The Long-term Pros and Cons of Being a Tech Savvy Business Owner

Of course, this pertains to small or medium business (SMB) owners since large businesses normally have their own IT department and aren't necessarily owned by multi-billionaire tech savvy people, unless you're Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg.

If you run traditional business, you may have your hands already full with productions and distribution, purchasing, marketing and selling, HR management, and accounting and finance. As an SMB owner, you may not have an in-depth understanding of any of these fields or any have a good grasp of some of them, so if HR came to you and talked about a new labor law, with a sufficient explanation you could make the best decision.

However, to run a modern IT company, you really need to be tech savvy. In fact, it would be better if you were both tech savvy and a degree holder in any computer related course. Naturally, it's understandable that if you're not tech savvy and a degree holder in any computer related course. Naturally, it's understandable that if you're not tech savvy you'll have a hard time hiring or assembling IT team and employees who will become the bread and butter of the business. While you can always hire a consultant to do it for you, you won't even be able to evaluate the quality of their advice. It's hard to make cost effective decisions when you have no idea what's really going on.

However, in the long run, there are still pros and cons of being a tech savvy SMB owner.

The Pros:

You Can Run the Business with no Blindfolds
Being a business owner of an IT company and not being tech or IT-savvy will be like running a business blindfolded. But if you're tech savvy, you can easily sit through IT staff meetings without a blank look on your face. And you won't be stumbling in the dark because:

• You know why the technology works.
• You know how the technology works.
• You know which technology works.

So, instead of being a naive business owner who gets taken for a ride by consultants and IT employees, you will be able to make informed decisions rather than running your business with blindfolds.

You Can Communication With You IT Team

If you have a computer science degree, you will get a broad understanding and have intelligent and meaningful conversations with the members of your IT team. You can easily talk to your whole IT team regardless of position or task and discuss everything from designing, modifications, customizing, problems, solutions, installations, security, and the like.

You Avoid Expensive Business Blunders

Technology is too complicated for any one person to be familiar with all its specialties, but the knowledge gap between a non-technical person and technical person is an immense gulf.

Just a Couple of Cons:

You Earn What You Earn

You have no assurance of a regular salary and compensation. It all depends on you, your business, your clients, your market, and your business offering. The small business owner doesn't have an employer setting a stable compensation plan. There is no real assurance of how much you'll have next month. So as a tech savvy person, you still need to study other non-IT stuff like marketing, inviting investors, business and finance, etc.

You Depend on Yourself Too Much for Tech Support

You may be a tech savvy owner, and you may think that because of this and the fact that all your employees are IT or tech savvy, you won't need tech support. However, not unless you, the proprietor, an IT graduate or computer hardware engineer, being a computer support professional is far different from being a web developer or systems analyst. Being subscribed to a tech support company will, in the short and long run of things, greatly benefit you business since you can't afford to have regular tech support staff. Having tech support will be one of the best tech savvy decisions you will be doing for your company.

Add More Privacy With These Top 3 Best Encrypted Android Messaging Apps

Nowadays, messaging apps are becoming one of the effective forms of communication of most people. There's Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, and even Tumblr now has a messaging feature. We can say that people were able to communicate and express themselves better with the help of these messaging apps.

Though these apps mentioned above seem to be the most popular messaging programs used today, they all have something in common: they can't be trusted to safeguard your private information. Below are our top three list of the best and most compelling encrypted Android messengers, although there are many different encrypted messengers for Android you can use. Spend some time and get to know a little about these reliable messaging apps for your Android device.

1. Telegram

Telegram has been the first app people mention, since encrypted messaging became a thing on everyone's mind. The developers themselves say that the Telegram app is completely secure. They have a heavy focus on security, and they "make it their mission" to take security very seriously.

Mostly everyone has already heard of it, so you won't have too much trouble finding people who are also using it. Telegram lets you create chat groups with up to 5,000 members, sync your data across its cloud platform, and has support for sharing various file types, emoticon support, sticker support, video support, audio support and more. If you're looking for an encrypted chat client for Android, you may want to try this app out.

2. Signal

Signal is an open-source, encrypted, SMS-powered messaging client that takes your security seriously. Saying that Signal takes your security seriously isn't a jab at the other programs on this list. However, it should be noted that it is the only fully open-source encrypted chat messenger. Signal developers even say that anyone can verify how security it is by looking at the code themselves and that it uses open, peer-reviewed encryption protocols.

You'll be able to send messages back and forth, and thanks to their service, you'll be able to avoid any SMS or MMS fees. Going to the SMS route is very smart, as it doesn't require all of your friends to switch to contact you if they don't want to.

When it comes to features, everything is standard. You'll get everything you'd want in a messenger: text, attachments, emoticon support, group support, etc. Even though there's nothing stand out about this app, what's important is the technology and security protocols integrated into the app, and not necessarily its features.

3. Wickr Me

Although Wickr Me is an app that is not as well known as the others on this list, it's worth the chance. Just like with the other messaging apps, you'll be able to send text, images, stickers, and messages in groups with end-to-end encryption technology. Overall, a standard feature-set except for one major feature that stands out: the Shredder feature. This feature lets you "shred" all traces of your personal data from the app.

