Category: Tech

5 Video Streaming Ideas for Modern Businesses

In recent years, video streaming has exploded into the mainstream and infiltrated a growing number of industries and sectors. In doing so, it has been adopted by modern businesses in several ways and triggered a series of wide-reaching benefits in the process. If you are considering capitalizing on video streaming for your business but don’t know where to begin, continue reading to find out everything you need to know. 

  • To deliver live demos 

In order to provide your customers with a well-rounded view of a particular good or service, video streaming can be a great way to deliver live demos to their screens as they relax from the comfort of their own homes. If a specific product has performed well on a long-term basis, for example, it may be worth delivering a live demo to give interested consumers and loyal customers alike a walk-through of what it entails. It can also allow you to interact and engage with your audience in real-time and answer any questions they may have in a matter of seconds. 

  • To entertain your followers

If you like to communicate with your customers on a regular basis, video streaming can be a great way to entertain your followers. If you are only experimenting with the idea of video streaming, for example, this can be done with a quick video filmed on a smartphone. If you are committed to delivering a first-class service to your customers, on the other half, it may be worth investing in OTT services from a reputable provider to cater to their interests and thrust your business to new heights. 

  • To announce product launches 

If you announce product launches on a regular basis, video streaming can be a great way to involve your followers from start to finish and encourage them to find out more. If you are unfamiliar with video streaming, this can allow you to get to grips with the technology used and interact with your followers in an informal way whilst building your skills and experience at the same time. It may seem like a cheap trick, but you will be surprised at how many sales can occur as a result. 

  • To provide a behind the scenes sneak peek 

If you like to tease your followers on social media, video streaming can be a fun way to provide a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at what goes on behind the lens. If a customer has been promised exclusive access to something they are unlikely to witness again, they are more likely to be interested in what you have to say and head to your website to find out more. It may not sound interesting to you, but these types of videos can attract hundreds, and even thousands, of interested viewers in a matter of minutes.

  • To host regularly scheduled Q&As 

In today’s digital landscape, consumers value transparency and regularly scheduled content. This is why regularly scheduled Q&As have exploded in popularity in recent years and have emerged as a great way to communicate with your followers on a personal level. In doing so at the same day and time each week, you are also far more likely to grow your following and viewership over time.

If you are interested in tapping into the wide-reaching benefits of video streaming for your business but don’t know where to begin, it may be worth familiarizing yourself with a number of ideas. It can, for example, be used to deliver live demos, entertain your followers, announce product launches, provide a behind-the-scenes sneak peek, and host regularly scheduled Q&As. 

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A Feeling Of Home Away From Home With Lovelocal

Rachel had recently finished her second term of Business Administration in Marketing and had gotten herself an internship for six months with a leading MNC in Bengaluru. She was eager to start working and learning the tricks of the trade as soon as she set foot on the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. Determined to focus on the new job and the responsibilities that came along with it, she had decided to come a week prior to when she would have to start work so that she could settle in her PG residence. During her last visit to Bengaluru, she and her batchmate (and now workmate) Priya had finalized a small 2-BHK extension on the first floor of a bungalow. The owner of the house, Mrs. Shankar, was an old lady who lived alone on the ground floor with her pet dog and cat. Rachel needed company in this city and Priya was more than happy to live together with her. As they entered the corporate world for their internship tenure, it would be great to have someone to share their woes and happiness with, in addition to of course sharing the rent and other expenses. Anyway, it was a matter of six months, after which they would know if they would be placed elsewhere or asked to continue.

Fast Food Delivery

Rachel was not familiar with Bengaluru or the area she lived in. Neither was the language familiar. Born and brought up in a small town in Goa, Rachel had always been the most spirited of her 3 siblings. Upon reaching Shankar aunty’s bungalow, Rachel helped herself to the first floor which was going to be home for the next 6 months. The first floor had a separate entrance as well as a separate kitchen and living room. It was as good as an independent home. The next few hours went in cleaning up and unpacking. Rachel always liked to be in control of things. She wanted to make herself a nice cup of warm coffee but the kitchen upstairs wasn’t yet stocked up. She didn’t want to bother Shankar aunty as she knew aunty rested in the afternoon for some time.

online-grocery

Image Resource: gqindia.com

Rachel started browsing the internet to see what she could find close to her place. LoveLocal appeared as one of the top sites for online grocery in Bangalore where she could get everything from groceries, medicines, vegetables to bakeries and what not. She decided to stock up, not just on tea, coffee, and milk, but also on other groceries, so that she could have an operational kitchen before Priya joined her two days later.

Final Words

LoveLocal listed out all the stores in and around her location. The best part was the free home delivery or shop pickup, whichever Rachel preferred. Rachel could also explore all the neighborhood deals and offers. In spite of being new to the city, Rachel felt at home within a few hours of coming here. It was as if it was a second home away from home, thanks to LoveLocal. Soon, there were familiar smells of home-cooked food wafting in the air. Rachel made a Goan curry with rice, a special treat for Shankar aunty as well.

