Top Features SMBs Should Look for in Collaboration Tools
For years, small to midsize businesses (SMBs) got by without using much high technology. This was mostly because many tech products were created with large enterprises in mind and were either too cost prohibitive or just too big for SMB use. In the past decade, though, many technology companies have identified a very profitable niche in smaller businesses and are now developing products with those sized businesses in mind.
Brother Brings Desktop Scanning to SMBs
One big name in office products, Brother, recently announced a new line of desktop scanners for SMBs. The scanners help companies improve workflows by providing wireless connectivity and high-quality scanning for users to scan documents for use digitally. This helps cut down on paper storage and printing by allowing the business to store the digital files in the cloud where they can be accessed and shared from nearly any device.
The ADS-2500We and the ADS-2000e are compatible with Kofax VRS Elite software, which ensures that scanned papers are transformed into high-quality digital documents and data. It also allows developers to use the Brother Solutions Interface (BSI) to “access the web services of the scanner in order to further customize solutions that enhance workflow.” It supports Brother’s Web Connect to integrate with Microsoft OneDrive and OneNote, Google Docs, Evernote, Dropbox, Picasa Web Album, Flickr, Facebook and Android to promote collaboration and mobile usage of scanned files. The ADS scanners are now available from Brother.
The PDS-5000 and PDS-6000 are both high-volume scanners that provide speedy throughput for even large files. These both also include Kofax certification to provide top-quality images via optical character recognition (OCR) processing. The PDS models also allow for barcode batch scanning, which “allows SMBs to increase efficiency by rapidly processing multiple mixed sets of documents without pre-sorting or stopping and starting.” The PDS models will be available beginning in April.
HP Offers Tower Servers to Fit SMB Budgets
HP is not new to the SMB market, but its new HP ProLiant Tower servers are. These servers were created to help SMBs run daily workloads, essential business apps, web traffic and IT infrastructure. They provide embedded management solutions to allow users to easily monitor server power, health and usage without the need for hiring an expensive IT staff. Peter Schrady, VP and general manager for HP Rack and Tower Servers, explained to CBROnline why the servers work for SMBs:
“Small businesses not only need to solve immediate business challenges, but also lay the groundwork for accelerating business growth. Together with HP ProLiant Gen9 servers and the services and support expertise from our channel partners, we can help small businesses enhance competitiveness and achieve better business outcomes.”
Pricing for the new servers starts at $300 for the ProLiant ML10 v2, and $1,000 for the HP ProLiant ML110 Gen9.
ZyXEL Provides High-Performance Wi-Fi Business Access Points for SMBs
As a leading provider of broadband, connected home and business networking solutions, ZyXEL is already a trusted name. Now, the company is hoping SMBs that need more power behind their Wi-Fi networks will look into its new series of 802.11ac Wi-Fi business access points.
The new offerings, WAC6503D-S and WAC6502D-S, come with smart antennas to reduce the number of access points needed to provide access via the 802.11ac standard frequencies, which have a shorter range and usually require extra access points to provide coverage. The smart antenna technology “computes and changes signal patterns dynamically to enhance accuracy over both frequency bands, eliminating the need for addition APs.”
The access points can work in standalone mode or as a group via ZyXEL’s NXC WLAN controllers. This allows businesses to scale as needed and is great for growing businesses.
Kim Mays has been editing and writing about IT since 1999. She currently tackles the topics of small to midsize business technology and introducing new tools for IT. Follow Kim on Google+ or Twitter.
