Marketing Design Tips and Trends For Success

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description:

With website design impacting 94% of first impressions, one of the main factors impacting if a user will stay on your website or not is your design and its elements.

An ideal website design is simple, functional, and also consistent with the branding of your business. Most good-looking websites use a grid-based layout to make content aligned, they have short load times, are mobile-friendly, and use inviting copy.

Use these website design hacks and trends to make informed decisions for your website in 2021.

Keep Design Clean and Simple

Use minimalistic elements, simple fonts, easy colors, and compelling copy to create a clean website design.

A rising trend in 2021 is comfortable colors. We suggest thinking outside of the box and avoiding the classic black and white. While these can work for certain industries, we suggest using soft color palettes to create a calm and relaxing environment for your visitors.

Use Stunning Visuals

No matter if it’s for your product pages, blog posts, or about us page, always use high-quality images and videos (of course while, at the same time, keeping in mind size limitations).

In 2021, 3D graphics and parallax animation are increasingly popular among web designers and website owners. That will help you stand out from your competitors and keep your users engaged and longer on your website (which also brings benefits in terms of SEO and conversions)

Make Your Web Design Responsive

All the pages on your website need to be responsive and render well on all devices and screen sizes.

To stay updated with the latest industry trends, you can try using vector graphics. These are points on a vector map that web designers use to resize images without losing quality. That ensures your site is responsive without compromising the quality of your visual assets.

Make Your Website Engaging

No matter which industry you’re in, your website shouldn’t be boring. Try to capture the attention of your readers by using elements of interactivity.

In 2021, we’ve seen a rising trend in 360-degree views, as well as micro-interaction elements. These, again, engage users and also keep them on your site longer.

Create a Simple Navigation Experience

The structure of your content should be easy to understand and your website easy to navigate through.

A growing trend in web design is infinite scroll technology, which makes it a seamless experience for users to navigate your website, especially on mobile devices.

As you’ve seen there are some marketing design tips you can take advantage of to create a stunning website.

However, you should adapt your layout to the type of content you share. The design of your website will vary depending on the industry you’re in and the content you share. Because of that, you must find inspiration from some of the best-designed websites on the internet.

Website Design Examples:

1. Avoriaz 1800 – Visite Virtuelle

This website uses animation, 360-degree technology, storytelling, and stunning visual assets to make users feel like they’re part of the experience. Definitely consider creating something like this if you’re in the travel and hospitality industry.

Technologies Used: CSS3, HTML5, Apache

2. Playbook

This cloud storage platform for designers website uses clean design, stunning photography, and an innovative UI experience that captures the user’s attention. The website also uses interactive design elements to create a personalized and engaging experience. Make sure your web design is clean and simple, especially if you’re a technology company targeting designers.

Technologies Used: Ruby, GraphQL, React

3. Animus Studios

This video agency uses animation, videos, and lots of colors to stand out from competitors and also show the company’s capabilities in terms of videos. Try using a similar web design if you’re a creative business agency that wants to make work more fun.

Technologies Used: Craft CMS

4. PUBLIC DOMAIN

This website, founded by Virgil Abloh to show his collections and to tease upcoming product launches, uses big background images, a horizontal menu, and innovative content architecture

Technologies Used: JavaScript, HTML5

5. Globalance World

Globalance World is an investment platform that creates an interactive experience for users to make investment decisions by looking at economic, societal, and environmental factors. To do this, the website designers used interactivity, a fully responsive design, and 3D data visualization.

Technologies Used: next.js, CSS3, Three.js, React, D3, GraphQL

6. UXPERT

This website chose to use elements like animation, clean design, graphic design assets, and an innovative user interface. For example, on the homepage, users can play a showreel to learn everything about the brand.

Technologies Used: WordPress, CSS3, HTML5

7. MAD

MAD is a creative digital design website taking a creative approach to interactivity. The result is an unusual design that surely captures the attention of users, who can play with the logo, move objects, and more. By using experimental and unusual design, transition elements, filters and effects, an innovative user interface, and micro-interactions, this website creates interest and curiosity.

