Canon today announces a refresh of  its PIXMA MX printer range with the launch of four new All-In-One devices. The PIXMA MX395, MX455, MX525 and MX925 replace the PIXMA MX375, MX435, MX515 and MX715/MX895 respectively. Offering high-productivity and sophisticated software for home office environments, all the new printers feature print, copy, scan, fax and ADF functionality.

MX395	MX455	MX525	MX925

Advanced productivity

Featuring enhanced hardware, designed to improve productivity for home office users, the PIXMA MX925 comes with new double front paper cassettes that hold up to 250 sheets of plain paper and up to 20 sheets of photo paper. Offering greater flexibility for users looking to print both photos and office documents, the new paper cassettes also help to support larger print jobs. Print speeds for the PIXMA MX925 have been increased compared to the previous model, with A4 documents being produced as fast as 10ipm in colour and 15ipm in mono.

Scanning and copying multi-page documents is quick and easy with a fully-integrated 30-sheet ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) available on the PIXMA MX395, MX455 and MX525 printers, whilst the PIXMA MX925 features an even-more productive 

35-sheet ADF. The PIXMA MX525 and MX925 printers help users to save paper and produce professional-looking documents fast with double-sided printing, through Canon’s Auto 2-sided Print. These models also feature a large colour display which provides direct access to cloud services while the Dual Function Panel makes it easy to print, copy, scan and fax directly from the printer.

Now available for all printers across Canon’s PIXMA MX range are optional high yield XL cartridges that allow more documents to be printed for less without compromising on quality. Furthermore, the PIXMA MX925 is the first Canon printer to have an optional XXL pigment black ink tank, which enables users to print up to 1,000 pages of A4 documents without needing to replace the ink[i].

Sophisticated Software

New to the PIXMA MX office range is Canon’s My Image Garden software, which ensures effortless navigation between printing and scanning functions. A one-stop platform that combines all software previously available for Canon PIXMA printers in a single, easy-to-use interface, My Image Garden provides features to assist the home user with office processes.  This includes software to help streamline scanning functions, with Auto Scan, Photo Scan and Document Scan, as well as Stitch options. The new printers also come with the option to scan documents straight to cloud services such as DropBox and Evernote, and the ability to create PDF documents with passwords for enhanced document security.

Connected devices

The PIXMA MX455, MX525 and MX925 come with a range of connectivity features including support for printing from smartphones and tablets through Canon’s

Easy-PhotoPrint app for Android, iOS and Windows RT. Built-in Wi-Fi allows the printers to be easily shared between multiple PCs around the home or small office. The MX525 and MX925 both support PIXMA Cloud Link, which includes Google Cloud Print support, enabling Google Docs or Gmail attachments (jpeg or PDF files) to be printed remotely via the internet. PIXMA Cloud Link also offers direct access to online photo albums and useful print templates, such as calendars and stationery. The PIXMA MX455, MX525 and MX925 all include a USB port, meaning that PDF and JPG scans and copies of faxes can be saved directly to a USB memory stick.

PIXMA MX395 – key features:

· Office All-In-One with 30-page ADF

· Print more with XL cartridges

· Fast mono and colour prints

· A4 copy speed approx. 23 seconds

· Create PDFs quickly

· Extract text from PDF and JPEG files

· Scan to  the cloud

· Easy-Web Print EX

PIXMA MX455 – key features:

· Office All-In-One with Wi-Fi

· Print more with XL cartridges

· 30-page ADF

· Print from, and scan to, smartphone/tablets

· Apple AirPrint support

· Direct scan to USB memory stick

· Create PDFs quickly

· Scan to the cloud

· Intelligent web printing

PIXMA MX525 – key features:

· Office All-In-One with Wi-Fi/Ethernet 

· 30-page ADF and automatic 2-sided printing

· Print more with XL cartridges

· 6.2cm TFT display

· Google Cloud Print support

· Print from, and scan to, smartphone/tablets

· Apple AirPrint support

· Scan to cloud

PIXMA MX925 – key features:

· Powerful Office All-In-One  

· 35-page  2-sided ADF

· Superior prints with 5 single inks

· XL & XXL ink options

· 250-sheet paper tray

· Print from, and scan to, smartphone/tablets

· Apple AirPrint support

· 7.5cm  TFT display

· Google Cloud Print

· 2-sided printing

· Direct Disc Print

These products will be available of threenine.co.uk from March 2013. If you have any further queries or would like additional information please do not hesitate to contact us

Canon announces the development of a new feature upgrade for the ground-breaking EOS-1D C. The upgrade has been developed taking into account feedback from the European professional video community, and adds support for 25p recording at the camera’s maximum 4K resolution.

Designed for the motion picture, television and high-resolution production industries, the EOS-1D C is the world’s first DSLR to support 4K video capture. It offers a unique, highly portable package optimised for ultra-high quality recording, delivering exceptional low light performance and film-like dynamic range from a highly-compact body that can be used in a wide-range of shooting situations.

The EOS 1D-C captures 4K (4,096 x 2,160) video using 8-bit motion JPEG compression, with the ability to simultaneously output an uncompressed Full HD (1920x1080) YCbCr 4:2:2 signal to an external recorder via its HDMI terminal. Full HD video can also be recorded direct to CF cards at frame rates of up to 1080/60p, whilst Canon Log Gamma ensures video is rich in exposure latitude and dynamic range – offering outstanding freedom for video professionals during shooting, and for colourists in post-production.

The new feature upgrade will be available free of charge from April 2013.

Head over to www.canon-europe.com for more detail

Should I be looking to get a new laptop or should I just buy a tablet ? is a frequently asked question these days, and the answer is invariably  "Depends, what you do and what you'd like to achieve"

Although this doesn’t answer the question, it should lead you closer to the answer, because technology provides solutions to particular problems the same solution may not be relevant in all situations.

Tablet computers are a great innovation, and certainly the capabilities of these devices are increasing daily, but I for one am not convinced that they are the solution to all personal computing use cases of today.

For Christmas this year, my brother bought my mother an iPad 2 16GB, I know it's not exactly bleeding edge tablet technology, but for my mother this already provides more computing power than she will ever use, considering she is still struggling to out grow the Netbook we bought her 5 years ago.

My mothers typical use case for her Netbook is she uses it to check her email, do her banking, a bit of web browsing, Skype and Facebook , and my dad uses it to play his card games ( solitaire, gin rummy and the like - none of this new fangled online poker for him) , and that is about it. Hardly a taxing amount of use for any type of computing device these days, to be honest your low end smartphone could handle that quite easily.

The only other requirement my parents have is that it should be small and lightweight enough to carry whilst travelling. ( they tend to stick it in the suitcase in the hold luggage). There has to be a certain amount of robustness about the device too.

The funny side of this is that, only a couple weeks before Xmas, my parents had come to me and asked me the same opening question. It was after analysing the use case and reviewing the Return On Investment (ROI) we deduced that an upgrade to a tablet didn't offer any clear benefits, especially at £350+ worth of investment?

There are obviously some tangible benefits for a tablet, the obvious spring to mind I.e. lightweight, always on etc. but when you break it down do these benefits actually provide any ROI ? Or are they just the cool factor?  Do we need to rush out and purchase the latest must have tablets just because the perception is they are easier to use?

