Comcity Technology RSS

Why choose Unified Communications?

Mon, 07 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT

For most companies today, effective communication is imperative in maximizing real business potential. Business professionals rely on good communication resources in order to work and operate efficiently. There is a demand for different kinds of communications in different situations and settings; both internal communications - between management and employees and external communications -between staff and clients, suppliers, vendors. Information and data sharing plays a central role in any organisation. Many businesses find that despite their investments in technology users struggle to stay connected with colleagues and clients, wasting time and money. Today businesses of all sizes and in all industries are recognising the value of unified communications. Over the past decade, unified communications (UC) capabilities have been developed to enable people to contact each other easily and access information more effectively. Unified Communications gives the ability to embed communications software into business processes, applications, and workflow programs transforming how an enterprise's work gets done. Using unified communications will allow your business to eliminate communications bottlenecks, speed up business activities, and improve productivity. In many cases, it also enables you to reduce capital expenditures and operating costs. UC increases the speed of communication by improving collaboration and access to information. Connecting business processes with communications systems can drive even greater efficiencies by reducing delays and increasing the quality of information available. Unified Communications enables geographically dispersed teams to work and communicate from virtually anywhere; it behaves like a single, unified platform, and scales with plug-and-play ease across sites and locations. Employees can connect via voice, data, and video. Unified Communications integrates end-users' communications, enterprise applications and calendaring into one seamless environment. There are various forms of Unified Communications available to businesses today; deciding which solution is best for your business can be tricky. The best option when selecting one is to choose a reliable provider who will work around your business requirements. Make sure also that your provider works with well-known, trustworthy partners such as ShoreTel to ensure you receive the best possible unified communication options. Your provider can then help you decide which unified communications solutions best suits your business needs and budget.

IT and Cloud Computing help your Business go Green

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT

There is a number of important reasons for your business to 'go green.' By integrating environmentally-friendly practices into your business model, you can benefit not only by fulfilling your corporate responsibility, but also by reducing costs and running a more effective and efficient business. As more enterprises look for ways to 'go green,' many do not realise the various ways in which technology can help: Firstly; Cloud Computing Another huge step companies can take towards creating a greener business is the elimination the unnecessary printing Microsoft SharePoint, Many companies are making the switch from CRT monitors to LCD computer screens Use mobile devices Another large component of this innovation revolves around Information Communications Technology (ICT) Microsoft's Lync IP telephony By making effort to make at least some of these simple strategies, organizations can take steps to improve business processes and cost savings, while embracing "green IT," making themselves a more socially responsible and attractive client and vendor.

Enhance Business Processes with SharePoint

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Collaborating and communicating effectively is an essential ingredient in achieving a highly productive business. SharePoint provides a great foundation and a framework to setup and build collaborative areas and sites that help individuals and teams share information, manage content easily, automate repetitive processes, and publish reports for better decision-making across the business. SharePoint offers many business benefits including: Cut Costs with a Unified Infrastructure SharePoint 2010 will allow you reduce costs by consolidating intranet, extranet, and Internet sites on a single platform-on-premises or in the cloud. Keep Documents up to Date SharePoint facilitates you in managing your team's important documents online so the latest versions are always at hand. Improve Team Productivity Connect employees with the information and resources they need. Users can create team workspaces, organise documents, automate tasks, coordinate calendars, and receive notifications and updates through communication features including announcements and alerts, as well as creating blogs and wikis. While mobile, users can take advantage of convenient offline synchronization capabilities. SharePoint is Highly Customisable SharePoint is highly customisable; you can configure and brand it using your company branding specifications. It also provides the platform from which to develop and create unique purpose-built software to improve your internal business processes. Create sites for use within your Company's Intranet SharePoint allows anyone to create sites for use within your company's Intranet, as they are needed, whether they are departmental sites, document libraries, meetings sites, survey sites, or discussion boards. Easily access Information Online Provide everyone on the team with access to critical business information when and where they need it. If your business is like most others, it has a lot of information in a lot of different formats. To help cut through the clutter, SharePoint 2010 provides an interactive search and visual search experience to help people find information quickly. Reduce the Complexity of Securing Business Information SharePoint offers advanced administrative controls for increasing the security of information resources, while decreasing cost and complexity associated with site provisioning, site management, and support. Take advantage of better controls for site life-cycle management, site memberships and permissions, and storage limits.

Benefits of Cloud-Online Backup & Disaster Recovery

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Data is critical to every business today. As data levels continue to grow, the importance of having an efficient and reliable backup and disaster recovery strategy in place has never been more significant. Regrettably for many SMBs, who may lack the resources found in larger enterprises, finding an affordable dependable disaster recovery option can be challenging. In addition some specific SMB's, such as those in the legal, finance or Health Care sectors are required to store important information for extended periods of time as a matter of compliance. This results in large volumes of data that must be stored and managed securely. Numerous IT experts recommend online data backup as one of the most convenient forms of storing important business files both securely and easily. SMB owners admit to storing data in various, potentially unsecure locations such as on their laptop and desktop PCs, on USB drives, in their emails to name but a few. Although in the past many people assumed that these devices were secure and that they were protected against losing their data, the reality is, almost 42% lost data is caused by mechanical failure which is out of our control! Therefore if losing your precious business data is out of the question then finding a fast and secure way of backing up your data offsite is one of the best ways to ensure your important information is not lost in the future. Online Backup is a method of offsite data storage in which files, folders or the entire contents of a hard drive are regularly backed up on a remote server or computer with a network connection. By frequently backing up data on a remote hard drive, the risk of catastrophic data loss as a result of fire, theft, file corruption or other unforeseen disasters is practically eliminated. The benefits of Online Back-up are plentiful; Reduced costs. No capital outlay is required for the purchase of new equipment. There are no ongoing media costs or staff costs and running costs are limited to paying a monthly fee. It is fully automated, encrypted and secure. Solutions can be tested Rapid recovery. Easy migration. Disaster Recovery to the cloud will deliver improved reliability Easier you or your employees will never have to get involved with taking backups home, switching tapes etc. The backed up files can then be accessed by anyone with permission Professional service providers will send you an e-mail notification with a comprehensive report total control of your backup process. The off-site replication No Change for User the remote files and folders appear to the user as though they are stored on an external local hard drive. Flexibility of the Solution. Hence the rationale behind this is simple. Besides all the other benefits; by frequently (or continuously) backing up data online and having an effective Disaster Recovery solution in place the risk of catastrophic data loss as a result of fire, theft, file corruption, or other disaster is practically eliminated.

