What’s Holding You Back? 5 Things That Could Be Negatively Effecting The Growth of Your Company

As a data consulting and process engineering firm, we frequently find that clients have problems in these 5 areas. This 5  contribute to high overhead costs and expenses, and profit reduction. Watch this video, or read below to see what these things are. You can also view it in presentation form here. It is written from the perspective of a company that is experiencing these issues.

5) Lost Competitive Advantage

Both my competitor and I sell the stereotypical widgets. But for some reason, they are selling more, and still have fewer overheads.

Perhaps they have established a better incentive program and are able to retain more employees. This would lead to fewer dollars being spent on training. Or maybe they are better able to meet their promised delivery times to customers.

Unfortunately without the data, I can only speculate. How do I access the information I need to discover why I am losing my competitive advantage?

4) Incomplete Information

My company was supposed to have a new product launched last week. The product design team submitted their design to marketing, who then began to develop marketing tools. Shortly after, the production team began producing it, when they suddenly discovered that they couldn't produce it the way the design team intended. By the time marketing and sales discovered this, they had already spent thousands, and they had to rework their messaging and strategy. This is setting us back an additional month. How can we ensure that everyone is getting and sharing necessary information in a timely manner?

3) Spending Too Much

Every time a tech must be sent to a customer's house, it costs upwards of $100. Every customer service call that comes in costs roughly $5. But, we were successful at incentivizing our customer service reps to reduce the amount of time they spend on a call, saving us $2 per call. However, now, there are more truck rolls. What is the optimal length of time a rep should spend on the phone to tackle the problem and reduce truck rolls? What questions should they ask to determine how to address a customer's problem?

2) Employee Retention

My company experiences high turnover, especially among our frontline employees. This means that I am spending astronomical amounts on recruiting. More importantly, I am spending far too much on training. I spend $250 to train each employee, and he or she may only stay with the company for a matter of months. How can I retain more employees, to reduce these costs and also provide more consistency for my customers?

1) Customer Retention

Six months ago, Mary moved from Boulder to Denver. At this time, she switched the location of her pharmacy. However, her medication was not ready in Denver, it was ready for her in Boulder. She drove to Boulder with little complaint. However, this is still occurring. She has called and emailed, and directly spoken with everyone who touches her prescription, yet the problem still persists. She has decided that her only option is to switch doctors.

Find out how the barriers to communication between the silos could be making you lose customers. And discover how redesigning business processes could help you grow and save money.

TransFirst: TSYS’ Latest Catch

So you thought credit card and payments processor TSYS took its most significant acquisitions step when it snapped up prepaid card provider NetSpend for $1.4 billion in 2013? Guess again. The firm announced Tuesday that it is making another large acquisition—the biggest in its history—with the purchase of merchant services provider TransFirst from Vista Equity Partners. The $2.35 billion, all-cash deal is expected to close in the second quarter of this year, pending regulatory approval.

This latest acquisition will make TSYS the sixth-largest U.S. merchant acquirer in terms of net revenue, with more than 645,000 merchant outlets nationwide on its roster of clients. The combined TSY/TransFirstmerchant operation will reportedly generate approximately $117 billion in annual sales volume from handling some 1.2 billion transactions per year. More importantly, with TransFirst’s customer base under its umbrella, TSYS will become a more formidable competitor on a larger playing field. In addition to retail operations, that base includes software vendors, health care providers, not-for-profit entities, banks, and online commerce players.

“With the added strength of TransFirst, TSYS will be uniquely positioned with significant scale and strength across issuer processing, merchant services, and prepaid program management,” TSYS Chairman, President, and CEO Troy Woods said in a statement issued when the acquisition was announced. “I believe our ability to offer market-leading services through this distribution network and across the payments spectrum will be unmatched.”

Woods will be joined at the helm of the combined operation by John Shlonsky, current president and CEO of TransFirst. Mark Pyke, TSYS’ senior executive vice president and president of the TSYS merchant business line, is leaving the company to pursue other interests within the payments industry, the firm said.

Meanwhile, a few factors indicate that the acquisition will prove to be a positive step for both entities involved. For one thing, it should allow TSYS to sharpen its own competitive edge by playing off TransFirst’s strength to enhance its merchant business. As Woods told industry analysts during a conference call that followed the announcement and the firm’s earnings report release, “The U.S. (merchant) acquiring market is a very large market;” the sector is currently valued at $13 billion. “At the end of the day, TSYS needed to enhance its merchant business in order to remain competitive in the rapidly changing acquiring landscape.”

Then, there is the seemingly firm alignment of the two companies’ cultures and the foundation of their existing relationship: During the conference call, Shlonskynoted that TransFirst and TSYS have been “partners for quite some time,” with the former having utilized, and continuing to utilize, TSYS’ front-end, back-end, and gateway services. He added that his interaction with TSYS, particularly its executive team, renders him confident that “our values and how we treat each other and our clients are firmly aligned.”

Precautions being taken on the revenues front also seem to bode well for the future. TSYS CFO Paul Todd told analysts participating in the conference call that the company will cut back on stock repurchases until it “digests” a portion of the cost of the acquisition, and until TransFirst “ramps up” into the TSYS revenue stream.

Sounds like a good plan all around.

Is There Really An MIoT?

By now we have probably all heard about the IoT- Internet of Things and that it is bound to be the lifestyle of the future. But what is the MIoT? That would be the Medical Internet of Things. As the world continues to advance its technology everything is going into the Cloud.

Not many people can wrap their head around the Cloud, but basically it is where data created from our technology can be stored. Big pharmaceuticals are now calling for their industry to move to the cloud, but is this a good idea? It is for the pharmaceutical industry for through Big Data they will be able to monitor when people use their prescriptive devices such as inhalers or blood glucose meters.

The issue with medicine going more digital is that patient confidentiality becomes significantly more vulnerable. The idea behind going electronic with medical charts is that they would become more mobile and easier to swap between the different professionals who work with each patient. This causes a big security problem, because the more places information travels, the more likely it is going to be hacked  into and exposed.

Big Pharma is trying to use big data to track their customers the same way Target would stalk theirs. Hopefully the Pharmaceutical companies will use Big Data for good and not use it to prey on people and their prescriptions.

Does Your Business Need A Change?

Does change scare you a little? That’s okay, it can be frightening to everyone, but it can also be the best thing you ever do. Change is the only way to move from your current state into something better! You never know where life will take you until you make the effort to change. Check out this insightful new book on the positive effects of change and how change could lead you to be the next success. Be the first of your company to break out and change!

The most successful companies and people out there are not the stubborn ones who stick to their set ways, it is the people and businesses that know how to adapt to change. Welcoming change is the best way to spin whatever comes at you in your favor, but if you resist change it will swallow you whole. This book by Richard Batenburg Jr., a man with over 25 years of experience and success in being an entrepreneur and business owner, is written with the wisdom of someone who has seen it all. Batenburg has years of experience consulting other CEO’s on how to reevaluate their company and run a more efficient operation.

