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Poor internet hindering British business
Two thirds of UK businesses believe poor internet connectivity is stifling new working practices. According to research from wholesale broadband provider BE Wholesale, more than a third of the 500 companies it surveyed said that their current internet connection wouldn't support new collaborative applications such as video-conferencing, VoIP, and access to cloud-based services.
The study found that there's a clear awareness of the business benefits of such applications. 34 per cent of enterprises consider cloud-hosted applications an essential business application, while more than 60 per cent said that UC, for example, would reduce their costs and increase productivity.
But while 72 per cent think more reliable and faster broadband will ultimately make their business more competitive, 60 per cent of those surveyed don't believe they're receiving the speeds they're paying for.
Dan Cunliffe, head of BE Wholesale, says that the research highlights the need for a mindset change across the broadband and ISP market. "All too often, providers concentrate on the pipe rather than what it's there to do: helping businesses adopt and use tools that allow them to be more productive, more efficient, and more competitive."
Public sector could cut costs and share services with 'network of networks'
A 'network of networks' could help public sector organisations join up their services by accessing a common platform known as the Public Sector Network (PSN).
The PSN is a collaboration between the Cabinet Office, local authorities, and ICT providers. It aims to reduce ICT costs by helping councils and their partners establish common front end business applications or back office infrastructures. The platform will also help support regional economic growth, and enable public bodies from beyond a particular region to opt in and drive cost-saving collaborations.
Public bodies that participate in the PSN will gain transformational benefits such as data sharing that gives them a better view of property assets as well as effective sharing of services across councils' ICT systems, service, or business processes. The Cabinet Office and local government ICT experts are expected to test the first phase of PSN applications at the end of this year, with shared applications and other innovations operating from the first quarter of 2011.
Trafford Council benefits from virtual branch networking
Trafford Council has deployed Aruba's Virtual Branch Networking (VBN) solution to improve the productivity of its staff and boost the reach and efficiency of its services to the local community.
The rollout has seen key staff and remote locations equipped with Aruba's RAP-2WG Remote Access Points, which provide a "secure and transparent" connection back to the council's data centre. The new solution replaces a client-based VPN system that remote and home workers had been relying on.
The system has made a "tremendous difference", according to Tony Gregory, Trafford Council's infrastructure development manager. "Staff working at more locations can access the council network as if they were connecting from inside the office; no formal training or changes in working practices are required."
He adds that Aruba's technology has also helped Trafford to meet the Government Connect Secure Extranet Code of Connection rules on data security, by keeping its connections "watertight". Another part of the deal sees the council piloting a free Wi-Fi service in public libraries using Aruba 802.11n wireless access points in response to "public demand".
Networks First launches free networking iPhone app
Networks First has launched an iPhone app that claims to enable network engineers to look up key information on communications equipment within a "matter of moments".
FirstFind uses the iPhone's camera to scan barcodes on networking equipment, returning information such as end of life and service date status, typical UK list price, available software support, and whether the part is supported by the manufacturer's TAC and software support schemes. Alternatively, a product code, serial number, part name, or manufacturer can be manually entered and searched for in Network Firsts' database of around 750,000 part codes.
"The idea was initially proposed by an employee who, frustrated by the time it took to do the necessary background research on a customer's networking assets, wanted to enable customers to quickly find accurate networking information," explains Networks First chairman Peter Titmus. "It doesn't require any specialist equipment other than the phone itself, it is vendor-agnostic, and incredibly simple to use."
Kell cabinet obviates server room for Macmillan
Macmillan Cancer Support has used a server cabinet from Kell Systems to circumvent the need to dedicate a specific room for its servers when moving into a new open-plan office.
The charity wanted to put in IP technology at its new location in St Neots, Cambridgeshire but the open-plan nature of the new offices meant there was no private room to house the communications cabinet, switches, UPS, and other network hardware. Worried about the noise caused by installing all the 'server room' hardware in the same room as its staff, Macmillan turned to Kell who provided a PSE18 server cabinet which is specifically designed for such situations.
"While the Kell cabinet was donated, we compared how much it would have cost versus the alternatives, and the cabinet would have been cheaper than the air conditioning alone - before we even started to factor in computer room building and maintenance costs," says Ian Humphreys, ICT infrastructure project manager, Macmillan Cancer Support.
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