The rise of cybercrime has led to the increasing need for protecting data from these criminals. Countries all over the world are working incessantly towards finding a lasting solution to cybercrime. In this regard, the EU has enacted a new directive, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which governs member countries on data protection. These regulations also promote privacy for persons in the European Union and address export of data from outside the European Union. The main aim of these regulations is to give power to individuals over their data, thus to ensure the protection of personal data to the extent agreeable to individuals. Adopted in 2016, the deadline for compliance with this regulation is 25th May 2018.
The Statistics
Various organizations dealing with data are hurriedly working to comply. To date, there may be as many as 90% of these organizations that are just not ready. In fact, a majority of these organizations have not put in place the required protocols to ensure the smooth transition into compliance.
What you need to know about GDPR
These regulations apply, basically, to all organizations which have access to the internet and which provide data services to members of the European Union. It also applies to persons and organizations that reside outside the European Union if they collect and process the personal data of those residing within the European Union.
What this means in simple terms is that if someone from a European Union nation visits your website and fills out the contact form, then you must follow these regulations when processing their personal information.
Member States of the European Union are also required, pursuant to these rules to establish an independent supervisory authority, which will be mandated to hear and investigate complaints and to sanction administrative offenses.
In accordance with these regulations, in certain circumstances, data can be lawfully processed. Lawful processing of data occurs when:
An individual has given consent to have their personal data processed for one or more specific reasons.
Processing of data must be done in order to fulfill a contract or in circumstances where the data must be processed before a contract can be entered into.
There is a legal obligation to process the data.
Processing must be carried out in order to protect the interests of a person or entity.
Processing must be carried out in order to protect public interests or the official authority vested in the controller.
Processing is necessary to achieve the fundamental rights and freedoms of an individual, especially a child.
Requirements for compliance
In requiring compliance with the GDPR, large corporations are the main targets. This does not, however, mean that small businesses that deal with and process data can easily get away with non-compliance.
To ensure the implementation of these regulations, rather severe penalties have been adopted. With such significant penalties, businesses should work hard to be in full compliance.
Compliance and business size
The bulk of businesses which will be affected by these regulations are the big corporations that process a great deal of information each day. Though small businesses must also comply, they are not seen as primary targets or at as much risk of having to pay the penalties for non-compliance. Small businesses should not be too comfortable as to wait for the deadline before beginning the process since compliance may be somewhat complicated, especially when it comes to putting in place the necessary protocols for compliance. Though some experts see large organizations more as targets for GDPR watch groups, small businesses can also be fined for non-compliance.
Getting ready
Before one can attempt to comply with these regulations, one must completely understand them. People affected by these regulations are required to understand their scope and particularly, the type of data protected. The data covered includes identity, web, health and genetic info, biometric data, mental, cultural, economic, and social and political identities.
Goal of GDPR
Over the years, and with the advancement in technology, the need for data protection has increased. Cybercriminals are constantly creating new ways of breaching confidentiality and stealing and manipulating data. Affected countries are therefore put to task to ensure that these practices are prevented. This is the goal of the GDPR. Its main purpose is to protect the data of individuals. This need was advanced by the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Following the revelations of this group, the need to protect data became much more real. Lack of appropriate measures ensuring cybersecurity can have dire effects to individuals and to nations.
Final thoughts
With the deadline for compliance already passed, it is important that all those affected by these regulations do comply. These regulations are meant to protect individuals, businesses, organization, and even governments from cyber theft and data manipulation. Having considered the penalties for non-compliance, it is imperative that organizations avoid the last minute rush and put in place measures now to ensure their full compliance.
This is the final of a three-part series about using Microsoft Excel 2016. It will cover some of the more advanced topics. If you aren’t great with numbers, don’t worry. Excel does the work for you. With the 2016 version of Excel, Microsoft really upped its game. Excel’s easy one-click access can be customized to provide the functionality you need.
If you haven’t read Part I and Part II of this series, it’s suggested that you do so. The webinar versions can also be found on our site or on YouTube.
This session will discuss the following:
More with Functions and Formulas
Naming Cells and Cell Ranges
Statistical Functions
Lookup and Reference Functions
Text Functions
Documenting and Auditing
Commenting
Auditing Features
Protection
Using Templates
Built-In Templates
Creating and Managing Templates
More With Functions And Formulas
Naming Cells And Cell Ranges
How do you name a cell? You do so by the cell’s coordinates, such as A2 or B3, etc. When you write formulas using Excel’s coordinates and ranges you are “speaking” Excel’s language. However, this can be cumbersome. For example, here G12 is significant because it refers to our Team Sales.
You can teach Excel to speak your language by naming the G12 cell Team Sales. This will have more meaning to you and your teammates. The benefits of naming cells in this fashion are that they are easier to remember, reduce the likelihood of errors, and use absolute references (by default).
To name our G12 cell Team Sales, right-click on the cell, choose Define Name, and type “Team Sales” into the dialog box. You can also add any comments you want here. Then click Ok.
Another way to do this is to click on the G12 cell and go up to the Name Box next to the Formula Bar, then type your name there.
And, there’s a third option at the top of the page called “Define Cells” that you can use.
Notice that there’s an underscore between Team and Sales (Team_Sales). There are some rules around naming cells:
You’re capped at 255 characters.
The names must start with a letter, underscore or a backslash (\).
You can only use letters, numbers, underscores or periods.
Strings that are the same as a cell reference, for example B1, or have any of the following single letters (C,c,R,r) cannot be used as names.
How To Name A Range
Highlight an entire range of cells and name your range (we’re doing this in the upper left-hand corner).
