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The Most Effective Ways to Increase the Security of Your Home Network

If you are like me, then you are always looking for ways to increase the security of your home network. Threats to your network, devices and to your files can come from anywhere online. So it is important to take the necessary steps to ensure your home network is secured.

This post will outline some of the settings that I use to protect my network, devices, and files from both malicious software and users.

Router Security Tips

The first line of defense of my network starts at the access point from the Internet into my network – the router. The router I am using is a Linksys E4200. It is an older router and only supports Wireless-N.

I have flashed DD-WRT onto the router, so I have many more options than with the stock firmware. The DD-WRT firmware allows me to apply more security onto the router and adjust many more settings than the stock firmware allows.

Here are the settings I have configured in my router:

Administrator ID and password changed

I have changed both the administrator and password for the router.

Enabled WPA2 with passphrase

Probably the most important security of wireless. I have configured my wireless network to use WPA2 with a strong passphrase. I always have to look it up when I want to connect a device.

Using OpenDNS

To help manage what sites my network can access, I use OpenDNS as my DNS servers in my router. This allows me to block certain domains that are not appropriate for my kids, which also includes malicious sites.

Configured a guest network

I have setup a guest network for guests to use. The guest network uses WPA2 with a much easier passphrase to remember so I can easily remember it. It is also prevented with firewall rules from communicating with the main network. This network also uses OpenDNS and the firewall rules enforce he use of OpenDNS.

Disable WPS

WPS is a security issue and I don’t use it, so I disable it.

Disabled remote access

I can’t access my router from the Internet. I can only access my router from a computer hard-wired into the router.

Computer Security Tips

Even though I have secured my router, I also need to make sure each computer that is connected to my network is also secured.

For guest computers, I can’t verify what is installed or not installed. This is the reason I have those computers connect to the guest network.

Here is a rundown of what security settings and software I have configured on my home computers.

Never run as an administrator

For seven years I haven’t found real need to run as an administrator. In fact, I can give you many reasons not to run as an administrator. I don’t run as an administrator on any of my computers.

Google’s Chrome as my Web browser

I use Chrome for its sandboxing and extensions features. One of the benefits of Chrome is tat each tab is a separate process so one tab doesn’t crash another tab. Firefox is my secondary choice for a Web browser.

Use uBlock Origin in Web browsers

When it comes to websites, I don’t trust many sites online, especially the JavaScript. uBlock Origin is always running in Chrome so I can choose what sites run JavaScript.

I don’t use Flash

Flash is disabled in my main browser. I find I don’t need to use Flash as much but if I do, I have another browser with Flash enabled that I will use to display Flash content when needed.

Use a software firewall

A hardware firewall can block access into my network, a software firewall can block application from connecting to the Internet. If I do get infected with malware, I don’t want it to connect outside my network, so my software firewall blocks the attempt. The built-in Windows firewall works for me.

Anti-malware software installed

I have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium installed on my main desktop, with scheduled scans each week. On other computers I have the free version and run scans periodically.

Anti-virus software installed

I am not a big believe in anti-virus applications these days as they are basically reactive software. To avoid too many applications from being loaded, I just stay with the anti-virus built into Windows. Anti-virus scans are scheduled on a weekly basis.

Windows and installed software is kept updated

I always try to install the latest updates for both the operating system and installed software. Microsoft releases patches on the second Tuesday of every month. Adobe follows the same schedule, but other applications will provide a notification.

Always keep in mind that all software has security flaws

When it comes to software, I try to remain vigilant. I believe that all operating systems and applications have security flaws.

Data File Security Tips

I also look at security down to my data file-level. This means how can I best protect my files, both from an operating system and restorative perspective.

Here are some tips that I currently have implemented, and you may do the same as well.

Multiple backups

I always keep multiple backups. Two copies of my files are stored locally, and two copies are stored offsite.

Automated backups

I have automated my file backup process. When a file is placed in a folder, it is automatically mirrored onto a second, local hard drive and also uploaded to my online backup cloud.

I don’t have write-access to my data files outside my server

I go to great lengths to protect my data files. Any new files or changes are written to a staging folder, and a service on the server copies the changes to the master folder. The folders that contain the master copies of my data are always mapped with a read-only account.

That is my list of security settings and tips that I have applied within my home. Security involves multiple layers to properly protect your home network and all devices that connect to that network. While you may not implement as many features, it is important to recognize that you must apply some security on your network to protect our computer and data files.

