Posts for March 2014

Broadband and the British national obsession

Well now. Here’s a news story that marries broadband speeds (one of the IT Donut’s own obsessions) with one of the Great British public’s favourite topics of conversation.

You see, property listings website Rightmove has released research suggesting that slow or non-existent broadband could wipe to 20% off the price of a house.

Cue — obviously — a story in the Daily Mail, complete with ropey stock photography and everything.

Broadband is the fourth utility

Even if you doubt the specifics of this research (a 20% reduction sounds like an awful lot), it certainly backs up the idea that broadband is fast becoming the fourth utility.

And it’s true: we treat our internet connections like turning on the lights or central heating. When we need it to get online, we expect to be able to do so.

A reminder for your business

The Rightmove story was released because the property firm has now added a broadband checker to its own website, to tell you what sort of connection you should get at a house you’re interested in.

But it provides an interesting reminder about the increasing importance of the web in our lives.

We spend more time online than ever. We’re connected not just at home, but nearly wherever we go. We’re buying things when we’re on the move.

If we’re at a point where broadband availability ranks alongside off-street parking, good schools and public transport links as factors in house desirability, surely it’s time to make the internet more central to your company, too.

In short, if you’re running a business — any sort of business — and you’re not thinking regularly about how the internet can help you, you’re missing a trick.

More than just a website

The internet is so ingrained in our lives that it’s not enough to build a website and leave it at that.

You need to stay up to date with new developments, like Google’s continued efforts to appeal to target mobile ads by location, or the fact that showrooming is rife. Is there any way you can turn these — and other — trends to your advantage?

You don’t need to transform how you do business. Nor do you need to panic.

But these days, people tend to turn to the internet first, no matter what they’re looking for. That creates new threats, and new opportunities. Are you ready to take advantage?

• Get the right broadband for your business
• Will wearable tech be big in 2014?
• Are we using technology, or is it using us?

The five biggest hacks of 2014 (so far)

We’re barely a quarter of the way through the year, yet many hacking stories have already hit the headlines.

Worryingly, many of them involve large, reputable companies and websites. And if they can’t stay safe from hacking attempts, what does that mean for smaller companies?

Here’s our round up of 2014’s five big hacks, so far. Oh, don’t forget to read our advice on keeping your business safe and coping during a security breach.

1. Kickstarter

Phenomenally successful crowdfunding website Kickstarter was the focus of a successful hacking attempt in February. The attackers didn’t manage to make off with any credit card information, but they did get hold of email addresses, passwords and phone numbers.

"We're incredibly sorry that this happened," chief executive Yancey Strickler commented. "We set a very high bar for how we serve our community, and this incident is frustrating and upsetting. We have since improved our security procedures and systems in numerous ways.”

2. University of Maryland

Just a week after the Kickstarter incident, the University of Maryland was targeted. Worryingly, hackers were able to access a whopping 309,079 personal records.

These included information such as dates of birth, university numbers and social security numbers.

The university’s president, Wallace D Loh, confirmed the institution had fallen victim to a sophisticated attack: “I am truly sorry. Computer and data security are a very high priority of our university.”

3. Edward Snowden

Having your email address stolen is bad enough. But would you want your passport — complete with embarrassing passport photo — stolen? Just ask whistle-blower Edward Snowden, who had a photo of his passport posted on online by a hacker.

Snowden may not be the only person affected by this attack. The perpetrator claims to have gained access to 60,000+ passports belonging to law enforcement and military officials signed up to the EC-Council’s Certified Hacker scheme.

4. Tesco

Valentine’s was as much for hackers as it was for lovers this year. Just before 14 February, 2,240 Tesco customers were the victims of a hack that revealed their phone numbers, email addresses and voucher balances. The unluckiest bunch also had their vouchers stolen.

Following the unexpected hack, Tesco contacted affected customers and issued replacement vouchers where necessary. Every little helps?

5. Twitter user @N

In what is almost certainly the most viral hack of the year so far, Naoki Hiroshima lost his Twitter username, @N, estimated to be worth around $50,000.

As only 26 people can have a one-letter Twitter handle, they are highly desirable. Naoki was the subject of an elaborate attack that saw the hacker go via websites such as PayPal and GoDaddy to access personal information.

