We need more Free Wireless Access Points
Obviously with the proliferation of smart phones, iPhones, iPads , Kindles, Kobo and android tablets…the users need places to use their new found devices.
Kudos to Starbucks understanding that if they offer free wifi in their 770 coffee shops then users will flock there for coffee and free access. But where are all the others following suit? Want to drive traffic to the bricks then offer the wireless nomad a place to connect and they may spend money at your store while surfing away.
Thankfully, Vex Corp. is hoping to light up over 5000 locations and this is a good thing for the consumer as they want it free and wont pay for it anymore.
Vex will be the integrator and use Cisco wireless access points and use an advertising model where the web access would have to see some advertising. This isn’t a big deal anymore as every website has some sort of advertising on it but if Vex plays their cards right it won’t be an annoyance but of value. Sitting ion a subway checking on emails on the iPad and getting a click ad for a $1 off the next visit would be useful. Now if we can just print the darn thing easily then all will be good.
Let’s hope Vex gets the market share it deserves and other retailers catch on to the free wifi bandwagon.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet
The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet
• By Chris Anderson and Michael Wolff
• Wired September 2010
I found Chris’s viewpoint to be very interesting and has sparked a lot of debate during lunch and coffee breaks
Chris wrote as follows:
“ You wake up and check your email on your bedside iPad — that’s one app. During breakfast you browse Facebook, Twitter, and The New York Times — three more apps. On the way to the office, you listen to a podcast on your Smartphone. Another app. At work, you scroll through RSS feeds in a reader and have Skype and IM conversations. More apps. At the end of the day, you come home, make dinner while listening to Pandora, play some games on Xbox Live, and watch a movie on Netflix’s streaming service.
You’ve spent the day on the Internet — but not on the Web. And you are not alone. “
Well it does seem with the proliferation of smartphones and better hand held devices the APP has definitely changed the way we communicate and surf the web
I use the apps everyday and it simplifies my life and you don't realize that you have not used your laptop until you either need to print something or there is a special program that resides on your laptop.
Apple has made great strides in the APP category, followed by Google Android. RIM is being left behind but they are working feverishly to create more APPs especially if the touted BlackPad is to come out.
The Internet has always been the connectivity network and not the content or the applications. Hence, the Web is the application and content network. With the Internet extended by fiber, wires, copper landlines, or wireless the access to instant on anytime, anywhere, anytime has now become the term to define how we use the APPS on our devices.
Now with the promise of clouding computing starting to work its way into our daily experience, things will change even more so the next few years.
• By Chris Anderson and Michael Wolff
• Wired September 2010
I found Chris’s viewpoint to be very interesting and has sparked a lot of debate during lunch and coffee breaks
Chris wrote as follows:
“ You wake up and check your email on your bedside iPad — that’s one app. During breakfast you browse Facebook, Twitter, and The New York Times — three more apps. On the way to the office, you listen to a podcast on your Smartphone. Another app. At work, you scroll through RSS feeds in a reader and have Skype and IM conversations. More apps. At the end of the day, you come home, make dinner while listening to Pandora, play some games on Xbox Live, and watch a movie on Netflix’s streaming service.
You’ve spent the day on the Internet — but not on the Web. And you are not alone. “
Well it does seem with the proliferation of smartphones and better hand held devices the APP has definitely changed the way we communicate and surf the web
I use the apps everyday and it simplifies my life and you don't realize that you have not used your laptop until you either need to print something or there is a special program that resides on your laptop.
Apple has made great strides in the APP category, followed by Google Android. RIM is being left behind but they are working feverishly to create more APPs especially if the touted BlackPad is to come out.
The Internet has always been the connectivity network and not the content or the applications. Hence, the Web is the application and content network. With the Internet extended by fiber, wires, copper landlines, or wireless the access to instant on anytime, anywhere, anytime has now become the term to define how we use the APPS on our devices.
