Tag: Business

3 Ways for Small Business Owners To Improve Company-Wide Collaboration

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

Read more engaging articles on the Knowledge Vault today!

If you own a small business, you’re keenly aware of every employee’s role in your enterprise. What may be missing, though, are the significant gains that come from group efforts. Consider these ideas from Knowledge Vault for transforming your company culture into one where everyone works separately (or even remotely) to one that shifts from solo work to collaborative work with ease.

1. Foster a Pro-Communication Culture

It should go without saying that if you want your employees to feel comfortable sharing ideas and offering constructive critiques, you should foster an environment of open communication, non-judgmental discourse, and respect. Positivity begins with the business owners and leaders, but it’s also reinforced by your meetings, training, company policies, and feedback you give to your employees.

If your employees work in the office, do your best to create a comfortable physical environment. If your employees are remote-only or hybrid teams, ensure that they have what they need to thrive including proper office equipment and a way to communicate with everyone. This could include Slack or another popular workplace messenger app to ensure that no one gets left out of a discussion.

It’s also important that you and your team are open to hear difficult feedback from coworkers, including points like, they don’t feel heard, are not comfortable with one another, or simply don’t trust each other. You cannot address problems if you don’t know they exist, so this kind of open communication is vital, even if it is painful. Ask one another how you can gain each other’s trust, and own up to your mistakes. Never make excuses.

2. Consider Your Collaborative Platforms

The fact that life has increasingly moved online in the past decade has increased the need for high-quality virtual platforms and messaging systems. Consider the size of your entire company as well as the usual number of people in your collaborative teams to determine which platforms will suit your business.

Here are a few options that are especially suited to remote or hybrid work:

  • Zoom: you likely know and love (or hate!) this virtual meeting platform. Video calls are necessary in the age of remote work, and they can often save an employee who has to stay home with a sick child or care for an aging relative.
  • Slack: this app is essential for day-to-day communication with your office staff as well as for collaborative efforts in smaller teams. 
  • Trello: make project management easier by using a visual board to envision everyone’s duties and due dates. Everyone is able to see their personal to-do list and understand where the project is in terms of completion.
  • Workfront: collaborate in real time with this project management software that also comes with some handy automation features.

3. Keep Your Project Teams Small

LinkedIn reports that creating teams of over 15 individuals (although 10 is better) can decrease employees’ motivation to collaborate and work as a group. Too-large groups result in a few hardworking employees assigning duties to the rest of the group and picking up slack. It may also cause a phenomenon where some employees render themselves invisible by not communicating or offering any input — and letting others do the heavy lifting for them.

Make it a point to split large teams into small groups. In groups of three to eight, your employees have more incentive to speak up and work with their teammates. The Art of Teamwork recommends assigning five or six employees to a collaborative team. Employees may feel more comfortable collaborating and expressing their thoughts when working in smaller groups as well.

Finally, take the time to cultivate healthy communication practices. Company culture isn’t invented overnight. It takes time to build, and it takes into account your employees’ personalities, your leadership style, and your vision for the future. If you feel that your business isn’t as collaborative as you had wished it would be, use the tips listed here to adjust to a culture that works for everyone.

Feel free to share this post on social networks. This opinion article is for informational purposes only.

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Brought to you by Lisa Walker

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

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Guest Networks 101: A Simple Guide

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

In today’s uber-connected world, having a solid Wi-Fi connection is key to not only spending solo time at home but also having friends and family over. It can be a pain to sift through papers to find your Wi-Fi password that guests inevitably ask for when they walk in your door.

One workaround is to set up a dedicated guest network. A guest network is an alternate access point to your internet router that’s separate from the main network to which you connect your phone, TV, and computers. So your main network is meant for your trusted devices, and your guest network is meant for unfamiliar devices belonging to your friends and family.

A benefit of setting up a guest network is that you can grant internet access to devices that may be at a greater risk of falling victim to data breaches or other types of cyberattacks. Plus, some Wi-Fi routers allow you to limit the speed available on your guest network, so your main network connection is never lagging.

Norton has created this helpful step-by-step infographic (see below) on how to set up a guest network. It also offers tips for setting up your guest network for success so that you can keep your devices and data safe while providing your friends and family Wi-Fi access.