8. Glob

Do you own an eCommerce website? This is the example you’re looking for. Glob sells reusable bags for a plastic-free lifestyle. On their website, they use filters and effects creatively to grab the users’ attention and making web design elements entertaining. For example, users can move their mouse around and interact with designs with a liquify effect.

Technologies Used: WebGL

9. Gucci Beauty Foundation

This website offers a quiz game, shades palettes, and interactive video tutorials to allow users to discover the uses in an entertaining way. Consider creating a subdomain or subfolder of your website, similar to this example, to present a product you offer and create a buzz.

Technologies Used: CSS3, HTML5, React, Anime.js

10. Mario Russo Archive

Using features like responsive design, appealing typography, and storytelling, artist Mario Russo’s archive offers a simple way of showing creative work online. More specifically, typography (font style, appearance, and structure) is an extremely important factor when it comes to improving the user experience.

Technologies Used: CSS3, HTML5, jQuery, Typekit

11. Yusuke Fukunaga

Yusuke Fukunaga’s portfolio uses infinite scroll, parallax, scrolling, and various filters and effects for a simple yet innovative design. Consider experimenting with something similar if you’re a creative professional and want to showcase your portfolio.

Technologies Used: WebGL, GSAP Animation, Three.js

12. IdeaRocket

IdeaRocket is an animation studio making its website popular for its uncommon user experience work presentation. Design features that stand out here include animation, video, scrolling, and great use of storytelling.

Technologies Used: WordPress, CSS3, HTML5. GSAP Animation

13. Omega Funds

Are you in the B2B space? We suggest taking a look at the way this website uses animation features, transition elements, and micro interactions to communicate information in a fun way without distracting users. This is perfect for inspiration especially if you have a corporate website.

Technologies Used: WordPress, CSS3, GSAP Animation, Three.js, Matter.js

14. Low Five Brewing

Single page, uncommon navigation, and responsive design are the features that stand out when users enter this website. Low Five Brewing is one of the best single-page websites on the internet. This technology includes all the content on one page, with no menu at all. As a result, navigation is simple and the website is fast and responsive.

Technologies Used: Vue.js, Nuxt.js

15. Swissdent

Swissdent created a website that uses photography, animated visuals, clean design, minimalistic elements, and parallax technology to tell a story. The minimalistic and clean web design creates a simple and fun shopping experience for visitors.

Technologies Used: WordPress, CSS3, HTML5, GSAP Animation, PHP

16. Goodfight

Using a horizontal menu and layout, responsive design, transition elements, and fun filters and effects, this website creates a more interactive experience for users who want to learn about the brand.

17. Hanwag – 100 Years

Experimental and retro design. This is what users think of when looking at this website. The entire site consists of a single page, which details the history of the Hanwag shoe brand from the first shoemaker’s shop in 1921 to 2021.

18. Vintageria

Definitely, get inspired by this website if you’re looking for a retro web design for your eCommerce store. The website is colorful and uses fun storytelling elements and an innovative user interface to stand out from other clothing brands.

Technologies Used: Node.js, GSAP Animation, PixiJS, Webpack, Vue.js, Nuxt.js

19. Fabulatorij

Take a look at this event agency’s website if you’re planning to use vector graphics for your website design. It uses geometric shapes to create high-quality images that render well on all devices.

Technologies Used: GSAP Animation, VideoJS, Vue.js, Nuxt.js, Netlify

20. BURGER & SAUCE

What elements stand out on this website? Big background images, vector graphics, and responsive design. This restaurants chain focuses on these elements on its website to picture its handmade burgers, with an impressive and memorable user experience.

Technologies Used: WordPress, SVG, Cloudflare

Conclusion:

If you’re launching a new website and blog or are looking to redesign your existing one, it’s important you have original and cohesive design elements.

Having said that, the specific characteristics and technologies you’ll include will change based on your industry and your company’s goals. Follow the infographic below to choose the right web design elements for your website.

