What is infrastructure as code?

As mentioned before, infrastructure as code is one of the most innovative and exciting ideas in the IT industry at the moment and it’s something lots of people are already using without even being aware of it. In short, the philosophy behind this idea is quite simple – it’s all about connecting different computer data centers and bringing them together using digital paths and configuration files.

The real reason why infrastructure as code is so unique is that it makes everyone’s life so much simpler and it minimizes the time and energy you have to spend maintaining all those individual data centers and computers. This is something you had to do back in the day, wasting tons of energy and patience on these things, but now you can just create a code that will do that instead of you. In addition to that, infrastructure as code is essential when it comes to DevOps and other more complex concepts that can do wonders in the world of IT.

What are some benefits of infrastructure as code?

Even though it makes your life easier and your job much less stressful, the real reason why infrastructure as code exists isn’t to help you, but your business. That’s why it was created and why so many IT experts around the world adore this idea – the benefits that come with it are huge and can be used in a number of different situations over and over again.

First, it minimizes the costs of the entire maintenance process you have to perform at your company. Instead of hiring dozens of people who would do that, you can use this innovative idea and make everything less expensive. Also, infrastructure as code makes things faster than they were before – not only will you save money every single day, but you’ll also save precious time for your administrators and other employees. Finally, this idea makes your entire maintenance and data process more consistent and coherent than it ever was. Instead of having tons of different people introducing different ideas, you’ll have one main concept that takes care of everything and makes sure every detail is in order.

What are some of the challenges of infrastructure as code?

Unfortunately, despite obvious benefits and amazing opportunities that come with this idea, there are still a few challenges you’ll probably face when introducing it into your company. Before you begin doing that, you have to be absolutely sure your infrastructure as code is going to work for you perfectly. If that’s not the case, you’ll be getting into more trouble than you were expecting, and the consequences could be huge.

Besides that, you need to check for errors regularly – infrastructure as code is just a code created by someone who could’ve made a mistake, checking for errors is simply a must. Finally, you’ll probably have to organize your workforce and adapt to the fact that infrastructure as code is running your company now. Luckily, these challenges aren’t too hard to deal with, and you need to learn more about different IaC aspects if you want to make the most of it.

What is the future of infrastructure as code?

Since this concept is so revolutionary and ultimately changes everything we ever knew about the IT industry, it’s no surprise that people are starting to love it more and more. That’s why developers who are working on it continue introducing changes and making it even better so that this idea could become even more applicable, versatile, and interesting to new users.

When it comes to the future of infrastructure as code, we can expect two things – perfecting the initial idea and making it even more efficient and unique, on the one hand, as well as expanding its ranges to new industries, on the other. In the end, everything is going to turn into code, and our jobs will be much easier and safer than they ever were.

Now that you know a bit more infrastructure as code, there’s only one thing you can do – find a way to introduce this amazing concept into your company, and do that as soon as possible!

The post Infrastructure as Code and Its Importance appeared first on TecAdmin.

Managing Projects

Soon, we’ll be able to separate almost all businesses in the world into three distinctive categories: those that work from an office, those that allow their staff to work from home, and those that mix these two alternatives. With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the entire globe hard, forcing more and more people to complete their work-related tasks while staying at home, it’s safe to say that project managing platforms and applications are going to become more popular than ever.

Luckily, the number of these applications is already quite high, and you can easily find the one that will work for you the most. They all provide you pretty much the same options – from assigning tasks to your employees, keeping track of their progress and managing reports to setting deadlines and making sure everything is done on time – and the only thing separating them is their visual appeal and the platform they use. So, start by finding the most comprehensive and reliable project managing software you can find, and encourage your staff to use it, whether they work from home or not.

Monitoring Employees

Another thing that distinguishes companies that work from an office from all the others is the way they monitor their employees and how efficient they are. The former may hire people whose job it is to observe when someone comes to work, how many breaks they take, how long their breaks are, when they go home, etc. Alternatively, they might rely on a CCTV system, but the point is the same.

