Technology StrategiesLeveraging Technologies to GROW your Business

Agenda• Meet the Panel

• Topic #1: Today’s Technology Challenges

• Topic #2: Leveraging Social Media Technologies for success

• Topic #3: How “Green IT” initiatives can save you money

• Topic #4: Technology and the Successful Business Leader

• Topic #5: Impact of Mobile Technologies

• Ask the Experts / Q & A

Ramon Ray• Technology Evangelist & Editor –

www.smallbiztechnology.com

• Author – “Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses”

• Frequent Media: WSJ, NY Times, CNBC’s Danny Deutsch, The Big Idea

• Producer – Small Business Summit – March 16, 2010, NYC

Robert HustickBackground:

• CEO – Live Elements (Social Media Agency)

• Internet Director – New York City Marathon

• Executive Producer – American Museum of Natural History

• Former Editor in Chief – New York Runner Magazine

Topic #1: Today’s Technology Challenges

Topic #2: Leveraging Social Media Technologies for Success

Social Media Revolution• If were a country – it would be the 4th largest

• 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations, while only 14% trust advertisements

• in 2009, a US Dept. of Education revealed that on average, online students outperformed those receiving face to face instruction

• 80% of companies now use as the primary tool to find employees

• in 2009, Boston College stopped distributing email addresses to incoming freshmen

Source: YouTube video “Social Media Revolution” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

Topic #3: How “Green IT” initiatives can save you money

Topic #4: Technology and the Successful Business Leader

Leveraging SaaS (Software as a Service)

Which technology strategy is better for small business - Best of Breed? Or single platform/minimal vendors approach?

Point: “… trade feature depth for technologies that work together… the ability for technologies to work together is more important than features”

Counter Point: “… Best of Breed works for big businesses because they have resources… most of the cost isn’t developing applications, it’s integrating applications”

Source: The 5 secrets of high performing organizations http://www.sixdisciplines.com

Source: Technology Strategy – how the best small businesses differ from the rest http://blog.hubspot.com

Topic #5: Impact of Mobile

By 2013, there will be more smart/super phones (1.82 Billion) than PC’s (1.78 Billion)

Gartner

Ask the Experts!

Thank You.

Additional Topics: SaaS –salesforce.comMicrosoft Online