With the rapid change in technology, and an increasing number of brands vying for your attention, choosing a technology partner can be a little daunting.
Not only is it important to find partners that truly understand your business, you also need to make sure you choose someone who can grow with you, who understands your needs and can meet the requirements of each phase of your business’s growth.
Much like a real-life relationship, a good business partnership should be based around transparency and trust. Print technology, in particular, is a decision most, if not all) businesses will need to make in their lifetime. When you get to that point, here are some key questions to ask yourself when you’re choosing a printing technology partner:
1. Do they give you complete peace of mind?
The best print solution is one you don’t even know exists; one you don’t have to think about. It just works the way it should and is fully managed by a simple process that (for example) ensures you never run out of ink or toner. Brother’s Managed Print Services (MPS) and Toner Management Program sits at the heart of its business, meaning they take care of all your print needs, leaving you to focus on running your business.
Brother treat print as a service, not just a product, with free delivery and installation of devices, access to its corporate direct helpdesk, 3-year on-site warranty, automated consumables replenishment, proactive maintenance and servicing.
Other benefits of Brother MPS include reduced print spend with no hidden costs—yes you can phone the Brother helpdesk for free, and you won’t be charged shipping when replacement consumables are needed. You’ll also enjoy improved workplace productivity and access to the latest technology ensuring you’re always up to date.
2. Do they take time to understand what’s important to you?
A one-size-fits-all approach is never recommended and is not something you’ll experience with Brother. Brother Balanced Deployment is a simple yet effective solution that ensures the right devices are placed within reach of the right people.
Brother will visit your business, take time to understand your print needs and the needs of the people using the technology. Their experts will then use that information to provide recommendations that are proven to reduce print costs and improve employee productivity. And rest assured this is low touch for you. It really is a short process and it always ends in significant improvements!
3. Are they experts in their area?
It’s always best to do your research and talk to brands about their experience with businesses like yours. You want to be sure they understand the challenges you face and come to you with the right technology and support to ensure you never experience down time.
Brother manages print solutions businesses of all sizes across a range of industries, including Lighting Plus, Lumino The Dentists and Tenon Clearwood to name a few.
With a full print and imaging range covering A4 and A3 print needs, including larger copiers, Brother combines its expert knowledge with your personalised needs to recommend the best approach for your business.
4. Do they value customer service and support the same way you do?
Picture this: You’re a located in the suburbs. You need your printers working and a guarantee that everything will run smoothly, but when it doesn’t you can’t get hold of anyone. This sort of disruption can be really damaging to a business, which is why Brother prioritises getting to know your business and your changing print needs across different locations.
Brother has a local helpdesk who are on hand when you need them. They listen to their customers and do whatever they can to ensure their business can run efficiently and effectively with the right technology in place. Whatever your needs are Brother will find a solution and there won’t be any hidden costs when you call our helpdesk.
We understand that sometimes it’s difficult to know the cause of an issue, so if it turns out to be non-printer related (for example, a network issue or operating system), we will not charge you and are always happy to help wherever we can.
5. Are they honest and do they operate transparently?
Contracts. Does that word send a shiver down your spine? Well it shouldn’t. And if it does, it’s time to look at another print provider. Contracts or agreements should be easy to understand, have no hidden costs or hooks and give you confidence that you know exactly what you’re paying for.
Brother prides itself on complete honesty and transparency and will only recommend a solution that fits perfectly with your needs, and products that are designed to improve efficiencies, productivity and save you money. You’ll know what the costs are upfront, so there will be no surprises down the line.
This article has been republished from Brother NZ with minor changes.
Note: Smartphone sizes change so quickly, so we recommend basing measurements to the size of your preferred phone model. This sleeve is supposed to fit very snugly to keep the phone from falling out. If you want to make it larger so it does not fit so tightly (or to accommodate a larger phone in the future), you could add a tab closure to the top.
Steps:
1. Choose 3 different types of fabric—one will serve as the main pocket of your phone case and the 2 layers will be for your cards and earbuds. You will want to cut the main pocket to be twice as wide as your phone (with case if you keep it in a case) plus about 2-3 inches. For example, the phone we used here is 2.5 inches wide, so we cut the fabric to be 8-9 inches wide. The other 2 pocket layers will be 2-3 inches plus your phone size.
2. Cut 3 piece of felt the same size as your phone and pin one to the back of each piece of fabric, with the long edges pinned over. This will add an extra layer of protection.
3. For what will be the 2 smaller front pieces, fold the 2 layers on a diagonal and sew along the top edges. Keep the larger back piece unfolded for now.