On the other hand, this doesn’t work for companies that opt for working remotely, so finding a new way to monitor your employees is a must. This is where useful monitoring applications come into play and can help you know what your staff is doing at all times. Since they’re supposed to be connected to the Internet at all times in order to do their job, monitoring their activity isn’t hard at all, so don’t be afraid to find employee management software ASAP. In addition to monitoring their activity, you’ll also be able to track their productivity and work on ways to boost it even more.

Easy and Effective Communication

It doesn’t matter where you are and how far you are from your employees – as long as you have communication software you can all use at the same time, you can be on the other planet as far as they’re concerned! Effective communication is vital in today’s business, but insisting on easy and simple software is also important. That’s why most people choose VoIP technology instead of all the other options that are available to them.

Explained in layman’s terms, voice over IP is basically the mixture of your traditional phone communication and your more advanced Internet-based voice communication. Your messages will get anywhere they need to go in a matter of seconds, and you’ll be able to communicate with your employees, your investors, your partners, and your superiors as long as you want, whenever you want to. You can also talk to several people at the same time if you opt for a powerful voice over IP conferencing technology that will ultimately make you feel like you’re all in a room together, even though that won’t be the case.

Managing Customer Relationships

Finally, this is the other side of your business – once you’ve solved all the problems and issues you’ve had with your employees and your partners, you have to turn to your customers. After all, these people are paying good money for your products or services, which is why you have to do whatever you can to establish proper communication with them.

Again, there are lots of different CRM applications you can use these days, and you need to remember why these are so beneficial for your business. A great CRM tool will help you organize your centralized client base and make it more accessible, but it will also assist you when it comes to creating sales reports, annual projections, and data entry. What’s even better is that these applications can always be upgraded and personalized using various useful integrations. From social media and e-mail to team communication and calendar – all these things can be integrated into your CRM tool and help you more than you can imagine!

As you can see, finding amazing enterprise software applications doesn’t have to be as hard as you’ve thought it would. The only thing you need to keep in mind is your company’s prosperity, and you’ll be able to find amazing tools that will keep pushing boundaries year after year!

The post Take Your Business to the Next Level Using Enterprise Software Applications appeared first on TecAdmin.

Work on your branded keywords

This is probably the oldest trick in the book, but that doesn’t mean it’s ineffective. On the contrary, identifying your branded keywords and using them as often as possible – in a smart and natural way, of course – can help you more than you can anticipate. The reason for this is quite simple: branded keywords are formed around your brand name and incorporated into your content in order to attract more people to your website.

Still, you need to understand who you’re focusing on when using branded keywords. Instead of targeting any random people who may or may not turn into paying customers, you’re actually appealing to people who know who you are and what your brand name is but are still not spending any money with you. So, if you wish to change that scenario and earn money from these people, look into the benefits of branded keywords, learn how to distinguish them from non-branded keywords, and start using them in your SEO strategy as soon as possible.

Work with influencers

Whether you love them or not, you need to admit that influencers are running the world at the moment. From social media to pop culture, they’re everywhere you look, and making it in the world of the 21st-century business without their help can be quite hard. So, if you can’t beat them, join them, but try to make the most of them as well!

There are lots of ways to collaborate with influencers who are hot and relevant this year, and the only thing you need to do is select the people who you want to connect to. Reaching out to them and making them interested might take a while, but be patient and stay focused on the end result. Finally, you’ll be able to collaborate with influencers who are crucial and popular, thus taking your brand image to the highest level possible!

Work on your content

No matter what other people tell you – content always was and always will be the king. That’s just the way it is, and there’s nothing you can do about this except accept this fact and start treating your website content a bit more differently than before. Everyone loves high-quality content, so just give the people what they need.

However, this is harder than it sounds. You need to make sure that you publish amazing content regularly, without becoming boring and repetitive. Your content has to be informative and interesting, because that’s the only way to increase your brand recognition and branded traffic, and keep it on a high level in the future as well. On top of that, you have to make your content meaningful and try to build a context around it. Working on your content strategy and planning it in advance can help you quite a lot and make your business more recognizable than ever.

Work with locals

Aiming high and being ready to conquer the world is quite all right if you’re trying to make it in the world of modern business, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect your immediate surroundings. Investing time and energy into your local SEO might seem like a bad idea at first, but it’s something that could turn out to be quite amazing for your business.

