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Should your business be using SAN storage?

SAN storage can be highly advantageous for businesses of all sizes because it enables all of your data to be managed as a single entity. A lot of companies have data in several places and bringing it together can be both costly and time-consuming. With effective managed SAN storage solutions, however, your data is secured with improved disk utilisation.

Single entity

With SAN, the storage availability being contained in a centralised manner means everything can be managed as a single entity. That puts you at a great advantage when it comes to finding different resources for storage that’s placed as network levels. You’ll also be able to easily assign the storage cost effectively according to the performance needs of your applications. If you don’t have SAN storage, however, your business could just end up buying disk after disk and drive after drive, all of which gets stuck in a costly server.

SAN disaster recovery

If your business has certain departments which need applications to be continuously on, then you need a data continuity solution. If a disaster does strike, then it acts as a failover. A SAN recovery solution for when a disaster occurs is a safe choice for dealing with these scenarios because it will cut the downtime which in turn protects you from major losses.

Improvement of application ability

Having a SAN-based solution in place means applications which need high levels of availability will be served. Over time, applications will fail, either because of data corruption or faulty hardware. Within a SAN storage array, however, consistency of data is ensured thanks to data protection algorithms.

Reduces backup time

Sometimes backups simply take too long, especially within a data storage environment. A SAN solution can duplicate data in next to no time. The duplicates can then serve as your data backup. Backups running with SAN means you’re able to run them at a time to suit you, for whatever duration you need. Everything can be done to suit the individual needs of your business.

If you think your business could benefit from a managed SAN solution, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today to see how we can help make sure your data is fully protected and managed effectively.

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What is advanced threat protection and how can it help your business?

Computer security and IT support is fast moving away from the traditional model of firewall, email scanner and anti-virus software. Constantly managing and updating three or more products can be a major cost and annoyance for smaller companies.

Instead, businesses are turning to advanced threat protection as a single solution. One product, it sits on your network, monitoring all file, data and user activity. It is also linked to threat detection centres around the world, which are alerted the minute that unusual attack patterns start to emerge.

How does advanced threat protection protect my systems?

When an advanced threat protection (ATP) solution detects a threat starting to take hold, as with the recent WannaCry outbreak, it alerts the monitoring software to the fingerprint of the threat. This means it can be neutralised at the network level, preventing the attack from spreading and infecting your office PCs. You might lose one PC in the first attack, but the rest of the network and systems should be protected.

Why are ATPs better than current protections?

While it can take a virus scanner hours or even days to be updated to mitigate a new threat, the ATP understands what is happening in real time and helps prevent damage. Similarly, most firewalls are incapable of dealing with the damage caused by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. The ATP can mitigate the source of the DDoS attack and keep the company’s networks or website up and running through the most serious of attacks.

Office 365 ATP, for example, can scan your email inboxes and detect new threats that the firewall or traditional antivirus would miss. It can stop users clicking on malicious links in web pages, and provide reports on what threats it has detected. Another product, Watchguard, can emulate your hardware and run malware within the safety of a sealed environment to see what it is and what it does, helping classify and identify the threat in safety.

Most importantly, whatever the attack, ATP services can tell your IT investigators what happened, how it happened and who it happened to. These reports can help make sure it doesn’t happen again – such as, if a worker brought in an infected device or memory stick or opened a personal email with an infected attachment, they can receive IT training to stop the problem occurring again in the future.

While ATP is now a premium service, the number of zero-day attacks crippling small businesses will make it essential for everybody. Microsoft and Symantec are already moving to an advanced solution range to help protect all users from the next major attack.

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Four ways tech advancements have impacted business

Four ways tech advancements have changed business

Compared to ten years ago, technology advancements have taken a whole new turn in both businesses, IT, and almost all aspects of life. While technology has come with its disadvantages in IT enhanced security, it has also brought about an equal share of troubles when hackers strike. For starters, due to the advancements in technology, hackers have now become more organised in their activities and many ransomware groups have cost businesses huge amounts of money to recover data.

However, major IT organisations have come up with ways to counter the effects of hackers by developing cloud storage and cloud computing, among many other cloud activities. The cloud allows businesses and IT firms to do their day-to-day activities in a safe and secure environment which assure not only data security but also increases convenience. Here are some of the impacts of technological advancements in various areas.

