So the warning has been given by Microsoft and our advice is therefore by April 2014 you should not have any Windows XP machines on your system to ensure your company computer systems remain secure.

News of Windows 8 Launch and those oh so clever apps

Now we come to Windows 8 which is due to launch later this year. In the words of ‘Bones’ from Star Trek “It’s Windows Jim but not as we know it.” First of all it looks very different from Windows XP and Windows 7. In fact anyone with a Windows 7 mobile phone (that would be me) has seen something similar, because the operating system looks the same as on the Windows 7 phone.

Eventually all platforms will look the same

One of Microsoft’s aims is to have a consistent operating system across multiple devices. So your phone, your tablet PC (or Ipad alternative) and your notebook or PC all look and act the same.

As with anything new I predict we will all hate it initially because it’s different (think Office 2007) but hopefully it will be intuitive enough that we will get used to it fairly quickly. Just be prepared for some changes.

One thing we were told as Microsoft Partners was on their ‘hopefully list’ is the ability to have your PC on a USB stick. So instead of carrying around a laptop, you have a USB stick in your pocket. When you want to use it you find a machine plug the USB stick into it and switch on. Hey presto it’s your machine with all the links back to your office. When you finish you will be able to switch it off take out your USB stick and walk away – simples.

Another exciting announcement from Microsoft at the briefing was that in their next financial year they will be a big marketing push on Cloud services, however then we were given a briefing on the next generation of on premise server products, so who knows. It was pleasing to find out that Microsoft’s view actually comes closer to ours than perhaps we originally thought. They seem to agree that if you have most of your people working in one location all using the same business applications it doesn’t make sense to put that into the Cloud. However if you have systems and staff that need access from many locations it does. If you feel your business is currently somewhere in the middle of all that it is possible to mix and match.

Just to finish a couple of “ooh that’s clever moments from Windows 7 phone” both relating to translation. It has the ability to scan something like a foreign menu and translate it to English. You can even tell your phone what you want to say in English and it will translate it and play the foreign version, so those days of shouting loudly and slowly at the natives will eventually be a thing of the past – hopefully!

Regards Francis

For more tips on how to use IT to become more productive and how it affects the business user take a look at the rest of our blogs and case studies on this website

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Email - soon to become a thing of the past?

I have recently read reports saying that email will become a thing of the past to be replaced by other newer forms of communication.

People are confidently predicting that things like social media will mean that people no longer have a use for the email system we have come to know and love. Personally I think this maybe premature but would not go as far as saying it will never happen.

It can already been seen that other forms of communication have taken some email traffic away. Facebook for example you might message someone instead of emailing them, instant messenger and perhaps Twitter too a direct message or DM, mention or reply, although to me they meet a different need. Perhaps less formal and short personal messages are more at home in these environments than sending someone an email – what do you say?

The beauty of email is that you don’t need to know if the person is online to send them a message they will get it next time they log in and you have a copy of the message. Email is also very good at sending longer documents and other pieces of information as attachments and it’s something we have all become used to and are comfortable using.

So will email soon become redundant? My best guess it will be replaced with something that amalgamates what is out there at the moment,  a kind of reborn email version II if you like.

The biggest problem with making a prediction of this sort is that we have no idea what tomorrow may bring. The man who invented text messages had no idea it would become what it has so maybe tomorrow everything will change to make this blog seem out of date. One thing I would predict is that it’s successor will have to be easy to use and understand otherwise we just won’t use it.

The birth of the net has meant a much faster and simpler way to communicate all round and I for one am all for keeping it simple – stupid! (me Francis that is not you)

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Take your files anywhere and work when you want to

I thought I’d let you into a little secret.  I’ve discovered a great piece of Microsoft software which is really useful when you need to access files and work on documents when you are off line.  Furthermore, it automatically updates the original documents once you log back into your company server or go on line again – clever huh?

It’s called SharePoint Workspace and it allows you to open documents and folders on your own PC when you’re not connected to your company’s network.  It takes an exact copy of all or some of the files – the choice is yours and then places that copy onto your PC for you to work on.  You have no fear of duplicate documents being stored as it updates the original document automatically once you are back at the office or connected to the internet, seamlessly syncing your documents so that you and your office end up with one document again with all the changes you have made.  It’s available for multiple users so that others can also use this piece of kit too and all changes can then be amalgamated and each of your team receives one original, updated document.

 12 good reasons why you need to be using SharePoint Workspace

1.)    Add SharePoint 2010 libraries and lists to your computer with just a few clicks which means it can easily update documents and lists offline.

