by noah | Mar 8, 2022 | Uncategorized
This year, National Organize Your Home Office Day is held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. This is an important day to remember because more people are working from home as a result of the pandemic. This recent article shares that nearly half of full-time employees are working remotely at least some of the time, and 9 in 10 workers want to maintain remote work to some degree.
However, there are unique challenges to working at home that can affect your productivity, such as blurred work-life boundaries, technical challenges, distractions in the home and a lack of motivation. Fortunately, you can improve all of these challenges by setting up a clean and organized work space.
What is National Organize Your Home Office Day?
National Organize Your Home Office Day is observed every year on the second Tuesday of March. It’s a day to clean up the mess that has accumulated in your office over the years, with the goal of creating a productive and healthy working environment.
The majority of us have been used to working at home since the pandemic, and many of us want to keep it this way. But in order to stay focused and productive, you’ll need an adequate work space that is free from distraction. And this is what National Organize Your Home Office Day intends to do!
What are the Benefits of Working in a Clean Space?
Having a home office may not be a big deal, but keeping it clean and organized is. No matter how small your space is, here are some benefits to keeping it tidy.
- Improved mental health. Decluttering your space can help you feel less stressed and anxious. You’ll know where everything is, helping you work more confidently and effectively.
- Better work-life balance. If you set up a designated work space, you can better manage your work-life balance. You’ll have a better handle on your schedule, and when your working hours are up, you can shut the door (or close off the space) and be with your family.
- Stay on track. When you’re misplacing invoices or losing important files, it’s hard to be an efficient, productive worker. And, you could compromise data and put your business at risk. Staying organized prevents this from happening.
How Can You Organize Your Home Office for Productivity?
If your home office is collecting piles of dust, here’s how to turn things around for the better!
- Declutter your space. Home offices often become the dumping grounds for things that don’t have a home. Go through all the clutter and decide if you want to keep it or not. Hold onto bank statements and utility bills for about 1 year, or switch to paperless.
- Clean all surfaces. With everything in its place, it’s time to clean all surfaces. Dust light fixtures, book cases, shelves, pictures, etc. and wipe down your desk, office chair and electronics.
- Organize cords and chargers. Not only can cords and chargers get tangled, but also they look messy. Purchase clips or zip ties to keep wires neat and organized.
- Take inventory. Go through your home office supplies and take note of what you need. You may even benefit from some useful gadgets to help you stay organized, such as drawer dividers or a bulletin board for important notes.
Once you take the time to clean your home office, you’ll feel more confident and ready to take on new challenges!
by noah | Feb 23, 2022 | Database
No matter how big or small your business is, data is an essential part of running it. If you lose any of your data, it can end up costing you money, plus damage your reputation and the trust you have built with your customers. To keep your data safe, it’s important to implement the right data backup and disaster recovery procedures.
Let’s look at some of the reasons why your business needs to perform regular data backups.
Add a Layer of Security
While you likely have plenty of preventive measures in place, such as strong firewall configurations, network security solutions and path management tools, you can’t rely on them entirely. Having data backups gives you an extra layer of security so that you can avoid costly downtime if your other measures fail.
Quick and Easy Data Restoration
Mishaps can occur at any time – power surges, virus attacks, malfunctions. When they do, they can be detrimental to your business. Fortunately, backing up your data allows you to restore it quickly if it’s ever lost. This way, you can continue running your business without missing a beat!
Manage Your Reputation
If you were to lose valuable customer or employee data, you would damage your credibility and possibly even face legal action. Your customers and employees count on you to keep their information safe, and part of this involves having a compliant backup solution.
Extra Protection from Natural Disasters
Online data backups provide extra protection in the event of a natural disaster, such as a flood or fire. Every location has its own unique disasters as well – hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. These types of disasters can wipe out all of your records within minutes, so it’s important that backup copies are made on a regular basis to minimize the amount of data lost.
Stay Ahead of Cyber Attacks
Unfortunately, cyber attackers are getting smarter and less forgiving. They usually attack sensitive information stored in the cloud or on-premises. What’s more, businesses that have been attacked have struggled to recover their encrypted data. Because this can happen to any business, it’s best to have a data backup that you can access at any time.
Cloud Computing Requires More Backups
The cloud is secure, but it’s not foolproof. If your business plans to store data on the cloud, make sure you’re aware of your security risks and how you can protect your business. Due to digital transformation, the frequency of cyber attacks has increased, which means your security efforts need to as well.
by noah | Feb 13, 2022 | Uncategorized
In order for your business to succeed and be competitive, it needs to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. Now that it’s 2022, you may be interested in optimizing and adding new assets. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways that you can modernize your business and outshine competition big and small.
Here are a few ways that you can prepare your business for the future.
Shift Your Focus Toward the Cloud
Cloud-based architecture is an excellent way to improve flexibility throughout your organization. You can scale up or down as needed without having to disrupt your other processes. Cloud-based database solutions also give you the option to do work outside of your business. For example, employees can log in and view the data regardless of where in the world they are.
Automate Tasks for Improved Efficiency
Employees regularly spend valuable work hours doing tedious tasks like inputting data and sending emails. But thanks to automation, companies can automate dull tasks and free up their employees’ time for more important assignments. Automation also reduces human error and redundancy. Ultimately, this boosts efficiency and improves flexibility for your staff.
