IT systems failure risk not handled effectively

IT systems failure is the top threat to operational success, but few companies handle IT risk effectively, a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit has found.

Companies fear the collapse of their information technology systems more than they do terrorism, natural disasters, financial risk or regulatory constraints, yet the majority do not manage IT risk effectively, according to Coming to grips with IT risk, a new Economist Intelligence Unit report based on a survey of 145 senior executives worldwide.

Read the full report here

Concerto Networks goes nationwide

Concerto Networks UK Ltd has appointed David Gregory as Managing Director. David is currently Managing Director of Concerto Networks Bournemouth Ltd, and has built a highly successful Concerto Networks branded business locally over the past 15 months, supporting small and medium-sized businesses by taking care of their technology and maximising its effectiveness.

David Gregory will use his skills to develop the Concerto Networks brand and coverage to build a nationwide business offering consistent quality service, and to support the development of the franchise network. Concerto Networks is an international franchise business providing professional, consistent-quality computer and business technology solutions to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), effectively providing an outsourced IT department.

Graham Williams, previously Managing Director, will take on the role of Chairman and will operate in an advisory capacity and says “David has a wealth of operational and management experience which places him in an excellent position to take the business forward. The fact that he has his own franchise means he also has first-hand experience of running the Concerto Networks business model”. He added “I believe this change will better serve and take advantage of the massive IT Services market opportunity for Concerto Networks in the UK by providing increased focus and time commitment to build and support the franchise network, manage partners and build the Concerto Networks brand presence in the UK.”

The existing Bournemouth-based business will be unaffected by the change, and David Gregory says “Now that we have successfully tested the Concerto Networks model in the UK we are ready to roll it out nationally and I look forward to meeting that challenge. The Concerto brand has been hugely successful in the US and the plan is now to expand across the UK so that consistent level service can be offered across the territory – longer term the intention is for nationwide coverage within the UK, and ultimately global coverage.” Concerto Networks already has a presence in Ireland, Spain, New Zealand and Australia as well as the USA and UK.

Cure for poor mobiles coverage?

Standing in the corner of the room; being exiled to the bottom of the garden; or teetering precariously on a chair.

People will go to extraordinary lengths to find that elusive one bar of signal that will allow them to make a mobile phone call.

But soon the days of despair that occur when you arrive back at the office or home only to find your new handset does not get any coverage in your house may be over. There is a new technology on the block, known as femtocells, and if the hype is to be believed, it will end signal problems forever.

Read all about it here

Keep your wireless networks safe

Wireless networks are becoming more and more common. Sometimes called Wi-Fi or 802.11 (after the standards which define how it works), they allow computers to connect to one another without cables. Using radio technology similar to cordless phones, they make it incredibly easy to connect to company networks, email and the internet. Unfortunately, they also make it very easy for outsiders to do the same.

Freeloading and freebooting
Anyone within radio range can, in theory, listen in or transmit data on your network - even if they are sitting in a van in your car park or having a cup of coffee in the bar opposite your building. Their task is made easier because many people do nothing to secure their network.

You will be found
Security firm RSA surveyed wireless security in the City of London. Using a handheld scanner they walked the streets and counted open networks. The results are alarming. One in four networks were not secure. Failures included:

• Not using the built-in encryption, making it easy to eavesdrop;
• Using the default configuration for equipment, making it easy to gain access;
• Using network names that identify the organisation;

Some networks failed on all three counts. Businesses in the City are clearly embracing the new technology - the number of access points had tripled in the last year - but some of them are leaving themselves wide open to unauthorised access.

You will be hacked
It took two and a half hours for someone to attempt an unauthorised connection. RSA also tried to see whether people would take advantage of an open wireless network by setting up two 'honey pots' - wireless networks designed to look like unsecured corporate systems but actually containing sophisticated tools to track intruders. It took two and a half hours, on average, for someone to attempt an unauthorised connection. While many of the connections were caused by passers by carrying wireless-enabled laptops and palmtops which tried to access any nearby network, a quarter of the connections were by repeat 'offenders' who returned regularly to access the 'free' system.

