Posts for October 2012

TOTW: Essential Windows 8 keyboard shortcuts

Decided to take the plunge and upgrade to Windows 8? Here are a few new keyboard shortcuts that might improve your workflow.

(Personally, I'm still trying to remember some of the Windows 98 key combinations...)

(via MSDN Blogs)

• How to shake away your cluttered desktop
• How to enable hot corners on your Mac
• Digging for gold in your inbox

Data limits could make 4G for business costly

Everything Everywhere (EE), the UK's first 4G mobile network, has unveiled price plans in advance of its official launch tomorrow.

Although it promises download speeds up to five times faster than current 3G networks, the firm's data caps - which limit how much data you can download each month - may dissuade many businesses from signing up.

The entry-level EE business tariff is £35 a month (plus VAT). For that you'll get unlimited calls and text messages to standard UK mobile and landline numbers, plus 1GB (gigabyte) of mobile data. You may have to pay extra for a mobile handset, depending on which model you want.

You can increase your data cap: it's £40 for 4GB, £45 for 8GB or £50 for 16GB. If you hit the limit in any given month you'll either have to stop using the internet altogether or buy a data add-on. See full tariff details on the EE website.

Data pricing confusion

Data pricing is something of a thorny issue. You use up data whenever you view a web page, download an email or do anything online. But keeping track of how much you've used over a month is notoriously tricky - even on a 3G mobile.

The increased speed of 4G is going to make it harder. At 8Mbps (megabits per second, which is the lower end of the average speed range quoted by EE), you'd use your entire month's 1GB allowance in just over 17 minutes of sustained downloading.

That may not be an entirely realistic scenario. We tend to use mobile internet in short bursts: downloading email on the train, looking up maps, and so on. And 3G mobile usage patterns show that most people on 3G networks don't even use 1GB in a month.

However, as a general rule, the faster a connection, the more data you download. What's more, the whole premise of 4G is that it's so quick and convenient that you can go online and do pretty much everything, everywhere. Hence the name.

With only 1GB of downloads to play with, you might find you have to fork out for extra data sooner than you'd hoped.

No other 4G choice ... for now

If your business is desperate to jump on the 4G train early, EE is your best option - because it's your only option.

The 4GB plan looks ok at £40 + VAT a month. It's not uncommon to spend that on a 3G service, and 4GB will at least give you some data freedom to explore the possibilities of 4G.

But before you leap in, check the small print: there's a 24-month minimum term on all business contracts. With other mobile networks racing to enter the 4G market next year, you might regret being locked in as competition hots up.

So, unless you're really desperate for 4G, it's probably a good idea to wait.

• Be one of the first to get iPhone 5 with 4G
• 4G mobile broadband tested
• Finding the right mobile internet device

Mobile phone mast image from barryskeates on Flickr.

Does your business need Windows 8?

The new Windows 8 interface (Image: Microsoft).

Recent years have seen an explosion of new mobile devices, laptops and tablets - plus the emergence of new social media platforms and cloud computing services.

The result? Companies of all sizes are under pressure to integrate these devices into everyday working life.

With Windows 8 now available in the UK, companies face a new dilemma. Should they upgrade their existing devices to this latest Microsoft operating system?

Well, it's just like any other technology. You need to ask one key question before making any investment: how will it benefit my business?

Windows 8 flexibility

Windows 8 has been designed to support a more flexible way of working. This makes it an attractive proposition to small companies as they will be able to move between working on conventional PCs, tablets and mobile devices - and back again - without interrupting their workflow.

It's geared towards empowering users of touch devices and will ensure that tablets and portable connected devices are truly viable business tools.

In addition, businesses are realising that the bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon is more than just a passing trend. According to recent research from Dell and Intel into the evolving workforce, 76% of small businesses are already implementing flexible working and 40% of employees have the opportunity to bring their own device to work.

Windows To Go

Windows 8 includes a new Windows To Go feature that can be extremely useful for small companies. It allows you to start Windows from a USB stick or other external storage device, like an external hard drive.

Essentially, it lets you take your desktop with you. When you boot it up - on any PC - you see a direct reflection of your business desktop, with access to the same Windows 8 account, apps and files.

It’s perfect for small businesses whose employees have to travel a lot, and means you don't have to go through the hassle of setting up a virtual private network (VPN).

