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Tech to Get More Social

October 28th, 2011 | Posted by admin in mobility | networking | News | social media - (0 Comments)

As we’re winding down for 2011, predictions for 2012 from research firms are popping up in reports such as, “Tech to Get More Social in 2012, Research Suggests“. Not surprising, one of the predictions in the article mentions social-networking to be prevalent in all phases of IT oriented companies. The report gives special attention to cloud computing and its ability to speed up the process of software development.

The article explains,

“When changes can be made on the fly, companies can deploy once, and then adapt an application as business needs change or become clearer.” It is also envisioned that clever developers in networked environments, the prediction adds, will “challenge traditional systems integrators that are used to hiding behind billable hours and big bang projects.”

This research suggests that if companies want to stay competitive they will be forced to move in the direction of social networking in the workplace. If they can prosper with this technology, it makes good business sense to embark on the latest and greatest. It’s all about money, of course, and if a company can reduce their overhead and be more productive, then more power to them.

Sandy McIntosh

October 28 , 2011

Should Your Business Take a Tumbl?

October 26th, 2011 | Posted by admin in Facebook | marketing | News | social media | Twitter - (0 Comments)

Is Tumblr the next big thing for business in the social media realm? SocialMedia Examiner considers the issue in “Should You Be On Tumblr? Seven Business Case Examples.”

Fans love Tumblr for its ease of use and clean style. Growing quickly, its social sharing capacities rival those of Twitter and Facebook. However, writer Jim Lodico is quick to mention that Tumblr isn’t a panacea:

“Tumblr is not for everyone. The audience tends to be younger, so short, highly visual blog posts tend to do much better than text-intensive posts. If you have trouble obtaining quality photographs and video, Tumblr may not be for you.

“However, the quick setup and simplicity of Tumblr may make it a good choice for those who want to get a blog up and running right now. There is very little learning curve and although it doesn’t have the power of WordPress, it’s also much easier to use.”

The article examines the Tumblr projects of seven businesses, from Huggies diapers to Newsweek Magazine. The profiles are intriguing; check out these cases to decide whether your business is a fit for the Tumblr model. We think the right businesses could benefit.

Cynthia Murrell

October 26, 2011

Google: Mobile Mogul

October 25th, 2011 | Posted by admin in mobility | News | smartphone | Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

Many have long been forecasting strong profits in the mobile sector. Business Insider reveals evidence of such growth with “Google Mobile Revenue Growth Boosts Stock.” Writer Jeff Pierce reports that Google‘s mobile revenue run rate has more than doubled since last year, when it sat at about $1 Billion per year. Now, its run rate is at $2.5 Billion per year. Google stock has responded with a 5% jump.

Is mobile the future of Google? Perhaps. The driving force behind this sector’s growth, of course, is the popularity of smart phones and tablets, a trend that is bound to continue rising exponentially. Naturally, this means the growth in mobile advertising revenue will continue to increase, as well. As Pierce notes,

“Google is showing the clear case for what mobile is going to do to the advertising markets. Companies who have been hesitant to jump in with mobile campaigns are going to be left behind in the dust. This years shopping season which starts in a little over a month will be unique with more utilization of mobile technology than ever before.”

Growth in mobile profits is a trend not to be overlooked.

Cynthia Murrell     

October 25, 2011

Seeking Security in an Increasingly Mobile World

October 20th, 2011 | Posted by admin in mobility | News | security | smartphone - (0 Comments)

MarketWatch.com, part of the Dow Jones & Co. stable of financial publications, picked up this press release from BoxTone, “3LM, BoxTone Bring Enterprise-Ready Security to Android Mobile Devices“.

In the hyper-competitive realm of mobile communications, security ranks at the top of the list of consumer concerns and factors heavily into, can even sway a buyer’s decision. The recent collaboration twixt 3LM and the aforementioned BoxTone has brought the Android OS to the level of its competition in terms of protections.

These two companies, each highly respected and profitable, sought to answer issues raised by the rise of what the press release describes as a “Bring Your Own Device phenomenon” associated with Android. It continues:

“… By combining 3LM’s solutions built-in at the device level and its powerful enterprise server console with BoxTone’s industry standard end-to-end EMM platform – which delivers full lifecycle mobile management from device activation, provisioning, configuration and change tasks to mobile device management and support – Android OS-based devices and applications can enjoy enhanced security on the device and over the air (OTA).”