This being said I did buy my wife a tablet device during the festive period, this was primarily due to her specific use case.  In my wife’s case she is a typical stay at home mom, an extremely busy one at that, due to the fact that she is looking after 3 kids all under the age of 5!  Time is a commodity that she doesn’t really have!   Her computing time has been scaled back considerably, especially during the day! She needs to have a small, lightweight and easy to carry device. A 7 inch tablet fits nicely in this category. She has the ability to have her mail, diary, to do list, web browsing and cookbook easily accessible! Although she has all this functionality on her smartphone too, and everything is synchronised across here devices over the cloud, her tablet device is most definitely her preferred computing platform. It is never far from her side, wherever she is!

My wife is perfect example of the modern "slouch ware" user , in that she is consumer of media, rather than a creator. The fact that she can just swipe a screen, and the device is ready for use, is a big plus. Her laptop is consigned to the task of generating the family budget spreadsheet.
In three months time I am going to review my parents IT usage to see how much it has actually changed to try to establish if at all they can say they have reaped any benefits

It really is amazing when take time to reflect on how far personal computing has come over the last 30 years or so, taking into the consideration how much the devices themselves have changed over that space of time.  The number of solutions that have become available for any sort of IT problem have reached staggering proportions!  As a vendor of IT solutions we see this first hand, and recommending the right solutions for clients has become a really complex game!

There are so many more factors involved these days! I can remember back to the Late 80’s to the early 90’s, when I needed to use the company laptop to do a demonstration of the Supply Chain Management software solution we’d developed, that made us of the Electronic Data Interchange ( EDI), over a 9600 modem and fax machines, the company laptop basically comprised of two cases, One case for the laptop and one for the battery!  Even then I seem to recall only ever having an hour or two of computing freedom when using the battery!

This post by Phil Jones - 20 bits of Tech we didn’t have in 1990 is great resource for looking back, provides great insight into how much of difference can be seen in just 20 years

How things have changed! Today for example I am typing this blog post on my Apple iPhone 5, on a train, using my Logitech Bluetooth Easy switch keyboard.  My smartphone has more computing power than my desktop computer did in those days!

Laptops, tablets and smartphones provide us with an enormous amount of computing choice and freedom! The choice of computing devices is astounding, and it is sometimes tempting to try and choose one device to try to do everything!  However I have found it is essential to pick the right device for the use case.  I now leave the office with only one bag, but the bag now carries several devices, and on the average excursion I am likely to use all the devices at my disposal!

In my “Kit bag” these days I carry; Smartphone,  Tablet,  Laptop,  E-book reader, Logitech Bluetooth Easy switch keyboard , USB key.  Some might say why carry all those devices when surely anyone of these could surely be used to combat any task when out of the office. However, I’m a great believer in choice, and technology these days has made it possible for me to able to carry all these devices without the need of an articulated lorry!  All these devices enable me to be productive at any point!

Smartphone

This is a great device, and to my mind a necessity when on the move!  Not only does this provide me with the ability to stay in contact and available, but it also provides me with the ability to Check Train times, Plan my Tube Journey, Check the weather, Share Prices, Bank Balances or whatever, by the multitude of “apps” available, but it also enables me to check email and also double up as Modem for tethering purposes!

Tablets

Great for consuming media while on the move. The ability to use  a bigger screen, when space allows. It’s just great. I tend to use it more and more when conducting presentations, meeting clients, reading documents. Fantastic piece of kit!

Laptop

I still love my humble laptop, and for me still a device I see will still be around for a while. I still write code while on the move. There is still probably a “legacy attitude” to needing to work on a laptop!

MP3 Player

In theory I could use my phone as am MP3 player, the downside is that this quickly depletes the battery, so when you’re making and receiving a lot of calls during the day, and catching up on emails while on the move, the last thing you want to do is drain the battery. With my MP3 player, I can still listen to my Audio Books.

E-book reader

I could also in theory use any one of the devices to read my e-books, however having a dedicated e-book reader provides me with several advantages. The fact that it only does one thing, enables me to dedicate some quiet time to just reading, without being distracted by emails, text messages or voice calls etc. Also it has it’s own battery and as the MP3 player, I can use it without draining the batteries on my other devices.

Although I have reduced the size of my “Kit bag” dramatically over the years, I have far more computing power to use in my “mobile office” than I ever did in my entire office set up back in 90’s.  If I equate on a cost by cost basis, the 90’s laptop probably cost me in the region of £3000, which I’m pretty sure if you tallied up the cost of my current kit, it would come to the same price figure.

The real question is am I 10 times more productive than I was back in the 90’s ?  The honest answer to that question is, “I really don’t know” , I certainly appear a whole lot “busier”, but am I really being productive? ( there must be some kind of app I can download to tell me that :-))

Hurricane Sandy has had a major impact on America’s business capital, not only have businesses had to close down in the build up to the event, but it is likely that they will now experience an extended period of poor trading conditions. This storm could not have come at a worse time for many of the small and medium retailers in the city, because not only has it arrived before one of the busiest trading periods of the year, Halloween , but the after effects will inevitably have a major impact on the essential Thanks Giving Holidays and Christmas periods. 

These periods of trade are crucial  for many retailers, often being the difference between profitability and bankruptcy.  These events should serve as a lesson for British businesses, in that they need to ensure that they are prepared for any of these eventualities. Events like these have happened here in the UK and we as entrepreneurs need to ensure our businesses are able to cope. The following are 5 tips to help  you ensure your business is able to cope after a disaster;

1. Contact your insurer immediately. Inform your insurance company before cleaning up any damage so you can get an accurate estimate. After a disaster, many insurers have a quick-response team that will come out to survey the situation. If your business cleanup includes removal of items such as water-damaged merchandise, flooring or insulation, keep it all. The damaged materials are all evidence of the impact of the disaster on your business.

  2. Seek assistance. The Federation of Small Businesses  may be able to provide some assistance in helping you recover. It may pay you dividends to review your companies membership of these organisations. They may provide special offers on a number of insurance products enabling you and your business to achieve the optimum levels of cover.

Your staff may be eligible for a crisis loan , these may ease the financial burdens on your company as you assist staff which may have also personally suffered. As business owners we do have a responsibility for our employees and it is always good idea to look after staff that look after you and your business.

3. Stay on top of communication.Once the worst is over, let your customers and clients know what’s happening. Update the home page of your company’s website to let customers know if your ordering, shipping or inventory is affected, and if or when you expect to be open for business, also consider sending a message of well wishes and concern with a status update on your company’s Facebook or Twitter pages.

Be honest about what is happening, how long you except it to be before you are running at full capacity, and give a detailed as possible operating plan for your recovery period. People will realize that yours is a company that knows how to deal with its problems, and then you will have their trust. They will also appreciate that there are circumstances beyond your control that may have impacted on delivery of their orders.

4. Don’t count on Government for quick help.If your business is in a nationally declared disaster area, government aid will be available, but it can move slowly, especially when many claims are being filed. It might provide homeowners with temporary shelter and eventual money to rebuild. But for a business owner, your private insurance or a business loan will be your best chance at receiving money fast.

5. Create a backup plan.Your company should have a business continuity plan in place already, but if not, now is a good time to get ready for the next time a disaster of any kind affects your business. A business continuity plan outlines how your company will respond to a disaster, including such crucial questions as: How will we keep filling and tracking orders? If vendors aren't operating, do we have a backup? What if employees can't make it to work? To get started, or update your current plan.

If you don’t already, also consider putting a data recovery plan in place for your most important files. Research data recovery vendors, and cloud services now, while the topic is fresh in your mind, so you’ll be prepared the next time disaster strikes.

ThreeNine provide a number of these services and have specialist consultants who will help you to assess and mitigate disaster risks for your business.

5. Beef up your insurance coverage for the future. Many businesses aren't protected in the event of natural disasters-- especially if they aren't located near notorious  disaster areas . Businesses should note that many standard policies don't even cover wind damage from a hurricane or utility disruptions from a storm, so review your policy's fine print to understand your coverage.