Doing this actually has a number of benefits, from creating a local presence to appealing to more and more people thanks to the powers of the amazing word-of-mouth marketing. In addition to that, you’ll boost your search engine rankings, increase your sales revenue, and make the most of the aforementioned branded keywords you’ve already invested your energy in.

Increasing branded traffic is a slow process that can sometimes take more time than you’re happy to invest, but it’s definitely an idea that’s going to pay off in the future. It doesn’t really matter which strategy you opt for – or even if you use some of the other alternatives such as guest-posting, storytelling, or copywriting – as long as you’re persistent and focused on your goals. Finally, don’t be afraid to build or hire a team of people who will work on your SEO instead of doing it all on your own – relying on professionals always makes more sense in the end!

The post Increasing Branded Traffic Using SEO Strategies. appeared first on TecAdmin.

1. A decent coffee maker

The first thing you need to think about is the coffee as the essential fuel for any decent telecommuter. You see, due to the fact that there are no other people around, it might be somewhat harder to stay awake early in the morning. Coincidentally, these first two hours in the morning are your most productive part of the day. So, what you need to do is invest in a decent coffee maker. Even better, you might want to consider investing in a smart coffee maker, so that you can program the brewing process to wrap up several minutes before you are to get up in the morning.

2. Headphones

Working from home is ideal for those who live alone or have absent roommates. However, if your home is hectic, you might want to consider options for muffling these noises. Some noise-canceling earphones are probably your safest bet, seeing as how soundproofing the room is both more expensive and more inconvenient. Just keep in mind that these headphones only affect what you hear. So, if there’s noise everywhere around, people in the conference might still be able to hear it. The simplest solution (although not an ideal one) is to use a push-to-talk method.

3. Posture corrector

Even people who do desk jobs often get fascinated with how much more time they will spend behind the desk while working at home. The thing is that while working without much supervision, you will spend more time idling. Overall, this ends with more time in a sedentary position and there are three methods to deal with this issue. First, you need to have a proper office chair. Going for a frugal solution here is something you will definitely come to regret. Second, some people prefer to opt for standing desks. Lastly, you might just want to buy a posture corrector.

4. Stay in touch with your team

Just because you’re away from the office, this doesn’t mean that you no longer have coworkers, supervisors or clients. The business model is still the same, only the circumstances have changed. So, in order to stay in touch with all these relevant parties, you need to figure out the best way of communicating with them online. A decent VoIP service is necessary, and in order to pick the right one, you should look for VoIP services review and do your own research.

5. Time management tools and tricks

Time management is a concept that requires a lot of discipline and hard work invested. When working from home, this will likely turn into a major challenge. First of all, you can help identify just how desperate the situation is by installing a time management tool. This way, you can figure out exactly how much time you’re spending on various menial tasks. Second, you can consider the concept of interval working. The Pomodoro technique is one option that you could use. It involves periods of 20-25 minutes of uninterrupted work, followed by periods of 5-15 minutes of break.

6. The right apparel

When it comes to apparel, there are two schools of thought. According to the first group, you should use the advantage of working from home and stay in pajamas the entire workday. However, others find this to be a major distraction, and unless they can act as if they’re in the real office, they just can’t focus on work. These people, therefore, tend to dress up as if they’re actually going to the office, even though they’re going to work from their home office or closet office.

7. Water bottle

People tend to be quite easily distracted when there are no stern office rules and restrictions. So, let’s say that you’re working from home, you’ve gotten thirsty and you’re heading towards the kitchen to fill a glass of water. On your way to the kitchen, you can easily get distracted by anything even remotely interesting that you encounter along the way. The fewer reasons to leave the room, the more focused you’ll be, it’s really that simple. This is why you should consider buying a water bottle (the bigger the better).

Conclusion

At the end of the day, the list of accessories that you can add is virtually limitless. This ranges from foot roller massager, all the way to the entire workout set in order to enhance your deskercise efforts. Overall, you need to identify potential problems and figure out the best way to completely eliminate them.The priority order and priority, in general, is subjective but it goes without saying that making an optimal work environment at home is pivotal in these trying times.

The post 7 WFH Essentials That You Absolutely Need appeared first on TecAdmin.

