10 ways to choose the best software company

A business must surround itself with an efficient and trusted software company to ensure the proper functioning of its IT infrastructure. It is not always easy to find a successful company, which offers services tailored to your needs while staying at affordable prices.

To effectively choose your Software company, different criteria will have to be taken into account. To help you in this process, here are a few things to keep in mind when making your choice.

How to choose your software company?

Identifying Needs

A corporate management software is among the essentials for all businesses today. You will first have to identify what your needs are for your IT infrastructure (computers, network, storage, software, security).

Software companies are generally specialized in certain fields of activity, while others are not. This notion is important to have available the skills of a person who knows the specific issues related to your sector of activity. Whether you are in the hotel business, the manager of an e-commerce store or a healthcare player, your issues will not be the same.

List your needs

Before contacting the companies you have identified, it is recommended to list the expected services. A good company can assist you to help you list your specific needs. You can also ask yourself some questions that will allow you to establish an exhaustive list:

  • Do you have all your equipment and software or do you need to be supplied by your service provider?
  • Do you need an internal or external data backup solution?
  • Do you need preventive, curative maintenance or complete outsourcing?
  • Do you need to install or upgrade your local network?
  • Would you like to have a cloud computing service?

These questions are not always exhaustive and may change over time. From this list of needs, you will be able to find a software company with technical skills who can meet your needs. Also, by listing all the things, it becomes easier for you to organize all the things. 

A local or national software development company?

Some providers operate on a limited geographic market. This can be interesting for companies with a unique local presence.

As soon as one intervenes on a larger territory (regional, national), or that one has several agencies, it is necessary to identify a software company capable of intervening on all the equipment.

How to check the skills of a Software company?

As with other recruitments, it is essential to check the skills of the professional you are about to hire. Indeed, you must make sure that the software company is up to your needs. For this, do not hesitate to consult its website in detail and to obtain information from other companies which have called upon the services of such a professional.

The best is to organize an interview with the software company to ask them directly all the questions you want and thus ensure that they will be able to meet your needs.

Do not hesitate to ask him if he has certifications from software publishers or hardware manufacturers who are a guarantee of the quality of service.

As the software sector that is evolving very quickly, make sure that your service provider performs technological monitoring.

Do not ignore recommendations

In addition to the skills check, do not hesitate to gather recommendations. Generally, we consider that a service provider who offers quality work has no trouble giving the contact details of other companies for which he works, or for whom he has worked in the past. The verification of the recommendations is essential to get a precise idea of ​​the quality of the work that is proposed. For this, you can consult the various customer opinions about any Software company that it is possible to find on the net.

Besides, do not overlook the importance of word of mouth. In your entourage, you may be able to find professionals who have already used the services of the service provider you plan to hire.

Software company: how reactive in crisis?

Computer failure can be a very critical event for a company. This pauses the activities of the company for a more or less substantial time, resulting in an equivalent drop in income and which may jeopardize the projects in progress.

The longer the delay to restart your computer system, the more it will hurt the activities of your business.

Data security: what guarantees?

As we have just mentioned, in certain cases, the data of your company can be endangered. It is strongly recommended to anticipate the implementation of data security solutions to avoid putting your company in a critical situation.

Your Software company remains the best person to set up this type of device. This must be anticipated before any breakdown. To secure data, you need a regular backup solution.

This involves setting up backups (regular backup) that must be configured or replicating the data on a server. The backup can be carried out on your premises or the infrastructure of your service provider.

What are the different means of the company?

Depending on your needs, you can also look at the size of your software provider’s business. Concretely, this will be a criterion that can define whether your service provider is reactive in the event of a problem or the event of changes in your needs (launch of a new subsidiary, fleet migration, etc.).

How long has the software provider been there?

In addition to the size of the business, seniority may also be important. Of course, this point will have to agree with the other criteria that we have just cited. Concretely, a company can be very old and offer a poor-quality intervention. It is important to check their portfolio.

However, this will be felt in the many customer reviews that can be found. In general, we can consider that seniority can be a guarantee of quality. This translates in particular from significant experience on IT parks of different natures and with a multitude of systems and probably in crisis management.

What is the price of the software company?

The IT budget is often far from negligible, especially for SMEs. As with any other charge, the cost of your service provider must, therefore, be taken into account.

At first, you must keep in mind that just because services are very expensive does not necessarily mean they are of high quality. It will also be important to avoid IT providers offering excessively reduced prices, which often hide reduced availability or expertise.

Conclusion

A good Software company will provide not only warranty obligations. She will provide the project in the future and comprehensive technical support.

Want More Time to Spend With Your Family? Try Working From Home

Cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta have some of the worst traffic in the country. Depending on where you live, you can spend up to 10 hours a week or more commuting to and from work. But what if there was a way to get those 10-plus hours back? Imagine being able to spend that time with your kids, helping them with their homework, sitting down with them to a nice breakfast or lunch, or just talking with them about their day. An extra 10 hours a week would also give you more time to work out, spend quality time with your spouse, work on hobbies or even get more sleep.

