5 Years in BUsiness: A Milestone Worth Celebrating
As we celebrate our 5-year anniversary here at NAC, it’s a time to reflect on the journey so far and look ahead to the future with renewed energy and excitement. Over the past five years, we have faced challenges, overcome obstacles, and most importantly, achieved many successes.
From the day we opened our doors, with only 3 employees, our goal has been to provide the highest level of technical expertise to our customers. And, through our unwavering commitment to excellence, we have built a loyal customer base, a team of over 40 consultants and a reputation for being the best in the business.
Looking back, we are proud of the milestones we have achieved. Whether it was embarking on new technology journeys, expanding into new markets, or receiving recognition for our contributions to the community and field, each and every accomplishment has brought us one step closer to realizing our vision.
As we move forward, we remain dedicated to our customers and to delivering the very best in everything we do. We are committed to innovation and continuous improvement, and we are eager to see what the next five years will bring.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our team, customers, partners, and supporters for helping us reach this important milestone. We are truly grateful for your continued trust and confidence in us.
So, as we raise a glass to the past and look ahead to the future, we are excited for what’s to come and eager to continue writing the next chapter of our story. Here’s to another five years of growth, success, and making a positive impact in the digital world!
How technology can maximize hybrid meeting effectiveness
Hybrid meetings are here to stay and it is often difficult for remote workers to feel like equitable participants, as in-person attendees’ discussions frequently take center stage. Among the many challenges facing remote workers is difficulty seeing whiteboards, or inability to hear and see all participants as they speak. That scenario is changing, however, with new technology designed to make the hybrid meeting more equitable and collaborative. Here are some of the newest technologies to consider as you look to make your hybrid meetings more productive.
Meeting Owl Pro: is a 360-degree camera, microphone and speaker system by Owl Labs that sits in the center of a conference room and uses audio and visual cues to automatically focus on whoever is speaking. Meeting Owl Pro plugs into a computer via a USB cable and is compatible with popular videoconferencing systems such as Zoom, GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams and Webex.
Front Row: is a new feature being rolled out by Microsoft for its Teams product, moving the typical gallery of attendee faces to the bottom of a videoconferencing screen so remote attendees will be face to face with colleagues sitting in a physical room.
Digital Whiteboards: this technology is emerging from many third-party vendors making it easier to brainstorm, share documents, and manage projects. Digital Whiteboards allow meeting participants to take notes, share ideas and track projects via templates and automatically capture content to share with participants after the meeting is over. Some examples of Digital Whiteboards include Miro, Stormboard, Cisco Webex Board, Google’s Jamboard, Microsoft’s Surface Hub 2S and Mural.
Zoom Rooms: is a more comprehensive solution for hybrid teams by combining Zoom Meetings (the software) with the physical equipment that exists in the on-premise conference room (the hardware). These components merge to create a collaborative meeting environment, which feels like being in the same room together. Other comparable solutions include Microsoft Teams Rooms, and Amazon Chime.
Cisco partnered with Apple Airplay so remote employees can project content to its Webex videoconferencing system, enabling them to share, their iPad or iPhone screens to conference room displays. Cisco also extended its Webex conferencing capabilities to cars, partnering with Ford to allow employees to use the auto manufacturer’s communications technology to join meetings from their vehicles. This feature only allows video if the car is parked but will allow audio while driving.
Let technology help you create a level playing field for remote and in-person workers, creating a more unified experience for all.
Consultant Spotlight
Vibha Indoliya
Program Director
Vibha joined Notch Above in October 2018 and has been delivering exceptional results for our clients ever since. Vibha combines a deep technical ability with a great understanding of critical business processes which has proved instrumental for our clients. Vibha’s sweet spot is working on quote to cash implementations as well as mergers; where her tireless efforts and attention to detail deliver exceptional results. Vibha is a critical member of our leadership team where she contributes to the company vision and growth. She is also a mentor and sounding board to others on the team. When Vibha started, she wasn’t sure she was up to the challenge of “being a consultant” (and wrote a great blog on the same) and now we wish we could clone her! Thank you Vibha for all you do to make Notch Above a success!
A New Me in 2023!
We are already one month in to 2023, how is it going so far? Have you stuck to your personal and professional resolutions? Maybe you’re just wrapping up “Dry January” or trying to find motivation to keep up that exercise routine. How about your professional resolutions? Statistics show that 50% of people who make resolutions break them by February. How will you maintain your focus, and what things might be beneficial to your career in 2023:
- Keep learning and expanding your skills. At a certain point in our careers we all get a little comfortable with our ability to “do” our jobs. But there are always opportunities expand your knowledge and skills that may take your job to the next level. This could make you more likely to reach that next promotion or make you more marketable for a job change. Take that certification course you always wanted to, or register for that public speaking seminar!
- Network and build relationships. Whether personally or professionally, it’s never too late to make new relationships. Your network can be your most powerful tool in your professional life. It’s possible these relationships suffered during Covid, but get out and connect in 2023.
- Be resilient! These past few years have been a challenge, and 2023 is also bringing some unknowns. With recent news of tech layoffs and a looming recession it can be a challenge to stay positive. Focus on what you can control, and be ready for some bumps. Remember that recessions are temporary and typically a booming economy follows it. Focus on making yourself as marketable as possible and be ready for what might come.
Cosmopolitan
Whiskey Smash
Ingredients
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) vodka or citron vodka*
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) 100% cranberry juice (do not use sweetened!)
- ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) Cointreau
- ½ ounce (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
- 1 lime wedge
- 1 teaspoon simple syrup or maple syrup**
- For the garnish: lime wheel (optional)
Instructions
- Place the vodka, cranberry juice, Cointreau, lemon juice, and syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake 15 seconds until cold. Strain the liquid into a martini glass.
- Squeeze with the lime wedge and serve, garnished with a lime wheel if desired.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) whiskey
- 1/4 lemon, sliced into 2 wedges
- 5 large mint leaves
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) simple syrup or maple syrup
- Soda water, for serving
- Crushed ice, for serving
Instructions
- Place the mint leaves in a cocktail shaker. Muddle 4 to 5 times to extract flavor. Add the lemon wedges and muddle again.
- Add the whiskey and simple syrup and fill the shaker with ice. Shake until cold and strain into a glass. If desired, add a splash of soda water. Serve with crushed ice.
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