by Felicien | Oct 16, 2017 | Education
Organizations everywhere are looking to technology leaders to deliver a digital strategy that drives business growth. See how transformative change can help your company succeed both now and in the future.
Organizations of all sizes throughout the world are united in a conversation around a single topic: digital business transformation. While it may mean different things to different people, leaders everywhere see the value that having a solid business technology structure in place will speed time to market, optimize efficiency and improve the overall customer experience — ultimately leading to improved sales, business growth and reduced costs. However, there are significant challenges that must be overcome throughout any business transformation project, and having a solid strategy is the first step towards a successful effort.
Going Digital
Whether it’s an initial push to go paperless in an office, or an upgrade of legacy ERP or other software, going digital is gaining steam for companies. A recent Gartner study noted that CIOs intended to spend nearly 30 percent of their budget on digital transformation in the next year, a staggering number that clearly indicates the upfront costs associated with moving through digital transformation. It’s expected that this number will sustain for several years, as organizations look to transform the way they do business and embrace the new technology that is allowing startups to thrive. Smart CIOs recognize that upgrading technology without business intervention is not going to take the business where it needs to go. Instead, the strategy should be the driving force behind the digital business transformation.
The Role of Strategy
A strategy is a key driver in the digital arena, with companies needing to take significant risks in order to obtain the huge payoffs that come with a digital shift. Leaders who are able to foster a culture of change throughout the organization are more likely to be able to gain buy-in on a strategy to re-imagine the business from a technical perspective. Adoption depends in large part on where the organization is in their digital maturity: more mature organizations tend to have a more robust strategy, while those just beginning the journey of digital transformation may start with a small sub-section of the organization and place their focus there. The learning from companies who are able to make the leap is that if your organization is able to support the rapid change necessary, broadening the scope of your transformation efforts — in concert with a clearly defined strategy with executive buy-in — will accelerate change and provide you the best opportunity for success. Perhaps the step that can be most challenging to organizations who are attempting to develop a comprehensive digital strategy is to prepare to sunset operations or business processes that no longer fit with the core competency and future vision of the company.
Where Strategy Resides
Employees are actively looking for organizations who are willing to support strategic risk-takers and are likely to flock from companies where the measured risk appetite is low or nonexistent. Hence, a detailed and comprehensive digital strategy is critical to ensure the success of any business transformation initiative. That begs the question: Where does this strategy begin? In the technology side of the business, or within marketing? There can be arguments made for the strategy to be driven on either side of the business, but what is evident is that CIOs are finding their jobs changing significantly and a tighter partnership with their CMOs. The continued integration of intelligent machines and advanced analytics require CIOs to look beyond simple delivery of business needs to the holistic customer experience across various channels.
Prevalence of Analytics
Another key factor for success is ensuring that you have a spotlight locked onto analytics and a firm understanding of how to make them measurable and actionable. Many strategic initiatives have been derailed due to too many data points that pointed leadership in the wrong direction or sent mid-level managers scurrying after unattainable goals that didn’t impact the core of the organization. When you create a stringent environment that ensures focus only on the metrics that support operational excellence in your core competencies, these numbers have the power to drive transformation to the deepest levels of the organization. For instance, look at Sprint, a large organization that has been losing ground for years to larger competitors. After years of focusing on cost reduction, Sprint’s leadership took a supremely different stance and decided to invest in technology platforms that would support an enhanced customer experience. The sheer quantity of data generated by an organization of that size can be staggering, but with terabytes of data to wade through the team was able to determine where operations could be tightened from a transactional perspective. This includes everything from improving the online buying proposition to reducing system glitches that were frustrating staff. Today, Sprint’s operations are still a work in progress, but the upfront wins encouraged leadership to stay behind the project and more teams to look for ways to consolidate data silos found throughout the organization.
Managing Technology Disruption
Any large business transformation project is going to cause disruption. However, that disruption can be carefully managed through solid support from leadership as well as mid-level managers and directors. People as a whole fear change, making clear communication of the utmost importance at each step of the process. Listening to the customer is more important than ever, as crucial knowledge can be gained simply by asking those who know and love your business what is needed to improve the experience of working with you. Part of building the strategy includes building alignment, from the needs of the customers, through the daily tasks of the individuals — all tied to the corporate goals and objectives that will bring true transformative change to the organization.
