To ensure optimal productivity levels, businesses must regularly track and measure employee performance. 

By tracking key metrics, businesses can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimize workflow. 

The post Top 5 Metrics Every Business Needs to Track Employee Productivity appeared first on Techieapps.

A major issue with data warehouses is that the data needs proper structuring before storage, and with zettabytes of data available, it can be time-consuming. Hence, a modern architecture called data lakes was proposed to solve this issue.

Data lake offers a flexible format for storing data and eliminates the necessity of structuring it before storing it. In addition, data lake associates itself with metadata tags and identifiers when storing data, thus making it easily retrievable for future use.

As data lakes provide a simplified repository for storing a large amount of data, any compromise can have severe implications for organizations, particularly healthcare, defense, or finance. Hence, it’s crucial to implement tools and strategies to secure data lakes.

Here are seven ways to help enterprises secure their valuable data lakes.

1. Network Perimeter Security

Hackers are always on the lookout for vulnerabilities in data lake platforms. In addition, as organizations allow their partners and employees to access stored data from data lakes, they often risk exposing their network to multiple threats.

Securing the network perimeter is crucial to your data lake security posture. It acts as a virtual wall that allows authorized aspects through the network and blocks malicious attacks.

Creating a secure network perimeter is crucial to protecting from internal and external threats from in-house or cloud data lakes. An ideal network perimeter security involves some of the best data lake protection tools, including firewalls, border routers, host and network-based intrusion detection systems, and VPNs. Implementing these tools will significantly reduce cyberattacks and improve the system’s efficiency.

2. Security Function Isolation

Security function isolation is the foundation of data lake security, especially for cloud storage. It isolates all security functions from non-security ones using an isolation boundary.

The goal of implementing isolation is to limit platform capabilities to their intended use only. For data lakes, a security function isolation should define their roles to platform management and administration. Moreover, it should also ensure only experienced security administrators can modify the security functions.

Security function isolation reduces the risk of data breach and restricts inexperienced users from accessing the security functions and causing misconfigurations.

3. Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

DLP is a technique that protects organizations against unwanted data breaches, exfiltration, or destruction. In addition, it prevents illicit data transfer by end-users outside your organizational boundaries.

DLP is a critical aspect of improving information security as it allows you to classify, prioritize, monitor, filter, and report sensitive data stored in data lakes. Moreover, implementing DLP to the access policies helps organizations comply with regulations, such as PCI-DSS, HIPPA, and GDPR.

4. Monitor Compliance and Incident Response

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/Im_cQ6hQo10

Compliance monitoring and incident response is another essential way to secure data lakes. It assists organizations with early threat detection, identification, and investigation. In addition, integrating your data lake security infrastructure with compliance monitoring and incident response will help you quickly and effectively deal with security threats.

5. Introduce Robust Authentication Measures

Restricting data access to authorized users is the basis of data lake security. It can be done by implementing a secure authentication process to keep your data safe and help users quickly access the information.

Authentication validates the identity of users who are trying to access sensitive information. There are numerous ways in which organizations can validate user identity, including

• Single sign-on (SSO) offers users a set of login credentials.
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) adds an extra security layer in the form of a one-time access code for a higher level of assurance.
• Consumer identity and access management (CIAM) allow organizations to securely capture and manage authorized users’ information.

6. Authorization

Authorization is another login step that determines what actions authorized users can perform in your stored database. It is based on the principle of least privilege that provides specific permissions to ensure the data is accessible to those who need it.

Authorization is crucial as it restricts everyone from accessing sensitive information stored in the data lake.

7. Enforce Data Encryption

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/tiSE_paTt0A

Data encryption is a vital information security standard that involves encoding data to ensure only authorized users can access it. Organizations can substitute sensitive information stored in data lakes with another form or code and send it over other computer networks. Users with a decryption key can access this code and use it to translate the code back to its original form.

Enforcing data encryption helps organizations protect sensitive data and securely transfer it between servers.

Conclusion

Data lakes offer end-to-end services to store terabytes of data while reducing the time, effort, and cost required to manage and access them. But keeping data lake secured is a complex process and involves the right expertise, strategic planning, and quality implementation. By implementing the best security practices and solutions, you can leverage the tremendous analytical benefits of data lakes while ensuring data integrity.

