B4 CIS Special Edition

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B4 MAGAZINE T H E C I S E D I T I O N 2 0 1 7

THE CIS EDITION With over 25 years of IT Support & Cloud based services, CIS are making IT work smarter for your business

STAYING SECURE

W W W . B 4 - B U S I N E S S . C O M

DATA PROTECTION

AVOID DOWNTIME

B U I L D I N G B R I D G E S B E T W E E N B U S I N E S S E S

WORKING TOGETHER B4 stands for Building Bridges Between Businesses and that’s exactly what we have done with CIS. As a trusted and key partner to B4, CIS have demonstrated their commitment not only to our business but also to B4 as a growing network.

In terms of CIS’s support for our business, the services CIS provide have undoubtedly helped us work smarter, more effectively and flexibly. Working together as a team has never been easier for us at B4 and CIS are always on hand to provide their support in the very few times we have needed it.

Key to working in the increasingly hostile world we all now live in, we can work safe in the knowledge that CIS are protecting us from external threats and constantly updating the software we have access to.

We couldn’t be happier working with such a reliable partner and, as you will see in the articles which CIS have chosen to feature in B4, CIS are a successful and growing partner which gives us the confidence that they are the right partner for B4 as we, ourselves, grow. CIS play an active role in the B4 community, attending regular networking events and buying into the philosophy that relationships aren’t built overnight, they are earned, and it’s good to know that CIS are reaping the rewards of their association with us.

Long may this mutually beneficial and successful partnership continue to thrive. Thank you to Richard Marsh and his team at CIS for their invaluable support.

Richard Rosser | Manager Director B4

CIS believe partnership is the key to mutual and sustainable growth. We are committed to making your business work more efficiently through innovation, support and expertise. and through 25 years of experience, research, development and training, CIS has remained constantly at the forefront of technology and is fully accredited by the world’s leading IT suppliers including Microsoft, HP, Sophos, Symantec, Veeam, and VMware.

CIS has been a B4 member for over 5 years and during this time both B4 and CIS have grown substantially. The regular B4 events are hosted at brilliant venues, always attracting new members and enable us to build a company profile amongst our peers. We have enjoyed a two-way relationship with B4, hosting them on our private cloud since 2012.

B4 serves as a great platform for us to expand our network, generate awareness of our brand and to promote the personal side of our business, this is vital for our business relationships and how we deliver our solutions.

We are often asked how we are doing with B4 – ‘Fantastic’ is my response, B4 delivers as much as you put into it. Ultimately, it is about business, we measure the relationships and business we achieve through being a member. We work with a variety of members now and are always being referred to more.

Richard Marsh | Manager Director

Would you like your B4 editorials compiled into a handy online document for you to share with your clients?

Please call 01865 742211 to discuss.

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www.b4-business.com

news Time is running out for Windows XP, Server 2003 and Office 2003!

“We all like to get as much value as we can from anything, and software is no exception, but Server 2003 will start to hamper businesses and cause large security issues and compatibility problems with all new version of software being released, as I am currently telling all customers, there are deals out there to get upgraded, Microsoft wants 2003 buried, this is almost a software scrappage scheme, my advice…. Do not leave it another week!

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CIS News Date: 27/06/2013 Issue: 27.

From a security perspective I know a lot of people are still running 2003 for their business, the hackers and attackers know this too, as soon as security updates stop, exploits and viruses will start to exploit these older systems, and the companies running from them, and you do not want your business and data anywhere near that!

It’s almost negligence now to still be running 2003 Server… talk to us about upgrading before you hit real problems.” – Richard Marsh, Director, CIS Step up to the newest Office 2013 tools for growing your business and staying productive on the go.

Word In the new Read Mode, text reflows automatically in columns for easier onscreen reading.

Richard Marsh

Alongside Microsoft’s shelving of office 2003 and Windows XP is the more relevant Server 2003 (all versions).

This means that from 2014, any organisation running on a Server 2003 platform will be at high risk or problems with software, forwards software compatibility and security, and will have nobody to turn to for a fix. Server 2003 was originally planned to be expired in April 2013 but due to economic conditions Microsoft added a further year’s support, this is very unlikely to happen again, and we are already seeing licensing changes to suggest it will not.

CIS has spent the last 3 years preparing and moving our customers from 2003 to 2008 or even 2012 Server, we have seen every possible problem and combination of system and have moved them all successfully.

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Fewer menus means more focus on your content—see only the tools you need, when you need them.

Open a PDF in Word, and edit content just as if you created it in Word.

Show your style by using Word templates in more than 40 categories.

Outlook The People Card collects key details about a contact all in one place.

Add your local weather forecast right there in Calendar view, along with current conditions.

Receive push-based email, appointments, and contacts from Outlook.com, (formerly Hotmail) - right in your Outlook experience. www.cisltd.com

New Start’s - Stephen Wilkinson Virtual Application Delivery

The month of April saw the arrival of Stephen Wilkinson to join our Business Development team at the Gainfield Office.

Used by more than 100 million people worldwide, XenApp is an application delivery solution that enables any Windows® application to be virtualized, centralized and managed in the datacenter and instantly delivered as a service to users anywhere on any device.

Stephen brings with him 10 years military experience in satellite datacomms & more recently cloud & hosting solutions provider at a managed datacentre in North Oxfordshire.

Stephen says “I am ready for the challenge to develop new business clients by introducing them to the cloud”

architectural. Application virtualization technology, session virtualization technology and centralized application management gives users direct access to Windows applications from any device via Citrix Receiver.

Contact Stephen on: stephen@cisltd.com or 0779 487 2506. www.cisltd.com

5 million records including children’s personal data from the company Vtech has been hacked Another serious cyber-hack story has ascended. Vtech, the makers of toys and e-learning applications for children had its database hacked several weeks ago.

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

The hacked database contained customer names and addresses including those of young children.

The method that was used to hack this database is known as SQL Injection which is a well-known hacking method that could have been easily prevented by Vtech.

What information got hacked?

www.b4-business.com

It’s important to note that this attack is just one of three thousand attacks that happen every day.

Every business is being targeted and highlighted in the media for not protecting data. Destroying your businesses reputation and credibility in a heartbeat.

www.hothdesign.co.uk

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Current CIS and Bridge3 support contract customers and Private Cloud customers will therefore have more resource and experience to draw upon to develop and maintain their business IT Systems.

We hope to share the gains in both product and service portfolio on offer to you as a customer of the combined organisations, Bridge3 and CIS have shared the same service and consultancy approach and aim to build on this strength

with further staff and systems in place.

CIS will continue the Bridge3 operation in full from its original Hereford location, adding a further support location to increase our national service offering and another ‘local’ market to work with.

“We welcome our new staff and customers and feel this relationship will be to the benefit of everyone involved. New customers will see a larger, more diverse support and service offering and existing customers a more structured team with larger support staff and a faster delivery of the same quality solutions."

New Clients on Board

New Technical Engineers Join CIS CIS Hereford Branch Office In addition to engineers David Camden and Chris Bedford joining our technical department from Bridge3, we’re also delighted to welcome aboard Dan Hadland, Mark Johnson, Joe Steele, Sam Markley and Daniel Compton.

With a diverse and extensive range of skills, experience and qualifications, these additional engineering resources mean that clients are already experiencing much more rapid responses to support tickets raised. Although our contracted SLA

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There’s a pen portrait of each of our new members of staff contained on our website under the ‘meet the team banner’.

On The Move

Following the move, our telephone contact numbers and email addresses all remain unchanged. Please update your records - our new postal address will be [Unit 5, RAC Estate, Park Road, Faringdon, Oxfordshire, SN7 7BP] www.cisltd.com

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Hybrid Cloud – takes the best of both worlds allowing you to have security and flexibility. For example you can use vBubble Cloud and keep some of your servers in-house for extra control.

Cloud is a pay as you consume technology which means you can budget your IT costs into a monthly manageable sum. It allows you to: • Take your office anywhere in the world with an internet connection • Access all your data, email and work applications in one place • Secure and backup of not just your data but your entire server These are some of the fundamental reasons why the Cloud has attracted such a lot of attention in today’s world of information technology.

What about all the Cloud security scares in the news? It looks too risky for us!

There are three types of Cloud solutions present on the market: Public Cloud – This is hosted publicly with shared resources. Multiple users share the same area of cloud, making it a cheaper option but one which is not particularly secure like iTunes, Facebook or Dropbox.

Private Cloud – vBubble for example is hosted privately at CIS’s own data centre located at “The Bunker” in the UK. This ensures your data is secure and accessible only to you and nobody else.

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• Gym • Health Suite • Free weights conditioning room • Climbing wall • Swimming Pool • Steam room and Sauna • Physiotherapy clinic • Racquet Sports • Café and Sports Bar

What is Ransomware?

In short, Ransomware encrypts your files so you can’t read them. The malware on your computer which is programmed by cyber-criminals will then demand payment for you to retrieve your files via an encryption key to make them readable, failure to do so could mean your files are lost forever unless you have a disaster recovery point off-site.

What happened?

Hospital staff had to revert back to pen and paper after recent ransomware attack which affected all of the hospital’s IT estate. The systems at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Centre were down for over a week. Previous reports had reported hackers were demanding a payment of $3.4m, but this has been denied.

It couldn’t be simpler to join the gym – Sign up online at www.brookes.ac.uk/brookes-sport or call 01865 484373

from data loss. It’s vital that you combine Data Protection & Disaster Recovery tools to ensure your data doesn’t get stolen or lost. How much down-time can you afford? This question will determine the level of Disaster Recovery required.

Already back-up?

It’s important to know the difference between backing up your data and having a Disaster Recovery system in place. The difference could be astronomical to your business, why? Because backing up your data doesn’t restore your business to a fully working order, with Disaster Recovery you can be fully recovered from ransomware or hardware/software malfunction in hours, not days or weeks!

Learn how to protect your data with CIS

The actual ransomware amount was 40 bitcoins which is equivalent to roughly $17,000 (£11,800).

Plans start from £12.99 a month.

CIS is holding a free seminar around the impact of the EU Data Protection Regulation coming into force in 2016. Encryption is the answer to avoiding data loss and you can learn for free on how to protect your data the best you can.

EU DATA PROTECTION SEMINAR The seminar is held at the Bunker which is located at the West Venture Building (The Bunker), New Greenham Park, Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 6HN.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 wwwcisltd.com

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L nco nsh re County Counc demanded to pay £1m through one of the b ggest ransomware attacks exper enced on record Da e 06 04 2016 ue 40

Lincolnshire County Council demanded to pay £1m through one of the biggest ransomware attacks experienced on record

What is Ransomware?

In short, Ransomware encrypts your files so you can’t read them. The malware on your computer which is programmed by cyber-criminals will then demand payment for you to retrieve your files via an encryption key to make them readable, failure to do so could mean your files are lost forever unless you’ve backed up.

Why encryption is only half the answer Encryption protects you from fines & data breaches but it doesn’t protect you from da

What files were affected?

Fortunately for Lincolnshire County Council, only a small number of files were affected. The council’s servers were shut down immediately after being made aware of the malware attack, so no further damage could be done.

The council had to revert back to pen and paper whilst their servers were being restored which caused some back log for council’s staff.

Mrs Hetherington-Smith said: “People can only use pens and paper, we’ve gone back a few years.”

The attack was described as the biggest attack it has ever experienced, adding it was a zero-day malware – this was previously unknown to security experts.

Lincolnshire Police are investigating the attack and the ICO is aware of the incident.

Update All of Lincolnshire County Council’s systems are now back up and running – the ransom payment was not paid and no personal data was lost.

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B4 technology

THE REAL STATS, FACTS AND FIGURES EXPLAINED…

Unless your business has severely limited resources or doesn’t store any confidential data whatsoever, the Private option will usually be the correct choice for most.

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WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

From the eyes and ears of CIS Did you know that over the next 5 years it’s predicted that nearly two-thirds of all IT processes will be hosted on the Cloud?

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At the time of writing, we have just moved into new purpose built offices in Faringdon, some 5 miles distant from our old Gainfield base. As well as providing much needed space for our everexpanding team, the new offices have also given us access to a much faster internet connection – essential in the IT world. Although we all enjoyed the picturesque rural setting we’re used to out in Gainfield, the associated rustic broadband speed has been an increasing source of frustration. The move became a necessity as the broadband capacity had become ever more sub-divided between a much-expanded team who were squeezed in to every available corner of our old accommodation.

CONFUSED ABOUT THE CLOUD?

How will this REALLY benefit my business?

Over the next 5 years, the need for a local IT department will be dramatically reduced. The days of high upfront costs are dead and gone. No more do we need to worry about high capex expenditure on servers or expensive and ever-increasing energy bills.

solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 to ransomware

Why? The new EU Data Protection Regulation that’s coming into effect this year means your business is at risk to heavy fines of 20m euros or 4% of turnover per data breach. You’ll also have to let every single client affected know ASAP.

agreements allow for between one and eight hour responses to client’s support issues depending on the category of urgency, we appreciate and understand the inconvenience that can be caused by even the smallest most niggling problem. With these additional technicians now on stream, we’re not only meeting, but easily exceeding these SLA response times in almost every case.

CONTACT DETAILS

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Why encryption is only half the answer Encryption protects you from fines & data breaches but it doesn’t protect you

www.b4-business.com

Please contact us on the contact details below.