2.)    You can be confident that everything will automatically synchronize to the server once you’re back online.

^3.)      With co-authoring, you don’t have to work in the same room to get team projects done. You can simultaneously work together on Word and PowerPoint files posted in SharePoint Workspace from different locations. 

4.)    SharePoint Workspace 2010 includes powerful integration with Windows Search, so you can easily search through your local copies for content.

5.)    Check In and Check Out facility makes it easy to control your documents. You can also easily review versions stored on the server — leaving you in control of your content. Features such as drag and drop from anywhere are supported — even from other Office applications such as Outlook, right into a workspace!

6.)    SharePoint workspaces can contain most standard list types, including Discussion, Announcements, Links, and custom lists.

7.)   You can review your external data inside SharePoint Workspace, search/filter/group it, and even make changes to the data.

8.)  Quickly access the same files from Windows Explorer. This makes it easier than ever to work with your files from a SharePoint site.

9.) Updates and who’s working where at a glance. You can see which workspaces currently have people working in them and which have new materials you haven’t seen. You even get alerts for new SharePoint content that has synchronized to your computer.

10.) With a new and an improved ‘Ribbon’, you can access your favorite commands quickly and create custom tabs to personalize the experience to your work style.

11.) In the new Microsoft Office Backstage™ view, you can set alerts, share, print, and manage accounts with just a few clicks.

12.)You don’t need access to SharePoint Server to get your work done in SharePoint Workspace. You can create local, Groove workspaces to share documents with others and see at a glance what content is new, updated, or unread.

For  a step by step video guide to SharePoint Workspace – click here

Or for some unbiased, friendly help and advice give me a call on 01394 387337

Until next time keep sharing!

Regards Francis

Are you prepared for the unexpected?

This is a phrase that I have been quoted on a number of occasions and never really understood. How can I expect the unexpected because that’s it’s job to be unexpected and if I am expecting it then it’s no longer…. you get the point?

However in the world of IT there are events we can prepare for that don’t happen very often so when they do happen we are left wondering what do we do now. The worst is a server failure. Let me share with you one of the React company secrets. We hate it when we get in in the morning and there is a message on our answer phone saying “Help! Our server has died.” Of course like any good IT company worth their salt, we always aim to have your server back up and running in one working day, however, when you get that call, you know at that point it is likely to be a stressful day.

Although we can’t stop your server from failing, we can easily prepare for it and with a bit of advanced planning we can protect businesses from the worst effects. Best case scenario; using some clever software called Storagecraft . We can have your IT system working again from the stored backup in minutes. It may not be as fast as the main system but you will be working again, and so much better than losing a day’s productivity.

So what do you need to do to prepare for the expected unexpected? Well while everything is working as it should take time to ask yourself this question. How would I cope if my IT went wrong and how long can I last without it? A maintenance contract is a good place to start to protect your business productivity as it guarantees a man turns up with parts and a screwdriver within an agreed timescale. Do be aware in most cases the terms normally say he has at least a whole day to fix it.

Can you muddle through for a day without your IT?  If not then you need a backup server. It doesn’t have to be as big your main server because it’s going to keep you going while the main server gets fixed. Think of it as your space saver spare wheel. It’s cheaper, takes up less room and gets you to the garage, but you don’t need it that often so it designed for that role. The beauty of it for your business is that  you don’t stop working and your customers are still kept happy.

So do you need one of these spare servers, only you know how long you can be without your IT.  Let’s think of it another way.  You have a spare wheel in your car, but when was the last time you used it? If you are preparing to drive to your holiday destination would you take it out to get in another case?

So to conclude, with a bit of planning when the unexpected happens you have expected it and are now prepared, although I suppose you were expecting it so it wasn’t unexpected or was it?!

Feel warm and fuzzy knowing your files are safe

You might have noticed via our various mediums, that we like to broadcast the good work of us IT people.  Via those channels we have been saying for a while now that having back-up systems are very worthwhile. The difficulty is that most of the time you won’t use them, so just think of them as a form of IT insurance, but trust me, when you need them your back-up systems are invaluable.

Now for the embarrassing bit: I arrived home yesterday and wanted to start work – dedicated you see. All seemed fine except Outlook couldn’t connect to the server, which normally just happens without any intervention on my part. As any good IT person will recommend, I tried switching it all off and on again, it’s a universal fix-all which remarkably still cures a lot of IT related problems – sadly for me, not this time.

Things then started to get even worse – suddenly I couldn’t connect to the Internet. So I engaged plan B for IT people find out what does work and what doesn’t. After much crawling under desks, swapping cables, and using a colourful array of bad language it turned out that the box that makes the connection to the React Computer Partnership head office was the cause of the problem.

