Category: Technology

Warehouse Fixes That Will Wow Your Employees

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. A key component of many businesses is its warehouse operations. An optimally functioning warehouse can make or break a business and there are several keys to running an efficient facility for your employees. The following contributed post thus entitled, Warehouse Fixes That Will Wow Your Employees.

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When business owners are looking for ways to improve and upgrade their company, most of them are mainly concerned with their office. It’s true that the office is a very important part of the business overall, but there is one other equally critical area that is so very easily overlooked – the warehouse. Every company that has a warehouse will find that it is an essential part of their operations, and ensuring that it is streamlined can really help with the company’s overall efficiency.

So, do you think that it is time you took a look at your warehouse and considered how you might be able to improve it? Here are a few ideas that you may want to consider.

Automate Processes

One of the first things that you might want to think about is automating some of the warehouses that take place in the warehouse. This can make the workload a lot more manageable for all of the employees who work there. For instance, you might want to use software that can automate the delivery notification process. So, when a customer orders something online, a quick notification will be sent to the warehouse to let everyone know that they can start the whole shipment process.

Make The Layout More Efficient

It might also be a good idea to reconsider the whole layout of your warehouse. A poorly organized warehouse can quickly become a pain to work in, and it can reduce the overall efficiency of your staff. So, make sure the layout is an easy one to work in and doesn’t promote any disorganization. It’s also necessary to try to reduce hazards by improving the layout as much as possible.

Give It A Face Lift

Do you remember when the last time you updated your warehouse was? If it hasn’t been for a while, then it could be due a bit of a facelift. You might want to install a new concrete countertop onto a workstation and it might also be time to replace any flooring that looks past its best. Keeping all of the warehouse in good working order will ensure that it stays a lot safer for a few more years to come. It can also be a much more pleasant working environment for all of your staff.

Improve Staff Training

Don’t forget that it is also essential that each of your employees gets sufficient training throughout the year. This is even the case for all your employees who are based in the warehouse. Ideally, they need at least one training session each year. However, all of the most successful companies ensure that their staff are well trained with various courses throughout the year. This ensures that they can always carry out their job to the best of their abilities and that they are up to date with all the modern warehouse practices.

If you follow all of these tips, then you should find that your warehouse processes greatly improve, and this can help you turn over a larger profit.

Ways That Taking Your Business Digital Can Save Time And Money

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In our current digital age, many tools are now used to conduct business and commerce. Not adapting and incorporating these new methods could ultimately cost you time and money. How do you not lose your competitive advantage? The following contributed post is entitled, Ways That Taking Your Business Digital Can Save Time And Money.

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Saving money is the goal of many businesses, especially smaller companies still looking to find their feet. Digital solutions can give your business a boost and help you to save time and money, freeing up both to focus on the more strategic side of your business. If you’re not making the most of digital technology for your business, take a look at some of the following ways that taking your business digital can help.

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Cloud working reduces clutter and commitment to an office

With cloud computing solutions, you can take your business anywhere, allowing you to easily work in any location. Cloud computing also helps you to work with employees in remote locations, making it easier to hire freelancers to help you carry out different business functions. Take a look at cloud storage solutions that will benefit your business and provide it with extra security at a low cost.

Turn your HR digital

Managing HR functions can be difficult, and with more importance being placed on personal data protection than ever before, you need to implement systems that will keep data secure and make HR easier to manage. The ServiceNow HR module is a useful tool for businesses that will make managing cases simple and makes it easier for employees to access vital information. Digital transformation can be a tricky process, but with the right system, the process becomes much simpler.

Embrace digital marketing

Traditional marketing methods are becoming more and more expensive. Television and press ads can be a large expense for businesses, with a shorter exposure period. Digital marketing, however, provides you with several possibilities to engage with audiences, at a much lower cost. With digital marketing, you can create campaigns easily according to your own budget, helping your business to save money.

Save on your travel costs

Traveling to meet clients, colleagues and conferences can soon eat into your budget, but it doesn’t have to. Using video conferencing services can change the way you do business, helping you to have face to face meetings without having to spend time or money traveling. The quality available from video conferences is amazing compared to what it was even a few years ago, helping to make communication easier for your business.