Security and support

Data is the lifeblood of every company, and the level of security in any new software is always a key consideration for businesses. Windows 8 now includes anti-malware protection that's wired into the operating system.

This new Secure Boot Technology guards the device from the moment it switches on, protecting against unauthorised operating systems and pre-boot attacks.

To upgrade or to wait?

While new technology will continue to emerge, the most intelligent strategies for business are the ones that are sympathetic to the needs of both the workforce and organisation. Usually, you want to achieve productivity gains.

Whether you decide to upgrade to Windows 8 now, wait until it’s more widely adopted or decide not to switch at all, it’s worth reviewing and considering before you make a decision about what it could bring your business now and in the future.

• Windows 8 to spark tablet war?
• Microsoft wants every computer to have a touch screen
• Learn about system upgrades

Andrew Miller is a technology marketing consultant at Dell.

Why the iPad mini is like a packet of crisps

When you were growing up, did you ever do that thing where you put empty crisp packets in the oven? (Under parental supervision, of course.)

Do it right and the packets would shrink to a fraction of their former size, leaving you with a tiny but ultimately pretty useless crisp packet.

For some reason, that's the image that came to mind when I first saw iPad mini, the latest addition to Apple's iPad range. It's like a normal iPad that's shrunk.

Announced on Tuesday, iPad mini has a 7.9" screen, making it a bit bigger than the iPhone 5 and a bit smaller than the 10" iPad 3 (could this now be called the iPad maxi, or does that sound too much like a feminine hygiene product?).

Is iPad mini overpriced?

Introducing iPad mini is a logical move for Apple. Recent months have seen a number of high-profile 7" tablets hit the market, including Amazon's Kindle Fire HD and the Google Nexus 7. Anyone who wanted a smaller tablet simply hasn't had an Apple product to consider.

And there definitely is a market for these compact tablets. They can be useful for super-portable computing, because they're big enough to use productively but small enough to squeeze into an already-full bag or even slip into a suit pocket.

But with iPad mini prices starting at £269, Apple risks pricing itself out of a lot of sales. Those competing tablets both come in at £100 or so under iPad mini's base price. And they both have better screens - which is surprising when you remember that the big wow factor of the larger iPad is its incredibly crisp Retina display.

Of course, iPad mini is bound to still have Apple's legendary build quality, and will run the vast range of existing iPad apps. But it's not a guaranteed success.

Paying for the name

One of the reasons the larger iPad has done so well is that Apple was the first company that got tablet computers right. There had been other attempts before, but nobody had created a tablet computer that was as stylish, practical, simple and genuinely useful as the iPad. (The same was true of the iPhone and its touch screen.)

But things have moved on since then. I don't think Apple can simply shrink its iPad, slap a big price tag on it and assume people will come running.

What's more, people who've already bought into the Apple way of doing things probably already have an iPhone or an iPad. Will they really want another touch screen device that's just a slightly different size?

I'm not convinced. If it was £100 less, Apple would sell out in moments. It would make a big dent in the tablet prospects of Amazon and Google. Yet at £269 it looks like an expensive gadget, and many businesses will struggle to justify it over its competitors.

How about you? Could you use an iPad mini in your business?

Democratising big data: how it can benefit SMEs

Could data cause a brainstorm in your business? (Image: Kevin Krejci on Flickr)

Today, many organisations are awash with data, having amassed more information than they can easily store or manage. Analyst IDC recently released a worldwide big data technology and services forecast showing the market is expected to grow from $3.2 billion in 2010 to $16.9 billion in 2015.

Today, rather than just amassing big data, companies are doing things with it – finding ways to process, analyse and mine data to make more informed business decisions.

Democratic big data

Big data is also becoming more democratic as smaller organisations with fewer resources look to technologies that can level the playing field with larger enterprises, helping them to use data effectively too.

So, what’s the solution that will allow smaller companies to turn their big data into commercial benefits?

The open source connection is key here. Indeed, the rate at which the popularity and usefulness of big data has grown can be directly attributed to open source software, free access to which enables organisations to customise applications to their specific situations.

The leading big data platform, Hadoop, is an open-source framework for processing and analysing vast volumes of data. It provides the most effective way to address the big data challeng, getting the job done faster, more accurately and at a fraction of the price of alternative solutions.

