2016 was the year when Google Now was replaced by Google Assistant, a virtual hub that can make mobile device users’ lives a lot easier. Here are some ways it can ease up your workload.

Locate the best route to any location

Google Assistant works seamlessly with Google Maps, which makes it a great tool for finding the best route to any location.

For instance, if you’re trying to find the best route home, just turn on the app and say, “Get me home.” It will then work with Google Maps to let you know the ideal route based on your current location.

You can also check for traffic updates with Google Assistant, and get the latest information on road closures and traffic diversions. This feature is perfect for people who are often on the move.

Make a shopping list with your voice

Google Assistant can also help you make shopping lists with ease — just “talk” to the app.

To do this, open the app and say, “Add [item] to my shopping list.”  Google Assistant will then collate all the items on your shopping list and read it back to you for good measure. 

Stay updated with the latest news

Too busy to browse the day’s news? Why not have Google Assistant read them for you? If you say “Play the news,” Google Assistant will begin reading the stories from news sources you have saved in your RSS feeds, social media accounts, etc.

You can make Google Assistant play, pause, and stop reading at any time, as well as request it to read articles from a particular source or media site. 

Take control of your smart home

If you’re enhancing your living space with smart devices like ovens, light bulbs, or thermostats that operate automatically, Google Assistant can help you easily control them. For example, you can say, “Okay. Google, turn off lights in the living room.”

To activate Google Assistant, tap on the menu icon at the upper-right section of the screen and choose Settings. You can then add the smart devices in your house that are compatible with your app.

Measurement and currency conversions and language translation

You can also use Google Assistant to convert measurements, currencies, and other data. You can even ask it to get exchange rates between the US dollar and a foreign currency. Just say, “What is 12 US dollars in euros?” The trusty assistant also has a nifty language translation feature. 

Check the email inbox and appointments calendar

If you’re using Google Assistant, chances are you’re using other services like Gmail or Google Calendar, so why not use your voice-activated helper to connect to these apps?

You can ask Google Assistant to skim through your Gmail inboxes for target keywords, or pull up a recently added appointment in your Calendar app. Google Assistant can also work with your Google Keep app, which is handy for taking down notes. 

These are just a few of the things Google Assistant can do for you. If you have questions about this tool, get in touch with our experts who are ready to help you.

Before there was Google Assistant, there was Google Now. In 2016, it replaced Google Now as the virtual assistant (VA) in the Google app for Android and iOS. The updated VA offers plenty of functionalities to Google device users. Here are a few that you should take advantage of.

Locate the best route to any location

Google Assistant works seamlessly with Google Maps, which makes it a great tool for finding the best route to any location.

For instance, if you’re trying to find the best route home, just turn on the app and say, “Get me home.” It will then work with Google Maps to let you know the ideal route based on your current location.

You can also check for traffic updates with Google Assistant, and get the latest information on road closures and traffic diversions. This feature is perfect for people who are often on the move.

Make a shopping list with your voice

Google Assistant can also help you make shopping lists with ease — just “talk” to the app.

To do this, open the app and say, “Add [item] to my shopping list.”  Google Assistant will then collate all the items on your shopping list and read it back to you for good measure. 

Stay updated with the latest news

Too busy to browse the day’s news? Why not have Google Assistant read them for you? If you say “Play the news,” Google Assistant will begin reading the stories from news sources you have saved in your RSS feeds, social media accounts, etc.

You can make Google Assistant play, pause, and stop reading at any time, as well as request it to read articles from a particular source or media site. 

Take control of your smart home

If you’re enhancing your living space with smart devices like ovens, light bulbs, or thermostats that operate automatically, Google Assistant can help you easily control them. For example, you can say, “Okay. Google, turn off lights in the living room.”

To activate Google Assistant, tap on the menu icon at the upper-right section of the screen and choose Settings. You can then add the smart devices in your house that are compatible with your app.

