How hackers exploit social media

The phenomenon of "social engineering" is behind the vast majority of successful hacking.

This isn't the high tech wizardry of Hollywood but is a good, old-fashioned confidence trick.
It's been updated for the modern age, and although modern terms such as "phishing" and "smishing" are used to describe the specific tricks used, they all rely upon a set of human characteristics which, with due respect to Hieronymus Bosch, you might picture as the "seven deadly sins" of social engineering.

Apathy:

To fall for a confidence trick, or worse, we assume others "must" have taken the necessary steps to keep us secure.

Sadly this leads to a lack of awareness, and in the world of the hacker that is fatal. When we stay in a hotel and we programme our random number into the room safe to keep our belongings secure, how many of us check to see if the manufacturers override code has been left in the safe?
It's nearly always 0000 or 1234 so try it next time.

Curiosity:

Humans are curious by nature. However, naive and uninformed curiosity has caused many casualties. Criminals know we're curious and they will try to lure us in. If we see an unfamiliar door appear in a building we frequent, we all wonder where it leads. 

We might be tempted to open it and find out, but in the online world that might just be a trap waiting for an innocent user to spring it. A colleague built a website that contained a button that said Do Not Press, and was astonished to find that the majority of people actually pressed it.
Be curious, but exercise a healthy degree of suspicion.

Gullibility: It is often thought of as a derogatory term, but we all suffer from this sin. We make assumptions.
We take others at face value, especially outside of our areas of expertise. Put a uniform on someone and we assume they have authority.

Give an email an official appearance by using the correct logo and apparently coming from the correct email address, and we might just assume it's real, regardless of how silly its instructions might be.

All of this can be easily forged online, so make no assumptions.

Courtesy: We quite rightly all teach our children to be polite. However, politeness does not mean you should not discriminate.

If you do not know something, or you feel something doesn't feel quite right, ask. This principle is truer than ever in the online world, where we are asked to interact with people and systems in ways with which we are quite unfamiliar.

If someone phones you out of the blue and says they are from your bank do you believe them?

No. Phone them back. 

And by the way, use a mobile phone as landlines can remain connected to the person who made the call in the first place and so whilst you might think you're phoning the bank on a valid number you're just talking to the person who called you.

Greed: Despite what we'd like to think we are all susceptible to greed even though it might not feel like greed.

Since its inception, the very culture of the web has been to share items for free.
Initially this was academic research, but as the internet was commercialised in the mid-1990s, we were left with the impression that we could still find something for nothing.

Nothing is ever truly free online. You have to remember that if you're not the paying customer, you're very likely to be the product. In the worst case, you might find that you have taken something onto your machine that is far from what you bargained for.

Many pieces of malware are actively downloaded by owners unaware that the "free" product contains a nasty payload, even if it also appears to do what you expected of it.
 
Diffidence:
People are reluctant to ask strangers for ID, and in the online world it is more important than ever to establish the credentials of those whom you entrust with your sensitive information.

Do not let circumstances lead you to make assumptions about ID.
For example, if someone from "IT support" calls you and asks for your password so they can help fix your problem, how do you know they haven't called everyone else in the building first until they found you who has really got a problem?

This is a well-known attack. If someone has a problem with proving who they are, you should immediately be suspicious.

Thoughtlessness:
 Thinking before you act is possibly the most effective means of protecting yourself online. It is all too easy to click that link.
Stop.

How many of us when reading an apparently valid link in an email would bother to check whether the link is actually valid or whether instead it takes you to a malicious site.
It's horribly easy to make links look valid so try hovering your cursor over the link for a few seconds before clicking to see what the real link is: the true link pops up if you give it a moment.
As cynical as it may sound, the only answer is to practise your A-B-C:

• Assume nothing
• Believe no one
• Check everything

With more Christmas shopping expected to be done online this year than ever before, you should watch out for those that would exploit the deadly sins.
Don't give criminals the chance to ruin your holiday season, and remember that a little bit of paranoia goes a long way online.

View the whole story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20717773

For more information about staying safe online contact the IT support experts at Click Networks today on 0141 530 9116 or email us at info@clicknetworks.co.uk today!

What tablet to buy this Christmas?

