Wytech Blog

Data Protection Tips for SMBs

2010-04-21T10:58:00.003+01:00

Five Tips for Protecting Your Data

When you consider that the word 'data' in a business context can mean client details, email and file archives, databases, sensitive accounts information, payroll systems, administration systems, confidential HR files, sharepoint sites, passwords and usernames, and personal email records from Directors to Dogsbodies you suddenly understand just how much the modern workplace depends on its bits, bytes and boffins!

Now imagine losing all of the above, your business would certainly be damaged if not permanently crippled. So how can we, as small businesses, protect our data?

Tip One - Laying the Foundations

Employing the right people, creating and distributing the right policies and following the correct procedures are the basic strategic foundations onto which the rest of your data protection strategy will be built. One individual should be designated as the 'Data Manager'. This person becomes responsible for promoting data protection to the management, researching viable investment options, testing the solution and training your staff.

More responsibilities for the Data Manager could include; identifying and applying the relevant regulations regarding the Data Protection Act and the company's responsibilities there, group based discussions which include key decision makers and their input and defining the most critical data that needs to be protected.

Tip Two - Offsite Data Storage

If your office is near to a river, in an area prone to subsidence, at a low point in the water table, in an area vulnerable to theft or trespass, or suffering from intermittent local power cuts, you are at risk from data loss. Consider the threats to your workplace for a moment. The purpose of offsite storage is to remove this element of risk from your operating environment. Your data back up should be stored at a place which is geographically distant from your main office.

One common solution is to designate a member of staff who's responsible for taking the data home with them. Also, increasingly in recent times SMBs choose to back up their information to a remote server via the internet. A service mentioned elsewhere in this blog and provided by Wytech.

Tip Three - Calculate the Cost of Data Loss

Sometimes it is useful to quantify risk. In the case of a small business, putting the impact of a server failure into financial terms can bring the importance of data protection home to the Directors. Although only approximate, the following method allows businesses to estimate the average cost of data loss or a server crash. Why not give it a go?

Cost Per Occurrence = (To + Td) x (Hr + Lr)

To = Time/Length of Outage
Td = Time since last Data backup
Hr = Hourly Rate of Personnel (Calculate by monthly expenditure per department divided by the
number of work hours.)
Lr = Lost Revenue per Hour (Applies if the department generates profit. A good rule is to look at profitability over three months and dividing by the number of work hours.)

Tip Four - Consider all of the Backup Options

Once you have calculated the amount of data you would like to protect by backup, and the budget you can dedicate to this, you can begin to consider the most appropriate solution for your business. For example, if your critical applications run at multiple locations which are far apart you may struggle to maintain consistency and proper control over the various backup regimes. Few SMBs could afford a dedicated IT technician resident at all branches to maintain and regulate your backup system and be able to perform a fast backup when required.

Many businesses are also faced with a cost benefit conundrum; tape backup which has a high initial outlay and has relatively high ongoing costs (replacement tapes etc.) but which provides excellent data fidelity and fast recovery (a member of staff can physically bring the tapes to a replacement server when needed); versus online backup which offers low initial costs but involves a monthly charge based on the amount of data you are backing up. Online backup is automated and remote, which reduces administration and gives peace of mind, but it is also dependent on an internet connection which can fail and can also struggle with large quantities of data transfer. Most online backup occurs overnight when the internet connection is idle for this reason.

You need to talk to you IT solutions provider and match you needs with your budget to find a solution that suits your business.

Tip Five - Make sure you actually can restore your data!

A common mistake we find with SMBs is a blind faith in backup solutions. Once the strategy is agreed, managers don't want to spend any more time away from their core business on something that feels like an insurance policy at best. However, a Disaster Recovery plan cannot exist on paper alone, it must be tested. Despite the disruption this may cause, it is worth checking that your plan for data recovery actually works, because if it doesn't when/if a disaster does happen, you will experience far more disruption or even lose your business.

