How to keep up to date

• Budget – obvious really, but surprising how many businesses I visit have no IT budget in place, working on the ‘when it’s broken I’ll replace it’ philosophy; sadly this approach isn’t cost effective if it means waiting days for the new equipment to arrive, meaning staff can’t be productive!

• At the time of purchase buy the best you can afford as it is proven over a typical 5 year period to save you money. Ignore this and the total spend could be greater than paying for a well-specified system.

• Keeping up to date is important for software too. An IT managed service will ensure your IT software remains current, protecting your business against security vulnerabilities and software enhancements.

• Ensure your IT meets your business needs – ensure the business need, ‘drives the IT need’. If you’re IT dependant you’ll need to have sound budget planning in place to meet these needs, whereas if your business can operate with minimal IT requirements you should carefully examine your IT expenditure.

• Currently 75% of IT budgets are spent on maintaining an IT infrastructure, leaving only 25% for investing in new solutions. This poses issues- how do we change the balance? A large proportion of the 75% is wasted by poor implementation/understanding of equipment and software.

Get it right first time, or pay the consequences for a protracted period, this also backs up the above points about spending the money when and where needed to support the business assuming the budgets are in place.

IT outsourcing with managed services, will cut down on staffing costs while maintaining skills levels with a team of IT staff. Most IT systems, if monitored and maintained, will run reliably with minimal human interference!

How to finance it

• Financing IT is no different to financing cars or sofas, and all the same choices are there.

• Delayed payment, buy now pay in 12 months – just the same as your sofa adverts on TV.

• Interest free. Yes this does exist but it is unlikely an IT business will offer it unless there is substantial business wrapped up in a package (e.g. a commitment to purchase hardware or a 3-5 year support package).

• You can also finance a complete solution package. This means you buy IT hardware, engineering time, project management and ongoing support for the entire solution, including the end users.

Basically everything is covered in one monthly cost over a 3 -5 year period. Should you wish to add to your system/upgrade during the term, then the term extends to cover the change, with the monthly cost remaining unchanged. This is similar to lease purchasing a car with maintenance.

• The last option is the capital expenditure cost, money straight from the business. As with all the options above the money needs to be spent wisely with good advice. Expect any company money invested in IT to be spent on hardware that will last five years, but it should be accounted for and paid off over three years - allowing for a two year budget window for future expenditure.

How to dispose of it

• This area is guided by the WEEE directive, governing the disposal of IT equipment. We are expected to follow this at business/home.

• Any reputable IT service provider will offer an IT disposal service or at least provide advice.

• With modern IT equipment purchases, you can pay an upfront IT disposal cost, meaning when the item reaches end of life, the retailer will dispose of it correctly as per the WEEE directive. The other option is to pay for the disposal at the end of its life, by paying a disposal service company a fee to collect/dispose.

• As for security – at the time of disposal you can opt for either hard drive destruction or electronic wiping. The destruction option is cheaper, but possibly less secure (by rebuilding a hard drive you may be able to access data off it). Where as ‘wiping’ is a 100% secure but takes time, therefore costs more. For 99% of businesses destruction is fine. Both options allow for certification to prove the work has been completed.

Latest hardware ideas:

• Virtualisation – a big subject for many reasons. As an overview here are some of the benefits:

- Less hardware costs as you don’t actually have to buy all the physical hardware!
- The servers are “virtual”; existing on one server that might host 6 virtual servers
- Lower maintenance, reduced capital cost, lower power consumption, require less space, lower air conditioning requirements – all resulting in cost savings and positive eco benefits.

However on the downside, the actual ‘real’ server that has to host these ‘virtual’ servers is a big, powerful and expensive beast, yet they are certainly cheaper than buying all ‘real’ servers. Also the licensing cost of these servers is the same as the ‘real’ servers.

• Mobile computing & NetBooks. The ability to take fully functional PCs with you, that are highly portable, low powered and relatively cheap. An appealing idea particularly regarding cost saving benefits - most users don’t need a high powered computer to undertake their daily IT routines.

To find out what axon-IT can do for you go to:- www.axon-it.com or call 0845 313 0025.

by launchlab.co.uk

This is the opinion of Graham Fern of axon-IT, who told LaunchLab.co.uk readers most businesses do not put enough money into training their staff.

This is a mistake on their part, he said, as educating employees can make sure that firms get the most out of mobile working technology, which will improve efficiency and value for money.

Mr Fern also said that companies would do well to consider which third-party provider to use for their mobile needs, mentioning Microsoft Small Business Server as one product that “provides all the mobile services”.

Visit Microsoft.com

Thank you to Mike and Graham as a good time was had by all in Buxton at the Axon Christmas Doo, I have attached some photos but we are missing our mustaches.

So what is the definition? According to Gartner, cloud computing is “a style of computing where massively scalable IT-related capabilities are provided ‘as a service’ across the Internet to multiple external customers.”

In English, that definition means the cloud should just deliver a service on a subscription basis, allow access from anywhere and provide economies of scale.

Keeping things simple – Cloud Computing is putting software and data on computer equipment in a safe and secure location “somewhere” on the Internet, the location doesn’t matter as it is “well connected” meaning access to this data or software from anywhere in the world is possible.

The background is nothing special – it has always been technically possible to provide this “cloud computing” service but typically going back a few years most users only had dial up modems running at 56k so only the cash rich businesses could afford high speed connectivity needed to run or access remote data. With the advent and massive growth of broadband and cheap connectivity to Internet the ability to deliver this service to the masses is now a reality.

