December has been a weather crisis for the UK. As snow fell across the country, workers struggled to get into work. Many had to stay home with their children when schools closed. Since they couldn’t get to work, they were forced to take days off, some even for no pay. Planes and trains were cancelled, meaning that important meetings were delayed and frustration was paramount.  Businesses suffered across the country as reduced staff made it more difficult to get essential tasks done, resulting in a loss of profits and a disruption to service.

With a well managed IT support set up, such disruptions are unnecessary for many businesses, especially those that conduct much of their business on computers. For many workers, a well set up system can prevent any disruption to work despite an absence from the office. For example, VoIP phone systems can help your workers make phone calls into the office free of charge; they can even attend virtual conferences, so meetings can continue without disruption even if the bad weather is keeping your staff out of the office. You won’t have to worry about missing that important meeting, because you’ll be just a phone call away.

A business productivity suite that works in the cloud, like Microsoft BPOS, shortly to be Microsoft Office 365, means that your employees can carry on working even if they don’t have a work laptop. All documents are stored in the cloud, so as long as employees know their password, they can carry on working as though they were in the office. These systems also enable employees to access email from home, so they’ll be able to keep in touch and on top of things regardless of how much it’s snowing or how icy the roads have become.

With a little foresight, your office can be equipped for next winter. If you’re interested in learning about remote working and how improving your IT infrastructure can increase your employees’ productivity, in and out of the office, contact us today.

More and more businesses and organisations rely on their computer systems for critical processes and data storage. Without said systems, they might simply be unable to operate – and whether it’s about losing your livelihood, leaking sensitive customer data, or seriously compromising the security of a country’s defence, it is absolutely essential to keep your eye on the ball and protect your systems at all times. Between Wikileaks and the constant stream of customer data hacked on an almost regular basis, the importance of these measures are emphasised to us on virtually a daily basis. From a single employee to a hacker to a virus, it’s up to you to ensure that you’re not vulnerable. Outlined below are a few precautions you should always take, and remember that if you truly have something essential to protect, you should always consult a professional.

-          Keep your anti-virus and malware security systems up to date at all times. This is probably something everyone has told you before, but it is truly very important. Make sure your employees regularly patch their PCs and upgrade your operating systems to the most secure version. If you keep your systems in top condition, you’ll not only be less likely to be infected but it will be easier to fix your systems if something does happen.

-          Ensure your wireless network is secure and all of your systems are protected from outside intruders. Keep sharing between computers as a minimum and choose a wireless password that is secure, encrypted, and not easily hacked. Many common wireless networks fall prey to hackers, so ensure you have the best possible protection for the size of your network. Even if someone does manage to hack into the network, check to make sure each individual PC is protected against sharing where possible, especially work laptops, and that employees know how to use all of their security features on each PC.

-          Keep reliable backups and schedule them to occur on a regular basis. This ensures that even if someone isn’t there to do it at any time, backups will still occur and will keep your systems relevant and up-to-date in case of any emergencies. By scheduling them, you’re eliminating the possibility of human error and forgetfulness, which is always essential.

-          Store data in different locations. This does mean that you will have to secure them both, but in the case of catastrophic system failure, you should still have one viable. Remote backups through a secure IT company in a reliable, protected facility are your best option here.  Less important data can be stored in the cloud, which is usually the most affordable solution for small and medium businesses with less secure data.

Security should be at the forefront of every system installation; this is how we ourselves handle IT support and how we recommend it to others. These tips are a start for the small business, but large businesses and government organisations should consult a professional on the state of their systems.

The holidays are nearly upon us, and with them arrives for most people a week’s hiatus from work.  There’s no question that many of us are likely to be a bit more lax over the next few weeks as the holiday cheer takes over.  That’s no excuse to let your security lapse, however, and we’d like to remind you of a few things you can do to keep your systems up and your business running, virus-free, over the holiday season.

1.      Don’t stop your regular backups.  Even if no one is in the office to do them, make sure your automated backups will continue to run over the holiday season.  There is nothing worse than coming back into the office in the New Year to discover you’ve lost vital information and logs for the previous weeks.  If you can check remotely, all the better – but if you can’t, just ensure you set it up before you head home on Christmas eve.

