Technology Updates

Web Access

Obviously, I need access to files locally – both on a spinning hard drive and on various USB drives. If I was access to email or file transfer, it had to be safe and secure.

Web access includes access to g-talk from Google as well as the possibility of web-based phone, though I don’t use that yet.

Documents

File backup

This solution has to offer ways to save and access files remotely. If you’ve ever lost a hard drive, scratched a CD or lost a portable drive or thumb drive, you KNOW the pain of not having a backup.

The 1610 is a small, light Windows PC with built-in WIFI and a PC card slot which I use for the Verizon mobile broadband card. It also has an SD storage card slot which allows me to interchange the data files in my Treo and Exilim digital camera. There is no CD drive, but I can copy things to the hard drive or my external 120 GB USB drive.

Windows Smartphone

Windows Mobile offers email, Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as calendaring, contacts, etc. With a 4 GB SD card (postage-sized card with 4 gigabytes of storage space) installed I have tons of storage space.

An enormously useful tool is having Word Mobile.

Windows Mobile has Windows Media Player. An additional benefit – if a phone call comes in while I’m listening, WMP pauses and I answer the call.

Since I have a dataplan from my cell phone carrier, I can access my Google account and use a separate free program called GooSync to sync my Google calendar to my phone. A shoulder backpack has literally become my mobile office holder.

Digital Camera

Again, the key to data portability is the SD storage card.

High Capacity SD cards

I’ve mentioned SD (Secure Digital) cards several times.

It means local storage and easy file copying. I have a 256 MB card in my camera and 4 GB card in my phone.

Mobile Broadband Card

USB hard drive

Web-based storage

With high capacity SD cards and USB-attached hard drives, what do you need with web-based storage? Because you never, never know when your mobile drives might go missing.

5) Software

Google

People either love or hate Google. My concern is that I’ve moved so much of my work into this workspace called the Google Desktop that if Google dies I’ll be in real trouble.

As I stated, Gtalk is Google’s IM client.

Google Documents has turned into a real boon. Clicking the blue star in the Google Toolbar files the site in the Google Notebook under “unfiled sites”. You may not know that a free Google account comes with 7 GB of storage.

You can use G-space to easily upload multiple documents to your Google account. Lose your laptop? No problem; you have a thumb drive, right? Never lose a file again.

A free add-on for your Windows smartphone, GooSync updates your phone’s calendar from your Google Calendar.

SFTP Drive

SFTP Drive provides a secure login to external servers – that being your offsite storage other than your Google account. If you work via FTP (file transfer protocol) and are a Windows worker, SFTP Drive displays your server as another drive on your My Computer and allows you to drag and drop files.

6) Optional items for your mobile office

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN RETAILING

;Introducing Retailing in Current Scenario

The retail sales are at the highest point in history and new technologies are improving retail productivity. Though there are many opportunities to start a;new retail business, retailers are facing numerous challenges.

Classifications of IT investments in Retailing based on the need / value

;• Improving efficiency of Supply Chain

• Improving the Shopping experience

• Business Optimization

Improving Efficiency of Supply Chain

Demand forecasting has assumed critical significance in managing supply chains efficiently. Having an agile supply chain network that seamlessly connects demand, supply and product remains the top priority for retailer and consumer companies.

Supply chain improvement a critical Retailing investment comprises implementing ERP packages, forecasting tools, and others.

Improving the Shopping Experience ; Business Optimization

;Customer relationship management: Indian retailers are aggressively investing in Customer Relationship Management Solution for retaining; acquiring customers, brand management, to analyze consumer-buying behaviour, buying patterns of ‘loyalty cardholders’, integration of multi-channel sales and others. Few feasible CRM solution packages are namely Talisma, Siebel, SAP, Retek CRM and Sales Logix.

Business Intelligence tools

B2B software is well suited for multi-channel retail business consolidating sales via Internet, mail catalog, phone/fax and point-of-sale (POS) terminals installed in physical shops.; The concept with multi-channel business is not new. This creates additional cross-sell opportunities and helps to improve business performance. Such operational environment improves client shopping experience too, because customers can get real-time updates about products availability, special offers and active promotions.; Optionally, B2B software also provides companies with rich functionality to manage inventory as well as sales/customer data across Web sites from a single back office. The system has also in-built helpdesk (customer service) capabilities to provide managers with better visibility of current business activities across multi-channel retail operations on the Web.; Customer expectations for multi-channel retail are permanently growing, and companies must respond with more capabilities in their solutions. Business Optimization Software

Currently two US-based software product vendors Demand Tech and Khimetrics have come up with products to optimize the prices of individual products.

;Merchandise planning is one of the biggest challenges that any multi store retailer faces. Mobile computing

;CRM solution, Business Intelligence Tools, B2B software, RFID, Business Optimization software and ERP are some of the popular technological avenues for explosive Retailing that has identified IT as critical tool in its scenario.