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How Technology Can Help You Manage a Large Team

Managing a large team can be tricky – with many workers on board it can become difficult to keep track of everyone’s projects and productivity. Being the manager of such a large number of people requires excellent organization and leadership skills, and certain technologies can help boost them.


Use Online Communications

On an average working day of managing a large team, you may not find the time to see that everyone is happy and working well at their tasks. As a manager, it is your job to ensure everything is coming along fine, and communication is a vital part of knowing that it is. This is where online communications come in. Using online messaging means that you can create group chats where everyone can keep up and update others on their working day, so if anything is amiss you will know about it straight away.

Make the Most of Managing Software

Managing employees isn’t just about making sure the day is running smoothly, there are also employee records and payrolls to keep up to date. Luckily, there is great managing software for managing employee benefits and other areas all with one tool, creating less time-consuming work and providing you with more time to spend engaging with your workers.

Use the Cloud

The Cloud is a magical area where all of your documents are stored. This technology is essential for workplaces – by using the Cloud, you can rest assured all of your documents are safe, secure, and backed up. There are options where you can share documents, so you and your team will be able to share projects quickly. If you don’t have time to meet with a team member, but need them to work on a document, you can share the file to the Cloud, and they will find it there.

Virtual Conferences 

When you are part of a large team, finding the time to get everybody in the same room at the same time might prove difficult. Virtual conferences allow you to hold meetings with all of your staff so that nobody is left out. This gives all of your employees the chance to speak out during the meeting and voice any questions, feedback, or some ideas that could help the company. Without this, you might lose information that could help boost a project – receiving opinions from all of your team is vital.


Install Cybersecurity

The bigger the team, the greater the risk of cyber-attacks like hacking. You will want to ensure that your employees are safe from cyber-attacks, so using cybersecurity like VPN’s is a brilliant way of reducing risk. Installing cybersecurity on all of your employees’ computers will protect them and the company overall.

Use Analytical Tools

With a large team behind you, it becomes difficult to see the bigger picture. Using software that allows you to see the analytics of the company will mean you will know where needs a boost and which parts are running effectively. Having an overall, clear view makes managing a simpler task.

Technology helps in many areas of life, and managing a large team is certainly one of them. If you are a manager of a large team, consider using some of these technologies, and find yourself with more time on your hands. 

Thanks to Dylan Gillis

Will Virtual Reality be the future of Igaming?

Ever since the first online casino appeared on the market, this industry has been in tune with technological trends and innovations, trying to bring the online gambling experience to a new level. The first online casinos were rather primitive, and it took several years before they started to amass large groups of players. But as the internet became readily available in all corners of the globe, online casinos started to thrive. The invention of smartphones and tablets only made things more convenient for gamblers, as they could now play their favorite casino games on the move.

With all that said, it comes as no surprise that the online gambling industry is looking toward technology’s next big thing — virtual reality. VR has already made its mark on video gaming, as some of the most popular video game titles are now compatible with flagship VR headsets, but can this technology complement the needs of online gambling as well?


Why Do Online Casinos Need VR?

The online casino industry is in a healthier state than ever. New casino websites are appearing all over the place, and online gambling laws are loosening up in almost every part of the world. The players are already happy with their choices and are continually spoiled with rewarding casino bonuses and promotions. Nowadays, you can also play with as little as €/$1 – here some $1 minimum deposit casinos.

So, why would online casinos break the pattern and diverge from something that has been proven to work? Well, while casino games have gotten visually more engaging, the way these games are played has basically stayed the same for the last couple of decades. 

The demand for something new and exciting is ever-present in the minds of players, and VR might just be the thing that elevates their interest in online gambling even further.

What Would VR Casinos Look Like?

Adapting VR technology to online gambling might prove to be easier said than done. This tech works well with shooting games and sports games, but playing casino games is a rather passive activity.

Still, playing a casino game online simply doesn’t offer the same quality as playing it in a land-based gambling establishment. Therefore, VR casinos will look to narrow the gap between the online and land-based casino experiences by giving players a chance to interact with the virtual hardware of slot machines and table game elements like cards and chips. The players would be able to move around in this virtual environment and walk up to slot machines and blackjack tables like they would in a real brick-and-mortar casino. 

While VR casinos won’t feel completely realistic, they will still provide a much superior experience compared to clicking a mouse button or tapping the screen of your mobile device.

Another important aspect of VR casinos will be the social elements of gambling. Virtual casinos would feature virtual players, each having the ability to customize their avatar and present themselves in this digital world. Instead of using live chat, the players would be able to talk to each other and maybe even communicate with the dealer.

The customization options might also allow players to change the setting of the entire casino and adjust things like lighting, colors of the table, and other elements.

Connection Between VR Casinos and Land-Based Casinos

The possibilities of VR are endless, and we can only begin to speculate on how this technology might influence the gambling industry in the near future. But while the virtual reality casino experience would primarily concern online operators, big casino resorts and land-based gambling houses can also benefit from VR.

