Tag: Infographic

Keep Company Emails Safe from Phishing Attacks

Email services are central to modern communication. Ironically, 85% of emails today aren’t meant to foster communication at all. Spam is rampant in inboxes all over the world. While some spam is merely annoying, spam can also include real danger. Phishing emails exist to steal personal information, and at least 3 billion phishing emails are sent every day. While phishing emails can wear a variety of disguises, the intent is always the same: to snatch recipient’s information and use it against them. Many phishing schemes are but the first step in a complicated cyber attack.

By 2025, phishing attacks will cost the globe $10.5 trillion every year, according to Cybersecurity Ventures. Cybercrime will be the 3rd largest global economy. A criminal industry that large can choose anyone as its target, even large companies. A recent ransomware cyber attack against Colonial Pipeline caused a nationwide gas panic in the United States. Shipping company FedEx failed to protect consumer information in the wake of a ransomware attack against their company computers. No one can afford to think cybercrime won’t reach their servers.

If the largest corporations on the market can’t avoid cyberattacks, what hope do small businesses have? Successful phishing schemes can be fatal to small companies. It takes 2 to 6 weeks for small businesses to recover from ransomware. Many cannot serve customers during that time. Furthermore, customers must be notified of any data breach affecting them. It’s understandable customers may choose not to continue shopping at a company incapable of keeping their information safe. Between lost operating time and customer attrition, over 60% of small businesses close permanently in the 6 months following a phishing attack.

So what can companies do to defend themselves? The first step is to train their employees to spot phishing emails. While regular training is not infallible, 85% of scams rely on human error to succeed. A suspicious link not clicked is a crisis averted. Next, companies should verify all invoices and payments. Many attacks exist to harvest credentials, which leads to invoice fraud. If a business can spot invoice fraud early, they can keep the crisis from growing severe. Finally, a combination of human vigilance and email security programs should exist in every company. 43% of small businesses lack a cybersecurity plan at their own peril. While humans alone can’t catch 100% of security discrepancies, 25% of phishing emails bypass default security. Yet as cybercrimes grow more advanced, so too do the programs that fight against it.

The best line of defense against phishing keeps dangerous emails out of human inboxes to begin with. Advanced AI can stop 50% more attacks than regular security. Some AI programs deploy inside the cloud and configure as an app would to fight phishing on all fronts. Thanks to integration with other tools, AI email defense is a full scale operation designed to protect end users. The best email security programs can keep the ratio of malicious emails as low as 5 to 100,000. Effective phishing attacks defense begins with you.

Courtesy of Avanan

August 10, 2021
Ready to Drink Cocktails: the Latest eCommerce Trend

Graduations, weddings, becoming a parent, becoming a grandparent, promotions, anniversaries, vacations, birthdays, a night on the town, and a quiet dinner date at home. What do all of these things have in common? They all involve the consumption of alcohol. No matter the occasion, there’s always a reason to have a drink, and since the COVID pandemic, we’re consuming even more alcohol than before. Even though we could no longer meet for drinks at a bar, overall alcohol consumption actually grew by 14% during quarantine, with the top growth demographics being among women (17%) and millennials & Gen X’ers (19%). Forty-four percent of Americans began buying their alcohol online which caused a 243% spike in online alcohol sales. Instacart alcohol orders also grew by 75%. And the emergence of ready-to-drink cocktails are here to serve.

The pandemic also naturally caused a spike in home bartending, and now we have new Quarantinis to add to our mixed drink repertoire. Some of these drinks include the Kumquarantini; a mix of rye whiskey, kumquat syrup, lemon juice, saffron liquor, and egg whites. Or if you want to embrace your inner health nut while consuming your alcoholic beverage, you might enjoy the Kombucha Quarantini, which includes a blend of gin, kombucha, and blackberries. We also can’t forget this throwback to the great toilet paper shortage of 2020; the Charmin Quarantini, with vodka, cointreau, lime juice, simple syrup, cranberry liqueur, and toilet water (just kidding.)

No matter what’s going on in the world, alcohol has been there to help us cope and help us celebrate. Cocktails have played a big role in human history. Gin & Tonic (gin, tonic, and lemon or lime) was popularized by the Brits in the 19th century as a health tonic many traveled to India and warmer climates. Maraschino Cherries became popular in the early 1900’s after a New York Times post in 1910 reported on a young woman who had ordered dozens of Manhattans at a fashionable hotel. Upon investigation it was discovered that the drinks were still untouched, but all the cherries were gone. By 1915, the cherries were popping up in drinks and ice creams all over the country.

Another interesting bit of cocktail history is that the Spanish flu of 1918, much like the COVID pandemic, also produced it’s handful of cocktails including the Corpse Reviver (gin, cointreau, Lillet Blonde, lemon juice, and Absinthe); the Penicillin Cocktail (Scotch whisky, lemon juice, honey syrup, ginger, and Islay single malt Scotch); and the Medicina Latina (Mezcal, honey ginger syrup, and lime juice.)

The Mai Tai was created by Victor J. Bergeron, or “Trader Vic”, in 1944. It included rum with lime, orgeat, orange curacao, and simple syrup. However, in 1954, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel began adding pineapple and orange juice to sweeten the cocktail and this new recipe quickly became the standard.

And who could forget the Pina Colada? Created by Ramon “Monchito” Marrero in 1954, this fruity drink includes rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice. In 1978 the Pina Colada was named the official drink of Puerto Rico.

Although classic drink mixing still reigns supreme, the 2020 pandemic brought a huge boost in the sale of ready-to-drink cocktails. In fact, sales of these quick drinks rose by 43%. By 2024, ready-to-drink cocktails are expected to make up 20% of alcohol e-commerce.

Someday soon, we may all be headed back to bars and restaurants, but with everyone becoming a bartender at home since COVID, the invention of ready-to-drink cocktails might just be something to celebrate. We’ll drink to that!

Via Cooloo.com

August 5, 2021
Can Innovation Fix Kidney Failure?

Kidney failure is a serious problem in the United States. Nearly 800,000 Americans were living with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in 2018. That same year, the total Medicare spending on ESRD patients reached $49 billion. While the industry has tended to focus on the needs of their active, middle-aged dialysis patients, the reality is that 80% of ESRD patients are older than 65. Many of them are nursing home residents. Nursing home residents need tailored dialysis care. It’s time to change the game and innovate to fix kidney failure.

The best treatment for ESRD is a functioning kidney transplant, but only 30% of ESRD patients are able to receive one. The rest undergo regular dialysis. Despite the convenience that in-home dialysis would provide, 86% of dialysis treatment still occurs at outpatient clinics. This arrangement is hard on nursing home residents for several reasons. Outpatient treatment poses an extra infection risk to older, vulnerable patients. Traveling to a dialysis clinic is disruptive, confusing, and time consuming for nursing home residents. Transportation is especially hard for older folks who can no longer drive or whose nursing home does not provide them with transport to a dialysis clinic. Finally, acute residents can struggle to find placement at outpatient clinics due to their extra needs.

