MJ's Business IT Blog

Make Sure You Have Backup For Your Cloud Strategy

There is no question that the Cloud holds a lot of promise, but it also has its risks.  Just this week, Intuit, the maker of the very popular QuickBooks accounting software, suffered a very serious, multi-day cloud outage.

What does this mean?  Their web sites were down at www.intuit.com and www.quickbooks.com.  More importantly, over the past several years, Intuit has quietly baked in a lot of cloud dependant services into their software.  If you use Intuit Payroll Services inside QuickBooks, this is a cloud service that depends on Intuits data centers.  During this outage, you were not able to process payroll.

E-mailing invoices and purchase orders from within QuickBooks also relies in part, on Intuit's cloud and you may not have been able to send those documents.  If you accept credit card payments through QuickBooks, you may not have been able to get credit card approvals or receive the deposits associated with them.

In the latest version, QuickBooks 2010, Intuit has also added highly integrated document management, to scan and attach accounting documents like packing lists and bills, to the QuickBooks transactions they are associated with.  You could not access these files during the outage.

If you use Intuit's hosted version of QuickBooks, you could not use your accounting software at all during this outage.  Was this the end of the world?  No.  What is inconvenient and an interruption to your business?  It may have been.  Could you have worked around the outage?  You should have been able to, provided you had considered these possibilities and had backup plans and processes in place.

In this specific example of a cloud outage, you should have been able to continue to work using manual processes, whether that was writing checks, processing payroll manually and keeping track of the days receipts by hand.  However, if you had not considered these possibilities, it was likely an extremely frustrating couple of days.

The point is that the cloud is not infalible.  There will be outages and you need to have plans in place to deal with them.  While the Internet has become extremely reliable, don't kid yourself, there will be outages.  Whether it's your ISP or your cloud service provider, outages will happen and you need to have backup plans in place to keep your business running effectively during these periods.  Embrace the cloud, but do your homework and be sure you have considered the risks and taken reasonable steps to mitigate them.

It's Not just the Droid Incredible...

Apple is reporting that AT&T and Apple itself, have run out of their launch day supplies of the new iPhone 4.   AT&T has reportedly stopped taking orders because demand has been so high and they need to regroup and clearly communicate when the device will be available again.  Demand for these smartphones is simply crazy!

The Incredible Droid Incredible

I've recently been reviewing several new Android based smartphones for Verizon Wireless.  The most recent smartphone I have reviewed is the Droid Incredible, manufactured by HTC.  I have to say, this is really one incredible smartphone, and there is absolutely no pun intended!

The Droid Incredible or HTC Incredible (depending on where you see the name, it may be referred to by either name) is one of the fastest and lightest smartphones I have ever used.  In fact, I liked this phone so much, that I have switched to it as my full time smartphone.  It really is incredible.

Let's start with the hardware.  The phone is very light and nicely formed.  It has rounded edges and is very comfortable to hold, whether reading e-mail or talking on the phone.  It looks very similar to the iPhone and is probably the closest head to head competitor to the iPhone in terms of the complete package.  In side is one of the fastest smartphone processors on the market, a healthy amount of RAM and a whopping 8 megapixel camera.  The phone is very smooth and fast.  I have not encountered any issues related to hardware performance.  And, I have to say, the camera is the best I've seen yet, for a smartphone.  The still and video quality are excellent and I no longer carry around a small dedicated camera as a result.

In terms of the user interface, HTC adds what they call the Sense overlay to the standard Android interface.  While I wasn't sure early on, I have come to really like Sense.  It's adds some intuitive and very functional elements to the stock operating system that make it even more enjoyable to use.  As silly as this may sound, I love the weather gadget on the home screen.  It cracks me up that wipers come across the screen when it's raining and I have not seen any negative impact on the battery as a result.  Mostly, I like how it keeps the phone application front and center at the bottom of the screen. While I used to user LauncherPro on my Motorola Droid, I'm perfectly happy with the Sense interface on the Droid Incredible.  I also like the myriad of utility widgets that HTC provides for easy access to wireless, bluetooth and other settings.