For example, large Vegas casinos might have their own VR setting that would mirror their land-based establishments. This way, players would be able to travel virtually to places like Bellagio, The Venetian, Caesars Palace, and other renowned casinos.


When Can We Expect Virtual Reality Casinos to Hit the Scene?

VR casinos already exist, the most notable ones being SlotsMillion and Casino VR Poker. However, implementing VR to online gambling is still a relatively new concept, and there’s a lot of room left for improvement.

Nevertheless, it is only a matter of time before virtual reality becomes a standard for the online gambling industry. As VR hardware becomes more affordable and ends up in every person’s home, online casinos will undoubtedly use this trend as a means of drawing a new generation of players.

Final Thoughts

VR is a technology that many industries are looking into right now. While most people associate VR with video games, this tech is often used for other forms of entertainment, as well as education, various forms of training, architectural design, and more.

Virtual reality and its applications will only extend in the following years, and the online casino industry will definitely not miss the opportunity to be a part of it. 

Photo by Lux Interaction

Appy Pie’s Online Photo Editor Helps You Edit Images for Business Purposes

Buyers are attracted to clean and expressive images of your products. High-quality images are crucial for any business marketing strategy from a sales point of view. Sometimes, to obtain the best product photos, you need to add some more meaning to them which can’t be done nicely without using any online photo editor. 

Editing photos is an essential aspect of an effective photography business. As an example, we can take any of the popular photo-centric social media channels including Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr that promote and share photos widely.

Many businesses try to edit their own pictures and many, on the other hand, prefer professional photo editors. Let us learn how photo editing helps your business gain credibility and build a strong brand image and what software can help you perfect your editing skills.


Why Edit Photos for Your Business?

Here are a few major reasons why you should try editing images for your business.

  • Create Credibility: By editing, you can remove all unwanted information and add useful advertising details to the images. This helps you include professional alterations in the image and build a brand reputation. 
  • Build Brand Image: Photo editing can help you create a strong brand image if you know how to use it right. You can add new ideas, and the latest styles to your images and help your brand stand out from the competition. 
  • Increase Sales: Photo editing helps you improve the visual elements of your images and makes them more expressive. The more people you attract with your images, the more potential customers you gain.  This way you can improve the sales of the company. Different color palettes, attractive color combinations, and brightness in the images help you enhance the appearance of your pictures.
  • Multipurpose Image Uses: Image editing comes with various effective options to help you improve the photo in question. Editing enables you to use different cropping styles, backgrounds, color variations, and test with other image properties for your preferred marketing platforms.
  • Increase Efficiency: With photo editing, you can use the same image for different purposes by combining it with other images or altering the background. This way you can streamline your projects more efficiently and focus on other critical elements of your marketing strategy.

To get the best out of your images, you will need to use an excellent photo editing software. Let us discuss why you need a professional photo editing software to edit your images.

Why Use Photo Editing Software?

Go through these major reasons to learn why you need efficient photo editing software to edit your images. 

  • Enhance Your Photos: Photo editing software helps you improve your image quality and visual appearance. You pick an online photo editor of your choice and make all the desired changes you have in your image-editing checklist. Define your editing parameters and apply almost the same settings in your future images too. This helps you edit your images the way you want every time.
  • Make Your Images Look Spectacular: Photo editing software comes with various editing tools to help you use different features, ins and outs, functionalities, and techniques of image editing. Some of these functionalities are that rare that you may not even know that they exist even though you have used that tool multiple times. By using such features and functions, you can improve your photos in the most efficient way. 
  • Fresh Suggestions: Photographers are the best visual artists. They help you see your image with a fresh and objective look. By using different tools and features in various online photo editors, you can have some fresh and new ideas of how you can make your images more meaningful and expressive. This way you can try various innovative techniques to enhance your pictures efficiency.


Why Use Appy Pie’s Online Photo Editor?

Appy Pie’s Online Photo Editor is one of the best image editing tools available online. It comes with various effective features to help you edit your photos more effectively. With this excellent photo editing software, you can retouch your images before you post them on any social media channel, share it with your friends and family, or use them for marketing purposes. 

Here is what Appy Pie Online Photo Editor offers.

  • Customization Options: The software comes with various effective customization options to help you make desired changes to your images. It offers various backgrounds, color combinations, cropping styles, and much more.
  • Safe and Secure: Appy Pie’s Photo Editor never saves your data on the server. It deletes the images instantly as soon as you end the browsing session. Once you close your browser window, the programmed algorithm wipes off the cache data at the server end.
  • Fast Delivery: We here at Appy Pie understand the value of time for our users which is why we believe in smooth-running software. Appy Pie offers various essential processes and methods to help you edit your images using its Online Photo Editor PNG in no time. 
  • Easy-to-Use: The online photo editing software is easy to use for both businesses and individuals. To edit an image using this software, you need not be technically trained. There is no hassle of install or purchase the software. You can just login to it using any of the browsers and start using it without even paying a single penny. 
  • Dedicated Team: Appy Pie provides a dedicated team of professionals that you can get in touch with if facing any issues with the software. This team works round the clock to serve you better and improve your user experience.

