by Kevin Lewis | Jul 8, 2018 | Digital, Software
If you do not use a free project management software in your business, you might be doing more tasks than necessary. You might be missing out on profits because you waste a lot of valuable time on little tasks that aren’t part of the firm’s primary focus. Small, medium and large businesses have a lot to benefit from project management software. Although there is a variety of project management software, they all share universal merits.
- Delegate tasks easily
As a business owner, you will consider the knowledge, abilities, and skills of employees before allocating tasks. Using project management software makes the entire process easy for you. You no longer have to spend a lot of time analyzing employee virtues and difficulty of tasks before deciding the role that suits them best. Once you assign the roles, employees can log in and access the relevant information. They also know who to contact when they need something clarified, ask questions or request more information.
- Collaborate on projects
Some projects are too large to be completed by one employee. That is why employees are assigned smaller tasks that are part of a larger project that several people are doing. Project management software allows you the opportunity to collaborate on projects y sharing progress, documents, and timelines. If one member has questions or concerns, they can get the answers on the platform without having to wait.
- Stay on schedule
The project managers can add the start and the expected time of completion to the projects they put in the system. The system alerts employees about upcoming deadlines. Therefore, the employees can manage their time correctly and complete work before the due date. They can see at a glance what should be done and at what time.
- Better communication with vendors and clients
Project management software allows businesses to collaborate and share with vendors and clients. If you are using the software, you are at liberty to share the password with your clients and vendors, thus giving them access to project files. Clients are allowed to give feedback, review projects and make edits if necessary. It is very critical, especially considering that businesses should connect with their clients and vendors.
- Provide a snapshot
When you are training new staff members and guiding them through projects your firm works on, project management software provides a picture of the process. In this case, inducting new members is more comfortable since the snapshot keeps them up-to-speed. They can follow the project from the beginning to the end. It is also easy to understand the background information of the project since it’s all in there.
- Track projects
As a manager, one of the critical duties is to keep track of ongoing projects. You should be aware of the progress and if you are within your schedule or not. The software will display the completed milestones, and what seems to be running late. Employees may also share updates of what they are working on with their project managers and fellow team members. The software eradicates the need for update emails and meetings.
by Kevin Lewis | Jun 6, 2018 | Digital, Internet
Do you live in Australia and are looking for the web hosting provider? Are you relatively new to web hosting, so are not absolutely sure about the most important features offered as oppose to those you may not need?
Follow these tips to help you find the web hosting provider in Australia, and you should be happy with the one you eventually choose.
Speed of the server — The most important thing with any company offering web hosting is that they have fast servers. Servers affect the speed of your website and, if you end up with a server that is slowing your site down, you will be penalized in Google and Bing’s search results.
Find out what a web host guarantees and then, once you have registered with them and your site is online, ping your site to find out about its speed. If the speed is not what the web hosting provider promised, contact them and ask them to fix it.
The right server software — While you may want to have your website running on a server with Windows software, some web hosting providers in Australia only offer Linux servers. Make sure you can get the server software you want before signing up.
Uptime and reliability — One very important thing about any web hosting provider in Australia is how much uptime they promise as far as your website is concerned.
Uptime means how long your website is online before it crashes and the server has to be restarted, or before it is taken down during maintenance. Uptime with any web hosting provider in Australia should be at least 99.9 percent. Any less, and that web hosting provider is not worth dealing with.
Access to tech support — If you have any problems with your site, or if your site suddenly crashes, you need to have a hosting Australia provider that allows you immediate access to tech support.
Whether this access is via instant messaging, email or telephone does not really matter. What does matter is that this tech support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and, when you contact them with your problem, they respond within minutes.
If you sign up with a company that takes hours to respond to your tech questions or problems, drop them immediately and find one that does not.
Automatic backups — While you should be responsible for backups of your site, a good web hosting provider should also do regular automatic backups for you, and they should be free of charge.
No excess charges — Look carefully at the features a web hosting provider in Australia offers, and compare them with other companies.
This is because, while some companies look like they are offering you a very cheap deal, when you look closer they are charging you extra for everything.
Automatic backups should be included in the fixed price, as should an SSL certificate, a fixed IP address and more. Look at other companies if you find one that does not offer these without an additional charge.
by Kevin Lewis | Apr 28, 2018 | Digital, Internet
When applying for IT jobs, there are several things you should always look for with any company you apply to.
Not only things that will impact your ability to do the job itself, but also things that will impact how much you enjoy going to work every day and if you will stay there.
A relaxed environment — IT jobs tend to be in places that have quite relaxed environments, as this is generally part of the IT culture. Especially if you end up applying for start ups.
Nowadays, most people that are in IT like to work in places that are quite relaxed. Make sure, if this is you, that you ask about the company culture before accepting a job on ict vacatures.
Longevity of the company — One of the few drawbacks about IT jobs can be that many of the companies looking for new staff are new on the scene. With thousands of new start ups needing staff for their IT jobs every year, you will want to be sure the companies you apply for have some kind of longevity. Especially if you need a pay check your family is relying on.
Always find out how long a company has been in existence, how fast they are growing and if their staff numbers are growing along with them.
Does the management have your values? — While many IT jobs are in companies where the management may just be just like everyone else, not every IT job is in such a place.