Both nursing homes and their residents would benefit from the provision of on-site dialysis. On-site treatment frees up hours of time the resident would have spent traveling to a clinic. Having dialysis on-site also results in better collaboration of care, fewer readmissions to the hospital, and stronger relationships with hospital partners. Nursing homes that provide transportation for their residents can cancel the cost of up to $411 every round trip their residents would have made. Homes with on-site dialysis can also accept higher acuity patients than those which lack the service.

In choosing what type of dialysis to provide innovation for kidney failure for nursing home patients, 3-day dialysis is preferable by far to the daily option. 98% of nursing home dialysis patients are already accustomed to 3-day outpatient dialysis. Switching them to daily treatment requires changes in prescription, leading to confusion and potentially disrupting the continuity of care. Daily dialysis carries greater risk of potentially leading to hospitalization or surgery. This is because the risk of complications like difficulty surrounding the blood-access site, blood clots, and aneurysms are more common in daily dialysis. While 3-day dialysis can occupy 9-12 hours of a patient’s time per week, daily requires a time commitment of anywhere between 10 and 21 hours. Those who opt for 3-day dialysis have more time for other therapies and social activities.

Though the quality of care is first priority, it is understandable that nursing homes must also be wary of the cost of their services. The truth is that 3-day dialysis is more cost effective than daily dialysis as well. For the same initial investment, on-site dialysis provided every 3 days gives treatment to 3 times more patients than daily dialysis does. The same 6 chairs can serve 36 patients in 3 day dialysis compared to 12 patients in daily treatments.

August 3, 2021
eCommerce at Scale Through Product Configurator

eCommerce is growing at a phenomenal rate. On average, 71 percent of consumers express at least some frustration when shopping is impersonal. Because of that, it comes as no surprises that from 2015 to 2018, interest in customized products grew by 2.4 times. The future of shopping is customization—it is no longer just a luxury. The solution is through the product configurator.

But let’s take a step back and look at customization in general.

There are four approaches to customization and they range from low to high customization. In order from low to high, they are adaptive, transparent, cosmetic, and collaborative. Adaptive means that the product is standardized and designed to accommodate many uses. There is no customer input. Transparent customization is when the manufacturer adducts the product based on customer data. In this, only the function of the product is customized. Cosmetic has customer choices restricted to the final stages of manufacturing. As the name cosmetic implies, only the appearance is changed. And finally, there is collaborative. Collaborative customization creates a truly unique product based on customer preferences. Both function and appearance are customized by the customer.

And this is why a business needs a product configurator—especially since not all customization is good customization. Configured products, products produced by product configurators, take the benefits of standard and bespoke products and combine them into a cost-effective and mass-produced customizable product. It has lower costs, high scalability, and low effort. In addition, products are readily available, and are available to both small and large businesses alike.

How does a product configurator work?

Product configurators are powered by rules. They are built on a product database that includes data such as the features and functions of each part (maximum load, environmental exposure, usable lifespan) and how products work together within assemblies (fastener options, physical measurements, and wire sizes and colors). These rules are in place to make sure that misconfigurations do not happen and that everything works as it should. Configurable parameters include: product size and bore stroke, energy source, materials and finishes, and output power, duty cycle, and RPM.

Product configuration is good for business and makes customization scalable. Offering custom products can improve engagement, increases brand loyalty, widens the customer base, reduces work and returns, and grows profits and revenues. By investing in customization, companies are more likely to meet product targets. For example, companies that had no customization reached 64 percent of their revenue goals. Companies that invested in customization efforts, however, reached 72 percent of their revenue goals. Across the table—from quality, cost, and launch date—companies that invested in customization were around ten percent closer to their goals.

To find the right configurator, you should look for: real-time pricing, data available early on, 360 degree visualization, and customer experience. Product configurators can vary in complexity for different applications, so you need to find the best one for your business.

Take a look at the following visual deep dive to better understand the technology behind the product configurator below:

July 30, 2021
The Secondary Phone Repair Economy

The phone repair revolution is happening around us. The lifecycle of our phones is steadily increasing. With the rise in phone prices, less tempting new features, and revamped carrier contracts, Americans are keeping their phones for longer. Compared to 2016, the average American waited 23 months before repairing or upgrading their device. By 2018, the time between devices was 25 months, and in just one year, it rose to 33 months in 2019.

Not only are consumers waiting to purchase new devices, but also revamped carrier contracts are breaking the 2-year upgrade cycle. Combined with the high prices pushing consumers to delay upgrades, consumers are now more likely to pay the full retail price for a new smartphone. From 2016 to 2019, the world’s top 3 smartphone brands saw prices increase by 52%. Because of this price increase, many consumers can’t afford to pay off their devices within two years; now, payment plans can take longer than two years to pay off in order to combat this.

Finally, the new “wow features” pushed forward by tech companies are less tempting. Americans are less likely to upgrade their devices because of new innovations, something that was very common just 5 years ago. Just one-third of Americans are interested in upgrading their device because of a new feature. In addition, less than 10% of those who have spent over $1,000 on phone technologies say they will likely purchase a new 5G device as soon as it is available to them.

Repairing vs Getting a New Phone

Keeping our phones for longer means we are more likely to see something break. The factors increasing the time between purchasing new devices means extending the life of your phone now includes consciously protecting your device from damage. In the United States, 2 smartphone screens are cracked every second. Over 70% of phone users have broken a smartphone, which then increases the likelihood they will break a phone again by two times.

Protecting your device from damage is now more important than ever. Using a case and screen protector while also being aware of how you charge your phone are all ways to decrease the likelihood of a break. A protective case made of shock-absorbent materials like silicone or rubber will guard against drops and other damages. Some manufacturer’s websites will have drop-test results to see how effective their product is. A screen protector will prevent scratches on your device. Finally, maintaining at least 50% charge whenever possible and using a charger that automatically stops when your battery is full helps maximize battery life.

Rather than rushing to replace a device in the event that it breaks, consider repairing it for three reasons: it’s better for the environment, saves money, and is more convenient. Manufacturing and recycling digital devices require more energy than making repairs. Fewer new devices manufactured can lower greenhouse gas emissions from factories, and repairing helps reduce the need to mine new raw materials. In addition, electronic devices contain hazardous chemicals; repairing reduces the pollution from discarded devices. Consumers will spend less on repairs than purchasing a replacement, while effortlessly keeping all files, settings, and habits. Break the phone replacement cycle by choosing to repair.

