It used to be that your work and personal time had clearly defined separation. You spent the day at work focused on your job and at the end of the day you’d turn your brain off, go home, cook dinner and relax. As a collective whole we seem to have lost our ability to focus. We spend most of our days worrying about the work that needs to be done.

It’s time to reclaim our focus at work and here are seven tips to help you do so.

1. Practice productivity wind-sprints. While at work, we’re normally doing work while browsing Facebook or chatting. This can be harmful for productivity and shifts your focus from important work related activities. Interval training is a great way to increase your focus. Get a timer, set it for ten minutes, and focus solely on your work. When the timer goes off take a two minute break.

2. Defensive scheduling. Our days are filled with commitments and we struggle to keep up with our projects or find time to work uninterrupted. Schedule a meeting with yourself at a convenient time. Treat this meeting like a real meeting, no interruptions. This is your time to focus on important tasks or projects.

3. Socialize with your tablet. Separate work from social activities with a tablet. We’re often just hitting our stride with work when BING, we get a chat message. What do we do? Immediately reply to the message. When we do that we lose our focus and struggle to regain it. Why not use use your tablet for all social activities and work computer strictly for work? Combined with tip one, this could really help you focus.

4. Realize your unconscious focus. The vast majority of managers often aren’t sure what the top issue in their mind is. It comes with multitasking, we’re always making less important ideas critical, and this takes our focus off the most important issues. To realign your focus take some time, let your mind wander, and make note of the ideas you keep returning to. These are your most critical issues.

5. Focus on most important tasks first. When you get into the office in the morning switch off your phone and email alerts. Focus on your most important priorities, this will give you time to get your most important work out of the way, before you shift your focus onto other less important projects.

6. Disconnect. Many of us don’t take time to give our brains a rest, we’re always thinking and possibly worrying about work. It’s beneficial to your mental and physical health if you take time each day to disconnect from the office. Temporarily sever all ties with the office and focus on something you enjoy doing. Remember, this is your time don’t think of work, focus on the activity.

7. Can’t focus? Consider if what you’re doing is right for you. If you find that you really can’t focus, even with the previous techniques, it might be time to consider that what you’re doing is actually something you don’t care about or enjoy. If this is true for you, then it’s time to start looking for a change.

With these tips you should see an increase in your focus and productivity. If you would like to know more about how to improve your productivity please contact us, we can help.

Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP, has become one of the main ways businesses communicate. An ever growing number of companies have been switching over to VoIP systems to take advantage of its cost savings. Recently, one of the most popular programs, Skype, reached a milestone of 40 million users logged in concurrently.

Skype has some excellent features but many businesses stick to the basics. Here are four ways you can better utilize Skype.

• Call forwarding. If you’re expecting an important call but have to step away from the computer for a bit you can forward any calls to your phone. To set up call forwarding: open preferences and select Calls. You will see the option to set up call forwarding at the top of the page. Press the Forward calls radio followed by Set up Forwarding. Be aware that regular call rates will be charged.
• Screen sharing. Skype is a terrific collaboration tool and many businesses take advantage of it by holding virtual meetings. You can take this one step further by sharing your screen with other parties you are chatting with. This is a fantastic way to give virtual presentations. To share your screen while in a chat press the plus symbol at the bottom of your screen, or right click, and select Share Screen.
• Customer service tool. Using Skype is a convenient way to get in contact with your customers. Ask your website developer to put a Skype button on your website. Be sure to add when you or your employees are available to be contacted.
• Add-ons. Skype has solid features but there are a multitude of add-on apps that can make it even better. Some apps allow for closer collaboration, let you broadcast pre-recorded messages, or record video and audio calls. The apps can be downloaded from the Skype Shop.

Skype has many useful features that when utilized allow businesses’ clients and employees to communicate with ease. If you would like to know more about using Skype or other VoIP services in your company please give us a call.

Tablet computers are arguably some of the most useful devices that have been developed in the past ten years. While there are a ton of tablets on the market, there’s one that’s king: the iPad. The iPad has many different features that appeal to nearly every user, including companies who have taken to using the iPad for presentations.

If you’re on the road and give lots of presentations, the iPad can be the perfect tool as it allows you to leave the laptop at home, or in the hotel room. Here are three programs that are great for creating and giving presentations on the iPad, and what you need to give presentations on big-screens such as projectors and TVs.

