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Archive for October, 2011

Using SaaS Solutions to Build Small Businesses

October 31st, 2011

SaaS is nothing but a paradigm for how you consume or use a software product. A very simplistic definition for SaaS is the following: it’s the software you use that is not installed on computers on premise but hosted externally and accessed by you when needed. SaaS as a model has been around a long time though the term is a more recent coinage. If you have ever used Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or Gmail (as most of you probably have been for years) then you have already been on the SaaS bandwagon!

Why then the huge fuss about SaaS in recent times if it’s something that has been around for a while? The reason is that recent advancements in computing and the Internet have made the ability to deliver software over the Internet a more and more attractive proposition. An Internet browser today boasts of computing ability that was not possible years ago allowing an incredible number of things to be achieved. Advances in virtualization also mean that the same computer can serve many different users or ‘tenants’ at the same time. Finally, the almost ubiquitous access to Internet means you are always connected to remote computers wherever you might be. All of these have contributed to making SaaS one of the most exciting trends in computing today.

Whether it’s Human Resource Management (HRM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Payroll Management, Email Marketing, or a multitude of other internal or customer oriented business needs you are thinking about, here are the 11 key reasons why consuming software through a SaaS model is right for you

1. No need to worry about IT personnel and resources.

For most small to medium enterprises it may not make sense to have expensive IT personnel in-house given their scale of operations. Even if these resources are available, they may not be available 24×7 to resolve your IT needs in a timely and efficient manner. Also, IT personnel on your staff do require a level of strategic oversight that you would rather devote to your core business. With a SaaS model you can do away or significantly reduce the need for these IT resources. There are no servers, software, or installations you manage.

2. Get quality software & computing resources

Your software needs computers and servers to run. What if you had access to a high quality software solution and the computing resources to run that software in a seamless fashion from the same vendor? A top SaaS provider today designs a specialized solution for a business function that meets all your expectations and abstracts you from the complexity of managing or mapping this to specific hardware.

3. Better collaboration

A common problem at many organizations is the lack of collaboration amongst various individuals who own multiple copies of documents, spreadsheets, and other such files. Most SaaS solutions are designed to allow multiple users to access data in a systematic manner which results in better collaboration. Google Apps is an example of a software suite that allows collaboration amongst multiple users working on the same document at the same time which can be a powerful tool to enhance productivity.

4. Easier to use & disseminate

The interfaces of many SaaS solutions in the market today are built to operate within your web browser using technologies such as HTML5/XHTML/Ajax, which apart from a great degree of functionality, still have some limitations vs. a piece of software that is running directly on your computer. While this may sound like a negative, these limitations have indirectly resulted in the invention of improved features and usability which is significantly easier for users to comprehend and embrace. For example, Basecamp is an online project management solution that offers a minimal set of features but is preferred by a number of organizations big and small over large and more heavyweight solutions which need significant ramp up and training for each user.

5. Quick start

Traditional on premise software systems require a longer incubation period to install, configure, and activate. SaaS products take a few minutes to get started with. Once you have signed up and paid up your subscription, you can start using your software immediately. There are no extensive customizations necessary.

6. Scalability

Have one user? A hundred? Don’t know yet how many you will need 6 months from now? No problem. With SaaS you pay for what you use and what’s more you don’t worry about additional hardware or architectural complexity as your needs expand. Most SaaS products will allow you to downgrade your usage if your needs shrink over time. The scalability challenge should not be underestimated. Managing software architecture for 5 vis-a-vis 500 users is a different ballgame and here it makes sense to let the SaaS provider do the heavy lifting. Many SaaS products will even let you use the software for free for a small number of users and then charge you as your usage grows. For example, Zoho CRM, a popular CRM solution is free if you have less than 4 users.

