IncTechnology.com > Telecommunications

Keeping Tabs on Mobile Workers

Minda Zetlin — 2009-04-24T13:53:56-05:00

If your business has mobile employees, you know the management challenges they pose. They head out in the morning, spend all day at customer sites, or delivering your goods or services, then clock out at the end of the day. If they go straight to the customer site, you may not see them at all. Wouldn’t it be nice to know precisely where they are throughout the course of the workday?

You can. Mobile technology such as Xora uses mobile phones’ GPS system to track employees’ locations so that dispatchers and supervisors back at the office can see exactly where they are. The application includes a time clock, so employees can log in and out of work directly on the phone, instead of having to submit a paper time sheet or fill out an online form, and since the phone records their location when they clock in and out, you can tell if someone is trying to log in from home. Information about hours worked integrates directly into payroll software, saving a lot of administrative time, and also into billing software, for faster more accurate billing of customers.

Tracking software can create a lot of efficiencies. “If a job comes up, and there are 30 people out in the field, the dispatcher can decide who to send based on who’s closest,” says Michael Berger, director of marketing at Xora. “You save on fuel, employees use their time most efficiently, and the customer gets faster service.” The software can also trigger an e-mail or other notification when an employee passes a certain point, which can also lead to efficiencies, for instance by warning the shipping manager at a customer location that a delivery is about to arrive.

Big help or Big Brother

How might employees feel about being tracked? “Some fraction of your employees will resent the system,” predicts Rick Brenner, principal of Chaco Canyon Consulting, an expert in teamwork, conflict, and workplace politics. “Employees who resent the tracking will probably be clever enough not to complain about it much. They’ll simply start looking for alternative employment. When that happens, the best employees are likeliest to find other jobs. Consequently, the tracking system has the effect of degrading the work force.”

Though the technology is new and its legal ramifications are unclear, there are some steps you can take to protect your company’s legal standing if you decide to track employees, according to employment law firm Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C. For one thing, the company should supply the mobile phones to employees, not impose tracking on equipment they own. For another, employees should be clearly notified that they’re being tracked, and should give their consent for that tracking in writing. Finally, employees should be given the option to turn off tracking during their break times and off hours.

Leveling the field

Concerns about how employees would react led R&J Construction to proceed with caution when it introduced Xora in February 2007. For the first month, R&J construction workers had the choice to enter their time using Xora, or using paper forms as they always had, recalls Paula Wiens, controller at R&J.

The firm had originally planned for a longer transition period, but “we didn’t need it,” she says. Though employees were initially concerned that managers back at the office might watch their every move, they soon learned that wasn’t the case. And then the unexpected happened: R&J discovered tracking employees was actually good for morale.

“It leveled the playing field,” Wiens explains. “In the past, we’ve had some workers accuse other workers of leaving early or coming in late, but there was no easy way to evaluate these claims,” she says. “Once we had the GPS in hand, we could verify what had really happened.”

It also protected employees in many situations. “If a customer called and said ‘Your plumber billed me for four hours, but he wasn’t here for hours,” we could use our GPS data to show that he had also made trips to the plumbing supply store to pick up materials,” Wiens says.

And in one case, using Xora helped an employee defend against a lawsuit. “This employee was in a traffic accident,” she says. “The person he hit tried to claim that he had been speeding. Using our tracking data, we were able to tell that just a few minutes before the accident he’d been going only 15 miles an hour, because he was driving in heavy commuter traffic. And we were able to provide substantiation.”

Fiber Increases Broadband Internet Alternatives

Marc Saltzman — 2009-02-17T13:34:12-05:00

It used to be that small businesses -- especially home-based businesses -- had a choice between DSL and cable modem for their broadband Internet needs. Now, several providers, including AT&T and Verizon, are offering higher speed connections over fiber optic cable.

Here we assess whether or not fiber is ideal for your small or mid-sized business or home-based practice, and discuss the pros and cons of the technology.

Advantages of fiber

“Fiber-based solutions represent the telecommunications industry's next great hope,” says Carmi Levy, senior vice president of strategic consulting at AR Communications Inc. in Toronto. “While cable-based Internet services have gradually become much faster over the last decade, DSL has lagged, and so the market has been ready for a viable third option, and it has it in fiber.”

Levy says the move from DSL or cable to fiber can be as significant as the shift from dial-up to DSL or cable. “Next-generation speeds will also fundamentally change the face of the Internet as developers rush to bring rich new services to market that take advantage of these new, bigger, faster pipes,” adds Levy.