We start with Microsofts Surface’s 1366 x 768, 10.6in IPS LCD screen which may only boast a pixel density of 148dpi but its 16:9 aspect ratio is shared with most laptops and TVs so you feel right at home from the off. This is a tablet that unashamedly delivers a PC experience, which I take to be A Good Thing. With an Nvidia Tegra 3 under the bonnet, a choice of clever attachable keyboards-cum-covers, a built-in kickstand, a proper USB port and an SD slot good for cards up to 64GB, it’s a device both powerful and versatile.

And don’t forget, the Surface comes with Microsoft Office pre-loaded. That’s the sort of productivity offering you just don’t get with Android or iOS.

On the downside, at £400 it’s not cheap; the OS takes up a huge chunk of the advertised storage space; both the Touch and Type keyboards are optional extras; there’s no GPS; and the Windows RT app store is close to empty at the moment.

Even the most devout fan of Android would have to concede that it has failed to repeat its smartphone success in the tablet arena but in the second half of the year Google came out swinging to try and fix that.

In the summer, it launched a Tegra 3-based 7in, 1280 x 800 tablet at a staggeringly low price. The Google Nexus 7 immediately won friends thanks to it’s powerful quad-core processor, excellent IPS LCD screen and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, which debuted on the new tablet.

Just last month, the 16GB version dropped to £159 replacing the 8GB model yours truly bought, while a 32GB 3G device was also introduced at a very reasonable £239. The price changes have made something that was already very attractive even more so.

Being a Nexus 7 owner I’ll admit to a bit of bias here, but for gaming, e-book reading, web browsing, watching HD video - the stuff most of us do on our tablets most of the time - the Nexus 7 is hard if not impossible to beat.

How to trump that? Easy. Launch a 10in version with a screamingly fast dual-core Cortex A15 chip, a higher than hi-def screen and charge £319 for the 16GB version. That would be the Samsung-made Google Nexus 10 then.

The standout feature of the Nexus 10 is the 2560 x 1600, 300dpi screen, which clobbers even the “retina” 264dpi Apple iPad 4 in the pixel density stakes. I defy anyone to gaze at the Nexus 10’s screen, or listen to the sound from its front-facing stereo speakers, and not be thoroughly impressed.

It’s lighter and thinner than the iPad 4 too and more pleasant to hold thanks to it’s rounded shape. Probably harder to sue, too, for that same reason. If you want a 10in tablet for media consumption, this is the one you should buy.

Both Nexus tablets offer one sign-in syncing for your Picasa photographs, Google-bought books and movies, Google Docs and Drive content. This is cloud integration second to none. And don’t forget that Google Music has now arrived in the UK so you can upload 20,000 songs into the cloud too. And all for free.

For more information on any of the tablets mentioned in the article please contact our IT experts either call us on 0141 530 9116 or email at info@clicknetworks.co.uk for more IT support in or around Glasgow.

Read the full article here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/

Don't struggle to remember passwords!

Should you be secure and use lots of different passwords? Or is it more convenient and easy to remember just one or two?

Almost everything online needs a password these days: shop accounts social networking sites, university and email logins, banks, credit cards, insurance, savings and more. I don’t know about you – but I suspect I’ve over 50 different accounts and all the passwords for these need remembering somehow – and unless you’re a memory maestro that’s impossible.
Yet not doing it is a nightmare too – we’re constantly nagged to use different passwords. Those who chose convenience and used the same password for their PlayStation Network account as for their bank or other secure code, now know why it’s so important to use different passwords. They need to immediately change the password on their other accounts otherwise the criminal hackers may well have enough of their ID to utilise it (see PlayStation hack news for more on self-protection).

How to marry security and convenience.
Over the years I’ve developed my own personal system for keeping an easy but secure track of my passwords. I’m not saying it’s perfect I just thought it worth jotting down. I’m sure many others do similar things in parallel and I’d love to know your systems. 
I’ve described similar principles to what I do below, though with some details and techniques changed slightly for my own security. It may seem a little complex but actually as it’s developed organically over the years, it’s become an easy natural progression, though I accept it’d be more difficult to do it all in one go.

• Step 1: Establish a number of key words. 
  
