by Felicien | Jul 6, 2018 | Education
The Cloud is a type of advanced technology that allows information or data to be stored online. In the healthcare industry, patient records and data are stored in the Cloud because it’s much more convenient; data is accessible from any device or location.
This information may include clinical information, patient diagnoses, test results, pharmacy information, patient billing, and much more. Obviously, there are a number of advantages to using the Cloud, but also many challenges. For instance, having millions of patient records in the Cloud poses a threat from hackers. They’ve become quite good at infiltrating even the best Internet security programs. It’s scary to think that cyber thieves have the healthcare information of any individual, much fewer millions of people. Therefore, issues of security are of paramount consideration when healthcare organizations consider the Cloud as a way of managing the data of their patients and clients.
Any good innovation has its pros and cons. This article will outline a few advantages and issues with using Cloud Computing in the healthcare industry.
Advantages of Cloud Computing to the Health Care Industry
Collaboration
The Cloud makes it possible for people to share information in real-time. Sometimes doctors do consultations with specialists on the phone. But imagine this, using the Cloud, a panel of neurosurgeons can have discussions in real-time from wherever they are! Information is shared instantly. Everyone can voice their opinion. Important topics can be discussed just as if the whole panel of doctors was gathered in a briefing room at a hospital. This is truly incredible when you think about it. This saves time and money, plus it allows specialists to come together and talk about important research or a specific medical case that has baffled doctors. This method is much more effective and convenient than exchanging emails or talking on the phone.
Another scenario is where a patient needs prescription drugs from a store but cannot get them without a doctor giving out the prescription. The pharmacist can dispatch patient information using cloud features and a patient can get the prescription without having to go to their doctor. This will clearly save time and money for everyone.
Speed
Most of the Cloud-based tools can be upgraded and improved quickly. It doesn’t cost a lot to do this. While the system is upgrading, there is minimum interruption; you might not even notice it. Important information such as a patient’s recent test results can be given priority to gain even faster access.
Mobility
The fact that cloud tools can be installed on any smart device ensures that anytime anywhere, a healthcare provider can dispatch information about a patient. In the future, doctors will see their patients in a virtual setting that is enabled by Cloud technology. Doctors will be able to stay in touch with their patients. All patient information can be quickly accessed, giving the patient a fast, convenient way to “see the doctor” without having to leave home.
This is possible right now with Cloud technology. Phones and tablets can be used just the same as a computer. The service care provider and staff could also work from any location since they are able to access information in the Cloud. Someday, it may not be necessary for a doctor to have an actual office to work from.
Security and Privacy
As already discussed above, patient data must always be protected by the strongest possible measures. This part of patient care is just as important as saving lives. It must be kept completely secure. The Cloud has many strategies and plans in place that ensure the security of patient data. There are standards set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Today’s medical practices must comply with HIPAA regulations. This means that healthcare providers are using the most up-to-date security solutions to guard and protect patient data.
Affordable
Cloud computing providers undertake the task of installing software, as well as its maintenance. Outsourced IT providers typically offer plans that include all upgrades, security, and maintenance so that the healthcare institution and doctors don’t have to worry about spending extra money and time on this. Most healthcare providers simply don’t have the time, expertise, or staff to perform all these tasks on their own. They need an IT specialist who can guarantee that all the big and small issues are addressed on a regular basis. This keeps everything running like clockwork and helps to prevent data breaches.
Cyber thieves are now targeting hospitals and doctors because the data they can steal is so valuable. It can be sold on the Dark Web for a handsome profit.
Wrap Up
Healthcare services are generally geared towards improving service delivery to patients. The technology is now available to give everyone good care at an affordable price. With the Cloud, there are many benefits and a few challenges, the major one being security. However, the Cloud is affordable, fast, efficient, reliable, and secure when managed correctly and this is exactly what the healthcare industry needs today.
by Felicien | Jul 6, 2018 | Education
Should a Business Place the CFO in Charge of IT?
