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1. Updates are Managed Every wireless system requires firmware and software updates. If these updates aren’t carried out or are done so incorrectly with have a serious impact on the connectivity and performance of your network. With a managed WIFI solution you’ll be supported by a team of experts who will live the system every day, understand what needs to be done, how it works and how it’ll affect your performance. This means the team will complete the updates at the right time for your system to keep running at its best. Wireless is a utility like electricity or water it’s a fundamental requirement for every business to operate. The problem is, few small business owners have the skill set, the time or the inclination to support the ever-changing needs. It’s both a financial and technical challenge to keep up with demand. Which is why deploying a managed WIFI system is the perfect solution 2. Device and Wi-Fi Alignment Devices today such as laptops, tablets and phones have an 18 to 24-month life span before another version comes out and you never know who is going to be bringing what onto your network next. Your current WIFI system will probably last from 24 – 36 months, the problem is, this isn’t well known amongst small to medium sized business owners. As a result, business owners think that the technology in place will still be fit for purpose, but you land up trying to support the latest devices on an outdated WIFI system that is over 5 years old. With a managed WIFI system you can guarantee you’re always going to have the latest infrastructure in place to support the latest devices being used, this is because your systems will be updated and refreshed every 36 – 48 months, perfectly within the optimal limits. 3. Wi-Fi as a subscription (Wi-Fi as a service) Think Cirrus is an expert when it comes to getting high quality, robust WIFI connectivity into hard-to-reach locations, listed buildings such as within the Rows in Chester City Centre, HGV stops and campus-based organisations. Think Cirrus can provide Wireless-as-a-Service (WaaS), another acronym… yep, sorry we know.  All this means is that you buy connectivity from us, paying for it on a service basis. If you own a hotel, holiday park or caravan park and your customers wish to purchase WIFI from you, you can choose whether you pass on all or some of the costs by charging them to use your WIFI. Buying WIFI connectivity as a service is a very low-risk option, as all support and technology upgrades are included in the service, and the cost to you is spread over a period of time. 4. Worry-less management. With a managed WIFI solution you don’t have to think about it. Your Managed service provider will do everything you need to. With Think Cirrus there are no call out charges as its all included as part of the monthly support payment. There are no hidden costs, just open and honest I.T. Boost Your Business and Engage Customers with Wi-Fi   Or you could just decide that it’s 1995…

  If managing your Wi-Fi is making your hair turn grey, then think again. There is a solution out there, and we’d like to explore it with you. A fully managed service provider is around the corner, to remove the hassle and hold your hand every step of the way. What is a Managed Wi-Fi Solution? A managed wi-fi solution is a wireless system with minimal upfront costs. The Managed Service provider (MSP) will fix or replace existing technology/equipment and monthly, the MSP will monitor and update what’s needed at the right time, for a reasonable monthly fee. If you don’t have the skill set or inclination this is an ideal situation. If you don’t want to have to even think about positioning a router or access points as it can be time consuming and frustrating. If you just want things to work, that is where your MSP will come into play. They’ll be your support system. Most MSP’s should visit you on site, at your venue or office, HQ, and carry out a network analysis and will ask qualifying questions to determine what your needs are. How many users and devices will need to be active at the same time. Do you want guests to access a network which is separate from your own? Do you need to take Wi-Fi payments on the network.   Is your business growing, as managed Wi-Fi is scalable and can grow as fast or as slowly as your business. Most MSP’s should have the capacity to monitor your systems 24/7 and they will update the software and firmware as part of the monthly subscription. Upgrades and patching Upgrades will be carried out at a time convenient for you and if a piece of equipment fails we will replace it. Most MSP’s will make sure that all your technology and equipment is up to date and Most MSP will purchase all the equipment that is needed, and install it, get you up and running and keep holding your hand whilst you run your business. There is a lot of information here so to summarise, instead of having to take your time away from growing and running your business, why not let someone else run it for you?