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Brought to you by Lydia McAllister

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

Coping Up with the New Normal at Home

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

http://www.temitopeadelekan.com

You may have often heard people say that change is a part of life, and one of the best things to do is to embrace it with an open mind. With the COVID-19 pandemic causing drastic changes in every aspect of your lifestyle, how are you coping up with the new normal?

Adjusting to change isn’t always easy for everyone, especially with something as drastic as the global health crisis. Wearing a mask outside, physically distancing yourself from people, filling up personal and health information forms at public places, having limited access to transportation, and so on—it will take time before you get used to these things.

Then again, the indomitable human spirit is such a powerful force that helps everyone rise above challenges, especially if it’s business survival that’s at stake. Whether you’re an employee or an entrepreneur, you can still be productive and profitable despite the coronavirus outbreak.

Here are tips to help you continue with your work or business under the new normal:

1. Choose the remote work or business setup

You’re safer working or running your business from home because you don’t need to go out and travel where you are going to be with other commuters or motorists. This reduces your chances of being exposed to the virus and getting sick. So if you have the means to stay at home, take advantage of the remote work or business setup.

You’ll need a smartphone, laptop, and desktop computer, as well as reliable Wi-Fi service, as basic productivity tools. It will also help if you create a dedicated workspace, so you feel as if you’re still in a real office.

2. Create a new normal routine

Setting up a routine offers a sense of normalcy and certainty, so it’s a good coping mechanism during this time of chaos. Your new normal routine can be as creative and flexible as you want, as long as it lets you organize your day-to-day schedule, which will help you have a proper work-life balance.

Your new normal routine can look something like this:

  • Start your day with a cup of coffee that you yourself made, instead of buying it from your favorite coffee shop near the office. Eat a healthy breakfast to fuel your mind and body for the day ahead.
  • As you begin your workday, make sure to check your inbox to know what’s happening in your team and reach out to your teammates if there’s something that needs to be discussed. Pick the online communication channel that you feel comfortable in or use video conferencing to stay connected with your colleagues or catch up over lunch.
  • Try to resist the temptation of going to bed late at night. Staying home can give you a false sense that you have enough time in your hands, but this can also disrupt your body clock and leave you feeling tired in the morning.
  • If you’re not able to go to the gym, you can work out at home on your own or with your family to make it as fun as your regular gym sessions.
  • Spend your weekends doing your family’s favorite things or having your me-time so that you can remain happy and positive.

3.  Discover new opportunities for yourself or your business

If your employment or business has been severely affected by the pandemic, this is the perfect time to reassess your options. Take a step back to help you see the bigger picture clearly. Perhaps you’re finding it a challenge to sell your products or services, which are considered non-essential during a pandemic.

What new offerings can you provide to consumers in your target market to make your business more relevant during these times? If your salary has been reduced due to limited operations in your company, perhaps you can look for a second job to make up for lost income.

Closing Message You can survive and thrive despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic. The key is to have a mindset that focuses on the things you can do and control under the new normal.

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Brought to you by Chellsea Reyes

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

Why use Anti-Phishing Attack Software to Ensure Cybersecurity?

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

Phishing

A phishing attack is a process in which an imposter or an attacker sends emails to the users at large claiming to be someone they know or belonging to a brand/ services they use. Most of these emails ask users to share their personal information such as the bank account details, credit card number and pin numbers, or other such information which can lead to identity and financial theft. The emails would also ask the users to open a link or the attached document and download a file. When the user falls prey and performs any of the said actions, the malicious virus hidden in the email will enter their computer. It will provide the attackers access to the computer and allow them to steal the information stored on it without the user’s knowledge.

Over the years, many antivirus software products, spam and malware filters have been developed to detect such emails and prevent the users from being duped. Enterprises have become a hot target for the attackers. Even if one employee in the entire organization would become a victim, the attackers could access and control the entire system of the enterprise.

Almost every enterprise has antivirus software installed along with firewalls, spam filters, and other such email security systems. Yet, a good number of phishing emails slip past the filters and end up reaching the employees. Many employees have been duped and as a result, the enterprises have suffered losses in more ways than one.

If we wonder why, the answer is quite simple. Despite the claims, the traditional antivirus software packages do not successfully detect and prevent all kinds of phishing attacks. With changing technology, attackers are creating innovative methods to slip past the security filters.

