M2 Computing welcomes Veryan Medical Ltd

By on August 18, 2015 in Blog, Company news

The team at M2 Computing are delighted to welcome a new client, Veryan Medical Limited. Veryan was formed in 2003 as the result of a technology spin out from Imperial College, London. The company has designed, patented and developed a highly innovative three dimensional (3D) Nitinol (nickel-titanium alloy) stent, BioMimics 3D, which is currently used in the treatment of blocked or narrowed superficial femoral arteries, the large artery in the thigh which is the main blood supply to the lower limb. The company’s head office is in Horsham, West Sussex and its research and development facility is based in Galway, Ireland.

We will be supporting the business across both locations and remote workers worldwide. A new server will be implemented in the Horsham office on a global domain and a new telephone system installed to connect all employees. We will migrate the business to Office 365 email and all of their data to SharePoint Online, allowing them to work, collaborate and communicate from anywhere on any device. We will manage Veryan’s IT and support their users all over the world with M2 Assist Gold IT support for office based staff and M2 Assist Silver for remote workers.

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Obama orders world’s fastest computer

By on August 18, 2015 in Blog, Google, New technology

President Barack Obama has issued an executive order for US computer scientists to build the fastest computer in the world by 2025. However, the US will continue to face stiff competition from China, which currently leads the way.

The National Strategic Computing Initiative (NSCI) is “designed to advance core technologies to solve difficult computational problems and foster increased use of the new capabilities in the public and private sectors,” according to the Office of Science and Technology Policy. In layman’s terms, this involves developing a supercomputer that is 20 times faster than the Tianhe-2 – built by China’s National University of Defense Technology.

Tianhe-2 has a speed of 33.86 petaflops. As one petaflop equals one quadrillion floating-point calculations per second, that makes it almost double the speed of the fastest US computer right now – Titan.

A processing speed of one ‘exaflop’

The computer that Obama hopes the US can build, named an exascale computer, will work at a speed of one exaflop, or one quintillion (one billion billion) calculations per second. The possibilities of such a supercomputer would be vast. According to the NSCI office it could more accurately measure entire galaxies, predict weather precisely, help detect cancer from x-ray images, and aid the development of personalised medicines.

Mark Parsons from the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC) believes Obama’s order is an attempt to compete with China and eventually become the dominant force in this field.

Speaking to the BBC, Parsons commented: “The US has woken up to the fact that if it wants to remain in the race it will have to invest.” However, it won’t be easy. The exascale computer will take many of the designated ten years to research and develop, with funding rocketing into the hundreds of millions.

“I’d say they’re targeting around 60 megawatts, I can’t imagine they’ll get below that,” Parsons said, referring to the electricity demands of such a project. “That’s at least £60 million a year just on your electricity bill.”

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How do hackers steal our passwords?

By on August 18, 2015 in General, Security, Web privacy

Too many people use easy-to-crack passwords because they are unaware of just how hackers manage to get into their accounts, it has been claimed.

The Hollywood image of a hacker involves a youngster (typically male, invariably wearing a hoodie) entering passwords into a user account before they magically stumble upon the right one. With most accounts shutting users out after three or so incorrect password entries, people often assume they’re safe.

False sense of security

In truth, though, the way hackers gain passwords is rather different. Security analyst Bob Covello raised this exact point on grahamcluley.com, after chatting with a 15-year old who asked “If I type my password incorrectly on a website, it eventually locks me out, but when the hackers do it, they never get locked out. How is that possible?”

Covello explained that hackers actually obtain passwords through techniques known as offline attacks. These involve targeting entire servers, rather than individual accounts. As companies hold passwords on their servers, getting in this way would provide a huge volume of account details, rather than just one set.

Offline attacks free hackers from lockout rules

Of course, these passwords are often highly protected behind a numerical calculation, or hash value, making them difficult to obtain. As recent high profile cases have shown, however, difficult is certainly not impossible. Furthermore, attacking offline in this manner means the hacker isn’t subject to the same rules of being locked out if they enter the wrong details three times in a row. Without the restrictions, hackers can run attempts via a machine to keep trying different combinations until they eventually get in.

Provided this technique is managed successfully, the hackers needn’t enter a password incorrectly even once. Armed with a database of account details and passwords, they can get in on the first attempt. The most likely scenario, though, involves the databases being sold on to third parties for criminal use.

Covello argued that simply knowing this difference could be enough to encourage account holders to use stronger passwords. It could also highlight to businesses just why their servers need to be kept firmly secured at all times – lest they run the risk of huge fines and plummeting trust.

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First ever 3D-printed pill goes into mass production

By on August 18, 2015 in Blog, New technology

A pill produced via 3D printing has been given the green light to be mass produced by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It’s a world first, but what benefits does 3D printing offer the pharmaceutical industry?