4. Sew the two front-pieces along each side at one edge of the back piece. Then, fold over the back piece to cover the entire case.
5. Sew along the bottom and sides, then cut off any extra fabric from the sides after you’re finished sewing. Turn inside out to reveal!
6. Grab your cards, phone and earbuds. You’re ready to go!
In the modern, tech-driven workplace, your IT department is among the most important for the future success of your business.
However, it’s no secret that this division is also one of the costliest to maintain. Therefore, the last thing you want is for their time to be wasted on small, but everyday tasks like ensuring the continued functioning of your printers and multi-function devices.
So, today we’re going to be exploring how you can reduce the IT-related printing expenditure in your business, through a few simple but effective steps. By implementing these, your IT staff will be able to focus on important areas such as securing your organisation’s online presence against hackers, researching the latest business improvement trends and bringing your improving your processes to streamline output.
IT departments are usually among the most costly to run, so you don’t want your personnel constantly caught up with printer issues.
IT-related printing costs: The facts
If you think that your printers aren’t costing your IT department significantly, and on a regular basis, prepare to think again. Here are some stats to show why this area is an absolute priority when it comes to cutting spending in your business:
30% of office workers say that printing issues are their biggest IT frustration (SOS Office Equipment): You know what this means – these employees will be making regular calls to your IT helpdesk to help them resolve whatever issue is impacting their work
23% of communications to IT help desks are printer related (ImageOne) – That’s right, nearly a quarter of all the calls your IT personnel deal with on a given day will relate to printer issues, preventing them from dealing with more pressing or complex issues. Ultimately, dealing with the problems themselves, takes up as much as 15% of their time (LaserResource). Think about what else they could achieve if this wasn’t the case
The average company spends 1-3% of its revenue on printing (Milner) – With so much money already going towards printing, the last thing you need from a financial standpoint is operating issues adding to this. However, given that 90% of businesses don’t track their printing costs (Buyer’s Laboratory), there’s a good chance that excess costs are going unnoticed
From this it’s clear that a little streamlining and modernising of your printer setup could go a long way to reducing the reducing IT-related costs in your organisation. But where to start?
Reducing IT-related printing costs tip 1: Staff training
An easy way to reduce the printer burden on your IT staff, and free them up to tackle more important tasks, is to ensure that all your staff are fully trained on how to properly use all of the devices required in the everyday functioning of your business, including printers.
This may seem basic, but you’d be surprised at how far a simple training session can go, especially if you’ve recently updated your printer fleet with new devices that could be unfamiliar to your personnel.
Dealing with printer issues accounts for 15% of your IT help desk staff’s time.
Another good preventative method is to engage with your employees on the most common problems they encounter when printing. From this consultation, you could draw up a FAQ document to which they can refer before feeling the need to log a ticket with your IT help desk. In the future, it’s likely you will see artificial intelligence (AI) taking a larger hand in providing this type of support role, as simple printer questions are perfect for natural language processing, and means that your IT staff can concentrate their efforts on tasks that machines aren’t yet equipped to complete.
Nearly a quarter of all calls to IT help desks refer to printer-related problems.
Reducing IT-related printing costs tip 2: Easier-to-use printers
Not all printers were created equal, especially when it comes to intuitiveness. You’ll be benefiting both your employees and your IT staff if you invest in devices that are easy to use from the get go. Factors to look out for include:
A touch screen interface – In the past, frustrated printer users would simply be left staring at flashing lights and unhelpful buttons when something went wrong. However, the beauty of a touch screen is that it can usually give the operator an idea of why the desired print job isn’t happening, and suggest what actions they need to take. By the same token, touch screen menus tend to be much more logical to navigate, eliminating the tedious guess work from what should be a simple task
Easy to use – Similarly, if your staff are constantly requiring the help of your IT experts to complete simple jobs like replacing toner in your printer, this is another red flag that you might want to update the device itself.
Security – You should be confident that if you need security oversight over printing in your business, that your printer is up to the task of providing it. If not, expect your IT staff to waste heaps of valuable time clearing people for printer use, or preventing unintended security breaches from unknowing employees
Reducing IT-related printing costs tip 3: Be ready for wireless printers
With office trends such as activity based working and Agile methodologies ruling supreme in many offices, wireless printing is a game-changer for staff who don’t want to have to carry their device over to the printer each time they want a hard copy of a document.
However, this supposed time-saver can turn into a real headache for IT employees who can find themselves running the gauntlet of WiFi errors should your office be ill prepared for welcoming wireless printers.