Source: WebsiteSetup

STAY INSPIRED: Launching a Small Business (and the Tools You'll Need)

Keep up the good work! 😎👍

*by andreascy*

How to Protect Your Company’s Email Against Cyberattack

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Hello folks and hope you had a restful holiday. At the dawn of the New Year, we'd like to wish you all a prosperous 2019, with personal and family fulfillment! We look forward to being your companion all year round. 😎👍

While Hollywood may portray hacking as a complicated endeavor which requires sophisticated technical expertise and endless nights spent staring at a computer, the truth is that hackers rely on a variety of methods, some of which are as simple as sending company employees an email pretending to be a reputable source. In fact, taking advantage of security loopholes among your company’s employees is one of the most reliable and fastest ways for malicious parties to access your company’s sensitive data. 

Often times, hackers or other criminals can simply send fake emails – also called “spoofed” emails – purporting to be from a reputable source, which can gain the attention of company employees who then surrender data or even money. Other times, hackers can gain access to your corporate email lists and send out emails to your clients and vendors requesting money. 

Hackers can even pretend to be the CEO and contact employees of your organization with demands such as emergency payments. Read on to learn more about the many different forms of Business Email Compromise, its harmful effects, and how to prevent it from happening within your company.

What is Business Email Compromise?

Business email compromise, refers to a type of cybersecurity infiltration that can occur in a company or business. In a business email compromise, which is also called BEC, malicious parties such as hackers or criminal organizations typically target high-level employees of an organization, such as corporate executives. Hackers may send emails to the executives, in a practice known as phishing. 

Phishing is a fraudulent form of email activity, in which hackers send emails pretending to be reputable companies to obtain information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and even financial payments. In BEC, high-level corporate executives are strategically targeted so that hackers can obtain confidential information and payments from the executives. This can pose significant risks to a company’s operations, both in terms of data loss and financially.

How does a typical email cyberattack work? There are four types of BEC scams which we will discuss in the next section.

Four Types of Email-Based Cyberattacks

There are several types of BEC scams. Hackers can pretend to be an employee in your organization to obtain information from your real employees, or they may be able to access sensitive information, such as a list of email contacts, to request payments from people with whom your company may work. 

Two types of BEC which involve the hackers pretending to be a reputable source are CEO fraud and attorney impersonation. In CEO fraud, the malicious parties pretend to be an executive and contact finance or the human resources department of a company, demanding an emergency payment. Hackers can also pretend to be a lawyer or an employee from a law firm to obtain access to sensitive data – this is known as “attorney impersonation.” 

Other types of BEC scams take advantage of employees’ poor data security practices rather than purporting to be high-profile members of your company. In account compromise, a high-level exec’s email is hacked, and the email address is used by hackers to request payments from clients listed in the executive’s email contacts. Hackers can also steal other types of data, and even steal data from company employees. Data theft can occur in which hackers obtain personally identifiable information (also called PII) from the human resources department, which can be used to plot further cyberattacks.

While these attacks may seem different, the common thread that unites all of them is that they result from poor cybersecurity and safety practices among all levels of employees within an organization. High-level corporate executives are prime targets for hackers because of their stature in the organization and access to confidential data. However, entry-level employees who are poorly trained in email security best practices can also risk clicking on links in emails sent by hackers and unknowingly sending malicious parties your company’s sensitive data, or even their own personal information.

Companies who do not train their employees on cybersecurity best practices, therefore, risk exposing sensitive corporate data, which can not only hurt the business’ bottom line and potentially leak data to competitors, but can cost companies thousands, and even millions, of dollars as they seek to institute damage control. The best way to avoid dealing with the fallout of a BEC, is to be prepared and train employees across your organization – from entry-level employees, to human resources, to high-level executives -- in best practices for maximum email security.

How Can I Prevent Business Email Compromise in My Organization?

The best way to prevent BEC in your company is to utilize state-of-the-art security practices and train employees on email best practices. Make employees aware of the dangers of email phishing and impersonation scams. Remind your employees – whether they are entry-level or at the top of the corporate food chain – that they should never open emails from people that they do not recognize, and should certainly never click on links in emails from unknown senders, due to the fact that such emails can be phishing attempts.

