Both are designed to provide fast, reliable connections to office systems through smartphones and tablets, such as the iPhone and iPad, regardless of location.

One app, Infor10 Road Warrior, was created to empower sales productivity by sending mobile alerts, approvals and tasks, allowing users to make better, faster business decisions.

The other app, Infor ION ActivityDeck, helps solve the critical problems that arise when users are on the road and have no visibility into pressing issues going on in the background, enabling them to remain connected and keep business in motion.

To learn more, visit http://www.infor.com.

If you’re already employing remote workers or are planning on it, take into consideration the following:

Getting it in Writing
The latest contract management software can make a strong case for calls to abandon paperwork completely. But while such technology certainly provides you with court-friendly templates, e-signing is not the way to go when dealing with remote workers, especially if surety bonds and other obligatory steps are taken. Even if it means overnighting documents across the country, it pays to put it in writing.

Confirmation of Identity is Critical
A true identity is a precious commodity on the Internet. Confirming a worker’s identity through documentation and a face-to-face is a mainstay of the hiring process, but it gets a little difficult when distance is added into the equation. But with the help of scanners and Skype, confirming someone’s identity online is not as difficult as it seems. With that said, it’s most certainly as critical as it seems when it comes to your remote workers.

Cost Benefits
One thing many a greenhorn e-entrepreneur fail to consider is the fact that non-commuting workers do not need to be paid as much as those who are asked to travel for their job. Once you’ve established the fair pay for a particular job, subtract the cost of what you deem would be a realistic average commute for a would-be office worker, then make that your opening offer.

Deadlines are More Useful than Daily Quotas
When developing your e-business model that includes remote workers it’s probably a smart idea to anticipate a wide range of hourly productivity rates on a weekly basis. Those working from home are going to juggle their schedules more than they otherwise would in an office especially if they have families. Instead of demanding daily levels of work, make them adhere to deadlines at the end of the week and focus on enforcing this instead, as well as coordinating the sales end to this schedule.

Outsourcing is Cheap, but Exercise Caution
The elephant in the room when it comes to entrepreneurs developing e-offices is of course the issue of outsourcing. The thing that can be said about this issue is that, while there are clear economic advantages to hiring labor outside of the country, keep in mind that the laws that small business owners can rely on when it comes to enforcing surety bond agreements and other arrangements may not protect you. Unlike corporations that have armies of lawyers to handle these affairs, you will be on your own. If you hire outside the country, make sure you’re hiring the right people.

The virtual office is one of the best ways today’s business minded individuals can see success in a struggling global economy. The slashed overhead and other cost-savers provide real incentive to those looking to cut every ounce of fat from their entrepreneurial ideas. But so long as you will be relying on others, it pays to ensure that you take the best first steps possible when hiring such remotely placed workers. Do this, and there’s virtually no way an e-office won’t enhance your level of success.

Cloud computing makes it possible for companies to access powerful software applications via the Internet for a simple monthly fee. Because the applications are delivered via the Internet, every small business can get access to the same innovations and tools that bigger competitors have been using for years. For instance, Microsoft Corp. recently launched Microsoft Office 365, which brings together the company’s familiar Microsoft Office applications with its enterprise email, videoconferencing and other collaboration and communication capabilities delivered as a subscription service.

Using the cloud can help your business do the following:

Build a “borderless office.” A good cloud service will connect you with colleagues and customers virtually anywhere via click-to-chat, videoconference or shared desktops, to work together whether you’re across town or around the globe. Eliminating unnecessary travel by using these online tools will not only save on costs, it will help you run a green business.

Chaundra Smith, owner of Naturally Me, makes handcrafted, natural body care products in Durham, N.C. Using the cloud, she has set up a virtual team of consultants and staff members who all work together and collaborate in their “borderless” office.

Tip: Look for a cloud service that lets you make PC-to-PC voice and video calls and hold online meetings on the fly. You’ll want to be able to share your desktop, online whiteboard and presentations with colleagues—as if you’re in the same room, even when you’re a city or continent away.

Work how you want, where you want. The cloud untethers you from your desk and keeps you connected wherever you are. Web-enabled and offline access to your important documents, email, contacts and calendars helps you stay nimble and responsive.

