Small Business

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IT news and analysis for small and medium-size businesses

Small Business Reviews

  • Review

    HP Officejet Pro 8100 ePrinter review: Fast, inexpensive operation

    Posted May 8, 2012 - 11:50 am

    If you're looking for a low-priced color laser printer for your small office, look again: For a mere $150 (as of May 1, 2012), you can obtain high-speed, good-quality color printing with HP's Officejet Pro 8100 ePrinter. This classily-styled color inkjet printer has Wi-Fi, USB, and ethernet, and it can handle up to 1250 pages of printing per month. Most important, its inks are cheaper per page than the toner supplies from any comparably priced color laser.
  • Review

    See what people are saying about your business with VenueSeen

    Posted May 2, 2012 - 12:35 pm

    If you own or run a small local business or a franchise such as a restaurant or shop, you probably care about your reputation. Word-of-mouth marketing it nothing new: People are social, and tend to share their experiences. But with new tools such as FourSquare, Instagram, and Facebook, people don't just share: They broadcast, and you should be listening. VenueSeen (plans start at $20/month; 14-day free trial) lets you listen to what people say about your business and look at the photos they share.
  • Review

    Review: FileMaker Pro 12 and FileMaker Pro Advanced 12

    Posted April 4, 2012 - 9:23 pm

    With new versions of its entire FileMaker product line (FileMaker Pro, FileMaker Pro Advanced, FileMaker Server, FileMaker Server Advanced, and FileMaker Go), FileMaker, Inc. extends its dominance of the Mac OS and iOS database world by offering improvements that will be valued by every type of FileMaker user: end users both in the office and out, and developers of every level of ability, from amateurs to aces.
  • Review

    NetSpot helps you optimize your Wi-Fi networks

    Posted November 29, 2011 - 3:55 pm

    When you set up a Wi-Fi network, whether using access points (base stations) from Apple or another vendor, you're usually playing a guessing game. Where should I put a base station to get the best coverage and performance? Or multiple base stations? Apple provides some tools to help, including the somewhat hidden Wi-Fi Diagnostics program (buried in /System/Library/CoreServices/), but using them requires some expertise, as well as keeping your eye on ever-changing signal-strength numbers. NetSpot bypasses the technical in favor of the visual. This free site-survey software is a remarkable aid in laying out even a small-home network, using a Mac laptop as your survey tool.
  • Review

    Useful sites for small business

    Posted September 29, 2011 - 9:46 am

    Whether you're running a business out of your den or from a penthouse in the sky, you don't have time or money to waste on second-rate tools. These well-designed services and resources are among the best the Web offers for small and midsize businesses. Some include apps for smartphones and downloads for your desktop, but all of them provide the bulk of their features within a Web browser.
  • Review

    CrashPlan Pro makes SMB backup a snap

    Posted July 11, 2011 - 2:11 pm

    I've been using CrashPlan's consumer offering for some time now, and have been very happy with it. So when I heard about their Pro version aimed at small-to-medium businesses (up to 200 workstations), I was naturally intrigued. Much like the consumer version, CrashPlan Pro (various pricing) works by installing a desktop client, which uploads your files onto an online server for safe-keeping in the cloud.
  • Review

    Review: Meraki Enterprise Cloud Controller

    Posted June 1, 2011 - 10:13 am

    Meraki's friendly, cloud-managed wireless LAN solution is a fantastic option for small businesses, distributed networks, and overworked admins
  • Review

    Cisco's AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solution may leave SMBs out in the cold

    Posted March 21, 2011 - 10:17 am

    Cisco's AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solution is a two-box enterprise play that poses some problems for small and midsized businesses.
  • Review

    Review: Superior storage for small networks

    Posted March 15, 2011 - 4:36 pm

    A small-business NAS with Big Iron roots, Netgear's ReadyNAS is full-featured and flexible, with options for SOHO users up through enterprise workgroups
  • Review

    Windows Small Business Server 2011 shines

    Posted February 24, 2011 - 12:07 pm

    Microsoft's affordable bundle of Exchange, SharePoint, easy remote access, and integrated management continues to be a great platform on which to build a small business.
  • Review

    Rack-mount QNAP storage server packs a wallop

    Posted February 22, 2011 - 12:23 pm

    With redundant power supplies, extensive backup options, and a wealth of handy features, the low-cost, multilingual QNAP TS-859U-RP offers flexible network storage to smaller shops.
  • Review

