Are your business software systems up to date? As the new year settles in & the British workforce returns to work after their Christmas break, Virtually Smart Ltd considers what’s new in 2019.
As the new year settles & companies return to work after their Christmas break, now is the perfect time to take stock & review your business.
As the new year settles & companies return to work after their Christmas break, now is the perfect time to take stock & review your business. Having the facilities in place to ensure regular reviews are undertaken, ensures your business is kept up to date with the latest software technologies & strategies to enable it to continually progress & move forward.
Virtually Smart Ltd have over the past year researched & extolled the virtues of a variety of software technologies which are capable of helping to streamline & keep your business up to date. One of the ways in which you can ensure your business is up to date & functioning on a par with your peers, is to start with your day to day functionalities.
For most businesses there will be a core software technology used by employees & employers. The go to running systems are still usually Microsoft or Apple, dependant on the sector of business being worked in. Microsoft is still the go-to system for most office’s, schools & larger corporate establishments, whereby, Apple software is still the creative industry standard.
Alongside the use of these systems comes the inherent trouble with upgrades & compatibility. Some companies who are still running on what could be considered outdated versions of Microsoft software for example, can find that when sharing documentation to other users outside of their corporation, that the software is no longer compatible & the information is un-readable. In addition, some technologies are not compatible with Windows 10 for example & are most likely in need of updating.
‘The unfortunate reality is, even though you might be able to run a version of Windows 10, it does not guarantee you will be able to run the latest version or the version after that. If you have been making attempts to upgrade without success, you probably need to check the manufacturers website for your computer model to find out if its compatible with Windows 10 1803, Fall Creators Update (1709), Creators Update (1703) or Anniversary Update (1607) or not. ‘(1)
Despite the fact the Windows 10 has been running as an operating system since 2015, there are still some establishments who are running Windows 7, 8 & Windows XP. The main reason why so many users have remained with Windows XP or Windows 7, is down to it’s usability. However, as Computerworld reported on 2nd January 2019, Windows 10 has finally overtaken Windows 7 & XP, but only because the Microsoft support for the platform finally ceases in 2020.
‘According to analytics vendor Net Applications, Windows 10 jumped by 1.1 percentage points in user share in December, climbing to 39.2% of all personal computers and 45.5% of all PCs running Windows. (The second number is larger than the first because Windows does not power all PCs; in December, Windows ran 86% of the world’s systems. Most of the remainder ran macOS, Linux or Chrome OS, in decreasing order.)’ (2)
This information goes some way to prove that some operating systems & software applications are held on to by their user’s way beyond their usability, as they are familiar, user friendly & have minimal running costs & upgrade implications. However, as is common, sometimes this can have a detrimental affect when upgrades for older versions of software & technologies are rescinded by the manufacturers & compatibility with outside sources becomes difficult.
Despite the essentials of businesses being inherently reliant on the larger corporate named operating systems for their core technology needs, there are plenty of other technologies available run by independent programming houses, which can & do add an additional layer of support & dynamism to any business. From ‘start-up’ right through to corporate giant, seeking out software technologies to support & streamline a business, enables greater productivity & communication. With national & often time international teams running in different countries & different time zones, making use of some of the new & innovative technology, can help keep international teams updated & on track.
Virtually Smart Ltd have taken three different streamlining & team-based software applications to review as the first part of our ‘What’s New in 2019’ focus.
Trello.
Virtually Smart Ltd have been using Trello over the past year as an internal tracking system for the company, enabling Helena Parrott & Katy Jane to see the status of each project by using the Trello boards.
We have rolled this out to several companies to show them the versatility of this system & have also shown the international capabilities of having the boards visible to multiple users.
Slack
Virtually Smart Ltd started to use Slack towards the end of 2018 & we can already see the dynamic applications of this software. The instant messaging capabilities mean the Helena & Katy Jane are connected throughout the day, keeping each other instantly up to date with any developments & commentaries. In addition, the ‘channels’ which can be set up within Slack, enable multiple projects to have multiple input & users, whereby ideas can be shared instantly & all users see the data live & as it happens.
Each channel can be set up to not only have a specific project or business, but within that channel you have the capability of seeing email from multiple users, data, images & instant messaging all relating to that one channel. Furthermore, you can add follow up’s & reminders to messages sent within that channel, to ensure nothing is ever missed.
Everything in Slack is archived & easily accessible, meaning you will never have to trawl through emails & folders to find relevant information. Just access the channel for your team, company or project & all of the information will be available at your finger-tips.
Slack offers some great opportunities for start-up’s who might have a small remote team scattered across a county or the UK; but it can also have a dynamic impact on larger companies enabling them to see, react & be part of multiple layers of information all in one convenient place.
Monday.com
Monday.com allows collaborative working for in house or global teams. Monday.com enables companies to track their projects & give an entire oversight to months even years worth of projects at a glance.
Colour coded icons help to see what the status is of each user & each project. In addition, being able to see the information in either calendar or graph format, gives flexibility & choice to the individual & to the team.
One of the most user-friendly elements of Monday.com is that it allows users to organise visually, meaning that for most, it is easier to grasp the information & interpret it.
Keeping abreast of new upgrades to existing systems & being open minded to new systems, is a great way to ensure that you & your business are able to progress, move forward & challenge yourself to avoid getting in to a technology rut.
If you are keen to ensure your technologies are up to date & or are interested in making decisions about scheduling & tracking software, please contact Helena Parrott – VA/Director of Virtually Smart Ltd for an appraisal of your systems, recommendations & potential roll out & support of a new operating system & or software.
Written by Katy Jane of behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