Building a successful digital business transformation strategy doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process that involves individuals at all levels of the organization. Whether you need help starting or continuing a project of this scale or need technology in place to support your business needs, contact us today.
by Felicien | Oct 16, 2017 | Education
Find great Microsoft Word 2016 tips for better collaboration, text management and photo treatment to get the most out of the program.
Are you looking to leverage all of the best features in the latest release of the popular word processing program Microsoft Word? Here is a closer look at a few tips and tricks to get the most out of the application.
Customize Your Ribbon. The Ribbon gives you fast access to the functions, processes, and actions most frequently used. You can customize this tool to create the layout and tools you want to use. It’s easy to do. Go to the File tab and click on Options. Click on Customize Ribbon and select what you want, where you want it.
Collaboration Made Simple. One of the most powerful features of Word 2016 is the ease in which you can collaborate. Here are just a few ways to make shared work easier. Note: These features require files to be saved in either OneDrive or SharePoint.
Simple document sharing is a breeze with the Share feature, located at the top right of your Word window. You can set access permissions and see who’s working on a document.
Real-time typing lets multiple people work on a document simultaneously without overwriting each other’s work.
Improving version features let you see historical versions of a document. Go to File > History to see previous iterations.
Groups are new functionality in Outlook 2016 that allows teams and project groups to more easily work and collaborate. Create a group and invite members who will share an inbox, calendar, file space and OneNote notations.
Text Manipulation. The latest version gives you more flexibility in managing text, including:
Easier pasting of text from other sources such as web pages. Word gives you more options for the type of paste you do, such as with no formatting, which can eliminate the havoc that ensues when pulling text of different sizes or weird formatting into your document.
Select non-adjacent text in this version by using the Control button and your mouse to select multiple sections.
Better Photo Management. Here are a few photo tricks in the new edition:
Photo cropping within a Word doc is a snap. Select the photo you need to manipulate and you’ll prompt Picture Tools to appear on the Format tab of your Ribbon. Click Crop (on the right-hand side) and adjust the anchors, then apply the new settings.
Harvest images in a document with lots of photos in it by clicking File > Save As. In the dialogue box, select Web Page. Click over to the file location where you want the photos and copy the pictures en masse, not one at a time.
Compress images in a document with lots of photos or graphs. Click on the Format tab (note, this tab is not visible if there are no graphics in the document) and click on Compress Images. A dialogue box will open with options for output and whether to apply to one or all images.
Quick Access to Favorites. If you look on the top left, above the Ribbon, you’ll see a few icons. This is the Quick Access section and lets you add the functions you use the most. The Save, Redo and Undo functions default. You can add others by clicking on the down arrow on the right of the section and selecting your favorites.
Where Was I? Do you have a long document that you frequently need to scroll through? Simply hit Shift + F5 and you’ll return to the spot where your cursor was the last time you saved.
Easy Hyperlinks. To make it easy to insert a hyperlink, simply highlight the text where you want the link and hit Ctrl + K. Paste in your URL and hit Enter.
Smart Lookup. If you want some context or a definition of a word or phrase, simply highlight it, right-click and choose Smart Lookup. You’ll get a bevy of information, including definition, relevant Wikipedia entries, Bing images and web search results.
More Chart Options. There are more chart options available in Word 2016 (and throughout Outlook’s latest suite version). The new chart types are Box and Whisker, Histogram, Pareto, Sunburst, Treemap, and Waterfall.
Skype Integration. With Word 2016, you can hop onto a Skype voice or video call, instant message, or screen share directly from the app.
Play With Building Blocks. You can save time in planning and set up the various options by using the pre-built Building Blocks feature. Go to Insert > Quick Parts > Building Blocks Organizer to instantly add common items like text boxes and complex footers.
Your Font Your Way. With Word 2016, changing the default font for new Word documents is quick and easy. On the Home tab, click on the small arrow at the bottom right of the Font section. This brings up a dialogue box that lets you select your preferred font, style, size, color, and effects. Click on the Set As Default button on the bottom left and voila.
