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A recent survey by online publication Light Reading took responses from 550 telecom professionals that included 120 service providers and found that the "average person has a rich mobile life made up of mobile device ownership and daily use of technologies like mobile video, mobile apps and Wi-Fi," as reported by Sarah Reedy, senior reporter and the study's author.

According to the survey, 34 percent of respondents say they use more than 1 gigabyte (GB) of mobile data per month while 12 percent used over 3GB. As far as social network status updates, 63 percent stated they update theirs at least once a day while 41 percent use up to six different apps on a regular basis.

Furthermore, with the advent of the new iPad, 15 percent of those surveyed plan on buying an LTE-capable tablet this year.

The results of Light Reading's survey are very indicative of the importance of maintaining a mobile and online presence into today's marketplace. With more Americans spending more time online than before, small businesses need to take increased measures in securing a prominent place in the minds of the mobile inclined.

For example, PayPal's new mobile payment system – PayPal Here – was recently released to compete with rival, Square – a mobile payment startup founded by Twitter, Inc. The two services allow small businesses to accept credit card payments while conducting business off-site at festivals or the now popular, pop-up flea market.

Although using apps like PayPal Here and Square while maintaining a social media presence is important for small businesses, it shouldn't take away from their overall managerial practices. By using a database software or investing in custom application development, business owners may see a drastic increase in their overall efficiency and performance to support their excellent online presence.  

It's widely considered that first impressions are very important when meeting new people and – for small business owners – potential customers. But, research done by the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST) shows that these first impressions extend to websites as well.

According to MST's study, it takes internet browsers less than two-tenths of a second to make a first impression of a website. It takes about 2.6 seconds for a user's eyes to reach an area of a website that creates the greatest influence on the user. The university mapped the eye movements of 20 students as they perused the main websites of 25 different law schools.

The study found that internet users spent 6.48 seconds on the website's logo, 6.44 seconds on the navigation bar, a little over six seconds on the search box, and then between 5.95 and 5.35 seconds on social networking links, the site's main image, written content and then the bottom of the site respectively.

Entrepreneur recently posted their recommended ways for small businesses to revamp their website, and most of these changes play on the areas that MST's subjects focused on while visiting websites.

Entrepreneur states that in order for businesses to get the best out of their websites they should focus on simplification, attention to details, having modern designs and creating dynamic content. Of those aspects of web design, all but one have to do with the cosmetic characteristics that create first impressions.

Entrepreneur says that companies should simplify their websites to just a simple call to action. Small businesses should also focus on making sure there aren't any functional problems each time the website gets updated, which often come out in the details. Entrepreneur also states that seeking a modern design for a website is a great way to express a dynamic and evolving company that "reflects your company's current direction and attitude."

Regardless of the company, seeking a software developer to create a custom site can help maximize its first impressions. 

According to an August 2011 Google trends search conducted by Harvard Business Review (HBR) blogger and author, Grant McCracken, food trucks have increased dramatically in both news reference and search volume index while coffee houses have seen a slow but steady decline since 2009.

McCracken dissects the new culinary trend in his HBR blog, coming to the conclusions that food trucks are great for cultural influence and infusion – combining neighborhoods, ethnic cuisines and generating long lines of locals supporting local businesses in what are – often times – cash-only operations.

At the same time, Entrepreneur Magazine has also caught on to the food truck trend by publishing articles that outline five tips for starting a food truck. The tips and advice focus almost primarily on better business practices. Snip-its of MBA wisdom like "develop a strong brand," "budget for bad weather," and "pick a prime location" are some key examples, as well as acknowledging that "your food truck is a restaurant, not a hobby."

Treating a food truck like a restaurant rather than a hobby is a crucial aspect in ensuring a successful food truck. Staying up to date on health codes and regulations, keeping track of inventory and knowing when merchants need what ingredients by when are all crucial techniques. With the recent upswing in business productivity software on mobile phones as well as devices like tablets and laptops, it's becoming easier – and essential – for food truck owners and operators to invest in business management databases and software.

By consulting companies like FileMaker and their developers, merchants can get custom built database software tailored specifically to their business – whether it be a new food truck or otherwise – to help them create better business practices and convenience by using database software to keep track of key details. 

Apple released its new iPad on March 16. The highly coveted tablet has already sold out factory inventory weeks ago and analysts predict the machine to sell in the millions. Studies also show that most corporations are now starting to utilize the technology more than ever as a means to increase productivity and efficiency.

