What is a VPAT and how is it used?

The VPAT 508, or a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, is an important document that explains how information and communication (ICT) products conform to the Revised Section 508 standards for IT accessibility. ICT products include but are not limited to software, hardware, electronic content, and even support documentation. 

It is an important document that allows companies and organizations in the United States to provide a comprehensive analysis of their conformance to accessibility standards set in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. In this short article, we will discuss what a VPAT is, how it’s used, and its importance for compliance to Section 508.

What is a VPAT 508? 

VPATs help federal agency contracting officials and government buyers to access ICT products for accessibility when doing market research and evaluating proposals before purchasing. 

U.S. government solicitations which include ICT will specify accessibility requirements, indicating which provisions are required to ensure the deliverable is accessible. The VPAT is very important because it is a good way to address the accessibility requirements defined in the solicitation. 

Developers or vendors should prepare VPATs for their ICT. This is essential because the VPAT 508 describes how well the ICT product conforms to the accessibility standards of section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

What is Section 508? 

Before we go into how a VPAT is used, we will first discuss what Section 508 is. 

Section 508 is a portion of the Rehabilitation Act, outlining standards to address accessibility to ICT. With that, Section 508 requires access to ICT developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies across the United States. Examples of ICT include computers, telecommunications equipment, multifunction office machines (such as printers, software, websites, information kiosks, transaction machines), and electronic documents. 

These Section 508 Standards ensure access for people with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. 

How is a VPAT 508 used?

The purpose of a VPAT is to help ICT buyers make an informed decision before purchasing a product. These include:

  • Understand a product’s level of accessibility compliance
  • Compare compliance of similar products
  • Choose a product that best meets accessibility standards and the organization’s functional and legal requirements
  • Plan ahead for equally effective access when an accessible ICT product is not available

It is then highly recommended that vendors procure a VPAT for any ICT that is intended to be marketed to the U.S. federal government. There is a VPAT template from the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) website. 

How does one get a VPAT? 

VPATs are prepared through accessing the current VPAT template from the ITI website. Vendors should generate a VPAT for any ICT. They should also make it easy to find each ICT product’s VPAT on their website, such as by linking it on the product description page. This way it will be much easier for interested buyers and clients to assess the product’s accessibility and compliance to the revised Section 508 Standards. Otherwise, the VPAT is only provided once requested from their sales or support contact. 

Keep in mind that VPATs developed before 2017 may be out of date if the product has been updated since then. (Make sure to get the VPAT 2.0 or higher).

The VPAT is highly relevant to anyone who is a provider of ICT or even electronic and information technology (EIT) that can or will be used by federal workers. Since Section 508 mandates that any product or technology used by federal employees must be accessible, it is a good business practice to be Section 508 compliant. Otherwise, providers are losing business opportunities by not being compliant or even by not providing a VPAT that properly outlines the compliance.  

Here is Why You Should Be Upgrading Your Server Memory

An increasing number of businesses are relying on their online services more than ever before. Due to this, you have naturally been considering upgrading certain tech elements of your company. Among them, you may be thinking about leveling up your server memory.

If you are still on the fence about this decision, it is time to put all doubts to an end. Here is a list of all the ways that such an improvement can greatly help your business:

You Enjoy Better Performance

The first thing to appreciate is that server memory is directly linked to performance. This is because a shortage of RAM will hinder the delivery of data from the hard drives to the CPU. In turn, this will cause the CPU to go into sedentary mode, preventing you from utilizing its full potential.

With an upgrade, however, you have more RAM on hand, allowing your server to handle more VMs and to distribute their loads in a more efficient manner. In doing so, you will be able to benefit from faster memory speed and greater bandwidth. Since this means that faster data processing is occurring, your CPU will be able to handle tasks as necessary.

It Accommodates Other Upgrades

Not only are businesses more reliant on technology than ever before, but this tech is also evolving by leaps and bounds on a yearly basis. As a result, you will have probably found yourself needing to upgrade your software, database applications, and various other tech elements. Well, all of these are dependent on your server memory.

Therefore, the only way to ensure that your other upgrades function properly is to boost your server RAM. Taking this measure will prevent issues such as slow load times, systems crashing, etc. Instead, you will be able to enjoy smooth performances across the board from day one. This will also make all of your investments a great deal more worthwhile too.

It Works Well for Future Expansion Plans

If you are like any savvy entrepreneur, then you are already considering how to expand your business. As you can imagine, any kind of expansion requires more support and resources. It is at this point that the true differences of HPE smart memory vs standard memory become more apparent.

While standard memory will work just fine for small, perhaps even medium businesses, the smart memory is what will help you build a fully-fledged company that can cater to a wider target audience. Therefore, if you want to create something great, an upgrade is the way to go. Servers price can range depending on you or your businesses size and needs.

It Reduces the Need for Additional Servers

Most people assume that if they truly want to improve their overall system that additional servers are the way to go. If this is something that you thought as well, you will have naturally hesitated. After all, additional servers certainly aren’t cheap.

Well, if you just work on upgrading server memory, then this isn’t something that you need to worry about. It is a far more cost-effective approach to enhancing your system and will still provide you with benefits that you require.

These are all the reasons that you should be upgrading your server memory as soon as possible. The only thing that is left for you to do is to make an actual change.

How to Choose a Computer Chair

Office chairs and computer chairs have firmly entered our lives. Today, when most of us choose sitting in front of a PC monitor as our main activity, this type of furniture has become of great importance. How to choose the right computer chair or ergonomic chair, so that you can work for a long time, and not get tired?

Key Factors when Choosing an Office Chair

An office chair should be distinguished not only by its comfort and ease of use but also by its reliability, high quality of execution, and practicality. After all, solid office furniture is a sign of the seriousness and profitability of the company, as well as the status of its management. However, chairs and armchairs are chosen not only for offices but also for home offices, as well as for equipping the workplace of students who also spend a lot of time at a computer or desk and want to use high-quality furniture.

Office chairs come in several types. There are different types of furniture for managers, employees, and visitors.

Executive Chairs

When choosing a chair designed for the boss, you should pay attention not only to the functionality of the furniture but also to its comfort and appearance, since such a chair will emphasize the status of the boss. Moreover, the director’s chair should be distinguished by the impeccable quality of execution, so it is worth paying attention to the models made with the use of genuine leather. The upholstery of this chair is usually a classic black or brown shade. The executive chair should be ergonomic, equipped with wheels and armrests, and have mechanisms for adjusting the height and angle of the backrest.