Another very efficient overaly is the messaging interface.  HTC does a phenomenal job bringing together text and visual voice mail in one single and efficient interface that is extremely intuitive to work with.  Another nice feature of Sense is the seven home screens you can customize.  It makes the phone very functional.

In terms of user experience, size, weight, features, speed, memory and more, you just can't beat this device.  It really is the best smartphone I have seen to date and the fact that it has been on a 2+ week backorder since it's lauch speaks volumes.

I definitely recommend a screen protector for this device and I use the Seidio Innocase and holster along with the extended battery they offer in the standard size format, so I have two batteries, just in case.  However, to date, I have yet to exhaust the battery in a single days use.  I'm thoroughly impressed by that, because I use my Droid Incredible all day long!

If you are looking for a new smartphone or due for an upgrade, I strongly recommend the Droid Incredible.  You will not be disappointed.

Do You Know What's Being Said About Your Company Online?

With Social Media finding it's way into every business and aspect of life, do you know what's being said about your company online?  If not, you should.  You want to know about both the good and the bad.  There may be people praising your company or writing about good things you are doing and wouldn't you like to know that?  The flip side is that there may be some negative things being said and I would hope you want to know that and have the opportunity to respond before your reputation suffers, fairly or unfairly.

Google Alerts is a great tool to monitor for this.  It's super simple to setup and you can receive a daily message with all the times your company has been mentioned online.  If your company is known for specific products or servcies, consider setting up alerts for those names as well.  If you're in a business that services other businesses, also consider setting up alerts for your customers, so you can give them a pat on the back when you notice something positive being said about them.  They will certainly appreciate it.  Give it a try, you'll be glad you did!

Tech Talk: An IT investment that will save you money

My latest technology article was published today in The Portsmouth Herald.  A copy of the article follows:

In these tough economic times, every penny spent needs to be justified.

Information technology investments are no exception.

One of many IT investments that may be able to bring tangible savings to your bottom line is video conferencing.

Video conferencing systems used to be reserved for major corporations that could afford the high cost of the dedicated video cameras and display monitors that were required, as well as expensive high bandwidth or Internet bandwidth that would support the video traffic.

The advancement of the basic camera technology, not to mention the associated software, display technologies and low-cost bandwidth have changed this dramatically.

Today, companies of all sizes can implement cost-effective video conferencing solutions that may save them thousands of dollars in travel-related costs.

Flat panel display monitors have become very affordable and the video quality, especially in high-definition models, is perfect for video conferencing. Crisp and clear video, combined with equally clear audio, may be transmitted over standard Internet connections.

You may even use a form of video conferencing on your personal computer, in the form of a Web cam and the numerous online services like Skype, which offer the ability to easily video conference with one or more people between multiple computers.

In fact, it may be argued services like Skype forced video conferencing into the mainstream and pushed the large manufacturers to answer the threat from upstart services like this, by making their technologies more affordable and usable.

Many organizations are using the built-in video capabilities in products like Skype and various instant messaging software to carry on one-on-one meetings between individuals in different locations.

Productivity gains are significant, as coworkers are able to collaborate more interactively across wide distances.

Many software applications available for video conferencing also include screen and file sharing capabilities, allowing you to take the video experience to a higher level.

In addition to being able to talk with and see people you are working with at the remote location, you may also, simultaneously, share your computer screen or work on a shared document interactively. The benefits are obvious.

If you haven't investigated video conferencing, you may want to do so. It's easy to start small and test the viability of this technology for your business.

An individual Web cam of reasonable quality costs far less than $100 and many of the software applications are free, at least in limited form.

If you bought any notebook or netbook portable computers lately, they may very well have a camera built into the screen, looking at you every day just waiting to be used. Test it out between a few people and see if it delivers a tangible benefit. If it does, you may want to explore extending this to other individuals or even equip full conference rooms to support multi-person meetings.

