Doesn’t it feel like we should currently have jetpacks? Teleporters? Or meals in capsule form? We already have some impressive technology, like tablets, which are small computers that people can carry around. We can use the GPS in our cars to get around around town. We can post an update to our social media sites and reach thousands of people at once.

So, why don’t we have teleporters and hovercrafts? What is preventing us from taking these leaps in technology?

Building a Better Battery

As we move into a more mobile world, batteries grow in importance. They are a foundation of our technological world these days. Thus, if we are limited by their power, and capacity to hold a charge, the technology which uses them is also limited. For instance, you wouldn’t want your jet pack to loose its charge in flight. Recently, researchers at Chicago’s Northwestern University discovered a way to make a much more powerful lithium-ion battery than the ones we have today. We explained this more thoroughly in a blog post last week. When these batteries eventually enter the market, we will likely see a boom in technological advancements.

Improving Internet Access

It may seem like everybody is connected to the Internet, but this is a misconception. Most of the world doesn’t have access to the Internet. While this may not seem like it could suppress technological advancements, it does. The idea is that by limiting the amount of people who can contribute to the interconnectedness the Internet provides, we are restricting the amount of people who can collaborate. Until the vast majority of people are connected, technological breakthroughs will not happen as quickly as they could.

The Business of New Tech

Finally, there’s the business end of things. Technological progress is slowed by arcane things such as patent law. Businesses take their time launching new gadgets and services because they must first navigate a minefield of laws and government regulations. These laws are essential. However, they need to be clear and easy to understand so new technology isn’t bottled up unnecessarily.

While these are a few of the issues that prevent technology from advancing, it still is advancing at a rapid pace. So who knows what is in store for us in the next year or two.

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If you mention “OS X” and “virus” in the same sentence, you’ll get some weird looks from Mac users. Traditionally viruses and trojans on OS X were near non-existent, but there’s a Mac specific trojan, codenamed Flashback, that has affected more than 600,000 computers. This is big news as it shows that machines running OS X may not be as secure as first thought.

Many Mac owners are unsure of what exactly the Flashback trojan is, what it does and how to ensure they’re not infected. We’re here to help clarify the situation.

What is a Trojan and What Does Flashback Do? In general terms, a trojan is a piece of malicious software that infects a computer and gives control of part, or the whole computer to hackers. The Flashback trojan takes advantage of an OS X Java vulnerability and infects computers by tricking them into downloading a fake Java update.

When the program is installed, Flashback will download and install the main trojan code without the need for permission from the administrator. From there it proceeds to hijack your browser, redirect search queries to websites developed by hackers, and then take advantage of pay-per-click advertising.

Why Should I be Worried? While this version hijacks your browser, there are far more sinister things it could do. As this trojan acts as a downloader, there’s nothing stopping the developers from updating the malware to steal passwords, banking information and other confidential information.

How do I Ensure My Mac is Clean? Apple has released an update for machines running OS X 10.6 and later. The first step you should take is to update your computer to patch the vulnerability. To update your Mac:

1. Press the Apple logo, located in the top right hand of your screen.
2. Select Software Update...
3. Press Install and Restart.

While the patch will prevent Flashback from working, it won’t delete the program if you’ve been infected. The Internet security company F-Secure has developed a script that scans your computer and removes Flashback if found. Once you have downloaded the script, open and run it. The script will search your computer and place the infected files in an encrypted ZIP folder labeled Flashback_quarantine.zip.

Flashback has infected a higher number of Macs than any other trojan to date and goes to show that Macs also have security flaws. This also serves as a reminder that you should have a virus scanner and security program running on your Mac. If you have any questions regarding the security of your Mac or other devices, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help keep your machines secure.

According to IBM, nearly 90% of the data available at this time has been created within the past two years. When you stop and think about it, it boggles the mind. What makes this more intriguing is that the amount of data will continue to exponentially grow and threatens to overwhelm us. This sheer amount of information available to us and the related issues have been termed Big Data.

You’ve probably been reading technology blogs and have seen Big Data mentioned in conjunction with large companies, maybe even dismissed it as something, “for the big guys”. While Big Data is currently the focus of large companies, it won’t stay that way for long and it will pay to know about it.

What is Big Data? In recent years the amount of data available has exploded and companies have reached a point where there’s so much of it available they can’t physically store or analyze it using existing means. This quandary is called Big Data.