Staff Chairs

Staff chairs have more modest characteristics. The main thing in such furniture is quality, practicality, and convenience. An important condition is the ability to adjust the height of the product so that it can be used by a person of any height. These chairs can be operator and computer-based. The operator’s chairs are comfortable and functional. They have armrests, mechanisms for adjusting the height of the seat and the angle of the backrest. Computer chairs for staff are universal. They are characterized by maximum comfort and mobility. These chairs are not only easy to move around the office, but also rotate around their axis.

Visitor Chairs

Chairs for visitors should be comfortable and of high quality. They should not differ in a complex design, but such chairs should have an attractive appearance.

Home Office Chairs

For home use, a desk chair is usually chosen based on its design characteristics and design, counting primarily on the fact that such furniture, with all its functionality, successfully fits into the interior of the room.

Chair Prices

Currently, the catalogs of furniture stores offer a huge selection of such furniture in different price categories. For many, this means a real problem. What should I pay attention to when choosing a standing desk for a computer? Let’s look at a few key parameters that will help you make the right decision.

Conclusion

I think a good chair is the basis for pleasant comfortable work and the investment in it is worth it. The invested money will return to you, but not in the form of bills, but the form of no back pain and good health. The right good chair will last for years and keep you healthy.

Important Reasons to Hire Ukraine IT Developers For Outsource

If you want to build high-quality software and save money, you can view outsourcing options in Ukraine. When choosing an outsourcing company such as IT outsourcing Kiev, it is clear that you want the best value for money. Many factors affect prices. The most common ones are living standards, hardware and software costs, taxation, and programming experience. On the other hand, good outsourcing developers are priceless. They affect the success of the project, but they are not easy to find. Therefore, it may be a good idea to entrust your project to an overseas software company to get the best results and reduce costs.

Why is outsourcing so popular in Ukraine?

IT outsourcing Kiev provides a wide range of solutions to meet various software development needs. Most developers have many years of experience and have collected many successful projects in their portfolios. With the development of the IT industry, the number of skilled workers is also increasing. Ukrainian outsourcing companies have been working hard to improve the working environment and the services they provide. Compared with other countries benefits in terms of IT network, work ethics, and location. Therefore, it has attracted many overseas companies, such as Grammarly and Google. Ukraine has shown excellent results in software development and is considered the best choice for IT outsourcing Kiev.

Reasons for hiring a Ukrainian software development company:

Quality:

Training is the cornerstone of expert competence. Without higher education, it is difficult to find a job. With a huge amount of educational opportunities, almost half of Ukrainian software developers and programmers have at least a master’s degree. If school-age children perform well in admissions, they can enter the university for free.

Technical Education:

Ukraine is known for its high-quality technical education. For example, the engineering universities in Kiev, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro are excellent and recognized worldwide. Gain student-related knowledge in a constantly changing market. Many developers also have PhDs. Knowledge of mechanical engineering prepares them to solve the most difficult problems.

Cost efficiency:

When choosing a development company, the most important issue is its service cost. The cost of IT outsourcing Kiev is very different from other countries. The living wage there, prices, and wages are not high. Developers can help technology companies increase productivity. Under the same budget, this will bring you better results. The average hourly salary of a Ukrainian software developer is 30 to 50 US dollars per hour, which is about 4 to 6,000 US dollars per month. % Lower than the fees charged by European and American companies to customers. However, Ukrainian companies provide relatively high-quality competitive services.

Time zone:

Different time zones are usually the reason why many people are not sure whether to outsource software development. Differences in time zones between employees can lead to misunderstandings, undesirable issues, delays in the work process. However, Ukraine is only one or two hours ahead of European countries, which makes IT outsourcing Kiev collaboration and communication easier with others.

World-renowned companies created by Ukrainian developers:

Many IT entrepreneurs in Ukraine have created world-renowned IT companies. The profits of these IT companies have brought millions of dollars in revenue to the country’s industry, and millions of people around the world use their services. It is considered reliable and promising. Let’s take look at some of those IT products:  

Grammarly was founded by Alexey Shevchenko and Maxim Lytvyn. The program can check grammar, incorrect structures, and grammatical errors in real-time, find theft, and propose the best solution. The company has two offices in Kiev (Ukraine) and San Francisco.

DepositPhotos is an international photo library that provides services between photo authors and their buyers. It was founded by Dmitro Sergeev. The service provides free photos, vector images, and videos. The company supports customers worldwide in 14 languages. The cost of purchasing credit images starts at $0.75, and the subscription fee starts at $49 per month.

Terrasoft is mainly a manufacturer of CRM and service desk systems created by Katerina. Kostereva and Alexander Popov. Today, Terrasoft has become the leading CRM solution provider in the CIS market. The company has offices in five countries (Ukraine, Latvia, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom) and serves more than 6,000 customers. The software product company is responsible for the implementation of IT consulting and CRM strategies.

What Generation Z knows and why it’s worth hiring students

On the threshold of summer, the question of student employment becomes even more urgent for many employers. On the one hand, an HR manager faces a young and ambitious candidate with excellent prospects, but on the other hand – an inexperienced specialist with unfinished studies and an uncertain professional future.  

Students in the Office: Pros and Cons

Work for students without experience is the best way to get the first professional skills and the opportunity not to depend on parents financially.

Companies, for their part, are wary of hiring newcomers without experience, belonging to Generation Z, because they understand the complexity of adaptation, the need for training, and the possible risks in the matter of a responsible approach to work. This is not the only disadvantage of hiring students:

  • For some students, the study is a priority, and they spend most of their time on it;
  • they cannot be sent on long business trips;
  • The work schedule should be adjusted individually to the person.

Despite these disadvantages, working with students has its pros. If you don’t want to take on a student for a full-time role, you could opt for hiring a freelance student to take your project to the next level, with the possibility of having them join the team full-time in the future.

