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. 

CASE STUDY: The Revival Group is the only nationwide independent disaster recovery company in the UK. It has a network of 18 offices, all staffed by experienced restoration specialists who work with some of the world’s leading insurers to handle their customers’ claims. The company works closely with both the insurance company and the insured to organise a suitable recovery plan, meaning the property is restored to the highest standards.

Support from the start

Boffins has managed the Revival Group’s IT needs right from the start, when the company was in its fledgling stage with just a couple of computers. As the company expanded - including moves to bigger premises - Boffins ensured that its ever changing IT needs were met, including installation of a fully functioning network.

On the move

The Revival Group recently moved for the second time, with the company deciding that this time it needed to install a large dedicated server to replace the designated PC that it used for a server at the previous premises. Boffins found the most suitable server for them and got it set up nice and quickly - and well within budget - to ensure minimum disruption during the move.

While the company had needed a bigger server for some time, it had decided to hold out until it had moved premises. In the meantime, Boffins ensured that everything ran as smoothly as possible on the existing server. “The server at our old office really wasn’t good enough, but Boffins held it all together until we were ready to move and install the new one,” says Revival Group Managing Director Jim Herrington.

Cable guys

Boffins set the company up with a new Avaya phone system, cabling the offices with CAT5E for voice and data. It also installed audio-visual equipment for the meeting rooms. “Boffins were fantastic,” says Jim. “They made sure that any IT problems associated with moving were kept to a minimum. We had issues with broadband at the new premises, which we were not expecting, but Boffins were great. They sorted it all out seamlessly. They totally came through for us.”

Rapid response

While Boffins does not offer round-the-clock service, it somehow feels like it does, says Jim. “Because of the nature of our business, Revival is a 24/7 company; Boffins doesn’t actually offer a 24 -hour service, but it always seems to be available to help. Its service has been excellent from day one - always above and beyond expectations. In terms of response, it pulls out all the stops, and in an emergency help is instant. They have never let us down.”

Final verdict

“Boffins might not be the cheapest,” says Jim, “but they are worth every penny. The regular support is great. We get monthly visits to check everything is okay, and we have an excellent relationship with them - we are all on first name terms and they never blind us with science. There’s a real trust there which is something you can’t put a price on.”

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/

CASE STUDY: Alpeco Limited is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of liquid handling equipment to the road tanker and industrial petrochemical industry. The company has over 25 years experience of identifying and meeting the needs of this complex and ever-changing market place. Alpeco operates by taking ‘best of breed’ products from world-leading suppliers, and packages them together with products that it manufactures itself. This ensures its customers get optimal solution for their specific requirements.

Burgeoning requirements

Having started out many years ago with just one PC and a rudimentary accounting system, the company found itself out of its depth on the IT front once its business grew. In order to keep up with its ever-expanding operations, it suddenly needed an integrated accounts system and a network supported by a central server.

Lasting relationship

Having looked at several different IT suppliers, Alpeco appointed local company Boffins. And it clearly made the right choice because more than a decade later Boffins is still providing the group with IT support and hosting its server. “For as long as I can remember Boffins has taken care of all our IT requirements,” says Alpeco Managing Director Stephen Penn. “We have a very good relationship with them. We know all the staff there - in fact, many have been there helping us from the start. So everything works very well and they consistently demonstrate a real empathy for how our business runs and our particular requirements.”

Just a phone call away

Stephen says that Boffins ensures Alpeco’s IT system runs like clockwork. They come into the office once a month to check everything over, carry out upgrades and make sure the group’s IT needs are being adequately met. On the rare occasions that problem s occur, support is carried out remotely, where possible. But if required, Boffins can be on site in less than two hours. “Ninety-nine per cent of the time we don’t need them because everything runs so smoothly,” says Stephen. “But in that one per cent situation that you do need them, they are there. It’s just a case of picking up the phone. There have been a couple of occasions over the years where we have had urgent problems and each time Boffins was here within half an hour.”

Cost-efficiencies

Boffins recently helped Alpeco with its move to Aylesbury, installing and supporting a new phone and server system, while keeping things as cost-effective as possible by maintaining existing hardware.

