All posts by Sam Broadbent

Do You Really Need an Antivirus Software Today?

There was a time when viruses and malware were a major threat, even for an average desktop or laptop user. This was the time of Windows XP, which didn’t have an AV program of its own (later Windows OS came with built-in AV programs, such as, Windows Defender in Windows 7 and 8), and the operating system itself wasn’t exactly robust and secure enough to ward off the unwanted programs.

Times have changed now. Not only there is a considerable decline in major virus and malware floating around, but the operating systems, too have evolved greatly to tackle this problem. Brian Dye from Symantec (a leading provider of security products) himself declared in 2014 that antivirus was dead. This surprised, and even shocked a number of people, even though Dye was referring to the declining sales of AV products.

The reason why sales of AV programs have declined is because the majority of businesses have moved beyond traditional software protection. They now invest in comprehensive AV systems rather than standalone products and focus on adaptive approaches instead. Of course, another reason is that most computer users are unaware of the benefits that paid AV programs offered, and are content with their free versions.

Today, a huge percentage of computer users don’t use AV programs anymore. But what about businesses? Do they need an AV program? Perhaps not.

How Microsoft Affected the AV Market

For a long time, AV companies such as Norton and Avast made tons of money selling their security products. Everyone was afraid of viruses, which was why they would buy an AV program the first time they bought a new system. However, when Microsoft released Windows 7, which had many features, but mainly the built-in security program Windows Defender, it gave the commercial security companies a run for their money. After all, it was a great product, and did a terrific job, for free! Who would want to pay for another AV product, when this one came pre-installed, and cost nothing?

After the release of Windows 7, a lot of AV companies started rolling out free versions or trial versions of their products to increase sales, but the damage was already done.

Malware Bringing Ransomware

While virus attacks have declined, it won’t be correct to say that computer systems don’t have any security risks. Yes, trojans and malicious programs are rare these days, but these have been replaced by other forms of programs, mainly the adware and ransomware. These programs don’t directly harm the system, but increase the system’s overhead, and pose the risks of fraudulent activities (ransomware).

What’s the Solution?

You can absolutely protect your computer system from harmful programs without shelling out money. The first thing you must do is make sure that Windows Defender and Firewall are both enabled. These two will protect the system from the majority of the attacks. Secondly, install a basic version of a malware protection software, or AV software, just to be sure.

The suggestions above are for desktops and laptops. They can’t protect your server, which is why you need a good online backup solution. Even if you have an expensive AV program, it is best to invest in a decent cloud backup solution. This is because no AV solution is foolproof, and you wouldn’t want your important documents and files to be compromised. Before you make your final decision to pick a cloud backup and data storage company, make sure they are offering additional services, such as: data mobility, data security, disaster recovery, virtualization, business continuity, and more.

 

Why Cloud Collaboration is Very Important – Part II

In Part I, we discussed the definition of cloud collaboration; why some organisations are hesitant to adopt cloud collaboration, but rather opt in for emails, citing familiarity and simplicity; and how ill-informed security concerns keep some from adopting cloud collaboration despite the fact that security has been thoroughly addressed by cloud vendors.

Indeed, cloud backup and cloud computing companies are well aware of the potential for mobile data to be vulnerable to hackers, eavesdroppers and other malicious agents, so advanced security procedures like high-level data encryption and varying access privileges for all of the different collaborators make it so that files remain exclusively available only to those in the collaboration group.

Yet another unfortunate factor keeping some businesses from utilising cloud services for collaboration is that they fear that it would be cost prohibitive. After all, since using email is basically free, why pay to collaborate online? Well, it is important to keep in mind that cloud services are often now leveraged in a pay-as-you-go fashion, so businesses only have to pay for the services that they actually use. In addition to this, cloud computing services are now commonly bundled with online data backup packages and other utilities that businesses are already paying for in the first place! Also, cloud collaboration can be thought to wring more value out of hardware that businesses and employees have already invested in like smartphones, laptops and iPads. When you combine these factors with the collaboration-ready aspects of social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook, the potential result is a highly fluid and dynamic work environment in which employees can communicate and collaborate freely regardless of their physical locations, granting business owners and CEOs the peace of mind of knowing that they are getting the maximum return on their enterprise’s investment.