7. Stop worrying about upgrades

No more worrying about compatibility, downtimes, and service disruption. Your SaaS provider will handle all of this seamlessly–in fact even if they do undergo downtimes for upgrades (as we all must from time to time)–they will likely schedule and plan this to cause minimal issues to a large set of users thereby getting you up and running quickly. Compatibility with underlying OS platforms and application development frameworks during upgrades is also a complex topic that tends to trip up many businesses. Why worry about this if you don’t have to?

8. Keep your data safe

Safety for SaaS solutions is often a big sticking point for businesses considering SaaS. Who will store backups? What if data is lost? How do you restore your files? While SaaS is in no way meant to replace your needs for a backup system, many SaaS platforms will maintain multiple versions and backups of your files and use better storage and backup infrastructure than you would deploy yourself. As a result, your data is more secure against damage or loss and most importantly is already attached to the application so you don’t have to worry restoring it.

9. Anywhere, anytime access

Email is a great case in point here. The same way that webmail liberated us from being attached to our computers and allowed us to access our email anywhere in the world, SaaS holds the promise of allowing you to use your software from anywhere, at anytime. The ubiquity of access across location and devices is one the most attractive reasons to consider SaaS. Almost all mature SaaS applications today boast full featured access from mobiles devices which is a huge plus for those on the go.

10. Plethora of options available

The rapid evolution of SaaS products has also meant that today there are solutions for business needs and processes that probably did not even exist a few years ago. A quick glance at crunchbase (http://www.crunchbase.com/ tag/saas) reveals close to 1000 companies offering SaaS products for everything from managing email subscribers to business networking. For instance, the innovative customer engagement solution called UserVoice allows you to create conversations with your customers and solicit features, issues, and feedback from them. No matter what industry or size of company you represent there is a chance that you can benefit from the multitude of SaaS options available today.

11. Expenditure vs depreciation

Finally, we come to one the most oft repeated reasons for the emergence of SaaS today which is the expense vs. depreciation argument. For a small organization, buying and setting up dedicated IT infrastructure, servers, bandwidth, and the like is a capital intensive activity that they can do without. Enter SaaS with its pay-as-you-go model. It is better suited to a small organization where cash flow is an important consideration.

In summary, SaaS promises to offer a number of benefits including cost savings, and quality software by spreading the costs of deployment and development over a large user base.

In an earlier era these were benefits that only larger organizations could afford. The advent of SaaS products across every conceivable business need means you spend more time growing your business and less of it worrying about whether your custom-deployed servers are staying up each night!

Source:http://pcquest.ciol.com/content/techtrends/2011/111103103.asp

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Posted in Hardware News

Tags: computer SaaS

Android ’stands on Microsoft’s shoulders’, says MS lawyer

October 31st, 2011

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A top Microsoft legal eagle has moaned that Android smartphones and the like are profiting from cash that his bosses have invested in research and development.

“These devices have moved from having a rudimentary phone system to being a full-fledged computer, with a sophisticated, modern operating system. In doing that, they have really stood on the shoulder of companies like Microsoft who made all these billions of dollars in investments,” Horacio Gutierrez, deputy general counsel of Microsoft’s intellectual property group, told the San Fran Chronicle.

Gutierrez was busily defending Microsoft’s patent dispute onslaughts, including many against Android handset manufacturers that have resulted in licensing settlements with the Redmond firm. The latest Google buddies to pay up include Samsung, which signed a royalty deal with Microsoft for undisclosed payments on unknown patents in its phones and fondleslabs in September, and similarly Compal this month.

The disputes have led the Chocolate Factory to accuse the tech world of some sort of conspiracy against its smartphone OS.

Back in August, Google’s chief legal officer David Drummond said in a blog post that “Android’s success has yielded … a hostile, organised campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents”.

Gutierrez said “Microsoft has invested for decades more money than anyone else in research and development directed toward the efficiency of operating systems”, and it was these efficiencies that its patents relate to.

According to the lawyer, all the smartphone innovation is in the software now, so software ideas have to be a part of intellectual property.