If you fell that your professional life is getting stale, this book is a must read! The experience and advice within this book is just what you need to take a fresh look at your organization and begin to see how you can change your business and yourself for the better! Simply click on the link below, enter your email address and this Ebook will be sent to you FREE! No strings attached, you can really gain valuable insights on how to be the first to change your organization free of charge!

Change Is Great, Be First! 

Case Study: Redesign Business Systems to Optimize Growth

Redesign and Tuning of Business Systems Optimizes Growth

Growth is the goal of most organizations. But, the management of that growth is often difficult to manage while still meeting day to day business goals. Cliintel provides real world experience to facilitate operational improvements, create better practices and take businesses to the next level of success.

The Client:

A leading provider of insurance for new housing construction and appliance and home warranty services had experienced exponential growth. This growth began taxing internal systems, specifically the IT department’s trouble ticketing system.

The Business Issue:

When organizations experience extreme business surges, much of their time, money and resources are spent upgrading and adding customer facing applications while internal systems are pushed to their limits. The client’s IT department found itself needing to support a myriad of new tools on multiple platforms, in addition to an onslaught of new employees. The rudimentary trouble ticketing system they had been using for years was not capable of adequately responding to the rapid growth.

The increased utilization of the ticketing system soon revealed that the system and associated processes did not support adequate problem identification, timely resolution, or proactive trend reporting. Furthermore, established and ‘right sized’ service level agreements had not been base-lined or followed; resulting in lengthy system outages and wasted downtime.

The Approach:

Utilizing Cliintel’s INSIGHT methodology, the Cliintel team took a holistic view of the client’s business operations. Cliintel conducted a series of end-user interviews, gathered system and user requirements and noted operational observations. Existing contractual commitments required the client to continue using the existing trouble ticketing system. Cliintel examined this existing system and identified features and functionality that were not being used. The team developed a plan to modify and upgrade current versions to meet the growing needs of the client.

The Solution:

Cliintel worked with the trouble ticketing vendor to complete system reinstallation and improve report development. The trouble ticketing system was redeployed with appropriate support documentation and procedures. Cliintel established modified procedures and standards to facilitate disciplined ticket management.

The Project Results:

The reimplementation of the trouble ticketing system enabled the client to reduce system outages and proactively prevent future outages from occurring. The new and improved utilization of the ticketing system resulted in a cost savings of $75,000 per year.

Additionally, the client was able to create an enterprise repository for tracking IT work and improved management of resources through a single source of work management.

Infogram: The World’s Data

Check out more Visuals, Facts and Quotes about Big Data, the Internet of Things and more Here.

Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Tips and Fine Fabric Protection and Cleaning Fabric Finishing Services

Professional Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Tips

Does your upholstery have deep stains that are difficult to remove? Do you need to eliminate odors from your furniture? Hiring a professional cleaning company is the best way to remove stains from materials such as ink, blood, tomato sauce, wine, and grease.

Cleaning Leather Sofas and Upholstered Chairs and Couches Fabric Protection and Cleaning Tips

Did you know that cleaning leather sofas requires specialized care and specific cleaning products?

Fiber Care Rug and Carpet Cleaning and Protection Tips

Did you know that the Carpet and Rug Institute recommends cleaning your carpets professionally at least once every 12 to 18 months?

Fabric Protection and Cleaning Fabric Finishing Services in Dallas

FiberCare Dallas specializes in caring for fine fabrics. For your home… FiberCare Dallas provides long lasting fabric protection and cleaning services for upholstery, draperies, rugs and carpet.

"Thank you for being so responsive to our request to have the bed steamed at Curtis on Monday."

"The guys who worked on it did an excellent job."

"After the bed was delivered, the designer reported back to us that it looked “amazing”."

"Please relay our thanks and appreciation to them. They saved the day for us."

– Diane Wood

Carpet Cleaning Tips and Caring For Your Area Rugs In Your Home

Did you know that one of the best ways to maintain your carpets is to prevent dirt and debris from collecting in them? Did you know that one of the biggest problems pet owners have is pet odors in their carpets?

Fabric Protection and Cleaning Services for Upholstery, Draperies, Rugs and Carpet…

CALL (214) 987-4111 – Dallas, Texas

Immigration Tips, Choosing The Right Lawyer and Criminal Defense Attorney Brandon Marinoff

Immigration Tips, Immigration Interview Preparation, Tips for Green Card Through Marriage and More With so many immigration attorneys in today’s market to choose from, finding the right one can be an overwhelming experience. Call 720-621-7635 and speak with the right…

Muhammad Ali Hand Signed Photo Icon Quote

Muhammad Ali, is a legend for his skills inside the boxing ring. He's even more admired, for his values outside the ring. Ali has spent his life, as a champion for religious freedom, racial justice and the triumph of principles over expedience. Ali's philanthropy towards education continues, to make a huge difference. He is genuinely, the "people's champion."   Muhammad Ali has been named, The Greatest Athlete of the Last Century. Worldwide, he's also been named The Most Popular Athlete of the Last Century. The most charismatic boxer, and by his own admission, also "The Prettiest of All Time." Ali won a Light Heavyweight Gold Medal, in the 1960 Olympics. Now he's in the Boxing Hall of Fame and has beaten 7 other heavyweights, who are also in the Hall of Fame.   In 1964, Cassius Clay  was 19-0, when as a 7-1 underdog, he defeated champion Sonny Liston for the crown. In their 2nd fight, Clay stopped Liston in the 1st round, to defend his Heavyweight Championship Title. After those fights, Cassius converted to Islam, and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In his prime, years later, his religious beliefs would have him stripped of his crown. This decision, […]

Adrian Mannarino, Naomi Osaka and Kevin Anderson Australian Open Update

Adrian Mannarino in the semi-finals at the Australian Open! Adrian's current 52 week rank for singles is 48 and 223 for doubles.

Go for it Adrian!

Congratulations to Naomi Osaka reaching the 3rd round in singles before going out to Azarenka.

Serena Williams: Rising Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka is ‘very dangerous'

Well done today Naomi!

Won the 1st round match in a Grand Slams' main draw. Many more to come.

2nd round on thursday against Svitolina (seed 18).

Come on!!!

-Cyril Saulnier

It is a frustrating start to the year for Kevin Anderson, who enjoyed a stellar 2015 by breaking into the world’s top 10 for the first time. Kevin retired with a knee injury in his first round match against America's Rajeev Ram.

We wish him a speedy recovery!

Harvest Capital Strategies to Green Dot: Give Streit the Boot

One of Green Dot’s largest shareholders wants to kick Steve Streit, the prepaid trailblazer’s founder and long-time CEO, to the curb. But Green Dot doesn’t seem to be having any of it.

Yesterday, the shareholder—Harvest Capital Strategies LLC—called for Streit to be ousted based on allegations that he had made strategic missteps, delivered weak financial results, and repeatedly destroyed Green Dot shareholder value since its IPO five years ago in 2010. Missed revenue targets and the discontinuation of Money Pak were among many examples cited by Harvest—which has a 6.2 percent stake in Green Dot—as rationale for putting Streit out on the street. While management at the investment firm admittedly lauded Streit’s accomplishments at Green Dot between its founding in 1999 and the IPO, they stated in a letter demanding the ouster that “the Green Dot of today requires a proven leader who can deliver consistent performance for shareholders,” and that “Mr. Streit has proven over many years, he is not that person.”

