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GDPR: THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN
RANSOMWARE IS ON THE RISE
Make sure you can help your customers get ready for May’s 2018 GDPR deadline
Protect your customers against a King’s ransom!
Summer issue 8.
NOT THE CHAOS AROUND YOU.
business
FOCUS ON WORK
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Copyright ©Exertis (UK) Ltd 2017
Acer recommends Windows 10 Pro.
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THE CHANGING FACE OF CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY
WI-FI: THE KEY TO NEXT GENERATION BUSINESS VALUE
CONTENTS 05 EXERTIS COMMENT Phil Brown introduces the summer edition of The Future Business
06 NEWS IN BRIEF A quick look at what’s happening in the technology market
08 MARKET STATS UPDATE We look at the current technology trends you should be aware of
14 GDPR: A TICKING TIME-BOMB FOR ORGANISATIONS With legislation applicable in less than a year, we take a look at some of the key points of GDPR and how resellers can help their customers become compliant
22 THE CHANGING FACE OF CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY Technology has changed the classroom and there’s more to come
26 CYBERCRIME: SELFEMPLOYED AND SMALL FIRMS URGED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION Good advice and insurance options from the FSB for your small business or your customers’ insurance
32 HOT PICKS A range of best-selling products designed to make you more margin
18 PROTECT YOUR CUSTOMERS AGAINST A KING’S RANSOM
43 RUGGED MEANS BUSINESS CONTINUITY IN ANY ENVIRONMENT Technology is being deployed in the harshest of environments. What does rugged mean and what products are out there?
47 NEW SERVICE LAUNCH FOR EXERTIS MONITOR SERVICE
Topical in the light of the recent world-wide ransomware attack, what can resellers do to prevent their customers falling prey to such demands
The latest addition to Exertis’ professional services provides a basic level of monitoring on any vendor’s solutions across the entire IT infrastructure.
39 SEVEN USEFUL TIPS FOR SMBS IN 2017 From business rates to the national living wage and better payment practices, there are plenty of changes for small businesses to look out for.
41 PLUG IN TO EXERTIS – POST EVENT We look back at a successful event for resellers and vendors at our channel event
51 WI-FI: THE KEY TO NEXT GENERATION BUSINESS VALUE The first of a three part series on the benefits of wi-fi and value-add opportunities for resellers
58 MUST HAVE ACCESSORIES Our top 10 recommended accessory products for business
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Publisher Exertis Editor Nerissa Tong Design Sophie Hammond Website store.exertis.co.uk
WELCOME FROM EXERTIS Welcome to the latest edition of Future Business magazine. This is a packed issue with some very topical features. Let me start by thanking the 900 + attendees at our recent Plug In To Exertis event. It was great to see so many resellers, retailers and vendors present at Twickenham Stadium. The five technology areas represented showcased some fantastic products and solutions, supported by some really interesting seminars on a range of topics. If you missed it, you can catch up on what went on in this issue on page 41. If we needed a reminder about the importance of cybersecurity, then the recent ransomware attacks provided that. Organisations will be re-looking at their security and it’s a great opportunity for the channel to take advantage of that. We provide some thoughts on page 18. GDPR compliance is less than a year away and there is much evidence to suggest that companies are some way off from being compliant. We look at some of the key GDPR points and suggest how resellers can take advantage of this situation and become the trusted advisor on a complex subject where technology can play a part in companies meeting the legal requirements of GDPR. You can read about that on page 14.
anyplace, anywhere. Ruggedised products go some way to ensuring business continuity in the toughest of environments from remote locations to busy public places and educational establishments. Our article on page 43 highlights some of the hardware solutions. Talking of education, that’s a market which has witnessed a great deal of change and there’s more to come. We take a look at how the classroom is evolving through the use of technology on page 22. Wi-Fi underpins our desire to be connected and in the first of a three part series, our wireless and mobility director, Rob Leggett, illustrates the business benefits to organisations and value added opportunities for resellers on page 51. Growing our professional services is a strategic objective for Exertis and we have just announced an important addition to our portfolio which can be utilised by our resellers on behalf of their customers. You can find out more on Exertis Monitor on page 47. Finally, don’t forget to take a look at our regular hot picks, accessories, news stories and of course the latest offerings from our vendors. Enjoy the read and thank you for your continued support.
Of course, technology plays a part in our daily lives and we expect our devices to work anytime,
Phil Brown Sales and commercial Director, IT and Enterprise
Basingstoke Sales: 01256 707 070 Address: Ashwood Chineham Business Park Chineham Basingstoke Hampshire RG24 8EH
Burnley Sales: 01282 776 776 Address: Technology House, Magnesium Way, Hapton, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 7BF To place an order please call 01282 776 776 between 9am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday To place an order please call 01256 707 070 between 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday
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LFDS GO LARGE Volume sales of large format displays through Western Europe’s largest distributors increased significantly in Q1 2017, rising by 29% year-on-year, according to the latest data published by CONTEXT, the European IT market analysis company. Displays with screen size greater than 55” have been key to this growth: sales in this segment increased by 56% and gained 40% of the market share, seven points more than in the same period the previous year. Interactive large format displays have also been major contributors to the Q1 2017 sales increase with an overall growth in sales of 122% year-on-year. The market share of displays with touch screens grew significantly and now stands at 16% compared with 9% in Q1 2016. In terms of vendor performance, Samsung retained its No. 1 position with a 44% share of the total market, having registered year-on-year growth of 18% for the period. LG and NEC completed the top three, with shares of 11% and 9.5% respectively.
LED LIGHTS UP THE DISPLAY MARKET
GARTNER PREDICTS GDPR ISSUES FOR 50% OF COMPANIES The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will have a global impact when it comes into effect on May 25, 2018, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner predicts that by the end of 2018, more than 50% of companies affected by the GDPR will not be in full compliance with its requirements. “The GDPR will affect not only EU-based organisations, but many data controllers and processors outside the EU as well,” said Bart Willemsen, research director at Gartner. “Threats of hefty fines, as well as the increasingly empowered position of individual data subjects tilt the business case for compliance and should cause decision makers to re-evaluate measures to safely process personal data. GDPR is designed to harmonise data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower European Union (EU) citizens’ data privacy and reshape the way organisations approach data privacy for EU citizens wherever they work in the world. See the article on page 14.
According to the latest report from Futuresource Consulting, the global LED display market closed 2016 with a mounting value of $4.5bn, up 7% from $4.2bn the previous year. “Several sectors dominated the LED video display market in 2016, including media/ advertising, stadiums/venues and retail,” commented Chris McintyreBrown, Associate Director of Professional Equipment at Futuresource Consulting. “These segments delivered over half the market value in the video display category. Notably, 2016 experienced a further drive into the retail space and a growing trend toward indoor applications. These included corporate, transport, and control room, which grew in value by 62% comfortably surpassing $1bn.”
FASTER MIGRATION TO WINDOWS 10 Migration to Windows 10 is expected to be faster than previous operating system (OS) adoption, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. The survey showed that 85% of enterprises will have started Windows 10 deployments by the end of 2017. When asked what reasons are driving their migration to Windows 10, 49% of respondents said that security improvements were the main reason for the migration. The second most-often-named reason for Windows 10 deployment was cloud integration capabilities (38%). More detailed analysis is available to Gartner clients in the report “User Survey Analysis: Windows 10 Migration Looks Healthy.”
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SPEAKS VOLUMES IN SMART TECH Consumers have begun to welcome IoT into their homes in the form of devices like Amazon’s Alexa. Ovum predicts the smart home market alone will grow more than 1.4bn units by 2021, up from 224m in 2016. Senior Analyst Francesco Radicati, author of the Smart Home Devices Forecast said “Another device category that will become increasingly important is interactive audio speakers, like Amazon Echo and Google Home. By using voice control as a user interface, they allow consumers to control their smart home devices in a more natural way, without resorting to apps on their smartphones or tablets, while the AI capabilities of assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant help to deliver increasingly better services.” As the newest device category, interactive audio speakers are set to post the fastest growth, with unit sales growing to more than 88m in 2021, from 5.5m in 2016 (a CAGR of 74%). Just as importantly, devices such as Echo or Google Home will help spur sales of other smart home devices, as consumers learn to link devices together to satisfy their families’ own particular needs.
WHAT’S NEW AT EXERTIS Credit where it’s due Exertis has announced a major credit initiative for a selected number of SMB accounts that can double their current limit. The additional credit line could be worth up to £20m with plans to extend that further where resellers have utilised their increased credit. Mark Reynolds, Exertis B2B sales and commercial director said, “Our aim is to provide our resellers with a credit limit that can help them win and grow their business, safe in the knowledge that they have the financial resource to support it. With our broad technology range, resellers want to take advantage of the efficiencies of buying from one source. By working with our credit insurers, we are in a position to double the facility for over 1,650 resellers and even extend that further if they remain within our usual credit terms.” Cloud Security Exertis has announced a distribution agreement with CipherCloud, a leader in cloud security and visibility. Its multi-cloud, award-winning security platform integrates with a wide range of business cloud applications to scan content, monitor user behaviour, analyse risk, and protect sensitive data, delivering an effective solution to combat data loss and compliance violations through the cloud and mobile devices. Jason Hill, Exertis, sales director, security said, “Organisations increasingly want a hybrid deployment of cloud-based and on-premises security from a unified platform that provides activity monitoring, automated anomaly detection, and data loss protection through strong encryption or tokenisation. CipherCloud solutions enable customers to confidently adopt the cloud and provide protection from data loss on mobile devices. As more cloud adoption occurs through implementation of SaaS and mobiles proliferate the workplace, more opportunities open up for resellers to help companies maintain compliance and secure data for their customers, even more pertinent with GDPR looming.”
