The Return of the Big Freeze!

With more snowfall forecast for later this month, perhaps it's time
businesses started taking remote access seriously?

After similar heavy snow-fall this time last year, everyone thought we would be prepared when the same conditions hit hard a few weeks ago.

Instead, we are faced with familiar consequences: As expected the transport systems are disrupted, we have run out of grit, schools are closed and businesses are shutting down. So wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to close your business down?

By adopting "Webconnect" architecture and putting your business applications in a secure environment you can guarantee that your workers can get access to all the information they need. Whether it is email, CRM or enterprise resource packages you can make them available over a secure internet connection. Furthermore adopting unified communication across your business (or parts of your business) you can even keep your customer services and call centre operatives in constant contact when they are stuck at home.

Just imagine all your workers are stuck at home but, you still don't have to disappoint a single customer...

Click here to get your FREE trial

50% increase in remote log-ins to corporate IT systems

Loughtec's Remote Access technology is helping many companies hit by absenteeism because of the snow-related travel problems by providing secure, fast and reliable access to company systems and data via the internet.

Suppliers of unified communications technology are reporting a 20% increase in interest from small and medium sized business seeking to cushion the blow by allowing staff to work from home.

Business groups have widely predicted that lost productivity coUld cost the UK economy up to £2bn as workers across the UK are unable to get to work. More than 2,000 companies could face bankruptcy as a result of the cold snap, the Centre for Economics and Business research has predicted.

The worst winter weather to hit the UK in 30 years has seen a 50% increase in remote log-ins to corporate IT systems.

Loughtec's Remote Access technology allows staff to access data remotely, collaborate on shared company documents and conduct meetings over the internet.

The business case for remote working is strong, but businesses face a number of challenges before implementing remote working.

Five tips for businesses on implementing remote working technology:

1. Cost-benefit analysis

Businesses must consider the tangible benefits that remote working will provide based against cost. While for many companies this technology could prove invaluable, businesses should not look to unified communications unless there is a clear business case.

2. Staff consultation

Remote working can represent a shift in working practices. Workshops should be carried out to better understand the needs and concerns of management and staff to ensure that the new technology will be used effectively, minimising staff resistance.

3. Remote working security policy

While most companies have a security policy document in place, this should be revised with the introduction of remote working to ensure that data and information remain secure outside business premises. The encryption of portable devices, and secure internet connections and wireless networks should be considered.

4. Flexible working policy

Employers must clarify when it is appropriate for employees to work remotely by introducing a flexible working policy. This will help to avoid staff misuse of this technology, and allow the business to operate as efficiently as possible.

5. Training

As with the introduction of any new technology, training is essential. A clear training programme should be designed to ensure employees at all levels can use this technology and are aware of their responsibilities when working remotely.

If you’d like to know more about this service, or would like more information about other LOUGHTEC services, please feel free to contact us, either via the e-mail below, or by calling us on :

tellmemore@loughtec.com
028 82 25 24 45

Can the SMB Afford Virtualization?

There has been quite a bit of debate about SMB virtualization and what vendors think they need. However, no one has really looked into whether or not the SMB market can afford virtualization. There is quite a bit of noise that states that the SMB wants everything for free, or that they will receive immediate benefits from virtualization, but can they actually afford it?

From an affordability perspective there are several costs involved:

•Training
•Consultation
•Storage Hardware
•Host Hardware
•Virtualization Software (Hyper-V, VMware, XenServer, KVM, etc.)
•Process Changes
•Backup Software and possibly hardware

The list is pretty endless actually, and each one of these needs to be considered before an SMB will adopt virtualization. The key however, is can a SMB even afford the hardware on top of which they will want to run virtual machines? Virtualization hosts often require lots of memory (16-32GBs usually), multi-core processors (for example 2 Quad Core processors), Fast and Numerous Gigabit Network adapters, and maybe even dedicated Storage Adapters, etc. These servers can range in price from £5,000 to £15,000 depending on vendor, options, etc. Even if an SMB attempts to build a whitebox (Self Build from components) it will generally end up costing around £3,000-£5,000 but you then lose the supportability benefit of utilizing Hardware from the vendors HCL. Further, for redundancy at least 2 servers are required, so now we are talking from £6,000 to £30,000.

The Cost of hardware is often quoted as a reason why people move towards virtualization as a way to perform a Technology refresh. For an SMB this is even more crucial as the budgets are not as high as for Enterprise customers. This is an area where every penny counts.

