Author: Oak & Bluebird

Cloud Computing Costs & Pricing Comparison

Posted on by Oak & Bluebird
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By 2021, 94% of the internet workload will be on the cloud, according to our friends at Cisco. Take a moment to let that sink in. Most companies use a hybrid strategy, with the 'big three' commodity clouds going head to head to make their cloud offering the most cost-effective. 

Cost Benefits of Cloud Computing

The overall cost benefits of the cloud come down in large part to hardware responsibilities. If your on-premises hardware fails, that's a hefty cost on your business bottom line. On the cloud, even if a VM, a server, or an entire data centre goes down - that's the responsibility of the cloud provider, and you can continue with business as usual.

Running costs can also be a lot cheaper on the cloud than on-premises, because of PAYG pricing and elastic scaling capabilities, for example. To understand how each of the primary public cloud providers handles their customer pricing - let's turn to a cloud pricing comparison - and break down their unique pricing benefits with some of the cost innovations that each provider is particularly proud of.

Amazon AWS Cloud Pricing & Costs

AWS splits its cloud pricing benefits into three categories. The first is Pay as you Go. They compare this to the way that you pay for your utilities. You pay only for the services that you use and when you use them. This diagram shows how they compare the cost of on-premises to using AWS, complete with the added expenses of underutilisation.

AWS's following tool is Reserved Capacity. This is a shared cloud concept and means that if you know you're going to need a certain amount of computing or storage, for example, you can reserve this ahead of time and slash your costs. This could save you as much as 75% over the on-demand pricing, a great way to reduce costs on AWS.

Lastly, AWS offers Volume-based Discounts based on economies of scale. For something like storage, when looking at Amazon S3 pricing, for example, the more you use, the less you'll pay for each GB. Up to 50TB of storage is 0.023 GB/month, while 500TB+ will reduce the cost to 0.021 GB/month. These can add up. The AWS pricing calculator can be used to estimate AWS cloud pricing ahead of time.

Google GCP Cloud Pricing & Costs 

Google Cloud pricing is also built around a pay-as-you-go model and promises no activation or termination fees. On top of this, your Google Cloud cost can be considered alongside the following added cost benefits:

    • Preemptible VM Instances: If your workloads don't need continuous availability, such as background processes for data management, for example, set them up to be interrupted where necessary, and save up to 79%.
    • Per-second billing: With Google Cloud VM pricing, you pay for exactly what you use, by the second - and no further.  
    • Sustained-use Discounts: Thinking about Google Cloud compute pricing? If your workloads are running a significant amount on Compute Engine and Cloud SQL each month, you'll be automatically eligible for a discount of up to 30%, as seen below.

Committed-use Discounts: While sustained-use discounts help you reduce costs on long-term or larger projects, committed-use discounts are great for users with just a few projects. These can be agreed upon ahead of time, and you'll get a discount of up to 57%, without any lock-in.

Microsoft's Azure Cloud Pricing & Costs

Microsoft Azure's cloud pricing also comes with the ability to reserve instances ahead of time, but with a one or three-year commitment to lock in the price savings. You can exchange or cancel your instances at any time to make it work for a growing or evolving business model. There are some bonuses when it comes to Azure cloud cost control.

First, you will pay less for development and testing resources, including zero software charges for Azure VMs, and reduced dev-test pricing on additional Azure cloud services.

Azure also has a similar process to preemptible VM instances on GCP. Spot VMs are 90% most cost-effective than traditional Pay-as-you-Go VMs on Azure and are used for interruptible workloads.

You can also use Reserved Instances in a similar way to Reserved Capacity or Committed Use Discounts. By agreeing ahead of time, cost savings can be more than 70% over Pay-as-you-Go. On top of this, Azure has a Hybrid Benefit offering, which means you can use your existing licenses from Windows Server or SQL Server with software assurance. As you can see below, this results in even deeper savings where applicable. Here's the Azure pricing calculator that can help you make sense of it all.

How Much Does It Cost To Build Cloud Computing Service?

Dedicated resources are a reliable source for handling the business. The cost of infrastructure and the requirement of hiring system engineers increases the cost. This fears the new organisations from setting up the infrastructure. The lack of scalability and the urgent necessity of the resources are met by Cloud computing. Cost investment funds are one of the principal reasons why organisations are moving to the Cloud.

Even though Cloud Computing services can offer your organisation numerous budgetary favourable circumstances, it is essential to plainly comprehend the cost ramifications of the Cloud and how it could affect your organisation.

Probably the most basic cost investment funds include:

    • No enormous forthright capital investment
    • Diminished programming costs with upgrades included in the month to month charges
    • Decreased spending for IT support
    • Business Continuity is inculcated in the Cloud condition
    • Reserve funds increase through higher human capital productivity and more noteworthy effectiveness
    • Tax cuts

 

The cloud can eradicate recurring large capital expenditures

With cloud computing services, you never again need to spend many upfront capitals on the software and hardware essential to run your system. In most cloud environments, these expenses and the cost to keep up your system are recognised for a level, month-to-month charge. Moreover, when the server and system spine (switches, firewalls, stockpiling) should be improved, the cloud supplier must do these redesigns - with no additional expense to the client. In this way disposing of enormous monetary responsibilities of performing future company-wide updates.

Cloud Servers and Network Hardware are of Higher Quality

A significant distinction in the foundation of the onsite-based system versus a cloud-based system is that the servers and hardware of the network are the absolute best and most excellent when obtained for cloud situations. An excellent premise-based server may cost $10,000 - $15,000 through a Cloud-based server may cost $70,000 - $100,000 or more. The same is found for the switches, the firewalls, and the remainder of the hardware utilised in a cloud situation. Sap development services suppliers can't bear the cost of hardware failure, so great gear is utilised, and every last bit of it is exceptionally redundant inside the data centre.

No expenditures on costly hardware

When all is said and done, big data solutions don't require the outright acquisition of server equipment, storage of network, reinforcement frameworks, recovery systems for disasters, power or cooling frameworks, utility costs, or data centres. When a business moves to a cloud environment, they dispense with the requirement for servers and the physical space expected to house those servers.

No requirement for the Upfront Expense of Capital for Infrastructure Software

Cloud Integration services eradicate the requirement for the upfront capital prerequisite of obtaining programs like Windows Server, SQL Server, Application and Database Servers, Client Access Licenses, Middleware, SharePoint, Citrix Server, and customer licenses, etc. These expenses are paid in the month-to-month charges for the cloud condition and backing.

Less Expensive Software Upgrades

Many developers include free programming upgrades for applications that are facilitated in the cloud and are paid as a membership inside the month-to-month cloud environment charges. This implies no costly programming updates and none of the interference that product upgrades make in organisations.

The Cloud renders unsurprising IT costs

The unpredictable nature of the current "Break-Fix" arrangement for PC systems has baffled entrepreneurs for a long time. One of the largely favourable circumstances of cloud computing for entrepreneurs and their staff is the consistency that it brings. Cost of continuous updates, replacement of outdated servers, and other variable expenses are dispensed with Cloud processing. Most organisations that have moved to the Sap development services enormously welcome the predictability and consistency of paying a fixed month-to-month cost for their IT needs.

This consistency occurs on two or three levels. To start with, organisations pay for the services they use, rather than paying for software, hardware, power, and the help for keeping these things secure, steady, and working appropriately.

Second, in the old, on-premise model, when you buy programming, you are left with that adaptation for a long time, alongside the product's multi-year upgrade cycles. While you can work around this with additional outsider items, it's not so proficient as cloud programming.

Cut-down expenses made on IT Operations

This is ordinarily perhaps the best wellspring of reserve funds when a business moves a few or the entirety of its frameworks to the Cloud. Staffing costs in the IT division or for redistributed IT Support for sending, working, and keeping up applications and hidden foundations can be way too expensive, and a considerable lot of these expenses are incredibly decreased in a cloud domain.