Final verdict

“Having used Boffins for all this time, I would, of course, recommend them to any company,” says Stephen. “The peace of mind that we get from knowing they are taking care of our IT needs is invaluable.”

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/

Dear Customer,

Swine flu delivers a wake-up call

None of us is quite sure whether swine flu could turn out to be as big as predicted. But the very fact that it may affect many of us, is enough for businesses small and large to consider the effect that a major disruption such as staff being laid up at home could have on business continuity. Already, many local businesses have approached Boffins seeking advice on how IT can be used to ensure the uninterrupted operation of their business.

In truth, the potential pandemic throws up some similar issues that could affect any business, if its premises were disrupted by fire, flood or any manner of other third party interventions. So, the question is, how prepared are you for the disruption that swine flu could cause?

At the very least, every business should have thought about the issues, and have a business continuity plan. By thinking about it now, and taking some simple actions, you will be much better placed to cope efficiently with any eventuality. The plan needs to start with the basics, even who keeps a spare set of door keys, and how data back-ups are accessed.

Today, establishing mobile working for staff is easier and cheaper than ever. It does take a little time, however, and so planning ahead is well worth while. The essential infrastructure that allows staff to work from home includes ensuring they have adequate IT hardware, setting up secure access via the internet to data held on company servers, and ensuring that they have a good broadband connection.

You’ll need to arrange for email systems to work seamlessly, wherever they are accessed, and that any other software remote staff will need is loaded on terminals and properly licenced. In addition, phone systems need to be configured so that call traffic can be efficiently forwarded.

Thankfully, the recently launched Boffins Building Blocks programme can easily assess your current level of preparedness, and provide a shopping list of items that need attending to, in order to ensure you are ready to survive not only a swine flu epidemic, but pretty much any other business disruption you can think of.
And, as a result – swine flu or no – you may well discover that you have laid the foundations for a more effective and efficient way of working in the future.

Jim White
Boffins Computer Workshops

Internet Explorer 8 – look before you leap

The launch of Internet Explorer 8 promises faster browsing and greater online security. But before you launch into an upgrade, especially on a server, give Boffins a call first.

Right now, the upgrade may not be all good news, depending on the way you use the internet. There are a number of compatibility issues with websites, when you visit them using IE8. And, although there is an IE7 compatibility mode, this latest version may throw up other issues that could potentially cause problems with other software.

At Boffins, we’re already testing the new release extensively, and building a database of issues and workarounds - so give our technical team a call, and take our advice to avoid any problems when you upgrade.

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.

Read the latest datasheet in our Building Blocks to a 21st Century Business series at:
http://news.boffins.co.uk/product-information/building-block-2/

Your feedback is important!

Please spare 5 minutes because we’d love to hear what you think about our monthly newsletters. Just visit the link below, answer the 6 short questions, and we may be able to offer you some complimentary consultancy.

Thank You!

http://fs19.formsite.com/boffins/form072213545/index.html

Another happy customer

“Having used Boffins for all this time, I would, of course, recommend them to any company. The peace of mind that we get from knowing they are taking care of our IT needs is invaluable.”

Stephen Penn
Managing Director
Alpeco

Read the full case study at:
http://news.boffins.co.uk/case-studies/alpeco/

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.

Dear Customer,

At the turn of the year we started a partnership with EntaNet to provide 21st Century Network Broadband connections and other internet services under the Boffins brand. We already have some customers up and running and have successfully migrated our own connections. And now that we are sure about the quality of the products and support, have trained our engineers, and have developed significant experience, we are delighted to offer the products more widely.

In this newsletter we are launching the first of our Building Blocks to your 21st Century Business. High quality broadband provision is the cornerstone that will enable you to enjoy the benefits discussed last month. Boffins C21 Plus Broadband is true business quality and will deliver up to 24Mbit download speeds on enabled exchanges with up to 1Mbit upstream. All this comes with static IPs included at a highly competitive business tariff.

We have appointed John Gardner as product manager for Boffins’ broadband products so that you can be sure of a worry free experience. Ask us for a fixed price quote for new installations and migrations.