Connect with Exertis Exertis has extended its Connect range of cables, connectors and accessories. As well as the existing range of high quality AV, IT, and networking options it has now included power cables, patch panels and a whole host of accessories. Kirk Harris, Exertis, Connect business manager said, “We are delighted to be able to offer our resellers an even wider range of products from the Connect catalogue with over 3,000 products available, making us the go-to distributor for connectivity needs. Our customers already buy infrastructure, IT, audio and visual products from Exertis and these provide enhanced margin opportunities.” The new Connect catalogue provides comprehensive information to help customers choose the right option including definitions, usage and wiring diagrams, as well as practical advice. Monitoring service for resellers Exertis has launched Exertis Monitor, an additional post sales service that provides a basic level of monitoring on any vendor’s solutions across the entire IT infrastructure. The service will be included within Exertis’ ISO27001 accredited professional services portfolio. Ian Gilbey, Exertis technical services director said: “Exertis pre and post sales services equip resellers with the confidence to recommend, sell and service today’s technology. Exertis Monitor extends our range of services, providing essential information on how resources are performing in different areas from any vendor and on any device that has an IP address.” Exertis RIPS into OA Market with Epson Exertis has announced a distribution agreement with Epson to provide their Workforce Pro Replaceable Ink Pack System (RIPS) printers to selected resellers. The business will be managed from Exertis specialist OA print facility in Norfolk, utilising dedicated OA account managers who will be working with new and existing Epson RIPS customers. A boost to security portfolio Exertis has announced a distribution agreement with ESET, a provider of security software for consumers and businesses from antivirus and malware protection to multi-layered security. ESET protects all of the most-used operating systems with the same level of functionality, providing monitoring and detection against threats. Jason Hill, Exertis sales director, security said, “With increasing cybersecurity threats, ransomware attacks, cloud and mobile security concerns, the growing use of IoT devices and the requirement for GDPR compliancy, adding ESET’s extensive range to our security portfolio will be of great benefit to our resellers.” For further information on news at Exertis, visit our media centre: https://www.exertis.co.uk/exertis-news.php. Sources and Acknowledgements: Gartner, Ovum, Computer Weekly, Healthcare IT, CONTEXT, Accenture, FutureSource Computing.
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WORLDWIDE IT SPENDING IS PREDICTED TO TOTAL
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GLOBAL VR CONTENT CREATION IS
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PRODUCTS ROSE IN Q1 2017 CONTEXT
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GDPR A TICKING TIME-BOMB FOR ORGANISATIONS
We are now more than halfway through the transitional period for the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into force in May 2018. Since its announcement, there has been a torrent of information - advice, reports, warnings, research and forecasts - on the subject from the EU, government, lawyers, IT companies, media, GDPR “experts” and the like. Perhaps, not surprising given the wide ranging scope of the regulation and the possibility of huge financial repercussions for non-compliancy. The maximum penalty is 4% of annual revenue or €20m, whichever is the higher, putting data protection on a similar scale to the level of fines imposed on companies for corruption or bribery and substantially more than the previous maximum £500,000 penalty in the UK. National Data Protection Authorities (NDPAs) will have increased powers to impose fines, carry out an audit, require a business to provide information and, if necessary, gain access to their premises. For some businesses, the challenge associated with better data protection and their method of data processing, including the use of subcontractors and Cloud Service Providers (CSP) will require a fundamental change to their security operations and the technology deployed. Whilst the central purpose of GDPR may be clear – the protection of European citizens’ data held by organisations that have a reason to process, store and share it – some parts remain ambiguous, open to interpretation and indeed in some cases are being clarified along the way. However, what is certain is that the rules apply to the UK, irrespective of Brexit. This has already been confirmed by government ministers and irrespective of that affirmation, it ignores the fact that a great many UK organisations operate across borders providing a service or operating a business. Indeed what triggers the applicability of GDPR is whether the data a business handles is about EU individuals or has the potential to identify individuals that find themselves in the EU, not about whether the company is in the EU. In short, no matter where an organisation is based or where it manages, stores or processes data relating to EU individuals, it must still abide by the rules. GDPR also applies to “controllers” and “processors”, the definition of these are broadly the same as in the existing Data Protection Act…
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Controllers - means a person who (either alone or jointly or in common with other persons) determines the purposes for which and the manner in which any personal data are, or are to be, processed. Processor - in relation to personal data, means any person (other than an employee of the data controller) who processes the data on behalf of the data controller. However, in current legislation only the data controller is liable for any data breach. In GDPR, both the controller and any subcontracted processors are equally liable for a data breach. Moreover, there is no end to liability. If a data processor subcontracts some or all of its obligations to another processor, that organisation is still liable. Contractors including CSPs will need to ascertain whether the processing of data includes personal data in order to mitigate their risks. Unfortunately, GDPR compliancy isn’t a straightforward check list exercise or a technology issue alone. Its impact is organisation wide (business process, legal, governance, people and training). Many aspects of GDPR concern process and operational aspects of data protection, some of which can be enabled or at least be made more cost-effective by technology. Whilst there is no magic wand solution, security vendors and resellers can play an important role in helping companies to get prepared for GDPR compliancy.
KEY POINTS OF GDPR • • • • •
Law not guidance Extended territorial scope and liability Stricter rules on privacy and consent Breach notification requirements Increased penalties up to €20m or 4% of annual revenue
KEY POINTS OF GDPR FOR INDIVIDUALS • • • •
Withdraw consent for processing data Object to profiling Obtain a copy of their personal data Right to be forgotten
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ORGANISATIONS • • • • •
Be aware of your responsibilities Make IT security a high profile Maintain appropriate prevention and detection against loss of data: malware, ransomware, human error Be able to demonstrate compliance on demand Talk with a trusted advisor
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESELLERS • • • •
Be aware of GDPR opportunity Talk with your customers about GDPR readiness Provide assistance with compliancy and IT security Contact Exertis for products and services from our vendors
ARE COMPANIES READY FOR GDPR? Although companies have been given around 2 years in which to comply, it appears that many organisations are struggling to meet the requirements. A number of surveys seem to indicate that
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companies are behind with their preparations. SonicWall polled 821 IT professionals across the globe last year and 80% revealed that they knew little about GDPR and within that group 97% didn’t even have a plan in place. This was supported by a 2016 survey from Symantec conducted with 900 businesses in UK, France and Germany which reported that 96% didn’t fully understand GDPR. Indeed 23% said their organisation would not be fully compliant and of this group 20% felt that it would be impossible for their business to be fully compliant. According to SonicWall, companies felt more able to comply with impending rules on e-mail security but much less so when it came to document access: under GDPR, companies will have to create procedures that limit who can access shared files hosted on platforms like Dropbox or Sharepoint. The UK picture doesn’t look particularly rosy based on a new survey from Identity Methods. They reported that less than 15% of UK organisations are ready for GDPR, with 38% still not aware of the new rules and fewer still (14%) have planned their compliance. A 2016 Baker McKenzie report suggested, “45% of businesses either do not have the tools to ensure their organisation complies with the main requirements under the GDPR; or could only obtain such tools at significant cost”. Companies need to understand that GDPR isn’t a set of guidelines for best practice, it’s a new set of laws. Certainly the laws shouldn’t be a surprise for marketers who will appreciate use of customer data has been a hot topic for years compounded by the advent of social media, cloud computing and IoT. It’s surprising therefore that according to the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), “only 5% of marketers fully understand what the GDPR means for their business and 50% say they don’t really understand it at all, or [literally] don’t know.” Taking ownership, whether it’s marketing, IT or finance, needs to happen at board level if businesses want to meet the challenge.
THE CHANNEL AND GDPR Resellers will undoubtedly have customers that are at risk of noncompliancy of the new regulations. Clearly, the channel can play a huge role in advising and guiding them through the key points of GDPR and where investment is needed. Resellers can be the trusted advisers to help organisations adhere to security disciplines needed for GDPR regulations, so they can protect customer personal information, and avoid the data breaches, heavy fines and loss of reputation that may result from non-compliance. Most data breaches occur from a poor understanding of the data landscape and the lack of appropriate data security controls. Understanding the risk is key and having a plan to mitigate the consequences of a breach is even more critical. Put simply, organisations need to know what type of data they possess, where it resides, what’s protecting it and what do they need to do in the event of a breach. GDPR isn’t prescriptive in terms of what technology to deploy although it advocates the deployment of security practices. It only suggests: “The pseudonymisation and encryption of data; ability to ensure confidentiality, integrity, availability and resilience of processing; the ability to restore data after an incident; and a process for testing, assessing and evaluating effectiveness of security”. It should be noted that the GDPR regulations are comprehensive and complex with over 200 pages of documentation. There are numerous sources of information on the subject and there are a number of security vendors that offer solutions that can be deployed to help organisations meet GDPR compliancy. Exertis has produced a handbook which outlines in more detail the key points of GDPR and the solutions provided by our vendors. You can download a copy from the reseller zone on store.exertis.co.uk. Resellers can also speak with the Exertis security team for further information and advice on the best solution for their customers. Sources, acknowledgements and reference points: Information Commissioner’s Office, www.eugdpr.org, iapp, idc, gov.uk
Windows 10 Pro means business.
Contact your Exertis Account Manager for more information
Contact your Exertis Account Manager for more information
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PROTECT YOUR CUSTOMERS AGAINST A KING’S RANSOM Cybersecurity is seldom out of the news and ransomware is the fastest growing malware that takes no account of business size, vertical market or geography. Whether it’s the 2017 Annual Threat Report from SonicWall, the Data Breach Report from Verizon or research from any number of security providers, one common theme prevails, ransomware is on the increase at an alarming rate and expected to continue to rise. Whilst many victims choose not to publicise such an attack, industry experts believe the cumulative cost to companies that pay the ransoms runs into hundreds of millions of pounds globally. Indeed the FBI, who recommend companies or individuals don’t pay the ransom, suggested that it had become a $1bn source of income for cybercriminals by the end of last year. Financial services, the public sector, utilities companies, manufacturing and an increasing number of SMEs have all been targets.
YOUR MONEY OR YOUR DATA Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts data on a victim’s PC and then asks for payment before restoring the data to its original form. Payment is usually in digital currency such as bitcoin to avoid detection of the recipient. The costs of unlocking data varies with individuals typically paying a few hundred pounds and businesses a few thousand. Some reports indicate that lower demands are often paid in order to restore the data quickly but payment varies greatly by country. If companies don’t have a back-up then paying the ransom may be the only solution. However, there is no certain guarantee that the data will even be restored after payment. A Datto 2016 State of the Channel Ransomware report indicated that 1 in 4 of victims that paid the ransom never recovered the data and paying the ransom only exacerbates the problem. This is largely why the FBI recommends victims do not pay up. From their research, SonicWall maintained that only 42% of victims were able to fully recover their data from a backup. Furthermore, in a Malwarebytes report, more
than a third of the victims lost revenue and 20% had to stop business completely. Besides the ransom cost, a company has to take into account the time taken to restore the data and, if disclosed, the potential loss of company reputation. As data is key to a business, ransomware has the potential to affect any organisation. Yet many seem oblivious to the threat. In a recent IBM survey, only 1 in 3 consumers had ever heard of ransomware and most were unlikely to take protective measures to avoid it. This lack of knowledge transcended into the enterprise space, with IBM finding that most employees were unaware of how it could affect their organisation.
