Service Program, more technology tools and recommendations from the The Launch Pad team and other tips that will help you streamline your business, maximize your technology and boost your bottom line. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue April 2008 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Take Advantage of our Enhanced Customer Portal Released last month, our new LiveConnect Online Support Portal offers instant access to our enhanced online ticketing system, service reports, a knowledge base, invoice history and configurable member access. Not only can you create and track service requests in real time with automated status updates, but now you can view executive service summary and management reports, search your company's personalized knowledge base, view and print invoices and set up your team members with defined levels of user access.
Referral Program Pays $$ Thank you to all of the clients and partners who took advantage of our Launch Pad Referral Program in the first Quarter of 2008. Your referrals were responsible for 13 new Launch Pad clients. Our Lucky Clover campaign was a great success thanks to all of your efforts.
Join the club and share the love and love. Tell us about a company you think would be a great fit for our Web or IT services and you can earn real dollars or services dollar.
The end of 2007 marked the move into our new digs on Gunn Highway in Odessa. We love our new space complete spacious offices, outdoor deck (and run for the occassional canine visitors), two beautiful conference rooms and lots of growing room.
The building was brand new so our final move in was a bit delayed but we are all settled in now and enjoying it. Stop in for a visit when our are out our way. We would love to show you around.
2107 Gunn Hwy
Odessa, FL 33556
(billing/mailing address still 18130 Jorene Rd. Odessa)
For both prospective and curerent customers, The Launch Pad offers a complimentary security and problem prevention audit to pin-point where you are most vulnerable to hardware failure, hackers, virus or spyware and data loss. We'll provide you with a complete network report card and show you any areas that need attention.
To ask about a free, no-obligation problem prevention audit, contact Randy Todd, Client Solutions Manager at 813-920-0788 x202 or e-mail rtodd@launchpadonline.com.
Save the date! On May 12th, Ilene Rosoff, Launch Pad President has been invited back by CDW and Inc. Magazine's Small Business Review to present the second in a series of small business technology webinars. The topic of this webinar is "The Great Backup Myths: How to avoid disaster and protect yourcompany" If you missed the 1st webinar, you can view the archive in the Small Business Center of our website. Stay tuned for complete event details and registration.
Join us in May!
Give Your Tapes the Pink Slip RevITup with our New Low-cost Onsite/Remote Managed Backup Series
What if you walked into your office tomorrow and discovered that and discovered that a virus, hacker or system crash had destroyed every filte, database and e-mail on your server. How confident are you that your data could be restored? How often are you testing your tape backups or doing a full system restore? If you have never tested your backups, you are at high risk for losing irreplaceable company files.
The Launch Pad's new RevITup Managed Backup and Distaster Recovery Solution means that your data is 100% safe and secure. It also means that your data is backed up in real-time every 15 minutes on and offsite. Our solution even includes a NAS server at your location which you can run from (virtualize) if your server crashes. All of this with no up front investment!
Did you know that clearing the cache on your Browser can correct many unplained problems experieced with web forms and on interactive or ecommerce websites. If functions on a website you are visiting are not behaving as expected, try clearing the cache.
Internet Explorer
1) Select Tools > Internet Options > General
2) Click the "Delete" button under browsing history
In Firefox
1) Select Tools > Options >
2) Open the Advanced panel and click Network Tab
3) Clcik the "Clear Now" button by the Cache Settings
Featured White Paper download now The New Face of IT : Managed Services- Paving the Road to Small Business Success
Many of you have joined our RevITup Business Care Managed Service series and are already enjoying the benefits of a managed and monitored technology solution. For those of you who would like to gain a little bit more understanding of what its all about and what a managed service approach to your IT can mean for you business, take a few minutes to read the short white paper above. Then give us a call and we can tell you exactly what kind of savings and benefits it can bring to your organziation.
We welcome your feedback regarding the newsletter. Feel free to send suggestions on information you would like to see included in future issues.
Zero2Sixty - A Work in Motion – The Right Mobility Solutions to Move your Small Business
Volume X October/November 2007
Welcome to our current issue of
Zero2Sixty, The Launch Pad's monthly
technology newsletter for small business. If you've missed recent issues or you're a new subscriber, our newsletter has undergone a redesign and sports a new name,
Zero2Sixty, which reflects our core customer's organization size. Each month's issue includes a wealth of IT and web information, expert advice, tips on how to save
money, maximize your business processes and generate revenue. Our selection of timely and informative articles is designed for busy executives, IT specialists and
staffers assigned the task of "keeping the computers and website up and running".