Preventing this unnecessary drain on time and resources ultimately comes down to a balancing act between your printer and your office’s WiFi capabilities. If your device is old and slow, chances are your employees will experience delays or problems when trying to print wirelessly. Equally, if your building has notorious WiFi blackout areas, you aren’t giving your printer a fair chance at delivering on expectations. In the latter case, changing internet provider, or installing additional WiFi extenders can help solve recurring connectivity problems.
Wireless printers are the way of the future, but can cause problems for your IT department if they’re not well connected.
Wireless printers are the way of the future, but can cause problems for your IT department if they’re not well connected.
Reducing IT-related printing costs tip 4: Employ predictive analytics
Predictive analytics refers to the use of a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), data mining and statistics modelling to take current data sets, and use them to formulate predictions. This technique has potential for a wide variety of implementations in a business context, with maintenance scheduling being one of the most common.
Put simply, predictive analytics allows you to forecast when maintenance is likely to be required for a given asset, allowing you to take action before a major malfunction happens. It also means that if a device, such as a printer, is not operating properly, even if it’s not obviously broken, proactive steps can be taken to remedy this. Clearly, from an IT point of view, this is preferable in terms of time and resources to waiting for a major mishap to occur.
Predictive analytics can help IT departments cut costs on printer maintenance.
You can also cut costs on the shipping and storage of spare parts for your printers, as predictive analytics can give you a clearer idea of when you’re likely to need them, replacing the need to have heaps of parts stocked just in case.
Reducing IT-related printing costs tip 5: Investigate managed print services
What is a managed print service?
Managed print services and Toner Management Program are all about optimising office workflows while reducing the costs of printing at every step.
Usually, managed print services are offered by printing experts, such as Brother, and usually take care of all aspects of your operational printing needs – from printers to copiers, scanners and faxers.
Generally speaking, there are four essential components to a managed print service:
An assessment – The first thing an external provider will do is assess the status quo. What devices do you have in your fleet, how are they being used and what problems tend to crop up from an employee standpoint?
Replacement – Based off this assessment, and in consultation with you or your IT department, the provider will likely make recommendations on what you could replace in order to improve your setup and decrease costs. This could be one or two devices, or a more holistic overhaul to bring your office into line with modern standards. Note, the alterations recommended could even be as small as replacing a few parts in your devices
Servicing – Crucially from your IT department’s perspective, a managed print service will also control the servicing of your fleet. This will free up a lot of time that would be otherwise wasted on frustrating but necessary maintenance on printers and other devices
Tracking – As mentioned, very few organisations actively track metrics around their printers, copiers and scanners. Not only will a managed print service look at usage patterns and suggest ways in which to improve your processes, it will also look at where your costs are coming from and what you actions you can take to reduce them now and in the future
How can a managed print service help you reduce IT costs?
Reducing time spent on printers – The essence of a managed print service is that it allows you and your staff to concentrate on running and improving the business, while the external provider manages the nitty gritty of your printer fleet. While it’s unlikely they will be on hand to respond to individual employee queries or problems, with their expertise behind you, you know you’re setting yourself up for the best chance of success
Uncovering hidden costs – While you may be able to identify that your printers are costing your IT department more than they should (in both time and money), it’s not always easy to determine why. The expertise and objectivity that comes with external oversight can help you establish where your unnecessary spending is happening, and what you can do to counter it
Access to the latest technology – While your IT department is likely keen to keep your operation at the cutting edge of technology, it’s no secret that this comes at a significant cost. However, a good managed print service partner will often be able to offer programs whereby you can access the latest products from their range, without the steep upfront costs. Usually, this operates on a regular payment plan, which allows you to accurately forecast your costs as you move forwards.
How Brother can help
Brother has helped businesses of all sizes through our managed print service and toner management program. We take a personal yet strategic approach to our service, which aims to reduce costs, emphasise sustainability and ensure security at all stages of the process.
From finding the most logical locations for your devices to optimising your printers once they’re installed, our expert team will be with you from start to finish to provide assessments, advice and feedback on your printing practices. This means your employees can focus on business tasks, while we cover the maintenance and management of your fleet.
What’s more, our solutions are designed with scalability in mind, meaning we can help you adapt and grow your fleet as your business changes. For more information on how we can help your business improve and cut costs, get in touch with our team today.
This article has been republished from Brother Australia with minor changes.
When healthcare organisations find options to make their critical everyday workflows more efficient, they should seize these opportunities. In the fast-moving world of hospitals, GP offices and other care facilities, increasing the speed or accuracy of a task may lead directly to better patient outcomes. In this way, modernising processes can literally save lives.
