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How do you usually shop when you need something like a gift for a friend, a new pair of shoes, or a bike for your son or daughter? Today more than ever before, Americans make a beeline for the computer or a big box store when it comes to getting through their shopping list.

And it’s not just clothes, toys, and gifts we buy at these places. Paper towel, cell phones, greeting cards, and all your groceries can be purchased at the same time — with just one trip to a large chain store or one click of a button.

So where does this leave the little guy — small businesses?

Small businesses are closing up shop, and fewer new businesses are opening than ever before. Unfortunately for everyone, this means less support to locally-run firms, more unemployment, cheaper goods, terrible customer services, and small towns that suffer.

But you can help!

Small Business Saturday is a way to pump life into the small businesses here in the U.S. — and around the world. Here’s a bit more about this special annual event and how you can participate this year!

What Is Small Business Saturday?

Small Business Saturday is a day that celebrates small businesses of all kinds around the country. This includes all types of independent retailers from locally-owned gyms, grocery stores, cafes, and restaurants to artists and craftsmen who sell their goods online, local farmers, and more.

When Is Small Business Saturday?

Every year in the United States, Small Business Saturday is celebrated on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, 2018, Small Business Saturday will take place on Saturday, November 24^th.

How Did Small Business Saturday Start?

Especially since the 1960s, when the modern American shopping mall came into existence, big box stores and chains have taken over what was once a country dominated by small local businesses. Small and even medium-sized towns have seen their small businesses obliterated when bigger chain stores come into town. Usually, the smaller retailers can hold out for at least a year, but inevitably, it’s the big guys who win out.

Small Business Saturday started as a way to pump some life back into the small businesses around our nation — to honor and recognize them. The first celebration of this holiday was only celebrated in Massachusetts in 2010. It was created as a way to work against Black Friday, which inevitably favors large chain stores and retailers.

But since that time, the holiday has spread throughout the nation. From the start, Small Business Saturday was sponsored by both the non-profit National Trust for Historic Preservation and by American Express. There are now Small Business Saturday celebrations in the UK and elsewhere around the world as well.

Why Participate in Small Business Saturday?

If you’re a small business owner, it, of course, makes sense to raise awareness of your business and other small businesses around the nation and the world on this day!

If you’re not a business owner, it also makes sense. That’s because consumers like you profoundly impact whether or not small businesses are able to get off the ground or maintain their business. By patronizing small businesses on this day — and raising awareness for others — you’re putting your money where your mouth is and let the world know that you appreciate small businesses and want them to stick around.

How Can Small Businesses Participate in Small Business Saturday?

Small businesses should prepare for Small Business Saturday by promoting the day online and in-store. You might consider holding a special event, an open house, or the release of a new product or service on this day. For more inspiration, head here to Shop Small®’s Get Inspired page.

How Can Others Participate?

If you’re a consumer, the best way to participate in Small Business Saturday is to buy from and patronize small businesses!

This might mean shopping at your local grocery store instead of the big chain supermarket in your town. It might mean grabbing a coffee at a local café instead of a chain coffee shop. Or it could mean ordering a piece of art, a tool you need, or something else from an independent retailer online.

Don’t Forget to Spread the Word!

Lastly, whether you’re a shopper or you own or work at a small business yourself, one of the biggest things you can do to support Small Business Saturday is spread the word.

Tell your friends and family about Small Business Saturday, use the hashtag #ShopSmall on social media, and of course, don’t forget to get out there and spend your money at small businesses in your area this Saturday, November 24^th, 2018!

In today’s digitally driven world, far too many personal and business devices are left unsecured. These devices don’t leverage strong passwords and fail to have the encryption needed to protect vital data. Whether companies choose to store data in public, private, or hybrid clouds, they should always ensure that the data is encrypted before it leaves their devices or networks. Additionally, when employees think that “this data isn’t important,” they are creating the weak links that hackers need to successfully infiltrate a device (or network) and subsequently steal unencrypted data, upload malware attacks, and otherwise wreak havoc on unsuspecting businesses. Unfortunately, far too many companies fail to understand the importance of encrypting both their devices and their data.

Why Should Businesses Encrypt Devices?

