A successful new business can increase in size very quickly requiring new members of staff, new software and hardware, and even new systems to manage, store, and work with data. It’s during this expansion when the IT infrastructure will first be placed under the kind of stress it hasn’t yet experienced. A scalable infrastructure that was designed and developed with this very situation in mind will be able to cope well under the increased pressure and the IT team will be able to implement the necessary changes without too much additional work.

An IT infrastructure that does not include the provisions for expansion will either require a major redesign or will need scrapping and completely replacing. Both of these outcomes will cost a business money and, perhaps more damagingly under the circumstances, time. The new team members will have no IT access and existing team members will have to find a way to work around the problems that will quickly surface. When considering IT infrastructure design always consider that your business is going to expand in one way or another and make adequate allowances for that expansion.

There are many solutions available that offer scalability – talk to one of our consultants to see which solution is the best fit for your business

The two most obvious factors of a high speed Internet connection are the receipt and delivery of email as well as quicker Internet browsing. Email completely changed the face of business communication and where it was once necessary to wait several days for responses to letters, B2B and B2C clients now expect responses to their emails in considerably quicker time. Of course, these expectations are two fold and you and other email users will also expect information quicker.

Data isn’t just transmitted by email any longer. Online business collaboration tools are becoming an integral part of many business IT networks whether this is through a VPN or through web based collaborative tools. High speed Internet access allows the effective use of such tools and allows access to high speed networks that make working practices even more profitable. High speed Internet access should be considered an integral part of any business IT network especially when prices are often similar to those of standard Internet connections. Similarly, it can also pay dividends to check your network connections and settings to ensure you’re getting the most from that high speed connection.

The main benefit of business continuity planning is enabling your business to recover quickly from unexpected events that disrupt your IT systems.
A business that can demonstrate an effective business continuity plan has a competitive advantage. For example, if you provide services to customers that are dependent upon your IT systems, like an internet service provider, then evidence of a sound plan can be used to win or retain customers. For instance, if your business is a partner in a supply chain, business continuity planning may well need to be an integral part of your quality assurance.

Your Business Continuity plan should aim to reduce the risks posed by disruption to your business processes. Measures that you need to include:
• A back-up and data recovery strategy, including off-site storage.
• The development of a resilient IT infrastructure with redundancies (spare capacity) in case of failure. For example, mirrored central server computers sited in different locations, each containing the same information, so that if one goes down, the other one is available to ensure continuity of service and alternative storage facilities.
• The elimination of single points of failure, such as a single power supply.

Question for your IT manager
Q. In event of a disaster (such as a fire) how quickly can you have us back up and running?
A. If they have considered the above – the answer should be less than 4 hours

Most companies recognise that IT is critical to the running of their business and without it, the company simply would not function. Even so, people are yet to take IT seriously enough to incorporate it into business strategy and budgeting.

If your server was to fail, do you have a plan to get it up and running again? Have you budgeted for this type of investment? It’s important to monitor your infrastructures health. Don’t take IT for granted and get caught off guard!

Your server could be trying to tell you something…

Becoming high maintenance? How much time is being spent on fixing small problems that would be better spent elsewhere? As your server gets older the issues will become more and more frequent, and you will experience a drop in productivity.

Making a lot of noise? This is probably the fans working in overdrive and is often a sign your server is getting old and tired – and could be close to failing.

Is your server sulking? Slow servers don’t just mean a less productive work force they are a sure sign that an upgrade is due

Does it need some space? The issue might not be the age and state of the hardware, it may just need more RAM or a software upgrade

Time to upgrade to a younger model!

Experiencing any of these factors means it’s time to shop around and see what your options are, before it’s too late. Don’t wait for a failure to occur, go to an expert for advice.

Unsure if you need to upgrade? Fifosys can carry out an audit of your systems that looks in detail at every aspect of your IT. From the network infrastructure and how it has been set up, to the servers, desktops, laptops and other hardware, and how they have been configured.

An audit will highlight any issues around security and other business risks that your organisation may be facing. For example, one of the things we look for is single points of failure. These are areas of the network, where if they fail, key services like email may be out of action for up to 5 days. We highlight in our audit report the risks that you accepting (probably unknowingly) with your current set up.

Due to the many versions, agreements, bundles, maintenance deals and assurance packs, the purchasing of licenses is not always a strait forward task. Even more difficult than purchasing the licenses you need, is keeping track of them. Without the correct management process, it is hard to keep on top of the licenses the organisation already has and this can result in licenses going unused.

