Broadband and high speed Internet access has become so commonplace that many of us take it for granted but it’s surprising to learn that not all businesses or individual business users take advantage of a fast Internet connection as part of their IT infrastructure. Either they use a poor Internet Service Provider or have a good Internet package but a poor network infrastructure that means very few users get the actual benefit of high speed Internet.

While most companies have an IT department in place, few but the most substantial teams are able to boast a complete set of competencies required to ensure the successful establishment, maintenance, and optimisation of the IT infrastructure. That’s where professional level IT Training really comes to the fore.

Small businesses have as much of a need for good IT infrastructure as large ones, perhaps even more so. The smaller business often has less resource in terms of the preparation and deployment of an effective IT and communications infrastructure. This means that establishing a network, preparing a disaster recovery plan, writing bespoke software, and ensuring that your network is protected from viruses and spyware can sometimes take a back seat to other internal projects. Outsourcing may be the best solution to this unique problem.

The more your business relies on its IT systems, the more you need to consider how unexpected disruptions might affect your business. These disruptions could come in many forms, from fire and floods to theft or malicious attacks on your systems, such as viruses or hacking.
Business continuity planning improves your business’ ability to react to such disruptions. It describes how you will restart your operations in order to meet your business-critical requirements.

Introducing the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet!

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

Sometimes we choose to work from home in order to knuckle down to work without distraction. It is not always as easy as it sounds – we don’t have access to the files we need, connection speeds are too slow or the tasks you are trying to complete are just too much for the speeds of your laptop.

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:

Are you on the Cloud Computing band wagon or is it just another buzzword to you?

The commonly debated issues have been resolved and as a result more and more SMEs are migrating. So, why are some organisations still reluctant to trust it?

The Fifosys Fortress – our cloud based solution – is the answer to the 3 common areas for concern…

(By Elliot Zisman)

Earlier this week, Microsoft paid £5bn for Skype. According to the Microsoft press release, “The acquisition will increase the accessibility of real-time video and voice communications, bringing benefits to both consumers and enterprise users”.

There’s no doubt that Skype offers some fantastic functionality and many of us use it to keep in contact with friends and relatives from far afield. But how many of us use it for business and will that change?

Having a server is like having a relationship – Quick fixes may cover up the cracks but if the bigger issue is left unresolved it will fail! Ignore the warning signals and it will be too late…

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!

Searching through various vendors and comparing costs for hardware, trying to find the best deal, can get pretty complicated – throw licensing into the equation and you could be facing quite a challenge.

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.