Your information technology staff, can also institute several security practices which make it more difficult for hackers to gain access to your information in general, even in the event of a data breach. Emails should be sent over an encrypted server, so that anyone who can access your internet network cannot read the information being sent over the network. Another important cybersecurity practice, that is now utilized in most secure servers is two-factor authentication, which requires users to input a passcode sent to their email or mobile device to gain access to a website or online service. Two-factor authentication on company email accounts, can make it more difficult for hackers to gain access to company emails. 

Finally, minimize your electronic “paper trail” to make it more difficult for hackers to gain employees’ personal information. Financial information such as W-2 forms and tax forms should also be delivered to your human resources department in person to avoid having sensitive personal information being leaked to hackers. Finally, limit the number of employees who are authorized to disperse company funds, and make sure to set alerts and limit the number of withdrawals from this fund.

Source: Panda Security

Interested in learning more about how to protect your company against email compromise? Panda Security is a Spanish company that specializes in the development of high-tech products to help internet users navigate the web more safely and securely. Head over to Panda Security’s blog for more information on business email compromise, including a helpful infographic and warning signs to look for in an email to determine whether or not it is compromised. By educating your company’s employees about the dangers of BEC, you can help stop these cyberattacks and improve corporate security.

If you found this article of interest, we'd love to hear what you think!

*by andreascy*

7 Reasons to Consider a Home Gym

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

For people who work out regularly, going to the gym can be tedious. The memberships cost money and (let’s face it) sometimes other gym goers can be downright obnoxious. To make you experience at the gym more enjoyable, you may want to consider a home gym.

Of course, it is daunting to make the space and spend the money on equipment, but it could be worth it for the complete control of your workouts. If going to a gym is getting old, you might want to consider the benefits of working out a little closer to home. Here are 7 reasons investing in a home gym will be worth it in the long run. 

1. Privacy 

If you are someone who feels awkward or uncomfortable working out in front of others, then a home gym is the perfect solution. Just imagine: you can wear whatever you want, grunt as loudly as you want, and use whatever equipment you want without waiting for it. Plus, you never have to worry about being judged by strangers so you may feel more free to try new workouts. You also won’t have to worry about getting unsolicited advice from gym staff, or people who think they’re gym staff. There will never be any worry about embarrassment in the private oasis that is your home gym. 

In your home gym, you will be able to watch your TV shows or listen to your music unencumbered by headphones. You won’t have to take anyone else into consideration when picking the volume of your tunes. So turn up the volume and let the music motivate you. You can even use all the chalk you want without being reprimanded. 

You may even find yourself working out a little harder since you have no one else looking at you and you don’t even need to think about how you look while working out. Additionally, not having to worry about someone taking your machine will help you feel more relaxed and not on edge about other people swooping in. 

Another bonus is that you will never have to think about crowds. Not everyone likes working out surrounded by people and it can be impossible to get the machines you are looking for at peak hours. You can take solace knowing that after work you can go home to a nice empty gym and relieve the stress of a long day, without interruption. 

2. Saving Time

Sometimes the prospect of driving to an over-crowded gym with lackluster equipment can be completely demotivating. However, it is much harder to convince yourself to skip your workout when your “commute” to the gym is about one minute. 

Depending on how far away your gym is, you probably add about 20-30 minutes to your workout just in travel time. That is time you could spend going a little harder on your workout, or even better, just being at home. 

Not only will working out take up less time in general, a home gym allows you to utilize your time more efficiently. In your home gym, it will be so much easier to use the time you have. Only have 20 minutes? You can squeeze in a 20-minute workout since you won’t have to worry about the hassle of traveling to the gym. 

Who wants to battle rush hour traffic just to get in a workout after work? It is so much easier to go straight home and know that you can take your time getting there. You will ultimately be able to spend more time with your family since you will be in your home for your workout. 

Plus, your workouts will be quicker since you will know that the exact equipment you want will be available when you want it. When you’re working out at a commercial gym, the time spent traveling to and from the gym, putting your stuff in lockers, waiting for equipment, and possibly showering can be equal to time actually spent on the gym floor. 

3. Customization

Of course you should always tour a gym before you sign up, but even if you think they have all the equipment you want now, that might not always be the case. As your fitness goals grow and evolve, so will your equipment needs. 

