Mobile Website: When It Makes Sense

With millions of smartphones already sold and, according to IMS Research, nearly one billion devices expected to be sold globally by the end of 2016, it is important to seriously consider your company’s strategy when it comes to mobile commerce. Ten years ago, you were told that in order to be validated by your customers you needed a website, and without a doubt, you knew they would access your site with a PC. Today, those same customers could be using traditional methods but they could also be a bit more advanced and accessing your site via a smartphone which we all know is small and sometimes difficult to navigate if you’re looking at a full website. Today, companies that are not optimizing and developing a mobile version of their website will be losing sales and customers to their competitors that are taking the plunge. Here are a couple of strategic points to consider when deciding if a mobile website, indeed, makes sense for your business:
• Understanding Your Customers
Having a keen understanding of your customer including who they are, what they are buying, where they are when making purchasing decisions, will play heavily into your mobile website strategy. For instance, if you know that your clients are out and about when accessing information about your brand and value a rich customer experience, it gives you the ability to focus the information to only what they need. Keep in mind, today your customers want information at the point of service not just when they leave their PCs. If you have the type of business that is highly transactional, having a mobile website that is tailored to any type of handheld device and fine-tuned for easy navigation is a no brainer.

• Type of Smartphone
InfiniEDGE Software is approached by many companies seeking to implement a mobile application that will maximize the results of their sales and marketing efforts. What we have found is that a majority of companies desire to have a mobile app that is compatible with the latest technologies, however, don’t realize the costs associated with implementing an iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile App, and BlackBerry application can be cost-prohibitive. It is important to first decide which device your customers are using and if it is spread across the board, then a mobile website will make the most sense. This is a hybrid approach that will replicate your full website but optimize it for all mobile devices. The best part of this approach is that there is only one investment and one development process, but this solution provides your company with the ability to reach all smartphone users trying to access your company’s information.

In today’s marketplace, it is essential to have an online presence that is easily accessible via a traditional PC and even more importantly today, via a mobile device. It is also important to have a reliable partner that can work through all of the options and assist in determining what the best approach to reach the most customers will be.  Reach out to InfiniEDGE Software @ contactus@infiniedge.com or www.facebook.com/INFINIEDGE.

Technology Brings Gifts this Holiday Season for Use in 2012

What executives should be asking in the New Year…
According to a McKinsey&Company recent survey titled, A Rising Role for IT, “Expectations for IT have never been higher. Executives continue to set exacting demands for IT support of business processes, and they see an even larger role for IT in a competitive environment increasingly shaken up by technology disruptions.” Every member of an organization should consider the following areas over the next few months and find ways to implement them within their organization.

1. How can Strategic IT planning benefit my company in 2012?
Many companies have found themselves locked in rigid, ineffective IT systems and processes. Executive management has one idea of the type of information they should be receiving and the efficiencies they should be experiencing, all with minimal investment. Have these expectations made their way to the IT personnel? Every executive spends time strategic planning for product development, marketing and sales, but is IT included? It is highly advantageous to sit down and understand investments being made in IT and how they add business value to meet the strategic goals of today and for years of growth to come. During the analysis, an understanding of the current state and how well you are currently managing your operations is critical. An analysis of your outside environment is also important to understand the technology available and, perhaps, take a peek at what your competition is doing. It is important to define an IT roadmap for at least three years out. IT roadmaps allow management to understand the impacts of a constantly changing landscape.

2. How can my company become more effective and efficient using new platforms?

Social Internet technologies (Web 2.0, including facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, cloud computing, etc.) have risen in popularity among executives over the past couple of years, yet many have not been able to harness and leverage the competitive advantage social platforms provide. Such platforms can be used in a variety of ways to meet operational goals, including improving collaboration with customers and suppliers, drive higher customer engagement with your brand, efficient means of communicating internally and externally, as well as, provide a low-cost platform to aid in the creation of new products and services. With the proper planning and operational goals in mind, taking advantage of the new platforms can provide your organization with an unparalleled competitive advantage.

3. What would quick access to “Big Data” do for my bottom line?

Data is everywhere and comes into an organization from many different channels. Are you really getting the data you need, when you need it, to make the critical decisions expected of an executive? Often times, the answer is no and executives do not have the visibility they need in order to drill down into the root of issues and forecast accurately. What if you had the ability to improve performance, improve risk management, and have the ability to unearth trends that would have otherwise remained buried? In order to take advantage of the immense value real-time data brings, an organization must have systems in place to track the necessary pieces of information and have the ability to get these types of analytical reports on a Smartphone or tablet, in a moment’s notice. Imagine your competitive advantage when your organization is operating with these technologies in place that no one else has.

