Technology – Page 30 – The Big Words Blog Site

Businesses Are Heading For A World Without Employees

Three of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship, and Technology. In current times, there is a lot of talk about workers being replaced by machines and automation. This discussion is often approached from the perspective of the employees, but is seldom discussed in terms of the advantages of the employers. What are the advantages to employers? The following contributed post is entitled, Businesses Are Heading For A World Without Employees.

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At least, employees in the traditional sense of the word. Instead, there are new options for business owners that need help but don’t want the headaches that come with having a full team of workers on staff in their building.

This isn’t surprising as when you get right down to it, workers can come with a lot of problems. That’s not to say this is their fault or that they are the ones to blame. In most cases, it’s fair to say that it’s employers who are causing the brunt of the issues, but that doesn’t matter. Now that the business world is, changing employers can escape the responsibility they were once tied to. So, let’s look at some of the issues employees cause and the factors that will bring big benefits for business owners.

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Employee Headaches

There are quite a few issues that you can have with employees. Harassment claims are certainly in the spotlight right now thanks to various Hollywood scandals, and slowly but surely they are seeping into the real world too. Offices are being flooded with claims, some legitimate others not, of workers who feel they have been treated terribly. It could cost business owners horrendous amounts of money.

Or, how about injuries at work? As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to keep your office or workplace safe. Failing to do this will result in a hefty fine that yes, you will need to pay. Workers comp lawsuits are often hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages and may, in some cases reach the low millions!

There’s even the time and effort it takes to hire and fire employees to consider. You have to spend hours interviewing people, many of whom won’t be qualified enough or experienced enough for the job in question.

So, why are employees now on their way out of the business model?

Machine Learning

Yes, machine learning will almost certainly pave the way for more processes to be completed by machine and an automated workplace. This is already starting to happen, and if you’re let go next year, there’s a good chance it’s because a computer system or piece of software can now fulfil your role. Don’t worry though, everyone will be on the chopping board for this reason soon enough.

Going For The Gig

As well as this, businesses are now learning more and more towards hiring freelancers and outsourcing companies. The good news is that these outsourcing companies still need staff and it’s causing a boom in the gig industry. The bad news is that it’s allowing businesses to essentially ‘hire’ employees without offering any of the typical benefits or incentives. So basically, it’s a big win-win situation for business owners.

What Does It Mean?

For business owners, it could be the solution to perilous lawsuits. For society as a whole, we might see the introduction of a universal living wage, and it does seem like the only suitable solution as workers become less needed in far more industries.

Machine Maintenance: Savings In Industrial Business

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and three areas of focus are Financial Literacy/Money, Business/Entrepreneurship, and Technology. In industrial businesses, maintenance of equipment is key and it can be a major cost if neglected over a long period of time. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Machine Maintenance: Savings In Industrial Business.

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It can often feel as though saving money in the single most important part of your business, especially when things aren’t going according to plan. When your in this position, it will be hard to justify spending money on even the important things, making the jobs which take less precedent be left completely untouched. In the world of industrial business, though, this sort of approach can end up being very costly, and is something worth avoiding. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring the field of machine maintenance as a way to save money.

Know What Needs To Be Done

The first part of this will involve doing a little bit of research, figuring out exactly what could go wrong with the machines you have. In some cases, it may only be vehicles which you have to worry about, making the information you need very easy to find. If you have less common machines, though, you will have to spend more time learning, and may even have to refer the manuals you have for them. With anything mechanical, there will be a mix of regular work and jobs which don’t need to be done very often. Electronics, on the other hand, may not be so easy to predict.

Repair Vs. Replacement

Once you have an idea of what needs to be done for the machines in your business, you can get started on the work which you have to do to keep them in good shape. This can range from replacing oil to full-on diesel truck mechanics, making it worth looking for the right professionals to help you at each stage, ensuring that work is handled correctly. This stage is important because it will stop minor issues from becoming much larger. When one piece of a machine breaks, it can often take others with it, forcing you to replace them. If repairs are handled early, though, you won’t have to worry about this side of the job.

Automating The Process

Of course, in the modern world, this job doesn’t have to be something you handle completely on your own. Computer systems can lend a great hand here, providing you with tools which can keep an eye on your machines for you. There are loads of tools on the market which use cameras, lasers, and other sensors to get an idea of the health of your machines. Using this data, they can provide you with early warnings before you suffer a loss. This will be expensive, but could save a small fortune when it comes to making repairs in the future, especially when you have very expensive tools in service.