Here are some important questions worth asking about your Disaster Recovery plan;

Have you identified the individuals responsible for recovery?
Do they know what they have to do?
Have you identified where you will start your recovery (the main office or a branch etc.)?
Do you have a process in place if you have to relocate your business temporarily?
Are all of your staff aware of the disaster recovery plan and do they understand their role in it?
Have you identified the most critical applications which need to be restored first and an 'order of restoration' for the remaining data?

If you need any help with your Data Protection strategy, please contact Wytech today on 0800 011 2636 to arrange a consultation.

Written by R.G.L. Birkbeck

Wytech is now ISO 9001:2008 accredited!

2010-03-17T16:06:00.005Z

Hello Reader,

Well we have been very busy since the last post, and have in fact earned ourselves a mighty accolade indeed; the elusive ISO 9001:2008 accreditation for Quality Management Systems in the provision of IT solutions no less!

It all sounds very academic but in reality this process has really improved the way that we do business, and has finally formalised the quality standards which we have been focused on since Wytech was formed back in 2004.

We have never been about 'nameless faceless' IT engineers asking you to 'switch it off and back on again' whilst mocking the general public for not knowing the ins and outs of server motherboards.

On the contrary, this accreditation now sits nicely beside our EMDA (East Midlands Development Agency) Approved Supplier award and simply helps to reinforce the ethos behind Wytech: quality, affordable and reliable IT support.

We will of course be celebrating with a company karaoke night featuring such classic lyrics as;

"ISO be so lucky, lucky lucky lucky", (Kylie),

"And then ISO your face, now I'm a believer", (The Kinks),

And last but not least, "Under blue moon ISO you...", by Echo & the Bunnymen.

Now that's Quality!

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

Recycle your Ink Cartridges with Wytech!

2010-02-16T11:12:00.006Z

Hello and welcome back to the Wytech blog. This month we have been focusing on ways to improve recycling, with a renewed focus on our partnership with UK printer manufacturer, Brother.

Why did we choose Brother?

Because Brother have invested a huge amount of time and money into 'green' manufacturing processes. They have even built a dedicated recycling plant in Ruabon, North Wales to recycle 100% of every used printer cartridge with zero landfill. As a result of this and of other environmentally focused efforts, the company have received their third 100/100 score from the Ethical Company Organisation. They are the only printer manufacturer to have achieved this!

Wytech place a big emphasis on a good environmental policy and as a result we are happy to partner with a company that takes its corporate social responsibility so seriously. This partnership also results in some benefits for our clients.

Using the Brother 'ReNew' programme, we are able to offer our clients a FREE cartridge recycling service. If you send your old cartridges to us (or if we come and collect them) we will process them in partnership with Brother at no cost to you. This is a unique opportunity to improve your organisation's green credentials and reduce your carbon footprint.

This service also provides another incentive to use original Brother cartridges rather than imitation compatibles. In our experience, compatibles reduce a printers life cycle, don’t have the same capacity as branded items, and invalidate your warranty. Although compatibles are perceived to be a lot cheaper in the short term, taking these 3 points into consideration they don't save you money in the long term.

If you would like to no more about this scheme then feel free to contact us Mon-Fri between 0800-1800 on 0800 011 2636 for an informal chat.

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

Cisco Partners & Year of the Slate

2010-01-19T17:02:00.003Z

Despite the snow and ice Wytech have been plowing on with all things IT related, and we are very pleased to announce our recent upgrades to Cisco Select Certified Partner and SMB (Small & Medium Sized Business) Specialised Partner.

This new status strengthens our partnership with Cisco, the world leader in networking solutions, and at a time when the company are releasing a new range of VoIP and network solutions aimed at the 0-75 employee market. As you should know by now, Wytech specialise in Small Business solutions and we have immediately begun testing the new Cisco kit.

I'll post the results of our experiments soon, in the meantime this week I'd like to take a look at the new wave of tablet PCs as mentioned in my last post.