How to secure a wireless network
It's not difficult to lock down a network. However, the actual procedure varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. This is what you need to do:

• Use access points only rather than ad-hoc, peer-to-peer networks;
• Don't broadcast the name of the network (known as the SSID);
• Change the default SSID to something more obscure. Don't use a name that identifies your organisation;
• If possible and if your access point allows it, restrict wireless access to normal office hours;
• Use MAC filtering. Each network card has a unique code called a MAC address. You can set access points to restrict access to certain, trusted MAC addresses;
• Switch on and use the built-in encryption to prevent eavesdropping;
• Restrict the ability of users (and network administrators) to set up 'quick and dirty' wireless networks, even temporarily. One rogue access point can undo all the good work you do on the others;
• Make sure all your other security measures - passwords etc. - are in place so that you have a second line of defence against intruders

Managers in the UK lose 31 working days putting out fires

Business managers in the United Kingdom lose 31 working days—more than 10% of the year—putting out fires that result from bad management of IT systems, according to a study released June 4 by Partners in IT, a U.K.-based service management company.

74% of non-IT business managers surveyed said they spent, on average, 12% of their time each week dealing with problems caused by their IT systems. 80% admitted IT system downtime was a productivity issue, and 90% of IT respondents in large companies admitted that downtime was such an issue that half cited it as a serious problem for them and their colleagues.

For those asking whether their IT is functioning efficiently enough to be considered a business asset, the research, 'IT Service Management—Is It Worth the Money?' argues that maintenance and management, not infrastructure, are the issue. 77% of midsize company managers said as much, citing an estimated 13% of their IT investment as wasted due to insufficient upkeep.

"It is outrageous that so much of managers' valuable time is wasted due to poor IT maintenance and management. Technology should be a key enabler to help managers run their businesses efficiently and effectively—it should save us time so we can focus on the core task of running our businesses. Something has gone badly wrong and has to change," said Paul Cash, managing director of Partners in IT.

"Globalization of successful businesses coupled with more flexible and mobile work forces have driven innovation within even the largest of companies," said Cash. "Technology has played its part in helping to drive this innovation but, just as any other resource in an organization, technology needs to be maintained and managed—it needs time devoted to it to ensure that the most benefit is gained."

Planning is the issue, Cash said. He argued that by understanding their business' present IT condition and its ability to monitor and manage key business services before committing to new technology or processes, companies will better protect their IT resources against waste. Without such planning, Cash said he often sees that once an implementation is complete, the technology and value it delivers degrades as management and maintenance fail to keep pace.

Furthermore, he warns against a 'hero culture' in IT, in which a lack of robust and enforceable processes leads the wheel to be reinvented with each new project.

Internet overload?

The BBC has an interesting article on "internet overload"; as usual with this kind of thing some is a bit far fetched but point is that internet overload is likely to be more significant now that speed is more important - read the article here.

Ten things to check before you press send

Before you send an email campaign or newsletter out, there are certain things you should always double-check – here are the 10 most important campaign elements you should test:

1. Images – should be in .gif or .jpeg format and have a total size under 50Kb (recommended).
2. Text – is there a good balance of text and images. Many email clients block images by default so your message should be readily understandable even if users don’t load any images.
3. Spelling – checked your spelling and grammar? Spell-check is your friend but don’t rely on it!
4. Links – checked that all of your links work and go through to the pages you expect?
5. Subject Line – is your subject line clear and enticing? A good subject line is vital for getting a good open rate.
6. From Name – clear and consistent with your other mailings? Recipients often use this to decide whether they trust the sender or not.
7. Reply Address – have you set a valid reply email address for your campaign?
8. Personalisation – make sure you send a test mail and check that each element works as you expect – you don’t want “Dear <>” appearing!!
9. Plain-text version – set a plain text version of your campaign for those recipients who can’t read html mails.
10. Spam Score – don’t let your efforts to go to waste by having your campaign mistaken as spam. You need to check the content of your campaign – use one of the spam checkers to see how the common spam filters will rate your message, and send test emails to as many different email accounts as you can.