Category: General

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The Path From SysAdmin to IT Director: How Long Is It?

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A system administrator is one of the most crucial roles in any organization. Responsible for making sure IT departments run smoothly, system administrators are highly skilled and familiar working within a variety of applications and file servers as well as multiple operating systems and, more often than not, must have skills in scripting and programming. If you’re looking to expand your horizons and make your way up the career ladder to the coveted role of IT director, there are a number of steps you have to take. 

Here, we will explore those steps to help get you on your way.

Step One: Qualifications

Depending on the size of the organization, many companies will look for some kind of IT qualification, normally a Bachelor Degree level. It is worth noting that this may not be essential as many companies may accept graduate degrees or give in-house training.

Step Two: Work IT Related Roles

If you’re aiming to secure yourself an IT Director position, you will need to have at least several years experience in an IT related role. Being a system administrator, you will already be gaining experience that will be vital to achieving your goal. You will want to aim for a minimum of five years experience but you will have the freedom to change role to something similar, such as computer programmer, database administrator, or software developer—all of which will help provide you with valuable experience.

Step Three: Gain Further Certifications

To boost your chances at securing a director vacancy, you may want to obtain further qualifications or certificates to prove your skills. This may include certifications using certain operating systems or software platforms that will demonstrate how comfortable you are at using certain systems. You can gain these certificates to any level from a basic level to a mastery level.

Step Four: Seek IT Director Positions

IT Director roles require a lot of skills including strong organizational and communication skills. If successful in securing a role, you will be in charge of handling vast amounts of information as well as setting targets for your teams that are in the companies best interest. Research suitable job roles and what each one requires, matching your personal skills to ensure you fit the requirements. If they are requesting skills you may not have, research ways in which you can obtain education and proof for these skills.

Step Five: Always Be Willing To Learn

As technology progresses on a constant basis, you will need to show the willingness to constantly learn about new technologies and show that you can be flexible to change. You will need to be willing to show enthusiasm to update software platforms so networks can run at optimum efficiency, maximizing opportunities for the organization.

The path from System Administrator to IT Director can take several years but the benefits are worthwhile. With wages for high end organization IT directors averaging $100,000, the career of an IT director can be highly rewarding as well as mentally stimulating and full of job satisfaction.

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Office Equipment: Must-Have vs. Nice to Have

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When it comes to office equipment, whether you’re outfitting an empty room from scratch or planning a much-needed refurbishment, it can be easy to get carried away. When looking for equipment to buy, it’s too easy to spend a large chunk of your budget on things you don’t really need but convince yourself you do. Here, you can find our list of essential office equipment and some that you really don’t but are nice to have anyway!

Furniture

office equipment
Must-Have or Nice to Have?: Must-Have
Easily one of the most important aspects of any office, the furniture. You’ll need good quality stable desks with chairs that match the height and provide ample workstation space.  When purchasing these items, you’ll want to make sure you’ll be able to sit comfortably and won’t suffer from back pain or hurt your neck when sitting.  Likewise, make sure you have another space on your desk.  There’s nothing worse than buying one, setting up your computer and realizing you have no space for anything else.

What you might not need is desk accompaniments. This can include anything from cup holders, built-in USB sockets, wire organizers etc.  Many desks come with a lot of added features that you might think you need at the time.  Clips built in to hold and organize your wires might sound like a great idea but if you’re only going to be putting a laptop on your desk, you’re paying for features you won’t use.

Computer

office equipment
Must-Have or Nice to Have?: Must-Have (except for super expensive ones, which fall in the Nice to Have category)
Another vital piece of office equipment is your computer. Whether using a desktop or laptop, getting your computer right can make a huge difference in your productivity. Make sure when buying your PCs, research what is the best decision for you. What sort of tasks are you going to be completing and what kind of power does the computer need to handle that sort of workload?

As nice as it would be to walk into the office and see each workstation lit up by the latest Macbooks or high-performance PCs, if you’re going to be working on spreadsheets and answering emails, that kind of computing power is just unnecessary and investing in them would be a huge waste of money.