Over the past few years touchscreen technology has made a big impact on next-generation smartphones and laptops.In particular it has allowed the iphone and other such 'smartphones' to usher in a new generation of intuitive interfaces designed for the modern electronic consumer. PCs have changed too, with less media hype perhaps. But now the two technologies are being combined in the form of a next-gen PC/smartphone hybrid.

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the technology was pigeon holed into a new category of device called 'slates'. The devices, also known as tablets, have an interface similar to a smartphone and, with no keyboards, are lighter than netbooks.

PC manufacturer Dell announced its first device will launch this summer. The Mini 5 will feature Google's Android operating system, SIM card, wi-fi, and offer multiple windows for social networking. Users can also make phonecalls, but the device is not designed to replace a handset or even a netbook. Large touchscreens are also power-hungry so battery life could also be a limiting factor.

Hewlett Packard's chief technology officer, Phil McKinney believes slates will appeal to consumers as their web habits begin to change. The firm showed off its Windows 7 powered machine during a Microsoft event at CES.

"People are enjoying more and more content from the web. And the real challenge is there aren't any good consumption-designed devices," he said. "All devices today have keyboards which are really designed for input but there's a large population that really just want to consume whether it be video, text or audio."

With the advent of the Amazon Kindle and the Sony E-Book Reader, media is increasingly becoming delivered and demanded in a digital format, and the result is that consumers are moving towards a wider dependency on screen-based content. If 2009 was the year of the netbook, then 2010 will perhaps be the year of the 'slate'...

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

Introducing Microsoft Office 2010

2010-01-07T09:34:00.008Z

Happy New Year! And welcome back to the Wytech Blog.

With the new year comes new products from all the major software and hardware developers worldwide. ICT research & development never sleeps and this year looks like a particular treat for technology and innovation lovers.

Already HP and Microsoft have demonstrated their new 'slate PC', in advance of Apple's new 'tablet PC'. These ultra-slim portable devices incorporate laptop functionality with a large screen and touchscreen technology to bridge the gap between laptops and mobile phones.

But more on those another time, today I want to discuss the long awaited Microsoft Office 2010, which is still in beta development stage. See what you make of the Microsoft produced marketing below! Brave new world or same old problems? We hope to run a trial version soon and see for ourselves.

The Top Ten Benefits of Office 2010 Beta

1 Express your ideas more visually
New and improved picture formatting tools such as colour saturation and artistic effects let you transformand develop your document visuals with improved control and many more possibilities. Pre-built Office themes and SmartArt® graphic layouts provide even more options to the user.

2 Accomplish more when working together
Brainstorming, document collaboration and deadline organisation are made easy when you start using co-authoring for Microsoft Word 2010, PowerPoint 2010, Excel Web App and OneNote shared notebooks. Co-authoring lets you work on a file with several people at once, from different locations!

3 Enjoy the familiar Office experience from more locations and more devices
With Office 2010, you can get things done more easily, from more locations and more devices. Using a smartphone or virtually any computer with an Internet connection, you can work when and where you want to work.

4 Create powerful data insights and visuals
You can track and highlight important trends with new data analysis and visualisation features in Excel 2010. The new Sparklines feature delivers a clear and compact visual representation of your data with small charts within worksheet cells. Filter and segment your PivotTable data in multiple layers using Slicers to spend more time analysing and less time formatting.

5 Deliver compelling presentations
Captivate your audience with personalised videos in your presentation. Insert and customise videos directly in PowerPoint 2010—trim, add fades and effects, or bookmark key points in the video to call attention to selected scenes. Videos you insert are now embedded by default, relieving you from managing and sending additional video files.

6 Manage large volumes of e-mail with ease
Compress your long e-mail threads into a few conversations that can be categorised, filed, ignored, or cleaned up. The new Quick Steps feature let you perform multi-command tasks, such as reply and delete an e-mail in a single click, saving you time and inbox space.

