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Two-Factor Authentication: What You Need to Know

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WHAT IS AUTHENTICATION? In cybersecurity, authentication is the process of proving that someone is who they say they are. This is to give that person permission to carry out specific actions. If you’re an average consumer, authentication is you proving to your online bank app that it’s actually you, so you can manage your finances online. In the past, this was accomplished with a simple username and password combination. As hackers have gotten more sophisticated and computing power has improved, it has gotten easier for criminals to guess a simple password. For instance, the...

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10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Zoom Experience

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ENTER QUIETLY If you’d like to get on a Zoom call in progress without being disruptive, Zoom allows you to make your entrance silently. It’s a feature that can be useful when you need to enter a meeting that you’re late to. You can quietly make your way in without anyone noticing. To enter a Zoom call silently, click on the Settings gear icon in the Zoom app, click on the Audio tab, and check the box for ‘Mute my microphone when joining a meeting’. You can unmute the microphone using the button at the bottom of the screen when you need to speak during the...

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The Customer Communication Connection

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CARING ENOUGH TO KNOW If you didn’t know your child’s favourite sport or remember your mother’s birthday, what would that say about your commitment to the relationship? Really, not as much as you might think. You might be preoccupied or mistaken. But you know that, to your child or your mother, it might seem like you aren’t paying attention. As business people, we have very good intentions to bolster the evidence that shows our customers that we are paying attention. If we care enough to remember details about their business, their purchase history, past requests,...

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10 Ways the Internet of Things Will Transform Your Life

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1. THE INTERNET WILL BECOME EVEN MORE INTERCONNECTED Currently, most devices, apps, and websites work independently of each other. However, as the IoT grows, the digital world will become more of an extensive ecosystem. This Internet ecosystem will be built on smart devices that are connected to central hubs to make sharing data across platforms faster and more straightforward. 2. SMART APPLIANCES WILL DO MUNDANE CHORES FOR YOU In the future, your smart appliances will be capable of doing many of the mundane chores that are currently your responsibility. For example, smart refrigerators...

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Native App or Hybrid App: What Should You Build?

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NATIVE VS. HYBRID APPS Native apps are those apps that are developed specifically for a chosen platform. An app developed for Android phones will not work on an iOS system, and vice versa. Native apps provide users with a platform-tailored UX experience and high performance. They can also include advanced functionalities by making use of the proprietary features of the platform. To build native apps, software developers need to be knowledgeable in the programming language specific to that operating system. For Android systems, it’s Kotlin or Java. For iOS, it’s Objective-C...

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5 Social Media Tips to Prevent Pandemic Info Overload

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1. STICK TO VERIFIED AND RELIABLE SOURCES It’s easy to get overwhelmed with information, from facts to opinions to everything in between, when your eyes are glued to social media all day. This information overload can get worse if your friends on Facebook and Twitter are posting and then sharing each other’s posts. Streamline the information you consume by sticking to verified and reliable sources. Start with sites like CDC.gov, the WHO website, official national websites (think Canada.ca) and their Facebook or Twitter pages, and the social media output of scientists...

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How an API Can Be Leveraged to Boost Sales

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WHAT AN API CAN DO: TECHNICAL DETAILS Before knowing how an API can make you money, you should first understand what an API does. API is a common term used for any component that can be used as a “middleman” between a client application and data (e.g., a third-party developer program and your internal procedures). APIs aren’t only for web applications. They are a part of operating systems that give external software access to low-level computer functionality. APIs can be implemented in many computer systems that allow third-party developers access to internal functionality...

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10 Ways Artificial Intelligence Will Change Business

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1. NEW CAPABILITIES WILL GET ADDED TO EXISTING JOB ROLES Despite all the hype about AI eliminating millions of jobs, most human jobs will be fine. For example, before 2020, AI has created 2.3 million new jobs while only eliminating 1.8 million jobs. According to experts, AI removes repetitive tasks to allow employees to focus on more productive tasks. Therefore, new roles are being created for human workers to perform that increase productivity. 2. COMPANIES WILL HIRE MORE AI PROFESSIONALS In addition to most human jobs being safe, many businesses will have to hire more AI professionals....

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5 Things to Consider Before You Partner With an IT Provider

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1. IT SECURITY PROTOCOLS One of the top duties of a managed service provider is to focus on cybersecurity in the workplace. Cyber threats pose significant risks for all businesses and can ruin the reputation of your company. Discussing standard IT security protocols with a managed service provider is essential to ensure that the IT support company is the right fit for your organization while also giving you optimal protection against cyber threats. 2. SERVICE-LEVEL AGREEMENT The service-level agreement (SLA) is a contract that details the services an IT provider will supply for your...

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How to Maximize your User Experience (UX)

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When it comes to website and software accessibility, including how easy it is for all types of users to interact with, paying attention to user experience is profoundly significant. This is also true of all kinds of technology. Quality UX training is crucial to minimizing hiccups in human-computer interactions (HCI) and to influencing how users perceive the end product. By studying the user experience, you can learn about visual design, interaction design, and information architecture, as well as the roles that they play in usability.  Accessibility measures are another significant...

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