Through iPhone apps, you can dramatically enhance the usage of your mobile device. You’re able to record video clips, share files seamlessly with other devices, and even create to-do lists to help organize your day-to-day priorities. The iPhone is an especially powerful tool when it comes to increasing your productivity, especially when you install apps.

1. Apple Pages

Word processing apps are considered as a necessity nowadays, especially if you are away from the office on a regular basis. For $9.99, Apple Pages is perhaps the least expensive word processing app out there.

Like any other word processing software, this app lets you edit, format, update, and share your word documents easily across a multitude of Apple devices using iCloud. With Apple Pages, you can definitely save time in making and sharing documents.

2. Evernote

Evernote has become a favorite because of its capability to capture and store information in a very efficient manner.

Evernote allows you to take and save videos, images, websites, ideas, and just about anything you want to capture in the Web. Anything you capture is immediately synced to your other devices, so all your data is organized in a single location for easy viewing and retrieval.

What makes Evernote so popular is the fact that it can be downloaded for free from the App Store. You can also sign up for the business version that has extra collaboration features, along with extra features and enhanced functionality.

3. Dropbox

Ever dreamed of an online-storage platform where you can store and retrieve your files wherever and whenever you want? If so, then Dropbox is the perfect solution.

Dropbox lets you access and share files from other devices from your iPhone. This app is a great storage app because it lets you access your files even without an Internet connection. For many business owners, there is no need to carry a bulky external hard-drive because Dropbox gives at least 5GB free space for new users.

4. Wunderlist

Remembering a long list of things to do in a day can be rather annoying and stressful. Fortunately, there is Wunderlist, a project planning app that makes planning and listing more fun. It is actually a free cloud-sync task manager that allows you to organize your ideas and share them easily across different platforms.

You can list all the things you need to do for the next day and for the upcoming days or weeks. This app can definitely help by reminding you of the things you need to accomplish in a specific timeframe.

5. OmniFocus 2

This is a standalone app for your iPhone. OmniFocus 2 includes nifty features like voice notes and picture attachments, diagram making, and task searchability. The ‘forecast’ option lets you take a look at your daily and weekly tasks ahead at a glance. Productivity nerds will definitely like this app for the fact that the beauty of its interface matches its brains.

While it is a tad bit expensive at $19.99, it is probably the only task manager you need. With an easy to use interface and powerful features, it can do almost everything except run your business!

6. Bento

If you are on the lookout for an all-around organizational app for your business, check out Bento. This app offers 25 different database templates designed to fit many subjects, including event planning, project planning, and contact organizing. All the templates can be tweaked to your own liking.

Bento allows you to keep track of all of the things going on with your life. Everything in this app can be synced with other devices so that tracking progress in your daily tasks can be easily accessible.

If you’re looking to increase your productivity, then these iPhone apps will surely be a game changer for you. Not only will you be able to better organize your business and workflow more easily, you can also use these in organizing your personal activities.

Not what you’re looking for?

If you’re looking for more apps to help you with your business needs, then give us a call and we’ll give you a helping hand to find all the help you need.

More and more health-care providers are going digital, if meaningful-use reimbursements are any indication.

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is reporting that it has disbursed more than $19 billion in reimbursement incentives. That’s in keeping with a September 2012 prediction from the former national coordinator for health information technology, who said the federal government would likely pay out $20 billion in incentives before 2015.

According to the CMS, at the end of 2013, 440,998 registered health-care providers participated in the federal incentive program for electronic medical records (EMRs). Almost 63 percent of Medicare-eligible and Medicaid-eligible providers have made a financial commitment to an EMR, and more than 340,000 have received an incentive payment.

The CMS also reported that of those health-care providers who intend to participate in the meaningful-use program, 19 percent had adopted all 14 of the 17 Stage 2 core objectives.

If you haven’t received your incentives yet, consider looking into it. The HITECH Act, which created the incentive program, did not cap meaningful use incentives, and many health-care providers are benefiting. Contact us today to see how our solutions, especially gloCare can help.