7 Store and track all your ideas and notes in one place
Get the ultimate digital notebook for tracking, organising, and sharing your text, picture, video and audio notes with OneNote 2010. New features such as version tracking, automatic highlighting, and Linked Notes give you more control over your notes so you’re always on top of where your ideas came from and the latest changes when working in teams.

8 Get your message out instantly
Broadcast your PowerPoint presentation to a remote audience, whether or not they have PowerPoint installed. The new Broadcast Slide Show feature allows you to share your presentation through a web browser quickly without additional set up.

9 Get things done faster and easier
Microsoft Office Backstage™ view replaces the traditional File menu to give you a centralised space for all of your file management tasks, such as the ability to save, share, print, and publish. The enhanced Ribbon across Office 2010 applications lets you access commands quickly and customize tabs to personalize the experience to your work style.

10 Access work across devices and platforms
Enjoy the freedom of using Office 2010 from more locations on more devices. When you use Microsoft® Office 2010, you’re getting the familiar and intuitive Office experience across PCs, Smartphones, and Web browsers on the go.

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

Reanne Evans Historic Victory!

2009-12-16T17:59:00.006Z

Reanne Evans, the current World Ladies Champion and the Wytech World Ladies Masters Champion 2009, has completed an historic victory.

In a memorable confrontation at the Six Reds World Championship in Killarney, Evans and the current World Mens Champion, John Higgins, put their cues together and battled over the snooker table in a clash of sporting titans.

In an unprecedented result, Evans defeated Higgins and has thus upset the status quo of men's professional snooker across the world.

Introducing Hannah Jones

2009-12-08T16:19:00.004Z

At the age of 13, Hannah Jones has already ticked off a long list of sporting achievements. Snooker is her game and in the fast growing world of international ladies cuesports Hannah is certainly making her mark.

Having already represented England in 2007, Hannah is also the current World Ladies Junior Champion with a string of competition wins to her name.

In the past year alone, Hannah became the youngest female to win a senior ladies ranking event winning the WLBSA World Ladies Junior Championship, the Doubles Championship of the same tournament, the East Anglian Ladies Plate, the South Coast Classic Plate, the British Open Junior Ladies Championship, the East Anglian Junior Ladies Championship and the UK Junior Ladies Championship.

She has also been named as the Amber Valley Junior Sportswoman of the year and the DSSA Derbyshire Sports Person of the year.

As you can see, it has been quite a busy time for Hannah, however she still keeps up with her schoolwork from Ecclesbourne High School and typical teenage social life in her home of Quarndon just outside of Derby.

There is of course another driving force behind Hannah's success, and that is the support of her sponsors, Mark and Paul, the Directors of Wytech Ltd.

As well as providing sponsorship and support for Hannah's sporting career, Mark and Paul also fund and organise the annual Wytech World Ladies Masters Snooker Event in Derbyshire. This competition brings the best ladies snooker talent from around the world under one roof for a battle to win this coveted title cup. With the third Wytech Masters this September edging to a thrilling confrontation between world ladies Champion Reanne Evans and Maria Catalano, the event is quickly making a name for itself in the professional snooker fan's calendar.

Wytech are proud to support Hannah, a young achiever and a sportswoman of internationally recognised talent. Alongside sponsoring Hannah and the annual Masters event, we also sponsor other young snooker players in the Derbyshire area to help them cover the costs of coaching, equipment and travel to pursue their sport.

If you would like to find out more about Hannah Jones and her snooker career, please follow this link to her dedicated website which is kept up to date with all of her latest news: http://www.hannahjones.wytechhosting.co.uk

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

Google Chrome OS

2009-12-04T14:52:00.006Z

Google have recently unveiled their latest piece of software, 'Chrome OS', and it's tipped to be as revolutionary as sliced bread. Chrome OS is an operating system like no other, and in a clever appreciation of the current hardware market, it is designed to be run on netbooks.