With these increased opportunities for corporate technology, business and productivity apps are becoming increasingly popular and important for professionals and executives to keep up with the changing times as markets start to demand better service and faster.

GetApp.com, an independent marketplace for SaaS and cloud-based business applications, recently released their most popular apps for February of 2012. In the past month business, task and project management apps made up three out of the top five apps with customer support taking the other two spots.

Although customer support is the main liaison between a business and its customers, it,s clear that most companies and professionals are seeking management and efficiency apps to engage in better business practices. Business Insider has also published two articles on the importance of using apps and new technology to help manage business. The publication listed the best travel apps for entrepreneurs as well as five reasons why companies should develop their own apps.

Of the five reasons merchants should create their own apps, Business Insider cited convenience and efficiency for both customers and owners as their top reasons with cases for added revenue streams and cost efficient marketing filling in the top five.

FileMaker Go is annually regarded as one of the best mobile apps for business as their importance is starting to solidify the advent of the new iPad. Consulting a FileMaker developer to build their own app can help businesses that want to expand their presence into these prominent and emerging online markets.

The Berklee College of Music admissions staff recruits musicians from all over the globe, but with more than 300 auditions everyday, they needed an efficient and reliable way to take notes and record information about each performance in order to give all prospective students a fair shot at attending the Boston school. According to Campus Technology, the college has 120 staff members that meet with, interview and audition approximately 7,000 musicians every year.

While they traditionally carried this task out with laptops, Berklee dean of admissions Damien Bracken explained to the source that they were cumbersome, slow and inefficient.

Like most organizations that store large amounts of data, the school required this information to be stored in a single database, which they could do with laptops, but it was less than ideal. As soon as FileMaker Go for the iPad was released in July 2010, the admissions team jumped on the opportunity to take advantage of the customizable applications many benefits, the media outlet reports.

The school bought 20 iPads for its recruiters, and as Bracken explained, the process became significantly simpler. He told Campus Technology that the admissions staffers are able to type out information about each meeting with aspiring students and send the notes through the cloud to a main database that can be accessed remotely by anyone with the application.

"We get a lot of comments from students and parents when we pull out our iPads during auditions or check-in," Bracken told the source. "Using this type of technology is good for our image and consistent with our long-time reputation for being ahead of the curve."

Other organizations that want to improve their processes' efficiency and reliability can talk with a FileMaker developer that will build a custom mobile application that can be used for countless solutions.

FileMaker developers from all over will be taking their talents to South Beach this summer for the FileMaker Developer Conference 2012. This year's DevCon will be held this summer from July 16 to July 19 at Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, Florida.

One of the greatest things about FileMaker is its enormous network of developers that work together to find new ways to take advantage of the versatile customization capabilities of the leading database software platform. The annual DevCon draws in over 1,100 FileMaker developers from more than 35 countries, according to a press release.

The convention is a four-day series of events where developers can bounce ideas off each other based on their own experiences, collaborate with other industry leaders, hone their developing skills and learn about new advancements in FileMaker programming.

This year, there will be more than 70 different sessions and workshops for attendees to check out. Because of the increased popularity of FileMaker Go, there will be an increased number of sessions related to custom application development.

In the meantime, Tri-State and New England-based FileMaker developers can check out the the Connecticut FileMaker Developer's Group that meets monthly to discuss industry news and learn about new techniques and uses for the software. The next two meetings will be held in the Student Center at Central Connecticut State College in New Britain, Connecticut from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on March 28 and from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on April 18.

Businesses turn to FileMaker not only because of the program's versatility, but also because of the close-knit group of developers who work together to drive innovation and find new ways to take advantage of the leading database software program.

Businesses need to store an enormous assortment of data that they collect everyday, from financial records to customer information. While there are a variety of ways that this data can be stored, keeping records of all of this information is nothing new. However, some technology experts say that the types of data that businesses are storing and how they use it is changing significantly. 

According to Computer Weekly, business advisor Deloitte suggests that there has been an increasing number of businesses that are probing the information they collect using data analytics. It's become so popular that some organizations have actually been opening up positions on their boards for chief data management officers, Carl Bates, a partner in Deloitte's integration practice, told the source.

He added that it's now a necessity that businesses find unique ways to stand out against opposing companies within their industry, and because of that, a lot of organizations have been using data analytics to make that happen. 

While companies can benefit their bottom line by factoring in enterprise data, Bates said that combining internal and external data – like customer feedback posted on Twitter – can help businesses even more.