Improved field operations

For many sales reps and field engineers, the type of work involved needs a lot of collection and recording of information. Microsoft has come up with solutions like Microsoft office 365 that increases speed and productivity in the field, especially for sales agents working in the mortgage industry and business’ marketing teams.

Enhanced data security

One milestone technology has focused on is to enhance data security. With the IT department being a sensitive area in companies, many developers have come up with ways to secure data. Some of the solutions for enhancing data security involve advanced email and spam filtering to curb the use of spam emails by hackers to gain access to organisations’ systems. Also, managed WatchGuard firewalls have come to give organisations solid top-class network security to make sure the network runs safely out of sight of the eyes of the hackers.

Improved information sharing

Technology forms the backbone of modern-day information sharing by allowing fast sharing with fewer resources. Hosted servers make it possible for organisations to transfer information from one area to another securely. These providers offer data storage mainly in the cloud and offer their customers data recovery plans to make sure breached data gets recovered. Also, many firms offering managed IT services offer e-learning and various forms of training aimed towards fully transforming organisations and integrating them with the latest technological efficiencies.

Want to find out how the latest tech advances such as cloud computing solutions could improve your business and IT security? Get in touch with us today.

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Do you have a plan in place with GDPR compliance?

The loss of data can be disastrous for any business or company. Whilst data can sometimes be retrieved, this can be a costly and time-consuming process if a disaster recovery plan has not been executed.

Of course, no-one expects to lose crucial business data but it occurs all too often. Whether it’s down to human error or a targeted cyber-attack, the consequences of a data leak can be far-reaching. In addition to affecting business operations, a loss of data is likely to attract bad press.

Once publicised, any security threat could cost your business customer loyalty. As a result, revenue could be negatively affected and some businesses may struggle to recover.

By preparing for such situations, however, companies can avoid the disastrous consequences of data loss. Getting expert help when devising a disaster recovery plan and business continuity solutions, for example, can make sure that your business operations are able to continue and that data can be retrieved quickly.

Will the GDPR change your business process?

With the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) being fully enforced in just a few months, your business may need to increase network security and apply advanced threat protection to your software.

Any business which stores client or customer data is likely to be affected by the GDPR and there will be costly sanctions for companies which fail to adhere to the new regulations. Due to these increasing demands, many businesses are using managed computer services to make sure their systems are operating as they should.

As a result of the regulations, many companies are taking the opportunity to upgrade their existing software and operating systems. Many businesses are installing Microsoft Office 365 and Windows 10 to existing computers, for example.

However, any significant change to a company network or business infrastructure will need IT support. Whilst businesses should benefit from the upgrades, many will need to use outsourced advice and IT support once new programs and software have been installed.

Outsourcing your IT support requirements

By relying on managed computer services and outsourcing IT support requirements, businesses of all sizes can benefit from IT help when they need it. Often more cost-effective than hiring in-house professionals, outsourced IT support is an ideal solution for businesses across all sectors.

To find out more about implementing effective disaster recovery techniques and the benefits of managed services, why not get in touch with us today?

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Office 365 adds new features for business users - Microsoft Planner

Office 365 adds new features for business users – Microsoft Planner

Office 365 continues to evolve with updates and new features in regular supply for both mobile and desktop users.

Recent additions include the Microsoft Planner app for iOS and Android users. Planner is available for most Office 365 subscriptions and helps organise your teams and their working hours, targets or deadlines, and makes setting up meetings easier and so on. The new companion app helps Planner users to check and change their plans wherever they are. One feature not in the launch version of the app is push notifications, but they will be coming soon to provide live updates when meetings change and so on.

Another recent update is Immersive Reader, which is now available in web-based Outlook and OneNote for Windows 10. Immersive Reader improves accessibility and readability of documents and emails. It provides a Read Aloud mode for those with sight problems and Text Spacing for people who have trouble reading standard document templates. For people who have trouble reading, it also offers a mode called Syllables, which adds breaks between the syllables of words to help people recognise and pronounce them better. With not everyone being a fluent English reader or having difficulties with text on screens, this could be very valuable.

