Posts

Cloud Computing for Dummies

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Cloud Computing for DummiesMost everyone these days has heard of the computer cloud, but many don’t really understand what it is or what it does. Let’s take a look at how the cloud got its name and then discuss the basics of how it works.

How Did the Computer Cloud Get Its Name?

There are several different stories surrounding the origins of the name, among them:

  1. The cloud has long been a symbol of the Internet. Essentially, “in the cloud” for many years has referred to the software or other platforms on the Internet.
  2. For decades, engineers have drawn networking diagrams that pictured the cloud to represent the internal structure of a large network of computers and storage devices “out there”.
  3. A cloud was also used in diagrams to represent a network with endpoints connected by a data path.

So How Does Cloud Computing Work?

The cloud is not one entity, but rather it’s a huge system of servers, all around the world, that are connected to work together as one networked ecosystem. The servers can be designed to do a number of different things. Some of the main applications include:

  • Storing data – Businesses use the cloud to safely store data. The information can then be accessed with a password from any computer that has an Internet connection.
  • Delivering content – The content can include streaming services, software and social media platforms. Any computer or other Internet-accessible device can stream or download this content, provided proper password codes are entered.

What Are the Advantages of the Cloud For Businesses?

Businesses see many advantages of using the cloud to store data. Instead of bogging down the servers on location, the data is stored off-site, freeing up valuable storage on the company’s servers. This can save a lot of money in the long run. IUVO Technology states that the Federal government’s departments have saved upwards of 25-50% on the IT budget by moving data to the cloud.

Your company’s data is also much safer in the cloud. Because it is backed up, the chances of losing your data are very low. The information is usually encrypted as well, which makes it secure against cyber attacks. IT Services Boston are available to help you migrate your data to the cloud in the safest way possible.

Working with a trained professional to move your business data to the cloud will ensure that you find the right services at the right cost to keep your company safe and working at maximum capacity.

4 Ways Vehicles Drive Businesses That You Don’t Know

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Entrepreneurship | Business Vehicles | 4 Ways Vehicles Drive Businesses That You Don't Know

Cars may be a standard part of life, but businesses don’t utilize them as much. Some do, and they are seen as influential, thriving companies that can afford to provide vehicles for their staff. You would love to do the same, yet don’t have the money or resources. At least, that’s what you assume.

Of course, the truth is that company cars raise brand awareness and generate leads without being overly expensive in terms of upfront costs. The majority of them are leased and paid in installments every month. And that’s one thing you didn’t know about vehicles and how they drive businesses.

In this post, you’ll find four more impacts that cars can have on your organization. However, be warned that they aren’t always healthy. Cars come with lots of positives, yet you’ve got to plan carefully for them to help the firm be successful.

Employee Perks

As far as employee perks are concerned, a vehicle is usually at the top of the list of benefits that workers desire. It’s not hard to see why when it eliminates the average costs that are included with owning a car outside of the office. The average sale price for a new engine in the US is around $35,000, and used cars aren’t much cheaper. Then, there is the rising costs of insurance and gas to consider, as well as repairs and maintenance fees.

Looking at from a financial point of view, it’s no wonder employees want a company car. The direct knock-on effect of this is that you’ll be able to attract a high standard of applicants when looking to recruit. Organizations that provide quality bonuses tend to secure fantastic candidates because modern workers require more from a job than a strong salary. Of course, though, it’s worth considering that you will also need to provide parking, maintenance, and even a traffic control company to keep things from getting out of control. These costs are often worth the benefits that come with your company cars.

Hidden Costs

What people don’t understand is the expense of opting for a company vehicle. In some ways, it can result in their wage being smaller at the end of each month. As soon as staff realize this, morale may drop, and that can affect output and productivity, too. There’s also employee turnover to consider.

A high rate of people leaving the business will cost you a fortune in the short, medium, and long-term. You must find a way to make employees who drive happier, and a utility vehicle is an option. They are believed to make drivers more content, limiting the high rates of turnover. Alternatively, you can be transparent about the fees from the outset. That way, you or the business isn’t to blame if the situation goes south.

21st Century Practices

The changes in the automotive industry are massive. Today, pretty much all the major manufacturers are creating hybrid or electric cars, and some are pushing the envelope further by removing drivers. Automated cars may be experiencing a few snags right now, but there’s no doubt the technology will be on the market in the future.

