The 'Good News' About Computers and Technology

Milwaukee WI

09 August, 2021

1:56 PM

Description

Our names are Jake Polzin, President and Toomas Mitt, Founder of TBG Technologies, an IT support company since 2004. The reason TBG Technologies exists is that we believe small companies are ignored. We are talking about really small businesses. Those with ten or fewer employees usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to technology support. They have the same goals as big corporations. They have the same technology issues. But they have a tough time getting good, reliable help. So much is written about computers that it's easy to go into data overload. A lot of news centers on how people need to be careful about their PC security by using different passwords, changing passwords often, being careful about attachments, and having good anti-virus software. All good advice and important. But if PCs didn't solve problems there would be no reason to use them at all, right? So, let's talk about some of the things you are now able to do with your PC that are great for you and your business. This is specifically directed at the businesses we work with most - small firms with 25 or fewer users. Because the biggest changes have occurred at this level. The Cloud By far the biggest change is the big push towards The Cloud. Companies that write software are making versions that run on the internet left and right. Does your business manage medical records and billing for clinics? You can run SequelMed online. Are you a law office? You can run Tabs online. Want to manage your accounting? Use QuickBooks Online for example. Note: there are all sorts of different programs for each of these areas. These are the ones that come to mind at the moment. Not only can you use these very good programs, you get to use them at a very low cost. Usually. The basic model of cloud services is to sign up for a monthly subscription. In essence, you are renting the software and paying every month. You get to use programs that would cost you thousands of dollars for far less. And you don't have to set up your own servers. You just need a good, reliable internet connection. And if that program is critical to your business, you might want to have two internet connections with an automatic switch in case one goes down. This cloud computing trend will continue for the foreseeable future and will intensify as internet connection speeds increase. Which brings me to the next items in my "good" list. Internet Speeds While it is true that the US lags some other countries in terms of internet speed, the fact is that the speed available to most people is very good and getting better. Today I can purchase an internet connection for my office that gives me 200mb of download speed any day of the week. Some areas have higher - much higher - speeds available. And internet providers are rushing to upgrade the nationwide infrastructure so they can provide even greater - much greater - speeds. It won't be long before 1gb download speeds are available in most areas. Cities like Seattle, Minneapolis and Denver already have this. Even La Crosse, Wisconsin can get 1gb speed now at a very reasonable price. OK, that's great, you say. So what, you might say? The reason this is big is that it opens all sorts of possibilities, most of which we can't even imagine right now. Some years ago, when speeds were mostly in the 256kb to 1mb range, no one would have been able to stream live video. Video conferencing was an expensive operation requiring specialized equipment - read that as "really expensive equipment." And the idea that you could run your business telephone service through the internet was just plain crazy talk. Now both are commonplace. What new products and services will entrepreneurs come up with when they have a 1gb or even 10gb internet available to just about everyone? Who knows? My guess is they will be very good and very useful. And lots of fun, too! (By the way, in case you aren't clear on the terms, kb, mb, and gb all refer to the number of characters per second that can be sent down the line from the cloud to your PC. Kb is slower than mb which is slower than gb.) Computer Prices This is a huge change for the better. It wasn't too long ago that the "entry price" - the price you'd pay for a basic PC setup - was about $2,000.00. Now the equivalent setup is somewhere around $700.00 and often less than that. A good laptop can be had for $400.00. A small business can now be populated with very good computers for less than half the cost of just five or ten years ago. Combine this with the fact that with cloud services, you probably don't have to set up your own expensive server. Now your small business can be fully computer-operational for a fraction of the cost. Again, the consequences of this are just now beginning to be visible. Email has almost completely eliminated fax machines. Why send a fax when you can scan and email the document? And that automatically gives you a copy that you can file in the cloud. The Rise of The Tablet Probably the biggest change for the good has been the rise of tablet computing. In many cases, a tablet can eliminate the need for a laptop. And since tablets are so small, lightweight, and easy to use, they have spread into areas that previously were not a good fit for computing. For example, the club where I work out has a series of tablets set up on pedestals. These can be used by clients to sign up for special classes. I sometimes get my coffee from Panera's where they have a few tablets set up for order taking. I can enter my order myself and then just wait for it to be completed. No more standing in line. Plenty of companies now have tablet-ready apps for their software. We do computer support and the software we use to manage this is now available to me on a tablet. I can enter service tickets, update times, check client's computers all from my tablet. Tablets have grown out of the cell phone world. The original tablet, the Apple iPad, was really a gigantic iPhone that couldn't make phone calls. Tablets are not a total replacement for laptops or desktops. Not yet. But they are changing the way we handle information and that will only accelerate. All in all, and despite all the warnings and dire predictions you hear about computers and security, the world of small business computing has changed significantly for the better over the last decade. We invite your comments and thoughts about the future. We can't wait to see what is coming up next! Jake Polzin is the President and Toomas Mitt is the Founder of TBG Technologies, located at 11300 W. Greenfield Avenue, West Allis, Wis. 53214. Tom can be reached at [email protected] and Jake can be reached at [email protected]. www.tbgtechnologies.com We Make Technology Behave.