Modern marketing has become an almost wholly digital affair, with companies relying on their website and social media profiles as a main marketing platform. This is all created in response to the fact that many customers expect companies to be online. While there are many ways to increase your online presence and business value, one of the best for many businesses is through a blog.

Define business blogging

When we talk about blogging, most people ask two questions: "What is blogging?" and "Is business blogging any different from personal blogging?"

A blog, a portmanteau of Web log, is usually a page on a website where authors post written articles. The content, usually called a post, can be incredibly varied, from along the lines of a journal style to breaking news or even thoughts and opinions to open up debate.

Business blogging is the act of creating content that is related to your business. The topics are usually narrowed down to relate to the products or services you provide. For example, you are reading this post on our blog, which largely focuses on technology in business. The vast majority of business blogs are not profit oriented (the company isn't out to make money directly from their blog articles) and is usually a part of their marketing plan.

Why do businesses blog?

There are 3 main reasons many businesses blog:

1. A blog can increase traffic to your website

One common complaint many business owners have about their website traffic, or the number of people who visit their site, is that it is lower than expected. There can be many reasons behind this, the most common being that the content on the website is static. Think about when it the last time you updated your whole site was.

Even if your site effectively explains what your business does, search engines generally look kindly on websites that are active. It is incredibly hard to keep re-writing your website, so one of the best ways to fix this is by blogging. When you create a new blog post, a new page on your website is usually indexed - added to the site structure, kind of like the index at the back of textbooks. This activity tells search engines that your website is active. Active websites will usually show higher in search results.

Blog articles are also great to share on social media services. By sharing content with your existing customers there is an increased chance of your name and profile being seen by people who aren't your customer yet but could be in the future.

If you have more people seeing your content in different places - search results, social media, etc. - you should see an increase in overall traffic to your website.

2. A blog is a great way to show your expertise

Think about the last time you needed to purchase a new item, say a computer. Did you pick the first shop you saw, then walk in and purchase a computer? Chances are high that you didn't. Most people research companies and retailers who have a good rating or who come across as an expert, and purchase from them.

As many people do this research online, it can be a challenge to establish your company as the expert in your field. Your blog can be the perfect tool to establish your company as a go-to expert. If you answer common questions and provide tips, there is a higher chance that your articles will be regarded as helpful and having potential customers contact you. What this means for you is an increased chance of conversion.

3. Blog articles have a positive long-term effect

When you search on the Internet you will often find a number of blog posts at the top, with some maybe even being from the last year or so. A well crafted blog post will often see a wealth of interest within the first few days of posting largely because of sharing via social media services and users who have subscribed to your posts.

If your posts get a fair number of shares, comments, etc. there is a good chance that search engines will begin to show it higher in results. What this means for you is that the post will continue to be seen in results for a of couple weeks to months or more, depending on keywords, etc. This translates to longer visibility, and a higher chance of traffic and leads in the future.

Of course, not every post will be a smash hit and bring leads pouring in, but an active blog that produces good content could prove to be of great value to your business. It will take time, but most bloggers do see increased payoffs.

Looking to learn more about blogging? Contact us today to see how we can help.

The most popular social media service has got to be Facebook. There are many reasons businesses launch Facebook profiles, from connecting with their customers to harnessing the copious amount of data available for marketing purposes. Possibly the most popular reason is Facebook's various advertising services. Recently, Facebook announced that they will be terminating their sponsored posts feature. Many business users are now asking how this will affect them.

What is, or was, sponsored stories?

Sponsored stories is an advertising feature on Facebook that allows businesses to capitalize on word-of-mouth recommendations. The way it works is that it allows businesses to essentially promote user activity to that user's friends.

Say you own a coffee shop and have allowed users to check in on Facebook when they visit your store. When a user checks in, their friends will sometimes see this on their News Feeds. However, a check-in may be missed because of the sheer amount of content shown on our News Feeds.

