Author name: Jan O'Mahoney​

Networks

How to Prepare for SDN

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Software defined networking is a new buzzword-related practice that requires a lot of work to implement successfully. So if you are planning to make the jump to SDN, let’s firstly consider its benefits to your business.

For a business implementing SDN practices it’s wise to understand how it all works. There are a number of different services offered by a wide variety of providers and those options alone require a lot of hard work and time. There’s the potential to opt for open source and bare metal switching but the point is that there’s loads of routes that a business could exploit. The final and most important consideration is factoring in time to truly learn your own network and discover if it’ll support SDN as is or if there’s also the task of upgrading it for SDN support.

A guide to help you prepare for SDN implementation.

Business

5 Signs it’s Time to Move to the Cloud

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For many businesses, in-house servers have traditionally borne the brunt of its networking capabilities. However, there have been lots of innovations in this sector meaning that sticking with older methods is becoming increasingly counterproductive. It’s likely that most of you have heard of cloud computing, but it’s perhaps more likely that many of you have yet to apply those principles to your business infrastructures.

Cloud computing becomes more viable with each passing day and for a business an important first step is one backwards. It’s necessary to step back and analyse your in-house server options and consider why you’ve yet to upgrade to a cloud based alternative.

There are of course numerous reasons why the move towards the cloud should happen soon but we’ll limit ourselves slightly.

Here are five compelling reasons why it’s time you moved to the cloud.

Quadratek People

Technology Sector Jobs

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This excellent infographics from The Telegraph not only illustrates the growth witnessed by the technology sector over the last couple of years, but looks too at the effects of tech on other job sectors

The good news is for those working actually in tech is that between 2012 and 2013 alone the sector saw a 4.6% increase in IT jobs. According to the news site, 600,000 people work in tech and digital in London alone and in the city, there has been a 16.6% growth. This is for the most part due to the increased investment and funding that the sector has seen, with names such as Facebook, Google and Samsung all having a presence in the UK capital now.

The top five cities for tech jobs in the UK are:

Business

Fibre Optic Internet– why haven’t you upgraded yet?

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Businesses thrive on communication and bad connections that impede that communication need addressing. The internet has come a long way since the dial-up days and it’s advisable to start looking into upgrade options even from your current broadband connection. If you don’t have fibre optic internet connectivity at your business, it’s probably time you considered it. It’s not that new a technology and the price of an upgrade is likely to be nominal.

Now, it’s understandable to be cautious with money and upgrades aren’t always necessary. However in some cases early adoption can be the thing that sets you apart from your competitors. Every business hopes for speedy communications and it seeks good technology that facilitates an easy transfer of information; now there’s a simple solution, one that provides both of those advantages: fibre optic cabling.

What is Fibre Optic?

Fibre optic is an all-purpose solution that can positively affect all communication and information sharing practices that occur within your business. It provides faster and more reliable internet conditions that allows businesses to work remotely, to connect with their customers and to send information in a secure manner. It’s currently one of the most advanced systems on the market and your business will notice its great benefits right out of the box.

Business

What’s your Data Governance Plan?

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Big data is something that businesses are embracing in increased numbers, but not every business is prepared for the changes that accompany big data adoption. Information from a recent survey suggests that as many as 44% of businesses aren’t ready to implement data governance plans. 22% of these firms that don’t have a data policy have suggested that they have no plans to implement one.

These findings were released in a data governance survey from Rand Secure Data, which is a division of Rand Worldwide. The findings suggest that businesses simply aren’t prepared for the legacy of big data and it’s becoming apparent that many businesses are happy with the benefits of big data gathering, but are equally happy to ignore the dangers.

Businesses are aware of what needs to be done to safeguard its data but many seem loath to act or even address the problem. It seems that until there are consequences, many businesses simply won’t acknowledge or do the things that need to be done.

Here’s a quick list of things that businesses should be doing:

Business

Is Big Data Essential For Business?

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Data is more a part of our lives now than it has ever been. It’s woven into every sector of the global economy and the harnessing of that data by businesses and individual alike is becoming the norm.

Big Data is what we get when the data sets collected become too large and complex to analyse using standard methods. This data comes from all sorts of sources, including web browsers, social media and consumer information. By sifting through all of this information business managers are able to make much more informed decisions and therefore move their company forward with confidence.

