Tag Archives: Business

Work from home forever?

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Would you allow your staff to work from home forever? How’s working from home going for your business? Would you make it a permanent option for some staff? Twitter has taken a bold step and allowed its people to work from home forever if they want to. Read the full story about how one of the world’s leading social media platforms are revolutionizing working from home forever.

Work from home forever

Twitter have advised employees they can work from home forever. What does the future hold?

Other companies planning to work from home forever

Shopify

Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify (SHOP), announced that the world of work has been turned on its head. “Office centricity is over,” he tweeted. “As of today, Shopify is a digital by default company. Shopify is an ecommerce platform for small businesses and therefore will keep its offices closed until 2021. This year, Shopify will rework its physical spaces for this new reality. As a result, most employees will be working from home on a permanent basis.

“Until recently, work happened in the office. We’ve always had some people remote and will use the Internet as a bridge to the office. This will reverse now,” Lutke tweeted. “The future of the office is to act as an on-ramp to the same digital workplace that you can access from your #WFH setup.”

Groupe PSA

French automaker PSA announced a “new era of agility,” in which its non-production staff will work remotely from now on. “Given the positive experience and efficient measures already taken in the context of the Covid-19 crisis. In other words they have decided to strengthen teleworking and make it the benchmark for activities not directly related to production”.

PSA will reduce its real estate footprint by redesigning its offices and allow for in-person collaboration when. Above all the main plan for our colleagues is to achieve a better work-life balance and have easier commutes.

In conclusion, the new work from home plan will start in the summer said PSA, the maker of Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall.

Contact the LIS Help desk to make sure your team have the same facilities as the workplace. We can set up secure access to all your data, provide IT support remotely and make sure your business is fully functional.

#Twitter #WFH #NewHomeOffice

How to choose the best laptop?

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With hundreds of models to choose from, you’ll want to a laptop that suits your business needs. How to choose the best laptop? Amongst the decisions you need to make are… the biggest decisions will be how much you want to spend – what many don’t realise is that if you’re after a good all-rounder for day-to-day tasks, it doesn’t have to be a lot.

Looking for new laptops for your team working from home? This business laptop doesn’t quite top a MacBook Pro, but it comes highly recommended and is half the price. Read the latest review at Techrader.

How to buy the best laptop?

Exceeds Expectation. The all-new 10th generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor and ultra-fast SSD are designed for on-the-go creations with faster rendering capability and boot up time.

Why buy from LIS?

We are not a retail shop. We are an established IT and Networking Support business. Our team have many years of IT experience and will advise you on the best solution for your business needs. We won’t just supply you a laptop. Before we deliver it to you, we will install Office 365, set up all the accounts, install anti-spam and anti-virus software. We can also supply all your IT aftersales and IT support with remote access. All you need to do once you receive your new laptop is plug and play. You are then ready to go, run your business and make money.

 

Top five questions to ask when buying a laptop

Before you start shopping for a laptop, it will help to know the answers to the following five key questions.

How much should I spend on a laptop?

The lower end of the market starts from £200. Ideal for home use. To the higher end for e.g. Apple MacBooks, more than £1,000.

Operating system – what type of laptop do I need?

There are three major players when it comes to the software (operating system) your computer runs on.

  Buy a Windows 10 laptop if…
You prefer the familiarity of Windows.
Have specialist software you can’t live without.
Want a big variety of laptops to choose from.
  Buy a MacBook if…
You have a budget of at least £950.
Value longevity and build quality.
Use other Apple products, or are happy to learn a new operating system.
  Buy a Chromebook if…
You’re on a budget.
Value simplicity.
Don’t mind working in web-based application.

 

How powerful does my laptop need to be?

If you need a laptop for light use and note taking, look for Intel Pentium or Intel Core i3 and at least 4GB of Ram for a great experience. Go for Intel Core i5 and i7 and AMD Ryzen 5 and 7 and at least 8GB of Ram if you’re a heavy user. Look for dedicated graphics from Nvidia and AMD if you want to game.

Screen – what size and resolution of laptop display do I need?

A laptop’s screen is one case where bigger isn’t always better. If you want a longer-lasting battery and a more portable device, you may want to go for an 11, 12 or 13-inch display; most of these will weigh between 1kg and 1.5kg. The largest you’re likely to see is 15 or 17 inches, with weight increasing to around 2kg to 3kg.

How much laptop storage do I really need?

Go for an SSD unless you really, really need more storage at all times. Storage capacity, measured in the size of the hard disk drive (HDD) in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB, equal to 1,000GB), determines how many things your PC can hold. Documents, photos, music, movies, programs – they all take up space.

Contact the LIS Help Desk to discuss the most suitable hardware, software, security and business requirements. Our friendly, experienced and knowledgeable team will be glad to assist you.

#BusinessLaptop #WorkingFromHome #OfficeDevices

Virtual Meetings

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Virtual meetings can be a cost-saving or revenue-generating option. It is a great tool to use to keep in touch with client, colleagues or attend business networking meetings. However, only if you have the right tools and know-how will you be able to connect to your virtual meetings.

