Due to some issues such as uneven project performance, potential for loss of credibility, lack of experience in a particular type of project, and lack of in-house dedicated project management professionals, executives hire consultants to provide project management assistance. Project management consulting firms can provide experienced professionals who deliver high-quality solutions to the complex problems that any team may face. Here are six reasons why hiring a project management consultant can benefit your company:
1. Troubleshooting projects
When a project is at risk, it causes the manager to recognize that a better project management approach is required. Consultants are often brought in to address various project-related issues, such as: poor on-time performance (deadlines are not being met), poor financial results (unnecessary spending to meet deadlines), dysfunctional team dynamics (poor communication, internal fights, and distraction) and complicated team composition (multilocation members, language barriers, external collaborations, others).
By providing the right methodology, project management training, resources, and technology, a project management consultant can help executives determine how to most effectively focus on the resources they have available. Moreover, it can also help preserve the integrity of project deliverables by ensuring that issues are identified in a timely manner and milestones are consistently met. These tools and support solutions help improve metrics across the project, while enabling teams to work more efficiently and effectively in high-stress environments.
2. Covering a gap
Projects are sometimes launched without taking into consideration the experience of the team. Additionally, the complexity, scale, and uniqueness of a project can be a major concern for even the most experienced teams. Finally, the experience in the domain of project management required to effectively lead a project initiative may not exist or is insufficient. In these cases, a project management consulting firm can provide the necessary expertise to lead the project to a successful outcome.
3. Contribution of advanced management analysis
In many cases, senior management have difficulty evaluating project performance and making informed decisions because they do not have access to key project information. A specialized consultant can provide the necessary reports and analyses to equip managers with key information about future obstacles, possible project difficulties, and potential resource constraints. When this type of information is incorporated as part of a more inclusive project management approach, the consultant can turn standard project information into a predictive analytics tool.
4. Set a proactive approach
Many projects, by default, are managed using a reactive problem-solving approach. This style of project management creates an environment where “putting out the fire” is the norm and the latest emergency demands attention. A proactive project management approach allows teams to identify roadblocks early, enables teams to make better decisions, and provides more cost-effective solutions. By implementing the right mix of project management training, consulting, and advanced tools, a project management consultant can establish an early warning system that provides managers with future projections to ensure the project is executed as planned.
5. Project security
Some projects are so critical to the success of a business that failure is simply not an option. In such cases, business owners cannot leave any room for ambiguity and need to ensure that the project at hand is delivered successfully. Hiring a project management consultant can help deploy advanced risk mitigation tools and provide expert scrutiny of existing project schedules which would elevate the probability of a successful project delivery.
6. Short term support solutions
The lack of qualified personnel to support the congested pipeline of projects is a constant concern for many companies. Hiring and training full-time employees and mentoring them consumes a lot of time. So, hiring a project management consultants can fill the gap between the immediate need for assistance and the company’s current capabilities.
Conclusion
Project management consultants can provide a combination of experience, knowledge and advanced tools that are not available instantly in most of the companies. By combining these capabilities with an understanding of project management best practices, it’s easy to see how the benefits of hiring a project management consultant can far outweigh the out-of-pocket expenses.
Due to some issues such as uneven project performance, potential for loss of credibility, lack of experience in a particular type of project, and lack of in-house dedicated project management professionals, executives hire consultants to provide project management assistance. Project management consulting firms can provide experienced professionals who deliver high-quality solutions to the complex problems that any team may face. Here are six reasons why hiring a project management consultant can benefit your company:
1. Troubleshooting projects
When a project is at risk, it causes the manager to recognize that a better project management approach is required. Consultants are often brought in to address various project-related issues, such as: poor on-time performance (deadlines are not being met), poor financial results (unnecessary spending to meet deadlines), dysfunctional team dynamics (poor communication, internal fights, and distraction) and complicated team composition (multilocation members, language barriers, external collaborations, others).
By providing the right methodology, project management training, resources, and technology, a project management consultant can help executives determine how to most effectively focus on the resources they have available. Moreover, it can also help preserve the integrity of project deliverables by ensuring that issues are identified in a timely manner and milestones are consistently met. These tools and support solutions help improve metrics across the project, while enabling teams to work more efficiently and effectively in high-stress environments.
