4 Reasons to Maintain a Local Backup of Your Cloud Storage Account

Posted on by Alex Sanders
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Did you get a cloud storage account to preserve important files, or make them readily accessible to share with others? Most people use cloud storage services for their personal files and for business. If you’re not using this service yet, you’re missing out.

Cloud storage is one of the most convenient tech services of all time. You get a secure space to store your files for a monthly or yearly fee, and you don’t have to maintain any hardware or software. However, you do need to make your own backups.

Even when your account includes automatic backup services, the right circumstances (like a major natural disaster) could compromise those backups.

Thankfully, some service providers make it easy to create your own backups. For instance, when you use Box for cloud storage, it’s a breeze to back up your files right from your computer’s finder window.

Whether you’ve been using cloud storage for a while, or you’re just getting started, there are several good reasons to maintain your own local backup of your account.

1. Natural disasters can wipe out professional backups

Nature doesn’t discriminate. If your cloud provider hosts their own backups – no matter how reliable your provider may be – nature won’t skip those backups during a storm, flood, fire, or tornado.

The chance of your cloud file backups getting wiped out by a natural disaster might be slim, but it does happen. If your backups get wiped out, and you don’t have your own backup, you’ll lose everything.

2. You don’t need to rely on the internet to access your files

Imagine the only backup of your files existing on a cloud server that you access through the internet. What would you do if the internet went down, or you had some kind of technical problem right when you needed to access your cloud-hosted files?

Having a physical backup makes it possible for you to grab any file you need at any time. You won’t be stuck waiting for the internet to come back on just to get someone’s phone number, retrieve a family photo, or review the terms of a business contract.

3. Your smartphone might get stolen

What does a stolen smartphone have to do with keeping a local backup of your files? Everything.

Most people access their cloud storage accounts through their smartphones. When you do this, your login credentials are usually stored on your phone so you don’t need to enter your password more than once. If your smartphone gets stolen, and the thief is able to access your apps, they might get to your files and delete them just to be mean.

You can’t predict how a phone thief will act. If they just want to resell your phone for some quick cash, they might not care about your apps and files. If they’re more organized, they might go through every piece of information they can find to get personal information to use for identity theft.

According to data published by Norton, 113 phones are stolen or lost every minute. Not having a local backup of your files could mean losing your files forever if your phone gets stolen. Considering how easy it is to create a local backup, it’s not worth the risk.

4. Hackers are a real threat

Reliable cloud storage companies operate on the shared responsibility model. In fact, there’s no other way to operate. Security is 50/50 – consumers are responsible for more than they think.

The most secure cloud storage account isn’t secure unless you do your research and make it secure with proper settings and security policies for accessing and sharing your data. If you don’t take the right precautions, one mistake can grant a hacker access to all of your files. If a hacker launches a ransomware attack against your cloud files, you’ll need a local backup to avoid paying a ransom that might not even be honored.

What makes a cloud account secure? Strict policies and caution. For instance, you never want to give a contractor long-term access to your files. They should be given a link that expires in a set period of time, and should only be linked to the files they need to access – not your top-level directory.

You can never have too many backups

If you’re going to create local backups, don’t automatically overwrite your files with each new backup. Create new backups in a separate folder each time.

Try to keep at least 5 backups spread across at least two external hard drives, just in case something goes wrong. There’s no such thing as too many backups.

6 Benefits of Gaming for Your Productivity

Posted on by Anna Yurovskikh
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There are different ways of creating a productive atmosphere at work. Computer games may come as a surprise due to old prejudices about their destructive nature. Adults with this hobby are usually stigmatized as lazy, depressive, and childish people. But all these stereotypes don’t seem to be the truth in reality. Apparently, it’s not about wasting time anymore, but increasing productivity. In fact, allowing employees to get distracted from time to time shows incredible efficiency.

Gaming benefits are underestimated. They make us creative, relaxed, and less violent. Games for employees can have a significant impact on their productivity.

1. Boost Outside-The-Box Thinking

A monotonous routine kills the ability to come with creative ideas. Be it an office or a school class, repeating the same task suppresses talents. And simply bores. To freshen up, try computer games. It’s true, entertainment is their primary goal. But this goes along with a bunch of skills to perfect. Such as decision-making, non-conventional thinking, competitiveness, etc.

The gaming environment adjusts the right mindset. It includes self-confidence, leadership skills, and the ability to focus. According to statistics, 79% of gamers are sure that virtual reality stimulates their mental activities. With this in mind, short distractions will provide employers with a flow of good solutions.

A mind-reloading and challenging task in Kill the Buddy is a nice example. Aimed to train your logical thinking, it offers you a puzzle to solve. Overcome obstacles and use a catapult to kill the main character. With a piano. Sounds crazy? That’s the whole point!

2. Create a Strong Community at Work

As a rule, employees don’t have time to form strong bonds in the office. Everyone has their own duties and no desire to deal with someone else’s issues. After all, they’re complete strangers to each other.

However, multiplayer matches may unite people and foster teamwork. Give a group of people an enemy and they turn into a team. It develops a habit to watch each other’s back and synchronize in doing tasks. As a result, workers engage in proactive discussions more often and share challenges. A department vs department is a nice idea to get such a result.  It’s a chance to build these vital connections and develop supportive behavior.

Shell Shockers can help with bonding. Although you shoot each other and cause death, it doesn’t seem violent. It’s a multiplayer FPS where everyone takes on the role of an egg. Make it private by creating your own gaming room. Choose the Team vs Team mode and invite colleagues to join. It’s a tool to get to know each other better. Thus launching a brainstorm of ideas of how to solve them together.

On the other hand, creating competition between employees may influence a challenge at work. If your task is to make them grow over each other. And show the best results. Just pick the game right.

Such activities make social interactions at the workplace stronger. Gaming benefits organizations as a whole. HR managers should really consider that.

3. Increase Job Satisfaction

Another 8 hours of hard and not particularly exciting tasks. Do you know the feeling? It can cause depression and influence your health. But what if you could prevent it? When adults play, it usually happens at home where it’s safe and comfortable. While work is associated with constant pressure and stress.

Build a bridge between the atmosphere of home and not-so-pleasant office. Allow mixing routine tasks with fun. It increases job satisfaction, results in fewer sick leaves, and a better mood.

What exactly makes people happier? It’s down to our nature and anatomy. When we play, our body releases spirits-lifting hormones, such as endorphins or serotonin. They fight depression and form positive emotions.

A couple of rounds in Rush Race are sure to shake you up. It’s about speed, maneuvering, and earning in-game coins for upgrades. Epic car crashes and traffic violations won’t get you bored. They guarantee satisfaction from the process. Which will influence your work mood in general.

4. Mitigate Stress

We spend most of our time doing our job. No wonder that it gets on our nerves eventually and causes depression. Stats show that 46% of employees blame workload. If previously it was taken as something normal, today managers are looking for ways out.

Gaming makes people feel at ease. It lowers the heart rate and blood pressure and serves as an effective stress response. And what seemed too much to deal with turns into a manageable task. Games shake off any symptoms of exhaustion or burnout and improve productivity. 78% of players are sure that virtual adventures cause relaxation and reduce stress.

Pop It Master is a meditating digital alternative to the popular toy. Clicking on the cells and listening to the sound, you relax. And let the stress go away. Several levels and different types of PopIt molds will be a rescue in stressful situations.

5. Develop Attention Span

Have you ever experienced a dramatic decrease in productivity after hours of work? This ability to stay focused longer is like a muscle. It can be trained through gaming.

Just pick any adventure that requires your attention. For example, one of the most played legends is Classic Snake. Eat dots on a pixelated field. Beat your previous results. Find a way to occupy the whole space to end the session. It’s hard because as you grow longer, you risk bumping into your own body. Play it at least once a day to feel the significant shift of concentration skills. It’ll help you at work, school and everyday life.

6. Reset Your Mind

A particularly difficult task can make us focus on it for hours. With no results. Our mind becomes stifled. It does not produce new ideas and has no inspiration to circulating around. One of the best ways out is to break this cycle of non-productive work. Just get distracted.