Of course, we here at Backup Technology Limited (BTL) don’t just see cloud collaboration as the way of the future; we think it should be the way of the present as well! For this reason, we have assembled the most cutting edge suite of cloud computing tools in our cloud services. And, with top of the line data protection practises like bank-grade encryption and advanced password security protocols, you’ll never have to worry about anyone except who you deem fit getting their hands on your precious data. So, speaking of not having to take any risks; why not visit our website and try our free trial today? We think that you’ll find that cloud collaboration is just one of the myriad advantages that BTL can bring to your SMB. Visit our website here: www.backup-technology.com/cloud-backup

Why Cloud Collaboration is Very Important – Part I

Wikipedia defines “Cloud Collaboration” as “a way of sharing and co-authoring computer files through the use of cloud computing, whereby documents are uploaded to a central “cloud” for storage, where they can then be accessed by others. Cloud collaboration technologies allow users to upload, comment and collaborate on documents and even amend the document itself, evolving the document.

The increased ease with which employees can now collaborate online is one of the most important and revolutionary of all of the advantages that the Internet itself has brought to the table for businesses of all sizes. However, although online collaboration (both over LANs and the cloud) has been readily available through a variety of different means to businesses for some time now, many enterprises are still somehow hesitant to take advantage of these valuable tools, often opting instead for basic email exchanges as their go-to collaboration method. With all the myriad advantages of utilising the cloud for collaboration, why are these enterprises still holding on to doing things the old fashioned way?

First off, some companies that have yet to harness the power of the cloud may try to point toward the relative familiarity and simplicity of using email for collaboration versus cutting edge cloud tools. However, this can be seen as somewhat ironic when one considers the fact that, when compared to the streamlined process of collaboration in the cloud, group projects through email can often become suddenly very complicated at a moment’s notice, with potential mis-saves to storage servers being a constant risk, not to mention the confusion that can result as to which collaborator has the most recent version of the collaborative project in question. In addition to this, the very simplicity of this one-way communication style often also serves to inhibit creativity by forcing the participants to create a rigid, preconceived hierarchical structure so as to avoid the above-mentioned confusions, delays and accidents that can be so common to collaborative email threads.

Another factor that often leaves businesses afraid to take advantage of the cloud for collaboration are ill-informed concerns over security. While being cautious about security is an understandable, nay, advisable stance for people to take (especially when beginning to use a new technology), it is important to keep in mind that, once again, cloud collaboration has been around for some time now, and thus potential security issues have been thoroughly addressed by cloud vendors. In fact, files being shared and accessed in the cloud oftentimes end up being more secure than ones passed around through email as simple unencrypted attachments!

In Part II, we will further discuss further the importance of cloud collaboration.

Cloud Backup for the Distributed Enterprise Made Easy by BTL

What if you could get all your data into a well-organised repository by installing software that automates it all for you? What if the process took just a few hours and not the thousands of man-hours you thought it would take to complete the task? What if all this could happen continuously (even as you slept or worked on other mission-critical projects) and you wouldn’t have to worry about missing backups? Backup Technology Limited (BTL) has answers to all these questions!

BTL’s solution is designed with people like you in mind. This private cloud solution is equipped with local and remote management features, which allow users to seamlessly perform local backups to their private cloud infrastructure, or perform offsite backups to a public cloud. Even better, users can carry out such backups while they’re away from the office, or choose to manage remote backups from once central location, as BTL permits one to manage all distributed backup jobs via a web-based browser interface.

To address the challenge of backing up distributed data, BTL comes equipped with a web-based management tool, called the Central Management Console (CMC). The CMC enables an IT administrator to handle and maintain all backup and restore processes on distributed employee laptops, PCs, and servers from one centralised location. The data can then be backed up to a single repository in the cloud or to their private cloud infrastructure via the Internet. If need be, the employee may also be given access to the management console, and if so desired, they can manage their own backups and restores.

The CMC is innovative as it allows users to share data or collaborate on backup processes and restores without moving an inch from wherever they are located. They can easily schedule automatic backups and/or continuous backups of information and then relax with confidence that the backups are successfully taking place even if they are engaged elsewhere.

BTL gives your enterprise complete control over its data. The administrator, operating from the CMC, can set up user accounts for all members of the enterprise whether they use a PC, laptop, or are working from a remote location. Authorised and authenticated users can then back up their data over the Internet and store this data on the enterprises private cloud infrastructure or to an online storage repository. If need be, this stored data can also be restored to any machine via the software’s web-based browser and a WAN connection.

Even more appealing, BTL can handle huge data loads and does not need constant monitoring, thus leaving your local computing resources free to be redeployed for other business activities. Data access can be orchestrated independent of available bandwidth from anywhere in the world, and databases can be reconstructed flexibly and quickly on local machines (existing or new) using the data restore wizard provided with the software.

