Wytech | Online Backup

To celebrate our 5th birthday we are offering a 10% DISCOUNT! on your next (or first) quotation with us until 14 September 2009. Just contact us before this date and quote the phrase: "Happy Birthday Wytech!" and we will apply the reduction for you.

On top of this, our engineers are writing up 5 reviews, one each week, of the latest business IT products and services. Here's the third from our very own Wytech Engineers.


Review Three: Online Backup

The amount of data used by businesses has increased exponentially in the past five years. Corporate scandals, public sector unrest and glaring security flaws in computer operating systems and software applications have resulted in intense and detailed analysis of data as it enters and leaves an individual’s computer.

With the proliferation of the Internet, data sensitive resources like computers can no longer be viewed in isolation – they have become supply chains in themselves. Data now moves from the end user’s PC to all sorts of remote locations via email, social networking sites, MSN and increasingly through ‘Online backup’.

Online backup can be defined as a web-based service that specifically allows customers to ‘backup’ files to a secure or protected site i.e. a remote data centre. The data centre could be hundreds, if not thousands of miles away from the end user’s PC. The purpose of the service is to create a second copy of the customer’s most important files, to insure them against any loss of data.

With the advent of cheaper, faster internet connections for home users and small businesses, more and more users are now moving from traditional backup tape solutions to the more affordable and hassle free online equivalents.

Gartner research corroborates their business strategy as well; with its popular report that states that, ‘71% of all tape restores fail’. This is an alarming statistic for anyone used to the traditional system and should send a warning signal to thousands of SMBs who rely solely on it.

3 Key Advantages of Online Backup:

Ease-of-use: An online backup is normally scheduled to occur automatically overnight. This removes the labour involved in putting a backup tape into the tape drive before you leave the office, taking it home, storing it securely and remembering to stick to your tape rotation.

Affordability: Online backup is priced according to the amount of data you are storing and is normally charged at a monthly rate. With no need for any initial or ongoing hardware investment, this reduces the total cost of ownership considerably and makes accurate budgeting possible.

Security: Nearly all online backup services provide secure communication using at least 128-bit encryption. It is a mandatory feature without which customers will not trust the providers with their critical data.

If you would like to know more about how online backup could help your business store its data securely and affordably, just give Wytech a call, we have a number of solutions available.

Written by the Wytech Engineers

Wytech | Netbook Review

To celebrate our 5th birthday we are offering a 10% DISCOUNT! on your next (or first) quotation with us until 14 September 2009. Just contact us before this date and quote the phrase: "Happy Birthday Wytech!" and we will apply the reduction for you.

On top of this, our engineers are writing up 5 reviews, one each week, of the latest business IT products and services. Here's the second from our very own Network Specialist, Roger Stevenson-Revill.

Review Two: Samsung NC10 Netbook

Netbooks are currently the buzzword in mobile computing, and Samsung’s NC10 sits right at the top of the tree.

Netbooks were originally pitched at the casual mobile user, for web browsing, checking e-mail and general basic computing tasks. However as more models have come to the market they have been found to be far more capable than that, with Samsung’s NC10 offering a specification which allows for truly mobile computing at a price of under £400.00.

At first glance, the NC10 looks professional. The gloss finish, whilst attracting a few fingerprints, exudes quality and the whole chassis feels like a solid professional product. The specification is similar to many Netbooks, an Intel low power consumption atom 1.6Ghz processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and a generous 160GB HDD, with a 6 cell battery and 10.2 inch widescreen.

The Samsung however feels so much more responsive than most other Netbooks. Our engineers have been running Windows XP and Windows 7 on the NC10 and both feel just as responsive as any normal laptop computer in the lower end of the price range. Applications move along as they should and even Microsoft Office 2007 works quite nicely.

Added to this is the portability of the Samsung; the NC10 weighs 1.31KG (including battery) and can be easily picked up by one hand. Another crucial feature of the NC10 is an exceptional battery life. Samsung quote 7 hours of light use and this has been born out in our tests as broadly accurate. The screen is quite useable at 10.2” on the move, though connecting it to an external monitor will give you a much better range of resolutions. In terms of mobile internet connectivity, a second model is now available with a built-in HSDPA modem for integrated mobile broadband without the need for a “Dongle”.

