Ramon Ray

Can you remember back to the days when having WiFi was a status symbol?

Just about every business person, college student and family member has WiFi built into their computers. What we are now starting to see, more and more, are PC vendors marketing mobile broadband, embedded on our notebook computers.

Notebook computer vendors are more aggressively pushing to have you buy a mobile wireless card that’s built into your computer. Nothing to lose, nothing to break - and you might just get a sweet deal on the monthly service charges.

What’s exciting about this emphasis from WiFi to mobile broadband is that not only can you access the Internet anywhere in the country, but if your travels take you across borders you can use your mobile broadband connectivity there as well. Many vendors are using dual GSM and CDMA wireless technologies, with GSM being quite popular outside of the US, in their mobile broadband platforms.

Regarding the world of cloud computing, If you are a “traditional” mobile professional you have software installed on your computer and save your data to your hard disk or USB key. You are probably more familiar with “My Documents” or your “Desktop” than you are with the local streets in your neighborhood. read more

Today I was speaking to a long time friend of mine, who happens to be an accountant (CPA) and all-around guru in business finances and taxes.

In listening to him, I was reminded that no matter how much technology you purchase and how well you implement it in your business, you need the basics of business properly implemented first. Cash flow. Sales. Marketing. Employees. Location. Business Processes.

In fact you can use technology to do these things better, faster and smarter. But the fundamentals of each of these things is not anchored in technology, they should be anchored in core business fundamentals.

Inc Magazine columnist and serial entrepreneur Norm Brodsky, has a new book The Knack: How Street-Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up and it is filled with insight on the real life fundamental’s of business growth. The book is co-authored by Bo Burlingham, editor-at-large of Inc Magazine and author of another great book, Small Giants.

While you are on the road to growing your business, keep in mind that your expertise, which your business is based on, is important. Maybe you are a florist and sell flowers, or a dentist and have a dental practice or are a graphic designer or design book covers. However, whatever your expertise is, surrounding yourself with and seeking the advice of others who can guide you into how to hire better, sell better, manage your cash flow or retain great employees is the only way your business will really grow. Norm and Bo dispense years of advice in The Knack. read more

Plumbers spend their careers trying out and using all sorts of pipes, wrenches and liquids. Basketball players, I would guess, go through dozens and dozens of sneakers. Florists are experts in a dizzying array of flowers.

As a technologist, I’ve tested and used all sorts of technology over more than 20 years of being in the technology profession. Over the years I’ve found myself wishing for certain things in technology, to end days of aggravation and lost productivity.

Here’s my technology wish list:

Crash-less Software

One of the most annoying and time wasting parts of using technology is when you are working on a long document only to have it crash and you lose all of your work. Or maybe it’s a very useful software application but every once in a while it crashes or causes other programs to crash. read more