by Felicien | Jun 4, 2018 | Education
Everyone likes technology, right? It’s amazing what you can do and find out about the use of technology. However, technology itself is addictive and parents are not an exception. Today, most parents pay more attention to their computer or phone screen than they do to their children. Even busy parents stay on social media too much. They constantly check their email. They watch television shows or news programs on their smartphones—all without realizing that this behavior does harm their children’s development and well-being to some degree.
According to research done on child psychology, some of the problems that children experience today can be contributed to their parents. Thanks to technology, children today feel that they have to compete for their parent’s attention. This is because most of the time parents are glued to their screens. Some even respond harshly to their children when the child tries to get their attention. Many child psychologists believe there’s a serious need to find a balance between technology and taking care of your family.
Studies show that a modern parent spends too much of their time online or involved in texting and social media. After working all day and taking care of the home, parents often leave very little time that they can commit solely to their children. Family outings where all family members are given a chance to really bond are very scarce these days. The inability for parents to control the amount of time they spend on their phones or laptops has also extended to their children. This is mainly because children look up to their parents. They mimic what they see parents doing. Many kids have become antisocial and some have even become introverts. The ability to develop real-world relationships is missing in many people today.
Effects of parental technology use on children
Children may constantly seek attention. Child rearing is not easy. Children are dependent beings that require more attention than most adults. Parents constantly being online or on their phones make children feel deprived of the attention they deserve. They may not know how to tell you, but they miss play time, storytelling time, kitchen activities, and so forth. This is not good for the emotional and mental development of the child. It may lead the child to be withdrawn or even lower their self-esteem. In these cases, the child may act out.
A study also shows that children whose parents are constantly messing with their phone or on social media feel less supported by their parents. This is mainly attributed to the lack of communication between the parents and the children. Parents don’t get to know what’s going on in their children’s lives or even how they are progressing in school. Communication is extremely important to a child’s development. Lack of communication can easily divide the family.
Need for privacy. The modern-day parent on social media loves to post pictures of themselves and their children. They never seem to care how that affects the kids though. What you post and the comments you make on social media can shape how your children perceive you. Many children say they don’t like some of the photos their parents share online. Kids have a right to privacy too.
Ways to find a healthy balance between technology and parenting
Establish good technological habits. This means simply setting time limits for surfing the web and sticking to them. This is most effective if the kids are still young. Don’t just set the time limit, but make every effort to stick to it. Spend that extra time each day with your family and give them the attention they need.
Be a role model. One can achieve this in various ways. Avoid fooling around with technological gadgets during dinner. Give your family your full attention at social outings. Listen to them when they speak to you. This will help the children learn that they, too, need to find a balance between technology and their social life.
Turn off work. Some parents constantly feel the need to access work email and work projects. They wind up spending too much time checking their mail or in group chats. By turning off work when you get home, you can fully concentrate on your family. You can give your spouse and children the attention they need.
Final thoughts
All the studies and findings clearly show that parents need to find a balance between technology and parenting. It not only helps the parent to spend more quality time with their family, but they can monitor their children’s growth. They can spot behavioral problems. It’s important to know what your children are up to and how they are progressing in life. It helps you to be a better-rounded individual and it helps your kids to grow up into responsible adults.
by Felicien | Jun 4, 2018 | Education
With everyone so busy these days, people are searching for new ways to get more done and Microsoft Planner is an excellent tool for that. It allows teams and individuals to collaborate on any project in real time. It has so many great features that can streamline projects, helping you to achieve deadlines while producing better work.
Each year, Microsoft works diligently to update its product line with helpful features for all products including its Planner. These features are designed to give users greater insight into project schedules, receive notifications of upcoming deadlines, and filter tasks accordingly.
The latest and one of the most useful features for the Microsoft Planner enables users to publish tasks to their Outlook calendar. This handy feature allows users to view their Outlook calendar alongside their personal calendar. This can give you a much better idea of what’s coming up and what projects you need to work on first.
There are numerous other features like this that can cut time and stress out of your day. Since many are not familiar with these new functions, we’re going over them to give users a bird’s eye view of some of the most important new updates in MS Planner.
