Today, information needs to move so quickly that even the slightest delay is unacceptable. So, network monitoring is essential for businesses of all sizes. That’s especially true if your workforce is not under the same roof and relies almost exclusively on a network.

Yet some owners put off this decision. They believe that monitoring means hiring a consultant to set up a system or adding another task to an overburdened IT department. But new software companies are committed to network monitoring made easy. So, you can take advantage of these benefits.

Avoid Losses

Many people spend considerable resources making their networks resistant to outside attacks. That’s a very smart thing to do. Hackers are incredibly advanced, and not all of them simply want money. Yet, most businesses do not experience serious cyber-attacks.

On the other hand, unintentional network interruptions happen almost every day. All of them lead to costly delays. Some common occurrences include:

• Broken printers,
• Website crashes,
• Empty toner cartridges, and
• Tripped-over power cords.

If these events happen offsite, your entire network may go down. You need to know about these events ASAP. First, you need to be able to address them. Second, you need to reassure partners and/or employees that the problem is well-controlled.

Easy to Use

Setting up your network is that hard part; monitoring it is the easy part. If you could do the first with little help, you can do the second with no help. Most network tomography software has a basic, Windows-based interface. Most of the technical decisions have already been made. There’s very little configuration required unless you want to customize the experience or add features.

Once in place, the software gives you a steady stream of information but does not overload you. Filtered email and text alerts are usually available as well. These messages give both all-clear signs and warn of potential interruptions.

End Manual Checkups

Most daily to-do lists include mundane chores, such as verifying that certain components are in order and then sending out updates. Network monitoring replaces these activities. You and your employees can effortlessly strike an item off the to-do list. Then, you can move onto something else with complete confidence.

Measure Trends

Almost all businesses are data-driven, to one extent or another. Network monitoring provides vital information about usage patterns. You can easily see which devices are bearing the brunt of the work. By extension, you can also see which employees are strained almost to the breaking point with work and those who have some additional bandwidth.

Peace of Mind

Installing additional sensors is about the only customization required in the aforementioned setup process. The slight time investment produces significant returns. There’s nothing like the peace of mind that comes from knowing all is well. This mindset reduces stress and enables you to focus your energy on other, more vital areas.

The benefits of network monitoring are significant. But they are only available to those who partner with a top company that provides solutions to everyday problems.

If you have been following the technology news lately, you may be aware of the pace at which companies like IBM are quickly announcing innovations in Machine Learning. For example, their new services on the Watson platform that incorporates predictive analytics, data mining, and pattern recognition are by themselves new paradigms in the business world. Machine Learning, unlike artificial intelligence, is more about the ability of machines to learn when exposed to more data.

Examples of machine learning in use

In very simple terms, what machine learning does is detect patterns and predict outcomes by using different mechanisms. These mechanisms are based on mathematical models and statistics. For example, the way search technology works. It extracts information, gathers them together, and classifies before displaying it to the end user. Behind all machine learning, there are algorithms that help the machine process and fetch information. In doing this, they could look for patterns, for example, the way Amazon predicts user preferences. Machines are trained to recognize patterns and cluster information. That is why it is also referred to as cognitive automation, it is trained to recognize traits in data.

Supervised and unsupervised learning mechanisms

In one stream of machine programming, the machines are given instructions on what actions to take and the sequence of those actions. They may also be told about expected outcomes and the machine is expected to derive the function that would achieve the result. In such instances, where the input, as well as the output, is provided to the machine, the programming world refers to it as supervised learning. The machines are actively supervised to train them on inputs and then validate the output before being put to execution. Since it is very difficult for users to predict or reasonably guess all outcomes for complex systems, machine learning emerged as an alternative that would let IT systems respond rapidly to changes. All of this, of course, is largely dependent on the machine being provided an initial set of sample data that is best suited for the purpose, determining the appropriate learning algorithms and then verifying the output. Only when the output is verified, can the machine be said to have learned the process and allowed to analyze data sets. This sort of machine learning is commonly used on structured data to solve classification and regression problems.