Appy Pie’s Online Photo Editor comes with various effective features to help you make your images look beautiful and attractive. Its Online Image Editor PNG not only offers multiple modification options but also a clean and uncluttered layout. You can easily navigate to each feature as all of them are packed right there into the main or the submenu that responds with a single click or a simple toggle.

5 Ways to Help Remote Teams Connect

If you’re a business owner who has moved workplace collaboration and communication online, you have a responsibility to maintain the social wellbeing of your employees. Since the start of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in many Americans having to work from home. If you’ve followed government advice and now have remote teams in place, they must stay connected to boost productivity levels.

While you may not be monitoring your workforce in person, there are lots of ways you can help remote teams connect.


Establish Smart Communication Channels

Communication is key when it comes to running a successful business. Unlike in an office environment where you can instantly interact with your team, working remotely means that you must use specialist software to keep everyone in the loop. Video conferencing software like Skype, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams are straightforward to use and can be a great way for your team to engage with one another. Regardless of what project or task you’re working on, your team can use these platforms to visually converse and ensure everything is running smoothly. 

Conduct Daily Meetings

Regular meetings can be a great way to enhance communications in your operation. For your remote workers to work at their best, they need to know where they stand in your business and what is required of them. Conducting daily meetings can be a good chance to go over important tasks that need to be finished, as well as run through goals that need to be achieved in the day ahead. You can hold meetings on platforms like Zoom, which allow up to 100 participants to join a singular conference. Make sure that you hold meetings at the same time each day, which will create consistency in your operation. 

Build an Active Community

The way your remote teams engage with each other can make all the difference. Rather than relying on e-mails, you should encourage your workers to talk instead. Personal contact can go a long way and help create and develop strong relationships. If your team has a webcam, they can connect face to face through a screen that can enhance existing relationships. Text messages and emails can be easily misinterpreted. So, frequently calling remote workers to check whether they’re on task can help you build an active and healthy community. 

Provide Frequent Feedback

For your business to stay on the right track, you must provide frequent feedback for your remote teams. They need to know that their work is appreciated and valued, otherwise, all sorts of issues can arise, which can hinder work productivity. If you don’t believe a particular team member is working at their best, it’s your job to provide feedback and propose ways on how they can boost their productivity levels. 


An Element of Fun

Creating a positive and happy workforce will reduce staff turnover and boost employee satisfaction. Whether you use Skype, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams to connect, you can have tons of fun online with your workforce, such as by hosting a quiz night. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, you may not be able to meet up in person. So, introducing an element of fun outside of work hours can be a great chance to get to know your remote teams on a personal level. You may even want to launch your own podcast or audio live stream on Spoon Cast. This audio streaming app is gaining popularity and can be used by you and your employees for business purposes.

For your business to thrive in the current climate, you need to do everything you can to keep your remote workers happy. A productive workforce is a happy workforce. So, while your team won’t be operating in person, there are lots of ways they can stay connected with each other to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Photo by Dylan Gillis

Blood Oxygen Saturation and Covid 19: The Early Warning we need?

With Covid 19 creating uncounted disruption to our lives, it’s more important than ever to behave in a responsible way that protects those around us and our personal wellbeing. Finding a way to track your health can be invaluable and allow you to seek professional health or provide a detailed history before you get in touch.
So why is blood oxygen saturation so important when it comes to personal care and what should you know when it comes to measuring it as part of your daily routine?


What is blood oxygen saturation?

Simply put, your blood ox levels track the amount of oxygen that is present in your blood. Essential for cellular respiration, even dropping to the low 90’s in saturation levels can be significant and result in conditions such as hypoxia or hypoxemia.
Thankfully, there are a number of options available for those that are keen to monitor their levels to help keep track of underlying conditions or concerns. And thanks for miniaturization and advancements in technology, the devices are easier to find and carry around than ever before.

Why is it so important now?

While research is still ongoing in regard to the threat posed by COVID 19, many professionals have observed that low blood oxygen levels carry the potential to act as an early warning sign of infection and allow professionals to track safe recovery in patients.
The reason for this is twofold. The first is that many theories posit a lack of oxygen as an initial infection marker. The second is that one of the side effects of infection is inflammation in the lungs and reduced capacity to take in oxygen. Either of these carries the potential to be caught early and take every possible precaution when it comes to personal health.

How can I track it?

Thankfully, tracking your blood oxygen levels is easier than ever before through the use of miniature sensor devices such as blood pulse oximeters. These allow you to painlessly check your blood oxygen level by attaching the device to your finger and taking a quiet and accurate reading.
While makes and models may vary, each shines a beam of light onto your skin to help measure the level of absorption. This is then used to provide a percentage reading about your current level and empower you to take an appropriate course of action.