July 21, 2021
How Telemedicine is Changing Nursing Homes

As we are all aware, nursing homes suffered a great deal during the height of the pandemic, and even long after many things were getting back to normal, nursing homes still lacked the staff they needed to fully meet the medical needs of their patients. In fact, 10% of patients who enter a nursing facility for post-acute care never see a physician during their stay. Sadly, this statistic leads to poor medical outcomes and higher re-hospitalization rates.

28% of patients who do not see a physician in the nursing home will be re-hospitalized and 14% will die within 30 days of being admitted. However, if a patient does have access to a physician, those percentages are cut in half.

Telemedicine is Changing Nursing Homes

The best thing that nursing homes can do right now is to employ on-site APRNs and incorporate telemedicine into their daily operations.

According to one study, the presence of an on-site APRN can reduce hospitalizations by 48% and can lower costs by 40%. In fact, if every nursing home in the US employed an APRN, Medicare costs could be cut by nearly 2.8 billion dollars per year.

One of the ways that APRNs benefit patients, staff, and budget is their ability to recognize early signs of infection and help other nursing staff do the same. Acute conditions like pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and severe dehydration can all be treated in the nursing home if problems are detected early enough. Flare-ups of chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure, uncontrolled diabetes, and COPD and asthma are also conditions that don’t require hospitalization with early detection.

Having a combination of on-site APRNs as well as incorporating telemedicine can help put any nursing home facility at the top of their game inpatient care.

The current average wait time for a patient to see a doctor after admission is 3.2 days but increases to 8.1 days for rural facilities. This means that the median stay for patients is just 11 days before they are either re-hospitalized or death occurs. With telemedicine, all this can change. Telemedicine means that each nursing home has access to physicians they need. In large facilities, the nursing staff is augmented to make care available round-the-clock, and rural facilities that cannot employ on-site clinical staff can now have access to the physicians they need.

With APRNs and physicians working together through telemedicine, 83% of medical issues can be treated in the nursing home and hospitalizations due to acute encounters can be reduced by 17%. The most common diagnoses are things such as bleeding, pain, pneumonia, chest pain, seizures, and hypotension. Overall hospital readmissions can also be reduced by up to 70%.

Telemedicine has helped the medical community keep moving forward and treating patients without missing a beat through the whole pandemic. Telemedicine is changing nursing homes for the better. It is vitally important to our most vulnerable population that that same medical advancement be available and embraced by nursing homes across the country.

Via TapestryHealth.com

July 20, 2021
How to Give Yourself a Free College Education Online

Important as education is for the modern workforce, the formal system that provides and certifies educational attainment is broken. Costs have gotten away from the benefits of a formal college degree. Students face college costs today that is 3 times higher than they were less than 20 years ago. Housing and food insecurity are rampant among college students, causing 20% to lose weight and 17% to go homeless. After sacrificing so much time and welfare for a college degree, 73% of college graduates end up in a job unrelated to their degree. What is the point of asking so much from students only to give them so little in return?

It’s no surprise that more people want alternatives to the current system. Of the youngest generation of American adults, less than half believe degrees are necessary for success. Companies as famous as Tesla are coming around to agreeing with them. People of all ages believe education is shifting more towards autodidacticism or a self-taught model. People who were self-taught in whole or part have made important contributions to society in the past. Melanie Klein gave us children’s psychology without ever attending college. Steve Jobs gave us Apple without so much as a year of a college education. Should people choose to take their education into their own hands today, they will be in good company.

Educating Yourself is More of a Possibility Now than Ever

The truth is that self-education is at your fingertips in a way it never was in the past. The internet makes it possible to access innumerable educational resources without spending a penny. Finding a college-level education online is easier than you think.

Where should self-learners seek out resources? Ironically, some of the most expensive universities to obtain a degree from offer the widest selection of free courses on their website. MIT, Harvard, and UC Berkeley all have a large catalogue of courses to choose from. For those who don’t wish to search individual college websites yourself, aggregate sites like College Cliffs or Coursera curate the best courses by subject for their users.

Stepping away from formal universities entirely, expert-made courses are abundant at Khan Academy, Udemy, and TEDEd, and free online resources like PDF Drive and Z library to download books. Another great place to educate yourself is free online courses like MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses. Canvas is an example of a MOOC, as is LinkedIn Learning. The latter is especially useful because it allows users who complete courses to upload their success to their LinkedIn profiles where potential employers can see it. For those who don’t fare well in traditional classroom environments, SkillShare and Codecademy teach via interaction and project competition. In the vast landscape that is the internet, there is an educational resource for anyone.

Young adults aren’t the only ones taking advantage of these offerings 78% of people worldwide believe they need more training in “soft skills,” and the internet seeks to provide it. For working adults wanting to keep up with company upgrades, 42% of Americans use free online resources to retrain for work.

Source: CollegeCliffs

July 8, 2021
STIR/SHAKEN: The Fight for the Future of Phone Calls

When phone calls were first introduced, it was a wonderful way to erase physical distance from a conversation. Nowadays, a minority of phone calls feature a real conversation. On average, 54% of all phone calls received are uninvited spam. The US is the 8th most spammed nation in the world, its residents receiving upwards of 122,000 robocalls every minute. These calls are worse than a nuisance; in 2020 alone, phone scams swindled Americans out of $10 billion.

The troubles recipients face from spam calls are well known. Less acknowledged is the damage businesses suffer when their calls are lumped in with spam. Spoofing is harming the operations of reputable businesses. When scammers spoof real phone numbers to make their spam more convincing, they are difficult to trace and impossible to police. Their association with the spoofed number taints further usage. The algorithms phone carriers use to detect spam are well-intended, but they lead to many reputable businesses receiving the label of “spam likely.” Thousands of business calls are incorrectly flagged as spam every day. This is because the phone carrier algorithms look for high call volumes, customer complaints, and lead blocking to determine which numbers are perpetrating spam.

How Do We Discern a Spam Caller From an Honest Business?

How do phone carriers protect consumers from spam without harming any honest businesses? Enter the STIR/SHAKEN revolution, here to restore trust in phone communications. The revolution traces back 15 months to the passage of the TRACED Act in March 2020, a law designed to fight back against robocalls. Now in June 2021, STIR/SHAKEN implements caller ID authentication to combat spoofing and robocalls. All service providers are expected to be on board with the new standards.

Here’s how the new system works. When a business places an outbound call, the phone carrier sends their number to a system for authentication. There, the call can be assigned 1 of 3 ratings. An A rating is full verification, meaning the customer and number are both verified. A B rating is a partial verification, in which the customer is verified but their number is not. Lastly, a C rating is for gateway calls. The call origination could not be authenticated on a C call. Once the correct rating is determined, caller ID may show the recipient if their caller is verified or likely spam. These higher levels of attestation are meant to inspire trust among consumers.

The Benefits of the New System are Spread Across Groups

Businesses can carry on as verified customers and consumers know for certain which calls they can trust. Should a business want to further reduce its risk of being lumped in with spam, there are a few extra steps worth considering. Rotating numbers to reduce call volume per number is one possibility, as is the mixing of hot and cold leads to maximize response chances. Services like PhoneBurner are also around to improve calling results, and they act in full compliance with the new STIR/SHAKEN regulations. It’s time to call with confidence again.

July 2, 2021
Why Modernizing Banking is Important to Real Estate Lending

Tech can be a major boon in bringing agility to an evolving market. Unfortunately, not every market is taking full advantage of current technology. Modernizing banking is the only way banks can survive in the shiting market of today. Commercial real estate lending, for example, hasn’t changed in decades. On average, it takes 3 months to close a commercial real estate loan. Once a borrower finds an investment property and identifies their loan needs, their broker has to call individual banks to source a loan. Due diligence on the lender’s part can take months. After that much time in negotiation, it’s rare for either side to get exactly the deal they wanted. Additionally, 2020 proved that many things can change in a 3-month span.

COVID-19’s Effect on Real Estate Lending

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the commercial real estate landscape. At the lowest point in the pandemic, retail vacancy stood at 20%, with office vacancy not far behind at 17%. Even today, a third of Americans work from home full time. Office spaces are in the process of reimagining how their buildings are used in a hybrid workforce. Nearly 6 in 10 retailers are concerned with rising rent costs as their stores turn into mini-warehouses for curbside and delivery services.

Yet while certain commercial real estate properties struggle, others are flourishing. The shift to remote work will increase demand for cloud and networking services, giving data centres their time to shine. Meanwhile, e-commerce continues to drive demand for distribution sites, logistics warehouses, and storage spaces. Lenders are still wanting deals that offer strong, long term value. How lenders define a quality property investment will just look very different in 2021 and beyond. Banks could be doing so much more to address this transformation if they updated their technology.

Compare the current state of commercial lending to their residential counterparts. Despite everything 2020 threw at residential mortgage lenders, they barely missed a beat thanks to their cunning use of technology. 92% of residential borrowers began their research on lenders online. A whopping 43% completed their entire application online, a figure likely to increase in the future.

Why Modernizing Banking is Necessary for Their Survival

Modernizing banking is imperative; alternative lending platforms have the power to ice them out entirely. Already, tech-savvy newcomers like CrowdStreet and FundRise have over $1 billion invested each. Banks can avoid being left behind, but they need to work to assert their place. As the Forbes Real Estate Council warned, “reluctance to adopt new technology can stand in the way of innovation, and this, in turn, can lead to unintentional and potentially hazardous forms of disruption.”

Advanced technologies can give banks the agility they need in commercial markets. With their system, lenders and brokers upload their criteria separately. Once their profile is complete, advanced algorithms match the two sides to deals of best fit. All the information that both needs is kept in one convenient place and deals are already matched to bank requirements. This sorting process speeds up the bidding and negotiation phases immensely. Everyone benefits from the time and effort they save thanks to increased deal speed and safety.

July 1, 2021
A Look at Advancing Digital Health Trends

Throughout the pandemic, we have seen the way that digital health trends has taken an active role in bettering our society. It has kept us connected with loved ones, allowed us to buy essentials online, helped us get an education or go to work, and we have even seen it in healthcare.

Yes, the pandemic contributed to the rapid digitalization of the healthcare industry but this has been going on way longer than anyone has thought. Driven by five main reasons, digitization will be the future of healthcare.

The first thing that has aided digital healthcare is that the people who provide it, doctors, have become more digital. Studies show that over 90% of practicing physicians utilize social media sites such as Yourube and Facebook in some professional capacity.

Many doctors look to sites such as Sermo, UptoDate, or WebMD when they have medical questions of their own. These sites provide quick and efficient answers on troubling cases versus looking them up in a textbook.

The second reason is that doctors who embrace technology are thought of as “better doctors.” 59% of doctors who embrace technology are able to come up with more innovative and creative solutions to problems than those doctors who don’t.

They are also more likely to provide a unique recommendation that increases patient engagements. 61% report that they have increased their patient engagements which can lead to an increased rate of positive outcomes and effective follow-up care.

Third, patients are demanding it. Patients prefer digital healthcare. Whether it is for the convenience, time involved, or lack of access to transportation, digital healthcare is a patientiant preference.

Patients also believe that digital medicine has made the doctors more compassionate. 63% of patients surveyed said that they had seen an improvement in physician interaction when it is over the Internet.

Those who suffer with chronic illness or diseases have also really appreciated the switch to digital. They no longer have to feel captive to their disease due to transportation time spent going to numerous appointments. Over 1 in 3 people with chronic illness have an increased support of preference for digital healthcare.

Fourth, is the complex relationship between the medical community and the pharmaceutical industry. With in-person visits falling by 63%, the relationship between pharma and physicians desperately needs to be rethought. Digitalization could drastically improve the current relationship. It could also create a better experience for both the medical community and its patients.

Finally, the rise in digitalization is motivated by the future. Many physicians know and understand that digitalization is just the tipping point when it comes to change. With revolutionary platforms like patient portals and telehealth, the time for innovation is now and nobody knows what will come next.

The good news is that many of these changes are motivated by a patient’s needs and wants. This could be very beneficial in bringing back patient centered care and increasing the standard of care. Continued innovation in the medical field will only lead to more positive patient experience. See more about digital health trends changing the way we view healthcare in the visuals below:

Via: realchemistry.com

April 19, 2021
Investing in Africa: The New Land of Opportunity

Did you know that, as recently as 2019, the top five fastest growing economies in the world were in Africa? It may be surprising, but it’s true that the overall African economy is growing at a rate of 2x faster than the global average, and is the only economy that is expected to grow by double digits in the next 5 years. The challenges and needs in this region of the world has made it ripe with business and investment opportunities.  Investing in Africa is the latest startup trend.

The top five areas for growth potential are in the sectors of healthcare, education, finance, energy, and agriculture.

Most people in Western society are fully aware of the health crises in Africa, but unfortunately a flood of ads for humanitarian relief has given us a somewhat narrow view of the African healthcare industry. Africa is home to 16% of the global population and only 2% of the world’s doctors. This is a devastating ratio, but it is sure to change as the need for progress has created an environment for the growth of healthcare tech and the industry is expected to reach over $37.1 billion by 2024.

Education is another area for growth and investment as more sub-Saharan children are finishing primary school than ever before, but 1 out of 5 is still bereft of access to education. The COVID pandemic of 2020 saw a 97% increase in edtech usage, but just 28 million out of 450+ million children are currently receiving an education. Education growth could have an astronomical effect on the growth of the African economy. For example, if all 15-year-olds in Ghana received a basic education, the Ghanan economy would grow by 3,800% and the overall South African economy would see an increase of 2,600%.