BROOKES SPORT FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE TO ALL STUDENTS, STAFF AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY ACROSS ALL THREE UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES. JOIN TODAY TO MAKE THE MOST OF THESE GREAT FEATURES AND MORE:

www.cisltd.com

Since the turn of the year, we’ve been delighted to welcome a new and prestigious client base previously supported by Bridge3. These include a diverse range of manufacturers, accountants, dental surgeries and other small and medium-sized businesses similar to those in the existing CIS client portfolio. We’re sure they’re already seeing the benefits of CIS’s technical support and expertise and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial business relationship as our respective companies continue to grow and develop.

We’ve added a new site location at Hereford, a large number of new clients, a completely revamped helpdesk, a new billing system and lots of new faces! In fact, our numbers have grown so rapidly that our Gainfield, Oxfordshire offices have burst at the seams, making a move to more spacious accommodation an absolute necessity – see more below!

What is the Cloud and what does this mean for businesses of the future?

The Cloud has become an IT buzz-word that many companies are adopting into their everyday working life. It’s a technology that allows us to work in the same place, in any location and in a highly secure environment - a bit like a 2nd desktop on the same screen…

JOIN THE GYM

Ho ywood hosp ta payes $17 000 to ransomware Da e 06 04 2016 ue 40

Please feel free to direct any questions to either of the directors of CIS richard@cisltd.com or nls@cisltd.com or 01367 700555.

continue to develop and enhance the services that were already offered. Joining us in 2014 from Bridge3 have come Senior Engineer David Camden, Support Technician Chris Bedford and accounts/solutions specialist Ashley Baker. These staff have already been integrated into the CIS team and although now formally under the CIS banner, they continue to provide the local presence, site knowledge and swiftness of response with which their clients will be familiar.

The changes the company is currently undergoing are probably the most dramatic in its history. For our valued clients, they’ll mean we’ll have the space, resources and technical capabilities to continue to grow and develop as a company and provide the comprehensive excellence of service to which they’re accustomed.

Seminar Location The seminar is held at the Bunker which is located at the West Venture Building (The Bunker), New Greenham Park, Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 6HN.

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Mr Stefanek said “The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key.”

CIS Triples in Size!

IT is typified by its speed of development and constant fast moving changes. As a company which lives and breathes technology, CIS moves at comparable speeds to ensure that we’re always ahead of the very latest developments and able to provide the very highest quality of secure cloud hosting and support services to our clients.

What to do?

CIS Is holding a free seminar around the impact of the EU Data Protection Regulation coming into force in 2016. Encryption is a way of ensuring stolen data is unreadable and therefore cannot be used.

Learn how to protect your data by applying industry best practises.

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Our new branch office at Hereford comes as part of our acquisition of the technical department of Bridge3 at the end of 2013. We’d worked closely with Bridge3 for some years in the provision of high level technical expertise and consultancy, so we were already well acquainted and impressed with their knowledgeable staff and service ethos. When the opportunity arose to acquire Bridge3 and merge their operation with our own, we jumped at the chance to bring those staff on board and to

Confused About The Cloud Date: 07/10/2014 Issue: 32.

16/03/2016

Ransomware is a common thing now and is here to stay Whether you like it or not, ransomware is here to stay and it’s up to you to ensure that you have the right levels of layered IT security and disaster recovery for your business.

news

CIS News Date: 031/07/2014 Issue: 31.

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‘vBubble’ – CIS’ Private Cloud offering has gained many new clients over 2013 with growth over 400% in the last 12 Months. "The Bridge3 addition boosts our revenue even further and enables us a much faster and controlled growth of staff and systems, we expect 2014 to be an excellent year for CIS and our customers.” – Richard Marsh, Director CIS.

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Oxford Brookes Centre for Sport

CIS LTD ACQUIRES BRIDGE3 IT SYSTEMS, SUPPORT AND CLOUD SERVICES

The change is effective from January 1st 2014, and all IT support system contracts and Cloud Services contracts will be internally transferred and honoured by CIS with pricing, terms and rates unaltered for ease of continuity.

We are also very pleased that the entire Bridge3 IT Systems & Support team will now become staff members at CIS, this ensures that specific knowledge of individual customers systems and requirements are maintained going forward.

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With the new EU Data Protection Regulation just around the corner and forthcoming heavy fines for data breaches, it’s time now that businesses took their data protection seriously.

“A breach on Vtech, which includes children’s data is simply unacceptable, it goes to show just how unprotected many small, medium and large businesses actually are. With the new EU Data Protection Regulation just around the corner and forthcoming heavy fines for data breaches, it’s time now that businesses took their data protection seriously.” Richard Marsh, CEO, CIS.

07/10/2015 13:11

Brookes B4 Advert Issue 40.pdf

Computing Information Systems Ltd (CIS) is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement to acquire the IT Systems Support and Cloud Services from Bridge3 (www.bridge3.co.uk). CIS has worked closely with Bridge3 as our leading reseller of Private Cloud. The working relationship has been secured through this acquisition to the benefit of both Bridge3 customers and current CIS customers.

If you hold data on your clients, employees, or data hosted around your business then you are a target.

It’s time to take your data security seriously.

www.b4-business.com

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CIS News Date: 09/01/2014 Issue: 29.

Your business is a target...

Call us on 01865 742211

A: Citrix XenApp with the use of Citrix receiver allows your field agents & professional staff to work on any device at any time they have internet access via Wi-Fi or 3G/4G. www.cisltd.com

Stephen Wilkinson

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The breach didn’t include any financial information but it did include: name, email, encrypted password, secret question, and answer for password retrieval, IP address, purchase history and mailing address.

Reports say that Vtech has suspended 13 websites after the hacking of its Learning Lodge app database.

For all your Graphic Design, Photography & Print needs

Q: I want to allow my field agents to work whenever they want & on their own preferred device, what can you suggest ?

XenApp ensures an optimal user experience for both application virtualization and session virtualization through Citrix HDX technology, which adapts virtual application delivery and access based on each user's device, network and location. XenApp enables enterprise class scalability for any size business and ensures that application delivery and management is secure by design. CIS are “rolling out” Citrix Solutions to many clients including financial, legal &

B4 technology

Need To Freshen Up Your Image?

5 m on records nc ud ng ch dren s pertsona data from the company Vtech has been hacked Da e 09 02 2016 ue 39

13 Reasons to Look at Switching to vBubble…

1 Decrease in IT ownership costs - no capex on new servers 2 The very highest levels of data security are maintained through servers operated in a military-grade bunker. It’s only you in your Cloud (and only you!) who has access to your data 3 Monthly payment – easy to budget 4 Streamlined IT operation – bringing improved efficiency 5 Scalable architecture for your business – pay for what you need now not for the future 6 Office on the move – access all your files and systems, not just email 7 Helps prevent data theft by employees – instant user access removal of ex-staff 8 Encrypted remote access – safe 9 No power for servers on site – lower electricity bills 10 Disaster recovery – your business can carry on operating in the event of a flood or fire on site 11 Multi-site/international operations can all work from the same server to access the same files 12 Better resiliency than you could ever afford to have in-house – full redundancy, full failover 13 Daily backups as standard, so no need to worry about lost data

Client Case Study: Industry: Architecture Client: Purcell Problem: Purcell needed a way of being able to use AutoCAD across the company without being limited to its local PCs. Purcell also wanted to reduce its IT costs by converting its servers to the Cloud, the company needed this to be ultra-secure and extremely reliable.

Solution: CIS implemented its Cloud Solution “vBubble” across Purcell’s world country-wide sites and 24 Servers allowing the company to manage multiple AutoCAD tasks in the same place, thereby dramatically increasing efficiency and accessibility whilst maintaining high security.

“The long term relationship we have with CIS is on a tactical level, helping us to set the IT strategy for the business based on up-to-the-minute technology” Gary Dalton — IT Manager

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Need a bit more? We’re a people business. Give us a call and talk to one of our friendly and knowledgeable team members today.

What is vBubble? vBubble is arguably one of the most bespoke and secure Cloud solutions on the market. Protected

by The Bunker… Your data is completely secure inside a Military-Grade Ultra-Secure Data Centre in the UK.

CONTACT DETAILS sales@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

• Manage the apps you use in your day-to-day work on the Cloud • Work from home or on the move without the worry of copying important files • Protect your business in a crisis - never worry about losing any work or sensitive information • Pick and choose your own Cloud specifications - you’re not limited or forced into a package

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Over the next 5 years, the need for a local IT department will be dramatically reduced. The days of high upfront costs are dead and gone. No more do we need to worry about high capex expenditure on servers or expensive and ever-increasing energy bills.

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CIS EXPLAIN THE CLOUD IN ULTRA-SECURE BUNKER

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Ever wondered what the Cloud actually is and how it could benefit your business? Let us show you…

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST PHOTOGRAPHY BY: TIM SMITH

New for 2015 and as an ambassador for B4, we’d like you to join us in coming along to one of our CIS Bunker Tours.

CIS explain the Cloud in an Ultra-Secure Bunker Date: 09/03/2015 Issue: 34.

One of the most frequent questions we’re asked here at CIS is "Where exactly is the Cloud?”. To answer the question fully, we'd like to invite you to join us on an exclusive guided tour into the rarely seen depths of the ultra-secure, cold war era nuclear bunker where our Data Centre is housed.

Available Tour Dates • Thursday 26th March (A few spaces left) • Thursday 28th May • Thursday 30th July What can you expect on the day?

• Warm introductions with Tea and Coffee.

• An interactive workshop on what the Cloud really is.

• A guided tour of our Ultra-Secure Data Centre to show you where our Cloud actually is.

• Lunch which is provided on the day and Q&A with our Cloud Experts.

The CIS Team

Tour start and finish times • Arrive at The Bunker for 10am.

• Finish at 2pm.

Is this tour right for you?

If you’re a business owner or key decision maker when moving your company, or your clients, to the Cloud then this tour is for you.

Why should you attend?

As a business which relies on IT every day, it’s now becoming increasingly difficult “not” to use the Cloud. Your IT helps make your business a success and we believe the Cloud can help you achieve your business goals more efficiently, enabling your company to grow whilst being more cost-effective and Ultra-Secure.

Where is The CIS Bunker?

The CIS Bunker is located at the West Venture Building (The Bunker), New Greenham Park, Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 6HN.

“It was interesting to see all the servers and realising the importance of backing up to the Cloud! Highly recommended” Jason Holden, IT, M&M Skip Hire.

“I found the whole event enjoyable and very informative which has helped me to make the next steps in moving to the Cloud.”

Steve Blair, IT Manager, Pump Technology Ltd. Due to the logistics and high level of security at The Bunker, places on the CIS Bunker tours are VERY limited.

We’d highly recommend that you book sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.

If you’d like to book a place on a tour then please contact CIS using the details below.

Feedback from previous tours…

“Very interesting and slightly different to what I expected in terms of size of the data rooms! Good for businesses seeking a move to the Cloud” Cathy Stewart, Cathy Stewart Associates.

Richard Marsh - Director CIS

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700555 www.cisltd.com

The Server Room

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The CIS Bunker Tours have already proved successful in helping businesses understand the benefits of the Cloud, which is why we’re continuing our thought-leadership in helping more people to make the move through efficient and highly secure Cloud solutions

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Richard Marsh, Solutions Director, CIS Ltd.

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Imagine explaining to your client why you can’t access their data, or even worse, why the client data has been stolen from your servers through a security attack

CIS Explain Windows

CIS explain Windows Server 2003 ‘End of Life’ Date: 27/05/2015 Issue: 35.

& telecomms

Server 2003 ‘End of Life’ The end of Windows Server 2003’s shelf life is around the corner, but how does this affect your business?

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Luke Broadhurst – CIS Ltd

From July 14th, your business could be at risk from unsupported software and security threats.

Read on to see how CIS can help you make the change to a smarter and safer way of working…

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

Microsoft’s support for Windows Server 2003 has already terminated and Server 2003 R2 is also rapidly approaching its ‘end of life’. This means any updates including security patches will no longer protect your business from the latest security threats…

you migrate your servers to our Ultra-Secure, Private Cloud Solution.

This will help keep your business fully in line with all the latest security patches by using the Windows Server 2012 platform.

If you’re not ready to move to the Cloud, then we can re-build your Windows 2003 Server on-site to the latest 2012 or 2008 version.

How will my business be at risk, what happens if I do nothing

by July 14th 2015?

Your Windows 2003 Server won’t stop working, but it will mean if anything goes wrong, it won’t be supported by Microsoft. You’ll also no longer receive any windows updates or security patches.

How does this happen?

1. We take a snapshot of your entire server.

2. We rebuild and update your system from 2003.

3. We transfer your data back to your new server.

How will this affect my business?

On July 14th 2015, Windows Server 2003 updates will be no more, which means your business could be open to increasing security risks and data theft.

Windows Server 2003 Key Highlights: • July 14th 2015 Windows Server 2003 Support ends.

• No security updates for Server 2003 after this date.

• Migration to Windows Server 2008/12 is a must for most businesses.

• An opportunity to move to the Cloud for a smarter way of working.

Key Business Risks • No Windows Server 2003 updates • Software/Hardware compatibility issues • No Windows Server 2003 support

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How can CIS help?

CIS are currently running free over the phone consultations in-line with Microsoft’s end of life campaign. This means if you have any questions or queries, CIS will help your business get back on track with your IT.

Why should I migrate my data?