Steve Hilton, vice president of enterprise and small and mid-sized business research at the Boston-based Yankee Group, agrees with Levy on the advantage of greater speeds and support for richer services. "The pros of fiber-based connections are blazingly fast data, bundled voice and video, which all make for a strong … offering" for small and mid-sized businesses.

Another advantage, believes Hilton, is "extremely competitive" pricing, as is the case of Verizon's FiOS.

Levy says fiber-based connectivity can be especially advantageous to those who work from a home office. "Home businesses in particular have long had a need for reliable, high-performance network connections, -- when you're a small business and your only connection to the outside world comes courtesy of your Internet provider, your very survival depends on how effectively it all works," Levy says. "A slow, unreliable connection hampers your competitiveness and [can] reduce the efficiency of your business applications." Considering many applications are going online (often referred to as "cloud computing"), the role of the network becomes ever more important.

Obstacles to upgrading

According to Hilton, the main drawback to fiber at this point in time depends on where your business is: "Geography is the biggest limitation to this technology today."

"Geography has always been a major issue for carriers as well as consumers," adds Levy. "While carriers have often focused their attention on deploying services to major urban areas, they have taken a much more conservative approach to servicing more rural regions." This is largely an issue of cost, explains Levy, as it's expensive to deliver distance-sensitive services to sparsely populated regions. In many cases, the payback period would be so long that the carriers would never make a profit, so they've held back.

"The question as the age of fiber dawns is whether this same urban versus rural issue will play out as well, or whether Verizon and future fiber carriers have figured out a way to bring the capital investment down so that rural users can enjoy high-speed access just like people in urban areas," says Levy.

Wireless solutions -- such as WiMAX and long term evolution (LTE) cellular technology -- are also catching on, which provides a less-tethered alternative to fiber.

Hilton says other potential issues include phone system support. "I don't think you can backhaul an IP PBX over fiber-to-the-home today," he says. Pricing by some carriers also isn't as aggressive, and usually involves a mandatory contract which might not appeal to some businesses.

Despite these kinks, many technology pundits believe fiber can help small businesses remain connected and competitive with this fatter pipe and access more sophisticated online resources than they could through conventional cable or DSL.

Tech Talk: Cotton Firm Gets Satellite Internet

Elizabeth Wasserman — 2009-02-17T12:53:19-05:00

Producers Gin Co. is a cotton producer with 51 employees in Theodore, Ala., outside of Mobile. The company was still using dial-up Internet to file commodities reports with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and conduct other business online, office manager Georgi Starr tells IncTechnology.com, until subscribing to a satellite broadband Internet service.

Elizabeth Wasserman: Why does a cotton producer need Internet access?

Georgi Starr: We're a cotton gin. We take cotton from the field and process it by taking the seeds and trash out, cleaning it up and sending it to the mill. Right now, we're approaching 30,000 bales per year, but we've been as high as 35,000 bales and as low as 12,000 bales. It varies every year. When we gin the cotton creating bales it becomes a commodity that's traded on the commodity markets. When we birth those bales, we attach a receipt to it that has to be transferred to the USDA, just like with sugar or peanuts or corn – it's sort of like our currency. We have a specialized program through a company called eCotton to create those receipts through the Internet and make a successful transmission, either by selling the cotton, putting the cotton up for bid if not already presold, and transmitting the receipts to the new owner. If we don't transmit those receipts in a timely manner to the USDA, we can face potential files or lose our license.

Wasserman: Why couldn't you get broadband Internet service before?

Starr: We're located in a rural area. We continued to hope that companies would bring DSL or cable Internet here, but there are just not the lines for it. Originally we were on dial-up, which was hideous. After Hurricane Katrina it was so horrible we were seeking anything to help us. In the summertime, when our business picks up moving the cotton and selling the cotton, we would have trouble with connection speeds. We couldn’t transmit those receipts at all sometimes because of the weather. Or in the middle of a transmission we would lose all of our data. It was horrible to have to go back and recreate all of those big files. It also took ups three days to update our program with the eCotton software. That was just unacceptable.

We heard about satellite and subscribed to HughesNet. We have the Business Internet 400 plan with speeds that go up to 2 megabytes per second for $119 per month.

Wasserman: What have the results been?

Starr: Great. The good thing I've noticed that's very different is that even in inclement weather we still have a connection. We have yet to lose service during inclement weather. Also the speed is impressive. To update the software and send the receipts it's just seconds now compared to minutes and hours and days before.