Where can I find one?

If you are looking to find a device, you’re thankfully spoiled for choice. Many devices can be picked up from a range of online providers at affordable rates and offer helpful extras such as measuring your pulse or offering quality battery life.
However, it is essential that you take every step possible to ensure that your device comes from a reputable supplier. Picking a model made by a reliable provider such as Sensoronics or other leading providers can help ensure that you can depend on your device and make the right calls when it comes to your health or that of your close friends and family.

Photo by Fusion Medical Animation

How Easy is it to Make a Million From Gambling?

You would have thought that if it were that easy to make a million from gambling, then surely everyone would be doing it, right? 

Not necessarily. Gambling isn’t particularly difficult. But, it is a high-risk venture that’s not intended for the faint-hearted or the shallow pocket.   


Different Types of Gambling

Gambling comes in all kinds of forms including various card games such as Poker, Blackjack, and Hearts and all your other casino favorites such as roulette and slots. 

Another form of gambling that happens to be pretty popular is the betting on US sportsbooks such as those for the NBA, NFL, and MLB. And thanks to the rise of the internet, there is no shortage of online sites where you can bet with the best odds on US sportsbooks. 

Local Restrictions

Unfortunately, as it stands in 2020, not all states permit all kinds (or any) form of gambling. So just be sure to check the sports betting laws that apply in your region before jumping in to make your fortune.  

There are plenty of people out there who are quite proud to call themselves a professional gambler. And, many of these people make a great deal of money from it (well in excess of a million or two). 


Top Tips

The following are a few tips to help you follow in these footsteps:

  • Bet big to win big. There are no two ways about it. Gambling is risky. But as with anything in life, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Sure you can play it safe, betting minimal amounts and not taking too many risks, but it will take a lot longer for you to reach a million than if you bet big. The downside is, of course, you have a lot more to lose if it doesn’t pan out. 
  • Only bet what you can afford to lose. Another top tip to bear in mind when gambling is to only ever bet what you can afford to lose. There are no guarantees with any gambling, and if losing is going to mean you can’t eat or pay your bills, then it’s not worth the risk.
  • Know when to walk away. The real secret is knowing when to bet and when to cash in. If you’re in the green and things are going well, then call it a day. Return another day. It’s always best to leave when luck is up.    

So, while I wouldn’t say it’s easy to make a million from gambling, it is certainly possible. But, just in case you don’t win all your hopes and dreams in one fail swoop on the next big NFL game, there’s always the lottery to consider.

Photo by Keenan Constance, Photo by Hello I’m Nik

How to Extend WiFi Coverage in Home

Today, we demand increasingly fast WiFi speeds at a greater range than we ever needed in the past. This is largely due to the increase in popularity of activities like hi-definition streaming, gaming, or hefty file transfers. Going back 20 years, you may have been satisfied having a “computer room”, but today, every room is a computer room. We not only expect to be connected to WiFi in every room, but we expect to receive a consistent performance no matter where we go in our homes. The key to getting this consistent WiFi experience is extending the WiFi coverage in your home. 

If you want to extend your WiFi coverage, there are a range of options available to you. 


Use a WiFi Heatmapper

The first step in extending your WiFi coverage is to determine the current health of your wireless network. A WiFi heatmapper can help you visualize the health of your network by clearly displaying which averages have good WiFi coverage and which has poor WiFi coverage. A WiFi heatmap will use a color-coded system where the gradient (or “heat”) of the color will shift to represent changes in signal strength. With the NetSpot heatmapper app, red represents the strongest signal, and blue represents the weakest signal. 

Install a Range Extender

A WiFi extender works by receiving a WiFi signal from the router and re-sending it to further the range. For example, let’s say that your router is located on the bottom floor of your home, in the kitchen. You have a home cinema on the 3rd floor of your home, and you’d like to stream high-definition video in this room. However, the signal strength is too weak to be useful on the 3rd floor. You can place an extender on the second floor, and this will act as a middleman, re-distributing the signal towards the 3rd floor. 

Focusing WiFi Signal 

If your main aim is just to get a better signal in a particular room furthest away from the router, then you could opt to focus your WiFi signal in this direction. Most WiFi routers are omnidirectional, meaning they transmit radio waves in all directions equally. This is one of the reasons that placing your router in a central location is so important. 

To focus your WiFi signal, you need something called a patch antenna. Patch antennas are more common in commercial properties, but there’s no reason you can’t have one in your home if you think you’d benefit from it. Focusing the signal can help extend range because, generally speaking, in a traditional WiFi environment, the further away from the router, the slower the waves will travel. This is because faster speeds are the result of more complex wave modulation and therefore more prone to error the longer they travel. Focusing the signal in one direction towards the receiver helps address interference issues and allows for higher speeds. 

