IT Trends & Technology

If you haven’t seen the follow the frog video from the rain forest alliance campaign you must STOP reading AND WATCH it.  Are you that person that strives to be the best, do the best and settle for nothing but the best? It’s only the best if you have fully vested yourself.  Otherwise it isn’t good enough…..yep guilty over here!

As your days fill up with more meetings, tasks to complete, phone calls, etc. it’s easy to zone out and forget to  take a break to re-energize. With today’s nonstop schedules including work, family, and everything in between we tend to run ourselves down until we simply can’t go anymore. This usually ends up with getting sick, missing work and family events. With everything you have to get done  in a day at your workplace, it’s extremely important to listen to what your body is trying to tell you. If you feel tired, hungry, or even having difficulty concentrating it’s usually a sign that you need to take a break. Even if it’s just for 10 minutes a couple times a day it will help diminish stress. A few ideas for how to take a break include:

With everyone’s busy schedules it can be easy to try to take everything on yourself. At FNTS, we strive on working as a team in order to provide the best possible service to our clients. Teamwork isn’t just about a group of people getting together to discuss an idea or issue, it’s about working as a unit to provide mutual support, more ideas, better solutions, and a sense of accomplishment. As a project manager, communication is a key ingredient in working with multiple team members. Communicating effectively and efficiently allows all team members to be able to contribute ideas, solutions, and feedback.

FINANCIAL IT
The Midwest has a strong foothold in financial technology, thanks to large firms like BATS Global Markets and DST Systems, both located in Kansas City. But newer firms are disrupting the financial industry, notably Dwolla, a mobile-payments company based in Des Moines.

Deemed as the first major algorithmic change in 12 years the implementation of hummingbird by Google might have changed search engine optimization (SEO), or at least the way we get our results.  Catering to the popular voice commands of “ask and answer” this new implementation will bring you the answers you are looking for….or will it?

This is always a tough question for me.  I personally think First National Technology Solutions (FNTS) has great products, services and exceptional engineers.  I am also an employee of FNTS so it’s possible my judgment is skewed. I asked one of our current customers the question and here are his responses:

I am a happily married man, yet I am still on the hunt for new partners.  Before you jump to any conclusions, let me clarify. I seek New Business Partners.

“We are made to move, not sit at a desk 12 hours a day,” says Joan Price, author of The Anytime, Anywhere Exercise Book. “As ergonomic as your desk or chair may be, sitting produces back pains, headaches, and listlessness. You become less productive.”

With the New Year come New Year’s resolutions. Inevitably, working out and eating healthier will be on your list. This resolution will not only help you personally but professionally as well. According to a study of European workers polled by VieLife, those with a poor nutritional balance were reported as being 15% less productive than those with a good nutritional balance and those with poor nutrition scores reported 50% more sickness absences per year than those with good scores. While you may know what you want, you might not know where to start so I’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you stay active at the workplace this year:

FNTS would like to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season. May the new year bring you health, happiness, and spectacular success.

With the new year and the BCS playoffs both right around the corner, I am reminded of a great memory. It will be remembered for the rest of my life. One of those, “once in a lifetime” events, in which I will never forget being there, witnessing it first hand, feeling the rush of adrenaline and pure jubilation, and hearing the thunderous roar of the crowd!

As Thanksgiving approaches, it always prompts me to reflect on what I am thankful for both personally and professionally. Within my professional career at FNTS, I am so thankful for our clients and the relationships I have with each and every one of them.  Getting to know our clients is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job, and having a relationship with some of our clients that date back to 1996 when FNTS first opened our doors is really humbling.  It really provides so much more meaning and value when you take the time to know the people you are working with, what drives their business, and how we can help them reach their goals and objectives.

As we pull out onto the track for the final race, I am beginning to realize one of the main characteristics of a successful sales person:  competitiveness!  We line up just like NASCAR racers heading into the final heat, anxiously awaiting the flag to drop.  This is the third heat and there isn’t as much laughing as before – this time, it’s serious.  The prize?  No, not millions of dollars or trophies, something simpler: pure bragging rights on who within the Sales team earns the fastest track time and wins the race!

When I was 19 the last thing I ever wanted to do was join the military. The thought of going to war and possibly losing your life is not very appealing to many folks.  Back home, I wasn’t enjoying college life but didn’t want to work in a factory or foundry like so many of my high school friends.

Westeros: a fictional place set in a fictional time resembling medieval Western Europe. The differences between modern and medieval times are infinite, but one basic technological advancement comes to mind; one that could change who ultimately wins the Game of Thrones . . . email. Draped in their chains of knowledge, maesters (ancient doctors who treat with leeches and scholars who study magic) delivered messages using specially trained ravens. How would events unfold if email could be used? Let’s look at how email can save us from the “king’s justice,” losing our heads – literally and figuratively.