The Performance Plus Workstation

The Performance Plus Workstation from Boffins

The Performance Plus workstation is a desktop solution suitable for the home or office which combines the technology required to tackle today’s applications. Whatever the challenge, the Performance Plus is up to the task!

Scalability

The Performance Plus offers a scalable platform that can be tailored to your needs. The internal components are all sourced from market leading manufacturers and are all rigorously tested for reliability and compatibility.

• Choose from a range of Intel Pentium Dual Core, Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad processors.
• Configurable with up to 8 Gigabytes of RAM (64bit operating system required)
• Able to accommodate large SATA drives to meet all your data storage requirements. The Performance Plus can be configured with up to 4 hard drives where each hard drive is mounted on rubber vibration absorbers.
• Powerful nVidia graphics cards available for gaming and multimedia applications.
• Designed for Windows 7

Environmental

The Performance Plus will allow you to run your applications quickly and reliably. Additionally, the Performance Plus is considerate of your environment.

You shouldn’t have to shout to be heard over the noise of your workstation. That maybe an exaggeration but the ideal workstation should be quiet and audibly unobtrusive. With this in mind the Performance Plus has been designed to be as quiet as possible yet still provide adequate cooling to the internal components.

Not only is the Performance Plus built using premium components for reliability but it also has energy efficiency in mind. The conversion of power from the mains to power used by the internal components is very efficient and wastes a minimum amount of energy as heat.

The Performance Plus Specification

The Performance Plus Workstation starts at just £395 and consists of the following specification:-

• A fast Intel Pentium Dual Core processor clocked at 2.7Ghz.
• 2 gigabytes of fast PC2-6400 memory.
• 250 gigabytes of data storage space.
• An Intel high performance motherboard with integrated 5.1 audio, onboard graphics and gigabit Ethernet.
• A high efficiency (80%+) power supply.
• A DVD Writer.
• A high quality Antec case with ultra quiet system fans.
• Windows 7 Professional operating system.

 

Optional build to order upgrades include:

Processor upgrades:

• Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93Ghz dual core processor [+£50.00]
• Core 2 Quad Q9400 2.66Ghz quad core processor [+£100.00]
• Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.00Ghz quad core processor [+£200.00]

Memory upgrades:

• Upgrade to 4 gigabytes [+£45.00]
• Upgrade to 8 gigabytes [+£90.00]

Data storage upgrades:

• Upgrade to 500 gigabyte drive [+£40.00]

Graphics card upgrades:

• Pricing available on request.

Call Boffins now to ask about your Windows 7 upgrade, and our Performance Plus PCs. 

Building Block 3

Product Aplication
Boffins Building Blocks to a 21st Century Business – Block 3

Having established a first class link into the Internet and protected our network with a comprehensive firewall, you can now start to provide remote services to your Customers, suppliers, managers and staff, in the office, on the road, at home, and abroad.

Outlook Web Access and Outlook Mobile Access

Just as you might use Microsoft Outlook on your desktop to connect to your Exchange Server for email, calendar, scheduling, and collaboration tasks, so now you can do exactly the same wherever you can connect to the Internet. Outlook Web Access is a secure method of performing the same tasks from outside the office. Just launch Internet Explorer on any internet connected computer and browse to your firewall address. Your connection will be forwarded to your Exchange Server which will connect you to your mailbox through a web style interface.

The data you see is live and you can use the connection as if you were in the office. You can read, forward, and reply to your emails in real time without the need for a secondary address.

In fact, the ease of use and performance in most cases is so good that many users prefer the OWA interface to Outlook itself!

Many of these normal outlook functions are also available on your mobile phone using Outlook Mobile Access, however on phones that support Activesync such as Iphones or those running Windows Mobile operating systems most users prefer to use the native email client and be ‘online’ all the time. Once configured, your mobile phone is sent your email, contacts, tasks, and calendar items in real time so that you are always ‘in touch’. Talk to Boffins before you purchase your next mobile phone.

 

 Strategic Business Data and Key Operational Applications

Strategic Business Data must be kept secure but the 21st century business will want to provide remote access to this data so that executives can work with it when out of the office. Folder synchronisation has potential to allow this data off site but at a huge risk. Think of the laptop and data stick thefts in the public sector that hit the headlines recently! The second problem with synchronisation is exactly that. It is not a trivial matter to make sure that the most current data is that which is being used.

The best solution is to serve this data to remote users as needed across the wide area network. Whether as files, or web pages, or as SharePoint data this data can be properly secured and delivered over encrypted links (Virtual Private Networking). Even then, many businesses prefer to keep their data safe on site. File sharing is not always an option as many data types are unsuitable for sharing over a comparatively slow connection.