Eliminate Interference

Ensure that your WiFi coverage isn’t being limited by the range of devices in your home that operate on a similar frequency. Baby monitors, microwaves,  and wireless security systems, among other things, can interfere with your WiFi. The more interference and noise your signal have to pass through, the weaker and less reliable it will be on the other end. 


How to Use a WiFi Heatmapper

For our how-to guide on how to use a WiFi heatmapper, we will be using the NetSpot app. NetSpot is very popular and is widely considered to be the best WiFi heatmapper on the market. Here’s how you generate a WiFi heatmap with NetSpot to improve your WiFi coverage. 

  1. Install and Launch the App
  2. Getting started – Switch to survey mode and select “Start a new survey”. You will now follow instructions to name your project, choose your area type, and regulate the precision radius. 
  3. Upload or Create a Map – To get accurate results for your WiFi heatmap, you will need to upload a map of your home. If you don’t already have a map, you can create one within the app using the “Draw it” feature. 
  4. Start Heatmapping – The WiFi heatmap process has now begun, and you will need to carry your device around your home. You will be able to see the areas you have already covered, as well as any areas you are yet to cover. The best method for ensuring even coverage is to move in a zig-zag pattern. 
  5. Analyze the results – Once you have covered all areas, you can click the “Stop can” button. You will now have a heatmap that you can use to inform your WiFi boosting decisions. 

A Look at the Job Opportunities for Engineers with an MBA

As an engineer, you will have earned in-depth technical expertise, which helps you detect solutions to correct problems. Many engineers decide to embark on an MBA (Master of Business Administration) that complements their technical expertise, teaches transferable skills like leadership skills and communication, and opens more doors for employment.

Once you have obtained your MBA engineering degree, it’s important that you have an idea of what kind of profession you would like to go into. Job security and a healthy salary are key factors to take into account, so here is an in-depth look at the job opportunities at your disposal for engineers with an MBA degree.

Program Manager of Engineering

A program manager of engineering is responsible for coordinating all technical activities of assigned programs. Engineering program managers are also responsible for planning, scheduling, and managing engineering and personnel work to make sure projects have effective coordination. An engineering project manager must also monitor engineering work for compliance to industry standards, customer specifications, and company practices. 

Most of your time as a program manager of engineering will be spent in meetings with contractors, clients, and staff. This role can be stressful due to the difficulties in overseeing several moving parts of various projects. Most engineering program managers tend to be employed in professional and technical services and the manufacturing industry. There are numerous key skills that a program manager of engineering must possess, such as understanding the importance of time management, being able to manage several deadlines and priorities, as well as knowing how to problem solve. 


Senior Project Manager of Engineering

A senior engineering project manager is in charge of supervising staff, evaluating project deadlines, offering leadership and overseeing financial expenditure for big-scale engineering assignments and projects. Senior engineering project managers also monitor project productivity, progress, and quality. They must also make sure that the project is run safely and is in line with the project’s cost constraints. Senior engineering project managers also support and manage project managers, assistants and project engineers throughout the development, planning and execution of testing and design. 

This role requires you to adhere to strict safety guidelines and regulations. To flourish as a senior engineering project manager, you must possess excellent technical writing skills that are used to write project plans and reports and adhere to time-sensitive deadlines. Senior engineering project managers must also have sound knowledge in computer applications like Microsoft Office. If you’re interested in this position, you will need extensive experience in the engineering industry, and have credentials behind you like an MBA engineering degree from Kettering University Online, which can open more career doors and an increase in salary.

Chief Engineer

A chief engineer supervises a whole engineering unit, helping to steer a team as they handle a variety of projects. Chief engineers operate with other technicians and engineers, authorize designs, determine costs, discuss contracts, and implement plans effectively and safely. Some of the key responsibilities required of a chief engineer include communicating objectives and goals of the business to all professionals and engineers in the team, supervising every aspect of the project from beginning to end, delegating roles to engineering teams, quickly resolving problems between staff, as well as performing quality control checks on all products and systems.

Alongside your MBA engineering degree, you must have a bachelor’s degree, four years of experience in supervising or leading others, a solid understanding of engineering practices and principles, as well as the ability to remain positive throughout projects and tasks, and restore morale within the team. Chief engineers must also have excellent communication and interpersonal skills and have the ability to take negative feedback on board and remain professional. This role requires you to have excellent leadership skills, meaning you must know how to motivate and inspire others to work at their best.

Technical Consultant

A technical consultant is a professional who provides technical support and performs troubleshooting functions to sort customer issues. If this profession sounds right for you, your sole goal is to help companies solve complex business issues. If you are passionate about the business side of a company and want to use your specialized skill set to solve real-world business problems, working as a technical consultant may be the perfect route. 