The Pomodoro Technique suggests dividing the day into working and resting periods. And we’re not talking just about lunchtime. It’s about frequent breaks to switch off from the current tasks. A video game is one of such distractions that can serve you well. Coming back to tasks, you’ll see new perspectives to tackle problems and be more productive. Read about the real-life experience of how workers started to perform better with this approach.

To practice the technique, you need a virtual adventure with short rounds and interesting content. Check out Filled 3 Glass Portals. It’s a puzzle and a great exercise for your mind. Fill a glass with small colorful balls using a system of portals. Avoid overfulfilling it or losing balls. Based on precision and logic, the title offers 30 levels with growing difficulty.

Gaming and productivity are interconnected. Don’t give up gaming if you like it. And if you can do it at the office is a good sign. You work in a good team. The one that has a progressive approach to workspace organization and overall staff wellness.

And if you are a top manager or HR, you should really give it a try and see the results. Games help relax, open new doors for creativity and benefit the company. It’s a useful tool in any organization or educational institution.

Take Precautions While Traveling to Canada During COVID-19 Spread

Posted on by Michelle Thomas
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Are you planning to travel to Canada for vacation, travel to relatives, or visit friends? Whatever the reason may be, you need to prepare ahead and take precautions amid the COVID-19 spread.

Traveling to other countries worldwide is a bit more tedious, but you’ll have smooth and safe travels with knowledge and preparation. Here are helpful tips to follow as you head to Canada for your next travel destination.

1. Learn the Travel Restrictions

Before you even make any travel plans and book your flight, be aware of whether or not you’re permitted to head to Canada.

Here are Canada’s travel restrictions:

  • US citizens and permanent residents can travel without non-discretionary purposes, provided they show proof they are fully vaccinated. Those who aren’t vaccinated must travel for a non-discretionary purpose.
  • Foreign nationals don’t have to travel for non-discretionary purposes if they show proof they’re fully vaccinated. Those who aren’t fully vaccinated must meet an exemption or travel for non-discretionary purposes.
  • International flights can land in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, Quebec, Halifax, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Ottawa.
  • Immediate family members of Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or those registered under the Indian Act don’t need to travel for non-optional purposes if they stay for over 15 days.
  • Unvaccinated foreign nationals who are extended family members of a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person registered under the Indian Act are exempt from travel restrictions. They can travel to Canada, provided they have the required documentation.
  • The standard travel document requirements for flying and entering Canada still apply.
  • You’ll need to have the ArriveCAN app or visit the website to submit your contact and travel information, your quarantine plan (if needed), and a COVIT-19 symptom self-assessment.
  • You will need to go through a health screening by border officers upon arrival in Canada.

If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or show symptoms of it, do NOT travel. Quarantine yourself first and get yourself tested. Once you have gone through the 14-day quarantine and test negative, that is the time it’s safe to travel.

2. Get Tested and Quarantine

Understandably, no one wants to spend most of their vacation in quarantine. While the quarantine requirements have eased in Canada, you should isolate yourself at least 3-5 days after landing in your destination, monitoring for symptoms. And if possible, do have yourself tested before and after traveling to ensure you are not a carrier of the virus, even if you are vaccinated.

For those who are unvaccinated, you must self-quarantine after traveling for seven days if you have a negative test result or ten days without a test. You also need to get tested 1-3 days before you travel.

3. Follow Safety Protocol Wherever You Go

Regardless of where you go, you must follow Canada’s safety protocols.

This means wearing a mask at all times and practicing social distancing. Make sure that your nose and mouth are covered when wearing the front to prevent spreading any viruses. The only time you can remove your mask is when you’re eating or at home. You can get reliable masks here.

Furthermore, you must stay at least 6.5 feet apart from others when outside. Avoid entering places with large crowds or attending events with large gatherings. Even if Canada is slowly easing their restrictions, it’s best to stay safe for now and travel to areas with more open spaces.

4. What to Expect in Canada

When you’re traveling to Canada, you can head to amazing sights and enjoy safely! You can go to the Rockies for skiing and snowboarding, bear-watching in Ontario, or head to Vancouver, Quebec, Montreal, or Toronto for their food and culture.

Research on the city and province you plan to visit, as each province has varying mask mandates. Furthermore, some provinces have relaxed their rules in traveling, indoor dining, and social gatherings, while others remain strict. For instance, Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island, has the most stringent COVID-19 prevention measures, and you will need to apply for a pass before you can visit.

Wrapping It Up

No matter where you plan on traveling to, you have to follow protocol and be aware of your surroundings. This will prevent catching and spreading the virus as you go to Canada. Happy and safe travels!

Effective Industry Use Cases for Two-Way Radios

Posted on by John Guevara
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In every industry, communication is the key to building a successful business. Effective communication between managers and operational employees without any gap or loss of information is critical.

A simpler route for intra-business communication

Dedicated work phones have problems with mobility and require elaborate connection systems. On the other end, mobile phones though portable, need delicate handling and have limited functioning in areas of no service and basements.

Most industrial set-ups such as manufacturing units, factory floors, etc. are loud, chaotic, and located on the outskirts. Retail business establishments though located in town centers are also crowded and tend to have underground floors. Two-way radios are, therefore, the perfect solution aided with the latest technology.

Two-way radio has business benefits

Two-way radios, like the ones from Ace Comms are built with all industries in mind with features that provide a simple, one-step solution, making communication easier and cheaper.

  • They provide reliable and consistent reception.
  • They are sturdy and durable.
  • They are a cost-effective investment with a long life.
  • A distraction-free channel of communication in the smartphone-addicted era.
  • They are safe from external attacks such as hacking and pose significantly less risk of information leak.

Thus, two-way radios can streamline the usually complex functions and processes of any workplace with their straightforward communication method. It can greatly enhance work productivity and make any workload much more efficient.

Two-way radio has effective industry use

Depending on the industry, implementing two-way radios bring a multitude of benefits such as the following:

Better coverage

Two-way radios have the potential of higher penetration in large work areas that are spread through acres of vertical height. Therefore, multi-story venues such as the hospitality industry, high-rise buildings, and hotels or spread-out resorts in the wilderness areas can coordinate much more effectively. Similarly, large factories, manufacturing units, construction sites can also benefit from their use.

Clarity

They are equipped for noisy, challenging environments apt for professionals in the security business operating in crowded venues related to event planning such as concerts, fairs, parades, sports. Providing security and surveillance services without the use of two-way radios is almost unthinkable.

Consistency

Industries that operate in remote locations such as mining, oil rigs, research explorations work in difficult environments require a reliable communication mode that is not dependent on external factors.

Dependable

Emergency operators such as police, fire, and rescue depend on wireless channels that do not fail even during natural calamities. Modern technology has also allowed for enhanced battery life and other upgrades such as ‘emergency interrupt’.

Efficient

Two-way radios have made immediate customer service and support possible in the retail industry. Throughout the workday, radios make response coordination a reality in all situations.

Are you using radios to serve customers and eliminate inefficiencies?

Almost all industries use two-way radios in some of the other segments of their everyday tasks. Ace Comms wireless communications technologies expertise has provided two-way radio solutions for many operations. Contact them to know how you can incorporate two-way radio communication in your industry.

How to Create Marketing Videos Without a Production Team

Posted on by Dave Staples
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Having an in-house team of skilled videographers, editors, and sound engineers is ideal, but not always feasible. 

While it’s never easy to do, it’s more possible now than ever before for one person to plan, produce, and edit corporate videos on their own. And that’s something that brands and small businesses are realizing. 

With today’s technology, there are minimal barriers to entry for video production. This means that brands can work with smaller teams and individual creators without sacrificing video quality or overextending their marketing budget.

You may find a video editing software app that will work. However, just because it can be done doesn’t mean it’s easy. 

It is even possible for one person to accomplish what once required a full production team if need be. Some people find video production services team to be a good way to accomplish the task.

The good news is that it doesn’t always take a village to produce great-quality marketing videos. Sometimes, all it takes is one person with foundational skills and resources like free video editor.

In this guide, I’ll share six best practices for producing polished marketing videos on your own. Given some time and continual learning, you’ll become a one-person production powerhouse. 

1. Start With a Doable Video Concept

Every project requires detailed planning to ensure success. Scripts, storyboards, pre-production checklists, and shot lists transform your ideas into something tangible. 