The third core area for growth is finance. Eighty percent of the African population has access to mobile phones and the online transactions have now surpassed traditional banking. In 2019, mobile transactions in the sub-Saharan region reached $456.3 billion, and African banking revenue is projected to reach $129 billion by 2022.

Number four is the energy sector. It might surprise you to know that many African countries are far more advanced in renewable energy usage than the US and Europe. For example, Kenya sources 13% of its energy from geothermal and 50% from hydroelectricity. The UK and the US, on the other hand source only 11% of their energy needs from renewable energy sources.

The fifth core area is agriculture. Sixty percent of the world’s arable land is in Africa, but challenges with infrastructure and food storage have stymied the growth of this valuable sector. Currently, 12% of African harvests are lost, and sub-Saharan Africa still imports $15 billion in food crops annually. Investments in agricultural infrastructure and inputs could triple the economic growth of this industry.

The fact is that Africa is not the place of desperation which many Westerners perceive it to be. In truth, it is a land brimming with potential and opportunities for growth and investment. It’s time we re-educate ourselves to the realities of this beautiful continent and thriving economy. Investing in Africa is on the horizon – be a part of the movement today.

Via: EmpowerAfrica.com

April 16, 2021
The Bitcoin Bull Run: How We Got Here

In 2009, Bitcoin began its story as a diamond in the rough. Twelve years later in mid-February, there has been a Bitcoin bull run. Bitcoin hit an all-time high of over $53,000, a treasure to anyone who managed to buy and hold. To understand where cryptocurrency in general and Bitcoin in particular is today, an overview of its tumultuous history is in order.

The History of Bitcoin

While Bitcoin began in 2009 as the first successful cryptocurrency to launch publicly, it was not used in a transaction for goods until 2010, at which point someone paid 10,000 BTC for 2 pizzas. This gave Bitcoin a starting point in monetary value. In 2011, the first successful alt coin, Namecoin, also entered the market to compete. Bitcoin stayed a favorite, however. By 2013, Bitcoin reached $1,000 in value for the first time before crashing to $300. Though it would take 3 years for Bitcoin to recover, the cryptocurrency still saw gradual growth in the number of establishments, banks, and fintech institutions open to crypto and blockchain. As crypto’s reputation went mainstream, Ethereum launched in 2016 with an Initial Coin Offering (ICO), proving the trend set by Bitcoin was here to stay.

The First Bitcoin Boom

In 2017, Bitcoin rose to unprecedented heights when its price jumped from under $1,000 to over $19,000 in the span of one year. Unfortunately, legal troubles hit the cryptocurrency market, crashing Bitcoins value by 70% once again in 2018. Despite the setbacks, Bitcoin still outperformed the best stocks on the market in 2019. Following the current pandemic, a slow global economy has attracted new investors to cryptocurrency. For those willing to face the risks, Bitcoin and those like it offer returns impossible to find elsewhere in the financial system.

More than speculation, some investors see crypto as a hedge against US inflation. Bitcoin maintains a finite supply of its currency, reducing new supply every 4 years by halving the rewards miners receive for processing transactions. As such, Bitcoin is believed to be a lower inflation risk than the US dollar, of which 20% of the dollars in circulation were printed last year to address economic slowdown.

Why Bitcoin is Growing

As Bitcoin grows in accessibility, more and more companies are betting on it. Tesla recently purchased $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin and vows to accept the cryptocurrency as payment. Not to be outdone, Apple Pay began accepting BitPay, a prepaid Bitcoin MasterCard. Bitcoin may now be used in any location where MasterCard is accepted. All these factors taken together suggest Bitcoin is not going away anytime soon.

With the growth in cryptocurrency’s popularity, there needs to a matching growth in awareness of the cost of mining and maintenance. In 2017, the estimated power required to run all cryptocurrency exceeded the power needs of the Republic of Ireland. Soon, the market will surpass the energy consumption of Hungary and New Zealand. In 2020, Bitcoin alone consumed 120 gigawatts per second. That’s equivalent to 156 million horses!

Despite the risk, crypto may well be the future of global currency. Don’t miss out on the Bitcoin bull run!

April 13, 2021
Changing Company Culture for the Better

Mastering the art and science of business culture can lend itself to great success. What is company culture? It is the concept that includes all of an organization’s attitudes and attributes. Company culture is unique to every organization and the people who work there, and it’s shown through the actions and habits of every employee. 72% of executives say that culture is key to performance, but only 32% believe their company culture is aligned with its business strategies.

Changing company culture is the key to success. According to a study conducted by John Kotter, firms that had a strong corporate culture saw a 685% increase in revenue, 901% increase in stock price, 756% increase in net income, and a 282% increase in job growth. Focusing on cultural transformation can bring big rewards. After 5 years, there is an 85% increase in net profit increase, and in just 3 years, there was a 25% increase in workforce growth.

Additionally, cultural transformation generates a 50-point increase in employee engagement. Increased employee engagement produces a variety of benefits. 21% higher profitability, 20% higher sales, 17% higher productivity, and 10% higher customer ratings have all been associated with increased engagement. Increased engagement also saves money; in 2020 alone, 85% of employees were not engaged, creating $7 trillion in lost productivity.

Meaningful work is the difference between an employee who actively erodes company culture and one who actively works to better the organization. Employees care about culture, meaning, and motivation; when work is tied to our values, it increases employee engagement, incites inspiration and innovation, and raises motivation and productivity. In this day and age, Millennials and Gen Z expect their work to help meet societal needs. 1 in 3 employees state that the primary reason they stay at their current job is that they find the work meaningful and fulfilling.

While a positive outcome is expected from all digital transformation efforts, barely 1 in 8 are successful. A poor corporate culture can make employees unwilling to support transformation efforts. 57% of private equity dealmakers say cultural issues hinder value creation. Employees are unlikely to embrace changes to rules and procedures, especially if they have been reprimanded for the same actions in the past. Additionally, change may incorporate new technologies that can expose employees who lack the necessary skills, prompting the fear of job loss. Lack of trust, feeling overburdened, and fear of job loss are other factors that contribute to resistant employees.

“Not only is culture the key to success, it’s the secret ingredient for internal cohesion and external brand love. Corporate culture awareness shouldn’t be a buzzword or a trend, but is the new norm and is an important differentiator for employee satisfaction and retention. The tech companies I’ve been employed by make me feel like I’m working with them instead of for them, providing ownership and agency over my responsibilities, and that flip makes all the difference. Whether it’s fostering my love for startup culture, which has led me to angel invest or enabling me to level up my skills in my role and take on new roles, I derive outsize value from the well developed culture of enablement at these companies,” said Himanshu Sahay, angel investor and Silicon Valley engineer.

