Business Pundit » Internet Business

3 Things to Know Before Your Business Switches to VoIP

Drea — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:58:48 +0000

Image: Belkin

This is a guest post by Resource Nation’s David Liu.

According to a recent BT Professional Services study, nearly half of all global IT organizations have already installed or incorporated VoIP into their infrastructure. Business VoIP service is a rapidly expanding industry- if you’re company hasn’t made the switch yet, chances are it’s something you’ve considered.

However, not all business VoIP phone systems are created equal. The best fit for one company might not work well for another business, and some enterprises have specific requirements that necessitate one type of system or another. Here’s a basic guide on what you need to know before you choose a VoIP system.

Type of System: On Site v. Hosted

VoIP comes in two basic varieties- “on-site” systems, such as on-premise IP-PBX, and “hosted” systems, where equipment is housed at the provider location. Both present distinct advantages for businesses with different needs.

An on-site system allows you greater control over bandwidth designation, features, and security options, and can be customized more easily. Since you own the equipment, you can modify it as you see fit. On-site systems require a higher initial cost outlay, and are maintained and updated by the owner, which can also lead to further costs down the road.

Hosted systems, on the other hand, are a bit like leasing- you pay a monthly fee to use the system software, but it is maintained, updated, and repaired (if necessary) by the provider company. Hosted systems are portable, too- if you move offices, there’s no need to reconfigure complex equipment. Some vendors offer “hybrid” options, where some equipment is off-site and some is self-maintained. Make sure you carefully consider your available office space, maintenance budget, and technological know-how before choosing a hosted or an on-site system.

Types of Connections: Dedicated v. Open Internet

VoIP systems use Internet Protocol to route calls. Not all internet connections are the same. Although you can technically use a VoIP system with any speedy internet connection (wireless, broadband), some providers require a specific type of transmission, typically a T-1 line. T-1 lines are considered dedicated connections. Your service itself might be less expensive, but the cost for a T-1 line can be hundreds of dollars a month.

Your other option is to route calls using an “open” internet connection, which is less expensive but can pose more of a security risk. Geographic location and provider preference are the two big factors to consider here. A T-1 line provides a faster connection in some areas, which is why some providers require it to install a VoIP system. Ask your VoIP services vendor if they require a specific type of internet connection.

VoIP Providers: What to Look For

Not all small business VoIP providers are the same- some cater to smaller businesses, while some only serve larger companies.

When choosing a VoIP service company, service offerings and budget shouldn’t be your only concerns. You should ask for local references, find out who your “contact” person at the company will be (if you are assigned a dedicated service representative) and thoroughly examine the vendor from a customer service perspective.

A VoIP system is a long-term purchase- it’s important to choose a vendor that’s willing to work with you to provide the best system for your business at a price that’s within your budget.

Resource Nation provides free tools, tips, and purchasing advice for business owners and entrepreneurs in over 100Resource Nation provides free tools, tips, and purchasing advice for business owners and entrepreneurs in over 100 business categories ranging from phone systems to credit card processing. Whether it’s connecting businesses with local and national pre-screened vendors, or offering easy service comparisons on a VoIP service, Resource Nation empowers business decision makers by providing the information they need to make smart choices.

David Liu is a writer and comedian based in San Diego, California. He writes extensively for Resource Nation and VoIP service, an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Google Offers Free Wi-Fi at 47 US Airports

Drea — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:11:40 +0000

Google will offer free Wi-Fi starting today at 47 national airports. The Wi-Fi offer will last until January 15, 2010. PC World has more:

The FAA estimates 100 million people will travel back and forth across the country during the holidays, and those hunkered down in airport terminals due to weather delays will likely appreciate the free Wi-Fi.

Google has partnered with airports across the country, as well as Time Warner Cable, Boingo Wireless, Advanced Wireless Group and many others to offer Wi-Fi. Because Google’s partners don’t have a presence in all U.S. airports Google’s free Wi-Fi won’t cover everybody traveling this season.

Google’s move follows a similar free Wi-Fi offer from Yahoo. On Tuesday, Yahoo announced that it would provide free Wi-Fi for an entire year in New York’s Times Square.