The drug in question is Spiritam, a dissolvable pill designed for the treatment of seizures for people with epilepsy. Approximately 150,000 US citizens are diagnosed with epilepsy every year, and 460,000 of the 2.9 million people suffering from the condition are reported to be children.

The process of printing Spiritam involves a 3D printer that has been adapted to produce pharmaceutical compounds rather than polymers. Spiritam was developed by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, which is now planning to create other forms of medicine using its 3D printing platform.

Don Wetherhold, CEO of Aprecia, said: “This is the first in a line of central nervous system products Aprecia plans to introduce as part of our commitment to transform the way patients experience taking medication.”

So what specific benefits does 3D printing offer? For one, as 3D printing works by creating an object one layer at a time, it means that doctors are able to produce customised medication tailored for their patients. Printing medication also allows for it to be packaged more tightly and in more precise dosages.

Dr Mohamed Albed Alhnan, a lecturer in pharmaceutics at the University of Central Lancashire, told the BBC: “For the last 50 years we have manufactured tablets in factories and shipped them to hospitals and for the first time this process means we can produce tablets much closer to the patient.”

Indeed, with just a simple tweak of the printing setting, medical institutions could now produce bespoke medication, which would previously have been extremely expensive. Dentists are already using 3D printers to create replica jaws and teeth, as well as other dental implants.

Spiritam will be available from early 2016.

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Consider ATMOSPHERE when moving to the cloud

By on August 18, 2015 in Blog, Cloud computing, Security

Cloud security has been the subject of great debate in recent months with the many operational advantages of online storage and collaboration being pitched against the catastrophic effects of a serious breach.

In May 2015, the Sunday Times featured an excellent article by Davey Winder entitled “Cloud of mistrust in the air”, which examined the difference between perceived threat and actual risk. After presenting some of the arguments for and against cloud computing, Winder concludes that ‘the broad brush strokes of a secure environment remain the same no matter where the canvas is hung’. However, he offered a particularly apt and effective reminder – in the form of an acronym – for those who are considering a migration from on-premise systems to the cloud.

ATMOSPHERE: Mitigating the risk of moving from on-premise to the cloud

In an industry that is never short of an abbreviation or a buzzword, we still thought that ‘ATMOSPHERE’ was worthy of a special mention. So for those of you that have not heard this one before, please take heed.

Accreditations:

Ascertain any accreditations that your proposed service provider holds, for example if you are looking to migrate to Office 365 look for a Microsoft Partner with a Cloud Productivity accreditation.

Tools:

Do your research and you will find there are plenty of tools to help you remain secure during a cloud migration, everything from risk auditing through to encryption key management.

Monitoring:

Regularly monitor and audit any externally provided services, and ensure strong access controls to your data with sufficient logging to reveal when your data has been accessed and by whom.

Onus:

Contractually agree areas of responsibility between your organisation and service provider to reduce any potential disputes; ensure service levels are defined, agreed and monitored throughout the migration.

Specialise:

If your industry is highly regulated or has particular security needs, perform due diligence and find a cloud provider that specialises in your sector.

Policy:

Following a policy-based separation of duties is key to migrating data safely to the cloud, preventing ‘privileged status abuse’ and advanced persistent-threat-style attacks.

High availability:

Ensure you have high availability baked into the cloud infrastructure with a secure back-up and recovery solution, should the worst happen during the migration process.

Environment:

Be aware of where your data is being hosted and stored – is it offshored or is multi-tenanted hosting provided, if so with which other organisations and what are their related threats?

Risk assessment:

Audit the sensitivity of your data, any regulatory considerations and the requirements for access to that data; once you properly understand the risk and operational needs, identifying appropriate cloud security controls becomes much easier.

Encryption:

The best way for companies to remain secure and compliant with most data residency laws is to encrypt data held in the cloud environment with encryption keys that are unique to specific jurisdictions, and are controlled from those jurisdictions.

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Ashley Madison hack an ‘inside job’

By on August 18, 2015 in Blog, General, Internet, Security, Web privacy

An insider could have been behind the huge hack on infidelity dating site Ashley Madison.

News broke last month of a hack that saw customer data stolen from Ashley Madison – a hugely controversial site that allows married individuals to organise affairs. Now, with the site still operational but many users fearing the leak of this information, it has been claimed that the hack most probably came from within the company and not a third party.

Cyber security lecturer Dr Daniel Dresner explained: “Doors are opened up from someone on the inside. This might just be an excuse, but so many of the actual attacks we see are opened up by somebody [inside].”

Despite the site’s controversial offering, it wasn’t the infidelity that drove hackers to steal user data but instead its suspect business practices.

The so-called ‘Impact Team’ hacking group specifically highlighted Ashley Madison’s practice of charging users to delete their accounts. Furthermore, users were told that paying for this service would see all of their information removed from Ashley Madison’s servers – something the Impact Team argues isn’t true. To prove their point, the hackers claim they even have personal information (such as names, addresses, credit card information and even secret fantasies) from those who had previously requested account deletion.

Account deletions – too little too late?

As a short-term solution, the site’s owners (tagline: ‘Life is short, have an affair’) offered free account cancellations. It’s not been revealed how many people took up this offer, but with the data having already been stolen it matters little should this information see the light of day.

Several weeks after the hack, both parties were still engaged in an ongoing standoff. The hackers said they would keep the data to themselves if Ashley Madison owners, Avid Dating Life, closed down the site. Ashley Madison, however, is still live and boasting having 38 million members. If the standoff continues it will work in Ashley Madison’s favour, as those who tried to access this hacked data have found it increasingly difficult – if not impossible – to find. Instead, they are being served ads and religious propaganda.

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Make the most of Office 365

By on July 10, 2015 in Blog, Microsoft

If you see Office 365 as simply a way to get your entire workforce using Microsoft Office at a favourable price, the chances are you aren’t making the most of its full potential. Office 365 subscriptions come with several genuinely useful services, tools and applications that you may not be taking advantage of, even though you have already paid for them.

Secure online storage with OneDrive

As part of Office 365, you get secure online storage for all of your users. OneDrive lets users access their files from any device using their Office365 login, something that’s particularly useful if you don’t yet have a remote access feature on your own network. While you shouldn’t rely on OneDrive as your sole back-up tool, it can be used as an alternative storage option, freeing up valuable space on your local server. Unlike some online backup tools, Office365 gives you a whopping one terabyte of storage for every user, making it suitable even for multimedia files.

SharePoint for easier project collaboration

SharePoint has always been an application where the full potential has gone unrealised because of confusion over what it is and how it works. The easiest way to think of it is a central file repository that enables your staff to effortlessly work and collaborate from anywhere on any device. If you’ve ever tried to get staff working together over your network and thought “there must be an easier way to do this” then SharePoint may be that way. With Office 365 your organisation gets 20 GB SharePoint storage plus 500MB per subscription.  If you require further capacity each additional GB is just £0.13 per month offering flexibility and great value compared to alternative cloud storage providers.

Face to face messaging with Skype For Business

The dedicated Skype for Business application in Office365 brings several key benefits over the standard Skype setup or the original Microsoft Lync communication tool. For example, it makes it simple to split the screen so that you and a colleague can see each other and also view a document for real time collaboration. Skype for Business also includes enhanced conferencing management tools and lifts the maximum number of participants from 25 to 250, making it a viable company-wide presentation tool. What’s more Skype for Business is fully integrated with Microsoft Outlook, making it easy to schedule and host online meetings, even if the other party doesn’t have Skype for Business, in which case they can join the meeting via a web browser.

Delve, your intelligent assistant

The unsung hero of Office365, Delve is like having an ultra-intelligent assistant who works 24/7 without claiming overtime. It’s based around the idea that the sheer amount of data you can access in Office365, particularly if you’re in a manager role, can be overwhelming. Delve sifts through the information and brings you a summary of the latest updates and document edits that are most likely to be of immediate importance. The selection is based on numerous factors including how widely a document has been shared, your office and project hierarchy, and which related documents you have been viewing recently.

Office 365 Mobile App

When it comes to Office software, Microsoft’s mobile applications can be a confusing picture. You may have read that Microsoft made the Office 365 mobile apps free of charge for everybody in late 2014. This is true, but it only applies to the basic, consumer-oriented edition. With a business Office 365 plan you get access to a version of the app that allows premium features such as track changes in Word and Pivot Tables in Excel. The Office 365 mobile app displays a list of documents that you recently accessed, providing instant convenient access to your files while you are on the go.

Getting the most out of Office 365

At M2 Computing, we have extensive experience migrating small to medium sized organisations to Office 365. We understand the complexity of email and server infrastructures and have successfully delivered cloud migration projects in business critical environments for clients across London, Surrey and Sussex. As an accredited Microsoft Silver Partner, we can help you choose the right package to fit your business requirements and provide the necessary training and IT support to make the most of your Office 365 subscription.

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How to avoid your hardware overheating in soaring temperatures

By on July 10, 2015 in Blog, Tips & tricks, Topical

July has certainly got off to a hot start and weather forecasters are predicting more soaring temperatures for the weeks ahead. So spare a thought for your computer systems, which are liable to overheat if certain basic precautions are not taken.

Open doors or windows and increase ventilation using desk fans and mobile air conditioning units wherever possible. Of course, these measures will make life more comfortable for your staff as well as your equipment! But here are 5 more tips, specifically aimed at your hardware.