Cultural transformation investments that matter include strategic imperative, skill training, job alignment, future vision, and reward success. Future vision establishes a compelling vision and determines what your future looks like and how to position your company to best serve your market. Skill training equips your workforce with the skills needed to meet your vision, enabling high performance and career advancement. Job alignment arranges organization and job functions to the company vision, energizing employees to exercise their passion every day. Defining a single strategic imperative to focus your efforts allows your company to be more successful, and ensuring reward systems align with your vision throughout the organization reinforces culture by trumpeting success. Invest in a business and cultural transformation today:

April 11, 2021
A Look at the Future of Networking

The COVID pandemic of 2020 brought many drastic and sudden changes in the way we do a multitude of things; not the least of which is the way we do business. Working remotely was already a growing trend and now, post-pandemic, we find that the number of employees working remotely has skyrocketed. In fact, it is projected that 87% more Americans will be working remotely by the year 2025 compared to pre-pandemic numbers. Although the majority (78%) of executives say that remote work isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and 96% of employees are happy to continue with this “new normal”, remote work does present some unique challenges that businesses must face. Solutions to issues like slow, unreliable, and unsecure network connections must be among the top priorities for businesses who now find themselves with scattered employees and relatively empty headquarters.

The Internet Demands of WFH

In surveys, 94% of remote employees report facing difficulties when working from home. Thirty-five percent of those surveyed said that at some time, they could not finish their work due to a slow or poor internet connection. Another 43% report having to use phones or hotspots during the height of COVID quarantine. Sixty-nine percent also state that they had difficulties with their VPN. Another connectivity issue facing remote workers is that in-home data usage jumped by 38% in 2020, to a whopping 16.6 GB per month. This spike caused problems with real-time services like VoIP and video conferencing.

Unfortunately, slow, unreliable connections aren’t the scariest connectivity issues facing companies or employees. Another new threat is a lack of reliable security measures. Employees are no longer safely cocooned in the security networks of their business headquarters. Instead they’re working from home or coffee shops and other places which may be much more susceptible to cyber attacks. In fact, 60% of all businesses report an increase in cyber attacks post-pandemic. VDI or RDP account for 60% of these attacks while phishing accounts for 30%, and VPN vulnerabilities account for another 20%. Before COVID, 71% of companies report being satisfied with their network security measures. That number has now plummeted to 44%, and it’s no wonder since only 39% of businesses feel they are prepared to manage and protect against security risks inherent with a remote workforce. Currently, IT departments are employing multiple hardware and software rollouts to connect remote workers securely. This is proving to be both difficult, time consuming, and costly.

It’s pretty clear that the future of doing business is simply in need of better solutions and a better internet. These solutions must face and remove remote work obstacles by delivering stronger security with zero-trust access and full visibility; by enabling faster network connections with increased network reliability and optimized protocols and routes; and by simplifying connectivity by removing unnecessary hardware and reducing administrative costs.

The Network of the Future

Fortunately, there is already a solution to all of this. A private network, such as one provided by Ananda Networks, makes connectivity obstacles of remote work obsolete. It’s a cloud-managed SASE model and a private network that can be set up in minutes, rather than weeks. This type of network requires only software to rollout; no hardware setup. It upgrades network security to zero-trust, significantly lowers administrative costs, and can improve network performance by up to 25x.

The future of business is here. It’s time to build the network of the future:

April 7, 2021
Eminent Domain: Knowing Your Rights

Eminent Domain, or the governmental power to seize property without the owner’s consent, has been used throughout America for centuries. While many people do not even know that their government has the power to infringe on their right to own property, there have been many famous cases of eminent domain throughout history.

In the mid 1990’s, a widow from Las Vegas found herself in a devastating situation. Hoping to use the rent from commercial property her husband left her to fund her retirement, she was completely blindsided when the government intervened. Claiming that the property was “blighted” and unsightly, the government seized her property. When the woman tried to protest, the government said that she had missed her trial even though the woman was never informed that one was going to occur.

1999 saw eminent domain used in the city of Toledo, Ohio. Here, 83 well-maintained family homes and 16 thriving businesses were deemed “blighted” and seized. The government then took this land and sold it to Chrysler after they promised to bring 5,000 jobs to the area. When the plant opened they delivered on less than half of that number at a staggering 2,100.

In the early 2000’s, over 127 families in Hurst, Texas were told they could no longer live in their homes. With plans to expand a private mall, the government not only took their land but was able to overrule the several families that tried to resist the action in court.

This is even an issue that has been approved by the Supreme Court. In 2005 in New Haven, Connecticut the issue of eminent domain used to seize property for a private office building was challenged in our highest court. The court ruled that eminent domain could occur for private developers if there could be reasonable evidence to show that private use would increase revenue from tax and create jobs.

One of the most recent and notable cases of eminent domain has to do with the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Iowa Supreme Court rejected the use of eminent domain from the rulings in the New Haven Supreme Court case. They believed that you could not justify eminent domain for private use especially when it came to office buildings. However, the Iowa Supreme Court also ruled to allow the use of eminent domain for the pipeline because it would serve the public more than just an office building would.

This is one of the main issues with eminent domain: its flexibility. Not only is this issue subjective but it is also persuaded by the amount of money a private developer can bring into the economy therefore helping the government. True public use projects do not generate as much money as a private project because they involve more government aid.

Due to the judicial precedent set that allows eminent domain to be so adaptable, there is no clear line as to where it should end. When you hear these personal stories it is very hard to view this is a positive light.

Source: Dallas & Turner, PLLC

March 21, 2021
Knowing the Signs of Home Title Fraud

Whether it is a sports game, board game, or just in the game of life, nobody likes to feel like a loser. Over 160 million dollars were lost from American victims of identity theft in 2019. These victims can range from the most famous celebrity to a normal family of four. Identity theft affects every single person because it can happen to every single person and we should be aware of the signs.

Identity theft has morphed into way more than just a creep who uses your credit card to buy himself a new video game. It has expanded into the realm of real estate and is the reason that real estate fraud losses are two times higher than credit card fraud losses. However, if you are vigilant you can spot the signs of home title fraud.

One of the first main indicators of home title fraud is the receival of financial documents from unknown senders. You can protect against this by knowing who you owe money to and not giving out your financial information to people whom you don’t know or trust. If you are unsure of whether or not a financial document is real, contact your financial provider and ask them about it. Your insurance provider can tell you how the homeowners insurance claim process works so that you aren’t scammed or tricked by an unscrupulous fraudster.

The next sign of fraud would be if you found out you defaulted on a loan that you were unaware of. It is always good to be involved in your accounts and holdings, especially loan payments. If you are aware of activity within your account it can help prevent any oversight that could lead to fraud. Make it a habit to check these things once a day if not more so that you understand what is happening with your money.