Then you can easily use the name to produce the sum you need:
You won’t have to go back and forth from spreadsheet to spreadsheet clicking on specific cells to calculate your formula. You simply key in the name of the cell range you want to add. Just be sure to remember the names as you build your spreadsheets over time.
If you ever make a mistake or want to change names, you can go to Name Manager to do this.
Remember that if you move the cells, the name goes with it.
Statistical Functions
The three statistical functions are:
Average If
Count If
Sum If
The Average If can be used to figure out the average of a range based on certain criteria. Here we’re going calculate the Average If of the ERA of 20+ Game Winners from the spreadsheet we developed in our last session.
We’ve already named some of our cell ranges (wins, era). And we want to know the average greater than 19.
Hit Enter and you have the average.
You can use this feature across a wide variety of scenarios. For example, if you wanted to know the average sales of orders above a certain quantity – or units sold by a particular region, or the average profit by a distinct quarter.
Count If is used for finding answers to questions like, “How many orders did client x place?” “How many sales reps had sales of $1,000 or more this week?” or “How many times have the pitchers of the Philadelphia Phillies won the Cy Young Award?”
As you can imagine, it’s essential that you type in the text exactly the way you named that particular cell.
Hit Enter and you get your answer
Now we’re going to use the Sum If function to calculate the number of strikeouts by the pitchers on this list who are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sum If is a good way to perform a number of real-world statistical analyses. For example, total commissions on sales above a certain price, or total bonuses due to reps who met a target goal, or total earnings in a particular quarter year-over-year.
Lookup and Reference Functions
These are designed to ease the finding and referencing of data, especially in large tables. Here, cells A1 and E3 relate to a variable interest rate that is paid on a bank account. For balances under $1,000, the interest rate is 3% – between $1,000 and $10,000, the interest rate is 4%, etc.
Cell A6 shows the balance of a specific account. The Lookup Function is used in B6. It looks up the interest rate and applies it to the account balance of $45,000. This is what the formula looks like in the bar at the top:
The vector form of the Excel Lookup Function can be used with any two arrays of data that have one-to-one matching values. For example, two columns of data, two rows of data, or even a column and a row would work, as long as the Lookup Vector is ordered (alphabetically or numerically), and the two data sets are the same length.
V Lookup and H Lookup are used to pull information into reports. We’re going to use Report Setup. Here, we have a worksheet that references salespeople, sales data, pricing, revenue, and the clients that they sold to. You’ll see on the top right where we set up a report with names referencing sales data.
You can access the sales reps in the drop-down menu. Pick a rep and use the V Lookup Function to find the price.
To Find Price, key in =vlookup and the corresponding cell number for Rep 16, plus the table array which is the entire table not including the header at the top.
Then you need the column index number. This is the number of columns to the right of your lookup value column, which is column A. It’s the 4th column from column A (Price).
Enter 4,
For range lookup we’re using true or false. We are entering false here.
Hit Enter and this is what you have for your Find Price value.
Now we’ll do a similar V Lookup for the Client. Copy and Paste:
Make the necessary changes in your formula:
Client 16 goes with Rep 16.
Note: If you change the Sales Rep, all the corresponding values will change.
If you have a lot of data and long tables, V Lookup helps you find information easily. The V stands for Vertical (or by column), because columns are vertical. H Lookup is for Horizontal-like column headers.
Text Functions
Text Functions contain some very powerful tools to adjust, rearrange and even combine data. These functions are used for worksheets that contain information and function as a database such as mailing lists, product catalogs, or even Cy Young Award Winners.
The first text function we’ll show you is concatenate. It links things together in a chain or series. Here, we have our Cy Young list. But we no longer need to see our Wins and Losses in a separate column.
To do this easily rather than manually, create a new column where your data will reside.
Hit Enter
Now, just go in and hide the Wins and Losses columns. Don’t delete them or your new column will have a reference error.
If you do want to delete the Wins and Losses columns, you must first make a new column. Copy the W-L numbers and Paste Value in the new column. This way you’ve moved from a formula to the new information. If you delete your source information without taking this step you’ll be left with nothing.
Combine as many columns as you need with the concatenate function to make the data appear as you need it to.
The Left Mid and Right Functions
These are used to tell Excel that you only want part of a text string in a particular cell. Here, we have a product list and product IDs that tell us the date of manufacturer, the item number, and the factory where it was made. We’re going to pull the data out so we can put it in columns to use in different ways.
We use the Mid Function here.
This works because each of the product IDs are the same length. If they were different lengths you’d have to do something more creative.
Documenting and Auditing
You want to make your Excel files easy to understand for both yourself and others who need to use them – and this includes auditors. An organized worksheet results in clear error-free data and functions.
Commenting
The purpose of commenting is to provide notes to yourself or especially to others. Comments can include reminders, explanations or suggestions.
You’ll find the New Comment button at the top under the Review Menu. Simply click the cell where you want the comment to go and click New Comment. Then type your comment and click outside the box to close it. The comment will disappear but it’s still there. Anywhere you see a red flag, there’s a comment.
If your name doesn’t appear in the comment, go to File>Options>General and personalize your copy of Excel (in this case Microsoft Office) under the User Name. You won’t need to go back and change each comment; Excel will do this for you.
To format a comment, click inside the comment box and a drop down will come up where you can format the text.
You can change the color of the box and lines around the box. Some managers have different colors for members of their teams.
If you change the default color, it will change that for all your Microsoft products.
To delete a comment, go to the cell that hosts it, then go up and hit delete.
If you have a lot of comments, grab the handle on the box and resize it.
Auditing
What we really mean is formula auditing. This is an advanced way to check your work.
The yellow diamond on the left of this cell indicates that there’s an error.
Or to find any errors, go to Formula Auditing in the top menu.