Problems solved by Cloud Computing

One area it addresses for the business is investment in equipment. For instance a small business in the near future will be able to “rent” the services they require without any capital upfront costs, no hardware maintenance, no office space requirements, no hardware or software going out of date, no backup issues – the list goes on and on. It is easy to see the appeal – pay a monthly cost and have all your IT requirements sorted – no hassles!

Impact on the future working patterns of SME’s

It will mean a fundamental change in our working patterns, as we’ll be able to set up shop anywhere, plug in to the Internet and go, accessing all your data and business applications anytime, any place. There is one caveat – Internet connectivity. Without it you are very exposed in a business sense. So connectivity is critical & key.

Cost saving opportunities that might arise

Any cost savings are short or medium term as you don’t need the entire infrastructure associated with a typical server/desktop deployment. No air conditioning in your server room, no IT staff required, no hardware maintenance, no backup issues. In the long term if the lease/rental model is adopted then you will undoubtedly have paid over the odds compared to owning equipment outright, but you’ve almost certainly had less problems along the way – can you put a cost on hassle free computing?

What can and can’t go in the cloud

It’s hard to imagine anything that can’t work in the cloud in terms of data or applications but that doesn’t mean everything will or needs to be. For example some data might need to be stored electronically but must be 100% secure, therefore the last place to put that data will be on the world biggest public network! So it’s horses for courses.

Opportunities for businesses to update their product offering

I foresee updates and improvement to their product offering will come from the cost savings and the subsequent reinvestment into a business that cloud computing could bring a business. This means businesses that are IT dependant and wish to utilise the latest technology has to offer will have the best solutions/equipment at their disposal to implement ideas very quickly.

Can small businesses adopt it now?

I believe probably the biggest offering cloud computing has to offer is aimed right at the SME. It is ready now, the only caveat is connectivity - all business must have reliable fault-tolerant Internet connectivity, without it they will cease to function in an IT sense.

Potential security risks associated with having data ‘in the cloud’

If anything security couldn’t be better. All your data is on the best hardware, in the most secure physical environment, power protected, continually monitored, continually updated, run by the best IT staff. You couldn’t ask for more! There is no such thing as 100% safe but it is the next best thing.

What UK entrepreneurs are doing with the cloud

There are many business already offering (and have done for some time) services that are “cloud computing” such as SPAM filtering, Email hosting, Corporate Intranets, Line of Business (LoB) applications etc, but the biggest future impact will be Software as a Service (SaaS) where we will rent software like Microsoft Office or even just a single application.

By Graham Fern
Managing Director, axon-it
Posted The Business Telegraph Business Club

For more information on axon-IT and their range of services call 0845 313 0025 or go to axonIT.com.

axon-IT will provide retained IT services for both firms on an on-going basis.

Graham Fern, axon-IT Director explains; “We have worked in the past with both companies on an ad hoc level, and it great to receive such recognition with their recent appointments of us as their preferred IT service provider.

“Both myself and the team are very much looking forward to developing the relationship further with SLG Marketing and Stuart Lawrence Promotions, and assisting them to achieve their business objectives.”

For more information on axon-IT and their range of services call 0845 313 0025 or go to www.axon-it.com.

Press Release from: The Drum
Jenna Holden or Anthea Fosti, Zeus Public Relations Limited
01270 883720 / 07971 437042 or email info@zeuspr.co.uk

Microsoft has announced that it will be releasing the entire Microsoft Office suite online during 2009. This means that anyone will be able to use Microsoft Office anywhere in the world (providing they have an Internet connection and a web browser) and some of the applications will be free, as long as you don’t mind having adverts alongside your workspace.

Stephen Elop, head of Microsoft’s business division told Reuters “We expect fully that the full range of Office utilities, from the most advanced to simpler lightweight versions, will be available with a range of options: ad-funded, subscriptions-based, traditional licensing fees, and so forth, ”.

The new web applications which have been dubbed Windows Azure will be competing with several established brands which includes Zoho and Google.

Next month Microsoft is combining all of the differently named versions of its messenger service into one called Windows Live Messenger. Since its release in 1999 Windows Live Messenger has also been known as MSN Messenger, Windows Messenger and Live Messenger.

Windows Live Messenger is the most popular instant messaging service in the world (apart from AOL Instant Messenger in the US). The application originally allowed people to send messages to each other over the internet, however it has now evolved to let people share videos, share folders, play games and call landline/mobile phone numbers (through Windows Live Call).

If you’d like a look at the new version the beta (previously known as MSN beta) is available for download here, you can also read more about Windows Live Messenger on the Inside Windows Live Messenger blog.

A new beta version of Skype for Windows Mobile has been released. Skype for Windows Mobile 2.5 beta was released on Tuesday and the new version improves the application dramatically. Skype for Windows Mobile allows you to run the popular VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) desktop service on your Windows Smartphone or Windows Pocket PC.

The beta version comes with tabs at the bottom of the screen which allows you to view your contacts, dialling pad (used to make cheap International calls using SkypeOut), chat to contacts and chat/call history. The new version also boasts improved sound quality, better stability and of course free Skype-to-Skype calls.

For more information please consult the Skype for Windows Mobile website.

Microsoft has released its regular security bulletin for December. This month’s bulletin includes 8 patches which fix 28 vulnerabilities and includes fixes for Windows Operating systems including Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2008. There are also updates for Microsoft Office, Microsoft Search Server 2008, SharePoint and Windows Media Player.

Microsoft has released Windows Vista Service Pack 2 pre-beta and vnunet has written a really good first look article about it.

Here are the main improvements they found:

• Native blu-ray support
• Windows Connect Now – for simple wifi configuration
• Windows Search
• Improved DirectX Graphic display

We can’t wait to have a play around with it and see what other improvements are discovered over the coming days!