With all of this in mind, you should be ready to go out and start the process of maintaining your machines. A lot of people struggle with this sort of work, finding it hard to know exactly what needs to be done when they are using heavy machinery in business, and often wasting money where it simply doesn’t have to be spent.

Why Is The IOT Important To Your Business?

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“Being part of the IoT evolution will also imply relying on equipment and devices that are fully designed to handle the machine-to-machine network connection.”

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Two of the key focuses of my blog are Business and Entrepreneurship and Technology. As we move forward, understanding new technologies will be critical to conducting business. This will involve understanding new applications for the internet and how devices can become smarter and more connected. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Why Is The IoT Important To Your Business?

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Along with entering the digital era, a lot of people are starting to feel like the world has entered an age of abbreviations. When you work in business, it’s especially hard to escape this reality, with practically every buzzword and phrase being shortened in an effort to make it easier to digest, and you don’t know your system on chip from your circuit board. Of course, though, this doesn’t always work. As a great example of this, there has been a lot of confusion around the field of IoT in recent years, with a lot of businesses having no idea what this side of technology actually is. To help you out with this, while also showing you the importance of IoT to your business, this post will be showing you what it means.

What is IoT?

When broken down into the words which its letters stand for, the Internet of Things sounds like something from a sci-fi universe aimed at children. In reality, though, this area of technology is becoming one of the biggest around, with areas like automation, manufacturing, and computer networking all heavily relying on it to keep working. This phrase simply refers to networks of devices which go further than computers being connected to one another. In the future, it’s not inconceivable that every piece of electronics in a building will be working together, but this will rely on developing in the IoT field to be able to advance.

What is IoT Used for?

Currently, this side of technology is in relatively early stages of existence. Up until recently, a lot of businesses have worked hard to keep their devices from being too well connected to each other, helping to prevent issues like cybercrime. As time has gone on, though, the value in having things like lights, machinery, and even basic office logistics being handled by connected devices is becoming more apparent. Companies like Cisco are working very hard to make this sort of technology work, with research into areas like intuitive networking being a priority for their vast teams.

Getting Started with IoT

As with many emerging tech trends, it can be hard to know where a field like the IoT will go over the next few years. If you’re running a business which could benefit from this sort of infrastructure, though, it will be worth taking the time to learn more here. As time goes on, being part of an evolution like this could save you a lot of time and money, especially as practices like this become standardised. Of course, though, if you’re unsure, it could be worth waiting a few years before you get stuck in, while keeping the idea of connecting your business together in the back of your mind for another day.

Being part of the IoT evolution will also imply relying on equipment and devices that are fully designed to handle the machine-to-machine network connection. An important aspect of IoT is the interconnectivity of devices, but not at the cost of security. Interconnectivity within an IoT network will require specialist tools and solutions, ranging from IoT SIM cards to enhanced encryption and monitoring systems, and of course, if you have a poor connection, it will be vital to look into the best internet for rural areas or your area, for example. In other words, we can expect a future where IoT technology will be the standard of network interconnectivity and data automation.

Hopefully, this post will give you everything you need to assess whether or not you could use a system like IoT to run your company. As time goes on, this is only going to become more prevalent in society, especially as more and more people start to use smartphones and other devices which can connect to the internet.

Reach For The Stars; Don’t Limit Yourself

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Business and Entrepreneurship, and Technology. In today’s digital world, it’s important to know that right mix of: technology usage, marketing, and knowing when to outsource to make your business competitive, whether it’s small or large. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Reach For The Stars; Don’t Limit Yourself.

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It’s easy to think that small and large businesses are like chalk and cheese, and your small or home-based business is nothing like the larger firms of the world. However it’s simply not the case- you both have the same aims and objectives; you all want to turn a profit and provide a product or service to consumers that they’re currently missing. Sure, a bigger company will have lots more departments and processes in place, but there’s plenty of things that they do that you can also take advantage of in your small business. Don’t be limited or put obstacles in your way, don’t feel as though you’re not able to utilise certain methods just because you’re not a bigger business. Here are some examples.

Utilise the right tools and software
If you’re running a small or home based business, the temptation is there to save on software and do tasks manually. While this may be possible since you’re on a smaller scale, you’ll actually be losing out on money rather than saving it. Business software is something that can be utilised by firms of all sizes- you’ll boost productivity, reduce human error and save time too. This is time you could be spending doing something else, whether it’s in your business or in your personal life. You can find software for any department of your business these days, from accounting to legal software, customer relationship management, email management and much more. If you have room in your budget, you could even have bespoke software designed specifically for your business. On top of this, there are all kinds of tools that you could (and should) be using, regardless of the size of your firm. You can discover SEO rankings when using the right tools, PPC keywords and much more which will enable you to adjust your strategy for the best effect.

