Coleman Technologies Blog

#1: Communication and Collaboration Solutions

Let’s face facts… you’re going to have to be able to work with your remote workers in order to accomplish what needs to be done, so you need to make sure you have a solution that maintains open lines of communication between you and your staff. All of the solutions that a business should use to enable communications while in-house should also be leveraged by a remote workforce, including email, chat platforms, video conferencing, and Voice over Internet Protocol.

On top of that, your line of business apps and the everyday software your staff needs should be available to remote workers. A prime example of a necessary solution for your remote employees is a file sharing platform that allows your team to work side-by-side on documents and data… whether or not they’re actually side-by-side.

#2: Project Management Tools

Time management is one of the biggest challenges inherent in remote work, so giving your staff direction through project management software can help your remote workers stay on task, while keeping the team as a whole apprised of progress towards a shared goal. In this way, project management solutions can help your team more efficiently reach their objectives - while keeping all members more accountable for what they need to accomplish.

This can be a considerable benefit, especially if an employee is going from a structured office environment to the more laissez-faire arrangement that remote work provides. Looming deadlines, combined with a fluid schedule, have been known to increase work-related stress. A reliable project management solution can return some of the structure to a remote worker’s day, giving them the purpose, they need to accomplish their goals.

#3: Cybersecurity

Any of the benefits of remote work are rendered moot if this remote work leads to a breach or some other security incident. This means that your remote workforce needs to be equipped with the same cybersecurity measures that you should have protecting your business’ on-premise infrastructure.

As a result, you will want to be sure that you’re having your remote workers utilize multi-factor authentication measures, and that their solutions are equipped with fully up-to-date security software. In order to connect back to your business’ network resource, they should also be leveraging virtual private networks to fully ensure your business’ data remains secure while in transit.

In many ways, a password management system would also be classified as a cybersecurity need - especially where remote workers (and thereby, remote access) are involved. 

#4: Time-Tracking Software

Finally, you need to make sure that your remote employees are spending their time effectively, as well as that you are properly reimbursing them for their time. There are many tools to help track how time is being spent while in the office, and these tools work equally as well for remote workers.

Whether you need to track how long a task took for billing and invoicing purposes, you’re trying to optimize your workflows, or you are simply ensuring that your team is being efficient and productive, understanding how time is spent during the workday is crucial. Implementing time-tracking software for remote workers can simplify payroll, allowing you to focus on other pressing business matters.

Coleman Technologies can help you out, by introducing the solutions that will make your remote working strategy far simpler. To learn more about what we can accomplish for you, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

Mobile Phones and Their Batteries 

Cellular phones have been around on the open market for about 35 years. In the 1980s and 90s, these devices were bulky and had considerable heft, as did the nickel-cadmium (NiCD) batteries that powered them. These batteries couldn’t power these phones for very long at all, and had a relatively short lifespan (especially if charged when they still had some juice in them).

This didn’t stop the demand, however, and so improved batteries were manufactured using nickel-metal hydride (NiMH). This material was lighter, charged back up more efficiently, and while they still had a severely stunted lifespan by today’s standards, they degraded more slowly that NiCD batteries. This technology hit the market in the late 1990s, leading to considerable growth in the cellular phone market.

Smartphone Batteries

This growth eventually led to the introduction of the smartphone, making the NiMH batteries an ineffective option - there just needed to be more power in order to run what effectively boiled down to a computer in your pocket. As a result, lithium-ion batteries were developed. These batteries lasted longer, charged more quickly, and didn’t degrade over time. The one drawback to these batteries is the increased price, which helps to explain the sudden increase in the cost of a phone in recent years.

Even more recently, the lithium-poly ion (Li-Poly) battery was developed, offering about 40 percent more power than NiMH batteries. Unfortunately, the cost of production has prohibited them from being used in anything other than flagship devices.

Batteries of the Future

As our technology continues to advance, so must the batteries that power it. Lithium-ion batteries are already being improved by up to three times performance, the graphite they once contained being replaced with silicon. This is far from the most intriguing example of tomorrow’s tech we’re apt to see in our batteries, too:

• Charging your device with a Wi-Fi signal - What if your Wi-Fi connection could help to charge your phone? Researchers are essentially trying to accomplish as much. By using a rectenna (an ultra-thin and flexible radio wave antenna), the idea is that AC power could be found in Wi-Fi signals and other electromagnetic waves, and harvested. This power could then be converted to DC to supplement a device’s power supply.
• Literally charging your device by yourself - The human body relies on electricity to function - as in, any and all of its functions. In order to communicate, your cells generate a charge. The reason that lightning strikes are so dangerous to your business’ infrastructure is the same reason they are so dangerous to people - the circuitry is fried. However, research into improvements to triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG technology) implies that we may someday be capable of harvesting the energy produced by the human body and amplifying it, giving us an on-hand (or on-shoulder, or on-foot…) power supply.
• Lithium-ion batteries will be solid state - The use of solid electrodes and electrolytes to create a battery isn’t a new idea - some devices, like pacemakers, wearables, and RFID sensors, actually already use them. However, due to cost prohibitions, they haven’t yet been incorporated into smartphones… emphasis on “yet.”
• Batteries will be biological - Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids. Less complicated chains are known as peptides. Scientists have discovered that incorporating peptides into batteries can help improve them further, making them more stable. An Israeli startup, StoreDot, has also used peptides to develop a device capable of charging a smartphone in 60 seconds.
• Sodium-ion, instead of lithium-ion, will be used - Lithium is abundantly rare, which is why newer devices cost so much - it’s the batteries. Sodium, on the other hand, is just plain abundant, which would make these batteries cheaper to produce, leading to more affordable end-products. 
• Liquid flow batteries take over - Liquid flow batteries have been shown to be a cost-effective means of increasing power storage in everything from our personal devices to our municipal infrastructures. While there is considerable work yet to be done, these batteries could appear in the near future.

For now, it is probably best to understand the batteries we have around today, and how to best handle them.

Modern Battery Myths and Best Practices

• Myth: Always let your batteries drain to zero before recharging.
  As mentioned above, this was once necessary, but the batteries we use now no longer have the vulnerabilities that NiCD and NiMH did.
• Myth: One way to ruin your batteries is overcharging them.
  Again, this isn’t so much a myth as it is a best practice that no longer applies. Modern devices have failsafe defenses built into them to prevent overcharging. However, you still need to be concerned about heat build-up. Make sure your device has some breathing room. 
• Best Practice: Don’t throw batteries away.
  Many of the materials that go into batteries are hazardous, and have no place in a landfill as a result. Instead, recycle them! We might be able to help with that, depending on what you have to dispose of. Call us at (604) 513-9428 to talk more about that.
• Best Practice: Check your settings to see what uses the most power.
  If you have a device that just doesn’t seem to hold a charge, you probably have some options to go about fixing it. Reducing the brightness of the screen, adjusting how long the screen stays on, and other tweaks can help extend the life. Some of your applications may be a contributing factor as well.