Reasons Why It Is Worth Providing Work for Students in Their Field of Study:

  • Members of Generation Z are not guided by experience. Experienced employees are always preferred by the employer, but they have a certain professional background: habits and rules, personal requirements for building processes, and working conditions.
  • From a student, you can make an ideal employee, who will penetrate your corporate culture and follow the policy of the company.
  • The student is a generator and a source of new ideas. Z-students who are constantly developing: attending events, watching webinars, and taking training give out more promising thoughts and ideas.
  • There is no need to maintain a Work-Life Balance. Only a small percentage of students start a family while studying, so they are more involved and focused on professional growth. The only they have is study but many of them use write my essay services to save the time for work.
  • Financial benefits for the company. In most cases, a student’s salary = half of a professional’s salary. This can significantly save on salary costs.
  • Productivity and performance. Generation Z, unlike their more experienced colleagues, seeks not only to learn new things but also to apply their knowledge. They are more receptive to IT technologies and master the field faster. Usually, students of technical universities come to work in IT companies even before they graduate, because they show excellent results and have a high level of intelligence.
  • Self-management. Generation Z employees have lower expectations than their colleagues. They are more willing to take on different tasks and are flexible and engaged.
  • Students enliven the workspace and inspire experienced colleagues to work. Having a young and proactive person on the team has a positive impact on the work environment. Students bring new ideas to the workplace, so they inspire themselves and inspire others to be productive.
  • Rapid Adaptation. Z-students learn and adapt quickly in a new environment, and they also show more enthusiasm than experienced colleagues.

2021 Scale Technology to Manage your Warehouse

A guide to scales that will make your warehouse more efficient and profitable

Nothing beats technology that makes your life easier. Well, actually one thing does. Technology that can help improve your business.

When you’re trying to increase your profits, you’re not thinking about spending more money to make this happen. However, a few clever investments in your business can change a lot.

A well-designed technology upgrade can make your business more efficient. It can make the lives of your employees easier, and that in turn, will make them work harder. Without accurate measurements, you may also be losing money you are unaware of.

Scales are one of the areas you should be investing in during 2021 to improve your warehouse.

Let’s look at 5 different types of scale technologies and how they can improve your warehouse in 2021. In this article, we will be looking at shipping, rental, wheel, and counting scales. As well as, looking at some useful scale accessories.

#1 – Shipping Scales

Shipping scales can save you from nasty surprises at the post office.

If you’re a business that ships their products then you need a shipping scale.

We understand that your local post office has their own shipping that you use to measure your packages before you ship out. But how many times have you had the horrible experience of realizing the package is too heavy. Then having to pay out extra shipping costs that eat into your profit margins.

Having a shipping scale in your warehouse can help you adjust the weight of packages before they ship out. Saving you from those terrifying postal fines.

To find out more about high quality shipping scales, check out the range at www.1800scales.com

#2 – Rental Scales

Renting scales is a great way to keep costs down and make more space in your warehouse.

This is not a technology upgrade, rather it is a business mindset upgrade that will save you money.

Many companies don’t need to use their scales every day. In fact, some companies only need to use their scales every few months. For example, when they have a new shipment come in or when they need to do their inventory.

If this sounds like your business then you should consider renting scales, rather than purchasing them. This way you can enjoy the most up to date scales when you need them, without having to fork out for them

#3 – Wheel Scales

Save time with these on the go scales.

How many steps do you think the average worker in your warehouse takes a day? How much time do you think they waste moving things back and forth to the scales? What if we told you that there are now accurate scales that you can wheel around your warehouse?

Wheel scales are designed to measure large items that you don’t want to be moving around your warehouse until they’re ready to be shipped out. Simply wheel your scale over to the correct area and slide the item onto it.

That’s a lot of time saved, and as they say time is money.

#4 – Counting Scales

Counting scales can take care of a lot of the math that needs to be done in your warehouse.

A set scales that works out the averages for you?! It sounds too good to be true, but it isn’t!

Part Counting scales come with an easy to read, digital screen that allows you to divide weights, work out averages, and add up weights. All without leaving the machine, or even picking up a calculator.

These scales remove a lot of the elements of human error – make your numbers more accurate and save your wor      kers time.

#5 – Scale accessories

If you can think of a scale accessory then it probably exists somewhere.

If you have a scale that you have invested too much in to part with, but doesn’t do what you want it to. Then, you might want to look into getting some scale accessories

These accessories can increase the functionality of your current scales, for a much smaller cost than upgrading to a completely new tool.

If you need your scale to measure at 0.0001 gm rather than 0.01 gm, you can pick up a new monitoring unit. This unit can be plugged into the existing scale. You can also purchase accessories that will make your scales taller, bigger, or more accurate.

There are thousands of different scale accessories out there, so get looking.

How Bigcommerce Beats Other eCommerce Platforms

An eCommerce Platform is a software application that enables you to manage your business operations and online sales from one centralized location. 

BigCommerce is one of the leading turnkey eCommerce site platforms known for being feature-rich, scalable, affordable, and easily customizable. Although it’s a relatively newer platform Bigcommerce is quickly becoming one of the top software options in commerce technology for growing brands. Migrate your online store to BigCommerce and Bigcommerce Development Partners can give you a hand.

Your eCommerce should include all of the front-facing features such as managing backend functions like shipping, order management, CMS, inventory management, or customer service. Making sure you have an appropriate integration will save time in the long run.

Before you leap into a purchase of an eCommerce platform for your business, there are some critical things to consider. The first is whether or not the system has all the features that will be necessary in order to grow with your company over time. For instance, if it doesn’t support B2B integrations or lacks a robust B2B payment platform, those may become more important as we change and evolve our needs later on.

It also allows for growth opportunities with third-party integrations so that your store can be tailored specifically to what works best for you needs!

In addition to having an impressive set of features built into their system that are great from both frontend and backend processing perspectives such as ‘built-in payment gateways,’ which includes PayPal Standard Payment Gateway or Stripe Credit Card Processing Integrations; there are also upsell functionalities like multiple product offerings on any given page called cross-selling/upselling (for example: buy now button). 

Conversion Rate Optimization

If your conversion rate isn’t where you want it to be, BigCommerce Developers and Experts can diagnose why and help optimize those pages. With in-depth experience working with the platform, BigCommerce partners have all the tools necessary to take care of any needs for a website built on this market-leading platform. They can analyze links, content, structure…everything that could hinder performance so that visitors get an amazing user experience every time they visit your site!

Store Design

The BigCommerce platform offers a variety of themes and designs to fit your needs. Not only is the customization process simple, but it also saves you time from having to build everything yourself! You can take advantage of our professional services web design team who will customize anything for you that falls outside the realm of what’s available in-store with just one click. They even have mobile-friendly options so customers can find exactly what they’re looking for as soon as possible on their phones or other devices like tablets!