It is still in the testing stages and is due to be officially released next year, however there are a few features worth noting already. The OS is based on Linux, and is leaner than Windows, which means faster boot times and a smoother, more stable experience for the end user. User data will be stored on Google's servers, (rather than your local machine) and as a consequence it will be possible to synchronise this data with other Chrome OS devices.

However, if you want to use popular applications like Word and Adobe Reader, Chrome isn't for you. Only Google approved web applications such as Gmail and Google Docs will work with the new OS. In fact the only application you will have on installation is a web browser from which your files, emails, media etc. will all be controlled.

Google have defended this Orwellian level of control by claiming that because Chrome OS doesn't allow the user to install desktop applications, the user is less at risk from malicious software. This could make it safer for online transactions and other data sensitive activities on the web, but no system is currently 100% secure, and Google do admit this.

Possible problems are: suspension or interruption of the service, interception and spoofing or privacy issues and of course the fact that all of the apps are web based, so a good internet connection is vital. With the advent of Chrome OS, Google will also have unparalleled access to your personal computing habits, browsing patterns and behaviour.

We are currently testing the open source early version of Chrome OS, called 'Chromium OS' on a Samsung NC10 netbook and it certainly does represent a massive shift from the norm in OS interfaces and user interaction.

With the recent releases of Windows 7 from Microsoft and Snow Leopard from Apple, the OS market is beginning to look very interesting indeed.

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

8 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Server

2009-10-22T11:08:00.005+01:00

A server computer, sometimes called an enterprise server, is a computer system that provides essential services across a network, to private users inside a large organisation or to public users on the internet. Many servers have dedicated functionality such as web servers, email servers, and database servers.

Today, server-based networks can be found in more than 20% of small businesses with more than one PC. Servers and networks have even moved into businesses with fewer than five PCs, as users see the efficiencies and better productivity of a Server. Here are our 8 top reasons to invest in a server:

1. You can create order from chaos. By centralising data on a server, you can better manage business-critical information. Sharing files and other data across PCs becomes much easier, as does migrating data from one PC to another. Older PCs can get new life if their files and data are off-loaded onto a server.

2. You can protect your data by making backups easier. Windows Small Business Server 2003 & 2008 both enable users to protect their data by simplifying backups and the restoration of critical data.

3. You can collaborate better as a business. Not only is data sharing easier with a server-based network, but Windows Small Business Server 2003 & 2008 both come with Windows SharePoint Services, which is software that enables your employees and other team members to collaborate via the Web. With SharePoint, you get a company intranet with a user-friendly interface to organize and share information.

4. You can accommodate a mobile work force. Servers enable out-of-office workers to have remote access to your network, enabling data sharing among those who travel, telecommute or work off-site.

5. You can share high-speed broadband access. High-speed Internet access across a network from a single ISP account.

6. You can set up new computers, add users and deploy new applications more quickly and easily. Expect to grow? You can better co-ordinate the addition of new PCs and software. You can also better manage firewalls and monitor threats to your data, and more easily deploy virus protection.

7. You can get more processing power. A server can supercharge your network, storing chunks of data, freeing up memory and enabling PCs to perform better. Small businesses today need that additional processing power to manage Web sites, create e-mail newsletters, and use sophisticated software.

8. You can look more professional & connect better with your customers. Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 & 2008 both enable you to consolidate your e-mail accounts (AOL, Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc.) into a single e-mail account, enhancing your image to customers. A server can make a lot of businesses look bigger than they are.

If you would like to know more about buying, installing and maintaining a server for your business, please get in touch with us on 0800 011 2636 and we'll help you make the right choices for the future.

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

10 Reasons to Purchase New Hardware During a Recession

2009-09-23T11:40:00.003+01:00

A leading consultant writer at Tech Republic, Erik Eckel, recently wrote a white paper entitled “10 reasons to purchase new hardware during a recession”.

This information could be applied to most UK SMEs at the moment, so have a read through and see if his argument for investment persuades you.