Use online project management tools for better productivity

Managing projects is easier than ever thanks to online project management tools. Manage deadlines, assign tasks, collaborate and more to help your projects run more smoothly. Project management tools are great for businesses of all sizes, and can boost productivity across your teams.

While there are benefits and dangers associated with technology, there’s no doubt that it can save time and money for your business. By exploring the different tools and applications that exist, you can find some excellent solutions for your business. Take advantage of free trials to help you choose the right digital solutions for your company, and let digital transform the way you work.

3 Software Programs and Apps That Can Improve Your Life, Rather than Steal Your Time

Two of the major focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Technology. While there is a danger in becoming too consumed by the new technologies available to us, many of them can help improve our lives. Which ones are particularly helpful? The following contributed post is thus entitled, 3 Software Programs and Apps That Can Improve Your Life, Rather than Steal Your Time.

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The modern world is rich in technology so advanced that it would have been unimaginable to the average person even just a few short decades ago.

No matter what our interests in life are, and no matter our jobs and hobbies, it’s possible to vanish down a bottomless rabbit hole of endless information, stimulation, and entertainment, at the drop of a hat.

But while many modern technologies have brought with them immense benefits — such as the ability to communicate with our loved ones on the other side of the world, or to acquire a Windows 10 pro key and create an entire business structure within days — there are plenty of downsides to be wary of.

There are predatory companies out there, and exploitative apps, games, and software programs that have been designed to hijack our consciousness and trap us in a psychological feedback loop.

Here are some examples of software and apps that can help you to improve your life, rather than just serving as a timesink.

RescueTime — to reduce procrastination and enhance your awareness of how you’re spending your time

If you’re even just so much as slightly inclined towards procrastination or a disorderly lifestyle, having a computer with an internet connection is something akin to leaving a hungry child unattended in a candy shop.

Human attention is easily hijacked by novelty, probably because in ancient days, noticing novel information could mean the difference between life and death. Is that odd shape in the pushes a vicious wild animal, or a tasty meal?

These days, Google, Youtube, and social media offer a never-ending stream of novelty, meaning we easily fall into a cycle of endless surfing.

RescueTime is a service and software program that can help to free you from that vicious cycle of procrastination and enhance your awareness of how you’re spending your time. It combines an activity tracker, with a web blocker, report system, and more.

Beeminder — to help you stick to productive behaviours and avoid unproductive ones

We are all largely defined by our habits, and we tend to revert to our familiar behaviour patterns whenever we zone out a bit or are put under stress.

For that reason, it’s a very good idea to carefully focus on developing productive behaviours, and avoiding unproductive ones. Repeated often enough, good acts become good habits, and bad acts become bad habits.

Beeminder is an innovative service that allows you to set habit goals, which you then commit to with your money. Every time you stray off course from your desired habit, you pay exponentially more in penalty fees.

You Need a Budget — to give you a clear bird’s eye perspective of, and control over, your financial life

Good financial management can be tricky, especially when it’s so easy to buy all kinds of glossy, attractively-advertised products online with a couple of mouse clicks.

You Need a Budget — also known as YNAB — is a budgeting tool build around the principle of “zero-based budgeting” and “giving every dollar a job”. It’s relatively straightforward to use, and it can give you a crystal clear perspective of what’s happening with your financial life.

That in turn, of course, gives you a lot more power over your financial life.

Updating The Appearance Of Your Online Business

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In today’s digital world, you online presence is your new store in many cases. As such, it’s important to periodically update you site so that it’s appealing your potential customers. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Updating The Appearance Of Your Online Business.

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In the competitive world that is business, having an online business has really come to the forefront, and now many companies are opting to turn digital, to follow the trend of technology and the internet. So if you have an online business yourself, it’s important to keep updating it so that you remain ahead of your competition and grow your company. Here are a few tips to get you started!

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Reassess Your Goals

It’s something you don’t need to do online, but it’s important to bring your focus back to your goals for the business. Whether that’s long-term or short-term, it’s always good to come back to them and see if you might want to change them or create new ones. A lot can happen in the space of a few months, so it’s pretty easy to forget about your initial objectives.