What the companies need is phishing attack software that will provide all-round protection by identifying every suspicious and fraudulent email and alerting the users. The attackers not following the old methods of sending easily detectable fake emails. Instead, they are targeting a certain section of employees with highly intelligent email techniques. It is more or less impossible for the traditional antivirus software that relies on a standard database to compare the emails to identify and detect the latest phishing attacks.

If we consider Zero Day Attack as an example, it is one of the newest phishing attacks in the market that doesn’t get detected by most software packages. On average, about 1.5 million new phishing sites and email ids are created. To keep up with the ever-increasing list of fake websites is not a solution. It takes 24-48 hours to create a signature of complex malware, while it takes less than 82 seconds for an employee to fall victim to the phishing attack.

So, we need something uses a different technique to detect fake URLs without spending hours of time on it. Only then can the employees and enterprises be saved from phishing attacks. The latest and advanced phishing attack software used artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to scan and recognize the hidden malicious code in the emails and alert the employees. The most common type of Zero Day attacks are-

  • Microsoft Office Marcos
    • Macros are one of the most helpful tools offered by Microsoft. With one click, the repetitive tasks can be automated, thereby saving time for the employees.
    • When the attacker sends an email attachment with an Excel or other Microsoft file, the macros are coded to install malware throughout the system.
    • Using the machine learning technology, the latest anti phishing software identifies the hidden code and alerts the users about the email be a phishing attack.
  • Malicious Links
    • Embedded links within emails make it easy for websites to share information with their customers.
    • The same feature is used by scammers. They include links that will lead the user to a fake website. The IP address and domain names are similar to the brand they impersonate making it impossible for users to detect it as fraudulent at a single glance.
    • The anti-phishing software uses computer vision technology to read the minute changes in the domain names and also checks the final page which the link leads to.
  • Infected PDFs
    • The attackers take advantage of the features offered by Adobe Acrobat to include malicious software in the PDF files and send them to their victims.
    • The phishing attack software identifies the malware and blocks the email.
  • Embedded Code
    • HTML emails allow employees to include code in the email, which will be executed when the email is opened.
    • The next-generation anti phishing software detects this hidden code and stops it from being executed.

The anti-phishing software works on any device in any location. It can be deployed throughout an enterprise within a matter of minutes.

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Brought to you by David Neeble

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

Hot Desking is the Office Trend that will Save Your Business Money! (Infographic)

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

GettyImages-530933176_how-does-hotdesking-work

This new office trend saves space, increases flexibility, and adds one more benefit for your employees. In concept, Hot Desking is similar to ride sharing, but for workstations.

As more and more people begin working from home, less and less office space is necessary.  Even when in office, many people prefer to take a laptop to a more comfortable location (or to a collaborative space) in order to get things done. These trends result in a majority of dedicated workstations sitting vacant for much of the time.

Hot Desking creates an efficient way to handle the flexible office, by offering workspace only where and when people actually need it. Employees schedule days where they will work remotely so that there are enough work stations for those who want to come in the office.

The capital you save through this innovation will certainly impress donors. Everyone is excited about this new trend and it’s definitely something to mention when presenting a business plan or looking for a startup loan.

The main Hot Desking strategies are known as Zone and Hoteling.

Zone: This is when specific areas are designated as work areas for teams putting together cooperative projects. These can be reserved by groups who need to work collaboratively.

Hoteling: As the name might suggest, hotelling is having individual workers reserve specific workstations for the times they need them.

In both of these main options, Hot Desking requires some pretty extensive organization. Luckily there are apps already out there that cater to precisely this business strategy. The other major issue that has to be considered when Hot Desking is cleanliness. With so many people using one terminal, germs are bound to spread. It’s important to have a plan in place to keep workstations clean, so illness doesn’t spread around the company. If you’ve seen the statistics on how dirty work computers are… well, you’ll certainly want to keep stations as clean as possible.

Ultimately, Hot Desking is a great way to add convenience and coordination to a modern office.

Check this infographic from Fundera for more information on how Hot Desking can work for you and your company.

Fundera_HotDesking_IG

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Brought to you by Fundera

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

 

How to remodel a store to boost sales

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

StoreRemodel1

In a time where more and more consumers conduct the majority of their shopping online, brick-and-mortar stores need to exploit their advantages. Physical stores can offer a cohesive branding and shopping experience that eCommerce simply can’t.

Of course, brick-and-mortar stores can’t beat the convenience of ordering products online, but they don’t have to. Consumers visit physical stores for the entire experience, rather than just buying an item. Small businesses should cater to this desire to boost sales.

