Microsoft unveils new browser

By on June 15, 2015 in Blog, Microsoft

Internet Explorer has received criticism in tech circles over the past few years. Once the world’s most popular browser (perhaps by default), it has been overtaken by both Google Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox in the usage tables, forcing Microsoft to take decisive action.

Now, it seems the software giant is ready to move on, and it’s hoping to take Windows 10 users with it. After months of working under the codename ‘Spartan’, the Redmond company has announced that Internet Explorer’s replacement will officially be called ‘Edge’.

On the edge of consuming and creating

The new name was revealed at Build 2015, a Microsoft-run developer conference that took place in San Francisco at the end of April. At the event, the company’s corporate vice president of operating systems, Joe Belfiore, spoke about the moniker’s meaning: “It refers to the idea of being on the edge of consuming and creating, and to the developer notion of being close to the modern capabilities of the web.”

Microsoft then held its first Edge Web Summit on Tuesday, where it took the opportunity to discuss its plans for the browser in more detail. As well as the minimalist appearance and previously announced assistant feature, Cortana, users can expect to see a new tab page offering useful information like weather reports and news alongside other open websites. Developers will also have the ability to port extensions from other browsers, like Chrome.

According to Charles Morris, Edge’s principle program manager, Edge should be seen as more than just a replacement for Internet Explorer. “We need to do more than just the next version of the same old thing,” he said.

Alongside the product announcement, Microsoft revealed a new ‘Edge Dev’ site, which will act as a hub for all things Edge-related. Aimed at developers, it will provide information on the browser itself as well as the team behind it.

At present, Edge is only set to be available as part of Windows 10, which is due to be released in July.

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A flexible workforce requires a more resilient IT policy

By on June 15, 2015 in Blog, Company news, Topical

Greater communication with the rise in Cloud based technologies means that any SME nowadays can take a more flexible approach to their workforce. Gone are the days when everyone simply turned up at nine and went home at five, with weekends off.

The right to request flexible working, entitling employees to apply to their employers for a change to their terms of employment relating to hours or times of work, was introduced in 2002; this right initially applied to limited categories of employee with parental or caring responsibilities. Since 30 June 2014, the right has been radically extended to all categories of employees, provided they have 26 weeks’ continuous employment.

The legal implications of flexible work requests

A request for flexible working may only be refused for entirely legitimate business reasons and these are encompassed in the eight specific grounds set out for rejecting a request. The reason for rejection must therefore be based on one or more of the eight grounds which are: the burden of additional costs; the detrimental effect on the ability to meet customer demand; the inability to reorganise work among existing staff; the detrimental impact on quality and performance; the insufficiency of work during the periods the employee proposes to work and; planned structural changes.

Failure to act in accordance with the laws on flexible working could leave businesses open to legal action for breach of the Flexible Working Regulations 2014 as well as claims for sex discrimination.

A request for flexible working needs to be put in writing by the employee; the employer must then deal with the request “in a reasonable manner” and respond within three months.  Niki Avraam, Partner at Howat Avraam Solicitors comments:  “The extension to the rights to request flexible working recognises the complexities of our modern working lives; all requests must be considered carefully by employers and a genuine assessment made of the real impact on the business.”

Of course, each business is different and the employer will need to assess the pros and cons of any potential change and its impact on the business. If the request is granted then employers will also need to make alterations to the contract of work outlining the new relationship and what is expected of both sides.

Flexible Working and IT Services

One area where flexible working changes will need careful consideration is with the provision of IT services to the employee. Reviewing the provision for one employee flexible working request, could result in a positive change for the entire organisation. Cost effective cloud based solutions such as Microsoft Office 365 allow employees to essentially work from anywhere as long as they have a smartphone, tablet or laptop with an internet connection.

If remote working is not adequately managed with the right systems in place, employees could be using consumer based apps and short cuts which could leave the business vulnerable to security breaches e.g. users could use Dropbox to transfer files to their home PC and GoToMyPC to access their office computer remotely. Working with a reputable IT provider means that you can develop an effective policy for areas such as email, file sharing and access to company data on individuals’ mobile devices. These can be built into any contract changes when working with an employee who wants a more flexible approach to their employment.

For most businesses, agreeing to flexible working for an employee is not just a matter of consent. Whilst denying a request for no other reason than you don’t want it, can lead to litigation and accusations of unfair treatment. Every manager needs to make sure that any practical issues are fully explored and the right IT provision is in place to support flexible working.

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Congratulations to M2’s new Microsoft Technology Associates

By on May 12, 2015 in Blog, Company news

Just over a year ago, Jake Monckton and Tim Oelkers joined M2 Computing as part of the UK National Apprenticeship scheme. Working alongside our more experienced technical IT support engineers, they have both excelled in their work and have successfully completed their City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in IT Systems & Networking also obtaining their Microsoft Technology Associate qualifications.

