When we talk about someone being “in the clouds” it often has a bad connotation, as if one is not planted squarely on the ground and not aware or engaged with one’s surroundings. But when applied to business, what a difference an expression can make! Being “in the clouds” is incumbent on organizations today because… Read the full post

According to a recent study, the real value of cloud services for SMBs is access to services that were once only available to enterprises – and for a faction of the cost: “Cloud computing can help level the playing field for smaller firms. It allows them to access sophisticated IT services that were previously out… Read the full post

Over the past 5 years we’ve seen an amazing amount of growth of major disruptive technologies in mobile, information, collaboration, and cloud. Each area has spawned new and amazing capabilities that have transformed our lives, the way we communicate, how we consume our news and access information, and the way we work. Otherwise known as… Read the full post

The Internet of Things started a while back and sounded like another good idea but nobody was sure if it would become reality or just fall to the wayside like a lot of good ideas. While the long term future is still to be determined, there is no longer any doubt about the fact that… Read the full post

Cybersecurity often doesn’t get the attention it deserves within small businesses. According to a 2012 joint study by security firm Symantec and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), 83% of small businesses do not have a formal cyber security plan, and 69% are without even an informal plan. Like most accidents and misfortunes the assumption… Read the full post

The first few months of 2014 were a major wakeup to businesses of all sizes about the importance of proper cybersecurity. The Target credit card breach at the end of 2013, in which 40 million customer credit card accounts were compromised, showed that no one is invincible and that every business no matter what size… Read the full post

An oft-repeated stat has it that 8 out of 10 people who start new businesses fail within the first 18 months. That’s a crash and burn rate of 80%. Or stated slightly different, a new business owner has a 1 in 5 chance to survive past the first year and a half. The chances of… Read the full post

The future of the Internet is not just about technology. It also has huge social, political, and cultural implications. Pew Research’s Digital Life in 2025 report says this will be seen through revolutions in how global education is devised and delivered. Here’s their statement on this: “An Internet-enabled revolution in education will spread more opportunities,… Read the full post