This may seem obvious but if you receive an unexpected note of foreclosure then this is an indicator that there is illicit activity concerning your home. Adhering to some of the previous precautions are a good way to protect against this because once home title fraud gets to this stage it is very difficult to refute and challenge it.

If you own multiple properties it is a good practice to check your bills especially the utility ones. A sudden unforeseen rise in these bills for vacant properties could be a sign of fraud. If you see this and have the facilities to go to the property it would be wise. If you can’t call the service provider and ask if there is any reason for the change.

Finally if you have tenants make sure that the money they pay you is going to you and not someone else. Well kept financial notes could be the key to keeping you fraud free.

By looking for these signs of fraud and taking the appropriate steps to mitigate them you can help make yourself less of a target to potential scammers. Having the knowledge and foresight to put precaution in place not only increases your protection but it can help you feel at ease with your status as a homeowner.

Source: HomeTitleLock.com

March 8, 2021
Healthcare Messaging and the Future of Care

Technology has literally transformed the way we talk to people. Even you, as you read the words that the author has typed, are reading words that have never seen a physical piece of paper. We hear from people around the world or across the house with a few swift movements in real time. What with all the information floating around online at any given moment, it is no wonder that sometimes logging onto another website seems daunting. Not wanting to log on to another site might not seem like a bad thing. A patient portal from a healthcare provider should not be a site that users avoid. Unfortunately, only 10% of patients would prefer to use patient portals to find out medical information. This means that the other 90% are hesitant to find out information regarding their health merely because the format is not what they would like to see. Read on to see how healthcare messaging is the way of the future.

How Healthcare Can Better Communicate Through Tech

So how can healthcare providers help to better communicate crucial information to those in their care? The answer is at everyone’s fingertips. By implementing omnichannel communication, providers can communicate with patients through SMS or messaging applications. By using technologies that physicians have already been using to consult each other regarding patient care, the format of this new communication method would already be familiar. The familiarity of the format ensures that there would be a virtually seamless transition on both ends, as both parties are already using these technologies.

In addition to an easy transition, using omnichannel communication also has a lot of exciting potential to transform patient care. As is the case with other life issues, many things can be fixed with effective communication. Many patients have expressed dissatisfaction with current methods of communicating with their healthcare providers. Too many cases of malpractice in healthcare have miscommunication between patient and physician to blame. If the methods in which patients and physicians communicate is less daunting to both parties, there’s less hesitancy in reaching out for help.

Ultimately, this leads to lives saved as physicians can identify and treat problems in a more timely manner. This simplified communication method also allows for physicians to reach out and send reminders to patients. It would ensure that medicines are taken, routines are followed, prescriptions are filled, and appointments are made. This would also allow for the appropriate action to be taken more immediately if patients do not or cannot comply.

The Rise of Omnichannel

Personalized omnichannel communication also has the potential to increase efficiency in doctor’s offices and hospitals. It can instantly rearrange the physician’s schedule as patients reschedule or cancel appointments. This allows for other patients to get off waitlists faster, getting their treatments as soon as possible. Efficiency is also increased when those at the front desk do not have to make repeated phone calls where a message reminder sent to the patient’s smartphone would have been sufficient.

Familiarity, improved patient care, and efficiency in the office are just the start of the benefits of implementing omnichannel communication in healthcare. For more information, see the the visual deep dive below:

Source: SopranoDesign.com

February 24, 2021
How the Nursing Home Industry Can Recover Through Cleanliness

2020 will be remembered as one of the worst years for the nursing home industry. Of the 500,000+ coronavirus deaths in the United States, over a third came from nursing home residents and staff. In some states, that figure is over half. Hundreds of thousands of nursing home residents and staff have died, affecting millions of friends and family members.

While the elderly and chronically ill are uniquely vulnerable to coronavirus, the actions of nursing homes contributed to the heavy casualties. Many facilities forced healthy residents to share rooms with residents who had tested positive for COVID-19. Experimental treatments were given to residents without their family’s knowledge, including antibiotic cocktails that had no effect on a viral disease. Furthermore, banning family visits to residents proved ineffective as nursing home staff became vectors for disease transmission. Even now there exist nursing home workers who refuse to accept the coronavirus vaccine. Taking all these missteps together, it’s no surprise that 1 in 2 Americans feel more negatively toward nursing homes than they did prior to the pandemic.

From falling occupancy to rising costs, 90% of nursing homes are in financial danger. As of right now, 65% of nursing homes are operating at a loss while 25% more have a margin below 25%. If their problems are not addressed in the near term, many long term care facilities will be forced to close their doors. This is a problem because despite nursing homes being deeply unpopular, they are a needed service for many senior citizens. As the American population ages, their services will be in greater demand than ever before.

Already, 3 in 4 adults have changed how they think about the future. 40% are now more willing to save for long term care while 33.3% have taken action to financially prepare for the eventuality. If nursing homes close today, they won’t be around for when these people need them most.

The Way Forward

Going forward, nursing homes need to disinfect both their facilities and their reputation. Cleanliness has grown to the #3 concern prospective residents have about long term care facilities. The two rankings above are staff attitude and responsiveness. Importantly, Black and Latino families rank cleanliness higher when looking for a nursing home. As more diverse generations age, cleaning will continue to be key.

Fortunately, there are several simple strategies nursing homes can introduce to improve their cleanliness outcomes. Promoting frequent and proper handwashing by staff, visitors, and residents can reduce the infections found on surfaces. One-step multi surface cleaner can erase the infections from surfaces altogether through consistent use.

These strategies are not just safeguards against coronavirus, but a whole host of other infections common in nursing homes, such as lower respiratory tract infections and sepsis Improved surface cleaning and disinfection may be able to reduce healthcare-associated infections by as high a percentage as 85%.

To survive pandemics, the future of nursing homes needs to be a clean one. See the following visual deep dive for more:

February 15, 2021
Using a Business Name Generator to Name Your Business

What do Subway, the WWE, and Twitter all have in common? They’ve all changed their business name. In 1968, Subway was known as Pete’s Super Submarines. Their name was often misheard as “pizza submarine,” giving customers a false impression about food sold there. In 2006, Twitter followed the short-lived vowel-cropping trend and used the name “Twttr.” Had they not changed, their name would be a symbol of a bygone era. Then there’s also the age old debate of leaving off the .com.

What’s in a Business name?

Everything. A good business name is the first step towards growing brand awareness. It’s as much an aspect of marketing as color, logo, and advertisements. If a business owner chooses the wrong name, it signals to customers that their company lacks self-awareness, attention to detail, due diligence, or a combination thereof. Given that 65% of Americans dream of starting a business, more people should be aware of what a critical first step naming can be.

