Isn’t technology supposed to take the hassle out of difficult tasks? So why does my life seem to get more complicated with ever new gadget I buy? I long for the days when the toughest decision I had to make was which button was record on the VCR or what type of cassette to get to record the top forty; ninety minutes or sixty minutes. Now my life is a tangle of USB, scart and power leads. The new designs of computers, mobile phones and music players make be stream lined and sleek; they certainly don’t have chunky buttons like my first walkman did, but I still find myself looking for a button to press rather than a screen to touch or a wheel to scroll.

Mobile phones are a case in point. I recently decided to upgrade the brick that I’ve been carrying around for the last few years. I’ll explain. I was late to the mobile phone phenomenon, not even late really. I turned up to the party about three days after it had finished. For years I said I’d never carry around a mobile phone in a vain attempt to look as though I was tech savvy and a modern man. So while all my friends were texting, talking and generally always on the phone when they should have been doing something else, I was sitting in silence.

Of course I now realise that to function in society as it is today you have to have a few essential items. The mobile phone is as much a part of daily life as money and TV. So a few years ago I joined the real world but I didn’t go the whole hog. I bought the most basic phone imaginable and I bought it outright. No contract for me. It seemed like only days after that a new generation of mobile phones were released and my piece of technology, I use the term loosely, looked like it could have been used by Noah when he was rounding up the animals.

But I wasn’t going to be sucked into the all consuming world of mobile phones and I refused to upgrade and so for the next few years I carried my mobile, again I use the term loosely, phone around with me in a rather large case that had a long leather shoulder strap attached to it. If I carried it around for too long it made my shoulder ache but I wasn’t too concerned just as I wasn’t too concerned about the looks I got whenever someone phoned me; I’m sure it looked as though it should have had a lead attached to it that plugged into the wall.

That situation couldn’t last, my work colleagues were fast becoming another species that I didn’t recognise and with the introduction of the internet, picture messaging, cameras, videos and social networking sites my handset had to go…probably to a museum. So I decided to join the human race and get a proper phone. A new phone with all of the above and more. I went to the newsagent and bought a magazine that had all the latest mobile phone reviews in it and locked myself away for three days while I tried to make a decision.

Now if you’ve ever seen the latest mobile phone reviews and, like me, you’re not what you could call a geek then you’ll know what I mean when I say, ‘What does it all mean?” I read and reread every mobile phone review in the magazine and still didn’t have a clue what half of it was. So I did what I always do in that situation, I chose the one with a picture of James Bond next to it!

So now I have a top of the range phone that does everything you can possibly imagine. All I have to do now is find the ON switch.

Custom software isn’t a new technology but it’s certainly a developing one. Every business is different in the way it functions, from large corporate giants to compact family businesses. Each will have very different tasks they need fulfilling and very different ways of doing so. Customising software so it is tailor made to a company’s specific requirements means company productivity is maximised, saving both time and money.

The great thing about customising anything is that you get exactly what you want. Whether it is a textbook or an item of clothing made to fit, paying for the exact product you want means they’ll be no nasty surprises and your total satisfaction can almost be guaranteed. We have all brought items that come with more features than we ever intend to use. While we may just see them as extras, we are in fact still paying for those services we have no intention of using. With custom software, you can create a package that actually meets all your business needs and means you’re not wasting your budget on a service you’ll not use.

Custom software is becoming increasingly important in the business world, as technology advances and competition gets fiercer. Being able to offer tailor made services gives an edge over other companies offering standard packages. There are many advantages, including a saving in time for both the client and the business. You also save money on unused services, meaning the money you invest is wisely spent.

Everyone wants everything yesterday. It seems nearly every job done within the work place today is marked as urgent. Therefore a key consideration when paying for an external service is how quickly it can be turned around. Of course the standard must be high, but it also needs to be fast. Custom software can ensure this happens by saving time on services that are not required and concentrating purely on those that are.

Making sure you find the right software developer will also be essential. Custom software can provide excellent results for your business but you need to make sure you get the right product in the first place. Software development should involve a thorough study of the business requirements, preparation of records, and the execution of plans. The right software developer will make sure they have a decent understanding of your nature of business and exactly what it is you hope to achieve through customising your software.