Make sure the management’s philosophy is similar to your own in that they have the same values about working and about being at work. If you go into an IT job presuming they are going to be quite relaxed, just like many others in the industry, you will be in for a shock when you find out they are not.
How many hours will you be expected to work? — People who work in one of the many IT jobs in the United States and elsewhere know just how many hours some companies expect them to work.
Make sure you find out up front what the typical work load is every day, and what are the average number of hours others in the company work. Do they also expect you to work weekends, or is it a strictly Monday to Friday business?
The salary — IT jobs are known as paying very well, especially if you have a few years experience in the IT industry. Not every company hiring IT staff pays well, however, so you do want to know up front before you even apply for a job exactly what it is going to pay.
Avoid companies that want you to tell them how much you need to be paid, as these are often companies that are trying to cut corners when it comes to pay checks.
Instead, only look at IT jobs with good salaries and with companies that are not afraid to pay you what you are worth.
by Kevin Lewis | Mar 25, 2018 | Hardware, Technology
Guidelines for Finding the Best Trail Camera in 2018
Trail Cams (or also known as a game cam) have significant impacts hence acquiring one is a good idea. There are a lot of trail cameras hence getting the best can be a bit challenging especially if you have no experience with the trail cameras 2018. The shops from which you can purchase the trail camera you desire are many, and you should be careful when choosing one. It is not all the stores are trustworthy, some sell fake cameras, and you buy one you will end up regretting. You should not blindly buy the trail camera it is essential for you to consider researching about a number of them prior to deciding the one to buy. By doing this, there is no doubt that you will get the one that suits you best and you will be happy. You need the camera that will give you the best results and that will last for a long time so that you get amazing experience that will fulfill your desire. For you to get this type of trail camera, ensure that you consider the following guidelines.
The First Is the Price
Trail cameras are sold at different prices. It is imperative to buy the camera that is sold at a standard price, the most expensive or the cheapest are not the best. There is no guarantee that the cheapest or the most expensive cameras are the best that is why you should avoid buying such cameras. Avoiding them is preventing future regrets. For this reason, you need to compare the prices of several trail cameras for you to get the one that has a favorable price. Also, you will not strain to pay for the camera when you choose the one that is pocket-friendly. The budget will guide you when you are buying the trail camera thus before you start the process ensure that you make your budget depending on your pocket.
The Second Is the Online Research
It is right for you to check the information of various cameras from the internet. The internet is one of the best platforms where you can acquire almost all the information you need. The Internet is convenient because you can make use of it anywhere and anytime. Through the online research, you will access the comments of people who have experience with the trail cameras. From the comments you will be able to choose the best, you need to compare the vital information carefully. You will also know the best shop to buy the trail camera when you consider the online research.
Referral is Another Important Factor
Getting a recommendation from the people you trust who have bought the trail cameras before, is crucial. So that you avoid being misled, it is recommendable for you to ask for the recommendation from your friends, co-workers or family members. When you consider the experience of these people, you will not struggle to get the best trail camera. From their experience that they will honestly share with you, you will come up with valuable information that will lead you to purchase the best trail camera.
by Kevin Lewis | Mar 9, 2018 | Internet, Technology
Whether you need laser lenses, lenses for a microscope or for a camera, buying custom optics is often the smart thing to do. With the price of custom lenses and optics being higher than buying those that are already engineered, however, many businesses and individuals have to think long and hard about their ability to afford them. Especially if they order optics many times a year.
Thankfully, the price of custom optics has fallen in recent years, particularly as companies in Asia have become some of the most popular to deal with when it comes to affordable custom optics.
Price is also just one of the reasons for ordering custom optics. There are several more.
Optimal performance for the lens you need — While you take a chance on performance when buying already engineered lenses, with custom optics you are far more likely to experience optimal performance.
That means if you have been using already manufactured lenses or optical components for specific applications for your business, you are likely to see a huge increase in performance once you are using custom optics built specifically for your needs.
The correct optical glass — When you are tied to using already engineered lenses, you will often find you do not really have the optical glass that you need.
In some instances, you can have already engineered lenses that turn out to be more expensive than custom built ones simply because you have bought lenses made from the wrong glass or with the wrong coating.
Once you buy custom lenses manufactured from the right materials, however, you may even see your costs drop.
Reduced costs — Once you have your optics completely redesigned, you may even discover you save money all across the board. Especially if your redesign includes less materials and fewer parts.
Contact a company offering custom optics, tell them what type of lenses you are currently using and ask if those lenses are what they would recommend.
You could be surprised when they tell you they can make what you need for less money than you are currently paying for already engineered lenses
Complete quality control — As you will work with an engineer throughout the whole process of ordering custom optics, that means you will also have complete control of the quality of the optics you need from start to finish.
Whether that is lens coatings, manufacturing or quality assurance, your hand will be in the process every step of the way ensuring you are happy with the end result.
Lenses in precise diameter measurements — Whether you need lenses for your business that are 1 millimeter in diameter or 150 millimeters, a company offering custom optics can provide them for you.
That often means it is much easier for you to get the precise diameter of lens you need, rather than struggling to find a company that has already engineered lenses in stock in those measurements.
Once you do have that precision due to custom optics, expect to see your work quality improve rapidly.