Team members at high-performance carmaker and parts company Shelby American, Inc. in Las Vegas travel frequently around the globe and require remote connectivity to collaborate on new product development. Cloud-based tools help everyone stay connected and keep the business moving while out of the office.

Tip: Look for a cloud service that works on a PC, Mac and smartphone, with consistent experience on each device. The best services help you edit spreadsheets, presentations and other documents with others in real time and view files from a browser or mobile device.

Invest in tomorrow without breaking the bank today. The cloud lets your small business run on the same technology that powers the Fortune 500, without hiring an army of IT experts, so you can focus on your core business. Beyond cost savings, many small businesses realize additional benefits after they move to the cloud—better collaboration among employees, customers and partners means quicker sharing of ideas and problem resolution. A cloud-powered small business is more nimble and prepares you to adapt to changing business needs—now and in the future.

Imagination Yoga, a small, family-owned business in Portland, Ore., teaches a “kindness-based” curriculum, instructing children on yoga concepts and storytelling to spark their creativity and get them exercising. The company plans to use cloud-based collaboration to market its services, connect with more schools and families across the country, and create online enrollment options for customers, which saves time and money. The cloud also allows every Imagination Yoga employee to access the company’s Microsoft Outlook calendar, keeping everyone on the same page.

Quick to Install
Currently available only for Windows users (a Mac version will be released later this month), the iTwin enables users to share and transfer files via a sleek USB device that offers AES-256 level encryption. To use, the primary computer needs to plug the entire device (both “twins” attached) to its USB port. The device is compatible with both older and 2.0 USB ports.

After a quick installation of the iTwin program on the primary computer, you’ll be prompted to provide an email address so that iTwin can provide you with a method to remotely disable the device in the event it is lost or stolen.

Users can easily drag-and-drop files to the iTwin’s shared folder. Only those items placed in the shared folder will be accessible via the twin. Once you’ve moved the shared items into the folder, you can remove the twin, and plug it into the remote computer to gain access to the shared files.

Either user will be able to access and make changes to the files; but you won’t be locked out of the file if you both have it open at the same time. Should one user make changes while the other user still has the document open, they will be alerted that a change was made. They will have the option to overwrite the file or rename it.

Once you unplug the devices, if you plug it in again, it will need to reactivate itself. It doesn’t retain a memory of the last device it was plugged into, a feature that will appeal to the data-safety conscious user.

Perfect for Road Warriors
This device is perfect for the frequent traveler that needs the ability to access data remotely. The iTwin prevents the potential loss of sensitive information — nothing is stored on the device itself. Further, it will not be hindered by file size as a USB thumb drive would, as the storage is done by the primary computer. For those businesses that have sales teams that could benefit from this technology, a multi-user version will be available as early as September. Devices that are compatible with Android and iOS tablets will follow.

Additional Safety Features
If you should happen to lose half of the device, you can disable it remotely using the unique link you are provided by iTwin when you initially install the device on the primary computer. If you later locate the missing twin, it can be reactivated with ease. If you need a replacement for the lost twin, the company will provide one for a small replacement fee.

It should be noted that in order for the device to work, both computers must be on and connected to the Internet. If the primary computer is off, the remote user will be unable to access the shared files.

Bottom Line
This device offers a simple and solid solution to data sharing challenges faced by users who prefer not to use the cloud. At a one-time cost of just $99, the device is well within the budget of small business owners. No word yet on what the multi-user packages will run.

iTwin is available at http://iTwin.com, as well as Amazon.

Often, that means searching for a cloud service (similar to desktop applications, but online) to organize daily tasks, collaborate with others and get work done, all while operating on a slender budget.

IDC, a technology market research firm, recently reported that spending on public cloud services increased 34 percent in 2010, and spending by small to medium businesses represents almost half of this.*

If you’re a small-business professional, you don’t want to be bogged down with technology issues even for a second. When it comes to working with the best technology tools, you can tap into cloud productivity services and work with ease from almost anywhere on virtually any device, without the need to manage servers.

If you’re looking for a cloud productivity service that’s perfect for your small or medium business, make sure it meets the following criteria:

Is easy to use. You’ll want to be able to create an account in minutes and be up and running in no time. More importantly, why not use the applications you already know and love? Look for a service provider that works beautifully with the e-mail, document and communications solutions you already have.