4. In what ways can my organization leverage mobile technologies?

Mobile technologies have never been more important than they are today. With rising costs at every turn, executives are turning to devices such as smartphones and tablets to provide internal access to company data for employees on the go in order to create efficiencies where they can. Employees are able to service customers with increased knowledge and speed, while upholding the company’s standards for customer service. Companies have also started to make a shift in engaging customer with mobile apps and mobile websites (replicates of their standard website.) Being able to provide this level of interaction with the customer is one way companies are driving revenue using technology. When customers are searching for information on a mobile device, more times than not, they are looking to make a decision, so it is important to be able to display the information they need in a clean, crisp, easy to use way. The trend of mobile technologies is focused on engagement. Are you engaging your employees, customers and suppliers in a way that they will respond to?

In closing, “According to respondents, business executives continue to ask IT or IT partners to create more value by enabling business processes with technology. Success in these efforts requires creating a solid, well-defined business case that include clear stage gates and metrics for holding business and IT professionals accountable,” McKinsey Global Survey Results: A rising role for IT.

Sources:
• McKinsey Global Survey Results: A rising role for IT.
• Intel

Funding Innovation – Discover the SBIR Program

Imagine having access to capital to fund your company’s efforts for research and development of the next breakthrough technology, which in time has the potential to become the next highly commercialized product, website or life-saving medical advancement.

Capital – every entrepreneur, small business owner and large corporation’s most sought after asset is hard to come by and most people think there are only two sources of funding available in the marketplace. One, being a traditional loan from a bank, and the other being equity, which means giving up an equity stake in your company to receive funding in return. For those that believe these are the only two ways, InfiniEDGE Software would like to make you aware of a third avenue – the SBIR Program. Small Business Innovation Research is a federal program designed to help small businesses in need of early stage funding for research, development and eventually commercialization of the next breakthrough technology.

InfiniEDGE Software is often approached by companies or individuals that have an idea for a cutting-edge business application that will significantly improve the way they operate, or sometimes we’re approached by an aspiring entrepreneur that has a great idea for a mobile application but just doesn’t have the startup money to develop the prototype. In these situations, we truly want to get involved; but, there is simply no way our organization can afford to do the development without funding in place. Since hearing about SBIR, we feel this program is worth taking a look at for early funding and through a partnership with InfiniEDGE Software, we feel that it will increase the likelihood of acquiring the grant.

After attending the SBIR National Fall Conference in New Orleans this past week, it is clear that the participating agencies expect to be presented with an opportunity/problem in the marketplace, your solution/technological innovation, and how you plan on taking this new solution to market. This program is designed to increase technological innovation as well as the amount of life enhancing technologies available to the masses. There are currently eleven Federal agencies that participate in this program with 2.5% of their R&D budgets allocated to the SBIR program.

According to the SBIR.gov site, the program is separated into three phases:
Phase I.
The objective of Phase I is to establish the technical merit, feasibility and commercial potential of the proposed R/R&D efforts and to determine the quality of performance of the small business awardees’ organization prior to providing further Federal support in Phase II. SBIR Phase I awards normally do not exceed $150,000 total costs for 6 months.
Phase II.
The objective of Phase II is to continue the R/R&D efforts initiated in Phase I. Funding is based on the results achieved in Phase I and the scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the project proposed in Phase II. Only Phase I awardees are eligible for a Phase II award. SBIR Phase II awards normally do not exceed $1,000,000 total costs for 2 years.
Phase III.
The objective of Phase III, where appropriate, is for the small business to pursue commercialization objectives resulting from the Phase I/II R/R&D activities. The SBIR program does not fund Phase III. For some Federal agencies, Phase III may involve follow-on non-SBIR funded R&D or production contracts for products, processes or services intended for use by the U.S. Government.

Important factors to consider when evaluating the SBIR program and whether or not it makes sense for your small business:
1. Fund innovative, high risk, early stage projects to start or expand a business
2. Receive funding quickly — in as little as 4 months from application
3. Apply for funding with very little paperwork, time or effort
4. Retain full ownership of their technology & intellectual property
5. Retain full equity ownership
6. Establish a bid-advantaged, sole-source marketing position which will apply to those companies seeking government contracts once the product is ready for commercialization

Sources:

http://www.sbir.gov/about/about-sbir

http://sbir.us/topten.html

Top 9 Features You Need to Know About Apple’s iOS 5

With the release of iOS 5, Apple has taken an
already user-friendly operating system and made it better. The new iOS 5
promotes a synchronized platform between your iPhone, iPad and iPod with iCloud,
and introduces several new features to simplify use of your device. The new
operating system is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S, 3^rd
and 4^th generation iPod touch, iPad and iPad 2. Here is a brief
overview of some new features.

iCloud

Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about
cloud technology. Apple’s iCloud stores your documents, music, and photos then
pushes them wirelessly to all of your devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or
PC). This “hard drive in the sky,” as Apple puts it, enables you to store up to
5 GB of content securely and comes free with iOS 5.  However, in the likely event you need additional storage,  that is not free and will require an upgarde.

