24/7 Software Blog

“Drivers who went to DMV offices Monday morning were likely hoping for a quick end to what can be a painfully slow process — but in offices around the U.S., that process ground to a halt for roughly four hours, due to a widespread network problem,” writes Bill Chappell in their recent NPR article entitled “U.S. Driver's License Network Goes Down, Slowing DMV Offices Across The Nation.”

"The network that connects motor vehicle agencies across the United States to each other and to various verification service’ began experiencing an outage at 10 a.m. ET,” says Claire Jeffrey, communications manager for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, according to Chappell.

“The issue wasn't resolved until 2 p.m., Jeffrey says. In the meantime, many driver's license and vehicle registration offices were unable to use a key database search tool that lets them verify information,” writes Chappell.

The article continues, “Crucially, the states were blocked from using the PDPS, which ‘contains information on individuals whose privilege to operate a motor vehicle has been revoked, suspended, canceled or denied or who have been convicted of serious traffic-related offenses,’ according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, or NHTSA.”

“In addition to those services, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles said the network outage left it unable to verify U.S. passports,” according to the NPR piece.

Patience is a virtue that would be tested in this case.

Agree?

We cannot imagine your operation having to react to a situation like this.

You know, one that slows down your property.

Can you?

You might already be experiencing slowdowns throughout your operation.

But is it fixable?

Do you think you’re running a reactive operation?

That might be your slowdown.

Proactive Operations is your solution.

“On Jan. 1, the toughest data privacy law in the U.S. goes into effect: the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA,” shares Rachel Myrow in their recent NPR article entitled “California Rings In The New Year With A New Data Privacy Law.”

“That's why you're seeing a host of emails pop up in your inbox from various companies announcing updates to their terms of service, particularly their privacy policies. With no similar federal law on the horizon, this one is expected to set the standard nationally for some time to come,” Myrow explains.

“So what does it mandate,” asks Myrow.

"On Jan. 1, 2020, all Californians will be able to find out what personal information a business is collecting about them, their devices and their children," said Mary Stone Ross, one of the new law's co-authors, and a nationally recognized data privacy expert, the NPR article.

“According to the law, consumers will be able to opt out of the sale of their personal information. If a company fails to implement reasonable security practices and consumers' personal information is breached, they'll be allowed to sue those companies,” the article explains.

Myrow says, “Companies can still collect the data: what you buy; where you go, and when; all the photos you've ever taken; your emails, even the ones you deleted.”

“But what companies must now do is tell you what they're collecting when you ask, and delete it all if you ask for that. However, some companies can deny your request to delete if the data is required in order to complete a financial transaction or protect against fraud,” according to the article.

The article continues, “What companies can't do anymore, legally, is sell that data if you tell them not to. But if they do anyway, consumers can't sue. The law reserves lawsuits for another all-too-common problem: ‘It's only for data breaches. So if certain categories of personal information, for example, your Social Security number, are breached, and a business fails to implement reasonable security practices, then you have cause,’ said Stone Ross.”

That’s an essential requirement for business in 2020.

But if you’re proactive, you’re already ahead of the game.

That’s what you need to do.

You need to be proactive.

We’re talking about setting your property’s standard for keeping your customers safe and protecting your organization from legal suits.

How?

You employ Proactive Operations.

It’s the year of operations management software.

You’re probably wondering how we know this.

How can we predict the future?

It’s because operations are motivated to employ Proactive Operations, which makes operations management software the apparent answer.

You can’t apply the Proactive Operations methodology without the intention of maximizing your efficiency.

There’s no way around it.

Operations management software takes your operation further.

There’s something special about operations management software that can enhance real-time communications, maximize experience, and reduce risk.

A characteristic exists that brings everything together to take your property’s operation levels above its current performance state.

Do you know what that quality is?

It’s a unified solution for your property.

Think about it for a moment. How efficient is using multiple tools – from various vendors – to operate?

It’s not efficient in any way.

So many operations are still operating this way.

But, we know 2020 will be the year you move away from this method.

The current approach of using individual tools forces you to maintain a reactive state because you always depend on different applications to perform well.

It also means you’re relying on different vendors to remain active.

That’s not proactive. That's terrifying. 

Operations management software is the unified solution for properties.

A unified solution is one solution that helps you cover all bases – they evoke Proactive Operations.

This mindset will help you reach a new level in 2020.

What do you say?

Are you ready to make 2020 the year you transition to a platform that unifies your mission of being one of the world’s greatest properties?

Welcome to 2020.

A new year.

A new decade!

You want to capitalize on this fresh start.

Your operation is still running, and your team is performing.

The good news is that everything is OK!

But you want to make it better.

So, what are you going to do?

Do you have any New Year’s resolutions for your operation?

Do you have any plans to take your operation to the next level?

We’ve got something you can do.

How about making 2020 the year you maximize the performance of your operation?

You’ve got 12 months ahead of you – let’s make them productive.

Agree? Let’s do this!

We’re going to show you how to employ the world-class methodology operations use.

Do you want Proactive Operations in place?

Then, you need a reliable infrastructure.

It’s a large part of what is required to employ the Proactive Operations methodology.

You can’t hit the level of performance needed without it.

You could have an effective strategy and the right technology.

But, you might miss the mark on your infrastructure.

You’ll still be shy of where you need to be.

That’s not good.

Why?

You need all three to be successful.

Now, you probably already know you need to address your infrastructure.

Your communication channels are probably disjointed, you deal with regular bottlenecks, and no one is ever on the same page.

It troubles you, and you’re tired of it.

A proactive leader knows to start the process before this year is over, and you’re already into 2020.

You’re ready for a solid foundation going into the New Year.

But, you don’t know where to start – do you?

That’s fine. We’re here to help.

Let’s get you geared up for 2020 by building the foundation you’ll need to achieve and maintain Proactive Operations.

“On a June morning in 1974, a Marsh Supermarket cashier in Troy, Ohio, rang up a 67-cent pack of Juicy Fruit chewing gum using something novel — the black and white stripes of a universal bar code,” writes Sam Gringlas in their recent NPR article entitled “IBM Engineer Who Designed The Universal Product Code Dies At 94.”

“The Universal Product Code is now a packaging mainstay on everything from cereal boxes and produce to electronics and airplane tickets, but it might not have worked without IBM engineer George Laurer,” shares Gringlas.

According to the article, “Laurer, who died this month at 94 in North Carolina, had been given an assignment by his manager: Write a proposal for grocery executives explaining how IBM would take a previously invented bar code pattern, in the shape of a bull's-eye, and make it work in supermarkets across the country.”

“But when that manager returned from a vacation, Laurer was there to meet him. ‘I didn't do what you asked," Laurer shares.

“Instead, Laurer had created something else — the bull's-eye was gone and in its place was a linear bar code. Laurer had deemed the bull's-eye design unworkable. The circular code, inspired by Morse code and patented by N. Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver in 1952, was too small, and it would smear when run through the poor-quality printing presses used for most food labels at the time,” Gringlas explains.

"My nature and my training would not allow me to support something I didn't believe in. I simply went against my manager's instruction and set out to design a better system," Laurer said in a 2010 interview.

You’ve got to challenge or even ignore the status quo to innovate.

We know all about this.

It’s not easy, and sometimes close to impossible.

But when you get it right – you can change an industry for good.

Laurer set out to design a better system

You’ve got to set out to design a better operation.

Keep reading; here’s how.