You may want to consider adding a rider or a separate policy to cover losses from severe weather that aren't included in your existing insurance policy.

 

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We get our milk delivered to daily to our door, which is probably a very outdated concept in our modern world! We still make use of that fine British tradition of the milkman. We could of course get our milk cheaper at our local supermarket, who in turn obviously squeeze their suppliers in order to reduce costs in order to maximise profits whilst passing on "savings" to the consumer. However the main reason why we make use of our local milkman , is because of the service he provides.  Everyday without fail, we have fresh milk delivered to our door by the latest 07:15. Most mornings I get to chat with our milkman, who's always in a good mood irrespective of the weather.

We have often had to change our milk order due to varying levels of demand, and our milkman has been able to accommodate without failure. On one occasion I needed to get an additional 10 bottles of milk one morning, due to a large visiting delegation to our office, and after speaking to our milkman, he was. able to fulfil the order right there and then. His response was " I always keep a few spare on the float, for times like this!"

This independent  family owned business,  has been running the milk round in our town, for the past 60 years. The two brothers still do the deliveries themselves, and the father,  who inherited the business from his father, can still often been seen sitting in the passenger seat of the float overseeing the deliveries and catching up with his old customer base. What these guys don't know about the towns milk consumption isn't worth knowing.

I have had many early morning discussions with our milkman about business and such over the years, learning various facets of our towns milk trade whilst often providing "free" IT consultancy services to help solve several small issues they've experienced.

I have had many insights into our towns milk trade, on one occasion I learned that our entire villages milk round was kept in a series of hard cover paper notebooks. It is now only recently that the firm has moved it's accounting system from a paper based system to an electronic one. I remember listening to our milkman’s anxieties of leaving “fathers” trusted paper notebook and paper balance sheet system and migrating too Sage 50 Accounts, and how he and his wife  had taken themselves off to Swindon College to do a course in Sage 50 Accounts Software.

Despite the apparent initial lack of technology this little company has been able to remain agile and responsive to it's customers requests. They had expanded the product portfolio to include local produce from the farms in the area such as; eggs, bread and vegetables etc. (A service we also now make use of despite it being slightly more expensive than the local supermarket). However, It is now this new product range has introduced some complexity, that the firm are introducing an electronic Inventory Management Systems  and Customer Relationship Management systems, and even thinking of introducing tablets to the milk float, to improve the recording of customer deliveries. They are very conscious of the additional costs these systems incur and therefore weighing up the implementation costs compared to the benefits very considerately.

To my mind this is a company that has got it right, it's focus is on delivering a great service to it's customers, targeting the right products for the customer base and then implementing the right technological solutions to enable it to operate efficiently. Technology is not the solution to business problems, it is only a facilitator in order to improve existing systems.

Your company can become more agile by making use of the right technology irrespective of it’s nature of business. There may be an initial learning curve in adopting the new technology, but this needs to be measured against what improvements and efficiencies can be introduced, to help improve your business work flows.  The agility improvements in your business may not always involve technology introductions, but they may lead to it.

Links of interest

• Find Me a Milkman - www.findmeamilkman.net/
• SaveUkMilk

The past few weeks have been a really busy couple of weeks for us business tech geeks.  A slew of new product launches, new operating systems and the marketing hype that follows. The tech media is a buzz and I have had great difficulty in keeping up with my twitter feed.

There was one tweet that on the surface seemed to point to a very interesting article, 9 Reasons Why Companies Will Ignore Windows 8. however are reading the article I thought it really need a dose of realism.  I’ll provide a response to each of the issues raised in the article.

1. Windows 8 would require every PC user to be retrained

First and foremost, Windows 8 is not specifically targeted at enterprises as a corporate wide OS replacement. Microsoft know better than anybody else that this is not going to be the yardstick with which they’ll measure the success of Windows 8. Rather Microsoft will be impressed if Windows 8 makes it into a corporate eco-system. I foresee that Windows 7, will still be the dominant operating system in the enterprise zone for at least the next 5 years. I know some companies who are still going to stick with Windows XP service pack 2, for at least the next 3 years regardless of the termination of support from Microsoft.

What Microsoft would prefer to see is Uptake of Windows 8, in the mobile workforce and increase of user buying Windows 8 devices in Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) schemes. What would be key here is the Plug and Play ability of Windows 8 and Windows 7.  Users will train themselves to use the devices, although it can be seen as a big departure from the what we’re familiar with, but I believe the new UI is very intuitive and there won’t be that much of a learning curve. Users after all have taught themselves to use Apple products without corporate assistance, the same will go for the new Windows 8. This is why the initial primary market for Windows 8 is the consumer electronic market. If you watch the adverts you’ll spot that it is primarily aimed at Students, Freelancers and mobile workers.

I personally think the whole training issue is a non starter of a concern. by the time that Windows 8 makes it to the Corporate landscape it will become a familiar interface.

2. Windows 8 doesn't have a lot of great new features for the enterprise.

This is because as a above it is not targeted at the enterprise market, at this moment. Microsoft know that there will be at least 2-3 year wait before enterprises start making a move, this gives them enough time to build these utilities in.  In strategic terms Windows 8 is designed as a product to stem haemorrhaging suffered in the BYOD arena.  It’s an operating system aimed at the smaller businesses, along with all the Microsoft hosted Cloud Services.  You have to remember Microsoft is one of 3 big players, all with different strategies in play;

• Google = Software Services
• Apple = Devices, Media and Software
• Microsoft = Software, Services and Devices

Windows 8 is primarily aimed at the consumer market, with a small in roads to the corporate arena. It is aimed at the mobile workforce, desk-less worker , knowledge worker and the work from homers.  It is in this arena I expect to do well. Enterprises will have projects to facilitate the introduction of Windows 8, but they will not have any plans for mass migrations.

3. Windows 8 can't natively run older Windows apps

This I believe is an intentional feature, due the fact that market has moved to Cloud Service economy. Enterprises are migrating  applications to cloud services, this trend will continue, devices and operating systems need to cope with that.

This same argument can be used for both Apple iOS and Google Android, in that those operating systems cannot run older windows apps!  Software at the end of the day is an ephemeral commodity, it is brought in to solve a particular business issue, at a particular points in time, more often than not these business issues evolve and change over time with it the software solution.  In the situations that things don’t change great tools like Citrix and VMWare come to the rescue.  I think key area’s of concern here is the supportability of these platforms on Windows 8. 

Most enterprises have already addressed the concerns when it comes to access to applications which are required by the remote workforce. Whether it be web based applications or remote desktop access.

4. Very few enterprise software programs have been rewritten to run as Windows 8 apps

This is true, but as above really.  The same answers as point 3 apply here too!

5. Windows 8 is REALLY awkward on older PCs

Ferrari’s are fantastic cars but are totally useless when it comes to doing the school run or daily shopping trip. It comes down to use case. Microsoft have not stipulated that all PC’s need to updated to Windows 8, Windows 8 is designed as a transitional operating system, it has been re-imagined in order to cope with new trend of tough computing, not all business computing lends itself that easily to touch computing i,e. , Spreadsheet Manipulation, document word processing etc , but in the area’s that it does  i.e. Presentations etc. Windows * will be good.  I really don’t seem any mass enterprise roll outs of Windows 8, at least for 5 years, but I do see small pilot projects happening and long periods of co-existence. This is the classic landscape of enterprise computing so nothing really will change!

