Technology

Why You Should Listen to Podcasts

Summary: Podcasts have grown in popularity over the past few years. There are a number of benefits that make the case for why you should make listening a part of your daily routine.

 

When you start working you may find yourself having less free time than you did before. Less free time, coupled with the massive amounts of information the development of the internet has given us access to, can leave you feeling overwhelmed. If you find yourself feeling busy but still wanting to stay productive throughout the day, then listening to podcasts can be an excellent way to do just that.

 

Keeping Up with the World

 

Watching the news or sitting down to read a newspaper are traditional ways of learning about current events. Knowing what’s going on in the world, such as catching up on political developments, hearing about noteworthy news from around the globe, and finding out how your favorite team is doing this season, can all easily be done by listening to a podcast. Most podcast series are updated on a regular basis, which gives listeners an easy way to hear about events the day they happen.

 

A Chance to Grow

 

It has been said that learning is a never-ending process. There are podcasts on a number of different topics that can help you grow both professionally and personally. If you want to hear what experts in your industry have to say or if you want to get better at a new hobby you just picked up, there is a good chance that there is a podcast out there that has just the information you need.

 

Make Use of Every Minute

 

An additional benefit to listening to podcasts is the flexibility the medium provides listeners with. Podcasts can be listened to on nearly any device that has internet access. If you want to multitask and listen at home, during your morning commute, while you do laundry, or while you shop for groceries, you can do so with ease.

 

Blog submitted by Constant Technologies, Inc.: If you would like to learn more about network operation center desks or video wall systems for your organization, visit ConstantTech.com today.

How to Convince Leadership to Create an Effective SOC

Security threats are evolving. They’re advancing in capabilities, which has led to a demand in Security Operations Centers (SOCs) to counter these issues. Now, relying on your basic firewall or antivirus software isn’t going to protect your company from being broken into. There are numerous ways to bypass these softwares and is often compared to as a plastic lock. Cyber security requires layering solutions and other measures to enable and maintain security – which leads to SOCs.

 

Do You Need a SOC?

One of the most difficult things that business owners tend to brush off is the conversation about the need for a SOC. Without justification, owners simply don’t realize the threat or value of the center itself. What needs to occur is tangible evidence that being proactive can actually assist in the company’s overall productivity.

 

Waiting to react after a breach has occurred could lead to an extremely costly recovery. Not only this, but valuable information and data could be stolen – which could lead to legal troubles and other problems that could cost you a significant amount money and time. You’ve seen it on the news, how money has been lost from data breaches.

 

Establishing a SOC

 

With so many questions to ask, you should focus on ones that are designed to make the owner think about the impact that an incident can have on the company. You’ll also want to ensure whether or not their cyber security capabilities are more than just your standard antivirus software and firewall. Most businesses have found that they need to develop a more effective incident response plan, which requires a group within the business to take care of it – enter the Security Operations Center.

 

Blog submitted by Constant Technologies, Inc.: With years of SOC and NOC design experience, ConstantTech.com can provide your company with a custom solution that’ll fit your needs and wants. Contact them today for more information.

How Video Wall Presence in the Oil and Gas Industry is Affecting Applications

Summary: Video walls are becoming more involved within the oil and gas industry.

 

The oil and gas extraction industry is known for its vast amount of geological data. Because of this, numerous geologists and oil and gas engineers require a solution to pinpoint where exactly they need to start their drilling operations. The amount of geological data, otherwise known as Big Data, is amassed for a specific project, or “play” as it’s most commonly referred to in the business, and requires extraordinary command center workstations and other tools to visualize all aspects of the data itself.

 

Enhanced Data Analysis

 

Now, because of this, the industry has begun investing heavily in improving overall data analysis and interpretation capabilities. This a massive upgrade to traditional methods which didn’t fully utilize the capabilities of technology, and in turn functioned at a decreased efficiency rate.

 

Video walls have now become a standard tool in the gas and oil industry to help with the visualization and interpretation of their huge data sets, which is a vital step before committing to investing millions of dollars to drill exploratory wells and the such.

 

The goal of these command centers are to assist the engineers in directing their equipment towards the right direction. Without this accessibility, they suffer a drop in production and efficiency.

 

Final Thoughts

 

The increase in command center technology in the oil and gas industry is enhancing the overall level of production for both engineers and technicians alike. It’s an important step for companies looking to increase their overall effectiveness. If your company is searching for an integrator that’s capable of providing a significant change in your command center, companies like ConstantTech.com and other major designers are your best choice.

The Benefits of Integrating LCD Video Wall Displays

Summary: Video walls play a larger role in a command center than you might think.