Choosing a Cloud Provider

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

There is no doubt about it, cloud computing boasts many strengths and offers extensive business benefits; increasing business mobility, speed and efficiency while reducing unnecessary costs and time wasted. Having said that, cloud is not without its challenges, this means IT and businesses need to work even more closely together to ensure cloud adoption is not counter-productive. Selecting the correct cloud computing provider will be key to the success of bringing the cloud to your business. Essentially not all cloud providers are created equal therefore there are several considerations you should review before committing to one. For most businesses the financial advantages are obvious, but their major concerns are around availability of the cloud service and security of their data. Businesses need to ensure their provider can address both of these adequately. Ask the provider for details on: Location: centers located in Australia or overseas? If they have overseas datacenters, those locations are subject to that countries IP and privacy laws - are those laws adequate to protect you and your customers? Physical Security: back room of their office? Many providers will tell you it's "distributed" or "in the cloud", but ask for data centre locations and provider names so you can verify them. Major Datacenters will have 24/7 security onsite, backup power generators, and extensive cooling, fireproofing and protection. Data Security: intrusion protection, leading anti-spam and virus protection, and is it regularly audited? How does your provider regulate access to their own employees? Do they have a process in place to protect you should one of their own employees become disgruntled? Disaster Recovery: Although it's likely to be complex and you may not need all the details, find out what their estimated time to recovery is. Assess them and their staff - do they have the capability to meet that timeline? End to End Capability: Or will you find yourself in a situation where the cloud provider says their systems are fine and your traditional IT provider says all the computers are working fine - meanwhile your business is down! Service Level Agreements: service provider must either accept a standard service level agreement (SLA) from the provider or negotiate such an agreement. You should not commit mission-critical systems to the cloud without negotiating an SLA that suits your needs and wants. Networking Knowledge: or dropouts, will your provider point the finger at the ISP, or will they have the skills and ability to assist you in troubleshooting the problem? Integration and Application Support: and application-level support? Is the provided application support SLA acceptable? Will application updates be applied in a timely manner? How quickly does a vendor return your calls? How easy is it to migrate your data onto the service? Conversely, you need to ask how easy it is to retrieve your data in the event you wish to switch service providers. Support Responsiveness: how can you be sure? Ask about "guaranteed response times" and make sure they have a 24/7 support system. Is the support centre located in your time zone, and can the provider come onsite to your business if required? The choice of cloud provider is as much a business as a technology decision. It is clear there are risks, costs and benefits in moving to the cloud. A cloud provider is also a business partner, not just a technology vendor. You need a dedicated collaborator who is prepared to develop a deep understanding of your business needs, one who sees cloud's possibilities for achieving high performance and performance and links them with a tailored practicality that suits your business You want to address your current IT issues but also create a focused, strategic roadmap for your organisations future goals.

Which Type of Cloud is Right for my Company?

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

There is no escaping it, practically every business is moving to the cloud or at least thinking about it. Contrary to popular opinion Cloud is actually not something new; it has been around in many forms since computing was pioneered. Mainframes, moved to mini-mainframes, followed by software developing as a service (such as the original Hotmail), followed by the development of application service providers - all of these are "Cloud" solutions. So why all the fuss lately? Previously, cloud deployment was slow, hard to maintain and limited in scope. It was not cheap either due to the costs of storage and internet connections alone, not to mention the specialised workforce required to maintain it. Today however all the factors have aligned to truly allow for cost effective, efficient cloud services - the price of storage and bandwidth continues to drop rapidly, and enterprise level enabling technology (such as virtualisation) have become more mainstream. Although cloud computing is claiming to be a transformative means of managing IT, much of the terminology has left organisations baffled as to which cloud solution is better for their needs. Basically Cloud is a clever terminology which allows for us to grasp the concept easily, but the spectrum of services and solutions which 'cloud' now describes is vast. Therefore, the principal question that you need to ask is 'which type of cloud is right for my company?' To help you begin to evaluate this, let us examine some of the features and functions of the Cloud options available to your business. Public Cloud: Private Cloud: Hybrid Cloud Each cloud solution boast many strengths and weaknesses, the key for any organisation is striking the right balance between price, security and flexibility. Different service and deployment models can be adopted to match the requirements of different types of workloads from across your organisation. Choosing the right path or service is about asking questions. Why do you want to take your business to the cloud? What security and compliance issues need to be addressed? How important is data security and control for your business? How fast is your content growing? How much storage capacity will you need over the next few years? What type of data do your users access, and how often do they access it? Ultimately, the decision to go with the private, public or hybrid cloud depends on your company. Answering critical questions around internal performance capabilities, personnel requirements and costs will help narrow down the type of cloud service model that meets your needs for quality of service, reliability, scalability, data management and security. Whichever model you choose, the next hurdle is implementation; it is crucial to not only choose an experienced, reliable service provider but also one who is prepared to work hard to develop a deep understanding of your business and its needs. Our next blog will concentrate on considerations to evaluate when choosing a Cloud Provider; we will cover the important questions you should ask yourself before selecting a Cloud Provider.

Happy 2012 – it’s going to be a big one!

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Wow, what an eventful year 2011 was for the Tech World; from processors to tablets, from PCs to laptops, IT products and services once again leaped into the next generation of mobility. This was an awesome year packed full of new product offerings, with the likes of the iPad2, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Lenovo IdeaPads, Office 365 and so much more being added to our IT wish list. Another prominent feature of 2011 was the continued hype surrounding the biggest buzzword 'cloud'. However despite much cloud computing publicity, many Australian businesses have been slow to respond, querying many elements; what exactly is cloud? How safe is it? Is it easy to change our systems over? Where is my data actually stored and what risk does that pose? No wonder people are confused with every device, product or service that touches the internet being publicised as 'cloud ready', 'cloud capable', or 'a cloud service' claiming to save companies bundles and increase their profits three fold without any real explanation as to how or why! Nevertheless 'the cloud' is here to stay, in view of that Comcity aims to make sure you understand it! Cloud services are fast becoming the simplest, most effective solution to business IT needs and it is expected that eventually all businesses will have some (if not all) of their IT requirements based on could services. The key is understanding what the cloud means to your business, and then finding a partner that can work with your needs to develop a suitable cloud solution. The benefits are remarkable; ranging from lower costs to higher speed, agility and scalability, all enabled by flexible access to applications and processing power on a pay-per-use basis. Cloud computing means your IT costs are much lower than running the systems in your own office, as it eliminates the overheads of buying computer hardware and hiring IT staff to look after things. One thing is for sure - this year, 2012, you'll be hearing more about cloud and any new trends that develop! Comcity will be running a regular blog series over the coming months to keep you informed and up to date. We will also commence sending out a regular Comcity Newsletter with helpful guidelines, Top Tips for 2012, IT news, business tech talk, strategies on understanding the Cloud and testimonials from our various clients on how IT and cloud computing has increased their business value. To subscribe to our newsletter please click here feedback@comcity.com.au