An SMB has some tough choices to make and whether they are made depends entirely on the system administrators within the organization. Some feel quite comfortable using a white box setup, which may be less expensive. But in this case support is often an issue and support for your virtualization layer is very important. If you cannot get support from the hypervisor vendor you may be looking at consultants to fill the gap.

If the SMB wants redundancy, and this depends on the SMB, then storage costs could figure quite high as well. An inexpensive storage device that gives appropriate performance could cost anywhere from £3,000 to £15,000 depending on the features desired. The cheapest solution is once more a Whitebox with TBs of storage running one of the free storage server softwares such as OpenFiler, FreeNAS, or utilizing local storage with one of the free VSAs (Virtual Storage Appliance) like the XVS (Xtravirt Virtual Storage), etc.

After hardware the next cost to consider is virtualization software licensing costs. These costs will depend on the features required which for the SMB translates roughly into uptime requirements. If the SMB requires 24/7 uptime then some form of Live Migration would be required to aleviate downtime during maintenance periods. But if the SMB requires 9-5/5, then there is time to do maintenance after hours as is traditional. Use of Live Migration could actually alleviate overtime costs with after hours maintenance. So that is one more consideration.

Many SMBs we have spoken to desire high availability while they are in the office and for any systems that have 24/7 uptime requirements. But for most cases it is unimportant to them after business hours. Regardless of timing, the need for high availability will add to the licensing costs. High Availability can be achieved using clustered virtual machines on multiple physical hosts (if the hypervisor supports this), or directly within the hypervisor (such as VMware High Availability). In either case, HA will add to storage costs as you now require some sort of shared storage device moving forward.

Process Changes

The only real process change that should be seen when using virtualization is how the VMs are actually created and not in how your servers have tradditionally been used. There is no need to change how the SMB undertakes their business processes. In essence, the users should not know they have been virtualized.

The sole exception to this is if you are virtualizing a users desktop, then there will need to be some in house training to alleviate any concerns and fears.

Backup Options

With Virtualization there are now several new backup options that can improve business continuity and disaster recovery, yet these new methods do not override or obsolete the existing traditional backup methods currently employed within an SMB. The traditional method generally implies placing a tape drive into one of the physical hosts or attaching a tape library to a physical host. The physical host would be used as a backup server. Backup servers can be virtualized but in general it is currently not recommended as the throughput is not as high as one would desire. However, for a low volume of VMs this is definitely an option. A low volume would be a set of VMs that could be backed up before work begins the next morning.

Consultants

There are many consultants who say they can help you virtualize. Picking a good one is often an issue. Finding one is often difficult and could be an expensive mistake, so be sure to do your due diligence, remember in the land of the blind a one eyed man reigns supreme.

Savings

There is one immediate gain that many an SMB will recur over the subsequent months after virtualization and that is power savings associated with running many servers within the virtualizaiton hosts. However, this is a cost that is more long term than immediate, as there are initial expenses associated with virtualizing within the SMB.

Choices

When picking a hypervisor there are several choices going forward and each have their benefits and weaknesses. If for example, you are uninterested in High Availability then you can use some of the free versions: VMware Server, VMware ESXi, Citrix XenServer, Free Xen, or KVM. If you already own Windows Server 2008, then you also have Hyper-V to try out and use. However, if you want more advanced functionality then you will have to start looking into spending more monies to make it happen, as there are now license costs associated with functionality and management tools for the hypervisors.

Conclusion

Is the savings over time worth virtualizing? We believe it is, but this needs to be considered as a part to your analysis.

Is it just too expensive? If you consider virtualization as part of your server refresh, your costs will be easier to handle.

Is one solution less expensive than another? That depends entirely on the number of hosts you want to virtualize and the expertise of your technical people.

Christmas shopping leads to lost mobiles and USB keys

This is the worst time of year for leaving mobile devices, like phones, laptops and USB sticks in the back of taxis, creating a headache for company owners.

People forget on average around 10,000 mobile phones a month (almost one every two months per taxi) in the back of taxis, and more than 1,000 other hand-held devices, including iPods, laptops and memory sticks, every month.

Data protection

The study also highlights the fact that if you travel in taxis or other forms of public transport, then you need to encrypt your data so no one can see it. At the very least, you should password protect your data since, as various high-profile cases have shown in the last few years, it could easily fall into the wrong hands.

“It’s a known fact that this is the worst time of year for forgetting `property’ at the back of cabs, but especially mobile phones and laptops as they slip onto the floor or get forgotten on the seats as passengers rush onto their next destination with their hands full.

