Improving Productivity with Technology (And How Xero Did It)

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Improving productivity with technology is the key aspect of completing projects sooner and keeping your customers happier. Technology, efficiency and productivity go hand in hand. Continue reading to find out how can technology by used to enhance productivity in your business.

 

Recently, the company behind the well-known bookkeeping and accounting platform Xero has found itself facing a challenge. Having grown to service virtually millions of customer internationally, the makers of Xero realised that helping small business owner to stay on top of their finances required an increased focus on effective internal communication.

 

With over three thousand staff across the world, the company quickly discovered that their internal communication system did not scale well enough to support their internal communication needs. The internal communication platform which they had been using up until this point was breaking down under the stress of having to service employee numbers it was not designed to support.

How Can Technology Be Used to Enhance Productivity?

Xero decided to migrate away from their ageing internal communications platform and chose an established industry leading solution – Slack. Migrating to Slack allowed the company to centralize crucial information, while increasing the efficiency of communication between its employees. With Slack’s instant messaging features and the ability to create specific workflow channels to improve internal communication, the company has set-up dedicated channels for its departments, creating an increase in both office productivity and the resultant customer satisfaction. The more productive your people are, the better they can complete their projects, leading to improved outcomes for their clients.

Improving Productivity with Technology #1 – Use Teleconferencing Software

Videoconferencing enables face to face communication without the need for face to face contact. This means less time spent travelling to meetings and more time actioning matters raised during those meetings. Teleconferencing additionally gives the participants the option to record their meetings, completely removing the need for minute taking.

Improving Productivity with Technology #2 – Take Advantage of Time Tracking Software

Long over are the days of paper time sheets. Accurate tracking of employee time may be a key concern for your business especially at this time, when there is a massive push towards remote and working from home arrangements. Time tracking software allows you to oversee the work of your staff, decreasing the likelihood of time theft. They ways in which this can be achieved extend, but are not limited to logging keystrokes, keystroke frequency or activity and randomly taking screenshots. There are a number of platforms available to provide the kind of logging functionality you have come to expect from timesheets too.

Improving Productivity with Technology #3 – Upgrade Your Hardware

Just because it works, does not mean its adequate. Outdated, almost ancient computers can be found in many an office. At a glance, they appear to be perfectly functional, that is until they are given a modern task to complete. If your employees are constantly waiting for their workstations to catch up to them all the time, they are experiencing unnecessary down time during which they are not productive. Consider upgrading your hardware to give your staff the tools they need to work efficiently. One of the cost effective upgrades is ensuring that your workstations are equipped with solid state drives. You can find out more about HDD vs SSD in our blog archives.

Improving Productivity with Technology #4 – Consider Using ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning Software)

Enterprise resource planning platforms can significantly simplify your management of a wide range of business processes from project management, accounting and bookkeeping to supply chain management. ERP consolidates all the information you various teams and departments might need in on one, central platform. This can greatly speed up the workflows of your staff, saving them time they would otherwise have to spending wading through dozens upon dozens of spreadsheets. Additionally, enterprise resource planning software can greatly streamline your overall document management processes, increasing intra-departmental transparency and improving communication across your business or organization in general.

Improving Productivity with Technology #5 – Replace Manual File Sharing with a Centralised Cloud Storage

Rather than manually sharing files in multiple copies and losing track of which version includes the latest changes and revisions (and who has that latest version), consider migrating your documents to the cloud. Files shared in cloud storage can be accessed by anyone at any time as well as edited and collaborated on by multiple users at the same time, in real time. This eliminates virtually all of the problems associated with manual file sharing.

At Connected Platforms we provide a range of these and other cloud business solutions for small to medium-sized businesses and more.

Find Out How Can Technology be Used to Enhance Productivity in Your Business or Organisation

Technology, efficiency and productivity go hand in hand and the reliance on digital solutions for business who wish to stay ahead of the curve will only increase in the future.

 

Don’t get left behind, get help with ‘solving’ the technology in your business. Get started by requesting a FREE IT health check to find out how well your business or organisation is to face the moder technology challenges. If you’re not sure if any of the technologies above are right for you, reach out and ask us about or range of medium and small business IT solutions. Give us a call on (07) 3062 6932 now to get started today.

 

Original article published by The Technology Press.

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How to create secure passwords

How to create secure passwords

Weak passwords are one of the biggest security risks to your business.
Why?
Because cyber criminals are getting smarter than ever before. If they manage to crack just one password, they could gain access to your sensitive business data, financial information, or even gain control of your entire system.
Cyber criminals use automated tools to guess passwords, allowing them to try out millions of combinations in seconds. So, if you’re using something like “Password123” or “CompanyName2025”, you’re practically handing them the keys to your business.
A compromised password can lead to big issues, such as:
• Data breaches
• Financial losses
• Identity theft
• Reputation damage
But how do you create strong passwords without driving yourself (and your team) mad?
Think of your password like a secret recipe, where only you should know the ingredients. It should:
• Be at least 14 characters long (the longer, the better)
• Include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters
• Contain a few numbers and symbols (like @, $, %, or &)
• Not contain any common words or easily guessable information (like birthdays, names, or the word “password”)
Instead of using a single word, you could try a passphrase – a short, random sentence that only you would understand. For example, instead of “Sailing2025”, try something like “Coffee&CloudsAreGreat9!”. This is much harder to crack, yet still easy to remember.
You should also steer clear of these common mistakes:
• Using personal info (your name, birthday, business name, etc.)
• Reusing the same passwords across multiple accounts
• Using simple sequences (“123456” or “abcdef”)
• Storing passwords in an easily accessible place (like a sticky note on your desk)
If remembering unique passwords for every account sounds impossible, there is another option: Password managers. These generate strong passwords, store them securely and autofill them for you.
With a password manager, you only need to remember one strong master password for the manager app itself. The rest are encrypted and stored safely, reducing the risk of data breaches.
Even the strongest password isn’t foolproof, which is why multi-factor authentication (MFA) is also important. MFA requires a second form of verification, like a one-time code sent to your phone or generated from an authentication app.
If you have employees accessing your business systems, it’s a good idea to have a password policy in place to explain your rules and why they’re important. This should include:
• Unique passwords for each system and account
• Regular security training on password best practices
• Business-wide use of MFA for critical systems
• Scanning for compromised passwords regularly
By making password security a priority, you can reduce the chances of a cyber attack creating a nightmare for your business.
And if you need help making your business more secure, get in touch.

Beware these common ‘malvertising’ attacks

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Ever clicked an online ad and wondered afterwards if it was a scam?… most of us have – and cyber criminals want us to keep doing it. Here’s what to look out for to stop your business’s data (and profits) falling into the wrong hands…

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