Mobile Device Security - A Growing Issue Today

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:00:00 GMT

Gone are the days when our various PINs and passwords were simply written on a post-it note and stored securely in our wallets or bags. As technology advances and the world becomes flatter, mobile devices now play a dominate role in every enterprise, as a result increased security of mobile devices has become essential. Developments in IT and communications are rapid with ground-breaking mobile devices such as the Apple iPad, Windows Mobile or the new kid on the block; the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet appearing on the market at an astounding rate. The benefits for users convenience and productivity are obvious for today's 'hot-desk' work environments with busy executives ducking in and out of the office, checking emails on the fly and logging into the corporate network from remote locations. However with these big benefits come big security risks, therefore security and data protection has become an increasingly dominant focus for IT departments. Security and data protection is an escalating issue, particularly when critical business information could be leaked into the hands of savvy hackers. Due to the fact that there is substantial confidential information warehoused in and transmitted from mobile devices, it is imperative that they remain absolutely secure. Comcity tech experts offer some simple security measures in order to secure your mobile device: 1. Ensure you enable the PIN on the SIM card if this feature is available. 2. Always protect your user accounts on computers, pads and mobile phones with a password 3. Install antivirus, such as Symantec Mobile Antivirus for Windows Mobile. 4. Malware removal software, such as Ad-aware, is also a good idea for spyware and other malware. 5. As manufacturers release security updates, ensure they are installed on the device as soon as possible. 6. Encrypt confidential company information with software such as TrueCrypt. 7. Use a password vault to ensure your passwords are kept secure, such as LastPass. 8. Do not connect to public Wi-Fi networks at a cafe or an airport, but use your phone's 3G connection instead. At the very least, do not access sensitive data that requires passwords when connected to a public Wi-Fi, as anyone can pick these passwords from the Wi-Fi data stream. Although hacking into an IT system is not easy, skilled hackers are trained to look for vulnerabilities and opportunities. Thieves are cunning and it is time we stepped up our security measures and awareness to ensure our personal and company information is remains safe.

Is Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.1 Right For You?

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:30:00 GMT

Computer malware and threats have evolved significantly since 2007, when the last version of Symantec Endpoint made its way onto the market. Controlling virus threats back then meant heavily updating a users databases on their computer so that when any malware arrived, it could be dealt with quickly and efficiently. The only major flaw of this system is if users turned off automatic updates, the system showed its age considerable. The field of malware available in 2007 was drastically different as well. The wait and see approach worked well, as there were less than half a million known threats to deal with. Now, there are nearly 60,000 new threats appearing for computer users each day, according to Symantec. Most of these viruses and malware are just slightly altered versions of threats that are already known, but they're altered enough to avoid detection by database protection that relies on virus signatures to determine whether or not the file is harmful. Because of the massive jump in the creation of threats, the protection of computers based on generating virus signatures is no longer a practical method of warding off threats. Symantec recognizes this and for that reason, Endpoint 12.1 features some of the most comprehensive virus protection available on the market. How It Works SEP 12.1 offers cloud security technology and data protection in the form of a feature called Insight. Insight is able to gather information from around 175 million other Symantec users and rank files for each of these users according to their age, behavior, and reputation. Because each of Symantec's 175 million customers are connected through Insight, malware variants are quickly flagged and dealt with more quickly than singular virus protection on a single computer. Because most of the processing of files is done in the cloud and the system doesn't need to scan relentelessly, system overhead can be reduced by nearly 70%.

Cost Savings with Citrix Desktop Virtualization!

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 08:00:00 GMT

There are many cost savings with Desktop Virtualization Citrix One of the biggest way to save money by using desktop virtualization is by providing an easy way for multiple users to share a single disk image. This method provides a consumer with more choices while spending less money. The more a consumer virtualizes, the more complex their environment can become which can become quite expensive. Therefore, by providing a consumer with more flexibility and choices, it helps them to reduce their cost and save a ton of money. Many companies today are realizing that a transition is taking place from the PC Era to the Cloud Era. Therefore, they are using more virtualization products which gives them the freedom to access their corporate desktops, applications and data from any device or location. Desktop Virtualization allows many companies to host user applications securely in the data center which is cost effective. In conclusion, many companies are realizing the big savings with Desktop Virtualization Citrix

Free Microsoft Office Online Training

Tue, 31 May 2011 09:00:00 GMT

Did you know that Microsoft has free Microsoft Office training online….. Just visit: http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/support/training-FX010056500.aspx?CTT=97 And Free Windows 7 Tutorials..... Just visit: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/help/getting-started Or for other IT services contact

A bit of buzz on the new Windows Phone 7

Mon, 30 May 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Just when it seemed that Apple had firmly entrenched itself in the top position for smartphone operating systems, the new Windows Phone 7 OS, with the advantage of familiarity and the backing of decades of computing experience, is making some waves beneath their feet! People everywhere are recognizing the value of the smartphone both for business and personal reasons; the number of users and the functions for which they use smartphones have grown at incredible rates for the past few years. The smartphone market has grown from a one-horse race in the early days of the iPhone, to quite a varied and healthy vista of options. The Windows Phone 7 OS was released late last year as a successor to the Microsoft Windows Mobile. However, WP7 has been completely rebuilt with consideration given to all issues and comments of the past, and is now more usable and feature-packed than ever. It represents stiff competition even for those dedicated to a particular smartphone platform. Some of the improvements of the new Windows Phone 7 OS include: A more fluid, easily navigable interface Easier to personalise the layout and features Faster performance Better response from the virtual keyboard Available across a range of devices Of course, it will take some time for the applications market to start to boom for the Windows Phone 7 OS. However, with the avalanche of positive reviews from respected tech news sites, more apps should start to become available as more devices with the platform are sold. If you're looking to enter the smartphone market, or switch from your existing platform, look beyond the Blackberry-iPhone-Android triumvirate to the Windows Phone 7 OS!