 

The following day, Priya, reached Bengaluru and was welcomed with a simple home-cooked meal prepared by Rachel, with love.

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Proven Cost Cutting Tips for Small Businesses

Being a small business owner, you need to do a lot of experimenting and getting some bits of advice from others. However done, you will have to practice cost-saving measures to keep your business margins up and stable. Statistics say that 70% of people who start their own business, give up at the end of the 20th month because they lose most of their funds. Another 29% of people give up when they lose all their money. It is just the 1% that continues to pursue their desire. Let us see how to be one among the 1% that is changing the world. 

Moreover, 2020 has been a nightmare for most small business owners. So, to keep your business afloat amidst the financial grippings, you shall spend some time thinking about ways to cut your costs. Here are 8 curated tips to cut down your cost in small businesses. 

Tip #1 – Avoid spending money on meetings

When you are starting a small business, you inevitably need to be meeting your co-workers and employees often to discuss the progress or to formulate new ideas. Most of the people focus on fixing the meeting in a reasonably good restaurant. This decision brings with it the burden of spending money on food; the money which could be used somewhere else even productively. 

As you become a business owner, you should pay your workers. And in that stage, it is highly advisable to spend most of your funds on developing your business. As an alternate way, as long as the meeting doesn’t involve any business dealings, you can have it on online platforms or phone calls. 

Tip #2 – Let technology help you

At any point, if you feel that you should save more money in your business, turn your attention towards technology. Over the decades, technology has helped thousands of business owners save their funds and their valuable time. Starting from billing, you can bring in automation in procurement, invoicing, file sharing etc. 

If your way of accounting for your business is by appointing a person who manually enters the data, then you can go for automation techniques that finish the work automatically and efficiently. For instance, if you are using QuickBooks for accounting, you can use PayTraQer to automatically sync your online transactions into QuickBooks Online. Such applications are your one-time investment, you can save hundreds of dollars that you spend for manual data entry. You will also get precise and intact records in a faster turnaround. Try to update yourself to the trends of the world so that you can use modern technologies to work for you. 

Tip #3 –  On-point marketing strategies

There is no doubt that marketing is the key to your business. But it is evident that many companies went bankrupt just because they failed to handle the marketing properly. While starting your business, you might have an avalanche of investor funds that you could use to improve your business. But that should not make you greedy. 

Some people spend most of their funds on marketing through social media. Though social media is a great platform to promote your business, any inorganic and instant promotion of your goods or services will be a problem in the long run. At first, it might seem like the followers for your business are increasing constantly. But remember that there are chances for a sudden dip and all the invested funds will be of no use. 

So, before investing money in marketing, learn about it properly. Do some research and analyze patterns of promotions before you invest a single penny. Be mindful of your target audience and always be on the safer side because you have many families to feed. Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook are the most popular platforms where, if you spend the money wisely, you can get a lot of customers. 

Tip #4 – Lean Management Principles

One thing you must concentrate on before meeting your investor is to have the right mindset for your business. Any investor would be impressed if they know that you are a person who does not waste money on things that do not matter. For example, you need an office for the company. If you want a luxurious workspace, air-conditioned rooms and high-quality laptops, the investor will think that you are focusing on instant gratifications and that is not at all a good sign. 

Not only in your office, but you can implement lean management principles in every aspect of your business. Eliminate everything that will never add value to your company. Work on this principle and regulate your operating costs effectively. 

Tip #5 – Project management tool

It is an automation tool that keeps track of your project more effectively than humans could. Of course, these tools should be paid for the work they do, but it is an intelligent investment as they help your business grow exponentially. Another advantage of using a project management tool is that your headache of explaining to your investor each step of the project will be removed. 

Also, these tools help the teams of your firm monitor the progress. There will be so many tasks for you as the owner and if the project management is done automatically, you can concentrate on other things. 

Tip #6 –  Reduce or eliminate office space

If you have told someone that offices can be remote in 2016, he/she would not have believed it. But today, it is possible. As Covid-19 demanded everyone to stay in their houses, companies found a way to make their workers work from home. What was once theoretical is now made practical. So, if you do not have enough funds to start an office for your business, you can go with using a remote office. Video conferencing gives answers to all the problems related to remote offices. 

Tip #7 –  Use outsource staffs

On a contract basis, some outsourced workers could do your work more effectively. Unlike normal employees, you do not have to provide them with a computer, phone, or office space. And that saves a lot of your money. You can also provide the outsourced employees with less work at appropriate times, and this helps you when you have fluctuations in your sales.

