Latest news from KTS
As many know, KTS Computers Ltd are authorised AVG resellers. This means that we can keep you updated on latest
trends on viruses and also ensures we can keep you and your computer safe from harm. AVG are very shortly due to release their new
version of the anti-virus product, this will be version 8.0 (currently they are on 7.5). Obviously we can give you more information
if you require.
Notes from the field
Our engineers in the field have noticed many users have absolutely no back up or have minimal untested back ups. This is still something that is more often talked about than actively completed. Do you have a company DR (disaster recovery) policy? Unfortunately the facts are that most small to medium size companies that lose their data through any disaster will be out of business within two years.
Do you have a company DR (Disaster Recovery) policy?
The type of back up you employ will depend on the importance to your business of your data! So how do you go about setting up a DR policy and ensuring you have a correct working backup? You should first consider the location of your main data, is this on a server or on various workstations? How could this data be compromised?
Some users want to have complete DR so that they can still retrieve their data even if the building is destroyed by water, fire or a nuclear bomb! Others just want ability to recover data if the server dies, and some have obviously decided, if the equipment fails (hard disk drives do fail) then they will just give up (not recommended)!
The main areas to look at are what happens if a file is deleted? When deleting a file from your local PC disk drive, it is usually placed into your recycle bin (not always). However, if you delete a file from another PC or from the server then there is no fall back. It is gone.
Another area to consider is if the server was to completely fail. This is where a tape drive backup comes into its own. If created correctly, a tape backup can fully restore a system to the condition it was in at the time of backup inside a few hours. It also allows the data to be removed from site allowing recovery to new hardware even if the building containing the server burns down.
We can of course do a DR check on your systems and give you a report and make improvements as required. Please contact Christine for further information.
New technologies
This industry never stays still. Most current computers are 32bit, in English this means that they are limited to the amount of RAM they can use so Intel have brought out 64bit processors / systems. As Intel put it “Transcending the 4GB memory limit of 32-bit processing, platforms with 64-bit capabilities can access virtually unlimited physical memory. In addition, the 64-bit processor can manipulate data and execute instructions in chunks that are twice as large (64-bits versus 32-bits). Because of its exceptional performance, agility and rapid adoption, IT organizations are challenged with determining the best solution, while taking into account total cost and value within IT and business environments.” Phew!
This means that Microsoft have available 64 bit versions of their operating systems. Adding that in to the 32 bit versions, Windows Vista and the older Windows 2000 you can see why Microsoft cannot continue to support the older operating systems such as Windows 98. This means in reality that new programs coming out will no longer support Windows variants before the year 2000. More info:
- https://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/default.mspx
- https://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx
- https://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex
Microsoft Windows Vista is released now, it is looking a very polished product. However you will probably need a new PC as we have found in practice that Vista requires at least a 128MB video card 2GB of RAM for business use and a 256MB video card for home use. The look and feel of the interface is different from XP, staff may need to be re-trained to optimise the upgrade experience.
Microsoft Office 2007 is also now released, this has a completely new look and feel to the interface. Should you upgrade? Good question, if you do it will require very careful planning as staff may need retraining due to the many changes in the product.
We can show above products at your site if you wish to see the differences.
If you have any questions about the above please feel free to phone (01480 469019) and talk to us or email Christine at sales@ktscomp.co.uk.
Do look at our FAQ pages for tips and tricks
Announcements
As many know we currently have two office based staff, this being Christine who currently works full time and also Donna who works part time and is with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When you phone our office number (01480 469019) it will usually be one of these two helpful ladies answering you. Donna joined us in April 2007 and has much office and HR experience and I have noticed she is an excellent organiser!