What to expect from Microsoft Office 365

Fri, 27 May 2011 11:30:00 GMT

Although they are not necessarily known as pioneers in any area today, nobody can accuse Microsoft of not being responsive to new computing trends and technologies. Their new cloud-based collaboration tool, Microsoft Office 365, looks to be a strong rival for Google Apps. Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Standards Suite has been available for some time, and the next generation represents a total commitment to the benefits of cloud computing in Office 365 Office 365 will be launched later this year and is set to include: Microsoft Office Professional Plus for standard desktop applications Exchange Online for email Sharepoint Online Lync Online for unified communications Later, a version of Office 365 including Microsoft Dynamics CRM will be launched. Linking Applications, Linking Ideas: Office 365 A full rundown of the features and functions to be available through Office 365 Jason Reading, CEO of Comcity, said that "Conceptually, Office 365 is a fantastic idea. From a purely functional perspective, integrating the online Office suite with, SharePoint, hosted Exchange and Lync servers is going to be extremely useful". Reading also noted that having a consistent desktop experience for users across fixed machines and cloud computing will be a major boon, especially with the mobile workforce revolution in full noise. This reduces training time for transitions to cloud-based operations and ultimately improves efficiency. One of the key upheavals for companies already using Sharepoint will not be the move to the cloud itself, but the synchronised upgrade of Sharepoint 2007 to Sharepoint 2010, Reading also went on to note. Reading recently quoted that, "The SharePoint function in Office 365 should be reasonably full-featured ... There will be content management, collaboration, portal and search capabilities. For example, a small business will be able to set up an intranet, share and publish content and collaborate around this shared initiative." Office 365 Microsoft itself sees one of the major benefits of Office 365 as its applicability and scalability to almost every business. For example, small businesses and non-profits may have access to enterprise-scale software for the first time. Government organisations can use Office 365 to drive cost efficiencies, reduce IT workload and minimise training time. There will be three versions of Office 265 initially available: small business, enterprise and education. Each of these will have access to the four services mentioned earlier, with the standard Microsoft Office suite, SharePoint, Lync and MS Exchange included in the package. Most impressively, Office 365 can be up and running within a small organisation in only 15 minutes. As a paid service from a respected company, another great benefit of the platform will be access to tech support and troubleshooting, which can be difficult to get with Google Apps' free platform. However, the pricing strategy is seen as aggressive - lower-end packages are seen as particularly accessible for small businesses. Reading went on to say that, "Particularly for smaller businesses and organisations that typically wouldn't have the funds to buy, install, run and maintain SharePoint, this is a very cost-effective option that will give them quite a bit of functionality from a simple content management and file-sharing point of view." Office 365 can give your organisation the flexibility of cloud computing, without the need for extra infrastructure, revamped security or a steep learning curve for the new system. If you want to know more, ComCity's IT consultants

Why enable a Mobile Workforce?

Fri, 27 May 2011 10:00:00 GMT

Mobilising your employee's workplace, work hours and work method can have a substantial mobilizing effect on productivity, and your business profits. Traditionally, although the intra-office network may have been good, while employees were either travelling for business or on holidays, collaboration was impossible ... and business slows down as a result. With new communication and collaboration tools, though, more companies are enabling their employees to not only be contactable in previously isolated situations, but also to make remote work a part of everyday life. According to Nemertes Research, around 83% of companies now label themselves as 'virtual', utilizing connections across multiple geographical locations. The same study revealed that 96% of employees use real-time collaboration tools, and around 91% work away from the main business headquarters. Some of the vital tools of a mobile workforce include: Access to work information, like on-site documents and desktops The ability to collaboratively work on this information in real time, despite geographical distance Instant messaging methods As well as more traditional methods like audio and video conferencing The use of these simple tools can have major benefits in the overall running of a business! Productivity can be improved because access to information is almost instant. Communication channels between employees and clients remain open, creating a culture and reputation of responsiveness. Additionally, work-life balance for most employees is improved with reduced travel time and more flexible working hours, improving job satisfaction and the quality of talent at your organization. Yet despite what we are discovering about the benefits of a mobile workforce, we also know that there are challenges to its deployment. IT infrastructure needs to be re-thought, and devices and applications may need to be upgraded or switched out Employee training in the new tools is essential Security measures need to be re-designed and/or upgraded for the new mobile environment Expert planning from the team at ComCity can help you maximize the productivity gains of enabling a mobile workforce while avoiding the pitfalls, lower your investment in technology and ensure your solutions are scalable. Call Comcity's IT consultants

Avoid the pain of downtime with layered data protection and rapid systems recovery.

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 09:43:00 GMT

In 2010 a small business experienced 10 hours downtime on average spending more than 7.5 hours trying to recover lost data*. How vulnerable are you to server failure or malicious attack? Comcity offers complete data protection combining security components with backup and replication to provide any level of resilance or compliance you might require - from point solutions to a layered approach including multi-site data redundancy. In short, we can keep your working data and historical archives safe from deletion and corruption. Or provide a complete systems restore in minutes - with the same data and configurations as before the incident. On-demand IT support notification of issues Managed antivirus, firewall and anti-spam services Automated managed back-up Server/OS configuration and data imaging Online back up and data storage Online disaster recovery services Business continuity planning *Source: Coleman Parkes Research UK FREE Find out if your business is vulnerable to technical risk with a complementary security audit of your systems and practical reccomendations for managing security, data protection and systems recovery.

Protect your business from Phishing attacks

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:00:00 GMT

Protect your business from Phishing attacks If you're the victim of a phishing attack, essentially you've given a criminal unfettered access to login information relating to your bank account. Phishing is the illegal process of masquerading as a bank or other trusted institution through a hoax email to deceptively acquire someone else's banking details. In an attack, the official-looking email is often linked to elaborate webpages complete with all the branding and characteristics of the commercial institution involved - often with a similar domain name. Phishers targeting SMBs Phishers have begun targeting SMBs in a bid to elicit passwords, usernames and other sensitive information used for accessing merchant accounts and business accounts. Any business duped runs the very real risk of exposing customer records to criminal activity. Have you got a policy in place to manage phishing attacks? What to look out for: legitimate companies will never ask for passwords and user details so never reply to requests for personal information; point your mouse over links in the email or web address and look for misspelling or fake names; be wary of websites with long and complex URLs; if an email looks suspicious, contact the institution concerned immediately for verification; educate all employees to be aware of Phishing attacks; Mak e sure your firewall and antivirus is always up to date.