The Wickr Team takes security very seriously -- they don't collect your personal information, and your ID is totally unknown to everyone but you and your Wickr network. If you've tried Telegram and Signal and haven't been impressed, give the Wickr app a go. It's a solid app that will surely respect your privacy.

These Science Fiction Scenarios Could Become a Reality in the Next 20 Years

Everyone must know by now that many inventions today in many fields were once just stories or predictions in science fiction. For instance, the debit card predicted by Edward Bellamy in 1887, the battle tank by H.G. Wells in 1903, and the electric car and cell phone is credited to Star Trek.


So, today, are there science fiction scenarios that may become reality in the next 20 years or so? You bet, and some are even beginning to become reality slowly. Some may even be used in real life predictably in the next 5 years or even less. Here's a rundown of some of the common ones:

Star Trek Replicators
It can be somewhat scary to see that the replicators in Star Trek resemble real 3D printers today, and the job they're supposed to do is exactly the same: To replicate or print out anything using certain materials on hand. 3D printers today can replicate jewelry, replacement body parts, spare parts, and even weapons.

Star Trek PADD
The Personal Access Display Device (PADD) looks and functions exactly like iPads and tablets of today, although the ones on Star Trek use a stylus. But some tablets today have optional styluses for writing or drawing options.

The Virtual Display Device
First used in Star Trek, this is now the common staple for most space pilots driving hyperspace ships. The simplest on seen in movies is the VDD used by the TIE fighter pilots in Star Wars. In about 5 to 10 years, the Google glass and other such devices will be perfected so the tiny screen just outside your direct vision can plug into everything from e-mailing to internet browsing, and more.

Minority Report Air Touch Technology

While touch-screen display has already been perfected and even improving ever since it came out in sci-fi films, a headset is being created to mimic the air touch technology seen in the film, Minority Report, though it may take some more years to make it as smooth as Tom Cruise makes of it in the film.

Hoverbikes and Hoverboards
Hoverbikes were first seen in Star Wars while the hoverboards was first seen in Back to the Future. By 2017, a hoverbike could start flying, though not as deft as the one used by the Stormtroopers. The hoverboards now being sold commercially took their cue from Back to the Future, though a more realistic one using four disc-shaped magnetic engines that pushed against each other could also make a commercial appearance by 2017.

Driverless Cars
Logan's Run in 1975 is credited with the first concept of a driverless vehicle, though these also came out in films like Total Recall, Judge Dredd, and Minority Report. Google is the first to attempt the concept, with Audi and Ford also attempting the reality, though the technology is a bit awkward.

How Useful is Online Tech Support for Any Startup Business

In today's society full of technological wonders, gadgets and the Internet are used 24/7 in every corner and aspect of any business, company, or corporation. Thus, a startup business isn't exempted from this no matter what type of business is opening. In reality, many startup businesses don't have the resources or inclination to have the latest computer software, be updated on the latest gadgets, online security threats, or even how to repair of fix common computer issues. Naturally, not all startup businesses have the capacity to maintain a separate IT tech department to care care of all this.

To avoid falling into these technological mistakes and traps, startup businesses needed to immediately include an online technical support as part of their operating expenses. The reality of the situation is that if a startup business has insufficient technical support, when a grave computer problem strikes, this may have the potential to wipe out all the businesses' data. Depending on novice technicians or a fellow employee "who has some tech skills" is not being cost-efficient.

Any startup business needs to a knowledgeable and trusted tech support company that has proficient, current, trained, and licensed professionals.

Hardware and Software Issues

Many startups don't realize that a computer's service life is there to four years at the most. The reason for this is the normal computer's lifespan, and when a computer is around five to six years old, support expenses increase. Thus, a startup business with the proper tech support company will be well-informed of this, and in the long run, and as the business grows, incompatibilities due to license terms, renewal dates, and mismatched components and software applications are avoided. Naturally, on the other side of the long run, older and more obsolete hardware will make office work less efficient, increases downtime likelihood, and will endanger sales.

Insufficient Power Protection

Tech support professionals will definitely inform clients that a single power outage, power surge, or power spike will damage the electronic components in a computer and result in critical data loss. This consistent power problems will definitely shorten the lifespan of computers and even peripherals like printers. A strong lightning strike or electric outage has the potential to greatly damage computer systems, corrupt data, and cause lost data if the business has no proper power outage suppressors.

Using Unlicensed Software

Unfortunately, many startups, in order to save cost, will resort illegal software that are cheaper and carry no licensing fees. It also means that should the business owner realize too late that proper tech support sorely needed; "prated" or illegal programs will render the business "suspect" since the online support of the legitimate software companies will detect the illegal programs online and trace it to the computers concerned.

Poor Security

Startups that fail to get tech support will not immediately be advised to make computer and Internet security a priority to protect the new business. Having a good tech support company means that the startup will be advised to implement and enforce strong password security policies for all IT equipment.

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