Posts Tagged ‘business’

Disaster Recovery and the UK Riots – could you keep your business running?

Posted by Anna on Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Last week, the UK was shaken by some of the worst civil unrest seen on our streets for decades. The aftermath has left hundreds upon hundreds of business owners facing losses totalling into the millions. And while the majority of those affected operated in the retail industry, the question of protection is suddenly playing on the mind of SME owners up and down the country.

So what can you do to safeguard your livelihood? If the unthinkable happens, could you keep your business running?

There are the obvious steps of securing premises and removing items of value, but think about it…..Do you actually need your offices? In the event of an emergency, are your business premises crucial to success? If the answer is yes, then it may be time to start thinking outside the box.

Using the technology of cloud computing you could set up your business to recover quickly from disaster, ensuring that appropriate security measures are taken to protect your business from fire and theft.

Cloud technology enables you to store your business critical information off-site in a high security data centre. With a multi-layered approach including security personnel, CCTV, motion detection and key fob access, data centres are truly the safest place for your data which can be accessed quickly and easily by you and your staff in the event of a loss at your business premises.

Not only that, but by utilising these technologies you are also setting your company up for remote working, giving employees the opportunity to work remotely via an internet connection, using the same programmes and applications as they would in the office. This means that if there is a problem at your offices, or is not safe for staff to travel into work, then they can continue to work from home helping to keep productivity levels up and lowering any associated business losses.

With or without the current threat of unrest, disaster recovery should form a crucial part of your business plan.

For more details on how to go about putting together a disaster recovery plan, click here, or for information on how to perform an IT risk assessment on your business, click here.

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Are you Ready to make Virtual a Reality?

Posted by Anna on Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

If you’re considering making the move into the virtual world but are yet to be fully convinced, read on below to see how virtualisation might be of benefit to you and your business……

  • Reduced Costs - By replacing multiple pieces of hardware with one single server, your maintenance costs drop dramatically. You will also see a significant reduction in your electricity bill from running and cooling numerous machines.
  • Increased Flexibility – By securely storing all your files, data, applications and emails in one central location you will equip your business for remote working. Employees will be able to log on and access everything they need, no matter where they are on the globe.
  • Tighter Security – By unifying the virtual machine security under the same security management console with which you controlled the physical network, your business will become more secure with all applications and data stored virtually in one place. You can also implement and control higher levels of security access so you know who is accessing your data at all times.
  • More Environmentally Friendly – By maintaining fewer servers you will reduce the amount of energy you use for cooling, which not only saves you money, but decreases your company’s carbon footprint. Energy used through server idling is also reduced, meaning that your power consumption drops, along with your impact on the planet.

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What is IPT?

Posted by Anna on Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Internet Protocol Telephony (IPT) allows you to place the telephone calls you would normally make on a phone line, over the internet using broadband or leased line technology and an IP-enabled handset or headset.

It means you can make multiple calls without incurring increased line rental charges for additional analogue lines, and can also lower your call charges because all calls made within an IPT network are free of charge, and that includes external calls to other IPT users on other networks. Calls to regular telephone networks are also generally cheaper on IPT.

IPT helps you to be flexible too and can assist with remote working. That’s basically because your phone system and calls are hosted through the internet. So if you’re working away – at a meeting or conference or even at home – so long as you have a reliable broadband connection you can plug in your headset or IP enabled handset, and make a receive calls on your main business line.

IPT brings great business benefits. It might not be the best system for all businesses, but if it can work for you, then you will certainly see the benefits pretty quickly.

It’s revolutionising business communications and taking us into the future.

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How to outsource your IT

Posted by Anna on Thursday, February 10th, 2011

If you rely on technology to keep your business running, securing the right IT support for your requirements is crucial.

A good external provider should offer a bespoke solution at a fraction of the cost of employing permanent on-premise staff.

A business’s IT needs will differ according to various factors. You may be a brand new company with a requirement for assistance with occasional problems, or an established business that requires support across several areas. 

For the most efficient support, it is worth researching firms which use the latest technology and have highly skilled ‘multi vendor-certified’ engineers on hand to securely solve problems over the internet using remote diagnostics and without stepping foot in your office. This will save you time, money and inconvenience. For more complex issues which can’t be dealt with remotely, you should expect your support company to have an on-call facility so they can visit your premises and resolve your problem quickly and efficiently.

As a guideline for smaller businesses, a reputable business IT provider should be able to offer you support with supply and maintenance of hardware and software; 24-hour remote monitoring of your IT systems; networking; online (Cloud Computing) solutions; IT security (firewalls; anti-virus; spyware protection and spam filtering); remote working advice and solutions; data backup; disaster recovery and business contingency planning; a helpdesk manned by experienced engineers and end user support.

In terms of procuring IT services for a larger business, you should generally be looking for a provider that can supply all of the above in the context of a scalable IT solution designed to meet the high demands of the busy corporate environment.

Additional considerations for larger organisations include: software licensing solutions; office system desktop deployment; telephony and messaging solutions; the provision of secure offsite data backup within a data centre; storage solutions; cloud based solutions for remote working;  portals and content management and information worker solutions.

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Don’t Let the Snow Scupper Your Business

Posted by Anna on Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Well, the cold weather is upon us, and if last year’s winter is anything to go by, it’s gonna get colder out there!

Last year, the snow took us all well and truly by surprise, but this year, we can all be a bit more prepared.

When the snow falls, the roads gridlock and your staff are stuck at home, there’s no need to lose business days. Get set up for remote working, and you’ll have the remote workforce you need to keep your business running when the worst of the big freeze hits….. (cont.)

Using cloud-based technology from Microsoft, your staff can access and share emails, calendars and contacts……company data, files and folders…. and can make real-time contact via instant messaging, audio and video calling, live web conferencing and online meetings.

Not only that, but let axon set you up for hosted telephony, and you’ll even be able to receive calls to your business telephone number, in the comfort of your own home.

With the snow arriving, it’s crucial that you act now to ensure business continuity through the winter months. So why not give us a call on 0845 313 0025 and see how remote working can work for you….

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