Overall, the Samsung NC10 is an amazing value mobile computing solution, which will impress you with its power and flexibility for a surprisingly low price. It has certainly impressed me - so much so that I now use one as my own everyday laptop, with more on the way for the other Wytech Engineers!

Roger Stevenson-Revill - Network Specialist

Wytech | Windows 7 Review

To celebrate our 5th birthday we are offering a 10% DISCOUNT! on your next (or first) quotation with us until 14 September 2009. Just contact us before this date and quote the phrase: "Happy Birthday Wytech!" and we will apply the reduction for you.

On top of this, our engineers are writing up 5 reviews, one each week, of the latest business IT products and services. Here's the first from our very own Microsoft Specialist, Dave White.

Review One: Windows 7

Windows 7 is the latest generation of the Windows operating system, building on the massively successful Windows XP (launched in 2001) and the not quite so successful Windows Vista (launched in 2007).

Although not scheduled for official release until October 22nd 2009, I have been using the release candidate of Windows 7 (released by Microsoft for testing purposes) for some time now, and so far I must admit I’m impressed.

From an end-user point of view, Windows 7 appears much faster, easier to work with and less intrusive. Users have for so long now been telling Microsoft what they want from an operating system. That they don’t want to be questioned whether they are sure they want to carry out an action and they don’t need fancy animations whenever they minimise or maximise their windows; they just want an operating system that works. And Windows 7 works. Microsoft, it seems, have listened.

The biggest criticism of Windows Vista from an end-user point of view was its lack of speed in comparison to Windows XP. PCs that appeared to run very well with Windows XP were often found to run painfully slowly after upgrading to Windows Vista.

Windows 7 however (assuming your computer meets the minimum system requirements) is noticeably faster. On my test system (Samsung NC10), from switching my computer on to having a usable desktop ready to go took 48 seconds with Windows XP, 76 seconds with Windows Vista and 49 seconds with Windows 7.

While it has to be said, Windows Vista does have a lot of useful new features, and is visually much easier on the eye than the now aging Windows XP. This speed trade-off is something that has to be taken seriously into account when buying a new computer. With the launch of Windows 7, that headache appears to have been taken away. Windows 7 not only includes all of the nice new features of Windows Vista but also several of its own; and at a comparable speed to Windows XP.

Microsoft were also heavily criticised for the sheer number of different versions (or editions) of Windows Vista on the market. Windows XP was originally launched in two editions; “Home” and “Professional”, with very clear and obvious differentiation between the two. Windows Vista however was launched in 6 editions; “Starter”, “Home Basic”, “Home Premium”, “Business”, “Enterprise” and “Ultimate” with a wide range of different features and abilities.

Unfortunately, Microsoft have done little to improve things on this score with Windows 7, which will be available in a whopping 18 editions! There will be Windows 7 “Starter”, “Home Basic”, “Home Premium”, “Professional”, “Enterprise” and “Ultimate”, in a similar line-up to Windows Vista; however each of these will be available with Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, with just Windows Media Player, or with neither.

So, while Windows 7 does on the whole appear to be a good thing on the horizon for most small and medium businesses; there are still serious questions to be answered. “Will our computers run it?”, “Will our computers run it well?”, “should we get it?” and “what edition should we be buying?” are just a few that immediately spring to mind. This only goes to reinforce the increasing need for businesses to ensure that they have a solid structure of IT support in place with professional advice available to help them make the right choices and investments over the coming years.

Dave White - Wytech Microsoft Specialist

Welcome to the blog for Wytech, Derby's fastest growing IT consultancy. Wytech have enjoyed 5 years of growth, providing professional, reliable and affordable technical support and advice to small and medium sized businesses throughout the UK.

To celebrate our 5th birthday we are offering a 10% DISCOUNT! on your next (or first) quotation with us until 14 September 2009. Just contact us before this date and quote the phrase: "Happy Birthday Wytech!" and we will apply the reduction for you.

Why September 14th? Because that's the date we finish hosting the third Wytech World Ladies Masters tournament in Derbyshire! This sporting event invites the very best of the international ladies snooker circuit to the heart of England for a fantastic one day event. This year the action will be streamed live via online video for your viewing pleasure. For more details join our Facebook group and gain access to ongoing special offers and discounts.

That's not all... Over the next 5 weeks our engineers will also be reviewing 5 of the latest IT products relevant to small and medium sized businesses. Come back each week to see the latest review and get some advice from our team of experts.

See you soon!

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck