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Importance of Youtube in a Digital Marketing Plan

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Importance of Youtube in a Digital Marketing Plan

The world of digital marketing is constantly changing. What was effective last year, or even last month, may already be outdated and fail to get you the results you crave. Brand owners have to learn new and more effective ways to market to today’s audiences to keep up with these fluctuations.

YouTube has become a particularly profitable place to develop a marketing schematic, though many don’t realize its potential. The site has dozens of advantages for effective marketing and checks several boxes for exposure to the right client base. What’s more, marketers don’t have to jump through a series of hoops to get users to see their content.

In fact, video content is one of the most effective ways to reach your client base. If you haven’t yet begun marketing on YouTube—or are hesitant to explore it—let us show you some examples of the benefits YouTube can have.

  1. It’s Cost-Effective

With YouTube ads, it’s possible to create an effective marketing campaign with a small budget. The site allows you to control how much you spend, and subsequently, how many people you want to reach. Creating content is inexpensive, too—modern cell phone cameras have sufficient quality for you to produce a reasonably attractive ad of your own and edit it yourself. You can even use content or ideas that you’ve used before on blogs or newsletters. When it’s reworked in video form, you’ll likely spark a new wave of interest.

  1. Better Ad Traffic

YouTube is one of the most-frequented sites on the internet. Nearly two billion people use the site every year, giving you a vast pool of potential viewers. Of all the YouTube users that click onto the site every day, there are bound to be those interested in your product or service, no matter how niche it may be. This boost in ad traffic will positively affect your page traffic.

  1. Viewers Are More Receptive

Videos capture our attention. In addition, when we are visually engaged, people tend to retain and process information more quickly. For that reason, when you use a video for advertising, your viewers will understand and utilize your brand information better than if you presented the same information in a text or audio file.

  1. Better Search Engine Rankings

Search engines like Google tend to place search results that contain videos toward the top of the search engine results page (SERP). As a result, making videos and building a presence on YouTube can help to boost your ranking, which benefits your brand’s website and your bottom line. How? If you are toward the top of the SERP, users are more likely to view your content, which can snowball into web traffic, conversions, and ultimately more revenue for you. Another tip for improving your SEO ranking would be transcribing a YouTube video. This makes it easier for people to find your video.

  1. Better Conversion Rates

It’s hard to get customers to buy a product when you’re new in the industry or haven’t yet achieved much brand recognition. However, if you forge a good relationship with YouTube and build a group of followers, those in your target audience will likely believe what you’re telling them. It’s the almighty EAT that Google has touted for so long – you’re demonstrating expertise, authority, and trust within your niche. As you gain more subscribers and even more viewers to vouch for your content, you’ll see more conversions.

  1. Real-Time Feedback

YouTube’s comment function allows you to experience what your audience is saying about you in real-time. YouTube users often comment on videos, and some even form communities within the comments of specific creators’ videos. All of these comments are information for you to digest about who your audience is, what motivates them, how they behave, what they think about your product and more.

  1. YouTube Can Be Profitable

If you release regular videos and gain a significant following, you may begin to earn profits from your YouTube content. Google AdSense allows content creators who post regularly to access part of the profits of businesses that choose to advertise on their videos. The ad money can help pay for higher-quality videos or more ads if you desire.

  1. The World’s At Your Feet

When you advertise on YouTube, you can cater to anyone from your local audience to viewers worldwide. The platform allows your ads to appear in any market you wish, so you can target untapped areas in your region or in other parts of the world where your goods or services might be popular. This kind of audience control is somewhat unique to YouTube, even with the global nature of marketing today. Other social media sites simply force ads to remain local most of the time.

Start With Videos That Convert

If you’re unsure how to incorporate videos into your brand’s marketing scheme, get a solid start by creating videos that convert. You may think you don’t have the resources to create an ad, but most businesses can achieve successful video content with their everyday work. For example, these types of videos often rank well:

  • How-to videos
  • Day in the life videos (a glimpse into your business or operation)
  • General information about your industry

These videos give the viewer valuable information about your brand or your industry and begin building your brand online. Best of all, the source content for the above videos is readily available and inexpensive to produce. Then, you can consider branching out into new topics as your video production skills improve—or hire a digital marketing company to help you develop a video marketing schematic to really seize the benefits of YouTube.