On the other hand, machine learning is said to be unsupervised when though there is a set of input data, there is no outcome provided to the machine. In such instances, the machine is expected to learn by looking at the data. What it does is looks at data sets and studies their structure and distribution and then identify inherent groupings. For example, it can, by studying data sets, look for common phrases. This sort of analysis usually happens on unstructured data.

Cognitive automation

Though mostly used in the context of IBM’s Watson system, cognitive automation systems are increasingly being deployed across businesses in multiple forms. Such systems essentially use the machine learning algorithms to be able to acquire knowledge from data sets they are provided with. As they keep looking for patterns in the information and process the data, machines are increasingly able to anticipate probable new problems and derive appropriate models based on what they have learned. They are then deployed in many applications that include artificial intelligence (AI) applications, neural networks, robotics, and virtual reality systems.

Cognitive computing is increasingly being recognized as the next stage in the evolution of computing capabilities. It is all about making computing systems more user-friendly and that can interact with the end user based on understanding from signals, what a user wants to do and contextualize the output to deliver personalized outcomes. Be it your car, or your refrigerator at home, applications like Siri, that understand context is becoming the norm of the day.

Are you a socialite by today’s standards? Do you have the numbers that would qualify you to be counted as one? Well, not the traditional yardstick of how many at the local club know you or how many of the networking sorts in your niche or industry recognize you. But, today how socialite you are is determined by the number of followers you have in social media. Offline networking or social activity is no longer a parameter to judge your socialite nature but activities in the social media are. To get a steady number of followers you have to have done a number of things on online social forums – you have crafted and posted unique content, expanding your social presence on a continuous basis by engaging with followers that matter and, in some instances, buying real Instagram followers to boost your social circles. Even then, at times you still feel that the numbers are just not there, and you keep striving for the obvious, a little more engaging number. There are some very small but unique measures that can do wonders for you.

Timings

Not only the content but the time of your posting is crucial. A post at the wrong time may not get the right response. Your followers may receive hundreds of social media messages throughout the day from different sources. Nobody wants to spend his precious time by surfing old post. The choices are dictated by convenience and not just quality. Research shows that afternoon to late night is the best time of posting as more people are active at that time. Possibilities are greater that they will follow your post. Likewise, Thursday and Friday are two days when people spend more time on social media. So in a nutshell, be careful with your timing.

Follow trends

To get more followers one has to follow the trends and do some trendy posting. If the trend doesn’t match your style of posting, then you can limit yourself by making some quotes or comments. Your comment should be witty with a touch of humor. For example, any post or comments on food will get more response on Friday though it may not be your subject.

Image

An image can say a thousand words. That’s very much relevant when it comes to social media also. An image or a video can generate three times more views than content. You don’t have to create the video or image, you just have to tag it in your platform. Choose carefully to get the right quality. Millions of images and videos are posted every week. Your selection should be the mark of your stature. If you share something from your followers’ post it will be productive.

Rewards

More than 50% followers of any brand are looking for offers and freebies. So take advantage of this consumption insight and offer them something interesting and let them spread the word for you. You can start a campaign by offering a competition that involves retweets and sharing and the more numbers one gets for you, the greater the incremental rewards.

Know your competitors

Spend some time to analyze your competitors’ page. Learn what makes them popular and what kind of posting helps them to get more followers. Initiate some changes to transform your social media accordingly but don’t lose your own identity.

Responsive

Respond to questions, comments, and complaints of your followers in a timely manner. Make them involved with your platform and encourage them to share it with others. Everybody wants to connect by sending comments, questions or suggestions and your timely response will provide additional motivation for them.

Link your social media

Link your social media account to your newsletter, email signature, blog, Instagram etc. Print your social media details on the reverse of your visiting cards. Once they get in touch through of your mediums, they should know about every platform where you are available. Use the social occasion to promote your social media presence by distributing those cards.

Response time

Not only your response but your response time in equally important. If you attend your followers’ queries pretty quickly they will feel rewarded and help to promote your social activities. Research shows people like to get a response within one hour. So whatever is their posting time, just be ready to get involved as soon as possible. Waiting can play a spoilsport in your venture.