Keynote Keynote is Apple’s presentation software. With this app, users can create some really professional looking presentations with ease. The one downside to Keynote is that it has trouble interacting with presentations created using Microsoft PowerPoint. Some fonts, clipart and animations used by PowerPoint and not Apple, will simply not copy over.

SlideShark SlideShark is perfect for users who aren’t comfortable with Keynote or are more comfortable with Microsoft PowerPoint. It works by uploading your presentations using SlideShark, converting them into a format the iPad can read and syncing them with the iPad. This is a great app for users of PCs.

Power Presenter This app is for presenters who want to give presentations on a projector, as its main purpose is to make it easier for the iPad and projectors to sync with one another. After you’ve finished your presentation, save it as a PDF and hook up your iPad to the projector you’ll be using. The app will simultaneously show the presentation on the screen and your iPad. This app is good if you don’t have the time to set up the projector whenever you give a presentation.

What You Need to Give Presentations When you switch over to using the iPad for presentations, you’ll need two adapters that allow you to hook the iPad up to the various different visual outputs e.g., TV screens and projector units.

The first adapter is a VGA adapter which will allow you to connect your iPad to the majority of projectors. When you give a presentation using a projector, plug the VGA cable into your iPad and the projector, and you should be ready to give your presentation.

The second adapter is for TVs and projectors that use HDMI outputs. Apple calls this adapter a “Digital AV Adapter” and it can be found on the Apple Store. When you plug in the adapter, your display should show up on both the screen and your iPad.

If you have any questions about using your iPad to give presentations or other uses for your Apple products, please contact us. We’re more than happy to sit down and discuss solutions with you.

Microsoft is one of the largest software companies in the world, offering a product catalogue that has something for everyone. With products like the Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft all but dominates the desktop office business. The next step for Microsoft has been to move their business services to the cloud.

Microsoft’s cloud based office suite for businesses is called Microsoft Office 365. Office 365 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote - and Microsoft Server products e.g., Lync 2010 and SharePoint Server. All programs are accessed via a Web browser, offering users the ability to access the programs from the office, home or anywhere in between.

On March 14, 2012 Microsoft held a press conference announcing that the price of Office 365 subscriptions will be reduced by up to 20%. This decrease will apply to all new and renewing direct customers.

The price cut is a great advantage to many potential customers as it makes Office 365 more competitive with other cloud based office solutions such as Google Apps. This is also beneficial as many businesses already use the desktop versions of Microsoft Office. If they switch to Office 365, employees will be comfortable with the cloud version, as the software is exactly the same as the desktop version.

It’s the perfect time to look into Office 365 and see what it can bring to your organization. If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft Office 365 or other products from Microsoft, we are your go-to experts and will be more than happy to help.

In order for your IT department to be successful, you need a strategic plan that will both optimize your workflow and help to define your practice’s needs. The well thought out and executed plan will exhibit a focus on the experiences of your staff and patients. Here are five considerations that can help you develop your strategic IT plan.

1. Improve the patient experience. Many healthcare practitioners consider the patient experience a major challenge, yet don’t give much thought to how IT can improve it. Consider what you can do electronically to support patients, whether they're in your facility or not. Electronic forms? Email and text message reminders and confirmations? Kiosks?
2. Consider best practices. Technology can help you get to know your patients better. The Web, for example, can be used as a first point of engagement. Ask a few questions of visitors, then tailor your responses to their needs. A patient interested in a first consultation would receive different information than one preparing for his or her first round of cancer treatment.
3. Don’t forget the staff! Your staff needs successful workflows to interact effectively with patients. Common errors are multiple devices and different logins. Keep in mind how clinicians work to develop efficiencies. Your staff needs to be able to provide clinical care without being tied to a PC.
4. Use social media. Social media often isn’t included in IT planning, as it’s usually more of a marketing consideration. Without thinking about how it will be used, it will become difficult for patients and staff to have a singular experience. Your IT department needs to work with other departments to develop a social media plan that will yield a consistent presentation to the end user.
5. Use integrative planning. Typically, IT does its strategic planning in isolation. Ideally though, IT would plan with other departments. This “integrative planning” allows for a consistent plan supported by all parts of the practice.