Market your business
Marketing is essential for businesses of all sizes. Even if you’re a small, local business who doesn’t sell online, you should have a marketing strategy in place to promote yourself. You will still need to be visible in search engine listings for when people search for local companies like yourself, and so a good website is essential. If you don’t sell online, your marketing will likely have a strong focus on things like flyers, posters and billboards so that people in the local community get to hear about you. Social media marketing is excellent also. If you do sell online, you’ll need to focus your efforts on further out- blogger outreach, Google ads and video marketing all might be options. Your marketing is important, don’t overlook this just because you’re not a huge company.

Outsource
If any of the tasks above sound like they’re out of your depth, there’s no need to worry. You can outsource anything these days, from entire departments of your business to single tasks. For example, you could outsource your marketing to a professional third party company who specialises in this. You could utilise freelancers to create content for your blog, or design your app or website. There are so many talented companies and individuals online who you can hire to run or tackle any area of your business. This ensures that everything is done to the best standard, and if you want to remain a sole trader it means you can get work done without having to hire staff. Many smaller companies believe that outsourcing is something that only big companies take advantage of, but you can outsource work regardless of the size of your business. And best of all, it could save you money too. While there will be a fee to pay the company or person, as they specialise in that area they have the knowledge and tools to be able to do things far more quickly than you. This boosts productivity and therefore profits. It frees up your time for you to tackle the elements of your business that you’re comfortable with and enjoy.

Don’t limit yourself, or believe that you’re any different to other businesses out there. No matter what the size, you all have the same objectives and there are tools that suit, or can be suited to any type of firm. Do your research, and don’t let the size of your company limit you! It’s completely possible to make a fortune right from your own home if that’s what you choose to do, as long as you go about things in the right way.

How Your Online Presence Could Make or Break Your Business

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Business and Entrepreneurship and Technology. With so much business being conducted online these days, every business must be aware of how their online presence impacts their ability to do business, and to continue to thrive. The following contributed post is thus entitled; How Your Online Presence Could Make or Break Your Business.

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Running a business isn’t simply about coming up with winning ideas and providing excellent services to your clients, you need to have a strong online presence in order to be noticed. Nowadays if you don’t have a killer website and stunning social media strategy you might as well leave your business at the door. Using social media correctly is so important to every business owner, so you need to brush up your skills right now and make sure your online presence doesn’t let your business down. There are many mistakes that you could be making on a regular basis which jeopardises your business, so be aware of these ups and downs.

Wasted Money on Advertising

If you aren’t quite sure of your advertising strategies then you mustn’t try to do it all yourself. You could waste a tonne of money on useless campaigns that will never attract any leads. Look into reputable advertising companies who can assist you with all of your marketing needs. You will be able to hone in on your target audience and discover exactly how you can bring them in. Discuss your options with an agency and you can be sure you won’t be wasting any money on your marketing methods.

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Unprofessional Social Media

You could deter somebody from your business straight away if your social media platforms aren’t up to scratch. You could have posted controversial content online which sparked a heated discussion or you might not be using the correct language to suit the demographic of your target audience. Make sure your spelling, grammar and facts are all thoroughly checked over otherwise you run the risk of giving off an unprofessional vibe. You want your potential customers to trust you and want to invest their money in you so give them every reason to.

Website Glitches

When a customer goes online and wants to buy one of your products or services, there is nothing more frustrating than being greeted with glitches in the system or slow loading times. Keep your website running smoothly and seamlessly so that your audience have no reason to click away from that checkout page. There are websites that will check the loading times of your individual pages; if you are waiting for more than three seconds, the chances are that your potential shopper will lose interest. Keep your images as small as possible and this will help to lessen the loading time.

Invisible to Search Engines

Improving your search engine ranking should be very high on your priority list. If you can’t be found online then you aren’t going to get many sales. Do everything you can to improve your SEO strategies so that you start ranking higher on popular search engines such as Google and Bing! This could involve tweaking your keywords, starting a blog and reassessing your website descriptions.

So pay close attention to your online presence, website and the way in which you operate your social media, as it could be the make or break element for your business.

