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Mobile App vs Mobile Website: Which is Better?

Reports show that 58% of website visits come from mobile alone in 2018. As for online shopping, 40% of users do online transactions on mobile. One can’t deny the importance of mobile in this time of business. The question then isn’t about whether your business needs a mobile strategy or not — but whether your business needs a mobile app or a mobile responsive website. 

There are many factors to consider whether a mobile app or mobile website is better suited for your business needs. We’ve made the choice easier by weighing out the options for you. 

 

Mobile Apps

Mobile apps are the ones that can be accessed natively whether Android or iOS. This offers a much faster and responsive experience compared to a website. Here are some of its key features: 

An Interactive Experience 

Apps are generally more interactive and let users interact and experience more value through this new engagement channel. Instead of just displaying words or text the users can interact with its specific components. An example is with Instagram and how users can post their photos on the app while they are limited only to viewing through the website. 

Customization

This allows the user to get the most out of their app experience. From the get-go users are given the freedom to customize and tailor the app to their tastes. Apps can also track user engagement and allow it to offer recommendations to the user which helps better their experience. Businesses can experience being able to send out tailored notifications to its users based on their location, interests, and behavior. 

Intuitive Interface

Apps have their own interface which allow users to have a more immersive experience. Users of certain operating systems also get to experience the same tailored functionality with the app that meets the same characteristics and functionality that they expect. This is a limitation of responsive websites as it offers the same functionality and experience across different devices. 

Offline Accessibility

While a great majority of apps cannot function without internet use, information already loaded can still be accessible for its users. Some apps still offer some type of functionality while offline. This allows the users to still be able to make use of the app with or without connection to the internet. 

Device Capabilities

This allows the app to make use of capabilities users have in their smartphones such as GPS or a camera. Using these capabilities makes for a better experience for its users. For example the app would need to access the location of the user in order to better tailor the restaurant coupons that it offers the users. 

 

Mobile Responsive Website 

This is essentially your website that is customized so that it can be viewed and accessed the same across different devices with different screen sizes. 

One Size Fits All

Responsive websites can be accessed with devices of any operating system (Android, iOS) as long as there is internet connection. This means that they come completely free of charge unlike some apps. But while it is compatible, factors such as internet connection, quality, and speed are still factors that can affect the mobile web experience. 

No Updates 

Unlike apps that need to be constantly updated, websites do not interrupt the user’s experience as websites are easy to update, support, and fix bugs. The best part is that the users would not even notice when a website is being updated, and they can get right into the website experience without any hiccups. 

Cost Effective

This is more of a benefit to businesses but should you wish to establish your business in more than one platform, cost is an important consideration. However, it still depends on the complexity of the responsive mobile design as a complex one can cost just the same as a mobile application. 

With both options presented, the right choice still depends on the company and their business objectives. Should you wish to interact and engage with customers on a deeper level then mobile apps are your best bet but if you aim for mobile-friendly content for a wide range of people then mobile responsive websites should do the job. 

If done correctly, they can be an invaluable tool at helping get your brand out there. If this sounds like something you want but are not sure where to start, then let a partner agency help you achieve your business goals. iManila has been in the industry for more than two decades and has helped thousands of clients improve their work through technology. Let us help you take your business one step further with a mobile strategy, drop us a message to learn more.

6 Benefits of Remote IT Support During the Pandemic

An agile and flexible workforce became all the more important with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic that took the world by storm this 2020. With most companies turning to work from home measures, it became ever so important to integrate the use of online networks and cloud services to do the day’s work. 

When working remotely, maximizing all the resources available is an utmost priority. This is why businesses looking for professional IT services for both consultancy and support can bank on remote IT support at a time like this. 

Remote IT support can offer technical computer assistance even with a geographical distance as everything is done remotely whether over the phone, email, or live chat with the technicians gaining remote access to your computer. There is a wide range of services they can help with such as product support, cloud support, managed services support, and installations and set up to name a few. Here is why remote IT support can be your best bet at IT services during the pandemic. 

Cost benefit

One of the costs being cut out entirely would be the travel expenses incurred during on-site visits. With communication easily available online, this is one of the costs that can be cut down. 