Works the way you do. A good online productivity service will allow you to find and connect with colleagues and customers virtually anywhere. It should show you when others are online and available, no matter which application you’re working in. It also should let you make PC-to-PC voice and video calls or hold online meetings on the fly. And you’ll want to be able to share your desktop, online white board and presentations with colleagues as if you’re in the same room, even if you’re a city or continent away.

Stays true to content. Insist on a service that frees you to work where and when you choose, so you can respond to important requests from almost any location. You’ll want both Web-enabled and offline access to email, important documents, contacts and calendars even when you’re out of the office, and you’ll want a consistent experience regardless of whether you’re working from a PC, Mac or smartphone. You’ll want the ability to edit spreadsheets, presentations and documents with others in real time and to access and view files in high fidelity from your browser or mobile device-so others can see files with consistent content and formatting while using their Web applications, mobile devices and desktop applications.

Is supported by a single, trusted source. An online service should help safeguard your data with business-grade reliability and disaster recovery capabilities, with data centers in multiple locations and a strict privacy policy. Insist on a financially backed guarantee; if you experience an interruption in the service, the best services will compensate you.

Is designed to minimize the need for IT staff. Look for a service you can easily set up and use without the need for internal IT support. Let the online service take care of the details, so you can focus on your business. Pay-as-you-go pricing is beneficial because it allows you to change your services according to your evolving needs, adding value over the long term and saving your business money.

Cloud productivity services, such as Microsoft Office 365, make it possible for small businesses to access the best productivity technology at a predictable monthly cost while leaving the IT management to the technology experts. Office 365 brings together familiar software such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft Lync Online in an always-up-to-date cloud service for businesses of all sizes. The public beta is now available, allowing people to try Office 365 for the first time.

Today, you can secure a spot in the Office 365 public beta and learn more about the service at http://www.Office365.com. Small businesses can also enter the Office 365: Ready for Work contest at http://www.facebook.com/office365. By sharing their stories, small-business owners can win Office 365, $50,000 in advertising and business services, and a Microsoft executive to work for them or their charity of choice, for a day.

Anyone who’s ever started a business—or even just thought about it

Some small and medium-sized businesses are reducing risk by pursuing a new trend in computing, one that can significantly improve the way smaller companies operate. This trend is called “cloud computing,” and, according to recent Microsoft research, 12 percent of SMBs have used cloud services to help start their businesses.

Though the term “cloud” may seem a little confusing, it’s simply a way of accessing technology via the Internet. Think of all the benefits the Internet has brought to modern life—you can book movie tickets online; manage your bank account from anywhere; connect with friends through e-mail, phone calls and video chats; and do much more.

Similarly, the cloud has ushered in a host of benefits for SMBs, creating a technology revolution that provides access to enterprise-class software at a price tag most SMBs can afford. If you’ve ever wondered if cloud computing makes sense for your business, there are five key benefits you may care to consider:

Reliability: With cloud services, you no longer have to worry about losing or accidentally erasing important files. Any document you work on in the cloud gets saved there, too, so you’ll always have access to that file.

Mobility: The cloud “understands” that today’s business world is 24/7, global and mobile. That means when you use a business application in the cloud, you can access it from any computer and possibly from your mobile device, as well. By allowing remote access, the cloud helps businesses mobilize their employees and thus reduce operating costs.

Flexibility: You can pay for cloud services in whichever way makes the most sense for your business, whether through a subscription or by purchasing a license for a suite of Web services.

Efficiency: In many cases, using a cloud service can increase efficiency—videoconferencing can reduce time spent traveling, collaboration software can help employees share documents and communicate with one another, and simplified document storage options streamline administrative work.

Integration: Some cloud services even work well alongside the software you’re already using and can provide enhanced capabilities to businesses that have already invested in on-premises software.

When the cloud has your small business covered, you’re more likely to weather a stormy economy successfully and brighten your company’s bottom line.

For more information on the cloud and business success, visit http://www.Microsoft.com/cloud.