Start Creating Videos Today

The single best thing you can do in today’s digital marketing landscape is to begin producing video content. Whether you advertise on YouTube, create YouTube content, or both, bringing video into your strategy can be a great way to boost your brand exposure. Collaborate with a digital marketing service today for guidance and help with your video content.

SOC 2 Reporting Guide

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SOC 2 Reporting Guide

SOC 2 Reporting is an important aspect of any organization’s compliance program. By understanding the SOC 2 framework and following the reporting guidelines, you can be sure that your organization is meeting all the necessary requirements.

SOC 2 is a compliance framework that helps organizations ensure the security, confidentiality and privacy of their customer data. SOC 2 reporting is a critical part of demonstrating your organization’s commitment to data security.

In this guide, we will walk you through the SOC 2 reporting process step-by-step. We will also show you how to create a SOC 2 dashboard that will help you track your organization’s progress against the SOC 2 criteria. Let’s get started!

SOC 2 Reporting Overview

SOC 2 is a set of standards created by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The SOC 2 outlines criteria for managing and protecting customer data. It covers 5 trust service principles: Availability, Security, Processing Integrity, Privacy, and Confidentiality. Organizations must create policies and procedures that meet these criteria in order to pass SOC 2 audits.

SOC 2 Dashboards

In order to keep track of SOC 2 compliance, organizations should create an SOC 2 dashboard. A SOC 2 dashboard is a tool that helps managers view their organization’s progress towards meeting the SOC 2 criteria. The dashboard should include metrics and indicators for each trust service principle, as well as an overall SOC 2 score. This will help managers identify areas that need improvement and measure progress over time.

SOC 2 Report Generation

Once you have created your SOC 2 dashboard, you can generate a SOC 2 report to submit to auditors. The SOC 2 report should include detailed information about the policies and procedures that have been implemented to meet SOC 2 criteria. It should also include evidence of compliance, such as customer surveys and audits.

SOC 2 Audit

Once the SOC 2 report has been submitted, an auditor will review it and conduct an audit. The SOC 2 audit is a detailed assessment of the organization’s policies and procedures against SOC 2 criteria. The auditor will use SOC 2 dashboards, customer surveys and other sources of evidence to verify SOC 2 compliance.

How to Perform Audit?

The SOC 2 audit is conducted by an independent third-party auditor. The auditor will review the SOC 2 report, evaluate the organization’s policies and procedures against SOC 2 criteria, and provide a written opinion on SOC 2 compliance. The SOC 2 audit should be conducted annually to ensure that the organization remains compliant with SOC 2 standards. Moreover, the SOC 2 audit should be conducted at least once every three years to ensure that SOC 2 compliance has been maintained.

SOC 2 Certification

Organizations that pass SOC 2 audits are eligible for SOC 2 certification. SOC 2 certification is an internationally recognized assurance of data security compliance. It demonstrates a commitment to protecting customer data and maintaining SOC 2 compliance. The certification requires organizationsto maintain SOC 2 dashboards and submit SOC 2 reports annually.

The Bottom Line

By understanding SOC 2 requirements and following the SOC 2 reporting guidelines, your organization can be sure that it is meeting all the necessary standards for data security compliance. SOC 2 dashboards provide managers with an easy way to track progress towards SOC 2 compliance and generate reports for submission to auditors. SOC 2 certification is an important step in demonstrating to customers and other stakeholders that your organization takes data security seriously.

Alexa Intercom – Specifications, Uses, Alexa Intercom Reviews, and More

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Alexa Intercom

What is the Alexa Intercom?

  • Alexa Intercom is a family communication device that connects you with the people you love, whether they are downstairs or across the country.
  • Make video and audio calls by asking Alexa Intercom to use the included DC.
  • Use an Adapter or Power over Ethernet (PoE).
  • If connecting with standard ethernet, please join the Ethernet cable and the power cord.

Alexa Intercom Specifications

1. Connection

  • Connects to the Internet via our WiFi, Ethernet, or Power over Ethernet

2. Designed for Everyone

  • We designed Nucleus with the kids and grandma in mind, making it easier than ever to set up and say hi.