Preventing an IT Disaster

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Findings from a recent Symantec security survey show most small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) don't make disaster recovery a priority until they've experienced actual disaster or loss of data. Yet disturbingly, the national archive in the US claims 93 per cent of businesses who have experienced serious data issues have folded within that same year. Often businesses just don't recover from the loss of business momentum they've sustained. Accordingly, disaster preparedness is not just an issue for the IT department. Corporate directors can also be held legally responsible for the loss of critical or sensitive information. Set clear objectives for recovery with a written plan Effective Disaster Recovery (DR) is as much about how quickly you can recover operationally as it is about capturing and protecting data. It helps to have a written disaster recovery plan that sets out clear priorities for recovery including: Recovery time objectives - how long can you afford to be without critical data and systems? Recovery point objectives - what is an acceptable loss of data and how long should the backup window be? The next generation of backup and recovery technology is more reliable and easier to maintain than traditional tape backup which has many limitations with up to 20 per cent of backups failing to capture all data. Because of this, many companies now use a mix of new technologies to improve DR capabilities ranging from virtualization and managed imaging through to online backup and online disaster recovery. Every business requires a slightly different approach and should consider: How secure does data needs to be? Is it acceptable to store data in a single repository onsite or does it make more sense to have a duplicate copy of all your data stored offsite in case of fire, flood or technical failure. What data will actually be backed up? Backing up all data and configurations for applications, operating systems and applications enables a fast restore of your complete IT environment without having to reference business requirement. This is known as a base-metal restore. Alternately, you might want to prioritise a specific area of the business such as your email. What happens if you can't access your physical office? Online backup and disaster recovery are more advanced options that can stream data in real-time for duplicate storage offsite in multiple location. If the worst happens, you can have staff back up working in no time at another location with all data available. If you're looking to develop a formal disaster protection plan or just learn more about your options, speak to your Account Manager.

Your own workflow automated in SharePoint

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Comcity develops custom software on the SharePoint framework for affordable and feature-rich bespoke applications with the exact functionality you require. Our solutions also increase productivity, making business processes available to staff at any time from any location through website, intranet or portal. If there's a specific workflow, report or process you need automated and made highly available online, speak to Comcity today! For more information contact your Account Manager

Motorcycling Victoria loves Simplified IT

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 09:00:00 GMT

Motorcycling Victoria (MV) is the governing body for motorcycle sport in Victoria with more than 70 affiliated clubs and 4,500 members involved in running motorcycle activity around the state. Volunteer participation is crucial to MV's ongoing success. CEO Andrew Weiss explains, "Our members donate their time so we need to support them with dependable operations to ensure their participation is rewarding and fun." Weiss was keen to improve the performance of business systems at MV and technical support for staff with the financial visibility and stability you get from a fixed-cost IT service. "We're essentially a customer service organisation and much rides on our excellent reputation. We were having issues getting what we needed from our IT providers - spending good money for not much return before Comcity." The solution: Simplified IT MV outsourced its entire IT function through Simplified IT, an inclusive fixed-cost package with unlimited technical support for systems and staff so all employees can get on with core business. Weiss says Comcity has effectively become the IT department and is responsible for ensuring all of MV's technology is current and performing properly. "There's no more worrying about upgrades, security threats or staff downtime because all of MV's IT needs are properly maintained by a team of experts - from monitoring through to setting up new users. I like not having to worry about managing an IT guy as this is not my area of expertise." MV staff also benefit from one-on-one technical help with immediate access to a dedicated servicedesk and onsite technical support, which means they can call someone familiar with the business for help at any time and get a swift response. "This saves us time, money and headaches," says Weiss. For more information about Simplified IT contact your Account Manager

Windows Small Business Server 2011

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 10:00:00 GMT

If your server technology is getting old, now is a good time to replace them with the long-awaited release of Microsoft's Small Business Server range - the first since 2008. Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials (SBS 2011 Essentials) Developed especially for small businesses up to 25 users, Essentials is a hybrid server that combines local computing with access to enterprise-grade online services, leaving the door open for cloud computing in the future. Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard (SBS 2011 Standard) Consider Standard if you already use Windows SBS and require a more powerful solution for up to 75 users - includes the latest Exchange, SharePoint and Windows Server licenses and software updates. Windows Small Business Server 2011 Premium Add-on (SBS 2011 Premium Add-on) This powerful data management and analysis add-on for SBS 2011 Standard includes a second Windows Server 2008 R2 license and SQL Server 2008 R2 technologies. For more information about Microsoft Small Business Servers, please speak to your Account Manager 1300 266 248.

Manage the Full Customer Lifecycle with Microsoft Dynamics

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 08:00:00 GMT

If you're contemplating a CRM upgrade, why not look at Microsoft Dynamics Online - a high-end, yet affordable solution for SMEs. Launched this month as a cloud service accessed on per-user subscription, Dynamics Online 2011 has scope to manage the full customer lifecycle with combined sales, marketing and service capabilities - essential tools for business growth. What's new? Unlike earlier web-based versions of Dynamics, the 2011 release can be integrated with other software packages and customised in .NET to drive what's unique about your sales process. It's also worth noting the reporting and analysis features which are advanced, but easy to use, so you can really drill down into customers, sales opportunities, close rates and campaign ROI with little effort. Live dashboards can be configured at the user level to view business intelligence and task lists in real time. Sales staff should quickly become intuitive users of the new system after accessing the familiar Microsoft Office 2010 interface. Dynamics also supports multiple languages and currencies, which is handy if you're looking to overseas markets. At a glance Marketing - data, segmentation, planning, events, response, internet marketing, productivity & workflows Sales - planning, leads, opportunities, accounts, pipeline & workflows Service - accounts, cases, contracts, knowledge base, scheduling & workflows Low-maintenance CRM Comcity manages the full Microsoft Dynamics deployment cycle, from data migration to customising your workflow with 3rd-party software integration if needed. Once configured and customised, Dynamics is very low-maintenance. Microsoft manages updates, back-ups, security and data storage, reducing the need to allocate IT resources to CRM administration. Comcity can advise you on whether Dynamics Online is suitable for your needs. For more information, please speak to your Account Manager.

