Combo
News and interviews on Combo including trends, features, blogs and community conversations from an Australian business perspective.
What do we need to do to our IT environment to appease banks and external investors?Thursday, 02 December 2010
There is little – if any – demand placed on small businesses to comply with standards for IT. However, as you grow and seek funding, it becomes very important to have good productivity systems embedded in your technology. It is then important to ensure the ...
Business has taken off and our IT team is stretched – what do we do now?
Thursday, 18 November 2010
In a small business with less than a couple of hundred staff, scalability in IT is a really difficult thing to manage well. Over-resourcing in equipment or staff is expensive, and now people are looking seriously at elasticity in the supply of IT. Cloud computing ...
Is it true that Windows XP has been pulled from the shelf?
Thursday, 11 November 2010
I believe it is true. If you're a big fan of Windows XP, and want to stick with it, you should run out and buy it today. We're seeing the last of the Windows XP machines being sold off right now. As of October 22, Microsoft will not allow the distributors or ...
Keeping IT simple not an option as complexity emerges from the cloud
Thursday, 04 November 2010
Keeping IT simple is a luxury most growing businesses cannot afford. Today, every business needs to communicate and keep track of finances on computers. Many also design, order, build or manufacture, track or test some aspect of their products or services on ...
Why are there so many specialists in IT and do we really need them?
Thursday, 21 October 2010
In small business we a see a lot of specialists working as generalists. By this, I mean a couple of things... ...
Is cloud computing the future for business?
Thursday, 14 October 2010
My kids are four-and-a-half and seven years old. They have only ever used cloud-based software! Does that make you feel old all of a sudden, because you still use software that has been installed on your computer? There is no longer any doubt in my mind that ...
How do we improve our technology intelligence?
Thursday, 07 October 2010
So, you've built a successful business, you've hired some good staff, and you've survived the GFC. Now you need to ramp up your business capabilities to deliver without ramping up your costs. You want your business to run to a winning formula, and you have ...
What is the real cost of a computer crash?
Thursday, 30 September 2010
The big news in bad IT this week is Virgin Blue, who was forced to cancel flights after their airport check-in system failed for 21 hours – as reported on Monday here. ...
As a company director, how do I protect myself from a $20,000 fine for software piracy?
Thursday, 23 September 2010
This week's question came up in response to this article, about dobbing in your company for software fraud. It's a tough call when staff can install programs and the company owners become liable. ...
Does social networking have a place inside business?
Thursday, 16 September 2010
This week's question is a little off track for me, as I usually focus on the strategies for making IT work for a business, whereas this is about making a business work by using IT. A subtle, but important, difference. ...
Do we still need a server for our business or can we do IT in the cloud?
Thursday, 09 September 2010
Good question, and one that may be worth reassessing as the big IT companies refocus on delivering applications online through web browsers. ...
How do I get my boss to stop doing the IT work and start growing our business?
Thursday, 02 September 2010
Would you believe me if I told you I’m not allowed to touch the servers in my business anymore? It’s true! ...
What is the relationship between business growth, productivity and technology?
Thursday, 19 August 2010
There is a concern about businesses that grow without increasing profitability, as they may be employing more people and increasing the risk of failure as they grow. I've had a few arguments recently about whether business growth is a good thing or not. ...
How do we know which NBN is the right one for investing in the future of Australia?
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Australia is currently designing a National Broadband Network that will see us as world leaders in broadband communication in a few years' time. But now that the Coalition have revealed their plans to slash expenditure in this venture, we may find ourselves ...
Is IT a high enough priority in the upcoming election?
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Australia has abandoned all but the most high tech of manufacturing, meaning that manufacturing is now a minor component of our GDP. We’ve also seen agriculture take a back seat in the economy. Due to this, our services industries are emerging as major players ...
What is the greatest risk to our corporate data?
Thursday, 05 August 2010
The obvious answer to this one is – whatever gets you first. There are a multitude of risks to our data when it is stored on spinning disks, connected to the whole world by thin wires. If the spinning disks don't fail and the thin wires don't let you down, ...
Why is IT for growth businesses like a hermit crabs’ shell?
Thursday, 29 July 2010
This week I had the pleasure of attending a networking session at a design company called Hermit Crab. I was somewhat surprised to learn that office space requirements and IT solutions have a lot in common with hermit crabs. ...
Our internal IT guy needs help. Where do we turn?
Thursday, 22 July 2010
This is a common problem and, interestingly, by the time anyone else in the company notices that the poor, isolated IT guy needs help, it's usually long overdue. The IT guy may know that he's not keeping up with demands and requirements, or he may be blind ...
Do we need a structured IT policy for our company?
Thursday, 15 July 2010
This is actually an HR question, not a systems question, but it somehow always falls to the IT department to answer because they're the experts in regards to the risks associated with this area of the business. ...
Is it time to update our systems?
Thursday, 08 July 2010
In my experience, people in business know when they need new IT systems but lack the technical nous to explain why, and the IT / business skills to justify the additional expense. ...