2. Covering a gap
Projects are sometimes launched without taking into consideration the experience of the team. Additionally, the complexity, scale, and uniqueness of a project can be a major concern for even the most experienced teams. Finally, the experience in the domain of project management required to effectively lead a project initiative may not exist or is insufficient. In these cases, a project management consulting firm can provide the necessary expertise to lead the project to a successful outcome.
3. Contribution of advanced management analysis
In many cases, senior management have difficulty evaluating project performance and making informed decisions because they do not have access to key project information. A specialized consultant can provide the necessary reports and analyses to equip managers with key information about future obstacles, possible project difficulties, and potential resource constraints. When this type of information is incorporated as part of a more inclusive project management approach, the consultant can turn standard project information into a predictive analytics tool.
4. Set a proactive approach
Many projects, by default, are managed using a reactive problem-solving approach. This style of project management creates an environment where “putting out the fire” is the norm and the latest emergency demands attention. A proactive project management approach allows teams to identify roadblocks early, enables teams to make better decisions, and provides more cost-effective solutions. By implementing the right mix of project management training, consulting, and advanced tools, a project management consultant can establish an early warning system that provides managers with future projections to ensure the project is executed as planned.
5. Project security
Some projects are so critical to the success of a business that failure is simply not an option. In such cases, business owners cannot leave any room for ambiguity and need to ensure that the project at hand is delivered successfully. Hiring a project management consultant can help deploy advanced risk mitigation tools and provide expert scrutiny of existing project schedules which would elevate the probability of a successful project delivery.
6. Short term support solutions
The lack of qualified personnel to support the congested pipeline of projects is a constant concern for many companies. Hiring and training full-time employees and mentoring them consumes a lot of time. So, hiring a project management consultants can fill the gap between the immediate need for assistance and the company’s current capabilities.
Conclusion
Project management consultants can provide a combination of experience, knowledge and advanced tools that are not available instantly in most of the companies. By combining these capabilities with an understanding of project management best practices, it’s easy to see how the benefits of hiring a project management consultant can far outweigh the out-of-pocket expenses.
Your organization can take every precaution to prevent a cyber-attack – firewalls, antivirus, antimalware, spam filter, etc. - but their greatest vulnerability is not lurking in the cyber shadows, they are sitting in your office. The failure to adhere to the employee password policy requirements could put your whole business at risk.
How to Enforce Password Policies for Your Business
Putting a password policy in place for your staff is only the first step towards ensuring a higher level of security. If this policy is not enforced, your staff could still be reverting to out-of-date password rules.
Fortunately, you don’t need to spend hours educating your team on password best practices to get peace of mind. You can enforce technical password requirements using the server located in your office or in the cloud.
7 technical password policy requirements
To protect your company data, your technical password policy should include the following:
1. Rethink password expiration policies
Studies have shown that requiring employees to change passwords often could do more harm than good. When forced to update passwords regularly, people tend to choose weaker and more predictable passwords that hackers can easily crack.
There are many cases where passwords need to be updated. For example, if passwords may have been compromised, ask your employees to update them.
2. Protects against hashing and duplicate passwords
Make sure team members cannot repeat previously used passwords. This includes password hashing, where the letters of old passwords are replaced with symbols and numbers. Algorithms can now guess hash patterns with impressive precision.
3. Do not allow passwords containing usernames
Including your name in your password is weak and predictable. Be sure to establish rules that do not allow this practice.
4. Enforce the length rules
Passwords must be at least 8 characters long. Give employees helpful tips to create even more secure passwords, such as using phrases or sentences.
5. Require password complexity
Strong passwords include an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number, and a special character. Set these prerequisites for all employee passwords.
6. Use passphrases
Choosing phrases for your password that have a personal connection to your life, rather than words, is more difficult for someone to hack.
Use phrases like “I love puppies,” but make it unique by altering some of the letters to be numbers or symbols to get “Il0ve the Cub $ 2017”. A phrase about a sports team that you like is easy to remember and creates the required complexity.
7. Use two-factor authentication
Not only does it require a username and password, but multi-factor authentication also requires information that only the user knows. For example, the user will enter their username and password and then they will be asked to enter their phone number. The system will then send a unique code to the user’s phone and ask them to enter that code into the system before login is granted. This means that a hacker would need the credentials for the user’s mobile phone and account.
phishing
Phishing is one of the most used attacks by cyber criminals who want to gain personal data, banking credentials, and user accounts. Phishing is not a new threat, in fact it has been used for a long time, however, victims of this type of attack are still on the rise.