Streit is not the only one whom Harvest wants removed from his place at Green Dot. The investment firm wants two more of eight Green Dot directors, Kenneth Aldrich and Timothy Greenleaf, to be terminated as well. In addition, Harvest created and posted on a new website called www.fixgdot.com a 93-page presentation that details major changes it wants to see implemented within Green Dot and presents an argument that if the prepaid entity does not implement the suggested management changes, it should explore other strategic alternatives. “Numerous financial and strategic acquirers,” the presentation states, “would be interested in Green Dot.”

The presentation also contains a full-on attack on decisions made under Streit’s leadership. For instance, it stipulates that Green Dot’s board of directors changed the list of peer firms on its annual proxy “in a blatant attempt to justify increased compensation to Mr. Streit,” as the board utilizes the prepaid company’s relative performance as a reference point for determining management compensation.

It’s clear from Green Dot’s response to Harvest’s demands that it understands the latter’s position; the prepaid player said it has held numerous telephone calls and meetings with Harvest officials and will carefully review suggestions proffered in the presentation. However, it also doesn’t appear to take great stock in what Harvest has said about Streit and related matters so far. “Green Dot maintains a very active dialogue with our shareholders and welcomes their input as a part of our commitment to continually evaluate options to enhance long-term value and to act in the best interests of all our shareholders,” the company said in a statement issued in response to Harvest’s demands.  However, “we are confident in our road map for growth.”

Defending Streit’s record as Green Dot’s CEO, the company said in the statement that it had been able to renew its contract with Walmart, where a high volume of Green Dot cards are sold, and deemed itself better prepared than some of its competitors for soon-to-be-finalized new rules governing prepaid cards. “Under Steve Streit's leadership, Green Dot has established a strong competitive position against existing and numerous new competitors, renewed a long-term contract with its largest customer, made several highly accretive acquisitions and positioned its business in full alignment with key current and pending regulatory changes, which could potentially have severe effects on Green Dot's competitors,” the statement says.

“Additionally, the company authorized a significant share-repurchase program and committed to ongoing share repurchases through 2018. These achievements have positioned Green Dot well for long-term growth."

As of now, it’s possible Green Dot doesn’t need to take any of the actions Harvest would like for it to pursue. Okay, so shares in Green Dot sold for $36 apiece during the IPO. That’s nothing like today:  Following the close of the markets yesterday, shares were at $17.36 apiece. However, shares were up by 1.6 percent from trading close the previous trading day. That’s progress.

IV Nutrition Therapy for Weight Loss, Immunity, Stress Relief and More Energy

Many individuals go to the doctor complaining about similar symptoms. They can’t shake the fatigue that makes them feel sluggish all day, they feel like they get sick every time the temperature changes and they just don’t feel as young as they used to.

If this describes you, it may be because you’re not getting enough of the right vitamins and minerals to keep you active and healthy.

Intravenous nutrient therapy can help you break out of your rut, have more energy and stave off illness.

Why deliver nutrients intravenously?

Many individuals in the United States have a vitamin B12 deficiency. Research shows that up to 40 percent of people in the United States have levels of vitamin B12 that fall below the normal range. Although this vitamin is crucial for metabolism and energy, the people who are deficient are often those who need the vitamin the most.

In order to get vitamin B12 from food, your stomach acid must act on the food, releasing the vitamin so your body can use it. Certain medications or conditions that affect the digestive system can affect your absorption of this vitamin. Vitamin B12 shots deliver the vitamin in a form your body can use immediately, regardless of underlying digestive issues.

You may pop a multivitamin every day or take a plethora of oral supplements each day, each one carefully selected to prevent or manage a specific aspect of your health. However, this may not be enough. Administering IV vitamins can put more of what you need into your bloodstream than simply swallowing a supplement. For example, IV administration of vitamin C delivers 50 to 100 times as much of the nutrient into your bloodstream than taking a pill.

Higher doses of certain vitamins can affect your body differently than lower doses. High doses of IV vitamin C can deliver results similar to those of over-the-counter antiviral medications or antihistamines without the side effects that come with taking it orally.

Nutrient deficiencies often occur at the cellular level, and IV vitamin therapy can help essential vitamins and minerals enter the cells and remain there to perform more effective healing.

What can IV nutrient therapy help with?

If you’re feeling run down, stressed or on the verge of coming down with a virus, IV vitamin and nutrient therapy can provide the vitamins and minerals your body needs to regenerate cells, increase your energy, boost your metabolism and help you fight disease.

Stress Relief

When you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed with life, your blood pressure may increase, you may have trouble sleeping and your stress hormones may be on overdrive, putting you at risk for illness. The B vitamins, magnesium and other nutrients in IV nutrient therapy can instantly lower your anxiety and blood pressure, leaving you with a sense of calm.

Energy

If a boost of vitality is what you need, high doses of vitamin C can invigorate your cells, revitalizing you and helping to ward off sickness. The right combination of B vitamins and other minerals included in IV nutrient therapy can help you turn fuel into energy, improving your mood, boosting your motivation and helping with attention and memory problems so you can perform your best.

Immunity and disease prevention

Glutathione and lipoic acid can help the liver to filter out toxins from the body. These antioxidants, as well as amino acids, vitamin C, B vitamins and magnesium can load up the body with everything it needs to recover from illness, detoxify itself from contaminants and boost the immune system.

Muscle recovery

The right combination of nutrients can help reduce inflammation, which can help athletes recover from training. This can also be a boon to individuals with muscle aches and fatigue that result from other health conditions.

Hangover cure

The nutrients in IV cocktails, especially vitamin B12, can work as a hangover cure. Vitamin B12 helps the body metabolize alcohol and floods you with energy. Electrolytes help equalize the salt and potassium imbalance caused by dehydration. Other minerals help depleted cells get exactly what they need so you can function optimally after a night of overindulgence instead of feeling fuzzy, nauseated and dizzy.

Weight Loss

This specialized formula adds L-carnitine to help your body burn fat for energy, along with MIC to further eliminate fat and toxins from the body, and chromium for fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis.

Anti Aging

Get your daily dose of youth with this special blend of anti-aging and antioxidant nutrients that enhance how you look, feel and heal. A high concentration of vitamin C protects from free radicals and promotes healthy skin and nails, while vitamin B12 fights fatigue, and trace minerals and magnesium provide an inner peace and outer glow.

Refresh your beauty and your body with this mini-yet-mighty dosage of anti-aging nutrients that turn back the clock and turn up your energy.

The Meyers Cocktail

One of the most commonly used blends of IV vitamins and minerals is the Meyers cocktail. This mixture of magnesium, B vitamins, calcium and vitamin C was initially given to patients by John Myers, a physician who noticed the many benefits of administering these crucial nutrients intravenously. The cocktail is beneficial in treating a variety of illnesses, symptoms and discomforts, such as fibromyalgia, respiratory infections, sinus infections, seasonal allergies, menstrual cramps, asthma, and fatigue.

