Check out our 10 minute screen video of Rosh-Tech IT’s cloud backup service. Includes setup of backups jobs, backing up files, folders, system state, Active Directory and Exchange.

A restore of data is also demonstrated.

Rosh-Tech IT’s technicians will normally do the complete Cloud Backup setup process for you but this video is aimed at providing information about the process and to demonstrate the excellent features of the Cloud Backup service.

Coverage, as always, is the hidden variable. To check if your area gets 4G, click here.

Telstra’s USB 4G Modem is the first mobile broadband device in Australia to run on the company’s new “4G” LTE network. While the validity of Telstra’s claim to offer true “4G” can be debated, there’s no doubt the USB 4G modem offers significant speed benefits compared to its regular Next G network.

How do I get 4G? Tesltra is selling a 4G USB modem for $299, or free on their 24 month plans. See here for more info.

LTE? Long Term Evolution technology is the key part of the Telstra 4G offering. LTE is what makes the 4G data speeds so fast.

So if you are mobile and want to work fast, then 4G may be worth considering.

The company expects to reduce its carbon footprint by as many as 25,000 metric tons a year with the new software.

The system enables a managed shutdown of Windows laptops and desktop computers at Ford so the equipment is not running when there’s no one using it.

In the US more than US$2.8 billion worth of PC power is wasted annually, according to one source.

In the past at Ford, as many as 60 per cent of PC users weren’t shutting off their computers at the end of the work day, said Ford IT project supervisor Keith Forte.

The system saves open Microsoft Office products before turning off equipment when users are not present.

A: Chances are they are using a content delivery network to accelerate the delivery of the content to the user at an amazing rate.

Essentially, a CDN is a collection of web servers distributed across multiple locations to deliver content more efficiently to users. Data, such as video, web pages and images are ! then delivered to the user based on proximity to the one of the CDN servers.

Experience has shown that moving content from a static application web server to a CDN will increase performance by 20% or more.

Without the CDNs, we’d have all that extra traffic flowing through the already busy networks that connect the world. The internet would be a much slower place without Content Delivery Networks.

Some examples of websites that use CDNs to deliver their content include:

www.iTunes.com                                www.Microsoft.com

www.Amazon.com                             www.Cnet.com

One of the main providers in the CDN space in Australia is Cotendo. Check theirwebsite for more information.

-       News

-       Events

-       Policies

-       Procedures

-       forms etc. from management to the company.

Typically, this means you will need an intranet guru, or two. These will be the only people who can actually post information to the Intranet. Staff are supposed to send their content to the guru who will then take days, weeks or never to publish the material. Also, information tends to stay up long after its value is gone.

If you recognise the importance of a company intranet, but the update process is as described above, SharePoint is the right solution.

SharePoint enables the publishing of information by the owner of the information through a simple familiar interface. In addition, you can add items such as discussion groups, documents, issues lists, image libraries, and many other fancy features that can help you and your employees to share information and become more efficient.

Another immediate benefit of SharePoint lies in the document libraries. Do you have documents that require multiple edits, they get passed around in email, and eventually no one is sure who edited what?

Do these questions sound familiar….

-       “How did we do that last time?”

-       “Who has the latest version of the XYZ form”

-       “Did Emily send you a copy of the latest staff list before she went on holidays?”

-       “How come we all have 3 copies of the same document in our folders?”

-       “Did someone backup my notebook HDD that just failed because it’s got that spreadsheet on it?”

Document libraries provide the following features

-       All documents are kept in one place, on the server, and backed up daily

-       Documents are accessible from a web browser

-       You only ever keep one document (no duplicates)

-       All previous versions are available if required (SharePoint versioning)

-       SharePoint provides access and permission security through integration with Windows Active Directory

Rosh-Tech IT can assist you by setting up a SharePoint solution based on a thorough review and understanding of your current and future business processes. We can then train your team to use them and continue to modify, fine tune, and change as business methods are developed

There are many other applications for SharePoint such as

-       IT Support

-       Holiday schedule management

-       Contacts management

-       Knowledge base

-       Asset tracking

-       Timecard management

-       Sales pipeline

Microsoft has developed 40 free application templates to enable businesses to start using SharePoint today. You can checkout all of the free Microsoft SharePoint templates that are available to businesses by clicking here to download the Word document describing the templates.

