March 2022 – Direction Forward

36Zero new website

We are pleased to present the new website for 36Zero.

36Zero use inventive solutions to create connected workplaces and thereby healthier, safer workers. 36Zero strives to improve efficiency, safety, and well-being for all construction site workers. 36Zero provide four solutions as part of their integrated platform. Budy360 monitors heart rate, location and emergencies. Data360 assesses worker health, site-wide improvements and safety. App360 gives health scores, real-time safety records and operational tools. Health360 provides occupational health services to all employees.

Their new website features animated, interactive isometric scenes to display 36Zero’s solutions. These custom assets, scenes, and animations were made specifically for 36Zero, to add a unique aspect to the website.

We also created narrative style animations which cycle through pinned images as the user scrolls a page, somewhat similar to Apple’s website featured products. And there is a custom progress indicator, to reflect a user’s progress reading through a page and its content.

Forms have been built for the ease of both 36Zero (for data collection/analysis) and their clients (for getting in touch/requesting demos). These are integrated into the site as well as with comms tools for instant notifications. As with all our sites, the 36Zero site features fully responsive design, a full CMS, and integrated Google Analytics.

A Google Ads campaign is also running in parallel with the launch of the new site, to drive traffic and help raise brand awareness.

This site was designed, developed, and built with our partner, Metric, who are also responsible for the excellent rebranding of 36Zero from fuseAware.

You can find the site at 36zero.io.

Internet Explorer will be fully retired and go out of support on 15 June 2022.

Microsoft previously announced that support for Internet Explorer ended in August 2021 for Microsoft 365 online services. In June this year, the Internet Explorer browser will be retired entirely.

Microsoft are encouraging users to move over to Microsoft Edge. You can download Microsoft Edge here if it’s not already on your machine(s).

Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode (IE mode) built in, which can be used to access legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications using Microsoft Edge until at least 2029.

For organisations which use custom websites and/or applications which rely on Internet Explorer, we recommend moving to using Microsoft Edge in IE mode before 22 June. Such organisations may also wish to look at updating or replacing these with solutions using modern browser compatibility. This is obviously a much greater challenge for some organisations than others – depending on various factors such as size of user base, functionalities, deployment complexity, etc.

For the web in general, this will mean that compatibility with the Internet Explorer browser will no longer be required. This should make web development more streamlined, as special fixes and testing for Internet Explorer only will no longer be necessary.

Changes to Microsoft licenses for nonprofits

Following the changes to Microsoft 365 licenses for businesses on 1 March 2022, Microsoft has also announced some changes for nonprofits.

From 4 April 2022, Microsoft is moving to a cloud-first grant programme for nonprofits, meaning that Microsoft will no longer offer donated (free or heavily discounted) Office software licenses. Microsoft will require that nonprofits use Microsoft 365 to gain access to Office software.

The Office 365 E1 license is now only available to new nonprofit organisations with over 250 team members, which qualify for an Enterprise Agreement. Organisations under 250 users should use the Business range of licenses, which are available as follows:

Microsoft 365 Business Premium – free for up to 10 users, and discounted above that number. Includes Microsoft online services and apps, Office desktop applications, and device management with advanced security.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic – free for up to 300 users, and discounted above that amount. Includes Microsoft online services and apps.

Please contact us for any Microsoft 365 nonprofit donated and/or discounted licenses you require. We can help you qualify for these, as well as setup your organisation or add to your existing tenant.

Social media is increasingly crucial for raising brand awareness, marketing services, and selling products to your existing audience as well as gaining new customers.

We offer a social media wall solution, which can integrate with any website. The feeds update automatically every 15–60 mins, and are compatible with all major social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, and even TikTok.

See a demo
View a demo of Direction Forward’s social media feeds including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn at directionforward.com/social.

Read more information
See our Social Media Wall service page.