On the evening of Thursday 23rd January, we launched the new Blaze back up and disaster recovery solution. Unveiled at The Brigade on Tooley Street in London Bridge, the new Blaze solution can recover all your data and systems within minutes of an IT failure. This could be a fire, flood, a server crash or something as simple as accidently deleting an important file.
Security remains a hot topic in the IT world with 2013 seeing more than enough high-profile data breaches to test any user’s comfort zone.
After seeing companies as big as Facebook and Apple fall victim to hackers, it’s easy to forgive internet browsers for feeling a little uneasy. And still the search goes on for an effective way to combat the threats.
One technology being adopted by a growing number of websites and applications is two-factor authentication. So what is it and how does it work?
BT and Alcatel-Lucent have successfully completed tests of the fastest real-world broadband speeds ever recorded.
According to the BBC, speeds of 1.4 terabits per second (TB/s) were achieved over a 255-mile link between BT Tower and Ipswich. The blisteringly fast connection would have been able to send 44 uncompressed Full HD films in just one second.
The real breakthrough was not the speeds that were achieved but the fact that test was conducted over existing infrastructure and in a real-world scenario.
While similar speeds have been seen in lab conditions using laser technologies, these tests proved that existing infrastructure was capable of handling increased data loads. For service providers, this means that next generation speeds can be achieved without costly upgrades.
[themecolor]Demand for bandwidth increases 35% year on year[/themecolor]
“It allows them to increase their capacity without having to spend much more money,” Oliver Johnson, chief executive of analyst firm Point Topic told the BBC.
In a press release on alcatel-lucent.com, the providers explained that the speeds were achieved by utilising a ‘flexible grid infrastructure’. The flexigrid allows for more efficient bundling of channels. The spectral spacing between these channels is usually set at 50GHz. In the test, these were reduced to 35GHz which resulted in 42.5 per cent greater data transmission efficiency.
Kevin Drury, optical marketing leader at Alcatel-Lucent, likened the process to reducing the space between lanes on a motorway, allowing more traffic to flow through the same space.
The problem with increased traffic is that there is more likely to be a car crash; however, engineers said that the alien super channel showed ‘stable, error-free operation’.
Demand for higher bandwidth increases 35 per cent year-on-year, putting internet service providers (ISPs) under pressure to find new ways of delivering high speed internet, so these tests will come as welcome news to both consumers and ISPs.
The Outlook search function is a handy way to locate important messages in a busy inbox. But do you ever find it running slowly, only returning half the information you expect to see or – worse still – not working at all?
The good news is that, quite often, rebuilding the search index can help clear up the problem. The bad news is that it’s not always obvious from within Outlook how this should be done.
Searching in Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010 uses Windows search indexes, which means it is actually a function of Windows rather than a feature exclusive to Outlook. Rebuilding the search indexes is a simple enough task if you know where to look but it can take a rather long time. So it may be best to run this procedure last thing in the evening as you leave the office.
[themecolor]How to rebuild the search indexes[/themecolor]
Your current Search Indexes will be deleted and rebuilt. Once the rebuilding process is complete (don’t forget this may take quite a while) you should find Search working perfectly again.
The technological world is about to become decidedly less boxy, according to the manufacturers of Gorilla Glass.
Last month, the company behind the speciality glass used in almost all smartphones, showed off its latest innovation – 3D Gorilla Glass – at CES 2014. The new glass is able to bend as much as 80 degrees without breaking and can be moulded into shapes which were previously impossible. What’s more, Corning Incorporated says it will be ready to ship later this year.
[themecolor]The glass that Steve Jobs put on the map[/themecolor]
Corning invented Gorilla Glass in the 1960s after engineers discovered that they could make an incredibly strong and scratchproof material by dipping glass in hot potassium salt.
But it was not until the late Steve Jobs of Apple called upon Corning to resurrect the technology that Gorilla Glass had any real application. Since then, Gorilla Glass has been on the front of almost every smartphone and tablet in existence.
Some industry watchers are claiming that curved displays are little more than a gimmick. However, a number of applications are already starting to be explored.
[themecolor]Less glare and greater privacy[/themecolor]
Dr. Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies Corporation, points out that curved screens are able help with screen readability due to less ambient light reaching the display.
“It also improves screen privacy because the curvature makes it harder for other people to see the screen,” he writes on displaymate.com.
The New York Times recently reported that Apple is working on the iWatch. The tech giant’s policy is to keep a tight lid on product development, but there is speculation that such a watch may also include a curved display.
