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See Fredric Paul's bMighty Blog Posts

How HP Plans To Rule The SMB World

November 11, 2009 | Vowing to overcome past problems, HP unveils its latest not-so-secret plan for worldwide SMB domination. There's lots to like, but low prices don't seem to be the company's top priority.
By Fredric Paul

What To Expect When You're Expecting A Recovery

October 27, 2009 | A trio of new surveys makes it clear that while small busineses are hoping for an ecomomic recovery soon, many remain worried that a double-dip recession could drive them out of business.
By Fredric Paul

Point/Counterpoint: 6 Ways Microsoft Pitches Windows 7 To SMBs

October 20, 2009 | There are lots of good of reasons for small and midsize companies to jump on Windows 7 as soon as it's available. But there are good reasons to be cautious as well. From ease of use to standardizing on the Microsoft "platform," bMighty looks at both sides of Window 7.
By Fredric Paul

The Oprah Effect: How SMBs Can Gear Up To Cope With Sudden Success

October 15, 2009 | Be careful what you wish for... you might get it. Tips on how small companies can use the cloud to deal with large spikes in online demand.
By Fredric Paul

HP Rolls Out New SMB Laptops, Desktops and TouchScreen PCs For Windows 7

October 13, 2009 | New computers for small and midsize companies -- under both the HP and Compaq monikers -- emphasize power-saving software, performance, and value.
By Fredric Paul

Does It Make Sense For SMBs To Upgrade Windows XP Machines To Windows 7?

October 5, 2009 | A Microsoft consulting firm tells me it's buying time for customers -- and itself -- by upgrading aging Windows XP machines to Windows 7. Does this strategy really make sense for small and midsize companies?
By Fredric Paul

Intuit's New QuickBooks 2010 Eases Installation, Improves Reporting

September 28, 2009 | The latest version of the popular small-business accounting software also speeds editing of multiple list entries and makes it easier to customize forms and reports. Plus: new links to services like document management and e-mail marketing.
By Fredric Paul

An Open Letter To Microsoft: Why You Need To Make Windows 7 A Free Upgrade From Vista

September 22, 2009 | bMighty offers Microsoft a modest proposal: Establish your Web 2.0 street cred and instantly erase years of bad press with one simple move... Make Windows 7 a free upgrade for Vista users.
By Fredric Paul

HP Launches Slick New Laptops -- And Some Desktops, Too

September 15, 2009 | HP's new Envy luxury laptops add style to the category, but the SMB-oriented ProBook 5310m offers decent looks at a much more affordable price. The Mini 311 straddles the line between netbook and notebook, while new All-in-One and traditional desktops round out the company's introductions.
By Fredric Paul

VMware Go Eases Virtualization For SMBs

September 3, 2009 | Responding to worries that its ESXi hypervisor is tricky to install and maintain, VMware creates an online configuration tool to help small and midsize companies get started with virtualization.
By Fredric Paul

Forrester Asks: Why NOT Run In The Cloud?

August 26, 2009 | In a measure of the continuing acceptance of cloud computing among businesses of all sizes, the question is slowly shifting from why move to cloud computing to why not? Forrester Research offers answers to that and other good questions about cloud computing, plus specific advice on what to do first.
By Fredric Paul

Cable TV For SMBs!? Plus Landlines, Encryption, Collaboration, UC, And More

August 25, 2009 | It seems cable TV is just one sof everal surprising services that small and midsize companies are buying from their telecom and wireless carriers.
By Fredric Paul

What I Learned About Small Business In China

August 19, 2009 | SMBs in China are part of a thriving economy. But they also face special challenges that might surprise U.S. business people.
By Fredric Paul

5 New Ways To Leverage Your Company's Broadband Connection

July 21, 2009 | From teleconferencing to telecommuting, universal broadband rewrites the rules on how small and midsize companies do business.
By Fredric Paul

Intuit's "Green Snapshot" Uses QuickBooks To Estimate Your Business' Carbon Footprint

July 17, 2009 | Small businesses that use Intuit's QuickBooks can find out how green their companies are, and learn how to be greener.
By Fredric Paul

What Microsoft Azure Means To SMBs

July 15, 2009 | Azure isn't an infrastructure competitor for Amazon and Google, but rather a Platform as a Service (PaaS) alternative to Force.com.
By Fredric Paul

