iPad for Productivity…. IT Perspective. Post #2

The mobile web… An undeniably central portion of any good modern on-the-go worker’s toolkit.  It really doesn’t matter what your job or business is, it seems there is always a need for the mobile web in an average modern day.

Once I got used to using the Safari browser on my iPhone, whether on wi-fi or 3G, there was no going back.  Despite the limitations and frustrations of mobile browsing, being able to almost instantly pull up a Google search, map directions, product information, store hours, technical walkthrough, or any number of web uses while on the go for work is no longer a luxury.  It is a necessity on the majority of my days away from the office or home.

However, mainly due to the constant pinching and zooming required on many smartphone browser sites, the idea of an iPad as a step up from the smartphone that is still more convenient than pulling out a full laptop is one of the categories of testing I set out to conduct in this new technology model I’ve forced on myself.

And I have to say, it has been a largely pleasant experience.  

PROS

Screen Size

The version of Safari for the iPad is really no different than the iPhone – they are both the iOS version.  At first thought, I felt there would be little difference in experience.  But the extra few inches of screen real estate make quite a difference in many ways, the web being one of them.  Not having to do as much zooming in and out, and crisper, larger text make for a big difference when doing mobile web activities.  This larger screen size translates into a larger virtual keyboard as well, which pays dividends.  Lastly, tabbed browsing is more efficient as you can see and switch tabs without having to bring up the separate screens and scroll left and right between them as you do in the iPhone browser.

Dedicated Browsing

What I mean by this is that many times the mobile web searches I am conducting on the go happen while I am using my iPhone for a business call as well.  Having to switch back and forth between apps and screens on the phone while in th call can be tedious and cause accidental hang-ups, etc.  Having the iPad to use for full-screen multi-tabbed browsing while simply using the iPhone for the call itself or even other kinds of multi-tasking not involving the browser enhances the experience and efficiency.

Hands-Free

With the Apple screen cover for the iPad that doubles as a stand for the iPad, I can set it up on a counter, table, desk, whatever and have a vertical hands- free browsing experience while holding a phone or using my hands for other necessary work.

Bluetooth Keyboard

Freeing up even more screen real estate with one of the bluetooth keyboards made for the iPad makes the experience even more pleasant, especially for things like filling out forms, blog and forum posts, etc.

Battery Usage

The iPad battery life is much longer than the iPhone for browsing, especially as my phone battery drains due to voice calls and other usage throughout the day.

CONS

Browser/Site Incompatibilities

There are some websites that don’t play well with Safari.  The solution to this is to download one of the other browsers, such as Opera or Atomic, available for the iPad, and test those until I find the one that works best with a particular site.  This is more pronounced than in Windows or OS X as some pages want to load a mobile version and others don’t, and certain site functions don’t work as well with the iOS.

No Flash

For me, this is rarely an issue as I generally don’t rely on much Flash content, especially for work.  Occasionally there will be a walkthrough video I would like to be able to view for a task I am trying to complete, but this is quire rare, and more and more sites are providing HTML5 or other alternatives to Flash for this very reason.

Wifi Only

My particular iPad is wifi only, so I don’t have as much freedom browsing as with the 3G option on my iPhone.  However, this is only because I didn’t want to double-pay for an additional 3G data plan for the iPad.  Instead, I am going to wait until the data plan expires on my current Acer netbook and then look into one of the 4G portable hotspots that power multiple devices, which will include the iPad.  This shouldn’t be taken as a real Con, as it is specific to my situation.

Summary

For mobile web activities related to IT support and productivity (as well as many other business tasks and uses), the advantages of the iPad seem to greatly outweigh the cons.  The tablet gets a Win for this category of mobile productivity.

Next Week: Email Solutions

iPad for Productivity? An IT perspective… Post #1

One of the exciting and sometimes challenging/frustrating aspects to my job with NSI Partners is the review and testing of new technologies.  When this is software- or browser-based, it is relatively easy to do these tests from my existing computers and devices.  From time to time, though, it is the primary computing devices and models themselves that I have to be willing to test and play with.

ipad (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

Such is the case with a recent experiment: restrict my mobile computing solution to an iPad and iPhone, ditching the powerhouse laptops I’ve gotten accustomed to in lieu of a desktop computer solution for the home office.  Why torture myself?  To see how successful I can really be performing a wide range of computing tasks while away from the office using a “truly mobile” device — one with a mobile operating system and size/design as opposed to something like a Netbook – which is just a low-powered Windows laptop with the full OS.