You don’t have to be sick to benefit from IV nutrition. The therapy can simply enhance your overall wellness and help you feel your best, especially if you know you’ve slacked on healthy eating, getting rest and exercising. If you’re getting IV nutrients for chronic illness, you may see such drastic improvements over time that you can dial down on the frequency of your visits.

In some cases, it’s necessary to return on a regular basis to maintain results. Outcomes vary depending on the reason for the therapy, the symptoms and the dosage, but many people choose to undergo therapy regularly because it dramatically improves their quality of life.

Why wait for wellness when the direct path to better health is having the nutrients you need delivered directly into your system?

If you’re always tired, have a chronic illness, feel like you’re coming down with a cold or just want to feel like you’re on top of the world, call us to find out more about our intravenous nutrient therapy. We can discuss the benefits of a Myers’ cocktail or a customized blend of nutrients to help you get back your energy and feel like your best again.

Dr. Brian Jakes N.D. Ph D

IV Vitamin Therapy Starts at $125

B12 and MIC B starting at $20

Call TODAY for FREE Consultation… 561-330-7579

Big Data is Revolutionizing the Fashion Industry

They say the biggest dissatisfaction for the fashion industry is a sale; it means that a lot of money is being wasted. One company started with the goal of reducing sales, and thus reducing wasted capital. It has since become the world's largest fashion database, servicing retailers, suppliers and designers, to give consumers exactly what they want from the fashion industry.

Some say that the fashion industry is the most intuition based, and unpredictable industry. Clothes become outdated with just a movie release or a new season. But now, with the help of big data, designers don't have to wait until fashion week to see their customers' reactions.

They call the data in this industry, Style Performance Analytics (SPA).The major players of the fashion world, such as Nordstrom, Prada, Bulgari, Diesel and Puma, are already using analytics to help them predict consumer preferences. Analysts provide designers with weekly and even daily reports to help them create the perfect design. They also use big data to help boost their sales, marketing and even social media presence.

Retailers are also finding data to be particularly useful. A company called Editd started with the goal to help those in the fashion industry deliver the right pieces, for the right prices, and at the right time. Editd is essentially the largest apparel data warehouse in the world, with a dataset of over 53 billion data points. These hundreds of terabytes of data are powered by 120 servers, and analyzed by in-house data scientists that provide retailers, suppliers and designers the insight they need to optimize their businesses. They provide retailers information on what their competitors are selling and at what price. It used to be they would have to set aside a week to browse the internet and manually search for this information.

The data even helps retailers classify their products. Based on the data, it classify itself by type of garment, style, sizes available, pattern, color, texture, brand and more. This makes it easier for consumers to search for a product, but it also helps retailers save a great deal of time.

There are also some relatively new players in the game that are basing their entire concept on big data and personalization. Stitch Fix, Stantt and ThreadMason are just a few. They collect data based on their customers; through surveys and unstructured data analysis, and even body scanners that tell them a person's sizes, preferences, lifestyle and budget to send them their ideal outfits.

Change Is Great, Be First!

Does change scare you a little? That's okay, it can be frightening to everyone, but it can also be the best thing you ever do. Change is the only way to move from your current state into something better! You never know where life will take you until you make the effort to change. Check out this insightful new book on the positive effects of change and how change could lead you to be the next success. Be the first of your company to break out and change!

The most successful companies and people out there are not the stubborn ones who stick to their set ways, it is the people and businesses that know how to adapt to change. Welcoming change is the best way to spin whatever comes at you in your favor, but if you resist change it will swallow you whole. This book by Richard Batenburg Jr., a man with over 25 years of experience and success in being an entrepreneur and business owner, is written with the wisdom of someone who has seen it all. Batenburg has years of experience consulting other CEO's on how to reevaluate their company and run a more efficient operation.

If you fell that your professional life is getting stale, this book is a must read! The experience and advice within this book is just what you need to take a fresh look at your organization and begin to see how you can change your business and yourself for the better! Simply click on the link below, enter your email address and this Ebook will be sent to you FREE! No strings attached, you can really gain valuable insights on how to be the first to change your organization free of charge!

Change Is Great, Be The First EBook! 

Visa Adds New Level 4 PCI Requirement, As The PF Attractiveness Gets A Lot Stronger

In a late holiday gift for PFs everywhere, Visa has upped the requirements for PCI Level 4 (small businesses) merchants. Specifically, as the end of January 2017, those small merchants "must use only Payment Card Industry (PCI)-certified Qualified Integrators and Reseller (QIR) professionals for point-of-sale (POS) application and terminal installation and integration."

Although few would argue that using trained and approved vendors to do any POS work is not a good idea, merchants are already feeling that the burdens of getting and staying PCI compliant are too high. Given a PF's willingness to take on all of the PCI aggravation, that offer just got more attractive to Level 4s.

Event-Booker Placefull Converts To PF, Creates A Sizable Profit Event

One of the key advantages to being a payment facilitator is that it is the desired brand of the merchant that appears on the customer's statement. That certainly delivers the expected marketing boost (brand reinforcement) for the merchant, but event-booking PF Placefull is fond of that brand appearance for a very different reason: far fewer chargebacks.

"We have always wanted the merchant brand to have the most presence. One of the things we didn't like with a Paypal or Stripe experience—other than it's not a pretty-looking site—is that we never wanted to have a broken experience," said Placefull CEO Ryan Hamlin. "Now it’s ABC Bowling that will appear on the bill statement. The amount of disputes and, frankly, fraud was much higher before because people would see something on their statement and would call and dispute it."

How Flexible Is The PF Model?

The strength of any payment model is not merely how well it performs for merchants, but also how elastic it is in terms of being relevant to many kinds of companies and geographies. That is the topic for this week's PaymentFacilitator.com podcast, with guest Todd Ablowitz, president of Double Diamond Group.

Ablowitz pointed to a recently-profiled company called RunSignUp.com as a good example of how flexible the PF model can be. The PF model lets merchants and software companies seamlessly integrate payments "without this artificial wall between the payment gateway and the merchant account," Ablowitz said. "This removes many of the barriers. Banks move slowly and they have a lot of bureaucracy."

Hotels Can Use Big Data And Business Process Changes To Get More Guests

Can hotels look at their own laundry to get more guests and give their guests more service? Listen to this Big Data Podcast and hear Kevin Falardo, and experienced hotel executive, discuss this subject.

Big Data One Step Closer To Getting Even Bigger

Big Data has gained its name from the impact that large amount of data sets have and the insights they hold, but there are even bigger big data out there that we have been unable to tap into. There is an unbelievable amount of data produced daily and only continues to grow with the development of new technology.

Researchers at MIT have recently developed an algorithm that has the potential to analyze data sets that are so large, we do not currently have the equipment necessary to tackle them. The idea behind the algorithms is geometry and the use of topography to pick out basic features that are universal to any data set, no matter the size.

With this sort of topological approach, researchers can tap into the large, scary, interconnected data and pull out connections that are characteristic of all data. The issue now is that there is not a machine that can compute this information fast enough for it to be at all functional, but there are talks of one being developed soon.