Can do work remotely; no need for face to face interaction 

In light of the pandemic where social distancing practices have to be maintained, a lot of companies have opted for a work from home set up. Having remote IT support can be a huge gain for the companies now utilizing work from home not just for convenience but for safety as well. 

Fast responses & better efficiency

When it comes to technical issues, it is vital that they be attended to immediately so it would not affect the workflow or cause bottlenecks. Remote IT support can be counted on in these scenarios, saving you the time it would take to call IT personnel. 

Moreover, experts say that as much as 90% of IT issues can be dealt with remotely, most especially software solutions. As remote IT support can offer faster solutions, it has become a preferred option for most companies. 

Better focus and productivity

Employees can get easily affected by distractions that can reduce their productivity. Taking out these issues as quickly as possible can mean less distraction for employees, leaving the staff to focus mainly on their tasks at hand to ensure productivity. 

Wider access to IT professionals

Having an in-house IT team or individual can mean that their expertise is limited to what they know. By using IT support services online, there is a bigger chance that there would be more skills and knowledge available as the technician can easily pass it to someone who is better trained for the scenario. 

Knowledge sharing 

Unlike with an IT personnel doing the troubleshooting alone, using remote IT personnel can take your employees through every step of the maintenance or repair. This can help them learn new knowledge and skills and may allow them to learn how to do it themselves should the same problem arise again. 

 

Many organizations often overlook remote IT support being readily available online. With the recent disruption in the status quo of the workplace due to the pandemic, it is the best time to reconsider the efficiency that comes with being online. 

With everyone going remote, don’t let your business get disrupted when you can get more connected. There is no better time to better your business online than now. Get a team of experts to help you get started in navigating through the digital landscape. iManila is contactable despite the pandemic. Reach us through our website, and drop us a question.

How a Hacked Website Can Impact your Business

Your website is your company’s primary asset in the digital age, and the last thing you want to happen is to wake up one day with a hacked one.

With the sudden shift in consumer behavior and increased use of online channels brought about by the pandemic, many businesses are now understanding the importance of having a website to pivot their business in the digital age.

While this is a good start to kick-off your digital presence, many are still neglecting a key element – website security.  This is especially common among small businesses as we tend to focus more on big companies and enterprises whose websites have been hacked before.

But did you know that small business websites are also at risk of getting their websites hacked too? In fact, according to a Verizon 2019 report, 43% of cyberattacks are aimed towards small businesses.

That is why as business owners, it is important to understand the possible impacts of a hacked website to your business, and what you can do to secure your website.

What will happen if your website’s hacked?

Your website is at risk of the following consequences if it gets hacked:

  1. Personal or financial data loss

Most hackers are after these things – personal and financial information. Cybercriminals fish for sensitive information (like your credit card information) often to sell it or use it for themselves.

  1. Slowed Down Website

It is also common for cybercriminals to hack into websites to store and run files on your server. This often leads to a slowed-down website, which can later affect your SEO ranking, as Google’s algorithm takes website speed into account in ranking pages.

  1. You will probably lose your customer’s trust too

No customer would like to hear or see their trusted brand’s website get hacked. Your hacked website not only puts your information at risk, but it also risks having your customer information stolen for can be used by cybercriminals for identity theft.

Additionally, you get possibly be held accountable for stolen customer data, and most customers will probably not be confident to visit your website anymore.

 

What can you do to make your website more secure?

  1. Make sure to get an SSL Certificate

A trusted website should be equipped with an SSL Certificate. This is essential for ALL websites, as it ensures that the data shared between your website and visitors are safe, encrypted, and secured from potential hackers or intruders.

  1. Choose a trusted Web Hosting Provider

The type of hosting you choose for your website can help determine your website’s security. It is important to know how well your hosting provider can protect your website from possible cyberattacks, and how they can respond to hacking incidents when it happens.

 

Conclusion

Website hacking is a real threat to businesses in the digital age. With this, keeping your website secure should be a priority for all businesses to ensure that your company and your client’s information are always safe.

Looking for the right web hosting partner for your business? Check out our website hosting services at iManila.

With over 20 years in the industry, iManila is one of the most trusted web hosting companies in the Philippines. Whether you are looking for a domain, security, or hosting solutions, contact us and we’d be glad to help!

