Blog entries - October 2009

Electricity? That's a chargeable extra, sir

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:06:19 +0100

I met a business on Saturday where electricity is a chargeable extra. Truly.

I was in a local pub on Saturday and ordered lunch. While I was waiting I just needed to use my laptop for a few minutes. I asked one of the bar staff if I could plug it into the mains. Yes, she said, but we'll have to charge you for the electricity.

Now, I don't often stand around with my mouth hanging open but on this occasion I must have looked a bit slack-jawed. I simply cRead More...

Instant Messaging means better communications

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:47:31 +0100

Instant Messaging (or IM) isn’t just something for the under-15s. It’s also a great business tool. It’s an excellent way to keep in touch with your team, wherever they are. IM also gives you information about presence, something that every manager needs.

With Instant Messaging you can ping a quick question to a colleagueRead More...

Work faster with Word shortcuts

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:45:52 +0100

Are you working in Word every day? Are you still clicking the mouse? Every time you switch from the keyboard to the mouse you are working more slowly than you need to. Let Word shortcuts turn you into a power user. They are easy to learn and once you get started you’ll be impressed at your own efficiency.

Start by moving around the Read More...

Your own private Google

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:33:04 +0100

Do you waste time searching for documents on your network? Is finding the right file like looking for a needle in a haystack? Don’t you wish you could find anything you need with just a simple Google search?

The solution, not surprisingly, is to have your own private Google. It takes the form of a Google search appliance, available as a corporate-sized version or as the Google Mini. It plugs into your network, indexes all your documents and away you go - the power of Google availRead More...

Ready for bad weather and the flu season?

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:57:48 +0100

Is your business prepared? Winter is just around the corner and influenza (swine or otherwise) still looms. You need to know that your business can continue if staff can't get into the office. And you know that it's no good waiting until there is a foot of snow on the ground before you take action.

If you don't have secure remote access to your network it's time to look at a SonicWALL SSL-VPN device; over 40 Riverbank clients use one.

If you do have remote access, aRead More...

Does your office need a TV licence?

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:44:55 +0100

Welcome to the slightly weird world of TV licensing. It seems to be the case that if you let employees in your office view live TV via the web you need to have a TV licence. So far so good - your company is watching TV so you need a licence.

But why would your employees be watching live TV when they are at work? Arguably your PR people or marketing department might need to keep an eye on what's happening. But everyone else probably has no need to watch TV. So should you preveRead More...

It's time to throw away your chargers - almost

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:43:21 +0100

Do you have a different charger for each mobile device you own? One for the phone, one for the iPod, one for the camera, and so on. The lack of standardisation is very tiresome.

Powermat could be about to change that. It's a new product that charges portable devices by induction. Just lay your BlackBerry (or other mobile device) on the mat and it will recharge.

But don't get too excited just yet. The lack of standards means that you have to buy a special PoweRead More...

Cisco betting on web conferencing boom

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:41:04 +0100

Cisco yesterday announced that it is taking over Tandberg. Not exactly the most earth-shattering news of the week but it's an indicator that serious players in the IT world are willing to bet serious quantities of money that the web/video conferencing market is going to grow.

Cisco may not be a very familiar name outside of the corporate IT world, but its routing and communications equipment powers a large portion of the Internet. Tandberg is effectively the number two player Read More...