90% of businesses that found themselves without data for 10 days or more filed for bankruptcy inside 2 years*
Many businesses know that without the ‘Company Data’ there is no business, but many still take the risk and don’t check their backups daily or perform any test data restores.
Businesses that experience data loss soon find themselves with an interruption to their business whilst data recovery methods are explored. The risk is never worth the cost, lost ‘company data’ simply can’t be replaced
What can be done?
Ensure your computer network is Proactively Monitored
Get your I.T Support Company to test your backups regulary
Take a secondary backup using an Online Data Vault
Proactive monitoring can help prevent interruption to business by identifying problems before they affect your business, for example flagging alerts for failed backups.
Testing backups on a regular basis can help ensure that data can indeed by restored from supposedly good backups.
Taking secondary backups helps reduce the risk of data loss should a failure occur, there is an old adage that you can’t have too many backups!
Making backups to an Online Data Vault using a fully encrypted Internet connection to a secure location has many advantages :-
20,000 Laptops are lost or stolen every year
Your data is guaranteed safe and secure
It’s quick and easy to set up
It’s affordable and reduces costs
Being fully automated it eliminates human error
Restoring data is quick and easy
Scalable solutions for all sizes of business
Having a secondary system of backups to restore from in the event of a disaster situation gives business owners peace of mind that their business critical data is always safe and available.
How Does Online Data Backup Work?
1) Any online data backup solution assumes you have an internet connection and that you have at least ADSL, DSL or Cable.
2) You normally install some specialist backup software on the machine that hold the data you want to backup
3) You choose what types of data you can backup
4) You schedule the Online Data Backup software to backup at a time which is convienient to you
5) A backup of your selected data is made to the Online Data Backup Provider
What Should I Look for When Choosing an Online Backup Solution?
1) Transferring your data across the Internet is normally not secure, you need to make sure that the Online Data Backup Provider uses secure encryption technologies to secure you data as it travels over the internet to stop unauthorised interception.
2) An important consideration is also where will your data be stored, Online Data Backup providers would normally hold your data in a data centre, it would be in your best interest to find out if your data is being held within a U.K data centre or one in another country.
3) Find out if your data is stored at the data centre in an encrypted format and who else has access to your data.
4) What about in the event of a complete restore being needed? Downloading everything via your Internet connection will be compartively much slower than by your local tape backup. Does your Online Data Backup provider offer a Disaster Recovery Option? Can they deliver your data to you for restore, quickly?
5) Besides being able to back your files and folders, does your Online Data Backup provider provide the software to backup your Exchange email or SQL databases?
Summary
In summary, additional to the local data backups you would normally make as part of your I.T maintenance procedures, having a secondary backup of business critical data using an Online Data Backup provider is a sound choice.
Using an Online Backup Data Vault will help reduce the risk of data loss, it can be especially beneficial in any business continuity plan.
Dont Risk IT
Talk to us to find out how you can ensure your business critical data is also backed up to an Online Data Vault and we will offer you a Free 30 Day Trial. (Contact Us)
Remember 90% of businesses that found themselves without data for 10 days or more filed for bankruptcy inside 2 years!
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right
Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
Microsoft offer licence discounts for Desktop Operating Systems, Desktop Applications, Server Operating Systems and Server Applications to Schools, Registered Charities, Public Libraries, Public Museums and other Educational Institutions.
Academic Select
Academic Open
School Agreement 3.5
Campus Agreement 3.5
Besides recieving a worthwhile discount on your Academic Licensing needs, licencing programmes can be used to support faculty and staff with access to products for their personal use (HUP) or work-related use (Work at Home).
The licences are flexible and you can be licenced to run any version including upgrades and downgrades including Office Enterprise, Windows Vista Enterprise upgrade, CoreCAL, FrontPage, Project, Encarta, Visio, Visual Studio, Publisher and CALs/SALs.
Are you a School, Registered Charity, Public Library, Public Museum or other Educational institution and would like to know if you can make a saving on your Microsoft licensing whilst maintaining a flexible licence agreement?