Now with the promise of clouding computing starting to work its way into our daily experience, things will change even more so the next few years.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Avaya one-x Portal Unified Communications Tool
For enterprise customers and SMB customers, Avaya offers some Unified Communication tools that can enhance their employee’s ability to communicate effectively.
One such solution is the one-X portal. IT managers have been asking for years for a lightweight very thin client PC solutions that don’t create management headaches and is VPN and firewall friendly. This solution is a browser based interface to Avaya telephony, messaging, mobility, conferencing, and presence services provided by Avaya Aura™ Communication Manager, Avaya Modular Messaging, Avaya Meeting Exchange, and Avaya Aura™ Presence Services.
Avaya one-X Portal does not require the installation of any application software on your desktop to deliver its basic functionality.
Users can use any internet connection to be able to communicate virtually anywhere – make calls, receive calls, check voice mail and place conference calls. You can even control your extension for extension to cellular and follow me applications.
The application that provides the greatest benefit is the ability to use “presence” functionality to see co-workers presence and be able to determine the ability to reach them via voice or instant messaging.
All this integration is connected back to the Communication Manager Server or IP Office platform providing benefits for large or small customers.
It’s Simple to install and simple to use and powerful in its ability to allow the user to effectively communicate from virtually anywhere.
One such solution is the one-X portal. IT managers have been asking for years for a lightweight very thin client PC solutions that don’t create management headaches and is VPN and firewall friendly. This solution is a browser based interface to Avaya telephony, messaging, mobility, conferencing, and presence services provided by Avaya Aura™ Communication Manager, Avaya Modular Messaging, Avaya Meeting Exchange, and Avaya Aura™ Presence Services.
Avaya one-X Portal does not require the installation of any application software on your desktop to deliver its basic functionality.
Users can use any internet connection to be able to communicate virtually anywhere – make calls, receive calls, check voice mail and place conference calls. You can even control your extension for extension to cellular and follow me applications.
The application that provides the greatest benefit is the ability to use “presence” functionality to see co-workers presence and be able to determine the ability to reach them via voice or instant messaging.
All this integration is connected back to the Communication Manager Server or IP Office platform providing benefits for large or small customers.
It’s Simple to install and simple to use and powerful in its ability to allow the user to effectively communicate from virtually anywhere.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Sales Strategy Execution - Delivering Strategic Presentations
Salespeople typically have trouble selling to strategic issues and instead focus their presentations on the tactical pains that your solution solves or the solution features. You are being outsold by competitors with inferior solutions by not selling at the executive level.
Once salespeople understand the process of selling up the chain of value, they need the skills to craft an effective presentation that links your solution to those needs in a format that is relevant to an executive audience and hits home to everyone on the evaluation team.
Salespeople who can effectively articulate the benefit statements based on the personalities and roles of individuals on the evaluation committee are more likely to win. This requires the presentations to be structured.
Here are some simple steps to be able to do that effectively:
Presentation Strategy
(1) What are you selling?
(2) To whom are you selling it?
(3) Against what are you competing?
(4) In what environment do you expect the message to be received?
What are you selling? Why are you making the presentation? Take another look at the objective. Are you selling a plan of action, a need for action, a product, a service, or support for an idea?
To whom are you selling it? If you know your audience, you have some idea of its position on the subject.
Against what are you competing? Know your competition.
Presentation Organization
The introduction and conclusion cannot be neglected. At the outset, the presentation should gain the interest of the audience and convey to the listeners what is to be covered.
The body of the presentation, located between the introduction and the conclusion, contains the bulk of the message. It should be presented to the listener in a meaningful form.
In the conclusion, the presenter should review the key points of the presentation and pinpoint the action to be taken, if any.
Presentation Delivery
At the outset, the presenter must establish a rapport with the audience. Early in the presentation, the presenter will be judged, favorable or unfavorably, by the audience. After the audience decides whether it likes the presenter, it will determine whether it can give credence to what the presenter has to say.
Final Thoughts
In the new world of multi-media and web enablement there are new ways opf delivering presentations. In place of a live presentation in a boardroom can it be delivered via a video conferencing, Webex, Microsoft Live Meeting?
