We were reading up on some of the capacity issues that have started to creep into broadband solutions since there are now more than 15 million people using VOIP and the more recent move to complete digital broadcasts by TV stations the bandwidth and performance has to expand. Back in 2005 the CIO of AT&T at the time made this statement “IP will eat everything,” simply meaning that the growing complexity and demand on the system at that will eventually use some type of internet based protocols to manage everything from voice, data, and video over IP. He went onto say that many businesses will not be prepared to scale up their infrastructure in order to handle the demand that will be placed on these systems. Now we fast forward to 2009 and this is certainly holding true as more and more companies are putting multimedia training on their networks in order to reduce travel and reduce time away from their customers. Even AdvancedMC or also know as the Advanced Mezzanine card were built on the standard PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturers Group (PICMG), in order to help manufacturers and designers to create a common platform from which to develop high end solutions for companies internal networking structure. Companies are using these solutions in order to help with their converged IP platforms to handle the growing demand. So some of the things that we researched that can help companies reduce some of the errors and technical downtime are listed below:

1. A companies failure to mover their legacy systems from their existing networks to IP solutions. Many companies are trying to bridge over the two technologies and you will find bottle nexk at the blade server in order to accommodate that various speed and size requirements.
2. There is a failure to properly plan for and implement systems that will meet traffic requirements that will be needed by the company and your employees.
3. A neglect to bring in your IT admin and outside vendors to help design and develop new services that you place on your servers on top of the IP networks.
4. Lacking the vision and planning to have enough peak capacity to meet large spikes that may take place during normal operating processes.
5. Lastly and one of the most common issues for converged IP systems is the complete disregard for and development of open standards and protocols. Many vendors will have a solution, but they may be proprietary to their equipment and software and do not allow for simple upgrades and expansion.

To help most companies expand their capacity and not get caught with over used IP configurations there is now the AdvancedTCA node blade called the AT8050 from Kontron. We were able to pull down their informational video from Youtube to help you get a closer look at this impressive add on that will help you upgrade your IP configuration without having to reconfigure your main switches or chassis. They have built this blade node on the Intel Xeon quad core processor opting not to go with the dual core processor and DDR3 memory in order to provide a more scalable solution.

Lastly companies today should be implementing converged IP solutoins focused on Solutions Over IP rather than one small area in order to be flexible in meeting growing demands and meet targets of quality, reliability, and scalability.

With the success of the iPhone there was sure to be competitors coming onto the market. Today every major carrier has their version of a touch screen phone that is trying to entice current customers to try their new gadget. Even Google got into the game with their G1 phone that had a lot of press before it launched and then was upstaged by the new Blackberry Storm. With all the iPhones in use people are looking for ways to protect their investment with iphone cases that can help protect their screen without limiting the functionality of the phone. This has created a new market to find a solution to protect these touch screen phones while keeping the look visible. No one wants to spend several hundred dollars on a new phone and then have to hide it away in some enclosed case.

The folks at zagg.com offer the invisibleShield that uses a new technology that actually covers the entire phone in a 2 mil thick shield that is virtually indestructible. They offer iphone skins that will cover and protect your entire iPhone with a thin polyurethane film that was originally introduced in the military to protect helicopter blades. It is like getting a see through iphone case that will protect your investment while allowing you to proudly display your new communication tool. You can view their video online about how they test the invisibleShield and what it can withstand. The great thing is that you can order online and have it shipped within a few days. It can also be taken off without leaving behind a sticky residue which is not the same with some of the aftermarket screen protectors that you will find for the iPhone. I have seen these at our local mall and you can barely tell that there is anything on the phone plus you can order this same protection layer for your digital cameras, laptops, and other cell phones.

In Europe the access and availability of high speed Broadband has been around much longer and here in the US we are catching up with the availability. Even some of the local power companies have started looking at existing infrastructure on how they can offer broadband access to their customers over power lines. Once this technology is improved you will have another competitor to cell phone companies who are leading the way the current 3G technology for mobile broadband applications . Even the makers of hardware are seeing the advancements and are starting to make and offer the sub $300 laptop that is geared specifically for surfing the web. This is geared for those that are looking to surf the internet and stay connected to their friends via their social networks without the expense and burden of a bulkier laptop.

If you are unsure of which mobile or land based broadband provider to consider then you may want to check out http://www.broadbandexpert.com/ where they help to compare speeds, price, and quality of the various vendors. They have some great features that allow you to side by side the data speeds, contract price, and ratrgings of each provider in a simple grid. This can help users who are looking to expand their connectivity understand which deal might be best for them. Having mobile broadband is essential if you do a lot of on the go computing and do not want to be tied down to wi-fi hotspots which in most cases charge between $9-$15 per day.