Wristband printing is one of these areas of potential improvement. Implementing new printing workflows and devices allows physicians and nurses to connect physical and digital realms. In this era of widespread electronic medical record (EMR) use, medical personnel need easy ways to access that content and connect EMRs with the patients whose data they contain. Barcode wristbands printed on demand can form that essential link.
Even beyond their use with barcodes, wristbands can contain essential patient information taken from their records, concerning everything from medication warnings to dietary requirements. Fast and accurate barcode printing may lead directly to improved quality of care.
Features of today’s wristband printers for healthcare
There is a difference between simply having a system for printing patient wristbands and possessing a fleet of modern thermal printers. The following are a few of the capabilities that come with these devices and the advantages they bring for healthcare professionals.
Convenient form factors
When hospitals’ thermal wristband printers have small footprints, it’s easy to place the devices wherever they’re needed. Of course, facilities will have these printers at admissions to make sure every patient coming in gets immediately identified with a wristband. Personnel can also mount them on carts, enabling them to print identifying bracelets at patients’ bedsides. Optional Lithium-ion batteries allow the printers to operate without plugging in, for service on the go. This efficiency allows staff to assist more people in less time, as they don’t have to travel far to reach a printer — there’s always one where they need it.
Barcodes to link with EMRs
While patient identification wristbands can contain plenty of information printed on their surfaces — especially when personnel use a high-DPI printer — there is always more data stored in a patient’s EMR. To access additional data quickly and efficiently, physicians can scan barcodes on patient wristbands. Modern thermal printers support multiple types of codes, including 1D and 2D barcodes. Whatever secure Hospital Information Systems facilities use for their data storage, they can connect that information to the real world by printing barcodes onto patient wristbands.
Clear and readable patient information
Even in facilities with heavily digitised workflows, doctors need to be able to glean information about a patient at once by reading a wristband, no scanner required. Fortunately, the same high-DPI quality used for printing barcodes also applies to vital written details, such as negative reactions to drugs. Hospital catering can benefit from patient wristbands that list dietary requirements, helping them match meals with patients to ensure no potentially dangerous mistakes occur.
Wireless connectivity with secure networks
Connecting physicians’ smartphones, tablets or computers with their thermal label printers should be a quick and efficient process to prevent bottlenecks in the printing workflow. This is why the latest generation of printers comes with options such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity to link up with hospital networks and provide quick data transfer. To prevent this convenient connectivity from becoming a security liability, these devices have been designed to meet the security standards determined by healthcare Independent Software Vendors.
Simplified media needs
The thermal printing materials consumed by wristband printers don’t have to be a liability for users. Today’s devices have multiple features designed to make them quick and easy to work with, whether they’re stationed at the admissions desks or moving through the facility on a cart. Printers that accept large rolls of thermal printing tape require changes less often, saving users time and requiring fewer trips for supplies. The actual process of changing rolls is also quick and efficient when printers feature a drop-in, spindle-less design to accept the new media.
Double duty — wristbands and labels
Hospitals today have need of reliable labeling printers. These can feature in parts of the facility such as testing laboratories and equipment storage areas. Labeling samples or assets quickly and easily makes it simple for personnel to track these goods throughout the building. The printed matter on labels will quickly explain the basics, while barcodes allow more advanced workflows such as digital inventory management. When working with today’s advanced thermal printers, the label and wristband printers are the same devices, serving either function effectively.
This article has been republished from Brother Australia with minor changes.
The paperless office. Along side terms such as digital transformation and agile these three words are everywhere when it comes to what businesses are told they should strive towards.
And for good reason. Not only does going paperless have positive impacts on the environment, it can save your business a lot of money and improve security by keeping important documents in password-locked cloud storage.
However, if you think that the paperless office of the future means you can do away with your trusty company printer, prepare to think again. In this article, we’ll take a look at how and why printers will continue to play an important role in paperless offices to help you avoid jumping the gun and getting rid of this vital piece of kit.
Despite what you might think, printers still have an important role in the paperless offices of the future.
Why printers are still important in the paperless office
1. Because ‘going paperless’ doesn’t happen over night
While it may seem impossible to imagine your business without technology, for years physical documentation was the only option we had, and the processes and systems that built up around this fact have become deeply entrenched. As a result, going paperless is a journey, not a destination.
For many businesses, going paperless doesn’t mean the total elimination of paper.
If you were to rid your office of printers as part of a drive to encourage paperlessness, you’d soon find staff running into roadblocks because they rely on printers more than even they realise. Encouraging staff to be more economical with their printing, and ensuring that your printer setup isn’t in excess of what you require are both solid moves, but entirely removing printers from your office, as paperless as you may want it to be, is likely going to be counter productive in the short term.