There's absolutely no reason to upgrade a Windows 7 PC to Windows 8, unless the device’s support touch-screen.  I don’t see this happening anytime soon for desk based computing.  I estimate that this will only come to the fore in another 3-5 years in office environments.

 

6. Many companies have only recently upgraded to Windows 7.

This is true, but where there is a particular use case for Windows 8, companies will introduce it. So mostly in line with point 5!  The costs incurred in performing mass enterprise wide OS migrations are huge, it is understandable that the vast majority of organisations will not be rushing to undergo another one, but to say that they will completely ignore Windows 8 is a fallacy.

Anybody who has worked in I.T. for any period of time realises that there never really is “A Standard Enterprise platform” it is the utopia where one drinks wine from the hold grail, it just doesn’t exist.  If you work your way through any organisation you’ll find  Apple, Unix, Linux and various Microsoft platforms scattered around. Invariably different networks and myriad of different configurations.  Windows 8 will be yet another addition to the scene.

You ask any organisation, what is your standard build, and the answer usually is a “Windows X”, but once you delve a little deeper, you uncover that Graphic design guys use Apple because ……….., HR department are on Windows Z because …….. and so it goes on. BUT the standard build is Windows X.

So will Windows 8 become  the enterprise standard? NO!

Will Windows 8 exist in the enterprise? YES!

7. Corporations will want to wait for bug fixes.

This is true, the old adage in the industry is that we wait for the first service pack to be released before using any Microsoft product as a standard or any real migration plans are considered.  This does not apply to small pilot projects etc. and if Windows 8 helps solve any particular business problem, you can be sure many companies will use it. There will also be a few early adopters and first movers in the market space, which will have particular uses. These will assist in the “bug fixing” of the product. 

8. Companies can "downgrade" to older versions of Windows.

Many still do now! Nothing will change, but again when it comes to particular use cases for the technology it will be purchased.

9. New technologies allow them to run virtual, cloud-based Windows machines.

This is the key point, it basically comes down to interoperability between the operating systems.

In summation, although on the surface the original article seemed to provide some great points, when you drill down into them they weren’t really issues at all, but rather just a load of scare mongering!

I personally believe that Windows 8 will be a great addition to the enterprise IT landscape, and it certainly already has it’s place. I don’t think that Windows 8 is going to be a phenomenally successful Operating System, but it is going in the right direction and I do think it will still have relevance in the Modern Enterprise IT landscape. 

There is certainly a lot of hype in the air the past few weeks, with what seems to be a full blown war  between two long standing adversaries – Apple and Microsoft. The tech media are really stepping into the fray with the continual comparisons between the new Windows Surface RT and Apple iPad.

The tech media, as usual tend to focus on spec by spec break down of the devices, which although useful to know, should always form a key part of your buying criteria.  What should take prime position in your criteria is the particular use case for the technology. I will be writing a detailed blog post next week which addresses this particular theme.

Another key point a lot of the tech media seem to raising, is the issue of Apps. It appears that the media seem to be slightly concerned with difference in number of apps that are available between the different platforms.  Apple are by far the leader in this particular field with a greater number of apps available, and obviously Microsoft are going to be playing catch up.  I for one,  am not to concerned with the lower number of apps available on the windows 8 app store. I really don’t care whether there are 5 or 5000. What I do care about is that there are the correct apps available.

When you break it down, the fact that the Windows Surface RT, will be able to have Outlook installed, this takes care of a number of my business productivity needs in one application.  Mail, Task List, Calendar and Contacts.  I have also have the bastion of all business computing Excel, Word, OneNote etc. For me these are big wins! This already will totally enhance my productivity while on the move, with the ease of use of having a tablet combined with the functionality of a PC, for my particular use cases these are big wins! 

I personally have held off from purchasing an iPad, due to the fact that I could never really find a particular use case for it in my computing needs.  It just always seemed to deliver that essential “You need this” message to me. I admit it definitely shouts the “You want this” message to me, I think they are a really cool gadget, but unfortunately in my opinion that is all it is.  A gadget, one with which you can play games, Surf the web, Watch Movies, Make Movies, and be active in the various social media activities, and they look really cool!

When I've reviewed the particular use cases that I need technology for, Apple I am sad to say, never wins. It's not to say that I'm an Apple-ist, hell no some of my best friends own an Apple, I've even bought my wife an iPhone!, but I couldn't see the value an Apple product would contribute to my circumstance.

To come back to argument of apps, sadly I think even this is a moot point. After reviewing the app's available on the app store, I have to ask the question of how many ToDo list apps does one person need? An overwhelming proportion of the apps appear to be entertainment focused I.e. Games, movies etc. The rest seem to be marketing driven. I don't deny that there are some incredibly useful and well thought out apps, but if we strip out the rest of the noise, what is the actual number of essential business productivity apps available? To me that is the essential question that need answering. You can only get so many laughs out of the fartometer, and I would guess that a presentation at a clients office would not be the place to use it.

Granted the availability of a hotel room booking app, is an essential app, but for the 3 times a year that I need to use it, it's not going to irk me that much if I have to use the legacy concept of a website to book one.
The main point of this post is to drive home the point that, we cannot base your technology purchase on specs and apps, the key things to focus on is use case! Don't let the media sway you into purchasing a piece of technology that you then have to work very hard to fit into your life!

As you might have found out October and November the Microsoft marketing machine is going to overdrive.  Spinning all the virtuosity about Windows 8, Windows Surface and Windows 8 Phone.  These releases are seen  in essence as the make or break releases for Microsoft.  Many people will  be asking whether these releases will now be announcing Microsoft’s arrival into the world of MobileTablet and Multi device computing or will it just slow the inevitable slide into irrelevance?

It has been said many times before that Microsoft has been really late in adapting to the popularity of tablets and touch screen devices.  So in many respects people could not be faulted for thinking that Microsoft are just trying to make a big noise now they have finally got their act together to catch up with an operating system that’s aimed at mobile devices!

If we step back from the hype and analyse what is actually in play here, Windows 8 is not just an upgrade to an operating system, this is an operating system that straddles mobile devices and traditional PCs and notebooks.  It is this inter-connectivity that is the key point. This will enable businesses have one operating system across all devices, which means wherever your people are, whatever they need, they can access it securely and quickly without any compatibility issues. Along with all the same software and services that they currently make use of.

The following is the Top 5 reasons Windows 8 will be an essential for business computing;

uniform operating system

Users will have the same user experience regardless of which device they are using i.e. traditional desktop, Laptop, Tablet or phone. Irrespective whether a touch screen or data input device.

Windows to Go

This is a feature of Windows 8 Enterprise and it means you set up Win 8 to boot up and run entirely from a USB flash drive or an external hard disk. The user works within the uniform environment provided by the IT department and then closes down when finished without leaving any data whatsoever on the used device. This will have a number of security benefits, which we'll probably discuss in detail in other posts on this blog.

Faster Boot times

This will be one the key features delivered by Windows to Go, which will result in a lot less time spent waiting for your windows device to spring into life

Security is baked in

This release of windows is probably going to be Microsoft's most secure software yet. This primarily due that the software has been designed with security at the forefront. Some security features are primarily aimed at consumers, but, even so, they might also prove to be popular with businesses, such as picture password, which, like the Android password lock pattern screen, requires you to connect a set of points in a picture with your finger. This is clearly aimed more at the tablet user, but it can also be used with a mouse on a PC.

One Operating system to support.

I.T. departments will be look to make efficiencies due to the fact that support should be made easier due to the fact that there will once again be One operating system. There will no longer be the need to support Multiple OS's and all the complexities that this introduces.

