Mac is a high-quality computer that suits a variety of purposes, whether for personal use or corporate use. It proves to be durable and efficient but like with any other technological gadget, there will come a time wherein it needs to be replaced. However, this is not necessarily the case if your mac is merely running slow. There are several reasons why you may be experiencing this issue such as those stated below, as well as how you can address the root cause eventually.

1. Unnecessary Files

There is a great chance for your mac to slow down if your hard drive is already full or reaching its peak capacity. Aside from this, system logs and cache files may affect its performance too. In both cases, your computer needs more time to respond to your command inputs. To be able to address this problem, you can store your files in cloud storage to free up some space in your hard drive. Otherwise, you can also use a cleaning software to keep your hard drive clutter-free automatically. The best mac cleaner software can free up space in your hard drive, eliminating the need for you to transfer unnecessary files into your cloud storage. Rest assured that a mac cleaner software is safe, effective, and easy to use.

2. Browser Extensions

Browser extensions help you make the most out of your surfing experience. The only downside is that these extensions can also cause your mac to slow down. Thereby, make sure that you are using official extensions only because these browser plugins are generally secure and take up less space. In case you find your browser extensions using up space in your random access memory (RAM), you have the option of manually deleting them or using a special cleaning app too.

3. Cluttered Desktop

People often save files or folders in their desktop for easy retrieval, particularly those that they frequently use. However, a cluttered desktop can also cause your mac to run slow because of the number of files that it needs to hold. Hence, make sure to manage your files by dutifully organizing them into their corresponding folders. A nice tip is to use a spectacular desktop background that you will find hard to cover up with thumbnails of your files.

4. Simultaneous Programs Running

Another reason why your mac may be running slow is because of too many simultaneous programs running brought about by a number of tabs open, or those that are being run during startup. In the case of the former, you can try to disable background tabs or frequently check your system updates and close unused tabs while you are working in browsers. In the case of the latter, you may need to remove unnecessary login items by checking on your activity monitor. Quit the processes that are taking too much of your central processing unit (CPU) percentage or force quit, but this may result in lost files, particularly those that are unsaved.

5. Slow Internet Connection

A slow internet connection may also be the root cause of the slow down of your computer. Thus, it is a good habit to check your internet speed in the network utility. Through the link speed under the info tab, you will know the maximum transmission speed of the wireless adapter you are using. You can also send an unlimited number of pings for a program to start scanning your computer and show you the time it takes for your computer to process a single ping.

6. Pending OS Updates

Operating system (OS) updates are necessary to improve the security, performance, and stability of your computer. In case there is a pending OS update for your computer, you need to run it promptly. Otherwise, this can be a reason why your mac is running slow. You can get updates for your Mac OS under the system preferences. Just click on the update now in case there is any update available. To do this automatically in the future, just select so under the same menu and you will be notified in case you need to restart after an update.

7. Battery Replacement Needed

When your battery is already nearing its lifespan, it may need more resources to process commands and continuously maintain operations. This can in turn affect system performance, causing your computer to slow down. The lifespan of an average mac battery depends on its cycle count limit which is about a thousand full charges. You can check the battery cycle count of your computer under the hardware section of the system information.

8. Virus or Malware

Finally, a virus or malware may also affect the speed and performance of your mac. It may actually have more programs than what you have initially installed and these programs may prove to be detrimental. More often than not, these unwanted programs are downloaded by accidentally clicking on a banner ad. Since these programs also use up your system resources, they can also cause your computer to slow down.

Thereby, make sure to avoid visiting unsecured sites or downloading files or programs from unofficial websites. In parallel to this, update your security and privacy settings under the system preferences to disable any applications from being downloaded from unsecured sources. As much as possible, delete caches and extensions which you don’t use and of course, leverage powerful antivirus software.

Final Word

Your mac may be running slow because of unnecessary files in your computer, as well as because of the browser extensions that you use. It can also be attributed to a cluttered desktop or simultaneous programs running in the background. The speed of your internet connection is also a factor that can slow down the operation and response of your mac, as well as pending OS updates that haven’t been installed.

Finally, check whether you already need a battery replacement, or worse, your computer is infiltrated with a virus or malware. Should you find any of these reasons as the cause of the slowdown of your computer, make sure to address it promptly to prevent your problem from getting worse.

