Ethernet connections are most suited to companies that require a highly reliable connection to the Internet for things such as cloud computing, IP telephony or a multi-site Virtual Private Network solution.

With circuits priced according to distance from the local exchange, and availability around the UK rapidly on the rise, Ethernet is proving to be especially cost effective for businesses in towns and cities in the UK that have traditionally paid far more for high quality bandwidth than they would in London or the South-East.

Our latest pricing is the most competitive in the market, with Ethernet circuits from under £200 per month. Launched 18 months ago, Ethernet makes an excellent upgrade from SDSL for businesses that require a high quality Internet connection and offers many advantages over SDSL which include :

• Un-contended bandwidths available from 2Mb to 10Mb
• Highly reliable with 99.93% uptime and market leading service level guarantees
• Already available on nearly 1,000 exchanges, with full roll-out continuing rapidly

The launch of Apple’s iPad tablet earlier this year started a new “arms race” in the IT Hardware industry, which is likely to prompt manufacturers to “innovate like crazy”, according to new analysis by Forrester Research.

Over 3 million iPads had been sold worldwide by the end of June 2010, – a figure which Forrester forecasts will rise to over 13 million by the end of this year.

Other manufacturers are not resting on their laurels and a wide variety of devices have been launched in Q3 2010, based on both MS Windows and increasingly on Android operating systems (as used in the latest smart phones).

With an all-day battery life, lighter-weight, a more attractive form factor and better user experience than a traditional laptop plus a rapidly growing portfolio of business applications, the tablet devices are captivating both consumers and corporate employees alike.

Whilst tablets will bring many new benefits, they also bring new problems that IT Support must deal with. With Microsoft Office currently unavailable on most tablet PCs, the devices won’t displace laptops for productivity purposes in the near future but pressure will grow from employees enthusiastic about the new devices to introduce them to the corporate workplace.

Basic applications, such as email and office applications will need to be addressed first, before others can be added. IT teams will also need to keep their security and device management procedures up to scratch so that the increasing use of tablet devices doesn’t create additional risks for the business.

To find out if it’s appropriate to introduce tablet devices to your business, contact Effective Systems today.

Neil Berkett, chief executive officer at Virgin Media said: “The world of possibilities that broadband will enable is set to explode and we’re excited about the innovations we can bring to consumers in the next decade.”

Virgin are currently trialling 200Mbps broadband technology in a limited pilot scheme in Ashford, Kent.

By comparison, BT revealed high-end broadband plans of its own last week, stating that it is planning to launch a 110Mbps, fibre-based service in March 2011.

Although these stories are grabbing the media headlines, many companies are actually getting by with much lower broadband speeds but paying too much for them.

If your business could do with a productivity boost, why not let Effective Systems review your broadband services and see if we can improve your efficiency as well as save you some money ?

In a new report, leading research company Gartner has recommended that businesses should be migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7 within two years, and start testing the operating system by the end of 2010, with a view to completely eliminating Windows XP from their office PCs by the end of 2012.

Windows 7 is very stable and has been getting positive reviews in the 12 months since its release. Many organisations report that they have started to introduce Windows 7, but there are some that are still undecided about when to start and how quickly to do the migration.

Gartner recommends taking an “attrition” approach – as you retire a PC, introduce Windows 7 on the new replacement model, but cautions that “based on the typical PC refresh rate, many organizations will not be able to get Windows XP out by moving to Windows 7 by attrition alone.” Planning, testing and piloting Windows 7, they estimate, will need between 12 and 18 months for most organisations.

Typically, more than half of an organisation’s applications require Windows according to Gartner. “Replacing it is not an option.”

Effective Systems endorses this recommendation to migrate from XP to Windows 7 – why not call us now to start planning your replacement of Windows XP.

We’ve recently completed a number of VoIP (Voice over IP) projects for customers and for ourselves using technology and services from two of our key partners.

For a large professional services organisation, we completed the implementation of a multi-site deployment of over 140 telephone handsets within a six-week period. This implementation will save the organisation around £50,000 p.a. in communications costs.

For a small property management company, we’ve implemented a single-site implementation of Spitfire’s SIP Communicator service which provides up to 10 telephone extensions. This solution saved them more than 60% of the capital cost of a installting a traditional phone system and more than 30% on annual running costs.

For a new start-up company, we’ve just implemented a hosted PBX service using MS Windows-based PBX software, providing them with a simple telephone system in return for a small monthly payment. Again, this saves initial capital expenditure.

To find out how we can save you money and make your phone systems more flexible, call us now.