August 15, 2016
How I Stream HD Movies Without Using WiFi

I have mentioned in previous posts that I have setup and configured a Plex media server in my home. This server allows me to stream my collection of movies, T.V. shows, photos and home videos to any electronic device that is connected to my home network.

For mobile devices, I don’t stream the highest quality video file that I have saved on my Plex server. Instead Plex will stream a smaller copy of the video to the mobile devices. The copy is also HD (720p at most) with stereo sound. When viewed on a mobile device, the content looks great.

The issue was streaming the best video quality to either of my two HDTVs. One HDTV is located on the same floor as my WiFi router and uses a Roku 3 to connect to the Plex server. The second HDTV is located two floors down in the basement, and is a Roku TV.

I can stream HD content from the Plex server at the highest quality (1080p with surround sound) without any issues. Unfortunately, streaming the same content to the second HDTV in the basement was not doable because of the weak WiFi signal.

The issue

My issue was determine how to stream HD movies without using WiFi, and without running Ethernet cables.

Many people that stream HD content in their home may run Ethernet cabling between the rooms in their house. For me that isn’t a viable solution.

All the rooms in my house are finished, including the basement, so running cabling through the walls is not an option. With the router and HDTV being at the opposite ends of the house, it is more difficult to run Ethernet cable between the devices.

I needed another solution. Luckily, there was an alternative.

The solution

I have written about powerline technology in the past that allows me to transfer data over the existing powerlines that are in my home. This technology has been around for years, and the network speeds have been increasing over that time.

Previously, I was using Actiontec PWR511K01 500 Mbps adapters, but one has failed after several years, so I stopped using them. They provided decent speeds and worked better than WiFi.

In my case, I now live in a different house then when I first began using powerline adapters. The biggest issue that I saw in my house is that I have aluminium wiring on the main and second floor and copper wiring in the basement.

I took a chance on using the powerline adapters to connect the HDTV in the basement to the router on the second floor. For high-quality HD content, I needed to buy faster adapters than what I previously used. This would ensure I had a fast connection to the HDTV from the router and provide better quality streaming.

Gigabit powerline adapters and streaming 4K content

I bought the Netgear Powerline 1200 and Extra Outlet (PLP1200-100PAS) adapters because of the gigabit ports. Realising that I wasn’t going to reach gigabit speeds with powerline adapters, I still figured they would be faster than WiFi.

After plugging in the adapters, I was glad I bought the extra outlet ones because they are huge. The adapters block the second outlet in the wall, so the extra outlet comes in handy. After connecting one adapter to the router, and the second to the HDTV using Ethernet cables I tested out the connection.

The adapters established a connection in seconds, even when one was connected to aluminium wiring and the second to copper.

I tested out the connection by streaming HD movies from my Plex server to the HDTV in the basement. The content streams full quality from the Plex server, over the powerline adapters, to the HDTV without any stuttering.

Next I wanted to run a more intensive test – streaming 4K content since the HDTV is a 4K television.

Using both Netflix and YouTube, I streamed 4K content to the HDTV without any problems. After playing 4K content for several hours from Netflix, there wasn’t a single pause or stutter when streaming. I didn’t play the 4K YouTube video for as along, but there wasn’t a single stutter during playback.

After the tests were successful, I bought a second set of the Netgear Powerline 1200 adapters. I connected the first HDTV to the router using the powerline one of these adapters. Now I can easily stream HD content to both HDTVs without any issues, even at the same time.

As for the Actiontec adapter (one still works), I connected that to the VOIP phone modem. It connects to the Netgear powerline adapters without any issues, as well.

The conclusion

The powerline adapters allow me to stream HD movies without using WiFi. Even over different wiring, the adapters have worked flawlessly and have allowed me to stream 4K content without any stuttering or buffering.

August 10, 2016
7 Apps that Must be a Part of an Elders Life
Today everyone uses smartphones; it is not limited only to the younger generation. You would be amazed to notice that even older adults have started to realise the usefulness of smartphones! Imagine seeing your grandfather beating you at a game of Fruit Ninja – wouldn’t that be just awesome?

One out of four people of and above the age of 50 uses a smartphone, and with the advent of the latest apps, these mobile devices can prove to be of great help to an elder.

Literally over a million apps are now available on App Store and Google Play combined, and that too on every conceivable idea to make our lives easier in many different ways.