Budget Cuts? Telecom May Be a Place to Trim

Mary O. Foley — 2008-10-28T16:24:48-05:00

We're in the midst of a bad economy, and more spending cuts need to be made around the office. Could your telecom budget stand some pruning?

With the mortgage crisis, the collapse of major U.S. financial houses, stocks tumbling around the globe, and continued high energy costs, chances are, your business is feeling the resulting one-two punch of fewer sales and less available credit to make ends meet.

Might telecom services be a place to cut some of your business costs? Definitely, say experts, even though AT&T, Verizon Business, and others have jacked up the prices of their voice and data services this year. Here are some cost-cutting suggestions from the experts:

Review your wireless plans. Take a careful look, and eliminate or suspend any “zero users” in your office, advises Tim Wise, co-president of Advocate Networks, a telecommunications consultancy near Atlanta. Don’t activate any new mobile devices, either, says Wise. But don’t just throw out all the BlackBerry devices -- this could actually hurt productivity, warns John Thompson, principal with Lisle, Ill.-based Thompson, Ross and Associates. “Once offices start using PDAs, it’s hard to go back,” he says. If your office has PDAs, be sure to shop around for the best deals with carriers -- shared-rate plans continue to drop, says Thompson.

Review the rest. “You may be paying for things you’re not using,” warns Lisa Pierce, vice president at Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research. Look over everything: the number of lines you’re using, price per minute of calling plans, the whole works. Consider running a traffic study to see whether both of those T1 lines are still needed, adds Advocate Network’s Wise. Look and see what can be cut. And, if you cut something, make sure the accounting department knows, warns Pierce. “Carriers are notorious for billing inaccuracies,” she says. “Accounting may still be paying for something that you’ve cancelled.”

Try to renegotiate your contracts. “Carriers are in a challenging economic environment just like the rest of us,” Wise says. “You might be able to get a better deal, or get some credits you don’t have now.” But do this with care. When negotiating new usage plans with your carrier, taking the right steps can save you big in the long run. For example, Forrester’s Pierce recommends negotiating everything from liability in natural disasters to disconnection costs to taxes and fees you can be charged. Also, she says, try to avoid plans lasting two-to-three years in favor of plans based on a dollar value of service.

Consider VoIP. For businesses with multiple locations or a presence overseas, voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) is a cheap and practical option that can link offices with remote workers. “For some companies, VOIP can offer big savings -- thousands of dollars,” says Thompson. It can also position your business to save even more money if you decide to have more workers work from home as a way to cut additional costs. VOIP is not for everyone, however: for companies with few locations, VOIP as a big money-saver is “a nice myth,” says Pierce.

Consider doing business with an aggregator. If you’ve got a lot of different business lines and DSL and find yourself paying multiple bills, consider doing business with a telecom aggregator like BullsEye Telecom or Ernest Communications, advises Wise. “These companies buy up service in bulk and can bring companies real savings and put it on one billing platform,” he says.

To be sure, things are rough out there. But by trying a few of these tips, your business may be better able to weather the storm.

Wireless Networking Hazards to Avoid

Anne Stuart — 2007-02-13T13:04:43-05:00

Who doesn’t love the convenience of an in-house wireless network? You can tote your laptop to a colleague’s office, a conference room, even to the cafeteria -- as long as those places are within range of your system’s signal -- and still get your email, retrieve documents on company servers and even access the Internet.

And who hasn’t heard about the headaches inherent with all that openness? A few complaints involve performance: For instance, most networks have some “cold spots” where the wireless signal is weak or non-existent. But for most businesses, the biggest concern is security. Or, more precisely, the lack of it.

Like cell phones, wireless networks rely on radio waves; like cell phones, they’re simply more vulnerable to certain security problems than their wired counterparts are. While security standards have grown increasingly more stringent in recent years, corporate wireless networks remain vulnerable to a variety of threats. Among them: Computer viruses and worms. Hacker intrusions. Nearby outsiders who hop, uninvited, onto your network, using your signal to access the Internet for free. (A few years ago, I had a contract job at a struggling company that didn’t have its own wireless set-up, but its employees could easily piggyback onto a neighboring business’s unsecured wireless network. Nobody was interested in their host company’s data; they just wanted to surf the Web for free. And they did. Regularly.)

