Virtualization seems to be the way to go in the business world today. Many companies are talking about it, and most have either already implemented it or are thinking of using it. Though there are costs to virtualizing, most businesses say they’re worth it since virtualization often brings big savings in the long run. When talking about virtualization, however, most of the discussion revolves around how large companies are able to take advantage of the technology. Often left out of the conversation are the risks and benefits associated with small businesses employing virtualization. There are a number of important items to consider before deciding if it is right for your small business.
One of my responsibilities at Argenia is the office IT guy. More by necessity than by choice, but I don’t mind stringing cables and installing software as a break from the everyday.
Early on I saw a gap in how we handled email and managed shared files. Email was a POP service hosted by Bell Canada Business (trash) and file sharing was done on a rickety Windows XP machine with a death rattle. DropBox was being used to share files as well, but this proved costly when a virus swooped in and encrypted their files which then automatically updated their DropBox versions.
"Of course, the idea of making enterprise-grade software easier to use is a commendable one in the world of Web CMS. That said, I’ve never seen a successful CMS project where either IT or Marketing/Business were left out of the decision making process."
- Irina Guseva, Selecting a cloud CMS without your IT department - is that OK?, Real Story Group, December 18, 2018.
"Working for a large company no longer means job security, it just means you work for a large company."
Jacob Morgan, Chess Media Group, Why Big Company Doesn't Mean Job Security, Forbes, November 14, 2013.
Should small business owners be jumping into the realm of cloud computing? More than likely your small business can benefit from one or more of the cloud services. Cloud computing provides the resources and flexibility small business owners need to build a business and compete in a highly competitive market. Still, jumping in without thinking strategically about the steps your business will take could lead to wasted resources, so read on for the basics you need to know.
I do not know when it exactly happened, but a number of years ago I decided to become a pacifist. I am a pacifist that is in the war of open source versus proprietary. In my opinion, the debate over licensing and software development processes is only mildly interesting as it is the quality of the end product that matters to me most. I walk the fine line of being an advocate for open source and a defender of proprietary software. Admittedly I've confused a lot of people that have chosen to take sides in this war. However, there is always room for reasonable civil discussions of any topic when new data and new perspective is given.
In CMS Report's mailbag this week we received an email from one of the press folks representing eBay as well as Magento, an eCommerce platform and shopping cart. As we reported last year, eBay agreed to acquire Magento and since then, eBay has placed Magento under the banner of X.commerce. X.commerce intends to bring together the technology assets and developer communities of eBay, PayPal and Magento to support eBay Inc.'s mission of enabling commerce.
"Telling people about the power of a technology is great. The story just needs to placed into the context of the business need."
-Laurence Hart, Checking the Industry Trends, Word of Pie, October 1, 2012