I was at the mall today with the family and noticed one of the music stores selling cell phones specifically equipped for MySpace. This has been something we have written about in the past. The company that can merge the social networking craze with mobile technology will have a very good niche to sell into. The next frontier will being able to easily blog about activity from your cell phone to provide instant news for the many bloggers that are online today. Cell phone companies are stepping up their connectivity speeds and they are all claiming to be number one in 3g speed so it is getting really tough to separate all the noise from the true benefits of each carrier.

The phones that they offer are becoming more distinct like the new Verizon Flip Phones like the Motorola Krave. One of the first flip styles phones that still has the latest touch screen features and offers the exclusive Vcast so that you can watch your favorite shows and sports team right on your phone. Plus with its enhanced browser viewing websites and social marketing pages like Facebook has become more natural and easier for the end user. It has a ton of features, but one that caught our attention was the ability to be able to print to a compatible printer directly from your phone. How cool is that!!!

Getting the Spiders to notice

Here’s are some ideas that we came across to help you get your blog noticed by the Search engines:

1. if you get your site’s link in the path of the search engine spider or robot of your choice, in this case Googlebot, if may follow it.
2. the way to get it to follow the link is to make sure it can “see” your link
3. if your content fills a need that the search engine’s database of links has, it will include your link, and,
4. if your link fills a deficit better than any other site, in accordance with Google’s secret formula or algorithm, it will rank your page well.

So now, the only missing component necessary to our success is now finding out how to be the best site Google finds for a category that has a deficit.

One of the strengths of Google, as perceived by people who like it, is the vast amount of fresh content it contains that is relevant to almost any topic, or keyword, typed into it, no matter how narrow or broad

This year at the CES 2009 there were some new monitors and equipment introduced that will make viewing broad band content on your TV and PC much more attractive. The buzz that seemed to be all around was Full HD. This is signaling the growing demand for Blu-Ray players so makers like Samsung are offering true 1080P monitors to compliments their extensive line of HD TV’s. As consumers walked the floors their branded badge lanyards they sought to understand what technology was available now and which ones were soon to be released.full HD simply means that the monitor can display in 16:9 aspect as opposed to the 16:10 ratio that is common on most screens today.
The move to Full HD is simple: This will enable the consumer to watch 1080P programs that are streamed via their broadband connection with having to stretch or shrink the original picture. And with Samsungs new LCD monitors you will be able to connect your new full HD monitor to your laptop a very impressive feature. The last item worth mentioning is the all in one PC that will become a major installation in many homes as the move to view broadband via streaming video over the internet becomes more common place.
So if you are fortunate enough to find yourself at next years trade show grab your free branded retractable badge reels that most of the companies are handing out to help display your pvc cards for ID and really take the time visit the booths and ask questions. Todays shows are highlighting the future of what

As the access to broadband grows and providers continually add more capacity to their systems you  will see more and more broadband deals. Companies will be competing for your business and are even offering free laptops to obtain your connection. Sites like FaceBook, MySpace, and  LinkedIn are helping to expand wireless broadband as people are wanting to stay connected no matter where they and want the ability to chat and check up on their friends anywhere they are. As more and more companies increase their mobile broadband offers the customer will ultimately win. This is similar to what we saw with the phone companies back in the early 90’s when they started offering unlimited local and long distance calling. They saw that customers had more choices and with the internet and high speed access was growing they had to retain their customers.

Now broadband companies are offering free equipment and the actual connections devices called dongles tolure more and more customers to their offers.Many people are confused about the actual use of a dongle. Dongles are a piece of computer hardware that connects to a desktop or a laptop most often at the back of a computer to the parallel port. This little piece of hardware can work as a device to extend a connection from one piece of hardware to another or it can also work as a security measure that will have a separate code in order to allow the user to have access to certain applications. It allows devices to connect to the mobile internet without the need to be a near a Wi-Fi hotspot.

Getting customers to your website and purchasing your services or product is half the battle. Keeping them coming back is another challenge. Companies that use CRM software have the ability to grow the relationship with their customers and enhance their buying activities. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software gives your company a defined set of metrics to measure customer sales, loyalty, and satisfaction. Customers are demanding a higher level service and do not want to be bothered with the same questions over and over again. Knowing your customer and being able to tailor offerings that match their profile will not only enhance your relationship, but keep them coming back which will increase your profitability. It is known in the business world that it cost 5-6 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep and retain current customers.