This release of the software really is make or break time for Microsoft, they can definitely not afford another VISTA like fiasco, the stakes here are just way too high and if Microsoft are looking to survive beyond 2015, then they will definitely have to get there house in order. If Windows 8 Is A Disaster, This Is The Guy To Blame

I'm really excited to announce that we are nearing the end of a significant project here at ThreeNine, one that is dedicated to improving the usability, service and product availability on our website.  These improvements have been directly driven by customer requests.

We have been extremely busy over the last 6 months investing heavily in our infrastructure and improving our supply chain.  The results of this effort will start coming into evidence during the last quarter of this year. The first change that will become evident is a brand new website!  This website will offer very much improved product information, enhanced navigation and a cleaner design.

We will also be embracing “Mobile Commerce” however this phase is currently undergoing intensive testing, and at the moment we feel this is still a little unstable to release.

We have been contacting many of our existing customer base,  in order to gain some feedback on how we as a company can improve our overall service offering.   Although we try our utmost to deliver a high level of customer service to every customer possible, it is at times a matter of unfortunate circumstance that we are not always able to deliver on this promise.  However, this does not deter us from  endeavouring to improve, learning from our mistakes, listening to feedback and ensuring we never repeat the same mistakes.

Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm

We have over the past year of trading experienced a number of occasions when a product has been displayed on our website as being in stock, and customers have purchased the product only to have us having to inform them that the product is not in stock and we promptly refund the money. We know how frustrating this can be, and we certainly don’t want to be the cause of the frustration any longer! We have made a considerable amount of investment to improve not only our inventory  system integration with our website, but we have also made considerable improvements in our supply chain.  We have also enrolled in a number of partnership programs with leading brands such Acer, Samsung, Logitech, Asus, Toshiba, Canon, Sony, Microsoft,  avast!etc. This not only provides us with much improved notification of product stock levels, but also on the bleeding edge of new product announcements.  These partnership programs will also provide us with greater resources to improve not only our pre-sales services,  but also rather more importantly our after-sales services.

We look forward to making more announcements to our progress on these fronts over the next couple of weeks. We assure you we will not be resting on our laurels anytime soon, although these are exciting improvements they are only the tip of the iceberg of what we have planned to deliver in the future. We really appreciate the support of our customers, and look forward to beating there expectations in the future.

The iHome iD9 is an App-friendly, rechargeable, portable speaker system for iPad/iPhone/iPod, enabling you to dock your iOS devices and despite it’s really affordable price it is really cool!

Aesthetic Design

The iHome iD9's body is made of black and silver plastic that looks almost like metal. This does not actually look as tacky as it sounds, so your iOS device will still look pretty cool whilst docked into the station. While were reviewing the product we placed in various locations in the Office and Home, and it seem to blend in pretty well. We mainly used the Black iPad 64GB WiFi only and overall were pretty impressed.

The system weighs 1.5kg and measures 103.1x52.3x327.7mm, so it able to fit comfortably in small corners and does not take up desk or counter space.  It is really simple to use enabling you to simply place your dock-connector-equipped iOS device or iPod in the iD9's cradle and start rocking out, no mucking about!

If I were to pick a word to describe the iD9, it would be Sleek,because well-designed contours and choices of plastics give it a truly wonderful look and feel. The weight of the unit contributes to give it a “solid” feel without ruining the portable nature of the device.  The one downside of this unit is that Its futuristic design feels more like you’ll want to carry it from room to room, from home to work, or perhaps from inside to poolside more than from home to the beach or a muddy festival tent.

Features

Probably the most stand outstanding feature of the iD9 is its built-in rechargeable battery which allows you to take your music just about anywhere – for an impressively long period of time.  In out review testing we managed to get  22 hours of playback on 1 charge, listening to a mix of internet radio, spoken word podcasts and MP3’s. Which probably long enough for any sort of activity in which it could be used. A point to remember is that while the unit is able to charge your iOS device while it is plugged in to the power, it won’t do so when it is disconnected. It may well be possible that the speaker system will out last your iOS device on battery power when in portable mode.

The other key feature of the iD9,  and the recent line of iHome speakers in general is the way they work with iHome’s two iOS apps: iHome+Sleep (free) and iHome+Radio (99¢) .  Using the iD9 with the iHome+Sleep app turns the iD9 into one of the best alarm clocks around,  allowing you to wake up to your favourite songs,  as well as a display of your local weather and other info.  It also makes for a fairly fool proof wake up system, as even in the event of a power outage the iD9′s battery and your iPhone’s built-in clock will ensure you don’t oversleep.  Even if you don’t own an iHome speaker, you should probably go download the iHome+Sleep app as it’s one of the best (and free) alarm clock apps out there .

 

Conclusion

The iD9 is the coolest looking and most versatile iPhone speaker, it is basic and simple, but it will generate nice sound around your home, and it can even provide the battery-powered soundtrack for a small outdoor gathering.  While its audio performance isn't jaw-dropping, it's certainly listenable for small- to mid-sized rooms like the Kitchen and Office Cubicle.  The fact that it's compact and inexpensive for an iPad-compatible docking speaker adds to its appeal.

Its sleek design looks very much like something that might have come out of Apple. The extremely impressive battery life of the iD9 makes it an ideal companion for travel to remote locations, although the beautiful casing is not necessarily designed for rugged outdoor use.  iHome’s strong move into the Alarm clock app space signals a well thought-out break from the company’s traditional “build a clock into everything we make” approach, and the apps work great with the iD9.  Audio-wise, the iD9 lacks high-quality low-end sound, but the audio is consistent to above average and the versatility of the speaker adds value that few comparably priced devices can touch.

It appears that digital signs are becoming common place today, whether to entertain bored shoppers at supermarket checkouts or demonstrate the latest gadgets in home-furnishing stores.

Although shoppers most often see digital signage at big-box retailers like Sainsbury's and Tesco, the technology is becoming more affordable for smaller businesses. Here are four ways small-business owners should use digital signs:

Boost revenue through product advertising: Most small businesses these days are partnered with bigger companies and often resell these bigger companies products. Often the these companies already have product promotion videos for these products and would be all to happy to provide these for you to use. Therefore, it makes sense to place a television set in your reception area and play these videos for your visitors for when they arrive. This usually creates a rounded picture of your business, and provides you with additional opportunity to enhance your sales pipeline.

Create a link among all your digital promotions: installing a 60-inch digital screen on the back wall of your shop provides you with the opportunity to inform your customers about your website and social media presence. This also provides you with the opportunity of informing your customers about other services you offer without the need for trying to bring them into every conversation with them.

Give your business a sleek, modern look:  Many retailers are using digital signage to add a fresh look to their stores, a lower-cost alternative to a complete renovation.

"It’s the whole idea of lighting up the aisle. You can look a lot more professional than you ever did before, and you can change it on the fly," says Bob Phibbs, a small-business consultant known as "The Retail Doctor."

Tell your story for a bargain price:  Kroma Makeup shows videos about the company, its products and celebrity clients, on signs at its boutiques in such tony hotels as the Plaza Hotel in New York, Aulani Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii, and the Grand Floridian Resort in Orlando, Fla. It uses CiscoWebEx -- at a cost of $69 a month -- to create its digital content for custom interactive screens that cost about $2,000 each and can play four different videos. The company says the screens have paid for themselves in additional sales after an average of three to four months.

"At the Plaza, our digital sign was placed at the foot of the escalator to drive traffic to our station and tell our brand story, while the multimillion-dollar companies we were competing against weren’t using them," says company founder Lee Tillette. Kroma’s annual sales of about $500,000 have grown 10 percent a year since 2009, up from 7 to 8 percent before the digital signs were installed in 2009.

