People take keyboards for granted, but they’re one of the most important PC tools you can invest in. Accordingly, getting the right one is crucial.

There are so many keyboards available in the modern computer landscape that understanding which one you need can be confusing. Thankfully, there’s a keyboard for every scenario, so if you can identify your needs then you should be able to get the correct one. And, with the best possible keyboard available, you’ll soon find that your employees become more productive.

Let’s take a look at what you should be looking for when choosing new keyboards for your business.

The Types of Keyboards Available

The first place you need to start is by understanding the variety of keyboards that are available, so here they are:

  • Basic: The most familiar keyboard to most computer users, the basic everyday keyboard does exactly what it says on the tin. Providing all the basic features such as function keys, numeric keypads and a QWERTY layout, these are perfect for word processing and data entry.
  • Portable: Employees on the move may use their smartphone/tablet as their default computer to save size, but touchscreen keyboards are nowhere near as intuitive as physical hardware. And that’s why portable USB keyboards should be the default choice in these scenarios.
  • Specific Niche: If your organization works in a very specific niche such as video or audio editing, then a specialty keyboard may be the best option to go for. Coming complete with programmable buttons to automate specific functions, specialty keyboards also come with color coded buttons to increase recognition of the most used keys and sections of the keyboard.
  • Mechanical: For those who type fast with a light touch then mechanical keyboards represent a fine choice. Using mechanical switches and springs, the wear and tear on the keyboard’s components is significantly reduced and increases their lifespan. They’re also sturdier and provide an easier typing experience for those who have to type large amounts of text in a short time.

Keyboard Features to Look Out For

There are myriad options available for improving the typing experience, so make sure you keep an eye out for these features:

  • Connectivity: Whilst most modern keyboards connect via USB, there are still alternative options which may suit your needs better. Wireless and Bluetooth both provide suitable options for users who need a little more accessibility or, if the need arises, for giving presentations.
  • Comfort: Many people working with vast amounts of data and typing find that comfort is an essential feature in keyboards. Tapping into this need, keyboard manufacturers have designed a wide range of ergonomic keyboards which seek to provide the required level of comfort. Not only does this prevent wrist and hand strains, but it also increases productivity of employees.
  • Backlit: Certain employees may find themselves working in environments where light has to be limited e.g. certain hospital departments such as scan rooms demand very little light. However, this doesn’t mean that typing should be a struggle and backlit keyboards solve this problem quickly and effectively.

Naturally, every employee in your organization is going to have unique needs when it comes to using a keyboard, but there’s a solution for everyone out there. Just take note of the above and you should soon have the right keyboard to maximize productivity.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More


Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a term used to describe the increasingly popular practice of employees bringing their own smart devices to work.

Mostly reserved for employees’ personal phones and PCs, BYOD is becoming the norm in many organizations and it’s estimated that 74% of workplaces are allowing employees to bring their devices in for business use. It’s a practice which has been gradually growing since the start of the decade and is expected to become even more popular in the next couple of years.

An IT policy which incorporates a BYOD culture can provide some serious benefits to your organization, so let’s take at what’s on offer.

Understanding the Benefits

Allowing your staff to use their own devices for work related purposes allows your organization to become more efficient and, at the same time, provide a working environment which is both open and relaxed. The main benefits of BYOD in the workplace that you can expect to see are:

  • Familiarity Breeds Productivity: Everyone is at their most productive when they’re comfortable and, if an employee is using their own device, BYOD can make a massive difference in productivity. Knowing a device inside out means that users will be able to reduce downtime by solving operational errors quickly and the device will be set up exactly how that user needs it.
  • Cost Saving: If your employees are bringing in their own devices to complete business duties, then you’re going to experience a massive reduction in costs. Not only will the need to purchase new hardware be negated, but the cost of upgrades will be the sole responsibility of the employee.
  • Flexibility: Remote working is becoming more and more popular – half the UK workforce are expected to be working remotely by 2020 – and this is partly due to the BYOD landscape. You see, by allowing employees to use their own devices, they’re provided with an opportunity to work from wherever they want. While this provides flexibility for the employee, it also provides the employer with an opportunity to save costs on workspaces etc.
  • Up to Date Technology – Personal devices are upgraded much more frequently than enterprise devices, so incorporating a BYOD ethos can ensure that your organization has state of the art technology at its disposal for no cost. This allows your organization to boost productivity and remain competitive, but not affect the yearly budget in any way.
  • More Focus for IT Departments – If employees are using their own devices then the maintenance and upkeep of them is down to the employees. Naturally, this will significantly reduce your IT department’s workload and allow them to concentrate on more pressing issues such as network maintenance and security breaches.