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right
Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
In this article we will discuss the details of the so called Smart Phones available today, what they offer and how they offer it. There are a maze of different makes and models , various fruits and initialed manufactures all peddling their new phones as a smart phone.
Of course the first what is a Smart Phone? Well the answer to that is there is not a standard definition, and no standards have been agreed between phone manufacturers. It is generally accepted that a smart phone is a unit that has an built in Operating System that provides access to e-mail, scheduling, Internet and perhaps a e-reader facility, as well as make standard calls and send text of course. Many manufacturers include far more than these ’standard’ features, such as music and video play back, they can also support third party applications further extending the functionality. So a modern Smart phone is really a mini computer capable of much of the functionality of your laptop or PC.
We have mentioned the words modern, and latest but when did the smart phone revolution start? The answer, surprisingly is 1992 when IBM co-developed a product that had all the above basic features defining it as a Smart Pone, and it also included a touch screen which enabled the display to also be used to control the device and input text. This was the start of the Smart Phone’s development and they have gone from strength to strength now with all the big manufacturers of mobile phones now offering them; Nokia, Blackberry, HTC, Apple. These companies are adding more and more features to lure customers into buying their products, but the basic features at define them as a Smart Phone thare still there.
Operating Systems or OS’s are the software brain of a Smart Phone, and just like Windows or Linux on office computers, the OS creates the user experience and enables the hardware to provide the features in the phone to the user. The main OS’s that run on the Smart Phones of today are; Symbian OS (47.1% of market share), RIM Blackberry (19.5%), Windows Mobile (12.4%), iPhone OS (10.4%), and Linux (8.4%).
These OS’s are a mixed bag to say the least some like RIM and iPhone OS are written by the hardware manufacturer, while others like Symbian, Windows Mobile and Linux are written by Operating System Vendors and licenced to the hardware manufacturers. These hardware manufactures also change core part of the OS to work well with their particular hardware, a mixed bag indeed.
Communications are king and today’s smart phones use a plethora of technologies to handle information; at last count the author’s Smart Phone supports and communicates using 19 different broadcast standards!
Selecting a Smart Phone that will work for you - ah now we get on to a thorny subject, apart from the OS and Phone hardware to consider you have to be careful to select a phone with the correct tariff and the correct mobile network operator to ensure that the functions that the Smart Phone offers is backed up by the network operator. Things to look out for in the specifications are battery life, simple use and a keyboard that suits your needs. Some phones have a slide out keyboard, others have a full keyboard as well as the screen, and still others only have a touch screen keyboard. Also native compatibility with Microsoft Exchange is essential if you would like to use it in a Small Business Server environment. This means that the phone will work in a similar manner to Microsoft Outlook on your work computer. Some smart phones are easier to use than others.
Is a smart phone a smart move? - back to our original question then, we know that a smart phone can help you keep in touch with e-mail, dates, roaming Internet access as well a phone calls and texts. The beauty of the smart phone is that some of them can integrate into existing Small Business computer systems without too much effort. If a small business has Windows 2003 Small Business Server configured to send and receive email to users desk bound computers and has a permanent connection to the Internet then they have all the systems in place already to be able to use the functionality of a smart phone.
If you are interested in obtaining a Smart Phone to help you keep in constant communications with your office, then please feel free to contact Century IT Services HERE
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
My name is Paul Marsh, I am one of the partners at Century IT Services, and I am willing to offer you 2 Free Hours of engineers’ time to troubleshoot any server or networking problem you may have free of charge.
There is no catch, no hidden charges, no contract to sign, just a simple, honest offer that you will find difficult to match elsewhere.
Why would I do this?
Experience has shown me that a majority of companies continue to accept poor service from their IT support company, but are reluctant to change suppliers!
I would like to prove to you that we can do a better job that your current IT support company by removing the risk from you trying someone new. I am confident that you will be delighted with our IT services and that you will use us again or become one of our happy and satisfied customers.