Migrating to Bigcommerce

Migrate your online store to BigCommerce and Bigcommerce Development Partners can give you a hand. They know what it takes to migrate an e-commerce site because hundreds of companies have come to them for help when they need their website moved from one platform into another. Bigcommerce designers will make sure that the new design is up-to-par with its competitors, while their developers can ensure yours has increased visibility on search engines like Google by optimizing SEO features inside your template so customers find you easier than ever before!

While some features are already integrated into BigCommerce, most novices at e-commerce website development agencies find themselves having to reach out to developers with experience in BigCommerce after scouring the internet for weeks through IT forums. Certified partners who have gone through the certification process and offer support on an ongoing basis can help you get your site live as soon as possible while minimizing any issues that may come up. Additionally, integrating a B2B payment platform can streamline transactions for businesses, enhancing the functionality and efficiency of your BigCommerce site.  

3 Tips for Scaling Your Independent Business

As an independent business owner, the very beginning of the road represents a daunting – though, admittedly, exciting – place to be. It is, of course, a tricky route to navigate, and plenty of people will grind to a halt long before they intended to. That said, however, plenty of people will go far beyond that initial horizon and break ground they never imagined themselves breaking.

When you begin to reach that point, and feel as though you have begun to outgrow the original scope of your business, the only option is to invest more of your time and energy into scaling it up to meet with the increasing demands of a rapidly expanding customer base. This is, of course, easier said than done. Even for hardened businesspersons, this period of transition can be tricky to manage – for the relatively new entrepreneur, however, it can seem like a veritable mountain to climb.

There’s no use skirting the issue: any trepidation you may be feeling is not entirely unfounded, and this point of growth will have its trying moments. There are, however, plenty of tools and techniques you can utilize in order to make the process as manageable, fruitful, and rewarding as it ought to be.

Read more below.

1. Utilize Scalable Customer Relationship Management Software

The case remains the same whether your business is at Day 1 or Day 1,000: your customers represent the very lifeblood of your venture, and ensuring that you are doing the very most to attract and retain prospects is integral to your day-to-day operations.

While, in the very beginning, communicating with and attracting new customers via your social media may have been sufficient, a scalable CRM software will prove to be an invaluable tool as you cultivate a more professional and industrious digital presence. Rather than manually collating leads and customers, for instance, you can automate this process and create a manageable workflow that ensures the best results for your business.

From following up on leads and customers to creating invoices, every aspect of maintaining the digital ‘front’ of your business can be streamlined with Customer Relationship Management.

2. Develop a Lasting Relationship with Your Accountant

Unless you’re a devout ‘numbers person’, keeping up with the mounting pressures of bookkeeping and scaling your administrative duties is, to put it mildly, incredibly challenging. And, even if you do dream in digits, the daily To Do list of a business owner is enough to consistently push your business accounting to the bottom of the pile – a fact which can have significant, long-term disadvantages for you and your business.

Accountancy software is incredibly useful, particularly in the early stages, but the mounting complexities inherent to growing businesses often mean that, at times, a ‘human touch’ is highly beneficial.

Keeping your accountant close to hand will take a larger investment, but it will also afford you much more peace of mind and confidence for the future.

3. Don’t Pursue Growth for Growth’s Sake

As your business begins to garner more attention, and you see your monthly sales count rise far beyond its original highpoint, it can be tempting to embrace this change with open arms and commit yourself to a long list of new products or services.

If you are a wedding photographer, for instance, it might be that you sign away more time than you ever have before, and find that every waking hour is suddenly committed to events, editing, creating invoices, and managing new requests and referrals. If you are an artist, you may commit to a much broader portfolio of products, or take on so many commissions that you never get a moment’s break from your craft.

In any instance, it is unsustainable to think that you can commit so many hours to keeping on top of demand. Even if it is something you love doing, a proper work-life balance remains essential.

So, while it is important that the goods or services you offer do get updated over time, this is a process that should be done incrementally – particularly in the early stages before you being to grow a full-time team to help you out.

Final Thoughts

Growing your business is the dream. In all likelihood, this point has been on the horizon since you first set out on the entrepreneurial road – but it is of course normal to feel overwhelmed once the opportunity does arrive. Ensuring that you understand how to manage (and stay on top of) your own development is essential, and taking the time to implement new processes and procedures at every stage cannot be skipped or postponed.

Yes, keeping on top of your customer’s demands should remain at the top of your list of priorities, but the only way to ensure that you will be able to continue doing that indefinitely is to ensure that your business rests on a reliable framework that can grow with you.

Why your Business Should Outsource its IT Services

Starting a business is an important idea. In fact, most people are dreaming of starting their own business. Unfortunately, running it is an entirely new thing. With a lot of processes and management issues, most businesses don’t live to see their 8th birthday. Most of them end up crumbling due to poor management. And that’s exactly where IT outsourcing comes in handy.

With an elaborate IT management system, your business will hardly fail. IT is a relatively complex field that requires expertise. Hiring in-house IT experts can be very costly. Fortunately, you have a cost-effective option in outsourcing. Here are the greatest benefits of outsourcing your IT needs.

Increased Efficiency

IT is a vast field. It requires extensive experience and expertise. And because of these complexities, companies usually opt to hire professionals.  But in most cases, these experts will be overburdened with tasks. Plus, they will be tasked with carrying out general duties. This is not only inefficient but also expensive. Outsourcing removes this burden from your side. There are several IT companies out there. These companies have the required expertise, experience, and resources to take your company’s IT needs to the next level. That’s why you shouldn’t do it alone. Outsourcing these services to a reputable company can greatly improve your company’s efficiency.

Enhanced Security

Your company’s security is of paramount importance. Protecting your company’s information should be your first priority. This is the only way through which you can safeguard the future of your business.

Laptops, desktops, servers, operating systems, applications, and browsers all transmit important data. Thus, they require strict security measures. You really don’t want to lose your data or appear in the headline for a high-profile data breach. So, be sure to exercise caution. Always be vigilant.

Outsourcing IT services to an experienced professional can go a long way in keeping your business safe. It will prevent the occurrence of expensive data breaches, as well as, cyber threats. Working with a dedicated IT expert can be highly beneficial in today’s ever-changing technological environment.

