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As wearable technology and health-based mobile applications become more prevalent among patients, there is a growing demand for healthcare professionals to be able to recommend these to patients. Many people simply see this as an extension of medical advice, after all you are already recommending medications, treatments, and care options. Realistically, the decision to recommend […]

15 Jan, 2016 / by Complete Technology Resources / in General Healthcare IT category

HealthcareIT_2016Jan14_AAs wearable technology and health-based mobile applications become more prevalent among patients, there is a growing demand for healthcare professionals to be able to recommend these to patients. Many people simply see this as an extension of medical advice, after all you are already recommending medications, treatments, and care options. Realistically, the decision to recommend these is left to each healthcare professional, but here are a few things to consider if you think you’re ready to do it.

A growing number of doctors are being quizzed by patients about which healthcare apps and wearable technology they should be using. Last year, healthcare market research company MedPanel conducted a poll that found only 15 percent of doctors are speaking with patients about the benefits of these.

With the popularity and prevalence of both technologies set to increase over the coming years, doctors are going to have to decide if these will be something they recommend or even advise patients on. It can be a tough decision but here are a few of the issues you’ll need to take into consideration before making your choice.

What devices/operating systems do you feel comfortable with?

The problem for many healthcare professionals is that the sudden expansion of the mobile apps and wearable technology market left them out of the loop when it comes to these. A lot of doctors are apprehensive about making recommendations without knowing the ins and outs of how something works and this is why many of them are avoiding this subject when dealing with patients.

Realistically you will want to figure out what operating system you prefer to use. Chances are if you use an iPhone, it will be easier for you to download and test apps for iOS than Android. It should be the same with wearable technology devices. Take a few out for a test drive and learn more about them. This way, you have a general idea of what they can do should a patient ask about them. It’s also possible to have your technology provider arrange a demonstration of any of these devices and a better explanation of just how they work.

Figure out the scope of your recommendations

One thing doctors tend to notice when exploring the world of health apps and wearable technology is just how massive and varied it can be. If you’re a specialist, it will be much easier to figure out what you want to recommend to patients, but for general health practitioners and others who cover a broader range of medicine, you might find yourself lost in a neverending world of technology.

When it comes to wearable technology, it is a little easier to figure out the items patients will be interested in and what they probably won’t ask you about. However, when it comes to health apps, you need to be on your toes. Because the scope of these can vary wildly from nutrition and medicine reminders to heart health and stroke prevention, you are going to want to focus your recommendations on a few areas you feel comfortable with.

Talk to your patients

A lot of doctors don’t take the time to speak with their patients about what mobile health apps or wearable technology they use or are thinking about using. By talking to them, it will help you get a better idea of what your patients want from this technology and make it easier for you to figure what you should be focusing on.

Ask a tech expert

Just because a piece of wearable technology or a mobile app works great for you, doesn’t mean your patients will have the same experience. There are a lot of technological factors when it comes to wearable technology and mobile apps and learning more about these will be important to you and your patients. Tech experts, like those found on our staff, are able to let you know if mobile health apps or wearable technology is secure and able to adequately protect your personal information among numerous other issues. There would be nothing worse than you recommending a technology that contains viruses or other harmful problems to your patients.

If you want to be able to recommend wearable technology and mobile apps to your patients, get in touch with us first. We’ll make sure your picks have a clean bill of health.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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For a corporation as hugely successful as Google, it may seem somewhat surprising that when it comes to instant messaging and chat apps, the company has failed to make much of an impression. But with free apps virtually destroying cell phone companies’ SMS revenue to become the communication method of choice, Google has decided it […]

14 Jan, 2016 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Cloud Google Apps, Social Media category

GoogleApps_Nov18_BFor a corporation as hugely successful as Google, it may seem somewhat surprising that when it comes to instant messaging and chat apps, the company has failed to make much of an impression. But with free apps virtually destroying cell phone companies’ SMS revenue to become the communication method of choice, Google has decided it wants to take another shot at it. Not much information is currently available, but read on for what we do know.

Chats apps: most of us are glued to them throughout the day. You only have to look at the hoards of sidewalk and public transport zombies to realize that. In the West the market is dominated by Facebook’s own Messenger feature, and WhatsApp which they acquired back in February 2014 for an eye-watering $19 billion. Look to the East and Japan, Thailand and Indonesia are mostly committed to Line while in China WeChat is the messaging app of choice, and has taken over lives to the extent that users can pay for everything from a coffee at 7-Eleven to a taxi ride with the app.