3. Chat on the go

  • Use the mobile app to sign up from anywhere.
  • Please note that the Alexa companion mobile app is compatible with iPhone 5s or later and Android 5 or later.

Product Description

  • Alexa Intercom is a family communication device connecting you with the people you love, downstairs or across the country.
  • Nucleus brings you closer: Voice Activated Communication.
  • Make audio and video calls by telling Alexa, and ask Nucleus to call Kitchen.
  • Alexa on the go – feel right at home from anywhere.
  • It Instantly connects to any Nucleus device on your home directly from our free mobile apps.
  • This New Smart Video Intercom Can Do Everything Echo Devices Can Do – Business Insider

The Alexa Intercom is a good option.

  • Option if you want an easy way to communicate with family in a larger home or video chat with your loved ones who are not technical.
  • The Nucleus integration with Alexa works the same way with the Echo, except that the Nucleus has a touch screen.
  • That’s useful when, as is sometimes the case, you ask Alexa to play music.
  • Only to end up yelling at it whenever you want it to stop or having to unplug the Echo to turn it off.
  • Nucleus solves that annoying problem by letting you turn off or change music by clicking on the screen if Alexa isn’t listening.

Cloud-Based Service

  • Nucleus connects to Alexa, the cloud-based voice service.
  • Just ask Alexa to answer or listen to your favorite music, the news and weather reports, connect intelligent home devices, and more.
  • Alexa is always getting more efficient and innovative, adding new features and abilities.

Monday.com reviews 2021

Monday.com continuously wins our #1 pick for project management software. In addition to its support for a wide range of use cases, the software is fully functional.

Too busy to make lunch or dinner between work and picking up the kids?

  • Ask Alexa for the phone number of her favorite take-out place or even order a pizza from Domino’s skill.
  • Nucleus and Alexa make the home front easier to manage and much more fun.
  • Note: When active, get Alexa’s attention by pressing the Alexa button.
  • Nucleus does not currently support Pandora with Alexa at this time.
  • Alexa voice service is available only in the US.

How did you come up with the idea for this Product?

  • We were building a Nucleus for our families and families everywhere.
  • Jonathan developed Nucleus to keep track of his children around the house.
  • Create an easier way to stay in touch with close and distant family members.
  • Since then, we have heard from clients who wish they could see family members more often. Thanks to Nucleus, they can.

What makes your product special?

  • Alexa allows you to spend quality time with your family, no matter where they are.
  • We have heard from families worldwide who use Nucleus to call their children to dinner or see how an elderly parent who lives alone is doing.
  • It was designed to allow you to touch a button and feel like you are in the same room with the people you love, whether upstairs or around the world.

What has been the best part of the startup experience?

  • The best part has to be the wonderful and unique stories I have heard from customers.
  • They had clients buy Alexa for an elderly parent at a rehab centre.

How much is Apple TV – Catalog, Working, Cost, Applications, and More

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How much is Apple TV

How much is Apple TV?

  • Apple TV is the new streaming service that the company will launch and to know How much is Apple TV check the following.
  • We expect to reach more than 100 countries, although this will happen progressively.
  • The Apple TV + catalog is fundamentally on proprietary content more focused on quality than abundance.
  • Internationally renowned artists such as Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, or Jennifer Aniston are some producers who will have a place on this platform.
  • However, this Apple streaming platform will also include third-party content to provide its catalog with depth and variety in out-perform competitors such as Netflix or HBO.

How Apple TV works?

  • Apple TV is a subscription service with exclusive content and the presence of big names.
  • Also, one of its points in favor is that it will not include advertising.
  • The content of Apple TV can be seen online and download to enjoy it without being connected to the Internet.
  • This service is independent of Channels, a space that the company wants to access to all the platforms to which a user subscribes.

Apple TV Catalog

The grid mixes both own productions and third-party content. And also, there are already confirmed several series, films, and programs that will include in the catalog.

These are some of the Apple TV Plus series confirmed at the moment:

  1. The Morning Show
  2. Amazing Stories
  3. See
  4. Are You Sleeping?
  5. Swagger
  6. Little voice
  7. Defending Jacob
  8. Little America
  • On the other hand, some of the shows and movies of their production confirmed so far are the following:
  • Helpers: Children’s program developed by the producers of Sesame Street
  • Toxic Labor
  • Hala: film acquired by Apple during the Sundance film festival 2019

Where to watch Apple TV?

