Are unapproved devices within your network?

Businesses are allowing unapproved devices to be used within their business as workers increasingly want to use their own computers at work before companies draw up bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies.

This is diverting attention away from IT projects. A total of 44% of IT managers said that handling issues around staff bringing their own devices was wasting time and reducing the time spent on other IT projects.

According to research commissioned by Cisco and carried out by Redshift Research, 48% of the 1,500 IT managers in Europe and North America surveyed said their businesses would never authorise the use of employees’ own devices. But it also revealed that 57% believed workers are using their own devices without permission.

Furthermore, over half (51%) of those interviewed said that the number of workers bringing their own devices to work was increasing.

The US reported the highest number of businesses where workers were using their own devices without consent, with 63% of IT managers saying this was the case.

Despite the distraction, most CIOs support schemes to allow employees to use their own devices at work, according to the Technology Industry Survey 2012 of 650 IT professionals, conducted by IT recruitment firm Mortimer Spinks and Computer Weekly.

The survey revealed that 60% of CIOs and CTOs think employees owning and operating their own IT equipment would be a good thing for the IT department.

As published by Computer Weekly
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UK IT budgets under pressure in 2012

UK IT budgets will remain flat in 2012, a worldwide survey of more than 2,500 IT professionals has revealed.

The Computer Weekly and Tech Target survey, which had responses from more than 200 UK senior IT professionals, showed that IT spending in Europe has been hit harder by the recession than spending in the US and Asia.

In the UK, 50% of IT professionals said their IT spending would either decrease or remain the same in 2012.

Nearly 40% of UK IT professionals said their organisations are recovering slowly from the downturn, and 30% said they are still struggling.

IT investment
Despite the tough economic conditions, some 38% of IT professionals expected their IT budgets to increase in 2012, with 21% expecting an increase of 5% or more.

“I think what you are seeing now is the realisation from some IT departments that they can’t delay spending any more,” said Ovum analyst Roy Illsley, commenting on the research findings.

“Some people have really cut back too far, and others realise if they make investments now, that would make them more agile when the upturn comes,” he added.

IT supports business growth
The focus for 29% of UK IT departments in 2012 will be to expand IT to support the growth of the business, with business analytics featuring strongly in many organisations' plans.

Around a quarter will concentrate their spending in a few key areas of IT, while 19% aim to reduce business costs by automating business processes.

Some 15% of IT departments have the more modest ambition of maintaining their service levels despite a flat budget, while 14% will focus on reducing their IT spending.

As published by Computer Weekly

Cisco's Customer Collaboration Solutions Help Customers Offer Better Service, Fill Orders Faster and Realize a Competitive Edge

Cisco\'s Customer Collaboration Solutions Help Customers Offer Better Service, Fill Orders Faster and Realize a Competitive Edge

What is the real cost of a network? Don't be fooled into only looking at the CapEx costs.

When looking to invest in hardware, all too often it is the intial capital expenditure that influences the hardware selection, however, research has shown that this is only a small part of the overall cost of the network.

Cap Ex only rates as 28% of the overall cost of the network.
More importantly, other factors need to be taken into consideration:

Labour Costs - this amounts to a staggering 49% of the overall cost of the network
Bandwidth - 14% of the operating costs of the network comes from connectivity costs
Service/Maintenance - amounts for 8% of the operating costs
Energy - with rapidly rising pricing, the current 1% of the running costs could be on the increase

So what do you need to consider when making your hardware selections?
Labour costs are the greatest factor when considering Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) so it is important to consider how you can reduce the labour required to maintain and operate your network.

1) Look for ways in which you can reduce network management - opt for a converged network with data and voice sharing the same platform reducing administration
2) Opt for hardware that provides scalability, with longer refresh cycles and choose hardware that provides multiple features e.g routing, switching, wireless, security in one box
3) Consider device uptime - highly performing, reliable, up to date devices should be more reliable and reduce the time required for management and issue resolution
4) Opt for highly secure devices - not only will the risk of data breaches and subsequent time and cost considerations be reduced but less money will be required to maintain and manage them
5) Only consider devices that support centralised management, particularly if a multi-sited business. Once you are able to centrally control and update devices, you will save an enormous amount of time and effort.
6) Know your network - if you don't know how your network is set up, what devices you have or what software and warranties are in place you could be looking at a very time consuming task. Increase your network knowledge by carrying out an audit or enlist the services of an external IT provider to audit and document your network. Once you know what you are dealing with you can ensure that your time and money is used wisely.

Top 10 tips to get technology working for you..

Here are 10 tips for using network technology to help your business work more efficiently, cut costs, improve customer satisfaction, and stay ahead of the competition.


