Newsletter 1
Not many organisations can survive if the hard disk in their Sever failed unless they had a comprehensive disaster recovery system that had been tried and tested.
Recent research indicates that 85% of businesses do not recover from a hard disk crash. So what should you be doing to ensure that you are able to a survive server cash?
1. First make sure that you have a bullet-proof backup regime that has been tested and known to work. See our section on backups
2. Ensure that you have a support organisation that understands your system. You will want to get up and running as quickly as possible. You may need a new hard disk and probably get the Operating System reinstalled and then restore the data from your most recent backup.
3. Ensure that you have plan for business continuation whilst the server is down.
4. Ask yourself what applications services will be affected. Who will be impacted and what is the business effect on the company without your data.
5. If all else fail and you can’t get your data back then there are companies who specialise in getting data off a hard disk even if it cannot be booted by your computer.
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A recent poll by MORI indicated that 99% of computers connected to the internet is a victim of a security threat at least once a day. This can take several forms :-
- Spam in Emails
- Denial of service
- Reduced bandwidth
- Masquerading where someone uses your server to send illegal or mischievous messages
- Virus attack.
- Phising attack (where someone tries to deceive you into thinking that you are using a legitimate web site, when in fact it is a bogus website so that they can get sensitive information e.g. login in details for online bank account)
- Hackers trying to access your PC and Server
- Your own employees attempting to access confidential company information.
If you have a broadband connection you are particular susceptible because the connection to the Internet is on at all times. If you have dial up connections you are still vulnerable.
As a minimum you should have anti virus software running on all your servers and computers to ensure that all software on your computers do not contain viruses or Trojan software AND a Firewall to police any traffic coming from the internet to your network.
You should also ensure that you have the latest security updates applied to the operating system of all your computers. If you don’t have all of these you are leaving yourself very exposed to the threats outlined above.
However, this alone is not enough CompuSage recommends that you create a full security policy for your company. The security policy should consider a threat analysis which looks at the physical and information security aspects as well as what mechanisms are in place in your organisation to counter these threats.
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The ability to work from home not only helps you to reduce your costs and improve your organisation’s efficiency and effectiveness but also helps to provide a better future for our children by reducing carbon emissions into the environment.
According to new research, almost half of business managers say their company does not allow remote access to their network or teleworking. However, a study by the leading supplier of internet routers, Cisco, found that retaining good staff and finding more effective ways of working, were two of the main priorities of business owners. However, business owners are uneasy with remote and home working because of security and control issues.
Interestingly, business leaders of successful, high-growth companies were twice as likely to have flexible working capabilities. The study highlights a relationship between strategic IT adoption and business success. This British Network report polled more than 600 business and IT directors across the UK in companies ranging from 5 to 1,000 employees.
CompuSage can provide cost effective Remote access solutions which are easy to implement, has bullet proof security and leaves you in control.
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We all know that it is important, but is it being done correctly. To ensure that your backups procedure is working consider the following guidelines :-
You should be using a 3 tape backup cycle, with an automatic scheduled backup process. Backing up at least every day taking at least one off site backup each month.
You should check the backup logs to ensure that it has been completed correctly without errors.
You should have restored the back up a number of times to ensure that the restore process is working.
Backups should be completed by a trusted and reliable person within your organisation and the Director should be the person who knows that the backups are taking place and are reliable.
If any one of the above is not being done then your backup may be worthless.
What if there was a way of doing ALL this automatically?
Compusage can do this for you contact us now to find out more !!
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Should you upgrade to Windows 7 ?
Much has been said about Microsoft’s new Windows 7 operating system. The question businesses should be asking themselves is what is the business advantage of upgrading ?
What is an operating system?
An operating system is software that controls the basic functioning of your computer. Every PC needs to have an operating system installed, and by far the most popular is one of the versions of Windows available from Microsoft. Prior to Windows 7, that was released in October 2009, the versions that most smaller businesses were using included Microsoft Vista and Microsoft Windows XP. Some businesses may be using much older versions of Windows including Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows ME.
An operating system alone will not enable you to type letters, collect emails or build spreadsheets, and for these to be created you need to install other software. In this case the most popular software in use is Microsoft Office but there are others such as Open Office.
Operating systems are upgraded on a fairly regular basis. New features appear in later versions of operating systems that might, for example, make computers more secure or less power hungry which may benefit your business.
What is Windows 7
Windows 7 is a major release for Microsoft as it provides an upgrade to Microsoft Vista, the release of which was not met with much enthusiasm by users or reviewers. Windows 7 contains a number of new features some of which may provide useful additional functionality for your business.
Security
Windows 7 has been designed from the start to be a secure operating system for your business. Applications that you install on a Windows 7 PC operate with a lower set of privileges meaning that they are less likely to open up security holes in your system. High end versions of Windows 7 come with a built in data encryption system to protect your data from unauthorised access.
Networking - This is easier with a feature called Home Groups which is a simpler way of connecting PCs together. Note that this only works between computers installed with Windows 7 but it removes the complicated steps you need to go through to securely connect PCs together when using earlier versions of Windows.