According to Naoki, the hacker used PayPal to find out the last four digits of his credit card number. They were able to obtain other personal information from GoDaddy, before using these details to hijack the rare Twitter account.

The good news for Naoki is that — after some fuss — he eventually got his username back.

Andrew Mason is the co-founder and technical director at RandomStorm

• Hackers are everywhere, every day
• How to protect your business from a cyber attack
• Did we nearly just break the internet?

Your five-minute guide to online backup

Online backup services can be a really convenient way to take a safe copy of your company data and store it away from your main business location.

This means that if anything goes wrong your data, you still have a backup copy to work from.

How does online business backup work?

Online backup services are generally simple and easy to use:

• Your important data is uploaded to the backup provider’s servers, over the internet.
• These servers are usually located in a data centre, keeping your files available and safe.
• Software on your computer or server automatically keeps track of changing data, backing it up automatically.

And that’s pretty much it. You change a file in the office and the backup copy gets updated for you. Delete a file by accident and you can get a copy back within minutes.

With some research showing that 48% of businesses experience data loss each year, online backup can be a really effective way to protect your company.

Why use online backup?

Businesses have traditionally backed their data up to tapes, hard drives or CDs. So, why use online backup instead of these tried-and-tested methods?

• You don’t have to mess around swapping tapes or disks, or remembering to keep them somewhere safe, off your premises.
• Online backup is largely automated. Although you still need to monitor and test your backups, online backup has fewer management overheads.
• Fewer capacity issues. Online backup services are flexible, so as your data grows you can just pay a little extra for more storage.
• No hardware to buy or replace. You never need to replace backup drives, tapes or disks when they wear out.
• Keep track of file versions. Most online backup systems let you recover copies of files that have changed several times.
• Even if your office burns down and your server is destroyed, you can access your data online — from anywhere in the world.

Online backup: what to look for

Not all online backup services are equally safe and effective, so it’s important to choose an online backup supplier that:

• Takes at least two copies of your information and stores them in two different, secure data centres.
• Charges you only for the service you need. You shouldn’t be paying for unnecessary storage space or add-ons.
• Checks your data regularly for inconsistencies, so you can be confident your backups will work if you need to access them.
• Offers disaster recovery services, to be sure you can get up and running again quickly if you do have a problem.

Are online backups right for your business

An online backup service could be a good fit for your business if:

• You want a cost-effective, future-proof backup solution.
• You need a flexible data backup and retrieval mechanism.
• You need a backup system that doesn’t require too much looking after
• You want file-versioning without having to juggle lots of backup tapes.

To learn more about backups, read about how to find the right backup methods, and see the five key questions to ask about your backup system.

This is a post from Danny Walker, director at IT Farm. 

Four things to look for from your VoIP provider

As the popularity of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) telephone systems grows, more businesses are considering switching from their traditional telephone setups.

But if you’re considering taking the plunge and evaluating VoIP suppliers, how can you make sure you get a reliable, high-quality service?

Never heard of VoIP? Learn the basics of VoIP.

1. What sort of broadband connection do you have?

If you don’t have a decent internet connection, there’s no point in even considering VoIP.

To enjoy decent call quality, you really need a dedicated internet connection for your VoIP system. The number of people who can make calls at once depends on the speed of your connection, so some companies need more than one connection.

Determine out how many people are likely to be making calls at the same time and then check your broadband connection has enough capacity.

Some VoIP services — like Skype — work on slower connections by significantly compressing the data they send and receive. However, this can sometimes reduce the quality of calls dramatically.

Worried about call quality if you switch to VoIP? A large volume of regular phone calls already get routed over the internet, so there’s an excellent chance you have already experienced VoIP call quality without noticing the difference.

2. What equipment do you need?

When you’re choosing a VoIP phone (or another device) to use with your connection, choosing the cheapest equipment is a false economy.

As with anything, you get what you pay for. If you spend a lot of time on the phone then it’s wise to spend a little extra for hardware that will perform consistently and stand the test of time.

3. Should you get a virtual switchboard?

One of the most attractive features of VoIP is that you can replace a traditional physical switchboard (often called a PBX) with a virtual switchboard. A virtual switchboard is basically software running on a server in the cloud.

