With so many seemingly revolutionary products on the market, identifying those which improve productivity can be tricky. So save yourself the time and energy by reading about the gadgets at the forefront of technology.

Super Screens

Curved TV display screens are the latest must have in your business lobby. Create an unforgettable first impression with clients by hitting them right between the eyes with an attention grabbing curved display.

Anything you display on the screens gets the panoramic treatment, making the image appear even larger than it actually is. Viewing angles are also improved without compromising on picture quality.

And if you want to see the next stage of development for curved TVs, it’s worth checking out the bendable TVs recently unveiled at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2014 in Las Vegas.

3D Printer

Cutting edge technology has allowed for most companies to enjoy 3D printing capabilities within their offices. This type of innovative technology can save companies time and money while serving as a cool gadget to show off to clients. Many are unaware of the extensive capabilities that 3D printing can offer.

Not only can this device print prototypes for upcoming products, but it can also help tremendously with branding. Imagine being able to print out promotional items like iPhone cases or even different shaped items with the company name and information. This would make quite the impression at events or presentations.

Easy on the Eyes

The Ben Q BL2411PT Eye-care LCD monitor is an innovative monitor that not only looks good, but your employees’ eye health will benefit too, as it helps combat eye strain.

Features include an automatic eye protect sensor, anti-glare display, flicker free backlight which works at all brightness levels and a Senseye Reading Mode which aims to simulate the experience of reading an actual book.

Make a real impact when delivering presentations with the latest innovation in mouse technology – the Gyration Air Mouse Mobile. Although it looks just like a regular mouse, its humble exterior belies its impressive functionality.

The mouse provides handheld wireless control of laptop applications from a distance of up to 100 feet away. Its flexibility means it’s great for packing a punch at presentations, connecting with laptops and interactive whiteboards.

Movers and Shakers

Highly productive people are rarely rooted to their desks and need the functionality to support them on their travels around the office. The Voyager LegendUC makes this happen. Using its Bluetooth headset and nifty base station, you can take calls from your landline phone as well as your cell phone. The Smart Sensor technology knows when the headset is on your ear, so if a call comes in and you place it on the phone, it automatically answers.

Tasty Tablets

Tablets are an essential part of business these days, but providing your team with a full suite can put a strain on the IT budget. With functionality increasing and prices reducing, now is a great time to get a quality tablet at an affordable price.

The latest offerings from Alcatel, the Pop 7 and 8, are perfect for business users who don’t want to blow the budget. These economical devices are 4G LTE capable and offer a great specification for the price point. Expect to pay under $200 for the Pop 7.

The Unceasing Smartphone

While most cell phone users switch to smartphones, their biggest complaint is often about battery life. All the innovative functions in the world aren’t any use on a smartphone which is out of charge, and that experience can be all too familiar to workers who spend time out of the office.

The Huawei Ascend Mate 2 aims to address this problem, as it’s powered by a battery with a super-long life. Offering two full days heavy use between charges, and a generous display (6.1”) this is a phone you can rely on which is big enough to do some serious business.

In the end, staying ahead of the curve means staying informed with what’s new and what’s hot, while keeping your business budget in mind.

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Management can be a difficult subject to even get started with. In the IT world many of the technical types lack the strong management skills that are required when dealing with IT staff.

Since a significant portion of a company’s future can rest on hiring, promoting and developing the right person into the right position at the right time, as an IT manager you need every piece of insight you can get.

Communication skills are very important not only for managers but for client facing IT professionals making sure you understand exactly what they are looking for you can avoid extra work for yourself.

If you are unable to dedicate time to reading these books there is always the option of getting the book summaries online to get the basic facts. The following are a few books you can use to polish your knowledge base and attain practical wisdom without having to suffer through the experience necessary to get it.

The First -Time Manager

by Belker, McCormick and Topchik

The hardest part of being in management in a technology environment is moving into the role of encouragement and oversight instead of directly doing the work yourself. Much like human resources itself, hiring and promoting management involves either identifying the basic traits of a good supervisor or noting what kinds of experiences make a candidate a solid fit right now.

This book covers the entire gamut, from leadership and motivation to managing time and dealing with firing and superiors. If you have never been in management or have only limited experience, this is a great starter book.

The 7 Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company

By Gerber

This book is focused more on the mechanics that operate a business and will make more sense for the technical mind. Often the HR process is far too centered on the almost political relationships between the people in an office environment. However, the most important aspect of hiring, training, promoting, firing people and all of the other operations that HR conducts is the good of the company. The systems need to operate, and this goes beyond individual ego and other small considerations.