The most recent update for Office 365 better supports the Microsoft Pen that comes with the company’s Surface Pro convertible devices. With better handwriting recognition and support for tilting the pen, people can get more expressive with their writing on-screen. There’s also an improved Whiteboard app for collaboration efforts and meetings with people able to use their own pen on their own screen to add your voice to a diagram or statistics.

These updates continue to show the value of Office 365, which comes with a regular flow of updates, patches and improvements to help boost business and user efficiency and to create new ways of working together. Get in touch to find out how Office 365 can help improve how your company works, while bringing information to mobile devices and other screens to improve productivity with the added security of the cloud.

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In dangerous times, it is vital to boost your PC and IT security

The battle against hackers has been a never-ending one since businesses first connected their computers to modems. But the war is about to escalate as online criminals get their hands on military-grade hacking tools, those invented and then stolen from U.S. spy agencies. Since these tools appeared in the open, we have seen the WannaCry NHS disaster that also attacked German and Russian airports, along with many lower-profile businesses.

So, with hundreds of hacking tools now available, from the highly specific ploys to target an individual to others that can break into whole networks, hackers and online scammers are now testing new techniques that could make previous vulnerabilities seem tame. Now they have been exposed, most PC, OS and networking vendors are rushing out fixes, which will limit the damage, but every company has to make sure that every device is kept up to date.

Email and spam filters

Beyond those basics, all businesses need to make sure they have current email and spam filtering to keep unwanted attachments far away from non-technical staff who might not recognise the threat. Disaster recovery and business continuity plans also need to be updated to cope, should the business lose access to its data or computers in a worst case scenario.

Beware of social media posts and fake updates

Even if your company’s small IT footprint feels secure, the broad nature of the coming attacks could see threats buried in social media posts, fake updates for older technology you might have that is no longer officially supported and in many other guises. The hackers are unlikely to be targeting your business directly, but will happily scoop up your data, passwords or credit card details in their trawl of any networks and drives they can get access to.

Any company with no dedicated IT staff should also consider getting in outside help to help secure their business and offer advice on the best ways to protect data, internet connections, and PCs and mobile devices themselves from attack. If the computer industry was on high alert before these leaks, they are the equivalent of cold war “DefCon 2” now, awaiting an imminent strike that could bring down companies big and small.

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New iMacs go upgradeable and ramp up the power

For the first time in a good few years, IT buyers can consider the new Apple iMac systems, with a view to upgrading the processor if they feel the need for a power boost. The new range of iMacs start at £1,049 for an Intel Core i5 with a 21-inch screen, and top out at £2,249 for an Intel Core i7 model with a 27-inch screen, with various RAM and storage upgrade options.

However, unlike earlier generations where users were stuck with the components that came with the machine, the new models are slightly more accessible, with casing that can be removed to upgrade the processor and RAM, with a little screwdriver work. In general though, if you are upgrading your office systems and the new iMac range appeals, it will be simpler to buy them with the best processor and largest amount of RAM and storage you can afford to save tinkering later.

For most office tasks the iMacs are perfectly good in their base configurations, but anyone wanting to do 3D work, video editing, or play with Apple’s new-found support for virtual reality, it would be advised to aim for the higher configurations. If money is no object and you want the best of the best, then there will be a bit of a wait for the iMac Pro, an all-new machine that has a US price of $5,000 and will be the highest specification of any Mac ever.

Packed into a bulkier almost-10kg housing, with a 27-inch 5K screen, there is a choice of 8-core, 10-core or 18-core processor for blistering performance, up to 4TB of storage and 128GB of RAM, partnered by a Radeon Pro Vega 64 GPU with 16GB to give true graphical grunt. These machines will be for leading design and creative or intense AI work.

All the machines support the new macOS High Sierra, which comes with a faster file system, the much-awaited VR support, and many new features. That makes it a great time to upgrade any ageing Apple-based office.

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The benefits of cloud computing

Cloud computing enables you and your team to process and manage data, and store information on a remote server that is hosted by the internet. This offers your business several benefits that working on a local server or personal computer cannot. Below, we’ve listed some of the key benefits of cloud computing and why we think you should invest in a cloud-based system for your business.