5 Easy Steps to Find Your Business Name:

1 – Write out a list of keywords and phrases. In this step, the business owner should think about how they do business and who they do business for.

2 – Create a long list of name ideas. Never commit to a particular word or phrase immediately, and stick to sensible choices over those that make people laugh.

3 – Search the Trademark Electronic Search System and state databases to make sure none of their name ideas are already in use. No one wants to find the perfect name only to land in a lawsuit.

4 – Consider what the business name does for the company’s brand. How will it be represented in a logo design and brand colors?

5 – Check for website and social media availability. So much business is online nowadays that it would be a shame if your business couldn’t capitalize on it. Similar website names and social media handles create confusion for potential customers.

Make it Memorable

At the end of the day, make sure the business’s name is memorable, differentiates from competitors, and clearly defines the business. Stay away from short-term trends and difficult to spell/pronounce names. Too much is riding on the naming decision for a business owner to not take it seriously.

What happens if a company gets it wrong? What if they follow in the path of the companies listed above and realize a need to change their name? Rebranding is certainly possible, but it can be quite costly. Businesses have to hire attorneys to update filings with the IRS, state governments, and local governments. They have to update legal documents and contracts to reflect the change. They have to change any trademarks, patents, or copyrights the business possesses. New advertising and promotional materials must be bought. Websites, social media, and company logos have to be updated as well. For a small business, rebranding costs up to $180,000 plus 8 months of work.

Avoid the hassle. Get your business name right the first time.

February 10, 2021
The Causes of Muscle Pain and How to Eliminate Them

Muscle pain is a major issue in the world today. According to a 2017 Global Burden of Disease study, musculoskeletal conditions were the main contributor to disability worldwide. 64 million adults said their condition impacted their daily lives. Muscle pain also has a large impact on the economy. Many U.S. workers are affected by musculoskeletal disorders. Back pain alone leads to 264 million lost workdays each year. That’s an average of 12 missed workdays per person. Half of American adults have musculoskeletal conditions, which costs $214 billion per year in care and lost wages. Hurt muscles can be attributed to a variety of factors. Desk jobs and the workplace are the leading causes of muscle aches.

How Muscle Pain Happens

How do we hurt our muscles? Everyday causes of muscle strain include fatigue, overuse, misuse, and accidents. Activities such as sitting at a desk may lead to biomechanical instability, muscle tightness, and pain, which causes stress to the body. Traumatic accidents and injuries such as falls and car accidents can injure muscles, causing weakness and pain. 1 in 4 American seniors fall each year. Among adults 65 years or older, falls are the leading cause of hospital admissions. Also, overuse of muscles can lead to musculoskeletal issues. Repetitive activities like typing or heavy lifting can lead to muscle tightness and pain. Overuse most often affects the back, wrists, and hands. While musculoskeletal disorders commonly affect working adults, they can affect people of all ages.

What Are the Symptoms?

Symptoms of musculoskeletal injuries include sudden pain, soreness, swelling, tightness, limited range of motion, stiffness, spasms, or weakness. Muscle injuries should be addressed when you are experiencing a limited range of motion because it is a sign of weakness. After an injury, muscle weakness can lead to dysfunction, which is the root cause of muscle tightness and pain. Even minor muscle issues can lead to long-term injuries. Stress, trauma, and overuse can cause prolonged muscle inflammation and pain, which can lead to progressive weakness, increased susceptibility to injury, and degenerating strength and dexterity. Although some issues can start small, it’s important to get the proper treatment before they become worse.

Three possible solutions to muscle pain include physical therapy, massage, and muscle activation techniques (MAT). For some injuries, physical therapy can be as effective as surgery, preventing unnecessary operations. Massaging can also provide benefits to the muscles. A 2015 study found that massaged muscles had a higher blood vessel count than non-massaged ones, and blood vessels are thought to be connected to improved pain recovery. MAT is a powerful muscular assessment tool that analyzes and corrects muscular imbalances.

85% of patients report positive results with MAT. They focus on the cause of pain by testing, correcting, and maintaining muscle contractile efficiency. They believe that flexibility is a derivative of strength, and that muscle tightness is secondary to muscle weakness. MAT works to improve muscle stability and strength to optimize muscle function by analyzing the range of motion to pinpoint muscle function, using muscle-specific palpation to activate dysfunctional muscles, and implementing position-specific isometrics to improve muscle function.

February 4, 2021
What’s Next for Renewable Energy

While the 2020’s are off to a tumultuous start, the renewable energy market is expected to make great strides. By mid-decade, renewable energy is set to be a $1.5 trillion industry globally. At the end of the previous decade, renewables powered the equivalent of 43.5 million homes in the US alone. The two biggest sustainable energy sources (solar and wind) boasted $18.7 and $14 billion in respective investments as well as over a hundred thousand jobs each.

Government incentives may play a part in this spectacular growth, but demand is also high for renewable energy. In American, 3 in 4 citizens want to reduce pollution, 71% think clean energy should be a priority, and nearly half of consumers would pay more per month in energy bills if it meant they got their electricity from a sustainable source. Their main reasons for supporting clean energy are wanting to provide a better life for future generations and acknowledging that sustainable energy is less harmful to people’s health.

The main problem renewable energy companies will need to solve before they can meet demand is their battery. As of 2019, less than 5% of behind-the-meter solar systems included a battery. Both wind and solar are intermittent in that both can only generate electricity under certain conditions. Electricity usage happens in any circumstance, so power needs to be stored for when it’s needed. The current system of net metering (in which residential solar users sell excess power to their utility company) is set to end soon in the US. Without batteries or net metering, residential solar will become less financially attractive across the nation.

RIght now, batteries of all stripes fall under the category of lithium-ion. Invented in 1912, lithium-ion batteries have not changed much over the past century. By next year, lithium-ion batteries are expected to fuel 61% of demand for renewable energy. Unfortunately, this class of batteries has several limitations preventing it from being a sustainable choice. Lithium-ion batteries degrade over time and quickly lose storage capacity. Their material extraction, production, and disposal can cause toxic water contamination. Also, their recycling process is difficult and costly due to variance in materials. The point of switching to renewable energy is to decrease pollution, not perpetuate it. While lithium-ion batteries are still the best available choice for mobile applications, companies should consider other options for long duration, energy intensive, stationary applications like solar and wind systems.

Given current technology, the best replacement for the lithium-ion battery is a vanadium flow battery. Vanadium flow batteries have several advantages over their predecessors: their useful lifespan is over 25 years, they can fully charge and discharge without degrading, and recycled vanadium is just as effective as freshly mined vanadium in batteries. With vanadium flow batteries, mining will only be necessary to bring new batteries online, not to replace old ones. Everything considered, vanadium flow batteries are the sustainable choice for renewable energy companies to use. Investing in a greener future goes beyond energy sources.

February 2, 2021