Check out our extensive range of televisions and accessories for inspiration and ideas on how to create the perfect digital signage for your business. Three Nine will soon be offering corporate 30 day accounts and lease plans to ease the cash flow burden when making these investments.

In the current economic conditions it is highly likely that organisations will incur a higher than normal rate of staff turnover. There are a number of reasons that motivate staff to leave and with the best will in the world it is difficult to make them stay, but how do you ensure that your company data stays put when they decide to move on? Nearly 60 percent of employees steal company information when they leave or are fired, with 67 percent of them taking it to a new job, according to a study by a privacy and data protection research firm the Ponemon Institute . Yet only 15 percent of respondents' employers performed any sort of review of the digital or paper documents employees were taking.

You, however, should take more protective measures. Well before employees leave, you should have a plan for how you're going to protect the data. That includes extra measures for dreaded scenarios such as the departure of a disgruntled senior manager or IT administrator.

The following is a quick guide list to assist you in preventing data from walking out the door with departing employees:

Know your people and keep them happy

Get to know your employees and determine who may pose more of a risk, whether because they have their fingers on your crown jewels or because they seem unhappy or volatile. Be suspect of new employees who offer to deliver customer lists or other secrets from their previous employer. You could get the same treatment when they move on again.

Cultivate a happy work environment. Content employees tend to be more loyal, while the disgruntled have fewer qualms about taking things. The Ponemon study found that 61 percent of respondents who were negative about their company stole data, while 26 percent with favourable views did so. You should always be focusing your attention on how to retain your best business preformers

Set expectations

Spell out rules of acceptable and unacceptable use of company information and create a culture of confidentiality. When crafting policies, begin by asking yourself: "What is valuable to your organization?"

For example, a jewellery company concerned about its designs might want to prohibit employees from transferring design documents to personal email or Dropbox accounts. To boost compliance, explain the reasons for your rules, emphasizing the company's data-control needs rather than communicating distrust of your workers.

Have employees sign an agreement that affirms their understanding of the rules and the need to keep company secrets confidential. You might consider having employees in particularly sensitive roles sign separate confidentiality and non-compete agreements. Such agreements can set a tone of seriousness that can prevent misbehaviour and strengthen your legal hand in trying to compel a pickpocket to return what he or she took.

Put technology controls in place

Protect your sensitive data with technology controls that limit access. Salespeople, for example, shouldn't have access to design blueprints. Use tools such as Active Directory from Microsoft or more advanced identity-management software available from Microsoft and many others.

You also may want to protect sensitive data itself. Microsoft provides tools for protecting documents with passwords, encrypting files and folders, and designating who may access a file. Also consider WatchDox , which offers higher-end controls for documents on computers and mobile devices (prices vary).   Installing software on laptops and smartphones can allow you to wipe their contents remotely.

Another option is data loss prevention (DLP) technology, which can detect and stop data from slipping through exit points, such as email, instant messaging, thumb drives, file-sharing services, printers and malware.  BeyondTrust offers such a product called PowerBroker DLP that's available to companies of all sizes ($80 per user per year).

Zscaler offers a cloud-based DLP service that can help protect data on your network, in other cloud services and in mobile devices ($1 to $5 per user per month).

Monitor key employees before they depart

If you're in a risky situation with an employee -- you think a salesman is interviewing with a competitor or a top designer has given notice, for instance -- consider tracking that person's digital activities. Software from SpectorSoft, for example, can record everything that occurs on company devices and provide reports about suspect activity, including data uploads and downloads. It starts at $99 for one basic license.

Terminate access quickly

Move fast to cut off departing employees' access to the company network, applications, email accounts and physical files. If such workers used your company Twitter or Facebook pages, change the passwords.   Ask yourself what other cloud-service accounts you might need to secure.  Backupify can help you remove data from Google Apps ($3 per user per month) when employees leave.

People you fire or lay off should be escorted out and watched to make sure they don't take anything that doesn't belong to them, including mobile devices and thumb drives. Review email and other activity during an exit interview or, if you're really concerned, hire a forensic expert to investigate.

Capitalizing on low cost solutions

In the current economic climate, the cost pressures have spurred businesses in every industry to find ways to do "more with less". In addition to pursuing initiatives to minimize operating costs, businesses must also invest in infrastructure that delivers a tangible return on investment and supports future growth. Organizations of all sizes need to significantly cut costs by automating core business processes, enabling faster, more productive communication and collaboration across lines of business, and gaining real-time insight into operations. They also need to accelerate their system integration and application development projects so that they can extract more value from existing resources and quickly roll out new applications to address key business issues.

Inefficient Processes

In the current business environment, we cannot be successful by running inefficient processes that are associated with high manual labor costs. Companies need to have a robust and scalable business model with a strong focus on reducing labor costs. Process automation is one of the most effective methods for increasing efficiency, because it eliminates the need for manual data processing. This boosts productivity across the organization and reduces potentially costly errors associated with double entry and process duplication. And, by freeing up employees to focus on information synthesis and analysis rather than data entry tasks, businesses can dramatically improve the quality of their output even as they increase production capacity. This also enables getting increased visibility into those processes to track efficiency across both human and system workflows. This then provides consolidated data that can be used to quickly assess performance across departments, business units and locations.

Inconsistent Information

Most enterprise customers today have many disparate systems, each with its own proprietary formats, messages and schemas. Information in these systems can be highly inconsistent. For example, you may receive an order through your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) solution but your ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system may not know about it in real-time and this causes inconsistency in the information. This may lead to companies selling more than they can deliver in time. This can result in high inventory levels, cutting down the profits margins. By using integration solutions to link legacy applications with their core infrastructure components, companies can avoid costly "rip and replace" projects while simplifying access to critical data. This helps companies strategically allocate IT resources to support revenue-generating initiatives and dramatically reduce outlays in time and money required for IT system overhaul projects. In addition, by integrating legacy applications, companies can improve connectivity and throughput in their business operations while maintaining data consistency.

Lack of Business Agility

Business environments change every day. In recent years we've seen many large economies tank, leading to a swath of mergers and acquisitions. Many others had to cut costs by laying-off staff and some changed their business priorities and/or business models. New industry standards are being introduced, new compliance requirements are being pushed by government, and new technologies are being introduced every year. Businesses need to be agile to respond to these changing requirements. To be able to survive, companies need to gain a competitive edge through increased agility.

Most Small and Medium sized businesses (SMB) are hesitant about allowing there in house servers to plugged into the internet for two main reasons;

• The fear of exposing their company data to outside attacks from malicious individuals and malware.
• The fear of employees abusing their internet access by allowing access to: games, porn, chats, videos, and even social networking sites.

However there is one vital component that can easily help improve their overall security strategy against such concerns. A firewall.

A firewall can block unauthorized access to certain Internet services from inside your organization as well as prevent unauthenticated access from the outside. It is also used to monitor users’ activities while they were online.

In an enterprise setting, one may expect a collection of firewalls either for providing layered protection or segmenting off different units in the organization. Some areas only need a standard line of defense while others require more restrictions. As such, certain firewalls may have different configurations compared to others.

Naturally, the more intricate an organization’s defence requirements get, the more complex the task of monitoring, testing and configuring the firewalls becomes.

The following top 5 tips will help you to implement a comprehensive firewall strategy for your organisation;

• Evaluate your network as well as the security requirements of each department under your organization to determine which firewall architecture is most suitable.
• Establish at which point of your network architecture is the best place for your firewall should be positioned.
• Liaise with your key personnel to make sure all firewall configurations are set and optimized with your business rules in mind.
• If a large number of firewalls are required, set up a firewall configuration management system.
• Regularly test and assess your firewalls to ensure they are in line with the organization’s security policies.