There are apps that help exercise the brain to keep it sharper and agile for longer. Some of these can be great for elders with mental ailments. Listed below, in no particular order, are 7 applications that must be a part of an elder’s life.

1. MedWatcher

The MedWatcher health app is equipped with a simple description of the various medicines prescribed to older adults, their usage, and their side effects.

Elders are often given a number of medicines and now getting detailed information about all of these is easily possible thanks to MedWatcher.

The app also offers you safety alerts on selected vaccines, medicines, and related news. It’s a project of Boston Children’s Hospital and is absolutely free.

2. BrainTest

BrainTest can aid in keeping the brain healthy. All over the world, Dementia and Alzheimer’s patients can be diagnosed using different testing methods. One of these is known as SAGE (The Self-Administered GeroCognitive Exam).

There are four types of SAGE tests, and you can take any one of them to assess your brain health. People sitting at home can also use this app by downloading it and testing their cognitive functions.

3. Pillboxie

Pillboxie is for those older adults who frequently forget to take their medication on time.

This app is the easiest and quickest way to remember your medicine time. here are other apps designed for the same purpose, but are either complicated to use, or just plain boring. Pillboxie is a convenient medication management system that is easy-to-use. All you have to do is drop a pill in a box! It comes for just $0.99.

4. HeartWise Blood Pressure Tracker

HeartWise Blood Pressure Tracker quickly records and tracks changes in your blood pressure, heart rate, and weight.

You don’t really have to stand on a weighing scale and there is no need to buy an expensive Sphygmomanometer.

5. Dragon Dictation

This is one of the smartest apps for older adults as it can assist them with their day-to-day smartphone-related activities.

With Dragon Dictation, your grandpa can send messages, log in to their digital journals and post a status on Facebook or Twitter – all by simple dictation.

Dragon Dictator has a voice-recognition app that translates your spoken words into text and is 5 times faster than a standard keyboard.

So why bother typing at a keyboard. Just speak your mind and let Dragon Dictation do the rest.

6. EyeReader

The EyeReader app allows older adults to read under dim light. It is available on App Store and works in two ways:
1. Your iPhone’s LED light is utilised to provide the light source.
2. The app magnifies every small part into larger images for better reading.
It costs only $1.99 and is now optimised for iOS 9.

7. Words with Friends

Words with Friends is a game app that is very similar to the popular board game Scrabble. Players can challenge their friends and family members, and what’s more, other players could be sitting in the next room or another country. This allows users to play a mentally engaging game while staying social at the same time. You can enjoy a game with your grandparents in any language you wish.

I’ve found this list to be very useful in many ways. If there are other apps that you’ve enjoyed using, please do share them with us in the comments section below.

About the Author

Erica Silva is a Freelance writer by day and sports fan by night. I write about tech education and health related issues (but not at the same time). Live simply, give generously, watch football and love technology. Find me on twitter @ericadsilva1.
August 8, 2016
How I Protect My Files From Malware

I have a lot of important files stored on two external hard drives beside my computer. What makes these files important is that they contain photos and videos of my life since 2002 that can’t be replaced. Since that time my life has changed substantially – marriage and raising a family. Losing the files that captured all moments over the past 14+ years is not an option.

With the rise of malware, more specifically ransomware that encrypts files until a ransom is paid, it has become increasingly more important for me to protect my data files. I already have implement methods of protecting my data – logging in with a standard user account, using OpenDNS and blocking many harmful sites, using browser plugins that block JavaScript until I allow it, as well as having devices outside my home to connect to a segregated guest network.

Even with the precautions I have in place on both my network and computers, there is still a chance that some form of malware can get access to my files. With my kids using the computers more and more these days, the chances of malware infection increases.

I decided to revamp how I backup and protect my data files. In turn, making it more difficult to modify those files, even while on the network. Here are the steps I have taken to protecting my data files.

Step 1: Backing up my files

I have always had a backup process in place but it did require some manual intervention. I wanted to make a more automated backup process. A process that not only included a second local copy, but also an offsite copy of the files.

Several months ago I setup and Plex Media Server using a desktop that I bought off eBay. The desktop is more than powerful enough to stream media from Plex to any device in my home. Since it won’t be streaming movies constantly, I decided to also use the server as my file storage.