Measurement and currency conversions and language translation

You can also use Google Assistant to convert measurements, currencies, and other data. You can even ask it to get exchange rates between the US dollar and a foreign currency. Just say, “What is 12 US dollars in euros?” The trusty assistant also has a nifty language translation feature. 

Check the email inbox and appointments calendar

If you’re using Google Assistant, chances are you’re using other services like Gmail or Google Calendar, so why not use your voice-activated helper to connect to these apps?

You can ask Google Assistant to skim through your Gmail inboxes for target keywords, or pull up a recently added appointment in your Calendar app. Google Assistant can also work with your Google Keep app, which is handy for taking down notes. 

These are just a few of the things Google Assistant can do for you. If you have questions about this tool, get in touch with our experts who are ready to help you.

Google Assistant was launched in 2016 as an enhanced version of Google’s previous virtual assistant (VA), Google Now. It improved on Google Now’s features, and those who use Google-powered devices certainly have a lot to gain. What functionalities can you expect from the search giant’s AI-powered virtual assistant? Read on and find out.

Locate the best route to any location

Google Assistant works seamlessly with Google Maps, which makes it a great tool for finding the best route to any location.

For instance, if you’re trying to find the best route home, just turn on the app and say, “Get me home.” It will then work with Google Maps to let you know the ideal route based on your current location.

You can also check for traffic updates with Google Assistant, and get the latest information on road closures and traffic diversions. This feature is perfect for people who are often on the move.

Make a shopping list with your voice

Google Assistant can also help you make shopping lists with ease — just “talk” to the app.

To do this, open the app and say, “Add [item] to my shopping list.”  Google Assistant will then collate all the items on your shopping list and read it back to you for good measure. 

Stay updated with the latest news

Too busy to browse the day’s news? Why not have Google Assistant read them for you? If you say “Play the news,” Google Assistant will begin reading the stories from news sources you have saved in your RSS feeds, social media accounts, etc.

You can make Google Assistant play, pause, and stop reading at any time, as well as request it to read articles from a particular source or media site. 

Take control of your smart home

If you’re enhancing your living space with smart devices like ovens, light bulbs, or thermostats that operate automatically, Google Assistant can help you easily control them. For example, you can say, “Okay. Google, turn off lights in the living room.”

To activate Google Assistant, tap on the menu icon at the upper-right section of the screen and choose Settings. You can then add the smart devices in your house that are compatible with your app.

Measurement and currency conversions and language translation

You can also use Google Assistant to convert measurements, currencies, and other data. You can even ask it to get exchange rates between the US dollar and a foreign currency. Just say, “What is 12 US dollars in euros?” The trusty assistant also has a nifty language translation feature. 

Check the email inbox and appointments calendar

If you’re using Google Assistant, chances are you’re using other services like Gmail or Google Calendar, so why not use your voice-activated helper to connect to these apps?

You can ask Google Assistant to skim through your Gmail inboxes for target keywords, or pull up a recently added appointment in your Calendar app. Google Assistant can also work with your Google Keep app, which is handy for taking down notes. 

These are just a few of the things Google Assistant can do for you. If you have questions about this tool, get in touch with our experts who are ready to help you.

If you’re thinking about replacing a server for your small business, then that probably means your company is experiencing success and is starting to grow. That’s great news. But is it really time to invest in a new one? Or does waiting too long risk slowing your business down? Either way, it’s important to consider your decision carefully. As a business owner, you should take the time to answer the following questions before deciding on your aging server.

When do my servers need to be replaced?

This is a difficult question, but there are two factors you will want to consider — age and performance. The useful life of a server is around three years. While it’s not unheard of for servers to function properly beyond year three, relying on them beyond this point can be risky as hardware problems occur more often. This means you will have to deal with costly repairs and possible unpredictable downtime.