In fact, for the moment, many businesses admit that going paperless doesn’t mean eliminating paper entirely – and for as long as paper persists, your printers will need to too.
Some workers still prefer to work with printed documents as opposed to cloud-based files.
2. Some staff prefer physical documents
In the same way that some readers will never prefer kindles over the real deal, some staff simply work better when handling physical documents as opposed to doing everything digitally. While you can promote economical printing among your staff, those who prefer to have paper in hand for certain tasks may be taken aback if that option is removed entirely.
Top tip: Encourage discussions among the different teams within your businesses as to what types of documentation you all believe need to remain printable. While this can allow wiggle room for those staff who do prefer physical documents, setting expectations in this way can help you accommodate different work practices while still moving to an overall more paperless environment.
Printers can fit easily into modern practices such as agile working.
3. Printers can fit with modern work practices
While the rise of trends such as remote working may seem to add fuel to the fire that printers are a thing of the past, recent trends show that they are in fact easily adaptable to modern working practices.
Take agile, for example. As businesses start to focus more on the pod-based teams that feature prominently in agile methodologies, we’ve seen a shift in printers too. Instead of huge devices situated centrally for office-wide use, printers have migrated to the teams where they’re most needed. Generally speaking, this means fewer, smaller devices that sit within pods, and are used for their specific tasks.
Printers are easily adaptable to modern business such as remote working or agile structures.
Similarly, in the era of bring your own device (BYOD), mobile printing offers a solution that means staff don’t need to worry about where they are are or what device they are printing from. Employees simply need to connect to their nearest printer, press the button and their documents will be ready for use, either by themselves or their team in the office.
Brother has years of experience in helping businesses to achieve their productivity and sustainability goals through devices that meet their objectives. Whether you’re looking at decreasing paper consumption in your organisation, or are seeking technology to suit your new agile environment, Brother’s team of experts is on hand to help you make the right decisions.
For more information on what we’ve discussed today, or to for specific advice on products, get in touch with our team.
This article has been republished from Brother Australia. The original article can be seen here: https://empowers.brother.com.au/2019/09/12/why-the-paperless-office-still-needs-a-printing-solution/
As a mother of 3 boys who love being outdoors, I’ve had my fair share of sewing bucket hats. In the Summer we spend most of our time outside near the water, at various sports, or just playing in the yard. I’ve made so many for my children but never really made one for myself. Seeing they’re on trend lately (90’s cool) I thought it would be fun to make one for myself this time. I even made it so it’s reversible. You can have so much fun with these! Get the details below and sew your own.
Supplies:
45” 5/8 yd. 60” 1/2 yd exterior fabric (I’m using a medium weight canvas)
½ yard liner fabric (I’m using a medium weight cotton
1/2 yard medium to heavy weight interfacing for brim. (*I did not use interfacing on the other parts because my fabric was sturdy, if you want you can stabilize the crown and the top).
*I drafted this pattern and it fit my head well. I am sharing the pattern but understand you may have to adjust to fit your measurements. I also suggest making a sample first to make the adjustments necessary before the main one. I had to do a couple at first. Feel free to use your own pattern as well.
Cut out pattern for main, liner, and interfacing.
Press interfacing to liner of brim (mine are the same material).
Stitch crown ends right sides together with a ½” seam allowance.
Press seam allowance flat.
Pin crown to top (circle) right sides together, easing to fit if necessary.
Sew with 1/4” seam allowance all the way around.
Clip curve seam allowance if necessary.
Repeat for the liner.
Topstitch if you’d like around the top of the crown and the center seam.
For the brim.
Stitch side seams (RST) on both main and liner (1/4” seam allowance).
Place liner and main (RST) matching seams and stitch along bottom edge (1/4” seam allowance).
Clip seam allowance.
Flip right side out and press.
Baste stitch along top edge to keep raw edges together.
Start at seam and topstitch outer edge of brim. Stitch as many rows as it takes to get to the top. Spacing rows ¼” apart. (*use a medium weight thread for extra detail).
Pin brim to crown (RST). I had the seam of the crown in the center and the seams of the brim on the sides.
Stitch the brim to the crown (1/4” seam allowance).
Place main hat (brim included inside the liner (RST) and pin
Stitch the liner and main together leaving a 3” opening (1/4” seam allowance)
Flip right sides out through the opening.
Stitch the opening closed with a slipstitch or topstitch all the way around the edge to finish it.