“Many things that earlier were implemented in hardware – think of telephone switching and circuits – are now implemented in software,” he said. “So the question of whether software should be patentable is, in a sense, the same as asking whether a significant part of the technological innovation happening nowadays should receive patent protection.”

“It’s not the idea or the final outcome that is patentable; it’s the particular way in which the outcome is brought about. So two different means of getting to the same end would be independently patentable,” he added.

Source:http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/31/microsoft_android_burden/

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Posted in Hardware News

Tags: Android Microsoft

HotHardware Giving Thanks System Sweepstakes!

October 31st, 2011

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To commemorate the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., HotHardware and our friends at Intel and PCAudioLabs have teamed up to put together one heck of an exciting full-system give-away! This time around we’re giving you all a chance to win an Intel Core i7-2600K-infused, custom-built rig complete with 16GB of RAM, a Gigabyte Z68-based motherboard, and an Intel SSD—among many other goodies–all wrapped up in a slick, aluminum case. To sweeten the deal, the system also sports over $600 worth of additional software, including Cakewalk Sonar X1, NI Komplete Elements, softsynths, effects, and content, as well as separate dedicated system, audio, and sample library hard drives.

The complete parts list and breakdown for this custom built audio-creation rig are listed below:

Source:http://hothardware.com/News/HotHardware-Giving-Thanks-System-Sweepstakes/

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Tags: Hardware

Avoid anti-virus scams

October 31st, 2011

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Despite all the anti-virus software available to protect consumers, the threats keep coming at a rapidly accelerating pace. Anti-virus provider and research firm Panda Security reports that in 2010 alone, the number of computer viruses increased by about 50 percent.

Jeff Crume, an engineer at IBM who specializes in computer security, says this digital arms race favors the bad guys, since reactionary anti-virus companies are often scrambling to identify and find ways to counteract new and evolving threats.

But that doesn’t mean it’s hopeless – especially if you take the proper precautions.

Crume recommends checking out detailed evaluations from tech-focused publications to figure out what software is right for you. Places such as Consumer Reports, PC Magazine or CNET are good places to start.

Installing something, he says, is better than doing nothing. But there’s good reason to be careful.

Panda Security dubbed 2010 “the year of the fake anti-virus.” This “scareware” is designed to trick users into thinking their computers are infected, prompting them through a deluge of popups or supposedly “free scans” to purchase dud software that does little but siphon away their hard-earned $19.99. With flashy graphics and names like “SystemGuard 2009,” programs like these can seem legitimate.

Rogue anti-virus software was first reported four years ago, and since then Panda says almost 9 million unique strains have been detected.

“This sort of ’scareware’ scam is increasingly common these days and preys on the fears that we all have, to one degree or another, that our system may be or could become compromised,” Crume said.

That’s why he emphasizes that the source does matter.

“Shrink-wrapped software from a well-known vendor is probably the safest option,” he said. “Second would be a download from that vendor’s website – so long as you are really sure it is that vendor’s website because you typed in the address carefully into your Web browser yourself.”

Back it up

There is one extra step he recommends when trying to keep your system safe: Back up your important data. Many relatively inexpensive external hard drives include software to do this automatically, which Crume says is vital.

“If you are having to remember to do your backups manually, you will probably fail,” he said.

Cloud-based backup services, which store your data remotely via the Internet, are another good option, as long as the service encrypts its information.

Although there are several important software and hardware elements to such a strategy, Crume says one of the most important parts of protecting your system is to check your behavior.

Be careful about what you download and where you visit. Don’t open unexpected attachments. It sounds simple, but these measures go a long way.

“There are no guarantees in avoiding computer viruses, just as there are no guarantees in avoiding biological ones,” Crume said.

“Take the reasonable precautions – protect your computer with malware tools as you would your body with vaccinations, and try to avoid coming in contact with infected hosts. Then go about your business as usual.”