To flourish in technical consulting, it’s vital that you’re a great communicator and can present complex information and data with confidence to decision-makers and leaders within a business. Your day to day duties will consist of using your technical analysis and knowledge to validify your opinions, as well as working with analytics and data and advise on technical implementations. Technical consultants need to have excellent attention to detail, capable of meeting high standards, a meticulous approach to work, as well as effective time management skills. 

Technical Sales Engineer

Technical sales engineers tend to be the key point of contact for stakeholders and clients. Technical sales engineers are responsible for answering questions, providing technical advice, and identifying and establishing new business regulations. After completing an MBA engineering degree, you will have a solid grasp of how the business works and what the client needs. Many engineers thrive in this position because it requires you to fully comprehend technical challenges that your clients may be facing and come up with the best solutions to help them. In this profession, you will need to learn the importance of self-discipline and retain a positive attitude.

Technical sales engineers can work for a variety of businesses, including telecommunications, manufacturing, chemical companies, and biomedical suppliers. Technical sales engineers must have excellent technical skills, organizational skills, analytical skills and know how to work well as part of a team. In addition to possessing an MBA degree, a technical sales engineer must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field. 

Solutions Architect 

As a solutions architect, you will be in charge of the design of one or multiple services or applications within a business. Solutions architects typically work as part of a solution department team and must have a mixture of business and technical skills to flourish in this position. Solutions architects develop and integrate computer systems and data that meet the particular needs of the client. They must also recognize and assess the current systems architecture, and work with technical and business staff to determine solutions that generate more efficient systems. 

Solutions architects tend to focus on how technology can be used to fix business problems, decide on which frameworks, platforms or tech-stacks that can be implemented to create solutions, as well as how things will scale for the future. Many solution architects have distinct personalities that set them apart from other individuals. To flourish in this role, you will need to have excellent communication skills, know how to think critically, and be able to work well under pressure.

Facilities Engineering Manager

The primary duty of a facilities engineering manager is to oversee all aspects of a company’s physical infrastructure needs, such as heating, air conditioning and ventilation. These managers make educated decisions and recommendations to senior management with a focus on improving and prioritizing the overall working function of each aspect of the physical plant.

Facilities engineering managers usually work with other engineers, designers, and architects to make sure that the design criteria have been met. Facilities engineering managers are also heavily involved in the planning phase of new facilities. They must also engage with engineers to discuss specific infrastructure needs, like work areas and office space. Some of the key skills that a facilities engineering manager needs are sharp analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. Risk analysis is another considerable aspect of a facility’s engineering manager’s duties, as well as knowledge of regulations and codes. 


Electrical Engineer

The role of an electrical engineer will see you in charge of designing, testing, developing, and supervising how electrical equipment is created and manufactured, including things like navigation and radar systems and electric motors. Many electrical engineers work for private companies, however, there are others who work for the federal government as they conduct research into developing and evaluating electronic devices that are used in numerous fields, such as computing, aviation, and transportation.

Some of the key attributes that an electrical engineer needs include enthusiasm for the role, excellent technical abilities, teamwork skills, and innovation. There will be numerous obstacles that you will come up against, so it’s vital that you can work well under pressure and know how to keep your cool. You may also be required to work extra hours as and when needed, so being flexible and having the motivation to work additional hours is crucial. 

If you like the idea of an engineering management career, one of the best paths to take is to obtain an MBA in engineering. Combining engineering with business management skills, there are numerous job opportunities that you can seek once you have obtained your degree. 

With more career paths to choose from, it’s important that you thoroughly research into job specifications and salary outlooks so that you can find a profession that matches your needs. 

Photo by Science in HD

Why is Accurate Accounting So Important for Small Businesses? 

Whether you’re about to launch your own company, or you already run an existing small business, remaining in control of your finances and accounting is mandatory for success. No business can survive unless they bring in more money than they take out, which is why accurate accounting enables business owners to track their expenses and ensure that their operation is a profitable venture.

Just like how following a healthy diet can make you look more attractive on the outside, a business with accurate accounting can help your company look more appealing to outsiders and clients. With that in mind, here are a few reasons why accurate accounting is so important to small businesses.


Better Marketing

When it comes to marketing and promoting your small business, accurate, and up to date accounting enables you to make wiser revenue forecasts for your organization. Revenue forecasts are not just for future planning and budgeting, as they can also be used to help you establish whether your current marketing efforts are paying off or any changes you need to make to ensure the right audience see your products or services.

As a small business, you may not think you have the funds behind you to put towards traditional marketing methods, but having accurate accounting in your operation will help you draw up a budget that you an allocate specifically for your marketing efforts. Whether you’re about to launch your brand or set up a new campaign, it’s vital that you have a solid grasp on your expenses, revenue, and cash flow.

Investments in Efficiency and Quality

There are major investments that you may need to make in your small business to keep it running in the right direction, so it’s vital that you have accurate accounting in place to aid you in making decisions. Whether your plan is to bring in new equipment or software to improve your processes, or make changes in your workplace environment to boost productivity, if you haven’t got up to date financial data to analyze, it can be hard to know when the right moment is to make investments.