Introducing the #iManilaHelpCenter

With the global pandemic keeping us within the confines of our homes and our workplaces, one thing we’ve found among our clients is an increase in email usage, an increase in website traffic, and to some extent – an increasing demand for technical support assistance. Despite the continued service of our brave frontliners – our Technical Support team, we also saw this time as an opportunity to further help and support our clients. With this, we’re happy to introduce our #iManilaHelpCenter. 

The #iManilaHelpCenter is available to anyone who needs detailed support in managing their cPanel. This is available and FREE for anyone by simply visiting www.imanila.ph/help. 

The main objective of our newest Help Center is not only to educate clients about their cPanel accounts, but also to give detailed instructions and steps on how to properly use, control and manage their individual hosting accounts. By visiting the Help Center, you’ll be able to find solutions to your Hosting concerns arranged according to the root of your issue whether it be relating to your: cPanel Dashboard, Databases, Domain, FTP, Files, Emails, etc. 

Further to this, the newest addition to our iManila website also features a wide knowledge base from frequently asked questions to common problems such as How to Access My Website or My Webmail or the definitions of Different Website Errors and many more! 

It is with our hope that the new iManila Help Center will not only help our clients, but empower others in learning something new and hopefully in line with our vision to continue to improve lives through technology. 

For any support-related concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us through [email protected] or via Chat here on our website. #iManila

17-year-old High Schooler Built a Coronavirus-tracking Website

Did you know that one of the most visited corona virus-tracking websites was created by a teenager?

17-year old Avi Schiffmann, of Washington State, developed ncov2019, an informative website that updates COVID-19 statistics from all over the world.

Avi Schiffmann

Avi Schiffmann (Photo from: www.instagram.com/avischiffmann/)

The website collects and regularly updates coronavirus statistics per country, including a tally on deaths, recoveries, active cases, and tests made, from data scraped from WHO, CDC, and other government websites. It also features a map with a breakdown of cases, basic information about the virus, and a survival rate calculator.

rate calculator

Photo: https://ncov2019.live/map

With the website’s popularity, daily website traffic is now estimated at 30 million visitors from all around the world per day, so it is no surprise that Schiffmann has received offers from advertisers. However, Schiffmann decided to decline advertising offers for now, as he did not want ad pop-ups to ruin the website’s UI, which would probably happen once he monetizes the website. Additionally, he is also aware that most of his website visitors from different parts of the world do not have fast internet, so adding ads and trackers will make the website slower and probably unusable for them.

With this impressive development, the future is looking bright for Schiffmann. He has already received job offers, including one from Microsoft, but has yet to accept one, as he is focused into developing his own projects as of now.

With Schiffmann’s ncov2019 development, and the good it did to inform and educate people, we can’t wait to see his projects in the future.

To know more about Avi Schiffmann, visit ncov2019, or follow him on Instagram and Twitter @AviSchiffmann. You can also share your appreciation to his project and buy him a coffee here.

Do you need help putting up your own website? Visit us at www.imanila.ph to get the latest tech updates, trends, and insights from one of the Philippines’ leading full-service digital marketing agencies.

Why Businesses Need a Post-Pandemic Strategy

The coronavirus’ threat to global business hasn’t reached its full magnitude yet. For the next few weeks or months, organizations will begin to shift to a new virtual work reality. This is the birth of a new digital normal. The million-dollar question is, are you prepared to journey the new normal?

With today’s rapidly shifting business landscape, the strategies you use to run and man your business will need to reflect this shift. Here’s how to prepare your business plan for the “post-pandemic normal”.

Smart Financials

Businesses who have not embraced digital transformation yet will most likely not thrive for long. In these problematic times, change is imperative in order to survive. Take your time to re-assess your priorities especially on your digital initiatives. It is crucial that you think smart when it comes to your budget allocation. Remember, the most efficient and effective way to communicate today is through digital.

When this crisis eases, we will be welcomed by generally new digital expectations from consumers. Is there going to be a major surge? Or a gradual rise? Your cash reserves must be able to respond to these kinds of scenarios.