Imagine explaining to your client why you can’t access their data, or even worse, why the client data has been stolen from your servers through a security attack that your IT infrastructure simply can’t handle.

Please contact us using the details below.

By making the change, you’ll protect yourself from having to answer these difficult questions and more importantly keep your clients happy and on the right side of your business.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

Okay, so what are my options?

To ensure that your IT stays constantly protected, CIS recommend that

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B4 spotlight

14.

Exceptional Business Growth and Enhanced Management Team at CIS Date: 31/07/2015 Issue: 36.

Exceptional Business Growth and Enhanced Management Team at CIS

L to R: Neill Lawson-Smith CIO and Richard March CEO

WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER: LUKE BROADHURST

Exceptional Business Growth at CIS 2015 is turning into another busy and successful year for Computing Information Systems Ltd (CIS), which is seeing further strong business growth and the establishment of an expanded Management Team.

Leading the way in Oxfordshire as the “one to watch” for growing IT & Cloud businesses, CIS has increased its team to 21 with further plans underway to increase to 35 during 2016, and in excess of 50 staff by the end of 2017.

“To say CIS is growing is an understatement. We are working with increasing numbers of local and national businesses who need IT & Cloud services delivered in a cost efficient and business-focused manner.” said Richard Marsh, CEO at CIS. CIS has substantial plans to increase the size of its headquarters based in Faringdon, Oxfordshire to compliment the recent move and increase in space at its Herefordshire-based branch office.

plans to keep CIS growing successfully and in partnership with an ever-expanding client-base.

• Neill Lawson-Smith is the CIS Chief Information Officer. He is focused on developing and delivering innovative and competitive IT solutions for our clients.

• Ross Wilson has been appointed CIS Head of Sales and Marketing. He brings over 30 years of experience in IT solutions sales, working with clients from every conceivable background, size and requirement.

• Matt Grantham is the CIS Operations Manager.

He will be ensuring that the Technical Team delivers projects on time and on budget, whilst maintaining high standards in support and project delivery.

• Daniel Hadland is the CIS Technical Manager.

Daniel will be ensuring the technical quality of the solutions that CIS delivers to its clients. He will also be managing our Enterprise Cloud Systems to make certain they are constantly available and working at optimum performance.

“CIS recently celebrated 25 years of IT Services in Oxfordshire. With the skills, technology and know-how developed over all these years, we are well positioned to ensure that Cloud technology is helping our clients maximise the efficiencies available.“ said Neill Lawson-Smith, CIO at CIS.

• Ashley Baker has been appointed Financial Controller at CIS. Ashley will be ensuring that the administrative systems are efficient, accurate and working with our clients to make sure trading with CIS is straightforward.

Introducing the CIS Management Team

How can we help your business?

• Richard Marsh is the new CIS Chief Executive.

Richard is strategically driving the company with

CIS understands how critical IT systems are to businesses in today’s market.

Basic systems like Email and Internet access are expected to work without interruption, and often the resiliency and reliability of Servers and Workstations can be overlooked or underestimated.

We appreciate that IT issues cost businesses in real financial terms both in ability to conduct business and reputation.

Our Technical Staff are able to fully analyse and appraise our clients’ entire IT systems, and pinpoint any areas where service could be interrupted or perform slower than needed.

Our strength lies in our ability to propose clear and unambiguous answers to address these potential problems, bearing in mind that cost and efficiency are key to meeting business expectations.

What’s the next step?

A one-to-one conversation, without obligation, is the most effective way to find out how we can assist you best.

Ideally we would discuss your business IT issues and challenges. By understanding your business and its IT needs, we can help set out in plain English the opportunities and efficiencies available.

Please find out contact details below:

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

m

L to R: Matt Grantham, Ashley Baker, Daniel Hadland & Ross Wilson.

“

To say CIS is growing is an understatement. We’re working with more and more local and national businesses who need IT & Cloud services, along with providing bright career prospects for those with a passion for IT

”

Richard Marsh, CEO at CIS

The CIS Team

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16.

Oxfordshire Accountants rely on the Cloud for Protection of Client Financial Data Date: 09/10/2015 Issue: 37.

Oxfordshire Accountants rely on the Cloud for Protection of Client Financial Data

the Private Cloud. As an Accountancy firm, we have witnessed a dramatic shift in smarter IT practices that have improved our way of working for the better.

”

Mark Winks, Managing Director, Bronsens

“CIS has been working with Bronsens for over 10 years delivering IT solutions and solving the challenges of an ever growing firm of accountants who utilise technology to deliver a trusted service to their own clients” Richard Marsh, Director, CIS. WRITTEN BY: RICHARD MARSH

About Bronsens Bronsens has been a reassuring presence in Oxfordshire for more than 100 years.

Founded in 1891, Bronsens grew quickly to become an established major accounting practice under the name of William Bayliss & Co. in Oxford.

Following various practice changes and mergers over the century, the business became Bronsens in 1992. Having established the trusted Bronsens brand the business then acquired offices in Chipping Norton, Witney and formed a company to provide payroll and bookkeeping services.

Key Business Highlights • Traditional IT set-up wasn’t efficient in handling Bronsens daily workload – CIS Increased productivity through migrating Bronsens data and servers to the CIS Private Cloud (vBubble), installing better communication links to increase overall communication speed between the offices.

• Remote issues caused problems while accessing important data – CIS Improved this by allowing Bronsens to work from 1 data set across all sites (Witney and Chipping Norton) for flexible and concise working in the Private Cloud • No way to access specialist IRIS accountancy software remotely – CIS Improved flexibility by running Bronsens IRIS Accountancy Suite in the CIS Private Cloud. This allowed Bronsens to utilise the software on the move without having to come back to the office every day, accessing that system from any device, on any internet connection, from any location, complete working flexibility.

The Challenge Bronsens came to CIS with the vision for safe and flexible remote working from both of their offices in Oxfordshire.

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“CIS helped us to achieve our business goal through moving to

Due to the traditional and expensive IT set-up, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Bronsens to manage their internal tasks efficiently and to handle their client’s data in a secure environment.

Maintenance of the servers was a constant battle and the aged systems needed updating.

Bronsens wanted to be sure that their backups were working correctly and being regularly tested. This ensured they could recover key business data on demand.

The Solution CIS delivered a unified Private Cloud Solution for all of Bronsens offices, helping with accessing important data in a highly secure environment from any location on any device.

Bronsens carry a lot of sensitive financial data for their clients so it was important that CIS implemented a regular backup procedure of Bronsens Cloud servers, this also included a regular test plan.

CIS minimised the risk of an IT disaster for Bronsens and their clients by removing all data from the old physical server and hosting everything in the Cloud – located at an Ultra-Secure Nuclear Datacentre.

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CIS created a Cloud environment so that Bronsens could access and utilise their important IRIS Accountancy software remotely, increasing productivity in the office while reducing Bronsens need to travel to work. This Private Cloud solution delivered a flexible ‘working hours’ policy, allowing access from home to all of the systems for Bronsens, whilst maintaining the highest levels of security.

For more information please contact CIS below

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

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18.

Don’t become the Talk, Talk of the town

Don’t become the Talk, Talk of the town Date: 09/12/2015 Issue: 38.

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Encryption will soon change from a “might do” to a “have to” – See Why… WRITTEN BY: RICHARD MARSH

So what’s happening here?

You’ve heard it on the radio, you’ve seen it in the news. With the recent high profile cyber-attack on telecoms giant Talk Talk, following those on businesses such as British Gas and the Ashley Madison dating site, the security of stored and transmitted data is once again topping the media agenda. What’s perhaps surprising is the lack of reaction from a sizeable proportion of businesses, which despite the constant torrent of hacking news stories, persist with outdated and insecure practices when handling valuable data in their everyday work tasks. However there’s about to be a real sea change with the introduction of EU data protection regulations next year, which will place a legal duty on everyone who holds electronic data concerning EU citizens to implement appropriate security measures and to have a clear data protection policy. There will be punitive sanctions for non-compliance.

The New EU Data Protection Regulation In March 2014, the European parliament voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of legislation to protect the security of its citizens’ data. The resulting legislation is due to come into force in 2016 with penalties of up to 100m Euros or 5% of annual turnover per data breach.

What is Data Encryption?

Encryption is widely agreed to be the best form of data security available, since it renders any stolen data absolutely useless to unauthorised parties. If, following the worst-case scenario of a hack into your systems, you’re able to prove that personal data was subject to technological protection measures such as encryption, there’s no need to even notify affected data subjects of the breach.

Why your should business be concerned Whatever the size of your business, a significant loss of personal data represents a catastrophe of mammoth proportions and proves terminal for many.

As well as sanctions imposed under this legislation, there’s the cost of notifying anyone whose data has been compromised and the subsequent loss of customer confidence and reputational damage to the business. Whilst ‘traditional’ crime figures continue on a downward trend, cyber crime statistics are

“

Encryption is widely agreed to be the best form of data security available, since it renders any stolen data absolutely useless to unauthorised parties

”

rising dramatically. No MD or business owner wants to find themselves in the position of the Talk Talk CEO who had to announce to her entire customer base that all of their personal information was now potentially in the public domain!

crime, with a higher tendency to have inadequate security measures and sometimes lacking in the technical expertise needed to implement top grade counter measures to protect their systems. This is where we at CIS come in. As a Sophos partner and with highly-trained, experienced and qualified technical engineering staff, we’re able to provide you with the knowledge and expertise needed to keep your data private and safe.

Is your data protected?

CIS is providing a free seminar to explain and demystify the new EU Data Protection Regulation coming into force in 2016.

32.

The seminar will be held at our Bunker Data Centre which is located at the West Venture Building (The Bunker), New Greenham Park, Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 6HN. What’s involved at this event?

• • •

What you need to know about the new EU Data Protection Regulation.

Find out what Private Cloud is and how it works.

Learn why it’s important to store your data in the UK.

…

Your bus ness s New Year s reso ut ons Da e 16 02 2017 ue 45

Use the contact details below to book your place.

SMEs in the firing line CONTACT DETAILS Although media reports centre on the highest profile hacking cases, small and medium-sized enterprises are a particular target for hackers. Some view them as the “soft underbelly” of the UK’s fight against cyber

solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

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CIS aquires Agile Networking Ltd, a customer driven and energetic IT Company based in the historic city of Oxford Date: 09/12/2015 Issue: 38.

Our Seasonal gift to you...

Managing your property in Oxford for just 5% in the first year!

Reducing your managment fee for the first year means you can have some extra funds for the seasonal holiday.

CIS Acquires Agile Networking Ltd, a customer driven and energetic IT Company based in the historic city of Oxford CIS is proud to announce its latest acquisition, Agile networking (www.agilenetworking.co.uk.) Agile was founded in 2003 by Richard Hobley (Managing Director) to provide comprehensive IT resources to businesses within Oxfordshire needing full managed IT services and support.

Seasons greetings from our team of twenty dedicated

WRITTEN BY: RICHARD MARSH

girls and boys.

Moving forward, CIS will be working diligently to ensure Agile’s clients obtain an enhanced level of Customer experience; ensuring that the latest technologies are used that’s currently adopted

by CIS’s own clients.

Join our 25 year established family business. Ring Debbie our Director

Richard Marsh, the CEO of CIS says: “After our previous acquisition of Bridge3 and now Agile Networking, CIS has a new exciting portfolio of clients to work with. Furthermore, to help and ensure the same level of support is received that our current clients enjoy. CIS is recruiting more staff, organising more training and implementing further sales support to guarantee a first rate client experience all-round.”

or Sidney our MD for further information on this fabulous offer:

01865 318547

Agile is a reputable Microsoft & Sophos Gold certified partner. On top of that, a VMware & Veeam silver partner. This high level of accreditation works hand in hand with CIS’s accolades and achievements, which is only a good thing for driving the business forward.

The acquisition “changeover” will be in place from 1st November 2015 and any contracts or agreements in place will be honoured by CIS. In light of this, CIS will be keeping both Richard & Hester as part of the CIS team and service, this will be part of

our business growth plans, positively increasing the overall support experience currently received at CIS.

“

Joining CIS was an easy decision to make. All of our clients can rest assured that CIS will be adhering to the same ethics that all of our clients are used to

”

Richard Hobley, the MD of Agile Networking

CIS will be looking to visit all Agile Networking’s clients in the near future as an introduction to the their business growth plans, positively increasing the overall support experience currently delivered by

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Top 4 reasons your bus ness shou d move to pr vate c oud Da e 13 04 2017 ue 46

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GDPR and the €20 m on Quest on Here s what you need to know Da e 22 08 2017 ue 48

CIS. CIS will be looking to visit all Agile Networking’s clients in the near future as an introduction to the new working relationship and to make sure all services and solutions are optimised.

Richard Hobley, the MD of Agile Networking says: “Joining CIS was an easy decision to make.

All of our clients can rest assured that CIS will be adhering to the same ethics that all of our clients are used to. Additionally, CIS will be leading the way with Private Cloud migration which is important to adopt in this day and age. Hester and I will still be on hand with helping CIS during the transition phase. We welcome any questions or queries on our recent developments which we see as a positive step forwards.”

Please feel free to contact CIS for further information, or any questions that you may have on this latest developments.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

NOPS, 48 WALTON STREET, JERICHO, OXFORD OX2 6AD • Telephone: +44(0)1865 318538 • www.nops.co.uk 19

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DISCOVERY SPORT

INACCESSIBLE JUST BECAME ACCESSIBLE

20.

