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December 2021

Business

What Do System Integrator Companies Do?

A system integrator is a professional in the field of computing technology who specializes in connecting seemingly separate digital technologies and forming a cohesive, unified platform for business processes. As opposed to employing a variety of computer subsystems that operate independently with their security protocols, a software system integrator will build, develop, test, and maintain a single structure tailored to the needs of a business.

System integrator companies may be involved during almost every stage of the development lifecycle, starting with research and analysis of possible solutions to meet customer requirements. The solution is then broken down into smaller subsystems known as components, designed by expert developers who will work closely with industry partners or in-house staff. Once these components are developed and tested, the system integrator will then integrate them into a final product ready to be deployed.

System Integrators – The Stages of Development

As a system integrator company plays an important role at every stage of the development lifecycle, let’s take a look at each phase in more detail.

Research and Analysis: During this stage, potential customers and their requirements for the system to be built are identified. This includes specific features, customizations, and even the use cases that must be included in the final product.

Component Design: Once customer requirements have been established, the system integrator company will work closely with its development partners to design components that fit these requirements. These components may include new or updated features for existing plugins, new reports or dashboards, or even other integrated products into the software system.

Component Testing: Once all subsystems have been designed, they must be tested before being sent off for integration. Each component is thoroughly tested to determine any deficiencies or bugs within its code. Once these issues have been resolved, it is ready to be inserted into the final product.

Integration: This is the final stage of a system integration company’s involvement in a project. Here, all of the individual components that have been designed and tested are combined into one end product that is ready for customer use. If needed, this final product may also be deployed to a production environment for its use by other members within the business.

Final Thoughts

System integrator companies are integral to the development process. Without them, many businesses would have no way of effectively integrating their web-based systems to achieve maximum productivity. In addition, by staying involved throughout each stage of the lifecycle, these companies help ensure that a new product meets their customers’ needs and provides the best possible solution for their business practices.

Many businesses are now turning to system integrator companies to assist them in their IT needs. If your business is looking for a new solution to integrate its assets, you can find system integrator companies that will work with you every step of the way in building this solution. By utilizing a system integrator, you will benefit from a more cohesive and functional IT environment.

Even if your business is relatively new to the world of web-based technology, it may still require assistance from a system integrator company at some point in its lifetime. So make sure to look for these companies as soon as possible so that they can help with your needs at each stage in the development lifecycle.

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Business

What to Know About Business Phone Answering Service

If you’re in business, you know how important it is to be able to answer your phone at all times. A business phone answering service can help make sure that the office never goes unmanned when someone needs customer service or when a client tries to reach you. In addition, it creates an image that the business is expanding and that this company is one that you should work with. Answering service providers can help any viable business set up a phone answering system that will grow as the business does.

In this post, we’ll look at how a professional provider can help your small or big enterprise establish a reliable phone answering system for less than you may think.

Choosing a Provider for Your Business Phone Answering Service

One of the first things you’ll need to do if you want a business phone answering service is finding a good provider. Different providers will have different types of services and prices, so you must know your needs before you start looking for someone to set up your phone system. If you’re not sure what type of system you want, read on for some advice.

Choosing an Answering Service Type

There are different types of business phone answering service providers, including virtual answering services and live answering services. The latter is the type that you want to look for when you’re searching for a provider. A live operator will answer your calls in person by transferring them to the right department or directly to whoever handles the calls.

Virtual business phone answering services are automated, meaning that the person on the other end is not a human being; it’s just an automatic voice that asks callers to leave messages or press certain buttons to be directed to different departments. This can be helpful if your company is very small and only needs one line, but it doesn’t create the personal image that a live service creates. If you want your business to be seen as professional, always choose a live answering service provider.

Making the Decision

Once you’ve chosen between virtual and live services, you’ll need to make another decision: do you actually need an answering service? The chances are good that if your business does not have enough employees to answer the phone at all times, you want one. First, however, you should think about whether your company needs this type of service or if it can handle messages on its own.

If you’re not sure whether your business needs an answering service, here are some things to consider:

  • How many messages do customers need to leave each day?
  • How long does it take for employees to return calls?
  • If there’s an emergency, is your business able to answer the phone and give important information immediately? This can be crucial if you run a medical or law office.

Once you have a better idea of whether an answering service would benefit your small business, you can start looking for providers.

Working With the Provider

When you work with a provider, they’ll probably ask you to choose between three different types of plans. The least expensive option is usually to have one phone line go directly to an operator who will transfer callers when necessary. This plan will be the cheapest because it doesn’t offer many services.

The second type of plan is what most businesses will want: it gives you a certain number of lines for your business and operators who will answer all of them. Your employees can still answer some calls, but an operator will handle customer service if there’s an emergency or you’re out of the office. This plan offers more benefits than the previous one and is a great choice for a small business.

The most expensive plan is the one that offers 24/7 support for your business, which means that employees will pick up every call and take messages if necessary. This type of answering service is usually best for larger companies or ones with many employees who can’t answer the phone all of the time.

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Health

Some Methods of Medical Waste Disposal

Many hospitals and healthcare facilities have the resources to carry out internal Medical Waste Disposal and treatment. If the environment is sufficiently sterile; the treated waste can generally end up in a sanitary landfill with other general waste. In the past, hospitals had dedicated medical waste facilities for on-site decontamination. Today though, most medical centers hire contractors to collect, treat, and dispose of medical waste. There are professional waste collection teams that are available to collect and correctly dispose of any medical waste. Here is a quick overview of the main medical waste treatment and disposal methods that are approved by regulation.

One disposal method is that of Autoclaving, this is when sharps and certain other types of infectious waste go through thermal treatment. An autoclave is really like a large pressure cooker that effectively uses steam and high temperatures to kill off any microorganisms. Depending on the need of the facility and also depending on the turnover of waste that is produced will determine the size of the autoclave that is needed and there are various sizes available. Automated autoclaves lower the level of risk too as they require minimum human involvement also reducing the risk of contamination and needle-stick injuries. Decontaminated sharps and other medical waste that’s been autoclaved is then transferred to a medical waste removal vendor. It is then disposed of as non-infectious waste.

Another disposal method is chemical treatment, this works by decontaminating or deactivating certain wastes on site. Often used to deactivate liquid waste, it saves the medical facility of the hassle of packaging and sending this medical waste to a separate facility. Liquids are highly likely to spill if not correctly contained and because of this their treatment usually takes place as close to the generation site as possible. Regulation recommends chemicals like chlorine, sodium hydroxide or calcium oxide for the treatment, depending on the type of waste. It is reasonable to assume that only knowledgeable staff should execute chemical treatment as it requires maximum care. If your facility is not comfortable with on-site chemical treatment, there is an alternative. You can use solidifying agents to turn liquids into solids, then direct them to a medical waste removal service for disposal. Most professional disposal companies will offer this service.

A final method used for medical waste disposal is a microwave treatment system. This is similar to an autoclave, in the way that it also decontaminates medical waste through the use of heat. The design of these systems allows them to treat waste that is not 100% dry or solid. The moisture allows deeper penetration through heat while the steam sterilizes. Most types of medical waste need to be shredded and mixed with water to achieve the desired effect before microwave treatment.

All methods described here are effective in their ways and are all regulated for proper and correct medical waste disposal. It is imperative that all disposal methods are used correctly and if this is not possible on site then always use the services of a professional disposal company.

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