Protecting your wireless network starts with an obvious step: Invest in a firewall, a virus-scanning program, and intrusion-detection software. Use them at their highest-security settings. Update them regularly -- automatically, if possible. And make sure your IT team is using the most recent security protocols (usually expressed as some combination of the number 802.11, followed by a letter), which are more secure than earlier iterations.

Beyond that, avoiding these common mistakes can help strengthen your network’s security, keeping your information safe and your employees productive:

Using easily cracked passwords. Too many organizations use group passwords that a fifth-grader could figure out. Common ones include: The company name or a slight variation, (such as “WidgetCorp”), a logical sequence of letters and numbers (such as “abcde12345”), one number repeated multiple times (such as “777777777”) or the company’s main switchboard number or mailing address. Experts say some businesses never even bother to change the wireless network manufacturer’s default password -- which a savvy crook can find almost as easily as that street address or phone number.

You’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating: Opt for less-obvious passwords, both individually and as an organization. Don’t use names. Don’t use recognizable words -- hackers typically have software programs that cycle through electronic dictionaries trying one possibility after another until they hit the right one. Use a seemingly random group of letters and numbers, but watch the length. If it’s more than about 10 characters, some people will write it down to remember it, possibly even posting it on or near their computers. That’s like putting a key to your house in an envelope marked “Key to the House” and leaving it right outside the front door.

Leaving entry points vulnerable. Jonathan Hassell, an IT systems consultant based in Raleigh, N.C., says a wireless network’s weakest spots are the places where legitimate outside users can get into your systems. Those points -- such as virtual private network (VPN) connections and remote-access servers -- are also the places most likely to attract unwelcome visitors. Hassell, author of Hardening Windows (Apress, 2005) recommends having your IT team or a security specialist “harden” those points -- that is, provide them with state-of-the-art protection against hackers, viruses and other external threats. And don’t forget that every computer on a network also serves as an access point. Encourage employees to turn off their machines whenever they’re not in use.

Failing to set policies. The world’s best security measures won’t work if employees don’t cooperate. For instance: Wireless networks are so inexpensive and easy to use these days that in some growing companies, forward-thinking employees simply set up their own little networks for small-group collaboration. You need to consider whether such “private” networks are acceptable and, if so, determine whether they’re properly secured. It’s also important to establish rules about who can use your company’s main wireless network. For instance, do you want to provide visiting consultants and contractors with access?

Finally, when you travel, pack the same precautions. Be especially careful about transmitting confidential information over a wireless network in a public place. Travel writer Christopher Elliott relates that while he was using a hotel’s wireless network, someone snagged his email account password and nearly succeeded in sending an obscene message to the 21,000 subscribers of his email newsletter. “It’s the last time I’ll send any sensitive data” wirelessly, Elliott wrote in describing the experience on a Microsoft-sponsored site for small businesses. Just as with cell phones, when you’re on a wireless connection in a public place, your best bet is to assume that somebody might be eavesdropping.

Combining Voice and Data Networks

Tara Swords — 2006-12-15T10:28:49-05:00

New couplings of traditional voice networks over more modern data connections have given small and mid-size businesses more choice when investigating telecommunications systems. If you're just setting up your business or you’re wondering if there’s a better way of getting phone service for less, you should take a look at marrying voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) with an Internet protocol public branch exchange (IP-PBX) system.

IP-PBX comes in many forms

A traditional PBX system is basically a large box that businesses purchase and place in the datacenter. A PBX switches internal calls and enables internal users to place calls to the outside world via the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN). An IP-PBX system is different because it relies on your data network -- the very same network you use to access the Internet -- to let you place phone calls.

There are actually several technologies that vendors bill as IP-PBX systems. Nora Freedman, research analyst in enterprise networks at IDC, the Framingham, Mass. research firm, says vendors are crashing the market with many delivery methods for IP-PBX to try to figure out what small and mid-size businesses will find most attractive. For example, you can purchase a hardware-based IP-PBX or a software-based IP-PBX. You can opt to pay a third-party provider for IP-PBX service -- or even purchase hardware and let a third party manage it for you. Finally, you can conduct all of your calls purely over the data network or select a hybrid system that uses the network in house, and then translates voice data so it can travel over the PSTN when you make external calls.

Cut costs and boost employee productivity

Regardless of which IP-PBX solution you choose, the benefits are similar. You can provide users access to IP telephony, the Internet, and the PSTN through one cable per person. And you can expand the ease of three- or four-digit extension dialing beyond the main office. So if you’re in the Connecticut office and you want to call someone in the Pennsylvania office, you simply dial the extension -- and avoid paying long-distance charges.