You have a number of helpful tools here. Trace Precedents shows where the formula looks for information. Click the formula you want and click Trace Precedents. It will display where your data came from.
Here’s a more complex formula and trace auditing:
To hide the arrows, click “Remove Arrows.”
Show Formulas
This expands all of your columns and shows all of them in a bigger way. You can go in and check your formulas on the fly very easily. Click Show Formulas again and the worksheet goes back to the way it was before.
Error Checking
This feature lets you check all formulas at once.
This makes it easy to find errors and correct them.
Evaluate Formula
This feature allows you to check a formula step-by-step. It shows the results of each individual part. It’s another great way to de-bug a formula that isn’t working for you. Click the formula you want to evaluate. Click Evaluate Formula and you’ll get a dialog box.
Click Evaluate and it will change the formula to the actual value that you can review. Each time you click Evaluate, it will take you through the steps of how you got to the final formula. You can trace your way through to see if you made any errors.
Protection
With protection you can lock in your changes in individual cells, spreadsheets, and entire workbooks. You can also protect comments from being moved or edited.
This is how to protect an entire workbook. It’s the highest level of protection.
You’ll want to do this if your workbook contains confidential information like:
Pre-released quarterly results
Employee salary tables
Staff member evaluations
Click File>Info>Protect Workbook>Encrypt with Password.
Enter your password and be sure to make note of it because it can’t be recovered if you lose it. You can use password management software to keep track of your passwords.
Once complete, click OK and your Protect Workbook function turns yellow indicating that you’ve protected your workbook.
To take off protection, retrace your steps.
You can also protect a current sheet you’re working on. It will take you back to your worksheet where you’ll be presented with a variety of options.
You can also protect cells and comments from this option.
In the same way you protected the worksheet, you can protect your workbook.
Using Templates
To see the variety of templates you can use in Excel, click File>New and you’ll be presented with a collection of 25 templates you can choose from.
For example, there’s a great Loan Amortization Schedule you can use. Formulas are built in for you. All you need to do is change the numbers.
You can also go online while inside Excel to find more. You don’t want to download templates from outside Excel because they may contain macros that are contaminated with viruses.
On the right side of the page, you have a huge selection to choose from.
It even provides employee time sheets you can use that can save you so much time trying to figure out formulas.
Creating and Managing Templates
Go to File>Info>Save As and save the template to your location, then save as an Excel Template.
Before you save as a template you want to:
Finalize the look and feel of your template
Use review and auditing tools
Remove unnecessary data and information
Unprotect cells and sheets as appropriate
Create comments as guides
Congratulations! Now you’re an Excel Pro! This completes our Excel Like a Pro Series. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to contact our Excel 2016 experts.
Today’s networked medical devices can be a lifesaver for many. Both wired and wireless technology allows healthcare workers to access the information they need to provide improved therapies and ensure patient compliance.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is one giant step forward in this regard. It can eliminate the use of antiquated methods that still rely on paper-based processes for of hospitals and clinics. This new technology makes diagnoses and treatment much easier and improves accuracy—errors can be prevented as well. It also provides a vehicle for the transfer of accurate medical records that can mean the difference between life and death.
The IoT Allows For The Transmission Of Accurate Data In Real Time
IoT medical devices allow health data to be transmitted in real time to trained health care attendants. Once the healthcare worker examines these records, he can call for emergency services if needed. This is a good way to learn whether a patient should be admitted to the emergency room. Patients no longer need to guess if their blood pressure or heartbeat reading requires immediate attention.
Networked thermometers send readings directly to IT systems that add the data to a patient record, and alert attendants if a reading is out of the expected range. Even drug dispensing can be automated to reduce the chance of overdoses or lack of patient compliance with a prescribed treatment plan. All of this provides peace of mind for both patients and caregivers.
The IoT Can Improve Business Processes For Healthcare Organizations
Detecting warning signs of a serious illness early on is of benefit not only to patients but to healthcare organizations. It’s a proven fact that early intervention can make it less expensive to treat an illness. But it can also save someone’s life. If their cancer is caught in time, there are some very effective means of treatment and some patients go into complete remission. All with the use of IoT technology.
Today, IoT in healthcare enables healthcare organizations to provide outpatient care in patients’ homes or in lower-cost clinics. This has the potential to free up hospital beds for patients with more intensive care needs. Patients enjoy being able to heal in the comfort of their own home. It’s often a much better environment than a hospital room.
In addition to patient care benefits, IoT networked medical devices provide opportunities that can improve business processes for health organizations. The more data they accumulate, the more information they have for operational planning.
These devices can be used to:
Incorporate patient medical readings with electronic health records.
Detect any issues that may impact medical equipment operability.
Send software updates to devices over a network.
Manage and track medical IT assets to see if they’re being used for optimal ROI.
Big Data Is On The Rise
However, with the increased use of the IoT devices, comes the requirement to manage and store massive amounts of data – big data. And, unless an organization stays on top of this, they could face challenges regarding network connectivity, data storage, data processing, and IT security.
Fiscal concerns are driving the demand for big-data applications. Payors are entering the field with their own requirements and agreements for healthcare organizations. Rising healthcare costs require deeper analysis and data integration for organizations to deliver care more cost effectively than ever before.
Where physicians traditionally used their best judgment when making treatment decisions, now they’re moving towards evidence-based medicine which involves systematically reviewing massive amounts of clinical data. Compiling individual sets of data into big-data algorithms provides a more robust set of values and, in most cases, better and more cost-effective treatment decisions.
4 Important Things To Know When Setting Up a Healthcare IT Infrastructure That Utilizes Big Data:
Processing, storing, and managing big data is not the same as with traditional data. It requires special consideration when developing IT infrastructures to handle it. You need flexible and open interfaces because you must plan and prepare for new forms of data that may emerge. So, don’t assume you can use traditional data modeling solutions when using big data.