Finally, let's run down the list of things that you, as a presenter, should remember when you face the audience:
• Speak up. Make yourself heard.
• Keep your back to the wall.
• Avoid any mention of time during the opening comments.
• Maintain "eye-to-eye" contact.
• Stand erect and control your nervous habits.
• Relax and smile.
• Use stories to make your points.
• Reaffirm your points at the end of the presentation.
Now, you should be ready to prepare and make an effective presentation. Best wishes for success in the next one.
Once salespeople understand the process of selling up the chain of value, they need the skills to craft an effective presentation that links your solution to those needs in a format that is relevant to an executive audience and hits home to everyone on the evaluation team.
Salespeople who can effectively articulate the benefit statements based on the personalities and roles of individuals on the evaluation committee are more likely to win. This requires the presentations to be structured.
Here are some simple steps to be able to do that effectively:
Presentation Strategy
(1) What are you selling?
(2) To whom are you selling it?
(3) Against what are you competing?
(4) In what environment do you expect the message to be received?
What are you selling? Why are you making the presentation? Take another look at the objective. Are you selling a plan of action, a need for action, a product, a service, or support for an idea?
To whom are you selling it? If you know your audience, you have some idea of its position on the subject.
Against what are you competing? Know your competition.
Presentation Organization
The introduction and conclusion cannot be neglected. At the outset, the presentation should gain the interest of the audience and convey to the listeners what is to be covered.
The body of the presentation, located between the introduction and the conclusion, contains the bulk of the message. It should be presented to the listener in a meaningful form.
In the conclusion, the presenter should review the key points of the presentation and pinpoint the action to be taken, if any.
Presentation Delivery
At the outset, the presenter must establish a rapport with the audience. Early in the presentation, the presenter will be judged, favorable or unfavorably, by the audience. After the audience decides whether it likes the presenter, it will determine whether it can give credence to what the presenter has to say.
Final Thoughts
In the new world of multi-media and web enablement there are new ways opf delivering presentations. In place of a live presentation in a boardroom can it be delivered via a video conferencing, Webex, Microsoft Live Meeting?
Finally, let's run down the list of things that you, as a presenter, should remember when you face the audience:
• Speak up. Make yourself heard.
• Keep your back to the wall.
• Avoid any mention of time during the opening comments.
• Maintain "eye-to-eye" contact.
• Stand erect and control your nervous habits.
• Relax and smile.
• Use stories to make your points.
• Reaffirm your points at the end of the presentation.
Now, you should be ready to prepare and make an effective presentation. Best wishes for success in the next one.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Strategic Technology – Unified Communications – The Importance of Presence
Strategic Technology – Unified Communications – The Importance of Presence
Unified Communications increases the speed of interaction between co-workers and customers by bringing together voice, messaging and video. It’s only been the last few years that organizations have started to see the real benefits and the promises it delivers.
Unified Communications brings together fixed and mobile telephony, email, fax, instant messaging and conferencing into a single unified workspace.
All vendors offer a version of Unified Communications in their platforms today and there have been many improvements over the past few years. Some systems wil inter-operate with older TDM systems and newer IP based systems. Regardless of what technology you have there is an application available for it.
It’s transparent and integrated and its technology is stable and mature. One problem it doesn’t solve is getting the right message to the right person at the right time so that they can respond immediately. That’s where the key feature of Unified Communication, “presence” comes into play.
Presence lets users know who is reachable, where and by what method. Users can see who on their buddy list is online, available, busy, in a meeting, or reachable only by cellphone while travelling.
So now we can communicate in an intelligent manner and in the moment.
The biggest benefit of presence is the ability to Instant Message a colleague, and has a quick chat session that can escalate to a telephone call if required. These messages allow teams and groups of people to eliminate telephone tag and voice mail and are able to communicate in real time and in an effective manner.
