M-Files Artificial Intelligence now makes Metadata Suggestions

M-File’s next release will include some powerful artificial intelligence services to help end users with metadata suggestions.

I mentioned in another article that the power behind IML’s ‘Intelligence Components’ comes from the integration of Abbyy’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies into M-Files. Based on textual content capture and OCR these AI technologies interpret text using algorithms that analyse the meaning of the words and the relationships between them allowing real time classification of complex and unstructured data.

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Even though it sounds complex, it couldn’t be simpler for the end user. Drag a document into the vault and you’re presented with ‘tags’ or ‘suggestions’ that you can click on to populate the metadata fields. The ‘tags’ are based on information in the document that matches metadata already in the vault. For example, your vault may have a list of suppliers stored as metadata to use when adding invoices. When AI reads the invoice, because it matches the supplier name with the one stored as metadata in your vault, a tag is created as a suggestion for you. All you need to do is click on it to add it as metadata, much faster, easier and more accurate than clicking in the field and typing the name to select it.

It doesn’t stop there either; AI based metadata tags can be invoked on existing documents when a property is changed. This is especially useful for business processes where metadata is added or changed along the way in a workflow. Going back to our invoice example, the initial metadata suggested when added didn’t include a description as this is to be populated by the person approving it.

If you want to know more about how to setup M-Files Intelligence Service to make suggestions when adding documents or when a property is changed, please contact us.

Which Backup Media Is Right For You?

Twenty years ago, backup media was easy to get your head around. Floppy Disk, Iomega, CD and Tape Drives, nothing to it.

Nowadays there’s so much more – what method of backup to use, where the backups are stored, how the backups are taken, when they are taken and how the backups are tested to ensure they are restorable.

Floppy disks and Iomega have gone the way of the dodo, but let’s look at current backup media still in use

  • USB Stick

  • Internal Hard Drive (via RAID)

  • External Hard Drive

  • NAS

  • CD / DVD (some people still use it!)

  • High Speed Tape Drives

  • Remote Backup Services

  • Syncing over internet (OneDrive, Google Drive etc.)

  • Cloud Backup

Each of these methods has its place depending on many factors, but don’t fool yourself thinking that a cheaper version will be ‘OK’ - It rarely is.

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Considerations when deciding on a backup media type

Type of backup

Whether you are backing up hourly or daily and what sort of files you are backing up should help determine what backup media to use. For example, if you have a large amount of data requiring a nightly backup, then you could not use DVDs.

Backup Media Cost

It is important to factor in the cost of backup media, as well as the number of devices you require to ensure a consistent and effective backup process.

Backup data security

Identifying what is backed-up and how sensitive that data is can help you decide the most appropriate backup media. If your data is integral to your business, don’t sacrifice quality for savings.

Restorability

You need to weigh the risk of your selected media - how often will a restore fail per 1000 times it is tried? Each type of backup media has its own pros and cons and you need to investigate them properly to make an informed decision.

Hardware Redundancy

Ensuring that your hardware is not going to become redundant over time is extremely important when choosing a media type. Five years down the line, you may need to restore data which seems recent today, and the hardware may be considered obsolete with the restore devices hard to find. Restoring from a 3.5” floppy disk today would not be the easiest task.

Restore speed and time

Depending on the data, whether it is ‘mission critical’ or whether you can do without for a day or more, all plays a part on which backup media to use and what processes to put in place. Consider putting your crucial servers on a quicker restoring media where possible.

These are only a few considerations when looking at backup media. You need to see the complete picture and envision where your organisation might be in five to ten years’ time. If you think back on how things have changed since the 1990s, you can appreciate that being open to new ideas and processes could not only save you time, but also money.

For more information on back-up software and processes, get in touch with one of our highly experienced staff today. 

 

Dimensions & Cost Centres With SAP B1

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SAP Business One allows users to allocate cost centres to transactions with up to five dimensions. The purpose is to be able to allocate a cost centre to a transaction for transactional reporting, as opposed to general ledger account reporting. This provides users a more in-depth view of what is taking place in each area of the business.

Let’s take an example of this where dimensions come into play; say you have a general ledger account number and the accounting team does not require multiple segments for reporting (this would create too many accounts to monitor). Instead they enable cost accounting within SAP B1 by going to System Initialisation – General Settings – Cost Accounting and enable ‘Use Dimensions’. Generally, the option to display distribution rules ‘In Separate Columns’ is selected.