The post How To Secure Data Lakes: 7 Tools to Know appeared first on Techieapps.

We’ll answer all of these questions and more with this guide to dealing with deindexing from Google.

This comprehensive list of 15 ways to get deindexed by Google will help you keep your site from disappearing off the face of the Internet forever. But before moving forward, let’s understand how Deindexing happens?

How Does Deindexing Happen?

It’s important to note that deindexing is not an immediate event, and it can take weeks or months for a site to be deindexed.

When a website is deindexed, it can mean two things: that a penalty has been issued or that there has been some algorithmic change. Either way, you’re at risk of being dropped from organic search results if you do not address these issues quickly.

If you believe your site has been deindexed, there are a few things you can do to find out why and take action if needed. The first step is determining what kind of a penalty you received from Google and then looking into remedies for that type of penalty.

In some cases, you have to implement changes on your site (such as disavowing backlinks) for your site/URL/content type to become searchable again.

Now, let’s focus on the various ways to get deindexed by Google.

15 Ways to Get Deindexed by Google

1. Spammy Pages

Have you noticed a lot of links pointing to your site? If so, you might be in danger of being deindexed from Google. That means that all your hard work could be for nothing.

To make sure your site stays safe, make sure you don’t have any spammy pages on it. These are pages with low-quality content or links and no relevant information that passes PageRank.

2. Duplicate Content Material

If your web page is composed of just a tiny amount of content material copied from different websites, then it’s likely for you to get deindexed from Google.

Be cautious when using key terms and duplicate content because google has got an algorithm that checks for originality within the site. Additionally, it would help if you are particular about which elements on your site are under copyright rules.

You can do so by using free apps like Copyscape or Plagiarism checker. You could verify if there is plagiarized content on your website, which might hurt your website popularity in search engines like google.

3. Sneaky Redirects

As you know, sneaky redirects are one of Google’s primary signals for determining whether or not a site is spammy. Be careful with redirects and make sure they’re relevant because, just like doorway pages, they can be a wrong signal to Google. It could also lead to your site getting deindexed by search engines.

4. Hyperlink Schemes

While there are plenty of legitimate ways to improve your site for both users and search engines, one way that is typically frowned upon is known as cloaking. Cloaking occurs when a website serves different content depending on whether or not a search engine spider is accessing it.

One common form of cloaking uses a hyperlink scheme that links an undesirable page in hopes that spiders will mistakenly index another page instead.

5. Scrape Content Material

If you happen to scrap creating high-quality content material from some other person’s site without their consent, you could get deindexed in Google.

If there are an excessive amount of textual content similarities between your page and somebody else’s website—or if you happen to aren’t doing a great job citing your sources—you could also be penalized or even dropped by Google.

6. High-quality Content material

It will help if you begin creating high-quality content that reaches out and grabs individuals’ attention from a mile away. Once your site has been indexed, it is just a matter of time until it makes it into top rankings and becomes an authority on its niche.

It takes around two months for a website to get deindexed if you use improper SEO tactics such as keyword stuffing and duplicate content.

7. Doorway Pages

Doorway pages (or landing pages) are web pages designed specifically for search engines and no other purpose. They often contain low-quality content and little relevance to a user’s query; that’s why they can cause SEO headaches.

Google now monitors doorway pages, so it may just be a matter of time before your website is deindexed if you have these on your site.

8. Phishing and Malware Setup

One of Google’s worst enemies is malware. Malware can affect your site and get it deindexed from search results if your system is infected. Spam-filled content is another cause of your site getting deindexed from a search engine.

To ensure you don’t accidentally let any malicious software into your website, never click on links that are not correctly formatted or ask for personal information from an unknown sender.

Never download software unless you know where it came from, and only install plugins and extensions for WordPress recommended by reputable sources.

If you follow these rules religiously, you will never have a problem downloading phishing or malware onto your website.

9. Poor Visitor Posts

The majority of posts on your site should focus on providing value. Unfortunately, some are too promotional. If you’re posting low-quality content to get a few extra links or backlinks, you may be doing more harm than good.

That’s not just because they have a high bounce rate and no social shares – it’s also because Google considers those types of posts spammy! The best way to get deindexed is by developing content that focuses on providing value for your readers rather than attracting search engine traffic.

These posts will build quality backlinks naturally and encourage people to share your content online as well.

