If you are a small business owner there are two words that can make you go weak at the knees and NOT in a good way – Server Failure.

Servers are fundamental to the running of most businesses these days and if they die it can mean your business grinds to a halt. Buying new Servers, getting them installed and restoring them from the back-up can take anything up to three weeks. It’s the stuff of nightmares.

 “But I’ve got Anti-Virus and my Server has worked OK so far…what could POSSIBLY go wrong?” I hear you say!

OK, here are some of the situations where your IT can suffer major down-time:

No 1 – Fire, Theft, Flood, Earthquake

Where your IT infrastructure is severely damaged or rendered unusable by a natural disaster or if you suffer a theft.

No 2 – New Virus Attack

If a virus attacks your Server and causes software corruption or component failure. Robust Anti-Virus protects against most viruses – however, new viruses are being created all the time. If a patch or ‘antidote’ for a new virus does not apply in time, your IT can be compromised.

No 3 – Systems Failure

Server component failure – Due to; faulty part, overheating, age, wear & tear, accidental spillage/breakage

No 4 – Deliberate act of sabotage

Where an employee or somebody outside the business deliberately compromises your IT equipment or data.

I’ll let you in to a secret… 999RESTORE can have you back up and running within a few hours and none will be the wiser.

999RESTORE is Supreme Systems’ Disaster Recovery Package

Here is how it works:

Step 1 – An Account Manager and an engineer works with you to create a Disaster Recovery Plan that meets your unique requirements and specifications.

Step 2 – Engineers visit your site and, using specialist DR equipment, create an exact replica of your Server software.

Step 3 – The replica is stored on a Supreme Systems Server in our secure Server Room where it is maintained, managed and updated and most importantly it’s GOOD TO GO when you most need it.

Step 4 – In the event of a virus attack, systems failure or deliberate act of sabotage  Supreme Systems will deliver the replica Server and you can be back up and running within 4 hours. In the event of a natural disaster where your equipment is totally destroyed, your replica server is available for you to remotely access from a spare laptop or home PC.

Engineers will then begin the process of recovering your old Server using your back-up. You are free to use the replica server for as long as it takes to purchase a new Server or rebuild your original Server.

If you would like to discuss your options regarding disaster recovery contact me at the office on 0845 524 0035 or email me at suzie@supremesystems.co.uk

Working with dual screens has allowed me to work more efficiently and quickly in everything I do.  Sometimes (like right now!) I have my Outlook open on one screen and Word on another screen. This allows me to draft my blog in Word and monitor incoming e-mails at a glance.

I can easily keep monitoring Twitter, e-mails, LinkedIn, Skype, CRM, Office or specialist software such as our online portal. For you this may be Sage, Lotus notes, QuickBooks or any other specialist software. 

Whatever line of work you are in dual screens allow you to compare screens easily – for example comparing products to purchase. If your job involves a lot of research in which you have multiple applications open like OneNote, Word and Internet Explorer dual screens allow you to spread this.

Of course there is an additional cost involved in buying an additional screen but you will definitely notice the improvement. Let me know how it goes!

1. First things first – You need to choose between a desktop PC or a Laptop. If you have many users who need to work remotely or who are always out of the office then it may be a better solution to choose laptops. However PCs have a better shelf life, and the ability to upgrade the hardware. This then means PCs have a longer shelf life and are more durable.  
2. An average small Business PC requires 2GB RAM. For those who need to run multiple applications like Sage, CRM, CAD or specialist software or for those with little patience 4GB RAM is preferable!
3. If you decide to buy a PC ensure it has the capacity to upgrade the hardware, specifically the ability to insert more RAM for the future. This will allow you to increase the performance speed as with time this tends to become slower.
4. Ensure it has Windows 7 Professional on it. This will allow you to connect your PC up to your server and or work in a work group environment.
5. Make sure you buy AV protection for your PC and remember that AVG does not permit its use for business purposes! A robust solution such as Symantec is recommended as it won’t hamper the PC/ Laptops performance.
6. Many businesses use Office on a day to day basis and Office 2010 can help boost your performance with easy to use tools. If you’re not sure, then most PC’s come with Office 2010 60 day trial. Or you can download a 60 day trial from Microsoft too. Please remember to get a professional version as this includes Outlook.
7. The processor in a PC also plays a key part in the speed and efficiency of a PC/Laptop ensure it is a Dual­Core processor and runs at 3.2 GHz. This will ensure your business applications run smoothly with little glitches. If you want something more powerful then consider a quad-core processor. 
8. Most PCs come with 500GB Storage capacity as standard as this is plenty if you plan on storing most data on your server. Most Laptops vary in storage capacity but it is suggested that you should have at least 250GB.
9. Also consider how you are going to back up or secure this data. If you have a server in place it is recommended that you get users to store data on this. This will then allow you to back up from one central location. If you do not have a server it is recommended that you back up data on to a external device like a hard drive.
10. Don’t forget to check that the PC includes a new keyboard mouse and of course a new screen if required!