Accurate accounting will also assist you in determining whether you can afford to make any changes in your business and what their effect on cash flow will look like. For your small business to thrive, it’s vital that your operation runs efficiently, so to provide a higher-quality service to customers and clients, staying in control of your accounting is imperative for success.

More Financial Stability

Small businesses that have accurate accounting are able to create and control company budgets better. It’s important that you know how to track money coming in and going out of your business, meaning you can plan for cash reserves should you come up against financial emergencies in the future. A small company without a budget won’t get very far, so it’s crucial that you establish your finances from the offset and have it outlined in your business plan.

Money worries are what keep many business owners up at night, so if you’re struggling to make ends meet and are nervous about your operation falling off track, accurate accounting can provide better financial stability and help you come up with new strategies to ensure you don’t go bankrupt. Accurate accounting lets you control your budget and ensure the customer experience isn’t tarnished. 

Fraud Prevention

Once you have a solid grasp on your small business accounting, you will have the expertise and knowledge to locate any discrepancies due to fraud quickly and efficiently. No matter what kind of business you run, fraud can have a major impact on your operation and damage relationships with customers and clients. Whether you’ve just launched a small business or you have many years of experience, building a solid reputation is crucial for success. Should you fall victim to fraud, customers and clients may lose faith and trust in your brand and go elsewhere for their custom.

Alongside having accurate accounting in your small business, it’s vital that you know your operation inside and out, identify areas of your company that are vulnerable to fraud, as well as develop strategies to ensure employees are aware of the dangers. 

Monitoring Costs

Regarding monitoring costs, many individuals associate this with improving the bottom line. Although it’s very important to do so, monitoring costs is also about becoming a more productive and effective organization. Accurate accounting is an essential back-office function for any small business, and you have many resources at your disposal. Your business accounting records feature data and information that can help you make better decisions, such as how to improve your operation, how you should respond to customers’ needs, and how to measure outcomes.

Hiring and Keeping Employees Happy

While you may think accurate accounting is solely about credits and debits, it’s also vital for human resources. Having timely financial data in place helps you determine when to bring in additional staff or if you need to lay employees off. Essentially, accurate accounting can mean the difference between being in the red and having a profitable year. Regardless of the kind of business you run, your employees are the backbone to your company and are the ones who keep your business running smoothly and efficiently.  

Once you get a solid idea of how much your company spends on wages and salaries, employee benefits, payroll taxes, and other perks, you will know what decisions to make to grow your company and propel your operation forward. The people that you hire in your business need to complement your brand and push your company in the right direction, so once you have hired suitable candidates, you need to keep them happy so they perform their role effectively. 

Accurate accounting can help you set aside a budget that can be spent on benefits and perks for your team, such as flexible hours, health and dental insurance, work-from-home options, and vacation time. Showing that you value and appreciate your team can make a huge difference and reduce the risk of staff turnover. If you have the funds to do so, investing in your team and providing special incentives can boost productivity. 

Good Financial Management

If you’re running your small company in disaster mode, customers will be able to spot those frantic collection calls. If their needs aren’t being met, they will go elsewhere, so it’s vital that you have excellent financial management for your small business to run successfully.

Financial management helps your small business in numerous ways. Improving your access to finance, reducing business costs, helping you to measure your success, and highlighting areas for improvement are some of the key benefits that you can gain from better financial management. There is a serious growing need for accountants in business, so if you’re passionate about financial management, you can click here to find out more information about a bachelor’s degree in accounting. 


Maintain Strong Relationships

Successful small businesses don’t get to where they are without building and maintaining strong relationships with clients and customers. If you haven’t got a thorough understanding of your accounting and finances, bills may not be paid on time and your services may not be up to scratch, which will turn clients off and make them go elsewhere.

You started your small company to serve your customers and keep clients happy, so having accurate accounting in place will help you maintain strong relationships with anyone who comes into contact with your brand. It will help to enhance your business reputation and ensure clients and customers take you seriously. You won’t need to spend hour after hour on your bookkeeping and accounting, as there is a growing suite of organizational technologies and tools that can reduce the hassle of managing bills, receipts, and invoices, meaning you will have more time to focus on other important areas of your company.

Don’t Forget to Enhance Your Cyber Security

If you run an online business, there is always the risk of hackers and cyber-attacks, so using strong passwords for your financial accounts and regularly changing them can act as an extra layer of defense and help keep your operation protected. If you use email to connect with customers and clients, all it takes is one click on a spam link that can have disastrous consequences for your company, so being on your guard and staying alert is key for keeping your small business safe from fraud.

When dealing with your finances and accounting, there are other steps you can take to improve your security and ensure that your data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Using a firewall, investing in the latest malware protection software, being wary about public Wi-Fi, and ensuring that confidential information isn’t passed from employee to employee can help strengthen your operation and keep your data protected. 

