Ways to recover deleted files or folders

There is nothing as troubling as losing vital data on your computer hard drive, USB devices, and so on due to deletions by mistake.

The good news is that you can 100% recover your erased files. In this article, you will pick up some useful ways to manage and secure your data. Here are some ways to successfully recover deleted files.

Beneficial tips to effectively recover deleted files

It’s advisable to stop operating your computer and external storage devices when you lose data. The reason behind this is to protect and retrieve the lost files, also known as data recovery. To get your data back, right-click a folder then press delete. Because the system hides the data, it will remove its file directory and create free space for use. You will have to rebuild the file directory to recover your files.

The risk of using your device before recovering lost data deletes and overwrites previously erased files. When this happens, you won’t be able to recover data successfully. The risk of never recovering files is mainly caused by using a memory card, USB drive, or a hard drive that has less space.

Steps to recover deleted files

In case you erase a file or data by mistake from your device, you should immediately stop using the computer and begin data recovery procedure. Here are some of the ways to recover erased files.

1. Recovering deleted files using data recovery software

Sometimes you may want to recover exact copies of your erased files. In such a case, you may need a third-party data recovery software. There are tools such as disk drill, data rescue 5, testdisk, and so on, recommended for data retrieval in complicated cases like system crash, data retrieval from a virus attack, and more.

2. Recover deleted files from Windows Recycle Bin

In cases where you delete files from your computer and move them to the recycle bin makes the retrieval process easy. All you have to do is to open the recycle bin, trace, and select restore by right-clicking the files. The process will enable you to recover the deleted files back to their original place

3. Restoring older version of deleted and lost files

When your recycle bin is empty, and you need to recover files, try the older version of the erased data using a free backup. You will then restore the built features into Windows. For example, in Windows 7, start by clicking the start button, and navigate to a folder which has the file. Afterward, you will right-click the folder and select restore previous versions and choose the data that you want back.

However, in Windows 10/8.1/8, you will open the folder that has the erased file and click the history knob. You will then see the file history displayed in the folders recent backup. After that, click the previous knob to trace and retrieve the files you need. Lastly, click on the restore button to recover the data.

Preventing permanent data loss

IF you notice your hard drive making unfamiliar crushing, clicking, or whooshing sounds, then turn off your drive. Also, shut down your computer instantly. Such sounds indicate a problem with your hard disk, which can lead to complete data loss.

You can choose a trustworthy recovery firm to help you with recovering crucial data from damaged drives. Sometimes the most effortless recovery efforts could render your data irretrievable.

Conclusion

If you want to recover data, avoid home remedies you get from the web as they can be misleading at times. Although some info on the internet assures you of success, following them can indeed cause harm to your device like permanent data loss. Do not gamble with your data but rather seek help from professionals or use recovery software for data retrieval.

4 transaction safety precautions every business should follow

Every business tries to safeguard the transactions of its customers.

Whether you are using net banking or their credit card, it is your responsibility to make sure that customers feel safe whenever they share their account details.

With hackers trying to sneak through the security barriers, you need to be on your toes to keep them from stealing business and financial data. So, here are some of the payment security strategies you can employ in your business:

1) EVM compliance

Most debit and credit cards these days come with an EMV chip. This microchip technology, developed by MasterCard, Visa, and Europay provides secure payment transactions. Compared to the security of the magnetic stripe debit and credit cards, EVM cards are safer because they have cryptographic processing enabled.

Cryptographic processing helps to keep your card details safe from some of the talented identity thieves. Your company should migrate to accepting EVM cards as most banks are now stopping magnetic stripe cards. Most importantly, customers prefer to purchase from brands and stores that accept EVM cards because they feel that their transaction is more secure than before.

2) Get an LEI code

If your business trades in stocks, forex, bonds, etc. it is essential to have a legal entity identifier code. This unique identification code will connect your company’s transactions with its counterpart. It is almost like an end-to-end encryption system. Companies involved in the financial markets will connect all their transactions using this code so that no one can break into their accounts and tweak their passwords or account details. Many trading platforms are making LEI compulsory for companies. They won’t let you trade if you don’t have an LEI code.

3) Tokenization

Many customers prefer not to share any sensitive information like account details with anyone. Thanks to tokenization, you can comply with what they want. This security feature doesn’t require you to store confidential information on your operating system. In fact, it sends minimal information like transaction IDs or authorization codes in the form of a randomly generated string of numbers and characters. You can link them back to their original data only when the customer authorizes it.