Most Key Operational Applications such as order processing, call tracking, accounting, and CRM rely upon databases for their operation and especially where transaction integrity is important both the data and application need to stay at the centre. The answer is to use remote computing techniques such as Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. 

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services

Microsoft Remote Desktop Services allows remote users to utilise computing resources operating entirely at the centre of the network.

Utilising a thin client (or any computer able to run a browser) the user performs their tasks within a virtual computer environment running on a PC or Server located at the office. A single PC on the local network can be configured as a ‘remote desktop’ for the remote user to connect to. A server can be configured to support many such clients simultaneously depending upon the performance of its hardware and licences purchased. By employing Microsoft Remote Desktop Services the 21st century business can provide high performance access to its strategic data and key operation systems without compromising its data or business security.

Conclusion

Remote access tools such as Outlook Web Access and Microsoft Remote Desktop Services allow users to make secure connections to their key systems across a wide area network without compromising performance or the security of strategic business data. 21st century businesses utilise these tools today to enhance flexibility and speed of response to customers and suppliers.

Links to previous articles:
21st Century Business
http://news.boffins.co.uk/product-information/21st-century-business/

Boffins Broadband
http://news.boffins.co.uk/product-information/boffins-broadband/

Securing your Network
http://news.boffins.co.uk/product-information/safeoffice-network-security/

Building Block 2

Product Aplication
Boffins Building Blocks to a 21st Century Business – Block 2

If establishing a first class link into the Internet is the first block in building your 21st Century Business, then protecting your network with a suitable firewall is the second. The Internet provides the backbone that will connect your people to Customers, suppliers, managers and staff, in the office, on the road, at home, and abroad.

The Internet is a major resource for research, marketing, entertainment, and social networking. Whereas research and marketing are positive things for you business, the latter can be big time wasters for your staff. Unfortunately the Internet is also where all the bad guys hang out and you can be sure they will be trying to attack your private network and disrupt your business through that same connection!

We all know that a firewall is a must have, but there are many types offering varying degrees of protection, sometimes with an impact on cost and utility. What are the key features?

Network Address Translation and Port Blocking

Communication with other devices on the Internet requires that each end knows the address of the other. The first important feature of the firewall is to ‘hide’ your computers by presenting itself as the only end point in your organisation. In its simplest form this means that communication can only be initiated by computers within your network disallowing unsolicited communication from the outside. The firewall keeps track of each open channel in order to route the traffic correctly.

Some inbound communication is however necessary e.g. incoming email. The firewall will therefore open a port and forward incoming traffic to the appropriate point in your network e.g. port 25 to your email server. It will block everything else that is not specified in this way.

Stateful Inspection of IP Packets

Previously this was enough to protect your network and many suppliers still ship routers and firewalls like this. Unfortunately these will no longer provide sufficient protection for your network. You can now be vulnerable on communications initiated from within your network by worms and viruses (or even unsuspecting users) and through the inbound channels which allow outsiders to connect to email and web servers.

The better firewalls now inspect each packet to establish whether the data being sent is consistent with its expected use, is in order, and well formed. This allows malicious traffic to be detected and blocked

Outbound Connection Filtering

Not all traffic initiated from inside your network should be allowed. Broadband bandwidth and volumes are always limited and often charged by usage. Peer-to-peer networking, social networking, music and video streaming, all use enormous quantities of both as well as wasting staff time. Policy based rules can allow or block such traffic by type, source, and destination, or by time of day e.g. if you wanted to allow certain activity during lunch but not otherwise.

Protection from Denial of Service Attack

Your connected network is not only under attack from SPAM (see later) but also many other forms of Denial of Service attack. Flooding of unsolicited traffic, of any kind, can overwhelm a firewall and effectively stop your valid communications from getting through. A firewall needs to be able to detect and reject these attacks effectively. The report below is not untypical!

 

Perimeter Protection from Viruses and Spam

As the firewall is located at the perimeter of your private network it can be used to prevent unwanted viruses and unsolicited mail from entering your network at all. As the firewall inspects every packet that passes through it can compare these to known threats using signature files downloaded every few minutes, reducing the threat to your systems and reducing the workload on those systems and users. Some firewall vendors offer
this service.

Virtual Private Networking

Another form of allowed traffic will be incoming connections from the Customers, suppliers, and staff that you expressly want to allow. This is typically done using encrypted tunnels providing secure networking between authorised endpoints and your private network, thereby extending your network out onto the Internet in a safe and controlled way - a VPN.