With such a potentially massive, and lucrative, market to tap into it’s not surprising that Google has decided to get back in on the action and are no longer content to sit on the sidelines. A recent report in the Wall Street Journal gives us a sneak peek into just how Google might be staging their comeback.

Comeback you say? Yes - remember Wave? Remember Google Talk? Even now Google’s current offering, Hangouts, has failed to set the instant messaging world on fire. Initially developed as the video calling and instant messaging function within Google Plus - Google's answer to Facebook - Hangouts may have a core base of loyal fans but it consistently fails to feature among the most popular downloads in the Apple or Google app stores.

So what does Google have up their sleeve in an attempt to reverse their ailing chat app fortunes? The WSJ’s piece reports that the company is developing an app that enables users to not only chat with friends and co-workers, but also with ‘chatbots’. These chatbots are designed to assist with queries and searches - and given that Google’s strength lies in searching the web to find relevant results (or answers) could this be the thing that differentiates them from their rivals?

Well, not quite because since the beginning of 2015, Facebook has been testing “M” – a semi-automated digital assistant within Messenger that combines manual human labor and artificial intelligence to answer users’ questions, find information and even book appointments. Google clearly wants to compete with Facebook as Google Plus, albeit unsuccessfully, demonstrates. And seeing as the company already has powerful search capabilities at their disposal this could give them the edge – particularly if they can fully automate.

As of writing Google hasn’t revealed a name for their chatbot-powered messaging app nor has any timeline been released. All we really know is that the AI boffins at Google have been working on the project for around a year. Until more details are made public consumers will just have to sit tight and see if the service does see daylight. And if it does whether it will be a viable contender in the battle for chat app supremacy or if like Hangouts it is destined to forever snap lamely at the heels of Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat and Line.

Want to know how you can help your small or medium-sized business stay one step ahead of YOUR competition? Talk to us today about implementing IT solutions that really will give you the edge.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Protecting yourself, your employees and your business when you’re using the Internet is mandatory if you want to remain safe, productive and profitable. The current climate dictates that we all need to ramp up our online security measures thanks to the proliferation of phishing scams, hacks and fraudulent activity. The days of viruses causing your […]

13 Jan, 2016 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Browsers, Security category

Browsers_Nov25_BProtecting yourself, your employees and your business when you’re using the Internet is mandatory if you want to remain safe, productive and profitable. The current climate dictates that we all need to ramp up our online security measures thanks to the proliferation of phishing scams, hacks and fraudulent activity. The days of viruses causing your PC to run sluggishly are long gone – today there are issues that can pose a very real threat to your livelihood. Here we look at some ways to bolster security.

Keeping your data safe is crucial for any small to medium-sized business. Back in the good old days when paperwork, ring binders and print outs were the norm, you wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving classified data lying around for all and sundry to see. Imagine the furor if you left a list of employee salaries lying face up on a desk. Think of the damage an employee with a grudge could do if they were able to flip through private files whenever they pleased. Now, just because your data is stored on your computers, servers and in the cloud, that doesn’t make it impenetrable. If anything it makes it available to absolutely anyone, anywhere, who has the desire and capabilities to hack into your system.

One thing you should be doing to protect your data – and your company – is to make use of privacy-protecting browser extensions. Depending on the nature of your business, both you and your employees are likely to be online at least some, if not all, of the working day. And that makes you vulnerable to attack. But what are some of the browser extensions that are out there?

Prevent browser tracking

If you don’t like the idea of a third party (reputable or otherwise) being able to track your browsing habits, try installing a tool which offers private browsing. These programs offer protection against tracking by blocking third party cookies as well as malware. Some extensions also boast secure Wi-Fi and bandwidth optimization and can guard against tracking and data collection from social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Blocking adverts

While online ads may seem harmless, the truth is that they can contain scripts and widgets that might send your data back to a third party. A decent ad blocking program will block banner, rollover and pop-up ads, and also prevent you from inadvertently visiting a site that is known to contain malware. Many blockers contain additional features such as the ability to disable cookies and scripts used by third-parties on a site, the option to block specific items, and even ‘clean up’ Facebook, and hide YouTube comments. The major blockers work with Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox and you’ll be able to find everything from user-friendly solutions to more advanced tools that are customizable down to the tiniest degree. Do be aware, however, that not configuring your ad blocker properly can cause websites to ‘break’, making them unusable.

