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As we live in a world that is now digitalised, most businesses deal with huge amounts of data, whether it be financial records, product-related data, or simply day-to-day management of staff. It is so important for data to be kept and managed securely for a business, as it is almost as important to its success as the actual product or service your business offers. However, with the vast amount of data that comes in every single day to a business, it is easy to get confused or overwhelmed as a business owner. This does not have to be so as there are many ways to manage your business’s data even as it grows and expands. On the surface, managing data might seem like an uphill task, but it doesn’t have to be. Some tips to better manage your business data are as follows:

Backup 

Besides the actual collection of data, perhaps the most important task a business will have when it comes to the handling of data is the secure and efficient storage of it for future reference. Few things could potentially cripple a business more than important files, documents, and other data being permanently lost due to carelessness, accidents in the office, and so on.

To prevent this, it will be in your best interest to opt for cloud-based services from a business like Memset. These services will make sure that all your business information and data is backed up by a cloud service and easily accessible whenever you need it.  Typical storage methods such as CPUs have a limit to how much they can effectively store at any given time. Cloud-based services do not have that limitation. As such, they should be seriously considered for any business looking to better manage their data.

Digitize your data

The conversation about backing up your business data cannot even be had unless the data in question is being digitized. Believe it or not, there are still businesses in the 21st century that keep data solely in hard copy form, which is extremely unwise as such data can easily be lost, damaged, or stolen. If your business were in this situation, it would be best to begin digitizing all your files and make sure all data is collected digitally rather than manually in physical form. This could go a long way in saving time, energy, money, and most of all, making sure your data is secure and easily retrievable.

Segment 

As much as your data should be stored in a digital and secure manner, it is also important that it should be collected in an organized manner. Rather than having all data jumbled together in collective files, it is best to have dedicated folders for each type of data such as one for receipts, one for invoices, and one for payroll-related information.  This will cut through the confusion of having a massive amount of data and will instead offer an organized and easily understandable database for your business.

Managing your business data in the 21st century does not have to be an uphill task. Follow the above steps to make sure that your business data is kept secure and organized at all given times.

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Everybody wants to advance their career, but not everyone wants to admit that they don’t have the skills necessary to make the leap. You might think you already have what it takes to deserve a higher salary, but do your resume and portfolio reflect that belief? There are many courses and certifications you can pursue to improve your eligibility as a job candidate in almost any field, and many of these qualifications are useful across all occupational fields.

The question isn’t whether you have the capability to advance your career; the question is whether you’re actually going to follow through with it. There’s never a one-size-fits-all solution to career advancement – it really just depends on what you’re trying to accomplish and which occupation you’re interested in. However, here are 10 steps you can take in any industry to advance your career without committing to a lengthy degree programme:

1. Take a Business Management Course

Completing a business management course is one of the best ways to obtain certification that proves you’re a qualified candidate for managerial jobs. Of course, such a strong credential provides the obvious benefit of making you eligible for more prestigious and higher-paying jobs within any company. If you’ve reached the point in your career where you’re ready to start pursuing management level positions, why not learn more about earning a qualification in business management?

2. Create a Career Mission Statement

Before you rush out to enrol in courses and earn certifications, take some time to write a detailed mission statement for your career. This document will be an organised collection of career goals and aspirations. What kind of salary do you want to be earning 5 or 10 years from now? What fields of study interest you the most? What do you want your finances to look like one year from now? Do you have any saving and investing strategies lined up? These are examples of critical questions you need to be answering in your career mission statement.

3. Build Your Business Social Networking Presence

If you already have a personal presence on sites like Facebook and Instagram, that’s not what we’re talking about here. Social networking for business is a completely different animal. It has more to do with your public professional persona for the sake of long-term career advancement as opposed to scrolling through your FB feed in search of short-term entertainment. While there are plenty of other directories and forums you’ll want to join, start by optimizing your profiles and building your networks on sites like LinkedIn and Google+.

4. Take a Public Speaking or Communication Class

Being a better speaker and communicator will always help in the world of business, regardless of what kind of job you’re applying for. You can complete a public speaking or corporate communication class in just a few weeks or months. Even if you don’t come out of the course feeling like the most confident speaker and communicator, you’ll have a solid foundation to build your skills upon, as well as a qualification that proves your speaking and communicating skills to prospective employers.

5. Complete a Business Writing Course

Most high-level job positions will involve some form of business writing, whether it be responding to emails or preparing written presentations for upcoming board meetings. A business writing course can be completed in 8 weeks and will give you the skills and credentials needed to confidently author business emails, letters, and reports for the rest of your career. If you haven’t already been educated about formal and business writing styles, for the sake of not embarrassing yourself, it’s imperative that you brush up your skills in this area before trying to take on a high-level job position.

6. Revamp Your CV and Portfolio

Maybe you already have all the skills and experience needed to get hired for your dream job, but you don’t have a nicely compiled and formatted CV to prove it. Every hiring manager starts with what they see on paper. A professionally written CV and well-organised, extensive portfolio can go a long way in boosting your employability. You could pay a CV writing service for a one-off revamp, or you could take a resume writing course so you’ll be prepared to apply amendments in the future.

7. Complete a Corporate Leadership Course

If your goal is to climb to the top of the corporate ladder, eventually you’ll find yourself in a leadership position. Thus, logic dictates that learning the art of corporate leadership is a necessary step to include in most career advancement plans. Even if you feel like you don’t need help in this area, it can’t hurt to expand your knowledge of advanced leadership concepts to increase your confidence and proficiency in the workplace.

8. Get Certified in Business Administration

Certification in business administration is one of the primary credentials that hiring managers look for when comparing applicants for high-level job positions. There are many kinds of business administration courses that can be completed in 1-6 months, so it’s not something you have to commit years of your life to. Yet, despite the relative ease of earning business administration qualifications, they provide a lifelong boost to your overall employability.

9. Become an IT Professional

Information technology (IT) professionals are in high demand everywhere, so taking an online IT course will be enough to make you a more desirable applicant for thousands of different job positions. As you continue to progress in the field of IT, you could find yourself earning an excellent salary with hourly wages ranging from £30 to £150 per hour or more, just for managing computer interfaces and hardware. If you’re a complete novice with computers, you may need to start with some introductory courses before you move on to a professional IT training course.

10. Launch a Full-Scale Online Job Search

Finally, once you’ve gotten all or some of the above steps out of the way, it’s time to see what kind of amazing jobs you can find if you really apply yourself on a global scale. Take the geographical and position-based limitations off of your job search and look for the highest-paying job with the most perks. There’s no limit to how many applications you can submit, and with credentials like the ones suggested in the previous steps, you’ll have plenty of job offers on the table in no time.

Will Taking All of These Courses Really Help?

The act of simply taking a course and completing it won’t guarantee that you’ll be viewed as the best person for the job in every scenario, but it will certainly add some shiny stars to your resume that will boost your chances of being hired for any given job position.

To recap all of the progress that you’d make just by taking the 10 steps in this guide, you’d become a business administration specialist with certification as a public speaker, communicator, and/or corporate leader, along with proven business writing skills and a strong social networking presence.

Let’s not forget additional specialisation in information technology and a wonderful CV/portfolio. Altogether, these perks will inevitably contribute towards the advancement of your career in one way or another.

To read more on topics like this, check out the business category.