Tanya Haeffele, General Manager comments “Over the last year, Tim and Jake have been invaluable.  They arrived with bags of enthusiasm and were keen and willing to learn the role as they went along.  They have received some excellent personal feedback from our business clients and we couldn’t be happier. We are thrilled to have them both on board full time.”

Jake and Tim are based in the Horsham office, West Sussex.

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‘Back to the Future’ tech predictions that came true

By on May 12, 2015 in Blog, General, New technology

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the classic sci-fi film, ‘Back to the Future’, as well as the year when protagonist Marty McFly time travelled into the future and discovered all sorts of strange technology. Some of the ideas may have appeared a little far-fetched at the time but the film’s sequel did manage to make some scarily accurate predictions. Here are some of the ones that came to fruition:

[themecolor]Holograms[/themecolor]

Everyone remembers the moment Marty almost has a heart attack when a hologram of the shark from ‘Jaws 19′ pretends to eat him. Holograms aren’t that sophisticated just yet (scrolling LEDs are needed for that), but Microsoft’s HoloLens is pretty impressive. It can fill a room with HD visuals, further blurring the lines between reality and virtual reality.

Moreover, the film’s ‘Holomax Theater’, where the fictional shark film is being shown, is somewhat similar to the 3D cinema screens we have today. Although we still require glasses to view these films properly, stereoscopic 3D (the glasses-free version) does exist and similar tech could become widespread in the future.

[themecolor]Voice-command television[/themecolor]

Staying on the topic of entertainment, voice-controlled devices, including TVs, are everywhere now. In BTTF 2, Marty’s son arrives home and tells the TV which channels he wants to watch. This tech is extremely similar to Xbox Kinect, but we still can’t watch ten channels at once on the same TV. Why would we, though? Having a tablet, mobile phone and laptop near us at all times is distracting enough.

[themecolor]Wearable devices[/themecolor]

Both of Marty’s children use large, clunky VR glasses in BTTF 2 – don’t they look an awful lot like Google Glass? This may be the most accurate tech prediction of them all, as wearable tech is definitely being billed to be the next big thing. Smart glasses, watches, and even rings can monitor our health, enable us to track our fitness goals and allow us to keep in touch with our friends and family. Like it or not, wearables are going to be huge.

Those are just some of the tech predictions came true; even the much-loved hoverboard is now a real thing! Although, something tells us that flying cars are still a long way off.

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Countdown to Windows Server 2003 end of support

By on May 12, 2015 in Blog, Microsoft

Further to last year’s end of support for Windows XP, consumers are now facing the final months of another Microsoft product support cycle. Extended support for Windows Server 2003 ends on 14th July 2015 and, despite Microsoft first announcing this line in the sand back in April 2013, many organisations are yet to formulate a clear migration plan away from this server platform.

The extent of the problem varies according to the reports you read but the common consensus is that millions will miss the deadline. As with the end of support for XP, it seems the potential security risks associated with running unsupported software are not enough to deter significant numbers of businesses from continuing to run a product that has been replaced several times over. In the case of Windows Server 2003, there have been two major updates (2008 and 2012) and three minor updates, since it was first released onto the market in April 2003.

[themecolor]What does ‘end of support’ mean for Windows Server 2003?[/themecolor]

After 14th July 2015, Microsoft will no longer be issuing any updates or patches for Windows Server 2003, which will lead to a progressively less stable and less secure infrastructure for any business that continues to use this operating system after that date.

But for most organisations, this deadline is about more than just an out-of-date network operating system. Given the age of the solution, it is likely most servers running Windows Server 2003 will have other business-critical applications installed that have also past their own supported life cycles. This further complicates the delivery of on-going support to organisations who fail to upgrade and compounds any regulatory compliance issues.

The major concerns, which face organisations who continue to run Windows Server 2003 after 14th July 2014 deadline, include:

  • No more updates – there will be no more updates to fix bugs, address performance issues and patch security vulnerabilities. So whilst 37 critical updates were released for Windows Server 2003/R2 in 2013, any critical issues will remain unfixed after the July deadline, leaving servers open to malicious attack and data theft.
  • Non-compliance – regulated industries generally require organisations to operate on supported IT platforms, so companies that continue to use Windows Server 2003 risk falling foul of industry wide compliance standards. This also applies to organisations handling regulated data such as healthcare and payment card industry (PCI) data. In these situations, non-compliance could result in fines, loss of business or maybe both.
  • Software and hardware compatibility – new software applications and hardware devices are not being built with Windows Server 2003 in mind, so companies will soon begin to experience software and hardware compatibility issues, if they have not already. There is a good chance that your organisation will not be able to run the latest instances of key business application software or communicate using the latest devices if it continues to run Windows Server 2003 beyond July 2015.
  • Increased support costs – operating legacy servers is expensive. Protecting an unsupported Windows Server 2003 platform, may require new intrusion detection systems, advanced firewalls and network segmentation, all of which come at a cost. Add to this the investment required to maintain ageing hardware and it is clear that the cost of ownership of Windows Server 2003 is likely to rise.