For example, when a customer wants to pay for a product online, he/she gets a one-time password. This is usually a string of characters they need to type in the payment box to confirm the purchase. Unless they authorize the payment, you can’t complete the transaction. 

4) PCI standards

The Data Security Standard introduced the Payment Card Industry to make sure businesses and customers follow a regulatory framework when it comes to handling debit and credit cards. Data breaches became a massive concern in many countries, and this widespread problem helped bring strict PCI standards. Non-compliance will only invite significant fines from MasterCard and Visa, the top members of the credit card association. So, you are not just helping your business but also your customers from fraudulent transactions.

A combination of the above-mentioned safety precautions will make sure that your business is in good hands when it comes to the safety and security of transactions.

It’s the right time to embrace the cloud accounting for SMEs

In the age of rapid technological growth, times are changing, and this doesn’t exclude how businesses work.

As mobile technology evolves, our requirements for accessibility changes too, meaning running a business from a central, stationary, hub, is no longer a necessity, or even convenient. These days, being able to travel and remain connected is an integral aspect of modern life, both personally and professionally.

An estimated 70% of all workers now work from home at least once a week, while it is estimated that, in just a few years, 40% of all workforces will do so remotely. The shift from working on site is in full progress, and at this moment, it’s the right time to embrace the cloud accounting for all SMEs.

What is the cloud accounting?

If you’re unfamiliar with the cloud, what you need to know is that, in essence, it is simply an online resource for the storage and access of data and programs. In the same way, you access information on your localized hard-drive, the cloud allows you to do so online. Therefore, you can access and use any cloud compatible software using any device that has internet connectivity, anywhere in the world.

The reason the cloud is different is that it facilitates for shared data to reach all intended people with access immediately, in real time, with a user-friendly interface. The cloud accounting integrates this superior accessibility with familiar accounting software, like QuickBooks 2019 Desktop, offering you quick, shareable, up to date information, and an improved overview of your current finances. 

Is the cloud safe?

Managing your business accounts online may sound like a risk, however, you’ve more than likely already had experience using something similar if you’ve ever used internet banking. Information stored in the cloud is only accessible with personal account information and is otherwise encrypted for your protection. Here’s some essential  cloud storage solutions you would want to look into to boost small business.

In many ways, data stored with the cloud is safer than on your hard-drive, as your information is not vulnerable or at risk from device theft or damage. Online sharing and accessibility remove the need for physical file sharing, like with USB drives, email, etc, so data is at less risk of being copied and falling into the wrong hands. With your data being stored and accessed online eliminates the need to make copies and gives you greater control over who has access. 

How can any SME benefit from the cloud accounting?

Aside from the greater security of your data, there are many ways in which the cloud accounting can benefit SMEs. If you’re considering utilizing the cloud and integrating QuickBooks 2019 Desktop, or any other accounting software, we have listed just some of the improvements it can make within your business below.

• It is cost effective.

As managing your accounts with cloud compatible software is provided via a subscription service, all the maintenance costs are upfront. There are no potential unexpected fees or additional charges for customer support, software updates, etc, as all aspects are managed by the service provider remotely.

• It is time effective.

As software changes, upgrades, and maintenance are all managed online, it saves you all the time you’d usually spend downloading and installing programs to keep your system up to date with traditional software. This allows you to reinvest your time better in other aspects of your business, or even your personal life.

• It offers flexible accessibility.

The flexible access afforded to you by online accessibility means the opportunities are endless. With the cloud accounting, you can manage your business at work, from home, or wherever you need to be in the world.

In addition, the ability to share data across any device with internet connectivity, allowing for multiple users to access the same data simultaneously, improves productivity and collaboration. The cloud will contain all up to date information pertaining to your business in one place, with an easy to use operating system, both fully customizable and manageable.

How to find the best SEO consultant in London

With Google’s increasing popularity, businesses have started looking for expert SEO services.

They have come to realise that owning a website isn’t enough to prosper in today’s highly competitive market.

That website has to be easily accessible for people to see the products and services your company offers. And this implies that it should ‘rank’ high in terms of the keywords as well as key phrases that explain what your business does and offers. Investing in search engine optimization (SEO) is the only sure way to achieve this.

Of course, not all SEO is the same. The SEO for local businesses may vary greatly from that of a global brand. So, you ought to hire an excellent SEO consultant in London if you want to enjoy the best business experience.

The Importance of Local SEO

There are numerous reasons why a local business will want to invest in SEO, especially if it’s well-established online.

