With the Coronavirus (COVID19) outbreak now developing in the UK, Manx Technology Group is closely following information and advice from the Isle of Man Government, UK Government, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and CDC.
MTG has developed plans that ensure any impact on our service provision is minimised or mitigated. Read more
We are increasingly being approached by customers who want to understand what options are available for remote working, given the situation with Coronavirus (covid-19). In this post, we look at the different options available for organisations who want to explore working remotely, as an option or as part of contingency planning.
We look at a number of reasons why you should be using Yammer in your business. Yammer is an application included in Office 365. While many organisations may be using Office, Exchange E-mail and Sharepoint, we look at how Yammer can be used in your organisation.
Yammer is often described as Facebook for business, a social network platform for business. It allows staff to share information, post updates and interact with one another. 85% of Fortune 500 companies use Yammer, we take a look at some reasons your organisations should consider using it.
Yammer makes it easy to post updates, generate interest and increase engagement in your company. Staff members can post updates, polls, events and announcements; to which their colleagues can like, vote and comment. In any size business, improving dialogue and communication in any business can lead to greater employee engagement (which can contribute to a positive corporate culture).
“Happy birthday”, “Cakes in the kitchen” and associated e-mail banter. It can clog up your inbox, or it may be completely suppressed through IT and HR policies. Yammer offers a solution. Updates and announcements posted on Yammer reduce clutter. Staff members know to view Yammer for updates and announcements.
Improving engagement, giving employees freedom and promoting communications in the business all has a positive impact on corporate culture. Yammer also acts as a conduit for messaging and updates that define and reinforce your company culture. Developing culture is one reason many organisations adopt Yammer, and for good reason.
Yammer can be accessed through your web browser (many organisations set it as the home page), while it also has an easy-to-use mobile application. The mobile app keeps employees, groups and teams connected no matter where they are.
As Yammer is part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products, it sits within the security and governance framework provided as part of O365. Organisations can be confident in the knowledge that security, auditing and privacy extends to Yammer – allowing them to remain compliant.
Did mention that Yammer has built-in support for Gifs, and naturally, Yammer serves as a focal point for memes and emojis. These features allow you to bring some fun to Yammer.
Microsoft has an excellent resource that outlines Use Cases, Communities, Innovation and Adoption strategies for organisations considering Yammer.
The following infographic entitled What can you learn with Yammer? is an excellent primer that describes what you can do with Yammer.
If your organisation already has Office 365 or is looking to deploy Office 365 and Yammer is of interest – speak to our solutions team to learn more. You can reach them by e-mailing sales@mtg.im, calling +44 1624 777837 or clicking ‘Request a Quote’ on our website.
Monitoring bathing water quality with IoT reduces cost, improves coverage and provides real-time measurements. The use of IoT technology offers rich datasets and real-time alerting for bathing water or pollution events.
An LPWan (Low Power Wide Area Network) is a type of wireless network , well suited for IoT and sensors, where low-power, long-range data communications is a requirement. Typically LPWan technologies have data-rates of less than 100Kbps so are not comparable to broadband, but are well suited to data transmission from IoT sensors.
The primary attributes that distinguish an LPWan from other network technologies include:
There are several different LPWan technologies, but the most common tend to include:
Alongside these LPWan technologies, some IoT applications may use:
When considering the most appropriate wireless technology for your IoT project, you should consider the following:
Yes – but you need to be able to understand:
Only when you have answers to these questions is it possible to estimate the power usage and thus battery lifetime.
If you would like to learn more about Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, Low Power WAN options, or if you require assistance with your IoT project, please speak to our solutions team. They can be reached by e-mailing sales@mtg.im, calling +44 1624 777837 or selecting ‘Request a Quote’ from our website.
Sophos Intercept-X is an advanced endpoint protection solution that uses artificial intelligence to detect both known and unknown threats. Sophos Intercept-X uses next-gen techniques, alongside more traditional methods to protect computer systems. The use these advanced signature-less technologies has meant Sophos is consistently ranked as one of the industry’s top-rated malware detection, exploit and endpoint protection solution.
