Gone are the days when cutting edge technology belonged solely to big corporations and institutions. Today consumers and small businesses alike have access to a wealth of computing applications, equipment, and devices brimming with power and sophistication. We’re talking about advanced mobile technologies, data-center consolidation, server virtualization, SaaS, PaaS, outsourced data security and backup, and cloud computing. This technology, coupled with the natural flexibility and affinity for innovation inherent to many small businesses, may actually give them a competitive advantage over larger companies.

As further testimony to this trend, a recent post at Informationweek pointed to the fact that many tech firms are actually optimistic about the continued growth of these technologies even as sales in other industries are stagnating and declining in response to a weakened economy. A significant part of this market consists of small businesses eager to trim operating expenses and improve the efficiency and efficacy of their operations.

As technology continues to advance, and more people get comfortable with the idea of using it for their businesses, we can expect the emergence of population of tech savvy small businesses that will keep the big guys on their toes.

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.

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.

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.

DocuShare Express is a Web-based electronic filing system specifically designed for smaller businesses that provides storage and retrieval for a wide range of paper and digital content, such as Microsoft Office files, scanned documents, e-mails, blogs, and wikis. The application comes with a quick install process and seamlessly integrates with Xerox hardware using the new Extensible Interface Platform (EIP) connector. This feature allows scanned documents to be stored, viewed, and even edited.

With the release of DocuShare Express, smaller businesses will now have access to a savvy, multi-featured content and document management solution at an affordable price. (The entry-list price for businesses in the U.S. is $1,800.) There is even an option to upgrade to the more advanced versions of DocuShare family, such as DocuShare CPX.

All this brouhaha is for good reason. Cloud computing represents a fundamental change in the way consumers and businesses are using their computers and mobile devices, and it is a trend that small businesses cannot afford to overlook.

The following is a simple guide to cloud computing and how it can be used to enhance your small business:

What is cloud computing?

First of all, the “cloud” is just another name for the Internet, and thus cloud computing really refers to any services and applications that are hosted and accessed via the web.

It came about as a convergence of several technology trends namely, software as a service (SaaS), Web 2.0, open source software, and grid computing.

How can cloud computing be used in the small business?

Cloud computing allows small businesses to remotely manage and store information, and access customized software or services from virtually any device with Internet access.

Popular small business SaaS applications involve customer relationship management, finance and accounting programs, human resource management, and document collaboration

Small businesses can also use cloud computing technology to boost their storage capacity via online storage services and create online backup and archiving accounts.

What are some popular applications currently being used by small businesses?

Google Apps- for “…a custom email address, tools for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations, a shared calendaring system and access to a flexible intranet system.”

Salesforce.com- specializes in on-demand customer relationship management (CRM) software and services

Infusion CRM- provides a web-based, centralized customer management

Netsuite- offers “integrated web-based business software suite, including Accounting software / ERP software, CRM software, and Ecommerce software.”

QuickBooks Online- “Online accounting software for small businesses–keep track of expenses, invoice clients and manage payroll…”

FieldOne offers full management suite for service professionals and businesses with industry specific applications, such as HVAC software in addition to general order tracking and other broad business automation.

Also check out…

SAP recently unveiled its own software package called Business ByDesign offering a range of on-demand enterprise applications via a dashboard.

What are the benefits of cloud computing?

• Reduce hardware and software expenses: Cloud computing allows small businesses to save on expensive hardware, software, and maintenance costs since data and applications are being held on remote servers. (This may be particularly attractive to new small businesses since it reduces start-up costs). Most companies have affordable monthly rates so expenses can be spread out comfortably over time.

• Increase ease and flexibility: Users can access their business services and applications through almost any device with an Internet connection including laptops, mobile phones, and PDA’s. It is also easy to add new users to the system when you need them.

• Streamline your IT department: Cloud computing allows your in-house IT department to focus on projects that can enhance the business and be free from the more mundane tasks, such as dealing with glitches in the software or maintaining the company’s servers.

What are the drawbacks or concerns with cloud computing?

The two biggest concerns for small businesses are downtime and security. If your service provider’s network is down, it can bring your whole business to a grinding halt. And many are still wary about the security of data stored and accessed in the cloud.

Earlier this week, Delta Air Lines announced that will be offering broadband Internet access on all its domestic flights. Starting next fall, Wi-Fi will be available to passengers in first-class and economy seats for a flat fee of $9.95 for short flights of three hours or less and 12.95 for longer flights.