“This allows businesses to have, on the exterior, the appearance of being a consolidated whole while they’re actually geographically distributed,” Freedman says.

Better yet, that one extension can follow you wherever you go, depending on the IP-PBX solution you choose. When Delta Resources, a small services and consulting company based in Arlington, Va., outgrew its four-line telephone, the company began researching options.

Keegan Mills, technology director at Delta Resources, selected a IP-PBX system, which sends voice data over the company’s T-1 LAN connection. This setup alleviates the need to have a receptionist answering the phone at each office; one receptionist in one office can answer the phone and transfer calls to any employee, no matter where they are.

“I don’t have a physical phone anymore,” Mills says. “I have a piece of software that runs on my laptop and a Bluetooth headset. So whenever I connect to the Internet, I can attach my laptop to the local network and turn my phone on. If I’m connected to the virtual private network, I’m extension 118 no matter where I am.” As a result, employees are more productive in and out of the office, and the company saves money on phone costs.

IP-PBX may be cheaper

IP-PBX systems, over time, may be much cheaper than traditional PBX systems. They make the voice network easier to scale and simplify inter-office moves: Just plug an IP handset into its new location, and the extension will follow it.

For Mills, a traditional PBX was never even an option. “It’s a no-brainer,” he says. “If you don’t have a PBX, don’t even look at a traditional PBX anymore. It doesn’t make sense.”

Market research firm Dell’Oro Group recently noted that the IP-PBX market revenues rose 10 percent in the third quarter of 2006 and will likely surpass revenues of traditional PBXs in 2007. But because the IP-PBX market is still relatively young and offerings are so broad, Freedman says small business owners shouldn’t be afraid to explore their options.

“Don’t look at just on-premise equipment versus hosted equipment because sometimes you can leverage your existing provider account to get a better deal by bundling it with an extra service” if your provider also offers VoIP, Freedman says. “Cast your net wide. The vendors are so eager to attract the [small business] end of the market, so they’ll be creative.”

5 Tips to Reduce Telco Costs

Tara Swords — 2006-12-15T10:23:36-05:00

Any business owner who opens the monthly phone bill is acutely familiar with the feeling of anxiety. Telco costs can be a ghastly expense, sometimes rivaling the cost of payroll, and they can get progressively out of control as your business grows. That’s why it’s a good idea to assess your telco expenditures now -- and make it a habit to regularly reassess them. The good news is that many companies can cut costs just by starting with a common-sense approach to controlling telco costs and exploring use of new technologies to keep spending in line.

1. Check your bills for errors.

This tip is so obvious that many companies overlook it. In fact, Jim Browning, vice president at Gartner Inc., the Stamford, Conn. research firm, said in a recent report that enterprises “typically overpay for six percent to eight percent on their telecommunications invoices because of billing errors. The most common problems are circuits that have been disconnected but continued to be billed, and invoices that do not reflect new, lower rates.”

The problem is so pervasive that a whole category of business -- telecom expense management (TEM) -- has sprung up. You can hire a TEM company to audit your bills and help you find other ways to save, but this service may not be a practical option for smaller businesses with less complicated bills. Just make it your policy to regularly audit your invoices, and don’t forget that even the small overcharges add up.

2. Renegotiate your contracts.

If your telecom contract is set for automatic renewal, you might be cheating yourself out of a better deal. Talk to other providers and see if they can beat the price you’re currently paying or can offer more services for the same price.

According to a 2006 Gartner report, “When renewing a contract, we have found that enterprises that just renew their contracts do not get deals as good as enterprises that make their contracts competitive. The differential is often as high as 15 percent." New options from telecom firms are available as cable companies start offering telephone service and telcos start offering cable. There is also the increasing trend to use wireless service for a primary business phone, which can lower long-distance fees and provide you with a fixed monthly rate for service. If you want to stick with landlines, you don't need to bother with a formal RFP process if you don't want to, the Gartner report notes: "Just ensuring that the incumbent vendor knows you're getting quotes from other vendors can improve the price."

3. Consider VoIP.

You’ve probably heard the buzz around voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). It’s already taking the enterprise world by storm, and adoption among small and mid-size businesses is gradually increasing. VoIP enables you to use your data network -- which you already use to access the Internet -- to place phone calls. It can be much more cost effective than owning your own private branch exchange (PBX), not only because the equipment is cheaper, but also because you can make many of your calls without ever using the public switched telephone network or paying for long distance.