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Once saved, the dimensions can then be setup for cost centres to be created per each dimension. A cost centre is a company, unit or division that performs a specific business function. Users define the various cost centres and can then assign revenue and expense accounts to those cost centres.

The cost accounting feature, and the ability to assign dimensions and distribution rules, is a very versatile function. Once setup correctly, cost centres can be allocated to transactions at the time of posting, providing users a complete view of the costs related to running each department. In addition, it allows you to generate reports that reflect the distribution of costs across selected dimensions.

This provides management ability to better understand its operations and can assist with future planning and deciding what areas require improvement. Through utilising this function, SAP Business One can help businesses better manage their operations and provide them with access to necessary data and information across all business lines or departments.

Note that any changes to your system should be discussed with your consultant prior to proceeding. Ensuring that workflows are not affected, that reporting requirements are achieved and that other areas are correctly setup to allow for cost centres to be allocated correctly is integral to achieving the desired result.

If you are looking to implement cost centre accounting within your organisation, please don't hesitate to contact our team today!

Mobile Device Management

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What is it?

Mobile device management (MDM) software allows IT staff to manage, secure and monitor mobile phones provided to employees. MDM software can be implemented and used to manage devices across multiple different Service Providers and all major phone operating systems.

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Why is MDM important?

MDM allows IT staff to have a centralised management portal covering all the devices provisioned with the MDM software. This allows IT to have quick access to device data and statistics, apply security profiles and give mobile device support.

The security profiles can be used to implement secure emailing, secure web browsing and the lock down of the app catalogue, ensuring only certain whitelisted apps are available.

An MDM platform can be utilised to setup and configure a VPN for use by those mobiles which have the VPN policy applied, allowing for centralised management for any updates needed.

MDMs can perform remote locking and remote wiping of data in an event where this could be necessary, if the device is lost or stolen and contains sensitive information.

For organisations using a corporate network, implementing an MDM profile on a mobile device can ensure that whenever that device is in range of a pre-defined WiFi network that it is granted access.

Other Benefits?

A major benefit of implementing an MDM is that it gives IT the ability to let staff utilise their already existing mobile devices for the work place and permit connectivity to the corporate environment. Due to the sheer number of people who have personal computing devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops), this gives a major advantage and saves costs for those organisations who do allow BYOD (bring your own device) with their MDM platform.

Advance and MDM

Advance work with the AirWatch platform, which is VMware’s MDM solution. Offering compatibility with Android, Chrome OS, iOS, macOS, Windows 10 and more, AirWatch is a leader in the MDM space.

If you are interested in more information, or wish to try out AirWatch contact Advance Business Consulting below.

Our Top 6 Internet Safety Guidelines

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We have all heard stories about people being held to ransom by their own computer, an identity being stolen online, or even credit card information and passwords being stolen. Many of these occurrences can be traced back to the end user not being diligent when opening emails, clicking on links, downloading files etc.

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So here are our top 6 rules when browsing online:

  1. Keep your personal information private

Personal information in the public domain can be used against you maliciously in a multitude of ways – the best way to avoid this is keep your personal information offline.

  1. Ensure privacy settings are switched on

To further ensure information isn’t unintentionally gleamed from you; ensure that you enable privacy settings on web browsers, social media, etc. as some sites will try and gleam as much information as possible, whether for marketing or to sell on. This includes when they ask you to opt in - seriously consider what information you might be allowing even reputed sites to take.

  1. Maintain safe browsing habits

If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. It’s very commonplace for a tempting offer, a link to something that sounds very appealing or a notification that you’ve won a competition. One unthought-out click could expose your data or even put malware onto your device.

  1. Ensure you are using a secure internet connection or WiFi network

As we discussed in our article Is Public WIFI Worth the Risk?, using a public WiFi network opens you up to all sorts of vulnerabilities as you can’t tell where your data is being routed. We strongly recommend not using any personal information or login credentials when connected to an unknown or public WiFi.

  1. Be careful what you download

The easiest way for a cybercriminal to get a virus or malware onto a targets PC is for them to voluntarily download it. When you are downloading from the internet, make sure you are getting it from the provider’s webpage and from a site that you trust.