Big data infrastructures must focus on the core operations and purpose of your healthcare organization. It’s essential to identify how big data will be used, and model that data in your planning.
When considering big data methodologies, technology teams should be able to build data models that match your unique requirements. Big data requires an entire system rather than a database structure like that for traditional data. The components of big data should contain corporate governance for security and accessibility, requirements for business information, storage requirements, open interfaces, and integration for various types of data.
Identify and deliver only quality data. Concentrate on applying sound definitions through metadata that describes the data, where it came from and what its purpose is. The more closely you can identify the data, the better it will support your purpose.
To date, the healthcare sector has lagged behind sectors like retail and banking in the utilization of big data. Some of the reasons for this are due to concerns over patient confidentiality. However, out of the need for more cost-effective results and improved management of care, the IoT and big data are catching on in the world of healthcare. The question remains, is your healthcare organization prepared for this revolutionary change?
Accounting, just like every other profession, is affected by our ever-changing world. The increase in technological advances alone can leave your head spinning. Though technology endeavors to make work easier for everyone, it requires your full attention to keep up.
However, technology is responsible for numerous positive changes in every field or industry. An accounting firm can get a lot more done each day with the professional software programs now available. Many boring, repetitive jobs are accomplished with these programs and this allows accounting professionals to utilize their time on more important tasks.
Today’s technology can make it much easier for you to find new employees for your accounting firm, qualified personnel who have already been vetted. Most of today’s accounting firms have embraced the changes that are occurring in our technology-driven world. And yet, many are undergoing dramatic changes that affect their business from various angles.
From cyber threats to rising costs, the accounting industry is facing its share of tough problems. Savvy business owners overcome these challenges and move forward. They turn these problems into stepping stones that lead to new opportunities. Still, these issues can slow down the workflow and require too much attention. The struggle can be tiresome and never-ending.
Below are our top five tough problems that accounting firms face today.
1)Retiring Baby Boomers
Each year, approximately 4 million baby boomers retire. This trend is expected to continue for the next 19 years. These people represent years of training and experience. Every industry is being affected by this, including accounting. As CPA firms across the country lose these knowledgeable employees, they reach out to secure the top talent available. But this trend has created a very competitive environment where an accounting firm must be able to offer more to get those well-trained college graduates. This problem reaches across all industries today and as noted above, it will continue on for another two decades. CPA firms are trying to balance their need for the best employees with budgetary restrictions.
2)Winning the Talent War
While winning the talent war is no easy battle, there are a few options that accounting firms can employ. One of the suggestions that has worked for many firms involves enhancing your company’s brand. Highly skilled workers want to be associated with a good company that has an outstanding reputation. As accounting firms are struggling to get the best talent available, they’re realizing how important their brand is. There are numerous ways to elevate your brand and in some cases, it will benefit accountants to hire consultants who specialize in this area.
Below, are just a few ways to improve your reputation and attract those talented college graduates you need to move your business to the next level:
Get your CPA firm involved in community activities. For instance, volunteer once a month at a soup kitchen, children’s hospital, or orphanage. Nothing speaks louder than a group of professionals willing to give their time and talents to help the poor and needy.
Improve your culture. Many companies have greatly benefited by improving their company culture. That’s the secret behind the huge successes of Google, Microsoft, and Disney. Employees love where they work. They’re proud to say they work there.
Create High-Profile Events. This can be as simple or complex as you like. Some business owners write a book and then create book-signing events on a regular basis. Others do webinars each month. For instance, in the accounting field, you could create a webinar each month to show business owners how to save on taxes.
Post Good Photos of Events. Now that your company is involved in volunteering, in conferences, webinars, and other events like this, be sure to take good photos. Post them online regularly so the public can see what your company is up to.
3)Pressure to Reduce Prices
One of the first things that companies think of when faced with an increase in their expenses is to simply go up on the cost of their services. As all accountants know, the budget has to work out so that it fits within a reasonable margin. Now that you’re having to hire new talent, fresh out of college, where will the money come from to pay those salaries? At the same time, new accounting firms are popping up all over the place offering lower prices than yours. Increased competition almost always drives prices down.
One of the most successful strategies that companies have used involves making your Brand more valuable. Of course, there are multiple ways to accomplish this. Get connected to industry specialists who already have good public visibility. Work at getting selected for local radio or TV programs where you talk about any number of accounting-related topics. As you boost your visibility in the marketplace, you set yourself up to command higher billing rates.
4)Stand Out
In this day and age, people tend to lump all accounting firms (legal firms, etc.) together. But, you’ve worked your whole life to set your business apart from the others. This means that you may have to work consistently at making your differentiators well known in your community. Why are your services worth more? Why is your accounting firm the best one to work at? These are all questions you should immediately know the answers to.
5)Advancing Technology
The last and perhaps most important challenge that accounting firms face is the constant need to update their technology. You want to have the latest and greatest software programs and network services, but all this can be expensive. To make matters worse, technology is constantly evolving. Today’s smartphones contain advanced features you couldn’t get a year ago.
For many small businesses, the best way to alleviate this concern is to find a great managed IT service provider and allow them to handle the technical aspects of your accounting firm. Make sure your contract with them includes regular updates to the latest network and computer technology. This can cut your overall costs and give you the same technology solutions as an accounting firm twice your size.
Communication is definitely made more accessible as a result of technology. Unlike previous years where people placed heavy reliance on letters and messengers, currently, people can communicate at the tap of a button. Communication is essential in any business. For people to know what is required of them in the business environment, for suppliers to know the exact quantity of products that they are required to supply, and when the supply is necessary, people need to communicate. The most successful businesses place considerable reliance on communication.