Tip #8 –  Save money on HR functions

Most of the companies lost a large part of their funds in HR functions. This is because of the long and expensive process of hiring, fake job roles, and a larger number of employees turning over. If you make your HR department function efficiently, you can save money not only on the department but on various levels of your business. Go for automation to do the work that needs hands-on labor. Hiring could be done online to reduce the loss of funds. You can also use technology to process the applications of your recruitment. 

Cloud-based HR software helps a lot of business owners to maintain employee relations, payroll, and training. Choose to spend more time and energy on the HR department so that you could pick the right employees for your firm without diminishing your money. 

These are all the steps you can follow to lessen the expense of your business. If you want yourself to be one among the hundred you must be disciplined with the above aspects. Work on your mindset as much as you work on your skills because the right mindset is mandatory for a successful entrepreneur. 

Sticking to a single defined plan will not work in business. There might be instances when you need to give up on certain things to keep your funds flowing. Always choose the funds of your company instead of other pleasures. Thinking about the long run will help you control and maintain the funds of your investors and will take you to success. Your dream is too big to be thrown away for having instant gratification and short-term happiness. While you spend one part of your thinking on expanding your business, let the other part think about limiting your expenses. 

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5 Ways To Keep Your Cloud Backup Simple And Efficient

Prior to the advent of cloud backup services, the prospect of safely storing your files and backing up your data was the stuff of IT nightmares. Thankfully, those days are long gone and the world has since embraced the beauty of the cloud: a sleek, smart, and simple software that can safeguard your data and give you that elusive peace of mind. 

When it comes to cloud backup in Australia, there are a number of ways to ensure your system is operating at the optimal level for your personal or business needs. These simple tips can help you get the most out of your cloud backup solution.

 

Ensure automatic backups are set up

First and foremost, you want to make sure your backups are automatic rather than something you’ll have to do manually. It may seem obvious, but constant and recurring automation is key to continue protecting your data and avoiding human error. 

 

Use a service that focuses on data safety

As handy and reliable as the cloud can be, it’s not totally immune to data risks. Herein, encryption should be your best friend: in other words, the process of turning original plain text into unreadable ciphertext which can only be deciphered by authorized parties. 

This encryption should not only take place at the backends but rather while the data is at rest (that is, backed up and sitting in the service’s cloud servers until you restore it), as well as when in transit.

 

Be wary of data security measures

While on the topic of keeping your data safe when in the cloud, be sure to look for a service level agreement (SLA) as part of an organization’s offerings when researching your options. This should detail what security measures are actually in place as part of the backup process. 

If operating a business, it’s also a good idea to ask your vendor how they will comply with any regulatory requirements for both software and storage. Another area to probe is data privacy capabilities, particularly if storing data on public infrastructure. 

 

Replicate your backups

Backups are one thing; copies of those backups are another thing, and then copies of those copies are another thing altogether. While cloud backup is an ideal way to move data safely offsite, it can help to consider the value of replicating store backups locally, to the cloud, and to another site as well – just to stay on the safe side.

 

Explore analytics tools to hone in on backups

Last but certainly not least, analytics tools are a super handy way to simplify your backup when it comes to pinpointing and retrieving specific data. This is particularly pertinent to businesses: by enlisting an advanced business analytics tool as part of your cloud backup solution, your employees can easily and swiftly respond to requests for documents. This is also important in the instance of providing data to legal authorities, allowing you to retrieve the necessary information without shutting the entire company down. 

4 Vulnerabilities That Necessitate Least Privilege Principles in Cloud Environments

There are several benefits of migrating your business processes and systems to the cloud, like low-cost and faster time to market. However, with the array of benefits come new risks that hold back many enterprises from migrating to the cloud. One of the most significant risks comes from unauthorized access through misuse of employee credentials and improper access controls. 

To thwart these risks, you can use principles of least privilege (POLP) in cloud environments. 

What Is POLP? 

POLP refers to providing a minimum level of permissions and access to the user to perform his/her job functions. The idea behind POLP is every program, process, or user functioning in the cloud environment should have the least authority to avoid any misuse of the permissions. 

Here we have discussed four vulnerabilities that necessitate POLP in the cloud framework. 

 

  • Separation of Duty 

 

Also known as Segregation of duties, it refers to the concept where more than one individual must complete a task. Separation of duty is hard to achieve due to the complexity of internal controls. It focuses on sharing a set of privileges and responsibilities between multiple users to prevent error and fraud. 

Consider an example of creating vendors in a purchasing system. In a traditional scenario, creating fake vendors and invoicing is a common practice followed by fraudsters. Under the separation of duties, you can divide the tasks into two or more users. 

For example, one user can create a vendor; one user needs to approve the vendor. By segregating the task, you reduce the possibility of fraud by forcing two or more users to collude on tasks. 

The principle of minimal privileges ensures the first user cannot approve the vendor he/she created and ensures the second user cannot create a vendor. The dual control separately requires the approval of two users to complete a business function. 