An increasingly mobile world will require the power to be available to support it. We can help support your business’ mobility in other ways, keeping it secure and reliable. To learn more, call (604) 513-9428 today.

Blockchain technology has virtually changed the internet. The action of creating and distributing digital information, but not allowing the information to be copied or altered, has created a backbone to this new type of network.

What Is Blockchain?

When looking at the word blockchain, it’s clear to see that it is derived from two words: block and chain.

Simply put, a block records recent transactions that have not been started in any prior blocks. This avoids duplicates or falsely initiated transactions. This block has the unique characteristic that it cannot be deleted, and it cannot be altered.

A chain is a sequence of items of the same type, forming a line. Blockchain technology has created an indestructible chain of blocks. Without being “chained” together, it would just be unorganized, unreadable, scattered information. Because of the methodical, organized and unalterable record keeping - it’s ideal for numerous applications.

Where Blockchain is Headed

Blockchains are where digital relationships are being not only formed but secured. Here are just some of the implementations where this technology has been, or could be used for in the future:

Payment processing and money transfers - The first thing that it could be used for is what it’s already being used for. Payment processing and money transfers. After all, this is what the technology was developed for, but what other forms can this take?

Retail loyalty reward programs - We’ve all been asked if we have a rewards card. Blockchain could soon revolutionize rewards programs by replacing standard points with tokens. All transactions at a certain store or company would result in earning tokens, which would be stored in a blockchain. The characteristics of blockchain would stop individuals from fraudulently earning reward points, which is common amongst paper and card-based loyalty programs.

Digital Voting - Have you ever heard rumors or accusations that someone fraudulently won a vote? With the implementation of blockchain, this would be an issue of the past. Blockchain cannot be altered or destroyed. This means if there was some sort of fraudulent activity, it could easily be detected. This brings us to our next use of blockchain.

Audit Trailing - Blockchain can be implemented anywhere an audit trail is required.

There are endless possibilities where this technology can be implemented. Medical recordkeeping, tax regulation and compliance, immutable data backup, even real estate or auto title transfers. Blockchain truly is revolutionizing operations across the globe.

At Coleman Technologies, we are eager to see where this technology will take us in the near future. How do you think blockchain technology will be used? Leave a comment below.

With global spending on IoT research and integration reaching $745 billion in 2019, the IoT is primed to be one of the largest single industries in the world in the future. Individuals, businesses, and governments are looking at the IoT for solutions to their problems. After all, the more information people have, the better decisions can be made. From the outset, it was said that this technology will transform the way we interact with machines and the way they will interact with each other, and only a few short years into a worldwide implementation, that mantra has proven to be true. Let’s look at where the IoT is growing most.

Industry

The huge annual jumps in IoT spending is largely driven by manufacturers, transportation, and utilities. Industrial IoT solutions provide companies and municipalities, alike, the link between their cloud-based software systems and their analysts, salesmen, and decision makers. This relationship is tenuous, however, and is closely monitored as a result. If a huge IoT strategy breaks even once, confidence in the platform is destroyed, leaving it an unreliable solution, regardless of the strengths of the technology. 

Manufacturers and process managers that utilize IoT solutions absolutely need their systems to be as reliable as possible. That means security, which is the number one improvement that the next phase of IoT has to make. For years, IoT was only somewhat trustworthy because of the lack of integrated security many IoT devices were manufactured with. Today, with security an absolute must for the major undertakings it is being used for, security has improved, but only slightly. A dedication to creating IoT devices that have hardware and software systems that are secure and reliable will dictate just the ceiling of IoT effectiveness.

The Smart City

One of the most intriguing places the IoT has been utilized thus far is in the integration of automated utility systems inside what has been termed, “the smart city”. The smart city uses what are known as low power IoT connections. These devices deliver low bandwidth and power saving features that are perfectly suited to asset monitoring. They can be implemented for a variety of uses, including: 

• Sensors built into city roadways to sense things like the subsistence of traffic congestion and wear and tear of roadways.
• Sensors built into bridges to sense degradation and the effect of seismic forces caused by geographical and traffic-based events.
• Sensors built into buildings to measure wind force, foundation subsistence, or seismic activity.
• Sensors in the interior of buildings to control foot-traffic, lighting, heating and air, and other systems humans rely on. 
• Sensors on the street or on entryways that will provide facial recognition and reporting.

Unlike IoT-connected consumer goods, every IoT device deployed in a smart city would have a purpose that is beyond convenience. Every device would be placed to achieve a goal, improve the usability, longevity, and management of infrastructure, boosting resident safety and improving their access to services, cutting costs and limiting energy use, improving communications, and more.

One thing is for sure, the next phase of IoT implementation is going to challenge conventional thinking and deliver solutions that only a short time ago, were only imaginary. At Coleman Technologies we find technology fascinating. For more great technology information about innovative new tech, return to our blog regularly. 

How to Tell How Old a Computer Is

When a computer starts to get too old, it can become a problem for productivity. In fact, to help avoid this, some even recommend replacing a work computer every four years… but how do you tell how old a work computer is in the first place?

This isn’t always as cut-and-dried as one would think it should be. Some computers and laptops will have a date right on the case, neat the serial number. If there is no date provided, a quick search for the serial number might give you an idea.

You can also check the components of your computer itself, using the System Information tool. In the Search Windows box, type in “sysinfo.’ From the results, access System Information and in the window that appears, you can find plenty of information to help you date the machine. For instance, if the BIOS of the device has never been upgraded, the date will likely tell you how old the machine is, more or less. Searching for other components can help you to confirm this estimate.

As a result, you can get a better idea of whether your computer’s issues are age-related, or if there’s something else creating problems.

Signs That Say It’s Time to Replace Your Computer

There are quite a few factors that can indicate when your computer is due to be retired. While these indicators can each be a sign that something else is going on with your machine, a combination of a few of them is a fairly reliable signal that you and your device will soon have to say goodbye:

• The computer is huge. In the interest of space, many modern devices are built to be compact, taking up less space than their predecessors did. While this isn’t a hard and fast rule (powerhouse workstations often take up a lot of space out of necessity), a larger, basic-function workstation or laptop is generally an older one.
  