When a business is working in the cloud, the big data cloud solutions' merchant takes on almost the entirety of the expenses related to introducing, running, and keeping up the applications, the primary programming framework, and the associated equipment. For most organisations, this speaks to reserve funds of a full-time IT proficiency. Also, this doesn't constantly mean disposing of employees in the IT office - it can likewise be viewed as evacuating unnecessary, low-worth work from IT, which permits the IT group to concentrate on increasingly vital, esteemed services.

Tax advantages of Cloud Computing

As opposed to representing hardware and software as a capital cost and afterwards devaluing those costs over the long run, with the Cloud's membership-based model, those costs are viewed as operational and can be deducted each year, instead of more than quite a while.

Is Cloud Storage Expensive?

When it comes to the cloud, there are still many differences between countries. The European cloud market is much more fragmented than the American one for several reasons, including the slightly different regulations in each country. Cloud adoption is slower in Europe, and many organisations still like to maintain data and infrastructure on their premises. The Australian approach is quite pragmatic, and many enterprises take somewhat advantage of the experiences made by similar organisations on the other side of the pond. One similarity is cloud storage or, better, cloud storage costs and reactions.

Data is growing everywhere at an incredible pace, is nothing new, and often faster than predicted in the past years. At first glance, an all-in cloud strategy looks very compelling, low $/GB, less CAPEX and more OPEX, increased agility, and more, until, of course, your cloud bill starts growing out of control.

There are at least two reasons why a cloud storage bill can get out of control

 

    • The application is not written correctly. Someone wrote or migrated an application that is not explicitly designed to work in the cloud and is not resource savvy. This often happens with legacy applications that are migrated as-is. Sometimes it's hard to solve because re-engineering an old application is simply not possible. In other cases, the application behaviour could be corrected with a better understanding of the API and the mechanisms that regulate the cloud (and how they are charged).
    • There is nothing wrong with the workload, it's just that data is being created, read, and moved around more than in the past.

 

Optimisation

Start by optimising the cloud storage infrastructure. Many providers are adding additional storage tiers and automation to help with this. In some cases, it adds some complexity (someone must manage new policies and ensure they work properly). Not a big deal, but probably not a huge saving either.

Also, try to optimise the application. But that is not always easy, especially if you don't have control over the code and the application wasn't already written with the intent to run in a cloud environment. Still, this could pay off in the mid to long term, but are you ready to invest in this direction?

Bring Data Back

A standard solution, adopted by a significant number of organisations now, is data repatriation. Bring back data on-premises (or a colocation service provider) and access it locally or from the cloud. Why not?

At the end of the day, the bigger the infrastructure, the lower the $/GB and, above all, no other fees to worry about. When thinking about petabytes, there are several ways to optimise and take advantage of which can lower the $/GB considerably: fat nodes with plenty of disks, multiple media tiers for performance and cold data, data footprint optimisations, and so on, all translating into low and predictable costs.

At the same time, if this is not enough, or you want to keep a balance between CAPEX and OPEX, go hybrid. Most storage systems in the market allow to tier data to S3-compatible storage systems now, and I'm not talking only about object stores - NAS and block storage systems can do the same. I covered this topic extensively in this report but checked with your storage vendor of choice, and I'm sure they'll have solutions to help out with this.

Multi-cloud

Another option that doesn't negate what is written above is to implement a multi-cloud storage strategy. Instead of focusing on a single-cloud storage provider,  abstract the access layer and pick up what is best depending on the application, the workloads, the cost, and so on, all determined by the moment's needs. Multi-cloud data controllers are gaining momentum with prominent vendors starting to make the first acquisitions (RedHat with NooBaa, for example), and the number of solutions is growing at a steady pace. 

In practice, these products offer a standard front-end interface, usually S3 compatible, and can distribute data on several back-end repositories following user-defined policies. This leaves the end-user with a lot of freedom of choice and flexibility regarding where to put (or migrate) data while allowing them to access it transparently regardless of where it's stored. Last week, for example, I met with Leonovus, which has a compelling solution that associates what I just described to a strong set of security features.

There are several alternatives to significant service providers when it comes to cloud storage, some of them focus on better pricing and lower or no egress fees, while others work on high performance too. As I wrote last week in another blog, going all-in with a single service provider could be an easy choice initially but a considerable risk in the long term.

Closing The Circle

Data storage is expensive, and cloud storage is no exception. Those who think they will save money by just moving all of their data to the cloud as-is are making a big mistake. For example, cold data is a perfect fit for the cloud, thanks to its low $/GB, but as soon as you begin accessing it over and over again, the costs can rise to an unsustainable level.

To avoid dealing with this problem later, it's best to think about the right strategy now. Planning and executing the right hybrid or multi-cloud strategy can surely help keep costs under control while giving that agility and flexibility needed to preserve IT infrastructure, therefore business and competitivity.

Can I throw away an old printer?

Posted on by Oak & Bluebird
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    Should you throw away an old printer?

    When your copy machine or printer finally bites the dust or is replaced with a new model, you may be wondering what to do with your old machine. Many people don't know that these machines contain materials that can pollute the earth, and incorrect disposal of them is incredibly hazardous to the environment. Read on to learn how to dispose of a copier or printer properly.

    At an increase of about 8 per cent per year, electronic waste, or e-waste, is the fastest-growing segment of the Australian waste stream. Contributing to the problem is the fact that less than 10 per cent of electronics such as printers, fax machines, etc. are recycled - the remaining 90 per cent end up in incinerators or landfills where their harmful toxins are released into the atmosphere and can then cause harm to your health. Instead of allowing these chemicals (including mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium, and selenium) to enter our air or water supply, consider the following alternatives.

    National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme

    E-waste recycling services are provided across metropolitan, regional and remote Australia as part of the Australian Government's National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme. This industry-funded scheme makes it easier for people to have their televisions, computers, printers, computer parts and accessories recycled for free.

    Where can I recycle my TVs and computers?

    The NTCRS provides around 98 per cent of Australia's population with reasonable access to collection services for televisions and computer parts. Location and opening times for recycling and collection services are determined by the organisations who manage them, with flexibility provided to suit local circumstances. Services may include a permanent collection site at a local waste transfer station or retail outlet, or one-off recycling events. These may be operated through local council or resource management centres. Services are free for households and small businesses, while charges may apply for larger businesses. Not all drop-off points in Australia are part of the scheme, and fees may be payable at some locations. Contact the providers below or your local council for details.

    Planet Ark maintains a database of television and computer drop-off points. Search for recycling near you:

    Four organisations have been approved to deliver recycling services under the scheme. For more information, including details of the collection services and drop-off points they provide, visit their websites:

     

    Printers are common computer accessories, and like most accessories will begin to experience performance loss and other problems over time. Whether you replace a printer because a newer model has additional features or because the old printer no longer works, you shouldn't simply throw the device into the trash once it's no longer needed. Proper disposal of computer accessories is environmentally friendly, and you may be able to help out a good cause by doing so as well.

    When your printer comes to the end of its life, where does it go? Are there recycling options? Do you toss it in the garbage? Most people don't think of what happens to their trusty printer once they're ready for a new one, but as with any other type of waste, your business needs to know how to dispose of a printer properly.

    Getting rid of old printers is like getting rid of other electronics - you can't just throw them out. Printer ink cartridges contain toxic substances, and many states have legislation against the disposal of electronic waste (e-waste). Businesses that illegally dump electronics can face huge fines. 

    So how do you get rid of those old printers that are sitting around collecting dust and cluttering your office? You can recycle them, donate them or sell them. Here's how.

    Hazards of E-Waste

    If printers aren't disposed of properly, printer components containing potentially toxic materials are placed in landfills or incinerated, allowing these materials to leach into the soil or enter the air like ash. In addition to chemicals in the ink and toner used by printers, circuit boards and other components can contain hazardous metals such as lead and mercury. 

