Simplifying travel - for you and your co-workers

With summer here, and travel imminent, your laptop may start racking up the miles alongside you.

Of course, creating a system of wireless applications with m-Power that allow you to do work through your cell phone, means you won't need that bulky bag. Alan Batchelor, at Emhart Glass, did just that by creating a wireless application with m-Power that allows him to send commands from his cell phone even when he's poolside. Learn what else he built»

But, grudgingly, I will admit that laptops themselves can come in handy on your trip--even if you're just trying to find the latest attractions--and that means lugging them around. So, what's the best one? Here's what one writer says is the "perfect" laptop bag»

Web Design Tip: How to avoid Email Spiders

There are very few cons to having a Web presence, but today we're going to talk about one...and how you can avoid it: email spiders.

Email spiders or spammer spiders, unlike search engine spiders, are out there for malevolent purposes. They are sent out to crawl the Web and scan Web sites for email addresses that the owner can either use themselves, or sell to other spammers...often both.

Here's how to avoid them while still remaining reachable!

How secure are mid-market companies? Where does your company fit?

It's a fact that small companies may report fewer intrusions simply because they often lack the means to detect them, and often are at greater risk because they lack security measures.

SMBs are responding by increasing the level of security spending from last year, but if these IT executives really want to sleep better at night, they should also focus on the tough task of changing the behavior of their employees.

Here are three findings about the state of security in the small-to-midsize business marketplace»

3 things you should always fake

This is an interesting column on three areas (email, phone and search engine) that you might want to fake.

Here's why»

IT Innovation. What top CIOs recommend - and how it can help you.

What's in store for IT, and where are we going? Sometimes the best way to gauge that commitment is to take a look at what other innovative people and companies are doing.

Here's what 5 of the most innovative CIOs are saying about IT innovation and where your focus needs to be»

Web design tip: A guide to color associations and how they help your web site

The colors you choose when designing your Web applications can make a difference between whether someone can read the text easily, whether it's a printable screen, even whether it puts them in a good mood.

Colors affect us in all sorts of ways, and the choices you make can be crucial to the success of your project.

Here is a basic guide to color associations that may help you when selecting a palette for your site.

Don't let large data files stymie your staff.

Large data files don't have to hurt performance or stymie your staff as one company discovered recently.

In trying to bring improved Business Intelligence to its end users they faced many challenges, not the least of which was the fact that their POS system was running outside their JD Edwards system, and the data wouldn't be combined until it hit general ledger. Additionally, they didn't have any developers on staff.

How could they bring Web reporting to their users, and do it effectively, when their datafiles were growing at 600,000 records a day? Here's how they did it»

5 Strategies you can use to have a world-class IT organization

After analyzing benchmark data from more than 2,100 companies including all but one of the 30 Dow Jones Industrials, a research group found that world-class IT organizations-those that achieve peak efficiency and effectiveness-spend 7 % more per end-user on IT operations than typical companies, but on average, earn that amount back fivefold in lower operational costs.

Here are 5 key IT strategies to allow you to gain that maximum impact»

Application Tip: Create powerful Web application from desktop spreadsheet

What company doesn't have users working on desktop spreadsheet programs? They help make users more self-sufficient and productive, which is great, and they take the pressure off of IT. It's a win-win.

But, when it becomes impossible to secure data or to know if the spreadsheet information you are viewing is as accurate and up-to-date as your neighbor's, it loses its luster.

But, now there's a new way end-users be self-sufficient and share information while doing away with security issues. Here's a quick presentation on how to give your people an easy way to turn that spreadsheet data into a powerful Web app.

Best Practices: The right way to secure wireless applications.

In a recent interview on wireless in the enterprise, a number of CIOs said securing the data on these devices was their biggest challenge. "Nothing can get on [wireless devices] unless we put it on," said one executive. "We lock it all down and keep it inside the enterprise and decide what goes out."

Of course, this puts a limit on the whole notion of the freedom wireless provides. And what happens if you lose the device with all that crucial data on it? Or it's stolen?

Emhart Glass's Alan Batchelor has a better solution.

The Top 10 dead (or dying) computer skills...

This Computerworld article has compiled the top 10 dead (or dying) computer skills. Where are you in the mix?

What if the most effective way to harness your current skills means achieving the end result without the painful means?

CIO magazine lists top drivers for innovation

Contrary to popular belief, innovation doesn’t have to result in complete business transformation or enormous expense.

Recently CIO Magazine turned to the CIO Executive Council to see what they had to say about modern solutions and IT innovations, and surprisingly it's not about technology...it's about making innovation a subtle, manageable and core part of your organization.

Here are 10 tips on how to do it»

Web Design Tip: Make your shopping cart sticky for better sales

One of the biggest threats to online transactions is that your users will become frustrated, or distracted, and abandon their shopping carts before they have followed through the entire shopping experience from selection to final payment.

Here are some design best practices to help you not only prevent the abandonment, but also to improve sales while they are there.

MySQL gains popularity in both System i and Google.

Many heard the recent announcement by IBM that they are supporting the MySQL database on the System i (formerly AS/400), but the support is flowing in. Google has unveiled new enhancements, and while Google doesn't use MySQL in its search, it uses it in its vast YouTube network...and that is a powerful, data-heavy, file-heavy site.

My SQL, which started as a read-only database, caught on because of its ability to speedily serve Web pages. While MySQL hasn't displaced DB2 or Oracle as the two leading databases in production settings, among developers, a recent survey by Evans Data indicates the developer's database of choice for 40% of their responders. Read more here»

5 Best Practices for IT Cost Containment

With the recent emphasis on crossover between business acumen and IT, it's a good idea to keep an eye on your budget, and do what you can to keep your IT costs down. One good reason? With these ever-blurring lines, now, more than ever, IT has its best shot at re-investing those savings.

5 Best Practices for IT Cost Containment»

App Tip: Customize error messages in your Web applications

One of the most important benefits of m-Power is the ease with which you can create customized Web applications.

And that includes the wording of error messages, whether across the board, or for individual apps. (These are the messages your user sees if they enter data in the wrong field, or don't enter information in mandatory fields). See how easy it is»

The Business-Savvy Smartphone Review: Going wireless

Many articles on smartphones cover the ins and outs of wireless devices for the average consumer, but here's an article that focuses on four of the top smartphones for business purposes, and why.


Here's a short case study about one manufacturer's wireless applications to give you some ideas.

£50,000 for a custom app vs £250,000 for a canned one.

Recently, a UK manufacturer in the market for an online shopping cart went to their packaged software vendor for what they hoped would be a "plug and play" solution. It certainly seemed like that would make the most sense. But, they found that with software, implementation, and training they would be spending £250,000, or around $440,000 US.

This staggering cost had them looking for alternative options. And, what they found was even more surprising. They could (and did) create a customized shopping cart like this one in much less time, for much less money.

The total price tag for all of their needs? £50,000. Just 1/5 the cost quoted for the canned solution.

Success: How one company faced down massive datamart challenge with Web-based BI

With 15 companies, representing 8 separate industries, flexible Web reporting was not only key, but crucial to keeping Bosselman Energy Company's employees informed, and able to do their jobs at top levels.

And, with more than 15 million records in their datamart and more than 600,000 records being added each month, Bosselman had an even bigger challenge on their hands. See how they rose to meet it»

Web design Tip: Exploring the Hidden workings of m-Painter

When m-Power introduced its m-Painter features, we talked about the advantages it gives developers to create the look of their Web apps on the fly, and handed you the top 5 reasons to use it.

But...we may not have given you a breakdown of some of the features at your fingertips. Here's a quick overview of the toolbar features.