With sponsored stories you can pay to promote, or sponsor, these check-ins, or other interactions with your company's Facebook profile. When you do this, the post or story will show up higher on user News Feeds or in the bar to the right of the News Feed. These posts will say Sponsored on them and will tell the user that their friends have liked the content, or interacted with the business e.g., checked in.

The problem with sponsored stories

While this is a great feature for businesses - they have a higher chance of their name and content being seen by users - it hasn't been so popular with many users. Many users don't mind seeing ads for things they have just looked at, but to have Facebook tell other users about it without their consent has created some criticism.

In fact, in 2011 Facebook was hit with a class action lawsuit over misuse of user data directly related to sponsored stories. In the summer of last year, it was ruled that Facebook had been violating user privacy and was fined $20 million. Largely because of this, the company implemented the ability to opt out of sponsored stories. It is estimated that this has cost the company around $100 million in lost revenue, which is highly likely the real reason why the company has decided to drop sponsored stories as of April 9, 2014.

What does this mean for my business?

The news that Facebook is removing a potentially valuable advertising feature could cause some business users to worry, especially those who have benefited from this feature before. This change, along with the recent lawsuit that highlighted how Facebook uses data, doesn't mean that the company will stop collecting data and showing ads to users. Instead, users will no longer see names of friends attached.

For your business this means that you will still be able to advertise, and your content and even ads will still continue to show up on News Feeds, only they will lack other contact information usually seen at the top of sponsored posts.

There are also a number of other options available, including promoting posts and content on yours and other people's News Feeds. Another option involves using the teo Custom Audiences features. These two features allow you to create an ad that can be sent to existing mailing lists or a market that is most likely to respond positively to the content. For businesses that don't have mailing lists or a target market in mind, Facebook also offers Lookalike Audiences which can help you find potential audiences based on your current connections.

In fact, both of these features are currently used by many Facebook users to set up sponsored posts. Now, the main difference will be that the word-of-mouth style of sponsored posts will be gone and will only appear in the right-hand sidebar of user News Feeds.

If you are looking to learn more about using Facebook with your business, contact us today to learn more.

One of the more common trends among small to medium businesses is the moving of physical systems to a virtual environment. This concept, commonly referred to as virtualization, will continue to be a draw for businesses for the immediate future and beyond. As with traditional systems however, businesses will still need to back up their virtualized data, which is a process many may not be considering or doing.

About data virtualization

Data virtualization is an approach to data management that takes data stored on local computers and moves it to another location, usually a server. This can provide multiple long-term benefits to businesses, some of which include integration of various types of data, minimizing data replication, and reducing physical data movement across different locations, as well as delivering sets of data to consumers in real-time.

As with every other type of data you will need to consider backing up your data. This can be a bit tougher with virtualized data. While our services do make things easier, there are still backup obstacles you should be aware of. In this guide, we highlight the three challenges and hurdles in backing up your virtualized data.

Overwhelming rapid file growth

It used to be that businesses had to worry about servers containing million of files. Now, they are warned about potentially billions of existing files. It is almost impossible to back up servers with so many files through the traditional method of copying one file at a time, as is common in legacy backup systems. The thing is, the number of files to back up is only going to grow.

You should take steps to ensure that your backup solution can handle the file growth your business will face. While a virtual solution may be working now, it is a good idea to check with your IT partner to ensure their systems are scalable.

Rapid server growth

Virtualization of networks, storage, and servers brings flexibility to the small businesses and data centers. The advent of virtualization has lead to the development of an 'app mentality' among many users and business owners. It’s safe to think that so many things you have in the world are now apps, with many being delivered through a virtual machine.

What this means for businesses is an increasing number of virtual servers that are needed to host your virtual solutions. Therefore, it is crucial to protect these virtual machines and the servers that host them because they are quickly becoming the most essential tool your business relies on. If your business is growing, your current virtual machines are likely backed up, but as you add more servers you will need to ensure that these are also backed up.

Very high user expectations

Needless to say, users have high expectations caused by misunderstandings about technology, and virtualization in particular. Users expect their IT partners to have emerging issues resolved in an instant or as quickly as possible.