CIS discuss Data Protection Date: 09/02/2016 Issue: 39.

CIS discuss Data Protection At Business In Oxford 2016, CIS will be discussing the new EU Data Protection Regulation coming into practice this year, why it’s important for your business to take note and how you can avoid paying the heavy fines liable if you do not follow this new regulation.

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

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Real world figures may differ. *Important Information. Based on a Discovery Sport 2.0L TD4 150HP Manual 4WD SE with standard specification, non-maintained. Vehicle must be returned in good condition to avoid further charges.

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The presentation will include: • Proposed EU Data Protection Regulation – data breaches, data loss and the consequences • How your business can comply with the Regulation and minimise fines in the event of a breach • Securing your data to stop breaches occurring • How we can help The New EU Data Protection Regulation In March 2014, the European parliament voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of legislation to protect the security of its citizens’ data. The resulting legislation is due to come into force in 2016 with penalties of up to 100m Euros or 5% of annual turnover per data breach.

What is Data Encryption?

Encryption is widely agreed to be the best form of data security available, since it renders any stolen data absolutely useless to unauthorised parties. If, following the worst-case scenario of a hack into your systems, you’re able to prove that personal data was subject to technological protection measures such as encryption, there’s no need to even notify affected data subjects of the breach.

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Why your business should be concerned Whatever the size of your business, a significant loss of personal data represents a catastrophe of mammoth proportions and proves terminal for many.

As well as sanctions imposed under this legislation,

“

The ultimate answer to being compliant is using Data Encryption. This stops any unwanted access to your data, even if your data falls into the wrong hands. Data Encryption can help you to avoid heavy fines and keep your data extremely secure

”

there’s the cost of notifying anyone whose data has been compromised and the subsequent loss of customer confidence and reputational damage to the business. Whilst ‘traditional’ crime figures continue

on a downward trend, cyber-crime statistics are rising dramatically. No MD or business owner wants to find themselves in the position of the Talk Talk CEO who had to announce to her entire customer base that all of their personal information was now potentially in the public domain!

SMEs in the firing line Although media reports centre on the highest profile hacking cases, small and medium-sized enterprises are a particular target for hackers. Some view them as the “soft underbelly” of the UK’s fight against cybercrime, with a higher tendency to have inadequate security measures and sometimes lacking in the technical expertise needed to implement top grade counter measures to protect their systems. This is where we at CIS come in. As a Sophos partner and with highly-trained, experienced and qualified technical engineering staff, we’re able to provide you with the knowledge and expertise needed to keep your data private and safe.

m

Q

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

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20/01/2016 12:59

3

Time is running out for Windows XP, Server 2003 and Office 2003!

“We all like to get as much value as we can from anything, and software is no exception, but Server 2003 will start to hamper businesses and cause large security issues and compatibility problems with all new version of software being released, as I am currently telling all customers, there are deals out there to get upgraded, Microsoft wants 2003 buried, this is almost a software scrappage scheme, my advice…. Do not leave it another week!

From a security perspective I know a lot of people are still running 2003 for their business, the hackers and attackers know this too, as soon as security updates stop, exploits and viruses will start to exploit these older systems, and the companies running from them, and you do not want your business and data anywhere near that!

It’s almost negligence now to still be running 2003 Server… talk to us about upgrading before you hit real problems.” – Richard Marsh, Director, CIS Step up to the newest Office 2013 tools for growing your business and staying productive on the go.

Word In the new Read Mode, text reflows automatically in columns for easier onscreen reading.

Richard Marsh

Alongside Microsoft’s shelving of office 2003 and Windows XP is the more relevant Server 2003 (all versions).

This means that from 2014, any organisation running on a Server 2003 platform will be at high risk or problems with software, forwards software compatibility and security, and will have nobody to turn to for a fix. Server 2003 was originally planned to be expired in April 2013 but due to economic conditions Microsoft added a further year’s support, this is very unlikely to happen again, and we are already seeing licensing changes to suggest it will not.

CIS has spent the last 3 years preparing and moving our customers from 2003 to 2008 or even 2012 Server, we have seen every possible problem and combination of system and have moved them all successfully.

Fewer menus means more focus on your content—see only the tools you need, when you need them.

Open a PDF in Word, and edit content just as if you created it in Word.

Show your style by using Word templates in more than 40 categories.

Outlook The People Card collects key details about a contact all in one place.

Add your local weather forecast right there in Calendar view, along with current conditions.

Receive push-based email, appointments, and contacts from Outlook.com, (formerly Hotmail) - right in your Outlook experience. www.cisltd.com

New Start’s - Stephen Wilkinson The month of April saw the arrival of Stephen Wilkinson to join our Business Development team at the Gainfield Office.

Stephen brings with him 10 years military experience in satellite datacomms & more recently cloud & hosting solutions provider at a managed datacentre in North Oxfordshire.

Stephen says “I am ready for the challenge to develop new business clients by introducing them to the cloud” Contact Stephen on: stephen@cisltd.com or 0779 487 2506. www.cisltd.com Stephen Wilkinson

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news

Virtual Application Delivery Used by more than 100 million people worldwide, XenApp is an application delivery solution that enables any WindowsÂŽ application to be virtualized, centralized and managed in the datacenter and instantly delivered as a service to users anywhere on any device.

XenApp ensures an optimal user experience for both application virtualization and session virtualization through Citrix HDX technology, which adapts virtual application delivery and access based on each user's device, network and location. XenApp enables enterprise class scalability for any size business and ensures that application delivery and management is secure by design. CIS are “rolling out� Citrix Solutions to many clients including financial, legal &

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architectural. Application virtualization technology, session virtualization technology and centralized application management gives users direct access to Windows applications from any device via Citrix Receiver.

Q: I want to allow my field agents to work whenever they want & on their own preferred device, what can you suggest ?

A: Citrix XenApp with the use of Citrix receiver allows your field agents & professional staff to work on any device at any time they have internet access via Wi-Fi or 3G/4G. www.cisltd.com

B4 ISSUE 27 | 27/06/2013

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news

CIS LTD ACQUIRES BRIDGE3 IT SYSTEMS, SUPPORT AND CLOUD SERVICES Computing Information Systems Ltd (CIS) is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement to acquire the IT Systems Support and Cloud Services from Bridge3 (www.bridge3.co.uk). CIS has worked closely with Bridge3 as our leading reseller of Private Cloud. The working relationship has been secured through this acquisition to the benefit of both Bridge3 customers and current CIS customers.

The change is effective from January 1st 2014, and all IT support system contracts and Cloud Services contracts will be internally transferred and honoured by CIS with pricing, terms and rates unaltered for ease of continuity.

We are also very pleased that the entire Bridge3 IT Systems & Support team will now become staff members at CIS, this ensures that specific knowledge of individual customers systems and requirements are maintained going forward.

Current CIS and Bridge3 support contract customers and Private Cloud customers will therefore have more resource and experience to draw upon to develop and maintain their business IT Systems.

We hope to share the gains in both product and service portfolio on offer to you as a customer of the combined organisations, Bridge3 and CIS have shared the same service and consultancy approach and aim to build on this strength

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with further staff and systems in place.

CIS will continue the Bridge3 operation in full from its original Hereford location, adding a further support location to increase our national service offering and another ‘local’ market to work with.

“We welcome our new staff and customers and feel this relationship will be to the benefit of everyone involved. New customers will see a larger, more diverse support and service offering and existing customers a more structured team with larger support staff and a faster delivery of the same quality solutions." ‘vBubble’ – CIS’ Private Cloud offering has gained many new clients over 2013 with growth over 400% in the last 12 Months. "The Bridge3 addition boosts our revenue even further and enables us a much faster and controlled growth of staff and systems, we expect 2014 to be an excellent year for CIS and our customers.” – Richard Marsh, Director CIS. Please feel free to direct any questions to either of the directors of CIS richard@cisltd.com or nls@cisltd.com or 01367 700555. www.cisltd.com

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CIS Triples in Size!

IT is typified by its speed of development and constant fast moving changes. As a company which lives and breathes technology, CIS moves at comparable speeds to ensure that we’re always ahead of the very latest developments and able to provide the very highest quality of secure cloud hosting and support services to our clients.

The changes the company is currently undergoing are probably the most dramatic in its history. For our valued clients, they’ll mean we’ll have the space, resources and technical capabilities to continue to grow and develop as a company and provide the comprehensive excellence of service to which they’re accustomed.

We’ve added a new site location at Hereford, a large number of new clients, a completely revamped helpdesk, a new billing system and lots of new faces! In fact, our numbers have grown so rapidly that our Gainfield, Oxfordshire offices have burst at the seams, making a move to more spacious accommodation an absolute necessity – see more below!

continue to develop and enhance the services that were already offered. Joining us in 2014 from Bridge3 have come Senior Engineer David Camden, Support Technician Chris Bedford and accounts/solutions specialist Ashley Baker. These staff have already been integrated into the CIS team and although now formally under the CIS banner, they continue to provide the local presence, site knowledge and swiftness of response with which their clients will be familiar.

New Clients on Board Since the turn of the year, we’ve been delighted to welcome a new and prestigious client base previously supported by Bridge3. These include a diverse range of manufacturers, accountants, dental surgeries and other small and medium-sized businesses similar to those in the existing CIS client portfolio. We’re sure they’re already seeing the benefits of CIS’s technical support and expertise and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial business relationship as our respective companies continue to grow and develop.

New Technical Engineers Join CIS

CIS Hereford Branch Office Our new branch office at Hereford comes as part of our acquisition of the technical department of Bridge3 at the end of 2013. We’d worked closely with Bridge3 for some years in the provision of high level technical expertise and consultancy, so we were already well acquainted and impressed with their knowledgeable staff and service ethos. When the opportunity arose to acquire Bridge3 and merge their operation with our own, we jumped at the chance to bring those staff on board and to

www.b4-business.com B4 ISSUE 31 | 31/07/2014

In addition to engineers David Camden and Chris Bedford joining our technical department from Bridge3, we’re also delighted to welcome aboard Dan Hadland, Mark Johnson, Joe Steele, Sam Markley and Daniel Compton.

With a diverse and extensive range of skills, experience and qualifications, these additional engineering resources mean that clients are already experiencing much more rapid responses to support tickets raised. Although our contracted SLA

agreements allow for between one and eight hour responses to client’s support issues depending on the category of urgency, we appreciate and understand the inconvenience that can be caused by even the smallest most niggling problem. With these additional technicians now on stream, we’re not only meeting, but easily exceeding these SLA response times in almost every case.

There’s a pen portrait of each of our new members of staff contained on our website under the ‘meet the team banner’.

On The Move At the time of writing, we have just moved into new purpose built offices in Faringdon, some 5 miles distant from our old Gainfield base. As well as providing much needed space for our everexpanding team, the new offices have also given us access to a much faster internet connection – essential in the IT world. Although we all enjoyed the picturesque rural setting we’re used to out in Gainfield, the associated rustic broadband speed has been an increasing source of frustration. The move became a necessity as the broadband capacity had become ever more sub-divided between a much-expanded team who were squeezed in to every available corner of our old accommodation.

Following the move, our telephone contact numbers and email addresses all remain unchanged. Please update your records - our new postal address will be [Unit 5, RAC Estate, Park Road, Faringdon, Oxfordshire, SN7 7BP] www.cisltd.com

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CONFUSED ABOUT THE CLOUD?

THE REAL STATS, FACTS AND FIGURES EXPLAINED… WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

From the eyes and ears of CIS Did you know that over the next 5 years it’s predicted that nearly two-thirds of all IT processes will be hosted on the Cloud?

Hybrid Cloud – takes the best of both worlds allowing you to have security and flexibility. For example you can use vBubble Cloud and keep some of your servers in-house for extra control.

What is the Cloud and what does this mean for businesses of the future?

The Cloud has become an IT buzz-word that many companies are adopting into their everyday working life. It’s a technology that allows us to work in the same place, in any location and in a highly secure environment - a bit like a 2nd desktop on the same screen…

Unless your business has severely limited resources or doesn’t store any confidential data whatsoever, the Private option will usually be the correct choice for most.

How will this REALLY benefit my business?

Over the next 5 years, the need for a local IT department will be dramatically reduced. The days of high upfront costs are dead and gone. No more do we need to worry about high capex expenditure on servers or expensive and ever-increasing energy bills.

Cloud is a pay as you consume technology which means you can budget your IT costs into a monthly manageable sum. It allows you to: • Take your office anywhere in the world with an internet connection • Access all your data, email and work applications in one place • Secure and backup of not just your data but your entire server These are some of the fundamental reasons why the Cloud has attracted such a lot of attention in today’s world of information technology.

What about all the Cloud security scares in the news? It looks too risky for us!

There are three types of Cloud solutions present on the market: Public Cloud – This is hosted publicly with shared resources. Multiple users share the same area of cloud, making it a cheaper option but one which is not particularly secure like iTunes, Facebook or Dropbox.

Private Cloud – vBubble for example is hosted privately at CIS’s own data centre located at “The Bunker” in the UK. This ensures your data is secure and accessible only to you and nobody else.

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Client Case Study: Industry: Architecture Client: Purcell Problem: Purcell needed a way of being able to use AutoCAD across the company without being limited to its local PCs. Purcell also wanted to reduce its IT costs by converting its servers to the Cloud, the company needed this to be ultra-secure and extremely reliable.

