Newsletter August 2009

Newsletter

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/

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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/