DaveBirchall.com on Business Technology

Archive for June 24th, 2008

Chances are (if you use the web) you have see the letters RSS splattered across the internet, but there is a supringly small amount of users actually using RSS. The last stat I heard said that fewer than 15% of internet users subscribed to feeds.

So if you don’t know what RSS is then your not alone and this may be your chance to do something different in your field that can make a big difference. RSS is based on XML and makes the transfer of information from one internet site to another easier.

For example, if a web page was regularly updated and you throught the information was useful, you could subscribe to the feed by clicking the RSS button. You simply need a feed reader or a piece of software with RSS built in to it… Here are some examples.

Outlook 2007

I am a new convert to Outlookand I see RSS is included as standard. This could be particularly useful if you like infomation to appear in the same environment as incoming mail and tasks.

Internet Explorer

The latest release has a RSS reader built in too. Click the star icon and find it between you favourite and your history listings

Google Reader

This is my preferred choice because I am usually signed into my account using my google apps and I can access the same feeds from any machine with out having to think too hard. As your would expect from google its free

click http://reader.google.com for more info.

So now you have a reader you just need to subscribe to the feed. There’s one at the top right corner of the page to practice on. As a worse case scenario, you may need to copy and paste the URL into your chosen reader.

Get it? Good!

So what can RSS do for your business?

Well think of it like this. If people can subscribe to your site you have the power to broadcast the content of your site immeasurably. Your content can form part of other peoples blogs, social networks and mash ups across the webiverse!

Remember the case of Corey the party goer who’s party got out of control? RSS feeds broadcast his invitation many times over without him knowing. If he were an online marketer he would be heralded a genius! So if you can master RSS your can reach a new audience in ways you never thought possible.

Not only that but as RSS becomes more popular you can appeal to an ‘opt in’ audience where email has become tired and less effective.

Enjoy!

Imagine you wanted to pull different information from several different systems to create a singular and convenient view. This could be a real time snapshot of your business, your customer, your goods your employee…. what ever. These systems may not naturally communicate with each other so a further application is needed. This application for lack of a better way of explaining it ‘directs traffic,’ whilst hosting and applying business logic predetermined by the developer. That application is Microsoft Biztalk.

Since its release in 2000 Biztalk has sparked a wave of IT integration in modern business and challenged the notion that System integration or Business Process automation need be prohibitively expensive. It is now in its sixth release and it going from strength to strength.

Quick Facts

• Over 7,000 customers worldwide
• 90% of the Fortune Global 100 use BizTalk Server
• Leader in the 2007 Gartner Application Infrastructure and Back-End Application Integration Magic Quadrants
• Leader in the 2007 Application Server Platforms: Conventional Web, Conventional SOA and Independent SOA Forrester Waves
• 12 of the 15 largest retailers in the world run BizTalk Server

Biztalk works across platforms and Frameworks via adapters that ‘plug in’ to Biztalk and interface with the applications. An experienced developer or system intergrator can also build the adapters.

The advantage of Biztalk in your business can be enormous. It includes greater data integrity, faster communication, real time reporting, Business Activity Monitoring, greater collaboration and more. The need for System integration has become common place in many sizable businesses.

To find out how Biztalk can benefit your business, why not take advantage of a free consultation (top of the page)

Further Information

http://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/en/us/default.aspx

http://download.microsoft.com/download/e/3/c/e3c6b6d8-7fec-459e-9479-1cd320019244/Introducing%20Microsoft%20BizTalk%20Server%202006%20R2.pdf

I don’t normally comment on hardware but an interesting bit of kit came in to the office a few weeks ago that I have been meaning to discuss.

One of our engineers is of travelling for a few months and he bought a eePC from Asus to take with him. You may have seen or heard of them before , so what’s is the hype about?

Well for a start, it’s part of a new class of portable devices known as UMPC or Ultra Mobile PC’s. In a nutshell they are small and lighter than a laptop and more accessible and functional than a PDA. Personally, thats the holy grail of functionality I have been craving for.

There are a number in its class. Fujitsu, Apple, Sony, Asus and Lenovo to name but a few have models that compete in this area. But for me the eePC is appealing for one very good reason… Price! It starts at just AUD 400

Yes other PCs have more processing power, more storage, better build quality and a whole lot more, but let face it, a portable device takes a beating and its not in my interest to carry an expensive machine around.

On compatibility, all the work I do happens in a web browser these days so I don’t see this as being an issue.

It comes with either Windows or Linux and it comes in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB hard disk options. Also, its a solid state drive so you can use it between meeting in the bus, train, car, cab etc. You can run skype, windows messenger and use the built in webcam. Internet access is through wireless 802.11 b/g radio. You can’t use dial up, but when would that be a problem?

It comes with a few USB ports for additional peripherals. I have heard of people using GPS receivers and using it for Satellite Navigation and there is also talk of a touch screen interface coming soon.

Summary

It can’t replace your laptop or desktop PC but it can provide awesome, rugged accessibility at a great price.

http://www.asus.com.au/products.aspx?modelmenu=2&model=2281&l1=24&l2=163&l3=0&l4=0