Solution: CIS implemented its Cloud Solution “vBubble” across Purcell’s world country-wide sites and 24 Servers allowing the company to manage multiple AutoCAD tasks in the same place, thereby dramatically increasing efficiency and accessibility whilst maintaining high security.

“The long term relationship we have with CIS is on a tactical level, helping us to set the IT strategy for the business based on up-to-the-minute technology” Gary Dalton — IT Manager

What is vBubble? vBubble is arguably one of the most bespoke and secure Cloud solutions on the market. Protected

by The Bunker… Your data is completely secure inside a Military-Grade Ultra-Secure Data Centre in the UK. • Manage the apps you use in your day-to-day work on the Cloud • Work from home or on the move without the worry of copying important files • Protect your business in a crisis - never worry about losing any work or sensitive information • Pick and choose your own Cloud specifications - you’re not limited or forced into a package

13 Reasons to Look at Switching to vBubble…

1 Decrease in IT ownership costs - no capex on new servers 2 The very highest levels of data security are maintained through servers operated in a military-grade bunker. It’s only you in your Cloud (and only you!) who has access to your data 3 Monthly payment – easy to budget 4 Streamlined IT operation – bringing improved efficiency 5 Scalable architecture for your business – pay for what you need now not for the future 6 Office on the move – access all your files and systems, not just email 7 Helps prevent data theft by employees – instant user access removal of ex-staff 8 Encrypted remote access – safe 9 No power for servers on site – lower electricity bills 10 Disaster recovery – your business can carry on operating in the event of a flood or fire on site 11 Multi-site/international operations can all work from the same server to access the same files 12 Better resiliency than you could ever afford to have in-house – full redundancy, full failover 13 Daily backups as standard, so no need to worry about lost data Need a bit more? We’re a people business. Give us a call and talk to one of our friendly and knowledgeable team members today.

CONTACT DETAILS sales@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

www.b4-business.com

B4 technology

“Over the next 5 years, the need for a local IT department will be dramatically

reduced. The days of high upfront costs are dead and gone. No more do we need to worry about high capex expenditure on servers or expensive and ever-increasing energy bills.

�

www.b4-business.com

B4 ISSUE 32 | 07/10/2014

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“The CIS Bunker Tours have

already proved successful in helping businesses understand the benefits of the Cloud, which is why we’re continuing our thought-leadership in helping more people to make the move through efficient and highly secure Cloud solutions

”

Richard Marsh, Solutions Director, CIS Ltd.

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www.b4-business.com

B4 it

CIS EXPLAIN THE CLOUD IN AN ULTRA-SECURE BUNKER Ever wondered what the Cloud actually is and how it could benefit your business? Let us show you…

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST PHOTOGRAPHY BY: TIM SMITH

New for 2015 and as an ambassador for B4, we’d like you to join us in coming along to one of our CIS Bunker Tours.

Tour start and finish times • Arrive at The Bunker for 10am.

• Finish at 2pm.

One of the most frequent questions we’re asked here at CIS is "Where exactly is the Cloud?”. To answer the question fully, we'd like to invite you to join us on an exclusive guided tour into the rarely seen depths of the ultra-secure, cold war era nuclear bunker where our Data Centre is housed.

Is this tour right for you?

If you’re a business owner or key decision maker when moving your company, or your clients, to the Cloud then this tour is for you.

Available Tour Dates • Thursday 26th March (A few spaces left) • Thursday 28th May • Thursday 30th July What can you expect on the day?

• Warm introductions with Tea and Coffee.

• An interactive workshop on what the Cloud really is.

• A guided tour of our Ultra-Secure Data Centre to show you where our Cloud actually is.

• Lunch which is provided on the day and Q&A with our Cloud Experts.

The CIS Team

www.b4-business.com

“It was interesting to see all the servers and realising the importance of backing up to the Cloud! Highly recommended” Jason Holden, IT, M&M Skip Hire.

Why should you attend?

As a business which relies on IT every day, it’s now becoming increasingly difficult “not” to use the Cloud. Your IT helps make your business a success and we believe the Cloud can help you achieve your business goals more efficiently, enabling your company to grow whilst being more cost-effective and Ultra-Secure.

Where is The CIS Bunker?

The CIS Bunker is located at the West Venture Building (The Bunker), New Greenham Park, Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 6HN. Feedback from previous tours…

“Very interesting and slightly different to what I expected in terms of size of the data rooms! Good for businesses seeking a move to the Cloud” Cathy Stewart, Cathy Stewart Associates.

Richard Marsh - Director CIS

“I found the whole event enjoyable and very informative which has helped me to make the next steps in moving to the Cloud.”

Steve Blair, IT Manager, Pump Technology Ltd. Due to the logistics and high level of security at The Bunker, places on the CIS Bunker tours are VERY limited.

We’d highly recommend that you book sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.

If you’d like to book a place on a tour then please contact CIS using the details below.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700555 www.cisltd.com

The Server Room

B4 ISSUE 34 | 09/03/2015

91 11

CIS Explain Windows Server 2003 ‘End of Life’ The end of Windows Server 2003’s shelf life is around the corner, but how does this affect your business?

From July 14th, your business could be at risk from unsupported software and security threats.

Read on to see how CIS can help you make the change to a smarter and safer way of working…

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

Microsoft’s support for Windows Server 2003 has already terminated and Server 2003 R2 is also rapidly approaching its ‘end of life’. This means any updates including security patches will no longer protect your business from the latest security threats…

How will my business be at risk, what happens if I do nothing

by July 14th 2015?

Your Windows 2003 Server won’t stop working, but it will mean if anything goes wrong, it won’t be supported by Microsoft. You’ll also no longer receive any windows updates or security patches.

How will this affect my business?

On July 14th 2015, Windows Server 2003 updates will be no more, which means your business could be open to increasing security risks and data theft.

Key Business Risks • No Windows Server 2003 updates • Software/Hardware compatibility issues • No Windows Server 2003 support Why should I migrate my data?

Imagine explaining to your client why you can’t access their data, or even worse, why the client data has been stolen from your servers through a security attack that your IT infrastructure simply can’t handle.

By making the change, you’ll protect yourself from having to answer these difficult questions and more importantly keep your clients happy and on the right side of your business.

Okay, so what are my options?

To ensure that your IT stays constantly protected, CIS recommend that

70 12

you migrate your servers to our Ultra-Secure, Private Cloud Solution.

This will help keep your business fully in line with all the latest security patches by using the Windows Server 2012 platform.

If you’re not ready to move to the Cloud, then we can re-build your Windows 2003 Server on-site to the latest 2012 or 2008 version.

How does this happen?

1. We take a snapshot of your entire server.

2. We rebuild and update your system from 2003.

3. We transfer your data back to your new server.

Windows Server 2003 Key Highlights: • July 14th 2015 Windows Server 2003 Support ends.

• No security updates for Server 2003 after this date.

• Migration to Windows Server 2008/12 is a must for most businesses.

• An opportunity to move to the Cloud for a smarter way of working.

How can CIS help?

CIS are currently running free over the phone consultations in-line with Microsoft’s end of life campaign. This means if you have any questions or queries, CIS will help your business get back on track with your IT. Please contact us using the details below.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

www.b4-business.com

B4 it

& telecomms

“Imagine explaining

to your client why you can’t access their data, or even worse, why the client data has been stolen from your servers through a security attack

”

Luke Broadhurst – CIS Ltd

www.b4-business.com

B4 ISSUE 35 | 27/05/2015

71 13

Exceptional Business Growth and Enhanced Management Team at CIS WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER: LUKE BROADHURST

Exceptional Business Growth at CIS 2015 is turning into another busy and successful year for Computing Information Systems Ltd (CIS), which is seeing further strong business growth and the establishment of an expanded Management Team.

Leading the way in Oxfordshire as the “one to watch” for growing IT & Cloud businesses, CIS has increased its team to 21 with further plans underway to increase to 35 during 2016, and in excess of 50 staff by the end of 2017.

“To say CIS is growing is an understatement. We are working with increasing numbers of local and national businesses who need IT & Cloud services delivered in a cost efficient and business-focused manner.” said Richard Marsh, CEO at CIS. CIS has substantial plans to increase the size of its headquarters based in Faringdon, Oxfordshire to compliment the recent move and increase in space at its Herefordshire-based branch office.

plans to keep CIS growing successfully and in partnership with an ever-expanding client-base.

• Neill Lawson-Smith is the CIS Chief Information Officer. He is focused on developing and delivering innovative and competitive IT solutions for our clients.

• Ross Wilson has been appointed CIS Head of Sales and Marketing. He brings over 30 years of experience in IT solutions sales, working with clients from every conceivable background, size and requirement.

• Matt Grantham is the CIS Operations Manager.

He will be ensuring that the Technical Team delivers projects on time and on budget, whilst maintaining high standards in support and project delivery.

• Daniel Hadland is the CIS Technical Manager.

Daniel will be ensuring the technical quality of the solutions that CIS delivers to its clients. He will also be managing our Enterprise Cloud Systems to make certain they are constantly available and working at optimum performance.

“CIS recently celebrated 25 years of IT Services in Oxfordshire. With the skills, technology and know-how developed over all these years, we are well positioned to ensure that Cloud technology is helping our clients maximise the efficiencies available.“ said Neill Lawson-Smith, CIO at CIS.

• Ashley Baker has been appointed Financial Controller at CIS. Ashley will be ensuring that the administrative systems are efficient, accurate and working with our clients to make sure trading with CIS is straightforward.

Introducing the CIS Management Team

How can we help your business?

• Richard Marsh is the new CIS Chief Executive.

Richard is strategically driving the company with

CIS understands how critical IT systems are to businesses in today’s market.

Basic systems like Email and Internet access are expected to work without interruption, and often the resiliency and reliability of Servers and Workstations can be overlooked or underestimated.

We appreciate that IT issues cost businesses in real financial terms both in ability to conduct business and reputation.

Our Technical Staff are able to fully analyse and appraise our clients’ entire IT systems, and pinpoint any areas where service could be interrupted or perform slower than needed.

Our strength lies in our ability to propose clear and unambiguous answers to address these potential problems, bearing in mind that cost and efficiency are key to meeting business expectations.

What’s the next step?

A one-to-one conversation, without obligation, is the most effective way to find out how we can assist you best.

Ideally we would discuss your business IT issues and challenges. By understanding your business and its IT needs, we can help set out in plain English the opportunities and efficiencies available.

Please find out contact details below:

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

The CIS Team

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www.b4-business.com

B4 spotlight

L to R: Neill Lawson-Smith CIO and Richard March CEO

To say CIS is growing is an “ understatement. We’re working with more

L to R: Matt Grantham, Ashley Baker, Daniel Hadland & Ross Wilson.

and more local and national businesses who need IT & Cloud services, along with providing bright career prospects for those with a passion for IT

”

Richard Marsh, CEO at CIS

www.b4-business.com

B4 ISSUE 36 | 31/07/2015

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B4 technology

Oxfordshire Accountants rely on the Cloud for Protection of Client Financial Data “CIS has been working with Bronsens for over 10 years delivering IT solutions and solving the challenges of an ever growing firm of accountants who utilise technology to deliver a trusted service to their own clients” Richard Marsh, Director, CIS. WRITTEN BY: RICHARD MARSH

About Bronsens Bronsens has been a reassuring presence in Oxfordshire for more than 100 years.

Founded in 1891, Bronsens grew quickly to become an established major accounting practice under the name of William Bayliss & Co. in Oxford.

Following various practice changes and mergers over the century, the business became Bronsens in 1992. Having established the trusted Bronsens brand the business then acquired offices in Chipping Norton, Witney and formed a company to provide payroll and bookkeeping services.

Key Business Highlights • Traditional IT set-up wasn’t efficient in handling Bronsens daily workload – CIS Increased productivity through migrating Bronsens data and servers to the CIS Private Cloud (vBubble), installing better communication links to increase overall communication speed between the offices.

• Remote issues caused problems while accessing important data – CIS Improved this by allowing Bronsens to work from 1 data set across all sites (Witney and Chipping Norton) for flexible and concise working in the Private Cloud • No way to access specialist IRIS accountancy software remotely – CIS Improved flexibility by running Bronsens IRIS Accountancy Suite in the CIS Private Cloud. This allowed Bronsens to utilise the software on the move without having to come back to the office every day, accessing that system from any device, on any internet connection, from any location, complete working flexibility.

The Challenge Bronsens came to CIS with the vision for safe and flexible remote working from both of their offices in Oxfordshire.

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Due to the traditional and expensive IT set-up, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Bronsens to manage their internal tasks efficiently and to handle their client’s data in a secure environment.

Maintenance of the servers was a constant battle and the aged systems needed updating.

Bronsens wanted to be sure that their backups were working correctly and being regularly tested. This ensured they could recover key business data on demand.

The Solution CIS delivered a unified Private Cloud Solution for all of Bronsens offices, helping with accessing important data in a highly secure environment from any location on any device.

Bronsens carry a lot of sensitive financial data for their clients so it was important that CIS implemented a regular backup procedure of Bronsens Cloud servers, this also included a regular test plan.

CIS minimised the risk of an IT disaster for Bronsens and their clients by removing all data from the old physical server and hosting everything in the Cloud – located at an Ultra-Secure Nuclear Datacentre.

