by Felicien | Dec 14, 2017 | Education
We like tech, it’s what we do. As the holiday shopping season kicks into overdrive, we are bringing you 12 of the most requested, most wanted tech gifts for 2017. Check back each business day between now and December 19th for another must-have tech item and why you should check it out.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 has an all-glass design with four speakers and a High Dynamic Range (HDR) ready display. HDR offers better contrast and a better color range than regular HD does, making this the tablet of choice for all your streaming needs. The speakers are positioned in the corners and the sound moves accordingly when the device is rotated.
The tablet also comes packaged with a revamped Samsung S-Pen stylus. If you are one who enjoys taking notes on your tablet or prefer doing a lot with a pen, this stylus writes smoothly and never has to be synced or charged. Besides writing, the S-Pen adds precision to coloring, drawing, and more. There’s also an add-on keyboard for those who want to use theirs as a word processor or for using the internet.
The Tab S3 uses a USB-C connection for fast charging, has a fingerprint sensor on the home button, and uses an all-glass design, rather than aluminum like most tablets do. Unlike your iPhone, this tablet is equipped with a standard headphone jack, so that you can use your current headphones with it.
The Tab S3 really shines when playing video. The screen is crisp and sharp, and the sound is loud and clear thanks to the four-speaker setup. It is the first and so far, the only, HDR-ready tablet on the market. If the sticker price doesn’t give you pause ($699), then the Galaxy Tab S3 is the tablet to get this Christmas.
Happy Holidays and good luck on the tech hunt from all of us here at {company}!
by Felicien | Dec 13, 2017 | Education
We like tech, it’s what we do. As the holiday shopping season kicks into overdrive, we are bringing you 12 of the most requested, most wanted tech gifts for 2017. Check back each business day between now and December 19th for another must-have tech item and why you should check it out.
Microsoft’s thin laptop/tablet hybrid two-in-one PC arrived on the market a couple of years ago and became an instant must-have item. This year’s models are no different. The 13-inch model comes in several variations of hard drive space and RAM and starts at $1999. Joining the fray is a 15-inch version with just as many memory options, but starts out at a hefty $2649.
The biggest difference between the two (aside from screen size) is the video graphics card in each one. The 15-inch is equipped with a more powerful video memory card, allowing it to act as a mobile gaming machine. Whether you’re playing Gears of War 4 or Cup Head, the machine isn’t likely to lag or slow down.
Both models come with a detachable screen, USB-C port, 17 hours of battery life, SD card reader, and offer touch screen with surface pen support. The pen allows you to sketch, write, and compose easily with virtually no lag.
Part tablet, part PC, and part gaming machine, the Surface Book 2 stands atop the laptop landscape this Holiday Season.
Happy Holidays and good luck on the tech hunt from all of us here at {company}!
by Felicien | Dec 13, 2017 | Education
Many of us have been working with Microsoft Word for years. Whether that be at home, school, or work, Microsoft Word has proven to be a useful tool for both personal and business ventures. Since it was first installed in the early 80’s under the name “Multi-Tool Word” there have been many changes to the word processor software. When one compares the older versions of Microsoft Word to the newest version changes are obvious. However, many people question if the upgrade is really worth it. How much difference could there be between the newest and older versions of this familiar Microsoft software?
Real-Time Collaborations
With this new feature, multiple people are allowed to share their input on the document in real time. This puts Microsoft Word on the same playing field as online word processors like Google Docs. This means that instead of emailing back and forth, which we all know is a waste of time that could be spent doing other things, edits and comments are delivered in real time. Multiple people have the option of working on a document together, meaning that this update makes Word perfect for group work or projects. Word includes a small Skype window in the bottom corner of the screen as well, for those who need to physically see the ones they are working with. This could also be useful in cases that images need to be seen by all, as it changes the need for email and instead allows everyone working on the document to view the same thing at the same time. The Skype feature also allows for conversations between collaborators. Being able to discuss rather than having to email saves time for all involved.
To take advantage of real-time collaborations, one must only select the ‘Share’ option from the top navigation tab. Then, inviting the people who need to work on the document is as easy as sending the invite. An interesting factor here is that the person who sent the invite can limit the editing abilities of those they invite. Messages are shared in a form similar to comments, and you need only click the ‘share’ option for your message to be received by those working on the document.