So for several weeks now I have been working (and studying) with this device model:  iPad 2, iPhone 4s, and powerful iMac at the home office.  The experience so far has been both liberating and frustrating, providing a benefit in some scenarios and lots of pain in others.

For the next few weeks I will write about various aspects of this experience, making the rounds on a variety of produuctivity and software categories, detailing the apps I have tested, the ones I have rejected, and what solutions are both liberating and compromising.

 Ultimately, there are 2 answers to the basic question of qhwther the iPad can be a mobile computing solution.  If you perform complex computational tasks while on the road (graphic editing, video conversion, detailed document/spreadsheet/presentation design), the iPad is not for you – at least, not as a full mobile computing solution.  On the other hand, if you tend to spend most of your mobile computing time in email, web browsers, performing limited or simple document creation, or doing a lot of remote machine access, then the iPad may well provide you a lightweight, compact, successful mobile computing solution.

Read as I post the next several weeks if you care to learn more about my experiences in this odd IT challenge…

Website Design and Hosting for Small Organizations

As part of my duties as IT Manager for NSI Partners TechConnect, I also oversee our Hosting services.

Image via Wikipedia

In today’s marketplace, the Internet, and the Web, are everywhere.  From desktop and laptop computers, to tablets and smart phones, to TVs, other home electronics, and even some cars, the ubiquity of the Web is enormous.

Whether you are a for-profit or not-for-profit organization, a web presence is essential to draw attention, provide services, get new customers, and communicate with constituents.

Many places today offer simple, easy-to-configure, bottom-dollar priced do-it-yourself site design and hosting.  Some of these sites, such as our own NSIHost, offer such services and additional features you can easily add in (e-commerce, SSL certificates, various Social Media plugins, etc.).  This is a great option if you are willing to spend a little time getting comfortable with the interface, tools and walk-thrus available to build your own site.

Another option is to contract with a provider (NSI Partners provides these services as well) to design a site for you, often using images and graphics you provide, with a layout design you have input into, and features / add-ons that make sense for your goals and organization.  This, of course, is more expensive, but gives you the luxury of a no-hassle site designed by experts without having to spend much time fiddling with the site design yourself.

There are other choices to make, such as the registration of domain names (e.g. www.mycoolsite.com), whether or not you want email accounts for your registered domains, and whether you want your website in a shared or dedicated hosting environment.  In addition, Search Engine Optimization is very important if you want to be found.  Many online marketing firms offer services in these areas, including NSI Partners, and money spent on various forms of online marketing usually means more visitors, links from others, and ultimately, customers.

The main point here is that if you are part of a new small business, a non-profit or ministry organization, or represent some other organizational interest, you need a website, and it’s not as complicated or intimidating as one might think.

If you are ready to get started, follow one of the links in this post, or fill out our contact form, and one of our Design and Hosting experts will reach out to you and assist you in the next steps for your agency!

Case Study – Remote IT Support Colorado Springs

The Challenge

TechConnect was tasked to manage the technology needs of a client with 4 separate office locations and a corporate section with over 20 separate workstations. Technology needs included security, backups, and custom industry-specific software. Client also needed to keep costs low and as predictable as possible.

The Solution

TechConnect determined that remote-access technology would allow us to do much of the work remotely, saving time and money and cutting down on overhead. To that end, we installed remote-access solutions for full remote access to all machines and VPN connectivity between stores for purposes of sharing files/folders and software client-server relationships.

We upgraded all machines in an affordable manner to high hardware and software environment standards. We also set up public and private Wifi networks at all client locations. Network security software was configured to provide security on all computers and routers, and backups for disaster recovery were set up on essential machines, utilizing offsite cloud backups for key files.

A schedule of weekly remote maintenance checks on all machines keeps all client software updated and ensures only necessary business software remains installed and properly configured. Thanks to remote-access technology, the client’s monthly maintenance cost is a fraction of a traditional IT support contract.

Case Study – Small Business IT Services

The Challenge

Move from an aging and poorly-performing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program (Goldmine) housed on a dedicated server rented from a third-party provider to a state-of-the-art, cloud-based CRM + product. Identify and migrate gigabytes worth of data, and ultimately save money if possible.

The Solution

After conducting detailed research, we identified the Group Edition of Salesforce.com as being ideal for the number of subscribers required. There was a one-time cost to assess and migrate all the data from the old Goldmine server into Salesforce. After this initial transition, users warmed quickly to the new platform and Web 2.0-centric interface and features. Migrating to Salesforce also substantially reduced annual CRM costs.