Windows XP was released in 2001 and is reaching the end of its life-cycle. In fact Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue XP support in 2014. Windows 7 has established itself as a stable operating system and can run the latest software, including Internet Explorer 9 (XP cannot run IE9).

If you are still running Windows XP (or the dreaded Windows Vista OS) here are a few reasons you should consider making the upgrade to Windows 7 Professional.

1.  Performance –Windows 7 was pitted against XP in 25 speed benchmark tests. Some of these tests included moving files, running various software, booting up, and shutting down. Windows 7 came out ahead in 24 of those tests.

2. Smarter search. File search times have been greatly improved. Windows 7 regularly indexes hard drive files during idle time, resulting in extra fast searches. Type in the Start menu search
box, and you’ll see results instantly, grouped by category—documents, pictures, music, e‑mail, and programs.

3.  Stability – Windows 7 is more stable than XP (and much more stable than Vista). Using Windows XP, you’ve probably experienced the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” more often than you’d care to remember. With Windows 7, this has become a very rare occurrence.

4.  Security – Windows 7 is more secure than Windows XP. The new security Action Centre gives you a central location to manage all security and system backup features. It gives you critical security messages when problems arise and other features prevent hackers from gaining access to your personal information.

5.  Maintenance – Windows 7 makes it easier to perform maintenance tasks. File defragmentation occurs automatically in the background, whilst Backup and restore functions are easily accessible from the security Action Centre.

6.  Connecting – Windows 7 makes it easier to connect to new devices and networks. New devices are automatically detected and installed. Windows 7 searches the Internet and finds necessary drivers for you. XP has this ability, but Windows 7 does it much more effectively.

7.  Useful Utilities – Windows 7 has a large number of new, useful utilities that weren’t included with Windows XP.  Windows Media Player has been overhauled and includes new library functions and now playing views. You can now paste sticky notes on your desktop in a variety of colours and fonts. The calculator also went through a considerable redesign and includes a number of new features.

8.  Ease of Updates – Windows 7 is much easier to update than XP. A “Windows Update” dialogue box provides you with thorough, step-by-step information as you perform updates.

These are some of the highlights where you can see that Windows 7 offers numerous advantages over Windows XP. With today’s commercial software becoming more and more powerful, most of them require the more sophisticated Windows 7 operating system.

So what about Windows 8, should you wait for that?

Well you’ll have to wait for our next blog for more information but we believe it will be 18 months or more before Windows 8 will be stable enough for businesses and the jury’s out on whether the massive change to the user interface will be a hit or a miss, particularly for PC’s and laptops. So, for business, we recommend you look to upgrade to Windows 7 sooner rather than later.

Keeping computers up and running is a fundamental requirement for any business.

If there’s one important task computer users regularly ignore, it’s backing up their data. The data on your hard drive is the most critical and valuable item inside your computer (far more important than the hardware itself), and can’t be easily replaced if lost.

The files on your computer are very fragile. They can be destroyed or damaged by a software malfunction, viruses, Trojan worms, physical damage (such as dropping a laptop)
One of the biggest reasons people neglect backing up is that they don’t know where to start, what tools to use, or how to go about it. They also think it’s going to take a lot of time, cost and effort. and user error.

There are a lot of different options out there, all with their own merits. Here are just a few of the options that are open to you.

External hard drives with backup software
External hard drives are one of the most popular methods of backup; they can store large quantities of data and they are small, lightweight and portable.  These come pre-packaged with software for simple and hassle free copying of files. Many of these drives come with a one-click download option, meaning all you need to do is press a button on the front of the drive or your desktop to begin an automatic backup. The capacity of external hard drives makes them ideal for backing up large volumes of data, and many of these devices simplify the process by including software (or hardware) features to automate the backup.  The downside is that if you don’t take the external drive off site then if there is a localised disaster (such as a flood, fire or theft) then it will probably be damaged at the same time as your main system.

USB flash drives
USB flash drives are great for carrying around your data everywhere you go. And storage doesn’t get more compact than these.   Advances in flash drives have seen lines of flash drives that come with software similar to that found on large external hard disks for quickly and automatic backing up of data. Of course, if you have a large amount of important data on your computer you’ll probably want some of the previously mentioned bigger capacity solutions to backup your whole system.