    GDPR is coming – should we be scared or simply bored? May 2018 is when you start to get your direct marketing and data usage into gear. Gone are the times where you can spam people, where you can say that they have opted in when they haven’t. Oon the 25th May 2018 GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) will come into force and it will set off what has been described by some as a nuclear bomb under every aspect of direct marketing. Fears, Concerns and Myths There are so many rumours being bandied around that nobody really knows what the rules are. Here are some that we’ve all heard: You will have to take all your carefully collected, monitored, mailed-to customers and prospects, throw them away, and start again. Unless you have detailed opt-ins for every mailing, you must stop contacting your customers. It’s going to be as bad as the millennium bug. We’ll have to stop sending out our email newsletter. All our data collection will now be heavily controlled and regulated with severe penalties incurred by any of us who do not comply. I won’t be able to collect business cards at exhibitions, so I can’t try to sell my products, so what’s the point of exhibitions? We’ve all heard these fears and concerns and while there are elements of truth in each, they don’t paint the complete picture.  The reality is both more complicated and yet simpler. Reasons for contacting Customers It all comes down to your reasons for contacting customers and prospects and whether they are ‘people’ or ‘companies’. This is a key distinction as they are both covered under slightly different parts of the regulations. You have to deal with each slightly differently. There are a number of grounds under which you can legitimately process data under GDPR but perhaps the two most interesting for small to medium businesses are: Consent for specific purposes Legitimate business interests Realistically, we believe that most businesses will be able to continue with most of their current activity (unless they already skirt the law, of course). It’s more a case of understanding what you are doing, defining why you are doing it, tailoring it as necessary and changing the message to make it clear to everyone. For the majority of small to medium businesses, GDPR will, as the Information Commissioner says, “be an ongoing journey”. It’s not some apocalyptic event which will derail your business. It’s not intended to kill your business, it’s not the nuclear bomb it has been described as. We suspect that many global businesses will probably ignore it, while pretending not to of course. At a recent training session run by the IDM, the speaker expressed the view that companies like Facebook and Google will never adopt GDPR. They will merely fight it out in court and pay the fines. It is, in his opinion, almost impossible for them to meet the requirements, the data they collect and process is simply too complicated and too ingrained in everyday life. Whether this is true or not, in our opinion, while they are chasing global companies it’s highly unlikely that the GDPR Police will raid a pet shop in Crewe and fine them 4% of turnover. Particularly if that shop is behaving reasonably, has taken steps, and is securing and managing their data appropriately. It’s easy to become GDPR Compliant  The reality is that by following a fairly simple process and then adopting some simple, and to be honest, reasonable measures (particularly on data security), the average business can meet GDPR, and crucially – be seen to meet it. Having gone through the GDPR process with several clients, we know that the main issue is often, not how difficult it is, but how boring it is. The analysis of data, review of security, mapping of processes and completion of balancing tests are all far less exciting than they may sound. It can become an excruciatingly long, slow and tedious procedure, especially for the business owner who would rather be running their business and generating new customers. So why is GDPR made out to be the scariest thing in the world? Why do consultants talk about it in hushed tones and dress it up in complexity and complication? Well, if you lead people to the edge of a cliff and give them a little shove to make them think they’re going to fall, how easy it then becomes to sell them your services to save them. GDPR is an issue, yes. It’s not easy, and it is something that you will have to address. But we suspect that the biggest barrier will be how dull it is, not how difficult it is to comply. Guest Blogger – Martin Corlett-Moss Today’s guest blog is written by Martin Corlett-Moss owner and founder of MCM2 Marketing Agency based in Nantwich.  