  1. Maintain strong passwords

One of the biggest vulnerabilities and typically an easy target for those with malicious intent, is the end-user’s password. People tend to use passwords that are easy to remember, and typically easy to guess (or brute force). We suggest using at least a 10-character password and a combination of letters, numbers and characters. It is also common to use a password manager, which can generate a password of varying complexities for all websites, using one master password for the password manager. Obviously, it is crucial to use a very complicated password for the manager as it is a single point of failure, and enable two factor authentication wherever possible.

For more information regarding internet safety and how you can better protect your information, get in contact with one of our team members.

What is an API?

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What Is an API?

If you have talked with a programmer you may have heard them comment about API calls and ‘talking’ to another application via its API. API stands for Application Programming Interface, which allows different applications to communicate, without learning each other’s ‘language’.

The purpose of APIs

APIs make it easier for developers to communicate with other applications, using certain pre-defined methodologies when building applications. An API allows one application to permit another application to use only specific objects or actions in a way that ensures compatibility and integrity between the two.

What can an API do?

A request to gather information from a third-party application may use an API call as the means to communicate, allowing the programmer to gather and use information in a way that is accessible. The API acts as a middleman for the programmer when requesting information from another application, while also letting the programmer know what he can ask for, how to ask the question and how to process the answer.

Take for example when an order is placed on a front-end system, an API can be used to send the order details (delivery address, customer details, etc..) into an internal system that it doesn't natively communicate with. Whether an accounting system, fulfillment software or even directly into a database, it’s possible to streamline the way data is transferred and interpreted when utilising an API.

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Why use an API

  •  API’s provide an enhanced layer of security; through never exposing your data fully to the server, and the server never fully needing to expose itself in return. Instead, each communicates with the API, only sharing that which is necessary.
  • An API allows for simplicity and reusability by implementing a standard programming method to interact with the server, allowing the same method to be used for each application.
  • APIs are typically developer-friendly, easily accessible, and how to interact with it and what calls to make are usually well documented.

This all allows for an integration to be developed in less time, with rules governing how and what access is provided.

Things to keep in mind

Just as easily as they give access, capabilities given through APIs can be taken away. If an API that you rely on reduces its capabilities, or even an API that you utilise is shut down suddenly, you may find yourself in a tough situation with severely reduced functionality.

It pays to research the APIs you utilise and keep up to date with news and developments. 

If you have queries about custom software and about how Advance can help streamline your processes, get in touch. 

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Antivirus Software and Firewalls

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Antivirus Software and Firewalls

These days almost everyone uses the internet on a regular basis, whether at home, work or on the go. The internet is a tremendously valuable resource; as the number of people accessing the internet grows, so do the risks associated with it. Regardless of whether you are accessing the internet for personal or professional purposes, it is imperative to ensure you are doing so safely.

Two vital components to protect yourself and your system online are an effective anti-virus and a firewall.

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Antivirus software

Anti-virus software is your primary defense against malicious threats online and offline. An anti-virus runs in the background of your computer, quietly checking every file that is accessed, monitoring for threats (this is often referred to as ‘real-time protection’). Your anti-virus runs these files through its database, checking against known viruses and other malware. Because of this method, it is very important that you regularly check for updates with your anti-virus software or set it to auto-update.

Anti-virus software can also perform a ‘full system scan’, where it will scan the selected locations to ensure there is no malware lying dormant. Full system scans are typically used when initially installing the software, or when you think your computer is acting up and something could have slipped through the cracks of your real-time protection.

Firewalls

In the most basic sense, a firewall is a barrier to keep damage away from your property – hence the name firewall. A firewall is a piece of software or hardware that sits between your computer or private network and the internet. Its job is to filter information (packets) coming through your connection, and if need be, reject them. A firewall gives you several options to establish rules to identify the traffic allowed in and out of your network, whether restricted by IP, certain ports or through application filtering amongst others.

By rejecting this unwanted traffic, the firewall prevents those with malicious intent being able to probe your network and attempt to cause damage by stealing information, uploading malware, performing denial of service attacks, using remote login, source routing and more.

Firewalls are effective at protecting your system from unauthorized entry, but they are not capable of removing malware from an already infected system – therefore firewalls should always be used in conjunction with some form of anti-virus software, ensuring that both are always up to date.