SMES ARE MOST VULNERABLE While a growing number of companies are leveraging the recommended solutions for protection, such as backup and disaster recovery technologies and anti-virus software, many are not. Verizon found that cybercriminals are increasingly targeting SMEs with fewer than 1,000 employees due to their lack of IT resource, poorer investment in security measures and the fact that they are being hit by the deployment of automatic tools that can attack many small companies at once. Datto’s 2016 State of the Channel Ransomware concurred by reporting that 9 out of 10 managed services providers recorded recent attacks amongst small business clients. According to SonicWall, the rise of ransomware-as-a-service made it significantly easier for criminals to obtain and implement a ransomware attack by deploying a malware kit. In addition, with the mass adoption of bitcoin, payments are more difficult to track. Cybercriminals are even turning their attention to IoT connected devices with ransomware.
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SECURITY TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION Locky ransomware used in more than 500m cases was the most popular form of attack according to SonicWall, commonly delivered via an email with a link to an infected website or as a Microsoft word document. When the attachment is opened, the recipient is instructed to enable macros which set off a chain reaction leading to the encryption of the user’s files and a ransom demand. Indeed phishing e-mails and a lack of employee training are the main causes of a ransomware issue. Businesses need to provide regular cybersecurity training to ensure all employees are able to spot and avoid a potential phishing scam in their inbox, a leading entry point for the malware. Resellers have the opportunity to help their customers. However, it isn’t about finding a silver bullet solution. It requires an ongoing strategy based on deploying a combination of innovative technologies and end user education. Ransomware often outsmarts even the best defence measures and requires more than anti-virus software and email filters. A backup and disaster recovery solution is also essential. It’s vital for businesses of every size to review their cybersecurity and data backup procedures to ensure that they can protect their business but also restore their data smoothly in the event of a ransomware incident. Exertis has a security portfolio which can be utilised by resellers. These include: •
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ineffective if not updated regularly. The newer ransomware variants are uniquely hashed and thereby undetectable using signature-based techniques. Many users also turn off their virus scans so they don’t slow their system down. To address these limitations, there are endpoint security solutions that use advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence to detect malware. They also have a small footprint, causing minimal performance overhead.
4. MOBILE ENDPOINTS Management of endpoints is also a growing challenge as devices with multiple form factors and operating systems are introduced to the network. Mobile devices are particularly vulnerable as noted in the 2016 Dell Security Annual Threat Report with emerging ransomware threats on the Android™ platform. For remote users who are outside the enterprise firewall perimeter, VPN based access should not only establish a secure connection but also conduct a level of device interrogation to check for policy compliance on the endpoint. If an endpoint does not have the required security updates, then it will not be allowed on the network or it will be granted access to only a limited set of resources.
5. NETWORKS SEGMENTATION
SonicWALL firewall and email security that both utilise SonicWALL’s Multi-Engine Capture service to detect and stop malware and zero day threats. Kaspersky End Point Protection to give an extra layer of protection for the endpoint. Storagecraft Disaster Recovery to protect if the worst case happens and you get hit, you can recover your systems prior to the attack.
Most ransomware will try to spread from the endpoint to the server/ storage where all the data and mission critical applications reside. Segmenting the network and keeping critical applications and devices isolated on the separate network or virtual LAN can limit the spread.
The Exertis security team can advise and help on any cybersecurity issue. Please speak to your Exertis account manager today for more information. Sources and acknowledgements: SonicWall, Tech Target, ZDNet, Verizon, Malwarebytes, Datto
Another safeguard against having to pay ransom is a robust backup and recovery strategy. Back up data regularly, there will be less data loss in the case of infection if there is a remote backup. Depending on how quickly the compromise is detected, how far it has spread and the level of data loss that is acceptable, recovery from a backup could be a good option. Recover the most critical data in the least amount of time. Finally, just having a strategy is not sufficient. Periodic testing of disaster recovery and business continuity is just as important.
• •
BEST PRACTICES FOR DEPLOYMENT OF A RANSOMWARE SOLUTION 1. TRAINING & AWARENESS User training and awareness is paramount, and the first step to safeguard against ransomware. User instruction should include: • • • •
Treat any suspicious email with caution Look at the domain name that sent the email Check for spelling mistakes, review the signature and the legitimacy of the request Hover on links to check where they lead to and if any URL seems suspicious, directly type the website or look it up on search engines vs. clicking the link in the email
2. EMAIL SECURITY Deploy an email security solution that scans all attachments besides filtering for spyware and spam. Along with periodic user training and risk assessments, you should also conduct phishing vulnerability tests.
3. ANTI-MALWARE Whether personal or corporate devices, endpoints are particularly at risk if they are not managed by IT, or don’t have the right anti-malware protection. Most anti-virus solutions are signature-based, and prove
6. BACKUP & RECOVERY
7. ENCRYPTED ATTACKS Having the right enterprise firewall that is able to scan all traffic irrespective of file size is also critical. With the rapid increase in SSL encrypted traffic, as indicated by the Dell Security Threat Report, there is always a risk of downloading encrypted malware that is invisible to traditional firewalls. Hence it is important to ensure the firewall/IPS is able to decrypt and inspect encrypted traffic without slowing down the network significantly. Another recommendation is to show hidden file extensions. For example, sometimes malware can enter the system with a .pdf or .mp3 icon, but in reality, it is an .exe file.
8. MONITORING & MANAGEMENT The enterprise firewall should be able to monitor both incoming and outgoing traffic, and block communication with blacklisted IP addresses as ransomware tries to establish contact with its command and control servers. If a ransomware infection is detected, disconnect the infected system immediately from the corporate network. As soon as a new malware variant is detected, the firewall should have an automated update and centralised management process to roll out updates and policies quickly and consistently across all nodes. In addition, it is crucial to update your software and operating systems regularly.
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THE CHANGING FACE OF CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY Technology is continuing to have a profound effect in many industries and markets. Education is no exception. Whilst keeping pace with change and opportunities can be difficult with constrained budgets, there is still plenty to look forward to for both the teacher and the student as well as the educational reseller. The 21st century classroom already looks quite different from that enjoyed by pre-millennial students. Interactive Flat Panel Displays, whiteboards, tablets, laptops and smartphones have long replaced the chalkboards, pens and plethora of textbooks. Gone are the days of having to fight over the required reference book in the school library. The reality is that students are much more likely to be using a mobile device to research a topic. Wi-Fi or Bluetooth enable quick connection to the internet, cloud based apps and other software. Of course, the current generation of digitally-savvy students expect nothing less. Current technology has created a collaborative approach to learning that wasn’t possible in the past and has extended the classroom beyond the school or university campus. Students have the opportunity to use technology to meet, collaborate, share ideas, research and create content in a virtual environment, working at a pace that can often be determined individually. IFPDs allow students to contribute to lesson content from the front of the class, engage with their classmates in problem solving activities and create a collective and participative approach to learning. Homework and assignments can be handled digitally, making the whole experience quite different from even ten years ago.
The cloud, mobile devices, virtual and augmented reality have enabled some educational establishments to adopt the “flipped classroom” where learning and research takes place at home and class or lecture time is used to handle queries and gain teacher time. Certainly, distance learning has become more popular enabling students to gain qualifications without joining a classroom or attending an educational establishment.
WI-FI, CLOUD, VC AND 3D ALL ADD TO THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE Perhaps the most important requirement for a modern classroom, school or university to make the most of the technology is to have a robust Wi-Fi connection. Wi-Fi is the glue that enables interaction between student and teacher. Clearly every student needs to be on the network to access software applications or perhaps gain access to classwork stored in the cloud and Wi-Fi is the most effective and efficient solution. Besides the logistical advantages of not having
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anywhere at any time. In addition, it enables collaboration between schools on projects or sharing teaching experiences or it can be used to invite subject matter experts to enhance the educational experience. Because video conferencing supports recording and playback, students have the opportunity to review the topic. Providing a video conferencing solution for education adds to a reseller’s technology portfolio. 3D printing is another exciting and innovative technology with multiple creative and practical applications for schools. 3D printers enable students to create prototypes for a design project, objects for a science experiment, or a solid geometric shape for a mathematical concept. In fact, it can apply to many subject areas including history, geography biology, chemistry, engineering, architecture and design as well as providing teachers with access to materials that were previously unobtainable.
WHAT’S NEXT IN CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY? So what’s next? Certainly virtual reality and augmented reality are going to be the next technologies to impact education. Utilising these will appeal to students not only because they are new and novel but because they will make learning more interesting and exciting for students. Taking students on a virtual field trip or enabling them to create 360 degree images provide endless benefits for both school and student. Whilst VR headsets are not standard equipment in schools, the good news is that new VR software is being developed rapidly which will only create further demand for this technology to be available. VR headsets like the Samsung Gear are contributing to the popularity. Indeed wearables in education are generally on the increase. Research company, Technavio, has forecast that wearables will grow by 36 percent globally through to 2020, exceeding $6 billion in revenue with much of the growth at the higher end of education but will include smartwatches, VR headsets and fitness monitors.
wired connections in the classroom and the set-up and maintenance required, it provides the flexibility and independence that students need as they move around the establishment, enabling work to be carried out outside of the lesson. To be productive, students need both a mobile device, either one provided but not shared or their own (BYOD) and a reliable connection. For many students today, WiFi and smart devices are both familiar and expected. To fully support these requirements, educational establishments need a Wi-Fi system that can support the data traffic created by the students and the technology they are using. Cloud computing has also aided both student and teacher. Free educational suites from Google and Microsoft have made it easier and more cost-effective to store and share information so that students and teachers can collaborate both in and out of the classroom. In addition, cloud-based textbooks have enabled students with lesser income to access the required learning materials as digital content is considerably less expensive than a printed textbook which is often out of date within a short period of time, making resale almost impossible. With educational cutbacks, this is also beneficial for the school or university. Of course, cloud-based computing also facilitates the software-as-a-service model which offers a subscription option for students to utilise the latest applications. Video conferencing is another growing trend and has also been a factor in moving education from the classroom. The advantages include reduced costs, efficient use of time, effective collaboration between students and teachers and the opportunity to learn from
Simulations and virtual laboratories are also becoming new learning tools with applications for medical students, engineers and scientists. These are considerably cheaper, safer and more practical enabling students to conduct experiments in their own time and even remotely. Whether we will see robotics in education remains to be seen but education has changed so much in the last few years, you wouldn’t bet against it. What is certainly predictable is that many of the technologies, products and solutions available today will become more affordable and will play an increasing role in how education will be delivered. That provides opportunity for resellers in the education market and Exertis can help with experts in all these areas from Wi-Fi solutions, to IFPDs, mobile devices, video conferencing, 3D printing and VR.