And if you haven’t already, think about what you want to achieve a year or so down the line. Dream big and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

Give Your Website A Refresh

You should have a website for your online business, and if you don’t, then you really do need to get one. A website puts you on the map and gives you a little space in the big world wide web. This is the platform where you’ll probably attract new potential customers and clients, so it needs to be professional. Therefore, you want to give your site a refresh every now and again just like updating the interiors of your home. Apps like https://setapp.com/apps/typeface are great for changing up your font, and you should invest in a good template for your web page.

If you’re digital skills only stretch so far, there’s plenty of freelancers or companies out there who will be more than willing to keep your site looking top notch.

Get Social Media Savvy

If you’re not already, you should be spreading the word about your business through social media. A website is great but you want to reach the masses, and only social media platforms will have that. So it’s useful to have a profile on as many platforms as possible and start or continue to reach out to new customers, creating great campaigns that will sell your brand to those who need it.

Make Communication Easy

There’s nothing more frustrating than customers not being able to communicate with a business. Whether that’s finding a phone number, email or any form of contact details. And it’s so simple to do but a lot of online businesses will keep themselves anonymous, and this can put customers off. People like to see the face of a brand or organization, so don’t be afraid to open up communication fully because it’ll certainly benefit you in the long run.

It can certainly feel like a rat race in this ever-changing world, but with hard work and dedication, your online business can be just as successful as those that inspired you to start yours in the first place. So what are you waiting for?

4 Benefits and Dangers of Technology

A key focus of my blog is Technology. While the many inventions in our new digital world have made our lives easier and more pleasurable, they’ve also created numerous dangers. What are these? The following contributed post is entitled, 4 Benefits and Dangers of Technology.

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The world we all live in today is completely dominated by technology, to an extent that would have been considered all but unthinkable even a few short years ago. We work at our computers, we arrive home and recline in front of our flat screen TV’s to indulge in a Netflix binge, and when it’s time to pick up groceries, we likely as not order them online, too.

Technology is by no means all good or all bad. It brings with it both tremendous benefits and potential downsides. The specific technology in question, and the context of its use, determine whether it’s ultimately positive or negative.

Here are a couple of benefits and dangers of technology, just to get you thinking about this issue more deeply.

Benefit: increased safety

Certain technologies undoubtedly lead to a safer world for the majority of people. Medical devices can detect potentially fatal conditions in the early stages and result in them being successfully treated. And even reviews of products and companies can prevent us from being exploited.

Then, of course, there are inventions like the police speed gun, used to prevent dangerous behaviour on the road, and catch people who flagrantly violate speed laws.

Not only are there broad social benefits to these kinds of technologies, but even on a personal level, you may benefit immensely from certain safety-oriented tools and devices.

Danger: the risk of being lost in an artificial world that plays on our psychological weak spots

It’s no secret that the creators of the world’s leading social media platforms, not to mention videogames, employ a variety of psychological tricks and mechanisms in order to exploit our basic human impulses to keep us invested in the services or products they’re offering.

This becomes a danger, especially when we’re unaware of the fundamentally addictive — and often intentionally manipulative — nature of these platforms and tools.

Author Adam Alter, writing in his book “Irresistible”, describes many instances of people whose real-world lives have been negatively impacted, often to an extreme degree, by their inability to escape the more instantly gratifying artificial world of technology.

Benefit: new ways to communicate ideas and seek knowledge from around the world

Virtually yesterday, historically speaking, the internet didn’t exist — and even for years after its creation, it was nowhere near the kind of all-encompassing encyclopedic resource that it is today.

With the development of the internet has come a previously unprecedented opportunity for the average person to communicate ideas and seek knowledge from around the world.

Personal blogs and videos bypass the need for traditional media and publishing gatekeepers. Tools like Wikipedia render a virtually limitless pool of facts and trivia accessible to all.

Danger: a more shallow and distracted kind of awareness

“The Shallows” is a book by author Nicholas Carr, in which the author underlines some of the evidence for the fact that the internet has made us all more shallow and distracted than ever before.