"The advice for the CIO is to ensure they have a good view of the business problems and the issues they are trying to solve, and to make sure analytics is applied in an intelligent way to deal with those challenges," Bates told the website.

Companies that are still using inefficient means of data storage, like spreadsheets, should talk to FileMaker consultants if they would like to be able to analyze the information more effectively. With custom database software, businesses are able to streamline their data collecting processes through applications that were developed with their specific operation's needs in mind.

Traditionally, suppliers and distribution centers have used laser scanners to manage inventory and cargo. When labels are damaged or compromised, however, lasers aren't particularly efficient or accurate. Recently, there's been a wave of new scanners that not only process codes faster and more precisely, they're also widely available. As a matter of fact, you may have one in your pocket right now.

Imaging is a type of scanning that takes a picture of a barcode, translates the information into a digital form and decodes it into readable data. Perhaps the most common relative to imagers are smartphones and tablets that feature a barcode scanning application and a camera.

"Imagers are better able to adjust to the harsh conditions often found in the warehouse and manufacturing environment. Bad lighting, damaged labels, incorrect label types, faint or faded labels, each offer a degree of complexity when it comes to decoding the label," Kevin McArdle, an applications engineer at barcode and wireless solutions provider Supply Chain Services, told Supply Chain Digest.

When a label is damaged, laser scanners read and re-read the barcode until it can get an accurate reading – and sometimes it never does, McArdle explained to the source. On the other hand, imagers take one picture of the barcode and apply a series of algorithms to the image to decipher it. According to McArdle, this is much faster and more efficient than laser scanners.

Using the wireless connectivity of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches in addition to access to a primary database, employees equipped with a mobile device can scan and quickly record warehouse information with custom database software.

If your warehouse still uses laser scanners and you are interested in implementing a imager scanning system with mobile devices and database software, a FileMaker developer can build a custom application that works for your business's specific operational needs.

According to a government-issued Canadian wildlife guide, people who are approached by an offensive bear should shout, wave their arms and feet, look the bear in the eye and raise their jackets to make them look like larger and more threatening. What (hopefully) works in the wild may also work in the business world.

When companies have tight budgets and limited resources, it can be easy to feel outmatched by larger companies that can afford to be aggressors in the industry. But, if small businesses can find a way to make themselves appear to be bigger, they can stand out in the crowd and keep up with the big wigs according to an article on Inc.com by Scott Steinberg, CEO of consulting and product testing firm TechSavvy Global and author of "The Business Expert's Guidebook."

Think of of the internet as your business's jacket for the sake of this metaphor. While your company is small in physical size, the internet allows clientele to develop their own image of your establishment based on its online presence.

The first way to do this is by designing a visually striking and user-friendly website. This will likely be the first image potential customers will have of your business so it's important to make the first impression count. Secondly, make your products or services available through an online store. If your business isn't prepared to keep track of online sales, talk to FileMaker developer who can use custom database software that's optimized for your website design and the product or service you provide.

Steinberg said that updated communication technology is also a solid way to improve your business's presence next to your competitors.

As technology continues to change rapidly, businesses have been constantly adjusting their operations to fit in with the trends. In the past few years, mobile devices have transformed from simple phones to technological Swiss army knives, and as more individuals purchase them for personal use, businesses are catching on and integrating them into their offices. But, which of these devices has been the most sought after by companies?

According to Inc.com, a recent survey by research firm Captivate Network revealed that phones aren't at the top of the business tech wish list. Tablets turned out to be the number one most coveted item in the office, but the website indicates that this is probably because most employees have phones already.

"Managing the expectations of employees afflicted with 'gadget envy' is not always easy," Captivate Network research director Scott Marden told the source. "Technology helps employees balance their work and personal lives, keeps professionals connected to the world outside their office, and can improve employee retention and overall productivity. Small business owners must be open-minded to personal technology in the workplace."

The study showed that small businesses said that laptops were desired more than both tablets and phones. And actually, according to the results, small companies are 2.5 times more likely than large ones to pick laptops as their favorite devices. One could probably assume that's due to smaller budgets and less room to invest in providing tablets or phones for their employees.

While the initial cost of adding tablets or phones to a small business's operation may seem daunting, using them effectively can produce a speedy return on investment. It's important to make sure that the devices are running adequate and appropriate software. Before your business invests in mobile technology, talk with FileMaker consultants who can help you customize an application utilized for iPads, iPhones and iPod touches that can be used to streamline productivity.