If you are managing an office, whether large or small, it is shockingly easy to realize how easy it is for employees to goof off on their computers. A quick alt-tab keystroke is all that is necessary for an employee to close an offending application or web page whenever a supervisor walks by, and if you work with a tech-savvy crowd, the temptation to do that is very high. When you want to reduce the level of problematic behavior and when you want to ensure high productivity, take a moment to think about what employee monitoring software can do.

What company like MobiStealth is offering on their employee monitoring software page can be installed on the employee’s computer like any other piece of software, and once installed, it runs quietly in the background. The employee’s computer activity is tracked throughout the day, and depending on the settings and the particular program, it periodically sends reports to a specified email or account. It can also be set to watch out for known problem sites, whether these sites are explicitly sexual or simply programs that are known to carry viruses and other problems.When you are thinking about installing this type of software on your employee’s machines, there are several things to consider. For example, many companies realize that this is only something that needs to happen if there is a problem. For the most part, a small amount of discreet web surfing does not hurt productivity, and in fact, it can even keep your employees sharper. The problem comes along when dangerous sites are being opened up and the internal network is getting damaged because of it. Similarly, like it or not, there are always employees who are willing to spend vast amounts of time on the internet rather than doing their work.The advantage of employee monitoring software lies in the ability to determine what is happening on your network and to identify who is abusing it. If you have noticed problems with productivity and if you have noticed that your network is affected by trojans, viruses and other types of malware, this type of software might be exactly what you need. This software is also typically easy to install, and once it is running, it is virtually undetectable. It does not take up too much memory or processing power, and instead, it runs as a silent, discreet application in the background. Most employees will never notice it is there if it is not mentioned.

On the other hand, employee monitoring software is something that can also create a massive amount of employee dissatisfaction. Regardless of why it is happening, this type of software rightfully makes your employees feel watched. This especially affects employees who were not doing anything wrong, but now feel pressured and punished for no good reason. When you are dealing with this kind of monitoring activity, be prepared for at least some employee backlash.

Another aspect to consider is that the monitoring software does not take any action when suspicious material is found; it only alerts you as to the problem. This means that you should have someone keeping an eye on the situation, someone who can read the reports and figure out where the problem is. This is an administrative task that should be entrusted to someone who is not in the group of people being monitored. While it is a small task, it needs to be one that is regularly taken care of.

Take some time to think about where your productivity is and what might be affecting your network. Before you install employee monitoring software, there are many things that you should consider.

Developers like to chin wag about which development platforms may one day become obsolete due to new standards and technologies, however this is totally a matter of opinion as each developer generally has a different point of view on each matter.

The other day I overheard a conversation where somebody was looking for a Cobol developer – for those who don’t know what Cobol is, it’s a legacy development language that was first used in the late 1950’s, where developers would punch holes into cards to input data – Imagine that!

This made me think, As long as there is old systems still around there will always be the need for software developers, however when it comes to the internet and web applications I have a totally different opinion.

Where as software builds are quite difficult to port to another platform or environment as the GUI will mostly have to be rebuilt and logic re-strategised, this isn’t the case for most general web builds. If you have an existing design and logic of an existing web application it’s not difficult to reconstruct it in another platform, as the basis of web development is extremely durable.

Web developers should be using or learning the new HTML5 and CSS3 markup by now, (if not, you should be!) as most modern browsers now support the new standards. HTML5 will improve the mark up of a document with the introduction of the new tags, this may mean more work for the developer, but will ultimately help other developers understand another’s code. In my opinion search engines such as Google will get most benefit from the new tags as they will be able to define a context of a page much easier.

One of the main fundamentals of HTML5 was to kill off flash – Flash is used to create fancy websites or banners some of which can be interactive, sounds great, but in reality a bloody nuisance.

Search Engines can’t crawl flash web pages so it was a struggle to get your website listed in any search engine index, what’s even worse is unless your browser supports flash, you wouldn’t even be able to view the website anyway, and if you tried to view a flash element on your tablet pc or mobile device it simply wouldn’t render.

So what does this mean for Flash Developers? No a lot of work obviously, but is this the end of flash? Quite possibly yes, but for the time being there are still plenty of uses for it.

HTML5 has been the final coup de grace to kill off Flash as the new markup language includes the long awaited <canvas> element. The canvas element purpose is to house animated images or interactive widgets, mostly created in Javascript or JQuery.

