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May 4th, 2012

Skype is the most well-known Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) program and is used by businesses all over the world. It offers many benefits including cheaper calls, a solid instant messaging platform that allows employees to communicate as a group, and the ability to conduct video calls with any user.

Skype has some excellent features but many businesses stick to the basics. Here are four ways you can better utilize Skype.

  • Call forwarding. If you’re expecting an important call but have to step away from the computer for a bit you can forward any calls to your phone. To set up call forwarding: open preferences and select Calls. You will see the option to set up call forwarding at the top of the page. Press the Forward calls radio followed by Set up Forwarding. Be aware that regular call rates will be charged.
  • Screen sharing. Skype is a terrific collaboration tool and many businesses take advantage of it by holding virtual meetings. You can take this one step further by sharing your screen with other parties you are chatting with. This is a fantastic way to give virtual presentations. To share your screen while in a chat press the plus symbol at the bottom of your screen, or right click, and select Share Screen.
  • Customer service tool. Using Skype is a convenient way to get in contact with your customers. Ask your website developer to put a Skype button on your website. Be sure to add when you or your employees are available to be contacted.
  • Add-ons. Skype has solid features but there are a multitude of add-on apps that can make it even better. Some apps allow for closer collaboration, let you broadcast pre-recorded messages, or record video and audio calls. The apps can be downloaded from the Skype Shop.

Skype has many useful features that when utilized allow businesses’ clients and employees to communicate with ease. If you would like to know more about using Skype or other VoIP services in your company please give us a call.

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May 2nd, 2012

There are many tools businesses use during their day-to-day operations, but only a few are used by businesses across all industries. One that will be familiar to all is the office suite; comprised of a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation software and an email client. The most popular being Microsoft Office, which Microsoft has recently moved to the cloud.

Microsoft’s cloud based office suite for businesses is called Microsoft Office 365. Office 365 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote – and Microsoft Server products e.g., Lync 2010 and SharePoint Server. All programs are accessed via a Web browser, offering users the ability to access the programs from the office, home or anywhere in between.

On March 14, 2012 Microsoft held a press conference announcing that the price of Office 365 subscriptions will be reduced by up to 20%. This decrease will apply to all new and renewing direct customers.

The price cut is a great advantage to many potential customers as it makes Office 365 more competitive with other cloud based office solutions such as Google Apps. This is also beneficial as many businesses already use the desktop versions of Microsoft Office. If they switch to Office 365, employees will be comfortable with the cloud version, as the software is exactly the same as the desktop version.

It’s the perfect time to look into Office 365 and see what it can bring to your organization. If you’d like to learn more about Microsoft Office 365 or other products from Microsoft, we are your go-to experts and will be more than happy to help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

 

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April 18th, 2012

Craig Sharp PhotoDIY; I hate it. I have a vision in my mind of how the process will run, but when I lift the screwdriver or hammer, what ‘actually’ happens is far removed from my plan and usually results in a bodge-job. It sort of works, but not how I’d like and only I know how to press this, to release that to open the other.

Interestingly, there are many business owners that take a similar approach when it comes to IT and have a vision in their head of how they want it to work. Blessed with great business instinct, but no IT skills, they find themselves in an office with IT that sort of works but only they know how to get email, open the database or print documents due to the way it was setup…………as it’s a little [coughs] ‘non-standard’

An Example

I recently met a new prospect who had IT in their office which was similar to this situation. The story is, to my ears anyway, shockingly familiar. They had ‘Cloud Storage’ for files, they had email on their phones / laptops and they had the ability to work from home. But all of these were, in my opinion, a little disjointed and not setup in a standard way.

 

Existing Systems

Take for example the Cloud Storage. It was using a system that, when they pressed Save on the PC for a large graphical file, it was taking up to 10mins to appear for anyone else to use. Think of all the time wasted by the business waiting for shared files, and the effect on business.

Also, the email system they had was POP Mail and so it downloaded email to the phone but also the same email to the Laptop. Neither talked to each other and so after a day of managing your email on the phone you would return to the same email’s on the Laptop that needed sorting too !

 

The Light-bulb Moment

The key was that the client understood getting this all sorted and saving their management time was important to their business success. So after some discussions on what they needed and how we could help them achieve the goal, a plan was agreed. Interestingly the ‘killer moment’ was when I said we had a solution that allowed a sync’d version of Outlook to be on the phone and they realised that Calendar appointments would show on both the phone and Laptop. It’s interesting isn’t it that sometimes just the smallest thing can tip a discussion.

