Author: Justin Hesser

Small business owners tend to have a lot on their plate. Often, in addition to maintaining operations and keeping the business profitable, they are responsible for managing their company's marketing, sales and technology departments. All of these tasks can be extremely difficult to juggle at the same time.

When individuals have to wear multiple hats, they are under a tremendous amount of pressure to maintain a high level of efficiency. Information is coming from every angle and, without the benefit of a full staff to manage it all, small business owners must take on most of the responsibility, which could put their operation at risk.

In this case, technology is the best answer. Investing in solutions designed to spur greater productivity will allow small business owners to maintain their viability. However, as business picks up and it becomes harder to maintain steady workflow, these individuals may need to prioritize what's important and concentrate their efforts in those areas. 

For example, Connie Certusi, a business technology executive, recently spoke with the online publication The Accounting Web about the importance of managing financial data and how small business owners should invest solutions that will assist with accounting needs. 

"It's no surprise that most small business owners wear numerous hats and tend to take a very hands-on approach with managing various aspects of their business," Certusi said, who pointed to a recent survey that stressed the importance of financial apps. "While there's no doubt that those small business owners who don't use accounting software are successful, based on the survey, it's indicative that there are several business activities that they need to be more versed in."

Managing financial data is crucial, but it's equally important to ensure that information fits with all other components of the business. By using FileMaker to develop a custom database software system, small business owners can harness the power of an entire team of workers with custom reporting apps and data management tools that will allow them to integrate financial information in a way that benefits the entire organization.

Data growth has accelerated in recent years, particularly in areas such as the financial industry. Because so much financial activity is conducted online these days, digital information has increased tenfold – a fact that organizations in the industry are struggling with.

An article in Wall Street and Tech suggests that information in the financial industry is growing 30 to 50 percent each year. Organizations are receiving data from a bevy of sources – a factor that has become even more critical now that mobile banking has blossomed into a standard practice. Without a proper database software system in place, it may be difficult to keep up.

Gary Smerdon, senior vice president and general manager of the Accelerate Solutions Division at LSI Corp., an organization that specialized in accelerated storage and networking needs in data centers, spoke with the news source about solutions to manage this issue.

“Traditionally, most spending in the enterprise space has been on traditional database technology,” Smerdon said. “But now with big data and virtual desktop infrastructures (VDI), there are requirements for larger databases and technology that can handle a VDI.”

This blog has touched on this before and stressed the importance of a data management solution that can work with a virtual storage option like the cloud. While implementing this kind of software will certainly help and improve the value of cloud computing or a virtualized server, it must be obtained and installed quickly.

That’s where FileMaker shows its value. By using the platform for custom application development, organizations can ensure their systems will be built and installed quickly and in a cost-effective manner. Data growth is not going to stop as businesses work to create an information management system.  FileMaker’s timely development capabilities allow organizations to stay ahead of their own data.

For marketers, the rapid proliferation of mobile technology can be both a gift and a curse.

For years, companies have been focusing on compiling data that can tell them exactly  where their customers are and how they are behaving. The advent of social media in the mid-2000s went a long way toward making this happen, but part of the problem in the early years of Facebook and Twitter was that the majority of user interaction was happening at a stationary computer. While businesses were obtaining valuable data, it was all coming from the same place for each user.

Mobile technology changed all of that. Today, companies know when their customers are checking into their place of business on Foursquare. If they are tweeting from down the street, that information becomes available. Because users keep their smartphones and tablets on them at all times, they can update their respective statuses and interact with companies all throughout the day. The mobile device unlocked a bevy of untapped marketing resources. 

However, that amount of data has to be properly managed. For many professionals in the marketing industry, it's crucial to ensure that data can be properly collected, viewed and used to gain a competitive advantage. If organizations are acquiring location-specific information for each potential customer, data volumes could increase tenfold. Without a system in place to keep it all organized, a company's marketing efforts could be significantly damaged.

Building a custom database software system can help companies keep their data organized so that it can work to their advantage and not be a burden on a business' marketing efforts. FileMaker-based systems are flexible and scalable, so, as new technology spurs an increase in marketing data sets, organizations can stay on top of the influx of new information.

The cloud offers myriad advantages over more traditional forms of data storage because of its ability to stretch and accommodate growing volumes. Unlike a physical server with a drive designed to store a specified amount of information, organizations that implement a cloud computing solution can add virtual storage space, which is considerably easier than replacing physical machines. In the era of big data, more businesses are using the cloud to accommodate their own growth. 

An article in Forbes underlines the importance of the cloud in any data management program. Michael Goodenough, the article's author, lists a number of reasons why businesses must ensure they can handle data growth. In addition to keeping the business moving in the right direction, there are regulatory factors to consider as well. 