Hadoop and other open source technologies help provide a scalable way to manage large volumes of data. They are especially effective when coupled with open source data management, data quality and integration software solutions from vendors like Talend, the company I work for.

This powerful combination enables the smallest enterprise to tackle their big data issues, improve decision-making capability and achieve the holy grail of competitive advantage over larger business rivals.

Boost customer retention

Today, there are a range of different ways in which open source is helping open up big data to smaller companies. Customer retention is one area where you can see big benefits. Large enterprises have been using complex techniques to measure the likelihood that customers may be enticed away for a number of years.

But it's only now that these customer profiling and competitor analysis tools are becoming available to small companies.

This new accessibility of big data is bringing many practical advantages, making it much more cost-effective to use information to drive competitive edge. The latest generation of open source solutions makes it possible for your business to become more agile, attracting and retaining customers while lowering IT costs and making operations more efficient.

• Keeping your data safe
• Coping with increased data storage needs
• There's beauty in business data

Yves de Montcheuil is VP of Marketing at Talend.

TOTW: how to enable hot corners on your Mac

I've been using a Mac as my main computer for more than six months now. Having only ever used PCs before, it took a little while to learn my way around Apple OSX, the Mac equivalent of Windows.

One of the most useful features I've found is hot corners. When switched on, hot corners allow you to tell your Mac to do certain things when you move your mouse right to the corner of the screen.

They're a super-fast way to access features or screens you use regularly. Here's how to turn them on:

• Click the System Preferences icon in your Mac's dock (if it's not there, hit F4 to bring up the Launchpad, then click System Preferences).
• When the System Preferences window opens, click the Mission Control icon.
• You'll see a Hot Corners button at the bottom left of the window. Click it.
• A window will appear showing the four corners of your screen. Use the dropdowns to choose what you'd like to happen when you move the mouse into each corner:

• I have my hot corners set up as shown in the image:
  • Moving the mouse to the top left corner clears all windows to show my desktop.
  • Moving the mouse to the top right shows my open programs in Mission Control.
  • Moving the mouse to the bottom left opens Launchpad.
  • Moving the mouse to the bottom right shows all open windows for the current app.
• To begin with, try choosing the things you do most regularly on your Mac.
• Click OK once you're happy.

Now, you'll see that moving your mouse pointer to the relevant corner will make things happen.

At first, it can be a little disconcerting, especially if you hit a hot corner by accident. If you do, just move the pointer off the corner, then back into it again to return to what you were looking at before.

After a few days of using them, you'll start to see the usefulness of hot corners ... and then you'll be lost if you try and use a computer without them!

Have you switched from a PC to a Mac recently (or vice-versa)? What are the best tips you've picked up?

• Make sure your online shop is legal
• Three free services to monitor your website for problems
• Control yourself - and your emails

Microsoft wants every computer to have a touch screen

We're just over a week away from the full launch of Windows 8, the new version of Microsoft's Windows operating system.

It can be hard to predict how a Windows launch will go. Your computer's operating system isn't something that gets your average person excited in the same way that a sleek new smart phone or laptop might. So don't expect to see big queues at your local PC World.

But on the other hand, Windows 8 promises some fundamental changes to the way Windows works, virtually guaranteeing media coverage for Microsoft on 26 October, which is when it all happens.

A Microsoft gamble

It's a big gamble for the software giant, which is betting people will be willing to adapt to a new interface that's been designed to be easier to use on touch screen devices like tablets.

The changes haven't been universally praised so far. Some testing suggests that while the interface works well if you have a touch screen, it can be fiddly if you don't.

Touch screens for everyone

Central to Microsoft's approach is the idea that touch screens aren't just for tablet computers and smart phones. When most computers have touch screens, so the theory goes, Windows 8 will really start to show what it can do.

And, of course, as Microsoft touts the touch-enabled features in Windows, some computer manufacturers are making hardware to take advantage of them.

Take Dell. It's just announced a couple of new touch screen computers which might appeal to businesses looking to test touch screen technology:

• The XPS 12 Convertible is a super-light ultrabook with a 'flip and fold' screen that enables you to hide the keyboard and convert it into a tablet. Might be good for that wow factor at meetings. At £999 it's not cheap, but compares reasonably with other ultrabooks.
• The XPS One 27 (picutred) is an all-in-one desktop machine. A single unit contains a touch screen monitor and all PC components. It's a powerful desktop machine with a £1700 price tag to match. The value of a touch screen in this sort of machine is less obvious (maybe it's good for point-of-sale situtions and exhibition stands?), but perhaps the features of Windows 8 will make its usefulness clearer.