  • To watch it, you will first need to have access to the app.
  • This application is available on Apple devices, and in time it will also be available on smart TVs.
  • In this regard, the app will arrive first on Samsung’s Smart TVs and later on other brands such as LG, Vizio, and Sony.
  • Also, Apple is expanding the catalog of devices from which you can watch it.
  • In this way, streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire will also play, content on other televisions.
  • To enjoy Apple television, you will need an Internet connection to access its application, either to watch the content in streaming or to download it.

Apple TV price

Apple did not clarify the doubts about how much it costs, so we will have to wait for the platform’s official launch to know the price.

The cost of subscribing to expect to be similar to that of the streaming platforms it wants to compete with; that is, it will be around € 10.

When does Apple TV arrive in Spain?

  • The launch of it is scheduled for fall 2019 and expects to reach more than 100 countries.
  • However, this implementation is doing progressively.
  • It is not clear if it will also arrive in Spain on those dates or if, on the contrary.
  • It will be necessary to wait a few months after it is launching in the United States.
  • These dates can specify at the Apple event held every September in which the company presents its new iPhone models every year.

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What Graphics Card Do I Have – Details, Models, Steps, and More

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What Graphics Card Do I Have

What Graphics Card do I Have and what processor does my PC have?

  • If you have ever asked What Graphics Card do I Have, and you have not been able to answer precisely, do not worry, it’s a simple tutorial.
  • We are going to give you the steps so that you can identify not only what graphics card and what processor your computer has, but also all the components necessary of it.
  • It is a straightforward process, but if you have any questions, you can leave them in the comments, and we will help you solve them.
  • In Windows 10, 8.1, and Windows 7, the easiest way to identify both components is to go to the search option and type “dxdiag” without quotes.

Where do you find graphics card?

This will open an information window collected by DirectX, where we will find a complete description of the system that includes:

  • Name of the processor and graphics card we use.
  • Processor working speed.
  • The total amount of RAM.
  • DirectX version installed.
  • Windows 10 version.
  • The upper tabs allow us to access specific sections where a description of particular parts of the equipment appears, such as the one dedicated to the “screen” graphics card.
  • We will also have access to other sections devoted to sound, and we can see if there is any problem pending to be solved.
  • In case you have a team with an integrated GPU and a dedicated GPU with GPU-Z.
  • You can view the most critical information of both and switch between them at any time.
  • It is a handy and easy-to-use tool, as you can see in the accompanying images.
  • There are many reasons why we may need to know the model of graphics card that we have in our PC.
  • It can be either to look for a driver, see if it is compatible with a specific application or game, etc.
  • Usually know the exact model of their graphics card, nor do they have the invoice or specifications of all the components that they were given when they bought the computer at hand.

Options to allow you know what graphics card can be used?

  • Several options will allow us to know what graphics card our computer has:
  • You can check the invoice if you have it at hand or the exact model of the computer if it is portable, for example, or Mac
  • We can open it and consult it directly from the hardware itself, something that we do not recommend if you do not have a minimum experience
  • You can install third-party applications or software that tells you which card you have
  • We can follow a few steps to consult it from the system itself on the computer, Windows, or Mac
  • Check-in Windows from the system itself.
  • If your PC is a desktop computer with Windows operating system and you need to know what graphics card you have installed, the first thing you have to do is open a Windows run window, Win + R, and launch the Dxdiag command.
  • This will open a new window with the DirectX diagnostic tool to see what our graph is.
  • To do this, go to the Screen tab, and in the Device section, we will be shown the manufacturer and type of chip installed on our computer.

Windows Device Manager

  • We can also know our graph’s model if we open the Windows Device Manager.
  • There can be an option available through the Win + X menu in Windows 10.
  • Once there, we display the Display Adapters.
  • There we will find an entry that will show us the integrated graphics card model and another for the dedicated graphics card.
  • Check model in macOS.
  • On Mac, it is much simpler because you have to look for the computer model.
  • You have to know what graphics card it is. There is no possibility that you have assembled your own Mac by parts or that there is a lot of variety.
  • There are few models. You will save any step with an Internet search without having to open it without going to its settings or configuration.

