Platform
By Adrian Weckler
There has been a lot of talk about Apple’s iPad being a’ game-changer’. In truth, the iPad has as much relevance to business IT as a VIP pass to the zoo. But are there any real IT ‘game-changers’ for Irish businesses? Yes. Here are three.
* 1.The cloud: yes, it’s the jargon-du-jour, but the cloud – or the internet, as some of us refer to it – has far more answers for businesses now than it ever had. From virtualisation (see pullout in centre of magazine)to storage to office productivity software, it is now possible to run a very professional business using software and services hosted online.
Aside from their ease of use, cloud applications tend to be cheap, or even free. This year, for example, Microsoft will launch a free cloud version of its Office 2010 software (see page 26).
* 2. Phase 2 of broadband in Ireland: we may have been way behind the broadband curve up to now, but 2010 will see Irish broadband speeds and capacity jump by over 100 per cent.
The main spur is UPC, which will launch a 120Mbs broadband service for small businesses across Ireland in the summer. Mindful of this, Eircom has just launched an’ up to’ 24Mbs service. The 3G mobile operators are also promising14Mbs to 20Mbs by the end of the year. The advice to small firms is to get the better packages, use the web for more.
* 3. Proper websites: if there is one measure a small company can take to improve its branding and new business channels, it is the creation of a proper website. Sadly, most Irish firms do not utilise this basic resource.
This is madness, with 90 per cent of Irish businesses now reporting daily use of the internet. Not creating a website is like locating your business along theM50 and refusing to get a driving licence. If computers and the web” aren’t your thing’‘, then you’re living in the wrong decade. Make them your thing.