Cloud computing is a new way to purchase and consume IT, enabling companies to adjust capacity to meet rapidly changing business requirements and pay only for the resources used. There are several solutions available today that are designed specifically for the small and medium-size business market. In general, these solutions offer an affordable, secure and easy-to-use IT platform to help boost bandwidth, add servers and turn up additional storage capacity with only an Internet connection.

According to IDC, an industry analyst firm, cloud adoption among small and medium-size businesses worldwide is poised for significant growth. By 2014 the firm predicts the overall market for public IT cloud services will grow to $55.5 billion—from $16.5 billion in 2009. Major uses of cloud computing include application support and development, servers, storage and network software.

Well suited to companies with a few to a few hundred employees, cloud computing appeals to organizations with limited in-house IT resources and those that don’t want to own their IT infrastructure. The platform delivers flexible, high-performance, pay-as-you-go, on-demand computing and is well suited to businesses such as retailers and professional services firms, as well as independent departments within larger organizations. It also appeals to online businesses and application developers who want to code, test and stage in a reliable and scalable cloud environment.

Many companies offer cloud-computing solutions, so it’s advisable to compare features to ensure they meet the needs of your business. For example, one leading solution is Verizon CaaS SMB. This service offers businesses a simple-to-use, Web-based console to quickly purchase and scale computing capacity with no minimum spending commitment—all that’s needed to get started is a credit card. In addition, Verizon’s solution, based on virtualization technology, offers features made for business, such as fully integrated firewalls and the ability to connect to virtual private networks with an option to add more security features. Fully redundant and highly scalable, Verizon CaaS SMB provides reliable access to your data and applications. The service also comes with a 100 percent availability guarantee.

For more information, visit http://www.verizonbusiness.com/medium/caassmb.

According to a new survey released by Gigya and Edge Research, leading online businesses have big plans for social sign-on — the ability to register on a website using an existing social identity.

To overcome this challenge, businesses are turning to social sign-on. Executives surveyed believe social sign-on benefits include improved targeting, positive buzz, increased loyalty and ultimately increased revenue. The vast majority also believe these benefits are both important and achievable.

Gigya is a leading social optimization platform for online business, enabling websites to connect seamlessly to the most popular social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo!, Google and LinkedIn. Gigya’s software-as-a-service technology enables customers to provide social sign-on, sharing and community features to drive increased registrations, traffic and time spent on their websites. In addition, Gigya provides plugins, analytics, best practices, consulting and customer support to ensure clients optimize the social performance of their websites. Supporting more than 250 million users each month, Gigya’s technology is the choice of global leaders including CBS, Fox Sports, Intuit, The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, and Turner Networks.

The benefits cited as most important include:

• Loyalty: the ability to engage users and build relationships was the benefit deemed important by the largest percentage of online executives (84%).

• Targeting: 80% of executives cited applying rich profile information to target and customize the site experience.

• Word of Mouth: 77% say social sign-on makes it easier for customers to share information and promote the organization to their social network.

• Revenue: 75% see social sign-on impacting their organization’s bottom line.

“These findings support our clients’ experience with social sign-on – that increasing registrations is just one of many business benefits,” said David A. Yovanno, CEO of Gigya. “Social sign-on also provides the foundation for sharing and community features, enabling businesses to drive more referral traffic and time spent and take full advantage of the connection between their site and the social networks.”

The research, conducted in July and August 2010, included both in-depth interviews and a survey of 100 product and marketing executives employed by publishers with at least 100K monthly page views or retailers with annual online revenue of at least $10M.

For more information and to download the full report visit: http://info.gigya.com/MR-SSO.html.

Over the past year or so there has been a huge shift in the BI industry.

Perhaps we should clarify very quickly, what is BI?
Business Intelligence is the use of data to better inform decision makers within a company. Perhaps it would be better referred to as Business Knowledge as it is really about understanding the way your company, customers and competitors work to allow better decisions. This is achieved by combining internal data (sales, financial data) with external data (market data, public data) and using a tool to display and explore it. In its simplest case, Excel could be used as a BI tool, but real BI applications offer easier, more powerful analysis, better visualization, better version control and collaboration features.

So why is Saas BI so suitable for smaller businesses?

