2008 SMB Technology Best Bets

Thoughts for small business success in the new year
by Michael Cooch | www.everonit.com

If you have any time to spare over the holidays, I urge you to spend a few minutes looking into these seven technology tools – they are my favorites. Each of these tools has the ability to dramatically improve your business, and all are affordable. My bet is that you can find one to use at your business to ensure that 2008 is your best year yet.

1. Campfire
This real-time collaboration tool from 37Signals is a gem. Use it to cut down on meetings and email traffic, and increase team communication. As with all of 37Signals’ applications, Campfire is inexpensive and easy to use. Watch a demo here.

2. Google Apps or Zoho
These tools are taking Microsoft head on by giving users a web-based alternative to Microsoft Office. When it comes to functionalities, they are more limited than Office, but when was the last time you took advantage of all of those bells and whistles that Microsoft develops anyways? I predict that the benefits associated with using these tools will have many of you using one of them by the end of 2008 to supplement, if not replace, Microsoft Office

3. Google Analytics
When it comes to websites, most people don’t know what their website is doing for them, how to drive traffic to the site, or how to convert visitors into paying customers. Google Analytics can tell you all of this and more. If you need help setting it up, Everon has recently launched Everon Web Services to assist small businesses with getting the most from their website, and would be glad to help.

4. Salesforce
This company that sets the standard for web-based applications, and it only keeps on getting better. Salesforce.com offers many ways to add value to your company, starting with improving your sales process. This tool more than pays for itself – a must have for your sales team.

5. Success Factors
Everon isn’t using this company yet, but I can still vouch for what they do and how they do it. Success Factors creates web-based tools that help companies achieve organizational alignment, set and reach goals, and perform meaningful and impactful reviews of employees; probably the toughest stuff of running a business. This may be the most important investment you make next year.

6. Backup and Disaster Recovery Services from Zenith Infotech
This is the first company to get backup for small businesses right – no more tape drives! By combining an onsite server that takes frequent “pictures” of the data on your network with an inexpensive offsite backup service, small businesses finally have a reliable way to safeguard their data. We’ve tested a lot of different backup solutions, and this is our all time top pick. Everon is rolling this service out on a limited basis right now and will offer it to the general marketplace in 2008.

7. Shoretel IP phone system
IP phone systems have really started to catch on with small businesses, and Shoretel demonstrates why. We’ve used this system for almost three years now, and it is great for our business. Your business may be holding out to see what Microsoft accomplishes with their Unified Communications Server product line (it may be a game-changer!) If this is not the case, I cannot see any reason why any business would choose not to implement an IP phone system.

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