  
• Startup and shutdown take forever. Again, there are a few different issues that could contribute to lengthy startup and shutdown times. Too many applications may be set to automatically run in the background, or your hard drive might be almost full. However, this is another common symptom of an aging device.
  
  
• You’re encountering hardware and software limitations. If your attempts to upgrade your computer’s hardware and software - especially security software - are stymied by a lack of interoperability or support, it’s probably time to consider replacing it. This is even more so the case if your work-essential solutions can’t be upgraded any further or runs slowly, or loading your applications takes notably long and they can’t efficiently run simultaneously.
  
  
• Your computer is loud. If the fans in your device (whether it’s a desktop or a laptop) run loud, it’s a sign that your computer either needs a good cleaning or needs a good replacing. If the issue persists after a thorough cleaning has taken place, that’s a sign that your hardware is working too hard, a sure sign of age-related issues.

If you feel that your hardware is due to be replaced, reach out to Coleman Technologies. We have the contacts to help you procure the equipment you need to remain productive and offer the support to keep this equipment going. Call us at (604) 513-9428.

DoD Advanced Research

During the Cold War there was a constant need for coded systems to transmit data quickly. In the mid-1960s, the U.S. Department of Defense created what they called the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), which worked on integrating new technologies that would help the United States achieve its foreign policy goals. One of the scientists that was commissioned was Joseph Lickliter, who had the idea of connecting computers at important research centers. It was a way for engineers and intellectuals to collaborate on DoD-funded projects. The network, called ARPANET, was launched in 1969.

At first, growth was slow. Small packets were sent over telephone lines, but along the way there were many innovations that set the tone for the shared computing constructs that we regularly use today. One such innovation was packet-switching. Packet-switching allows a computer to connect to several other computers at once by sending individual packets of information. In this way, computers were able to constantly send and receive information. With this method each computer on ARPANET would have (what amounts to) an address book that is constantly updated. 

As the network grew, however, this packet switching model, which was beneficial, was just too slow to facilitate an accurate account of addresses on the system. So in 1973, the engineers at ARPA decided that Stanford University (a founding member) would keep a master address book that was kept up to date by network administrators. This decongested the network significantly.

By 1977, ARPANET had over 100 computers connected to it; and, with the age of personal computing starting to rear its head, changes started to come fast. It was about this time that other computing networks began to pop up. As they first started to connect with each other there was no interoperability between them, but this problem was remedied early in the 1980s with the standardization of what is called Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). This was the first time the world Internet was used. 

ARPA engineers realized pretty quickly that the connecting networks that were now using the same protocol set (TCP/IP) were too numerous and were going to be unmanageable. This is when the modern Domain Name System (DNS) was introduced. They separated all addresses by domains. The first level, or top-level, domains would dictate the type of organization that a packet was being sent to. Examples include .com and .edu. Today, there are over 1,000 top-level domains out there. 

A second-level domain provided the host where data packets would be delivered. Examples that you see today are amazon.com or cornell.edu. This system provided specific data packet routing, setting the stage for the modern-day Internet. 

The Internet

By the late 1980s the DoD decided that ARPANET was a success and shut it down. It was handed off to a private company called NSFNET in 1990. In 1992, the modern Internet Service Provider (ISP) was created as the U.S. Congress passed a law allowing commercial traffic on the newly formed Internet. 

Nowadays, the United Nations has proclaimed that Internet service is now a fundamental human right. This marvel of human ingenuity would not have been possible without ARPA and ARPANET. If you would like to see more articles about technology’s history, subscribe to the Coleman Technologies blog today.

Understanding Why Managed Services Work

It may help to look at managed services a lot like how you’d look at any other outsourced services provider external to your business, fulfills some business needs you to have. However, this service goes a little more in-depth than many you may be more familiar with. An MSP (or managed services provider) will supplement your existing technology management, reducing the responsibilities you have to maintain them (oh, and the costs of doing so as well).

While this might not sound like much at first, it can greatly cut down on the time and resources that any one of your given tasks can require. Let’s assume that your IT technicians spend about 45 minutes each day on maintaining your servers, and again, that’s maintenance. An issue could make this process take much longer.

So, each week your techs are spending three hours and forty-five minutes on mere maintenance. What else could be accomplished during the time dedicated to this maintenance? Now, think about how that time increases every time an issue is discovered, and all the time that is spent resolving these issues after the fact.

It all adds up pretty quickly.
However, adopting managed services can help relieve your in-house staff of these responsibilities. This could allow them to devote more time to improving your business’ technology, or supporting your other internal staff, or any other goal that would benefit your operations more than playing Whack-a-Mole with IT issues ever would. Can you confidently say they have the time to accomplish all this now?

What If You Don’t Have Internal IT Resources on Staff?

If you don’t have internal IT resources, outsourcing your IT needs to a managed services provider has even greater benefits. Take, for example, the reduced financial obligation. While there are many benefits to maintaining a small business, the typically limited size of the budget isn’t one of them. These limitations may mean that you have fewer qualified in-house IT technicians, meaning that some of the IT maintenance and support falls to your other employees -- likely IT novices. This is just too risky to enact, as improperly configured or maintained solutions could (and likely will) contribute to major issues with downtime.

Managed services help to make your solutions more predictable, without the need to manage and maintain them internally. To find out more things that Coleman Technologies can do as an MSP, give us a call at (604) 513-9428.

The first considerations you need to make are fairly straightforward.

Cost

You really do get what you pay for. Rather than settling for a cheaper system with plans of replacing it later, make sure you select a system that can be upgraded and expanded (yes, there is a difference). That way, you can avoid doubling your costs by eliminating the need to procure more than one system. It also helps to seek out a vendor that can supply all the needs your business has - like additional hardware for your POS, or enhanced software to power it - to simplify your processes.

Integration and Implementation

As mentioned before, your POS system should have the ability to grow as your needs of it do. For instance, while you may want to implement customer pagers at some point, it is probably wiser to focus on the essentials - like receipt printers and cash drawers. However, you will also want to make sure that your POS system has the capability to be upgraded to incorporate more advanced features as your business grows.

Tracking

Although this isn’t too far off from integration, you may want your POS to integrate with your inventory system, your quoting system, your CRM software, or any other business app on your network. Depending on your needs, you might even want your security cameras to pull a feed from your POS system to record purchases.

Support

Let’s face facts… you don’t want to find your POS system experiencing technical difficulties without anyone available to help you resolve them. Whether its complications with the software itself or a hardware issue, you need to be sure that support is always available to you.

When running a business, it is crucial that you have the technology to properly take payments. Coleman Technologies can help ensure that you are prepared to do business with reliable solutions. Give us a call at (604) 513-9428 to get started.