So, do not delay. With just weeks to go until Microsoft withdraws support for this product, any businesses still running Windows Server 2003 should contact our support team as a matter of urgency to discuss migration options.

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Did your website survive ‘Mobilegeddon’?

By on May 12, 2015 in Blog, Google, Internet

Thousands of companies across the world are waiting anxiously to see whether the latest search change implemented by Google might have a detrimental effect on their website’s visibility.

The search giant announced recently that it would place a higher value on sites that are optimised for mobile phones – something which should come as no great surprise, given that it now processes over 100 billion searches from these handheld devices every month.

However, although Google updates its algorithm fairly frequently – to improve user experience – there have been fears that this latest change could have severe impacts for business websites – specifically, as bbc.co.uk puts it, that it “could send some hurtling down the rankings.” This change took place in April 2015, so have those fears been realised? Or have unresponsive websites largely survived what’s been nicknamed ‘Mobilegeddon’?

It’s hard to say, according to Mike O’Brien, writing for searchenginewatch.com: “so far, the results have proven inconsistent”. Initial research showed there are 21 per cent fewer non-mobile-friendly sites ranking among the top three pages; something that was more pronounced on the second and third pages than on the first.

While some sites that fail the ‘mobile-friendly test’ (which analyses a URL for mobile-friendly design) have seen their rankings drop, others – such a Ryanair – have moved up; hence O’Brien’s comment about inconsistency.

Darren Richmond from Fortunesoftuk.co.uk added “Whether or not the announcement by Google will have an impact on your website site ranking’s your business must still consider the user experience especially for the ever increasing mobile browsing usage”

 The Office for National Statistics reported that access to the Internet using a mobile device has more than doubled between 2010 and 2014, from 24% to 58%.

Experts seems to think that, with the advance warning given by Google, lots of website owners managed to optimise their online offering in the nick of time – so the impact has not been so catastrophic. Regardless, the message has been put out there: that those who haven’t been quite so proactive with their web presence need to become mobile-friendly fast, or risk losing out.

If you would like us to run a simple check to see how mobile responsive your website is please get in touch.

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The five year ITch: What does the future hold for the iPad?

By on May 12, 2015 in Blog, Miscellaneous

Apple’s revolutionary iPad tablet was first launched five years ago last month, on April 3 2010. Now, 1,825 days, six generations, and nine incarnations later, more than 225 million iPads have been sold. But with sales declining through 2014, is the tablet revolution coming to an end?

When the late Steve Jobs first unveiled the original iPad, its purpose baffled some technology experts. Too big to be a comfortably-handheld device and too small to be serious work tool, many failed to see how it would be embraced. “Unlike the iPhone, which filled an already well-established need there is no existing need the iPad fills,” said TechCrunch blogger MG Siegler back in 2010.

And then? A whopping 300,000 units sold in the first 24 hours. The iPad’s popularity grew and grew, but its fortunes might be changing. Sales for the iPad dropped 18 per cent in the final quarter of 2014 alone, according to CNN Money, with a further five per cent decline predicted in 2015.

“We are seeing a strong shift from tablets to smartphones as the lines blur between smartphones, phablets, and tablets,” said industry expert Giulio Montemagno, of SVP International RetailMeNot. Indeed, only a little over a week ago (April 27) Apple revealed that it sold 4.56 million Macs in the first three months of 2015; a ten per cent increase on the same period in 2014. This helped produce a $5.6 billion Mac revenue line that’s $187 million more than that of the iPad.

[themecolor]Could it be crunch time for Apple iPad?[/themecolor]

But is it really over after just five years? Not according to Martyn Landi, a press association technology correspondent. “There are still flashes of life in the iPad,” he said. “It’s still the fastest selling product in Apple history with more than a quarter of a billion sold in five years – and that’s quite something up against the iPhone and iPod.

“iPad numbers were always going to fall at some point because they had a huge market share to begin with – 75 per cent after the first year of iPad – and that was always unlikely to be sustainable once the competition got involved.”

Phablets such as the Samsung Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus (as well as wearables such as the newly launched Apple Watch), might have a temporary sleeper hold on the iPad right now, but that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of it. However, all good things must come to an end, and the chances of the iPad ever reaching such lofty heights again are unlikely. Either way, Happy 5th Birthday, iPad!