Communication is arguably the single most important aspect to a successful business. One of the most familiar forms of communication is the telephone, and with advances in technology, it’s unsurprisingly gone digital. The most commonly used digital voice system being Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.

VoIP has become the main backbone of voice communication for a growing majority of companies, offering numerous benefits including potentially large cost savings, and decreased maintenance costs. When it was first introduced, the technology needed to run a VoIP system was expensive, limiting it to MNCs and other large organizations. However, over the past few years, the technology has come down in price and is now available for next to nothing, allowing SMEs to make the switch to VoIP. If your company is thinking of ringing the changes, there are some necessary requirements you should meet before you migrate.

Foundation A solid foundation for VoIP is key, as without a good foundation you’ll find that network speed and call quality are poor during heavy use. Most SMEs aim for a VoIP system that can handle around 10 employees on the phone at any given time. Before you start the integration, you should track your current call volume by keeping a note of the number of calls in and out, while paying close attention to call volume during peak hours and days.

You should also investigate the speed and stability of your current Internet connection. While a fast DSL or cable connection is good for browsing, it may not be robust enough to handle VoIP communications, which need a connection that is both quick and stable. Look at your downstream (traffic into your network) and upstream (traffic out of your network) connection speed during a time when the network is experiencing heavy data use. Anything over 1.5 Mbps in both directions should be enough to handle the majority of VoIP systems. Most Internet service providers offer a connection speed well above that, but it’s important to check it out first.

Framing When you have a solid foundation that will support your needs, the next step is building the frame for VoIP. You should determine exactly what’s required from your new system. Some good questions to ask include: Am I going to need to make international calls? How many VoIP connections am I going to need? Am I going to want to make video calls? What’s my budget?

Once you’ve determined your needs you can move on to picking equipment. If you’re a business that typically sticks to local, and some long distance calls, you shouldn’t require much in the way of equipment. The vast majority of companies use a device called a media gateway that allows normal phones to interface with an Internet connection - essentially turning a regular phone into a VoIP phone. If you’re a business that would like to take advantage of the more advanced features of VoIP, like portability, you’ll need more state-of-the-art equipment.

The final issue you need to address is security. On its own, VoIP is not the most secure of connections, as it’s open to all the same types of security breaches that computers and networks can fall prey to. To combat this, many good VoIP service providers will have security measures in place to protect VoIP calls on their network. On your end, it also helps to keep your Internet security up-to-date and conduct regular system scans.

Once you’ve addressed the internal requirements it’s time to start looking for a VoIP service provider. Take your time, shop around, ask competitors and other businesses what service they use. One question to ask a prospective provider is if they will be able to migrate your current number onto their system? While most can switch over your existing numbers, it can take a while, depending on your location and local legislation. So be sure to check if the provider can migrate your numbers and how long it will take.

From there, you should be ready to switch over to VoIP. If you’re still unsure of the process, there are consultants available who can help with the preparation, selection and integration. Good luck, and if you need more information about VoIP, we are here to help you.

With the increasing severity of natural disasters in recent years, many larger companies have started to develop and implement a continuity plan to ensure that they can still conduct business, no matter what happens. Businesses in the process of developing a plan will eventually need to decide if they want to use software or templates?

The decision between templates and software can be a tough one to make, as whichever one you choose, you’ll be using and relying on for a long time. To help you we’ve covered some pros and cons on both choices:

Using Software If you choose to go with a software program, you will be walked through the whole process allowing you to develop a useable plan. Another benefit of using software is that you’ll be able to develop reports if needs be.

The drawbacks of using software include cost, inflexibility and learning time. For the most part, business continuity planning software is not cheap, and at times can be inflexible due to limits within the program. If you have a niche need, the software may not cover it. In addition, as with mastering any program, the learning curve can be quite steep.

In general, using software would be advantageous for companies that have a bigger budget for the development of a continuity plan. Software is also a good bet if you don’t have staff who are experts in continuity planning, or if you operate in an industry where a continuity plan is necessary, e.g., companies working with healthcare insurance, or manufacturing companies that have introduced ISO 9000.