For more information on Managed Technology and Security please contact us

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How Important Are Windows Updates?

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We’ve all seen the notifications for when Windows Updates are available, and I’m sure most of us have thought to ourselves “Again?! I only just installed one last week!”.

Have you ever thought to yourself why they pop up at what seems to be the most inopportune moments, and with such importance?

What is a Windows Update?

Windows Update is an inbuilt Microsoft service used for periodic updating of system files, to patch known issues and vulnerabilities with Microsoft products. This includes the Windows OS itself, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Edge, etc.

Each Microsoft Update is assigned an associated Knowledge Base number (KB) which gives further information on the updates. Updates are classified as one of four types:

Critical Updates

  • These fix major issues, found across all Microsoft Products, that cause errors or unexpected functions. Alongside Security Updates, these are the highest priority updates to apply and should be done as soon as possible.

Security Updates

  • Security Updates are applied to address security vulnerabilities which can allow a system to become compromised. Security updates have five different levels of importance; Critical, Important, Moderate, Low or non-rated. Security updates classed as Critical are the most important updates for your system and ignoring these can leave your server or computer vulnerable to hackers and other malicious attacks.
  • Security updates are provided with a Microsoft Security Bulletin number (MS) for further details.

Software Updates

  • Applied to cover non-critical problems, often applying feature updates and addressing minor bugs.

Service Packs

  • Service packs are an amalgamation of all updates up to a certain date, for a specific piece of software or operating system, typically including feature updates.
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How can I ensure that my systems are secure?

All recent Microsoft Operating Systems have in-built automatic updating features, which allows you to schedule and download high-priority updates.

If you are managing multiple desktop computers and even servers, the most efficient and effective way to stay up-to-date is to offload what can be a mammoth task to a Managed Service Provider (MSP). Managed Service Providers employ professionals with years of experience maintaining, reviewing and applying Microsoft patches to a vast range of different environments.

Using monitoring software MSP’s are able to monitor patch statuses remotely and schedule regular patching cycles to ensure that all critical and relevant patches are applied as soon as they are available. If issues are to arise from any patches pushed by Microsoft, your MSP is able to analyse the issue and determine which patches can be causing the issue and disable them, or roll-back where necessary.

By removing the burden of responsibility internally and placing it in the hands of experienced professionals, you can rest easy knowing that your systems are receiving the best in pro-active care.

If you are interested in what Advance can offer in this scope, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

What Makes A Good Website?

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Can you remember the last time you used the phone book or newspaper to find a product or service? I can’t.

The internet is now the main tool used to search for whatever you need; products, services, assistance, etc. If someone is looking for something and your business is a potential candidate, you need to be seen and you need to look good.

Your website is typically the first impression a potential customer gets when investigating your business and what you offer – you maintain a tidy and appealing store for when potential customers visit, why should your website be any different?

What makes a good website?

Modern, clean and easy to navigate

  • An effective website is modern, easy to navigate with all necessary information in easy reach – this includes contact details, location and opening hours if you have a store. It’s important that your website isn’t too overwhelming to the visitor, saving most of your information for pages other than the landing page.

Give the customer a solution to their problem

  • Typically, the reason that someone has arrived on your site is that they are looking for a solution to a problem. It’s imperative that you offer the customer a solution, or an easy way to get started on the right track. Whether this is a product section or an offer for a free quote online, it’s important that the customer knows you can help them within a short time from arriving on your site.

Your website needs to look great on all platforms

  • As of 2017, it’s estimated upwards of 35% of all web traffic in Australia was done on mobile devices, whether a mobile phone or tablet. It’s crucial that if a visitor uses their mobile device to view your site, that your site is just as accessible and clean as the desktop version.

Make it look professional

  • When a user is viewing your site, it’s not a good look if there are visible spelling mistakes, or even blurry images that have been blown up too big. It pays to regularly ensure that all links are still active, with no dead links – it’s never a good look when a user hits a ‘404 Not Found’ error

The result of not having an effective website is your potential customer using that most useful of keys – the back button. If you want potential customers to stay on your site, envision yourself as a potential customer and keep the above in mind.

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If you have questions about your website, or what we can provide for you, contact Advance Business Consulting below.