How does this help your business? By partnering with manufacturers such as these, you can piggyback off their innovation. Your brand is seen as creative and new-age as a result of implementing the technology into your business plan. The right vehicles are more than marketing tools with gaudy exteriors – they are signs of intent.

Also, these cars connect consumers with companies. Shoppers are more moralistic than ever, and it impacts buying decisions. Using an EV may be the symbol that proves you respect the planet, encouraging more people to adopt the brand.

Enhanced Customer Service

The importance of customer service will never cease. How customers expect to interact with business may evolve, but they will always judge you on your ability to deliver. Cars are the missing piece of this puzzle, especially vehicles that drive autonomously.

Similar to a drone, AV will be able to deliver products with fewer glitches in the future. However, unlike a drone, customers will be able to track it mid-journey to check up on their package. Plus, removing the human element means that delivery times will be shorter than usual. Then, there is the virtual assistant support that you can implement for holistic consumer experience.

Affordable self-driving cars are some way off the market, so it may be a while before they’re used in to drive businesses forward. Still, when the price drops and the tech is more stable, your customers will receive an enhanced service that will catapult you to the top of the market.

From helping customers to advertising the company to potential employees, cars have their pros and cons. Do you think one outweighs the other?

Are there Benefits of Cloud Computing for Businesses?

/in , , /by

If you’re fairly new to business, then there is a lot to learn. Of course, it will vary what you need to know, depending on the kind of business that you have. But one aspect that can universally benefit businesses is cloud computing. This is where data is stored and managed, as well as processed, and it is all done using a network of servers that are hosted remotely. This kind of computing and storage for business data is popular with business users for a number of reasons. It offers some savings, as well as a large capacity of storage. So if you’re still not sure, here are some of the reasons why cloud computing could be just what your business needs.

euro 870757 960 720 1

Save money

There is one thing that a lot of business owners have in common, and that is that they will always be on the lookout for different ways to save money. And for any business that is looking to use technology, and see if it offers any value, won’t have to look too far from cloud computing in terms of getting a good return on their investment. Cloud computing means that you don’t need your own hardware as everything is hosted elsewhere, which can be a good saving. Plus, if you look for a cheap VPS (virtual private server), then you will be able to save even more. Cloud computing means that you won’t have to cover the costs of security, power, and insurance for this kind of thing, as it is all taken care of remotely.

Strategic competitive advantage

The time in cloud computing is low, and any applications that are needed for growth and success can be found online nearly instantly. This helps to give you a strategic competitive advantage over any competitors, especially those that have not yet got on board with those kinds of cloud technology. It also means that as a smaller business, you’re not at a disadvantage compared to large businesses. You can all be on the same playing field when it comes to data and storage.

Lightning fast performance

If you want to stay competitive, then you need to have cloud service providers that will help to update technology to then meet the demands of the business customers. This can mean that cloud computing gives great performance which can be a huge benefit for business. Cloud computing also uses load balancing to make sure that no server suffers with any performance problems.

Flexible working

Cloud computing is something that will provide much greater flexibility in the way that employees work. It can mean that no matter where people are working from, they will be able to access the same information, as it is all internet based. Flexible working, especially in recent weeks, has improved so much, and more and more businesses are seeing that it can help their business, so it is definitely something that is here to stay. Using cloud computing can help your business as people work more flexibly, as it will keep everyone up to date.

How To Safeguard Your Company Data

/in , /by

StrategyDriven Risk Management Article | How To Safeguard Your Company DataIt doesn’t matter what kind of business you run, you will need to take steps to safeguard your company data, and that of your customers, from cybercrime and data loss. Losing important business information or having it stolen by a hacker could easily spell the end of your enterprise altogether, and it will certainly have a negative impact on your reputation. Therefore, it makes sense to put in safeguarding measures to protect the information and yourself. Here are some ways to do it.

Back Up

Backing up your information is simple and effective. Although it won’t protect against an attack by a cybercriminal by itself, it will allow you to restore the potentially missing or corrupt information left in the hacker’s wake, or as a result of a system failure.