If you take training very seriously and tend to work with only extremely heavy weights, you will be hard pressed to find a gym that carries the weights you want. If you are relatively new to working out, the gym often has a lot of equipment you don’t need, but are paying for anyway. 

When you create a home gym you can customize it to include exactly the equipment that you want. Plus, you get to decide what the time limits are on the cardio equipment. When first starting your home gym you can buy only the equipment that you will use and then only add to it as needed. 

You can also focus exclusively on your interests when designing your home gym. For example, if you like to get your workouts in through dance, most gyms only have dance space available for scheduled classes. So with a home gym, you have the ability to leave some space for a dance floor.

Not only do you customize the equipment available, you also get to customize the space arrangement. You will no longer have to worry about cramped gym floors with no space to put your mats or do your stretches. 

Why would you want to fit your workouts to the gym when you can make the gym fit your workouts. You will no longer have to work with what happens to be available; you get to decide what is available to you. 

4. Maintenance

If you really think about it, sharing gym equipment has the potential to be pretty gross. Some large-scale gyms have upwards of 3,000 members. Just think about how many people are using the same machines as you in a day and then consider how many of those people aren’t wiping it down afterwards. 

A study done by the website Fitrated showed that gym equipment typically has more bacteria than a toilet seat. This study didn’t even take into account the public locker rooms and showers. When you think about how much you are sharing with other people it seems like home gym is better for your health in more ways than one. 

At your home gym you have total control over who is using the equipment and how clean it is. You can have some piece of mind knowing that you can work out during flu season without having to worry about catching something that will knock you out for two weeks.

Additionally, you don’t have to worry about strangers misusing your equipment. At the gym you often have to deal with equipment being out of order, missing weights, or just in bad shape because not everyone knows how to take care of the equipment. When it is just you, the equipment will last longer because it isn’t seeing as much use, and you know it is being used and stored properly. It might seem like a hassle to have to serve as the maintenance staff at your home gym, but it’s better than getting sick and dealing with broken equipment. 

5. Money 

Every commercial gym markets its memberships as affordable, but you still end up spending a significant amount of money on the monthly price of a membership alone. But, if all you are paying is a monthly fee you are lucky. Many gyms are notorious for hidden startup fees, annual fees, random price raising, and cancellation fees. 

Considering that the average gym membership costs between $50-$60 per month, you could be spending upwards of $700 a year on monthly membership fees alone. Even if you go to the gym every single day, this is a big expense on your plate. 

Building up a home gym requires an initial investment but it will pay itself off in the long run. When you’re building a home gym you’re ideally using a space that you already have, such as a basement or a garage. The biggest expense will be the equipment. 

Yes, equipment can get expensive, but you don’t have to go right for the top of the line stuff. You can take your time and search for the best deals you can get so that your home gym fits your budget. You may even start with just a few basic pieces of equipment and then gradually add to your collection as needed. 

If you use a personal trainer at your gym, you can even save some of that money by having someone come to your house instead of using the overpriced trainer at the gym. Having someone who comes to you will allow you to find the trainer who is the perfect fit for your budget and your personality. 

The initial start-up costs may seem daunting but just think about how nice it will be to not have to hand over your money every month to a gym you don’t want to go to. 

6. Convenience 

Clearly a home gym is convenient in terms of saving time on the commute and having more efficient workouts, but there are other surprising conveniences that you might not even think about. A great added bonus of having a home gym is that if you have kids, you can get in a workout while they are in the other room. There is no stress about finding a sitter or getting the kids in the car to take them to the kid’s club. 

This is absolutely essential for busy moms and dads who have trouble finding time for themselves. It can be hard for parents to stay on top of their health; having a home gym makes it a little bit easier. Plus, it will save money on the cost of the kid’s club or babysitters. 

If you happen to have older kids, you can let them use the equipment as well without any extra fees. Therefore, having a home gym turns into a good way to help keep the whole family healthy. If you don’t have kids, you can share your equipment with your significant other or roommates so that no one has to worry about gym memberships. 