Flexible working

The major advantage of investing in cloud computing is the flexibility it offers you and your workforce. Installing a cloud computing system will allow your team to work anywhere, working on documents and updating data from wherever they are in the world. This can open up new opportunities for you in terms of new geographies and potential customers. It also means you can offer your team more flexible working hours, which can be an appealing proposition, especially if people have young families or caring commitments outside of work. If your team are sharing documents or working from the same files, your cloud system will also enable them to save and upload the most recent version of their work, so everyone is working from the same page.

Disaster recovery

A common reason that businesses invest in cloud-based computing is as part of their contingency and backup planning for their business. Storing data on an online cloud-based system gives you peace of mind that your work will be safe should any disasters happen within your office space. Ensuring your files are safely secured on an external remote server is one of the safest ways to build a contingency plan so that, should the unthinkable happen, you know your business will be able to continue to operate. Losing hardware, like computers, laptops and hard drives, is a hugely stressful and expensive situation to deal with, but potentially losing the work on those laptops too could cost you the operation of your business.

If you feel ready to install cloud-based software but want more information about the many benefits that it can provide for you and your business, contact us today.

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Should you avoid investing in PCs with Windows 10 S?

Looking to further reduce the cost of computing, Microsoft recently unveiled Windows 10 S, a version of the operating system that relies more on the cloud. The main target audience is students and the education sector, but there will be the usual push to sell these machines wide and far in the coming months. And, at a lower price (around £199), they may tempt some start-ups and businesses to invest too. But is this the right decision?

If your workers are already in the cloud with Office 365, Gmail, Google Docs and other features, then it is possible that an upgrade to Windows 10 S machines might save the company some money. However, Windows 10 S removes a lot of features that businesses may find useful, or even essential.

That includes removing access to the command line and PowerShell, and users will only be able to download apps from the Windows 10 S store, and not install many apps that are essential to their business. This does have a benefit of helping to protect non-technical users, as they won’t be able to install any unapproved apps, which is a common way that viruses and malware get into businesses that do not secure their systems.

If you do choose to acquire a machine running Windows 10 S, perhaps for testing purposes, then you will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for around £50. That will unlock the full power of the OS, but most of these PCs will be fairly modest in specification, so don’t expect them to be able to do much more than elementary office tasks.

For most businesses, sticking to Windows 10 Pro is the correct choice for security and flexibility. Windows 10 Pro is more mature and supports all the necessary apps, and has a better range of hardware on the market.

Also, with new generations of processors and memory technology from AMD and Intel hitting the PC market soon, any users needing a fast and responsive computer will be far more interested in these machines to be more productive within their business.

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How scammers are holding IT users to ransom

When we consider the term ‘Ransom’, we immediately imagine a kidnapping scenario whereby money is demanded in return for the safe exchange of the victim. However, in technological terms, a Ransom refers to the fee expected from unscrupulous scammers to restore your PC to a usable state.

Ransomware is on the rise, and scammers are reaping the benefits of a growing trend in demanding money with menaces. The malicious software attacks PCs in aggressive ways, downloading pornography or encrypting files to make the computer unusable. Once the virus has downloaded, users can find themselves powerless to eradicate the offensive image or corrupt data. At this point, the scammers demand a fee to restore the PC to its former state of operation.

According to research by fraud prevention teams, ransomware is more prevalent across the UK, where scammers test potential viruses before launching them globally. FBI data reveals that rogueware including fake antivirus software and ransom demands are on the increase, netting scammers about $150m annually. The worst aspect of the scam is that, once an affected user has paid to have the software removed, they are handing over all their payment details and account data, ready for unscrupulous thieves to use the data breach to their advantage for further gains.

Holding your technology hostage

When affected by ransomware, it can seem easier to respond to the financial request simply to restore your technology back to working order. However, this is actually the worst possible course of action. It’s important that you take steps to isolate your computer by immediately going offline to prevent any further penetration by scammers.

Once offline, there are a few steps which you may take to remove the problem without falling victim to financial demands. Shut down the computer completely and take it to a reputable technician to have the malicious script removed.

It’s obviously better to avoid infection altogether by practising positive housekeeping on your computer. Install an effective firewall and virus detection, and scan your machine regularly to detect potential threats. Never click on any pop-ups or links in e-mails, if you do not have full confidence about where they originated. Back up all of your data and software regularly to cloud-based storage, to allow you to immediately restore your data should you fall prey to a ransomware attack.