DVD/CD
Blank CDs and DVDs are a quick and cheap way to create extra copies of important files but they fall short in other areas. Backing up using CDs and DVDs is a slow process. Each time you want to add files to your disk, you must rewrite the entire disk and go through the entire burning process. Backing up to CD/DVDs is time consuming and difficult to automate, so you’ll have to remember to make time to backup.  This solution can handle individual backups but may not suit company-wide or business-critical backups.

Windows and Mac Backup/Restore
Both Windows and Mac OS X include backup programs with the operating system that can be used in conjunction with the methods mentioned above. The most recent version of the backup program included with Windows 7 is a vast improvement and is designed to backup your data to external drives, network drives and DVDs.

If you are a Mac user, these come with a built in program called Time Machine. Backing up your files using this method allows you to easily restore them to a previously saved point. Time Machine, which is in your dock by default and can also be found in the applications menu, can also work in conjunction with any standard USB or external hard drive.

Online options
Online file storage solutions are becoming increasingly popular as they allow users to upload their files (off site) to a server for safe keeping. There are several different options. Some online storage solutions are used without ever leaving your Web browser, while others add themselves to My Computer like they’re just another folder.  Others install small apps that work in your computer’s background, synchronising your data to the Web without you ever having to do a thing. In addition to functionality, cost is also an important aspect that you need to consider. Many online services provide a free account with limited online storage space, and provide more space for those that are willing to pay for it. This type of back-up is particularly useful if you want to share files between several users.

There are also companies that will provide remote online, or managed backup service on behalf of the end users. Online backup systems run on a schedule, typically at night while computers aren’t in use. Managed backup services appeal to customers who simply don’t want to, or aren’t able to perform their own backups because they don’t have skilled IT professionals at each site.

Final Thoughts…Backing up files is a vital part of computer housekeeping and shouldn’t be overlooked. Choosing the correct method of backup and setting it up can be a tricky business. For more information and advice about the best backup available to you call The PC Support Group.

In business you need to be there for your customers, come rain, hail or shine. Hours lost away from the office can mean missed deadlines, which can lead to lost clients. Your business needs to keep functioning and that’s exactly what remote working can deliver.

The ability to work effectively from almost any location is one of the biggest changes happening in workplaces today. Innovations in technology have been the greatest driver of this. Having access to systems, files and emails whilst away from the office brings a range of business benefits and cost savings – from increased productivity and greater staff motivation to more effective use of time.

Many companies have stayed away from remote working in the past, this is particularly true of smaller businesses that think it is expensive and difficult to implement. Ironically smaller businesses stand to gain the most from flexible working.

Working away from the office used to mean either copying files to your laptop or logging in to a terminal server which was housed, expensively, back at the office.  Advances in technology means this is no longer the case. The introduction of Cloud Computing and faster, more reliable internet connections is changing the way we view and use IT.

By moving to Cloud based computing, you can log on to your work computer system from anywhere, whether you are at a hotel, café or home.  This allows you to have remote access to your office systems from virtually anywhere, whilst still having the reassurance that the data remains secure.

Employees can store and share files with each other using an online file sharing service. Such services act as a virtual folder on the user’s desktop or mobile device, allowing files to be ‘dropped’ in an online storage folder to be accessed again later from anywhere. These kind of applications are one of the most widely used web applications among small businesses, with more than 1 million organisations now using file sharing applications to store documents and share information across the business.

Collaborative working can also be enhanced using services such as Google Apps – a suite of applications that brings together essential services to help businesses, including; Email, Google Docs, and Google Calendar. These tools allow multiple employees to organise schedules and view and work together on a single document at the same time. Google Apps require no additional hardware or software creating time and cost savings for your businesses.

In addition to being able to access work on files from anywhere, you can also install Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone systems that enable you to make and receive business calls over internet connections. This means these phones become part of the office network with all the abilities to transfer calls, and pick up voicemails. Using software applications such as Skype can further enhance communications by offering text chat, as well as allowing users to communicate and conduct free audio and video conferencing with up to five work colleagues.

