Tag: business management

Google Apps for Business: Why It’s a Smart Choice, Especially If You’re a Small Business

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For many small businesses, Google Apps for Business is the perfect fit. One of the most obvious benefits is cost. At only $50/user/year, you can manage upfront costs by buying only what you need. Google Apps is ‘cloud computing,’ meaning everything is performed and accomplished online over an internet connection, you don’t need to spend money on:

  • Expensive computer hardware such as a server or powerful desktop machines
  • Additional energy costs associated with running powerful computers
  • Special HVAC to maintain equipment performance
  • Additional office space, racks and furniture to store equipment
  • Installation, set-up and maintenance costs associated with computer hardware and software
  • Software purchase and updates
  • Storage and Back-Up solutions
  • IT department and Tech Support

Instead, for a fixed cost you get a comprehensive suite of powerful communication and collaboration tools, including:

  • Google Docs (web-based documents (like Word), spreadsheets (like Excel), drawings and presentations (like Visio and PPT)
  • Gmail + Postini (archiving and e-discovery)
  • Google Calendar (share project calendars, integrate with Gmail and popular calendar programs, mobile access)
  • Google Groups (for internal or client projects: share docs, calendars, folders, videos)
  • Google Sites (build collaborative sites for project workspaces, team sites, intranets, more)
  • Google Video (video channel that hosts and streams your videos across any operating system means you don’t have to share via email or burden IT with a complex on-site video solution)
  • More Apps: Google Reader, Blogger, Picasa Web Albums, AdWords
  • Storage: 25 GB per user of email storage (Blackberry, iPhone and MS Outlook interoperable)
  • Business Security: SSO, forced SSL, custom password strength requirements
  • Business Support & Reliability: 99.9% uptime guarantee SLA, 24×7 support
  • Google Apps Marketplace: you get access to a large variety of additional enterprise applications, such as Intuit Quickbooks, Fedex, and so much more, that help you with your most common business functions like sales, marketing and finance. Many applications can directly interoperate with Gmail, Calendar, Docs and contacts, helping you to do your work faster and more efficiently.

For added functionality and flexibility, what we do for customers is integrate Google Apps for Business with custom development work we provide, such as a corporate branded website application, ecommerce solution, or extranet, making everything accessible online 24/7  from a secure, centralized custom Dashboard. This option provides you with the most control and options for managing a wide variety of business tasks online, particularly useful when you have satellite offices, an external sales force, or employees working from their home office.

Bottom line is you just can’t beat the cost. For roughly .14 cents/day/user Google Apps for Business provides you with most, if not all, of what you need, leaving you free to safely set aside funds for custom development work and other marketing and business development initiatives.

Want to hear what others say?  Click here to visit Google’s Business Apps Client Stories page.

Take Advantage of National Small Business Week May 23-May 29, 2010 for Great Business Development Tips

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national small business week

President Obama proclaimed May 23rd through May 29th, 2010 National Small Business Week with the following opening remarks:

“Small business owners embody the spirit of entrepreneurship and strong work ethic that lie at the heart of the American dream.  They are the backbone of our Nation’s economy, they employ tens of millions of workers, and, in the past 15 years, they have created the majority of new private sector jobs.  During Small Business Week, we reaffirm our support for America’s small businesses and celebrate the proud tradition of private enterprise they represent.”

Small and medium sized businesses in the United States have the opportunity to take advantage of many free online and live business management and development events organized by the SBA (US Small Business Administration) and a number of corporate sponsors.

Comcast’s California Region, to celebrate the start of National Small Business Week, launched a new partnership with the SBA called Comcast Connecting Businesses “that will provide local small and mid-sized businesses with tools, information, and resources via video segments from Comcast’s video-on-demand platform.” Comcast will film the workshops and seminars the SBA conducts in its San Francisco district office and make them available to Comcast Digital Cable customers in California at no additional cost. The videos will also feature interviews with the District Director and local business owners, and highlight forms required to start a business in the US. Comcast will add new vignettes monthly and topics will include: “How to Start a Business,” “How to Obtain a Business License,” “How to Become a Government Certified Business,” “Basics of Marketing Your Business,” and “Financing Your Business 101.”

Google, a true American fairytale, has also partnered with the SBA on a site to help businesses thrive using online tools. They even offer a free dowloadable Online Tools Booklet to help businesses “put these strategies into action.”

You can find a schedule of events held in Washington, DC at the SBA’s website. If you are lucky enough to be in DC you can visit the event website to purchase tickets and register to attend live events. You also have the option to view live streaming webcasts. The SBA offers a number of videos through YouTube with titles that all begin with ‘Strategies for Growth: Profiles of Success.’ Here is the one about Warren Brown and CakeLove. You will find the others listed there as well. Or you can access articles that encapsulate the main points and provide links to the corresponding videos under each of the topics listed at the SBA’s Strategies for Growth section of its website.

The SBA’s Training Network of business management resources is available online 24/7 and offers free training courses, workshops and resources “designed to assist entrepreneurs and other students of enterprise.” Visit the National Small Business Week 2010 event website to access resources and information. And be sure to make yourself aware of locally sponsored events.