Performance is another factor to consider. Even if your servers are only a year old, it doesn’t make sense to keep them around until year three if they are slow and too costly to maintain. It’s important to do a cost-benefit analysis in these situations and look at how much money you will lose in repairs and downtime and then compare it to the cost of buying new hardware.

Do I have an alternative to buying new servers?

Believe it or not, the answer to your server problems might not necessarily be purchasing more physical hardware. One way to avoid this is by embracing virtualization. This process allows your servers to be stored and maintained off-site with everything being delivered to your office via the internet. 

There are two notable benefits of virtualizing your servers. First, you don’t have to spend a ton of money on new equipment. Second, virtualization is a scalable technology, meaning you only pay for the data capacity you use. For instance, if you only need two and a half servers, you can do that. This is in contrast to having physical equipment which would require your business to either make do with two servers or splurge and buy the third one even if you didn’t need all of that space.

Of course there are a few things you need to consider before making the switch to server virtualization. One of the biggest issues is security. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable keeping all of your data off-site. While this isn’t a concern for some companies, others may not see this as palatable. There are several workarounds to this issue, including the hybrid option where you keep sensitive data on-site and everything else off-site.

Can I do anything to prevent a full-scale server replacement?

Yes. It’s certainly possible for you to buy some time and give your current servers additional life, but these are short-term fixes, not long-term solutions. Server upgrades are a good place to start if your servers are less than three years old but are degrading in performance. Installingadditional CPUs or memory may increase server performance at a fraction of the cost of buying new servers.

You can also utilize old servers for non-critical workloads. It’s possible to extend the life of servers that may have four or five years of wear-and-tear on them via repurposing. Instead of swapping out all of your servers, use the old ones for non-critical processes and purchase new ones to handle critical workloads. This will help you get a better ROI on your technology while avoiding a wholesale hardware purchase which could cripple your budget.

If you have any questions about your servers and how you can increase their performance, get in touch with us today. We can help you procure new hardware or show you the benefits of virtualization.

While you’re still alive and kicking, your heart should never skip a beat. It’s the same with your servers. They’re always working, ensuring your business stays operational even if you don’t pay attention to them. However, business owners tend to overlook their servers as most times it is a simple case of being out of sight, out of mind. This is a dangerous way of thinking because once your servers go down, you could start losing money and maybe even go under. Even if your servers seem to be running smoothly, do yourself a favor and consider these three questions.

When do my servers need to be replaced?

This is a difficult question, but there are two factors you will want to consider — age and performance. The useful life of a server is around three years. While it’s not unheard of for servers to function properly beyond year three, relying on them beyond this point can be risky as hardware problems occur more often. This means you will have to deal with costly repairs and possible unpredictable downtime.

Performance is another factor to consider. Even if your servers are only a year old, it doesn’t make sense to keep them around until year three if they are slow and too costly to maintain. It’s important to do a cost-benefit analysis in these situations and look at how much money you will lose in repairs and downtime and then compare it to the cost of buying new hardware.

Do I have an alternative to buying new servers?

Believe it or not, the answer to your server problems might not necessarily be purchasing more physical hardware. One way to avoid this is by embracing virtualization. This process allows your servers to be stored and maintained off-site with everything being delivered to your office via the internet. 

There are two notable benefits of virtualizing your servers. First, you don’t have to spend a ton of money on new equipment. Second, virtualization is a scalable technology, meaning you only pay for the data capacity you use. For instance, if you only need two and a half servers, you can do that. This is in contrast to having physical equipment which would require your business to either make do with two servers or splurge and buy the third one even if you didn’t need all of that space.

Of course there are a few things you need to consider before making the switch to server virtualization. One of the biggest issues is security. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable keeping all of your data off-site. While this isn’t a concern for some companies, others may not see this as palatable. There are several workarounds to this issue, including the hybrid option where you keep sensitive data on-site and everything else off-site.

Can I do anything to prevent a full-scale server replacement?

