Outdated Devices That Make Us Feel Nostalgic

With the holidays around the corner, we can’t help thinking back to the good ol’ years.
The holiday season makes us nostalgic and I can’t help but think of all my techy Christmas
gifts that I’d be hoping and praying were under that Christmas tree. Needless to say,
technology has come far and thinking back at some of my favorite gifts also makes
me think about how far we’ve come. So without further ado, and in no particular order,
here are some Outdated Devices That Make Us Feel Nostalgic.

1. Motorola RAZR Flip Phone

    

   
   First developed in 2004, this cellular flip phone dominated the market for four years.
   With a flashy sleek design and a wide array of colors, this phone was a prime example
    of how technology became a fashion. You couldn’t wait for someone to text you
   so you could nonchalantly whip out this phone and slyly text back so everyone
   could see you were in the in with fashionable technology. What said “I love you”
   more than knowing exactly which color Motorola RAZR that person wanted?
   
   
   

2. Corded Phones

   
   Can you believe there was a time before the cell phone? Mind blowing right?
   How about before cordless phones? How did we survive that era? You wanted
   to talk to someone on the phone? Try being tethered to a wall, usually in the most
   public part of the house. What better gift than your own personal corded phone
   in your own personal bedroom, possibly with your own personal phone line.
   Mom, Dad, you shouldn’t have!
   
   
   

3. Sony Walkman

   
   Not to be confused for the Discman that was later developed in the 1990s, the
   Walkman was a portable audio cassette player. Do you remember cassettes?
   They were those little analog devices that recorded music. No track bookmarking?
   Cool, just let me push the fast-forward button and magically hope I got to the track
   that I wanted. But hey, at least I can play music anywhere anytime; just have to
   make sure I have an endless supply of AA batteries.
   
   
   

4. Mp3 Players

   
   Skipping over the Walkman generation, the portable mp3 player symbolized
   an exciting turn for portable music-playing technology. Holding a whopping
   (/sarcasm) 32 MB – 128 MB of data when they first came to market, they
   were more portable than the Walkmans and Diskmans and with way more
   functionality. Commence the era of pirated file sharing.
   
   
   

5. Computer Games via Floppy Disk

   
   If you think a 32 MB was a limited amount of data, try the floppy disk with
   its groundbreaking 1.2 MB of data. To put this in perspective, a single
   song (at an average of 3 MB) would require 3 floppy disks to store it. We use
   to fit whole games on there (*cough* Oregon Trail). At least the floppy disk shall
   be immortalized forever as an iconic symbol, more commonly known as the
   “save icon”.
   
   
   

6. Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

   
   Symbolic of retro gaming, the NES was Nintendo’s first home video game console
   in North America. Retailing at US$89.99 for the console, and an average of
   US$50 a game, its 8-bit graphics along with its 8-bit music are still iconic today
   sparking the popular franchised games like Super Mario Bros. and Zelda.
    Nothing is more reminiscent of old school gaming like blowing out a video game cartridge.
   
   
   

7. Pager

   
   That thing that all the doctors in our favorite dramas carry around? Yes, that was
   actually used as a pretty standard communication device back in the day.
   Whether it was the one-way pager or the two-way pager, this was the start of
   commercial SMS (short message service). *Beep beep beep* “CALL ME”,
   and then you ran to the nearest payphone (you know, that booth that Superman
   used as a dressing room).
   
   
   

8. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

   
   Wow, a computer in my hand? That is exciting! Granted it had a tenth of the
   processing power of the average smartphone of today and were primarily
   used by the business elite, it spurred the movement for the innovation of mobile
   business devices.
   

Well that’s my list of outdated devices that sent me careening down memory lane.
Which outdated devices make you feel nostalgic?

7 Ways Cell Phones are Destroying Your Business Productivity

 
 The cell phone turns 40 years old this month. Are we less productive because of it?

When inventor Martin Cooper made that first call on his prototype Motorola DynaTac, consumers had no idea the impact it would someday have on their everyday lives.

Cell phones for the most part are no longer productivity tools in business, but rather a major distraction. The promise that they would increase employee productivity has died, but the addiction remains. (This is why the original BlackBerry was called the “CrackBerry.”) This month, with the availability of the new Facebook phone, employees now will have an easier way to interrupt their day to check their status and feeds.

When was the last time you saw someone "on the job" also on their phone? In a single day last week, I observed these employees checking their phones:

•  A TSA security officer while screening passengers in at the airport
• A retail clerk while checking out a customer at the cash register
• A janitor while cleaning a bathroom at the airport
• A police office patroling a street corner in Chicago
• A crossing guard helping children in the street after school

If a small business tries to forbid the use of phones, a Harris Interactive survey reveals that employees will find ways to sneak a look at them by hiding them under their desks or going to the restroom. (Don’t even think of trying to block the cell signal at your office, since it’s illegal!)