Most consumers (over 86%) use the internet for searching and accessing local businesses. And 29% look for local enterprises online at least once per week.

72% claim that search is their favorite method for accessing information about local merchants. Research shows that local searches lead most people to visit a company within 24 hours.

From these data, you can clearly see that no matter what your company offers, it’s still very important that it establishes a strong online presence. With the right SEO consultant in London, you can easily achieve that. But what are the things you should be looking for? Here are a few pointers:

1. Flexible, efficient, and up to date. SEO keeps changing all the time. And a reliable SEO expert in London should have the capacity to cope up with those changes and deliver reliable solutions.
2. Honest and transparent. Good SEO consultants keep their clients updated about all their intentions. Because it’s your company’s reputation that’s at stake, it’s crucial that you work with a trusted partner. The Agency should be effective, ethical, and able to represent your brand in a positive manner.

How to Choose a Dependable SEO Company: Pro Tips

With countless SEO companies now flooding the market, it can be quite daunting to pick the right one. But with the following tips, it can be simpler finding the right agency for your business.

• Set Your Goals. To get the best SEO team, you need to pinpoint the specific areas you want to improve. For instance, you may need an entirely new website or just some SEO upgrades. A good agency will provide data on the most beneficial areas of focus.
• Data Tracking Capability. Settle for an SEO firm that’s capable of tracking and measuring all your company’s data- from phone calls, site visits, and contact forms to click through rates.
• Reviews as well as Case Studies.One of the most effective ways to identify a reputable SEO agency is to check their testimonials plus online reviews. You can explore the company’s website or search them on sites such as Google and Yelp.
• Budget is Key. Plan your budget ahead to avoid getting trapped in something you can’t afford. Most companies will provide several monthly packages for you to choose from. Pick something affordable that’ll make your life easier.

From data to diversification

Apple’s recent decision to launch a new credit card and streaming service has been interpreted as an attempt to strengthen its services business in the face of falling global iPhone sales.

But is the firm’s decision to diversify destined to succeed and should other businesses pursuing growth in maturing or shifting markets follow its example?

Apple is not new to diversification. The company has a track record of diversifying to improve its performance and drive shareholder value. Once a computer hardware manufacturer, Apple Computer became Apple Inc in 2007, marking its focus on consumer electronics. More recently the company has been seeking to re-educate shareholders that instead of tracking global iPhone sales, they should be focusing on the projected growth figures for its services business – as this is where it believes the real growth opportunity lies.

Even with a strong list of partners, the company’s decision to become a content curator is not without risk. It will take time and money to develop a catalogue of high-quality news programmes, drama series, documentaries and films that will appeal to its global customer base.

In the meantime, established players such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are competing for consumers’ eyeballs and already offering user-friendly, competitively-priced services. However, with record revenue generated by Apple’s services business in Q2 2019, it is clear that the potential rewards are considerable.

The key to de-risking any move to diversify lies in good quality data and knowing how to use it. In Apple’s case, the business has a ready-made market for its credit card and streaming service and through a process of consumer market testing by profile, content type, territory and device, it can predict demand for its diversified offering with some degree of certainty. This data can be used to plot a roll-out plan that is geared to optimising returns while mitigating financial risk and protecting enterprise value.

Not all businesses opt to diversify for the same reason. Some are seeking growth in a market that is maturing rapidly or where regulations or other restrictions are limiting the company’s growth potential. Others want to de-risk their business model by investing in a variety of products or services, rather than just one. Whatever the motivation, a structured, data-driven process will improve their chances of success.

Research by Harvard Business School indicates that 95% of all new consumer products fail to achieve their commercial objectives. Many are dropped before reaching the market and others shortly after market entry. The later the decision to draw a line under the new product development (NPD) process, the more collateral damage is likely to have been done to the company’s financial performance and enterprise value. With the odds stacked against them, what can businesses do to de-risk their plans to diversify?

Move to an ‘adjacent square’

Rather than taking a leap into the unknown, the decision to diversify should be a calculated step into an ‘adjacent square’ where the business can leverage its existing expertise or tap into a known market. Achieving the right balance of proximity and stretch will enable the business to leverage its scope and scale to the fullest extent, while driving performance and controlling risks. For example, Amazon’s decision to launch its own fashion lines, instead of simply providing a platform for third-party sellers, was an example of vertical integration – a step designed to seize more margin and increase control. Alternatively, a horizontal step could take a business into an unknown market where it could apply some existing expertise or know-how.