Before we do that, let’s start you with some terminology that you should know:

• Virtualization - Virtualization is the process where information that is found on physical hardware (or the physical hardware itself) is transferred into a virtual environment. 
• Hypervisor - The process that takes hardware resources and combines them in a way where they can be delivered into a virtual environment. 
• P2V - Short for “physical-to-virtual”, which is the act of migrating resources from a physical server to a virtual one. 
• Snapshot - An image of the state of a virtual machine at any specific point. In a snapshot you can see all of the data, configurations, and programs that are open at the time, in effect saving all the work that has been done on that system.
• Clone - An exact copy of a virtual machine that can be transferred to another VM. 

Host and Guest

When committing to using virtualized resources, you need to understand that your VM is the guest of a host machine. The host machine is typically a high-powered server that you would have normally used to host your computing resources, while each virtual machine, whether it is a virtualized server or a virtualized desktop (or something else), are guests on the hosted machine. By being able to fit several guest machines on one host machine, you can save a substantial amount of money. 

Uses of Virtual Machines

Typically, a virtual machine is used for less-critical processes, but it can handle about any type of computing that you need it to. Virtual machines are often used in resource testing. Some more popular uses include:

• Try out a new operating system (OS) - Running a new OS on a virtual machine can provide technicians and administrators with the perspective needed to determine if the new OS is right for their business.
• Use Desktop as thin client - By running a virtual machine on your typical computer, the new computing construct notably becomes a guest system. 
• Testing software - One of the most prevalent uses is to test new software before installing it on a larger computing infrastructure. 
• Consolidation - These days, virtual machines are being created to do more than ever before. Today virtual server technology can allow organizations to roll out one server and use it to host several. This presents the opportunity for major cost savings.

Has your organization looked into using virtual machines to cut down on your physical IT infrastructure? Call Coleman Technologies’s experts today to discuss your virtualization options at (604) 513-9428.

The following apps are included in Office 2019:

• Outlook
• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint

Here are some changes that have been brought to these applications.

Outlook

Most people use Outlook for email, but it’s more of a personal information manager, since it can be used as a calendar, task manager, and contact manager. Changes to Outlook 2019 include:

• One-click fixes for accessibility issues - Enhanced accessibility options are updated to new international standards.
• Focused inbox - Outlook now features more options to keep you focused on the information you need and less on the glut of email that you may get. 
• Outlook reads your emails to you - Outlook now offers a text to voice option that will read your emails to you. 

Word

Microsoft Word is the Office suite’s word processor, and Word 2019 is looking to be a great upgrade from Word 2016. Here are some of the best changes:

• Real time collaboration - Work side-by-side with others to collaborate on documents in real time.  
• Integrated translation - Microsoft translator gives workers the ability to translate words, phrases, and sentences in many languages.
• Enhanced reading options - Instead of straining your eyes, choose options to help make it easier on them, including page color, column width, text spacing, or have Word read your document to you.
• Easier navigation - You can now flip through documents quickly with side-by-side view.

Excel

Excel is a spreadsheet software that comes bundled with Microsoft Office. The latest version gives users plenty of opportunities to take advantage of new and interesting features, several of which give Excel the ability to act as a database. Here are just a few of the new features:

• New Charts - Users can now create a series of new charts, including map charts, funnel charts, and more. 
• Precision selecting - Now users can deselect cells that aren’t relevant to their query without having to frustratingly start over.  
• New and improved connectors - Now there are integrations that allow Excel to be front and center on any of your organization’s analytics initiatives.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is Microsoft’s presentation-creator app. The software has hundreds of other functions, of course, and PowerPoint 2019 expands PowerPoint’s effectiveness in the long run. Some functions include:

• Zoom for PowerPoint - Provides custom navigation inside a presentation for more presenter-friendly interaction.
• SVG image compatibility - You can now insert and edit scalable vector graphics (SVG) images for clearer, more defined imagery. 
• Export to 4K - Now you can export your presentation to 4K format, slightly better than Ultra High Definition. 

Other software

Office 2019 is also built with a much-improved Microsoft Teams collaboration app--and SharePoint--the industry standard in project management and coordination. Additionally, the ever-popular Microsoft Office 365 now uses Office 2019 as a base for their cloud-delivered products. 

Microsoft lists OneNote as a part of their Microsoft Office platform, but the software giant is starting to move away from OneNote as a part of the productivity suite, building it instead as a part of Windows 10. 

If you would like to talk about what Microsoft products are right for your business and/or personal computing needs, the IT professionals at Coleman Technologies are available to answer your questions and give you suggestions. To speak to one of our certified consultants call us today at (604) 513-9428.

Blockchain

Perhaps most famously associated with cryptocurrencies, there are various applications in business that blockchain can be of use in. Really, blockchain is of great use in any situation where a record of changes needs to be kept, as the blockchain creates a record of these changes each time a new block is added to the chain - hence the name.

Originally utilized primarily by the financial industries, the utility of the blockchain has expanded to be of considerable use to far more verticals, with no signs of slowing.

AI and Machine Learning

In the past few years, we’ve gone from fearing artificially intelligent machines like HAL 9000 to carrying around a relatively rudimentary version of the sentient computer in our pockets. While our current machines and devices are (thank goodness) far less capable than HAL, they are plenty capable of assisting business processes - largely thanks to machine learning.

Via AI, directed by machine learning, your solutions can carry out predetermined processes and make informed decisions based on the input they receive. As a result, your business can take care of some if its tasks automatically, leaving your team free to focus on other responsibilities.

AR and VR

While augmented reality and virtual reality have been largely associated with entertainment purposes, the business world has started to embrace them for numerous purposes, both in terms of their internal processes and their marketing efforts. Furthermore, with today’s youth being exposed to these kinds of interfaces, they will be more familiar with them when they reach working age (and will be able to use them more productively as a result).

Has your business begun to implement any of these technologies in its workflows - even the most basic varieties? Coleman Technologies can help you do more. Reach out to us at (604) 513-9428 to learn more!

Deciding on a Brand

Brand can boil down to something as simple as user preference, but ultimately, all computer manufacturers--namely Dell, Asus, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and friends--have access to the same basic components and parts. It doesn’t start to get complicated until you reach the higher end of the spectrum, like with gaming rigs and video production.

Brand does, however, make a big difference in regard to laptops and all-in-one-devices. For example, HP and Microsoft have high-end graphic design all-in-one desktop computers. Microsoft, HP, and Lenovo have laptop options with the option for pen input from artists. Beyond this, we start talking about specialized hardware and devices meant to be used for certain tasks. In addition to reading a lot of reviews from big box stores, we recommend working with Coleman Technologies to help your business find the best specialized hardware.

