Archive for the Uncategorized Category

Guest Post: Types of Tech Used in the Office

Posted in Uncategorized on June 12, 2013 by itnerd

By Molly Malone

As the technology age progresses, businesses and their productivity have also made leaps due to the increased ease of getting things done and completing tasks, thanks to modern tech. As old technology systems such as fax machines and Rolodexes make their way out and newer technology makes its way in, businesses are more on top of their game than ever before. So what are some of the most common types of technology seen in the office, and how do they benefit the workforce?

Network Monitoring and Surveillance

Network monitoring is a fairly new office technology that allows supervisors and superiors to closely monitor exactly what employees are doing with company computers while on the clock. Network monitoring software eliminates the need to constantly walk around and check up on employees by peering over their shoulders.

With network surveillance software, all activities on all computers can be monitored from one central location. With this software, employees can’t even minimize or hide what they shouldn’t be doing. This type of software makes it as easy as child’s play to keep employees in line from a distance.

Modern Phone Systems and Smartphones

The cloud-based office phone system and smartphones are making their way to the front of the list of solutions that businesses are using to handle their telecommunication. Right now, cloud-based telecommunication is huge, and Broadview Networks is just one of the many providers that make it possible.

Smartphones are also big in the workplace, as they provide a mobile solution for employees to get work done while on the go. Smartphones use apps that can make even the most laborious of workplace tasks a little bit easier.

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing is also a huge tech solution that is being used in offices across the globe. Long gone are the days when officials needed to gather at one location to meet and discuss matters with their businesses. Now, all they need is compatible video conferencing software to see each other in real time and discuss pertinent matters.

Video conferencing comes with microphone capabilities, virtual drawing boards, and the ability to join several people together for large meetings. Video conferencing has truly revolutionized the ways business officials meet and make decisions.

Cloud-based File Systems

File systems are moving towards the cloud to make it easier for employees to share files, access data outside of the office, and collaborate on projects. Local file systems always limited productivity greatly due to the need for being physically at a specific computer to access particular data. Cloud-based computing completely eliminates the need for this, and thanks to Google Drive and other cloud apps, our documents are always at our fingertips.

Tablets

Lastly, tablets have also made their way onto the scene as viable pieces of office technology. Tablets have proved to be useful in secretarial positions, meeting accessories, client presentations, etc. Because they are light and easy to carry while on the go, they make perfect devices to complete work on while away from the office as well.

Tablets have even, in some cases, completely replaced the need for laptops in particular offices. Tablets have advanced so much that they can take care of basic computing such as word processing or web browsing, making the need for bulky laptops obsolete. Besides, wouldn’t you rather carry around a light and flat device rather than a bulky piece of plastic with fragile parts inside?

About the author:

Molly is a creative based out of Philadelphia focusing on content strategy and copywriting as well as design. She loves all things tech and can be found tightly gripping her smartphone at all times.

The Work From Home Disadvantage

Posted in Uncategorized on April 21, 2013 by itnerd

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Source: internetprovider.org

Cyberbullying: Hazard Or Hype?

Posted in Uncategorized on April 18, 2013 by itnerd

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Original source: CollegeStats.org

 

8 Years Of Data Breaches In Education

Posted in Uncategorized on April 17, 2013 by itnerd

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Original Source: Open-Site.org

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Launches In U.K.

Posted in Uncategorized on April 6, 2013 by itnerd

If you’re in the United Kingdom, the big news is that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 is now in stores. It will be available in other places soon, but our English friends get first crack at this tablet. Here’s the specs:

  • 5 megapixel camera on the back
  • 1.3 megapixel camera on the front
  • a brand new S-Pen to draw or write with
  • 2GB of RAM
  • MicroSD slot to add up to 64GB of storage
  • 1.6GHz quad-core A9 processor
  • 8.0-inch WVGA display at 1280 x 800 pixel resolution
  • WiFi and HSPA connectivity (the latter coming “soon”)

Expect to pay £339.99 GBP for WiFi only model.