In addition to this, it’s important to ensure that the company has experience in comprehensive project management. A clear explanation of fields of responsibility should be provided, so that you have a solid understanding of the amount of time you and your staff will need to devote to the project. It’s also important the development team supplies you with full instructions on your new software functions and the completion date. Your custom solutions should be convenient and easy to use. You don’t want it to be so advanced that no one understands how to use it.

Mass produced software can run in to problems, as changing technologies means they can quickly run out of date. Customised software however offers a genuine alternative, with constant upgrades and packages.
Overall custom software is the best way to ensure the software your business uses is unique to the services you provide and with the exact specifications to meet your individual requirements.

Project management software packages come in all shapes and sizes and are designed to help you take control of your projects. Different projects and different companies will require different software, depending on the size and complexity of the tasks you are managing so it’s important to choose your package carefully.

Project management software helps coordinate large complex business projects so you can plan your schedules more effectively. This can mean arranging tasks to meet individual deadlines, planning specific events and meetings with clients and staff and forecasting how long each of your tasks should take. In many complex schedules, there will be a critical path, a series of events that will depend on each other, and whose durations directly determine the length of the whole project. Software packages are able to highlight these tasks.

Project management software can be implemented as a program that runs on every employee’s computer. As a result, all users are able to locate schedules for resources, how long tasks are expected to take to complete, updates on projects or even just to check scheduled holidays.

The alternative implementatio is a Web application, to be accessed through an intranet or extranet using a web browser. The main advantage of this method over installing it on all employee computers is that you can access the applications from any computer, home or away as long as there is internet connection. It’s easy to use and can be retrieved by any number of users. However if you do chose to use this application, it’s worth bearing in mind it will be slower than desktop applications.

Project management software isn’t just limited to the workplace; it can also be purchased to help manage your home and lifestyle. In this instance, you would probably only require a single-user programme, where only one person ever needs to edit the plan at one time. These programmes are also used in small companies, as opposed to the collaborative systems, designed to support multiple users.

While there are many different project management software packages available, the best one’s to invest in are those that include Gantt charts and Pert Networks. Gantt charts allow you to measure the progress of your projects, with horizontal bars above a timeline to show when tasks begin and end. They provide a quick basic overview of your plan and are a great way of monitoring detailed progress.

Pert Networks on the other hand, offer a more sophisticated level of management. Most packages will still be able to draw Gantt charts, however they also offer more sophisticated methods for identifying how to organise your work structure and present it in the form of a network diagram. A good pert network will allow you to identify what needs to be done and how you can achieve these goals, using a detailed plan of action.

For those who operate a Windows PC, there are a number of different Project Management Software packages available to you, including the Microsoft Project, The Minuteman or Microsoft Excel. The Microsoft project is the most sophisticated but this comes at a price.

If you do not need software this advanced, the Minuteman is a great option. It offers a more basic package but is a fraction of the price and great value for money. Many PC’s will have Microsoft Excel installed, which allows you to create a number of varying spreadsheets to help you complete your tasks successfully.

Project Management Software can also be installed on a PDA (personal digital assistant, or handheld computer) such as a Palm or Pocket PC. Project@Hand is a low cost package that will synchronise your palm with information from Microsoft Project. Pocket Plan is another similar piece of software, costing around the same price as Project@Hand and also synchronising your Microsoft Project files but is ideal for Pocket PC’s.
With so much Project Management Software available on the market to suit every need, there’s really no excuse for your business, or indeed your private life, to be anything less than super organised.

As far as technology goes, it could be said that we are already living in the future as predicted by the science fiction writers of the 20th century. The gadgets that surround us in our everyday lives have come on in leaps and bounds to provide us with services that ordinary mortals couldn’t even dream of only a few years ago. The repercussions of this, is that as the real world around us appears to crumble, success in the virtual world is growing ever stronger.

The recent economic news involving the credit crunch, a recession and the unthinkable closure of the UK’s finest institution, formerly known as Woolworths, has come as a not-so-surprising blow to many. These pre-Christmas shockers have come to light after thirteen years of successful trading online by Amazon, one of the few survivors of the dot com bubble burst back in the year 2000. It stands to reason, that the success of sites such as these is going to have an effect upon the trading in high street stores around the globe.

