It is predicted that by 2016, 9.5 million employees in the UK will be using their own devices for work.

Even though it is a recent topic of discussion this concept has been used within the Higher Education Sector for many years as majority of students prefer using their own equipment for their personal or academic usage rather than the ones provided.

The BYOD scheme would work within some organisations, depending the type of data that is being transferred. When thinking about implementing this scheme the organisation need to ask themselves, what is the information that it is trying to protect? What is it worth? It is important that everyone in the organisation understands how important IT security is and should be educated on security risks all employees should understand the rules that are in place.

Advantages and Disadvantage of BYOD

Advantages

• Businesses that adopt a BYOD policy allow themselves to save money on such high priced devices that normally they would be required to purchase for their employees.
• Employees maytake better care of a device that they view as their own property.
• Employees are able to decide on the technology that they wish to use for work.

Disadvantages

The most important challenge in a BYOD environment is ensuring network security. This is a major concern for organisations which deal with confidential data. If users bring their own devices, it becomes very difficult to monitor various devices. Some devices may transmit viruses and damage the network and other devices connected to the network.

However due to security issues employees do not have true full control over their device as the company they work for would need to ensure that private information is secure at all times. It is an out-of-pocket expense for the employee and they would be responsible for repairs if the device was damaged or broken while doing work required by the job.

What are your views on BYOD? If you would like any more information about various devices contact the Fifosys team on 0207 644 2610

This service will make online shopping and lending, borrowing or repaying money to friends and family easier than ever.

Security Features
The general worry for potential users will be the issue of security, therefore in order to access the wallet, consumers will need to enter a pin number.

Experts at O2 have said the app has undergone extensive security and testing to ensure it is safe. Personal details and financial information will be held on remote central servers rather in the in the mobile phone itself.

How it works?

• Open your O2 Wallet, tap ‘Money Message’ and choose ‘send money’.
• Enter in your friend’s number or add it from your contacts.
• Choose the amount of money.
• Then press ‘confirm’ and ‘ok’ and the transaction is complete.

Helpful Hints

• The sender and the receiver will need to have the app downloaded in order for the transaction to be processed
• You do not have to be an o2 customer
• When the money arrives safely, the sender will receive a message to let them know it’s in their O2 Wallet, ready to spend.
• Initially the service is free however after six months, customers will be charged 15p per text message sent

If you would like more information on the O2 wallet or safety when paying online contact the Fifosys Team on 0207 644 2610

The Top 100 online backup companies are based on a standardised criteria including;

• Quality and Accessibility of Technical Support
• Speed, Reliability and Uptime
• Cost/Value
• Security

In addition to the above four factors Backup review also takes news releases, server stability, reports, the company’s culture
and ethics, users’ feedback, company corporate blogs into consideration.

This standardization of selection criteria goes towards enabling users select the right online backup service for their specific needs.

Mitesh Patel, MD of Fifosys says

“With so many companies offering similar solutions it really is an honour to be recognised. The backup solutions we provide our client’s  second to none.”

To see the full list click on the link below

Link: http://www.backupreview.info/category/top25/

This theme was chosen to focus on how to better service for our clients by enhancing the usage of cloud computing as well as ways to implement various strategies as the needs of the market are constantly changing. Making your business technology agile is key decision driver in 2012.

There were various sessions and seminars however one of the most talked about was the one-to-one meetings where Mitesh discussed with various business partners the emergence of the next generation cloud.

IBM’s new focus is towards MSP’s which is an entry point for IBM to the mid-market. By engaging with MSP’s, IBM can improve its customer relationship management efforts within the mid-market.

“Fifosys are proud to join the IBM Partner Program and look forward to maximising this relationship to help benefit our existing client base and new opportunities in mid-market”, said Mitesh Patel, MD of Fifosys. “IBM storage is at the heart of our new data centre infrastructure and although we did spend nearly a year in deciding the right technology, we have
made the right choice.”

“It was good to see how IBM sees Managed Services Providers such as Fifosys as important new channel partners and that IBM is committed to supporting this new set of partners being successful in serving the needs of midsized firms.” stated Simon Porter, Vice President  of Mid-Market Sales in Europe.

Being able to attend an IBM event and having a working relationship with them, allows Fifosys to access a team with expertise. This is a unique relationship which allows Fifosys to extend our services beyond infrastructure.