Local drive mirroring

My Plex media files are stored on a Western Digital Duo hard drive enclosure. The two hard drives in the enclosure are mirrored using Stablebit DrivePool. I decided to use DrivePool to also mirror my data files from one external hard drive onto another. The drive mirroring provides redundancy in case one drive fails. With DrivePool running, I automatically have two copies of my data locally by simply copying the files to my drive.

On top of that, I also use Stablebit Scanner to scan my data files external hard drives once a month. Stablebit Scanner also monitors the S.M.A.R.T. data on the drives and reports any issues to me through email. This setup allows me to be proactive in resolving any problems, to avoid any chance of losing data.

Offsite backup

The next step is to have my files automatically backup offsite to the cloud. My cloud storage service of choice is Backblaze. I have been using Backblaze for many years without any issues.

Once I copy my files to my DrivePool drive, the Backblaze service automatically finds the changes and then backs up those same files to the cloud. At the moment I have almost 700 GB (241,740 files) backed up with Backblaze. I can access my files from anywhere even from my mobile devices.

So I now have two local copies of my data and an offsite copy of the same files. I also have an external hard drive that I store offsite that I update once a month with any changes.

Of course, all this will be moot if I also didn’t protect my files from malware on my local network and computers.

Step 2: Restricting access to the server and files

One of the best ways you can protect your data files is to prevent users from accessing the server. You can also provide read-only access to the files. This is what I have done with my server and files.

Standard user account but not logged in

The one issue I have is that I am storing my files on a media server that can be access from devices on my network. This can be an issue if a security issue is discovered in the Plex application. Such an issue could allow a miscreant, or malware, to gain access to my files.

I reduce the chances of a malware from using Plex to gain access to my files by simply running Plex under a standard user account. This account can’t access my data files. If something tries to exploit a security hole in Plex, and attempt to access the server using the same account that Plex uses, they would be limited to what they can do.

To add to the user access, I also don’t log into the server, unless I need to manage things on the server. Since everything on the server runs as a service (Backblaze, Stablebit DrivePool, and Stablebit Scanner), I don’t need to log into the server to ensure my data is backed up – it happens as long as Windows is up and running.

Read-only access to my files

When I need to access my data files, I map a drive letter to a share on the server from my desktop. The user I use to map to the server has read-only access and can’t change any data file. This means that if malware exists on my desktop, it can’t modify my data files because they are read-only.

I treat the folders that contain my data files as a master copy. I rarely change the master copy of a file. In fact, when I edit my photos, I use Lightroom, which doesn’t make any changes to my photos. Lightroom simply stores the changes in a database file and then applies the changes internally in Lightroom.

If I do need to make changes to a file, I will copy the file locally and then make the changes. I never make changes to the master file directly.

Of course, this begs the question as to how do I modify or add files to the server if I connect using an account that is read-only? Simple – I use a staging area.

Step 3: Using a staging area

Since I connect to the data files with an account that is read-only, making changes to my files (such as my Lightroom database) is not possible.

The way I get around this is I use a separate folder as my staging area.

What is a staging area?

The staging area is simply a write-able share on the server that is monitored by a service on the server for changes. When files are added to the staging area, the service will move the files to the proper folder within the data folder.

How my staging area works

The files are moved, and not copied because once all the files have been processed by the service, the staging area will be empty. Moving the files helps to prevent malware from making changes to any file after it has been moved. This prevents the staging service from updating malware-changed files from being copied over any master file.

Is this system perfect protection from malware? Nope, but it does reduce any chances of infecting my data files. The entire file moving process from the staging area to the master files area takes seconds. The short time a file is in the staging area may prevent malware from changing the file before being moved. Once the file has been moved, it is now in the read-only share and can’t be changed.

While this may seem like a tedious way of copying my files to the server, it really isn’t. I just need to map the staging area share on my desktop and copy the files. Everything else – the move to the master files folder, the mirroring, and the cloud backup – are done automatically for me.

Bringing it all together

While I have taken steps to protect my data at a network and computer level, I wanted to do more to protect my data files. Using a desktop computer I can easily have my data mirrored locally and backed up offsite automatically.

Restricting access to my data files, I can make it more difficult for any malware within my network to change my files. By using a staging area, I can add and update my data files without removing any of the restrictions.

I will continue to make necessary security changes as the world of security (or insecurity) changes.

Do you have data files that you need to keep safe? If so, how do you keep the files safe?