1. Small and medium-sized businesses often cannot justify the large CapEx of traditional BI, do not have the IT resources to run an on premise database and server system and are not sure that they have the breadth or depth of data to warrant such a system. Often their needs change and evolve far faster than software is developed and installed. SaaS payment structures mean that you have no CapEx and only pay for the amount you use the product. If half your users find they they aren’t deriving any value from the software, they can easily cancel their subscriptions at the end of the month, halving the cost.
2. Traditional BI demands technical expertise both to manage and use. Business users could not quickly perform analysis themselves; queries had to be made through the IT department and often involved long delays. As there is no software to install, there is no daily maintenance or routine tasks to be done, so nothing to require extra IT hands or expertise. This frees IT professionals to concentrate on strategic IT and growing the business.
3. With traditional BI having enough data to justify the BI spend is certainly a problem. The huge upfront costs and time investment often cannot be justified by the need for a couple of key decision makers to analyze a small number of records. SaaS BI gets rid of this problem as it provides fully functional BI suite available for just one person. SaaS applications can be rapidly scaled up or down as your business needs change.
4. Most SaaS products are lightweight and designed to complement the investment in data storage and manipulation that you already have. For example, Bime, a SaaS BI solution, plugs directly in to online and traditional sources to extract data, then allows creation of visualizations and dashboards with a few clicks.
5. Access and sharing were the original drivers of the SaaS cloud computing model so applications make it easy to get useful visualizations to the right people quickly by inviting people to your dashboard’s URL or embedding it in a website or blog.

BI products have traditionally required huge upfront costs, had long lead times and demanded technical expertise to use. SaaS allows powerful functionality without the need for any of these, making it a highly profitable investment for SMBs.

About the Author:
Kirsty Lee works at We Are Cloud, the producers of the SaaS BI application Bime. Bime delivers simple-to-use yet powerful BI, data visualization and dashboarding in a software-as-a-service application, making data analysis faster, easier and cheaper. Find out more at http://businessintelligence.me.

The first and in many ways most important way in which Microsoft is displaying its affection for cloud computing is with their Office 2010 software. While the desktop version (as of July 2010) of the software is not yet available, a beta version of a web accessible Office was released in the first half of 2010. Once finalized, this Microsoft response to Google Docs will be available, free of charge, to all Live users. The possibility of collaborative work on documents, as well as the fact that the basic productivity software will be free, is just the tip of the iceberg. Microsoft has stated greater ambitions, declaring that they intend to revolutionize productivity for their hundreds of millions of users. As far as maintaining financial viability, they will make its extra revenue from businesses or individuals who want to store files, using a system similar to current exchange hosting to store their files.

Exchange hosting itself also shows a step toward cloud computing. After all, much of the functionality of Exchange comes from a cloud computing system which allows groups to share, synchronize, and organize information, without stepping on each other’s toes.

Microsoft has done more than simply use cloud to great effect, however. They have also emerged as an industry leader in providing a programming space for cloud coders, and viable servers for those using utilities that live inside the cloud. Windows Azure, the primary cloud computing platform provided by Microsoft as of July 2010, is a flexible and reliable resource for those with Cloud projects. The primary purpose of Azure is to make sure that the programmed cloud applications have the best possible server platform to ensure maximum speed and resilience, with little to no down time.

Microsoft has already spoken up with regards to actually creating that software, introducing their own “AppFabric.” Windows AppFabric is a set of services, applications, and management utilities that help anyone using or creating Microsoft based cloud programs. The framework provides the perfect testing ground for any programmers, and the combined programming territory given by Microsoft has opened the door to the open source community.

Beyond everything provided directly by Microsoft, other groups using the Microsoft framework, especially through cloud servers, are creating great opportunities for open source groups. Affordable cloud servers, intensely attentive customer support, and more alternatives than ever before, can be equated to the opening of a floodgate for the open source world.

While it may be irritating that cloud obsessed tech gurus now have one more thing to talk about, the Microsoft move toward cloud and open source indicates the culmination of the current paradigm shift. After all, there really aren’t any big guns left who haven’t joined in with this new wave of technologies.

About the Author:
Selena Narayanasamy loves all things technology, entrepreneurship, social media, and writing. Find her on her social media/tech blog, Esvienne, or follow her @Selenavidya.