The work of a Chief Financial Officer in a business organization is to manage the finances, record keeping, manage financial risks, prepare financial reports, and give general financial advice. Information and Technology, on the other hand, is the department that is in charge of designing, operating, and maintaining the IT infrastructure of the organization. So where do these two critical departments intertwine in the management of the affairs of a business organization?
Why is it important to separate the two departments?
This question can only be addressed properly by having a quick overview of the functions of the IT department in an organization.
Functions of the IT Department
Some businesses have their IT department run by the CFO because they think that the IT department is more or less a wing of the finance department. This thinking may be derived from years past where companies didn’t have a large IT department and no one really understood the work that IT experts were doing.
That was way before technology took a leap to this current era where IT departments are responsible for services such as storing data, online platforms, website management, social media, and all related functions. This scenario clearly shows that the functions of IT have evolved into a massive effort to keep the company website running smoothly and protect customer and company assets. Since the website is the face of most companies now, this is a crucial aspect of doing business in a global economy.
Connection with the Outside World
Truth be told, most of what we learn and know about a given business organization is the information that can be viewed at websites and other online platforms. The profile of almost all companies is found on their web page. There you will learn things about when it was incorporated and who is in charge of various departments. The addresses of the head office and branches, if any, are there on the website, along with achievements, awards, upcoming events, press releases, and so much more.
Links are there to all social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. These assets form an organization’s direct link with their customers. For instance, if a business is portrayed in a bad light by the media, they use their social media platforms to clarify issues so that they can restore the confidence of the different stakeholders and prospective customers. When introducing new products into the market, businesses opt to use social media to launch them. These are all vital tasks that take place every day for most companies.
Storage of Company Data
Long gone are the days when data was stored in large physical files using paper copies of documents. This method came with many disadvantages. Government buildings would frequently run out of storage space. The sheer amount of paper and ink used was massive. Retrieving documents was tricky at best. If someone misfiled an important document, the staff might have to search for days to locate it. Those days are gone with online data storage. Now a company can store enormous amounts of information and retrieve the records almost instantly.
Privacy and Security
With all the good things associated with a modern IT department, certainly, there are a few challenges here and there. Now that all our data is stored online or in the Cloud, it’s available to cyber thieves. Most of them have special hacking skills that can break through the best defenses.
Security breaches can totally cripple a business and bring it to its knees. Information that healthcare organizations store is very sensitive. It can be devastating for any company to undergo a security breach, but healthcare is especially vulnerable.
The IT Department is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that security breaches don’t happen at all and if they do occur, they are detected as soon as possible. The IT department must be vigilant in protecting a company’s data. It’s a full-time job.
Updates
Technology keeps on evolving to better serve us and this is where the IT department comes in. They consistently stay aware of security threats. They install system upgrades and train the staff on how the new upgrades are applied. They must make sure the company website works properly and all service issues are dealt with right away. If customers can’t shop or perform tasks on your website, then they’ll just go someplace else.
Should the CFO do IT work?
Given the above overview of the functions of an IT department, it is clear that the Chief Financial Officer cannot adequately deliver or even oversee most IT work. The main and only function of a CFO should be overseeing company finances. Of course, they must be consulted if the IT department needs newer equipment, hardware, or software. These expenses can be hard to budget for but they’re very crucial to maintain a thriving online presence.
Wrap Up
The financial transactions of most business organizations nowadays rest with the CFO and his department while the IT department handles servers, computers, internet security and the company’s online presence. Only IT experts are equipped to manage these tasks efficiently. The CFO should be there to facilitate financial assistance and receive reports, but not be involved directly in the IT work. Organizations should ensure that these two departments have their roles distinctly separate and well laid out.
by Felicien | Jul 5, 2018 | Education
6 Tips To Better Battery Life In iOS 11.4
Are you frustrated because your iPhone’s battery isn’t lasting as long since you upgraded to iOS 11.4? You’re not the only one. A lot of people are contacting Apple to complain about this. It doesn’t matter if you have an old iPhone 6 or the new iPhone X. It seems that everyone using the newest operating system has discovered that the battery drains more rapidly than it did before.