Here’s a full list of airports, from Google’s Free Wi-Fi for the Holidays website:

* Austin (AUS)
* Baltimore (BWI)
* Billings (BIL)
* Boston (BOS)
* Bozeman (BZN)
* Buffalo (BUF)
* Burbank (BUR)
* Central Wisconsin (CWA)
* Charlotte (CLT)
* Des Moines (DSM)
* El Paso (ELP)
* Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
* Fort Myers/SW (RSW)
* Greensboro (GSO)
* Houston (HOU)
* Houston Bush (IAH)

* Indianapolis (IND)
* Jacksonville (JIA)
* Kalamazoo (AZO)
* Las Vegas (LAS)
* Louisville (SDF)
* Madison (MSN)
* Memphis (MEM)
* Miami (MIA)
* Milwaukee (MKE)
* Monterey (MRY)
* Nashville (BNA)
* Newport News (PHF)
* Norfolk (ORF)
* Oklahoma City (OKC)
* Omaha (OMA)
* Orlando (MCO)

* Panama City (PFN)
* Pittsburgh (PIT)
* Portland (PWM)
* Sacramento (SMF)
* San Antonio (SAT)
* San Diego (SAN)
* San Jose (SJC)
* Seattle (SEA)
* South Bend (SBN)
* Spokane (GEG)
* St. Louis (STL)
* State College (SCE)
* Toledo (TOL)
* Traverse City (TVC)
* West Palm Beach (PBI)

Image: Google

MarketRiders Automates the Financial Advisor, Sort Of

Drea — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:49:52 +0000

MarketRiders, an online investment service that promotes proper asset allocation and low fees, wants to be the electronic answer to the financial advice industry.

For a small fee, MarketRiders’ software will generate customized asset allocation recommendations. By cutting out the middleman, MarketRiders has potential to offer returns similar to existing fund managers’, but without the hefty fees.

When you sign up, its investment engine, called E.Adviser, asks you several questions about your investment time horizon and risk tolerance. It then generates asset allocation recommendations based on your answers. Once you trade, E.Adviser tracks your progress and lets you know when to rebalance. The service costs $9.95/month, far less than a comparable suite of mutual funds.

The MarketRiders website explains the problem:

According to Morningstar, only 14% of the top 100 mutual fund managers in a given year were able to repeat their performance the following year. Over a five year period, 97% of the professional money managers underperform their index after fees and taxes! There’s probably not an industry that is so overpaid for providing so little.

Yet most investors continue paying investment management fees that, while seemingly small, easily siphon away 33% of their wealth over 15 years.

The financial industry’s abuse of the individual investor is part of what is causing a crisis in many American households today. Offended by this, Mitch, Steve and Ryan created MarketRiders.

TechCrunch has more on why MarketRiders was founded:

Mitch Tuchman, the founder of MarketRiders and a former hedge fund manager, studied the investment strategies of big university endowments like Yale’s. He learned that 80 to 90 percent of returns within any given year come from being in the right asset class (stocks, bonds, real estate, commodities, emerging markets), not from stock picking or market timing. The trick to steady returns is to try to mimic the market, not beat it, through exposure to broad asset classes. “Wall Street is the biggest fleecing machine in the world,” says Tuchman. “It is selling investors on the idea that if you give this manager money he will give you a better return than the market.”

A better strategy, he thinks, is simply to buy a variety of exchange-traded funds which index different markets and then periodically re-balance your portfolio.

The catch? E.Adviser only generates ETF portfolios. MarketRiders targets passive, risk-averse investors with $50,000 or more to put into the market. Why does the service only give specific tips on how to diversify within one type of fund? Most ETFs are cheap and relatively safe, but not foolproof.

I would be more interested in MarketRiders if it recommended a broader range of investment types. I would also be more convinced of its potential to replace human advisors if it wasn’t stuck on one type of fund. I wonder whether its target market has the same kinds of concerns, or whether they are so passive that they don’t think about ETFs’ potential limitations.

Do you think that as a business, MarketRiders is onto something? Do they need to expand their services, or are they targeting a lucrative niche with their strategy? Or are they just another computational flavor in an ever-expanding market?

