This month has seen Microsoft finally release the first major update for Microsoft Office 2013 – Service Pack 1.

This service pack contains all the bug, security and compatibility fixes that Microsoft has been releasing sporadically since the initial release of Office 2013. There are also some enhancements to SkyDrive (now known as OneDrive) as well as the constant updates to Internet Explorer 11 and Windows 8.1.

Users can manually download the service pack to install themselves via the Microsoft download centre, or simply wait until your Windows Update informs you of the availability of the upgrade and let windows do it automatically for you.

Also this month Microsoft announced the end of Telstra’s monopoly with the Office 365 product and have now opened the product up for all IT companies to be able to purchase and resell, regardless as to whether you’re a Telstra dealer (like EtherTech is) or not. This is an interesting move from Microsoft, and not one that we weren’t expecting as Telstra’s sales of office365 have been very poor), but it does bring up the subscription model discussion again.

As more and more organisations are realising the benefits of subscription based modelling as being beneficial to their organisations cash flow (as a monthly subscription can be part of the operating expense of the business and no longer require large capital expenditure to purchase), it means businesses actually save money as the maintenance and patching / upgrading of the products are covered by the monthly subscription.

For example : Microsoft are heavily in development of their first ‘touch based’ version of MS Office currently code-named ‘Gemini’. With the explosion of touch based devices, it’s the next logical step for them to capitalise on the market. If you are part of EtherTech’s Hosted Office subscription service, this, and ALL future versions of Office would be made available to you for FREE as part of your monthly subscription.

This tends to work really well for Software and Hardware based products like Hosted Exchange / CRM / Sharepoint etc, but when it comes to a physical ‘technician present’ type of servicing the playing field changes somewhat.

We regularly come across new clients who have a ‘maintenance contract’ with another IT vendor, where they pay a ‘fixed amount’ per month to perform updates and repair any issues they have. Imagine for a moment you are that incumbent IT provider charging a fixed amount per month for servicing. How do you maximise your profit? By getting lots of these contracts, then spending as little time as possible actually doing the work, and pocket the remaining fees as profit.

Here at EtherTech we’ve always been dubious about these contracts, and have never practised them, preferring the ‘pay as you go’ style of agreement, where you only pay us when we actually work for you. And of course, the more you use us the less it can cost! Saving you even more money!

If any of the things discussed in this newsletter are of interest to you, (or might be to someone else you know), please contact us to have chat on how we can help. Until next month…..

Another month passes and a lot of things have transpired in the IT world yet again.

Data breaches and the stealing of private credit card information from ‘trusted’ organisations such as Target Corp who had over 40million credit card numbers stolen from their systems, plus personal information from another 70million customers begs the question :

Is online shopping safe enough to use?

When ‘trusted’ organisations fail to properly secure our data, who ‘can’ we trust?

In January there was also an infection of malware known as ‘ChewBacca’. This malware targeted small retailers in 11 countries including Australia, and stole data of more than 49,000 credit cards from these sites before it was shut down.

Looking at EtherTech’s own firewall logs, we have people trying to hack into our systems every minute of the day. From all over the world.

How safe is your data?

What would happen if someone managed to get into your Intellectual or your financial property?

Many of our clients today have remote access to their network so they can access corporate resources from home.  Life is easier, but it exposes you to more risk.  Unless all your systems are up to date or use 2-stage authentication, then you’re exposing yourself to attack.

Another serious matter is using the same password across many sites.  Simple solution – DON’T DO IT!  Hackers might hack an internet forum you’re on, extract the email address and password then try using that to access corporate resources, Facebook or even your Bank details.

Online payment gateways have come a long way as well. We recommend that everyone with an online store, or those who are purchasing online to only use reputable payment gateways like PayPal or e-way, or those that are Visa or Mastercard approved, or those that use an SMS notification service and have an existing high banking reputation.

The last thing you want is to lose your hard earned money in fraudulent transactions and have all your cards cancelled.

To combat additional risk and exposure a timely reminder is that Microsoft’s Windows XP WILL BECOME END OF LIFE from April 8^th 2014.  Microsoft are now issuing ‘serious warnings’ to all users “We won’t sugar-coat it: If you are running Windows XP after April 8, 2014, you are putting your business at risk — and please don’t believe anyone who claims that quick fixes can replace a critical OS update,”

Microsoft said in their latest campaign document.

Surprisingly, there are still over 29% of PC’s globally still running Windows XP.

We can guarantee that the hackers out there are just biding their time waiting for the deadline so they can launch their malware without fear of Microsoft fixing the issues.

Please make sure that you adhere these warnings if you haven’t already and stay safe out there in cyber-land!

Welcome back, Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing you in what is set to be another great year this year in 2014.

In our last Boffin edition we briefly looked at cloud solutions and how being in the Cloud can help your business move forward. Choosing services that are right for you isn’t always a simple task. That’s why we are here to help you make informed decisions and provide you with the right fit for your business.

If your New Year’s resolution looked a little like this:

ü  Try to give up the fags and booze.

ü  Lose the Christmas timber from the waistline.

Well that’s not easy either; however if you are genuinely looking for a more productive way to help improve the services you provide to your clients then please look at EtherTech’s Cloud services.

Interestingly a recent study performed by Microsoft shows:

71% of SMBs are looking for technology to enable their staff to work anywhere, anytime.

79% of SMBs believe that technology can make work more enjoyable.

If you want easy access to services on your terms and want a business that cares about you. EtherTech can help you make the best changes when looking to strengthen the forearm of your business with Cloud services.

Smartphones are now reported to outsell the PC. With leaked information of the new Samsung Galaxy S5 to be released February 2014; keen onlookers await to get their hands on this new technology. Our favourable application Trend Micro is a smartphones armour in the world of cybercrime. There is an ever growing need to share resources using smartphones inside and outside the workplace. It is quick and simple to access your organisations resources anytime, anywhere.
Trend Micro helps protect against malware that can trick individuals or organisations into downloading and installing unwanted applications onto their smartphones. It is possible that someone can secretly control the device you are using and send messages, view incoming calls, web activity without you knowing. This is a reality we must deal with going forward into 2014; EtherTech continues to tackle challenges like these plus many more. At EtherTech we aspire to provide a first-time resolution for IT difficulties whenever you ask for assistance.

We focus on supporting organisations and providing the best possible quality of service no matter the scale or creative challenge you may throw at us. Let us bring your applications and technology to life by making things better this year, so join us and see the difference we can make.