Remodeling your store can be quite the undertaking, however, it will propel your brand forward and raise your bottom line. From colors to floorplans, create an enticing customer journey that will drive purchases. Learn how with the visual below:

StoreRemodel

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Brought to you by Bigrentz

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

6 Ways to Tell if Your Website Was Hacked

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

5

If you have the slightest suspicion that your website is hacked or has been hacked for some time, then that’s probably the case. At that point, you should act as soon as possible. Most of the times, people will complain that their browser is alerting them of the hack when they visit their site. It’s either that or the hosting provider took the site offline. This could reveal one scary truth – the hackers have invaded the site for quite some time now, and they might have done considerable damage. Ideally, you should invest in some security products to safely encrypt your website. You should do anything to avoid hackers and invasive attacks. But first, let’s take a look at how you should check whether your website’s health bar. We’ll talk about outside sources here, taking into consideration that even the most vigilant system administrator could overlook certain aspects.

  • Your browser gives you a warning

1

If you or any other visitor stumbled upon this when accessing the website on Chrome, then your site is most probably infected with a healthy dose of malware. For example, this warning tells you that your website has been used as a den for phishing attempts. Links to your website are being sent to other people, tricking them into doing what the hacker wants once they visit the website. How does the hacker achieve this? Malware.

2

The same goes for this warning. It’s self-explanatory, I think. Someone has access to your website’s internal structure, and they installed specific malware programs which infect the devices of your visitors.

  • The hosting provider takes your website offline

Your hosting provider might receive complaints from other users that your site is hacked, or their own autonomous screening programs have detected something wrong. Either way, they’ll immediately cut off your website from the internet. Keep in mind that some hosting providers might also format your server to prevent the infection from spreading to other users. It would be good to have a back-up close-by, just in case this happens. After they’ve closed down your website, you’ll usually receive a notification on your email.

  • Google search results show your website as potentially harmful

If you see this message right next to your website on the Google searches, then you’re probably dealing with hackers.

3

Sometimes, Google will remove your website from the search results altogether, if they have strong reasons to believe the malware is very risky. At times, they’ll still show it, but accompanied by a warning notification. They’ll either say that “This site may be hacked”, when they’ve noticed strange changes made to the website, or that “This site may harm your computer”, which means they’ve successfully detected the malware and they’re reminding you of this. It’s also possible for your website to display different content in different countries as part of a hack. The only way you can detect this is if you use a VPN to check your website from different countries.

  • Your Malware Scanner warns you of an infection

If you’ve been listening to me and decided to employ a malware scanner, then most likely, this is where you’ll first find out that your site is being hacked. With a malware scanner, the time between the infection and its discovery is kept to a minimum, hence its efficiency and my advice. Check your email daily, so you don’t miss any warnings when they do come.

  • Customer complaints

The truth is, your customers get to use your website way more than you do, and if you have thousands of visitors per day, this could be a very handy warning system. Quite cynical, I know, but it gets the job done. If someone informs you of fishy things related to your website, don’t wait and allow things to get out-of-hand! Take it offline if need be!

  • Google’s Search Console warns you of any infections

This console is the former “Google Webmaster Tools”. The name says enough, I think. Use it to check for any inconsistencies Google may have found when it’s indexing your website. It will even provide you with a few statistics with customer visits. As usual, you’ll receive the notifications by mail. So, if you see something like this, then your website is probably hacked.

4

How you can detect a hack before anyone notices

Visiting your website regularly should be your first and foremost prevention solution against malware and hacks. Just make sure to check the code and the databases regularly, and perform a couple of security checks as well. By using a Source Code Scanner, you can inspect all the PHP code and all the other source code to check for any known malware patterns. These programs will either check for any malware signatures that match their database of known infections or compare the suspicious code with a good version of it.

In this way, both old and newer types of malware can be safely detected before the infection gets to spread forth. You can also monitor the site traffic and check for any spikes. These appear when hackers use your website for a spamvertizing campaign. In plain language, they’ll include your link in spam emails which they send to people. Then, they get redirected to the true serpent hiding in the bushes. However, your website will still record a spike in traffic when the users first access the initial link. Searching for these traffic spikes with tools like Google Analytics will cut your time in half, and get you to the bottom of the issue. You’ll quickly have a general idea of whether your website has been hacked or not. Most hacked sites have these traffic spikes, so it’s quite a good hint in that direction.