LCD video wall displays are now in demand for command centers for their versatility, flexibility, and efficiency. With technology advancing at a rapid pace, it’s important that command centers keep up with the increased speed of real-time information. With LCD displays, not only will the team be able to allocate their time and effort towards handling the day-to-day activities of the command center, but they’ll also be able to utilize the video wall system as an active monitoring system for any emergency situations.

The Cost Factor

Realistically, LCD displays won’t cost you as much as you might think. And, for a video wall, you’ll want the best that you can get in terms of cost-efficiency and quality. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to go out and purchase the latest and greatest in display systems. Rather, a low-cost display wall can actually provide you with enough to get your command center up and running.

Working Without a Video Wall

Without a video wall, running a command center might be a risky endeavor. Sure, you have multiple workstations with each staff member handling their daily duties, but they won’t be able to stream the information that they need on the video wall – which plays a major role in minimizing risks and security breaches, depending on the company. There are various integrators such as Constant Technologies, Inc. that can create custom command centers the right way. It just depends on how much you are willing to invest in one.

 

The Impact of Large-Format Video Displays on Command Center Design

Summary: The large-format video display format has made its way into today’s modern command center design.

Today’s command center incorporates a substantial amount of technological pieces like video display walls, control center consoles, and other situational management systems to increase the amount of productivity a team can provide to an organization.

Bigger is Better
When it comes to video displays, just like in households, they’re dramatically larger, better quality, and cost much less than they used to in the past. Because of this, command centers are now making these large-format displays a staple in today’s facility design.

Critical Design Aspects

There are numerous critical design aspects that should be considered prior to starting on the design itself. For instance, designing large-format displays requires a true understanding of the command center environment along with how the organization will utilize these displays. For instance, if you choose to go with an outside designer like Constant Technologies, Inc. to handle your design, you’ll want to provide them with all the necessary information about what your organization is, what it does to maintain productivity, and how this command center design can be of significance when it comes to situational awareness.

It’s crucial to understand how the displays will support the concept of operations, who will view it, and what specialists will control it. Remember, these displays are a tool and they need to be utilized appropriately to ensure maximum efficiency. Additionally, determining where the display is located isn’t as simple as finding an empty area on the wall. Understanding sight lines, refraction, light levels, acoustic attributes, and other factors all add up to how the display will run. For instance, placing a display in a random area could result in glare and reflection from neighboring windows which isn’t just a nuisance but also hurts the overall productivity coming from your team.

How to Keep Your Small Business Secure From Cyber Criminals

Summary: Cyber attacks are one of the most dangerous threats for any small business. Keep your SMB safe with these tips.

While small- to mid-sized businesses might not have the luxury of hiring the most expensive form of information technology security, they still face the same threat that many large-scaled businesses do. To make matters worse, small businesses are often targeted by cyber criminals because of this lack of security, making breaching networks a much easier task.

There needs to be a conscious effort by the business manager and IT manager to ensure that active security controls are in place. Additionally, these security controls must include both a back-up and disaster recovery plan for when an attack does occur.

Automated Back-Up Systems Should Always Be in Place

Anything can happen to a business – floods, earthquakes, thieves, and even the inside threat. Automate the back-up process and always prepare for anything that could potentially erase the physical data that you have for your clients. Plan for disruptions that could potentially last for weeks if not months and always test it to make sure it’s viable – an outdated security plan could put you in a bigger hole if you’re not careful.

Keep Your Employees In the Loop

It’s crucial to train you employees about the nature of today’s cyber-attacks. While many think that these criminals only go after the large-scaled businesses, it’s simply not true. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are, if you’re susceptible to attack, you bet these hackers will try everything they can to steal information, erase data, or even manage to get away with some of your funds. Many cyber-criminals target small businesses to compromise the computers that they use for banking and payments to commit fraud while emptying out one’s business account.

Never take these crooks for granted. They’ve delved into some of the most advanced type of hacking techniques that can crack even the toughest security measure.

Blog submitted by Constant Technologies, Inc.: In need of an experienced control center manufacturer? Consult the professionals at Constanttech.com for all your IT needs. Whether it’s an LCD display wall or a custom control center, Constant Technologies, Inc. can do it all.

Recognizing Various Models of Ground Power Units

Written by: Start Pac

Summary: GPUs, or ground power units, can come in a variety of shapes and voltage readouts. This article will discuss these units in-depth.

An airplane starting unit, otherwise known as a ground power unit, is an important piece of equipment that is used by maintenance teams and even aircraft owners. They supply a consistent stream of power to an aircraft to power the onboard electronics and such in place of the APU. Then, the owner of the airplane can conduct ay tests or repairs that they need while giving the APU a break.