These pointers were brought to you by Simple Sim! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. If there is a topic of interest which you would like me to cover please let me know and I will do my best to cover it!

Read our “Open Letter to FDs” to find out why the numbers add up with Supreme Systems.

Take last month as an example when one business owner called us for some advice…

This MD has a fairly young business with 20 staff – all of them use laptops or PCs. As he’s a trusting guy, he had allowed his staff open access to the internet on their PCs during working hours. Unfortunately, a few of his staff abused their freedom and spent a lot of time browsing the net & going on social networking sites rather than getting on with work. The potential damage to his company’s reputation coupled with the high costs associated with time spent by his staff using the internet had become a serious concern.

As a business owner he doesn’t have time to check up on his staff’s internet use all day – he’s got more important things to do! He was unsure how to fix the problem – on one hand he wanted his staff to be able to use the internet for work-related browsing and also check their personal emails and social networking sites at lunchtime but on the other hand he wanted them to get on with the work he’s paying them to do!

Luckily…We had just the solution for him. We have helped a number of our clients restrict internet access by implementing a powerful piece of software which controls what users view on the web. It restricts all sites that are seen to be inappropriate and well as sites which are illegal so that the internet can be used as an effective business tool without the threat to productivity or increased legal liability. It protects the network from web-based threats of viruses, spyware and other malware that presents a considerable business risk. It can be configured to allow access to certain sites (such as social networking sites or personal email accounts) during a set time (such as midday or out of office hours) so users can still have a certain amount of freedom – in their own time.

We implemented the solution and now he can relax, safe in the knowledge that his staff are not wasting valuable time or putting his business at risk…At least not in the area of web abuse!

Problem Solved!

Web misuse at work is becoming an increasingly common issue – if you would like to find out more about how you can increase staff productivity, guard your business from web-based threats and protect your company’s online reputation call the Supreme Systems office on: 0800 001 5942 Or drop me an email at- suzie@supremesystems.co.uk

Although the client was unsure of exactly when the file was deleted, our engineers were confident that the file would be successfully restored. Why you ask? Well our continuity planning with this client helped us develop a backup and restore strategy that included daily backups (daily overwrite) plus bi monthly and monthly offsite backups held at our data centre.

Our engineers quickly established that the file was not in the daily or bi monthly backups (they also checked the drive where the file had been originally stored just to make sure that the file had not been renamed or saved to a different location – these things happen!)

The final check was in the most recent monthly backup and what do you know..? There was the rogue file!

It was quickly restored back to its original location, the client was informed and they confirmed that this indeed was the missing document. Peace, joy and happiness reigns once more!

To discuss your Backup & Restore requirements or if you would like more ideas on how you can design an IT Continuity plan for your business please drop me an email at this address:

suzie@supremesystems.co.uk or Tweet me: @supremebunch or connect with me via Linked In: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/suzannahevans

Of course, I’d also welcome a good old fashioned call on the telephone! You can contact me at the office on: 0121 309 0060.

We’ve had a few calls from clients this week who want to send out multiple cards but have had trouble trying to print out labels or envelopes and don’t have the time to hand-write all of the addresses as well as the message inside the cards.

I’m going to show you step-by-step how you can easily use Microsoft Word 2007-2010 Mail Merge to create Labels or Envelopes that will make the whole experience of sending out cards a lot more enjoyable! I’ve put links to the Microsoft website for other versions.

First you need to create an excel document with all of your clients contacts information separated in columns (eg: Full Name, Company Name, Address 1, Address 2, Address 3, Post Code) and save it.

To create labels:

Open a new Microsoft Word document and click:

Mailings tab>>Start Mail Merge>>Step by Step Mail Merge wizard

Select labels and click:

Next: Starting Document

Click on Label Options and select how many labels you would like on each page (I usually go for 30 per page)

Click: Next: Select Recipients>>Browse

Then select your Excel file and press OK. Select the recipients you wish to mail merge press OK

Click: Next: Arrange your labels>>More Items

Click: More Items and insert each line of text one at a time into the label in the top left hand corner(eg: Full Name, Company Name, Address 1, Address 2, Address 3, Post Code)

At this point you’ll need to space out the text on the label how you would like it to appear for all of your labels.
Then click: Update all labels. This will replicate your first label across the whole page.

Click: Next: Preview your labels

Your labels should now be created! You can preview the labels using the relevant functions to the right of your screen.

Click: Next: Complete the merge

At this point you can edit individual labels (this will open a new document) or print them if you are happy with them.
And there you go!

Don’t fancy printing labels? The process for creating envelopes is very similar – just select envelopes instead of labels and follow the directions on Mail Merge Wizard.