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As an Intel® Technology Provider, understanding servers is our business. Today’s Intel® Xeon® processor-based servers can run business applications up to 1.43X faster1,2 enabling you to access information and respond to customers sooner from any device on your network. Let us focus on your server so you can focus on your business.
INTEL INSIDE. BETTER BUSINESS OUTSIDE.
More Powerful. More Reliable. More Secure.
1 . Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel® microprocessors. Performance tests such as SYSmark* and MobileMark* are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations, and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. 2. Baseline system: Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1275 v2, Intel HD graphics P400, 16GB (4x4GB DDR3-1600MHz ECC UDIMM), Western Digital WD2000FYYZ HDD, RHEL v6.3-2.6.32-278, ACRVMBY1.86C, IC13. Previous generation: Intel Xeon Processor E3-1276 v3 Supermicro 813M-3, X10SLM+-LN4f, Intel HD graphics P4600, 16 GB (4 x 4GB DDR3-1600MHz ECC UDIMM), Western Digital WD500GB HDD, RHEL6.5-2.6.32-431, 1.1a, IC14. New Configuration: Intel Xeon Processor E3-1275 v5, RVP8 Skylake Reference Board, Intel HD Graphics P530, 16GB (2 x 8GB DDR4-2133MHz ECC UDIMM), Intel SSD 530 Series 120GB model SSDSC2BW120A4, CentOS 7 - 3.10.0-123.el7.x86_64, SKLSE2R1.R00.X092.B00.1507130736, IC14 Copyright © 2016 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel, the Intel logo, the Intel. Experience What's Inside logo, Intel. Experience What’s Inside, the Intel Inside logo, and Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
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ESSENTIAL PERFORMANCE AND VISUALS FOR PROFESSIONAL COMPUTE
SUPPORT YOUR GROWING AND CHANGING DEMANDS WITH INTEL® XEON® PROCESSOR E3 V6 FAMILY The demands of your business computing needs are growing in sophistication and complexity. Servers and workstations that are just a few years old are no longer capable of supporting the demands of today’s workloads which are increasing in capabilities to deliver business intelligence, acceleration, and agility. New business opportunities, new customers, and workloads drive a need for tools and technology that will help you win and stay ahead of the competition. §²¦ µ§¢£[° ¬¥£ ¤ ±ª³²§¬± §¬ ²¦£ « °©£²®ª ¡£ ² ¦£ª® ·³ ¬¢ ·³° ³±§¬£±± §² ¡ ¬ £ ¢§á¡³ª² ² identify the smart answer for your needs today and a solution that will help you win in the future. At Intel, we appreciate these challenges and have worked to understand your needs and demands. We have partnered with industry leaders and solution providers to deliver a professional-grade solution built from the groundup with your needs in mind. The Intel® Xeon® processor family delivers trusted performance and proven innovation, starting with our entry Intel® Xeon® processor E3 product family. As your business grows and demands increase, so does the Intel® Xeon® processor family with performance scale and capabilities that extend up to our Intel® Xeon® processor E5 family and Intel® Xeon® processor E7 family of products. Entry workstation and entry server solutions built on the Intel® Xeon® processor E3-1200 v6 product family, establish a foundation of capabilities that support your growing and changing demands.
As your business grows and demands increase, so does the Intel® Xeon® processor family, with performance and scale capabilities to meet your needs
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CYBERCRIME
SELF-EMPLOYED AND SMALL FIRMS URGED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION
connections, to have wider and more targeted customer reach, as well as offering quicker and more convenient ways of doing things. It’s now such an everyday part of life that it’s easy to forget the risks. Business owners and the self-employed are busy getting on with the job of running and growing their businesses, and cyber-attacks are often not at the forefront of their minds, even for those with strong technical and digital knowledge. But summer 2017’s global cyber hack is a stark reminder of the threats posed by cybercrime.
RISE IN THREAT OF RANSOMWARE AND ‘INVOICE’ FRAUD PHISHING ATTACKS Following the recent cyber-attack, which saw parts of the NHS as well as numerous other businesses crippled, as well as the regular ongoing threats of ransomware and phishing attacks, FSB is continuing to help the UK’s 5.5m smaller businesses and the self-employed to take urgent action to safeguard against cybercrime. Websites, apps, social media, internet banking… The digital revolution has fundamentally changed the way many small businesses and the self-employed work. For resellers, in particular, customer relationship managment (CRM) systems play a huge role in growth. Digitisation has provided new opportunities to grow, to broker and sustain better
We know that small businesses and the self-employed are particularly at risk. That’s why earlier this year FSB decided to offer dedicated advice and insurance as part of the package of being an FSB member. With a warning from the National Cyber Security Centre in May 2017 that further cyber-attacks may be imminent, it is vital that small businesses and the self-employed prioritise taking steps to protect themselves. FSB figures show that, on average, a cybercrime incident costs a small business victim nearly £3,000, and it takes more than two days to recover from. According to a recent FSB report, a staggering 7m cyber-crimes are committed against smaller businesses and the selfemployed in the UK every year. That’s 19,000 every day. FSB has been urging small businesses to check immediately for updates to their operating systems and anti-malware software and download them where needed. Small firms and the self-employed
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should also make sure their system or critical data is backed up to a storage device that’s not within the same network – if the worst happens, data cannot then be held to ransom. FSB’s cyber helpline, which launched in 2017, is proving a vital and timely service for members of the UK’s biggest business networking organisation. FSB says the service is being well utilised by those seeking both reactive and proactive advice.
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can be defended against by taking the right proactive steps. As well as having in place access to expert, tailored advice and specific cyber insurance protection, small firms and the self-employed should keep an eye on the National Cyber Security Centre website and Twitter feed to stay up to date with the latest advice. Cybercrime is one of the fastest growing risks to the self-employed and small businesses, and one of the fastest growing areas of crime globally. Attackers are becoming more effective, while victims are becoming less able to discover attacks.
Reactive calls include where the business person believes they may be the victim of a cyber-attack – such as DDoS or website defacement, or has received a phishing email or detected an email fraud, or has lost or damaged a device containing business-critical information.
Few of us wouldn’t insure our business premises. None of us would leave those premises unlocked at night. It’s time to have the same mindset when it comes to keeping our businesses safe online.
Proactive calls include where a business person seeks advice on how to secure their devices and/or network to be more resilient to an attack, or how to create or update business security policies for employees, or requests advice about specific issues such as creating and storing strong passwords.
FSB is the UK’s biggest business organisation. It is member-led and not-for-profit, offering the self-employed and small businesses a wide range of vital business services and advice, as well as a powerful voice in government. FSB has a range of joining options. More information at FSB.org.uk
According to FSB, the highest number of calls to its cyber helpline are from business owners who have been a victim of ‘invoice fraud’ style phishing attacks. These instances involve a business email account being illegitimately accessed and used to send, or modify, customer invoices with altered payment details. Such crimes often cause thousands of pounds of lost revenue. These attacks are easily monetised and have a high probability of success – however, they
Join the conversation on Twitter @FSB_Voice
MICROSOFT AZURE STACK:
a truly consistent hybrid-cloud platform Microsoft Azure Stack is a new hybrid cloud platform product that enables organisations to deliver Azure services from their own datacentres. Businesses can choose where to keep their data and applications either in their own datacentre or with a hosting service provider. Azure Stack provides the power of cloud services to a datacentre, transforming a datacentreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources into cloud services for maximum agility under the control of IT. For developers Azure Stack provides a unified app development that is consistent with Microsoft Azure. Azure Stack is essentially a Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure product that lets businesses run Azure IaaS and PaaS services directly in their own data centre with the benefit of the full range of public Azure services but packaged and maintained on their own hardware in private or hybrid platforms, rather than Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data centres. It is expected to provide competition with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform, leveraging Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths in enterprise technology and appealing to large corporate customers. According to Mike Neil, corporate vice president for enterprise cloud at Microsoft, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Azure stack is bringing proven innovation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including IaaS and higher level PaaS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from hyper-scale datacentres to on-premises, enterprise-scale environments to meet customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; businesses requirements.â&#x20AC;?
Initially, Microsoft said that Azure Stack would be integrated with any compatible hardware but has now chosen to partner with a limited number of OEM vendors to offer turnkey integrated systems that are certified for Azure Stack thereby eliminating the complexity of deployment and maintenance. It is likely that most Azure Stack customers will choose a vendor they already know and are confident can support them with the skills and tools required. Dell EMC is one of those hardware providers, having the capacity to offer servers, storage and networking equipment, as well as the ability to provide a range of support services, in one solution. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With Microsoft and its partners taking the responsibility of keeping the systems up, customers will have to spend a lot less time validating them. They will get a much better operational cost compared to trying to build it themselvesâ&#x20AC;? said Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vijay Tewari. Information on pricing and the planned business model for Azure Stack was announced in March. It will largely follow the way Azure works with a pay as you use system. The customer will buy Azure certified hardware with Azure Stack pre-installed and will then be billed for usage separate from the hardware costs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Azure Stack will be priced in a similar fashion to Azure. We use a set of meters that mirror what you have in the public cloud. Obviously, the pricing on that will be lower, given that the customer owns the hardware and that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s running in their facility.â&#x20AC;? said Mike Neil. Aside from the consistency of cost between the two environments, â&#x20AC;&#x153;thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no upfront cost. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really based on usage.â&#x20AC;? The meters are â&#x20AC;&#x153;similar to what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d find in Azure,â&#x20AC;? such as running a certain size of VM for a certain length of time. Azure Stack OEM offerings are expected to be available mid-year. THE DELL EMC DIFFERENCE With the third Technical Review of Azure Stack just released, Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approved OEM providers for this product are ZRUNLQJ RQ WKHLU KDUGZDUH RČ°HULQJV 1RQH PRUH VR WKDQ 'HOO 2(0 RQH RI IRXU VHOHFWHG E\ 0LFURVRIW 3DXO *DOMDQ 6HQLRU 'LUHFWRU ĹŹ 0LFURVRIW +\EULG &ORXG DW 'HOO (0& VDLG Ĺą2XU FXUUHQW 'HOO +\EULG &ORXG 6\VWHP FXVWRPHUV DUH DOUHDG\ HQMR\LQJ WKH VWUHDPOLQHG DXWRPDWHG GHSOR\PHQW
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HACKERS CAN INTERCEPT INFORMATION - BANK ACCOUNT CREDENTIALS, CREDIT CARD NUMBERS, OR SOCIAL MEDIA LOGINS - PASSING BETWEEN YOUR DEVICE AND A WEBSITE.