SMB Insights Into Microsoft Office 2010 And Windows 7

July 13, 2009 | From new features in Office 2010 to why SMBs should upgrade to Windows 7, Microsoft makes its case at the World Wide Partners Conference.
By Fredric Paul

The Future Of Videoconferencing For SMBs... And 7 Mistakes To Avoid

June 29, 2009 | Videoconferencing is growing fast, but is the Great Recession helping or hurting? Plus, Blue Coat Systems asks whether your company's network is up to the task.
By Fredric Paul

SMB Netbook Mania: New Models From HP, Toshiba, Gateway

June 24, 2009 | New SMB-focused netbooks and notebooks from HP, Toshiba, and Gateway illustrate the variety of choices available. Choosing wisely for your applications is critical.
By Fredric Paul

SMBs Do Software Different

June 22, 2009 | New research reveals that small and midsize companies use and buy software differently than enterprises do. Check your plans against your peers to make sure you're following best practices.
By Fredric Paul

SEO For SMBs - Beginners Edition

June 19, 2009 | Is your company Web site working hard? Or is it hardly working? Search engine optimization promises to make your site popular without costing you an arm and a leg. But you need to understand a few things to make it work for you.
By Fredric Paul

Why Storage Is Such A Challenge For SMBs

June 15, 2009 | SMB storage needs keep growing, but factors from virtualization to proprietary terminology keep storage way more complicated than it has to be.
By Fredric Paul

Social Media For SMBs = So Me!

June 3, 2009 | Using social networking within your business or to promote your product or service can bring new value and opportunities, but understanding key concepts and guidelines can boost your ROI.
By Fredric Paul

Cloud Computing: Useful Technology Or Mere Marketing Buzzword?

June 1, 2009 | From CloudCamp to keynotes, conference sessions to the Unconference, cloud computing was a cornerstone of Interop 2009 in Las Vegas. But the enterprise-centric debate spent a lot of time focusing on what cloud computing isn't. Could it be that small and midsize companies understand cloud computing better than their larger competitors?
By Fredric Paul

Netbooks Vs. Smartphones And Planet Of The Apps

May 28, 2009 | What can small and midsize companies expect from mobile technology? Conference sessions and conversations at this year's Interop event offer some clues on smartphones vs. netbooks and the rise of mobile applications in smaller companies.
By Fredric Paul

Small Businesses Talk About Social Networking And Social 'Notworking'

May 18, 2009 | What do you get when you gather 28 small-business owners in a room to talk about technology? You get vivid reminders that small businesses can have big differences from one another, and that social networking and Web 2.0 technologies aren't for everyone.
By Fredric Paul

What VMware vSphere 4 Really Means For Smaller Businesses

April 22, 2009 | When VMware rolled out vSphere 4 to great fanfare yesterday morning, the conversation was 98% enterprise and 2% SMBs. But if you look behind that distressingly typical big-company focus, smaller companies are actually finding some real benefits.
By Fredric Paul

What Really Matters In Notebooks For SMBs?

April 8, 2009 | bMighty publisher/editor-in-chief Fredric Paul talks to laptop leaders HP and Toshiba -- and hears very different stories about what small and midsize companies actually want in their portable computers.
By Fredric Paul

Do Netbooks Really Have A Role At SMBs?

April 8, 2009 | Insight from laptop vendors and other parties on whether small and midsize businesses really want netbooks -- and what SMBs actually do with them.
By Fredric Paul

Is A Good Privacy Policy Also Good Business?

April 6, 2009 | Many businesses think protecting their customers' privacy rights will cost them money. The American Civil Liberties Union contends the opposite is true -- that privacy and free speech safeguards are a good investment.
By Fredric Paul

Small Is The New Large: Microsoft Gets The bMighty Message

March 30, 2009 | Steve Ballmer cites the advantages of small and midsize companies compared with larger competitors. Plus what technologies SMBs care about most, and whether small companies will lead us out of recession.
By Fredric Paul

Yankee Group Saved Big Money On Wireless Costs -- Here's How!