Yes. It’s certainly possible for you to buy some time and give your current servers additional life, but these are short-term fixes, not long-term solutions. Server upgrades are a good place to start if your servers are less than three years old but are degrading in performance. Installing additional CPUs or memory may increase server performance at a fraction of the cost of buying new servers.

You can also utilize old servers for non-critical workloads. It’s possible to extend the life of servers that may have four or five years of wear-and-tear on them via repurposing. Instead of swapping out all of your servers, use the old ones for non-critical processes and purchase new ones to handle critical workloads. This will help you get a better ROI on your technology while avoiding a wholesale hardware purchase which could cripple your budget.

If you have any questions about your servers and how you can increase their performance, get in touch with us today. We can help you procure new hardware or show you the benefits of virtualization.

Servers need to be replaced and/or upgraded at some point. The older the servers are, the harder they become to maintain because finding replacement parts become more time-consuming and costly. What’s more, you could be missing out on new features that could benefit your business if you don’t upgrade your servers. To help you decide if it’s time to replace your server, here are some guide questions.

When do my servers need to be replaced?

This is a difficult question, but there are two factors you will want to consider — age and performance. The useful life of a server is around three years. While it’s not unheard of for servers to function properly beyond year three, relying on them beyond this point can be risky as hardware problems occur more often. This means you will have to deal with costly repairs and possible unpredictable downtime.

Performance is another factor to consider. Even if your servers are only a year old, it doesn’t make sense to keep them around until year three if they are slow and too costly to maintain. It’s important to do a cost-benefit analysis in these situations and look at how much money you will lose in repairs and downtime and then compare it to the cost of buying new hardware.

Do I have an alternative to buying new servers?

Believe it or not, the answer to your server problems might not necessarily be purchasing more physical hardware. One way to avoid this is by embracing virtualization. This process allows your servers to be stored and maintained off-site with everything being delivered to your office via the internet. 

There are two notable benefits of virtualizing your servers. First, you don’t have to spend a ton of money on new equipment. Second, virtualization is a scalable technology, meaning you only pay for the data capacity you use. For instance, if you only need two and a half servers, you can do that. This is in contrast to having physical equipment which would require your business to either make do with two servers or splurge and buy the third one even if you didn’t need all of that space.

Of course there are a few things you need to consider before making the switch to server virtualization. One of the biggest issues is security. Ask yourself if you feel comfortable keeping all of your data off-site. While this isn’t a concern for some companies, others may not see this as palatable. There are several workarounds to this issue, including the hybrid option where you keep sensitive data on-site and everything else off-site.

Can I do anything to prevent a full-scale server replacement?

Yes. It’s certainly possible for you to buy some time and give your current servers additional life, but these are short-term fixes, not long-term solutions. Server upgrades are a good place to start if your servers are less than three years old but are degrading in performance. Installing additional CPUs or memory may increase server performance at a fraction of the cost of buying new servers.

You can also utilize old servers for non-critical workloads. It’s possible to extend the life of servers that may have four or five years of wear-and-tear on them via repurposing. Instead of swapping out all of your servers, use the old ones for non-critical processes and purchase new ones to handle critical workloads. This will help you get a better ROI on your technology while avoiding a wholesale hardware purchase which could cripple your budget.

If you have any questions about your servers and how you can increase their performance, get in touch with us today. We can help you procure new hardware or show you the benefits of virtualization.

Dashboards allow you to better understand your customers and easily make informed business decisions. But with many types of dashboards out there, each serving a unique purpose, how do you determine which one is best for your company? We’ve listed three types of the most widely used dashboards below.

Strategic dashboards

Ideal for senior managers and executives, strategic dashboards are designed to help identify potential opportunities for business expansion and improvement. This type of dashboard gives a bird’s-eye view of your business and track performance metrics against enterprise-wide strategic goals.