    Printer Preparation

    Before disposing of a printer, make sure that any SD cards, removable memory or other add-ons have been removed from the printer. Remove the print cartridges from the printer, disconnect USB or other connecting cables and remove the power cord. The print cartridges should be disposed of separately through a recycling program. At the same time, the USB cable, power cord or other cables can be reused by other electronics or disposed of separately. If the printer is still in working condition, include the power cable with the printer when dropping it off so that it can be refurbished if that is an option.

    Check recycling drop-off point providers to confirm what's accepted in each location. Drop-off points may also accept other e-waste such as mobile phones, batteries and electronics.

    Where can I recycle mobile phones?

    The following government-accredited organisation delivers mobile phone and accessory recycling. Visit their website to find out about their collection services and drop-off points.

     

    Where can I recycle other products?

    You can search the Planet Ark database to find out where to recycle other products such as printer cartridges, batteries, light globes, paint, whitegoods and plastic.

     

    Further information

     

     

    Proper Disposal

    Once the printer is prepared for disposal, it should be taken to a centre that specializes in the recycling and disposal of electronic waste. These centres process the printers they take in, disassembling them and cleaning the parts to remove any link or corrosion that may have accumulated during the printer's lifetime. Recyclable plastic, metals and other materials will be separated so they can be properly recycled while any materials that cannot be recycled will be disposed of safely. Depending on the options offered by the recycling centre, you may be paid for the materials in the printer you bring in.

    Manufacturer Buyback Programs

    Some printer manufacturers offer buyback and recycling programs, eliminating the need for you to locate and visit a local recycling facility. Manufacturer buyback programs typically require you to visit the manufacturer's website to receive a quote and print a shipping label; in most cases, these buyback programs will accept printers from other manufacturers as well. Though you are responsible for packaging and shipping out the printer, the cost of shipping is typically paid for by the program. Once the manufacturer receives your printer, you will be paid based on the condition and model of the printer if the printer still has commercial value. In some cases, you may be able to drop off the printer at a retail partner of the manufacturer to eliminate the need for shipping.

    Recycling Print Cartridges

    Print cartridges are typically recycled separately from printers themselves to keep them and any ink they contain out of landfills. Many retailers that sell print cartridges offer drop boxes where used cartridges can be placed for recycling, and several printer manufacturers offer mail-in recycling services as well. Recycling print cartridges ensures that any ink remaining in them is drained safely and that the cartridges themselves are broken down and cleaned before any components are recycled or disposed of.

    Donating Printers

    If a printer is still in working condition, consider donating the printer instead of disposing of it. Some organizations accept donated computer equipment and, after performing testing and refurbishing if necessary, then distribute it either to programs or to lower-income families with school-aged children or others who would benefit from having access to basic computer equipment at home. Other organizations operate thrift stores or other sales outlets and sell working used equipment as a way to raise funds for community services.

    What to Do Before Disposing of an Old Printer

    When your printers or fax machines have been rendered obsolete for any reason, you may not be experienced in the proper guidelines for disposal. Handling potential electronic waste is a crucial process, and companies may require internal standards to be met alongside state and federal guidelines for e-waste removal. 

    Printers have removable components like print cartridges that may be required to be removed or recycled depending on the method of disposal. 

    Preparing a printer for disposal streamlines the process for all parties involved. Components like ink cartridges must be removed and recycled if possible beforehand. Cartridges left behind may complicate the e-waste recycling processor could be a hassle to replace for a donation recipient. 

    Almost all modern printers contain highly customizable software, allowing the user to set preferences for many printing/copying functions. Restore your old printers to factory default settings, especially before donation. Always remember to include critical accessories like print trays and power cables with the device. 

    Recycling Options

    If you are asking yourself, "How do I dispose of a printer?" The three main options that you have been selling, recycling, or donating the printer. In this section, we will discuss the various recycling options that you have. If you are looking for a quick way to dispose of your printer, recycling tends to be the best method of disposal. People often answer the question of how to dispose of a printer with recycling. However, those people are not fully aware of how or where your printer can be recycled. 

    Recycle Your Old Printer with a Retail Store

    Some of the most convenient options for printer disposal are as close as your nearest electronics store. Many big-name retailers feature electronic recycling programs that take the hassle out of the process for consumers and businesses alike. 

    Retail recycling programs will harvest out-of-use devices for valuable components for future use. 

    Local Recycling Centers for Quick Printer Disposal

    If your local recycling centre accepts electronic waste, your printer will most likely be an acceptable item for disposal. Many local recycling centres have dedicated electronic waste receptacles and may even offer a cash sum in exchange for materials. 

    If you're not sure whether your local recycling centre takes e-waste, you can verify via their website or call them on the phone. If a recycling centre doesn't accept your device(s), they will likely be able to direct you to one that does.

    Dedicated e-waste recycling vendors will be able to assess your needs based on the type and amount of electronics that you need to dispose of. 

    Recycling Print Cartridges

    Print cartridges are typically recycled separately from printers themselves to keep them and any ink they contain out of landfills. Many retailers that sell print cartridges offer drop boxes where used cartridges can be placed for recycling, and several printer manufacturers offer mail-in recycling services as well. Recycling print cartridges ensures that any ink remaining in them is drained safely and that the cartridges themselves are broken down and cleaned before any components are recycled or disposed of.

    How to Dispose of a Printer

     

    Selling Your Printer

    How to dispose of a printer is a worry of the past. There are so many options when it comes to selling your printer. Just think about it, selling a printer that is still in good working condition can help you offset the cost of a new printer. In this section, we will discuss your options when it comes to selling a used printer.

    Manufacturer Buyback Programs

    Many manufacturers such as Epson, Canon, HP, Sony, and Samsung offer e-waste recycling and take-back programs. These types of programs will eliminate the need to locate and visit a recycling facility. 

    To participate in a manufacturing buyback program, you will need to visit the manufacturer's website to get a quote on your printer. Keep in mind that most manufactures will recycle other printers as well. 

    You will be responsible for packing up the printer and shipping it back, but the program typically supplies you with a free shipping label. Once the printer reaches the manufacturer's facility, they will inspect the printer and offer a payout based on the condition and decide if the printer still has commercial value. 

    There are some cases where you may be able to drop the printer off at a retail partner of the manufacturer, which will eliminate the need to ship the printer.

     

    Alternative Methods of Selling a Printer

    Working with a manufacturer buyback program is not the only way to sell your old printer. Here are some alternative methods when wanting to turn your printer into cash.

    If your printer is not working, you still have some options. You may be able to sell it to someone who refurbishes electronics. There are loads of people who sell parts. It is all about doing the research and seeing if your printer has any value. If it is an older model, then it may not be worth it. You may want to opt for recycling.

    While selling your printer may take a little bit of your time, it is a great way to offset the cost of a new printer. Printers are expensive, and most will have you investing hundreds of dollars. This can be a big deal for small businesses.

    When pricing out your printer, make sure that you look at similar models and what they are currently selling for on the platform that you are using. This will help you get the proper value for your printer and give you the best chances of selling it to a potential buyer.  

    Donate Used Printer

    Is any of your out-of-use printing equipment still functional? Perhaps the company you belong to is revamping its office supplies, and you're left with perfectly capable older units as a result. Printers can be donated to schools, recreation centres, community organizations, thrift shops, as well as charities and nonprofits.

    Electronic donations can also provide extra benefits. Donating to an organization in need is a noble deed, and the good press that goes with it can be a strong positive for a company's public relations. 

    Recycling a printer is a great option, but if you can repurpose a printer that is in working condition, you can help out another organization that is in need. If you cannot find any local organizations to give to, there are specialized electronic outreach programs. 

    Don't have the misconception that your printer is worthless because it is not functioning properly. Some many charities and organizations will take non-working electronics to have them refurbished. While you're at it, take a look at other old equipment that you have laying around. Most of these organizations will also accept computers, monitors, and other old electronic devices.

    Always Avoid the Trash Heap

    I won't go into detail here, but remember that, other than the buyback programs noted above, you have plenty of options for selling your used printer if it's still in decent condition. This is especially true of well-built, higher-end business-oriented printers and AIOs, as well as professional photo printers. Beyond the buyback programs mentioned here, the web is loaded with sites for selling your used tech, with the most common and recognizable being Amazon, Craigslist, and eBay.