The primary reason that businesses need to encrypt all devices is due to the sensitive data that they hold. Take, for example, Amarillo, Texas which said that one of the companies in charge of a security payroll audit for the city lost a flash drive containing city employees’ names, bank deposit information, birthdays, social security numbers, and addresses. Fortunately, the flash drive was encrypted. However, if the device had been unencrypted, then the story could have been significantly more disastrous, especially when you consider the fact that each of the employees’ files could quickly be sold on the dark web or black market.

Secure Device Configuration

When devices are not correctly configured, then it doesn’t matter if your company has robust security protocols. With this in mind, securing devices is made easier when your business follows these vital steps:

1. Lockdown any services, including remote management systems, that you are not using.
2. Disable and/or change the default settings on ports.
3. Prohibit the use of outdated web technologies. In this vein, Java, NPAI, and Plugins need to be kept up to date to avoid any potential security vulnerabilities.
4. Create strong passwords.
5. Leverage encryption for any and all business communications, data, and devices.

It is important to note that you must complete all of the above steps. For example, if you use a strong password, but fail to properly encrypt your device, then it could still be subject to theft or hacking attempts. Fortunately, there are three additional steps that you can take to further protect your vital business data and devices.

3 Steps To A Strong Configuration

Securing your essential business data is made easier when you complete the following three steps.

1. Strong Passwords And Encryption. — Did you now that in 2017 81 percent of hacking-related breaches were due to stolen (or weak) passwords? In this vein, you must ensure that your employees are following password best practices. For example, the default password should never be used, the password should include both uppercase and lowercase characters, one number and one special character should be used, and the password should be between 8 to 16 characters. In addition to strong device and application passwords, you should always use encryption. It is especially crucial that sensitive data sent via email or stored on the cloud is appropriately encrypted.
2. Endpoint Protection. — Endpoint protection will require you to complete plug-in and browser updates, use an up to date anti-virus software, and implement a proven use Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and use Endpoint Threat Detection and Response (ETDR) that has been customized for your business needs.
3. Restrict The Number Of Login Attempts. — When an employee has an infinite number of login attempts, then their “strong password,” is made null-and-void. Instead, you should limit the number of login attempts to business devices or networks. As an added level of protection, you should ensure that employees can only access portions of your system from approved devices. After all, if an employee is using a compromised device to access your business network or data, then you are automatically opening the barn door for hackers to come in and wreak havoc as they decide what information they want to steal and inevitably sell.

The Bottom Line: Take The Steps Needed To Encrypt Data And Devices

If you want to ensure that your business data, devices, and networks remain secure, then you need to use the proper encryption methods. In addition to data and device encryption, you should also ensure that all devices have been appropriately configured. In conclusion, through endpoint protection, a restricted number of login attempts, secure passwords, and encryption best tactics, you can keep your vital business data safe from hacking attempts.

A recent survey of Canadian chief information officers expressed disappointment in IT outsourcing. The feedback the CIOs provided present an exceptional opportunity for IT companies to respond and hone their services and customer service to better serve corporate clients.

The annual CanadianCIO Census, sponsored by IT World Canada, shows that CIOs are dissatisfied with the investments they’ve made in outsourcing. Among the findings:

• Twenty-five percent of CIOs surveyed note that the outsourcing relationships had fallen short of expectations. That’s similar to the 2017 results, where 28 percent reported the same sentiment.
• “As a service” computing is taking the place of many traditional outsourcing products.
• Data indicate that more companies are investing in in-house staff, despite continued projected growth in outsourcing services. Gartner expects the outsourced IT market to reach $363 million by 2020 with 6.3 percent annual growth.
• There is a gap in expectations versus reality when it comes to what an IT provider does.

It’s evident that the opportunity to deliver better services is high.

What Are the Gaps in Expectations Between IT Providers and Clients?

Too often, businesses that outsource believe that once the contract is signed, the provider is going to take care of everything. Executives may not understand the need to establish and maintain an ongoing dialogue and relationship with the IT provider.

This disconnect raises an important consideration for IT company leaders. It’s imperative that you’re transparent with clients about how to make the relationship work. Many IT providers position themselves as virtual CIOs and tout their ongoing advisory services. IT companies should establish their executives as thought leaders who will be available for ongoing consulting and brainstorming. Reinforce that your commitment to the client includes recommending new technologies and solutions as they emerge and analyzing performance data to support improvements that will advance business goals.