 

  • Dormant Identities 

 

A dormant identity refers to a user that has been not active for a long time. These user accounts do not have any login activity and may not be a part of daily activity logs. Dormant identities are a more significant risk in the cloud environment as malicious users or hackers can access these identities to gain control over critical functions in the cloud environment. 

Malicious parties can use these dormant identities to perform destructive activities to the company’s data, security, and reputation. The principle of least privilege can list all identities as per their access level rights. It gives the administrator a holistic view of which identity has the highest access rights and has the least access rights. 

It can help IT administrators keep a tab on dormant identities and deactivate them from the system from time to time. All of this will reduce the risks posed by unauthorized access to dormant identities. Even if some hacker gets access to dormant identity, he/she cannot inflict much damage to the cloud environment due to limited access rights. 

 

  • Toxic Combination 

 

The idea behind toxic combination is you should never give an entity (human or automated process) exclusive access rights over the system. For example, all access rights to detect violations and evaluate access rights is given to the same person. To reduce the risk of toxic combinations, IT administrators should focus on segregating tasks and giving them access rights to different identities. 

The principle of limited privilege ensures no user enjoys full access rights over the system. All users are granted limited access rights to perform their daily functions only. 

 

  • Privilege Escalation 

 

It refers to an act where a malicious user gains access to another user account’s privileges in the cloud environment. Privilege escalation is often a result of IAM misconfiguration. There are two types of privilege escalations – vertical and horizontal. Both types can cause serious harm to organizational data and disrupt cloud processes. 

Horizontal privilege escalation refers to a scenario where a malicious user gains access to a user account with higher access rights. For example, a trial account user gets access to a premium account. Vertical privilege escalation refers to a scenario where a malicious user gets access to a user with administrator rights. 

The principle of minimal privileges can work to prevent privilege escalation. For example, the POLP can ensure even super users and admins have limited access to the systems they manage. The principle of minimal privileges ensures no user account has broad permission to access all network systems. 

To sum up, the principle of least privilege is a simple yet effective concept to balance risk, productivity, privacy, and security in cloud environments where the workloads and risks are changing all the time. 

Most Required Data Analyst Skills

Today’s businesses are becoming more digitized, fast-paced, and tech-driven so data analytics skills are playing a vital role in businesses and going to have a significant impact on how companies use the technologies to run their business. It is an internal function performed by data analysts. This job role is becoming crucial in any type of business or organization which is using data in any form because it requires a much more in-depth approach to record, analyze, and dissect data and present the insights in an easier way/format.

Data Analysis is becoming more and more important in today’s business as it predicts customer trends and behaviors, analyzes, explains, and delivers data in a meaningful way, drives effective decision making, and increases customers and business productivity. Data analysts’ responsibilities are to analyze raw data that help business managers in decision-making to drive the company ahead, improve efficiency, achieve organizational goals, and increase profits for the company. It helps in better targeting the consumers as it enables us to understand what methods of advertising will have the biggest impact on the target audience because it already knows the target customers.

Data Analytics is an evolving field so it always innovates something new for future trends. It also helps to cut the cost of operations with its new technologies. Data analytics helps to solve business issues and assists the organization to run the business perfectly.

So this article will tell us more about Data Analytics skills to get in this domain, and how data analyst training helps you in gaining them.

What is a Data Analyst?

A Data Analyst is a professional who collects, organizes, and interprets statistical information to make it meaningful and useful for every type of organization and business. It scrutinizes information using data analysis tools. Data analysts identify various facts and trends that help their employer or client make an important decision to find meaningful results from raw data. They use advanced computerized models to extract the data and remove corrupted data. They perform the initial analysis to assess the quality of the data and perform further analysis to determine the worth of the data. Thereafter, they perform final analysis to provide additional data screening and meaningful insights to prepare reports which are based on the whole process of analysis and presenting to management.

Many typical employers such as banks, consultants, software development companies, telecommunication companies, public sector organizations, pharmaceutical companies are hiring data analysts to run their business smoothly.

Types of Data Analytics

There are four types of data analysis that are performed by different job roles in this domain.

  • Descriptive analytics- It answers the question of what happened.
  • Diagnostics analytics- It answers the question about why something happened.
  • Predictive analytics- It tells us what is likely to happen.
  • Prescriptive analysis- It tells us about what action to be taken to eliminate a problem or take full advantage of a trend.

Every business or organization needs a different type of analytics which depends on the current state, problems, and insights required for the company.

Top Data Analyst Skills

Top essential skills for data analysts are:

SQL

SQL or Structured Query Language is the industry-standard database language and is the most crucial programming language/skill for a data analyst to know as it handles large datasets easily. With SQL data analysts can manage and store data related to different and multiple databases, and build and change those database structures all along. So if someone wants to work with big data, learning SQL is a must.