Keegan Mills, technology director of Virginia-based consulting group Delta Resources, says his company’s investment in VoIP using an IP-PBX system was a no-brainer. “I don’t know if you’ve done any sort of cost analysis on a PBX, but there wasn’t anything on the market that was even close” to what they could save by switching to VoIP, Mills says. “I almost thought it was too good to be true. But we’re three years into it and we haven’t outgrown it yet.”

If you’re not ready to commit to an all-VoIP system, consider letting employees use a computer-based VoIP service such as Skype. Your employees can make computer-to-computer calls to anywhere in the world for free, and they can make computer-to-phone calls around the world for a fee, which may be significantly cheaper than you’d pay for international calling over the traditional phone network.

4. Investigate package deals.

Seek out providers that offer multiple services and can give you a deal when you sign up for more than one service. For instance, if you’re not ready to switch to VoIP, you may still be able to use the same provider for both telephone and high-speed data service. Additionally, you should regularly analyze your usage patterns. If your company has grown since you signed up for telephone service, your needs might have changed. You might be suited for a different, cost-saving package.

5. Let employees use instant messaging (securely).

Many business owners have banned the use of instant messaging (IM) services because of fears that they distract employees who would rather chat with friends than work. It can be a valid concern, but many companies have realized that the benefits of letting employees connect via IM to conduct business far outweigh the potential drawbacks. If a large portion of your telco spending goes toward communications between branches or offices, consider allowing employees to collaborate over IM when it makes sense. Just be sure to institute rules for how IM is used -- and do your homework about how to prevent IM security problems, which can present a threat to your network if not addressed.

Alphabet Soup: What are WEP and WPA?

Tara Swords — 2006-12-13T14:15:37-05:00

Wi-Fi is a technology that seems perfectly suited for small businesses: It frees up employees from the constraints of wires so they can be more productive, both in the office and on the road. But because Wi-Fi sends your data through the airwaves where unintended recipients can intercept it, it’s critical that you implement some kind of wireless security.

The two prevailing security protocols are Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), but which is more effective to protect your business? You might have run across these two acronyms when first setting up your business router -- but they are far from interchangeable.

WEP can leave you vulnerable

WEP was the original wireless security standard. But it didn’t take security experts long to discover that WEP was full of loopholes that were easy for a skilled hacker to exploit. WEP doesn’t offer authentication, which verifies that a device or person joining a network is actually who or what that device purports to be. The encryption isn’t very strong. In addition, the key -- a shared string of characters that enables the sending machine to encrypt data and the receiving machine to decrypt it -- never changes, unless you change it manually. So once a hacker figures out your key, he has the key to your kingdom. Even worse, hackers have created software tools that allow just about anyone, skilled or unskilled, to break through WEP protection. So WEP is actually nowhere near as secure as it is being wired.

“While WEP is better than nothing, it’s flawed and it’s been known to be flawed for a long time,” says Karen Hanley, senior director of marketing and membership at the Wi-Fi Alliance, a nonprofit organization that drives adoption of Wi-Fi standards.

A November 2006 report from Gartner Inc., the Stamford, Conn. research group, says that WEP leaves your business network vulnerable. “Avoid use on company networks, because vulnerabilities and cracking tools have been published. If WEP must be used, it should be configured for 128-bit encryption, and passwords must have a high degree of entropy," Gartner analyst John Pescadore writes. In other words, passwords should contain as many characters as possible, use special characters and a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, and contain no repeats or strings of characters that might be found in the dictionary.

WPA2 is the strongest security available today

WPA was released in 2003 to sew up WEP’s loopholes. WPA was the top Wi-Fi security choice until 2004, when WPA2 was released. WPA2, which is based on the IEEE 802.11i standard, is now the strongest security available -- stronger than its previous generation because it uses advanced encryption.

“It’s really strong security, and some would say that it means that wireless can be as secure as wired,” Hanley says.

In WPA and WPA2, a new encryption key is sent for every packet that is broadcast. So if a hacker manages to intercept and decipher the key in one packet, it will be useless when he tries to use it to decrypt the next packet because the network already will have generated a new key that invalidates the old one. WPA encryption is stronger than WEP encryption, and WPA2 encryption is stronger still. In fact, Gartner now recommends that all new wireless network purchases for company offices be capable of supporting WPA2. But most small business owners don’t need to worry about the details of how WPA2 works -- just that it works.