“More people travel into cities to buy their Christmas presents during this period who are not regular cab users, they hop a cab to get back to their train stations – and it’s always about an hour later we get a panicked call on their mobile phones asking for them to be returned.”

Exercise vigilance

This warning message to the business community - as well as individuals - to be vigilant when travelling with their mobile devices has never been more relevant, especially as more people than ever before are using the latest range of "must have" mobile smart phones to store sensitive personal and business information.

Many of these devices now have the capacity to store as much as 4,000 pictures, 20,000 Word documents, 200,000 emails or an amazing 500,000 contact files, making them an obvious target for identity-theft criminals and hackers who can – and do - steal this information and then assume the identity of the user both in their personal and business life.

“Back in the good old days, when a Window was something you looked out of, and a Mac was something you wore in the rain, it used to be small items, like brollies and briefcases stuffed full of boring office papers. Now it’s laptops, smart phones and thumb drives, all chock-full of valuable information to an identity thief,”.

“And if you don’t want to worry about the consequences of losing your mobile – with all those embarrassing text messages and pictures - or laptop with valuable personal and company information – then protect that data using encryption and/or passwords. The technology is available, so why not use it?”

One year on: Windows Server 2008

This week marks the one year anniversary of one of Microsoft’s most important releases – Windows Server 2008.

Before it arrived on 27 February 2008, it had been five long years since the release of the last major version of Windows Server. In a world that was moving on from simple client/server applications and with server clouds on the horizon, Windows Server 2003 was looking long in the tooth.

After a year of ‘Vista’ bashing, Microsoft needed its server project to be well received, just to relieve some pressure. After all, this time last year, the panacea of a well-received Windows 7 was still a long way off.

A new approach
Windows Server 2008 marked a new approach for Microsoft and offered up a number of new innovations. Perhaps the most significant was a move to a modular approach, whereby users could install the parts of the server than they needed, rather than the ‘kitchen sink’ approach that Microsoft was typically historically known for. This was most clearly represented by Server Core, which installed the bare minimum features and APIs – it didn’t even have a GUI.
This approach does mean that there is a lot to get to grips with for a system administrator who’s used to Windows Server 2003. To a large extent, it requires a shift in thinking – something that Gareth Hall, the UK product manager for Windows Server, was willing to admit. “The customer does need to learn another skill set, but it has helped having a good reputation for 2003.”
Hall revealed that a year on, Microsoft was happy with how things have panned out so far. “We’re pretty pleased with it and our customers are too,” he said. “It has been received positively, which we thought it would be judging from the initial reviews.”

Security, security, security
One of the biggest concerns that many potential customers had over the past few years was to do with security. But Hall was keen to report that things have gone smoothly in that area. “In terms of the product - the security - we’ve had no major challenges in that area.”
In terms of features there’s little argument that Microsoft hit all the right spots, such as a Core GUI only version, an enhanced and improved Internet Information Service with version 7, and enhanced security such as the Network Access Protection (NAP) that can quarantine any laptop that connects to a corporate network that’s not fully patched and up to date.
Perhaps the most attractive feature, though, is its integration with Microsoft’s virtualisation software Hyper-V. “Virtualisation is a huge growth area for us,” said Hall.

The problem for Windows Server has certainly not been one of perceived reliability, but rather of the amount of commitment required to move over.

“It’s a release with a reputation for being solid and very calm, and that’s a reputation that deserved,” added Honeyball. “The problem is that it’s a step change. Lots of people have been very happy with the Server 2003 and Exchange Server combination, but moving to Server 2008 is a bigger step than it was from moving from NT4 to 2000.”

Nathaniel Martinez, programme director for IDC’s European enterprise servers arm, agrees. “The biggest stumbling block of any version of Windows is the previous version. We’ve done a bit of research… and a lot of companies are looking to the second version.”

By second version, Martinez is referring to the Revision 2 – or the R2 release. This is based on Windows 7 code and though it’s being billed by Microsoft as a minor release it will bring some major enhancements with it. It will support up to 256 CPUs – up from a 64 limit, will be 64-bit only and on the Hyper-V side will offer Live Migration of virtual machines – a feature that was meant to be in Hyper-V originally but was dropped to ensure the product shipped on time.

Feature focus
One feature that Microsoft’s Hall is particularly looking forward to is a tie in to the Windows 7 client that will enable employees to access their files and folders remotely without having to use a VPN client – a feature called Direct Access.