Amp Up Security Measures for Potential Cyber Attacks
No business is safe from cyber attacks. Even small businesses are valuable enough to get hit by cybercriminals, so you never want to underestimate your security. Now is the time to beef up your security, particularly for databases that contain sensitive information. Also, keep in mind that many security breaches happen because employees aren’t careful, so training is essential.
Invest in Digital Transformation
A digital transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a long process that you may or may not have started already. Either way, make sure you keep moving forward, as adopting digital transformation will help you achieve long-term success. As you make this transition, you’ll get to enjoy a wide range of benefits such as automation, reliable data and efficient teams.
Create a Better Customer Experience
With access to high quality data and the latest technology, you can quickly and easily improve the customer experience by providing timely, relevant and personalized messages. This is important to long-term business growth, as positive customer experiences improve loyalty, retain customers and encourage brand advocacy.
As you look forward to more success in 2022, you’ll want to follow these tips for modernizing your business. Arkware can help your business achieve these goals by upgrading your current database and moving it to the cloud. Contact us today to learn more about how to modernize your business with the latest database infrastructure.
by noah | Jan 17, 2022 | Database, MS Access
Microsoft Access is nearly 30 years old but remains very much relevant today. Some businesses use Access for all of their database needs, while others keep it as a front end to more commercially successful database management systems like SQL Server. However you choose to use Access, you can expect a robust productivity tool that’s cost effective and easy to use.
Below are the ten best features we appreciate about Microsoft Access.
1. Modernized Templates
Microsoft Access offers modernized and simplified templates that allow you to create beautiful databases without having to know computer code. Choose from a wide range of templates for inventory tracking, project management, customer service and more. Within minutes, you’ll have a database ready and working for you!
2. Relationships
A relationship in Access lets you combine data from two separate tables. In general, tables can be related in three different ways: one-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many. Relationships not only create connections between tables but also help prevent missing data and quickly determine the results of a query.
3. Primary Keys
Primary keys are fields with value that are unique throughout a table. A table can only have one primary key. MS Access will either create a primary key for you when you create the table, or you can create your own.
4. Backstage View
The Backstage view is what you see when you open Access but do not open a database. We like this feature because users are able to perform a variety of tasks such as opening an existing database or creating a new one without having to leave the interface.
5. Macros
A macro is a tool that automates tasks and adds functionality to different database parts, including forms, reports and controls. Macros save time and automate tasks that you perform often such as opening and closing forms and running reports.
6. Tables
Access tables look similar to an Excel spreadsheet, but instead of having rows and columns, they’re called records and fields. Also, Access stores data differently than in a spreadsheet. One table is created to track each kind of information to avoid redundancies.
7. Forms
Another neat feature in MS Access is forms. Forms let you view, enter and edit data one row at a time. A form typically includes command buttons and controls to complete other tasks such as sending data to another tool.
8. Reports
Reports offer a way to view, format and summarize information in your database. For example, you can create a simple report of addresses for your contacts, or an inventory report for the holiday season. You also have the option to use sorting, grouping and summarizing data in your reports.
9. Queries
A query is a request for data results. You can use a query to answer a question, perform calculations, combine data and more. In Access, queries are very versatile and let you pull information from various tables and assemble it for display in a report.
10. Modules
One last feature that we love about MS Access is a module. Modules are collections of declarations, statements and procedures that are stored together as a unit. Modules are similar to macros in the sense that they provide more functionality. You will have to use the VBA language to write modules.
Microsoft Access continues to be a reliable productivity tool for businesses. If your business requires MS Access, contact Arkware today. Our experts can help you make the most of the software so that your business can run most efficiently!
by noah | Jan 7, 2022 | Database
If your company works with a lot of data, it’s likely that you can benefit from a custom database application. Custom applications can be created around your company’s operations, with the goal of providing more efficient processes and superior data management.
When you work with Arkware, you can get a fully customized database solution that is perfect for your business. We’ll handle every detail – from the start of the project to the final implementation.
Below are some signs that your business may benefit from a custom database application.
Getting to your data takes a long time.
You may notice that accessing your data seems to take forever. Usually this happens because the database is older and hasn’t been optimized for the data you need to process. At the minimum, you need to update your database to meet your current needs. However, a better solution is to build a custom database application.
You can’t access your data in the ways that you want to.
Maybe you have to look in multiple places for your data. If it hasn’t been consolidated, your data will be difficult to manage. It’s also possible that your software isn’t letting you do the things that you want with your data. A custom database application will bring your data resources together and allow you to access it in new and creative ways.
Automating tasks isn’t possible.
Automation is important for your business because it allows you to be more efficient with your time. It also reduces errors and increases reliability. By updating your database, you can take advantage of automation features. For example, Microsoft Access lets you automate tasks using macros.
You want to access data from multiple places.
Custom database applications can be used on mobile devices, in addition to on-site computer systems. This allows you and your employees to access data from anywhere in the world, which is especially helpful if you have multiple offices or travel a lot. And with the right database, you can ensure that your data is always kept safe and secure.
There are plans to scale your business upwards.
A new database will be able to handle your changing demands by adding or removing resources. Unfortunately, an old and outdated database won’t have the capabilities to scale back and forth. But a new custom application will. Talk to your database developer about a highly scalable architecture.
A custom database application designed for your business will allow you to be more efficient, productive and successful. Contact Arkware for a free consultation and to learn about your options for a custom database built to your highest expectations.