July 25, 2016
Ways VoIP Can Troubleshoot Lead Generation Issues

Dealing with “VoIP” is like assembling a jigsaw puzzle that can scare the living daylights out of businessmen leading them to land up in a state of confusion. Smooth integration of VOIP technology with business processes is not that easy and often gripped with troubles pertaining to gaining quality VOIP leads.

Understanding this complex piece of technology is one of the hardest parts for businesses. However, constant online evolution has created immense possibilities to gain knowledge on how VOIP deployment can be simplified and multiple channels to access huge pool of business clients, customers.

Well, the main effort lies at filtering VOIP leads that are worth considering i.e. the potential business clients, customers – and the ones which may likely lead to dead ends.

Identifying Potential Customers and Pain Points

Initiating a call with questions that boasts about your company’s products and services may drop-down the chances of gaining a quality lead. Instead, sales representatives must ask prospects questions that helps to judge whether lead would make a good fit and the one which is worth considering.

Live chat solutions can escalate the sales number tremendously and decreases the contact center costs by reducing average interaction expenses. Sales representative capabilities increases as they can simultaneously handle multiple chats.

Integrating live chat feature in website helps to gain a competitive edge over other websites and provides an easy way to connect with customers which in turn leads to double-glazing sales number.

An important finding by E-Marketer strongly supports this fact which says that almost two in 10 live chat respondents did more than 75% of their holiday shopping online as compared with 14% of those who did not chat.

There are loads of options available when it comes to live chat software, so, we must pick the program that provides best interface and allows to easily integrate it into your website. Live chat solutions such as bold chat, Kayako helps businesses to improve conversions and enhance customer experience.

And if you are looking specifically to manage emails, tickets, live chats and offer remote support then Kayako is the ultimate solution to it.

Mobile Solutions For Sales Team

Use of mobile devices, mobile apps is no longer confined to big brand business space. Businesses of all types have started to administer mobility solutions to ensure smooth functioning of its operations.

Mobility has brought significant changes in the way out-of-office personnel or sales representatives handle customers and connects with in-house employees. Implementing mobile solutions is one-stop solution to streamline communication process that usually rotates around juggling with disconnected tools, devices and applications.

Joining the mobile app bandwagon offers businesses a robust platform with not just faster issue resolution capabilities. Studies show that 76% of businesses who make use of mobile devices reported enhanced employee responsiveness and speedy decision-making process.

Continuously evolving mobile technologies have simplified much of the business tasks significantly. Talking specifically about retail sector, Mobile POS apps is one such revolution that facilitates better customer service solutions.

The POS platform easily integrates with sales tracking software, existing inventory, that allows employees to access to up-to-date information on prices, delivery status and prices. One of the best all-in-one POS system, Vend comes with amazing feature to run your business smoothly and lift up the sales number in less time.

The phone system can integrate with your customer database and automatically show where all the caller’s orders are, in real time, giving your both your employees and callers access to real-time information.

Integrating business phone systems and even any mobile device with CRM adds up another layer of simplified communication channel. It helps to get 360 degree view of customers and as potential customer calls up, employees have entire information on screen regarding which company they are associated with, city and timezone of their location.

Integration with customer database automatically tracks the caller’s entire information, in real-time that allows to customize marketing efforts instantly.

Automating the Call Process

Automating the outbound calling processes and monitoring the status of salespeople becomes easy with amazing capabilities of predictive dialer. Predictive dialer not only offers manual dialing option but also, several other modes for auto-dialing are available that increases call rate to 25 calls per hour with autodialing.

It is an all-in-one solution for contact centers that offers efficient lead management and improves call connectivity ratio.

Dial multiple lines and supply callers only the calls that can be answered by live person. This makes cold calling a lot more easier and empowers agents to speed up response times.

Predictive dialing is extremely beneficial for designing robust and comprehensive marketing campaigns which ensures it sure shot success.

Optimize campaign performance, get sleek call scripting, real-time monitoring, call recording, seamless CRM integration and all that you need to create double-glazing sales number.

An efficient outbound call center can be set up with predictive dialer and makes it easier to engage customers in a smarter way to turn it into a profit making center.

Final Takeaway

It’s not just the right questions or boasting about your company can help you make a sale but, beyond this a controlled way to handle sales call flow can make a big difference to improvement in sales number.

With proper technologies in place, businesses can streamline the lead qualification process and filter the sales-ready VoIP leads efficiently without letting sales people struggle much and weed out the less serious prospects.