Compatibility – getting PCs to connect to hardware can be difficult, and Microsoft Vista had a number of issues in this area. Windows 7 has had more time and effort invested into making hardware connections a lot better so that devices such as printers, cameras and scanners are easier to connect.
User interface – this has had a number of improvements with some useful features that enable you to ‘snap’ documents side buy side as well as ‘pin’ applications onto your taskbar. The user interface is very different to Windows XP so expect to invest time and effort learning a new way of working with your PC.
Upgrading to Windows 7
If you run an existing set of PCs in your business you may consider upgrading to Windows 7. If there are specific features in Windows 7 that will benefit your business, and your hardware and applications are compatible, then this may be a path to consider. The vast majority of small businesses will probably not upgrade their existing PCs to Windows 7, rather they would wait until a PC needs replacing and then purchase Windows 7 as part of that transaction.
Which version of Windows 7?
Windows 7 comes in 3 versions, and it is important to understand which features appear in which version to make sure that you buy correctly;
Windows 7 Home Premium. This has the core features of the product
Windows 7 Professional includes additional features to support improved document printing, data recovery, networking and support for older Windows XP applications
Windows 7 Ultimate includes the BitLocker data encryption tool which is used to convert documents into unreadable gibberish unless you have the correct password. This version of Windows 7 also has enhanced foreign language support.
Most smaller businesses would be suited to using either the Home Premium or Professional versions of Windows 7.
Making a decision
Running a small business has very little to do with choosing computer operating systems. Unless you are an enthusiast or particularly technically minded your concerns will be about running a smart, profitable and well organised business.
To this end the majority of smaller businesses will probably stay with their existing computer infrastructure unless there are specific and compelling reasons to upgrade to Windows 7 immediately. This will only normally be if there is a specific feature in the operating system that they require. Some users of Vista may see advantages in upgrading to Windows 7 more or less straightaway.
On the other hand businesses upgrading their hardware or investing in new computers would normally purchase Windows 7 as this is normally the prime moment to make the switch to a new operating system to accompany the new hardware.
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CRM software (Also known as Customer Relationship Management software, contact management software, customer database software) helps companies improve their relationships with their customers by capturing and analyzing customer information.
This allows users to identify customers’ purchasing behaviors and preferences in order to better serve their needs. CRM software is constantly evolving along with newly defined CRM processes, providing greater insight into how to attract and retain customers.
It provides a single integrated view of your customer and prospect data base that can be used by all areas of your organisation ( Marketing, Sales, Support, Customer relationships Management).
Some of the features you can expect in a CRM system are automated marketing facilities, Document management, Business to Business Customer contact management, Sales lead Tracker, Sales ledger Integration, Sales History, Quotation engine, Products and pricing module, Sales order processing, Problem tracker.
The overall effect of a CRM system is to make your staff more productive, drive up revenue, and provide better insight into your business.
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Virtual Server and the next Microsoft Operating System
A virtual server is a server at someone else’s location that is shared by multiple Web site owners so that each owner can use and administer it as though they had complete control of the server. Some Internet service providers offer a virtual server service instead of, or in addition to, virtual hosting.
Using a virtual server, a company or individual with a Web site can not only have their own domain name and IP address, but can administer their own file directories, add e-mail accounts and address assignments, assign multiple domain names that resolve to a basic domain name without involvement from the ISP, manage their own logs and statistics analysis, and maintain passwords. Users of a virtual server, however, do not have to manage the hardware aspects of running a server and effectively share the cost of expensive line connections to the Internet.
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 is the most advanced Windows Server operating system yet, designed to power the next-generation of networks, applications, and Web services. With Windows Server 2008 you can develop, deliver, and manage rich user experiences and applications, provide a secure network infrastructure, and increase technological efficiency and value within your organization.
Built for the Web.
Windows Server 2008 comes with Internet Information Services 7.0 (IIS7), a Web server and security-enhanced, easy-to-manage platform for developing and reliably hosting Web applications and services.
Virtualization Built in. Microsoft Windows Server hypervisor-based server virtualization technology, allows you to make the best use of your server hardware investments by consolidating multiple server roles as separate virtual machines running on a single physical machine. You can also efficiently run multiple operating systems—Windows, Linux and others—in parallel on a single server. With virtualization built into the Windows Server 2008 operating system and simple licensing policies, it’s now easier than ever to take advantage of the cost savings of virtualization.
Applications can also be efficiently virtualized using Windows Server 2008 centralized application access technologies. Terminal Services Gateway and Terminal Services RemoteApp allow easy remote access to standard Windows-based programs from anywhere by running them on a terminal server instead of directly on a client computer—without the need for a complicated VPN.
Security. Windows Server 2008 is the most secure Windows Server yet. The operating system has been hardened to protect against failure and several new technologies help prevent unauthorized connections to your networks, servers, data, and user accounts. Network Access Protection (NAP) helps ensure that computers that try to connect to your network comply with your organization’s security policy.
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CompuSage would like to take this opportunity to wish all its customers, Partners, Friends and associates best wishes for the coming festive season and looking forward, a happy and prosperous new year.
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