    But if your printer has hit the end of its life, or you're looking to do something altruistic, donating or recycling are easy options. Legislation has been enacted in 25 states establishing electronic-waste recycling programs, and many printer manufacturers and sellers have gone to great lengths to be responsible about disposing of their customers' second-hand wares. The good news is that it's relatively easy to find a way to keep these machines and the material from which they're constructed from doing more damage to the environment than necessary. Whether donating, recycling or selling it for cash, there is no shortage of ways to keep your printer out of the dumpster. Please do the right thing when the inevitable end of its service life comes.

    Outdated and out-of-use electronic devices that aren't handled properly can range from an inconvenience to a sizable liability. Now that you understand how to dispose of a printer, you can put a plan of action in place. Whether you are an individual or a member of an organization, you should maintain a simple plan for handling old printers - not only to stay ahead of the curve but to mitigate any potential legal/financial issues from improper e-waste handling. 

    Some options for printer disposal may not be convenient for your specific needs - perhaps your nearest recycling centre is just too far away, or your old devices don't fit the donation requirements for your local nonprofit. 

    Whichever method you choose, our professionals at Ok can help to point you in the right direction to get your old printers and fax machines out of your hair and give them a renewed purpose. 

    Reduce waste and save costs with our business printer leasing

    Reduce your ongoing expenses with our flexible and scalable managed print solution. Get in touch with us today!

    Boost your productivity with these six great printer hacks

    Posted on by Oak & Bluebird

    Boost your productivity with these six great printer hacks

    Many people think printers have one sole purpose - to print! You use them to print off your latest reports, client records, or any other documents you need copies of. But today's printers are capable of so much more. Here are six printer hacks that can help you simplify your life and be more efficient in the office.

    1. Print from anywhere

    Did you know that, with the right device, you can print from your mobile phone, or any device, no matter where you are? Let's say you go home for the day but you forget to print off a copy of a report you were meant to give to one of your colleagues. No problem. You can find the document in your Dropbox, Google Drive, or other cloud storage and have your office printer print a copy right then and there.

    You could also queue up your printing while out of the office and once you get to the office, you can release all your queued documents. Even if this only saves you 10 minutes a day, over the year that's a lot of time used more productively!

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    2. Keep your company secrets safe

    Accidents can happen, but once the damage is done there is no going back. If you have ever printed off a sensitive document by mistake and the 'wrong' person has got their hands on it then you know what we mean.

    Like computers, printers are hooked up to networks which may leave them being at risk of data breaches. Thankfully most modern printers have top-notch security software that can be easily maintained through regular updates. If you require extra security, you can use the PIN or the 'swipe to release' feature on your printer to track who is printing and what is being printed. Additionally, your print job is only released once you have swiped or logged in to the printer, utilising your existing building secure access card, a dedicated printer swipe card, or a unique PIN.

    Having more control of your document output means that documents will no longer be left piling up in the leftover tray, or worse, forgetting to collect them and stressing that someone else has read them. We've seen a drop in paper usage by 17% on average when this feature is turned on in an office, as well as enhancing printer security!

    3. Help save the world by reducing waste

    Regardless of how big your company is, everybody can do their bit to reduce waste and help preserve the earth's precious resources. In a modern office, printing can have a large environmental impact, especially if there is a high level of printer wastage. The good news is, however, that now more than ever printers have been designed to be much more eco friendly and come with higher energy star ratings.

    For example, modern printers have sophisticated features like sleep mode to help save electricity when they're not being used and print activity tracking so you can track your usage and overall print spend. Ink and paper supplies are expensive, so not only will you help the environment, but you will save on your consumable costs.

    4. Go remote

    Like most technology these days, your printer is also connected to the cloud. You can store all your documents in one place and then sync your printer up to your cloud software so you can access and print these documents off from anywhere. Cloud technologies have enabled even the non-tech-savvy amongst us to be able to manage this setup easily without the help of an onsite IT manager.

    Having a cloud printer setup also allows for what is called 'follow me printing', which allows you to print effortlessly from wherever you are and on any printer connected. You could be on a different floor in your building or even in a different state, but as long as the 'FollowMe' function is enabled, you can print securely from anywhere.

    5. Print in advance

    Let's say you have a daily meeting at 9 am every day and it is your job to print off the daily meeting notes to hand out to all attendees. By using the advanced printing feature on your printer, you could set it up so that every day at 8.30 am the meeting notes are printed off - just as you arrive each day for work. With this small, but surprisingly useful hack, you can save yourself lots of time and ensure you start your day ahead.

    6. Automate your office

    Scanning software that includes Optical Character Recognition (OCR) can take any printed document and turn it into a searchable document. It does this by allowing your printer to automatically scan and examine the text on the document for easy data processing. Once the digital document has been created, you can utilise workflow automations to determine what should be done with the document and start progressing this workflow. For example, if the document is recognized as an invoice then the system could automatically send it to your accounting department or accounting software program for it to be assigned and paid. The document can then be archived in the cloud for safe record keeping.

    The bottom line

    Modern printers can save the average business hundreds of hours a year, so it is definitely worth taking advantage of all of the features that they offer. If you implement these six printer hacks today you will be on your way to a much more happy and productive office.

    Get in touch with Our print experts today to unlock all the printer features you need.

    Boost staff communication collaboration and productivity with the cloud

    Posted on by Oak & Bluebird

    Boost staff communication collaboration and productivity with the cloud

    Cloud computing and cloud technology in general has experienced explosive growth over the past 10 years, with internet-accessible applications becoming indispensable to more and more businesses. This has been boosted by the exponential growth in the number of web-enabled devices, which help us run our businesses effectively whether we're in the office, or on the go.

    Despite the  many benefits of cloud technology, a number of businesses have been slow to adopt cloud-based technologies and continue to rely on, onsite hosting, legacy systems and outdated technologies. This could be because they're unaware of the benefits, worried about the cost and effort, or simply don't have the knowledge or skills to make the switch.

    This means they are potentially losing out on the superior communication and  collaboration opportunities, and enhanced security that cloud computing offers. With Forbes predicting that 83% of enterprise workloads will be in the cloud in 2020, forward-thinking businesses should be taking advantage of the benefits this technology offers.

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    Modernise Your Communication

    The internet has transformed the way we communicate and how we transfer information to make our businesses run more smoothly and effectively. People can instantly share messages, images, videos, talk over the internet (VoIP), video conference, integrate different applications, and easily link people to further information. A modern workplace includes productivity-boosting tools such as online shared drives, team group messaging, online timesheets, face-to-face video meetings, low-cost international calling and access to excellent business apps. 

    Cloud computing leverages the power of this connectivity, providing the platform for us to access the work resources we need, wherever we are, and whenever we choose.

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    This is supported by the big growth in mobile usage. Deloitte says that for many Australians, mobile devices are a necessity. 94% of us take our mobile device when we go out, more than the proportion who take our wallet (92%) and house keys (88%). Nearly nine out of every ten Australians own a smartphone and we spend hours every day on our devices - working, connecting with family and friends, and playing.

    And Intuit reports that this uptake in mobile has led Australia to create a mobile-first business strategy. Their research shows 62% of small businesses are on the cloud and 63% use mobile to run their businesses.

    Apart from other benefits, this mobile connectivity via the cloud gives us the ability to have more flexible working locations and hours. According to Seek Insights, this empowers businesses and helps them attract and retain top talent, particularly younger 'digital native' employees.

    Cloud computing also integrates with popular business applications and software to provide unified solutions for calls, sales, project management and video conferencing. By connecting all the key points of business communication - both within your office and with clients - everything is one place, available where and when you need it.

    Cloud computing also brings cost benefits to your business compared with legacy systems, including not having to replace redundant server hardware every few years. It offers flexible storage options and upgradability that help future proof your workflow. Queries and issues can also be addressed in real-time by support experts who have immediate access to your systems via your cloud platform.