He’s a straight-talking, marketing professional who knows what he’s talking about and gets stuff done – simply and concisely.  He is a marketing guru and ppc expert. Martin works with small businesses to help them grow. www.mcm2.co.uk   For info on the IDM Courses: https://www.theidm.com/marketing-courses/legal-and-regulation/general-data-protection-regulation  

  The choice of cloud hosting vs dedicated server has become an eternal topic of discussion. There are hundreds of forums, discussion boards and blogs on the Internet that are discussing this at length; most of them one-sided, obviously in favour of the cloud. But let’s see what the deal is…   …Having a dedicated server can be costly, bulky and expensive in comparison to cloud hosting which is a cost effective and easier alternative.  However, this depends upon the requirements of your business. Think about access, skill set, time, location and space, oh and money.   We all know that cash flow can be a sore point, and so with dedicated servers come capital expenditure, whereas, cloud servers will automatically feel lighter on the purse strings, in the form of monthly operational expenditure.   There are many types of cloud and traditional dedicated hosting solutions available. Both cloud and dedicated server hosting have unique features and benefits. There might even be an appetite for a hybrid approach which means you’ll use both. The correct match between technology and business objectives is critical to working effectively and productively.   Dedicated Server A dedicated server is a physical server that is purchased or rented entirely for your own business needs. Having a dedicated server is also quite a traditional model, and although it may have been the only option 8-10 years ago, in today’s modern information technological environment – it’s not the only option. Cloud Hosting  If you need to optimise I.T. performance without the huge costs associated with purchasing and managing a fully dedicated infrastructure, cloud servers are a great option. Many small and mid-sized businesses, and those with variable demands and workloads, find that cloud servers meet their needs effectively, as well as a hybrid solution. Cloud servers can be configured to provide levels of performance, security and control similar to those of a dedicated server. But instead of being hosted on physical hardware, they reside on a shared environment that’s managed by your cloud hosting provider. You benefit from the economies of scale of sharing hardware with other customers. With cloud servers, you only pay for the exact amount of server space used, and have the benefit of infinite flexibility. You can scale resources up or down depending on demand, and avoid paying for idle infrastructure costs when demand is low. Cloud hosting seems an obvious choice for most hosting requirements. Sharing the resources of many servers, it offers a dynamic and highly scalable form of hosting that will grow with your business. The cloud offers the ideal hosting solution for many businesses, offering high resilience and flexibility. Hybrid Server Solution   Sometimes, using one or the other just isn’t an option. Because of business complexities you can also have the option and the benefits from both hosting solutions, by combining cloud and dedicated servers to create a bespoke hybrid solution. Whether you choose public or private cloud, dedicated servers or a hybrid hosting solution, you can rest assured that with us you will benefit from increased performance, speed and support. We understand your needs.  Get started

2018 Money Penny Affiliate Partner We’re pleased to announce that in 2018 we’ll be working as an affiliate partner with the call answering gurus moneypenny. “A number of our clients use the excellent service that money penny provides and we’re happy to be advocates. As a managed service provider, we like to be the I.T. department that works with other incredible local businesses.”  Rachel, Think Cirrus Marketing Manager.

