In January our thoughts turn to resolutions. Exercise more, work less, spend time with family and friends, read a book, take a course: the month is replete with good intentions.

To help give your business resolve a head start this year, Backbone presents 10 resolutions you will actually want to keep.

1
Find your data
by Danny Bradbury

How much time do you spend searching for information on your desktop or on your company network? Are you an obsessive filer, with obscure sub-folders for everything, or a systematic dumper, putting everything into a single location to be sorted later? Either way, you probably have information languishing on your hard drive that is difficult to retrieve. Thanks to enterprise search and desktop search tools, however, your problems may be over.

Tools such as Google Desktop and the new integrated search function in Windows Vista are making it easier to find those mislaid files. They work by indexing files you store on your hard drive as you create them. These products index not only by filename but also by content. This means you can search for someone mentioned in a Word document, for example, without remembering where that document is or what it was called. And these systems often support third-party plug-ins, enabling users to search content created in different applications.

For those who require more sophistication, products such as X1, from the company of the same name, include tailored searches using Boolean operators plus range searching: finding files that were created between particular dates. X1 can also search across the network, so you can find files located on a central server.

Network searching becomes particularly important in workgroup settings, where multiple people may be uploading files to a single location. Hardware appliances contain search features embedded into a sealed box that sits on the network. Examples include Google’s Mini and Search Appliance products, aimed at small businesses and medium to large enterprises respectively. These provide a browser-based interface that doesn’t require software.

It is difficult to calculate a return on investment for search tools and appliances such as these, but gauge how much time you spend swearing at your screen as you try to track down missing information and use that as a starting point. If they don’t save you money, these tools may at least save your sanity.

2
Investigate Software as a Service
by Issie Rabinovitch

One of the fastest growing segments of information technology is Software as a Service (SaaS), the current name for what used to be called hosted or on-demand applications. In the SaaS model, users pay a monthly fee to access applications running on a provider’s servers. The applications can be used on any computer with a Web browser and a broadband Internet connection. There’s no upfront cost because there’s no purchase and no installation, and you can begin using the applications as soon as you establish an account. The SaaS provider keeps the applications updated and your data backed up and secure, eliminating two of your largest corporate headaches in the process.

The quality and number of available applications is on the rise. Eventually, most types of software will be available via SaaS. CRM, ERP, e-commerce and accounting are popular categories, but a better starting point may be Google Docs and Spreadsheets, two capable and free Microsoft-compatible office productivity applications.

At a minimum, Google’s offering will meet the basic word processing and spreadsheet needs of the majority of users. Existing files can be imported and edited and files created are compatible with Microsoft Word and Excel. Google doesn’t provide all of the advanced features of Word and Excel, but users get increased collaboration functionality as a trade-off. Files can be shared with other users and there’s never an issue about using the latest version of an application. All changes are preserved, even when far-flung users edit a file concurrently.

3
Explore 2D bar codes
by Ian Harvey

First came the bar code, then RFID tags. Now, get ready for 2D codes to take product packaging and social networking to a whole different level.

Think of 2D as a square or rectangular label with black pixels and white space, just as a bar code (Universal Product Code or UPC) is a series of vertical lines.

Using a 2D code requires a smartphone with a camera. Snap the shot, process it through free downloadable software and presto, you’re directed to a Web site with more information about that product, person or service.

Like regular bar codes, 2D versions can be printed on packaging, but unlike their predecessors, they can also be published online or on TV and displayed on giant stadium screens, telephone poles, business cards, in store windows and on billboards, opening up a whole new marketing channel.

Say you meet someone at a bar. Snap her code symbol and use it to access her Facebook profile, for example. Or, want to know if that veggie product was made with beef fat? Snap. Buy tickets online from a concert poster? Snap. Watch a video of the winning goal you read about in this morning’s paper? Snap.

However, there is a Blue Ray/HD-type war going on. On one side, the big guns of the Mobile Code Consortium (aka MC2 at mobilecodes.org): Hewlett-Packard, Nokia, KPN and Telefónica O2 Europe, Gavitex, NeoMedia Technologies and Publicis. They are working to establish standards in much the same way as the group controlling UPC. On the other side are the upstarts: Hookcode, Qcode, Paperclip, Shotcode and Nextcode, looking for traction and critical mass to win market dominance.

The potential is there, now we’re just waiting for the right entrepreneurs to move on this. Unfortunately, that may have to wait for one standard to emerge.