 Why Is This Going To Be More Useful

By 2014 most internet users will be running a web browser that supports HTML5, this means that elements created in HTML5 will be viewable for most users. Secondly internet users will to download third party codec’s to download to play or render documents, and thirdly search engines are able to crawl much of the code which will be placed within the <canvas> tags and therefore be able to give relevance to its content.

What should flash developer’s do?

Flash developers are going to resent me for typing these words, but they need to slowly forget the key frames and action scripts they love so much and start learning advanced JavaScripting and the different Java libraries such as JQuery as they will be the new way to bring interactive and fancy elements to websites.

A few things you should know before you start

• HTML 5 – <Video><Audio><Canvas> Elements

• A good understanding of JavaScript

• Up to date knowledge of JavaScript libraries

• WebGL – 3D extension for the Canvas element (mostly supported by modern browsers)

• Ray Casting – Development Language for HTML5

Jonathan Verrall is a digital marketing analyst for FDM Group –  IT training and graduate IT careers .

Cloud computing is a major change in how most people see the way an application works. Rather than having a product simply delivered, you obtain an entire service; you get access to the application with much more lax system requirements, which in turn means you can access it from anywhere in the world, and you get to take advantage of more reliable, near-instantaneous backups in case something goes wrong. This means that in everyday life, cloud computing makes thing easier and more secure for you.

Cloud computing means that your system doesn’t have to be the latest and greatest in technology in order to work. It just needs to be able to run a lightweight interface in order to connect to the “cloud” where all the actual computation takes place. In everyday life, this means that an application becomes more accessible to a variety of end users. PCs with high-end requirements are no longer needed in schools, hospitals, and even workplaces; all that is needed is a connection to a cloud resource. Many smartphones already have a wide variety of applications that take advantage of this type of setup.

Being “in the cloud” means that you can access both your documents and your application from anywhere in the world. As was mentioned earlier, this means that you can access those office documents from your home PC, your workstation, your smartphone and a wide variety of places. This ensures you and everyone else that needs to access something can do so with a high amount of ease. Business trips no longer require carrying a laptop around with sensitive documents that could get stolen if the machine does too.

Whether you’re actively working on a document or you’re simply backing one up, cloud computing allows your data to be more secure. The chances of a document being lost in the cloud are much closer to ‘none’ between ‘slim’ and ‘none’.Documents get backed up numerous times every couple of minutes with most cloud-enabled applications. These backups aren’t simply on one computer, which could ultimately prove to be unreliable, but they’re on several contained in the cloud. Even if you’re not working in a cloud application, you could back up your file to one later and send it out without fear of it being lost.

In short, cloud computing offers a much broader sense of accessibility, security and reliability. All these benefits are essential in everyday life for doctors, teachers, students, business people and everyone in-between.

There has been a remarkable a shift towards Internet marketing in recent as businesses try to win more clients and retain them. The United Nations’ ITU reported in 2011 that over 2 billion people are using the Internet and other studies have projected the figures to rise to 2.5 billion by 2015. As such, investing in an online presence sooner than later should be a priority. If any business has not yet caught on this new trend, it is missing out on a great chance to leverage technology which would allow it to compete more effectively. The presence of high speed internet all over the world has made interconnectivity a reality and for businesses with an established Internet presence, the time is ripe to move a step further and create an on-site blog to improve on business /customer interaction.

Understanding how an On-site Blog Works

A blog is a specialized website that allows a web master, or even a business owner to interact constantly with his audience through hosting commentaries and articles on particular subjects or even a chronological sequence of issues. Ideally, it should be updated as frequently as required and allow clients to comment on products and services on offer or just give an honest opinion on topics a business owner has elucidated on within their niche market. When a blog is on-site, it means it connects through high speed Internet to specific pages on a business website where clients can get more information or even purchase goods and services on offer. Today, opting for a self-hosted blog ensures a business represents its brand in a unique manner.

Reasons Why a Blog is Crucial for Any Businesses

There are many reasons why every business should create an on-site blog but some of the main ones include;

Increased search visibility

Google and other search engines find and index a business page based on the number of entry points created. For example, if a site has three pages, then these are the only avenues that search engine spiders will crawl, however, you would be able to multiply these exponentially through the use of a blog as entries to it would create many entry points which will not only direct search spiders your way but also allow visitors to access it with more ease.

Create a brand presence

While a website might be popular today, there is a need to captivate the interest of visitors so that they come back. The fact that your products might not be changing fast means you need an avenue that will arouse customers’ interest and a blog page linked to social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook will keep traffic trickling leading to higher conversion rates. Modern customers identify with a brand that is constantly in their lives and always providing invaluable information on its niche market.