5 Considerations For Choosing An Enterprise Content Management (ECM) System

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Within the industry, it is known that when an organisation fails to research their needs for an ECM system that there is a good chance that the project will fail, or the resulting implementation will leave a lot to be desired.

Therefore, the most cost-effective step you can take when purchasing and implementing an ECM system is to not rush through the process of choosing your supplier. This is assuming that you have identified a need for an ECM system in the first place, and that your employees are invested in an ECM solution.

To ensure that your ECM implementation will be a success, here are five points that you should consider:

1. Requirements Gathering 

It is imperative to start with finding out what your needs are, and how they will be addressed by your potential ECM solutions. You must gather feedback from all areas of the business who will be using the system. As ECM is a huge product category, and ECM suppliers provide a very wide variety of products and product features, it is vital to define and understand what functionality is required before moving further.

2. Supplier Selection

It can take a considerable amount of time to research a supplier, the customers they have and whether they “fit” your company, but it must be done to give your ECM implementation the greatest chance of success. Important questions to ask every potential supplier should include:

  • What type of training and support do they provide?
  • What technology platform do they use and how scalable is it?
  • What do they know about your industry and potential problems within that industry?
  • Do they have success stories and testimonials from other clients?

3. Post-Implementation Support 

It is important that after installation and configuration, that post implementation support is available, and you know the cost for that support. Ensure that you feel comfortable with the technical staff who will be providing that support.

4. Flexible Deployment Options 

Many ECM systems can be run on-premise or in the cloud, with different methods of accessing each. In the future you may need to setup users with different configurations, to adjust to the needs of your business. This includes flexible licensing options, which may allow for greater customisation in the long run.

5. Integration with Third Party Applications 

It is important to ensure that your solution can be integrated with any third-party apps or data that you currently use. Miss out on this step and you may end up having to take more steps to accommodate for those apps, resulting in more work for users.

When choosing an Enterprise Content Management solution, ensure that you cover all the above points. There are other things to consider of course – as each organisation has different needs. Choosing a solution that doesn’t meet the needs of your organisation could be costly, so invest time and money in clearly defining your needs and selecting suitable partners.

To learn more about Electronic Content Management, don't hesitate to speak to one of our team members by contacting us below.

Would You Consider Blogging On Your Own Intranet?

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It is now commonplace to see a blog section on any website that offers products or services. It allows that company to connect directly with their customers, to keep them informed about what is going on inside the company, or updates on the industry itself. Through a blog, information on new products and services can easily be pushed to common social media platforms, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

Although a passive method to reach out to your client base and potential customers, it is an indispensable tool for communication in today’s technology age.

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How can I utilise a blog internally?

An internal blog is only seen by employees, and generally hosted within your intranet. Internal blogs allow for more freedom of expression and can be expanded upon or limited as deemed by management. A few reasons why you need an internal blog:

  1. Information Sharing

An internal blog is a powerful tool for information and knowledge sharing. If there are changes, (a new employee, a new product, etc.) then blogging is a great medium for sharing that information. You can setup automated emails to staff, ensuring users get a notification to read the blog or set it up to display on your intranet home page for a certain period of time. Not only is this an effective way to share information, it also ensures employees are up-to-date on the latest company and industry news.

  1. Communicating Company Vision

It is easy for employees to forget the company vision, goals and core values. Culture takes over from those visions and goals, and periodically employees need to be reminded of what the company stands for and the direction it is heading. An internal blog allows you to regularly communicate your company vision and values to employees via your intranet platform, helping employees feel more connected to your organization.

  1. Increased Communication

An internal blog is a great addition to other communications tools such as Yammer and Slack (and more). Allowing all employees to create blogs (approved by a content manager), creates a great forum for discussion. This not only promotes open communication between employees, but also boosts employee engagement and morale. If you are an organization with many face-to-face meetings, a blog helps keep the conversation going long after the meeting is finished.

  1. Growing the Company Community

Hosting an internal blog is a great way to build a sense of community. Employees can use the blog to promote upcoming events, increase awareness for causes or give praise and congratulations to other colleagues.

What we think..

Contributing to an internal blog is the best way for your organization to share information, communicate company vision, increase collaboration and help staff feel like they are part of a larger community. Establishing an internal blog can give as many as, and if not more benefits than a public blog.

Would you consider blogging on your Intranet?

Which Backup Media Is Right For You?