Once the quantum mechanics is developed and can be paired with this topological approach, we will be able to understand connections like never before like global connections in the internet and even pathways of the human brain.

To learn more about how big data is discovering the secrets of the human brain check out this intriguing article!

Hospitality, Big Data and Client Satisfaction

What can hotels learn about themselves? Here a hospitality industry expert talks about Big Data and Business Processes to help get customers and keep them happy. Listen to this Big Data Podcast and hear it for yourself!

Could Big Data Help Insurance Agencies Actually Be A Good Neighbor?

State Farm has a catchy little phrase that says, " Like a good neighbor state farm is there", but are insurance companies really good neighbors? Many may say no because insurance companies are based on making money off of the safe people they insure. The people who best practice safety are the ones who should be rewarded!

Now that insurance companies are using more technology to watch over their clients, they can better predict who their safest customers are and who may pose a risk of costing them money. This issue with this is that being "big brother" gives insurance companies the ability to raise people's rates just because the insurance company sees that person as a liability.

What if insurance agencies used technology and more specifically, Big Data, for good? Imagine if insurance companies analyzed their data to determine which customers were more likely at risk of experiencing frozen pipes or a house fire and then alerted these individuals of their higher level of risk. Insurance agencies could easily use Big Data to help educate people on how to live more safely to prevent the many different disasters that no one thinks will ever happen to them.

To learn how else Big Data is making industries better, check out this awesome article!

Alternative to Botox – Get Your FREE $100 Gift Card For Xeomin – Beauty Smart

Have You Registered for the New Year? We are talking about Xeomin, the alternative to Botox! FREE $100 gift card for Xeomin! Go to  www.XperienceProgram.com and register for your $100 Try Xeomin. Bring your card to us on your next visit and receive $100 off your treatment! Do this NOW  as there are limited number of cards available.

If you still prefer BOTOX… $20 OFF special for BOTOX $50 OFF All Facial Fillers! Saturday January 23rd! Radiesse Hand Special 2 syringes (one per hand) $1200  ($600 per syringe instead of $750)

Mind Blown: The Growth and Power of Data

In 1969, we sent astronauts to the moon. We were able to do this using a tiny, tiny fraction of the data that we have in our everyday products-cell phones, iPads, even Fitbits. At this rate, one MacBook Air could send 2 million spaceships into the cosmos.

Data can power spaceships, but it's power of prediction may be even more impressive. In 2008, President Obama brought big data into the campaign, and it was a major success. By the 2012 election everyone understood how powerful it could be. During this time, Nate Silver, a statistician used big data to help him accurately predict how all 50 states would vote. All 50! He predicted this, with 100% accuracy.

Because of these reasons, data is being used in well…just about everything. It is being used to identify wasted costs in our businesses, predict extreme weather, save energy, prevent crime and even predict disease.

Today, we have an unimaginable amount of data at our feet. It is predicted that there is 4.4 zettabytes of digital data. But in five years, we can expect to take the decimal out of this number.

There is so much data,, and it is helping us accomplish so much that it is igniting a revolution. But only 0.5% of this data has been looked at and analyzed. So, if it's helping us accomplish so many things today, can you imagine what worldwide problems it could help us tackle in the future?

Can Big Data Help USA Manufacturing?

Ever wonder why there is such a big push to buy US Made products? It is because most of the products we buy and consume are made in other countries. The reason everything is made elsewhere is because it is cheaper to manufacture outside of the United States. But what if we could find a way to manufacture here on our home soil in a more efficient, cost effective way? Check out this Big Data Podcast that explains the potential for Big Data to help our nation optimize its manufacturing!

BIG DATA AND MANUFACTURING

Hear for yourself from some of the brightest minds in Big Data! If our county can learn to produce more quickly and efficiently, the money flowing in would greatly outweigh the manufacturing cost. The more consumers buy from our own country, the more money our country will make. Learn how Big Data has the possibility to turn our economy around!

Transaction Laundering: How Not To Get Taken To The Cleaners

One of the cyberthief's favorite tactics these days is transaction laundering, where the bad guy takes their bad transactions—usually for drugs, gambling, counterfeit goods or human trafficking—and runs them through seemingly good web sites, ones ostensibly trying to sell innocuous products. There are things that a payment facilitator can do to thwart such efforts and that is the focus of this week's PaymentFacilitator.com podcast, featuring Deana Rich, president of Rich Consulting.

One of the less-commonly-used but quite effective tactics, Rich said, is do some secret shopping, both on the PF's own customer sites as well as suspected fraudulent sites. That is literally making purchases from both kinds of sites and seeing what then happens. Rich said she was recently talking "with a banker who told me that she had done that on a site she suspected to be bad and then she made the purchase and it never came through her own system. She never saw it because the purchase didn't really occur. They weren't really selling anything on that site. They were really selling stuff on the bad site. It was that secret shopping, using your own payment card to purchase things, that let her know what went wrong."

Big Data Makes Big Profits For Casinos

I recently took a trip to the infamous Las Vegas and as I walked through the rows of flashing lights and sounds of slot machines I couldn't help but think about the amount of data each casino must produce. In Vegas especially, casinos are packed full of slot machines seducing people to come test their luck and their money. With so many different machines to choose from, how do casinos know which slots to fill their floors with?

All of the slot machines are equipped with the bells and whistles of flashing lights and catchy tunes, so there must be some sort of sensory appeal that draws a person to one specific slot machine and not another. This is where Big Data comes in. Casinos can track which machines are more popular than others. The data can also determine if the slot machine remains popular even when people are losing money on it.

If people are losing money while playing on a slot machine and they continue to sit there, it must be a really great game. Well, what constitutes a great game? For some people it is the machines that have a fun theme, like a favorite movie or television show and for other people it is the quiet, straight forward keno games. Big Data can show casinos which machines are more appealing and even give them an idea of where to strategically place certain games to attract the most players. The more attractive a casino's games are, the more money they will make, which is a part of why Big Data is heavily used in Las Vegas.

As for me I like the machines with interactive bonuses and games, but because of Big Data I'm sure the casinos already know this about me!

Three 3D Printing Trends To Watch For Early 2016

2016 looks to be a breakout year for the industry as senior executives’ eyes are on the technology’s potential. The industrial market for 3D printing real end-use parts looks poised to begin its long growth run, with far reaching implications. 2016 will likely usher in 3D printing’s first “killer apps,” impacting both product design and supply chains. No matter what, 2016 will be a year when leaders across industries will be compelled to pay close attention to the emerging opportunities and disruptions that 3D printing is creating.

Here are eight 3D printing trends to watch in 2016.

1. Consumer Market Drop

It appears they may be late to the party. 2015 marked the end of the 3D printing consumer market hype cycle with Stratasys (the acquirer of MakerBot) taking massive write-offs and 3D Systems shutting down its entire consumer unit in December. With prospects dimming for the short-term consumer market, attention will quickly turn toward 3D printing’s area of greatest promise — industrial applications.