Test the market

To mitigate risk when pursuing diversification, the business must be certain about whether there is market demand for any new product or service development. Just because a competitor is making strong profits from a specific activity doesn’t automatically mean that launching a rival product or service would achieve the same success. A detailed and analytical approach to market testing is required to ensure there is market demand to support the business case for diversification.

Get data-ready to diversify

Before deciding to diversify, a business should make sure it fully understands where value lies in its existing business model and where it will come from in the future. Such insights are critical when deciding how to leverage the scope and scale of the business. When preparing a business case for diversification, it is important to have a clear understanding of what success and failure might look like in terms of financial data at key points in the roll-out plan. Before making any move, it may be necessary to take a step back and ensure the business is data-ready to diversify, with access to reliable centralised data.

Roy Williams, co-founder and managing partner at management consultancy, Vendigital.

The importance of having a Seedbox and why you need one In 2019

There are many ways to download information and media from the Internet in 2019, from streaming services to downloading from the cloud.

Torrenting data, though, is still one of the most used methods for downloading files onto your machine. The issue is that recently, Internet service providers have begun increasing restrictions on finding and using BitTorrent clients. There are valid reasons for this move. Privacy is a real threat when torrenting data as it’s relatively simple to access the information of seeders that have downloaded a file.

With your IP address, you can be tracked down and are at risk of further data breaches. There are also other limitations to downloading files using your local server, including the significant amount of bandwidth that can be used for downloading and seeding files.

To solve these issues, Seedboxes are commonly used now. Seedboxes are dedicated remote servers based in the cloud that have been set up specifically for torrenting files, and if you’re a regular user of torrents, then having a dedicated seedbox is definitely a good idea.

Increasing your download speeds

With Seedbox, you’re able to sign up and use the service provider’s remote servers rather than their local servers to maximize the speed of downloads. The best versions have a bandwidth of up to 1 GB per second and can handle up to 3 TB of information. If you’re downloading big high-quality files, this extra bandwidth will maximize how quickly you can get your files onto your PC.

Hiding your data

Moving onto privacy, these downloads can then not be easily traced back to the user as Seedboxes use VPNs to hide your location. The combination results in an IP that can’t be tracked back any further than the server of the Seedbox and no geographic data being shared. You also get other benefits from the VPNs that Seedboxes use. VPNs hide your geographic data, meaning you may be able to access websites and files that have been blocked by your Internet service provider or government.

Managing your ISP

If you’re on an Internet data plan with capped limits on how much data you can download per month, then Seedboxes are a great option. All the data being transferred goes through the server of the Seedbox rather than through your local data. This means you can download a huge amount of data without having your data being cut off or limited.

Affordable depending on your needs

There are two kinds of Seedboxes – shared and dedicated. Shared Seedboxes allow multiple people to pay a fraction of the price, but will also require that they share the bandwidth of the server. This may mean slower download speeds than that of a dedicated Seedbox. Shared Seedboxes can start at only $10, meaning they are very affordable. Dedicated Seedboxes mean you can access the full bandwidth of the server, but at a cost. The necessity of this depends on your personal needs, so be sure to look around for the best option for you.

Why you need SD Card recovery plans

You never think about something that is small and a part of your phone or computer like an SD card. However, when you lose your files you are going to be in a panic.

An SD card is a small device that fits into your phone or your computer and allows you to record media and to share it. If you are doing a lot of videos, it is important to make sure that you are working on a device that has a plan in place for your SD Card data recovery.

Why Would I Be Thinking About Videos?

Videos make up a lot of the content that is being posted by companies these days. That can be training videos, or marketing videos. What is important to note is that the content is being created for the purpose of sharing it with followers and social media or employees.

If the files have been removed it is impossible to be able to have access to that content. In addition to that, the content must be available for later use. How many times have you created content and then walked away and forgotten about it? I am sure that it has been quite a bit of times. You need to have the content and the media that you need available at your fingertips.

You can do that if you have a proper plan in place to ensure that all your data is being handled. You need to check out the solution and the amazing dashboard from iSkysoft data recovery.

Memory card recovery is very simple when you have a solution already thought out. There is nothing worse than losing critical data that is going to ensure that you no longer going to have any issues with recovery.

What Can Cause Data Loss on a SD Card?