In this article we are going to explain what phishing is, types of phishing, how we can identify them and how we can protect ourselves. The dangers of the Internet are ever-present, but we can protect ourselves from them with a little caution, knowledge and awareness.
What is phishing?
Although there is no definition of phishing itself, we can define it as the techniques or methods used by cyber criminals to obtain confidential information from their victims; This information can be personal data, user accounts and passwords or bank details. Therefore, phishing is a type of computer fraud.
The meaning of phishing comes from the English word “fishing”, and by which it refers to the fact of using a bait to get the victims of the attack to bite.
Cybercriminals who carry out phishing attacks are called “phishers”.
How does phishing work?
One of the characteristics of phishing is that it is a social engineering technique that cybercriminals use to scam their victims and achieve their goals.
Usually, an attacker sends an email in which they pose as a company or organization (such as banks, streaming platforms, online stores, etc.). The email mentions a problem that needs to be solved (the “threat” of blocking credit cards or user accounts is common) and contains a link that the victim will have to click to solve it.
This link normally leads to a fraudulent website, but which imitates (sometimes very well) the real page of the company in question. Here the victim will be asked to enter different types of data, depending on the intention and objective of the phishing attack and the hackers behind it, or some type of malware will be directly be downloaded to the victim’s computer, allowing them to access the information stored in it.
Although it is commonly used in emails, the truth is that there are other avenues of attack, such as instant messaging services, SMS, messages on social networks or even voice messaging applications or the telephone.
The content that we can find in these messages can vary from referring to cards or bank accounts, we can also find other types of content such as false job offers, promotion of new products, alleged lottery in which we have been winners, cancellation of user accounts in online games, etc.
As we will know in the upcoming blogs, there are various types of phishing attacks, however, their objectives are usually always similar, to obtain personal and banking details of the victims.
We’ve all heard about the amazing success stories of mobile apps around the world. Uber, Careem, Talabat, Carriage, Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat… just to name a few. The required capital is minimal compared to the potential returns. Therefore, it is not surprising that many aspiring entrepreneurs out there would want to follow suit.
If you have an idea for a mobile app and are wondering where to start with the development, this article is for you.
First of all, let’s share some statistics.
- Only 2.5% of companies complete their projects 100% successfully. (Gallup)
- The average IT project overruns its budget by 66%. (McKinsey)
- One in six IT projects overrun its budget by 200% and suffer a schedule overrun of 70%. (HBR)
- 17% of IT projects can go so bad that they can threaten the very existence of the company (McKinsey)
The return on a successful mobile app may be appealing, however, the risks of failure are also very real. It would be a shame if you have a world-changing idea which never comes to light due to reasons which could have been avoided. Therefore, it is important to have a clear plan prior to the start of your mobile app development journey in order to minimize risks of failure.
The 10 Steps of Mobile App Development
- Step 1: Write down your feature list
- Step 2: Do the market research
- Step 3: Identify the users/audience
- Step 4: Identify the monetization strategy
- Step 5: Create a rough sketch/wire frame
- Step 6: Approach mobile app developers and get estimates
- Step 7: Complete the UI/UX
- Step 8: Get the app developed and tested
- Step 9: Launch the app and market it
- Step 10: Gather market response and prepare for the next phase
As you might have noticed from the list, developing the app is way down at Step 8. There are 7 steps that need to be executed perfectly before any piece of code is written. This may be a cumbersome task, however, it could spell the difference between becoming the next success story or just another statistic.
Moreover, once the app is developed, there are two more crucial steps that need to be conducted. Launching and marketing the app is just as important as the idea itself. It doesn’t matter how good your app is if your potential clients never heard of it.
Finally, improving the app. If your app was launched successfully and people do realize the benefit of using it, it won’t be surprising to have copycat apps out there trying to mimic your success. Case and point, Uber and Careem, or Talabat, Hungerstation, and Carriage. The best way to avoid losing market share is to make sure that your app is continuously improved to cater to the ever-changing customer demands. In other words, once you start your journey in mobile app development, it never ends.
H.A. Consultancies has helped several clients bring their mobile app idea into reality. It has also helped some to realize the fault in their plan and avoid considerable financial losses. For more information on our Mobile App Development Consultancy Services, feel free to contact us at any time:
Tel: +973 17233747
work remotely
COVID-19 has changed the world. Working remotely is merely one aspect of how we had to adapt. It is a solution that had to be implemented immediately and in a very short period of time. For companies that were not prepared beforehand, it was definitely a struggle.