This saves you a small fortune in purchasing, maintaining, repairing and ultimately replacing a physical unit.

When choosing a VoIP provider, make sure they offer a fully featured, reliable virtual switchboard. Many providers offer basic services, but not all have the advanced options your business may need as it grows.

It is also a good idea to look for a supplier that is an Ofcom registered SS7 carrier, rather than a reseller or VoIP only provider, as this ensures a direct connection to the UK network.

4. How much will calls cost?

It pays to shop around when you’re choosing a VoIP supplier. When you do, be sure to compare the call rates you’re signing up to. Virtually all VoIP services will be cheaper than a traditional telephone system, but some are better value than others.

Watch for headline rates that seem too good to be true. Often there are hidden costs that will mount up. Some providers offer all-inclusive fixed priced deals. These can be worth investigating as they mean your costs are predictable.

With so many businesses already using it, it’s hard to argue that VoIP isn’t the future of telephony. If you’ve not yet taken the plunge, now is an excellent time to make the change from a traditional system.

• Lower your phone bill with VoIP
• What is IP telephony?
• Unified messaging systems explained

Matthew Guise works for hosted telephony firm Callagenix.

Ten secrets to successful IT outsourcing

There are lots of arguments for outsourcing some or all of your company IT.

In particular, it’s impossible to be an expert in everything if you run a small business. That’s why so many firms rely on an external IT support firm to take care of their computer systems.

If you’re considering a similar route, here are ten secrets to successfully outsourcing your business IT.

1. Know what it is you’re looking for

The first thing to consider is what, exactly, you want the outsourcing provider to deliver.

Thinking about this will enable you to approach outsourcing firms that are best suited to your needs. If you have any uncertainty about what you want from an outsourcing provider, speaking to a consultant and asking contacts for recommendations can help narrow the search.

2. Find a partner, not just a provider

You’ll get more out of your outsourcing provider when you feel the business relationship is a true partnership.

This is why it’s important to work with a company that sees you as more than just another number among their clients.

One question to consider is whether or not the outsourcing provider is working to the same business objectives you are.

3. Make sure they understand your needs

Being sure that a provider truly understands the needs of your company is essential. Any good supplier will spend time getting to know your business. The best may even try to understand your own customers before signing a contract.

Look at how much time suppliers are willing to dedicate to learning about your business before you sign the contract. This extra care shows the supplier wants things to get things off to a good start.

4. Check they have relevant experience

Experience is key to successful outsourcing. After all, you’ll be entrusting something of great importance to another organisation. For peace of mind, you need to know your partner has walked this path before.

One of the main aims of outsourcing is to make savings by using the provider’s expertise. In the IT industry, for example, outsourcing providers boast computing expertise unlikely to be found in most offices.

Evaluate case studies, check client lists and accreditations to understand what experience a supplier has in your industry.

5. Make sure you understand the contract

The contract is a pivotal part of any outsourcing agreement, so it is very important to make sure you fully understand and agree with its terms.

Good providers will be happy to tailor their contract to fit the needs of your business to ensure you get what you really want from the arrangement.

See a sample contract for IT support >>

6. Check their security credentials

When you outsource business functions, you’re placing responsibility for important processes in the hands of others. You may also be giving them access to confidential data.

Check both the security accreditations and reputations of any outsourcing companies you’re considering.

Your contract with them should also specify exactly how they will handle and protect your data, and what will happen to it if you cancel the contract in future.

7. Get the flexibility you need

For outsourcing providers, flexibility is an attractive selling point. Most businesses need a service that fits around their needs.

Think about this carefully when evaluating providers. For instance, do you need out-of-hours cover for your company IT? If your business has growth targets, will your outsourcing provider be able to handle an increase in work?

8. Decide if ‘local’ matters to you

The location of an outsourcing company can be very important from a practical perspective.

Depending on what you are outsourcing, it may be important for potential suppliers to be located nearby, so they can serve your company properly.

9. Evaluate all the costs

Usually, price is an important consideration when choosing an outsourcing provider.

However, don’t get caught up in the headline figures. The financial aspects of outsourcing are detailed and nuanced.

For instance: what happens if your company is acquired? How often do your systems or equipment need to be updated to remain effective? What will it cost you if you need to change the contract?