The technology behind remote working is getting cheaper every year making it an attractive option for employers. So whatever the reason behind a decision to provide remote working, there’s now a range of technologies designed to keep small businesses connected and working, no matter what.

By using the latest remote control technology we ensure wherever you are, your business remains fully supported. For more information about how remote working can help you, call us on 0845 221133.

The problems of junk email

You may wonder why it is so important that Junk email is managed. Here are just a few reasons:

• If you are constantly receiving Spam email it will use up your internet bandwidth (effectively costing you money) and important messages can be delayed or blocked.

• Spam is often sent with the intention of spreading viruses or spyware. Opening Spam emails could infect your PCs.

• Many junk emails messages are inappropriate and contain material that could offend people in your company.

• Even relatively harmless spam can distract staff and waste their time as they check the content and follow links to irrelevant web sites.

How to stop spam

The easiest and most obvious way to avoid junk emails is to stop spammers getting hold of your email address in the first place, but this is hard to control. However, there are also easy steps you can take to keep the amount you receive to a minimum:

• Use a separate address for company enquiries, and put that on your website. Spammers scan websites for email addresses, so avoid putting on personal/individual email addresses in the public domain.

•  Many sites require you to register for full access. Only do this on sites you trust. Consider using a separate address to keep spam out of your main inbox.

• Check web site privacy policies and marketing opt-outs carefully.  Ensure that you are not subscribed to any unwanted sites.

• Avoid responding to spam emails. Replying indicates that your email address is live. You should not reply to emails unless you know and trust the sender. This includes making sure that you refuse any read acknowledgements going back to the spam sender’s address.

Using spam filters

The other way to reduce the amount of junk email you receiving is be using a spam filter. These filters are software programs that analyse incoming messages and can assess which are junk email.

Filters are an important way to fight spam, but they take some time to set up. Initially, you may find that legitimate messages get blocked, or some junk email doesn’t get caught, but it’s often worth persevering.

It can be sometimes difficult to get the balance right between not filtering out legitimate messages and blocking all junk email. Using intelligent spam filters that allow your employees to report mistakenly-identified spam can help. Over time, they learn how to stop spam more effectively.

Seek advice from an IT expert to find the best way to fight spam in your business. Combine this with training and advice to help your employees identify and deal with junk email. For more information on how your business can reduce unwanted emails call us on 0845 2233116.

I spend much of my life giving advice about backing up, repairing and renewing IT systems. I can get especially evangelical about it at this time of year, when quieter work flows for many organisations make it easier to contemplate bad habits and think about the essential steps to a healthier IT set-up. So the first of my New Year resolutions is to protect your data properly.

It’s ironic that a typical company will have locking doors, alarms and insurance policies to secure their physical property, but very little in place to guard against the loss of the information that allows the company to operate.

Put another way, if your office building burnt down, it would cause serious disruption, but the permanent loss of data could be catastrophic. A business simply can’t operate without the matrix of information that underpins operations such as invoicing, sales, stock, HR, and contracts with customers and suppliers.

And don’t just consider the back-up – think about how quickly and easily you can get your systems operational again. Just because you have the data backed up doesn’t mean you’ll be operational again in hours – it could be days. Ask your IT provider for an estimate on the recovery time and decide if further processes or systems are needed to protect your business.

The second resolution is to minimise downtime risk. You can achieve this by maintaining and monitoring your IT systems properly. Yes, it does require resource, but the investment pays off in terms of efficiency.

And, finally, for those with old creaking servers, don’t think that simply replacing them with a new one is the solution. Take a look at the various cloud-based solutions. It could mean you can upgrade sooner than you think and have a more flexible system.

The scam works where the caller offers ‘computer support’ but in reality is setting out to defraud.

Last year alone the Metropolitan police closed down 19 websites that were believed to be scams – teams at Indian call centres were ringing computer users claiming to be from IT support companies. The users were then told there were problems with their computers, which could be fixed.

After being told to download a program that hands over remote control of their computer so the caller can install ‘fixes’, the PC users are told of a charge of up to £200 for subscription to ‘the preventative service.’ But in the majority of cases the ‘fixed’ computers never had any problems in the first place.