When it comes to hosting, you may be tempted to go with the cheapest option. After all, you only need a space to host your website so pending a huge amount of money to be in the same space as others doesn’t sound like a good idea.

Well, it might look like you have made the right decision, but if you are someone who values a functional website and hosting, you should aim high and not settle for a cheap host. A better idea is to try to get a good bargain from reputed hosting companies via deal websites or hosting forums. To help you understand the implication of going with a cheap host, here are five possible consequences to bear in mind:

1. Fewer Resources and Hidden Costs

Cheap hosting many times is packed with many other websites so that the owners can make good money while offering cheap hosting plans. Therefore, you will most likely experience less reliable and slower hosting service. This means your website pages will take longer to respond and load. This has a high chance of resulting in negative visitor experiences leading to poor sales. Your website ranking may also be affected.   

You are also more likely to experience artificial limits and will be asked to pay more if you want to continue to enjoy more space. Most people end up paying for hidden costs they never knew about when initially signing up for cheap hosting.

2. Poor Support

People that offer cheap hosting usually have staff with lower skills and not much experience. If you encounter any challenge with your website and need some support on troubleshooting, you may not be able to get the right support as soon as you’d like. This will definitely affect your website performance. There will be no on-time security audit which is recommended to be performed on your plugins.

3. Security

One thing that users of cheap hosting usually complain about is poor security. When the servers are down (which occurs more often with cheap hosting) this results in no technology firewalls, an absence of ring-fence for the website, and certainly no suitable Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). That means your website extensions and plugins are vulnerable to attacks.

4. No Website Monitoring

With cheap hosting, you will most likely not benefit from website monitoring. You might not even be notified that your website is down unless a visitor notifies you. For a business owner, you certainly don’t want to experience this as it might cost you in sales. You could end up losing money simply because you were trying to save money by choosing cheap hosting.

5. No Backups

Every website needs to have some sort of backup plan in place. Not everyone knows how to manually backup their website and most cheap hosting plans do not offer automatic backup or an easy recovery process. That means that should anything go wrong with your website or it gets hijacked, you may not be able to recover it. If recovery is possible, you may be asked to pay more money for this service.

Now that you know some of the reasons why a cheap hosting plan is a bad idea, here is how to pick the right hosting plan for you. Look out for the following features in any hosting plan you choose to go with:

• Unlimited hosting
• Free domain
• Secure site certification
• Enhanced spam and malware protection
• Easy site builder
• Good technical support
• Scalability for easy customization
• Important Google tools
• Multiple servers for more protection
• Dependability
• Money-back guarantee

Getting all these features mentioned above may save you more money than you would have saved by going with cheap hosting. It is better to have the real deal from the beginning than getting stuck along the way and end up paying too much. The worst part is that you will have to pay for these packages individually when you could have gotten it at a cheaper price had you not put so much emphasis on getting a cheap hosting plan.

Also, getting these features does not necessarily mean that you will have to pay through the nose. There is a lot of competition and, therefore, each hosting company usually has attractive plans that offer users more options at a discounted rate. However, it is important that before you go with any hosting company, take some time and check out reviews about them. You might also want to do a Google Blog search on them as well as on social media.

Finally, your website is like your online shop, you don’t want to rush into a deal and regret it later. Take enough time to check out the hosting plan you are interested in before committing to one.

The number of websites on the internet has doubled in the past five years and now exceeds 1.7 billion. Making your site stand out in this extremely crowded field can be difficult, but spending a little time doing so is worthwhile and can yield great results. Here we will explore some of the ways that you can increase traffic to your site.

Advertising

Advertising is perhaps the most obvious method of getting traffic to your site. If you have money to spare, paid ads (which can be purchased through Google, Facebook, and other sites) can be very effective, as long as you take some time to target them to your chosen demographic (tools such as Google Analytics can really help you with this).

Make sure that these ads are appearing on sites that are relevant to your target audience, otherwise, they are not likely to be effective. An effectively targeted ad can hugely increase traffic to your site.