1. Invest some hours

For a lot of people writing, editing and producing is a part-time job. Now, there’s a claim that it takes one about 10,000 hours of effort into… well, virtually anything in order to master it. Now, if you spend 3 or 4 hours per week writing, how long will it take you to get there? “Too long” is a suitable answer. Instead, why not set aside 1-2 hours each day for making new content, revamping your old content and self-improving in this area.

In this way, you’ll create a surplus of content which will give you two completely new options. First, you’ll get the privilege of developing an editorial calendar and already have some pieces ready in advance. Second, you get a chance to discard a piece of work that you aren’t happy with or one that doesn’t satisfy your standards. While this may sound as something logical, even intuitive when you’re way past your deadline, you might not have this option available. To simplify, consistent work gives consistent results, it’s as simple as that.

2. Develop an angle

The next thing you can do in order to make your content stand out is to establish a story angle instead of just reporting on the facts. This will give you an opportunity to cover an event/occurrence that is by no means a scoop. Regardless of their stance, people will want to hear the other side of the story, even if just to disagree with it or argue in the comment section.

Sure, some bloggers or brands may want to avoid anything controversial at any point, but let’s look at things from a logical perspective. To you as a brand (regardless of whether you’re a nonprofit, business or an individual), isn’t it better to be loved by 10 members of your audience and hated by 10 than for 20 people to be indifferent about you? For those who are still afraid of this, you need to keep in mind that A) opinionated doesn’t necessarily mean offensive and B) there’s always something you can do to remedy the situation. Experts skilled in crisis management usually have a way of turning the narrative in your favor even if things start seeming grim at first.

3. Give examples

The biggest problem with keeping straight communication with your audience is the fact that by oversimplifying, you might start losing those who see you as condescending. On the other hand, by being too technical, you might lose those who can’t understand you. The best way to transcend this issue is to give examples as frequently as you can.

Nonetheless, the examples need to be right as well. If it’s a story, characters need to be depersonalized so that the readers can get immersed in the story. While this may not seem that logical, it might even be worth your while to check out how fiction writers are making their stories more immersive and try mimicking the same style in your examples. If it’s a situation, try to find something familiar, relatable or so unbelievable that it’s fascinating. Keep in mind, nonetheless, that giving examples for just the sake of giving examples is not good practice. The image that you’re using in order to clarify any information that you’ve just given needs to be relevant to the story at hand or at least serve as a faithful analogy. Otherwise, you’re missing the point.

Conclusion

The beauty of these three techniques lies in the fact that they are universally applicable to your content, regardless of the format, niche or topic at hand. You can use examples in written posts the same as you can verbalize them in a podcast episode. On the other hand, each of these three techniques requires a tremendous amount of work, so the best thing for you to do is get onto it right away.

The post 3 Suggestions to Make Your Content Consistently Better appeared first on TecAdmin.

1. Average order value

The first thing you need to understand is the fact that the higher the average order value gets, the more research your audience will have to invest in order to make the leap. This is one of the simplest calculations to make, due to the fact that all you have to do is take your total revenue and divide it by the number of placed orders. All of this, however, is just means to an end and what you’re truly aiming for is the customer value. The total customer value is calculated by multiplying a purchase frequency by an average order value. Keep in mind, nonetheless that, depending on the industry, boosting one or the other may seem like a better idea.

2. Customer assistance

In this day and age, the majority of internet users prefer to do some independent research of their own, which doesn’t mean that they don’t put a value on some proactive help on your side.

First of all, your product descriptions are a perfect example of just how non-invasive customer assistance can be. Second, by consistently providing a good service, you’ll be seen as practical and assertive, which will persuade more and more of your audience to stick around. Lastly, by ensuring that the interactions with your audience are fast (via chatbots or automated instant email responses) you’ll be strongly favored by them.

3. Using the right digital marketing technique

The next thing you need to understand is the fact that the way in which your customers reach your page matters a lot. This is why you need to ensure you reach every demographic in the most suitable way, as well as that you make your brand omnipresent in the digital environment.