Right Tools

To mitigate the threat of the virus, many organizations have worked remotely. By the end of this, it is likely that some companies will continue to work virtually while some return to their offices. But how will you support them while they are at home? First, you must re-think your strategies and make them long-term.

You may choose to provide your employees with more consistent access to networks, portable equipment and other communication software. This way you can increase their productivity while at home and you may host more intimate and hassle-free online meetings or virtual collaborations without missing a single idea.

Efficient Staffing

This global pandemic has created a wall in everyone’s workforce. To address this gap, you must continually make efficient and smart staffing decisions quickly. In a workplace, there are three typical employees present:

  1. Employees who effectively run the business
  2. Passionate and experience-hungry employees
  3. Starters who need to be trained

Identify individuals who belong in these categories. Then, instill trust and a healthy virtual working environment. Only then will your team members move to constantly communicate, actively collaborate and align their actions to the company’s goals.

After this review, classify additional skills you will need for the future. These could be people who are experts on cloud deployments, operating microservices, etc. If you plan to add in people, you must ensure that you choose the one with experience and can quickly teach other teams with new tools.

Right Brand Permission

Try to assess, is your brand really a digital brand? According to the Yale School of Management, “Brand permission defines the limits of customers’ willingness to accept a familiar brand name in new marketplace situations.” You cannot just claim to be “digital” and expect people to easily accept it especially when you haven’t been digital-driven, historically. You must earn it right.

Brand permission is something to work on and must need time. It focuses on delivering impactful digital products and services—to attract the people you need.

Digital transformation has since been a thing for businesses. But the global pandemic has only pushed to make it rise to a whole new different level — and FAST. We are living in an entirely new digital-driven world. Businesses can no longer simply sit on their laurels or draw digital out of their lives. On your pool of choices, fishing the right ones will ensure you a good spot in this ever-changing and unpredictable world.

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Ready to transition your brand online? We will be happy to guide you through. Learn more about how we can help you here at https://imanila.ph/lets-talk/ or drop us an email at [email protected].

 

#iManila #DigitalAgency

Going Digital to Thrive in the “New Normal”

The coronavirus outbreak has made a huge impact in today’s economy. It has created a huge disturbance in different industries such as tourism, retail, transportation and on all other types of businesses big and small. For a business to keep going during this “New Normal” period is to consider going digital. If you have never had the chance to update your business online, now is the perfect time to brainstorm and to ramp up your digital operation in order to help your business thrive during the global pandemic. 

 

Here’s some reasons on why you should be going digital now!  

 Many consumers shop online 

 Many people have relied on online shopping not only to keep them safe but also SANE during this pandemic. The quarantine has not only kept people home but has forced them to purchase their needs through available applications and websites who have continued to keep their operations going despite not having a physical store open. Just look at the hundreds of businesses marketing their products on social media! Count the number of promotions you’ve seen on the latest delivery apps!  

Your competitors are probably online… since before the pandemic  

If your business doesn’t have a website yet, well guess what? Your competitor probably has one already and you’re missing out on potential customers who are looking for your product or service while at the safety of their own home. While you were sitting at home waiting for things to happen, your competitors were eagerly drafting up online strategies and working with digital agencies on how to move their operations online. So, if you haven’t considered coming up with a digital marketing strategy just yet – well, you should probably start now.  

Many people are working from home… and will likely continue to in the next few months 

Many businesses, just like ours, have implemented work from home setups for their employees since the beginning of March. In order to get tasks done, working remotely and online has been the only option in order to continue the workflow of employees. Going digital doesn’t only have to mean taking your business online, but also taking your work processes online. This means that you business also has to adapt to using efficient software and online tools that will help the productivity and collaboration among employees. Here’s some suggested business tools you can look into: https://imanila.ph/hosting/office-365/. 

 It’s the best way to conduct business during the pandemic 

 Like what we said, the coronavirus outbreak has made an enormous impact not just on businesses but also in the health, safety and welfare of all employees and consumers. At this time, employers cannot force their employees to go back to the office given the limited availability of public transportation and even to a certain extent, public healthcare. These past months, businesses have learned to survive by showing compassion not only to their employees, but to their customers as well.  