Here are the 7 ways cell phones are hurting your business and what to do about it:

1. They distract employees. How well can workers be doing their job if they are constantly checking their cell phone for texts or social media feeds? Multitasking guarantees that the quality and quantity of their work will certainly going down.

What to do about it: Forbid the use of personal cell phones while on the job. They can be used at breaks. They should not be carried at all or need to be physically shut off. While this might seem harsh, it's the only way to ensure employees are not distracted.

2. They interrupt important meetings. Since the phone is always on, meetings get interrupted by less important activity on an employee’s cell phone.

What to do about it: Ask employees to turn off their cell phones when enterting an important meeting or actually collect them at the door. This will be disconcerting at first, but will pay off with more productive results.


3. They're a security risk. With many employees bringing their own devices to work (BYOD), mixing personal and professional applications on one phone can put the entire small business at risk. Security is always at risk with one unlocked and lost cell phone.

What to do about it: Buy mobile devices for all employees who need access to work data. Ensure they're set up securely and that these settings are checked monthly.

4. They're physically dangerous. Multitasking employees can be more prone to injury. This doesn’t just mean being on the phone while driving, but even while walking and texting.

What to do about it: Put in the employee handbook that workers should never use a cell phone while in transit in any way. If a manager observes this behavior, the employee should be reminded of the policy.


5. They prevent a separation of work and home. The constant connection to the phone ensures that every employee will bring work problems home and home problems to work. Having no downtime between the two can lead to burnout.

What to do about it: Do not ask employees to make calls or send emails during off work hours with the expectation that they need to be dealt with before the next workday.

6. They spread confidential information in public. Ever been in a public place where a person was having a very private business conversation? Not only is this a company risk, but how focused can the employee really be?

What to do about it: Counsel employees never to use their cell phones for work in a public setting.

7. They actually add work. Phil Frost, managing partner of Main Street ROI, states that if work email is checked on a non-work device, the employee either replies quickly (not optimal) or has to reread that email at work again (not productive). 

What to do about it: Make sure that any device employees use are technically in sync so there is no duplication of work effort.

December 2015 Issue

Great Article! But No One is Reading It!  The end of the year is a great time to take stock of all the things you are doing and set yourself up to do them better in the New Year. One of the key elements is all that content you have; your blog site, your website, social media, brochures, white papers, etc. But wait. Before you forward this over to your marketing department, see if you can answer this question: Out of all the content you produce throughout your company, which pieces are grabbing the most attention; and which are pulling in more leads? Why should you care? Because throughout your organization one of the most consistent efforts comes in the form of content. Yes, that means ads and blogs and other promotional pieces. But it also means Q&As, white papers, technical documents and so on. Wouldn't you be surprised if some of those technical "how to" articles were pulling in more leads than all your ads put together? We came across an interesting article in Fortune about Highspot, a 3 year old startup founded by an ex-Microsoft executive that is using something called "machine learning" to help companies find out which of their content is actually selling and to help them churn out more of the "right stuff". What they're doing is pretty interesting. They use technology to interface to popular document patforms such as DropBox, Box, WebEx and Google Drive. They track documents and changes made to presentations and campaign content to identify which are the most successful in terms of converting into leads. After all it would be nice to know if that article you may have spent hours on was on or off the mark, wouldn't it? The point is that content takes time and effort to produce. Taking a little extra time to organize your content in a way that makes it easier to track from a readership, sharing and lead conversion standpoint, can help you better target your content to maximize exposure and lead conversion. Whether you use technology such as Highspot or you do this yourself, it's becoming more important to track, analyze and optimize content to work harder in today's content rich, competitive, data driven world. You work too hard not to! -Kevin Young, CEO/Founder,  CDR-Data Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year!   -Kevin Young and the team at CDR-DATA  Stay Connected

Windows 10: Full Steam Ahead...But Are You Ready?    Microsoft is setting the stage for a pretty massive upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users. And no one knows the inner workings of the upgrade strategy better than Josh Mayfield, the developer who created GWX Control Panel. You can read the full article from ComputerWorld here. About CDR-DATA CDR-Data applications are supported by products that, collectively, provide  you with all the resources needed to  effectively manage your communications and personnel expenses without having to add resources. eCDR®: All the reporting options and flexibility needed to effectively manage and allocate telecommunications expense. Easy to use and customizable.     eBill-Back®: Fast, accurate telecommunications billing system for business centers, shared-tenant environments and any business requiring bill back of end users. Call us or drop us an email: cdrinfo@cdrdata.com. Visit us at www.cdrdata.com.