  Pick words that mean something to you but aren’t obvious or guessable like relative’s names. The easy way to do this is to start with one or two, then once those are firmly embedded add more. But for the moment let’s say they’re established.  They should all start with different letters, for the sake of the example we’ll say they are:
  Random
  Spank
  Widget
  Acne

• Step 2: Establish a few key numbers.
  
  Try not to have obvious dates such as your date of birth – though something like 1874 (Churchill’s birth year) is fine. So here you have: 1874
  5012
  0191

• Step 3: Create passwords using a combination of both. 
  
  Use the words or numbers forwards or backwards, capitalised or not capitalised. This gives you a very large number of available different passwords even though you only need to remember a few words and numbers. For example: – Spank0191
  – 1874Widget
  – 2105acne
  – modnar5012
  – Random18

• Step 4: Note the password down IN CODE somewhere safe and convenient.
  
  Now just store the password safely in code somewhere in case it’s ever needed – never write the full words or numbers down anywhere, you need to remember those yourself. For example, the above passwords could be stored as… -S0  (ie, the word beginning with S then the numbers beginning with 0)
  -1W
  -Rev5 a  (ie, the numbers beginning with 5 in reverse, then the word beginning with a – but not capitalised)
  -Revr 5
  -R half 1 (ie, word beginning with R then half the numbers beginning with 1)

That’s my way. An alternative is to simply create yourself a grid for each password such as:
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O…..ETC
3  D  A  F  U 2   1  P  R A  V 9  C   I   F
Here you remember just one key word, for example FAKE and you use that to look up the numbers in the password grid – here you’ll see its 23VU. 
To set this up initially you just need to write the alphabet out then put the code in under your key word and fill in the others with random letters.
This is a bit chunky to do, but it does mean you only need to remember one password to get encoded access to all the others. It’s probably most useful as a way of writing down pin numbers rather than passwords though.
OK those are some techniques, what are your tips? Ensure you don’t compromise your security in your response.

For more information on passwords or how to password protect your business and information contact the experts at Click Networks IT Support Team Glasgow on 0141 530 9116 or visit the website here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk/ 

To read the full article please visit: http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com

UK Businesses: 1 in 5 pounds from online sales!

Almost one in five pounds pulled in by UK business came through an online sale, the Office of National Statistics has found. Despite the fact 1 in 5 firms still don't have a website!

Nineteen per cent of UK sales revenues came through ecommerce, states the ONS's report on E-commerce and ICT activity in 2011. That means that e-sales pulled in £483 billion to the British economy in 2011. Ecommerce as a percentage of total UK sales revenue has crept up from 18 per cent in 2010.

Website sales to consumers were 5 per cent of total turnover in 2011, with the rest attributable to sales to business. The sector making most use of e-sales was Wholesale, which netted 31 per cent of online sales pounds from consumers, and 40 per cent of the UK's online sales revenue from business.
The manufacturing sector was making strong use of e-commerce too - taking 40 per cent of e-sales to business.

When it came to online consumer pounds, Britain's information and communication industry performed well, pulling in 16 per cent of the total pie. Retail took 14 per cent, Transport and storage took 10 per cent.

The construction, food and accommodation sectors saw the lowest percentage of their sales come through the internet.

The UK keeps its position as one of the most ecommerce-centric countries in Europe. In 2010 data the UK is joint fifth with Norway for penetration of ecommerce. Behind Finland, Sweden, Hungary and the Czech Republic at the top of the list, where 25 per cent of sales are conducted through the internet.

The ONS also found that 93 per cent of businesses had broadband internet and 81 per cent had a website.

 For more information on the benifits of a website to your business call and speak to our experts now on: 0141 530 9116 or email us at info@clicknetworks.co.uk  You can also visit our webiste to read more about our IT services and what we can do for your business, visit: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk/ 

For the full story please continue reading here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/

Freeview to be nudged down to clear 5G bands in 2018

Freeview will get bumped down the dial to make way for 5G networks around 2018, but in the meantime we'll get a bunch more HD TV and plenty of White Space to play in.

Ofcom has confirmed proposals, published in August, to shuffle Freeview down the dial and clear space at 700MHz for more next-next-generation wireless broadband services. But that's not going to happen for another five years, so in the meantime Freeview will be permitted to run a few extra multiplexes while the White Space crowd will get five more years to show what they can do.