Whether you’re an infrequent user of Microsoft Word 2016 or a heavy-duty wordsmith, using these tips can give you the customized look and speedy tips to make the program your own.
by Felicien | Oct 16, 2017 | Education
Want to become an Excel rock star? These tips will provide you with the knowledge you need to master this powerful productivity tool and become the go-to Excel expert in your office.
There are people in this world who are able to make spreadsheets practically sing: creating complicated charts and analysis without breaking a sweat and in only a few moments (or so it seems). And then there’s everyone else, struggling through creating basic formulas after trial and error but not truly understanding the power of the tool. Fortunately, Excel is relatively straightforward to use and there are plenty of websites offering tips and tricks to help improve your skills. This roundup will help you take your Excel skills from lackluster to power user in just a few minutes.
Quick Navigation
If you’re unfamiliar with Excel’s navigation idiosyncrasies, you may find yourself surprised that hitting Enter when you’re typing doesn’t necessarily do the same thing each time depending on where you are in the document and the other actions you’ve been performing. Once you gain comfort with the platform, this will become much more intuitive. Until then, here’s a quick cheat sheet showing some common Excel keyboard commands:
Shift + F3 – Opens the Excel formula window
Ctrl+Shift+; – Enters the current time in your active cell
Ctrl+Shift – Enters the current date in your active cell
Ctrl+HOME – Moves your cursor to cell A1
Ctrl+END – Moves your cursor to the end of your document
F2 – Edit the current cell
F7 – Spell check your current document
Alt+ENTER – Allows you to have multi-line cells, press Alt+ENTER at the end of a line of text to create a secondary line
Ctrl+A – Select entire worksheet
Ctrl+PAGE UP and Ctrl+ PAGE DOWN – Allows you to move between worksheets in the same document
Ctrl+SHIFT+= – Insert a new column or row in your worksheet
Ctrl+- – Deletes a column or row in your spreadsheet when selected
These tips alone can save you hours of time each week navigating your spreadsheets. Granted, it will take some time to begin using all of these shortcuts, but add a few each week and you’ll be scooting around the platform in no time!
Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts
Have you ever wondered how your Excel-loving friends are able to quickly and easily analyze vast quantities of data? Chances are, they’re utilizing Pivot Tables, an incredibly powerful analytic tool built right into Excel. Creating Pivot Tables is simple as long as you first ensure that all columns have a header and that you don’t have any blank columns within your data. Once you have your worksheet structured well, simply select the data you want to analyze and pop the resulting Pivot Table into a new worksheet. The new Excel tool for Recommended Pivot Tables allows even beginners to see the value of this powerful tool, which provides a way to cross-analyze a variety of data types such as costs and dates. Once you master Pivot Tables, Pivot Charts allow you to design visualizations of your data sets based on categories, data series and more.
Filter Your Data
The beauty of using Excel is that the functions available within the tools are not only powerful but often incredibly simple. Such is the case with Filters, which you can easily apply to any row of a spreadsheet to easily view only the data values that are applicable to a specific query. For instance, if you have a spreadsheet that is several thousand rows long, and you want to quickly determine how many of the values include “Tennessee”, simply add a filter to that column, display only the data that equals “Tennessee”, and you’ll see only the selected data displayed. Even better, you can see a count of the number of records that match your filter in the lower left-hand side of your screen.
Conditional Formatting
Long rows of data or dozens of columns can be difficult to look at, especially if you’re looking for how particular data points are different than others. Fortunately, conditional formatting provides users with a way to rapidly differentiate between a long row of values in a very colorful way. Get started by choosing a few cells or an entire range, then click the Conditional Formatting drop-down. From there, you can select how you want to discern between the values, with many users deciding to add color to a field based on whether the number has raised, lowered or is a certain quantity of units away from another number.
