Across the broad deployment of 5G mobile network systems could quicken the reception of augmented and virtual reality, although more extensive accessibility isn’t the main necessity for VR and AR to grow with 5G: convincing use cases are additionally required to make these technologies more reasonable and affordable, in spite of the fact that the option of 5G gives engineers a bigger canvas on which to design new experiences.

Why will 5G change the overview of VR and AR development?

The main objective of the 5G network is to provide more efficient, faster internet than 4G LTE and also to lower the latency faced by a typical 4G LTE network. 5G network is helpful for heavy-duty media such as 4K videos, 3D photos, 360° video streaming, etc. But the real benefits of 5G for VR and AR are not yet fully discovered. 5G networks have comparatively low latency than other networks which is a necessity in VR. There should be less response time between a user making a move and VR setup gives feedback of response.

How does 5G impact the availability of augmented and virtual reality applications?

Deployment of 5G network is still in initial stages and still has a lot of room to improvise. AR and VR currently are adding more complications to this. AR is commonly used on smartphones or tablets in museums to present additional content for exhibits, or for interior design, allowing shoppers to virtually place furniture in a room to see how it matches. With 5G, the ability to use AR in live, outdoor environments away from reliable wi-fi signals can influence the types of interactions and integrations that developers can build.

What needs to change in 5G for AR and VR applications to be successful?

The biggest concern right now is the cost of data. 4G LTE has certain cap limits for data usage and after that limit, it switches automatically to the lower version of network service. Typically, that cap limit is 22GB. AR and VR can exhaust that limit within several hours. In order to use AR and VR on a regular basis, we need truly unlimited data and obviously at cheap price.

Author: Prasanna Patil

Reference: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-5g-will-affect-augmented-reality-and-virtual-reality/

Overview

The main concern for any small or medium-sized company is to find and retain customers. Many of them consider the federal government as their client, while others feel it is only a game of big companies. It is definitely not! Government approximately gives one-third of its total contracts to the small businesses. Even if the numbers seem low but it’s still worth millions!

How small business companies can get into this industry?

There are several steps to follow before entering into this industry:

• Update your business plan: It is important and can be considered as the first major step before getting into this industry to updating the business plan. This includes defining the business type, identifying the goals that your company can or may serve, qualifying and organizing the resources your company have and finally marketing your company. This can be considered as a resume of your company.
• NAICS code: It is necessary to identify the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. This serves the purpose of what type of products or services your company provides and help you target agencies accordingly.
• SBA Size Standard Tool: Using SBA Size Standard Tool to determine if your business qualifies for small business.
• Sign up for business identification.
• Register your company in Central Contractor Registry (CCR) in the System for Award Management (SAM)
• Submit Online Representation and Certification Application (ORCA) through SAM.
• Get a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code which is automatically created when you apply for CCR.
• Start getting familiar with Federal Acquisition Register (FAR).
• Use websites like fbo.org (which will be transferred to beta.sam.gov by the end of 2019), fedconnect.net, iq.GovWin.com, etc. These are the websites where all the contracts posted by the government are visible and will help in getting business.

What are the benefits of making federal government agencies as a customer?

• US federal government agencies buy more products or services than any other customer in the world. They roughly spend about $500 billion every year buying from companies of all the sizes and small companies have approximately one-third of this amount for them.
• Any sized small business companies can sell goods or provide service to federal agencies. There are no such criteria for that. Even a single-person company can win a contract, obviously only if it satisfies all the requirements.
• The federal government makes sure to pay these small business companies on time. Usually, they take not more than 15 days after submitting the invoices by the companies.

Technologies helpful for this industry

• Websites: Different websites like fbo.gov, id.GovWin.com, beta.sam.gov (active from early 2020), etc. These are the platforms where one can find all the contracts released by the government.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool: This can be considered as the heart of this business. It is used to track every single opportunity the company has targeted. Making regular updates, recording every note or communication with a federal agency can be added to this CRM tool. There are several tools available in the market like Zoho CRM, HubSpot CRM, Salesforce, etc.

Conclusion

Companies have to keep in mind that this whole industry is a relationship-based market. Decision-makers do want to know from whom they are buying, why the services or products you provide are better or different from others and of course if you are budget-friendly. Delivering your services as needed and products on time always help you build strong and more profitable relationships and may increase your chances of winning more contracts.