Core Electronics

office equipment
Must-Have or Nice to Have?: Must-Have
Leading on from computers, you’re going to want a printer. Searching online, you can see so many printers, each with their own range of features from basic printers to full scaled fax & photocopier printers. Do your research! Will you need to fax other companies or clients? Are you going to need a photocopier or are you working solely online? The price difference between a basic printer and a fully functional one is huge and you don’t want spend unnecessary amounts of your budget.

Other Electronics

office equipment
Must-Have or Nice to Have?: Nice to Have
When looking to invest in office equipment, it’s important to take note on what you need for your office to run smoothly and to maximum efficiency. Think of electronic hardware that you’ll need. Projectors? Fax machines? Laminators? These are all facilities that you would expect to find in a fully functional office and there’s no better feeling than walking into a full equipped office that is ready to run.  Ask yourself, do you really need these appliances? You could waste huge amounts of your budget investing in these appliances, especially if you purchase top-of-the-range brands.
ADDITIONAL READING
Top 5 Conference Room TVs of 2017
Conference Room Design: A Guide For the Perplexed
Top 10 Conference Room Cable Management Fails of 2016

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Conference Room Tables: 10 Styles to Choose From

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When purchasing a new conference room table, the first thing you need to do is to measure the conference room. The single biggest mistake you can make during this entire process is to put a tiny table in a gigantic room or a gigantic table in a tiny room. If your conference room looks anything like this, you’ve goofed.
Conference room tables come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Here’s a brief overview of some of the makes/models that are out there.

Barrington Table (National Office Furniture)
conference room tables

A classic table which–if it weren’t for the laptop sitting on it in the picture to the left–would be perfectly at home in an elegant 1930s boardroom.

Epic Table (National Office Furniture)

conference room tables
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Epic Table offers a clean, minimalistic design that’s perfectly suited for start-ups that want to replicate the vibe of Facebook’s Frank Gehry-designed open office space.

Arrowood Table (National Office Furniture)

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National Office Furniture’s sleek Arrowood line features a mitered rim and clean lines. Like peanut butter or Guile’s Theme from Street Fighter 2, this is something that fits in everywhere it goes.

Lean Desk (Opendesk)

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Rather than purchase your conference room table the traditional way, you may want to consider checking out Opendesk, a UK-based company that allows you to download your table so you can have it made locally, regardless of your location. Their Lean Desk–notable for its spacious surface and modular covers–works well as both a work station and conference room table.

Barrel Shaped Glass (Calibre Office Furniture)

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Who says that conference room tables need to be made of wood? Not only do glass tables make the room appear larger, they are also much better at handling coffee spills, which–let’s face it–are going to occur at a rate of 5-7 per day.

Modular Table (Calibre Office Furniture)

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For meetings which involve a speaker standing in front of a podium, a U-shaped conference room table can go a long way toward reducing neck-strain.

Conti Table (Krost)

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If you want your table to be an exact height, width, or length, you can save yourself the hassle of searching high and low of looking for a pre-made table and just go with Krost, who will custom build your table according to your specifications.

Apollo (Boss Design)

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For meetings that draw in larger groups, a table that can comfortably seat up to 14 people is essential. Boss’s Apollo is one such table.

Foundations Table (Teknion)

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One benefit of the Teknion Expansion table is that it can be purchased with a matching lectern and wall-mounted display board, making your job as an interior designer that much easier.

Expansion Table (Teknion)

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Teknion’s Foundations table offers simple horizontal and vertical planes with added option of contrasting finishes for those seeking aesthetic variety.
This blog post previously appeared in the third chapter of our e-book Conference Room Design: A Guide For the Perplexed. To read the full e-book, click here.
ADDITIONAL READING
Conference Room Design: 10 Examples Worth Studying
5 Must-Have AV Products For Your Conference Room
Wireless Conference Rooms vs. Cabled Conference Rooms: Which Has the Better ROI?

