"When you stay on purpose and refuse to be discouraged by fear, you align with the infinite self, in which all possibilities exist."
- Wayne Dyer
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Horseshoe Casino Event
"Take The Safe Bet"
Learn about the safe bets for your business at the exciting annual Lunch and Learn at the Horseshoe Casino. Lunch, Technology and Instructional Gaming!
Secure Mobile Learning
Cisco Secure BYOD / Mobile
Please attend this Information Hour at the Wise Owl in West Chester, OH. Learn more about the BYOD movement and how it is revolutionizing the way K-12 access and share information, within and beyond school walls.
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4 Things to Consider Before Upgrading to Windows 10
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We all know that Windows 10 is the hot new operating system released by Microsoft this past July, with slick new features and (gasp!) the Start menu. We've been writing a lot of articles about how great and functional the new operating system is. Keep in mind that Windows 10 is a great operating system, but you should also take note of these four shortcomings when considering whether you should immediately upgrade or not.
Privacy Controversy
One of the biggest problems that most users have with Windows 10 is how the default settings are set to provide certain information to Cortana and Microsoft, in exchange for enhanced services and features.
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With so much nasty content just begging to get viewed on the Internet, it's understandable why a content filter needs to be integrated into your company's web viewing protocol. Still, it should be understood that your content filter isn't going to keep all questionable content away from prying eyes. Therefore, the only way you can really know with certainty that your Internet users aren't doing anything sketchy is to actively monitor their activity, and check for any suspicious websites.
You might think that your content filter is more than enough to ensure your business's Internet traffic stays sketch-free, but the fact of the matter is that your content filter is only good enough to keep out most of the bad stuff. Your organization needs to accept that a user who's determined to find a way around your content filter will probably do so, and you need to count on that to happen. It's the only way you can know for certain whether or not questionable content is being accessed on your network.
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"Do you think this is a game?" In the past, a boss may have
 used this line to criticize an employee for not taking their job seriously. However, in today's more creative work environments, many companies are using game mechanics to achieve their goals. This business strategy is called gamification, and it's the most fun way to get work done.
Take a Risk with Gamification
Gamification motivates people by drawing from a person's desire for achievement and competition. Turing a goal into a game can be done with common tasks like employee training and even project completion. Gamification can also be used to get customers more engaged with your product or service. When customers engage your company as they would a competitive game, brand loyalty increases and you're provided with valuable feedback that can be used to improve marketing efforts, productivity, and customer service.
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Millennials may be looked down upon in the average workplace for a number of reasons that are entirely subjective, whether it be that they're "spoiled rotten" or "just
 plain rude." But in today's workplace based around technology, millennials have a huge advantage and have even given long-time CIOs a run for their money when it comes to technology management.
Venki Rao, the CIO of General Electric's digital energy division, has seen this first-hand. He discovered this fact four years ago at GE's IT Leadership Program, where he realized that millennials had a lot to offer the older generation of workers. In terms of new technologies, mobile apps, and social media, millennials have the upper hand. The reason for this is simply that millennials have literally grown up with technology in their hands, and they have grown to understand it in a way that Gen X'ers and baby boomers would be jealous of.
Rao (not a millennial) realized this distinction in the millennial generation and came to the conclusion that millennials should work together with the older generation to collaborate and innovate in their respective industries. He experimented with letting interns reverse-mentor himself, and soon afterward, he put a program in place which let his other 18 senior staff members take part in the same kind of training. He argues that this practice allows executives to learn what makes millennials tick, and that's important for the future--when millennials will make up most of the workforce and will have to be managed by knowledgeable executives.
Other companies, such as the well-known network component manufacturer Cisco, have also experimented with this idea, and found that Rao's ideas were, in fact, true. Cisco's 55-year-old vice president Lance Perry has spent time with a group of millennial mentors to learn more about social media and blogging and found it substantially beneficial to both parties involved. It even led to increased productivity in the workplace.
If a reverse-mentoring program sounds like something you would be interested in integrating into your business, you can try these following tips:
- Identify where your executives could use the most help. If you know what parts of technology have your senior staff itching to learn more, you can better concentrate on that.
- Make sure your millennial mentor candidates are able to work with the senior staff. In other words, make sure that your candidates are of a quality breed. If your business employs interns, you might be able to get them in on the experience.
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