Well, there goes another year. Some surprising moments have occurred in 2013: Blackberry, SBS and Windows 8. As usual we’ve had strikes and bad weather to deal with too, so all in all a fairly challenging year wouldn’t you say? We have provided a round up of the most interesting moments that have specifically affected the IT industry and those that we feel are the most important.

What did we learn?

We found out that Windows 8 was way before its time and that UK broadband speeds are rising rapidly plus the small business server from Microsoft is now very hard to obtain OEM licensing for, even though the SBS news first broke in 2012 the ramifications had certainly not been felt until 2013. Well here is our 2013 review, lets hope for a strong 2014 and look forward to next years challenges.

 

Industrial action tends to have a significant affect upon small to medium business that results in high levels of lost productivity. Lost productivity that UK businesses can ill afford whilst struggling within a subdued economic climate. During 2012 the office of National Statistics estimate an approximate cost from lost working days due to industrial action of£1.2 billion per day.

 

 

Microsoft officially announced that as of July 5, 2012 their Small Business Server product family is end-of-life and will no longer be available for purchase. For your customers utilizing Microsoft Small Business Server 2008/2012, the products will continue to function. Microsoft is officially ending support for Small Business Server 2008 in 2013 and Small Business Server 2012 in 2015.

 

 

Low cost servers are unlikely to be offering good value for money, a server that costs twice as much might be able to cope with 3 to 4 times the workload “possibly even more!” and generally offer higher levels of resilience. Low cost IaaS “Infrastructure as a Service” offerings tend to be a false economy.
We have compiled a helpful list of technical subjects that you may be interested in researching before purchasing Cloud Infrastructure as a Service.

 

Advice for 2014…..

Keep calm and carry on… in the cloud. 2014 will be the year of the cloud without doubt so what rules should consumers know about to help them utilize the tech to its full capacity.

Rule No. 1: Go big or go home

When you make the jump to the cloud then do it right and reap the benefits first time. Too many IT firms report to have datacentre’s these days – let’s be clear about this, a virtual server in an upstairs bedroom or tucked away in a basement does not constitute a datacenter. Check where the data is being physically located and who it is located with (this applies even more to Amazon and Microsoft). Make sure you have the right amount of space to grow, if you out grow the services or facilities you employ then be bold, take the decision to move and do it quickly. The impact of a stagnated system could set you back indefinitely.

Rule No. 2: Don’t get left behind

Once you have decided to go to the cloud make it work for you. Stay informed of your competitors and react accordingly. The tech moves quickly and new apps are created all the time. There is no point having the tech and not keeping the software razor sharp. This will be the difference between leading and trailing your industry sector.

Rule No. 3: Make the cloud work for your staff as well

Make sure that your staff see the benefits of a cloud solution, train them to understand the full potential and you will see a far greater ROI than you might expect. The ability to work from home, flexibility in working hours and the chance to log in whilst on the road has transformed industries that would otherwise have had to muddle through. Accountants don’t need to visit the site anymore, just give them a log on. Sales people don’t need to come back to the office every day to finish paperwork and update sales lists, the list of upsides goes on and on.

That was 2013 from our perspective, if you disagree with any statements or comments then we would like to hear from you. We love to be challenged and we are always willing to hear someone else’s take on things.

Happy Holidays from all of us at VirtualTin Limited.