Net Can Work as Database Keeper for Small Firms
Database management software has been available on personal computers almost as long as personal computers have been around. But most database programs are overkill for small businesses. They’re too complicated to set up and use, and they often make it difficult for more than one person to share the information. Besides, it’s one more piece of software to buy, install, maintain and upgrade.
Bitlocker Inc. has a different idea. The Silicon Valley company offers a database program that you can set up and maintain on the Web. What’s more, it’s free and the database you create can, at your option, be shared with others, including colleagues from your business, customers, suppliers or anyone else to whom you want to give access. In fact, you can create multiple databases, including some that are private and others that you share.
The service, launched last month, is advertiser-sponsored and is aimed at small businesses, organizations and individuals. The company, according to John Pavley, director of product marketing, also offers businesses an advertisement-free version of the service for a fee.
You can use Bitlocker as a stand-alone service by visiting its site (https://www.bitlocker.com), or once you have created a database, you can include it in your own Web site by linking to it or embedding it in a frame in your site. Putting it in a frame means that your visitors can still see your company logo as well as the information from the Bitlocker page. Even if it is in a frame, Bitlocker may display another company’s advertising if you’re using the free version of the service.
As with most services of this type, you start out by creating an account, which means entering your name and e-mail address. Unlike many free services, Bitlocker does not require you to fill out a survey. You don’t even have to reveal the name and address of your business. The company participates in the Truste privacy program, which means that its privacy policies have been reviewed by an industry-sponsored privacy watchdog agency.
Setting up a database is easy. You just click on the “My Bitlockers” tab, pick a blank template and start entering information. First you define the database itself by giving it a name and writing a brief optional description. You then choose who will have access to the data. Options include “personal organization,” which means that only you will be able to enter, access or edit information. If you choose “public,” then anyone will be able to view your records, but only you will be able to add, edit or update the data.
There are also access levels that allow you to let others view or edit records. In other words, the author of the database has complete control over access privileges.
An optional discussion database allows anyone to add to or view it, but only the author can edit or delete records. With this tool, you could create your own user forum in which visitors to your Web site can exchange ideas about your products or services. Be careful, though. Whenever you invite the public to make comments in a public forum, you run the risk of being criticized in public. Also, the user interface on this particular option is still a bit awkward, but the company plans to enhance it soon, according to a spokesperson.
Another option is to create a survey database into which visitors can enter information and comments that only you can see.
The Web site allows you to sort records by any field and to perform searches, but it doesn’t have any sophisticated data analysis tools as you’ll find in a PC database or spreadsheet program. The good news is that you can export your data so it can be accessed via Excel or any other spreadsheet or any PC database program.
Technology reports by Lawrence J. Magid can be heard at 2:10 p.m. weekdays on the KNX (1070) Technology Hour. He can be reached at larry.magid@latimes.com. His Web site is at https://www.larrysworld.com.