Frank Moss, former director of MIT Media Lab, describes Big Data as coming from, “Computers, smart phones, GPS devices, embedded microprocessors, sensors...[which] are forming a ‘societal nervous system’ that is generating a cloud of data that’s growing at an exponential rate.”

This growth has overwhelmed many companies causing a need for Big Data solutions. These solutions provide businesses with a way to immediately make sense of vast amounts of information, make informed decisions and exploit data.

What can I Do With Big Data? The uses of Big Data are near limitless. For small businesses the best deployment, currently, is for market research. You can use Big Data to help decrease the risk of decisions by increasing your knowledge of current trends, your target market’s demographics and customer buying patterns. Research that would normally take weeks can be done in minutes or seconds, allowing your company to make better marketing decisions quicker and with a higher chance of success.

Are SMEs Ready for Big Data? Large companies are utilizing Big Data because they simply can’t keep up with the incredible amount of data generated. At the same time, smaller organizations have simply not reached the point where they are being overwhelmed by data, therefore there’s no pressing need to look into it. This is rapidly changing though, so it’s beneficial to keep your eye on developments.

If you have any more questions regarding Big Data or Business Intelligence and their uses within your organization please contact us, we will be happy to sit down with you.

Adobe Photoshop is an amazing tool. It lets organizations edit the images they need to create professional-looking brochures, pamphlets, and marketing materials. However, Photoshop is far from inexpensive. A quick online scan will show that newer versions of this image-editing program can run higher then $600. For small business owners with limited funds, this program just is not practical. This doesn’t mean, though, that these small business owners do not have photo-editing options. In fact, businesses can select from a host of alternatives that are not only cheaper but are actually free.

Of course, these programs are not as powerful as Photoshop. But they have enough photo-editing features for small business owners to effortlessly create professional looking material. Below is a list of the best free photo-manipulation programs now available.

GIMP

GIMP is very easy to use and possesses most of the features from Photoshop that a business owner would need to create marketing material. The beauty of GIMP is that it’s completely free!

Paint.NET

Do you remember MSPaint? It came standard with the Windows operating system. Paint.NET is its successor and is a really powerful and free photo editor. It comes with its own special effects and an limitless undo; this is great for people who want to experiment with the effects. The one negative of this program is it only works with Windows.

Picnik

Picnik is a free program that works on Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems. This program has some really fun effects such as blurring, darkening, and lightening images. It’s probably the most popular free editing programs, as you don’t have to download files to use it.

In the end, if you are looking for a program that lets you create professional marketing material, there is no need to spend a lot. These programs will let you accomplish this task at no cost.

The more we rely on mobile devices the more we rely upon one little technology. Batteries. Have you ever reached for your smartphone to look something up or to get directions and found that it has died? Well, in a few years, that might be something you don’t need to worry about.

A Better Battery on the Way?

Luckily, a better battery might soon be on the way, due to the work of a team of engineers at Chicago’s Northwestern University. A recent story reports that researchers at this Big 10 university are attempting to develop a battery that lasts longer and can recharge itself in mere minutes. Smartphone users around the world ought to be thankful.

What they are working on is a new lithium-ion battery that has more then 10 times the life of present batteries. Furthermore, after a year of operation, which the researchers estimate to be about 150 charges, these new lithium-ion batteries would continue to be 5 times more effective then today’s lithium-ion batteries.

A Charged Battery for a Week

Here’s the bottom line: The new cell phone battery could stay charged for more than a week and then charge itself in just 15 minutes. This is excellent news for you: It could mean that your iPod won’t run out of juice while you’re working the treadmill at the gym. But the new, better battery may have a much greater impact: According to the Northwestern story, this new battery technology could result in smaller and more efficient batteries for electric cars. This may help the United States—and other countries—cut its reliance upon fossil fuels.

Batteries Powering Technological Change

Advancements in battery technology are not something we normally pay attention to. But this one may have a huge positive affect our lives, and not just where convenience is concerned. This new lithium-ion battery may hold the key to a greater technological shift.

When searching for something on the Internet, most people automatically go to Google. We even use it as a verb when we “Google” something. However, a lesser-used yet powerful search engine is Microsoft’s Bing. While Bing may be often overlooked, it actually has a lot to offer surfers of the Web.