In order to totally defend your organisation against sophisticated viruses, you need to incorporate anti-virus scanning within your security architecture. Three Nine offer a wide range of hardware and software firewalls , we are also able to provide consultancy services to help you to establish which products may be better suited to your needs.

The modern business environment is constantly evolving.  Many organizations now take the view that in order to not only survive but also an attempt to out maneuver  the effects of competitive forces it is essential to be early adopters of new technology.

Everyday the number of tools with which employees and customers communicate is growing, as are the number of places in which corporate content can be stored. In a typical organization of information workers there are a plethora of tools in use;

• Traditional computing platforms like desktop computers, laptops and netbooks.
• Corporate emails systems using local clients, such as Outlook; corporate email systems using web-based access, such as Outlook Web Access; and personal Webmail systems.
• Unified communications systems
• Corporate instant messaging and Web conferencing systems, such as Microsoft Office Communicator; and instant messaging systems, such as MSN Messenger.
• Dedicated social media tools, such as IBM Connections and Jive; and "public" systems, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
• File transfer systems in the cloud, such as Box.net and YouSendIt.
• Removable content storage and transfer devices like flash drives, CDs/DVDs external hard drives.
• Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
• Content synchronization services, such as Dropbox.
• Content backup services like Backblaze and Mozy.
• Content archiving services.
• Voice-over-IP services, such as Skype.

One of the side effects  of the constant rate of change and level of integration required is that all too often the securitization of IT systems is most often overlooked or only given secondary concern.  In cases where security has been considered it has proven to be woefully inadequate.

In many cases especially where cloud services are concerned it is often assumed that the service vendors security will provide adequate protection. However, like everything else in business this tends to follow the Pareto’s principle, in that in 80% of cases this may prove to be adequate BUT,  there is a 20% chance of a vulnerability being exposed and in today’s day and age these stakes are still way too high.

Consider these examples;

• On June 19, 2011, Dropbox updated its code and inadvertently allowed access to every Dropbox account for about four hours before resolving the problem.  During that time, a hacker was able to download Dropbox customer data from a number of accounts.
• In late 2010, a configuration error allowed Microsoft BPOS customers to download address
  book information for other BPOS customers for about two hours

If these factors were not enough to worry about, there are also the user based errors that prove to be ever more on the increase;

• The Social Security numbers for 20,000 employees of Swedish Medical Center in Washington State were made accessible on the Internet for nine weeks during April 2011.
• It was revealed in May 2011 that an employee of San Juan Unified School District in central California stored confidential employee information on a flash drive. When the employee used that drive for volunteer work at her church, the confidential information was uploaded to a Web site where it was freely available for about six month.
• In 2009, an employee of Rocky Mountain Bank mistakenly sent sensitive information to the wrong Gmail address and included a confidential attachment that never should have been sent. Because the unintended recipient never responded to the sender, the bank sued Google to determine the identity of the recipient.
• Hundreds of thousands of devices – including smartphones, tablet computers, laptops and usb keys – are left behind at airports, in taxi's, in restaurants, and in other locations each year.

Most corporate data is not encrypted

The commonality in all these cases is that the corporate data involved in these incidents was never stored in an encrypted state.

the majority of emails, files and other corporate content are not sent or stored with any sort of encryption, they can be easily intercepted and accessed by unauthorized parties, or they can be accidentally leaked in any number of ways.  It is this oversight that enables the high occurrence of security breaches.

Many of the information systems developed internally and externally for enterprises throughout the world are developed without any form of encryption at the data storage level, and much of the security is dependent on application access roles and privileges. The result is that almost 80% of corporate data worldwide is comprisable!

If you would like further information on how to ensure your corporate data is among the 20% of secure organizations, contact Three Nine. You’ll be able to sleep easier at  night safe in knowledge that we are working hard to ensure that your data stays firmly in your hands!

The easiest way for an external threat to get to your private data is through your network. The easiest way to eliminate that threat? Get your data out of the network! But seriously we know you wouldn't want to do that. We also know that employing over zealous security could bring your internal network to a crawl.

The following is a top 5 points worth considering when reviewing your network security;

• Review your policies and processes for weaknesses – Often security issues have very little to do with the network. Security loop holes can be found in business as usual practices
• Protection for your applications and infrastructure – There is often a disconnect between applications and infrastructure i.e. Applications may not necessarily bw making use of a central directory of users, requiring users to write down usernames and passwords for a myriad of different systems and elaving this details lying around on the desk for everyone to see
• Identify business and mission critical applications – These should be given priority in your network to ensure bandwidth allocation is optimized.
• Preform regular network audits - Without proper network auditing, an organization will very likely face a series of seemingly small problems that will quickly become large and unmanageable.
• vulnerability monitoring - You should continuously monitor your networks and systems for known vulnerabilities, the importance of wrapping context around vulnerabilities – the “who, where, when and why” of how vulnerabilities become exposed and what the actual risks are they pose to the environment

Three Nine provide a range of services and products to assist you in successfully reviewing your network security.

After a recent intelligence note from the iC3 there is a going trend of malware being installed on travellers' laptop through software updates on hotel internet connections.  This has caused quite a stir amongst frequent business travellers to China.  It has to be remembered though that this kind of threat is not unique to China, this kind of threat is a global one.  Industrial espionage is on the increase, with economic uncertainty being the new certainty some companies will stop at nothing in order to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals, or being first to market.  This is set to become even more prominent over time.

With this in mind Three Nine present you with 5 tips on how to mitigate the risk of your commercially sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands:

• Always try stay in hotels that would be preferred by the locals of the country. For Instance don't use hotel chains that are leaders in your specific country.
• When making a booking at the hotel, don't make it under your company name. Always make the booking under a private name.
• Take a sterile laptop from the oldest part of your inventory, and be sure to scrub it when you return.
• Use only the skype client that you take with you. Ensure that it is the most up to date version before you depart.
• Never update any software when connected to any hotel wifi hotspot
• Take all necessary software, including your VPN client on a thumbdrive.
• Leave all your files at home and use them via your VPN.
• Ensure you have a strong anti virus and firewall software installed.
• Ensure that you make use of disk encryption software on all your devices.
• Never leave your device unattended whilst logged into your VPN

Related stories

• FBI warns globe trotters about malware lurking in hotel room connections
• FBI warns business travellers of hotel Wi-Fi malware scam

The IT landscape of today’s enterprise has changed to include extensive use of mobile devices in order for team members to exchange information, collaborate, and carry out business whenever and wherever they need to.  BlackBerries, iPhones, Google Phones, and other smartphones as well as Pocket PCs, PDAs  and Tablet devices such as the Apple iPad are now allowed wireless remote access to the enterprise network.

As a result, they introduce additional vulnerabilities into the system.
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• Bluetooth exploits and unencrypted passwords can allow malicious individuals to gain access to private information.
• Various wireless technologies that have substantially simplified the task of transferring data have provided openings for malicious code. In addition, the diversity of these wireless technologies combined with the constrained environments of these devices have made it difficult to come up with an all-in-one solution.
• All Pocket PCs, PDAs, Tablets and smartphones can be synchronized with desktop PCs and laptops, giving malware an entry point into computers and networks. Memory cards are guilty of this too.
• VoIP, which are usually unencrypted, allow other people to perform unauthorized capture and recording of private conversations.

[/list]
Mobile security is still an emerging discipline. Because of this, many organizations that allow members’ mobile phone access into the network don’t actually have a specific security policy for such devices.  The worrying trend is that there has been over 250% increase in the mobile space from malware to viruses.