Small businesses and especially, those that have just begun, often feel the need to use more affordable means of communication. With the availability of the internet, this is no longer a problem. The number of computers that a business purchases is directly influenced by the size and the income of the business. In this regard, therefore, small businesses may find themselves unable to purchase as many computers as they need. This is where smartphones come in.
Currently, almost everyone in the world owns a smartphone. Smartphones have made life more comfortable. They allow people to access information everywhere and at any time due to their portability. These devices are a gem to small businesses. First of all, almost every owner and employee in small companies own smartphones. People can access their emails when traveling or out working on a job.
For successful and efficient use of smartphones to access emails, small businesses must depend on reliable, practical, and affordable email applications. There are numerous applications which allow people to access their emails through mobile phones. The functionality of these applications is similar though they may provide different features. Depending on the smartphone used and the needs of the small business, smartphone users, and especially those who use iPhones, often develop preferences to specific apps over others.
Google
This is definitely one of the most used applications. Google provides a range of services that small businesses may find attractive. The google app allowing for access to emails called Gmail. Firstly, this app is easy to use. Gmail can be used by even novices without much training. Secondly, it is fast, compared to other apps. A particularly helpful feature of the Google email service is that if you send an email by mistake, you have the option of undoing send. This definitely saves businesses embarrassment if an incorrect email is sent by mistake. The Google application is available online at the Apple store and can be downloaded free of charge.
Microsoft Outlook
This application is particularly loved by iOS users. While allowing the user to access email at his or her convenience, this app enables immediate access to emails from frequent contacts without subjecting the user to looking through other unimportant emails. It sorts out these emails for you. The app allows users access to their calendar, enabling them to mark essential days and reminders. You can set up meetings right from your phone or even attend a meeting. Like the Google app, this app is available in the Apple App store.
Airmail
Though initially meant for Mac, this app is available for iPhone and iPad users. It integrates with Gmail, MS Exchange, IMAP, Yahoo!, AOL, Live.com, and Outlook. This app has exciting features including full inbox sync, interactive push notification, and snooze. It is an Apple Design Award winner.
Spark
Though not as popular as Google, Spark is a great email app for small businesses. This app group emails automatically thus enabling the user to identify the urgent emails immediately. The app is easy to use and faster than most email apps. This app may be downloaded from the App Store.
Edison Mail
This is one of the fastest email apps. It supports most email accounts including Yahoo and Hotmail and is available free in the App Store.
Triage
The primary purpose of this app is to clean up email clutter thus simplifying the process of emailing. You can download this vital app from the App Store.
Inky
Unlike other email apps, this app uses hashtags to organize emails and sort out the important ones from the less important ones. Basically, it applies hashtags as labels to messages. It also signs emails automatically. Get this efficient app from the App Store.
Zero
This app works similarly as Tinder. It allows you to sort out your emails easily by merely swiping right to keep them and left to delete them. It also sorts emails such as newsletters for you. This app is available for free in the App Store.
Newton
This app is available in the App Store. Unlike other services, it is not free but is subscription based. Its main feature is the send later which allows you to draft emails and send them to the recipient later on. It costs $50.
Astro
Controlled by an AI assistant, this app provides both email and calendar services. The Astro assistant can be asked questions and responds to numerous commands. If your business uses Slack, you can integrate with that program to send and share Slack messages. It is available free from App Store.
Not-for-profit organizations frequently contend with the lack of time and money needed to afford large IT investments that are critical for achieving efficiency in their operations. The few organizations that somehow manage to afford these technologies constantly have to deal with scarce resources and manpower needed to manage the technology.
There is another glaring problem within the nonprofit environment: the staff, Board members, and volunteers are often spread across several locations. Further, their rampant use of different devices and operating system (OS) versions tend to result in difficulties accessing the organizations’ latest files.
Microsoft Office 365 – addressing the challenges nonprofits face
Office 365 is Microsoft’s global offering designed to provide eligible users with access to the company’s top-of-the-line cloud-based tools for collaboration and productivity. The service is complete with web conferencing and high definition (HD) video, calendars, business class email, online Microsoft office suite, as well as file storage and sharing.
While Microsoft has a provision to offer these services to eligible, qualified nonprofits as a donation, the organization can purchase important additional functionalities at a small fee.
Beside the rich apps connected to the Microsoft Cloud always being up-to-date, they are available for users on a 24/7 basis.
If these are not reasons enough for you to jump aboard the Office 365 bandwagon, then read along to find out further why your nonprofit should invest in Microsoft Office 365.
Voice and web conferencingallows for easy collaboration
Successful running of any nonprofit heavily depends on the quality of collaboration between its members. Among the suite of tools that come with Microsoft Office 365 is the Microsoft Skype for Business, an all-in-one tool for web conferencing, video calls, voice calls, and instant messaging.
The HD video conferencing capability means that nonprofit teams can meet and collaborate with each other regardless of where they are located. Out-of-office personnel and volunteers can remotely share data and influence timely decision making.
You’ll also like to know that Skype for Business has a note-taking feature that works in real time. This can allow you to keep track of notes and new ideas from every meeting.
Social networking is easier withOffice 365
Every Microsoft Office 365 Nonprofit plan comes with the tech giant’s internal social network, Yammer – designed for organizations like your own.
With your own Yammer site, it is easier than ever to bring teams together regardless of where they are located across the globe.
Yammer allows the organization’s internal staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders to connect, share, and collaborate seamlessly at all times.