First things first: what to know about Microsoft Planner
MS Planner is a sophisticated work management app that comes as part of Office 365. Today, millions of businesses and offices worldwide are using Office 365. This product is part of Microsoft’s cloud-based environment that includes well-known programs such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote.
MS Planner offers its users the ability to organize any project, share files with others or even collaborate on a project. It features a very handy chat environment where employees can get together and discuss a project while jointly viewing files.
The Outlook Calendar
As a busy individual, you are probably looking for anything that can make your life simpler. Having a work calendar that integrates with your personal calendar is a big time-saver. You can now view or import Planner tasks into your Outlook calendar. Adding the task to your Outlook calendar can be accomplished using the iCalendar feed. This creates a link that members can share with others.
Publishing an iCalendar feed is simple as well. Start by tapping the ellipsis at the top of your page, then select the Add plan to Outlook calendar from the drop-down menu. A dialog box appears giving you the option to Publish or Unpublish your plan’s schedule and other information. By selecting Publish, you can automatically send scheduling information to anyone with the iCalendar link. Now that person can open the plan in their own personal Outlook program.
Please note that you must be the plan owner in order to view and work with this feature. In addition, your admin has the ability to turn this feature off when setting up MS Planner.
Visually organizing your work
MS Planner allows users to organize their tasks into buckets. This feature makes it easy to categorize each task based on several factors. A task can be organized by the task owner, the status, the due date and other dynamics. You can designate a task as a Favorite or check to see which tasks are due first. Updating the status of any assignment or handing it off to another staff member is easy to do because tasks in Planner can be dragged and dropped between columns.
You might want to check and see who’s working on a specific task or whether a task is overdue. Each plan has its own Board with Charts view. By checking the Charts view, users can see the overall progress of the task. Who’s been working on it? What still needs to be done? The Charts view gives you lots of important information about any task.
Adding iCalendar link to Outlook
Click on the option called Add to Outlook to add the plan to your own Outlook calendar. This prompt opens up your personal Outlook calendar in Outlook on the web. The dialog box contains the same iCalendar link and the calendar name (which you can change if you’d like to rename the plan.) Once you’ve created an iCalendar link, you can then paste it into any iCalendar app. Users who have the link can easily view your plan’s task information.
Adding a plan to your Outlook calendar if not the plan owner
Sometimes the plan owner will want to share their iCalendar link with you so that you can add it to your personal Outlook calendar. To accomplish this, click on the ellipsis at the top of the plan and select Add plan to Outlook calendar in the drop-down menu that appears. Now you’ll have the option to review everything before saving it. Once the plan is saved, all info is imported to Outlook. You can view the details using Outlook. The plan now appears under People’s calendars. Select the plan to view all the details.
by Felicien | Jun 4, 2018 | Education
The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently launched their Medical Device Safety Action Plan whose main focus is to give assurance in the safety of connected Medical devices. The organization has put its main focus on patients relying on medical devices as seen from their Medical Device Safety slogan: ‘Protecting Patients, Promoting Public Health’ as part of their Action Plan.
The plan is molded in a way that it heavily relies on cybersecurity measures as part of its plan to reduce risk and curb breaches that are associated with connected devices. After all, security breaches cost everyone time and money and better cybersecurity is something that the whole world is working to achieve. Some of those measures are outlined below:
A Consideration that firms should update and patch device security product design and submit a “Software Bill of Materials” to the FDA.
Ensuring that there is an up-to-date guide to the medical device’s security before it is released into the market.
Establishing a body to follow up on post-market requirements on firms in adopting policies and procedures for reporting known threats or risks.
Finally, analyzing the improvements of CyberMed Safety (Expert) Analysis Board (CYMSAB).
This plan is well structured, but before it is even implemented and checked on its suitability to address all the cybersecurity breaches, below are two very real concerns:
What is the security plan in place for those devices that are already in the market?
What approach is in place to prepare for the future of cybersecurity?
The plan is obviously inclined to address the future security of medical devices. It has failed to adequately address the past which affects the present. More importantly, it may not adequately address the evolving threats that cyber thieves represent.