All of this was 6 weeks ago and after some careful planning and deployment the client has the same email account on the phone and laptop so everything they read, reply and delete on the phone during the day is matched on the Laptop when they return; a different Cloud Based file storage solution that’s instant and does not take 10mins to sync; enhanced security and an audit trail on documents. Most importantly they spend zero time on the IT in their business and trust Abussi to carry out anything requested.

 

Don’t DIY

Well, the moral of the story is clear. Last month I looked out at my front driveway and the small overgrown rock garden in the corner and thought “that needs sorting”. However, although I had a vision of what I wanted it to look like, I got a local gardener to pop round and the result was exactly what I had in my head. Perhaps next time you have some thoughts on what you want your IT to be like, you might consider ‘getting a man (or woman) in’ ?

For more information on the services provided by Abussi, please visit our Website

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April 12th, 2012

Business continuity planning – an important consideration companies have been looking into, and adopting in increasing numbers. It’s vital that businesses can operate in any condition and that they won’t be affected by disasters. One of the steps in implementing a successful protection strategy involves working out whether to use software or templates.

The decision between templates and software can be a tough one to make, as whichever one you choose, you’ll be using and relying on for a long time. To help you we’ve covered some pros and cons on both choices:

Using Software
If you choose to go with a software program, you will be walked through the whole process allowing you to develop a useable plan. Another benefit of using software is that you’ll be able to develop reports if needs be.

The drawbacks of using software include cost, inflexibility and learning time. For the most part, business continuity planning software is not cheap, and at times can be inflexible due to limits within the program. If you have a niche need, the software may not cover it. In addition, as with mastering any program, the learning curve can be quite steep.

In general, using software would be advantageous for companies that have a bigger budget for the development of a continuity plan. Software is also a good bet if you don’t have staff who are experts in continuity planning, or if you operate in an industry where a continuity plan is necessary, e.g., companies working with healthcare insurance, or manufacturing companies that have introduced ISO 9000.

Using Templates
If you feel that your company is not ready for software you can use templates to help you develop your plan. These solutions are mostly written plans that you adapt to meet your business needs. They’re useful if you’re just starting to do continuity planning, as they provide a normally solid foundation, and are generally a lot cheaper than software.

A limitation to using templates is that they can be a little too basic at times, and may not meet your needs. Granted, most plans will follow a basic structure and your developer will need to adapt some steps for your relevant region and industry.

As each industry is different, it’s hard to make a recommendation on what type of planning style companies should take. We recommend you take your time, do your due diligence and weigh out what’s best for your business. No matter which method you choose to go ahead with, ensure that it’s easy to implement, and that you’ll be able to teach your staff how to run the plan.

If you feel really lost or are not sure what to do, talking to professional consultants could go a long way in helping you develop a plan. If you’d like to learn more about business continuity planning please contact us – we are happy to help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

 

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April 11th, 2012

Peer-to-peer networking (P2P) and cloud storage services have both been hot topics in the news lately. Whether it’s about the seizure of servers or security threats, both have been causing businesses problems with regards to recoverability and security of data. Does your company use P2P or cloud storage? If so, there are a number of things you should be aware of.

With the seizure of a number of cloud storage and sharing websites, including Megaupload, and the seemingly omnipresent malware in P2P files and the shaky security in relation to P2P networks, businesses have had their hands full staying secure. Do you know what your options are when it comes to data security?

Cloud Services Knowhow
The recent seizure of Megaupload’s files and servers by the US Government caught many people and businesses unprepared. While Megaupload’s main purpose was file sharing, it was found that a large number of organizations were using their services to store files. If you had files stored on Megaupload, the chances of getting the files back are non-existent.

It needs to be pointed out that many cloud services don’t guarantee that files stored on the service will be recoverable in the event of a crash, or disruption in service, e.g., a government seizing servers. If you read the user agreements of a number of major cloud services, they all have clauses stating that if data stored on their service is lost for any reason, it’s gone forever, and the hosts can’t be held liable for losses.