The ramifications for technology could extend well beyond smartphones and watches.
“Imagine an in-car display that ripples and wraps itself across your dashboard,” says Suzanne LaBarre, editor of fastcodesign.com.
“In 20 years, you won’t be able to believe that the world of gadgets was once so boxy.”
Windows XP users have been urged to make it their New Year’s resolution to upgrade their operating system before the April 2014 support deadline.
In less than four months, Microsoft will cease all support for what has become the most popular operating system of all time and many have warned that this date will act as a ‘starting pistol for hackers’.
While Microsoft will not revoke licences and XP will continue to run, any vulnerability discovered in the system will no longer be patched. The fear is that hackers will scrutinise new updates for vulnerabilities that might be applicable to XP.
[themecolor]A zero-day vulnerability forever[/themecolor]
Reported by telegraph.co.uk, Tim Rains, the director of Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group, commented, “The very first month that Microsoft releases security updates for supported versions of Windows, attackers will reverse-engineer those updates, find the vulnerabilities and test Windows XP to see if it shares [them].”
“Windows XP will essentially have a zero-day vulnerability forever,” he added.
Given the many predictions of impending doom, it is staggering that so many users, both personal and professional, have yet to take any action. In fact, statistics suggest that XP continues to enjoy a 30 per cent share of the OS market.
[themecolor]Users should act before 8th April deadline[/themecolor]
Many businesses have said that they intend on taking certain XP machines offline to circumnavigate security threats. Others are of the opinion that if enough people refuse to upgrade, Microsoft might rethink its support lifecycle policy. However, this seems unlikely.
XP is not the only software being retired this April; Small Business Server 2003 and Exchange 2003 will also meet their maker.
However, it is Windows XP that was the crowning glory of Microsoft’s march to PC domination. It was the first operating system to remove many of the pain points in personal computing. While it will be sorely missed, users are being strongly urged to upgrade before 8th April.
A new report has highlighted the shifting dynamic in the PC and tablet marketplaces, indicating trends we are likely to see continue into 2014.
This American study, published by npd.com, provides a snapshot of commercial sales, painting a picture in which PC sales are flat-lining, Apple computer sales are in decline and ultra-portables are selling like hotcakes.
Between January 2013 and November 2013, 14.4 million desktops, notebooks and tablets were sold through commercial channels. Whilst this figure only accounts for a fraction of total sales – because it did not include direct channels – this does still offer a unique insight into the market.
For instance, it may come as a surprise that the sales of Windows-based machines increased by roughly ten per cent while their OS X counterparts fell by seven per cent.
So do these figures suggest a predisposition towards the budget end of technology? After all, over the same period, Android tablets grew by more than 160 per cent, accounting for 8.7 per cent of all sales.
Meanwhile, Windows tablet sales tripled – although starting with a relatively small base, these figures remain insignificant.
The iPad still enjoyed a 59 per cent share of tablet sales, but the lead narrowed, giving way to an army of less expensive models on offer.
[themecolor]And the winner is…[/themecolor]
Of all the devices, the Chromebook seems the obvious winner, accounting for eight per cent of all computer and tablet sales. While this may not sound like a phenomenal piece of the pie, Chromebooks only accounted for one tenth of a per cent in 2012, highlighting the explosion in their popularity.
According to zdnet.com, Stephen Baker, NPD’s vice president of industry analysis, said that while the Windows PC certainly was not dead, manufacturers needed to continue diversifying their offerings.
“As businesses upgrade from older machines and operating systems in the year ahead, the long-term trend is clearly towards greater hardware diversity, which all manufacturers will need to embrace in order to continue to grow,” he said.
January has long been a time for forecasts and predictions of every kind and this month has already seen a number of encouraging financial projections.
One notable statement came from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) which is expecting economic growth to reach 0.9% for the fourth quarter of 2013 with more to come this year.
The BCC’s chief economist David Kern added that a “higher full-year growth in 2013 and 2014 could follow”. Music indeed to the ears of UK businesses.
Other commentators remarked on the strength of the UK’s economic recovery last year with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revising upwards its 2013 growth forecast from the 0.6% it had predicted last March to 1.4%. The OBR also says it expects to see growth of 2.4% in 2014.
So putting to one side the rather gloomy weather forecasts that have been plaguing those in flood-affected areas of the British Isles, the economic outlook for 2014 actually appears a lot brighter than that of recent years.
[themecolor]IT spending set to rise in 2014[/themecolor]
This growing feeling of optimism surrounding global economic recovery has prompted analyst firm Forrester to forecast that organisations will be spending more on software and IT services in 2014.