Improved Maintenance

With the help of an expert IT partner, you can always rest assured that your IT infrastructure is well-maintained at all times. As the company’s CEO, you probably don’t have the time to go around checking if all the backup systems are functional. And that’s exactly where IT outsourcing comes in handy.

The IT expert will utilize advanced technologies and implement reliable backup-and-disaster recovery solutions.  Plus, he or she will proactively monitor the overall functionality of your IT infrastructure in order to prevent the occurrence of hazardous business issues.

Cost Savings

As a business owner, your ultimate goal is to get the highest value for your money, right? Well, outsourcing IT services will help you achieve exactly that.

Due to the rising costs of their IT departments, most organizations ask their employees to perform technical duties that are outside of their specialty. And this in turn slows down productivity and prevents business growth.

Outsourcing IT services can help you predict your company’s IT costs on a monthly basis. It will give you the peace of mind you need to focus on other important tasks. Besides, it’ll free up more staff to focus on higher-value projects they’re experts at.

Heightened Productivity

IT outsourcing services can play a significant role in maximizing employee productivity. Partnering with an experienced team of outsourced business professionals can help you increase operational efficiencies and reduce employee turnover. If you want high productivity, think 360ict in London

Increased Business Value

Managing an organization’s IT services requires exceptional skills and tools. By outsourcing IT services, you’ll gain access to a wide array of network management tools. Plus, you’ll get the chance to work with a team of highly qualified IT experts.

A strategic IT partner will keep questioning the senior management to ensure that your company is addressing the most important issues while planning the right investments. And this will streamline your business operations while ensuring that your company is headed in the right direction.

Innovative Technology

IT outsourcing services will ensure that your business is on top of the game. It will give you access to a technology stack that delivers true business value. You’ll get to enjoy the benefits of the stack that has been meticulously chosen to cover the required aspects of Information Management, Cloud Infrastructure, as well as, Secure networks.

IT professionals usually conduct extensive research and testing when developing their technology stacks. And this directly benefits your business as they’ll guide you through the best IT products and services. And this will in turn help you get the best value for your money.

Reliable Communication

In today’s tech-driven world, ICT is the core of every business. As technology advances, more innovative communication solutions are introduced. Most organizations are now relying on technology to carry out their business operations.

Outsourcing IT services can significantly increase your company’s production levels, boost customer satisfaction, and enhance business efficiency. Moreover, communications will happen extremely fast. Communication between staff members and the management will be made easier than ever. ICT is quickly accelerating the rate of expansion in both startup and established businesses. So, don’t be left out. Embrace technology and take your business experience to the next level.

Customer Satisfaction

Mobile phones, laptops, as well as PCs are an integral part of your company’s internal and external communications. And they all fall under the umbrella of ICT. With a proactive customer service department, customers can get prompt answers through emails, as well as, live chat. When this happens, fewer items will be returned for refund and your company’s operations will flow smoothly.

The Bottom-Line

Don’t go about it alone. Remember, IT is a complex field. Plus, hiring experts can be extremely challenging. Luckily, you can outsource your services and focus on the core values of your business. Above are some of the benefits you’ll enjoy by outsourcing your IT services.

This has been sighted as one of the reasons why most businesses fail. Management trickles down to information technology. According to experts, companies that leverage IT hardly fails.

How to Use DevOps as a Solo Software Developer

The term “DevOps” seems to have taken the software development and IT industries by storm. Large organizations like Amazon, Google, Target, and Netflix have already adopted the DevOps framework to encourage collaboration and integration between development teams and their IT operations team counterparts. The truth is that DevOps is getting a lot of attention as organizations of all sizes increasingly adopt it to scale up their operations. But what about its application or adoption in a single-person team?

The fact that you’re working solo doesn’t mean you can’t invest in a DevOps infrastructure. Implementing DevOps practices such as continuous integration, trunk-based development, continuous deployment, and continuous improvement can help you scale efficiently. Plus, you can reliably deliver your application faster while ensuring a positive user experience with features like platform engineering, for more on this click here.

So, if you’re a solo software developer looking to innovate faster, deliver solutions at a more rapid pace, and adapt to changing market demands better, a DevOps model will be beneficial. Here are six ways to use DevOps practices on your solo projects.

Develop a Version Control and Code Flow Strategy

Version control can be defined as the practice or process of managing and tracking all the changes and modifications that have been done to the software code. The importance of a version control system when it comes to recording, organizing, and tracking changes to a set of files can’t be overstated, therefore. Version control systems such as Git, Bitbucket, PerForce, and Beanstalk are useful for DevOps teams as they help to streamline the development process, thereby increasing successful deployments.

It’s, however, not enough to just have a version control system when working as a solo developer. You need to develop a code flow branch strategy so it’s easy to isolate and organize your work. A code flow strategy simplifies your workflow, allowing for continuous integration, efficient testing, and continuous delivery of valuable applications.

Focus on Building Efficient Pipelines

What is a devops pipeline you ask? You already know that the DevOps cultural philosophy was developed to help bridge the gap between the development teams and their IT service and operations team counterparts. And to establish a successful DevOps framework, you have to implement the right DevOps process and pipeline tools.

Continuous delivery (CD) and continuous integration (DC) have been recognized as the foundation for a successful DevOps culture. It’s, therefore, crucial that you focus on building an efficient CI/CD pipeline so you can streamline and automate your build, software integration, and testing process. As a result, you’ll have greater control over the software development process, respond more quickly to shifting market demands, and deliver high-quality applications at a faster pace.

Invest in a More Detailed Workflow Tracking Process

As a solo software developer, it can be challenging to remember all the different tasks you have on your to-do list. If you were working in a large team, your supervisor would have been present to remind you. But this isn’t the case now.

You need to develop a repeatable process and unique culture that will make it easier for you to work solo at scale. Invest in a detailed workflow that allows you to track each task from initiation to completion. When you get your personal productivity in order you not only get more work done but also get to have more fun.

Automate Your Code Review Process

You probably already know that building applications is a complex task. Version control systems have proven to be useful when it comes to recording and tracking changes to software code. However, the more developers are collaborating on the same project, the more modifications are being suggested or made. And to ensure consistency in the quality of the code, you need to consider automating your code review process.

When reviewing code-base, you must look at both the logical and visual aspects of your code. Visual aspects include things like formatting, braces, and indentations while logical aspects include code performance, the correctness of the software code, and how the architecture patterns have been used.