The essential guide to setting up a home office network. Several of our clients not only run businesses associated with a venue, such as hotels, bars, restaurants, or agencies, they also work from home as well.  We know all too well, that sometimes working from home is often more productive than being in the office.  Yet who do you call when something doesn’t work? If you are a small business owner with a home office or you’re a start-up business owner seeking to work professionally from your spare bedroom, 2018 is the right time to think about it properly. There are many considerations to think about when it comes to setting up a home network 1. Self Assessment Take time to look at what you’ll need to work effectively and efficiently. Think about a desk, your chair and neck alignment. Think about equipment you’ll need, such as phone, a monitor, a printer, some lighting. Will all this need to fit on one desk? Will these aspects help you to focus and become more productive?Don’t just make do, you know as well as we do, that you’ll probably spend a lot of your time in this space, so it’s worth investing.To help you out, we’ve come up with things you need to create your own home office setup checklist: Technology Connectivity Communication Software Data Storage 2. Technology: Laptop, desk top or tablet? There was a time when the desktop PC was replaced by a laptop as the device of choice for working from home. In recent years, smartphones and tablets have taken over as the preferred device over a laptop PC. Although mobility is convenient, you may find you get better performance from a desktop PC at a reduced cost. Then you can choose to add mobile devices such as a laptop or tablet to provide yourself with some flexibility. In terms of repair, a desktop is fairly easy to maintain and repair simply by popping the side of the console off.  A laptop PC takes a little more effort when something malfunctions. Plus, the replacement parts are often specific to the make and model of the device. On the other hand, a laptop PC is more energy efficient and lends more portability to your work routine. Plus, you can always add a full-sized keyboard and monitor for improved functionality. Finally, you should decide if you want to work with a Mac or the Windows operating system. Depending upon your work purpose, there may be some compatibility considerations such as software and applications. Other Technology: printers; scanners; docks…? So much to think about. If you are going to spend a significant amount of time in your home office, take an inventory of your requirements including monitors, printers, scanners, fax machines, keyboards, an ergonomic mouse, device docks, external storage devices, and more.  Avoid going for the cheapest devices.  Remember, you are going to be using them on a daily basis so you will need technology that is reliable. If you are limited on space, a high-quality printer that provides a combination of functions may be more suitable. A combination printer can provide you with scanning, copying, and faxing services without having to purchase each device separately. Most of them are also equipped with wireless connectivity which expands your options when considering your printing, copying, scanning, and faxing requirements. 3.Connectivity: Wired OR Wireless? Regardless of your business type or occupation, connectivity has become an essential in a home office. But, should you choose a wired or wireless Internet connection? Wireless. With a wireless connection, there is no need to run an Ethernet cable from your wireless router to the device you want to connect to the Internet.  The main reason for the use of a wireless connection is convenience and mobility.  If you have devices you must move around, a wireless connection can offer more flexibility. Wired. On the other hand, if you have devices such as a desktop PC that you do not have to move around, a wired connection is typically faster and more reliable. Choosing a wired or wireless connection is usually a matter of personal choice and your requirements for connectivity speed. Internet Connectivity. Most home offices are equipped with a high-speed broadband connection which allows you to transfer large amounts of data over a short period.  Fortunately, internet connectivity speeds have come a long way in recent times and most residential areas now have access to cable broadband connectivity, which guarantees a consistent (and usually very fast) internet connectivity speed.   4. Software: Considerations. Depending upon your type of business or occupation, your software requirements can vary.  