The 600Mhz band is empty 'cos when the UK went digital it contracted the frequencies being used in both directions. That left a gap at the top - the 800MHz band to be auctioned off next year - and at the bottom - the 600MHz band no one wants. So unloved is 600MHz that in August Ofcom suggested shuffling Freeview down to release more space at the top for LTE services.

This would open up the 700MHz band, which is being used for 4G in the USA, notably supported by the New iPad, but is also being deployed in Africa and looks likely to spread elsewhere. But clearing it will mean retuning all the Freeview boxes, again, and replacing some roof-top aerials as the propagation characteristics change.

FreeView Channels

It will also have an impact on the work of DMSL, as Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited is tasked with spending £150m to mitigate against 4G signals (at 800MHz) interfering with Freeview (at 700MHz). Shuffle Freeview away and that problem disappears only to be replaced by the same thing only further down the dial, which might hit the same people, but equally might not.

UK terrestrial broadcasting is almost entirely handled by Arqiva, which was quick to comment on the proposals:
"While Arqiva welcomes Ofcom’s clear long-term commitment to ensuring a robust future for Freeview, Ofcom has yet to make the case for this change and the huge disruption that would be caused to TV viewers as a result."

Ofcom's justification is the oft-touted increase in demand for data, which is predicted to ramp up by 80 times before 2030. The problem with those predictions is that they're based on the "if current trends continue" model, the same one which says that by 2019 one in three of us will be working as an Elvis impersonator, but in reality the appetite for inferior renditions of The King tops out just like the demand for bandwidth will.

But Ofcom won't be swayed, so the question becomes what to do with the 600MHz band in the meantime. Back in August we suggested it should be thrown over to the White Space crowd to play with, on the grounds they they're a burgeoning industry in which the UK is a leader, and the database approach means they can move out at very short notice. Somewhat to our surprise Ofcom considered that, but decided to also stick a couple of national multiplexes in too so we can have some more Freeview channels even if they'll have to be switched off come 2018.

Ofcom's proposals (PDF, quite interesting but very long) aren't fixed yet, and there will need to be more details provided, but it's looking like we'll have another spectrum auction within a decade, and that terrestrial TV will again be shoved aside to make room for it.

Read the full article here: FreeView Nudge  or contact our experts in IT Support at Click Networks to find out what this will mean for you or your company. Visit our Click Networks website here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk/

Personal Best

Please buy this amazing book http://ow.ly/f9Npq  from #@clicknetworks good friend #@BarryDuddy proceeds go to charity and less fortunate people.
 

The book was written with the asssitance of many famous people who have shared their insights into how to become a success at whatever you do in life.

PS: Please also check out the partners section here as there maybe some things of interest for you...

Happy reading,

Click team. 

The Death Of Daily Deal Sites!

The end of coupon bazaar's deal-fetishing gravy train!

Open ... and Shut The biggest problem with Groupon isn't its accounting. It's also not Groupon's shrinking margins on new products, concerning as they are. No, Groupon's biggest problem is that it fetishes bargains in lieu of building real customer value.

Groupon's business model is simply not sustainable, which is why its stock is now on sale.

Not that Groupon is alone in this. Ron Johnson, chief executive of American retailer JC Penney, was the mastermind behind Apple's retail strategy, and thought he could bring a similar magic to the venerable department store. He was wrong.

The big problem with JC Penney, and one that Johnson has thus far been powerless to stop, is that over the years it had fostered consumer dependence on deals. The company offered 20 to 30 different prices for the same product in the course of a year, but always a deal. Always on sale. In fact, Johnson told investors that most of JC Penney's merchandise was being sold at discounts of 50 per cent or more.

Johnson removed the myriad of prices, pushing for a three-price strategy: everyday low prices (à la Wal-Mart), month-long values (sales on popular seasonal items that run for a month or longer), and clearance items on hefty discounts. So far, it has failed, as customers have balked at paying the "everyday low prices", not unsurprisingly preferring the former: all discounts, all the time. Same-store sales dropped 26 per cent last quarter as a result.

Sales, in the words of Johnson, are "just like heroin". They bring customers in but require constant feeding of the addiction with more and more sales. In the process, the retailers who depend upon them to attract customers end up killing their profit margins.

