Articles By James E. Gaskin

Is ‘consumerization’ good for small biz IT?

During the Altiris user conference in April, I watched a lunch panel discuss the "consumerization of IT" and whether that's a good thing. My initial thought was that it was probably bad for

Published on: July 1st, 2008 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

How to avoid Wi-Fi hackers

Let me say thanks to the Women's Business Council of the Southwest for inviting me to teach them about laptop safety. The business backgrounds of the members ranged from huge company manager to

Published on: June 13th, 2008 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

PaySimple make billing easier for SMB owners

Every business owner and accounting manager asks the same question: How can I bill and collect more money with less hassle?Surveys show that half of all small businesses have trouble collecting money regularly.

Published on: May 19th, 2008 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

Avaya’s small biz phone ploy makes unified communication easy

I'm not thrilled that Avaya calls its phone line Unified Communications for Small Business, because "Unified Communications" normally means putting all your communication eggs in one basket. You know, e-mails and voice mails

Published on: April 21st, 2008 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

Using e-mail services to market effectively with less hassle

If e-mail is the killer app of the Internet, spam is the scourge of the same. Small businesses that reach out via e-mail campaigns, trying to do the right thing after listening to

Published on: March 27th, 2008 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

Good SMB e-mail options at a great price

E-mail: Can't live without it, can't stand the hassles. Is it any wonder many people rely on Instant Messaging for co-worker communications?But old habits die hard, and IM doesn't fit the work styles

Published on: March 11th, 2008 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

How may a big company act as small businesses?

IT Bad Boy Nicholas Carr, whose book "IT Doesn't Matter" enraged big company technology folks to no end a few years ago, is back again. This time, he says the IT department is

Published on: January 28th, 2008 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

Virtual CFO helps IT shops find the dough to grow

Your dream may be to take your business public and retire rich. Or you may want to sell out to someone like Google or Microsoft and retire rich. Or you may have a

Published on: January 4th, 2008 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

Things to know when buying technology

If you already know where technology and automation can improve your business process, the next step is acquiring new technology in today's lousy financial market. If you're thinking the recent stupid (and possibly

Published on: December 22nd, 2007 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

How SMBs can maximize tech dollars

Replacing the technology you have with less expensive alternatives (like getting OpenOffice for free rather than spending hundreds on Microsoft Office) can save you money, but it won't really upgrade your business.Bottom line,

Published on: December 15th, 2007 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca

Everywhere you go there’s e-mail

"Wherever you go, there's your e-mail," was the Buckaroo Bonzai-inspired signature file used by Mike Azzara, editor of Unix Today, when he hired me for my first regular network column back in 1989.

Published on: November 15th, 2007 James E. Gaskin @itbusinessca