Technology

Businesses Need to Break Out of the Silo, Now!

There’s no fail-safe handbook for running your business. A few people find managerial success though their own ability to see ways to improve systems. Yet, in the vast majority of cases, individuals fail to align company interests in effective and efficient ways. This leads to lost productivity and revenue—and sometimes, going out of business altogether. Anyone who says it’s easy to get all parts of an organization moving in the same direction has probably never done it. People in managerial positions tend to sequester key information – and themselves – away from the rest of the company. Some people think that they can do a better job of things if they take on all the responsibility. To a certain degree, this might be true. After all, managers tend to have more expertise and skill than other employees. The problem here is that business silos are stifling to the exchange of…

Social media for businesses: The Pros & Cons

Social media is an ever growing platform that millions of us use on a daily basis. Whether it’s Facebook, YouTube or Twitter, social media allows us to connect with friends and family all over the world. Most social media channels are easy to use and allow us to share our life digitally, whether that be via photos, videos or content. The majority of us use social media for our own personal use, but it’s a tool that businesses can utilise in many ways. With millions of users worldwide, it’s here that businesses can create a relevant audience and target them with appealing content and visuals that can hopefully raise brand awareness and drive relevant traffic to your site. Although social media has endless advantages, if used in the wrong way it can reflect badly on your business. For brands wanting to use social media as a way to connect with…

5 Ways CPAs Can Dodge a Data Breach

Accounting firms, like all other industries, are susceptible to data breaches. Thankfully, certified public accountants (CPAs) can dodge data breaches by examining common hacker tactics. Some of the largest reported data breaches from the past few years reveal many of those methodologies: For example, in 2013, Target stores lost control of credit card and contact information for more than 110 million customers. How? Hackers accessed the company’s point of sale (POS) payment card systems through one of Target’s third-party HVAC vendors. A few months after the Target breach, another group of hackers gained “root” privileges to JPMorgan Chase’s servers. The group potentially compromised the banking and financial records of more than 76 million individuals and seven million businesses! In 2011, hackers exploited weak and inconsistent security controls in Sony’s PlayStation network to steal information in more than 77 million online accounts. The wealth of information held by healthcare organizations make…

Worried about retail security? Check out the latest tech security solutions

Retailers are continually at risk from smart criminals. Crimes range from theft on the shop floor to data leaks and more. Luckily, there are a number of solutions targeting these criminals, so you can keep your business safe. In this post, you’ll find out how retail security is advancing thanks to new technology from companies like Secom. First, let’s talk about the massive impact of retail crime. Did you know that there are 3.6 million retail crime offences every year? And the total cost of customer theft adds up to £438m? The direct financial cost of retail crime is £660m, and abuse and violence towards staff has increased by 40%. Per 1000 staff, there are 51 incidents of abuse and violence. While these numbers show the extent of retail crime, businesses are spending just £6.7m on crime and prevention. If you’ve noticed that your stock-takes simply don’t add up, your…

Hosted PBX Phone Systems for Small Business

Small businesses these days need every edge they can get in order to be competitive. This means hiring the best they can afford, training them well, and supplying them with the tools they need to excel at their jobs. Tools tend to be related to technology, and the right ones position employees to do the work of what used to take twice their numbers. Having the right technology tools these days, is not a luxury, it is a requirement. The best approach for a small business technology tools, is getting those that can cost effectively make them more competitive with larger companies. With this in mind, one of the best for any small business is a hosted PBX phone system. The benefits that it can bring to a small business are numerous and impactful. Here are a few of those benefits: Cost Effective to Purchase Phone systems have been notoriously…

The Most Economical Luxury Car

Economical drivers often dream of luxury cars. Luxury usually means high sticker price and not so great gas mileage. Add a lot of luxurious bells and whistles that make your package choice skyrocket, and luxury becomes an unrealistic choice for some car buyers. What if you could combine the best of both worlds and get a great car or SUV at a great price, with excellent fuel economy? Sounds too good to be true, but we’ve got some amazing cars just for those who love to save on a luxurious drive. Check out these economical, luxury cars and Luxury Meets Fuel Economy When it comes to buying luxury without the high price tag, you might just fall head over heels for the Lexus NX 200t Hybrid. This luxury SUV comes loaded with a lot of cool standard features, but if you feel you need a little something more there…

Want to Market to my Generation? You’ll Need to Work Hard

Many of my readers are millennials, which is why I wanted to talk to you guys about an interesting video I just watched. 4imprint recently released a video about marketing to millennials, and there were some key takeaways that I thought were super interesting. Our dependence on technology and love of social media has meant that brands need to work harder than ever to engage with us. We grew up in a time where we could easily research any brand we wanted, and then see what others were saying about that brand on social media channels. That means that brands can no longer rely on marketing to us the way that they marketed to our parents. If you’re anything like me, you probably follow a few brands on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. But you probably don’t follow boring brands that are only releasing advertising content or continually talking about their…

10 Steps to Starting a Photo Blog for Your Friends

Creating your own site is the perfect way to preserve the memories of you and your friends. But not everyone has the skills to design and build their own sites. Fortunately, there are many tools and resources to help you start a blog even if you’re not technically inclined. In fact, you can set up a blog in 20 minutes or less and build a decent looking site within a couple of hours with the right directions. Here is a 10-step guide to starting your very own photo blog. Step 1: Choose Domain, Web Host and Platform If you want to have total control of your site, you will want to set up your own domain. You can register a domain by going to Godaddy.com or any other registrar. You will then want to get a basic hosting plan which can cost anywhere from $3 to $10 a month depending…

Different Types Of Air Conditioning Systems For The Workplace

Air conditioners are vital for any workplace. Particularly during the summer where the temperature can become unbearable, ensuring that you are able to cool the office down is key. Otherwise, you can be left with unhappy and unproductive employees. If you’re looking to get an air conditioner installed, it can be tricky to know which one to get. We’ve given the low-down on some common commercial air conditioners so you can make a decision about which one is best for you. VRF Systems VRF stands for Variable Refrigerant Flow, and is a refrigerated air conditioning system for large applications. These are energy efficient and are also incredibly flexible. There are generally three options to choose from that will suit different needs: Super Modular Multi System: This provides heating and cooling Super Heat Recovery Multi: This provides simultaneous heating and cooling Mini VRF: This is a compact system, which is great…

The best accessories every Raspberry Pi owner needs

To say that the Raspberry Pi has been quite the hit since the debut of the original version of this credit card-sized computer in 2012 would be quite the understatement. It may have been conceived with the aim of supporting the teaching of computer science in schools and developing countries, but an entire ‘maker culture’ has sprung up around this marvellous little device. However, if there’s one small downside to the Raspberry Pi (or maybe that should be a massive upside?), it’s that you can’t do a huge amount with it in its most basic form. Accessories are in many ways the name of the game with the Raspberry Pi, so we thought we’d take a closer look at just some of those we really think you should purchase. Premium Raspberry Pi Zero Case Given the Raspberry Pi’s status as a completely unprotected circuit board, it’s fair to say that…

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