2. Pushing The Limits Of Technology

While GE and Ford have touted their rapid progress with 3D printing, many others are achieving some incredible accomplishments.  Look for exciting announcements about exotic new 3D printing materials such as glass and graphene and 3D printed objects that shatter the previous limitations on shape and size. These “big area” 3D printing machines hold the promise of manufacturing an entire airplane wing structure or blades for massive wind turbines in a single print.

3. Outsourced 3D Printing Gains Share

Most internal design shops have access to an in-house “pro-sumer” 3D printer. But despite advances in the technology, these printers remain difficult to use, often result in print errors, and are subject to traffic jams when everyone wants to print something at the same time. As the speed and sophistication of external providers has increased dramatically, with some now guaranteeing 24-hour production/delivery, many engineers and designers are ditching their internal printers in favor of a external service providers. Many firms feel they don;t have to buy a machine at all.

Track & Field Event PF Running Between Processors

Payment Facilitator RunSignup.com is all about trying to take the complexities out of managing track and field events—especially running. It's service and products include means to track times, tracker runners during events, assist with registration and creating customized sites. Making races easy is one thing. Making payments easy is, well, a much more uphill rocky path.

When the company started in 2009, they solely used Braintree to process transactions. As of March 2015, they added Vantiv and it's that Vantiv relationship that turns them into a traditional PF, said RunSignup.com CFO Kevin Harris. The company finds the terms and capabilities of Vantiv more to its liking—referring to its customers, Harris said "We'd like to funnel them all through Vantiv, candidly"—but there's a reason it needs to continue to offer both.

Will Europeans Get Left In The Dust Because They Refuse Big Data?

It is no secret that Europeans have been extremely reluctant to jump on the Big Data train. As Americans continue to indulge in Big Data and incorporate it into their businesses, we must wonder, what will happen to Europe? Will European companies fall behind without the technology to even the playing field?

Big Data has proven itself to be a successful tool in gaining valuable insights at real time to make faster, more accurate decisions, but what if Europeans aren't entirely wrong about being leery of Big Data? Everything comes with a price and the price of Big Data is the lax security. The main reason Europe is refusing to embrace Big Data is because they do not feel that their personal information would be properly protected.

The key to relieving fears about Big Data is to tighten down on security measures. This means that every company that utilizes Big Data should be under the same restrictions, preventing companies like Facebook or Google from working the  system. The information that google tracks from our online activity should be as protected as the information we willingly give to a healthcare facility.

It would be interesting to see if Europeans would change their minds if the privacy regulations were to change. Let us know what you think, are Europeans playing the smarter move by being safe or will they be left behind as Big Data continues to reign?

Podcast: What Can Data Analytics Do For Companies?

The phrase used to be "Time is money." Today it's "Data is money." As a company, it's one of your most valuable assets; this is why there are hackers and data security services.

Because of this, we understand why companies are concerned about giving us access to their data. But what makes Cliintel special is the fact that we are non-invasive. we receive our client's data downstream. We never go directly into someone's system, so we don't alter any of the data.

Because we do not have direct access to clients' systems, you may be wondering how we receive their data? In Jessica Speer's words, we receive it through a "…secure file transfer protocol where there's data encrypted." Essentially, we receive it through the internet. And when we receive it, the providers have the ability to provide us only what they want us to analyze. Therefore, we will not receive any personally identifiable data; it does not put the provider or their customers at risk.

May question why they cannot simply do all of this internally. Jessica gives a great analogy in this podcast.

Big Data Fears – What Can Big Data Analytics Do To Companies?

Sometimes we will self-diagnose at home and take cold medicine, but if we need an appendectomy, we are definitely going to go to the hospital and request a surgeon who is trained. You can only go so far internally.

We have also found that many companies are concerned about finding out their problems. Just liked we sometimes won't go to the doctor because we are scared of finding out what's wrong with us.

However, if your costs are out of control, isn't it better to find out sooner, rather than later?

3D Printed Guitars – More 3D Printed Musical Instruments On The Way

3D Printed Guitars? How Do They Sound?

Business Leaders

We encourage our clients to promote and drive change; without change, you cannot move forward and grow. It is important for the leaders at a company to facilitate this. However, businesses do face challenges to achieving their goals. Here are 9 of the top problems faced by businesses.

You can also find more success and business quotes here.

"A leader's job is to look into the future and see their organization, not as it is, but as it should be."

– Jack Welch

Big Data Questions – Evils of Big Data – Time for Personalized Medicine – Future of Data

Big Data Questions – 5 Questions You Should Be Asking About Your Data

Here are the top 5 Big Data questions you should be asking right away. Enjoy the Big Data video!

WATCH NOW

Is Big Data Evil?

Does Big Data mean everyone is fired? Listen to an expert discuss the fears and evils and Big Data…

LISTEN NOW

Big Data Health Care – Now Is The Time For Personalized Medicine

Being able to crunch massive amounts of data using real-time, in-memory computing solutions means that hospitals all over the world can start accessing and analyzing numerous sources of information, from genomes, to electronic medical records (EMR), to clinical trials…

READ MORE

Where is the Future of Data and Analytics Heading?

Data is not going anywhere anytime soon. As long as you have analysts who can keep a fresh perspective, the things that you can do with analytics are limitless. What makes analytics so rewarding is that you are able to find trends which lead to causation, correlation, and ultimately the beginning of a whole new cycle…

LEARN MORE

Fun Film About Big Data And Dating

This is a fun way to look at Big Data!

Saving Customers With Intention To Retention

A business's intention is to sell their products or services to a customer. After the sale has been made, it is important for that business to focus on retention, which is the active pursuing of keeping customers engaged in the business instead of looking elsewhere. Customer retention is the key to a successful business, but can be very tricky to obtain.

How do you know why customers sought out your competitor instead of you?

Is there something hiding in the many different avenues of your company that may be turning customers away without you even knowing it? 

Where would you go to find this information and ensure your company is operating at its best? 

Listen to this short video that clearly explains how customer satisfaction can be corrupted and lead to a loss in retention. Even if your customer has the best intentions, this video will unveil the many different ways customer retention can be corrupted.

What do you think? Does this video remind you of a time you worked with a company that did not meet your standards of service? Maybe your own business is struggling with keeping customers for more than one service, do you think Cliintel would improve your customer satisfaction?

Let us know! Check out Cliintel for a consultation to take your business to the next level.

Frank Delano Licensed Massage Therapist Now at Beauty Smart in Boca Raton

Beauty Smart Welcomes Frank Delano L.M.T.

As a Massage Therapist I take pride in being professional at all times because my priority is giving the client the best services and experience possible each appointment. I specialize in performing Deep Tissue Therapeutic Massages while maintaining a balanced mixture of relaxation techniques so the client only experiences relief, not pain. I have my own appreciation and standards for quality in life, so when it comes to knowing what is included in elite service I fully understand what people enjoy and strive to deliver the highest level of customer satisfaction. I always do the work I would expect to receive if the position were reversed. Massage is my gift and passion. Being able to share it with others who appreciate and benefit from my abilities is the most rewarding way to invest my time.

