Elements Of Modern Construction Software Solutions

Technological advances have led to increased utility in the field of construction software. For small to medium-sized companies, software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions can reduce the initial cost of implementation and can provide added support and stability for these advanced technological systems. Understanding the basic elements of construction software packages can provide increased insights into the most effective uses for these systems in boosting productivity and supporting your company's ongoing construction projects.

Dashboard

The primary interface for SaaS systems is the dashboard, which typically allows access to the most commonly used applications and may provide a convenient display of current project information. Secure login technologies allow staff members to work from home or from anywhere with a high-speed Internet connection. Drop-down dashboard menus allow users to obtain additional information about specific projects or work activities.

Cloud Access

Most SaaS systems allow users to access their dashboards and applications securely through cloud computing technologies. Customized logins can ensure that each staff member has access to the specific applications and data necessary for his or her job duties; this can boost productivity and reduce security risks in the workplace.

Scheduling Applications

Shared calendars and email alert systems can ensure compliance with contractual obligations and can prevent scheduled events from slipping through the cracks. Establishing tiered access levels can ensure that only authorized personnel can edit or delete items already in place, guaranteeing optimal protection for these critical scheduling applications.

Centralized Data Storage

Most construction software platforms incorporate searchable data storage for contracts, documents and other business-oriented digital information. Creating hierarchies and categories within these storage systems can allow a greater degree of control over access and editing privileges in the workplace environment.

Contract Management

Contract management is a critical element in managing construction projects effectively. Tracking and monitoring contractual obligations and ensuring that all deadlines are met can protect the company's reputation for reliability and can allow a greater measure of control for supervisors and managers in the corporate structure.

Punch Lists

Punch list applications are designed specifically to allow access via mobile devices while on the construction site. Mobile apps intended for professional use have become immensely popular in recent years; it is estimated that as many as 200 million workers perform at least some part of their job duties using a mobile device. Punch lists are ideally suited for adaptation to the mobile environment and can provide added convenience on the construction site.

Technical Drawing Programs

Drawing management software is designed to streamline the drafting process and to help construction firms manage multiple sets of plans and track changes as they occur. By maintaining a historical record of previous project iterations and revisions, construction firms can more effectively manage the demands of the client and the requirements of the project.

By incorporating the power of advanced SaaS arrangements in managing the computing needs of your construction firm, you can provide your staff members with the tools they need to succeed. Construction software solutions can enhance productivity and ensure on-time completion of projects in progress to create added profitability and improved market position in the housing industry.

Elements of Modern Construction Software Solutions

Grant runs a small construction company, where he uses a software system to handle many of his business needs. He has found that technology developed expressly for the requirements of this industry has made his business run more smoothly and more securely, and recommends these solutions to others.

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Change Your Drive Icon With Drive Icon Changer 1.0

Drive Icon Changer 1.0 is a simple program that helps you to change/modify your Drive's icons with few clicks.

First select the Drive you wish to modify/change the icon, next browse and select an icon(.ICO) from your hard drive. The preview thing shows your a preview of the icon you selected. Finally click 'Change', it doesn't require a restart to effect. An explorer relaunch is enough to see the changes.

Requirements

• Administrator rights
• .NET Framework 2.0(download it from here)
• Windows XP / Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 7 64 bit / Windows 8 / Windows 8 64 bit

Program Details

• Developer : SHIM SOFTWARES(Mohamed Shimran)
• Name : Drive Locker 1.0
• Size : 763 KB
• License : Freeware
• Last Built : December 12th, 2013 

Download
Direct Download - https://www.dropbox.com/s/d160ew0d0fyqz3s/Drive%20Icon%20Changer.exe
Mirrors :

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Beefing Up Network Security

Companies can build firewalls that keep unauthorized persons from breaking into their computer’s network system. A knowledgeable, highly skilled IT employee or computer engineer can create the firewalls, as well as password protection and biometric technology. Other good methods companies can employ include software methods and virus protection.

These companies can invest in effective physical protection methods, such as signing laptops and data storage hardware out to designated employees or logging the location of every company-owned device, including tablets, smartphones, flash drives and laptops. In addition to logging locations, the savvy company security manager will know exactly who is using the devices, where they are being used and why.

Once a device is outdated, it should not be forgotten about, because the data stored on it is just as valuable today as it was the day it was logged into the device. Every outdated laptop, smartphone, flash drive and tablet should be returned to the security manager, where it will be noted as returned, then it should be securely locked away.

Created by the marketing team at GreyHeller.

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Instagram Launches Direct Messaging Service

 
Instagram launches a new feature called Instagram Direct, with that you can send pictures/videos to your friends individually.

Today, we’re excited to bring you Instagram Direct, a new way to send photo and video messages to friends.

How To Use It?