So, what can you do? We’ve included six easy tips below that should help keep your iPhone battery charged longer.
Tip 1–Enable Low Power Mode
To do this, go to Settings > Battery and activate the “Low Power Mode” slider. The battery indicator in the status bar will be yellow while Low Power Mode is enabled.
This Suspends:
Hey Siri –This is the intelligent personal assistant that helps you get things done. Siri can send your messages, place calls, check your calendar, and more.
Background App Refresh –This feature allows any app for your iPhone to appear to be multitasking all the time. What’s really happening is that they’re multitasking “just in time” by updating in the background whenever they have the opportunity, or right before they determine that you’ll be launching them.
Automatic Downloads – It’s important to note that in order to keep all your devices in sync, you need to keep this on. It automatically downloads any song, app, or book you buy from iTunes to all of your compatible devices that have Automatic Downloads turned on.
Mail Fetching – If you’re worried about your battery usage, you can limit how often your iPhone checks for new email. By default, the iOS mail application is set to “Push” so it can download new email as soon as it arrives on the server.
Some Visual Effects
In Addition:
Auto-Lock defaults to 30 seconds.
The iCloud Photo Library is temporarily paused.
To re-enable each of these manually go to: Settings>Battery
Your iPhone will always automatically disable the Low Power Mode when it’s charged up to 80% or higher. Low Power Mode is temporary and only lasts until the next proper charge. There’s no way to permanently enable it.
Plus, whenever your iPhone reaches the 20 percent battery mark, the “Low Power Mode” prompt will appear. At this point, your iPhone will show you what features are temporarily disabled. You can choose to “Continue” and enable Low Power Mode or “Cancel” and not enable it. However, Low Power Mode can provide anywhere from one to three hours more time before your iPhone loses power.
Tip 2–Turn On Auto Brightness
Increased screen brightness can eat up a lot of battery power. With Auto Brightness your iPhone will automatically set the brightness according to the ambient light around you.
Turn on Auto-Brightness by going to Settings>General>Accessibility>Display Accommodations
Tip 3–Turn Off Background App Refresh
With this on, your iPhone has to use energy to predict when and how often you’ll be using applications, and it aims to re-load information by refreshing the app in the background.
You can save battery life by turning Background App Refresh off globally or for individual apps. You can also limit the refresh to Wi-Fi only.
Go to Settings>General>Background App Refresh to make adjustments.
Tip 4–Turn Off App Location Services
Location Services allow applications to know where you are based on your GPS or Wi-Fi triangulation. This is handy for a number of things but it drains battery power. Some apps request your location information but you get very few benefits from this. They often use App Location Services for targeted ads.
To save your battery, go to Settings>Privacy>Location Services and toggle the switch to off. A better idea is to set individual apps to “While Using,” “Always,” or “Never.”
Tip 5– Disable Raise To Wake
Raise to Wake tells your iPhone to turn on when you raise it. This is helpful, but it also uses up needed battery power each time you pick up your iPhone.
To disable Raise to Wake, go to Settings >Display & Brightness and toggle the switch to the off position.
Tip 6–Disable Motion Effects And Dynamic Wallpapers
The parallax effect is the name given to the slightly moving icons and notifications in iOS when you move your iPhone around. Apple created the parallax effect to give some depth to their icons.
You probably won’t notice when the parallax effect is turned off. As with any process on the iPhone that requires movement, the graphics capabilities needed to run motion effects eat up battery life.
To disable this effect, go to Settings>General>Accessibility>Reduce Motion and toggle the switch to On.
Disable Dynamic Wallpapers
These are wallpapers that include a subtle movement. They look cool, but the movement drains your iPhone battery. For this reason, it’s best to use a still image for your wallpaper.
To get rid of dynamic images, go to Settings>Wallpaper>Choose and select a wallpaper from the Stills selections.