Mobility solutions are the focus of
our current issue. Get the scoop on current mobility tools and strategies and learn how you can put them to use for your organization.
TecRec SPOTLIGHT on Telovations
Simplifying VoIP - A Tampa-Florida based phone vendor that offers a single-source voice/data/IP phone solution for small businesses
Receive expert IT advice, money-saving tips and
informative articles on computer, web and IT solutions simplified for non- technical, small business owners and managers.
Taking it to The Streets - Smart Mobility Technologies for Small Business
Did you know that on the average, the small business workforce spends almost
25% of its time on the road? Not only that but a recent survey by CompTIA (Computer Technology Industry Association) indicates that about 10% of the SMB workforce is now
mobile with at least one employee telecommuting or consistently on the road. The survey also noted that currently many SMBs don't have the infrastructure or business
processes to support mobility for its workers. With the right mobility solution in place, your organization can increase productivity, reduce operating costs, and
extend the technology infrastructure without breaking the bank. Think about the implications for productivity and for your bottom line. Additionally, a wealth of
specially designed mobility tools which integrate with CRM (customer relationship management) solutions and business management software have emerged for specific
industries and professions such as real estate professionals and field service technicians where being on the road is the rule. With more affordable options and simplified
technology, small organizations worldwide are now using mobility solutions. Tools such as remote access, online collaboration and broadband wireless offer access to
critical information and data anywhere, anytime, and on any device and empower customers and employees to stay connected.
Mobility or the use of mobile technology
in business is growing fast, accessible to small businesses and encompasses every aspect of your technology environment. Examples of mobility solutions include:
Wireless any-time access to your office network via laptops, PDAs,
Smartphones, Blackberry
Email or data access from anywhere (home, hotel, Internet hot spot; wired,
wireless)
Secure connection to your inventory system via PDAs with barcode readers
Field service solutions such as PDAs and mobile printers (think UPS) with
real-time access to trouble tickets and order processing
Enable your team to be mobile and add big dollars to your bottom line. Mobile technology acts as an extension of your hard-wired infrastructure to allow your
employees, customers or suppliers real time access to applications, data and devices from
outside of your physical local area network (LAN). Mobile solutions take that technology and
put it to use for specific purposes and to solve particular problems. For example, real estate
professionals can benefit from a notebook and wireless broadband connection (Aircard) so that
constantly changing MLS listings can be accessed from the road (see HP's solutions for real
estate). Add to this, software that integrates with the MLS to produce flyers and presentations
instantly. Not only is downtime reduced, but the chances of closing transactions more quickly
are increased. Field service technicians equipped with PDAs can process tickets, update
inventory and respond to service requests in real-time, meaning more service calls, less office
time and happier customers. Organizations with extended support hours can allow home-based
workers full access to the network and even a take-home VOIP phone for use with their own broadband connection.
Today, work is no longer limited to a specific place. Your employees are out in the field,
telecommuting, in meetings, away from their desk or just constantly on the move. But without
access to your company network, customers and team members, time away from work is
unproductive or even wasted. By connecting mobile workers to your network and to other
online tools, you can enable them to sustain a seamless work-flow on the road or from home,
making their jobs easier and more effective. That means a better bottom line for the business.
Small Business Mobility Solutions from The Launch Pad It can be daunting to navigate the overwhelming variety of mobility hardware, software and processes. Hardware and
software choices should be made with specific goals and objectives for improving business productivity and communications. The elements of the solution need to be designed
to work well together. The goal should be to solve identified problems or challenges for the business with a clear return on investment. We can work with your
organization to design a mobile technology solution within your budget that expands your existing network and business outside the four walls. Implementing the right
solution means increased employee productivity away from the office, improved customer satisfaction and ultimately more revenue for your business.. Call us today
888-920-0788 x202 or e-mail sales@launchpadonline.com to request a no-cost site audit and proposal for your managed backup solution.
small business IT solutions & advice __________________________________________________________________________________
Mobility Primer At-a-Glance
Don't know a Blackberry from a Blueberry? Here's
your Quick Reference Guide for hardware, software and online collaboration tools.