This partnership not only achieves the clearly defined goals set, yet also opens this level of protection up to the diverse array of the products used across the consumer spectrum. It will be interesting to see if this helps to stabilize Android’s fluctuating position in the OS pack.

Micheal Cory

October 20, 2011

Mobile Certification Requirements on the Rise, Even As Employment Prospects Post Graduation Continue to Fall

October 19th, 2011 | Posted by admin in jobs | marketing | mobility | News | smartphone - (0 Comments)

As the mobile tech market continues to expand, so too does the need to fill fresh positions with qualified individuals. The most recent addition to the growing call for certification is featured in a press release covered on SFGate.com in a piece titled “Demand for Certification in Mobile Development Growing for Both Employers and Programmers“.

The development house On The GoWare, who have concentrated their attentions on the commercial side of the mobile tracks, have designed a new program which focuses on the most popular operating systems. The company’s internal school, the Mobile Development Institute, awards the title of MDICD (Mobile Development Institute Certified Developer) upon completion of courses. MDI:

“…offers certification programs in … : Apple iOS (iPhone and iPad), Google Android, and RIM BlackBerry. Their programs are designed to teach someone the beginning to end, even if they have no programming experience at all, By the time a student has successfully completed the training, they have designed, programmed, tested, and published a finished app into the market.”

As the release notes, and no doubt many recent university graduates have discovered for themselves, the ability to work within these specific systems is extremely attractive to the array of companies which populate this burgeoning area of software development. Considering the current economic climate and the fact that student loan debt is reported to have eclipsed the combined credit debt of U.S. citizens, programs like these offer a much needed option for both parties. Individuals seeking training receive it from seasoned professionals at an affordable rate, while employers know their selections are among the most qualified. News to both consider and track in this period of uncertainty.

Micheal Cory

October 19, 2011

How Technology Is Teaching Us

October 18th, 2011 | Posted by admin in e-learning | mobility | News | smartphone - (0 Comments)

Qstream, the culmination of efforts from a Harvard medical professor and several career professionals from the technology sector, was recently featured in an article in the Boston Herald’s business science section. “Qstream Brings Q&A Learning To Mobile Phones“, discusses the three year old firm’s software, as well its current applications.

e-Learning refers to education via technological means. While it has existed in more rudimentary forms for years, current innovations have allowed for significant advancement in the field. The team at Qstream feel confident they have developed a system formatted from facets of more traditional instruction methods that will significantly raise a student’s ability to retain what they have learned. Employing what they refer to as “spaced education methodology” as the basic operating formula, the team has adapted the software to function within the mobile realm:

“Customers using the real-time learning system supply questions to create a course or “stream” and send them to their desired audience. Users’ answers are analyzed, and data is provided back to the customer to show how its learners are doing, areas where they’re having difficulties and how engaged they are with the process.”

The model relies on repetition of information in segmented periods of time. While one can find studies to reinforce an argument of their choosing, a growing consensus supports findings that contemporary education methods are in need of an overhaul. One factor few would disagree with is that engaging students is crucial to the learning process. Qstream has realized this and built in a tracking feature which awards points and showcases individual results for comparison.

With more people coming to rely on their mobile phones as the primary piece of technology used, and the demographic which carries them continuing to broaden, the ability to access information in this manner will only increase. Whether we will see that much needed overhaul remains to be seen. What seems certain is that awareness of the issue is growing and technology may be poised to provide one solution.

Micheal Cory

October 18, 2011

Using Technology and Social Media to Build the Concept of Team

October 13th, 2011 | Posted by admin in jobs | marketing | mobility | News | social media - (0 Comments)

Technology and Social Media don’t have to be either just about work or just about play. One of the beauties of having technology at work with access to social media is that it can be used for the soft business side of things. An article from Mashable details “5 Ways Tech Can Make New Hires Feel Like Part of the Team.”

It is important to note the relevancy factor here. 84% percent of employees plan to look for a new job this year. Clearly companies need strategies for making work an enjoyable place to be where employees feel appreciated and connected.

This guide takes a look at five areas including: virtual bulletin boards, multimedia trainings, collaboration tech, software to show the big picture, and socialization and gamification.