November 2015 Issue I Have a Dog in This Fight (Albeit an "Older" Dog)   As a boomer, I admit that articles about older workers tend to get my attention. I read an interesting one the other day on bbc.com that spoke to the "secret strengths" of older workers. I wondered why these strengths should be considered such a secret! I do know that there is a certain amount of reluctance in the workplace that continues to hamper the efforts of older workers...and worry younger managers. And that's a shame because there is some amazing talent out there that can and should be tapped.   The article references Shawn VanDerziel, a 40-ish chief of human resources for the Field Museum in Chicago, and Dirk van Dierendonck, professor of human resource management at Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands. Both had some great insight to share. Here are some of the benefits of hiring older workers and some words of advice to bring out the best in them. They have good ideas. There is an advantage to having been around awhile. You can accumulate some good ideas that are just as fresh as those coming from younger workers, but with a dose of reality that comes from more years of experience.   They are more technologically adept than you think. This is one of the stubborn myths about many older workers. If they are still working, they are using plenty of technology. According to Dirk van Dierendonck, older workers complete assignments faster than many younger workers.   They are loyal. "If you're building your company or department for the long run, it may be more profitable to invest in people who are invested in the organization," van Dierendonck said. "You're more likely to see that investment from older workers. They don't need hand holding. They are more independent, VanDerziel said, and they don't need constant feedback about how they're doing. More than anything, he said he's learned about when to back off. One last benefit that VanDerziel shares with us. "They're also not going to take that criticism personally," he said. "With millennials, you might want to put feedback in context, to give them compliments first." What have your experiences been working with older employees? We'd like to share your stories. Let us know what you think about old stereotypes and how you have adapted to older workers.   -Kevin Young, CEO/Founder, CDR-Data About CDR-DATA CDR-Data applications are supported by products that, collectively, provide  you with all the resources needed to  effectively manage your communications and personnel expenses without having to add resources. eCDR®: All the reporting options and flexibility needed to effectively manage and allocate telecommunications expense. Easy to use and customizable.     eBill-Back®: Fast, accurate telecommunications billing system for business centers, shared-tenant environments and any business requiring bill back of end users. Call us or drop us an email: cdrinfo@cdrdata.com. Visit us at www.cdrdata.com.       Stay Connected           A Cloud is a Cloud, Right?...   Okay there are private clouds, public clouds and hybrid clouds. But which format do you think serves business needs the best? Fortune asked around. Here's what they found out. IoT: a Primer First, a definition of IoT, courtesy of Officing Today, for those who may not yet know what IoT stands for:  "The Internet of Things is a vast collection of physical objects connected through an online network. "Things," in this sense, is virtually anything with the ability to connect to the Internet: smartphones, smart TVs, monitoring implants, fitness bracelets, cars with built-in bluetooth, tracking sensors...the list is endless." Want to learn more? Read the full article here.   CDR-DATA| | mchin@cdrdata.com | http://cdrdata.com PO Box 41141 Pasadena, CA 91114 www.cdrdata.com Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.

"Wise Words"

The 6 Startup Expenses You Need and the 6 You Don’t

Money is not funny. Especially when it comes to your own company. It’s no news that after the bootstrapping stage, startups often fall in the trap of spending their preciously raised funds on things that are not that important – to the point at which they run out of runway and eventually find themselves as another failed startup.

However, don’t rush into choosing the cheapest options possible and cutting down the costs to the barely survivable minimum for the sake of impressing your investors. In fact, some expenses are not only unavoidable, but necessarily.

6 Important Startup Expenses

1. Market research. Never cash out until you precisely know what your customers are ready to buy. Knowing the ins and outs of your target market and having a clear vision of your ideal buyer persona is a must for any startup. Understanding what the market needs, how tough is the competition and what pricing strategy will work best is an essential component of success.
2. CFO or accountant. As we are talking about optimizing expenses here, you need a person to keep a close eye on your business finance. A good CFO will save you more money than you pay them by holding you accountable for spending and analyzing your current ROI and ways to increase them.
3. Legal counseling.  Paying for professional legal advice can save you heaps of money in the perspective in terms of potential legal settlements later on. Have doubts about certain legal procedure? Do splurge on a lawyer.
4. Marketing and branding. The biggest nightmare of most startups is when no one comes on the big launch day. That can be a real life scenario if you invest poorly in your marketing. Certainly, you should not waste more money than you can afford (ask your CFO about that), but consider hiring a reputable company or stashing creating an in-house team with the best professionals.
5. Customer Support. How do you plan to retain and assist the customers you’ve spent time and money acquiring if you have zero people to cater them in a timely manner? Doesn’t sound really clever, right?
6. Technical Support. Never play it cheap when it comes to choosing your hosting provider and creating a stable website. There’s nothing worth than losing customers because your payment form glitches or your website is down during a particularly high traffic peak.

