tech toolbox
DESCRIPTION
Overview of useful and cost effective applications and services to improve your business and productivity.TRANSCRIPT
TECH TOOLBOX BY LEVI SMITH
Overview of useful and cost effective applications and services to improve your business and productivity
Where we’re headed
Communication
Brainstorming
Document Creation
Document Storage & Sharing
Collaboration
Tackling Information Overload
RoadTools
Other Tools
Terminology
Archiving: Storing email or data for long-term retention usually to satisfy regulatory or legal requirements.
Custom Branding: Ability to customize the site URL, color scheme, logo, etc. to fit company branding.
Collaboration Capable: When internal or external users are able to access documents or data to review, edit, etc. in collaboration with other users. Live Collaboration: When multiple users are able to edit a document together in real-
time. Exchange: A Microsoft server used to send and receive email that is delivered to
Outlook, etc. Hosted: Data stored in a third party data center that is accessible over the
internet, whether through a web browser or local application (e.g. Hosted Exchange accessed via Outlook Web Access site or local Outlook application).
Office Integration: Software that can interact with Microsoft’s Office suite (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) so you can create/update/view Office items (documents, tables, tasks, calendar items, etc.) from within the software.
RSS: A technology that delivers news or blog articles/updates to an RSS reader. Software as Service (SaaS): When a provider licenses a hosted application for
use as a service on demand over the internet (subset of Cloud Computing) VOIP: A phone service that allows voice to be transmitted over broadband (cable,
DSL, T1) internet connections.
Communication: Hosted Email
Hosted Exchange
• Advantages• Familiar interface• Complete mobile support• Outlook offline
synchronization• Office integration
• Disadvantages• Cost for additional space
and online archiving• Extra charge for
blackberry or iphone support
• Cost• $10-15/mailbox/mo for 2
gb• $10/blackberry/mo• $3/iphone/mo
Google Enterprise (Email/Calendar/Contacts/Tasks)
• Advantages• Good value• Archiving included• Free, limited mobile
support• Outlook offline
synchronization• Custom Branding
• Disadvantages• Limited mobile support• Unfamiliar interface• Slow, lots of clicks
• Cost• $5/user/mo for 2 gb
Communication: Other Tools
Fax• eFax (local and toll-free numbers available)
Conference Calls• Freeconferencecall.com (free for toll numbers)
Phone/Auto Attendant/Voicemail• Google Voice (free)• VirtualPBX (auto attendant with call routing;
soft phone available; $10-50/users/mo)• 8x8 (Hosted VOIP; $40/user/mo + phone)
Web Conferencing• GoToMeeting ($470/yr for unlimited webinars
for up to 15 attendees)
Brainstorming
MindJet
• Advantages• Office
integration• Easy to learn
and use• Live
collaboration capable
• Disadvantage• $350/user
FreeMind
• Advantage• Free
• Disadvantages• Less polished
interface• No Office
integration
Document CreationWord processing, spreadsheets & presentations
Open Office
• Advantage• Free
• Disadvantages• Unfamiliar
interface• Limited
features• File format
really limited to open office
Google Enterprise
(Docs)• Advantages
• $5/user/mo• Custom
Branding• Disadvantages
• File formats limited to office, pdf, Google Docs and picture files
• Unfamiliar interface
• Slow, lots of clicks
Office Web
• Coming Fall 2009
• Free light version expected
Document Storage & Sharing
Dropbox
• Advantages• Free for up to 2
gb• Offline
synchronization
• Disadvantages• Unfamiliar
interface• Limited
features
Office Live
• Advantages• Free for up to 5
gb• Office
Integration• Collaboration
capable• Disadvantages• Limited to
office, pdf and picture file formats
Google Enterprise (Docs)
• Advantages• $5/user/mo• Custom
Branding• Offline
synchronization
• Disadvantages• File formats
limited to office, pdf, Google Docs and picture files
• Unfamiliar interface
• Slow, lots of clicks
Collaboration
Hosted SharePoint
(internal)•Advantages
•Familiar interface;•Windows and Office Integration
•Disadvantages•Limited task, calendar and project collaboration
•Cost•$25/mo for 100 users/500 mb•Light version included in some hosted exchange plans
Basecamp (internal & external)
•Advantages•Task and calendar collaboration•Excels as a project management tool
•Disadvantages•Features not as rich as SharePoint•Not intended as a document storage tool
•Cost•$24/mo for 15 projects, 3 gb and unlimited users
Tackling Information Overload
Hire a Virtual Assistant. 5-20 hrs/mo for $12-25/hr depending on experience. Recommend
Secretary In Israel
Use ClearContext, an Outlook plug-in to score and organize email based on
conversation/sender priority instead of date/time received.
Use an RSS reader to keep up to date with news/blog feeds. Recommend Google homepage or Google Reader and Viigo for mobile devices. Use
Tabbloid to schedule a PDF to be created and emailed from RSS feeds.
Use Google Alerts to notify you by email or RSS feed of new results for monitored search
terms
Road Tools
Faxzero.com• Send two, three page faxes a day online
for free
WorldMate• Intelligently assembles and updates travel itineraries
by forwarding reservation emails• iPhone and Blackberry applications available
Remote Access• LogMeIn (free for one computer)
Phone• Skype (free for VOIP calls)
Other Tools
Note taking: evernote.com (local, web and mobile; free version available)
Voicemail to email transcription: phonetag.com ($5-30/mo)
Voice to email transcription: jott.com ($5-30/mo)
Comprehensive Hosted Services & Applications Suite: zoho.com (free version available)
Online backup: mozy.com (First 5 gb free; $0.50 for each additional gb)
File Sharing: filesanywhere.com (secure ftp, rich feature) or drop.io (simple)
Quick & Easy Presentation: drop.io
Free PDF creation: primopdf.com
Free web site analytics: google.com/analytics
Synchronize browser bookmarks across computers: xmarks.com
Free Directory Assistance: goog-411 (via call or SMS)
Free File Format Converter: youconvertit.com
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): salesforce.com
Questions?