Colin's IT Technology Blog

I have just done a guest blog post for www.comparethecloud.net Check out the blog entry here http://cloudcomputingadvice.co.uk/

Hey guys We have created a new blog. Will keep trying to keep this one updated but the best way to utilise a blog is to have it attached to your domain. So, having it on blogspot doesn't really work great for you. Be great if you can check it out and give us any feedback... Colins IT Blog

Virtualisation is a process of running multiple independent virtual operating systems (servers generally) on a single physical computer.  It is a way of maximizing physical resources to maximize the investment in hardware.   So it is now possible to turn a very inexpensive 1U dual-socket dual-core commodity server into eight or even 16 virtual servers that run 16 virtual operating systems.  Virtualisation technology is a way of having more actual server. However, it does not actually increase total computing power; it decreases it slightly because of overhead.   However we can exploit this newly found hardware power by increasing the number of logical operating systems it hosts.  This slashes the majority of hardware acquisition and maintenance costs that can result in significant savings for any company or organisation. Virtualization is the perfect solution for applications that are meant for small- to medium-scale usage.  Virtualizatio...

We have just been informed that Opal Telecom is extending their special offer of free broadband for 12 months until the 28th of Feb. It is a 2 year contract so the second year you only pay £10 a month. You need to utilise their business line which is £13.45 a month. As it is a business line and not residential it has a dedicated support team should you have any problems. Have had loads of interest and it is a great deal which is why we are pushing it so please drop us an email if you're interested or go to our info page . Unfortunately this is a UK only offer. Any qyestions, please get in touch and we will be happy to chat.

Hey guys, when you get a few seconds, please can you like our Facebook page... Thanks a lot :-) http://www.facebook.com/pages/colins-it/217287649918 New blog entry on Citrix XenServer coming soon... Cheers Colin.

You can't recover what you haven't backed up. I am renowned for being obsessed with ensuring client data is backed up in multiple different ways in multiple locations / media. It is imperative that you backups are checked. If you backup has stopped running, is someone looking after it daily to make sure the issue is fixed. Or did you suddenly discover the last time your backup ran was three months ago...? Or was that a year ago... Nothing we haven't seen before... So... solution one is to make sure your backups are automated... They don't require someone to remember to change a tape or cartridge etc...  Solution 2... make sure that if the backup fails then someone is notified and they actually do something about it... Do you have a system in place to check this and make sure it happens. Is the backup status of your critical servers reported to the directors during management meetings? Solution 3... backup off site. Be this online backup which we prefer especially wit...

We had a pretty shocking discovery the other day when a new client who has old systems in place (we are trying to convince to upgrade) had a whole lot of strange things on one of their server's screens. After taking a look, we discovered that someone had logged onto the server using vnc  . We traced it back to someone in Turkey. They didn't do a great job of covering their tracks which is pretty unusual in my experience. Usually the only way you can tell your server has been hacked is because all the log files have been deleted. Considering how rubbish their internet connection is, they probably lost interest.  What did they do? Well... essentially used various websites that sent spam email, pretending to be from Credit Agricole Bank to thousands of email addresses in France. Pretty serious stuff. They used different websites and different bits of software to do this. Step one is to block access to the server for them to carry on utilising the server as a gateway. Note the...