Technology Predictions for 2012

What’s on the horizon in 2012? I sat down with Richard Baker (Account Manager) and Ryan Williams (Partner & CTO) to get their predictions for the coming year.

Richard’s Predictions:

Businesses will want more than email on their smartphones. They will want all of their business apps to work on their smartphones. Some examples of these apps are sales apps, quoting apps, and researching apps.
Businesses will use social media more and more, but will need help managing it. They will particularly need help analyzing what works and what doesn’t work.
Businesses will learn just how important mobile security is–the hard way. I’m not referring to hackers and viruses, although that is a concern as well. I’m referring to what happens when people lose their mobile devices, either by accident or to theft. Please remember that company secrets are on your phones. You need to treat them like you would your business computer. Make sure your mobile devices are locked with a pass code, and that you have the capability to wipe all of your data in the event that you lose it.
Online sales on mobile devices will quadruple, thanks to the Kindle Fire and advances in using NFC (near field communications) to make payments using mobile phones.

Ryan’s Predictions:

We’ll see more “line-of-business” applications being accessed and used via mobile devices.
Working away from the office will become more commonplace (from home, in the field, etc.) as more line-of-business applications are accessed via mobile devices.
Amazon is going to take over the world. They are doing everything right. For example, they have built a tablet that rivals Apple’s iPad at a much lower price point. You can stream movies and music (competing with Netflix and iTunes), purchase items in the huge Amazon marketplace, and of course, read books. Amazon is building an entire ecosystem, and they will come out on top.
The big three will be Apple, Google and Amazon. Microsoft will become nearly irrelevant. Microsoft’s most popular offering is its Windows operating system, but as software moves to the cloud environment, operating systems will become much less important.

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Technology Predictions for 2011: Did They Come True?

Last year, several of my coworkers put in their Technology Predictions for 2011. Did they come true? Let’s go back in time and take a look:

Richard Baker: Account Manager

1) The cloud discussions will move from “when” to “how”.

Cloud computing definitely took the spotlight this year and became a practical option for small and mid-sized businesses. Whether you’re talking about private, public or hybrid cloud solutions, the adoption rate for cloud computing skyrocketed this year and will only continue to grow in the years to come.

2) Verizon will launch a 4g iPhone.

The Verizon iPhone 4 launched in February, paving the way for other carriers to offer the popular product later in the year.

3) Cybersecurity concerns will remain a hot topic.

This is definitely true. Small and mid-sized businesses have become especially vulnerable. Hackers often identify SMB’s as easy targets because they have valuable information but limited resources to protect them. Click here to read 10 Security Tips for Small and Mid-Sized Businesses.

4) Facebook wins the location war. Foursquare loses.

This is not true…yet. Foursquare tripled in size over the last year, and now has over 15 million users and 600,000 merchants. Foursquare has become more than a way to share your location with friends; it’s now a tool you can use to find the best deals nearby. Facebook attempted to replicate this function with Facebook deals earlier in the year, but the project was unsuccessful and eventually pulled. However, with Facebook nearing almost a billion users, they certainly have the resources and power to make Foursquare obsolete.

5) U.S. wireless carriers will meter your data. Consumers will end up paying more, of course.

Unfortunately, this is almost entirely true. Sprint is the lone US carrier to offer a truly unlimited data plan.

6) Smartphones will be the targets of hackers and viruses.

Android malware traffic rose by 400% in 2011. As many as 4% of Android devices will be infected with malware at some point. iPhones are generally safe because they have a closed operating system that hackers cannot breach. However, if you jailbreak your iPhone (this is a process by which you “hack” your iPhone to unlock certain features–which we do not recommend), you will be susceptible to malware.

Five out of six isn’t bad. Are you psychic, Richard?

Gil Morris: Systems Engineer

1) I see Apple becoming the largest technology company on the planet, overtaking rival Microsoft, regarding market share and thus becoming the new “target” for cyber-criminals. That said, Apple security will be a “new” market poised for exponential growth as most Apple fans have rarely seen the need for enhanced security measures like their PC using counterparts.

This is a tricky one. Apple’s market share for tablets and phones definitely overtakes Microsoft– the iPad has as much as 75% of the tablet market right now. However, in terms of operating systems, Microsoft is still the clear winner, with 91% of PC users using Windows. However, Mac users were the targets, for the first time ever, of malware this year. The Mac Defender issue was resolved in May with a security update for the operating system.

Here is Gil’s response:

Given the malware epidemic we see out in the field, I think folks will be looking to alternatives to Windows (Linux, Mac) when their home PCs are shutdown (or worse they suffer some form of identity theft/financial loss) by one of the multitudes of rootkits I’ve seen in the past few weeks that are targeting Microsoft operating systems like never before. The security war is so bad now I just read the FBI is spending millions and hiring several new Special Agents to just help defend against cyber-criminals! (Link to FBI story: http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/fbi-likely-get-more-cybercrime-agents-121411)

2) The American FCC’s current attempts to regulate the Internet will (hopefully) fail and the so-called Net Neutrality push will dissolve. I do see some form of regulation but nothing as heinous as Big Brother watching your every move online. Most modernized governments can’t even police themselves much less the Internet.

In November, the Net Neutrality regulations were passed in Congress. These regulations were put in place in an attempt to prevent Internet Service Providers from regulating how heavily people use the Internet. However, Gil made a good point about how governments can’t police the Internet, as was evident in the Arab Spring uprisings this year.

Stay tuned. Next week we’ll reveal our Technology Predictions f0r 2012.

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Top 10 Tech Tips for 2011

The year’s coming to a close, so it’s time to bring out the Top 10 lists! Here are our top 10 Tech Tips for 2011. Enjoy!