Guaranteeing Customers’ Security When They Shop Online With You

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Business and Entrepreneurship and Technology. With so much business being conducted online these days, it’s important to understand how to best to protect your customers during online transactions. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Guaranteeing Customers’ Security When They Shop Online With You.

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Online security used to only really apply to big-time businesses, as small businesses tended to operate through brick and mortar stores. They could simply accept cash payments and not worry about the technological world. But nowadays, increasing numbers of small business owners are taking to the web and operating online. No matter how small your business may be, if you are operating online, you really need to take customer safety seriously when it comes to taking payments. There are all sorts of individuals out there with bad intentions who would happily take a customer’s payment details and use them to purchase goods for themselves, or sell them on to others. However, if this is unfamiliar territory for you, you may feel a little bit lost when it comes to guaranteeing customer safety when processing sales and transactions online. But not to worry. Here are the basics that you need to know when it comes to protecting the individuals who choose to shop with you!

Using a Reliable Payment Gateway

One of the areas where customer information is most commonly leaked, or most commonly hacked into, is through a payment gateway. A payment gateway is a service that authorises credit and debit card payments, deducting funds from a customers’ account and depositing them into your account. In order to authorise this transaction, customers have to input their personal details (including name and address) and banking details (such as a card number, an expiry date, and a security number) into the payment gateway. By using a secure gateway, you can ensure that this information is safely collected without interference. Consider using a reliable service like BlueSnap. BlueSnap can work through both online and mobile devices, guaranteeing a positive experience for all of your customers. BlueSnap also keeps customers within your webpage when taking payments. This removes the need to redirect customers from your page to a separate payment page, reducing the risk of interference from cyber criminals along the way.

Accept Credit Card Payments

Many small businesses are reluctant to accept credit card payments, as you are likely to be charged more in order to process this transaction. This, of course, dips into your overall profits. However, many customers feel a lot more secure paying via credit card, as many credit companies offer to reverse charges for fraudulent transactions without a quibble. If you value making your customers feel safe and secure, it’s worth fronting the extra costs that come hand in hand with accepting credit card payments. Alternatively, you could pass the charge on to the customer (adding a set fee to credit card transactions). This means that you don’t make any loss, but the customer still has the choice to use this kind of payment method.

These are just a couple of different ways to guarantee your customers’ safety when they choose to shop online with you. Keep them at the forefront of your mind at all times and consider implementing them into your business plan in the near future!

Ecommerce Mistakes That Most People Make In Their First Year

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Business and Entrepreneurship and Technology. With so much business being conducted online these days, its important to understand how to best to do business in our new digital world in terms of ecommerce. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Ecommerce Mistakes That Most People Make In Their First Year.

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If you are launching your own ecommerce store then you will know how exciting this can be. At times you may feel as though the world is your oyster and you may even feel as though there is just so much for you to try and do in the day as well. If you want your ecommerce store to succeed however then you have to make sure that you are putting the work in to understand your industry and you also have to make sure that you are trying not to make any mistakes along the way as well. If you want to find out more then you can take a look below.

Not Doing Any Market Research

When you first launch your store, you will probably have a few products that you plan on selling. You will probably be very optimistic about this and you may even have so much fun creating them as well. The main mistake that people make is that they get so excited about creating their product that they fail to do any reliable market research. This can make it very hard for you to generate a profit and it can also make it hard for you to know who you are trying to market to as well. If you want to get around this, you need to spend a few weeks trying to research your competition, what you plan on selling and even how you plan on importing or shipping them.

Trying to Handle Absolutely Everything Yourself

The last thing that you want to do is try and handle everything yourself. You may save money by doing this but it is not good for business at all. When you start your own online store, you need to try and do everything you can to find experts who can help you along the way and you also need to get their help when reaching your goals. If you don’t then you will never end up achieving as much as you’d like.

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Not Focusing on your Business Development

The best part of running a business is being able to turn any ideas that you have into a service or product. If you enjoy what you do then you may end up focusing on a single aspect of your business, such as getting new products in or even choosing colour variations. This is all very well, but if you are not careful then you may find that you spend so much time trying to market your products and your business without really taking the time to know if you are in a position to fulfil the orders when you receive them. You need to focus on developing your business as much as you do developing your products, and this is a very important factor for you to take into
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So there are many ways that you can avoid making these top eCommerce mistakes, and when
you do, you will experience way more success than ever before.

Keywords: 3 Essentials For Online Entrepreneurs

Two of the key focuses of my blog are Business and Entrepreneurship and Technology. With so much business being conducted online these days, an important consideration is how potential customers will you find your business and your products. The following contributed post is thus entitled; Keywords: 3 Essentials For Online Entrepreneurs.