They summarize performance over set time frames: past month, quarter, or year. They can contain anything from overall sales numbers to sales and revenue comparisons to inventory levels, making it easy for executives to understand the overall health of the organization and monitor the long-term company strategy.

Operational dashboards

Business owners use operational dashboards to monitor and measure in real time the effectiveness and efficiency of their employees’ progress in relation to their targets. Since these dashboards focus on tracking operational processes, they are often more detailed than strategic dashboards and are usually viewed by junior levels of management multiple times throughout the day.

They are also commonly found in departments that need to respond to critical information quickly, such as marketing and operations. They help departments stay proactive and ahead of problems. For example, marketing teams can use this type of dashboard to monitor their campaign’s metrics such as cost per acquisition, total number of clicks, total acquisitions gained, and the total amount spent. Any significant changes would immediately alert the team. The operations team of manufacturing firms, on the other hand, may use this to track products manufactured, number of defects, complaints, and returns. They are then alerted right away when performance falls below targets.

Analytical dashboards

When it comes to creating and implementing strong business strategies, understanding the trends and events in your data is crucial. Analytical dashboards use volumes of data collected over time so you could compare current against historic data, enjoy in-depth analysis, identify patterns and opportunities, and determine why processes are working in certain departments. These dashboards present complex data, utilizing complex models and what-if statements, so they are commonly just used by staff with advanced training such as business analysts.

How do I know which dashboard to choose?

To help you choose which dashboard best suits your needs, you can ask yourself the following questions:

#1. What business problems are we trying to solve?

• Strategic dashboards – Top-line organizational KPIs
• Operational dashboards – Data awareness and time-sensitive data
• Analytical dashboards – Trends or deeper insights

#2. Who will be using the dashboards?

• Strategic dashboards – Executives, directors
• Operational dashboards – Business managers
• Analytical dashboards – Business analysts, data analysts

#3. What are our goals?

• Strategic dashboards – Strategic goals, such as achieving KPI targets
• Operational dashboards – Employee awareness and tracking against goals
• Analytical dashboards – Analytic goals, such as visibility into key processes

Dashboards concentrate all data, metrics, and parameters in one place, bringing a totally new dimension to business intelligence. Your company can significantly benefit from the right dashboard. If you’re looking to implement dashboards for the first time or to enhance the functionality of your current dashboard, get in touch with us today.

Dashboards have become extremely useful tools for companies to make the most of their raw data. With proper implementation, a dashboard can display essential information in an easy-to-understand format, allowing business owners to easily make informed decisions. But a dashboard can say a lot of things depending on its setup, and it’s important to choose one that can best serve your purpose. Here are three types of business dashboards to consider.

Strategic dashboards

Ideal for senior managers and executives, strategic dashboards are designed to help identify potential opportunities for business expansion and improvement. This type of dashboard gives a bird’s-eye view of your business and track performance metrics against enterprise-wide strategic goals.

They summarize performance over set time frames: past month, quarter, or year. They can contain anything from overall sales numbers to sales and revenue comparisons to inventory levels, making it easy for executives to understand the overall health of the organization and monitor the long-term company strategy.

Operational dashboards

Business owners use operational dashboards to monitor and measure in real time the effectiveness and efficiency of their employees’ progress in relation to their targets. Since these dashboards focus on tracking operational processes, they are often more detailed than strategic dashboards and are usually viewed by junior levels of management multiple times throughout the day.

They are also commonly found in departments that need to respond to critical information quickly, such as marketing and operations. They help departments stay proactive and ahead of problems. For example, marketing teams can use this type of dashboard to monitor their campaign’s metrics such as cost per acquisition, total number of clicks, total acquisitions gained, and the total amount spent. Any significant changes would immediately alert the team. The operations team of manufacturing firms, on the other hand, may use this to track products manufactured, number of defects, complaints, and returns. They are then alerted right away when performance falls below targets.