The reports of people being cold called and bullied on the phone are both widespread and troubling. There will never be a situation where a company will legitimately cold call you saying they have detected errors on your computer.

If someone calls you unsolicited claiming to want to help you fix your computer, we offer the following advice:

• Be wary of unsolicited calls about security problems, even if they claim to be from a well-known company.
• Never provide credit card or bank details, to an unsolicited call.
• Do not go to a website, type anything into a computer, install software or follow any other instruction from someone who calls out of the blue.
• Make sure you have up to date virus protection and security for your PC

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of this cold calling scam should report the matter to National Fraud Authority, via its website (www.actionfraud.org.uk).

At last week’s Facebook developers conference, f8, the company introduced the radically redesigned profile page now called the Facebook Timeline. Instead of a single column stream of status updates and photo uploads, the new Timeline provides a deeper look into your past.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg described Timeline as “a great way to discover all the things people have done their whole life.” Facebook is about to completely change the way its profile pages look as part of the website’s biggest redesign so far.

The first thing you’ll notice is you no longer have a just a small profile picture. This has been replaced by a giant photo right at the top of the page. This is your cover, and it’s completely up to you which of your photos you put here.

Timeline has been compared to the act of scrapbooking- a way of encouraging users to share more details more frequently. It’s a stream of everything about you, it organises your life in reverse chronological order based on the content you’ve shared on your Facebook profile, including your status updates, pictures you’ve uploaded, the apps you’ve installed, games you played and music you love.

Timeline goes back all the way to your birthdate, encouraging you to go back and post even more information about yourself and add more pictures. It also includes a map feature that lets you see where you’ve been, thanks to Facebook Places.

Timeline will be opt-in to start with, however in the long run, it will become the new default profile page.

Facebook is taking a big gamble with this new profile. Even the smallest changes Facebook makes to how it looks or works gets users complaining, so it will certainly be interesting to watch how the response to Timeline plays out.

Wi-Fi ‘piggybacking’ has been around since the dawn of wireless computing, with people obtaining free Web access by using networks which have been left unsecure because the owner has not set a password. Over half (58 per cent) of the 300 respondents we surveyed around the UK admitted to the practice. What’s more, almost one in three people believe there’s nothing wrong with it – despite the fact that dishonestly using an electronics communications service with the intent to avoid paying is an
offence under the Communications Act 2003.

The perception is that borrowing a bit of bandwidth is cheeky but not really criminal behaviour. There’s also a view that if someone does not take the trouble to password-protect their wireless network they have to accept the consequences. Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, if you don’t make your system secure, you are at the very least likely to end up paying for someone else to have the privilege of accessing the Web. It will also slow your use of the internet. You are also leaving yourself open to risk. In most cases of bandwidth theft is simply about people wanting to avoid paying for services. But occasionally, piggybacking is used as a means of hiding illegal downloading activity or engaging in identity theft.

There is also a lack of Wi-Fi security training for business users.Some 84 per cent of business users access Wi-Fi networks outside the office, yet only 11 per cent are given any specific guidance as to protecting sensitive information when using a public Wi-Fi network.

Many business users don't think twice about logging onto free Wi-Fi in café’s or using their hotel's wireless network when travelling, but the truth is, although convenient, open wireless networks also carry some risk. More people are working remotely and using wireless technology than ever before. The education of risk tends to lack behind the technology.

I recommend that companies develop security guidelines for employees to follow. Important measures to include:

• As a minimum, verify that your device firewall is turned on and make sure that Windows' file-sharing feature is turned off – both offer ways to potentially access you PC through a wireless connection.
• And if you use any form of file sharing (even with family members) then you should make sure your computer is password protected with a suitably complicated password (mix of letters, numbers and symbols at least 8 characters long). Without this you have an open route to your computer, particularly when using open wireless networks.

"Whatever 'cloud computing' is, it is definitely here, or at least the numbers of references to it in the legal press or even in ordinary conversation would suggest it is.

In fact it has been here for a number of years.

