Computerware Blog

Self-service checkout registers are incredibly popular with Gen Z, and while there are differing opinions on them and their impact on the workforce, there’s no denying that they are here to stay. That said, there is much discussion on whether or not biometric payment processing would make for a more efficient method of checkout. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t, and it’s not welcome for either consumers or organizations.

Downtime in a business context can be considered a "business predator" because it can have detrimental effects on a company's operations, profitability, and overall success. Downtime refers to the period during which a business' critical systems, processes, or equipment are not functioning as intended. Here are some reasons why downtime is often seen as a threat to businesses.

Financial Impact

Downtime can result in significant financial losses. When key revenue-generating systems or production processes are unavailable, businesses may lose sales, incur extra expenses, or face penalties for failing to meet contractual obligations. Downtime can also prevent a business from pursuing new opportunities or responding to market changes. In a rapidly evolving market, missing out on opportunities can have long-term consequences, and can be the difference between business growth and stagnation.

Operational Impact

Downtime leads to decreased productivity as employees cannot perform their tasks efficiently. This results in wasted time, missed deadlines, and a drop in overall output. In cases where downtime is due to data loss or system failures, it can result in the loss of critical information, which can be difficult or impossible to recover. This can have severe consequences for businesses, especially when it comes to sensitive or irreplaceable data. Frequent downtime can demoralize employees who must deal with the frustration and stress of interrupted work. Low morale can lead to higher turnover rates and decreased employee engagement.

Customer Impact

Prolonged or frequent downtime can do significant damage to a company's reputation. Customers and partners may perceive the business as unreliable, which can be challenging to overcome. Also, these unfortunate companies may find it challenging to compete effectively in markets with companies that show better reliability.

If you struggle with downtime, you can do better. If you don’t, you need to ensure that continues. The IT professionals at Computerware can help. We can introduce you to technologies and strategies that are designed specifically to reduce downtime and improve operational efficiency. Get a professional perspective by calling (703) 821-8200 today.

Generally speaking, each new iteration of any given operating system will offer some enhancements and improvements to the user’s experience, often via new features. iOS 17, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, is no exception. Let’s go over some of these new features now.

Organizing your business for better efficiency is crucial for maximizing productivity, reducing costs, and achieving your goals. Here are some best practices to help you organize your business effectively.

Inefficiency can be a real killer for a business’ ability to take in revenue, but sometimes it seems like this lack of continuity can be unavoidable. It isn’t. Technology can go a long way toward helping you build more efficient processes. In this week’s blog, we discuss a couple of key pieces of technology used by many small businesses to keep their processes streamlined.

Every organization is always looking for an advantage. Integrating technology can make a lot of difference as you try to build operational efficiency. Not only can technology bring speed to your business, it can bring reliability that is impossible through analog means. This month, we will discuss ways that technology can bring additional efficiencies. 

Your business should always strive to prevent interruptions and issues related to operations. With the right technology and appropriate management of it, you will find that you experience far fewer of them. Let’s examine some strategies you can use that will help you build better processes and how technology can aid in this.

It certainly is not unusual for businesses to move in the direction of “green” technologies, not just because they are better for the environment, but also because they are simply better for operations. Let’s go over some of the technologies your small business can implement to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by green technology.

Your business relies on its profits and continued profitability to succeed, but this priority is surprisingly challenging. By investing in a managed service provider, however, you can gain a considerable advantage while improving your productivity, thus resulting in increased profits for your business.

Even the most lucrative businesses never have enough capital and resources to do everything they would like to do. Whether it’s paying an unexpected bill or purchasing something you truly need, there are plenty of ways to spend more than you think for your business, especially with technology. Let’s go over some of the ways you can use technology to actually save money for your business.

Automation continues to play a major role in business operations, but some companies have more trouble than others with implementation. Most businesses just don’t think out their strategy before implementing it, so we wanted to bring to your attention what businesses tend to automate, as well as the tools used to do so.

Technology helps us do more than we’ve ever done before. Unfortunately, the more that we do, the more that is expected of us. That means the search for more productivity is endless, and therefore considerations on how to be most efficient in the way that you go about doing this is extremely important. Unfortunately, there is a limit on how productive people can be and there are definitely some situations that exacerbate this limit. This month, we thought we’d take a look at some of them:

Business owners try to avoid downtime like the plague, but it’s often a challenge to do so. The impact of downtime can be devastating for even the most stable business, and this is even more so the case when you bring profits and bottom lines into view. We’ll take a look at how you can calculate the cost of a downtime event.

Keyboard shortcuts are great ways to make your workday just a little more efficient without much effort. Did you know that you can make a keyboard shortcut on your Windows computer that can direct you to a specific webpage? Let’s go over how you can make it happen.

Most businesses deal with some type of inventory control. Even if they work in professional services there are tools and resources that have to be inventoried and managed. Unfortunately, for many businesses, they haven’t yet changed the way they manage inventory, leading to a lot of time being allocated to the endeavor. This can actually get expensive. Let’s dive into what makes technology a major benefit for modern inventory management. 

The COVID-19 pandemic was the unfortunate situation that caused a lot of businesses to implement wide-scale remote work. Many organizations continue to use the strategy to their advantage. This month, we discuss a couple of ways your business can support your remote team. 

Have you ever wondered how in the world you’re going to get everything done, only to lose track of everything or get distracted? Some researchers believe that the tomato might be the key to unlocking the latent knack for productivity that lies dormant within us all. Albeit, not a real tomato, but the familiar tomato-shaped timer that counts down from 25 minutes.

When companies look to make their business more efficient many of them look to do so by taking pressure off their staff. By automating certain points of your business’ process, your team can do more to focus on revenue-generating tasks. This strategy has been working for businesses for decades, but today there is more technology available designed specifically to automate more of your business’ variables. 

How often do your employees find themselves stuck in repetitive task loops that not only kill their productivity, but also their motivation? Depending on the task at hand, it might be more often than you, and especially more often than they, would prefer. Workflow automation solutions provide a remedy to this challenge by taking some of the frustration and repetitiveness out of the equation and relying on technology to ensure things get done without a hitch.

Do you have technology problems with your business? If so, you’re not alone; countless small businesses all over struggle with maintaining their technology, and it’s not due to any fault of their own. If anything, it’s a combination of limited resources and limited time. How does working with a managed service provider help to mitigate both of these problems? Well, let’s find out!