Full-Size Desktop vs Compact Desktop

This has to do with the size of the desktop case. Full-size desktops are easier to upgrade and maintain, and they often cost less. Compact desktops are slim desktops, but they might have a limited capacity to upgrade. Smaller designs are easier to deploy for office workstations, whereas gaming PCs and video production machines require more space for hardware and cooling.

Read Reviews and Benchmarks

There are many sites out there that are invaluable for finding information on specific models of desktops and computer hardware. The Internet is full of reviews, but the most valuable might be some on the websites of stores you visit regularly. High-end systems will have more specific information mentioned in their reviews simply due to the fact that there are bigger nerds picking up these devices. You will want to pay attention to make sure you’re not spending more than you need to on desktop or laptop hardware.

Be Aware of Bloatware

Pre-configured desktops from certain brands can come with pre-installed software. It’s not always bad--a free trial of Microsoft Office might be just what you need--but often times, the pre-installed software can slow down your device. You’ll want to remove some of this software so you can continue to use your centralized antivirus and licenses for Office.

Eliminating Your Old PC

When you migrate your data to a new computer, you’ll need to take great care in wiping your old drives thoroughly. You should leave this task to the professionals, unless you plan on physically destroying the drives. Depending on your industry’s standard procedures and compliances, you may need to make sure it gets done professionally.

You also have several options for recycling your PC, but we always encourage users to not just throw their computer in the trash. Computers have many harmful elements in them that simply can’t be disposed of in the traditional sense. We also recommend against donating a PC that your business used previously without having it professionally wiped first. While it’s a nice gesture to donate something you don’t need anymore, it could put your business at risk.

Need Desktops for Your Office?

If you want to purchase desktops, it’s best to do so with the help of trained IT professionals who know how to configure, optimize, and license your devices to help your staff work as best they can. We can also help on the infrastructure and network side of things to make sure your office can accommodate growth. We also offer 24/7 monitoring and maintenance to keep your computers working properly. To learn more, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

The Number of Monitors

Do you have more than one monitor for your home PC? Most people don’t, which is why having a second one is all the more interesting once you get to a work environment where it’s practically necessary. Having more than one monitor can dramatically improve your productivity by spending less time moving applications around and having multiple applications open without needlessly complicating the screen.

Utilizing multiple monitors is so common these days that most desktops will support it right out of the box. You need to check to see if your desktop comes with two or more ports first, though. You’ll see several options for connecting displays to your computer, including the following:

• VGA/DVI: These older connections consist of a plug with little pins that need to be connected and tightened with screws. Older monitors will use these connections, but most desktops will have at least one VGA port to ensure compatibility with these connections.
• HDMI: HDMI is the type of connection used by flat-screen televisions, modern game consoles, and Blu-Ray players. As such, you can assume that it’s pretty standard these days.
• DisplayPort: DisplayPort is similar to HDMI, as it’s another cable that can carry video and audio. DisplayPort will eventually become the standard, but for your purposes, you might as well consider HDMI and DisplayPort the same. The only reason not to is if you look into the finer details of these cables.

Budget desktops will require that users examine how many ports are available on the device. It would stink to get the wrong kind of monitor because you thought you had a port for that particular type. Some types will also require connectors or adapters, so be sure to do your due diligence before purchasing a monitor.

Integrated Video vs Dedicated Graphics

Integrated video simply means that your computer processes video and graphics from hardware that is built in on the motherboard rather than a dedicated graphics device, like a video card. Most office PCs don’t need dedicated graphics, but they are helpful for video editing and gaming. Of course, this is also where the price starts to increase. High-end graphic cards can cost anywhere between $500 to $1,500.

Most graphic card chipsets have multiple models, and with so many companies out there selling their own brands of hardware, purchasing a graphics card might seem a little intimidating. While you don’t have to worry about things like 3D rendering or video editing (unless you’re making a gaming or video editing rig), the graphics card that comes with your desktop’s hardware will likely be adequate.

Are You Purchasing Monitors for Your Desktop?

With so many options to consider, we want to outline some of the important specs you’ll need to focus on when looking for a monitor:

• Resolution: The resolution of a monitor is how many pixels the monitor will display. Most desktop monitors display at a 16:9 display ratio, or “widescreen.” This is the current standard, though there are other ultra-wide monitors that utilize either HD, FULL HD, Ultra HD, or 4K to break the mold.
  • HD: In a bizarre twist of fate, HD is actually the low-end of the spectrum, displaying its best on small screens. This resolution tends to be known as 720p, and it’s the go-to display for budget laptops.
  • FHD: Full HD is known as 1080p, and it’s the most common resolution you’ll see. It’s the one that you should focus on finding whenever possible.
  • UHD: Ultra HD is a pixel resolution of 3,840 x 2,160. This might not be available on low-end desktops without dedicated graphics cards, or at least integrated video that supports higher resolutions--particularly if you’re using multiple monitors.
  • 4K: 4K is technically a higher resolution that UHD, though some people think that it’s roughly the same thing. These displays are much more expensive than the average office needs, and they are only particularly useful for high-end gaming, video production, graphic design, or other visual tasks. Budget hardware often times won’t even support 4K, although this is a trend that is slowly being broken down.
• Refresh Rate: The refresh rate is measured in milliseconds. This is a statistic that measures the speed that your monitor can update its image. High refresh rates give the impression that the time between you moving or clicking the mouse and the time it takes for the computer to register the movement is delayed. This was a much bigger problem in the past but suffice to say that it’s not as big of an issue in today’s environment, unless you are a gamer.

Coleman Technologies can help you determine the best options for your display needs. To learn more, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

Data storage has progressed rapidly in the past few decades, ranging from punch cards to floppy disks (and then less-floppy disks), to rewritable compact discs, all the way to the countless storage devices that are used in the workplace today. Your standard floppy diskette measured in at 3.5 inches wide and could contain about 1.44 MB (megabytes) of information. While this was impressive at the time and enabled these disks to hold large text files, they were unable to hold something like an MP3 file on one disk alone.

A CD can contain around 650 MB of data, while a DVD can hold 4.7 GB. A single DVD can hold just as much data as approximately 3,342 3.5-inch floppy disks, just to give you an idea for how much things have changed. Blu-Ray disks can store even more data, up to 10 times as much as a DVD can. For reference, Google’s data storage exceeds 15 exabytes, which would take 26.2 million Blu-Ray disks to fill.