Taking Another Look at Bing

When you search on Bing, you will get more information regarding your search results than you will get from Google. Bing’s results feature a left-hand navigation panel filled with Quick Tabs that enable users to focus their searches. Additionally there is a center row of search results that are grouped into logical categories. This makes it easier for users to find multimedia files or quick answers.

Bing Goes Beyond Search Results

Bing also brings more than just search results. Say users search for websites about pop star Lady Gaga. Bing will also bring up Lady Gaga’s newest videos. For users hunting for a flight out of town, Bing beats Google easily. The search engine employs something it calls Farecast Technology in its Bing Travel site. This allows users quickly locate the cheapest airfare to particular destinations.

Bing Video Search Shines

Bing stands apart from Google with regards to searching for videos as well. Bing allows users to specify how long they would like videos to be, what resolution they want, and what screen size they would prefer. Moreover, to get a preview of the video, users only have to hover their cursor over the video to play a part of it without clicking on it.

These are a few reasons why Bing shouldn’t be overlooked. Google may be the current king of search engines, but Bing has a lot to deliver surfers of the Web.

Cloud computing has certainly caught on. People can access data that’s stored in the cloud—databases located far away from their own computer drives. They are able to store their favorite songs, access powerful word-processing software, and send their business proposals to the cloud. This saves loads of computer memory, as everything that’s kept in the cloud isn’t stored on a personal computer. The outcome is a faster computing experience, as fewer programs gum up the running speed of home computers.

Not All Clouds are the Same

However; there are different types of clouds. You have the public cloud, the private cloud, and the hybrid cloud. The majority of us use the public cloud, businesses that wish to use cloud services to store very sensitive data can choose to use a private cloud, and the hybrid cloud is a combination of the two.

The hybrid cloud typically works like this: A business provides some resources in-house. For example, it might store current consumer data on its private in-house cloud. It might also store employee files, new marketing campaigns, and current proposals to new clients on its in-house storage. That same business, however, might store older, archived data on a public cloud service. This frees up space on the business’ servers, and permits its in-house computers to function more efficiently.

The Hybrid Cloud Approach Makes Sense

Taking a hybrid cloud approach to data storage allows businesses to take advantage of the space-saving benefits of the public cloud without also exposing their sensitive current data to third-party providers. In other words, the hybrid cloud provides businesses with protection, cost-savings, and efficiency.

Because of this it’s not surprising that the hybrid cloud is so widely used. Businesses these days have too much data to store on their own servers but they don’t want the security risk that can come with the public cloud. Using the hybrid cloud they are able to keep space in their systems free while protecting their data.

A growing number of employees nowadays work remotely. This is possible as a result of advancements in technology. The benefits are many for both employee and employer. Employers can spend less money as they have less people that need space in the workplace. Employees that work remotely are often more productive; they spend less time commuting, and they have the flexibility to adjust their work around their life instead of working 9 hours straight, which can cause burnout.

Remote Worker Challenges

Remote workers and contractors do present at least one considerable challenge to employers: It can be hard for employers to effectively monitor the hours that their workers are putting in. How do employers know, after all, if their remote personnel are pounding away at their keyboards or playing Angry Birds on their smartphones all day?

One easy way to keep track of the amount of work being completed by remote workers is to set reasonable goals that they must hit. This puts the emphasis on the end result and helps prevent the manager from worrying about it, provided that the goals are being met. This also gives the employee liberty to work inside the hours they are most fruitful.

Setting Remote Worker Deadlines

Setting deadlines is the easiest way to monitor the work being carried out by remote workers. Managers can set short-term and long-term goals or make something due every Friday. Additionally, a manger could have a weekly or biweekly meeting via cellphone or video chat to catch up on the progress of projects. This can put the manager and employee at ease.

Off-Site Not a Permanent Condition

While many individuals may have the personal discipline and time management skills to successfully work remotely, some don’t. So, if an employee doesn’t work well remotely, and that has become clear, remote working doesn’t have to stay permanent, it can easily be revoked. Ultimately, trust within the employee/employer relationship is one of the key elements of a effective remote working relationship. The worker needs to maintain that trust by hitting deadlines and delivering top quality work.

