Gaskin Guides: The Podcast

The latest SMB news.

December 21, 2006

Seeing eye to eye

Can we blame YouTube for convincing young people computers are visual devices? Text seems so boring onscreen now. Remember the promises of desktop videoconferencing eliminating air travel? We're not there yet, but services are improving. (5:30)

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December 14, 2006

Desktop protection for pennies per day

When your ISP sends you software, it has to get it from someone. When you also get support, including software that keeps your computer safe, your ISP (including cable and telephone companies) may rely on SecurityCoverage. (5:00)

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December 07, 2006

Pockets full of technology

Their signs stay in one place, but Realtors don't. Although selling a low tech item, houses, many Realtors fill their pockets (and briefcases and car trunks) with technology to improve their sales. (5:05)

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November 30, 2006

Vista and small businesses

The Microsoft Vista Hype Machine now runs at high gear for Vista's release on Nov. 30 for businesses with license agreements and Jan. 30 for consumers. Should you succumb and try to upgrade to Vista now? I say no. (5:30)

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November 16, 2006

Point of Sale

Millions of small businesses still use a cash register, since you can buy a small cash register from some company like Casio. Its PCR-262 sells for $119 including cash drawer, printer, and two tax table programs, so many business owners start there. But when you need to quickly handle credit cards, scan bar codes, and track more sales, you need to upgrade. (5:18)

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November 09, 2006

Centralized printing

The Paperless Office dream remains a nightmare, as cheap printers abound and may soon show up as toys in cereal boxes. How can you manage a different printer model for every user? UniPrint offers an interesting solution for those using Citrix and Microsoft Windows. (5:02)

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November 02, 2006

HP Gears up for Vista and TotalCare

Continuing with reports of my trip to Houston to see HP's Small and Medium Business teams, let's talk today about computers: new ones that are ready (almost) for Vista, and how much you're willing to pay per user to keep them safe and secure. (5:18)

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October 26, 2006

Exchange outsource options abound

Several recent surveys indicate surprise that the majority of business people would give up their telephone before they gave up e-mail, but that fits what I see. If the surveys showed people would give up their cell phones before e-mail, that would surprise me, but that's another story. (5:11)

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October 19, 2006

HP's small business matchmaking

HP has taken a PR beating lately, but don't let the idiots in the boardroom distract you from the successes of the real HP workers. If you're a small business interested in working with government agencies or large businesses, HP may be your best friend. The company’s "business matchmaking" meetings have arranged over 40,000 "speed dates" where small businesses talk one on one with procurement officials for large enterprises, both public sector and private. (4:57)

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October 12, 2006

MicroNet PlatinumNAS

I'm increasingly impressed by the advances in storage appliances offered to small businesses. This week I've been testing the 1.0TB PlatinumNAS from MicroNet and the feature bar gets ever higher. This box would have done well in my network-attached storage review last October. (5:59)

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October 05, 2006

A free telephone consultant

Many small businesses never think about upgrading their phone systems until they move. Each month the owners and managers curse the huge invoices but don't know where to go for relief. Too often the bills result from trusting the local phone company and accepting their recommendations. But the changing telecommunications market makes it possible to save money today. In fact, you may be able to pay for new telephone hardware from savings on service costs. (4:48)

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September 28, 2006

FileEngine changes the server rules

The server question used to be about how much you'd pay for your hardware. Now the question is whether your data files, including backup, are worth $8 per day? If so, FileEngine has a deal for you. (5:34)

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September 21, 2006

SonicWall rolls out 2nd generation data protection

Do you feel lucky? Well, do you? I ask because a recent backup vendor survey claims almost two-thirds of you backup less than once a month. The report also reveals that 2GB of data disappears every single minute due to drive failure, disaster or human error. Do you still feel lucky? (5:48)

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September 14, 2006

Webmasters and business processes

Where do smart small business owners go for business services and coaching today? Their technology service providers. Your best compliance manager or marketing specialist may be the person offering you Web hosting and development services. (4:34)

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September 07, 2006

SMBs get more spam

If you think you get more spam because you're a small business, you're right. Big companies have more resources to throw at the problem, but a recent study by an e-mail outsource vendor provides some hints to help you slow the spam. (5:06)

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August 31, 2006

Anybody but Microsoft

This show is for the Anybody But Microsoft (ABM) crowd, and others who are unaware how much progress has been made in the last two years on alternative operating systems and applications. (6:38)

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