6 Startup Expenses You Should Avoid

1. Expensive software solutions.  Most tools and software these days have cheaper, free or heavily discounted alternatives. Don’t rush into buying yet another trendy product until you are 100 percent sure it is essential for your company’s further growth.
2. Fancy office space. Sure, you’d love to move to a bigger, brighter space and stock it up with loads of cool furniture, art prints, and elements of Scandi design. However, the moving and furnishing costs can quickly add-up. Don’t rush into building an office of your dream until your company has a proven traction record.
3. Non-measurable outreach efforts. Whether it is influencer marketing or personal branding, once you see that the strategy is not bringing any consistent measurable results, stop spending money on it. Instead, invest in those marketing channels that already gained you some feasible outcome.
4. Hiring staff before you are ready. Sure you’d love to have more people on board to share the joys of building a company together, but if your business isn’t ready, you’ll just waste the money. Outsource and hire out-staff freelancers to work on permanent basis till your business advances steadily.
5. Expensive equipment. Yes you’d love to have an ultra-tech office, but now may not be the best idea to heavily invest into new gadgets. Purchase things you actually need, rather than those you want.
6. Spending money before you’re even sure you’ll make some money.  Don’t rush into spending large sums before you are making enough to cover it. Live according to your means is a golden rule both for personal and business finances.
   

October 2015 Issue Apple Getting Ready to Disrupt Again! And Carriers Won't Like It!  Talk about disruptive. And, for consumers and Apple, it's all good. With the recent release of iPhone 6s comes an influx of new features rolling out, and one of them stands ready to change the way we deal with our wireless carriers forever.  If that sounds good to you, think about how it sounds to Apple! It started off slowly with the marketing and selling of content direct to the consumer, leaving the carriers scurrying to create more inviting and less expensive (at least perceptively) options to consumers. But Apple's winning with their new $32 per month deal, which gives you a new unlocked iPhone every year. Who are you bypassing? The carriers!  While they will not go quietly --- we can expect all sorts of special deals and rebates in the months to come --- the experts are predicting a very different world to emerge over the next year or so. The "P.S" here is what's happening with Apple SIMs. You know, those little chips that allow users to pay for data traffic via iTunes. Experts predict that the SIM will be extended to the iPhone. And you can connect the dots from here. Will carriers eventually begin selling both voice and data services to their customers? And the add-on question is: What does this mean for traditional telecom management? The bottom line: Be ready. Because Apple does not move slowly. What do you think about Apple's next move? We'd like to hear from you. Feel free to contact us to learn more about how CDR-Data can help you with the right tools to allocate, manage and control your telecom costs.     -Kevin Young, CEO/Founder, CDR-Data Photo credit: "WWDC 2011 Moscone West Exterior" by Ben Miller - Moscone Center WWDC 2011. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons About CDR-DATA CDR-Data applications are supported by products that, collectively, provide  you with all the resources needed to  effectively manage your communications and personnel expenses without having to add resources. eCDR®: All the reporting options and flexibility needed to effectively manage and allocate telecommunications expense. Easy to use and customizable.     eBill-Back®: Fast, accurate telecommunications billing system for business centers, shared-tenant environments and any business requiring bill back of end users. Call us or drop us an email: cdrinfo@cdrdata.com. Visit us at www.cdrdata.com.       Stay Connected           Not to be Outdone by Apple...   Microsoft has announced ExpressRoute, a new service to incorporate private high-speed connection through the Azure Government cloud. What does this mean for the public sector? Here's the link to the details from govtech.    When is a Box not a Box? Box recently announced  that they are out to cover the business universe with content access. Their Box platform will be providing ways for businesses to share content, connect it to processes, and basically connect seamlessly to other cloud services. Is this cool? What do you think? You can read the entire article here.  One Fall Conference Left; but it's a Good One Are you headed to GWA? Better make your plans now! Global Workspace Association Fall Conference, October 21-24, Denver   CDR-DATA| | mchin@cdrdata.com | http://cdrdata.com PO Box 41141 Pasadena, CA 91114 www.cdrdata.com Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.