Consider installing a VPN

Unfortunately browser tracking, malware and adware are not the only Internet nasties that you need to be concerned about, but the good news is that there a number of other extensions that you can download to really get a grip on your online safety. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is something else to consider. VPNs encrypt your Internet traffic, effectively shutting out anyone who may be trying to see what you’re doing. Commonly used in countries such as China where the Internet is heavily censored by the powers that be, a VPN allows for private browsing as well as enabling users to access blocked sites – in China’s case that’s anything from blogs criticizing the government to Facebook and Instagram. There are a huge number of VPNs on the market so do a little research and find one that suits you best.

Finally, it goes without saying that having anti-virus and anti-malware software installed on your PC, tablet and even your smartphone is crucial if you want to ensure your online safety.

If you’d like to know more about staying safe on the Internet or would like to schedule a security assessment for your company, get in touch with us today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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A dissatisfied customer sounding off on a ‘rant’ site about how unhappy they are can have serious ramification when it comes to your company’s online reputation. It is sometimes possible for these negative reviews to end up on the first page of your search results if you’re not careful. However, businesses are not powerless when […]

12 Jan, 2016 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Social Media category

InternetSocialNetworkingAndReputationManagment_Jan12_BA dissatisfied customer sounding off on a ‘rant’ site about how unhappy they are can have serious ramification when it comes to your company’s online reputation. It is sometimes possible for these negative reviews to end up on the first page of your search results if you’re not careful. However, businesses are not powerless when it comes to fighting back against these websites and the poor reviews they may hold. Here are a few tips to assist you in handling these situations.

You’ve probably seen websites like Ripoff Report and Complaints Board give upset clients a sounding board to voice their frustrations. These unverified reviews are almost always negative and can damage a company’s online reputation. This is especially true if these reviews show up on the first page of an organization’s search results where it will appear to anyone who uses a search engine to look for information on a company.

Businesses are not powerless when it comes to dealing with these ‘rant’ sites and the negative content they contain. While you won’t be able to have this content completely removed from the internet, if you are smart with your online reputation management (ORM), you can push it further down the search results rankings where most people will never come across it. We compiled some useful advice to help you fight back against ‘rant’ sites that may be hurting your company’s online reputation.

Don’t engage site or users directly

When many business owners read one of these negative reviews, their first instinct is to start sending out strongly-worded emails that demand to have the content removed. A few will also try to engage with the person who posted the content in an attempt to resolve the issue. We would recommend against both when it comes to a ‘rant’ site where both users and content posted are not verified.

That’s because there have been reports of users posting fake reviews in an attempt to solicit money from businesses who they criticize. A few of these websites also claim to offer paid programs to mediate negative posts but business owners should be extremely wary of any website offering to remove or edit a review in exchange for cash.

Get on social media

If one of these negative reviews makes its way onto the first page of search results for your business, you will want to start up social media accounts to help bury it. Not only do social media accounts hold greater weight in search result rankings, they also provide your past, present and future clients with better information. Even if you already have a Facebook and Twitter, don’t be afraid to expand beyond that with an Instagram or LinkedIn account. It’s also a good idea to get on Foursquare, Google+ and any other sites where reviews are verified by real users and not nameless people who don’t have to be accountable for what they say. Just remember to update these regularly to ensure they stay at or near the top of the search result rankings.

Encourage positive reviews

While people are quick to post negative reviews, sometimes you need to cajole customers to post positive reviews on verified websites. Depending on what your business does, sites like TripAdvisor, Foursquare, Angie’s List or even Facebook can be great places to have satisfied customers leave reviews. Of course getting them to do that can be difficult.

That’s why you should consider offering a discount to customers who post a review of your business on any of these sites. It truly is a win-win situation as you get to build a positive online reputation, have more reputable sites gain traction when it comes to search result rankings and build brand loyalty with customers who will be more likely to return because of the discount offered on their next visit.

Don’t let a negative review on one of the ‘rant’ sites get you down. There are plenty of ways to get a positive message to people through online and social media channels. Let our team of experts show you how it's possible.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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