Here are some of the recommendations we put forward for consideration when reviewing the plan for Medical Device Safety:
Pre-market ‘hardening’ of Devices
Manufacturers should be required to ensure that their devices are up-to-standard where cyber security is concerned before releasing them into the market. There are various bodies from which the standard can be set. The Defense Information System Agency (DISA) or the Center for Internet Security (CIS) can be used as benchmarks for ‘hardening’ devices. This way manufacturers may be able to bypass the lengthy processes required to test and approve security updates once devices get into the marketplace.
Constant evaluation of Device connectivity
There should be a requirement that the manufactures set a clear connectivity path in their devices. This step is to help in monitoring any behavioral changes that are foreign and unwelcome. The users are also better able to understand the range of device performance on the network.
Standardized Communication by the Manufacturers
An organization deals with thousands of devices from different manufacturers, so imagine how difficult good communication will be. Today, providers are expected to contact the manufacturers about the known or expected vulnerabilities of their devices. This leads to a lot of time wasted in trying to ensure the security of the device environment. In some cases, manufacturers are being asked to come up with a timely resolution to a problem experienced. An effective process in risk mitigation would be to set up rules about the expected standards of communication between the manufacturers and the providers.
Accountability by the Manufacturers
Manufacturers should address the issues related to vulnerabilities. The devices should be tested and certified ready for use by the manufacturers and not the providers. Especially when it comes to system or software updates, the manufacturers of devices should be held accountable. The manufacturer is better positioned to test and approve their applicability or even make recommendations on their usage to their client base. This way, both parties are aware of who is accountable in case of a security breach.
Manufacturers should also be required to come up with a mechanism to monitor the performance of devices connected to the network on a full-time basis. This monitoring should be modified to suit all organizations whether small or big.
Consider the costs
The FDA’s plan should have factored in the amount of money that will be required to ensure this plan is carried out efficiently. For instance, the bandwidth required to store current data, devices, and patches are enormous and most providers cannot adequately handle it. Resource support is at the core of ensuring that medical devices are secure and continuously operate as expected.
CONCLUSION
Cybersecurity is becoming a serious topic especially when it concerns medical devices; people’s lives depend on them. If there’s a chance that they could be compromised, the stakeholders involved, including providers and manufacturers, should treat cybersecurity with the significance it deserves. The FDA is often relied upon to handle these important tasks, but in today’s world, it will require everyone’s assistance. The job is too big to leave to one organization.
by Felicien | Jun 4, 2018 | Education
Most of us work with programs like Dropbox, Google Docs, and Microsoft every day. But there are a wide range of great software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud-based programs that can improve efficiency. We’ve found 11 programs that are sure to be a crowd favorite at your workplace. Though some are not new, they’ve recently been updated to provide a wider range of services and features. These cloud services apps are perfect for small companies, as well as larger organizations.
Each program solves a real-world business problem that many of us have experienced and that’s no doubt the key to building a great app for business: it needs to solve a problem. Good apps that people actually download and use must be helpful. They must include benefits such as making your job easier or helping workers get things done faster. That’s another big plus for today’s busy people. We’re all multi-taskers who understand that we can’t get everything done without some help from technology.
The last big feature that these apps have in common is that they require a very small investment. For just a few dollars a month (in most cases), you can get apps that give you professional document management, cloud-based document backups, marketing campaigns, social media management, and many other services. Below, are 11 apps that will improve your workflow and save valuable time.
Approval Donkey
Free version: Up to three workflows
Plus program: $13 per month
Approval Donkey is a cloud-based approval app that automates the process of getting approvals on projects of all types. This app can be set up to move a project along a pre-defined chain so that there are no bottlenecks. It integrates with hundreds of other apps, making it a real bonus. Whether you’re dealing with admin, accounting or any other project, you can rely on the Approval Donkey to make sure each stage of the project gets the proper approval before moving on to the next stage. The app provides the current status of any project’s approval so you can quickly find out where the project is.
Asana
Free version: Up to 15 members, limited features
Paid version: $9.99 per month
Asana is a new project management app that provides easy project organization across teams. It can handle everything from tracking and reporting to conversations. A set of tasks can be managed for individuals, groups or larger teams. Asana has done away with clumsy project management tools that require numerous spreadsheets, emails, and word docs. All project documents are embedded within the project and completely transparent to everyone working on it. The paid version is $9.99 per month but there’s an even more comprehensive Asana app that can be used in Enterprise organizations.
