February 2011

February 28, 2011 28 Feb'11
Oscar gives three 'Likes' to The Social Network but prefers the king

Not such a good night for The Social Network at the Oscars after all. Despite all the buzz around Facebook and social media, a film about an extremely posh English bloke with a speech impediment set in England in the 1930s took the major honours ... Continue Reading
February 28, 2011 28 Feb'11
Azlan offers Avaya installation freebie

Azlan is to provide free installation on Avaya IP Office installations for resellers adding three-year warranty cover at the time of purchase. Continue Reading
February 28, 2011 28 Feb'11
Tablet growth will be at the expense of PC sales

Tablets shows no sign of slowing up and should continue to grow and eat into PC sales over the next couple of years if the predictions from JP Morgan Securities are right. Continue Reading

February 28, 2011 28 Feb'11
Comms charity Télécoms Sans Frontières heads to Libya

As a wave ofcivil unrest and revolution continues to sweep the Arab world, emergency telecommunications charity Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) is providing aid torefugees onLibya's border with Tunisiafollowing Muammar Gadaffi's ... Continue Reading
February 28, 2011 28 Feb'11
Business groups give Chancellor Budget wish list

The budget might still be a month away but the wish list is already being put together as different sectors of the economy voice their concerns that the fragile recovery requires more government support. Continue Reading
February 28, 2011 28 Feb'11
Vodafone forced off the air after break in

The alarming dependence of modern Britain on technology has once again been laid bare after a break in at Vodafone's Basingstoke data centre, which is thought to have left over three million users without service today. Continue Reading
February 28, 2011 28 Feb'11
Former Redstone security unit RMS relaunches

RMS IT Security, the former security resale arm of Redstone Managed Solutions which was sold for £1m in an MBO at the end of 2010, has today officially unveiled new brand identity and formally relaunched itself. Continue Reading
February 28, 2011 28 Feb'11
Postal service hit with new VAT regime

Death and taxes. The two certainties in life according to US founding father Benjamin Franklin. Well not to disappoint, the Government has now added VAT to certain postal services as of 31 January. Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
Oracle server sales hammered again in Q4

Oracle took a severe pounding in the server stakes in the last quarter of 2010, with EMEA shipments down 49% and revenues down 42%. However, having lost position in Q3 to NEC, the vendor did manage to claw its way back into Gartner's list of top ... Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
Productivity's very human limitations

Productivity is an unwieldy sounding word but it comes up a lot in IT speak, usually as a promise or an outcome. "Increased productivity" is the favourite - well, people are hardly likely to trumpet "decreased productivity" in their business. Continue Reading

February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
Voice sales tap runs dry for Colt

Business comms provider Colt Group has recorded a 2.4% drop in full-year sales as voice revenues dried up and data sales remained flat. Colt blamed the slowdown, which is also being seen by its rivals, on competitive pressures and reductions in ... Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
Salesforce.com Q4 numbers hit by charges

Cloud CRM specialist Salesforce.com saw its net income halved year-on-year in its fiscal fourth quarter as it swallowed costs related to stock-based compensation. Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
Opaque costs put off unified comms investment

More than nine out of 10 communications managers want a unified communications infrastructure, but most worry about being able to identify and manage the cost of the individual services provided, according to comms service provider consultancy MDS, ... Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
SMEs could boost efficiency with IT investment

Small businesses could boost their efficiency by over 50% through IT investment, according to independent research, writes Bill Goodwin. Studies by E-skills UK, the public private sector partnership for IT skills and training, show that many small ... Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
In-depth: Distributors find a role in the cloud

When the cloud hype kicked off in earnest a couple of years ago it sounded as if there were going to be few angles for distributors to get involved. Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
How to recognise security vulnerabilities in your IT systems

As IT systems continue to extend across multiple environments, IT security threats and vulnerabilities have likewise continued to evolve. Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
Five minute interview: Matthew Thomas, Kerio Technologies

Matthew Thomas - UK Channel Manager for Kerio Technologies. What is the best/worst advice you have received and from whom? The best advice was from my father who told me to work hard, but always ensure there is time to relax and enjoy your free time... Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
MicroScope's top stories, week ending 25 February 2011

PARS Technology falls into administration PARS Technology has gone into administration but the boss of the beleaguered firm is seeking investors to buy it back. Continue Reading
February 25, 2011 25 Feb'11
Wholly and Exclusively

The subject of business expenses and what can be claimed is an old chestnut that many businesses still make mistakes over. A recent case, Azam v HMRC, looks again at expenses incurred 'wholly and exclusively' for the purposes of the business. Continue Reading
February 24, 2011 24 Feb'11
Go on then, have mobile access underground! See if I care!

Network Noise knows when it is beaten. Today we doff our blogging cap to the fine people at comparison site Broadband Expert, who have been asking what the man on the Clapham omnibus thinks of Huawei's plan to enable mobile phone use on the Tube. Continue Reading