Top 5: Technology Myths You Need to Eliminate Right Now

Over time, many misconceptions are fixed in our thinking. The world of technology is one of the richest in myths. It’s time to eliminate preconceived ideas that are false and that disrupt your relationship with technology! In today’s article, we cover the top 5 technology myths you need to eliminate right now!

“MacBooks are immune to virus attacks”

For a long time, Apple pretended that its computers, unlike the machines of Microsoft, were immune to viruses. However, in 2012, a malware like Trojan affected thousands of Mac computers, throwing away the (very useful) myth of Apple. There are still many people who believe that Mac is completely immune to virus attacks, but that’s a myth!

“Charging the electronic devices many times destroy the battery”

This myth was real until a few years ago. However, modern lithium-ion batteries are smarter, knowing when they are 100 percent charged and no longer charging when they reach the maximum battery. It is advised that charging 20% ​​of computers, tablets and mobile phones is ideal for the longevity of the device.

“You should not invest in management systems in times of crisis”

This is one of the most dangerous myths for business survival. Moments of crisis force companies to have greater control over their finances. As a rule, in these periods there is a decrease in the number of employees, which will cause people to be overloaded and the management systems can be very useful in these phases. The adoption of a management system in times of economic recession is essential to ensure greater control over spending and budgets and allows streamlining processes, increasing the productivity of the company. Investing in a management system can be the first (and the most important) step to get out of a less good situation.

“The more tools you use, the more productive you will be”

Sometimes, less is more and in the case of companies and management tools this applies. Many managers believe that using multiple tools simultaneously will be more productive, but what happens is just the opposite, because the focus is dispersed across multiple programs and data sources. At the data analysis level, it is advisable to use a BAM tool such as Multipeers, because the manager will be able to know what is going on in his organization through a single dashboard that collects information from the various data sources of the company. This way, the manager doesn’t need to consult 3 or 4 programs, which avoids wasting time and increases productivity.

“Just keep the system up to date is enough to be protected”

Unfortunately, protecting your system from computer attacks is not that easy. Updating the system already puts the company at risk, so it is critical not to have the automatic updates. It is essential to analyze all the risks of the update, to see if after being updated the system becomes more vulnerable. While keeping your programs and systems up-to-date is important, but it is not enough to prevent attacks. It is important that you train your employees to behave correctly when it comes to data security, as this is a responsibility of all members of an organization.

Top 5 trends in data visualization

Data is increasingly important to companies and knowing how to interpret them correctly and quickly is a constant challenge. The current business world is very fast, so it is no longer possible for companies to survive only at the expense of lengthy reports. Business Intelligence, artificial intelligence and the need for real-time information are changing the way we view data. In today’s article, we present the key trends in data visualization!

Location-based data analysis and visualization

Mobile applications and social networks are increasingly using geo-referencing. In this way, it is possible to know where a customer is located and to send personalized and useful information at the moment, in order to stimulate a purchase. This trend will be well present in the future, where applications will begin to integrate more analysis based on geotags.

Data visualization for all

The tendency is for all employees in a company to have access to data that is important for the performance of their obligations. If the data were previously only available to top managers and decision makers, in the future it is expected that there will be a democratization of data access so that all employees are better informed and better able to perform their tasks.

Interactive Dashboards

The large volume and complexity of data requires new ways of analyzing information. Interactive dashboards are going to be a big trend next year. Softwares such as Multipeers allow the creation of an interactive dashboard with information from several data sources, which makes the analysis faster and, consequently, the decision making is faster and efficient.

Presence on multiple platforms

Companies should be present on various platforms (social media, blog, website) and thus collect data from various sources. This information can be used to better understand customers and their needs and desires. In this way, business portfolio can be adapted to the real needs of consumers, which will make them more loyal to the brand.

Data Scientists

This will be one of the most important professions in the future. A data scientist is an analytical professional who has the technical capabilities to solve complex problems and has come up to deal with the huge amount of unstructured data that companies have to deal with on a daily basis. This professional creates algorithms to extract insights from the data generated by the diverse sources of information and presents them in a practical and simple format to analyze by the decision makers, who will be able to define strategies and decide the best way for the company.

New Data Protection Regulation: Everything you need to know

For the European Commission, the protection of personal data is a key element of the Digital Single Market. All this scenario has boosted the creation of the new General Regulation on Data Protection (GDPR) for the European Union, which repeals the current legislation on personal data protection, published in 1995, when Internet access was not yet widespread. The new Data Protection Regulation enters into force in May 2018 and there is still a lack of knowledge regarding its performance and implications. In this article, we will cover all the aspects you must know to receive the new data protection regulation in accordance with the law!