Passengers will be able to connect to the Internet through Aircell’s “Gogo” portal from any device that has a built-in wireless transmitter, including smartphones, PDAs, MIDs, and laptops. Using a system of 100 sky bound cell towers scattered throughout the US, AirCell can secure the entire coast-to-coast connection.

Once an airplane equipped with Wi-Fi reaches an alttitude10,000 feet, passengers can turn on their electronic devices and log on via Gogo’s website.

Aside from Delta, both American Airlines and Virgin America, have reportedly signed contracts with Aircell and are testing the service on their flights. And Southwest Airlines is also planning on offering Wi-Fi service available sometime next year.

Coming in the wake of its informative Server How-To Center, bMighty has created another guide for small and mid-sized businesses that offers practical information on using document imaging to save money and maximize workflow efficiency.

The site contains several free downloadable guides, with titles such as “Document Imaging, Simplified,” and “7 Steps to Document Imaging” as well as a growing collection of pertinent articles and resources culled from the Web, case studies, videos, and other useful information.

If you are thinking of bringing document imaging into your business this site is definitely worth checking out.

If you are thinking of bringing wireless communication to your business, it is important to familiarize yourself with the different technologies. Here is a brief rundown of the major wireless standards:

Bluetooth Technology:

Bluetooth is a wireless networking standard that provides short-range (about 10 meters) connectivity to electrical devices such as cell phones, computers and their peripherals, notebooks, and PDA’s. Data is transmitted via small radio transmitter/receivers installed in each electronic device.

There are several benefits to using this technology. Firstly, it does away with all the wires, connectors, and attachments needed to connect your peripherals to your computer system- whether you are in the office or on the go. Next, Bluetooth technology is pretty inexpensive- which is perfect for a cash-strapped small business. This technology is also easy to use with little user input. Finally, Bluetooth devices need very little power to operate and thus are particularly suitable for data transfers among low-powered handhelds where battery life is critical.

Wi-Fi:

Wi-Fi is a wireless technology that can support a wireless Local Area Network and provides high-speed access to the Internet with data transmission rates approaching 54Mbps. The most popular Wi-Fi standard is the one used in the D-Link router, 802.11b. Wi-Fi networks operate over a limited range: 32 m (120 ft) indoors and 95 m (300 ft) outdoors. Most new laptops and desktop computers come with built-in wireless transmitters. If your equipment doesn’t support wireless communication then you can purchase a wireless adapter that plugs into the PC card slot or USB port.

Most Wi-Fi access points are run privately within homes or businesses, but there are also numerous public WiFi access points or “hotspots.” According to JiWire, Wi-Fi is currently available at more than 220,000 public hotspots and tens of millions of homes, corporations, and university campuses throughout the world.

3G:

3G is the third generation of mobile phone network standards and technologies. With 3G, network operators can offer users a wide range of advanced services within a mobile environment including: wireless voice telephony, video calls, broadband wireless data and HSPA data transmission.

In contrast to Wi-Fi, 3G networks are wide area networks, which means you can hook up from virtually anywhere- a park, a moving car, a commuter train. This added flexibility, however, comes with a higher price tag. You can expect to shell out a few hundred dollars a month on equipment and services.

WiMAX:

WiMAX is an emerging technology that provides high-throughput broadband connections to a large geographic area. Considered the successor to Wi-Fi, WiMAX provides improved performance and usage over much greater distances. WiMax supports peak data speeds of about 70mbps, with average user data rates between 1mbps and 10mbps and can be used for a number of applications, such as “last mile” broadband connections, hotspots and T1- type connections for businesses.

But in order to maximize the benefits of having off-site workers, small businesses must set up a solid infrastructure with an emphasis on up-to-date technology, adequate IT support for their remote workers, and network security.

To that end, you should check out Michael Healey’s article in InformationWeek 6 Top Technologies for Remote Office Support… and 2 to Avoid, in which he examines server virtualization, desktop virtualization, IP telephony, WAN optimization, UTM (unified threat management) appliances and Instant Messaging. With each technology he offers its “promise” and then provides a “reality check” of sorts, detailing the technology’s limitations and the things you should consider.

If your small business is or will be relying on a remote workforce, you can save yourself a headache or two by doing things right from the beginning.