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Stop Wasting Time in Meetings

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Like dentist appointments, speaking in front of large crowds, and eating large quantities of raw asparagus, business meetings are not something that people generally look forward to. The reasons for this are almost too many to list: Finding an available meeting room can feel like searching for the mythical city of El Dorado, sending a laptop screen to the conference room TV can be as time-consuming as a New York Times crossword puzzle, and Larry from accounting always shows up 10 minutes late and insists on being informed of what he missed.
All in all, meeting rooms are to time what black holes are to matter.
But do you know exactly how much time you’re wasting in meetings? In the below infographic—produced in collaboration with Teem—we outline some of the statistics associated with meeting room time-wastage. If you happen to have a beverage in your hand, you may want to rest it gently against the nearest flat surface before proceeding: Some of the figures may shock you.
Conveniently, we also offer some solutions to help you cut back on some of this insane time-wastage, should you feel inclined to move in that direction.
Infographic Blog Snippet3
 
This is the link that the above arrow is pointing at.

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5 IT Infrastructure Skills That Employers Are Looking For

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With businesses updating their IT software platforms constantly, the demand for skilled IT workers has never been greater. As cloud-based solutions and integrated mobile devices become the new standard, businesses are investing more and more money on workers that can maintain, update, and keep IT infrastructure running smoothly. Below, we will explore some of the most demanded IT infrastructure skills that are crucial in today’s business world.

1. Help-desk & Tech Support

IT Infrastructure skills

As the latest technologies are rolled out to businesses around the world, there has been a huge increase in demand for skilled help-desk and IT support workers. The problem with new technologies is that things can go wrong, and even if they don’t, many employees will need a lot of training to know how to use them properly. That being said, when something does go wrong, businesses will want the problems solved as quickly as possible and will need to contact either a help-desk or hire the skills of an IT support worker.

2. Programming & Application Developer

IT Infrastructure skills

The demand for skilled programmers and developers has never been higher. Companies and businesses all require the latest software applications, and all of them want their networks and existing software to work alongside it seamlessly. That’s why it’s so important for these developers to be present and have the ability to test, update, and monitor these systems and platforms, ensuring they are always operating to their full potential.

3. Website Developers

IT Infrastructure skills

Nearly every business has a website in one way or another. Whether it’s just an informational page that states the address and opening times to a fully functional e-commerce store, websites are a business’ first point of contact with the majority of potential clients and it’s so important to get the first impression right.

On top of this, modern day websites have so many options and features that can be integrated to provide a great experience that things can get very technical very quickly. This is why the need for skilled and professional web developers has skyrocketed and demand will definitely continue to rise as the year progresses.

4. Mobile Device & Application Developers

IT Infrastructure skills

The more mobile device technology progresses, the more functions it can provide for businesses, streamlining workflows and giving people the ability to work from anywhere. With this in mind, it can take time and skill to install complicated setups that allow this process to run seamlessly, hence the ever-increasing demand for mobile-based developers. To ensure all systems are running smoothly and operating to their maximum efficiently, businesses are employing more people into this job role than ever before.

5. Cloud Engineers

IT infrastructure skills

Continuing on from mobile developers, there has been a massive increase in the amount of cloud-based platforms that allow businesses to save incredible amounts of money on server space and allow for complete freedom when accessing information and applications. To ensure processes are running at maximum efficiency and remain productive, cloud developers and engineer roles are ever increasingly and becoming a very required part of today’s business model and today’s IT infrastructure.

ADDITIONAL READING
6 Reasons System Admin Spend More Time in the Conference Room Than the IT Office
AV System Integrators: Are They Really Necessary?
Top 5 Conference Room TVs of 2017

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9 Reasons Meetings Are Driving You Crazy (And 9 Solutions)

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A flight from New York to London usually takes about 7 hours. Open heart surgery tends to clock in at around 5 to 7 hours. Watching all three Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back-to-back takes exactly 12.1 hours.
None of these things come close to the amount of time the average professional wastes each month in unproductive meetings, which, according to one estimate, is 31 hours.
And yet strangely, not every company takes active measures to steer clear on this epic time-wastage. Indeed, some have grown so accustomed to it that it’s just accepted as an unavoidable, unalterable fact of life.
This is almost unimaginable with regards to other marathon time-wasters. If your New York-to-London flight were to make an unscheduled stopover in Los Angeles, you’d never fly with that airline again. If your doctors decided to play a game of Monopoly in the middle of your surgery, you would retain the services of a lawyer. And yet whenever meetings go over schedule or a piece of equipment takes 20 minutes to troubleshoot, the most common response is, “Hey, it’s a meeting. What can you do?”
As far-fetched as it may sound, business meetings can be run with some degree of efficiency. Here are 9 common meeting room problems and how you can solve them.