While backup speeds are increasing year-on-year, it still takes time to copy data files from the backup servers, especially when the quantity of files to copy can be over a billion. It is worthwhile talking with your IT partner about backup and recovery times so you can better know what to expect when you do need to recover virtual systems.

If you have anything to share about data virtualization or virtualization in general, let your voice be heard using the comment section below.

Apple has a wide variety of products that cater to an equally wide array of users. Many business users have taken to the iPad like a duck to water. This highly portable device allows users to connect with the office and do work while on the go. One of the newest iPads, the iPad Air, is also proving to be extremely popular, yet there are a number of tips and tricks you may not yet know about.

About the iPad Air

The iPad Air is a thinner, lighter and more powerful iPad which comes with a 64-bit A7 chip, the latest processor Apple offers. But with the overhaul of its hardware and design, what new tricks does Apple have in store for its users?

Here are seven of the most incredible iPad Air features:

There is more to triple-click

With every iPad Air, you can still use a single click that will lead you back to the homescreen, and a double-click that will let you view the apps running on your device. Unlike its predecessors though, the new iPad Air comes with a triple-click feature.

But, what does this new triple-clicking feature offer?

When you triple-click the device’s home button, you get to choose any of these six functional options:

1. Off
2. Toggle Voiceover
3. Toggle White on Black
4. Toggle Zoom
5. Toggle Assistive Touch
6. Ask

Self-destruct your iPad Air

This doesn’t mean blowing up your expensive Apple device. What we're trying to say is that if your iPad gets lost, you can protect all the files and data stored on its system.

To enjoy this new feature, you will need to sign up with iCloud. As soon as you have done so, all of your data will be far more secure. If your iPad somehow gets lost you can remotely wipe-out all the data stored on your iPad Air using your iCloud account. This can be done by going to the iCloud website and logging in. You can then manage your device from there, and remotely wipe it if needs be.

Two keyboards are better than one

While most iPad users are already familiar with this feature, we still think it is worth mentioning. The iPad Air is basically a 9-inch tablet display. As such, typing on this device using your two thumbs with a single keyboard can become rather difficult for even the most dexterous.

When you split the keyboards you get a slightly different keyboard style that allows you to type on your iPad device in a more comfortable fashion. You can split your keyboard by opening any app that brings up the keyboard e.g., an email message, and pressing the keyboard button at the bottom of the keyboard. Selecting Split will break apart your keyboard.

Furthermore, you have the option to shrink down or move the keyboard slightly upwards. With iPad Air, typing using both thumbs has been made much more possible.

Isn't that great?

Yes, but it does not end there. Some iOS tweakers have discovered that when you split the keyboards you can actually type the letter that comes to either the left or right of where it is split. For example, the keyboard is split with the letters T, G, V being on the left and Y, H, B on the right. When you tap the empty space beside T, for instance, the letter Y will appear automatically.

Instant dictionary

Have you ever found yourself opening the Dictionary app because you don’t know the meaning of some words? We've all done this at least once and it definitely is time-consuming.

So, the next time you need to look up a word, take advantage of iPad Air’s Define option. In order to do this, tap and hold a word to select it, and then tap on Define Options. A speech balloon will appear containing the definition of the highlighted word.

In-app purchase solution

If you are sharing an iPad Air with the office, you probably don't want people to be able to purchase something while using an app. You can avoid this problem by following these simple steps:

1. Open the Settings icon.
2. Click General.
3. Disable the option for automatic downloads and updates.

Ending a sentence with a bang

The new iPad Air allows users to be more efficient than ever. To those who frequently type using the iPad, you can easily end sentences by double tapping the spacebar. A double tap will add a period to finish a sentence, before you carry on typing the next sentence.

Keyboard coding

The term is actually keyboard shortcuts. It is now possible to use keyboard shortcuts for phrases that you always use. This trick can definitely save you a great deal of time, and here's how:

1. Open the Settings icon.
2. Go to General.
3. Click Keyboard.
4. Select Add New Shortcut and start defining your own shortcuts.