Models

A portable power pack can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Many popular airports have ground power units built into the runway for easy access. Most of these units are connected to a centralized source of electricity that functions at high capacity. Then you have your portable units that can either be placed on a cart or moved around on a dolly if need be. They range in sizes and shapes but can still handle an immense amount of pressure due to the sturdy mechanism.

Most portable models are somewhat small in size, but don’t underestimate the amount of power that it can produce. Depending on the model of the aircraft, you could see anything from 24 volts up. There are also various models of GPUs including hybrid units that use both gas and electricity to operate. Another example would be a lithium ground power unit, which is one of the more high-tech and experimental power sources that is extremely popular with aircraft enthusiasts these days.

Google Translate tips and review

The most common barrier in communication is language. How can you make the best of your trip to a place with people with whom you don’t share a language? Translation software is prevalent and google.com/translate is one of the most common.

If you are looking for something accessible and inexpensive, you’ve got it in Google Translate. It is free and is tied to google.com, so highly accessible. Google translate houses translations between over 100 languages. You can translate anything from words and phrases to whole documents. Using voice recognition adds a layer of ease to translation as well.

Tips for using Google Translate:

Do use the voice recognition (speech-to-text) options. Even having someone who speaks another language speaking directly in to your device can make sure there are no miscommunication woes.

Do make Google speak for you. Use the small speaker button and the word or phrase will be said for you. This not only helps you and your native speaker, but hearing the pronunciation will help you perfect your foreign language learning.

Do log on to your Google account and save frequently used phrases.

Do make the translation community better. If you are unhappy with a translation, you can suggest a different word. This helps the entire community.

Don’t be afraid to double check your words against another source. Google is far from infallible and mistakes can be embarrassing and costly.

Don’t just use Google Translate for single words or phrases. You can use it for translating of entire documents and websites as well.

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Article written by Dev Randhawa. Dev is a US-borne blogger who travels full time. Learn how you can travel full time by following Dev online.

 

Medical Device Coatings Are Advancing At a Rapid Pace

Improved patient outcomes are being tied to advanced medical device coatings.

When it comes to medical device coatings, today’s technological advancements have allowed for improvements in therapeutic treatment. The coating materials formulas that are available for use makes it possible to deliver a wide array of therapeutic drugs and agents to elicit a range of tissue and bodily responses. It has helped thousands of patients and specialists when it comes to effective and positive treatment distribution. It continues to be developed today and look for it to have an even more profound effect on today’s medical industry.

An Example of Coating Usage

A device that is prone to the development of an infection will benefit from a coating that delivers antimicrobial drugs to inhibit the growth of foreign cells. Another example is a coating that provides a surface onto which certain cells may attach and grow. The outcome of the therapeutic coating impacts the overall time over which the coating acts. Also the PVD coating equipment used will also have a profound effect on the coating type.

For instance, a sputter coater that has enhanced capabilities in regards to providing the coating with additional medical films, may allow for specialists to treat conditions that may not be treated with standard coatings. This gives healthcare professionals options and flexibility in regards to patient treatment. Time will only tell whether or not there will be an expansion into which more serious and concerning illnesses and life-threatening diseases can be addressed through the use of medical device coatings.

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Denton Vacuum, LLC manufacturers the finest vacuum coating systems available today. For more information, visit them online today.

How to Help Grandma Avoid Scams Online

Article written by Technology Innovations, news and articles about technology innovators

As online shopping becomes more and more prevalent, the chance for identity theft and other cyber scams only increases. While seasoned online shoppers can spot suspect sellers and and phony “deals”, plenty of sites exist that are designed to fool grandma and other less than tech savvy individuals into giving up sensitive information. To help grandma from getting burned while shopping online, suggest that she follow these precautions:

Use Gift Cards

This is the safest way to purchase from any online shop. Gift cards do not require buyers to divulge any financial information. The only information needed will be a name and home address.

Use A Dedicated Online Only Purchase Option

Paypal is probably the best known of these, but Amazon and Google also offer similar services. The advantage of these payment options is that when the buyer goes to shop online, the store cannot see any credit card information. They also offer reimbursement should something go wrong.

Use Common Sense When Going The Craigslist Route

While Craigslist purchases can be made using cash, they almost always require a face to face meeting between buyer and seller. To ensure a safe transaction, always meet up in a public, well lighted place, and bring along as many friends as possible.

Check The Bottom Of The Web Page

Many online stores will list groups that certify them at the bottom of their home page. Certification from sites like the Better Business Bureau and GeoTrust are a good sign.

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Costbuys is a new online shop for monthly orders of bulk household items so you can live a healthier lifestyle for less.

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