Check system fans

Be aware of fans turning more than usual – especially server fans, as this may be an early sign that hardware is struggling in the heat. It is often recommended you keep a spare fan to avoid prolonged system downtime should the existing fan need to be replaced, advice which is particularly relevant to older or out-of-warranty servers.

Check air flow

Most hardware sucks cooling air in from the front and pushes it out through the back. Take a moment to understand the airflow of your computers and servers, moving these devices away from walls, desks and any other objects that might obstruct ventilation. Ensure there is adequate space in your comms room as placing servers too close together will not help.

Avoid direct sunlight

During hot conditions, your devices will already be struggling to cope with the heat created by their own power supplies and processors, so keep them away from direct sunlight. As well as servers and PCs, don’t forget about smartphones, tablets and peripherals such as Wi-Fi access points and routers that may be sitting on window sills, in cupboards or under piles of paperwork.

Switch it off

Remember to turn off any unused workstations, monitors and related equipment when these are not being used.

Air conditioning

Naturally, this is the preferred option. If you have it, take a moment to ensure your air con is working and that is keeping your equipment sufficiently cool. If you’re thinking of buying a system, make sure you know your BTU (British Thermal Units), since many businesses fail to take these into account. Each of your devices has a BTU output which can be found either on the case labelling or researched online.

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Roaming charges to be abolished within the EU by 2017

By on July 10, 2015 in Blog, Mobile devices, Telecoms and mobile data

Data roaming charges within the EU look set to become a thing of the past by June 2017, thanks to a new ruling by the European Commission.

The ruling stipulates that all data charges should be abolished over the next two years, so mobile users can call or text when abroad as they would at home, without fear of grossly inflated bills.

Furthermore, interim rules will come into force next year to limit surcharges by up to 75 per cent. From April next year, telecoms operators will only be able to add a surcharge of 3.5p extra per minute for calls and 1.4p for texts. Data, meanwhile, can only be charged at 3.5p extra per megabyte.

This scheme will run for 14 months, before roaming charges are abolished altogether.

Years of campaigning

The Commission’s announcement comes after years of campaigning, with mobile users not only calling for fewer charges but also a clear definition of how EU nations will regulate internet traffic, in light of the net-neutrality rules being adopted across the Atlantic.

On the subject of net-neutrality, the EC said it will prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from favouring certain traffic, the first time such measures have been enshrined in law across Europe.

Despite these apparently positive steps, the end of roaming charges isn’t entirely guaranteed yet. Before then it needs to be presented before the EU’s member states in the second half of this year for formal adoption.

It’s expected the ruling will be passed through, especially after an EU-wide alliance gave its backing, having previously claimed the EC was watering down its proposed roaming regulations.

Speaking in light of the latest announcement, president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), Guy Verhofstadt, told bbc.co.uk how the “great roaming rip-off” would soon be brought to an end. The only factor that delayed the roll out, his group argues, were member states getting in the way to protect the interests of their own national operators.

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Why do smartphones slow down in the warm weather?

By on July 10, 2015 in Blog, Mobile devices, Topical

Smartphones slow down in hot weather because the processors that power them have been designed to do so. These processors are heat-sensitive, so will reduce power usage when it’s warm to stop themselves from overheating. Essentially, the slowing down of processes means the phone runs slower, but that’s to prevent them overheating – which could cause irrevocable damage.

Batteries drain more quickly too

Slower processors have a further knock-on effect, impacting the life of your battery. The slowing of processes means electricity is drawn out of the battery for much longer periods, running it down quicker than usual. On top of this, using the phone’s screen or GPS chip will generate additional heat, making it warmer still – slowing down processes yet again and impacting battery life further.

Heat doesn’t just run batteries down faster but also makes charging them a much longer process. Smartphone batteries are equipped with thermal control systems to stop them overheating and causing a meltdown. With warmer conditions bringing the standard temperature closer to this thermal ceiling (and the process of charging causing additional heat anyway), it will take longer than usual to reach full power.

Again, this is part of the design and, whilst a minor inconvenience for users wanting speed, it will keep the phone in better condition in the longer term. As temperatures of more than 30C can cause serious damage to the chemical components within batteries, users should be thankful there are measures in place to prevent this from happening.

Warm homes, gardens and workplaces are not the only worry, this summer as screens can also crack when left in hot cars. As tech journalist at theguardian.com Samuel Gibbs explains:

“The fine liquid layers of a screen can swell under high heat, which means pixels can blow and glass can crack. Leaving a phone within a hot glovebox on a sunny day is asking for trouble.”

To avoid the effects of the summer heat on your handset, we recommend that phones are kept out of the sun as much as possible to avoid any problems.

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