BTL’s cloud backup and disaster recovery solution has recently released with a number of new feature add-ons. For further information on the latest BTL software version, please visit http://www.backup-technology.com/

Accessing your Data from Anywhere, Anytime

Due to relatively recent advancements in cloud computing technologies, the age of the truly mobile desktop has finally arrived! Indeed, gone are the days when you would have to remember to store every file you were going to need for a business trip on your laptop in order to know that you were fully prepared, or had to access cumbersome, expensive virtual private networks in order to retrieve your data when you were on the go. Nowadays, your PC can sit safely protected at home or at your place of work while you travel, and be fully accessed, including the browsing of applications like Outlook and QuickBooks, from your smart phone or other mobile digital device!

So, how does one take advantage of this amazing new technology? Well, once you find a cloud storage provider that offers this type of service, all it takes is the quick installation of client application software on both your computer and mobile devices and that’s it; all the files from your desktop computer are now available for access and download to and from your portable digital device using nothing more than a simple web-based interface. In fact, once you are linked up, you will be able to use all your PC’s programs and utilities just as if you were back home sitting in front of your computer!

Mobile desktop access includes the ability to send items from your mobile device to your printer back home, or from your PC’s hard drives to a remote printer located wherever you happen to be. Of course, in addition to being able to modify and see PC’s files from your mobile device, you will also be able to cut, copy and paste items to and from your mobile device and your desktop, effectively doing away with the barrier between your desktop and your mobile digital devices! In addition to this, with any quality mobile desktop application, all potential security concerns are null and void, with all transfers to and from your computer and portable devices using bank grade encryption and remote data only becoming accessible after passing high levels of user authentication procedures.

Unfortunately, however, there are still a few snags that one must potentially overcome to get all of this going, the first of which is the requirement of having a desktop that is Windows based and supports Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol, which can be found on most Windows 7 versions. Secondly, for now at least, one’s mobile device must be either an iPhone or iPad, with plans for extending this service to other sorts of devices coming soon. Finally, not all cloud computing or online data backup companies are providing this high-tech service yet, so finding one that does can sometimes prove to be a bit of a challenge.

This is just one of the reasons that we here at Backup Technology Limited (BTL) are proud to offer our cloud backup services. BTL, powered by Asigra, specialises in being one of the few cloud backup and storage providers globally. It offers clients an easy software that installs quickly and uses application that truly carries with it powerful features for the modern day. Businesses, on the go, take advantage of such solutions as data mobilisation has become very important; keeping you connected to all of your digital assets wherever your business might take you. To find out more about BTL, visit www.backup-technology.com

The Theory of Constraints and Cloud Backup

Dr. Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt [1] in his Theory of Constraints [2] stated that the strength of any chain, process or system is determined by its weakest link. Successful systems identify the constraints and effects, the changes necessary to remove them. Small and medium enterprises that are IT constrained must, therefore, make an effort to change their operative methodologies and harness the cloud to strengthen their business operations. Interestingly, a number of cloud based IT services are emerging to support IT constrained organisations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) options available in the cloud allow SMBs harness expensive infrastructure at nominal costs to exploit available, in-house IT skills. Unlimited instances of servers are made available virtually and cost effectively. SMBs can use this IT infrastructure to build new versions of applications without investing in additional hardware resources. The IT resources can also be used for hosting enterprise websites and reaching out globally to customers leaving the non-core activities of website maintenance, such as traffic monitoring to experts who provide the infrastructure.

IaaS is priced on a pay-as-you-go model and organisations have to pay only for usage of instances of servers and the software environment loaded, in databases or web servers, application development environments or the amount of network traffic in and out of the server during usage.

Software as a Service (SaaS) options in the cloud are attractive to SMBs that do not want to invest money in purchasing software licenses. Software access is provided on demand and deployed over the Internet to the local system. The software runs behind a firewall on a local area network or a personal computer with the SaaS provider holding the license for the software. The pay-as-you-go model is advantageous to the user. The software is accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection. There is no local server installation required and can be rapidly scaled and eminently reliable. System maintenance and security improvements are the responsibility of the SaaS vendor.

Platform as a Service (PaaS) delivers a computing platform and a solution stack to the IT constrained organisation. PaaS is an uncomplicated offering of web-based applications and services. The user does not have to worry about the underlying hardware or the complexities of the software being used to deliver the service.

PaaS includes facilities for application design, application development, testing, deploying and hosting of application services for collaboration, web service integration, marshalling, database integration, security, scalability, storage, persistence, state management, application versioning and facilitation of a host of other services. All these solutions are provisioned and delivered via the web using the Internet.

Backup Technology Limited (BTL), based in Leeds, UK, is a globally trusted cloud backup company, which provides simple, automatic, secure, encrypted cloud backup and storage services. Visit www.backup-technology.com

[1] — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliyahu_M._Goldratt

[2] — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_constraints

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