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6 Features To Look For In A Virtual Phone System

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6 Features To Look For In A Virtual Phone System

The backbone of efficient business communication is a reliable phone system. This is particularly important in our fast-paced digital era, where geographical boundaries no longer define business operations.

The simple truth is that traditional landlines just don’t cut it anymore, and virtual phone systems have emerged as game-changers. That said, it’s crucial to understand the key features to look for if you’re considering investing in this technology for your business.

Read on as we delve into the world of virtual phone systems, exploring their key features and how they can drive your business toward a future of seamless communication.

The Virtual Phone System Explained

A virtual phone system, otherwise known as a cloud-based phone system, leverages internet connectivity to facilitate voice communication. Unlike traditional phone systems that rely on physical cables and desk phones, virtual phone systems operate on the digital plane, converting voice signals into digital data packets transmitted over the internet.

This revolutionary technology allows users to make and receive calls from any location, provided they have a stable internet connection. It’s an excellent solution for progressively mobile and remote workforces, offering flexibility, affordability, and enhanced communication capabilities.

The Working Mechanism of Virtual Phone Systems

Virtual phone systems use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to effectuate calls. The process begins with converting analog voice calls into digital data packets. Much like emails or instant messages, these packets travel over the internet to their intended recipients.

Upon reaching their destination, the digital signals are reconverted into voice signals, allowing the recipient to perceive the sender’s message.

Although the process may seem complex, it happens within milliseconds, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted communication. A stable and reliable internet connection is a prerequisite for optimal performance.

6 Key Features of a Virtual Phone System

Traditional phone systems, also known as Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), have been the backbone of business communication for decades. And for what they needed at the time, the technology worked great.

Unfortunately, they also came with limitations, such as high maintenance costs and limited convenient features. In contrast, virtual phone systems come packed with various high-tech communication features.

Below are some standout ones:

1. Call Routing:

The ability to strategically direct incoming calls to the most appropriate agent is critical for customer satisfaction. This feature can reduce call abandonment rates and increase customer satisfaction.

That said, a good virtual phone system will offer different call routing options like round-robin, uniform, regular, and simultaneous to ensure efficient call distribution.

2. Auto-Attendant

An auto-attendant system is a pre-recorded voice menu that automatically directs calls to the appropriate extension without any human intervention. This feature acts like a virtual receptionist who greets callers and guides them to the right department or individual.

This feature can significantly enhance your business’s professionalism and ensure every call is attended to, even when your agents are unavailable during high call volumes.

3. Video Conferencing

As remote work becomes more prevalent, video conferencing has become necessary for maintaining face-to-face communication within teams. It allows businesses to hold virtual meetings with team members worldwide without requiring extensive hardware.

The best virtual phone systems offer built-in video conferencing tools complete with features like screen-sharing, file-sharing, and group messaging.

4. Business Phone Analytics

Access to real-time analytics can provide valuable insights into your business communication patterns. Look for a virtual phone system that offers comprehensive reporting features, tracking metrics like call duration, caller location, number of calls, and customer satisfaction.

A virtual phone system also provides real-time call analytics, analysis reports, and call records, offering valuable insights into customer and employee experiences. This data can help businesses:

  • Prove compliance during checks
  • Improve customer feedback
  • New agent training
  • Identify and address weak points in their workflows
  • Prepare for future trends.

5. Business Text Messaging

Text messaging is a quick and effective way to reach out to modern consumers. A virtual phone system that supports business text messaging can help you implement successful marketing campaigns and maintain constant communication with your customers.

This makes it an excellent tool for marketing campaigns intended to reach a large audience.

6. Multilingual Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

A multilingual IVR serves as a virtual receptionist, allowing customers to access services in their preferred language. This enhances customer service by effectively answering customer queries or connecting them to the appropriate department.

Benefits of Using a Virtual Phone System

Adopting a virtual phone system presents numerous advantages for businesses, including:

Time-Saving

Cloud Contact Centre is fast and efficient, helping to prevent business losses due to slow communication processes. Establishing a virtual phone system is a straightforward and convenient process, making it an excellent option for small businesses.

Mobility and Flexibility

In today’s digital age, businesses are increasingly embracing remote work. A virtual phone system facilitates seamless communication, irrespective of employees’ geographical locations.