1. Equipment goes missing

Missing
What pens are to banks, HDMI cables are to conference rooms. If you don’t tie them down with wire (string is too fragile), they will disappear within 10 minutes. Wireless speakers, dry erase markers, and remote control clickers also have a well-documented propensity to go missing. Unless your business is located right next to a Best Buy, not having these items on hand could be a major inconvenience.
Solution: Install a security camera and lock portable electronic equipment in a cabinet.

2. Cord compatibility issues

Conference-Room-Fails
Even if your equipment hasn’t been stolen, good luck plugging it in. In today’s BYOD environment, there are so many different ways to connect a laptop to a TV or projector (HDMI, VGA, DVI, Thunderbolt, HDMI to VGA, etc) that most business meetings usually involve a panicked call being placed to the IT department during the first 5 minutes.
Solution: Switch to a wireless screen-sharing solution (like, say, Ubiq).

3. People shout at sound input

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For some reason, a significant percentage of the world’s population assumes that microphone technology has not advanced at all since the early 1900s. As a result, their first impulse is to speak into the mic at a volume that would only be appropriate when talking to someone who is standing on the opposite side of the Grand Canyon. By the time people finally clue in that they can speak at a normal volume, 15 minutes have gone by.
Solution: The closer the microphone is, the less likely people are to scream into it. Consider switching to wireless microphones or install a gooseneck microphone in front of every seat.

4. Connection drops

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Who among us has not attended a business meeting where the call gets dropped but no one realizes until 20 minutes later, at which point your group is left with no choice but to call the person back and fill them in on the 20 minutes that they missed?
This isn’t a rhetorical question. If this has never happened to you, please let us know in the comments below and we’ll try to get you a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Solution: Abandon teleconferencing and switch to videoconferencing (everyone will notice if the video signal drops).

5. Meeting room camera is zoomed out all the way

lawrence-of-arabia-71
Of course, that’s not to say that videoconferencing isn’t without its own problems. Remember that famous scene in Lawrence of Arabia where Omar Sharif first appears as a tiny dot on the horizon? That’s pretty much what everyone in the meeting room looks like if the camera is zoomed out to its widest possible focal length.
Solution: You already put someone in charge of recording the minutes, so why not have someone in charge of zooming in the camera?

6. Camera obscured by chair

Business-Meeting
Even if the camera is zoomed in to the appropriate focal length, it may not be zoomed in on the appropriate subject. Videoconferencing sessions where 90% of the screen is occupied by the back of a chair are not unheard of in the business world.
Solution: Remove chair or put camera a few feet higher.

7. People talk offscreen

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When people talk offscreen during a videoconferencing session, it creates the impression that your meeting has a voice-over narrator, and this can be enormously disconcerting.
Solution: Make sure the person who is in charge of zooming the camera also knows how to pan it.

8. Tripwire across door

meeting room problems
Wires and cables aren’t just an eyesore. If you trip over them, they can also be a hand, knee, and face sore as well. This can result in expensive lawsuits that drain your company’s resources.
Solution: Invest in wireless technology or a floor cord protector.

9. People show up late and insist on being informed of what they missed

Late-for-Meeting
No matter how many times the meeting agenda is sent out, a small fraction of the recipients will either claim to have misread the start time or to have not received the email at all. As a result, most meetings are interrupted every 5 minutes by a latecomer who, immediately upon sitting down, inevitably asks the dreaded question: “What did I miss?” By the time the latecomer is all caught up, a new latecomer arrives, and the vicious cycle repeats itself.
Solution: Always start the meetings on time no matter what, do not pause to brief the latecomers (an exception can be made for the CEO), and invest in a project management tool.
ADDITIONAL READING
AV System Integrators: Are They Really Necessary?
Meeting Room Setup in 1 Day
Conference Room Design: A Guide For the Perplexed

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7 Components of a Successful Video Conference System

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A video conference system is made up of an extensive range of components, including both dedicated hardware and software platforms. There are several factors to take into consideration when setting up a video conference system, such as methods to transfer data, compress data, and elements that display and record video and audio. 