Being at the perimeter it is useful for the firewall to provide this authentication and encryption service. Better still when it can refer to your own Active Directory of users for password and authentication detail.

VPN’s can also be permanently established between offices using multiple VPN capable firewalls to allow easy and secure voice and data communication.

Wireless Networking and Guest Access

Placing your wireless access through your firewall ensures that laptop and guest access to your private network is controlled and authenticated. Many company networks are unnecessarily exposed to hackers through unprotected access points. This is a common vulnerability that can be easily closed by utilising the security features of a firewall.

Quality of Service Traffic Shaping

Finally your 21st Century firewall will be asked to carry and forward data of several types and prioritise accordingly. Voice and video traffic, for example, is significantly degraded by delays in transmission and you may wish to throttle non time critical traffic such as email. It is essential, therefore that your chosen firewall supports Quality of Service.

Conclusion

A comprehensive firewall is a fundamental building block in the 21st Century Business. It must protect the business from Internet borne threats and attacks, prevent inappropriate use of the Internet and unauthorised wireless access to business data, whilst allowing appropriate and authenticated incoming connections for voice, email, key business applications, and data sharing.

Boffins recommends the Checkpoint Safe@Office range of firewalls: Checkpoint is the largest firewall vendor with the most experience. The devices pack all of the features discussed above that facilitate the building of your 21st Century business. These features can be included on installation or added as and when required. The devices are reliable, easy to configure, upgrade, maintain, and manage, and provide a wealth of logs and reports.

Links to previous articles:
21st Century Business
http://news.boffins.co.uk/product-information/21st-century-business/

Boffins Broadband
http://news.boffins.co.uk/product-information/boffins-broadband/

Boffins Broadband

Fast, efficient broadband from Boffins

This simple business connection package provides a competitive choice of rate adaptive ADSL and ADSL2+ as well as fixed rate ADSL services (512Kbps, 1Mbps, or 2Mbps).
All packages include 1 or 8 static IP addresses and are subject to a 1 month notice of termination.

Boffins C21 Plus 45 Broadband provides a business standard broadband connection for just £29.50 per month

The service includes:

• up to 24Mbps download speed, delivered through upgraded local exchanges
• up to 1Mbps upstream
• up to 45Gbytes of peak time download allowance

For companies with a larger requirement or to suit more users, Boffins Broadband offers packages with greater download allowance:

• Boffins C21 Plus 90 - £39.50 per month
• Boffins C21 Plus 135 - £49.50 per month
• Boffins C21 Plus 180 - £59.50 per month

Optional extras:

Additional download allowance is available, and can be pre-purchased or added as required:

• 10Gb top-up - £9.95
• 25Gb top-up - £23.95
• 50Gb top-up - £46.95
• 100Gb top-up - £89.95

Other Products and Services

Through our partnership with award-winning broadband provider EntaNet, Boffins can also offer:

• SDSL and Bonded SDSL Connections
• Domain and Web Hosting
• PSTN and Leased Lines
• SIP Trunks
• MPLS Private Networks

All with a variety of service levels and care packages. Please call us for for details.

All prices are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate, and are billed by standing order monthly in advance.

Special Migration Offer
Until the end of 2009 all migrations will be effected by Boffins on your behalf for a total setup fee of just £99, including your first month’s subscription FREE.

21st Century Business

Building Blocks to the 21st Century Business

The 21st Century Business is built on connectivity; connecting people to each other, to customers, to suppliers, to their managers, to their staff, in the office, on the road, at home, and abroad. It is this connectivity that enables the 21st Century Business to react quickly to customer needs, deliver exceptional service, and add value to win in a competitive business environment.

Broadband

The first foundation block is the Internet. BT’s £10billion investment in the 21st Century Network brings faster connections to businesses and homes across the UK. Boffins will connect you into this network with fast ADSL2+ Broadband for voice and data speeds up to 24Mbit/sec with the necessary networking equipment to deliver performance and security to your 21st Century Business.

Routers

The second foundation block is the LAN and WAN network infrastructure. In your main office and major remote sites secure firewalls and layer II switches that support Quality of Service protocols provide optimum performance with security for your networks and servers whilst allowing packet prioritisation for high voice quality alongside data traffic.

Virtual Private Networks

Secure encrypted connections, site-to-site, and between site and remote users, underpin the security and integrity of your business data. Only properly authorised and authenticated users will gain access to your critical systems and information, in a simple and easy to manage security domain. Appropriate choice of protocols and endpoints allows an optimum mix of security and ease of use.

Wireless Connection

Whether remote users connect to the Internet using broadband, public WiFi access, or through their mobile service provider using GPRS or 3G, they can stay in touch and access business data wherever they are at home or abroad whilst paying only local connection rates.