Author: Prasanna Patil

Sources

https://www.business.com/articles/government-procurement-tips/

https://corporate.findlaw.com/law-library/federal-government-contract-overview.html

https://www.usa.gov/government-contracting-for-beginners

An empathetic workforce is a productive workforce. According to Businessolver’s 2017 Workplace Empathy Monitor report, empathy has a direct impact on employee productivity, loyalty, and engagement. Seventy-seven percent of workers would be willing to work more hours for a more empathetic workplace; meanwhile, 60% would actually accept a reduced salary for a more empathetic workplace. Simply put, empathy is the ability to step into someone else’s shoes, be aware of their feelings and understand their needs. It is the ability to experience and relate to the thoughts, emotions or experience of others. Empathy is more than just sympathy, which is being able to understand and support others with compassion or sensitivity. Given that one-in-three workers would leave their companies for a more compassionate environment, there’s a major incentive for companies to emphasize an empathetic work culture. Empathy requires individuals to take the initiative to get closer to their coworkers. That initiative doesn’t come out of thin air: a compassionate workplace requires a conscious, organization-wide effort from the leadership team to the individuals working throughout the company. Claiming to be a “good listener” isn’t enough in a world where 30% of employees feel their opinions don’t matter, you must demonstrate it. Listening isn’t just hearing words but seeking to understand. Watching is also critical to building your ability to empathize with other people, body language can often tell you more about what people think and feel than their words can. Demonstrating empathy takes time and effort to show awareness and understanding. Being empathetic allows leaders to help struggling employees improve and find their strengths, a leader can show empathy by using direct eye contact while talking and sitting in a comfortable setting versus across a room or behind an imposing desk.  As you become more proficient at understanding your own feelings, you’ll get better at understanding the feelings of the people around you. When you understand your team, you have a better idea of the challenges ahead of you. When you stop and think, “How am I feeling” right after you receive a new, huge assignment?” and the answer is, “excited and overwhelmed,” then you can apply that to others around you. Eighty-seven percent of CEOs see a direct link between workplace empathy and business performance, productivity, retention, and general business health. In the workplace, empathy can show deep respect for co-workers and show that you care, as opposed to just going by rules and regulations. Your tone of voice and speaking with one another instead of communicating almost exclusively by email, text, Slack, or other messaging services can help you build empathy. This is because you understand what your coworker thinks and feels, or at least you understand their feelings. Additionally, using video conferencing instead of just teleconferencing can help you watch and listen to your colleagues. Some people resist the idea of video conferencing because they don’t feel comfortable on camera. That’s understandable, but that discomfort can help everyone understand each other better. You can’t push people to open up about their feelings and run when they do. That behavior makes for a less pleasant, empathetic workplace. But, when you take personal responsibility to better understand your coworkers, your company ultimately reaps the rewards. Eighty-seven percent of CEOs believe a company’s financial performance is tied to empathy in the workplace, as do 79% of HR professionals. An empathy index published in the Harvard Business Review found that the 10 most empathetic companies increased in value more than twice as much as those at the bottom of the index and they generated 50% more earnings defined by market capitalization, from one year to the next. According to Linda Saxl Minton, “Companies that have the ability to listen, to be empathetic, may make better business partners which could lead to higher revenues”, and in fact concurring with her point, 42% of consumers would refuse to buy from a company that they don’t believe to be empathetic according to Businessolver. Overall, when you use empathy in the workplace, you can understand your coworkers better. And that’s great for any business.

 

Author: Bobby Cottingham

 

Sources:

https://www.ccl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/EmpathyInTheWorkplace.pdf

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/businessolver/rewards-multiply-with-workplace-empathy/?noredirect=on

https://www.sbnonline.com/article/the-importance-of-empathy-in-the-workplace/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhigginbottom/2018/05/31/why-empathy-matters-in-the-workplace/#2823ad361130

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/using-empathy-to-improve-your-workplace-4157504

https://www.askspoke.com/blog/support/workplace-empathy/

https://fistfuloftalent.com/2018/03/leaders-use-empathy-cheat-sheets-long-mean.html

https://www.psychalive.org/empathy-can-help-us-right-now/