You can lose data in ways you never thought possible such as:

1. Malware Issues: Malware can strike at any moment and cause bad memory loss on your cards. You never know when you are going to have an attack and that means that you may end up not being able to recover your files. It is very important to ensure that you have a plan in place for handling these issues. You must have a recovery system at hand.
2. File Issues: You never know when there is going to be a corruption with a file and that means that you need to have a system to fix issues with your files.
3. Improper Use of your SD Card; Your card is very small and it can lead to a lot of issues of you do not have a plan in place. It must never been underestimated the flimsy nature and the small nature of the cards or you will lose important information.
4. Accidental Formatting: When you are running an upgrade on your system you may possibly accidentally format your device. You need to ensure that you have a plan in place that will allow you to revert it back to an earlier version is this is going to be an issue for you.
5. Other Issues With Your Card: If you live in an area that is very wet or very hot, there are many other issues as well that you might experience in terms of the card not having information that is recoverable on it available to you. Because the files may no longer be there.

What Can You Do About SD Video Card Recovery?

You need to have a software solution that puts the control back in your hands. You want to be able to recover and access your files in your moment of need. You need to have a quick and easy system that has all the issues that could go wrong solved with a few clicks. This is one of those tools that will allow you to recover your media files from any reason that they were lost as well as any format. By taking a few minutes and familiarizing yourself with all the options you will be aware of the potential.

As a Business You Cannot Forget Your Needs for Backups

No one thinks about data missing until it is gone. That is a big problem. Data needs to be available to you in the moment that it is needed. That means that a plan needs to be in place to recover every aspect of it going missing or there will be no solution in the long term. Take control of your business and have a plan for your data backups. Also know that you will not have to wait around for the IT department to help you with the process when you are ready to recover the data you lost check out the solutions you have to keep your SD Card data.

Photo by Mark Solarski on Unsplash

The ICO fines British Airways & Marriott should businesses be worried?

Earlier this month the UK’s data protection regulator – the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – hit the headlines by announcing its intention to impose £283m in total in fines in quick succession.

First, British Airways (£183.39m) then Marriott International (£99.2m) – both due to cyber/IT security incidents where customer personal data was compromised.

Since 25 May 2018 when the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect data protection experts have been anxiously waiting to see what fines the ICO would levy under the GDPR . The ICO now has the power to potentially levy fines of the greater of Euro 20m or 4% of group worldwide turnover – far above the previous cap of £500,000.  And now we have two whopping intended fines.  Yet a sense of perspective is needed.

Firstly, such fines are only “intended” fines at this stage – the ICO may reduce them after hearing representations from the companies concerned.

Secondly, whilst we don’t yet have the full rationale for the fines it seems reasonable to assume that the fines will be higher than the fines the ICO itself would impose just in the UK.  This is because in these two cases the ICO is acting as the “lead supervisory authority” under the GDPR and so is representing the interests of other EU/EEA data protection authorities as well.

Thirdly, these appear to be very serious incidents at large corporates involving significant numbers of customers and taking place over an extended period of time with the risk of serious prejudice to those affected – so the fines were always going to be significant.

In Marriott International’s case the problem arose due to IT systems that were originally part of the Starwood hotels group acquired by Marriott in 2016.  It took Marriott until 2018 to discover the incident (which had its origins in a 2014 compromise of Starwood’s systems) and the ICO found that Marriott failed to undertake sufficient due diligence when it bought Starwood and should also have done more to secure its systems.

In BA’s case the cyber incident was notified to the ICO by BA in September 2018. Personal data of approximately 500,000 customers were compromised in this incident, which is believed to have begun in June 2018.  The ICO’s investigation found that a variety of information was compromised by poor security arrangements at the company, including log in, payment card, and travel booking details as well as name and address information.

Nevertheless, the days of a £500,000 cap on data protection fines are now well and truly over.  Also it’s not just fines that should concentrate the mind – there’s the reputational damage, the legal and administrative costs in dealing with the matter and perhaps most ominously the threat of class action data breach lawsuits on behalf of affected data subjects.  If significant numbers of data subjects are affected the claims here can easily outstrip the level of any fines.

Implications for business

As we await to see how these two cases proceed some initial conclusions can be drawn.

Don’t assume you can pass the blame onto others: the fact you’ve suffered a cyber/IT security incident caused by the criminal behaviour of others (as it appears Marriott and BA did) doesn’t necessarily get you off the hook – did you put in place appropriate procedures to help prevent, detect and then swiftly respond to and contain such an attack? – if you failed in your duty of care you will have to face the consequences.  Businesses need to take IT security very seriously and to embed this into how employees behave as well – frequently human error or worse will be responsible, not necessarily just a technical failure.