Mobile PDA Phones

Boffins will configure your mobile phones running Windows, Apple, or Symbian operating systems to connect directly to your Exchange servers for automatic delivery of email on the run. With low cost internet packages remote users never need to be out of touch with their colleagues or customers.

Voice Communication

Why stop at data? Having established connections into the 21st Century Business, and with the correct choice of PBX, remote users can communicate with colleagues and business contacts from within the network as endpoints on your private telephone exchange. Free or low cost trunking between offices and customers is enabled through SIP trunking and Voice over IP telephony. When out of range of the Internet mobile twinning allows your mobile to behave as an extension on the PBX for making, receiving, and transferring calls.

Voice Messaging

Intelligent call routing and voice messaging allows callers to quickly connect to the target party as well as leave messages for call back or action. By integrating voice messaging with your email systems users are quickly alerted to messages and you can be sure that your customers are looked after promptly.

Remote Access to Core Business Applications

To promote flexibility and reduce office costs, Boffins will equip your remote and casual workers with working access to your core business data and order processing applications, accounts systems, and other data intensive systems using Terminal Servers and Thin Clients, Laptops, or Netbooks. These low cost end point solutions enable fast terminal access but keeps your data secure and on site.

Publish Business Data

Provide easy access to company information, policies, marketing brochures, and other documents types through SharePoint to staff, colleagues, customers, and suppliers with appropriate security applied for public or restricted access across the Internet.

Safe@Office Network security

Network security with Safe@Office from Check Point Software Technologies

Safe@Office appliances from Check Point Software Technologies provide a simple, affordable and reliable solution to keep small business networks protected and connected.

 

Key Benefits

• Delivers an affordable, easy-to-use, all-in-one security solution for small businesses
• Provides the same proven security technologies trusted by Fortune 100 companies
• Addresses industry-specific network security regulations
• Maximizes employee productivity
• Streamlines ongoing security policy administration
• Ensures around-the-clock business continuity
• Industry’s Most Proven Firewall

Based on the same Check Point technologies that secure the Fortune 100, Safe@Office appliances include the industry’s most proven firewall. The system can block non-business related applications such as Instant Messaging (IM) and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) applications.

Streaming Gateway Antivirus

An integrated gateway antivirus blocks worms and viruses before they can enter the network. This provides the ability to scan email and Web traffic for possible threats.

Comprehensive Messaging Security

Messaging Security from Check Point provides comprehensive protection for small business messaging systems, protecting email servers, provides highly accurate spam protection and defence against a wide variety of virus and malware threats within email.

All round anti-spam

• Blocks spam and malware at the connection level by checking the sender’s reputation against a dynamic database of known malicious IP addresses
• Protects against known forms of spam by comparing a “fingerprint” of each incoming mail message to a dynamic database with millions of known spam
• Utilises block or allow lists to deny obvious email offenders and allow trusted senders, including blocking entire domains or marking entire domains as safe.

Mail antivirus

Blocks worms and viruses before they can enter the network. Supports standard email protocols (POP3, IMAP, and SMTP), including Web-based email.

SmartDefense email server protection

Protects against a broad range of threats, including DDos attacks that target the messaging infrastructure itself. The antivirus policy setup provides a quick and simple way to define the traffic types that should be scanned.

Web Filtering

Inappropriate Web surfing can introduce security threats, increase legal liability and decrease employee productivity. Safe@Office appliances integrate best-of-breed Web filtering to prevent staff introducing security threats from inappropriate web surfing. Administrators can define an acceptable Web access policy for the organization and protect it from threats such as spyware and viruses. Access to specific websites and URLs can be blocked.

VPN and Remote Access

Safe@Office allows secure remote access to the network to increase productivity and ensure business continuity, without compromising IT resources. Only authorized users have network access, encrypting communications to ensure complete confidentiality. Teleworkers and road-warriors can access via laptops, PDAs and even iPhones.

Quick and Easy Setup

A simple Web-based management interface enables administrators to secure their small business in minutes, with flexible security rules and a variety of remote management options.

Intuitive Security and Network Monitoring

Safe@Office logs information on attempted attacks and displays it in an easy-to-follow, colour-coded report. Built-in traffic monitoring and packet capture tools are also provided, allowing the monitoring and control of incoming/outgoing traffic to ensure efficient utilization of the broadband connection.

Hassle-free updates

Optional subscription-based services provide continuous software and antivirus updates.

Essential Business Server

Top Ten Reasons To Use Windows Essential Business Server 2008

Keep in touch on the go

Share documents, coordinate your calendar and participate in discussions while you are on the road, by using Microsoft Sharepoint, a key component of Essential Business Server 2008.