This is an idea that’s been corroborated by various findings and theories, for years now. Simply put — with the internet, we have a pool of information as wide as the ocean to play in. But it’s as deep as a paddling pool, and means we have a broad but shallow, and distracted, awareness of many topics.

Reading books and doing traditional studying, on the other hand, theoretically helps to create a deeper and more focused kind of awareness.

Importance of Technology In Business

hree of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. In today’s digital world, technology has infiltrated and affected pretty much every aspect of life and the business world is the same. Falling behind these advancements can be very, very costly. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Importance of Technology In Business.

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Photo by TheDigitalArtist from Pixabay

More and more we are seeing businesses turn to technology for all manner of things. The importance of tech in the modern world cannot be overstated and yet some companies continue to lag behind. To make sure you are not one of those businesses, we are going to discuss here so of the important things to remember when it comes to technology and your operations.

Equipment

Firstly, it is important to remember that technology is not just referencing the modern day use of computers. We will come on the value of the computer era shortly, but it is worth bearing in mind that if you are a manufacturer, then there may be equipment out there like CNC Machining Centres that will help you make your product quicker and possibly better. Researching the impact of the tech landscape for the industry you are working in before pushing ahead is critical to your success, so make sure you’re addressing any technological pitfalls in your business quickly.

Computers must also be discussed when it comes to the equipment being used in business, and more importantly what they are used for. Every office around the country has a computer of some kind at this point of the 21st century, but the important thing is are they using it for all they can. A lot of employees will know how to use the basics from documents to spreadsheets, but there are advantages with computers that can make your operations more efficient. You should consider applications that focus their attention on productivity like Asana so that your company can operate at a higher level than your competitors.

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Security

Technology and security have had a fractious relationship over the years. It is fair to say that the rise of different software and hardware has created criminal activity that was unthought of just a few decades ago. However, there are pros as well thanks to the ability to track your systems remotely, protect your company’s important documents and keep track of your premises.

Running a business, cybercrime is never going be too far away from your thoughts due to all the sensitive data that you will be handling. For this, however, some solutions are relatively straightforward, and that also open up other opportunities for you. A virtual private server (VPS), for example, is a remote server accessible only by the user, meaning that you can install software away from your main operations and be confident in its security. Companies like HostGator and BlueHost both offer you the chance to explore this technology not just for protection, but also so that you can have a dedicated server for your website or software. What that means is that rather than splitting server power across lots of different parts of your business, you can direct one sole server to the most important bit.

Technology and business should go hand in hand. It’s just about finding what is best for you.

Steadying The Stream Of Business Information

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. Operating businesses has changed considerably in this new Information Age. A major part of this is properly managing large sums data both efficiently and responsibly – something many organizations have excelled at while others have struggled. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Steadying The Stream Of Business Information.

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Business has changed a lot over the last couple of decades, with loads of new technology entering the world which can make the lives of companies far easier. Some have been able to embrace this change, while others have struggled to keep up with it, and the different adoption times of each business have created a mess of different information which you have to be able to process. To make this easier for you, this post will be exploring some of the best ways to steady the stream of content coming into your company.

File Management

Keeping file systems clean and tidy is a job which most people find very hard. Much like keeping aspects of your life in order, achieving this sort of goal when you don’t know much about the machines you’re using can be a real challenge. To overcome this, a lot of companies have started to give their teams file management courses. While this sort of effort will cost you money, it will be worth it once your teams are all using the same methods to keep their machines clean, as this will save loads of time.

Make A Copy

When you first receive a document, the first step you need to take will be to create a copy which anyone can use. This should always be digital, and should be in a format which is widely used, but this can be achieved using a simple scanner and software like Office 365, making it nice and easy to get started with. Having all of your documents in the same format is a great way to make it easier for your team to use them.

Secure It

As your handling data for your business throughout this process, the work you are doing is likely to be subject to data protection laws. To make sure that you’re compliant, any sensitive documents need to be secure, as this will help to prevent prying eyes from seeing what is inside. Both Windows and macOS have the ability to handle this natively, making it nice and easy to get started with your existing files.