GET A VPN, LIKE NORTON WIFI PRIVACY, TO ENCRYPT ANY INFORMATION YOUR DEVICE SENDS AND RECEIVES WHILE YOU’RE ON PUBLIC WI-FI.
SOME AIRPORTS OFFER FREE WI-FI. BEWARE EVIL TWIN WI-FI NETWORKS WITH NAMES THAT SOUND LEGIT OR YOU COULD BE CONNECTING TO A ROGUE HOTSPOT SET UP BY A HACKER.
CHECK FOR WI-FI INFORMATION ON THE AIRPORT’S WEBSITE BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME. AND TO BE SAFE, DON’T LOG INTO PASSWORD-PROTECTED SITES. HOTELS DON’T ALWAYS IMPLEMENT SECURITY VULNERABILITY PATCHES FOR THEIR ROUTERS RIGHT AWAY. DON’T ASSUME YOUR HOTEL’S WI-FI IS SECURE.
DURING CHECK-IN, ASK FOR THE OFFICIAL HOTEL WI-FI NAME SO YOU’LL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF BEING ON A SECURED, PASSWORD-PROTECTED NETWORK.
EXPERIENCE A NEW SENSE OF SECURITY ON PUBLIC WI-FI CALL YOUR EXERTIS ACCOUNT MANAGER TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION
Altham 01282 776 776 | Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | store.exertis.co.uk
THE
To buy online: store.exertis.co.uk exertis.co.uk
FUTURE SPONSORED CONTENT
MAKE PUBLIC WI-FI PRIVATE
Cybercrime is seldom out of the news but the focus is naturally on big companies that have succumbed to a hacker. However, criminals make no distinction if the opportunity presents itself. Consumers and Soho workers are equally vulnerable and probably more so. Small businesses and individuals may not make headline news but they are also at risk. Nowhere more so than when using public WiFi. Convenient as it is, it’s never safe. Exposing sensitive information and data when using an unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot is just what the cybercriminal is looking for. Whilst some might say that cybercrime is an inevitable consequence of living in a connected world, there are simple preventative measures that can be taken. Don’t make private info public on Wi-Fi: Accessing personal information on unprotected public Wi-Fi is like broadcasting it on a TV – everything that an individual does on a website or through an app could potentially be exposed. Avoid anything that involves sharing personal information (paying a bill online, logging in to social media accounts, paying for anything with a credit card, etc.) while on a public Wi-Fi network. Sound advice indeed. However, how often is it heeded? A sensible solution is for resellers to recommend Norton Wi-Fi Privacy. It provides a VPN application that offers anonymity and online privacy by creating a private network from a public internet connection including unsecured Wi-Fi networks. With Norton WiFi Privacy, the sensitive data that is sent and received from a mobile device like passwords and credit card numbers is encrypted and converted into an unreadable, untraceable form until it reaches its destination. VPNs also help to maintain privacy, preventing attackers from gaining access to a user’s IP address or discovering their location as it will only detect the VPN server. Norton offers 25 server locations, geographically dispersed. By default Norton Wi-Fi Privacy chooses the VPN location closest to the user, although it’s also possible to select manually from a list. The VPN starts automatically when the user is connected to an unsecured network and coincidently it also provides an ad-blocking feature. Norton WiFi Privacy is compatible with all Windows operating systems, Android, Mac OS, and Linux and is available from Exertis. For more information, contact your Exertis account manager today.
2 3
NEARLY, IN PEOPLE CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN UNSECURE AND SECURE PUBLIC WI-FI NETWORK
81% OF CONSUMERS HAVE SHARED INFORMATION WHEN USING PUBLIC WI-FI
20%
HAVE ACCESSED BANK/FINANCIAL INFORMATION OVER PUBLIC WI-FI
54% OF CONSUMERS HAVE LOGGED INTO THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT(S) OVER PUBLIC WI-FI
1 2
OVER IN CONSUMERS BELIEVE IT’S SAFE WHEN USING PUBLIC WI-FI
38% HAVE SHARED PHOTOS OR VIDEOS OVER PUBLIC WI-FI ONLY 2 IN 10 CONSUMERS USE A VPN WHEN CONNECTING
TO PUBLIC WI-FI
55% OF PEOPLE HAVE LOGGED INTO A PERSONAL EMAIL
ACCOUNT WHEN USING PUBLIC WI-FI
13 3 1 3 3
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EXERTIS BUSINESS
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SWANN WIRELESS BATTERY CAM Swann’s Wireless Smart Security Camera offers lasting charge and can record up to 12 months of 20 second video clips. The Smart Security Camera is also certified for outdoor use making this a truly hassle free state of the art wireless camera. Part Code SWASWWHD-INTCAM-UK
Altham 01282 776 776 | Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | store.exertis.co.uk
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To buy online: store.exertis.co.uk
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TOP 5 BEST-SELLING BUSINESS PRODUCTS
EPSON A4 COLOUR INKJET PRINTER Part of Epson’s small-in-one range, the XP-245 provides a printer, scanner and copier, neatly packed into a stylish and compact unit. This A4 colour Inkjet printer produces high-quality prints and also makes life easier on the go with Epson Connect. Part Code EPSXP245
TARGUS CLASSIC 15.6 INCH CLAMSHELL The ideal case to carry notebooks with screens up to 15.6”. Featuring storage for essential accessories, padded lining for protection and a removable shoulder strap, perfect for on the move.
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Huawei’s finest smartphone to date and setting an industry benchmark, it’s the first hyper diamond-cut finishing on a smartphone. The new Leica Dual Camera 2.0 produces stunning artistic portrait shots using 3D facial detection and natural portrait enhancements.
NETGEAR N300 WIFI RANGE EXTENDER Extended WiFi is just an outlet away with the essentials edition extender. Convenient, discreet and easy to use, the WiFi range extender from Netgear works with any standard WiFi router and is ideal for keeping mobile devices continuously connected.
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1020 LINX BUNDLE The powerful and versatile Linx 1020 has everything needed, with all the great features of Windows 10, a 64-Bit QuadCore processor and dual-band Wi-Fi for better connectivity. It makes the Linx 1020 the perfect companion for work or play.
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HIVE ICE ACTIVE PLUG
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FELLOWES 325CI CROSS CUT SHREDDER
SAMSUNG 32” SMART LED
The Powershred 325i provides powerful non-stop shredding without a cooling down period. With a continuous duty motor allowing users to shred 24-26 sheets of paper at once, it makes this machine perfect for a busy office.
Make the most of home entertainment with the Full HD M5500 TV. The screen comes to life thanks to the 100Hz Picture Quality Index technology and the Smart TV features allow users access to a world of content.
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5
MICROSOFT WIRED KEYBOARD 600 USB PORT A quality keyboard that offers great value and reliability. Quiet Touch keys and a spill resistant design. Shortcut keys also give quick access to media controls, letting users focus on the task at hand. Part Code MSANB-00006
5
INTRODUCING THE FIRST NIGHTHAWK SWITCH!
Wire up for the best gaming and streaming experience. Industry’s first Nighthawk switch. :LWK ZLUHG JLJDELW FRQQHFWLRQV SURYLGLQJ WKH KLJKHVW VSHHG DQG PRVW UHOLDEOH FRQQHFWLYLW\ WR \RXU GHYLFHV RQH FOLFN RSWLPLVHG DGYDQFHG SUHVHWV IRU WKH XOWLPDWH RQOLQH JDPLQJ SHUIRUPDQFH DQG JLJDELW ZLUHG FRQQHFWLRQV RIIHULQJ EXIIHU IUHH VWXWWHU IUHH . 8+' VWUHDPLQJ IRU WKH EHVW DW KRPH PRYLH H[SHULHQFH
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,QGXVWU\ ¿UVW ³FRRO WRXFK´ SUHPLXP ]LQF DOOR\ KRXVLQJ IRU GXUDELOLW\ DQG ORRNV ZLWK VRIW WRXFK QR VOLS EDVH
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THE
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FUTURE
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SEVEN USEFUL TIPS FOR SMBS IN 2017 1. NEW BUSINESS RATES New commercial property valuations - which are used to calculate Business Rates - came into force from April 1st 2017 in England, Wales and Scotland. The government has said it will: • Permanently double Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) from 50% to 100% and increase the thresholds to benefit a greater number of businesses. Businesses with a property with a rateable value of £12,000 and below will receive 100% relief. Businesses with a property with a rateable value between £12,000 and £15,000 will receive tapered relief. 600,000 small businesses, occupiers of a third of all properties, will pay no business rates at all - a saving worth up to £5,900 in 2017-18. An additional 50,000 will benefit from tapered relief. •
Increase the threshold for the standard business-rates multiplier to a rateable value of £51,000, taking 250,000 smaller properties out of the higher rate. This will reduce business rates for many small businesses - including some high-street shops.
2. LIFETIME ISA From April 6th 2017, the Government introduced a new individual savings account: the Lifetime ISA, primarily targeted at the selfemployed. The Lifetime ISA is a longer-term tax-free savings account that gives you a government bonus of 25% of the money you put in, up to a maximum of £1,000 a year. You can save up to £4,000 a year, and can continue to pay into it until you reach 50. As with other ISAs, you won’t pay tax on any interest, income or capital gains from cash or investments held within a Lifetime ISA. Federation of Small Business (FSB) research indicated that just 30% of self-employed people are saving into a private pension. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/ news/lifetime-isas-available-from-6-april-2017
3. NATIONAL LIVING WAGE The National Living Wage for employees aged 25 and over went up 30p an hour from April 1st 2017 to £7.50. The hourly rate for 21-24 year olds is now £7.05; for 18-20 year olds it’s £5.60 and for under18s £4.05.