Get Creative with Paste
Copy, cut and paste are some of the most-used functions within the entire Office productivity suite, and for good reason. Users are always needing to move content around to a slightly different location on the page, but pasting between programs can be a real chore. If you need to copy information from the internet and paste it into your spreadsheet, for example, you may find that you’re retaining a great deal of the HTML formatting in the text as you bring it into Excel. This is rarely a “good thing”, so getting creative with the Paste function allows you to easily strip out that annoying formatting and only paste in the standardized text. The cleanest way to make the paste is to look for the icon that is a plain clipboard, which allows you to paste your content in a way that matches the formatting of your content’s destination. Alternatively, if you want to retain the formatting from the web, select to ‘Keep Source Formatting’. It’s important to note that this option often ends up with content that will need additional formatting by resizing columns or rows in order to have a cohesive look for your spreadsheet.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to utilize Microsoft Excel to become even more effective and efficient in your daily workflow. Whether you’re a daily Excel user or a sometime analyst, these tricks let you get more out of this dynamic platform. Need to upgrade to a new version of Microsoft Office or considering a move to Office 365 for your company?
by Felicien | Oct 13, 2017 | Education
Mac users of Microsoft Office 2011 may be in for a nasty shock after upgrading to High Sierra, as Microsoft has announced that it’s no longer supported. Even Office 2016 users may encounter difficulties.
It may be no surprise that when you Google “MS Office for Mac”, that the majority of the results returned are alternatives to the popular office productivity software. The Mac to MS Office relationship has been rocky at best, which started decades ago with the competitive relationship between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates in the 1970s. While the early years may have been all about how Microsoft could support Apple’s vision, the current reality is quite different. While Apple now has the power to encourage users to move in different directions for their office productivity software, the prevalence of Microsoft Office and Excel dictates that many Mac users still require access to a version of the platforms for their OS. This makes it particularly challenging when Microsoft decides to deprecate support for a particular version, as they are with Office 2011 for Mac for users who update to the new Mac OS 10.13, codenamed High Sierra.
Preparing Your Mac for an OS Upgrade
The recently-released High Sierra OS has been in beta testing for several months now, giving users plenty of time to preview the new functionality. The majority of Macs that are newer than 2010 are fully compatible with the new OS, making the free upgrade very attractive to users. However, there are still a few steps you’ll want to take before you make the jump, including:
Upgrade your apps to ensure compatibility with the new OS
Check your available space, as you will need several GB’s of free space for the download
Create a clean backup of your entire system “just in case”
If you’re already test-driving a beta version of High Sierra in a partition or otherwise, downloading the update is a snap. If there are files behind your partition, you’ll want to transition those back to your core before removing the partition, too. Many users prefer to run a clean version of a new operating system and install from scratch, while others simply run the upgrade and hope for the best. The popularity of cloud-based software and storage solutions makes this decision easier than ever — a clean install clears out any lingering after effects from previous software.
Staying Supported
If you’ve purchased a perpetual license version of Microsoft Office for Mac in the past, it may be time for an upgrade. While these perpetual licenses are technically yours to use “forever”, there is a functional lifespan for each release. With the Microsoft team dropping support for Office 2011, you do have several options for office productivity software such as upgrading to Office 365, moving to a new perpetual license version of Office 2016 or migrating to a new productivity platform completely. Making a shift can be a jarring transition, as users get used to keyboard shortcuts and the ability to collaborate with other Office users. Not only is Microsoft ending support for Office 2011 for Mac, the new macOS High Sierra will not support 32-bit apps like Office 2011 “without compromises”, as their developers say. Taken together, these two facts mean it could be nearly impossible to run High Sierra with Office 2011 without significant problems — if it works at all. While neither set of developers are saying that Office 2011 for Mac and High Sierra are completely incompatible, they are stating that users are on their own and completely unsupported if they choose to go in this direction.
Available Options
While perhaps the simplest option for Office for Mac aficionados is to delay upgrading their OS to High Sierra, this is a short-term solution at best. Anytime you avoid updates you’re opening your systems up to the potential for security vulnerabilities such as malware and ransomware. If you do wish to continue using both your Mac and Microsoft Office, the upgrade options are relatively straightforward. You can purchase a single-Mac perpetual license of Office 2016 for Mac for a reasonable one-time price, which will get you back up and running. However, there are challenges with this setup as well, as the upcoming Office 2019 will be rolling out new functionality and will require you to make an upgrade again in less than 18 months. Alternatively, you could begin a subscription with Office 365, which provides you with expanded access to productivity tools and even covers a tablet, phone and other devices for each individual subscription. The low monthly rate for the cloud-based software may be attractive for many users and businesses. Finally, you could take a different route entirely and decide to transfer to Apple’s iWork suite, Google Docs or Office Online — the completely free (but feature light) version of the most popular Office platforms.