Working from home, while already on the rise among businesses of all kinds, has found an essential role as an everyday policy for companies weathering the COVID crisis. If you’re an employee of an office that has gone remote for the time being, or even permanently, you need to think about what this means for your technology use. In a traditional workplace, your devices are protected by company resources and the efforts of the IT department. At home, more of this responsibility falls upon you – what can you do to defend your connected devices and prevent intrusions by cyber attackers?
What are the fundamentals of WFH cyber security?
The general concepts behind cyber security have not changed in the era of pervasive remote work. Unfortunately for companies of all types and sizes, cyber criminals have not halted their activities in the face of the pandemic. In fact, there have been a wave of new phishing schemes in which cyber attackers pose as health authorities sending out news bulletins.
The World Economic Forum indicated that since workers are “distracted and vulnerable,” the chances of a social engineering attack slipping in under a company’s defences are greater than ever. Furthermore, the WEF stated that “heightened dependency on personal devices and home networks” has weakened organisations’ ability to fight off hacking. This raises the question of how best to safeguard your data when using everyday devices for work purposes.
What can you do to protect your devices?
While the devices you have access to in your home office may not always be purpose-built for business use, that doesn’t mean they are wholly lacking in security features. Making sure your PC, smart devices, printers, scanners and network access points are well protected is a relatively straightforward process. The following action items can guide you through and assist you as you turn your home into a suitable workplace.
Identify IoT hardware in your home and access the settings
The internet of things is a tech-world term for an increasingly common subset of technology: Items that are not PCs or smart devices, but can send and receive data. These range from smart thermostats and doorbells to internet-connected printers, scanners and copiers. In your home, you likely have plenty of these devices connected to your WiFi network. To be sure attackers aren’t slipping in through weak protection on these devices, you should actively check their security settings rather than settling for the defaults.
Password-protect all your devices
One specific device setting that deserves your attention is the password. When a printer, multifunction device or other technology tool leaves the factory, it is protected by a default password. These passwords are not as easy to crack as strong ones you select yourself, so you should log into your device by typing its IP address into your web browser on a PC, then log into the administrator control panel and pick a new password. Rather than simply typing in an easy-to-remember phrase or reusing a password from other devices or accounts, it’s important to select a novel, hard-to-crack choice. A password manager app can help with this process.
Update firmware on all your connected devices
IoT devices contain protective features designed to keep criminals from using common exploits to take them over. If you don’t keep these machines’ firmware up to date, however, they may not be safeguarded against the latest threats. You should determine how your device of choice updates its firmware, for example through an automatic downloader tool, then ensure the process is going smoothly. Having the latest firmware is an understated but effective way to keep many threats out of your network.
Secure confidential documents with passwords
Working from home can mean dealing with secure company documents on a daily basis. If you have sensitive information stored in a format such as a PDF document, you should ask yourself what would happen if the file was compromised. Secure document management can mean adding extra layers of protection, such as setting up passwords for your most sensitive content. As with your devices, you should not reuse passwords – a password manager app can help you here, as well.
Implement firewalls and use a static IP address
When you work from an office, there is typically a firewall in place to prevent unauthorized access to the network and its devices. You should extend this good practice to your home office, to ensure remote working does not significantly weaken the protection around your company’s files and programs. You can contact your internet service provider to learn about firewall features and the process of using a static (rather than a dynamic) IP address, which will help you log into secure corporate networks from afar. Treating your home router with the same kind of cautious security features as corporate networks is a valuable anti-intrusion safeguard.
How should you set up your home office?
If it looks like remote work is a medium- or long-term solution for your company, or if there will be more permanent opportunities to work from home in the future, you should consider your current hardware and software setup. Do you have professional-quality technology in your home which will allow you to uphold professional standards? Remember that your customers’ expectations will remain elevated, and your ability to meet those requirements hinges on your IT configuration.
Seeking out a new, professional-grade printer, scanner or multi-function device is an essential part of equipping your home office. You need to balance high-quality printing and scanning features with networking that supports high-quality security. Sacrificing either the quality of your work or the integrity of your network is unacceptable, which means your device of choice must suit both objectives equally well. You also need to pick hardware that fits other requirements, such as the amount of free space: While a stand-up device might be ideal for the company headquarters, an efficient desktop model could be perfect for you to use at home.
With many of us now settling in to our new work from home lifestyles, we’re still looking for ways to make our new-found workspaces more functional, easy to use and ultimately a space that encourages productivity. An essential way to encourage productivity in your new workspace is to get organised! When everything has its place and is easy to find, completing your work tasks at home becomes less stressful and time consuming. With our range of labels and label printers, organising your workspace and around the home has never been so easy.
