Finding an Outlet - Making Tech Work for Everyone

Real-Time Data’s Impact on IT

2 days ago

In today’s world, data is one of the most valuable resources of any business or operation, which is why it’s being harvested and monitoring about everything. Retailers collect data about their customers, purchase histories, market performance, and even competing brands. In construction, data is used to monitor workers, manage duties and complete projects. In marketing, its used to understand various campaigns and identify valid, successful strategies for advertising and promotions. Honestly, this list could go on forever.

This has been brought about by the widespread digitization of modern industry. Every field from manufacturing to healthcare is growing increasingly reliant on modern and mobile technologies. Of course, at the heart of this change is the IT and development world.

How to Handle a B2B Data Breach

1 week ago

Nathan P. Sykes

B2B

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Unfortunately, cyber-attacks and data breaches are an inevitable part of doing business in today’s data-driven world. With the right protections and preventative measures, you can both mitigate the likelihood of it happening and the damage that stems from a potential attack.

The first thing to understand is that most put emphasis on preventing attacks, which is necessary, but it’s not the only protective measures you should take. You should also have tools and processes in place to stop an ongoing attack, protect stolen or lifted data, block access to unauthorized parties and a veritable kill switch — something that takes your system offline during a major event.

How to Keep Your Best IT Workers

2 weeks ago

Nathan P. Sykes

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In every industry, maintaining high or positive levels of employee satisfaction are incredibly important to building loyalty. But in IT, it is even more crucial to do this especially if you want to secure highly-skilled and experienced individuals. The reason being, the market is competitive.

There are so many IT and development opportunities available, that IT managers, engineers, and workers really have the upper hand. At any given time, someone on your team could leave their current position for an opening that is more appealing or enjoyable, regardless of monetary benefits and pay. It is important to stress that while, yes, salary and wages do play a considerable role it’s not the only contributing factor to a satisfied workforce.

You can’t keep everyone happy, all the time, but you certainly can strive to provide a more engaging, healthy work environment and culture for your employees. In that vein, here some methods you can use to keep your best IT workers under your wing:

Should Experiential Marketing Be Part of Your B2B Marketing Strategy?

3 weeks ago

Nathan P. Sykes

B2B

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Why give your potential customers information alone when you can create an experience for them? That’s the idea behind experiential marketing, which creates encounters that encourage people to interact with brands in real-world situations in participatory, hands-on ways. This strategy, also called engagement marketing, is popular with B2C companies, but it can also work for B2B companies.

What iOS 12 Offers Businesses

1 month ago

Nathan P. Sykes

News, Tech & Business

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The new iOS 12 update rolled out to Apple devices on September 17th, finally leaving the beta period behind. If you haven’t installed the update already, you can do so by going to Settings > General > Software Update on compatible devices. If you willing decided to not install the update, here are some reasons why you should consider iOS 12.

Many people don’t like change. Getting something new over something you already know works well enough might be a little intimidating. The fear of messing something up grows only larger when the device in question is for work and. However, the iOS 12 has a lot of updates for businesses and their employees. Checking them out and making the decision from there certainly won’t hurt and could, in fact, lead to increased productivity.

It’s Time to Talk About U.S. Data Laws

1 month ago

Nathan P. Sykes

Systems & Data

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A survey conducted by Pew Research, as if we really needed one, indicates at least half of all Americans perceive their online data to be less secure today than it was a few years ago.

America, despite relentless progress on other fronts, and despite being one of the most technology- and data-driven countries on Earth, is a patchwork of privacy and data laws right now. Even net neutrality has failed at the federal level, opening the door for states like California to lead the way.

It’s time to have a serious conversation about the current state, and ideal future, of U.S. data protection and access laws.

The Highly Efficient and Productive IT Team

1 month ago

Nathan P. Sykes

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It’s no secret that IT departments and team members are often tasked with handling complex solutions and systems, some of which can affect an entire group of users and therefore have varying degrees of consequences. Of course, it explains why nearly everything and anything implemented in the field is rigorously planned out and strategized first.

It’s also a field where troubleshooting and unforeseen consequences are common. Many times, in fact, issues can arise and cause delays in development or operations. So, converting any IT team into a more productive cog in the wheel can be a monumental task.

To that end, here are three tips that can help you foster a more productive IT team or department within your company.

Which Smart Home Gadget Should You Get First?

2 months ago

Nathan P. Sykes

Advice, Tech & Business

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Deciding to become a first-time owner of smart home gadgets means you’ve taken a significant step. However, there are still other things to figure out. One involves determining which smart device earns the spot at the top of your “to-buy” list. Indeed, many people find they’re interested in a range of smart gadgets, meaning prioritizing the first purchase isn’t always straightforward.

Here are four tips that should help you narrow down the options.

What a Customer Data Platform Can Do for Your Business

2 months ago

Nathan P. Sykes

Systems & Data

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Whether you’ve established a proper system or not, data is flowing in, and it’s ripe for the taking. The problem, however, is that it’s coming from so many different sources, flowing through so many different channels, and involves so many various events that marketers and support teams cannot keep up. This situation has created a need for a proper, comprehensive tool that can be used to organize and manage the data flows, and also integrate the information into existing processes.

Queue the Customer Data Platform or CDP. According to David Raab, Founder of the Customer Data Platform Institute and expert on the subject, a CDP is “a marketer-managed system that creates a persistent, unified customer database that is accessible to other systems.”

Let’s break that definition down into simpler terms, and explore how it can help your business.

How Technology Is Innovating B2B Sales

2 months ago

Nathan P. Sykes

B2B

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No B2C — or business-to-customer — company could survive without some technological platform. Whether by utilizing social media or an interactive website, customers in the modern age want to be able to do everything on their phones if at all possible. B2B, or business-to-business, companies are finding themselves increasingly going directly to customers and are thus forced to leap into technology.

Technology doesn’t just help with marketing, either, as B2Bs are quickly learning. Utilization of technology can help the company run smoother and change how business itself is done. To get a grasp of what technology can do for B2B, here are a few examples: