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  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      

Why cloud computing? Because it’s so easy, simple and cost effective, that it’s the best thing for small business since the creation of the laminator. Do you want to be able to access your business files, data and applications from anywhere at any time? The solution is cloud computing. It’s even more impressive because you can gain access from any mobile device at a price that is value for money. The cloud gives small businesses access to technologies that previously were out of their reach and lets them compete with both small and larger businesses, alike.         1. You don’t have to worry about a thing. You no longer have to install and update software, install and manage email servers and/or file servers, run backups – the beauty of cloud computing is that all of the business of maintaining the service or application is the responsibility of the cloud vendor or managed service provider, not yours.  And, you no longer have to buy software and install it on your own servers/computers, which means that using cloud applications can be cheaper and simpler.   2. Everything is all in one place. You can consolidate your separate application needs into one multi-application cloud computing service.  As a Microsoft Cloud Partner, we know that Microsoft’s traditional office application suite, which used to be only available in desktop versions can cost hundreds. However we are excited to now use and endorse the cloud-based version known as Office 365. It is sold by annual subscription and starts from as little as £6.50. It also includes online video conferencing, Skype and instant messaging connectivity, and many other features.  More expensive plans include the desktop applications. Office 365 is now outselling the desktop office suite.   3. No more excess system hardware needed File storage, data backup and software programs all take up a lot of space on servers/computers. With cloud computing, you use someone else’s servers to store all this data instead, freeing up your in-house computer equipment for other purposes or even letting you get rid of some of it.   4. Easier Application Integration Because many cloud computing applications include an Application Programming Interface (API) you may be able to find “compatible” applications rather than having to pay to have the applications you want to be integrated customised for you.   5. Regular Updates and Patching Cloud computing applications are regularly updated, so you don’t have to spend time and money doing it – and giving you the advantage of always having access to an application’s latest features and functions. 6. Cloud computing allows you and your employees easy access to applications and data from different computers and devices. Since cloud applications are browser-based they are accessible from mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. For example, cloud-based accounting applications come with Android or Apple compatible mobile applications that allow you to access your accounting data from any mobile device and send invoices, track expenses, etc. on the run. Note that accessing office applications via a browser on a mobile device can be a less than ideal user experience, so (for example) Microsoft offers mobile versions of office applications, such as Office for iPad. 7. A better option for start-up businesses Cloud computing lets you start up or grow your small business quickly. It’s a lot easier and faster to sign up for a cloud computing application than to buy a server, get it up and running and install software on it. And because you don’t need to buy hardware and software, your start up or expansion is cheaper, too.   So why aren’t you cloud computing already? Well, if you look closely, you probably are. Outlook Online (formerly known as Hotmail), Gmail, DropBox and Google Maps are all examples of cloud computing applications that you’ve probably used at some point or even use regularly.  