CIS created a Cloud environment so that Bronsens could access and utilise their important IRIS Accountancy software remotely, increasing productivity in the office while reducing Bronsens need to travel to work. This Private Cloud solution delivered a flexible ‘working hours’ policy, allowing access from home to all of the systems for Bronsens, whilst maintaining the highest levels of security.

For more information please contact CIS below

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

www.b4-business.com

“CIS helped us to achieve our business goal through moving to

the Private Cloud. As an Accountancy firm, we have witnessed a dramatic shift in smarter IT practices that have improved our way of working for the better.

�

Mark Winks, Managing Director, Bronsens

www.b4-business.com

B4 ISSUE 37 | 09/10/2015

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B4

feature

Don’t become the Talk, Talk of the town Encryption will soon change from a “might do” to a “have to” – See Why… WRITTEN BY: RICHARD MARSH

So what’s happening here?

Why your should business be concerned

You’ve heard it on the radio, you’ve seen it in the news. With the recent high profile cyber-attack on telecoms giant Talk Talk, following those on businesses such as British Gas and the Ashley Madison dating site, the security of stored and transmitted data is once again topping the media agenda. What’s perhaps surprising is the lack of reaction from a sizeable proportion of businesses, which despite the constant torrent of hacking news stories, persist with outdated and insecure practices when handling valuable data in their everyday work tasks. However there’s about to be a real sea change with the introduction of EU data protection regulations next year, which will place a legal duty on everyone who holds electronic data concerning EU citizens to implement appropriate security measures and to have a clear data protection policy. There will be punitive sanctions for non-compliance.

Whatever the size of your business, a significant loss of personal data represents a catastrophe of mammoth proportions and proves terminal for many.

The New EU Data Protection Regulation In March 2014, the European parliament voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of legislation to protect the security of its citizens’ data. The resulting legislation is due to come into force in 2016 with penalties of up to 100m Euros or 5% of annual turnover per data breach.

What is Data Encryption?

Encryption is widely agreed to be the best form of data security available, since it renders any stolen data absolutely useless to unauthorised parties. If, following the worst-case scenario of a hack into your systems, you’re able to prove that personal data was subject to technological protection measures such as encryption, there’s no need to even notify affected data subjects of the breach. www.b4-business.com 18

As well as sanctions imposed under this legislation, there’s the cost of notifying anyone whose data has been compromised and the subsequent loss of customer confidence and reputational damage to the business. Whilst ‘traditional’ crime figures continue on a downward trend, cyber crime statistics are

Encryption is widely “agreed to be the best

form of data security available, since it renders any stolen data absolutely useless to unauthorised parties

”

rising dramatically. No MD or business owner wants to find themselves in the position of the Talk Talk CEO who had to announce to her entire customer base that all of their personal information was now potentially in the public domain!

crime, with a higher tendency to have inadequate security measures and sometimes lacking in the technical expertise needed to implement top grade counter measures to protect their systems. This is where we at CIS come in. As a Sophos partner and with highly-trained, experienced and qualified technical engineering staff, we’re able to provide you with the knowledge and expertise needed to keep your data private and safe.

Is your data protected?

CIS is providing a free seminar to explain and demystify the new EU Data Protection Regulation coming into force in 2016.

The seminar will be held at our Bunker Data Centre which is located at the West Venture Building (The Bunker), New Greenham Park, Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 6HN. What’s involved at this event?

• • •

What you need to know about the new EU Data Protection Regulation.

Find out what Private Cloud is and how it works.

Learn why it’s important to store your data in the UK.

Use the contact details below to book your place.

SMEs in the firing line CONTACT DETAILS Although media reports centre on the highest profile hacking cases, small and medium-sized enterprises are a particular target for hackers. Some view them as the “soft underbelly” of the UK’s fight against cyber

solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

17 B4 ISSUE 38 | 09/12/2015

B4

feature

CIS Acquires Agile Networking Ltd, a customer driven and energetic IT Company based in the historic city of Oxford CIS is proud to announce its latest acquisition, Agile networking (www.agilenetworking.co.uk.) Agile was founded in 2003 by Richard Hobley (Managing Director) to provide comprehensive IT resources to businesses within Oxfordshire needing full managed IT services and support.

WRITTEN BY: RICHARD MARSH

Moving forward, CIS will be working diligently to ensure Agile’s clients obtain an enhanced level of Customer experience; ensuring that the latest technologies are used that’s currently adopted

by CIS’s own clients.

Richard Marsh, the CEO of CIS says: “After our previous acquisition of Bridge3 and now Agile Networking, CIS has a new exciting portfolio of clients to work with. Furthermore, to help and ensure the same level of support is received that our current clients enjoy. CIS is recruiting more staff, organising more training and implementing further sales support to guarantee a first rate client experience all-round.”

Agile is a reputable Microsoft & Sophos Gold certified partner. On top of that, a VMware & Veeam silver partner. This high level of accreditation works hand in hand with CIS’s accolades and achievements, which is only a good thing for driving the business forward.

The acquisition “changeover” will be in place from 1st November 2015 and any contracts or agreements in place will be honoured by CIS. In light of this, CIS will be keeping both Richard & Hester as part of the CIS team and service, this will be part of

B4 ISSUE 38 | 09/12/2015 www.b4-business.com

our business growth plans, positively increasing the overall support experience currently received at CIS.

“Joining CIS was

an easy decision to make. All of our clients can rest assured that CIS will be adhering to the same ethics that all of our clients are used to

”

Richard Hobley, the MD of Agile Networking

CIS will be looking to visit all Agile Networking’s clients in the near future as an introduction to the their business growth plans, positively increasing the overall support experience currently delivered by

CIS. CIS will be looking to visit all Agile Networking’s clients in the near future as an introduction to the new working relationship and to make sure all services and solutions are optimised.

Richard Hobley, the MD of Agile Networking says: “Joining CIS was an easy decision to make.

All of our clients can rest assured that CIS will be adhering to the same ethics that all of our clients are used to. Additionally, CIS will be leading the way with Private Cloud migration which is important to adopt in this day and age. Hester and I will still be on hand with helping CIS during the transition phase. We welcome any questions or queries on our recent developments which we see as a positive step forwards.”

Please feel free to contact CIS for further information, or any questions that you may have on this latest developments.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

19

B4

technology

CIS discuss Data Protection At Business In Oxford 2016, CIS will be discussing the new EU Data Protection Regulation coming into practice this year, why it’s important for your business to take note and how you can avoid paying the heavy fines liable if you do not follow this new regulation.

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

The presentation will include: • Proposed EU Data Protection Regulation – data breaches, data loss and the consequences • How your business can comply with the Regulation and minimise fines in the event of a breach • Securing your data to stop breaches occurring • How we can help The New EU Data Protection Regulation In March 2014, the European parliament voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of legislation to protect the security of its citizens’ data. The resulting legislation is due to come into force in 2016 with penalties of up to 100m Euros or 5% of annual turnover per data breach.

What is Data Encryption?

Encryption is widely agreed to be the best form of data security available, since it renders any stolen data absolutely useless to unauthorised parties. If, following the worst-case scenario of a hack into your systems, you’re able to prove that personal data was subject to technological protection measures such as encryption, there’s no need to even notify affected data subjects of the breach.

20 www.b4-business.com

Why your business should be concerned Whatever the size of your business, a significant loss of personal data represents a catastrophe of mammoth proportions and proves terminal for many.

As well as sanctions imposed under this legislation,

The ultimate answer to “being compliant is using Data Encryption. This stops any unwanted access to your data, even if your data falls into the wrong hands. Data Encryption can help you to avoid heavy fines and keep your data extremely secure

”

there’s the cost of notifying anyone whose data has been compromised and the subsequent loss of customer confidence and reputational damage to the business. Whilst ‘traditional’ crime figures continue

on a downward trend, cyber-crime statistics are rising dramatically. No MD or business owner wants to find themselves in the position of the Talk Talk CEO who had to announce to her entire customer base that all of their personal information was now potentially in the public domain!

SMEs in the firing line Although media reports centre on the highest profile hacking cases, small and medium-sized enterprises are a particular target for hackers. Some view them as the “soft underbelly” of the UK’s fight against cybercrime, with a higher tendency to have inadequate security measures and sometimes lacking in the technical expertise needed to implement top grade counter measures to protect their systems. This is where we at CIS come in. As a Sophos partner and with highly-trained, experienced and qualified technical engineering staff, we’re able to provide you with the knowledge and expertise needed to keep your data private and safe.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

B4 ISSUE 39 | 09/02/20016 37

B4

technology

5 million records including children’s personal data from the company Vtech has been hacked Another serious cyber-hack story has ascended. Vtech, the makers of toys and e-learning applications for children had its database hacked several weeks ago.

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

The hacked database contained customer names and addresses including those of young children.

The method that was used to hack this database is known as SQL Injection which is a well-known hacking method that could have been easily prevented by Vtech.

If you hold data on your clients, employees, or data hosted around your business then you are a target.

It’s time to take your data security seriously.

What information got hacked?

around the corner and forthcoming heavy fines for data breaches, it’s time now that businesses took their data protection seriously.

The breach didn’t include any financial information but it did include: name, email, encrypted password, secret question, and answer for password retrieval, IP address, purchase history and mailing address.

Reports say that Vtech has suspended 13 websites after the hacking of its Learning Lodge app database.

Your business is a target...

It’s important to note that this attack is just one of three thousand attacks that happen every day.

Every business is being targeted and highlighted in the media for not protecting data. Destroying your businesses reputation and credibility in a heartbeat. www.b4-business.com B4 ISSUE 39 | 09/002/2016

With the new EU Data “ Protection Regulation just

”

“A breach on Vtech, which includes children’s data is simply unacceptable, it goes to show just how unprotected many small, medium and large businesses actually are. With the new EU Data Protection Regulation just around the corner and forthcoming heavy fines for data breaches, it’s time now that businesses took their data protection seriously.” Richard Marsh, CEO, CIS.

What to do?

CIS Is holding a free seminar around the impact of the EU Data Protection Regulation coming into force in 2016. Encryption is a way of ensuring stolen data is unreadable and therefore cannot be used.

Learn how to protect your data by applying industry best practises.

Seminar Location The seminar is held at the Bunker which is located at the West Venture Building (The Bunker), New Greenham Park, Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 6HN. Please contact us on the contact details below.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 www.cisltd.com

77 21

news Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 to ransomware

What is Ransomware?

In short, Ransomware encrypts your files so you can’t read them. The malware on your computer which is programmed by cyber-criminals will then demand payment for you to retrieve your files via an encryption key to make them readable, failure to do so could mean your files are lost forever unless you have a disaster recovery point off-site.

What happened?

Hospital staff had to revert back to pen and paper after recent ransomware attack which affected all of the hospital’s IT estate. The systems at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Centre were down for over a week. Previous reports had reported hackers were demanding a payment of $3.4m, but this has been denied.

from data loss. It’s vital that you combine Data Protection & Disaster Recovery tools to ensure your data doesn’t get stolen or lost. How much down-time can you afford? This question will determine the level of Disaster Recovery required.

Already back-up?

It’s important to know the difference between backing up your data and having a Disaster Recovery system in place. The difference could be astronomical to your business, why? Because backing up your data doesn’t restore your business to a fully working order, with Disaster Recovery you can be fully recovered from ransomware or hardware/software malfunction in hours, not days or weeks!

Learn how to protect your data with CIS

The actual ransomware amount was 40 bitcoins which is equivalent to roughly $17,000 (£11,800).

Mr Stefanek said “The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key.”

Ransomware is a common thing now and is here to stay Whether you like it or not, ransomware is here to stay and it’s up to you to ensure that you have the right levels of layered IT security and disaster recovery for your business.

Why? The new EU Data Protection Regulation that’s coming into effect this year means your business is at risk to heavy fines of 20m euros or 4% of turnover per data breach. You’ll also have to let every single client affected know ASAP. Why encryption is only half the answer Encryption protects you from fines & data breaches but it doesn’t protect you

22 www.b4-business.com

CIS is holding a free seminar around the impact of the EU Data Protection Regulation coming into force in 2016. Encryption is the answer to avoiding data loss and you can learn for free on how to protect your data the best you can.

EU DATA PROTECTION SEMINAR The seminar is held at the Bunker which is located at the West Venture Building (The Bunker), New Greenham Park, Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 6HN.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 wwwcisltd.com

B4 ISSUE 40 | 06/04/2016 45

news Lincolnshire County Council demanded to pay £1m through one of the biggest ransomware attacks experienced on record

What is Ransomware?

In short, Ransomware encrypts your files so you can’t read them. The malware on your computer which is programmed by cyber-criminals will then demand payment for you to retrieve your files via an encryption key to make them readable, failure to do so could mean your files are lost forever unless you’ve backed up.

What files were affected?

Fortunately for Lincolnshire County Council, only a small number of files were affected. The council’s servers were shut down immediately after being made aware of the malware attack, so no further damage could be done.

The council had to revert back to pen and paper whilst their servers were being restored which caused some back log for council’s staff.

Mrs Hetherington-Smith said: “People can only use pens and paper, we’ve gone back a few years.”

The attack was described as the biggest attack it has ever experienced, adding it was a zero-day malware – this was previously unknown to security experts.

Lincolnshire Police are investigating the attack and the ICO is aware of the incident.

Update All of Lincolnshire County Council’s systems are now back up and running – the ransom payment was not paid and no personal data was lost.

