SMB IT | Curtis Franklin » October 2007

October 29, 2007 | Comments: (0)

More Open for SMB

TAGS: SMB Applications

I haven't gotten a lot of feedback from readers on the first few SMB IT blog entries (I figure everyone's too busy trying to stay in business to spend time writing to me), but the feedback I have received is in favor of more open-source software. That pleases me -- I'm a big fan of open source solutions where they make sense.

I've been spending more time with OpenOffice, and I have to say that I continue to be impressed. I've heard from small businesses that are running on OpenOffice, and I don't think they're suffering from their choice of software. My happiness with OpenOffice has led me to take a new look at more open source business applications, starting with OpenProj, an open source project management package. I have spent many hours wrapped around a Gantt chart, so I'm always pleased to take a look at any software that promises to make managing a project a bit easier.

Now, let me start with an obvious statement: OpenProj isn't Microsoft Project. Project has become the center of a software solar-system, with tons of plug-ins, extensions, and separate applications based on the central project. OpenProj isn't like that. Even the basic product is not nearly so feature-rich as Project. If your work life involves coordinating armies of workers in intricate gavottes of well-regulated activity, with regular reports to partners and executives, and automated task assignment through Outlook, then you really should plan to write a check to Microsoft. If, on the other hand, you're a small business manager who needs to manage small business projects, read on.

OpenProj has all the basics you need to manage basic projects with as many assets (both human and material) as you're likely to need. There are views set up as top views and bottom views, and if you've used any major project management product you'll have no trouble creating and managing projects in OpenProj. Now, here's a warning: If you haven't used project management software before, I'm not sure I'd recommend that you dive into OpenProj because the documentation is, well, minimal.

OpenProj, like OpenOffice, can easily pass information back and forth with the Microsoft equivalent. OpenProj can read mpp, .xml and .mpx files from Project, and write .xml files to be read into Project.

The bottom line? If you have a small business and want to manage your projects, OpenProj is worth a look. To give it some context, I'd be very comfortable using OpenProj if I was a sub-contractor on a residential or small commercial construction job. If I was the general contractor, I'd probably want a different product to keep up with all my subs. The good news is that, with the document interchange that's possible, the general contractor can use Microsoft Project while the subs use OpenProj. That's a win-win situation, especially since a sub can take what they learn with OpenProj and apply it when they move up the project scale and have to move to other products.

What are you using for project management? Which applications are you using that are based on open source licensing? Let me know, and we'll work on building suggestions for full suites for the cost-conscious small business.

Posted by Curt Franklin on October 29, 2007 08:19 PM

October 25, 2007 | Comments: (0)

A Bit of a Ruckus

TAGS: SMB Networking

I've been setting up wireless networks for quite some time. I am, you see, quite a fan of most things wireless. Moving from place to place with a laptop computer convinces me, somehow, that I'm a free and happy soul who just happens to have this delightful job to do. It also convinces me that I get fewer cramps when I've been working for many hours. Anyway, wireless networking is a good thing, and I've set up a lot of different networks, but I still don't enjoy wrestling with many of the APs out there. I especially don't enjoy wrestling with some of the wireless LAN control systems which seem to be built on the premise that a wireless network serving an area (and population) less than that of, oh, Bulgaria, just isn't worth messing with. My small office doesn't qualify in either dimension.

All of this is why I was quite happy to get my hands on wireless equipment from Ruckus. You'll be seeing a full review over in the Test Center, but let me give you a few SMB-oriented tidbits. Ruckus supplied me with their ZoneDirector appliance and four APs (802.11 b/g) to test. It took perhaps 15 minutes to set up a secure network using two of the APs -- adding another was a matter of five minutes. When I wanted to create a separate guest network running on the same APs, that was the work of ten minutes. A few more minutes of fiddling, and the the log-in web site guests were directed to had my terms of use and logo displayed on the screen.

This is a very easy system to set up and use. There are a couple of rather minor quirks involving the multiple networks that can be set up on the APs, but for most small businesses, Ruckus is well worth looking into.

As I said, there will be a complete review in the near future, but this seemed like the sort of information small businesses would want sooner, rather than later.

Posted by Curt Franklin on October 25, 2007 09:18 PM

October 12, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Going Open for SMB?

TAGS: Open Source

If you're like most small business IT folks, keeping a lid on expenses is a key part of your job. There's no question that many commercial applications are very capable, but they frequently carry non-trivial pricetags, so alternatives are always worth at least a passing glance.
Over the course of the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at a number of no-cost or low-cost options for getting many common tasks accomplished, though you shouldn't worry -- I'm not going to ignore commercial products for small businesses.

To get things started, I've been taking a look at OpenOffice.org 2.3, the latest open-source office productivity suite from the OpenOffice project. I last looked at OpenOffice several versions ago, when my conclusion was that this was a hair-shirt sort of office productivity suite, acceptable if you simply had no money, but no challenge for commercial products like Microsoft Office. My first question as I launched into the new version was whether the software had moved up into the genuinely usable category. The answer, I found, is yes.

OpenOffice 2.3 doesn't have the breadth of applications to compete with the full-bore Microsoft Office suite. It does have a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program, database, drawing application, and formula editor. Most people will care deeply about three of these -- word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation graphics. In these three applications, OpenOffice 2.3 provides a solution that could easily work as the sole option for a business. The interface is very much "old school": while OpenOffice works perfectly well with Vista, it doesn't embrace the new Vista-style user interface, and doesn't try to mimic Microsoft Office 2007. If you think that the your employees are likely to have had experience with an earlier version of Office (OK, you could substitute, "If they drew living breath in the last 20 years for that last part...), then OpenOffice 2.3 could be a much easier transition for them than Office 2007.

OpenOffice.org 2.3 doesn't have the deep integration between applications that you see in Office 2007, and there aren't nearly as many business process applications that hook into its user interface. If you're looking for a way to get documents prepared, run what-if scenarios, and create sales presentations to show in a customer's office, then OpenOffice.org 2.3 is a very realistic option.

Are you using OpenOffice.org software for your small business? If you are, let me know. I think that, with a little work, an entirely acceptable suite of software could be put together for an average small business using nothing but free or open-source software. I'll use your suggestions as we build the list of options -- it's going to be a good project.

Posted by Curt Franklin on October 12, 2007 08:55 PM

October 08, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Service or Host?

TAGS: SMB Business Trends

One of the simple facts of my job is that I get a lot of press releases. Really. Tons of the things. Even before I got the opportunity to work with SMB IT, I started noticing an awful of press releases talking about one of two things. The first was services aimed at SMB customers -- various office productivity applications, security, or mobility enhancement hosted by a service provider so the SMB doesn't have to fool around with setting up and maintaining even a small appliance on their own premises. The second was small, essentially plug-and-play appliances that provide e-mail, security, mobility enhancement, or any of a number of other services to the SMB. The two sides of this broad issue presents a basic question: To host, or not to host?
Both sets of solutions are based on the (very reasonable) assumption that an SMB doesn't have a big IT staff sitting around ready to take on the care and feeding of expansive self-hosted applications. I get that. What I'm curious about is where you draw the line on whether you want to have an application (or service) running on a box you can touch, or on a maintained server somewhere else.
In my case, I'm happy to let someone else manage the servers for my e-mail and web services. In general, I figure a large provider will have an ISP that treats them better than I'm treated, and I really want to be able to get to those services wherever I am. On the other hand, I want my office productivity apps on my workstation. I know this is a throwback point of view, but there are still times when I can work on my laptop even without an Internet connection, and I'd like to keep it that way.
What do you think? Please drop an email to me and let me know how you get your applications. I'm curious, and I'll use your answers to guide some of the coverage in this column.

Posted by Curt Franklin on October 8, 2007 11:59 AM