    Collaborate for Accuracy and Success

    We're all familiar with the struggle of trying and failing to send large files over email or having files that are too large to move between devices. You also end up with multiple versions of documents, including potential errors as people work on local files, then try and merge changes from multiple sources.

    Cloud computing lets users share data and files in a single, centralised location, facilitating real-time collaboration and reviewing of documents. This lets them work on a single 'true' version, preventing discrepancies and email exchanges for every edit. It also saves hours of frustration and delays for group projects and boosts productivity in your office.

    Storing files on the cloud introduces business efficiencies and frees up time to allow you and your team to hit maximum productivity.

    A business with cloud-based solutions also has greater scalability; you can easily and cost-effectively size your systems up or down as the needs of your business change. Plus, your team is a lot more productive and happier due to the stress-free, seamless workflow.

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    Secure Your Data and Give Yourself Peace of Mind

    Cloud computing also offers 'next level' security for your business data. Data breaches can cause significant damage to your reputation and lose the trust of clients and stakeholders. Cloud-based firewalls and anti-virus filters protect your information and remove hacking vulnerabilities that can exist in hardware connections.

    Computing via the cloud also gives managers easy control over who can access sensitive information, which streamlines work allocation and confidentiality. Expert security personnel employed by your cloud provider take over the responsibility and management of security on your behalf. This makes sure your data and documents are protected against the latest threats from viruses and malware and helps you meet data security regulatory compliance standards. Plus, your service provider's insurance should cover you in the unlikely event something does go wrong.

    Cloud-based platforms also simplify disaster recovery efforts. Provided your data hasn't been compromised, you can simply download your data and applications to new hardware if your office equipment is damaged or stolen.

    Make the Change to Cloud Computing

    According to CIO, Enterprises already run 77% of their workloads in the cloud (45% in a private cloud), while 80% of small-medium businesses do the same (32% in a private cloud). With figures like these, it's easy to see why - rather than cloud computing just offering a competitive advantage - it is the new benchmark for business operations. Join the vast majority of businesses and make the move to cloud computing to speed up and future-proof your operations.

    It can be simple to set up and running costs are often cheaper than legacy systems too.

    Where is the best place to put a GPS asset tracker?

    Posted on by Oak & Bluebird
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      Looking for the best way to secure your assets with GPS tracker?

      GPS tracking devices are now commonly used by consumers for auto-theft security, or to track high-risk drivers such as newly licensed teenagers, senior citizens and companies looking to track their fleet assets. The same location-based technology is also critical in assisting businesses with GPS fleets management applications such as routing, mileage documentation, and job costing. The truth is GPS tracking systems are now frequently called upon for a variety of reasons, leaving some drivers concerned a GPS tracker might be attached to the vehicle they operate.

      That same wonderment also results in the following question being asked: Is it illegal to track someone without their knowledge? First of all, it is highly recommended that anyone who believes they are being tracked illegally to contact the proper law enforcement authorities. Secondly, if a person believes a GPS tracker is on their vehicle, they should start by scanning the automobile and searching for the most popular places GPS tracking devices are placed on cars.

      Whether it's to make sure of your teen driver's safety, to ensure that your spouse is not cheating, or to know where your vehicle is in case it is stolen, you must place your tracking device in an inconspicuous area. Once the person finds out that they're being tracked, your device will be broken, and a family conflict may arise because they will think you don't trust them. To avoid this scenario, you have to know where to hide the GPS tracker on a car.

      How GPS Tracking Works

      GPS, or the global positioning system, is a tool that transmits live location information to your computer or mobile phone. The pieces of information you receive in your cellphone are from the 24 satellites that revolve around the earth. The triangulation method is used in validating the location of the transmitter before the information is sent to you.

      When using the vehicle tracking device, it should be positioned in a way that the antenna can detect satellite signal. The tracking device is the same navigation tool you use in finding location while hiking or driving.

      Things to Consider Before Installing a GPS Tracker

      The most important thing to bear in mind when installing your GPS tracker is signal strength. If it cannot receive an adequate GPS satellite or cellular signal, the device will not work.

      Most GPS signals travel through plastic, fibreglass, foam, wood, and glass, but not all solid materials, so it's usually a good practice to allow your GPS tracker to have a line of sight to the sky. Places like the roof, dashboard, or windscreen are obvious choices, but whether you want your tracker to be visible or not is the real decider. Let's look at the options.

      Where to Hide a GPS Tracker in a Car?

      If you are looking for covert positions, there a few possibilities available:

      The Front Bumper

      While it's certainly true that the front bumper is a less-than-ideal location for a hidden GPS tracking device (as it often houses a great deal of wiring for things like your car's lighting system, the temperature sensor and more), it isn't impossible to install such an item in this location and, as a result, should be one of the first places you check.

      Unfortunately, this also brings with it a bit of bad news - because this area tends to be on the "complicated" side, you probably can't check for a GPS tracking device here yourself. Even if you have the skill necessary to pull such a critical component of your car apart and put it back together again, you likely don't have the equipment needed to do so. Because of that, you're probably going to want to call your trusted mechanic to make sure the job gets done properly.

      Once you do pull apart your front bumper, look for a little black device (or a series of wires) that don't belong. If someone installs a GPS tracking device here, it's probably connected to the power supply on your car - which means that it can transmit for a very long time from nearly any location.

       

      Your Wheel Wells

      Although this is the location that DEA Agent/Brother-in-Law Hank used to track criminal mastermind Walter White on the hit AMC show "Breaking Bad," this is another one of those locations for a hidden GPS tracking device that isn't that popular for a variety of different reasons. For starters, it's very easy to spot something that has been covertly installed in a wheel well - your brakes should be the only thing back there, and anything else will very clearly not belong. Secondly, because this area is located on the outside of your car, there's a lot that could go wrong, and the device itself could easily become damaged or lost.

      Having said that, if you do suspect that you're being tracked without your permission or knowledge, you'll still want to check all four-wheel wells of your vehicle. Get down on your knees, get out your trusty flashlight and be on the lookout for anything resembling a tiny box, a cylinder or something that looks out of place. Again, your brakes should be the ONLY item behind the wheels. Anything else that you find will likely be worth a closer look.

      Your Rear Bumper

      This is a very similar situation to your front bumper and is not the world's best place to install a hidden GPS tracking device for a variety of reasons. Again, your rear bumper houses a lot of important wires for your vehicle's electrical systems - mostly those that handle your lights and the other external sensors that your car's computer uses to help you out while you're driving.

      To complicate matters a bit further, if your car has a rear backup camera (and if it was purchased within the last few years, it probably does), there will be additional cables devoted to that unit in this location as well. Once again, you're likely going to want to call your local mechanic to help you out if you suspect a hidden GPS device may be in your rear bumper.

      If you do decide to proceed on your own, get out your car's instruction manual and take a look at the wiring diagrams. Compare the manual to what you're seeing and look for something that was added after the fact. But do not, under any circumstances, remove any wires unless you're sure you know what they do. Making the wrong move at this stage of the game could result in a car that you won't be able to use for quite a while.

      Your Dashboard

      This is one of those places that presents something of a mixed bag for people who are trying to track your every move. On the one hand, hiding a GPS tracking device under someone's dashboard is tricky because you need physical access to the inside of the car in order to do it. Once you've got that taken care of, however, it's the perfect location for such a hidden device because:

        1. It's already filled with so many different wires and components that it can be hard to keep track of it all

       

        1. People rarely take a closer look at this part of their car in the first place

       

      In order to be sure that nobody has installed a hidden GPS tracking device in this area, remember the fact that all of the wires you see should be tied together in groups. If you see a wire or cable that is completely separate from everything else, doesn't match the existing colour scheme of all the other wires or looks like it doesn't belong, you may be onto something worth a closer look.