Use Social Media

If you do not have the budget for a paid advertising strategy, all is not lost – many social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram enable you to create profiles for free. However, you will still need to put in the hours to get the most out of social media. You should post regular content and engage directly with other social media users.

If you are looking for inspiration on how to use social media effectively to promote your site, check out these 5 epic social media campaigns that businesses used to increase traffic.

Another useful thing that social media can do is enable you to check out what your competitors are doing. Take some time to learn what is working for them and what isn’t. You can also use social media to comment on current events and use hashtags that can bring you your profile to the attention of users who would otherwise not have come across it.

Get SEO-Savvy

SEO, or search engine optimization, is essentially the practice of learning how best to use the algorithms of search engines such as Google to put your site higher up the search rankings for specific terms. SEO is an entire science that we can barely scratch the surface of here, but thankfully, there are many tips, guides, and tutorials online that can help you make the most of it!

Write Engaging Headlines

When it comes down to it, you can use all these clever tips and tricks, but it won’t help you a great deal if users just aren’t interested in reading your content. Hooking in potential site visitors often comes down to one thing: a headline.

While SEO is often an important factor in your headlines, it is also very important to make sure that the headline itself sparks the reader’s interest. Checking out websites such as Buzzfeed can provide plenty of inspiration – its headlines are concise, descriptive enough to let you know what the topic is, yet almost always feature something that makes you want to find out more.

There you have it: four easy ways to increase traffic to your site.

Using an employee survey can do a lot more for a business than simply tell you how the workforce is feeling. Although knowing about overall morale can be extremely useful, an employee survey can be a good tool to dive deeper into what is going well and what is going less well at a particular company.

Improve Morale

By gaining a deep understanding of how employees are feeling, companies can use this knowledge to change how they operate in order to increase staff morale. Doing so can be incredibly positive, as a happy, comfortable employee is usually far more productive than an unhappy one. This means that by using a survey to find out key issues and then addressing those issues, employers can substantially increase the quality of their output by simply making the work environment a better place to be.

Increase Retention and Confidence

In addition, high morale also helps create a high retention rate, as employees will be much more inclined to stay with that company for a longer period of time. This makes a business much more attractive to potential talent, meaning that having high morale can help businesses lure top talent to aid in the growth of the business.

Using a survey can also make certain employees feel more confident. Using the emotionally driven employee surveys on inpulse.com will allow workers to open up a dialogue with their superiors, making them feel like they have a voice and that they’re being listened to, encouraging them to be more vocal.

This can benefit a business because it will make that employee more inclined to work collaboratively and offer their own knowledge within a group while working together to solve problems.

Useful Analytics

Surveys can also help companies manage their teams in a smart way. By using powerful people analytics, surveys can pinpoint individual employees and groups who are having the most impact and performing the best. This information can help an employer distribute tasks to the most appropriate person by factoring in their employees’ individual strengths highlighted by the survey. As well as this, once it is known what an employee is particularly weak at, employers can use the results of the survey to provide focused training to help improve their employees’ skill sets.

In addition, this information can also help with making smart hiring decisions, as the company will already know what type of candidate is needed to have the best desired effect in a role.

An employee survey can give businesses context-rich insight into a multitude of areas, such as employee satisfaction, leadership effectiveness, and how people feel about the workplace environment.

Knowing how people feel in these areas will give a brand clear objectives for change, allowing it to identify best practices and require changes. The results of an employee engagement survey will provide critical, actionable data that can be used to introduce changes for organizational growth.

By utilizing employee surveys to their maximum potential, companies can substantially affect their businesses in a positive way, making surveys a key tool for any business.

Amidst the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, almost everyone across the world has switched to online networking. Not only the worlds of business and education but everyone around the globe has gone digital. Everyone is now working, studying or in general, socializing and going about their routines from home. 

In these times, Zoom has emerged as one of the most widely used applications. It has become a means of empowerment for speakers all over the world.

Zoom Conferences as a Pandemic Norm

It appears that everything is “Zooming” everywhere. There has been a meteoric increase when it comes to Zoom usage. The reason other than its immense need is that it offers an easy and user-friendly platform. Not only this, it features the option to record meetings and allows you to schedule meetings and link them to your calendar as well.

Zoom went from a seldom used application, only used in special circumstances to Zoom conferences becoming a pandemic norm and being used by people everywhere.