Always obtain detailed, itemised quotes so you know exactly what’s covered.

10. You need to click with the people

As with any aspect of a business, the people — and their personalities — have a huge role to play in outsourcing.

It is really important that your people get on well with the people in the outsourcing firm — especially the account managers you’ll be dealing with regularly.

The cliché that 'people buy from people' is key to a good relationship. You’re much more likely to succeed when there a strong rapport between the individual employees.

• What should your IT support agreement cover?
• Four signs it’s time for a new IT support company
• Taking up references for IT support contracts 

This is a post from Esteem Systems, a specialist managed services provider for IT infrastructures.

IT for Donuts: how to upgrade laptop memory

IT for Donuts is our regular Friday feature where we explain a tech term or answer a question about business IT.

This week: it's often said that upgrading your laptop's memory is a good way to make it run faster and last longer. But how do you do this?

Why upgrade laptop memory?

Your laptop's memory (random access memory, or RAM for short) is used to store information about the programs you're using.

If your laptop sometimes runs slowly, it could well be because the RAM is full of data. This means your computer has to work much harder to shift information around.

Upgrading your RAM is almost always the most cost-effective way to improve your computer's performance. With most laptops, it's also straightforward. Here's how...

Find the right memory

The first thing you need to do is buy some new RAM for your laptop.

Different laptops take different types of memory. As long as you have the make and model of your laptop to hand, you can use these tools from RAM manufacturers Crucial and Kingston to find the right stuff for your computer.

You also need to decide how much memory you're going to buy. Your laptop will probably have between 1GB and 4GB of RAM already. When you upgrade, aim for a minimum of 4GB. For the cost, it's usually best to upgrade to 8GB or 16GB though.

A good rule is to get as much RAM as you can afford. I recently upgraded my laptop from 4GB to 16GB. The RAM cost around £120, but the performance difference is astonishing.

Install your RAM

Once you've got your hands on some RAM, you need to install it into your laptop. For this, you'll need a flat surface to work on and a small screwdriver.

It's also a good idea to wear an anti-static wristband. This protects your computer's components from static electricity. If you don't have one, touch a bare piece of metal that's earthed (like a radiator pipe) before you start.

Now, don't panic, but we're going to open up your laptop:

1. Open up your laptop

To get started, shut your laptop down (don't just put it to sleep) and turn it over.

Depending on your laptop, you'll have to either remove the entire base, or remove a cover that provides access to the memory.

There may be markings on the laptop to help you. This Toshiba model has a small computer chip symbol next to the RAM cover:

Remove the screw(s) securing the cover.

If there's more than one, take note of which goes where, as they may be different lengths.

2. Find the RAM

Lift off the cover or remove the base of your laptop.

Identify where the memory chips are in your computer. You're looking for one of more circuit boards that look like this (scroll up to the top of this post for a really good photo):

3. Remove existing laptop memory

Depending on your laptop model, there may be one or more slots for the RAM. Often they're beside each other, but sometimes they're on top of one another.

If — like this model — there's only one slot, you need to remove the existing RAM. If not, then you may be able to install your new memory into the spare slot.

To remove the existing RAM, look for metal clips at the side of the memory module. Push them outwards, then remove the RAM as in this video:

(Hold the RAM module at the edges. Don't touch the metal contacts at the bottom.)

4. Install new memory

That's the hardest bit over.

To install your new RAM, just do what you just did in reverse. If you have more than one memory module to install, just do the same for each:

5. Test your upgraded laptop memory

Pop the cover back on, do up the screws and then boot up your computer.

Finally, it's worth taking a few minutes to make sure your new RAM is working properly. You can do this using software that writes and reads data to and from the new RAM, checking it for accuracy.

Windows has a built-in memory testing tool. If you use a Mac, download and run Rember for free.

Important notes:

• Upgrading the RAM in most laptops will not void the manufacturer's warranty. However, always check before attempting a laptop memory upgrade.
• Although upgrading laptop memory is usually straightforward, you follow these instructions at your own risk. If anything goes wrong, we can't be held responsible.

Previous IT for Donuts tips:

• How to view a website that's currently offline
• Know how to spot adverts on Google
• What is a firewall?