How serious does your company take disaster recovery?
Jul/090
According to an article on ZDNet There is a significant disconnect between IT and business executives when it comes to disaster recovery preparedness, according to the results of a new State of Disaster Recovery survey.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-318844.html
How seriously does your company take disaster recovery and business continuity?
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Intel urges SMEs: Don’t delay PC refresh
Jul/090
Chip giant Intel has urged small and medium-sized enterprises to avoid lengthening their PC refresh cycles as a cost-cutting measure during the recession, reiterating that security risk and maintenance bills could cost companies more than if they were to purchase new PCs.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-316279.html
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To host or not to host….now that is the question
Jun/090
Firstly what am I talking about? What I’m not talking about is website hosting, I’m talking about is cloud computing (more IT buzzwords, you love it really). Hosted solutions are becoming more and more viable, particularly in the SME (Small and medium enterprise) arena whether these be:
- Hosted exchange – for an enterprise level email solution (link to hosted exchange shortly)
- Hosted sharepoint – web based “extranet” or project collaboration server tool, the definition goes on. Click here for more information.
- Hosted servers – fully hosted servers as you would have in your office building only they aren’t.
- Online Backup – keep forgetting to insert the tape? Pain in the backside to take the tapes away from the office everyday? Take a look at our directory for Online Backup providers.
With internet connections becoming faster cheaper more reliable and pretty well accessible from anywhere (MaccyD’s anyone?). Lets have a scenario:
You are running a small company (20 users) you have been running a few years and have added a PC here and a PC there is data spewed around your network not backed up and it pretty much a mess. You know its a mess but cash flow is tight.
You are going to have to buy a reasonable server, say an HP ML310, with RAID (redundant disks so if one drive fails you will not lose all your data), buy Microsoft Small Business Server 2003/8, backup software and backup device (+ media) then get someone in to install and configure the system, email, security, add users etc… but of course it doesnt stop there. After buying all the new shiny kit you don’t want to leaving it running unmonitored so you speak to a local IT provider (it support manchester) and arrange to sign up to a preventative maintenance agreement. As you can see fair bit of outlay. Now lets compare that in a hosted model:
- No big outlay for a server and setup (may be a setup fee).
- No purchase of the server software (i.e Operating system, antivirus software, backup software)
- No purchase of backup media.
- No separate maintenance agreement.
Take a look in our directory at the different hosted solutions for more information and prices.
Need a low cost small business server? Read on…
Jun/090
Have a requirement for a low cost server for your small business or home needs? Have a look at the HP ML115 or ML110 ideal for running the Microsoft Small Business Server OS, a short and to the point review can be found here or if you don’t want spend the time and money setting up a server and network take a look at a hosted solution.
iPhone version 3.0 software
Jun/090
The new v3 software for the iPhone is set to be released soon, O2’s web site states release on 19th June but an email I received off them stated 17th June, organised eh? The update contains mainly functionality which should have been included in the 3g model from the outset, namely copy and paste (pretty annoying not having it if you have ever used an iPhone), MMS (picture messaging) and 3g tethering.
3g tethering is the ability to connect your iPhone to your PC and use its data connection to browse the internet from your PC. O2 are going to charge you for this functionality, nice eh? This has quite a few people in uproar as you are already paying for the iPhone contract and the tethering charge is no cheaper than buying a 3g card for PC, in fact the rate it is dearer than some suppliers!
3Gb quota – £14.68
10Gb quota – £29.36
Dry conditions and iPhones don’t mix, according to a warning from Apple about the potential for static electric shocks
May/090
Apple has warned that some iPhone and iPod users might get a small electrical shock from their earbuds if they’re using the device in very dry conditions.
In such conditions, users can build up static electricity, which then discharges itself through the headphones, according to Apple – who was keen to point out that it does not mean the earbuds are at fault.
Apple also stated the obvious by saying static build up and potential related shocks are not limited to its hardware.
“This condition is very similar to dragging your feet across a carpet and receiving a static shock by touching a door knob,” Apple said on its support website.
“However, instead of the static charge building up on your body, the charge builds up on the device that the earbuds are connected to. Likewise, instead of the static buildup discharging through your finger when you touch a door knob, it discharges through the earbuds.”
To alleviate the problem, Apple offered some advice for users so that they can enjoy their devices without pain.
“To minimise the risks of electrostatic discharge from the headphones, avoid using the headphones in extremely dry environments or touch a grounded unpainted metal object before inserting the headphones,” it said.
Raising the moisture level indoors using a humidifier, using anti-static sprays, trying to limit how frequently you take your device in and out of pockets and keeping the device out of the wind, were all offered up as handy tips by the computing giant.
“If you have dry skin, try anti-static hand lotion… Try wearing different clothes. Try clothes with natural fibres since synthetic fibres are more likely to hold a static charge,” said Apple.
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Wolfram Alfa
May/093
The anticipation that has been growing for a few months now finally reached a climax this weekend. For Wolfram Alpha was officially born.
Announced back in March and immediately dubbed as a ‘Google killer’ by many, the advanced search engine is finally here.
It doesn’t promote itself as a Google killer as it’s not quite in the same league. Instead, Wolfram Alpha’s aim is to deliver exact answers to queries rather than just answers that relate to the query in question.
Wolfram Alpha claims to hold more than 10 trillion pieces of data and more than 50,000 different algorithm and model types. But is it any good?
Have you tried using Wolfram Alfa yet? Does it live up to the hype or was it a let down? Tell us what you think by dropping us a line at contact@itsupportadvisor.com.
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