Source:http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/31/1608263/avoid-anti-virus-scams.html

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Posted in Hardware News

Tags: Anti-Virus computer

A step closer to faster computing

October 31st, 2011

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Scientists have overcome a major barrier to quantum computing by getting their different components to chat with one another, just like memory and logic circuits do in existing computers.

Quantum computers are the ones which use the power of atoms to perform memory and processing tasks. They can perform certain calculations faster than the regular computers.

The goal to develop quantum computers to solve problems way beyond the capacity of current ones has egged on scientists to come up with new devices that run these machines.

Many of these tiny devices use particles of light or photons to carry the bits of information that a quantum computer will use, the journal Physical Review Letters reports.

However, these tiny devices frequently create photons of such different characters that they cannot share information with one another.

A team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has now shown that it is possible to take photons from two disparate sources and merge them while retaining their basic properties.

The breakthrough opens the way to connecting various types of hardware devices into a single quantum platform, according to a NIST statement.

The team’s achievement also demonstrates for the first time that a “hybrid” quantum computer might be assembled from different hardware types.

“We manipulate the photons to be as indistinguishable as possible in terms of spectra, location and polarisation – the details you need to describe a photon,” says Glenn Solomon of NIST’s Quantum Measurement Division

Source:http://www.khaleejtimes.com/Displayarticle09.asp?section=technology&xfile=data/technology/2011/October/technology_October51.xml

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Posted in Hardware News

Tags: Computing Technology

Intel SSD 710 Tested: MLC NAND Flash Hits The Enterprise

October 31st, 2011

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You’ll find some of the highest-end computer hardware in the largest data centers and supercomputing labs; stuff that would blow your mind. When it comes to the high-performance storage in those environments, SSDs based on single-level cell (SLC) memory elements are often favored for their great performance, power, and reliability characteristics.

In the early days of solid-state storage, multi-level cell (MLC) NAND SLC-based SSDs were deemed unsuitable for the write-intensive nature of many server workloads. The technology weathers fewer program and erase (P/E) cycles before deteriorating. Moreover, MLC achieves slower write speeds than SLC-based cells. And, in the process, MLC memory uses more power (an important consideration in a data center potentially playing host to thousands of drives).

As a result, many IT managers look to SLC-based drives for applications where data security and speed are of the utmost importance. Specifically, Intel’s X25-E (first reviewed back in 2009: Intel’s X25-E SSD Walks All Over The Competition) is the benchmark by which other enterprise-class SSDs are measured.

There are a couple of problems, though. First, as its name suggests, an SLC memory cell only stores one bit of data. Compute-quality MLC stores two. Right off the bat, you can see that multi-level cell technology is what facilitates the higher capacities many SSDs enjoy today. Intel’s X25-E, in comparison, topped out at 64 GB. The other issue is price. That same 64 GB flagship sells for as much as $800, more than $12 per gigabyte of storage.

Clearly, if a manufacturer could figure out a way to push the benefits of MLC-based NAND into the enterprise without compromising data integrity, there would at least be a compelling reason to start slinging larger SSDs together in RAID, or using them singularly as caching devices in a tiered storage subsystem, right?

Well, Intel certainly thinks so. The company is discontinuing the X25-E altogether in favor of a new SSD 710, representing a shift from expensive SLC to more accessible MLC memory.

Despite the fact that Intel’s new data center drive takes the MLC route, the company says it delivers a different experience than the mainstream SSD 320. The NAND found in Intel’s new enterprise SSD is dubbed “High Endurance Technology (HET) MLC”, which tries to balance the capacity benefits of MLC and write endurance of SLC memory.

The move away from SLC naturally involves some compromise. However, from a big-picture approach, it makes sense. When you combine the technical barriers to SLC production and factor in economies of scale, at the same density, SLC NAND commands a price premium 4x higher than MLC, according to data from iSuppli. An MLC-based drive is going to be much more accessible to cost-conscious SMBs and larger data centers alike.