However, there are two main software requirements that almost every business needs which includes an office productivity suite and an email system. Many home office users choose to subscribe to Microsoft Office 365 for Business. You pay an affordable monthly fee for access to enterprise level applications and email. For example, the Premium Office 365 subscription provides access to the following capabilities: Outlook Exchange Online Business class email, calendar, and contacts with a 50GB (gigabyte) inbox per user Word PowerPoint Excel Skype VoIP for Business OneNote Microsoft Publisher OneDrive for Business with 1TB (terabyte) of file storage and sharing Unlimited online meetings IM and HD videoconferencing with Skype for Business Access to work management tools for team collaboration and multi-tasking Access to a social network to make collaboration with your clients easier Professional digital storytelling tools to create interactive presentations, projects, reports, and more Access to Office apps on tablets and phones for the fully installed mobile Office experience on up to 5 tablets and 5 phones per user Access to online versions of Office in the cloud including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word Small businesses have access to enterprise level tools and applications all at a very affordable price of £7.80 per user/per month. Microsoft Office 365 is cloud-based which means it can be accessed from anywhere and on any device.  You can choose what applications you want to download on

1. You don’t want to sign a long-term agreement… “Our current IT services contract is up for renewal, but we don’t want to agree to another long-term contract. The service hasn’t been great recently, so we’re a bit reluctant to sign up for another year”. … Well, you don’t have to! We retain long-term working relationships with our clients, but we don’t tie any of them into 12-month service contracts. The first 3 months of service is subject to a one-month termination period, with a 3-month rolling notice period applied thereafter. 2. You receive poor customer service. “Our current IT company keep missing their SLA, they never return our calls and we have to chase them to fix our IT problems!” It’s all about time and resource management Service level shortfalls can occur when a help desk team is overworked, understaffed, or both.  It’s also possible that the engineer/s that had the most knowledge about your network has left the company. We don’t cut corners, we’ll manage your priority, your network and your conundrum within the service level agreement expected.   3. Can our IT company to tell us about a problem before it becomes business critical? “We’re fed up with telling our I.T. company about a problem that is affecting us. It took hours for our existing IT company to start looking into a business-critical network problem. No one in the company could work until the problem was fixed. The downtime literally cost our business thousands of pounds in lost revenue”. We’ll alert you to possible business critical problems, before they arise. As part of our monthly managed support, we offer Proactive monitoring. This means we’ll know about an issue before you do. We’ll try and fix the problem before it affects your business. And if we can’t we’ll endeavour to tell you with time to prepare and manage your business-critical functions. 4. We can’t get 24/7 IT Support. “Our existing IT company doesn’t provide support outside traditional business operating hours”.  Our engineers never sleep. Well, sort of… Our UK-based team provides telephone and remote IT support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This additional service is used by clients that work outside of standard business operating hours, or have staff working from global satellite offices that operate in different time zones. 5. Our IT company lacks Apple Mac knowledge. “Our existing IT company does a great job supporting our Windows PCs, but they really struggle with Mac problems”. An Apple a day keeps the Windows away! Our techie engineers are just that, technically educated. Which means they can support Mac users and troubleshooting Apple technologies, from mobile devices to Macs. In fact, a large number of our existing clients use Windows and Mac technologies in a cross-platform environment. Because not everyone is a Windows user and we understand that.   6. Too much small print, not enough support. “We’re constantly being told that numerous software applications and devices are ‘not covered in our support contract’. I’ve checked the small print and it’s full of exclusions!” We’ve banned the small print. Our service desk team will endeavour to assist you with ANY IT related problems, including issues with common 3rd party applications. As a small business, we also hate small print, which is why you won’t find any in our IT support services agreement. We find that the businesses who don’t lock you into a contract provide better support, anyway – but that’s just our opinion.   7. Expensive and lengthy quotations are painful “We received a quotation recently for £19,000. We didn’t know what it was for and we didn’t have time or the inclination to decipher what we were getting for our money.” Simple itemised quotations that are easy to understand. Our team put quotations together that are itemised so you know exactly what to expect, from monthly support, to licenses and any extras you might need. It’s all there no hidden charges and no extra charges for call outs. We don’t have a call out charge as it’s included in the support we provide.   Let us take care of your IT, so you don’t have to. Contact us for a no-obligation quote today.