Avoid bulk posting

Until you make your defense rock-solid you can’t go offensive. Similarly, to increase your followers you have to be sure that your existing followers stay with you. Don’t try their patience by posting bulk mail. Nobody likes to get bulk emails that just bloat their mailboxes. You shouldn’t post more than one post at a time. Make a schedule to post across days, weeks, or even months instead of posting multiple times, all at once.

Be authoritative

History proves that most people like authority. People who identify themselves as an authority have many more followers than people who don’t. So, don’t be humble in your profile. Identify yourself as who you are in the best possible light, just like you would on your resume. You are bound to raise curiosity and thereby more engagement.

While often used for recreational and leisure purposes, Delivery drones have many commercial applications, one of which is package delivery. Using drones, companies can quickly and easily transport small packages while bypassing heavily-congested roads. After loading the package onto the drone, the company pilots the drone to the recipient’s location. Although drone delivery is still in its early stages, it could one day change the way in which we ship and receive packages.

Amazon Prime Air

The e-commerce giant Amazon has its eyes set on a drone delivery system. During an interview segment with “60 Minutes” in 2013, CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled his company’s plans to deliver packages to its customers using drones. The project, Amazon Prime Air involves the use of multi-rotor Miniature Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (MUAVs) to fly packages to customers within a half-hour. In 2015, Amazon received permission from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin testing. Since then, it’s continued to perfect the technology, giving online shoppers hope that one day they’ll receive packages in lightning-fast time via drones.

UPS

Amazon isn’t the only company that wants to deliver packages using drones. The United Parcel Service (UPS) has also expressed interest in a drone-based delivery system. In 2017, UPS announced that it had successfully launched a drone from atop a delivery van, with the goal of using the technology to streamline its delivery services. UPS says the drone used during this test had a 30-minute maximum flight time and 10-pound maximum carry load.

According to UPS, the company has 66,000 delivery drivers on the road on any given day. While UPS services all areas in the United States, the most difficult for drivers are rural addresses. Drivers are often forced to navigate down confusing dirt roads with missing signs and markers. A drone delivery system could expedite this process, however, by using Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers to fly packages directly to recipients.

USPS

Not surprisingly, the United States Parcel Postal Service (USPS) is also considering the use of drones to deliver packages. In 2017, USPS Chief Information Officer (CIO) Kristin Seaver discussed the possibilities of drone delivery with Bloomberg. Drones would allow the USPS to deliver packages more quickly and efficiently, which would subsequently save the organization money.

Dominoes

Before you receive packages delivered to your doorstep via drones, you may receive a pizza delivered using this technology. In 2016, Dominoes teamed up with the drone delivery company Flirty to launch a drone-based pizza delivery system. Dominoes has already launched the service in Auckland, New Zealand, where drone regulations are less stringent than those in the United States, but it wants to roll the service our customers throughout the world.

These are just a few companies that are developing drone-based delivery systems. As the technology improves and drones become more powerful, we’ll probably see countless other companies using them to deliver packages.

For the best deals on drones, visit Dronethusiast. Here, you can shop from a wide range of the industry’s leading drones as well as access training tutorials, tips, reviews and more.

If you speak to anybody doing link acquisition for their SEO campaign, they will all agree that securing valuable links is becoming more challenging. With SEO becoming a mature industry, webmasters have clocked onto the value that links provide and will either demand payment for the link (which is against Google’s terms of service), add a rel=nofollow attribute to the link or even add a sneaky redirect onto the link so it doesn’t pass any link juice to the linking site.

A lot of SEO, unfortunately, hammer away with link building tactics that yield them a very little reward. However, there are other tactics that are often overlooked and can be acquired in a fairly timely manner.

We’ve shared some of the top tactics that we use in the list below.

Author mentions

This is typically in the author bio. If you want to be taken seriously in the online space, you need to be seen as an author in the industry that you are in. The quickest way to do this is by publishing guest posts or contributing columns to other web media.

The quickest win is to find guest blog posts or author contributor opportunities in your industry. For example, if you run a fashion retail business, you can find fashion sites that are looking for regular contributors to their blog or online magazine.