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It is impossible to say that there is a magic formula when it comes to business. Some businesses appear, on the surface, to break all the established rules of what constitutes a “good” business – but they seem to succeed anyway. Other companies seemingly do everything right and make all the smart decisions, but for some reason, the business never quite thrives.

However, there are some aspects of business that greatly lend themselves towards success, and enjoy a far higher level of importance than other areas. While these elements alone cannot guarantee success, it could certainly be said that the absence of these elements can make success incredibly difficult to achieve.

Keywords are a business element that fit this description to a T; while your business could succeed without understanding and utilizing keywords effectively, it’s going to be a very tough road without their assistance. In an effort to enhance your understanding of this element – and particularly how their usage has changed over recent years – we’ve put together three simple facts that all business owners should know about keywords.

#1 – Keyword stuffing is obsolete (and potentially harmful)

SEO is a young industry, but even in its short time as a factor for businesses, it has changed hugely. Perhaps the biggest change has happened to a technique known as “keyword stuffing”. Where keyword stuffing was once the way to get your business noticed online, it’s now more likely to earn a violation from Google – from an essential tactic to a substantial detriment, keyword stuffing is a technique that burned bright and fell fast.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs don’t quite seem to have gotten the memo, and keyword stuffing is still found across a variety of business websites. If you’re still using this technique, it’s time for a change.

#2 – Keywords are changing due to voice search

Long tail keywords are nothing new, but they are becoming far more important due to the advent of voice search. When people use voice search on mobile devices or smart speakers, they tend to phrase their search as a question, for example: “what are the best restaurants in New York?”. This is very different to how people search when typing – which would usually be more along the lines of “best restaurants New York” – and has opened up a new form of keyword usage that focuses more on natural speech patterns rather than the more abbreviated short tail keywords that have reigned supreme for the last 10 years.

#3 – The power of keywords extends far beyond SEO

Thus far, as is common, we’ve talked about keywords in relation to SEO, but keywords have an importance far beyond appearing in search terms. From using tools such as WordTree to ensure your products appear high in results on Amazon, to keyword research helping to shape social media posts, a modern business owner has to appreciate the importance of keywords across almost every area of their business’ online presence.

In conclusion

Keywords may have changed somewhat over the 20+ years the internet has been a force for businesses, but their importance cannot be overlooked. By using keywords correctly, and avoiding outdated techniques, you can be sure to benefit from their incredible power, and your business should hugely benefit as a result.

This Is How To Choose Business Software

Two key focuses of my blog are Business and Entrepreneurship, and Technology. A critical aspect to successfully running a business today is choosing the right software for your purposes. The following contributed post is thus entitled; This Is How To Choose Business Software.

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Getting the right software for your business can change your operations completely. You could be more productive and efficient when you have the best tools for your business. Unfortunately, finding the apps that work for you isn’t as easy as you might like it to be. There are lots of things to consider, from the features that the software offers to how much you’ll be paying. You need to think about what you need new software for, and how it’s going to benefit your business. It can be a long process, but it’s best not to rush it if you want to make the best decision.

Identify Your Needs

Before you can find the right apps for your business, you need to identify your requirements. What do you want the software to help you with? You might have a specific need, like a tool to help with accounting. However, you could have a more open goal, such as improving productivity for your company. It’s best if you can be as specific as possible by identifying the problems that you want to solve. This will help you to search for the best software to meet your needs. You can compare software types and features against your requirements.

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Research Solutions

Once you know what your needs are, you can start researching a few different solutions. You won’t necessarily be looking at specific tools just yet. You just need to see what sort of apps are available to meet your needs. For example, if you need something to make invoices more manageable, you might be looking at accounting tools, document management software or perhaps productivity tools. You can find a few different options that could potentially help you with your issue. Start looking at prices too so that you can get an idea of how much you might need to spend.

Create a Software Budget

Once you’ve started looking at possible options and prices, you should create a budget for how much you want to spend. Many apps are now subscription-based, which can help you to save money compared to more traditional software options. You can find you’ll pay a monthly amount based on features and the number of users who will using the app. While you can find cheaper options, make sure you’re not trying too hard to save money. It’s worth investing a bit more in the apps you choose to make sure you get the features that you need.