Here are the 10 reasons presented by Erik:

1. Equipment still wears out
As bad as an economic recession becomes, one fact doesn’t change. Power supplies, hard disks, motherboards, displays, and other components still fail. The laws of physics don’t rest just because the economy is in turmoil. This equipment must be replaced.

2. Productivity becomes paramount
When PCs, displays, or network switches fail, it may be tempting to visit an old parts closet to dig out replacements. Old, entry-level Celeron- or Pentium-powered PCs with 256MB of RAM don’t cut it with today’s applications. Nor will a 15” CRT enable productivity gains when replacing a 22” widescreen monitor used to display customer information alongside order entry software.
The same is true for network equipment. Slow and inefficient networks translate to lost opportunities, poor customer experiences, and less revenue.

3. Downtime is expensive
Older equipment fails more often. Outages and downtime are even more acutely felt during tough economic downturns. Identify, repair or replace at the earliest opportunity.

4. Competition suffers, too
Your competitors are suffering, too. If your organization can leverage their weaknesses during turbulent economic periods, it can capture rivals’ market share. Exploiting weaknesses and maximizing opportunities.

5. Manufacturers offer discounts
Manufacturers are scrambling to develop intriguing new product lines (e.g. netbooks) and improved, more cost-efficient distribution (including via layoffs and new strategic partnerships). In the interim, deals are available for the taking. Take advantage.

6. Consultants are more willing to negotiate
This is true. We have held our support pricing and added extra value in to all our support contracts.
Whilst the downturn has created more work for us in many ways due to the outsourcing of services, the merging of organisations and companies looking to leverage more from what they already have has made the market more flexible in general.

7. Running older hardware longer costs more
Trying to squeeze a few extra years out of PCs or servers actually ends up costing organizations more in the long run than does replacing old equipment. Particularly around a four- to six-year life cycle. It costs you more in support and maintenance.

8. Interrupting purchase cycles is expensive
By replacing a quarter of an organization’s PCs every year, for example, companies ensure critical employees receive new, faster, more reliable equipment annually. Then, the critical employees’ systems can be handed down to the next tier of operations staff. In short, using this method, every employee receives a hardware “upgrade” every year, and no system is ever more than four years old.

9. New applications require greater resources
New server platforms, such as Windows Small Business Server 2008 — have greater hardware requirements than the older platforms they replace. Windows Small Business Server 2008 won’t even run on 32-bit servers; the popular small business server OS now requires 64-bit hardware.
Windows XP, for example, required only a Pentium 233-MHz CPU, 64MB of RAM, and 1.5GB of hard disk space, whereas Windows Vista Business’ hardware requirements call for a 1-GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 128MB video RAM, along with 15GB of free disk space. Companies that choose to suspend hardware investments subsequently automatically forfeit the time-saving, cost-reducing advantages many new software applications deliver.

10. Employee retention remains a consideration
Good employees are as valuable as ever. Even though the pool of potential replacements grows with the unemployment rate, the cost of locating and training new staff remains significant.
Awarding new PCs to key workers critical to ongoing operations is a simple step. Best of all, productivity gains usually result, as well.

Additional resources;
For more downloads and a free TechRepublic membership, please visit http://techrepublic.com.com/2001-6240-0.html

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

Wytech Ladies Masters Event | Sept 12th

2009-09-07T11:38:00.003+01:00

Wytech | Windows SharePoint Review

2009-08-12T11:55:00.007+01:00

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 fifth and last from our very own Wytech engineers.

Review 5: Windows SharePoint

Six reasons to invest in Windows SharePoint
Windows SharePoint can be thought of as a customised online website which allows employees and managers from a business to log in securely and then access company documentation, view the latest notifications, organise diaries, modify and contribute to ongoing projects, and much more. It is effectively a virtual office, and as such provides some real advantages to the traditional office model. Here are six of those advantages:

1. Improve Business Productivity
Users can create team workspaces, coordinate calendars, organise documents, and receive important notifications and updates through communication features including announcements and alerts. While mobile, users can still be updated and kept in the loop. If your business IT goes down because of a data disaster, your SharePoint site carries on, and you can keep working.