‘Tell Me’ Function
The Tell Me function is something that proves infinitely useful to both new and old users of Word. This function uses colloquial language to help you do whatever it is your heart desires. Users only need to have knowledge of what they want to do, and the Tell Me option will guide them towards accomplishing their task. With the Tell Me function users can work quickly and efficiently.
Tell Me is a function that proves itself very useful as technology gets more and more complicated. Something that sets the Tell Me function apart from the regular ‘help’ option is that it uses regular language to find what you need. No more racking your brain for the appropriate jargon, instead, you can search for things the same way you would say them. Rather than spending your time searching for what you need, you are given the tools to do just about anything. The Tell Me option sits in the middle of the ribbon and identifies itself with the phrase “Tell me what you want to do” waiting to assist you in whatever it is you need at the moment.
Same Interface with New Capabilities
Word 2016 comes with the same look we’ve all grown used to. There aren’t new flashing lights or bobbles, just the addition of some white text offering to help you do whatever you want to do. This makes it familiar, something we have all seen before. However, this recognizable interface hides the many developments that have taken place in Word. Not only are there new and easier options for collaboration, as well as the helpful, Tell Me function, there are also new security measures being taken.
Microsoft has given people the ability to implement two-factor authentication to their desktops suites, making information more secure than ever. This means that the work you do in collaboration with partners will be safe and you can rest assured that no one will be able to ruin or negate the work you’ve done. Keeping your Word documents safe and accessible is something that is important to all of us. This importance grows each day with the increase in data theft and people’s desire to keep their work safe. Word will not only keep your information safe through Microsoft’s updates, but it will help you do more, be more productive and work with ease in a way that you never have before.
Register for our upcoming Microsoft Word training webinar on December 14 by clicking here.
by Felicien | Dec 13, 2017 | Education
Understanding how business owners can take advantage of the Section 179 tax break on new telecom systems
In an increasingly competitive market, business professionals across all industries are always looking for ways to cut overhead costs and taking advantage of tax deductions is a huge part of that. Recently, conversations about the Section 179 tax deduction have been dominating the American business environment.
Many business owners are wondering what’s covered under the equipment deduction mandate and what’s not. Specifically, we’ve been getting lots of questions from clients about whether or not business telecommunications systems are eligible for deduction under the Section 179.
The short answer is, yes! Business telecommunication systems are considered deductible equipment under the Section 179 mandate. But since we’ve been getting so many questions about the deduction, let’s review the key things business owners should know about taking advantage of Section 179.
Breaking Down the Tax Code: Why was Section 179 Created?
Section 179 is an IRS tax code specifically designed to help business owners cut overhead costs. Specifically, the code allows for increased savings for business owners come tax season. Section 179 allows business owners to deduct the full amount of business equipment purchases within a calendar year.
The IRS Section 179 deduction was enacted to help small businesses take a depreciation deduction for certain assets in one year, rather than depreciating them over a longer period of time (typically over a 5 to 6 years).
Why You Should Care: Understanding the Strategic Benefits of Section 179 for Business Owners
The benefits of Section 179 for SMBs are twofold. First, and most obviously, the tax break allows business owners to save valuable dollars at tax time. This alone is great for a company’s bottom line. It allows business owners to make an outright deduction, equal to the full purchase price of a qualifying piece of equipment. This helps businesses reduce taxable income, and ultimately alleviate business tax burdens.
Second, it offers a great incentive for business owners to finance or invest in a wide variety of business equipment and resources. With the ability to deduct the full purchase price, businesses are able to more strategically implement company equipment and resources to address needs.
Defining Business Equipment: What Equipment Qualifies and What Doesn’t under Section 179
Before business owners hop on the Section 179 bandwagon, it’s critical to have a baseline knowledge of what’s deductible and what’s not. The last thing any business owner wants is to make a huge investment only to find out it’s not deductible under Section 179.