Risks of P2P
With high speed Internet widely available at low prices, P2P file sharing has become incredibly popular, it’s almost uncommon to find someone who has never used a P2P service. If you or your employees use P2P at your office, there are a number of potential security threats you should be aware of:

  • The unknown share: If you put a file in a folder that is shared on a P2P network, it’ll be shared with all other people connected to that folder and almost anyone can access it. This is normally done by mistake, i.e., not looking where the file will be saved when you save it. There’s also malware out there that will move files into a shared folder which the developer of the malware can find and upload with ease and without the user knowing it is happening.
  • Open network: Typically P2P works on open networks: users give and share. What this means is that when using P2P on a poorly configured network, the whole network could be unsecure, allowing for access to other computers connected to the network.
  • Untracked data: If you share a document with another person, and they then share it with others, there is potentially, an unlimited amount of people that can get the data. If you want to take it back, it can be impossible to do so, even if the original document is deleted.
  • Storage hijacking: There’s news of malware that has been developed with the purpose of downloading illegal material onto your hard drive. This could pose a problem if the data is found, as you will be liable.

What Should I do?
With regards to cloud services, as with anything that comes with a contract, the first thing you should do is gain an understanding of it by utilizing reading material such as blogs, news articles and Wikis. It’s a pain in the neck, but it’ll help you understand the boundaries of the program and your responsibilities. Remember that if you go to court to get files back from a company, and it becomes known that you didn’t read the agreement, you’ll probably end up losing that case.

Second, it’s not recommended to keep single copies of data on one cloud service. Chances are high that in your business, you store your data and backups in a place separate from the computer. This makes sense with the cloud as well – keep your data with a number of different cloud services. If it’s important enough, have physical backups of what you put in the cloud.

For P2P networks there are also a number of steps you can take to protect the data on your network:

  • The most obvious one is to ban employees from using any file sharing services outside of your network.
  • If you do allow file sharing, it’s a good idea to establish and strictly enforce a protocol for this. You should also set which users are allowed to share files, and what files are appropriate to share. Be sure that all staff are aware of your policy and the measures that will be taken in the event of any deviations.
  • Develop a system to classify documents by whether or not they can be shared, and who they can be shared with.
  • If you work in an office where you need to share files, but don’t want to use a P2P network or the cloud, and are unsure of other solutions out there, don’t worry. There are companies that specialize in document sharing solutions that should be able to provide you with assistance.

The most important thing is that whatever the situation is, you take action to try to solve the problem while frequently revisiting the actions to ensure that they are working. If you’d like to learn more about document sharing over the cloud, or via P2P networks, give us a buzz. We’re more than happy to help.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

 

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April 9th, 2012

“Microsoft PowerPoint”, “presentations” and “effective” are three common buzzwords used throughout all businesses. Heard separately, most employees are comfortable with each, but put all three together and a problem appears: Many presentations are simply not effective. Is this true for your organization?

It’s important that you, that as a manager, you ensure that your employees are creating PowerPoint presentations that are effective. Here are a few tips you can give to your employees to help them improve their presentations.

Simplify and minimize The best presentations are simple and minimal, often shifting focus from the presentation to the presenter. Minimal presentations follow the 6-6-6 rule. There should be no more than: 6 bullet points per slide, 6 words per bullet and 6 slides full of words in a row. Being visual creatures, you should encourage your employees to create slides with engaging and related visuals. A caveat: be sure that you have the rights to use the images.

A great rule taught in business schools across the country is: KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Refrain from using confusing words, jargon, uncommon acronyms and irrelevant information. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. Following these rules will help engage the audience and hold their attention for a longer period of time.

Be consistent “Consistency is key” - a saying often used but rarely followed in the creation of PowerPoint presentations. You should ensure that grammar and spelling are all consistent, and errors are minimal, if existent at all. Have another employee or manager review it for errors and inconsistencies.

For the slides, use the same background and font throughout. The easiest way to ensure this is by using a template. A word of warning: don’t use templates that are heavily animated because they can cause significant distractions, and don’t choose backgrounds that are similar in color to your font. The best slides have a light color for a background with a darker font for your text.

Summarize The goal of most presentations is to build interest and inform or update the audience. In fact, the majority of audiences just want a short summary so they can develop their own questions to ask after the presentation, or at a later meeting.