If you’re hoping to know more about iPad Air do give us a call. We’d love to help you with it.

The presentation is an important part of any business, with many managers and owners relying on Microsoft's PowerPoint to develop and deliver their presentations. In fact, this software has become so popular that many now call digital presentations PowerPoints. Regardless of how they are referred to, it can often be tough to give a great presentation. One tip many experts offer is to use lists.

What are lists in PowerPoint?

A common element of many PowerPoint presentations is the list. These lists are usually presented either ordered or unordered. Ordered lists use numbers like 1,2,3, while unordered lists use icons like dots which are commonly called bullets.

If you have a list with numbers or points in it, you will likely be better able to capture and retain the attention of your audience while making your presentations easier to read and follow. In fact, there are some presentation experts out there who only use bullet point lists, preferring to use these as a guide or pointers to note what to talk about.

How to put a list into your presentation

If you want to add a list to your presentation slides:

1. Open your presentation or start a new one.
2. Add a new slide and click on the text box.
3. Enter your content and after each list item press Enter.
4. Select the content you want to make into a list and press either the Numbered list or the Bulleted list icons under the Paragraphs section. This will put your content into a list.

Formatting your list

Once you have added a list to your presentation you may want to format it to make it more visible or even change the type of icon e.g., from 1 to I. You can do this by:

1. Selecting your list.
2. Pressing the arrow beside either the bullet list or numbered list icon in the Paragraph section of the Home ribbon.
3. Clicking on Bullets and Numbering from the drop down menu.
4. Selecting the icon you like, as well as color and size, and pressing Ok.

Tips for better lists in your presentation

• Know the difference between bullets and numbers - For the most part, there is little difference between bullets and numbers. That being said, numbers usually indicate a ranking or steps. Bullets are often used for points that are all equal, or at least don't need to be ranked specifically.
• Limit the number of list items - The best presentations limit the number of list items on each slide. It is a good idea to have no more than 4-6 points per slide. This helps ensure that your audience can read the slides and will pay attention longer, instead of reading the list and stopping listening.
• Bold the main point - If you are going to have a list with text explaining the main point, bold the main point and put it first. Much like this list on this post. This will highlight the main point you are trying to make to your audience.
• Keep text to a minimum - No one likes to read large amounts of text in a presentation. In fact, most people will stop listening to you to read the slides. Try to have no more than one to a maximum of two lines of text per list item.
• Think about whether to animate - In most professional presentations, it is best to leave out the animations. These can take too much time to actually show or can even lead to mistakes that can be difficult to recover from while presenting e.g., clicking advance too early. On the other hand, some animations are useful, especially if you need to draw attention to an important fact.

If you are looking to learn more about using PowerPoint and the other programs included in Microsoft Office please contact us today.

Business technology is becoming increasingly complex to manage. In fact, many business owners and even IT departments often don't have the time to oversee every business function. One area where help is often needed is with regard to security, and more specifically antivirus based solutions. There are so many different options available that it can be tough to pick and manage even one. This is where an IT partner can come in useful, as many offer managed antivirus services.

What exactly is managed antivirus?

By now, most people are familiar with the term 'antivirus'. They know that the majority of solutions are a monthly or yearly subscription that they pay for. By subscribing, the company that created the program will update virus databases, allowing scanners to identify viruses during a computer scan. This type of antivirus software is often referred to as unmanaged, largely because the end-user has the ability to deny updates, turn off the scanner, or uninstall it.

A managed antivirus solution is provided by IT partners. These tech experts take care of installing the software on computers and other devices, and will then manage the solution. They will also ensure that scanners are up-to-date and scans are scheduled for a convenient time, thus protecting computers. The best way to think of these solutions is that they are specifically provided by a company to look after your computers and protect them from viruses.

Benefits of managed antivirus solutions

Companies that choose to integrate a managed antivirus solution generally see five main benefits.

