Nex-Tech Blog | Technology Tips and Tricks | Industry News

I remember, almost 20 years, ago how excited I was to be part of a server deployment.  Cool new hardware, having to put all the parts in the box, operating system installation and configuration to the network (Some of you are thinking “Yeah, what fun?”).  That fun has now worn off to the reality of servers today:

Rarely have I heard anyone say Wow, so much time and so little to do!  One common theme I have heard in business is everyone saying that is a great idea, but when will I or anyone else have time to get it done?  The better question is if it is such a great idea, how can you afford not to get it done?  What I want to give you are five tips to utilize the tools around you to maximize your time and gain more free time in your business week.

1. Siri or Cortana. How many times have you been driving and needed to schedule a meeting, have a reminder set or send a message?  If you are like me, you are hesitant to use these services because you have had poor performance.  With 4G now, the devices are faster and the software has improved, making the experience much better.  Let your virtual assistant help you gain time!

2. Email can waste a lot of time. Justin McClung, Director of Development, Innovation & Administration at Nex-Tech, gave a great session at Tech Edge and did a Fastest 16 Minutes webinar called Inbox Zero.  While zero is probably a bit aggressive for me, I do believe that there are definitely keys to success in minimizing email interruptions.
   1. Turn off the pop up notifications. It isn’t that important.
   2. Touch email once. File it or act on it.  Delete it if it isn’t important.
   3. Create a filing system that is easy.

Tech Edge 3.0 presentations were kicked off by a keynote from Austin McChord, founder of Datto.  While many in the room may not have heard of Austin prior to Tech Edge, they definitely will not forget him now.

Your business has invested significant time, money and planning to ensure its success, yet there’s one step many business owners haven’t taken that can help your business to continue to succeed when the unthinkable happens, a disaster.  Without a proper plan, 25% of businesses fail to reopen following a major disaster, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Even small disasters can have a huge impact on how you do business. Disasters are unpredictable, yet you can still plan for them. An Information Technology (IT) recovery plan is a subset of your disaster plan and allows your business to prepare if your key IT assets are damaged or lost.  This white paper is designed for businesses that do not have a plan in place. It provides five steps that will assist you in developing a simplified IT disaster recovery plan with the goal of helping your business return to normal as soon as possible if a disaster strikes.

I have an end of year process that I go through to clean up my PC, so when I come to work at the first of the year, it is like I have a new computer.  I feel like the year has a fresh start and for at least the first couple of days, I know where all my files are!

I remember when I first had wireless in my house.  I had that brand new 802.11 B radio that did very well covering my entire house and I was ecstatic to use my laptop without a wire!  Over a decade later, I now have upgraded my wireless several times along the way and found myself with the fastest slow wireless around?  What do I mean?  From the specifications, I should be able to do about a gig speed through wireless, yet in my kid’s bedrooms, the iPads barely pull YouTube videos and many times I cannot connect, yet I still have a good signal?

Having found myself presenting over 30 times in the last year, I spent quite a lot of time finding ways to enhance my presentations.  Below are my top 11 tips on giving a great presentation:

1. Have a tablet in front of you with alarge display of either a count down or of the time. One thing that I continuously see is that presenters either don’t start on time or don’t stop on time.  And of course, the presenter that gets halfway done with only a few minutes left then hurries through the remainder and goes over on time.  Many times this throws off an event or simply irritates all those in the room.  Stay on time!  I have tried to use the clicker that has the timer, but it has been a distraction.  So, I use the most expensive timer I can think of…the iPad.

2. Use Graphic Interface Format (.gif) instead of static pictures. These are small videos without the play button, they just start and repeat.  At least it is different and many people have not seen this technique used.  It is easy to make your own, but be careful not to use copyrighted images!