For information on older versions of Microsoft Word visit the Microsoft website: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/word-mail-merge-a-walk-through-the-process-HA001034920.aspx
Or http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294683

If you enjoyed this blog and would like to know more about Supreme Systems please visit our website www.supremesystems.co.uk

We work with a number of Accounting Firms and it is particularly important that their data is protected due to the fact it contains scores of their clients’ confidential financial information. The Accountant feared the worst – that their PC had been severely compromised.

Technical Engineer Rashid took the call and connected remotely to the PC to take a look at the pop-ups. Due to the content of these pop-ups it was evident that a virus has indeed infected the PC. He set about running a Virus Scan to try to detect and control the virus but the scan did not pick this up – this usually means that the virus has been intelligently created to bypass basic scans.

After checking the system settings and common locations he found traces of the virus. This particular virus was an application virus – one that spreads by installing software onto a PC. It disables all access to the system’s configuration settings and can even disable the legitimate Anti-Virus software within a basic account.

Rashid then tried using a feature called System Restore which is built into Windows. It is designed so that if the system becomes unstable due to system changes it can be restored to a previous, stable version. He used the feature to successfully revert the system back to a pre-virus state. ‘What about all of the Accountant’s work?!’ I hear you cry! The system was restored without affecting any documents, pictures or any other data that the user had been working on post-attack.

Nice one! Another happy customer.

The moral of the story is: Be aware! Our Help Desk receive many calls like this one because unfortunately, the number of incidences where viruses hiddene within emails have been introduced to a network is still on the rise.
So be aware! Do not open emails or click on links from people you do not know or do not trust. If you suspect your PC is infected with a virus give the Supreme Team a call on: 0121 3090060.

If you have never heard of Moodle - (and most of you wouldn’t) Moodle stands for Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (what?!) and is an e-learning software that is typically used to create modular internet based courses. Moodle is open source software which means it is FREE and has long been the darling of the education sector as it comes with powerful collaboration features and helps relieve teacher workload by allowing its users to pool resources, set assignments and automate the marking process.

It is not often that the education sector has something to teach the commercial world but this lesson is one that I believe the business world would be wise to pay attention to.

Here are some of the features of Moodle and I have explained how the business world can take advantage of them.

Powerful Collaboration Tools

There are so many colaboration tools within Moodle that will help businesses become more productive. Tools such as Discussion Forums, Wikis, Databases, Glossary, Shared Calendars, Blogs etc. My favourite is the messaging tool – which is a kind of chat room. This would work exceptionally well in the business context as it would allow users to exchange instant messages with colleagues in different departments, different sites or even different regions. It is also a great way to keep in touch with clients. Think about the money you will save and much more it is FREE!

Pooling Resources

One of the advantages of using Moodle is that it allows users to Pool Resources in one central location. I remember a conversation I had with a client – a solicitor at a local practice based in Birmingham. He relayed a story about how once just before a major case, he had forgotten important information that would form the basis of his legal argument. Normally he would have simply asked his PA to fax across the copy of the document, however his PA was absent due to a family bereavement and trying to explain where the files could be to another colleague was proving fruitless. Imagine if they had Moodle in place. Not only would he have been able to access the files himself (you can access Moodle where ever you are as far as you have an internet connection), finding the file would have been much more easier using Moodle’s search functionality! If this idea is making you think “intranet” then you would be thinking on the right lines! Moodle works exceptionally well when used as a company’s intranet and did I mention it was FREE?! (well every little helps..)

Moodle for Training and Staff Development

Teachers love Moodle because it helps them automate the marking process. They can set tests and homework online. Students can enrol for the tests / homework and the results are instantly sent to the teachers. Moodle also allows teachers to create courses online for their students which means they can learn in their own time.

Why not do the same? Times are hard and with budgets ever decreasing, this may mean that the kitty for training is limited. So think outside the box! The internet (God bless Google) is full of free resources that you can utilise to train your team. Let’s say for example you wanted to create a course teaching users how to use Excel. Using the internet you can find videos, instruction manuals, cheat sheets etc that you include as part of your course. Your  users will simply follow the instructions contained within the course, watch the videos, take the relevant tests that you set and hey presto! They are experts! Check out this site for an example of a “course” in action. You may need to log in before you can access the course. For user name type in manager and the password is demo.

Thats enough mutterings from me today! Give me a call if you want to discuss further how Moodle can help your business on 0121 309 0060 or email me angela@supremesystems.co.uk. You can also visit Moodle’s Site for more information.  If it is IT Support you need – give me a shout too!

It’s now 7.50pm and I have front row tickets for the X Factor( front row being the settee in my front room). I hope you have a great week ahead. Next week I will be extolling the virtues of VOIP (those of you who have outrageously high phone bills will love this post – Using VOIP can help you reduce your phonebill by atleast 40%!)

Ciao!