Without these pre-production documents, the production loses structure. This means that you could waste time that you don’t have figuring out last-minute what shots you need, where to stage the lighting, and how the video will come together. 

The first step that you should always take as a one-person production team is to ask yourself if a video concept is actually doable. 

Is the entire video hinging on a piece of expensive gear you don’t have (i.e., a dolly track, drone, etc.)? Does your concept require you to film in three locations, but you only have the time and budget to film in one location?

Before you start filming — or even writing the script, planning the shot list, etc. — you have to really consider whether you have the budget, expertise, and time to turn the video concept into a reality. 

If you do, by all means, go for it. But if you don’t, you’ll just need to workshop a few other ideas that are more feasible. 

2. Cultivate the Right Message and Tone

A successful marketing video is one with a defined message and tone. To get this right, you’ll probably need to write and rewrite your script and then run it by the brand you’re working with.

Storyboards are an asset at this stage in pre-production, especially since they help you and your client visualize how the video will come together long before you pick up a camera. 

(Keep in mind that you don’t have to be a modern-day Picasso to create a good storyboard. You just need to make sure that the images work together to reinforce the overall message.)

By showing your script and storyboard to the brand, you’re able to eliminate any confusion or mixed messages sooner than later. This will help to make sure that everyone is in agreement with your production and the brand messaging is spot on.

The last thing you want is to produce a marketing video that the brand doesn’t like.

3. Make Better Use of the Gear You Already Have

You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to produce quality results. 

Oftentimes your phone with the right additional equipment is enough to get good footage — especially if you’re producing marketing videos for social media. 

But we won’t beat around the bush: microphones are essential, and so is good lighting. 

You could film a marketing video on a Sony A7iii or another high-quality camera, but the overall effect will fall flat if the audio and lighting quality is poor.

That’s why it’s a good idea to research different types of audio gear and invest in equipment like a prosumer-tier lav mic that is A.) visibly discrete, B.) affordable, and C.) easily transportable.   

And in terms of lighting, a three-point lighting setup (i.e., a key light, fill light, and backlight) will help you eliminate shadows and unflattering glares while creating a really pleasing visual effect on the subject in the frame.  

Using this trio will dramatically increase the quality of your shots, and the good news is that you can also improvise. 

For example, if you only have a backlight and fill light, you could use the natural light coming in through a window as your key light.  

To see three-point lighting in action, check out the video below by ThinkMedia:  

4. Create Content that People Want to Engage With

There’s a reason why brands use marketing videos to increase engagement, drive traffic, and get more customers — it works.  Sr Mailing writes that pages with a video receive over 4 minutes of average time spent. 

During production and then post-production, it’s important to use multiple angles, b-roll, and still images in your marketing videos. And that’s because these different elements break up the visual narrative, which keeps viewers engaged longer.

Keep in mind that the attention span for 45% of viewers wavers one minute into watching a video, making them more likely to stop watching altogether. 

By constantly breaking up the action on-screen, the audience doesn’t know what to expect next. So not only are you able to capture viewers’ attention, you’re able to retain their interest while delivering the message. 

5. Streamline Your Post-Production Workflow 

Once you have all of the footage you need to edit a professional-looking video, the trick is to find video editing resources that make your job easier. 

There are a lot of competing products to choose from, ranging from software-specific to cross-platform. When you opt for the latter, you’re able to scale without worrying about compatibility.

Adobe Premiere Pro is one of the most recommended platforms since you can go from phone to desktop and back again thanks to its Creative Cloud. This makes it easier to edit video wherever you are.  

Also, this app automates the right aspect ratio and video quality for any social media platform. And you can record live audio and add voice over to video, sound bites, and music tracks.

6. Invest in Affordable (and Easy-to-License) Music

Marketing videos without background music are like pancakes without syrup, dry and uninteresting. 

Prerecorded royalty-free music tracks are a key ingredient for today’s marketing videos. Your audience expects to hear good and tone-appropriate background music — it’s as simple as that.

Music is also essential for effective brand marketing. It creates and reinforces an emotional bond between the brand and the audience. (Steve Olenski goes into greater detail about this in an article for Forbes.)

But, as you already know, just because music is important doesn’t mean it’s easy to find or license. 

As ideal as it might be, you can’t just hear a song on Spotify and add it to your video editing timeline right then and there. Copyright law exists so that the copyright owners of that song have a say in how the music is used.

A sound effects library and prerecorded royalty-free music tracks are a key ingredient for today’s marketing videos. Your audience expects to hear good and tone-appropriate background music — it’s as simple as that.

If you don’t get permission to use copyrighted sound effects or music, you’ll end up in major legal trouble when your marketing video is shared publicly. 

To avoid DMCA notices and Content ID claims altogether, you can find and license music from Soundstripe — and save yourself a lot of time in the process.

It takes less than five minutes on average to filter through our music library and find the quality tracks to underscore your message. 

Not to mention, you’re able to do all of this without putting yourself or a brand in legal jeopardy.

It’s a Wrap

Shooting, editing, and incorporating pre-recorded tracks to create polished marketing videos no longer requires a full production team. With some foundational knowledge, you can produce quality marketing videos that are engaging and results-driven. 

Dave Staples is a freelance copywriter for Soundstripe, a company that helps businesses learn how to add music to a video by providing resources like royalty free sports music.

Top 6 Benefits of Tailored IT Solutions

Posted on by Nora Sbalckiero
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If you check industry news frequently, you are probably aware of how huge IT solutions have gotten over the past few years. It went from being a ‘nice thing to have’ kind of service to a vital component of every company’s operation. As a result, IT solutions underwent all sorts of changes. Now, you’ll find various agencies offering different types of IT solutions, such as database management, hardware support, cloud computing, network security, and more.

The type of managed IT solutions you must choose would largely depend on your company’s IT needs. However, if your company is a bit sophisticated, selecting an IT solution might prove difficult. If that’s the case, tailored IT solutions might be what you are looking for.

Tailored IT solutions refer to the implementation of a unique IT infrastructure only after taking into account the organization’s requirements, goals, ideals, and needs. With such a brief explanation, you might still have doubts as to whether the said service would fit your company. With that in mind, this article will discuss the six essential benefits of tailored IT solutions.

1. You are Not at the Mercy of Software Developers

Before anything else, you must understand that tailored IT solutions not only refer to managed IT services.

It may also involve custom software with all kinds of functionalities. In the case of the latter, if you choose to have custom software created exclusively for your company, you no longer have to worry about waiting for updates on the apps your employees use.

Since you now have your own software, you are no longer at the mercy of software developers. Of course, you still have to maintain your custom software with the help of your IT partners.

Leveraging managed IT services is like having a virtual IT department on standby, one that seamlessly aligns with your business objectives and operations. As explained by the folks from Dyrand Systems it’s like an extension of your own company, dedicated to ensuring your technology runs smoothly without the overhead costs of in-house staff. This arrangement not only enhances your operational efficiency but also allows you to focus on your core business areas with the confidence that your IT needs are expertly managed.

2. It is Easier to Develop a Close Relationship with the IT Agency

When opting for tailored IT solutions, you’d most likely have to partner with an IT agency. During the custom IT solution implementation, you’ll need to collaborate with the agency very closely. Moreover, you have to disclose all sorts of info about your company. With this much interaction, developing or establishing a close relationship with the IT agency would undoubtedly become a lot easier.

3. Employees Will Find It Easier to Adapt to the IT Solution

Tailored IT solutions are designed to meet your company’s needs. It takes into account the company’s as well as your employees’ needs. Furthermore, there’s a good chance the IT agency used some of your employees’ ideas to contribute to the custom IT system’s development. For these reasons, your teams would be more confident when using the infrastructure, which can potentially boost productivity and efficiency.

4. You Gain Access to Better Customer Support

Customer support is a vital component of an IT solution. After all, you are bound to face some difficulties during the early stages of your new system, so a support staff is a must-have.

With that said, another reason why custom IT solutions are objectively better than most options available is that customer support provided from the said solutions is typically more personalized. When opting for tailored IT services, the members of the customer support staff are most likely also a part of the development team in charge of your company’s custom IT system.