What Is Needed for Transition Planning?

When you present a plan to refine, add or replace technologies and processes, there’s a critical need to be sure that project management is clearly outlined. The client and provider need to be on the same page about what the transition to new solutions will mean, scoping out the sequencing, significant milestones, timelines and impact on operations. Transition and project planning are essential to managing expectations from leadership, employees and customers.

The project management plan also needs to focus on information sharing and knowledge transfer. IT companies can position themselves as comprehensive service providers by focusing not only on what happens on Day but what will be done to ensure the client’s organization will be ready and prepared.

When Is Customization a Problem?

Many IT providers tout their ability to customize solutions for each client, taking into account the unique needs, challenges and opportunities. This is an important marketing point and should continue to be front and center. However, customization can often cause frustration.

For example, when a new solution needs to fit the way the client does work, there needs to be a lot of dialogue about processes. Sometimes, the client has not documented those processes, the processes are inconsistently applied within the organization, or existing documentation is inaccurate. At that point, the outsourced service provider often has to build new documentation, a time-consuming process that can add additional hours and cost to a client’s bill. Clients that are not expecting that expense can become unhappy quickly.

IT providers can avoid these issues by being clear at the front end about time estimates and identifying typical unforeseen problems that might add to the final project costs.

How Can IT Providers Help Clients?

One approach to improving the experience for clients … and their satisfaction levels … is to suggest a three-pronged approach to management and governance:

1. Encourage clients to train their staffs on how to work best with your company. Offer to help develop that training and help staffs prepare for change.
2. Suggest the client’s company build a governance structure. A management committee, for example, could draft a charter defining the key metrics that determine the outsourcing efficacy and how problems will be addressed.
3. Recommend the client appoint relationship managers that have the authority to work closely with the service provider and report back regularly to company leadership.

Experts estimate that as many as 42% of websites may have been impacted by Google’s Medic update that dropped mid-summer. And, as with so many Google algorithm changes, it came out of nowhere, leaving a wake of destruction.

Did you see your own company website’s ranking plummet as a result of the Medic Update? Here’s what you need to know to determine if you were affected and how to fix damage from the medic update.

Were You Impacted By Medic Update?

Do you want to know the truth? You very likely were impacted in some way even if you didn’t feel the brunt of it. It’s known as the “Medic Update” because it disproportionately affected health-related websites early on. But as the waves continued to roll, other industries and sites felt the aftermath:

• Fashion
• e-Commerce
• Local businesses
• Affiliate marketing websites
• Among others

Chances are that you fall into one of these categories. If you saw your search engine rankings dip — even slightly — in August 2018 with little to no recovery, you’ve very likely felt the wrath of Medic. Like many updates, it’s rolling out in sections so the decline may not be over.

While it never feels good to see your website lose ground in Google searches, know that Medic continues Google’s goal of elevating the highest authority websites which can best answer a searcher’s query. These are the ones that deserve those coveted top spots on page one.

If you take steps to adapt to the Medic Update, you have the potential to outrank the many websites that don’t. You could actually come out better than you were before when you learn how to fix damage from the medic update.

Step 1: Align Content with Searcher Intent

Before websites were impacted by the medic update, searching for a product or service may have sent you straight to a sales page. But this doesn’t reflect the modern buyer’s journey. Google knows that. This appears to be at least one thing that this algorithm change attempted to rectify.

70% of the buying decision is made before a person reaches a sales page. The Medic updates reflect this by pulling up more informational pages that help a potential customer make that decision.

If your website strategy largely revolved around the end of the buyer’s journey (sales), it’s time to put more focus on helpful content like blog posts, videos and interactive tools on your website.

Step 2: Utilize Google Shopping Ads

Ad clicks don’t directly impact your search engine ranking. But they do help you stay top of mind and build brand awareness over time when combined with a comprehensive brand awareness strategy. Google shopping ads have enjoyed a 47% increase in visibility year over year.

Don’t blame Google. It’s one of the main ways they make money. Increasing you pay per click (PPC) marketing budget will help you take advantage of this increased visibility and restore organic ranking indirectly.

