Author name: admin

The catastrophic IT meltdown which caused chaos for thousands of passengers across the bank holiday wasn’t the first-time British Airways had technical issues this year. Which begs the question – they could have seen it coming and put prevention tactics in place? Right? …In this article, we’ll look at what could go wrong in your business – we want you to think differently about your IT. Reported amongst the trade and wider press, British Airways shook up their I.T. department in a bid to save on staffing costs. They have now been branded as ‘greedy’ – experts say that if they hadn’t made internal I.T. staff redundant then the damaging crash may not have happened. Well – we’ll never really know. Regardless of what is to blame, the cost of the bank holiday weekend outage is likely to be more than £100m. Independent aviation analyst Howard Wheeldon even suggested that the bill could be close to £250m, when compensation claims are considered. British Airways was forced to cancel all flights out of Heathrow and Gatwick airports in London on Saturday following what it described as a “global systems outage”. This IT disaster just shows that if a global business such as British Airways can’t avoid such a catastrophe – then, potentially your business could go through such trauma too. What lessons have we learnt from BA’s I.T. blip? Here we’ll point out the top lessons learnt: 1. Disaster Recovery Plan – If you fail to prepare for the worst, prepare to fail. The importance of a disaster recovery plan cannot be overstated. Regardless of industry, when an unforeseen event takes place and brings day-to-day operations to a halt, your business needs to recover as quickly as possible and continue to provide services to your clients. From data security breaches to natural disasters, you must put a plan in place in case of a catastrophe. Not having a disaster recovery plan in place can put the organisation at risk of high financial costs, reputation loss and even greater risks for its clients and customers. Disaster recovery forms a big part of a company’s business continuity plan. While business continuity sets out controls to keep all aspects of business functioning when a disaster hits, disaster recovery primarily focuses on IT and its systems that support business functions in the case of a disaster. The importance of disaster recovery is becoming more and more of a top agenda point for Chief Executives and Business Owners, as we continue to depend on computer systems. Systems and networks are becoming ever more complex, meaning more and more things can go wrong. Over a decade ago, if there was a threat to a system, a disaster recovery plan may include powering down the mainframe and other computers. Current systems tend to be too complicated to have more of a hands-on approach. It has been reported that many large companies spend between 2% to 4% of their IT budget on disaster recover planning. It is also not unusual for a company to spend up to 25% of their IT budget. The plan is to minimise the risk of significant loss to infrastructure. Lack of preparation can lead to significant monies and time being spent on repair. However – if you don’t have those sorts of budgets to contend with, then there are other options. Traditional Disaster Recovery solutions are very expensive and quite often require duplication of pricey hardware that in an ideal world would never be required. Find out more about a robust and cost effective backup solution. One of our specialists can help you understand the solution including the costs to your business: https://www.thinkcirrus.co.uk/our-solutions/recovery-testing/ 2. Outsourcing doesn’t have to be a negative decision – choose wisely and you’ll be better off. As the owner of a small company, you have probably entertained the thought of outsourcing some aspect of your business. The benefits of outsourcing seem obvious, touted by experts across numerous industries as the answer to cutting costs for business functions ranging from information technology to accounting, marketing and human resources; it seems possible that you could run an entire company without ever hiring a single employee. Just think – you may have someone in your office that is ok with computers, but is most likely fixing I.T. issues that isn’t on the job description. If they are spending time taking care of these things, who is doing what they were hired to do? Outsourcing allows you to retain employees for their highest and best use, rather than wasting their time on things that may take them longer than someone who is trained in these specific areas. We also think that outsourcing can improve company focus. It is neither practical, nor possible to be a jack of all trades. Outsourcing lets you focus on your core competencies while another company focuses on theirs. Outsourcing also helps you to reduce risk – keeping up with technology required to run your business is expensive and time consuming… just think about it – you know it makes sense. Because professional outsourced IT providers work with multiple clients and need to keep up on industry best practices, they typically know what is right and what is not. This kind of knowledge and experience dramatically reduces your risk of implementing a costly wrong decision. See – it’s not all doom and gloom! And any associated risks such as loss of control or confidentiality of data and disaster recovery – so if you have an IT representative in your business who knows what they are doing or you source a company that is open and honest – you can avoid any costly or business damaging risks. We know there is a lot to think about, so whether you choose to outsource or hire internally, one thing is certain, you must know how to manage successful working relationships with your IT service providers. Let’s face it, we know that we’re not always the easiest people in the world to understand