Respond immediately: If you are affected by a cyber or other “personal data breach” contact the ICO immediately where the law requires this (any breach of any substance will inevitably require this). Ensure you promptly assess the risk to those individuals affected and notify them as well where the law requires this or where it is sensible to do so (e.g. to mitigate damage to those involved) and provide full cooperation to the ICO throughout. Take immediate steps to contain and then stop the incident.  This will also help in mitigation of any fine.

Buyer beware: If you acquire another business you need to carry out robust GDPR and IT security due diligence to ensure you do not inherit a problem.

Don’t neglect compliance: take GDPR compliance seriously, be prepared for the worst and ensure you have appropriate technical and organisational security measures in place to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk, and regularly test the measures in place.

Review or take out appropriate insurance cover: this is not a panacea but there are an increasing number of products available.

Learn from your mistakes:it is likely most businesses will suffer some sort of personal data breach or cyber/IT security incident at some point – not necessarily major. It is imperative to learn from the experience and prevent a repeat.

Preparing for CRM so implementation delivers business objectives

Getting CRM right is a tough task – one that requires a substantial amount of time, effort and commitment. 

From experience, I know this to be true. I also know that this investment is a sure fire way to ensuring that your CRM implementation ultimately delivers against anticipated business objectives.

Unfortunately, all too often CRM project teams take their eyes off the main prize. Unsurprisingly, it’s easy to become overly distracted by the technology aspects of the CRM solution itself – comparing feature sets and undertaking deep dives into the respective offering of individual vendors, for example.

But without first understanding what’s important for your organisation – selecting the right solution for your needs or measuring ROI post implementation is going to be a big challenge.

From the outset, what’s needed is a methodical plan. 

As Winston Churchill famously said, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail” – and that’s especially true when it comes to plotting your path to CRM.

Step 1    Build your team

Whatever you call it – a steering group or project team – you’ll need to include cross functional representatives from every group that will ultimately use the system. That means sales, marketing, customer support, customer service, management, IT and finance. These key business users will provide those all important insights on what’s needed – and what will work and what won’t.

Make sure you have an executive sponsor who is a board level member. Getting senior management buy in will be essential to maintaining organisation-wide visibility and back up.

Appoint a project manager who will manage all communications internally and externally and coordinate activities between team members.

Finally, nominate a CRM administrator who will oversee the IT side of things – licensing, client installs, tech support – and all things data – data entry protocols, importing leads, global updates to records.

Step 2    Define your vision

With the team assembled, you’re ready to start defining your CRM strategy and vision. 

This might include helping sales people easily close and manage opportunities, running and tracking the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, or the provision of better service for customers.

Having defined your objectives, set down the specific and measurable goals that will enable you to see how you’re performing against these goals; for example – 90% of all service calls will be responded to within a two hour SLA.

Step 3    Prioritise your CRM goals

Maximise your chances of success by initiating a phased CRM implementation, putting areas you’ve identified as offering easy quick wins top of the list.

Being realistic, structured and orderly will pay dividends and ensure that resources aren’t over stretched in the early phases of your go live. Get sales teams up and running first with the CRM system and once everything is running smoothly here – roll out to your service or post sales teams.

Step 4    Map your processes

Undertake a formal analysis of your processes and identify potential pain points and exceptions – for example, do you treat phone leads and web leads differently? 

Create process maps and evaluate these with stakeholders – what could be improved or automated?

Mapping current and intended processes helps eliminate ambiguities and will help with the creation of templates that ensure your CRM platform is tailored to the exact needs of users.

Step 5    Data fields

Think about the forms and data fields that will be required – what data do you need to track on each type of CRM record? For the sales function this may include product range, line item, time frames (start/end dates), allocated sales person, sales stage and so forth.

Try not to over engineer at this point as over complication can create a barrier to user adoption. As Einstein elegantly put it “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Focus on the minimum requirement to achieve your goals.

Step 6    Identify your data sources

Don’t underestimate how much time this will take. Just for starters, you’ll need to consider:

• What data needs to be imported – where is it currently stored?
• Which departments already have data bases – what format is it in?
• Which record types do we need to consider?
• How much historical data do we want to include – is it worth it?
• Do we have a budget for data cleansing and de-duping – who is going to do this? 

Creating a trial import for validation purposes will be crucial.

Step 7    Integration

Integration with backend systems is a sure fire way to boost ROI. Integrating your order management, accounting and shipping systems will make it easy to deal with customer queries in one streamlined call, for example.