Preparing the Remote Presenter

With this, Zoom conferences with remote speakers and presenters are on the rise. The presenter, invited to speak, is in a different location and is viewed on the screens of people elsewhere. Although this presents unique challenges on both ends, it is the best-known solution as of today.

On the listener’s side, they require a PC or laptop screen and a good quality speaker, for which you can use these best PC speakers under 100, to ensure good audio quality and maximum presenter-listener interaction.

Using the inbuilt speaker system on your computer is not very effective. The echo cancellation effect in it only works for small rooms and not for vast conference rooms. This interferes with sound quality and potentially threatens the listeners interest in what is being delivered.

On the presenter’s end, they too need to be prepared and set up in an efficient manner. Generally, they require a microphone and speaker mostly in the form of a headset. Laptop microphones, although in use might result in unnecessary suffering of the audio quality, again leading to disinterest amongst the audience.

Keeping the Audience Engaged

We know how difficult it is to keep your audience’s attention in a real-life conference. Imagine how hard it gets in a digital conference where you have no physical interaction with the audience.

On the same note, you can imagine a scenario where students or work place officials have to listen to a remote speaker. People can easily engage with the presenter through their own microphone and listen to them clearly through a proper set-up of speakers attached to the system.

Ensuring audience attention is essential. Remote learning along with online communication has its own norms and ways to engage with the audience, different from the practice we are accustomed to. Quality equipment is required on both ends to aid this process, as good sound quality is vital to ensure listener’s attention.

Zoom Enabled Conference Rooms

Conference rooms fit out for enabling people to listen to a remote presenter or speaker, are a need of the time. They can be equipped with high-quality speakers, so that mass audiences can benefit from it.

They will also continue to benefit once the world goes back to normal, eradicating the need for a speaker to travel long distances. They can deliver speeches, present their work, or take part in a conference, right from where they already are.

This saves both time and the energy required to travel distances, where people can still go about important meetings and conferences from the safety of their homes.

Replaying Recorded Zoom Meetings

An added benefit is Zoom’s recording feature. This is something not offered otherwise. Zoom meetings can be recorded by any presenter. Lectures once delivered or conferences once completed on Zoom can be replayed and listened to later.

For instance, a presenter who needs to deliver the same lecture to numerous batches of students can take advantage of this feature. This eliminates the need for repetition on the speaker’s part.

Final Word

As Zoom conferences are a norm today, ensuring audience interest is paramount in which good sound quality plays a major role amongst other factors. Top quality Zoom conferences are empowering speakers all around the globe today and helping everyone in continuing their dealings in these trying times.

Hiring employees is already a tedious job and now that companies have started to work remotely, it could even become more difficult to hire the right person. However, there are a lot of tools that you can try to simplify the job.

One such thing is to use online forms and making the registration process automated. In this article, we will discuss how you can use online and template forms to simplify the HR process.

Why use a job application form?

You can use an online job application form to safely obtain personal details, curricula, and even digital signatures from applicants.

In case your client or company doesn’t have an online form, you can use one of the many ready-made job application forms available on different websites.

Also be sure to include a virtual signature option, as it adds more credibility to the application.

To gather all necessary job-seeker information, you can use AidaForm’s job application template. This template meets most work screening requirements, but based on this free sample job application, you will build a more specific online form for your open position.

Request skills related to specific employment, access to shifting jobs, requested salary, driver’s license, and everything else that is significant in your case. The template can help you gather a lot of information in a standardized form about future employees.

 How to build the form for hiring?

1. Login or sign up on AidaForm. To add a free sample job application to your account and start configuring and editing the file, press the Use Template icon.

Throughout the form elements section, you will add extra shape areas. You can compile simple details on candidates, such as your contact records, qualifications, and expertise with a free job application form template. Most supervisor administrators, for instance, might require details from former employers of an applicant.

Attach the text box for the applicants to type their name into the company’s name, define job description, and insert their roles, and then add the Date box to enable them to submit job dates in the application template for the free job application.

2. When a job template is available, go to the setup section for the free application template to adjust advanced options. Adjust the name of the free sample job application to suit your job title so that your account does not clash with other online types. Enter a new form name in the Form Name field to rename the form. Make clear for which job this application is for or department.