March 24, 2009 | Yankee Group is considered a small to midsize business, and so other SMBs could stand to learn from the consulting firm about how it has saved on wireless, e-mail, and messaging costs.
By Fredric Paul

Windows 7: Better, But Still Vista

March 11, 2009 | Living with Windows 7 as my primary computing platform reveals that even the beta version offers significant improvements compared with Vista. But many Windows XP diehards still won't like it.
By Fredric Paul

The Top 6 SMB Communications Pain Points

February 24, 2009 | A new Siemens-sponsored poll of SMB communications "pain points" lays out the top communications barriers facing small and midsize companies. But the study also presents some stark contrasts with bMighty's own UC research.
By Fredric Paul

My View Of Vista -- Living With The Much-Maligned Operating System

January 28, 2009 | Why I bought a Windows Vista laptop -- and my firsthand impressions after living with it for a while. Plus an almost-definitive answer to everyone's question: Is it safe to embrace Vista, or should you wait for Windows 7?
By Fredric Paul

A Business Is Not A Family

December 17, 2008 | Lots of businesses say that they're like a family -- but they don't really mean it. Calling your business a family may sound warm and fuzzy, but are you really ready to take on the obligations of a family?
By Fredric Paul

Beyond The Meltdown: A Look Back At How 2008 Affected Your Business

December 15, 2008 | If you can somehow look past the fall's economic meltdown, there actually were other important developments in 2008, from cloud computing to smartphones to social networking and host of other notable opportunities and trends in technology for growing businesses.
By Fredric Paul

What IT Folks REALLY Think

November 10, 2008 | A peek at what technology professionals think about their jobs, their companies, and their fellow employees -- when they think the boss isn't listening.
By Fredric Paul

1 Midsize Organization Busts 5 Cloud Computing Myths

October 23, 2008 | Anthony Hill, CIO of Golden Gate University, debunks the conventional wisdom on cloud computing security, capital expenses, risk management, switching vendors, and service level agreements.
By Fredric Paul

Technology's Evil Empires: Who's Evil Now?

October 16, 2008 | Evil empires always have ruled the technology world -- companies so powerful, so arrogant, and so nasty that they spark intense, emotional reactions. Which ones top the list of today's evil empires?
By Fredric Paul

Virtual Meeting Highs And Lows

October 9, 2008 | Even as many companies look to find the least expensive alternatives to in-person meetings, other companies are looking for the best possible simulation of a real meeting. Plus: The Top 5 Reasons To Hold Virtual Meetings
By Fredric Paul

All SaaS, All The Time

October 2, 2008 | Industry experts debate whether it's time for your company to go 100% with software as a service. But maybe the real question is whether SaaS is ready to support your company 100% of the time?
By Fredric Paul

SMBs Lead The Way To A Brave New Desktop

September 5, 2008 | Desktops at many small and midsize companies have evolved, and for once it's the enterprise that will need to scramble to keep up.
By Fredric Paul

The bMighty Manifesto:
Small Is The New Large

September 3, 2008 | At bMighty.com, we hold the following truth to be self-evident: That today's technology has radically shifted the competitive landscape, giving smaller, more nimble organizations a profound advantage. bMighty's mission is to help growing companies understand and exploit that advantage.
By Fredric Paul

Yelp Controversy Exposes Dark Side of Web 2.0

August 14, 2008 | Web 2.0 and user-generated content are great news for growing companies, offering them the ability to harness the wisdom of crowds and stand out even without the benefit of huge marketing budgets. But what happens when the social networks turn mean or try to take advantage of their power?
By Fredric Paul

Why YOU Aren't Using Videoconferencing

August 6, 2008 | Despite dramatic improvements in quality and affordability, most businesses still aren't using videoconferencing. The reasons why might surprise you.
By Fredric Paul

802.11n Wi-Fi: Is n for Now, or Not Yet?

June 25, 2008 | Is it time for small and midsize companies to make the move to 802.11n? Or are there compelling reasons to stick with 802.11a/b/g a while longer?
By Fredric Paul

Cloud Computing's Strengths Play To Smaller Companies' Needs

June 24, 2008 | For small and midsize companies, cloud computing offers enterprise-class or even better, consumer class -- applications for far less than enterprises pay to do it themselves
By Fredric Paul

The Trouble With Mobile Applications

October 31, 2007 | Mobile applications have been the next big thing for several years now, but they still haven't gone mainstream. These lists of mobile apps' top successes, challenges, and opportunities make it clear why. Where there is success, surprisingly it's smaller companies that are leading the way
By Fredric Paul

Apple's Epic Internal Battle Between Good and Evil

October 15, 2007 | Which is the real Apple? The company that creates those "insanely great" products, or the one obsessed with controlling how people use them?
By Fredric Paul