First Take a picture/video > apply filter if you want > once you're up to share screen you will see something like a tab page called "Direct" at the top.

When you select "Direct" it'll take you to Direct-user interface where you can add people you would like to share your picture/video. You must be following the person you want to share the picture/video with.

When you're done with it, tap on the green button at the top.

Watch Instagram’s co-founder Kevin Systrom Announcing Instagram Direct



Read Instagram's offcial blog post about Instagram Direct

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Asia On Track to Be Biggest Cloud Consumer

According to recent studies on cloud data usage conducted by Cisco, North Americans are currently the biggest consumers of cloud data, transmitting around 261 Exabytes of data per year. The Asia Pacific region is the next biggest consumer, transmitting 216 Exabytes of data in 2011. An Exabyte is one billion gigabytes. If that sounds like a lot of data, that’s because it is – but it’s a tiny amount compared to how much analysts believe will be used by 2016.

Cloud usage is growing more rapidly in Asia than it is in North America, so by 2016 the Asia Pacific region will be the biggest consumer of cloud data, handling 1.5 Zettabytes of data per year. That’s one and a half billion terabytes worth of data. North America will be handling 1.1 Zettabytes, with Western Europe not far behind, and also hitting the one Zettabyte barrier.

Cloud computing is a huge industry, and as this infographic shows it’s only going to get bigger as more and more industries start heading online. Software as a Service is already a ubiquitous idea, with email, messaging and even accounting products heading “always online”. Don’t miss out on the cloud revolution.

Produced by CWCS

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Evolution of Invention in the Last 50 Years

In 1963, John F. Kennedy (JFK) was the president, the Beatles released their 1st single in US "Please Please Me", and Mickey Mantle signed a contract with the New York Yankees for $100,000. Society and technology has evolved quite a bit over the last 50 years, and advancements in invention have been a large driver of change. In the last 50 years between 1963 and 2012, the number of patent applications and patent grants issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office has increased by roughly 500%.
To celebrate the innovation that has taken place over the last 50 years the patent and new product marketing experts at Innovate Product Design have come up with a very interesting infographic that explores the evolution of invention.

The infographic notes several trends over the last five decades, most notably the dramatic increase in the number of patent applications and grants. However, a spotlight is also cast on some of the most influential innovations of the last 50 years, including the commerical jetliner, the remote control (TV), cellular phones, GPS technology, and perhaps the most life-changing evolution of them all, the internet. Also, the infographic offers a useful overview of the disntinctions between the three different types of patents including, Utility Patents, Design Patents, and Plant Patents.

Enjoy this infographic, and please feel free to submit your comments or questions, including any inventions of the last five decades that you think should have been included on this list!

© 2013 Innovate Product Design

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Best Apps To Make Christmas Easier

Christmas is approaching and as many of you rush around, preparing the food and buying/wrapping the presents things can get pretty hectic. Fortunately there a number of great apps to help take some of the stress away. There are many apps to be taken advantage of which can really ensure this time of the year becomes less stressful. For those wishing to ease into the festive season, consider some of these useful apps:

The Christmas List
You'll be able to control your Christmas shopping with this app, keeping track of everything you've purchased as well as everything you still need to buy. The app keeps track of prices, provides you with ideas and adds contacts from your own contact book. It's an ideal app for those that require clarity and precision at this time of year as well as those looking to keep to a budget. Christmas shopping no longer needs to be the overwhelming mission it can be anymore.

Gift Wrapping Instant Expert
Many people will actively love buying and receiving presents but this time of year always tests one's patience with sellotape. Wrapping gifts can be a chore but this creative app is designed to reduce that stress with hints, tips and great techniques. For those who feel like they're ready to take the next step, you can learn how to create bows, produce personalised gift tags and even set up gift baskets for a specified recipient, adding some spice to the usually mundane procedure.

Christmas Cookies - Heavenly Recipes
Christmas is a time of indulgence and the time of year when people forget the diet and embrace the season. Christmas cookies are always a classic, easy to bake and enjoyed by everyone. This app makes it even easier with its sophisticated interface and easy-to-understand recipes, perfect for all budding chefs. For the required ingredients, the app even includes a shopping list feature allowing you to add the ingredients, making it easier once you hit the supermarket as opposed to writing everything down.

Cards
Providing you have a good fibre optic broadband connection, Cards is a great app that changes the way you send off your Christmas cards this year. You can choose from a large array of cards, themes, backgrounds and messages, and then log in with your ID to send them out, eliminating the need for envelopes and stamps and post-office queues entirely. It's something different and special and those that are printed are done so with high-quality paper, ensuring a unique twist on a Christmas tradition.