Small businesses need to be able to prepare their financial statements accurately and quickly, helping you to take control of the cash in your operation. All the advantages above can be achieved by accurate accounting and help keep your company on the right track. 

Thanks to Krisztina Papp

Mobile Innovations Changing Our World

When you compare the early mobile phones (or should we say mobile bricks?) that hit the market in the 80s to the smartphones of today, it’s mind-boggling to think how far we’ve come in the last 30 years. Nowadays, our mobile device fulfills so many of the daily technological needs that we immediately feel lost without it. The smartphone is no longer just a telephone; it’s a camera, an alarm clock, a calculator, an internet browser, and an office. In this article, we’re going to take a look at some of the newer mobile innovations that have already begun to make a difference in the way we use our mobiles and some that are about to hit the mainstream in a big way.


Mobile Payments

Mobile payments have been steadily gaining credibility over the last couple of years, and now this form of payment is well and truly mainstream. With companies like Boku leading the way with their spectacular growth, consumers can now pay for goods and services via their phone bill. The online casino industry was one of the first to recognize the importance of this form of payment. Licensed pay by phone casinos reviewed on this page allows customers to make a deposit which is then charged to their phone bill (or taken from their phone’s existing credit); customers type in their phone number rather than enter their credit card details. Casino players making a payment online, as well as other online consumers, benefit from mobile payments because not only does this payment method offer a heightened level of convenience, but it is also one of the safest ways to pay online.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Remember Pokémon GO? A game that was wildly popular throughout the world; a game that was only possible due to the technology that allows for augmented reality. As the applications for this technology continue to be explored, we expect to see it take a more permanent place within our society. Augmented reality changes the way we process information; it also allows for more information to be received and to be displayed via our mobile devices on top of the physical objects around us (as in the case of Pokémon GO). Gaming software companies have already seen the potential of this tech, we’re excited to see how it impacts on our daily life over the next few years. We could also see this tech used with the education, healthcare, travel and retail sectors.

3D Scanning

3D Scanning is possible thanks to depth-sensing cameras. These cameras are a game-changer as far as what we will be able to do using a mobile device. Not only will we be able to take photographs with our mobiles that will blow people’s minds, but we’ll also be able to scan objects and rooms. Why would we want to do that? Well, the first thing that comes to mind is home decoration. Imagine if you could scan your room and then transfer the 3D image of your room, to scale, to your computer. You could then use that image to move furniture around, paint the walls, knock down walls and add features – see how it looks, and then start all over again at the touch of a button; no more renovation fails, an no expensive interior designers! The tech is already here and already in use, and apps have already been developed to ensure we can use these cameras to their full potential.

5G

The launch of 5G has been a long time coming. We heard plenty of debates regarding the safety and security of this tech. There have been delays, arguments, and broken promises. But all that strife will soon become a distant memory when the 5G network finally gets a chance to prove its worth. Our mobiles will suddenly become super-charged. We’ll have speed, download capabilities, and power that we previously only dreamed of. We’ll be able to use our mobile devices to play massively multiplayer games with no lag, virtual reality will be yet one more step closer to becoming an everyday reality – with headsets able to connect wirelessly with our powerful mobile devices. And we’ll have the capability for 4K streaming. 5G is going to allow for every mobile innovation that is currently only on the periphery of consumer awareness to become mainstream.

IoT (Internet of Things)

5G is also likely to improve the way we use IoT technology. Thanks to IoT, we can now use our mobile devices to control almost every aspect of our home life. If you’re all decked out with every possible smart home device, your mobile puts you in the driving seat. Using the IoT combined with mobile tech, we can not only view our security cameras, we can even communicate (or shout at) potential intruders; we can turn on the heating system when we’re on the way home; we can adjust the lighting, unlock the doors and switch on the entertainment system. We can even talk to our pets via a pet cam connected to our mobile.


Cloud Apps

Thanks to cloud technology, we are now able to access mobile apps and games without having to download anything to our mobile device. This tech has given us greater flexibility in regard to data storage, and it provides an added layer of security for said data. This innovative tech allows for a business to provide a better service to their mobile user customer base. It also allows mobile users to hold on to older mobiles for longer because there is no longer such a pressing need to update to more powerful devices with bigger storage capabilities.

Wireless Battery Charging

When our battery dies, our mobiles are useless. Having to plug in our mobile device in order to charge up the battery is, perhaps, one of the most inconvenient aspects of modern technology. Luckily, help is on the way. Nokia and LG are already ahead of the games in terms of implementing wireless charging tech, and hopefully, this tech will soon become standard. Researchers have already found a way to use the wireless signals present in the world around us as a power source by using what’s called ambient backscatter. It won’t be long now before using a wired charger becomes obsolete, and as far as we’re concerned; the sooner the better.

Photo by Jonah Pettrich