Or, in the case of Groupon, they end up killing both Groupon and their merchant customers. Groupon is the worst of all discount worlds: its daily deal coupons are bad for Groupon because they're terrible for the merchants who sign up for them. It's expensive for Groupon to market and sell to merchants to source new products to discount, but then the deals are also punitive to the merchants, who quickly discover that new customers enticed by the discount coupon tend not to become repeat customers. And who would want them? Such customers depend upon a constant stream of discounts, hardly the loyal customer base any vendor wants.

Red the full article here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/13/open_and_shut/  For more information on IT Support in Glasgow or accross scotland please visit our website today: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk for more expert opinon on all things IT Support News.

Monitors to grow half an inch in 2013!

Monitors will grow by about half an inch in 2013, but there's be no sales bulge for resellers according to Taiwanese market-watcher WitsView.

The firm says new manufacturing processes mean it is now just as easy and cost-effective to cut LCD screens 19.5 inches wide as it is to slice them into 18.5 inch slabs. While only one manufacturer – Taiwan's Chimei Innolux - has mastered the trick to date, LG and Acer/Unipac-derived outfit AUO are expected to follow suit as 2013 unfurls.



Today, WitsView says, 44% of all monitors are either 18.5 inches, 19 inches or 20 inches wide. The former two widths are now at risk, as manufacturers take the opportunity to sell a bigger screen at the same price.

But even the prospect of more monitor for your money won't help the industry, the analyst says, as manufacturers and punters alike turn their interest to smaller devices like LCD TVs, tablets and notebook computers. Manufacturers will follow consumers' interests by targeting screens for those in-demand devices, leaving ye olde monitors for desktops a low priority option.

WitsView therefore predicts a decline in monitor shipments for 2013, with the only bright spot being all-in-one PCs. Overall global shipments will reach 165 million, 2.8 per cent down on 2012 numbers.
That's a far smaller number than overall PC shipments, which seems to suggest that fewer PC upgrades involve a monitor upgrade too.

Read the full story here:

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Find out why so many organisations are using Click Networks for their IT support, maintenance and services. We guarantee a fast and friendly service, and will be happy to match or improve on any like for like IT quotes from any other IT company.

 

Our Values

We deliver services centred around the values that we believe in, to ensure we deliver the best possible service to our clients.

Top Ten Reasons To Use Click

• Click Networks are one of the fastest growing family based IT companies in the UK
• Unlike some IT companies, we actually care about our clients and their business's not just our own
• We always deliver what we say we will and offer the best value for IT Services & Support
• We offer fixed quotes for project work
• We provide flexible IT Support options
• Click Networks will not tie you into a lengthy IT Support contract, that you can't get out of
• We offer an excellent suite of services and support to a growing client base across the UK
• Click Networks can be your trusted IT partner and help your business grow
• Click Networks are passionate about IT service delivery and helping our clients
• Our Clients always commend us on our expertise and friendly services

 For more information on IT Support in Glasgow visit: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk/

Google Nexus launch event delayed by Hurricane Sandy

Google's Android event planned for New York yesterday afternoon has been cancelled because of Hurricane Sandy but Microsoft will launch Windows Phone 8 in San Francisco this evening. 

 The event was expected to be the announcement of a new Google Android handset, the LG-made 'Nexus 4', as well as at least one new Android tablet and, possibly, an update to the Android operating system.

 The event was due to be held on the west side of Manhattan at 10am local time but with Hurricane Sandy approaching the east coast of the United States, Google has been forced to cancel the event. In a statement, it said: "We are cancelling our Monday morning event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy. We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more. Stay safe and dry, The Android Team.”  

The cancellation gives Microsoft the opportunity to focus all attention on its Windows Phone 8 launch event in San Francisco this evening. Though some manufacturers have shown off Windows Phone 8 handsets already, details of the operating system have not been fully revealed. Microsoft is expected to do that this evening. 

 Some details of Google's planned announcements appear to have leaked over the weekend. On Friday, Carphone Warehouse published a page on its website that gave details of the Google Nexus 4 handset.  

Google was also expected to have planned to announce a new, 10-inch Nexus tablet at today's event. Over the weekend, pictures were published online purporting to show a Samsung-manufactured 10-inch tablet. The tablet would join the Asus-made Nexus 7 tablet that Google launched in the summer. 