Let’s look at what business equipment is deductible and what’s not covered:
QUALIFIES:
Servers
Networking Equipment / Switches
Phone & Telecommunications Systems
Routers & Firewalls
Computers
Laptops
Monitors
Wireless Internet
Copiers
Printers
Scanners
Storage Devices
Battery Backups
Non-customized, off-the-shelf software
DOESN’T QUALIFY:
Real Estate
Permanent Structures / Buildings
International Property
Gifted or inherited equipment
Used equipment
Is Your Business Telecom System Covered Under 179?
As has been seen, yes business telecommunications systems are covered equipment under Section 179. Basically, qualified equipment is any tangible, depreciable, personal property which is acquired for use in the active conduct of a trade or business. This means, if your business has been thinking about finally upgrading your telecommunications system, Section 179 offers huge incentive to pull the trigger.
Any material, long-term property that is used more than 50% of the time for business purposes can qualify for this incentive, regardless of whether the property is bought or leased. However, the IRS must deem the property as fit for the incentive by confirming that the property will last more than one year.
When it comes to telecommunications, such qualifying properties include:
Business phone systems
Unified Communications systems
Voice solutions
So, long story short, telecom system purchases can be deducted under Section 179, so long as the solutions you’ve purchased are investments for the long term. Really, it’s all about making it easier for business owners to invest in reliable, long-lasting equipment to enrich business operations. Investing in a new, permanent telecom system to optimize business communication, is definitely deductible under Section 179.
What Are the Limitations?
As amazing as Section 179 is, it does have some key limitations. Businesses cannot utilize this tax incentive if their deductions are greater than their net taxable business income for the year in question. This sounds like a lot of financial jargon but determining if your eligible isn’t that difficult. To find the magic number, simply use the following equation:
Business income – Business deductions = net taxable business income
Do not factor in the deduction for 50% of self-employment tax or any net operating losses.
If the above equation shows that you have a net loss for the year, you are not eligible for the Section 179 tax deduction.
Doing the Math: How Section 179 Saves Taxable Income for Business Owners
In order to get a better idea of how the savings actually work, it’s helpful to compare the traditional cost relief system (MACRS) with the new deduction parameters under Section 179.
Here’s how the traditional Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) works:
Say a business with a gross income of $100,000, buys out a $1 phone system valued at $20,000.
The MACRS method of depreciation only allows you to deduct 20% in the first year ($100,000 x 20% = $20,000 in depreciation).
This reduces a company’s taxable income to $80,000.
However, under the Section 179 Depreciation:
Say a business has a gross income of $100,000, and you buy out a $1 phone system valued at $100,000.
The Section 179 Deduction depreciation method allows businesses to depreciate the full amount in one year ($100,000).
This reduces a company’s taxable income to $0.
This is simply a hypothetical example. However, there are a variety of tools online to help business owners calculate their deduction potential. To get an estimate, check out this Section 179 tax deduction calculator online.
The Clock is Ticking: The 2017 Tax Year is Almost Up!
Depending on the equipment purchases your company has made this year or has planned, there are huge benefits to be taken advantage of with Section 179. Getting to know the code is the first step. Also, it’s important to remember that for Section 179 deductions in 2017, equipment must be purchased and in place by midnight on December 31st, 2017.
However, even if you don’t make the deadline this year, Section 179 should be in the back of your mind as you plan for next year’s equipment purchases and upgrades. If you’ve been considering replacing your current business phone system and upgrading to a unified communications system, now is the time. You can deduct the entire cost of that new system under Section 179. A brand-new telecom system that’s entirely tax deductible? In an increasingly busy and competitive business market, that’s a no-brainer.
For business who may have been considering a new telecom system this year, you have LESS THAN A MONTH to take advantage of equipment deductions in the upcoming tax season. Don’t waste time if you want to reap the benefits of the upcoming tax season.
by Felicien | Dec 13, 2017 | Education
How Microsoft Teams is changing the game and giving Slack a run for its money
News recently broke that Microsoft Teams is officially available to anyone with an Office 365 subscription. The application has been in testing since November, but it’s now fully launched as part of the Office 365 suite. This is great news for professionals because Teams is about to make communication among business teams in Office 365 much easier.
Many tech experts agree that this latest application from Microsoft will change the game for digital communication giants like Slack. While the initial version of Teams is dynamic and fully integrated, we thought it would be beneficial to explore the key differences and capabilities between Teams and Slack to see if Microsoft has really outdone the widely-used, web-based chat solution.