So I managed to get it so that I am now in the position of being on the Internet, but not connected to our office. (Here comes the Backup plug.)

At React Computer Partnership we have a remote access system we use when away from the office or home. You go to a web site, put in user ID, password, and the random six digit number a special key fob generates and we are back on the network.

Sure it’s longer to get on and maybe slightly slower, but it works, even from home and I can now get the offending piece of kit repaired when I am good and ready with no urgent journeys up the A14  or calls to an IT line needed.

The cost saved in terms of time and travelling outweighs the cost of the additional equipment and certainly has prevented a lot of stress and even more of that foul language!!

I’m so glad I took my earlier advice.

If you’d like to take the pain out of IT backups or otherwise drop me a line at francis@reactcp.co.uk or call me on 01394 387337.

Remember the words of Corp Jones - Don't Panic!

Here in the IT industry we like to invent lots of wares. We started off with software, which we all know and love. Then came skyware, this was software that sounded brilliant, but wasn’t actually available yet. We then got Spyware, which sits on your machine without you knowing and watches what you are doing. Now we have Scareware, which is designed to frighten the whats it’s out of you to make you do something in a moment of panic that you wouldn’t normally do.

Typical examples of this are webpages that suddenly appear and say you have a virus and your machine is in danger. Click here and we will fix it for you. In a moment of blind panic we click it because if we don’t the whole machine is likely to be wiped and all our files and data, we believe are likely to disappear before our very eyes. Well guess what?  It won’t.

So if something like that appears on your PC, take a deep breath, and count to ten. Then ask what do I have already on my machine to stop viruses? Hopefully your answer to this question is Anti-virus software. So the next question to ask yourself is – What I am seeing, is it from my own trusted and installed Anti-virus software? If your answer is no then the simple solution is to shut the offending scareware screen down. If you want to double check, after you have shut down this web page, that all is now well again in your world, open your Anti-virus and run a scan. If it comes back clean you can safely go back to web browsing, but perhaps steering clear of the site you were on before.

A word of warning: these messages will look real, that’s their job. The latest information we have suggests it will look at you web browser and choose a message that fits. So if you use Firefox the message looks like it’s coming from Firefox.  But remember your anti-virus software’s job is to stop this, so if the message is from anything other than your own anti-virus software then beware!

The second type comes in emails. Initially, and yes they are still around, they looked like they came from your bank, although we aren’t as frightened by these anymore as they also come from everyone else’s bank as well, surely we can’t have all those accounts we have forgotten about?

The latest we have seen is an email scam which threatens to sue you, telling you it’s because you have sent them Spam. We have attached an example of the text below, it looks alarmingly genuine.

A quick Google search showed others were also getting it, and the purpose of the email is to get you to open the attachment and thus infect your PC.

There are one or two warning signs that all isn’t it as it should be. Firstly, for a legal document it’s not well written, and secondly the attachment has a .rar extension. If we were sending a document it would be .doc, .docx or more likely .pdf.

That’s why it’s called Scareware though, you’re not supposed to be thinking clearly and rationally when you receive them.  You should be thinking “I’m going to get sued!!! I need to act right now!!!!” Then in your panic you open it.

As a rule of thumb, if you don’t know the person and they have sent you an attachment don’t open it, at all, ever. In fact be very wary of any attachment. Better to get it sent again than risk infecting your PC.

So next time you get something on your PC that looks scary, remember the wise words of Corporal Jones “Don’t panic Mr Mainwaring!” It could save you a lot of hassle in the long run.

If you’ve received one of these emails or think you might have seen one of those  pop up web warning pages – tell us about it here.  If we can help you with any IT-related queries just email francis@reactcp.co.uk or follow us on Twitter or for more information about what we get up to check out our Facebook page.

Until next time, sleep well and don’t have nightmares

Francis

Backing Better Broadband for Suffolk 

Elves sorting through the mountains of letters to Santa

Santa's home in Lapland

Although its a hectic time currently in Lapland we’ve been contacted by one of Santa’s Elves. He said he thought it was time things were modernised in the grotto and was looking to progress his systems. He had seen our video on our website which tells you all about electronic document management. Santa liked the way our illustrated system improved productivity without the need for extra elves, so he asked one of his chief elves to get in touch.

He told us in the quieter period during Lapland’s summer Santa’s elves have created a database which could match names to things like mobile numbers and email addresses. Santa has asked us if  its possible to replace the normal letters children write with either SMS texts, emails, or a web-based contact form after all the children are getting on with technology far faster than the rest of us.