4. WATER SERVICES Most businesses in England can now choose which company they want to supply their retail water services. Those eligible are no longer tied to their regional water firm. And they can choose, if they prefer, to get their water supply from one firm and wastewater services
from another. A similar system has been in place in Scotland for some time. Further information is available here: http://www.fsb.org.uk/ first-voice/water-turns-on-the-tap-to-competition
5. CHARGES FOR HIRING NON EU WORKERS From April 2017, businesses face an annual fee to employ each new worker from outside the European Economic Area on a Tier 2 (skilled workers) visa. The Immigration Skills Charge will be levied on employers that employ migrants in skilled areas. Set at £1,000 per employee per year, and a reduced rate of £364 for small or charitable organisations, it is designed to cut down on the number of businesses taking on migrant workers and incentivise training British staff to fill those jobs. Further information is available from: https:// www.gov.uk/government/news/governments-new-immigrationskills-charge-to-incentivise-training-of-british-workers
6. VAT FLAT RATE SCHEME There are changes to the tax rates and eligibility criteria for some small businesses to apply a fixed flat-rate percentage to gross turnover to arrive at the VAT due. The change affects those deemed to be a “limited cost trader” where your VAT-inclusive expenditure is either: less than 2% of VAT flat rate turnover: or greater than 2% of VAT flat rate turnover but less than £1,000 per year. HMRC has produced a calculator to help businesses work out whether they are a limited cost business and will update individual sector rates. Further information is available on gov.uk website and https://www.gov.uk/vat-flat-rate-scheme/how-much-you-pay
7. BETTER PAYMENT PRACTICE In new measures to increase transparency and tackle late payment culture, larger UK quoted companies will, from April 2017, have to publish twice annually details about the average time taken to pay the invoices of smaller suppliers. Among the requirements for big firms affected will be a duty to reveal the proportion of invoices paid within 30 days, between 31 and 60 days, and above 60 days (which the government officially deems to be poor payment practice). Latest figures show SMEs are owed £26.3bn in overdue payments. For further information: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/latepayment-reporting-guidance-launched-for-large-businesses Sources and acknowledgements: The Federation of Small Business, Gov.uk
THE
To buy online: store.exertis.co.uk
FUTURE
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EXERTIS PLUGS IN ITS RESELLERS TO A BROAD RANGE OF TECHNOLOGY With over 900 attendees from resellers and vendors, the “Plug in to Exertis” event was an outstanding success, living up to its billing as the channel event of the year. Twickenham Stadium was transformed into a showcase of technology from consumer through to enterprise with over 100 vendors exhibiting. Plug in to Exertis aimed to give resellers the opportunity to extend their knowledge in their areas of interest and to look at complementary technology areas that could benefit their business. Paul Bryan, Exertis UK managing director, kicked off the event with a keynote speech that explained the range of technology and services available from Exertis, and how resellers could best take advantage of the specialist teams within the four business units (Consumer, Business, Enterprise and Supplies). This was followed by Will Greenwood who demonstrated the synergies between high performance in sport and business. Resellers could visit any of the five technology suites (AV, Consumer, Enterprise, Mobile and Print). Each area comprised vendor exhibition stands and presentation rooms. There were 17 different seminars on the agenda ranging from market trends and opportunities in AV and print to the growth of gaming, GDPR compliancy and mobile in business.
HERE’S WHAT SOME OF THE ATTENDEES SAID: Robert Herd. Sevenoaks Computers I found it very educational. I thought the exhibitions and the stands were good to have a look around and learn some new things. I particularly liked the opening address from the boss of Exertis and Will Greenwood. I thought his talk was particularly inspirational. We do a little bit of managed print, we have a retail shop, we don’t do a great deal of phones but the mobile exhibition had some great products in there for the shop. So there’s kind of a bit of a cross fertilisation…. Some of the talks we attended gave us facts and figures about what’s going on in the market and so that’s all helpful. I’d sum up today as well worth coming to.
Emrah Kuchkgirin from Despec It’s bigger than we expected. So we got to see a lot of brands, new brands, and a lot of opportunities for business. Very fruitful and full of opportunities for the future. Damian Coates from Utilise Plc. The consumer lounge was one of the best I’ve seen in a while, at an event, because it had a vast array of different manufacturers there. So that is very good to see what is going on. The insights from GFK and Connect, that was very good as well. So I’d definitely recommend anybody coming here. The venue is amazing. Emma Trigg, Bowers and Wilkins. Great to see the whole portfolio of Exertis brands and clients and have some really good conversations. We’ve had some good opportunities, we’ve had some good people to chat to, some people that we have worked with. It’s been a really good day. Oliver King, Fortinet As a social event, it’s a perfect balance between catching up with your core partners, but at the same time gaining a bit of information about the industry. Exertis has clearly gone to town with bringing the latest challenges in innovation and IT and they’ve brought it to us in one magnificent day. Andy Cocking, Computeam I think the GDPR seminar was really good, really informative and quite scary. Certainly something that I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about previously, some new legislation coming in. So that was really worthwhile. There were a lot of vendors that I’ve not spoken to before, so obviously Exertis has got a lot of vendors they work with and most of them were here, so that was really handy as well. It’s been very full on, loads of information, but really good. Very worthwhile.
THINK BIG W I T H A T I N Y D E S K TO P. LE VO VO ™ ThinkCe ntre M71 0 Tiny.
Partcode: S10156048
T h e P o w e r t o Tr a nsfo r m. P ac ks a Punc h. Think Reliabiltiy The compact ThinkCentre M710 Tiny desktop boasts a footprint so small it can fit neatly on a bookshelf, behind a monitor, or even under a desk. Engineered to work in the toughest environments, Tiny can handle anything from minor bumps to extreme temperatures and dusty conditions, so you can focus on growing your business and getting your work done. Features: • 1L form factor • Tiny-in-One compatibility • Clutter-free workspace • Intel® Core™ i7 processor • 3 independent displays • Optional ThinkCentre Dust Shield
F or mo re info r ma t i o n, p l e a se c ontac t your Ex ertis ac c ount m a n a ge r to d a y
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To buy online: store.exertis.co.uk exertis.co.uk
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RUGGED MEANS BUSINESS CONTINUITY IN ANY ENVIRONMENT SO WHAT DEFINES RUGGED?
The use of technology isn’t confined just to the office or home. Indeed, we expect to be able to use a mobile device whenever and wherever it can prove advantageous to do so. That includes outdoor and heavy-weather scenarios. Hence there is increased interest in ruggedised devices. Of course, it’s possible to put your tablet or smartphone into a ruggedised case but that’s not going to cut the mustard when it comes to surviving in extreme conditions or working in a manufacturing plant or construction site. Indeed occupations in law enforcement or the military are also key users of ruggedised devices, so the opportunity exists in many vertical markets. Whist ruggedised devices need to be durable, secure and offer applications that can be used out in the field, the requirement for a smaller, lighter, less expensive version to replace more cumbersome, heavier and costly predecessors is clearly visible. The improved communications, decisionmaking, tracking and managing of people and materials resources are benefits that are equally important to all types of user in many different markets.
Whilst there are no standardised terms, many refer to three different levels of ruggedness: semi-rugged, fully-rugged and ultra-rugged. A semi-rugged device is likely to have the same components as a non-rugged variety but with a spill-resistant keyboard and a thicker case. Fully-rugged devices have been certified to meet certain specifications relating to robustness, temperature, water and dust. Ultra-rugged are expected to be virtually indestructible and able to withstand the most extreme of conditions. However, the level of rugged-ability required depends on the use of the device. In the office and home, failure of a device is less of a burden than failure in a critical environment. Indeed, there is a major difference between the cost of a replacement as opposed to the cost of failure. Whilst more expensive than standard devices, the total cost of ownership of a rugged device can be less. Broken mobile devices need to be replaced, failure means loss of productivity and communication. Typically, there are several distinguishing features you would expect from a ruggedised device. Rugged devices are usually designed and expected to have a longer life cycle, probably double that of the average non-rugged device. Failure rates are expected to be lower for ruggedised devices and to be fit for purpose in harsh environments. Operationally, they are expected to be able to perform at both ends of the temperature scale from zero to well over 100 degrees – most non rugged devices are unreliable at temperatures below 32 degrees and in excessive heat will often fail altogether. Visibility is another differentiating factor. Ruggedised devices feature sunlight filtration, glare reduction, anti-reflective coatings and brightness ratings up to 6000 nits compared to around 340 nits on standard devices. Equally, they will need to perform in low light conditions with backlit keyboards.
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Svelte and secure, the Acer Chromebook 14 for Work is powered by a 6th generation Intel® Core™ processor, to provide users with exceptional performance and long battery life. Its military-standard ruggedness meets the strict criteria of the US MIL-STD 810G1 reliability standard. The spill-resistant keyboard has a drainage system that routes up to 330ml of liquids away from internal components and out through the bottom of the chassis. The reinforced top cover can withstand a downward force of up to 60kg, while the chassis can endure drops from heights of 122cm. Ideal for education use, the Acer Chromebook 11 N7 is an ultra-durable laptop that can meet daily rigours and intense usage by students inside the classroom or outside for activities. Compliant with strict U.S. Military testing, it provides extreme reliability and durability with a robust mechanical design. Its spill resistant keyboard with highly effective drainage design keeps the device running without damaging the critical components and its recessed keys prevent the picky fingers of students digging up the keycaps. It also boasts up to 12 hour battery life, enough for a full day of learning.
Rugged devices are expected to be waterproof (IP68 certified) and not just water resistant, and meet military standard specifications (MIL-STD 810G certified) for protection against shock and vibration, heavy dust, high altitudes and humidity. Inside, you’ll likely find a solid state drive, instead of a mechanical drive. Security features are also important, with the user likely to be out in the field but requiring access to the work network or the Cloud and a secure means of communicating and accessing data.
RUGGED OPTIONS Market analysts suggest that there is a shift in form factor towards rugged smartphones and tablets as opposed to noteboooks due to their size and ease of mobility. Exertis can offer a good choice for all options, some of which are mentioned below. The Dell Rugged Latitude range provides durability and reliability in rough conditions ensuring users can maintain their productivity and work efficiently even when the elements are working against them. With features like outdoorreadable displays, glovecapable touch, legacy IO capability and advanced wireless connectivity alongside industry-leading security and manageability, business can continue even in the world’s most challenging job sites. The Latitude range includes a 12” and 14” rugged tablet and a Rugged Extreme version with the world’s first rugged flip-hinge display which converts the device seamlessly between a notebook and a tablet. There are also rugged desk and vehicle docking options for the tablet and notebook.