Unlike a real-life hostage scenario, there is no negotiation with ransomware scammers. Through good PC hygiene and strong security, you can avoid your data being compromised, and frustrate potential thieves.

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Global manhunt underway to find the hackers behind WannaCry

As users across the world recover from one of the largest cyber attacks in history, a global manhunt is now underway to track down those who unleashed the WannaCry ransomware.

WannaCry exposed security weaknesses that had been discovered by the US National Security Agency, but who actually launched the attack remains cloaked in mystery.

Speaking to the BBC, head of research at security company F-Secure, Mikko Hypponen, said: “We’re tracking over 100 different ransom Trojan gangs, but we have no info on where WannaCry is coming from.”

The first iteration of WannaCry surfaced on 10 February and was distributed through spam emails and booby-trapped websites, but to little effect.

WannaCry Version 2.0, in stark contrast, wrought havoc around the globe, as the malware was modified with the addition of a module that transformed WannaCry into a worm, a form of malware that spreads by itself.

Deciphering and examination of WannaCry’s code has failed to reveal any significant clues, such as strings in executables, signs the malware had been uploaded to online virus scanners such as Virus Total to check for detections before distribution or signature coding of an established group.

The distinguishing characteristics which have been identified so far are that WannaCry is attacking machines using Cyrillic script – leading some to infer that the malware is not Russian in origin – and the code contains a time stamp running 9 nine hours ahead of GMT, indicating it could have been created in Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines or far eastern parts of China and Russia.

There are also some hints that WannaCry could have been the work of a new group. The authors failed to register the domain included within its core code. This allowed security researcher Marcus Hutchins to register and take control of the domain, and halt WannaCry’s spread.

Of course, these clues could have been left intentionally to distract and divert investigations. So following the money trail created by the sending and receipt of ransom money maybe the best hope of finding the hackers behind WannaCry. Bitcoin isn’t 100% anonymous – every transaction is logged and publicly recorded on the blockchain.

At present, the total amount of ransom money paid to the hackers stands at more than $50,000 (£39,000).

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iPhone sales slow ahead of 10th anniversary release

Apple reported a drop in sales for the iPhone during the second quarter this week, surprising many people.

It’s been suggested that many customers are delaying their purchase as a result of anticipation over the 10th anniversary edition of the product, which many people expect to be launched soon.

In the quarter ending 1st April, Apple shipped 50.8 million iPhones, which represented a decrease on the 51.2m shipped in the second quarter of last year. The decrease was a surprise for experts, too, who had estimated a sales figure of 52.7m based on available financial data. The previous quarter’s sales figures had been called a ‘return to growth’ by many, but it’s now clear that the increase only lasted the length of the so-called holiday quarter.

At the same time as announcing the loss, however, Apple did report a 4.6% revenue rise (to $52.9bn) but this was again shy of the expert estimate which had been expected to come out at around $53.02bn. As a result, Apple stock dropped by around 1.5% in the hours after the announcement. Earnings per share, however, were higher than expected, reaching $2.10 compared to the estimated figure of $2.02

Clement Thibault, a senior analyst for Investing.com, said: “This is a very mixed report for Apple in terms of results. Apple sold [fewer] iPhones than it did a year ago, but the possibility of consumers holding out until the new iPhone release is very real, especially when the upgrade is rumoured to be more meaningful than in earlier years.”

iPad sales also decreased year-on-year, with 8.9m units being sold. Mac sales increased during the same period, with 4.2 million units being shipped compared to 4 million in 2016. As a result, revenue grew by 14%.

iPhones are usually launched in September, and as a result, the company tends to enjoy a jump in sales during the following holiday quarter, with demand then levelling out again over the next few months.

Excitement over the 10th anniversary iPhone will doubtless continue to build over the next few months, with potential features rumoured to include wireless charging, a curved display and even 3D facial recognition.

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How big is the data threat to your business?

Every tech provider talks up the data threat to your business. But, it can be very hard sitting at your desk, behind your ISP or server firewall, to gauge how big this “massive threat” is to your business. Unless you get to that unfortunate day when your company is hacked or a worker falls victim to social phishing, it is easy enough with a busy schedule not to worry about what’s going on behind the wireless network and through the wires plugged into your servers.