What can I use the 2 free hours offer for?
The 2 free hours offer can be used for any number of IT problems; Examples:-
Troubleshoot server or networking problems
Test backups, perform test restores
Check for viruses, spyware and security issues
Network or Server Performance Issues
Email Problems
Even if you don’t have an immediate problem, you can register your company to ensure that you don’t miss out on this great offer.
Why is Century IT Services Different?
Century IT Services is very different, the three company partners, have each spent many years in the IT industry, building experience, a range of industry based qualifications and importantly a very good understanding of what actually ensures customer satisfaction.
We are skilled in specifying, supplying and installing computers, networks, servers, internet, security and email solutions. We are particularly skilled in fault finding on some of the most troublesome networks. We consider ourselves to be experts in our field and partnered with all of the main technology vendors.
We have many satisfied clients, some of who have volunteered testimonials for publication on our web site. However if you are still unsure or not convinced with the testimonials on our web site, talk to me and I will provide you with some alternative reference sites you can talk to. We treat each of our clients as a potential reference site, and our reputation for customer service is second to none.
Questions you may have:-
Q. What happens once you have diagnosed or repaired our fault
A. As I have said, you are under no obligation, nothing to sign, no charge. Although I would like to provide you with a no obligation quote to support your computer network for a yearly fixed cost, no matter how many support incidents you have.
Q. What if you can’t fix our problem within 2 hours free offer?
A. We will update you on our progress and diagnosis. We will give you an estimate of what parts or if further labour is required. As I have said, you are not under any obligation, nothing to sign, no charge.
Ok, I am Interested, what do I need to do?
To take advantage of this great offer or if you have any further questions, you can either contact me by telephone (023 80 070 101) or you can use the ‘register free’ form on our web site.
As you will appreciate, I can only agree so many free 2 hour network support offers per month and this offer is proving to be very popular, so to avoid disappointment, don’t delay and book yourself an appointment.
To my knowledge, computer problems seldom get better by themselves!
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
ADSL Broadband speeds are in contention, both technically and literally. Since the arrival of ADSL in the majority of local BT telephone exchanges around April 2002 the speed of ADSL broadband has not really improved in the subsequent 7 years since.
In 2002 there was much excitement for those who were migrating from their ISDN 64K internet connections to ADSL. Back in 2002 broadband speeds began at the 2MB mark, but unfortunately a lot of people today in 2009 are only still only receiving between 2MB and 5MB download speeds, again upload speeds have also virtually remained unchanged at 400k if you are lucky.
It seems that ADSL technology has not really kept pace with other technological advances. The more seriously affected areas in the U.K are rural areas, with an even more limited connection speeds and supplier options. You will hear that broadband speed is dependant upon a number of different factors:-
Distance from local BT exchange
Quality of the connections
Faster speed with underground cooper wire, slower with cheaper underground aluminium wire
Contention ratio
ISP rating
Is the problem only going to become worse? The U.K government aims for 100% broadband penetration by 2012 with the current figure at about 65% with broadband internet access
But should it really matter? If we were talking about mobile phones, would we accept that with some suppliers or tariffs we were likely to get a sub-standard connection, or perhaps could only make quality telephone calls at optimum times of the day, I doubt anyone would call that acceptable. So why does a large proportion of U.K businesses accept a substandard ADSL broadband connection?
Is OFCOM doing enough to regulate, control and monitor ISPs? All other U.K service companies’ i.e. gas, electric and water are properly regulated and follow strict operating guidelines. As consumer we don’t generally experience problems with the supply of service from these other service or utility companies, so why should the broadband industry be any different?
Have we exhausted this current ADSL broadband technology? Has the issue become more to do with sharing the existing ADSL availability fairly amongst subscribers?
The Prime Minister Gordon Brown said digital technology was as important today as “roads, bridges and trains were in the 20th Century”. The Digital Britain Interim Report which was produced by the Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform states that “A successful Britain must be a Digital Britain.”