Equally, the Acer TravelMate B117 notebook is tailor-made for the education market. Portable, robust and great for wireless sharing, it gives users up to 13 hours of battery life and features a ruggedised frame with a rubber strip that encloses the chassis to protect the device from unexpected bumps and drops. The keyboard is spill-resistant with a water drainage design that protects against accidental spills by channelling liquids out, keeping internal components dry. This smart system can drain as much as 330ml of liquid. The liquid resistant area includes keyboard, touchpad and hinge frame. The Asus Chromebook C302 and C303 are also designed with classroom ruggedness in mind. The slim, light and incredibly stylish Chromebook Flip C302 combines the simplicity of Chromebook with powerful components and an amazing 360° hinge that lets you use it in an endless variety of ways, including laptop, tablet, stand and tent modes. This versatile touchscreen device, with a tough and durable metal finish, frees you to work or play anywhere, anytime with its 10-hour battery life, backlit keyboard and a light sensor which automatically adjusts the brightness to suit the ambient lighting. If Windows is your preferred operating system, then the Linx Tough Tab 8 tablet is designed to be used in a variety of extreme environments. Its IP67 certification and impact protection can handle accidental drops, submersion in water up to a depth of 1m and dusty environments. Rigorously designed and drop tested to IEC-60068232 standards up to 1.2M, the Tough Tab 8 is protected from accidental bumps with reinforced edge and corner protection. With built-in barcode scanning, the Linx Tough Tab 8 is the perfect solution for any business. For full specifications of rugged devices, talk to your Exertis account manager.
Altham 01282 776 776 | Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | store.exertis.co.uk
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The tablet thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tough. Inside and out. With IP67 certification, enhanced impact protection and antivirus from Windows Defender, the Linx ToughTab 8 keeps your business going, no matter what.
Easy-hold hand strap. With 360-degree rotation, you can use the tablet easily in either vertical or horizontal orientations, anywhere. IP67 certified. Dustproof and Waterproof up to a submersion depth of 1M for 30 minutes. Windows Pro. Safe, secure and compatible with your new and exisiting business and education software and peripherals. Virus protection. Windows Defender protects more computers against viruses, malware, and spyware than any other solution.
Linx ToughTab 8 For more information, please contact your Exertis account manager today.
Exertis recommends Windows devices.
Lifetime warranty. Leading-brand compatibility.
StarTech.com SFPs (mini-GBICs) are fully compliant with Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) standards This means all of our SFPs are compatible with any networking equipment that meets MSA standards
Why MSA standards are important MSA standards create an open marketplace for SFP and SFP+ transceiver modules, providing customers with a wider choice of products and competitive pricing - resulting in cost savings. The standards give you the assurance that SFP modules manufactured by StarTech.com are identical in form factor and functionality to the equivalent CiscoÂŽ and HPÂŽ SFPs, and meet the MSA standards requirements of all compatible networking equipment brands following the MSA standards. Switch to StarTech.com SFPs and save!
What are MSA standards? Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) and enhanced SFP+ optical transceivers are standardised technologies, manufactured to comply with Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) standards. The MSA is an agreement among competing industry manufacturers to build products that are compatible across multiple vendors of networking equipment (Ethernet switches, routers, and media converters). All elements of the SFP or SFP+ including the mechanical and electrical interface are specified by a Multi-Source Agreement.
Be Warranty Aware
Consumers might assume that they are obligated to purchase specific, OEM branded SFPs to protect their equipment warranty. The Treaty of Functioning of the European Union protects customers and outlines that OEMs have no such power (TFEU Article 101 & 102). You can be confident that StarTech.com SFPs will not void your OEM warranty.
View our full selection of top-brand compatible SFPs:
www.startech.com/uk/SFPs
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EXERTIS MONITOR PROVIDES ADDITIONAL SERVICE FOR RESELLERS In an always on, 24/7/365 technology driven world where uptime is essential, services are an increasingly important element in a reseller partner’s portfolio in delivering total peace-of-mind IT operations to their customers. Exertis Professional Services enable resellers to add professional services to their portfolio without investing considerable resources in people, equipment and skills. Without services the ‘value add’ of a reseller partner is compromised. Exertis pre and post sales services equip resellers with the confidence to recommend, sell and service today’s technology. Over the last few years, Exertis has gained an enviable reputation in the market for providing a wide range of services that can be white labelled by our resellers, further enhanced by our recent ISO27001 accreditation: the first distributor in the UK to have earned this distinction. Building on this success, Exertis has now launched an additional post sales service that can provide a basic level of monitoring on any vendor’s solutions across the entire IT infrastructure. Called Exertis Monitor, the first level is now available to resellers providing essential information on how resources are performing in different areas with a notification process on outages or performance issues on any device that has an IP address. Resellers can now take advantage of the following device monitoring: Switch – Provides monitoring of availability, CPU usage, memory usage and general hardware health such as fan status, all depending on the information provided by the vendors within SNMP. Optionally, interface utilisation can also be monitored and reported on if required. To provide additional security to device configurations, managed switches can have configuration backed up via CLI, with monitoring to alert when running and saved configuration no longer match and track these changes. There is also limited vendor support for tracking configuration compliance against industry standards such as ISO and reporting of known vulnerabilities within firmware of switches.
Server – Provides monitoring of availability, CPU usage, memory usage and disk space usage along with interface utilisation. An asset inventory is performed when monitoring servers and can help with identifying installed programs, hardware and drivers. After at least one week of continuous monitoring data, growth forecasts can be provided around resource usage and future capacity requirements. Optionally, application monitoring can be carried out for specific applications such as Active Directory, IIS or SQL, along with more bespoke monitoring to measure certain services or protocol performance on critical business applications. Virtual – For virtual hosts such as VMware and Hyper-V, in addition to standard server monitoring, resource monitoring for Guest machines can also be performed. This can highlight resource allocation and usage, as well as allowing recommendations to be provided on improving guest performance and the best possible utilisation of host resources. Storage – Provides monitoring of availability, CPU usage, memory usage and disk space usage along with interface utilisation. Additionally, monitoring will concentrate on capacities of storage volumes and highlight latency and throughput values as well as measuring IOPS to provide accurate forecasts on when specific thresholds may be reached and clean up or expansion may be required. UPS – Provides availability monitoring, along with battery level and current load monitoring for UPS appliances to ensure that UPS devices are correctly functioning and notify of any potential issues prior to a critical failure or DR scenario. Other devices – Outside of these core areas, any other IP enabled device can be monitored to provide, at a minimum, availability reports. Devices supporting SNMP can also provide more detailed information to monitor CPU, memory or disk resource and in some cases interface utilisation as well. As this is dependent on the specific product required, additional monitoring of certain features may be possible based on what information the manufacturer provides to external systems. To find out more about the Exertis Monitor service please email ees.services@exertis.co.uk today.
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SPONSORED CONTENT
NEXT GENERATION REMOTE MONITORING SERVICES ALWAYS-ON VISIBILITY AND MONTHLY REPORTING StruxureOn cloud-based monitoring software can proactively minimise downtime and reduce break-fix resolution time and its mobile app provides instant visibility that can alert your own team or experts at APC™ by Schneider Electric™ to provide a fast resolution to an existing or potential issue. When an alarm is received, information is provided on what steps need to be taken to resolve the problem. If necessary an APC™ by Schneider Electric™ field service engineer can also be called upon. More complicated issues may be tackled in the future with the use of augmented reality to instruct someone on the exact steps that need to be taken. There’s nothing new about digital remote monitoring services. These have been in operation in data centres for many years. But are we about to witness a major development in this area that incorporates cloud computing, analytics and mobile apps? APC™ by Schneider Electric™ certainly believe so and their deployment of StruxureOn harnesses all three to provide data centre managers with the insights, tools and support they need to proactively predict and prevent incidents and system downtime in real-time delivered via a mobile app. So you get an instant view of your data centre 24/7, no matter where you are or what you are doing. With real-time visibility into system performance, maintenance and service requirements, StruxureOn provides maximum protection of critical equipment through smart alarming, remote troubleshooting and data-driven insights that enable improved decision-making. Advancements and new trends in IT provide the opportunity to take digital remote monitoring of data centre operations to a new level. Reduction in downtime can be achieved through machine learning and data analytics that record causes of downtime or failure. Subsequently, this can be used to predict when equipment is at risk and provide data centre managers with appropriate steps to avoid it. With increased data analytics, more accurate information can be gathered that can suggest, for example, what cooling system settings will result in the lowest power consumption, or predicted power consumption versus actual.
A monthly score card provides data centre managers with performance reports, improvement recommendations and incident statistics. The personalised StruxureOn report contains key metrics and insights on data centre performance and can provide an overview of batteries and UPS units within recommended lifespan and those nearing the recommended age for replacement.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR RESELLERS? For resellers, StruxureOn provides additional revenue and an incremental value proposition that they can extend to their customers, differentiating themselves from the competition. With margins tightened on hardware and budgets always stretched it can help manage the full lifecycle of their customers’ assets whether it’s a battery replacement, extending a warranty, renewing a service contract, a break/fix visit from an engineer or a full replacement of a UPS via the APC™ by Schneider Electric™ Trade UPS scheme. Data centres are becoming more reliable and efficient through the use of digital remote monitoring and condition based maintenance made possible through technologies like big data, machine learning and cloud computing. Adding the advantages that mobile brings to the story, then it’s no wonder why StruxureOn presents such an exciting opportunity. Exertis is a key partner for APC™ and their sales teams and product specialists can help you take advantage of this oppourtunity. Talk with your Exertis account manager on how you can take advantage of StruxureOn for your customers.
Altham 01282 776 776 | Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | store.exertis.co.uk
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Monitor critical devices directly on your smartphone with StruxureOn™ StruxureOn Monitoring is a digital service for monitoring your critical equipment, increasing resiliency and transparency through live sensor data, predictive data-driven analytics and smart alarming directly to your Smartphone. The Smartphone App delivers live sensor data and smart alarms on connected devices, giving customers peace of mind knowing their physical infrastructure is being monitored by trained experts, 24 hours a day. Features: • Expert 24x7 monitoring • Incident tracking • Share more to get more • Team chat collaboration • Proactive service dispatch • StruxureOn report
Contact your Exertis account manager today!
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WI-FI THE KEY TO
NEXT-GENERATION BUSINESS VALUE Wi-Fi has grown up and the market is more buoyant than it has been for some time*. Now twenty-five times faster than it was eight years ago it offers tangible business benefits to organisations and value-add opportunities for resellers,. In the first of three articles Rob Leggett, wireless and mobility director at Exertis, outlines why and how. As an employee, guest, customer and member of the public I want to use mobile technology everywhere, all the time. I am not alone! Organisations are having to re-evaluate the role of Wi-Fi. Where once a necessary evil for connecting employees and guests it is now a transformational tool driving efficiency, generating customer intimacy, and creating direct and indirect revenue. Resellers who grasp this will transform their business and their customers’ businesses. They will tap into a growing market and become trusted business advisers, revolutionising customers’ business operations, protecting against cyber threat and complying with regulation. Wi-Fi is a strategic investment that can deliver a real competitive edge in both operations and customer service. As well as connecting mobile devices to the corporate network, operational Wi-Fi enables organisations to be more agile and work on the move - taking payments, streamlining operations with mobility solutions, gathering big data, and deploying a host of IoT solutions. Operational priorities are security, convenience and performance. The customer service network offers public service Wi-Fi and convenient internet access. It is a convenience expected to be free of charge. The trick for organisations providing this is how to create a value-exchange by getting something in return, e.g. users consume advertising in return for information such as name, gender, age, email address, visitor habits.
legislation such as GDPR, PCI-DSS, KCSiE, and Prevent. Providing appropriate access to every class of user, whilst managing risk and threat from everyone from employees to cyber criminals. Finally the Wi-Fi application layer. Applications integral to the WiFi infrastructure providing competitive advantage and enabling the value-exchange.