4
Make business systems one
by Danny Bradbury

You are a small business with 10 employees and you have a problem: none of your systems can speak to each other. Shipping doesn’t know what the accounts department is doing and marketing’s systems aren’t talking to customer support. Your sales people are cold-calling customers who are already fuming about late product shipments. The CEO must make four phone calls to get a snapshot of the business, and that gets particularly difficult when she is on the road.

So that needs to change. One option is to buy an integrated business software package you can run locally on your own computer. Such packages either store all information in a single database or include different modules that can talk to each other, linking your business functions. Several exist, varying with the size and sophistication of your business. For example, Microsoft offers Dynamics NAV, which integrates functions including financial management, distribution, purchase and payables, and sales and marketing. Sage sells a suite of products that can be integrated to carry out different functions, and SAP produces Business One, an integrated system targeting small to mid-sized businesses with revenues starting in the millions.

Another option is to take your business management functions online. NetSuite provides integrated functions including customer relationship management, accounting, enterprise resource planning, payroll and e-commerce using an online service. The advantage is that you don’t have to worry about buying or maintaining your own server, which can represent a significant management and security overhead. The disadvantage is someone else has your data and you have to rely on your Internet connection to get it.

Nevertheless, it has worked for organizations like Guelph, Ont.-based Saffron Rouge, which distributes organic cosmetics. CEO Jeff Binder likes the system’s dashboard, an interface that displays all his business metrics on a single Web page so he can easily see what the business is doing and match inventory to incoming customer orders. “It’s relatively cheap and you can start off with one user,” said Binder, who has been using the system for five years and advocates having all business data in a single database that can serve multiple business functions. “Having everything at your fingertips is far more advantageous in the long haul.”

5
Be seen as green
by Ian Harvey

Look green and act green in every deed and step. It’s not enough to launch a new product, you must also formulate how you are going to recycle the thing at the end of its life.

HP, Dell and Lenovo, for example, have recycling programs that pick up and dispose of obsolete machines, while Sun Microsystems is betting on low-energy servers to attract customers who don’t wish to fork out big bucks for water-cooled power-hog Blue Rooms. Even building a new corporate headquarters needs green thinking. Can you get LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification? Will there be a green roof? How will water be recycled? What about bike racks?

And it’s not enough to recycle—you also must buy recycled or green-friendly products. Xerox has a digital printing paper that consumes fewer trees because it uses material more efficiently, requires less water and power, has fewer chemicals and is lighter, thus cutting shipping costs. Overall, Xerox claims a 75 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the stuff is Canadian made. Sounds like a no-brainer.

Finally, even if none of the above apply to you or your venture, there’s always the option of making a carbon credit purchase to cover emissions generated by your driving, flying and lifestyle habits. The money raised goes toward developing sustainable energy and helping you sleep at night, even if you drive an SUV the size of a city bus.

6
Get virtual with video conferencing
by Paul Lima

E-mail and collaborative workspaces are great, but sometimes you still have to meet face to face to solve a problem or close a deal. With video conferencing over dedicated IP networks or the Internet, you can cut travel time and costs yet still grab a little face time.

If you are rolling your eyes or getting ready to skip to the next entry, you probably tried video conferencing when it first hit the market, back when it was expensive, complex and of lower quality. But video conferencing has come a long way. To get started, call your telecom provider or a dedicated company like BCS Global Networks, a Canadian provider of managed video conferencing solutions over dedicated IP networks.

On the other hand, if you run a small business and want to conference with customers, vendors, suppliers or remote employees, you can test online video conferencing at Canadian company Vbuzzer.com. At the site, click on “video conferencing” to schedule a free video conference with up to three others. Vbuzzer is browser-based so anyone can use it without downloading additional software. For $100 a month, you can hold online meetings and add video, audio and collaboration components through VlinkLive. com, another Canadian company.

Barebones online conferencing requires only a webcam, microphone, speakers, a high-speed Internet connection and a Web site that enables it, so get your feet wet and see where the current takes you.

7
Upgrade to Vista
by Gail Balfour

Some will be skeptical about this one, and many are quite vocal in their resistance. Microsoft Windows Vista’s interface is significantly different than XP’s and that means there’s a learning curve. Critics say the OS is a hassle because it doesn’t let users install applications without verification and it eats up more RAM. So why do it? One word: security.

“We have a bit of a Catch-22 here because people complain about Microsoft and their perceived lack of security but as soon as they try to do something to make it more secure, the users don’t want that,” said Bruce Johnson, principal consultant with Toronto-based ObjectSharp Consulting. “They are resistant because it keeps them from doing all the things that they have always done,” he said.

Johnson said that, as an IT person, he sees a lot that’s good about Vista. “It does a great job of keeping people from being able to browse certain sites, it protects from viruses because there are a lot more things that will get locked down and the lock down tends to be tighter. You have a tougher time having things happen ‘accidentally.’ Probably the biggest hassle from a security perspective [in the past] is users tended to run as administrators. In Vista, that’s not the default anymore.”

It’s rare for users to clamour for any new OS unless the old version prevents them from running the latest software. Most programs don’t yet require Vista but this is only a matter of time, Johnson said. “It’s likely inevitable that you will make the move to Vista eventually. So why wait?”

8
Or try Linux instead
by Peter Wolchak

Linux is an open-source operating system that can do just about everything Windows or the Mac OS can do. Linux can run your personal computer and supports an office suite similar to Microsoft Office, e-mail similar to Outlook, a photo package similar to Photoshop, a solid Web browser, and anything else you’d want. Linux can also run your company’s main server and its Web server. And all this is free: there are no licensing costs for Linux or its associated software.

More importantly, Linux has moved out of its parents’ basement. Matured beyond the domain of hardcore techies and Microsoft haters, the software is now easy to install and use, and any computer user can sit down at a Linux desktop and be productive in short order.

To give it a whirl, head over to www.howtoforge.com/wubi_ubuntu_on_windows. This tutorial walks you through installing both Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution, and Wubi, a Windows installer application. Wubi lets you install Linux on a Windows computer and then choose which OS to use each time you start the PC. Choose Windows at start-up and your PC will work as it always has; choose Ubuntu and you’re working in a full-on Linux environment. And if, after trying Linux, you decide it’s not for you, simply uninstall Wubi like you would any other Windows application.

For further proof that Linux is now mainstream, consider Whitelaw Twining, a Vancouver law firm. Lawyers are known for maximizing billable hours, not for burning time playing with technology. But the company recently moved all its Windows 98 and 2000 PCs to Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, and when it comes time to get PCs, entry-level (cheap) Dell boxes run Linux just fine. The result: Whitelaw reduced its hardware costs by 30 per cent, reduced desktop maintenance time by 20 per cent and has seen an increase in both stability and security.

9
Get a (second) life
by Paul Lima

Get a life!” How many times have you heard that? These days, however, you are more likely to hear, “Get a second life!” SecondLife.com, a virtual reality social networking site, has become popular because visitors can interact using avatars (graphical representations) in dance halls, city squares, shopping malls, restaurants and, yes, bedrooms. Avatars humanize interactions and marketers have discovered they can be used to virtually demonstrate products. For instance, if you create a new line of designer clothing, you can sell it to avatars from your Second Life boutique. If purchasers like your virtual goods, they can then buy the real product.

IBM also uses Second Life for meetings, training and recruitment. However, the company is also eyeing virtual business revenue. In the same way that IBM helps companies pursue e-commerce opportunities, Big Blue has started to help them conduct virtual business.

IBM has more than 230 employees spending time on Second Life. The company set up a simulation of the Wimbledon tennis tournament and held a virtual IBM alumni reunion. It’s also developing an in-house virtual world where global employees and clients can meet, interact and collaborate.

If virtual reality can add a human touch to that long-distance feeling, that makes for better business.

If lawyers like Linux, it might be time to check it out in your own company.

10
Revamp your Web site
by Peter Wolchak

If your corporate Web site hasn’t seen a substantial refresh in a few years, it’s time to step back and ask if the current iteration still serves your needs. It’s possible you’ll review the site and conclude “Yep, everything’s fine,” but that’s unlikely. Business simply changes too fast.

Step one is to start with your customers and, more importantly, the people you want as customers. Is the site serving their needs? Is information easy to find and relevant to today’s business interests? Look for outdated buzzwords in particular. A term that looked hip a few years ago or whose meaning has changed may now be dating you. “On demand,” for example, may now suggest watching movies more than it does dynamic software usage functionality.

Next, if you don’t have a content management system (CMS), look for one. Have an old one? Consider an update. A good CMS facilitates frequent online updates while still maintaining the clean look and organization of your site, and this is important because to be seen as a thought leader you need to get smart employees to post their ideas and advice. If you’re new to content management, start with the open-source Drupal (http://www.drupal.org/). It made CNet’s 2007 Webware 100 list of best apps: “Drupal is a powerful publishing and content management system. Users can add all sorts of content to Web pages through a system of modules. The software itself is free and open-source; users need simply pick out which site elements they want, and then put them together.”

The last step is design elements and technology. The quick rule is don’t use too much. No one is going to buy your product because you have the best Flash animation, and in fact, making customers wait 30 seconds while your designer shows off his/her mad coding skills will likely diminish your business.