    Taking care of business taxes

    Posted February 16, 2011 - 1:03 pm

    What did people who run small businesses do before tax software came along? Thankfully, the days of dumping boxes full of receipts on an accountant's desk are long gone. Today,.as the owner-operator of a small business, you have more options than ever for filing tax returns, including versions of popular desktop packages--H&R Block, TaxAct, and TurboTax--specifically geared toward individuals with small-business income.
  • Review

    Xincom XC-DPG603: Easy routing for SMBs

    Posted August 9, 2010 - 2:42 pm

    This is the top of the three-member DPG family from Xincom, but Xincom's other products are also multi-WAN units. Its top end X16-R supports up to eight broadband connections, and its ParaLynx 70G includes wireless support.
  • Review

    Review: Sutus Business Central 200

    Posted July 27, 2010 - 9:48 pm

    One box integrates your router, shared storage, e-mail & VoIP service, providing a basic infrastructure for small business
  • Review

    MobileMe May Find Its Niche in Small Business

    Posted June 21, 2010 - 1:53 pm

    MobileMe has always seemed like a hard sell in the consumer market. For $99 a year, Apple's suite of Web-based services delivers......e-mail! A calendar! Online apps and storage! Yep, stuff you can get for free elsewhere.
  • Review

    Review: BlackBerry Enterprise Server, express or deluxe?

    Posted April 16, 2010 - 2:50 pm

    Extensive BlackBerry Enterprise Server will be indispensable to some, but free BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is good enough for most
  • Review

    Apple's Mac Mini server 'ideal' for small office

    Posted March 17, 2010 - 12:49 pm

    When Apple announced the server edition of its popular Mac Mini late in October, I was excited that the company was finally offering a low-cost small-business server at a terrific price point ($999) for both the hardware and an unlimited license of Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server.
  • Review

    Small business storage finds a new gear

    Posted February 15, 2010 - 8:40 pm

    Synology's supercharged DS1010+ Swiss Army NAS boasts impressive numbers in both performance and price.
  • Review

    Netgear targets SMBs with new security tool

    Posted January 26, 2010 - 4:57 pm

    Netgear's new security appliance takes on small-to-midsize business stalwarts such as Fortinet and Barracuda by including antispam, antimalware, and Web content filtering in a single unit that offers easy deployment and budget-preserving pricing.
  • Review

    Holiday gift ideas: home and office gear

    Posted November 23, 2009 - 3:35 pm

    Technology gifts to use at home or at work.
  • Review

    Intel IT Director Keeps Network PCs Safe

    Posted October 8, 2009 - 1:26 pm

    Intel's IT Director (free) allows you to monitor stats for each PC, such as the amount of disk space used, whether or not the Windows firewall is enabled, and whether or not antivirus software is installed.
  • Review

    Synology offers iSCSI on the cheap

    Posted October 5, 2009 - 1:25 pm

    While the Promise/DataCore combination offers an excellent feature set at a relatively low price, how about an 8TB RAID5 iSCSI system for $2,500? Synology makes the DS509+, a storage device intended as an SMB NAS system, but it supports iSCSI as well, and costs about $870 at Amazon.com.
  • Review

    Have a Network? Get Network Magic Pro

    Posted September 10, 2009 - 9:21 am

    If you own or are involved with a small business with a peer-to-peer network, you need help. You'd rather run your business than get bogged down with network administration--and you most likely don't have the tools for administering your network. That's where Cisco Network Magic Pro ($50, 7-day free trial) comes in.
  • Review

    Free Online Invoicing Tool Boosts Productivity

    Posted September 7, 2009 - 8:34 pm

    Invoice management is crucial for any business. But especially if you're just starting out, you might be tempted to save a few dollars on an invoicing application by submitting bills as Word docs or other text files. Don't waste your time trying to invent your own payment system. A free, server-based tool could be all you need.
  • Review

    Review: 3 email encryption packages help businesses stay secure

    Posted June 2, 2009 - 9:33 am

    This review, looks at three low-cost, easy-to-use email encryption packages: Hush Communications' Hushmail for Business, Voltage Security Inc.'s Voltage Secure Network and Connected Gateway and PGP Corp.'s Universal Server.
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