Three Nine are  here to help. We’ll conduct a thorough evaluation of your security policies and systems in relation to mobile devices and seal gaps we spot along the way. If you don’t have the needed policies or if what you have needs an overhaul, we’ll set everything up (including the needed applications and infrastructure) for you.

Once we’ve got everything in place, you won’t have to worry about the vulnerabilities mentioned earlier. In addition to that, your organization will already be capable of preventing the following:
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• Access to company information when the phone ends up in the hands of anyone other than the authorized user.
• Being billed for phone usage due to virus activity
• Unauthorized phone activity monitoring through spyware
• Other disruptions caused by mobile-based malware

[/list]
If you’re keen to get started with addressing some of your own mobile security needs we recommend avast! free mobile security for your android phones. Using avast! free mobile secuirty in conjunction with avast! Business Protection Plus will make an excellent start on the way to securing your business!

With 2011 being probably one of the worst years for security incidents with companies like SONY, RSA, Lockheed Martin, Epsilon,  FOX, NASA, ESAall reporting significant breaches. The financial cost of all these breaches totalled together amounts to a bail out package for a small country in eastern Europe. This is money no organisation can afford to lose especially small and medium sized businesses

With the financial turmoil set to continue for most of the foreseeable future, it is a sure fire bet that criminal activity is set to increase. It is therefore essential that companies really take this threat seriously.

Sadly IT security -  like life insurance and house insurance -  is often seen as an unnecessary expense and it’s true value is only realised after a catastrophic event when it’s too late. Not taking action on enhancing your businesses security measures plays right into the hands of the attackers.

The easiest way for an external threat to get to your private data is through your network.  The obvious solution to that problem is to get the data out of your network. Of course, we know you wouldn’t want to do that. We also know that while you may want to sniff every packet for anything suspicious, you wouldn’t want your network to crawl either. You should enhance your system security to protect your business from potential virus attacks and hacking. This should include anti-virus software and a firewall or software barrier.

So what can you do to enhance your networks security without placing a burden on your organisations productivity?

• Review of your policies and processes for weaknesses–  Three Nine are able to provide services enabling us to detect any loopholes and provide any recommendations wherever necessary.
• Protect for your applications and infrastructure–  Three Nine are familiar with both software and hardware-based protection systems, we can recommend which type is best suited for your setup. Three Nine recommend avast! Business Protection
• Automated identification of business and mission critical applications– They’ll be given priority in your network to ensure bandwidth allocation is optimized.
• Automated network audits and vulnerability management– Tired of getting prompted by pesky vulnerability notices and don’t know what to do with them? Well, that’s why we’re here.
• Regular security reports that contain only relevant and accurate data – Three Nine provide service enabling you to customise these reports for your organisation

We are currently in the process of upgrading our website, normal service should resume 08/05/12.

Over the past few months we have experienced a large number of attempted hack attacks and a high volume of attempted fraudulent transactions. We have therefore taken steps to further improve the security of this website, and also realign our business strategy. We would like to thank our customers for there support over the past few months, and also thank them for there patience as we work hard and preparing the new improved threenine.co.uk.

 

Computer crime is an unfortunate artifact of today’s wired and global society, as individuals involved in criminal behavior have embraced technology as a method for improving or extending their criminal tradecraft. When traveling for business, your technology, be it your laptop, tablet or smartphone, is the most vulnerable to opportunist or targetted theft attack.

Your business technology devices may contain all of your vital presentations, documents and other important files for your everyday working experience. These devices may also contain sensitive company or customer details that without proper care while on the go, can easily fall into the wrong hands. Below are a few simple yet important things to consider when traveling with your laptop, Tablet or Smart Phone.

Strong Antivirus Software

Malicious software and files can easily find their way onto your computer and gain access to all of your most important documents. They can destroy your data and cause severe consequences. Having a strong antivirus application running on your computer provides the protection you need against viruses, worms, Trojans and other dangerous threats.

Look for software that offers full antivirus protection along with spyware and firewall protection. Applications that allow you to schedule specific times to run scans are also ideal for business laptops since you can choose a time for the scan to run when you are not on the computer and when the scan will not slow down your workflow.

Use Strong Passwords

One of the easiest ways you can protect the information stored on your computer is to use strong passwords. Use passwords with several letters and numbers and do not use any type of common name. Be creative with your passwords and make them unique, but above all else they must be memorable. Try a schema which involves a memorable phase but be creative with your casing and special character usage i.e. !t'5@P455wOrdDuMm9, should provide enough complexity for even the most advanced password cracker to overcome.

Place passwords on all important files and documents that you do not want any individual to view. Making use of the inbuilt password lockers that come with most Microsoft Office Products acts can act as enough of a deterrent. It always a good idea to place really sensitive documents into an encrypted folder, or stored onto a device such as an Iron Key, and keep the devices separate while in transit. Ensuring that if the inevitable happens that you only lose one not the whole lot, and you can be rest assured that whoever has liberated your device will not be able to gain access to the data without spending a considerable effort. This also provides a time barrier to employ contingency operations to mitigate the risk of the data leaking.

When waiting in airports, attending large conferences or in large groups of people, it is also important to create a strong password for your main user account. Even if you are the only individual who uses the laptop, placing a password on your account will slow down thieves and other individuals who may be trying to gather information from your computer.

It is also worth investing in disk encryption software such as safeboot etc. to ensure there are enough boundaries in place to deter any potential criminal. In most cases criminals are usually lazy opportunist individuals who would not persevere after the fist hurdle. On the rare occasion that you may become a victim of a targeted attack it is worth investing in a defence in depth approach.

Get a Quality Bag or Backpack

A few hard bumps or falls can cause serious damage to the exterior and hardware on your laptop. Even though you may take special care of your business laptop, accidents do happen. When you are always on the go, it becomes almost impossible to avoid a few minor bumps along the way. Find a high-quality bag to store your laptop and all of your computer's accessories. There is a variety of durable laptop carrying cases that offer waterproof protection and an extensive amount of padding.

Many individuals do not like laptop cases because they are a giveaway that you are carrying something of high value. One solution is a laptop backpack. These backpacks look just like your average backpack but have the same type of protection features that a computer carrying case has. These bags also offer an excessive amount of padding to protect against those unwanted traveling bumps, and they provide waterproof protection.

In addition, do not use bags that have brand names displayed on the front. The name of the bag can easily give away its contents. If your bag has a designer name on the front, rip it off or use a different bag.

Be Smart With Your Accessories

You may think that your charger, cords, memory cards and any other small accessories are not a target for thieves, but that is not necessarily true. These items can still be worth a considerable amount of money, so it is imperative that you offer the same protection for them that you do for your laptop. If you have memory cards, flash drives or a portable external hard drive, keep them somewhere different from your laptop. If your laptop is taken, all of your data and personal files go with it. If you place these computing accessories in a different location, you still have data stored that you can recover.

Keep Your Laptop Close By at All Times

Keeping your laptop in your sight at all times may seem like an obvious suggestion. However, if you take your eyes off your laptop for even a moment, it can disappear quickly. Do not check your laptop in as luggage on an airplane. You not only face the possibility of it getting lost, but it also puts your computer out in the open for any individual to take.

When staying in a hotel room, do not leave your laptop somewhere visible when you leave. If there is no locked safe or other secure storage area in your hotel room, hide your computer. Put it between mattresses or behind a couch. Never leave it out in the open. If so, you may come back to a compromised laptop installed with a keyloggers, trojans or other stealth snooping applications.