10. Hacked Content Material

The quickest way to get deindexed is to hack your website. Placing a hyperlink in an invisible layer on your web page that redirects users to a different site is considered hacking content material and may lead you straight towards being deindexed by google.

11. Automated Queries

Automated queries are a massive no-no with SEO. You should never, ever, ever do them. The search engines have technology that watches for these searches and can severely downgrade your rankings if they catch you.  So don’t even imagine doing them unless you know what you’re doing.

12. Hidden Textual Content or Hyperlinks

In a rush and don’t have time to optimize your site for search engines? If you can, try avoiding placing hidden text on your website, as those are subject to being deindexed.

In some cases, though, it may be unavoidable. In other cases, it may make sense from a design perspective. Just make sure that you’re optimizing things correctly for search engines (white space helps) if there are hidden text elements on your site.

13. Person-Generated Spam

One easy way to get deindexed by Google is through person-generated spam. If people create spammy content on your site, including diverting links, you can get deindexed.

14. Auto-Generated Content material

It’s only a matter of time till Google catches on and recognizes that your website is spewing out generic auto-generated content material. Then you will get deindexed. The spammers are getting smarter, so you will need to match them in their wake.

15. Crawl Blocking By Robots.txt File

Source: https://www.keycdn.com/support/sitemap-contains-urls-which-are-blocked-by-robots-txt

Robots.txt is a document file that you can create and save in your site’s root directory that allows you to control how search engine crawlers can access your website. If you’re trying to hide a specific page from being indexed or from appearing in search results, it’s a good idea to use a robots.txt file.

Summing Up!

No one wants to pay to play with Google, and most small business owners don’t have the budget to get listed on the first page of results on Google or any other search engine.

Since Google is a powerful entity that can remove your site from the search engine if it falls short of its guidelines, sticking to its rules and creating quality content will help you maintain an active presence on Google. So, always keep in mind the rules to grow your website.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I Deindex a page?

There are two ways to deindex pages from Google. The first way is by removing your site from Google’s index, and the second way is by using a no-follow tag on specific links.

Most people don’t have access to remove their pages from Google’s index, so they’ll need to rely solely on the “no follow” tag for now.

How can I remove a link from a Google search?

If you want to remove a page from Google’s search results, you need to deindex the page by setting up a site-wide meta tag on your site. While you can’t remove a page from Google search, you can submit the URL of the page to be “deindexed.” Hence, it tells Google not to crawl or render that particular URL in our index.

How do I remove cached pages from Google?

All cached pages can be removed by clicking the “Cached” link in Google search, which will take you to a list of all the cached pages. The deindexing process is quick and easy for those with even moderate technical skills – it typically only takes between 10-15 minutes.

The post How to Get Deindexed by Google? 15 Easy Ways You Must Know appeared first on Techieapps.

According to web statistics, in 2021, 48% of web visitors say a website’s design is the #1 essential element that helps determine a business’s credibility.

If you desire your online business to thrive and grow, then it’s time for you to hire a UI/UX developer or designer. Besides, it’s also essential to hire someone who is skilled and understands your vision for the company. If we follow the world’s greatest business giants- Steve Jobs words about web design, he says:

Besides, many reasons justify why it’s crucial to hire the best UI/UX designer for your online business; here are some:

Advantages Of Having Good UI/UX Design Service Providers For Your Business

1. High Conversion Rates: This is the first and foremost advantage. If you hire a UI/UX designer who knows what they’re doing, then your website will look great, be easy to navigate through, have no errors or glitches, etc., all of which can lead to higher sales conversions for your business.
2. Higher Website Traffic: When you hire a UI/UX designer, they will make your website get higher rankings and more site traffic.
3. Higher Brand Recognition: If people visit your website and see that it has a high-quality design on the homepage, then there’s a good chance they’ll remember this later when considering what to buy from you.
4. Higher Quality Website: A good UI/UX designer knows how to hire an appropriate font, the perfect color scheme, and a layout that will increase your business’ productivity.
5. Higher Satisfaction Rates For Site Visitors: When people visit your website, they’ll be more likely to stay on it longer if it’s aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.

Besides, 94% of web visitor only relates with the website if its design is up to mark.