This is a more common occurrence than you might think. According to a new software efficiency report, this is causing businesses to waste more than £400 on software per PC. This is without taking into account the money that could be saved by reclaiming the cost of unused licenses. The presence of unused software on employee PCs is often a result of poor licence management, but do you have the knowledge and understanding to do this properly?

Fifosys addresses these issues with its Managed Hosting Solution and the Microsoft SPLA Program (Microsoft Service Provider License Agreement). As part of our hosted solution, we can give our clients the option of paying for licenses on a per month/per user basis.  This solution not only relieves you of the pressures of procurement, it also means that you know exactly how much you are spending and what you are spending it on.This solution particularly benefits SMEs and startups as it substantially reduces CAPEX investment and optimizes scalability.

The IT industry is growing rapidly as ever and with it, the demand for IT Support and Consultancy, Managed Hosting, Data Backup and Cloud Computing

With so many IT outsourcing companies to choose from, the challenge for you is finding the company which best suits your own needs and business philosophy. You don’t just need a support desk; you need a partner that can work with you towards achieving your business goals.

So how can you go about finding the right partner for you?

• Philosophy – do they understand your business needs and goals?
• Availability – are they in a location where they can realistically support you?
• Reliability – can you rely on them to do what’s best for you?
• Trust – Your IT is essential to your day to day activity; can you leave it in their hands?
• Numbers – does the proposed solution fit into your budget? Is it cost effective in the long run?
• Expertise – do they have experience working with companies in your industry as well as in IT?
• Resource – Do they have the recourse and experience to assist in achieving your business goals?

Fifosys believes in providing a business-centric approach to IT, aligning the IT strategy to the business goals. We aim to help companies benefit from new technologies so that their IT systems do not stand in the way of their business objectives, but move them closer to achieving them.

This is quite a contentious issue for many people. Die hard paperback readers will tell you that there is nothing like the smell of a new book or that bookshops are just the best. As someone who owns a Kindle, I believe there are good and bad points about this technology. The ease and speed of buying eBooks for the Kindle is certainly one of its plus points. Whether on the Amazon website or through the Kindle store the book is delivered to you in seconds, so if you are just dying to read the next book in a series you don’t have to wait. They are easy to carry around, which is another plus. So you can carry around as many books as you want, wherever you go, it will not matter if you are reading a book that is 800 pages long (which would be roughly the size of a brick in paperback).

On the negative side for the Kindle, there is something special about having a shelf of books in your living room and dare I say it, new books do smell pretty good (even better then a new car!) . It is also worth mentioning, what good is an electronic cookbook? Unless you want to get your eReader covered in flour or egg! What about coffee table books filled with beautiful pictures? I don’t think an eBook would be a suitable substitute for that.

My view is that both mediums still have a place in society today. Not everything can be electronic and conversely not everything needs to be on paper. So, just because I have a Kindle, doesn’t mean I will never buy a book again.

1.      Look for security issues. How much do you trust the company you’re sending all of your data to? Who else do they work with? Have any of those companies experienced ‘leaks’? Research is the key here, as is a great professional network. Knowing whether or not a company has had a security breakdown before can be a good indication of whether they will in the future. Conversely, a company which has struggled previously can recover and become even more committed. It’s important to gauge reputations as you go along and use that as your decision.

2.      Fully investigate the functionality of your chosen system. How much can you do while you’re away from the office? Some programs have limited functionality, so you might be able to access documents but not edit them. Don’t go with one of these; there are much better options and you should be able to do the tasks you need no matter where you are.

3.      Examine what you need to get out of it. How many employees will you be expanding to? Are you going to need more space in the future? If your service offers expansion later at a reduced rate, you may want to choose that program rather than one which remains static over the course of your subscription, or charges large amounts for exceeding your limits. Don’t purchase more than you’ll actually use just because it looks fancy or because the salesperson is persuasive.

4.      Find the cloud computing system that is right for your business. There are dozens out there, and almost every business function has a cloud-based solution. For photography, as an example, there are many choices supported by a range of big-name companies, and frequented by both amateurs and professionals. These all have different ranges of functionality and utility, so it is truly up to you how much you’ll get out of it.