The Benefits of Big Data

Future ready – The internet of things is a hot topic in 2014. As products begin to broadcast data to one another to improve their efficiency. The amount of data available to manufacturers and suppliers is going to grow even greater as a result. Investing in an infrastructure that can handle and analyse Big Data now will put your business in an excellent position for the future, even if you’re not concerned with the internet of things, Big Data is listed by Gartner as one of the technology trends you can’t afford to ignore.

Uncategorized

pCell: The Mobile Internet of the Future?

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Internet connection speeds have shot up in the past decade and many people now take for granted the almost instantaneous page loads that they enjoy. Add to this 3G and now 4G and we’re rapidly becoming a truly connected world.

However, not all of us in the UK can yet get 4G and the government’s plans to bring superfast broadband to every corner of the country has been beleaguered with one issue after another. As of last September, around 800,000 people still used dial up in the more remote areas of Britain and whilst BT removed its dial up service at that time, it’s thought that those without access to broadband could still connect through PlusNet, a subsidiary owned by BT.

All is not lost though, as a new technology has emerged in the States which promises to outdo 4G and superfast broadband speeds. Before you get too excited, it’s worth pointing out that it’s unlikely we’re going to see the technology on this side of the pond anytime soon.

That doesn’t make the technology any less exciting though, especially since in tests, it has reached speeds that allowed instantaneous streaming to 8 devices at once using a fraction of the spectrum that it intends to – the 2,000-2,020MHz and 2180-2,200MHz blocks. That essentially means that the technology could produce wireless internet speeds of up to 1000 times faster than 4G.

IT Support

How to Boost Your Wireless Signal

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Wi-Fi strength is important to ensure that your business is always connected to the internet. Cumbersome Ethernet wires snaking around your office merely get in the way and with wireless speeds becoming much quicker the advantages to a wired connection are dwindling.

It can however be infuriating to have a Wi-Fi network set up but be unable to connect at the speeds that you expect and require. If your wireless network is struggling to meet the demands of your network then there are some options to boost your wireless connectivity, without changing routers and providers.

Wireless networking technology is pushing more and more users away from wired options due to its convenience. Users however are also aware that a Wi-Fi connection can be frustrating and fickle. If you’re unfortunate enough to be a victim of a poorly functioning network, there’s no need to suffer in silence. Here are a number of tips to boost your wireless range, connectivity, and browsing speed.

Upgrade your network

Wireless-G (802.11g) is currently the most common Wi-Fi network but it’s not the fastest or even the most up to date. Wireless-N is the next step and for users that are able and willing, upgrading to this option is recommended.

IT Support

A Rough Guide to Choosing Antivirus Software

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If you’re a business working with any kind of private information – be it of your customers or your employees – then it’s essential that you have antivirus software installed on your business network. Digital crime is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the very nature of the crime means that antivirus providers have to be reactive. Because of this, often the most important feature of antivirus software is that it updates regularly, ideally in real time.

There are plenty of antivirus options available to businesses, and it can be frustrating sorting through the pros and cons of each, so here’s a quick breakdown of some of our favourite antivirus software to make your decision easier.

What’s your budget?

The first decision that you have to make is whether you’re going to be able to pay for your antivirus or whether to go with a free package. Just because a product is free doesn’t mean it’s not secure – many of the free antivirus offers the same defence as paid alternatives – but it often means they only offer you defence. Paid options will often include other features such as password protection and file clean-up. So if you’re a small business or want to save money, quite often free antivirus may be enough for you. If you’re handling very sensitive information though, or have the money to splash out on more features, it’s worth considering the paid options as well.

IT Support

Social Media and Cyber Security

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Everyone who has any sort of online presence uses social media sites. This can be a useful way to promote content, increase exposure, and network with your peers. However, the increasing usage of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+, come with its own set of problems, namely: online security.

Many new employees in the global workforce feel that personal and private lives are increasing the security challenge for businesses. This is most evident in social media and this is often accompanied by a low regard, or even a total disregard for privacy concerns.

Nearly 91% of Generation Y students and workers believe that the age of privacy is gone and a third of that percentage are unconcerned about the data that is captured about them. This is according to the latest Cisco Connected World Technology Report.

“More Generation Y workers globally said they feel more comfortable sharing personal information with retail sites than with their own employers IT departments.”

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