SMB IT | Curtis Franklin

Time to incorporate?

Curt Franklin — 2008-12-03T11:20:57-08:00

MyCorporation is offering free incorporation (C, S, or LLC, among other options) through Dec. 5, 2008 READ MORE

Talking point of sale with HP

Curt Franklin — 2008-12-03T08:33:56-08:00

For a small business working to be as efficient and effective as possible, the POS terminal can be a critical piece of the business intelligence infrastructure READ MORE

Talking small business with Cisco

Curt Franklin — 2008-11-25T14:30:04-08:00

Cisco is getting serious about the small-business market. Curtis Franklin interviews Cisco's Mark Monday for details on the company's plans. READ MORE

Talking small business with Oracle

Curt Franklin — 2008-11-13T03:10:25-08:00

Oracle is placing new emphasis on products and solutions for small and midsize businesses. This interview explores the solutions they offer smaller organizations and the sales channel they've built to serve the small-business market. READ MORE

How to succeed with small business cloud computing

Curt Franklin — 2008-11-03T03:50:00-08:00

For small businesses, cloud computing can be a great tool for matching computing resources to computing needs (and your budget) when demand fluctuates READ MORE

A small-business cloud: Conversation with Daptiv

Curt Franklin — 2008-10-30T05:00:00-08:00

Daptiv provides collaboration and BI tools for businesses both small and very large. This conversation with Tim Low explores the company's products and technologies. READ MORE

Interop New York: the small business perspective

Curt Franklin — 2008-09-17T19:50:15-08:00

Interop is increasingly a conference and exhibition that's filled with technology for small and midsize businesses. READ MORE

When cloud computing fails

Curt Franklin — 2008-08-28T10:39:24-08:00

Cloud computing doesn't relieve you of business continuity responsibilities

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The day small business changed

Curt Franklin — 2008-08-12T13:33:47-08:00

Today is a big day in small business computing history: it's the 27th anniversary of the introduction of the IBM 5150 -- the IBM PC. READ MORE

Notes from the Small Business Road

Curt Franklin — 2008-08-08T03:00:55-08:00

Small business computing from the road is still a challenge, but the tools keep getting better. Now, if AC availability would catch up, things could get truly good for the small business traveler. If travel weren't enough of a challenge, throw in a platform change, and you have the making of an interesting time -- at least, that's what I'm calling it today. READ MORE

Secure small business storage on the Web?

Curt Franklin — 2008-07-19T06:12:20-08:00

Live Mesh and SpiderOak offer two different takes on secure Web-based file storage that can work for small business READ MORE

SMB Mobile: Notes from a cafe

Curt Franklin — 2008-06-27T02:30:24-08:00

When I was at TechEd Pro, I noted that SMB mobile computing was a major subject of sessions, and a major focus on the vendor floor. A couple of days ago I was sitting at a table in my local Panera when I took a good look at my fellow patrons. Nearly one third of the tables in the restaurant had laptop computers sitting on top. At several others, business discussions were taking place around forms and spreadsheet printouts. There might have been a handful of folks in there just sipping coffee and munching Cobblestones, but it was largely a... READ MORE

TechEd Reflections: Microsoft, SMB, and success

Curt Franklin — 2008-06-19T18:20:22-08:00

Having a few days to reflect on the events at TechEd Professional this year, there are a few things that stand out -– some are fairly obvious, and some less so. 1. Microsoft has done some very good things for small-business IT I've been working on Microsoft's new Small Business Server and Essential Business Server, and the folks in Redmond have done some very good things for the SMB market in areas ranging from management interface to licensing. (Yeah, I know –- sanity in licensing. Who would have thought?) A full Test Center review of each is coming, but my... READ MORE

TechEd Notes: Small business everywhere

Curt Franklin — 2008-06-12T08:20:56-08:00

Conducting your business wherever you happen to be isn't a new concept for many small business owners -- there's a reason why the cab of a lot of pickup trucks looks more like an oddly shaped office than a means of transportation. Still, it's impossible not to note that the conference sessions and vendor booths here at TechEd each have a significant emphasis on the tools and strategies to let business happen wherever the worker is -- not wherever the office happens to be. Microsoft is working hard to make Windows Mobile more capable. I'm all for that, as I... READ MORE

TechEd Update: SharePoint keeps growing

Curt Franklin — 2008-06-11T12:52:21-08:00

In one of my first posts from TechEd, I mentioned the focus on SharePoint in the conference sessions. That focus continues on the exhibitor floor, with lots of companies featuring products and services built around SharePoint. There's even a special "SharePoint Partner Zone" with 35 companies seeking to show a special emphasis on SharePoint. Some of the companies in the Zone (AT&T Mobility, Citrix, Fujitsu, and Hewlett-Packard, for example) have significant businesses outside the SharePoint world. Others (Content Master, Quest Notes Migration Center, and SharePoint Solutions, for instance) are more tightly focused on SharePoint. Either way, it's clear that a... READ MORE