Step 3: Check Your Link Profile

The number and quality of inbound links is still a known ranking factor. Relevant links from high authority websites help establish with Google that your company has an authoritative website. But Google search is getting smarter every year. It can more easily spot unnatural links that were likely purchased or otherwise unscrupulously acquired to manipulate your ranking. The aftermath for sites using questionable link-building strategies was swift and brutal.

It’s time to revisit your links using Google Search Console and more advanced link analysis tools like AHrefs, SEMrush or Moz.

Look for links coming from low authority and spammy websites. Disavow them using Google Disavow Tool.

Step 4: Be Clear About Ownership

Do you have a sneaky agenda for your website? You probably don’t. But some websites do. They leave it unclear who owns the website. For example, a business could create what appears to be a 3rd party review website and then review their own products. That’s not full disclosure.

Learn how to fix damage from the medic update on sites where ownership is unclear. Add your contact information to every header or footer. Or create a detailed “About Us” and “Contact” page. Make sure every page on any owned site has a link to these pages.

Step 5: Build Credibility

Some of those most impacted by medic update was giving health advice when it was unclear what credentials they had to do so. But this applies to any industry.

Consider adding a full, short bio on each blog post or informational page. Clearly, state the education and/or experience that qualifies the person to write and publish this content.

Remember E-A-T with every piece of content you produce. That’s…

• Expertise – Your content demonstrates that you’re an expert in your field and you have the credentials to prove it.
• Authoritative – Being authoritative is more about outside recognition. Do others in your industry recognize you as an authority? This may come in the form of reviews, links to your website, awards or ratings from organizations like BBB, Pulitzer or JD Power. Showcase this social proof of your authoritativeness on your website and work to get more recognition off-site.
• Trustworthiness – Trustworthiness comes in many forms. For one, you should be careful with the facts you communicate on your site. Stretching the truth or failing to cite sources doesn’t evoke trust. Second, trustworthiness comes in the form of your physical site. Your site is secure (HTTPS), easy to navigate and looks professional.

Step 6: Do Historical Optimization

Have you learned a lot about how to build a better website over the years? Most businesses have. There was a time when you could fairly easily rank low-quality content that wasn’t mobile-friendly or on a fast-loading page. But those days have passed.

You may have content on your website that is so far below your current standards, that it should be removed from the site. But you’re also likely to find pieces of content that would be excellent if you:

• Make them a little longer – the average blog post on page one is now over 1000 words. In some industries its over 2000.
• Beef up the content – Thin content that doesn’t really add value doesn’t rank well. Add real value, not fluff.
• Get rid of ungrammatical keyword usage – Google hasn’t used “exact match” keywords for some time. Google disregards unnecessary words and even many prefixes and suffixes when ranking websites. Keywords like “Luxury furniture Houston” that can’t grammatically fit in a sentence should be changed to “luxury furniture in Houston.” If the content used keywords unnaturally or every 100 words, find a synonym.
• Interlink – Content should link out to some reliable websites and interlink with one or more other relevant pages on your website.
• Connect with the target audience – Did your hook fall flat? Did people bounce off your website? Then you may need to evaluate how you’re connecting with that audience.
• Visuals – Pages that have more relevant images rank better.

If you’re not doing these things in current content, then it’s time to update your website.

How to Fix Damage from the Medic Update

The Medic Update hit a lot of websites hard. But the good news is that when you adapt by applying these 6 steps, you can come out on top. To learn more about marketing, follow our blog.

Tax compliance is a matter that many people try to adhere to in Canada. That means that when one receives a call asking them to immediately clear apparent tax deficits or face arrests, they merely comply. It is often impossible to tell apart the scammers from real CRA employees as they use masking technologies that make it seem like you really are getting a call from the CRA. This problem is so rampant that millions of dollars have been transferred to these scammers leaving many unaware Canadians cheated.

Over the years, many individuals have come forward to make complaints on their losses. This has however posed a rather unique problem to the Canadian police force. This owes to the fact that these scammers are international and not being Canadian citizen’s makes the law unable to cater to these woes. These scammers have gotten away with it for so long that at this point there are several call centers established in many towns in India.

These scammers have been getting away with this matter for many years even with a government that is aware of what is happening. With corruption a big problem in the Indian police force, there is no doubt that some of these scammers have merely paid off the police officials to keep away and let them proceed. The result is a scam that forces many unsuspecting Canadian citizens to lose their hard earned money thinking they had tax deficits.