You can also use integrations to push data from your CRM system to other areas of the business – for example, the automated creation of a customer record in the accounts system when a new customer comes on board. Or synchronise your CRM with a third party email marketing solution provider. CRM data integration solutions abound, it’s a matter of thinking about the right one for your business needs.

Step 8    Security and data visibility

Your organisational structure will influence who can see what information and how data is shared across the business. For example, you’ll need to make decisions about how much data you want regional divisions or independent business units to be able to view or share? 

Similarly, how much access to data will you award individual user roles?

Want to find out more about how to plan for CRM?

Regardless of whether your CRM initiative is going to support 10 or 1000 users, your CRM strategy will make the difference between failure and success. I’ve just covered a few of the steps you’ll need to take when planning for CRM – but don’t despair. To help you brainstorm exactly what’s involved, why not watch my video to get more useful ideas.

Equifax to $700m in data breach fine in US

Equifax has agreed to pay up to $700 million to settle American investigations into a huge data breach two years ago, an amount that dwarfs the £500,000 fine imposed by Britain’s data protection watchdog.

Federal and state agencies said that Equifax “engaged in unfair and deceptive practices” in connection with the breach, which affected about 147 million people. It is one of the largest known breaches in terms of people affected.

Equifax, one of the “big three” credit reporting agencies alongside Experian and Trans Union, collects credit data on about 800 million people. The company revealed in September 2017 that its computer network had been hacked and information including names, addresses, dates of birth and social security numbers had been stolen. About 15 million accounts linked to UK residents were affected by the hack. In September last year, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office fined Equifax £500,000, the largest penalty it was allowed to impose. The agency is now able to impose larger penalties after a change in the law.

The US settlement was agreed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, 48 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. They accused Equifax of “failing to provide reasonable security for the massive quantities of sensitive personal information stored within its computer network, causing substantial injury to consumers whose data was stolen” and “deceiving consumers about the strength of its data security programme”.

Letitia James, the New York attorney-general, said: “Equifax put profits over privacy and greed over people, and must be held accountable to the millions of people they put at risk. This company’s ineptitude, negligence and lax security standards endangered the identities of half the US population.”

Joe Simons, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, said: “Companies that profit from personal information have an extra responsibility to protect and secure that data. Equifax failed to take basic steps that may have prevented the breach.”

Mark Begor, chief executive of Equifax, said that the settlement was a “positive step”. In its last quarterly report, Equifax said that it had set aside $690 million to cover the penalties.

Equifax shares, down 2 per cent since the breach emerged, rose $0.74, or 0.6 per cent, at $138.04 by midday in New York, valuing the company at $16.7 billion.

Embracing AI: Where to start on your path to digital transformation

The term ‘Artificial Intelligence’(AI) evokes mixed reactions – from fear of the unknown to excitement about the possibilities this new technology has to offer.

Whatever your views on AI, the sooner you and your business start to embrace it, the sooner you will see where the positives lie and how to use it to improve business efficiency and drive innovation.It’s relevant for SMEs just as much as larger enterprises.

Amyn Jaffer, Head of Intelligent Automation, Ultima explains that many companies are, understandably, unsure of where to start when it comes to introducing AI. You may also be among those wondering what exactly AI means and how it could make a positive difference to your business.

AI can be defined as an area of computer science that emphasises the creation of intelligent machines that work and react like humans. It’s a very broad term for a wide range of technologies and capabilities which can have a profound impact on organisations in any vertical. This broad scope often makes it hard to establish which aspects of AI are likely to suit any particular business or scenario, but starting with one of its simpler forms is the best approach.

The benefits of process automation

Intelligent Automation (IA) is the use of Robotic process automation (RPA) software with artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to handle high-volume, repeatable tasks that previously required humans to perform them. These tasks can include queries, calculations and maintenance of records and transactions.

As well as being relatively simple to implement, using software robots is both affordable and effective, making it an ideal place for any SME to startits path to digital transformation. And the potential benefits are impressive.

Take, for example, an HR department.Here, Intelligent Automation can be used for processing applications and absence management, as well as ensuring that each company department has the same information about each employee without the typical challenges of multiple system records.With these tasks managed in an automated manner, the HR team is free to focus on the more strategic aspects of their roles.

As another example, Intelligent Automation can be used to simplify the process of reporting on credit for thousands of customers. In one case, a retailer reduced reporting time by 91%, creating savings of more than £100k, by using a ‘virtual worker’ to produce credit reports.