Of course, you need to avoid black-hat techniques at all costs. Be transparent, as it’s better for your audience not to click on the link than to enter your domain and leave immediately after. This will increase your bounce rate, which is exactly opposite to what we’re trying to achieve at the moment. To make the long story short, using the right type of marketing at the right time is just as important as the content itself.

4. Visitor follow-up

By monitoring the activity of a person on your website, you can easily notice what they’re interested in. So, if they leave without making a purchase, you could target them and make an offer similar to the one they have previously considered. For instance, giving them 25 percent off on an item that they were previously looking at on your page might just make them come back for a purchase. Also, offering them products from a similar category could entice them to come back and give your e-store a second chance. This also helps to customize and personalize a buyer’s experience to a certain degree, which then again helps establish a special bond between them and your brand.

5. A recommendation engine

The last thing you need to understand is the fact that in the digital world no one is exclusive to one blog, one vlog, one e-store, and one online phenomenon. It’s not like the traditional business world competition, where if a person buys from your competitors, they won’t buy from you. On the contrary, a person interested in your industry might be on the lookout for more of similar content, items, and offers. This is why finding a way to get recommended to someone may increase your chances of getting a loyal visitor. After all, the visitors you reach in this way are mostly qualified leads.

Conclusion

At the very end, you need to understand that boosting visitor retention on your website is a continuous goal and one worth devoting your entire career to. Return customers generate 40 percent of your entire profit, while the most devoted ones even go as far as to become brand ambassadors. In other words, you have so much to gain that virtually no amount of effort invested can be seen as a waste of resources.

The post 5 Ways to Boost Visitor Retention on Your Website appeared first on TecAdmin.

This is particularly simple to achieve in e-commerce, due to the fact that customer-friendliness tends to be a lot simpler than a more general term user-friendliness. This is also why more and more Australian e-commerce and retail businesses invest heavily in this field as a part of their marketing efforts. With that in mind, here are several tips on how creating a positive CX (customer experience) may help you boost your Google rank.

1. Quality content

The first factor that comes into this theory is the one regarding the quality of the content. The reason why this is somewhat controversial is the fact that some people doubt the ability of the algorithm (no matter how sophisticated it may be) to properly evaluate the quality of your content. However, if you decide to look at this from a reciprocal standpoint, things get a lot simpler.
Quality content makes your audience stay longer (increased duration of visit), return more frequently (more return visits) and engage more. In other words, the algorithm uses the way in which your customers respond to your content in order to evaluate how good (efficient) it is. Therefore, you get to benefit both directly and indirectly from quality content.

2. Brand inspires loyalty

No matter how strange this may sound, the us-versus-them mentality is probably the cornerstone of brand loyalty as a phenomenon. You see, Coca-Cola fans just love making Pepsi jokes (same goes with iPhone vs. Android); nonetheless, in order for people to start identifying with your brand, you need to identify and differentiate yourself. Here, you need to create a brand on both ideological (ideas, values, objectives, goals, and mission) and visual (logo, colors, slogans, promotional products) levels. Most importantly, for this to give reliable results, you need consistency and you need someone who knows the local market. For instance, a Victoria-based company should look for an agency specializing in brand strategy in Melbourne.

3. Bigger reach

One of the reasons why people share content online is in order to entertain others. The simplest way to do so is to present them with something of value, something that they have discovered and are now altruistically sharing with others. This means that you stand to get a much bigger reach in the most organic way possible. This also means that you stand to gain some brand ambassadors, which have a clear edge over traditional influencers due to the fact that they work for free. Most importantly, due to the fact that they’re sharing content with their friends, family, coworkers and personal acquaintances, their words often resound with a much stronger tone.

4. Boosting customer experience through SEO

Throughout this piece, we’ve addressed the fact that customer experience boosts your Google rank, however, it goes the other way around, as well. What we mean by that is the idea that boosting your SEO may improve your customer experience, once again, benefiting you in a reciprocal manner. This is especially true for the on-site optimization but can also help your audience by helping them discover your (clearly superior) offer in a much easier manner.