Expect these computers to be the first of many with touch screens. That only leaves one question: will we find them useful?

TOTW: make sure your online shop is legal

Is your online shop causing customers problems? (Image: wonderferret on Flickr.)

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) recently performed a 'websweep' exercise (a pleasingly retro-sounding term which reminds me a little of the days when we user to 'surf' the internet). This saw the watchdog review the UK's top 100 online retailers to check they are complying with their legal obligations, particularly those relating to distance selling.

Its results were mixed. Overall, around two-thirds of businesses weren't complying with all the legal requirements. However, problems were really grouped in three key areas.

So, for this week's tip of the week we thought we'd give you those three key things, so you can check them on your ecommerce website. They'll help make sure you're legally compliant, and give your customers the information they need to buy with confidence:

1. Make sure you have a real-world address. The regulations say you need to provide your postal address if you ask for payment in advance. Make sure this is the real location of your business, not a PO Box. Make this easy to find by putting it on your 'contact' page or including it in your website footer.
2. Provide an email address so people can contact you. Only 38% of sites checked provided an email address, even though ecommerce regulations say you must show one somewhere. Many websites rely on just a contact form, which is not enough. (Contact forms can also be prone to failure, so email is a good backup.)
3. Be upfront about all extra charges. The OFT found that 60% of websites added extra charges which weren't clear from the outset. These were usually delivery charges. It's best to price your items with delivery included, or provide a clear 'plus delivery' label on prices.

If your online shop is built using an ecommerce system, it should be relatively straightforward to make these changes without delving into your website's HTML code.

You can read the OFT's full report here (PDF). Do any of these requirements come as a surprise to you? Leave a comment and let us know.

• Three free services to monitor for website problems
• Control yourself, and your emails
• How to speed up your broadband connection

The IT pitfalls of office relocation

Moving office is a time of excitement and stress. When you move office, you have to keep working up to the day of the move. Then you move. And then you need to get up and running again with as little disruption as possible, so you can get back to earning money.

This is a real challenge for many smaller businesses. Often they lack the skills they need to manage an office relocation project smoothly.

You need it by when?

A meeting I had a couple of weeks ago is an excellent example of this. It was with a potential client who was refurbishing their office. They needed to add equipment to their existing cabled network.

When we arrived, it was clear work was well underway at their offices. Workmen were installing partitions and laying floors.

On speaking to the client, it became clear they needed the existing cabling sorted immediately, plus some telephone lines, a broadband connection, Wi-Fi and new computers.

“What are your timescales?” I asked.

“We need to be working here in two weeks,” was the client’s response.

I looked at him, hoping that he’d got the dates wrong in his head. He hadn’t.

When you order new telephone lines from BT, it takes at least ten days to get them installed, then you have to wait another couple of days to get the broadband connection activated. Only then can you connect everything up and make sure it all works.

As I explained this to the client, it was interesting to see how his expression changed as he realised they’d started to refurbish the office without giving any consideration to moving the IT and telecoms.

This happens all the time

I’ve had so many similar conversations with clients that it no longer surprises me when this happens.

My personal take on this situation is that as technology has got simpler, people seem to take it for granted. They forget that a lot of thought, consideration and planning goes into the best business IT systems.

Consider the future

It’s also important to think about your IT and telecoms services in the wider context of your business growth. For instance, how many network points do you need in your office?

Many businesses simply install one per person. But they forget that person may need a computer, desk phone and printer (that’s three network points), and don’t consider what will happen when they take on additional staff.

Network cabling and points are cheap, so the main cost involved in installing cables is the labour of the people doing it. This means it’s cheaper to get 20 extra points added when you first install your cabling, rather than to add 20 points a year later.

Check broadband availability

Another trend I’m seeing is the assumption that broadband is available at good speeds pretty much everywhere. This is absolutely not true, and can really catch you out if you don’t do your homework before moving offices.