Microsoft Excel

Data Analysts must learn Microsoft Excel also for writing Macros with advanced Excel Methods and VBA lookups for smaller lifts and lighter, quick analytics. For startups or new companies, the first version of the database will be in Excel as it has remained a mainstay for every business or industry.

Critical Thinking

For a data analyst critical thinking is a necessary skill to identify the problems, questions, and possible solutions using data. It uncovers and synthesizes connections that are not clear. So start improving your critical thinking skills to give tricky and quick solutions.

Python or R

Python and R are faster and better than Excel. They are powerful statistical programming languages that perform advanced analysis, predictive analysis for big data sets. These languages can take you beyond SQL to explore datasets and doing ad-hoc analysis.

Data Visualization

This skill will help to be able to tell a compelling story with data to get your point across and keep the audience engaged. Visualization of your data can make your findings quickly and easily identified.

Presentation Skills

It is closely related to Data visualization and goes hand-to-hand. As data analysts get more comfortable with the presentation, they can improve and focus more on the audience.

Machine Learning

It is considered the key component of an analyst’s toolkit. It is crucial to know how to get ahead in the field. The new advanced tool like Orange can help to start building machine learning models.

So every data analyst must achieve those skills to think out-of-the-box and advance the data analytics career.

Advantages of Taking Data Analytics Course

To learn data analytics and obtaining the certification is important to carefully analyze the data. So companies are better equipped for setting up future campaigns and goals. To achieve a certification course is beneficial because of the high demand for analytics skills, as employers are looking for ways to explore the power of big data. The trend of implementing big data is growing and is considered to be a high priority among global businesses. These courses also help you to get huge job opportunities and meet the skill gap as there is a shortage of data scientists, managers, and analysts. Strong demand for certified data analytics skills is boosting the salary packages for qualified professionals.

Today’s world of business is full of critical competition, so big data analytics has become a top priority in a lot of organizations because it provides the flexibility of working in any sector and better practice knowledge.

Conclusion

Data analytics has become a crucial tool for every company to solve major business problems and so are the professionals in this domain (data analysts, data scientists, data managers, etc). So if someone wants to land their career in this fascinating field of data analytics, start to find an online or offline data analytics program that offers several benefits depending on how a candidate is familiar with data analytics. Grab the opportunities and get your niche in data analytics.

How to Convert Your Word to Pdf and Customize It?

Switching Word to PDF file will help you quickly share your files among different devices or processors. If you’re submitting critical memos, invoicing customers, storing consumer information in a clear format, and so on, PDF is the most common and stable file layout. When you convert your document from Word to PDF file, they will be streamlined seamlessly and more lightweight. A stable Word to PDF converter is a very convenient tool to perform such actions.  

To help you choose the best tool to convert your documents from MS word to pdf, we have composed this file with some of the most amazing and best Word to pdf converters which not only assist you to convert your files from Word to pdf but also after the conversion lets you edit and modify your pdf files.  

Top Tools to Convert Your Documents from MS Word to Pdf  

 

  • Duplichecker Word to Pdf Converter 

 

This Word to PDF tool helps you to convert PDFs efficiently. This Word to PDF converter is very simple to use and helps you to make excellent quality PDF not only from MS Word but also from PowerPoint and Excel files. The PDF produced would retain both the structure and the design of the actual text file. This utility also helps you to keep your files confidential. All you require to do is launch it and then select the Word file you want to transform, optimize the files, and that’s it. It will automatically convert from word to pdf. It’s very fast and easy to use. It has a drag-and-drop function that helps you to quickly construct structured PDF files from existing Word files. 

 

  • PDFelement Pro 

 

PDF element Pro is the finest Word to PDF converter that allows you to complete leverage over your PDF files. This Word to PDF generator helps you to construct high-quality PDFs while maintaining the original layout. Plus, you can use its efficient PDF editing software to conveniently edit PDF text, pictures, and other components. It helps you do anything with your PDF files and makes your job easier. 

You can generate PDFs in Word, Excel, PPT, Webpage, EPUB, and several other forms. It allows you to edit, erase, insert, add text, photos, and PDF slides. You may also add tags, logos, and codes, or remove data, alter backgrounds, etc. It helps you to translate PDF files to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other types. 

 

  • WonderShare Pdf Converter 

 

Wonder share word to PDF Converter Pro is yet another competent DOCX to PDF converter offline. It helps you to quickly migrate PDFs to different output types with quick taps. This Word to PDF generator is fully compliant with Excel, Word, PowerPoint, HTML, and textual information. It also helps you to migrate password-locked PDF files. The OCR function can transform scanned documents to editable text, alter and adjust sections as well. 

 

  • Nitro  

 

The offline translator from Nitro Doc to PDF is one of the major replacements to Adobe Acrobat. It offers PDF productivity software and digital communications through a web-based system. Nitro word to PDF Converter helps you to keep your templates, fonts, pictures, and all will remain as it was in the actual archives. It also helps you to convert and store email messages and multimedia to PDF formats. It will transform many files at once, and the spell-check feature is used to encourage professionalism. 