Christmas Countdown
Finally, the Christmas Countdown app is a minimal app that records the days left until the big day. Not only does it count down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to Christmas, it also allows the user to play a selection of their favourite Christmas songs and carols, fully immersing them into the festive season. For those looking for an extra whimsical touch, the app features a range of different, festive backgrounds whilst some may wish to use photos from their own personal library.

Related Article : Top Technology Gifts For Her

Lindsey is a stay at home mum and blogger. She understands how stresful the holiday period can be and is always keen to find ways to make it a little easier! 

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Developing Online Courses That Encourages Student Participation

Online courses provide learning institutions with a way to broaden their educational reach and teach more individuals. Nearly every type of learning can be taught in an online environment, giving instructors and course designers the freedom and flexibility to go beyond the limit of the classroom and teach in ways that would have been unimaginable before the commercialization of the internet. As the world of online courses continues to evolve and expand, not only in a K-12 and higher education setting but also in corporate training systems and other adult education environments, the challenge of ensuring participation by everyone is a constant concern.

Some of the bias against online courses is the inability of the instructor to physically engage learners in the same way as in the classroom. Some suggest that learners in an online environment simply turn their computer screen on are engaged in a monocratic process with no interaction with the learner. Whether that is actually true is an eye of the beholder opinion; however, the way in which an online course is designed has more to do with the level of interaction and participation an instructor will receive.

A Critique of Early Online Learning Environments
One of the problems with the earlier designs of online learning was the belief that the limits that are intrinsic to teaching learners in the classroom (i.e. size of the room, available supplies and equipment, time, etc.) do not exist outside of the classroom. The instructor's role, based on some technically designed course, was to provide their content in a static format, handout out a login and sit back and watch the learners learn. What took place unfortunately was with the lack of a human presence, such as a moderator or facilitator for the learning, learners were less apt to fully participate and as a result found the online experience dissatisfying. Much of the online learning that was created in the early days focused on the tools used in delivering the learning as oppose to a focus on the learner's needs. The missing element in this type of tool-centered learning was the social presence or process of socialization needed to sustain a learner's attention and motivation to participate in the course.

The Reason for Student Participation in Online Courses
Learning institutions are moving toward the development of learner centered courses that appeal to the different perceptions of learning (i.e. modalities of learning). The absence of an instructor's physical presence needs to be simulated in a way that gives online students the full sense of the classroom and classroom participation. Utilizing techniques that incorporate live discussion, multimedia webcasts, polling and other forms of interaction give students the opportunity to share their personal experiences with other learners. The institution of a pedagogical approach to online learning is important because of the demographics of the online learner. Undergraduates make up the vast majority of people who attempt at least one course online (82.4 percent). Those individuals who are of Generation X (born 1965-1980) are the majority of online distance learners (many using online courses as a way to learn new skills or finish previous degree requirements) with those in Generation Next (1981-2000) in line to become the largest population of online learning consumers. The age range for these two groups is 18 (those born in 1995) to 48, meaning that adult pedagogical learning models must be developed to produce greater student participation.

A Social Constructivist Approach to Encourage Student Participation
The word "constructivism" and social constructivism is being used more and more to describe the types of successful learning environments that yield effective student participation. A constructivist approach involves the construction of knowledge in a learning setting by including the importance of the learner's culture in relationship to the learning. Creating small groups and collaborations among online learners helps the learner discusses and debate learning in order to build on or reinforce existing knowledge. Changing the way online courses are developed to account for the needs of the learner will help make courses stronger, impactful and more able to deliver their desired outcome.

Sameer Bhatia is founder & CEO of ProProfs.com which is a leading provider of online training plateform  for building, Online testing, and applying knowledge. Sameer has a background in technology with a Masters in Computer Science from USC (University Of Southern California) and is an ed-tech industry veteran. You can find Sameer on Google+.

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Fascinating Finds on Ebay

If you search for it, you can find amazing stuff on Ebay! Here are some of the amazing things we’ve found on Ebay!

Joe Di Maggio’s passport! You’ll probably get arrested if you try and use it to fly abroad but for $4.8K it can be yours!

If you’ve always wanted to own a ballistic missile base but the estate agents have never been able to find the right one – you’re in luck! We found the former US ballistic missile base in Washington on sale for $750K. Not sure if the seller will budge on the asking price but try your luck.

Who doesn’t want to own their own town? We sure would but they’re rarely on sale! Well, we’ve found that a town in Texas called Albert is on sale for $3.5 million, we’d advise you to hurry up as buying a town is quite a popular activity.

Lady Thatcher wasn’t famous for having the most loyal fan group but her famous black handbag is on sale for £103K which gives the Hermes Birkin bag a run for its money! There is also a pre-historic skeleton that could be yours for just £61K! If you’ve always wanted Max the Mammoth’s skeleton – this is your chance to your hands on it but be gentle it is quite old!

Infographic brought to you by UK Packaging

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