Bloglovin or CommentLuv

Blog comments are often dismissed due to many of the links having the rel=nofollow attribute and the spammy nature from black hat SEO blasting sites with spammy comments. When blog commenting is done well, it is actually easy to get links back to your site from the platform. If the post gets traffic, it is also a good way to generate more inbound traffic to your website each month.

If your site maintains a WordPress blog, you are able to use the feed from your blog to acquire a link to your latest blog post. When the comment is approved, the blog that uses the CommentLuv or Bloglovin plugin will automatically link back to your website.

Influencer outreach

Thanks to the advent of social media, there are literally millions of people that have their own niche audience that they can influence. There’s an audience for almost any niche and you only need to focus on securing a few links from the relevant niches to really make a positive impact on your link building activities.

For example, if you run a dog walking business; you can reach out to those influencers who are passionate about dogs. You can delve deeper and see if there are any specific topics or themes that they cover. Then you can see if there is a potential match between the content, product or value that you offer and the audience that they are promoting it to.

Some of the places where you can research influencers include:

• Facebook Fan Pages
• Instagram accounts
• Twitter accounts
• Snapchat accounts
• Pinterest groups
• Bloggers

Link reclamation

At least once a month, you should do a check for any mentions of your brand, products or services across the web. If so, you can reach out to the web publication that has provided the mention to see if you can secure a link back to your site.

This is usually a quick win since the web publisher has already mentioned something associated with your business. As long as you approach the publisher in the right way, there is a very good chance that you will be able to secure the mention as a link.

Resource: Moz

Posting expert answers on Q&A websites

You are the expert in your field. And there are many people on the web that are seeking the answers from experts in their field. The easiest way to do this is by finding the questions that people are searching for online and identifying those sites where the sites are seeking contributors for those answers.

Typically, these will be Question and Answer websites or they will be web forums.

Interviewing experts

This is a great way to secure links and to also build meaningful relationships in your network. You can simply reach out to those individuals who willingly participate in video and podcast interviews.

Typically, the interviewee will share their feature with their own network and it may result in you securing a link from their own site or even a natural link share from their network.

Regularly publishing useful content to your audience

As obvious as this seems, many website owners don’t publish valuable content for their audience. If they did, they would find that their content would be shared naturally and that over time, they would start attracting links naturally back to their website.

The simplest way to do this is by publishing blog posts regularly. As long as this is done as a part of a content marketing strategy and people start to find the resource use, you should start attracting natural shares and links to your website.

The posts don’t have to be done in high volume. It is more important to align the content topics with the interests of your audience. The content can then be published in different forms, which can help to increase the exposure on other web media platforms.

For example:

• A blog post can be turned into a PDF and submitted to PDF submission websites.
• A blog post can be turned into an infographic and submitted to infographic websites.
• A blog post can be turned into a video, which can then be shared with other content creators in the industry.

Share testimonials with suppliers who are known to link back to sites

You already work with several suppliers in your business. If you are happy with the service that they are providing, then provide them with a positive review that they can share on their website.

Make a list of all of the suppliers that you have worked with in the past. Then identify those ones that publish the testimonials on their site and link back to the company.

Once you have identified them, you just need to reach out to them with your testimonial.

Image sharing

You can create a repository of images that can be uploaded to sites like Shutterstock or Flickr and you can generate links back to your site. When website owners are asked to credit the author of the image, you can ask them to attribute the link to your website.

Another way this can be managed is by creating and sharing images on platforms such as gif sharing platforms. You can then share credit the source of the image back to your website.

Award recognition

You can reach out to website owners who are known for publishing links when they receive a reward. This tactic involves a bit more research since you will need to find and qualify those websites who are known for linking out and that has the authority that can be passed onto your site. Additionally, the content that features them will also need to be developed.

Once the content is published, it is a matter of reaching out to those sites to let them know that they have been featured and to see if they will consider linking back either to the main part of your website or to the content in which they are featured.

Resource: Ego bait link building

What kind of success rate can you expect from implementing these link acquisition activities?

You can expect to secure at least 10 authoritative links per month using these tactics. Depending on how well you scale the activities, you can potentially secure more.

If you aren’t currently implementing any of these link acquisition tactics, introduce them into your outbound link building strategy. It will make a drastic difference to your site’s link portfolio and the organic search performance.