5. Tailored IT Solutions are Comparatively Secure

Most IT solutions are available for everyone. These include solutions concerning cloud computing software management, troubleshooting, and more. Due to its general accessibility, hackers are most likely familiar with its structure. Moreover, since many companies utilize off-the-shelf IT solutions, they’re an appealing target to hackers. Meanwhile, if you are implementing a unique IT system for the company, you are the only one who can access it, reducing the security risks.

It is also worth noting that when partnering with a custom IT agency, they’re often responsible for any issues you’ll face due to the system’s inadequate security. For that reason, it is safe to assume that they’ll use the highest security technologies and standards when implementing your IT system.

6. Custom IT Systems are Scalable

Growth is what most people seek, and it is the main reason entrepreneurs and business people start the company in the first place. However, there are cases where growth can obstruct business operations, such as when too many customers are looking for services. IT systems are also affected by this growth. Alas, most IT systems aren’t capable of scaling with companies.

However, since a custom IT system is created according to the company’s needs, vision, and requirements, it should be able to evolve along with the company.

Conclusion

With this article, you should now have a basic idea of what you can potentially get by opting for tailored IT solutions. Unfortunately, since it caters exclusively to your company, tailored IT solutions are generally more expensive than other options. Hence, you may still have second thoughts regarding the matters. However, considering the long-term benefits of custom IT solutions, it is pretty understandable, and it may as well be worth the higher cost.

Tips To Help You When You Are Expanding Your Business

Posted on by Allen Brown
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Expanding your small business is not only about making a decision, but you will also have to evaluate every detail about profit and loss, you have to deal with sales and marketing and most importantly, you have to build the whole plan outlining every financial and strategic risk and ways to counter it. Even though you would have to work very hard to expand the company, once your brand or company gets recognition, you will achieve popularity and success. However, you will have to focus on the customer base and marketing techniques to get your product trending and visible in the spotlight. Since the world has completely shifted to online working and social media campaigns, to make your product a success, you will have to target the local buyers of your company through different online marketing platforms. Besides marketing strategies, there are other ways by which you can expand your business and get benefits in the long term. So, here are some proven ways that can help you expand your business in the long run.

Hire the Right Team

One of the most important elements on which a company depends is its employees and staff. The qualification, experience, and working strategies of your workers are what determines how smoothly your company functions and gets success. They must be able to decode your orders and work accordingly because if they are fast learners, your work can get easier. Moreover, you must train them to stay united and dedicated to the goal you are working towards.

Develop a Reliable Sales Funnel

Setting up the right sales funnel can help you automate the marketing process and sales. It helps to drive traffic and customers to your page where some people buy your product and others read and think about it. Subsequently, you add those customers to your target customer list and send them emails of your special offers to persuade them to buy your product. This way, within a short period you will gain several new customers. To elaborate the process of the sales funnel, here are five steps that you need to ensure:

  • Create awareness in your audience about your product by implementing various marketing strategies.
  • Build interest in your customers by email campaigns, blog posts, lead magnets, chatbots, retargeting campaigns, and other deals for customers.
  • Evaluate your customer’s interest and add testimonials, pricing pages, case studies, discounted offers, live demos, product comparisons to help your customers evaluate your product or service quality.
  • Engage with customers who are about to buy your product using follow-up emails, product success stories, and other special offers.
  • Provide your customers with easy and efficient payment methods and platforms like Paypal, Stripe, Snipcart, or the card payment method.

Focus on Loyal Customers

It is crucial to prioritize your customer’s needs and provide them with special and discounted offers. Since your old customers are already acquainted with your old product quality or services, if you will maintain a friendly relation by using marketing strategies and discounted offers, they will maintain a stable buying experience with you. On the other hand, if you ignore your loyal customers and make special deals only for the new customers, there are chances that you may lose both. That’s why established business owners will always suggest focusing on your established revenue more than acquiring new audiences.

Limit the Internal and External Threats

A business is all about taking risks and evaluating your strategies critically. However, you can decrease the probability of these risks by limiting external and internal threats. For small businesses, it’s necessary to manage their resources to achieve success. So they can get investment from different sources like insurance providers, banks, or other investors. 

On the other hand, to limit the resources, businesses can also opt for local coworking services that are more economical. In Australia, there are several coworking locations around Sydney, Darlinghurst, Melbourn, and Brisbane that largely benefit the start-ups. There are many cases where businesses have expanded from these coworking spaces by using shared resources.

Know Your Competition

Before lining up for a competition, you should always study in advance the challenges you are going to face in the market. Once you know how to set your pricing, marketing strategies, and product quality, you can easily create a more improved product with better features that can be a competition for other brands.

Adapt to New Changes

Expansion of a business comes with adaptation and diversification. The more you will learn from the top businesses in the market, the more you can adapt according to it. For instance, most businesses are now virtually functional, that’s why people also prefer online shopping and services. Therefore, you should create websites with SEO optimization to enhance the productivity of your brand. On the other hand, using several ways to market your services and products can benefit you a lot faster than ever. For instance, you can use social media sites to create websites, blog posts, advertisements, business campaign emails, etc.

Benefit From Global Platforms

Your business can experience new levels if you take it to the global platform. These platforms include Amazon, Upwork, AirBnB, etc. Depending on your budget, the more expensive and high rating platform you will consider, the more your business will be in the spotlight. On the other hand, you can also benefit from FBA service to market your product efficiently and get higher traffic.

To expand your business in the long term, you will have to put in a lot of hard work, dedication, patience, faith, and discipline. Since success is not an overnight process, always remember that the higher the density of your success will be, the greater fall your business may experience in the future. If you take slow and steady steps to build your organization, your business will be more stable for a longer period. Moreover, to expand your business, you should take your decisions analytically and follow some proven tips explained by this article.

Driving Efficiency on Your Construction Projects: A Guide

Posted on by Carol Trehearn

Most leaders in the construction space know that efficiency is everything. Because your projects can last a number of months to complete if they are of a large enough scale, you’ll have seen costs ballooning when you’re not hitting your deadlines and targets, and when workers are disrupted or materials are stuck in supply chains. As such, you’re more than aware that anything you can do to make your processes more efficient could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Here are three ways that you can get there, operating a watertight, optimized construction business.

Meticulous Planning

All businesses are only as strong as the thought leadership underpinning them. And all projects require careful management in order for all the individual components to come together as quickly and smoothly as possible. Your job is to facilitate this seamless operational side of your business. And you can get ahead by:

  • Using high-end management technology to keep you abreast of developments on site
  • Structuring a chain of command that helps you remain aware of all elements of the project
  • Use a Construction Management Company
  • Making contingency plans in the case of delays that may be out of your hands
  • Hiring outsourced staff where appropriate to help you get the job done

These tips all fall under the auspices of “organizational skills” – absolutely vital if you’re to make a success of your construction business.

Tech Engagement

On site, your workers will be using all kinds of tools, vehicles and machines to get the job done. They’ll be expensive and valuable, but they may also be approaching several years of age. Some may break, some may be faulty, and others might simply not be up for the job on a modern construction site. So the advice here is to engage with new technology and to make upgrades where you can to your tools and hardware.

Where to start? Well, you should always be keeping an eye out for automation technology. Look to automatic welders for plastic, for instance, to give your workers a head-start when they’re fixing the paneling on roofs and under floors. Or invest in far better material-moving equipment – like cranes – so that the logistics of getting things around your site take far less time.

Great Staff

It’s easy to lose sight of the workers when you’re in the planning office of a project site. You’re trying to see the big picture constantly, envisaging potential delays that could come from anywhere on your risk map. With this perspective in mind, you can often forget that it’s the people who are following your commands that are ultimately going to decide the success of your project. Training is key for a cohesive business. Whether it’s the administrators, the crew, someone looking to become a welder or learning to run heavy machinery, ensuring everyone is on the same page is essential.

On site, you want there to be team unity and motivation to get the job done. You want great managers underneath you to head out there, making sure everyone’s pulling in the same direction. And you want to hire the best talent where possible so that you can rely on your workers to get the job done on time.

Run a more efficient construction firm, on more efficient sites, with the three key tips outlined above.

How to Start Bitcoin Mining for Under $100

Posted on by Hamza Razzaq
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Just in the past 2 years, we have seen a massive surge in Bitcoin price and the attention it grabbed globally. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies trading have become common, popular, and profitable. Other than buying and selling Bitcoin, the other more profitable approach is to mine Bitcoin. But the global trend of mining has made it quite competitive and its associated hardware has become very expensive. So, it seems difficult to make a profit from Bitcoin mining if your investment budget is low. In this blog, we will have a closer look at the possibility of earning profit by starting Bitcoin mining under $100 or less.