Enhanced Professionalism

Virtual phone systems have features that can significantly enhance a company’s professional image. For instance, advanced call routing and auto-attendant features can make small businesses appear larger and more established, thus instilling confidence in potential customers or investors.

Enhanced Team Collaboration

Virtual phone systems offer features such as quick text messaging, conferencing, 24/7 connectivity, and call routing, which foster effective team collaboration.

Affordable for Small Businesses

Virtual phone systems provide value for money with features like auto-attendants, custom greetings, automatic call routing, detailed call logs, and reasonable international calling prices.

Lower Costs

Initial setup costs for virtual telephony are affordable, with minimal hardware and software requirements.

Robust Analytics and Reporting

Virtual phone systems offer real-time analytics and reports on agent and contact center performance, enabling strategic learning and data extraction.

To Sum It Up

Virtual phone systems are indispensable tools in today’s digital business environment. From call routing and video conferencing to business analytics, virtual systems offer a plethora of features that modern businesses need to scale.

Plus, they are easy to adopt, cost-effective, and, crucially, streamline communication processes. So, whether you are a small business or a large corporation, you’ll soon realize that virtual phone systems are a worthwhile investment.

What to Look for in the Best VPN Service

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What To Look For In The Best VPN Service

VPN Service – Ensuring internet safety and privacy is paramount in this digital age where online transactions are the norm. A tool that can aid in this pursuit is a Virtual Private Network, also known as a VPN.

With many choices available, how does one identify the ideal VPN service that meets their needs? This piece will highlight the most crucial factors when selecting the best VPN service.

Robust Security

The cornerstone of the best VPN service is robust security. Your chosen VPN should offer superior encryption protocols to protect your data from potential hazards.

The VPN should also feature a kill switch, which immediately disconnects your internet if the VPN link fails, avoiding any unintentional disclosure of your online actions. This ensures that your connection remains secure at all times.

Absolute Privacy

Privacy is another crucial aspect to consider while scouting for a VPN service. The VPN service should follow a rigorous policy of not keeping logs, meaning they do not record or save your online actions.

In addition, the physical location of the VPN service provider is crucial. Choosing providers based in countries with robust data privacy laws is advisable, as these entities are legally obligated to protect user confidentiality.

Extensive Server Locations

The best VPN service should provide an extensive selection of server locations. This is especially beneficial for users aiming to access geographically blocked content.

The greater the number of server locations offered by a VPN service, the higher your probability of circumventing geographical limitations and having a seamless browsing experience.

Bypass Geographical Limitations

When hunting for the ideal VPN service, one critical feature is its ability to bypass geographical limitations and censorship. It’s worth noting that several IPTV services or applications are inaccessible in various parts of the globe due to local regulatory constraints. Leveraging a VPN for IPTV can offer a way around these geo-barriers, enabling you to access a range of live TV services, applications, or websites without hindrance.

Speed and Performance

One should not neglect speed and performance when selecting the optimal VPN service. An elite VPN service should provide swift and steady connection speeds, ensuring your online activities are not hindered.

VPNs with high rates improve your browsing experience, facilitate seamless video streaming, and allow faster downloads. Additionally, a reliable VPN should have minimal downtime to ensure uninterrupted service. It’s essential to look for a VPN service with a reputation for excellent performance and speed.

Affordable Pricing

Lastly, the best VPN service should offer excellent features at a reasonable cost. While free VPNs might seem appealing, they often have limitations such as slower speeds, fewer server locations, and weaker security measures.

Conversely, the most expensive VPNs may not necessarily provide the best services. Aim to find a VPN service that balances cost and features. Look for options that offer flexible payment plans, money-back guarantees, or trial periods, enabling you to evaluate the service before fully committing.

Stay Protected, Stay Private: Wrapping Up the Quest for the Best VPN Service

In summary, when selecting a VPN service, prioritize robust security, absolute privacy, extensive server locations, torrents, file-sharing support, speed and performance, and affordable pricing. These attributes will ensure you choose a VPN service that is secure, reliable, and fits your unique online needs and budget.

The best VPN service offers a comprehensive user experience, making your online journey safe and enjoyable. We trust you found this helpful information and appreciate your time reading this.