B4 ISSUE 40 | 06/04/2016 www.b4-business.com

Why encryption is only half the answer Encryption protects you from fines & data breaches but it doesn’t protect you from data loss. It’s vital that you combine Data Protection & Data Back-up tools to ensure your data doesn’t get stolen or lost. How much down-time can you afford? This question will determine the level of back up required.

Learn how to protect your data CIS is holding a free seminar around the impact of the EU Data Protection Regulation coming into force in 2016. Encryption is the answer to avoiding data loss and you can learn for free on how to protect your data the best you can.

EU DATA PROTECTION SEMINAR The seminar is held at the Bunker which is located at the West Venture Building (The Bunker), New Greenham Park, Newbury, Berkshire, RG19 6HN.

CONTACT DETAILS solutions@cisltd.com 01367 700 555 wwwcisltd.com

23 57

The lowdown on Business in Oxford through the eyes and ears of CIS On April 21st 2016, B4 hosted their third Business in Oxford (BIO) event at Said Business School.

It was CIS’s first time presenting, sponsoring and attending the event.

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST PHOTOGRAPHY BY: ROB SCOTCHER

Business in Oxford was created by B4 and the event has been designed to provide a detailed programme of informative presentations combined with networking opportunities to help the business community within Oxfordshire grow through brand awareness and relationship building.

B4 run events throughout the Thames Valley and have done so for five years.

They were asked in 2013 by the Oxford Economic Growth Strategy Steering Group to recommend ways in which Oxfordshire could raise its profile as an excellent place for business and at the same time facilitate contact between Oxfordshire’s leading businesses.

CIS sponsored the IT & Communications pod in the Nelson Mandela Lecture hall. Ross Wilson, a speaker for CIS, presented around Cyber Security and the forthcoming EU Data Protection Regulations that will be enforced in the near future.

Presentation Highlights • An overview of the proposed EU Data Protection Regulations • Compliance with the EU Data Protection Regulations • Layered security and Data Breach Prevention The overall message of the presentation was to help businesses take the right approach to securing their company data in use, at rest and in transit..

Following the CIS presentation was fascinating exposition from Claire Jacques from BrookSteet Des Roches who presented around the legal side of Cloud Computing. This gave businesses a good insight into how decisions should be made on options for hosting data remotely and how to ensure that the ideal hosting partner is selected.

Also there was Shaw Gibbs, a leading accountancy firm in Oxfordshire who sponsored one of the pods, discussing the changing cloud environment and how it’s affecting businesses and professional services.

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Richard Marsh, CEO, CIS

Pod Speakers L-R: Barrie Gardiner - SSE Telecoms, Mark Elliot - iHub, Priya O'Shea - Microsoft, Claire Jacques - Brookstreet des Roche, Mark Salisbury - Oxford Knowledge Company and Ross Wilson - CIS.

Richard Marsh CEO, CIS commented - “As this was our first Business in Oxford event I was keen to see the impact we would have on the many businesses that attended on the day. The event was an educational experience for us and also gave us the opportunity to catch up with our existing clients and establish new ones in the process” 2016 has been a great year so far for CIS with the CEO, Richard Marsh coming runner up in Business Person of the year for Wiltshire Business Awards, taking on 5 new staff within 4 weeks, winning local business in Oxfordshire, implementing great benefits for the CIS team and starting the process of further expanding its offices in Faringdon. This reinforces the great work CIS are doing for its local town of Faringdon and the surrounding county, offering more opportunities for the local community year on year.

Learn more with CIS

“ As this was our first Business in

Oxford event I was keen to see the impact we would have on the many businesses that attended on the day.

Richard Marsh, CEO, CIS

”

The presentation by CIS at Business in Oxford was an abridged version of the full presentation. To learn more about complying with the upcoming Data Protection Regulation, how to protect your data and to ask questions in a more personal and one-to-one environment then contact CIS or visit the website to find out when next roundtable event is.

CONTACT DETAILS

 solutions@cisltd.com  01367 700 555  wwwcisltd.com

B4 ISSUE 41 | 08/06/2016 www.b4-business.com

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Why Brexit won’t save you from the General Data Protection Regulation It’s come as a surprise to many but, on 24th June it was announced that the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union. However, leaving the EU doesn’t mean the end of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

As a UK-registered company you’ll have heard about the new data protection rules which will start being enforced by the European Union in 2018.

With Brexit now a reality it’s important that the impact of these regulations is understood: • We won’t officially leave the EU until Article 50 has been triggered, it will then take a minimum of 2 years after that to officially leave.

• The GDPR was agreed in December 2015 and will become enforceable by 2018.

• Recent events aside, there are many other, powerful, reasons why you should ensure the appropriate levels of security are in place when handling your clients’ (and your) data.

“It’s extremely likely that the UK will enforce its own Data Protection Regulation that will be very similar, perhaps even identical, to the EU regulations.

Luke Broadhurst - CIS

• The EU’s data protection rules will affect every entity that holds or uses European personal data both inside and outside of Europe.

• It’s extremely likely that the UK will enforce its own Data Protection Regulation that will be very similar, perhaps even identical, to the EU regulations.

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• Your clients won’t thank you for losing their data.

They will be even less pleased if that data is not encrypted and can be exploited by cybercriminals.

• You will be fined 4% of global turnover or 20m euros per data breach (whichever is higher) whilst remaining under EU regulations.

• You’ll have to report a data breach to the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. The notification of this breach will then be accessible in the public domain which could destroy your reputation and credibility • Implementing appropriate, layered, security and ensuring that all personal, identifiable information is encrypted will address all the above issues and mitigate the highlighted risks.

The best time to start looking at protecting your business is now. Don’t wait until 2018 and don’t imagine that Brexit changes anything! If you would like to learn how you can be ahead of the data protection curve then book your seat at one of our free seminars on Encryption (see below).

CONTACT DETAILS

 luke.broadhurst@cisltd.com  01367 700 555  www.cisltd.com

B4 ISSUE 42 | 29/07/2016 33

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WANNACRY In the wake of the recent global Cyberattack affecting the NHS and other companies such as Nissan, FedEx and Deutsche Bahn, many experts are wondering how 200,000 people succumbed to such a widespread attack. The ransomware known as WannaCry affected over 60 NHS hospitals, GP surgeries and pharmacies across England and Scotland by exploiting a vulnerability in unpatched Windows XP machines; taking down the backbone of many NHS systems and essential services. Once in the system, WannaCry was able to spread from machine to machine like wildfire and impacted thousands of patients across the country.

The economic impact of an attack on this scale is still unknown and only time will tell. It is a bit cliché to say but “Prevention is always better than the cure” and it is advisable that essential measures are taken to protect your business against future attacks. Written by: Callum Coard

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of virus/malicious software which sole purpose is to deny access to your computer systems until a large sum of money is paid.

Typically, Ransomware restricts access by encrypting your entire file system and in some cases, these files are not decrypted even when the ransom is paid!

The most common method in which Ransomware infects networks is through your inbox and hidden in Word documents, PDFs or URL links. Phishing attacks tend to be the most successful route in but other ways such as unpatched operating systems, USB sticks or even infected mobile phones joining the network would do the trick.

Why you should be concerned No business is ever 100% safe from a Ransomware and it’s more common than you might think. In many cases the attacks are targeted, with some sources claiming professional services are the most affected industry closely followed by healthcare.

Typically at least two days’ of downtime is in store for any businesses who becomes infected; halting productivity and damaging their reputation.

The mind-set of “I’ve not been affected yet therefore I’m safe” is a one to take with caution. The IT B4 ISSUE 47 | 23/06/2017 www.b4-business.com

community recognise the severity of Ransomware in recent years and conscious that the numbers of attacks are only going to rise. When attacks are foiled by security vendors the criminals re-evaluate the weaknesses in the code and the behaviour of their bots and discover new and innovative ways of getting into your business.

Tips for Combat • Ensure you’re backed up – Once encapsulated after a Ransomware attack is an extremely difficult to decrypt your environment without the key. A solid backup and a strong disaster recovery plan is vital to get your business back up and running after an attack. Not having one in place is a risky move and highly unlikely that your IT estate will be recovered.

The exploitation of security bugs in popular applications is a trick used by hackers to get into your system and preventing this is essential for mitigating against an attack.

• Keep Vigilant - Ransomware is prevalent and surprisingly can slip through the cracks of conventional anti-virus and web-filtering products.

We advise that appropriate measures are taken to ensure your AV is updating, that the ports on your firewall are tied down and to consider investing in products such as Intercept X which stops a Ransomware in its tracks.

Are you worried about Ransomware and whether your business is protected?

Contact CIS this month for a free vulnerability assessment - 01367 700 555

• Be careful what you open - Opening unsolicited attachments in emails from unknown people isn’t a wise move. Many cybercriminals use this method to deploy their ransomware and once they’re in it’s very hard to kick them out.

Remember, 97% of phishing emails contain Ransomware.

• Keep it patched - Patch your servers and desktops with the latest Windows updates to reduce the chance of vulnerabilities penetrating your network.

 callum.coard@cisltd.com  01367 700 555  www.cisltd.com

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Is down-time a concern for your business?

Imagine, you have just arrived at the office to find that your entire network has gone offline. You have no access to your data or your email and what’s worse is you have no idea how long it will take to resolve the problem. You have some data backed up to an external hard drive but you soon find out that this is not helpful and doesn’t contain the latest files from the past week because your backup stopped working without letting you know. You later find out that your server is the root of the problem. It has stopped working. Your IT tells you that you need a new server which will cost your business thousands and, it could take days to restore your systems back to fully working order. As each hour goes by you’re losing money and more importantly the ability to engage with your clients and support your employees.

WRITTEN BY: LUKE BROADHURST

Sounds like a disaster doesn’t it? Well, it doesn’t need to be this way.

You may have experienced something like this in the past and wish you had done something about it before the problem reared its ugly head. The problem is that in most cases it’s not an issue until it’s an issue and that’s why you could be risking everything you’ve worked so hard to build.

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You don’t keep your hard-earned money in a tin box under the bed, you keep it in a secure purpose-built bank. Data should also be thought of in the same way. Disaster Recovery is the answer…

What is Disaster Recovery?

Disaster Recovery is often confused with back-up but there is a world of difference. In a nut-shell, back-up

protects data (files such as .word .excel .jpeg etc) whereas the role of Disaster Recovery is to restore not only your files but your whole IT infrastructure.

How long would it take for you to rebuild your entire IT infrastructure? A well-planned Disaster Recovery position could reduce this time from days to hours, saving your business money and preserving credibility in the process.

www.b4-business.com

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“theSince migrating to Cloud with CIS,

we’ve seen a great improvement in our productivity, along with a highly secure method of working.

Bernadette Summers, Managing Partner & COFA, John Welch & Stammers

System crashes, viruses, theft and hardware failures are happening every day. Are you confident your business could recover quickly from a disaster?

• Do you have a Disaster Recovery plan as well as data back-up?

• Is the right data being backed up?

• Is your data stored off-site securely?

• Is your data regularly tested and could it be restored successfully?

• Is your backup full server-image and not just your user files?

• If you have multiple backup devices, are they in sync?

Disaster Recovery enables you to: PLAN AHEAD Our Disaster Recovery solution solves your system failure issues. Our clients can recover their virtualised data, applications and environments in hours to meet pre-planned Recovery Time Objectives.

IMPROVE RECOVERY TIMES Your recovery time will improve from days to hours because we back up your entire sever. Our solution also provides peace of mind to clients who virtualise Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint and SQL because they can recover individual items in minutes.

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Meet UK Data Sovereignty Requirements

”

How much down-time can you really afford?

Summary of Disaster Recovery

Our Private Cloud meets strict UK data compliance.

This means you can be assured that, when storing your data in the CIS Private Cloud, it will stay in the UK.

Why you should make this a priority The only thing harder than planning for an emergency is explaining why you didn't. Business continuity should be a priority for every business owner. Because most of your data is transmitted and stored digitally, the importance of creating an IT disaster plan is crucial.

• It reduce the down-time of your business.

• It improve the restoration time of your business to hours not days.

• It safe-guards your client data from human error, hardware failure and natural disasters like floods or power outages caused by storms.

Contact us for free advice and to see how we could help your business.

Disaster Recovery Combats Ransomware too Ransomware has a number of variants including CryptoLocker, Locky and CryptoWall. These malicious pieces of malware target and encrypt your data so you cannot access it unless a payment is made to the malware operator.

If you don't have a business continuity plan in place then you could spend weeks recovering your data from a ransomware attack.

 luke.broadhurst@cisltd.com  01367 700 555  www.cisltd.com

B4 ISSUE 43 | 04/10/2016

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Making IT work smarter for your business in 2017 How important is the uptime of your business? How do you handle disruption?

With data security gaining huge press in 2016, its importance is only going to increase in 2017.

As a business you need to act now and take responsibility for securing your data today.

Written by: Luke Broadhurst

The truth about Ransomware A security company, Malwarebytes, recently published a series of eye-opening statistics that show just how businesses around the world have been affected by ransomware.

54% of UK companies were hit by ransomware Over half of the businesses in the UK? Yes, you heard that right! According to Malwarebytes, the UK had experienced the most ransomware attacks from those that were surveyed. Although, more businesses within the financial sector were included which could have skewed the results.

This could also mean that the financial sector is one of the most targeted industries.