Type in the email of the recruiters who are expected to be informed of their requests in Set up> Email alerts. Furthermore, use ReplyNotification and Subject Notification options to send a response email confirming receipt of your application to candidates.

3. You can now publish your form after you have completed the modification of the free job application template. To make the form accessible online, go to the publish link. Post the form conveniently anywhere: on the profile, forums, and social media networks. The template may also be exchanged with staff via email.

Advantages and disadvantages of using a template

If you are looking to hire new employees in the immediate future, you should ask to fill out a form for the job application for candidates in addition to approving the resume. A job application template is a simple form that may simplify and speed up the hiring process, but it also has downsides.

Advantages:

1. Data on background checks

An advantage of a form is that it offers you the chance to search the history of prospective candidates before applying. You may request a name, address, telephone number, references, and in certain situations, even a social security number at the top of the template.

You can only conduct screening checks whether the candidate accepts with a signature before inviting him for an interview. Ensure you understand the guidelines on the document you may apply for and about the candidate in your State work legislation.

 2. Selection of format

One benefit of getting a job application is that it allows you to see the candidate in the exact way you like. For example, if you are more concerned with the past job of an applicant than any other information, you can prioritize this at the top of the form and give the details a greater space.

As a way to continue a pre-interview session, you may also pose detailed questions about the job application. You can invite the person to the final interview if the answers are pleasing.

3. Data privacy privileges

Both staff and members have the ability to keep sensitive details private. Even the most benevolent behavior can be viewed as a privacy infringement which may result in expensive litigation for the business.

Do not pull all mobile phone numbers of workers in a single folder, hold out of the inbox while communicating about sensitive matters, and rarely retain transparent medical records about workers.

While it is definitely not prohibited to exchange any of these things, wise managers should not take the option to hold any personal details locked and provide it available for those in need.

Disadvantages

1. Fast Decisions

One of the downsides is that you make fast judgments about applicants based on this form for screening candidates.

Or you can throw away applications that only have one meaningless position without providing an opportunity to clarify the candidate’s experiences. You could skip viable workers if you launch your recruiting procedure dependent on the application itself.

2. More documentation

In some cases, it is inappropriate and way too much time-consuming to check job applicants in addition to the resumes.

So, this is all about how to use a form builder and automate your HR process up to some extent.

Once you shortlist some eligible candidates, you can schedule interviews over video invitation to finalize the whole process.

Launching an app for your business? Here are a few mobile app development tips for your business which will have a long-lasting impact on your customers.

1. Make Use of Conventional Elements:

Building your own quirky elements may look creative, but it will confuse the users as they expect a few elements of the app to look familiar. Engage users with a clean brand logo created using logo creator. Your users need to quickly get a grasp of the app and if it takes them a lot of time to understand the app, then they may quit it completely.

2. Create Platform Specific Designs:

There is a huge difference between an Android app UI/UX Design and an iOS app UI/UX design. As these platforms are completely different hence, you have to create two separate platform-specific apps to maximize the user experience.

3. Maintain Uniformity Throughout:

Their needs to be uniformity across all the app windows by maintaining a few fixed elements like buttons, customized logo, and color palette. This will make it easy for the user to relate each window to another and the flow will be maintained.

4. Make it Interactive:

An interactive app keeps the users engaged as compared to a non-interactive app. As users interact with the app, it creates a connection between them, and it intrigues them to use the app more.

5. Hire the Right UI/UX Designer:

It is not easy to create a good UI/UX app. We are aware that the app store is filled with thousands of app hence to stand out, your app needs to be really user friendly. Outsourcing app development to experts is the best way to go about it. The agency should be up to date with all the latest technologies that can be integrated into the app like voice recognition or the use of artificial intelligence.

Take the example of automated trading apps such as bitcoin evolution that uses AI to analyze the market trends accurately so that your investments can turn into profits. Make sure to hire an agency that can incorporate all these latest trends in the app.

6. Don’t Hinder the Speed of the App:

Do not just focus on the design as the speed is equally important. Many businesses make the mistake of creating an app that is designed really well but is sluggish. Users are impatient and will quit the app if it is not quick. The mobile speed is as essential as the design interface to keep the users engaged.