 

One way you can convert your commuting time into family time is by working from home. More Americans than ever before are ditching their commutes and working at jobs that can be done from the comfort of their home offices, kitchen tables or living room sofas. And you can be one of them. Below, you’ll find some ideas for finding full or part time work that will allow you more freedom to travel with your kids, save your car some wear and tear, and maybe even help you find some time for yourself.

 

Working from home also has the added benefit of being better for the environment because of the decrease in the use of fossil fuels, and it can help keep you from having to miss work because of bad weather or when one of your kids gets sick.

 

Do a search for remote job openings.

 

Job listing sites like Indeed, LinkedIn and Zip Recruiter make searching for work-at-home jobs simple. Once you know what you’d like to do, type the type of job you are looking for into the site’s search bar followed by the word “remote.” Make sure you set your search’s geographic area to “anywhere” so your search results won’t be limited to jobs in your area. (After all, you’ll be working remotely so the location of the company isn’t that important.) Once you find a job you’re interested in, these sites also make it easy to upload your resume and fill out an application online.

 

Some job listing sites, like FlexJobs.com, SkipTheDrive.com and Remote.co only list remote job opportunities, so make sure to check those out as well.

 

Update your LinkedIn page.

 

Change the settings on your LinkedIn page to let recruiters know you’re open to being contacted about job openings. In the summary field at the top of your profile page, make sure to write a description of your background and skills, specifying that you are looking for remote opportunities.

 

Talk to your current employer.

 

Believe it or not, many employers these days are open to allowing their onsite employees to switch to working in a home office. Technologies like Skype and GoToMeeting make planning virtual meetings simple. And since many people are happier working from home, companies with a lot of employees working remotely often find that they have a lower turnover rate than companies employing only on-site workers. Many businesses also find that remote employees are more productive than those they have working in-house.

 

Think about starting your own business.

 

Are you a writer? A graphic designer? Do you have experience working as a software engineer or social media whiz? Maybe your background is in accounting? All of these skills and more translate well to a work-at-home lifestyle and can be the basis of a successful at-home business. Think about your experience and what you’d like to do for work, and how you would manage working in a home environment, then start developing a business plan.

 

There are several websites out there that can help you figure out what you need to do get your home-based business going. Many high schools and community colleges also offer free or low-cost adult learning courses aimed toward people who want to launch their own at-home business. Other resources can include state-funded job training centers, free courses at your local library, and classes offered by nonprofit organizations.

 

The best part about starting your own business, besides being able to make your own hours and no longer having to commute, is that there are usually very few up-front costs.

 

Don’t give up.

 

Finding the right at-home job, or starting an at-home business from scratch can take some time, but don’t be discouraged. According to 2018 U.S. Census data, more than 8 million people worked from home in 2017, more than 5 percent of the U.S. workforce, and that number is increasing every day.

 

3 Ways You Could Get Paid to Travel

Getting paid for travel may seem like a pipe dream to many. But in this day and age where influencer marketing is becoming more and more ubiquitous, opportunities for paid travel are more plentiful than ever. However, that doesn’t mean you can just walk up to any company and ask them to sponsor your next trip to the Alps. Here are a few tips for those who’d like to get paid for travelling.

Get into the Transportation Business

We’re not talking about starting your own shipping business here. There are tons of opportunities out there for people who would be open to delivering items to various destinations. This gives you the opportunity to see the country while earning.

Some services for instance, allow drivers to deliver cars to their destination. The car comes with a full tank and you get to enjoy a free trip to the destination of your choice. While these jobs don’t always pay in cash, you still are able to save on a car rental. Other services allow people to bid on particular shipping assignments, and you can pick and choose which jobs works for you.

Work as a Mystery Shopper

You’re probably already familiar with mystery shopping. Mystery shopping is when a company asks people to shop at one of their locations to get a real-life assessment of their customer service. This is very common in the service, hospitality and food business.

In some cases, it may include assignments for resorts or time shares. They may ask you to attend a timeshare presentation and evaluate the sales staff, or book a flight and visit a resort. They will then ask you for a complete evaluation of the service. While these jobs are definitely out there, they’re usually reserved for experienced shoppers, so you might have to do a few entry level jobs first.

Find a Seasonal Job at a Resort

Resorts often need some extra help during peak season. For instance, many ski resorts may need extra seasonal staff during the winter. This will not only give you the opportunity to work in a beautiful locale, but you’ll also have the chance to visit between your work hours.

Finding seasonal jobs can be difficult however, since they’re not always listed on job sites. A good idea would be to use a tool like theemailfinder.co and gather a list of HR department email addresses for the resorts you’re interested in. You can then send personalized emails with your CV and letter of presentation. This will show great initiative and they might consider you if there’s a job opening later on.

 

While getting paid to travel isn’t as simple as many would lead you to believe, it’s still very possible if you’re ready to do the work necessary. Besides these few opportunities, there are plenty other ways that you can get paid while enjoying your favorite pastime, so don’t be afraid to go out there and actively look for them.