Your business network is crucial, just think where you would be without your company intranet or the ability to share data with your colleagues. If your company has multiple branches and your work depends on sharing data between sites then considering your networking options is especially important.  Here we will examine two of the best networking solutions; VPN and MPLS, comparing them and listing their pros and cons to allow you to make informed decisions about the future of your business networking.

MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching)

A system linking all your business sites into one private data network managed by a central provider. By linking in this way you create a WAN (Wide Area Network) but MPLS differs from a traditional WAN in several ways. Implementing an MPLS involves setting up a path for the transfer of data packets, each of which is identified by a label. This makes data transfer faster than with a traditional WAN as the label is used to identify the destination, rather than relying on a router to look up the receiving address.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

A network which uses the internet to connect nodes and provide access to your business network. Security protocols encrypt data before it is sent and decrypt it at the other end ensuring that, although data is sent using public networks, it is completely secure.  Through a VPN a company can share data and access network resources, printers, databases, websites and anything normally accessed through a server. A VPN can be used to support remote access to a company intranet, or to connect multiple intranets between the same organisation. VPNs can also join networks between two organisations, providing an extranet. We use Draytek routers to create VPNs, find out more about which routers we recommend here.

For more information and advice on choosing the best networking solution for your business contact us at sales AT flint-it DOT com or call 0845 3309680.

Managed IT support for small and medium companies in Aylesbury, Stevenage, Biggleswade and Hemel Hempstead.

The final post in this online backup series reviews Soonr, an online backup program which we use at Flint IT, and which we support and manage for many of our customers. If after reading this series of posts you are unsure of why you should invest in online backup, or want help choosing a solution which is appropriate for the needs of your business then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

SOONR: http://www.soonr.com/ 

• PRICE: Soonr offers you a free 30-day trial. The Premium package is 9.95€ per month and allows you to have 3 members, 25GB of online storage, 6 months file versioning and 2 connection seats. The Pro package is 29.95€ per month and gives you 5 members, 100GB, 6months file versioning and 20 connection seats as well as the option to customise your account with your own brand. Alternatively you can customise a package around your needs which starts from 29.95€ per month.     
• FLEXIBILITY:  Soonr supports iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets and the unique rendering technology makes it easy to view large files and documents on your mobile device without downloading. Soonr also allows you to receive real-time notifications and updates to your phone or mobile device so you can stay up to date whilst out of the office.
• FEATURES: The heart of Soonr is its dashboard which lets you see all your on-going projects, and lists any changes to your documents so you can see exactly what has been edited and by who. The central interface allows you to control your teams; group them and enable or disable permissions from one place, and you can do this while away from the office on your phone or mobile device. Soonr creates its own folder on your desktop which stores files locally to allow you to view and work on them whilst offline. Every time you go online your file is synced across all of your devices and all team members will be notified of any changes. Soonr’s Premium and Pro accounts backup and save previous versions of your work so you can always find what you need even if you accidentally delete something or are attacked by a virus. Soonr lets you integrate with services such as eFax and printing so you can use and share your files however you want.  
• SECURITY: All your data is encrypted with a 256-bit Secure Socket Layer and Verisign authentication ensures that you can only access your data with your unique log in credentials. In addition all your emailed files are virus checked to prevent any risk of infection reaching your computer and mobile devices. Any member or guest accounts are created and controlled by you, you alone have the control over who can share and edit your files.  

The penultimate review in our online backup series summarises the features of Windows’ answer to online backup. If you are someone who has used and trusted Windows for many years, and who prefers to stick with big name brands, then this backup program is a good one. It is free, works across a variety of platforms and devices and offers a plethora of features.

WINDOWS LIVE MESH: http://explore.live.com/windows-live-mesh

• PRICE: Free
• FLEXIBILITY: Works with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2008 and Mac OS X version 10.5 or later
• FEATURES: If you have two or more computers with Windows Live Mesh installed you can sync your files between them; sync up to 200 folders of up to 50GB containing up to 100,000 files. All data is synchronised and saved on each computer so you can work on documents whilst offline. You can also sync program settings between your computers, transferring favourites, styles, templates, email signatures and more; from the original sync onwards any settings you change on one computer will be synchronised onto the others. Sync selected folders onto your Windows Live SkyDrive so you can access and work on them from anywhere. Windows Live Mesh has a remote connections feature so you can work on your computer from a computer in another location; to do this you have to allow remote connections to your computer in Windows Live Mesh.
• SECURITY: Transfers are encrypted with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols. All remote connections are encrypted using SSL.