If you can restore the information then you can continue working, even if there are other problems that still need to be dealt with. Without a backup of your work, you may well lose everything and have no way of continuing your business at all.

The most important thing to remember about making backups is that you will need to use a reliable external source to do it. There is no point in backing up your information to another computer on the same system; this is not going to keep it safe. Ideally you should use the cloud as not only will the information be protected but you can access it from anywhere – this is perfect if you are unable to get to your office or if there was a fire, for example, that destroyed your computing equipment.

Use A Firewall

A firewall will give you an extra line of defence against cyberattack. It works as a barrier against any malicious software that you may have inadvertently downloaded. This barrier, when correctly installed, will ensure that the virus cannot reach the more vulnerable and important parts of your computing system, blocking it completely.

The idea is a simple one, but there are many different types of firewall and it can become confusing and even overwhelming when you start to look more deeply into it. Because of this, it is best to have IT services Birmingham find the right firewall for you and install it – that way you know you are protected.

Password Protection

It is possible to set passwords on some programs such as Adobe Acrobat and the Microsoft Office suite. This adds an extra layer of security so that only those who have the password are able to open the document.

You can even password protect entire folders and networks if you want to and feel that this would be a useful protective measure that will safeguard your company data. When you are choosing a password, it must be something unique that cannot be guessed easily; never use phone numbers or birthdates or names. For the best password, you should use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Although this will be harder to remember, it will also be harder to guess, so your information will be much safer.

Mastering the Tech: 4 Strategies for Getting the Most of Your Medical Cart Computers

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article | Mastering the Tech: 4 Strategies for Getting the Most of Your Medical Cart ComputersThe modern medical cart is a lot more than a cabinet on wheels, it is an advanced system that combines digital processing power, safety, and efficiency-enhancing physical features.

Despite the power and potential that the best computer-equipped medical carts bring to the table, many organizations end up sticking to the absolute basics. Use the following four strategies to ensure your hospital, clinic, or other facility can make the most of your medical cart computers.

1. Stay Organized

Medical carts were invented to make sure professionals would always have access to important resources like medications, bandages, and instruments. Even the simplest, most traditional Med Carts from Capsa Healthcare and other leading producers include plenty of features that make the organization of their contents easy.

The mere fact that a med cart includes a computer should never be seen as a reason to fall behind in this important respect. In fact, adding a workstation to the equation makes it even more important to stay on top of physical organization.

It also means the digital contents of each computer will need to be made just as accessible. Should the users of a fleet of medical carts end up struggling to find the software features they need, productivity and efficiency will suffer.

A medical cart that makes its contents readily available but never gets in the way will always be welcome in any facility. Make organization of both physical and digital kinds top priorities and your medical carts will serve your organization very well.

2. Keep Things Secure

Concentrating potentially dangerous or theft-prone supplies in a small area can be problematic. Medications that are normally held under lock and key sometimes end up becoming vulnerable when they get loaded aboard medical carts.

The same goes for the valuable, important information that med cart computers often hold. While laws like HIPAA provide appropriate guidance, some organizations fail to keep up.

Medical cart computer security should be seen as every bit as important as any physical sort of protection. That means making sure workstations on wheels receive plenty of attention from digital security experts.

3. Streamline Your Processes

Medical carts of all kinds allow healthcare professionals to provide care more efficiently. Adding a computer to a med cart, though, sometimes means slowing down experts who could be working more quickly.

In just about every such case, thinking about ways to simplify common processes will enable plenty of progress. From single sign-on systems to improved user interfaces, medical cart computers should support productivity and never interfere with it.

4. Don’t Forget Training

Handing computer-equipped medical carts to staff members without preparation is always a recipe for disaster. Plan your roll-out carefully and be sure everyone who will work with a computerized medical cart receives appropriate training.

Anytime a system is to receive a major update, it will be wise to hold a refresher session. Making sure that staff members are always comfortable with the technology they are to use will emphasize the benefits and keep the drawbacks to a minimum.

A Great Addition to Many Healthcare Facilities

Medical carts with integrated digital workstations are becoming more and more common. In some cases, hospitals and clinics fail to make the most of their potential. Keep the four tips above in mind and your own organization should benefit greatly from its use of medical cart computers.

Pages

Nothing Found

Sorry, no posts matched your criteria