2.      Update your virus software before browsing on your return.  You certainly don’t want to head out on the internet only to discover that a new virus has targeted your browser, and because you didn’t allow it to download before clicking along, you’ve now fallen prey.  This is a particularly keen warning if any of your employees spend time on social networking sites, where suspicious links pop up on a fairly regular basis.  Be particularly wary of shopping online, as many illegitimate ecommerce sites pop up around this time with almost impossible deals.  Ensure the site you’re purchasing from is verified independently and uses a secure sockets layer (SSL, signalled by https://) to encrypt your data.

3.      Keep building security high.  Thieves know that your office will be empty over the holiday season, and unfortunately they’re not all out celebrating with their families.  Make sure you’re not advertising the expensive equipment you undoubtedly have in your office, even if you’re in a safe area, and remind your employees to keep their laptops and mobile phones secure if they’re travelling.  If they don’t need their equipment while travelling, encourage them to leave it all at home.

4.      Consider backing up your data remotely.  Anything can happen when your office is empty.  You won’t have guards on the building and the temperature can drop very low, especially in winter and if you’re living in the frozen north.  Remote backups are often guarded round the clock and temperature controlled, so you’ll always know they’ll be safe.

5.      Alternatively, consider storing some of your data in the cloud. This is another safe option which ensures your data security and, perhaps more importantly, availability.  You may not know physically where your data is stored, but you do know that you can access it from anywhere.  And while no one really wants to work on holiday, sometimes it’s necessary, and it’s always easier when you can access it from anywhere, as long as you have the proper security credentials.

When you’re heading away for the holidays, don’t forget about your IT.  Your systems are undoubtedly essential to your business, so make sure they’re high on your priority list as you prepare for some well-deserved time off.

In a regular office environment, most of us don’t have any control over what operating system we run, or even much to do with our computers as a whole.  We’re given a PC or a Mac with some software installed and instructed to use it to get our jobs done, with varying levels of customisation offered depending on our type of employment.  If you’re given a PC with an older operating system, however, especially one with Internet Explorer 6 installed – and you’ve no choice but to use them – you’re putting the security of your computer and the rest of your organisation at risk.

There are many benefits beyond security involved in upgrading your operating system.  Mainly, these advantages are in regard to Windows 7, which is a huge improvement over Windows XP and even Vista.  Windows 7 is, essentially, what Vista should have been.  Here are just a few of those improvements which immediately spring to mind:

1.      Increased productivity.  Because Windows 7 is faster than any of its immediate predecessors, your employees will spend less time waiting around for tasks to get done.  In fact, your computer will start up so quickly that you’ll no longer have time for your morning coffee – you’ll be ready to go almost as soon as you push the button.  Even switching between programs is faster – you’ll find that those added seconds and minutes come out to quite a bit of extra work time over the course of the month.

2.      If certain aspects of your job are hindering an upgrade from Windows XP, you’ll really enjoy XP Mode in Windows 7.  This is not available in all versions of the software, but as a business user you should really take advantage of it.  It’s not quite the same as having your XP computer returned to you, but it should help with the transition.

3.      Increased safety.  Especially when combined with the most advanced version of Internet Explorer or other modern browsers, you’ll find that you have the best protection available.  You should still always have anti-virus and malware protection, but you’ll pick up fewer problems to start with when you have the most updated operating system regardless.  The newest browsers warn you when you’re going to an unauthorised site and prevent you from downloading harmful files.

4.      Better features.  Windows 7 boasts a number of features that are improvements over past systems.  To make working from two windows easier, the “snap” feature quickly arranges two windows side by side for easy comparison and copying.  It connects swiftly to printers with Location Aware Printing and with Live Taskbar Previews makes it even easier to see what you have running at any given time and whether you need to open a new window or not.  Sleep and resume now work better than ever, meaning you’ll not only save time when starting up but energy as well.

Thinking about switching your office over to Windows 7?  We’re certified Microsoft Licensing Specialists, which means we can quickly and easily assess your licensing requirements and get the software you need installed.  For more info, contact us or let us contact you.