The market is saturated with I.T. businesses who are there to support you if things go wrong, which is great, right? But which ones do you choose, how much does it cost and what does all the jargon mean?  Largely, I.T. Support and Managed I.T. Service Providers do the same thing, so the only thing differentiating them will be cost and the level of service included for that cost.   Less Pain = More Value To assess the value/pain threshold you’ll need to build a picture of your I.T. and the pain associated with anything breaking or crashing. This picture will amount to the value associated with your I.T. Which means you should think about how important and vital your I.T. is to the smooth running of your business?  What is the cost of not being able to access what you need? What is the cost of being unable to take a customer payment?   What is I.T. Support, and how much will it cost me? I.T. Support is usually centred round an ‘as you need it’ service. You’ll have an I.T. business that you can rely upon but only part time. We’re going to call it Pay Per Incident I.T. Support.  With a PPI IT support contract, you’ll be charged each time you request support.   Pay Per Incident (PPI) IT Support Costs & Charges. PPI should be offered on a no-obligation, rolling agreement.  PPI is usually charged by the hour – expect to pay anything from £75 per hour. You may be able to buy a block of time in advance that you can draw on as and when you need it. This is likely to work out a cheaper arrangement than buying each hour individually. Be cautious – expect to pay twice as much for an hour of onsite support as you would for an hour of remote support.  There probably won’t be a guaranteed response time for callouts either, so you may have to wait for help if you run into a fundamental problem.   What is a Managed I.T. Service? A managed I.T. service will be given by a Managed Services Provider (MSP). They will support businesses with a need for an outsourced I.T. team and support.  They will offer a fixed monthly contract with a set service level agreement. The fixed monthly contract should include unlimited telephone support and a service level agreement (where the support company promises to phone you back fast and be onsite for real emergencies in a specified time scale). The monthly fee should cover everything including onsite visits. I.T. support for a small business could range from £50 – £2000 depending on the number of staff, PC’s and other infrastructure. Denplan Approach We’ve all heard of ‘Denplan’ a dental insurance which allows you to pay for your dentistry in monthly instalments and then when you need dental work you can claim on the insurance with no extra costs involved. This is how we think about a managed I.T. services provision. The business owner pays for the monthly subscription to the service, has a monthly check up face to face and then if there are any emergencies – the issues will be resolved at no extra cost – including onsite visits. The cost of such support means that you don’t have to worry about a thing. Your licenses are taken care of, your software is updated regularly without thinking about it, everything is backed up daily to the cloud/server with ease and no hassle.   Companies which offer a monthly support option may take a more flexible approach to their customers in general, and therefore often do a better job. And yes, we may be bias but we do passionately believe that outsourcing your I.T. can be a dream come true.   Trusted Outsourced Partner Here at Think Cirrus you don’t need to sign a contract, we believe if you’re happy, you’ll stay. We don’t charge for onsite visits and we don’t charge for consultations. We want to build relationships, so you can trust us to be your long term outsourced I.T. partner.

Northop Hall Hotel Managed IT Services  Hacks, attacks, virus outbreaks along with piecemeal technology and infrastructure, plagued the Northop Hall Hotel. The team were frustrated with daily issues, especially with email. Nothing had been backed up for well over 4 months and email outages were common place and for days or weeks at a time. With costs spiralling, and little support, the management team needed a serious IT solution to support their independent hotel. Find out how we supported the Northop Hall and read the case study today. Read the case study and find out how we could support you!  DOWNLOAD THE CASE STUDY  – Northop Hall Hotel Case Study_

Looking for guidance, leadership or sound advice about the direction of your IT? Need an IT strategy that matches your business plan? Would you like to draw on the experience and proven methods for making change?  If you’re looking for some perspective on what to do or how to go about making change with your technology,  speak to us. Need Strategy Advice? We help companies with change, whether that’s changing their IT or using their IT to delivery change we can help.  We can help create a strategy that matches your business aspirations, the experience of building a plan that navigates the challenges of implementing change and the ability to plan and navigate through the challenges of people, process and technology We help people like you.  From a few hundred £’s per day we can provide a flexible level of service to suit your challenges.  Already an IT manager or department head in need of a sounding board?  A CEO wanting some impartial advise an validation.  Perhaps your the FD and looking for assistance planning a budget?  We help people and companies like yours? We can help with all aspects of your technology, as the saying goes from desktop to datacentre. The Outsourced IT Director You Don’t know what you don’t know Many SME’s have little or no idea about what’s possible and how attainable the very best tools & systems are.  It’s easy to believe the cloud, innovation and those impressive adverts you see on TV are meant to the larger enterprise.  They are, but they are 100% viable for the SME, regardless of your budget, or the age of your current systems.  Let us help you to think differently on the art of the possible. Need an IT Director? Why not outsource it? …..The Outsourced IT Director If you’d like to take advantage of our no obligation consultation get in touch with us today Call us today on 03303 130966 or hello@thinkcirrus.co.uk  https://www.thinkcirrus.co.uk