1. All systems will have the same level of security - With a managed service, your IT partner will make sure to install software on all your systems. This means that there should be the same program installed on your systems, and that the antivirus will be updated to ensure that systems are protected from new security threats that come along.
2. It is easier to manage - Managing your antivirus solution can be a tough task, especially in larger companies where different solutions may need to be employed. By working with an IT partner, your antivirus solutions are managed by tech experts. This is a great solution for business owners who aren't too familiar with technology, or an overworked IT department.
3. The solutions can be low-cost - Most managed antivirus solutions are offered as a monthly package, where companies pay per user. For some companies, this solution is more affordable per user than a non-managed solution. This is especially true if you have a high number of users and need to purchase multiple licenses.
4. Management is continual - With unmanaged solutions, many users turn the antivirus protection off because it can slow their computer down or because they believe their usage habits are not compromising security. Managed antivirus solutions usually can't be uninstalled or turned off, meaning your systems are continually protected.
5. Your systems are truly protected - Regardless of how secure your systems are and the steps you take to ensure that malware doesn't get through, the chances are you will eventually be infected. When you are, it may be tricky to actually completely remove the virus. IT partners are trained in how to do this quickly and efficiently and can usually completely remove the virus, ensuring that your systems are truly secure.

If you are looking for a managed antivirus solution, contact us today as we may have a solution that will work with your business.

It feels like the number of disasters striking around the world is growing year-on-year, or perhaps they are simply highlighted more in the media. Whatever the reality of disaster risks, many business owners and managers keep an eye on potential problems that will impact their companies, and have implemented some form of business continuity or disaster recovery plan. As 2014 is underway, many are wondering what disaster recovery trends to expect for the year to come.

Certain trends relevant to small to medium size businesses are vital for company leaders to be aware of in 2014:

Recovery will get even faster

When looking into recovery options, almost every company wants a solution that is as fast as possible. Recovery speed often depends largely on bandwidth and the storage method used. Each year, companies are able to access faster bandwidth connections and obtain more affordable, yet faster storage options.

In 2014, this trend is set to continue. Businesses around the world will continue to gain access to faster Internet connections and disaster recovery specialists will likely improve the speed with which they can implement a backup.

Many solutions will also be able to help businesses align or optimize their processes. ln turn, this will enable faster recovery and stronger protection. It's highly likely that with this combination you could see a business up and running again within hours instead of days.

Increased reliance on social media as a communications channel

During a disaster it can often be a challenge to communicate with employees and stakeholders. Traditional communication methods, like the phone, may not be working well, if at all, which make it more difficult for plans to be enacted. One alternative is to use social media to make contact and communicate.

Because most social media platforms are hosted in numerous locations around the world, they are hardly ever down. If you have an Internet connection, you can pretty much guarantee that you will be able to get a message out. Combine this with the fact that almost everyone has a social media account on at least one platform, and this proves to be a great option that allows you to reach people quickly.

We predict that in 2014 companies will realize this in higher numbers and begin to implement social media into their existing plans and even train employees on how to use this platform in an emergency situation where other communication lines are down.

Geographical based backup solutions

There were a number of high-profile disasters in 2013 that affected large areas. Some companies saw their backups and secondary backups wiped out because the location at which they were stored was situated in a disaster zone.

In order to have a truly effective backup solution, many experts are suggesting that multiple backups of data should be made and stored in multiple locations that are as geographically diverse as possible.

There is little doubt that businesses have learnt this lesson from the fate of either themselves or others, and will be implementing or looking for solutions that host backups in different locations more readily. In 2014, we predict that many providers will be marketing multi-location backups as a main feature. What this means for businesses is more secure backup and a higher chance of recovery when faced with disaster.

Growing reliance on managed backup solutions

As systems become increasingly complex they become more challenging for many small business owners to back up and manage at the same time. In 2014, there will likely be an increase in the demand for managed backup services.