WhatsApp v Zoom

One of the most popular platforms is Zoom. Did you know that WhatsApp can allow 50 people on a call via its desktop app? Take a look a recent article about how WhatsApp are taking on Zoom https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/whatsapp-could-become-the-new-zoom-with-50-person-video-calls-on-the-desktop

Until the April 2020 update, WhatsApp users could only make a video call with four people including themselves plus three others. Facebook-owned WhatsApp likely took the decision to issue an upgrade to prevent its users migrating to rival chat apps.

Facebook said in a statement: “WhatsApp calls are another way to stay in touch. Soon you’ll be able to have group voice and video calls with a larger amount of people on WhatsApp. As before, these calls are secured with end-to-end encryption. No one else can view or listen to your private conversation, not even WhatsApp.”

Virtual Meetings

Virtual Meetings are crucial for business. What is the best platform for your business? Stay connect with clients and your team.

How to group call on WhatsApp

Again, this is a similar process to video calling. To start a group call, fire up a conversation on your WhatsApp and click the phone icon in the top right of the screen.  Once your contact has picked up the phone, you can then click on the + icon on the screen and select multiple contacts to connect to a group call. Click on who you want to add and wait for them to accept the call.  You can also do this with group video calls. To do this, start a video call.

Once your contact has accepted the call, click on the + icon again and add another contact. The split screen with the separate video feeds is a great feature. Video calling can drain your data package, so if you are tight on data, make sure you are connected to a WiFi connection to get the full benefit of conference video calls.

Contact the LIS Help Desk to discuss the best platform and make sure your internet speed is the best you can get.

#WhatsAppMeetings #ZoomWho #VideoChat

Android phone hidden features

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Unlock your Android phone hidden features. The Android versus iPhone debate continues to rumble on. However, one thing is certain: Google’s phone software is more versatile and customizable than Apple’s offering. Dig into your Android phone hidden features you will find a host of clever features and useful tools.

Here are some hidden features you’ll definitely want to know about. For example, split screen mode, automatic video captioning or how about picture in picture, enabling you to watch YouTube whist you check your email. Whilst on a hand held device.

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/6-hidden-android-features-that-will-blow-your-mind-and-how-to-use-them/

Android phone hidden features

Your phone is smarter than it looks! Android is loaded full of features—many of which are not completely obvious or are possibly even hidden behind “secret” menus.

The history behind the Android phone

Sometimes it feels like we’ve been running Google’s mobile OS on our Android devices forever. It is less than 10 years since the first official Android phone launched in stores. Google’s decision to make Android an open source OS allowed it to become highly popular with third-party phone makers.

Just a few years after the launch of Android 1.0, Smartphones that had the OS installed were everywhere. Now it has become the most popular mobile OS in the world, defeating its many competitors like Symbian, BlackBerry, Palm OS, webOS, and Windows Phone. Apple’s iOS is the only platform still standing as a serious competitor to Android, and that situation doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon.

Conclusion

Apple need to start selling new iPhones that are much cheaper than its current models. It would seem reasonable to predict that Android will continue to dominate the mobile OS market, even with its history of problems providing swift updates. Android is being installed on phones that are sold for less than £100 as well as on expensive flagship devices like the current champion: the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. That flexibility, combined with yearly updates, will ensure Android will remain the leader in this industry for years to come.

Contact LIS if you need a new business mobile contract. If you need a new phone line for home or the work place we offer various VOIP solution. As well as helping with better connection, a super-fast fibre broadband supplier or even a leased line for guaranteed fast speeds. We have it all, and they’re all delivered to you with our impeccable IT support.

#HiddenAndroidFeatures #SecretFeatures #mindblowing

Email Forwarding Alerts

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We announced last month that Lodge Information Services (LIS) launched its latest product The Office 365 Security Package. This is part two of the package, focusing on Email Forwarding Alerts.

One of the biggest concerns within any business is IT security. The rising use of the cloud and mobile devices has bought with it cost savings. As a result, there are increased data security risks. Take a look at our latest video below for more information.

 

We will notify you promptly of any forwarders on your email system. LIS can act fast before any damage is done. The LIS helpdesk with a simple click of a button will approve or reject the forwarder on your behalf.

Our Office 365 Security Package is a bundle of software tools

The package works continuously on Microsoft Office 365 accounts. They provide genuine protection benefits that EVERY business ought to have. We manage EVERYTHING for you. It’s all in our hands, which is exactly how it should be. Giving you peace of mind to allow you to concentrate on your business.

Download our Office 365 A Risky Business booklet to find our more.

Email Forwarding Alerts

Make sure your business is secure from the outside world and your data is safe.

Scammers send out phishing emails to unsuspecting clients to hack their accounts. They use this information to log into the now compromised accounts to gain access to confidential information for example account and bank details. LIS can help your company to protect your IT system. As a result, making sure the outside world has no access and you have peace of mind that your money and data are safe. We take care of your IT security to enable you to concentrate on your business!

Contact us to make sure you are protected.