The most significant and impacting changes in this new regulation are:

Right to forget

Citizens will be able to require companies to delete their personal data. The new regulation allows the personal data of each citizen to be destroyed at his request.

Data portability

Citizens can require companies to send their personal data in a format that allows them to be sent to another company, facilitating their migration and making it easier to switch to a TV service provider, for example.

Right of opposition to profiling

Companies’ computer systems should be able to register who indicated a refusal to automate their data, as is usually done in processes of behavioral analysis and creation of consumption profiles.

Records and proof of consent

Regarding the online relationship with customers, company systems should expose privacy policies in clear and objective language. Consent for the processing of data by users should be kept in a form to be presented if necessary.

Privacy by ‘default’ and design

You should ensure the protection of data from the design of computer applications, minimizing the processing of personal data, masking of data, encryption, among other topics.

Obligation to notify

Companies and organizations have the responsibility to notify the National Supervisory Authority of data breaches about situations which put individuals at risk and to communicate to the citizen concerned all high-risk breaches as quickly as possible.

How do I know if the new law applies to my business?

The new data protection law applies to any organization doing business in the European Union regardless of whether personal data processing occurs in the European Union or not, and regardless of whether it is personal data about EU residents or only visitors.

What happens if I don’t comply with the new data protection regulation?

The punitive regime of the new law is very demanding and includes fines that in the case of violations of lesser gravity could reach 10 million euros or 2% of global business volume globally. In the most serious cases fines may reach 20 million euros or 4% of total turnover.

You can learn more about the new data protection regulation by downloading this e-book that explores the new law and tells you everything you need to know!

What is data management and why you should start using it today?

Data-driven management: everything you need to know

The terms Big Data and Analytics have brought a new challenge for managers: using the data to support their decisions. If decisions were made in the past based on feelings and a forecasting perspective, today they need to be taken based on true and up-to-date data, because only in this way companies can prosper in a market as competitive as the one we have at the moment. In today’s article we will talk about data-based management and realize why your company should start using it today!

What is data-based management?

The speedy pace of business today forces managers to make strategic decisions at all times and with great urgency. Decisions define the success or failure of companies and therefore a data-based management is essential to reduce risk in the decision-making process and contribute to the business success.

Data-driven management is one that is guided by the large amount of information circulating throughout the organization every day. The data comes from internal and external sources, such as customer profiles, market analysis, competition analysis, quotes, among many other information. Managing on the basis of concrete data is a very important step in deciding correctly.

Why should I manage based on the data?

First of all, managing on the basis of data is essential to making the right decisions. Data-driven management must rely on business monitoring solutions, such as Multipeers, because this way you will always have the most up-to-date information about your company. A delay in decision making can mean the loss of business, especially in the current market where everything changes so quickly. Information is the most important asset in today’s businesses and needs to be managed in the best way possible.

Besides being important to have updated data to decide, managing based on real information allows you to set concrete performance indicators to evaluate the performance of your company. Knowing the actual performance level of an organization allows you to discover failures and improvement points, maximizing the company’s performance to the fullest.

Data-driven management also helps companies to reduce operational costs by being able to more easily identify the company’s most-spending sectors. Based on the information gathered, managers will be able to change processes to reduce costs.

Finally, real-time data-based management allows you to identify changes and failures at the exact moment they occur, and it is possible for the manager to act immediately.

Business information is one of the concerns of current managers because there is already the awareness that knowing is power and only with a concrete knowledge about the operations of the company and the market is that you can beat the competition.

Download our e-book about business monitoring and meeting objectives and learn how real-time data management can help your business grow!

The main advantages of document management for companies

Document management: find the main advantages for companies

Document management is essential for the correct functioning of a company. Nowadays, there is more and more data in companies, which delays quick access to information, leads to loss of documents and complicates decision making. The implementation of a document management system allows companies to manage their unstructured information. In this article we will talk about the key advantages of document management for companies!

Dematerialization

A document management system allows paper documents to be scanned, giving rise to electronic documents that are classified and available according to certain criteria. In this way, it will be much easier to consult invoices and contracts, for example.

Control of information flows

With a document management system it is easier to guarantee information security because there is knowledge about where it is. With these systems, it is also possible to define processes and ensure that they are fulfilled from the moment a new document arrives at the organization until its treatment and cataloging.

Reducing costs and increasing productivity

This is the advantage that most pleases the managers. As there is greater speed in the availability, access and treatment of documents, employees are free to perform other tasks that bring productivity to the company. The reduction of costs is a consequence of this increase of productivity. Another factor contributing to savings is the reduced need for storage space, which is a heavy expense in most businesses.

Facilitated search

Document management systems provide a search engine capable of performing document searches for its content or features, instantly locating it, anytime, anywhere. Documents can also be connected to business monitoring systems such as Multipeers, making them important data sources for decision making.

Reduction of number of documents

The use of specialized software in process automation is essential for organizations and allows to reduce the number of documents. The advantages are immense, starting with the ease in finding the information until the decrease (or even elimination) of the use of paper in the companies.

Lower risk of information loss

Paper documents are harder to catalog and more likely to get lost. With the great volume of information that comes to companies on a daily basis, it becomes humanly impossible to manage all the available data. With the use of a document management system it is easier to save the information and ensure that no important data is lost.

The current economic situation means that companies have as their main objectives to increase productivity and reduce costs. The technology, when well used, is an important ally of business management and contributes on a large scale to better levels of income.

5 reasons why you should have a data backup

Learn why a backup of data is critical to your business

We live in an increasingly connected world where there are more and more virtual threats. Therefore, it is essential that you be prepared for any situation that could put the security of your information at risk. These days, putting a security password in your most important files is no longer enough. Making backups of data frequently is a critical step in ensuring that you will not lose sensitive data of the utmost importance. In this article, we’ll give you 5 reasons why you should do a data backup!

Ensures productivity in disaster situations

If there is a computer problem and important files are lost, the only alternative is to redo the work that has been done previously. This leads to a large productivity drop. Having an up-to-date backup of the data will allow the company’s revenue to not be affected because even in the event of a computer disaster the employees will have access to the documents they need to work.

Eliminates human failures

Corporate backup processes are, in most cases, automated. This eliminates, or at least substantially reduces, human failures. If you have scheduled backups automatically, you do not have to worry about this task or any possible errors during its execution. This ensures the integrity of your business information.

The whole information in one place

Having all the company information in one place helps in the organization of business data. Having files spread across multiple computers and external disks causes confusion and delays when browsing a file. Centralizing everything is a more agile way of dealing with information and responding more quickly to the needs of those who need to consult the data.

Prevents problems in case of natural disasters

Companies that don’t have a backup plan may find it very difficult to resume activity after a natural tragedy. It is estimated that 80% of organizations that go through a stop more than five days, without having a backup plan, ends up closing the activity in a short time.

Cloud facilitates backups

Backing up the Cloud is one of the best choices for businesses. Although there is still some concern about this new technology, saving files to the Cloud is extremely secure. This way of doing backups presents immense benefits over more traditional forms: greater portability, lower installation and maintenance costs and a higher level of security.

The amount of information that exists in companies today is enormous, so it is necessary to find increasingly sophisticated ways of dealing with it.

Get to Know the 4 Phases of a Computer Disaster and Find How to Protect Your Data

Computer disasters exist and people who think that only happens to others are wrong. The causes for these disasters are immense: inadequate infrastructure, unskilled professionals, lack of security software, among many others. In this article, we’ll talk about the phases of a computer disaster and give you some tips so you can protect yourself and avoid these situations in the future!

Worry phase

After a disaster, and if the company is not properly protected, a wave of concern arises. “Did we lose all the data?”: the affirmative answer to this question can result in a fall in productivity and will be reflected in the profit of the company. The company, at this early stage of the computer disaster, feels lost and cannot reorganize itself in order to continue to produce normally.

Acceptance and understanding phase

After the initial phase of panic and concern, it’s time to look at the real impact the disaster will have on the company. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate what needs to be done, what data were most affected, among other essential aspects to the good functioning of the company.

Phase of redoing what was already done

This is the stage where you will have to organize the work that had already been done previously. Sometimes a computer disaster destroys work done years ago. It is important to be aware that at this stage the old work and the current work will overlap, which will make the workload of the employees increase significantly. It is necessary to make a good time management so as not to lose the old work and at the same time do not harm the current tasks.

Normality phase

After all the confusion generated by the computer disaster, it’s time to get back to normal. It will not be an easy task, since a computer disaster always leaves sequels, but gradually the company will return to its usual routine. It is crucial that after such a situation, companies protect themselves and ensure that in future disasters they have control over their data.

Disaster Recovery Plans

Disaster recovery plans are essential for planning actions that ensure that a disaster doesn’t harm with the company’s performance. In addition to this proactive action, the disaster recovery plans also have a reactive action, through the action of executing emergency actions, previously planned and that guarantee the immediate resolution of problems. Disaster recovery is still defined as the set of procedures to be performed in crisis situations. The ultimate goal is to save your company data so your information stays safe and sound.