Help our firefighters tackle prostate cancer

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Every year Australia's firefighters come together to raise money for research into prostate cancer through their annual fundraiser 'Pedal 4 Prostate'. This year, they're cycling around Australia, sharing the workload in teams. To maximise its contribution to the event, the Metropolitan Fire & Services Board (MFB) asked Comcity to develop a custom SharePoint site that would drive web registrations and enable participants to share personal experiences online - whether on the road in Brisbane or back at the office. SharePoint Comcity developed the SharePoint site in around three weeks straight from MFB requirements. The dynamic and user-friendly solution serves content logically based on the user's profile, combined with clean design that optimises the user experience. Participants can post message, upload and share images, swap teams and update their personal details from anywhere where there's a browser. For organisers, the site brings clarity, accuracy and control to donation and registration management, and visibility across the MFB to the performance of individuals and teams as they cycle across Victoria. Process automation and reporting were added to make event administration easy. As we go to press, the riders were passing through Darwin, so are about half way through the ride. If you'd like to take part and help the MFB fight cancer, make your online donation at http://pedal4prostate.com/home

Microsoft gets serious about cloud-based business productivity with Office 365

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 09:00:00 GMT

You'll soon be able to upgrade to the latest version of Office on subscription, giving staff the latest release of the software without having to make full payment upfront. Microsoft is adding the computing power of Office to its suite of messaging and collaboration tools known as BPOS, repackaging the product to offer you more choice based on how much functionality your organisation needs. Renamed Office 365 and due for release in January 2011, you'll be able to select from a variety of plans and give staff exactly what they need, from basic email for deskless workers through to a full suite of productivity tools for information workers. This new cloud-based service range provides the convenience of software, storage and back-ups provided as a managed service through the internet. While the applications on Office 365 run through a browser, you have the option of running the Office component off your desktop the traditional way. Like BPOS, Microsoft is responsible for keeping systems operational and guarantees 99.9 per cent uptime with the security of a financially backed SLA. Office 365 for Small Businesses Easy-to-use set of web-enabled tools for small businesses, independent consultants and professionals. Functionality on offer: Access e-mail, important documents, contacts and calendar on nearly any device, including PC, Mac, Windows Phone, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry Office web apps for viewing, editing and sharing documents Large 25GB mailboxes for each user and the ability to send attachments up to 25 MB Easy-to-use design tools to build a professional-looking website quickly Password-protected team sites for collaborating on documents and information Industry-leading, always-up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spam solutions Integrated instant messenger, presence and online meetings with audio conferencing and videoconferencing and multiparty data sharing. Office 365 for Enterprises Choose the functionality you need across a variety of plans. Because Office 365 is a service, you can scale up quickly without high capital expenditure. Functionality on offer: Large 25GB mailboxes and the ability to send attachments up to 25 MB Single sign-on capabilities with Active Directory deployment Latest version of Office Professional Plus - connecting users to communication and collaboration services Office Web Apps for viewing, sharing and minor editing of documents directly from a browser Industry-leading, up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spam solutions Integrated instant messenger and presence, online meetings with audio-conferencing and videoconferencing, and multiparty data sharing Team sites to share, manage and search for information and resources. To find out more about Office 365, speak to your Comcity Account Manager today.

How To Choose Very Strong Passwords That Are Easy To Remember

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 09:00:00 GMT

What makes a password strong is the combination of different alphanumeric, special characters, and capitalization that you use, and of course the length of the password. I don't know about you, but I don't want to remember and type an epistle when I fill out a password field. And, ideally, I don't want to use the same password on many sites, because if one is compromised then my entire life is unlocked. I want to show you here how to choose very strong passwords for every website that you use, that are different for each website, and are each only 9 characters in length max. A study found that an 8-character password that's constructed in the manner I'm going to show you has 7.2 quadrillion different combinations, and will take 83.5 days to crack if the hacker can try 1 billion different passwords per second. Step 1: Pick 2 Starting Characters To make it easy to remember, all your passwords are going to start with the same characters. But these are not just any characters. Pick 2 characters from the list of special characters that you see above the numbers on your keyboard and to the left of the Enter key. These characters are: ~`!@#$%^&*()_-+={}[]:;"'<>?/|\\ Pick any two of them as your password starting characters. To show you an example as you read through the steps, let's pick $ and % (pick your own two). In my example, all my passwords are going to start with $%. Step 2: Pick 2 Ending Characters In exactly the same way as above, pick two different special characters that will be at the end of your passwords. Don't pick the same characters as your starting characters. For the purposes of my example, let's pick * and ^. Hence, all my passwords are going to end with *^. Step 3: Construct The Middle Part Using The Website Name This is the fun part. Take the first 6 characters of the website domain name where you want to use the password. If the domain name is shorter than 6 characters, then use the full domain name. In my example, let's create a password www.microsoft.com. The first 6 characters of the domain name is "micros". Now we're going to substitute some characters and capitalize others. Substitute the following characters: a becomes @, e becomes 3, i becomes 1, o becomes 0, and u becomes ^. Now we have "m1cr0s". Now, decide on a standard for yourself regarding which character(s) you're going to capitalize. For this example, let's say we're always going to capitalize the 3rd consonant. So now we have "m1cR0s". The next step is to drop the last character ("s" in our case), and append the Ending Characters (*^) that you picked in Step 2. Our password is now "m1cR0*^". The last step is to add the Starting Characters (Step 1) to the beginning of the password. The final password is "$%m1cR0*^". A Few More Examples Domain: www.twitter.com, Password: "$%tw1Tt*^". Domain: www.facebook.com, Password: "$%f@c3B*^". Domain: www.ebay.com: Password: "$%3b@*^" Remember Pick your own 2 starting characters and your own 2 ending characters, don't just use the same ones I used in the example. In addition, make your own capitalization rule (you can capitalize more than 1 character if you want to. You can also use more than the first 6 characters of the domain name if you want to. It just means your passwords will be slightly longer. Is This Password Strong? Yes, it is very strong. With this method you're potentially using any of 30 special characters, 10 numerals, and 26 lower case and 26 uppercase characters. Unless a hacker happens to have a water-cooled supercomputer in his briefcase, he will not be able to crack your password. Making It Even Stronger If you're concerned that some hackers might know ab

Will You Find A Silver Lining In Your Cloud?

