GPO for IE8

If you’re using Active Directory and Group Policies to administer computers on customer networks, suggest they adopt Internet Explorer 8 to get more than 100 new Group Policies that you can use to maintain a stable configuration.

Small Business Applications for Blackberry

BlackBerry is more than a phone with secure email; it’s also an application platform, with plenty of business-focused applications and tools. Even though App World adds a one-stop shop for trials and downloads you still want to be involved in recommending business BlackBerry apps to your customers, so here are our top picks.

The Case of the Headless Corpses, Part 2

In which a crime is solved – and then unsolved again thanks to a piece of mouse fluff.

PDF Security: obfuscated code, hackers and other threats

Hackers are finding increasingly inventive ways of exploiting holes in Acrobat.
The same rich content that makes PDF so useful to businesses can also make it a security risk. Embedding links, images, tables and media uses JavaScript and that allows PDF files to be exploited as an attack vector for hackers.

Rebuilding a NAS appliance RAID array

Disks fail, and RAID arrays need rebuilding. Be prepared for the worst – and keep your clients’ data safe.

Managing Skype in business

Skype means free or cheap calls but it’s based on peer-to-peer file sharing principles. How can you tame consumer VoIP tools for use in a business network?

Saving power, saving money with a green energy audit: cut printer costs and create power plans

Cold mornings and the clocks going back are going to put up heating and lighting bills for businesses as winter draws in, but increasingly IT is putting up the electricity bill too. Power prices have increased significantly this year and it’s not yet clear whether they have peaked. Offer customers a power audit that covers printing, servers, desktop PCs, storage and peripherals or include it when you’re planning a new deployment to sweeten the deal — and try it out in your own office to find out how much you can save by managing IT power.

Lock down shared PCs with Windows SteadyState

When you’re responsible for the smooth running of computers in a small office, one problem you’ll quickly encounter is that of people making changes that cause problems.

Specifying and supporting disk encryption

Encryption is at the top of the business agenda following a spate of embarrassing data breaches. How can you design and implement encryption systems to suit your customers’ needs without making life harder all round?

Let financing take the strain