Contact us if you would like to know more about Fifosys’s partnership with IBM on 0207 644 2610

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The iPad 3 was only released in twelve countries on Friday however will be released in another 24 countries on Friday 23^rd March 2012.

Why is the iPad3 better?

• Faster Processor-  advanced iOS 5.1
• Retina Display – 1536 x 2048 pixels in a 9.7 screen which is 4 times better than the iPad2. It includes a HD Screen with Razor-sharp text and Richer colors
• Design – slightly heavier and marginally thicker
• 5 Megapixel camera
• 4G (if you’re in the U.S)
• Better battery life
• Quad-core graphics

However it is not all glorified as it seems there were over 100 complaints viewed  by more than 10,000 people on the Apple forums that the device overheats and can be so hot it is uncomfortable to use. This has meant it goes into “cool down mode” and freezes until it becomes cooler.

What do you think?

Has the iPad3 met up to your expectations?

Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

If you bought one, was it worth the wait?

With VMware’s new cloud infrastructure solutions, you will find unparalleled capabilities that accelerate IT and accelerate your business.
• Run business-critical applications with confidence — Achieve better application performance and eliminate downtime.
• Respond to business faster — Gain built-in automation and resource elasticity to free IT from manual processes and deliver IT services on demand.
• Trust your cloud — Secure your cloud with virtualization-aware security.

 The foundation of VMware’s cloud infrastructure suite is VMware vSphere, the most trusted, widely deployed virtualization platform in the world. Architected to support the broadest range of virtual and cloud infrastructure needs, VMware vSphere is broadly utilized by enterprises, small and mid size businesses (SMBs), public cloud service providers and as a foundation for the growing virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) market. An increasing number of customers are standardizing on VMware vSphere as their strategic IT platform. As such, VMware vSphere has attracted a broad ecosystem of industry leaders that support and extend this foundation.

What’s New in VMware vSphere 5?

• Next-generation ESXi hypervisor delivering industry-leading performance and scalability while setting a new bar for reliability, security and management efficiency.
• ‘Super VMs’ with four times more powerful virtual machines to scale and handle the most resource-intensive applications; virtual machines can now scale up to 32 vCPUs and 1 TB of RAM.
• Simplified and more comprehensive high availability and disaster recovery.
• Intelligent policy management of data centre resources to automate previously manual process (e.g. deployment and patching of vSphere hosts, dynamic placement, balancing and service-level agreement-driven profiles for storage).
• Flexible hybrid cloud management from a single pane of glass.
• Broader industry support from software and hardware providers, including more than 1,400 independent software provider (ISV) partners which support running more than 2,500 applications on vSphere.

for full details visit the site http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/overview.html

As Blackberry advocates, our Business Mobile Phones department has been eagerly awaiting the release of the PlayBook and it’s finally here!

Here’s an over view of what we have got to look forward to…

• The mobility, security and immediacy of your BlackBerry® Smartphone, on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
• Internet the way it’s meant to be – uncompromised, full-fidelity web browsing, true multi-tasking with Flash & HTML5
• Engaging multimedia experience
• Unparalleled performance and reliability with BlackBerry tablet OS Your world
• Mobility, security and immediacy of your BlackBerry Smartphone with seamless access to you email inbox with full attachment support, calendar and contacts

Blackberry promise an enhanced experience by offering…

• Access all Flash websites and web-based applications
• QNX operating system for reliable, secure and stable multi-tasking
• The only tablet that doesn’t require a tablet data plan
• Micro HDMI-out for connection to external displays; ideal for meetings and presentations
• Compelling package of multimedia capabilities provides an unparalleled, uncompromised experience that your end users will love
• Fully sandboxed and secure access to your corporate intranet
• Access your web-based applications and services through the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s world-class browser, including support for Flash-based content
• Run multiple applications seamlessly, simultaneously and fluidly

Would you be lost without your BlackBerry Smartphone?

I know I would! Blackberry has come up with a great new app free to download. Blackberry Protect  is the answer to some common frustrations…

• Lock it – Remotely wipe or lock your phone, change your password. You can even add a lost-and-found message on to the screen
• Track it – Find your BlackBerry Smartphone on our helpful map
• Sync it – Back up the contents & apps on your BlackBerry Smartphone and then move them over to your replacement phone, over-the-air
• Ring it – Activate a loud ringer if you’ve lost or misplaced your BlackBerry Smartphone. You’ll be able to locate it if it’s still in your vicinity.