In the online business world he who has the information wins. Many companies open up online businesses and rarely capitalize on the data that they collect when a customer comes to their site either to visit or make a purchase. Those companies that can link the customers purchase patterns to future sales and then create a unique shopping experience for that end use will grow and prosper. Using lead management software a business can effectively target specific niche customers that usually end spending more money and are customers for a longer period of time. You can find some of the great lead management features of AIMCRM.com to help you in your online efforts. AIMcrm can help you increase your sales and increase your customer loyalty through proper sales management software. Understanding your customers using the analytical tools that they offer will give you the tools to grow your business. In the business world it is 10 times more costly to obtain a new customer than it is to keep one. Since you already have the customer why not make them feel unique.

Creating customer value whether it be through offering special discounts on shipping or a percentage off on their next purchase is a great step in creating lasting customer value. Using CRM you can capture this information along with other comments to enhance your engagement with the customer.

Even with all the high end technology that we have for creating documents and paperwork there is still an abundant amount that is printed out and left in files and on desktops. Companies attempt to use various forms of document scanning to preserve these hard copy documents but with little success. The rules for record retention and safeguarding information has gotten more strict over the past few years that there remains an incredible liability risk is a company or small business just relies on keeping hard copy documents in a file drawer. Any one that has been through an HR review, employee lawsuit, or other litigation knows the pain staking nature of compiling documents that might be relevant to the case. Having them in a digital format that is safe from destruction can save valuable time and resources.

with the help of specialty document scanning companies like Record Nations they can help to archive and safeguard your documents for future searches and filings. They have resources and personnel that are trained to archive your documents instead of relying on an internal employee or employees to complete this time consuming task. They have an interesting fact that a 80 GB hard drive can store up to 2.7 million documents which not only saves space, but can be indexed so that finding documents can be done in seconds and not hours. So not only is document scanning a space and time saver it can also help you focus on your main business priorities such as driving market share and increasing revenues.

Traditionally, the term Dongle has referred to any USB device; nevertheless, with the current rise of mobile broadband and the authority of a few large wireless companies, the word dongle has become synonymous with mobile broadband modems.

Simply stated, mobile broadband dongles are portable modems that plug into your laptop or desktop computer’s USB port to provide mobile Internet access over a 3G network. Dongles are popular with users who want the accessibility of being able to access the Internet where ever there is a mobile phone network. Dongles offer great flexibility and increased broadband range for Internet use on the go.

Currently in the UK, there are five companies that are at the forefront of mobile broadband service, T-Mobile, 3, Vodafone, Orange and O2, coincidentally these are also the major mobile phone providers in the UK.

When deciding which company and package to go with, there are a few things to consider. A major factor when deciding which provider is best for you is usage/download limits because if you go over the limit, this can result in highly monthly bills from a service that you initially thought was a good deal. Pre-determine how much you think you will use mobile broadband.

Remember, if downloading music and movies is your thing, mobile broadband is not for you. Most companies offer a 3GB limit, which is more than adequate for surfing the Internet and checking E-mail. So be sure you understand the download limits and be aware.

With so many mobile phones and laptops being sold these days more and more people are looking to take their internet connection with them on the go. This has lead to some great leaps in technology for mobile broadband most notably 3g networks. The battle has escalated between mobile carriers and the broadband carriers to secure their customers no matter where they may be trying to access the internet. Mobile broadband is nice in that you are not limited to just Wi-Fi hotspots. This has helped social network sites like FaceBook and Myspace to grow beyond their traditional base of home PC users to virtually anyone and anywhere in the world. There are applications that are in use now that allow mobile users to find their friends instantly and locate other friends in their network while they are out and about. This can lead to a social gathering that can take place in a matter of minutes with little to no planning. Many of the major carriers have invested billions to grow and expand their capacity and it is now starting to pay off as more phones and laptops are being used to be access the internet and able to view streaming video and other content. The future looks bright for mobile broadband as our culture becomes more connected and people are not wanting to wait to get home to interact with their friends on their social network.

At sites like Mobile Broadband Genie they are keeping their finger on the mobile broadband market and have some great insight and resources on what is the advantage of the different networks, costs associated with the service, and new technologies that are coming out. They have recently revamped their site to make the content very easy to find and read so that even the newbies to the market can find and answer to their question. With their comparison section it enables the user to find the best deal for them including some specials that are being run where get a free laptop. Now keeping in mind that the service is slightly more than a regular plan it is nice to not have that large cash purchase if you are trying to go mobile. You can find which providers are offering the most competitive deals and see how they are rated.