Mobile Email Access
Easy e-mail access outside the office tops the list of small business
mobility requests. Traditional POP e-mail (domain e-mail without Exchange Server) does not allow employees to easily manage their e-mail outside the office because mail
retrieved from the server to the office PC is not easily accessible remotely. E-mail that is centrally accessible simplifies management, enhances security and makes
remote productivity much easier. Solutions for centralized mobile e-mail management range from basic to advanced and include web-based email access, Microsoft
Exchange server, and wireless email access via a PDA, SmartPhone or Blackberry. These solutions range from basic to advanced. Basic solutions may only allow read
capabilities, while advanced solutions can synchronize data and allow access to calendars, contacts and email folders.
Enable clear communication with always up-to-date
e-mail, contact, and scheduling information.
Reduce the time and expenses incurred when managing
employee time and communication.
Reduce hardware and support costs when compared to a
solution using laptop computers.
Provide a platform that is supported by common
line-of-business (LOB) applications used by small businesses.
Provide a platform for custom applications used for
managing customer information and relationships.
Exchange Server - This is an add-on component to Microsoft Windows Server
(included with Small Business Server 2003) which allows shared calendaring, remote e-mail access, calendar and e-mail syncing with PDAs and Smartphones, and other collaboration tools. The current version, Microsoft Exchange is 2007, and can be used with either Outlook 2003 or 2007. To communicate with mobile devices, your server must have Exchange Server and ActiveSync installed and configured. While it does require a dedicated server and IP address as well as some technical setup and administration, it's a terrific tool for small businesses to stay organized and connected. Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 includes Exchange 2003 and can save considerably on software licensing costs. The advantage of a product such as Exchange is compatibility. Exchange and Outlook have become the standard in the business world and that means you can schedule meetings, organize events and take advantage of other collaboration tools with those outside of your organization as well.
*Note: If you don't want to incur the time and expense for configuring and managing Exchange in-house, hosted solutions
are readily available including a solution from The Launch Pad starting at about $30.00 per month.
Smartphones and PDAs
Smartphones:Offer you the advantages of a phone and PDA in one device. Typically attached to a particular cell phone carrier , Smartphones come
preinstalled with an operating system like Windows Mobile which allows you to take your Microsoft Office Outlook e-mail, contacts and calendar with you.
The BlackBerry is a popular type of Smartphone with a proprietary operating system. Smartphones can browse the web, sync wirelessly with your desktop
Outlook or Exchange server using ActiveSync, allow you to view files like
Word documents using the mobile version of Office, play your music and access the Web. Smartphones are great if you want it all in one place and
like the smaller form factor.
PDAs (personal data assistant):Need everything except the phone? PDAs provide all the
advantages of smartphones without the phone and more horsepower. PDAs come in many flavors from manufacturers like HP and Palm and many have touchscreens.Windows Mobile 6 (standard, professional and classic) is the current version of the Windows mobile OS while Palm
devices come with their own OS. If you do a lot of e-mail response, need more applications
like Office mobile or GPS and mapping, and want a bigger screen and more full-function
keyboard, a PDA is probably the way to go. PDA's can hold more applications and are not tied to a particular cell phone carrier.
Wireless LAN and Broadband The difference between these two is sometimes a point of confusion. Wireless LANs, now
commonplace, allow devices to communicate wirelessly or access the internet with a wireless
router and using a local area network. For example, your home or office may have a wireless
LAN and you can find public "hotspots" like those found in Starbucks or at many airports.
Wireless Broadband uses a cell phone carrier such as Cingular or Verizon, a wireless
broadband card provided by the carrier (usually a USB or PC Card device for a notebook or
built in to a PDA) and a monthly service contract (typically between $40 and $60 per month).
This gives you broadband internet access basically anywhere you can get a cell phone signal.
If you have mobile workers who need access from anywhere without having to locate a "hotspot", wireless broadband is the way to go.
Remote Access Solutions
Data and applications for mobile and remote users
VPN and Terminal Services
Another common mobility category is remote data, database or application access. This is commonly achieved through thin client solutions such as Microsoft Terminal Server or Citrix or a routed configuration with
a VPN hardware device. Each solution requires purchasing licenses, skilled configuration and offers its own advantages and
disadvantages. Determining factors for the best solution include the desired user experience, type of data being accessed or
transmitted, internet connection speed and device with which the user is accessing the data (laptop, hand-held device).