This article aims to explain some of the steps, tools, and assets that need to be in place in order to ensure the most efficient transition to working from home and how this can actually increase productivity.
One of the biggest obstacles to overcome while working from home, or from anywhere other than your office, is the communication barrier. As the teams working from the office have their routine meetings, brainstorming sessions, and morning briefings, none of this seems possible while working remotely. Nevertheless, it can be done. All that is required are the right tools and know how.
There are essential things that need to be prepared prior to working remotely and, fortunately, technology has come a long way in a short period of time. Today, it’s easy to stay connected to your remote computers by having a stable VPN connection. This needs to be prepared and set up properly to allow the end users (the employees) to access the internal network/system of the company. Also, the employees need to have a computer/laptop to allow them to work remotely and access the network. Moreover, an adequate tool to communicate internally & externally that facilitates virtual meetings is necessary also to allow the employees conduct their meetings/conference calls. However, in order for all of this to work, a stable internet connection is required at both the company and the remote location.
Many companies noticed an increase in productivity from the employees working remotely. This may be due to any of the following reasons:
- Improved flexibility: virtual communication tools make communication between computers in different time zones easier. Thanks to messaging services, you do not have to wait for a team member from the other side of the world to be available to send you important information.
- Convenience: you do not have to bother finding a meeting place when you contact via remote communication. People can communicate from anywhere using their computer or mobile device (and Internet access), making it easy for impromptu meetings. There are even applications to record video chats, so people who cannot attend also have the possibility to see what was discussed in meetings.
- Ease of staying connected: connecting with a teammate, supervisor, or external collaborator has never been easier. When you need to ask a quick question or send a document to a coworker, you can connect to them with a click of a button.
Of course, working remotely also has its downsides as well, such as:
- More distractions: remote communication tools can be very annoying. Being constantly bombarded by company emails and chat groups can have a negative impact on productivity.
- Technical difficulties/internet interruption: remote communication depends on technology. A hardware malfunction, a service interruption, or an unstable internet connection could cut communication lines for an extended period of time.
Difficulty in conveying ideas: sometimes it’s easier to explain an idea in a face to face meeting rather than a conference call or through an online chat. Some ideas just need the human interaction element to get across.
ISO
Many companies are concerned about how this ongoing pandemic is affecting the continuity of their activities and threatening their very survival.
Most business owners are concerned with how to keep their companies afloat and are updating their current procedures to accommodate events as unfortunate as the one we are experiencing.
For companies that are already ISO certified, they already have the tools in place to combat external threats. For those who are not, it is not too late.
In this series of posts, we will attempt to explain how ISO helps companies overcome the COVID-19 crisis. In this post, we are going to shed light on the ISO 27001 standard concerned with information security.
ISO 27001: Information Security
With the invasion of cloud technologies, the ISO 27001 witnessed strong growth. With the implications of the Coronavirus Pandemic, this growth is going to become exponential.
Equipment safety, backups, information exchange, network access control, laptops and mobile communications, remote access, key management, data protection and privacy of personal information, business continuity plans – surely if in your company you are working remotely, all these elements have been placed on the table. These are some of the controls established by ISO 27001 and that companies that are already certified have implemented. Therefore, their transition to working remotely or another new way of operating has been easy for them.
In addition, with the amount of malicious information circulating through the different digital media on the Coronavirus, it is imperative to keep the information safeguarded and establish security protocols within the company.
To that end, the ISO 27001 standard allows the implementation of an information security management system as an indispensable tool to protect companies and organizations from threats and risks against information.
This standard allows companies to:
- Identify risks
- Manage risks
- Minimize risks
The ISO 27001 is a standard that keeps the information of the company, customers and suppliers controlled and protected from any intrusion and possible cyber pirate or cyber-attack.
About H.A. Consultancies
We are a company with more than 20 years of experience in the implementation of ISO Standards and effective management solutions for your organization:
Quality Systems – Information Security – Software Quality – Compliance
Environmental management – Occupational Safety – Food Safety – Operational Excellence
H.A. Consultancies’ team of professionals and experts in ISO certifications will help you achieve your goals by offering you the best consulting service.