Determining which version is right for your business needs can be challenging, so let the professionals at {company} work with your team to define the right solution. Contact us today at {phone} or via email to {email} for your free initial consultation.
by Felicien | Oct 13, 2017 | Education
Office 2019 is set to become the latest in a long line of one-time license options from Microsoft. Even if you’re not ready to adopt Office 365, this new edition of Office has plenty to get excited about.
While there is a great deal of discussion in the technology community around Microsoft Office 365 and migration strategies, it’s important to note that Microsoft continues to provide perpetual versions that offer a great deal of the same functionality found in the cloud-based versions. Microsoft Office 2019 is the latest in the long line of offerings from the software giant, and it is currently set to debut in the second half of 2018. If your business isn’t quite ready to make the jump to the cloud, this latest edition of Microsoft’s flagship offering provides you with more natural work options and new capabilities that may make upgrading an attractive option for your business.
Perpetual License versus Office 365
Microsoft Office essentially comes in two “flavors”: a perpetual license that could be considered a traditional option and the newer Office 365 cloud-based application suite. The key difference is the licensing model. With the perpetual model, you pay for the software one time and everything is paid upfront with no functional expiration date. You only gain access to the Office suite on one computer, which may or may not fit the way your employees work. Office 365 allows you to pay a much smaller monthly fee that provides you with access to the software that is controlled from the cloud. You may also receive cloud storage via OneDrive and additional functionality such as Office apps for tablets, the ability to install the software on up to 5 computers and Skype access. This model offers additional sharing options that are severely limited when you select the perpetual license editions of Office. Office 365 allows users to receive updates when new functionality is provided, too. However, if you discontinue your payments to Microsoft for the software, you will immediately lose access to the software. Long-term, it’s highly likely that Microsoft will completely phase out perpetual versions of the popular software.
Why Upgrade to Office 365?
There are a variety of reasons to take the plunge and upgrade to Office 365, including easy update schedules, more attractive pricing and better collaboration. However, Microsoft acknowledges that not everyone is ready to move to the cloud, which can be especially challenging for enterprises with a massive install base. While the suite generally looks similar to current versions of the perpetually-licensed software, there are some fundamental differences with deployment, security, and installation. For this reason, corporate clients have been slower to adopt the cloud editions, but more organizations are moving in that direction on a regular basis. While small to mid-size business leaders may feel that their current edition is paid for and see no reason to make a switch, there are some valuable tools that Office 365 brings to the table. Today’s workers often need to be mobile in order to gain efficiencies, and businesses are more open than ever to non-traditional workflows. It’s not uncommon for one knowledge worker to use their laptop, tablet and mobile phone to access and edit the same document — nearly impossible if you’re only using the perpetual licensing model for Office.
New for 2019
While it’s called Office 2019, technically this version of the software platforms will release in mid- to late-2018, with beta versions coming even sooner. While the feature set has not yet been fully revealed, Microsoft has provided a few hints of what may be found in the newest versions. Many of the features are thought to be additions that are currently in the Office 365 versions of the software, which technically doesn’t make them “new” features at all. These include the Ink replay in Word and PowerPoint’s Morph functionality. Windows Ink provides users with the ability to write on their documents just as you would on physical paper, and it integrates tightly with a variety of Microsoft platforms such as Word, Edge, Maps, PowerPoint and OneNote. With the Ink editor, you’re able to create powerful replays of drawings that can really illustrate your concepts.
PowerPoint’s Morph truly takes slide transitions to the next level, and while relatively simple, it is a fun way to integrate additional color, movement, and interest to your boring PowerPoint presentation. This feature has been available in Office 365 for quite some time, but perpetual license users have had to wait to get their hands on it. What’s even better is that Morph is easy to use as you simply create a beginning slide, make a duplicate and then apply the morph feature to make an interesting transition. You can adjust the motion, size, color, and shape of objects to create a variety of different looks — all with great impact to help tell your story.
While the details are still dark about the full functionality of Office 2019, it does appear that perpetual license buyers will receive some new features. Want to learn more about upgrading your {city} organization to the latest perpetual version of Office or transitioning to Office 365?
Contact {company} today at {phone} or via email to {email}. Our professionals will help you analyze your business to determine the right option for your teams and particular situation.
by Felicien | Oct 13, 2017 | Education
Microsoft Word is an incredibly powerful tool for office productivity, but you’re probably not using all of these fabulous time-saving features. Get the scoop!