      Your Glove Compartment and More

      If you're the type of person who often forgets that you even have a glove compartment in the first place, you may be looking at one of the most common places that a GPS tracking device might be hidden on your car. Again, this is a tricky one because it requires physical access to the vehicle's interior, but provided that someone can achieve that, they can hide a GPS device easily without you noticing. Take a look inside your glove compartment or any other storage area within your vehicle. Look for small devices that almost look like television remote controls and be very wary of any component that you can't remember placing yourself.

      Other Common Locations

      Suppose yours is the type of car that has a sunroof, a moonroof or is a convertible of some type. In that case, unfortunately, it also offers a wide range of additional places to hide a GPS tracking device potentially. Remove any and all covers that are designed to protect these areas and take a look around for strange wires. While you're at it, be sure to check under your car's carpets, beneath the floor mats, under and in between your seats, and in similar areas.

      On the exterior car, be sure to examine your vehicle's undercarriage closely. Use a flashlight to peer into ALL inaccessible areas of your car's frame. As you do so, remember that a GPS tracking device probably won't be able to transmit data (at least not in any reliable way) if thick metals cover it. The antenna needs a clear, unobstructed way to send and receive computer signals. Thankfully, this means that you can write off certain areas right away. Any GPS device hidden on the undercarriage of your car will probably need to be near the edges, so look there first.

      How Can A Fleet Management Company Benefit From Using GPS Tracking?

      In the long run, the survival of a fleet management company is decided by its level of productivity. You can end up losing large money in any case your employees are not working during their allotted working hours.

      When you install GPS devices for tracking on the fleet of your vehicles, you can find out who is really contributing his working hours to work and who are simply wasting time regularly. This update on the motions of work helps you decide the perks, wages and other advantages that you offer to the employees.

      Save Money With Vehicle GPS Tracking

      When you track employees on a regular basis, it becomes easier to find out the most productive one. You can notify the employees that all the vehicles are on GPS tracker, which will indirectly pressurize them to elevate their overall performance and contribution to work. It is an established fact that employees work with 100% focus when they are being observed or judged by their superiors. It directly increases your level of production and with just small investment in tracking device; your profit is automatically increased.

      Improvement In Work Culture

      Drivers tend to have a lot of habits that can affect the level of productivity and work culture in a company. By installing the GPS tracker, you indirectly put these employees on radar due to which they are forced to keep aside their time-wasting habits and completely focus on work. Drivers drive more carefully when they are being monitored. Similarly, the employees rarely think of taking an alternate route or drive on random routes when they are aware of being tracked. This helps to save gas.

      Significant Rise In Team Spirit & Commitment

      By using a GPS tracking device to track vehicles, companies can witness a significant rise in the team spirit as everyone now is working towards only one goal, and that is to give their 100%.

      Thus just one decision to install a GPS tracker in your vehicle can ensure that you not only save on the overall expenses but can motivate your entire team to work more with dedication and commitment. So, there are multiple ways in which you can cleverly set up a GPS tracking device in your car without anyone noticing it and ensure optimum productivity and maximize the profits.

      How to Choose a GPS Device For You Fleet Asset

      Before you buy a GPS device to use for covert tracking, consider the following:

      • Choose a small GPS tracker (a standard Trackimo device measures 39 × 47 × 15 mm), with a colour that will easily blend with the car. The purpose of this is so the driver or passenger can't easily notice it.

      • Look for a GPS unit that is motion-sensitive. This feature is an energy saver because the tracker is only active if the vehicle is moving.

      • Look for a GPS tracker with the longest battery life. The average battery life of most tracking devices lasts 15 hours before it needs recharging. Some devices are able to last for up to 96 hours, depending on how you use it.

      • A tracking device with a magnetic cover is a great choice because it fastens firmly to the vehicle's metal part. You won't worry about it falling off.

      The Importance of Battery Life of a GPS Device

      You must purchase a GPS device with long battery life because the transmission of location information can only continue while the device is turned on. But sometimes, it's the way you use the device that affects the longevity of the tracking device.

      These are some of the factors that can drain a GPS device's battery:

      • Size. The bigger the device is, the longer the battery life.

      • Constant location updates. If you keep requesting the location every 5 or 10 minutes, that will burn your device's power faster than normal. Set up your device so that it has a 20- or 30-minute interval of data transmission to avoid losing power.

      • Motion sensor turned off. Make sure that this feature is activated to avoid using battery power when not necessary.

      Need help finding the right GPS device for your business vehicles? Talk to our experts!

      Things to remember

      When putting the device on the undercarriage of the car, place it near the edge so the antenna can still get satellite signal. In this case, the antenna is normally pointing downward. When concealing the GPS tracker inside or under the front dashboard, see to it that it can still transmit its location correctly because the signal from the satellite radio may hinder your device's transmission.

      And when you hide GPS tracker on a car, make sure you don't place it near where the driver usually puts their GPS-equipped device like their cellular phone. The GPS signals of two devices could crash and corrupt the data, or worse, and the driver may discover your tracker.

      Do not hide your tracking device in hot places like the front grill of the car bumper because it might melt, dissolve, or break down. Also placing the tracker under the hood is not an ideal place because the temperature inside can also damage the device's fragile electrical components. Aside from this, this spot gets a weak GPS signal.

      In between seats is yet another unadvisable place to hide your tracking device because it's the first place people check to look for their missing items. There is also a possibility that the hidden car tracker will be found when the car is at the car wash for cleaning.

      Making Your Choice

      When selecting the placement of your GPS tracker, you have to consider both visibility and signal strength. If covertness is not your primary goal, then you have a lot more options. Whatever you decide, make sure your tracker is secure, safe, and able to detect a GPS signal.

      Are you interested in supercharging the security of your vehicle? In addition to tracking its location, you can also track what happens in and around your vehicle with a handy, easy-to-use car camera. Some of these devices also offer GPS tracking, giving you an all-in-one tool for vehicle security. If you have questions about the products and services offered by Brick House Security, or how to install a GPS tracker in a car, we can help you! We invite you to contact our team of experts so we can help you make the best decision for your security.

      Asset Tracking Trends and Internet of Things (IoT) Infographic

      Posted on by Oak & Bluebird

      Asset Tracking Trends and Internet of Things (IoT) Infographic

      Asset tracking uses the Internet of Things (IoT) technology to help you unlock more value from your assets with increased visibility and connectivity. You can reduce the risk of theft, maximise the use of your assets and meet all your compliance obligations by understanding where your assets are and how they're being used, without any manual processes.

      We've compiled some of the key statistics, industry trends and use cases of this great technology and included these in the infographic below.

      If you want to learn a little more about asset tracking, click the button below to get in touch.

      Are you overworking your IT manager?

      Posted on by Oak & Bluebird

      Are you overworking your IT manager?

      Information Technology (IT) is an essential piece that makes up any business. Fulfilling a wide spectrum of IT-related responsibilities, the IT Manager contributes to a more flexible, productive and profitable business by strategically improving systems and the infrastructure. However, a demanding job description that's often overburdened by daily deadlines, high-level tasks may be inevitably delayed. Your IT Manager may need an extra hand on projects like upgrading, maintaining the security of your IT system and IT strategy to propel the growth of your business.

      Your IT Manager is a Pillar of Your Organisation

      Technology is improving exponentially and new products hit the market at a rate that outstrips the time it takes for businesses to catch on. It is up to the IT Manager to know what the business and staff need while filtering out ones that don't fit the criteria. As the link between your IT infrastructure and staff, you'll expect your IT Manager to identify opportunities for improvements that align with the IT strategy and business priorities.

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      Your IT Manager is the business' source for the latest IT trends as well as common security threats. Responding quickly and efficiently to security attacks is critical, however it's also just as important to implement preventative measures to mitigate the risks. There are many types of attacks: ransomware, phishing, malware and DDoS. And depending on the scope, these prevention projects and tasks may take time - time that your IT Manager may not have given the number of day-to-day responsibilities to meet. However, it shouldn't be overlooked that your data is your most valuable asset. And in an age of digital transformation, cybercrime is becoming the fastest-growing form of criminal activity that's set to cost SMEs $5.2 trillion worldwide.

