HR Newsletter

Which Technology Trends Should You Pursue?

When it comes to technology, small business owners face lots of questions. Not usually blessed with dedicated IT departments, owners and managers must figure out what the new technology is, whether they need it, and if so, how to integrate it into their existing systems and operations. Here are overviews we compiled of a few current tech trends to help answer some of those questions.

Windows Vista
Microsoft's new operating system generated a lot of buzz when it was introduced at the end of January. And rightly so – Vista's looks are slick, with transparent, animated windows, and it offers new search technology and enhanced security (although if you already use a security suite, you won't see much added protection). But these extras come at a price: upgrades to the new system aren't cheap, and the software requires a fairly new, robust machine to handle all the new features. James Gaskin of ITWorld.com's Small Business area estimates that each new Vista user will cost their organization between $3,250 and $5,000 – for new PCs with the proper hardware, copies of the Vista and Office software (installed and tested), and back-end servers to run Vista's new collaboration features. While some of those costs may not apply to you, it would be wise to also consider the cost of lost productivity and training your staff will need as they adjust to the new computing environment.

So, should you rush out and upgrade? According to Reid Goldsborough, author of Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway, all signs point to "not really." While Vista has shown to be reliable and an improvement over XP, most businesses will be best served by waiting until it's time to replace your current computers. Since many companies try to rotate their hardware on a four- to five-year schedule, that should give Microsoft plenty of time to work out any minor bugs in the Vista system. If you do choose to wait to buy your new machines pre-loaded with Vista, you can be sure they've got plenty of horsepower. However, if you're an "early adopter" or enjoy having the latest techie status symbols, Goldsborough states, it won't hurt you to upgrade to Vista now.

Software as a Service (SaaS)
No, that's not a typo. Having the two lower-case "a"s in "SaaS" is perfectly acceptable… although so is SAAS, and software-as-a-service (hyphenated or not).

SaaS is a "software delivery method that provides access to software and its functions remotely as a Web-based service." What this means is that some software programs are available as if they were websites – you would use them over the Internet, without having to download the software directly to your computer. You may already use some programs that have SaaS-like features: think of your antivirus software's "live update" features, Microsoft's Office Live, or even online gaming or video-on-demand.

According to Roger Greene, CEO of Ipswitch, the best-known SaaS provider is arguably Salesforce.com. It provides customer relationship management software through the web as a service. Salesforce.com succeeds in this arena by providing high-quality software that meets a need most businesses face, and by offering customization and IT support for that software (for a price, of course). This results in a solution that fits most companies well. While this software delivery method is touted as able to reduce your IT investment (by reducing costs for licenses, servers, and even IT staff), it's not appropriate for all types of software, and it doesn't eliminate IT costs. So, should you pursue SaaS? Maybe – if the software is something you need and the costs seem appropriate.

New Nanotechnology
Microprocessors – the chips that power your PC – are "so yesterday," according to Baltimore Sun technology columnist Mike Himowitz. Intel announced recently that it has made advances in the area of nanotechnology, which involves building electronic circuits or mechanical devices at the molecular or atomic level.

Intel's recent developments represent the first fundamental change in the way electronic circuits are produced since the 1960s. Until now, circuits have used silicon dioxide as the insulation for its microscopic transistors. But the new advances use an alloy of an element called halfnium, which is much less likely to leak electricity.

If that chemistry/physics speak is too scientific for you, consider how the new technology will be evidenced in our lives. Himowitz predicts that, as circuits become even smaller, packing in even more transistors (tiny switches) in miniscule amounts of space, we'll see super-powerful computers that are pocket-sized – as well as tiny machines that are able to crawl through a cancer patient's bloodstream, delivering drugs directly to the surface of tumors. While the new chip design will take some time to trickle into the retail market, these advances ensure that the continual progression of computers growing faster and cheaper at the same time is a trend that won't stop anytime soon.

"Windows Vista: How Clear is the View?" Reid Goldsborough. National Federation of Independent Business. www.nfib.com.
"The Vista Budget Vacuum," James Gaskin. www.ITworld.com.
"The Truth About Vista," John Mello. www.smallbizresource.com.
"SaaS," SmallBusinessComputing definition. http://sbc.webopedia.com.
"Software-as-a-Service Myths," Business Week.
"SaaS and the Small Business," IT Business Edge.
"Vista pales next to news of new nano technique," Mike Himowitz, Baltimore Sun. February 1, 2007.

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