Blog entries - September 2009

Temporary tax break on IT equipment purchases

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:59:55 +0100

I discovered last week that HM Government's recession-busting generosity extends to providing a tax break on IT equipment purchases. The scheme only runs for a year so it's important not to miss out.

My source was Cormac Marum of Harwood Hutton chartered accountants. Here is exactly what he told me...

Don’t miss out!
Temporary tax break on equipment purchases

Its rare to get a tax break from the Government and usually theyRead More...

Faster wi-fi approved

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:28:09 +0100

A new standard for wireless networking (802.11n) was ratified last week. It's not exactly new because manufacturers have for some time been producing equipment using the draft standard. But it does mean it's now official.

If you have a wireless network that's more than a year old or so, you could get a higher speed connection and greater range by upgrading to the new standard. If you would like to check, contact Chris Jones at Riverbank.

Convert an e-mail to an appointment in Outlook

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:10:29 +0100

Here's an idea that will save you a few minutes every day. Have you received an e-mail that you want to convert to an appointment in your calendar in Outlook?

With Outlook 2007 it couldn't be easier. Just highlight the e-mail in your list of e-mails and drag it over your calendar in the toolbar on the left-hand side of the Outlook window.

When you do this, Outlook creates a new appointment for you with all the information from the e-mail. All you have to do is set the loRead More...

Work faster – speed up your computer

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:57:05 +0100

Your computer seems to gradually get slower. It has always been one of those mysteries about PCs, and you can overcome it. We offer three options – a regular security check and clean-up, tune your computer for speed, and finally just rebuild it from scratch.

Why does your computer get slower?

The main reason is the accumulation of ‘stuffRead More...

Work more efficiently using OneNote

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:54:48 +0100

Don’t jot thoughts down on notepads, scraps of paper, or Post-It notes. Get organised and become more efficient by using Microsoft OneNote.

With OneNote you can keep all your ideas, thoughts and must-do lists in one place. You can have as many different lists as you want. You can categorise them, arrange them and colour-code them.

Bumbling idiots. That’s how one IT manager described his computer users. They are the threat within. They sit next to the sort of internal threat you might imagine – the disgruntled employee who knows enough about IT to try to inflict real damage. Together these two groups of people pose the greatest risk to your IT security.

ADSL broadband gets faster

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:59:08 +0100

ADSL broadband speeds are going up to 20Mb as BT rolls out new technology into its exchanges across the country. The new ADSL2+ connections provide download speeds of up to 20Mb and upload speeds of around 1Mb. But it's not quite as simple as that...

The BT roll-out is scheduled to be completed in 2011. For some exchanges (like Oxford) the new service is already available, while for others (like Swindon) there is a much longer wait.

Getting the new higher speedRead More...

The Martin & Audrey Wood Enterprise Awards 2009

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:57:13 +0100

Riverbank is proud to be a sponsor of the Martin & Audrey Wood Enterprise Awards. They are a celebration of the achievements of companies, innovators and entrepreneurs located in Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley area.

The Awards were established in 2005 by Oxford Innovation in honour of Sir Martin and Lady Wood, who co-founded Oxford Instruments plc and continue to support start-up and growing companies in Oxfordshire and beyond.

More information is available from OxforRead More...

130 million credit card numbers go missing

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:38:52 +0100

If you were on holiday in August you might have missed the news that a US man has been charged with the theft of 130 million credit card numbers from a variety of US-based companies.

This case highlights the need to take IT security seriously. If you aren't confident about the security of your IT systems ask for a copy of the new Riverbank guide to IT security.

And you will be interested to know that the man charged by police was already in custody - charged with the theRead More...

Riverbank IT briefings

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:19:39 +0100

We are running a series of IT briefings to help you make your business more successful.

Key topics are:

IT securityCommunications and team workBackup and business continuityFlexible working

If you would like to learn more about these subjects we would be pleased to invite you to a one-hour briefing at our Oxfordshire or London office, or at your office if you prefer.

Ten reasons to outsource your IT (well, ten questions to ask before you do)

malcolm@riverbank.co.uk — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:31:13 +0100

If you are thinking about outsourcing your IT, and you haven't yet signed up with Riverbank, I recommend you read this article from Fresh Business Thinking.

Find it here - http://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/business_advice.php?CID=3&AID=3106&PGID=1