Analytical dashboards

When it comes to creating and implementing strong business strategies, understanding the trends and events in your data is crucial. Analytical dashboards use volumes of data collected over time so you could compare current against historic data, enjoy in-depth analysis, identify patterns and opportunities, and determine why processes are working in certain departments. These dashboards present complex data, utilizing complex models and what-if statements, so they are commonly just used by staff with advanced training such as business analysts.

How do I know which dashboard to choose?

To help you choose which dashboard best suits your needs, you can ask yourself the following questions:

#1. What business problems are we trying to solve?

• Strategic dashboards – Top-line organizational KPIs
• Operational dashboards – Data awareness and time-sensitive data
• Analytical dashboards – Trends or deeper insights

#2. Who will be using the dashboards?

• Strategic dashboards – Executives, directors
• Operational dashboards – Business managers
• Analytical dashboards – Business analysts, data analysts

#3. What are our goals?

• Strategic dashboards – Strategic goals, such as achieving KPI targets
• Operational dashboards – Employee awareness and tracking against goals
• Analytical dashboards – Analytic goals, such as visibility into key processes

Dashboards concentrate all data, metrics, and parameters in one place, bringing a totally new dimension to business intelligence. Your company can significantly benefit from the right dashboard. If you’re looking to implement dashboards for the first time or to enhance the functionality of your current dashboard, get in touch with us today.

A dashboard is a single display that provides all the information you need to make important business decisions and manage your company. While dashboards are generally helpful, you need to choose the one that works best for your company’s objectives and goals. Here are three types of business dashboards to consider.

Strategic dashboards

Ideal for senior managers and executives, strategic dashboards are designed to help identify potential opportunities for business expansion and improvement. This type of dashboard gives a bird’s-eye view of your business and track performance metrics against enterprise-wide strategic goals.

They summarize performance over set time frames: past month, quarter, or year. They can contain anything from overall sales numbers to sales and revenue comparisons to inventory levels, making it easy for executives to understand the overall health of the organization and monitor the long-term company strategy.

Operational dashboards

Business owners use operational dashboards to monitor and measure in real time the effectiveness and efficiency of their employees’ progress in relation to their targets. Since these dashboards focus on tracking operational processes, they are often more detailed than strategic dashboards and are usually viewed by junior levels of management multiple times throughout the day.

They are also commonly found in departments that need to respond to critical information quickly, such as marketing and operations. They help departments stay proactive and ahead of problems. For example, marketing teams can use this type of dashboard to monitor their campaign’s metrics such as cost per acquisition, total number of clicks, total acquisitions gained, and the total amount spent. Any significant changes would immediately alert the team. The operations team of manufacturing firms, on the other hand, may use this to track products manufactured, number of defects, complaints, and returns. They are then alerted right away when performance falls below targets.

Analytical dashboards

When it comes to creating and implementing strong business strategies, understanding the trends and events in your data is crucial. Analytical dashboards use volumes of data collected over time so you could compare current against historic data, enjoy in-depth analysis, identify patterns and opportunities, and determine why processes are working in certain departments. These dashboards present complex data, utilizing complex models and what-if statements, so they are commonly just used by staff with advanced training such as business analysts.

How do I know which dashboard to choose?

To help you choose which dashboard best suits your needs, you can ask yourself the following questions:

#1. What business problems are we trying to solve?

• Strategic dashboards – Top-line organizational KPIs
• Operational dashboards – Data awareness and time-sensitive data
• Analytical dashboards – Trends or deeper insights

#2. Who will be using the dashboards?

• Strategic dashboards – Executives, directors
• Operational dashboards – Business managers
• Analytical dashboards – Business analysts, data analysts

#3. What are our goals?

• Strategic dashboards – Strategic goals, such as achieving KPI targets
• Operational dashboards – Employee awareness and tracking against goals
• Analytical dashboards – Analytic goals, such as visibility into key processes

Dashboards concentrate all data, metrics, and parameters in one place, bringing a totally new dimension to business intelligence. Your company can significantly benefit from the right dashboard. If you’re looking to implement dashboards for the first time or to enhance the functionality of your current dashboard, get in touch with us today.