A trial period is enabled. And it’s one of the most impressive platforms built for companies of all types, delivering numerous features including an easy-to-use design and a Microsoft Office ribbon-style layout. It is completely assimilated with the cloud to promote communication and enhance document conversion. 

 

  • Adobe Acrobat Dc  

 

Adobe Acrobat DC is an impressive portable DOCX to PDF translator software and a top-of-the-line supplier. This software has all the tools you require to generate and customize PDFs. This Doc to PDF converter offline is commonly recognized as the accepted standard, enabling you to invest less time on an extra schedule and more time finishing tasks until you get acquainted with its useful functions. It transforms a document that retains the original structure, so you don’t need to spend time making changes. 

CONCLUSION 

DOCX files are perfect when it comes to updating but not uploading, since they can be changed, and they often pose a viewing challenge unless you have the right viewing tools enabled. At this stage, there is a requirement to convert from Word to PDF as it is a more versatile format, both in respect to uploading and reading. Although it is important to get the right Word to PDF converter, which we think this article can help you select.

How to convert PDF files into Excel ?

Adobe PDF files are the acronym for portable document format. It is one of the most popular file formats that is being used across the globe by people in different professions. Many printable documents available online are in PDF format. If the file name has .pdf at the end of its name it shows that it is a file in PDF format. 

The use of PDF files is growing rapidly with the passing time. If you are sharing the document in Word format then you would come across the words .docx file at the end of the file name. The receiver or the receivers of the file can open this file format only if they have Microsoft Word installed on their set up as the default file format. If the other side has the same then it is easy to open the file. The risk factor is also there as in addition to the user anyone with the format downloaded can easily edit the file and the text within. 

In this respect, the PDF files are a much better option as it is not possible to edit the document in this format. However, you can use PDF converter download to convert files. It is only for viewing the document. No matter how many times you share the document it would look the same to each person getting it and viewing it. It is for this reason that the PDF is a better choice as an official file sharing option. 

What is an Excel file?

Excel is a file format by Microsoft. It is an integral component of Microsoft Office Suite. Unlike the other productivity software under the MS Office Suite, it is a more organized way of managing the data. The file contains sheets that have columns and rows to adjust the data accordingly. The data can be added in the form of text, numerical value, or formula. Excel was introduced back in 1985 with the code name Odyssey. 

Excel is a tool introduced by Microsoft to perform multiple tasks. It can calculate, analyze. And represent the data the way you like. The Excel sheets are highly beneficial in organizing the financial data to track the different changes happening in the data. 

It is for the multiple features of the excel sheet that the people prefer to use the excel file for their different tasks. If you have to apply a mathematical or statistical formula to extensive data then the excel sheet can help you manage it easily. The sheets help in organizing the routine chores to create a planner format. 

Why convert pdf to excel?

Sometimes it becomes important to convert PDF to excel. Despite the differences and the features of PDF, it becomes necessary to share the file in Excel format. Here are a few reasons that make the conversion essential: 

  1. If you have to do a few tasks repeatedly then you need to get the Excel format of the file. This format can record a macro that can automate the recurrent tasks. The macros record the action and then help in executing the same task again and again without additional effort. Macros permit minor editing quite easily. 
  2. It is possible to add the comments against each cell without any effort. This is special;y helpful when you are handling a shared task. Just use the shortcut shift+F2 and the comment will be added with any inconvenience. The comments help in improving and correcting the task in time. 
  3. Excel comes with an outclass feature known as pivot Tables. These tables help in looking at the data available in the table carefully. These tables ensure a thorough analysis of the data that ensures the least errors. 
  4. If you have a PDf file then you need to know that it is not editable. This prevents from making real-time changes to the data. If you are doing a shared task and need to make changes from time to time then it is the Excel sheet that can help. The time and date features allow us to create timesheets to ensure that each task is being handled as per the schedule. 
  5. With the Flash Fill Feature, you need less time to customize the document according to your personal needs and choices. 

Difference between PDF and Excel format

Before finding out how to convert the PDF into Excel format it is very important to understand the features that make them stand out from each other: 

  • It is easy to share a PDF file as compared to the Excel sheet. There is no fear of our requirements for additional dependencies. While sharing the Microsoft file formats you are often faced with the challenge of compatibility. In case your system does not have the required version, font format, or the image supporting application you cannot do the task. There is no such limitation when it comes to PDF files. 
  • PDF files have universal compatibility so that it can be easily used with any OS even the iOS and the Android for your handy gadgets. 
  • The display and readability are not impacted by how and where you share it. It is reliable because unlike Excel it can not be edited by anyone unless the one sharing permits to do so. 
  • The PDf files are easy to create. If you have the right PDF creator you can convert any format file into a PDF without any technical challenges. 
  • The excel sheets can sometimes be too heavy to share. As you convert the format to PDF it becomes possible to share the file with ease as the size reduces considerably. 