Security in schools have become more sophisticated and more intense. With broadband cameras that can monitor every area of the school and campus and be monitored from off site in the event of an issue. My daughter’s middle school now requires that all students have school ids attached to lanyards that are visible to any teacher or staff on campus.  This is done so that school officials can tell quickly if there are people on school grounds that should not be there and be able to act quicker.There are schools across the country that have gone a step further and made it mandatory to have school uniforms even in public schools. Many schools use to send out their printing to local photographers in order to have their id badges done but this slowed the turn around time and increased cost to the school. There are advantages to having your own in-house card system that can print id cards on demand …

• ID cards can now be produced and handed to students at the point of contact and no more waiting on the printer and their schedule.
• Schools now have complete control over the design and production and this makes for a great Student council project to add responsibility to their duties.
• With just a few clicks of the mouse the school can replace lost cards or print them out for a new student
• Plus having and on site id card can be used to print visitor badges, fund raising cards, activity passes and custom designs for special projects.
• Keeping a supply of badge reels or lanyards only minimizes the added expense and expedite the access to the cards with less of a strain of the school budget.

There are a lot of options when it comes to protecting your home and family from potential intruders. When looking at Security System things such as easy to install, expandable, and 24/7 monitoring should be on your check list. At LaserShield they have taking those item in mind when designing their systems. As you can see by the pictures below they are very compact and mobile. They incorporate infared detection systems to make them easy to install and expand the original system.

The LaserShield systems are not only easy to set up and install, but can be purhcase at retailers such as Home Depot, CompUsa, and Costco. The system operate by detecting an intruder and instantly notifying the monitoring service. They will try and call your house, and if no one answers police are dispatched. You can read about the monitoring system and how you can create an account online. Demo

Also, since the system is wireless it can be expanded very easily. It can even be monitored remotely, meaning that you can dial in, arm/disarm the system, and even activate a listening mode to monitor the pets or babysitter.

You should always try and compare broadband services when you can to find the right price and service that will meet your needs. Broadband can be found in two different and it is important to understand the differences. There is High speed DSL and Cable. DSL can be more affordable but you must consider how far away you far from the source. As you travel farther away from the DSL junction point you have the potential to loose speed.

There has been a big push from the major cable carriers to get you on their broadband phone service. Vonage is the leader as of today but that soon could change. With the broad availability of broadband using VOIP has become more economical and the regular land line is fading quickly. We have found a great community and forum on Vonage . Vonage is the leader in Voice Over IP (VOIP). We were able to get a question answered by reviewing the posts on using your existnig house wiring to incorporate Vonage into our home. Also, there are great ideas on how to maximize your phone and internet connection so that are minimal disruptions. They currently list over 34,000 members that have signed up for the forum.

Whether you are small business just getting on the web or a medium sized firm with years of experience nothing can prepare your company for a sudden loss in data. Online Storagehas become more popular to help mitigate the risk of having your data and files in one central location. Companies like IBackup offers online backup and storage and offer some great features to the consumer as well your business platform. They offer support and backup for different systems such as Windows, Mac, Linux and others. Your online storage can easily be mapped and restored via an easy to use interface.

With multiple sub accounts you can manage files remotely from your team if you are spread across the country. These network mapped drives will reside remotely so that they can be accessed from any web browser. They provide 128 bit-SSL encryption for added security in the event you have sensitive information that needs to be stored or retrieved. They even offer a feature that allows you to manage your backups via a hand held device like your blackberry.

There is a new blog on the block called The Fish. It is written around a new discovery search engine called Repliqa. The owner is Mark Serement, who writes about business issues and discovery engines. He also chronicles is trips abroad as he looks to find partners for his new discovery engine, Repliqa. So I asked my self, “What is a discovery engine?” There are some examples out there like Pandora, or Stumbleupon. Mark defines discovery as this “.. discovery as coming across something that you didn’t know you were looking for. If you search for something you already know the path you want for the most part.”

So take Stumbleupon, as an example:You load a tool bar on your IE browser and, as you go aobut your daily surfing you can rate various sites, by giving them a thumbs up or thumbs down. If you uncover a unique site then you can rate it and leave your tag, so that other Stumlers may come across it and know what other thought. It is quite an interesting concept to this point. As you create your account you then set your preferences, and as you search for a term such as free traffic, and click on Stumble in your toolbar it will take you to your identified search along with other sites that other users have Stumbled across that may in that same interest.

Hosting your site at a shared provider can make or break your business. If customers are trying to access your site, and get a Server not available message they are more like to look elsewhere. At Hosting Zoom they have implemented a new cluster technology that distributes the loads of a shared host across multiple servers. They mirror their email,databases, and websites in real time, in the event of problem, to help keep your site active.

Here is a great visual on how the technology actually works

They have plans starting at $7.95 per month with loads of features that you would expect from higher end plans. You can even host up to 20 websites on one account.