Using Templates If you feel that your company is not ready for software you can use templates to help you develop your plan. These solutions are mostly written plans that you adapt to meet your business needs. They’re useful if you’re just starting to do continuity planning, as they provide a normally solid foundation, and are generally a lot cheaper than software.

A limitation to using templates is that they can be a little too basic at times, and may not meet your needs. Granted, most plans will follow a basic structure and your developer will need to adapt some steps for your relevant region and industry.

As each industry is different, it’s hard to make a recommendation on what type of planning style companies should take. We recommend you take your time, do your due diligence and weigh out what’s best for your business. No matter which method you choose to go ahead with, ensure that it’s easy to implement, and that you’ll be able to teach your staff how to run the plan.

If you feel really lost or are not sure what to do, talking to professional consultants could go a long way in helping you develop a plan. If you’d like to learn more about business continuity planning please contact us - we are happy to help.

In the past five years, there has been a significant rise in the sharing of files and information between computer users. Many businesses have also taken to sharing files using cloud services and peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, allowing users to share files with each other over the Internet. This brings about a number of issues, both with file recoverability and overall security.

With the seizure of a number of cloud storage and sharing websites, including Megaupload, and the seemingly omnipresent malware in P2P files and the shaky security in relation to P2P networks, businesses have had their hands full staying secure. Do you know what your options are when it comes to data security?

Cloud Services Knowhow The recent seizure of Megaupload’s files and servers by the US Government caught many people and businesses unprepared. While Megaupload’s main purpose was file sharing, it was found that a large number of organizations were using their services to store files. If you had files stored on Megaupload, the chances of getting the files back are non-existent.

It needs to be pointed out that many cloud services don’t guarantee that files stored on the service will be recoverable in the event of a crash, or disruption in service, e.g., a government seizing servers. If you read the user agreements of a number of major cloud services, they all have clauses stating that if data stored on their service is lost for any reason, it’s gone forever, and the hosts can’t be held liable for losses.

Risks of P2P With high speed Internet widely available at low prices, P2P file sharing has become incredibly popular, it’s almost uncommon to find someone who has never used a P2P service. If you or your employees use P2P at your office, there are a number of potential security threats you should be aware of:

• The unknown share: If you put a file in a folder that is shared on a P2P network, it’ll be shared with all other people connected to that folder and almost anyone can access it. This is normally done by mistake, i.e., not looking where the file will be saved when you save it. There’s also malware out there that will move files into a shared folder which the developer of the malware can find and upload with ease and without the user knowing it is happening.
• Open network: Typically P2P works on open networks: users give and share. What this means is that when using P2P on a poorly configured network, the whole network could be unsecure, allowing for access to other computers connected to the network.
• Untracked data: If you share a document with another person, and they then share it with others, there is potentially, an unlimited amount of people that can get the data. If you want to take it back, it can be impossible to do so, even if the original document is deleted.
• Storage hijacking: There’s news of malware that has been developed with the purpose of downloading illegal material onto your hard drive. This could pose a problem if the data is found, as you will be liable.

What Should I do? With regards to cloud services, as with anything that comes with a contract, the first thing you should do is gain an understanding of it by utilizing reading material such as blogs, news articles and Wikis. It’s a pain in the neck, but it’ll help you understand the boundaries of the program and your responsibilities. Remember that if you go to court to get files back from a company, and it becomes known that you didn’t read the agreement, you’ll probably end up losing that case.

Second, it’s not recommended to keep single copies of data on one cloud service. Chances are high that in your business, you store your data and backups in a place separate from the computer. This makes sense with the cloud as well - keep your data with a number of different cloud services. If it’s important enough, have physical backups of what you put in the cloud.

For P2P networks there are also a number of steps you can take to protect the data on your network:

• The most obvious one is to ban employees from using any file sharing services outside of your network.
• If you do allow file sharing, it’s a good idea to establish and strictly enforce a protocol for this. You should also set which users are allowed to share files, and what files are appropriate to share. Be sure that all staff are aware of your policy and the measures that will be taken in the event of any deviations.
• Develop a system to classify documents by whether or not they can be shared, and who they can be shared with.
• If you work in an office where you need to share files, but don’t want to use a P2P network or the cloud, and are unsure of other solutions out there, don’t worry. There are companies that specialize in document sharing solutions that should be able to provide you with assistance.