Your work from home setup
Did you know that labelling your supplies and belongings can prevent them from being misplaced or accidentally disappearing off your desk? Although you may not have to ward off your colleagues from stealing your favourite pen at home (maybe instead it’s a family member, house mate, partner, curious cat…), labelling your office space or your desk can give you that sense of fulfilment from being organised, and in turn enhance and support your productivity. A Brother P-Touch machine will make itself right at home – with its durable, laminated tapes you can easily label your folders, books, pens and computer cables – the possibilities are endless!
Your kitchen/pantry
It only takes a few quick scrolls through Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest to see how creative people are getting with organising their pantries and kitchens into organisational masterpieces. Why waste time trying to figure out if it’s plain or self-raising flour in that container? How many times have you heard your partner/children/house mate exclaim “I don’t know where that goes” in a bid to get out of washing up or unstacking the dishwasher? Although aesthetically pleasing, having a well organised kitchen and pantry is hugely beneficial to help keep your kitchen clean, tidy and save you time doing chores when you’d rather be doing something else.
Kids’ stuff
With isolation restrictions beginning to ease in most areas, children are beginning to return to school – which means that you’ve likely spent a small fortune on a long list of things to get them ready for the new school term…90% of which is probably going to go missing before the term is over. Although by no means a new concept, labelling you child’s belongings such as back packs, clothes, stationery… anything you can stick a label on…in a bid to prevent their belongings being lost is a huge advantage to having them returned to you. Our TZe laminated labels come in a range of colours and designs and have been tested to the extreme so you know that these fun, personalised labels not only look great, but are made to last.
Your bathroom
When you have to share a bathroom with a number of people, the morning rush can be particularly chaotic. Minimise the chaos by labelling a caddy in the bathroom with your name and put all of your products in there so you can be more efficient in the mornings. By giving everyone their own caddy for their products and accessories, you’ll no longer experience that overwhelming sense of frustration that comes from rummaging through the cupboard while looking for what you need – save the time, mess and stress! It may also stop others from pinching some of your expensive cleanser you’re not willing to share too.
Your shed
If you don’t have a shed full of stuff that you’re not sure what to do with, half-finished projects, and tools laying around all over the place – you probably know someone that does. Getting your shed organised in a way that allows you to find what you’re looking for not only saves you time (so you can finish off that cubby house you’ve been putting off for months…) but also money. Ensuring that everything has its place means that you don’t accidentally purchase the same tools twice, and you know where to find them when you need them. Having a well labelled area for your tools also helps you store them safely and can prevent any accidental injuries due to improper storage.
So, if you’re working from home and feeling unmotivated or disorganised in your surroundings, take a little break from your desk, grab a P-Touch Label Printer, your favourite TZe labels and accessorise, personalise and organise a space around your home today.
This article has been republished from Brother Australia.
Home learning is a concept that has never had to carry as much weight as it does today. With the COVID-19 pandemic confining people around the world to their homes, school districts have embraced remote classes and distance learning en masse. Unsurprisingly, considering how new learning at home is to many families, there have been some distinct challenges to overcome.
If your kids are learning at home, you’ve likely already encountered some of these issues, or will soon. Fortunately, none of the difficulties associated with distance learning are insurmountable. With the right combination of technology, focus and attitude, your family can make it through this crisis without the kids missing out on key parts of their education.
3 challenges of home learning
The following are three of the common issues that students, parents and teachers across Australia have had to grapple with through the first few months of mass home learning. By taking a few sensible steps, you can minimise the impact of these trends and turn your family’s schooling experience into a success.
1. Home learning and work from home go together
If you had whole days’ worth of free time to supervise your kids in their studies, home learning would be a much easier process. There is a chance, however, that all the adults in the home may be working at their jobs, contributing remotely. Parents sharing their experiences with ABC News reported mixed results matching their kids’ schedules with their own. In some school districts, there is a need for supervision, which has caused the parents’ work schedules to shift – this has led to the unpleasant experience of working until 2 a.m. or on weekends.
The challenges are greatest among parents of primary school-aged children, with many respondents telling ABC they have students under the age of 10 who require constant supervision or would be too disruptive of their parents’ work to allow both to occur side by side. The challenges and stress associated with keeping these young ones on task can be relieved or compounded by communication. When communication is lax or overbearing, the result may be greater worries.
Resolving the issue
For parents trying to work from home while their kids are present and learning, collaboration with schools is one of the main ways to improve conditions. As ABC News explained, since kids are not truly being home schooled, parents are within their rights to communicate with teachers about difficulties. Parents who are only able to perform their own work when their children aren’t learning can ensure their home offices are stocked with efficiency-building technology and their time-management strategies enable them to get a good night’s sleep.