Remote Desktop Solutions such asGoToMyPC or PCAnywhere or
Windows Remote Desktop (built in to Windows) offer individual users remote control access to their own workstation from a remote location or even from within their
own office. These solutions work well for small networks with a few stations but do require
configuration through on each individual workstation and your firewall. A monthly fee is required for services such as GoToMyPC. Windows Remote Web Workplace & Outlook Web Access
Now integrated into Windows Small Business Server 2003, Windows Remote Web Workplace is
a terrific tool for small business users to securely access the office network, e-mail and all of
their applications and files from anywhere using only a web browser and internet connection.
Mobile and remote users can log in to view shared calendars and e-mail using the Outlook Web
Access feature or get right to their desktop and have full access to all their programs and files.
Although it does take some initial configuration, the capability is built into Microsoft's Small
Business Server and does not require any additional licensing like that required by Terminal
Server or Citrix. It is much easier and less costly to configure then VPN and does not require
port forwarding. Plus, no additional hardware or software is necessary. Users on the road or
at home can access their network and their own PCs as if they were in the office sitting in front of their own computer.
While each of these solutions may require specific hardware or software and some expertise to
configure, deployed correctly, the end result is a secure, cost-effective remote solution for
small business allowing users to access data from remote locations such as home, road or branch offices.
Online Conferencing & Collaboration Tools (Web conferencing, Teleconferencing and Video Conferencing) For small business users, new and affordable conferencing and web-based collaboration tools
have hit the mainstream and can add real value to the way you do business. Relatively
inexpensive online conferencing and collaboration services can save not only time but
thousands of dollars in travel costs. Online collaboration allows users to securely view and
share information and track changes without paper or physical presence. Your sales team can
use online webinar tools to make sales presentations. They can also be used for support and
training. VOIP solutions offer inexpensive conferencing through your phone system and video
conferencing as also become much more cost effective for small business. A very appealing
array of pay-as-you-go offerings can allow your small business to communicate at the same level as the big boys.
Here is a quick survey of some of the popular services and how they stack up. Most have
online demos which we highly recommend to get a feel for and better understanding of the service.
WebEx(www.webex.com/smb starting at .33 per minute or pay by month) – Webex offers an
interactive a fairly easy to use web office environment with audio, video, notes and whiteboards
designed for small business. You can even record your sessions. Save big dollars in traveling,
conduct sales webinars to multiple audience members. Tools include WebEx WebOffice, WebEx Meeting Center and Event Center for conducting webinars.
Citrix GoToMeeting (www.gotomeeting.com starts at $39.00 per month) – a terrific tool
geared toward users who need to make remote online presentations with fully integrated voice
-conferencing capabilities. Participants can view any application running on your PC in real time.
Vonage (www.vonnage.com) starts at $24.99 per month) – a good tool for 3-way calling plus many other voice and mobility features. 3-way calls can actually be tied to other three way
calls.
Skype for Business(www.skype.com/business starts at $29.95 per month) – Conference up
to 10 people, chat with up to 100 and make video calls anywhere in the world. Skype is also available for Smartphone running Windows Mobile and many cell phones.
SharePoint Server: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a new server program that is
part of the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Your organization can use Office SharePoint Server
2007 to facilitate collaboration, provide content management features, implement business
processes and supply access to information that is essential to organizational goals and processes.
Online Chat and Instant Messaging: Good tools for immediate feedback and easily available on the road through almost every cell phone and all PDAs. Besides being the purview
of teenagers, used wisely, online messaging such as that provided by AOL or MSM can be a handy tool for exchanging small amounts of information quickly.
Mobility Features at a Small Business Prices
So what exactly is VoIP, how can it help mobile and remote users and how can it improve your business. Instead of
traditional phone lines, VoIP uses the Internet to make and receive phone calls. VoIP has come a long way from the days
when questionable voice quality and carrier confusion made it difficult to deploy and manage without research and expertise.
Today, for small business, VOIP offers many benefits over conventional PBX phone systems (typically starting at 8K to10K
with voice mail and auto attendant) including lower cost, less complexity, PC/Office integration and more advanced
communication features. Beyond saving you money, VoIP also has the potential to increase
productivity by giving traditional phone communications a mobility it's never had before. Take
a VoIP phone on the road, and you can place or receive calls as if you were sitting at your desk from almost anywhere.