 For the full article read it here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/9640311/Google-Nexus-launch-event-delayed-by-Hurricane-Sandy.html

For more information about tablets, cloud technology and IT Support Glasgow visit the Click Networks website: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk 

Windows 8 and the Surface tablets

Windows 8 has prompted the launch of new hybrid computers which can function as a standalone tablet or be connected to a keyboard to act as a touch-enabled laptop.

Windows 8 marks what is arguably the most radical tech launch of the year.

Microsoft aims to leapfrog the competition by offering a touch-based, dynamic, futuristic-looking interface which can run on processors designed for both high-spec computers, and chips more commonly associated with smartphones.

Its market-leading status is at stake.

More than 1.5 billion devices currently use a version of Windows, making it by far the most installed operating system, according to tech research firm Gartner.

But investors are more concerned about the firm's growth prospects amidst growing competition for customers' cash.

"We think the industry changed with the iPad launch because the tablet is effectively a PC - it doesn't need to be connected to a network to work and runs third-party applications," Steve Brazier, chief executive of research firm Canalys, says.Windows 8 introduces a new user interface designed to be operated via a touchscreen "Once you segment the market that way, Windows share of the global PC market has fallen to 72%. Three years ago that would have been over 95%.

"If you add the PC market together to the smartphone market - which we call the intelligent device sector - Windows share falls to 32%."

Windows 8 and its close relation Windows Phone 8 are designed to reverse that trend. One thing is certain: Microsoft's efforts will have industry-wide ramifications.

A study by Gartner indicates worldwide PC shipments were 8.3% lower than the previous year in the July-to-September quarter. That spells trouble for companies including HP, Dell and Acer which have seen sales decline as a consequence.

A successful launch might recharge demand, but first they must face the prospect of a challenge from Microsoft's own tablet, Surface.

Read the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20044887

The hidden cost of online shopping 'free' postage!

If you've spotted a £47.97 charge or similar on your bank statement or credit card bill with the words "Prime Member Fee" next to it and don't know where it's from, then it's likely you've inadvertently signed up for online retailer's paid service such as Amazon's One Month free trial of Amazon Prime.

Check back to see if you bought something from Amazon in the months prior to the charge. If at the time you ticked to get "free" delivery then by doing so you were taking up the free trial. If you're unsure check your past emails, you should have received reminder emails letting you know the trial was ending and how to cancel if you wished.

Once the month's up the annual fee is £47.98 so that sum will have been taken from your account. To ensure you don't pay a penny you need to cancel the service. 

Provided you or any registered guests on the membership haven't made any eligible purchases then you can cancel at any time once the trial's finished and the full amount will be refunded.

To cancel, the quickest and easiest way is to go to the "Prime Settings" section of your Amazon account page and click the "Cancel membership" button. If you'd prefer to speak to someone in person to do it you can call Amazon's freephone customer service number on 0800 496 1081.

The refund should be in your account within two days.

If you're still within the trial period and want to cancel just click the "do not upgrade" button in your account's Prime Settings.

Read the full independant advice at: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

Talk about double standards for business???

US auction site eBay has paid only £1.2m in tax in the UK, according to an investigation by the Sunday Times.

The newspaper said that its tax bill in 2010 comes despite eBay's UK subsidiaries generating sales of £800m.

The auction site - which also owns PayPal - responded that it "complies fully with all applicable tax laws". 

The report comes after coffee giant Starbucks was also accused of paying just £8.6m in corporation tax in the UK over 14 years.

According to the Sunday Times, eBay had sales of £789m during 2010 in the UK at its four British subsidiaries. Using its worldwide profit margin of 23%, it would have made a profit in the UK of £181m, leading to corporation tax owed of £51m.

Instead, it paid £1.2m, the report said.

Read the full article here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20022365

Google: A Look Inside its data centers

As part of an effort to build appreciation for how it actually runs online services like search, Google is showing off its massive computing resources.

Google only rarely gives outsiders a look at its data centers, but today it's trying to make up for lost time with a large online photo gallery and Street View tour of the computing hardware.

The company launched a new site, "Where the Internet Lives" with a lot of eye candy for people who enjoy racks of computer gear, raised-floor ventilation systems, multicolored cables, and massive air-conditioning chillers. Urs Hoelzle, Google's senior vice president for technical infrastructure, announced the site in a blog post today.

