Characteristics of Successful IT Professionals

I was at a networking meeting the other evening and was asked the typical question What do you do? I answered with my normal turn of phrase I teach leadership and soft skills to IT people. How about you, what do you do? The returned reply was not what I expected. Instead of the person launching off on a description of his chosen profession, he replied by saying Wow, my son just graduated with a degree in Computer Science and landed a job with a company in their IT department. What makes an IT person successful? I answered with the expected list of characteristics such as having a deep understanding of the technology, business expertise, being a team player, etc.

Upon returning home two hours and a cup of tea later, his question What makes an IT person successful?. Upon deeper thought, I settled on these 12  main point.

1. Loves Technology
When a person is doing something that he/she truly enjoys, it’s infectious. People can feel it and want to be involved and get swept up in the experience. From an IT perspective, this can be your boss, peers, clients, or staff. Equally, if not more important, is that when you do something you love, you do it better. This shows in the quality of your work, your commitment to the task, and your willingness to take on challenging assignments.

2. Understands data
Data is the life blood of an IT organization and the business it serves. Having a deep understanding of a companys data provides insights into how all the major software applications are connected. Additionally, from a business perspective, if you understand a companys data flow, you will understand its internal processes and business model.

3. Understands the business
A major trend in IT is its closer and closer alignment with the business it serves. Even at the CIO level, you cant just be the head techie, you must be a strong business professional who happens to know quite a bit about IT. This business understanding allows you to better serve the business community and be more innovative on their behalf.

4. Can speak both techie and non-techie
Do you want to watch a non-technical persons eyes glaze over? Talk to them using technical acronyms and/or start describing a technologys features instead of its business benefits. The problem with this scenario is that the business users are the people you are trying to support and, as a result, may have input into your next performance report. 

5. Is a mile deep in primary expertise

If your primary expertise is business analysis, then you should be the best Business Analyst you can possibly be. If you specialize in data communications, you should know everything there is to know about Cisco routers and other data communications hardware and software in your data center. If you are a Project Manager or IT Manager, know how to lead projects and lead people. It doesnt matter what expertise you choose, IT professionals respect competence. Unless there are mitigating circumstances, such as organizational fit, your ability to perform will be noticed.

6. Has a working knowledge of related technical areas

 The complexity of todays business processes multiplied by the complexity of todays technology doesnt allow you to be a one trick pony. While, of course, being proficient at your primary technology, you must also be knowledgeable in the technologies that touch it. For example, if you are a Java programmer, you should also have an understanding of database design and database stored procedures. On the less technical side, if you are a Project Manager, you should have a general knowledge of software development, software testing, and the other professional disciplines needed to make your project a success.

7. Shares technical knowledge with others

 Part of being a team player is a willingness to share your knowledge with others. Helping others helps your manager grow his/her staff, enhances your professional reputation, builds loyalty toward you in those you help, and positions you for higher levels within the company. Also, teaching others actually enhances your understanding of the topic because it makes you look at things from other peoples perspective.

8. Loves to learn

 One thing about technology is that it keeps changing. Hardware and software vendors continually upgrade their products. New IT megatrends miraculously appear, become the primary industry workhorse, and eventually fade away as an out-of-date legacy. You must love to learn because the tools of your profession are continually changing.

9. Is a team player

 There is an old African proverb that to go fast, travel alone to travel far, journey with others. A profession spans many years and is a marathon, not a sprint. Being a team player and an ethical employee, in the long term, far outweighs the short term advances gained by unsportsmanlike conduct. It eventually catches up with you. As the expression goes, friends in your life come and go, enemies accumulate.

10. Thinks outside-the-box

Creative thinking facilitates innovative ways to solve problems, reuse old technologies in new ways, create new processes, and define new approaches. These types of activities can enhance your professional brand as both a thought leader and indispensable company resource.