Intuit Buys Mint.com for $170 million

Drea — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:46:06 +0000

Financial software company Intuit has purchased personal finance website Mint.com for $170 million. The New York Times has more:

Mint, which unveiled its free online services in September 2007, quickly became popular as more people turned to the Web to create budgets and manage their finances. The company says it has 1.5 million users tracking nearly $50 billion in assets and $200 billion in transactions.

“As Mint’s product grew in popularity, it became clear it wasn’t a question of if Intuit would acquire them anymore, but one of when and how much,” said Jeff Clavier, founder of SoftTech VC, an early-stage investment company that backed Mint.

Although Mint.com and Quicken Online are rival services, the companies say they will continue to operate the two sites independently, and incorporate some of Mint’s features into Intuit’s services.

“We were much better served by having Mint and its leadership as part of Intuit instead of trying to build it separately,” said Dan Maurer, senior vice president of Intuit’s consumer group. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval, but the companies said they hoped to close the deal by the end of the year.

Is Facebook’s Fan Check Application a Virus? Hackers Want You to Think So.

Drea — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:53:50 +0000

If you’ve encountered a virus in Facebook’s Fan Check application, you’re not alone. Legions of people have speculated that Fan Check, an application that tracks your friends’ Wall and photo activity to determine whether they’re your “fan” (or stalker), is actually a virus.

According to NetworkWorld, Fan Check is not a virus. However, hackers have taken advantage of users’ fears by proliferating Fan Check “removal” sites that actually put malware on your computer. PCWorld describes how googling a solution to the Fan Check virus could actually make your situation worse:

The scammers are trying to capitalize on the concern that many Facebook members have about the application. At this point it’s unclear whether it’s problematic itself or not.

…as Facebook members use popular search engines to find antivirus information about Fan Check, they are getting results that point to sites that can infect their computers with malware.

“The phrase ‘Facebook Fan Check Virus’ is currently a hot trending topic on Google, with many net users searching for information. However, hackers have set up websites pretending to be about the ‘Facebook Fan Check Virus,’ but which really host fake anti-virus software which display bogus warnings about the security of your computer in an attempt to get you to install fraudulent software and cough-up your credit card details,” Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos, wrote on Monday in his blog.

3 Signs the Internet is Becoming Less Free

Drea — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:50:44 +0000

Is the Internet becoming less like the Wild West? The three pieces of news below describe government action being taken on Internet activity. Are these isolated cases, or signs of a bigger trend to clamp down on Internet activity? You decide:

1. The White House wants to monitor your every click

If you can, forget healthcare for a minute. There’s something a little sneakier passing under the radar. President Obama wants to “reverse a longtime federal policy banning the use of web technologies to track and compile personal information that can easily be utilized to invade privacy,” according to Judicial Watch. Ironically enough, it was the pro-Obama ACLU that pointed out this creepy federal move:

A 9-year-old policy forbids the U.S. government from implementing methods on federal internet sites that track an internet user’s every click, often identify the person and even build a database of each user’s viewing habits. This poses a serious threat to Americans’ personal information, according to the…American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The…“major shift in policy”…(was) covertly introduced in a vague, single-page announcement in the federal register. The group points out that Americans rely on the data posted on federal websites to research politics, medical issues and legal requirements and no American should have to sacrifice privacy or risk surveillance in order to access free government information.

However, with the snap of a finger the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) can reverse the longtime privacy rule if it determines that there is a “compelling need.” Since the OMB answers to the president and he clearly believes there is a compelling need, Americans should consider it a done deal.

2. A judge forced Google to reveal the identity of a blogger

Mashable has the scoop:

Liskula Cohen is a Canadian-born model, best known for her appearances in fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, and Cleo. When she discovered that a blog called Skanks in NYC, hosted on Google’s Blogger, had been referring to her as “skank” and “old hag,” she decided to press Google (Google) to reveal the identity of the blogger through court, and the court has now decided in her favor.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Joan Madden decided that “the thrust of the blog is that [Cohen] is a sexually promiscuous woman,” and that Cohen is entitled to sue the blogger for defamation.

This also means that Google will have to reveal the identity of the blogger in question; an important move that will set a precedent for future cases such as this one. The blogger in question has, without a doubt, been very offensive towards Cohen, as can be seen in the above quote. However, as we all know, the internet is full of offensive comments and broad negative statements of all kinds.