What is GDPR? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the biggest change in data protection laws for 20 years, and when it comes into effect on May 25th, 2018, it intends to give European citizens back control over their personal data. Businesses are collecting more personal data than ever before. But with the GDPR policy coming into effect next year, are small businesses ready to make changes to how they collect, store and use their data? Could your business take a £310,000 financial hit? Sounds painful, right? That figure is the average maximum cost of a data breach, up from £115,000 in 2014.   Data Protection Act & GDPR: The Principles GDPR has 8 principles of which businesses need to consider and abide by. GDPR has retained the principles from the original data protection act, but these have now been extended and strengthened. There is some further reading needed around these principles (handy links at the bottom). The principles are as follows: Principle 1 – Fair and Lawful Principle 2 – Purposes Principle 3 – Adequacy Principle 4 – Accuracy Principle 5 – Retention Principle 6 – Rights Principle 7 – Security Principle 8 – International   According to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the most significant addition is the accountability principle. The GDPR requires you to show how you comply with the principles – for example by documenting the decisions you take about a processing activity.   Article 5 of the GDPR requires that personal data shall be: (a) processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to individuals; (b) collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes; further processing for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes shall not be incompatible with the initial purposes; (c) adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are processed; (d) accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; every reasonable step must be taken to ensure that personal data that are inaccurate, having regard to the purposes for which they are processed, are erased or rectified without delay; (e) kept in a form which permits identification of data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data are processed; personal data may be stored for longer periods insofar as the personal data will be processed solely for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes subject to implementation of the appropriate technical and organisational measures required by the GDPR in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals; (f) processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage, using appropriate technical or organisational measures. Article 5(2) requires that “the controller shall be responsible for, and be able to demonstrate, compliance with the principles.”   What does this all mean? So, for small business owners how do we make this real? How do we get our heads around the principles and put real processes in place?  Here are top 5 things to think about when storing and processing customer data: OPT IN This is all about process. You need to make sure that all your customers have opted into your mailing lists and ensure that they are made aware that their records are held on database. As a data controller or business owner you will need to make sure that you have documented proof of opt in. An email, system or process in place which proves consent to hold and use their data. OPT OUT Again – this is about visibility and process. You need to make sure that your customers are aware that they can opt out. Under the new regulation customers now have a right to be forgotten. So, you need to make it easy for customers to opt out and stop receiving marketing communications TECHNOLOGY Take this opportunity to re-evaluate your tech and your processes around collecting data. Which CRM do you use? If you use spreadsheets, speak to your IT provider to see if they can support you with an integrated process. Does your email system and CRM communicate with each other? Does all your tech work appropriately with the processes you need to put in place?  FOLLOW UP & RESPONSIBILITY The new regulations mean that if you have a ‘request to be forgotten’ you need to act and take responsibility. So, appoint a Data Processor or Controller to ensure that your databases are up to date, you’re storing consent forms and you’re following up on requests. Yes, it’s another admin task. But it needs to be done. INTEGRITY It’s time to start treating people and their data with respect. Ensure that the databases you use are secure and private. Ensure that your marketing activities consider your customers and how they’d like to be treated. What sort of messages would they like to receive and how often? Now is the time to be courteous. Its more than regulation, use this time to re-evaluate marketing communications and technology in your business.     Handy Links https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/principle-5-retention/ https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/data-protection-principles/  

A Managed Service Provider (MSP), is an IT business that manages information technology services for other companies. An MSP client may use internal operations or an Applications Service Provider to run its business functions, such as Microsoft, for example. A Managed Services Provider (MSP) helps to bridge the gap between the capacity of your IT department, and the increasing demand for fast-moving, stable, high-performance business technology. The main reason is to ensure you can focus on running your business, so that the capacity of your staff is focussed on the right activities.  And if you have an IT team this means they can be used to add value to your business, rather than dealing with the day-to-day. Thus, keeping your competitive advantage in the market place. Here are 5 reasons why getting help from an MSP will add value to you and your business 1.Capacity Planning Does your business experience peak traffic during certain seasonal periods or end-of-quarter activity frenzies? Fed up of purchasing copious amounts of spare IT capacity that may only be used once or twice a year?  Your MSP can assist with capacity planning which includes flexing your infrastructure capacity up or down on demand. 2.Proactive Support A trustworthy MSP will monitor your infrastructure and proactively begin resolution activities in the event of a drop-in performance or a fault. The problem will be fixed before you even knew it existed. 3.Manageable Costs Because of capacity planning, you know when you will need extra IT capacity and, thanks to the Service Level Agreement, how much that will cost. This is incredibly helpful for accurate financial forecasting and budgeting. 4.Guaranteed Service Level Agreement (SLA) You’ll get what you pay for. Guaranteed. Ideally, these are selectable based on the level of guarantee required. So if you have a development or User Acceptance Testing (UAT) environment you may not need as high a guarantee as, for example, for a billing system. 5. Focussed Staff When software is ‘eating the world’, ensuring your developers are using their time efficiently becomes a business-critical task. A great MSP will take care of the automation and orchestration of infrastructure, leaving your developers free to focus on the software that matters to your business. Take a look and get in touch – https://www.thinkcirrus.co.uk/our-solutions/it-managed-services/