The collaboration of voice, video and messaging can be managed effectively by the use of the presence feature. The faster organizations can implement these tools the faster they can communicate more effectively and increase their employee productivity and propel their business forward.
www.john-voipguru.blogspot.com
Unified Communications increases the speed of interaction between co-workers and customers by bringing together voice, messaging and video. It’s only been the last few years that organizations have started to see the real benefits and the promises it delivers.
Unified Communications brings together fixed and mobile telephony, email, fax, instant messaging and conferencing into a single unified workspace.
All vendors offer a version of Unified Communications in their platforms today and there have been many improvements over the past few years. Some systems wil inter-operate with older TDM systems and newer IP based systems. Regardless of what technology you have there is an application available for it.
It’s transparent and integrated and its technology is stable and mature. One problem it doesn’t solve is getting the right message to the right person at the right time so that they can respond immediately. That’s where the key feature of Unified Communication, “presence” comes into play.
Presence lets users know who is reachable, where and by what method. Users can see who on their buddy list is online, available, busy, in a meeting, or reachable only by cellphone while travelling.
So now we can communicate in an intelligent manner and in the moment.
The biggest benefit of presence is the ability to Instant Message a colleague, and has a quick chat session that can escalate to a telephone call if required. These messages allow teams and groups of people to eliminate telephone tag and voice mail and are able to communicate in real time and in an effective manner.
The collaboration of voice, video and messaging can be managed effectively by the use of the presence feature. The faster organizations can implement these tools the faster they can communicate more effectively and increase their employee productivity and propel their business forward.
www.john-voipguru.blogspot.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A Day in the Life of an Employee using Unified Communications Tools
A Day in the Life of an Employee using Unified Communications Tools
Employees that work for employers that have IP enabled Telephony applications are a lucky bunch indeed. These employers have realized the immense benefits available by using softphones, collaboration tools and IP centric network connectivity. The employee is now able to enhance their productivity in an anyplace, anytime, anywhere environment. The following example shows how a mobile Softphone, Instant Messaging and collaboration tools allows me to get my work done in an efficient and productive manner.
• 6:00 a.m. Wake up, shower, shave and out the door. I am meeting a client in Ottawa and I need to drop by the office to get a file.
• 7:15 a.m. Park and run upstairs to get the file. A short walk to the Fly Porter Shuttle bus stop. My Blackberry keeps me in touch while on the way to the airport.
• 9:14 a.m. Laptop plugged into guest cubicle and a quick check of emails and voice mails for any urgent items
• 9:30 a.m. Customer meeting to discuss some changes to our auditing engagement.
• 11:00 a.m. Back to my guest cubicle for a conference call
• 11:15 p.m. Frank sees I am connected and through Instant Messaging asks me to join a meeting with a possible new client who wishes to meet at 5:00 pm in Toronto. A quick check of the Porter flight schedule means I can attend. I send an Instant Message to Frank while in the conference call that I will attend.
• I continue my work as if I was in the Toronto office, making and receiving telephone calls with clients
• 3:00 p.m. I leave the Ottawa office for my flight to Toronto
• 4:45 p.m. I connect my laptop at my desk and reply to several important emails
• 5:00 p.m. Meet with Frank and the new client
• 7:00 p.m. We are invited to present our solution to the partners in New York at their office.
• 8:30 p.m. After dinner and helping the kids with homework, I connect to the network to retrieve a presentation template and start work on my presentation. Frank calls me and we discuss the proposal using the whiteboard application. Seeing that Brenda in the Manhattan office is on-line we ask her to participate and add some content.
• 11:00 p.m. Done! Time to get some rest and I feel assured that I can make changes once we arrive at the Manhattan office and can present our solution the following day. I know that I can be accessible and productive on my business trip and still be connected to the Toronto office as if I was there.
Employees that work for employers that have IP enabled Telephony applications are a lucky bunch indeed. These employers have realized the immense benefits available by using softphones, collaboration tools and IP centric network connectivity. The employee is now able to enhance their productivity in an anyplace, anytime, anywhere environment. The following example shows how a mobile Softphone, Instant Messaging and collaboration tools allows me to get my work done in an efficient and productive manner.