How they scam Canadian citizens

This is a very large operation in India. As there are so many scam call centers in India, you find that they have narrowed down their targets to either the elderly or immigrants who are yet to get acquainted with how tax collection works in Canada. This unfortunate matter is conducted in a manner that has kept the operation alive for several years and expanded the operations.

The scammers generally call using a robot. Most of them mask their numbers that they appear as a CRA number. After the person on the other end picks up the call, they identify themselves CRA employees. These then progress and they firmly inform you that you owe a certain amount of money. They then begin pushing and prodding asking that you send the money.

They don’t always ask for money, sometimes they ask for apple gift cards as well as an incentive. People get threatened that they will face jail time or lose property by auction to cover their costs. They will target anyone that they think might not be aware that it may be a scam. One businessman admitted to having been scammed over a hundred thousand dollars from his business.

How they collect and hide the money

The scammers hide the money in different ways. Most of them are known to use financial cartels from overseas who are usually given around 40% of the cuts. They also tend to use different cartels to keep their operations as untraceable as possible. The operation is an extensive network that originates in the streets of Mumbai and other Indian towns. The popularity that the call centers get by the locals has made many more young people venture into scamming as a primary source of income.

The biggest motivators and continuers of this are young people in their twenties usually. They are people hoping to make a lot of quick money for they quickly try to make pacts with local cops who are generally happy to receive a bribe to ignore the illegal activity. Since the call centers are the only place to trace where this scam originates, it is difficult for a Canadian citizen to know who scammed them or for these scammers to be linked to specific cases.

Efforts to stop the phone scammers

In the past, there has been little to no effort to prevent this kind of scam. Canadian citizens have learned to ignore or easily recognize a fraud. The people who are most likely to be victims of this are people who are not well versed with how the CRA works as they actually communicate by use of mail. This makes elderly people who may be unaware of changes to be victims as well as newcomers.

There has however been a recent progression in solving this. The local Indian police in cohorts with the RFPD have begun to search for these call centers. They have been identified and raided on national TV to show these people that the time to end these operations has come. This raid has led to many operations being revealed and there is hope for this massive operation to be brought down once and for all. Many Canadians have fallen victim to these scammers and more will continue if the word is not given to them.

As individuals, we’ve been using 4G LTE to connect to the internet for years. 4G LTE can benefit all school districts, and it is a particularly good choice for districts with schools in a wide or rural geographic area. It also offers a type of flexibility that wired connectivity doesn’t have. But how can this mobile wireless technology benefit school districts, from students to faculty and staff?

How Can 4G LTE on School Buses Strengthen Districts?

Some school districts are installing 4G LTE on their school bus fleets with program names like “WiFi on Wheels.” Each bus in the fleet receives an in-vehicle LTE wireless solution that can be used while students are riding the bus to and from school.

The most prominent results from “WiFi on Wheels” initiatives are coming from school districts in widespread, poor, and rural areas. One California school district’s 100-bus fleet covers 1,250 square miles.

Many of the district’s students lacked internet access at home and also had long bus rides. After implementing 4G LTE on district buses, students became more academically engaged. In one year, graduation rates in the district increased from 70 to 80 percent.

4G LTE on buses has also been shown to increase student safety and reduce incidences of violence and bullying. From a resource management perspective, 4G LTE on school buses supports telematics to improve cost-efficiency and GPS that shows the location of buses at all times for fleet management.

Can 4G LTE Strengthen School Communications and IT Support?

Districts with widespread facilities and campuses can use 4G LTE to manage digital signage and communications. Instead of localized programming, district-wide messages can be sent instantly.

Remote tech support and troubleshooting can also be improved by 4G LTE technology. Wireless 4G LTE networks can enable remote solutions and inter-school conferencing.

If your district uses sites that aren’t typically connected to the internet, like gyms, sports complexes, and temporary classrooms, 4G LTE enables these buildings and locations to be flexibly included in the school network as needed.

How Can 4G LTE Benefit Campus Safety and Security?