5. The effects of negative customer experience

Unfortunately, there’s the other side of the coin, as well, seeing as how a negative customer experience can damage your brand in more than several ways. One-time visitors and bounce rate are a metric that may cause your search engine rank to suddenly drop, seeing as how it will testify about the low quality of your website. Aside from this, a negative customer experience has a particular way of hurting your sales and your prospects of generating return customers, which is probably the worst thing that can happen to a business in the long run.

Conclusion

With all of this in mind, particularly the last part, it’s more than clear that boosting your customer experience is something that you can’t afford to ignore, even if you don’t have your Google rank as the first objective. Furthermore, due to the fact that both of these things benefit you simultaneously, there’s no reason whatsoever for you to separate them in any way.

The post Using Customer Experience to Boost Your Google Rank appeared first on TecAdmin.

Be Analytical

Every job well done starts with a thorough analysis. When you are just starting out with a new client, this has to be the first step. Your team might be positively brimming with fresh ideas, but creativity – while certainly essential – is by no means the only important factor. In fact, even the most innovative ideas can flop, if they are not paired with the right client. Successful campaigns are primarily based on precise targeting. Throwing random stuff at the wall to see if it sticks is risky, unreliable, and ultimately just not good enough. Get to know the intricacies and details of your client’s business, their needs and their wishes. The vision of what they want to achieve will steer you in the right direction and help you map out strategies that will work for them. Of course, they will be all the more grateful for your attention to detail and their specific needs. People always prefer custom to ready-made solutions.

Have a Diverse Team

Creativity is the basic currency of digital agencies. Of course, consistently coming up with innovative solutions is easier said than done. To be able to guarantee your clients a fresh approach and original ideas, you need to carefully select your team. Apart from the required technical skills, you should look for individuals who are able to think outside the box. Employees with different backgrounds and interests can often bring their own diverse perspectives into the mix, thus providing an excellent environment for creativity to thrive.

Demonstrate Your Skills on Your Own Campaign

People always prefer seeing things for themselves than merely hearing about them. You can talk all you like about your skills and abilities – but clients are much more likely to respond positively if you show them, instead of tell them. Even if you are just starting out and still don’t have a very rich portfolio – you can still show them on your own example. Creating a successful branding strategy for your own agency will demonstrate all of your qualities perfectly. A catchy name, a memorable logo, a trendy website, and a strong social media presence – all based on proper targeting – will show your intended audience exactly what you can do, without much need for explanations.

Keep Up With New Trends and Tools

It’s sometimes easy to fall into the trap of stagnation. You may even hire the best team in the world, but if they aren’t constantly learning and evolving, you won’t be able to achieve permanent success. Digital marketing is an extremely dynamic field, and the constantly changing landscape is far from easy to navigate. Trends shift, aesthetics change, and new tools are always emerging. Not only is every client a different story, the whole business undergoes both subtle and seismic shifts all the time. That is why it’s key that all of the members of your team are prepared to constantly learn, explore, and accept challenges. Basic skill sets to pay attention to must include design, SEO, email marketing, social media analytics, branding services, project management, as well as web development and deployment.

Carving out a place for yourself takes time and effort. While it’s not realistic to expect overnight success, hard work, commitment, and inspiration will surely pay off in the long run.

The post Top Tips to Make Your Digital Agency Stand out appeared first on TecAdmin.

On the Internet, Everyone Knows You

Once you manage to build a reputation, you will have to work on maintaining it, because if you start losing some, it will be a rather expensive problem to fix. Moreover, data leaks could hinder your work and could give your competitors the edge they need to get ahead of you. All the while your customers will start talking about your business in a negative sense, diminishing your reputation even further. Data security should be one of your number one priorities, so put up a great defense system to mitigate the damage once it has been done.

• Why Your New Business Needs Digital Marketers

Maintain Good Communication with Your Customers

In order to improve your reputation, you will have to engage with your clients in as many ways as possible. However, even then you’ll have to make sure that nothing bypasses your security, for your business’ sake. For open communication with your clients, make sure to implement remote software as it will provide you with the safest communication options. On the other hand, customers will appreciate the additional measures you took to ensure their safety, which they will reward with loyalty.

Are Your Really Safe on Social Networks?