• 6:00 a.m. Wake up, shower, shave and out the door. I am meeting a client in Ottawa and I need to drop by the office to get a file.
• 7:15 a.m. Park and run upstairs to get the file. A short walk to the Fly Porter Shuttle bus stop. My Blackberry keeps me in touch while on the way to the airport.
• 9:14 a.m. Laptop plugged into guest cubicle and a quick check of emails and voice mails for any urgent items
• 9:30 a.m. Customer meeting to discuss some changes to our auditing engagement.
• 11:00 a.m. Back to my guest cubicle for a conference call
• 11:15 p.m. Frank sees I am connected and through Instant Messaging asks me to join a meeting with a possible new client who wishes to meet at 5:00 pm in Toronto. A quick check of the Porter flight schedule means I can attend. I send an Instant Message to Frank while in the conference call that I will attend.
• I continue my work as if I was in the Toronto office, making and receiving telephone calls with clients
• 3:00 p.m. I leave the Ottawa office for my flight to Toronto
• 4:45 p.m. I connect my laptop at my desk and reply to several important emails
• 5:00 p.m. Meet with Frank and the new client
• 7:00 p.m. We are invited to present our solution to the partners in New York at their office.
• 8:30 p.m. After dinner and helping the kids with homework, I connect to the network to retrieve a presentation template and start work on my presentation. Frank calls me and we discuss the proposal using the whiteboard application. Seeing that Brenda in the Manhattan office is on-line we ask her to participate and add some content.
• 11:00 p.m. Done! Time to get some rest and I feel assured that I can make changes once we arrive at the Manhattan office and can present our solution the following day. I know that I can be accessible and productive on my business trip and still be connected to the Toronto office as if I was there.
Strategic Technology – Unified Communications – The Importance of Presence
Strategic Technology – Unified Communications – The Importance of Presence
Unified Communications increase the speed of interaction between co-workers and customers by bringing together voice, messaging and video. It’s only been the last few years that organizations have started to see the real benefits and the promises it delivers.
Unified communications brings together fixed and mobile telephony, email, fax, instant messaging and conferencing into a single unified workspace.
It’s transparent and integrated and its technology is stable and mature. One problem it doesn’t solve is getting the right message to the right person at the right time so that they can respond immediately. That’s where the key feature of UC, “presence” comes into play.
Presence lets users know who is reachable, where and by what method they can be reached. Users can see who on their buddy list is online, available, busy, in a meeting, or reachable only by cellphone while traveling.
So now we can communicate in an intelligent manner and in the moment.
The biggest benefit of presence is the ability to IM a colleague, and has a quick chat session that can escalate to a telephone call if required. These messages allow teams and groups of people to eliminate telephone tag and voice mail and are able to communicate in real time and in an effective manner.
The collaboration of voice, video and messaging can be managed effectively by the use of the presence feature. The faster organizations can implement these tools the faster they can communicate more effectively and increase the employee productivity.
Unified Communications increase the speed of interaction between co-workers and customers by bringing together voice, messaging and video. It’s only been the last few years that organizations have started to see the real benefits and the promises it delivers.
Unified communications brings together fixed and mobile telephony, email, fax, instant messaging and conferencing into a single unified workspace.
It’s transparent and integrated and its technology is stable and mature. One problem it doesn’t solve is getting the right message to the right person at the right time so that they can respond immediately. That’s where the key feature of UC, “presence” comes into play.
Presence lets users know who is reachable, where and by what method they can be reached. Users can see who on their buddy list is online, available, busy, in a meeting, or reachable only by cellphone while traveling.
So now we can communicate in an intelligent manner and in the moment.
The biggest benefit of presence is the ability to IM a colleague, and has a quick chat session that can escalate to a telephone call if required. These messages allow teams and groups of people to eliminate telephone tag and voice mail and are able to communicate in real time and in an effective manner.
The collaboration of voice, video and messaging can be managed effectively by the use of the presence feature. The faster organizations can implement these tools the faster they can communicate more effectively and increase the employee productivity.
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