Internet legal policies are a work in progress. The blogger case, as Mashable pointed out, sets a precedent for upcoming cases. In a few years, talking smack online may become a rare privilege.

3. A leaked music track has lead to an international manhunt

Image: ACC-TV

X Factor winner Leona Lewis was planning to release her new single, Don’t Let Me Down (featuring Justin Timberlake), sometime within the next few months. But hackers beat her to the punch. They recently leaked the track online by invading Syco’s (part of Sony BMG) computer systems.

Simon Cowell, who helped with the new album, called the police after discovering the leak. The Times Online writes:

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said it was the highest-profile hacking case the music industry had ever seen.

Jeremy Banks, the head of the organisation’s internet anti-piracy unit said: “IFPI is working with Syco and law enforcement agencies in the US and Europe to trace the individuals who stole the Leona Lewis/Justin Timberlake track.”

The police are understood to have been tracking the hackers for several weeks and are close to closing the case.

In other words: Simon Cowell calls the cops over a piece of leaked music. The cops stage an international manhunt as a result. Though this kind of international collaboration isn’t unprecedented–Pirate Bay comes to mind–it does highlight how responsive global law enforcement agencies have become to hacking attacks, not to mention record companies.

Twitter to Make Money from Business Services

Drea — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:02:42 +0000

How will Twitter make money? Co-founder Biz Stone answered the potential million-dollar question during a PBS interview last Friday. USAToday has more:

We finally get to see and hear from elusive Twitter co-founder Biz Stone — who has gotten into the habit of answering media queries via blog posts and email. Tavis Smiley’s interview of Stone (aired) on PBS channels across the nation. PBS gave us a copy of the transcript.

On how Twitter will avoid the fate of popular social networks that get tons of eyeballs — but not nearly enough online advertising revenue to operate in the black, Stone has a simple answer: Twitter is not going after ad revenue.

Stone outlines of a plan to get corporate giants like Whole Foods, Best Buy, Jet Blue and Comcast, along with small businesses, like New York City cookie shops, to pay Twitter for professional services related to generating Twitter traffic for commercial purposes. He says Twitter this year will begin selling what sounds like subscription services to businesses.

“Twitter will remain free for everyone, but we may be able to offer an additional layer of value to some of these commercial accounts,” says Stone. “Whether it’s through analytics, ‘How can I Twitter better?’ Or whether it’s through some sort of certification, you know, ‘How can we make sure everybody knows that this is definitely JetBlue and not someone pretending to be JetBlue?’

I wonder whether Twitter is going for a buyout. A business service sounds interesting enough, but the real bucks have got to be in a buyout. Surely Google wouldn’t mind a piece of the action (again)…

Cadets Peddle Custom Baby Bedding, Get Fortune’s Attention

Lela Davidson — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:29:49 +0000

When the baby bedding business is booming, you have to wonder how bad the economy really is. Babybedding.com, the website of baby linen manufacturer Carousel Designs, was featured in the August 2009 issue of Fortune Small Business. As part of the magazine’s makeover series Babybeddingcom will receive a complete business strategy consult from the Fortune team.

Fortune Small Business generally chooses makeover subjects that are high potential companies with at least one million dollars in annual gross revenues. Carousel Designs has that and more. Jonathan Hartley bought the family business from his parents in 2007 and then hired former West Point classmate, Allan Sicat, to be the company’s President. Drawing on their rigorous West Point training and subsequent business experience Hartley and Sicat have set out to help transform the company into an Internet success story.

Hartley and Sicat hope the Fortune makeover will help them build the brand awareness and stronger operational framework they’ll need to go up against the big names in baby bedding – like Pottery Barn Kids. Currently they leverage advanced search engine marketing techniques and innovations such as “Design Your Own Custom Crib Bedding” feature to grow the business.

The magazine enlisted three of the top business minds in the country, free of charge to consult on these matters. For the makeover, the experts toured the Carousel Designs’ factory and held discovery sessions before imparting insights and advice in the areas of brand marketing, finance, operations and customer loyalty programs.

“It was invaluable to spend the day with experts hand picked by Fortune Small Business,” said Mr. Sicat. “We hope to apply many of the ideas drawn from the makeover in the coming year.”