Give employees secure, consistent access to information.
You have an advantage over larger competitors because you can react quickly to business changes. But you can quickly lose this edge if your company network is frequently down, sluggish, or unsecured. A secure, reliable network based on intelligent routers and switches lets your employees access the information and tools they need to keep ahead of competitors.

Deliver anytime, anywhere access to employees on the go.
To stay productive on the move, your employees need to be able to reach the people and information they need—anywhere, anytime. With tools like virtual private networks (VPNs), your employees can work outside the office and still enjoy safe access to the business network.

Create effective business processes with partners.
Some large companies make efficient, secure business processes a prerequisite for doing business with them. To meet the business needs of your partners, you need a secure, reliable network.
Make it easy to work together. Smooth collaboration between employees, partners, suppliers, and customers is a sure-fire way to boost efficiency while also reducing costs. An intelligent network lets your business take advantage of interactive calendaring, videoconferencing, unified communications, and other technologies for easy collaboration.

Enable employees to take their phone systems wherever they go.
Missed calls create project delays, wasted opportunities, and lost revenues. With a networked voice and data solution, your employees can have one phone number that rings simultaneously on multiple devices, so customers reach the right person the first time. Your staff can access all their communications from anywhere, checking for e-mail, voicemail, and faxes from just one inbox.

Streamline customer communications.
Delivering fast, knowledgeable service is the best way to keep customers satisfied. Linking your network phone system to a customer relationship management (CRM) solution is a great way to enhance customer communications. When a customer calls, a pop-up window with their records appears on an employee's IP phone screen, computer screen, or both.

Reduce unproductive travel time.
All too often, time spent on the road is time lost. A networked phone solution that offers video calls and Web conferencing can help reduce the time and expense of traveling to offsite meetings and training sessions. Instead of spending time traveling, you can use the time to get work done with technology.

Employ a managed service provider.
Is managing a network the best use of your employees' time? In some situations, it is advantageous to hire a managed service provider for network administration. Working with a managed service provider can free your IT staff to focus on other IT tasks and use their time more effectively.

Improve employee satisfaction.
Aging phone systems and slow networks can frustrate your employees and annoy your customers. In some cases, an employee might become burned out and decide to move on. To help ensure that employees are productive and satisfied, your business needs a secure, reliable, and fast network.

Develop a long-term technology plan.
The process of replacing obsolete hardware can interrupt your employees and bring the office to a standstill. You can minimize such disruptions by carefully determining short-and long-term business objectives and working with your network vendor to deploy technology that matches them.

Taken from the Cisco Small Business Blog

UK ranked fourth globally for fixed broadband speeds - 9/26/2011 - Computer Weekly

UK ranked fourth globally for fixed broadband speeds - 9/26/2011 - Computer Weekly

Mobile malware up 273% in first half of 2011 - 9/12/2011 - Computer Weekly

Malware for smartphones and tablets is up 273% in the first half of 2011, compared with the same period in 2010, a study has shown.

Research from G Data Security Labs shows cyber criminals are increasingly targeting mobile devices, with cross-platform Trojans dominating the malware landscape.

In the first half of 2011, researchers recorded one new malware strain every twelve seconds on average. G Data believes there is no end in sight to this malware flood.

"With mobile malware, cyber criminals have discovered a new business model," said Eddy Willems, security evangelist at G Data.

Even though this special underground market segment is still being set up, there is an enormous risk potential for mobile devices and their users, Willems said.

Mobile malware identified in the first half of the year included NickiBot and the manipulated app called Zsone.

NickiBot functionality included spying on its victims. One variant of the malware, called Google++, is available as an application for the social network Google+ and records background noises and calls. The malware uses a website to send this information, including GPS tracking data, to the attacker. This enables perpetrators to access personal information and determine the user's current location at any time.

Zsone was spread via the Google Android Market. The Trojan secretly sends subscription registrations to expensive Chinese premium SMS numbers. Since the registration confirmation is also intercepted, users can only detect this scam by checking their bills.

As smartphones and tablets with an Android operating system become ever more popular, cyber criminals are increasingly relying on mobile devices for spreading malware code.

According to Willems, researchers are expecting another spurt of growth in the mobile malware sector in the second half of the year.

Overall, G Data research shows malware is on the rise, with a new record set in the first half of 2011 of 1,245,403 new pieces of malware identified, a 15.7% increase compared to the second half of 2010.

Willems says this growth is expected to continue over the next six months and is on course to reach an annual total of new malware strains for the year of at 2.5 million, compared with just over 2 million in 2010.