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:00:00 GMT

Cloud computing is one of the largest growing areas in the IT industry. The concept of "Cloud Computing" refers to the hosting of a server or an application by a third party in an offsite location accessed via the Internet. The premise is that the vendor will not only provide the client with a reliable experience, but one that will be resistant to downtime and data loss. Personally, I know that the Insurance industry has been enjoying the benefits of cloud computing for many years. But what are the caveats and recent concerns garnered by those enrolled in these online services? Internet Connection. Portability. Backup, Backup, Backup. Maintenance & Accountability. Occasional hiccups. As in all business decisions, you must weigh the ramifications of your actions and envision both the pros and cons of each situation. Although cloud computing offers tremendous benefits, please keep in mind that not all clouds have silver linings. If you have found the "killer app" for your business that is hosted, ask questions to the provider to determine how reliable their product is. How many outages in the past x months, for example. And always compare the hosted to the on-premise options, some may surprise you as to which is superior in terms of cost and performance. For help in identifying your silver lining, reach us by telephone at COMPANYPHONE or by email at support@comcity.com.au.

Quick Tech Productivity Pointers

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Multitasking has become one of the buzzwords of the twenty-first century. Did you know that your browser lets you multitask, too? Most modern browsers (IE8, Firefox, and Safari) provide the user with a rich interface that allows for multiple windows to be open in the same browser at once. "How is this miracle performed?" you may ask. If you look at the tab shown in the image above, you will see on its right side is a smaller tab. If you place your mouse over it, you will see the option to open a new tab. Click on this tab and a new window will open within the current browser. By clicking on the tabs or pressing the TAB key while depressing the CTRL key, you may cycle through the existing opened windows in your browser. Do you want even more tricks? Once you have multiple windows opened in the browser, you may then notice a new icon to the left of the tabs with a down arrow. This button's down arrow allows you to open any one window that you want without using the "cycle-thru" method. Click on the button itself and you will see your tabbed windows displayed all together on one screen. In that screen, you may close or activate any of the windows using your mouse. If you prefer to see your tabs in a particular order, you may drag them in order to rearrange them. Having multiple tabs may enhance your day. You can do the same with multiple Home Pages, but that may slow down the initial response of your browser.

What Are The Signs Your PC Has Malware?

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Your computer has been terrific-it opens files fast, connects to the Internet quickly, and gets onto the network lickety-split. But now, your machine will not connect to the Internet when you tell it to, it opens up porno websites and gives you pop-ups telling you that your machine has been infected. You don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to see that something has infected your system. Now, what? In terms of service calls, the most common one of late has been to remove malware. Malware, as defined by Wikipedia, a contraction of "malicious software", is software designed to secretly access a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. How There are a number of signs that a computer has been infected with malware. Often, the machine will run slowly, become unresponsive, and not allow you to open a number of your applications. We have seen malware programs that stop the launching of Task Manager and Control Panel. These are two useful tools helpful in deter- mining when your machine is running "other" programs. Most computers run an application "baseline"; these are the programs that normally load and run with the computer in a planned and expected manner. When you see a service that has an unusual name, a simple search on Google will often resolve any mystery about what the program does. However, when you have a malware infection, you will not always be able to access the Internet to do this quick search. So, as indicated, another symptom that you have a malware program installed is the fact that you might not be able to access the Internet. You may note that other computers on your network CAN access it, so it becomes even more apparent when you can't. Sometimes, the malware may prevent Internet Explorer from loading, in other instances the "at-risk" program will modify your settings so that the browser expects to be using a proxy server which might not exist. For your information, a PROXY SERVER, is another computer that acts as an intermediary and makes requests on behalf of another machine. A "Proxy" may be used to access a file connection, a web page, or another resource. It can be compared to telling your child to wait for the crossing guard to help cross the street-however, in the case of malware, the crossing guard is absent and your browser (the child) will wait indefinitely for the appearance of the resource. Thus, your browser never can access the Internet. There are two "tests" to determine if your settings have been modified: 1.Open a START > Run > CMD window. In the window, ping a site (e.g., ping COMPANYWEBSITE). If it resolves or responds, then you know the computer IS online. It's now time for step #2. 2.Open Internet Explorer > Tools OR START > Settings [Control Panel], Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings. If the box for Proxy Server it ticked, uncheck it. Some malware infestations will overtly connect you to the Internet by launching multiple instances of websites that promote porno and other questionable content. For many, this creates an embarrassment inasmuch as they may be perceived by their work colleagues as perverted or non-compliant with regard to their company's Acceptable Use Policies for Internet Access. Some may be too shy to ask for help in removing the software based upon fear for one's job. Others in the area may witness the sites that are launched and report the victim's activities to management due to the creation of a hostile work environment. All together, the story gets uglier the longer the victim tries to convince him/herself that it's only a temporary situation. Where do people contract malware? Malware, just like other unwanted software, may find its way onto your computer from a variety of sources: e-mail, websites, social networks or via local area networks (LANs). It is critical for all users on networked computers to have current versions of security software on each machine. This can help reduce the incidence of "infections." How do you remove malware? There are many brands of anti-malware software available in stores and on the Internet-some are free and some have fees. It is critical to understand that some of these anti-malware programs are distributed as "on-demand" software. Unlike most anti-virus programs, a number of these applications are NOT real-time scanners, but need to be run MANUALLY. As a result, if you have the scanners, you need to have them run often on your computer. Two anti-malware programs that we have used and found to be effective are Malwarebytes and Spybot. If you use a full featured antivirus, it may also be able to scan and clean malware. Check the feature list to see if that functionality is already included. If you have found this a useful article or would like to learn more about this or another technical subject, please feel free to contact us by e-mail at support@comcity.com.au or phone 1300 787 767.