These services are managed by an IT partner, who can not only help set up backup and recovery systems, but also support recovery after a disaster. The key here is that they give businesses of all sizes a way to implement a backup and continuity plan properly, at a fraction of the cost as was previously the case. We predict that small to medium businesses will take full advantage of services like this, and providers will begin to focus more on offering this type of service.

If you are looking for a backup solution, why not contact us. We may have something that will work for you. Give us a shout today.

Apple is one of the most popular tech companies among virtually every generation. The company, well known for its innovation, had a good year in 2013, releasing a new version of iOS and new iPads among other things. Apple even offered a revamped and cylindrical Mac Pro. As we turn to 2014, many fans are wondering what to expect in 2014.

Here are four new developments we can expect to see from Apple this year:

A new OS X

With a new version of OS X released almost every year, you can expect a new version later this year as well. We predict that OS X will get a makeover, much like we saw with iOS 7. The current look of OS X hasn't really changed in a big way since the launch of the platform, and with the generally positive reception of iOS 7 you can bet that there will be a change to the OS X look this year too.

We predict that the company will release a version of OS X that looks more consistent with iOS 7. You can also bet that the popular features in iOS will likely make their way over to the desktop. This could include the ability to reach the most important settings quicker, and from one place. It will also likely include deeper integration with mobile platforms.

For businesses, the biggest issue will be getting your employees updated to the new version and used to it, while ensuring technology like projectors, servers, etc, will work with the new version. When it is announced, it might be a good idea to not upgrade until you are sure the new version will work with the other systems in your company and your employees are comfortable with it.

A bigger iPhone

Looking at the mobile market as a whole, the most obvious trend with Android and Windows Phone is that devices are getting bigger. When the iPhone first launched, a 4 inch screen was amazing, borderline huge. Now, it's widely considered to be small and the domain of lower-end phones.

One of the most common complaints of iPhone users is that the screen is too small when compared to other devices. Because of this we think that Apple will introduce an iPhone with a larger screen - probably around 5 inches - this year.

There is also rumor that the company has been testing a 6 inch screen, which would indicate a possible phablet (iPhone crossed with an iPad) in development. We doubt that this will happen this year, but it could be a possibility in the not so distant future.

What this means for businesses is that you will have a device with a bigger screen, which will allow you to do more. This could herald a great device for those who are out of the office on a regular basis and want to be able to send emails or check documents.

A new iPad

Both versions of the iPad - iPad Air and iPad mini - are popular products, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. Apple has done a good job of updating the platform on a near yearly basis, so you can expect new versions of existing iPads that will likely have improved hardware and possibly better storage.

If you take a look at Apple's laptops, you will notice that there is an iPad Air but no Pro. It is highly likely that Apple will launch an iPad Pro this year. In fact there are rumors that Apple are developing a 12 inch iPad which could very well be the Pro.

If this is true, we believe this will be a powerful device, probably on a par with the MacBook Air technical specifications-wise. It is highly likely that this will be aimed at power users, and those who want to replace their laptop with a tablet but also need a device that is powerful enough to do everything a laptop can do.

For businesses in certain industries, a larger, more powerful tablet could be exactly what they are looking for. Combine this with a keyboard and you will likely have a viable alternative to the laptop or even desktop. It might be a good idea to keep an ear out for iPad rumors in the coming months, as this one could very well prove to be true.

New Apple products

Apple's CEO Tim Cook noted towards the end of last year that the company will be releasing products in new categories. What this mean is anyone's guess, but it is highly likely that these products will be gadgets that are meant to compliment existing devices.

Some examples could be a smartwatch or even a TV with Apple TV built in. Regardless of what these new products turn out to be, there is a high chance that they won't be directly aimed at businesses. Where businesses will be affected is that these devices will likely come with the ability to connect to the Internet. This means that there will be even more devices connecting to your networks, and possibly increased security risks. It is worthwhile keeping tabs on these announcements and ensuring your systems will be protected when these devices are connected.

If you are looking to learn more about Apple's products and how they can be used in your organization in 2014 and beyond, contact us today for a chat.