Any large-scale activities or groups of repetitive tasks that draw on or feed information into multiple systems are also candidates for intelligent automation. In practice, this could mean using cognitive services such as text and sentiment analysis to process and respond to natural language text within formats such as emails, documents and live webchats. The aim is to extract data from these sources without the need for human intervention.

Contact centres are simplifying the service agent process by using Natural Language Processing (NLP) to extract key information from emails and messaging chats, allowing their agents to focus on providing the best experience for their customers. Similarly, speech recognition software can be used to answer the phone and respond automatically to customers as software robots are capable of analysing calls and finding the right information to help the caller. The robots gather the required information in milliseconds, making the service more efficient so that real people can deal with more challenging customer services issues.

Cognitive services can also be used to improve business efficiency through visual recognition. One company is using this technology to tag information in photographs – a task that would take hundreds of man-hours to do, but just seconds with cognitive services.

The next level: intelligent data analytics

With these processes in place, companies can move towards introducing more sophisticated AIto mine their data and start to ask questions of that data that will deliver unique business insights. By automatically collecting and sifting through vast amounts of data and then training robots to make sense of the data by asking the data pertinent questions, you can start to solve the problems that have been keeping you up at night. For example, analysing your customer data to establish insights into how different things affect your customers’ purchasing decisions can give real business benefits and drive innovations in how you supply and market your goods.

Ultimately, we’re all likely to have a ‘virtual worker’ by our sides helping us to do our jobs, cutting out mundane, repetitive tasks and freeing us up to be more creative and focus on business goals and innovation. To reach this stage the right foundations need to be in place,and the adoption of Intelligent Automation is the best place to start.

Not only is it simple to implement in many processes throughout most SMEs, software robots also provide positive, short-term ROI which is good for demonstrating to boards the tremendous potential of AI. We’re just at the beginning of the intelligent transformation journey- join in and make your company’s future bright.

Learn where to start a career that focuses on data analysis

If you want to be professionally successful, a good idea is to invest in data science. With the amount of information generated every day, these professionals are increasingly needed by companies, because it helps to make more informed and informed decisions.

Data scientists are professionals who are responsible for making the company useful for a large number of structured and unstructured data that is always available through the internet.

This tempting career requires a candidate with a variety of skills and requirements, but the question is: how do you enter this profession? In this post, we will outline the key steps you must take to build a successful career in data analysis.

So, what if you know where to start? See tips from now!

Market Trends for Data Scientists

The job market lacks data scientists – even careers that are qualified by the World Economic Forum and released by infoMoney as one of the most relevant in 2020.

According to IBM, the demand for people with data scientists will increase by 28 percent by 2020. This function, which previously existed only in innovative companies that wanted to stand out in the marketplace, became a necessity for businesses to remain competitive. This fact explains the gradual increase in the demand for people with these skills and what contributes to the growth of professions and training courses.

Professional profile with training data scientists

In addition to looking for insights into large volumes of data and translating them into business languages, traders must be able to use the most sophisticated data mining and visualization tools available. In addition, manage and handle this large amount of information through:

Exploration analysis;
Data visualization
Machine Learning;
Deep learning;
Combining predictive modelling, among the other skills we will highlight below.

Skills that must be developed

Professionals who will act as data scientists need to have basic skills. Among others are:

Mathematics

Data scientists work with numbers: problem solving, statistics, probabilities, Sigma Notation, Bayesian Inference, among other subjects related to mathematics.

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During large database manipulations and analyzes – you need to run your own tools and solutions for this activity and programming languages, such as Python and R, are present in almost all databases and also include SQL, MatLab, MongoDB and Spark.

English

This is not a mandatory requirement to qualify during the training of a data scientist, but having knowledge in languages ​​can be a great competitive advantage.

Creativity

The purpose of being a data scientist is to uncover insight and produce intelligence. Creativity is also relevant because it allows professionals to anticipate business needs, especially those that have not been done by any segment.

Logical thinking

Logical thinking is another thing that is relevant because it helps to analyze and streamline the learning process in Data Science. Finally, it is necessary to have abilities with numbers, because they are used in different aspects, including in machine learning algorithms, in-depth learning and statistics, which are important parts of Data Science.

Storytelling

Finally, it is worth creating data storytelling skills – because it helps to transform collected items into elements for visual narratives and facilitates decision making – and data mining, a process that identifies relevant information to gain knowledge about the business, product or competition.