VOIP Mobility Features
Make and receive calls and check voicemail through software standard phone
functionality such as caller ID, transfer and speed dial
Convert voicemail to e-mail & check voicemail through a Web browser providing a web
portal to manage e-mail
Web conferencing
FollowMe features which allow calls placed from anywhere (or phones to be taken offsite
) to appear to be from your office phone (great for home workers)
Software based call management and toolbar integration with Outlook to unify communications
launch pad tecrecs _____________________________________________________________________________________
Spotlight: Telovations brings voice and data together for one low-cost small business solution
In each monthly newsletter we highlight software, hardware or services that we find to be particularly
outstanding for small business. This month, our spotlight is on Tampa-based Telovations, a
telecommunications organization specializing in VOIP for small business. We've had an opportunity to work
with many phone vendors through the years, but when we saw this company and its one-stop VOIP
voice/data solution in action at several local businesses, we were impressed. What makes Telovations so
appealing is that they provide an all-in-one, managed voice and data solution for small business that includes a full T1 line, VoIP voice
and data service, long distance minutes and Cisco or Polycom phones for a single monthly price. The basic packages is $495 a month and
includes a full T1 line for Internet and voice, long distance minutes, 5 lines (fax or phone or both), voicemail and 5 high-end Cisco phones.
What is especially appealing for small businesses is that you now have a single service provider to deal with instead of three or four.
While we have worked with many phone vendors through the years at customer sites, this is the first provider that we felt compelled
enough to sign up with. Telovations is now our complete telecommunications provider for our new Odessa offices.
Since this newsletter focuses on mobility solutions, we thought we would highlight some of the Telovations mobility features that make it
easy for you to stay connected, no matter where you are.
With Find me/Follow me your cell phone or home office phone rings at the same time as your office phone. When you are away
from the office you won't miss any calls and when you are in the office you won't be sitting at your desk talking on your cell phone.
This also lets you keep your cell phone number private, since your office phone can now reach you on your cell.
Remote Office takes Find me/Follow me to the next level. You simply enter the number of the phone you would like to use as your office phone in the TeloPortal or toolbar. The phone you have chosen then acts as your office phone. Whether you are at home or
in a hotel, calls placed or received will appear to be on your office phone.
Voice mail to e-mail sends a copy of your voice mail to your e-mail as a .wav file. You can listen to the messages on your computer or PDA and even save it to a file for future reference.
Fax to e-mail is another great mobility feature. When you receive a fax it is sent to your e-mail in-box as a PDF file. No more waiting by the fax machine for those important documents. Now you can receive your faxes no matter where you are and easily
forward them to anyone who needs them. Since the files are sent directly to your e-mail there is no wasted paper and toner.
If you would like more information on Telovations services, please contact us or contact Telovations Katie Butcher at kbutcher@telovations.com or by phone at 813-579-1645. Since Katie has access to all of Telovations great mobility tools, she's very easy to reach.
launch pad news ______________________________________________________________________________________
Welcome our Newest Team Member, Randy Todd
The
Launch Pad is pleased to welcome Randy Todd, Client Solutions Manager, as the newest member of The Launch Pad team. Randy comes to us from one of our local
distributors and he has provides support and product expertise to The Launch Pad over the last seven years. He is a hardware expert and part-time field services
engineer (being a Launch Pad team member often means multiple hats), so he may have already visited your site. If you haven't yet had an opportunity to meet or speak
with him, you're likely be hearing from the "boy wonder" (as one of our clients aptly nicknamed him) very soon.
Find Great Technology Resources for Small Business in our Resource Center
Go Wireless/Get Mobile
Learn more about mobility solutions for your small business by visiting "Go Wireless/Get Mobile" in our SMB Resource Center
more info >>
About The Launch Pad Established in 1992, The Launch Pad is a Florida-based business solutions provider and online computer retailer. The company's goal is to offer a single source of web and technology guidance and tools to help small businesses and
organizations save on IT downtime and costs, increase business productivity, enhance their brand – and turn their goals into reality. The Launch Pad's information technology solutions are based on
products from industry leading vendors, including HP, IBM, Apple, Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, Symantec and many others. For more information, please visit www.launchpadonline.com or contact us toll-free at 888-920-3450.