SESSION TIMES. SEE BELOW FOR COURSE DESCRIPTIONS;
8:30 am – 12:00 pm - ShadowProtect 101 Training Course
12:30 pm – 5:30 pm - ShadowProtect 250 Advanced Course – AUD$195pp. Lunch included.

All content for the entire day of technical training has been revamped from the ground up for 2011. The VirtualBoot, HeadStart Restore and some of the ImageManager Replication information has never been presented in this depth. – therefore it is highly recommended for those wanting to know how to correctly configure these to attend this training course.

[ Click Here to download course notes (6mb) ]

The morning sessions contain the basic 101 introduction to ShadowProtect and is ideal for new customers that are yet to delve into the product. This course includes;

1. Supported systems
2. Preparing for installation
3. Sizing an Image Repository
4. Installation of ShadowProtect
5. Configuration of ShadowProtect
6. ImageManager installation and basics
7. Basic troubleshooting

The morning session is mandatory for all resellers and end users prior to attending the afternoon session as the afternoon will build on these basics.

The Advanced (SP 250) Course covers the following topics;

VirtualBoot – Restore any size server in minutes
1. Installation and Configuration
2. Performing a VirtualBoot and the necessary steps required for success.
3. How to clean up after a VirtualBoot to help ensure best performance
4. Troubleshooting

HeadStart Restore – Both a pull and then a push from ImageManager
1. Scenarios for SBS style and then Enterprise customers
2. Pull back to a physical – performed by a student while the process is discussed
3. Push to a virtual ESX server
4. Troubleshooting

ImageManager Replication – Replicate data locally or offsite as often as every 15 minutes
1. Scenarios
2. Configuration (SBS and Enterprise)
3. Configuration of the remote site
4. Troubleshooting

Hardware Independent Restore (HIR) – Migrate from/to different environments inc. P2P, P2V, V2V and V2P
1. Details of issues with drivers
2. Compare IT and Recovery environment
3. Perform a migration of a DC and an XP machine
4. Troubleshooting

[ Click Here to download course notes (6mb) ]

It used to be virus attachments. These are still around but are rare. The most common threat today is a user being lured into installing some kind of software that actually installs Malware (malicious software).

The current most common form of Malware is propagated by a user being given or sold antivirus scanning software online. When they download and install the software, some Malware is installed at the same time.

Types of threats include

-       Virus

-       Spyware

-       Key logger

-       Trojans

-       Data stealing

Viruses are the only type of threat that spread by themselves. The rest have to be installed, usually unbeknownst to the user as it is typically packaged up with fake software or peer to peer software, or may exploit security holes in the user’s computer.

Sometimes, just browsing to a website can download and install Malware to your computer. If your computer behaves unusually, or you suspect that something may have been installed on your computer then you should have it looked at ASAP. ContactRosh-Tech IT if you are concerned.

Professional corporate-grade security software, such as Trend Micro Worry Free Security Advanced is recommended for all servers, desktops and notebooks. It will give you peace of mind as if something tries to install Malware on your computer you will see a warning and Trend will automatically stop the infection from proceeding.

The Exchange agent should be installed on your Exchange server to scan all emails processed by the server. The centralized console should be installed on the server and all computers on the network will be visible to the Administrator, ensuring that all computers have their antivirus software (i) installed, (ii) up to date and (iii) switched on.

Are you still running SBS2003?

Did you know there is a SBS2003 to SBS2011 migration process?