How to convert the PDF to Word/Excel?

There are several applications including Adobe Acrobat DC, that can be used to convert PDF to word. All these follow some basic steps that any user can follow for the conversion. These steps include:

  1. Launch the application that you are using and then check for the PDF file that you want to convert. Choose the analysis.pdf to convert to the Excel/Word format. 
  2. Go to the Tools pane and click on the Export PDF option. Choose the Excel/Word option from the File Format. Go to the format radio buttons and choose the file type. Once done click on the Export option.
  3. Choose the destination folder for adding the file you want to export. Create the folder by giving a name and then save it.
  4. Once the conversion and the Export are complete it is time to open the document in excel. The PDF file is now available in the native Office format. Hence, it is possible to edit the file as per your personal needs and requirements. It would now work as a regular Office document. 

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Is NetSuite Better Than QuickBooks?

With more than three million online subscribers, QuickBooks is the go-to accounting software. Still, that doesn’t mean it’s the right solution for every business out there.

In fact, there are plenty of other options that could be better suited for your business. One software solution you might be considering is NetSuite.

This QuickBooks vs NetSuite guide is here to help. It will help you understand what both solutions do, as well as how they might help your business.

Compare QuickBooks and NetSuite Uses

The first step in choosing software is understanding what they do and how they work.

QuickBooks started out as a payroll processing program. Today, there are several versions of the software, each aimed at a different audience.

You can choose from:

  • QuickBooks Enterprise
  • QuickBooks Premier
  • QuickBooks Online

There are also specialized versions for the self-employed.

NetSuite is a newer software suite, owned by Oracle. It uses the cloud, and it also includes accounting functions.

Unlike QuickBooks, though, NetSuite doesn’t only do accounting. In fact, NetSuite offers a wide range of solutions. These include software for:

  • Customer relationship management
  • Supply chain management
  • Human capital management
  • E-commerce and retail management
  • Project management

In fact, NetSuite is better thought of as an enterprise resource planning system, or ERP.

Which Is Better?

If you’re trying to decide between NetSuite and QuickBooks, it’s best to consider what you actually need.

A small business owner who wants to do payroll may not need all of NetSuite’s available features. QuickBooks may be fine for them.

If your business has more than 30 users, you may find QuickBooks doesn’t have enough capacity for you. If you’re interested in software that will do more than “just the books,” then you should take a look at NetSuite.

If you’re in the market for anything beyond accounting, then it might make sense to invest in NetSuite. You don’t need to get all NetSuite’s functionality at once, but the option is always there.

What’s more, is NetSuite’s software is all optimized to integrate together. If you choose QuickBooks, you’ll need to make sure it integrates with the other software you use.

QuickBooks vs NetSuite Costs

If you’re growing your business or know you need several types of software, then you might want NetSuite.

One concern for small business owners is almost always priced. So, how do QuickBooks vs NetSuite price points stack up?

QuickBooks is popular because it can be quite affordable. QuickBooks Online, for example, costs less than $200 a year. QuickBooks Enterprise can cost quite a bit more, starting just shy of $1,000 for the year.

What about the NetSuite cost? Costs are dependent on how many users you have. User fees are charged monthly, so a business with lots of users can quickly rack up a big bill.

Power Your Business the Right Way

When it comes to QuickBooks vs NetSuite, it all depends on what your business needs. If you have a small budget and need reliable accounting, then QuickBooks might be best. For anything more, then NetSuite could be a smart investment.

Looking for more insights about software solutions for your business? Check out more in-depth guides in our archives!

Eight most fascinating uses of a VPN

The first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word “VPN” is online privacy.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) protects users from hazardous exposure to the internet. It offers an additional layer of security and anonymity for anyone who wishes to protect their digital privacy.

With a VPN, you can do almost anything out there without compromising your identity or exposing your location. It hides your real IP address from spying eyes, whereas it displays the address of its servers. You’ll be surprised that a virtual private network has more uses than these essential functions.

For instance, a VPN can stop your ISP from monitoring your online activities, thereby shielding you from bandwidth throttling.

It can also enable you to enjoy cheaper deals while shopping online. So, there’re many other things you can do with a VPN.

That’s why trustworthy security resources such as PrivacySavvy.com, which boasts a team of privacy geeks, keep recommending the use of VPNs when connected to the internet. And in this article, I’m going to show you some fantastic benefits of a virtual private network.

Interesting uses of a VPN

1. A VPN helps you to access restricted content

A VPN service enables you to break through censorships anywhere in the world. Internet censorship is widespread in this era because the internet is a harbinger of all kinds of content. Some of these contents are perceived as malicious or harmful, while others may be heavily copyrighted.