It's short on details for those who want to eye Google's servers up close, but there are some glimpses in the accompanying video about Google's data centers and in a view from last year.
But to a certain extent, Google's individual servers are beside the point. They may be a fundamental computing unit to ordinary people, but Google thinks at much larger scale. Several jewels in the company's software crown -- MapReduce, the Google File System, and Spanner, for example -- are designed specifically to run on massive clusters of machines and to keep on running even when individual servers fail.

Superficially, Google's custom-built servers look similar to the one unveiled in 2009, though: computing components bolted or strapped to an open-topped piece of sheet metal. Steve Jobs might have cared about the aesthetics of his computers' innards, but for Google, the highest calling is the most purely economical and functional object.

Showing off the data center is smart move for a couple reasons. First, it could help outsiders value an operation at Google that's under increasing scrutiny for consuming tremendous electrical power in an era when enlightened companies are supposed to minimize their impact on the environment. Second, it could trigger some ooh-aahs among people who've begun to take Google's truly impressive computing achievements for granted.

It's something Google can genuinely brag about. The company gets grief for alleged privacy invasions and monopoly abuse, but the company has earned respect when it comes to running a colossal computing operation. Not for nothing do people joke that Skynet is most likely to become conscious within Google's infrastructure.

 Article via c|net

HOW SAFE IS YOUR DATA?

This was a very hard lesson to learn for a Police Force.

Don't scrimp when it comes to protecting your valuable company data, or you could be very sorry.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-19960966

Contact Click Networks to ensure you are doing all you can to keep your data secure and away from the wrong people.

Regards
The Click Team.

The IT projects keep coming in thick and fast at Click Networks.

We have recently completed another excellent new Website for a brand new Financial advisers client of ours, Rimmington Thomson based at Charring Cross in Glasgow.  

http://www.rimmingtonthomson.com/ 

They are very pleased with our work and as a result we have been commissioned to help with other projects, such as Microsoft Office 365 implementation, IT support and we have even implemented a social media strategy for them too.

If we can help with designing your Website, or offer any of our other excellent IT services, we would be delighted to hear from you too.

Thanks from all at the Click team.

Microsoft's Windows 8 OS

Microsoft's next operating system will come in just three different flavours, the company has announced. For those with Intel-compatible machines, the OS will be available in two versions - Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.

And for those with devices, largely tablets, powered by ARM-designed chips there will be a Windows RT version. Microsoft wants to simplify how it markets Windows 8, which is expected to launch in autumn 2012.

The complex flavours of past Windows - from basic to home, premium to ultimate - have become something of a joke among tech experts. Microsoft has called Windows 8 the most significant redesign of the Windows interface since its groundbreaking Windows 95 OS.

 The ARM version of the OS is the newest edition and reflects Microsoft's desire to unify the engine known for running desktop computers with that for tablets and smartphones. Windows RT will sit alongside Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems.

Source: BBC News

Click Networks - Daily Newsletter

Save ££££'s with Click Networks IT Managed Support

Are you confident you are receiving the best service and value for what you pay your IT company?

Click Networks  have been providing IT Support for many years across the UK to a varied client base, and we regularly uncover companies who are unhappy with their IT providers and the high costs they charge.

Here are some simple reasons why you should consider Click Networks to support you, and if these are not enough, we do not charge our managed support clients for any new single PC installations unlike other IT companies. This benefit on it's own saves our clients an hourly install charge that would otherwise be expected with all other IT companies.

 Why choose Click Networks ?
 
We offer a FREE IT Audit to every new prospect before we support them, and we can save YOU substantial costs as Click Networks offer the most competitive IT Support in Scotland as our clients have found out.

Contact stuart@clicknetworks.co.uk  or call our sales team on 0141 530 9116 today to see what we could save your company.

Click Networks extend free Broadband offer

Due to the high demand and, excellent feedback we have received, I am delighted to say we have decided to extend the original charity offer to any new client who signs up for 12 months Managed IT Support from us by the end of October 2012.

All you need to do is call us and we can conduct a free IT audit of your site, and subject to our mutual agreement and you having an existing analogue line available, you could benefit from our excellent 12 months business broadband service for 1 year.