Michael Gerber has been criticized as being more of a salesman than a management theorist, but his underlying concepts are solid. Namely, that a business is made up of systems and that making sure those systems operate regardless of who works in them is paramount. This is a great book for going beyond the individual candidates for a management position and thinking of the business as a series of systems which is sometimes easier for those in this particular field.

Free, Perfect, and Now: Connecting to the Three Insatiable Customer Demands, A CEO’s True Story

By Rodin and Hartman

Based on the Deming style of constant improvement that had previously been adapted by the Japanese and ignored by most Americans, Free, Perfect, and Now focuses on how far too many companies put emphasis on each employee’s “job” and tie nothing to the overall performance of the company. As a human resources professional, you have to think of the company before yourself or the individuals you hire.

While this is not an HR-centered book at all and is written from the point of view of a CEO, it presents some very important aspects of how to manage people for an effective area. One of the foremost topics this book covers is that people need to know why they are doing what they are doing, instead of simply being ordered to do so and expected to follow blindly.

Another important topic covered is that employees need to be held accountable, not only for failure but for success. As an HR professional, you need to remember that putting the right people in the right places is the main proponent of success. Ultimately, all three of these books contain HR wisdom. From the lowest level of management in a tiny office to the very top, these lessons in management are universal.

By engaging in these books you will be sure to obtain the necessary management skills that you may lack. Especially if you are used to tinkering and programming all day with virtually no contact with others, this is typical for IT professionals as they spend their days in data centers and server rooms.

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Google’s vast array of cloud services includes Gmail, Google Docs, YouTube and Analytics, which are all helpful tools for website owners. Amazon offers “Elastic Compute Cloud” (EC2) services in which web developers pay as they compute in the cloud. Some of the top cloud services are offered by Google and Amazon.

Why the Cloud Isn’t Going Away

It’s possible to run an entire business in the cloud at a fraction of the cost of running a brick and mortar operation. In fact, part of the reason you might keep seeing bookstores go out of business is because it costs less to sell books through Amazon.

The greatest advantage of the cloud is that it can replace expensive office and storage space, not to mention it can cut down on paper costs and environmental waste. All most businesses need to operate these days is dedicated internet access and a little bit of web savvy.

The cloud is useful to businesses whose employees use various types of software but don’t want to spend money on a separate software license for each user.

With a little finessing, this network system allows multiple users to access the same software program, which is just one of many ways this revolutionary form of digital business is cutting costs. Another advantage to the cloud is that it allows you to outsource work to people all over the world (Deloitte 11). It can truly bring a global identity to your business, especially if you run a website with content creators from different countries.

Popular Cloud Services

Dropbox is one of the most popular cloud services. It allows you to store projects such as websites that can be accessed by collaborators. It’s an efficient way to build a website, especially if a team is involved to upload a massive amount of content.

The cloud hosts several software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications, which eliminate the need to buy any hardware or software at all; the only thing you need to access your information, is an internet connection and a password. Since the applications are entirely online, it is easier for non-IT employees to access and even backup your important data, while making it harder for them to cause any errors.

Salesforce.com offers SaaS applications that can analyze your data and provide expert sales help.

QuickBooks is another SaaS application, which allows you to do all your accounting in the cloud.

Your website is almost always hosted by a cloud computing service already, which can handle many of your tasks at lower costs. Anything involving communication, whether it’s faxing or email or scanning and storing documents digitally, can be done by a cloud service.

One of the biggest savings a cloud service can offer is to be your IT staff. The cloud service can handle all your online security issues at a fraction of the cost. The search often is the hardest part.

How to Add Software

The combination of the cloud and business software helps you run a smooth operation. OfficeTime is a program that records billable time during working hours and generates invoices. Adobe FormsCentral is low cost software that helps you create interactive forms for your websites and collect data from your customers.

DocuSign Pro is software for facilitating electronic signatures online. AdobeConnect is a web conferencing platform with multiple ways to communicate with business partners and clients.

Mobile Locations

The classic saying that location is the most important aspect of business is being transformed by the fact that mobile internet is becoming increasingly popular especially with local businesses.

Customers can now find businesses faster when they are on the go using mobile devices. Even more powerful is the concept that a business can now be run from any mobile location. A smart phone can now function as a remote control device for running a business, especially if the business is hosted on a cloud server.

Since social networks, mobile internet and cloud computing have all gained enormous popularity in recent years, a new buzz word combining all three technologies is “SoMoClo.” This developing combination is revolutionizing business to be more productive and efficient.

By Nichole Fabbro

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