We hope this helped. Keep these tips handy. You’ll need them when the power goes out, or you don’t have access to a place where you can charge your iPhone.
by Felicien | Jul 5, 2018 | Education
Healthcare practitioners such as doctors and specialists rely on information systems to diagnose and intervene in a variety of clinical conditions and settings. Recently, technology has allowed corporations to integrate cloud-based innovations to bring about the needed efficiency in the development of sustainable growth among healthcare institutions.
Increasingly, users of healthcare services have showcased a trend towards the adoption of innovative solutions such as the combination of information in the management of information and the collection of patient data.
However, there are still concerns about the adoption level of cloud-based computing systems in small and medium-sized healthcare organizations. The risks associated with data loss or breach exceeds the economic capabilities of these companies. In this regard, this article outlines some of the uses of cloud-based computing tools to doctors emphasizing the economic return on investing in these types of systems.
Among the uses of cloud-based computing tools discussed herein, we discuss data storage, collaborative cloud computing, and cloud-based management systems.
Facts About Data storage
Data storage needs serve a variety of purposes for doctors and their staff. Generally, cloud storage serves the interests of doctors in the collection and preservation of patient data for follow-up and future consultation purposes.
Specifically, doctors must refer back to the data provided by patients to continue offering reliable treatment options. There’s no way they can remember every piece of information about each patient. They rely on their records to keep track of patients, their health, and they’re treatment options. This allows them to offer evidence-based treatments for ongoing patient care.
Cloud storage has become a good option for storing records like these because there are simply so many of them and the records can cover many years of patient care. Naturally, it’s important to protect this data at all costs. It contains a great deal of health information and personal information that no one would want to be released publicly.
HIPAA Regulations
The laws are changing to offer people greater protection for this type of health information. HIPAA and other regulations are meant to provide rules for how patient data is handled and stored. In order to carry out effective medical care, doctors do need the health records of their patients to be accessible at all times. Without the ease of access and availability of cloud-stored information, physicians would be less effective. Their jobs would be more time-consuming. So there must be a good balance between the doctor having good access to patient data and the patient’s information is protected from cyber theft.
How Cloud Storage Benefits Doctors
With the application of cloud-computing tools, the strategy of cloud collaboration has developed due to the benefits of storing the results of clinical records and procedures to various databases. The provision of cloud medical databases enhances the readiness of critical information essential for quality service provision.
This availability of information benefits physicians when recommending drugs that relate to other medical cases with similar diagnoses and conditions. Today’s technology has a lot to offer when it comes to researching past medical cases.
For doctors, using cloud resources for their medical practice makes the work lighter and more effective. For patients, there are better, more effective treatment options available.
Time is also a big factor in treating illnesses. The sooner a proper diagnosis can be reached, the better. Patients want to know immediately what’s wrong with them and how to get well. This has led to the application of information from cloud-based peer-to-peer databases that offer reliable case studies on interventions and best practices to enhance patient satisfaction and practitioner efficiency.
Managing Patient Data
Sound administrative practices are essential in the control of a healthcare institution. Management systems play the role of providing automated services such as billing and scheduling. The benefits of cloud-based management systems are easy to realize. One large hospital might process the medical records of thousands of patients each year. This includes their billing and payment information. Imagine trying to keep track of that much data without modern technology. Automating most tasks is the only thing that makes sense.
Specifically, healthcare organizations collect patient data relating to care demands and offer treatment at a cost. The cost of providing the service is based on the cost that doctors and hospitals incur. Therefore, cloud-based web applications for billing functions are implemented in medical institutions to impact the economic development through sustainable return on investment (ROI). Both large and small scale organizations have come to understand the need to provide sustainable care by being efficient, ethical, and consistent in managing resources when providing patient care.
Wrap Up
It is essential for healthcare institutions to make use of the benefits of integrating information technology, particularly the application of cloud-based computing tools. These systems provide access to medical research that is essential in interpreting the proper treatment and care of the patient. In addition, the cost of doing business must be manageable and the patient’s private health information must be kept secure.