Teams can edit and share documents on the go
Microsoft Office 365 also includes Microsoft’s cloud-based file-sharing tool SharePoint Online. With this advanced file sharing tool, teams can easily edit and share documents with one another, even on their mobile devices. Many users love the fact that they can actually edit documents simultaneously with colleagues on this cloud-based platform – effectively saving time and the possible confusion associated with back and forth emailing of documents.
There is simply so much you can accomplish with your documents in the cloud. Your board reports will be available in the cloud and you can share them remotely or access them, along with grant applications and other equally essential documents anywhere, at any time.
Microsoft’s online office suite, Office Online, also allows you to create and edit files using lightweight Microsoft Office web apps including Word, Excel, OneNote, and PowerPoint. So, your team will have the liberty to open, view, and edit various document forms right from their browsers, both on iOS and Android devices.
The staff and volunteers can use Microsoft Office 365 to open, view, and edit practically any document on up to five of their devices. This empowers them with the flexibility to work anywhere anytime.
There is guarantee of security and compliance
Data security is one of the greatest concerns to any nonprofit organization. Nonprofits also have to comply with applicable privacy and compliance laws. The good news is, Microsoft’s Office 365 is engineered to the highest level of privacy and security standards.
The service has built-in malware protection to safeguard your data in the cloud. As such, your nonprofit organization can have peace of mind storing its data in the cloud and sharing even the most sensitive information without running the risk of noncompliance with data protection requirements.
Nonprofit organizations enjoy 24/7 support
Office 365 offers the luxury of 24/7 professional-level customer support so you won’t need any IT staff to stay on call. The level of support your nonprofit organization gets depends on your organization’s Office 365 Nonprofit plan.
Final thoughts
Technology-related problems can create indecisiveness and slow down efforts in the nonprofit environment, eventually taking a toll on important mission activities. This can hurt productivity overall. With its full capabilities as an installed software, as well as its cloud accessibility that ensures collaboration both online and offline, Microsoft Office 365 is an excellent tool for every nonprofit organization that wishes to achieve maximum efficiency.
A Look at the Current Versions of Microsoft Office 365, Features, and Prices
Business owners agree that Microsoft 365 is an indispensable product that they could not live without. It includes popular programs that people the world over have been using for years. The go-to word processing program is MS Word. People love this software and swear by it. Even those older versions like MS Word 2007 are still popular with the masses.
When it comes to dealing with spreadsheets, there really isn’t a better program than Excel. The same goes for PowerPoint. Most of us even use this program for our home videos. If there is a magic ingredient as to the popularity of Microsoft products, it is probably how user-friendly they are. The company very wisely uses the same Ribbon at the top of each program.
If you know how to use Word, you can learn PowerPoint, Outlook, or Excel very quickly. The formatting tools are basically the same. In spite of how useful and user-friendly these products are, most business owners are not familiar with the various Microsoft Office 365 packages. The company wanted to develop specific office programs for industries like education, government, non-profits, etc. They also wanted to offer scaled up versions for larger businesses. Though these seem like great concepts, they’ve created somewhat of a “Monster” when it comes to figuring out which package your company should be using.
To remedy that, we are offering a simplistic overall view of each product. You can see the basic features offered and the approximate cost. If you’re still unsure, talk to other business owners or ask an IT specialist.
Office 365 ProPlus
This version includes the standard office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. You can also get limited usage of Publisher and Access. The cost is around $12 per month per user. Cloud file-storage and sharing with OneDrive is included but business email is not. The product is installed directly on the user’s computer and licensed by user, whereas Office ProPlus is licensed by a device.
Office 365 Enterprise E1
This product offers businesses the use of MS Office online for phones, tablets, and computers. At the price point of $8.00 per month per user, Office mobile apps can be installed on up to 5 phones and 5 tablets per user. The software is available for iOS®, Android™ and Windows phones and tablets with screen sizes up to 10.1”. Also included are some valuable services that businesses use every day including:
Exchange
OneDrive
SharePoint
Yammer
Skype for business
Microsoft teams
Office 365 Enterprise E3
For around $20 per month per user, businesses can get all the features offered with Office 365 ProPlus and Office 365 Enterprise E1. All of the applications and services listed above are included in that price. In addition, this software package contains compliance tools, which have practically become indispensable today due to the intricacies of HIPAA and other compliance programs. Security tools, along with data loss prevention round out this suite of programs and services.
Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. Broadcast Skype for business allows you to engage with up to 10,000 people. Attendees can join from any device and they can interact with speakers. This tool alone could be worth its weight in gold if you have a big audience you want to get a message out to. You can perform instant polls or get immediate reactions to a new product or service.
Microsoft StaffHub allows users to manage their workday with information sharing and schedule management apps. These are just a few of the many great features included in this suite of programs.
Office 365 Enterprise E5
This product is the Cadillac of all MS Office products. It includes everything mentioned in the other packages, along with voice capabilities, analytics, and advanced security features. It comes at a cost of $35 per month per user, but it does include all the productivity tools and services a business could need.
It is built for large organizations with diverse needs. It’s available for just about any device and includes some exceptional business calling features. One of the most popular features, MS Teams connects your employees so they can discuss their latest project in real time.
Advanced Threat Protection can give you greater control over hidden threats embedded in emails, links, and attachments. This is a great feature that can prevent your employees from accidentally opening the door to cybercriminals. One cyber breach today will cost you around $1.3 million. Large organizations with the budget for it are utilizing every security tool available to protect their important data. Encrypted email is a must these days and it comes standard with this package.
Not included with any other packages, Power Bi is a useful business analytics service that gives you some powerful business intelligence capabilities, including interactive visualization. Users work with interactive dashboards to create reports and data warehouses. Power Bi allows users to work with data in many different ways, from cleaning and loading it to integrating the data where desired. Microsoft has plans to continue adding features to this program so that it contains the most sophisticated business intelligence tools available anywhere.