Long term marketing

A good blog will still draw customers even after several years. This creates an image of a stable firm and consequently brand loyalty.

Valuable backlinks

If a business owner is consistent in updating quality content, they will get backlinks from other reputable businesses and blogs who want to be asscoaited with a highly rated PR blog.

Better interaction

An on-site blog offers an informal channel of communication and this would allow your audience to interact with you at a more personal level. In addition, the comment feature enables a business to understand its weak links in marketing to facilitate strategic planning.High speed internet allows for comments to be posted in real time.

This simple Internet marketing concept relies on whether a company makes good use of RSS feeds and hosts this blog on its domain. If a company wants to save money and still create a buzz about its services, it is time to take advantage of high speed internet and keep potential clients informed using an on-site blog as the main spring board.

What is one of the best aspects about owning your own home? You can take care of it however you see fit. The same holds true for home safety measures. For example, you can choose what type of home security system you want.

There are a number of benefits to hardwired and wireless alarm systems. Hardwired systems, for instance, are generally less expensive. However, wireless systems are gaining in popularity due to their convenience and the options they provide.

Regardless of the system you choose, both can be monitored 24 hours a day, both can alert emergency services and security monitoring stations, and of course, both will deter intruders from your home.

Below is a look at the pros and cons of wired and wireless home security systems:

Wired Home Security Systems

Add value to your home. Most homeowner’s insurance policies will give you a discount if you have an alarm system in your home; however, a wired system can also add to the resale value of your home because you can’t take it with you when you leave.

Prevent false alarms. All windows, doors and motion detectors are wired directly into the control panel, making false alarms less likely to occur. False alarms are a big problem for wireless security systems, and often costly.

Separate control panel. Hardwired alarm systems have a control panel that is typically separate from the alarm and keypad. This is a lifesaver in the scenario that the intruder tries to shut down the siren by pulling out the keypad; if they do, the signal will still be sent to your monitoring station, notifying them of the intrusion.

Less maintenance. Hardwire systems may be more of a nuisance upfront when it comes to installation, but down the road, there is little maintenance you’ll have to deal with because hardwired systems typically do not require as many replacement parts. Furthermore, there is a backup battery inside the control panel that will allow the system to function for several hours in the event of a power outage.

Wireless Home Security Systems

Better security coverage. Although wired security systems provide great coverage, wireless systems can provide more. Wireless systems allow you to install sensors on every door and window, plus many come with glass breakage detectors and motion detectors.

Easy to install. While both hardwired and wireless systems should be installed by a professional for optimum effectiveness, wireless systems are easier to install yourself. They don’t require drilling holes (and patching them afterward) in your walls. In addition, there are wireless systems kits that also come with cameras that can be installed outside your home.

Fire prevention integration. Wireless systems can easily be integrated with your fire alarm and carbon monoxide detector. This way, when the detector is set off, it sends a signal to your alarm’s control panel which will contact your monitoring station. No more running to the phone and dialing the fire department yourself.

Mobile capabilities. One of the biggest advantages of a wireless system is the ability to watch your home anytime, anywhere via the Internet. Wireless systems that are connected to your Internet often allow you to watch live feeds on your computer, and even smart phone. This can be a big stress reliever when you’re on vacation or miles from your home.

Wireless home security systems are gaining in popularity. However, as is the case with all new technologies, there are often a few kinks to work out with wireless. False alarms and monthly maintenance visits are just a few reasons why homeowners choose to stick with hardwired systems. Nevertheless, both systems are great options and will no doubt protect your family and property.

I find myself sitting in the second floor of a huge public library in a good-sized college town. I came here for the quiet and solitude, for a change of scenery that was different from my home office. What I got was an overwhelming sense of how technology has changed our lives. Even though I am sitting amidst long, tall rows of books on every conceivable subject, I look around and see folks at tables, clicking away on laptops and netbooks.

This particular library has over sixty public computers scattered throughout its two-story repository. There is even a computer lab for patrons to use. In addition, I am connected to the virtual world outside through their free Internet WIFI connection. Do you remember the card catalog cabinets and the Dewey Decimal System? It’s all on computer now, thank goodness. You don’t get just a shelf location; you get a map!

As I gaze out the window to the street below, I see college students walking, or rather, dancing down the sidewalk with tiny headsets stuck intheir ears, harnessed to a tiny mp3 player. I think back to my vinyl LP record collection that took up two shelves that were six feet long. There is more music stored on those tiny devices than I could ever fit in my house.