Image Source: https://www.paulolyslager.com/7-reasons-better-website-design-services-never-die/

Now, since we know how much it’s essential to carry out a perfect UI/UX designer recruitment process. So, further, in this blog, we will learn some things that you should consider before hiring a UI/UX developer or designer. Let’s start with

A Complete Guide On What UI/UX Designers Do & What To Consider Before Hiring Them!

What UI/UX Designer Do?

These specialists can typically work on large projects where they need UX design and web development skills. Their primary responsibility is to create a site or application that is usable and looks good.

UX designers are responsible for ensuring that the design of a site or application is suitable to meet user needs and expectations. They have an essential role in determining how easy it will be for specific audiences, such as people with disabilities or different levels of education, to use the product.

UI designers are responsible for the look and feel of a site or application. They create everything from logos to buttons, navigation bars, to advertising banners.

Must Read: How Web Design Affects Your Online Sales in 2021? You Must Know

What Are The Essential Skills For UI/UX Designers in 2021?

Before hiring the one, you must know the must-have skills for UI/UX designer, such as: are

#1 Skill: The UI/UX designer has to be a problem solver

They’re the ones who will work on the actual design of your app, website, or any other digital product that you have created. That means they’ll need to think about how users will interact with it and what type of information needs to get across to make your product as smooth and user-friendly as possible.

#2 Skill: They should be able to think from the perspective of a customer

They’ll need to know how people will use their product to create something that will work well with customers’ needs.

#3 Skill: They should be creative and able to think outside of the box

It’s good if they know current design trends. Knowing what’s out there and how to use it in a way that best suits your needs will give you an edge over competitors who don’t know about these new opportunities for digital products.

#4 Skill: A UI/UX designer needs to have a basic understanding of code

If they know code, they can work with developers to make sure their designs are possible, practical, simple, and effective.

#5 Skill: They should be able to communicate well

They’ll need to work with developers and other designers to come together seamlessly for their design bits and pieces. This means they have an active understanding of how things are expected to fit together, what the different parts will look like, where graphics go on a page or app, and how the final product will look.

#6 Skill: They should be able to use industry-standard software

It is good if they know how to use software like Photoshop or Sketch so that they can create images of your product layouts and other design elements before moving on to the development stage.

#7 Skill: A UI/UX designer needs an understanding of design principles

To create something appealing yet purposeful, they should know design principles such as color theory, typography, and layout guidelines.

What Vital Things Do You Need To Consider Before Hiring a UI/UX Designer?

Image Source: Google

There are many things that you must consider before hiring one UI/UX designer for your next web project, such as:

1. The UI/UX designer should collaborate and be able to work with you

UI/UX designers are often required to collaborate closely with the client. This collaboration process can take a considerable amount of time- something that not all designers will have patience for.

While it’s essential to find an expert who is open-minded enough to adapt their design to the client’s feedback, it is also critical that they can efficiently work with you. If someone can’t work with you, they won’t be a good fit for your business.

2. They should have enough experience and expertise

It doesn’t matter what qualification or degrees one has; if they don’t have the necessary experience for your project, it will be challenging to work with them and get what you need.

3. Must understand your needs

They should be clear with what is expected of them from the very beginning to avoid any confusion or miscommunication later on down the line.

4. The UI/UX designer should have the right personality for your business culture

It sounds like a no-brainer, but one’s work style or social skills can be drastically different from another person’s and cause severe conflicts in the workplace. For example, some designers may require more autonomy than others which will clash with an organization that values hierarchy.

5. Able to meet your deadlines

You must find a developer who can work quickly and efficiently so as not to cause any unnecessary delays in the project timeline- they must understand how much time they have at their disposal, what their deadlines are, and whether or not.

6. Must have a good communicator

Communication is of the utmost importance for both parties to feel comfortable with one another. Besides, it ensures that there will not be any miscommunication or confusion during the project development period. You’ll need to make sure that the designer can communicate with you and other team members and collaborate effectively.

7. Able to work independently

Don’t hire a freelancer who requires constant feedback or input from the client- this will only slow things down due to having to wait for your responses before moving on in their design process.

8. Work on multiple projects at once

They need to have the ability and the time and bandwidth to take on more than one project at once to keep up with their deadlines without compromising the quality or integrity of work. They should also maintain a high level of quality and integrity with the various projects they have going at any given time.

9. Well-rounded in their skill sets

A freelancer should know more than just one thing, as this will allow them to offer you customized services that fit your needs.