Conclusion
All the above Microsoft Office products require signing an annual contract, but most businesses realize that they simply can’t function anymore without the rich array of tools that Microsoft provides. These programs are available from any device or location. They include various levels of customer support. Each year when these products are updated, users get those updates for free. That means you’ll always have the latest version of your favorite Microsoft programs. MS Office 365 is optimized for any device.
A recent cybersecurity survey shows that overall healthcare approaches to cybersecurity have improved in recent years. Most organizations have embraced their need to protect their data from intrusion.
A study conducted by Mountain View, California-based Symantec and HIMSS Analytics[1] found that healthcare organizations are showing improvements in risk management strategies. Although their efforts have still not been satisfactory, they do represent a vast improvement. Most security experts believe there are gaps in most company’s security tools.
The newer cyber risks include medical devices. Hackers can now hack into almost anything including medical devices and appliances due to the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT). Since so much information is now available in the Cloud, it’s more important than ever to protect this data.
The Symantec and HIMSS Analytics study[2] covers the current position of healthcare organizations as to their investment and efforts to strengthen their security. It accentuates some of the vulnerabilities that many organizations still have. There is one positive finding from the survey showing that healthcare organizations have matured in their understanding of cyber security. In the past, a lack of understanding about hacking, malware, and ransomware has prevented many businesses from taking the threat seriously enough.
In the past, a company viewed cybersecurity as a responsibility of their IT department. They did not get involved in what was done to protect company data. Instead, they relied on their CIO or IT staff to do the right things to protect company information. Today, things have changed. Cybersecurity is discussed on every level, from the mail room to board meetings. According to the report, stronger security measures have been recently taken by eight out of ten organizations. However, about half of them admitted that they know they are vulnerable on some levels.
Another finding indicates that 60 percent of healthcare providers believe that risk assessment, not HIPAA compliance, is a more effective method of securing data against cyber thieves.
This progress has faced a few challenges as discovered in the research conducted by the Symantec and HIMSS Analytics survey. The main challenges faced were the efforts to acquire enough resources to counter the continually evolving threat margin. During 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that there were 295 data breaches at hospitals and healthcare providers. That number is expected to triple for 2018.[3]
A number of hindrances to improving security programs in the healthcare industry were cited. Not surprisingly, about 73% said that budgetary restrictions were a significant barrier. Staffing came in second with lack of the essential skills a close third.
The survey also discovered that there was a substantial lack of sustained investments in cybersecurity by healthcare providers. According to the respondents, 74% of the providers set aside 6% or less of their IT budget to IT security. Nearly 45% of the health organizations’ respondents allocated only 3% on security. These IT expenditures have remained about the same for three years in a row. In comparison, the financial industry spent an average of 10 to 12 percent of its IT budget on security.[4]
There are a number of steps suggested by the research report in the form of recommendations that all healthcare organizations can take to improve their risk management:
Create greater awareness among employees and conduct regular training across the organizations.
Engage the Board on implications and the risks of failing to allocate adequate resources to invest in better cybersecurity resources and tools.
Employ a comprehensive cyber defense platform that addresses each gateway cyber-thieves use.
Ensure all the stakeholders (IT, Legal, PR and Communications, Clinical Staff, Executives, etc.) are actively involved in Incident Response planning.
According to Alex Wirth, a blogger who analyzed the research report by the two institutions, “Every aspect of a provider’s approach to cybersecurity must be conducted from a business risk perspective”.
His opinion expresses that of many IT security experts. The only way that cybersecurity for the healthcare industry will be given the seriousness it deserves is for everyone involved to realize that this problem will not just go away. It must be addressed and given the time, attention, resources, and money that it requires to stop the spread of cyber theft. In the long run, this is the most sensible and cost-effective approach.
CONCLUSION
All of the security people and resources involved in cyber security for a healthcare organization must work together in order to maximize detection and curb security events. The best way to go about this is to keep the board informed and adopt an effective security framework. A sufficient budget for IT security must be allocated each year. Otherwise, care delivery and patient safety will be highly compromised.
This article is an analysis of topics related to technology that topped the charts in 2017 and are still trending in 2018. No doubt, cybersecurity was a priority topic and many positive advancements were made there. The Internet of Things became a much more talked-about issue, mostly due to its vulnerabilities to hacking schemes.
The real world implementation of new technologies used in ‘Smart Cities’ was a hot topic in the public sector. This article will rely on information generated from two top government IT institutions, which are the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) and the Public Technology Institute (PTI). The article will also look at the perspective of private entities on the future of smart technology, cloud technology, and the impact that cybercrimes will have on these.
Government perspective of Important IT Topics
Cyber Security
It is not surprising that this topic created quite a bit of buzz back in 2017 and is still at the top of the list. This year, NASCIO and the PTI teamed up to offer a free webinar called Technology Forecast 2018: What State and Local Government Technology Officials Can Expect.[1]
Of course, security is a top priority and major concern for both the state and local governments. The government has made a resolution to address the growing concerns about cybersecurity that seem to be holding technology back. With so many data breaches occurring each month, private organizations, the government, and businesses of all types and sizes have been hit by cyber thieves. Every organization seems to be vulnerable, so leaders and experts believe that, in order to move forward with greater technological advancements for the future, the issue security must be a top priority.
A recent article on the Government Technology website[2] discusses why businesses need a cybersecurity framework.
Smart Government and Cities
Many cities and towns have embraced technology across their operations and service delivery sectors. This includes migrating data to the cloud, which a big step that can greatly improve a city’s ability to handle larger amounts of data each day. The transportation industry is using an app that tracks city buses so that riders can get accurate bus times. Seemingly small improvements like this can have a big impact on city services. Smart cities will run much smoother. The costs should also be lowered due to the automation of many city services. These services should be available cheaper rates and they should work much better.