While it will be necessary to seize the opportunities that social networks offer, and to make sure that you connect and engage with your customers, there are many issues you will need to deal with. Protecting your social media privacy will be a necessary investment, because nowadays, nothing spreads rumors and misinformation faster than social media. Also, keep in mind that it will be particularly difficult to right a wrong. But, if you manage to retain your privacy you have nothing to worry about.

The Art of Backup and Data Recovery

In case anything happens, you need to have a fail safe plan to mend the situation and alleviate the damage. Regular data backup and recovery is crucial if you want to be considered reliable. You will be able to quickly put everything back in its place, and most importantly, keep your customers’ data safe. Also, make sure you keep logs of every activity within your business, so you can show everyone that you are running an efficient and safe business. Your business’ reputation is fragile, and you must treat it with care if you want to succeed.

• How the Cloud can Improve Business Productivity

How Safe Is Your Data?

You need to make sure that your business data is safe at all times. Otherwise, hackers could get a hold of some valuable information they can later use to extort money or cause some other damage. A number of companies have made the mistake of underestimating their own security and allowing hackers to take a peek inside. By not securing your information properly, you are not only endangering your business, but your customers and partners as well. Keep updating security measures as soon as something new comes out, and make sure that you test them beforehand.

Your online security will define your business in a way, and unless your customers feel safe, it will be difficult to convince them otherwise. Research and feedback are essential aspects you need to analyze carefully and see where, what and how you can improve. Storing your most sensitive data separately is a great strategy to ensure that if anything happens, you are still able to recover it, without jeopardizing your business. Your security should consist of security breach prevention and handling, which will minimize the damage, and save your business’ reputation.

• How Can the Internet of Things Work for You

The post Online Security Plays a Key Role in Your Business Reputation appeared first on TecAdmin.

Not just any port in the storm

The internet market is quite competitive and there is no shortage of offers to choose from. Unfortunately, the bitter truth is that you do not always get what you pay for. Sometimes, internet service providers (ISP) downright cheat us and they get away with that due to the fact that the general population is uncertain of how to identify and diagnose the problem. I took my time to research internet providers near me and still ended up with speed issues. At first, I was feeling lost and shorthanded.

You may know that many individuals place their trust in speed tests. Alas, many ISPs intentionally inflate the results, while others gauge in unrealistic test conditions. As for the fraudulent behavior, ISPs tend to utilize port 8080 for the test instead of regular ports 80 or 443, which are commonly used for internet traffic. To put things in perspective, let us just say that port 8080 tests tend to produce up to five times greater results than their standard HTTP counterparts.

One possible solution to this problem is to block port 8080 via Firewall and thus force the speed test to go through port 80 and give you a more realistic picture. In addition, bear in mind that you can run several different tests and see whether the results match. There is a multitude of speed tests available online, and some of them, such as Ookla or SpeedTest.net, are definitely worth your while.

The need for speed

The figures might not be spot-on, and they vary because of the distance and metrics of the test server, but you should be able to come up with a good average number. To mitigate the discrepancies, it is advisable to always connect to the server that is closest to your location. Do not raise hell if there is a slight deviation from what the ISP claims and note that your internet speed can fluctuate on a daily basis.

Pay close attention to three values: ping rate, download bandwidth, and upload bandwidth. Also, if you discover a bigger issue with speed, do not hesitate to contact the ISP. It is their responsibility to solve and determine speed hiccups. Therefore, the moment you notice problems downloading, playing online games, or opening pages, you should react right away. Also, it is a good idea to assess the speed periodically, never taking it for granted.

In the end, my personal experience tells me that users should pay more attention to factors like customer experience. Namely, by checking forums, comments, and discussions, you can find out what other people think about a particular ISP. And although a location does not play a huge role in the digital world, in this case, it can affect the speed. In any event, always be vigilant and pick a provider only after checking out all the available offers.

Test the digital waters

In this day and age, the internet is a bare necessity more than anything. We all want the connection to work as advertised, but the problem is that you cannot take the ISP for a word. To make it worse, their tests often do not reflect the real state of affairs. So, if you suspect some foul play, carry out a few different tests and compare the results. Take action promptly in the wake of any detrimental situation and accept nothing less than an optimal performance to get the real value for your money.

The post How to Reckon Your Real Internet Speed? appeared first on TecAdmin.