Airtable
Cloud-based spreadsheet/ database
Free version: Store 2GB of data, manage 1,200 elements
Paid version: $10 per month, unlimited use
With Airtable, you can store, structure, and share information with other collaborators, allowing a team to work on the information in numerous forms. Airtable has a wide range of templates that let you structure your data any way you like. You can make it appear as a catalog, Kanban chart, inventory or however you need to suit your project. Airtable combines helpful features like those found in Google docs, Evernote, and Trello to help you manage information better.
Backblaze
Inexpensive cloud storage
No free version
Paid version: $5 per machine per month
Provides a set-it-and-forget-it backup system to store copies of local data in the cloud. Works for both internal drives and USB connections. This object-based cloud storage app is cheaper than most other cloud storage apps but still offers a rich API with good integration with other programs. Does not work with personal NAS boxes.
Cloudphone Virtual PBX
No free version
Paid version starts at $12 per month (includes one local number)
In the old days, a PBX system required a central box, intricate wiring, and actual telephones. It was a real hassle! But this Cloudphone has the ability to route calls just the way the old-fashioned PBX systems did. It includes conference calling, business voicemail, automated attendant services, and business phone numbers. It’s a great solution for companies that have lots of employees working from remote locations. Employees can work from anywhere while still using the corporate phone system. For $12 per month, you get one number and three extensions. For $49 per month, you can get five local numbers plus unlimited extensions.
Digital Ocean
Alternative to AWS
No free version
Paid version: Starts at $5 per month
This IaaS (infrastructure as a service) app allows users to create virtual machines in the cloud. This app works much the same as Amazon’s AWS but is simpler to use. Good IT skills are still required to configure the app. It was recently updated to add cloud-based object storage. Users build droplets or virtual machines adding RAM and processing power. Then decide what region to run them in. Allows users to preload virtual machines with numerous configurations.
Drip
Marketing automation
Free version: Less than 100 subscribers
Paid version: Starts at $43 per month for up to 2,500 subscriber
This marketing automation tool is basically a list manager that automates customer interactions. Using email, users can send out a pre-written set of messages to customers or prospects. This app integrates well with lead capture tools and shopping carts. Create a drip campaign, then send out emails over a period of time to improve customer engagement. For fewer than 100 customers, Drip is free to use, but the price goes up as you add new customers. At $43 per month, you can manage up to 2,500 subscribers sending out unlimited emails to them.
Hootsuite
Social media management
Free version: Up to three social profiles
Paid version: $29 per month for 10 profiles
This is a familiar app that allows marketers to sift through the feeds on popular social media sites to find out what’s important to their company. Hootsuite has become the go-to app for preparing corporate messages, interacting with consumers, or watching for important trends. You can manage thousands of social profiles across various groups. You can manage and schedule social media posts and even measure your social media ROI. Hootsuite integrates well with hundreds of other apps.
JIRA
Bug and issue tracking
No free version
Paid Version: $10 per month for 10 users
Create a helpful database of bugs and software development problems with the Jira app. You can track how issues are being handled and their progress. The app is often used by software development teams but offers a wide range of agile team coordination tools. Developers can work together managing workflow and production. $10 a month for 10 users is a great deal but the price goes up $7 for each new user you add. The app is scalable and can be used by enterprise organizations.
MailChimp
Manage mailing lists
Free version: 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails
Paid version: Depends on the number of subscribers and services
MailChimp works much the same as HubSpot and Drip. It helps marketing companies manage their mailing lists. Users love it for its easy-to-use Dashboard and for how well it integrates with other programs like the shopping cart and your blog. The company includes many cool tools for opt-in signup. Everything is fully automated once you get it set up. The free version offers a generous 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails but the price goes up as you add new subscribers and other services.
Shopify
Turn-key ecommerce
No free version
Paid version: $9 a month for lite version
Shopify is well-known as the most comprehensive ecommerce app available today. You can set up an online store, then use “chip and swipe” readers for Point-of-Sale registers. It integrates well with all social media sites, as well as shippers like UPS, Fed-Ex, and DHL. Though most consumers think of this app as primarily for Internet sales, it can also be used in brick and mortar stores or for small at-home businesses.