Some governments may restrict users’ access to the specific content they perceive as unfit by banning such websites in their countries. If you travel to these countries, you will be disappointed because your favorite content would not be accessible.

Also, the restrictions may be to block unauthorized access to copyrighted content. For instance, you can’t access BBC iPlayer unless you’re in the U.K because the service is available to U.K residents only.  So, to bypass such restrictions and geo-blocks, you’ll need a quality VPN service.

2. It ensures your security on public WiFi

Using public WiFi is not bad, but the dangers of being on it are numerous. Many libraries, schools, coffee shops, airports, etc., offer these services to improve people’s stay. But these free WiFi networks are not as secured as your home routers that secure traffic with encryption protocols.

The access is usually permitted without passwords, or sometimes, they may be using a shared password. It is dangerous to use the unsecured network without a VPN because hackers can intercept the traffic and steal users’ information. But if you’re using a virtual private network on the public Wi-Fi, your traffic will be encrypted. Then even if the hackers hijack the traffic, they could not access your data. A VPN network scrambles your data to keep it secure from hackers and spies.

3. Shields you from bandwidth throttling

 Are you aware that your internet service providers can sometimes reduce your bandwidth to prevent congestion on their network? We can understand their reasoning.

But the result is usually annoying to the end-user because the action reduces your browsing speed. You’ll waste precious minutes trying to stream or download your favorite content due to network buffering.

The truth is that your ISP can’t do that to you if you’re using a VPN. They only throttle the bandwidth of users whose online activities are visible to them.

If they notice that you’re streaming or gaming or even downloading torrent files, they may reduce your speed because those activities are heavy pullers. They can also do that if you’re trying to access restricted websites too. But if you use a strong VPN network, your ISP will be blind to whatever you do online and can’t throttle your bandwidth. 

4. Virtual Private Networks secures your conversations

If you don’t want your conversations to be public, use a VPN. You may not know this, but sometimes, some people listen to other people’s conversations online. It may all sound like one of those conspiracy theories, but are you willing to take the risk?

VolP service these day are indeed more secured, but some online hackers are constantly evolving too. Some of the services can also become an eavesdropping tool for anyone desperate to hear everything you’re discussing online.

So, it’s better to keep your conversation private as it should with a VPN service. If you traveled to a country where you can’t even use Skype, you’d need to use VolP and a strong VPN network to make calls and browse the internet. 

5. VPN ensures anonymous uploads and downloads

Using a virtual private network while engaging in file-sharing activities online is critical. It will protect you from your ISP and also protect you from cybercriminals. Your ISP may slow down your network when they notice that you are engaging in peer-to-peer activities.

Most of them don’t like it, and sometimes, they can restrict your access entirely. Apart from the ISPs, cybercriminals can see your IP address on those platforms that facilitate P2P file sharing.

With that, they can target you for their dubious activities. But if you’re using a VPN, it’ll disarm both the online thieves and your ISP. The VPN will encrypt your traffic and conceal your IP address.

6. You can save money by using a VPN

If you want to book flight tickets cheaper or get affordable hotel deals, you need a VPN. Apart from this, you can even rent a car less expensive in any country by using a VPN. You may not know this, but prices differ according to countries.

Someone in the U.K may pay a cheaper rate to rent a car in the U.S than someone in Canada who wants to rent the same vehicle in the U.S. It’s also applicable to booking a hotel or accessing some services in a particular country.

So, what can you do to enjoy the same benefits? Use a VPN to change your location to the country with price concession and complete your transactions. It means that if they offer cheaper rates to a particular group of people based on geographical location, you can change yours and play their game. 

7. Use a VPN to Shop Smartly Online

If you’re a savvy online shopper, you’ll notice that many online shops and e-commerce platforms discriminate a lot in prices.

They offer different prices to shoppers based on geographical location. Imagine that someone in France can pay lower rates than someone in the U.K for the same products or even subscriptions. While you can’t change these practices, you can do something about it with a VPN. 

If you want to buy a product or subscribe to a service, but the offer is too high, change your location instantly and try again from another county.

8. Ensures your privacy on certain websites

Every internet user who is not privacy savvy is opening a wide door for all sorts of online troubles. For instance, if you search for a particular product on Amazon today, every other site you visit will display ads for similar products.

It shows that your online activities are not hidden at all. Some websites collect your information and even share it with third-parties. So, no matter what you do, you need a VPN to keep your activities private, or else you’re prone to cyber-attacks.

Staying private online should be your topmost priority, and a reliable and robust VPN can help you do that.

Final words

If you’ve thought that a VPN can only change location online for easy access to restricted content, you’ve been mistaken. A VPN empowers you to do a lot of things online and also protect you from miscreants.

But bear in mind that free services may not do all that we’ve listed above. It’s only a reliable and robust VPN that can offer these benefits and even more.

So, if you’ve been hesitating to subscribe to the service all this time, now is your chance to get yours and unlock the benefits.