Wearable technology seems like something out of a Hollywood sci-fi movie. And mobile apps are not too far behind when it comes to converging human and artificial intelligence. The good thing is that these two are great examples of how today’s technology has significantly improved patient care. With the many benefits of wearable technology and mobile apps, consumers and healthcare providers find themselves divided over choosing one over the other.

A growing number of patients are quizzing their doctors about which healthcare apps and wearable technology they should be using. With the popularity and prevalence of both technologies set to increase over the coming years, doctors are going to have to decide if these will be something they’ll recommend to their patients. It can be a tough decision, but here are a few of the issues one needs to take into consideration before making a choice.

What devices/operating systems do you feel comfortable with?

The sudden expansion of the mobile apps and wearable technology market left many healthcare professionals out of the loop. A lot of doctors are apprehensive about making recommendations without knowing the ins and outs of how something works, and this is why many of them are avoiding this subject with their patients.

To solve this dilemma, choose the operating system you prefer to use. If you use an iPhone, then download and test apps for iOS, not Android. It should be the same with wearable devices. Take a few out for a test drive and learn more about them. It’s also possible to have your technology provider arrange a demonstration of these devices and explain how they work. This way, you have a general idea of what they can do.

Figure out the scope of your recommendations

One thing doctors notice when exploring the world of health apps and wearable technology is just how massive and varied it can be. If you’re a specialist, it will be much easier to figure out which one to recommend to patients, but if you’re a general health practitioner who covers a broader range of medicine, you might find yourself lost in a wide world of technology choices.

When it comes to wearable technology, it is a little easier to figure out the items patients will be interested in. However, when it comes to health apps, you need to be on your toes. Because their scope varies wildly from nutrition and medicine reminders to heart health and stroke prevention, you are going to want to focus your recommendations on the areas you feel comfortable with.

Talk to your patients

A lot of doctors don’t speak with their patients about what mobile health apps or wearable technology they use or are thinking about using. But by talking to them, doctors will get a better idea of what their patients want from this technology. It also makes it easier for doctors to figure out what technologies they should be focusing on.

Ask a tech expert

Just because a particular piece of technology works great for you doesn’t mean your patients will have the same experience with it. There are a lot of factors involved when it comes to wearable technology and mobile apps, and learning more about these will be important to you and your patients. Tech experts, like those on our staff, can properly assess technology in terms of security and other issues. There’s nothing worse than recommending a technology that contains viruses or other problems for your patients.

If you want to recommend specific technology to your patients, get in touch with us first. We’ll make sure your picks have a clean bill of health.

Are you overwhelmed by the many choices you have in getting the right technology to monitor your health? Do you download an app on your mobile to track your pulse rate? Or buy a wearable device that can tell you more about your health? While it’s best to leave the professional recommendations to your healthcare provider, it would be great if you’re also in the know, so you have a better idea of what suits you.

A growing number of patients are quizzing their doctors about which healthcare apps and wearable technology they should be using. With the popularity and prevalence of both technologies set to increase over the coming years, doctors are going to have to decide if these will be something they’ll recommend to their patients. It can be a tough decision, but here are a few of the issues one needs to take into consideration before making a choice.

What devices/operating systems do you feel comfortable with?

The sudden expansion of the mobile apps and wearable technology market left many healthcare professionals out of the loop. A lot of doctors are apprehensive about making recommendations without knowing the ins and outs of how something works, and this is why many of them are avoiding this subject with their patients.

To solve this dilemma, choose the operating system you prefer to use. If you use an iPhone, then download and test apps for iOS, not Android. It should be the same with wearable devices. Take a few out for a test drive and learn more about them. It’s also possible to have your technology provider arrange a demonstration of these devices and explain how they work. This way, you have a general idea of what they can do.