Additionally, there is the convenience of not having to worry about weather. If you’re someone who likes to workout outside, a rainstorm can ruin your workout plans. If you have a home gym, you can just hop on your treadmill and get your workout in, no matter what the weather is. 

You also have the convenience of having your whole house at your disposal. So no need to worry about forgetting your shower shoes or weight lifting gloves. You can just run to the other room and grab them. 

7. Enjoyment

If you combine all the aforementioned reasons to consider a home gym, you get an overall more enjoyable and less stressful gym experience. You can train so much better when you don’t have to think about all the things you hate about your big commercial gym that is only interested in your money. It will be much easier to work out if you actually like the environment you are working out in. 

Once you are using your home gym all your excuses will be gone and you’ll have nothing left to focus on but your exercise. Before you know it you will start to see results, and your body and mind will thank you. 

Conclusion

It is easy to make excuses to skip your work out when you don’t like your work out environment. When you build a home gym you are creating a workout environment that is customized to your exact needs so you will really want to work out. There is nothing better than being in complete control of your fitness. 

A home gym eliminates all those extraneous factors that get in the way of your exercise routine. Of course sometimes there are limitations, but you don’t have to think of your home gym as a massive undertaking. It is perfectly okay to start small and then work your way up to the enormous home gym of your dreams. 

Overall, cancelling your gym membership and taking your workouts to your home will give you unprecedented freedom to make your fitness experience completely your own. Why try to fit your workouts to someone else’s mold, when you can control for every aspect of your experience to get exactly the right workout for you?

RECOMMENDED STORY: Tech Gadgets That Will Take Your Workout to the Next Level

Delighted that THE OFFICIAL ANDREASCY is now on Linked In - you can follow our page and stay tuned for more updates.

*by andreascy*

All Systems Go: Launching a Small Business (and the Tools You'll Need)

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Happy New Year everyone!

Starting a business requires an ample selection of tools to make operations manageable. Without them, you'd spend more time with its administration than selling and customer interaction.

Where's the fun in that? Almost 1 million businesses are launched each year with most being small operations. This is an interesting trend because it shows the viable nature of starting a business where before launching was heavily determined by access to finances and resources.

Perhaps the tools make the difference? I think so. I haven't launched a brick & mortar operation but I have started several successful, online businesses. Many tools I use are same (or similar) to those found in many, other small businesses. I can reaffirm this based on my networking and business with owners.

What common ground did I find with business tools?

1. Payment Processing

All businesses need a form of payment gateway services to complete transactions. Brick and mortar stores will likely use Point-of-Sale systems whereas online businesses rely on shopping cart software.

2. Accounting

The first year in business comes as a shock when it's time to pay taxes. Business taxes depend on its organization, profits, and expenses. Average business tax rates are usually 19.8%.

Accounting software is a must to keep income and expenses in order. Both TurboTax and Quickbooks make great options for small business owners.

3. Legal or business document(s)

All businesses should have a business plan to keep efforts aligned and to improve their chances to secure funding through loans and investments. Other important documents may include a bill of lading, trademarks, seller's permits, and more.

Legal and business documents are costly if they're created by professionals. Like taxes, a small business owner may use tools to create these items in-house. 

Tools include DocuSign and Formswift.

4. Computer and mobile hardware

What's a business to do if team members don't have access to computers, mobile devices, and the Web? These two sets of tools, alone, present many opportunities -- including:

• Access to website building tools

• Mobile CRM and networking tools

• Social media marketing and always-on monitoring

• Warehouse management and logistics

• Payroll and time management software

These tools become vital for its launch as Web efforts will generally lead to high engagement, low-cost marketing campaigns to build awareness and sales.

Also, businesses may choose to bring advertising and marketing creative design in-house by making flyers, posters, brochures, and business cards for a fraction of the costs if done by a designer. 

Tools all small businesses will want to explore include Salesforce, Hootsuite, Wix, and ADP.

5. Business Intelligence

BI tools give small business owners insights into the business operations and organization. Data is uploaded to these tools to compile information and records to produce actionable reports.

Microsoft Power BI offers a free version of their tool many small business owners may want to explore if they feel it provides a benefit.