Jim White
Boffins Computer Workshops

Boffins Launches Business Internet Services

Boffins Broadband is one of our recently launched Building Blocks, an initiative to help small and medium sized companies make the most of the latest developments in phone, broadband and IT as local telephone exchanges are upgraded.

Boffins Broadband, delivered in association with award-winning broadband specialist Entanet, provides a connection speed of up to 24Mbps and exploits the latest improvements in local exchanges, and phone network upgrades being undertaken as part of BT’s 21CN programme.

Boffins C21 Plus 45 package offers:

• 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 allowances:

• Boffins C21 Plus 90
• Boffins C21 Plus 135
• Boffins C21 Plus 180

Building Blocks to a 21st Century Business
Boffins Broadband is one of our building blocks to a 21st Century Business. By using the Building Blocks approach, we can help customers improve their businesses incrementally, at a pace and a cost that is best suited to their needs, covering everything from remote working to smart
phone systems.

…a snappy follow up

In Our May issue we featured the ScanSnap scanner from Fujistu. Barely the size of a laptop computer, it converts a scan into a PDF or JPEG file at the touch of a button, and can handle colour and two sided documents.

Here at Boffins we always practice what we preach, and have put the ScanSnap to a tough task. Over the last few weeks we’ve scanned over 10,000 of our archived documents. The result - the contents of several filing cabinets now resides on a
few CD’s!

We’ve also loaded the information onto our Intranet, this mean that all our staff have fingertip access, and because the ScanSnap indexes the documents as it scans, search and retrieval is a breeze.

Just load the ScanSnap with your documents, press go, and walk away while it gets to work!

Get ready for a Windows upgrade

This autumn will see the launch of the much anticipated Windows version 7 - and the good news is that it promises to be a substantial improvement on the existing release.As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Boffins has been beta testing the latest release extensively, and can report that it is everything Vista should have been all along. It works well, and is ready for businesses to use and take advantage of. The software has been released for manufacture, and is scheduled to come to market in October.

Microsoft say that Windows 7 will enable you to work faster and more reliably with a variety of features. You’ll be able to share information and solve problems easily, so you dedicate even more time to developing your business.

Windows 7 will offer:

• Better Communications
• Enhanced speed and Performance including 64-bit Support
• Increased productivity
• Greater accessibility
• Improved Safety & Security

So contact Boffins today, to discuss how best to plan for the roll-out of Windows 7 across your organisation.

PRESS RELEASE: Business IT specialists Boffins Computer Workshops is launching a high speed broadband service specially designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses.

Boffins Broadband, delivered in association with award-winning broadband specialist Entanet, will provide a connection speed of up to 24Mbps and exploits the latest improvements in local exchanges, and phone network upgrades being undertaken as part of BT’s 21CN programme.
Keen pricing will ensure a highly reliable, fast connection at lower charges than businesses have been used to: the Boffins internet service starts at just £29.50 per month. And Boffins is offering to migrate existing broadband connections for just £99, including the first month’s connection free.

“By delivering both broadband and our IT support, customers get a one-stop solution to their connectivity,” says Tony Dawes, Boffins’ technical director. “We have teamed up with a highly respected and reliable partner to provide a great value alternative to traditional business broadband suppliers.”

Boffins has developed a flexible package, depending on download requirements and the number of staff in a company, with additional download top-ups for heavy internet users. Boffins Broadband runs on ASDL2+, with the option of static IP addresses as required.

Boffins Broadband is one of the company’s recently launched Building Blocks, an initiative to help small and medium sized companies make the most of the latest developments in phone, broadband and IT as local telephone exchanges are upgraded.

By using a Building Blocks approach, Boffins will help customers improve their businesses incrementally, at a pace and a cost that is best suited to their needs, covering everything from remote working to smart phone systems.

Adds Dawes: “We are offering Building Blocks to both existing and new customers, for whom our plain-speaking approach is often welcomed as a refreshing change. By taking the jargon out of IT, we are able to transform our customers’ ways of doing business, making them more efficient and customer-focused.”