I.T. sometimes seems really complicated – and it can be if you’re not sure how to go about it. It’s like the cloud. If you don’t know what this is – it can sound scary and complicated. In this short blog, we’ll go over how SharePoint and One Drive cloud solution can transform your business. What is the Cloud? The Cloud is IT infrastructure and software that’s connected to the Internet. This allows us to access our IT from anywhere.   With Office 365, your files and apps are accessible in a public (but very secure) cloud. And you can collaborate with teammates anywhere. The Microsoft platforms that make this possible are called OneDrive and SharePoint. ONEDRIVE CLOUD STORAGE? What is it? Why do I need it? OneDrive is the cloud-based file storage system that comes with Office 365. In the simplest terms, OneDrive gives you: FILE STORAGE – safe & secure space on a remote server run by Microsoft. This means reduced costs and easily accessible files. EASY ACCESS TO FILES – a OneDrive app will sync your files between your PC or other devices, and the cloud. This removes the hassle and ball ache when it comes to saving files into a drive. You’ll be able to access files from any other device, whether in the office or working remotely. DATA SECURITY –  the Azure cloud platform that OneDrive is built on, means that you are safe and secure, as standard. ONEDRIVE!! One Vision to change the way you work! If you are a small business, you really don’t need to worry about an impressive server. With Office 365, Microsoft manages your files and data security for you. This means you don’t need to spend a lot on buying, managing and upgrading servers. Instead you can spend a smaller monthly amount on a service that’s always up to date. If you are an entrepreneur and need to access your files on the go, without the worry of losing everything if your laptop dies, then One Drive can help with a stress free working life.  There are OneDrive apps for PC, Mac, and mobile. So, instead of having to be in the office to open files on your own server, you can sign into OneDrive (or Office 365 apps) and work on them anywhere. You can also email your files from anywhere. Running your business properly and within regulation isn’t easy. One Drive helps your business comply with data regulations –  Microsoft’s cloud already meets stringent EU standards. The UK and US governments even use it. WHAT IS SHAREPOINT COLLABORATION? SharePoint is the bridge between your OneDrive files and your Office 365 apps (e.g. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). SharePoint lets multiple members of your team collaborate on the same file, in different locations. Let’s try an example. Anito and Lee are writing a Word doc together in separate offices. SharePoint help Lee and Anito work together: One file can be opened by two users, instead of opening separate versions of the same file. Which means they can manage version control and operate more efficiently. SharePoint synchronises their work, so they can see each other type and share comments in real time When finished, Lee and Anito save one version of the file and email it to their boss When their boss wants to add comments to the doc, he can access that one centralised version too. In other words, everyone always has the latest version of every file. As you can see, collaborating and file sharing are a lot more flexible and efficient with SharePoint. There’s more… …Searching for documents across a business can be tricky and normally ends up in duplicated work. With eDiscovery, it is easier to search and find content across your entire business. There are also other tools such as Microsoft Planner – we use this at Think Cirrus and highly recommend it. Microsoft Planner is a project management tool that has been developed by Microsoft and comes as part of SharePoint suite. SharePoint also has the facility to develop an internal communications platform such as an intranet – even greater Manchester Police use it to communicate.   You can develop SharePoint to create and collaborate blogs, intranet sites, and more Why do it yourself! Focus on your business and let us sort it out! We know that you have your own business to run – but you needed to have some background knowledge, so you feel like you’re in the know. However, there is always plenty more questions you can ask.  Don’t be afraid – we’ll even meet you for a coffee and some cake if you’re in the local area, with no obligation.

There is nothing more annoying than your broadband suddenly slowing down when you have a busy venue full of customers, chatting, posting, sharing and snapchatting. Not only that, you know only too well that your payments systems will start to slow down too, because everything is running over the Wi-F. Here’s how you can bring things back up to speed. Frustrated by slow broadband? Average fixed broadband speeds have risen dramatically over the last five years, with the UK’s average download speed hitting 14.7Mbps. But the unfortunate truth is that many people in the country still suffer from slow download speeds – particularly at peak times. Sometimes there is very little you can do about this. If your business is a significant distance your local telephone exchange, for example, and you still have a copper connection, then you are doomed to suffer slow speeds until better alternatives become available. However, if your phone lines are capable of delivering faster broadband speeds than you are getting, there are several DIY tricks you can use to improve your chances of getting a faster signal. Test your speed If you haven’t already done so, use a speed tester to measure the level at which your broadband connection is currently running. This will allow you to see what difference the following suggestions make to your speed. Reposition your router The position of your router can have a significant effect on the quality of your wireless connection. Place it in an area where the signal will be affected by as few obstructions and little interference as possible. For example, away from appliances which emit wireless signals (e.g. cordless phones, baby monitors) and avoiding barriers (such as walls and doors) between the router and your computer. Ideally, it should be positioned up high – on a bookshelf for example. Check your Wi-Fi settings Your router has lots of different settings that can affect your wireless broadband signal that can be tweaked and adjusted to help get the best speeds. For example, making sure you use a different wireless channel to your neighbours can reduce interference and drop speeds for both of you. Check your manual for instructions on how to adjust these settings. Expand your wireless network If you’re having trouble with wireless, you could invest in a wireless repeater. These improve your wireless range, bouncing the signal over a larger area. You could also add a powerline adapter. These use the wiring in your house to send a Wi-Fi signal around. Wherever you have a free plug socket, you’ll be able to position a wireless hotspot. This is a significantly more expensive option, but is often much more effective. Switch After all these measures, if your current package still isn’t giving you the speed you want, it may be time to switch provider. Use an Ofcom-accredited comparison calculator to compare broadband deals and find a more suitable package for you. It’s good to talk If you are not getting what you expected from your ISP, then give them a call. You may be able to boost your connection speed simply by asking them if they can identify a fault on the line, taking steps to fix it for you. Alternatively, if you’ve been on the same package for a long time – 12 months or more – your package might be outdated. Not only may faster options be available, you may be paying more than you need to. It’s up to you which of those is worse. Alternatively – lets have a chat.  Sometimes trying to resolve an I.T. issue yourself can be a bit of a ball ache. Why not give us a call and we’ll give you free advice and guidance on what you need to do next. As the small business I.T. experts we’ve experienced your problems and feel your pain.

5 ways to reduce your business landline bills Find out how you can reduce the cost of your business landline bills and boost your business profits. The financial pressures of running a business can be difficult enough to manage without having to worry about large landline bills. If you’re looking to cut down on your spending, there are a number of ways to make your business landline as economical as possible, and keep your bills to a minimum. Compare the market regularly One of the simplest ways of keeping your business phone line costs down is to make sure you know what deals are available. You can save hundreds of pounds a year depending on the size of your business by moving from an unsuitable tariff to one that’s right for you – the only way of doing this is to research the market.  All you need to do is choose which is the best business landline deal for you and your business. You should keep all your utilities providers, including your business landline, on a regular review cycle, allowing you to take advantage any new deals that might be launched. Look out for bundles A growing trend for telecoms companies is to offer bundle services to business customers, allowing you to hold all of your services with one provider at a discounted rate. Companies including O2, BT and Orange are all offering packages that combine cheap business phone lines with mobile phone plans and broadband, meaning you can cut down the number of providers you have, saving time and money. Lose the pricey extras You should check your current landline plan to see if you’re paying for any non-essential extras that are adding to your monthly bills. Additional services such as call waiting, caller ID and call forwarding may be nice to have, but could also be costing you dearly. Keeping your landline package simple or adding individual services that you need can help to keep your costs down. Alternatives to inter-office phone calls If you have large premises and need to be in constant contact with employees on different floors or within different departments, you can drastically reduce your landline bills by taking advantage of new communication technology. Products such as Microsoft’s Skype for Business, allows instant messaging and phone calls over the internet, which still allows you to chat to any employee without the use of a landline phone. Skype’s Instant Messaging functionality works in the same way as a social messaging service, but without the distractions, allowing you to send real time messages to colleagues via computer. VoIP – the future of phone conferencing Using Voice over IP (VoIP) technology, you can make free voice calls locally and overseas. Skype and Apple’s FaceTime facility will both allow you to make video and voice calls for free, so you can reserve your business landline for short conversations only and avoid making costly calls to your clients, suppliers or offices Take a look at our Telephone and Conferencing services For more information and to see if we can help you contact us T:03303 130966 or e-mail us using hello@thinkcirrus.co.uk

…That’s what we hope you’ll say once we’ve fixed the problem. Wi-Fi will work and can work! It’s just about getting the right capacity in your venue! We know that you’ve attempted several speed tests and Google searches to try and find out why your Wi-Fi is so slow or runs with a lag, especially when it’s busy. But speed isn’t the issue… You need more Wi-Fi capacity! But, what does this mean? Think of Wi-Fi capacity like a speaker.  Place the speaker in the corner of an empty silent room.  Whatever level you choose you can hear that speaker.  As more people come into the room you need to turn the speaker up in order to hear it but at some point you’ll have too many people, creating too much noise to hear the speaker.  You’ll also find the closer you are to the speaker the better chance you have of hearing it.  Move the speaker to different areas of the room and different people can hear the music. That one speaker can fill the room with music, but can it fill a full room with music.  Coverage vs Capacity. You need to think of broadcasting your Wi-Fi in the same way. The solution to the problem would be to install more speakers? Right? If this sounds like your problem? Let’s have a coffee and a chat. Call us on 03303 130966 or visit our website https://www.thinkcirrus.co.uk or drop us a note hello@thinkcirrus.co.uk

There’s no doubt about it – dynamic Wi-Fi is valuable asset to any business, providing benefits not only for the customer, but for the business itself. Do you find that your Wi-Fi crashes, or drops out? Do you heavily rely on the Wi-Fi? From streaming music to providing card payments and electronic online cash desks, we’ll keep you functioning even when it’s busy. We know the pain of having unreliable Wi-Fi. Do you speed test your Wi-Fi and still have problems? Installing reliable Wi-Fi widely will attract new customers to your premises, as well as encourage return visits. You might run a clothing boutique, restaurant or coffee shop, but you’ll know that the longer your customer stays on your premises, the more money they are likely to spend. You will not only be providing the customer with a practical tool, but an all-round better and more convenient experience. Another way that business Wi-Fi can greatly benefit your business is with customer analytics.  You’ll be able to analyse your customers’ behaviour as they wonder around your store, or settle done for a spot of lunch or a quick coffee. The customer will also be able to view a branded landing page, upon which you can add any announcements or special offers you might want to bring to their attention, raising brand awareness in the process. For the customer,  access to a  Wi-Fi service,  is a very simple and straightforward process. If the customer is connecting to the network for the first time then you can decide whether you want them to complete a one-off registration, or just click and connect. Each time they return after this they will be automatically connected without the need to do anything, allowing a type of ease that is something that really will encourage people to return. Always on hand! Stress-free Wi-Fi that works We are always on hand to assist you with any technical queries, as well as any servicing or repairs that need to be carried out. With experts on hand 24 hours a day to help you whenever you need it, you can rest assured that we’ve got you covered. We will also provide you with clear reports showing information such as data usage, customer registration numbers, which can be both helpful and interesting to you as an owner. From installation and beyond… We manage this service for you, from installation to setting up the wi-fi connection, we’ll take care of it.  We will continue to manage and maintain the system remotely for you. You can also opt for a separate public wi-fi to your existing broadband provider, which we are more than happy to take care of for you. You are in complete control of the web filter, meaning that you can ensure a family friendly environment, and monitor and control what content users can access from your business wi-fi for customers on your premises.

  Operating more efficiently means integrating communications, marketing, sales and operational technology – right? Yas! We know that integrating everything makes life easier. So, let’s start with Skype for business… …Skype for Business is a platform that brings together quite a few technologies presented from a single software solution. Here at Think Cirrus, we provide the Skype for Business Platform which includes instant messaging, voice & video calling, screen sharing and conferencing. It’s a modular suite so you can pick and choose as you need. Skype for Business is a productivity tool and compliments the Microsoft Office Suite of tools. User Interface for Video ConferenceThink about your smartphone, most of us have one.  It’s much more than a phone, right?  It’s got your contacts, e-mail, pictures, music and of course your social media feeds. Could you make do without your smartphone? Skype for Business represents a modern shift in business integrated communications. It allows you to work remotely, flexibly and another compelling reason to switch is, cost. Do you pay for your phone lines, phone bills, voice conference call service, video conference call service? Are all these platforms separate? These individual costs all add up, right? Quite often these require capital investments which mean you have long term assets to sweat. Not with skype for business… Skype for Business features: Charges are per user per month all rolled into a single price. Software based, so it can be on your office PC, laptop, mobile phone, tablet. All of this add up to the fact you can be in the office even though your away from the office. You might think: “ I can do this myself” – but lets have a chat about how we can integrate your I.T. properly, so that you don’t have any gremlins or frustrations. For more information and to see if we can help you contact us T:03303 130966 or e-mail us using hello@thinkcirrus.co.uk