7. Focus on Limited Elements:

Often, we see apps that have so many elements on the screen at the same time that users get confused and their experience turns bad. If the app is overcrowded, the users cannot focus on the main content. Adding too many elements is a quick way to lose users. Keep the design minimalistic.

8. Understand Your Audience:

Do not create an app based on what you prefer but think from the users’ perspective as they are the ones who will use your app. You can always tweak the app based on user feedback to make their experience using the app better.

The Bottom Line- Keep it Simple:

At last, a good design does not mean the inclusion of lots of complicated elements as the main aim is not for the designer to showcase his or her capabilities but to design an app that the users can easily understand. The best way to go about this is by sticking to a minimalistic and uncomplicated design to increase app conversions.

Social media is emerging in every business. It is always having a huge impact on our business. There is no difference between small business and large business, if you want to stay active in the market, you have to concentrate some of social media trends that will explain in the post.

Social media is common for both small and large business owners. Both should concentrate to develop their community and build reputation to their product, because social media plays big role in organic SEO. The trends that will emerge in the year of 2020 are:

Blogging

Blogging becomes more important one for every business website. Because it drives a greater number of visitors to your website as well as it enables sharing on social media like Facebook and other. In order to get shine on the blogging, you have to give value to your customer in terms of your content as well as visuals. Nowadays, people like to read image and video instead of text-based content post. That’s why Pinterest and Instagram are more popular.

Visual content is king

Content has been the king in over years, but now, as I earlier noted that visual content is leading in the pack in our business. It’s not only for super micro platforms like Instagram to adding visual component to the social media marketing, but also it shows clear preference towards post containing in the Twitter and Facebook, as well. In the year 2013 Facebook post that containing images get an average of 55 percent more “Likes”, 105 percent more “Shares” and 85 percent of more click-through than text-based updates.

Importance of Video marketing

Video marketing is one of the hottest trends in 2019. This video marketing helps to explain your product and services to your clients in effective way. It doesn’t take much more amount to preparing the video to your business. It takes only few hours to create a successful video of your business, but this video has a significant impact for your business in terms of audience and conversion rate of your trading or any other business. Click here for more details.

Social and Search Join Together

Google indexes the content shared from Tweets from Twitter and Facebook status updates, so that small businesses with strong social media presence are help to boost their search engine results. Famous study noted that 7 of 10 most important search engine ranking factors are related to social media, from that FB having the top most position. These social media activities have clearly indicated that it builds back-links to your website so that organic search rankings will be high.

Sponsored ads

Now most of the business moves to the paid ads to engage with customers. The main reason for these things is “recommended reading section” and “other articles you may like” section in the article posting, and now everything becomes sponsored to get noticeable from the competitors.

The importance of UI/UX app designs is not only limited to making the app appear pleasant to the end-user, but there are several other benefits that make it essential. Apart from attracting new users, a well-designed app increases the brand’s return-on-investment (ROI).

Here are a few UI/UX app trends of 2020 you should know about.

1. Voice-based UI:

As voice assistance has become an integral part of our lives and this is how people get everything done nowadays, you just cannot expect to design a futuristic app without integrating this technology into the app. Voice searches have become really popular since 2019 and in 2020 around 50% of searches are voice-based. Users are preferring voice interactions instead of using buttons, and the significance of voice UI is only going to go up in the future.

2. Animation:

If you think your users may engage more if you use images, wait till you see the effect animation has on them. It is more interactive and more engaging. meaningful animations are known to create a positive impact on the user. You can use animated logos, icons, or buttons as this is going to be one of the top app UI/UX trends this year.

3. Foldable Screen:

The hottest smartphone right now is the foldable screen one. The phone may look cool, but it complicates the app design as the app should give a good user experience even when it is viewed in the split-screen mode. You have to consider these new smartphone designs before creating your app.

4. Dark Mode:

Ophthalmologists have stated various advantages of using the dark mode in order to maintain good vision.  Both Apple and Android are focusing on health and preferring dark mode app designs. Design your app by keeping this in mind to let the users have healthy sessions when using the app.

5. Artificial Intelligence:

If you think VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented reality) are limited to gaming, then think again. These are also making their way into e-commerce, beauty apps, housing apps, etc. Similarly, the use of AI has been seen in trading apps such as bitcoin trader where everything is automated, and the market is analyzed by the algorithms of the program. If you are wondering that, is bitcoin trader legit? Well, it is one of the best bitcoin trading apps that makes the best use of Artificial Intelligence for human benefits.

6. Minimalism:

The attention span of users is very less, if you overcrowd the app with many elements then they cannot focus on the key element and eventually lose interest. Secondly, adding too many elements will slow down the app. The best solution is to stick to a minimalistic design where you just add the important elements on the page so that the users know exactly what they should look at and the app loads faster.

7. Variable Fonts:

When we talk about mobile apps, the screen size is smaller which means inserting text in the writing space has certain limitations. Earlier, to allow different font families on the same page, designers had to include multiple files in the app. In 2020, UI/UX designers are using variable fonts where a single font file includes the entire font family, hence different font styles can be used in the app without the need to use a separate file for each.

The Bottom Line:

Investing in better user experience will only be beneficial to the business by increasing conversions, saving finance on long-term app update costs, and ultimately increasing your brand value.

MacOS is reliable, and you can even find articles about how Macbooks do not need any protection. Well, there are no ideal systems, and despite what some users may claim, your computer still needs a way to prevent cybersecurity threats from running rampant.

Read the following methods and create a Macbook maintenance routine that will help you avoid any potential threats and keep the computer in top shape.

Method #1 – Install a Reliable Anti-Malware Tool

A reliable anti-malware tool should be the first thing on the list. There are a lot of options, even if you are looking for a free anti-virus.

If your Macbook starts to behave erratically, like crashing applications, and suddenly drops in performance, you will likely have a malware or virus problem. 

Performing a virus scan for mac should be a regular thing, though, not just when you are experiencing difficulties. Do it at least once every week. Also, keep the anti-virus running in the background all the time. This way, if you encounter any threats, they are detected and deleted immediately.

Method #2 – Clear Browser Caches

More often than not, malware comes from browsing websites. If that happens to you, make sure to clear the browser caches. You do not want any traces left on the computer after you got rid of the malware.

Method #3 – Avoid Shady Websites

Speaking of browsing, you should try to avoid fishy websites because things can get out of hand pretty quickly. If someone sends you a questionable link that you have never seen before, it would be better to ignore the link.

You do not want to end up with annoying banners and add-ons that get installed and significantly slow down the computer. 

Another point to note is that you may stumble upon websites that have an aggressive pop-up ad strategy. Do not click on such ads or banners as they could also lead to questionable landing pages. In fact, you are better off using an ad-blocker as a browser extension.

Method #4 – Use a Virtual Private Network

Virtual private networks have a lot of advantages besides allowing users to access geo-restricted content. 

If you have to use public Wi-Fi, a VPN is more or less a must at this point. You can never be certain whether someone is not trying to get hold of your personal information. Since everyone can connect to public Wi-Fi, it is highly likely that there are some traps set up for more gullible users.

Do not take a risk. Create a secure tunnel between the Macbook and the internet using a virtual private network so that you are not prone to cyber security threats.

Method #5 – Turn on the Firewall

The Firewall is not always switched on by default. As it is another layer of security, you should look to have it enabled all the time.

Go to the System Preferences and select the Security and Privacy tab. Click on the “Firewall” at the top of the window. If you see a green circle next to the word “Firewall,” it means that the feature is enabled. If the circle is red, switch the Firewall on and save the changes so that it is present all the time.

Method #6 – Update the System

A lot of users associate system updates with performance improvements and new features. However, there are a lot of patches, even small ones, that focus entirely on the security of the Macbook.

It is imperative to have your system up to date. Installing the most recent version will further improve the overall safety of the computer.

Method #7 – Secure Personal Data

Even if you take all the necessary measures and precautions, it would still be in your best interest to secure personal data by backing it up using Time Machine or other tools, like clouds.

At the end of the day, nobody can be absolutely guaranteed about the safety of the information on their computer. And there is no shame in having it protected.

