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Technology pop quiz for business owners: What's more secure? A. Data stored in redundant back-up server installations (or "the cloud"), automatically updated and maintained, in a facility secured from outside threats. Or B. Data stored or backed up to an on-site tape or flash drive, whenever the company's controller or non-IT back-office staffer remembers to do it - then left in the drive? For many, the answer in theory is A, but in practice, it's B. Why is this important? Because studies have shown that 70 percent of companies go out of business after a major data loss and 60 percent of companies that lose their data will shut down within six months. Yet those unfamiliar with cloud computing still believe onsite back-up is a safe, secure solution. Therein lies one of the most compelling reasons to embrace cloud or ERP (enterprise resource planning) computing.

Watson, the computer that has recently been competing on Jeopardy, could eventually hold a position in Government. Technology like the such that is used in Watson could eventually help government municipalities with garnering and analyzing data and information and regurgitating back to people who need it. For instance, a person looking to gain a building license could tell the computer what it is planning on building, and instead of having to sift through possibly thousands of pages of information, the computer could simply return a checklist to the person.

This site shows government technology solutions for local and state governments. I was particularly drawn in by the article of about Watson, the Jeopardy game show computer contestant, and how this type of technology could be beneficial to government programs.

An article about what some schools are doing to help bridge the gap between tech-savvy youngsters and parents that have no idea how to use a computer. Family tech could serve as an example for other schools and non profits that are looking to do the same for those who cannot afford a computer

I did some volunteering with this organization this past weekend. A group of about 50 students from Grand Valley went and disassembled over 230 computers. CompRenew Environmental recycles old electronics (tvs, computers, microwaves….basically anything with a plug) and keeps them from going into landfills. They then refurbish the electronics and sell them, or they disassemble them and sell the parts, or just recycle them. All of the money they get from the recycled electronics goes to education in over 44 countries. CompRenew is a really neat company. Hopefully their idea will spread and more cities will be able to recycle old electronics.

Goodwill and MacMedia both have related recycling / refurbishing interests around the state: http://www.goodwillwm.org/donate/computer-recycling--reuse and http://www.macmedia.org/care.html, respectively.

Responsibly recycle your electronics.

Using new technology poses problems for nonprofits such as limited budgets and financial restirictions. To help these nonprofits companies like JCA design and manage computer systems to help nonprofts become more efficient so they can accomplish their goals.

A local non-profit awards Houston students with computers to help with education. Comp-U-Dot takes donations in the form of computers and refurbishes them, later giving them away to students. If it weren't for these refurbished computers these students would not have word processing, spreadsheet, or internet capabilities.

This article describes the advances that public schools have made in technology in the classroom, and also charts who has access and who does not. For example, how many computers per student are available in one school may vary considerably to a similar school in a poorer district.

This article clears up some of the misconceptions about nonprofits and their technology. Among some of these is the myth that a business needs the newest and best computer available.

If you want to understand what the cloud platform is really about then read this. The connectivity of all computers is going to a new level. This might help you understand the vision.

Only 16% of nonprofits expect to be ready for mobile devices in 2011 so there is tremendous opportunity in 84% of nonprofits. Mobile web use increased 230% from 2008 to 2009 which indicates that many more people are impressed with mobile computing devices and it is here to stay for a while. Websites without mobile connectivity are essentially going to be out-of-date now.

This is supplementary to our first reading assignment which outlines where we are are and where we are going in nonprofit technology

It's greta to see how many students are benefitting from such projects

One would think this would be the other way round

I like this article because it has applications to things like oil pipelines. Whenever I hear of a leak in a pipeline I wonder why technology fails to automate a relatively quick solution. If there is a proper array of monitoring devices responses can and should be automated to provide a rapid response beyond a simple call for help...

Now we can see little research that has been directed at the management infrastructure for end-user computing (EUC) from an organization design perspective. This study can be reports on the testing of a previously published contingen model in which two different structural forms are modeled for four states of EUC implementation: First there is an organic design it's characterized by a decentralized, highly participatory form of decision making with loose controls, and second is a mechanistic design.

New Year resolutions are often easy to make and even easier to break, but this year PDF users worldwide can make resolutions worth sticking to. As tech enthusiasts try to follow better computing practices for 2011, Nitro PDF Software (www.nitropdf.com) provides easy-to-follow, helpful tips and products for a pain-free year of PDF usage.