Gordon Brown - On the subject of Digital Britain & Broadband
The average speed of a broadband connection in the UK is 3.6Mbps (megabits per second) according to new research from regulator OFCOM.
On average, consumers receive 45% of the advertised headline speed and less than their phone lines can deliver.
Why is this? I think part of the problem has to do with the basic fact that ADSL is not a guaranteed service; it is a best endeavours service. The speeds are dependent upon a number of factors, distance from local BT exchange, quality of the connections, faster speed with underground cooper wire, slower with cheaper underground aluminium wire, contention ratio, ISP rating. It is not uncommon to receive different ADSL speeds between different ISPs but still using the same physical telephone wire.
The 8MB connection speeds the ISPs advertise are difficult to achieve. Century IT Services look after many small and medium sized businesses along the south coast and have yet to see a company with a reliable ADSL connection running at the maximum advertised speed of 8MB.
There are also many techniques to share network bandwidth efficiently and the principle behind them I am not sure many people would argue with. Basically the purpose of sharing bandwidth is to prioritise certain types of internet traffic (at busy or peak times) over other types. For example, video streaming might take a higher priority than say email downloads. Someone watching a program from BBC I Player will definitely notice if the video clip they are watching cuts out whereas if someone else is checking their email it doesn’t really matter if their email takes a few extra seconds to download. This traffic prioritisation can be a good thing, although the danger here is that it is not used to throttle internet traffic at busy times.
What if Moore’s law was true for ADSL broadband connections as well as computer processor technology, where might we be now?
Well Moore’s law refers to the history of computing hardware and Moore’s Law says that every 2 years, there will be a doubling in the number of transistors in a computer processor. This doubling in the number of transistors has made the massive increases in the performance and computing power of modern computers what it is today. Moore’s Law has actually kept true with technological developments for the last 40 years.
Well even by my conservative reckoning, if Moore’s Law applied to ADSL broadband, we could be enjoying a modest 16MB ADSL download connection speeds and 6MB upload speeds with perhaps businesses having ADSL connections several times faster than that. What has gone wrong why hasn’t broadband technology kept pace with other technological and computing advances?
Interestingly now, the Federation of Small Business have taken this subject up and are battling the government on behalf of every small and medium sized business in the U.K. THE FSB says the government is “stuck in a time-warp over broadband speeds”
The FSB report warns the expected 2mbps by 2012 lacks ambition and shows the UK is in a time-warp. It also reports:
Britain has the highest proportion of internet advertising of any developed economy
By 2012 £1 in every £5 of all new commerce in this country will be online
Around 60 per cent of small businesses want a minimum broadband speed of 8mbps
More than half of small businesses rely on the internet for up to 50 per cent of their annual turnover
Simple tasks such as emailing, marketing, buying and selling, are time-consuming because their broadband speeds are letting them down.
What I think ADSL users really want is something which presently seems unattainable is broadband with the following qualities:-
Reliable connection, no drop outs
Fast broadband exceeding the 8MB sound barrier
No Contention, traffic shaping or bandwidth throttling by the ISP
ISPs more heavily regulated by OFCOM to ensure the ISPs infrastructure matches the needs of its customers
I think the points above will be a good place to start to ensure the U.K remains competitive within the global workplace. Moving forward we need to be investing more into researching the broadband technology, pushing way beyond this theoretical 8MB sound barrier. If this can’t be done with the present ADSL technology, then we need to be researching and trialling the next generation of broadband technology.
If digital technology is to be as important today as “roads, bridges and trains were in the 20th Century we need to develop and invest in tomorrow’s technology today.
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
If your computer system failed, which application could you do without for a few days?
Nearly every business has a computer network of some description and I wondered what priorities people put on their computer systems. Quite a few companies leave their I.T support to chance and only respond to a computer problem once it has stopped their business.
You can’t run your company without computers. Have you ever had your server go down, your email lock up or your backup fail? then you know how quickly an IT problem can impact on your overall business performance.