Citing other articles that describe the success stories of other companies makes the tips in this article more realistic.

Lawrence Coburn, CEO and founder of DoubleDutch was quoted as saying the following:

“Our HYVE application is designed to boost employee productivity and collaboration. It uses geo-location, social, gaming and analytics features to allow employees to ‘check in’ to projects, customers and locations in one interface. This knowledge allows our employees to celebrate achievements around customers and projects.”

I recommend HR departments read this article recently published on the American Express OPEN forum to gain insights into how others are implementing this elusive concept of “fun at work” and maybe it will even spur some creativity of your own.

Megan Feil, October 13, 2011

Droid Brings Enterprise Security to the Table

October 12th, 2011 | Posted by admin in mobility | News | security | smartphone - (0 Comments)

Not that we really needed another reason to convince us, but Android’s new enterprise security boosts the business on-the-go mentality we’ve seen booming in recent years. Marketwatch’s article “3LM, BoxTone Bring Enterprise-Ready Security to Android Mobile Devices,” discusses this topic.

A new strategic partnership formed between 3LM, a subsidiary of Motorola, Inc., and BoxTone, the leader in Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) is exactly what Android needed–they are now enterprise ready.

With Droid already experience huge growth in the smartphone market (reaching 43.7% market share during the three month average period ending August 2011.), this alliance is bound to give them a supercharge.

According to the article, which refers to this phenomenon of workers wanting to connect their personal smartphones to enterprise IT networks as Android BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), much of this growth drove the decision to offer enterprise ready security.

The article states:

“This consumerization of IT is driving strong demand for enterprise-safe security and management to the Android platform — to eliminate enterprise concerns associated with potential Android open source vulnerabilities.”

The next question is what new opportunities will be possible with Droid, as a company, now that they are tapping further into this market?

Megan Feil   October 12, 2011

Spam free searching? Myth or miracle

October 11th, 2011 | Posted by admin in marketing | News | search engine - (0 Comments)

Inc.com is reporting in its article “Upstart search engine Blekko receives $30 million” that investors and celebrities are putting their names and their money on the line with the new “spam free” search engine, Blekko. Investors are hoping the new engine will rival the prominence of Bing and Yahoo!, it’s a big gamble and they risk losing if it doesn’t catch fire.

“Yandex, the most popular search engine in Russia, has invested $15 million and promised to share its servers and other technology. It’s the first time the Russian company has invested in a U.S. search engine. Blekko’s other $15 million comes from a group composed mostly of earlier investors: U.S Venture Partners, CMEA Capital and PivotNorth Capital. (Other notable investors: Ashton Kutcher, who kicked in $200,000 in January, and Marc Andreesen.)”

The start up is founded by Rich Skrenta, the guy responsible for the first big computer virus ever created. Dkrenta is optimistic about his endeavor despite a drop in its stock market value.

The real question is, can they deliver? If the engine can do everything that Skrenta and his investors are claiming it can do by utilizing algorithms as well as human control engineers, Google may need to watch out.

Leslie Radcliff,   October 11, 2011

AOL Makes a New Social Networking ‘Friend’

October 6th, 2011 | Posted by admin in marketing | networking | News | social media - (0 Comments)

Even though AOL is under the umbrella of Time Warner Cable, it is still a decision maker. Law.com recently reported that “AOL Buy Social Media Networking Site Bebo.”

We learned the following about AOL officials’ motivation to purchase Bebo from the article:

“Bebo allows them to offer advertisers greater reach online and give its marketer customers “significant insights” into what interests consumers. “Bebo is the perfect complement to AOL’s personal communications network and puts us in a leading position in social media,” AOL chairman and CEO Randy Falco said in a statement.”

Projections from analysts made the decision an easy one: they predict $4.1 billion will the worldwide expenses for social network ads by 2011.

Bebo, as the third largest social networking site in the U.S. and the first in Ireland and New Zealand, sees their new position under AOL as a means to grow. They hope their shared vision will allow them to “expand the online social experience globally.”

AOL bought Bebo for $850 million. Perhaps this new social media leverage will help boost AOL back to where it used to be at the beginning. AOL was a major player in the beginning of the public craze about simply connecting to the Internet. Now that the beginning of the frenzy over social networking has passed, where will they fit in?

Megan Feil, October 6, 2011