As you will have realised, Windows Live Mesh is not really a backup service at all but more of an online synchronisation application. Windows Live SkyDrive is the program which provides online backup and so I will summarise this separately below. Installing both these programs together will give you both secure online backup and synchronisation across all your devices.

WINDOWS LIVE SKYDRIVE: http://explore.live.com/windows-live-skydrive

• PRICE: SkyDrive is free and claims to give you enough space to store thousands of documents and photos
• FLEXIBILITY: Works with Windows 7, Vista, Server 2008 and Mac OS X version 10.5 or later, and with Windows Mobile
• FEATURES: Access and edit your documents online from wherever you are with a mobile phone or web browser. You can share documents, allowing others to work on them online with their changes synchronised across all your devices. Upload your photos and videos and share them online by emailing or posting a link to your photos on social networking sites. If you’re using Internet Explorer 9 you can pin SkyDrive to your Windows 7 taskbar. This program allows you to create Microsoft Office documents even if you don’t have office on your computer using Office Web Apps within SkyDrive, allowing you to work online with others in real time in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and One Note. SkyDrive saves previous versions of your documents allowing you to return to an earlier version if necessary. Upload pictures from your Windows mobile to your online space to save and share
• SECURITY: Permission controls allow you to share your files and documents with specific people and set limits on who can view, edit or delete them

If you are a small business in Buckinghamshire and want help moving to the cloud contact Flint IT now

If you have been reading through  our online backup series and wondering why all the programs are American, this one could be for you! Carbonite offers you prices in Great British Pounds, so you can breath a sigh of relief and put away your fancy currency-converting calculator. Once you have read our review, why not visit the Carbonite website? There you can see a Gadget Show video explaining the merits of online backup as opposed to more traditional backup solutions, and read stories and customer reviews.

CARBONITE: http://www.carbonite.co.uk/

• PRICE: Get one year of unlimited backup for £41.95, two years for £75.95 and three years for £101.95. If you’re not sure give the 15-day free trial a go first
• FLEXIBILITY: Access your files online from your iPhone or Blackberry. The website specifies that you must have one subscription per computer so if you wanted to backup from a PC and a laptop you would have to pay twice. Carbonite doesn’t offer any synchronisation between devices; it is simply a way to backup data from your computer to an online data centre
• FEATURES: your files are encrypted, copied and backed up meaning that all your data is kept safe in the event of a computer failure or theft, flood or fire. The downloaded backup software continually watches for new files or changes to existing ones, updating your backup whenever it sees a change. A highly encrypted copy of your document gets put into your online Carbonite folder, ready for you to access if the original becomes damaged or lost. Each file and folder is backed up in near real-time so your data is almost instantly protected. If your original files are lost or damaged you can restore from the online backups through Carbonite’s restore manager system which they claim is simple and easy to use, allowing you to restore your lost data in a few clicks
• SECURITY: Your data is encrypted with128-bit encryption; the same technology used by banks for online transactions, making the security of your data more reliable than it would be on your own hard drive. Carbonite allows you to create your own encryption password to guarantee that no one else can access your data

Talk to us about Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems for small businesses in Milton Keynes, Harpenden or St. Albans

The third backup solution in our series is Box.net which offers simple and secure data storage and information sharing. If this review convinces you that Box.net might be the kind of backup program you are looking for, then we would recommend visiting the Box.net website which has a demo video to show you exactly how the program works and all the features it offers.

BOX.NET: http://box.net/

• PRICE: A personal account is free, giving you up to 50GB of space with a file size limit of 25MB – 1GB. Box.net also offers a business account for $15/user/month which can be accessed by between 3 and 500 users to store files of up to 2GB in 500GB of online storage space. There is also a free 14-day business account trial. If your requirements are even bigger you can opt for an enterprise account which offers you unlimited space for unlimited users to store files of up to 2GB. You need to directly contact Box.net for enterprise account pricing.
• FLEXIBILITY: View, edit and sync your files on iPad, iPhone, Android phone and tablet, Touchpad, Blackberry, Playbook or any other smart phone. Integrate your Box with Google Apps, Salesforce CRM, NetSuite, Jive, ECM Cloud Connect and APIs for custom integrations.
• FEATURES: Manage and access all your content online, tagging files to organise and find them quickly and file sharing securely with your friends and colleagues. Turn any folder into shared online workspace by inviting people to view, edit or upload files. Post comments and start discussions around your files and folders, or assign and manage tasks around a file. Sync files between all your devices or view them instantly online without having to wait for downloads. Find the files you want quickly with the Box.net file search feature. Apply your company brand to content you share with external partners or customers
• SECURITY: Apply permissions and manage users individually or by group with the user management console. Box.net offers file encryption at rest and in transit for business and enterprise users, with AD/LDAP integration, administrative auditing and other controls.