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Twenty years ago, backup media was easy to get your head around. Floppy Disk, Iomega, CD and Tape Drives, nothing to it.

Nowadays there’s so much more – what method of backup to use, where the backups are stored, how the backups are taken, when they are taken and how the backups are tested to ensure they are restorable.

Floppy disks and Iomega have gone the way of the dodo, but let’s look at current backup media still in use

  • USB Stick
  • Internal Hard Drive (via RAID)
  • External Hard Drive
  • NAS
  • CD / DVD (some people still use it!)
  • High Speed Tape Drives
  • Remote Backup Services
  • Syncing over internet (OneDrive, Google Drive etc.)
  • Cloud Backup

Each of these methods has its place depending on many factors, but don’t fool yourself thinking that a cheaper version will be ‘OK’ - It rarely is.

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Considerations when deciding on a backup media type

Type of backup

Whether you are backing up hourly or daily and what sort of files you are backing up should help determine what backup media to use. For example, if you have a large amount of data requiring a nightly backup, then you could not use DVDs.

Backup Media Cost

It is important to factor in the cost of backup media, as well as the number of devices you require to ensure a consistent and effective backup process.

Backup data security

Identifying what is backed-up and how sensitive that data is can help you decide the most appropriate backup media. If your data is integral to your business, don’t sacrifice quality for savings.

Restorability

You need to weigh the risk of your selected media - how often will a restore fail per 1000 times it is tried? Each type of backup media has its own pros and cons and you need to investigate them properly to make an informed decision.

Hardware Redundancy

Ensuring that your hardware is not going to become redundant over time is extremely important when choosing a media type. Five years down the line, you may need to restore data which seems recent today, and the hardware may be considered obsolete with the restore devices hard to find. Restoring from a 3.5” floppy disk today would not be the easiest task.

Restore speed and time

Depending on the data, whether it is ‘mission critical’ or whether you can do without for a day or more, all plays a part on which backup media to use and what processes to put in place. Consider putting your crucial servers on a quicker restoring media where possible.

These are only a few considerations when looking at backup media. You need to see the complete picture and envision where your organisation might be in five to ten years’ time. If you think back on how things have changed since the 1990s, you can appreciate that being open to new ideas and processes could not only save you time, but also money.

For more information on back-up software and processes, get in touch with one of our highly experienced staff today. 

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Is Public Wi-Fi Worth The Risk?

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Is Public Wi-Fi worth the risk?

Around the world today you can rarely find a café, hotel or airport without access to a public Wi-Fi network. More than ever we have internet access whenever and wherever we need it.

Unfortunately, public Wi-Fi does come with a catch – data sent over a public Wi-Fi connection provides an easy way for individuals with malicious intent to capture the data you send and track everything you do. Using specialised software whilst connected to the same networks allows access to the information you send, like someone eavesdropping on a conversation in a public place.

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Surveys have shown that 83% of Australians have taken risks on-line when using Public Wi-Fi and an astounding 30% of Australians have used on-line banking over a Public Wi-Fi connection.

You should also be extra vigilant when connecting to these public hotspots, ensuring they are legitimate for the café or hotel you are in. It is not uncommon for an attacker to have a phishing hotspot setup with a similar or identical name.

Things to consider if you intend to utilise public hotspots

Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) - to connect and secure your data. A VPN allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the internet and can shield your browsing activity and transferred data (usernames and passwords) from any malicious monitoring.

Refrain from visiting any sites which require a login with username and password, especially banking, email accounts and social media. Accessing these types of sites over a public network opens you up to potential issues which may only surface months later.

When setting up your laptop or workstation in a public area, take note to face your laptop screen away from any potential prying eyes, and monitor your surroundings over time to ensure you are the only one watching what you’re doing.

For more information on Public Wifi's and web VPN's, get in touch with one of our highly experienced staff today.

Our Guide To Building Your First Mobile App

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Did you ever dream of being the entrepreneur who created ‘that’ app?

Here are a few loose guidelines to help you along that process:

Come up with the ‘million-dollar idea’

All great ideas address a specific problem – one that can be, and needs to be solved. Successful entrepreneurs solve problems in a way that we cannot imagine, through using innovative methods or processes that make it, in retrospect, look easy!

