Techy Office Gifts

No software development company is quite complete without these interesting and also useful techy gifts. You can't overestimate the importance of a correctly positioned computer monitor — placing your screen in the wrong spot can cause eye strain, neck pain and poor posture. Not to mention when you are using internet phones, it would be a good idea to have it positioned just right. Essentially, you want to keep your body as loose as possible using the minimum amount of effort to view your screen. No matter how hot Starbucks makes their coffee, even it can cool within minutes of reaching the office — especially in blustery winter weather. A trek to the kitchen can interrupt work and decrease productivity, so consider gifting a USB coffee warmer. This simple device, which easily plugs into your computer, can keep a mug hot without a trip to the microwave. And for less than $10, it makes a great casual gift for coworkers or friends. There are also many different solar powered chargers on the market which can make a great gift for the tree hugger in your life.

Internet Keeps Getting Better

There are some things about the internet that are good and not complicated and without people spying on what you are searching for. While it is used for content management systems for businesses to be in control of the content on your website without having to know the ins and outs of web development, there are a lot more things that you can do that will help improve your skills. First of all you can read faster with Spreeder. Copy and paste the text of an article into the box, and Spreeder will flash each word on the screen individually, helping you read hundreds more words per minute than you could on your own. Have you ever asked, "What time works for everybody?" and then wanted to bash your face against your keyboard? This is where Doodle comes in. Ask all parties to check off the times and dates that work for them so you can pick a time from a neatly organized chart. StudyBlue helps you make digital flashcards to help you study. It keeps track of the ones you got wrong, too, so you can use your desktop or mobile device to focus on the material you're most unfamiliar with.

Planning

No matter what field you are in, planning is crucial. I have often heard that without a plan to succeed, it is a plan to fail. All it takes is twenty minutes each day to make a plan but it will save you so much time and stress in the long run that you will wonder why you have not been doing this all your life. It will give you a chance to improve and better yourself (and who does not want to do that?). Here is an example of the process you could try out. You will need to make eight goals for the day, six that are professional and two that are personal, in the morning. The next morning, check that list and see how you did and create a new list for that day. On Saturdays, have two professional and six personal goals. Then on Sunday, there are no lists. Even if this does not work for you, find a system that works for you. You can even get the help of mobile applications.

What to Do On Slow Days

Even the busiest business professional have days that are slow and there is nothing to do. There are several options that you have before you go playing all those mindless mobile gaming applications just to pass the time. You can organize your desk which in turn will help organize your thoughts for the next big project or anything that comes up. Get rid of anything lying around that you don't use on a daily basis. Take a moment to organize all your short-term and long-term tasks. Even on a slow day, you likely have a few projects or long-term commitments that are sitting on your back burner. Take a moment to analyze and sort all the tasks you're currently facing. On slow days you could take the time to learn something new. You could attend a webinar or read up on the subject in your field to stay on top of the news and developments. There are also many different youtube videos that you could check out.

Office Hacks

Work can sometimes be frustrating especially if that business application development or content management systems are not quite working the way they should. Then something another small frustrating things happens and it is like the straw on the camel's back and next thing you know, the day is really going downhill. Luckily, there are things that can help turn it around. Cords laying around everywhere can get distracting so you can use a binder clip to wind your earbuds around or to tidy up those other cords and keep them in place. If your WiFi is acting up, you can use foil to control the direction of it and make sure that it is coming your way and no one is hopping on it and slowing things down. Do you have anymore suggestions to make the workday a little bit less stressful?

Cloud Computing: What It Is

Cloud computing comes into focus only when you think about what IT always needs: a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the fly without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time over the Internet, extends IT's existing capabilities. Just the same way that there is less and less hard copies and paper, there is less software that is directly on the computer's hard drive. It is stored in another place that can be accesses through the internet and any device. One of the best parts about cloud computing is that you can build only what you need and what you will be using. This is a great aspect of the cloud if you are a business professional looking for that edge. Do you use the cloud?

Voice Over Internet Protocol

Voice over IP (VoIP) is a business phone system that resides in the cloud. If your company is using Hosted VoIP, the phone set on your desk utilizes the internet to connect to your provider’s phone system. This service reduces the amount of equipment a business needs to own and maintain. Hosted VoIP providers maintain multiple systems and provide automatic failover should one become inoperable. One of the things that you will need is cabling and it might be better to call a third party cabling company which will give you an estimate ahead of time. You also need cable internet otherwise VoIP might not be worth it. How many phone sets do you need and how many phone lines or call paths do you require? What percentage of your employees will be on the phone at the same time? Human nature is to order more lines than you actually need. Most businesses can get away with 40 percent less phone lines than phone sets. If you’re considering Hosted VoIP, start keeping track of the percentage of your employees that are using the phone at the same time.