Flint IT can provide your business with the cloud computing support you need

Today is the first in a series of reviews presenting to you the positives and negatives of a variety of online backup programs. All the information in these blogs can be found on the websites of these programs, but to save you the hassle of having to compare each one we have done it for you! Over the next few weeks we will share with you all the information you need to know to decide which program could be best for your business or personal data. Today we review Dropbox.

DROPBOX: http://www.dropbox.com/

• PRICE: A free basic account gives you up to 2GB of space which you can use for as long as you want, or if you require more than this you can register with one of the two paid accounts at $9.99/month for 50GB or $19.99/month for 100GB of storage. For even more space why not get a team account which gives you the option of saving 350+ GB as well as taking advantage of centralised admin and billing
•  FLEXIBILITY: You can register one or all of your computers and mobile devices, meaning that whenever you save something to your Dropbox file it automatically gets saved to all your devices. Dropbox will sync across Linux, Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry operating systems
• FEATURES: Because files are saved to your individual device you can work while offline. If you do accidentally delete a file or your device is damaged then everything is still safe on all your other devices and in your secure file online. You can also create shared folders and invite your family and friends to login and share photos, videos, music and documents as soon as you save them. Dropbox keeps a one-month history of all your files; if you edit or delete a file and then change your mind you can go back as far as a month and find the data you need
• SECURITY: Dropbox has a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and AES-256 bit encryption

Flint IT can provide the backup software you need to keep your business running no matter what.

Most of us think of backup as “one of those things that’s a good idea for other people but a lot of effort for me, after all I would never be so careless as to let anything happen to my laptop”. Unfortunately no matter how careful you are with your computer and mobile devices things still happen which are outside of your control. If you’ve ever lost a computer you’ll know how important backup is – all it takes is one virus, one accident or one moment of carelessness and all your documents, pictures and music are gone for good.

Because computer companies know this there are now a multitude of ways in which you can store your most precious data online in a secure place, accessible anytime from any device. We are going to give you a short summary of 7 of the most commonly used programs

• Dropbox
• SugarSync
• Box.net
• Carbonite
• Mozy
• Windows Live Mesh
• Soonr

Look out for our Dropbox review later in the week, following up with 6 more in posts to come.

Tablet computers seem set to take over the world but do they go beyond the sleek, light-weight wow factor to a tool that can be useful in business? Clearly their ability to perform well in the field of business will vary depending on the make of tablet; an iPad 2 will differ from an Android tablet for example. However, there are many similarities between the different types of tablet available.

REMOTE CONNECTION: There are various apps for the iPad which allow you to stay in touch with your office computer. Desktop Connect for example lets you connect to and administer Windows servers that support Remote Desktop Connection technology. The app is designed to work with Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista and Windows 7. This app allows administrators to set and change passwords, create or disable users, review logs, restart services and more – all protected with 128-bit encryption and all controlled from your iPad wherever you are.

For Android tablets there is remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) which is used by apps such as Remote RDP Lite and Wyse PocketCloud. PocketCloud is easy to set up – you just put in your computer’s IP address, user name and password and connect straight to your work computer. However you can only save one connection at once whereas Remote RDP Lite lets you save as many connections as you like. Both these apps are free for the basic versions, with options to upgrade to a paid app with more features.

DOCUMENTS: Most tablet computers have apps such as Google Docs or iWork which allow you to create and edit Word documents, Excel spread sheets and PowerPoint presentations just as you would with Microsoft Office on your PC. In the majority of models remote access to your PC will allow you to access pre-created documents which you have made previously.

If you use an online backup program such as Dropbox or Mozy you can save files simultaneously to your PC and mobile device, or alternatively you can access your files online from your mobile device. For more information about online backup look out for upcoming posts.