Wikepedia says:
Cloud computing refers to the use and access of multiple server-based computational resources via a digital network,(WAN, Internet connection using the World Wide Web, etc.). Cloud users may access the server resources using a computer, netbook, pad computer, smart phone, or other device. In cloud computing, applications are provided and managed by the cloud server and data is also stored remotely in the cloud configuration. Users do not download and install applications on their own device or computer; all processing and storage is maintained by the cloud server.

Certain email service providers have been doing this for years (as have their customers who had to go on line to view their emails) and with the advent of “Software as a Service” where users rent the use of on-line software applications rather than buying the application to install on their own systems it became fully commercial. The current excitement over cloud computing may in part be down to marketing and in part because off site storage of data is being taken up by consumers.

The logical conclusion of all of this is that no one will have any need for storage heavy servers, pcs, laptops or tablets and all our applications and data stores will be hosted remotely. There will of course be many different payment models.

As with each new technological development in whatever field, the law, and contracts take a while to catch up.

I am seeing two distinct trends in contracting for the provision of cloud services.

The first comes from the “big boys” and involves contracts which reflect the nature of the service they are selling but, because they are big boys excludes their liability for everything and can have rather odd, one might even say unreasonable, provisions. For example the right to amend the service without notice or withdraw it on very short notice without any obligation to assist the customer to transfer his data.  Where these terms are used for consumer sales they probably fall short of the OFT’s requirements for consumer contracts.

The second is to be seen in the contracts of SME providers of cloud services which, unless they have “borrowed” big boy terms, in many cases do not appear to have been drafted to reflect the fact that the providers are no longer attending at their customers’ premises to install software on their systems but are possibly just selling them the use of a password to access and use the software and store their data.

In the former case the SME or consumer user of the cloud service is disadvantaged by the terms they sign up to, in some cases with a check box to signify their acceptance of those terms which they will not have read. The large user will not be so disadvantaged as it will negotiate a bespoke deal.

In the latter case the SME cloud provider is disadvantaged.  First because their contract looks amateurish, second because if they come across a customer who wants terms that actually cover the service they will incur costs in legal argument over something they should not have proffered in the first place and third, because if there ever is a dispute over the service they provide they will start from the rather difficult position of having to admit that their contract does not really cover that which they sell. In particular they are most unlikely to have limited their liabilities effectively.

Users of the services (unless they have negotiated a bespoke deal) are likely to face one big problem which, if they were sensible and had set up robust disaster recovery systems, they would not have suffered before moving off to the cloud—disaster.

Where a cloud provider goes bust or ceases to provide the service or suffers the destruction or failure of its “server farm” how is the service user to ensure continuity of its IT usage?. Ideally it should have servers somewhere (not in the same location nor owned or operated by the same provider) on to which all traffic from the primary servers is replicated. That of course could add substantially to the cost of moving to the cloud.

Whilst it is possible for the customer to get the cloud provider to host the customer’s existing software applications (subject to consent from any third party licensors of that software) it is more usual for the provider to also provide the software applications which are “rented” to the user. This allows the user to only pay for the software for as long as it wants to use it and can provide substantial cash flow advantages.

This works well for standard off the shelf software. Often however, the customer wants the provider to build or customise new applications to be hosted remotely and is prepared to pay for that development. Here the customer needs to realise that when the rental contract comes to an end they will, unless the contract provides otherwise, lose all the benefit of that development.

This is a similar situation to that faced by those buying website development and hosting services who, unless the contract provides for portability, can find that if they want to change host, they also lose the website.

SME providers without their own data hosting facilities also have a habit of not using customer contracts which are “back to back” with the hosting contracts they have accepted. Thus when the host falls down on service but is not in breach of its contract or service levels agreed with the provider, the provider can find itself stuck in the middle—liable to its customer and with no right of recovery against the host.

These contracts will settle down. The OFT and or the Information Commissioner will criticise the big providers for their consumer terms and they will change them for consumers and SMEs. The legal precedent writers will come up with contracts suitable for different kinds of cloud computing. SME customers and their lawyers with access to precedents following best practice will start to insist on sensible contract terms when buying cloud services. Currently contracts are of variable quality."