Choose Software for Your Industry

It’s a good idea to see if there are any software options that are tailored to your industry. If there are, they’re likely to have plenty of features specific to your needs. Some industries in particular can benefit from this, like the hospitality industry. Using custom hotel software will allow you to manage bookings, maintenance and many other things involved in running a hotel. Ecommerce software can help you to manage your sales and orders, as well as your warehouse or inventory. These apps can help you meet a huge number of needs that your business might have, all in one package.

Find Apps You Can Customize

Even though you can find lots of tools that meet your needs, you can make them even better if you’re able to customize them. Plenty of software solutions can be customized, and it doesn’t have to be too expensive. You can work with someone who will help to develop an app just for you so that it meets all of your needs. It also helps you make sure that you’re not wasting money on features that you don’t need and won’t use.

Look for Apps You Can Integrate

If you already have some useful tools that you don’t want to stop using or you’re looking for some a selection of different tools, make sure you can integrate the new apps that you choose. Integration will allow you to connect all of your favorite apps so they can work together. For example, you might have an inventory management tool that works together with your accounting software. Many software providers have an API that make it easy to connect different tools so you can continue to use existing ones that work for you.

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Speak to Your Team

When you introduce new tools to your business, you need to make sure that the people who will be using them are happy with your choice. You should talk to your employees to get their opinion and find out what their needs are. What are the problems that they most want to be solved? What frustrations do they come up against when using software? You should think about what training might be available too. Are there existing training programs or perhaps even trainers provided by the software service?

Start with a Shortlist

Now that you’re a bit more familiar with your options and what you need, you can start making a shortlist of potential tools to use. Make a note of some of the possibilities that you’re considering and how they could help you, as well as how much they cost. You should have a good idea of what sort of tools you’re looking for, and what problems they’ll be solving. Try to keep your shortlist to a maximum of five options so you don’t have to compare too many.

Evaluate Available Features

With your shortlist at hand, you can start comparing the available features to see which tools are going to meet your needs. In addition to looking at which functions you have, you might want to look at things such as customer service and support, as well as the price. If you choose a SaaS (software as a service) solution, you can get everything that you need in one package, including the help and support you require. Don’t forget to check testimonials and reviews too, so you can see what other people have thought of the tools and service.

There’s lots to consider to get the right software for your business. Choose carefully if you want to use your time and money wisely.

Exploring The Key Issues With “The Cloud”

Two key focuses of my blog is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and Business and Entrepreneurship. Many businesses and organizations are moving towards cloud-based storage systems for increased efficiency of operations, but what are the issues with this new technology? The following contributed post is thus entitled; Exploring The Key Issues With “The Cloud”.

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Over the last few years, a lot of companies have been touting their cloud data services. Offering the chance to have all of your work, emails, and other important information stored on servers across the world, these businesses promise to be able to make it much easier to access and use these important parts of your work. Of course, though, like any new technology, the cloud isn’t all fun and games, and there are some serious issues with some of the services which can be found out there. To help you to see these problems, this post will be exploring some of the most prominent.

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Getting There: Data migrations are a notoriously challenging part of enterprise computing. Moving all of your on-premises information to servers isn’t an easy process, and most people will need the help of a cloud migration solutions company to help them. While this makes it much easier to get information where it needs to go, it will also cost some money, and this is rarely factored into the quotes which will be given out when you are approached by a cloud service.

Downtime: While a lot of work has been done to make sure that the servers hosting your data are able to run all the time, with plenty of redundant power and storage space, along with multiple networks in case one fails, a cloud company can’t control your internet connection. If you find yourself without this for a day or two, you could be left completely unable to do your work. These issues often come by surprise, making it impossible to save the data you’ll need as a precaution.

Security: Along with keeping servers running all the time, most cloud companies invest a small fortune into their cyber security. You will probably be accessing your data wirelessly at some stage, though, and this puts everything at risk. Of course, data breaches have become commonplace in the modern world, too. If this were your business’s information, you could be left to deal with some very unhappy clients or customers as a result.

Training: Finally, as the last area to consider, not a lot of people feel confident to use systems like this. When you have everything online, the process of accessing data can be a lot more complicated than what users are experienced with. This means having to train any employees you have to make sure that they can use the cloud securely and without wasting any time. There are loads of companies out there which can provide this to you, but it is something a lot of businesses would rather not have to pay for.

With all of this in mind, you should have the chance to think a little more deeply about the choice you have to make when it comes from moving from your own servers to the cloud. Of course, it isn’t all bad, the benefits it can provide can be huge, but it might not quite be the right time to make the switch if you’re worried about it.