Author Bio:

Kirti is a Digital Marketer and content writer who contributes to The Real PBX. She is tech-savvy, gadget-freak and has the strong passion for writing about the big technological innovations, cloud computing, business communications and VoIP technology which will shape the future.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kirti_Khanna20

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kirti.khanna.96

Linkedin: https://in.linkedin.com/in/kirti-khanna-38a11ab9

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/108862930139228530678/

July 18, 2016
Smartphones Brought a Massive Shift in Online Entertainment

The internet as we know is has been around for more than three decades. I say “as we know it” since its predecessors have been used for much longer (a similar network was used as early as 1696).

But it was in the last two decades that the global network has become truly “global”, connecting people in ways never seen before. And in the last decade, the internet has become mainly a source of entertainment, thanks to the incredible success of the smartphone.

Playing games on the go was never this easy

Today you either have mobile broadband coverage or some type of WiFi you can connect to. Paired with the strong hardware of the smartphones, you can download any game and play instantly wherever you are. And the number of games available for smartphone play is massive – you can choose from hundreds of thousands today, with more being released each day.

Bringing Vegas to you

Smartphones gave real money online gaming perhaps the biggest boost ever, thanks especially to the broad support of HTML5 they brought with them. Today it’s easier than ever to play any casino game on the go, free or for real, by simply using a mobile browser.

Players can simply navigate to http://www.allslotscasino.com/ using your desktop or mobile browser, register an account, and start playing at one. The All Slots has a massive library of games you can play on your computer, many of them running in a browser window.

If you find yourself really committed to its games, you can even download the free All Slots Casino suite, install it, and play all of its 700+ games. On mobile, you’ll be able to play more than 100 All Slots games quickly, easily – and most importantly in a completely secure environment.

Better than consoles?

Until recently, mobile games were mostly simple – think casual games, puzzles, and their likes. But the latest developments in technology turned smartphones into veritable computing powerhouses that fit into our pockets. Fitted with fast multi-core CPUs and strong GPUs, mobile devices are now on par with some gaming consoles when it comes to performance. And they have the games to prove it.

Apple has showcased its new Metal API at the release of the iPhone 6 with a game called Vainglory. The game, a free-to-play MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) is truly one-of-a-kind, especially since its visuals are clearly on par with anything Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox can offer.

Smartphones have become the gaming device of choice for many players. The growth of the mobile gaming industry has outpaced both that on PCs and consoles. Mobile games are expected to clearly dominate the gaming market by next year, thanks to the continuing popularity of smartphones, and their kind of online entertainment.

July 3, 2016
What to Look for in Server Hosting

Getting your business off the ground successfully is an incredibly difficult feat. You need to make sure that you are providing a quality good or service that people need or want. This, obviously, has to be something that people are willing to pay for.

Then, in this age of the Internet, you have to make sure that your goods and services are superior to your competitors and marketed in such a way that you can stay afloat. It used to be that you only competed with people in your actual physical space.

If you were selling trainers in Derbyshire, you had to compete with everybody else selling trainers in Derbyshire. Now that most businesses are on the Internet, you have to compete with people selling trainers in London, Winnipeg, Beijing, Los Angeles, and the rest of the world.

This has made a quality website more important than ever.

You need a server that is dedicated to your company and a quality host who will make sure that you stay afloat. If your site goes down for an extended period of time, you could lose a lot of customers.

If someone is looking for trainers but your site is down, they’ll just go to a different site that sells trainers. You could lose those customers forever, so it’s very important to have great hosting.

Hardware Upgrades

Dedicated servers are a great way to host a reliable website that serves your needs and the needs of your customers. You also need to make sure that you’re dealing with a company that offers you hardware upgrades.

In the tech world, it’s often said that technology becomes outdated every six months. So, if you sign up with a company that seems to have top of the line servers but doesn’t offer hardware upgrades, your server will be out of date in six months.

If you stick with that server for a few years, you could be eight or nine generations behind your competitors. They’ll have faster, more versatile, more responsive websites that are more reliable and innovative. You need hardware upgrades to stay competitive.

Unlimited Data Transfer

Some server companies charge for the amount of data being transferred. If you’re not transferring a lot of data, then this is probably your best option. Paying for your transfers could save you money on a low traffic site.

However, if you have a high traffic site, or if your business involves transferring large amounts of data, you need unlimited data transfer options. You should look for a company that offers this; even if you don’t plan to buy it, it is good to have the option should your company expand quickly.