CONNECTIVITY LAYER Key to getting the connectivity layer right is to understand organisational need and data requirement. What is the network going to enable and for who? How much coverage and where? How many users over what time periods? How do they congregate, move around and use the network for what and when? A good understanding means being able to define what a healthy network looks like in measurable terms. How many access points (APs) visible in a location, the minimum required signal strength, the maximum noise acceptable? We can then use tools to predict or measure how well a configuration will meet these standards. Once established we choose which APs and antennas to deploy where. For performance and longevity we need to deploy the latest standards (802.11ac). But it isn’t that simple. For greater throughput and connection density 11ac supports MIMO and MU-MIMO. So, concepts like 2x2, 3x3, 4x4 come into play making it both an art and a science to choose, something that makes a huge difference to the cost. And how to manage APs - cloud or controller? Cloud tends to be simpler, but offers less functionality and leads to compromises on security.
LAYER IT ON
Today a well designed and implemented Wi-Fi network will transform a business. It delivers the performance and reliability only previously associated with wired networks with significant added benefits of increased mobility and operational agility.
So, where to start? To visualise how Wi-Fi can help transform an organisation it helps to think in layers.
The next two articles will outline the options for robust and adequate security, and the value-added potential of the Wi-Fi application layer.
At the base is the connectivity layer. Providing fast, reliable connections to everyone, everywhere. Delivering “application integrity” - voice sounds like voice, video looks like video, and the message from the wireless heart monitor gets through every time. Next up the security layer. Making sure networks comply with
For more information on Wi-Fi products and technologies please contact your Exertis account manager. * Context: distribution sales of 802.11ac APs grew at their fastest rate in December 2016 and the year-on-year growth for enterprise and SME sectors was 64% and 70% respectively.
NETWORK VIDEO SECURITY SYSTEM
SWNVK-880004
8 Channel 4K Network Video Recorder & 4 x 4K Cameras
Meet the Products
SWNVK-88000H
SWNHD-880CAM
8 Channel 4K Ultra HD Network Video Recorder
4K Ultra HD Bullet Camera for Ultra HD Network Video Recorders
Contact your Exertis Account Manager for more information
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DISASTER RECOVERY:
YOUR LAST LINE OF DEFENCE
Ransomware is very much the topic of the moment following on from the severe attacks that hit more than 230,000 computers in over 150 countries on Friday, May 12. This attack was unprecedented in scale and should act as a reminder to us all that ransomware is a very dangerous and real threat. As the old saying goes “Every cloud has a silver lining”, there is no doubt that the recent WannaCry ransomware attacks brings plenty of opportunities for VARs and MSPs in the UK. Before the recent attacks, we were already looking at dismal statistics in the UK: • • •
54% of companies in the UK have been hit by ransomware 58% of UK companies paid the ransom 63% of UK companies experienced severe downtime following a ransomware attack
Your customer does not have to pay the ransom, suffers a minimum of downtime and loses minimal data (assuming they back up regularly, every 15 minutes for critical data). Make sure you are replicating your customer’s data to the Cloud, should a more destructive ransomware attack infect your local backups. There is no silver bullet in dealing with ransomware. The best approach is a multilayered one, incorporating educating staff; keeping your anti-virus software up-to-date; regularly software patching and most importantly having a robust and tested DR plan in place. Pick a DR solution that allows you to restore every time, everywhere. StorageCraft offers you all the tools you need to save the day when ransomware hits:
Despite the best preventative measures companies may or may not take, they need to have a contingency plan if ransomware hits. All experts, including anti-virus specialists, agree that when ransomware hits, the best option is to restore data from recent backups. As a VAR or MSP you need to ensure that your customers understand why they need a robust Disaster Recover (DR) solution.
•
The best DR solutions will allow your customer to be back up and running, after a ransomware attack, very quickly, possibly in minutes.
•
•
The ShadowProtect MSP bundle at £51.29 gives you ultimate Disaster Recovery with onsite back up and offsite replication to our custom-built Disaster Recovery cloud. Complete peace of mind for you and your customer in the event that local backups get encrypted. IT Edition - take hot backups with IT Edition for new and/or unprotected accounts. ShadowProtect SPX (perpetual) now with Free Premium after hours support (as we know attacks do not always happen between 9 and 5!)
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Acer recommends Windows 10 Pro.
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Windows Pro means business.
IT Admin Asset Analysis
Plantronics Hub (Windows/Mac)
Plantronics Manager Pro
Firewall
Plantronics Hub
Cloud Hosted
Plantronics Manager Pro Plantronics Manager Pro provides enterprises total control and flexibility over their Plantronics audio headsets and devices. Plantronics Manager Pro is a web-based service that gives IT Managers easy-to-use tools to configure settings and update audio device software and firmware for end-users across the enterprise. Plantronics Manager Pro leverages a cloud-based architecture and offers reporting tools that provide new insights into your communications environment.
Problems: • IT needs to modify audio device settings for hundreds of users to comply with company policy • IT wants to evaluate the effectiveness of their UC deployment, seeing which users are not using their headset • IT needs to push a firmware update to hundreds of users • IT wants to keep track of their audio device inventory • IT needs to troubleshoot user issues from a remote location
Solution: plantronics.com
©2016 Plantronics, Inc.10.16 6611
Plantronics Manager Pro
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B2B MUST HAVE ACCESSORIES
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GA B UM S I IN NE GS A SN D E N T E R T A I N M E N T
INVISIBLESHIELD GLASS CONTOUR SAMSUNG GALAXY S8
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KENSINGTON BLACKBELT 2ND DEGREE CASE FOR SURFACE PRO 4
Zagg’s Glass Contour screen protector embraces and preserves the beautiful design of the S8. Featuring highgrade tempered glass which curves around the S8 offering edge to edge protection.
Designed to meet military-grade MILSTD-810G testing the BlackBelt 2nd degree case features an integrated hand strap and strategic cut-outs to preserve the full function of the Surface Kick Stand.
RRP: £34.99 Colour: Clear Part Code: ZAGGS8CGSF00
RRP: £56.64 Colour: Black Part Code: KENK97442WW
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TARGUS VERSAVU IPAD AIR MULTI TABLET CASE (NEW IPAD COMPATIBLE)
Complete with a 4ft long cable the Kanex Car Charger enables users to keep their USB-C devices fully charged when on the road. It also includes an extra USB port for additional charging.
Offering protection and added functionality, the Targus VersaVu iPad case features adjustable viewing and unobstructed access to buttons and controls.
RRP: £23.95 Colour: Black Part Code: KANK1811052BK4F
RRP: £49.99 Colour: Black Part Code: TARTHZ634GL
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MOPHIE JUICE PACK AIR IPHONE 7
This black Mophie Juice pack offers the iPhone 7 protection and up to 60% extra battery life through charge force wireless charging technology.
RRP: £74.99 Colour: Black Part Code: S10153886
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RRP: £89.99 Colour: White Part Code: BELF8J200VFWHT
TARGUS MOBILE VIP 12-15.6” TOPLOAD LAPTOP CASE
Mobile VIP combines premium styling with high-level protection for your laptop. Offering a weather resistant base and SafePort Sling Suspension system to protect the laptop if dropped.
NORTON WIFI PRIVACY
Help your customer take charge of public Wi-Fi security and privacy with Norton WiFi Privacy. Secure private information like passwords, bank account details and credit card numbers when using public Wi-Fi on a PC, Mac or mobile device. RRP: £33.33 Part Code: 21370816
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BELKIN VALET CHARGE DOCK
Belkin’s Valet charge dock is the first to include an integrated charger for the he Apple Watch and iPhone. Enabling the he user to charge their Apple watch and nd iPhone simultaneously.
RRP: £89.99 Colour: Black Part Code: MOP3967JPAIP7BLKI
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KANEX USB-C CAR CHARGER
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OTTERBOX STRADA SAMSUNG GALAXY S8 CASE
This sleek and stylish Otterbox Strada case is made from genuine leather and folds over the handset for added protection as well as featuring slots for cards, cash or documents. RRP: £49.99 Colour: Black Part Code: S10134946@SDA
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TARGUS MOBILE VIP 12-15.6” BACKPACK
The ultimate professional range. The Targus Mobile VIP backpack features contoured shoulder straps, back padding and a weather resistant base. With its outstanding attention to detail this is essential for every professional. RRP: £74.99 Colour: Black Part Code: S10153889
Altham 01282 776 776 | Basingstoke: 01256 707 070 | store.exertis.co.uk
Laptop Cases and Backpacks for the Modern Workforce
Get ready for work WITH THE RIGHT GEAR
CitySmart™
City Gear
Mobile VIP
CitySmart laptop cases and backpacks balance contemporary styling with functional design to suit the needs of those frequently on-the-move or that often work away from the office.
A range of laptop bags designed for the modern commuter. Featuring Dome Protection System which protects your laptop by dispersing pressure caused by excessive weight away from the centre of your device screen where it is most vulnerable.
Mobile VIP laptop cases and backpacks combine classic style with superior protection to suit heavy travellers or highly mobile employees that need extra durability.
SNUG PROTECTION FOR ANY LAPTOP
SNUG PROTECTION FOR ANY LAPTOP
At Targus we’re very proud of the quality of our bags. That’s why we offer a limited lifetime warranty* on all our bags and cases. So you know you’re getting the best return on investment. *Terms and conditions apply.
Find out more on our website www.targus.com
WHEN THE TECHNOLOGIES ALREADY WORK TOGETHER, IT’S EASIER FOR US TO WORK TOGETHER At Vertiv, formerly Emerson Network Power, we’re building a world where critical technologies always work. ork. By bringing the full infrastructure capability together under one brand, we’ve made it easier for you to take our most innovative solutions to market and solve your ur customers’ most pressing challenges. We’re committed ed to helping you grow your business, increase your profits, its, and become an industry front-runner.
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