Here we will explore what is at the core of a video conference system and what makes a successful system work.

VIDEO INPUT

This will consist of two or more webcams or video cameras used to record individuals, groups, or props in a video conference. These cameras can be integrated with the computers or set up to be used remotely such as in the centre of a room or in front of a flip chart or other item that is required in the conference. Users may also use digital projectors or interactive whiteboards.

VIDEO OUTPUT

This is hardware that will display the video feed from the other user.  This piece of equipment will display what is happening and will show individuals or props. These normally come in the form of computer monitors, screens, televisions, or projector displays.

AUDIO INPUT

In a successful video conferencing setup, a system will usually include either a selection of microphones, located in the center of the room or positioned in front of the individuals involved. Users may also use wireless headsets or any other compatible forms of audio input.

AUDIO OUTPUT

Successful video conferencing systems will usually include professional quality speakers positioned around the room, built in laptop or computer speakers, or dedicated headphones.

ECHO REDUCTION SOFTWARE

This allows real-time conversation to happen successfully, eliminating audio delays and echo sounds minimizing the risks of misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Some systems may even implement echo canceling microphones (ECM) or employ the use of headphones to cancel out surrounding sound that may conflict with what is being said.

STABLE NETWORK CONNECTION

Nowadays, video conferencing platforms usually rely on high-speed broadband or fiber optic connections which are more than capable of handling the data transfer rate. In some circumstances, LAN and even ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) connections may be used. It is important to ensure you are using a high-speed Internet provider to make sure you do not experience problems such as glitchy video or audio feeds or lag in conversation.

CODEC

Considered one of the most crucial elements of video conferencing systems, video and audio codecs are responsible for compressing and decompressing the data that is sent during a conference. When speaking into a webcam and microphone, the codecs compress the data into digital packets which are then sent to the user on the receiving end and decompressed and displayed in their correct format. It is important to make sure the codecs in video conference packages are compatible as some providers will not work properly with others.

ADDITIONAL READING
5 Must-Have AV Products For Your Conference Room
Top 10 Conference Room Projectors of 2017
AV System Integrators: Are They Really Necessary?

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Audio Conferencing: Is Video Necessary?

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When audio conferencing first came to the market, it revolutionized the way individuals and businesses communicated with each other and quickly became a staple of conference rooms all over the world. When videoconferencing first came to market, in contrast, it immediately fizzled out. Since the initial videoconferencing machines were extremely expensive, difficult to operate, and only capable of connecting to a limited number of devices, businesses didn’t feel a pressing need to upgrade.
But now that videoconferencing is a lot more practical than it was in the 1970s, it’s finally threatening to make audio conferencing obsolete. This raises the question: Is videoconferencing really such a huge improvement over audio-only conferences? For decades, people have managed to collaborate remotely without seeing the faces of the other people on the call. Is having the added element of video really such a game changer?
Here are 5 reasons why the combination of audio and video trumps audio only.

VISUAL AIDS

Firstly, and most obviously, by relying on just audio, you lack the ability to use visual aids. This could include anything from slideshow presentations, whiteboards, flip charts, photos, and so on. For many, this can be quite limiting and if an organization were to use just an audio platform, you would have to be very precise with what you are saying to eliminate the risk of misinterpretation or to successfully communicate facts and figures.

HUMAN INTERACTION

By implementing videoconferencing, you are instantly encouraging real human connections. Very similar to face-to-face conversations, it’s much easier to gauge people’s reactions and tone of voice when using a video platform, something that is much more difficult to do when using just audio. This makes virtual meetings a lot more intimate, adding a fresh and authentic feel to discussions.

ROOM FOR MISINTERPRETATION

When exchanging ideas in a videoconference, as said above, it’s much easier to communicate with individuals as you become aware of body language, unspoken gestures, all alongside the ability to read the other people in the meeting, making conversation less emotionless and bland whilst massively decreasing the risk of misinterpretation.