24/7 Support

Now that the marketplace is truly global, it never stops. When it is night-time in your area, it’s the middle of the workday elsewhere. The market never sleeps, so you need a tech support that doesn’t either.

A good server can be the difference between a successful business on the Internet and one that closes shop.

June 28, 2016
Collaboration Perks of Video Conferencing for You and Your Remote Teams

Collaboration at the workplace is evolving. One thing that seems to affect its growth in leaps and bounds is video conferencing technology. If you’re still sitting on the fence and wondering how it can improve collaboration efforts among your offsite employees, read on.

Bridge Distances

Video conferencing is fast becoming a popular tool for plenty of small to midsize businesses, says Channel Life.

That’s no surprise, given the advantages it brings to the table. One of the greatest benefits happens to be its ability to connect offsite teams. It used to be hard for companies to manage remote staff.

However, conferencing tools are making it easy for business to track their employees and monitor productivity. It has effectively bridged the gap, allowing teams across the country and the world to toss geographical barriers aside. Now, management teams across the world are finding it easier to reach out to their offsite employees, wherever they are.

Faster Information Sharing

Email, chat, or international calls used to be the territory of offsite teams. Not anymore. With video solutions that have come into play, plenty of teams are finding it easy to share information.

Need to update your team regarding urgent revisions for a project? Easy. Want a general assembly to address company issues and lay employee worries to rest?

Done.

Conferencing technologies have made communication instant.

Face-to-Face Interaction

A unique aspect of video, one that sets it apart from chat, email, or call, is that participants can enjoy some face to face contact. For offsite staff, this can prove invaluable.

Regular face to face meetings can drive employee engagement higher. Low engagement is a productivity killer in the workplace.

By using technology to cross the distance, companies are able to encourage and develop camaraderie and teamwork in offsite employees, leading to greater employee satisfaction and engagement, both of which improve collaboration efforts.

Fewer Misunderstandings

Another great feature of web conferencing systems is HD quality. Companies like Blue Jeans offer HD video conference for IT platforms, allowing for crystal clear images. That brings the experience to an entirely different level.

The fine clarity makes it seem like your team is sitting just right next to you, in the same room. It’s a revolutionary tool, one that really makes a difference in an organization that manages offsite employees.

This also reduces the amount of misunderstandings at work, due perhaps to the inherent limitations set by common communication channels. For instance, someone can come across as curt or rude, when the exact opposite is true, when they send an email that’s less than chatty. Others could be seen as disrespectful or glib when all they are is casual.

There are a lot of context cues lost when you send over a text. Unless you put in emojis to function as a mood barometer, it can get pretty sticky, especially if some of your people take umbrage at an a seemingly intended offense—when there’s none at all.

That doesn’t just damage collaboration efforts among your employees. After all, they’re hardly likely to work together well if they have ill feelings toward each other. It’s going to affect your business as well.

Anything that hurts employee productivity hurts your bottom line.

Efficient Processes

Since exchanges often happen more slowly when done via email or chat, it often delays important decisions, putting your production team behind schedule. This is because you would often have to wait for your contact to reply an hour or two after you’ve sent a message.

That’s where video comes in. You can easily arrange a video meet and run through any adjustments to the process, making the process quick and convenient.

That makes for a shorter production cycle.

With better technologies available, you can improve your processes and target faster production cycles.

Flexible Schedules

Stress affects employee performance in a negative way. If someone on your team is stressed, then that means they aren’t performing at 100 percent capacity. If your employees are collaborating on a project, that stress could result in a drop in quality.

One way to keep employee stress at bay is to figure out and deal with workplace stressors, says In the Black.

One possible source of employee stress is the daily commute and travel. Imagine having to squeeze yourself into sardine city every day just to get to work. Imagine driving through an hour or two of traffic before you even step into the office.

Less than stellar tempers have been known to explode at the sight of unruly pedestrians and jaywalking tourists. It’s enough to drain anyone’s energy.

With online meetings making it possible for employees to work from home, though, your team has less commuting stress to deal with and more time to spend at home, potentially resulting in greater work-life balance.

Conclusion

All these things improve collaboration efforts among your remote teams to a greater or lesser degree.

With the technology still rapidly changing, though, it should be interesting to see what else video conferencing will have in store for businesses in the years ahead.

June 23, 2016