There is an extensive and well documented Microsoft procedure for migrating the entire SBS2003 environment over to SBS2011. The main sections are listed below….

-       Prepare your Source Server

-       Create a migration answer file

-       Move settings and data to the Destination Server

-       Move Exchange Server mailboxes and settings

-       Remove legacy Active Directory Group Policy objects and logon settings

-       Move users’ shared data

-       Move the internal website

-       Migrate Windows Server Update Services data and settings

-       Move user accounts and groups

-       Finish Windows SBS 2011 Standard migration

The procedure requires careful planning but is intended to be done in a low impact fashion. You can expect to see all user profiles, data, emails and security settings brought across to the new SBS2011 environment.

If you would like more information on what’s involved then please contact Rosh-Tech IT.

What is IT maintenance and why do I need it?

Running a business with an IT system requires a careful and well thought out plan of maintenance in order to keep the system running with the highest possible return to the business at least cost.

An objective of a proactive maintenance plan is to minimise downtime and keep your IT costs under control.

Items that are checked on every maintenance visit include:

-       Data backups

-       Server images (ShadowProtect)

-       Storage capacity

-       Power protection

-       System and event logs

-       Active directory

-       Domain controllers

-       Antivirus and spam filtering

-       Network security

-       VPN Routers

-       Cabling

-       Documentation

Provided that a comprehensive check of all of the above areas of the system is performed regularly then reactive call-outs and failures can be kept to a minimum.

Rosh-Tech IT prefers to perform the above maintenance checks onsite but the process can be performed remotely.

If you would like more information or a quote on a maintenance program for your systems please contact Rosh-Tech IT Support.

Unfortunately, many organizations underestimate the depth and breadth of information that is stored in their corporate email. According to Osterman research, email contains nearly 75% of the information that individuals use on a daily basis. The amount of corporate knowledge stored in corporate email is enough to justify its safekeeping but many organizations are still finding it hard to accept the need for an industrial strength email archiving solution. After all, they point out, we always have backups. It is not that simple.

Why Should Your Business Archive Email?

The reasons for email archiving and email management can vary widely by business focus. What is certain is that a company can never know what email trail it will be called upon to produce at a future date for any reason. It may be as simple as a good sales presentation and a list of qualified leads or as thorny as a legal debate that could cost the company thousands of dollars in legal fees and fines.

Access to Old and Deleted Emails

Traditional backup solutions that restore systems if you have a catastrophic outage are not really suitable for the purpose of finding past emails. They are not easy to access,nor easy to search once made accessible, nor safeguarded from tampering. With an email archiving solution management and employees can search for, and retrieve old or deleted email in minutes, without IT intervention or putting your backups at risk.

Storage Problems

The volume of email generated on a daily basis is a problem for IT administrators. As employees send and receive more emails with larger attachments, storage space on the server starts running out. If server quotas are cannot be increased, then emails must be stored in PST files on workstations or a network share, creating more IT headaches. With an email archiving solution, all emails are stored off the server yet easily accessible. The problems associated with PST files simply go away.

Legal Safeguard for Email Compliance

Legislation in many countries has been amended to include email along with written or printed data in legal retention regulations. While legal and finance companies have very specific email compliance regulations your business needs to consider its own email retention policy. The inability to produce an email trail when needed, for example as evidence in a court case, could result in fines, court sanctions and loss of credibility. With an email archiving solution, all corporate email is stored safely in a tamper proof environment and accessible within minutes, making it easier for that company to find valuable internal data, defend itself in a court of law or simply prove compliance with applicable regulations.

Ability to Manage or Monitor Employee Email

Most companies do not monitor what email is being sent or received by their employees. Although corporate email should be used solely for company business, there are times when management may need to monitor an employee’s email activity. With an email archiving solution, management can assign permissions for department heads to check on emails being sent by individuals. Should the unpleasant need for internal investigations arise, with an email archiving solution your company will be ready.

