Giva Blog Categories : Technology

ITIL® is an acronym that stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. ITIL is a best-practice framework that guides the actions, operations, and measurable outputs from IT Service Management (ITSM) teams. 

ITIL is not the only framework in town. However, ITIL is well-known, respected, and widely implemented as a service framework for ITSM operations and service teams, also known as IT departments, help desks, and IT vendors.

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Building software products is inherently risky. Regardless of cloud providers and security vendors you might work with, the Web, as we know it, is a high-risk environment for software developers and applications.

Cybercrime is on the rise. Cybercriminals, either in organized gangs, professional criminal hackers (sometimes known as Hacking as a Service), and even unhappy employees or contractors will always find a way to weaken an organization's security.

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At some point or another, we have probably trusted our "gut" with making a decision. In other cases, you make a decision, which turns out to be incorrect, and then proclaim, "I should have gone with my gut." Intuition can seem like an attractive prospect in decision making, although there's plenty of research to suggest that it is nothing more than the luck of the draw. Whether you are deciding on a new personal auto insurance plan, or a big partnership at the company you run, data can help you better understand and quantify a decision. This is where data-driven decision making, or DDDM for short, can make a big difference. So, how can you validate an action before committing using DDDM? The answer is not straightforward. How you incorporate DDDM into your business is highly subjective. It will depend on things like the industry, business goals, client-type and, of course, the way you collect and process data. Continue reading to find out how you can transition from intuition to data-driven decision making at your business.

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The cloud is so much more than new-era data storage. It has grown to offer services of all kinds to businesses, healthcare organizations, educational faculties, and more. You may already be familiar with "Software as a Service" or the SaaS meaning. While that is a well-known expansion of cloud as a service, there are many other acronyms you may be unaware of. Each acronym reflects another capable service of the cloud — one or more of which may be of value to you and your organization. Continue reading as we have created a master listing of each service related to today's cloud technology.

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Customer data privacy management is essential in all business sectors, not only from a legal perspective, but as part of the customer experience. Customers trust organizations and service providers with their information and personal data.

Any organization that fails to provide reasonable and adequate safeguards for personal information and data is in breach of what customers and legislation expects.

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Project managers (PMs) and IT support specialists serve critical roles in a modern organization.

PMs have many responsibilities — running meetings, planning and scheduling, managing resources and budgets, analyzing reports, delegating tasks, and more.

Like PMs, IT support specialists are responsible for juggling multiple tasks simultaneously. IT service or help desk employees analyze, troubleshoot, evaluate and resolve technical issues for an organization's customers and clients, among other things.

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Customer support automation — using digital services and tools, including chatbots and self-serve solutions — is a powerful way to reduce operational costs as much as 40% and provide 24/7 service to customers.

Businesses everywhere are using chatbots within customer service operations. In most cases, customers are happy to engage with chatbots when they have simple questions or problems that need resolving.

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We live in a hyper-connected society. Almost everyone we know has a cell phone, tablet, or computer — maybe all and more. These devices are designed to make our day-to-day activities more efficient and enjoyable. While healthcare is rarely an enjoyable experience, there are always means that can be used to make it more comfortable. One of those solutions comes with improved technology that allows patients and providers to communicate and share data with speed and ease. The most common way improved communication occurs between both parties is through personal electronic devices, like smartphones. Although this sounds like a great idea, it has not exactly taken off. This is mainly because HIPAA still applies.

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What Does TCO Stand For?

As everyday consumers, we often consider price one of the top indicators to justify a purchase. When we say "price," we mean the sticker price, but rarely do we factor in other costs involved with maintaining a product. The same goes for organizations. They are often home to various software and services with an upfront cost. That upfront cost is likely an attractive number, strategically formulated to obtain a signed service agreement. Licenses and maintenance fees associated with the purchase are usually a small component of the overall total cost of ownership (TCO). Where actual costs can begin to pile up are in the areas of labor to maintain software, infrastructure, and hardware.

Calculating true total ownership cost can be a tedious process, though it is necessary. Before sending your IT team out to solicit new SaaS products, be sure they have a standardized template of data to look for beyond the sticker price.

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