When creating the presentation, be sure to keep the audience in mind. If a presentation is being made to IT managers, chances are it does not need to have advanced financial spreadsheets. If you are presenting on a topic that has lots of graphs, extra information, or appendices, put the most important information in the presentation and the rest in a handout. This will keep the audience’s attention on the presenter, not the slides.

Practice, preview, review Practice makes perfect. In an ideal world there would be hours and hours to practice and tweak a presentation. Normally, that’s not true. Schedule at least a comparable amount of time the day before a presentation for a dry run. Always review the presentation with your team and ask them for feedback. This will help encourage employees to keep improving and developing themselves.

For more tips and tricks on giving presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint and other Microsoft products, please contact us.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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April 2nd, 2012

A common trend among new software is in giving users the ability to personalize certain areas. This could be something as simple as adding your picture or changing the layout. Many programs that have traditionally been utility in nature, such as office suites, are starting to offer ways for users to customize. Microsoft Office 365 is one of those such programs offering these features.

Microsoft Office 365 is first and foremost a suite of familiar office software for businesses to use in their day-to-day operations. But just because this software is instantly recognizable as a Microsoft product, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make some small changes to personalize your computing workspace. Here are a few ways you can do just that:

Set Your Profile Picture
You can set a profile picture which will show up on any window or application that has the ability to show your image – e.g., Microsoft Lync. To set your picture:

  1. Log into Office 365 and go to the Home page.
  2. Click the My Profile header. It’s located in the top right hand side of the screen, underneath your name.
  3. Click Change Photo.
  4. Choose your photo by selecting Browse. It’s recommended that your picture be under 100kb in size, you’ll get an error message telling you if it is any larger. When you have selected your picture, press Save.

Add a Signature to Your Emails
Many business emails include a signature at the bottom, a way to make each email seem a little more personal, or provide more information including contact details and a potential message about an upcoming promotion. To set your signature:

  1. Navigate to the Outlook page, click on Options. It’s located in the top right hand side of the screen, underneath your name.
  2. Click See all options from the drop-down menu that opens.
  3. Select My Account, followed by Settings which is located in the left hand menu.
  4. Under the Mail Tab, you will have an option to edit your signature. If you want Outlook to automatically place your signature on every outgoing email, click the radio button below the signature that says Automatically include my signature on messages I send.

If you don’t choose to have Outlook automatically add your signature, you can add the signature in your email by selecting the Messages Tab in each new email, and clicking the little arrow below Signature. A list of created signatures will be shown, select the one you wish to use.

Add Your Picture or Logo to Your SharePoint Site
If your company uses SharePoint, you can add a logo or picture to enhance what is a relatively plain environment.

  1. First, you need to create an image. You can use almost any picture, just ensure you can legally use it. Get creative, this is your space!
  2. When you have the image you want to use, open SharePoint, click Site Actions and select More Options.
  3. Select Picture Library, and in the window that opens, select a name for a new library, and press Create.
  4. Your new Library should be on the left side of the screen. Click to open it and select Upload.
  5. When your picture shows up in the library, select it twice, so it’s in its own window. Copy the web address from the top of the page.
  6. Under Site Actions select Site Settings followed by Look and Feel.
  7. Beside Logo URL and description paste the URL you just copied. Click Ok and your image will show up on your SharePoint site.

With a few steps you can make Office 365 a little more personal. Just be sure that you can legally use the images you select. If you would like to learn more about Microsoft Office 365 or any other Microsoft products, give us a call.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

 

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March 29th, 2012

Social media has really become a major way for businesses to get their name out and gain exposure to the many different people on the Internet, build their brand and find new customers. With the large numbers of people currently using the Internet, it makes sense for businesses to have some form of online presence as they will be able to connect with more customers.

Social media, once called a fad, has become the norm and is going to be with us for some time. A large number of companies already have an online presence, and are taking advantage of the benefits that social media can bring. Here are a number of things you can do to get your social media adventures underway.

Be Clear on Social Media It’s important that before you start looking into the different forms of social media that are out there, you are clear on what social media is, and what it isn’t. Social media is a way to meet people, and share content and ideas with them. For companies it’s a form of non-traditional marketing - think of it as soft marketing - it’s not meant to be the place where you flog your products, rather a place to develop interest in your company, so people will want to do business with you. By using social media you can show people who your company is, and connect with them on a more personal level. If you are clear on what social media is from the beginning, there’s a higher chance that you’ll be successful when you develop your online presence.