Courtesy of slashgear.com

Siri

Siri, the voice control functionality that allows you to speak in natural language to
your phone, is one of the most exciting features of the new iPhone 4S. While we
highlight the new features of the i0S 5 upgrade in this article, we did want to
mention that if you are upgrading an iPhone (models 4 and below) with the new
OS, unfortunately you won’t be getting Siri. She is only available on the new
4s iPhone.

iMessage

iMessage is a new edition for the Apple faithful.
It allows unlimited messages to all iOS 5 users from their iPad, iPhone or iPod
touch by using Wi-Fi or 3G. It even allows you to start a message on one device
and finish it on another.

Notifications

Apple has also given notifications a facelift. The
new Notification Center allows users to see all of their alerts in one
location. You are able to personalize your notification center by adding or
removing apps. Message alerts and notifications also have a new look in iOS 5.
Users are able to see all alerts on the lock screen and swipe directly from the
lock screen to respond. If the device is in use, notifications pop up as a
banner alert at the top of the screen, allowing users to continue working on
current apps.

Reminders

The Reminders app, another newcomer, is
essentially a to-do list that syncs with iCal and Outlook. In addition, it is
location based and will send you reminders to do things when you drive near the
location. To clarify, location based reminders do not apply unless you use the
iCloud.

Camera

The camera now has a quick access button on the
lock screen, which allows you to skip the process of unlocking and opening the
camera app. iOS 5 has also added and edit function in Photos. Here, you can
crop, apply red-eye removal and auto-enhance photos directly on your device.

Mail

Finally, Mail now contains rich text emails. This
means you can now format using bold, underline and italic fonts. You can also
indent text, drag names into the address field, flag messages and delete
folders.

Key Features for Your Business

Beyond the basic updated applications, Apple has
also added some items that are great for companies.

Wireless App Distribution

The new operating system allows businesses to
securely host and distribute in-house apps to employees via Wi-Fi and 3G. Any
available web server can host these in-house apps. The user simply installs the
app by tapping a URL. This allows the app to update without connecting to their
computer.

Security

The new iOS 5’s Find My iPhone allows users to
locate a device in case of theft.  Powered
by iCloud, Find My iPhone shows the device’s exact location on a map. In
addition, users are now able to lock or wipe their device remotely. This
feature ensures that sensitive information remains secure. Increased security
is an excellent addition for both the iPhone and for businesses.

InfiniEDGE Software Note:

The features discussed above are the most notable
of all the updates released within the iOS 5. Our intent is to present the advantages to updating your devices, in order to help you make a more informed decision for you and your business.

LinkedIn: Are Virtual Crickets chirping on your personal LinkedIn profile?

On a regular basis, we are asked about LinkedIn by business professionals in just about every industry.  Everyone has heard that LinkedIn is the new place for business to business relationships to cultivate. But, how do you prevent your LinkedIn profile from becoming just a single lonely page out on the web where the only interaction is the sound of virtual crickets chirping? 

This is part one of a series on LinkedIn for business professionals.  (Some of you may need to join in the conversation at part two next month when we talk about more interactive features on LinkedIn, but others will feel right at home beginning with the three basic steps outlined in this edition!)    

Please note:  There are paid for features on LinkedIn, but we consider ourselves “cutting-edge thrifty” at InfiniEDGE Software (aka the best technology has to offer at the best price!), so everything that is covered involves only free features in LinkedIn. 

Your only investment to harness LinkedIn is a touch of your time and imagination. 

Let’s get started!

Here are the first two steps for those new to LinkedIn to help fast track your efforts:

Step 1:  Profile Spot Check (Things most people miss!)

LinkedIn does have a way of helping you to see how close you are to having a great looking personal profile (this is critical).  However, if you created your profile on LinkedIn more than 30 days ago, and have not touched it in a while, you might be missing out on some key opportunities. 

 Here are some things to check:

 A)  Make sure you have a photo on your profile

No need to do anything terribly special, because the photo itself is the size of your thumb!  Just something that represents you well (and demonstrates that you had the initiative to actually upload a picture!) 

Tip:  Unless your business is pet services, avoid using the picture of you and Fido the family dog!  Your purpose is to identify who you are for someone to say “Oh, I remember meeting him/her!”