10. A Tool That Summarizes Long Text Documents

9. How to Edit Word and Excel Documents on Your iPad

8. Employee Use of Social Networks to Talk About the Workplace, Guest Post by Megan Smith, SPHR, SmithBarnas & Associates

7. How to Display Images by Default in Microsoft Outlook 2010, 2007 & 2003

6. Comparison of Mobile Operating Systems

5. Android Tech Tip- Make Good Use of Your Leftovers

4. Great Weather Radar App for iPhone & iPad

3. QR Codes: What They Are, How to Scan Them, & How to Make Them

2. How to Use Your iPad in Presentations

And our number 1 Tech Tip for 2011 is…

1. How to Sync Pictures with Your Android Phone

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Nexxtep Helps Accounting Firm Build a Hybrid Cloud

Gruber & Associates, PA is a small accounting firm based in South Florida that principal Richard Gruber started over 25 years ago. As the firm has grown and taken on more and more new business in the last few years, technology became a priority. As they got busier during tax season, the applications on their Virtual Office were running very slowly. Gruber CPA Garrett Carpenter had previously worked with Nexxtep while he was working for another firm, so he knew who to contact when his new firm was ready to make some changes. Nexxtep upgraded their server and migrated all of their accounting applications to a self-hosted solution. We also incorporated Citrix so that Gruber’s staff could access their applications and files from their smartphones, tablets, and from their Macs and PCs when they’re not in the office.

After the installation, we spoke with Garrett to get his feedback. Here is what he had to say:

What problems were you facing with your previous system, and how have things changed?

We were using Virtual Office from Creative Solutions, and although there weren’t many specific problems, running Virtual Office was very slow. Stuart mentioned that if we bring everything in local, everything would run much faster. I knew that Stuart had great experience with time and billing applications, and with doing network installs like these. Our primary issue was speed; now everything is faster.

A secondary issue was functionality. For example, it was tricky trying to export files from Virtual Office into Excel. Now it’s much easier to use. One of the things we frequently have to do is email tax returns. With Virtual Office, you had to complete a series of steps to get that done. Now it’s as easy as pressing a button.

How did the installation go?

I thought it went very smoothly. They did a lot of work beforehand behind the scenes. They did a lot of prep work, so when they got down here, it was just a matter of migrating the data, running some updates and getting everything installed. It all happened over the course of the weekend, with no hiccups or problems. Employees left on Friday and came back on Monday and didn’t notice much of a difference.

What does Nexxtep do that you value?

We had a computer guy before. It was just him, and when he could fit us into his schedule he’d come by. Now when we have an issue, I can call a number of people up there and someone will address my problem quickly. This is key, especially during tax season. Last tax season, my PC crashed, and it took the computer guy all day before he could get to it. A fair amount of revenue was lost that day.

We didn’t have a secure network before, either. I know Nexxtep takes security very seriously. They locked down our firewall and put things in place to make our network more secure. Now we have regular backups, and we didn’t before. It gives us a lot of comfort because we know we can get a file from yesterday if we need it. Nexxtep has been doing these backups for about a year now, and we have restored them a couple of times during tax season when files were corrupted.

Before, we had a computer guy who was very reactive. We were always bringing ideas to him; Stuart and the guys at Nexxtep bring ideas to us. Someone who adds value is worth the money.

Nexxtep Helps Accounting Firm Build a Hybrid Cloud

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Favorite Smartphone Apps for 2011

Last year, I asked several folks here at Nexxtep to tell me about their favorite smartphone apps. It’s that time of year again! Here are some more of our favorite smartphone apps for 2011. Enjoy!

Richard Baker, Account Manager

Pulse: Pulse is a news reader that organizes stories in a beautiful display. You can customize Pulse by adding and removing sources. You can have anything from the Wall Street Journal to Popular Science to ESPN in your sources list. (Available on iPhone, iPad, and Android. Free)

Tweetbot: Tweetbot is a Twitter client with a lot of functionality and features. (Available on iPhone. $2.99)
Flipboard: Flipboard is the self-proclaimed social magazine. Use Flipboard to access your social networking accounts, browse news stories, and read your favorite blogs. If you use Flipboard on your iPad, you’ll be excited to know that as of today, the Flipboard iPhone App is available. If you want to transfer your sections onto the iPhone version, create a Flipboard account on your iPad and login with the same account on your iPhone. (Available on iPhone and iPad. Free).

Philip Jones, Systems Engineer

RemotePotato: Allows me to stream media from my iPhone and iPad to my television. (Available for iPhone and iPad. $6.99)
ESPN FFL: I use this app to manage my team on NexxFFL (Nexxtep’s Fantasy Football League). (Available for iPhone and Android. Free.)

Leigh Futch, Director of Web Marketing

HeyTell: HeyTell has completely eliminated my desire to text while driving. It gives you the functionality of a walkie-talkie, but you can listen to messages at your leisure. When you’re driving, you can send a short voice message without having to place a phone call. (Available for iPhone and Android. Free)

Anne Shenton, Marketing Director

Shazam: Most of you have probably heard of this app, but it’s just too good not to share. I use it almost every day and it never ceases to amaze me. Use Shazam to identify any song that you’re listening to (live performances excluded). Shazam will tag the song and show you all the details, including artist, title, cover art, lyrics, and more. If you have Spotify, you can play the song on your Spotify app. If you have Pandora, you can create a station in the Pandora app based on that song. The app is free, and now you can tag as many songs as you want. It’s also available on almost any mobile device you can think of. Learn more/download from the Shazam website.

Mike Adkins, Systems Engineer

Menu-Planner: You can automatically pull recipes from many sites, or create your own. Once you do that, it will create the items you need and generate a shopping list. You can also sync everything to their server, assign grocery stores and prices, email menus, and a ton of other features (Available for iPhone and iPad. $2.99)