When I walked in the door to get my new library card, I was advised to put my cellphone on silent. I can remember back when our telephone was on a party line and we had to wait our turn to use the service. These days, the tether of the handset cord to the phone is gone; we have free rein to roam anywhere in the world and still be able to phone home.

Unfortunately, those technological advances that have enriched our lives have a downside: electronic waste. According to a recent Environmental Protection Agency study, our electronic waste is having a negative impact, not just locally, but globally. In the United States, the EPA estimates that 1% of our municipal waste streams are composed of electronic waste. They also estimate that 30 to 40 million computers will be scrapped each year for the next couple of years as they reach their end of usable service. Technology and software advances are making computers obsolete, almost before they are sold off the shelf.

Recycling old computer parts, such as hard drives, may not eliminate the problem, but it can surely help. Data loss that requires a hard disk filerecovery service often means that the hard drive is toast. Physically damaged drives can be repaired enough to perform NTFS file recovery, but they are no longer reliable. The next time you need internal or external hard drive data recovery, look for a company that has a hard drive recycling program. Those folks care, both about your data and about our environment.

Personal computing has evolved significantly in the last three decades. While older hard drives had storage spaces of between 2 and 10 gigabytes, the drives on new computer are considered small if they have less than 100 gigabytes of space. In fact, modern computers often have hard drives that are between 50 gigabytes to 1 terabyte in size. Even laptop computers will sport drives of over 500 gigabytes.

All of this extra disk space means that more files can be stored on the drives than ever before. Photos, documents and other files were often archived onto alternate media, such as CDs and DVDS, to make room on the drive for additional files. However, the larger drives may have caused some users to become lax in their backup routines and archiving chores. If copies of important files are not kept, it could be a daunting task to retrieve any data that goes missing.

There are several ways that data might become irretrievable. For example, accidental deletion by human error claims many files. Logical failures of hard drives send many files into limbo as well. Logical failures occur when vital system or program files become corrupted. The computer may not be able to boot into the operating system; therefore, all of the data on the hard drive is inaccessible. The corruptions might be the result of a computer virus or malware attack. An improper system shutdown caused by a power failure may also cause corruption.

Unless the drive has been physically damaged, the files can usually be retrieved by recovery software. There are many recovery programs available, so the trick is to find the one that will work effectively. Some software is designed specifically for picture recovery. Others specialize in word processing or office software files. Still others are able to effectively recover a wide array of file formats.

Digital image recovery software can be viewed in two ways. The most common is that of digital photo recovery. However, a digital image of your computer drive that includes the operating system, programs and files can also be generated. Should the hard drive have a logical failure, the recovery portion of the software is used to boot the computer and restore the system, including programs and files in existence at the time of the image generation.

There are several things to look for when choosing a program to recover hard drive files. The user should research the company or individual behind the software. Checking the credentials or expertise of the developer is essential. Secondly, the potential customer should find out what kind of technical support is available and how much it will cost. The best software will have a demo mode as well. This will allow the user to make sure that the software will suit their individual needs.

Apple does a generally excellent job of keeping a lid on the details about its upcoming product launches. However, some tasty pieces of information relating to the iPad 3 have slipped out into the wild, so it is possible to make a good guess at what will be in store for fans of this flagship tablet family.

First on the list of new features is a quad-core processor, which the iPad 3 will almost certainly integrate in order to keep up with the competition. We have already seen the first quad core CPUs make an appearance in Android tablets and Apple rarely allows itself to fall behind the curve.

The most significant upgrade to the iPad 3 will come in the form of a brand new display. Both the original iPad and the iPad 2 used the same 9.7 inch screen with a native resolution of 1024×768. It looks as if the iPad 3 will have a Retina Display which effectively doubles the pixel count while keeping everything within the same area as its predecessors.

Current rumours suggest that the iPad 3`s screen will have a resolution of 2048×1536, which will make it one of the most pixel-packed tablets on the market. Those keeping score will note that this is a higher resolution than full HD video content, so it should make mincemeat of multimedia playback, web browsing and next generation tablet gaming.

The cameras featured on the iPad 2 were functional if not stunning, but the iPad 3 is rumoured to be getting a serious boost in this respect. It could feature either a five or even an eight megapixel primary snapper with an updated secondary unit which will make FaceTime calls look even better than before.

When it comes to connectivity the iPad 3 will reportedly be getting 4G LTE compatibility in areas where such network coverage is available. While there will still doubtlessly be Wi-Fi only iterations lower down the scale, the improvements over the iPad 2 in terms of wireless speeds should be significant if you invest in a range-topping model.