Broadband TV has given us the opportunity to share our favorite SNL clips like the Palin v. Biden debate that was recreated with laughter. At this time in our economy these clips can be a helpful escape to forget about the days news.

For many Americans this year they will spend countless hours researching their next TV or toshiba laptop purchase. The internet has made price shopping and information gathering much easier than reading through magazines or visiting various stores. With the availability of broadband it has made shopping sites for LCD monitors from makers like Acer much easier and faster. While most will use the internet to price compare and gather info they will still make their purchase in a store. For these types of purchases you need to physically see the picture as each TV will vary from model to model and manufacturer to manufacturer. When going into the stores the consumer has to also realize that these sets are set at their optimum level and usually showing a high definition video that is meant to highlite the benefits of that particular model.

As the date to go all digital nears many consumers are looking to upgrade their TV sets and their PC monitors and finding a place online that offers a great selection along with a helpful staff can help you avoid the long lines and uneducated sales staff. At online stores like superwarehouse.com they offer over 50K products like from printer cartridges to HDTV sets. So if you are looking to get a head start on your Christmas shopping and want to take advantage of some of the great deals then now is the time to check them out.

This was a great role for Tina Fey and her role playing the Republican Vice President candidate Sara Palin. She was spot on and sparked a lot of conversation on what this role will look like as the Presidential race heats up.

To gain more traffic you can focus on these three things to get you started. First, you need to know which keywords you are targeting. Don’t try and go after the most popular such as Advertising, as it will be next to impossible to compete against the corporate giants. Try and make it as specific as possible such as Advertising in Chicago, or Advertising Blogs. Next you will want to optimize your key word or words to your page. Don’t dump them all on one page, but spread them out. And never just load a page at the bottom with keywords, and then make them white so they blend in with the background. Even though your customers cannot see them, the search engines will, and they will consider that keyword spamming which will only count against you.

Lastly, find partner sites to link to you. Search engines view backlinks as votes for your site. Remember to be cautious of joining link farms, as they could potentially have a negative effect on your placement. There have even been postings about linking to bad sites that can hurt you in the eyes of Google. It is important to link to similar sites and blogs and this will increase your traffic and search engine rankings.

Vishing Beware I just read this artilce today on a new scheme that is called Vishing. While most are familiar with the Phishing schemes. There are many anti spam filtering options that you can enable either through your personal email or businesses email accounts.  Where you receive an email from your bank or PayPal letting you know that your account has been compromised, and you need to log in and verify information. While the site you log into looks just like your bank or PayPal site, they are actually not, and then gather your information to use to open credit under your name, or wipe out your PayPal account. Now it appears that they are moving to VOIP customers as their next target. They find VOIP numbers, and then through the internet call customers, disguising their true caller ID, via software, and ask the person to call a specific number to verify their information. They pose as the bank or credit reporting agency, and then there is a series of voice teleprompts that lead the consumer through the verification process. Please be warned. If asked call the number on your bank statement or back of your credit card.There are options for hosted email filtering that can help capture and eliminate many of the threats that people are seeing everyday.

This has spurred on more creative ways for hackers with malicious intent send loads of traffic to a website of their choosing to try and disrupt service, or take down the site. Once they crack into a server through a malicious email that will drop some code that enable a backdoor for unsuspecting hackers. For businesses inadequate Email protection can mean $1000’s in lost revenue, and lost customers. Some of these attacks are for political reasons from foreign countries, others are computer hackers that are just seeing what they can get away with. Using Email protection and other spyware they can really cause a lot of problems with company servers. Some have even been so bold as to post their accomplishments on bulletin boards thinking that they could never be traced. To protect your online investment there is now. What’s very nice is that the service does not require you to change servers, or buy any additional equipment.

All types of malware has been around for almost 25 years already and, every year, millions of people and businesses lose valuable data to viruses, Trojans, worms and other related malicious code. Why do these seem to always affect PC? The Windows system has left itself open to code problems, and they dominate the computer world.At times, this data is irrecoverable. The malware toll is not only on your data but also on your system settings and resources, PC performance and Internet connections making it impossible to work or play without adequate protection. You may have downloaded something by accident, and remember that those free music and game downloads usually come with some sort of spyware, so be sure to read their privacy policy very closely.

Find your single source for all virus information

Protecting your PC against viruses and spyware does not have to be an expensive procedure. Make sure you have the latest patches for your operating system. Insure that you have the latest updates to your virus software such as Norton Antivirus. You can download Norton Antivirus 2007 here if you need to check.Increase your internet security by enabling the firewall that already comes with your router.