The most important thing is that whatever the situation is, you take action to try to solve the problem while frequently revisiting the actions to ensure that they are working. If you’d like to learn more about document sharing over the cloud, or via P2P networks, give us a buzz. We’re more than happy to help.

Google, long known for constantly changing its apps, has done it again. The latest change has been to the Android Marketplace, and is one of the bigger changes Google has made to its apps in the past year. This turnaround follows the trend of solidifying and combining different apps and services into one bigger umbrella, so to speak.

Google have killed off the existing Android Marketplace and replaced it with Google Play. Android Marketplace was an Android only marketplace, and this did not mesh well with Google’s current goal of integration across platforms. What Google has done with Google Play is integrate movies, books, apps and music into one central hub. Any movies, music or books users have previously bought through their respective services have also been moved to Google Play.

The Marketplace, Music, Movies and Books apps have also been renamed: Google Play, Google Play Music, Google Play Movies and Google Play Books. This has been done to promote integration across the Google platform. You can buy a book from your tablet, start reading, switch to your phone and pick up where you left off. When you get to work, you can continue reading on your browser.

What does this mean for my business? If your company uses Android devices it means that the Android apps and other related software can be purchased all from the same place. It will also make it easier to roll out and install apps from one browser. Other than that, there aren’t that many major changes aside from the name changes - Google Play looks and acts exactly the same as the Android Marketplace.

This change seems to be for the good, and will give Android users a centralized place for their entertainment and apps. For more information on Android, or Google, please give us an email. We’re here to help.

In the past, most office software was just that, office software. There was little to no ability to make the software yours, to set it up how you like. This has been changing in the past few years, with many programs allowing for customization - settings and appearances can be altered to suit users’ needs and preferences. Microsoft Office 365 is one such program.

Microsoft Office 365 is first and foremost a suite of familiar office software for businesses to use in their day-to-day operations. But just because this software is instantly recognizable as a Microsoft product, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make some small changes to personalize your computing workspace. Here are a few ways you can do just that:

Set Your Profile Picture You can set a profile picture which will show up on any window or application that has the ability to show your image - e.g., Microsoft Lync. To set your picture:

1. Log into Office 365 and go to the Home page.
2. Click the My Profile header. It’s located in the top right hand side of the screen, underneath your name.
3. Click Change Photo.
4. Choose your photo by selecting Browse. It’s recommended that your picture be under 100kb in size, you’ll get an error message telling you if it is any larger. When you have selected your picture, press Save.

Add a Signature to Your Emails Many business emails include a signature at the bottom, a way to make each email seem a little more personal, or provide more information including contact details and a potential message about an upcoming promotion. To set your signature:

1. Navigate to the Outlook page, click on Options. It’s located in the top right hand side of the screen, underneath your name.
2. Click See all options from the drop-down menu that opens.
3. Select My Account, followed by Settings which is located in the left hand menu.
4. Under the Mail Tab, you will have an option to edit your signature. If you want Outlook to automatically place your signature on every outgoing email, click the radio button below the signature that says Automatically include my signature on messages I send.

If you don’t choose to have Outlook automatically add your signature, you can add the signature in your email by selecting the Messages Tab in each new email, and clicking the little arrow below Signature. A list of created signatures will be shown, select the one you wish to use.

Add Your Picture or Logo to Your SharePoint Site If your company uses SharePoint, you can add a logo or picture to enhance what is a relatively plain environment.

1. First, you need to create an image. You can use almost any picture, just ensure you can legally use it. Get creative, this is your space!
2. When you have the image you want to use, open SharePoint, click Site Actions and select More Options.
3. Select Picture Library, and in the window that opens, select a name for a new library, and press Create.
4. Your new Library should be on the left side of the screen. Click to open it and select Upload.
5. When your picture shows up in the library, select it twice, so it’s in its own window. Copy the web address from the top of the page.
6. Under Site Actions select Site Settings followed by Look and Feel.
7. Beside Logo URL and description paste the URL you just copied. Click Ok and your image will show up on your SharePoint site.

With a few steps you can make Office 365 a little more personal. Just be sure that you can legally use the images you select. If you would like to learn more about Microsoft Office 365 or any other Microsoft products, give us a call.