Bitcoin Mining Process Explained Easy

Before we dig deeper into the hardware and software needs to mine Bitcoin, let’s have a simple and quick look at the Bitcoin mining process.

Bitcoin mining is a process of verifying Bitcoin-related transactions by creating valid blocks and adding those transaction records to the BTC public ledger, termed as blockchain. The ones holding the computing power and hardware are called miners. Miners have to solve complex mathematical puzzles to validate the transaction and earn the reward. The reward is in the shape of new Bitcoins, which can be earned only if the miner solves the puzzle first. Therefore, miners need a GPU (graphics processing unit) or ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) to solve the puzzle at super-fast speed and increase their chances of getting the reward.

Bitcoin Mining with $100 or Less

Now that you have a basic idea of what Bitcoin mining is, let’s discuss what you need to start mining and whether it is possible under $100 or less.

Purchase a Bitcoin Mining Rig

The profitability chances from Bitcoin mining are linked with the Bitcoin mining rig (mining hardware) and the power cost. Currently, the Bitcoin mining rigs are very expensive. So, with a budget of $100, the only option left for you is to search and bid for used Bitcoin mining hardware in eBay that is under $100. China’s government has recently made a crackdown on Bitcoin miners in the country, which has left thousands of mining rigs for sale online. Many of the Top 10 Bitcoin Mining Companies have benefited from this shift, making it more accessible for smaller miners to find reliable equipment at reduced prices. You might get lucky and find a reliable mining rig under the $100 price range.

But first, you should shortlist the ones that are under reasonable price and then explore their profitability ratio by searching about them in Google. Elements like hash rate, power consumption, efficiency, and similar other factors should be thoroughly explored. Besides that, you have to look for such mining hardware that does not ask for hefty shipping charges and comes with a power supply because you don’t want to spend extra money on these things.

Once you have mining hardware, internet, and computing environment, the rest of the requirements are easy to meet and costs negligible.

1. Get a Bitcoin Wallet

After setting up mining hardware, the next thing you have to do is get a Bitcoin wallet. A Bitcoin wallet is where you will receive your Bitcoins and manage your Bitcoin addresses. Every Bitcoin address comprises of two keys, i.e., the public key and the private key. The public key is similar to a bank account number that lets you receive Bitcoins in your wallet. On the other hand, the private key should remain secret, as it is meant to send off transactions. Losing the private key means losing Bitcoins placed in that address.

Bitcoin wallets are of different types, such as software-based online wallets, secure hardware and paper wallets, etc. As a beginner, it is recommended that you opt for a software wallet, such as Exodus. 

2. Join Mining Pool

Despite setting up the best mining hardware, it is very difficult to score Bitcoin with just one single machine. It is because you are going to be competing with large mining farms working all across the world, so your single machine is not going to benefit much. This is where mining pools come into action.

In a mining pool, multiple miners give their computing power to the group for a collaborative attempt to verify transactions. Bitcoin rewards earned this way are divided among the members based on the computing power they contributed. Although the income will be low, still it will be continuous. But if you join a mining pool, you have to pay a small fee to the pool operator, which is usually detected from the reward. You can search for the best pool on your own or look through the list provided in Bitcoin Wiki by clicking here.

3. Install Mining Software

The last thing you have to do before beginning your Bitcoin mining journey is to install mining software. A mining software connects you to the Bitcoin and blockchain network. The basic operation of mining software is to provide the work to the miner, deliver the completed work, and add the data to the blockchain. Besides that, it also provides other monitoring statistics, such as hash rate, temperature, mining speed, etc.

There are plenty of free mining software that you can pick from. The one you pick should be easy to use, run on all OS, capable to mine multiple cryptocurrencies, and possess similar other features.

Profitability chances with Bitcoin Mining under $100 Budget

If we had written this blog a year ago, then we could have confidently said that “yes you can make a profitable income from Bitcoin mining under $100 Budget.” But the situation is more complex now. The rapid emergence of large mining farms, expensive but faster mining tools, and complex equations, all have contributed towards making Bitcoin mining more difficult and less profitable via single machines.

If you manage to somehow set up a Bitcoin mining setup under $100, then the electricity cost is another difficulty. On average, US residents pay 0.07 ¢/kWh, which is a high electricity rate in the Bitcoin world. One possible way to turn your $100 Bitcoin mining investment into a profitable one is to look for free electricity. If you manage to purchase a used ASIC miner below $100 and get a free source of electricity, then you can be lucky enough to start earning bucks from mining. Even if you don’t make a profit out of your $100 investment, you will still be learning and experience a lot. This will open up your mind with Bitcoin mining and let you invest more and smartly with a quicker return on investment.

Alternatives to Bitcoin Mining

New technology and new Cryptcurrency has opened an opportunity with Staking instead of Mining.  Staking can earn you as much as 80% APY.  Be sure to check out our Bitcoin Staking Guide.

Best Way to Add Your Business Line to Your Smartphone

Posted on by Emma Lakna
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Small company owners and entrepreneurs all over the world are discovering the advantages of adding a business line to their mobile phone or smartphone, thanks to the expanding availability of voice over internet protocol (VOIP) technology via smartphone apps and even landline phones. Not only do you get a lot of amazing calling features, but you also bring a level of professionalism to your business that your personal number can’t match. Furthermore, business calling mobile apps allow you to do business from anywhere, freeing you from the limitations of a desk phone.

Steps to Add Your Business Phone Number to Your Cell Phone

Here are some simple pointers to help you get started:

1. Download the Mobile App

Go to Apple’s iOS/iPhone app store or Google Play for Android to download the LinkedPhone app.

2. Verify Your Mobile Phone Number

Enter your cell phone number. The system will authenticate your phone.

3. Port Your Business Line

If you already have a business line, you can port it to the new service easily and quickly. Or you can  choose a convenient local or toll-free business number, or both. Numbers are available from across every area code in the U.S. and Canada

4. Choose Your Pricing Plan

LinkedPhone offers a number of price options, allowing you to select the degree of service that best suits your needs. If you are an entrepreneur, you can choose from a single line. A large corporation may need a large number of lines.

5. Choose Options for Greeting and Voicemail

Set up welcome greeting, hours and voicemail responses. LinkedPhone has a virtual receptionist that allows you to set call menu options. You can use these options to play helpful information such as hours and location, send customers to voicemail or a live receptionist, and route callers to specific people.

6. Optional: Add Team Members or Additional Business Phone Lines

Add as many team members as you want up to the plan’s limit, with each person getting their own extension. When someone calls, your team members will all have the same company number, which will ring on whatever phones you want, or all phones at the same time.

Wired devices, such as landlines or business VoIP phones, can also be added. After the setup is complete, you may immediately begin utilizing your business phone number.

How Does a Cell Phone-Based Virtual Business Line Work?

A ‘virtual phone number’ is what your new company number is called. The way we operate is changing as a result of modern technology. Virtual phone numbers resemble standard phone numbers in appearance and function, but they offer additional value and benefits. Desk phones, home phones, cell phones, laptops, tablets, and desktop computers are all compatible. It’s so simple and convenient that it nearly looks magical.

Let’s look at some of the most important benefits of employing a virtual business phone system:

Caller ID

Use the app to talk and text using your existing cell phone’s business caller ID while keeping your personal number confidential.

Call Screening

The different app interface clearly identifies which incoming calls are business calls, as well as business text messages, separating personal and professional communications.

Add Staff and Business Partners

Share a single business phone number that rings on your business partner’s phones.  Add all your team members. Calls should be routed to one or more coworkers, and each person should be reached at their own private extension. Internal communications can also be streamlined via peer-to-peer messaging.

Business and Customer Contacts

Create client profiles or import contact information from existing records, then share contacts with your entire team for increased efficiency. The business phone number app separates your professional and personal relationships.

Organize your conversations and to-do lists

Notes in the app Keep track of notes and chat logs for each of your customers. Help your company keep track of chats, to-dos, and reminders with real-time updates across all of your employees’ devices.

Options for a Virtual Receptionist and Call Menu

A basic setup includes business fundamentals such as setting business hours for taking calls and providing callers with company greetings. You may also set up professional call menu options that do things automatically when a keypad button is pressed. For example, a caller could dial 1 to get store hours, 2 to get customer service, 3 to get billing questions, 4 to get voicemail, 5 to get the corporate directory, and so on. Add a feature that allows users to directly dial specified extensions.

Routing of Calls

Incoming business calls should be directed to the appropriate person or team. Business calls are routed to mobile phones, office VOIP phones, or other landlines by virtual receptionists, often known as auto attendants. Call menu options that route calls to certain team members are simple to set up.

Transcription of Voicemail

Listen to your voicemail or read an AI-generated automatic voicemail transcription. Between you and a consumer, text messages, MMS messages with pictures or video, and voice messages display as single chronological streams for a realistic conversation flow. Separating professional and personal voicemail and messages is simple with the business phone number app.

Adapting to the Hybrid Platform

It’s simple to switch to a new platform if you already have a business line service provider. Local and toll-free numbers are accessible across all area codes in the United States and Canada, making it simple to port your current business number or choose a new one. There are a lot of wonderful apps and services for adding this functionality to your phone, and most of them will allow you to use your landline, VOIP phone, and even your laptop on the same platform with the same number!

When you connect a business line to your cell phone, you’ll get all of the fantastic features that traditional business phone service providers offer. Text messaging, auto attendants, call menu options, extensions for colleagues and team members, voicemail, and more will be included in your premium business package. Most services also include unlimited minutes and text messages as part of their pricing packages.

Small business owners and their employees can use virtual calling apps to talk and text with consumers from a business phone number, providing a professional and polished call experience. It’s never been easier to add a second business phone number to your phone.

Virtual Business Phone Numbers Can Be Used Anywhere

Modern workers can work from anywhere by adding a business line to their cell phone. Virtual local and toll-free company numbers work flawlessly across office phones, landlines, cell phones, and laptops using the same mobile app and web platform. While on the road, call and text clients, then return to your office phone or computer later. Small firms, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and remote teams can now access professional-grade capabilities that were previously only available to major corporations. These characteristics include:

  • Migrate your business phone number.
  • Use a new Local or toll-free phone number
  • Every plan includes unlimited calling and text messaging.
  • Use your personal phone first, then use your business caller ID to talk and text.
  • Business voicemail recordings with AI-generated transcripts
  • Customers and service providers will have a professional calling experience.
  • Assign extensions to coworkers and share a single company phone number.
  • When you are on the phone with someone else, you can join the call queue.
  • Keep track of conversations with shared notes and contacts.

Simple to Set Up for Your Business

LinkedPhone caters exclusively to small businesses, and setup takes only a few minutes. You can either choose a business phone number or migrate your current number. The mobile app gives your personal phone a dedicated business line. That means you can chat and text with your company phone number rather than your personal phone number, keeping your personal information private, and switching to other apps for personal conversations as needed. When you sign in on the web, you may also talk and text on the same platform from your PC or laptop.

This technology has the potential to save your company thousands of dollars on costly corporate phone plans. You won’t have to deal with your phone company or purchase any costly equipment. Your company number works with any desk phone, home phone, laptop, and even your personal cell phone, unlike typical business phone systems offered by large telecom corporations. The app provider handles all back-end hardware and software so you can concentrate on what matters most: building your business.

Find Your Thrill and Chill with eSports

Posted on by Matt Mastler
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Competitive video gaming is a rapidly expanding global phenomenon with millions of followers and billions of dollars on the line. Casual gamers have become major stars on streaming platforms and live events, making seven-figure sums and receiving big corporate sponsorships.

Group Play Opportunities

In eSports, you can play as a group, or view others who are playing.  This goes for both traditional team games and also racing. There are numerous e-games to choose from, and they are not all limited to a few alternatives.

Soccer, Basketball, Racing, Pokemon, and TonyBet CA games will challenge you and provide entertainment. For long-term fans, years of experience will pay off well.

What Are eSports?

The realm of competitive, organized video gaming is referred to as eSports. In popular at-home games like Fortnite, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Overwatch, and Madden NFL, players from different leagues or teams compete against one another. Millions of fans watch and follow these gamers from all around the world, whether they attend live events or watch them on TV or online. Viewers may watch their favorite gamers play in real-time on streaming sites like Twitch, and this is generally where popular players establish their fan bases.

Who Plays eSports

Players in eSports, like conventional athletes, may earn a lot of money: Millions of dollars in prize money may be won in tournaments, which is usually shared between the players on the winning teams. That means the best players in the world may easily make seven figures in a year. Ticket sales for these contests help both teams and event organizers. That 2017 League of Legends tournament that was so popular? Ticket sales for the event totaled $5.5 million.

How Far Can eSports Enter Your Life?

More people are participating in e-games and virtual bet-related activities, especially in light of the covid 19 pandemic. As a result, online games have introduced substantial and novel ways for you to participate.

As an example, video games like FIFA, NBA 2K, Madden NFL, and MLB are played by a lot of people globally today. Players who are more comfortable with the notable successful virtual sports titles have the idea on this niche rather than others. The gamers can set the artificial intelligence’s difficulty very easy to very hard.

Virtual Sports on Mobile Phones

This is another example of a very pleasant and popular form of entertainment that we can observe nowadays. Any mobile device with an internet connection can simply access the entertainment. The only thing you have to do is use your mobile web browser to touch on one of the linked eSports links.

Then the graphical interface will adjust to the display’s dimensions, giving an app-like experience. Here you don’t want to download anything. The most exciting thing is that these web apps provide heightened security, which apps are difficult to provide.

 Virtual Sports Vs eSports

Virtual sports and eSports have a lot of standard features. There is one considerable difference that changes the two matches held in a digital environment.

As we know, both virtual sports and esports are technical video games. Virtual sports are games that you compete indirectly, where eSports you participate as a viewer.

In addition to that, esports are multiplayer video games played by teams or single people who compete against one another to accomplish various in-game targets. In the case of esports, the odds work as same as the traditional sports since every team involves actual people.

How to Choose a Bespoke Software Development Company for Your Project

Posted on by Jashon Jony
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If you are thinking to hire an external resource for your new start-up or small business, it is important that you invest in the right resource. Your best bet is to go for a professional bespoke developer that can implement all your unique project requirements perfectly, keeping in mind both quality and budget.

You can scout platforms like Fiverr to engage the services of all kinds of freelance software developers.

The problem with going for a software development company is that there are a lot of great options available. With all sorts of technological advancements bridging the gap between opposite corners of the world, there are new opportunities for hiring the best possible talent regardless of the geographical distance between you and the vendor. Offshoring versus outsourcing often go hand in hand for this reason.

We have prepared this little guide for you so you can hire the best possible software partner for your bespoke software development project. In this article, we will talk about what factors to consider when choosing a software developer, so that you can make the best choice.

Location

Like we mentioned before, technology has brought the world closer together. However, it is still important to consider the location of potential software development vendors as it affects the cost and quality of the work that they provide.

If you choose a software development company that is based in India, for example, it is likely that they will be able to offer you lower prices since labour is generally cheaper in developing countries. However, this in turn will affect the quality of services. Developing countries are often lagging behind in terms of the usage of the latest technologies and tools. They might not have the expertise or skills that you require for your project. There is also the problem of a gap in communication. Since their native language is not English, you may have a hard time communicating your requirements or feedback to their software developers or understanding their responses.

On the other hand, a software development company in the UK, for example, would have greater exposure to modern education as well as the latest development trends. Their knowledge and skills would be far more refined and valuable. They are more likely to be updated on the latest benchmarks of software development methodologies and tools. Since their primary mode of communication is the English language, it would remove this barrier as well.

Previous Clients and Past Reviews

Nowadays, every type of business has a basic website that acts as a platform where they can showcase their portfolio. The same is common for software companies in this age too. A lot of companies have a list of current and past clients on their homepage. Others publish the details of each project they have worked on in a separate section on their website, often called ‘Case Studies.’ If a company has worked with certain “big names” in the past, chances are that you can expect high-quality work from them.