To show just how dangerous the Internet is, there are a range of sites showing off just how wild it can be. Take a look at Digital Attack Map (http://www.digitalattackmap.com) which shows off major Internet attack events from around the world. If your cloud service becomes unresponsive or inaccessible, it could be due to a hacker-launched bot attack that is DDoSing a major provider’s servers. You can also take a look at some historic attacks and see just how big the scale of some monster outages have been.

Kaspersky’s attack map provides a 3D visualisation (https://cybermap.kaspersky.com/) of the results from its many business and consumer scanning tools. This map allows you to focus on specific countries or areas. It displays a real-time view from millions of PCs and servers, around the globe. While this might be a tool to get customers interested in their products, it provides a quick guide to the volume and frequency of attacks that are launched against any user.

Perhaps the most vivid example of online threats is the Norse Map (http://map.norsecorp.com/#/). This highlights and categorises attacks as they happen, demonstrating the frequency, scale and types of threats.

Just a quick look at these maps can show a business leader or owner what we are collectively up against, both solution providers and end users. It can certainly be used to encourage those businesses without enough data security to invest in a proper solution. They help to highlight how important your computer and IT security is, and the importance of backups and disaster recovery, and why relying on just a single solution (local or cloud) is a business mistake. For information on how to protect your IT infrastructure, contact us today.

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Can Microsoft Azure help your business grow?

Moving from your current set up to a cloud-based solution such as the one provided by Microsoft Azure can seem like a daunting prospect, but many businesses report that they have noticed a number of operational advantages within a mere few days or weeks. Here we’ve outlined some of the key ways transferring to Microsoft Azure can not only help your business but also encourage growth…

Less downtime

The whole purpose of a cloud-based system is that it works for users who need to get things done quickly. With Microsoft Azure, collaboration becomes easier and there is less downtime. Perfect if you have a number of time-sensitive projects that need a collaborative effort. Additionally, the storage provided by Microsoft Cloud is extremely secure, so you can divert workers away from IT and place your focus on growing the business.

Reliability

Microsoft Azure is fully backed up by Microsoft’s increasing number of data centres. These centres are managed and global, spreading across nineteen regions. There’s also 99.95% availability as well as tech support twenty-four hours a day and continuous health monitoring. Whilst your current data setup might be good, it’s hardly likely to offer the same reliability that Azure can offer.

Full integration

If your business is reliant on tools such as Microsoft Office 365 and Outlook, it makes sense to invest in a cloud platform that is going to fully integrate with other Microsoft products. Simply sharing ideas via Azure or updating documents and making them available in the cloud will save your business precious time and improve its functionality.

Added security

Security is paramount to not only protecting your current assets but allowing your business to grow. If, for example, you run a business that retains customer data, your customers are going to want to be sure that their details are safe. Hacks and leaks could end up costing your business existing and new customers, so you’re going to want to make sure all your data is as secure as possible. Microsoft Azure gives you enterprise-level security, which is almost certainly more than you will now have in your office. Azure will encrypt communications, block any unauthorised traffic and give you full control over all of your data.

Ultimately you have to consider what would happen if there was a break-in, a fire or if something just went wrong with your computers. Would your data be secure? Microsoft Azure can make sure that it is.

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Securing your data when it is on the move

Computer security, securing your network, and data protection are all things you take seriously; and you already have a secure store for your company information and your customers’ personal data. But what do you do when you need to send information to someone else? Send it over email or use a cloud solution such as Slack, Box or Dropbox?

As ever increasing numbers of us turn to solutions like this to share vital business data within, and outside, of our organisations, how can we be sure that we’re keeping that data secure? Also, how can we make certain that our actions are within the law?

Here are a few options:

From web mail to hosted email and exchange, unless it’s encrypted email is not secure. Emails travel over the internet completely openly, like a postcard travels through the mail. So if you wouldn’t write it openly on a postcard, don’t put it in an email.

Cloud and remote backup and storage

Most cloud providers have privacy policies which allow their employees to read your data. If your customers wouldn’t be happy with that, you need to consider whether you should be using that provider.

Instant messaging

The message here is the same as with cloud providers – check the privacy policy. You’re looking to make sure that the messages are end-to-end encrypted and that nobody else has access. Signal and WhatsApp are good starting places. Slack is, for confidential information, a real no-no.