Tailored Therapeutic Massage

-Based off Swedish but includes multiple massage techniques attained by training and experience in palpitation & advanced body work…

Full-body including Cranial Sacral Therapy & Reflexology

Each massage sets a new set of goals to achieve depending on what your body is telling us and you choose is a priority to focus upon…

Sports or Medical Massage

A more fast-paced, deeper pressure – less relaxing version of a Custom Massage with the addition of multiple timed stretches throughout periods of the session including the quadriceps, hips/low back, calves/ankles, shoulders and neck. Focus is on rejuvenation and rehabilitation of mechanical body functions and full range…

Manual Lymphatic Drainage

This is a relaxing, intently gentle, non-invasive manual technique that has a powerful healing effect on the body. Light strokes are used in a particular rhythm and areas in order to lead the flow of fluid and toxins passing through your Lymphatic System to the cleansing ducts located in your body…

The skin is stretched and manipulated in a specific manner, based on scientific, physiological principles that have proven to encourage lymph flow. When performed with the correct pressure, direction and speed, this can greatly enhance recovery and facilitate drainage. It also has profound beneficial effects on all other systems of the body, assisting them to function at their best…

READ MORE ABOUT US AT BEAUTY SMART

Carrier Billing’s New Friends May Prove To Be PF Good Fortune

Carrier billing is hardly a new concept, but some coverage has focused on renewed carrier billing efforts from the likes of Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Google. Part of the reason that carrier billing has not, thus far, gone very far is that most consumers trust their carriers less than a convicted child molester politician. But carrier trust and likability aside, carrier billing has—on paper—a lot going for it. And payment facilitators are uniquely positioned to benefit from this move.

Carrier billing sidesteps some security concerns because the payment details reside with a company that already has them. Although that's certainly not risk-free, it's a zero increase in risk. More precisely, it's less risky than turning over payment credentials to an unknown merchant for a one-time transaction, especially if it's a faceless e-commerce site. From the merchant's perspective, there is the potential for much lower fees as interchange—in the traditional sense—is gone, especially if the consumer pays that carrier bill via check or, much more likely, ACH.

Big Data Meets Hollywood

Hollywood only survives as long as it has fans, which is why Hollywood is always very concerned about the fan base's opinion of films. Sure Big Data has been used in Hollywood in the past, obtaining box office success rates and what not, but the film industry is now experiencing Big Data in a totally new way.

With the recent release of the movie The Revenant a small company named Lightwave has partnered with Fox to survey the audience's reactions to the film in a revolutionary way. Lightwave has taken a Fitbit looking device and altered it to detect physiological changes connected with emotional responses.

An emotional response can include an increased heart rate, body temperature changes and even fight or flight responses. Throughout the pre-screening of the movie the Revenant, the audiences physiological changes were monitored and harvested as data. Hollywood can now look at this data and get a completely objective review of how engaged the audience was in the film.

This form of survey is much more accurate than it has been in the past because it allows the surveyor to get a real, non subjective review of the film. Usually when a view is asked about the film it can be hard for them to determine exactly how they were feeling at a specific part, say in the very beginning of the film.

With this sort of technology not only will Hollywood get a better picture of the success of their films, but any industry relying on fan satisfaction will benefit from this technology. From concerts to sporting events, we can expect to see big things out of this simple technology.

Are Wearable Health Devices Just a Trend, Or Will They Continue Playing a Major Role in Personal Health and Fitness?

There is a trending appetite for heath. We want to be fitter, stronger and healthier than ever. And it could be that wearable health devices can help us achieve this. By 2017, it is projected that there will be 170 million devices being used. With such widespread use, it could have positive impacts on the health of Americans. So, how can tracking your health data keep you healthy? And what can we expect in the future of health data?

Track Health Data

By tracking consistent, real-time data, wearable health devices allow us to make more educated decisions regarding our health. We can use the information and insight, provided by this data to quickly change our behavior if we are experiencing undesirable symptoms. For example, Mary's device may indicate that her blood pressure levels are consistently increasing. She may not have discovered this until she went in to the doctor for the flu 1 year later. Because her device alerted her of these changes, she can immediately change the habits that are raising her blood pressure.

The average person can have access to real-time data that measures and tracks: heart rate, steps, sleep, food, galvanic skin response, temperature, and calories burned. But, it's not just data. It is converted into data visualization programs that everyone can understand. We can take this data and turn it into actionable insight.

The Future of Wearable Tech?

Soon, there will even be contact lenses that can monitor blood sugar levels. We may soon even see epidural electronics (essentially sensors that are tattooed onto the skin) that will monitor our daily activities. This may be especially helpful to monitor surgical wounds. Google is also on a mission to develop the nanotechnology required, so that we can have nano-sensors swimming through our blood, on the lookout for cancer. Soon enough, we may even be able to gather more data and information than ever imagined through a wearable device that monitors our sweat. It is for this reason it is important for data scientists and medical professionals to collaborate to develop more discoveries, like these.

Read more about Wearable Heath Devices

How Obamacare Ushered In PF-Friendly Payments

Payment facilitator Softheon is an old hand at handling healthcare insurance matters, "dating back to the Romneycare days," said Softheon CEO Eugene Sayan. But Softheon these days—contrary to the PF reputation of focusing only on small businesses—works with the biggest of the U.S. insurance companies, processing a healthy percentage of Obamacare health plans, along with quite a few state plans.

What makes Softheon's move especially interesting is that it was able to position a new system for payments on top of a new system for insurance. "We took payment reform and piggybacked it onto healthcare reform," Sayan said. The twist is that when Softheon started with healthcare insurance, payments had almost universally been done by check, with a smattering of direct withdrawals. Using payment cards for insurance premiums was unheard of then. Thanks to Softheon and others, that's no longer true.

Small Biz Mobile Weakness Is PF Strength

Forget online banking, from old-fashioned desktops and tablets. New stats show that transactions and financial interactions from mobile-only banking alone last year surpassed those done in physical branches, according to figures published Tuesday (Jan. 12) by Javelin Strategy and Research.

But as much as this reaffirms conventional wisdom that mobile is taking over almost all forms of payments, it’s far from universal. This banking mobile embrace is distinctly not happening with smaller community banks as they mirror the same mobile problems that are plaguing small businesses in just about every other vertical. And therein lies the PF opportunity.

How Much Is Big Data Worth?

We all know Big Data is on the rise and has been making a big impact in just about every industry out there, but how much is the Big Data Industry worth? With Big Data infiltrating many different sectors, it can be expected that Big Data is worth a pretty penny. What about the up and coming technologies connected with Big Data? How much are Cognitive Computing or the IoT worth?

We live in a world that is ever changing, on the path to a more tech savvy population, we create a lot of data and rely heavily on many different devices daily. Because of this there are predictions that by 2020 Big Data will be worth $7 Billion. That is a lot of money, but it makes sense because Big Data is a very big industry.

What about other industries that are just emerging? Can we expect to see big things out of them? The answer is YES! Cognitive computing is quickly becoming a very popular and promising field. Cognitive computing will change the world in a very unique way, teaching computers cognitive thinking skills, forming more efficient versions of ourselves. This field is predicted to be worth $13 Billion by 2020.

