Mindweb eSolutions moved to one of the best business centers in Talisay, South Agora, last July 2, 2021. Engr. Wilcris L. Cortes and Dr. Edgardo M. Cortes led the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Everyone was joyful as they cut the ribbon for this officializes Mindweb eSolutions’ new home!
The new office is also the office of TeachTech Learning Hub. TeachTech is an extension of Mindweb that handles online learning services. Mindweb, together with TeachTech, provides an all-in-one educational platform that will solve the pain brought by the pandemic to educational institutions.
This is the start of something new for Mindweb eSolutions. A new beginning with greater opportunities and a step closer to success. A symbol of growth. From 5 employees to 21 employees, the Mindweb eSolutions team is constantly growing and changing. “Change is inevitable,” as most people say. Some changes are beyond our control, and some are a product of our decisions. The uncertainty of change makes people question whether a step is worth taking, yet this doesn’t stop Mindweb eSolutions from leaping. After a few years of hard work, Mindweb eSolutions finally moved to a new office, a place that we call home. This has been one of the biggest decisions that the company has made. The new office is much bigger than the previous one and gives a much better workspace and comfort. By creating a comfortable workplace, many tough tasks will be a lot easier to push through. Comfort often helps people to be happier.
People work hard when they’re happy. Employees will be more productive if they are having a comfortable, safe, and better workplace.
Visit our new office at Unit C204, 2nd Floor, South Agora, P. Deiparine Street, San Isidro, Talisay City, Cebu. We are open from Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. We are beyond excited to see you!
It has been a long year of stay-at-home productivity for the team, and finally, we get vaccinated with our extra layer of protection to work with confidence in an office environment. But first, what were our hindering triggers and reasons for delay? There are a few like hearsays, experiences, inner thoughts, prioritization in the society, and lack of supply. In some way fear has grown in each of us, might be the fear that the vaccine is not effective, the ear that the vaccine has bad effects, or the vaccine is implied to deplete the population and a jungle of other reasons to be scared. However, the team’s courage has overpowered fear, the courage to leap to get back to life by getting vaccinated, and grab the opportunity to work together in a safer and hopefully covid free workplace.
Thank you to Project Balik Buhay for giving our company a call and gave vaccination slots for the entire team last June 29, 2021, and now Sinovac is flowing in our veins currently waiting for our second dose. The vaccine is a miracle with the short amount of time that it is being developed and studied, now that it is available to the public it is bringing so much hope and confidence to everyone. Hoping everyone decides for the best and gets vaxxed too.
On-premises software is located and operated within a user’s data center. As such, it uses the user’s computing hardware rather than that of a cloud provider. Also known as “shrinkwrap,” on-premises programs are among the most used enterprise and consumer applications that require licenses per server or computer. Vendors are no longer responsible for their security and overall management but do provide after-sales technical support.
Users have varying requirements and resources. Here are some factors they can consider.
Cost
Advantage
Lower long-term costs: Annual maintenance costs and one-time license fees are lower compared to paying recurring expenses associated with cloud software.
Disadvantage
Requires substantial capital investment for hardware and infrastructure: On-premises software users must deal with ongoing costs related to space, server, and other equipment, along with power consumption.
Control and management
Advantage
Full user control: An on-premises environment allows users complete control and management of assets. That is particularly useful for those who work in highly regulated industries where privacy is a top concern.
Disadvantage
Requires dedicated tech support: Since users have full control and management of all assets, the organization needs a dedicated IT support team.
Security
Advantage
Allows implementation of own security policies and procedures: Industries that deal with sensitive information often prefer to use on-premises software because this gives them more control over security. It allows them to contain information within their walls.
Disadvantage
Requires dedicated tech support: Again, an internal IT support team is needed so users can implement their self-devised security policies.
User access
Advantage
No need for Internet connection: On-premises software can be accessed even without an Internet connection. That makes it useful for areas where there is no reliable Internet connection. Multiple users can also access the system simultaneously without affecting the speed.
Disadvantage Cannot be accessed while on the go: On-premises systems must be accessed within the vicinity of the user’s office or field. Remote access may be complicated to set up.