2. Time management is tough
There are unique difficulties in cases when kids have flexible schedules and can hand in assignments when they’re ready instead of at the exact end of a school day. While this level of scheduling freedom helps families avoid the struggles of clashing work and school time, keeping students motivated in the absence of classrooms and teachers is a new challenge, one that may become worse over time. Queensland University of Technology professor Rebecca English told The Guardian afternoons can be especially challenging, with students sometimes losing steam and focus after lunchtime.
Amanda Dawkins, principal of Five Dock public school added that parents should be realistic in what they expect kids to accomplish at a sitting. Adults have to remember that students are not likely to sit down for six consecutive hours working. Getting them to do smaller blocks of work can suffice, and parents should not criticize themselves too harshly if their children become restless and have to stop.
Resolving the issue
One of the keys to time management is not being too harsh, English told The Guardian. When parents and their kids join together to work on the schedule for the day, the students get a sense of agency. Just having hard limits laid out for them could cause kids to become restless. Parents demonstrate trust in their young ones when they work with them rather than against them on a home learning schedule, and the results may be accordingly better.
3. Technology is necessary
One of the major issues associated with distance learning is that it is managed digitally. If families don’t have all the technology tools they need, and if schools are unable to provide them, it can be hard to meet requirements. A Victoria parent told The Age her family is having tech-related distance learning problems because they are presently staying in a temporary apartment, with little room and no printer.
It’s important for Government, Schools and Families to collaborate, to close the technology gap a little. For instance, The Age described solutions such as dedicated web portals and customised videos for students. Sometimes, families will find they don’t have enough devices for everyone in the household to get their work done simultaneously.
Resolving the issue
A home office well-stocked with affordable technology tools such as multi-function printers and scanners can help students keep handing in their work without missing a beat. Easy connectivity between these devices and computers or tablets is an important feature, because being slowed down by tough-to-use tech is not a good way for either children or parents to spend their days at home.
Succeeding in the home learning age
The current situation, with distance learning en masse and in-person courses for kids who cannot stay at home, is a compromise to deal with an unprecedented situation. You and your family can make it through this time, as there are ways to address all of the issues rising to the surface through the first few months of social distancing.
With the right attitude toward setting a schedule, support from the schools and access to effective technology, you can combine a work-from-home model with the new educational needs of your family. Until restrictions are relaxed, becoming familiar with distance learning is essential. Whether your family is currently working from home, learning from home or both, Brother has a range of award winning multi-function printers and scanners that can help you make work a little easier, visit our website to find out more.
This article has been republished from Brother Australia with minor changes.
Want a quick project to try over the weekend? This eyeglasses case is it! I love how you can customize it with anyone’s initials. This eyeglass case makes for a great gift for your friends and family. Customize your DIY eyeglass case with your favorite colors and prints. The sky’s the limit! I know that you will enjoy this project. Have fun!
Supplies:
Fat Quarter Cotton Fabric or ¼ yard of Cotton Fabric
Cut two rectangles out of your fabric at 8” x 13.5”. On the bottom end of one corner, cut a curved corner.
2. Cut one rectangle of your flex foam at the same measurement, 8” x 13.5”. 3. Adhere the fabrics to both sides of your flex foam with your iron. Make sure the right side of your fabric is facing out.
4. On the long side, pin your bias tape in place. On each end, the bias should extend about ½”.
5. Stitch bias tape in place. As you are sewing, don’t forget to fold the ends of the bias tape inside the bias tape.
6. Fold your DIY eyeglass case in half and attach the bias tape on the outer edge.
Cut Letters with Your ScanNCut:
Place vinyl with shiny side down.
On the ScanNCut, press on pattern
3. Press on the letters and choose your font. I chose FO-A001.
4. Type in your letters and press ok.
5. Adjust size to 1.74” height and pre-set.
6. Press Edit, then Edit Object. 7. Press on the duplicate button. You want to create two of the same image so adjust the number to 2.
8. Now, press the mirror button. Be sure to mirror both sets of letters.
9. Click ‘OK’ three times to pass through the menu. Then, press ‘Please Select’ and ‘Cut’.
10. Click on the wrench to edit your cut to half cut 11. Before making your final cut, test your cut first. 12. If your letters come out clean, proceed with your cut. If not, adjust the pressure and test again until it comes out clean. 13. Once you’re finished cutting, press ok.
Press Your Letters onto Case:
Center your first set of letters in the middle of your case. Press in place.
Place your second set of letters on top but, move it slightly over to create a shadow effect. Press in place.