63% experienced severe downtime There is no getting around this. Ransomware disrupts. Of that 63% of businesses that experienced downtime, it was found that it took more than 1 business day on average to recover.

34% of businesses experienced loss of revenue due to ransomware It was reported globally that 34% of ransomware attacks caused businesses a loss in revenue, due to the inability to access encrypted files.

3.5% fear loss of life A difficult statistic to comprehend but 3.5% of businesses said lives were at stake because of the effects of ransomware.

The truth about downtime costs Let’s take 50 employees in a business that’s experienced downtime for 8 hours. Let’s say their productivity is reduced by 75% with each of them earning an average of £20 per hour. That’s 50 x 0.75 x 8 x 20 = £6000 in downtime costs a day, plus a loss in revenue, damage to reputation, penalties and fines.

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Why you’re not taking safety measures You’re a business owner that needs to ensure your business is constantly growing whilst maintaining your business costs efficiently. If you don’t truly understand or, if you haven’t experienced business downtime then it can be difficult to justify the costs of a solution when you can’t appreciate its value.

Put yourself in your clients’ shoes (I’ve heard this one before I hear you say?). How would they act if you lost their data through not having safety measures in place? Would they stay with you?

Would they share their experiences?

The feeling you get when you’ve just lost all of your clients’ data - disastrous The feeling you get when you’ve just lost all of your clients’ data but you know you can recover it in a few hours – priceless!

What to expect for 2017 More cyber-attacks Unfortunately, ransomware and other forms of malware are here to stay. Why? Because they generate a great amount revenue for criminals.

Cyber-attacks are being seen on the news more frequently which is why it’s a good time to start investing in cyber-attack protection now.

The deadline is May 2018, this gives you enough time to ensure your IT systems are compliant with the GDPR. (Contact us to see when our next seminar is on to learn more by using the contact details below).

Better business recovery Although the key message here is businesses need to invest more in backup and recovery systems, we have started to see more uptake in disaster recovery systems. This could be due to ransomware attacks being a catalyst for change.

In summary Seek advice from an expert – ensure you have secure and reliable business recovery systems in place.

Protect your data – treat your data like you would your money, don’t leave it out in the open.

Take responsibility – your clients trust you with their data so make sure they don’t have any reason to think it isn’t secure.

Need some help?

If you need an IT upgrade then get in touch with us on 01367 700555 or email luke. broadhurst@cisltd.com to see how we can help your business.

Increased awareness More and more people are becoming aware of cyber-attacks. That awareness will only increase.

Your clients have probably already started asking you questions about how you store their data.

Make sure you’re a step ahead of them.

GDPR preparation By now you should know about the General Data Protection Regulation. The time to start planning is now. This may seem a bit of a cliché but failure to take action soon could lead you in hot water.

 luke.broadhurst@cisltd.com  01367 700 555  www.cisltd.com

www.b4-business.com

B4

it & telecomms

We believe “partnership

is the key to mutual and sustainable growth. We are committed to making your business work more efficiently through innovation, support and expertise...

Richard Marsh CEO CIS

www.b4-business.com

B4 ISSUE 44 | 02/12/2016

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Your business’s New Year’s resolution…

Richard Marsh, the CEO of a fast-growing local IT firm based in Faringdon Oxfordshire is helping businesses with the severity of down-time and data loss.

Written by: Richard Marsh

“At CIS we understand that not everyone appreciates the nuts and bolts of IT technology, so we ensure that the problem of losing money through disaster, down-time and data loss is explained in a way that’s relevant and a solution is presented in plain English. We help you plan to avoid disaster striking and mitigate the damage done if it does” - Richard Marsh.

and mitigating loss of revenue which keeps you and your business, but more importantly your clients, happy.

The solution is Disaster Recovery

A backup system is a great start but if it is manual, untested and located in the same location as your IT systems is it reliable enough to bet your business on?

But what is Disaster Recovery (DR) I hear you say? If you understand backup then you’re halfway there but the difference between backup and DR is like the difference between running out of petrol and having your car written off. Both stop you from getting to your destination, but the latter is a lot more difficult and expensive to recover from.

Your data is the life-blood of your business – as valuable as cash.

You employ professionals to help you manage your company’s finances – why would you treat your data any differently?

Any single point of failure whether that be hardware, software, personnel, connectivity or a power source is leaving you wide open to downtime. If disaster strikes, do you have a plan B?

Your thoughts…

It’s too expensive

But I already have a backup system in house…

When an emergency strikes your business, you need to be 100% confident that you can be back up and running as usual as quickly as possible.

For more information on Disaster Recovery planning please speak to me or one of our experts. Contact us below.

Losing business data is one thing but what if your employees couldn’t work for a day? Or worse, a whole week!? Once you start weighing up the costs, of not being open for business and include the possible damage to your reputation, you should then start to see the importance of implementing a solid DR plan.

What will DR do for me?

Having a DR plan in place means you’re reducing the risk of downtime

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 richard.marsh@cisltd.com  01367 700 555  www.cisltd.com

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Your data is the life-blood of your business – as “ valuable as cash. You don’t keep your hard-earned salary in a metal box underneath your bed but rather in a purpose-built building - a bank - so why would you treat your data any differently?

Richard Marsh, CEO, CIS

www.b4-business.com

”

B4 ISSUE 45 | 16/02/2017

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Top 4 reasons your business should move to private cloud In the last few years, Cloud Computing has been one of the major Information Technology buzz terms that has brought unbelievable promise to the IT world. Its interest has brought about extensive inquisitiveness and awareness of public cloud services with mainstream brands all having ‘A Cloud’.

Written by: Gareth Johnson

Pooled resources for computing, shared amongst different users, have been proven to have great benefits in the constantly evolving field of IT. However, fear of inadequate security and uptime assurances amid IT decision makers have outshone those benefits.

The aim of private cloud is to lessen or even eradicate those fears by providing each user with segregated cloud platforms. Your data, rather than being stored off somewhere in the cloud, you'd be able to identify a cluster of servers in a datacentre and state exactly where your data is on those servers thereby appeasing any concerns for security. It's a win-win solution for both parties that has the capacity to create tremendous benefit, including better uptime, predictable IT costs and dependability/reliability.

It is also more cost-effective than a conventional IT infrastructure and allows the consumer to benefit from the performance and protection of enterprise level hardware an organisation would never buy within its in-house IT department.

CIS consider the following top 4 reasons your company needs to reassess its IT infrastructure as well as explore private cloud computing benefits.

1. Segregated platform implies improved security.

Very similar to a co-located or dedicated server, your private cloud's security is dependent on several factors. Nevertheless, if you've got the correct physical security, software for anti-virus and rules for firewall primed, we guarantee that your data is as secure as if it were just right beside you in your office. Identifying Cloud providers who adhere to ISO27001 or the Cyber Essentials Security (CES) program, provides an assurance that the data you host is being handled in a secure, professional manner.

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2. It offers better flexibility when switching from physical to virtual servers.

Of all the benefits Cloud computing offers, this one is the most fascinating. The ability to spin up and bring down a server in just a few minutes is extremely powerful and of great use. There's no need to waste effort sizing a hardware server when you can create a virtual one instantly. If you need more RAM, more space on your disk or more CPU (processing power); no need to worry. Cloud computing enables you to change resources within a few minutes, completely removing the need for a right sized physical server with headroom built in for you to ‘grow into’.

3. Make use of your hardware completely with better resource management.

The worth of your physical server hardware is significantly increased by Virtualisation.

Rather than have five servers that utilise on average, 10% CPU, why not virtualise the five servers on one physical server and share the resources. When this happens, rack space and power usage are reduced and the management remains easy. In addition, the process enables you to create copies of your servers and get them working faster than they would alone on the hardware as the virtualisation process has been built with software that interacts at every level with the operating system.. With the appropriate tools for resource management installed on your server, allocating resources to the server can be done automatically when needed or removed from idle servers in times of low usage. This is an extremely powerful and well-organised way to manage servers.

4. You save money and time when you switch to private cloud computing.

Not only will you be getting all the tremendous benefits of virtualisation and security, it is actually more cost-effective and less stressful compared to buying dedicated servers or hosting your own servers. Your company will benefit from virtualisation if you have over two servers.

Further benefit comes from private cloud computing with devoted SAN and physical host servers if your organisation has multiple servers or server storage systems. Whilst public Cloud transformed IT in the mainstream, the private cloud is bringing the benefits to the everyday IT user and to organisation who want to move away from a traditional hardware owned capex invested model.

In Conclusion: Switch to Private Cloud Computing to Save Money, Time, and Sleep Well.

Although the concept of private cloud computing is still fairly new, the technology it is based on has been in existence for some time, a reflection of a military system using mainframes and terminals. In addition to offering some great benefits of shared computing resources and virtualisation, it preserves the safety and dependability of a regular dedicated server.

Private Cloud isn't for everybody however, a managed datacentre operator such as CIS is capable of transitioning you to private Cloud computing at an affordable cost enabling you to completely enjoy all of the great benefits private cloud offers, get in touch!

 Gareth.johnson@cisltd.com  01367 700 555  www.cisltd.com

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“

Not only will you be getting all the tremendous benefits of virtualisation and security, it is actually more cost-effective and less stressful compared to buying dedicated servers or hosting your own servers Gareth Johnson, Sales & Marketing Manager, CIS

www.b4-business.com

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B4 ISSUE 46 | 13/04/2017

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GDPR and the €20 million Question: Here’s what you need to know If you handle customer data from within the EU then you have less than a year to comply with its new directive. Failure to do so could put you out of business, says Gareth Johnson If you work in any kind of business that handles customer data then you ought to have heard about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by now, the European Union’s new directive designed to protect EU citizens from privacy and data breaches. If not then you certainly ought to be considering the impact it could have upon you and your business in less than a year.

Here’s why: Failure to comply with the GDPR could see you being fined four percent of your annual revenue or €20 million, depending on which is greater.

Sounds a bit extreme and only something big businesses need to worry about?

Think again.

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The GDPR comes into force on May 25, 2018 and affects any company wanting to do business within the EU or with member states. This would also include US firms handling the data of European citizens. So, that’s any company handling personal data or data that would identify a person. This might be your name, an email address, bank details, perhaps a photo or even a computer IP address.

Oh and anything that counts as personal data under the Data Protection Act also qualifies as data under the GDPR. If you’re starting to scratch your head at this news, you’re not alone.

Your next problem is identifying a breach if and when it occurs. That’s no mean feat by the way. Some businesses know they may not be able to do this in a

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Need strategic guidance and advice around the GDPR and how it affects your business?

CIS offers a full set of services encompassing all aspects of the GDPR. This includes a GDPR Compliance Gap Assessment Tool and full suite of security services including Firewalling and Unified Threat Management, Endpoint Protection, Multi Factor Authentication Services, plus Cloud Hosting and Remote Access Control. We also partner with a CREST approved external security company for testing of Internet-facing IP addresses and URLs. Once we’ve assessed current processes and policies and established whether they are compliant with the GDPR, we advise on putting changes into practise through either assisted or fully-managed implementation services. For those who need it we also offer a Data Protection Officer as a Service (DPOaaS) to support you through establishing these and if any breach should occur.

For further information please visit: www.cisltd.com Email: Gareth.Johnson@cisltd.com

timely manner and the smart ones may already have the right network security monitoring solutions in place. But just what does a network breach mean for you in terms of the GDPR? Anything that is likely to ‘result in a risk for the rights and freedoms of individuals’ must be reported to customers and the data protection authority within 72 hours of first becoming aware of any breach. In the UK this is the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Of course, it’s also very likely that some firms will not know the true scale or implications of such a breach in the early stages. Even so, you must ensure that you have contacted the relevant party within the allotted timeframe, outlining the nature of the problem, the people affected and what measures you are taking to address this.

Of course there are numerous challenges to implementing all this and being assisted by a strategic partner with fully compliant data officers will help you turn the approaching legislation into something of an opportunity to improve the data protection processes you already have in place. At the same time, better understanding of the customer data you hold should present other benefits for you as you begin to tailor new products and services.

Under the terms of the GDPR you’ll also need to have a dedicated Data Protection Officer (DPO) in

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place if your organisation is a public authority (except for courts acting in their judicial capacity), carries out large scale systematic monitoring of individuals, or large scale processing of special categories of data or data relating to criminal convictions and offences.

Failure to comply “ with the GDPR could

specific data sets are held and who is responsible for them if necessary? What about Subject Access Requests (SARs)? Are you equipped to deal with individuals who want to see the information you hold about them? If the answer is ‘no’ and things seem a little cloudy, then you could be in trouble.

By putting the right processes in place and working with a strategic partner, rather than risking a huge fine, the journey to GDPR compliance could well be a valuable one for your business as you unlock data silos, better understand what you hold and ultimately improve security processes for both you and your customers.

see you being fined four percent of your annual revenue or €20 million, depending on which is greater.

Sounds a bit extreme and only something big businesses need to worry about? Think again.

”

Unfortunately, GDPR compliance doesn’t happen overnight, so it’s vital processes are put in place now. This means getting to grips with the data you hold and understanding just what will be affected by the new legislation. Could you quickly find where

 Gareth.Johnson@cisltd.com  01367 700 555  www.cisltd.com

B4 ISSUE 48 | 22/08/2017

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WORKING TOGETHER &

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN BUSINESSES  +44(0) 1865 742211



info@b4-business.com



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