Microsoft has the Answer – Office 365 The Cloud Solution – gives you anywhere, anytime access to the Office apps and competencies you so heavily rely on:

• SharePoint site – This platform facilitates the creation, access and sharing of files from a single point. Your customised SharePoint site can be easily created and monitored by you, with password protection where needed.
• Office web apps – Access, view, and edit documents directly in your web browser through online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
• Email and calendar - Email, calendar, and contacts are readily available from virtually anywhere, at any time, on desktops, laptops, and mobile devices, while protecting you from viruses and spam. All you need is an internet connection.
• Instant Messaging and Online Meetings – Microsoft Lync Online enables you to find and connect with the right person through instant messaging, Lync video calls, or online meetings. Utilise modern conferencing through sharing your desktop with colleagues and partners.

The VMware Cloud Solution

VMware’s cloud solution is based on VMware’s vSphere hypervisor platform. With VMware’s cloud model, customers create VMware virtual machines, which contain an operating system and one or more applications. These VMs run on VMware vCenter servers which are either hosted privately within a company’s data centre or publicly by one of VMware’s hosting partners. In addition, VMware provides an application marketplace where pre-configured VMs can be downloaded for use in a VMware-based compute cloud.

The Microsoft Cloud Solution 

Microsoft’s cloud solution is based on delivering services to the user through a flexible, easily managed infrastructure. There are two infrastructure models that Microsoft customers can use to implement cloud services: private cloud and public cloud. Customers can choose between these infrastructure models based on their application delivery needs, or they can combine the models to provide a flexible infrastructure of computing resources able to scale to changing service requirements.

The Fifosys Verdict

Fifosys have found VMware technologies to be more reliable, particularly in a clustered environment, and more economical in terms of memory and processor usage. Essentially, better performance and utilization lead to higher virtual machine consolidation ratios, which lead to lower capital expenditure costs.

Sam Taylor – Technical Director at Fifosys comments “Our final decision to move toward VMware was made due to the ease of use, installation, setup, reporting and support available from the VMware vSphere product. We recognised virtualisation becoming a large part on what Fifosys do going forward.”

7 for 2011 – Technologies to watch out for

Social Media grew a massive 200% in 2010 and Google wants in on the action. The search engine giant is rumored to release ‘Google me’ in the attempt to give facebook a run for their money. Google currently have over 90% of the search engine market share which prompts the question, should they just stick to what they are good at?

2011 is set to be a big year for Cloud Computing. Microsoft has revealed 39% of SMEs have a move to the Cloud planned for this year. More and more people are discarding their original reservations and learning that Cloud Computing is a secure, reliable solution.

Rumored to be released in July – the iPhone 5. Like the iPad 2, it is said to boast a new A5 processor that’s based on a multi-core Cortex A9 chip, a Qualcomm chipset that would sport CDMA, GSM and UMTS baseband support (which basically means Apple will launch a single Smartphone that will be able to deal with both Verizon’s and AT&T’s network)

It looks like the gap between Web Video for TV and cable will decrease in 2011.  More cable-quality video becomes available over the Web via streaming services every day, encouraging more people turn to the Web when they are looking for something to watch.

The IPad 2 (already released) has set the bar high for tablets this year; competitors are ready to launch their counter attack. Samsung’s ‘Galaxy Tablet’ is tipped to the gadget lover’s second favourite and Microsoft’s Windows 7 tablet also a hot topic. New models from HP, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, Motorola, Dell, Asus, Cisco and others are all expected to rollout this year

Maybe a bit premature to discuss this for 2011 – the next release of Windows will be able to run on chips usually found in mobile phones. The innovation named by Steve Ballmer of Microsoft is “systems on a chip” (SOC)

Intel and AMD displayed one of the coolest tech innovations at this year’s CES (consumer electronics show) – the accelerated processing unit, or APU. Intel’s new line of Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, along with AMD’s new line of Fusion processors, have new processor architectures that integrate traditional CPU functions with an on-board GPU. This results in stunning performance enhancements