All of this improved hardware will need more power than ever before, which is why Apple is allegedly integrating a bigger battery into the iPad 3. This could have an impact on the shape of the device, which could be slightly thicker than the iPad 2, depending on which sources you believe. However, this would feel like something of a backwards step and Apple is not known for going in the wrong direction, so the chassis of the iPad 3 should be at least as sleek as its forebears.

The iOS 5.1 operating system is thought to be in development so that it will make its debut alongside the iPad 3 in March. Apple has pencilled in a March 7th event in San Francisco at which the iPad 3 is likely to be debuted. Despite all this improvement the iPad 3 will remain the same size, so if you`re looking for smaller screen real estate from your tablet then the Flyer on HTC contracts may still be the way to go.

It’s not easy to walk by the futuristic advert at a UK bus stop without stopping to investigate further. That’s because the ad, using an HD camera, allows viewers to opt-in to its facial recognition feature.

For those who choose to opt-in, the software measures facial features to determine whether they are male or female. With an accuracy rate of around 90 percent, the software uses gender to choose specific content to display.

Along with facial recognition, the £30,000 equipment incorporates sound and a touch screen. This type of high-tech ad is new to the UK, but no doubt just the beginning of a bold new avenue for marketing campaigns to connect with their target audience.

This eye-catching ad will remain at the Oxford Street bus stop for only two weeks, and it’s well worth seeing. For those who are concerned about privacy, the software does not save data. The opt-in feature gives the viewer a certain measure of control over the advertisement and, not incidentally, is key to this particular ad.

Viewers identified as male are denied access to the ad and directed elsewhere, while females are shown a 40-second audio/video segment. This blatant discrimination is meant to provoke a reaction and spark conversation about choice, or lack of choice.

Plan UK, a charity working to promote choice for girls in developing countries, is using the high-tech marketing plan to promote awareness of the issue. In countries throughout the world, girls are routinely denied education and forced into early marriage and childbirth before they reach adulthood.

Girls and women who view the ad get to see and hear the riveting stories of three 13-year old girls, who tell of their hopes and their realities.

After feeling the sting of having been denied the choice to view the ad, boys and men are asked to visit the Plan UK website and encouraged to help change things for the better.

Plan UK hopes to raise £250,000 over the next several months to help provide access to education for girls from poor families.

“Although we’re not giving men and boys the choice to see the full ad on this occasion – so we get a glimpse of what it’s like to have basic choices taken away – boys and men play a vital role in helping girls to be all they can be. Men and boys are also invited to join ‘the Plan’ to give girls choices,” says Plan UK’s Marie Staunton.

More information on the ad and on UK’s campaign can be found at choicesforgirls.org.uk

With the new era, new advancements and new technologies come in new variations in behavior. Recent technologies have also brought about a change in teenagers and their behaviors and therefore these are very important to monitor, or else can harm your teenager as well as the society. You can monitor risky teen behavior with MobiStealth and therefore take precautionary measure against an adversity. 

Browser History logging in MobiStealth

If you have a hunch that your teenager is portraying uneasy behavior or is showing signs of distress then you can use the browser history logging feature in Mobistealth. It will give you a detailed history of the entire visited URL’s in your teenager’s phone. You can therefore check if your teenager is spending time on social networking websites stalking someone, is having online sex through webcams or if your teenager is learning about hacking software’s or serious information.

Call History and Text Logging in MobiStealth

Parents can go through their teenager’s text messages and phone call recordings via MobiStealth. If your teenager is having anxiety disorder problems, is a bully or causes problems intentionally then by going through their text messages and phone call details will the MobiStealth then you can identify any factors that may pose future trouble for your child. If you feel that your teenager is doing something suspicious then by going through his calls you can check if your teenager is indulged in drugs or theft. If you find out that your teenager is making plans with their friends that might pose problems to their safety such as parties with free alcohol or drugs available. This way parents can not only safeguard their own teenage children but also warn the parents of their friends who are doing something wrong or unethical.

GPS Tracking in MobiStealth

The GPS monitor in MobiStealth lets parents configure the location of their teenager at any possible time. If your teenager is aggressive or is posing trouble as newly aged teenagers do, then you can locate your teenager at any possible time through the GPS navigation tracker in MobiStealth. If your teenage child has told you about visiting his friends place or some other locality then via the MobiStealth you can double check your teenagers’ reference and see if he/she hasn’t lied to you.

By using MobiStealth, parents with troublesome kids can breathe a sigh of relief and let the software monitor their teenagers activities rather than running alongside your teenager to observe what they do.