He felt this would help let him collate presents much faster, speed up production, and even mean that they could reduce delivery routes, streamlining the whole operation so perhaps he would also need less reindeer? We pointed out initially to him that we thought with Christmas he would need the full complement, Rudolph, Donna, Blitzen etc, but that conversation was cut short as he had to take a call back from a supermarket chain apparently enquiring about the tenderness of Reindeer meat.

Anyway after further discussions, we agreed that it would be possible to receive an email with Santa Wish List in the title, or a text with the same in the first line, which could then be matched to the database and create a production plan to select and wrap the presents.

Using digital mapping we could even optimise the delivery route and he’d therefore be pre-warned of any potential problems. We would combine this with satellite tracking and once he’d got to grips with laptop, the Elves felt sure Santa would know his location at any point. We thought about using a 3G system to minimise costs, but that would mean many children in Suffolk and Norfolk villages would end up with nothing!

So with this plan we’ve been over to visit Santa, (yes he does exist) before we went through our system I asked him about the traditions of eating mince pies and drinking sherry. I also asked when the hugging mum bit came in as I remember him doing that when I was little, and probably for longer than was appropriate. He looked a bit confused about that and said it was not something he was aware of. So we swiftly moved on instead to discussing the plan we had agreed with the Elves. Santa listened intently and then smiled and said that for many years he had used his current system effectively and the Elves had forgotten one major element of his current system; magic. That factor made sure that every year he was always ready by December the 25th and he could deliver millions of presents across the world in less than 24 hours.

Based on his excellent track record and the fact that each year we all get the presents we want (despite duplicating sock requests on numerous occasions) we felt in this instance our paper-less system was not going to make any improvement to Santa’s traditional production method – well for now at least.

Well we lasted four weeks and here’s the pictures to prove it. Admittedly for Alan’s picture we had to take it close up so you could see he really did manage to grow a moustache.  We’d like to thank everyone who sponsored us, although we wanted to raise awareness of men’s health issues we decided to send the money raised to a charity which is close to our hearts – St Elizabeth Hospice. If you want to know how we got on here’s our JustGivingpage.

Many thanks again from the newly shorn React Team

We’ve taken up the Movember challenge to raise awareness of men’s health and also to raise funds for St Elizabeth Hospice. Well when I say ‘we’ I do of course mean me and the other male members of the React team. Here I thought you’d like to see pictures of our first week’s Tash Progress. Richard’s looking rather fed up with the itchy phase, Alan’s ‘blink and you might miss it’ Tash is, wel,l it isn’t really. As for me – well I’ll let you see for yourself, I must admit I’ve gone rather ‘gone with the wind’ this week.
Till next week

Francis (Clark)

If you’d like to pledge your support you can do by clicking here for our JustGivingPage. You can of course log onto our website for full details of this special challenge.

Printers - are their day's numbered?

I have noticed of late that I use my printer less and less. While I am concerned about the environment I can’t say that it’s reasoning behind its lack of use. The reality is I just don’t print much to paper these days.
Most of the information I now consume is in electronic format and there is no need to print any of it. As I have said before on my blogs, personally I do have problems when it comes to working with pieces of paper, once I put them down I never find them again! I know there is such a thing as filing, but let’s just say I’m a stranger to the filing cabinet. However, if it’s on my PC or server I know exactly how to find it, and if all else fails, my computer can search for it. So I really don’t need to print.
If I run a report from the accounts system, I export it to Excel. That way I can change the way it’s sorted if I need to and use the search command to look for any particular piece of information I need. So it’s faster and more convenient for me than printing.
I used to print to proof read, but have found over the years that I can now do this better on screen, afterall I can make the type the size I find most comfortable to read, which is useful on some spreadsheets and complex documents. Also Word and Adobe can both read to you if you want. I admit the robotic, monotone American voice wouldn’t be good for a bedtime story, but it does a reasonable job.
What, I hear you cry, of the websites that say print this file for your records? Well there are two ways to achieve this. Either print to pdf, or my favourite, use Microsoft Onenote, one of their best products I think and store it there. Then, if I need to take a copy with me, most of the time I copy it to my smartphone. Again there is an advantage to that, because I always take my phone with me, and as I said I’m really not good with paper.
Taking a quote or proposal to a client still needs paper, and I haven’t found a better way of doing that yet, but with tablet PC’s improving maybe that will be the answer?
So the outlook for my printer is looking rather bleak, what about yours? Are you still creating a paper mountain and keeping a secretary busy with piles of filing?