2. Easy to Control
Control who accesses your documentation, track any changes which are made to your documents, allow multiple users to collaborate and contribute to a document, and edit your work in Microsoft Office, saving it to your SharePoint site seamlessly.

3. Easy to Use
The interface has been improved, and now users can interact with SharePoint with confidence. The simple layout and smooth integration with Microsoft Office applications like Word and Excel make working with SharePoint straightforward and simple. Clever pop-up and question mark menus allow users to access the help section easily if they need to.

4. Easy to Customise
While standard workspaces in Windows SharePoint Services are easy to implement, organisations seeking a more customised deployment can get started quickly with templates provided for most business environments. This makes life easier for IT managers who want to deploy SharePoint quickly, or for administrators who want to edit and amend their existing SharePoint site without any hassle or delay.

5. Improved Data Security
IT departments can now set permissions as deep down as the document or item level. New features enable IT to set top-down policies for better content recovery and users, groups, and team workspace site administration. SharePoint data can also be regularly backed up and restored, providing an extra level of security against data loss.

6. Cost Effective
Our SharePoint solutions start from just £50 ex VAT per month, which delivers a massive saving when compared to current workspace software alternatives. For this cost you will have a fully functioning SharePoint solution, hosted by Wytech within a secure datacentre. Your users simply startup their computers, connect to the internet and log on to their SharePoint site, a secure virtual office for modern businesses.

To find out more, contact us on 0800 011 2636 or email us with info@wytech.co.uk.

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

Wytech | Data Encryption

2009-08-04T10:33:00.004+01:00

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 fourth from our very own Wytech Engineers.

Review Four: Data Encryption

Encryption has become an increasingly popular topic in the contemporary world of both IT and business managers. Data is now our most valued commodity and encryption (the activity of converting data into secure code) is becoming an essential defence against security threats.

One of the main problems for business owners is that there are a multitude of options available on the market, and without specialist knowledge it’s almost impossible to know which solution to invest in. Get it wrong however and your data could be lost forever.

Hard drive encryption

The most common solution is ‘hard drive encryption’, which is mainly used on laptops, netbooks and other portable devices. This is because hard drive encryption provides a great deterrent to thieves, and mobile devices are the most vulnerable to loss and theft.

With hard drive encryption, the entire hard disk and all of its contents are encrypted. Only by entering the correct password when your computer boots up can the computer be started and data accessed as usual. Without the password, no one can access the data on that hard drive. This means that in the event of your laptop being stolen the thieves have no way to access your data.

The biggest disadvantage is that hard drive encryption only has two states: ‘all data locked’ or ‘all data readable’.
When data is readable, it is also vulnerable to attack. For this reason users may wish to consider additional security in the form of anti-virus software, firewalls or ‘file and folder’ encryption to work alongside hard drive encryption.

File and folder encryption

As the name implies, this solution encrypts files in specific ‘encrypted’ folders stored on the user’s hard disk, rather than encrypting the entire disk as described above. This means that files are always protected even when the user is logged in and working at the computer.

Users will often need to drag and drop their files into the correct folders in order to encrypt them. The downside of this method is the room for human error and the need for ongoing user training to make sure no mistakes are made.

Buyers must also be sure to check whether the many features promised on product data sheets actually match their requirements, and aren’t just gimmicks designed to hook the buyer or bombard them with technical terminology.

It is always worth contacting a company like Wytech for some friendly, free and impartial advice about these topics. After all, what really matters is the product's suitability for daily use.

Written by R. G. L. Birkbeck

Wytech | Online Backup

2009-07-28T17:10:00.004+01:00

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

2009-07-20T15:20:00.015+01:00

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

2009-07-08T10:09:00.005+01:00

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

2009-07-06T14:37:00.001+01:00

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