Method #8 – Create Strong Passwords

Being smart about your passwords is another method to guard the computer against potential hackers. Of course, there are users who even enable automatic login, but this course of action is not recommended if you are worried about the security of your computer.

Never use the same password for different platforms, especially ones that are important, like your bank. Also, when creating a password, use a generator that will give you a strong option. Avoid random words with a few numbers or symbols at the end of it.

Method #9 – Reinstall the OS

If you feel like the Macbook is not secure, and it needs a new start, reinstall the operating system. While the process itself is complicated and not something that a lot of people want to go through with, it will delete all the junk that has accumulated over the years and remove threats, giving the Macbook a fresh start.

The internet has created new opportunities for all businesses all over the world to reach larger and new markets for their products. It also makes their work easier and more efficient by using a computer and mobile-based tools. Any company that adopts the use of the internet, whether it’s just email or cloud computing, should embrace cybersecurity as part of the plan. Digital information theft is one of the most common forms of fraud today, way ahead of physical theft. Companies have also embraced the use of APIs that help create new revenue streams, streamline internal operations, and form successful partnerships. While at this, the risk of APIs as a source of infiltration gets very high. These API tutorials will guide small business owners on measures they should take to ensure that the APIs they use are secure.

Why Small Businesses are Attacked More than Larger Businesses

Most attacks on small businesses are done to get personal data that can be used in identity or credit card theft. Even though larger businesses have more data that can be stolen, small businesses are at a higher risk of attack since they have less secure networks that are easy to breach. Small businesses also lack the budget, time, and expertise to ensure proper security. Some even lack IT security specialists and employee training making it very easy for them to be attacked.

Improving PC and Phone Security

1. Training all Employees

It is very essential for small businesses to ensure that all employees working in the enterprise are trained on the enterprise’s security policies and network security best practices. Security policies evolve with time due to more complicated attacks making it essential for small businesses to regularly update their employees about new protocols. To be on the safe side, small businesses should also make it mandatory for each employee to sign a security document after being informed of all the policy protocols. This will hold them accountable and make them understand that action will be taken if the security policies are not followed.

2. Mobile Devices’ Policies

Most small businesses lack enough budget and therefore allow their employees to use their own computers, smartphones, or other devices for work purposes. This increases the chances of attack. It is, therefore, essential for businesses that allow this practice to have a well-detailed policy focussing on security precautions. There has been an increase in the popularity of wearables with wireless capability that might leave small businesses exposed when connected to networks at the workplace. All these devices should be included in security policies to minimize the risks of an attack. Employees should also set up automatic security updates for all the devices that they use to access the company’s network. This is because security updates come with critical patches to security holes.

3. Using Firewall

A firewall is used to protect a network from unauthorized access and is often the first line of defense against a cyber attack. Setting up a strong firewall provides a barrier between small businesses and attackers. To make sure that the small businesses are fully protected, they should also set up internal firewalls for additional protection. This is in addition to the standard external firewall. Businesses that have employees working from home should formulate policies that require them to install a firewall on their home network for additional protection.

4. Backing Up Data Regularly

A small business might have strong security settings in place but still get attacked. This does not mean that the security precautions are poor. It means that the businesses should be ready for any eventuality to avoid compromising their business operations. Small businesses should regularly back up all their data, and store them in different locations. This means that in case of an attack, or even a calamity such as a fire, the business will resume normal operations within the shortest time possible. It is also important to regularly check all backed up data to make sure that it works well.

5. Use of Safe Passwords

Most small businesses’ breach of data has originated from stolen, lost, or weak passwords. This is because most employees find it difficult to change their passwords regularly if they are not being forced, or rather asked to do so. Small businesses should ensure that all devices that are used to access the company network are password protected. They should also have password policies that should be enforced to minimize the risks of an attack. 

6. Documentation of Security Policies

Most small businesses operate by word of mouth, making it very easy to forget some security protocols. Also, a business might lose an employee who probably had all the important security protocols. In such a case, the business might lose a lot of information hindering the normal operations of the organization. It is therefore important to make sure that all security policies are documented, but access granted to just a few of the business employees.

Technology evolves every day. With new features comes new security threats. Small businesses should stay on top of technological changes to make sure that they understand what is needed to beat new tricks and threats from cybercriminals.