Refining the Spamming Process For More Hits

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:00:00 GMT

Remember the vignette performed by Monty Python's Flying Circus in which two diners float down into a dive filled with Vikings for a breakfast that doesn't have much SPAM® in it? Back in the 1970's, the word "spam" had a much different meaning than it does today Mention SPAM or junk mail to a business person today and the person cringes. Unsolicited Commercial (or Bulk) E-mail (UCE) has grown to become the daily scourge. Not only do corporations spend tons on resources to prevent it, they also spend billions as a result of it. SPAM, a word initially conjured up to mean "Shoulder of Pork and Ham" was introduced in 1937 after Hormel created a naming contest to improve the sliding sales for their Spiced Ham. The luncheon meat soon garnered fame and rose back as a staple for consumers after World War II. See http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(food) for more info on this type of SPAM. Now, e-mail inboxes can often be compared to the MPFC vignette because they have "SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, egg, sausage, bacon, and SPAM. It doesn't have MUCH SPAM in it!" Knowing that it exists and that there are methods by which it may be curtailed is a good start. SPAM Trends According to CommTouch (www.commtouch.com), a messaging and web security technology company, in the First Quarter 2010, Spam levels averaged 83% of ALL E-MAIL TRAFFIC. The range was 75% to 92%-assuming that worldwide e-mail traffic was around 220 billion messages per day, this would equate to around 183 billion spam message per day! Spoofing (entering a fake "FROM" address) is one of the most common methods used. By disguising the source of the message from the recipient, some of the spam filtering software may be fooled into allowing bogus messages to reach the legitimate mailbox, thus delivering either an advertisement or a timebomb to the addressee. The most popular spoofing addresses used by spammers include: ups.com, yahoo.com, and Hotmail.com. The domain with the highest spoofing incidence, however, is gmail.com. In a sampling of email messages from gmail.com, CommTouch identified a random mailbox as having 59% of its email from genuine gmail.com accounts, while 41% of the mail was from fake gmail.com senders. Of the messages received, 42% of the messages were classified as spam, while only 1% of the spam emails were sent by legitimate gmail.com accounts. A number of these 1% were the result of a phishing outbreak aimed at harvesting credentials from gmail users. Spam Distributions Many email users have received notifications that they have won the lottery in the U.K. or that a deposed military leader in Nigeria wishes to share his wealth, if you would only do the following…. In fact, the most recent distribution of spam, according to the CommTouch report, indicates Pharmacy tops the list with 81% of the messages Pharmacy ............................................... 81.0% Replica ..................................................... 5.4% Enhancers ................................................ 2.3% Phishing ................................................... 2.3% Degrees ................................................... 1.3% Casino ...................................................... 1.0% Weight Loss ............................................. 0.4% Other ........................................................ 6.3% If you are looking to enhance your performance, then read no further, but if you need assistance in reducing SPAM at your workplace, we can help. We offer a service, Comcity, which allows you to control the messages that reach your inbox. This is a low-cost service for accounts that use their own domain names for email. Sorry, if you are using gmail or Hotmail, we cannot provide this service to you. However, we can help you to setup the appropriate spam filtering in your network to get your messages under control regardless of your email address. For help in reducing the incidence of SPAM in your e-mail, reach us by phone at 1300 787 767 or by email at support@comcity.com.au.

Your Company's Social Media Policy

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 14:00:00 GMT

The time to implement a social media policy is now. Your social media policy outlines for employees your companies guidelines or principles for communicating in the online world. Your company should have a communications policy in place that spell out your expectations for phone and email, it's important that you add social media and online site usage to this policy. Here is an excerpt from our employee manual in regards to Electronic Privacy. Feel free to use the information when revising or creating your social media policy. You may also want to consider adding in repercussions for not following the policy: Electronic All electronic media, (computers, telephones, faxes, etc.) on the premises are owned by Directive which reserves and maintains its right in control over these pieces of equipment at all times. You will have no right to expect privacy when utilizing these facilities. *Any fax, telephone, email, internet or intranet communication may be monitored. Social There is no right to privacy with electronic communications; including social media. Use common sense and be responsible: Exercise good judgment and common sense when writing about the organization and its representatives. You are personally responsible for the content published or blogged in any online media. Be Authentic: Let people know who you are, put your name and title when communicating anything concerning the company. Customers prefer to buy from those they know and trust. Consider your audience: You want to consider who your readers are; you don't want to alienate groups because of something you may say. What You Say: Avoid slang, obscenity, slurs, anything demeaning or inflammatory. Think twice before hitting submit. Understand Our Online Community: The Company's online followers, customers should feel comfortable sharing, connecting and receiving help from you. Confidential and Proprietary Information: Don't provide the company's confidential and other proprietary information. Permission to publish or report internal/private conversations is required. Exercise Moderation: Set an acceptable limit to check update status, or send messages. It is important to continue being productive. Keep in mind our company monitor policies are in effect. Value: Provide worthwhile information. You best represent our company and what you publish may affect it. Copyrights: Respect peoples' work and give them credit when it's due.

Cloud Services

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:00:00 GMT

No doubt many of you have heard about Cloud Computing recently - it's hard not to with a significant amount of media coverage, particularly in combination with the National Broadband Network (NBN). Cloud computing is an often (mis)used term in this day and age, with the ubiquitous I.T. term "Cloud" having a variety of definitions. Starting with this edition of our Newsletter, we will be covering a range of Cloud topics to help you understand what it is & how it may apply within your business. What is Cloud? Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to users via the Internet on-demand, like electricity - the subscription model means you only pay for what you use. Common examples of Cloud Computing in everyday lives are; Microsoft's Hotmail & www.live.com services Google's Gmail There are many different flavours of "cloud" computing; Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) Online Backup etc How is Cloud used in Business? In a business environment, Cloud can deliver everything from specific services such as Email, Financial, ERP & CRM Systems right through to cloud-based backup services (commonly referred to as online backup) & Spam filtering, where providers filter out the junk (spam) email on your behalf and deliver only the cleaned e-mail to your premises. Key Benefits Reduced operational expenses - You pay only for what you use; costs are directly proportional to your requirements. Costs are moved from CapEx to OpEx Redundancy - SME's in particular often cannot justify investing in highly-available, fully redundant (fault tolerant) systems - Redundancy is inherent in most cloud solutions Easy entry point to specific solutions - Does not require purchase of additional hardware or software to implement Cloud computing frees up internal resources. Automation helps release important internal resources for other high-priority work. Cloud computing helps businesses become mobile. Employees can access work-related information from anywhere. How do I find out more? Over the coming weeks & months, Comcity will be providing further information on Cloud services. This will be through our regular Newsletter & personal communication as well as through Seminars held in conjunction with Cloud leaders - Microsoft. Please feel free to contact your Client Services Consultant to discuss Cloud in more detail or to arrange an assessment of the benefits Cloud Services could bring to your specific business.