 B)  Company Website and Contact Info

If people cannot contact you, then there’s no point to being on LinkedIn.  This is not the place to be stingy with your e-mail address.

Tip:  Make sure that your settings indicate that you want to receive e-mails when someone sends you a message on LinkedIn so that you don’t have to login to find messages.

 C)  Interests, Groups and Associations, Honors and Awards

Any special interests that you have, or organizations and associations you are active with should be listed on your LinkedIn profile. Additionally, you have undoubtedly received awards over time, list them!  (Tip:  Avoid primary school perfect attendance as one of your listed awards! Keep them relevant to your purpose on LinkedIn.)

 D)  Add Sections!  (New!)

Consider clicking the “Add Sections” feature and adding your certifications, and skills.

Tip:  If you make regular presentations you can also use this feature to upload presentations you have made via SlideShare, or if your work is visual consider uploading your portfolio.  If you like to read books in your industry, consider using the Reading List app to discuss what books you are reading and follow what other people in your network are reading too.

These are the start..There are numerous ways to showcase what you excel at on LinkedIn . 

The Good News:  If you’re new to LinkedIn, you actually hold an advantage over the person who has not looked at their profile in 6 months because you’ll see new features that LinkedIn has released this month that everyone else missed!

Step 2:  Build your network (Three key ways):

The power of LinkedIn is to build your network and find ways to use it, here’s how to focus your efforts directly after you setup a free LinkedIn profile for yourself:

A) Existing Relationships: Just like anywhere else you interact as a business professional, surround yourself with people who are supportive of you personally and professionally and send them an invitation to connect via LinkedIn.  Also, don’t forget about those who worked with you at a previous workplace or organizations.

Be sure to take a look at your connections’ profiles on LinkedIn.  Maybe you know of an award they recently received or a new Board appointment that they have not updated on their LinkedIn profile.  If so, mention this to them so that they know that you are thinking of them and recommending things to help them via LinkedIn.  Your goal with existing relationships on LinkedIn is to provide support so that you can depend on that support as well.

Tip:  When sending an invitation to connect via LinkedIn, always write a personal note.  You don’t have to be a wordsmith to do this because LinkedIn only allows a sentence to two, but it helps to have something specific written from you especially for those people you haven’t heard from in a while.  Even though it’s digital, it still needs to be sincere.

B) New Relationships:  Don’t hesitate to send invitations to people who you have just met to keep in touch.  Think of LinkedIn as one additional way to follow up / stay in contact with that person you just met. 

Tip:  Don’t rely on a LinkedIn communication by itself to communicate with anyone.  Not many people rely on LinkedIn to communicate in a day to day setting, instead think of messages sent there as a nice extra method of connecting, but not the primary method (unless your contact indicates otherwise). 

C) Future Relationships:  Sometimes it would actually be more appropriate, feasible, and helpful to send someone you’d like to learn more about a LinkedIn invite instead of an e-mail. 

For example, if you are enrolled in a conference but cannot make all the sessions, consider sending the speakers you missed an invitation to connect via LinkedIn.  Be sure to mention their class or topic and why you would like to connect.  You might find out that once you connect with them via LinkedIn that they share their expertise on LinkedIn, and now you have a direct link to them for future information and subject matter of interest to you.

We hope these first two steps for beginners help to fast track your efforts to begin using LinkedIn, and helps spark your creativity on how to maximize it for your benefit.  There’s a great deal more that builds on the information above, so look forward to a the next few blog posts.

Questions?  Feedback?  email:  contactus@infiniedge.com or contact us via our website at:  http://www.infiniedge.com

Thanks for reading!

Fire Your Conference Room

If you’ve ever built a new home, then you probably know the stress of dealing with contractors, decorators and financing companies. Now imagine if you were building a multi-million dollar company office or a student union for over 30,000 hungry college goers. These types of jobs are the norm for the architectural company that came to InfiniEDGE for custom software solutions to its problems.
There are many players in the construction game, including architects, contractors, designers and engineers. The architectural firm that employed InfiniEDGE needed a way to contact everyone involved in the building process without the hassle of trying to schedule a meeting around dozens of conflicting schedules. InfiniEDGE developed a software management system for this firm that completely revolutionized the business of building. This application allowed each person involved in a project to post information, review documents and make comments on postings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, freeing up valuable time and resources for designing and introducing new ideas. Within this state-of-the-art software, users can replace file cabinets with electronic organization, set timeframes to projects and send automated reminders with the click of a mouse. By taking the limitations out of communication, InfiniEDGE ensured this architectural firm limitless possibilities and profits.

InfiniEdge Hardware Services