Mobile Devices in the Workplace & Homelab Research

 The introduction to mobile devices into the workplace has been an excellent addition. It allows users and employees to be more efficient with their tasks as well as making work-related applications and content more accessible. Although I agree with how efficient the workplace mobile device is, I think there is still a lot of room for improvement. My employer issued smartphones for employees to use and to phase out the Zebra handhelds. All of the processes could previously be done either on a computer or through the handhelds. When the new phones were introduced, only a fraction of those processes were able to work on the phones. Before the phones were made to be a stable platform, handhelds started being recalled. If I recall correctly, the work phones were introduced in 2021 or 2022. There have been many improvements, since their introduction, that have allowed them to become a stable platform for work-related tasks. There are still a variety of issues though. I currently work 4 days a week, and I will have to go through a troubleshooting process 3 out of 4 days of my week. From uninstalling/reinstalling apps to having to reset my device, the issues I encounter cause a dent in the amount of work I can get through. Even if my work phone is working, a coworker is having issues and has asked me to take a look at it. Even with all of the issues I encounter, I believe that the work phones are a valuable part of my workplace. I suppose I will have to be more patient as various issues are worked out.

In addition to the replacing the RAM in my HP Pavilion x360, I am also researching building a home server. It is something that came up as I was looking for topic for class. The thought of the project excites me as it can offer more experience working with new processes, software, and operating systems. I have a 10 month old son, and the amount of photos I have on my phone now is astronomical. I currently pay Apple for extra cloud storage. I would like to avoid doing that if possible. After looking at a few videos and articles, I found that I have most of everything I need to get started. I have an older laptop that I can use as well as some storage. With what I have, it definitely will not be state of the art, but I hope it is something I will be able to grow and expand on overtime. I am currently looking at operating systems for the home server. The laptop I plan on using is older, so I need the operating system I use to run on the least amount of resources possible. I know that Windows can run the server, but I have also seen Linux as well as a dedicated home server operating system TrueNAS. Another aspect to think about is the presence of a desktop environment. This goes back to the resources topic. Although not having a desktop environment would save resources, I will have to learn some new skills to navigate without one. Overall, I think this is a project that is not too difficult and will offer a great challenge to grow my skills, and I am really looking forward to it.