11. Sees problems as learning opportunities

It is a wonderful feeling when technology and business processes run smoothly. While everyone, of course, does their utmost to reach this state, there is great value in viewing issues as opportunities to learn more about technology and how to use it effectively. Over time, your willingness and ability to fix production problems combined with the deep insights they bring can truly make you a techies techie and go-to person when issues arise.

12. Loves a technical challenge

The willingness and ability to define and architect solutions to seemingly undoable technical challenges can broaden your technical knowledge, increase your understanding of specific technologies, deepen your problem solving ability and gain you the notice and praise of your peers, business users, and management. A love for technical challenge causes you to theorize potential solutions while standing in the shower at home, walking the dog down the street, and sitting in front of the TV with pencil and paper in hand. This may sound extreme, but for anyone who has done it, you understand that your most creative thoughts and innovations most often come when you are relaxed and doing other things. Its the love of the challenge that keeps it in mind.

If you have any questions about your career in IT, please email me at "itdotmokbulATgmail.com"

 

10 Best and free remote desktop sharing software's

10 Best and free remote desktop sharing software's

If you are someone who often need access to your home computer from your office or you provide technical support to your customers or sometimes dear ones. The remote desktop sharing software helps you solve the queries remotely and save your day from travelling and frustration.

Here I have listed some of the best and free remote desktop sharing software's which can help you connect remote computer anywhere around the globe using Internet connection. If you use this utility regularly, then you can also bookmark this page for your reference.

Logmein Free Provides access and control of remotely located workstations with complete liberty. Logmein Free helps you to access any computer seamlessly and gives facility to control your peripherals like Keyboard and Mouse. Logmein is very popular, fast and secure remote control utility for your computers. Using free version of Logmein you can only access the computer and work on it, and can be upgraded to pro version with many more facilities.

Team Viewer Easy to work solution for desktop sharing, remote control and file transfer. Team Viewer also works with iPhone/Android app that you can use to access remotely located computers from your phone Device. it is free to user for non-commercial use. To make it work you have to install the Team Viewer software on both machines.

Real VNC It is a desktop sharing and remote control software which allows you to see and interact with the remote computers using a trouble-free application anywhere on the Internet. You can also use Real VNC to view and control a Linux machine on your Windows PC. Real VNC is of no charge and free to download. You have to use the server version software on the computer to be controlled, provide a Secure Password initially and use the viewer version software on the controlling computer.

Tight VNC An enhanced version of VNC, optimized to work on slow bandwidth networks like a low-speed modem connections. Using TightVNC you can access your workstations remotely using client application and even with a web browser (Java based). It works well with both windows and Unix systems.

Ultra VNC Also known as UVNC is an open source software for the Windows OS. You can use it to connect remotely situated computers over the Internet or internal network. It enables you to control your remote workstations using mouse and keyboard. Recommended for computer support providers to quickly connect and resolve your customer's issues remotely.    
         

Ammyy Admin Ammyy Admin is a dependable, quick, secure and friendly application for remote desktop control and sharing. It connects remotely located computers in seconds with no extra installation and configuration. You can look into or control applications running on the remote workstations and transmit Files and Folders

Anyplace Control Secure and easy to use remote desktop utility which allows you to view the desktop of remote computer and manage that computer from anywhere, using your own mouse and keyboard in real-time. The remote workstations can be connected over LAN, WiFi and Internet. Comes with Host Module and Admin Module. If you want to access a PC of the person who is not a computer savvy, just forward them a web-link and desktop becomes available on a single click

CrossLoop It provides secure, fast, user-friendly interface and free of charge facility to access your home or office computers. Once you install the application and whenever you initiate the application, your workstation will be provisioned with a 12-digit access code, you can then forward that access code to other user who is sharing his/her desktop.

SkyFex A free web based remote desktop assistance, you can access remote workstations directly using a web browsers and it requires no extra software installation and configuration. Some of the features are; SkyFex can be integrated to your website, Supports dual monitors, give presentations, Allows Remote reboot, file transfer, Integrated text chat and many more.