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Tax agents advised on IT fraud protection

By on May 12, 2015 in Blog, Security

The ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) has informed tax agents and advisers on the best way to prevent IT related tax fraud to prevent cases reaching HMRC.

With April marking the tax year’s end, the ICAEW expects an increase in fraudulent submissions going through to HMRC via tax agents. Although there haven’t been any reported cases as yet this year, there has been a trend in place for this since 2009.

[themecolor]Tax attacks – be on your guard against tax-related cyber scams[/themecolor]

The method of attack highlighted by the ICAEW involves fraud cases that haven’t come from fake accounts or been a result of HMRC systems breaches, but instead are the result of valid log-in details being stolen from tax advisers and agents. Armed with these credentials, cyber-criminals are able to request payment be submitted to third party bank accounts, whilst appearing perfectly valid.

HMRC has helped police operations in all reported cases, and the ICAEW has issued a warning to all tax agents and advisers so they don’t fall foul of the same criminal techniques.

In its latest warning, the ICAEW urged vulnerable parties to make their entire online experience as secure as possible. As communications and transactions are taking place online more regularly than ever before, the fraud risk has grown simultaneously. To combat this, robust security is needed at both ends of any transaction, to ensure there were no gaps or weaknesses.

Furthermore, with threats becoming ever more sophisticated, agents and advisers also need to keep abreast of related developments, knowing not only what they could be up against but also the best way of dealing with it were the worst to happen.

Concluding, the ICAEW offered some more typical security tips, such as keeping passwords secure and changing them regularly.

HMRC also has its own security measures to protect the online tax system, including a firewall, SSL certification, secure sign-in procedures and time outs. It can only do so much, though, meaning that agents and advisers are also being asked to keep their anti-virus and anti-spyware software updated.

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Stay vigilant when opening emails

By on April 14, 2015 in Blog, Company news, Security

M2 Computing are warning people to stay vigilant when opening emails and attachments. Hackers have developed new and increasingly clever ways of breaching security measures by disguising themselves as familiar contacts. These are particularly prevalent in accounting and purchasing departments, where an attachment can look like a recent order confirmation or an expected invoice, when in fact it contains a lethal virus.

Unexpected and random pop-ups should be also avoided. Whilst some pop-ups are perfectly harmless, others come armed with malicious code. Once clicked upon, these bugs can begin monitoring keystrokes to ascertain vital personal information such as log in details, passwords and pin numbers. Some pop-ups actually look like a notification from your system that you have downloaded a virus, even with realistic looking logos and messages from your operating system.  These should be avoided at all costs.

To guard against these unwanted bugs, M2 Computing have installed the latest anti-virus and security software on all clients’ systems. These solutions help to prevent malware infections and phishing attacks. They provide protection for web browsing to avoid tampering of transactions and safeguard personal information to defend against identity fraud.

Greg Roffe, Managing Director comments ‘Whilst we make sure all our customers are protected with the latest versions of security software, it is impossible to guard against all malicious activity as new codes are developed every day. We advise our clients to stay vigilant when opening emails, check that they know the sender and be cautious about opening attachments or clicking on pop-ups.’

For further information about how to avoid malware infections and phishing attacks, please get in touch with us on 01293 871971.

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Protect your digital legacy with The Soldier’s Box

By on April 14, 2015 in Blog, Company news, Topical

A new service designed to protect your digital legacy was announced by Fortunesoft UK Ltd earlier this week.  The Soldier’s Box was named after a common practise which occurred during World War I.  Soldiers on the frontline often kept their personal possessions and important documents in small tins or boxes. If they lost their life in action these boxes of treasured possessions would be passed to their loved ones, the contents bringing comfort to families at a time of grieving.  The modern day Soldier’s Box works in exactly the same simple way.  Digital assets and files are stored in a highly secure online box which includes a unique mechanism for easily passing the contents to a trustee and multiple beneficiaries.

The Soldier’s Box can be used for storing private personal files including family photos, videos and messages to loved ones. On a more practical level it can be used for household documents, bill details, passwords and account log-ins. For business owners or the self-employed, it offers an ideal solution to store vital information regarding the running of a small business. It is not designed to replace a Will, in fact the Soldier’s Box initiation code required to open the box, can be added to a Will to cover your digital legacy.

Currently in development, The Soldier’s Box has recently been through user acceptance testing and is due to launch this summer. To assist with the launch, the team have recently entered the Virgin Business Pitch to Rich 2015 campaign to win a share of a £1 million marketing fund.

For more information about The Soldier’s Box visit www.thesoldiersbox.com.

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