 

Going digital is one way to solve the many concerns of employers and employees throughout this global pandemic. As we continue to face these challenges, we can also see this as an opportunity to change and move forward in a different manner. Together, we can help you take your business online and keep your business going despite the circumstances. Here at iManila, we are equipped to keep your business moving forward no matter what the situation is. Reach us through https://imanila.ph/lets-talk/ or drop us an email at [email protected] for more information! Stay home and save a life!

Be wary of emails and messages from unknown senders!

On May 04, 2000, Windows computer users received an email with a malicious attachment. Then in just ten days, fifty million infections were reported. An estimated 10% of the internet-connected computers were infected by the ILOVEYOU virus. 

The infamous ILOVEYOU virus created a massive effect on internet-connected computers that costed more than $10 billion to remove the infection and to recover deleted files from backups. As big as the economic impact, even the Pentagon, the CIA and the U.K. Parliament all closed down their email systems in response to this pandemic computer virus. 

The ILOVEYOU virus controlled the news headlines globally left and right. The spread of the computer virus quickly affected the victims because at that time no one knew about the threat in the first place.  

How ILOVEYOU became the first global computer virus pandemic 

The ILOVEYOU virus, known as the Love Bug at that time, is described as an infectious virus that was being spread differently. Just like all viruses, it requires a ‘host file’ that needs to be activated in order for the infection to take hold. Copies of that host then need to be activated for the computer to be ruled out as “infected”. Computer viruses are also known as worms. For while a worm is self-replicating – it can spread itself by scattering multiple copies of itself across a network without any activation or human intervention. 

When the infection started on May 04, 2000, it was also the same arrival of a spammed email message in the Philippines with the subject line of ILOVEYOU with an instruction to read the attached document from a supposedly love letter from the sender. Moreover, ILOVEYOU was one of the first major computer virus outbreaks and was one of the first to determine how spam can be a time-wasting annoyance. With just an executed Visual Basic script, the opening of that love letter attachment was not a document at all and used as a smart trick to hide the effect from the victim at that time. 

The Visual Basic script file extension of .vbs was hidden by default from Windows computers. A file called “LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.txt.vbs” appeared to all its targets and tenacities to be a text document as the last file extension was not shown. By the act of opening the document, the execution of the script and the ILOVEYOU worm was set free on that computer and others it was connected to. The ILOVEYOU virus would also look under the user’s Microsoft Outlook Windows address book and send copies to all contacts. 

Historical warnings about global virus dangers were imposed way back 

According to Colin Childs, senior security architect at Octopi Managed Services, they have compiled a historical hacking archive aimed at the security researchers and members of the broader InfoSEC community. Childs was able to find a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) advisory document dated as early as September 22, 1989 – eleven years before the spread of the ILOVEYOU virus! 

As viruses spread quickly and cause widespread damage, they created a bigger risk especially for personal computers which have fewer protection features and are often used by non-technical-oriented people. To date, this has changed the way we view the Internet and how we need to be wary when it comes to opening emails from unknown senders.  

ILOVEYOU virus in today’s pandemic situation that caused a fundamental shift in cyber-threat landscape 

The ILOVEYOU virus caused a big fundamental shift in the cyber-threat landscape for all the reasons known. It is an act of cyber-attack through emotions by tricking users into a false sense of trust. The subject alone brought about curiosity from the user if it’s from someone he/she knew – and to make it worst, falling for the trick automatically affects the rest of your contact list without anyone’s knowledge at all.  

As for today’s pandemic situation, many businesses are shifting to the digital space in order to connect to their customers and continue their business operations. One such popular marketing tool companies use is email marketing, which, with one click of a button, allows mass sending of emails to a client database. But with the history of ILOVEYOU comes the downside of email marketing. Instead, others have resulted to email marketing as a means to spread misinformation or to steal personal information and contact details.  

Using a Secure Hosting Solution for your business website 

Apart from personal email threats, business website owners should also know how to protect their website from malicious viruses.  

When it comes to your website security, we recommend integrating Sitelock, a malware detection software that can give website owners a heads up whenever your website is experiencing any threats.  

Just as well, and as all websites are constantly at the risk of crashes and data loss, a backup service called CodeGuard, assures that your entire website will always have an updated backup on standby, ready to be recovered in case of any losses in data. 