DesktopNow Provides access to your workstations and laptops using Internet connection by sharing special folders you can download or upload files to. Using DesktopNow, you will experience fast and easy access to all your essential files from anywhere. It uses a secure SSL connection and require no additional router configuration


Did i missed any thing??

What is the main purpose of a website's homepage?

A home page is like a shop window in a website

The home page is there to entice the right customers to enter.

Think about it in terms of the website user: they’ll be wondering if your business is the right company for them, in terms of products, services, culture, personality, and price.

In short: can your business fulfill their need? Do you have the right solution? And can they trust you?

The homepage is what many people see when first encountering a website, and it can lead to a lasting impression (negative or positive) that can affect their decision to return to it.

Identify the website’s purpose/goal

A designer should understand the purpose of the site in order to build an effective homepage design.
The homepage is a website’s initial chance to make an impression, so a site visitor must see exactly what they’re looking for the moment they arrive. Defining the purpose of the website will help you see what will attract users to the site.

Keep in mind that the website’s purpose is different from the website’s topic. For example, "real estate" is not an example of a purpose.

"To sell homes" also cannot be the purpose — what is the likelihood that someone will buy a house off a website without seeing the property firsthand?

Keeping in line with the real estate example, the purpose of a realty website might be one of the following:

•     To showcase new or featured properties for sale
•     To help visitors find the business or realtor contact information
•     To assist visitors in finding the right realtor for their needs

Each of these purposes can lead the visitor to an action and can guide them to take further steps in acquiring property as a direct result from visiting the website. In this example, the website is a gateway to making a home sale. Therefore, an effective real estate homepage will have property and real estate agent locators to help users quickly find what they’re looking for in order to take the next action to purchasing a home.

Another example we can use is an online portfolio site. What is the purpose of a portfolio? Saying "to get clients/a job" is too broad, and instead you should define your site purpose as tangible and realistic goals.

Examples might be:

•     "to encourage a potential client to make contact with me"
•     "to impress the fellow designers and gain a positive reputation in the community"
•     "to impress a potential employer"

If your purpose is "to get a client to make contact," you can make a web form readily available on the front page.

If the main purpose is to display your works or impress a potential employer, the homepage could showcase thumbnails of portfolio pieces in a manner that will entice the visitor into checking out more pieces.

Ultimately, all of these purposes will lead to more clients or jobs, but it is important to identify your tangible goals so that you can understand how to strategize your front page layout.

Differentiating goals of the homepage vs. goals of the website

One point to keep in mind is that the goal of the entire website may be different than the goal of the homepage. How can this be? A homepage is an entry point, and while the overall goal of a website may be to sell a product, the homepage’s goal may be to lead users to the web pages that enable them to buy the product. Trying to "make the sale" for a website right on the front page can deter a visitor.

Learn the difference between a new vs. returning visitor

An important part of planning the design of a website, and especially the front page, is to realize that there are two types of visitors: people who haven’t seen the site before, and people coming back for more. A website can’t function very well without any repeat visitors, so we must think of ways to promote reoccurrences.
Two ways of doing this are:

1. Get the visitor interested in the content enough to revisit
2. Provide resources that remind the visitor to return. (An RSS feed, for example.)

Designers can easily assume new or repeat visitors will find their way around a website if it has an intuitive user interface. User-centered designs is the concept that a design revolves around the reason why people visit the site. A design is user-centered if it can answer "yes" to the question, "If I come here to do X, can I accomplish it quickly without much thought or effort?"
With a solid understanding of User Experience design, it’s easy to create a great website with excellent user-centricity.

Subscriptions and memberships

Having subscription options on your homepage can encourage repeat visits. One of the most frequent subscription points on a website is via the home page.
When users come to your site from a landing page other than the front page – the next action is usually to go to the homepage to see what other things might be of interest and to understand what the site is about.
Flickr is an excellent example of a website whose front page design is effective in increasing their membership, and whose design is changes depending on whether you are logged on as a member, or not.

Welcome to the IT Consulting page!

Welcome to the IT Consulting  page!