10. Open-minded and adaptable to feedback

While it’s crucial for freelancers to have their own opinions about design, they also need the ability to listen and adjust when necessary to meet your expectations—this is what will make them an ideal candidate for you as the client!

Steps to Hire UI/UX Designers

The steps to hire UI/UX designers are not complex, but you should know the qualities that make a good one. Here’s what you need to do:

#1. Research & Discovery

The first step is to research and find a freelance designer who can provide you with your business’s services. You may need them for web design, mobile app design, UX/UI consulting, or other related services.

You’ll want to take time to research all of the designers available to make sure that they’re qualified for the job. You’ll want to consider things like:

• What are their qualifications?
• How long and what have they been in this profession?
• Do they specialize in a specific design area, or are they versatile and knowledgeable about different fields?

#2. Deliverables & Production

Once you’ve narrowed down your choice of designers, it’s essential to clarify what the deliverables will be and how they will be produced. You’ll want to find out if the designer is comfortable delivering a final product in any specified period or if their work has flexible deadlines.

If this all sounds complicated, don’t worry! Here’s a simple checklist to help you make your decision:

• What’s the turnaround time for the project?
• How much experience does this designer have with managing deadlines and communicating about them?
• Does this designer offer revision or other services that are included in their price quote? How many rounds of changes will be made before they charge you more?

#3. Portfolio, Sketch files, Previous Work

Go and ask for a portfolio of the designer’s previous work- this will help you get an idea of whether or not they’re qualified for your project.

It’s important to remember that it is okay if you don’t like what you see in their portfolio, as long as they can provide another solution and answer any questions that you have about their past work.

It’s also crucial for them to provide a sketch file or wireframe of your desired design- this will help you get an idea of the overall vision they’re trying to convey, and it’ll keep them on task when it comes time for revisions.

Lastly, previous work can be helpful because you’ll know that they have experience with your project- this will make you more confident in hiring them and show that they’re reliable.

#4. Tools & Workflow

It’s also essential to find out about the designer’s tools and workflow- this will tell you whether or not they’re a good fit for your company.

You’ll want to make sure that their products are compatible with the software and hardware that you use, as well as any of your preferred design programs like Photoshop or Sketch. This is also important because it will show you if they’re a good fit for your company.

You should also ask about their workflow- this will tell you what time of day and how often they start work on projects, and whether or not deadlines are included in the price quote. It’s always best to know these details ahead of time so that there are no surprises later!

What Questions To Ask During The UI/UX Designer Recruitment Process?

• What is your process for doing design work?
• How do you typically handle feedback from clients?
• Can I meet with a past client of yours to get their thoughts on the process and results?
• Do you have any questions to ask me about our project, timeline, budget, or anything else that we’ve discussed so far?
• How long will it take to see some design work in the form of wireframes or prototypes, etc.?
• What other services might you offer that we haven’t discussed yet?
• Do you have any queries related to our project and timeline which I can answer now?

Must Read: 10 Most Latest Web Design Trends Which Will Dominate Your Screen in 2021

Conclusion

UI/UX designers are an essential piece of the puzzle for all things digital, like web design. It’s not a bad idea to conduct thorough research and try out different options before deciding on one.

Hiring somebody is also about more than just their skillset; make sure you’re comfortable working with them. Remember that your ultimate goal should always be to create a website that meets your needs and goals.

FAQs

How much does it cost to hire a UX designer?

Hiring UX/UI Designers May Cost You:

• Average Salary (SGD)       UX Designer        UI Designer
• Entry Level (< 1 yr exp)          $37,000                    $42,000
• Mid-Level (1-4 yrs exp)          $51,000                     $52,000
• Senior Level (5-9 yrs exp)      $62,000                   $54,000

What skills do UX designers need?

Here are must-have skills for UX designers:

• Collaboration
• UX research
• Wireframing and UI prototyping
• UX writing
• Visual communication
• User empathy
• Interaction design
• Coding

Is UX UI design in demand?

According to a LinkedIn report, UX design is one of the top five in-demand. Their survey respondents also expected their design teams to grow by an average of 21%. This survey also cites UI/UX designers as the most in-demand product design job.

The post #Unlock What To Look Out Before Hiring UI/UX Designer: 10 Important Points! appeared first on Techieapps.