Recently I ran a poll on LinkedIn and asked the question:-
If your computer system failed, which application could you NOT do without for a few days?
Interestingly, nobody thought an accounting system was a business critical application and said they could probably do without an accounting system for a few days. It was very strange that no respondents seemed to think an accounting system was business critical application.
Email and Internet were the primary business applications for many companies, with the majority saying they simply could not do without email for a few days, closely followed by Internet.
I would suggest that you need IT support to keep your company running so downtime is minimised, productivty is not affected a situation where you lose revenue is averted
I would like to get some more respondents to this survey, so if you can spare me a minute of your time, please can you add your opinion to my results.
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right
Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
Swine flu is the current biological disaster which is threatening to become a worldwide problem, before that I seem to remember it was bird flu, blue tongue or foot & mouth disease.
For many businesses, in the least it will probably mean workers not turning up for work or the government enforcing quarantine or restricted travel arrangements. Complying with any rules will obviously be everyone’s duty and moral responsibility, but after that where does this leave British businesses and the U.K economy?
Short term we could be just talking about losing trade & business, perhaps an accountable financial loss. Longer term, the question has to be how long can British businesses survive without service or sales especially in the current global economy.
Large or corporate companies who have embraced globalization probably have a tried & tested business continuity plan, but what about the millions of small & medium sized businesses? What business continuity options are open to them? Every business is different, each having different priorities and concerns.
Many businesses nowadays are heavily reliant on information technology, even though IT can be a large part of the business continuity subject, business continuity is not just about the topic of information technology, it should cover a vast range of issues for example:-
Do you have all your employee contact details & next of kin?
Do you have your customer, supplier or banking details to hand?
Can your employees do anything productive working from their homes?
What essential business functions must continue in any emergency?
How will you communicate the plan to everyone involved?
There are many questions to consider, some will probably require much debate among your key staff. Many small and medium sized business simply do not have a business continuity plan or have considered what if scenarios. In the current competitive world out performing your competitors is often key to survival.
Century IT Services can help you address the IT issues. We can advise on computer systems and infrastructure to enable remote users to access business critical applications and help your company continue trading. We can also advise on how remote users can use VoIP technology telephones to communicate with each other, the office, your customers & suppliers.
Being a remote user or home worker need not mean being disconnected from your business, colleagues, clients or suppliers. Being in a situation where you have to force your employees to work from a remote location or their homes doesn’t mean that business should stop.
Careful planning could see your business continue trading in some of the most difficult times. If you don’t see this opportunity, the risk is your competitors will and seize the moment and leave your business behind.
Should you wish to have a confidential & without obligation discussion of your needs, contact the writer, Paul Marsh, Century IT Services
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
With an economic downturn history tells us there is an increase in crime. As well as the traditional notions of crime, this year has been cited for an explosion of cyber crime and online identity fraud. Were you aware that the majority of I.T security breaches come from within? Protecting your company by ensuring your computers are secure from internal as well as external threats should be your priority.
“Around 830,000 businesses in the UK suffered an online/computer related security incident in 2007/08″
Would you know if a disgruntled employee copied confidential data to a memory stick, or uploaded it to a web site? Do you know if emails are being sent containing confidential company information?
When considering the subject of computer network security a holistic approach should be taken. Properly installed and supported computer networks should have layered security; starting at the perimeter of the network, and ending with robust security policies on the user’s computers.
“Often reliable computer networks are not the largest, or ones that have had the most money spent on them, it’s just they were properly planned and considered”
Improving your computer systems can increase productivity. These increases can be made in several ways; by making your computers more secure, by allowing remote access for workers away from the office, and also computerising manual processes to save you time. These changes will make your systems slicker, high tech and more importantly secure.
Century IT Services offer a range of support options to suit different types of business and budgets. We are particularly skilled in fault finding on some of the most troublesome computer networks.