By automating your code review process, you reduce your workload and save a lot of time. Tools like DangerJS and Danger Plugin: Lint Report can help you automate your code review process.

Make Use of the Right DevOps Tools

DevOps practices depend on highly effective and efficient tools that not only automate manual tasks but also streamline the development process.The DevOps workflow comprises various phases, all of which require the right tools. First, to plan for each development task at hand, you need to implement planning tools like Jira. And when you start building the software, it’s important that its performance is monitored to ensure customer satisfaction. You can monitor and log the performance of your applications using tools such as Sumo Logic, Prometheus, Rollbar, Pingdom, and Nagios. Software testing tools that won’t compromise code quality include GitLab CI, Jenkins, and CircleCI.

Top Donation Software Apps that help Nonprofits

If you are running a nonprofit then it is absolutely essential that you are using software in order to manage the donation process. There are many of them out there which can help you to better manage your donors, communicate with them and gain important metrics on where you are going right, and where you are going wrong. Anyone in this industry will have trouble picking the very best donation software, which is why we are going to run down a quick list for you here, as to where you should be looking to spend your time and money.

Without further ado then, here is the best donation software for nonprofits.

A Quick Note

Once you have decided which donation software option you are going to use, you may be worried about how you can get your information from where it is now, into the new software. For this you can easily use MoveData, who make it absolutely simple to perform this task.

Donorbox

Donorbox is one of the world’s most commonly used software packages for this type of thing and they are very much the world leaders right now. This software uses some seriously incredible technology to easily integrate into your current setup. Thanks to the way that this software has been put together, it is easy to use and it helps nonprofits to boost the amount of donations which they receive, using smart metrics.

Qgiv

This software is the best all-rounder on the list and it can help nonprofits to really drive their fundraising campaigns. Donation pages can be customized and there are several options which the nonprofit can use to actually show donors where their money is going. Another great feature which we love here is that it is mobile ready so that donors can send money straight from their mobile device.

NeonCRM

The specialty of this particular piece of software is that they offer cloud-based solutions for easier management of your donor list. We love the focus on marketing which this particular suite gives too. Integration with QuickBooks and MailChimp is super easy with this too, and you won’t need any help or guidance in getting yourself set up and ready to go.

Fundly

If you are currently relying on a lot of crowdfunding tools then this is the best choice for you without a doubt. Fundly has donation pages which are simple to customize and they also have the nice addition of a blog which can help you to stay in touch with your donors. Donation pages on this particular software suite are also mobile-friendly so that you have every option available to get that money in for each fundraising campaign.

The choice as to which software you will use is based around the focus of your particular nonprofit and what exactly you are looking to offer your donors. Each donation software for nonprofits option is a great one and they are all much easier to use than you may imagine.

Why you should pick the proper construction scheduling software

Construction scheduling software is offered by vendors and refers to various programs that professionals utilize to organize, assign, and even forecast tasks on construction projects. These programs have been around for years and can come in many forms. Some of these forms can be free and simple tools to highly and sophisticated multi-user systems. 

They can also vary significantly in the functionalities. For instance, large construction companies may need solutions that include a construction scheduling software element. Because construction scheduling software  provides precise planning and increases the pace of projects, there are usually cost savings and shorter completion times. This article explains how you can pick the proper construction scheduling software. 

Understanding a construction scheduling software

If you decide to work on anything that appears to be a complex construction project, then you can benefit from using a construction scheduling software. Regardless of whether you intend to do a simple construction project or a large one, you can suffer if the project doesn’t go as planned. 

The schedule and cost overruns usually happen in many construction projects. These miscalculations can increase and even lead to lawsuits, disputes, or arbitration. Unfortunately, the cost of settling these disputes can cost your company tons of money.

There are various causes that contribute to the inaccuracies like scope creep, change orders, and weather. The big culprit is perhaps the slow adoption of digital technology. As a result, project planning that happens between the office and the field can be uncoordinated and people use paper to do it. 

You need to know that behind-schedule projects can create problems for the owners of the construction companies. Worse still, ahead of schedule can also sometimes create some problems since the funds set aside for these projects may not be invested in other projects. This is the reason why you need to use construction scheduling software to manage the timing and sequencing of the work. 

Increasing scheduling demands for residential and commercial projects

Building projects are usually categorized as either commercial or residential. In most cases, commercial construction projects are usually larger than residential projects. These projects can also need many code requirements like wheelchair access and some fire safety measures. These commercial projects include government facilities, office buildings, factories, and retail complexes.

When it comes to residential projects, these can include development of multi-family residences, such as apartments, individual homes, and single-family homes. Therefore, builders can construct commercial projects utilizing steel and concrete while residential projects can usually have wood frames. 

Commercial projects have a more complex and sophisticated infrastructure. They may need escalators, elevators, parking, and many more. As such, there is also a high level of redundancy build into their internal systems.

Hence, commercial construction projects need more expensive equipment and specialized construction professionals. Commercial contractors can subcontract the work more than residential contractors do. 

There is also an inter-dependency in construction, so a delay in one task can affect all subsequent tasks. This is why you need to buy a construction scheduling software that can be useful to you as a project manager or scheduler.

Prevent Legal Mistakes with Employee Time-Tracking Apps

The tax season increases IRS scrutiny on your payroll and timesheets to curtail fraud. Mistakes in compiling employee wages and work time can result in serious legal consequences such as tax audits and lawsuits. This post focuses on federal regulations for non-exempt workers as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). You’ll also gain tips on how your business can comply by using time tracking systems. Although states have varying requirements on employee records, the FLSA provides a reasonable starting point.

Practical Time Tracking Tips That Improve Business Compliance

The following ideas will help you reduce the hassle of keeping timesheets and ensure your company payroll is legal:

1. Pick a suitable time tracking system

The FLSA isn’t specific about how businesses record wages paid and hours worked. However, its main requirement is accurate record keeping. Small organizations may prefer physical timesheets, but they’ll require additional effort for calculation and storage. Accuracy is crucial for peace of mind and legal compliance. Online time tracker tools offer comprehensive ways of achieving these objectives.

2. It’s permissible to round off time

You may round hours to the closest 15 minutes. However, the Department of Labor recommends rounding down employee hours as much as you round them up. This precaution ensures compliance with its Wage and Hour Division. Although a meticulous HR manager can perform manual computation, digital tracking apps are more precise.