WPA and WPA2 are the best choices for small businesses

There’s no question that Wi-Fi has the potential to boost your company’s productivity and make data sharing more efficient. But as more government regulations require companies to protect customer data and other digital information -- or pay steep fines -- Wi-Fi security is not an area of the business in which you can skimp.

To simplify your search for the right equipment, look the Wi-Fi Alliance’s “Wi-Fi Certified” seal on nearly 700 products that have been tested and proven to implement WPA2. Setting up security on your network equipment is not overly complicated, but services such as Geek Squad and Firedog can do the job for you for a fee. In addition, the Wi-Fi Alliance soon will offer Wi-Fi Protected Setup, a program that it says will simplify wireless security setup for consumers and small business owners.

Whatever you do, just remember that the default security on most devices is no security at all.

“You have to turn it on,” Hanley says. “It’s a little like the seatbelts in your car: They’re great at saving lives but not if you’re not wearing them.”

A Wealth of Telecom Choices

Anita Campbell — 2006-11-20T20:00:17-05:00

The choices for business telephone services have exploded in the past few years. What's more, some of these choices represent completely new product categories that did not even exist until recently.

If you are baffled by all the choices, trust me, you're not alone.

I am going to attempt to cut through the confusion and give you a quick reference guide explaining the differences in some of the most common telephony choices and when and how to use them in your business. Let's take a look:

Landline telephones -- Traditional landline telephones once were the only choice we had. Today, landline phone service is just the starting point.

My take: Traditional landline service is still the basic telephony service of choice for most businesses, due to its reliability, sound quality and relative ease of getting started. Competition from new telephony alternatives like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is driving down the cost of business landlines in many parts of the country. Shop around. Look especially at providers such as AT&T that also offer wireless services. They can bundle wireless and landline services into one cost-effective package, along with convenience features such as unified messaging (the ability to check voicemails from landline and wireless phones in one place).

Skype -- Skype, which is owned by eBay, is a service that lets you make calls for free over the Internet to someone who also has downloaded the Skype software. But it's even more versatile: For 2.1 cents per minute (currently free within the U.S. and Canada), you can call individuals who do not have Skype but who use landlines or wireless phones (called SkypeOut). And you can receive calls from individuals who call you from their landline or wireless phones (called SkypeIn).

My take: Skype is a dirt-cheap long distance substitute, especially well-suited for staying in touch with friends and family internationally. Business use of Skype is also increasing, especially among Web-savvy solo entrepreneurs and microbusinesses on tight budgets. However, Skype is not a complete replacement for traditional telephone service because it does not support emergency 911 calling. Best use for Skype: Use it selectively to hold down long distance costs.

VoIP -- VoIP lets you make calls over a broadband Internet connection instead of over traditional telephone lines. Options range from low-cost packaged solutions such as Vonage, which currently offers a small business package with unlimited local and long distance calling for under $50 per month, all the way up to sophisticated IP phone systems that require pricey hardware. Even traditional phone companies, pressured by the competition, are offering VOIP packages.

My take: VOIP gives you a large degree of control over your phone system, letting you reconfigure it quickly and easily to accommodate new hires or changes. VOIP also can coordinate employees in multiple locations under a single phone system. Low-end packages run off the same broadband connection you use for Internet access, and can lead to sound quality issues. Mid-range and higher solutions use private IP connections.

Wireless phones -- Will the need to count wireless minutes become a thing of the past? Today's wireless offerings, with unlimited night and weekend plans, calling circles, and rollover policies are inching us closer to that day.

My take: An increasing number of solo entrepreneurs are going 100 percent wireless. They are eliminating landlines altogether in favor of wireless as their primary phone. Most likely, though, this is not a practical alternative unless you are a consultant or other sole proprietor. For businesses larger than one person, wireless phones are a supplement to the main telephone system, albeit an important, even indispensable one.

PDAs -- Personal digital assistants, palmtops and the latest term-du-jour, smartphones, let you make phone calls like standard wireless phones. Compared with standard wireless phones, these devices add many more functions and features, including larger screens and sometimes typewriter-like keypads. Blackberry and Treo are well-known brands.

My take: These devices are the tool of choice if you regularly need access to e-mails, documents, or calendars while out of the office. Remember, while it may be possible to send and receive e-mails on a standard wireless phone, it's agonizingly cumbersome -- and who wants to peer at e-mail on a tiny one-inch screen? A PDA or smartphone is a far better choice. Plus, on business trips, a PDA that slips into your pocket or purse can even replace a laptop-that-feels-like-100-pounds-by-the-time-you-get-to-the-airport-gate. Just don't become addicted to checking messages on your Crackberry, er, Blackberry, and commit a business faux pas, like checking your e-mail in an important meeting with a customer.