If you wish to see the reviews for a particular vendor, you can also look that company up on reliable review platforms such as SoftwareWorld, GoodFirms and Clutch. Most of the trustworthy companies are listed on these popular review sites. These sites contact clients and conduct in-depth interviews with them regarding their feedback for the services they availed from a particular vendor. The clients also give a star rating to their software development company.

Costs and Pricing Models

Budget is a crucial part of any new bespoke software development venture. A quick look at platforms like Clutch can give you a brief comparison of the different types of projects that other customers have had built, and how much they ended up paying to their software partner. This can give you a rough idea of how much your project could cost. If you are a small business or start-up, you may also need a flexible payment plan since it can be difficult to pay large amounts upfront. Therefore, it is important to do a proper price comparison when choosing a software company.

While cost reduction will continue to be the key rationale for outsourcing, quality and technological superiority will become equally vital. Outsourcing was mostly utilized to cut total labor expenditures, such as pay, insurance, equipment and supplies, and technology. However, new IT outsourcing trends have evolved, with an emphasis on high-quality solutions.

The price of software development services can vary depending on many factors. If your project has a wide scope that could take a long period of time to cover, you might need multiple team members to fill in various roles in the development team. If the project requirements are highly complex, you would have to hire highly skilled and experienced expert developers. Similarly, for a project that is time-sensitive, your vendor might have to assign extra resources to it.

A great way to conduct a deeper price comparison would be to shortlist a few potential software developers and send them a complete list of your requirements to get an initial quote.

Where to Look

There are two well-known options that can assist you in your search for the best software development partner.

The first option has been mentioned above: review and portfolio platforms. Clutch, for example, compiles a list of top vendors in different categories of software development every year. If, for instance, you are looking for an expert in mobile app development services, you can go through Clutch’s latest compilation of the best app developers for this year. These websites also allow visitors and clients to filter their search for the best service providers according to budget, location, expertise, and several other factors. For example, if you want to look for a software development company in London, you can apply the location filter to your search and obtain a list of vendors based in London, UK. If you are looking for a vendor who provides moderately priced services, you can adjust the budget filter accordingly.

The second option is online business directories. If you are certain of the location of your software partner, you can look up directories that are local to that specific geographical region. From verified business directories, you will be able to obtain the complete contact information (e.g. contact number, address) of the businesses you might consider partnering up with.

How to Start a YouTube Channel – From A to Z

Posted on by Eleni Lappa
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So, you want to start a YouTube channel? Perhaps more accurately, you want to start a successful YouTube channel that will not only serve many subscribers but ALSO earn you a decent living?

The desire to become a ‘YouTuber’ has increased a great deal in recent years. No doubt the average viewer sees an individual making a success of presenting via this social media channel and believes they too can make a similar splash.

The reality is that only a tiny fraction of those who have YouTube channels make a significant sum of money, with the vast majority running channels for fun or in the vague hope of one day ‘making it.’ If you are wondering about how to start a YouTube channel only to make money, then you may be biting off more than you can chew.

Your motivation to succeed is critical. The audience on YouTube is very savvy, and they can spot someone who is desperate to succeed without having the relevant talent to make that success a reality.

Recent statistics suggest that as few as 0.25 of YouTube channels make money. That’s one in 400. Clearly, this isn’t the greatest percentage, and such a statistic should scare the life out of anyone hoping to strike it rich.

However, if these numbers do not daunt you, then there are a few tips you can take on board that could help you battle those statistics and come out on top.

Know Your Market

Whatever niche your YouTube channel covers, it should be one that you have the necessary experience and knowledge of. Understanding YouTube niches is your way to get ahead! The audience on YouTube, overall, can spot a fake a mile off. They are also likely to see through an individual who is winging it. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to stick to what you know.

If you are looking to corner the market in a particular department, then consider the possible angles for your channel. Keep things simple. If you just want to run a channel where you discuss specific topics that interest you, that’s entirely valid. However, for the sake of clarity, try to narrow down the appeal and direction of your channel.

Perhaps the most crucial question to ask yourself before starting the process is ‘What is my YouTube channel about?’. If this is a question you can answer simply, then you are on the right road. If it’s not, then you may have to re-think your objectives.

If your channel revolves around reviewing recent movie releases, then make that the ‘niche.’ If it’s a podcast where you explore historical events, then similarly make that the source of your inspiration. Try to boil down the intention of your channel to a simple and understandable one. That way, your audience knows what to expect.

Consistency

If you are thinking of starting a YouTube channel, you should develop a plan of action. This should include a schedule of content delivery as well as a budget to cover all relevant costs, from the production of your videos as well as appropriate advertising you may well need to pay for.

You can use a YouTube Shorts scheduler to plan and post your short videos at the best times. First, create your Shorts and save them. Then, use a scheduling tool that supports YouTube Shorts. Upload your video to the scheduler and set the date and time you want it to go live. This helps you reach your audience when they are most active. Scheduling also ensures consistent content delivery. It saves you time and helps you stay organized. Using a scheduler can improve your channel’s performance and growth.

You can also use tools like Eklipse which can help you quickly create highlight reels and engaging clips, making your content even more shareable and attracting a wider audience.

Be ready to produce content even when you may not be feeling it. If you have a weekly release schedule, then you’ll have to stick to it. Slacking off and altering your content production procedure will not help you to retain an engaged audience.

Do not Expect Instant Success

The biggest obstacle for most individuals seeking to make a name for themselves on YouTube comes in the form of expectations. There is a sense that success will come easily and instantly. Sadly, neither of these assertions are true.

It can, and will, take a long time to firstly build a sustainable audience and secondly to keep up the level of content needed to entertain them effectively. If you want your audience to increase organically, then you can expect it to take time before you have a large enough following for you to make a reasonable income from your efforts.

Produce High-Quality, Engaging Content

On top of all of this, you also need to produce content that is professional in both its delivery and its creation. This means that you should use top-quality equipment to film your content or to edit it. Content that looks amateurish will not go down well, especially given that the relevant tools exist that can help you produce great videos at a fraction of the price that it used to.

If the style of your videos is deliberately rough and ready, then YouTube viewers may accept that, but only if this is part of the overall ethos of your channel. In other words, the delivery of your content should match the tone and style you are trying to convey.

Correctly Use Metadata and Titles to Drive Viewers to Your Videos.

In order to better engage with your audience and the YouTube audience as a whole, you should correctly use the metadata and title functionality. Do some basic keyword research before entering this essential information, as it can drastically affect the reach your videos will get on the platform.

Check YouTube tutorials, and there are thousands of them before you tackle this aspect of the video uploading interface. It can really be the difference between a video that gets a few hundred views and one that might go viral.

Have Fun with It

To be perfectly honest, your involvement with a YouTube channel should never be solely about views and revenue. Clearly, these are vital factors, but above all else, you should be starting a YouTube channel because the subject matter is something you personally have a genuine interest in. The journey needs not to be grounded chiefly in financial gain.

9 Things to Know Before Borrowing Money

Posted on by Vivien Marie Fabin
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A lot of people think borrowing money is a sign of weakness, but it can actually be an act of strength. Borrowing money from the right money lender Singapore with the right terms at the right time can help you achieve your goals faster than if you had saved up all that money yourself. Borrowers often find themselves in this situation because they don’t have enough liquid cash on hand to pay for certain expenses or pay off their debt.

If you’re considering borrowing some money, here are 9 things to know before doing so:

Know your credit score

Check your credit score. This is known to be one of the most important steps to take before borrowing money because it will indicate how much cash you can borrow and from whom.

Non-traditional lenders might offer better rates for borrowers with below-average credit scores who might not qualify for a loan through a traditional lender. Lenders like Western Sky, for instance, offer loans that don’t require a credit check–and they’re available to people who other lenders have turned down.

You should also know if you’re eligible to be a guarantor of a loan. This is when someone agrees to take on responsibility for a loan if the borrower defaults. For instance, if you co-sign for someone else’s payday loan, you’ll be held responsible if they don’t pay.

Only borrow what you can afford.

Sometimes, borrowing too much money at once can come back to haunt you in unexpected ways–especially when there are recurring fees and interest rates that keep adding up every month.

Before taking out a car title loan or any other kind of loan, ask yourself: “Is this reasonable?” If not, it’s probably best to start saving or wait until you have enough money to cover your expenses without having to resort to high-interest loans. Titlelo.com can help you instantly turn your car into cash with simple title loan application processes.