"Once companies have eliminated unnecessary data and implemented an information lifecycle management solution, they'll eventually need a data storage solution," Goodenough writes. "Compliance, data retention requirements, and the rising cost of hardware infrastructure are pushing businesses to explore alternatives to traditional storage."

However, simply implementing a system designed to manage increased data will only go so far. It's just as important to have a system to manage the cloud storage environment. Designing a custom database software system that can be hosted in a cloud environment can allow users to access and manage pertinent information without compromising efficiency or risking the loss of data.

Systems created in FileMaker are ideal for the cloud environment because they too can scale to accommodate new data. This virtual solution gives businesses the flexibility they need to allow data to keep growing without having to make new physical installations. The streamlined process will keep companies running while their information volumes continue to rise. 

Business growth should be celebrated, as it’s indicative of a successful organization. However, that doesn’t diminish the need to meet new challenges spurred by a growing company, namely increased data requirements.

One of the most universally accepted answers to accelerated data growth is the procurement of stronger IT infrastructure. Buying more physical servers or switching to a virtualized environment can improve the manner in which information is backed up and stored. It can allow organizations the flexibility to hold greater data volumes and mitigate the risk of losing anything pertinent to the company.

Infrastructure improvements can only go so far. Finding better ways to physically process information and store it is helpful, but the best solution is one that can sort data in a way that allows users to manage it in a more efficient and effective manner.

An article in Tech World examines this further.

“As an organization evolves over time, its ability to manage existing data and to incorporate new data management demands grows in importance,” the article says. “Data cleansing becomes fundamental to business’ continuity in order to preserve the integrity and quality of data for migration when deploying new systems or retiring legacy systems.”

FileMaker can help with this effort. By using the platform to build a custom database software system designed to keep information organized, companies can minimize their infrastructure improvement needs because the only information being processed will be essential. The mitigation of duplicated data can go a long way toward solidifying a company’s overall operation.

FileMaker development allows organizations to create scalable systems as well, a key ingredient in a successful growing company. This will allow businesses to adjust their systems to accommodate new needs brought on by more employees, new procedures and, most importantly, increased data.

In recent years, the farming industry has become increasingly receptive to advanced technology, after decision-makers came to understand the benefits of adopting new solutions. As is the case with most businesses, even today's farmers are relying on data to manage all components of their operations.

Precision farming, the act of observing systems as a whole and generating strategies and procedures geared toward building efficiency and ensuring returns on farm-related investments, relies on big data. In order to generate the best possible strategies, farmers need a clear, real-time view of their information, which is best obtained with innovative technology. 

John Fulton, an Alabama Extension precision farming specialist and Auburn University associate professor of biosystems engineering, believes the farm management concept is the future of the industry, and he has taken it upon himself to introduce farmers to new technologies that will help them manage their information. 

Fulton spoke with the online publication AG Professional about his efforts.

"For our part, I think we have done a good job helping our producers adopt the right technologies for their operations," Fulton said. "Likewise, I think we've done a really good job helping them understand how they grow with this technology over time to maximize benefits."

Managing big data in the farming industry is an important process that must be handled correctly. Some systems can actually hurt the process if they are built improperly or simply aren't a right fit. Organizations need solutions designed to allow them to view, manipulate, process and report on information in a way that is both efficient and accurate. FileMaker can help on all of these fronts. 

By using this solution to build a custom database software system, farmers can benefit greatly and enhance virtually every aspect of their business.

Information and marketing are two crucial components of business and, in any corporate environment, the two should go hand-in-hand. Marketers need information to create more focused strategies, generate stronger leads and increase overall sales and profits. This level of collaboration should start all the way at the top, which means the chief information officer (CIO) and chief marketing officer (CMO) must work closely together.

CXO Talk – a web-based show conducted via Google hangout – produced a recent episode titled "Can a CIO and CMO be friends?" In the show, it was established that the two sides must be on the same page. The CIO is tasked with keeping data organized. The CMO must use that information to develop marketing strategies based on a number of factors pertaining to current and prospective customers. In return, much of the data obtained by the marketing team goes into the corporate system, which must be managed the the CIO and the workers they manage. It's a cycle that requires effort and teamwork from both sides.

Steve Mann, CMO for software provider Lexis Nexis and guest of the show, spoke about the marketing company's role with all C-level executives – including the CEO – and explained that his position must manage the intersection between creativity and corporate strategy.

"The CEO's strategy comes to life in the various strategies and channels the CMO uses to touch the market," Mann said. "The company's branding, communication efforts, demand generation, pricing and packaging are all manifestations of translating a business strategy into a marketing strategy."