6. Helpdesk

Gathering customer (and employee) feedback is tedious if these items are stored and organized through traditional filing systems.

Helpdesk software sits on your workplace hardware. Or, it's cloud-based. These tools create a gateway for feedback and handling issues. Other benefits include:

• A central hub for FAQ's

• User roles and hierarchy for management

• Community forums to crowdsource help

There's a Tool for Everything

No matter the task or problem... there's a tool to provide a solution. Yes, each tool you introduce will produce a learning curve and time investment. But, they will greatly reduce the tedious tasks.

This frees more of your time to work on the enjoyable activities like interacting with customers, exploring new ventures, and nurturing team cohesion.

I've found most businesses all use one or all types of these tools. Though, ask your fellow entrepreneurs for extra pointers and suggestions.

*by andreascy*

Are You Underestimating the Importance of Data Security?

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Since the invention of the internet, data has taken on a whole new meaning. While advancement in technologies has made it convenient for us to share, store, input, and review data from virtually anywhere, this also puts businesses and everyday consumers at risk. 

Everything from your bank account information and social media profile to client and payment information is vulnerable with the use of any device. Have you been underestimating the importance of keeping it secure?

How is Data Risked? 

Though most consumers and businesses are aware of risks such computer viruses and cyber attacks, most aren’t aware of the various ways in which data can become compromised. Here are some of the most common risks:

Theft

What happens if your laptop, desktop, or smartphone becomes stolen? How much data have you just put at risk? Deliberate attacks happen often to businesses and individuals who could be holding sensitive information. Theft doesn’t have to come in the form of a robber sticking you up at gunpoint either. From former employees stealing sensitive information to competing organizations trying to learn trade secrets, data is stolen all the time. Though companies like Capitol Digital & Califorensics can help to recover data from a damaged or stolen device, taking preventative measures is always best.

Loss

Everyone is human and entitled to make a mistake from time to time. Data can easily be lost by misplacing a smartphone, misfiling documents, or losing a laptop while waiting at the airport. This sensitive information can now be in the hands of anyone leaving you open to exposure.

Neglect

How many times have you discarded of a phone, computer, or laptop without wiping the information on them clean? Did you know that if not properly erased, others who buy the devices can pull and use this information to their advantage? Other forms of neglect might include the failure to create strong enough passwords which provide easy access to sensitive programs, and even data such as forms or letters that are not properly shredded can be a form of neglect that leaves you vulnerable to a data breach.

How Can You Improve Data Security? 

As you can see, there are a lot more risks out there than viruses and malware. If you want to keep your data secure, it is imperative to be proactive in implementing some of the following preventative measures:

1. Install antivirus software – Don’t underestimate the importance of antivirus software. This should be installed on your computer and your smartphones to prevent hackers from accessing information through apps and online programs.

2. Create passwords – Whether in the office, at home, or on the go, all your devices applications and programs should have strong passwords to make it harder for a thief to steal your information. Create passwords that you can remember, however, that aren’t too easy for others to learn.

3. Train Staff – For those who are concerned about data breaches in the office should be sure to properly educate their staff on cyber security as well as policies and procedure that should be followed in the office to minimize the potential for a data breach.

4. Backup Data – Some things are beyond your control. If you happen to lose your smartphone or get hacked at work having your data backed up can make recovering a lot easier. Whether you use cloud storage, a flash drive, or another device to store your data, it can save a lot of time and money in the long run.

You never know just how vulnerable you are until you’re hacked, your phone gets lost, or someone deliberately steals confidential information from you. Outside of being prepared with the above-mentioned tips, it is ideal to set up solutions like data forensics recovery, backup storage, and other IT solutions to minimize the impact of a data breach.

What are your thoughts? If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly or post them below. Thanks!

*by andreascy*

Here Is the Software That Can Save Your Business in a Pinch

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

While the giant, hydra-headed monster known as business moves slowly, the actual work of business happens fast, extremely fast. Just ask BlackBerry: a company that ruled the smartphone roost in the beginning. They thought they had a long time to sit on their lead. They never saw Apple coming. The iPhone struck so fast that even once it got here, they didn’t really see it. Now, they’re dead.