CONCENTRATION

Think back a few years ago. Sitting at a desk with your designated microphone, listening in to what people have to say, making your inputs here and there, gaining more and more awareness that you are sitting in room talking to someone who isn’t actually there. By just using an audio package, you run the risk of capping productivity. Nobody wants to sit in a room and just listen. Concentration decreases over time, once again risking misunderstanding or misinformation. With video aids, concentration is brought back into the meeting rooms, allowing individuals to engage multiple senses and remain aware.

COST

One of the most effective and cost-efficient ways for businesses to communicate is by telephone or audio conferencing. Remaining affordable, it is still used by businesses of all sizes around the world. By using a videoconferencing package, depending on the size of your organization, the solution can be very expensive and if implemented incorrectly or unnecessarily, it may cost you much more than you anticipated. (Luckily, there are plenty of options out there like Skype For Business that are much more affordable than the higher end packages).
For the most part, videoconferencing can revolutionize the way businesses work and opens opportunities for companies to act globally. When looking for a conferencing solution that fits your needs, it’s important to do your research and monitor what your personal situation requires.
ADDITIONAL READING
Can You Hear Me? What About Now?: How to Pick a Conference Room Microphone
Meeting Room Setup in 1 Day
Conference Room Design: A Guide For the Perplexed

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Conference Room Audio System Problems & How to Fix Them

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Whether you’re negotiating a new contract, communicating with clients, or holding a department meeting, the conference room is one of the most active and vital rooms to many businesses. So it should go without saying that it’s not the sort of place you’d want to experience audio system failures in. If the sound coming out of your conference room speakers sounds anything like this, you’ll need to act fast to fix it. Few things in the business world repel clients quite as efficiently as conference room audio system problems.
As with any hardware, problems are inevitably bound to happen, but, by learning about the most common problems and how to fix them, you can quickly restore order and return your focus to what is important.

LOW VOLUME

There’s nothing worse than giving your presentation or speech and realizing that no one else in the room heard a word you said. Low volume is a common problem in the conference and one that can be easily resolved. By not being able to hear what you are saying, you are creating a negative impression to everyone in the room, leaving room for misunderstanding as well as misinterpretation.
Make sure when setting up for your meeting, you thoroughly test all microphones in the room and set the volume accordingly as well as performing vital sound tests. If, during the meeting, a members microphone is too quiet, subtlety adjust the volume settings accordingly.

DELAYS

Sometimes you might notice there are delays in the audio when a member of the meeting is talking. This can create the impression of slow speech and/or inexperience. Depending on your audio system provider, a variety of platforms incorporate delays to eliminate the risk of feedback and other audio related problems.
It is important to know if your software has these delays and if so, how to set them to the desired delay time. Look to your provider or contact their support desk to find out how to do this before your meeting begins. Make sure to sound check your equipment beforehand to make sure this will not be a problem, and remember to try and use all microphones at once as sometimes delays can be caused by having more people connected than the system can handle.

FEEDBACK AND WHITE NOISE

If you’re in a position where users are experiencing clicking or crackling sounds, not only can this be unpleasant for the listeners, but it also creates a bad impression. Line noise can be created for a number of reasons but it more commonly occurs when two microphones are placed close together.
Ensure you move all microphones a suitable distance apart before the meeting and if feedback occurs halfway through, stop and mute all microphones in turn until the culprit is identified and rectified accordingly.

ECHOES AND HOLLOW SOUNDS

Although still understandable, if you are experiencing a hollow sound or echoes, participants can find this very distracting and important information may be missed. These issues can be caused for a number of reasons such as, two people talking at once, multiple lines active in one room or two or more microphones be close together or next to a speaker.
To eliminate this problem, thoroughly sound test all microphones in the room before the conference. If the problem begins during a meeting, the conference presenter should have the ability to mute all microphones when they are speaking, ensuring you avoid feedback or crossed feeds.
ADDITIONAL READING
Can You Hear Me? What About Now?: How To Pick a Conference Room Microphone
Conference Room Design: A Guide For the Perplexed
Top 10 Conference Room Projectors of 2017