How to write an IT service-level agreement

The latest Windows and Blackberry email handsets for business

Almost any phone does email, and there are dozens of Windows Mobile and BlackBerry models around. But if your clients want the latest high-end handsets, which of them are ready to do business?

Centralising anti-virus protection for business

Disinfectant for the desktop, with less swabbing. Many small businesses’ anti-virus software strategies are a mess: here’s how you look after it for them, with minimal fuss.

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.

Consolidating servers with VMware Server

VMware’s virtualisation tools are some of the most popular around. They don’t have to be expensive either; the free tools are ideal for small and medium businesses.

Failover, not fall over - how to keep running when the hardware fails

Failure is not an option in business and redundancy is the solution. You can offer customers systems that keep running when the hardware fails.

Server failure used to mean widespread panic and a scramble to find backup tapes and a spare server to restore onto. Inevitably this meant business interruption, user frustration and even data loss. Recovering from a backup can take hours; even planned maintenance can take the server down during business hours leaving users unable to work. Today there is no excuse for this situation.

Set up Exchange anti-spam features

Move anti-spam settings from one server to another with the Exchange 2007 Anti Spam Migration tool, from Microsoft www.microsoft.com/do.. Run it on the SBS 2003 system to create a PowerShell script that you can run on your Exchange 2007 server to import the appropriate settings.