Why VoIP Should Get VIP Treatment in Your Small Business

Over the past few years, an increasing number of small and midsized businesses have been dumping their traditional phone systems in favor of VoIP (voice over Internet Protocal) and IP-PBX (Internet Protocal private branch exchange). And this trend only promises to get stronger in light of the current economic climate where a small business’ flexibility, efficiency, and productivity is all the more critical to its survival.

If your small business has yet to adopt VoIP technology, you may want to give it some serious consideration. The following are some of the benefits of upgrading to a VoIP system:

Cost Savings: For many small businesses the biggest draw to VoIP is its low cost. At the most basic level, VoIP has minimal hardware requirements: a sound card, speakers and a microphone. For more advanced services you may need headsets, IP-enabled phones, and a physical IP-PBX box.

Calls made over VoIP are dramatically cheaper than those made via a PSTN phone service. Businesses can use VoIP between computers with downloadable free software like Skype or Asterisk. For more feature-rich services, there are several commerical options, such as the Asterisk Business Edition, but even the cost of these for-pay services are generally much lower than the equivalent standard phone service.

Simplicity: The combination of an IP PBX system with a VoIP telephone service allows voice and data to be handled by one set of network protocols and wiring. As a result of this unified system, your company can benefit from lowered expenses, simpler management and greater functionality in general.

Features: Many VoIP systems are rich in features. Some common features include: off-site call forwarding, extension dialing, voice-mail boxes, audio conferencing, and auto attendants to answer the phone and direct calls.

Flexibility: VoIP will give your employees the ability to work from anywhere that has a fast and reliable Internet connection. You can use VoIP to make both national and international calls from one PC to another or from a PC to a landline. You can even have a VoIP account on your mobile phone.

 

Life on the Cyber Farm

In recent years, the agricultural industry has made tremendous gains in productivity and efficiency with the emergence of wireless communications, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Position Systems (GPS), information management tools, and Internet-based software and services.

Today, many mainstream farmers across the US are relying on these technologies and tools to maximize their operations and decision-making. Precision agriculture, as the practice is called, uses a Real Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning and tracking system to provide farmers with autosteer guidance, soil mapping, fleet management, asset tracking, inventory management, and vehicle tracking.

Though there are a few companies offering this technology, such as John Deere and Trimble, their products have some common characteristics. These systems allow the operator to visualize the farm site in real time (usually from a dedicated display) in 3-D and to have real time two-way communication with assets. With this technology, farmers can multi-task, produce straight crop rows with sub-inch accuracy, reduce idle time, lessen the wear and tear on machinery, and engage in precision seeding and spraying.

And that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Other companies are coming up with unique tools and products to help farmers farm better. Last year, Leica Geosystems introduced a unique feature called the Virtual Wrench. This web-based diagnostics and servicing tool allows Leica service technicians to remotely reach into any system via the Internet to fix problems and fine-tune equipment while field work is underway. The operator merely presses a button to request a Leica Virtual Wrench service technician and soon afterward receives a return call.

According to a recent article in Farm Industry News, Leica now plans to use the same technology for its Virtual Wrench product to provide farmers remote access to all aspects of the farming operation via the Web. The farmer just needs to got to the website where he can not only monitor operations, but send information to operators in the field and control any software enabled variables. This service will also be available for mobile devices, such as smartphones.

 

Cut Costs by Using HP to Bring Your Marketing In-House

One of the most important keys to running a successful small business is effective marketing. But you may think that investing in professional-looking fliers, brochures, newsletters, and letterheads will be a big strain on your operating budget. According to HP, it does not have to be…

HP is making it easier (and more affordable!) for small businesses to create their own low cost marketing materials. Recently, HP introduced two new color laser printers, HP Color LaserJet CP2025 Printer and the HP Color LaserJet CM2320 MFP that were specifically designed for the small and growing small business. These machines are the latest in HP’s line of low budget equipment and tools that includes a series of Officejet All-in-One devices, an online community called the Marketing Impressions Portal with helpful marketing tools, guides, and templates, as well an In-House Marketing Starter Kit.

According to a recent study of printing costs in the US, HP claims that small businesses can save as much as 50% with in-house printing as opposed using professional printing services.

In-house marketing is also brings to smaller businesses an added measure of flexibility and versatility that gives them a competitive advantage over bigger businesses.

 With benefits such as these, it’s definitely worth looking into.