Understand the interest rates and fees

When you borrow money, it’s important to understand the interest rates and fees associated with your loan.

Personal loans, for instance, typically come with an APR of 16 to 24%. Some credit cards carry APR rates as high as 29% or more. On the other hand, most commercial vehicle title loans often come with much lower rates, usually hovering around 8%. If you’re not sure what the terms are for your loan, find out before you sign on the dotted line.

There are also late payment penalties, which can include a fee of up to $25 or more. You might want to avoid paying this fee by setting up automatic payments every month through your checking account or PayPal.

Consider what you’re borrowing the money for

It would be ideal if you considered what you’re borrowing the money for before applying for a loan. Some people borrow money to pay off their bills, and others borrow money so they can travel and go on vacation. But some people borrow money so they can do something nice for somebody else. Doing this can feel like an act of love and kindness, and it might provide a sense of peace and happiness too.

Consider how much you can repay monthly.

The amount of money you can repay depends on your income. For example, if you have a good job, you might be able to afford to repay up to $1,000 a month. If you’re new in the workforce and don’t have a high-paying job yet, then going for a smaller loan that will be an easier repayment each month–say, $200 or so–makes sense.

You’ll also want to take into account how much money you have coming in each month after taxes are taken out. This figure is called net pay. It’s the amount of cash left over after paying taxes and other deductions from your paycheck.

If this number isn’t very high, it might not be wise to take out a large payday loan or cash advance because you might not be able to repay it when your next paycheck arrives.

Be wary of predatory lenders.

Some people get taken advantage of by unscrupulous companies who prey on their desperation and willingness to pay whatever price just so they can meet their financial obligations.

Some companies insist that borrowers have a job or can prove they have enough income coming in before they take out payday loans–even if the borrower is receiving disability benefits. If this happens to you, it’s best not to borrow money from these lenders because many reputable lenders don’t do this.

Ensure to read all the fine print before signing anything.

You should always make sure to read all of the fine print before signing anything. Many people think they understand what they’re getting into when they sign an agreement but later find out that they didn’t fully understand all of the terms and conditions.

It’s easy for lenders to hide sneaky fees in the fine print, like being charged excessive late fees if you do happen to be late on your payment date.

Beware of predatory lenders who might say things like “We’ll do anything so you can have some money” or “Just sign here, and everything will be okay.” These are red flags that show how these companies are trying to trick people into borrowing more than they realize.

Look for lenders who will offer flexible repayment options.

Some people might think they can only get a loan with a fixed repayment period, but some lenders will offer flexible repayment options. You might want to look for these lenders so you can have the flexibility of paying your money back over time rather than in one lump sum.

This can be helpful when you’re trying to repay debt with loans that have short-term obligations–for example, if you have a mortgage or car loan that needs to be repaid quickly. This gives you the option of paying small monthly installments without incurring penalties for late payments.

Avoid taking out multiple loans at once

You should avoid taking on too many loans simultaneously because this can make it difficult to manage all your payments and still make ends meet. If you need to take out a loan, wait until your existing loans have been paid off before taking on another one.

5 Downsides of Solar Energy

Posted on by Onyeka
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Green energy activists, manufacturers, and even the government often shed light on the amazing benefits of solar energy. This makes people assume that the energy source is perfect. But that isn’t true. In fact, it may surprise you to know that utilizing solar energy in homes has a couple of disadvantages. In this article, we are going to be exploring a few of them.

While electricity comparison companies have helped many households find providers that offer power at an affordable price, many homeowners aren’t satisfied, as they still spend thousands of dollars yearly on electricity. This is likely why more people are leaning towards solar energy.

Several reports have shown that many homeowners in Australia are embracing solar energy to cut down their electricity bills.

Negative Impact on the Environment

Solar energy is clean and renewable, but it isn’t perfect. As evident in this study, solar energy fields can take up landmass that could have been used for agricultural activities.

Even more, they affect the plant and animal species in the area where they are present.

The Union of Concerned Scientists has pointed out that large solar farms raise concerns about habitat loss and land degradation. Granted, solar energy is a lot less harmful than many non-renewable energy sources, but it can still harm the environment – for example, when solar panels aren’t disposed of properly.

Cost

The cost of installing solar panels is ever-rising. One report shows that the initial cost of solar panel installation can generate 8kw is around $30,000.

Note that the installment cost covers everything from the cost of panels and inverters to wiring, labor, solar charge controllers, and repairs.

Space

Many residential properties have enough space to accommodate the number of solar panels needed to address their electrical needs.

The same cannot be said of large apartment complexes and office buildings. These buildings just don’t have enough space on their roof for the number of panels needed to power them. Adding to the problem is the high amount of energy that many homes require.  

Many commercial buildings have to utilize electricity comparison companies to find the best energy deals and ultimately save on costs, as they don’t have enough room to install the number of panels, inverters, and batteries they need.

Poor Energy Conversion

Many experts agree that solar panels aren’t very energy efficient.

Multiple studies have supported the claim of these experts. This study, for example, shows that the best panels on the market are only 23% effective.

This means that they can only transform 23% of the energy from the sun to electricity.

Unpredictability

The sun’s unpredictability is one of the main downsides of solar energy.  

As you likely know, sunlight production is linked to factors like time of day, location, and season. This means that people who live in northern latitudes will be at a disadvantage, while inhabitants of latitudes closer to the equator will be at an advantage, as their region is sunnier.

Final note

These are just a handful of the cons associated with solar energy. However, if you live in a region where there is a lot of sunlight, it may be worthwhile to indeed upgrade to solar energy to reduce your energy bill.

And, if your location isn’t the most favorable for solar energy, you can still save money by using an electricity comparison company to find an affordable and reliable energy provider.

Why You Should Buy Rotating Proxy Service – Best Proxy Provider

Posted on by Jobayer Ahmed
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For people who use a proxy provider, rotating proxies offer a higher level of service. A rotating proxy shuffles your ID with a new one now and then, which blocks your online identity. Having your proxy automatically change enhances both performance and security.

Not all proxy providers are equal. So take time and effort when you buy a rotating proxy to choose the best service.

Today, we’ll show you why you should only buy rotating proxy services from the best proxy provider.

Ample IP Addresses

A dedicated proxy means website owners can easily track you visiting their website. For example, if you visit the same page multiple times per day, it may expose your interest in that product or service.  But maybe you have a different reason to visit the page.  A rotating proxy allows you to be anonymous when you repeatedly view a website.

Buying a rotating proxy service from the best proxy provider can offer you a pool of IP addresses. As a result, you can avoid being banned. Also, anyone who is tracking your online activities can’t reveal your actual IP address. And this is something that an average proxy provider can’t provide.

To Gain Competitive Edge

If you own a business, using a rotating proxy can allow you to monitor your competitors. Then, you can sign up for service or download their trials to test them out. And you can do that with the same niche without getting blocked. As a result, you can gain a competitive edge.

If you’re buying something online, the prices might vary across different regions. A rotating proxy from a designated region can help you get the best deal to save the most money.

Achieve Increased Conversion Rates

A regular proxy service provider offers only a single IP address.  Over time, you become known to the target website.  As you move through the pages, the tracking on that website will identify your activity.  With a rotating proxy, you can freely get as much or as little information as you need.

Staying on a page for a prolonged period might make the owner suspicious. You might even get blocked by the owner and can’t come back to the site anymore. But, you have to research their content and keywords, which needs a lot of time.

Improved Security

Security is more critical now than ever.  Nearly all website tracking is IP-based.  Every website is tracking every move you make through their site and recording it forever. So if your IP is changing, you can bypass the most common forms of tracking.  This means you see all the web pages fresh, treating you like a new customer.

But for the best security, your IP address needs to be frequently shuffled. Therefore, if you buy a rotating proxy from a good proxy provider, they can guarantee you to cut your chances of getting exposed. For these reasons, you need to choose the proxy provider very wisely.

The security of your proxy relies on the provider you pick. A reputable provider will hold the security of your business in high esteem.

Ending Notes

Your IP address is enough to get your information exposed to the outer world. Choosing the best rotating proxy service provider is critical for your daily internet browsing.