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
VoIP is a technology which converts speech into computer data packets so it can be transmitted over computer networks and the Internet. For years msn messenger, Skype and Microsoft net meeting (to name a few) have been providing software that utilises VoIP technology to enable users to communicate over the internet with phones and video calls. Use of these technologies has boomed since the advent and more widely take up of broadband solutions for home and business users.
Traditionally for a business, a telephone system would have involved a piece of telephone system hardware where all your office telephones would have been wired back to. For many this was probably one of the biggest investments a business might make.
With the evolution of computing, the internet, broadband and network technologies, computer networks are being used for a wider range of functions than the traditional file and print.
A software based business VoIP telephone system can be installed for a fraction of the cost of a traditional hardware PBX/PABX telephone system. It can utilise existing computer network cabling without the need for separate phone wiring. You can also choose from a wide range of VoIP handsets, often mixing and matching different handsets as your business requires. The benefit here is you are not fixed to a single provider or manufacturer.
With a VoIP telephone system you can enjoy features which would only normally be present in large or corporate phone systems i.e. call queuing, music on hold, digital receptionists and integration into your CRM solution to name a few.
These additional telephone features can help your business by ensuring it is more productive
The digital receptionist can route call to the correct person or department, increasing efficiencies rather than your customers or suppliers waiting for a ringing phone to be answered.
The call queuing feature may be useful if you receive a lot of calls and don’t want to miss a call, incoming calls can be queued and then answered in turn.
The CRM integration maybe useful if when the telephone rings, the callers information is displayed on your CRM system, i.e. account number, credit limit, order details etc
Another advantage of VoIP telephone systems is the ability to place telephone extensions at remote locations:-
The Director’s home office
A remote or home worker
An out of hours emergency telephone
A branch office
These remote telephone extensions can be a part of the office telephone system and can be used in the same manner as the office telephones, i.e. to take or make telephone calls, transfer calls, conference calls. As the VoIP technology works over the internet, as long as the remote location has a suitable internet connection, all that is normally needed is a VoIP compatible telephone.
Besides making and receiving telephone calls via your traditional phone lines (i.e. Analogue or ISDN) you can also have the benefit of making telephone calls out over the internet. Using a VoIP provider on the internet you can make telephone calls to anywhere for a fraction of the cost of a traditional land line. There are a lot of VoIP providers on the internet, all seeming offering a similar service, I would recommend seeking professional advice before choosing one.
To discuss which phone system and features are suitable for your company, call Century IT Services on 02380 070101, if you mention this blog article you can claim 10% off your order!
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
Have you considered the implications to your business if one of your employees lost their laptop or PDA device or had it stolen from their car?
Do your employees routinely have company data on their portable computers?
Is it backed up or are there copies on your server?
If lost, can the data be retrieved by someone else?
Is the data of a sensitive nature? i.e. financial or personal identifying details?
Would it be a problem if your company data suddenly became public?
Could your company recover from adverse publicity surrounding the loss of personal data?
Could your company continue trading after this?
Don’t rely on Windows passwords alone to secure your laptops and think this is sufficient, any computer techie worth his salt could crack a windows password in a few minutes with an amateur cracker taking only slightly longer.
To protect your company against loss of a laptop, you should be ensuring that each laptop or mobile computer is adequately encrypted. This means that there is a mechanism in place which will encrypt the computer hard disk making it very difficult for the computer to be accessed by someone else.
A good encryption system can encrypt the whole drive, not just specific folders or files, it would also automatically encrypt new files as they are added to the laptop rather some manual or user operated method. This will ensure that the hard disk cannot be removed and put into another computer system and then accessed.
If your laptops and portable computers are not properly secured, it is in your best interest ensure it is done as soon as possible.
Give us a call today on 02380 070 101 for a full, confidential and without-obligation discussion of your needs.
Century IT Services - Getting IT Right Providing Computer Support & Network Support to businesses in Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Wiltshire, Sussex & Berkshire
Smart Phone a Smart Move?