Always, always look at the local broadband situation before choosing your new office location. A client recently moved from a Surrey town centre where he got fast, 12Mb broadband to a rural location where the maximum connection speed is 2Mb.

Unfortunately, they only realised this after they’d signed the lease to move.

If you need another example, look to a popular business park in south Birmingham. Because it was never wired up with BT telephone cables, the only internet connection available on the site is via a leased line. Very fast and very reliable, but also super-expensive, at about £1,000 a month!

Broadband guide site thinkbroadband has a good coverage map. You can also get an idea of broadband availability and speeds from the Sam Knows broadband checker (just put in the postcode of your new office).

You must plan ahead

Moving office is a stressful time. There is lots to consider, but do not overlook your IT and telecoms systems.

This often happens in smaller companies because there is no single person – let alone a whole department – with the skills and experience to understand everything that needs going.

This is where it can help to turn to a separate IT supplier. Look for one with experience of relocating companies in the past, and make sure they have a range of partners to cover things like phone lines and cabling.

• Don’t have an IT relocation nightmare
• How our new phone system helps us work together
• Key information about network equipment

 Craig Sharp is the MD of Abussi IT, who provide small business IT support in Birmingham.

Why CAPTCHAs are bad for your website

If you want to find a way to immediately annoy potential customers and drive visitors away from your website, look no further than the humble CAPTCHA.

We've written about these squint-worthy, hard-to-interpret messed-up bits of text before, but today I stumbled upon one that goes beyond a joke.

It popped up this morning on the Ticketmaster website. I had a fair stab at the image on the right side, but I still have no idea what's going on with the left image. Any ideas at all?

I'm convinced the days of the CAPTCHA are numbered. They're designed to guard against targeted hacking attempts and automated 'bots' that fill in online forms automatically.

But really, unless you're running some sort of super high security website, they cause far more problems than they solve.

When you've taken time to create a nice clear website that makes it really easy for people to buy from you or send you a message, then making them fill in a CAPTCHA is like asking them to complete a fiendish puzzle before they can go any further.

Imagine what would happen if the local corner shop asked you to solve a Rubik's Cube before letting you buy a pint of milk. Wouldn't get much custom, would they?

When you use CAPTCHAs on your website, you risk having the same effect.

• Four innovative alternatives to using a CAPTCHA
• Five key website security checks
• Video: how to meet the needs of your website visitors

Should you move to a data centre?

Your business needs to maintain a reliable backup of digital data, like your customer database, documents, images, emails, accounts and so on.

That data is mission critical, so it all has to be kept safe from theft, fire, flood or accidental deletion. If you run a smaller company, it’s likely your data is stored on a simple server in the office.

What happens as your business grows?

As demand grows for your company’s products or services, you’ll collect more data. As a result, you inevitably end up needing more than a single server. Eventually, you end up with a whole room of the things. This brings new demands and costs:

• You need air conditioning, because lots of servers create lots of heat. If you don’t keep them cool they can fail catastrophically. Providing cooling using traditional air-conditioning units can be very expensive.
• You need an IT professional to make sure your servers keep running reliably. For 24/7 cover you’ll probably need more than one person.

These requirements can become a major financial, logistical and security headache.

Moving to a data centre

A common solution to these problems is to use a purpose-built data centre. Maintained by network specialists, mechanical experts and electrical engineers, a data centre is a secure, computer-friendly environment run at the perfect temperature for the servers inside.

From a security perspective, data centres are also equipped with their own backup power supply. This is usually an uninterruptable power supply (UPS), a large bank of batteries plus a generator to ensure power is always available.

Data centres also usually have direct connections into major internet links – also called the ‘internet backbone’ – meaning connectivity is fast and reliable.

Businesses usually put their servers into a data centre that’s shared with other organisations. This is known as colocation.

What does a data centre look like?

The image above is of a typical data centre. They have lots of aisles between servers stacked in locked cabinets (called racks). You rent as many racks as you want and you pay according to the amount of processing power, storage space or bandwidth you use.

Many providers off both DIY and full service maintenance options, so you can maintain systems yourself or use the provider’s technical support.

There are a number of good arguments for using a data centre:

• Data can be backed up easily and securely
• The risk of data loss is significantly reduced
• Internet access is fast and reliable
• The data centre provides support round-the-clock
• Your overheads are reduced

Using a data centre also makes it easy to add extra capacity as your business grows (you just rent more space) and you don’t have to worry about having lots of servers on your premises. 