Cloud Services
Governments are working to upload all their data to the cloud, where it will be much easier to access and manage. Most government entities are expected to hop on board this year according to a recent MeriTalk Survey. This survey found that 76% of state and local agencies are planning to increase their resources allocation to improve and increase cloud services.[3]
Private entities’ perspective on Government and Technology
A UK company called Deloitte[4] issued a report last year called Kinetic Enterprise. The report revealed many key insights in the trends that are shaping and redefining the role of Information Technology in disruptive technologies.
The report states that cutting-edge establishments are looking beyond implementations in a single domain. Instead, they are opting for projects that can affect a whole array of services, like the delivery of electricity, gas, and water to residents.
They are evaluating the ways disruptive technologies can work in harmony to create innovative tools that can redefine business. The report went on to say that federal and state government leaders could go a long way toward advancing sectors like machine learning, finance, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and others.
An article called, Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2018[5] named three megatrends that they believe will drive digital business technologies over the next decade:
Artificial Intelligence
Transparently Immersive Experiences
Digital Platforms
In the article, Gartner said it believe that businesses and organizations would lose ground if they did not take advantage of emerging technologies. The article stated that “States are increasingly being asked to referee fights between mobile phone carriers and local governments, as the wireless industry sets out to build the next generation of data networks. 5G Technologies requires a much denser network of 10 to 100 times as many antenna locations….”
On election cybersecurity, the article states: “The 2018 elections could provide an opportunity for states and localities to restore confidence in voting systems that came under scrutiny during the 2016 presidential campaign.”[6]
Conclusion
Technology is definitely having effects on the government and public sector. Many experts see this as a way for the future of mankind to ensure greater progress. For instance, building Smart Cities can cut back on pollution, use sustainable materials, and make life easier for everyone. Many experts believe that the only thing holding progress back is the vast number of security breaches that occur each day around the world. Once we are able to stop those attacks from occurring, the sky’s the limit.
Microsoft introduced the Surface Pro 4 Tablet some time back in 2015. It replaced an older model called the Surface Pro. Soon after the release of the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft’s social media pages were flooded with complaints about a flickering screen. The Redmond Washington-based company responded to these complaints by promising that they would replace some Surface Pro 4 devices with this problem.
Trouble for the tech giant
This is good news especially since the company is making the replacements for free, but for only those devices experiencing the mishap within three years of purchase. In their web page called Surface Pro 4 screen flickers [https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4230448/surface-pro-4-screen-flicker], Microsoft said that their top priority is to create the best products and experiences for their customers. Further, the company noted that they have heard their customer’s complaints and that’s why they have come on board to address these issues. After some investigation, Microsoft determined that some of the affected Surface Pro 4 devices could not be repaired with driver updates or new firmware.
Surface Pro 4 users who are experiencing the flicker are advised to first install the latest Surface and Windows programs to ensure that this is not the cause of the flickering. Surface and Windows updates are designed to keep any device running in an optimal state. If the issue persists, consumers should contact Microsoft Support. Once they verify that the device is certified as one of those that will require a replacement, the exchange process is set in motion.
Getting your Surface Pro 4 replaced or repaired
For those shipping their devices out to Microsoft for repair or replacement, it typically takes about 5-8 business days for the tech giant to get your broken device. The time to repair or replace it can vary depending upon several different factors. Microsoft has also promised to refund the warranty fee to customers who paid for a warranty fee to repair their device. In order to get a refund, customers must contact Customer Support for validation. Microsoft is committed to delivering great products and services to their customers.
Consumer complaints
Information about the flickering screen issue came to the attention of Microsoft after Consumer Reports, a non-profit organization that offers product ratings, said that they could no longer recommend Microsoft Surface products because the device did not perform as expected. As any serious service provider would do, Microsoft did a thorough examination, made their own findings, and came up with a resolution to have the screen replacement performed for free.
Further, Consumer Reports learned about the flickering screen from surveyed electronic owners who said that their Surface Pro had too many problems and that they would not recommend it. Experts have been concerned that the Surface Book Laptop may be more likely to have screen failures as compared to other competing brands. To date, this has not been the case, but it has caused sales of these products to decline.
Mitigating the damages
Microsoft’s decision to replace the flickering screens for free might not be the immediate solution that will stop future damage, but they are hoping to mitigate the harm caused by negative reviews of the Surface Pro devices. Nothing raises the spirits of a devoted customer or consumer than a company that acknowledges fault on their part and gives a remedy with no strings attached.
Many companies, especially those in the business of electronic devices, handle these types of issues poorly. They often spend months denying that anything is wrong. Then, later they make the method of repair and replacement so complicated that users get frustrated. Some warranties are felt to be useless due to these and other problems that people have experienced over the years. Consumers often complain that no one seems to qualify for the free repair services.
However, with the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, the steps were purposely made simple and straightforward. This encouraged those affected to give the company a second chance to do it right. Often, this type of issue can turn off consumers to a product or even an entire brand, but Microsoft has made every attempt to do the right thing.
Future Microsoft designs
The Microsoft design team has taken these problems into consideration when developing new versions of the Surface Pro. For the future, Microsoft products should have very clear and reliable screens that will last for years with no problems. The company seems to have learned an important lesson throughout this ordeal.
Developing brand loyalty
What Microsoft has done by launching the Surface Pro 4 Replacement Program is not only a wise corporate decision, but a show of gratitude and humility to their consumers. This is probably a major reason why Microsoft customers are loyal to this brand. They expect perfection from the company and do not accept anything less.
