New Security Features from HP, iPhones Unveiled This Week

The tools you choose to support your small business can make a huge difference in your daily operations. And thanks to constant tech advances, those tools are getting better and better. This week, HP, Apple and T-Mobile all announced new solutions and upgrades that can help small businesses improve operations. Read more in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.

Technology Trends

HP Focuses on Connectivity and Security for Small Business Printing Upgrades

Remote work is now a reality for small and large businesses alike, and HP (NYSE:HPQ) has introduced new solutions and printers to support this workforce. The HP Roam and HP Connection Inspector security features have been developed to address remote printing, collaboration and mobility. And A3 business printers and scanners introduced in 2016 have been expanded.

Apple’s New iPhones Add Security, Imaging and Other Features Important to Small Business Users

Now your iPhone unlocks when you stare at it and charges up without plugged in. In fact, the three new iPhones introduced Sept. 12 include security, imaging and other features that might just make them perfect for small business users.

T-Mobile Launches SyncUp FLEET for Small Business Vehicle Management

T-Mobile (NYSE:PCS) has announced the addition of SyncUP FLEET to its SyncUP family of Internet of Things (IoT) products. The new service is going to give small and large businesses a fleet management solution with the company’s “un-carrier” pricing and contract philosophy.

Avast Targets Small Businesses with Cyber Security Packages

The new Avast Business solutions portfolio is addressing small businesses by simplifying and optimizing security to ensure business continuity and decrease downtime. The new offering has come as part of Avast’s $1.3 billion acquisition of AVG in 2016. This gave the company a more robust threat detection technology and infrastructure.

Constant Contact Launches Shopify App for eCommerce Entrepreneurs

Constant Contact (NASDAQ:CTCT) is coming together with Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) so you can increase your online sales by sending targeted marketing emails and managing your customer data with a new app. According to eMarketer, the retail ecommerce market is going to total $2.290 trillion in 2017, which is an increase of 23.7 percent for the year.

Small Business Collaboration Favorite Google Drive Desktop is Being Replaced

The Google Drive desktop app for Mac and PC is going to stop working on March 12, 2018, with support ending on December 11, 2017. Before those deadlines get here, Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has launched replacements called Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream, which it is making available for G Suite customers.

Microsoft and Adobe Partner to Offer Small Businesses e-Signature and Team Communications

In September of 2016 Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella and Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) CEO Shantanu Narayen announced a partnership in the Azure cloud environment. The goal was to help businesses transform customer engagement. Almost one year later, they have expanded the partnership to include e-signatures and team communications.

Economy

72 Present of Small Business Owners Feel Overwhelmed (INFOGRAPHIC)

Small business owners have too much to do in too little time. Not surprisingly, a majority of them (72 percent) feel overwhelmed by their roles and responsibilities. That’s according to a new survey by management consulting company The Alternative Board. Data from the survey has been turned into an infographic by the National Federation of Independent Business.

Small Business Owners Are Optimistic — and in a Spending Mood, Report Says

Small business optimism is at a post-recession high, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’s August Small Business Economic Trends Report. NFIB Small Business Optimism Index August 2017 More specifically, the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose by 0.1 points in August to a total of 105.3, which is the highest it’s been since 2006.

Expert Tells House Committee Small Businesses Need Their Own Regulations

Small businesses need their own regulations. That was the sentiment shared by Phillip K. Howard, founder of the non-profit organization Common Good, at a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee recently. His argument, in general, states that overly complicated regulations place a huge burden on small businesses.

Employment

Covered California Could Be a Model for Small Business Health Coverage

Covered California, the state’s public health exchange, seems to be stabilizing the health care market in California, even as similar programs in the rest of the country seem to be floundering. For this reason, the program could serve as a model for the rest of the nation — and for the small business sector in particular.

Where Does HR Software Fit in with Your Small Business? This Free e-Book from HRdirect Smart Apps has the Answers

Trying to decide what kind of HR software your small business needs? Maybe you’re trying to decide if a business as small as yours really needs HR software at all. Those may have been valid questions back when only a few options existed and all were insanely expensive. Today, however, that’s no longer the case.