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Look around you; every product and service you use now was created to solve a problem. Start by looking at problems in your daily life and keep a list of them. Once you have the list review it and see which ones can potentially be solved with an app.

Refinement and research

Once you’ve identified several needs which could be targeted, reach out to others and see if they are having similar problems. It is important to remember that not everyone may have the same problems as you, but they may have in the future – the tricky part is gauging the problem against it’s need.

Write down every idea

Once you have identified a need and decided to address it, you can start to elaborate on the details. When you are noting your ideas down, be as detailed as possible and make sure to note down everything that comes to mind –  even things that might not seem helpful now, or may seem like a terrible idea.

Once you have finished noting down all you can, cherry pick these to construct a layout and the main, necessary features of the application – this gives you a base to work from.

Remove non-core features

From the previous notes, look closely at features that you can put aside and ignore for the immediate future - do not start out offering the world. You want the initial costs of the app to be as small as possible in the first release. The sooner you can get a basic app out there to market (to test the waters and gain feedback/interest) the better. There will always be room for additional features down the line.

Put user experience first

Even the greatest ideas fail if the user experience isn’t satisfying. If the user doesn’t ‘get’ the app, then it will never take off, regardless of how great the features are. Features are important, but how users perceive and use the app initially is crucial for longevity and uptake.

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Hire a developer

You need to find a developer that suits your needs and fits the scale you are looking for. You can look for a freelance developer, directly approach a development company, or even do it yourself. This can prove to be the most difficult part of the process, as often you need to be able to work with other people to define your vision and have them buy into it, whilst meeting your budget.

Keep the updates coming

You should have released the first version with only a limited feature set. Now you can continue to evaluate the feedback over time, and look to tailor your development schedule around this. It is then a cycle of looking at your analytics and feedback, whilst continuing to update.

It’s important to note the steps above are not set in stone but are a simple guideline for moving yourself along the exciting journey of creating your first mobile application.

For more information on Application Development click here or contact us!

Trash or Treasure With Network Shares

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In my youth, it was always exciting to visit the trash and treasure markets at local drive-in theatres on a weekend. Endless hours spent wandering through the hundreds of car boots, make-shift stalls and pop-up stands whilst we scrutinised boxes and fold-out tables covered with people’s unwanted items, occasionally discovering something of value. It was a lot of work to sift through the trash to find my treasure.

These days my kids use their phones to pinpoint almost anything they desire and within minutes they negotiate, order, pay and arrange delivery… all while relaxing on the couch during a Netflix binging session.

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Their generation have significantly improved the efficiency of finding treasure amongst the trash, through use of well-designed technology.

It’s alarming how many organisations still mirror my childhood experience at the trash and treasure market when attempting to locate valuable information on their network shares.  Sadly, there’s a similarity between the boxes of junk at the trash and treasure market and the muddled and disordered state most network shares end up in, even with people’s best intentions to ‘sort them out’ by adding their own ideas of sub-folder structures.

Fortunately, the way out of this mess no longer involves a steep investment of sifting through your network shares and ‘re-organising’ them into new folder structures or importing and classifying into an ECM. Instead, implementation is fast and simple, and access is more in-line with how we can pin-point information though the power of indexed searches.

Using the M-Files External Connectors to connect to external repositories like network folders, the information can be indexed and accessed through your platform of choice. The files remain on the network share and can continue to be accessed that way using your legacy systems.

Everyone else can use the beautifully designed modern interfaces of the M-Files clients available for Windows desktops, web browsers, and mobile phones. Yes, that’s right, you can lounge on the couch with your kids and use your phone to find whatever you’re after on your network share using the gorgeous M-Files App – search for files, check them out, make edits, add metadata and check them back in.

Adding metadata to these files enriches them as version history is maintained and the metadata makes them show up in metadata based searches and any common views you may have. Changes made to the files on the external system are synchronised with the M-Files system.

With the technology available in the M-Files External Connectors there’s no reason to be a dinosaur stuck at your desktop, plodding aimlessly through the mess that your network shares have deteriorated into. Instead you can get instant access to the treasure you need from all your technology devices whenever you desire.

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M-Files have External Connectors planned for SharePoint Online, Exchange, OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive and Box just to name a few. Powerful instant searches across everything in your organisation is within reach using M-Files External Connectors.

If you want to know more about M-Files and the External Connectors please contact us.

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