There are few software packages that are as pervasive in a variety of different industries as the Microsoft Office productivity suite that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. The ability to quickly and easily edit, share and distribute documents is a massive draw for organizations, schools, and students, but few people fully master these powerful programs. Most people use only a small percentage of the tools that are available, which is unfortunate. There are significant productivity gains available to anyone who takes the time to dig deep and master the capabilities of these full-featured programs. Ready to shave some time off your document editing or processing tasks?
Keyboard Shortcuts
The design of the ribbon across the top with commands also makes it straightforward to find the information that you want, with commands that are used regularly garnering spots in plain sight. Even with the ribbon available, there are repetitive tasks that could be simplified by using a keyboard shortcut. There are plenty of options that will help you navigate through the system and make your work more efficient, here’s just a few that you may find yourself using on a daily basis:
Ctrl+A – A great way to select all the text on the page
Ctrl+Y – Redo or Repeat your last action, to quickly apply formatting as you work through a document
Ctrl+K – Insert a link to the document at the point of your cursor
Ctrl + DEL – Delete word to the right of the cursor
Ctrl + Backspace – Delete word to the left of the cursor
Ctrl + Home – Move cursor to the beginning of the document
Ctrl + End – Move cursor to the end of the document
Ctrl + 1 – Single-Space Lines
Ctrl + 2 – Double-Space Lines
Ctrl + 5 – 1.5-Space Lines
F7 – Run spell check on any selected text or the entire document
Shift + T – Insert the current time
Shift + D – Insert the current date
If you’re spending a big part of your day editing within Word, these keyboard shortcuts alone could save you time, effort and frustration!
Section Breaks
Part of the beauty of Word is the ability to create well-structured documents that make it easy for users to find what they need quickly and easily. All it takes is a little planning and foresight — and a solid understanding of sections and styling — to output Word documents that your users will be pleased to use and that are ready for publishing in print or online. Sections in Word allow you to differentiate between areas of the document, such as the title page, table of contents, main document and any appendices. Create a section break in Word by accessing the Page Layout menu, and look under ‘Breaks’. A section break allows you to change formatting, almost like having a mini-document inside your main document. If you’ve ever struggled with setting different page number styles on your Title page than on interior pages, this tip alone will be a lifesaver.
Working with Large Documents
When you’re editing a book, school paper or other large documents, it’s important that you apply the correct styling to ensure consistency of design and structure. If you need specific fonts, font sizes, paragraph styles or another formatting, it makes sense to take the time to edit your styles before you even start typing. You can begin defining your styles for the entire document by editing the presets under Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 and Normal text — all of which can be found in the Style menu in the ribbon. Select the style you’d like to edit, and making the change is as simple as making changes in the pop-up window and saving your adjustments. When you wish to apply that particular style to a block of text, select the text and then choose the level of style you would like to apply.
Using styles allows you to make universal changes to your documents. For example, your boss wanted you to use Comic Sans font for all headers, but then when they realized how difficult that font was to read wanted it all changed back to Arial. If you’ve properly applied and used your styles, this is the matter of a few clicks to update the entire document. Styles are also very helpful when you’re creating a Table of Contents, which you can do by clicking on the References tab and then clicking Table of Contents to insert your selection. Header levels are translated immediately into levels in the Table of Contents, saving you valuable time and clicks.
Track and Compare Changes
It’s not unusual to need to review someone else’s Word document, whether you’re in a contract review or simply editing out some sections of a marketing document. The handy ‘Tracked Changes’ feature in Word provides you with a way of seeing exactly the changes someone else made in your document and allows you to accept or reject each change — and even add comments. Access this feature by going to the ‘Review’ tab and clicking ‘Track Changes’. Changes are highly visible and tagged to the user who made the adjustment. What happens if you forgot to turn on tracked changes before you sent a document? Don’t despair, the ‘Compare Changes’ feature allows you to compare two documents with ease. Click ‘Tools’, ‘Track Changes’, ‘Compare Documents’, and the modifications will be listed for your easy review.
Need to upgrade your Microsoft Office installations or considering moving to Office 365 in the cloud?