Customers are becoming ever more persuaded to buy products online, as often they are cheaper, in stock, and get the bonus is they get delivered straight to your door. Ultimately, this leaves a much needed lunch break free for lunch, without the burden of enduring never-ending queues whilst shopping. This online shopping revolution has in turn had a major effect on the marketing industry and has lead to the development of search engine optimisation, a type of online marketing that aims to match a search query for a product or service with a relevant company.

Targeting online shoppers requires marketing strategies that are wildly different from traditional marketing methods. For example, a company or brand would target certain customers through the medium of television, radio and newspaper advertising. This method relies on the advert being placed in the right place for the targeted demographic to find. However, with online services and products, the potential customer is already looking in the right place, but just needs help to find the relevant company. This is where search engine optimisation works its magic.

By using ethical optimisation practices, an SEO company can ensure that a company has a high ranking on the pages of popular search engines by being relevant to an online query. This method of marketing could be considered a symbiotic relationship between consumer and supplier as the customer is actively searching for a specified term, and successful search engine optimisation methods will yield relevant results, keeping a client in business and happy, and giving a customer what they want, and keeping them happy.

Some would say that in the world of advertising, the methods used to promote online sales and services are relatively innocuous compared to the high impact advertising on television. The realm of online shopping is generally a surreptitious affair involving searching, finding and buying; and it also suits our busy life style. So little time is left for leisure that few of us want to spend it in an overheated and overcrowded shop, especially when we can buy items for less online.

It is not just the lack of overheads that add to the attractiveness of this money saving option. People the world over are becoming ever more environmentally aware, and the move from massive high street establishments that consume energy for heating, air conditioning and lighting to virtual online stores running with a fraction of the carbon footprint from a warehouse is something worth supporting. The services offered within the search engine optimisation industry can help this happen, resulting in a consumer paradise that is both financially and environmentally economical.

The county of Essex in the south east of England is one of the most beautiful and popular in the country. It is made up of several local areas and includes some of the most exciting cities in the UK including Colchester, Saffron Waldon and Southend.

It benefits from its proximity to London but due to its landscape and surroundings it has a very different feel to the capital city. There area many benefits to hosting events in Essex and because it covers such a wide area and is so diverse there are many options to choose from when looking for an Essex venue.

Regardless of whether you have visited Essex before, it always has something to offer and is a constant surprise. Essex is one of the few areas in England that is close to London and therefore easy to get to via road or rail, while at the same time offering something completely different from the busy city

It is therefore ideal as a place to do business or organise events from. The only problem you might face is the number of great locations in the county and which Essex venue to choose.

Because there is such a wealth of Essex venues you are guaranteed to find a venue that will meet your Expectations and needs, regardless of how obscure those needs might be. You will obviously be taking into account factors like location, number of people involved and the duration of your event.

No matter what these are there will be something in Essex to suite you. The benefit of considering Essex as a place to stage an event is that you’ll have so may great places to consider.

Colchester claims to be the oldest recorded town in England and is therefore steeped in history. The castle still stands in the centre of the town and there are signs of the Roman past throughout the city. Recently there has been a lot of money invested in the town and a huge redevelopment project has taken place.

As a result the town is now being looked at as a good place to situate a business. The redevelopment has also seen new buildings appear throughout the surrounding area adding to the choice of Essex venues that can accommodate conferences and events in the region.

Saffron Walden is another of the places in Essex that can trace its history back hundreds of years. It has the largest parish church in Essex and is also home to the ruins of a 12th century castle. For something unusual to visit in Saffron Walden there is the turf maze. It’s the largest in England and can be traced back as far as 1699. Saffron Walden is situated in one of the most attractive areas of Essex.

Essex also has a coast line that covers a beautiful area of the east coast. Clacton-on-Sea is situated on this coastline and offers a great location for staging events. It has a direct rail link to London Liverpool Street and has a bustling shopping centre.

The size of the event you wish to host will have a large bearing on your choice of Essex venue. It goes without saying that if you want a delegation of two thousand then you need to find a venue that will be large enough to accommodate them. If you were to take them to a small conference suite then it simply wouldn’t work.

Likewise if you are putting together a smaller meeting you’ll need a smaller venue that will not overpower the meeting and lend itself to a smaller gathering. Essex can offer venues of all sizes. By explaining your situation to the venue manager it is likely that they will be able to advise you as to which section of a venue might suit you.