The world has changed; the former number-one cell-phone-for-business vendor was Research In Motion (RIM), makers of Blackberry. However, RIM has stumbled hard and has lost significant market share to Apple’s iPhones and Google’s Droid.

Current status by vendor:

RIM’s Blackberry has been struggling; they recently had a significant software glitch and their technology has not kept up with industry leaders Apple and Google.  Feedback:

• Still a huge installed base, but it is an older interface that has not kept up with changes.
• Requires separate, Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) to integrate with Microsoft Exchange.

Apple recently released the iPhone4s, which sold out promptly.  Feedback:

• iPhone is designed for usability.
• iPhone has a huge store of applications.
• iPhones are relatively more expensive.
• iPhone integrates into Microsoft Exchange via ActiveSync.

Google released a newer phone versions of its Motorola-based, 4G phone, the Droid Bionic and the Droid Razr, which have also been extremely popular.  Google has multiple manufacturers using the Droid operating system in their phones and it is probably number 2 in worldwide cellphone sales behind Apple.  Feedback:

• Droid phones are less expensive than the iPhone.
• Droid also has a large store of applications; since it is a newer phone, these applications might not be as polished as iPhone applications.
• Droid doesn’t have the same level of integration as iPhone and is considered by many to be less user-friendly than the iPhone.
• Droid integrates into Microsoft Exchange via ActiveSync.

Visit http://reviews.cnet.com/2722-6452_7-1302.html for a recent review of the Droid Bionic versus the Apple iPhone4s is at.  In this review, the editors rated the iPhone4s slightly higher than the Droid Bionic by a combined score of 4.5 (out of 5) for the iPhone4s versus 4.4 (out of 5) for the Droid Bionic.

Was your business affected by the recent power outages?   Here are some reminders of things you can do to help ensure that your business is well prepared:

1) Get a sufficient battery backup (UPS) for typical power outages in your area.
2) Backup your data and get that data offsite
3) Put an email continuity solution in place so you can receive and send emails in the event your email server is down.
4) Virtualize. If you have access to a big enough Internet connect, then store your servers and desktops as virtual versions  "in the cloud" so that you can access them from anywhere and at any time.

For more info go to:

http://www.smallbusinesstechtips.com/small-business-management/ensuring-your-business-survives-a-disaster/

Now that 2011 has arrived, perhaps you have begun to think of a few viable office upgrades. If new PCs are on that list, we at Bryley want to share three PC replacement strategies with you that are guaranteed to keep your costs in check.

Strategy 1: The trickle-down effect

This strategy advises that you purchase only the new PCs you require and then provide the most computer-intensive employees with the upgraded equipment: the older PCs can then be passed down to less-computer-intensive employees.

Pros:

·         You only need to purchase a few new PCs

·         The fastest PCs are in the hands of your most computer-intensive workers

Cons:

·         Your support costs will be greater since it takes time and effort to reconfigure and move PCs around the office

Strategy 2: Total office upgrade/annual replacement program

Maybe you want to replace all of the PCs in your business. If this is the case, then you should follow strategy 2 and create an annual replacement program designed to refresh all PCs within three to five years. With this strategy, you purchase only a few new PCs each year, keeping your annual costs down, and then over a three to five year period all employees will have upgrades.

Pros:

·         PCs are kept up-to-date: they are never older than five years  

·         Annual spending is kept low as only a few PCs are purchased each year

Cons:

·         Computer-intensive employees must wait-out the replacement cycle for a new PC

Strategy 3: The hybrid

This final strategy is a hybrid of the first and second. Like strategy two, you will create an annual replacement plan with the end result being a total-office upgrade in three to five years, but now in strategy three, you also incorporate the trickle-down effect each year, guaranteeing that the newest equipment goes to the most computer-intensive employees. 

Pros:

·         PCs are kept up-to-date

·         Annual spending is kept in check

·         The fastest PCs are in the hands of the most computer-intensive employees

No matter what strategy you choose, your employees will all be guaranteed newer PCs and you will only be purchasing a few newer models each year. These are failsafe strategies for keeping spending in check.