Put It Somewhere Safe

Once you have your documents copied and securely formatted, it will be time to leave them with someone who can be trusted. Document management services provide you with an easy way to keep you data safe from criminals, while also enabling you to find what you need with incredible ease, and this is something which can’t be said for a lot of other options. Taking storage out of your own hands is an easy way to improve this whole process.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to get started on the time you put into the information which comes into your business. A lot of people struggle with this sort of work, finding it hard to know what they need to do to keep their information in order. In reality, though, you already have the tools you need, and simply need to get started.

What You Should Know About Business Automation

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. There is a lot of talk these about the increased role of automation in the business world. There are some important considerations to think about in terms of incorporating automation into your operations. The following contributed post is thus entitled, What You Should Know About Business Automation.

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You can’t turn a corner in today’s business world without hearing about automation. By utilizing automation, you can increase the speed, efficiency, and accuracy of your business processes. Things like marketing, recruiting, and time saving can become a breeze, and you and your team will be able to focus on more important work.

Here, you’ll find what you need to know about business automation so you can do it effectively. Take a look and see what you can learn below:

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Ensure You Understand The Processes That You’re Automating
If you don’t fully understand the process you’re supposed to be automating, you won’t be able to do it effectively. Make sure you evaluate the process and change it where necessary.

Let Your Team Test Out Solutions
Assign a team to your automation solutions, allowing them to experiment to find the best tools and then test and implement them gradually. Remember to help your team adopt these new automation processes, too. An automation process will only work as well as the team who uses it. Most people don’t like change, and it can be hard. Remember to build in change management and training to any workflow automation you introduce. By clicking here your team can begin their exploration of processes that can introduce reduced costs and time savings.

Calculate Your ROI
Although automation can make things much easier when you have it up and running, it’s not always going to be simple. You need to make sure you estimate the time/cost savings that the automaton process will give you, compared to the time and costs it will take to automate the process. Is the amount of time it takes to recoup that investment acceptable?

Consider Security Risks
Anything that is automated and digitized can also be hacked. Automation makes things so much faster for you, but it can also make things much faster for an attacker. Make sure you think about security in advance and plan for it.

Go Slowly And Prioritize
Automating your workflow takes a lot of upfront time and resources, but if you go about automation the right way you will recoup this. However, there are learning curves involved, so going slowly and prioritizing is key. Make a list of what will have the biggest impact on your company and how much work/effort/rich is involved as you implement each one.

Keep It Simple To Begin With
You can’t always predict the issues you’ll run into with automation, so it’s best to start with something simple. You’ll avoid wasting time and resources and you’ll even learn things you didn’t know about your organization. You can carry these lessons forward when you start off simple and it’ll help you to prepare for bigger things will maximizing your productivity gains.

Ensure You Have Super High Quality Control Standards
Automation will have bugs just like any other computer system. These bugs mean you must have a degree of quality control so you can monitor and measure effectiveness and ensure each process is working as expected.

The Future of Fuel

One of the major focuses of my blog is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). An area that has long been of great interest globally is energy. Fossil Fuels have been the chief energy source for our planet’s ‘First World’ countries, but with increasing world populations there is concern that we will exhaust our natural global supplies. What are our options going forward? The following contributed post is entitled; The Future of Fuel.

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Image Credit: Unsplash

Whether you believe in climate change or you are one of the <1% of people who remains unconvinced, what is clear is that our fossils are running out. With the USA now considering expanding the search for oil to the Arctic, it is obvious that at some point we are going to stop finding reserves that have taken millions of years to appear.

If science fiction is to be trusted, we need to find alternative energy solutions if we want to continue to develop incredible technologies.

Clean energy sources such as wind turbines, solar panels and other methods are all idea for producing electricity. The downside of this is that for technologies not connected to the grid, large batteries will be required to store the energy while disconnected. This means that all types of transport will have to balance being weighed down with the distance they are able to cover.

Why is Clean Energy for Travel So Important?

At the moment, the aviation industry contributes around 2.5% of carbon emissions each year and this is set to rise to around 22% by 2050. This is an enormous problem because while global demands for fast air travel increase, the threat to the environment is significantly raised.