“It’s worth more to be safe than sorry” is an absolute truth when it comes to computer disasters. Learn about IT PEERS security solutions and ensure you don’t lose valuable information even in the most extreme situations!

The importance of information: tips for never losing your data

Business information is one of the most important assets in companies today. Business data consists of information about suppliers, customers, competition, strategies, among other documents that must be kept confidential. If these data are not stored properly, they may be lost or exposed to the outside, compromising safety and confidentiality. This type of situation is very damaging to the image of the company, so it is necessary to follow rules and strategies that allow to keep the data safe and private. Find 5 important tips to never lose your company data!

Make backups frequently

Nowadays all the information (or practically all of it) is digitized so it is vital to reinforce data security. It is necessary to keep backup copies in at least two different locations and it is advisable that one of these locations be in the Cloud because it is very unlikely to lose data that are hosted on the web in this type of services. Establish a backup routine so you don’t run the risk of not recovering the latest documents. Cloud services let you set the backup frequency you want in a timely manner.

Automate everything you can

If you have well-defined processes and well-established rules, it will be easier to optimize the work and leave a part of it delivered to the machines. Repetitive work is boring for the developer and to free him from routine processes is a way to leave him free to perform other functions. In addition, automated processes are faster than manuals. Automate backup and recovery frequencies.

Create a security policy

A survey carried out by the Ponemon Institute states that 73% of information technology users ensure that exposure of company data is due to internal errors, negligence or deliberately by employees. To avoid this, it is fundamental to create a security policy that includes e-mail retention (a good example is Office 365), that is, you can define that all emails that contain the word “login” must pass through a Moderator before being sent. Another important point is to define which documents are public, confidential and secret. It is also important that this policy includes penalties for those who fail to comply. In this way, employees of the company will feel more motivated not to make safety mistakes.

Use encryption in files

Files containing important and confidential information must be encrypted in order to ensure that only authorized persons can access the information. There are free solutions that allow you to put this functionality in the files, but it is advisable to do an exhaustive search on the best and safest ones, in order to choose the right tool.

Use VPN

A virtual private network (VPN) is a type of private connection that uses a public network to access your company data. It contains a connection encryption that prevents data interception and IP tracing. This is the safest way to access corporate data through public networks such as hotels and airports.

Learn about IT PEERS security services and ensure the confidentiality of your information!

Find out how technology can boost business productivity

There is no doubt that technology has come to revolutionize the business world. In this article you will learn about the benefits of technology in the corporate environment.

Increasing productivity is one of the biggest goals of a company, regardless of its size. Today, entrepreneurs have been wary of using technological products to achieve this goal. Technological innovations have made corporate processes much more practical, dynamic and efficient. If you need to increase your team’s productivity, see how you can do it using technology can help you.

Improves connectivity and communication among team members

When technology is used properly, team communication becomes faster and more efficient. Your employees won’t have to cross sections to request documents and materials and for this reason the technological innovations can increase the productivity. A corporate email, for example, will keep your employees from getting up all the time.

Promotes time management on the job

One of the main difficulties people have in the modern world is managing their time. There are so many tasks that need to be done that we often can not handle everything. Nowadays we can already count on several softwares that have the ability to organize an agenda quickly. To use the right tools, in addition to increasing the productivity of the company, there is still time to invest in actions that improve the internal development of the company. There is nothing more practical and effective than having a fully organized online agenda.

Improves the information’s security

As a business grows, so does its data. This information is generated daily and if not managed properly may jeopardize the development of the enterprise. The good news is that among the technological inventions there are already many applications that can store all this information. All the storage is carried out very securely, organized and the access is very easy. One of the most crucial points for any type of business is the security of information. The loss of documents can cause irreversible problems, such as the loss of time to resolve them and a possible breach of privacy.

Reduces company costs

Many entrepreneurs have already proven that the use of technology, in addition to increasing productivity in companies still brings savings. With the use of some applications, tasks that previously could only be done manually are already performed by them. Technology reduces costs with energy, labor, maintenance, acquisition of hardware, security, etc.

Given the information presented in this article, there is no longer any doubt about the effectiveness of technological inventions in the corporate environment.

Even in times of crisis, your business may spend less on using some programs. Look for specialized companies in this type of services and define the best option for your company. Get started now to increase your business productivity using technology!

About the guest author:

GestãoClick is a company specialized in offering business management software to managers who wish to make their employees’ routine more efficient. Click here and learn more about what technology can do for your business.