In the same way that districts implement “WiFi on Wheels” on buses, campus safety vehicles can use 4G LTE for communications, monitoring, and reporting. Security and real-time communications for students, faculty, and staff can be supported through 4G LTE cameras and other monitoring devices.

Because 4G LTE technology is wirelessly delivered, security within the system is also important to prevent intrusion and hacking. 4G LTE technology enables districts to isolate their own data and cloak any personal information that’s going through the district’s devices. The district can define its own information perimeter using software, limiting the network’s use to authorized students and staff.

How can Wireless WANs Support Parents and Student Volunteers?

Parent groups who are holding music, athletic, recreational, cultural or theater events can use the network remotely to process credit card payments. Student leadership groups can process payments for dances, campus events, and year-end activities. 4G LTE technology enables these transactions and events to be conducted safely and securely.

There are many good reasons to consider 4G LTE technology for school districts and campuses. From improving school bus safety and increasing student academic performance to connecting remote campuses and enabling remote IT support, connecting a district and all of the people in it with 4G LTE can be an effective, efficient communications choice.

Look around you. Your desk lamp, your headphones, that smartphone in your hands — everything you own and use daily was created in the mind of an entrepreneur.

Sure, it may be mass-produced now, but at one time, every item in existence had to be thought up, created, and marketed for the very first time. It took the innovative and productive mind of a special entrepreneur to do that.

Today, entrepreneurs still exist as they always have, but because of mass production, globalism, big box stores, and yes, the Internet, they’re not as celebrated as they once were. Entrepreneurs’ Day is bringing back the much-deserved admiration and appreciation of the entrepreneur.

Below, learn exactly what Entrepreneurs’ Day is, how it started, and how you can celebrate this 2018!

What Is Entrepreneurs’ Day and Why Is It Special?

Entrepreneurs’ Day is a day that celebrates the men and women in this country who are able to build something out of nothing. Entrepreneurs certainly think up, produce, and market the things you use, collect, have fun with, and eat on a daily basis. But they’re much more than that.

Entrepreneurs are special because of their innovation and creativity, but they also create jobs and spur the economy. Many entrepreneurs help small- and medium-sized towns grow and develop. They give opportunities to those that might not otherwise have them, and they donate to and care for their communities. Entrepreneurs have built what you see today.

Sadly, there are fewer new business ideas sprouting up around the United States today than ever before. Often, this is because small businesses who make an attempt to get off the ground aren’t able to earn enough to maintain their footing. Building a business out of nothing is certainly no easy task.

Entrepreneurs’ Day aims to change all of this by uplifting and celebrating entrepreneurs. It’s a day to pay tribute to these amazing businessmen and women — and maybe even become one yourself.

When Is Entrepreneurs’ Day?

Entrepreneurs’ Day is always on the third Tuesday of November. In 2018, Entrepreneurs’ Day will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 20^th.

History of Entrepreneurs’ Day

The term entrepreneur was first coined by French economist Jean-Baptiste Say in 1800 to denote someone who “shifts economic resources out of an area of lower and into an area of higher productivity and greater yield.” Entrepreneurs’ Day began in 2012 when President Barack Obama declared the month of November in the United States to be National Entrepreneurship Month.

Top Ways to Participate in Entrepreneurs’ Day

When you’re an entrepreneur yourself …

1. Get together with other entrepreneurs in your area.

Form a club or organization where local entrepreneurs can share their ideas and new concepts they’d like to bring forth. Even if it’s just an informal get-together, it’s a way to begin an important dialogue among entrepreneurs in your community.

2. Mentor another entrepreneur.

If you’ve successfully gotten off the ground as an entrepreneur in your own industry, consider mentoring someone else who is just beginning. Give them advice, shout out their product or service on your own social media pages, or just give them a pat on the back and some inspiration and motivation to keep moving forward.

3. Have a celebration!

If you own your own startup small business or are just starting out with a new product or service, celebrate Entrepreneurs’ Day by offering your customers and clients special discounts or a fun event. Even if your budget isn’t up for deals and sales quite yet, you can have an open house with cookies and punch or do a small giveaway of some sort to celebrate the day.

When you’d like to support entrepreneurs …

1. Shop with entrepreneurs in your area.

Shopping for holiday gifts or birthday presents? Looking for new clothes or items for your kitchen? Don’t go to the big box stores or the Internet this time. Shop with local entrepreneurs. Alternatively, if there aren’t any start-up small businesses in your community, you can certainly connect with entrepreneurs online who aren’t part of big-box chains.

