a6 News and Notes A Little Help From The Cloud MakesA Big Difference To Small Businesses (NAPSA)—From Hong Kong to Hawaii, Argentina to Austria, small-business owners everywhere are looking to grow their business by revenue, geography, number of employees or customers—and want the best technology available to become more productive. Often, that means searching for a cloud service (similar to desktop applications, but online) to organize daily tasks, collaborate with others and get work done, all while operating on a slender budget. IDC, a technology market research firm, recently reported that spending on public cloud ser- Be Productive Anywhere Use Familiar Office Applications ficeetvare int ae vices increased 34 percent in 2010, and spending by small to medium businesses represents almost half of this.* If you’re a small-businessprofessional, you don’t want to be bogged down with technology issues even for a second. When it comes to working with the best technology tools, you can tap into cloud productivity services and work with ease from almost anywhere on virtually any device, without the need to manageservers. If yow’re looking for a cloud productivity service that’s perfect for your small or medium business, make sure it meets the following criteria: e Is easy to use. You'll want to be able to create an account in minutes and be up and running in no time. More importantly, why not use the applications you already know and love? Look for a service provider that works beautifully with the e-mail, document and communications solutions you already have. Works the way you do. A good online productivity service will allow you to find and connect with colleagues and customersvirtually anywhere. It should show you when others are online and available, no matter which application you’re workingin. It also should let you make PC-to-PC voice andvideocalls or hold online meetings on the fly. And you'll wantto be able to share your desktop, online white board and presentations with colleagues as if you’re in the same room, even if youre a city or continent away. e Stays true to content. Insist on a service that frees you to work where and when you choose, so you can respond to important requests from almost any location. You'll want both Web-enabled and offline access to email, important documents, contacts and calendars even when you're out of the office, and you'll want a consistent experience regardless of whether you're working from a PC, Mac or smartphone. You'll want the ability to edit spreadsheets, presentations and documents with others in real time and to access and view files in high fidelity from your browser or mobile device—so others can see files with consistent content and formatting while using their Web applications, mobile devices and desktop applications. Is supported by a single, trusted source. An online service should help safeguard your data with business-gradereliability and disaster recovery capabilities, with data centers in multiple locations and a strict privacy policy. Insist on a financially backed guarantee; if you experience an interruption in the service, the best services will compensate you. Is designed to minimize the need for IT staff. Look for a service you can easily set up and use without the need for internal IT support. Let the online service take care of the details, so you can focus on your business. Pay-as- you-go pricing is beneficial because it allows you to change your services according to your evolving needs, adding value over the long term and saving your business money. Cloud productivity services, such as Microsoft Office 365, make it possible for small businesses to access the best productivity technology at a predictable monthly cost while leaving the IT management to the technology experts. Office 365 brings together familiar software such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Share- Point Online, Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft Lyne Online in an always-up-to-date cloud service for businessesof all sizes. The public beta is now available, allowing people to try Office 365 for the first time. Today, you can secure a spot in the Office 365 public beta and learn more about the service at http://www.Office365.com, follow Office 365 on Twitter (@Office365), like Office 365 on Facebook (Office 365) and read the Office 365 blog at http://community.office365.com for the latest information. Small businesses can also enter the Office 365: Ready for Work contest at http://www. facebook.com/office365. By sharing their stories, small- business owners can win Office 365, $50,000 in advertising and business services, and a Microsoft executive to work for them or their charity of choice, for a day. *IDC, Worldwide Small and Medium-Sized Business 2011-2015 Forecast: How Changing Needs and Priorities Will Impact SMB IT Spending by Company Size and Region, Doc. #227277, March 2011