Call or email Stuart Macdonald at Click Networks today to learn more and we could have you up and running in no time.

 

4G to hit Glasgow and Edinburgh very soon !

Edinburgh and Glasgow set to get 4G phone service in November: Superfast 4G services are to be made available in... http://t.co/iSr2Odmt

4G Mobile Technology Explained

There has been a lot of talk in the news recently about 4G mobile phones and the technology behind them. Here we take a quick look at the basics and what we will realistically see in the way of improvements to our mobile internet experience.

Telecoms regulator Ofcom has allowed the company behind Orange and T-Mobile in the UK, to use its existing bandwidth to launch fourth-generation (4G) mobile services.

The move means 4G, which allows much faster downloads, could launch in the UK earlier than previously planned.

But what will 4G services mean for you and your business?

One of the principal differences between 4G and 3G models is the speed at which they can download files from the internet. A typical 3G phone can connect to the internet at a maximum speed of up to 7.2Mbps, a whereas a 4G phone will be able to do so at up to 300Mbps.

Faster mobile internet connectivity will also bring an incredibly smooth browsing experience to 4G phones, thus calling time once and all on the days of web pages failing to load at peak usage times. 

Mobile phones will never completely replace a powerful work/home computer, but they will certainly replace home phones, physical phone lines and may be home broadband connections. If mobile phones can provide speeds of up to 300Mbpps, then a fixed line connection of 24Mbps at home will seem slightly anemic.

Sources: BBC News, USwitch.com

Expanding Team - Stuart MacDonald

Hello,

My name is Stuart Macdonald and my new role within Click Networks is Sales and Marketing Manager, so I am responsible for the business development of the company as well as all Social Media and Marketing activities.

I will hopefully be in touch over the next few weeks to discuss any potential opportunities we can work on together, but in the meantime I have drafted a brief overview of what we offer, please note this list is not exhaustive as we are adding to our portfolio all the time.

I am confident that we can address most IT requirements, but where we have any gaps I will be looking to fill these with business partners and professional contacts as appropriate.

I look forward to speaking with all our new and existing clients and meet up soon to discuss my exciting new role and what Click Networks and I can do for you and your clients.

If you or any of your business contacts are interested in reviewing their current IT Support arrangements or other IT Services, please let me know by clicking on my contact details below.

Our Services

This is a brief snapshot of the current services we can offer:-


Microsoft Office 365 hosted services
Microsoft Sharepoint design and development
Virtual Infrastructure services both Hyper V and VMware 
Bespoke Click Cloud and Hosted services from our Glasgow data centre
Network Installation and Support Services
Bespoke Managed IT Services 08.00-6.00pm- (24/7 available)
Hardware & Software procurement
Security Management – Internet, Spyware, Anti- Virus, Anti- Phishing & more
Project Management – Office moves, Implementations and more
Structured Network Cabling provision
Internet connectivity solutions-Data & Voice
Mobility – remote access anytime anywhere
Business Continuity – Disaster recovery
WEEE provisioned Secure collection and destruction of Hardware
Microsoft and Application Training
Bespoke Web Development and Hosting services


Kind regards,
Stuart Macdonald
Sales & Marketing Manager

M: 07714 769 253
T: 0141 530 9116
SMS: text click to 60060 (we call you back) 
E: stuart@clicknetworks.co.uk

W: www.clicknetworks.co.uk

Click for a free Office 365 trial

IT Support Glasgow - Right On Your Doorstep

Click Networks have recently moved office to a fantastic city centre location to provide even better IT Support for companies in Glasgow, surrounding areas and across Scotland.

With the majority of our new and existing clients being city centre based we felt it was worth the hassle of uprooting all our equipment and staff to bring our services directly to your door.
Being an established family run business providing cost effective IT support & the best customer care for many years, we were willing to go that extra mile for our clients. 

With faster response times the move has not only allowed us to spend more time on site it has allowed us even better communication with clients providing them with only the services they actually need we are rarely beaten on support costs.

To celebrate this move and our expansion we have re-launched Click Networks with more new IT services,  more support staff, a new brochure and a fantastic new website. You can now raise a support ticket directly from our website in a matter of seconds which gets sent directly to our support engineers in the field.

You can visit our new website here: http://www.clicknetworks.co.uk