Ultimately, for businesses to increase their outreach and build a customer base, they must rely on information and marketing. While executive collaboration is key, so is having the right tools to bring the two sides together. For example, developing a custom database software system in FileMaker allows organizations to organize pertinent marketing data and make the lives of both the CIO and CMO easier. 

As social media becomes an increasingly vital component of an organization’s marketing efforts, it’s becoming more important for companies to ensure they are receiving a strong return on their respective investments. This applies in a number of industries, including finance.

Earlier this year, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) released proposed regulations on how banks, credit unions and other financial organizations manage their social media. Ultimately, the FFIEC believes financial institutions engaging in digital conversations with potential and current customers could affect their risk profile, particularly if they receive a bevy of negative feedback via their various social platforms. These risks include those pertaining to security, reputation and legal compliance, among others. Given the massive impact the financial crisis has had on the economy these past five years, the FFIEC is doing what it can to ensure no financial-related operations go unnoticed.

The FFIEC understands the importance of social media in the business realm – whether that includes Facebook or Twitter engagement, online video creation, blogging or any other form of potential interaction – and doesn’t want to discourage marketers from utilizing this valuable strategy. It does, however, want to see what organizations are paying for such endeavors and learn just how much they are receiving in return. That’s why one of the components of the plan is regular ROI reporting.

The FFIEC is asking financial organizations to draft reports and send them to regulatory officials, “enabling a periodic evaluation of the effectiveness of the social media program and whether the program is achieving its stated objectives,” according to the proposed guidance.

Without the right tools, this could be a complicated process. Financial organizations are already receiving a tremendous amount of pressure from a variety of governing bodies, so throwing an additional layer of regulations on top of standard operations will require extra tools to improve efficiency and organization. Using FileMaker to develop a custom database software solution would go a long way toward accomplishing this.

By implementing a similar system, companies can stay on top of their social results and track data pertaining to their ROI as a way to better prepare themselves for inspection.

The proliferation of the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) model is possibly the biggest business technology story this year. This blog touched on the concept of BYOD earlier this month, but some of the strengths and weaknesses of the strategy are becoming more apparent.

The shift from traditional desktop to PCs to modernized mobile devices began to take place a couple of years ago, but as the technology continued to evolve, many corporations began to realize something – consumer technology was outpacing business solutions.

Today, people stand outside for hours in line just to get their hands on the latest iPhone, Android or, if the folks at the company formerly known as Research in Motion have anything to say about it, the BlackBerry. The features and functionality of these devices have caused price tags to skyrocket, and many companies struggle to keep up. So, instead of deploying a few second-rate handheld devices to employees, many businesses have decided to optimize the resources at their workers’ disposal by allowing them to bring their gadgets into the office.

Doing so reduces spending and builds efficiency, perhaps the two biggest factors driving the majority of business decisions ever year. So, why doesn’t every organization adopt this policy? The trouble is, many companies have a difficulty entrusting employees to store data on their personal devices.

However, the benefits of using a high-powered personal device are too important to pass up. This blog’s aforementioned previous entry suggested building a custom database software system to help manage information on personal devices, and FileMaker is the program to help businesses get there.

In addition to providing the tools companies need to develop strong software programs to run on iPhones, Androids and any other personal mobile device, FileMaker can allow organizations to host their apps in the cloud. That way, individuals with powerful smartphones and tablets can use their devices’ internet capabilities to access information from the cloud. This is an ideal solution because it capitalizes on the advantages of using personal devices without damaging a company’s security efforts.

The “as a service” model has grown exponentially over the past few years. Today, instead of using their internal resources to manage computer systems, data management, storage and backup systems, more companies are outsourcing their efforts to service providers. For example, software as a service (SaaS) allows organizations to run applications without having to implement them into their own systems.

The need for services on demand will continue to grow and will likely branch out into additional areas. Infrastructure, for example, is something many companies are struggling to keep in​-house, so infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is becoming increasingly popular. Essentially, organizations are using other services to host applications and data outside of their premises. This is most commonly done with cloud computing.

A study conducted by Gartner indicates that IaaS is the fastest growing sector in this area. An article in the online publication Midsize Insider suggests this indicates just how popular and effective the cloud has become in recent years.

“The powerful growth of cloud computing illustrated by this analysis reinforces the benefits and necessity of distributed IT resources,” writes Joe Hewitson, the author of the article. “Data demands and the hardware on which to accommodate them will continue to increase irrespective of a business’s current size, and as such a scalable solution like IaaS will remain at the forefront of IT.”

When companies start to feel the weight of growing volumes of information, it’s best to construct a custom database software system to help manage it. FileMaker is an ideal solution because not only will it let organizations develop solutions quickly, it also allows them to store their systems and data in a cloud environment. By following the IaaS model, businesses can free up physical space and reduce overhead costs without compromising data management operations.