       

      With so many responsibilities to fulfil and important company assets to look after, why not partner with us to take some weight off your IT manager's back?

      How We Can Help

      Partnering with us means we'll support your IT manager with the right tools to grow your business while protecting your company assets and resources. We'll relieve your IT manager and the team of some duties, so they can prioritise core duties and more high-level responsibilities to enable business growth.

      As experts in IT, we'll help you enhance productivity and efficiency while consolidating your IT strategy so it aligns with your business strategy and priorities. This is achieved by our initial evaluation of your IT needs as well as assessment of what we can help you improve.

      Our tailored recommendations will ensure scalability so that your business is future-proofed for long-term growth. Part of the package comes with industry standard data security you can rely on. Your data and network will be taken care of and on-going support will be provided by our IT experts. Most importantly, we'll ensure that your staff is free to focus only on more meaningful work, so they can help grow your business rather than getting bogged down with menial day-to-day IT tasks.

      We focus on:

      Are legal compliance fears holding you back from going paperless?

      Posted on by Oak & Bluebird

      Are legal compliance fears holding you back from going paperless?

      More than three-quarters of Australian offices still rely on paper for record-keeping and processing. And, despite an apparent trend towards digitisation, some workplaces are reporting paper use has actually increased in the past five years.

       

      These eye-opening statistics come from the Australian Workplace Digital Outlook report, commissioned. Our Chief Operating Officer, said the idea of a paperless office is looking like a pipe dream for many businesses, despite 10 years of digital transformation around the world.

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      "Workers are telling us that only a handful of offices (11 per cent) have ceased using paper in the past five years," he said." "Workers in one in five businesses say paper use is unchanged, and 8 per cent are saying paper has increased, which suggests some businesses attempts to digitise are failing."

      Who Are The Worst Culprits For Paper?

      According to the research, the most paper-reliant departments are Human Resources (35 per cent), Finance (33 per cent) and Sales and Marketing (22 per cent). Interestingly, nearly half of those surveyed report that they're keeping paper records for legal reasons (48 per cent), or they're keeping them because they believe physical signatures must be retained (43 per cent).

      However, despite these concerns, Australia has recognised the use of electronic documents and signatures since 1999, under the Electronic Transactions Act. As stated by FindLaw Australia, "according to Australian and international law, electronic signatures are a valid way of executing agreements."

      How Much Are Paper Workflows Costing Australian Businesses?

      So, what impact are paper workflows continuing to have on the bottom line for Australian businesses? Let's look at a practical example.

      A single 4-drawer filing cabinet can cost almost $2,000 a year to maintain. Assuming your HR, Finance and Sales and Marketing teams all have several filing cabinets, you can see how these costs quickly add up. It's clear that traditional paper storage solutions cost significant amounts of money, but they also often require additional staff and unique workloads to support them.

      There's also an opportunity cost: Removing rows of filing cabinets can free up space for more mission-critical components of your business, like desks or computers.

      There are also risks and potential security-related costs when it comes to paper-based offices. Respondents in the Australian Workplace Digital Outlook report are correct in identifying that important documents are critical for legal and compliance. However well-meaning though, their belief in the safety of paper-based systems is misguided.

      Paper is, in fact, a very real security and compliance risk. If your paper documents catch fire or get damaged in a flood, you could lose years of valuable business information for good. Paper also introduces security risks outside of disasters. Think about how easy it is for someone to simply pick up a piece of paper and read the information. There's no password or user identification. Anyone can pick a paper document up from your desk or printer tray and read it.

      Other Business Costs Associated With Paper Workflows:

      Time

      Consider how much time is spent on paper workflows. The average worker spends four weeks a year on misfiled and mismanaged physical documents. And, most workers take a trip to a copy machine, fax machine, or printer 61 times per week. This doesn't even take into account all of the time spent signing, filing, and maintaining all of those physical copies.

      And, did you know that 8 in 10 UK businesses print papers for the sole purpose of getting them signed? That number is just as true right here in Australia - especially when we're talking about finance, legal, and HR departments, who are the top users of paper.

      Money

      Not only is your business losing money through ineffective and wasted employee time, paper offices also incur other costs. It costs around $6 to handle and distribute paper per $1 spent and impacts profit in other, more subtle, ways. Think about the cost of simply storing and filing paper and also calculate how much you're spending on paper products such as notepads and post-it notes. The average worker uses 10,000 pieces of paper annually and depending on how much paper you're using, printing costs also contribute to your paper spend. Talk to us today about how we printer leasing Sydney or printer leasing Melbourne could save you money.

      Collaboration

      Sharing documents digitally is a breeze. But, sharing documents physically can be a serious barrier to collaboration. Hours spent waiting for documents, trying to find lost documents, and transferring documents across the workplace can be instantly eradicated using digital methods. Cloud collaboration, in particular, reduces hours of effort consolidating documents and eliminates the headache of version control.

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      Space

      Paper takes up space. Filing cabinets, waste bins, and desk papers can quickly clutter an office. Each square foot is an area of cost reduction. What else could you put in that space? Could you potentially downsize your office?

      It's evident that despite fears to the contrary, paper-based workflows are no longer required for legal compliance. In reality, they are more vulnerable than paperless systems. Not only that, your paper office is affecting your profitability in other - easily avoidable - ways.

      How Can You Go Paperless and Remain Legally Compliant?

      Documents with signatures for legal purposes are likely a major source of paper in your business, so introducing eSignatures and digital eForms can help you immediately reduce this paper flow. This will allow your clients and employees to complete and sign documents digitally and provide the same level of legality for almost all documents as hand-written signatures.

       

      Adding eForms and eSignatures into your workflow is easy, especially if you're already digitising your office. Your vendor can introduce systems to deal with security, identification and user access. Security features are usually embedded in your cloud service, but you may require a network security or license upgrade on your existing software. However, this is a one-off process - once they're set up, you can look forward to a faster, smoother, more secure system.

       

      It's also important to alert clients as you roll out a new digitised workflow. You can do this by sending out a simple email communication once it's implemented, or you can choose to involve them from the start of your digitisation project. However, you do it, it's crucial to communicate the benefits of digitisation to them to reduce any potential friction. This will also prepare them for eForms, eSignatures and other changes that will impact them and their relationship with your business.

       

      What is The Best Process for Moving to a Paperless Office

      The first step is to engage with a trusted vendor, who can advise you on how best to convert to a digital workplace and which systems to use. Next is to create awareness among staff of the benefits of going paperless, while reassuring them that a transition to a digital office will eliminate many of their pain points. Expect questions around legal compliance, which you can resolve by introducing eForms and eSignatures.

      A Summary of Key Steps:

      1. Create a transition plan

      2. Engage with staff on the changes

      3. Start with the easiest processes to convert

      4. Digitise paper-based forms, creating eForms

      5. Set up eSignatures

      6. Set up access and permissions

      7. Communicate process changes with clients

      8. Automate the digital approval process

      9. Migrate your systems to the cloud

      10. Empower your staff with digital technology

      11. Measure the changes and adjust where necessary

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      7 real costs of not going paperless

      Posted on by Oak & Bluebird

      7 real costs of not going paperless

      'Going paperless' is no longer just a buzzword in business today. Companies all over the globe are ditching their old school paper workflows and storage systems and are enjoying the productivity, efficiency, and cost savings that a digital office can bring.

      However, a less-considered - but equally valuable - benefit is the environmental impact of going paperless. As climate damage becomes an increasingly prominent global issue and businesses look to adopt more sustainable practices, reducing paper consumption and waste seems to be one obvious answer. This is particularly so when you consider that paper production is one of the world's largest consumers and polluters of fresh water.

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      So, why hasn't everyone made the switch already? There are many reasons. One is that some businesses may not know or understand available technology, or they may simply be daunted by the concept of digitisation. Some may have low trust in going digital and are afraid it may be a risk to business security. Others may simply have a hard time breaking old habits or believe that paper records are a legal requirement.