2. Thank an entrepreneur

Know someone who has started their own business in the past or is hoping to in the future? Give them a shout out “thank you!” on social media, or thank them in person.

3. Talk about it!

Finally, remember that Entrepreneurs’ Day exists and persists largely by word-of-mouth, so spread the word! You can use social media on the days leading up to Entrepreneurs’ Day to tell your friends, family, and followers about this day — and of course, use the suggestions listed above to celebrate yourself when November 20^throlls around!

Did you know that the new iPad Pro sports more powerful features than most entry-level laptops in stores today?

Yes, the iPad is powerful but can it replace a computer?

Is the iPad a tablet or a computer?

This is a question that has been asked repeatedly since the iPad Pro was first released in 2015. With the debut of the latest iPad Pro in 2017 with the more robust iOS 11, improved multitasking and better file management, choosing between a MacBook and an iPad has been made more difficult for mobile users.

Apple advertises the iPad Pro as a replacement for laptops. Looking at some of the videos posted by Apple on YouTube, mobile users are convinced that the device can (almost) do everything a laptop can. So, is it time to ditch your laptop for an iPad? Read on to learn more.

What can the iPad do?

The Apple iPad Pro works like a computer. The device comes with either a 10.5-inch or 12.9-inch display with the smaller version being bigger than the standard iPad’s 9.7-inch display. With this larger display, the iPad renders colors better than most mid-level laptops, and it has a faster chip to power heavy graphics, paint and video apps. By all accounts, the iPad Pro is better than all other iPad models especially considering the add-ons it comes with.
Coupled with the best keyboard, iPad Pro gives you the best experience drawing, writing, editing videos and much more.

When can the iPad replace a computer for small businesses?

The most common tasks small businesses carry out on laptops and desktop PCs are the same that the iPad Pro is designed to excel in. These tasks include surfing the web, taking notes, reading and replying emails, balancing the checkbook, writing, editing and publishing online, engaging leads on social media and keeping records.

With the new iPad Pro, productivity has been made easier with the virtual touchpad letting you manipulate text with ease. The iPad has been engineered to support Microsoft Office and comes with a free version of Apple iWork letting you create documents straight out of the box. If your office work involves a lot of typing, you can connect a Bluetooth keyboard and type a lot faster.

Not only can the iPad perform almost all tasks a laptop can but it can do some even better. The iPad comes with a back camera allowing you to film a movie with ease. After filming, you can edit the video right on the iPad. Connecting to the internet while on the go, you do not necessarily need Wi-Fi since you can connect it with your smartphone with ease.

The iPad is a portable gaming device thanks to its high resolution and high-end graphics. While it cannot match X-BOX One or PlayStation 4, the device is in the same ranks as XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3. The iPad also works with different illustration apps giving artists an easy time creating.

What can’t the iPad do?

Even with all its great features, the iPad still has some limitations. One of the reasons iPad Pro might not replace your laptop is of your business uses a proprietary software not found on iPad. While most businesses today are using cloud-based solutions, which means most of the software are build on the web, there are still many of them that rely on software that needs Microsoft Windows.

Any application that you require on your laptop or desktop PC will require a replacement on your iPad. While this is easy for web browsing, writing, and email, it is difficult for other software. The iPad has been updated making it better at video editing, which means you will not miss iMovie. However, businesses that deal with professional video editing might still need more powerful video editing software not available on iPad.

Storage is another issue for the iPad. The iPad Pro can have storage of up to 256, but this still does not compete with the storage offered by most laptops. While the iPad can run a lot of apps, you can only store the limited number of videos in it.

For some users, a 12.9-inch display is still small for the tasks they carry. This is especially true for artists who love multitasking and working on different screens.

Figure out whether you need to replace your computer

Apple’s iPad Pro can replace your computer. If you are not sure whether you should replace your laptop with iPad Pro, you are ready to test it for a week or two. In most cases, the iPad will suffice whether a laptop would be needed. However, you might need to have your laptop in case there is software you need once or twice a month on it.

With more improvements, the iPad Pro will mirror a laptop in all aspects.