The Best Bang For Your Tech Buck

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You'll also face difficulty exchanging files with the nonpenguin world. Linux programs, alas, are not fully compatible with Office. Open a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file using OpenOffice for Linux and you'll probably have to reformat. Save it to return to Word users, and there's a chance they're going to have to do the same thing. What it comes down to is there's no equivalent of MS Office for Linux--and don't expect one to emerge anytime soon.

There are other problems, as well, particularly with websites built to handle Explorer's Java script. There's a very good chance they won't work with Linux browsers. And some of your basic hardware, such as printers and scanners, may not have Linux drivers. Unless you have a programmer on staff, you'll probably find yourself replacing a lot of equipment. All of the aforementioned can add up pretty quickly and take the shine off the word free that generally follows Linux.

I once spent two days putting Linux on a machine with Windows, sharing the hard drive. I spent most of that time on the phone with tech support, at about $200 an hour. I finally got it to mostly work, but my machine completely crashed two weeks later. That was two years ago, but there are still no standards among providers. It's both the benefit and the curse of open source.

VoIP

Know the old adage, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is? Think VoIP. The idea of saving thousands a month by routing phone calls via the Internet is great. And if you listen to providers such as Cisco, Net2Phone, or Vonage, it's the best technology ever. But here's the wet blanket: Last November the FCC announced a yearlong investigation into whether VoIP should be regulated. If Congress were to tax VoIP, those dollars invested in infrastructure ($600 to $1,000 per station) may not result in the bonanza everyone had hoped for.

There are a few other things you should know about VoIP. Not only do you run the risk of being hit with fees down the road, you'll also be sacrificing bandwidth for data applications. And you'll have to worry about security.

The most problematic issue, though, is the effort it takes to deploy and maintain a system. It will take you five full days to install the phones, and three to six months to get the whole system in place. And you'll have to update software periodically. Then there's the compatibility issue. One system may not work with another. So if your vendor goes belly up (this is a relatively new technology, and there are lots of new players), you could be out of luck. Take the wait-and-see approach, and in the meantime try to negotiate a better deal on your current service. The telcos, eager to quash VoIP, may be happy to oblige.

The Yankee Group says 54% of U.S. companies plan to boost security spending. The average cost to buy software patches: $234 per machine.

Security

More businesses are coming to the conclusion that security has to be a top tech priority. According to the Yankee Group, a Boston-based research firm, 54% of U.S. companies plan to boost security budgets during the next three years, particularly with regard to firewalls and antivirus and anti-intrusion software. According to the study, most of that extra spending will go to updating previously installed products. About half will be spent on new software and IT staffing.

The best place to start is to make sure all your PCs' security patches are up-to-date. But that's not cheap. The Yankee Group found that the average cost to keep a machine up-to-date is $234. Companies with more to earmark for security should be audited by a specialist like Network Associates or Symantec. Those with little to spend can still take steps to minimize risk by moving servers behind locked doors and running cabling above the ceiling, which makes it more difficult to tap into. These measures may seem like overkill, but if your business has an online presence, keeping information secure is critical. Once customers sense that your data is not secure, they're gone.

Instant Messaging

There's no doubt that IM is fast and often cheaper than a phone call--perfect for instantaneous communication with a far-flung sales force or multiple retail operations. And the cost is pretty reasonable. IM plans from AOL, Yahoo, and Microsoft range from $25 to $40 per user per month, depending on the size of the company.

Problem No. 1: Users of AOL, Yahoo, and Microsoft can't yet connect to each other, and that's annoying.

Problem No. 2: Security, natch. Michael Osterman of Osterman Research in Black Diamond, Wash., claims that while 90% of companies have some instant messaging activity, only 30% have established IM standards. In other words, there's a whole lot of unregulated activity out there. And that should scare the wits out of you. Many IM services evade firewalls, so they can serve as the entry point for malicious codes or viruses. AOL, Yahoo, and Microsoft are doing their best to enhance encryption and security, but even so there's still a buyer-beware quality to these offerings.

For now, if you want IM done right contact a provider like Bantu or Jabber, which will tailor a service to your company's needs. Jabber can integrate an existing directory to maintain users' e-mail addresses. Even better, Jabber allows users to IM forms such as purchase orders or invoices, so you know who's seeing them and when they're being seen. The cost for this peace of mind: $30 per seat for up to 1,000 users, plus support and maintenance.

Postscript

So how did Rob Shoenfelt at Celina Insurance end up spending his 2004 budget? He's still undecided. He considers VoIP to be risky and investing in his company's data storage capability to be the pragmatic choice. Either project could cost up to $200,000, so Shoenfelt is taking his time to decide. That's a pretty smart way to go. At companies like Celina, IT dollars are precious.

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