Although the importance of cloud computing is steadily growing, on-premises is still the better choice in many cases for companies and organizations. In sectors like finance or healthcare, companies are subject to particularly strict data protection requirements. With on-premises, sensitive data can be protected more effectively from unauthorized third-party access since the company itself manages the data and internal processes. The company defines who gains access to which data.
The Azure platform aims to help businesses manage challenges and meet their organizational goals. It offers tools that support all industries — including e-commerce, finance and a variety of Fortune 500 companies — and is compatible with open-source technologies. This provides users with the flexibility to use their preferred tools and technologies. Seventy-three percent of organizations have at least one application, or chunk of their infrastructure, in the cloud already, according to a recent report. A further 17% plan to make a move toward the cloud within the next year. Average spend on cloud computing is also increasing, rising from $1.62m per business in 2016 to $2.2m today. And it is not just enterprises who are shelling out to ensure their business is at the forefront of this digital shift; SMBs now typically invest around $889,000 in cloud tech, up 210% on the average 2016 budget. It might seem like everyone is doing it, but cloud computing is still new phenomenon, and there is still a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about the cloud. But worry not, we are going back to basics to offer straightforward answers to the questions you were too afraid to ask with our Microsoft technology FAQ series.
What is Microsoft Azure? Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service offered by Microsoft. There are over 600 services that fall under the Azure umbrella, but broadly speaking, it is a web-based platform on which applications and services can be built, tested, managed, and deployed. A wide range of Microsoft’s software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) products are hosted on Azure. Azure offers three core areas of functionality: Virtual Machines, cloud services, and app services.
What is Microsoft Azure used for? There are hundreds of services available through Azure; practically any cloud computing product that a business could need can be found on the platform. In terms of scope, Azure covers more regions than any other cloud provider and is the only consistent hybrid cloud.
Who uses Microsoft Azure? Due to its accessible nature and massive scalability, Azure can be and is used by companies of every size and circumstance, from garage startups to Fortune 500 companies; in fact, 90% the Fortune 500 trust run processes on the Microsoft cloud. In addition to the vast choice of innovative, and business-critical services, there are many other benefits to Azure which make it appealing to organizations across the board. Azure is flexible; users can add new services, up their storage capabilities, and create new applications as they go, without having to worry about whether they have the infrastructure to support any changes. As Azure largely eliminates the need for costly hardware like servers, routers, and load balancers—plus the in-house IT manpower to maintain them—it can save companies a lot of money. Many Azure services operate on an on-demand, pay-as-you-go, and users can get a real-time view of how much they are spending through their admin portal, making budgeting IT spend much easier and more precise. The reliability offered by Microsoft’s cloud services is also a bonus for businesses. Azure’s 99.99% uptime guarantee, huge range of disaster recovery plans, and thorough backup systems mean organizations, their processes, and their data, are in safe hands.
Where is Azure data held? Azure runs on data centers around the world, enabling the service to cover more regions than any other cloud provider; Microsoft’s datacenters contain enough fiber cabling to reach the moon and back three times over. Azure currently operates 54 regions—a set of locally-based datacenters dedicated to a particular geographic location—in 140 countries; customers can select the region that’s right for them, allowing users around the world to preserve data residency, maintain compliance and take advantage of a wide range of resiliency options. Microsoft has invested over $15bn in infrastructure since opening its first data center in 1989 and continues to add new regions to its Azure coverage all the time, expanding the services available to each location. However currently, not all Azure services are available in every region.
Consequently, Microsoft Azure’s capabilities have become increasingly innovative and open, with improved support for Linux and open-source application stacks. Furthermore, many customers that are pursuing a multi-cloud strategy will use Azure for some of their workloads, and Microsoft’s on-premises Azure Stack software may potentially attract customers seeking hybrid solutions.