Why is this particularly relevant to a small business? 43% of all data breaches impact SMBs (small-medium businesses), so they are not immune to cybersecurity threats. Subscribing to an advanced endpoint protection solution helps ensure data and systems are safeguarded against modern threats and malware.
Artificial intelligence built into the Sophos product is able to detect both known and unknown threats, based on behaviours and a variety of other parameters that would indicate malware. Signature-less protection ensures your systems can be protected against known and emerging/zero-day threats. The enhanced protection means that Sophos Intercept-X is able to detect and block malware that may slip past competing products.
A common attack vector for a virus or malware infection is for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in unpatched application software or out of date operating systems. Exploit prevention built into Sophos Intercept-X is able to recognise exploit tools and techniques, therefore providing an additional layer of defence. This angle of attack is why businesses are encouraged to move away from dated operating systems such as Windows XP and Windows 7.
Cryptolocker and other ransomware can cause havoc for business owners, particularly small businesses. The behavioural analysis system built into Sophos called CryptoGuard silently observes process and application behaviour that are attempting to modify or hijack your data and documents for ill intent. Cryptoguard will stop this activity and revert your data back to its original form.
EDR is a valuable feature of the Sophos security suite that enables you to investigate threats further, understand their origin and respond in a confident manner. While detecting and preventing a malware attack is one thing, understanding how it infected the organisation is another – this is where EDR helps.
MTG recommend that you employ a layered defence model when considering IT security in your business. Our ITaaS customers benefit from several different security components; Fortinet Firewalls with UTM, Cisco Umbrella Secure-Internet Gateway, Sophos Endpoint Protection and Intercept-X, File Audit and User Lock – and regular security check-ups. It is also important to focus on user education and staff training; the human element is particularly vulnerable to phishing and other attacks that are difficult to prevent with just technical measures.
We provide Endpoint Security for a monthly subscription, as part of our ITaaS offering. You pay a fixed fee per month, per staff member, which includes Office 365, Sophos Endpoint, Cisco Umbrella and other software that enhances security and increases productivity. The subscription-based model provides predictable costs that scale with your business.
MTG employs Sophos certified engineers and architects who can select and implement a full security fabric for your organisation.
If your business would like to learn more about Sophos Intercept-X, our managed IT solutions, or if you are interested in a review of your IT or security setup – please speak to our solutions team. You can speak to our team by calling +44 1624 777837, e-mail sales@mtg.im or select ‘Request a Quote’ from our website.
VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) has gained popularity in recent years, with many organisations using tech from VMWare, Citrix and Microsoft for their VDI platforms. Despite the growing use of VDI; traditional desktop deployments are still going strong. Which is best, VDI or Desktop? It depends on your business! When it comes to Desktops vs VDI, there are several items you need to consider. Read more
Smart Parking sensors are intelligent IoT nodes that are installed in parking spaces, or within road-side spaces, and are able to detect the presence of a parked vehicle. The sensors can then trigger events for use with intelligent parking apps or for intelligent parking enforcement. Manx Technology Group can design and supply Smart Parking solutions for parking applications in the UK or Ireland, including the sensors, LoRaWAN network, back-office systems and Smart Parking Apps. Read more
Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can enhance the operating models and efficiencies of utility companies, particularly those involved with water and sewage. Utility companies are no stranger to IoT technology, with numerous deployments of smart-grid and smart meters throughout the world. IoT technology is, however, developing fast, and the newest range of sensors and comms technologies have the potential to transform the industry. Read more
A central feature of Microsoft Teams is its support for vibrant video and audio conferencing. Microsoft report that 91 of the Fortune 100 companies are using Teams – and the fantastic news is these same enterprise features used by the Fortune 100, are available to small business owners and SME organisations. In this blog post, we explore some of Team’s video features and provide two examples of inexpensive video conferencing solutions for business – that can rival (and even outperform) much more expensive enterprise systems. Read more