Finance

Concur Hipmunk Helps Small Businesses Manage Travel Expenses

Concur Hipmunk has announced a new lightweight travel and expense solution for small businesses. Built on top of the technology from Hipmunk, Concur Expense, and TripLink, it will provide access and visibility with basic tools for managing travel programs. Businesses using cloud-based travel and expense platforms spend less time on travel planning and creating expense reports.

Fintech Opens Opportunities for Small Business Lenders – and Borrowers

Small business lenders have unprecedented opportunities ahead of them, according to Rohit Arora, the CEO of Biz2Credit. The only thing is, not all lenders are positioned to seize these opportunities. The ones that are, says Arora, are the lenders that understand two things. “They understand the changing expectations of today’s borrowers.

Another Kind of Tax Reform, New York FINALLY Poised to Roll Back Commercial Rent Surcharge

New York City Council is considering making cuts to the city’s commercial rent tax. The tax consists of a 3.9 percent surcharge on annual rents of more than $250,000 for stores and select businesses located south of 96th Street in Manhattan.

Marketing Tips

Tips to Become an Authority Through Content Marketing

Want to become an authority in your industry? Content marketing can help you achieve just that. But you can’t expect to just write up a blog post or two and suddenly become a trusted influencer. It takes time and a carefully planned strategy in order to really build up authority.

Retail Trends

Bikini Themed Coffee Business Sues Over City “Dress Code”

A new set of ordinances in Everett, Washington has led to a lawsuit from “Hillbilly Hotties,” a chain of coffee stands in the area. The new ordinances serve as a sort of dress code for workers at cafes and quick service restaurants, stating that employees must wear at least tank tops and shorts. The measure includes some more specific descriptions about what skin must be covered up.

Retail Sales Chill as Summer Comes to an End

As summer ends, retail sales are falling, according to in-store analytics firm RetailNext. The company recently published its latest Retail Performance Pulse report, providing a detailed analysis of how physical stores performed in August 2017. The report found sales had significantly dropped during the month.

Small Biz Spotlight

Spotlight: Bubbakoo’s Burritos Founders Met While Working for Another Restaurant Chain

Business opportunities can come from unlikely places. In the case of Bubbakoo’s Burritos, the founders met while working at another restaurant chain before they got the idea to team up and start their very own business. You can read more about the business, how it got started and how it has grown below in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.

Small Business Operations

Xero Increases Focus on Small Business with Four New Tools

Xero (NZE:XRO) just unveiled four new products this week, increasing its focus on creating a more well-rounded selection of tools for small businesses.

Your Small Business Can Now Add Guests to Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams now lets you invite guests to all Office 365 commercial and educational accounts. What this means for your small businesses is you can add people from outside of your company to your team so they can collaborate no matter where they are.

1 in 5 Small Businesses Lack HR Confidence

A staggering one in five small businesses lack confidence in various aspects of human resources. These were the findings from the latest Paychex Small Business Survey.  The survey polled 250 principals of businesses in the US with 2 to 500 employees.

17 Percent of Small Business Employees Never Get Workplace Safety Training

Your employees consider their safety at work a top priority. And they want to know that you’re taking it seriously, too. But a new survey from small business insurer Employers finds that a surprising number of small business employees never get any workplace safety training. And the smaller the business, the less likely they’re going to get that training.

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Highlight Small Businesses’ Need to be Prepared

With recovery starting after Hurricane  Harvey in Houston and Floridians just beginning to emerge after Hurricane Irma, it a good reminder for  small businesses everywhere to rethink their preparedness. Meanwhile businesses in both locations will be facing the challenge to try to rebuild.

Startup

Plus Sized Fashion Week Shows International Viability of Niche Market

Recently international fashion designers came together in Lagos, Nigeria for the first ever Plus Size Fashion Week Africa. The event featured collections from designers around the world created specifically for plus sized and curvy consumers. While this is the first event of its kind in Africa, the niche it represents has been increasing internationally for years.

Indiegogo Now Requires Monthly Updates from Campaign Entrepreneurs

Crowdfunding platforms have given many individual entrepreneurs and small businesses an alternative resource for capital. But as the industry goes through some growing pains, companies are continually making improvements to ensure the credibility of their funding structure.

Security Features Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "New Security Features from HP, iPhones Unveiled This Week" was first published on Small Business Trends