Skype: We're for <em>small</em> biz

Skype, which for a while gave away phone service, and now has a paid version for business as well, said it's really targeting only small business and consumers. With concerns about security vulnerabilities rising because Skype and other VoIP services use the Internet to spread their wares, a number of IT managers at larger companies have been blocking access to them from inside their companies' networks.

But that's OK, Skype's director of operations Michael Jackson told eWeek: "We have the intention to provide a good service for small businesses and consumers." If you have the manpower, or the time and energy, you can use Skype on a larger network, then introduce whatever security protocols you need, Jackson points out. (For example, certain financial firms will need certain protections.)

If you like Skype (I've pointed out before that a lot of small businesses with far-flung operations use it), there are more ways to use it now than just a few weeks ago. For example, there's now a RadioShack kit that will give you an easy way to use the premium version of Skype with a handset that also operates like a regular cell phone.

You may have seen that Sony, too, launched a free Internet phone service recently.

Or you could just walk around your office or store or restaurant (or whatever your small business is) saying "Skype, VoIP, Skype, VoIP, Skype, VoIP"--which sounds kind of like windshield wipers on a rainy day--and see what it does for sales.