Before You Launch Into Social Media There are a number of things that your company needs to have either already done, or considered, before you jump in:

  • Have a website: It’s a good idea to have a solid website with information about your company, contact information, products and services. Most potential customers will look at your website after looking searching for you online, and before they choose to do business with you, so your website needs to provide the relevant information they are looking for. If you don’t have a website, or feel yours is lacking, it’s easier than ever to get a professional looking site. With a quick search you will be able to find some competent designers.
  • Get educated: It will be beneficial to educate yourself on current trends regarding social media. This can be done by simply going to social media websites, taking the free introduction tours and reading blogs related to the sites. Beyond that you should also research your competitors’ websites and Internet presence. Observe what content they have online, and more importantly: what they don’t have. It will also help to connect with and observe industry experts, see what they post online, and note the style and tone they use. This will help provide you with a sound knowledge base from which you can then create a more effective online presence.
  • Set goals: As with any step in business, you should have a plan with realistic goals. Aim for results that are achievable for your company. If you’re a small, local IT company that focuses on providing support for banks, don’t expect to have the same massive hype that Microsoft and Apple do. Clearly set objectives and review periodically.
  • Develop a focus: In real life, you can’t be all things to all people. The same goes for social media. You need to develop a focus on what type of online content you would like to share. You should aim to create content that your customers will want to share with people.
  • Stake a claim: You should to go to the main social media websites - Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube - and reserve your personal and business usernames. This is important because it will make you look more professional by having the same username across all sites, and users will be able to find you easier.
  • Ask for help if you need it: While some companies make social media sound easy, it can be deceptively hard to master. If you feel lost, or are having a tough time with it, there are knowledgeable consultants out there who are happy to help.
Time to Get Social When you feel you know what direction you will take, it’s time to start developing your online profiles. It can be tough to decide which social media tools to utilize. Unfortunately there is no right answer. Most small businesses follow the crowd, and this means having pages on Facebook and Linkedin. This does not mean that you should join these networks simply because they have the most users. It is recommended that you follow what similar businesses or direct competitors are doing. If they are on one service but not another, do the same to begin with, but be on the lookout for new social media sites, or features being added to existing sites.

One Thing to Not Forget There is one really important thing we can share with businesses thinking of pursuing social media: it isn’t a turnkey operation. You can’t just, “set it and forget it.” To be successful, you need to be active by posting updates, news, and above all interacting with the people who reach out to you. After all, they are your customers. If you do establish your social presence but forget to keep it up to date, you will be the company that’s forgotten.

If you would like help with your social media strategy, please get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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March 29th, 2012

Craig Sharp PhotoI’m writing this blog while sitting in a cafe in London. It’s 07:30 and I have recently arrived from Birmingham after departing on the 06:00 train and I have a short while until my client’s office opens. I’m not telling you this because I’m looking for sympathy after an early start, but to demonstrate than when I talk about Managed Service Providers (MSP’s) offering an ‘eat as much as you like’ service for our clients, I mean it.

Today’s visit is to carry out some setup work on new printers while undertaking a site survey for some network cable installations and its part of the service we offer to all clients. Personally, I think it’s important to visit clients and although 80% are within the West Midlands, a growing number are in London and the South East, so trips like today are an increasing part of my work.

 

A Day in the Life

It’s a far cry from yesterday when I attended an IT seminar. There were lots of IT people looking wistfully at the latest Dashboard Control Panel from a well-known provider which shows clients IT infrastructure at a glance while allowing the opportunity to update any number of Server’s at the click of a single button. Additionally it was demonstrated how to use this tool to warn of IT issues and so the seminar highlighted the many ways you could setup alerts and automatic tickets which technicians can respond to quickly.

However, I sat there thinking “how wonderful, but Abussi already has a fool proof system which created tickets when problems occurred”; It’s called ‘clients calling / emailing in and telling us’. Now, before anyone from an IT background shouts at the screen “by then it’s too late you fool” I am not talking about all the standard stuff we monitor and manage like servers, security updates and backup. They are covered and we check them daily. What I mean are the day-2-day activities where users experience a problem and need support. You can’t often ‘ticket’ this kind of stuff, yet the person with the problem sees it as the most important thing in their world for that 15-30min timescale.