As the technology continues to spread and standards take hold in the market, you will be able to initiate video based meetings with customers, partners and others. It's a great technology that has taken advantage of various technology developments to bring the cost down and make it a viable solution for companies of all sizes.

MJ Shoer is president and virtual chief technology officer of Jenaly Technology Group, a Portsmouth-based outsourced IT services firm. He may be reached at mshoer@jenaly.com.

Latest Column: Isuring Company Web Browsing Remain Safe

Below is my latest column, published in today's Portsmouth Herald.  Hope you enjoy reading it.

I'm sure you are familiar with the problem: You or someone you know is browsing the Internet, seemingly on a safe Web site, and then the pop-ups start. Somehow, you've gotten infected with spyware or worse.

Just this week, users of theNew York Times Web site experienced problems caused by a malicious banner ad that infiltrated the site. This fake ad caused a window to pop up on users' computers, warning them they had a virus and instructing them to download software to fix the problem. Fortunately, most users know a pop-up like that is fake and likely a lure to get you to download software that will really cause problems, not the least of which may be identity theft.

If sites as reputable as the New York Times can be infected like this and cause problems for legitimate visitors, what can you do to protect your network?

The obvious perimeter security measures need to be in place. A robust hardware firewall appliance that will inspect traffic coming in and leaving your network is a must. Appliances such as these allow you to specify very specific rules as to what may come and go and therefore protects the computers behind it. A centrally managed anti-virus and anti-spyware solution is another must. Everyone is familiar with anti-virus software and should be with anti-spyware software as well. These need to be continually updated, tuned and monitored to ensure they provide the protection they are intended to. Many threats today will attempt to disable these defenses, so keeping vigilant watch on their operations status is imperative. Centrally managed software firewalls on individual computers are very helpful and should be a standard these days.

Those are some of the very obvious measures even the most basic computer network should have in place. However, there are some additional services that complement these, to help ensure a safer network.

The Domain Name System, or DNS, is the Internet service that translates the common names of Web sites, like www.nytimes.com, to the corresponding Internet address, or IP address, where the Web site actually exists. Many threats will attempt to overtake the DNS services that your network relies on to redirect you to fake or malicious Web sites that try to pass themselves off as the real thing. Using a DNS filtering service is a simple and very effective way to protect against this and ensure you are really browsing to the sites you think you are. More advanced services will also provide protection against known sites and threats, continually monitoring the Internet and updating their databases of malicious sites, with the goal of only allowing you to surf the safe places.

There are also traffic shaping devices that allow you to manage your Internet connectivity by restricting where people can go, or minimizing the amount of Internet bandwidth allowed to be used for certain types of sites. These types of devices allow you to restrict access to certain places on the Internet or prioritize sites based on the value to the business. For example, you may want to ensure your finance department can get to all the banking and financial sites they need to use, while minimizing or preventing outright the use of fantasy football sites, to ensure work takes a priority over play.

Some of this definitely skirts the edge of censorship and can be a bit reminiscent of "big brother," but properly implemented with the right intention, they can help ensure your use of the Internet remains as safe as possible.

Regardless of what defensive technology you put in place, and I have only touched on a few in this article, the final line of defense is also the person. There is no substitute for educating your computer users on proper and safe use of the Internet. This will continue to be a highly important part of managing your personnel, ensuring they are properly trained on safe computing to ensure your business remains safe in our highly connected world.

MJ Shoer is president and virtual chief technology officer of Jenaly Technology Group, Inc., a Portsmouth-based outsourced IT services provider. He may be reached at mshoer@jenaly.com.

Back At It

Well, it's been a crazy two and half weeks of business and vacation travel.  After an excellent quarterly meeting with our Marketing Master Mind Group in Del Mar, CA, it was off for a week of relaxing vacation on Cape Cod with my family.  We had a blast, and despite the poor summer weather up to that point, we actually had some nice hot sunny days.  The kids were very happy.  I was very happy, because the beach cottage surprised us all with high speed broadband service this year, so I actually got to do some quality work as well, which actually helps me to relax, when I can leisurely work on things that I need the piece and quiet of a remote location to do.  I know, it was vacationa nd I should not have been working, but as I said, I enjoy it.  I love what I do and don't mind doing it while I'm vacationing, especially when I have my family close at hand.