A similar problem is presented in ocean travel. Ships crossing the seas take passengers and goods around the world but every trip introduces pollutants to the water. While you might be able to use oil water separators to limit pollution the amount of oil that escapes, the fact is that the risk of any oil spillage is still very much present.

Even short car journeys are ever more problematic as the air quality of large cities deteriorates as more and more people choose to drive themselves rather than take a bus or train. There have already been rapid advances in electric car technology but much more research is required if we are to achieve the infrastructure necessary for a full transition.

What Are Our Options?

More investment into methods to create clean electricity is already underway, especially in China where a capacity of around 130 GW has already been installed, knocking their already ambitious targets out of the water. This is great news as it means that greener technologies such as electric cars, buses and trains are much more likely to succeed.

But what about air travel?

Well, the research may be in its infancy but there are some promising results coming from experiments into what is being termed ‘ionic wind technology’. With this theory, it could be possible to launch and fly planes long distances in a carbon neutral way and, crucially, with no moving parts. Rather than a combustion engine, the plane uses long thin stems of wire to pass an electric current. This current ionizes atmospheric nitrogen which, when it collides with “normal” neutral air generates thrust.

We may be not be looking at warp drives or ion drives just yet but with the ideas that are floating around at the moment, Science Fiction may not be so unbelievable after all.

The 4 Rules Of Business Data

Three of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship and Technology. Most businesses today manage enormous amounts of data and this comes with numerous considerations as it must be handled both efficiently and safely. The following contributed discusses four rules for this and is entitled, The 4 Rules Of Business Data.

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Businesses work with data every day. Whether they collect, analyze, transfer or interpret, enterprises rely on data at every single step of their processes. With million sensitive pieces of information being stored and used as part of business activities, no company can afford to fail behind data management standards. Indeed, with the acquisition of confidential and sensitive data comes the responsibility of using these judiciously and safely.
Companies have a digital liability to honor for their employees and clients by following an explicit data management strategy. Admittedly, while every company is free to design their policy, you can find an overarching guideline to help you navigate through the troubled waters of data management. Typically, businesses are expected to respect four data rules:

Cloud computing offers excellent data accessibility

Make them compliant
Since May 2018 and the launch of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by the EU, the words data compliance have been on every mouth. In reality, data compliance refers to the need for a company to comply with the legal requirements in force regarding their data processes. For citizens from the EU zone, GDPR is the main data compliance body. However, you’ll find that your business needs to obey a variety of legal requirements depending on the kind of data you use. Medical data, for instance, respond to the HIPAA compliance – which you can ensure using the managed compliance services from NAHS for example. Schools and other education institutions need to comply with a different set of requirements. Banks also rely on specific data compliance bodies. In other words, your data need to be processed accordingly to the specifications in your sector.

Protect them from accidental loss and damage
Your data are precious. Losing them doesn’t only affect your day-to-day activities, but it also damages your credibility. Consequently, companies need to protect themselves from data disasters as best as they can. Every business need to deploy an effective and secure backup solution to recover everything that is vital to your business survival. Keeping a copy – physically or digitally, or even both – is primordial.

Data backup

Make them safely accessible to your team
Data management requires sharing, collaborating and research within the data collection. While holding physical data backups can be helpful in the case of loss or damage, it’s a waste of time when it comes to encouraging your teams to work together. Making your data accessible through a secure digital interface, such as cloud computing, employees with the ability to access the information they need in a click. However, the key focus about cloud solution is their security; your data should be only accessible to your coworkers.

Ensure they are correct at all times
Last; but not least, most confidential people data are deemed to evolve through time. People, indeed, can change their address, name, specific data preferences, and so on. As part of the GDPR regulations, users are allowed to request access to their information, for correction or removal purposes. Similarly, you need to maintain your customer data accurate even outside of the GDPR zone, which implies providing customers with the opportunity to correct the information.

Every business that works with data needs to follow the 4 rules of data management: Compliance, protection, accessibility, and correctness. Failure to respect these rules can lead to a loss in reputation, revenues, and competitiveness.