How Your Use Affects Your Storage Needs

First, you’ll need to consider your storage needs before implementing any storage device. For example, if your computer will be plugged into your office’s network, and most of the data is stored in a central location or cloud solution, the device probably doesn’t need so much onboard storage. It will likely only need enough for the operating system and any programs on it that aren’t associated with the cloud, as well as a little breathing room for file storage and other oddities. If your computer is for personal use, gaming, or a home office, you should invest a little extra in your storage. This also applies for video production, as it requires dedicated storage devices for these specific file types.

Comparing HDD and SSD Storage

When examining your options, the devices used will have at least one of the following acronyms: solid state drive (SSD) or hard disk drive (HDD). Some devices have both of these storage options.

Hard Disk Drives (HDD)

Hard disk drives are components in your computer that store data, and they have been used for over three decades. They utilize tiny electric motors, a spinning stack of magnetic platters, and a small arm to read and write data; all housed within a heavy metal construction. They work similarly to record players, though they move far faster. These drives are often called mechanical drives due to their many moving parts.

HDDs can hold large amounts of data, but they are slower and less energy-efficient, for sure. They are also more fragile, and if you’re not careful, you could lose data due to roughing up your device a bit too much. For this express purpose, laptops tend to avoid using HDD storage, both to save battery life and maintain durability. Still, HDDs can be utilized for high-capacity storage options, as they are a cheaper alternative to solid state drives.

Solid State Drives (SSD)

Unlike the hard disk drive, SSDs don’t have any moving parts. All data is recorded electronically. While they are expensive, they are much safer and more reliable to use than an HDD. They also work faster and experience less wear and tear over the years, making them less likely to fail and cause problems with data loss. The biggest issue with SDD stems from limited capacity, and higher storage drives can increase the price considerably. For comparison, a budget HDD with 3 terabytes of storage would set you back less than a single terabyte SSD at the time of this writing.

What Are Your Storage Needs?

For the most part, your computer storage needs will depend on what the computer is being used for. Start by thinking about whether an SSD will be beneficial or not. If you don’t use your PC for much, then perhaps you will only need one that stores 128 or 256 GBs of storage. If your data is stored on the office network, you won’t need much onboard storage.

If your computer is for personal use, you’ll want to invest in between 512 GB and 1 TB. Depending on where you get your computer, it might not influence the cost of the PC at all--at least, nowhere near as much as others like your CPU or RAM might.

A home office desktop without a centralized server or network-attached storage device will likely need additional hard drive storage. Using an SSD to run your operating system will help the operating system run more efficiently, but you could still use an additional HDD for your data.

A gaming PC would benefit from this setup, as there are storage-intensive programs that can quickly fill up even a whole terabyte of storage. The same holds true if you have a lot of media, like photos, videos, or music on your device. Even casual hobbyists might find themselves filling up their device’s storage without meaning to.

In the End…

An SSD is a mostly-superior option for your primary drive, no matter what kind of device you’re using. However, just to be safe, it’s helpful to have an additional hard drive for data storage to ensure that you don’t run out of space for storage. Finally, try to avoid the cheapest option, as there is no good reason to put data at risk--and don’t forget to take data backups!

For help with acquiring your next computer, reach out to Coleman Technologies at (604) 513-9428.

We will cover options for both high-end and low-end machines so you know what to look for in each.

Random Access Memory, or RAM, is often confused with the amount of data that a computer can store, but the reality is much different. RAM is used to measure the temporarily stored data so that it can be recalled easily without recalling it from the computer’s storage. It’s kind of like short-term memory like that pulled from a human’s brain.

If you’re one to multitask, RAM is what allows it to happen. RAM determines how many tasks can be accomplished at once on your computer. The CPU handles the instructions and processes the data your computer’s RAM holds. More RAM means that the larger amount of data that a CPU can process, and the faster that a CPU is, the faster that data can be processed. It makes your computing experience much less of a pain.

How Much RAM Does Your Computer Need?

Most computers these days have pretty limited options for RAM. There might be several brands to choose from, all with their own clock speeds, but PC manufacturers will handle this process for you so you don’t need to worry as much. It’s only something you should be concerned with if you plan on building your own PC. This guide will oversimplify it a little bit to help you determine your specific needs. The speed and type of RAM will be determined by the manufacturer’s model, so all you need to do is focus on how much RAM is included with the device.

• Skimping the Budget: The smallest amount of RAM that should ever be used on a Windows 10 device is 4 GB. While you can technically get Windows 10 to run on less, you really shouldn’t. 4 GB is pretty bare bones, so you’ll only be able to handle some light document editing and web browsing.
• Low-End: Most reasonable low-end budget PCs come with 8 GB of RAM, which can handle the majority of office tasks, such as editing documents, browsing photos, surfing the Internet, and whatever else you need to accomplish.
• Mid-Range: 16 GB is possible for a lot of organizations, even on a budget. The price difference isn’t too noticeable, and the investment is certainly worth it. 16 GB is nice as an entry point for gaming rigs, but while it’s not necessarily a catch-all, it’s the best way to make the most out of your budget.
• High-End: The ceiling for RAM is incredible, but the cost rises in association with it. For example, the new Mac Pro can reach 1.5 TB of RAM--about 1500 GB--but experts have placed the value of this at approximately $20,000. If you’re building a gaming rig, video editing system, or server, you might need more than 16 GB of RAM, but at that point, you should be speaking with professionals to determine the best path forward.

Wrapping Up

Depending on the device, you might have the ability to upgrade your RAM, but it’s easier to do with desktops than with laptops. We recommend going for nothing less than 8 GB, and consider looking at 16 GB to determine if it’s a viable option for your organization.

For more information on how we can help you get the best computer for your budget, reach out to us at (604) 513-9428.

What Do You Need Your Computer For?

There are a lot of different computers on the market. Some are created by big-box stores and branded with a fancy name. Some are thrown together inexpensively by your cousin. Regardless of who puts your computer together, knowing what you need the system for is the best way to determine what components you need inside of your system. After all, there are some big differences between the components that make up a workstation designed to run web apps and a CRM as opposed to a system that has been designed as a video editing station. 

For practical purposes, we will focus on cost-effective CPU options, since higher-end computing options used for audio/video production or gaming can get extremely expensive, quickly. Remember, you can typically upgrade a computer’s CPU, but it's not going to be cost-effective to turn a low-end PC into a gaming rig, whether its a desktop or a laptop. 

CPU Specifications

When you are shopping for a new computer, you’ll see a spec sheet accompanying the computer. You will see a myriad of components listed. Today we are going to talk about the CPU.

The CPU determines just how much “computing” your computer can accomplish at once, and how fast it will load that information up. Nowadays, there are two brands you’ll run into; Intel and AMD. Intel, in an attempt to simplify an otherwise complicated component, tiers most if their CPUs: Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9. The larger the number, the more powerful the CPU. AMD recently has followed suit with its Ryzen series of processors. Since both brands make both low-end and high-end CPUs, it's important that you understand what each type of processor would be used for. Let’s take a look.

Intel

Core i3 - This tier is found in budget PCs and works fine for low-end processing. If you need to edit documents, check email, or surf the web, is a good, cheap option. The latest generation of Core i3 processors are strong enough to handle streaming video services like YouTube and Netflix without too much trouble.

Core i5 - The i5 will do what the i3 can do, just a little faster. Users will have no problem streaming video, doing some light photo editing, and maybe playing a game or two if it isn’t too resource-intensive. The Core i5 is a solid choice if you are building a workstation for your office.

Core i7 - Core i7 CPUs are more expensive and geared towards high-end systems for video editing and gaming. If your team has resource-intensive applications, a Core i7 processor will provide plenty of oomph for just about any task. 

Core i9 - The Core i9, introduced in late 2018, is Intel’s fastest and best commercial grade processor. If you are building out a computer for 3D animation, rendering, gaming while streaming, or scientific calculations, then this might be the way to go, but the price tag for this CPU alone can be several thousands of dollars. 

AMD Ryzen 3 - AMD’s low end model is, to simplify things, on par with the Intel Core i3. You’ll be able to edit documents and surf the web, but not a whole lot else without straining the system.

AMD Ryzen 5 - The Ryzen 5 is in about the same tier as the Intel Core i5. You’ll pay a little more than the Ryzen 3, and get some more performance out of your desktop. Expect to handle typical office work, streaming video, and be able to do some light photo editing and gaming.

AMD Ryzen 7 - The Ryzen 7 is AMD’s answer to the Intel Core i7. Just like the i7, the cost of the CPU starts to climb pretty significantly compared to the lower-end models.

AMD Threadripper - The Threadripper is designed for heavy loads like 3D animation, gaming while broadcasting your stream, and other intense computing that a typical workstation isn’t traditionally used for.

When Does the GHz Matter?
At one time, users would have to consider the clock speed of their processors, but now with these manufacturers tiering their products, these numbers can often be ignored. The higher the GHz number, the faster the CPU, and the more it costs. Until you get to the point where you are building a server or high-end gaming PC, you can definitely just worry about the tiers instead of the GHz.

Does the Number of Cores Matter?
Cores are the number of processors built within the main processor. Typically, shoot for at least four cores unless you are on a serious budget. For gaming and video editing and higher-end tasks, more cores can start to matter, but even then, most of the time the number caps off at eight. There are processors out there with dozens of cores, but typically these are designed for servers or specific uses.

You may start to look up older processors, only to find that it isn’t going to save you a lot of money. This is largely because older CPUs, even products like Intel’s Core 2 Duo, have clock speeds in range of today’s comparable processors. Going with newer hardware is always preferable as they typically won’t have as good of a chance to fail. 

In part two of our computer buying guide we will continue to sort through the other components of a new PC. If you would like help with building computers for your business, call the IT professionals at Coleman Technologies today at (604) 513-9428. We can help you sort through all the options and improve your chances of being happy with your new hardware.

Team Building Benefits

Many modern businesses have employees who don’t always work in the office, instead electing to operate remotely. However, it is important that these employees are still assimilated as a part of your team as a whole. A conferencing solution can allow you to keep your remote employees on the same page as your on-site employees, building camaraderie between coworkers despite any distance between them. The better your team is able to collaborate, the more effective they will be able to be in accomplishing their tasks, as they will have each other as a resource to lean on as needed.

Keep Your Team On-Task

Let’s face it, it can sometimes be hard to be sure that your employees are focused on the task at hand. This is especially true when you can only hear their voice, or see the responses they send back to you. A conferencing solution fixes this difficulty by giving you and your team a visual of each other, keeping everyone involved accountable and engaged.

Increase Your Collaborative Footprint

It wasn’t all that long ago that collaborating with someone a distance away was only possible over the phone or by physically traveling to meet with them. However, collaborative conferencing solutions have taken this distance and shrank it down to effectively nothing. Like the team building benefits we discussed earlier, your team is no longer restricted to one place, or to dealing with exclusively local coworkers, partners, and other resources.

Promote “Face-to-Face” Communication

A sizable portion of communication is non-verbal, which means that your solution needs to account for this balance. More traditional solutions didn’t take this into consideration - or rather, couldn’t. Modern collaboration solutions, on the other hand, allow you to communicate more completely by allowing you to witness these non-verbal cues. 

Conferencing Can Simplify Your Solution Set

Compared to legacy solutions, modern conferencing tools offer a much more comprehensive selection of features. As a result, you can reduce the number of solutions that your operations rely upon, cutting expenses and streamlining your processes. This makes it much easier to find success in communicating with your team, without sinking all of your capital into your solutions.

Coleman Technologies can assist you in establishing the collaboration solution that fits your needs, as well as any other IT implementation your business requires. Learn more by calling (604) 513-9428.

Why Effective Communications are So Critical

There are a few reasons that you want your business’ internal communications to be clear and effective.

Fewer Errors

Miscommunication is rarely a good thing, but in the business setting, it has the potential to be crippling to your operations. If the correct information isn’t shared at the right time, with the right people, productivity will suffer. On the other hand, proper communications can help minimize, or even avoid, many potential workplace errors.

Increased Accountability

When an organization keeps its communications open across the board, it is prone to see an associated increase in companywide accountability. From owner to intern, being responsible for (and being held responsible for) certain milestones in a process keeps each member of a team on-task and motivated.

Improved Teamwork

Naturally, when members of a team communicate properly, they are better able to work cooperatively. As a result, problems often become easier to solve, as ideas may more easily flow and develop. Additionally, potential issues between departments are more easily resolved, preventing interpersonal concerns from affecting the work.

Efficient Problem-Solving

The ability to communicate clearly enables a team to better pool their talents to much more efficiently overcome any issues that may arise. Whether a problem is strategic or technical, having the capability to swiftly solve it will only benefit a business’ operations.

Instant Messaging in the Workplace

Naturally, all of the above outcomes can (and often do) result from the use of an instant messaging application… as long as it’s the right one.

You need to make sure that your chosen solution is intended for business purposes, which means you need to use an enterprise-grade instant messaging application. In addition, you also need to be sure that you and your staff are properly leveraging your solution. Try to encourage the following practices and behaviors in your staff to ensure that your instant messaging solution doesn’t turn into an instant messaging problem:

• Keep it in check. You don’t want a solution that is meant to be a productivity booster to actually harm it. There’s a very real difference between your staff properly leveraging instant messaging capabilities, and aimlessly chatting all day. Encourage your staff to keep their conversations pertinent to the workplace and the task at hand (at least as much as possible).
• Remain professional. Again, conversations on your instant message solution should be far and away focused on workplace matters. It is important that your staff knows this, and resists using the solution to share jokes, GIFs, or memes excessively. Moderation is key.
• Don’t rely too much on it. Not all conversations are appropriate for an instant messaging platform, especially those that contain sensitive or overly complicated details. Some conversations are better shared in person, or in an email, where lengthier messages can be sent.

Have you ever utilized instant messaging in the workplace? Share your experience with us in the comments!

Smartphones in the Workplace

Let’s start with the trickiest bit of this first. Smartphones are a distraction, pure and simple. In fact, according to one survey, employees average about 56 minutes per day on their phones while they are in the office. This equates to a massive productivity leak for many businesses, but just when you think it isn’t equitably fair for the employer to pay for time employees spend scrolling through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, responding to personal emails, and browsing websites blocked by the company’s content filter, employers aren’t totally innocent in this situation.

The modern employer is the first person to take advantage of the computing prowess of these devices. Since the modern company tries to do more with less, many employers expect their workforce to always be available; and, that means always. Moreover, managers and executives aren’t any different: they are always on their smartphones too!

Some organizations feel the need to try and strategically design policies to keep people from using their personal devices for personal use on company time. These same people don’t have a problem with them using these devices for the benefit of the organization, just not for personal gain. This is where policies go wrong. They create archaic and completely unrealistic policies and are shocked when even their best performers can’t avoid their phones for long. 

If you want your staff to limit their phone use at work, you have to make that clear. Some companies have implemented a policy that provides small breaks in which they can use their phones, but most companies have come to understand that this isn’t a trend and that phone use is part of day-to-day life. Locking down people’s ability to connect with the outside world for eight (or more) hours a day is only going to serve to bring negative reviews from your team, so your best bet is to embrace it, and realize that as long as your expectations have been communicated properly, most employees won’t take advantage.

Smartphones Out of the Workplace

While the smartphone may be a bit of a distraction to your in-house staff, what happens the moment people leave the confines of your business? They use their phone. In fact, I doubt very much if they make it out to their car or onto the train without a full assessment of the messages sent by applications, people, and others. How long do you last without checking yours?

This brings us to the point that needs to be hammered home. The more people use mobile devices, and specifically smartphones, the more they are willing to do off the clock for work. You don’t think this is true? If you are a business owner or manager, try texting, emailing, or messaging a member of your staff outside of work. They may not appreciate it, but more than likely, they will respond. This effectively extends them to “on-call”, a state that was typically reserved for people with jobs that the public depends on like doctors, lawyers, and the like. Now if you have a question about a project that just can’t wait until the morning, there is an excellent chance that you will be able to get the answer you seek directly from the person who worked on a task last. That can have a lot of benefits for your business.

What About Security?

Mobile malware has become much more prevalent than ever before--so much so that it can be a major problem for your business. The best way to mitigate liability from this is to design and enact a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategy that takes advantage of cutting-edge mobile device management tools. Your staff may scoff at first, but if their two options are using their data or using your wireless network, they will opt in, guaranteed. 

If you need some help ensuring that you are doing everything you can to take advantage of your staff’s reliance on their smartphones, we can provide you with all the information, resources, and technology you need to make employee smartphone use work for your company. To learn more, call us today at (604) 513-9428.

The GDPR

Prior to the implementation of GDPR, individual data privacy was mostly left up to the individual. In non-EU circles, this is still mostly the case, but GDPR has made issues related to this much more noticeable, such as the way this personal information can be used for corporate financial gain. GDPR was a response to these organizations failing to properly utilize user data. This included people having their personal information like names, addresses, email addresses, and even medical/financial information being utilized by advertising companies or worse. The largest corporate technology companies were using the data of individuals to turn a massive profit--a practice that seemed to be unfair to consumers.

EU member states have been legislating their own data protection laws prior to the establishment of GDPR. The United States has yet to jump on board this trend, though. With GDPR, organizations are seeing themselves as members of the global economy with strict new guidelines to adhere to. The GDPR is essentially an amalgamation of the laws that had previously existed, requiring all businesses to report certain types of personal data breaches within 72 hours to a supervised authority mandated by EU member nations.

This case was a landmark in that businesses were forced to remain more cognizant of how important data management is for the people who take advantage of their services. Before GDPR, many organizations failed to protect the data of their customers, staff, and vendors. In a way, GDPR forced them to begin thinking about data management, training staff, and investing in security.

One Year In

The results of GDPR have been mixed, to say the least. Over 59,000 personal data breaches have been identified by companies notifying regulators. The sanctions for failing to comply with GDPR mandates carry fines of up to €20 million, or up to 4 percent of total revenue from the previous year (whichever is larger), leading to a more targeted and strategic approach to data security, as well as more prompt reporting of when data breaches occur. To take a look at the results the GDPR had in its first eight months, download the DLA Piper GDPR data breach survey, here.

Overall, the GDPR provided a substantial boost to data breach reporting speed. The mandate gave organizations up to 72 hours to notify breached parties, so there were fewer instances of breaches going years before being revealed to the general public. The GDPR has also resulted in nearly doubling the amount of reported incidents.

The fines resulting in these breaches being reported, however, is considerable to say the least. Fines totaling up to €55,955,871 have been levied against the companies responsible for the 59,000 reported incidents, with most of this being struck against Google. A French GDPR calls this year as more of a transitional phase rather than an indicator of the long-term effectiveness of the measure.

Effects Abroad

U.S. companies that do business in Europe aren’t safe from the measures initiated by GDPR, but organizations have started to change up their approach to data privacy. Many legislators are pushing for similar measures to GDPR, and CEOs like Apple’s Tim Cook have labeled data privacy a “fundamental human right.”

Unfortunately, this viewpoint seems to be in the minority of major American tech company leaders. Still, this hasn’t stopped states like California from implementing its own data privacy law. Other states like Colorado, Massachusetts, and Ohio were inspired to pass their own data privacy laws. Perhaps the federal government will consider acting to fill in the holes left by these data privacy laws.

What are your thoughts on GDPR and data privacy regulations? Let us know in the comments.