3. Make timesheet submission easy

State and federal laws require employers to pay employees by the stipulated time on payday, even if they haven’t availed a timesheet. The HR department should estimate compensation for those who don’t submit these details on time. This option can result in payroll complications such as over or underpayment.

Digital time tracking systems allow your business to streamline and simplify operations by making automatic updates. Your workers clock in and out electronically, which means they don’t have to make manual submissions for payroll purposes.

4. Only pay for productive hours

The law doesn’t require a business to offer rest or meal breaks to its workforce. However, most companies provide them, so they must comply with regulations regarding break time compensation. According to federal law, you must pay workers for non-meal breaks of up to 20 minutes. Most states recommend one break every four hours.

If your meal breaks are more than 30 minutes long and your employees are free to utilize their time as they wish, you don’t have to pay them. However, federal regulations might require wage payment and overtime if they work during lunch break for longer than 40 hours per week. It’s advisable to contact your employment lawyers for a clear interpretation of these laws.

You can eliminate the risk of excessive payments for breaks if your employees utilize time tracking software. These systems can also determine whether remuneration is necessary for particular intervals. Another benefit is allowing the HR department to monitor hourly workers to prevent them from doing overtime.

5. Keep detailed employee records

According to FLSA rules, you must maintain payroll, timesheet, and other employee records for up to three years after retirement, resignation, or termination. However, it’s advisable to do so for up to five years as protection against potential lawsuits. These details include the beginning of the workweek, daily pay rate and hours worked, total weekly output, and overtime compensation. Time clock software like TimeCamp can help you with tracking your work hours.

Others are the employee’s address, social security number, wage additions and deductions, a birth date if under 19, sex, and occupation. Absence management software helps employers track the attendance and absence of their employees. Although you can compile this information manually, online time tracking apps are significantly more convenient. They save time and energy by automatically capturing, sorting, and updating this data. They also store it in the cloud, where it’s easily accessible for years.

Time Tracking Mistakes to Avoid

Your timekeeping system will be more efficient if you avoid three vital mistakes. The first is failing to collect enough employee details. Apart from punching in and out, track their breaks and work hours. This coherence not only guarantees overtime pay for workers but also reduces your overtime expenses.

The second mistake is failing to make the most of your time tracking software’s features. Examples are: knowing all employees working in real-time and their location. Some apps also allow you to geofence jobs and receive alerts for crucial issues.

Finally, avoid monitoring timesheets, worker’s compensation, and payroll on different platforms. Your business will realize improved efficiency and productivity by tracking all these variables using one system.

Conclusion

Time tracking apps offer several benefits to your business. In addition to ensuring compliance with tax and labor laws, they help you achieve your overall objectives. You can identify the most productive employees and reward them accordingly for the organization’s long-term benefit. Their automatic features also eliminate payment disputes and other problems that could arise if you depend on manual computation. Please consult your employment lawyers for advice on how state and federal laws affect your professional relationship with employees.

7 Commercial Real Estate Apps that are Transforming the Industry

People who invest in commercial real estate are all about increasing productivity and profits. With technology today, commercial real estate investors have many Android and iPhone apps available to make them more successful. The apps highlighted below can make investors more money and get more done.

And if you want to get more done after that, consider bringing in a skilled property management team to take you out of the day-to-day running of your properties.

LoopNet Commercial Real Estate Search

If you are shopping for a commercial property to enhance your portfolio or seeking tenants, this app is essential for your cell phone.

LoopNet boasts more than 800,000 property listings and special search filter tools. You’ll find it simple to locate a building that meets your requirements and needs.

What other app allows you to see mortgage lender details, property tax history, and tenant information? Also, this app is perfect for listing your property for sale when the time comes.

DealCheck

This app analyzes investment properties for investors. Just enter the information about a real estate transaction, such as financing expenses or purchase price, and you get a detailed financial projection and analysis.

Many investors use DealCheck to review comps and calculate what offers cost.

Visual Lease

Commercial real estate buyers know that managing leases can be tedious, even when things are running smoothly. When they aren’t, leases can be terrible to manage. But this robust app with an elegant interface lets you manage and organize leases.

You can reduce your operating costs and see a tidy snapshot of how each lease affects your profits. Visual Lease is helpful for all team members, from assistant to the CEO.

Yardki CRM Mobile

This is an accounting and property management app for small and medium-sized commercial property investors. It offers many convenient features, including managing property records, sending letters, and posting rents.

Some find the tool isn’t as intuitive as they want, but if you have the time to learn, you can use this app to manage your properties more efficiently. 

Property Capsule

This is a popular leasing app that is more appropriate for retail properties. Unlike other apps, Property Capsule boasts marketing automation tools.

You can upload real estate photography for listings, plans, property details, and documents in one location. When the information is put into the app, it can be used for marketing documents and email blasts.

Commercial Site Inspector

This app is both a mobile application and a web-based commercial project management tool. It lets the investor review, perform, and report on property inspections intuitively and efficiently.

You can upload maps and pictures and send PDF reports to your team and clients. All data on the website is pulled from a CSI database that you can access on your account.

Verdigris Energy

Do you know what the energy costs are for your building? Do you possess strategies to lower your costs for each property?

Verdigris Energy uses intelligent sensors to help investors track how much energy their buildings use. You also get real-time data that can be used to pinpoint waste that could be affecting profits.

The best thing is forecasting tools allow you to plan your needs and strategies to prepare for the more expensive summer and winter periods.

These commercial investor apps let you manage your time and money more efficiently with each property so that you can make more money and get more done. Whenever you want to use technology to enhance your business, these apps can help you do the job.

How to Choose Competent IT Recruitment Services for Your Business

The IT department for any company and industry is an important part of it. These services increase efficiency in business and help an enterprise go with the flow and keep up with technology trends. For this reason, it’s highly important to have a skilled team and professionals that are competent enough to provide your firm all that it needs to have a strong tech front in the competitive world. This why IT recruitment agencies exist.

The work of these agencies is to assess and provide a top-notch workforce to help out any company that needs talent fast. A lot of your time is saved with the help of such an agency, and you are able to focus on the implementation of the process with your swiftly put-together IT team to start getting tech authorized. 