In addition to valuable consulting services, Carousel Designs received feature-length coverage in the August 2009 Fortune Small Business, available at newsstands and bookstores this month, as well as on CNNMoney.com. And that’s something money can never buy.

Image Credit: www.babybedding.com

Facebook Lite: An Assault on Twitter?

Drea — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:27:52 +0000

Image: PCWorld

Facebook is in the process of launching Facebook Lite, a simplified version of Facebook that focuses on streaming updates. Mashable’s Ben Parr has more:

1. What is Facebook Lite?
A: It is a completely stripped-down version of the Facebook platform. From what we can tell, it is almost like a Twitter (Twitter) stream: you can see your most recent status updates and the updates of your friends. There is a left-hand navigation with four main categories: Wall, Info, Friends, and Photos & Videos. It does little more than that.

3. Is this Facebook integrating with FriendFeed?
A: Most likely not. The deal is still new to integrate their technologies in this way, and we’re hearing reports that these tests have been ongoing for the last 2-3 days. That would put its development well before the FriendFeed acquisition

4. What’s the point of Facebook Lite?
A: Speculation says it’s a direct assault on Twitter. Facebook continues to find ways to make itself competitive with Twitter. This is why Facebook has been launching features such as public profiles, profile fans, public status updates, and realtime search. Twitter is simple, so Facebook’s fighting back with the same.

However, we don’t know for sure. They may just be making a speedier version for slow connections. We’ll find out more from the Facebook team soon.

5. How can I access it?
A: It’s a limited test for only a subset of users. The fact that thousands, if not millions of users got the test notice was a bug. Most likely Facebook will open up the test to more users very soon, especially since everybody now knows about it.

One of Facebook Lite’s major draws is that it can be accessed quickly, from a variety of Internet connections. This enables easy access for users all over the globe.

Facebook is doing the right thing by trimming down. As MySpace proved, once a better social networking product comes along, it’s just a matter of time until most users defect. By adapting Twitter-like qualities to its software, Facebook attracts more users, and offers more incentive for existing ones to stick around.

If Facebook offers enough simplified perks in its new applications, it could lure away Twitter users. I’m going to watch this space with interest.

Google Caffeine Tweaks Search Results

Drea — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:43:38 +0000

Google announced a new “under the hood” search infrastructure project today, code named Caffeine. The Google Blog explains:

t’s the first step in a process that will let us push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions. The new infrastructure sits “under the hood” of Google’s search engine, which means that most users won’t notice a difference in search results. But web developers and power searchers might notice a few differences, so we’re opening up a web developer preview to collect feedback.

Some parts of this system aren’t completely finished yet, so we’d welcome feedback on any issues you see. We invite you to visit the web developer preview of Google’s new infrastructure at http://www2.sandbox.google.com/ and try searches there.

Here’s how to give us feedback: Do a search at http://www2.sandbox.google.com/ and look on the search results page for a link at the bottom of the page that says “Dissatisfied? Help us improve.” Click on that link, type your feedback in the text box and then include the word caffeine somewhere in the text box.

PC World’s David Coursey speculates about the consequences for businesses and SEO gurus:

Caffeine…could change how your company ranks in its search results. For those businesses that live-and-die based on Google-generated traffic, this is potentially a very big deal.

It is unclear at this point whether Caffeine will be more or less amiable to the magic worked by SEO practitioners, whose mysterious art is aimed at winning the coveted first page of Google results for keyword searches of interest to their client.

It’s probably too early to make changes, but web developers and others with SEO interests are doubtless already running searches using their existing keywords to see what changes appear in their rankings.

This also means a field day for those selling quick fixes that will supposedly give companies a top Google ranking. There’s nothing quite like something most people don’t understand, but that can dramatically effect your business, to give some people anxiety.

Before you run off and try to re-learn SEO, give Caffeine a test run. It looks like most people haven’t found major search result differences between Caffeine and the old version of Google. I found a couple of shuffled results during my own testing, but nothing major. If you have any kind of online presence, I encourage you to try out the searches that are important to you. I postulate that only the minority of people will experience negative search consequences from Caffeine (note: international/mobile results still look undeveloped).

If you don’t want to try out the sandbox search yourself, Google Watch’s Clint Boulton has a couple of screen captures depicting traditional/caffeinated search results.