Small Business

Don't pass on this e-mail client based on its looks. The Bat's feature-set holds its own against the best of the bunch, even rivaling a number of the big dogs in several areas. According to this review, its pluses include an excellent feature-set, ease of use, and its price. Drawbacks are that a few advanced features - most notably HTML support - are missing.

If Eudora piques your interest, this review will give you a solid introduction. It explores Eudora Light vs. Eudora Pro, and the pros and cons of Eudora 5.0. According to the reviewer, the enhanced feature-set and improvements in the areas of usability, customization, and appearance for the latest two major releases have ensured that Eudora remains the best client in its category.

This site reviews in detail 16 e-mail clients. Tops on their list: Eudora, Pegasus Mail and Outlook Express.

Eight web development tools are reviewed - including FrontPage and HomeSite.

Designed for the smaller network, Panda AntiVirus delivers protection for servers, mail servers and workstations. The documentation is well written and logically laid out. It combines total protection and optimized performance of file servers with centralized management via the new Panda Administrator 2.5. The automatic daily updates ensure that all servers and workstations are constantly protected against new viruses. Read the entire review here.

The world of business intelligence technology is a confusing - and expensive - one, so it pays to go out into it well equipped with knowledge. This article is the first in a series that reviews the state of the art in this space.

Databases are a key part to any advanced business IT plan - generally a very expensive part. The open source MySQL product may not be as polished as some of its better known rivals, but it is aiming squarely at smaller markets, hoping that small businesses will be looking for a diamond in the rough.

Your customer database should include more than just names and addresses; it should also include demographic and purchasing information that you can use to predict business trends and better market your products. This article shows how to get started.

Business growth is good in the long run - but in the short term, you may find yourself suddenly having problems keeping track of all your software assets. This article reviews several tools for keeping this problem under control.

Microsoft's inventory management software can also help you track your sales and make up a business plan of attack. Find out the details from this product fact sheet.

You may not think that academia and small business have much in common. Yet many academic research labs need high-powered computing resources but suffer from the sort of IT budget restrictions that would be familiar to any small business person. This article looks at how researchers use open source technology to get as much as they can from their resources.

Information technology has improved workflow and collaborative processes within organizations, though sometimes it has added its own complications, and commercial solutions to these problems can be pricey. Find out if your business can take advantage of open standards-based Web services to link together preexisting applications and improve your internal workflow processes.