For businesses looking for secure business email solutions and for teams who are looking to collaborate seamlessly across different platforms and programs on the Cloud, Google’s G Suite or Microsoft’s Office 365 might just be the solution for you. Not only can iManila help set up your business emails but we can also provide 24/7 support for any technical needs and concerns. 

And finally, for good measure, always make sure that your website is secure by integrating a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate. Having a valid and integrated SSL on your website gives users the security they need when leaving their contact details on your website.  

Having been in the IT industry for more than 23 years, iManila can help you improve your website security and your business emails with a variety of solutions. Trust that with us, you can sleep soundly knowing that you have a partner to help you keep your website and emails secure. Know more about our Hosting solutions here: https://imanila.ph/hosting/. If you want to learn more, drop us an email at [email protected].  

iManila’s Favorite Online Collaboration Tools during ECQ

With most parts of the world on lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many companies have been forced to shut down their doors and establish a sudden shift to remote work to stay operational.  

This also includes us in iManila. With most of our services revolving around the digital landscape, we were lucky enough to have started using various online tools to keep up with the trends and requirements of our clients, even before the pandemic.  

However, since we have started fully working remotely for the past two months, we have also discovered new tools to ease out of our usual business processes and to enhance team collaboration.  

Here’s a couple of online tools that we have found helpful during the lockdown period. Maybe you can try them out too!  

As our company’s official central communications platform, we have used Microsoft Teams more than any other online tool in the past few months. Microsoft Teams’ various features enable us to chat, call, and collaborate whether individually or through its “teams” feature, which allows us to create separate channels within each department or team specifically dedicated to a particular concern, project or purpose. One feature of MS Teams that we really like is that it enables team members to edit MS Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents within the app – allowing for easier collaboration and real-time edits without having to jump from one application to another.  

 Another thing that makes MS Teams great is that it also allows us to set-up separate “team” channels that our external clients can also access, view and be a part of. This allows us to have a secure private channel with our clients, allowing everyone to have a unified communication thread that’s easy to access whether on mobile or on desktop.  

We’ve been using Trello for a few months now to monitor and track tasks for specific projects. So far, this has been an effective tool to manage deliverables and timelines, especially for our creative design and website development projects.  

 Trello’s user-friendly and fun interface allows all of its users to keep track of deadlines easier, and easily prioritize tasks on-the-go. It also allows multiple people involved in multiple projects to be notified when a deadline is coming up. To add, Trello also has a user-friendly mobile app which is also easy to view and update via mobile phone.   

While Microsoft Teams also has a video call feature, we prefer using Zoom for calls involving a bigger group. 

 Zoom has been extremely helpful for big team meetings of more than 10 attendees and for company-wide townhalls called by our CEO for monthly company announcements. What’s great is Zoom can also be accessed either through your browser, desktop, or mobile app, and on top of that allows screen-sharing – making it easier for us to present pitch decks or webinars to clients or to other members of the team.   

Google’s G Suite platform is another one of our clear favorites as it has greatly allowed us to collaborate across multiple solutions – Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Hangout, Meet, etc!  

 Our entire team has been using G Suite for a few years now, as it gives us better solutions to collaborate, store, and share files within one consolidated platform. It allows us to have real-time updates on Google Docs, Sheets and Slides while sharing this with everyone (including clients) for easier collaboration.  

 Google Drive, on the other hand, serves as a repository for many of our working files as it likewise allows us to share these files with our clients, while Google Meet is another platform often preferred by our foreign clients when it comes to kick-off and coordination meetings.  

 These are just some of our favorite and most used online tools during the enhanced community quarantine. Other systems we use include our self-made and highly customized iManila Sales Portal, our HR Payroll System and our Technical Support’s Online Ticketing System, as well as a subscriber-based type of software called Zoho for time keeping and invoicing.  

 As one of the leading full-service digital agencies in the Philippines, we offer various digital services – from web and apps development, hosting, digital marketing, and technical support. 

 Need help in setting up your business towards the shift to the digital space? Looking to learn more about G Suite or Office 365? Get in touch with us today and let us improve your life through technology. #iManila #WorkFromHome