The IT Consulting Jobs subcategory is the place to find consulting and coaching jobs in the information technology, web development, and computer professions. In order to be an IT Consultant, you'll need to have specific education, experience, and expertise in software, hardware, programming, and other related technology areas depending on each job, and you'll need solid analysis, problem solving, and people skills. Computer and IT Consultant jobs exist in a variety of industries, including construction and HVAC, healthcare, manufacturing, sales, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and others.

Some of the common job titles found in Computer and IT Consulting include IT Project Manager, Programmer, Systems Engineer, Technical Sales Rep, Instructional Designer, Network Analyst, and Technology Consultant. Take a look at the job postings in this section for IT Consulting opportunities that are contract, freelance, flexible, part-time, and telecommute-friendly.

Collected - FlexJobs

IT consultant: Job description

An IT consultant works in partnership with clients, advising them how to use information technology in order to meet their business objectives or overcome problems. Consultants work to improve the structure and efficiency of an organization's IT systems.

Hiring in consultants to perform specific functions over an agreed period of time is often referred to as ‘outsourcing’.

IT consultants may be used to provide strategic guidance to organizations with regard to technology, IT infrastructures and the ennoblement of major business processes through enhancements to IT. They can also be used to provide guidance during selection and procurement as well as providing highly expert technical assistance, and may be responsible for user training and feedback.

IT consultants may be involved in sales and business development, as well as technical duties.
Typical work activities

Tasks typically involve:

•     Meeting with clients to determine requirements;
•     Working with clients to define the scope of a project;
•     Planning timescales and the resources needed;
•     Clarifying a client's system specifications, understanding their work practices and the nature of their business;
•     Traveling to customer sites;
•     Liaising with staff at all levels of a client organisation;
•     Defining software, hardware and network requirements;
•     Analysing IT requirements within companies and giving independent and objective advice on the use of IT;
•     Developing agreed solutions and implementing new systems;
•     Presenting solutions in written or oral reports;
•     Helping clients with change-management activities;
•     Purchasing systems where appropriate;
•     Designing, testing, installing and monitoring new systems;
•     Preparing documentation and presenting progress reports to customers;
•     Organizing training for users and other consultants;
•     Being involved in sales and support, and where appropriate, maintaining contact with client organisations;
•     Identifying potential clients and building and maintaining contacts.

                -IT Consultant Firm

System Integration
Network Infrastructure
Video Surveillance
Access Control

PLANING + DESIGN + IMPLEMENTATION

For your business, you need a partner that offers valuable technical advice, service and support.

At IT Consultant Firm, we're in the business of making your business better. With over 11 years experience as a total solution provider of integrated technology services,IT Consultant Firm stands ready to deliver value, peace of mind and that edge you need on your competition.

Our knowledgeable consultants, developers and technicians take away the stress of managing your computer systems and web presence while employing solid and personalized technology solutions that put you ahead of the pack.

At IT Professional, we know our success depends upon your success. Technical Services Technical support isn't all about response times and different support levels  it's about trust.

Your business needs an effective and reliable technology solutions partner giving you peace of mind. IT Professional offers an integrated approach to our technical services offerings, working step by step with you to ensure your technology needs are met.
We are ready to deliver comprehensive and proactive support. At IT Professional, we know our success depends upon your success. Let us be your firm foundation in business technology.

               -IT Consultant Firm

Providing Highly Skilled IT Professional

If you are seeking IT Consultants with excellent technical skills and experience, we are able to give you access to a wider pool of talent and ability. Operating with a strong team of experienced IT Consultants across the world, we offer prompt services within various technologies.

Our IT staffing options enable our clients to eliminate expensive HR, recruiting fees and the high cost of employee turnover but still have access to highly trained IT professionals. S Software provides IT professionals on a per-project or contract basis. The IT consultants we offer are employed by S Software and are available for niche and specialized areas where it may be difficult to place a consultant easily AT NO EXTRA FEE or hidden cost.

Please give us a call if you would like more information on any particular skill set.