Taking a page right out of the book of plays for the "no rest for the weery" crowd, I was home for a whopping 40 hours and I was off to Las Vegas to the annual IT industry conference, Breakaway, put on by CompTIA.  I have been attending this annual conference for many years and find it to be a huge source of inspiration, education and early insight into emerging technologies that will benefit our clients.  This year, I was very excited to see all the changes that have been ushered in by the new leadership team at CompTIA.  I have always said that the time and money invested in attending Breakaway comes back in multiples and my expections for this year were very high, given all that I have heard about the new team.  This is not said with the slightest amount of disrespect to the former team, who did a truly exemplary job growing Breakaway into the highly successful event that it is.  They deserve immense credit for their work and the value they returned to the membership all these years.  With new leadership come changes and new opportunities and that's where the buzz was building.

The event had some noticable changes, nearly all positive from my perspective and the feedback I was hearing.  As a former Board member of the Association, some people sought me out to share their thoughts, again, mostly positive and enthusiastic for the refreshed image of the event.  The education sessions were by far, the best part of the event.  We heard from dynamic speakers, like Patrick Lencioni, author of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team.  I wish my entire staff had been able to see his keynote, as it was inciteful and educational and I can't do it justice.  Verne Harnish, of Gazelles, gave a business planning workshop to a standing room only audience over two days!  The new peer-to-peer faciliated sessions seemed to be the biggest hit of the week.  These sessions covered a wide range of topics relating to small and mid-size business issues ranging from business development, to personnel management, to market opportunities and more.  The intereactivity and sharing in these sessions was amazing.  CompTIA is continuing these discussions via online tools that have been built to carry the positive momentum throughout the year.  One of the concluding events of the conference was a "speed dating" session, where small groups could spend 20 minutes with experts in the fields of marketing, finance, legal and HR.  I picked up some great insight, advice and ideas from CompTIA's own HR director that may be my one golden nugget of the conference.

There were also several meetings of new existing Executive Forums focussed on services, managed IT, SMB owner issues, security and more.  Think of these like special interest groups that focus on the specific areas and help the members improve their internal operations and client services.  These too, will continue to interact throughout the year via in person meetings, teleconferences and web 2.0 tools.

On the technology side of the conference, there was a very impressive vendor fair with well over 100 vendors showcasing their technologies.  This is always a very efficient venue to investigate new technologies and I came to the event with some specific goals in mind, to seek out and qualify a handful of solutions for various clients and I was able to meet and exceed my goal.  Security and virtualization seemed to be the hot technologies this year.  As a holder of the CompTIA Security Trustmark, I was not surprised to see the emphasis on security as all companies, large and small, need to be concerned with increased security in the near, not long term.  Desktop virtualization seemed to be the other hot technology generating buzz.  The value proposition being that you can either use outdated hardware or a thin client, as opposed to a full blown PC, to access a virtual desktop that emulates the full functionality of a desktop PC.  This has some intriguing possibilities and will be something to keep an eye on.  Whether we are talking about server based on desktop virtualization, I see opportunities for clients to build out their own private “cloud” (the other hot topic of the conference) to support their specific needs.

It was a very valuable week of learning, discovering and networking and another very successful Breakaway conference.  Now, I’m finally getting caught up on my extended travels and getting back to my regular blogging.  Thanks for reading this lengthy post.

Virtual Workers Can Improve Customer Service

Here is a link to an interesting article by Forbes on how larger companies are using virtual workers to improve customer service.  This is nothing new, but it's an interesting read and something nearly all business can leverage to their benefit, if they do things right.