In terms of reliability, time-saving benefits, proper treatment options, and best care for patients, the healthcare industry needs the convenience of Cloud-based technology.
by Felicien | Jul 5, 2018 | Education
What is Microsoft Office Lens?
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed to send someone a handwritten piece of paper or an illustration on a whiteboard? Microsoft has developed an app called Office Lens that works like a portable scanner, taking pictures of hard copy documents and then converting them to digital files. Once you take the photo, you can crop it, rotate it, or give it a sharper focus so that it looks just like a scanned image. The app uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, which has been around a long time and is very reliable.
Click here to learn more
This application is available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phones. It integrates with other Microsoft applications such as OneNote and relies heavily on the camera. This App can even convert your images into other formats such as Word, PDF, and PowerPoint files. That makes it even more convenient to use.
Scenarios
You are in a corporate meeting and your boss or colleagues need detailed explanations of things discussed in another recent meeting. The problem is that most of the things accomplished in the meeting were done on a whiteboard. In the past, it’s been hard to share information like this with colleagues. With the Office Lens App, you would take a photo of the whiteboard, then edit it appropriately, convert it, and share it with others.
It works for receipts too. Keeping a pile of receipts is no longer tidy nor reliable and they can easily be misplaced. Lay the receipts out on a flat surface and take a picture of them. You can do this for each receipt or group several together. You might have five receipts from where you bought party supplies for an upcoming birthday at work. Take a photo of all of them at once, then you can forward that file to the accounting department for reimbursement. Files can also be saved to OneDrive for future reference.
How many business cards have you collected over time from different people? These are always hard to keep up with and some of them may be important. With Office Lens, you can take a snapshot of the card and save it to your mobile phone. Now you can throw the paper card away. You don’t need it anymore.
Keeping track of items in this manner prevents spelling and typing errors. Everything is photographed exactly as is so there are no worries about copying down the wrong email address.
Office Lens is a good program for use at home as well. For those who are parents, your kid’s childhood is important. Their very first writings and drawings can be stored in your device and even forwarded to grandparents or friends.
Sticky notes are used a lot around an office. They often contain important information but they are easy to lose. With Office Lens, you can take snapshots of the most important sticky notes so you’ll have them for future reference.
How does it work?
Make sure you install the Office Lens product that is compatible with your device: iOS, Android, or Windows. Follow the instructions to set it up properly. Be sure to allow the program to access your camera.
The camera will open and then a default “view” option will allow you to choose options such as whiteboard or document.
As you focus and move the camera, it will try to frame the object. Once you get a clear focus, just press the button to capture your image.
Office Lens will take a few minutes to process the image and then give you a preview of it. If you think you should trim it a bit, use the crop option in the upper right corner. Once you achieve your desired results, tap Done.
Finally, you will need to save the image. You have options such as OneNote or OneDrive. These are good places to store all documents like this. Sign in to your OneNote account, create a name for your image, and then save it in the notebook file of your choice. If you wish to store your image online, you can upload it to OneDrive, Word, your photo library, or even PowerPoint. You can also email the photo.
Why Office Lens?
This app is a great way to organize all your stuff. It’s easy to use and it integrates well with other Office applications. It can help you keep track of everything from sticky notes and business cards to receipts. Since it uses Optical Character Recognition, it provides better clarity than normal photo-taking programs and cameras. It can even give you a good image of bad handwriting.
Office Lens allows you to edit directly from the image. If you feel that your content needs more explaining or has omitted something important, you can add it on the image from your device and then save it in the most suitable mode.
The fact that you can convert your image into different file formats, such as Word, PDF, and PowerPoint ensures that the image can be opened from any user device, especially if you are sharing it in a group forum.
Wrap Up
Office Lens is one App that is user-friendly and can be applied to different situations. Whiteboard presentations, bills, and receipts from home, restaurant receipts or even the menu, can be saved for future reference. This is a helpful app that definitely makes life a lot easier.
by Felicien | Jul 4, 2018 | Education
Today’s workforce is more mobile than ever, which means they can work from virtually anywhere any time, provided they’ve got an internet connection.