PRESENTATIONS: Tablet computers really come into their own where presentations are concerned as they wake from sleep mode more quickly than a laptop allowing you to show a presentation at very short notice, and the portability aspect means presenting on the move is viable. The large, LED-backlit display and ability to connect to a projector or TV via the HDMI port means your presentations look good whether shown to a small group on the tablet screen or to a larger group on a projector or TV screen. With the iPad 2 you can access presentations made with PowerPoint on your PC or export them from your iPad as Keynote, PowerPoint or PDF files.

EMAIL: Access your email the same way you would on your PC, but with a bigger and more portable screen to view and use attachments. You can also keep track of your calendar and save and schedule tasks. Apps such as WebEx and Fuze Meeting allow you to video chat and set up virtual conferencing from wherever you are using Wi-Fi or a built-in 3G connection.

NOTES: Various note-taking apps allow you to record your notes whether you want to type, hand write or dictate them. Tablets also make it easy to share notes and ideas and brainstorm with professional looking sketches, PDF mark-up and whiteboard apps.

PRINT/SCAN: With android tablets you can add the Google Cloud Print App which allows you to print from your tablet to any printer which is connected to a PC, whilst other apps allow you to use the camera on your tablet as a scanner and save scanned files as JPGs or PDFs. The PrintCentral or Print n Share apps will allow you to do the same thing from an iPad 2.

CONTACTS: Store contact information like photos, contact details, follow up reminders, notes on past conversations and call dates and manage your customer relationships with mobile access to your CRM database.

BUSINESS ANALYSIS: Most tablet computers have apps which allow you to use financial calculators, exchange rate calculators, online banking and stock tracking. The iPad 2 uses an app called MicroStrategy Mobile to view, analyse, manipulate and share business data; allowing you to monitor key performance indicators and make real-time adjustments. This app also allows you to transform data from Excel, Google Docs and Salesforce.com into visual reports which are easy to share and analyse.

TRAVEL: The tablet computer is built to be portable and the wide range of travel apps reflects this. If you travel a lot for work you will probably make good use of apps to see airline guides, expenses tracker, translators, driving directions and tracking billable hours. The battery life promises to be longer than that of a laptop – 10 hours for an iPad 2 and about 8 for the best Android – so portability does not need to be compromised by charging time.

For reviews of the best apps for business see http://tinyurl.com/2vqqvv9 for the iPad or http://tinyurl.com/3ggfg4t for Android tablet computers.

If you have any questions, require more details or need help setting up your tablet computer for business contact Flint IT at sales AT flint-it DOT com or call 0845 3309680.   

Let Flint IT be your in-house IT solution without the high costs.

Having your mobile devices stolen can be a disaster. It could reduce your business continuity by cutting remote working or mean important business information getting into the wrong hands. Depending on your password settings it could even mean that the thief could have access to your emails.

Getting a new phone or mobile device is expensive and annoying but is a small cost compared to the security risks you and your business could face if important or confidential data goes missing with your device.

Fortunately there are steps you can take to help recover a stolen device, and make sure that your business data stays safe.

If you are working on an iPhone or iPad it’s a good idea to register your devices with Mobile Me at http://tinyurl.com/352fdsr which will enable you to setup and use ‘Find My iPhone’ or ‘Find My iPad’. Once your devices are registered you can sign in to mobileme.com at any time and take advantage of the following services:

• Tracking and geographical location finder so you always know where your device is
• Display a message on the screen to help anyone who finds your device locate you and return it
• Play a sound which will override any silence or volume settings to help you locate your device if you lose it at home or in the office
• Set a four-digit passcode lock remotely to stop strangers from accessing any personal information
• Remote wipe to restore your device to its factory settings and prevent anyone getting hold of confidential information. If the device is found or returned you can connect it to iTunes and restore all data from your most recent backup

If you are working with Android phones or tablets there are often similar programs or applications you can set up. For example HTC Sense for HTC’s range of smartphones gives you similar options to Mobile Me. If your phone is lost or stolen you can track it on a map, make it ring loudly, lock or wipe its sensitive data. See http://www.htc.com/uk/htcsense/ for more information, or for other android devices have a look at the manufacturer’s website.

The key thing to remember with programs such as HTC Sense and Mobile Me is that you can only access these features if you have registered your phone and turned on the necessary settings beforehand. It doesn’t take long to visit the websites and register your devices, so why not do it today just in case your mobile devices ever do go missing.

Providing IT support in Leighton Buzzard, Borehamwood, Bedford, Amersham, Great Barford and the surrounding areas.