Your business keeps you busy. You are juggling three projects simultaneously for your employer. You are on the road more frequently than you are at home, and your day planner is covered in ink. You need smartphone apps that will make your life easier, not complicate it. Thankfully, there are a host of smartphone applications available designed precisely to simplify life for the busiest of business professionals. Listed here are five of the top ones to explore.

Top 5 Business Apps

1. WhosHere: WhosHere enables you to locate freelance contractors in your area to help you complete projects. For instance, if you need to find a freelance illustrator in Philadelphia to close out your latest ad campaign, you can send out a search through your smartphone. Then you’re able to send free text messages or calls to the professionals who answer your search.
2. Locale: It’s embarrassing if your phone goes off in the midst of an important meeting. But with everything else you have to do to get ready for a meeting it’s tough to remember to put it on silent. This app lets you set unique modes for your phone determined by your location. So your phone will automatically go to silent when you enter your workplace, or the theater, even.
3. WaveSecure: This service enables you to track your phone, lock it, and backup your data remotely. This is useful for business travelers who are concerned they may loose their phone in an unknown city.
4. Bump: Bump is an incredible little app. It allows you to exchange contact information with fellow business professionals by simply tapping that person’s phone with yours.
5. Scan2PDF Mobile: This app lets you scan reports, receipts, or any other documents on the go with your smartphone’s camera. Then you’re able to turn them into color PDFs and email them to your computer’s desktop.

Communication is arguably the single most important aspect to a successful business. One of the most familiar forms of communication is the telephone, and with advances in technology, it’s unsurprisingly gone digital. The most commonly used digital voice system being Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.

VoIP has become the main backbone of voice communication for a growing majority of companies, offering numerous benefits including potentially large cost savings, and decreased maintenance costs. When it was first introduced, the technology needed to run a VoIP system was expensive, limiting it to MNCs and other large organizations. However, over the past few years, the technology has come down in price and is now available for next to nothing, allowing SMEs to make the switch to VoIP. If your company is thinking of ringing the changes, there are some necessary requirements you should meet before you migrate.

Foundation A solid foundation for VoIP is key, as without a good foundation you’ll find that network speed and call quality are poor during heavy use. Most SMEs aim for a VoIP system that can handle around 10 employees on the phone at any given time. Before you start the integration, you should track your current call volume by keeping a note of the number of calls in and out, while paying close attention to call volume during peak hours and days.

You should also investigate the speed and stability of your current Internet connection. While a fast DSL or cable connection is good for browsing, it may not be robust enough to handle VoIP communications, which need a connection that is both quick and stable. Look at your downstream (traffic into your network) and upstream (traffic out of your network) connection speed during a time when the network is experiencing heavy data use. Anything over 1.5 Mbps in both directions should be enough to handle the majority of VoIP systems. Most Internet service providers offer a connection speed well above that, but it’s important to check it out first.

Framing When you have a solid foundation that will support your needs, the next step is building the frame for VoIP. You should determine exactly what’s required from your new system. Some good questions to ask include: Am I going to need to make international calls? How many VoIP connections am I going to need? Am I going to want to make video calls? What’s my budget?

Once you’ve determined your needs you can move on to picking equipment. If you’re a business that typically sticks to local, and some long distance calls, you shouldn’t require much in the way of equipment. The vast majority of companies use a device called a media gateway that allows normal phones to interface with an Internet connection - essentially turning a regular phone into a VoIP phone. If you’re a business that would like to take advantage of the more advanced features of VoIP, like portability, you’ll need more state-of-the-art equipment.

The final issue you need to address is security. On its own, VoIP is not the most secure of connections, as it’s open to all the same types of security breaches that computers and networks can fall prey to. To combat this, many good VoIP service providers will have security measures in place to protect VoIP calls on their network. On your end, it also helps to keep your Internet security up-to-date and conduct regular system scans.

Once you’ve addressed the internal requirements it’s time to start looking for a VoIP service provider. Take your time, shop around, ask competitors and other businesses what service they use. One question to ask a prospective provider is if they will be able to migrate your current number onto their system? While most can switch over your existing numbers, it can take a while, depending on your location and local legislation. So be sure to check if the provider can migrate your numbers and how long it will take.

From there, you should be ready to switch over to VoIP. If you’re still unsure of the process, there are consultants available who can help with the preparation, selection and integration. Good luck, and if you need more information about VoIP, we are here to help you.