VPN – If your company has a server, you’d benefit from setting up VPN Access. VPN’s let you access all your files and drives on the go without being at the office. This option is the best for working away from the office. VPN’s give you the same connectivity as working at your desk, but with the comfort of home(if working at home).

Remote desktop – If you need full access to your system and files, but may need to access certain applications from your office PC. Install remote desktop software onto it and you can convert your home computer into your office computer. Take full control over the computer as if you where sitting right in front of it. Remote desktop only works if the computer is left on & it has an internet connection.

Backup’s – Backups of business information is always helpful. If the weather is going to be bad and you know you may not be able to make it to the office for a few days. Take a backup of files away with you, this is good for two reasons; one – you have all the files you may need to access, two – if your premises gets flooded from burst pipes you can worry about one less thing knowing you have a copy of the data offsite.

UPS – Power outages are an issue during bad weather. Giving your PC an Uninterrupted Power Supply will ensure when the power goes out, your server will stay running so you can close down the system properly. Different UPS systems have varying runtimes and if the outage is only a few minutes the server will run through it without interruption.

Mobile Phone & Tablets – With mobile technologies such as tablet computers and smartphone’s integrated into most business’s as a neccesity, getting access to information such as emails can let you keep communicating with clients and staff so that you won’t miss that opportunity, while competitors stumble.

Implementing these different technologies can help you keep your business running 365 days of the year, but these technologies can not only be useful during harsh weather but throughout the year, when other circumstances may stop you from getting to the workplace.

If you need help in keeping your business IT available during difficult weather, contact us at Stratiis, our team can find a solution to your problem!

Call now 0845-644-0771

www.stratiis.com

Security threats exist via, email, social media, malware and removable/portable media. There are very simple steps you can take to keep your system secure and free from such vulnerabilities.

• OS Patches/Updates- Keeping your OS up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates helps with keeping you secure. If there has been a vulnerability identified with the OS then a patch/update is usually released shortly after to protect its customers.
• Antivirus, Malware & Spyware – Keeping your system up-to-date with the latest antivirus, malware and spyware software, can ensure robust and continuous protection . Software by vendors such as ESET and Symantec, offer the best for keeping you system clean.
• Encryption – Data stored on your computer or portable media, such as USB pen drives and external hard disks, are also at risk. Using tools such as Bitlocker for Windows 7 can give you the added security that files are encrypted and also if you misplaced the device, the drive is also encrypted so data cannot be so easily read.
•  Complex Passwords – Complex password are also a good way of securing you system as it makes it harder to get access. Complex password are an arrangement of letters (lower and upper), numbers and symbols. For example if you use a name of a friend or partner, let’s say we had the password Alison2008 we score 86%, but if we change it to aLl150n2oo8 we score 100%, we checked the scores  at http://www.passwordmeter.com.

Following these simple steps and you will be able to secure your computers and network but if this is not enough you need tools with a bit more punch and should probably consider a UTM system.  UTM systems or Unified Threat Management provides a more customisable network experience, with solutions from DELL Sonicwall. Products such as the ones offered by Sonicwall block or allow certain elements of network traffic for example, implementing a rule to block all facebook games on the network, or block spam from a nuisance email address.

If you need help in securing your network,  contact us at Stratiis, our team can find a solution to your problem!

Call now 0845-644-0771

www.stratiis.com

Metro – Microsoft’s radical new user interface has it good points and bad points. Yes it looks Sleek and novel, but users will only get the full benefit of it on touchscreen monitor’s and tablets.

Windows To Go – The new windows to go feature is similar to that of ones currently used within Linux distributions. The feature is available in the enterprise edition will allow users to put either a clean install or an existing Windows 8 image onto a pen drive. This feature not only boasts advantages of backups but also portability.

Windows Store – The introduction of a Windows Store on Windows 8, starts competition with the Mac App Store, which allows developers to publish their own apps on windows 8 devices. Developer wishing to publish win32 or the traditional windows application can still do so, but the store will only point to customers to the publishers website. The new store will also be the only means of distributing metro style apps, The Items featured in Windows Store will have been scanned for security flaws and malware. Whereas not always the case with external content.

Compatibility – Microsoft says that apps and utilities that are compatible with windows 7 will also run on 8, allowing a ‘pain free’ transition. Hoping for not a repeat of the Vista upgrade mess.

Upgrading – Many businesses are still running XP and Vista, companies still use these as custom software may not work on current editions such as 7 or 8. Microsoft also understand that companies can’t afford to upgrade software every three years, so offer extended support. The timeline below gives you an idea of the length of support still left on the products.

• Windows XP SP3: April 8, 2014

• Windows Vista SP2: April 11, 2017

• Windows 7 SP1: January 14, 2020

• Windows 8: January 10, 2020

Security – Microsoft has done an overhaul of security features for Windows 8. Offering for the first time Antivirus. There is also new password types for log in, the first is PIN, offering a faster way to log on, the second is gestures where you draw a combination of circles, lines and clicks on a picture. Other features included, UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), which will improve system security during startup aswell as faster loading time.

Overview

Metro – Stylish but functional ? we’re not sure.

Windows to go – Seems a positive step and excellent feature.

Windows Store – Depends on the amount of content available , but could rival Mac App Store with time

Compatibility- We shall reserve judgment until roll out.

Upgrading – Not sure ? wait it out, see what happens.

Security- Antivirus, huge positive for Microsoft, but Drawing Pictures I’m not so sure.

As a technology solutions company we are always on the lookout for new solutions designed to reduce costs and improve productivity for our clients. Draycir Spindle is one product which can significantly reduce the admin overhead of creating and sending quotes, sales orders, invoices and statements out to clients. Highly customisable the document system pays for itself within a matter of months and will deliver year on year cost savings. For more information and a Savings Calculator , visit our site at Spindle

SonicWALL’s industry-leading Next-Generation Firewalls and Unified Threat
Management (UTM) Firewalls complement Dell’s security solutions portfolio,
enabling it to offer customers a broader range of enterprise offerings.

We’re sure all manufacturers understand this, yet few are in the position to make such bold strides as Apple. Following the iPhone 4’s leap with its “Retina” display, the new iPad (not, confusingly, the iPad 3) has a similarly groundbreaking 1,536 x 2,048 panel – that’s four times the iPad 2’s 768 x 1,024 resolution in exactly the same 9.7in diagonal, and it’s higher even than many 27in TFTs. Apple calls it “resolutionary”, a word that makes us queasy, but the sentiment is spot on.

Retina, take two

The quadrupled pixel count doesn’t quite give the same pixel density as the iPhone 4 – it’s 246ppi compared to the smaller screen’s 326ppi – but it puts it way ahead of any other tablet on the market. Asus will soon release its 10in Transformer Pad Infinity, with a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, but that’s as close as we’ve seen.

Read more: Apple iPad 2012 review | Apple iPad 3rd gen review | Apple iPad review | Tablets | Reviews | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/tablets/373648/apple-ipad-3rd-gen#ixzz1plY627Nw