While this is great, it presents a whole new spectrum of security challenges as this level of mobility means more opportunities for a security breach. If this doesn’t ring alarm bells in your head, then picture these statistics:
The IBM-sponsored Ponemon Institute’s 2017 Cost of Data Breach Study puts the global average cost of a data breach at a whopping $3.6 million. That’s about $141 for every data record. Not to mention that the cost of recovering from a security breach is higher than protecting against one.
More than 80 percent of employees use non-approved SaaS (software-as-a-service) apps in their job, leading to hundreds of million records already compromised to date.
An attacker can reside within your network for up to 200+ days on average before detection.
What Microsoft is doing to combat security threats
Microsoft’s protection begins with the unique insights that the tech giant amasses through machine learning technology. Machine learning on Microsoft Security works by overlaying separate sets of company data for its Artificial Intelligence (AI) system to monitor. The system measures each dataset against the other using pattern recognition to detect any anomalous activity which it then flags in order to be addressed.
This threat intelligence gathers signals — or indicators — from a broad and in-depth array of sources to help the security graph understand the threat landscape. This means analyzing and learning from data built into products and services such as Windows, Office 365, Hotmail, and Azure from users all over the planet to detect attack trends and intercept new threats before they happen.
That’s data provided by:
400 billion emails monthly
2 billion devices monthly
1 billion cloud queries daily
2 million file samples daily
Microsoft also employs threat researchers and analytics systems across its worldwide network to provide a timely and actionable assessment of the threat landscape. This approach means that Microsoft has billions of data points that throw light on various security issues.
The company is constantly learning from every one of these interactions and creating a security graph built on its broad scale, strength of signal, visionary mindset, and vast experience as a global enterprise. Most importantly, they perform ongoing studies of the threat landscape to help understand and mitigate the impact of more sophisticated attacks.
Pillars of Microsoft Security
Microsoft’s approach to security comes down to four simple pillars: Trust, Intelligence, Partnerships, and Platform.
Trust
Microsoft believes in the need to trust that your organization, data, and people are protected from security threats.
Intelligence
This is about acting on the intelligence that Microsoft gives you from its security-related signals and insights – helping both Microsoft and its users detect threats more quickly.
Partnerships
Microsoft is fostering an ecosystem of vibrant partners whose contributions lead to the effective raising of the security bar across the industry. The tech giant believes in working with the industry as a way to take a holistic approach to technology.
Platform
Microsoft security is in-built on the company’s platforms, taking a holistic approach to security by looking at it across identity, apps, devices, and data, as well as the security infrastructure. This involves, for instance, harnessing machine learning on integrated applications such as Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to seamlessly monitor data, detect threats, and eventually contain them before they become a problem. Since all this is done using technology rather than human input, there is little need for employee involvement or related software deployment.
A more targeted approach to threat protection
Because many of today’s organizations have multiple data centers spread across various locations or all over the globe, there are more opportunities for a security breach. This means that an integrated approach to protection would be a less efficient alternative. Microsoft, therefore, encourages the deployment of more targeted products that narrow the focus and guarantee the security of internal business processes.
A good example is the protection that Microsoft offers for emails; a major point of breach targeted by cybercriminals. Here, Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection (which works in the same way as ATP) focuses only on scanning and detecting suspicious activity within emails.
There is also the Threat Explorer in Office 365 Threat Intelligence and Exchange Online Protection that Microsoft uses along with the Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection to create a broader threat visibility. This guarantees faster detection, investigation, and response to email threats.
Conclusion
With its unique approach, Microsoft is always steps ahead of bad actors that threaten your two biggest assets – people and data. Using Microsoft Office 365 means that you’re leveraging these unique capabilities to increase your protection. The beautiful thing about having world-class security is that it ensures your employees have the peace of mind to do their best work that will yield the most productivity for your organization.