Email archiving is no longer an expense but a justified cost of doing business. It’s an insurance policy against possible legal or compliance repercussion. Companies that use an archiving solution report that the benefits surpass their expectations in a number of unexpected ways.

There is an enormous amount of legislation, and a growing number of compliance regulations that organizations need to be aware of. It is beyond the scope of this document to list each one here, however, the following links will provide you with a summary of legislation in particular countries. These are the regulations that stipulate, directly or indirectly, the need for email retention; who is affected by these regulations and how; and the penalties at risk for non-compliance.

Take a look at this video by GFI on their Mail Archiving solution.

IT Service levels define the agreed performance of your IT service provider. Service delivery  timeframes are listed so that the customer is aware of how quickly their needs are responded to in case of different events eg: equipment failure.

Service levels should also outline the general nature of the service provider’s approach to providing IT services.

Below are Rosh-Tech  IT’s service levels.

General Service Levels

All customers can expect the following general level of service:

-       A friendly, courteous and efficient service.

-       A guaranteed feedback or response to any user query within two working days.

-       Access to an online helpdesk system via Rosh-Tech IT’s website

-       Advance notification (of at least 2 working days) of any planned changes/interruptions to normal IT services.

-       Prompt referral and coordination of hardware and software faults not rectifiable in-house to the customer’s service provider

-       A continuous effort to develop and improve services for all users.

If you would like to discuss how agreed Service Levels can help your business please contact Rosh-Tech IT.

What is IT maintenance and why do I need it? How will it help your business in a time of need?

Running a business with an IT system requires a careful and well thought out plan of maintenance in order to keep the system running with the highest possible return to the business at least cost.

A objective of a proactive maintenance plan is to minimise downtime and keep your IT costs under control.

What is IT maintenance and why do I need it?

Running a business with an IT system requires a careful and well thought out plan of maintenance in order to keep the system running with the highest possible return to the business at least cost.

A objective of a proactive maintenance plan is to minimise downtime and keep your IT costs under control.

-       Data backups

-       Server images (ShadowProtect)

-       Storage capacity

-       Power protection

-       System and event logs

-       Active directory

-       Domain controllers

-       Antivirus and spam filtering

-       Network security

-       VPN Routers

-       Cabling

-       Documentation

Provided that a comprehensive check of all of the above areas of the system are checked regularly then reactive call-outs and failures can be kept to a minimum.

Rosh-Tech prefers to perform the above maintenance checks onsite but the process can be performed remotely.

If you would like more information or a quote on a maintenance program for your systems please contact Rosh-Tech IT.

• A better way to communicate. Access information and communicate from anywhere, using any device, on any network.
• An easy way to bring people together. Need to call an urgent meeting? Quickly find out who’s available and the best way to reach them—before you even pick up the phone.
• Phones and applications that work together. Link your customer relationship management (CRM) system or other applications—healthcare, insurance, auto repair—to your communications system to help your team respond quicker to customer requests.

If it is almost time to replace your existing PABX then consider a Cisco voice solution that provides the normal PABX services, plus take advantage of VoIP to save thousands of dollars per year in phone bills.

With Cisco Small Business Solutions, you can quickly bring people together to solve problems and meet customers’ needs. Get everyone on the same page—and keep them there. When workers stay connected, they stay productive.

• Start with a Cisco connected network that combines voice, video, and data so everyone can communicate their way and be more productive.
• Link applications to phones, such as your customer relationship management system or others that are specific to your business, such as Allscripts, AMS 360, and Mitchell 1, to gain efficiencies and serve customers better.
• Add video cameras, allowing you to turn regular phone calls and online meetings into video calls for a richer, more personal collaboration session.
• Add presence features that enable workers to know whether colleagues are available, how they prefer to be reached, and simply click on a phone number to dial, so that it’s even simpler to reach people.

If you would like more information on a Cisco voice solution then please contact Rosh-Tech IT

T 1300 666 040

E info@roshtech.com.au