• Is IT the fifth utility?
• Can the cloud make you more efficient?
• Six signs your business needs a server

David Barker is technical director and founder of 4D Data Centres, the green colocation and connectivity supplier.

Is your IT good enough?

Blessed with great business instinct, but limited IT skills, many micro-business owners find themselves with IT that is at best “non standard”. And this is a problem for two main reasons.

Firstly, good IT need not be difficult. There are many companies and consultants out there who can help businesses sort through the IT minefield.

Secondly, reliable, fit-for-purpose and dependable IT is no longer something that’s a ‘nice-to-have’. Instead it’s a necessity for running a business. In fact, it’s the only way a business can remain competitive with larger firms without increasing their costs by employing large numbers of staff.

What to focus on

In my opinion there are four key areas where a business should focus their attention in order to get the best value from their IT investment: 

• A functional email system that links to their laptop, desktop and mobile phone.
  • Preferably cloud services like Hosted Exchange or Google Apps Email (like G-Mail but using your domain name).
• Some form of regular backup procedure that allows company documents and files to be stored and recovered.
  • Preferably cloud services for file storage such as DropBox or Google Docs.
• Protection from an increasing number of internet threats that include spam, malware and viruses.
  • Achieved with PC/laptop anti virus software and an effective firewall on a router.
• Business grade IT hardware that’s built for business users, not home users.
  • Not the latest deal in PC World, but a business brand such as HP or Dell.

How you’ll benefit

Whether you ensure these areas receive the time and thought to be set up correctly or if you elect to outsource the management of these services to an external suppler, you can be certain your business will receive the following benefits: 

• A rapid response to email inquiries along with timely replies to emails plus retaining an audit trail over multiple devices.
• Confidence that lost or deleted information can be recovered with no noticeable impact to you or your clients.
• Certainty that your business is protected against avoidable threats that could impact your ability to function or put clients at risk.
• Reliable IT hardware that is going to last and provide good long-term value and in turn increased efficiency for staff.

Get your head in the cloud!

By getting your email and files (data) into a cloud location, the information can be accessed from anywhere and not just from a single PC or laptop. This is very useful if, as many micro businesses do, you collaborate with others but don’t share a fixed office. If you do have an office then it allows you to work more flexibly such as from home.

Affordability…

Let’s now put some outline costs to these services. A Google Apps account is free from Google and a Hosted Exchange account will cost around £6 per month.

The Google Apps Email service is great for those micro businesses starting up from scratch. For those who are coming from a corporate environment and who prefer the familiar feel of Outlook, then the Hosted Exchange solution won’t break the bank.

Something like Google Docs for data storage is again free, but you also get online versions of a word processor, spreadsheet, etc.

DropBox is free for up to 2Gb of storage and just £8 per month for up to 50Gb, but it’s more focused on storage and sharing with other users as you don’t get the ‘apps’ like you do with Google Docs. These are low costs, especially given the huge flexibility your business will gain. In addition it takes away a worry about continuity in the event something fails, is lost or stolen.

In respect to anti-virus services then one of the best around is currently FREE and is called Microsoft Security Essentials. It’s a Microsoft product and protects you against viruses and malware and can be installed (for free) in a business of up to 10 users.

Hardware purchase requires a little more discussion than is available here, but make sure you get the right hardware from a business-focused manufacturer. It will offer better long-term value; it will last longer than the equipment designed for home use and it will result in your business being more reliable and thus profitable in the longer term.

Getting reliable IT services may not be as difficult as you might have first thought, but the benefits of such services, especially cloud services, are huge.

Smaller businesses, in my opinion, have the most to gain from cloud services. One-five users can have full email and file-sharing features, allowing them to compete and challenge larger competitors who have bigger IT budgets.

I’ve worked with lots of business and have seen that by tackling just email and data storage it can transform your business. So imagine what could be possible if three or even all four of them were covered?

Don’t neglect your IT services. Instead spend a bit of time ensuring what you have is fit for purpose. And if you’re not sure where to start or are wondering what you should focus on, have a chat with an IT consultant.

Craig Sharp is the MD of Abussi IT, who provide Small Business IT Support in Birmingham