The big kicker is the internet of things. IoT is a field that incorporates many different technological sectors to form an interconnected system of devices. The Internet of Things will change our daily living anywhere from the thermostat in our homes to our cars driving us to work. The IoT is though to be worth a whopping $7 Trillion by 2020!

To learn more about how this fields are connected, check out this article describing the interactions between different silos in the tech world.

Will This Company Fail? Or Could There Be a Solution to Their Problems?

Company X is suffering from many of the problems you may encounter in your own businesses. Information is constrained within silos. Systems and processes are operating inefficiently, and IT is underperforming. When they begin losing customers, as a result of these problems, they know it is time to take serious action. But what can they do?

Call Cliintel. This is where we can help, and quickly, to turn things around for your company.

Don't just listen to us, listen to this Free Podcast explaining how data analytics can turn your business around.

Will Companies Succeed Or Fail? Can Big Data And Business Consulting Help?

Let us keep you from failing. Tell us about you.

International Business Video Discusses Global Business Executives

Quick Global Business Video- Can Your Employees Handle International Business?

Podcast: The Tricks To Mastering The PF ROI

Just because a business adopts a payment facilitator business model, that doesn't mean that its executives let those new procedures touch every aspect of their business. But not doing so can literally cost a business money by robbing it of some of the benefits that initially attracted those execs to the PF model.

New PF companies run that risk "if we don't do a good job of building the metrics that measure the success of our throughput, as in how many apps an hour, what volumes are we looking at, what SIC codes?" said Joni Floyd, a 35-year veteran ISO exec, who penned a column about these conundrums last week, in our new podcast. "A lot of times, the financial operations or the settlement accounting of an organization doesn't really change when you go from a strict direct merchant to a sub-merchant model. All of the chargeback fees might be dropped into the same general ledger account. Sub-merchant and direct merchant losses might not be recorded correctly," Floyd said. "One of the challenges to the back-office of the operation, in parallel with implementing the payment facilitator model, is making sure that our financial operations team records the expenses relative to both direct merchants and sub-merchants so that we don't overburden our sub-merchant categories with expenses that don't pertain to them, like chargebacks, write-offs due to risk or bankruptcies."

What Is LiFi and How Is It Going To Change Big Data?

We all know what WiFi is because we live in a connected world that feels the coming of an apocalypse when we can't get a signal. WiFi is our use of wireless internet that allows us to do all of our work outside of the office, connecting with friends, online shopping, or streaming T.V. shows.

The problem is that there are so many people who are connected to the internet these days that WiFi is struggling to keep up. If the population of people with mobile devices continues to grow ( as it is predicted to by 2019) we will need another alternative for WiFi. This is where LiFi comes in! LiFi is the new form of wireless internet that functions through LED lights.

LiFi uses LED light like a strobe light that flickers faster than the human eye can process. This allows information to travel up to one hundred times faster than it does in WiFi. LiFi may be the missing key to finally obtaining Big Data at a real time speed. Real time data means that we would have access to information much quicker; opening doors to insurmountable opportunities.

Can Change Using Big Data Help Companies Save Money?

When you use Big Data, you save money. Change doesn't have to hurt!

1948 Ronald Reagan Posing in a Chesterfield Cigarette Advertisement

Many years before, he became President of the U.S., Ronald Reagan was a model for Liggett and Myers Tobacco Company. Chesterfield Cigarettes, were one of their most popular brands. Reagan was a model for the tobacco industry in the 1930's. As a well known Hollywood actor, he was ideal for this 1948 Chesterfield advertisement.  With a smile on his face, and a cigarette in his mouth, Ronald Reagan offers, "I like Chesterfield Cigarettes best, because = the tobacco is so smooth !"  In the U.S., cigarette ads have been banned for decades.   On the television show "The Twilight Zone," Rod Serling was smoking a Chesterfield Cigarette, while he was introducing, the next episode.  In the films "Goldfinger" and "Reservoir Dogs"  Chesterfield Cigarettes are offered and smoked.  Times have changed, and in the United States, tobacco and cigarettes have lost most of their popularity. Ads are outlawed, and Chesterfield Cigarettes are no longer available here. Years later, through a series of lawsuits, it was revealed Chesterfield Cigarettes were covering up the negative health effects of tobacco, by using deceptive advertising. Ronald Reagan, "The tobacco isn't Smooth At All !!"   This colorful, 10.5″ x 14″ Ronald Reagan Chesterfield Cigarette Advertisement, […]

What Is Big Data And Where Is It Going?

There are plenty of people who are new to Big Data. Even though it has been quite the buzz word it is not connected to all of the industries out there. Big Data is information and we are producing mind blowing amounts everyday! Information is the key to gaining competitive advantage in whatever industry your business is competing in. Learn just how much data is being produced and where Big Data is going in the future by watching this intriguing new video!

The Future of Big Data

Find out more about how Big Data can help your business.

Is Big Data Really Causing a Revolution?

Imagine all the sand on Myrtle Beach. Miami's famous South Beach stretches over two miles- how many grains of sand do you think it has? And a combination of Delray, Waikiki, Huntington, Sanibel, North Shore, Coronado, and Hermosa Beach? Now imagine all of the grains of sand that grace the shores and the deserts of the rest of the world. How many grains of sand do you fathom that is?

According to Google: seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains of sand. This number is mind-boggling. Even more astonishing- by 2020, we are expected to have 4 times the amount of data as grains of sand on the Earth.

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The Big Data Revolution. It is becoming and increasingly hot topic. Aspects of it are terrifying; what does this mean for my privacy? Other aspects of it are delightful; It's making our businesses and our lives operate more efficiently. There's no doubt it's changing the world we live in. But more than anything, it's intriguing everyone; the amount of data that is generated and collected is increasing so rapidly, it's hard to get a grip on it.

Check out this great video about why they consider Big Data to be revolutionizing our world, and what lies in the future of Big Data. Because, really, this is just the beginning.

Some people refer to it instead as the technology revolution. However, technology alone does not accomplish everything that Big Data can. Technology does, however, feed the data. For example, of the 7 billion people on this planet, over 5 billion own a cell phone. Each of these people that own a cell phone contribute to the creation of data.

This is one of the reasons by 2020, we will have 4 times more data than grains of sand on the Earth.

While this is remarkable, it is something that we need to prepare for. Like all past revolutions, some industry will be lost and forgotten. Some people will lose their jobs, and have to be retrained. There certainly are some hardships associated with it. So now is the time to start preparing.

By 2020 we will need 10 times more servers, and 50 times more data management. This means, for those that may lose their jobs, retraining in data science may be a good option.

As more and more companies begin using data solutions, other companies need to understand that if they do not start data mining, they could end up like Blockbuster in a world of video streaming. If you are so unsure as to why data is vital for companies, read this article. 

Both companies and individuals should not fear the Big Data Revolution! Yes, it is changing our world, however you cannot move forward and improve without change. But remember, all great changes are preceded by chaos- so prepare yourself for the chaos to come, and all the great changes that the Big Data Revolution is bringing us.

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"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." ~ Socrates