In today's highly competitive business environment, successful companies are those that know how to build and maintain customer loyalty.  This approach is not suited for companies who make their purchasing decisions based soley on price, but rather for those that are interested in evolving and growing their business.  The key to growth is providing excellent customer service through timely and accurate advice and recommendations.

The old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is true in many contexts in the business world, but is perhaps most true when it comes to the decision to hire an IT consultant.  By working closely with an IT professional, businesses can avoid the probability of proceeding on a trial-and-error basis when implementing a new system, program, or set of procedures.  IT consultants have been down the same road before with prior clients, and can offer expert advice and guidance about the most cost-effective ways to achieve business goals.

The increasing popularity of BYOD (bring your own device) policies in small and medium-sized businesses is leading more companies to investigate the advantages of a managed programs approach to IT support and services.  Under BYOD policies, employees use their personal devices such as smart phones or tablets in order to complete work tasks.  Such policies improve employee productivity because workers are more familiar with the operation of their own personal devices. 

Any business where employees are using smartphones or other mobile devices to process workflow must find ways to secure the devices themselves, but this strategy in and of itself will not be sufficient unless content is also secured.  One of the best ways to select and implement a management strategy for mobile content is to work with a managed services provider with expertise in this area.

A growing number of businesses and other organizations are allowing, encouraging, or even requiring employees to use their own personal devices such as tablet computers and smart phones at work.  This strategy lowers capital costs for the business and provides a positive benefit to employees since in many cases they end up carrying fewer devices, instead of a personal smart phone and one that belongs to the business; they simply carry the former. The state of Delaware has been at the forefront of the trend toward this model.   "We're thankful that we were able to get out a little bit in front of it," commented Elayne Starkey, who serves the state as its chief security officer.

Businesses that have wanted to widely adopt a tablet-based computing infrastructure have been somewhat stymied to date by the lack of a Microsoft Office app for the most popular tablet in the world: the iPad produced by Apple Computers.  That bar to adoption is now slated to vanish; according to released reports, a Microsoft Office app designed to run on the iPad will soon be launched.  The app is expected to include the popular Office components of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  There is no word as of yet whether other Office family programs such as Access, FrontPage, or Publisher will also be released in iPad app form. 

Much has been said of the potential security vulnerabilities of smart phones used in a business environment.  Until now, however, hard data has been heavily anecdotal, focusing on breaches that occurred at one business or another that turned out to result from the misuse of a smart phone.  That has all changed with the release of a new study conducted by antivirus firm Symantec. 

Before wireless networks were common, hackers needed to find a physical route into a company's systems.  Even when that meant using a dial-in modem, the possible attack routes were limited by the available technology.  The spread of wireless communications, however, has given malicious actors an unprecedented level of opportunity.  When this consideration is paired with the fact that WLANs, wireless local area networks, often possess weaknesses in their approaches to IT security, this can be a recipe for disaster.

The practice of BYOD or bring your own device is a somewhat controversial one in business circles across the nation.  While employees may appreciate the convenience of using their own mobile phone for business as well as personal use, some companies are having second thoughts about this model.  Security concerns play a large role in the conversation, as does the issue of employees possibly using company time for personal email and other non-work uses.  This, of course, can become more frequent when a BYOD policy is in effect. 

There is no doubt that integrating an employee's personal computing devices, items such as cell phones, BlackBerries, tablet computers, and laptops, with a business network can greatly enhance worker efficiency, allowing them to do more in less time.  It can also increase employees' ability to progress through workflow when they are out of the office, whether they are at home for the evening or out of the country on a business trip.  Unfortunately, the proliferation of handheld devices is placing a great strain on the Wi-Fi networks that businesses maintain to support their workflow.