In a new Forrester paper, analyst Andrew Bartels concluded that the improving economic outlook would generate cash flow to support the purchase of new technologies that are helping to transform business, including mobile and cloud solutions.
Bartels predictions included the following:
[themecolor]Need to road map your IT spending for 2014?[/themecolor]
If you are starting to plan your IT budgets for 2014-2015 or have specific projects in mind, why not call to arrange an appointment with one of our account managers. Our expert advice will ensure you get the most from your IT investment in the coming 12 months.
One consequence of the bad weather the UK has been suffering in recent weeks has been a rising number of power cuts. So we thought some information on Excel’s AutoRecover feature would make interesting reading for anyone who has ever lost work when the power failed.
AutoRecover saves copies of all open Excel files at intervals which you can pre-set and these copies can be easily recovered if Excel is unexpectedly shut down for any reason at all.
[themecolor]Turning on the AutoRecover feature[/themecolor]
Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and later:
Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and earlier versions of Excel:
[themecolor]Modifying the AutoRecover settings (applicable to all versions running AutoRecover)[/themecolor]
If you wish to specify a different location for saving your AutoRecover information, you can do so here although we would recommend leaving it at the default unless you have a very good reason to change it.
In the minutes box, you can enter any number of minutes that will occur between saves between 1 to 120 (The default is 10 minutes). Don’t be tempted to make this too short as performance can be affected – but don’t make it too long as you stand to lose more work. We recommend between 10- 30 minutes.
You can turn off the AutoRecover feature in an individual workbook. To do this, click to select theDisable AutoRecover for this workbook only check box under the AutoRecover exceptions for box. Make sure that the workbook name is selected in the AutoRecover exceptions for box.
[themecolor]When an AutoRecover event is triggered[/themecolor]
When an Excel file is open and AutoRecover is turned on, AutoRecover does not save the file until the first change is made to the file, the AutoRecover save time interval passes, and Excel has been idle for some time (the default is 30 seconds). After AutoRecover saves the file, the file is only saved at subsequent save intervals if further changes are made.
To prevent your AutoRecover location being filled up with unneeded files, AutoRecover files are automatically deleted in the following situations:
[themecolor]AutoRecover and multiple instances of Excel[/themecolor]
When more than one instance of Excel is running and one instance closes unexpectedly, a new copy of Excel is automatically started and the AutoRecover files are opened. If all instances of Excel close unexpectedly, but the computer is still running, a single instance of Excel is started and all AutoRecover files are opened. In the case of a power outage or system problem, all recovered files will open when you start Excel again.
[themecolor]Whilst on the subject of restoring files…[/themecolor]
Did you know that Excel 2010 and later versions give the possibility to not only recover unsaved files, but can also sometimes recover a file from a few minutes earlier. This can help when you make a mistake you can’t undo, or if you want to revert to a previous version of a workbook.
To go back to previous versions, choose File, Info, and then look for the Manage Versions button. If previous versions are listed, you can open these alongside the most current version of your workbook and copy and paste data between them.
All indications are that top IT manufacturers will be turning their attention to innovation around the home this year with several of them showcasing their latest equipment at the Consumer Electronics Show which took place in Las Vegas earlier this month.
French firm Archos joined South Korean companies Samsung and LG in their attempts to capture the attention of consumers and experts at the event, which has developed a reputation for showcasing technologically advanced products.
Archos announced before the expo that it would be demonstrating its Smart Home Tablet, which can be used to control other linked equipment, while LG’s focus will be on the new HomeChat system. Announced in 2013, this allows users to control a range of devices using only text messages. The company may well be looking to target those who are yet to move on to smartphones.
Samsung’s new Smart Home system will enable users to bring a range of devices together to work seamlessly as part of one network, computerworld.com reports. According to a company spokesperson, the new equipment would be capable of turning all of a property’s appliances and lights off at once after receiving simple instructions via a smartphone or smartwatch app.
The announcements highlight a real emphasis from tech manufacturers on making things easier for consumers around the home. Samsung explained that its new product would focus on three specific aspects in its attempt to make the home a less intimidating place to be: customer service, the controlling of devices and remote surveillance.
Martin Garner, a home technologies specialist from consultancy firm CCS Insight, spoke about the company’s approach. He was quoted by bbc.co.uk as saying: “Samsung have had the same connected home vision for a while, but their implementation of it was a bit ragged. In the past they had different apps for different appliances and they didn’t all join up. It sounds like they’ve tidied that up quite nicely now.”