Figure out the scope of your recommendations

One thing doctors notice when exploring the world of health apps and wearable technology is just how massive and varied it can be. If you’re a specialist, it will be much easier to figure out which one to recommend to patients, but if you’re a general health practitioner who covers a broader range of medicine, you might find yourself lost in a wide world of technology choices.

When it comes to wearable technology, it is a little easier to figure out the items patients will be interested in. However, when it comes to health apps, you need to be on your toes. Because their scope varies wildly from nutrition and medicine reminders to heart health and stroke prevention, you are going to want to focus your recommendations on the areas you feel comfortable with.

Talk to your patients

A lot of doctors don’t speak with their patients about what mobile health apps or wearable technology they use or are thinking about using. But by talking to them, doctors will get a better idea of what their patients want from this technology. It also makes it easier for doctors to figure out what technologies they should be focusing on.

Ask a tech expert

Just because a particular piece of technology works great for you doesn’t mean your patients will have the same experience with it. There are a lot of factors involved when it comes to wearable technology and mobile apps, and learning more about these will be important to you and your patients. Tech experts, like those on our staff, can properly assess technology in terms of security and other issues. There’s nothing worse than recommending a technology that contains viruses or other problems for your patients.

If you want to recommend specific technology to your patients, get in touch with us first. We’ll make sure your picks have a clean bill of health.

The healthcare industry has been taking advantage of technology. Patients are now more empowered, with plenty of options and tools within their reach. Healthcare professionals now find themselves adjusting their technology to their patients since no medical scenario is exactly the same. And with apps and wearable technology, patients have faster and better options to monitor their health.

A growing number of patients are quizzing their doctors about which healthcare apps and wearable technology they should be using. With the popularity and prevalence of both technologies set to increase over the coming years, doctors are going to have to decide if these will be something they’ll recommend to their patients. It can be a tough decision, but here are a few of the issues one needs to take into consideration before making a choice.

What devices/operating systems do you feel comfortable with?

The sudden expansion of the mobile apps and wearable technology market left many healthcare professionals out of the loop. A lot of doctors are apprehensive about making recommendations without knowing the ins and outs of how something works, and this is why many of them are avoiding this subject with their patients.

To solve this dilemma, choose the operating system you prefer to use. If you use an iPhone, then download and test apps for iOS, not Android. It should be the same with wearable devices. Take a few out for a test drive and learn more about them. It’s also possible to have your technology provider arrange a demonstration of these devices and explain how they work. This way, you have a general idea of what they can do.

Figure out the scope of your recommendations

One thing doctors notice when exploring the world of health apps and wearable technology is just how massive and varied it can be. If you’re a specialist, it will be much easier to figure out which one to recommend to patients, but if you’re a general health practitioner who covers a broader range of medicine, you might find yourself lost in a wide world of technology choices.

When it comes to wearable technology, it is a little easier to figure out the items patients will be interested in. However, when it comes to health apps, you need to be on your toes. Because their scope varies wildly from nutrition and medicine reminders to heart health and stroke prevention, you are going to want to focus your recommendations on the areas you feel comfortable with.

Talk to your patients

A lot of doctors don’t speak with their patients about what mobile health apps or wearable technology they use or are thinking about using. But by talking to them, doctors will get a better idea of what their patients want from this technology. It also makes it easier for doctors to figure out what technologies they should be focusing on.

Ask a tech expert

Just because a particular piece of technology works great for you doesn’t mean your patients will have the same experience with it. There are a lot of factors involved when it comes to wearable technology and mobile apps, and learning more about these will be important to you and your patients. Tech experts, like those on our staff, can properly assess technology in terms of security and other issues. There’s nothing worse than recommending a technology that contains viruses or other problems for your patients.

If you want to recommend specific technology to your patients, get in touch with us first. We’ll make sure your picks have a clean bill of health.