Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Tech Sensibility: November, 2013
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TECH SENSIBILITY: PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR A BALANCED LIFE
Use Technology to Your Advantage
A free newsletter discussing various approaches to making the most value of our daily usage of technology - everything from getting the most usability from our mobile devices to improving our personal lives through a better understanding of technical information.
Past copies are archived on our web site:
http://www.galeasconsulting.com Copyright 2013 Bruno Scap. All rights reserved.
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Feel free to share this newsletter with anyone who might find it beneficial.
Tech Sensibility is in three sections this month:
1. Technique
2. Slant: Non-IT executives making IT decisions
3. Element
To subscribe to Tech Sensibility newsletter, visit:
http://galeasconsulting.com/newsletters/tech_sensibility/ To learn more about how to leverage technology to improve core business performance, visit the online resources which include supporting articles and reports.
1. Technique
• Reset a device that is not working - your cable box, for example - two or three times. If it still does not work, it may be broken or there may be a service outage. There is no point in resetting a device many times; computers either work or do not. Give support a call instead.
• To lengthen the life of your smartphone battery, increase the time between charges and charge the phone in one whole effort before the charge level gets very low. Today's smartphones have lithium-ion batteries which do not need to be fully discharged to be memory-trained. Using a wall charger is preferred because modern chargers are sufficiently apt to stop charging when the phone is fully charged.
• Every once in a while, run an anti-malware tool like MalwareBytes on your computer. Antivirus software alone no longer provides sufficient protection.
• Lock your computer every time you step away from it. Configure a timeout lock to enable your computer to automatically lock itself after a number of minutes. Practice this behavior with all of your digital devices, including mobile phones and tablets.
• Always select a strong password for your computers and online services. Using mnemonic phrases will help you create secure passwords that are easy to remember. For example, "I had a great time in San Francisco last summer" becomes IhagtiSFls. Adding numbers and special characters further increases the strength of the password: #20IhagtiSFls12#.
2. Slant
Non-IT executives making IT decisions
Line-of-business execs need to know more about their IT services. But they are not technologically savvy. What kind of experience do they need? Once they know what business outcomes they desire, they should leverage their organization's IT.
Enterprise technology decisions are often made by the organization's IT department. Unlike IT, line-of-business executives are not necessarily concerned with the technology itself, but with business outcomes. As their budgets grow, business units are increasingly becoming involved in the purchase of IT without the oversight from the CIO.
Line-of-business executives do not necessarily need to be technologically savvy. With some of today's technologies such as cloud computing, they are able to recognize tools that provide solutions which they rely on to increase the go-to-market speed, manage employees, reach new customers and grow their business.
Line-of-business executives should leverage the technology knowledge with the experience concentrated within their organization's IT department. Working collaboratively with IT will enable them to increase the pace of innovation and meet their business objectives quicker. Additionally, with the assistance of IT, business executives can increase their chances of finding new business models and revenue streams, as well as delivering exceptional performance to its customers and employees.
3. Element
• Although it feels like your lane is the slowest, experience suggests that cars in all freeway lanes often travel at approximately equal speed. Did you ever change from your lane into the faster one, only to see it slow down to a crawl? Put on some music, relax and stay in your lane. You will get where you are going fast enough.
• Spend some time on Sunday to prepare for the week ahead. Make lists, schedule activities and update your calendar. Create goals to be accomplished. Get your clothes ready. It will help you save time during the week.
• Try to use your cell phone as little as possible, especially when accompanied by other people. If you are alone, spend some time to get to know yourself better. Take a look around. There is a real world around you - appreciate it.