05Jul 2012 by Adam

Next generation access improves our wealth and our health

Communication, Internet
While a number of underground stations in London have begun offering a free Wifi service to tube travellers, much of the rest of the country is only just achieving as much above ground. It might be expected that Britain’s capital, soon to be host to the Olympic games, would offer the best in internet speed but it would be totally unjust if rural Britain were left very far behind in future. Indeed, though we are suffering the outcome of an economic programme of austerity it is important that money is not withdrawn from projects designed to improve next generation access and community broadband. Because, as people face job losses, pay cuts, and ‘streamlined’ conditions of employment, many of the most enterprising will take it upon themselves to set up micro…
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14Mar 2011 by Daniela

Audio visual conferencing -€“ suitable for many different environments

Business, Communication, Meetings
Video conferencing can be used in all sorts of different environments and workplaces, including business meetings, educational training, surveillance, health and other collaborative settings.  As this technology has developed to include telepresence video conferencing, it has enabled people to convincingly recreate the environment of a real face to face meeting.  The reasons for using audio visual conferencing are many, and some of them are outlined here. The most obvious benefit of using video conferencing is that it gives the opportunity to meet with anybody from around the world, however far away, without incurring any travel expenses.  Meetings and conferences can happen at any time and place with the help of this technology, and individuals in distant places can easily keep in touch with others.  It not only provides useful opportunities…
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21Feb 2011 by Daniela

Invoice processing: where to begin

Archiving, Communication, Organisation
The paperless company is an ideal that has never properly been achieved. It doesn’t matter how many of your employees use email and computer documents for everything they can, cutting down paperwork within your company to a minimum: the fact remains that paper is a way of life, and if your customers haven’t caught on, then you still need to take this into account. What this means in practice is that businesses have to manage with two systems: the up-to-date IT-led filing protocols, in which everything is kept in its rightful place online for anyone to find when they need it, and the old, 20th century filing cabinets and paper-based setup, where letters, notes, invoices and other documents take their chances in an environment that views them as something of…
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29Nov 2010 by Adam

Powerpoint design – a crucial skill in the modern business world

Business, Communication
Powerpoint presentations can make or break a sales pitch, and for this reason, many companies devote a decent amount of time to the way their Powerpoint presentations are made.  The Microsoft presentation program has become so important to sales presentations that an entire industry has grown up around powerpoint design.  Although Powerpoint is not used exclusively by business people, it was rebranded as Microsoft Office PowerPoint to highlight its role within the office suite.  The program has come a long way since its beginnings in the 1980s, as this article details. The first version of what we now know as Powerpoint was created by Dennis Austin and Thomas Rudkin of the company Forethought, Inc. The initial product was called ‘Presenter’, but was renamed to ‘PowerPoint’ in 1987 because of trademark…
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