Now, if you want accessories for the Galaxy Note 8.0, you’re in luck. Gearzap.com has everything from official Samsung accessories of varying types to fit your needs. So whatever you require, you’ll be covered right from the start.

Rogers Announces Tech Essentials To Help To Educate Canadians About Technology

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on January 14, 2013 by itnerd

One of the things that is a common occurrence for me is that I have to explain to non-techie types all sorts of technical concepts that are second nature to people like me. Rogers is coming to the rescue of people like me with a website called Tech Essentials.

The whole point of this website is to educate Canadians about technology and how to safely use it. One thing that caught my attention is that Rogers is working with non-profit organizations MediaSmarts and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to promote safe technology use through this program. The Tech Essentials site has been accredited by the independent organization Parent Tested Parent Approved. So it has some street cred.

I’ve had a look at the site and it looks good. An educated consumer is your best consumer. You should take a look even if you’re not a Rogers customer. Here’s a hint, try the quiz and see how well you do.

Rogers Brings Their Cell Phone Plans Into The 21st Century

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on November 7, 2012 by itnerd

I guess that Rogers is feeling the heat from all the new entrants in the Canadian cell phone space who have offered either unlimited voice and text or unlimited voice, text, and data for some time now. I say that because Rogers has pretty much overhauled their cell phone plans so that they are much simpler and encompass unlimited voice and text. Here’s how the new plans shape up:

Now there is one plan at the low end that has 1000 voice minutes a month but a measly 200MB of data, but other than that the plan look decent on the surface. Your only challenge will be to pick the data package that is right for you. These plans are available starting today and existing customers can update their plan at any time with no cost to migrate.

Now if Rogers would do something about that activation fee like Telus has.

Review: OS X Mountian Lion – Part 3: My Impressions

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , on July 30, 2012 by itnerd

So I’ve used OS X Mountain Lion for almost a week now and my impressions of it are very good. It’s not any faster, but Apple didn’t say it would be. So that’s fine. Having said that it feels like Apple spent a lot more time and effort than they did with Lion to make it feel polished. And to boot, it’s fixed a couple of annoying bugs that I had with Lion. For example, VNC connectivity under Lion quite frankly sucked. It had some serious problems in terms of VNC clients connecting to a computer that have been well documented. Those have thankfully been fixed. Finally, Mountain Lion hasn’t broken any of my apps. Thus this is a no brainier upgrade. If you’re running Lion, upgrade today. That’s right, don’t bother waiting for the bug fixes to appear. Don’t bother being conservative. Join the three million or so people who have already upgraded. You’ll be glad you did.

Microsoft, the bar has been set pretty high. Let’s see if your Windows 8 OS is up to the challenge.

Taking A Break Until July 25th

Posted in Uncategorized on July 12, 2011 by itnerd

Enjoy the summer!

Comcast, Rogers, Bell All Have Bad News On The Throttling Front

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on July 11, 2008 by itnerd

Imagine that you’re the CEO’s of any of the above ISPs. You’re going to wake up to the news that your life is about to get a lot more complicated. How? Let me list the ways:

  • Comcast got the absolutely Comcastic news that FCC chairman Kevin Martin thinks that Comcast needs to be punished for it’s throttling activites. He goes on to say that “The commission has adopted a set of principles that protects consumers access to the Internet,” Martin told The Associated Press late Thursday. “We found that Comcast’s actions in this instance violated our principles.”
  • Rogers and Bell found out that The Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) at the University of Ottawa has put a post in the forums of DSLReports.com late on Thursday saying that “We are interested from hearing from individuals who are subscribers to Bell or Rogers’ high speed internet services who are concerned about alleged internet throttling practices by Bell and Rogers”. This is likely a prelude to a class action lawsuit.

Anyone want to take bets as to how fast it takes these companies to either circle their legal wagons?