The Team Chat Showdown: Slack vs. Teams
THE BASICS
Slack is the well-liked and long-standing web-based take on old-fashioned digital communication channels that use Internet Relay Chat (IRC) models. This allows for a long ‘relay’ of messages that can be persistently stored and accessed. This provides a constant flow of conversation between team members that can be re-examined or picked up from the most recent point at any time. The framework is line-oriented and text heavy but seeks to mimic the office water-cooler as a place for team members to chat in a conversational style.
Teams mimic Slack’s style but proudly includes a Microsoft twist. Microsoft Teams is a dynamic group messaging application organized around the use of chatrooms. Additionally, unlike Slack, Teams is not a standalone solution – it is fully integrated with all Office 365 applications, which optimizes the consolidation of data and functionality. Full integration means there’s no additional account sign ups or onboarding process. Only one login, using existing Office 365 credentials is required.
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE & INTEGRATION
Furthermore, Teams relies on built-in business intelligence tools to help users better utilize and understand existing groups or teams. This makes it easier than ever to streamline the company communication platform and ensure relevant team members stay connected. This optimization is maximized even further because Teams is also integrated with Skype for Business. This means turning a Teams text conversation into a face-to-face meeting is only a click away, from within the same browser.
Like Slack, Teams can be integrated with a variety of third-party services to offer things like embedded images and videos within chat windows. Teams have even gone further than Slack in the creative department by adding a feature that allows users to choose an image and overlay text on it. Finally, thanks to Office 365 integration, file sharing capabilities are much more streamlined in Teams as opposed to Slack.
MESSAGE PRIVACY & LAYOUT
Teams are more private as it utilizes private group chat options instead of a ‘live-stream’ IRC channel like Slack. This means team members can have more private conversation streams that function more like personal messages as opposed to status updates.
Microsoft also changed the game when it comes to message view and organization. Slack has since copied the feature, but Teams was the first to orient toward threaded messaging. This allows users to cluster replies beneath specific messages. As mentioned, Slack has now included this feature, but many users agree that the threading option just doesn’t suit the Slack, line-by-line, IRC model. The bottom line is, many Slack users chose the solution for this ‘free-for-all’ approach to team communication.
It’s here where Teams parts ways most significantly from Slack. Some critics believe the Teams infrastructure is a little heavy and clunky. Threaded messages take up a lot of space, meaning users don’t have the option of seeing a variety of messages on screen at once. While threaded messaging may work for some companies, most organizations investing in an instant communications platform are looking for something more instantaneous and chat-style.
PRICING & USAGE OPTIONS
The final way that Microsoft is distancing itself from the Slack approach, is through tiered pricing models. As it stands, Teams has no free tier and no standalone pricing. Instead, Teams comes included with Office 365 Business Essentials, Business Premium as well as all three Enterprise plans (E1, E3 & E5). This means Teams is offered at no additional cost – Office 365 users pay their regular monthly subscription and have full access to the Teams app. Slack, on the other hand, a free version and a variety of basic, per-user subscription models for their stand-alone chat solution.
The Final Verdict: Microsoft Introduces a Top Contender on Their First Try
When it comes down to it, Microsoft built Teams in about 21 months and it’s already a polished and well-equipped solution. In fact, for a version 1 product, Teams is downright remarkable. So, for Office 365 business users who have been making use of Slack for communication, Teams offers a compelling alternative. Google is on the scene too, pushing Hangouts as an additional communication solution – specifically targeted at G Suite subscribers.
However, when it comes down to it, neither Slack or Hangouts offers the same integration, centralization, and customization potential that Teams offers. While Microsoft may want to rethink the visual infrastructure of Teams to reflect a more appealing and consistent flow of conversation, their solution is already changing the game when it comes to business communication. They may also be wise to consider a free, standalone subscription option to get users hooked on the features and capabilities built-in to Teams. A standalone version could also serve as an effective tool for external collaboration and cross-organizational connection.
Is teamwork in your office delayed or made difficult because of poor communication tools? Wondering about the best solutions for more instant and streamlined chat potential among team members? Reach out to our team of technology professionals any time for guidance.
