Hi, everyone! Welcome to the new webinar at “Tea Time With Demakis”. In this webinar we will present seven must-have WordPress (WP) plugins for business websites in 2021.
Specifically, we’ll focus on plugins that affect the performance, appearance, and usability of websites on WordPress.
So, if you’re looking to update your website, you’ll find this webinar extremely helpful.
Seven must-have WordPress (WP) plugins for business websites in 2021 are the following:
#1 Yoast SEO
#2 WooCommerce
#3 UpdraftPlus
#4 WP Rocket
#5 WPForms
#6 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) and
#7 Gutenberg Blocks and Template Library by Otter
If you’re unsure about building your own website, don’t worry.
We can help you!
Demakis Technologies offers professional web design services that can speed up the development of your new website.
Hello, everyone! Welcome to new webinar at “Tea Time With Demakis”. In this webinar we will be talking
about the newest trends among managed service providers (MSP). Specifically, we’ll address the following:
What is an MSP?
Why you should use an MSP
How it can help you
Which industries need an MSP the most
The top trends in MSP you need to look out for
So if you’re looking to choose an MSP for your business, you’ll enjoy watching this webinar.
If you’re looking for managed services that can provide your business with any of these trends, Demakis Technologies can help you. Please contact us immediately to get in touch with one of our IT professionals who can help you make the right decision based on your business’s needs.
In this post, we are going to take a closer look at augmented reality – a technology trend that is growing as AR devices are becoming more available.
We’ll address the following questions:
What is augmented reality?
How is augmented reality used in business?
What are some of the best solutions for augmented reality?
So if you want to understand augmented reality better, and find out why this technology is emerging, this article is for you.
Let’s begin.
What is augmented reality?
Augmented Reality uses information like analytics and data and transforms it into animations and images that are integrated with the real world.
AR lets us experience a real-life environment that surrounds us with digital content and information overlaid on it by using a camera on a mobile phone or AR headset.
Unlike virtual reality that creates its simulation, AR adds value to the real world as it is, and that is the main difference between virtual reality and AR.
Augmented reality statistics
The AR market is one of the fastest-growing markets right now. AR is growing rapidly because it can be used in almost every industry (education, healthcare, travel, journalism, automotive, marketing, real estate, fashion). AR has an estimated market value of $50 billion by 2024.
As more people are recognizing the potential of augmented reality, investment in AR is growing. Spending on AR and VR in 2020 on a global level is estimated to $18.8 billion.
AR has the potential to bring online shopping to the next level. When customers shop online, they can’t feel the product and see it in reality, and that’s why people are hesitant when they shop online. 40% of customers would pay more for a product if they could customize it in AR. With AR, customers can make confident buying decisions
Augmented reality in business
AR technology in business can be very efficient, and that’s why AR is becoming a part of every company’s strategy.
Augmented reality generates business value by becoming part of the product, and also by making performance across the value chain more successful.
AR is used more than VR in business, but the mixed reality in business can be very beneficial. For example, The U.S. Department of Homeland Securityis bringing together AR instructions with VR simulations to create emergency situations so they can train their people at a reduced cost.
Here are some examples of how businesses are using AR in various industries:
Healthcare
Although some people think the uses of AR and VR are mainly for the entertainment and gaming industry, this example shows that AR can improve any industry.
AR could benefit both patients and health providers. It can help patients identify their symptoms. For example, EyeDecide is an app that allows the camera display to simulate a patient’s vision that is affected by a certain condition like cataracts.
AR can assist surgeons during procedures, and help nurses find veins easier and faster.
Fashion and Retail
AR is transforming the way customers are making their purchasing decisions. Now, customers can interact with AR from the comfort of their own homes.
Converse The Sampler appallows customers to virtually try on different shoe models, and pick their favorite model by only pointing a phone at their feet.
One of the benefits of AR in the fashion industry is that with virtual dressing rooms, customers can experience the product, and be more confident in their buying decisions.
Marketing
AR is a great way for companies to promote content to their target audience. AR campaigns give consumers a unique experience, thus taking advantage of AR in your marketing makes the product more interesting and desirable.
Best solutions for augmented reality
Here are some of the augmented reality solutions that show how much potential this technology has:
IKEA Place
IKEA’s appallows customers to go through the furniture catalog, pick an item, and see how it fits in their home. The furniture is virtually shown in its true dimensions, and that eliminates the risk of purchasing something too big or too small for them.
Sephora Virtual Artist
This mobile app uses facial recognition and allows customers to try on makeup virtually. By using this feature, customers can pick makeup that fits their skin tone without physically trying it on.
Holoanatomy
This technology is changing the learning methods among medical students by allowing them to see the human body in 3-D holograms. By using this technology, students can select individual organs and examine them in detail. This makes learning more practical and efficient.
Augmented reality is only getting bigger, and possibilities of using this technology are endless as it could be used in any industry. If you’d like to find out more about innovative technology, please follow Demakis Technologies and continue reading about it on our blog.
In today’s article, we will be discussing shared services vs. managed services.
Specifically, we will explore:
What shared and managed services are
What makes each model unique
What makes them similar
Why people usually confuse one with the other
Which solution may suit your business the best
So if you’re looking to get actionable tips about shared and managed services, you’ll enjoy reading this article.
Let’s dive in.
What Is Shared Service Management?
Shared Services or Shared Service IT Management is a business model. It’s an umbrella term used to describe divisions (i.e. HR, IT, Finance, Administration) that merge or share various company assets and/or resources (processes, technology, strategies, practices, or teams).
Typically, teams within an organization perform similar tasks, especially when it comes to fulfilling internal and external service requests.
To complete these requests, teams have to work together and communicate. It also means there’s a lot of crossover: For example, when ordering a laptop for a new staff member, the request will demand that IT, Finance, and Office Management work in tandem.
Shared IT Services best serve startups and small-to-medium businesses (SMBs), because of the increased flexibility.
Companies can improve efficiency across teams and divisions, while relying on limited resources to improve the speed of fulfilment and service experience.
What Is a Managed Services Model?
The Managed Services Business Model involves outsourcing a specific business function or process to an outside team or service provider. Once acquired, the third-party provider is responsible for maintaining those operations and anticipating the needs of the company in that department.
For example, many startups use the managed services model to acquire essential IT support (be it general IT managed services, or specific sub-processes such as cybersecurity).
The managed services delivery model empowers companies that lack the expertise, assets, or infrastructure to obtain them without investing in their development. Instead, it buys them as a service from a third-party provider.
So, what is a managed service?
In simple terms, it’s a type of advanced outsourcing where the provider assumes complete control and responsibility over those processes.
So what makes these business models unique?
Managed Services vs. Outsourcing
In IT, Outsourcing involves transferring tasks, processes, or entire product development projects to an outside company.
Typically, outsourced teams are contracted per job. They are external partners that rely on input from the company that hires them and oversees their work according to predefined strategies, milestones, and goals.
On the other hand, a managed service provider is much more independent. As experts, these companies have complete control over the operations they’re tasked with doing.
In a way, they become an extension of the company that assumes responsibility over daily tasks, while remaining autonomous in how they do it and lending their experience when defining the tasks themselves.
You can think of it like this: An outsource team is responsible for developing your company’s new app, while a managed IT service provider ensures the tech infrastructure can support the app across your systems once it’s done, as well as all other business operations.
Shared Services vs. Outsourcing
Typically, shared services in IT and outsourcing don’t exclude one another. In fact, in most cases companies rely on a hybrid model.
To use the previous example: A company may outsource its app development to an external team, while internal divisions work in tandem to oversee the project and provide them with the resources and input they need to develop the app.
Shared Services vs. Managed Services
Here’s where things get a little bit difficult. It’s also where all the confusion stems from, since most companies that have either of these models use them for tech-enabled services.
So, what are tech-enabled services?
Tech-enabled services is a term that describes several types of providers in IT:
What’s the difference between tech-enabled services vs. managed services?
Managed services can be tech-enabled services, while they don’t necessarily have to follow a managed services model.
For example, if you buy a SaaS solution, you subscribe to use the software. The SaaS provider is responsible for maintaining the software, but not operating it.
With a managed IT service, the provider can use and subscribe to SaaS solutions and is also responsible for using them to complete operations it was hired for.
Now, we come to the main question from the beginning of this part: what’s the difference between shared and managed services?
The simple answer is: Shared Services aren’t fully outsourced services, while Managed Services are.
So, while you’ll use internal and external teams to develop and integrate the app (from the example we’ve used), a managed service provider will develop, integrate, maintain, and in most cases use the app (if it fits their role within your company).
So…
What Service Is Best for Your Business?
It depends.
In most cases, companies that already have a well-developed organization tend to use shared services.
On the other hand, startups and SMBs, but also large enterprises, use managed services if they lack the necessary elements to manage certain operations themselves, like IT, on a day to day basis.
And if you are one of these companies and you want to take advantage of a managed service provider, we can help you!
Demakis Technologies provides managed IT services, that includes other areas of expertise like cybersecurity, helpdesk support, and web design. If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, please CONTACT US to get in touch with one of our professionals and get started today.
Hi, everyone! Welcome to new webinar at “Tea Time With Demakis”. In this webinar we will address some of the ways you can future-proof your business with technology.
Specifically, we’ll explain:
What future-proofing is (in the business sense)
How to tell whether your business is future-proof
How to leverage technology to achieve this goal
What that technology is
Bonus trends you can implement to ensure future-proofing
So if you want to know the most effective ways of making your business remain relevant now and in the future, you’ll find them all right here.
Is your business future-proof?
To answer this question, you’ll need to evaluate your organization:
Can you handle the disruption caused by COVID-19?
Are your sales figures down? Why are they dropping?
Can you support a remote working environment?
Did you dismiss some of your staff in 2020? Why?
Whatever your answer, the outlook isn’t bleak. A few simple adjustments and the right technology can remove all of these pain points.
And we can help you with that!
Demakis Technologies can help future-proof your business so it can overcome any of the modern challenges you face now and in the future. Contact us right now to find out how our managed services can streamline the digital transformation of your business and make it bulletproof for years to come.