After the 14-day free trial, Shopify is $9 per month for the lite version, and $29 per month for a basic plan that includes a wide range of services. While they do charge transaction fees for credit card processing, their fees are very competitive with other services.
by Felicien | Jun 1, 2018 | Education
In our modern world today, most of our electronic devices can be connected to the internet, sounds good, right? Some advanced technology recently introduced medical devices that can connect directly with health organizations through the internet. This is a great milestone since consultations can be done from miles away and immediate help afforded to patients and caregivers. There is a downside to this; that personal information shared on these devices might not be secure. Hackers have found a way of acquiring information and using it for financial gain. This is distressing for patients and it leaves healthcare organizations at risk for lawsuits.
The issues relating to securing information on Medical Devices connected to IoT should be a Health Organization’s priority over and above everything else. Here are five tips on how to protect your IoT-enabled medical device from hackers.
Conduct an Inventory
Healthcare leaders are often not aware of how many medical devices are connected to their network. This makes their monitoring and management of risks associated with the connection much harder. What makes it even more difficult, is the dynamic way in which the devices are introduced and removed from the environment. It has become more important for these organizations to create a database of these devices. Once they have a complete database of the device including some owner information, healthcare professionals can monitor them. They can also gather actionable intelligence based on the different security risks associated with them.
This may be costly and lots of work, but at the end of the day it will help secure the Health Organization’s reputation, while keeping patient information safe. Since the future seems dependent on technology, it’ only logical to go ahead and set up a system where the IoT devices can be tracked and monitored. This will also help avoid possible law suits against the organization.
Increased Accountability
Bad security will affect each and every aspect of any business, so instead of treating security as an IT problem, it should rather be seen as a business issue. This will in turn spark the kind of attention it deserves. Health organizations operate differently when it comes to the security structures they have in place. In some organizations, Clinical Engineering (CE), IT, and Security are handled separately. At the moment, those who are responsible for a security breach in IoT-enabled Medical Devices are not well defined. Unless these issues are clearly defined for each healthcare organization, it’s difficult to take steps to establish the responsible party whenever a medical device is hacked.
Create and Maintain A Cyber Security Strategy
The idea of medical devices being connected to the internet is relatively recent. So it is important for the healthcare organizations to review these issues as a matter of priority. Cyber security strategies for IoT devices will become even more relevant and critical as they move further into the future. It is recommended that the organization put in place a system that monitors the behaviors of these devices by listening passively to the medical devices and identifying dangers in real time. Security strategies work best with human interactions, but that covers only a small margin. It is important to include machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as strategies to effective cyber security.
Establish A Fast Response Process to Breaches
Every moment counts when a breach does occur. The organization should have in place a mechanism that is well integrated in the overall security system and designed to notify those involved. First, check to make sure the patient is aware and okay. The patient’s health is always first. It is also of key importance that those who are responsible in the organization clearly understand their roles. When each nurse, doctor, and technician is aware of what their responsibilities are, things will move along with more precision. Develop simple, clear, and straightforward rules and guidelines that everyone is aware of.
Allocate Adequate Resources
Healthcare organizations should ensure that their budget includes monitoring and security for these technologies. Have a budget set aside for the ongoing operating costs, as well as security breach events. A thorough auditing and cost analysis is required to decide whether it would be cost effective to run this in-house system or hire the services of a trusted IT professional.
Healthcare organizations must ensure a balance between enabling patient engagement services, protecting their connected medical devices, and securing patient data. Health organizations should monitor those security measures for glitches, breaches, or even potential problems to the equipment.
Conclusion
Trust is everything in any business ventures, especially for those providing healthcare services. Technological advancements have great advantages if well applied, but they must be monitored and controlled so that security breaches do not occur. Security for all data has become an important issue and many businesses are dealing with the ramifications of a breach. For healthcare organizations, these issues are even more critical. Without good measures in place, a medical device could be hacked, causing embarrassment or even a law suit for the health organization.