5.      Consider the uptime of your cloud computing service. It’s fine and dandy to store your data for a cheap price, but if you can’t access it 99.9% of the time, you might as well not have it there. Having your server go down at a critical time for your business is an absolute nightmare; it can happen if your data is hosted inhouse as well, but you’re paying for uptime. Ensure you sign on with a service who will deliver it to you and who will only take down systems for upgrades and fixes outside of your work hours.

Cloud computing doesn’t have to be a tough decision. It’s a good time to jump on this latest phenomenon, but as long as you remember to consider security, utility, and access, you’ll have no trouble at all.

With secure information now stored on phones and sent across mobile data networks, security again becomes an issue. You can shore up your IT security as much as you like, but if your mobiles are not safe, you could find yourself losing money very quickly.

The latest mobile phone problem is with the newest, Windows Phone 7. As we might expect, a new phone is more prone to flaws than one which has been tried and tested over the course of a couple of years. Windows Phone 7 isn’t releasing any secrets in this case, but it is sending phantom data over 3G networks, which naturally racks up the costs. If your business has transitioned to this platform, it’s well worth investigating whether you’re getting charged for data your employees don’t actually need. If you’re using an unlimited data plan, no need to worry, but if there are caps, you may be surpassing them without even realising it.

Not all phones are perfect. We all remember the antenna problems that plagued new iPhone 4s at launch, and which may persist if you haven’t purchased a rubber bumper. It’s easy to forget that mobiles are mini computers, so they can crash and have problems just like a desktop PC can.

The problem is that they are now as prone to data leaks as a laptop. So, a few tips while taking your smartphone out and about:

1.      Keep your 3G internet turned off when you’re not actively using the phone. Most of us don’t have apps that truly need always-on internet access, unless you genuinely need to get your emails constantly.

2.      Cautiously connect to wi-fi networks. You may find you’re sharing information you’d rather not over them. This is also applicable to laptops.

3.      Be careful with apps you download. Many apps ask for privileges they don’t really need, and as a result dodgy ones can hack into your phone and take your data. Because smartphones are a growing sector, it is difficult to say just how high this threat level is. Still, if you’re using a work mobile, best to keep it plain and simple and avoid any apps not sanctioned by your employer.

4.      Most importantly, be observant. Take note of the bills coming through for your business’s use of mobiles. If anything at all looks on the suspicious side, it’s worth investigating – calls to expensive numbers, excessive data use, and the like are all flags. And even if nothing suspicious is happening, it’s worth questioning whether or not that employee should be entrusted with a smartphone or whether they should simply use VoIP to connect from home.

Smartphones are a new and growing sector of mobile phones, especially in the business world. We’ll keep an eye on security developments over the coming months, but in the meantime, keep these simple tips in mind for maximum security.

But something that’s also worth keeping in mind when setting up your systems for the new year is the very high cost of your systems going down. Many businesses suffer unnecessary costs due to system downtime. A recent US study found that when IT systems fail, businesses’ ability to generate revenue is reduced by 29%, and is still delayed after systems are recovered while data is restored. For small businesses, the situation could be even more dire, as such an immense loss of revenue is catastrophic to those with small margins and difficult targets. They regularly lose more money over periods of downtime than larger businesses that can more easily handle the blows. If your systems are critical, do your best to keep them up.

How to Prevent Downtime

It’s impossible to 100% prevent systems going down. There are, however, plenty of things that can be done to minimise both the chance of it happening and the damage it will do if it does happen. Here are three easy tips.

1.      Detect problems before they happen. This sounds impossible, but trust us, it isn’t. A vigilant IT systems manager will be fully aware of bottlenecks and hiccups in the system. Even if it doesn’t look essential, fast response to any problem as soon as it’s detected will ensure the issues don’t get worse and take  your systems down with them. Regular monitoring is essential.

2.      Ensure support is available round-the-clock. If you notice a problem but work has finished or the employees responsible are on holiday, your business is guaranteed to face increased downtime should it happen. Carefully monitor schedules to ensure someone is available to maintain the systems while they’re operational.

3.      Keep on top of updates. This can’t be emphasised more; updates are essential. They fix those security holes and problems when they’re detected. Once that hole is out for the world to see, you’ve opened yourself up to attacks. Keeping updated will ensure that you’ve done all that you can to keep your systems live and secure.

If you rely on your IT systems but don’t have the manpower to devote to it, why not consider hiring external IT support? Proactive monitoring, regular updates, and 24/7 report comes standard with our managed IT support service. Your crucial systems are safe in our hands.