BlackBerry (known at the time as RIM) could have used a bit of help with technology that could have saved them in a pinch. And they are not the only cautionary tale from which we can learn. From the outside, business moves at a glacial pace. From the inside, it moves at the speed of light.

While most businesses will never have to face what RIM did, there comes a time when every business is confronted with a situation that might have left them paralyzed were it not for recent technological developments. Here is a handful that just might help your business in a pinch:

A Custom Event App

Doing a corporate event the old-fashioned way is just flushing money down the old-fashioned corporate toilet. If you find yourself responsible for making event arrangements, you probably know how important it is to have a branded, custom-made app. What you may not realize is how few people inside your company could actually pull that off.

You will find companies like Cvent exist to make custom app development possible for those businesses without the internal resources to manage it for themselves. There are lots of moving parts to getting the most out of your corporate event. For starters, an event app gives you higher engagement from the participants, and better analytics to track the effectiveness of your corporate spend.

Corporate events are some of the best corporate dollars you can spend, but only if you do it right. Doing it right means providing what most companies can’t: a custom app for a more immersive and productive experience. You don’t want to wait until the last minute to commission your app. But it is great to know that it is there for the save when you need it.

Relocating

The same tech that helps consumers move on short notice can be leveraged for companies when they have to relocate. When moving a business, a thousand things can go wrong. There are small things like finding the packing supplies you need at a reasonable price, to the big things like having to find a different moving company at the last minute.

Setting up the office at the new location is also a part of the moving adventure. There will be special cables that are lost or damaged. You won’t be able to start your servers without them. And you can’t get them from your local retailer. How many days can you afford to go without restarting your server?

Between local search on mobile, and 24/7/365 online retailers that can get you any conceivable part the next business day, businesses are saved on a daily basis.

Document Markup and Signing Apps

The fax machine was really great at one thing: Receiving a document that you could fill out, sign, and send back. The last thing you wanted to do was depend on mail and parcel services to move documents from one place to the other. If you didn’t have access to a fax on both ends of the deal, you would likely lose the deal. That is probably the main impetus for courier services.

Today, neither fax nor couriers are necessary for those tasks. We can just use sign and markup apps to scan documents, fill them out, include a real signature, and send them on their way. It takes longer to sign a document than it does to send it anywhere in the world.

Sometimes moving at the speed of business means crawling at a snails pace. And other times, it means zipping along at light speed. When it’s the latter, don’t get left behind. Use custom event apps, apps to help with relocation, and document signing apps. The next time your small business is in a pinch, just remember, there’s an app for that.

Would love to hear from you in the comments!

*by andreascy*

How to Easily Edit a Resume Anytime Needed

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

How many times did you miss the opportunity to land a dream job because you didn’t send your resume on time? If you are counting, then you can probably relate with the following situation. 

You noticed, or your friend sent you a great job ad that perfectly describes you and you think: “Wonderful, I’ll definitely apply, I just need to adjust my resume.” That’s understandable given that it’s very important to create a resume that fits a job description and requirements. That will bring you one step closer to landing a new job. However, as it usually happens, you procrastinate and wait the last minute and then, of course, something goes wrong and technical problems arise. In the end, as a result, you don’t get called for a job interview.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t have to be like that. You can take advantage of a modern technology and mobile device and edit your resume right away, without delays and technical issues.

PDF to Word Convert will easily and successfully convert your PDF resume into an MS Word document on your iPhone or iPad. In that way, it will become editable, so you are able to make necessary changes, to update your resume or to modify it a little bit, in just a few taps.

Step 1

Download PDF to Word Converter from the app Store.

Step 2

Whether you store your resume on the phone, or you have it on Gmail or cloud services, just click on the button and find your CV.

Step 3

You’ll find your document among converted files. Afterwards, simply open it in Word application and edit your resume.

And that’s it! Now you don’t have to wait the last minute when you can modify your resume immediately and send it right away. In that way, you’ll avoid negative surprises and hopefully get a dream job. 

EXPLORE FURTHER: How to Edit Bank Statements on a Mobile Device

Good luck and let us know how did it go. We would gladly help!

*by andreascy*