      Most, however, simply don't have a full understanding of the benefits of adopting a digital office and, in particular, the real cost of not going paperless. Here's what not going paperless can cost your business.

      1. Your Data is at Greater Risk

      With the heightened awareness of cybercrime, it may seem counter-intuitive to digitise your files. However, as long as you keep your technology up to date, their safety is assured far more than if you kept your sensitive paper files in an office. Documents stored in the cloud are encrypted and protected by multiple layers of cloud security. They also have restricted access and audit trails to keep track of who is accessing the files and when. Paper documents - such as invoices and time sheets - kept in an office are at risk to fire, flood, theft, or simply being lost in a sea of paper. In fact, statistics indicate that 40% of data breaches are paper-based.

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      2. You Use More Space

      Record-keeping laws dictate that all records have to be kept by a business for a minimum number of years, but this doesn't mean they have to be on paper. While a single piece of paper takes up no space at all, these records easily multiply to reach the thousands and then become a significant user of office space. Reducing bulky and complicated filing systems can free up a surprising amount of space in the office; a standard four-drawer filing cabinet can take up to 1.2 square metres of floor space, including the area needed to open a drawer.

      This can result in you paying rent on space that could be put to much better use. Plus, of course, the clutter associated with a paper-based workflow (just have a look at the desks around you).

      3. Sourcing Paper Records Takes More Time

      There are many ways that going paperless can save you a lot of valuable time. When everything is digital you have the luxury of a quick Ctrl+F search to find exactly what you need, instead of trawling through piles of physical documents spread across various filing cabinets, only to find that what you need has been accidentally put back in the wrong place. It's estimated that the average manager spends four weeks a year hunting for paper records!

      4. Staff Are Tied to Your Office

      Digital files also give you the freedom to have a mobile workforce who aren't tied to the office because of a paper-based workflow. With modern technology, employees can access files and applications anywhere, anytime and on any device as long as they have an internet connection. There is also the benefit of no longer having to wait days or even weeks for invoices, contracts and other forms to be filled out, scanned and sent back. A digital document can be completed and returned almost immediately, leaving you with satisfied customers.

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      5. Your Cash Flow is Slower and Harder to Manager

      82% of small businesses fail due to poor cash flow management. As paper-based workflows and documents are less efficient, having to move around physically, your cash flow management is impeded by paper. For example, if staff are on the road completing work orders on paper, and have to hand deliver these to your office for invoicing, you could have potential cash laying around in your employees cars for a week before they're invoiced to your clients. Going paperless means you can eliminate these delays and receive income at greater speed.

      6. A Reputation for Not Being Environmentally Aware

      A paperless office is a much more eco-friendly office. Not only does paper production require the cutting down of forests, but the making of paper is also extremely environmentally unfriendly. By going paperless, not only can you rest easy knowing you're reducing your business' environmental impact, but 55% of global customers are also more likely to pay more for your services knowing that you care enough to go paperless.

      Why Azzuri Concrete Went Paperless

      One Australian business that has successfully made the move to paperless workflows with the help is Azzurri Concrete. This success was achieved by digitising and storing in the cloud 29 different forms used by Azzurri using eForm software. An internal notification system was also set up to inform the relevant department whenever a form was submitted.

      The result is a significantly more streamlined documentation system, leading to a more than $180,000 savings in staffing costs and a greatly improved cash flow. Other results have been a reduction in admin work by 60-80 hours a week, a 90% decrease in lost forms, a 100% decrease in inaccurate data entry, and the opportunity to provide same-day invoicing.

      If you would like to see results like these, contact us now to see how we can help you make the transition to a paperless office and take your business to the next level.  

      With an ROI like this, it's easy to see why businesses like Azzurri Concrete are making the move to digitisation to speed up and future-proof their operations. The adoption of this technology is increasing each year, so rather than it being a competitive advantage, it is fast becoming the new benchmark for business operations.

      6 tips for staying productive when working from home

      Posted on by Oak & Bluebird

      6 tips for staying productive when working from home

      Working in the comfort of your own home can afford many benefits, including increased performance, greater work-life balance, zero commuting and much more. When you're used to working in your office however, the transition to working from home can be a harder than you think.

      Days can start melding into each other and it is not uncommon for feelings of isolation to creep into your mindset. Working from home also comes with its own distractions, so it's important to create boundaries between work and personal life.

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      Below we've compiled our top tips and best practices you can follow to combat cabin fever and make working from home work for you.

      1. Get ready like you're going into the office

      Just like any other work day, sticking to the same morning routine will help you approach work with the right mindset. You'll find you're more productive when you do all the things you do to prepare for a day in the office: Wake up early, get changed out of your pyjamas, make your bed, grab a coffee, and be set up at your desk from kick off. It's temping, but try to not make a habit of cooking a big brekky, watching morning TV and staying in pyjamas all day, as this will just prolong your morning and wear away your motivation.

      2. Stick to a schedule

      It's very easy to lose sight of priorities and deadlines when working from home, so it's important to create a routine and stick to a schedule. Start your morning by writing a to-do list in order of priority. Tackle your hardest projects first and set time limits to keep track of your time management. Ensure you do the same thing at the end of the day so you can easily dive into your schedule the next morning. It is also easy to fall into the trap of overworking when working from home - when you don't need to leave to commute home, prolonging wrapping up for the day is easier. Set alarms or reminders in your phone to make sure you are designating the right amount of time to work - you don't want to burn out.

      3. Designate a specific working space

      Don't make the mistake of working from your bed or couch. Create a designated "office" space for work only and try to invest in a comfortable chair with the right back support. There is nothing worse than injuring yourself because you aren't setup correctly. So consider using an extra monitor in addition to your laptop, a hands-free headset and follow the correct office ergonomics to improve your posture. Your screen or laptop should be at eye level for prolonged work, so if you're stuck you can always prop it up with a stack of books.

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      If you don't have a desk, get creative by moving tables and furniture together to create your own mini office. Designating a dedicated working from home office space will also help create a mental distinction between your working hours and mindset, and your personal time. For those without a set office space in their home, this will help provide boundaries for maintaining a work-life balance.

      4. Stay connected

      Communication is key when working remote. With so many communication tools available, collaboration has been made easy as we can reach out to our colleagues through phone, instant messenger or video chat. Scheduling daily catch-up calls through video conferencing apps, is a great way to stay in touch with the team and track progress. Without face-to-face interaction it's also important to maintain social interaction with colleagues, even erring on the side of over-communication. Hosting happy hour every Friday, can be a great opportunity for the team to catch up and share a few laughs to wrap up the week.

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      5. Take breaks and take care of yourself

      It's easy to lose focus and suffer cabin fever when you're stuck in the same room 24/7. Try to physically move around every hour, whether it's outside or within your home. This will help clear your head and spark creativity for your next task. It can sometimes be a challenge to know when to switch off, especially when the days start melding into each other and you lose perception of time. So set a timer to allow yourself to have a break and go outside, enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, stretch and exercise, even if it's just a few minutes a day.

      6. Avoid distractions

      Working from home comes with its own distractions, so ensure you are not side-tracked by the quick hanging of the washing, cleaning the kitchen, or planning dinner. Your house chores should not get in the way of your work schedule. If your kids are home, try setting up a signal system that tells them when it's okay to be interrupted. For example, hang green or red place cards on your office door indicating if it's okay to come in, or to not disturb. Digital distractions are the most dangerous of all - it's very easy to fall into the social media trap of "just checking" Facebook or Instagram which can quickly grow into hours of wasted time. Avoid the temptation of browsing your social feeds, reading the news or online shopping by closing all these tabs from your browser. There's also a number of apps and plug-ins that you can use that block these distractions, so even if you feel the temptation, you cannot access these sites while working from home.


      Transitioning to working from home will take some time getting used to. However, if we get into the right habits and remember to maintain boundaries between our work and personal lives, and knowing when to switch off, then working from home can be just as productive as working in the office.