There may not be any such thing as a free lunch, but there just may be such a thing as free bandwidth.

Sound too good to be true? We can’t blame you for being suspicious, but Marty Parker over at NoJitter makes his case for leveraging Unified Communications to modify your mix of traffic in order to accommodate video with no need to add capacity. More...

In the early days, CRM tools were much like an online address book. Today, when integrated with other databases, the web, social networks, and mobile media, CRM tools are rich with information, allowing enterprises to truly understand and connect with their customers. This evolution is driving the “streamlining, adapting or even elimination of entire business processes, as well as defining a new world of business analytics that includes social/viral (influence) and transactional (business impact) intelligence," says technewsworld.More...

The need for small cells – those miniature cellular access points traditionally known as femtocells – typically arises because of coverage or capacity issues within a building. Small cells are a relatively new concept that works on an operator’s licensed frequency to extend the wireless network inside a building. These cells can be installed in a number of ways to accommodate different needs. More...

It probably comes as little surprise that most employees today expect on-the-spot mobile data accessibility and anywhere voice service to enhance their work productivity both at their desk and throughout an office. In response, IT teams are searching for the best approach to support this trend and provide the highest quality, in-building service available for a reasonable cost.  Small cells have emerged as a breakthrough solution. More...

Already 2012 technology predictions are being revealed. Gartner recently released its top 10 strategic technology trends for the coming year. Here’s a look. More...

It’s pretty clear that you can’t have truly Unified Communications without mobility. And let’s face it, if you don’t have ubiquitous coverage, you don’t really have mobility.

Now, you may be willing to accept the fact that if you’re hiking in Wyoming, or staying in a darling little bed and breakfast in very rural Maine, your coverage is not going to be sufficient to keep you fully connected to the office. But nowhere is it more frustrating to drop a call than when you’re on your own company’s campus, striding from one meeting to another or trying to use that spare couple of minutes to connect with a customer. More...

For the past decade, enterprises have wanted to see more hybrid phones, those that do both cellular and WiFi. While we have been able to demonstrate this approach ad nauseam in the labs, the challenge has been in providing enterprise-class feature/functionality using the technology. My Sprint EVO does both 3G/4G cellular and WiFi, but while I have had Skype client on this phone for a while, I haven’t used it. Let me remedy that… More...

Today, tablets are the choice of executives and employees. Many employees even buy their own if the company does not issue one.  Everyone wants one, and with good reasons. What can enterprise IT take away from the rapid adoption of the tablet over the past year and a half? More...

Back in 2005, when I bought my house here in Peoria, I was sitting in a downtown law office when I suddenly realized that I had brought only my checkbook to the closing. Knowing that I needed a cashier’s check, I interrupted the attorneys and said, “I have a problem.” After calling my long-time bank in Minneapolis, I learned that the closest branch was 45 minutes away—so I hopped in my car and drove to get the check. Despite the “Check 21 Act” being enacted a year earlier, we were still a long way from the promises of paperless banking transactions. More...

There’s not much we can add to what has been said about Steve Jobs in the wake of his death at far too young an age. The impact he has had on the technology industry is almost immeasurable, and his life presents us all a valuable lesson.

If there is one take-away from Jobs’ biography, it is that he did not let failure define him. Apple certainly went through some tough times, and was essentially written off for many years by the industry (despite its uniquely passionate fans). For a lot of people, those tough times would have been enough to drive them out of the industry and into another line of work. More...