“We’ve had a huge number of clients asking about connecting to internal company files,” he said. “We did this originally with Outlook Anywhere (from Exchange Server 2007) and now people want it for their files.”

Some also believe that Windows Server 2008 R2 will benefit from the ‘halo ‘effect surrounding the positive buzz around Windows 7. However, Honeyball believes that there won’t be a link between the client and server, and that companies and will take a much more pragmatic approach.

“Moving both client and server systems would be a huge undertaking,” he said. “You have to re-architecture networks and that’s not something that companies are going to do overnight.”

Mainsteam adoption around the corner?
Overall, with analysts echoing Microsoft’s view on the benefits of Windows Server 2008, a year down the line it looks as though the company has got this one right. And, even if enterprises haven’t moved to it on mass, when they do it will benefit both them and their employees, through cost savings and feature benefits for IT mangers and end users alike.
“Lots of people are doing interesting testing but those who have got, or have brought in the skills or are prepared to make the investments have seen great benefits,” added Honeyball.
“Some are taking advantage of the integrated telephony and unified communications features, but it’s not a simple step and some it requires investment – some of which is hardware.”
Companies shouldn’t be put off by the initial costs involved and should take a look at the long term return on investment (ROI) said Hall, adding: “What we’re finding is that once deployed a Windows Server 2008 is 20 to 30 per cent cheaper to manage – per day!”

Exchange 2003: Support ending April 2009

Mainstream support for Exchange Server 2003 will end on April 14, 2009. This means that you cannot contact PSS for supporting problems on Exchange Server 2003 after this date, unless you sign up for 'extended' support at an additional cost.

Maybe this is a good time for organizations to seriously start thinking about upgrading to Exchange Server 2007 and make use of the new, advanced features. For those who have made it to Exchange Server 2007 SP0, here is a shocker: Mainstream support for Exchange Server 2007 SP0 (i.e. Exchange Server 2007 with NO service pack installed) ended on January 13, 2009.

For those who are still wary of installing SP1 on Exchange Server 2007, it's time to take a call on the chicken-and-egg upgrade dilemma between Windows Server 2008 and Exchange Server 2007 SP1.

If you’d like to know more about this, or would like more information about other LOUGHTEC services, please feel free to contact us, either via the e-mail link below, or by calling us on :

tellmemore@loughtec.com 028 82 25 24 45

Some more information:

Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 will go out of mainstream support on July 2010.

Windows XP will go out of mainstream support on April 14, 2009.

Is that how you want to save money ?

This just in: small businesses are feeling pressure from the economy and are looking for ways to save money. Just kidding. Everyone knows this by now, but new data from a study conducted by the Federation of Small Business and DYMO shows just what these businesses are doing to cut costs:

- 23% of respondents have cut staff
- 36% of respondents have decreased business travel
- 36% of resondents have minimized marketing efforts
- 29% of respondents have put a freeze on bonuses and raises

Ouch. These are not things that any small business wants to do.

Cutting staff ?

It's one thing for a large corporation to cut staff, but the smaller the business, the more impact cutting staff is likely to have on the business itself. If you have 15 employees and have to get rid of 5 of them, you're looking at losing a third of your workforce, and along with that, a third of your business's productivity (provided that these employees were indeed productive and not total slackers). Interestingly enough, productivity is one of the main things businesses are looking to increase.

Decreasing Business Travel ?

I can actually see this as a reasonable way to save some dough. Some business trips are unavoidable and are of the utmost importance to your business. You don't want to sacrifice these, but how many of your trips can be forfeited in favor of other forms of communication? Networking has gotten easier online in recent years with social media. Web conferencing may suit some scenarios as well, whether that be in the form of text communication, audio, or video conferencing. Contact Loughtec about our Remote Access Solutions +44 (0) 2882 252 445

Minmizing Marketing Efforts ?

I can't say that I condone this action. To me, it seems that marketing has never been more important for the survival of a business. For one, if you are not marketing, people might forget about you, or even assume that your business in trouble because they have not heard from you lately. Marketing shows potential customers that you are still there for them even in these rocky times. Secondly, you have to drive people to your business. How else do you intend to attract customers ?

Freezing Bonuses and Raises ?

If it's unavoidable, it's unavoidable, but this is another area that I would suggest steering clear of if you want to keep your most valuable employees. If employees feel like they're not going to be able to get ahead and make the money that they could be, they're not liable to stick around very long. Losing key employees can really put the strain on a business, and such a freeze could very well put you at risk of losing more than just one.