General data protection regulation

At present, United Kingdom law in this area is regulated by the Data Protection Act. However, on the 25th May 2018 the General Data Privacy Regulation will come into force across the EU. The UK will still be a member, so it will apply here as well and will need all organisations who collect or process personal data to do more than they do now to safeguard their employees and customers’ personal data.

Ensuring that information is safe when it is on the move is an important part of keeping to the new law. For more information and guidance on data protection and security, contact us today.

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Business continuity vs disaster recovery planning

When making contingency plans for your company, you will often be faced with the two following terms, business continuity planning (BC(P)) and disaster recovery planning (DR(P)). Sometimes they are connected together to form business continuity and disaster recovery planning BCDR.

But what do these terms mean and do you need them both or just one of them? To find out, let’s take a look at what these things are and what they mean to your business.

Business continuity planning BCP

The best way to think of business continuity planning is like this. If we lost this building tomorrow, how would we continue trading? For example: if your business premises are at risk of flooding, what plans do you have in place for relocation? If you have a plan for this, you have a business continuity plan.

A business continuity plan should give a clear plan of action to re-establish services in the event of loss. There are a lot of IT solutions that can help you with BCP, including cloud computing, which helps protect valuable data from fire and flood damage, while making it easier to relocate without having to transfer data or rebuild servers.

Disaster recovery planning DRP

A disaster recovery plan, however, is a much more focused document – it should give a plan of action to rebuild lost services. Disaster recovery plans are NOT just associated with IT but this is where they are often found.

A good DR plan should identify key business processes, critical suppliers and vendors as well as the staff expected to carry out the recovery. Ideally, you should also test your DR plan every six months to make sure that you have the required skills and materials required.

So which one do you need for your business?

Ideally, you should have both a disaster recovery (DRP) plan and a business continuity plan (BCP) in place for your business. The detail of these plans will depend on your personal circumstances. For example: if your business is located in an area at high risk of flooding, you should have a very detailed business continuity plan in place, which includes possible sites for relocation as well as ensuring your servers and critical data are hosted securely in the cloud.

What you must never do, is bury your head in the sand and think “it will never happen to me”. Two out of every five businesses struck by a disaster fail to recover, and of those that survive, another third will go out of business within 18 months. You need to have a comprehensive BCDR in place to stand any chance of survival. Contact us today for more advice on how to make sure of this.

New Post has been published on Premier Computer

New Post has been published on https://oswin.com/patent-shows-apple-interest-modular-hardware-ipad-iphone/

Patent shows Apple interest in modular hardware for iPad and iPhone

A patent filed by Apple Inc that was published on Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reveals concept designs for a portable hardware accessory that mimics a laptop but requires an iPhone or iPad to operate. The patent details a modular system that uses Apple iOS devices as the CPU core for a type of laptop surrogate.

Indicating a possible hardware synthesis of the Apple Mac, iPhone, and iPad lines, the iPhone touchscreen also functions as a trackpad, and coincidentally the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus is very similar in size to the newer, larger trackpads which feature on Apple’s latest iteration of the MacBook.

Another design which the patent covers is a laptop frame that hosts an iPad where a laptop screen would usually be, resembling Apple’s currently available iPad Smart Case. The casing enclosure for both designs is described as being aluminium, suggesting a continuity with Apple’s long-standing material of choice for device casing.

The introduction of this hardware to Apple’s already impressive product line would see a modular laptop device occupying the same space as the iPad pro, which is already marketed as an intermediary device between the company’s mobile and work-focused products.

Although the interest being shown by Apple in modular designs is intriguing, for such a symbiotic device to work in practice, a far more comprehensive merger between iOS and MacOS platforms wold need to take place. Or perhaps a secondary operating system which imitates a laptop environment or runs store laptop-ready versions of iOS apps could be developed to bridge the devices.

It is also unclear how the separate module components would interact, but possibly a host device could send data and commands to the accessory via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other wireless signals. A lack of processing power may be another concern, but on board memory modules to expand an iOS device’s capabilities would prove a relatively straightforward solution.

The patent application for this modular design was first filed by Apple in September of last year and the patent cites Brett W. Degner as the device inventor.

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