 

Ticket to Hide

If you turn their problem into a ticket, reply to it by email and say “we are looking at it”, then update them later to say “we are elevating this to Level 2 support” then email them again with things they need to try / replace / wiggle then all you do is create a barrier between you and the customer. These barriers are a hindrance not a help. In large organisations they are necessary due to the volume of people being supported, but for Abussi (and many at the event yesterday) we support businesses with 5-25 users so not huge numbers and each client might only make 1 or 2 calls per day. What you should do in these situations is pick up the phone and talk to the client in order to offer reassurance, resolve the matter quickly and get them working again as soon as possible. After all, as a Managed Service Provider (MSP) your role is to make sure the client has the most ‘uptime’ as possible.

 

Pick up the Phone

So, ask yourself this; Does your IT provider hide behind tickets ? When was the last time you saw them for anything other than a PC failure or hardware fault ? Have they come to just ‘chat’ to you, ask about your business and find out about the future ? If you think that IT Support is just about fixing PC’s when they fail then you might be missing a trick, and maybe my last Blog can convince you that IT Support providers can be so much more than guys with screwdrivers.

For more information on the services provided by Abussi, please visit our Website

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March 27th, 2012

Work safety and injury prevention - a common topic in all blue collar jobs. Did you know that many of us who work in white collar jobs also need work safety? Safety from what? From the computer. There are a number of injuries you can get from sitting at a desk working on a computer all day, do you know what they are and how to prevent them?

The majority of injuries sustained while working with computers are not instantaneous, they happen over time. The most common form of computer related injury is the Repetitive Strain Injury, also known as RSI. Soft tissue, muscles, tendons, nerves and ligaments are all susceptible to RSI. With proper maintenance and knowledge, almost all RSIs can be prevented. If left unchecked, an RSI could lead to lost time and possibly irreparable damage.

Eye Strain Eye strain happens when you have overexerted your eyes. The most common symptoms include:

  • pain around the eyes,
  • dry eyes,
  • fatigue,
  • photophobia (sensitivity to light) and
  • blurred vision.
Often, severe eye strain will also cause pain or tension in the neck and shoulders. The most common causes of eye strain are poor workspace layout and sub-par lighting conditions.

The good news is that in most cases, eye strain won’t lead to permanent vision complaints, but if left unchecked it could cause productivity problems. The easiest way to prevent eye strain is to work in a space with lighting that is neither too strong or weak, and have a light source that does not create glare. It is equally important to take short breaks from the monitor. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something (not another monitor) 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Posture Related There are a number of related injuries to your posture, including: back pain, neck pain and headaches. These injuries typically come from bad posture, combined with sitting for an extended amount of time. It may not seem like you can injure yourself by sitting in a chair all day, but your muscles are not designed to stay in the same position for such a long period of time, and doing so can result in muscle pain. Poor posture at work can also lead to an increased chance of a herniated disc, commonly called a “slipped disc”.

There are a number of things you can do to minimize posture related injuries.

  • Adopt a proper posture. Have a chair that pushes the small of your back (bottom) out, as this will promote a more natural spinal position. Try not to cross your feet, as comfortable as it is, as doing so puts pressure on your lower back.
  • Get up and move around every 20 minutes to half hour.
  • Stretch. Move your joints through their normal range of motion.
  • If you have kinks or muscle pain, gently massage the area with a kneading motion.
  • Get up. There is a rising trend of using a standing workstation - this could be another option.
Arm Related The most common type of injury to the arm is the well-known Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). This mainly happens in two places: the wrist and the elbow. CTS occurs when the median nerve (one of the main nerves) is compressed. CTS in the wrist is the most common RSI, and can be a costly injury. The median nerve also passes through the elbow. If compression occurs there, it can result in an injury commonly called “tennis elbow”. Symptoms include: numbness of the hand and arm, pain and weakness in grasping.

There are a number of things you can do to prevent CTS:

  • Keep your mouse and keyboard close together.
  • Type and hold the mouse gently.
  • Remove your hands from the mouse and keyboard when not using them.
  • Take frequent breaks to move your wrists and elbows through their natural range of motion. Be careful to not over extend.
With a combination of breaks, ergonomic workplaces, and other preventative measures you and your staff will see fewer injuries and higher productivity. If you would like to learn more ways to prevent injuries, or increase productivity please contact us.
Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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