While this article talks about larger organizations, there really is no reason that small business cannot take advantage of cost savings and productivity improvements associated with a well thought out and implement virtual worker program.  Even here at Jenaly, we take advantage of virtual workers every day.  Hardly a day goes by where at least one of our staff is not working remotely.  In all cases, what I see is that the remote worker is equally as productive and effective as those of us working in the office.  Sometimes even more so!

We work with multiple clients that do this too.  Right now, we're working with a client to implement a sophisticated call center application where some times, based on day of the week or time of day, the call center agents may be working from their home instead of the office.  This is one of JetBlue's claims to fame.  When you call JetBlue, you never speak with someone working in a JetBlue office.  You speak with one of their customer service agents, who are working from their home, but you would never know that.  That's because the technology is seamless, as is the experience to the caller.  The call can be easily transferred from the customer service agent, working from their home, to others who may be working at their home or may be in JetBlue's corporate office.  The caller does not know and does not care, becaus they are being taken care of.

That's the key.  The technology is there.  Your business can benefit from reduced costs and the same or better customer service experience.  The employee can benefit from flexibility, reduced commuting costs and maybe even reduced stress.  The customer experiences the same, or even better, first class treatment that you want to be known for.  It's a win all around.  If you have not yet embraced a remote worker policy for your company, do it.  You won't be sorry!

Personal Health Technology

I've been casually keeping abreast of the wealth of technologies that are coming to the market to help us live more healthier lives.  Along with the overall cultural awareness for sustainability practices in our lives, improving our health fits right in.

Nike + is an intriguing technology that Nike has developed that is somewhat akin to a pedometer on steroids, if you will.  It comprises a small sensor that fits into a holder that is inside nearly all of Nike's fitness shoes, that transmits to your iPod or a sport band that Nike has developed, to track your distance, calories burned and other details about your exercise.  The information is synchronized to a web site where you can track, set goal and even get coaching on your progress.

Weight Watchers, the weight loss guru's, have their eTools, that let dieters track their activity, food consumption, weight and more.  Here too, users can set goals, receive coaching and track their progress, practically in real time.

These are just two ways that technology is helping us live healthier lives.  There are tons more.  SparkPeople is a health and fitness website, devoted to helping you live a better life and there are many more just like it.  Check out the tools available and if you are looking for a personal trainer or coach, some of these technologies may be a great complement to help you achieve healthier living. 

To your health!

Have You Tried Bing?

Bing is Microsoft's new search engine.  You may have seen the flurry of advertisements that have hit over the past few days.  Bing has been expected to arrive for a while now, but it launched early, and unexpectedly, on June 1st.  For a software company like Microsoft, accustomed to delays in the release of new products, this is probably somewhat of an internal coup.

According to reports this morning, Bing has already jumped past Yahoo, making it the number two search engine behind Google's dominating online presence.  Whether it will retain that ranking or if this is simply an initial bump in ratings remains to be seen.

Bing provides traditional search capability as you would expect, but it also is making a case for being a "decision engine".  The home page for Bing is a very pleasing and easy to understand design.  As opposed to the very plain appearance of Google that we have all become accustomed to, Bing has very crisp photographic backgrounds that are really striking.  When you input your search, you are presented with a fairly standard search result page, just as you would expect.  Where Bing's "decision engine" goes to work is with several tabs across the top of the page.  Based on your search criteria, you will have options to click tabs for images, shopping, maps, etc. and Bing will show you results that are refined from your original search, thus saving you some time.  It's actually very efficient and an interesting model that if successful, you can expect to see the others replicate quickly.  Along the left side of the results page is also a running history of your search, making it very easy to move back and forth between current and prior searches.  Bing also sports a mobile site at m.bing.com.

I've tried the standard and the mobile sites and find them to be fast, efficient and intuitive.  I'd recommend giving it a try.  Should you switch to Bing from your favorite search engine?  That's entirely up to you.  Given the past flops in this area for Microsoft, it will be interesting to see how the market responds to Bing.