With snow taking hold of most of the country this week, many businesses are facing the prospect of another harsh winter alongside the ongoing tube strikes, are causing issues as staff may not be able to get into work. This can see productivity and revenue being compromised. It is these things which are detrimental to businesses.

As I write this article, I am working from home. A ridiculous amount of snow plus public transport grinding to a halt where I live, has made it impossible for me to get into work. It wasn’t an ideal time for snow to stop me in my tracks as I feel I can’t really afford to take any time off due to the amount of work I wanted to complete before the Christmas break rolls around. And I know I’m not the only person to feel like this.

But had Vision with Technology, not embraced  placing  everything  in  the  cloud, I would be nearly a day and a half behind in the things I want to get completed.  ‘Cloud computing’ is a term that embraces information which can be accessed anywhere at anytime, as it is stored in the ‘cloud’. This includes free apps such as Google docs, which have allowed me to carry on working on document, along with Skype keeping me in touch with the office and being able to edit and add content to our website by using eZ Publish, makes it feel as if I was in the office all day, only minus all the offers of tea and no one can see me doing my hideous desk dancing to music.

Companies need to adequately prepare so they can maintain a competitive advantage and avoid unnecessary downtime. With remote  working  facilities, companies have not only seen an increase in individuals productivity, but also help keep businesses running, which in today’s current economic climate is incredibly important. You can’t predict what will happen, unless you happen to have a crystal ball, I mean  who would have though that for two years running we would have had snow for winter, but you can prepare for all eventualities.

The only downfall about the cloud, that when its down, its dark - there is  nothing  you  can  do physically do about it, unless you’re hosting your own cloud. But when its up and running, it feels as if its business as normal and nothing will stop the sun from shinning!

For more information on how Vision with Technology can help get you up and running in the clouds,  get in touch, follow us on Twitter or sign up to our newsletter.

The holiday season is upon us as we are now officially coming into the Winter months. Typically a dark and dreary time for most people; going to work in the dark, getting in and it is still dark...you never know, the snow might actually last all Winter! But chin up, after December 21st all the days will be getting longer again and based on the speed this year has gone by, we’ll be planning our Summer BBQ’s and holidays before you know it!

Here at Vision with Technology, its safe to say we’re looking forward to 2011 - probably more so than 2010. We have worked on some fantastic projects this year and have been incredibly busy. Next year looks set to be more exciting. We’ll be working on more shiny and possibly even more incredible and fantastic projects. We’ve also got a few bundle of joy’s that we will be sharing with the world in the coming months, so keep your eyes and ears open for those to drop - I’m not going to lie, they are AMAZING!

In 2010 we saw the team grow and movement within the company itself. 2011 looks to be no different with growth on the agenda to cater for all the impending projects that are coming up. We worked on a variety of projects and have even started working on our own computer based learning/training product that some of you may have already seen.

2011 is a big year for eZ Publish as well. Not only do they have two scheduled releases of the latest eZ Publish versions set for April and  September (one can only dream of the new added features they will have), but they have a Winter and Summer  conference too. Rumour has it that the Summer conference will be held in London next June.

With so many announcements coming up - I’m finding it very hard not to spill all now! So I will leave you all by wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season, whatever you will be celebrating, enjoy the time off work and be merry...2011 is going to be awesome!

Planning revamping your website in 2011 or just want to bounce some ideas around?  Get in touch and see how Vision with Technology can help you.

With 2011 practically here, businesses are starting to assess what things they need to do within the next coming year with regards to their online presence.

2010 has seen the buzz word of the moment, social media, thrown about everywhere. You could not see wood for the trees without hearing or seeing social media. But it is not only things like Twitter and  Facebook, that effects your online presence, you have to look at an all inclusive online presence.

If there are a few things you do next year, make sure it is the following....

Give your website an MOT
Having a functional and easy to use website can be one of the easiest things any business can do. Redesigning and adding simple navigation, can increase how productive a user can be on your site. As you would give your car an MOT every year, viewing and refreshing your website every year is key.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is also big part of a successful website. Making sure your website is searchable organically is one of the ways to increase traffic to your site, without paying for  your website to appear in searches, when specific words are entered into the search engine. With Google Instant search, SEO for your website has never been more important.

View your website analytics. Google Analytics is the easiest way this can be done, all it requires is a code to be entered into your website when being developed. Once inserted, you log in to their portal you can view the statistics of how long a user spends on your site, what pages they view etc. A simple 10 minute view can change the focus of your website. For example, if  a user just searches your site for contact details, make your contact page a prominent item which easily accessible. It all bodes well for a better user experience, which in turn will mean the user will come back to your website.

The content on your website should be relevant to your users demographic. Content is king. 

If your website is bloated with irrelevant content, make a list of what are the key messages you want to get across and tailor your content to your key messages and keep it simple. No one wants to read jargon related articles that they can hardly understand. 2009 and 2010 saw the term “social media” everywhere, I think “content strategy” is going to be the next big thing from 2011 onwards. Creating a content strategy is going to be as important as a social media strategy - what types of things are we going to write about? Is it relevant to our users demographic? These are all key when creating a content strategy. Do not create content for the sake of creating content. It should be unique and engaging and relevant to your users demographic. 

Get your head in the clouds
In most businesses having your head in the clouds can be a bad thing, but not anymore. Another term that is in constant use at the moment is  "cloud computing". This term simply means, being able to have the services and documents you require when you need them, where ever you are as apposed to being stored on your computer and only being able to have access to them there - say goodbye to coming into the office on the weekends to read that report for that blasted Monday morning meeting!

Google, Amazon, Salesforce, eZ Publish are leading the way with having products and services in the cloud - with Google Apps you can now collaborate on a document from any geographical location in real time and not have to email to store it, as it is stored and looked after by them. There are varying degrees of cloud computing, but the main premise is that you have access to your documents and services, 24/7 from anywhere, without having to physically look after them.

Much of the software and products in the cloud are free to use or are charged on a pre-use bases.

Be warned though, there are times where your online system will change and you have no control. You will be stuck with them. Imagine if you were 'going to bed with Windows XP and waking up with Windows Vista'. You would not be best pleased.

Lets be more sociable
Social media technology such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Foursquare offer new opportunities in marketing and sales opportunities for every business. Business have see the rise of social media sites such as  Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, which they have honed in on how they can help their business, but with the rise of location based social media technologies, such as Foursquare, it allows you to engage with your customers more.

If they are checking in to your location on Foursquare, they see a cool offer, discount or prize, which is available to them. If they happen to be the mayor - they should get something special for their loyal dedication. It is more engaging and right there, it is not an offer they read in their email and forget when they are in the shop, it is right in front of them.

Lets be honest, most things are better when we do them as part of a group or community. So when you are looking at your online presence, think about how it could benefit from many people working together as a team; you then have, in essence, a community.

Who said free was a bad thing?
Using free apps to help reduce overhead costs for software and products is not a bad idea. The knack is to ensure that the apps you are using help promote the message of 'free speech', such as a CMS like eZ Publish and not necessarily as in 'free beer' such as Skype. It is important to note that some free software services and products may have hidden costs and often changing their development code requires a license. Read the T&C’s carefully. Although these free apps can help lower costs, they may not ultimately help you get your message across, but most are good value for what you get.

No doubt there will be new fads arriving on the scene - it is expected, but dealing with the core developments and keeping it simple are the key things for success in 2011.

For more information on how Vision with Technology can help with your website or any of the above, please get in touch, follow us on Twitter or sign up to our newsletter.