5 Reasons to Shift from Conventional Meetings to Product Design Workshops

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5 Reasons Why Product Design Workshops Are a Game Changer for Today's Businesses

Product Design Workshops

The traditional way of organizing communications during the development of a new product is vertical. The client communicates their wishes to the company’s management. Top management forms its vision of the project, team leaders set technical tasks, and direct performers receive specific tasks within their competence. Effective? Not always. To get rid of the disadvantages of this approach, many companies introduce innovative methods, such as design workshops. We tell you more about them.

What Are Design Workshops?

Design workshops are an original form of teamwork designed to develop a realistic vision of goals and collect unbiased opinions on how to achieve them. Their differences from traditional meetings are:

  • Participation of three parties — customer (stakeholder), management, and executors. The vertical way of organizing communications is replaced by a horizontal one. Each party can express its opinion and get an idea of the progress of the project.
  • Narrow focus — as a rule, one goal at a time is discussed at design workshops. This approach helps to focus on specific tasks achievable in the foreseeable future and not to waste unnecessary time.
  • A clear structure of active communication. Design Workshops are built on the basis of simple logic. They gather, discuss, screen, prioritize, and analyze different opinions. These events have a rigid schedule that typically spans between 4 and 12 hours.

5 Reasons Why Design Workshops Are the Future of Corporate Communications

1. Increased efficiency

The traditional vertical approach means a tremendous waste of time. Each stage of communication is a separate meeting that takes up a significant portion of the workday. There’s a reason why the “It could have been an email!” meme has become popular in IT.

A design workshop allows you to use your working time more efficiently. All issues are solved in one meeting with a clear schedule. Each topic is given due attention at all levels — from the client to the direct executor.

The workshop also saves time in turning conceptual plans into technical tasks and breaking down general goals into specific tasks. It involves both team leaders and staff members who see the big picture. As a result, they can navigate the project faster and get to their work as soon as possible.

2. Finding compromises

One of the biggest challenges in the technology industry is the mismatch between business goals and user needs. A product often turns out to be convenient for its developers but not for the target audience. This is especially important to consider in the experience design industry, where up to 35% of losses are due to the lack of compromises.

During the design workshop, different opinions are discussed:

  • Developers talk about technological limitations and optimization methods;
  • Management forms a working business model;
  • Customer defends the interests of the end user.

Structured communications allow for analyzing each idea within one meeting. By discussing all possible options, participants manage to “stop somewhere in the middle,” creating a viable product concept.

3. Generating new ideas

When setting a task, customer representatives and top management may not be aware of certain technologies and functions. By communicating with the direct executors, they get the missing information. This allows them to change the idea behind the project.

When we consider software development, we are usually talking about additional application modules that add value to the product for the end user. The earlier they are incorporated into the project, the less time, effort, and money will be spent on their creation. That is why it is very important to hold business workshops at the very beginning of the project.

In addition, during such a meeting, the customer may propose a number of ideas that will be evaluated by the executors. The task of management in such a case will be to collect honest unbiased feedback that will allow for evaluating the rationality of adding such features to the final product.

4. Minimizing risks

Many successful ideas never turn into successful business models due to underestimation of risks. That is why the topic of many workshops is not the advantages but the disadvantages of projects:

  • Missing features that are really needed;
  • Difficulties in realizing the main ideas;
  • Possible delays at each stage;
  • Probable changes in the market situation at the time of product release;
  • Rapid development of competitors, and so on.

A successful business workshop allows for a thorough review of each source of risk. Based on the results of the meeting, decisions can be made to change development timelines, add or remove certain features, use alternative methods, or enter other markets.

5. Establishing internal communications

An important benefit that is often overlooked. During workshops, specialists working on different areas get to know each other. They exchange ideas, assess the professional level of their colleagues, and assign responsibilities.

All this allows for well-structured internal communications. Instead of addressing a message to management, an employee can directly address a specific specialist, saving time and company resources. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s the little things that make up the productivity gains.

Conclusion

Design workshops can rightly be called the future of corporate communications. They are traditional meetings — clearly structured, productive, and cost-effective. They result in specific decisions that affect the future of the product. These workshops help to find compromises and avoid mistakes. With their help, it is possible to establish internal communications and minimize risks for the company.