However, you have to be careful in choosing an IT recruitment agency that can be up to par for your needs. Here are some things to implement in your search for the best recruits in your IT team by the following tips:

Get Recommendations

The best way to reach out to the most reliable and dependable IT recruitment services is through recommendations. You can ask your friends or business partners to recommend these to you before you start doing your own research. This way, you won’t have to be doubtful and understand the working of an agency from personal experience. If there aren’t any recommendations, you can check out online reviews on different agencies that are also dependable. 

Dig Deep

Once you select a few agencies to choose from, ensure to dig deeper into their work and history on completing recruitment assignments. Conduct a thorough background check on all the agencies that feel authentic to you and know from their past clients about their working style. This digging can give you valuable information you may not be able to achieve through reviews and ratings alone. 

Propose an Interview

Always ask the right questions you would ask an employee before hiring them to a recruitment hiring manager. It’s important that you understand the terms they provide and find out the hidden information. Understand the recruitment process thoroughly and ask about your involvement in the procedure, if any. Ask about the company’s standards for hiring and supplying a workforce in the IT field that can help lead your firm better. Like this, create a list of important questions to ask and make sure to get all your answers before agreeing to anything and signing up the contract. 

Know Your Needs

When choosing the right IT recruitment agency for your business, you need to understand and write down your needs. This list of needs can help the recruiting firm out tons in supplying you with an efficient workforce. For this reason, choose the IT expertise and positions you’re looking to hire in the company. Come up with the number of employees you need to hire and their employment terms. If you’re looking to hire long-term reliable staff members for your team, explain these requirements to the agency explicitly. Check out the specialty of the firm and its footing in the IT industry before hiring. 

Negotiate Costs

Recruitment agencies are reliable in the essence that they make the recruitment tasks easier for you. They save costs and time spent in interviewing, training, and testing employees. But are they affordable? Different IT recruiters offer varied charges for their services which can depend on the number of facilities you procure. 

However, even if you hire an employee or two, some agencies ought to rip you off for it when there can be found the same expertise of skills in another agency. For this reason, look at the talent before the price tag. Don’t worry about an IT recruiter offering low prices if the talent is worthwhile. It’s best to stick to your budget as well to keep the process as cost-efficient as possible. 

4 Reasons To Understand Your Software Supply Chain

Back in the days, software was supplied to customers in CD-ROMs and floppy disks. One had to get hold of either of these storage devices from the manufacturer and then install the software on their personal computers. But times have changed! Today, all you need is a good internet connection, and you’re good to go. Even the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) applications can now be downloaded from a server, installed, and activated using a unique key.

Because of this connection between the manufacturer and the user, the software can be updated continuously. This creates what the industry has dubbed as a software supply chain. Since the product being delivered is the program free to download, and the good is the code, which is used to activate the product, the supply process should be comparatively easy. The fact that there are no warehouses involved or even transportation headaches make many people think that the whole process is a walk in the park, but it’s not!

A software supply chain can be very complicated, especially for beginners. As such, you need to find ways to learn the ins and outs of your software supply security and every other-related aspect. Still not convinced? Continue reading to learn some more reasons why this knowledge is significant for developing both your business and as an individual.

1. There is More Than Meets the Eye

One reason why you’ll need to learn and understand your software supply chain is that it involves more than what you just see from the outside. Apart from its unique set of tools, procedures, and workforce, many activities still need to be managed. The fact is that most of these things are easily forgotten by business owners, perhaps because only experts can trace them.

However, it’s pretty essential to have an understanding of what’s going on beyond the obvious. Having insights into the details gives you an upper hand in your business’s management process. You’ll be able to make decisions knowing the consequences rather than just relying on what your employees suggest. Therefore, if you haven’t done it yet, make sure you sit down with one of the employed experts and let them take you through the whole of your software supply chain.

2. Individual Decisions Have a Wide Impact

What’s open-source software (OSS)? This is an application that a developer chooses to distribute with “read and write” codes. That means anyone who has access to this software can modify it to meet specific needs. Most applications usually have one or more open-source components.

Some of the rules set by the OSS community are that such applications must be freely available, include a modifiable source code, and have no restrictions for redistribution. How does the developer benefit? Most people opt to distribute their software in such a format to allow for quicker repairs and the development of high-quality applications.

Of course, it may seem straightforward, but the issue of OSS is sometimes complicated. Remember the source code you distribute may contain some crucial information. Therefore, a decision by a programmer or a group of developers can easily pose considerable risks to your business. The courts understand that a breach of the OSS license may lead to IP infringement, but it’s not clear whether it can be categorized as a breach of contract.

There are many cases where a company has faced software-related risks after distributing its source codes. Learning about your software supply chain will help you understand your specific scenario and handle any legal issues that may arise in the future. It’s worth noting that every OSS component should have a license attached to make things easier in case you find yourself in a legal fight.

3. Free but Chargeable

Free but chargeable; quite confusing, right? Well, that’s one more reason why you should get hold of an expert and learn the ins and outs of your software supply chain. A company may provide a set of source codes that you can edit and modify to fit your needs. However, the original developer may attach financial restrictions to go with their software applications.

For one, they may decide that the OSS is only free if not commercialized, and if one decides to sell, then they must adhere to the provided rules. For example, if you’re planning to redistribute such software, you might be compelled to send a percentage of your sales to the source code owner. This is a common occurrence among companies that have already rolled out another version of this software as a commercial product.

4. You’ll Have an Idea of Related Implications

As already seen, different developers have the opportunity to incorporate their ideas into your source code. But as the owner, you ought to understand all the implications of such actions. You can only have an idea in this area if you’ve studied and understood your software supply chain.

 Some of the things you need to focus on are the third-party tools used by the developers and how they’ll affect the customers. Will such actions affect the company in the future?

Once you’ve assessed the obligations and risks, it’s also recommended that you carefully go through the open-source licenses and their implications. Who will be responsible for the risks posed or any breach of license? For instance, take the KODI media player; it’s legal open-source software, but the addons you install on it can compromise its legality and safety.

Conclusion

The software supply chain is thought to be a simple and straightforward system, but it involves many economic and legal regulations. Whether you’re a developer of open-source or commercial software, you ought to adhere to the respective laws of the industry. Understanding your software supply chain will help you decide on the best actions to take at any given time. It gives you an idea of how the consumers should use your software, especially if it’s an OSS. Remember, the distribution of your source code can make or break your business; so, be sure to revise all the relevant open-source licenses before embarking on the distribution process.