Safe from external threats

Manage network security with premium anti-spam and industry leading anti-virus engines,  part of Windows Essential Business Server 2008.All events are logged to a separate database for reporting and monitoring, while software patching gives you control over desktop, server and application patch levels.

A single solution for midsize businesses

Windows Essential Business Server 2008 takes the guesswork out of selecting software. EBS 2008 brings together different product technologies into one integrated product, making it easy to install and manage.

Easy set up and management

Your network manager gets a centalised Administration Console, making it easier to manage your IT and network infrastructure. Use the console to monitor and manage PCs, services and other devices and to integrate third party software.

No growing pains

Essential Business Server 2008 provides a seamless upgrade from your existing SBS 2003 or SBS 2008 network, allowing you to grow from 75 to 300 users.

Simpler purchasing and licensing

There’s just one Client Access License (CAL) for all the EBS 2008 integrated products, while licenses are managed through the administration console including license ordering, assignment and reassignment, enforcement, monitoring
and activation.

A saving of up to 40%

EBS 2008 includes Windows 2008 Server and Exchange Server 2007, Windows Sharepoint Services and security features as a package that saves you up to 40% over the cost of the products purchased separately.

Automatic reporting

Microsoft Essential Business Server 2008 generates reports and alerts that can be directly to your internal or external support team via email in the event of a network issue.

Software that grows with you

EBS 2008 enables you to grow easily, adding users (up to a maximum of 300), servers and applications. It supports your vital applications and is designed to integrate with your existing Microsoft products.

Reduce planning deployment and configuration

It’s easy to move across to EBS 2008. Built-in migration and planning tools help reduce set-up times from days to hours, and a variety of planning worksheets and best practices configuration help you achieve predictable and professional results.

Microsoft Essential Business 2008 Standard Edition includes:

•  Microsoft Windows 2008 Standard Edition
• Microsoft System Centre Essentials 2007
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services
• Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server (one year
  subscription)
• Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway, Medium
  Business Edition (one year subscription)

Microsoft Essential Business 2008 Premium Edition includes:
(requires additional hardware)

• Microsoft Windows 2008 Standard Edition
• Microsoft System Centre Essentials 2007
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services
• Microsoft Forefront Security for Exchange Server (one year
  subscription)
• Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway, Medium
  Business Edition (one year subscription)
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition

Windows Small Business Server

Ten compelling reasons why you should switch to
Windows Small Business Server 2008

Everything’s under one roof

Windows Small Business Server 2008 brings together all the Microsoft software that businesses use regularly and need most, into a single solution. With these technologies integrated into one product, it’s easy to install and manage.

A cost saving of up to 40%

By buying a package, you save - typically 40% for a 10 person business, against buying individual software licences.

Email without limits

We’re all using email more for not just communication, but transactions too - with that comes the need to keep greater records. SBS 2008 gives you virtually unlimited email storage space; the previous 75GB limit on the Exchange Server database has been raised to 16TB in SBS2008.

Flexible room to grow

With SBS 2008 it’s easy for you to grow - simply add users, servers and applications (up to 75 users with SBS 2008, 300 users if you upgrade to EBS 2008). Small Business Server supports important business-critical applications, and will integrate with your existing Microsoft products.

Perfect for mobile working

Today more than ever, your team needs to access their files when out of the office, at home or on the road. SBS 2008 provides secure access to business contacts, calendars, email, files, your desktop and even shared network resources from just about anywhere, at any time.

Easy updates keep your system healthy

SBS 2008 provides you with the latest updates to minimise downtime and help ensure network health by keeping your PCs and servers current. Easy to read reports give you a quick view of software updates, PC and server status and additional network information.

Back-ups prevent vital data loss

Small Business Server 2008 helps protect your vital business information from loss by backing up the data on your network and enabling you to recover deleted files.

Smarter and faster

SBS 2008 automates daily tasks and provides a central location for storing and sharing information. As a result, your business processes are streamlined, and day to day efficiency is improved.

Automatic fault reporting

Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 tells us about problems, before you’ve even noticed them. Reports and alerts are emailed in the event of a network issue, and also provide useful administrative information

Less administration

SBS 2008 requires only a single Client Access License (CAL) for all the SBS 2008 integrated products, simplifying administration and purchasing.

Microsoft Small Business 2008 Standard Edition includes:

• Microsoft Windows 2008 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services
• Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Microsoft Small Business 2008 Premium Edition includes:
(requires additional hardware)

• Microsoft Windows 2008 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services
• Microsoft Windows Server Update Services