The Mindweb eSolutions, spearheaded by its CEO Engr. Wilcris Cortes, sponsored the 8th CCPSAA Teacher’s Congress with a theme “Education in the New Normal: Challenges and Opportunities”, the first-ever virtual congress last February 20, 2021. The event was attended by almost a thousand delegates, streamed both in ZOOM and Youtube, featuring their seasoned and inspiring speakers like Bishop Samuel Arthur of Manchester, Dr. Salustiano Jimenez of the Department of Education, Pastor Debbie Huber of California, and the ever-creative Dr. Mardy Verano of Cebu.
In the said event, Mindweb eSolutions highlight its competencies together with its co-sponsors, exhibiting their flagship products and services that are mainly applicable to educational institutions. With Mindweb, it presented its holistic School Management System and Virtual Learning Environment, with some of its advance modules on spotlight such as the Online Enrollment System, Parent/Guardian Access, Accounting Module, and many more. The following are the list of the participating schools: Athenaeum International School, Pardo National School, St. Paul Learning Center, iBrain Learning Center, Child Learning Foundation, Cebu Learning Center Mainstream, The Salvation Army Education Services, Cebu Institute of Technology – University, Communication Arts Learning Center, Maranatha Christian Academy Incorporated, Holy Seed Christian School Incorporated, Cebu Technical Vocational Training and Assessment Academy, Nehemiah School of Opportunities, Children’s Shelter of Cebu, San Jose Calasanz – Cebu, Cebu Children of Hope School Foundation, Matilda L. Bradford Christian School, Cebu Bradford School Incorporated, CBD College, Bethany Christian School, Cebu Bethel Academy Foundation, Golden Gate Children’s House, Bridging Homes Learning Center Incorporated, One World Montessori House, Gualandi Effata Catholic School, Sae Young Christian School, Harvest Christian School International, Golden Success College, Salvatorian School Incorporated, Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School, FBC Christian Learning Center Incorporated, Kids Daycare and After School Center, Lahug Christian School, Maria Montessori International School, Philippine Christian Gospel School, Exceptional Children’s Educational Center of BrainGym Incorporated, Sci Integrated Academy Incorporated, University of Cebu – Main, St. Theresa’s College of Cebu, Visayan Nazarene Bible College, CCCC Child Center Incorporated, and more.
All of these are for the preparation of the future of all School Institutions and to aid their steps in tackling the inconveniences and restrictions brought by the pandemic. With the current situation, it may be seen as a challenge but here rises also an opportunity. As with the congress theme, this is an opportunity to reevaluate and innovate for better education in this new normal.
Mindweb eSolutions conducted an online survey from its 88 enrollees as their respondents with the goal in mind to determine how the Online Enrollment System affect their enrollment process in terms of satisfaction, user-friendliness, the responsiveness of the 24/7 support, and the duration of the overall online enrollment procedure.
Our analysis of the survey data identifies key points about how the online enrollment system will simplify and fasten the traditional face-to-face enrollment system. Also, this survey results will highlight the feedbacks of our respondents and use it accordingly to improve the OES module.
88 students who enrolled using the MISP Online Enrollment System were asked about their satisfaction with their overall experience in navigating and using the OES. The average satisfaction rate was 3.9 out of 5, suggesting that most of the users are satisfied. Again, the 88 students were asked about the user-friendliness of the OES and the average user-friendliness rate was 3.8 out of 5, suggesting that most of the users found the software interface and process easy and appealing. 70 out of the 88 enrollees were asked about the help they received when reaching Mindweb’s 24/7 Help Desk support team and it resulted in a 4.2 out of 5 satisfaction rate. Again, suggesting that the majority of the users are satisfied with the 24/7 support service provided. One of the highlights of the survey was that 64% of the overall respondents would like to use Mindweb’s online enrollment system given that the majority of the respondents experienced an enrollment duration of less than an hour. Out of the 88 respondents, 33% experienced a duration of less than 30 minutes. 32% experienced a duration of more than 30 minutes but less than 45 minutes. 16% experienced a duration of more than 45 minutes but less than 1 hour and 19% experienced a duration of more than an hour.
With these survey results, it clearly presented that the MISP Online Enrollment System has an enormous advantage compared to the traditional face-to-face enrollment. These survey results also serve as proof of the system’s effectiveness in providing the user the satisfaction they deserved when using the OES application.