As you can see, there are plenty of benefits on offer by allowing the BYOD culture into your workplace. Almost every benefit is likely to bring an increase in productivity, so which organization can honestly say that it wouldn’t welcome this? The time to implement BYOD is upon us, so make sure you get there before your competitors.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More


11409_SFONDO_225919Logitech-New-G-series-Peripherals-for-PC-Gaming

PC peripherals such as mice and keyboards are vital for any office, but firms rarely spend much on them. Spending a little more can increase productivity.

If you take a look in the gaming section of any PC store you’re likely to find two things:

  1. Teenagers
  2. An array of futuristic looking keyboards and mice covered in much more than just a click wheel and two buttons.

You see, the use of gaming peripherals isn’t just limited to commanding digital armies and flying spaceships. In fact, they could be just the thing you need to maximize productivity levels in your business.

The Problems with Standard Peripherals

Computer mouse

If you’re lucky your keyboard may have a button which launches Internet Explorer and saves you a few clicks on your mouse. However, this is about the extent of most standard keyboard options for shortcuts.

Your firm may even have invested in some hotkey software to launch macros (automatic commands) such as holding down ‘ctrl + N + F3’ to open an email template no matter what program you’re in. It definitely saves a bit of time, but it comes with a couple of problems:

  • Remembering the correct combination of keystrokes is tricky
  • You’re limited by the number of shortcuts due to the difficulty in holding down keys at opposite ends of the keyboard
  • Getting to grips with new software always involves training which eats into productivity
  • Setting up the software on each individual computer in the office

So, how do you overcome these obstacles and get more productive?

High End Peripherals to the Rescue

roccat-tyon

Let’s take a look at how you can utilize gaming peripherals to take control of your workload like never before!

Mice

Mice are generally known as having two buttons – a left and a right, but doesn’t this seem a little limited when we’ve got five fingers on each hand?! Pay a few more dollars and you could end up with around 20 buttons on your mouse!

It may feel a little strange at first, but by being able to execute so many macros without taking your hand off the mouse will save your staff hours in fiddling about with the keyboard and then having to get back to grips with the mouse.

Slightly higher end mice are also designed with better tracking in mind. This level of design ensures that you’re more in control of the cursor on your screen. We’ve all had that frustrating moment where the cursor has flown off screen and then takes a minute or two to find again.

Keyboards

Keyboards at the higher end of the market can have up to 20 programmable one touch buttons which means you’ve always got plenty of options for generating new macros.

And, don’t forget, all the ‘easy to reach’ hotkey shortcuts are already taken e.g. ‘CTRL + C’ for copy, so you’re left having to stretch your fingers all over the keyboard. One touch buttons, though, are much more intuitive to use and easier to execute.

Standard peripherals may well save you money in the short term, but in the long term they’re going to cost you in wasted man hours as your staff struggle to work with them. Invest a little extra cash in your peripherals, though, and you’ll find productivity improves.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More


typingshortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are an overlooked feature of the modern OS. Here are 28 shortcuts to keep your hands on the keyboard and to keep your productivity high.

Most of these actions can be easily done with keyboard shortcuts. The shortcuts have you press a combination of two keys at the same time to perform the action. Investing some time into learning these shortcuts and getting used to using them on a daily basis will significantly increase your work efficiency no matter what field you are in. Once you learn this way of navigating the UI there will be no going back! The following shortcuts are for computers running a Windows OS.

Action controller

  • CTRL+Y, Redo the last section
  • CTRL+Z, Undo the last action

For creating, opening, saving, and printing

  • CTRL+N, Creates new file or web browser window
  • CTRL+O, Open a file or document
  • CTRL+S, Saves a file or webpage
  • CTRL+P, Print all the selected areas

Format shortcuts

  • CTRL+B, Bold
  • CTRL+I, Italic
  • CTRL+U, Underline

Browsers

  • CTRL+T, Open a new tab in opened browser
  • CTRL+Shift+T, Reopen previously closed tabs
  • CTRL+H, Open browser history
  • CTRL+W, Close window
  • CTRL+F, Word search page

washington

Screen Capture

  • ALT+Print Screen, Capture screenshot of currently open window
  • CTRL+Print screen, Capture the entire screen

Function keys

  • F1: Open the Help Page
  • F2: Rename file
  • F3: Find or Search
  • F4: Shows the address bar in browser
  • F5: Refreshes the current browser page

Windows Shortcuts

  • CTRL+Alt+Delete,Open the Windows Task Manager
  • Alt+Tab, to move to the last working window
  • WIN+D, Show desktop
  • WIN+L, Lock desktop

97806723306984.20.9

  • CTRL+Shift+N, Create new folder
  • Shift+Delete, Permanently Delete file
  • Alt+Enter or Alt+Double click, Go to properties screen for file or folder

For more ways to increase your office productivity, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More