Virtual switchboard and voicemail services -- In the past few years a whole new category of telephony service has entered the picture. These new software-based services provide a menu of options to beef up your existing phone system: central automated attendant, advanced voicemail features, conference calling, toll-free numbers, fax-to-e-mail, voice-to-e-mail, customized on-hold messages, and more. These new services are layered on top off -- not in place of -- basic phone connectivity. They work with landlines, wireless, and/or VOIP phones and require no extra hardware. GotVMail, RingCentral, and Freedom800 are three brands in this space.

My take: For a low monthly fee (as little as $10) these services can make your small business sound bigger and more professional. The services are excellent for businesses with employees and offices in multiple locales, giving the ability to seamlessly transfer calls and forward messages among them. And it's all invisible to the caller, who does not know what location employees may be speaking from.

With all the choices available today, you can have a more robust telephone presence at a lower cost than most of us would have dreamed possible a decade ago. These alternatives can keep the cost of doing business down and make telecommunications services available to employees throughout your company, no matter where they are, but it is a decision that you, as a small business owner, must make on a case-by-case basis. I think the overall benefits outweigh the risks. Don't be afraid to go for it.

Anita Campbell is a writer, speaker and radio talk show host who closely follows trends in the small business market at her site, Small Business Trends.

Best Office Phone Systems

Rich Martini — 2006-09-28T15:24:27-05:00

The importance of a telephone system to a small or medium-sized business can not be overstated. Like a storefront or sign or a website, the phone system often is the first interaction a customer will have with your business.

"When people see your company for the first time, that first impression is made," says Will Lombard, vice president of marketing and sales at Seventhman, a Jacksonville, Fla. Web development company "When they call you, there's a first impression that's made through your phone systems."

It can be a tall order to find a phone system that matches business needs for call forwarding, speaker settings, and multiple lines, with the need for something that is user-friendly enough for employees to master in a day. Here are several off-the-shelf phone systems that meet the bill and don't require rewiring the office.

AT&T 5840 $119
The 5840 has the superior 5.8GHz frequency for a larger office; supports five additional handsets (not included); has an integrated digital answering machine; a speakerphone in both base and headset; and decent audio. Not suited for shoulder chatting, but sports a decent speakerphone. Capable of storing 50 names and numbers storage. What's cool: It's Wi-Fi-friendly. Blue lights in the base tell whether it's in use or charging, or that messages are waiting.

Polycom SoundStation2 EX - $119
It has a flying wedge design and is expandable; extra desktop microphones can be added if needed. Each of the console's three legs contains a built-in microphone, giving it extra wide sound coverage for up to 10 feet. What's cool: The mic closest to the person talking reduces noise from the other mics. The phone book holds 25 searchable entries, and has an adjustable ringer.

Uniden TRU-8885-2 - $119
Wi-Fi friendly. Also, with 5.8GHz reception, it supports 10 handsets. This Uniden includes two handsets and a separate charging cradle for the second. The base speakerphone serves as a third phone. What's cool: Handsets can be used as walkie-talkies in Uniden's DirectLink mode or for baby monitoring. Also has four-way conferencing.

Panasonic KX TG6502B - $269
Cordless phone with call waiting, caller ID and an answering system. Supports four handsets, has conference call capability, intercom, hold, mute, flash and redial buttons. What's cool: There's also a waiting caller ID, so you know who's calling in next.

Polycom SoundStation Premier - $399
The flying triangle design has been successful enough to become ubiquitous in conference rooms everywhere, and its sleek design and sound quality are top grade. Not being wireless, however, means fumbling with wires in order to move it from its station. What's cool: The remote control can come in handy, as long as you remember to use a mute button properly, so that the mute is actually muted.

ClearOne Max Wireless Conference Phone - $419
Wireless 2.4GHz conferencing phone, the base has a built-in power supply, making it portable for conferences. What's cool: It's got the six-sided wedge design. The speakerphone is rechargeable and features an LCD and a keypad.

Olympia OL6010 - $499
Although the price is relatively steep, this wireless unit is good for the mid-sized office. 2.4GHz, has a two-line monochrome screen which displays talk time and battery life, mute, and signal strength. Typical battery life for cordless phones is six hours. What's cool: The oval-shaped base station is battery powered, so it moves with the phone.