Oh yeah. Look at the difference in price per gigabyte. The X25-E debuted at about $14/GB. More than two years later, just before Intel announced it was discontinuing the X25-E, it had only dropped to about $11/GB. That’s still a 40% price premium over this new SSD 710, though. But there’s more to the story than just dollars and cents.

Consumer-oriented SSDs are still hovering near $2/GB. So, an MLC-based SSD priced at $6.50/GB should still rightly raise some eyebrows. However, the HET MLC found in Intel’s SSD 710 is purported to offer write endurance 30 times greater than the cheaper consumer-grade MLC. So, if we assume that 25 nm MLC NAND is rated at 3000 P/E cycles, HET MLC should come close to 90 000 cycles. That SLC-like write endurance rating is intended to assuage the fear of IT managers now unable to purchase the X25-E and faced with SSD 710. A substantially-lower price per gigabyte, meanwhile, is designed to attract the contingent of folks stuck using magnetic storage because they couldn’t stomach the premium on SLC memory for their mission-critical data.

Source:http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-710-enterprise-x25-e,3038.html

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Posted in Hardware News

Tags: Hardware INTEL

Multiple OS a challenge

October 31st, 2011

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Computer users who like to play around with multiple operating systems on their machines know some of the challenges of getting multiple operating systems to work together for such things as sharing or accessing USB devices.

Some users like to simply dual boot or even triple boot their hardware, having two or three operating systems coexisting on the same hardware.

When that works it is great, but what if you want to use a program that only runs on one of those operating systems? With a dual-or triple-boot arrangement, that means you have to shut down the operating system you are currently using and reboot in the operating system that contains the program you want to use.

Doing that makes the most efficient use of that specific hardware and software combination, but it is an inconvenience to have to close everything just to get access to one specific program.

On the other hand, there are other ways to get access to that program, without necessarily having to shut everything down and rebooting.

Depending on which is your main operating software, there are software solutions that allow you to access programs from other operating systems from within your current setup.

Commercial programs such as Virtual Machine from VMWare allow you to install a working environment or virtualization of another operating system within your current OS.

There are virtual machine versions for Windows, Mac and Linux. Once installed, the virtual machine can be configured to run any of the other operating systems just as if the machine had been booted up in that system.

The advantage of say, running Windows within a virtual “software container,” as VMWare puts it, on a machine booted up in Linux, is that you don’t have to close down the machine to reboot into Windows.

You simply run Virtual Machine as if it were another program within the Linux environment.

Like most things in life, there is a price to be paid for such convenience. In this case, your guest operating systems will not be as responsive as if you had booted directly into it in the first place. It is much like the trade-off of running independent operating system where you shut down one to run the other.

If you want to try virtualization and are unsure you want to commit the $50 to $100 for the VMWare software, there is a free program called Virtual Box which is part of the open source software community.

Once running on whatever your operating system is, the program walks you through installing a guest operating system. Like Virtual Machine, Virtual Box does not come with the guest operating system. You must supply that. In the case of both Apple and Microsoft, that means purchasing a retail copy of the software. On the other hand, if you are already using the Mac or Windows operating system and simply want to try Linux, there are several distributions of Linux available for free on the Internet.

I say all of this because of something I discovered the other day while fooling around with a Linux installation on my laptop.

Linux is a great operating system with huge user support. But the particular flavor of Linux I am using — LinuxMint — does not provide a great deal of support for my iPod Touch device.

The Touch is essentially a mini-computer in the hand. It does a number of things wonderfully, from keeping an address book of contacts to acting as an e-book reader through applications that can be purchased through Apple’s online store.

Getting e-books on the device is simply a matter of running iTunes in either the Mac or Windows operating system.

Alas, there is no version of iTunes available for Linux.

However, I have discovered there is another way of getting ebooks onto the iPod Touch in Linux. Simply connect the device by way of the USB cable and it shows up as a mounted drive, listing all of the content on the Touch. From there simply drag your e-book into the appropriate program on the Touch and you are good to go.