Conclusion

Keeping your website malware-free is not that hard to accomplish, especially if you proactively search for any issues beforehand. Be vigilant, and you won’t be taken by surprise, that’s the golden rule. Build a routine of constant security check-ups, use Google’s Search Console, and remember to check your email daily for any warning notifications.

Feel free to share on social networks. Find the buttons below this post. This opinion article is for informational purposes only.

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Brought to you by Bogdan Patru – is a cybersecurity news analyst at VPNTeacher. He has a passion for international data policy and how it affects citizens’ privacy.

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

How Artificial Intelligence Is Reshaping Email Marketing (Infographic)

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

Artificial Intelligence, technology

Email is one of the highest-performing marketing channels around, but it doesn’t mean that developments are no longer possible. Email marketing is proving to be more efficient with the introduction of the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI). Practically all aspects of email marketing are compatible with how AI is supposed to work.

Since AI programs have machine learning features built into them, you can direct your email campaigns to the right audience based on your customers’ past behaviour, activities, and interaction with your brand. As a tool that’s capable of collating data about your email marketing performance, AI helps ensure that you’re able to optimise various elements in your email, from subject line to copy and CTA – so recipients will be compelled to find out what’s in it for them.

The following infographic also examines the role of AI in streamlining your email marketing through automation as well as setting business goals and making projections through data analytics.

How-Artificial-Intelligence-is-Reshaping-Email-Marketing

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Brought to you by Connextdigital

Post submitted by Jess Andriani

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

How to become an industry disruptor: Lessons from Transportation Startups

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

transportation-icons-car-automobile-drive-wheels-road
Nowadays it seems like Lyft, Bird Scooters, and other new innovative rideshare services are everywhere. These new services are called “industry disruptors” because they force an entire industry to change. Think about how Lyft for instance changed the taxi industry, and how the taxi industry pushed back at first, and then eventually adapted and you’ll understand what this means. These changes have even impacted total car sales, with vehicle sales slowly declining over the years. Of course, people will always own cars, but that doesn’t mean that major corporations and car companies have to adapt to the way people are changing how they think about rideshare services.
In our infographic below, we break down startups on the rise like Bird and Waymo and their impact as an industry disruptor. This visual examines the funding of these automotive-fueled industries (even including scooters), as well as how they’re all interconnected, whether it’s by one major company funding a new startup like Waymo or Lime. And it’s not just with new startups, but some of the earlier ones too. For example, both Ford and GM backed Lyft, which in total has received $4.9 billion in funding, a sign at how even these major companies have to adapt to these changes!
becoming_an_industry_disruptor_infographic_1.width-800

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Brought to you by The Zebra

Post submitted by Emma Welsh

Edited by Temitope Adelekan

A Complete Guide to Using Infographics for Lead Generation

Posted on by Temitope Adelekan

snippet

It’s no secret that lead generation is an essential cocktail in ensuring that your business will take flight. If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance you’re thinking that you’ve already exhausted all possible efforts in attracting high-quality prospects that your brand can easily convert, but you’re still looking for creative ways to push these efforts forward. Well then, you came to the right place.

Here’s a question to start the discussion: What comes to mind when you think of infographics? Some people would say stunning graphics of visuals; others would say it’s an excellent way to get engagement. Readers are usually captivated by this content type since it combines information and aesthetic. It’s a creative way to present data without overwhelming your audience.

Infographics are so valuable to content marketers because of its proven track record in increasing site traffic and tripling social media engagement. However, it’s not often associated with lead generation—a missed opportunity.

It’s time to change this! In the infographic below, you’ll discover that it’s possible to optimize your infographics so you can reap its benefits and get quality prospects for your business. Learn how to generate leads with infographics and get ahead of the competition.

A Complete Guide to Using Infographics for Lead Generation

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Brought to you by Spiralytics

Post submitted by Ushabelle Bongo – Popularly know as Shaw is a proud daughter of the Queen City of the South who has been hustling in Makati since 2016. She initially tried her hands at banking, only to be proven once and for all that her hands are made for playing with words, not handling numbers. Now Shaw is in a better place–a digital marketing paradise otherwise known as Spiralytics, where she’s making waves as a Content Specialist.

Edited by Temitope Adelekan